Reviews by guggmo

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4.

To be frank, I barely know KISS at all. Outside of the face paint, Gene Simmons’ ability to keep the band in relevancy well into the 2000s/2010s, and one monster hit in “Rock & Roll All Nite”, I just don’t know them like that as musicians. I always assumed that they’d be a little harder than they presented themselves on this album, especially with Gene Simmons being “the Demon” and all that. As it stands, I’m satisfied. While I would’ve preferred a slightly harder sound, this is a good, if totally safe album that never really hits a bad point. The songwriting is a bit one-note, the instrumentals aren’t quite as loud / energetic as one might expect, & the pace of each track does stall around the outros at times, but those are all things that don’t bother me as much as it sounds like they do. It’s just a consistently solid album, and when it hits some strong plateaus (for me, Detroit Rock City, Great Expectations & Beth), it helps the album hover above average.

I do have some things that bit at me a little more than others, and it just comes in the songwriting. I know I already called it one-note, but that one-note vibe works on some tracks that are straightforward enough to warrant it. The thing that frustrates me more is when they come up with a good concept for a track & then simply don’t build on it. “God of Thunder”, for example, sets up a great atmosphere & character but settles for relying on intimidation via words rather than world-building action. It’s probably not in KISS’s forte, but when you hear a band like Black Sabbath do it to an incredible degree, it just feels lacking by comparison. The same applies to “Flaming Youth” – sure, they’ll set the world on fire, but how? They don’t expand on it at all, and it just comes across as platitudinal & cheesy. It lacks a potency that sort of spreads across the whole album; it just feels like KISS settles a lot more than they should here. Of course, perhaps the albums were just a sampler for the real attraction of their touring shows, but from the perspective of someone who didn’t have a real reverence for these guys, it just doesn’t quite hit the way they intended.

All of that said, I enjoyed 7 out of the 9 real tracks here, with “Flaming Youth” & “Sweet Pain” being the only ones that never really elevated musically for me. That’s about 78% of the album clicking well, and I would say that warrants a 3.5 bumped up to a 4. I do think it hovers way closer to that 3.5, but it never hits enough of a sour point to really go down to a 3 for my tastes. I do disagree with the 2.85 here, if only because this album’s best tracks do hold up for the time. I think it’s a good, safe album that does nothing wrong, even if I’d prefer it to shoot for a little more ambition. Hence, a 3.5 bumped up to a 4.

You know what? I’m at a 10.

It’s just that good, genuinely. It might not be as instrumentally dazzling as some other albums, but the strength behind this one is a perfect mix of natural charm meeting great songwriting, and just finding a charismatic effervescence that feels lovely to listen to. I know it’s a little odd to say that about an album that starts with someone accepting the darkness of sleep as a paradise to hide from the horrors of the real world, followed by a track about catching a cheater in the act, but I promise, the darkness that opens the album quickly gets met by sunlight, and the album just continues to glide.

Jesse Colin Young sounds quite a bit like Neil Young, and as someone who’s enjoyed almost all of the Neil Young albums on the list so far, that comparison is a big benefit to this album. He’s got a natural lift to his voice that just enhances some of the lyrics further, and really pairs well with the twinkly instrumentation here. A lot of these are based on country instrumentals, but with bass, piano, xylophone & electric guitar added, creating a folksy psychedelica soundscape that can feel like anything from the Beatles to CSNY to the Pogues to the Byrds to Bob Dylan without really changing all that much. I’d even argue this album hits on some funky Stevie Wonder-esque stuff at times, particularly on “Beautiful” & more softly on the closer, “Ride the Wind”. The variety of this album is one of its biggest strengths, and for a band I’d never heard of until today, I’m really deeply impressed by their proficiency.

A lot of this album is instrumental, and while that may hurt it for other people, I just think it adds a charm to the whole thing. Instrumental tracks, when performed well, can feel just as imaginative as a track with perfect writing, and this album does them VERY well. There’s maybe one or two that feel a touch long, and a handful that feel too short, but they keep the album in a good flow. I got a good kick out of “Turn it Over” being a little piano medley to indicate flipping the vinyl over. A relic of the era, sure, but part of that natural charm all the same. The most dull one is probably “Trillium”, but I think it still has its own place.

Overall, I’m just really impressed. The Youngbloods feel like a band that could’ve been bigger, and while I got the sense this might be a “favorite band’s favorite band” sort of thing with its presence on the list & a very loose one-hit wonder status, I wasn’t expecting it to be so consistently great. The songwriting is sharp, the instrumentals all feel as great, and everything just clicks to create a smooth 40 minutes. Looking at the Wikipedia page, I suppose the revelation that Charlie Daniels of “The Devil Went to Georgia” fame was the producer here makes a lot of sense. If there’s one thing Charlie Daniels does on that track perfectly, it’s his ability to create a believable world from just the soundscape alone. I know that devil is going down to Georgia because the fiddle & the pulse of the track just tells me it’s true. That same believability applies to a lot of these tracks, just with a bit more poppy & folksy hope behind it. It’s a good recipe when it’s all put together, and it makes for one of the best discoveries we’ve gotten on the list so far. Hence, a 10, and a well deserved one. I’m very glad this is on the list.

I’m at a 5.

