Reviews by gawardush

A fine start, some easy listening, nothing that particular about it. Impressive that everything was done by Steve, playing the instruments, singing, writing, producing and engineering all of the songs, buuut that's still not a reason for being an album you HAVE to hear before you die. I have no idea how much of an influence on music this had had, but idk this is just not it for me. It's kinda average, I'd play this as background music, nothing more though.

"Connected" was actually good so I was expecting something better from this album. It all kind of blends together, like many other albums on this list. No idea why they were picked. Just for commercial success? For being critically acclaimed? It would have been a good thing to have Dimery's reasoning as to why anything was chosen, but I guess we'll never know. I'm not saying I have to LIKE an album for it to be worthy of its place, I'm just saying pick something that's actually influential. Not something that was in the charts for 3 weeks in the UK or in the US. Pick something that, I don't know, influenced the whole genre and not just in one country, in the whole world.

Yeehaw, partner howdy and buckle up. Y’all better be ready for the time of your sweet ass life. This album right here is darntootin’ mid, as the youngins keep jawin' about these days, pal. I got a hankerin’ for a beer or twelve, then headin’ home walkin’ on a slant just to whoop my good fo' nothin' wife after listenin’ to this mess. I spent all my time just piddlin' around scratchin' my head checkin' the clock and wonderin' if the radio was broke or just punishin' me personally. This album’s sho’ ’nuff scarce as hen’s teeth when it comes to entertainment. I’ll be tarred and feathered, rarely do I find somethin’ so mindnumbin’ly boring. I had more fun lookin’ up ways Southern folks talk than I did listenin’ to this whole thing.

So first of all, fuck Phil Spector, he's dead anyways, but still, I hope he's having a real hot time right now.

That out of the way, I don't have that nostalgia or strong feelings towards these songs, since I'm not American or British or anything anywhere near the English-speaking folks. I know the songs from American media, but that's about it. I've never listened to them to feel the Christmas spirit. I just get the 90's American TV Christmas spirit. It makes me feel like I'm in one of those movies. That's why I feel I can give a more unbiased opinion. It's not a perfect album, but it's really fun, actually deserving of being on this list. It's incredibly influential, it makes a whole holiday (alongside newer songs, but that's besides the point). It's really good, but I still wanna keep my rating system. Would I actively listen to these songs? Not really. Not even on Christmas. Are they bangers? Absolutely!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! And Phil, once again, rot in whatever hell you believed in, in all of them actually, since I don't believe in any.

How the fuck was Katy Perry making out to Kid A (she confirmed that)? Even this would've been a better pick for that particular activity.

First time I'd actually consider myself a fan of whoever I get on this list, but it's nowhere near the best album of theirs. It's alright, but I never thought it would be deserving of top 3, and clearly not deserving of this list at all. It kinda blends together at some point; I don't feel like there is anything standing out. Well, "2+2=5" is good, but "Myxomatosis" is my favourite one. I haven't seen anyone else mention it, that's why I felt the need to do so. "A Wolf At the Door" is also up there, but the rest kind of drags on. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't really seek out anything else on this album.

Actually really interesting. I like the way that things are experimented on here. That being said, that's not enough to bump this up any more than this. Sometimes it feels really hard to give a rating; I feel limited. Like this 3 is not the same as another one. I usually give 3's to albums that are fine, nothing special, maybe a bit boring at some points, but at the end of the day are ok, not good, not bad, just ok. In this case, even if it's a 3, it's still interesting. It doesn't get a 3 for being average; it gets a 3 just because it's not enough to REALLY impress me, but I still had fun and I'm glad I got to listen to this. I feel like, especially for the 3's, I have to be very specific with my thoughts, so that in 5, 2, hell, even one year, I remember what distinctions I made, if an album was painfully average but still an alright listen, or if it's actually something kinda good, just not my thing. I'm already having trouble comparing albums when thinking about the ratings, so i feel like this is the best approach.

Fitting name for the album though, Peter Gabriel 3 gets a 3.

Man do I hate the drip technique used in paintings (cover art in this case). POLLOCK WHEN I CATCH YOU POLLOCK why did he have to make this thing so popular?

