Reviews by littlestlassloves

I wanted to like this, and the music I was mostly ok with, but the vocals? Yeah, not for me. I don't mind a kind of slurring vocal sometimes, but I couldn't tell what he was saying about 50% of the time and that was a deal-breaker given that I didn't like the music quite enough to make up for it.

It's going to scrape a 2, because I didn't hate it, but didn't really like it either.

2/5

Now I'm about half way through this project, it's become completely apparent to me that, with a tiny number of exceptions, I need to love a vocalist to love an album. Falling in love with someone's voice allows me to give second chances to albums that don't grab me initially, makes music stick in my brain, makes me connect with an artist in a way that makes it possible to love their work. Which both is my own problem, and sounds massively pretentious. It does explain why I have a patchy experience with instrumentals however...

I kept expecting a vocal to start and it never did so it ended up feeling unfinished to me as a result. I didn't dislike the instrumental, per sae, just felt like it was building to something that didn't materialise.

Glass Museum went weirdly prog rock 2/3s of the way through, which I wasn't expecting (The Taut And The Tame was also a bit proggy when it wasn't weirdly reminding me of a Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassline). Then Along The Banks Of Rivers turned into the theme tune to Black Books right at the end (or at least near enough, I had to check it wasn't by Tortoise - it isn't).

2/5

Back to the position of 'I like Elvis.... I don't *love* Elvis'.

Not a lot to say: it was perfectly pleasant, I didn't want to immediately turn it off, but I don't want to rush to put it on again either.

3/5

I enjoyed this a lot, but it's sort of hard to rate because it's effectively a covers album (of great songs, I'm not saying they aren't) that sound like basically every other version of those songs from that era... just with Dusty singing them.

She has a lovely voice and I really enjoyed listening to her sing, but I don't really understand why this is a necessary album as it's nothing new. One of those occasions where I'd like to know what the actual book says about why it was included.

3/5

Yay! I have been waiting for this to show up.

I love this album and listen to it fairly regularly. I love how it sounds, the backstory to how it exists, the backstory to the wonderful lady who meticulously cleared all the samples so it could get released on a label without them being sued by 1000s of different artists. All of it.

And it's weird, because I wouldn't say it's typical of the type of album I really latch on to. I do like sampling, and this project has shown me that I like a lot of 80s hiphop because of the sampling and often despite the rapping. But I do adore this.

It changes so often, it's pretty hard to get bored, as a new sound will come along all the time. And you'll get little reprises of samples throughout which makes it feel like a cohesive whole without being repetitive.

An album I love.

5/5

Also if you like Frontier Psychiatrist, Nicksterbruh on YouTube made a version with updated samples (from 1983-2025 rather than the original's 1953-1995) and it's well worth a listen if only for it's use of Insane In The Brain.

I enjoy the heaviness of the instrumental, especially the tone on the rhythm guitars. Not a particularly fan of the vocals as it's just not my thing really (it always feels like you're heaving singers destroy their vocal chords in real time) and, as always, I could do without the noodling solos. High point for me was probably Walk.

I would normally read the lyrics while listening to a 1001 Album, but I had the distinct feeling that would cause me to downgrade the score, so I've gone on pure reaction.

And it's fine.

3/5

Another classic 'know the name, couldn't tell you anything* about them' artist for me.

I really liked the first song which reminded me of The Clash. I'm pretty sure Steven Page pinched the jingly jangly guitar guitar hook on Bonny to use on one of his solo albums (and therefore I really liked it). Appetite dialled up the 80s considerably - not my favourite track although I like "if you steal, be Robin Hood" as a lyric.

When Love Breaks Down was also extremely 80s but I liked the vocals a lot. Paddy McAloon has a really lovely voice. Goodbye Lucille was so close to being a really lovely song but for me, far too many "oooooh, Johnny Johnny Johnny" refrains happened in 4 1/2 minutes (again loved the vocals).

Hallelujah was funky. I liked the premise of Moving The River being a bit like a one-sided conversation and the lyrics "But I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free" made me laugh. Horsin' Around is great: genuinely loved that song, especially when the walking bass started and it got weird. Desire As - two songs in a row that mention jam, eh? Interesting common thread.

Blueberry Pies gave more funky weirdness and lyrics I really enjoyed. Finally When The Angels was a great way to finish an album that kinda surprised me.