SZA has been one of those artists that’s just kinda hovered around me for a long time; she’s had a multitude of features I’ve enjoyed, and I’ve been wanting to listen to “SOS” for an eternity now, but I’ve just never really done it. I suppose this album popping up here & forcing me to finally listen to it should be the catalyst for that. I’ve heard 3 tracks from this album before; “Love Galore”, “The Weekend”, & “Normal Girl”, so I knew it would be good. I was hoping it would be great, and I would generally categorize this as great. Obviously, if you’re not big into trap / trap-adjacent production, a lot of this will bounce off. If SZA’s constant search for positivity, peace & control of her own life on this album comes across as whiny or too sex-centered, LOTS of this will bounce off, as it’s the crux of the album thematically. If SZA’s vocal approach bothers you… well, just get the fuck out, perhaps. Yes, she’s a little incomprehensible at points, but the control of her voice is lovely throughout this album, and the reggae flow to her vocal rhythm is something I’ve never fully appreciated until now.

I do have some little things; nothing that would make me seriously consider bumping this down at all, but just stuff that feels like it wasn’t as fleshed out as it could be. I think the theme of “Control” isn’t quite as explored as it could’ve been – the phone calls to her mother & grandmother are great framing devices, and really effective ones, but their sparsity throughout the album feels like a missed opportunity. I also think she comes across as being in control a little more than she meant to throughout this album, so it doesn’t stick as cohesively as it could have. There’s a handful of times here where the trap production is a little overdone compared to the themes of the tracks, but most notably on “Pretty Little Birds”, where the soaring intent of the bird-driven imagery is met with overblown bass in a way that feels way too grounded, & the dichotomy just doesn’t work. I find myself ever so slightly confused by “Doves in the Wind”; it’s a really good track, and Kendrick’s pussy-filled verse coming in the same year he won a damn Pulitzer for DAMN is pretty damn funny. However, I just feel like it’s not as thematically connected to the rest of the album – the liberation of it all & the sex positivity reclaims control, but SZA’s desire throughout the album to move past the physical aspects of relationships sort of undermines it. I might just be overthinking it, honestly; I’m sure the two concepts can co-exist without negating the other.

Those little things are all negated by the other side of the equation, which comes in how much I just enjoyed the album. The femininity of it all just worked well for me, and SZA’s ability to flip some usual tropes of this era on their head (see: a man getting passed around between multiple women on “The Weekend” as opposed to… well, you know) feels like something we need more of now that the pendulum is shifting the other way. When this album is rolling, everything just clicks. It does take a little bit to get rolling, but I chalk that up to a slight disconnect between “Supermodel” & “Love Galore” instrumentally that doesn’t flow as tightly as it could. Overall, I feel like a moron for not hopping on this 9 years ago when I should have, but better late than never. I need to go listen to SOS now. As far as this album goes, it’s a 5, and I think that nearly a decade on, it’s a pretty prescient pick to have this on the list, given SZA’s star is still shining really brightly.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

If you listened to “Dig Your Own Hole”, you’ll find that this is much of the same, but to my ears, it just clicked a little better. The danceability still isn’t quite there compared to a Fatboy Slim or Prodigy album, but it felt a little closer. These are more industrially driven big-beat tracks, so it just boils down to enjoyment of a little more of a tinny / metallic sound. As with “Dig Your Own Hole”, this does have a number of little things that kinda pile up over the course of the album; a few sections of each track taking a bit too long to transition from point A to point B, & occasionally really harping on a repetition in a way that left me unsatisfied until the drops/transitions occurred. This album’s strength over “Dig Your Own Hole” is the lack of ‘monopolization’ I mentioned; it still happens at times, but it’s usually to service the transitions between tracks, so it feels seamless comparatively.

It’s also a much better paced album, in part due to the shorter runtime & the transitions. Granted, I still think this album could’ve been tightened up a bit more, particularly on some outros & a couple of tracks where the progression felt stagnant, but I chalk part of that up to being an early big beat album. This does feel like it’s trying to do stuff in the genre that wouldn’t be perfected for another 3 or 4 years, so I can’t fault the progression for feeling more stagnant. The pulse of how to really master the science of lingering tension & a good beat drop just wasn’t there yet, and while The Chemical Brothers didn’t totally figure it out by “Dig Your Own Hole”, they set the stage for other acts of the era to do so brilliantly. You certainly don’t get to something like “The Fat of the Land” without this album setting a strong base with some strong bass.

Ultimately, it just clicked well to my ears. The floor is a 3 if the stagnancy is a bigger issue, or if the techno-y pulse to it all just feels too overused throughout the album (for what it’s worth, I do think this could’ve used a little more traditional instrumentation), but I just found myself in a much better groove here. When this thing is rolling, it just feels really good, and especially so for 1995. Hence, a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3.

Certainly an interesting album, and at the very least, one that’s far more accessible than “This Nation’s Saving Grace” was. For comparison’s sake, nearly 600 days ago, I gave “This Nation’s Saving Grace” a 1.5 that I barely bumped up to a 2, so a 3.5 bumped down to a 3 is a big jump. This is 1993 postpunk, so the advances in production given to every other UK band around this time are in play here, and what emerges feels a bit more Madchester-coded as a result. Instrumentally, it’s a really competent album that constantly falls into traps of repetition that leaves the progression rather stale. That’s a part of the reason why I’m bumping it down to a 3. Vocally, it’s a fascinatingly dry album, one that’s usually spoken word, yet constantly in search of an actual melody to cling to. That chase very rarely results in something that’s as satisfying as a traditional listener might want, but for my tastes, I think that dry approach has its merits with the stale progression. It didn’t work on every track, but when it does work, there’s something that feels vaguely comforting to it.

