Reviews by linkyboy

A couple years ago, when I finally had a name for my favorite genre, I started listening to every Power Pop record I could get my hands on. Naturally, #1 Record by Big Star was frequently cited as one of the first and greatest power pop records of all time.

Strangely, I don't remember thinking much of it the first time I heard it. But because of its standing in the canon of power pop, I've listened to it a handful of times over the years, and I find myself liking it more and more each time.

Some great songwriting, excellent harmonies, and wonderful mood shifts. I wouldn't be surprised if I revisit this review and upgrade it to 5 stars one day. But for now, I think 4 stars is right.

I get the appeal, but this didn't do it for me. Actually, there were elements of it that I did like—I generally found the set up of the band interesting, and I liked the more subdued backing vocals. There were also some cool songwriting choices. But the wailing of the vocalist and the persistence of the guitar tones made this an ultimately maddening listen.

This is quite possibly my favorite album. There's nothing else that quite scratches the same itch. The harmonies, the melodies, the mellotron, the album art with the incorrectly spelled title, I truly love all of it.

I remember buying it when I was in high school. The guy at Bull Moose told me that "Brief Candles" was a great track (he was correct). I listened to it so many times in my Honda Accord... I listened to it the day after my 18th birthday when by friends threw a surprise party for me—the song "Friends of Mine" has stuck with me ever since. "A Rose for Emily" is beautiful and perfectly structured. The chant-singing of "Changes". "Care of Cell 44" has both a dark humor and brilliant pop-sensibilities. And of course, "Time of the Season" is a bona fide classic.

I'm always searching for something that reminds me of The Zombies—Poor Moon, Grizzly Bear, and The Millennium have all gotten close, but never reached the pure quality of this record.

5 Stars! 6 if I could.

When I was in high school, I was really taken in by progressive rock. But with time, the very qualities that I once found praise-worthy have generally turned into my least favorite aspects of the genre: the show-offy-ness, the pretension, the sense that the band think they're better than me. It's doesn't make you clever to think you "get it."

But Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the exception. My high school Latin teacher recommended it to me, and I bought a CD of it the first chance I had. I found it breathtaking then, and despite the intervening years and changes of opinion, I found myself loving all the twists and turns it takes when I listened to it today. My first King Crimson album, and still my favorite.

I liked this, though not sure it was inventive or influential enough for it to be a must hear. It reminded me of the Buzzcocks, but didn’t have the edge or staying power. I liked the woman backing vocalist best. Some solid songwriting, even if the lead vocalist was grating at times.

Steely Dan’s unique sound is one of their best qualities, and one of their most grating. But I find Aja to be one of their best. “Peg” is my favorite song of theirs—largely thanks to Michael McDonald’s distinctive backing vocals and the imagery of “blueprint blue”. Some other great songs, sullied only by eye-rolling Steely Dan-isms like “Here at the dude ranch by the sea.”

OutKast will always be one of my favorite hip-hop acts for their eclecticism, their sense of humor, their creativity, and their fusion of styles. Big Boi is excellent, and Andre 3000 is such a star. And as great as Aquemini is, this is the album where OutKast really become the group I love. Funky beats, catchy hooks, and excellent rapping. Some classic tracks: "Ms. Jackson," "So Fresh, So Clean," "B.O.B." And I appreciate how distinctive they have always been.

I adore "Pet Sounds," and enjoy a lot of the early Beach Boys songs, but I've never really given their later records a second thought. I guess I figured that an album with Brian Wilson in the backseat would be underwhelming, or that a 1970s Beach Boys record would sound cloyingly behind-the-times.

But actually, this album shows an impressive adaptation of their sound for a 1971 audience! It's still The Beach Boys, but it has more of a power pop vibe than I was expecting—almost as if we're listening to a band INSPIRED by the Beach Boys (not the band itself).

It doesn't bowl me over the way Pet Sounds does, and it has some weak moments, but overall, I'm quite impressed with this record. I also love the dark album cover contrasted with the cutesy album title.

I got "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" a few months ago and LOVED it, which caught me a bit off guard—I'd written off the Smashing Pumpkins years before due to a snap judgement about Billy Corgan's voice.

And now, listening to "Siamese Dream," I can hear that I've been SO wrong. This album is great too! Eclectic, rocking, hooky, well produced. I've got to listen to their other stuff from the intervening years!

This doesn't quite reach the heights of "Mellon Collie," but few albums do.

All Things Must Pass is among the most famous underdog stories in all of pop, and who doesn’t love an underdog story?(Set aside the fact that the concept of an underdog Beatle is clearly absurd.)

After years of playing second (third?) fiddle to Lennon/McCartney, Harrison knocks it out of the park with his first solo record, a double album jammed pack with ideas, hooks, excellent playing. He’s snubbing his nose at his former bandmates, as if to say, “I told you so.” To date, it’s arguably the best post-Beatles Beatle album.

