Reviews by syrinx

Who in the world doesn’t know Relax? But who can name another song by Frankie Goes To Hollywood? Not me. So I am excited to hear this as it is basically brand new territory for me.
Ok this album is great. How on earth does this album hit like it does? This is an album where I don’t want to hear anything else from them not because I didn’t like it but because I don’t want this album to be ruined. It would be perfect if some of the random filler was taken out. Cut 15-20 minutes of filler and it’s brilliant. As is 4/5.

This album is painfully bad. Like it has absolutely no redeeming qualities. I generally try to find something that I like even in music I hate but I can’t find anything good about this at all. It’s basic, poorly recorded, badly sung, no real instruments, boring electronic beats. It’s really bad. A complete waste of 45 minutes. 1/5

I liked this more than I thought I would. I quite liked Different Class but cant really say that I know a lot of Pulp’s work. This album was not what I expected. I was expecting something a little heavier and less Brit poppy. I’m not sure why. It’s a good album but not one I think I would really play again. And it’s about 25 minutes too long. 3.5/5 rounding down because of the length.

I do like Rod Stewart, particularly when he was with Jeff Beck. And who doesn’t love Maggie May?
I liked this album a lot but couldn’t help feeling that it lacked a lot of what he had when he was with Jeff Beck. I mean this was maybe a little easier to take. But what a great voice he has. Super unique and raspy. I love it. 3.5/5 and rounding up because this guy is a legend, doesn’t matter who you are

I think I've heard of this album but never actually listened to it. I'm not sure in what context I would have seen this but it is sort of familiar. Maybe from the Velvet Underground connection? And I do love a good woman-fronted pretentious art rock album so hopefully this fits the bill. I'm a little less optimistic after reading a few of the reviews. I should never read the reviews before listening to the album I suppose.
Halfway through and I'm a bit torn. I like the idea, I like the vibe, I like the music. But the voice is just not doing it for me. Its sort of a monotone drone that just forms words. I get the hate but I can also see how this could have been an amazing album. I feel like the voice doesn't fit with anything else - like they recorded all the music and then she just sang over it but with completely different recording equipment and no attempt at making the sound fit together.
Kind of hard to rate because I really wanted to like this one but the flat droning voice just took me out of it. Had the vocals been better and the production more even this would have been an easy 4. As it is, I find it hard to give it more than a couple of stars because I wouldn't ever listen to this again. 2.5/5

This is the most generic sounding album I've ever heard. This is 100% the music they play in the concourse of a shopping mall. There's not really anything wrong with it but it's just not interesting at all. I can't remember even listening to this and I just finished it 5 minutes ago. 1.5/5

Definitely a classic album. I feel like everyone has heard this at least once. At least everyone has seen the cover - probably one of the most famous of all time? This marks #3 from Roxy Music on this list so far, that's probably it for them I would imagine.
It's a banger of an album for sure. It's 50+ years old at this point and it's still a great listen. Out Of The Blue, Thrill Of It All, and Bitter Sweet are standouts for me. I would imagine that Roxy Music is not a band that has a whole lot of new fans, and that's really a shame. There's a lot to like, especially on this record. The whole Art Rock or Glam Rock genres basically died at least as far as mainstream music goes. But this is one that I think has a lot of value to revisit and one that I think most people would enjoy. 4/5

Does the photo on the album cover show the best example of sideburns of all time? I mean look at that thing - it looks like someone glued a piece of carpet to his face. Also, I'm immediately put off by any song called or including the word "Darlin'". That's always seemed like such a gross thing for a man to call a woman. Or anyone else for that matter. I'm not a country fan and can tell that this is probably gonna be a chore today. But only 28 minutes so here's hoping it won't be too bad.
I think I lasted about 27 seconds before wanting to turn this off. I just really hate this kind of music. I hate how sappy it is. I hate the way the vocals always sound. I hate the way they build the melodies. I hate the lyrics. I don't know man, if you put me in a locked room and told me I had to listen to either this or hip hop for 2 hours to get out, I think I might just lay down and die in there. 1/5

