Sodade -- Cesária Evora
Spotify- 3: Kind of just came in one ear and out they other, but it was a nice, relaxed five minutes, I suppose.
- 4: Reminds me of the show Narcos. Musically great.
- 3: fun, but not really for me
Sir Duke -- Stevie Wonder
Spotify- 4: Love Stevie Wonder
- 5: LISTEN TO THAT BASS OH MY GOD. This song is magnificent and filled with so much joy!
- 4: o_o nice
- 4: Great song but i here that goofy ass intro
Rebellion (Lies) -- Arcade Fire
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I Heard It Through The Grapevine -- Marvin Gaye
Spotify- 5: -
- 3: i really don’t get the hype for this song
- 2: boring
Tenalle chegret -- Tinariwen
- 2: This guy kind of songs like Damon Albarn. Other than that, pretty bad.
- 4: Tinariwen rock, don't know that I'd have picked this one specifically, but great great example of 'desert blues'.
- 3: Ehhhhh
- 4: Can't say I was super familiar with Malian music and this was a great tume.
Drone Bomb Me -- ANOHNI
Spotify- 2: Too much going on for it's own good.
- 4: Not my favourite song from the album but it still rates highly for me. Anohni’s voice brings me the greatest nostalgia because my mum played Antony and the Johnsons endlessly when I was young. I think Anohni’s move to electronic music was a risk but it’s certainly paid off.
- 3: Her voice is a lot better here than it was on the song I heard from I Am A Bird Now, but this song suffers from very "of its time" production and repetitiveness. Still, makes me hopeful for her music when I get around to it as a whole.
Run -- Snow Patrol
Spotify- 2: A weird, more emo-y version of Radiohead. It's just extremely boring, I'm not even offended by it like many songs similar to this, so it avoids the one star, but I imagine people who listen to this are going through such trying times like their middle school partner breaking up with them after a week and a cosmic brownie together.
- 3: Nice and dreamy, but a little generic and long.
- 3: No thanks
- 4: Pretty good, but about what you'd expect from post Britpop rock, with the added benefit of not being by Coldplay. Definitely well written, serious and sentimental without going overboard.
Vienna -- Ultravox
Spotify- 2: uhh I don't get it. Quite boring.
- 5: OH YES
Surfacing -- Slipknot
Spotify- 1: This has the same amount of annoying "edge" as a Limp Bizkit record, but at least that is funny at first. This is just abrasive.
- 4: Despite the cringy lyrics that screams "I'm an 'edgy' 14 year old!", it's quite well done and it sounds great, as far as '00s metal goes.
Whole Lotta Love -- Led Zeppelin
Spotify- 4: A couple of years ago i might have given this a 5. But zeppelin have much better songs and I’ve heard this one so many times,
- 4: K
- 3: Standard for a Led Zeppelin song. I guess if you had to hear one track to understand their significance this should be the one.
Are 'Friends' Electric? -- Gary Numan / Tubeway Army
Spotify- 4: I like this quite a bit. It hooks you in and gives you some great synth-pop. Just wish it was shorter or did more with it's time, but still jamming.
- 2: It’s just synthesizers and angst.
The Tears Of A Clown -- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
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Love Hurts -- The Everly Brothers
Spotify- 3: Easy to see why so many 60s acts were influenced by this two. Very tight harmonies. Unfortunately those acts did it better.
- 4: Everly Brothers songs are always so sweet and give me that fuzzy feeling
- 3: oldie
- 3: This is alright early 60s pop, but I seem to forget about this song every time I hear it until the next time, so it must not leave an impression.
White Rabbit -- Jefferson Airplane
Spotify- 2: I genuinely don't get this song. Why is it so popular? Why is it so important? It's like a build-up to an amazing payoff that never comes, and while I may enjoy the early bits a little bit, even in the short runtime that is forgotten with a boring build-up that, again, pays off to nothing, not even the next song on the album. Truly baffling.
- 5: A classic of psychedelia. What I’d imagine the feeling of being high is, and I think that might be what it’s going for.
- 5: still blows my mind - great lyrics, performance, vocals!
- 5: -
- 5:
- 3: Definitely an interesting song, and it was short. Didn't quite grab me enough for a higher rating.
Our Lips Are Sealed -- The Go-Go's
Spotify- 3: Some generic '80s dance pop with nothing special in it. I wonder if silence is really the best response to gossips, I guess it depends.
Hunger Of The Pine -- alt-J
Spotify- 2: This is a little try-hard, isn't it? Long on style, short on... everything?
- 4: Interesting.. I've been meaning to check this band out for a long while and I kinda dug this. A little weird but somewhat captivating.
- 4: Sounds like soundtrack of Drive. I like alt-J and this song in particular for this mix of light indie and mystical vibe. Great scope!
- 4: I really enjoyed this song. Never heard it before this listen. 4⭐ 4/5
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) -- Sylvester
Spotify- 4: My football team has adapted this song into a chant so got to score high. YOUUUU MAKE ME FEEEEEEEELLLLLL, DWIIIGGGHHHTTTT MCNEIILLLLLL
- 4: Got up from omy chair and did some spins. I can imagine the hit this was in the disco scene.
Marquee Moon -- Television
Spotify- 4: i was a little intimidated by the 10 minutes, but i didn't even notice the time passing, fun song.
- 5: An epic 11 min sonic journey.
Okie From Muskogee -- Merle Haggard
Spotify- 1:
- 2: Given his own fondness for weed this comes off as fairly ridiculous now. Guitar and voice sound great, the sing not so much.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn -- Beastie Boys
Spotify- 2: Rock rap. Prefer later Beastie Boys to be honest.
Stayin' Alive -- Bee Gees
Spotify- 4: Good old fashioned cheese
- 4: It's weird and high on novelty but I still like it.
- 5: Well fuck yeah.
Animal Nitrate -- Suede
Spotify- 1: What sexual frustration does to a mildly talented individual.
Mambo No. 5 -- Pérez Prado
Spotify- 5: I grew up with the Lou Bega version that was really annoying, but there's no denying this song. Imagine how hard it would've slapped in 1950
- 1: Not as offensive as the other version but still can’t stand it
- 3: Quite the horns section you got there.
- 3: I was vaguely familiar with that song from the 90s and never knew it sampled this. Makes sense. A bit of fun but nothing amazing.
Can't Be Sure -- The Sundays
Spotify- 5: tune
- 2: Boring with build up to nothing, but harmless.
Not Ready To Make Nice -- The Chicks
Spotify- 2: A song that is in response to the negative reaction of the (then) Dixie Chicks going against then President George W. Bush, in context you kind of understand the track a bit more. But almost twenty years later the song just sounds like your average "country girl won't back down" power tune for someone who isn't actually facing hardship but thinks they are, and I always feel the song should be enjoyable in and out of context. I'm not really in a bad mood, so the song gets two stars, but definitely isn't special by any means.
Tom Sawyer -- Rush
Spotify- 2: Fun, quirky, but a bit too self-indulgent, but hey, that's Rush.
212 -- Azealia Banks
Spotify- 3: Used to love this song when I was young. Still holds up but Azealia Banks is such a dickhead.
- 3: At first I thought it was budget Nicki Minaj, but I realized it's actually a bit better than Nicki's stuff.
Rumba Argelina -- Radio Tarifa
Spotify- 1:
- 3: Alright
- 2: This sounds like something you would hear as music to represent some vaguely foreign country in a Hollywood blockbuster.
- 4: Beautiful music! 4⭐ 4/5
Summertime -- Sarah Vaughan
Spotify- 3: Can't say I'm a fan of this cover. I like Summertime, but this version just doesn't work for me. I listened to the Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin from 1958 as I can't find the 1950 version referenced.
- 3: Tis nice, but don't think it should be on the list
Milk and Alcohol -- Dr. Feelgood
Spotify- 4: Never heard before. Enjoyed it
- 2: I don't get it.
- 2: meh
- 2: A nothing song from that wave of music where we were calling back to music that wasn't interesting the first time. Few bands have done it right, but this isn't one of them.
Burundanga -- Celia Cruz
Spotify- 3: I enjoy this sort of music usually, but this one felt pretty stereotypical, not sticking out too much. Something I'd jam to in public, but definitely not added to my rotation.
- 2: She has quite a voice, and the subject matter is interesting. Apparently, burundanga is a "mind control" drug or something. As a song, it's pretty uninteresting, but I can tell that it's trying to make a statement. Too bad I can't find a decent translation.
Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine -- James Brown
Spotify- 4: パブロフ犬
- 2: I don't know if I listened to the right version, but it was alright. Wish it did a little more though.
- 2: I am under the impression that every James Brown song from this era was made with the same riff, and with how long the songs are, that can be draining.
River Deep - Mountain High -- Ike & Tina Turner
Spotify- 4: RIP Tina
rot in hell Ike
Inner City Life -- Goldie
Spotify- 1: Apart from dancing, what's the point of listening to a basic beat loop and mediocre singing for 7 minutes?
- 2: Enjoyed it at first but after 6 minutes I was just bored
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye -- Ella Fitzgerald
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World Destruction -- Time Zone
Spotify- 2: Didn’t realise I knew this before I put it on. Not good though
- 2: Still a relevant message to this day but not the most listenable song.
- 4: At first the rapping felt a little choppy to be enjoyable, but the beat got so fucking good I was really into it by the end. Choppy rapping still, but they covered it up like a dream, and the lyrics are still pretty topical
- 4: Afrika and John? Of course its good
- 2: i, too, am in a time zone. imagine that.
A irmandade das estrelas -- Carlos Núñez
- 3: It was nice, but not much else to say.
- 3: Well, wasn't that renaissance faire fun?
- 2: What is this bagpipery? i'm confused. 2 star.
Crash into Me -- Dave Matthews Band
Spotify- 1: Just safe, bland music
- 2: Man, string of twos today. This feels extremely wishy washy, as if none of the pay-offs were meant to be anything more than a somber beach wave rather than the "crash" I'm being promised. It really lacks any sort of emotional energy to it, and in turn feels lazy, and not in a good way. Ups for being iconic, but that's all it has.
- 4: Beautiful song, great vocals
Me and the Devil -- Gil Scott-Heron
- 4: Never heard this before, but I like it man
- 3: That beat goes pretty hard, but Gil Scott-Heron's voice is definitely at an all time low here near the end of his life, and that is seriously a shame. Beat carries though, and you get used to the voice as the song goes.
- 3: It's interesting to hear how different his music was by this point. It was a little boring, but there was some interesting sounds.
Runnin' With The Devil -- Van Halen
Spotify- 4: It’s pretty awesome and I love the guitars, it’s not one of my personal all time favourites though.
Live Forever -- Oasis
Spotify- 4: Beautiful song. Really enjoyed it! 4⭐ 4/5
- 5: Nothing to say about this one
Blister in the Sun -- Violent Femmes
Spotify- 5: This might be the first "alternative" album I ever heard. I thought it was the weirdest thing I had ever heard. Was this guy serious? Is he actually angry or not? I hadn't heard punk before so the attitudes and forthright emotion confused my 12 year old brain.
I thought a lot about the lyrics in a way that I had never analyzed the records I liked from C+C Music Factory and Culture Club. When I was exposed to this record I also heard Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The vocals on those records were hard to make out at times but the vocals on Violent Femmes are so clear.
- 3: 3
Save Me -- Aimee Mann
Spotify- 2: Kinda bland and ordinary.
Love Hangover -- Diana Ross
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By This River -- Brian Eno
Spotify- 4: Glad to see that even after dipping into more ambient stuff with Another Green World Eno can jump back into pop with no hesitation. Excited to get this album.
Killing In The Name -- Rage Against The Machine
Spotify- 4: Pretty good. I don't think this is my favourite song of theirs, but I still quite enjoy it.
La bohème -- Charles Aznavour
Spotify- 3:
- 2:
- 5: Opening on that gorgeous piano playing and transferring it into that beautiful orchestra was completely and utterly the correct move, as the instrumentation blew me away on this song, and his voice certainly was not bad either. Perhaps a little repetitive, as not knowing the language makes it difficult to pick apart different lines save for the chorus, and I could see this being a song a modern production would obnoxiously speed up, but this song is amazing.
Can the Circle Be Unbroken -- The Carter Family
Spotify- 3: An incredible recording of an evocative song
- 3:
Rocket 88 -- Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats
Spotify- 2: Meh. Nothing music.
- 4: Bit repetitive. Bit catchy.
- 3: Foundation of Rock and Roll right there, paving the way.
Java Jive -- The Ink Spots
Spotify- 3: A neat little historical curiosity but nothing really special.
- 2: Ink Spots have one guitar intro. The song gets some excuse from the age, but can you imagine a song just about coffee and that's it being a big hit nowadays? Music would be so boring.
- 2: It’s fine but I can’t see myself listening to this ever & the quality doesn’t help
Bang a Gong (Get It On) -- T. Rex
Spotify- 4: Big fan of its bluesy brand of rock. Although I didn't realize until now that its lyrics is basically a collection or weird, poorly made pick-up lines. My favorites include "you've got the teeth of the hydra upon you", "you're built like a car", and "you're an untamed youth".
I also couldn't stop muttering "bang a gong" whenever I read it, it leaves a funny feeling in my tongue. How did he pronounce it again? "bengenong"? He was trying hard to rhyme it with "get in on".
Despite all these, I quite enjoyed this dirty little track.
- 3: I like T. Rex, but this isn't my favourite song of theirs. It's a bit long, and the rock 'n' roll sound that's a bit present in this doesn't do much for me. I love his voice though.
Hard to Beat -- Hard-Fi
- 3: M'eh
- 3: Fine. No more, no less.
- 4: It's right up my street- mid 2000s British indie, but it's missing that little spark that could make it a true classic. Otherwise, pretty good fun.
The Message -- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Spotify- 4: Well, this is cool. This sounds a lot more like what hip-hop would become, which is crazy because it's happening at the same time as rappers that still have that awkward flow to their songs talking about how cool they are, and not much else. This feels like a message, which is exactly the point, and it's cooler for it.
Back In Black -- AC/DC
Spotify- 1: You know what band I can't stand that makes many a middle-aged man gasp? AC/DC. Even their famous songs make me shudder from how obnoxious it all is. The guitar playing does not feel emotional in the slightest, just like its trying to show off, and those vocals man. They make my ears bleed. Not to mention how overplayed it all is. It's just great uncle rock, and it makes me livid. There are better hard rock bands, I assure you, don't settle for less.
- 5: This is fun and catchy as fuck. I thought the entire album was a 3.5 (rounded up to a 4) when I heard it over at/for the 1001 album generator, but this song is great.
- 5: It's fucking AC/DC. Turn it up loud and enjoy some good old hard rock.
- 5: Hell yeah! Arguably AC/DC's most headbanging song. This gem always pumps me up since I heard it for the first time I was in my highschool days.
- 3: This is a song by AC/DC. There are many like it, but this one is Back In Black.
- 5: I miss the 80s. I wasn't born then, but still.
- 2: I have a deep hatred for ACDC
- 1: A light one star. Didn't absolutely hate it, but it was getting on my nerves by the end and I wasn't exactly enjoying it anyway. I don't think I like AC/DC.
- 5: Perfect song
I'm In Love With A German Film Star -- The Passions
Spotify- 3: Basic, straightforward Eighties pop
- 3: Hey I live in Germany but haven't fallen in love with any German film stars. A funky little tune that is a bit catchy but hard to separate from other similar early 80s songs.
- 3: Grand
Get Ur Freak On -- Missy Elliott
Spotify- 5: A completely biased review with no shame. A huge fan of, not only this song, Missy in general.
The repetitive driving beat might not be for everyone, but it's what first attracted me to the song. I also know the background that makes me say this is a must hear.
During a male-dominated phase of rap, Missy came on the scene with skills very few of the men had. She had the chops and the ultimate B-girl style. She didn't have to dress trampy to get you to notice her. She has the talent, so there's no need to resort to low-level tactics to get you to notice her. She's the real deal, blazing a trail for many women. But she's "Copywritten, don't copy me."
- 2: Not my thing but I can appreciate the uniqueness
City of New Orleans -- Steve Goodman
Spotify- 5: Folk americana excellence
- 1: What psrt of the world needed this? In the early 70s, no less? It never stops to amaze me how much country music has persisted despite me seeing nothing but hate for it from anyone who actually cares about music. I mean, old school country definitely has its place all the time, but this doesn't feel like that.
Born In The U.S.A. -- Bruce Springsteen
Spotify- 1: Other than finding it incredibly funny how much certain people misunderstand the point of this song, it does kind of blow. The chorus is super repetitive, and so is the rest of the song for that matter. Not to mention Springsteen's awful voice, it leads to a cheesy song with a decent message covered in over production and annoying tropes.
