Reviews by stevey_

Fugazi is one of the bands that always gets cited as a major influence on Nirvana, but I'll confess that I haven't dabbled as much as I probably should have (excuse me while I, once again, imagine what my life would look like if music streaming existed when I was in highschool). After listening to Pixies, another band often cited on that list, I was a little nervous about this album. Fortunately, this went better. Your mileage may vary based on your feelings about punk rock, but for me: if Pixies were "fine", I give Fugazi a "pretty good". 3.49/5

This album feels like it covers a lot of ground in only 4 tracks. Each one is long without feeling like it's bloated or dragging on, and I really appreciate that. I tend to enjoy a lot of African & Caribbean music, and it's easy to hear the connective tissue between this and, say, the Buena Vista Social Club (Cuba). I will be using this album as an entry point to find some more African music that isn't currently on my radar.

After David Bowie's Young Americans on Sunday (today is Tuesday), I'm swimming in the wellspring of New Wave this week and I'm here for it!

I think I've underestimated the influence of the Talking Heads and never given them the credit they're due. All the singles (minus "Psycho Killer") predictably skew a little on the pop side, which probably kept me at a distance. The album tracks fall back into some of the punk/funk roots. Like "Psycho Killer", I love how prominent the baselines are in many of these songs (and even more-so in the 2005 remastered version) which gives tracks like "Memories Can't Wait" an ominous sense of suspense while also helping all the awkward nerds in their fanbase stay on beat during the verses.

Absolutely not for everyone - it wasn't even for me until recently - but I've been having a lot of fun exploring experimental pop music, especially this throughline from David Bowie - David Byrne - Beck.

I like The Who but found this album underwhelming. These shows (two, on back-to-back nights) were set up specifically to record a live album and it totally feels like it. It's much more like they're playing live-in-studio than actually playing for an audience; almost like the crowd was instructed to sit quietly and only clap between songs. Technically, this album is a masterclass for how to mic a live band for recording - and they do sound great - but the record feels so soulless. For something that's been called 'the best live album ever recorded', I expected more.

It's not "Frampton Comes Alive!" or Thin Lizzy's "Live & Dangerous", but if you're a fan of The Who and well-mannered British concert goers, this one is for you!

Bowie apparently never committed to saying he was doing soul music here, so at least we all agree on that. Who knows whether he was saying it because he didn't nail the sound he was looking for, or because it was intentionally just a little bit off. In either case, calling it "plastic soul" or "a facsimile of soul" is more accurate than calling it soul music. But my major takeaway has less to do with the soul influence he was trying to channel and more to do with the new wave sound he was accidentally creating. If I didn't know when this album was issued in 1975, I would have guessed it came out five or ten years later.
I'm impressed by how ahead of it's time this felt and ended up listening to it three times. I gave Hunky Dory 4/5 stars, and my feelings about this record are much less ambiguous. I wouldn't have liked this one as much when I was in high school, but it made a bigger impression this year. I guess I'm a Bowie fan.

I totally understand why this would try people’s patience, but I didn’t hate it. The first three tracks feel like they’re designed to chase off the tourists so only the punks (and otherwise like-minded) can enjoy the rest of the album. All the 1 star ratings suggest it totally worked!
The lion’s share of this album doesn’t feel very avantgarde or controversial. If the first tracks were intended to turn off mainstream audiences, the creeping new wave influence on later tracks seems like it would be just as off-putting for the punk audience. Then we end with “Fodderstompf” which probably alienates anyone who’s left over. I am surprised that this track isn’t sampled or remade more often, it is cloyingly repetitive but has good bones.

I can appreciate why some people adore Dusty Springfield and why some people are frustrated that this feels like appropriation. A white english lady singing soul music will do that, I guess. "Son Of A Preacher Man" is a classic, otherwise I'd be content to let this one collect dust.
"The Windmills Of Your Mind" gets an honorable mention for sounding like a James Bond song.

A double album that’s actually two solo albums? That’s a weird way to announce you’re breaking up, but ok.

Having both members produce an album in their own style helps me appreciate their contributions to the collaborative OutKast sound but, after listening, it's not surprising that they could get frustrated by the constant collaboration and both want to branch. While it's a weird concept, I do appreciate the peek behind the curtain... and that they managed to get a hit single from each album. I could do with less skits & interludes, at 2+ hours it’s hard to get excited about playing through the whole album again. Maybe a playlist of the highlights, though!

“Hey Ya!” will always have a little piece of my heart and a spot on my lifetime playlist.

