Reviews by florida-metalhead810

Eh, these guys were just kind of also-rans in the hair metal scene at the time as far as I know. I don't think they are essential listening at all. Normally, I like this genre of hard rock, but these guys just can't pull it off. It's competent enough musically, but it lacks the same sort of cool feel that makes AC/DC a great band. The lyrics are just straight shit("Peace Dog" sounds like incoherent babble that tries to sound meaningful), often even more so than other hard rock of the period(which is saying something). Riffs are very generic, though OK to listen to. However, I have one glaring question: Why is this album on the list? It's not anywhere close to the best example of the period's hard rock sound, and it utterly lacks merit in any other capacity. This album has the highest number of appearances of the word "generic" of any on this site, and it's pretty obvious why.

This album is ranked #17 of 25 albums for 1987. Other 1987 albums rated by me:
Bad(1/25)-4
Appetite for Destruction(2/25)-5
Document(4/25)-4
Sign o' The Times(5/25)-4
Strangeways, Here We Come(6/25)-4
Music for the Masses(7/25)-4
Trio(9/25)-3
Darklands(10/25)-4
You're Living All Over Me(13/25)-4
The New Tango(19/25)-2
Warehouse: Songs and Stories(21/25)-4
Opus Dei(24/25)-4
Scum(25/25)-5

This marks my final Led Zeppelin album of the list- and I've long believed it's one of their best. It is one of their best, with engaging rockers and equally good ballads. Plant's voice is at its best here, and the guitar playing is excellent. The lyrics aren't the best, even by Zeppelin standards, but the songs are good enough to make up for it. This album is legendary in the classic rock sphere, and the songs included more than justify it getting 5 stars.

This album is ranked #2 of 38 albums for 1969. Other 1969 albums rated by me:
Abbey Road(1/38)-5
Led Zeppelin(3/38)-4
At San Quentin(5/38)-5
Bayou Country(7/38)-4
In A Silent Way(8/38)-4
In the Court of the Crimson King(9/38)-5
The Velvet Underground(10/38)-4
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere(11/38)-4
Stand!(16/38)-4
Cloud Nine(17/38)-4
Arthur(18/37)-3
Hot Rats(19/38)-3
From Elvis In Memphis(21/38)-2
Tommy(22/38)-4
Songs From A Room(25/38)-5
Unhalfbricking(26/38)-4
Kick Out The Jams(29/38)-3
The Gilded Palace of Sin(30/38)-3
Odessa(36/38)-2

Well, this is a short little album. 15 minutes barely even qualifies as an album if you ask me, but a hardcore punk band is definitely capable of justifying this being an album. Despite their lack of length, the songs feel like fully formed, well, songs without having to be extremely drawn-out. That, in and of itself, is legitimately impressive, as brevity is one of the hardest things to do in many artistic pursuits. However, the vocals aren't very good, as they're just an angry guy yelling. It doesn't really complement even this simple music well(until the band speeds the tempo up). Either way, it's a nice change of pace for somebody with a huge tendency to complain about the lengths of albums.

This album is the lowest ranked album of 1980 globally. Other 1980 albums rated by me:
Back in Black(1/23)-5
Remain in Light(2/23)-5
Seventeen Seconds(4/23)-4
British Steel(5/23)-5
Peter Gabriel 3(6/23)-4
Heartattack and Vine(11/23)-5
Crocodiles(14/23)-3
Kilimanjaro(20/23)-2

Great, a random country guy I've never heard of. The big names were excellent, but I don't know about the smaller names like this. Turns out, I didn't need to worry too much. This album is mostly mediocre country that can often sound like the shit radio "country" that is incredibly insipid, but it has a few legitimately great country songs. It is more rock-inflected than most country of the period, with noticeable synth flourishes and even a guitar solo on one track. The lyrics are mostly just ok, but sometimes they are good. This album is not as good as the big name country of the 1970s, but it definitely deserved to be heard. It actually feels quite ahead of its time in many ways.

This album is ranked #27 of 32 albums for 1978. Other 1978 albums rated by me:
Van Halen(4/33)-4
Darkness on the Edge of Town(6/33)-5
One Nation Under A Groove(7/33)-5
Stardust(8/33)-4
C'est Chic(9/33)-4
Live and Dangerous(10/33)-4
This Year's Model(13/33)-3
All Mod Cons(14/33)-4
Germfree Adolescents(19/33)-4
Third/Sister Lovers(25/33)-4
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen(32/33)-3

I thought the last Tom Waits album I had was good, so I hope this one is too. Unfortunately, I don't really care for this one. Here, Tom doesn't sound like he's trying to sing, more just telling stories over somewhat jazzy instrumentals. It's pretty obvious what he's going for here; a shady club jazz-type deal. Adding crowd noise onto your studio record, however, is just asinine even within the context of this album, and this album lacks memorable songs. So, essentially, all this record has is its shtick(whereas Heartattack and Vine had some genuinely good songs).