I actually really enjoyed this overall. Probably a 3.5, but it's getting rounded up because I definitely wanted to listen to it again.

4/5

*Anything except "Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque" anyway.

So over an hour turns out to be more JT than I would prefer, even though I knew, and liked, a fair few of these songs. Unfortunately front loading the singles was an issue for me.

I think Cry Me A River is a genuinely great pop song, while also thinking it's a bit creepy. And not just because of the music video, although that doesn't help. Despite the fact the singer is clearly the one who's been wronged (given his partner cheated on him), there's just something so gleeful in the satisfaction he's taking in the fallout that is icky to me. Still, great song.

The production makes it sound very much of it's time, even though I mostly like it good enough. Justin clearly wants to be Micheal Jackson (especially on something like Nothin' Else), and that's never going to happen, but he does have a nice voice.

Ultimately, it's mostly fine, occasionally great, sometimes just really forgettable. Really more of a 2.5 for me, but:

3/5

P.S. Justin Timberlake and ska band Reel Big Fish being on the same record label (Jive Records) in 2002 just shows you how odd the early 2000s were.

Cars Are Cars was jaw dropping. And not in a good way.

I thought this was somewhere in between 'a bit crap' and 'just about ok' pretty much constantly. Not even it going a bit ska during When Numbers Get Serious, something that would generally make me happy, saves it.

I'm not sure what it was, as I've loved previous Paul Simon records, but I did not get on with this album. Still like his voice, and there are clearly talented artists playing on this, but it's definitely not for me.

Should be a 1.5 but it's going to scrape a

2/5

At points he really sounded like James Acaster, especially on Not Great Men, which was odd.

Sort of The Jam style punky music, although parts of this were very 'early Arctic Monkeys'. I liked the bass quite a lot.

I got to the end of the thinking, I really enjoyed it and then Amazon autoplayed The Clash, and suddenly the comparison was stark.

Good, but not great. Should be a 3.5, but getting a

3/5

I'm on my third Springsteen album of this project. I am still very 'meh' about his voice.

Lonesome Day was alright, I guess. Into The Fire, sounded like Christian rock and I was very much not there for it - it was far far too long as well. Waitin On A Sunny Day sounded like people should be line dancing to it until the sax and tinkly noises started, when it suddenly went all Christmassy. It also felt like it went on far, far, far too long despite being less than 4 and a half minutes. Nothing Man was forgettable. And then I zoned out until World's Apart started....

This is very much an album of it's time, isn't it? I cannot imagine any American writing that song at any time other than immediately post 9-11. It's trying so hard so hard to be worthy that it becomes cringey to me. And then the next song is called Let's Be Friends? Bruce being as subtle as a sledgehammer.

I appreciate that 9-11 was almost unthinkable to people from the USA (and in many way, much of the rest of the world) and so songwriters are clearly going to use that experience to write lyrics to process those events. I also share a lot of Bruce Springsteen's politics, so there's not an ideological issue for me, but I definitely would have preferred not to listen to a whole album inspired by an act of terrorism.

This definitely didn't make me like Bruce Springsteen's music more.

2/5

I put off listening to this, thinking I was going to hate it. I was also convinced I didn't know any of it until D.A.N.C.E. started.

For the first third of the album, I was thinking, actually, I quite like this. My toes were tapping to the funky bassiness. I was enjoying it's Basement Jaxx-iness. But then it started wearing on me. It's quite a lot for someone is not massively into dance music, especially as each track mixes into the next. I will say that in the later part of the album, I did really like DVNO - it seems to really lean into the disco theme and I enjoyed it a lot.

I have been left with a mystery though: why is "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" called "The Party" on Amazon Music? Sticklers for spelling?

Probably a 2.5 because the bits I enjoyed I really enjoyed, but I'm not sure there's enough of those bits for a 3, so:

2/5

I was genuinely surprised by how much of this album I already knew despite having never listened to this album before. I really enjoyed the whole thing, but obviously Chester's vocals are an absolutely massive part of that. He had a great voice.

I think this does sound very 'of it's time' and that's coming from someone who is absolutely not adverse to a bit of rap/rock/electronia mixed. But it's extremely catchy and I enjoyed it all.

Honestly probably a 4.5, but not quite a 5 for me, so:

4/5

Just big dumb hair metal fun.

How Joe Elliott doesn't constantly have a sore throat singing like that is beyond me.

