Ah, the British Invasion band that wasn't, thanks to a performance ban. The Kinks stopped trying to appeal to American audiences a couple of years before this album was released.
This album is beautifully, unapologetically English, right down to the title. It's not homogeneous, either - there's plenty of variation between tracks, enough to capture my interest and leave me feeling disappointed after the last track (of 15) ended.
Rated 10/10
Okay, look. I'm being aggressively subjective in my ratings. I'm not a professional music critic, I'm not preparing a chronicle of important developments in music history. I am but one middle-aged bisexual woman documenting her own personal taste.
That said...
You know how I figured out the bisexuality thing? The music videos for Only Happy When It Rains and Stupid Girl made me feel funny. The album with Queer on it helped me realize that I'm queer. This album is so significant to my personal history, I was honestly a bit surprised to see it come up in the generator!
I love this album to bits, obviously. 30 years later my youthful crush on Shirley Manson has faded into a warm fuzzy memory, but the music will never get old. This is absolutely my idea of a good time.
Rated 10/10
I love Echo & The Bunnymen. I especially love The Killing Moon, a high point on an album I already enjoy.
Yeah, this is a biased review, but music taste is subjective, right? I'm happy, that's what matters.
Rated 2/10
Unfortunately, I encountered Kanye's reputation before his music, and I find it incredibly difficult to separate the art from the artist.
Rated 8/10
Apparently I was not in the right mood the first time I listened to this. One star? For this classic? For shame, past me.
Rod Stewart has terrible hair. This has nothing to do with the album or how it sounds, but I needed to get that off my chest. It's almost painful to look at him, his hairstyle is SO BAD.
Luckily, I only had to listen to him with this album!
It's pretty solid rock music. Not a stand out favorite, but good enough to add to genre playlists. Not bad, not bad at all.
Rated 6/10
Oof. A couple of highlights, a couple of tracks that were just plain uncomfortable to listen to, and the rest of it just seemed to highlight how huge an ego George had at the time. I know it's highly regarded, so I tried to like it, but... I'm too conflicted.
Rated 6/10
If you like slower, sensual music, this is the album for you! Unfortunately, it is not the album for me - I technically listened to the whole thing but I couldn't focus. There's nothing wrong with it, just not my thing!
Rated 4/10
I am not the target audience for this.
At least I now have enough experience to state that I don't care for Frank Ocean? I didn't even know who he was before this album came up. Been living under a rock for the last 15 years, that's part of why I signed up for the 1001 albums in the first place. My middle aged horizons have been expanded in a direction I didn't particularly enjoy, but that's growth for you.
Rated 10/10
My rating is absolutely biased by nostalgia, I've loved this album since I was in high school... the album being 30 doesn't make it any less amazing, though! 🤘
Rated 6/10
I can hear why other people like this... but 50s music is NOT my thing.
Rated 8/10
Decent! It's not something I'm ever going to listen to in full album form again, but there are enough classic songs on here that they'll be hanging around my playlists.
Rated 8/10
Probably the best I've heard from U2, but I'm not a straight white man so I'm just not the target audience. 🤷🏻♀️
Two things are contributing to my rating here:
1. Phil Spector was such a terrible person that the average dumpster fire seems pleasant in comparison. He'd been abusing women and children loooooooong before he committed murder at age 63.
2. On a less serious level, I can't stand Christmas music. I can't stand Christmas. Ugh. Even if it wasn't produced by a malignant person, I'd be avoiding this because it's a bad genre-to-listener mismatch for ME as a person.
In conclusion, NOPE NOPE NOPE
Rated 10/10
How had I never listened to this album before now? It's going in my regular rotation immediately.
Rated 6/10
This album has its ups and downs, but it's overall a decent listen.
Rated 6/10
Mediocre white men: blues rock edition.
Rated 8/10
Delightful weirdness from when the century was still shiny and new. I'd never listened to Super Furry Animals before, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to discover them.
Rated 4/10
Tedious. Tiresome. Bland.
Rated 8/10
Two simultaneous truths: The Wall needs all of its tracks as a concept album, but it's also a bit bloated. There are fantastic hits on here, and yet it's one of Pink Floyd's weaker albums.
