Reviews by stevey_

This album is going to be either exquisite or excruciating, depending on your relationship with experimental jazz - there's not a lot of in between with this genre. If you're struggling to get into this album, I might recommend starting with Disc 2 to get your bearings on the shorter songs first. They're a little less experimental which could make them more palatable and help acclimate you to what you'll get on Disc 1. You might still hate all of it, but at least this gives you a little more runway to work with.

I've spent more time with Davis's masterpiece, Kind Of Blue (1959), so this feels like a pretty radical evolution compared to that reference point. For starters, there are electric instruments here that absolutely weren't present in Kind Of Blue. It's also certainly more chaotic and requires a slightly different headspace to appreciate. I can get there, but it feels more like homework than casual listening; I don't think I'l revisit this as often as I play Kind Of Blue.

"Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" stood out as a good balance of experimenting while staying grounded in more traditional jazz. If you can only listen to one song, maybe this is the one.

"Sanctuary" sounds more like what you'd get on older MD albums, so it resonated with me from that aspect.

Willie Nelson's 22nd studio album, an album of sleepy country covers of "pop standards" that won the 1979 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Georgia On My Mind") and spent TEN YEARS on the Billboard Country Album chart.
Willie has one other album on this list, Red Headed Stranger (1975), which is also full of sleepy country ballads; that's just Willie's thing. From that standpoint, Stardust isn't anything new for Willie except that he's covering pop songs, and maybe that's the secret sauce? His voice is not charming but not especially good, and the instrumentation is so sparse you might occasionally forget it's there. Nevertheless, it was a monster hit. It's a little bit like the opposite of Ray Charles's "Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music" (where Ray does 'pop' arrangements of country songs), but I can't justify giving it the same gravitas since it's not breaking as many barriers. It also feels like the Frank Sinatra butchers Bossa Nova album (Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim) I reviewed last week - just as sleepy, but far less awful.

"Georgia On My Mind" is a standout, otherwise it doesn't really do anything for me. Probably a great album for putting your kids to bed, but for everything else I think Red Headed Stranger is the better album.

I listened to this very early on a Sunday morning while getting ready for a 100 mile bike race - so admittedly, I could have missed some nuance. Overall, a lot of this felt pretty similar with the only notable variation being whether the song had orchestral support or it was just a straight heavy grunge arrangement. Especially on side one. Side two felt a little more dynamic, but not by much. Billy Corgan's voice isn't especially good and, in my experience, it doesn't grow on you over time. Someone will need to explain the underlying concept to me and justify why this needed to be a double album. On the surface, it doesn't make sense to me.
As much as I appreciated Siamese Dream when I reviewed that record, I’m leaning the other way on this one. I appreciate artists taking big swings but this didn’t quite make it out of the park.

The fat laced nike dunks on the album cover bring me straight back to highschool. I haven't ever listened to this whole album, but it's a great time capsule for where hip hop was at the time.
I appreciate Missy's lyrics and her flow, and the underlying beats are equally compelling (thanks, Timbaland). There are a lot of fun cameos on this record, and an equal amount of interlude skits to ruin the flow of the album. Overall, a fun listen but not one I'll probably spend much time with again.

I've listened to this album before, probably only once or twice though. It's a great album if you're into early 00s indie. "Seven Nation Army" will probably get played on rock radio forever and it certainly helped cement the legacy of The White Stripes and their influence on this era of rock & roll.
But... it's starting to get a little same-y, right? Like how do you listen to "There's No Home For You Here" without singing "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" (from White Blood Cells)? That's so early in the album that it's discounts my opinion of the rest of the songs. I do appreciate that we hear Meg singing a little bit; I'm not sure if that's new for this album but it's a welcome change of pace.
More hits than White Blood Cells, but idk if it’s actually better so it’s getting the same score.

I was pretty excited to finally receive some Bossa Nova, but very unenthusiastic that it was this album (which barely feels like a Bossa Nova album). A quick search shows that there are a few other Bossa Nova records on the 1001AYHBYD list (like "Getz/Gilberto"!), but I got this one first.

I would gladly throw this off the list for a better record by a Bossa Nova artist who isn't otherwise included, like "Wave" by Antonio Carlos Jobim (if we want to keep ACJ on the list), "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66" by Sergio Mendes, or almost any early selection by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. These other records could offer a far better primer on Bossa Nova than you get here. Frank has two other albums on this list and including this cash-grab snoozefest is over-generous.