What an odd album to have on this list. I've never heard of her before and from what I can tell from a quick internet search, she was kind of a flash in the pan (being generous) and was only ever even well known in Britain. Is that the making of an album that everyone needs to hear before they die? We shall see...
Well she has a good voice but this is nothing that hasn't been done a million times before. Even for when it was released. The bad thing is that this could be released today and would probably get the same reception, it kind of shows how little this kind of music has progressed. It's not my thing, I tired of this quickly and started to tune it out subconsciously. And that's not what you want. 2/5

So much of the music I love has been, in some way, touched by Brian Eno. But oddly, I've never really liked his solo stuff. I've never heard this album all the way through, Baby's On Fire is the only one I recognize off the top of my head looking at the track list, but am looking forward to it.
This album was eccentric and odd as expected. I like the idea of getting musicians you know won't really get along to play on an album, what a weird concept. I think you can hear it a bit but for the most part once the album is complete you'd never know. I mean I suppose a lot of the final product is due to their differences and having to come up with new parts or ways to play things and that's how the album was recorded. But anyway, I liked this album a lot. I know Eno gets a lot of hate here, but I genuinely don't understand why. He was experimental and doing things that were not the norm. And isn't that what drive creativity and art in the first place? 4/5

Ok so Brimful of Asha is a blast from the past. 'Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow' is classic lyric writing for sure. That's the only song I'd heard from this album, you couldn't escape that song back in the day and when it came on today it, for better or wore, brought back a flood of memories of middle school.
I like that a lot of this album is kind of like Brit dance pop with an Indian vibe. It's interesting and not something I've heard a lot of but now that I think about it, it seems weird that it's not more common.
The second half of this album definitely drops off a bit. It's sort of filled with a lot of random samples and doesn't really present anything to keep you interested. I was done with this album well before it was over. Brimful of Asha is great, a lot of the rest is fun, some of the rest is superfluous. I feel like this album would have been better at 15-20 minutes shorter than it is. And it's not really even very long. 3/5

I don't know if I've heard this or not, you'd think with a cover using such stellar Microsoft Paint skills I'd remember. It sounds sort of familiar but I don't know if that's because I've heard it before or if it's because it's just got that sort of 90s sound that I've heard a lot.
There's a lot to like on this album - good instrumentation, good production, creative songs, competent playing. I like that it is early 90s jangly without being thin. It's a little more upbeat than a lot of the more well known music coming out at the time but I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Spin Magazine says this is better than Nevermind and I politely disagree there. This is a good, solid 90s rock album and I have no major issues with it. It's just not quite interesting enough for me to want to listen to more. 3.75/5 and will grudgingly round up.

I don't know this one at all but apparently it's like the soundtrack to shitty hostels all over the world? That's seems weird and oddly specific.
So the hostel thing totally fits. I feel like this is a good album if this kind of music is your jam. It's not really mine. I didn't mind it once through but was ready to move on before it was over. I don't think I'd come back to this or really explore anything else from him. It was a one and done for me. 2.75/5

I casually know Massive Attack, mostly I've heard Mezzanine a bunch of times. Apparently that one is not on this list but this one is? That's a little weird. I haven't heard this one though so maybe it's better?
Yeah, it's not. It's fine but is mostly kind of background music. I don't understand why this album would be picked instead of their most widely recognized and popular album that actually does deserve a spot on this list. And what the hell is up with that garbage cover of Light My Fire? That was painful. 2.5/5

I'm, as far as I know, unfamiliar with this. But they have 14 million monthly listeners on Spotify so I would guess that I have to have heard one or two of these, right?
It's pretty much exactly what I expected from the cover though, kind of funny how you can just tell sometimes. It's sort of sunny and upbeat but isn't thin sounding like some of this kind of music of the time. Tight bass and drums. (For the most part) interesting lyrics. It's a little simple and weak but it was fun to listen to on a Friday morning. It would be good to play at the beginning of a road trip before you start getting tired from driving. But the album is about 4 songs too long for my taste. I got a little bored with it at the end. It doesn't really make me want to listen to more from them but it was good once. However, 'there goes God in his sexy pants and his sausage dog' is absolutely classic. But I wish the whole album was more like the outro in the last minute. 3/5

