Reviews by jacjac

I've been saying for years now that "Band On The Run" is one of the best songs of all time, and listening to this album again has only solidified my stance. This album is just so damn joyous, and that's not always my jam when it comes to music, but here it really works for me. The composition of the instrumentation in conjunction with the adept songwriting...perfection. It positively oozes the lush vibes I'm after when I listen to 70s music. I really don't think it's an exaggeration to call Paul McCartney a generational talent and near genius when it comes to composing. No shame whatsoever in giving this 5 stars.

Favorite tracks: BAND ON THE RUN BAND ON THE RUN BAND ON THE RUN (but also, Jet, Let Me Roll It…I could go on)

I am the daughter of a Tracy Chapman hater, and I promise I tried to come to this album unbiased, but I found this pretty boring overall. Ballad-heavy, and sure, the lyricism and Chapman's voice are great (as much as my mom would beg to differ), I just don't see myself listening to this voluntarily ever again. I thought the instrumentation was pretty lackluster, and there is seriously nothing I feel like writing home about with this one, sorry.

Favorite tracks: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Fast Car

I mean, of course this is on this list. In fact, I would argue this is one of the top 50, if not top 10, albums of all time. Absolutely launches you into psychedelic space right from the jump with one of the best songs ever. I don't even care that Jimi can't really sing; every guitar part makes up for that tenfold. I go through phases relatively often where I wish all music sounded like this album; psychedelic rock just really does something to me. Insane that this came out nearly 60 years ago - talk about ahead of its time! Jimi is an all-time talent, and I didn't know how many fantastic deep cuts were waiting for me on this album. Superb.

Favorite tracks: Purple Haze, Hey Joe, May This Be Love…I could go on but I would end up listing the whole album

What a weird album. Lou Reed can't sing for shit, but I kind of love it. Even before seeing the list of producers, you can just tell by how bizarre it is that Bowie had some influence here. Like, I have no idea what is going to happen from song to song, and I love being along for the ride. The songwriting itself is spectacular, and I liked a lot of the instrumentals too. Would definitely listen again, and there's a good handful of songs that I could see myself listening to on the regular. 3.5/5 rounded up

Favorite tracks: Vicious, Walk On the Wild Side, Make Up

I should have guessed from the Wikipedia sections about who she influenced that I really wouldn't like this very much. I'm reeeally not a fan of this pseudo-showtune, almost operatic pop music. And why are there big band elements? I really don’t know what was happening during any second of this album; with the tempo of the songs and the genre changing every two seconds, it felt super scattered and uncohesive (and I promise it's not just because I listened to it while under the weather). I'm sure Nyro was super influential, and she's clearly talented, but this was not for me at all.

Favorite tracks: Eli's Comin'

The first three songs on this album are a generational run. Just an absolute masterclass of funk & psychedelic rock on display. George Clinton never misses!!! Genre-defying and straight up wonderful. I don't know what else to say about this album except that it totally rocks & I'm so glad this challenge led me to finally listen to it all the way through after loving the first two tracks for many years. Sure, the last song is weird as fuck, but that didn't wreck my rating at all. 4.5/5 rounded up

Favorite tracks: Maggot Brain, Can You Get To That, Super Stupid

You know what, I kind of completely wrote off ZZ Top as being just another corny 70s blues band, but this had some serious swagger I wasn't ready for. The album starts out with a solid groove and never lets it go, delivering chuggy bass lines and a soundscape that made me feel like I stumbled into a dusty dive bar in the middle of the desert in the best way. There's really no better description than that it sounds like Texas come to life. Probably the most stereotypically "America" album I've heard so far on this list, and there's a certain charm to that sound that I can't deny. Gave me the serious urge to shotgun a beer and play a game of pool. 3.5/5 rounded down

Favorite tracks: Waitin' for the Bus, Master of Sparks, La Grange

I love that Fela always lets you sit with the groove for a while before the lyrics come in. I wish there were 4 more songs on this album, as it certainly did not feel like two 12-minute songs. Horn-centric grooves like no other, classic call-and-response lyrical style, so masterful in its layering. Fela is a legend, and I don’t know if anything more needs to be said. His musicality and courage are both something to be admired.

Favorite tracks: I mean, there are only two...so both

Arguably one of the greatest soundtracks ever created. I'd of course heard "Pusherman" before this, but it was a fun experience to listen to the entire album. Beautiful instrumentation with Mayfield's ultra-smooth vocals to boot - this was all around a great listen. Fun mix of tempos and grooves, as well as a depth to the lyrics that I probably should have expected going in but was pleased by nonetheless. Made me want to watch the movie to see where and how these tracks get integrated! 3.5/5 rounded up

Favorite tracks: Superfly, Freddie's Dead, No Thing on Me

I was pretty excited about this because "Thirteen" is one of my favorite songs of all time. Little did I know they also do the theme for That 70's Show? So that was a little silly. Otherwise, this album left me a little bit unimpressed. There were a lot of good elements; I just think that the putting together of all of those elements wasn't as incredible as it could have been. The songwriting is excellent, but something about the rest of the instrumentation didn't totally land with me. A little chuggy at times and boring at others. I really wanted to love this, I swear!!! I'm going to hold out hope that this will hit after a few more listens. 3.5/5 rounded down

Favorite tracks: Thirteen, When My Baby's Beside Me, Watch The Sunrise

Oooh baby, we're getting some serious 70s action this week, and I couldn't be happier. I haven't been waiting all that long, really, but I'm so stoked to get my first Zeppelin album on this journey. I haven't really listened to many of their albums all the way through, and I now see what some other reviewers noted about this one having a few strong points, but not being strong all the way through. It starts off with a banger, kind of lost me in the middle, and then got me back with "Tangerine", one of my favorite songs of all time (hot take, I know). I do like the folk/blues elements of this album overall, though. Maybe not the best Zeppelin album, but still great.

