Reviews by syrinx

This seems like a weird choice for a Bob Dylan album for this list. I mean yeah he should absolutely have an album or two on the list, but this one? I mean it's a good live album but if there are one or two other Dylan albums on this list I don't know why this would be included.
Anyway, never been much of a Bob Dylan fan. I appreciate that he was an icon of folk music (for whatever reason) and a good lyricist, I wouldn't go as far as calling him a poet. I was ready to be done with this after just a few songs. And I hate the folksy harmonica, it's just not my thing. I feel like if you were really into Bob Dylan then you'd love this. Everyone else is going to be a little bored with at least the first half of this record. I mean really the first half just drags on and is basically close to an hour of the same thing over and over. The second half picks up a bit when the full band comes in and it starts to hold your attention a little better. But the dude just can't sing. I mean slurring words and tones doesn't cover the fact that he just can't do it. I've always found him to be supremely overrated and this record shows exactly why. 2/5

I can't really figure this album out. I don't know who it would be for. It's not really bad, some of the instrumentation is inventive. Great drums and bass throughout. Vocals are super off-putting. I'd never heard of this band before and after this album I might go find some of their other stuff if the mood strikes. It's interesting to listen to, weird for sure. I'm just not sure I get what they were trying to do or say. Hard to rate because I don't really like it but it's not bad. I'd give this like 2.5 but I can't bring myself to round up to 3 so it's a 2/5 I suppose.

This album basically is the 90s. With probably 4 of the best songs to come out of grunge, this album undeniably had a major impact on music. Arguably some of the best musicianship of the grunge era, the outro guitar solo on Alive and the guitar tone across the whole album in general is enough to make this one of the best grunge records. Certainly a definitive album and one that I feel like most anyone who's a rock fan would enjoy. 4/5

The Smiths are always sort of polarizing. Or maybe it's just Morrissey that is polarizing and that gets projected onto the band. With these reviews I try to just focus on this one album in isolation, without regards to the individual members of the band or what else they have done or said. It's hard sometimes, but I do my best.
Honestly I don't get the hate for the music from The Smiths. Even if it isn't quite to your taste, it's smart, well crafted, well played, and well sung. This album in particular ticks all those boxes. Some killer guitar work on this album as well, though sometimes you really have to listen for it.
All in all, I think this album would be like a 3.75 for me. While I enjoy The Smiths style, it's not something I would want to listen to all the time. But when you're in the mood for it, it kills.

Some of the songs on this album that are more soul and less hip hop aren't terrible. I hate hip hop, it just does nothing for me at all. She's got a great singing voice and I wish this album had been more of that. The more reggae sounding songs were cool too. It's just ruined with the rap that sort of takes over.
And what's with the skits? Like how did that become a staple on hip hop albums from this time? It's weird and takes you out of the album. 2/5

I've never understood the attraction to Linkin Park, but apparently people love them for some reason. I'll never understand why. It's just super generic and way overproduced. It's predictable and trite. It's unimaginative and boring. I feel like they tried so hard to make a popular radio record that any creativity they had as musicians was right out the window. And I've always hated Chester Bennington's vocals - it always sounds like he's trying so hard but just can't get it right. Top it off with sophomoric lyrics and forced rhymes and it results in...this.
Linkin Park is pretty much the stereotypical sound of early 2000s nu-metal. They kind of took the lowest common denominator of all those other bands and somehow packaged it up and sold millions of records. The reason I know this album is bad is that I didn't even get irritated by it. Like it was just kind of sound washing over me, it played and I didn't even really notice. Absolutely nothing draws you in. And to me that's worse than a record that you just don't like. 1/5

A super solid early 70s rock album. Straightforward, no weird recording effects, nothing special about how it was recorded, nothing novel in terms of instrumentation or production. It kind of makes you wonder why it was included in this list. But whatever the reason I'm glad it was. It was fun to listen to and I love how it isn't perfect by any means. I do wish that Rod Stewart had been the singer for all the songs, I wonder about the fights they must have had around that descision. Not much else to say about this one, solidly middle of the road. 3/5

Just the concept of this album is brilliant. And Johnny Cash is absolutely the perfect one to have done this. I'm not a fan of country/western (if that's what you can call this) but I do like some Johnny Cash and I feel like this is him at his best. Add in the crowd noise and the banter between songs and you get a fantastic experience listening to this album. This is probably the only album of his that I would consider buying if I ran across it at the record store. And I'd throw it on every now and then. 4/5 because as great as it is, it's still not exactly my kind of music.

So if you had never heard the Beastie Boys before, or maybe more interestingly if you had never heard music before, and were coming at this totally blind with no preconceptions at all, I feel like your first thought would be "wow this is terrible". And objectively I think I kind of agree. I don't think novel production methods and recording in random apartments in LA make a good album. Sure it was different for the time, that doesn't mean it's good.
But then I remember this list is 1001 albums to hear before you die, not 1001 good albums to hear before you die. So should this be on the list? Yeah I guess so just because it was different at the time it was made. Do I enjoy it? No. It's too bad because I do like some of the Beastie Boys other stuff, but I am not a fan of hip hop at all, and I suppose this counts. I'll give it a 2/5 because it's not terrible to listen to like a lot of other hip hop but it lacks anything that would make me want to listen again.

