Reviews by theblanderman

I was prepared to give this a 1 just given a preexisting impression of Alice Cooper, but honestly that was unfounded. This was a solid album - well-sequenced, diverse musical styles that all had a cohesive sound, and a pretty solid second half. Unfortunately, there were a few low points: Luney Tunes, Gutter Cat, Street Fight and Public Animal #9 were less than impressive. I especially thought the west side story nods in the album were tacky. Grande Finale was a great closer. All around a net positive: 3.4/5 -> 3/5

Laughably bad. I swore this was a parody album until I looked them up. Horrible lyrics, painfully derivative vocals and instrumentals - every song felt worse than the last. A truly bad experience. 1/5

An underwhelming listen. I had high hopes, but most of the tracks were just the same group harmonies and meh instrumentals. Not horrible but not needed on this list. 2.4/5->2/5

For an album that is as iconic as this, it's pretty clear that consistency across the tracklist is not the draw here. Four categories are apparent:

Amazing tier: Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean
Good tier: Wanna be Startin' Something, PYT
Meh tier: Baby Be Mine, Human Nature, The Lady In My Life
The Girl is Mine tier: The Girl is Mine

Despite the inconsistency, and the fact that TGIM exists, it still has some classic bops and good tracks and needs to be on this list. Just certainly NOT Michael Jackson's best. 3/5

A truly disappointing album. Completely derivative of Here Come the Warm Jets era Brian Eno, but to the point of sounding like a bad cover band. Tribal drums cannot make this album more interesting, and only acted as silver lining to an otherwise repetitive and uninteresting mess. 1.4/5 -> 1/5

A bunch of 4 songs and 2 songs from a controversial artist. 3/5

An underwhelming album. More organ does not equate to more quality. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

A masterpiece of electronic and ambient music that stands up to any album in 2024. 5/5

I'll give them props, this was quite the endeavor to make this sound in the mid-80s. It was very unique, and interesting how they worked with Kraftwerk. Also turns out "Renegades of Funk" by RATM is a reimagining of this track - didn't know that, but I appreciate the original. All around it's not great, but I understand why it's on the list. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

A pretty meh listen. No real standouts other than the last few mins of Flying (the last song). Not really deserving of a spot on this list. 2/5

One of the all time best live albums. The acoustic environment, dialogue from Kurt and the guys, and a setlist that includes unique covers and unexpected songs (and almost no "hits") is so Nirvana. Where Did You Sleep Last Night may even be one of their best songs. My only gripe is the song Pennyroyal Tea which I've never been huge on. Otherwise perfect. 4.8/5 -> 5/5

I really wanted to give the eagles a chance, but this album was disappointing even with low expectations. The musicianship and instrumentals were laughably basic at most points, and the songs were mostly forgettable. The lyrics were the worst part, cheesy and cringe, especially when talking about women. "Chug All Night" and "Most of Us Are Sad" were the clear low points. The some of the songs did have a pleasant vibe when I turned out the lyrics. 2/5

I really had to chew on this album. I listened to this years ago and didn't think too much of it. Now I think I'm beginning to understand the full picture. Most songs on it are really phenomenal, it's really just the couple of NOLA style saloon jams that are almost a bit of a caricature that detract from the whole.
That being said, my impression of Rain Dogs only continues to improve with time, and I'm really glad I can appreciate it now. 4.5/5 -> 5/5

Pretty good album. Not especially ground breaking but I like her voice and no complaints. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

Another Neil Young. My god it never ends. I actually thought this one was ok, but WAY too many on this list. 3/5

A solid album though sounds very much like many of it's contemporaries. No complaints though. 3/5

The Megadeath album(s) I had before didn't impressive me, but I thought this one was well constructed and had quite a bit of variety in it's sound. All around pretty good. 3/5.

I was expecting to hate this but was pleasantly surprised. It has a nice sound and the song styles are varied and interesting. Buddy Holly has a good voice. All around not bad. 3/5

This is one of the few albums that made the cut for this list a handful of times before being cut. It's an ok album, very homemade standard indie rock with a nice enough vibe. 3/5

Brian Eno is a master of subtlety, though I think this was a slight step back from the progress he made on Another Green World. The atmospheric/ambient elements of this album weren't as well balanced as the tracks on the album, and both the instrumental and lyrical songs have a bit less sticking power. However, this is still a great album in it's own right. I would have just chosen to omit it on such a list to leave breathing room for Here Come the Warm Jets, Another Green World and Ambient 1. 3.7/5 -> 4/5