I own a t-shirt purchased about 25 years ago, that was only on sale for a few days because Rick Allen's family got it withdrawn for "being in bad taste". I don't care what they say, I love my "I'd Give My Left Arm To Play Drums For Def Leppard" shirt.

3/5

Guitar noodling of the highest standard, saved for me by a combination of nostalgia and, you know, being done by someone who is really talented. I have always enjoyed Mark Knopfler's voice too.

I do think it ends up feeling a little samey over the length of a full record, but it's a sound I like so it bothers me less than maybe it should. Sultans Of Swing is bloody brilliant too.

I think this is actually a 3.5, but as I tend to use 3 stars for albums that are just fine, it's getting rounded up.

4/5

I still don't like his voice, so the exposure therapy the generator seems to be subjecting me to is clearly failing.

The first song: bit boring. The second song: ditto.

The third song: a man needs a maid? Fuck off! I actually like the music a lot more, but I was so put out by the lyrics, I think I dislike this the most so far.

The fourth song: don't mind it at all, especially when the backing vocals kick in. The fifth song: finally one I'd actually say I like. The sixth song: I quite like but wish it was being sung by almost anyone except Neil (again the backing vocals make this a more enjoyable listen for me).

The seventh song: back to the orchestral stuff but this time with lyrics that don't make me want to throw stuff. Like.

The eighth song: starting to really run of of patience with his voice, but I don't mind the actual song. The ninth song: I really like the name (The Needle and the Damage Done) and the storytelling, but some of the singing is the most egregious on the record. Last track: is soooooooo looooonnnnngggg.

Would have been a 2.5 with half stars probably, but I'm not stretching to a 3, so:

2/5

I've said this every time Nick Cave has come up, but he can't sing. And I don't really care. His voice suits the types of stories he's telling and I enjoy it on every album I hear.

I tend to like Nick Cave songs best when they're on the quicker, heavier side (musically and lyrically) and this album was mostly broodingly melancholy in a slightly plodding way. I liked it, People Just Ain't No Good and Idiot Prayer especially, but I didn't love it.

I think this is a night-time album and I listened to it in the morning, in an uncomfortable bed in a Travelodge. The ambience was all wrong. At some point I'm going to try again, sat in a nice chair, sipping a glass of Cointreau Noir.

3/5

I love Hotel California the song, but I found myself spectacularly unmoved by Hotel California the album. It was fine and I have zero strong opinions either way.

3/5

The first track was completely pointless, so that's not a good start. Germatria was going mostly fine until the screamy noodling guitar solo that seemed like it had been accidentally added to the wrong track appeared.

I really struggle with the type of vocals this genre of music often relies on. My absolute preference is a relatively high pitched, melodic singer who can also can let out soaring notes or a cathartic scream every 5-6 songs. So the low pitched gravelly-voiced grunting is not my thing. I liked the clean vocals in Sulfer for example, but I imagine aficionados of the genre probably think they are the worst bit. Dead Memories, which entirely avoided the growling, was one of the parts I liked best but I understand is one of the least Slipknotty parts of a Slipknot album.

I'm almost 50% of the way into this project, and this album marks the first time I've been so fascinated by a particular band member's playing, I've looked up a YouTube video (top comment made me laugh: "The drums had a cigarette after this."). Joey Jordison, you were an insane drummer.

I really wasn't sure what to expect listening to this - Slipknot are one of those bands that it's very much expected that you should hate/take the piss out of, like Nickelback. But in actuality, I liked big chunks of this. It's not groundbreaking, and I'm never going to get past my issue with the vocals, but its getting a:

3/5

P.s. I did very much enjoy discovering that this album was produced by the guitarist from Ugly Kid Joe.

Another artist that my parent(s) liked. This one firmly in my Mum's wheelhouse.

It's all very twee, and while I have a huge tolerance for silly or whimsical, twee is not my kinda thing. And what the absolute fuck is that cover of Help? The Bananarama/French and Saunders' version, recorded for Comic Relief in the 80s was far superior, and honestly that seems like it shouldn't be possible.

It frequently reminded me of the Bugsy Malone soundtrack, if all the songs had suddenly become awful (Bugsy Malone soundtrack 5⭐ by the way).

Reason to Believe gave me an amazing misheard lyric though: "while I crap wipe".

This was going to get a 2, because I've heard worse, but as I thought Close To You was finally over only for it to start up again, it's annoyed me too much for that.

1/5