In fact, I'll argue that this record is a direct rebuttal to the success of Herb Alpert & TJB in 1966, and its existence is a prime example of why Herb Alpert should be on this list! For the week of May 21, 1966, Herb Alpert & TJB had 5 albums in the Billboard Top 20: Whipped Cream & Other Delights(1), What Now My Love(2), Going Places(4), South Of The Border(17), and The Lonely Bull(20). And Billboard's list of top-selling albums at the end of 1966 included 3 in the top 5: Whipped Cream & Other Delights(1), Going Places(3), and What Now My Love(5) - eclipsing Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barbara Streisand, and The Mamas and the Papas. Even if you don't like Herb Alpert, or Bossa Nova, it's impossible to argue that his sound wasn't king-for-a-day in 1966. And in that light, it's ridiculous that this album is included but not a single TJB albums is on this list. #JusticeForHerb

Alt Hip Hop was a revelation for me when I first started streaming music on Pandora. Whenever I need a palate cleanser from whatever corner of the music world I'm stuck in, alt hip hop always does the trick.
I love the positivity and how fresh this feels compared to mainstream hip hop. On first listen, I did think this got a little longwinded, but not to the point that it was annoying. It changes styles enough that it's a little tough to guess when the album ends and spotify's album radio begins - in my case, I was sure we were doing radio but was still on the final album track. The second listen seemed to fly by, so I don't know what to think about that. Overall a good listen.

I'm compelled to give this album a chance to make its case because I listen to a fair amount of whatever we're calling this genre - southern gothic? haunting country ballads? sad western dirges?
After listening, I have no doubt that Richard is an accomplished musician. Musically, the arrangements are very good, but he doesn’t have the voice to push this over the finish line for me. I'd say he's about 90% there, but give me a few big notes and prove your chops!
Like my review of Bill Callahan’s Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, I’d love to hear covers of these songs from more competent (and compelling) vocalists. I can see myself adding a few tracks to my "ImPECKable Summer" playlist, but I don't know if I'll come back for the full album again. I'm also not totally convinced this makes the list if it was done by an artist who wasn't already 'British famous' when it was released.

Alright, I appreciate how incredibly nerdy this album/band/genre is. If you like prog rock and renaissance fairs, this is probably right up your alley.
Album length is a big dose for this kind of music and I don't think I need more than a few tracks at a time, no matter how good the guitar work is, or how nasty the baselines are. Seriously, the opening bass riff on “Roundabout”? Disgusting.
About 1/2 the songs feel like they started with some sheet music for some kind of very obscure classical guitar music and then they just decided to jam around it for 6 minutes. If they just did that with far less singing, maybe I could handle more.

I regret wanting to buy this album when it came out. I’m sure it would have spoken to me in 2000 and I’m glad it doesn’t anymore.
To the extent that”pop nu-metal” is a genre, this is a prime example. Musically, this is interesting enough, it pulls in a lot more hip-hop than I think was normal at the time. Unfortunately, it’s not doing anything lyrically exciting. Fred seems fixated on insisting he’s misunderstood and under appreciated while also reveling in his newfound fame and privilege.
It’s just not for me.

*Here’s another one I’ll use an A.I. construct to explain.*
If you asked A.I. to make you a cliche pop-rock album from 1966, you’d end up with this. Rather than trying to explain the state of music in 1966 to someone, this album seems like it would be the easiest way to distill pop radio down into one album.
I don’t say that as a bad thing either. The 34min of this record flew by, and I added 2 tracks to my Spotify ‘liked songs’ playlist. Admittedly, I accidentally put too much whiskey in my coffee this Saturday morning, and there’s a possibility I’m being overly generous here. “Groovin’”, is the most played song from this album on Spotify, and it’s easy see why it would end up on 60s playlists. The other, “You Better Run”, is a fun proto-new wave track that certainly furthered the concept of blue-eyed soul.
It feels a little weird to listen to this objectively middle-of-the-road album and consider giving it 4 stars, but here I am.

I have a very small vinyl collection, and this is in it. Sorry, my elder millennial is showing. It’s impossible for me to be completely objective here, so I'll be brief instead.
This is an album I listen to when I wake up in a good mood on a sunny Saturday morning, and on bad days when I need to shout-sing something until I’m no longer on the brink of ugly crying.
Similar to how U2 made ethereal rock & roll, I describe this as 'transcendent' indie rock. It's a sound you'll hear a few years down the road when Mumford & Son throw a little more folk at it and become one of the biggest bands in the world.

More Brit Rock, WOO HOO!

You’ve heard “Song 2”, even if you've never known that was the name of the song. It's their biggest hit and probably the only thing you know about Blur.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album is pretty unremarkable 90s brit rock. I'm not going to wade into the details of Blur changing their sound for this record or what bands they chose to "take influence from" for their new sound. You've never heard their old sound anyway, so who cares. This list seems pretty insistent that brit rock is very important and that we should listen to every big record from the genre. Sadly, I don't see what this is bringing to the table that isn't covered by The Boo Radleys and Oasis before it, or Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand after it (all albums I've reviewed from this list so far). It doesn't feel like a step forward for anything, just a 'status quo' brit rock record that managed one monster hit single. I didn't need to hear this before I died.