Lyrically, I can’t tell you what most of these tracks are about, and that’s the other reason why I’m bumping it down to a 3. The dry approach to the vocals is one thing, but it works when the lyricism has something to it, whether it’s in the storytelling aspects or just some random lines that work hand-in-hand with the plainly stated nature of it all. When Mark Smith says “if I ever end up like U2, slit my throat with a garden vegetable” on “Past Gone Mad”, it’s the sort of line that just works for me because it’s such a specific bit of imagery that I can’t help but laugh. There’s a very Garth Marenghi-coded vibe to this album’s approach that I love when it hits, but it only really works half the time. Whether it’s in the instrumentals hitting repetitive points, the lyricism making no sense, or the dry approach to the vocals working against the instrumentals (as well as some tracks just dragging on way too long like “It’s a Curse”), the 50% of this album that doesn’t work just sort of pulls it down.

All of that said, I still think it’s a far better effort than “This Nation’s Saving Grace” was, and the sort of album where I genuinely wouldn’t blame anyone for going up to a 4 or a 5. It has enough merit behind its strange approach that I could hear, but I just didn’t vibe with. At the same time, I also understand giving this a 1 or 2, though I cannot comprehend for the life of me how this has an even lower rating than “This Nation’s Saving Grace” on the site. Hence, a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3, but a fully enjoyable album that honestly, doesn’t even really have a bad track behind it. Repetitive ones that will likely bounce off of you, yes, but nothing as abstract & egregiously dull & bland & full of nothingness as before. I am now cautiously optimistic for when we get “Live at the Witch Trials”.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4.

Not too much to say after listening. It’s just a bit dreary. I really like the instrumentation here, and I think the lyricism is good, but I’m left with the same feeling I had after listening to “Sea Change” by Beck a while ago. It didn’t wear me down as much, nor do I think it’s too long, as the 41 minutes (the last 4 are bonus tracks, so I didn’t listen to them) go by well enough. It’s just got very little levity behind it, and that lack of levity can just sort of drain the mood over time. I think this album can feel lovely with its lyrics, especially on something like “For You” or “Blue Moon”, but the vast majority of it feels bitter or numb, as on “Big Black Car” or “Holocaust”. I understand this album is meant to be a reflection on the band’s sense of commercial failure as well as their mental states borne out of love, and while I admire the honesty that went into crafting these tracks, it’s just hard to get through as a full album.

At this album’s best, it strikes the right balance between great lyrics, peppy rhythms & good orchestral work, and it bats pretty close to that balance for at least half the album. When it’s not batting close to it, there’s just moments of stagnancy or repetition that weigh on the tracks in a way that doesn’t flow as cleanly as it could. That messiness is part of the album’s appeal, but it can only carry it so far. Hence, a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4, though as with “Sea Change”, it could get up to a 5 someday. It’s certainly worth being on the list, and if this is them at more of a low point, I’m intrigued to hear the power pop side of it all for whenever we get “#1 Record”. I think I’ll really enjoy that, especially if the songwriting here is married with a more fun energy overall.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

Outside of the first track (the main theme of the movie) being a little disjointed for my ears, I happened to really enjoy this. It’s a lot more dynamic than I was expecting, with some great guitar / sitar / horn / percussion work throughout, and a lot of other instruments I just wouldn’t have expected out of 1978 Bollywood. Granted, I don’t know jack shit about 1978 Bollywood, so I guess I should check my biases a bit. Lyrically, there are translations out there – I had to use https://www.hindigeetmala.net/ for them, which is a site devoted to categorizing practically everything you could hope for about any Bollywood movies of this era.

From the translations, it seemed like a classic love story centered around misunderstandings of cheating. Imagine my surprise to read the synopsis & discover that this movie is about a guy faking illness to eliminate all of his jewel-thieving nemeses from ever taking his most precious ruby (the Shalimar), before getting killed by the hero, who was a secret agent all along. Yeah, spoilers, I know, but who’s gonna really watch this? Thankfully, the soundtrack here has nothing to do with the plot, and for my money’s worth, it’s a pretty enjoyable 40 minutes. Yes, there are quirks of the culture to get used to (a bit of repetition, some very high vocals, slightly odd drum patterns, some slightly fuzzy mixing), but once you get used to them & just kinda get into the rhythms of each track here, it’s simple enough to get lost in, as the language carries a natural rhythm to it. The English songs here are fun too, with “One Two Cha Cha Cha” just kinda being a bop.

Overall, I’d say you should just go listen to it before you die. Mileage will vary, obviously, but if you can find your fun with this, it’s a mostly breezy 40 minutes that has just enough tension / atmosphere from the instrumentals alone that you can kinda play out a movie in your head. R.D. Burman appears to be a prolific movie composer over there, and while he’s been dead for 32 years, I’m glad this is on the list to give people some awareness of his work. The floor is a 3, if it just doesn't click. For me, it’s a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5, just because I enjoyed it that much. Pretty good pick from Mr. Dimery & friends.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4.

