Reviews by kenny-mike

It just sounds fantastic.

This has hooks to draw you in. Really good stuff, and had never heard this album before. So... thanks!

Of course 5! It would be strange indeed if you joined this 1001 community and didn’t want to hear albums like this (again) (and again). Enjoy!

There are four albums by R.E.M. on this list if I’m not mistaken. I would gladly see this one swapped out for Life’s Rich Pageant or Out of Time. It’s hard when a band is so dominant that most of their albums deserve to be on the list. So by REM standards, this album is probably a four star by the standards of anything else that came out that year… Easy five star.

Fantastic album that still reveals the optimistic side of the 60s and hope for a better future, before the cynicism of the 70s set in. Intelligent lyrics, harmony, and some nice electric flourishes throughout.

The biggest problem on the album is the jarring movement from the opening song, Carry On, to the second track, which is full on country. In fact, the album does have a little bit of unevenness that way, but the highs are so high. It’s still rounds up to a five star rating.

Garage rock meets blues. Reminiscent of the White Stripes but less lyrical depth. But, strong sound.

Rock becomes punk becomes post-punk becomes Mudhoney becomes Nirvana. I wish I had been more aware of this band in my teenage years. Lyrically, there is not a whole lot to offer my grown adult, self, but musically… well, you had me at fuzz.

I was introduced to this album in the early 80s, which I consider fortuitous given that the entire album is a deep cut. But do what I did then… drop the needle on “Side Black” which begins with Ogre Battle. What an amazing set of fantastical songs. And every member of the band in full stride.

And hey, Side White is cool too.

My 3 stars simply reflect the fact that I’m unlikely to return to this album. I’m sure it deserves more respect, but nothing is putting hooks into me personally…

Fantastic offering from the Class of 67.
A friend encouraged me to focus on the drums / percussion and I pass that advice along to you as well.

Can’t do this. And have no business rating it.

This guy is incredibly talented, but I don’t ultimately need this in my life. I can and suppose I will, in fact, die without it.

2 for the talent, minus 3 for making the world so much less beautiful

I give 4 stars to the songs I extract from this double album and forge into my own playlist. They are:

Sign o’ the Times
Play in the Sunshine
Starfish and Coffee
Forever in My Life
U Got the Look
Strange Relationship
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
The Cross

The other songs display Prince’s versatile talents but these are the songs that resonate with me at this point!

My thought process:
What is this?
Oh…
Not as bad as I thought.
But, maybe another time.

That time never came.

This is the most accessible Captain Beefheart album, with some quite remarkable moments. It dips a little here and there, especially with the maybe comical (?) “I’m Glad.” But the first two tracks should be enough to draw you in and keep you on the lookout for more weird greatness.

I actually first heard this album in 1988 and it has followed me around since then. An album like this gives this 1001 list credibility, it is an album not everyone has heard but really should.

To fully appreciate it, put yourself in the musical landscape of 1988 and consider what a tour de force this was. This is a band in the zone and doing something unique.

Other 5 star reviews can describe the musical accomplishment better than I can, so at this point I turn it over to them….

Great album with well known “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man,” but don’t miss “The Needle and the Damage Done.” First track and “Alabama” also strong.

Then, go listen to “Tonight’s the Night.”

This is album that has its moments. "A Minha Menina" is a cover of a song by Os Mutantes, an impressive 60's Brazilian experimental psychedelic band (!) whose 1968 album is part of the 1001. Most of the album doesn't sound quite like this but, again, there are moments. I liked the sound and feel of "Angryman" and "Sweet Like a Champion."

Mostly I'm intrigued by the story: two friends create an album in the shed of their parents' garden, which sounds like a British version of the tech company started in a parents' garage. I'm told the duo went on to tour with a "real" band, and that real band made some more good albums... curious to check them out! But I can only give 3 stars because I don't picture coming back to this one, promising as it is.

While I don't share John Lydon's disdain for religion, I can appreciate the anger at bad religion. (Jesus was known for this as well, see for example Matthew 23.)

But this album gets 4 stars for the other statement it makes. Fresh off the Sex Pistols' musical coup, John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) goes into full deconstruction mode - not just about religion but about celebrity, fame, and (you guessed it) image.

There are some great sounds here. I love the vibe of Annalisa, based on a sad story of religious malpractice. This sound would be reproduced and deepened on Metal Box, aka Second Edition. Meanwhile, Fodderstompf apparently draws inspiration from Monty Python, the Beatles, and maybe the Mothers of Invention.

If you don't like a song, wait till the next one. There's quite a bit of variety here. That alone is interesting coming off of "Never Mind the Bullocks." And besides, if you literally hate some of the tracks on this record, that's probably what John Lydon was going for.

Picture the classic Mothers of Invention albums such as “Absolutely Free” or “We’re Only In It for the Money” or maybe even “Apostrophe.” Now adjust it to something more serious, more epic, and more poetic.

That’s what this album is like, maybe.

This surely isn’t for everyone but it displays tremendous talent. If you’re prone to skip, at least slow down and take in “Casimir Pulaski Day,” which is not very much about Casimir Pulaski Day.