Reviews by meemesker

I'm a huge fan of the Nuggets boxed set, which features 3 of these songs; The Witch, Strychnine, and Psycho, so I was familiar with those tracks, but for some reason I never explored their music any further. While those previously mentioned tracks are included on the Nuggets compilation for good reason, their other originals, and even their R&B covers, are performed with a raw intensity that was noteworthy for the time. The effect is reinforced by the lower fidelity recording, but all credit is due to the performers. Undoubtedly one of the earliest examples of proto-punk, but I guess the wider world wasn't quite ready for that yet. Would have been an absolute blast to see them live around the time this was released.

Jane's Addiction sound as if they are deliberately being obnoxious half the time, largely due to Perry Farrell's vocal technique. If you were a teenager looking to piss of your parents in the early 90s, playing this album on repeat would do the trick. I remember being captivated by the video for "Been Caught Stealing" as a kid and have a little nostalgic feeling for that tune. Other than that though, the rest of the album literally put me to sleep. I understand why this is on the list in terms of influence but I don't personally enjoy it. It was a strange and awkward adolescent time in the late 80s and early 90s for "alternative" music before Nirvana kicked it into full on raging puberty.

This album deserves to be up there with the big iconic albums of the 80s. You can definitely hear the echoes of Michael Jackson and Prince, but there's so much more going on here than mere emulation. A brave, bold synthesis of styles. Above all, it is genuinely fun to listen to. You can tell he had a great time making it and that joy is contagious.

Amazing guitar work. Very enjoyable from start to finish.

This album is really quite varied compared to most other electronic music of the time. The fact that they have a dedicated singer kind of sets them apart too. Very versatile sound. Electronic anthems. Favorite track is "Pearl's Girl," probably because it sounds the most like "Born Slippy."

Much more loose and jammy than your average Britpop. Because of that it's also much less hooky. Listening to this was like asking your friend to toss you a candy bar and instead they toss you a bag of homemade energy bites they concocted in their kitchen. Alright I guess.

I usually give AC/DC a flat 3, but I must be feeling grumpy today because this is really getting on my nerves. Some of the most unimaginative rock of the 70s.

Honestly appreciated and enjoyed the spoken explanations throughout the album. Like a mini crash course on the rudiments of Indian classical music. I have only really heard this type of music via its pale imitation in 60s psychedelic rock. The real deal is far more dynamic and exciting. Really love the interplay of the percussion, drones, and soloing sitar. Exquisite jams.

Respect this but honestly I found the album to be a bit exhausting. It felt long with nothing to relieve the constant intensity. Even Public Enemy had Flavor Flav to provide some levity... I think I prefer Evil Empire for its more varied and slightly hookier approach. Zach de la Rocha sounds like a human tie fighter, especially at 3:12-3:17 on "Township Rebellion."

Genuinely surprised I hadn't heard this before. Not sure it deserves to be on this list but it's alright. Kinda like it when they get noisier and more experimental. Wish they'd lean into that more.

I know it may be sacrilege but I prefer "Protection" to this. Certainly a genre breakthrough, but I don't think they'd quite dialed it in yet here.

Up there with The Kinks and The Stones. Must've felt like a bolt of lightning in its day. A call to arms to bring out the heavy artillery in rock n roll.

I guess I'm not as open minded as I'd thought. I'm not having this though. Not what I came here for. Honestly, this may be the toughest thing I've had to entertain listening to so far in the course of over 600 albums. Even just clicking through the tracks this started to make me agitated and uncomfortable in a way that nothing else on this list quite has before. This music would repel me from practically any room. Sorry.

Depeche Mode's masterpiece and synth-pop"s exquisite dying breaths. A more democratic approach to songwriting and recording redefined their sound. Dark hooks abound within a rich, textured atmosphere. I consider this a perfect album.

A perfectly balanced record. Miles may have downplayed this in later years because he had to move on and continue to innovate, but this is a thing of beauty.

Moody and haunting. Maintains its freshness all these years later. Multiple vocalists keeps things varied. The sampling of the Tuvan throat singing on "Karamacoma" blew my mind, and I like nearly every song on this album, but it definitely loses some momentum towards the end.

Moody and cinematic but unnecessarily long to the point of being almost absurd. Appreciate the dense rhythms but some of the synth tones are cringey.

Always love Fela's monster jams. You gotta have some serious fuckin chops to keep up with Fela, and Ginger Baker definitely passes muster.

It sounds like Bowie working out what he would later go on to expand and perfect on Blackstar. Not sure I would've included it on this list but enjoyable nonetheless.

Two of my favorite musical flavors: psychedelia and soul, perfectly balanced here, with early drum machines to boot! I remember when this was reissued on CD in 2001 and me and my friends devoured this album. Hearing these irresistible tunes and finding out it wasn't particularly well received in its time blew my mind and sent me on a neverending quest to find similar "lost" albums - but I'm not sure I'll ever find one that is both as amazingly ahead of its time and downright enjoyable as this one. Dude was 21!