Well, it’s house music with a little bit of rap behind it. If you don’t like house music, you probably won’t like this. If you do like house music, like I do, you’ll probably enjoy this, at least a little bit. This album’s not pushing anything forward with the genre except for “Groove is in the Heart” for integrating Q-Tip’s rapping & Bootsy Collins’ instrumental work on top of all the samples. That track was a major hit for a reason, and it’s easily the best one here. The rest of these tracks all range from solid to pretty good, with my second favorite one here probably being “Deep Ending”.

This album doesn’t really have one big issue that keeps it marked down, but instead, just a pile of little things. Miss Kier’s vocals are good when she’s going faster / belting a little bit, but she often doesn’t carry enough power in her voice to make her presence feel like anything other than vocal dressing. If you think of all the big dance hits of this era, their singers just have more presence, most obviously on something like “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”. Past that, a lot of the instrumentals here just need a little more bounce / pep to them; these are typical House soundscapes of the era, so if you like the instruments used, you’ll probably get something out of this. It’s just not as energetic as it could be, save for a few tracks. The biggest issue in the pile, at least for me, comes in the length of these tracks; many of them just overstay their welcome & go a little too long. I get it – house music is just kinda naturally long & lingering sometimes helps in an actual club, but that’s what extended singles are for. As a whole album, the 48 minutes here do drag on a bit.

Hence, a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. It’s not a bad album at all, and I do think every track here has something enjoyable to it, but once those enjoyable moments pass, most of the tracks just linger around too long. I don’t see myself ever really getting close to a 5 here, but I don’t blame anyone who’ll go that high, especially if these beats hit well or if the pile of issues I had just didn’t affect the enjoyment that badly. I’m glad it’s on the list.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

Not too much to say, really. I trust CCR quite a bit at this point, so I knew this would be good. It’s not quite as dazzling as “Cosmo’s Factory” from a year later, but it just didn’t have to be. As always, John Fogerty’s vocals & lyrics are on point, which is to be expected at this point. Surprisingly enough, it’s the instrumentals that feel just a little flatter compared to “Bayou Country”. It might just be the mix from the 1985 remasters flattening down some of the percussion, or the lack of extra depth in the guitar solos that “Cosmo’s Factory” had, but I found this album feeling a little more tame. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t rock though; even when it’s more tame overall, there’s still always a good moment from SOMETHING in the soundscape, whether it’s the grit in John’s voice, a fun guitar solo, a little syncopation, or just a cool fucking outro (ala “Commotion”). There’s not a single skip here, and nothing drags on a little too long like it does on “Bayou Country”.

“Bad Moon Rising” is the only one I knew going in (a billion plays on Spotify, deserved for good reason), but everything else here is pretty damn good as well; my favorite is probably “Lodi”, if only for the blend of good storytelling & the swaying guitar rhythm that ties it all together. I do feel like “The Night Time is the Right Time” is a little incessant with the backing vocals & a little odd as a closer, but that’s being a bit nitpicky, I think. As a whole, it’s a super tight 29 minutes, and while the lack of bigger variety does make it feel a little longer, I can’t possibly complain about the quality of the tracks here. Hence, a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5, and a pretty strong way to close out CCR’s presence on the list. I need to go listen to “Willy And The Poor Boys”, I think.

I’m at a 4.5 that I'll bump down to a 4.

It’s just a good ska album, really. It takes a few tracks to find more of its bite (by around “Do the Dog”), but once it starts to roll, it’s a really enjoyable album. Elvis Costello’s production work here is good, if not as tight/snappy as some of his own albums. He falls into some pitfalls of repetition / stagnant beats, and it’s possibly just because he’s not the most ska-driven guy to begin with. Those pitfalls are most of the reason I’m at a 4; there’s a few unremarkable tracks & a couple of poorly-aged bits (namely on “Little Bitch”) that are cherries on top, but the most striking reason is just the production work not quite meeting the energy the band is bringing.

Obviously, I liked it, so I have to give some positive stuff – I really love the trombone work on this album, as it leans a lot closer to the traditional ska style I’m used to, ala Streetlight Manifesto or Reel Big Fish & any of the other bands that do more of a punk/ska mix. The percussion & guitar work are both great, with the percussion in particular having a really nice bounce to it that keeps the album’s energy up, even in those more stagnant / sterile moments. The lyricism is generally really good throughout; a lot of these are covers, so I can’t give too much credit, but when this album wants to really bite at something (like on “Do the Dog”, “Nite Klub”, “Concrete Jungle”, or “Stupid Marriage”), they perform it with enough force in the vocals to really bring the lyrics to life.

I do think the album is just a little long, as there’s lots of little places to trim things down more concisely, but as it stands, it’s a pretty enjoyable 47 minutes, and for 1979 ska, it does feel like it’s pushing the genre forward. At the very least, it’s proof that they weren’t wrong in naming their second album “More Specials”, as this album just feels like a natural extension of that one. I liked it, and while it’s got enough little flaws to pull it down to a 4, I do think it’s worth hearing before you die. It’s a pretty enjoyable one, and maybe someday, it might get up to a 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

I’m learning that I really enjoy baroque French showmanship. Jacques Brel may be Belgian, but he sings the language with the precision of an opera tenor, and the natural timbre of his voice feels captivating by itself. The orchestra helps a bit too, as they practically provide a movie soundtrack as their backing tracks. I really love the dynamic of the accordion, flute, & percussion in particular, as they follow his voice in a way that makes him feel like a main character.

