Reviews by rhymingnonsensically

Splendid. This is on a completely different planet from the Big Brother and the Holding Company album, where that is noodly and often an escalator to nowhere this is tight, focused and powered by that throaty howl that makes Janis so beloved. The hits hit here and Half Moon is a revelation. Me and Bobby McGee is an all-time cover.

I think I have a new favorite hip hop album, this was an amazing listen. After Ms. Jackson I was moving and at Bombs Over Baghdad I was dancing on top of my desk at work. Probably too long but this was a blast.

This had flashes of real quality, Jesus, etc., war on war, kamera really stood out. With time I feel like I could get to a higher rating on this but I need more time with it.

The absolute perfect blend of pop and punk. I will be back later to upgrade this to a Five later but I need a little bit more time with the lesser-known songs. The hits have aged magnificently.

It's hard to hear this with fresh ears, this and Jimmy Buffet were the soundtrack to the backseat of my Mom and Dad's car. Such a great album, this album is just hit after hit after hit.

Gas. Fuckin GAS.

Pretty easy listening but this is in one ear and out the other for me.

This is a tough one to rate. Billie Holliday is in that inner circle of Very Important American Musicians with Ella, Dylan, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Elvis, Sinatra, Bing, Gershwin etc. but this is an extremely diminished Billie Holliday whose voice is a rough listen at times. It's a magnificent orchestra that's accompanying her though and it makes for a good send off. Three with all due respect.

I remember being vaguely interested in the Black Keys as a teenager and undergrad but I think it had more to do with the sort of retro rock sound than anything special they were doing. If you're going to play this heavily it has to be skillful like Zeppelin or have a vitality to it like the Ramones or the early Green Day.

This has aged poorly, future generations will look at these guys like we look at the Monkees. Her?

When I smoked a lot of weed I thought the Beatles post-drug discoveries were the best Beatles. But now that a
weed is something to be chased from my front yard instead of smoked early Beatles are starting to sound better than post-LSD Beatles.

General rule of thumb, rock and roll is best when it's at its most straightforward.

I'm starting to think that the Who are just one of those cultural blind spots.

The two greatest moments of the 1980s were Ronald Reagan dragging his nuts across Gorby's face shouting tear down this wall and the second minute of Money for Nothing where they build into the greatest riff in rock history.

I think I prefer Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Flying Burrito Brothers Gram Parsons to solo Gram Parsons but this still really works too. Emmylou Harris is the ultimate country music glue guy, this album is just fine without her contributions.

The hits don't fly as high as Off the Wall and the filler doesn't fill as much either. Normally I'm a fan of obvious eighties production quirks but it got a little old as the album went along. Still a toe tapper but there are other places in Michael's mansion I'd rather spend my time.

Fine enough, the hits are the hits and the rest leaves me a little cold.

Really liked how loose and accessible the instrumentals were, sometimes the punk and punk-adjacent bands can be a little too grating on first listen. I understand the vocalist's very intense English accent will cause controversy among some of us but it worked for me. Solid 3.5.

Waterfalls is a heater and Red Light District or whatever is pretty good but the rest is very flaccid and mediocre.

I understand why this is "influential" and there are moments that they are clearly looking into the future like on Peking O. However, that doesn't mean I have to like it this was about as tough a listen as we've had on this list.

There is a combination of raw power and precision that's exclusive to big bands that is here in spades. Great-Grandma and Grandpa could throw down and keep time. Pretty good for a guy who lived in Nick Kroll's attic.

Delightful. Cannot believe this is from the mid-70s this sounds so fresh.