I once was taken in by the hype around this record, and while it’s very good, I don’t know that it’s AS brilliant as we’d all like to believe. We love the narrative, we love the shy Beatle, and so we love the album. But no song on it quite reaches the heights of George’s best Beatles tracks, and I think that’s an indication of SOMETHING.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s a solid record with great songs, it’s just not quite a 5-star entry for me.

A pleasant singer-songwriter album that did little more than make me think, "That was nice." I liked k.d. lang enough, but I don't think this album compares to other great solo albums from women artists in the 90s, like Liz Phair, Tracy Chapman, or Alanis Morissette. There was never a clear moment that made me feel like it was really a "must listen."

I’ve never been keen on The Rolling Stones—I recognize their influence and they had a handful of songs that I do like, but overall, I’ve generally found them irritating and overrated.

But Exile on Main Street is a genuinely excellent album. I think it’s partly because Jagger’s voice is nestled in a choir, which is both effective, cohesive, and an excellent veil for his voice’s less-desirable tendencies. I didn’t mind the album’s length, which is worth something from a band I don’t really like.

Though I prefer "Breakfast in America," I'm glad to see Supertramp's inclusion on the list. What I have always liked about "Crime of the Century" is that it's progressive without pretension—they never forget the rock part of prog rock. "Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right" are classic rock staples, but I've always had a soft spot for "Rudy," "Hide in Your Shell," and "School."

I love me some 60s psychedelia and rock operas, so this has a lot going in its favor. It may not be as strong as Tommy or other psychedelic albums liked Sgt. Pepper, but this was a lot of fun to listen to. Some of the vocals on "Baron Saturday" sound very Cobain-esque, which was cool to hear from a record of its time. I definitely would like to spend some more time with this album, but I feel pretty firmly that it deserves 4 stars.

I love the Beatles, and The White Album has some of their great tracks. "Blackbird," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Dear Prudence," to name a few. But it also contains more filler than most of their albums (a common problem for double albums). Having said that, I kind of like the "bad" tracks on The White Album, like "Piggies," "Wild Honey Pie," and "Revolution 9."

I find The White Album somewhat weaker than their other later-career records, mostly because of its bloat. But a weak Beatles record is still a great record, and it certainly deserves its place on this list.

London Calling is a favorite of mine, but I've never listened to The Clash's debut album (at least not all the way through). Their sound was so well realized already. Some great tracks, a quintessential punk record, and a good showcase of their songwriting ability. I love their use of politics, one that feels grounded in reality, in real frustration, and not just contrarianism.

The day I got this album, I listened through it and felt very little for it. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't like it, and it didn't stir any emotions in me. I listened back to the beginning, and found that I couldn't even remember it much. I wasn't sure how to proceed, so I hit "Didn't Listen" the next day and figured I'd come back to it later.

The next day, I got the Clash's debut album. Now THAT'S a great punk album. That sealed the deal for me. "Live At The Witch Trials" doesn't even belong in the same category, and thus, it's getting 2 stars.

An easy 5 for me! My favorite album by one of my favorite bands!

I remember being in my dad's truck—I think I had borrowed it—and when I parked in his driveway, "Once In A Lifetime" came on the radio. I found it so bizarre, but so wonderful at the same time. I sat in the truck transfixed by it, desperate to hear what it was. Not long after, I bought a copy of Remain In Light on CD, which I ended up listening to obsessively through my car stereo the summer before my senior year of high school.

I've already written about how singular the Talking Heads are—this album just took it all to the next level. Groovy, funny, fresh. "The Great Curve" is a one chord song with so much development that you'd never guess its simple harmonic underpinnings. "The Listening Wind" is a rare narrative from David Byrne, haunting and beautiful. Adrian Belew's guest guitar solos rip through the mix, at once tonally challenging and perfectly suited to the music. This is the Talking Heads at their absolute peak—which is saying a lot for a band that never really had a bad album. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.

A fun album, and a rather surprising hit for 2003. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is a great track, and Justin Hawkins is a compelling frontman, but I ultimately find this album a bit too backward-looking and maximalist for my taste.

As I listened to this, I kept thinking that this is the sound of the sirens! This is what Odysseus heard as he crashed his ship. Beautiful, ethereal, delicate, otherworldly, but also driving, dangerous, frightening. Even the indecipherable lyrics play into it. Initially, I hadn't even realized that one of the tracks was called "Lorelei" (which is, essentially, the German siren myth)!

I got "Heaven or Las Vegas" a few months back, and it's been on regular rotation in my household ever since. This is another great entry, more primitive in some ways, but that's kind of what works so well about it. Cocteau Twins are certainly one of my favorite discoveries to come out of this project.