It’s that simple, really, and it’s a well done formula for 28 minutes. The only reason I’m at a 4.5 is because it is just a little bit same-y in a way that doesn’t give each track too much of a distinction past their lyrics, but between how much I liked his voice & the quality of those lyrics when translated (genuinely, you NEED to translate them to truly feel some of these tracks), it feels like a no-brainer to bump it up. If you’re inclined towards this same type of showmanship, ala Scott Walker (who covered SEVERAL Jacques Brel songs), then you’ll like this. If you’re not, you probably won’t. I’m just impressed by it, and I think it’s worth bumping up to a 5. Pretty good stuff overall.

I’m at a 10. It’s just that good.

I liked XTC from what I heard on “Apple Venus Volume 1”. I think Todd Rundgren, between his albums & his production work on this list, is one of my favorite discoveries of this whole thing. What happens when you put their sensibilities together? Something that REALLY elevates both together, my goodness. Todd Rundgren’s production work with the more refined technologies of 1986 is fantastic here – he was already pushing things 13 years prior on “A Wizard, A True Star”, so finding a band that can marry his sense of showmanship with well-composed & well-written tracks feels like a natural step to take. XTC is that band. Their lyricism here is evocative of so many things, & the running theme of the cycling seasons & how weather shapes the world being a direct mirror to the life cycle & how relationships shape a person’s character is brilliantly done. Every track here has at least one killer line that sums everything up in a way that makes everything click, and as a top-to-bottom 45 minutes, it’s tight as hell, both in its pacing & how cool it is.

I don’t want to go track by track here; some tracks earn more praise than others (in particular, “That's Really Super, Supergirl”, “1000 Umbrellas”, “Earn Enough for Us”, “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul” & “Dear God”, at least for me), but the entire package is just killer. Genuinely, a no-skip album, between some of the great transitions & the consistent thematics. Going track-by-track here undermines the soundscapes of everything, and while I could ramble on & on about Todd’s production work, Andy Partridge’s vocals, the fantastic push & pull to everything, and the near-perfect pacing of the album… it’s just one you gotta hear before you die. I was at a “slightly above a 5” when I started writing this, but hearing the album over again whilst writing it, I’m realizing that even some of the plain, flowery or repetitive parts of the album carry their own space in terms of helping the album flow. “The Meeting Place” is a little plain, but it works as a nice cooldown after the 1-2 punch of the opener. Same thing for “Big Day”’s repetition & “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul”’s flowery lyricism. They all flow cohesively, and it’s just a delight to hear.

Hence, a 10. I talked myself into it, and I think it earns it. It’s a really captivating album, and at least for my musical sensibilities, one of the best albums of the 1980s we’ve gotten on the list. I know I keep giving Todd Rundgren flowers, and he’ll probably more than earn them by the time we get “Bat Out Of Hell”, but he really does deserve them. I cannot understate XTC’s contributions as the primary visionaries behind this album, as their songwriting elevates the whole thing. I’m talking in circles at this point – just go listen to it. It’s REALLY fucking good.

I’m at a 5. Perhaps a touch higher.

When we got Gasoline Alley 585 days ago, my primary reason behind only giving it a 3 was that Rod Stewart simply hadn’t found his own voice as a songwriter yet, given that it was an album comprised mostly of covers & his original material wasn’t as good as the covers. This is also an album comprised mostly of covers, but what makes it work is the elevated showmanship in the production of those covers, as well as his own material reaching a similar level. Rod Stewart has found his own voice as a songwriter here, and between the title track that feels like a closer, the fun rhythms of “Maggie May”, & the lovely storytelling of “Mandolin Wind”, there’s really not a single complaint I can find about those 3 tracks.

How about the 5 covers then? They all range from good to great, especially apparent on “Tomorrow Is a Long Time”, which is a Bob Dylan cover. The band’s instrumentation gives it a nice country-esque swing, and Rod’s gravelly delivery feels like an elevation of Bob Dylan’s voice. It’s a really strong cover, and that strength applies to the rest of the cover tracks here. The push & pull of the album feels really dynamic as well – take the softer ending of “Seems Like a Long Time”, for example. The way everything pulls back to give a bit more gravitas to the wartime lyrics is a great piece of production work. The same applies to the fake-out ending of “(Find a) Reason to Believe”, where Rod’s acapella in the middle makes his sorrow that much more palpable & lets the energy naturally pick back up.

If I have any truly minor nitpicks… I probably would’ve ended on either the title track or “(I Know) I’m Losing You”, as both just carry a more definitive gravitas to their endings than “(Find a) Reason to Believe” does, although I think it’s a good way to close out the album regardless. I really am impressed by Rod Stewart here, and since this is the last album we’ll get from him on the list, I might just have to seek out more of the guy. Even if there’s not one better than this as a top-to-bottom album, there has to be a few more great tracks out there. Hell, maybe I’ll look up those old infomercials from 2005 and just play the tracks from that album. As far as this goes, I think it’s a 5, if not a little higher. Very good stuff, Rod.