I feel like the album cover encapsulates the album perfectly though. Trying to be so interesting but failing. Is it good? Yeah, in a way. I don't mind the songs but they're not making me wanna actively seek out this album. It's just fine, like mainly everything on this list. I've already lost hope in this list but ALL TIME TOP 1000 ALBUMS AS WELL?? PLACE 11???? THIS ALBUM?? There must be something wrong with me cuz I don't think it deserves a spot anywhere near THAT list. Why didn't they choose albums from more countries instead of all this mid American and British stuff? Again I'm not saying this album is bad, it's just not worthy of being included in such lists. I hoped I would've gotten the chance to hear stuff from more cultures from these challenges but it's the same stuff over and over again.

TapestryCarole King

Rated 6/10

awww cute kitty....PUT THOSE DOGS AWAY MA'AM

Unlike most of the 3's I give (mid stuff, completely average, blatantly passable), this is a 3 just because it's not something I'd deliberately listen to. It's not my taste. It's good. For what it is, for the genre it belongs to, it's better than average; it's just not my style, so I can't rate it any higher than that.

I've just pressed play and man oh man does he need some cough syrup? Oh god I kinda hate this a lot. Why does he make that voice sometimes? It takes me out of it. Not a fan at all of whatever this is, but I actually enjoyed "Certain Surprise" so I guess he can produce stuff someone like me would enjoy but this IS NOT IT.

PornographyThe Cure

Rated 8/10

I'm not THAT familiar with The Cure's discography, but I had a hunch I would enjoy this. Of course I know some of their songs, but I was never that big of a fan as to actively search out more music from them. Something about Robert Smith's voice makes me not LOVE their stuff. I would listen to these songs outside of the challenge though. I really like the instrumentals. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing groundbreaking, but I enjoy the vibes they convey; it's calming for me. This was truly a rare discovery on this list.

Why is everyone so English centered? Well, it’s really easy to guess where they are from that way. I get that lyrics mean a lot. They can make or break a song. But if you hear a song in another language, even if it sounds incredible, would you say it’s shit just because you can’t understand the lyrics?

I suppose you don’t even listen to songs in other languages. Why would you when THE US IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD GOD BLESS THIS FREE LAND, and let’s not forget THE GREATEST EMPIRE OF HISTORY ALSO BREXIT WAS AN AMAZING IDEA. Australia and Canada are safe, I don’t have beef with them.

Maybe it’s just me, or other people like me. Not natives to an English speaking country. Growing up, the radio was 80% English. Did I understand a single word? Not at all. I couldn’t even make it out when a song was in English. I just clocked that it was another language. BUT I STILL ENJOYED THEM. I just vibed along. I didn’t even know the title of any of them.

After learning this stupid language, I do admit that I lost interest in some songs after finding out what vile stuff they sang about, trashing on minorities in general. So I get that lyrics can influence your reception of a song. But if you can’t make them out, guess what? Google is free.

Influential? No idea. Though, if the only thing noteworthy in that wiki section is that a few songs were used in commercials, I wouldn't say that's an accomplishment that will define your legacy. This sounds soooo boring, so bland, even elevator music is more interesting sometimes, it's basically royalty-free music you hear in low buget short films on yt.

Strictly from a musical point of view, this is simply boring. I don't know. I'm no expert on Portuguese, but A Minha Menina doesn't sound right at all. If you HAVE TO use parts of songs in other languages, at least try to pronounce things correctly.

So, seeing that so many of the songs were bonus tracks, I wanted to check what the original album looked like and whether this is how it originally came out or if it is a re-release of sorts. Spoiler alert, the bonus tracks were not included originally.

Looking at the album the way it is presented here, it is a 2. It does not matter who you are, a two hour long album gets boring, and at some point you just want it to be over. However, for this rating, I will take into consideration the first release, which is a much more reasonable 36 minutes.

That way, I would say it is a 3. Nothing spectacular, but it is way better in that form. I am actually not sure why they chose this version of the album for the list. The one with just the first ten songs exists on Spotify. It is even stated in the book that each album on the list had its original version selected, not any later re-releases or reissues.

YAY my first Bob Dylan album. I was dreading this day. One down, six left to go, someone shoot me pls. Thinking that THIS is Americans' folk music ALMOST makes me feel bad for them. I'm not sure the British are doing any better? I won't make myself listen to that, not after today.

Why is it so boring? Folk around (most of) the world is so interesting, such a great way to learn and understand a culture. Now that I think about it, this fits the Americans actually, I mean how much culture can a 250 years old nation have? I'm sure that the folk music the natives have (from which they surely haven't stolen any components just to add their european spin on it, like everything else there) is better than this contemporary stuff. I hate that this 20th century folk became a thing, traditional folk is miles ahead of this shit.