I've never heard of this band or album, so this will be a fun one at least.
My first thought after like 1 minute - wow this sounds like shit. Very much like a harder REM. Halfway through and it's pretty much the same. Super bright and shiny, mediocre vocals, terrible sound. I feel like there could have been any number of albums on the list in place of this one. I mean I can see why some people would like this but it's nothing novel or innovative. It's just...music. A few interesting spots here and there, synths in Hoover Dam that come out of nowhere were cool, but it's pretty bland for the most part. I can't imagine I will remember any of this tomorrow. Edit from tomorrow - yeah I don't really remember any of those songs. 2/5

I'm starting to wonder how many albums on this list have some sort of involvement from Brian Eno. A significant percentage I'd wager. Kind of like asking how many hit songs from the late 90s on were written by Max Martin. But that's neither here nor there.
Early glam rock was kind of hit and miss. I suppose this would be considered glam rock, maybe more art rock? I'm not sure if it really fits into either of those categories. I don't think I'd ever heard this whole album before, but I am fairly familiar with Roxy Music. In Every Dream Home A Heartache is the standout here for me. That song is unreal. It's a little saddening that it was more of a one-off and they never did anything else in that same vein. I remember the first time I heard it I didn't really know what to make of it and it's still one that is sort of challenging to understand - it's funny, it's musically odd, the fade out/back in makes no sense. There's such a surreal quality to it, very like Nick Cave later on. But the whole album sort of goes back and forth between that kind of sound and more straightforward rock with a bit of a punkier edge balanced by some weirdness from Eno. I really like it. It's another that's really hard to rate for me. I don't think it quite makes a 5 but it's more than a 4. So 4.25/5 it is.

I love it when I can go to the record collection and listen to the album of the day on vinyl. This is a spectacular album. I love everything about it. I read another review somewhere that said this album sounded like two sides full of warm ups and while I get where that is coming from, that person totally missed the point. Coltrane is chaotic and a wall of sound but that's the brilliance. There's so much going on but just as much left out and all of that together elevates the music. And Elvin Jones on drums is unbeatable here. His solo part starting the second side is magic. Jimmy Garrison is killing it on bass, his solo part is incredible too. The last part is sooo good. I love how it just kind of keeps going, slowly, and resolves.
I know this album has sort of a heavy religious overtone to it which would normally put me off but if you just listen to the music you'd never pick that up. A Love Supreme could be talking about any kind of love, just don't read the back of the album cover and you'll be fine.
This album is a masterpiece (and recorded in one session!) and is absolutely one that everyone should listen to. One of the top 5 jazz albums ever made. A lot of people won't like it, that's fine, but it would be impossible not to appreciate what was recorded on this record. Easy 5/5

I've had two 70s era Genesis albums in the past week or so (loved them) and now this. Kind of funny that I'm getting sort of a history in music here.
So I enjoyed this album, but I like the 70s era Genesis better. I didn't ever give Genesis a chance because I wasn't ever really impressed by Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins. Listening to this one today, I think I maybe appreciate Peter Gabriel a bit more, but there's still a something missing. Grit, maybe? I would like to have heard this album had it been made with a little bit harder edge. Giving this one 3.5/5 but rounding down because I don't think I would make a point to buy this if I saw it in the record shop.

I'm sort of surprised to see this rated as high as it is on this site. I assumed that the majority of people doing this project were male and 35+ years old. I obviously have no basis for that, I just figured. And we are not exactly the target audience for this record. Or any of her records. Having said that, I have a weird soft spot for her music after she switched from country. I don't know what it is about it because it's most of the things that I hate about contemporary music - massive production, real instruments (few if any) overshadowed by programmed beats and synths, sappy lyrics. But damn if I don't love most of it. I can't explain why, maybe I'm sentimental in a cheesy nostalgic way. And regardless of your musical taste you can't deny her impact on the music industry over the past 15 years. Or the fact that she's an amazing performer and has a great voice and writes damn catchy songs. Plus, any woman who can make fragile conservative men so uncomfortable gets my vote.
But I digress. This album is the one from her where I actually start to like her music. The previous albums she released are too country for my liking. I'm not big on dance/synth pop either but, like I said, Taylor Swift gets a pass for some reason. And while this isn't one of my favorite albums of hers, I still like it and will play it again for sure. 4/5