Rated 4/10
I think this was about the point that U2 fell off. Their sound is not so different from their biggest early albums, but it has accrued so much corporate polish that it feels icky.
The first 3 tracks were all big hits, I could sing them from memory. But I haven't heard them in sometime and I did not enjoy revisiting them.
Objectively, this album is not that bad. But I kinda hate it.
2/5
Rated 6/10
I liked bits of this, particularly when things got a bit dubby or there were these more breakbeat-y sections. A lot of it washed over me and was background noise.
Fave Tracks; Melt, Inspection (Check One)
3.1/5
Rated 6/10
Beyond "That's Entertainment" I was really quite indifferent to this.
3/5
Rated 4/10
Too long and not really doing much for me. New wave pop rock without much flair.
2.5/5
Rated 6/10
Fine, but I was mostly unmoved.
2.9/5
Rated 10/10
This album is so cool. It does so much and then at the end just casually drops the greatest cover song of all time and the most iconic guitar riff of all time. Sure a few of the songs aren't quite top drawer, but the whole album still keeps you on your toes. You know instantly that there could be magic around any corner. And the fact that it still gives that sensation almost 60 years later is so crazy. People's little minds must've been blown to smithereens in 1968.
Little Miss Strange, with the lead vocals by Noel Redding is a good reminder of how iconic Hendrix is as a vocalist as well as a guitarist. This track is perfectly fine but is such a step down in terms of charisma.
The riff around 3mins of 1983 sounds to me like it was sampled/interpolated by Frank Ocean in Nights.
Fave Tracks: Crosstown Traffic, 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be), All Along the Watchtower, Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
4.7/5
Rated 6/10
Not very interesting, nothing really bad but just not attention grabbing. The bonus tracks on the end of the version I listened to were the most interesting which tells you all you need to know.
2.7/5
Rated 8/10
Kinda good
3.7/5
Rated 4/10
Maybe this is an historically important album, but its a lot of covers of rock n roll standards, recorded in pretty horrible quality. I can't really give it more than 2.
2/5
Rated 10/10
What beautiful guitar tones. This guy is underrated. Almost feels like he'd be held in better regard if he never wrote American Pie.
Fave Tracks: American Pie, Vincent, Winterwood, Babylon
4.5/5
Rated 6/10
This album is somehow very good and very bad at the same time.
Things I like: Blinded by the Lights instrumental, the album story arc of losing and (spoiler alert) finding his 1k and the relationship breakdown, the heartstring tugging of Dry Your Eyes.
Things I don't like: most of the other instrumentals particularly Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way, basically everything about Get Out of My House, basically everything about Not Addicted.
Things I probably shouldn't like but kinda do: Fit But You Know It - its so damn stupid and obnoxious but its such an earworm.
With this much good and bad lets just call it a 3/5.
Rated 8/10
Decent album. I think I prefer the album with Celebrity Skin though, which I think is not the popular opinion.
3.5/5
Rated 4/10
The first two tracks were so generic, did nothing for me. Boring album, one good pop song in Love in An Elevator, and Janie's Got a Gun is ok I guess.
Fave Tracks: Love In An Elevator
2/5
Rated 8/10
Chicago is one of those songs. I can't really quite put my finger on why but its just one of the greatest songs ever.
Americans talk about "Great American Novels", this album feels to me like the equivalent of a "Great American Album".
I don't really see many flaws with the album except that its a bit long. Its like a good cohesive experience, but only a handful of the tracks are ones that I actually want to go back to individually.
Fave Tracks: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!, Jacksonville, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day, The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!
4.4/5
Rated 8/10
3.8/5
Rated 6/10
Meh, kinda boring songs but recorded really nicely.
2.8/5
Rated 4/10
Lots of monotonous drum rhythms. I wanted to like this a lot but it didn't do it for me.
2.4/5
Rated 6/10
Some interesting songs, overall quite a generic sound.
Fave Tracks: Love Goes On, Streets of Your Town, I'm All Right, Dive for Your Money
3.2/5
Maybe one of the better EC albums on the list, despite no tracks I knew before. But talk about overrepresentation - this is his 5th! I've had so far, and I'm really not sure even 1 is required.
3.3/5
Rated 8/10
Fun album, tickles the right spots for me - garage/slacker rock, reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr or Pavement or maybe early Ween. For sure messy in places and plenty of forgettable tracks, but when the filler is short, it doesnt really matter that much.
3.6/5