This album is ranked #20 of 22 albums for 1975. Other 1975 albums rated by me:
Wish You Were Here(1/22)-5
A Night At The Opera(2/22)-5
Physical Graffiti(3/22)-4
Blood on the Tracks(4/22)-3
Mothership Connection(7/22)-4
That's the Way of the World(8/22)-5
Red Headed Stranger(11/22)-5
Pieces of the Sky(16/22)-4

Oh, great, Morrissey again? Oh, wait, this is a Smiths album, so it should be better than the solo ones. It is better than the solo albums, of course, because it is the album that truly cemented the Smiths' legacy. It's a pretty good poppy college rock album with a lot of sad songs on it. Of course, this sadness is a large part of the Smiths' sound, even when it's mixed with absurdist lyrics designed to shock. The songs are very well written, even if the band and especially the vocals can be very one-note. This album doesn't entirely deserve its reputation, but it's still a pretty good album that represents its genre very well.

This album is ranked #3 of 23 albums for 1986. Other 1986 albums rated by me:
Graceland(1/23)-3
Licensed to Ill(4/23)-4
Raising Hell(6/23)-5
Skylarking(9/23)-3
EVOL(20/23)-4
Guitar Town(21/23)-2

This is the first Elvis album and therefore the beginning of the Elvis cultural construct. However, it's a pretty shit rockabilly album. It has some redeemable songs like "Blue Suede Shoes", but most of the album is samey-sounding crap. The vocals on this album range from mediocre to downright abysmal, and Elvis is very unconvincing as a bluesman. That means that the main reason for his success was a mixture of Jim Crow-era racism and clever marketing rather than any talent he may have had. Good God, I've had 2 Elvis albums and they both aged like milk.

This album is ranked #4 of 5 albums for 1956. Other 1956 albums rated by me:
The Wildest!(2/5)-3

I had Peter Gabriel's third album earlier in this list and thought it was good, so I expect this to be good as well. It is good, if not quite as good as 3(Melt). It's a very sonically varied album with songs ranging from theatrical pop to folk-tinged rock to arena rock. The lyrics are frequently absurdist, delivered by the very theatrical, powerful vocals we know and love from Genesis. This album is pretty enjoyable, but it's not always his best work and can be somewhat erratic. It's still a good album for fans of Gabriel's work, though.

This album is ranked #17 of 27 albums for 1977. Other 1977 albums rated by me:
Rumours(1/27)-5
Exodus(2/27)-4
The Stranger(3/27)-4
Out of the Blue(4/27)-3
"Heroes"(5/27)-3
Lust for Life(6/27)-4
Talking Heads '77(8/27)-4
Low(9/27)-3
Marquee Moon(11/27)-4
Aja(12/27)-3
Zombie(13/27)-4
Bat Out of Hell(15/27)-4
My Aim Is True(16/27)-2
The Idiot(18/27)-3

I have heard "Bang a Gong" before and thought it was mediocre, so I kind of think that's what this album will be. And it is pretty mediocre, kind of in the same vein as that song. Vaguely catchy guitar riffs mated to poppy beats and nearly-inaudible whispery vocals do not make for a great album. The lyrics aren't particularly good, and the whispery delivery is not really something I'm a fan of. This album feels very insubstantial when listening, often making me wish it had more meat behind it, so to speak("Monolith" was anything but, and the other songs were all on the boring side). Not one I think I'll return to.

This album is ranked #11 of 37 albums for 1971. Other 1971 albums rated by me:
Led Zeppelin IV(1/37)-5
Who's Next(5/37)-5
Sticky Fingers(6/37)-4
Pearl(7/37)-5
L. A. Woman(8/37)-3
Maggot Brain(9/37)-4
Imagine(14/37)-4
Fela Kuti Live!(15/37)-4
Nilsson Schmilsson(16/37)-4
Coat of Many Colors(18/37)-5
At Fillmore East(19/37)-4
Surf's Up(22/37)-4
Every Picture Tells A Story(25/37)-4
Songs of Love and Hate(29/38)-5
Tago Mago(33/37)-4
Histoire de Melody Nelson(35/37)-1

Oh, man. An hour of Justin Timberlake? Are we serious? Yes, we're serious, and I'm going to listen to this album. Of course, it's throwaway 2000s-era pop that tries to imitate much better R&B music from earlier decades without much success. Well, depending on your definition of success, it could be pretty successful. Anyway, the lyrics are dumb, the songs are boring, and every last one of them is at least 30 seconds too long. I can't say I like the beatboxing on "Cry Me A River", which turns a mediocre boy-band pop tune into something with a genuinely annoying rhythm section. This is just disposable pop from 2002 with very little notable outside of a couple of annoying yet weirdly popular hits.