Camarón -- Pata Negra
Spotify- 4: Interesting song. Not super familiar with Spanish blues but I dug it.
- 2: Bland and forgettable. Fun for some, I suppose? I don't hate it, just can't remember it moments after hearing it.
Clandestino -- Manu Chao
Spotify- 2: Eh, I remember thinking nothing for this album, and I think nothing here either.
- 3: -
- 3: Neat little song. Reading about this guy is impressive. Saying that it isn't anything special.
- 3: Marijuana illegal
Fell In Love With a Girl -- The White Stripes
Spotify- 5: such a fun song
- 5: love this one
- 5: This is an enjoyable two minutes. I used to be obsessed with this song for a little bit, and I still like it. Maybe not my favourite song of theirs, but really good regardless.
Friday On My Mind -- The Easybeats
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Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 -- The Isley Brothers
Spotify- 5: An all time great cover too!
- 5: How could this song not make you jump right out of your seat and start dancing
Always On My Mind -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 4: Willie Nelson did it best, however, this is a beautiful song by Elvis, especially considering the background and relationship with Priscilla. 4⭐ 4/5
- 3: I forget that this isn't a Pet Shop Boys song a lot. I prefer that upbeat version to this slightly too sappy original.
I Will Always Love You -- Dolly Parton
Spotify- 3: terrific vocal
- 4: I love you Dolly
Dust My Broom -- Elmore James
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I'll Take You There -- The Staple Singers
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Where Is My Mind? -- Pixies
Spotify- 5: easy peasy 5 stars, next
- 4: I like me some Pixies and this is my top song off of Surfer Rosa, but it still doesn't soar to the heights my favourite songs reach.
- 4: An incredibly iconic song that transcends the scenes it came feom to just be an excellent pop song as well as alternative rock hit. The impact of this song, especially compared to other Pixies songs, doesn't hit quite as hard since I've heard it SO. MUCH, but it is still great.
I Love Rock n' Roll -- Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Spotify- 2: Don't people get sick of this song? It's fine, but is it really worth It's iconic status?
- 1: I really hate this song
- 3: I hear this all the time, but I don't mind it. It's solid. Has probably been overplayed for me, but oh well.
Bok-Espok -- Kepa Junkera
Spotify- 4: I don't listen to any accordion music, so this was a treat. It's very lively and pleasing to the ears. I like it!
- 3: Better than I expected an accordion-based track to be. Still not something I'd tell other people to listen to before they die.
- 2: I started this song liking what it was doing, but it never really changed that four minutes in, and the lack of vocals made this feel way too repetitive.
Your Ghost -- Kristin Hersh
Spotify- 3: Pretty good, nothing outstanding
The First Cut is the Deepest -- P.P. Arnold
Spotify- 3: I think I prefer Cat Steven's version over this cover.
- 4: this song is so lovely
- 2: Eh, I really thought nothing whilst listening to this. Her voice is nice, I suppose.
21 Seconds -- So Solid Crew
Spotify- 2: The creation of grime is attributed to this song... don't know how much I dig that, because this song was really just okay. Then again, so is grime.
I Put A Spell On You -- Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Spotify- 4: Great song, but if this was Nina Simone's cover then it's a 5
- 4: This guy's got some pipes
- 5:
Super Freak -- Rick James
Spotify- 2:
- 3: I really like his voice, but the song could last only one round of verse and chorus and I'd be more satisfied. It's kind of repetitive after that. It's weird, I've known this song for years but I think this is the first time I've heard it all the way through.
Connection -- Elastica
Spotify- 5: I used to say, to anyone who would listen, that if Elastica came out of NYC in the late 70s then they'd be as big as Blondie, The Stooges etc... I used to say this until someone pointed out that the main riff here is ripped off from Wire's 1977 song Three Girl Rhumba. But still, cracking tune and one of my favourite debut albums ever. Yes... EVER.
- 3: Too short to really become anything worth praising, but alright in that small time.
- 2: Kind of a weird sound going on here... Don't really dig it.
- 4: Just proper cool
- 5: hey this rocks, influenced my powerness of sound
Sweetness -- Yes
Spotify- 4: Weird hearing a 60s version of Yes, as you can definitely hear the style of music from the time. Pretty pop-y, too, but a really solid tune, albeit a tad aimless.
- 2: Some cheesy post-psychedelic rock effort that I don't really care about. Reminds me of The Carpenters in some places.
Love Will Tear Us Apart -- Joy Division
Spotify- 5: I would understand someone saying this is one of the best songs off all time. Perfecting every part of what makes post punk so good, while also nailing the upcoming rise of new wave into 80s pop before most could even get their hit just shows how good the album is. Plus, the members of New Order credit No. 1 In Heaven to inspiring this song, so of course I love it. Singing is darkly mesmerizing, and the guitar is something I can only assume something Sonic Youth was quite inspired by.
(Looking for) The Heart Of Saturday Night -- Tom Waits
Spotify- 2: Couldn't connect with it. Musically, a good song. Just couldn't connect. 2⭐ 2/5
- 3: Tom Waits is an amazing songwriter. However this is not one of my favorite songs by him and I prefer Shawn Colvin’s cover.
- 3: Close to being a four yet again, but I think just one run of the verse and chorus would've been good enough for this song, leaving it shorter, as otherwise it just feels repetitive.
- 3: I see Tom Waits I shudder. I am not a fan of his later work but this is from an early album where he didn't sound horrible. So this was listenable. Unlike his later stuff which I can't stand.
Israelites -- Desmond Dekker & The Aces
Spotify- 5: Absolute jambolini
- 5: beautiful
- 3: Pretty chill and a relaxed listen, but nothing too deep and I doubt it'll stick with me.
- 3: Enjoyable enough. Really don't have much to say about it.
7 Seconds (feat. Neneh Cherry) -- Youssou N'Dour
Spotify- 1: Absolutely not my kind of thing
- 3: I was familiar with the name but this didn't excite me a huge amount. Just pretty standard music and nothing special.
Shake, Rattle and Roll -- Big Joe Turner
Spotify- 2: Certainly an iconic song, but this sort of music does not interest me pretty much at all. It just feels so held back by the normalities of the era. Let the instruments ring out! Use that voice I know you have! Do something!
- 2: I don't think this could be a contender for the first rock and roll song.
- 4: Great!
- 4: Great song
Heartattack And Vine -- Tom Waits
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Eyes To The Wind -- The War On Drugs
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Sam Stone -- John Prine
Spotify- 2: omfg sad enough? I dislike this very much.
Great Southern Land -- ICEHOUSE
Spotify- 3: This song is like hearing a classic new wave song that is completely new to everyone. I enjoy the synths in this song, they're cold and mysterious, like a proto-Depeche Mode, but the vocals and lyrics leave a lot to be desired, and the song is too long.
- 4: Never heard this before. A grest reason to do this list. What a tune. I'm in love with it. I wonder would it be a 5 if I was more familiar with it. I'm hearing Bowie influences and maybe this influended Eno era U2.
- 3: Pretty good
Stand by Me -- Ben E. King
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A Case Of You -- Joni Mitchell
Spotify- 4: Beautiful song
- 4: -
- 3: Nice
- 4: Love it. Just wish Joni would put her music back on Spotify.
Layla -- Derek & The Dominos
Spotify- 5: This is one of the songs that inspired me to pick up the guitar. One of my favourite songs of all time.
- 5: Sure it's a stone cold classic.
- 3: Yeah, the guitar riff is iconic and the first half of the song is good, but what is the point of that piano bit at the second half? I generally like piano but it is so dull and long and unnecessary that it really brings the song down from what it could be.
- 2: -
All I Have to Do Is Dream -- The Everly Brothers
Spotify- 5: I love this malt shop, holding hands, going steady, sock hop stuff. It's so wholesome but didn't stand a chance when Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis hit the scene.
- 4: A classic... Not sure if I prefer this or Roy Orbison's cover!
- 5: gee whiz!
- 4: Reminds me of Roy Orbison as is the first Everly Brothers song for me to actually like quite a bit. Just very enjoyable and I'd even say ahead of its time a little if this is '58
At The Hop -- Danny & The Juniors
Spotify- 3: Oh, it's this song! This is alright, but not really one for the old school rock 'n' roll of the era. Still, catchy enough. Love the "bah" part.
- 3: Just a really fun song
- 2: Meh with a capital M
Immigres/Bitim Rew -- Youssou N'Dour
Spotify- 2: -
- 4: Despite this not fitting my usual M.O. when it comes to my music tastes, I actually really like the beach vibe of this song, while still feeling like a party song. Like a good song in the background of a beach BBQ. Too long for sure, but I enjoy the parts I do like enough.
- 2: I got nothin. Thought I was going to Wakanda
Iris -- The Goo Goo Dolls
Spotify- 1: Really can’t stand this song
- 4: Heard this song many times before but never knew the name. Good song ofc but a bit overplayed.
Respect -- Aretha Franklin
Spotify- 5: The lyrics is actually interesting. A window to the rather shady domestic relationship between a man and a woman in the '60s. Some sections are amusing and mildly sexual (what does "sock it to me' even mean?). Putting all these aside, I think it's already well-known that Franklin turned Redding's tune into a soul masterpiece here. Not a big fan of '60s soul, but she has the unique energy that I loved.
- 3: Rolling Stone's best song of all time, and it's just alright, something doesn't add up here... I mean, it's alright, and maybe I've just heard it too much, but this feels too safe musically for the lyrics at play. Add something in there I'd never expect Aretha Franklin to do, something like that!
- 5: the queen
- 4: total jam
Me Myself And I -- De La Soul
Spotify- 2: I want to like this but…
- 5: Masterpiece from what I can recall... Because I get listen to this anywhere
- 4: I love the back beat on this one, and the flow is interesting because it's still old school mentality with the pacing, but there's no unneeded space.
Stormy Weather -- Lena Horne
Spotify- 2: I like her voice and this style of music, but it loses me after a bit, and I think the song loses structure too.
Move Your Body -- Marshall Jefferson
Spotify- 2: Pretty good but too long
- 4: Classic house banger, with brilliantly blended piano and beats, but obviously not great art in terms of lyrics. Catchy as hell though.
Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns -- Mother Love Bone
Spotify- 2: The vocals remind me of Axl Rose, but the music is just generic late 80s hard rock. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't get why a song being long instantly means it's some sort of worthwhile piece of music history. Didn't hate it, but will never remember this.
Remedy -- The Black Crowes
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Shock The Monkey -- Peter Gabriel
Spotify- 3: Interesting little song. Weird concept too. But it sound really sound 80s.
- 2: Eh, I like Peter Gabriel, but this didn't do much for me. Kind of repetitive.
Strict Machine -- Goldfrapp
Spotify- 3: Like a female fronted muse doing Donna Summer. Not bad but not much to it
- 4: Fantastic song, mix of daydream vocals and dirty bass. I love a lot of songs from Goldfrapp, instead of full albums.
Flux -- Bloc Party
- 4:
- 2: I remember Bloc Party had a song in Guitar Hero III and I always thought they were one of the weird unknown bands that paid to be there because I hadn't heard of them other than that, but it seems they actually have a pretty big grasp on this era of indie music? Could've fooled me, as the beat on this song is good, but the vocals and the actual tone of the song is more boring than anything.
Shake Your Head -- Was (Not Was)
Spotify- 2: I thought I'd never heard of this band but I did know Walk the Dinosaur. This reeks of mediocrity.
You Want It Darker -- Leonard Cohen
Spotify- 3: Despite my thoughts that this album may be one of Cohen's best works, the titular track never struck a chord with me like the others on the album. I think the chanting accompanying Cohen is too much, and while the gravel voice is amazing, it makes it so the two are fighting with each other too much. What could be a very personal sounding piece just sounds over produced. Still a good song, but far from the best on the album.
- 5: Indeed I do Leonard, indeed indom amazing song.
- 5: cohen's requiem
- 2: oh ffs
- 4: cool
Interstate Love Song -- Stone Temple Pilots
Spotify- 3: Not my favourite hit of theirs, but not bad.
- 3: Very generic 90s sounding rock to me.
- 3: it was ok
- 5: One of the greatest mainstream grunge records of the '90s.
R.I.P. Scott Weiland
4.5/5
Knoxville Girl -- The Louvin Brothers
Spotify- 1: This song is so dreadful that I don't ever wanna hear this kind of music again. The "harmonies" are nothing, the lyrics are nothing, and that twang isn't charming, it's obnoxious. Must've sucked to live in an era before good music existed. I kid, but if this is representational of the mid-50s, then dear God.
We The People.... -- A Tribe Called Quest
Spotify- 5: Holy shit, that bass! Short and very sweet, this rocks.
- 3: I like A Tribe Called Quest, but since this almost 2 decades after their previous release, it just didn't hit as hard.
Pretty in Pink -- The Psychedelic Furs
Spotify- 4: Love this.. Never knew of the band
- 3: Not the best song by this band, and not one I think much of, but still better than a lot of music.
- 2: The far lesser of the two big Psychedelic Furs songs, this song is really just nothing 80s pop.
I Can't Stand The Rain -- Ann Peebles
Spotify- 3: Good
- 4: Yacht
- 3: First time hearing the original version of this song. Missy Elliott definitely sampled the best part of this song.
- 4: One for the summer playlist
Piss Factory -- Patti Smith
Spotify- 4: I love how erratic the piano is in this, it really matches the lyrics and the feeling of the song. I don't think I exactly know what the song is saying though, and it would be hard to want to listen to this just casually, but still a really good first listen.
- 4: What can I say? It’s Patti Smith
- 2: Patti Smith is one of those artists I know I should like. She is talented and has been a huge influence on so many artists. I can appreciate “Piss Factory” and Patti Smith’s talent as a poet. But, I lost interest in it quickly and it just became background noise.
Rapper's Delight -- The Sugarhill Gang
Spotify- 2: Like the instrumentals but eh
- 2: Man, this is so funky, and the rapping, while generic, is super satisfying, this song should be great!
Why is it fifteen minutes long. There is literally no reason. It goes from being good to just alright to annoying by the end of the song. There's a shorter version, but I imagine this is the "intended" version, for some reason. Then you start to think like "This is just Good Times by Chic" and that you've heard the same line like four times, and you start to get even more annoyed.
- 5: Hell yeah. Love this song. The song that introduced the masses to hip-hop. Such a banger all these years later.
Tomorrow Never Knows -- The Beatles
Spotify- 3: With it's deconstructed lyrical pattern and reverse-tracked guitars, this was the possibly the peak psychedelic trip of the Beatles 7 year recording career. It defines the genre and breaks it at the same time. You can hear the ego breaking down before it reconstructs itself into a new self.
- 4:
- 4: Very well produced song. 4⭐ 4/5
- 4: I'm a huge Beatles fan, but this song has always been one that I shied away from. I quite like the version of this combined with Within You Without You. The songs compliment each other well. I've come to appreciate this song a bit more upon listening for this review. Not my favourite song of theirs, but still an interesting listen. Must have been very interesting for the time.
Season Of The Witch -- Donovan
Spotify- 1: So they're just taking the singles from the 1001 album list to fill this out?
- 3: I can see Donovan wears his inspirations on his sleeve, while still adding his own thing. Not my kind of jam but I understand the appeal enough to like it.
Walk on By -- Dionne Warwick
Spotify- 5: Nice Doja Cat cover
- 4: Weird to hear this right after that new Doja Cat song sampled it, but this is nice too. It's quant while still having that dramatic flair pop music had at the time. I love the little horn part, it's brief but satisfying.
Televators -- The Mars Volta
Spotify- 2: Nope
- 3: This was interesting. I've been curious about Mars Volta, and I think I might kind of like their stuff based off of this.
Mack the Knife -- Bobby Darin
Spotify- 3: What an upbeat tune for something questionably sinister lyrically. I like it, but I wish it was even more bombastic, sadly a restriction of production at the time.
- 2: Not a big fan of this
- 3: A classic song in a way but not anything out of the ordinary.
- 3: It's okay. I've never been a big fan of this cover of the song. There are better ones out there.
Personal Jesus -- Depeche Mode
Spotify- 4: I'm always back and forth on my feelings for Depeche Mode, but this song is definitely a constant good part of it. I really like the main chunk of it, I just think the last minute or so comes off as a bit "club mix"-esque as is overall unnecessary. The rest is Personal Jesus, you know it's good.
- 5: Even as I've listened to more music by Depeche mode, this has always been a favourite of mine. I prefer the single version, but either is fine, really.
I Want to Take You Higher -- Sly & The Family Stone
Spotify- 3: I got this album fairly early into my album generator, and I liked the album quite a bit, and I also surprisingly remember this song pretty well despite not adding it to my usual musical rotation, but that doesn't change the fact that I wish it was shorter and did more, as it feels it stops growing moments in and never goes past that in the next four minutes or so. Still good, though.
