Reviews by uls980

Hoo boy. Well, guess I'm glad I'm getting this out of the way early???

I've never listened to Limp Bizkit before outside of whatever songs I ended up hearing inadvertently out in the wild, but I've basically made it a point to avoid listening to them like the plague. So while I'm giving this album the best shot, I can't avoid the fact that it's basically impossible to be objective, especially with how this album has basically been built up as a legendarily bad album.

That said, I'll start with the good. The music itself isn't offensive. It ranges from bad in an average way, to fairly solid, backed up with Wes Borland's guitar playing, which is easily the best thing about it. Some really cool sounding guitar parts, particularly in songs like It'll Be OK (probably the best track on the record music wise, very P.O.D. sounding but yeah), with the melodic parts. Boiler sits in the same kinda P.O.D./Tool lane, which is solid.

Otherwise, the music just kinda sits in a fairly repetitive and derivative space. Songs like Rollin' just repeat the same parts over and over again, and its not good. Lots of stuff aping off of bands like Incubus, Tool, and their other contemporaries.

But now for the bad, and what's bad is, yeah, shockingly bad. Firstly, I don't typically remark on this, but my God the artwork and the name of this record. I'd be embarrassed if I ever bought this. But what honestly does this album in is Durst's lyrics and vocals. The lyrics can be embarrassingly bad/cringe at times, and it's not helped by the high pitched, whiney vocals. The terrible interpolation of Nine Inch Nails in the first song proper was not a great introduction to what this album has to offer, and a lot of the lyrics on the first half of this album continue to just be awful. To be honest, second half I stopped paying attention to the lyrics, partly because there's only so much I can take, and partly because the music generally improved and gave me something positive to focus on. Also, what's with that awful sample of The Eagles? I don't even like The Eagles that much, and I'm offended for them.

The whiny/high pitched vocals though are the real killer of this album. You know those memes where someone posts a photo of a celebrity, and then photoshop a short version of them with the caption "Don't talk to me or my son ever again"? Yeah, that meme is Fred Durst on this record. Regular Durst is normal with the harsher, shouted vocals, while high pitched Durst is the tiny Mini-Me. Which is a hilarious image, but for the music itself sucks. Basically, he's trying to sound imposing and angry, but what it ends up accomplishing is him sounding small and whiney. Like if he got into a fight, he'd just end up doing the "I'm just a little guy, it's my birthday" routine, haha.

Lastly, this thing does not need to be an hour and fifteen minutes long. It doesnt *feel* that long, but it would have done the band better to release it as two separate LPs.

So yeah. Hard to be objective with this one, and yeah, it's bad, but with the music being passable to halfway decent, kinda surprised I'll be giving this a 2 instead of a 1. I can imagine a world where if they had a better vocalist/lyricist, they'd actually be a pretty decent band. On the other hand, without Durst's genius ability to brand, most likely wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as they were.

First couple songs were great with their kinda Depeche Mode meets New Order vibe. Seriously thought I was cruising towards an easy four on this one.

Quickly though, that dark vibe gave way to 90's pop type stuff, ballads, new jack swing, etc. Not that those aren't good tracks to go down, just I'm not feeling them as much in this context especially with the first couple songs being the vibe I was expecting. Fine album, but not really grabbing me.

Not that it doesn't deserve a 4, but I feel like I'm gonna be giving this album the 4 more based on it's influence than my personal enjoyment. Feel like when I started this project, I made a point to not do that and rate purely based on my enjoyment but this record kinda defies it. This album's sound is hyper specific and for me, not really one that I could put on just to listen to. It's basically a soundtrack and not an album to my ears, if that makes sense? And it's purely due to how it's influence has manifested since it's release, basically being a framework for every sci-fi film and video game going forward (and even some early 8 and 16 bit horror). I will say the back half is less soundtrack-y but still.

Mass Effect, Tron, Metroid (less so, but still), Axiom Verge, etc etc etc. all owe their existence to Kraftwerk and this album. Outside of those, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, and Depeche Mode. Their influence is undeniable.

Great stuff. Not something I'd necessarily go back to often (Metropolis was playlisted), but yeah.