The name, The Cardigans, sounded vaguely familiar but I initially couldn't place it. Within the first 30sec of this album I said “Oh... I bet this is the album with that ‘love me love me, say that you love me’ song”. Well, that's called “Lovefool” and it’s track 7. I have a vivid memory of sleeping over a friend’s house when I was ten and hearing that song play on repeat from his sister’s room all night while I couldn’t sleep. It’s not a bad song, but I heard it enough in that one night to last me a lifetime. Looking past that, the rest of the album is a pretty fun/light listen that added some sunshine to my morning.

I know the band is Swedish, but the sound is like a 'California Rock' album with all the 60s nostalgia of 90s Brit Rock. They even include a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", and "Iron Man" references in "Heartbreaker" and "Choke", just to prove the point. This sound persisted (you can hear it from actual California bands like Beulah) but "Lovefool" feels like the high-water mark for this sound. Hole will drop the nostalgia for grunge and relaunch the California sound in '98 with Celebrity Skin. Then there's the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication in '99, and so on... anyways, I digress.

If I have a complaint, it's that Nina's voice starts to get a little cloying over the course of the album; I wish her range was just a little bit lower and not so saccharine sweet in every song. Interestingly, "Lovefool" has some stacked vocal harmonies that help balance this out really well, but they didn't bother with it anywhere else on the album.

Reviews of this one are super polarized, you either love Frank Ocean or you hate him. Maybe that's a generational thing, where this resonates for Gen Z and some Millennials but completely loses anyone older than that? I don't know. But in this binary that I've invented, my elder millennial ass is fittingly somewhere in the middle. Low effort R&B is fine, and I think I prefer this to the Usher, R Kelly, Casey & JoJo, et al era when R&B was doing too much. I appreciate that there's a 10 year gap between those reference points and this album, but I wasn't plugged into R&B during that time and can't comment on what was happening then. I'm not going to download this, but I'd put it on while I make dinner at home.

One of the top hater reviews blames this album for the rise of internet slut culture, mumble rap, and low effort internet musicians. I think that's kinda silly, but if you want to believe that's true then it kinda proves the influence, doesn't it? Hard to complain that this is on the list and, in the next breathe, prove exactly why it's here.

I blame this album for the early 00s indie bonanza. Is that fair? Probably not entirely, but I get to write whatever I want here and you get to choose whether you're going to read it.
I remember being captivated by the "Last Nite" music video every time it came on. I guess there was something in the lo-fi 'slacker rock' aesthetic and the gritty vocal mix that scratched my brain the right way. It didn't hurt that the song jumps straight into the chorus before the first verse either, that's not something I feel like I hear often but it's a great hook. The best way I can explain the appeal is to compare it to other songs that grab me the same way: go listen to "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, "Ace Of Spades" by Motorhead, and "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes. Compared to that list, "Last Nite" feels a little bloated (especially in the intro) but if it were stripped down to ~2min, it would hold it's own with the others.

The rest of the album doesn't punch quite so hard, but still delivers on the promise of that first single with some solid old school rock & roll. I'm sure there was other indie rock happening at this time, but this is the band that brought it mainstream enough for me to notice. Alt Rock radio was still focused on Nu Metal in 2001 but this broke through anyway.

This probably blew a ton of minds in 1974, and I had to keep that context in mind the whole time I listened to it. In 2025, it just sounds like someone playing an organ while their phone alarm goes off for 37 minutes. I'd compliment this for being good background music, but the phone alarm sound does trigger a little bit of anxiety.

I wish Bono wasn’t so insufferably smug because I’d be able to enjoy this more. This is an objectively great album and Side 1 alone is enough to put this record in the highest tier of all-time rock & roll recordings. It hurts me to say that, but it’s true.

I was really looking forward to a big seminal funk record, but that's not quite what this ended up being. I could argue that this is another 'tale of two albums', but it's not quite 50/50. This primarily an album of commercial soul ballads with a few fleeting excursions into funk music - including a complete shift in the final minute of the last song to end the album with one last funk break. Unfortunately that just served as one last reminder of what this album might have been. It's a lovely album if you come into this looking for an album of kinda sappy love songs, but I hoped for the album version of "Superstition" and left disappointed. Sure, it still belongs on this list but it's not exactly the visionary work I wanted it to be.

Hard to believe that new wave had advanced all the way to ethereal synth pop by 1981. My tastes lean much more towards post-punk and "here's a weird mix of punk and funk" new wave, but I knew I'd eventually have albums from this end of the new wave spectrum as well. If we're saying that this was the first synth pop new wave album, then I have to grapple with the huge debt of gratitude owed to OMD for their influence on pop culture of the 80s, 90s, and beyond.
It's easy to get lost in the ethereal sauce of this record, and there are no big bold standout hits to reel you back in. Even "Souvenir" and "Joan Of Arc (Maid of New Orleans)" aren't punchy enough to break the vibe-y spell of the record. It's a very cohesive album that manages to feel familiar even on the first listen, and I could see it providing some great synth pop ambiance for a quiet night at home.