Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day682 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my first of five albums by The Band, which also happens to be their debut. I don't really mind the music for the most part. However, if you asked me to say a few words about this particular record, I probably wouldn't have that many. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day683.

This is #day681 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… yeah, bring on that droney, folky, bluesy psychedelic shit from the late '60s. I don't mind. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day682.

This is #day680 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I don't quite understand the level of acclaim and the record's place on the list. Hearing pretentiously experimental contemporary R&B with this kind of vocal style before you die doesn't seem like a good idea. Too much fuss about nothing in particular. I'd rather revisit Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day681.

This is #day679 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… Marilyn Manson is kind of like one of those scary monster characters from childhood. At least if you grew up in the '90s and spent your teenage years in the early '00s. He was always there: in music magazines, on TV, on the radio. And, as an alternative kid at heart, I didn't really mind it. This is a great record and a true snapshot of its time. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day680.

This is #day678 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… much like the previous Stan Getz record, which I got almost exactly a year ago, I find this thoroughly enjoyable. Just what the doctor prescribed on this June evening through my Technics SU-7300. "The Girl from Ipanema" has to be the perfect cocktail jazz tune. Breezy as a summer wind. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day679.

This is #day677 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my penultimate Beatles album. Is it still the Beatles, though? As far as I know, by this point, the band was already starting to disintegrate. And what better way to mark that than by throwing a sprawling double album out into the world? Either way, this record is quite a trip. It's so stylistically diverse that you might think of it as the ultimate Beatles album. This is where some stone-cold classics live: "Dear Prudence," "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and "Helter Skelter," to name a few. And then there's the bizarre "Revolution 9," which sounds like something from Kid A if Radiohead had recorded it in 1968. Is this an album you should hear before you die? Pretty much. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day678.

This is #day676 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… two solo records from a Byrds member on the list, I see. As if five Byrds albums aren't enough to hear before you die. How this is different from dozens of other country/folk rock records on the list, I don't know. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day677.

This is #day675 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… even though this record came out in 1970, it still feels very '60s to me. I think it has to do with the psychedelic backbone, if you will. I don't really mind it as a one-off listen. The sax on "Mr. Skin," though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day676.

This is #day674 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this is my second and final Pere Ubu record. Surely, it's a seminal work in the context of post-punk, art-punk, and whatnot. Also, it's not the most immediate record out there. And it shouldn't be, right? "Real World" is my personal standout. I appreciate the overall edginess and sense of experimentation. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day675.

This is #day673 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… Robbie Williams is one of those pop culture figures from my childhood. As someone whose teenage years fell in the early '00s, I saw a lot of Robbie on TV. So there's a little bit of guilty pleasure involved when it comes to him. This particular record, though? My first-ever time listening to it in full. "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You" are undeniable hits, and the rest? Robbie Williams doing Robbie Williams things. Some of the lyrics are downright ridiculous. Otherwise, this is a classic late-'90s pop-rock record. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day674.

This is #day672 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… so we're staying in Brazil for one more day. Yesterday it was psychedelic pop from 1968, and today it's nu/groove metal from 1995. I've known the band's name for a long time, but never really got around to checking them out properly. Being a huge Deftones fan, I was at least familiar with "Headup," featuring Max Cavalera on vocals. Otherwise, this is my first time listening to a Sepultura album front to back. What can I say? Roots bloody roots! Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day673.

This is #day671 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about psychedelic pop from Brazil? I was skeptical, to be honest. But then again, late-'60s psychedelia is something I enjoy now and then. After a song or two, this turned out to be quite the eyebrow-raiser. Out of all world music I've encountered on this list so far, this has been the most fun. Very playful. Sometimes even jazzy. The female-sung songs are particularly bewitching. There's something almost carol-like about them. Great find. This is a strong 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day672.Looking forward to #day672.

This is #day670 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my second Neil Young record, not counting two with Crazy Horse and one with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Now, I really want to like this. Like, I'm being open-minded, you know. In fact, I'm even planning to revisit all of the albums mentioned above (maybe I missed something), and I'm also counting on After the Gold Rush and Harvest; at least those titles ring a bell. But somehow it's just not happening. The problem remains the same: the vocals. The delivery. The singing. Is it intentional? God knows I've tried. This is another 2 out of 5, though. Looking forward to #day671.

This is #day669 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this was actually my first-ever time listening to an ELO album, let alone "Mr. Blue Sky," which I wasn't even aware of. My initial thought was something like, if Muse had formed in the '70s, this is probably what they would've sounded like. I mean, they also have a song called "Starlight," right? Anyway, this is a very late '70s record. The progressive side of the music shines through, while the pop sensibilities are... orchestrating, literally. The futuristic electronic backbone is fun, and so is the use of the vocoder. It's kind of like, "Hey, here's a new toy. What if we use it throughout the whole record?" At first, I thought it was too long, but putting my thoughts together, I think the length is justified. Times were different. People made big albums, you see. Better yet, you had to sit through them. Right to the very end. I think it's historically important work. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day670.

This is #day668 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this is the kind of record and artist you can put on without worrying about the quality. I mean, it's '90s hip-hop, aka the Golden Age. Can it ever really be bad? I believe this was my first-ever full 2Pac album experience. A thoroughly enjoyable listen on a half-sunny Sunday afternoon on my Technics SU-7300. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day669.

This is #day667 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… the late '60s is my lane whenever I feel like retreating into the roots, but while I do like the era from a musical perspective, the "sunny" psychedelia isn't exactly the kind of stuff I'd reach for. I'd much rather revisit Doors, Janis Joplin, or maybe some Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane. I'm afraid this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day668.

This is #day666 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I didn't know the title of Nirvana's second album, Nevermind, was inspired by the Sex Pistols' album. Otherwise, this is as good as it gets. Tight, loud, and raw. Must be my very first time listening to it front to back, though. "Holidays In The Sun," "Anarchy In The UK," and, of course, "God Save The Queen" are staples. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day667.

This is #day665 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my fourth and final U2 record. I don't know what to say about this one, except that this and Achtung Baby are the band's essential records. Looking at the title "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," I realized I don't even know what I'm looking for, or rather, if I'm looking for anything at all in this life. I don't have many words today. "Exit" is a hidden gem, though. Otherwise, this is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to, ouch, #day666.

This is #day664 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, the late '60s. Musically, I'm mostly fine with this record, but I'll never get the freaky, satirical, weird, parodic element in Zappa's work. It borders on annoying. I'm sure this must have been experimental for its time, but it's just not clicking with me. Maybe I'm being too serious. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day665.

This is #day663 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… "wintertime comes summer, you are why it's happening," right? This is my fifth and final Sonic Youth record. Now, sometimes I feel like there's just nothing better than blasting some late-'80s/early-'90s Sonic Youth, and Goo is a case in point. "Tunic (Song for Karen)" and "Kool Thing" are absolute classics, among a couple of others. And then there's Kim Gordon with that detached, cool delivery of hers. She's Sonic Youth for me. Otherwise, I can only imagine what it must have felt like when this record dropped, with the whole '90s alternative scene just about to explode. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day664.