My review of Garbage (by Garbage) mentioned how much I've always had Garbage & Hole linked in my head, so I feel it's appropriate to also bring it up here. While I was impressed by how much Garbage seemed to be a alt/industrial band that borrowed some pop sensibilities for its singles, this album feels like it's doing the opposite - leaning hard into pop and only periodically retreating back to their grunge roots (a lot like the Oasis album I reviewed yesterday). If you managed to look past the lingering Courtney/Kurt "did she, didn't she" speculation and consider yourself a Hole fan before this album, I imagine the power pop turn felt pretty jarring. Others of us were less conflicted about our feelings and resisted this album without needing to consider whether they were selling out.
I generally don't love the idea of a "California album", because it feels the same as having a friend who just got a new car and has to constantly mention how great their new car is. We get it, it's neat, but like… what's the point? Are you taking money from the CA tourist board to get me to go there? Or is the idea to make an album that reminds you of California that you can listen to while you're in California? Sounds like the audio version of wearing the band t-shirt to the concert.

As an pop (alt pop? indie pop? idk) album, this is an extremely tight and well produced album built to be a smash hit. I read that they brought in a bunch of mercenaries to produce this, and it shows. In retrospect, it was good to have an anti-hero female pop star right before the Britney/Christina era, not that I would have given Courtney that kind of credit twenty years ago. This was big enough that I trust it found its audience and resonated with the alt girls who needed to hear it (I'll stop short of saying "needed a role-model"). So, personal feelings aside, I can respect this album's place on the list and in pop music history.

No matter how hard I try to listen to this album like it's the first time, it's difficult to be objective on this one, . I owned this album when I was 10, and it was one of the first albums I remember actually playing all the way through instead of just skipping around to the singles. I think there were like five singles from this album, so I guess I would have listened to 1/2 of it either way.

This album list has given me The Boo Radleys, Supergrass, and Primal Scream already - all helpful bits of brit-pop context that I didn't have when I was 10, not that I would have cared back then anyway. Comparatively, this album feels much more focused than any of those. Not dripping with psychedelic-era nostalgia like The Boo Radleys, more mature than Supergrass, and no electronic experimentation like Primal Scream. This album feels like it was aimed squarely at the 'pop' end of “brit-pop”, and it hit so hard that the whole genre died in its wake.
I'm impressed by the same thing I was impressed by as a kid - most of the album tracks feel like they could be singles if they were on weaker albums. As I mentioned, I wasn't a kid who spent much time sitting through albums and this one managed to keep my attention back then.
The little "Wonderwall" teaser at the beginning of "Hello" was a great way to start the album, and really foreshadowed how much that song would loom over the rest of their careers (ironic that there's a song called "Cast No Shadow" here too).
If I have to pick a low point, I’m going with “She’s Electric”, which I’ve never cared for. Something about the vocal performance triggers the same response as Ringo singing on a Beatles song.

A fun revisit, and certainly important to my musical development, but not one I'm going to add back to my normal rotation.

It's hard to argue with the influence of this one, given how many white reggae acts that still bubble up on pop radio. The Reggae/New Wave blend heard here isn't so popular anymore, but I feel like we can blame The Police (at least partially) for Ska and that's proven more enduring over the last few decades.

"Message In A Bottle" is a great opener since that's the only track most people are going to listen to when they play this album.
"Deathwish", "Contact", and "No Time This Time" feel like blueprints for Ska (without horns).
"Walking On The Moon" and "On Any Other Day" are mostly pretty terrible. How on earth did anyone allow WOTM to be 5min long? The chorus is catchy, but you have to go through sooo much to get there and I just don't want to. OAOD feels like a garage band demo that wouldn't get them signed anywhere. Is that Stewart doing vocals? He should not do that.

This is the most difficult review I've had to write so far. Parts of this album were really fun, and other parts were a real drag. I wasn't old enough to appreciate it, but it was nice that the big socially conscious things to talk about at this time were staying in school and using condoms. Compared to today, that feels so light and care-free.
I get why this album is on the list, but it doesn't really do anything for me. I think the highlights were all captured in the singles, and that means I'll get to revisit all the relevant pieces through the radio or on random playlists.

Look, this album is fine. I’ve not yet read a single review that can justify why it needs to be on this list though, and listening to the album doesn’t offer a convincing argument either. What are they doing that’s new and innovative? What musician is singling this out as their major influence? Help me.

Also- when they played live, what was Rod Stewart doing on the tracks where he doesn’t sing, just taking a smoke break? I truly don’t understand the multiple lead singer thing when one or more don’t play instruments.

Last thought - after a few beers, you could easily convince me “Stay With Me” was on The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

I've never listened to this album, but I've heard plenty of discourse about how important this album is and knew what to expect. It's difficult to be anything but positive here, even if this album (and really the whole singer/songwriter genre) isn't for me. I totally understand why people think this is a masterpiece, Joni has a beautiful voice and it's only bolstered by the minimal instrumentation and raw lyrics.