Don't know what I was expecting going into this listen, but wasn't expecting an amazing proto-industrial post-hardcore record. The second the first song came on with its abrasive, lo-fi, but also clean production, I knew I was gonna like this thing. Checking the reviews, it's shocking to me that this is getting 2.7 average because with how noisy this record is, I'd expect harsher reviews.

The sound of this album is immediately influential from the first notes, basically predicting stuff like Godflesh's Streetcleaner, and even dance punk like Death From Above 1979 or synthpop/EDM bands like Crystal Castles.

Overall one of the best discoveries I've come across on this record that I hadn't heard before. Wasn't expecting it, but easy 5.

Not enjoying this one as much as Born to Run. Never realized how repetitive the title track, and some of the songs are a bit too poppy/country for me (Darlington County).

Still some good stuff on here though, Downbound Train, No Surrender, Glory Days (classic). Springsteen's vocals continue to be hit and miss.

Generally though, this album is just fine for me.

Solid record, but nothings really hitting my ear. Not Fallout-core enough to be in my wheelhouse, although You Done Me Wrong does scratch that itch. Mostly sits in a tempo thats *just* slow enough to not really grab my attention, especially with his vocals not being as bombastic as other artists around his time. Couple somgs verge into blues which I've found with this project that I'm just not big on. But still, solid record.

I've listened to this album before, and honestly it didn't do much for me at the time. I will say my opinion has improved upon it for this listen, but feel like it's still not an album that I'm super into. When the album hits, it absolutely hits. Tracks like Wouldn't It Be Nice? (Best track on the album), Sloop John B, I Know There's An Answer, and Pet Sounds are great. But when the album doesn't hit for me, its sitting in a slow or mid tempo spot that I'm not a huge fan of (You Still Believe in Me, Don't Talk, I Wasn't Made For These Times). Top it off with it being one of those psychedelic records with that really sharp, high pitched keyboard/piano sound. Think I referred to it as the sound of Ren Faire or something on previous records I've gotten. Don't think its quite that sound, but not far.

I will say, this is probably the best album of its genre, easy, just not my thing. I do prefer Surf's Up from The Beach Boys.

Generally have difficulty talking about 90's alt rock albums. I like them, just don't really got a ton to say. Think mainly just because a lot of 90's alt kinda just sounds similar to me unless it's very unique like Sleater-Kinney (or this band).

But I really enjoyed this record as it breaks the mold of a lot of the stuff that was coming out at the time which for me has been overplayed a bit (grunge). Not used to power pop being this effects-laden and fuzzy/grungy though, which is a breath of fresh air.

If I had a complaint its that the production is both a little all over the place and overly consistent/flat at the same time. Like the best tracks are the ones that are fuzziest. The Act We Act, Changes, A Good Idea. But those songs are very flatly produced. Not dynamic at all. Then we have songs like Hoover Dam (probably the weakest track) which is missing all of the fuzziness and grungyness. Sounds like a completely different band.

One of those albums I really don't want to give a 4, but I can't deny it. Can't explain why, but yeah. Really good album, and will probably listen again eventually, but what's really doing it is the lyricism is great.

I never really understood the whole "Bob Dylan" is a bad singer thing, dude just has sounded like he was 80 years old since he was 20, that's all it is.

But yeah, good album. Dylan probably doesn't need as many albums on the list as he has, but don't think this is one that should be cut. Will be interesting to listen to the others on the list.

Fantastic blues/southern rock, and the ability of the players is on showcase here being a live album. The 20 minute jam of You Don't Love Me is fantastic. But it's another album in the "I recognize it's great, it's just not really doing much for me" category. The further I get into this project, the more I'm realizing that I'm just indifferent to blues rock. There's some stuff that I like purely out of repetition from hearing it since I was born, but I can't bring myself to care about any music from the genre that I'm discovering now.

That said, I do have to question the idea of putting a live album on here from Allman as their only album on the list, as opposed to putting on something like Eat a Peach (which is still partially a live album to be fair). More of a philosophical debate as opposed to a commentary on the quality of the live records on the list, but I just prefer to lean towards the idea that live albums should have a harder time getting on the list. At the very least, a studio album should be considered before adding a live second IMO.

However, I'm aware this album was basically their breakthrough, and they belong on the list, so I'm basically arguing a losing battle here I feel, haha.