El Muerto Vivo -- Peret
Spotify- 4: I find it funny how much more varied in country origin this list is compared to the album list, considering their compiled by the same person, but either way, they definitely know which songs to pick most of the time. Short and sweet.
- 3: Uhh it's fine I guess? Missing the context of him and even looking up he just does Catalan rumba? Sounds like other rumbas I've heard.
- 5: This was really fun; great example of rumba
I Want You Back -- The Jackson 5
Spotify- 5: Certified banger.
- 3: This is a decent song, but it has played far too much to be anything notable anymore to me.
- 5: Such a fun, catchy song. The music in the song is amazing, I can see what it's considered one of the most sampled songs ever. Hard to believe the song is sung by a 11 or 12 year old and yet doesn't sound like a novelty act!
- 5: this song is undeniable
- 3: Decent soul-funk with undeniably impressive kiddie vocals. I'm pretty sure I heard this somewhere before, I just don't remember where.
- 4: If you can set aside all the ugliness involving Michael Jackson, his father, all that. This is a great pop song.
One -- Metallica
Spotify- 4: Opening is great, change in tone is great, guitar is great. Just wish it was a tad shorter.
Eight Miles High -- The Byrds
Spotify- 4: Yeah pretty cool track tbh, busy in a good way
- 4: Very peaceful song which just brings visions of the 1960s
- 3: An okay song but nothing special. The Byrds have better songs.
- 3: Bitje zweverig nje
One -- U2
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Rock On -- David Essex
Spotify- 1: With a title like Rock On, you'd except this song to rock. It doesn't rock. It's not even that good. Sounds like a demo version of a song that might be some filler.
- 4: This was cool, cool bass, cool guitar, cool vibes throughout.
- 2: Didn't know what to expect with this. It was pretty boring.
- 4: the only way is David Essex
- 2: Boring but inoffensive.
Rocky Mountain High -- John Denver
Spotify- 5: like rocky mountain higggghhh the way john denver singggggs
- 2: I've got no clue what this song is about, I'm gonna be honest. Otherwise, it's fine.
Marcus Garvey -- Burning Spear
Spotify- 5: reggae classic
- 4: Really great song
- 5: big tune
- 3: It's okay, but not overwhelmingly good. Perhaps it's my relative ignorance of reggae, and a greater familiarity of the genre would lead to a greater feeling for this, but I don't sense much spark. And is Marcus Garvey that praiseworthy a figure?
NoRadio, signing off.
Wardance -- Killing Joke
Spotify- 1: this was horrible
- 2: When I got this album I didn't realize it was some important part of industrial music, I just knew it was loud and often annoying. Re-listening to this song doesn't change my mind, even with my newfound knowledge.
- 2: Pretty generic punkish sounding stuff. Nothing special. Completely forgettable.
- 2: I can picture the movie-based mad scientist villain who is behind all these fascinating punk-ish sound. Btw, I suggest he get some cough drops.
Alternative Ulster -- Stiff Little Fingers
Spotify- 5: I wasn't even born when this came out and I've obviously never lived through anything like The Troubles but "Alternative Ulster" takes me there in less than three minutes.
- 3: I like it, but I don't think I'm gonna remember this track by the end of the day.
- 4: My kind of punk.
Black Hole Sun -- Soundgarden
Spotify- 5: Need I say more?
- 5: I beat my personal best on DK Summit to this song.
Do You Love Me -- The Contours
Spotify- 4: Stuck between 3 and 4 for this one. Great song that just makes me want to dance. But also overstays it’s welcome a bit
Pushin' Too Hard -- The Seeds
Spotify- 4: It was a very, very sixties song but the sound of this song definitely felt like it was the kind of song/band that would influence the surf punk sound that became a thing a decade or so later. All in all, even though this is not my thing, I do like surf punk and this sounded influential to that genre.
- 2: Not interesting
- 3: These guys almost invented punk rock with this song.
Waterfalls -- TLC
Spotify- 3: Conscious R&B from the 90s. This was an especially commercial hit from the genre.
- 3: I wasn't a fan of this album in general, but this song is actually pretty alright.
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) -- Buzzcocks
Spotify- 5: Saw this song live yesterday and it was so so so great
- 4: Oh, it's this song, (that's twice today that's happened) I don't think I've ever given this track a good listen, but this is pretty good! It's like punk, but not really, which makes it better than most punk! I kid, but this still feels like something that'd be in a movie that I would seek out for years afterwards.
- 4: :) Music that makes you smile.
Ms. Jackson -- Outkast
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Famous Blue Raincoat -- Leonard Cohen
Spotify- 4: I don’t like cohen but enjoyed this immensly
Hula Girl -- Sol Hoopii
Spotify- 3: Quite an enjoyable little song, but I can't give it a higher rating.
- 4: Spongebob music, but in a good way, with a really good chorus.
Paradise City -- Guns N' Roses
Spotify- 2: It's fine, just not one of my favorites on the album. Kinda boring to do the same thing over and over, even if the song does kind of go hard.
One Fine Day -- The Chiffons
Spotify- 3:
- 4: I really love this era of music, so too did George Harrison, only difference being I'll admit it!
Stay Together For The Kids -- blink-182
Spotify- 4: Teen agnst
- 1: -
- 1: Yeah, divorce sucks and all, but so do both of the singers' voices, and blink-182 as a whole for that matter.
With Every Heartbeat -- Robyn with Kleerup
Singin' In The Rain -- Gene Kelly
Spotify- 4: still holds up
- 5: Clockwork Orange anyone?
Song To The Siren -- This Mortal Coil
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I Believe in a Thing Called Love -- The Darkness
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Soul Makossa -- Manu Dibango
Spotify- 2: It's fine, but a bit boring and repetitive.
- 3: Love the sax and the bass. Despite the fact that there is a lot happening in this song, it also feels a little boring; some of the ideas seem to exist in separate hemispheres.
- 2: Funky and groovy but not for me
- 3: It was fine
Only Love Can Break Your Heart -- Saint Etienne
Spotify- 2: Generic twee pop
- 4: I'm a little suprised, since I thought I wouldn't care for this album on the generator, but I really enjoyed this song. It feels just enough like its era to be enjoyable without being hindered. I am also shocked by the amount of covers on here, as it makes me wonder how much of this list is made up of them. Only 4 rather than 5 because of the long ending, but otherwise very good.
Rhythm Nation -- Janet Jackson
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New Rose -- The Damned
Spotify- 3: Upbeat but lacking depth
- 5: Iconic song
- 4: I give it up for all punk - especially early punk - but I'm not sure if this one is what I would put on my own 1001 list.
- 3: I read that this is the first punk single released in the UK which is interesting. Still sounds like a ton of other punk songs.
- 3: typical damned song
The Only Living Boy in New York -- Simon & Garfunkel
Spotify- 3: It feels like this song is almost there for me, but I almost want it to go more bombastic with it's sound, and it keeps it mellow. That's expected for Simon & Garfunkel, but it does leave me wanting more. Still good.
- 5: I don’t know how Simon and Garfunkel made such consistently wonderful music but they did. Their music just fills me with the fuzziest feeling. I’m a sucker for those harmonies.
Heroin -- The Velvet Underground
Spotify- 4: Among the best songs about drugs that Ive ever heard. I love the messy yet straightforward lyrics, and the slow-fast sound that gives me the impression of a state of mind immediately feeling the "rush" associated with drugs like heroin. The drums specifically give me an impression of a heart rate increasing suddenly upon use, which is weird considering that heroin slows down cardiorespiratory functions as far as my quick research is concerned. But who am I, who didn't experience it, to judge?
- 5: I mean it’s amazing and it’s not even one of my personal favourites off that album, nothing wrong with a bit of heroin.
- 3: like the speed ups
familiar yet interesting
- 4: Torn between 4 & 5.
- 3: Velvet underground but only sometimes in doses
One Armed Scissor -- At the Drive-In
Spotify- 5: Six out of five. This whole record is a masterpiece. I remember seeing the video for this song on MTV and being blown away. I hadn't heard anything like this at the time. The vocals, lyrics, labyrinthine guitar lines, manic drumming all hit me hard. When this came out in 2000 it felt like everything had already been done as far as the rock genre was concerned.
- 5: Midway through the song I was like "this sounds like the Mars Volta" and then it clicked that this was the band before the Mars Volta. I'd heard the name before but didn't make the connection. Great stuff since I enjoy the Mars Volta.
Energy Flash -- Joey Beltram
Spotify- 4: What a tune!!
- 1: I too like to play around in Fruity Loops.
- 1: I dont need 6 minutes of this
- 1: "Choose your car"
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry -- Hank Williams
Spotify- 2: Okay, but only a few excel at the slog that is most country, and this really doesn't do it for me. At least it's not the Louvin Brothers.
- 3: Not amazing, but solid. I like the somber tone of the song, but I usually don't like country that much. This is pretty standable country though.
Riot in Cell Block No. 9 -- The Robins
Spotify- 3: don't love the guy's voice. this is OK.
- 4:
Party Fears Two -- The Associates
Spotify- 1: Six-year-old me doing make-believe opera be like:
- 2: So 80s, look at that album cover. Such overdramatic signing.
A Change Is Gonna Come -- Sam Cooke
Spotify- 3: good enough
- 3: I like Sam Cooke. But I don’t what it is about this song I don’t enjoy.
- 3: The song sounded like it was still building up to something greater when it ended, and that was disappointing. The orchestra was nice, though.
Tilted -- Christine and the Queens
Spotify- 4: like
- 5: Hell yeah loved this
Waterloo Sunset -- The Kinks
Spotify- 5: Actually my favourite song of all time. Unbelievably beautiful.
- 5: Hey, I just heard this for the first time yesterday! Already know it's a five star, though, The Kinks are seriously evolving to be a favorite of mine, despite always thinking they were "just another British invasion band".
- 5: I've learned recently that I really enjoy the Kink's, and this song only helps to strengthen that. It kind of blew me away. I love the changes in this song.
Voulez-Vous -- ABBA
Spotify- 4: This song and whole album is super funky, ABBA definitely understood disco. Just wish this song was shorter, could use a radio edit.
- 5: hmmm i recognize the "voulez vous" chorus from one house song (the charles j one), which is funny because i am previously unfamillar with the song until now.
well, this song is catchy, i think.
- 2: Apparently, it means "do you want?". Well, my answer to that would be a "non".
- 5: ABBA can do no wrong in my eyes
- 5: I love me some ABBA. Just so hooky and catchy. Infinitely listenable.
Heartbreak Hotel -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 2: 2
- 2: There is so much Elvis on this list, which I guess makes sense, but he has yet to stick out to me via this generator, despite the album generator showing me he does have good tracks. This one has a walking bass that, while simple, does make me tap my foot, and that's basically the only thing carrying the song for me. Repetitive in that short run time, but I suppose the guitar finally does pay it off.
A New England -- Billy Bragg
Spotify- 3: i like the reverb
- 3: Very poignant lyrics. It’s an okay song.
- 2: -
Through The Wire -- Kanye West
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In A Broken Dream -- Python Lee Jackson
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Diaraby Nene -- Oumou Sangaré
Spotify- 3: idk
- 1: Doesn't do it for me, I guess I'm just not suited to Malian folk music.
- 3: Not really my thing, nothing jumps out at me
- 3: General: first song I’ve not heard of the artist before. Probably the first artist from Mali I’ve ever listened to, I love this style of African rhythms blended with other more traditionally western instruments. (4/5)
Instrumentation: the instrumentation is quite complex. The guitar and other string parts playing off eachother is very satisfying to listen to. The vocal performance is good. The drums are pretty simple but it’s generally pretty standard in African songs for the drums and other percussion to be used as timekeepers only and not really offer much complex instrumentation (3/5)
Lyrics: I could not find any translations of the lyrics anywhere - however I’m not going to mark it down for my own ignorance and lack of understanding (N/A)
Overall: 3/5
- 2: Started with a good hook, but lost me and even started to annoy me by the end. Maybe if I knew the lyrics it'd be a more engaging experience, but it got old kinda quick.
Sweet Home Alabama -- Lynyrd Skynyrd
Spotify- 5: Hell yeah. Love me some Skynyrd.
- 5: lousy Kid Rock imitation
- 5: I guess it's a stone cold classic but man am I bored of it!! But still here I am singing along to it, yup greet song.
A Whiter Shade Of Pale -- Procol Harum
Spotify- 5: First song using this site and I loved it. Easily 5 ⭐.
5/5
- 4: I liked this, a performance full of emotion.
- 4: Great track, I enjoyed it.
LTA
Connected -- Stereo MC's
Spotify- 1: nope
- 5: Hippie AF but it works.
- 5: This song was on the Hackers soundtrack so that's an automatic 5 from me. This sound felt exotic and foreign as an American youth in the early 90s.
- 3: I think I knew this song before now, but it doesn't leave too hard of an impression. I was definitely bobbing my head a little to this track, but it kind of stops building a minute in then goes on too long, and that build-up was never that interesting to begin with. Solid foundation, just need more there.
Schism -- Tool
- 4: I wish it was a bit shorter, but I think it uses its time rather well. I've never actually listened to this all the way through, but I'm glad I did.
- 3: I saw Tool once and they were cool
- 4: An absolute excellent first half that drags on a little by the end. Otherwise, love that bass riff, as it gets stuck in my head all the time.
- 3: It's fine.
- 1: rubbish
Never Ever -- All Saints
Spotify- 3: The intro is far to long, actually the song is way to long in all. But it's a nice song.
- 2: Ew, 90s R&B. I mean, this is listenable, but pretty boring and overly long.
- 2: this was nothing at all special. 90s cringefest
- 1: This is not good
The Sun Always Shines on T.V. -- a-ha
Spotify- 4: The bridge between the dominating synth-pop of the early 80s and the more artificial sound of the late 80s, A-ha nails what people now imagine what they hear when someone says "new wave", and are show that power on this track. Morten Harket's voice is always top notch, and the music they make is great to boot, but the age is starting to show a little here.
- 4: -
- 4: A lovely bit of 80s pop. All they needed was a curtain.
- 4:
True Colors -- Cyndi Lauper
Spotify- 2: Too much 80s production
- 3: It's fine. Not my favourite song by her, and a tad boring.
- 4: "True Colors" is one of those memetic songs that almost everyone heard at least once. But setting that aside, it has the synth-less, nostalgically '80s sound that is special to me, and of course Cyndi Lauper's voice which is like no other.
Birdhouse in Your Soul -- They Might Be Giants
Spotify- 5: This whole album as well as Lincoln should be on the fucking album generator. Five. Godamn. Stars.
- 4: Great hooks, but goes on about a minute too long
Mykonos -- Fleet Foxes
Spotify- 4: Beautiful song - Fleet Foxes should be much more revered.
- 4: Haunting but beautiful
Some Candy Talking -- The Jesus and Mary Chain
Spotify- 5: J&MC’s music is a dream
Rise -- Public Image Ltd.
Spotify- 3: Ahh it was fine. Nothing special. I'm not a huge Sex Pistols fan so the John Lydon's vocals don't really excite me.
(I'm) Stranded -- The Saints
Spotify- 3: basic early pop punk track
- 2: Dont know why this just didnt land with me
St. James Infirmary -- Louis Armstrong & His Savoy Ballroom Five
Spotify- 3: Louis always good
- 5: A classic blues song. Love it.
Mal Hombre -- Lydia Mendoza
Spotify- 4: Never heard of this artist and this is some classic Spanish language music. Great little tune.
- 3: It's unfair, but I think I would've liked this more had the audio quality been higher. She certainly has a great voice, but it being muffled makes it difficult to praise it too much more. Certainly an alright song, though, still.
Born Slippy Nuxx -- Underworld
Spotify- 1: When the song started it had promise, but why was it so long? And it gave up on being a song halfway through. I know this is more of a dancing song than anything but that build-up did not earn the payoff. Perhaps a one star is too harsh, but come on, I'm so sick of this author's obsession with 90s electronica.
- 5: This is the best rave song ever, I declare!
- 1: What is this trash. I live in the techno capital of the world so I've heard a lot of techno and this was trash and I hate techno. Why is this crap here?
Withered And Died -- Richard Thompson
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Voices Carry -- 'Til Tuesday
Spotify- 4: Very enjoyable new wave synth pop from the 80s.
- 2: Nah
- 3: Ohhhhh, it's this song. Person on the far right looks nice, and the song is alright. Probably hear it in grocery stores too much to care more, but a decent 80s offering.
Little Darlin' -- The Diamonds
Spotify- 3: Not really my steez but pretty good
- 3: Good
Waiting Room -- Fugazi
Spotify- 3: 1st time hearing Fugazi... I won't go out of my way to hear more.
