Reviews by oldmancthc

Enjoyed this more than I expected to. I don't normally go in for folk. Joni has a beautiful voice though, and the songs here all have a private and intimate feel to them (for lack of better terms).

I loved the Who growing up but a lot of their material just hasn't aged well to my ears. This early stuff however, is great! Garage sensibilities and power, a couple James Brown covers sprinkled in, fuck yeah!

The production on this was straight up groundbreaking when this was released. Dre's G-Funk style was developing with NWA but it's perfected here. This album (re)defined left coast hip-hop for the '90s and still holds up as a great listen.

Better than a lot of modern R&B I've heard. Still not something I'd reach for to listen to but wouldn't turn it off or leave the room if someone else put it on.

Wild psychedelia with... checks notes... a calliope! Some slide-whistle shows up here and there too. I don't know what the fuck this is but I'm not hating on it.

Wow... I'm NOT a Beach Boys fan but this sounds nothing like a Beach Boys album (until the final track Surf's Up). A ton of psych influence, overt social and environmental lyrics, more diverse and experimental sound. All fused with the solid studio magic perfected on Pet Sounds. I don't love it all but it was a very pleasant surprise.

Phenomenal! The Duke was my entry point into jazz as a teenager and I still have a great deal of love and respect for his music. Willingly (and happily) listened to the 2+ hour complete version of this album.

Complete crap! 45 minutes of the same boring dirge with shitty whisper-singing over the top. This was absolute torture to sit through.

It's no Ironman. Has it's great moments (Clipse of Doom, Dogs of War, and Three Bricks are certainly standouts) but for the most part it fails to really impress. Another victim of quantity over quality.

Sounds A LOT like Duran Duran to me. Not really my type of "new wave". Is it just name or was Despair totally ripped off for the Westworld TV theme?

Snoozer. Really makes it evident how much he needed the other Beatles.

This album is the literal sweet-spot for the type of soul I love. Nearly every song is a classic and even the few that aren't are still bangers. Aretha truly is Lady Soul.

Nice laid-back vibes here, but nothing really exciting about any of it.

Musical drivel.

Better than the later Kanye produced album I've heard. It has its moments where it's on for sure. Unfortunately lots of filler though, and it really makes it drag a lot of the time. Could have easily made this a shorter and more powerful album.

Talented musicians playing music that will never interest me.

Standouts for mw are Lively Up Yourself (old-school Wailers ska feel), and Rebel Music. The rest of the album just sort of blends together into a roots medley for me.

Not my favorite Brains album, but the front half rips! Lots of experimentation on that back half tough. Not all of it hits (looking at you She's Calling You). When they're on, they're ON, and the production here is slick but heavy.

I dig this. It's a nice departure from my standard listening. So easy to get lost in the consideration of the rhythms and melodies not normally present in western music. Love the tabla work throughout.

I've been making fun of What Have I Done To Deserve This for decades without Evan knowing it was the Pet Shop Boys. Apologies to my queer pals, but this is the sweet spot of '80s pop/dance music that I simply cannot stand listening to.