Reviews by conorr90

This was surprisingly good! I've never listened to much of the Offspring, just a few song here and there. I always took them as a bit of a joke or a novelty act, due to their "wackier" songs later in the 90s. But this was a lot of fun, and musically it hits hard! The lyrics are surprisingly insightful in places as well, especially on "Self Esteem" and "What Happened to You". It is obviously pretty immature and teenage in places too. Seems like the type of album a kid like Reese from Malcolm in the Middle would be obsessed with.

This is an absolutely iconic album, but it's one I rarely listen to due to it's repetitive and lengthy nature. I remember when I was a teenager, not long after I started listening to Daft Punk (and having my mind opened to electronic music in general - after years of classic rock only), one of my friends loaned me "Alive 2007". He told me that once I'd heard Daft Punk live, I'd never want to listen to their studio albums again. It was very true - almost everything here sounds better on Alive 1997 and 2007. It's incredible to hear these songs woven together and remixed in inventive new ways, but it has the unintended effect of making the studio albums feel a bit...stripped back? Tame? Boring?

Maybe part of the problem is that I'm sitting alone at a desk in my home office, listening via headphones, not on a house party or niteclub sound system. Not exactly what Daft Punk had in mind, I'd say.

There are of course a few songs that do stand well alone (Revolution 909, Da Funk, Around The World, Rollin and Scratchin, Burnin, Indo Silver Club, Alive), and there's no denying how influential and groundbreaking the duo were. But the majority of these songs just sound like fragments to me now, parts of a greater whole to be assembled. It makes me sad that I missed out on seeing them live, and will probably never have a chance to again. Still though, I'll always have the Alive albums. I'm assuming they aren't in this book though, so in their stead I'll be giving this a 4, and most likely a 5 to Discovery.

Errogenous Zones, I love you!

I've listened to this album many times before, and still have no clear idea what the narrative is about. The lyrics are very poetic, however, full of striking images and interesting turns of phrase. Musically as well, this album is great; I love the frantic keys and fantastical melodies that turn up throughout the first half. The second album is a bit more meandering and nightmarish, but still enjoyable and very atmospheric. I think this is the band at their creative peak, as things just weren't the same after Gabriel (and later Hackett) left. In fact, I think their second phase was so starkly different to the first that they should have changed the band's name. Overall, this is a brilliant album and one of the few double albums on the list that earns it's place. A real high point in prog rock.

This is an almost perfect album, great to give this a listen on a lovely warm afternoon. It is a bit long, and I could do without the somewhat racist Chinese restaurant skit (and basically every skit ever), but this album is too important to quibble over a few imperfections. It was a great antidote to the gangsta and bling rap that was dominating at the time, and has aged pretty well. Great to see a female MC on the list too!

As a huge Bowie fan, I feel very strange giving this a 1 star review. This is a very solid 3 star album, but there's absolutely no need for it to be on the list, and that's what I reserve my 1 star reviews for. That's just how it is, sorry Mr. Jones. There are many other fantastic Bowie albums to check out - I would hate for this to be someone's introduction to him!

One of my all time favourite albums, but I think I discovered it in a sort of roundabout way. I was already into Bowie, but hadn't branched out much beyond Ziggy Stardust and the Greatest Hits. Then at the tender age of 17, I got into Nine Into Nine Inch Nails in a big way. I read somewhere, probably on Wikipedia, that this was Trent Reznor's favourite Bowie album and, if I remember correctly, that he played it constantly during recording of the Downward Spiral. This led me on a mind-opening journey into Berlin-era Bowie, as well as Brian Eno's back catalogue. Thanks, Wikipedia! Maybe I should actually donate someday.

This is some of the blandest, uninteresting, and generic dad rock I've gotten so far. I rank them even lower than Deep Purple, because at least they had some genuinely influential and innovative songs. This is just boring shite - hard rock for people who find Led Zeppelin too "artistic".