Never really been a Springsteen fan, always thought Bob Seger was better as far as Heartland Rock is concerned (and after listening to this album, it hasn't changed my mind). Bob Seger just has a grit that Springsteen is missing sometimes. I will always thank Manfred Mann for covering Blinded By the Light and making it an actual good song.

That said, I can't deny this is a great record. Some classics like Born to Run and Tenth-Avenue Freeze Out, and the rest are generally very good. Some of his singing can be hit and miss. He has a tendency to sometimes sound like he's swallowing his tongue when singing (She's the One, I'm looking at you).

Still a great record though.

Edit:
After listening to Nebraska and realizing I never came back to this album, I relistened to it again. I think it's still my favorite Springsteen album, it contains his best singing and I definitely know the hits. But I'm still gonna revise this down to a 3/5. I'm just not a fan of Springsteen.

Much, much, MUCH better than Iggy Pop's The Idiot. Absolute night and day.

Anyways, garage rock's never really been my thing. I like a song here or there (Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet, for example), but I'm not really clamoring for this type of music. Perfectly fine listen, but just not really my thing.

A very good album, my only problem is I'm kinda burnt out on The Cars. One of those "Its good, but if I never hear it again, I wouldn't be sad" albums/artists. Along with bands like Boston and Foreigner, I just really don't need to listen to them anymore, even if they are good.

Still getting a 4 because it is a good album, but yeah.

Perfectly serviceable punk, but yeah, just more British punk in the list. It's really interesting because this is the second punk/post-punk album I've got recently where the music's fine, but give that bassist a raise, lol. Gaye Advert's got some great basslines on this.

The highlight is Safety in Numbers. It's got a darker vibe to it compared to most of the album, which I like.

Honestly surprised by this record. I generally like the radio hits from The Beach Boys, but have never been a big fan. Remember listening to Pet Sounds and not really caring for it. But this is an extremely strong record. Some really interesting, unique ideas all over this record, particularly the song Long Promised Road. Take A Load Off Your Feet and Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) are also highlights.
Student Demonstration Time is probably the weakest song, but that's mostly due to the sound effects and not the song itself.

The album is a tad top heavy, but generally the whole album is strong. Probably one of the better psychedelic rock records (outside of Pink Floyd) I've heard.

I always dread 70's blues rock coming up on this list not because I dislike them, but because I feel like theres nothing interesting to say about the records? Like this album is fine. 3/5 for me, but I just don't really got much to say.

It's a little more interesting a listen than most psychedelic/blues rock, got some more interesting stuff going on, but still can't really point anything out.

Really only thing I can say is this band sounds at their best when they're more in a folk rock mode as opposed to blues or psychedelic rock.

Also, is this just the band that everyone and their mom rips off? I know of the Taurus/Stairway allegations, but Jesus, so much of this album sounds like later music I've heard. Like Animal Zoo I feel sounds like Steal My Sunshine by Len. They're definitely not the same, but they're similarish, lol.

Classic album. Generally the singles are better than the deeper cuts. Simple Man being the best track on the album.

For my money, Green Grass and High Tides by The Outlaws was always the better epic southern rock song vs Freebird. Green Grass just kept the same feel and vibe through the whole song, even in the solos, whereas Freebird switched it up and I always felt the two halves of the song kinda fought eachother.

Still a great track, just overplayed.

I first heard about this band in a Todd in the Shadows review and remember enjoying the song he clipped, and remember it sounding trip-hoppy, but other than that track, everything I've heard from this band sounds like this record. So yeah, I went in originally (Not for this record but the band in general) expecting a trip-hop vibe and I definitely did not get it, haha. This music wouldn't sound out of place as waiting music or in a soap opera. That isn't to say those are criticisms of the music, that's just the fact of the matter.

I will say, the amount of 1's this record is getting in the reviews both surprise me, and don't. In no universe is this a 1/5 record, it's just too good. The sheer quality of the songwriting is amazing, so many great little ideas, licks, bass notes, etc. all over this thing. But on the other hand, the amount of 1/5s does not surprise me at all in the sense it reminds me that it's sometimes a bigger crime to be boring than it is to be bad. Because at least with bad, you have something to talk about, to have fun with ripping into something. With something that's boring, even talking about it is boring (Although there are some good one liners in the reviews. I liked the "Everything But The Tunes" one).

