Reviews by oldmancthc

I remember this being all over Cartoon Network when it was new. Interesting concept for sure. I don't find it offensive. I wouldn't turn it off if someone else put it on. I even find parts of it to be pretty fun, but overall it's just nothing I get too excited about. Feels like novelty music.

Sometimes I forget how long Hooker's career was. I'm a big fan, but I'm more familiar with his '60s and '70s output. Obviously I love the traditional Delta style blues on here, but the tracks where he branches out beyond that are also great; different instrumentation, some jazzier compositions, and collaborations with other artists. This suffers some from that sterile '80s production, but I can overlook it and appreciate this to be a solid late era album for Hooker.

I didn't hate this as much as I expected to. It's mostly pop-oriented shoegaze with a lot of the melodies leaning on '60s bubblegum. I guess I can see how people might like it, but it doesn't do much for me. Even at its best, it sounds like something I feel like I already heard someone else do much better.

I remember seeing Throwing Muses in 1991 and being so thoroughly entrenched in punk/hardcore that I couldn't appreciate it. Being a narrow-minded 17-year-old boy really screwed me on a lot of things musical, because this is some really solid post-punk. Great songwriting. Perfect mix of power and melody. Really enjoyed this a lot.

Yeah, there are a few stinkers on here that could have been edited to make this a bit shorter, but this is a band that's just doing whatever they want by this point. The bangers on here are undeniable, and influenced a whole lot of the music/musicians I'd come to enjoy my entire life.

Quintessential '80s goth. I didn't always appreciate it, but it's something that has really grown on me.

This fuckin' ROCKS! Sort of an American Black Sabbath. Huge fuzz-tone. Over-the-top psych. Heavy riffs. My only complaint is I wish it was longer.

Tough on for me. Cee-Lo's voice works great when he actually sings, but it's straight up IRRITATING when he raps. Despite the name of this album there is very little soul on here, which is too bad because it's some of the few moments where this album almost shines. Typical 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop production here, which always sounds very contrived to me and makes this release blend in with all the other major-label pop from this era. Nothing special here.

Mediocre at its best points, which are few. The R&B is awful and the hip-hop is nothing remarkable.

Sigh... Let's ignore the fact that Malcolm McClaren is a complete piece of shit, and that this album is 100% appropriation of black and latin music with little to no credit given to the actual creators and performers. Even what he has curated here is mediocre at best. This era has so many better examples of EVERYTHING represented on this album. Thought I might enjoy this, but it's embarrassing and infuriating.

I'm a shameless thrash fan, but Anthrax has never been one of the bands I reach for when I want to hear it. Joey Belladonna's vocals come too close to hair metal for my tastes, and their attempt to copyright the NYHC mark in the late '80s was something I found unforgivable. Putting all that aside it's hard not to love this. The riffs and intensity are undeniably great. It's probably time I give their back catalog more of a chance.

If I've learned nothing else from this list, it's that I actually find Country from the '60s and '70s to be pretty listenable.

This is awful.

'60s KInks is always a good listen. This is no different. Nothing that blows my mind here but solid pop-influenced rock that is very listenable.

Great, more depressing 2000's indie. This sounds like the cure for insomnia. Would it kill them to add some dynamics, or maybe a tempo change? Doldrums defined.

Hmmm... A lot of background music vibes here, and that's the "good" part. Found myself ignoring a lot of this as I worked, forgetting I was even listening to anything. The times it got "interesting" enough to capture my attention was really only because it became insufferably annoying in one way or another. I don't think this music is for me.

The idea of a '60s garage rock band I didn't already know was pretty exciting. Unfortunately this isn't really a consistent album. Some of it's great. Some of it's just OK. And some of it's kind of rough. Nothing here is groundbreaking. Honestly wish I liked this more.

On paper this actually sounds cool, having a lot of jazz and soul influence. The intro had me really skeptical, but Makes Me Want to Pray delivers! It's got a real throwback soul feel, and Christina's vocal is powerful. There are a few more moments where those influences shine through, but ultimately this relies much too heavily on typical 2000's pop production and hooks, mostly I assume, to maintain its ability to sell.

I am shamelessly in love with soul music from the '60s and '70s. Once the hands of time turned to the '80s though, something changed. Anita has a great voice, but this is just lifeless synth/piano ballads that without vocals would feel at home in an elevator or dentist's waiting room. Soul should be felt as much as it is heard and this just doesn't do it.

I've never claim to be an expert on jazz, so it's hard to express what I mean here, but this sounds so accessible for the genre without feeling dumbed-down at all. This is just an incredible album showcasing everything that makes Coltrane great.