This was a nice surprise, as I only knew Nanci Griffith for "From A Distance", which I find quite cheesy. There's some really solid songwriting on here though, lovely voice and great banjo playing too from Béla Fleck (of Jingle All the Way fame). I found some of the songs a bit dull, but the standout tracks (Title Track, Love at the Five and Dime, Banks of the Pontchartrain, One of these Days, and Fly by Night) made it worth my while. The production is nice and warm, as a whole the album feels ideal for a road trip or something similar. I like an album that doesnt outstay it's welcome too!

I never really got the Pogues until now, even though as an Irish man they seem like a no-brainer. I think I found Shane McGowan a bit embarrassing, or I did that thing many Irish people do, and belittle other Irish folks who go on to be famous or do great things. We're terrible begrudgers. But, at least he didn't get it as bad as Bono I guess.

Anyway, this album was a great listen, a bit of a whirlwind in fact. I was really not expecting such variety from it, the eastern European/Middle Eastern flavours were great in particular. Really interesting to hear how well folk music from different countries can meld together. It almost loses a star for containing a Christmas song, but it is arguably one of the best Christmas songs ever recorded, so I'll let it slide. 9/10

Probablyy favourite of the Doors' albums, although in general I am not a huge fan. I appreciate the phenomenon of them though. The title track and Riders on the Storm are top their tracks, and there are a few other good ones here (Love Her Madly and L'America), but a lot of the others are pretty forgettable. Great driving album though, extra star for that!

This album was the soundtrack to a lot of my college days (and nights). LCD Soundsystem were one of the ultimate "cool person" band's of the 2000s, and with good reason. Great blend of genres, some catchy danceable songs, and a few slower, more contemplative ones. "Someone Great" always makes me think of a friend of mine who suffered far too much and died far too young. "All My Friends" is a complex one for me; it's incredibly anthemic, but it also often brings me close to tears, thinking back on my misspent youth and wondering about old friends that I've since lost touch with. On the brighter side, Get Innocuous is a great song to get you pumped up for a night out, I used to listen to it on the bus on the way into town to meet my friends. This album really has it all.

It's easy to see why this is on the list; it was ground breaking at the time with it's dual guitar assault and spooky artwork. It's definitely aged better than the Judas Priest album I got earlier on the list. The prog influences help to set it apart too. But the only truly memorable song on here is Running Free, and the overall production is terrible. I feel sorry for the bassist in particular - he can barely be heard for most of the album. The lyrics let it down a good bit too, they are the most teenage boy to ever teenage boy. Doesn't really hold a candle to Number of the Beast!

Never heard of this band, after listening I can see why. They seem to have been a more "rough around the edges" take on the same music the Rolling Stones were producing around the same time. I found it quite boring to be honest, nothing memorable at all about these songs. Having said that, I've always found Sticky Fingers quite boring too. Musically this isn't terrible, but I don't see why it would be considered "Essential".

I get why this is on the list, but it doesn't really do much for me. Obviously a very explosive and energetic performance, and is quite significant historically. Don't think I'll ever listen to it again though.

The first two songs on here are great, but after two listens I find the rest pretty hit and miss. Some of the more experimental tracks are cool, but feel unfinished. I'm a fan of Blur's hits, but I've yet to hear an album of theirs that really blows me away. Modern Life Is Rubbish and 13 gone close though.

Didn't recognize the name, but found I knew a couple of these songs. Thought the first half was nice and chill, but the second half nearly put me to sleep in the middle of the day. Not sure if that was the intention!

Genuinely some of the least interesting music I've heard in a long time. Bland, soulless and overproduced. Can't be bothered to say much more.

I think this is a fine album, but not quite on the same level as his other two albums. Some great songwriting on here though, even if it is a little dreary.

I like about half of this album, but find the other half too whiny for my taste. That has been my experience with Elliott Smith's music in general, sadly. I want to like him, but I just don't get the hype.

I get why this is on here, but apart from White Rabbit and Somebody to Love, I've always found the rest of it boring. I guess you just had to be there (and probably on acid)!