This album is the lowest ranked album of 2002 globally. Other 2002 albums rated by me:
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots(2/16)-5
Sea Change(6/16)-2
Highly Evolved(11/16)-2
A Little Deeper(15/16)-2

The generator has now presumably given every user either this album or Dolly Parton's 1971 record "Coat of Many Colors" as a tribute to Dolly, who passed on yesterday. This album, meanwhile, is a perfectly pleasant country album that lacks any real standout tracks. The collaboration of three legendary(albeit similar-sounding) country singers makes for a far more interesting backstory than the album. The vocals harmonize nicely, but the lyrics are mostly repetitive meditations about heartbreak, and the album mostly stays in one groove. It's not a bad groove, but it's not the best one that any of these artists have used, and you'd expect more given their reputations. Coat of Many Colors was a far better record than this, and probably a better encapsulation of Dolly's legacy.

This album is ranked #12 of 25 albums for 1987. Other 1987 albums rated by me:
Bad(1/25)-4
Appetite for Destruction(2/25)-5
Document(4/25)-4
Sign o' The Times(5/25)-4
Strangeways, Here We Come(6/25)-4
Music for the Masses(7/25)-4
Darklands(9/25)-4
You're Living All Over Me(13/25)-4
The New Tango(19/25)-2
Warehouse: Songs and Stories(21/25)-4
Opus Dei(24/25)-4
Scum(25/25)-5

Oh, great, another Morrissey album. I can't say that this one is any better or worse than the last one. It just kind of is, just like the last one. The lyrics, while they attempt more maturity, are not very interesting. Sonically, it sounds like every average Morrissey vocal, not particularly interesting in any way. I could have died without hearing this-or any solo Morrissey really.

This album is ranked #22 of 29 albums for 1994. Other 1994 albums rated by me:
Dookie(2/29)-4
Grace(3/29)-3
Dummy(4/29)-5
Illmatic(7/29)-5
Smash(10/29)-4
Ready to Die(11/29)-2
Live Through This(13/29)-4
Protection(15/29)-4
Talking Timbuktu(17/29)-3
Music for the Jilted Generation(19/29)-4
Dog Man Star(20/29)-3
Snivilisation(28/29)-3

This is widely considered one of the archetypal records made from sampling, which inherently raises questions as to its very nature. Is its maker a creator or a curator, for example? What it ends up being is a pretty decent trip-hop album. The songs mostly lack lyrics, instead being instrumental compilations of DJ Shadow's favorite samples into surprisingly coherent works. But, I suppose, that's the beauty of sampling, isn't it? To pluck your favorite bits from other people's stuff and turn them into something that reflects you? In my review of Moby's Play, I said that I could recreate it very easily. I didn't believe that Moby really knew how to make art with the samples. However, DJ Shadow seems to understand the music he borrowed from in a way Moby didn't, creating a more pleasurable listening experience altogether.

This album is ranked #4 of 28 albums for 1996. Other 1996 albums rated by me:
The Score(1/28)-4
Tigermilk(8/28)-3
Everything Must Go(11/28)-3
Emperor Tomato Ketchup(13/28)-4
1977(14/28)-2
Better Living Through Chemistry(15/28)-2
Oedipus Schmoedipus(23/28)-3
Now I Got Worry(27/28)-4
Antichrist Superstar(28/28)-2

The other Big Star album on the list was amazing, so I have high expectations for this one. It is a pretty good power pop album, in some cases as good as #1 Record. The lyrics aren't the best, but the album's hooks and ability to create emotions make up for it. They may have ceased to be a band by the time this came out, but at least they left this as their final testament. While it doesn't always reach the heights of #1 Record, it's still a good album worth hearing for those into Big Star.

This album is ranked #25 of 33 albums for 1978 by global rating. Other 1978 albums rated by me:
Van Halen(4/33)-4
Darkness on the Edge of Town(6/33)-5
One Nation Under A Groove(7/33)-5
Stardust(8/33)-4
C'est Chic(9/33)-4
Live and Dangerous(10/33)-4
This Year's Model(13/33)-3
All Mod Cons(14/33)-4
Germfree Adolescents(19/33)-4
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen(32/33)-3

Hmm... I don't know about this one. It's probably just ok and not much more than that. My initial assumption was correct, but the first track was actually really good. After that, it kind of became either milquetoast or sometimes grating(the vocal affections on the second track, "Booty" in general). The vocals are usually pleasant but can become grating on certain tracks, especially with overdubbed "Woah-oh"s at the ends of many tracks. The lyrics are smart, with sharp observations about the state of life in America and expectations of being a woman. This album is a nice homage to 70s soul and R&B that can hold its own against that genre's greats at its best, but it frequently isn't at its best. We're ultimately left with a somewhat mediocre album with some showcases of potential.

