Reviews by ninexnineteen

I like country music, especially from this era. I have no fucking idea why this album is on the the list. It wasn't bad, but there have to be a hundred albums that should have been in its place.

Not unenjoyable, but definitely unremarkable

I often feel like this is the "listen to the 1001 David Bowie albums that exist" list. There's no fucking way every single Bowie album has a place on this list. No way.

This was the best Bowie album I have listened to, but that a pretty low bar. I think if it were the only one I've been subjected to, I'd maybe even like it. But this has to be the 4th one I've had, and there are like 5 more? Unbelievable.

I don't get the hype.

⭐⭐⭐

This album is like eating junk food. You know you're going to feel bad if you eat the whole bag. But you eat the whole bag because it tastes so good. I ate the whole bag and I'd do it again

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was somewhat difficult for me to evaluate. Most of the lyrics rest pretty high in the mix and cover the instruments. I don't mind that ordinarily, but I don't speak Portuguese, so all I have is the instruments to rely on. The vocals I don't understand being the most prominent feature, for me, isn't ideal. If there was an instrumental version of this album, I think I'd like it a lot.

Musically, this was very enjoyable to listen to. It's smooth, sexy, slowly funky, warm, and inviting. Al and the backup vocalists are fucking perfect. The horns add some pep and punch, and the drummer knows just when to add a little flair. Very nice to listen to.

On the production end, this was a terrible mess. Al's mic and the mics for the brass are WAYYYYY too hot and break up even in softer passages, but get really nasty when Al is getting loud or the horns come in to accent something. Bordering on unlistenable for most tracks. I'm sure this sounded great on systems of the day, but not on modern hifi gear for sure. Kind of a bummer, as this era was the beginning of the "perfect recording" era and this great album got passed up

I have been hearing about this group since their first album, and in order to explain why I never listened to them before requires me to tell a brief story.

When I was growing up, there was a candy store near my house called Ralph Rotten 's Nut Pound. The reason I wouldn't eat food from that place is the same reason I haven't listened to this band before, even though I've been hearing about them since their first record came out.

You know, I'm kind of disappointed about that. This album was quite a surprise. Excellent musicianship, killer (really fucking killer) vocals, and an effective abandonment of the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge structure. I'm really glad this album came up on the list

I don't know what else I could ask from an album. Latin-fused rock, congas, nasty bass lines, a tasteful virtuoso on lead guitar, players who are absolutely locked the fuck in together, and masterfully-recorded and mixed. Wonderful album.

So nice, I listened twice

Punchy drums, great synths, nostalgia, and a great voice

I like jazz, I swear. I just don't like it when 4 jazz musicians are playing 7 different songs at the same time. In the few times it's cohesive and not "battle of the instruments," I really liked what I heard. That's just not what's happening a majority of the time here.

I'm willing to stipulate this album is one of the best of all time if I can be forgiven not getting it and thinking it sounds like competent musicians in different studios trying to psychically sense what the three other musicians are playing somewhere else.

⭐⭐

I love Steely Dan and I won't apologize for that. You're probably thinking that I'm a white suburban dad because of that, right. Well, yeah, I am. Whatever. Think of me what you want; I'll be listening to some white suburban dad rock with my headphones and I'll never hear you talking that shit

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

Had I heard this when it was relevant, this album might be one of those that holds a special place in my heart like other mostly-forgotten discs (Subliminal Plastic Motives, for example). Bands that sounded like this were the music of my youth; the soundtrack of my 20s, the music I raised my daughter on, those that bring me back to so many important times, and make me think of people who are important to me. Listening today, never having heard this before, it sounds like a thousand other forgettable acts from those days. Still, these guys are competent and likable, though pretty average for their time.

I listened to and liked everything on the album, but I had to skip the Black Sabbath rip-off. That was jarring and it sort of pissed me off, which I can't really articulate a reason for.

As the album progressed, the more I decided I liked it. I don't yet know that I'll add it to my personal collection, but it's a contender. I'm glad I heard this today.

⭐⭐⭐.75

I wasn't super impressed with the first half of this album, but the downshift to Riot Van and Red Light began what I was hoping to hear all along. Their slower, more melodic songs are great, but the high energy/fast songs of theirs all just sound like they're playing fast for the sake of playing fast

⭐⭐⭐.75

This isn't my favorite era of the Beatles and this album was absolutely not what I was in the mood for this morning. Still, Any Time at All grabbed me and changed my how I was feeling about the whole thing

⭐⭐⭐.25

If The Cure were uninspired, unimaginative, on sedatives and forced to create an album for contractual obligations under a pseudonym that distances them from the garbage music they turned out, it'd sound a lot like this.

It wasn't offensive, but there's also no compelling reason for me to listen again

⭐⭐.5

As an American political independent, I'm as critical of Americans as the next guy, but that first track was a pretty shallow and juvenile attempt, and the next one starting right into criticism of the English was just as bad. Also, I'm pretty critical of organized religion, and I felt the same way about the Jesus song. So, three stinkers right off the bat.

Things picked up after those and got back to a more Smiths-like (but a little more grown up) Morrissey, which I like

⭐⭐.75

Unlistenable garbage. I couldn't make it all the way through a single song.

⭐

Competent, but not especially inspiring. I like other Stones albums more

⭐⭐⭐¾

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

No notes

I made it to track 13. To quote Chunk from The Goonies, "That's all I can stand... and I can't stand no more!"

This fucking SUCKED

⭐.5

I have had some experience with Mezzanine from Massive Attack, and I don't recall liking it much, so I wasn't much looking forward to this today. Fortunately, either it was different or I am. This was quite enjoyable, and I'll be adding this to my personal collection. However, I will be making sure the Light My Fire cover is deleted. That was wildly unnecessary, extraordinarily bad by itself, and threatened to tank this album's rating for me. Fucking terrible, that was

⭐⭐⭐⭐