Reviews by callimar

I find it difficult to rate this album. Although garage rock in general and The White Stripes in particular have a high coolness factor, I hadn't realized how bad the production actually is. Yes, I know that this is part of the concept, but after three or four songs, the imprecise timing really annoyed me.
I'm giving it a second star for coolness, but honestly, almost 25 years later, this album is pretty rubbish.

Definitely not my cup of tea but some of the songs are not too bad ("The mother we share", "Under the tide"), so I can justify 2 stars.

Classic 70s Pop, performed at a very high level, but not exciting at all. Kind of a solid listen but in this given context, it's more on the disappointing side.
Edit: after 90 albums, this is at least average in the given context

Man, young Elton John had a great voice! I like that raw timbre far more than the bling bling version of his established in the 80s and 90s. The songs in contrast are far too repetitive for me and none of them really caught my ear. All together a solid listen

The Pretty Things clearly spent some time experimenting in the studio, figuring out what gear was meant for recording and what was meant for rolling. I think some of the most ridiculous parts of Spinal Tap (Listen to the Flower People) were inspired by this. This was fun and yes, you should have heard this album before you die. However, once should do though

It was interesting listening to an artist that was almost unrecognized here in Europe at that time. Willie Nelson was part of the outlaw movement (more or less started by Johnny Cash) in the country music scene but this album contains only cover versions of standards. While the (actually great) songs are nicely arranged, Nelson's voice and his straight and sometimes even hectic timing ruin much of the vibe known from other artists singing those pieces. Nice try, but doesn't make too much sense to me

Now we're talking! Aretha (one of those people who don't need a last name) is the undisputed Queen of Soul and this is her signature album. Starting with "Respect" which alone would already justify five stars, every single song is carefully arranged around Aretha's legendary voice at it's best. Had it on repeat all day, this one never gets old!

When published in 1988 this must have been far ahead of its time. Nowadays, it gave me a nice and relaxed listen - clear and distinct R.E.M. sound but not too exciting.
Actually 3.5 stars for me

One of my motives for joining this project was to learn about artists I do not know well yet and this absolutely fits the bill. The title sounds like blues philosophy but that's not what I found inside. Instead, this is relaxed singer-songwriter stuff with some nice instrumentation (yes, vibraphone) and lots of air to breathe (or to smoke weed, given the publication year). Apart from "Strange feelin'" and "Gypsy Woman" ( which might have partially inspired Krokus' "American Woman"), I really like the simple but very effective bass lines throughout this record. This stuff is far from legendary or making my playlist, but it surely held a nice surprise!

I have never been that much into Metallica, but this album proves that even a technically limited band can still produce great heavy metal stuff if they are musically talented, write songs with sophisticated rhythm structures and play it tightly. Apart from the title track, "One" is the other track that was still in my ears after decades. Clearly the second best Metallica album (Master of Puppets being #1 of course), for me actually four-and-half.

This is the third album I was proposed and the third that would not be on my list.
I was aware that there would be albums I do not know yet and I was not going to like them all. But I was not prepared for something this bad. Not sure if I should adjust my earlier reviews now.
Oh, seems I cannot send with zero stars...

Legend - kind of...
Megadeth was always defined by the brilliant instrumental work by Dave Mustaine and his mates that was far superior to his former band (Metallica). However, his questionable decision to take over the vocals by himself limited the recognition by a broader audience.
Peace Sells ... defined trash metal at its time but in my view, the best of Megadeth was yet to come - thus it is not a 5/5 for me.
Did I mention the iconic cover art work?

Generic early 90s Alternative Rock - probably called Grunge at that time - without the edginess of the better known acts (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains - you name it). The kind of music we would have played at school and no-one would care.
OK-ish but Petty. Probably a good starting point for "1001 albums you can ignore without missing anything"

Of course, I knew about this album, but I never took the time to listen to it in its entirety. “The Wall” is a harrowing masterpiece and, in many ways, it is off the scale. What impressed me most was the incredible timing when the speed, rhythm, mood, or atmosphere changes. I knew this was a monumental work, but it has also aged very well.
At least 5.5 stars.

“I no longer want to be a man. I want to be a horse. Men have small thoughts. I need a tail.” Perhaps Liars should have been granted this wish, then we would probably have been spared the next 40 minutes...
Apparently there really is a target audience for this “music,” so I gave it a second try and discovered that further back on “They Were Wrong So We Drowned” there are actually occasional hints of song structures. You have to imagine it a bit like Gregorian chants, except that most of the choir isn't singing, but rhythmically banging on whatever is available—kitchen utensils or furniture, for example. It's certainly innovative in some way, but you really don't need to hear it before you turn into a horse.

“We were never boring,” sing the Pet Shop Boys in the first song on “Behavior.” I don't know their earlier work well enough to judge, but at the very least, the next line should be, “but now we're starting to be.” The tracks aren't really bad, but somehow you expect something like a camera pan through a canyon or a montage of the day's images, or at least something relevant or interesting that this music can play in the background without distracting from the images. But I don't understand what this album is supposed to be good for on its own.

I enjoy listening to jazz from time to time, but I find it most exciting when it is combined with funk grooves or world music elements. On “Home is Where the Music is,” Hugh Masekela integrates both in a wonderful way. This album is great to listen to in the background, but you can also listen more closely at any time and discover interesting details. Easy listening but never boring—that's how jazz should sound!

To my mind, "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" alone actually calls out for a top rating, but the other songs cannot really keep up with this - even though they're by no means bad. In summary, “All Directions” is a good album but it becomes a must only because of the Temptations' signature song.

Lenny Kravitz is simply a cool guy and an incredibly talented musician. This was already evident on his debut album “Let Love Rule,” which is really worth listening to. I find it remarkable that the songs are so different that I don't really want to single out any one of them. On the other hand, Lenny manages to convey each of the 13 different moods convincingly and fill them with his personality. It makes sense that he was compared to Prince early on—even though I see him more as a successor to Jimi Hendrix in terms of style. Strong debut!

How did a sampler (!) with 1.5 hours of repetitive beep boop even make this list?? Are you kidding me?