- 3: strum strum strum
rock
added to bez
- 4: It’s cool stuff I love the bass throughout, probably fugazi’s best song.
- 3: The riff is cool, but I can take or leave the yelly vocals.
- 2: This is an odd one for me. I like the bass line, but sometimes the songs is a little too punk-y for me. Kind of conflicted on this. I would be tapping my foot, then stop when the song started to lose me, then begin tapping again a little later.
Je t'aime moi non plus -- Serge Gainsbourg
Spotify- 1: I am not and will probably never be interested in just listening to two French people having sex while some guy sits in the corner and plays the organ. Her moaning pissed me off every time it happened because it was so annoying.
- 2: without the vocals, it might be good. But it makes my skin crawl
- 4: Sex
Under Me Sleng Teng -- Wayne Smith
Spotify- 3: So the Omnibus podcast w/ John Roderick and Ken Jennings did a full episode about this song and that helped explained a lot of the context of why this song is important as it has a huge influence on Jamaican music. Saying that, I don't really like it all that much but I appreciate how important it is.
Walk This Way -- Aerosmith
Spotify- 2: The RUN-DMC version made this song so much better.
- 3: Not bad, but not amazing either. I think I enjoy the verses more than the chorus.
- 1: I hate every version of this song.
Born to Be With You -- Dion
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I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself -- Dusty Springfield
Spotify- 3: There's a nice big sixties pop backing track which I usually love but I'm lying if I deny wishing for The White Stripes version instead!
- 2: That orchestra came out of nowhere didn't it?
- 3: this is cool
- 2: Her voice is great, but I didn't think much of the song itself.
I Walk the Line -- Johnny Cash
Spotify- 4: Iconic Johnny Cash song, no chorus, just the same verse structure all the way through with a simple shuffling beat in the background and that fantastic voice over the top getting deeper and deeper with each verse.
Lost in Music -- Sister Sledge
Spotify- 4: Big anthem
- 3: Isn't it just standard disco?
- 3: Most certainly the kind of music that inspired Daft Punk's Discovery. That guitar and bass is great, just needs more substance.
- 5: I've got to admit, this is disco perfection!
Substitute -- The Who
Spotify- 1: A dime a dozen kinda song for it's time period.
- 2: I feel like The Who are the most boring of the big British invasion bands, and this song doesn't help. I mean, it's fine as a song, but what is this doing that's so important to the era as a whole?
- 4: First song! Heard a fair amount of The Who but not this one. Can confirm it sounds like a causal British bop.
- 4: I've never warmed to the Who, since their music has never backed up their image. They claim to be oikish and 'orrible, yet they make concept albums and, with this, put a genteel acoustic guitar on what is apparently a plebby two fingers against those who dismiss him as disposable. The song works, but that incongruous element means one doesn't fully treat it seriously (and as for having a black father...).
NoRadio, signing out.
- 5: Top tune. I only wish the production was better.
Crank That (Soulja Boy) -- Soulja Boy
- 1: Glad this started a dance or whatever, but this was awful. Vocals were bad and the lyrics didn't even help it. Just awful.
- 2: Bit of nostalgia
Redemption Song -- Bob Marley & The Wailers
Spotify- 5: beautiful
- 3: Chill and relaxed, I prefer Marley this way, but I still think it's missing something. I don't know what though, so it's probably me.
Cry Baby -- Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters
Spotify- 2: I think Janis Joplin's version is her best song, but this version doesn't do much for me. The vocals are excellent, but the gusto isn't there.
- 4: Beautiful
- 4: Not familiar with the artist, but a beautifully sung song.
- 3:
Mad About The Boy -- Dinah Washington
Spotify- 3: Interesting vocals on this one. I liked the build up.
- 3:
- 2: Musta been some boy!
Oh Carolina -- The Folkes Brothers
Spotify- 2: Eh, very unnotable. Maybe another version would hit better.
- 4: good
- 4: Shaggy! This is a great song and I loved learning about the original. 4⭐ 4/5
Young Hearts Run Free -- Candi Staton
Spotify- 3: Pretty jamming in the moment, but not something I'm dying to return to, and feels a bit sitcom-y
- 5: Iconic
Erase / Rewind -- The Cardigans
Spotify- 5: Loved this track. I'd heard of the band before but had never listened. Very 90s era alt rock which I enjoy.
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) -- Frank Sinatra
Spotify- 4: Frank Sinatra could sing the yellow pages and I’d enjoy it
- 3: I feel like it's rare to get a Frank Sinatra song that doesn't get bombastic by the end of the song, but it does happen, such as this song. It tries to, but the piano keeps the strings down. I like how sad this song sounds, it feels incredibly moody. I just wish the build-up from each verse paid off better than it did, as the titular lyrics aren't very satisfying to listen to.
Bring The Noise -- Public Enemy
Spotify- 4: I don't think I've heard the original version of this song. I only know the version from a few years later with Anthrax. Definitely like the collab version over this but this was fun to listen to.
- 2: Quite like some Public Enemy but this is straight up boring
- 5: BRING THE NOISE
Ace Of Spades -- Motörhead
Spotify- 4: Great song
- 4: Lenny makes it great. The bridge between punk and metal to thrash and speed metal. And an essential part of playing THPS3
Teardrop -- Massive Attack
Spotify- 3: The jury is still out on trip hop, and this has not swayed it one way or another.
- 5: One of the greatest trip-hop songs. It’s so smooth with great vocals and beat.
Mbube -- Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds
Spotify- 4: -
- 4: Wow, had no idea this is where "Lion Sleeps Tonight" originated from. Mind blown.
- 2: Is this the thing they do in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"? Sounds like it.
- 2: squidward tiki tiki
- 4: There's something about this one.
- 3: Interesting back story. Would like to watch the doc mentioned in wiki
Everything Counts -- Depeche Mode
Spotify- 4: I forget that Depeche Mode was around a bit before they hit their stride that made them into the pop powerhouse they were in the early 90s, but that isn't to say they weren't making good tunes. This song may not be as rich tonally as their later work, but it hits that new wave vibe in a way only Depeche Mode could, and the riff is pretty catchy.
- 4: Not my favourite Depeche Mode song but it is great
- 3: There's just something keeping me from giving this a higher score. It's good, but not great.
Rapture -- Blondie
Spotify- 4: Great reminder of the 80s.
- 4: Isn't it insane this was the first rap hit on mainstream radio? Really eye-opening that hip-hop had to be so goofy and from an already famous white group in order to get the success in the mainstream we see today. I don't blame the song itself for that though, as the actual track is kind of a banger. I mean, the lyrics are nonsensical, but her voice is heavenly in the early parts, and its very groovy, like a Tom Tom Club track. It does go on too long overall, but I can totally see why one would rock out with this, in a dorky parent sort of way. I mean, I am right now, and I'm not even a parent. I hope.
All the Young Dudes -- Mott The Hoople
Spotify- 4: liked
- 5: I first heard this song off of the Clueless movie score. This original recording is definitely so much better then the 90's version.
- 3: A Bowie song in everything but name, even down to the way the lead singer performs. That would usually be excellent, but there's always been something turning me away from this song, despite my love of Bowie. I feel it's too "everyone, sing!" for the chorus and there isn't too much substance. I would probably love it if it was even more of a love letter to glam that it already is, but I suppose that's the downside of being from the early 70s. A very high three.
- 5: Interesting story about Bowie just giving this to Mott the Hoople. What a generous man. Fantastic hook, great song.
You keep asking me what Christgau said so I'll tell you: "As the chorus repeats to a fade, Hunter calls out: 'Hey, you there. You with the glasses. I want you. I want you in the front. Now.' Soon, he loves and faces down his victim, who I imagine as some hapless Emerson, Lake & Palmer fan. 'How did it feel?' someone asks. Hunter's reply is barely audible, the last word of the song: 'Sick.'" In his book Rock on the Wild Side: Gay Male Images in Popular Music of the Rock Era, Wayne Studer refers to this as Hunter "camping it up."
- 5: I’m not sure why, but I really love this song. Those signature Bowie backing vocals are a joy to hear.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- Elton John
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Al Atlal -- Umm Kulthum
Spotify- 2: Great string section but not my type of thing
Broken Heart -- Spiritualized
Spotify- 3: This had some nice atmosphere. Perhaps I'd like it more with a relisten.
Monkey Gone to Heaven -- Pixies
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Three Days -- Jane's Addiction
Spotify- 3: So long! But it was alright. It's got that classic Jane's Addiction sound.
- 4: I initially didn't like the length but in the end, the journey was worth it. Probably didn't need to be a full 10 minutes, but at least I didn't waste my time.
- 1: Wannabe black sabbath
My People -- The Presets
Spotify- 2: Basic EDM beats with annoying vocals. It has an interesting build-up and subject matter, but as a listen its quite irritating.
- 4: I really like this. Reminds me a little of Talking Heads/David Byrne. The history behind the song is very interesting.
- 3: I can’t work out if I really like this or really hate it
- 2: This sounds like something you'd hear in a YouTube AMV involving furry-like characters in the late 2000s. Certainly a precursor to dubstep, but I'm not sure that's a compliment.
Tenderness -- General Public
99 Luftballons -- Nena
Spotify- 4: Great song
- 3: One of those intro 80s pop music songs, but kind of boring and definitely dated. Certainly iconic, though.
- 5: tune
Via con me -- Paolo Conte
Spotify- 2: Didn’t enjoy this
- 3: I like when he sings in English, it's a good change of pass, but the rest of the song whizzes right past me.
Today I Started Loving You Again -- Bettye Swann
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Most People I Know Think That Im Crazy -- Billy Thorpe
Spotify- 2: A very self indulgent track that is conceptually fine, but seems to go everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and just ends up being forgettable, replacing well thought out music with lacking guitar solos. Would've been fine at a couple minutes, but six is pushing it.
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone -- The Temptations
Spotify- 1: Was this necessary to be twelve minutes? Am I missing something here? It wasn't even substantial enough to be a transitional song on an album, let alone the center piece. Bleh, this isn't really a one star song, but I'm flabbergasted that this seen as anything more than filler.
- 5: Great song!
Dog Days Are Over -- Florence + The Machine
Spotify- 5: Unbelievably great song
- 5: another one of my favorites forever and ever and ever
Oh, Lonesome Me -- Neil Young
Spotify- 3: I don't think this is one of his top tier songs
- 2: Hints of something I liked bogged down by something stereotypical and boring.
The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind) -- The Bucketheads
Spotify- 1: Repetitive and uninteresting. I listened to the radio edit and that was more than enough. I can't imagine spending 15 minutes on this.
- 3: -
- 3: I really like this song. But, even though it isn’t a long song, it feels so much longer because of that same beat and vocal line. Almost gave this a 4 star
- 4: Grabs you right away and is super gripping the whole time. Just doesn't change too much, but luckily the song is pretty short, so it works.
Tin Soldier -- Small Faces
Spotify- 2: It's aight
- 3: Not overly in awe of this
- 4: Very fun. I love how wild yet light it is.
- 3: Never heard before. Very 60s
Edge of Seventeen -- Stevie Nicks
Spotify- 3: Some auntie pop song about falling in love with a 17 year old boy? Or maybe I'm missing something.
- 5: Absolute banger from Stevie Nicks. Love it.
- 3: An admittedly very good hook, but doesn't go far enough with it. Also, did Eye of the Tiger take that backing guitar riff?
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) -- Green Day
Spotify- 5: wish Green Day would do more folkier style songs because this song goes hard
- 2: Hey, a Green Day song from the 90s that didn't get its riff from a rock song from the 70s! Still Green Day.
Lagrimas Negras -- Trio Matamoros
Spotify- 3: I like this sort of music in a casual setting, but it's hard to say that this song in particular sticks out or anything.
Ain't No Other Man -- Christina Aguilera
Spotify- 2: Does anyone else find it weird that Britney Spears' vagina got photographed and Christina Aguilera's didn't? Nobody was predicting that in 2000. anyway, Ain't No Other Man has that perennial American issue where slickness is sold, seemingly at the expense of heart. An assemblage of ideas generally perceived as cool, Ain't No Other Man has the try-too-hard aura of the insecure teen trying desperately to be seen as with-it. The "break it down" sample made me wince so hard I could taste my perineum.
NoRadio, signing off.
- 3: -
- 3: It’s a nice throwback, I guess.
First We Take Manhattan -- Jennifer Warnes
Spotify- 1: bad
- 3: I liked this more than Cohen's version, and I'm not sure if that's heresy or not. Still sound pretty late-80s, which I'm learning is not exactly my favorite era of music, but this was pretty okay.
- 2: -
1979 -- The Smashing Pumpkins
Spotify- 5: At this point, I'm convinced that only The Pumpkins knew how nostalgia really sounds like.
- 3:
- 5: This was my jam back in early high-school, and while I've not gotten really into it in years, I think re-listening really shows what I love about this song and album in general. The mellow tone and slight build up make it one of the original "vibe" tracks that just feels like I could put this on while driving and both in a good or bad mood, I'll enjoy what I'm listening to. Just a great track.
Don't Stop Me Now -- Queen
Spotify- 4: Banger
- 5: Fuck yeah Queen. This is Freddie at his best. Such a joyous song that goes hard.
- 5: A very obvious five star from such a great track. I've grown to appreciate Queen's nicher stuff more, but this is still a top tune.
Cum On Feel The Noize -- Slade
Spotify- 2: Cum On Feel The Noize is a grotesque song title. The song itself is wank though, so it makes sense.
- 4: Cheesy and of it's time but it's hard to deny it banger status.
- 4: I thought the title was going to be some immature punk rock or something but it wasn't what I was expecting. A fun little tune.
- 3: I didn't know this was the original version of this song until pretty recently, and it's alright. Not much else to say, just a solid tune.
- 3: it was a good song, maybe a bit too long for my taste, but an add nonetheless
Is That All There Is? -- Peggy Lee
Spotify- 2: Not that great. Good vocals but not that interesting of a song.
- 5: This is certainly a song that kind of takes you by surprise with its existentialism, but I like it quite a bit. The strings are gorgeous, and Peggy Lee's voice is also very nice when she chooses to sing on the track. I really feel the outlook from this song is more well put together than most songs dealing with similar topics, though. This song is really neat.
Shipbuilding -- Robert Wyatt
Spotify- 5: What a lyric! What a voice! I'm a big Costello fan but I've never heard this version somehow.
- 3: I always have to refresh my mind to get used to Robert Wyatt's vocals, which are definitely an acquired taste, but I think the slow pace of this one fails to grab me, even if there are good parts apart of it.
Rockstar -- N.E.R.D
Spotify- 4: Haven't heard it in years, but I actually expected more, I think I held it as epic in my mind, but it didn't reach the heights I thought it would.
- 2: Christ, skateboarding culture is a parcel of shite, isn't it? I just watched the video to this, and I just felt embarrassed. Apparently, the upcoming American cognoscenti of the period felt the epitome of sophistication was to have a monkey defaecate on Randy Quaid's head. Oh, and women really were just meant to be places for jocks to insert their knobs. But that's just the execrable video, what about the song? Well, N.E.R.D. fail right at the start by naming their song Rockstar. My fair kiddilings, no song called Rockstar can ever be good. The knowing employment of such a name just contaminates, leaving the song an infected, pitiful invalid. Remember that when Nickelback tried it, they thought they were being cool (and Nickelback at least attempted to be ironic, what with the references to ghostwriting and lipsyncing). I guess one can find some merit in the production, but I doubt you'd find the beating of a human heart.
- 4: This version is 3⭐, however Justin Nevins Remix moves it up to 4⭐. 4/5.
- 1: Trash
- 3: NERD deserve some space on the list, but this certainly isn't my fave song. She Wants to Move or Everybody Nose way more iconic and catchier in my view.
- 2: mid
Chicago -- Sufjan Stevens
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Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough -- Michael Jackson
Spotify- 5: Just giving this 5 stars and quietly moving on.
- 4: one of the few MJ songs that really does it well to me
- 4: Child me would've thought this song was some unknown Jackson track; don't really know why, just never felt like I heard it anywhere unlike his other hits. Nowadays I hear this one everywhere, and while it runs too long for a casual listen in my eyes, it still is an excellent track that really is its own blend of disco and Motown and various other genres that really opened the world up to the pop world of the 80s, and that makes it such a good track. Real instruments help, which is something Jackson seems to forget exist into the next decade.
Mercy -- Duffy
- 2: I feel like this style of singing was abandoned in the late 2000s for a reason.
- 5: I absolutely love modern retro pop and Duffy is the queen of that
- 3: Some nice vocals but also at the same time somewhat generic pop music.
Hey Jude -- The Beatles
Spotify- 5: Straight 5
- 5: 6/5. 1st time getting The Beatles on this. Not their best song, but I'd wager the very 1st time I heard it I probably thought it was the greatest song ever recorded.
