Reviews by conorr90

I didn't expect to like this much, based on the two singles I knew (Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye). But it was surprisingly weird, and also very innovative for a pop record at the time. There were a few real dud tracks (Frustration and Youth) and some forgettable ones. I especially liked Seedy Films, Sex Dwarf, Chips on My Shoulder, and Bedsitter, all were every transporting to what must have been a very strange but exciting time in London. Not sure if I'll revisit this often, but so much of the music I listen to was obviously influenced by it. I don't think we would have gotten Nine Inch Nails without this album, so it gets 4 for innovation!

I've tried to listen to this one objectively over the years but I just can't really get into it. I recognise it as a landmark in hip hop history and see its influence in the music that followed. It obviously has fantastic production and instrumentals. But I can't see past the homophobic, misogynistic, and often just plain immature lyrics all over this thing. Maybe if I had been around at the time or gotten into this when I was younger I would feel differently. Its hard to de-couple Dre and Snoop from the legions of terrible bling era wannabes who followed in their footsteps. If I want to listen to some hip hop from the early 90s, I always turn to something like TCQ, De La Soul, or Queen Latifah over something like this.

Not sure what I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's an absolute classic and has been played in my house for as long as I can remember, even the cover art sticks out in my earliest memories of music. For sure one of the best Jazz albums of all time!

This was a new one to me, I knew of XTC but was only familiar with a couple of their hits. I really enjoyed it, kind of like a weird cross over between Tears for Fears and the Beach Boys. Definitely think I'll be back for more of this, and will check out their other albums!

I found this one quite mediocre apart from "Violence", that song slaps. The rest was very generic "classic rock radio" and sort of faded into the background. I might give it another go, but maybe it's one of those where you had to have been around at the time to really appreciate it!

I think this is the first album in this series so far that I've listened to twice, really enjoyed it! I've always been a fan of Blur but until now I've only really listened to their singles and greatest hits. Going into this album knowing it was influenced by The Kinks makes a lot of sense and gave it good context. Some really solid songwriting here and a lot of memorable songs. It's a shame this album has been somewhat overshadowed by their Parklife era which followed.

I'm a big fan of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot so have tried a few times to get into other Wilco albums, but none have clicked so far. Being a double album, there's a lot to unpack here, but some of it was great. I'll need to give it more time to get my head around it all.

I listened to this one around the time it came out, and am pretty familiar with the singles. I tried to give it a fresh listen, but I still don't really get the hype! Thundercat is obviously a fantastic musician and I've really enjoyed most of his collaborations with other artists I've heard. But I just don't like his singing voice at all, and I find this album way too repetitive. At 50 mins, I also found that it dragged in places. I'll probably only revist the singles, if even!

I completely forgot how great this album is, haven't listened to in full in years. Some favourites from my teenage years and at least one of my all time fave songs (1979). As with virtually every double album, it is a bit bloated and there are a couple of forgettable tunes. Some of the lyrics are a bit cringy now that I'm a 30-something ["God is empty, just like ME! >:(" for ex]. It doesn't quite live up to "Siamese Dream", in my opinion, but it is still a fantastic album.

Somewhat strange to be listening to this on the day the Queen's death was announced, but there you go. I've had a love hate relationship with The Smiths; hated them as a teenager in the 00s, then started to appreciate them in my college days. When I got my first car I bought this album on CD and played it to death. Definitely my favourite of their albums. Its almost perfect, maybe not quite a 5 but close enough that I'll round it up!

Apart from Roadrunner, I hadn't heard anything from this band before. It's a bit too repetitive and basic for me. I don't think I'll intentionally listen to it again, but I can see how it's an important piece of rock history and would have influenced the likes of The Replacements, Pavement, The Strokes, etc.

Apart from the (somewhat cheesy at this point) title track this one is new to me. Great production! Lots of smooth ballads. I didn't enjoy this as much as "What's Going On", but would definitely come back to it.

I remember reading a review years ago which said the Stones made a very successful career by regularly releasing mediocre albums which had 2 or 3 fantastic singles to carry them. I still feel like that's pretty accurate after giving this another go. I'm sure they had fun recording 6 mins of "Jigsaw Puzzle" but it pales in comparison to something like "Sympathy for the Devil". Remove "Sympathy" and "Street Fighting Man" and thos would be a forgettable 1/5 for me. You can't deny the genius and influence of those two songs though!

Solid album, but apart from a couple of standout tracks, not particularly memorable. It was probably very significant at the time, but not different enough from his work with Garfunkel to be seen as a landmark in my opinion. Interesting to see Paul Simon progress as the solo artist that would eventually be putting out masterpieces in pop music a few years later.