That said, I don't think this record is necessarily boring, it's just a victim of it's style. There's no real upbeat song to engage the listener, and it quickly becomes background music. Every last track on this album is a slow ballad, with maybe a tune or two evoking a slight tropical vibe to get you out of the dirge of feeling like you're listening to the credits of Days of Our Lives.

For my tastes, this is a 3/5. It's not something I'd ever go back to, or the type of music I'd ever listen to, but it's just too good to be getting all these 1s and 2s. There's too many unique, little ideas in every song.
Definitely one of those, if this were up my alley, it'd be an *exquisite* record type situations. For what it is, it is damn near perfect, just not my vibe personally.

(I'll reserve my opinion for when I get the other EBTG album on the generator, but one record from them feels enough, haha. Lastly, shoutout to the name Everything But The Girl. That's a great name for a band).

Edit: I'm an idiot, and the Todd in the Shadows review was about EBTG (originally thought he mentioned them in passing). Also an idiot in that the song, Missing, is not trip hop, and its closer to a 90s EDM type thing, although Todd does compare it to Trip Hop even though it really isn't.

I've listened to this before but feel like I've kinda written it off before as just more grunge (I've definitely gotten a bit fatigued from overplaying grunge in recent years), and was put off with how messy Courtney Love was/is (although there is a mountain of context behind that, some deserved, a lot undeserved).

Listening to it again, I'm enjoying it a lot more the second time around as it doesn't sound grunge in the way Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, Pearl Jam, etc. sounded. Honestly sounds more in the vein of a Sleater-Kinney (guitar tone on some songs) or even something like a Death Cab for Cutie or Built to Spill, just with the trappings of grunge (more distortion, loud-quiet dynamic). It's got more of that Pacific Northwest "cloudy, drizzly, saltwater" sound than any of the grunge bands ever had.

Definitely have to give more listens, but yeah, great record.

I've mentioned before (particularly in my review of Wish You Were Here, which I gave a 5/5), that I'm not a fan of The Wall. Of all of Pink Floyd's post-Syd Barret albums that are the most well-regarded (Meddle, DSotM, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall), The Wall is far and away my least favorite.

Going into this listen, while I didn't care for it, it was always tough for me to pinpoint exactly why I didn't like it, mostly that I didn't like the sound of the album (it was too "gray and yellow" sounding, vague discription) and that it was too long/indulgent. I will say after listening to it this time, and paying far more attention than I ever did before, the gray and yellow criticism I don't feel is as accurate anymore. There's a lot more dimension to this record than I gave it credit for (in terms of colors, more blues and purples that I never noticed previously). I still don't particularly care for the sound of this album and I'll get more into that later as I do have new things to talk about, but it does get points for that.

Complaint B however, is still relevant as it is an overly long, indulgent record with some songs that just don't work for me.

But ultimately, getting back to my problems with the record, what I noticed this time around is that The Wall just doesn't work well as a listening experience. Aside from the singles (Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2, Young Lust, Hey You, and Comfortably Numb), most of the tracks on this album can't sustain themselves (along with some, while intentional, poor singing that grates). Not in the sense that they needed more time in the oven, but that there is a visual component missing. I've never seen the movie, but I imagine I'd appreciate The Wall more in that form, or especially in the form of a stage play. So many of these songs sound like they were made for a musical production. The thought of someone singing these on stage, acting out what's going on and whatnot sounds like a perfect match.

That said, I will say some of the singles are great, particularly Hey You which is easily one of the best Pink Floyd songs in their entire discography, with Another Brick Pt. 2 and Comfortably Numb being fantastic as well. I'm not super hot on Young Lust though because it has too much of that stage musical "sound" that the rest of the tracklist has, which I don't care for. But the thing that sets these songs apart from the rest of the record is that they work perfectly fine even if you divorce them from the rest of the album, I can actually playlist them, have them come up in shuffle, and enjoy them.

Overall, gained a greater appreciation for this record, but unfortunately that "greater appreciation" wasn't always positive. I would have given this a 3 previously, and while the reasons for that 3 have changed, the score has not.