I’m at a 2.5 that I’ll bump up to a 3.

I mean, look, this is here for more historical reasons than the actual music itself. This is folk music, with a lot of old standards long lost to the near 70-year timespan since this dropped. Thankfully, music has evolved to be a bit more complex than complaining about bed bugs & boll weevils, or skinning mules & failing to eat too-tough grey geese. This is not an album to listen to for the music before you die, but rather, an album you hear for the novelty of these older tracks & to acknowledge a popular figure in the folk scene before Bob Dylan came along as the voice of a generation. Hell, Jack Elliott sometimes referred to Dylan as "his son" when he sang some of his tracks. As an historical document of sorts, it's got merit for being on the list.

It’s not a very compelling set of tracks, though. A lot of these are meandering, a bit repetitive, and while I admire them for what they are & their historical significance as usually referred to in the track’s opening monologues (adjacent to a radio or TV performance of the time), they just aren’t classics like that. Hell, even in terms of the Great American Songbook or other popular albums, Frank Sinatra had already released both “In The Wee Small Hours” & “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers”, both of which hold up tremendously even today. This is just music that truly feels like it’s from another generation, one that hasn’t really been saved or retained into today. It’s worth listening to from that standpoint, but it’s just not there musically. Hence, a 2.5 that I’ll bump up to a 3. Sort of a respect vote more than anything.

I’m at a 5.

As most people do, at least in America, I only knew “Take On Me” going into this. It is perhaps the most ubiquitous synthpop song ever written, and maybe the defining track of the genre in terms of popularity & all the common soundscape tropes that people tend to think of. It’s a catchy track & kind of an all-timer, really.

It is not the best track on this album. The best track on this album is the other hit U.S. single, “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”. The second best track on this album is “Hunting High & Low”. The third best track is “Take On Me”, and past that, the other 7 tracks here all hold up in their own consistently strong ways. I really don’t think there’s a bad track here; maybe one stagnant one (Love Is Reason) & one slightly too abstract one (I Dream Myself Alive), but I still enjoyed those tracks. For a band that a lot of people would cite as a one-hit wonder, I’m pleasantly surprised that this entire album holds up as well as it does. It is timelocked to 1985 in terms of its soundscape & production style, but given that it has a quintessential example of its genre as its opener, I think that honestly works in this album’s favor.

That consistency applies to the actual topics of all of these tracks; every song here is a love track, generally talking about the desire to not be lonely anymore, whether it’s in lusty ways, devoted ways, or empathy-inducing ways. You could genuinely argue there’s a narrative of a chase for a woman featured throughout the album, fulfilled by the end where he’s just sort of given up & is simply begging for a friend to help him get out of his loneliness-induced slump. I don’t think this was intended as a concept album, but the track order leans that way regardless, along with the consistent theming of water as a negative aspect in each track. Just pay attention to the lyrics; it’s always the sea, or rain, or something else.

For some people, this album only being tracks that yearn for connection might be a knock against it, and that’s sort of valid… but it undermines the atmosphere created by each track. The production work, while timelocked to 1985, holds up very well in an almost Kate Bush-esque sense. Every track feels distinct despite sharing a lot of instruments, and it’s because of the dynamic instrumentation lifting up & down in a way that stays engaging. The same album with “Take On Me” somehow has two tracks that feel like they could fit into a Castlevania game instrumentally in “The Blue Sky” & “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”, and I just think that’s super cool.

Hence, a 5. Hell, possibly a little higher than a 5. I really am impressed, and this far exceeded the expectations I had behind the ‘one-hit wonder’ label given to a-ha. Granted, a-ha did one of my favorite Bond themes ever in “The Living Daylights”, so I guess I should’ve known they had this in their bag. I’m glad it’s on the list, and I do think it’s an album people should hear before they die. A very, very strong 37 minutes, and an easy 5 for me. That’s just textbook synthpop.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll barely bump up to a 4.

The first half of this album is good. Genuinely, really good. I think the mundanity of the lyricism blended with the heavier, electronic/psychedelic soundscapes make for a good contrast to each other, balanced in a way that doesn’t let one overshadow the other. My problem here lies in the second half of the album, where the soundscapes very clearly overshadow the lyricism / vocal delivery. The care that’s put into keeping the album balanced feels skewed in the wrong direction, and while I don’t think there’s any bad tracks here, at least for my own tastes, I found myself significantly less satisfied by almost everything from Track 7 onwards, save for “Brother Sport”, which is just a super fun closing track. Interestingly, you can see this exact split on Spotify, at least in terms of the play count. There’s a dip downward for tracks 7 through 10, before jumping back up at the end. It tells me that the experimentation this album really leans into on those tracks just didn’t click with a lot of people, and while I can’t exactly prove why…

I mean, look, it’s probably the wall of noise. Those 4 tracks lean into it heavily as a production trick, and while it has its place, it’s just overtuned in a way that makes the already flowery lyricism of this album a bit harder to grasp than the more clearcut & digestible first half. Past that, the vocal structures each track takes (especially apparent on “Lion in a Coma”) become REALLY hard to follow, or at the very least, they just don’t mesh as cleanly with the instrumentals as they did in the first half. If this album stayed as consistently strong as that first half / last song, it would definitely be within the range of a 5. It’s a fascinating listening experience, especially for 2009, and I admire a lot of the swings this album takes to try and push the general direction / trend that MGMT’s album set up in a unique enough way. At its best, this album really holds up into 2026. It just barely maintains it consistently enough to warrant bumping it back up to a 4.

