Reviews by mikey_nc

When I was a teenager I would see the tie-dye shirts and lighting bolt skull logo and association with drugs and I assumed the Grateful Dead must be the most distorted, nasty, weird psychedelic band around. So strange to actually listen to them as an adult and learn they were basically a hippie California country band.

A strange little album with lots of white noise, kitschy ditties, and jazzy interludes. I found it pretty calming and coherent despite its oddness. Love the bassist.

It’s an overdone cliche to joke about the drugs being done by psychedelic musicians because their music sounds a little weird, but man, he must have REALLY been on some good drugs for this one.

I’ve spent some time trying to “get” this album but I don’t think it’s going to happen sadly. It’s well-done, but too cold, removed, and technical for me to really invest in.

I’ve thought before there may be a good prog rock band somewhere inside of Queen. I no longer think so after listening to this album.

More fun, tuneful, and ambitious than their other album. Hard to get over how much the singer sounds like a sneering ten year old on a skateboard though.

Damn, what could this have sounded like in 1969? One of the most inventive, unique, and foreboding rock albums ever made. A little self-indulgent (particularly on Moonchild), but super creative and technical, and driven by a powerful vision. An essential listen.

Such a grim and evocative album. I don’t really hold Bruce up in my top tier of songwriters, and a few of these songs are overly dreary and repetitive, but I really respect him taking such a bold swing here. He has more range as an artist than he usually gets credit for.

Among the most effective fusions of country and pop I’ve ever heard. The melodies are strong, and the production melds warm acoustic guitars with dance beats in a way that isn’t clunky or forced. The album has this ethereal sound that gives it a refined, pseudo-spiritual air. Though the songs don’t always deserve that treatment… “Space Cowboy” sounds like this meditative reflection on love but it is honestly kind of a silly song written around a dumb play on words. Oh well, I still liked it.

A passable facsimile of Beatlemania for people in the 60s who were annoyed the Beatles developed anywhere beyond Help.

Possibly the greatest Bowie album, which is nuts seeing as he recorded it on a coke binge and (apparently) barely remembers making it. It fuses rock, funk, krautrock, and prog into a paranoid, chilly, desperate suite of songs.

Traditional country with beautiful harmonies. I wasn’t familiar with Linda Ronstadt but she’s obviously got the stuff if she can hang with Dolly (RIP) and Emmylou.

I like the jangle pop sound on this album, but it meandered a little too long at times and only a couple songs were memorable.

This was once one of my favorite albums. I still think it’s very good but I can’t say I hold the same level of affection for it these days. It’s a very downbeat and moody album, and honestly these days it just sounds like it’s trying too hard to be sad. These songs are not unanimous winners, either. So I don’t think it’s this band’s best, but a song like Paranoid Android is such an achievement that this album obviously still deserves flowers.

Perfectly pristine pop music. The Britney Spears story has always skeeved me out on a deep level and frankly it’s not the kind of music that gets me out of bed anyway, so I won’t be spending much time with her catalogue, but I can appreciate the catchiness and polish of this.

Holy hidden gem. A gorgeous album. Long, but worth every minute to me. I love the interactions between the horn players—and the pianist! (Especially on Minawa.) I’ll be returning to this one.

Birdland is a good song and the instrumental work here is great, but I’m a little surprised how unimpressed I am by this. I’ve really enjoyed most of the jazz fusion I’ve heard, but this album is a little staid and, frankly, verges on corny.

This is bold, surprisingly musical, and took a ton of skill, but it’s also an obviously difficult listen that borders on cacophony at times. I’m tempted to give it a 4 just to counteract its low global rating, but I’m not sure I liked it enough to do that.

On another note, why this album and not anything by Ornette Coleman himself? I’m glad it’s here, it’s worth hearing, but Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come is among the list’s most glaring omissions.

Though I can recognize that AC/DC is objectively not that talented or interesting, something deep in my soul calls me to them nonetheless. Call it the white man’s cry

Remember kids, just because you CAN sing every note doesn’t mean you HAVE to. (I’m sorry Wyatt)