Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day562 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… somehow, during my teenage years, this name never crossed my radar, so this is a first for me. Very much a product of the early '00s. It was fun to hear Mike Shinoda's signature on "The Instrumental." Honestly, I think Fort Minor would've been a more appropriate inclusion. Also, that 12-minute outro... Kind of a fiasco. Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day563.

This is #day561 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about that raspy blues growl? I guess I don't mind some Tom Waits once in a blue moon. Face it, there are few like him. The title track, "In Shades," "Downtown," "Jersey Girl"… honestly, about half of this record makes for perfect Friday listening. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day562.

This is #day560 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… so you're saying we're on the '60s streak this week, huh? My fifth Beatles album already, and I can understand its impact on psychedelic rock in the coming years, as well as the Beatles' trajectory. "Michelle" is such a beautiful piece, and one of the record's standouts. The same goes for "Girl" and a couple of others. The story of the record cover photo and the text fond are fun as well. Jeez, I can't rate it a 3. I have a heart after all. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day561.

This is #day559 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, back to oldies, right? I see where it's coming from, and all that, but it just happens to be that I'm not a huge soul person. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day 560.

This is #day558 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to the first live rock album to use 16-track recording, yay. Now, this was a whole lot of late '60s jam rock, I must admit. Well, given the 75-minute runtime, it totally makes sense. Psychedelic, acidic, as time would demand. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day559.

This is #day557 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, here's to some chamber pop from the late '90s for this frosty Monday afternoon. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day558.

This is #day556 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… a game changer of a record here, no doubt. I never really gave it a full spin back in the day, though, unlike The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and Encore, all of which were at the heart of my childhood and early teen years. So here I am... maybe my second proper listen. I can't say I'd put this alongside my favorite records of his, but this is where we first meet the Slim Shady persona, so you kind of have to accept it for what it is. "My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience" went down in rap history, and, as time would show, so did Em himself. This is a 4 out of 5. Sparing a 5 for TMMLP, for that's where he truly shines. Looking forward to #day557.

This is #day555 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this record reinforces my belief that music died somewhere around the turn of the millennium. What started promising (I really liked the first song) quickly veered into late-'00s indie schmindie, and by the middle of "Sailing," I was dozing off. Do you have to hear this before you die? Rarely has a question felt so rhetorical. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day556.

This is #day554 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… let's go groovin' on a Friday night, shall we? I don't find this record very groovy. Actually, it's not groovy at all. Well, maybe just a tad bit. So, I guess, no groovin' then? This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day555.

This is #day553 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some good ol' late '70s British post-punk. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day554.

This is #day552 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to the epitome of late '80s pop. As someone born in 1990, my George Michael has always been the '04 version, with "Amazing" and "Flawless (Go to the City)" on heavy TV rotation. There's something about him that resonates with me, and it's not just the Christmas season, although I can't deny that it plays a part. Faith is a funk/soul/jazz/pop perfection, an incredibly enjoyable record, especially on vinyl. "Kissing A Fool" couldn't have been a more perfect end to a hard day at work. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day553.

This is #day551 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I thought I already got this album sometime ago. Anyway, bring on that early '70s psychedelic funk/soul/jazz/blues goodness! This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day552.

This is #day550 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… if you're feeling sinister, this is not the record to reach for. "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" is perhaps the only standout for me. Otherwise, this soft-spoken indie pop charm isn't my jam. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day551.

This is #day549 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my fourth Radiohead record (there's still two more to go), the one that, as memory serves, eventually got dropped from later editions of this book (along with Amnesiac, right?). No surprises, as Hail To the Thief is kind of a mixed bag, and even the band members themselves admitted it. That said, it has "Where I End And You Begin," one of my favorite Radiohead songs. I'm going with a 3 out of 5 this time. Looking forward to #day550.

This is #day548 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's been forever since I last got a Blur album, way back on #day84, to be precise, when the self-titled popped up (almost typed "pooped up," which wouldn't be entirely wrong). So here we are with the third and final one. I mean, I don't really care for it, but I don't exactly mind it either. A Blur album wouldn't be a Blur album without a couple of oddball moments. Generally speaking, I agree, modern life is rubbish. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day549.

This is #day547 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this stretch from Slade to Kraftwerk through Tribe to Ministry is wild. But that's part of the fun, I guess. Anyway, this isn't the industrial I'm after when I'm in the mood for industrial. Add the speed metal edge, and it's just not a combination for me. I'd much rather revisit some Marilyn Manson or Rammstein. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day548.

This is #day546 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my first-ever time listening to A Tribe Called Quest. Now, give me that '90s hip-hop any time. This record is like the Kind of Blue of rap. Vibes and stuff all over. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day547.

This is #day545 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… hell yeah, here's to the one that started it all, aka the one that influenced them all. As essential as it is historically, I prefer The Man-Machine. Still, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day546.

This is #day544 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I've seen this record cover before, but I never really had a reason to listen to it. Well, here I am. I get the context, the '70s, glam rock, and all that, but... Guess I'm just not slayed enough? This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day545.

This is #day543 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… now I got worry that the generator is back on track, throwing shite in my ears. Because, well, here we are with punk blues, or so they say. At times this feels like Tom Waits during his '90s phase, at times like Nick Cave back in The Birthday Party days. Fun in places, but mostly hard to get a handle on. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day544.