Reviews by syrinx

Loved this album. One thing I like about Muddy Waters records, and this record in particular, is that they sound like they are recorded in a room with everyone just jamming together. And most of them probably were recorded that way. It makes you feel like you could be in a dingy club somewhere and just happened across this amazing band. I hope it was a conscious choice to produce this album with a sort of airy quality that makes it sound like a live performance in a decent sized room.
And you can't go wrong with Muddy Waters, really. So much of the music everyone loves would not have happened without Muddy Waters and his ilk. As far as traditional electric blues goes, there are only a handful of guys who did it better. 5/5

There seems to be an excessive number of Kinks albums on this list. Maybe it just seems that way to me because like every third album or more is 60s/70s pop? This record is another fine example of late 60s Brit pop that I could definitely have gone my life without hearing and not been worse off. I mean there are a couple good songs on here but nothing life changing. 2/5

I will admit I was less than excited when I saw this one pop up. 70s bubblegum pop is not really my kind of music. I think I had probably heard at least most of this record before. I mean amidst the sea of disco at the time this was released I can understand why people liked it so much. It doesn't hold up for me though. I mean imagine if When I Kissed the Teacher was released today....
I don't know, the whole 70s synthesized pop dance music is just something I can't really get on board with. Great vocals on this record though, so I enjoyed it for that. But ridiculous and sappy lyrics for the most part. I know a lot of people love Abba (#128 in the world on Spotify as I write this???!?!), I am not one of those people. 2/5

One of my favorite Bowie albums, although he can do no wrong in my book. His evolution from one album to the next is always amazing to me. This record in particular being between The Man Who Sold The World and Ziggy Stardust is completely different from either but still recognizable as something that only Bowie would do. I don't care how many of his albums are on this list, we always need more. This album would be a 5/5 for Changes and Life on Mars alone.

I think this is one of those albums that people love or hate. Yes, it's pretty repetitive, a lot of the songs are the same chords played at the same tempo, and the vocals may not be for everyone. I love it. It's raw, messy, energetic, and fun to listen to. And super influential - think of all the kids playing in their parents' garages that started a band after hearing this record. And their parents hated it. Is it one of the best albums ever made? Not, of course not. But it is a great album for sure and absolutely deserves to be on this list. 4/5

This is a very interesting album. A couple songs in and it's not what I expected. It's super dramatic and almost operatic. Not what I would typically think of as metal or hard rock as it is labeled here. I don't really know what to make of it. It kind of trails off for me towards the end and fizzles out with the last few songs. The vocals are very strange too - like he doesn't have a bad voice but it's not one that I would really want to listen to. It's forceful but not exactly musical. All in all this is a weird album and I think I need more than one listen to really get it. 2.5/5.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, top 3 for sure. It's just so perfect in every way - instrumentation, production, lyrics. And, man, that guy could sing. What a voice. I mean I know that music is subjective to a point but if you don't like this album, sorry you're wrong and need to go back and listen again. Jeff Buckley was one of the few geniuses we've had in modern music. So much of the music that came after Jeff Buckley would not have happened without this album. It is a masterpiece and it is so sad that we didn't get more from him in his much too brief life. ∞/5

I can never decide if I agree with what others have said about this list including live albums. I mean there are some absolutely amazing live albums out there that everyone should hear. So far I have not come across any of those on this list. This one included. I mean it's a good record - fun to listen to, well played, lots of energy. But especially the original version being 6 songs and 37 minutes, that's barely enough to get an idea of what a band would be like live. And this album has been released in so many different versions it kind of seems like a cash grab. I don't know, I'm kind of conflicted about it. A solid album but I wouldn't ever buy it. And as a live album, if you had never heard The Who before I can't imagine this would make you want to go and explore their catalogue more. 2.75/5 which is a shame.

Another one where I'm confused as to why this is included on this list. Maybe I don't know enough about her or Hanns Eisler to get why this is really relevant? She's got a great voice, that's for sure, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this record. I was kind of excited when I saw this was listed as a jazz album but it is decidedly not jazz. Showtunes for sure. I tried to find the German version but couldn't with a quick search though I'm sure it's out there somewhere. I mean if showtunes is your thing you'd probably love this, for me it's not something I ever need to hear again. 2/5.

So this is definitely a super weird album. But I don't get the hate for it. I mean I would never have guessed this was the Bee Gees, maybe that's why? People see Bee Gees and you automatically think 'disco' but this is not that at all and (apparently) the Bee Gees did a lot of other stuff before they got famous for disco. Honestly I had no idea this album even existed. A sort of 60's folk rock concept album that occasionally delves into what seems like cheery film score. I wouldn't be surprised if they were intending this to be made into a film. But I don't know, man, this is not really for me. It's not bad for what it is I guess. 2.5/5 rounded to 3 just because of the surprise that this is the Bee Gees.

You could debate this album based on genre - is it punk (no) is it pop (yes) is it pop-punk (kind of). I was never really into Green Day. I mean the music is cool - good guitars and bass, solid drumming. But then Billie Joe Armstrong starts to sing and it all falls apart for me. A whole album of his voice is just too much. Which is a shame because he seems like a good dude in general. I wish I liked this more than I do. It's super nostalgic even though I never really listened to it back in the day, it was unavoidable for a few years when it came out so I heard it a lot regardless. It's fine, I guess. A generous 3/5 from me.