Controversial tangent time!
Who knows if any of this holds up, but here's what struck me while listening to this album. I saw several reviews about how these songs don't adhere to traditional rhyme schemes or song structures, and that makes it harder to get into this album... I have the same complaint about recent Taylor Swift albums and struggle to understand why they're so popular. In both cases, the music seems more about the emotional journey than about popular appeal. It's art as personal therapy, whether it appeals to you or not; the people who are supposed to get it, will get it. Obviously there are plenty of difference between how the two artists approach their music, but hearing this record is very informative. Without Joni, I wonder if 2020s Taylor feels the freedom to shed the pop song structure like she did. Even if you ignore every other artist Joni's impacted in the last 50 years, that feels like plenty proof of influence.

James Brown might be best heard through Live recordings, if for no other reason then the crowd will let you know when you're missing a dance break. I have listened to Get Down With James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. IV (1972). James Brown does very little singing on that album, but presumably dances and otherwise entertains most of the time. I assumed this album would be similar, but that was incorrect. James Brown does a lot more singing on this album, and it certainly feels like a proper JB album.
This won't be a comparison of the two albums because they're very different and it wouldn't be fair. Listen to both.

If you're curious about the origins of Soul/Funk, this is a great place to start. I have no doubt that JB was an amazing entertainer in his day, and the Apollo was probably the best place to witness that. You really get the links to Rock'n'Roll and R&B, and some solid crooning (do we call it crooning in Soul?). Worth the listen.

I've never listened to this whole album, but I assumed I knew what to expect with this one... and I was right. This album was insanely successful, and I love that for her. It's very pretty music and Norah has a wonderful voice, it's just not my thing. The only songs that caught my attention were the singles, and only because I recognized them. It probably can't be beaten as ambiance for a romantic dinner; I just don't love to reward albums for being good background music.

This album is kind of all over the place. I was initially encouraged by the number of reviews I saw where people expected not to like this and were won over; I'm not sure that was my experience. This album certainly has its moments, but it's a looong one with a lot of moments. It felt like it went from track 1 to track 5 in the blink of an eye, and then when I thought I must be close to the end of the album, I was only on track 12 (of 17).
The Boo Radleys are pretty clearly nostalgic for the late 60s - both the brit-pop of Beatlemania and the more psychedelic stuff (like yesterday's Byrds album). But in the next moment they us a much more 90s version of distorted guitar to kick off the next song or what I've dubbed "The Jurassic Park Orchestra" of dinosaur noises to end one.
Based on the 90s brit-pop albums I've heard so far in this project, none of this is all that unusual. There must have been something in the water over there. I appreciate why people find this appealing, but I struggle to feel nostalgia for a 90s band who's whole shtick is nostalgia for bands of the 60s. To me, this feels like it's taking a lot more inspiration than it's giving out.

This was a lot less "in your face" than I expected. Maybe that's my misunderstanding of Funk, but I was anticipating something much more frenetic.
Spotify doesn't have this one, so I had to fight ads to listen on YT... Probably not the best way to get 'under a groove', but I tried. Overall it's not a difficult listen, but not really my thing. My favorite song might be "Maggot Brain", but that's a bonus track that was added later. Otherwise, "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis" stood out, and so did "Who Says A Funk Bank Can't Play Rock?!" but the latter only because it's a pure funk song and doesn't seem to support any argument that they can play rock. Ironically, "Maggot Brain" is straight rock & roll and does more to support the thesis. So that’s fun.

I have an appreciation for the simplicity of this era of rock & roll. I listened to a good amount of Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills, Neil Young) when I was younger, so it's kinda fun to hear from David Crosby. Maybe I'll check out The Hollies soon to have background on Graham Nash before a CSNY album shows up on this list.

Not totally sure how to feel about this album, it's a pretty light and fun listen but I didn't get a ton of impact. The biggest stand out for me was "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)", but only because it was truly painful to sit through compared to the Hendrix version. Otherwise, I'll take the critics' word for how influential this album was on the beginnings of psychedelic rock and the rest of the 60s.

Except for the inclusion of a few fun blues moments and, of course, the one song everyone knows… I might have zoned this completely out. I’m sure this really spoke to people in 1970, but I couldn’t connect to it this morning.

“Steamroller”: love the blues but glad there’s a guitar on his lap hiding the boner.
“Fire and Rain”: the hit. This was definitely a go to for creepy autistic guitar guys at parties in the 70’s.
“… Oh Baby, Don’t You Loose Your Lip on Me”: another blues banger just to prove he can be Miracle Whip when he isn’t so determined to be regular ass Mayonnaise.
“Suite for 20 G”: there was money for other musicians this whole time? We really did all that boring bedtime music just to finish the albums with drums and horns??? Borderline unforgivable.