Reviews by ninexnineteen

USA, 1973: presidential corruption, unjust war with American aggressor, affordability crisis, soaring gas prices

USA, 2026: presidential corruption, unjust war with American aggressor, affordability crisis, soaring gas prices

Neat.

This needs another listen. I was unfortunately a bit distracted this morning and I didn't listen as close as I wanted to

I liked this, and I liked the following album, Liege and Lief. Though I enjoyed both, I again doubt the necessity of a band having more than one album on the list, except on rare circumstances. Since I'm not the author, but just a guy listening to albums, I'll rate the album and move on

⭐⭐⭐.49

This was ok. I prefer the more upbeat stuff from Pet Shop Boys.

⭐⭐⭐

I haven't ever heard of this artist, but he is at the root of a lot of stuff I like. It's cool when you get to trace the lineage back to the originator. Green Onions and the Johnny Lewis Quartet's Chitlins con Carne are the two that come right to the top of mind when I think of who was likely influenced.

This is good stuff. I can definitely foresee this setting the mood on the back patio or by the fire in the winter.

Adding to my collection

⭐⭐⭐⭐.49

My journey to the Dead has been, uh, a long, strange trip? I never liked anything I heard from them until I heard Touch of Grey as a kid. I remember being in Tennessee, visiting my grandparents when Jerry Garcia's death was announced on MTV. My friend had that CD, and we listened to Touch of Grey a few times. And that was it for decades.

A few years ago, I was in Belize on vacation with my wife, and there was this guy at the very small resort where we were staying who insisted on playing Dead and Company shows every time there was a group event. Normally, I'd find this behavior intolerable, but not only was it endearing, it was enjoyable. Hmmm, maybe these guys are alright?

My wife and I spent that whole summer listening to Dead and Company shows on the back patio. Eventually, I bought tickets to see their "last" show, which was great, but most definitely not their last show.

Anyway, the album. There definitely was a time in my life when I would have thought this sucked, but as I have gotten my own touch of grey, I don't feel like that anymore. Most of the album's second half has a very bluesy feel, which I quite liked.

I skipped Feedback because what in the fuck. -.49 for that

I'll be adding this album to my personal collection

⭐⭐⭐.51

This is like punk Elvis Costello. And I don't much care for Elvis Costello. I find myself checking which track is next to find out how many songs I have left to get through.
And the longer it went on, the more bored I became.

There's something big missing from this album, but I don't think I'll ever know what it is...or care either, I guess. Is it missing salt? Saffron? Should they have put an egg in there? Maybe it's soul that's missing.

⭐⭐

This is one of my deserted island albums. Or it might be THE deserted island album for me.

Christine's songs are so heartfelt, sincere, soul-baring, and tragic that I almost can't stand to hear her pain sometimes. Stevie's songs are powerful, full of menace, and anger that I'm glad she's not the actual dark sorceress she sounds like. Lindsey is one of the most skilled, artful, and exactly-the-right-amount-of-everything guitarists in the world. Mick is rock fucking solid and is everywhere he needs to be; either supporting the group or driving them to an insane precipice for a huge resolution. John is the perfect bassist for this band, filling in, driving, and taking a no frills solo that may be the most famous in classic rock during The Chain. This band, especially on this album, demonstrates the absolute best of music.

I can't remember a single time I have listened to this album that I didn't cry. I have cried for Christine's plight, doomed to toxic relationships. I have cried at Stevie's furious and witchy vocal delivery. I have cried when I feel like I wanted to explode from the tension, and I have cried in relief when the tension resolved. Now, especially that we have lost Christine, I cry because I hope that she got all the good in life she deserved, and didn't spend it in the anguish she showed us here.

This is a perfect album. I don't think it's realistically possible for a "best album" to exist because art is so subjective. If there is one though, it's Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We had stereo mixes figured out long before this album, so I'm not sure why this is so notably bad. Difficult to listen to, mix-wise.

And in all other respects, also pretty difficult to listen to as well. This sounds like of Nick Drake didn't have any talent, nor did he have anyone who knew how to record an album.

I'm nonplussed. This album isn't exceptional in any direction; just unworthy of more of my time.

⭐⭐.49

What a uniquely terrible experience the overwhelming majority album was. Like, even compared to other Bob Dylan albums (of which I liked 1). Bob Dylan became popular during a moment of surging counterculture, and I think he owes his success to a group of people who who would eat a (musical) shit sandwich if it meant someone else had to take a bite. This is the sonic equivalent of that Scandinavian fermented fish dish you have to open under water so you don't have to burn your house down for the smell. People say they love it, but they're just fucking with you and want to watch you squirm and vomit.

Dylan got lucky being a shitty musician in a time when shit sandwiches were becoming popular. Y'all win. I took my bite. Do I have to listen to the rest of the 40 garbage Dylan albums on this list?