I used to listen to this album all the time in middle school. Haven't played the whole thing through since then probably. I remember really liking the whole album and listening to it again after so many years, I don't think it really holds up as well as I thought it would. There are a few fantastic songs on this album - Tonight Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Zero, 1979. Zero is probably my favorite on the album. But outside of those the record kind of drags a little bit. I think the 2 hour play time is excessive. I can see why this album has such mixed reviews. Billy Corgan certainly isn't for everyone. Assuming this is the only album on this list from Smashing Pumpkins, I'm surprised they chose this one instead of Siamese Dream. I know this one was commercially more successful and was higher up on the charts but I think Siamese Dream is a better album. 3.5/5 from me, rounding to 3 because it should have been half as long.

I love this album. I'm always a sucker for a good rock band with a strong female singer. And while this may not exactly be super heavy or hard rock, I love it. She has a fantastic voice, the instrumentation is great, songs are well orchestrated. This record is a must have for anyone who likes women-in-rock and probably for just rock fans in general. What more can you ask for?
I'm glad this album was on this list. I'd heard a few songs from this album but had never sat and listened to the whole thing before. It flows really well and all of the songs fit together really nicely. It's one weakness is that I wish it ended on a stronger note, but still 5/5 for sure.

Starts off super cheery and light which I wasn't really expecting given the title. It keeps up that vibe throughout but if you listen to the lyrics it's not quite as sweet and happy as it would seem. I get a kind of 90s-pop meets the Smiths feeling from a lot of these songs. I think it's the vocals - it's almost like he's a sweeter voiced Morrissey.
Overall, this record is nice, sincere, uncomplicated but not to it's detriment, and very well recorded and produced. I dig it. 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

Another album that kind of sounds like a soundtrack from a cheesy 80s movie. I had never heard of this one and probably won't seek out any of their other stuff. It's not bad. It's not great. It is interesting listening to this kind of thing as a sort of time capsule but there's nothing really notable about this album, I can't remember how any of the songs went the next day. It sounds like any small band in the 80s. 2.5/5 from me, will round to 2 for the sheer forgettability of it. I do, however, appreciate the use of real instruments and the so-bad-it's-actually-kind-of-good album cover.

I feel like, as one of the most famous albums of all time, this one is kind of weird because it only has a couple of songs that everyone would know. Really I bet if you asked random people if they'd heard of this record almost all of them would say yes but then if you asked to name 3 songs from the album, most people couldn't.
But it's a great record. I mean it's Stevie Wonder, how can it be bad? Solid 4/5 from me.

An odd choice for a Neil Young record on this list. I mean I would have to think that he's got another one or two on here for sure. I wonder why this one was chosen? It's a good album but as far as essential Neil Young I don't know if I would count this record. Maybe that's just me.
I feel like you either really like Neil Young or you hate him. I like him, super unique voice for sure and I always appreciate that. He's good at crafting a song and a wonderful guitar player. For this particular album, I feel like it starts off great with My My Hey Hey and then kind of just goes down after that. It's too much of the softer kind of singer/songwriter Neil Young and less of the harder rockier version and I much prefer the latter. A decent album though, 3.5/5 rounded to 3 because, come on, a live album with studio overdubs like this isn't exactly a live album.

I love this album. The whole thing is such a vibe. I feel like Nick Drake is one of those semi-under-the-radar artists that has a cult following but most people wouldn't know who he was. I'm not much of a fan of the singer/songwriter genre in general but he is a bit different. Particularly this album. It's dark and sort of haunting and his voice is perfect for what he's singing. It's super short which I think fits with the overall theme and mood of the album. It's simple. It's all about the emotion and lyrics. Nothing else to say, really. If you're in a mood (happy? sad? lonely? I don't know) listen to this album and it will be just what you need. 5/5

I'm only sort of casually familiar with Bob Marley. I mean I know all the songs that everyone knows and have heard a few of his albums randomly over the years. I've always really dug his music but never felt the need to go out and actively listen to it all. I really liked this album, it's a total mood album. Always glad to hear Jamming, that's probably been my favorite song of his since I first heard it. The rhythms in his music are so great. I don't know what it is but it just makes you sort of relax a bit, and that's funny to say because a lot of his songs are about such serious topics - poverty, oppression, spirituality, revolution, and just general struggles of Jamaica. Great music to sort of just have on in the background when you're doing other things but still fun to sit and really listen.
This specific album has a lot going for it - great sound and production, interesting instrumentation, brilliant lyrics and signing. It's super tight but sort of loose and free at the same time. I love how some of it is almost like a reggae/funk fusion. 3.75/5

I like the Beatles. I'm not one of those crazy Beatles fans that can tell you everything about every album and who their barber was during the recording sessions. I think the Beatles persona sort of transcended the music they made and it's hard to listen to it objectively. Like, it's the Beatles - you're just supposed to love it, right?
That said, I feel like this album is sort of hit and miss. This record seems like it was the prelude to the Beatles getting weird (super high) and I like their weird stuff a lot better. This album is good, but if I was going to make a 'best of' compilation of the Beatles, I don't know that anything from this record would be included. 3/5