Hence, a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. It is an album one should still hear before they die, if only for the experimentation of it all & the genuine sweetness behind both “My Girls” & “Summertime Clothes”, which are probably my two favorite tracks here. Special shoutout to “Daily Routine” for secretly being the most morbid track on the album – pay really close attention to those lyrics and tell me if that daily routine looped the same way the second time around. I think the traffic might’ve got him, hence the long outro. It’s the sort of clever production work I really admire, which is why the lack of sustainability hits that much more harshly. I did enjoy it, and despite its flaws, I do think it barely earns a 4, if only for its ambition.

I’m at a 5.

This is the first solo John Lennon album we’ve gotten, which is a bit surprising when you’re 846 deep, but given the success all of the other Beatles have had with their solo stuff on this list, I never had any doubt this would be good. For better or worse, there’s really not that much to say. “Imagine” as a title track is an all-timer, & it’s supplemented well by 9 other strong tracks that have some good variety to them. Some of them surprised me, like with “Crippled Inside” being a country track & “How Do You Sleep?” being a direct diss track at Paul McCartney, but that’s mostly because I’m largely unaware of John’s solo work outside of the title track here.

I do have nitpicks, which mostly boil down to “John, please learn how to progress your instrumentals” on a few tracks, and a couple of rather obvious repetitive spots that feel just a bit stagnant (I am screaming right at “I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die”), but for the most part, this album paces itself well. When it’s not hitting those repetitive spots, it’s very well-written. "Oh Yoko" qualifies even with its repetition because it's just a delightfully sweet track. “Gimme Some Truth” might be my favorite one from just a writing standpoint, although the slower Dylan-esque pace of the track itself works really well with Lennon’s voice. The guitar & percussion throughout this album are both strong as well, with George Harrison’s rather obvious guest spots shining really nicely.

It’s just a strong 40 minutes, really. I don’t really have that much to say, and listening to the album will make you understand why, since it’s just that straightforward & that easy to digest. It’s not an album that changed the world or anything (although the title track sure wanted to), but it is an album that just highlights John Lennon’s talents in a really potent way. If it’s too quaint, or if the nitpicks I have feel like bigger problems to other people, I could understand a 3 or a 4, but for my tastes, it’s just 10 consistently good tracks that earn a 5. If nothing else, it gave us “Only a Fool Would Say That”. Imagine if THAT track didn’t happen.

I am somehow at a 5. Lord, forgive me.

I said it the last time we got Morrissey, which was over 500 days ago: I think I like Morrissey when he’s not fucking complaining. This is, for once, an album where he’s not fucking complaining, and what emerges from it is a genuinely strong 40 minutes with good observational tracks that doesn’t feel like it’s a guy bitching about the state of the world. The loose grunge / alt rock soundscape that underlines many of these more personable & slightly intimidating tracks fits well. Morrissey’s delivery has just enough minor vitriol behind it as often as it has some sweeter tones to it, keeping it balanced in a way that really works. He knows when to really HIT on certain lines & pull back on others, controlling the emotional push/pull of each track akin to a director filming a scene. These are all things that normal singers should be able to do consistently, but in Morrissey’s case, he’s only really done it with “Meat is Murder”, so to hear it on a solo effort is a pleasant surprise, given that “Viva Hate” was awkwardly unmemorable & “You Are The Quarry” only did it just over half the time.

It’s not a perfect album, but realistically, all of my complaints boil down to a few longer outros that could’ve been trimmed down, and a very slight weirdness to “Used to Be a Sweet Boy”, if only because it does feel a little blame-y, although some people are very valid in sort of disowning the way their parents raised them & having to bear the emotional brunt of it when things fall apart. Morrissey earns some of that benefit, but the guy’s track record does leave me a little iffy on that track alone. Other than that, I think these are all genuinely good to great tracks, with one of my favorites being “The Lazy Sunbathers”, if only because it’s obnoxiously relevant to the current political landscape in the U.S. There’s other strong tracks, including “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get”, if only because someone taking glee in living in one’s head rent-free is kinda satisfying to me.

Ultimately, I guess I like 1994 Morrissey more than I like 1989 & 2004 Morrissey, and I damn sure like 1994 Morrissey more than I like 2026 Morrissey. This is the best solo effort we’ve gotten from the guy so far, and if his other solo album here is as good as this, along with the 2 Smiths’ albums we’ve yet to get having some strong acclaim to them, perhaps the last 3 times we’ll encounter Morrissey will be better than the first 3 times. I do genuinely think this earns its spot on the list; it feels like a 1994 album should, the lyricism is stronger than I would’ve expected, and instrumentally, it’s just very well produced. I really do think it’s a 5. Lord, forgive me.

It’s a 10.