This is my 4th Dylan album from this list, and I'm absolutely done trying to like him and trying to understand what people see in him, or why they think his songwriting abilities are too notch because I figured it out: they just want to believe it's true, even if it isn't. They're like the conspiracy theorists who believe insane shit because they have nothing that makes them feel special, other than having claim on the secret knowledge of the "real" truth. They're fucking cranks, should be ignored, and they can have their flat earth and lizard people, but no more of my attention.

Anything that was remotely inoffensive to the ear had its score brought down by the exceptionally terrible songs before and after it.

Also, harmonica torture

⭐.25

Afterward

Maybe I'm an idiot and I just don't "get" it. Could be so. However, I submit when you hide the fundamental truth of life inside the wood chipper, it's going to stay there; I'm not climbing in the certain death machine to find out what it is. I'll just live my stupid little life far away from the cacophony of the wood chipper and be happy to not be near it.

Dolly Parton died yesterday. She was a wonderful musician, and an even better human. The world needs more like her. She will be sorely missed.

I love classic country, and I love it even more when it's thick with female vocal harmony. It's hard to top that combination for me, unless you're talking about The Chicks. All three of these women have lovely voices, and they blend them together so well. Anyway, this was great and I'll be adding it to my library

⭐⭐⭐.75

It's sort of annoying to me how good the stereo mix on this album is when you compare it to albums cut years later (looking at you, Beatles). It sounds perfect. It's pretty interesting to me how great recording technology was at this time, when reproduction equipment, especially in people's homes, was pretty sub-par. Today, spending a couple hundred bucks on IEMs will get you better sound than any home system could achieve at maybe any price until probably the 80s or 90s.

On to the music: uh, pretty good! Not a single disappointing track on the album. His appeal is very apparent. Smooth voice, soulful presentation, and easy to love songs are pervasive throughout.

This sounded pretty meh to me on the first pass, but reading the other reviews and the Wikipedia article, it seems like I may have missed something. I think I'll take a second look at it this weekend

Pretty solid. No complaints from me.

Passenger has been one of my favorite songs for a really long time

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I forgot to take contemporaneous notes!

Pretty sure this was almost a five, but not quite. Especially when compared to Back in Black,.which I had a couple weeks ago

⭐⭐⭐⭐.49

Coincidentally, about two hours before this album showed up, I just finished listening to Ghost in the Machine. Five stars on that one, btw.

If you've ever heard a Police song before, they're instantly recognizable for the rest of your life, and they manage to stay fresh; never boring. For me, these guys are about as perfect a band as it gets. Stewart Copeland is a wizard, Sting is a great bassist and lyricist, and there is some other guy with a guitar fills the space between between those two giants with ease

I thought I'd be rating this five stars before I even listened this morning, but there were a couple weaker tracks that brought it down to a bit below 4.5. Still great to have listened this morning, and this album already is and will certainly stay in my library

⭐⭐⭐⭐.49

This will be the third time I am writing a review for this album today. The first was centered on it being very much of its time, the second was pulling back from that idea, and then there's this one where I say "there were a couple good tracks that still sound fresh and are head boppers, but most of this album felt like filler or below the standard I know Missy is capable of."

I like Missy Elliot, but I don't feel like she was firing on all cylinders here

⭐⭐.49

I liked this, but it definitely left me wanting for more originals and fewer covers. I don't know how much replayability this album has, but it definitely makes me want to dig into their discography and find out what else is there. Maybe it does has replayability, but I'm having a hard time imagining the circumstances that I'd think "the Green Onions album would be perfect or this occasion!"

Green Onions is such a cool, groovy track! I also loved the bluesy Behave Yourself

⭐⭐⭐.49

This isn't what I want to hear from Portishead. However, I'm not necessarily complaining about what I'm hearing; it was just kind counter to my expectations.

This was pretty cool, definitely weird, and I think it would have been surprising even absent my expectations. Sort of Bjorkish, but having only taken the best parts of her music. Also, some Jefferson Airplane vibes toward the end of the album. Not sure what to call this type of music. Waify Industrial? Sad Pixie Matrix Sludge?

Either way, not bad, nor excellent

⭐⭐.75

This is the best Brian Eno album I have listened to so far, and I mostly dislike everything. I had to skip Driving Me Backwards because it moved from dislike to hate in the last third of the song.

I think I have two more Eno albums left after this. Ugh

⭐.25

Steely Dan is music from the generation my parents are in, and I think a lot of people would prefer it stay back there. Personally, I love the shit. I didn't get into it until my late 20s, and now in my mid 40s, I like it maybe even more. There's just something about the cool presentation I like.

I find this album is every bit as good, if not a bit better than most Steely Dan albums. I need to check my library and make sure this album is in there. Absolutely worth having.

So good, I listened to it twice back to back

⭐⭐⭐⭐.49