Reviews by meemesker

For some reason I didn't want to like this as much as I did, but it's got a laid back soulfulness to it that I can't deny. The reason I was cautious going in is probably because of the hippie sentiment of the overplayed opening track. I feel that's one anthem that hasn't aged gracefully. Once you get past that though, this is one smooth ride. Covers alot of ground in its 39 minutes.

They might be the best bar band in the world, but they still sound kinda shitty to me.

Like a greasy grilled cheese sandwich.

A fun romp.

Not as familiar with LA punk as I am with the New York scene, so I missed this one growing up. Holds up with everything from the era. Certainly has a raw intensity few others could claim to match at the time, besides maybe Black Flag. Darby Crash's growling can get old after awhile, but he keeps things varied enough to keep it interesting.

This is my favorite Joni album, largely due to the curve ball that is "The Jungle Line." Nothing sounds quite like that song, it's both primitive and futuristic at once. The only thing I can think of that's even comes close would be by Bjork, who came about 20 years later. It goes to show you how Joni is far from simply being just some folky singer songwriter. On the rest of the record it's like she's fronting Steely Dan, seamlessly blending genres till you don't know how to classify it. Is it jazz? Is it rock? Is it folk? I don't know... but I know I like it. She even drew the cover for God's sake! A total artist.

"Walk This Way" isn't quite as fun without Run DMC. Being more familiar with their 80s/90s material, I didn't realize how influenced by Led Zeppelin they were.

Is that her poosy?!?!?! Oh...

I'm not British so I've not listened to Robbie Williams before. I was vaguely aware of his existence being generally interested in music as a teenager in the late 90s. I probably saw reviews of his records in magazines and the like, but never took the time to investigate any further. Now, all these years later, I now know I made the right choice.

I really like what he's doing musically here, but some of the lyrics are just atrocious, so much so that it completely ruins it for me. I can respect Kanye West - I've given multiple albums of his fives on here, but knowing how things have played out in his life, this just sounds like a man starting to slowly go insane. On "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" that seemed exciting, but this is the dark flipside to that coin, and it makes me kinda sad.

This was, without exaggeration, one of the worst records I've ever heard in my life, and I'm simply baffled how it ended up on the list.

I appreciate his down to earth, self recorded lo-fi approach. He didn't need to prove anything to anybody at this point, and instead we get a more intimate view into his musical life - just jamming with himself - playing all the instruments like it's no thing.

Like The Byrds with more balls.

The return of John Frusciante is certainly a boon to the group and likely resulted in the more mature sound found on this record. That seems like a bit of an oxymoron for the Chil Peppers, but we'll get to that in a minute. Frusciante's influence, and the weight of his recovery from addiction, seems to have tempered the chemistry of the group. Not only does he bring his earworm guitar lines, but there is also an increased use of backing vocals that brings some more sophistication and beauty to the material. Flea is one of the few truly iconic bass players in modern rock since the late 80s. He is certainly flamboyant, but never seems to overplay. It's just that he has the ability to play so much more than your average bassist, and he uses that ability to support the songs. His relationship with his partner in rhythm, Chad Smith, is obviously essential to their success. He, like many drummers, seems to be the silent glue that holds everything together. Then we get to Anthony Kiedis and this is where it gets more complicated. His voice is an integral part of the Chili Pepper's sound and I do appreciate his soulfulness and even playfulness. But it's the lyrics that get to me sometimes. There are some nice poetic moments here and there but there are also these groan worthy awkward phrases throughout that prevent it from being truly great. It's like he never grew out of being a teenager and his cringeworthy thoughts are on full display. I know they sort of embrace that to a certain degree but it still doesn't make it go down easier or age more gracefully. This is a 3.5 for me and I will round up to 4 since I did enjoy this more upon it's initial release and I remember the vast majority of these catchy songs quite well and relatively fondly. However it just as easily could have been a 3 just for the lyrics.

A simple formula but an effective one. I can't even imagine how intense a Suicide show at CBGB's would have felt like back in the day. These guys were fucking crazy for going the direction they went with electronic music and I admire their bravery. Only thing that I can think of that preceded them in this regard was maybe Silver Apples, but that wasn't nearly as abrasive. I am addicted to their stripped down sound. It is the genesis if so much that I love. Such an efficiency of sound, nothing is more punk than this.

When I first saw this come up I was hesitant because I saw he was redoing tracks he had previously recorded years earlier like Mannish Boy and I Can't Be Satisfied. But I have to say, all it took was his voice to come on and I was hooked. Blues is one of the lower rated categories for me on here, but that's because it's mostly shit like Eric Clapton that sinks it for me. But this is the real deal and it comes down to 3 things: 1) the production is nearly perfect with a live-in-studio sound that captures wonderful banter and excitement without overdoing anything, 2) the playfulness of his lyrics, and 3) the sheer power of his voice. Though I first heard Mannish Boy on The Real Folk Blues, I must say it's a toss up for me which is better, and I might actually lean towards this version in many ways. I like how his voice aged and his delivery is so intense, he absolutely commands your attention. This is a 4.5 for me but I'm gonna round up to 5 to make up for all the shit blues clogging up this list.

Prog-punk masterpiece, or the birth of post-punk right alongside the rise of punk itself? Only thing I can think of to compare it to would be maybe Wire, but even then they're more like distant cousins at best, since Wire, at least at their onset, went with a sound that was closer to more "conventional" punk with their manic bursts of energy and short songs. Not all punk is barre chords and vitriol.

We used to play the title track regularly on the jukebox at The Replay and the 8th St Taproom to get our moneys worth.

I love the mood he creates here, especially on the title track. It sets the template for his working style going forward through the 70s creating albums from editing extended jams. Although Bitches Brew gets the lion's share of attention from this era, I find this album to be largely more listenable.

When I listen to this the first thing that comes to mind is how crazy it would be to see it performed live. Then it hits the fourth track "The Only Way" and it loses its momentum and never recovers. Sick album cover though.

There are many wonderful moments throughout this record, but it largely comes across as a less focused Pink Floyd. There are some songs I like, but I wouldn't want to make my way through the album in its entirety to get to them again.