I mean, it’s not perfectly structured (I would’ve flipped the last two tracks around) & it’s not without some nitpicks (a few longer / stagnant outros that rely on the chorus a bit too much), but the quality of each & every track here overrides any minor complaints I could possibly have here. I’ve never heard this album in full until today, but it’s been on my radar for at least 11 years. Back in 2014 or 2015, I distinctly remember an assignment given that was about studying album covers as art compositions; we were all assigned different covers, told to listen to at least one song from the album, and then we had to write a little essay about what the cover represents in relation to the music. I got this one. I don’t have that essay on me anymore, but I do remember that after listening to the title track (mostly because it was the first track & I was lazy), I wrote some bullshit about how the smashing of the guitar represented a changing of the guard from the Beatlemania of the 1960s & was ushering in a new era of defiant punk music.

That’s all true, to a degree, but my younger self knew exactly what I still know now. The guitar smashing might be symbolic, sure, but… it’s just really fucking cool, man. Ignoring any kind of context, or without looking for any kind of deeper statement within, it’s just a great fucking photo. Obviously, with the entire album now in my ears, it’s one of those rare pictures that really does seem worth a thousand words. I can’t type THAT many, but… it’s less of a changing of the guard (although that Beatlemania line in the title track sets a stage) & more of an expression of pure, unabashed freedom. The guitar is smashed, yes, but it’s opening up a whole new world to them as a result. This album feels nothing like their debut, expanding their musical palate to higher highs that feel innovative as hell for 1979, and if nothing else, it’s all just tightly executed in a way that makes every track have at least one super satisfying moment. With 19 tracks, I can’t possibly write something for every single one, but with the pace of this album being as relatively breezy as it is, it’s just far easier to listen to it for yourself & find those satisfying moments; they’ll be different for everyone.

There’s no bad tracks here – like I said, a few longer outros, but the core of each track, the progression within, the structures of the melodies & Joe Strummer’s vocals all work hand-in-hand almost seamlessly for the entire 65 minutes. I do wish there were more transitions, as they’re dynamic as hell when they do occur, but the sparsity of them makes them hit a bit harder. Ultimately, it is an album deeply worth its acclaim, even starting from just the cover art alone. I suppose we should thank Elvis for it, really, but I digress. I can’t think of anything more to say; people have analyzed this thing up & down for nearly 50 years as a landmark piece of music ushering in punk & beyond, and the eclectic run of genres & styles it goes through feels like it should’ve reshaped the direction of the entire 1980s, as opposed to being a swan song for the 1970s. At the very least, the people that this NEEDED to influence heard it, and you can hear this album’s DNA cascade into a lot of other classic albums. It is easily a 10, and thank goodness the entire thing sounds as impactful as its artwork looked. Just a stellar punk rock album.

I’m higher than a 5.

The only track I knew going into this was “There She Goes”, as it’s just sort of a ubiquitous track that everyone’s encountered at some point or another. It’s just a remarkably simple track; find a couple lines, hit a good guitar rhythm, and just sing it like you’re talking to someone you’re in love with. At its core, it’s a fundamentally sound track that just knows exactly what to do to keep everyone involved engaged. The singer gets to have fun, the guitar work is easy to learn & fun to build upon, and for the listener, whether they’re the one being sung to or just someone casually enjoying it, it’s got its own delights in one way or another. This entire album follows that “fundamentally sound” nature to a really nice extreme, and one that really works for me.

By “extreme”, I simply mean this album’s execution is tight as fuck, both in the cool way & the literal way. There’s not really many wasted vocals, lines or riffs here, & when this album needs to turn itself up, it nails it behind some consistent & strong percussion. It’s an album that’s so technically sound that it’s kinda easy to just take it for granted & hear it as plain or boring. I think that’s a somewhat valid take if you’re not listening with intent or find some of the rhythms a bit repetitive, but it undermines just how crafted this thing is from start to finish. It feels like a natural update of the ‘60s soundscape with contemporary sensibilities, one that loosely predates Britpop & yet sits in more of an R.E.M.-adjacent space. Each track is a bit rhythmically repetitive at points, but it stayed engaging because of everything surrounding it, at least for me.

I’m just full of praise, really. The pacing of this album flows really nicely, with only 1 track going past 3 minutes (the last one, which uses all 8 minutes effectively), and I just kind of appreciate an album that’s willing to not waste too much time. Past that, I think these are smartly written, able to set up the premise of each track without it feeling hamfisted or forced. Realistically, I’m just stuck thinking about yesterday’s album, “H.M.S. Fable”, & how utterly devoid of warmth it felt compared to this album. Even on the one track here utilizing a wall of sound, the guitar work & vocals aren’t drenched in reverb, so it all retains a natural tone to it. “H.M.S. Fable”, despite being 9 years later, felt artificial & overproduced, yet this album, despite the technical prowess surrounding it, just feels warmer & more authentic. It’s striking for 1990, especially without a single drum machine in here.

It’s genuinely just a charming album to me that hits all the right notes, figuratively & literally. Am I praising it a little much just because yesterday’s album was a resounding “eh”? Maybe, but I do stand by enjoying every track here. If nothing else, I can understand why Liam Gallagher is quoted as saying “Oasis want to finish what The La's started”, as what’s here does feel like a super fruitful tree of influence towards bands in the Britpop space & beyond. I really do think it’s higher than a 5, though not quite a 10. It’s certainly close, though. I’m very glad it’s on the list.

P.S.: For a band called “the La’s”, it’s surprising that they didn’t say “La” until the 5 minute mark of the last track.