funlisten445

All I know is "Tainted Love" by them. Blind listen

"Frustration" - Very 80's. It's alright 3/5
"Tainted Love" - The hit. It's so catchy. 4/5
"Seedy Films" - I found this one quite boring. 1/5
"Youth" - This one missed me too but I did like the ethereal background of it 2/5
"Sex Dwarf" - Nothing like a thirsty fantasy spelled out in song 1/5
"Entertain Me" - Another ok song. The chorus is kind of fun 3/5
"Chips on My Shoulder" - Sounds like an 8-bit video game beat. Didn't hate it 3/5
"Bedsitter" - Not for me 1/5
"Secret Life" - Another miss 1/5
"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" - better than the last two but I was still bored through it 2/5

Songs added to playlist: "Tainted Love"

This was disappointing. Nothing else on this album touched the level of "Tainted Love". Definitely a product of it's time but felt like generic 80's pop to me. Two stars on this one.

I am a fan of Sam Cooke's music because my late father was a fan of Sam Cooke and all things soul from that era. I look forward to this one even though I don't usually like listening to live albums.

"Soul Twist/Introduction" - That crowd is ready 3/5
"Feel It (Don't Fight It)" – This swinging music makes me wanna flip. Great opener to a show to raise the energy. 5/5
"Chain Gang" – An ultimate sing-a-long song for me. Great crowd work 5/5
"Cupid" – I had to take a break after this song. I love this song and this version just flooded my mind with memories of enjoying music with my father. Like a serious (yet totally manly, of course) ugly cry. Miss ya pops. 5/5
"Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons" – Fun live version with the crowd singing along 3/5
"Twistin' the Night Away" – That club must have been rocking during this one. 5/5
"Somebody Have Mercy" – It's like you can feel the band feed off the crowd energy 4/5
"Bring It On Home to Me" – Another classic that can't go wrong 5/5
"Nothing Can Change This Love" – It rolls on and on 4/5
"Having a Party" – I'm having such a good time 5/5

Songs added to playlist: Damn near all of them

Woah. This may be one of the best live albums I have had the pleasure of listening too. It helps that it contains many hits from one my favorite artists but this one really made me imagine and feel the energy of the club, the crowd, and the musicians. Easy 5 stars. I am happy to discover this one.

Santana is another one of those artists in which I only know the hits. If someone asked me, "Hey, do you like Santana?", I would answer "Yeah, I love Santana!" This challenge has made me realize I would say those things without listening to the majority of work that any particular artist had put out there.

“Singing Winds, Crying Beasts” - Very psychedelic and slow intro. 2/5
“Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen” - The guitar, the drums, the closing energy, this is a classic 5/5
“Oye como va” - One verse repeated with 2 minutes of slick instrumental in between the verses. So simple, yet memorable 5/5
“Incident at Neshabur” - Okay instrumental but it didn't catch me. 3/5
“Se acabó” - Fast paced and driving. This is good. 4/5
“Mother’s Daughter” - This feels like a more traditional late 60's/early 70's rock song. Still good. 4/5
“Samba pa ti” - Beautiful guitar but too slow and dragging for me 3/5
“Hope You’re Feeling Better” - This rocks. Funky, groovy, its got it all 5/5
“El Nicoya” - A short song of drums. Meh 2/5

Songs added to playlist: “Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen”, “Oye como va”, “Se acabó”, “Mother’s Daughter”, “Hope You’re Feeling Better”

Really fun album but I usually struggle with fully instrumental songs. However, the songs I do like off of this album, I really do like. The song "Hope You're Feeling Better" really caught me by surprise and may be my favorite song on this album. Easy 4 stars for this. Now I can confidently say, "I love Santana!"

I have never listened to a Fatboy Slim album although I am familiar with a handful of his songs. This albums brings me back to an era which I was young, dumb, lifted, over-partied, and (in hindsight) cringe-worthy. I wonder how my "old man" mind will think of this album now.

“Right Here, Right Now” - This brings me back and I still want to dance to it. 5/5
“The Rockafeller Skank” - Great song but was overplayed a lot in my circles. 4/5
“Fucking in Heaven” - funky beat but a drop off from the first two tracks. 3/5
“Gangster Tripping” - This is okay. 3/5
“Build It Up – Tear It Down” - Another middling piece. 3/5
“Kalifornia” - Makes me wanna breakdance. I'd probably break my neck if I tried. 4/5
“Soul Surfing” - Started okay but got annoying the longer it went 2/5
“You’re Not from Brighton” - More hip-hop flavored breaks in this one. Meh 3/5
“Praise You” - Another great release from this album that got overplayed. 4/5
“Love Island” - A house song that repeats the word "house". Kind of cheesy 3/5
“Acid 8000” - This will make your booty move. Probably my 2nd favorite track on the album 5/5

Songs added to playlist: “Right Here, Right Now”, “The Rockafeller Skank”, “Kalifornia”, “Praise You", "Acid 8000"

One thing I have noticed over the years of hearing electronic music is on highly-touted albums, there is only a few of the songs (that usually get released as singles) on the album that I'll enjoy while the rest get repetitive and boring. This album is similar but does have a higher amount of songs than I normally enjoy from an electronic dance album so 4 stars for me.

I have heard of Pavement. That's all I have to say. Blind listen again.

“Summer Babe (Winter Version)” - So 90's. This one didn't catch me. 2/5
“Trigger Cut / Wounded-Kite at :17” - This one pinged a nostalgia feel for me. Not bad. 3/5
“No Life Singed Her” - The screaming in this was a major turn-off. 1/5
“In the Mouth a Desert” - Another poke at my nostalgia for 90's rock. I don't mind this one 3/5
“Conduit for Sale!” - Interesting with the spoken word verses and repetitive chorus. I like the driving rhythm in this 3/5
“Zürich Is Stained” - Nice vibe to this one. A bit too short but I like it. 4/5
“Chesley’s Little Wrists” - Sounds like they are goofing off in studio but I find it annoying 1/5
“Loretta’s Scars” - It's alright. I like the backing music but the vocals put me off. 3/5
“Here” - Not bad. Very calming song. 3/5
“Two States” - Boring song. Guitar sounds good. 2/5
“Perfume-V” - This didn't move me. Still love the sonic, driving guitars though. 2/5
“Fame Throwa” - This one is all over the place. I couldn't find the groove. 2/5
“Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era” - Nothing but repetition 2/5
“Our Singer” - Not terrible but not feeling it much 3/5

Song added to Playlist: Zürich Is Stained

Much of this album teased me with the nostalgia of that 90's rock sound without giving me the payoff I had hoped for. This album feels very raw, like a band trying to discover their sound. I think it would take at least one more enjoyable song for it to reach 3 star for me, so I am going with 2 stars.