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) -- Elton John
Spotify- 4: there's a reason it's a classic lol
- 5: Love it
- 3: -
Just Like Heaven -- The Cure
Spotify- 3: Fine and well crafted, I just don't enjoy the cure
- 4: I'm starting to learn that music like this from the Cure is more of the exception than the rule when it comes to great pop tracks, but at least when they do pull it off it's great.
- 5: Easy five for this one.
- 5: Oh, man i love the cure
Yeke Yeke -- Mory Kanté
Spotify- 3: Kind of reminds me of something you'd hear in Sonic CD. The background any way. Definitely danceable but not really notable otherwise.
Into My Arms -- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Spotify- 5: Just pure beauty
- 5: You know, when I first heard this song, I got a little misty eyed, which is weird, because I think it's really cheasy lyrically and pretty repetitive, but driving home at night alone really elevates this song, and while I've never gotten like that again with this song, I have appreciated the song more than I think I ever could've because of that circumstance, and it was a great introduction to Nick Cave as a musician. This is a light five, but it is definitely a five.
Eleanor Rigby -- The Beatles
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Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody -- Louis Prima
Spotify- 3: The David Lee Roth version is miles better. I don't know how controversial that opinion is, but it is what I believe. However, credit where credit is due, I suppose.
- 5: Perhaps the liveliest song about loneliness ever.
Points of Authority... -- Jay-Z with Linkin Park
- 4: As a zoomer, I was already familiar with "Collision Course", in the way that I knew it existed and had already listened to "Numb/Encore" many, many years ago. Since it had been so long since I listened to a song from this project, I had no idea what to expect from a Jay-Z/Linkin Park collaboration, but I'm positively surprised. These songs go really well together.
- 2: I really can't stand Linkin Park, and Jay-Z isn't one of my favorite rappers at all, so this combination was pretty hell for me. However, I will admit, while they didn't mesh at all, the guitar from Linkin Park made the Jay-Z lyrics work a lot better. I wasn't cringing until the very end, and by then it was just enough to scrape by.
- 1: Ooof....
- 3: thank god for the Jay-Z piece, otherwise reminds me of a desperate happy hour strip club afternoon session
- 2: Not my cup of tea
- 3: Hmmm I'm familiar with the Jay-Z Linkin Park collabs, and both of their separate work, but I'd never heard this... what is the point of it? Kinda feels like they just ruined 99 problems - confusing this made the list, did it make it over Numb/Encore?
Hmm I kinda like the end bit tbh when Chester's vocal comes in over the 99 problems chorus. It gained a star with that finish.
Blue Valentines -- Tom Waits
Spotify- 2: Tom Waits is a cool dude and i wish i could like his music but i just dont think I do
- 3: Tom Waits always surprises me with his output. Many write his voice off as just raspy, but here he really shows off his chops. A little too bluesy for me and long, but I did enjoy this.
St. Louis Blues (with Louis Armstrong) -- Bessie Smith
Spotify- 2: I didn't catch any of the vocals because of the quality, but I see why this was appealing a century ago. Perhaps not so much now.
- 3: Gotta love louis
Love Shack -- The B-52's
Spotify- 3: Wow, I didn't realize this was almost a decade after their debut as a band, that's kind of weird. This is certainly a quirky track, and while I don't see myself listening to this in my free time in the year of our lord 2023, it definitely appears in my concious every now and then, and I gotta give them credit for that.
Save the Last Dance for Me -- The Drifters
Spotify- 3: Nice song that reminds me of my grandparents but nothing special
- 2: it's cute but not very memorable
Living For The City -- Stevie Wonder
Spotify- 2: Very few Stevie Wonder songs I like. This isn’t one
The Sound of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkel
Spotify- 4: I think of this song like a traditional hymn or folk song, it seems strange to me to consider that it was ever written.
- 5: I just love Simon and Garfunkel
- 5: Poetic lyrics, incredible vocal harmony
- 4: The fact that the Distubed version comes up first for me is a travesty. This song is haunting, but in the best way. People like to bring up that it was just written about being in a library, but it is so obviously more than that, and I think it is awesome for it. Sadly, because of all of this, this song is overplayed TO DEATH, and I really have no interest in going out of my way to listen to it on my own time, so I'm taking a star off for that.
- 5: I hate that when I type in the title of this song into my streaming service, the Disturbed cover comes up first. That cover completely misses the point of the song. It makes me really mad how people fawn over it. Anyway, I've loved this song for years now. It's so pretty. While I need to finish listening to all of their albums, I do love what I've heard by them. Easy 5.
- 3: the lyrics are undeniably great. this is still one of the most overrated songs of all time though
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? -- Moby
Spotify- 5: I know Moby’s a dickhead but this song is great
- 4: unfortunately it goes kinda hard
La Paloma -- Caterina Valente
Spotify- 2:
- 2: The audio quality of this song is so bad it's hard to ignore, and the song doesn't seem that standout-ish, especially for 65.
- 4: Very beautiful instrumentation! I don't know what she was saying, but it sounded very pretty.
When I Fall In Love -- Nat King Cole
Spotify- 3: I think I get Nat King Cole's shtick by now. Great voice, great strings, but not enough going on.
- 3: Nice voice but does nothing for me as a song.
Blank Generation -- Richard Hell
Spotify- 5: My man can moan, and I like a good male moaner. Okay, creepy intial thoughts aside, this song really nails that rockabilly punk that Stray Cats are famous more, but it stands out and gets out of just being another punk song. Actually was gonna give this a four, but writing this review out, see no reason not to give this a five, this rocked.
Psycho -- The Sonics
Spotify- 2: Impressive for the time, especially in the vocals, but not really my thing.
- 2: dime a dozen 1960s rock n roll. most exciting thing that happens is a key change. recording quality is pretty terrible.
All Apologies -- Nirvana
Spotify- 5: I’ve definitely grown out of nirvana but this song still holds up so well
- 3: This performance as a whole is amazing, don't get me wrong, but I don't get what makes this the one from the performance I have to listen to. I mean, it's nice, but there's much more notable performances at this show, and this is just an acoustic cover of one of their (at the time) recent hits. Kind of expected it'd be played.
White Christmas -- Bing Crosby
Spotify- 2: This song gets stuck in my head year round, and every time I think "Is this song racist?"
- 1: Not Christmas yet
- 4: Although it is sweet, I think most of my enjoyment of this song comes from memories of Christmas and my grandparents when I was young
- 3: Oldie
- 2: Listening to this in April might seem weird, but its sound is not really much different from the sound of pre-1950's music. Quite boring, but I am totally fine with playing this in Christmas as background music.
- 3: -
Wicked Game -- Chris Isaak
Spotify- 4: Anyone else think this sounds like Ghosts n Stuff by deadmau5? I know this was first, but just interesting. Anyway, good song, just a bit long.
Give It Away -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Spotify- 5: Gibrrway gibrrway gibrrway now! Sounds like nu metal lite and I love it!
- 4: It's nice and funky, but I find it just a little bit annoying
Given to Fly -- Pearl Jam
Spotify- 3: It's fine. Very 90s era alt rock.
- 5: I just adore this song. Such an uplifting song, and amazing live. And I don't care it's very similar to led zeppelin, they aren't in a position to lecture about ripping off songs either
Iag Bari -- Fanfare Ciocarlia
Spotify- 4: Yep. That’s good. Especially as a fan of Gogol Bordello.
- 3: Fun, but forgettable.
Transmission -- Joy Division
Spotify- 2: Wow the vocals are awful.
- 5: Candidate for one of the best songs of all time. Turn the lights off, turn the music up. Can't not but pogo away to this
Rock Around The Clock -- Bill Haley & His Comets
Spotify- 5: Just a classic.
- 2: I never realised how boring this song is? I thought for a rock and roll classic it would have a bit more substance
Gloria: In Excelsis Deo -- Patti Smith
Spotify- 5: My karaoke song. Had the honour of seeing her play this live last year. Patti, girl, you changed my life.
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) -- Genesis
Spotify- 1: Oh my god i hate prog
- 5: This proves it was never one or another with Genesis, making the perfect progressive pop song with an AMAZING chorus and lyrics so charming you can't help but find them quotable. The fact that this isn't considered one of Genesis' radio must haves is a crime.
Le gorille -- Georges Brassens
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The Wind -- Nolan Strong and The Diablos
Spotify- 2: Such a sweet song, but the spoken bridge killed the mood a bit and ran too long.
- 3: I like his voice, hut the song felt a little aimless. In that way it's ahead of it's time, but that structure in pop music was established for a reason at this point.
Move It -- Cliff Richard & The Drifters
Spotify- 2: Why on the list?
- 3: Now THAT is a great pompadour. Tarantino movie vibes.
- 2: Damn Cliff Richard has been around a while. Song is okay, but not really my style. Some of the lyrics about not knowing what's gonna replace it are neat in retrospect.
The One I Love -- R.E.M.
Spotify- 5: -
- 4: Straightforward rock with surprisingly killer riffs. Fire!
- 5: perfect example of why REM are a singles band masquerading as an albums band
Fight the Power, Pts. 1 & 2 -- The Isley Brothers
Spotify- 3: I like that bass line, but it's a little too long and I wish it changed just a bit more.
- 4: Not the smooth Isley Brothers of earlier years, this is funky as fuck and the lyrics reflect the recital tensions and frustrations coming to the fore at the time. Excellent!
Weather With You -- Crowded House
Spotify- 4: Perfect guitar pop - lovely guitar sound, catchy chorus, will written lyrics. Not quite a 5 as it runs out of steam and feels a little repetitive by the end.
- 2: I've been intrigued by this album ever since that it of all records was on the 1001 Album List. What I was not expecting, was an America-esque track that sounds worse than any of their classics, but better than what they were putting out in the same era as this release. This sounds like a b-side for U2.
- 3: middle of the road 90s adult alternative
Can't Get You out of My Head -- Kylie Minogue
Spotify- 5: The apogee of the queen's career
Straight Outta Compton -- N.W.A.
Spotify- 3:
- 5: the misogyny hasn't aged well, but this is still a killer
Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen
Spotify- 5: I know I gave another song a four for being overplayed, but this is way too good. The harmonies, the evolution of the song, the little parts thrown in, it really is the perfect glam rock song, and it earns its popularity.
- 5: Iconic. What a unique and great song
Thirteen -- Big Star
Spotify- 3: It's grand, I don't get the hype
- 3: alright
- 2: Not for me unfortunately
- 4: This is the kind of easy-going acoustic guitar that I like, reminds me of Led Zeppelin's songs like "Going to California". Had no clue what to expect from this album, but if this is the sound expected then I'm all for it.
Uptown Top Ranking -- Althea And Donna
Spotify- 2: Boring. Vocals sound like a couple of girls up on the karaoke on a weekend. Repetitive piss. Giving a 2 because 1 feels harsh on the bassist.
- 4: Great song
Million Reasons -- Lady Gaga
Spotify- 3: I've heard much better from her.
- 5: Pleasantly surprised to see this one here. Imo Lady Gaga's best song since "Bad Romance". Quite a slick little track it was.
- 2: Eh. Kind of boring. Nothing hooked me. A bit repetitive too.
Opel -- Syd Barrett
Spotify- 1: If this didn't have the name Syd Barrett attached to it there is 0 chance it would be a famous song or make this list. It feels like an insult to lots of music of a similar vein that this gets a spot.
- 4: Syd Barrett, I feel, is one of the sadder overall stories in music. I mean, the man was at the front of one of the world's soon to be most popular bands, just to be outed because of mental illness and drug abuse. They must have felt bad if they helped him with his albums later on, but this track kind of feels like it sums up that desolation. I like the guitar here, it's so amateur sounding that it really fits.
Headlights On The Parade -- The Blue Nile
Spotify- 2: Way too long. Not bad, but definitely too long. Not really anything happening either. I like his voice though.
- 3: Ok, not my style
- 3: this was not interesting.
- 3: Kinda fades into the background a bit, but nothing too remarkable.
- 4: It was nice. It creates a melancholy atmosphere, which I enjoyed.
- 3: Really close to something I like, but it doesn't do enough to give it that final push. I could see myself liking other stuff by this artist, though.
You Keep Me Hangin' On -- The Supremes
Spotify- 5: Motown classic.
- 3: Cool sounding, I like the guitar, but don't you kind of get the vibe that this is behind on the times for 1966?
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face -- Roberta Flack
Spotify- 2: Didn't like it, but it wasn't actively grating.
- 3: Pretty song. Almost like a lullaby.
- 3: -
- 3: She really made this song her own, slowed way down from the original. Just shows what a great job she did as this is now the definitive and best of all the hundreds of cover versions out there.
- 3: Pretty, but a bit boring. Maybe I'd like it more with a future listen.
- 3: I want to like this more than i do
(Don't Fear) The Reaper -- Blue Öyster Cult
Spotify- 3: It's not even a cowbell. It's a woodblock.
- 5: One of the best songs of all time without a doubt
Al Gurugú -- La Niña de los Peines
Spotify- 3: I love how unenthused the background "singers" are while she gives it her all, its quite the contrast. Guitar is cool too, but it does drag a little, and the audio quality doesn't help.
- 2: This shit goes hard for the '40s. With that said, unfortunately not my thing but can respect the recording quality for the time.
2.5/5
- 1: Not my kind of thing
Gloomy Sunday -- Billie Holiday
Spotify- 3: spooky lyric and vocal performance
- 4: melancholy and beautiful
- 3: Not amazing - i think the urban legends are what draws in the appeal
Human Fly -- The Cramps
Spotify- 1: meh
- 4: I'm still scared of getting the actual album on that generator, but this song went pretty hard save for his vocals. Instrumentals are top notch.
- 3: Interesting... apparently the founders of psychobilly. It's a neat little novelty.
- 4: A really weird song, but I really like it! It has a very B-52s sound. It's probably why I like it.
- 1: Never understood the fuss about this song!
I Will Dare -- The Replacements
Spotify- 4: When the track first started I thought: "this sounds like an REM song." It turns out that Peter Buck features heavily on the guitar here. The production sounds great for an early 80s alternative recording and the song is fun.
- 3: I feel this is pretty just, alright. Like, I have no strong feelings about this one way or another. It is a song that I have listened to, and will move on now.
Lonesome Town -- Ricky Nelson
Spotify- 4: Damn you Tarrantino.
- 4: Didn’t think I was going to enjoy this but it’s really lovely
- 2: Nice, melancholy
One Day Like This -- Elbow
Spotify- 1: Oh, boo, not this boring shit again. Very nearly gave this album a one on the album generator, and while this is more standable one song at a time, I was already getting annoyed by the end of this song alone, what a pain.
Shake It Off -- Taylor Swift
Spotify- 1: With how overplayed this song is, it never had much of a chance. I don't think I like Taylor Swift, like, at all. This song annoys me.
Hurt -- Nine Inch Nails
Spotify- 5: legendary. original > cash and i'll die on this hill
- 3: Johnny Cash's version is way better, but this is still alright. Could do without the Silent Hill ambience for the last minute-and-a-half, though.
- 5: I just realized that "Hurt" at least sums up the dark, unsettling, and exhausting journey that is the album, "The Downward Spiral". So I guess choosing this over "Closer" or something else is not simply playing safe.
With Or Without You -- U2
Spotify- 5: I love me some U2 but this isn't among my favourite songs from them. The album is a such a banger though.
- 4:
- 4: Banger, nice hook.
Guilty -- Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
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Roadrunner -- The Modern Lovers
Spotify- 5: This could be about any kids driving around dark city streets, country roads, or suburban back roads forever.
Possession -- Sarah McLachlan
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Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) -- Soul II Soul
Spotify- 3: Pretty chill, but I wish it did more. Cautiously optimistic for the rest of the album when I listen to it.
- 1: I wouldn't listen to this again.
- 2: 2/5
Cyprus Avenue -- Van Morrison
Spotify- 3: As far as vibes go, this song is a six out of five. The performances and pace of the tune set an absolute mood.It's a seven minute long song that could go on for thirty-seven minutes and I would enjoy it. However long it is on vibes there isn't much else here. It's one of those songs that I would put on the "Sunday Morning Chores" playlist.
- 3: Could have done with being half the length
- 2: I suppose it's a memory trip, so he's not in love with a 14 year old I hope. The thing is, while the prose is charming, the way he sung it is distractingly annoying. Is his tongue still tied up this time?
In Dreams -- Roy Orbison
Spotify- 4: I'm going to tell my kids that this was Orville Peck.
- 5: Roy Orbison's voice is heavenly, and this song is gorgeous. It's so melancholy and lovely, and whether it's the original or the re-recording, you are getting some of the best pop music of all time. The infusion of pop with slight doo-wop and country and those strings makes it impossible to not swoon while this song is playing. Easily one of the best songs of all time.