Favorite tracks: Immigrant Song, Tangerine, That's the Way

I am so excited that this album was generated for me on a day in October when it finally feels like fall! Yes, I know I've been shitting on metal this entire challenge, but Black Sabbath to me is the only exception. Especially because this one absolutely leans in a more stoner rock direction, which is a genre that I've fallen in love with over the past few years. Anyway, back to the album - all I can say is that it totally rocks. Ozzy's vocals are excellent, the drumming is superb, the bass lines are funky, and the riffs are hard as hell. And a little harmonica action too? What's not to love? Insanely impressive for a debut.

Favorite tracks: I mean, there are only 5 tracks…so all of them? (If I had to choose one, it would be The Wizard)

I think I prefer my Prince listening in doses - I can't deny that this made me want to boogie a lot of the time, and there were some total bangers in here. But, as other reviewers have noted, there were a lot of tracks that were just forgettable at best and kinda corny at worst. This is definitely an album that shows its age, in that it has a very distinct 80s drum kit/synthesizer sound. (Side note: I've also always had an issue with the digital mixing of Prince's albums generally, like why is the vocal track always so quiet?) Not sure about it being the most critically acclaimed Prince album, considering Purple Rain exists...but not a bad listen by any means (as demonstrated by the fact that I couldn't pick just 3 favorite tracks). 3.5/5 rounded up

Favorite tracks: Sign O' The Times, It, U Got The Look, The Cross

I had to quickly get acquainted with which part of the 90s music scene we were in with this one, and after I adjusted, I found this okay. I think I expected a different vibe based on the cover. Aimee's voice isn't necessarily my favorite, but her songwriting skills are pretty great for a solo debut. Still, there was something about the clash between hard rock guitars & her vibrato that just didn't totally work for me. It felt a little too disparate, in the same way that I sometimes have issues with artists similar to this. I really want to like this kind of 90s music, but I'm not quite there yet.

Favorite tracks: Could've Been Anyone, Put Me On Top, Say Anything

I kind of have…no thoughts about this? It feels like this album went inside my brain and dug a bunch of needles into it, yet I think I can still appreciate the artistry going on here. One could certainly consider this proto-NIN, but I would hesitate to put the two on the same level, or even the same ballpark for that matter. I'm sure this was revolutionary at the time, but damn, was this a hard listen. There were certain elements of it that I kind of enjoyed, I guess? But I can absolutely see why this is nearly universally hated.

Favorite (not) tracks: AB/7A, I guess?

I was a little disappointed to have one of my least favorite White Stripes albums come up first on this list, knowing that there are likely more to come. This is definitely not Meg & Jack's best work, but I mean…it's still the White Stripes. This one is a dash too polished, and you can tell they kind of lost the spark they had in their earlier albums. A bit theatrical, but the blues roots are still there, and that is what keeps me coming back. The addition of a piano as a key instrument really changes their sound, and it's not my favorite iteration of this duo. However, a few songs here I've loved for a very long time & still will.

Favorite tracks: Blue Orchid, My Doorbell, The Denial Twist

If I were forced to choose a favorite concept album (not always my favorite), this would certainly be up there. However, it is LONG as hell, which made this quite the undertaking. All that being said…this totally rocks. I am a total Pink Floyd sucker, and I don't care how much of a boomer man this makes me appear to be. I have loved "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" for about as long as I can remember, which was assisted by my dad frequently quoting the "pudding" lines from the end of the track. I could do without several of the "filler" tracks, but this is nothing short of an opus. I don't think my self-described enjoyment of prog really clicked until I truly understood what Pink Floyd is all about.

Favorite tracks: Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2, Young Lust, Comfortably Numb

Bonkers in the best way. Unapologetically itself, this album is weird as hell and proud of it. I've always really liked the B-52's, but somehow never sat down to listen to an entire album before today. Groovy surf influences, jangly guitar work emblematic of the Athens scene, and post-punk spunk that I clearly can't get enough of. The B-52's truly created their own sound, and there's really nothing else like it. Insanely impressive for a debut album. Makes me want to dance around and let all my inhibitions go!

Favorite tracks: 52 Girls, Rock Lobster, Hero Worship

When I first saw this album cover, I knew it was familiar to me somehow - it wasn't until I got to "Chicken Bones" that I realized I have been listening to John Grant for going on a decade now. That song was always so random, and this whole album is off-kilter and religion-oriented in a way that reminded me a lot of Father John Misty (I think fans of his music should certainly give this a try). For some reason, I didn't have much of an issue this time with the lyrics, as I think they are weird and stupid on purpose. I really thought I would hate this, but I ended up really enjoying it by the end.

Favorite tracks: Sigourney Weaver, Chicken Bones, Caramel

First off, I needed every song to be AT LEAST 3 minutes shorter if not more. I found the drumming and chuggy chords repetitive and horrifically boring. The vocals certainly didn't save anything either - the lyrics were cringy at best, and the delivery I am not a fan of at all (James Hetfield tried to end a word without saying "AH" impossible challenge). All that being said, somehow I liked this album slightly more than their self-titled (and I am not looking forward to there being 2 more albums after this, like please spare me).

Favorite tracks: Eye of the Beholder, One