Reviews by jkegz

5/5 - Dearly Beloved, I am here to tell you that you need to hear this because it’s so damn good. I was too young when this came out to really get it, but even now, this is an exciting album. The funk, the sex, the guitar, the pop vision all in one package here.

2/5 - I didn’t really need to hear this album. Other than Eight Miles High, nothing even prompted me to check the song title. It’s an extremely 60s record without much appeal for me. I don’t get why this is on the list.

5/5 - I needed to hear this because it’s a genuinely fun album that made me smile. I had heard the hits before, but skits aside, there were no skips here for me. Playful and goofy. I like it.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because it was delightfully weird, and I never would come across it otherwise. Each track here is pretty different from the others, but they all hit in their own way. I loved the early electronic sampling sounds. I'd definitely check out more by Czukay.

4/5 - I needed to hear this, because I only know their hits. This was a solid debut album that was a lot of fun to listen to a couple times through. If you’re looking for depth here, you’re not gonna find it, but it’s perfect for what it sets out to be.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear more than one song about Marvin’s divorce. When “attorney’s fees” is in a lyric, you’re not winning. This album goes on forever.

3/5 - I don’t know how many Rush albums are on this list, but they are a band that should have exactly one on the list. I enjoy the music more than a 3, but between Lee’s vocal quality and whatever nonsense lyrics he’s singing, I’m often left thinking that their albums would be better as full instrumentals.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this. I have no nostalgia for it, and never liked Shout or Head Over Heels on the radio. I do love EWTRTW, but that’s a really easy one to like. I know this album gets a lot of love, but it’s not for me.

3/5 - I needed to hear this once as a strong social statement and to hear how Cash commands and plays to the (literally) captive audience. Solid Cash songs as expected, but unlikely to revisit.

5/5 - I needed to hear this because it melted my face. This is beautiful, raw noise. I listened to the whole thing 3 times and played Kerosene and Passing Complexion about 5 more. I’ll probably do the same tomorrow.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because it seems like a good example of what a live album can deliver. I'm not versed on the history of Ellington, but I like this style of jazz when I hear it. I usually don't care for live albums with the crowd chatter and all that, but the Dimuendo and Crescendo in Blue track is a keeper. I give it a 4 for that alone.

5/5 - You need to hear this, because it's a masterpiece. I've listened to it many times and will keep on returning. I think it is The Beatles most representative album, as it has all their styles in one package. Yes, even Yellow Submarine has a role to play in this regard.

2.5/5 - I didn't need to hear this because this was back-to-back with Bill Callahan yesterday, and I hope this isn't a trend. That said, I was prepared to hate this more than I did, and The Butcher Boy was alright. Still, it's too sedate for me in a way that isn't engaging. Rounding down for the falsetto and 90% of the lyrics which made no sense to me.

3/5 - I don’t that I needed to hear this album today, but I might need to hear it again sometime in the future. The instrumental aspects of this are pretty enjoyable, but his vocal delivery put me off. I could see this growing on me if I let it.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this, because the album tracks were fairly repetitive and the misogyny was gross. There’s better Stones albums than this.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this album, and I almost didn’t make it through. I’d like to either have some groove or some melody with my noise, and this had neither for me. Generally annoying, but I can see how some would find merit in it, so it’s a 2.

3/5 - I needed to hear this album as a whole once because of its mythology and history. This is an incredibly hard album to rate. It’s like an Old Masters painting presented as modern art depicting a landscape from an imaginary Disney planet. Smile has moments of incredible beauty, jarring transitions, barnyard animals, and then comes back and hits you with heavenly harmonies. It’s a masterpiece I don’t really understand and find hard to access. It also contains Good Vibrations which is about as good as it gets in pop music on par with God Only Knows.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this album because it took the same track being on repeat 3x in a row before I finally noticed something was awry. I could not possibly listen to this as a focused experience, but as background while working on a weekday, it never grabbed my attention once. For that, I’ll give it a 2.

5/5 - I needed to hear this album because it is one of my favorite artifacts of the GWB administration. At the time, I had no idea I needed a rock opera from Green Day, but I did. I love this album front to back because it's simply a blast to listen to.

2.5/5 - I don't think I needed to hear this album. Despite recommendations, I've never thought that much of this debut. The vocals are uninteresting at best, and the music is totally fine. By no means is this a slog to get through, and there's a few tracks I like well enough, but no idea why this is on this list.