- 3: A fine Roy Orbison tune, but it doesn't really speak to me.
- 2: ...
- 3: -
The Night -- Frankie Valli
Spotify- 4: Dude, that bass is sick! This is pretty great, I think I really don't give Frankie Valli as much credit as he deserves. The pay-off to the chorus leaves a little to be desired but still an excellent song.
- 4: Wiki says Pulp did a cover. So I found it as they're one of my fave bands. But this original is so much better. I do like them Northern Soul records.
Push It -- Salt-N-Pepa
Spotify- 2: There is the nostalgia factor. But really this song is just meh for me.
Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime -- The Korgis
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Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell On You) -- Aqualung
Spotify- 2: Radiohead but instead of sad, it's creepy (I mean, you'll really put a spell on her???).
Once in a Lifetime -- Talking Heads
Spotify- 5: i already listened to it before. such a cool essential songs.
i also think this song is electronic. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
- 2: I'm confused. The only clear things to me is (1) they are quite fond of water, and (2) they pronounce "beautiful house" like "beautiful hoes".
- 5: God yes
Kelly Watch the Stars -- Air
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Cruiser’s Creek -- The Fall
Spotify- 4: Probably a 4.5 for me. I love the fall and i love this
- 2: Sounds like half a dozen other punk songs
Fast Car -- Tracy Chapman
Spotify- 3: It starts off really strong, and I love the folky guitar, but it starts to lose me after the first run of the chorus, and then you start remembering how overplayed the track is, and it becomes just noise. Still a very good track that feels like nothing else from the time, but it's lost me a bit.
Il mio canto libero -- Lucio Battisti
- 2: -
- 3: I like this, I believe. It has a weird vibe to it I don't like in songs, a sort of "everybody sing along!" sort of feeling that usually annoys me, but the inclusion of strings and a variation in singer does elevate it to something more for me. Not amazing, but I could see enjoyment in this.
Buffalo Gals -- Malcolm McLaren
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Death To My Hometown -- Bruce Springsteen
Spotify- 2: It's always weird when artists that have been around for decades have higher production values on their music, but that's okay because this sounds more like something by the Lumineers than anything, so it fits right in with all the other forgettable indie-folk music from the 2010s!
- 1: Bruce, NO
- 5: Yep
Allons A Lafayette -- Joe Falcon & Cleoma Breaux
Spotify- 3: I don't know that I love this, but I 100% needed to hear this before I died. Almost a century old!
- 4: I can only understand a bit of that lyrics, and the twenties obviously aren't the cutting edge or peak of recording technology. But it felt genuine and I enjoyed it.
- 2: Really? Do I need to hear this before I die?
- 3: -
Ching Soortukuch lerining Yryzy -- Huun-Huur-Tu
Spotify- 1: This is, just not pleasant to listen to. The voices are harsh, the music is repetitive, and I'm uncomfortable just listening to it.
- 1: 1. how do you even find this song
2. why would did the author include this
- 2: I mean, I can appreciate this but it’s not for me
- 2: Instrumentation was pleasant, but I would never go out of my way to listen to this.
Ain't Got No - I Got Life -- Nina Simone
Spotify- 5: I've known Simone's voice as purely iconic and unique for a while now, but I've never heard something so funky from her. It's so existential yet so uplifting at the same time, and very upfront lyrically for the time. At a cool 2:56 I see no downsides to this fantastic track.
- 5: A great outlook on life, be thankful for what you've got. Such a fantastic voice. I love the quizzer
- 5: I LOVE YOU Nina Simone
Guantanamera -- Joseito Fernández
Spotify- 2: I like the polyrhythms in this original version of the song, over the pop version I knew as a kid. But it didn't hold my attention.
- 1: It’s just not my kinda thing.
- 2: Fun but not for me
Sun City -- Artists United Against Apartheid
- 1: I mean…it’s for a good cause. But is really bad.
- 3: Ooof.. I guess? I mean it's not bad but from that era where artists would get together and make mediocre songs about important issues that wouldn't really fly today.
- 1: This is so cheesy and boring that it hurts. My only joy from listening to this was being proud of myself for picking artists out as it went on, but the song itself is garbage, no matter the message.
- 2: Meh
While You See A Chance -- Steve Winwood
Spotify- 3: Pretty decent hook and the synth is cheesy but catchy, but the best part of the song (the very small chorus) is not repeated enough to be catchy, and just leaves you wanting more.
- 4: I enjoyed this it’s really just poppy goodness with a great intro and solid lyrics.
La mer -- Charles Trenet
Spotify- 4: I had no clue that this was the original, nor did I know that it was originally French. Bobby Darin or whoever made Beyond the Sea changed it quite a bit, and while I still prefer that English equivalent, I have to give this song credit, and it has parts to like of its own accord.
- 4: Really lovely
- 5: Love
It's a Sin -- Pet Shop Boys
Spotify- 4: somehow way less dated than the average 80s synthpop, even though it still sounds 80s. paradoxical, no?
- 5: Extremely good. I remember thinking that Pet Shop Boys was more "West End Girls" than anything, but I love the more synth-pop electronica sound they actually usually do, and this song is no exception. It's just so bumping and foreboding at the same time. This song definitely deserves the hit status that I apparently didn't know for years that it had.
A Little Less Conversation -- Elvis Presley vs JXL
Spotify- 2: This sounds like a commercial where you see people vaguely having fun in a car or something. This remix seems needless and boring.
- 5: What can I say... The remix improved the song and brought Elvis back to the top of the charts, and introduced him to me and other my age at the time.
Novocaine For The Soul -- Eels
Spotify- 5: I'm so glad to see this song included. Maybe it was a one-hit wonder but like all one-hit wonders it truly came out of nowhere and was instantly catchy.
- 3: Sounds like a mix of Blind Melon and Jane's Addiction.
- 5: Without a doubt a 5 star. Everything about this is so brilliant
Louisiana 1927 -- Randy Newman
Spotify- 2: Not a fan
- 3: Good songwriter
- 3: Just some standard folk. Apparently it's about the most destructive flood in the history of the US which happened about 2 decades before he was born. It's pretty sad as a song and as a story. But again, it's just some standard folk with nothing special.
- 4: Is a good history lesson, one that has occurred before and since and highlights the historically government's lack of empathy and assistance, which occurs globally.
Faith -- George Michael
Spotify- 2: I've never really understood the popularity of this song. I mean, it's catchy, but so are most pop songs, and I don't feel this has the substance to stand on it's own as one of the pop greats as many say. I appreciate the use of real instruments on this track though, as many songs on this album do not have those.
- 4: George was amazing
- 5: 100% pure pop classic. Such a catchy tune.
Crazy -- Patsy Cline
Spotify- 5: After my last two reviews (Queens of the Stone Age's Feel Good Hit of the Summer and N.E.R.D's Rockstar), this felt so necessary. I needed something pure and unpretentious. As Patsy Cline's signature song (written by Willie Nelson), Crazy is oft categorised as one of the greatest country ballads, and it is, but one unusual and pleasant aspect of Crazy is its similarity to doo-wop. Indeed, the song has an intentional jazzy feel, but what makes it country is its straightforward heartache. Is it a song about doomed love, or just the occasions of tempest that afflict every love? It's up to the listener at that moment to decide.
NoRadio, signing off.
- 3: Music I would expect from the era, but nice and relaxing enough, so that isn't too much of a hindrance.
- 5: Beautiful
The Killing of Georgie (Pt. I and II) -- Rod Stewart
Spotify- 4: I liked part one a lot more than part two's more cheesy route, but no matter what the mentioning of Georgie being gay so casually and openly seems pretty crazy for 1976, and the song reminds me of a more upbeat Take A Walk On the Wild Side.
Criminal -- Fiona Apple
Spotify- 3: Meh
- 5: You ain't Fiona Apple, and if you ain't Fiona Apple, I don't give a rat's ass!
- 4: I like this.
Les copains d'abord -- Georges Brassens
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Written On The Forehead -- PJ Harvey
Spotify- 4: Very interesting inclusion, surprised I haven't heard this before. An understated song, I like it, although I don't really understand what it did to merit a spot on the list.
Strange Fruit -- Billie Holiday
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Boom Boom -- John Lee Hooker
Spotify- 3: Enjoyed the instrumentals/solo but other than that it’s a bit boring
- 1: I thought nothing of this, or anything from the genre of blues that sounds like this. So, by the end of this it was making me angry and I was making fun of it. That seems like a one star to me
Close To Me -- The Cure
Spotify- 5: I'm not sure what the heck is he trying to tell me, but I freaking love the piano-based, slick rock beat of this one.
- 5: Easy 5 for me. I've loved this song for quite a while now. My partner is adamant about listening to the version with the horns, so I listened to that one.
- 4: I prefer the version with the bombastic horns at the end, but I still really like this version. The Cure is so good at putting really melancholic feelings into a song's sound and making it sound different every time, it's just really impressive.
- 5: It's hard to rate this properly. As a Cure song, it's not one of their best, it's too poppy for me compared to their brooding discography. But as a standalone song, it's amazing. Epic. 5. I'm torn between rating it a 5 as a song, and a 4 as a Cure song! Dammit... It's a perfectly crafted song, man that bass!!
5
Everyday Is Like Sunday -- Morrissey
Spotify- 3: A bit too nothing for me, but decent.
- 4: This guy sucks, but it completely makes sense why he was such a hit musically both in and out of the Smiths. Not even his best solo song.
- 4: Goddamn it, I hate to admit it but Morrissey does make great music
Brooklyn's Finest -- JAY-Z
Spotify- 3: Jay-Z & Biggie together should be better than this is.
- 2: Unsurprisingly, Biggie conquered the show. But to be fair, it has some of Jay-Z's best rap that I've heard so far. I've always thought that his rapping is incredibly rough and annoying. As a song, it's painfully mid. The production is mediocre and the hook sucks. Biggie piggybacked it.
- 3: Rap isn't really my thing, but respect to Jay-Z and Biggie. It's a good track.
- 3: Torn between 3 & 4. Wasn’t sure at first but enjoyed it more as it went on.
September Song -- Ella Fitzgerald
Spotify- 4: A fine rendition by the Queen herself, but having listened to hundreds of hours of Ella -- thanks swing dancing -- she has better works.
- 4: Gorgeous harmonizing with the piano, and her vocals are top notch. Just wish it was a little shorter.
I Feel Love -- Donna Summer
Spotify- 3: Ehh not her best. It's fine but a little too repetitive and needed some more instrumentation.
- 4: My favorite album of all time, No. 1 In Heaven, is produced by Moroder, yet I've never dived into his bigger hit making machine, Donna Summer. I've known of this song for years, but never tried to listen to it all the way through, and it jams pretty well. Too long for the content in the song, but still got me jamming just like with Sparks' output. Love that no one here really knew how much of synth pop they were really creating.
- 4: I forget how long this song is. But it’s a great track.
- 2: Never been much of a fan of disco but this has a classic Giorgio Moroder backing and great vocals. That's it though, the song itself is almost nonexistent.
Leader Of The Pack -- The Shangri-Las
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Dum Maro Dum -- Asha Bhosle
Spotify- 2: Well, that audio quality is harsh. It gives this sort of cool effect at first, but once the singing starts, the ears start to bleed a little. Lots of high pitched noises, and not a lot of joy. Wish this was just an instrumental, would've liked it a lot more.
- 2: And now Bollywood. How did they even put together this list? Anyway, the way her voice does the thing is impressive, but it's just not the type of music I'm used to.
Scream -- Michael Jackson
Spotify- 3: Wasn't familiar with this MJ song and it I enjoyed it. But I felt like it didn't bring anything new to his oeuvre so it was just run of the mill stuff for him. He has better.
96 Tears -- ? & The Mysterians
Spotify- 4: I've heard this song 100s of times and never fully listened to it. Great song! 4 ⭐ 4/5
- 4: If I was born thirty years earlier I would have lost my mind for tunes like this.I love the raw sound and forthright yearning from Question Mark. It sounds like teen pop but with enough edge to keep it interesting.
- 5: Love it!
Ready or Not -- Fugees
Spotify- 4: Whole album is amazing
Laid -- James
Spotify- 5: I love James and i love this song
- 4: pretty decent
- 5: 1 van die vergeten hits. Maar damn, i like it!
- 4: Absolutely love this song. Timeless. Beautiful. 5⭐ 5/5
Please Don't Touch -- Motörhead
Spotify- 3: Better than I was expecting. Fun and rawkus.
- 4: motorcycle-core
- 3: Never been a massive fan of this song
- 2: I know Motörhead was never not appealing to the mainstream, but this feels very corporate. The backing female vocals just seem like the touch on top to appeal to as many people as possible.
She Moves Through The Fair -- Fairport Convention
Spotify- 3: First song review for me. The instrumentation is great.
- 3: Sweet vocals, and a cute instrumental, this could grow on me.
LTA
- 2: Kinda boring and cheesy, even for a folk-rock song.
Summertime Clothes -- Animal Collective
Spotify- 2:
- 3: Great 70s sound but not enough to it for me
- 4: Alr this goes hard, I also love the cover.
- 4: Am I crazy if I get a little bit of Simon and Garfunkel from this song? The lilting vocal and the harmonies. Other than that, this track is pretty weird. I like it.
The Grand Tour -- George Jones
Spotify- 4: Not super special country, but good nonetheless.
- 1: Does anyone else ever just think during songs like these "I wonder what she did to leave in such a haste?" Because it really comes off like you were a bad husband, George, and telling the story in music that only appeals to others who also would be bad husbands probably isn't the healthiest confirmation bubble.
Great Balls of Fire -- Jerry Lee Lewis
Spotify- 3: It’s got energy for sure but it’s short and I’m not too sure on that voice.
- 1: Haha, this asshole had a mental breakdown because he felt like a sinner performing this song. No dude, a sin would be marrying and fucking your thirteen year old cousin, you asshole. Fuck this dude, the music isn't even that good.
Caught Out There -- Kelis
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The Trooper -- Iron Maiden
Spotify- 5: yeah this one's a banger
- 3: It's not my genre...im sure it's a great tune, if you're into that sort of thing
Freedom -- Wham!
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Like a Hurricane -- Neil Young
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Crazy Horses -- The Osmonds
Spotify- 2: My mum loves the Osmonds
- 3: Definitely not what I expected. The guitar was interesting. A light 3.
- 3: The Osmonds?? Like THE Osmonds? This is the wildest shit I've ever heard.
- 3: Probably a bit of a guilty pleasure but I do quite like this song. Always baffles me that it’s by the Osmonds
Big Eyed Beans From Venus -- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Spotify- 2: No thank you, this was weird, but not in a good or bad way. Just uninteresting.
- 2: I can’t get my head around Captain Beefheart
- 4: Beefheart, always going to be a tricky one to rate. This is a really rather rhythmic + melodic offering though, I dig it.
Oiça lá ó senhor vinho -- Mariza
Spotify- 2: did nothing for me
- 3: Very pretty, but I don't care much for Fado music.
- 3: It was alright. Don't have any strong feelings towards it, but it was nice.
- 3: This is not what I expected from early 2000s music to sound like (style wise) but I have no clue what most other countries were doing in the era. This was alright otherwise. Nothing too notable but I liked it.
- 2: Not my genre at all
Virginia Plain -- Roxy Music
Spotify- 3: fun, definitely not my favourite from Roxy Music (1972)
- 2: Repetitive
- 2: not bad, but not that good either
- 4: I like what I've heard from Brian Eno, so I've been excited to listen to Roxy Music. This was pretty good! The ending was satisfying. I can't wait to listen to the full album.
Summertime Blues -- Eddie Cochran
Spotify- 3: I prefer the Blue Cheer version
- 5: This is a song I love and have been listening to for a long time. I love that early rock and roll style.
- 5: The real shit right here.
Float On -- Modest Mouse
- 5: One of my fave songs ever.
- 4: Indie classic for better or worse
- 5: Easy 5 star for me
Outdoor Miner -- Wire
Spotify- 4: I imagine this wanted me to listen to the single version, but the picture is the album, so I listened to that version. I like this, it's very different in the feeling it is giving out, feeling mellow out, but it almost comes off as sinister at the same time for some reason. I like how short it is too.
- 3: Huh.. that was quick and short. Never heard of this band and I dug it but this song definitely could have been a little longer ./
Need You Tonight -- INXS
Spotify- 3: Not a fan of INXS' general sound, but this one is generally standable. I don't like how repetitive it is and how you could randomly string together psrts of this song and it would still work, but the guitar is iconic, and is generally short enough it doesn't become annoying.
- 1: Maybe the song is actually good, but to me it's just the most irritating song ever.
Go 'Way from My Window -- John Jacob Niles
Spotify- 4: An interesting artist I've never heard of. Really interesting to read how he was a big influence on a ton of famous folk musicians. Gotta check out some of his collections.
