Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day742 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second and final record by k.d. lang. I'm not sure why you must hear two of her albums before you die, though. The music and the singing are decent, but, you know... I just can't tell the difference between this record and her previous one I got a while back. The quiet-stormy "Black Coffee" is my personal highlight here. "Busy Being Blue" is another one. I prefer those jazzy numbers to the honky-tonk ones. Let it be a 3 out of 5 again. Looking forward to #day743.

This is #day741 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… oh well, here's to some early-'70s glam rock again. Not exactly my kind of music out there, I must admit, so I have little to say. I'd much rather revisit, say, glam-era Bowie or T. Rex. The longest track on the record, was fun, though. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day742.

This is #day740 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… okay, I've learned that there used to be a band called The Czars, of which John Grant was a member, and that this is his first solo record after the band broke up. The whole affair is kind of fine. It has its moments, but it also doesn't. What it has to do with a list of albums you must hear before you die remains a mystery to me. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day741.

This is #day739 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's been a while since I last heard this record front to back, but I remember liking it back when I was on a classic rock binge sometime in the 2010s. "Oh My Love" is one of my favorite pieces here. I also love Martin Gore's interpretation of it. Otherwise, there's little to add about Imagine. This is a 4 out of 5. I might bump it up to a 5 somewhere down the road. Looking forward to #day740.

This is #day738 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… that's a whole lot of bongos in there. I mean, bring them on, will you? My closest point of reference for this kind of music has probably been Safri Duo, that percussion/trance duo from my childhood years, so I can't say I'm very versed in the stuff. This particular record, though? Pretty fun for a Sunday afternoon listen. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day739, aka the first official day of my vacation.

This is #day737 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some mid-'90s R&B and soul on this Saturday afternoon. I don't really mind. I wouldn't normally reach for this kind of music on my own, but getting to hear it as part of the challenge is fine. Actually, the more soul and progressive soul records I hear, the more I feel like revisiting some past entries and rating them higher than I did. "Smooth" is a personal highlight here. Overall, it's the jazzier numbers that appeal to me the most. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day738.

This is #day736 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about that hard'n'heavy glam classic, aka my first of two Def Leppard's records represented on the list? Quite a signature sound, let's face it. A bunch of staples here and there. Otherwise, a fine Friday afternoon listen, if not too samey at times. I must admit I was blown away when I learned their drummer had lost one arm and kept on playing. But that would be the next album. This one gets a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day737.

This is #day735 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some early-'80s UK jangly post-punk I wasn't familiar with. Some of the string arrangements reminded me of Echo & the Bunnymen's Porcupine, released a year earlier. Meaning, if I'm in the mood for this kind of thing, I'll most likely revisit that record instead. What makes Rattlesnakes essential enough to be on the list? Let it be a safe bet, aka a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day736.

This is #day734 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second and final album by The Verve represented on the list, aka the one boasting one of the most iconic album openers ever. This record is a little more accessible compared to the more psychedelic and experimental A Northern Soul. But only at first glance. There are tracks like "The Rolling People" and "Catching the Butterfly" to prove otherwise. "Sonnet" is one of my favorite cuts of theirs, not to mention "The Drugs Don't Work" or "Lucky Man." I like The Verve. This is another 5 out of 5. Go check out Forth if you haven't already. Looking forward to #day735.

This is #day733 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… yeah, "Wild World" instantly rang a bell. Otherwise, a pleasant folk rock record for a rainy Tuesday morning like today. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day734.

This is #day732 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as far as late-night listening goes, this is quite an improvement over yesterday's Iron Maiden record. I'm not a soul kind of person by any means, but I don't mind this one. Jazzy and pleasurable overall. The music really sets the mood. I particularly enjoyed that tiptoeing piano. Nice and delicate. And then there was the spoken-word poetry piece... Not a fan of the vocals, though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day733.

This is #day731 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second and final Iron Maiden record. Now, I've been putting off listening to this one all day, and here I am. Sunday night. Not exactly the best timing for this kind of music. I understand where it's coming from: heavy metal classic, first album with Dickinson on vocals, blah blah. It's just that I've never been into Maiden. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day732.

This is #day730 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I don't think an early-'00s take on '60s psychedelia, peppered with modern pop and electronic sensibilities and whatnot, is something I must hear before I die. If I feel like listening to some acidic stuff, I know where to go, and this record wouldn't be the place. The growl on "Respectacle for Respectable" was a real WTF moment, though. I'm going with a 1 out of 5 eventually. Looking forward to #day731.

This is #day729 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it had slipped my mind that there was another GM record on the list. As many have pointed out before, it's a different beast from Faith, which I rated a 5 back in the day. But it's a good kind of different. Perfect for a rainy Friday listen like today. When that sax pierced through "Cowboys and Angels," my heart melted. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day730.

This is #day728 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's been a while since I last got some Bob, so here's to, what is it?, my fifth Dylan record. There's "Like a Rolling Stone" on this record, so that's like half the deal. "Ballad of a Thin Man" is another standout. Otherwise, it's Bob Dylan doing Bob Dylan thing. That album cover is iconic in its own right, too. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day729.

This is #day727 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's another record from the Golden Age of hip-hop. Bring it on any day. I'd never heard this one before, though Gang Starr's name certainly rang a bell. Released 35 years ago, this record still holds up. Funky, jazzy, laid-back East Coast hip-hop at its finest. Nothing more to add. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day728.

This is #day726 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… my first thought was: it's like Morphine, but noise rock. I'd never even heard of the band before. It was a lot of fun, though. Fresh and challenging. Another thought: this is where some of black midi's legs might have grown from. And then, the bass reminded me of Muse's Absolution-Black Holes era. Anyway, this definitely deserves a higher rating than it usually gets. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day727.

This is #day725 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some mid '70s roots and country rock or whatever this is? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Like, the piano is nice and the guy does have his presence, but otherwise... Oh, you mean, there's another record of his that I'd need to hear eventually... I mean, okay? Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day726.

This is #day724 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as I must have mentioned before under another drum 'n' bass record, the genre largely passed me by back in the day. This record has its moments, though. I like its creeping darkness, and the jazzy touches always appeal to me. It doesn't deserve the hate it gets in many of the reviews on this site. The 139:54 runtime is merciless, though. Otherwise, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day725.

This is #day723 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… hell yeah, imagine hearing this at the time. This is what you get when you marry '50s rock 'n' roll with '70s electronics and punk. It's crazy to think this thing is turning 50 next year. "Frankie Teardrop" is, of course, a fun piece to put on a record. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day724.