This album is ranked #9 of 26 albums for 2000. Other 2000 albums rated by me:
Kid A(1/26)-5
The Marshall Mathers LP(4/26)-2
Stories from the City, Stories From the Sea(6/26)-3
All That You Can't Leave Behind(16/26)-1
Our Aim Is To Satisfy(20/26)-1

Well, this is a pretty old country album. Certainly, it's older than any country album I've had on this list. It's probably the best produced of any 50s album I've had on the list, so it gets points for that. It doesn't necessarily confirm to what the modern listener thinks of as country, instead being a kind of folky, Western-themed crooner pop. Robbins has an excellent voice, and the album's sonic backgrounds are excellently produced, but it doesn't really inspire as much feeling as the likes of Johnny Cash. Still, it's an objectively good album with strong storytelling lyrics and excellent production, and it definitely should be on this list(well, for an American, it should be).

This album is the lowest ranked of 5 1959 albums globally. Other 1959 albums rated by me:
Kind of Blue(1/5)-5
Time Out(2/5)-3
The Genius of Ray Charles(3/5)-3

Oh, great, another 60s band I've never heard of. The album is actually surprisingly good mellow 60s pop. The songs are hooky pop/rock numbers with a surprising amount of Spanish guitar influence. The lyrics are usually only okay, but that's not really a mark against this album. It's an enjoyable enough album, but I can't really find much to say about this one. So I guess it's yet another 3 for me in a streak of 4 3s so far.

This album is ranked #12 of 29 albums for 1967. Other 1967 albums rated by me:
Are You Experienced?(2/29)-5
The Doors(3/29)-4
Surrealistic Pillow(7/29)-3
Songs of Leonard Cohen(9/29)-4
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim(10/29)-4

Well, these guys get points right off the bar for candidly titling their album, which is indeed a short album about love. Somehow, the singer sounded exactly like I expected him to sound. The music sounds like it came from a musical(theater kid here, I'm familiar with the style), and the lyrics sound like they were written by a poorly written love interest character from a mediocre anime. For those who don't know what I mean by that, all he does is obsess over his crush to the point of ridicule. Maybe that's the point, though. Maybe this record is just taking the piss out of 60s crooner pop by deliberately exaggerating the lovelorn lyrics of the genre. Or maybe it's genuinely shit lyricism at play. I don't know the artist's intent, but I do know that this is far from the worst thing I've listened to in this project. In fact, it's surprisingly enjoyable for what it is. Color me surprised.

This album is ranked #19 of 25 albums for 1997. Other 1997 albums rated by me:
Either Or(4/25)-3
In It For The Money(8/25)-2
Life Thru A Lens(21/25)-1
Let's Get Killed(22/25)-3

I don't think that Echo & The Bunnymen deserve to have 3 albums on here. Realistically, only Ocean Rain deserves to be here at all, if even that one. Anyway, this album definitely doesn't deserve its spot on the list. It's a mediocre new wave album that sounds like every other mediocre new wave album, with some hints of the songwriting that set Ocean Rain apart. The hooks are there, but they're not as good as the ones on Ocean Rain, and the lyrics aren't really worth paying attention to. It is slightly better than most of the new wave albums on this list, but not enough to break 4 stars. So this album gets a 3 for being passable without having anything truly stellar.

This album is ranked #14 of 23 albums for 1980. Other 1980 albums rated by me:
Back in Black(1/23)-5
Remain in Light(2/23)-5
Seventeen Seconds(4/23)-4
British Steel(5/23)-5
Peter Gabriel 3(6/23)-4
Heartattack and Vine(11/23)-5
Kilimanjaro(20/23)-2

This album is frequently held up as one of Bowie's best, so I'll be seeing how it holds up to that reputation here. It's definitely one of the more experimental Bowie albums in this list, showcasing him experimenting with different song structures and electronic/kraut-style instrumentation. The first half of the album consists of short and fairly poppy songs, while the second half(beginning at "Warszawa") is more atmospheric in nature. Lyrics are mostly irrelevant to the album's sound, and vocals are mostly added as an extra layer of haunting sounds. This album is pretty good, but it's not really my favorite Bowie album(and a lot of his stuff is overrated in general).

This album is ranked #9 of 27 albums for 1977. Other 1977 albums rated by me:
Rumours(1/27)-5
Exodus(2/27)-4
The Stranger(3/27)-4
Out of the Blue(4/27)-3
"Heroes"(5/27)-3
Lust for Life(6/27)-4
Talking Heads '77(8/27)-4
Marquee Moon(11/27)-4
Aja(12/27)-3
Zombie(13/27)-4
Bat Out of Hell(15/27)-4
My Aim Is True(16/27)-2
The Idiot(18/27)-3