Brass in Pocket -- Pretenders
Spotify- 4: Another of those great songs that I’m sick of because it gets played endlessly on the radio.
- 4: A great song. Doesn't explain why they all look 50 years old on the album art when they were clearly in their 20s
- 3: It's OK but dated
- 4: Perhaps the funkiest '70s new wave can be.
- 4: Not my favorite song from the album, but definitely a perfect blend of the usual Pretenders sound and a more poppy sound for perfect radio play. I once saw someone say Chrissie Hynde just talk-sung, but this definitely ain't that.
Teenage Kicks -- The Undertones
Spotify- 4: A good, brash punk sound.
- 4: Sounds like a prototype of a bunch of teenage-related songs that would eventually follow over the decades. It also doesn't feel very late 70s in terms of subject matter. It did feel like it could be written today in 2023.
Let My Love Open The Door -- Pete Townshend
Spotify- 2: Stick to the Who
- 3: Despite recognizing the song, I'm still taken aback that this is Pete Townshed, as it's completely different from any Who output I've heard. Quite frankly, it's better, but not by much. Light three.
Rid Of Me -- PJ Harvey
Spotify- 5: LICK MY LEGS I’M ON FIRE
L.E.S. Artistes -- Santogold
- 3: Was worried at first, but pretty enjoyable, if not somewhat forgettable. May return to it if I remember it. Weird music video though.
Saturday Night Fish Fry -- Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Spotify- 3: A bit long, but it had a good energy to it. I enjoy songs with this sound.
- 5: A true banger.
- 2: When it’s not a hugely exciting song, I don’t need this to be as long as it is
- 3: Clear that this and other similar jump blues songs lead directly to rock and roll a few years later. This is good but a bit too poppy and lacks that bit of an edge that some other similar era jump blues songs have.
Balada Conducatorolui -- Taraf de Haidouks
Spotify- 3: Not for me
- 1: This guy puts too much rosin on his bow, me thinks. This felt distracted and was hard to listen to at points. I guess I liked the background's sporadic tendencies, but getting an earful of scratchy violin randomly made the song lose a star each time.
Vincent -- Don McLean
Spotify- 3: a bit too uneventful for me, but it wasn't bad
Foi Deus -- Amália Rodrigues
Spotify- 2: This is pretty on a fundamental level, but no lasting impression was made. It would be like going to an opera when you didn't care about the opera.
- 1: Not my kind of thing
Le poinçonneur des Lilas -- Serge Gainsbourg
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Tomorrow Is A Long Time -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 3: Long, but there wasn't anything that made me hate it. It was perfectly fine, just not very notable.
- 2: Didn't really think anything of this.
- 2: Ehh it's fine. Pretty low key song and nothing really special.
I'm A Man -- The Spencer Davis Group
Spotify- 4: Liked this a lot more than I expected to.
- 2: The Hammond organ playing is the best part of this 60s blues/rock.
- 4: The other Steve Winwood band (that I just learned about just now) certainly has made me hopeful for when I get around to some of his other stuff, even if this probably isn't an accurate representation of that. I feel a lot of songs use this exact song structure, but I like how it sounds, so that's okay.
(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone -- Paul Revere & The Raiders
Spotify- 3: The cover was much better
- 5: What's going on with the shoes on that cover? Did the one on the right have his boots taken by the bigger boys, and the one on the left thought his trainers were far flashier than the boots and thus refused the latter? Anyway, fantastic piece of garage rock, perhaps the genre that had the highest hit rate of fantastic singles (albums is another matter). Exactly the right amount of grit and muscle. Best song I've reviewed so far, which is admittedly only two, but it's still a compliment.
Noadio, signing out.
Northern Sky -- Nick Drake
Spotify- 5: yeah this is a goddamn gorgeous beautiful song indeed
- 3: I listened to this album a while ago for the 1001 albums generator and gave it a 4. The softness of his voice and his way of singing kind of reminds me of the singer from Belle and Sebastian, which I like. It's not my favourite song on the album, but still alright. It just doesn't grab my attention enough.
- 4: Nice, could never get into him, but maybe 1 song at a time is the way.
- 3: Pretty and relaxed, but relatively predictable and perhaps too simple.
- 5: Maybe I’m biased because I love Nick Drake but it’s an instant 5 star for me
- 1: Hated it
Streets of Philadelphia -- Bruce Springsteen
Spotify- 4: love bruce... this one is a bit ~dramatic~ for me though
- 2: idk
- 3: This song is BEAUTIFUL. But it’s almost so sad that I can’t listen to it?
God Save The Queen -- Sex Pistols
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The Tracks Of My Tears -- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Spotify- 1: for something that's so focused on the singing, they could've surely gotten a better singer...
Getting Away with It -- Electronic
Spotify- 3: Another perfectly middle of the road song that has nothing special. It's not band, just average.
- 3: "Wow, that sounds like the lead singer of Pet Shop Boys, I wonder if they're related!". I'm kinda dumb. Anyway, bit too simple, but I could see liking this more on repeat listens.
- 2: The chorus sounds like Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs, which I would rather be listening to. Given the people working on this song, I expected to like it, but this missed the mark for me.
It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl -- Faust
Ball Of Confusion -- The Temptations
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Feed Me With Your Kiss -- My Bloody Valentine
Spotify- 3: This is an odd song choice in my opinion. It doesn't sound like the style the band became known for. It's still a solid track but I doubt its significance compared to anything off of Loveless.
- 1: People who can't sing decided to amplify their instrumentals into ridiculous levels to drown out their voice and hide the fact that they can't sing.
Destroy Rock & Roll -- Mylo
Spotify- 2: Enjoyed this at first and got bored very quickly
- 3: I remember this album from the 1001 album challenges and looking back on my review I didn't like the album, except for this track. It's just a funny track to hear a guy list band names (pronounced incorrectly a bunch which is hilarious) that are condemned to hell or some bullshit. Pretty funny because of that
Cars -- Gary Numan
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Nature Boy -- Nat King Cole Trio
Spotify- 4: Beautiful song
- 4: A classic song sung by a master. The original version is still the best.
- 3: No matter the version, the strings are gorgeous, but the song is a bit slow for my blood.
Beds Are Burning -- Midnight Oil
Spotify- 3: Really catchy song but is more of a novelty to me than anything.
Todd in the Shadows has a nice overview of this band.
Avec le temps -- Léo Ferré
Spotify- 3: It was pretty, but I don't have much else to say.
- 3: Nice, slow ballad in French, nice voice
Sixteen Tons -- Tennessee Ernie Ford
Spotify- 2: I just don’t know what to say about this one
- 5: Honestly prefer the Merle Travis version, but I still love this cover.
- 5: Sneaky 1950s banger here. Recording is really crisp, the instrumentation gives the vocal loads of space. When that electric piano comes in for just a few chords at the end, bellissimo.
- 5: A gloomy song, and one of my favorites of the ‘50s. It really details hard work and getting nothing in return perfectly.
Child's Christmas In Wales -- John Cale
Spotify- 2: Something tells me that this ain't a Christmas song, or perhaps this is an ordinary Christmas for kids in Wales? I mean... I don't really know what is this song trying to say.
- 4: My partner really likes John Cale's voice on this album, and it kind of reminds me here of a really condensed version of one of Genesis's prog songs. I like it, it's poppy, yet different.
Walk -- Pantera
Spotify- 4: One of THE Pantera songs, I can definitely see why this style of music is pretty controversial among listeners, especially those with no metal experience. However, I quite like this song, even if it doesn't really mesh with my other musical preferences. Perhaps it does something right, or it's just my dad rubbing off on me, all I know is that by the end of the song I'm always chanting "re, spect, walk" along with it.
Spanish Harlem -- Ben E. King
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Mr. Brightside -- The Killers
Spotify- 4: I realised I just knew the chorus of this song
- 5: Falls into the 7 Nation Army category of "definitely overplayed to death but still a great song", though I think this is way more disputable than 7NA.
Stylo (feat. Mos Def and Bobby Womack) -- Gorillaz
Spotify- 4: The guest artists put on a great performance on this track. I can only give it a four, but there are definitely other tracks on this album that I'd give a 5 to. Perhaps a tad long, but still great.
- 3: This song has sick synths, and gets you pumped, but Bobby Womack's wailing kind of ruins the song for me. It doesn't feel like a good payoff to the song, and would be better if it played it straight. Why is this song here, but the whole album isn't in the 1001 list? This is hardly the best song on the album by a landslide.
- 3: Good song, love Damon’s vocals. But i just need more from it
- 4: Not their top tier for me, but great nonetheless.
Kick Out the Jams -- MC5
Spotify- 2: Ah! I remember! RATM covered this on "Renegades", that's why it sounds familiar (and felt lacking without the "I'M GONNA KICK EM OUT!" scream).
It's a live performance too, apparently. I can imagine it being wild. But overall, while it may be among the most "rock-'n'-roll" songs ever, it still sounds quite generic and standard.
- 4: the first moshable rock song
- 3: there are so many songs from this era that sound just like this
Slob -- Weezer
Spotify- 3: I have a dubious relationship with this band. I like some of their earlier stuff, but the later stuff, not so much. This has elements that I like, but it's not quite there for me. Decent, I guess.
- 3: Great build up at the start but then doesn't really go anywhere, murky production doesn't really help either. Still decent, just think there are better Weezer subs to choose from.
- 2: Really? I'd put anything on the blue album ahead of this Weezer song. It does nothing at all for me. I need to listen to this before I die??? I'll never seek it out again.
Venus In Furs -- The Velvet Underground
Spotify- 3: A bit too long for me, but definitely impressive for the time. I like the tone of the song. Excited for what the rest of this album has in store.
- 5: There’s nothing I can say. This song is just so great
God Bless the Child -- Billie Holiday
Spotify- 3: I like the wistful tone of the song and I love how well her style of singing lends itself to this genre of music. Don't have an urge to relisten to it, but a nice listen.
- 4: Billie Holiday is the queen mother of jazz greats/torch songs. That’s it. I liked this song. I like other songs by her better.
Go Do -- Jónsi
- 3: I adore the lyrics of this one, perhaps the most sunshine inducing lyrics that I've heard for a while. It's not deep, it's just uplifting. Unfortunately, the weird pronunciations and the lack of flow in the sound made the precious words hard to access.
- 2: good song, but it got repetitive after a while
Good Times -- CHIC
Spotify- 5: Amazing song! The bass line. The guitar. And we NEED happy days to be here again!
- 5: Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards are two very important people in music, this track is just timeless and you can't help but dance to it.
- 3: It’s a fun song but after a couple of minutes I’m bored
Computer Love -- Kraftwerk
Spotify- 3: Beautiful production and enjoyed. 3⭐ 3/5
Digital Witness -- St. Vincent
Spotify- 4: unpopular opinion: st. vincent peaked in masseduction. this is still pretty good though.
- 5: I love St. Vincent but I only really know MASSEDUCTION and Daddy's Home really well and this album is lesser known to me. I should really check it out because this song bangs.
- 4: I’m not a huge st. Vincent fan but I do really like this song
- 4: Pretty oddly funky, but in a good way. Completely makes sense why she collaborated with David Byrne. Not perfect, wish it did a little more, but I definitely got into it by the end.
D.A.N.C.E. -- Justice
- 3: If I would have just heard the song out and about I wouldn't think much of it but reading about the concept it's pretty interesting. Not sure it translated into a great song. Kind of catchy but a bit repetitive and uninteresting.
- 5: Dude, this song is so good, like pinnacle of electronic music and what it was all leading up to as a genre. The mixing of Michael Jackson-esque vocals mixed with a perfect blend of simulated strings, bass and synths just makes this extremely danceable pop love letter an amazing song for almost any mood. To think I didn't like this song when I was younger is absurd. Music video is cool too.
- 5: Five star banger from an album of bangers. That bass sound is delectable.
Be My Baby -- The Ronettes
Spotify- 4: I quite enjoyed this. It may be stereotypical of the era released, but that isn't really a bad thing when your music sounds like this.
- 4: It's a pleasant little song with nice melodies.
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag -- James Brown
Spotify- 4: I like this song, and JB has a magnificent voice. At this point it does feel very simple and formulaic though.
- 2: Boring rock 'n' roll, and I feel like a lot of James Brown's stuff sounds just like this, like the exact same formula. Also, am I supposed to listen to part one, two, or both?
House of the Rising Sun -- The Animals
Spotify- 5: Overplayed to death, especially on your grandparents' ringtone, but man that organ, and the fucking belting the singer does judt makes me fall in love with this all over again. Those opening guitar notes may make me chuckle with how often I hear them, but the rest of the song is absolutely deserving of its iconic status.
Reelin' In The Years -- Steely Dan
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Let's Dance -- David Bowie
Spotify- 2: Meh. Don't get a lot of Bowie.
- 5: Bowie made dancing cool again
Out Of Space -- The Prodigy
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Confide in Me -- Kylie Minogue
Spotify- 4: Kylie = amazing
- 4: I feel like just based on the couple of tracks I know by her that Kylie Minogue must be one of the better 90s pop artists. The mix of electronica and strings works really well here, as well as her more ethereal singing. It really is just too long, as I feel any pop track shouldn't be pushing the six minute mark... I suppose this is more of a dance track, but still.
- 1: I don't think so buddy
Bonita Applebum -- A Tribe Called Quest
Spotify- 3: I like this album as a whole, but I feel this track misses some of that magic, being a little too mellow for my taste. Plus it leads into a far superior track, just putting this in its dust.
Born for a Purpose -- Dr. Alimantado
Spotify- 2: I can see parts here I like, like the kind of ahead of its time sound to it all, and the minor key in a genre that is stereotypically major, but the song is still boring and repetitive.
- 3: Not the largest reggae fan and it sounds like a lot of other reggae songs I've heard.
The Pusher -- Steppenwolf
Spotify- 3: Interesting choice of song from this album. It's a fine song but again doesn't really push any new ground.
- 2: This band has a song other than "Born to Be Wild"? Could've fooled me. Also should've stayed that way hearing this song.
People Get Ready -- The Impressions
Spotify- 5: ✊🏿
- 3: not really my thing, but I get why it's here
- 2: It's fine. Not really notable.
- 2: Gentle gospel/soul that drifts by without leaving much impression on me.
- 3: General: A nice easy listening soul track (3/5)
Instrumentation: Standard overproduced strings and standard Jazz drums for the era, the xylophone is fairly unique and a nice addition to the track (3/5)
Lyrical content: not a Christian but it’s clear they’re passionate about their faith. “Don’t need no ticket you can just thank the lord” is a quaint line (3/5)
Overall: 3/5
- 3: Nice soul. The religious imageries are interesting, I wonder what were they trying to say.
- 2: forgettable
- 3: not really my thing
Maggie May -- Rod Stewart
Spotify- 3: On 1001 albums I've gotten a bunch of Rod Stewart stuff and it's fine. His voice is fine but nothing exceptional. Like this song. It's fine.
- 5:
- 5: i loooove this song
Uncertain Smile -- The The
Spotify- 4: Grest song, gets better and better with each née listen, but This Is The Day is what will take 5 stars.
- 4: How a band that sounds like this escaped my musical explorations for this long I'll never know. It's a solid new wave/post-whatever song.
- 5: Mm sure why not, tasty
The Boys Of Summer -- Don Henley
Spotify- 2: Apparently not available on my streaming service of choice. Although, listening to it via YouTube, it doesn't seem like I'm missing much, as this feels like just generic late 80s pop rock. The sort of thing Bruce Springsteen would've made fifteen years earlier.
- 4: Pretty good, not my favorite style though
- 2: Bland, inoffensive 80s pop
Sally MacLennane -- The Pogues
Spotify- 2: It's easier to enjoy a song off this album when it isn't followed up by or preceded by the same song five times, but this song still wasn't my favorites off the album, being pretty nothing for me. I suppose I could understand why one may get into this, but I grew up on some Dropkick Murphys, so I certainly got my fill of this.
- 2: I really don't care for The Pogues. RIP to the guy though
- 5: Amazing song. A rough voice that perfectly suits the song.
Be-Bop-A-Lula -- Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
Spotify- 4: -
- 2: Yeah it’s fine but just a bit nothingy
- 2: Bland 50s music. Seems like it would be fun to sing, but there's nothing here I find interesting.
- 2: There's a reason they don't still sing like they did in the 50s anymore. But I'm glad if it made everyone in the past happy, especially since everything was black and white then n'all.
Spice Up Your Life -- Spice Girls
Spotify- 3: Certainly danceable, but it doesn't really have any depth at all.
In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning -- Frank Sinatra
Spotify- 3: I like the melancholy tone to it, and his voice is nice as always, but it was a little boring.