My second album from him on this list. I think I liked Djam Leelii a little better. This one includes some of the cheesy 90s synths that I'm not usually a fan of and they sort of take me out of it a bit. I love the vocals though, great singning. I only wish I knew what he was saying.
After this album I can say that I am a Baaba Maal fan. His music isn't something that I would put on to actively listen to but I would definitely play this around the house or while working or something. I'll give this one another 3/5.

Remember back in the early 90's when people still went to roller rinks and they had a shitty DJ playing god knows what? That's what this album is. It's not even well done for what it is. Repetative, irritating, no real instruments, mediocre vocals, and boring all at the same time. Hard pass from me. And, though no fault of the record, not on Spotify so it's a little irritating having to skip through the occasional ad on YouTube. The funny thing about that is there were a couple times I couldn't even tell an ad was playing. That's not what you want from a great record. I have no idea why this album would be included on this list.
All that said, I didn't skip any songs and though I was glad it was over, it was not the worst album on this list so far so an extra point for that I guess. 2/5

This is actually the first time I've really ever listened to Tim Buckley. I would call this a fairly standard 60s folk/pop/singer-songwriter record with some forrays into soft jazz. After being a huge fan of his (vastly more talented) son for years, I have to say I am a little disappointed. It's ok, but is definitely dated and sort of drags a little. Fantastic lyrics though, it seems (from just this record anyway) that his real talent was as a lyricist. I feel like he does have a really great voice but this album doesn't really showcase it at all. So I think I'd give this one like a 2.5, round up to 3 for the lyrics and hope that his other records are better.

I like this album a lot. I've always really liked Nick Cave in general and had never listened to this album all the way through. I like how it's almost two albums smashed together - the first half is more in your face and the second is a little softer and more ballad-ish. I think it was a good idea to release it as one long album instead of two short ones - it flows really well. I would rate this somewhere between 4 and 5, but didn't like it quite enough to give it a 5 so 4/5 it is.

A great, great record. Starts off strong and keeps it up throughout. Hard to believe this album is 55 years old. Some of these older albums seem dated by production, the sound, playing ability, vocals, etc. This is not one of those albums. I feel like if this album was released today, it would be a massive hit. The only real slow point for me is You Shook Me which is ruined by that damn organ and is a pretty straightforward blues cover. But this album is raw, well played, well sung, well recorded (in just 36 hours!), and well produced. You can just picture these guys in a dingy bar somewhere banging out these songs. Not a perfect album but you can't rate this less than 5/5.

I like the first half of this album much better than the second. The first half is like a cool blend of motown and funk, it's great. The second side is pretty much a straightforward motown record. Not bad but nothing really stands out to me. I'd like to give it more but 3/5 is where it lands.

Man that woman could sing. It's kind of funny how many versions of all of these songs I've heard over the years. From this record Respect gets all the attention but I've always just been kind of lukewarm on that one. My favorite is I Never Loved a Man, the guitar part in the middle always sounds so great. But this album starts super strong and then kind of drops off in the middle for me a little bit.
For me personally, this isn't an album I would listen to all the time. It's great, sure, but it's just not my thing. I'd give it a 3.5/5 but will round up to 4 because it's Aretha and regardless of taste, that woman was amazing.

Not sure this is the Yes album I would have picked for this list, and I can't imagine there would be a second one. Probably picked for I've Seen All Good People. Anyway, when you listen to Yes you just have to marvel at the musicianship. I mean these guys could play for sure. Say what you will about the vocals, that seems to be a common sticking point, but just briliant playing. Yes always get compared to Rush (and Rush is much much better) I think because of the musical complexity and the high vocals. I dig it. Having said all of that, there are definitely better prog bands. I know that this was way before some of the heavier progressive music but some of this record in particular sounds a little thin. 3.5/5, was going to round up to 4 but rounding down to 3 because yesterday evening it took me like 30 minutes to even remember what the album was for that day and I feel like a 4/5 shouldn't have that problem.

A solid record from the 60s. It's very very dated so it loses points for not exactly holding up well. But for what it is I think it does what it does well. It's not going to blow anyone away but if you'd never heard S&G before I can't imagine you wouldn't find something you like about it. It's probably better than 3/5 but I don't think I could really give it 4/5. See, this is why we need at least a 10 star system instead of 5.

Not sure I'd really call this 'country and western' music but that's a bonus for me really. I mean it's Ray Charles, you know exactly what you're going to get. Fantastic voice on that man. I'm pretty sure he could sing the assembly instructions for an Ikea bookshelf and it would be great. That said, I don't think I can give this more than 3/5 and it's definitely not his best work. It's a good album but this kind of music just doesn't blow me away.

This record is a little hard to pin down. I like it, but I'm still not really sure what to make of it. I've seen it compared to albums by The White Stripes and The Strokes and I don't see that at all. It was just released around the same time. I kind of feel like the album plays a lot like the cover looks - just lots of different stuff all over but it all kind of works together. Still, I'm a little surprised to have found it on this list. I really liked I Remember When, Dreaming of You, Waiting for the Heartaches, and Bad Man. I'd listen to this again for sure, and would probably pick it up and throw it on from time to time if I saw it in the record shop. 3.5/5 but rounding to 3 because it's not really a 4/5.