Had some fun at first, but I don't like It's a Curse at All or Paranoia Man either. I'm not a fan of talking through the ENTIRETY of a song; it kind of annoys me, honestly. It can work sometimes, in moderation and in a controlled manner. I enjoyed the first two songs, and A Past Gone Mad as well. The formula for those works great. It would have been nice if the approach had been kept the same for the rest of the album. This could have easily been a 3 if the same energy resonated in all the songs, but the vocals make me bump it down to a 2. The instrumental is the only reason the rating does not go any lower. This is just not for me. I can see the appeal it has for other people, though; I am just not part of that group, unfortunately.

My least favorite is by far Light/Fireworks. It feels more like an intermission than a song, which would not necessarily be a bad thing if it also had the length of an intermission, not a full-on song. It is funny, though, that the only part that resembles an actual song is the length of an intermission. Maybe that was the intention, and maybe I am just stupid.

Actually kinda good? I'm honestly surprised. By no means is it anything groundbreaking, it's not like I found a new favourite band or anything, but I think this is an alright album, fun here and there. If I were born just in time to be able to listen to this upon its release, I'd have enjoyed it tons more.

I’ve known from a very young age that I didn’t like the Sex Pistols, but today I finally got the chance to listen to their music in full, also a chance for them to redeem themselves in my eyes. It turns out none of that happened. They have one album too many.

I understand the influence they had, and I’m not trying to undermine that in any way, shape, or form. Having such an impact with a single album is an impressive feat, props to them. However, I can’t see the appeal at all. “Problem” doesn’t even sound like a word anymore after listening to Problems. The same can be said for other songs on the album. It felt like a personal attack on my English knowledge. On top of the very British pronunciation, every word is spat at me, for lack of a better description, so my Eastern European brain kind of short circuits every now and again.

Alright, I get it. He made this album all by himself at an emotionally tumultuous point in his life. Still, it is not fair to let the behind the scenes of an album influence the rating. The way I have been approaching this is to rate it strictly based on how much I enjoy it, how much I like the songs, and nothing else.

So, based solely on my music taste, I do not find anything particularly special about it. I enjoy some parts here and there, but I cannot bring myself to give this a 4. However, for once I can understand the reasoning behind including a specific album. It is Paul’s debut and marks the end of the Beatles, so I think this album has earned its place.

Although, since there are so many Beatles albums on this list, I am sure the author did not have my reasoning and was just thinking, YES YES INCLUDE EVERYTHING THEY MADE AS A BAND AND IN THEIR SOLO CAREERS.

I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did. I haven't really listened to Janet Jackson, let alone this album, but I got to be honest, it somehow impressed me.

I don't get the reviews though: "it sounds so 80s", "should be kept in the time period it was made", "sounds out of date now", "out of touch". I'm no rocket scientist, but why would an album made in a time period NOT SOUND LIKE THAT TIME PERIOD? Oh, The Beatles don't sound like their time period at all, right? So what, do they sound 70s, 2020s and prehistorical at the same time because they are the peak of music and supposedly transcend any era? Since you all rate these "classic" artists so highly, nothing you say about the lower rated ones should apply to your favourites, but guess what happens EACH and EVERY time?

I get it, you guys are "not like other girls", you listen to underground stuff (The Beatles, Nirvana, Bob Dylan and other reaaally really small artists) not pop. Pop is mainstream unlike YOUR music taste. This album doesn't align with my music taste either, but am i going to shit on it just because of that? As I said, I was quite shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I don't normally listen to this, but credit is due where credit is due, this album is great. Is it the best album of all times? No, that's a thing that will never exist, but that doesn't mean you can't call this album good.

I've never been an Elvis fan, but that has nothing to do with the fact that I don't think this album should've been included here. Mind you, this has been in Rolling Stone's 'Greatest 500 Albums of All Time', a major stretch as well. My parents weren't even a thought in my grandparents' mind in '69, so maybe at that time this was something outstanding (doubt it, since only one song topped the charts), but this list wasn't made in '69. Music has evolved since then, and even if you wanted to, you couldn't listen to EVERYTHING produced since.

My point being, this album is fine, however, why choose an average album over other great ones? Just because it contains Elvis's last no.1 hit? A tribute, a farewell of sorts? We should be focusing on the album not the artist. Of course Elvis was influential, among other favourites of the list's author, but that doesn't mean SO MANY albums of theirs have to be included. Though, to be fair, the rock-n-roll king doesn't have that many when compared to other artists *cough* *cough* Bob Dylan.