- 4: It’s beautiful and really sad as well I don’t have too much to say about it as I think it works even better paired with the album but it’s great.
Whole Lotta Rosie -- AC/DC
Spotify- 2: This sure is rock music. Look, I get why AC/DC is popular, and one song is fine, but don't y'all get tired of hearing the same song over and over from these guys?
Brand New Cadillac -- Vince Taylor & His Playboys
Spotify- 3: Medium
- 3: This song belongs in the playlist of every hipster who likes to keep a collection of songs they will never actually listen to, but they keep it in there to self sooth their narcissistic tendencies.. Tarantino plays this obscure blast from the past right when, as it always does in all his movies, the shit is going to literally hit the fan.
- 2: Just old
In the Ghetto -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 3: Good tune except for those obnoxious backup singers. They make the song sound so cheesy and disingenuous. If this were a personal tune from Elvis then those little things to make the album more "pop-centric", but instead it seems like profiting off a real issue. I'm unsure how Elvis used his money, though, so I won't judge too hard. Just, please, take out the singers on a mix or two, okay?
Doll Parts -- Hole
Spotify- 2: I don’t mind this song actually, but it has no business being on this list
- 4: A solid grunge piece that feels like an alternative on Nirvana, which it kind of was, but that isn't to discredit this song, which is definitely its own thing with a great build-up and solid energy throughout. Can't deny I'd rather listen to Cobain, though.
Happy -- Pharrell Williams
Spotify- 1: Need I even say anything?
- 2: It's been a hot minute since I heard this in its entirety, at least since the song had common radio play. I'd like to say that let's me view this song with a fresh pair of eyes, but this is still annoyingly bubbly and too long even at its average run time. Hug Me from Despicable Me 3 is a way better song, no joke.
- 1: It’s on the Minions soundtrack. The MINIONS soundtrack. I refuse to take it seriously.
Love the One You're With -- Stephen Stills
Spotify- 2: Pretty nothing to me. I'm not crazy about folk music.
- 2: Meh. Bonus star for the silly little guy on the cover.
- 4: 70s in a nutshell
Crayon Angels -- Judee Sill
Spotify- 4: Very pretty
- 3: This lady sings like someone not from 1971, and I don't know if that's cool, or kind of annoying. Like a childhood song that was also made exclusively for children, sound-wise, any way.
The Mercy Seat -- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Spotify- 4: ooky spooky
- 4: My love for Nic Cave starts from 1994's Let Love In, so this track was new to me. It's quite a typical Nic Cave song, fantastic lyrics which evoke a story, haunting macabre music. I'll give it a 4, but I'd say the more I listen to it, it'll soon become a 5.
I Want You Back -- Hoodoo Gurus
- 3: An interesting little power pop song. Nothing too fancy about it in the end though.
- 2: Just alright to me
- 3: Nice song
- 3: Hey, the title and artist are mixed up. Anyway, pretty middle of the road for me. Really nothing to say about it.
- 3: Generic enough sounding song
- 2: This sounds like something that influenced R.E.M.'s 90s output, but unlike some of their other influences, that isn't a good thing here. This is just so predictable in a modern lense, and really needs to do more than the tired trope of power pop with acoustic guitar. Technically fine, but I've heard too much music like this to be interested.
Peaches -- The Stranglers
Spotify- 4: Walking on the beaches looking at the peaches
- 1: Nope.
- 3: The bass line is awesome! Never heard this song before this listen. Something I hope to listen to again! 3 ⭐ 3/5
- 4: I didn't think I knew the song until I pressed play! Ah, that song!
- 3: Funny stuff
Happenings Ten Years Time ago -- The Yardbirds
Spotify- 4: I like it. Crunchy.
- 3: Good guitar work - a solid enough song. 3 ⭐ 3/5
- 4: Loved this one
- 3: Not much of a Yardbirds fan but this is pretty good
The End -- The Doors
Spotify- 3: The journey of being drunk: from being somber to hangover.
- 2: smack rock
- 5: This song, with others, changed my life. An unbelievable piece of music
Atomic -- Blondie
Spotify- 5: I love everything about this song, it’s so fun and exciting
Cattle And Cane -- The Go-Betweens
Spotify- 4: Good enough to make me seek the rest of the catalog. Cool art, too.
- 2: I feel like this should have been less wishy washy with its execution. I can hear other songs from the era that dound like this, but they pulled off feeling more like a song than this one does. Otherwise pretty boring.
- 4: Never heard of them before, but instant like for song and album.. Thank you 1001 list
- 4: Sweet song
Ne me quitte pas -- Jacques Brel
Spotify- 3: I know how important Jacques Brel was to a bunch of singers, but I've never really gotten into him. It's competent and I enjoy French songs (since I can sorta understand it after so many years of French) but it's still very old-fashioned. Not completely my jam
- 4: Good thing. I'm not a fan of traditional french pop, but hey, this one is interesting.
- 4: I am more familiar with Nina Simone's take on this one but this was good too
- 4: action packed
- 5: Though I prefer Nina Simone's version, this is a monumental song with an incredible piano accompaniment. I couldn't think of a better start to the project.
- 3: beautifully haunting and sad
Justified & Ancient -- The KLF
Spotify- 3: Somehow I missed this when it originally released. Maybe because it's just meh for me. I love Tammy and KLF separately. I love mashups. Yet somehow this just doesn't really strike me as something great. On the other hand, it isn't awful either.
I won't go looking for this again, but if it popped up on a playlist, I'd probably let it play through.
- 3: Decent house.
- 2:
Sail Away -- Randy Newman
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Kerosene -- Big Black
Spotify- 3: This one surprised me, never heard of the song or band, and a kinda odd sound. I don't really like it, but it is the sort of song I hope to see more of on the list.
- 3: Catchy song with an 80s rock vibe. 3 ⭐ 3/5
Only Women Bleed -- Alice Cooper
Spotify- 3: Bit cheesy but didn’t hate it. If you had have asked me who this was, I wouldn’t have said Alice Cooper
- 1: -
- 5: I remember seeing this song on a "Most Sexist Songs" list and I really question what that author was smoking. I'm really glad this album is getting some representation here if it's not going to be on the album list, and this song is one of the highlights so it really does work out quite well. Just a really gorgeous song, even if a tad simple by today's standards. Now, since it probably isn't on the list, go listen to Steven from this album as well, contender for the best Cooper song, that one is.
- 4: Pleasantly surprised. I thought this might have some sort of misogynistic undertones, relieved its the opposite.
- 3: It was... fine
Crazy -- Gnarls Barkley
Spotify- 3: It's okay I guess. Nothing special.
- 3: I'm definitely partial to the Violent Femmes version of the song that they covered a bit back, but this is still pretty enjoyable. I think the issue with this one is the overplayed nature of it, as well as CeeLo Green's voice definitely feeling very mumbly at times in the song. The instrumentation is pretty great all around though. I think I would've liked this a lot more had this song been new to me, but it definitely isn't.
- 3:
- 5: Great lyrics, top notch production (maybe slightly busy and over-compressed but it was 2006 afterall)
God Only Knows -- The Beach Boys
Spotify- 4: I've been meaning to give this one a listen, so this was nice. It was very good! A high four. I'm a sucker for 60's pop, so.
- 4: A great song but there are definitely better on the album. Still the harmonies still sound amazing almost 60 years later.
- 5:
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World -- Prince
- 3: It's Prince and it's fine. Nothing super remarkable imho. He has way better songs.
Maybe I’m Amazed -- Paul McCartney
Spotify- 3: I love me some solo Paul but I've never been the biggest fan of this song or album. He has better.
- 4: Not McCartney’s best. But this feels like a late Beatles song & would fit nicely on Let it Be. I love those Linda McCartney backing vocals. There’s bits here and there that I’d change but overall, it’s a brill song
- 5: I've always loved this song. You can get the soul in his voice. 5⭐ 5/5
- 4: One of the best songwriters ever
It's My Life -- Talk Talk
Spotify- 5: So glad this version is starting to become the more prevalent version after the No Doubt one was seemingly the only one I'd hear for years. This version bops, there's just something more about it that tickles everything for me.
- 5: tune
- 3: Dont tell my dad i only gave this three stars
- 4: Great song
- 3: I’m just here so I won’t get fined
Cornflake Girl -- Tori Amos
Spotify- 5: -
- 5: i really liked this one
- 5: I loved this
- 3: Alright.
- 2: There are parts here I like near the beginning, but those are kind of ditched near the middle and the song just becomes noise to me. I could see why someone likes this, but it isn't for me.
Şımarık -- Tarkan
Spotify- 3: Now this is interesting, some Turkish dance-pop of a sort. He's got quite a taste in women, although I'm still undecided about the chewing gum part. Also, the translated line "Maybe that's why I am so fond of you/ because I can't be your owner" is pretty creepy, but I guess I'm not in the proper place to judge their culture (if it IS part of their culture). Overall, I enjoyed the unique sound and the classic middle eastern vibe in the beats.
- 1: Repetitive, boring, and this guy looks like he would try to hit on a fourteen year old girl.
Piece of My Heart -- Big Brother & The Holding Company
Spotify- 3: Good song to start this project, love music from this era. Kinda reminds me a little bit of guns n roses
- 2: Definitely a powerful performance and I know Janis Joplin is highly regarded as a vocalist and lead the way for lots of female rock vocalists that followed but to be honest she grates on me a bit. Prefer the Erma Franklin original.
- 3: She's got a really impressive voice, but I've never been too woo'd by Joplin. Still, I like this song, just would be better as a short interlude rather than a full four minute tune.
Genius of Love -- Tom Tom Club
Spotify- 2: I immediately recognized the main melody from samples, and I think that part holds up, but the rest of it is a pretty unpleasant listen.
- 1: Unk, wuk e da eigenlik? Repititief en monotoon.
- 2: That little riff is so iconic. But I just don’t like this song. I’ll stick to Talking Heads
- 5: stone cold classic
Wide Open Road -- The Triffids
Spotify- 3: I like doing these generator's because I find more 80s New Wave I don't know, escaping from the monotony that is listening to the same popular ones against your will over and over, but this is one of those more boring ones. Perfectly decent while listening, but please do more with your music everyone.
- 4: Decent song, new to me, as was the album. I like the album after a 2nd listen, will return back.
- 3: I mean okay? It's not amazing or anything.
- 3: Can’t figure out if i like this or not. So it’s a 3 star for me
Tumbling Dice -- The Rolling Stones
Spotify- 2: A nothing song by a band I genuinely don't understand the hype for outside of some obvious tracks. This is not one of those tracks.
- 2: Mick is the best and worst part of The Rolling Stones.
- 3: Just a good basic Rolling Stones song
Can't Stand Me Now -- The Libertines
- 1: Indeed I can't.
- 3: 3/5
- 2: THIS IS WHAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE?! I've seen this album and thought it was like emo or pop-punk or something. Not some weird mix of the Strokes, The Cure, and the Smiths... weird. It's certainly just better to listen to any of those three bands instead though, this feels derivative.
- 5: One of the most consistent bands out there. Libertines are a joy in the studio & live
Follow The Leader -- Eric B. & Rakim
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Jesus Built My Hotrod -- Ministry
Spotify- 2: Metal. Straight industrial metal. Catchy. Not my thing. 2 ⭐ 2/5
- 5: When someone says something like how a certain song makes them speed while driving, I always think of this song, the energy and near nonsense of it is so good, and the "I wanna love ya" lead by a guitar solo is iconic. Love this song, and I'm not even a Ministry fan.
- 2: I don't really like Ministry, so... I like the energy, but not crazy about this.
Hate To Say I Told You So -- The Hives
Spotify- 3: Decent punk.
- 4: Fun song.
- 5:
Attetion Na SIDA -- Franco
Spotify- 1: I understand that the language barrier here is really causing some issues with my thoughts on this song, or at least I assume it is, but what the hell is this? It's repetitive, extremely long, in which it does not earn the length, and the audio quality from every version I could find was absolutely awful, despite being from the late 80s. Again, perhaps the lyrics are something powerful, but I'm not picking that up here, and I have a feeling what is being said could've been condensed into less than ten minutes, let alone sixteen.
I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By -- Method Man
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It's Only Make Believe -- Conway Twitty
Spotify- 3: Intial build-up is awesome, but the rest of the song is just okay.
Supermassive Black Hole -- Muse
Spotify- 4: smooth
- 3: I’m a massive Muse fan but I don’t like this song
- 5: Very weird but wonderful song. Love a bit of Muse!
- 5: I love this song. It's a bit goofy but its a banger. Muse have pretty much gone off the rails but this is still a winner for me.
- 4: obligatory twilight baseball scene
Come To Daddy - Pappy Mix -- Aphex Twin
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I Fall To Pieces -- Patsy Cline
Spotify- 5: 1961 friendzone song that unintentionally hits so close to home.
- 5: Great song. Beautiful voice.
- 2: This kind of 60's Country sounds fairly corny now, the backing vocals in particular. This gets a couple of stars for the great lead vocal.
Treaty -- Yothu Yindi
Spotify- 2: Was not expecting this to sound like this?
- 3: This was much more high energy than I expected it to be, and I could totally see this being on the radio at the time had it been a song released by a big name band. Doesn't quite change enough for me to absolutely adore it or anything, but pretty alright.
- 3: ooooohwee what have we here. I appreciate this being on the list, but tbh I don't think its particularly great.
One More Time -- Daft Punk
Spotify- 3: i get that its good not my style
- 5: Hell yeah. A great song by a fantastic band. Absolute banger.
- 4: Oh, so you know this album exists Dimery? Then why is it NOT ON THE ALBUM LIST?! Song isn't the best on the album, probably due to being overplayed, but still very good, the production is gorgeous for the early 2000s.
- 1: Daft Punk's music is one of those rare ones which never fails to irritate me.
Runaway -- Bon Jovi
Spotify- 3: Dire 80s rock
- 1: God, I hate Bon Jovi. And this is one of their better songs, too. So cheesy, so outdated, so much hairspray...
I Say A Little Prayer -- Aretha Franklin
Spotify- 5: A mother fucking BANGER
- 3: I really like the chorus, but I feel like the verses are a little aimless for my taste, and the ending goes on a little too long. Feel bad giving Aretha Franklin all these threes.
- 4: This recording doesn't show how powerful Franklin's voice could be but it's still a good pop song. And I'm a sucker for the production on these sixties soul songs.
- 5: Love this song. First came into my ears during My Best Friends Wedding. Enjoyed! 5⭐ 5/5
- 5: This was really good, maybe even my new favourite song of hers. I'm really glad I got it.
Time of the Preacher -- Willie Nelson
Spotify- 5: I love this album by Willie Nelson, this is the first album I ever listened to of his. Heavy nostalgia for me. Love it.
- 4: Great summer song
Block Rockin' Beats -- The Chemical Brothers
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Sally Go Round The Roses -- The Jaynetts
Spotify- 2: Very repetitive, and feels like a song you do the Peanuts dance to, in a bad way.
- 5: this song is so creepy and menacing and weird that i can't help but stan
- 2: Pretty simple and inoffensive, but boring.
I'm Coming Out -- Diana Ross
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No More Tears -- Ozzy Osbourne
Spotify- 2: Did anybody ever take Ozzy seriously?
- 3: This was not an especially exciting track from the prince of darkness
- 3: 100th song! Not a bad one but a little long.
In The Air Tonight -- Phil Collins
Spotify- 4: You can pretend its not good but it is
- 2: Cutting edge production on an otherwise dull tune.
Untitled -- Interpol
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Evie -- Stevie Wright
Spotify- 4: New to me. Classic Rock, interesting to see a Young (AC/DC) brother involved.
- 3: Had trouble figuring out what I was supposed to listen to exactly, so I listened to Evie, Part II (Evie). It was alright. I feel like a softer voice would've made this a bit better. Or maybe I'll just always find it to be a tad boring.
- 4: Classic Rock and Roll formula, simple lyrics, raspy voice, great guitar.
Ale Brider -- The Klezmatics
Spotify- 3: 3 stars purely for the energy
- 3: I don't really have much to say. I kind of like it, but not enough for a higher rating.
Won't Get Fooled Again -- The Who
Spotify- 1: Man, the Who really wanted to hide that they were British with this one, huh? The most dad rock to ever dad rock, and that length is a sin. I think I hate this, quite honestly.
Tiempo de soleá -- Ojos de Brujo
- 2: Interesting to listen to but not my sort of thing.
- 3: This song's back beat sounds familiar, and I'm unsure why, but still something notable. The song had me at first, but lost me with the obviously early-2000 influences.
Theme From Shaft -- Isaac Hayes
Spotify- 2: I guess it’s funky? But I can’t stand it
- 3: This was number one on the billboard charts. Take that as you will.
- 3: Nice complex melodies ruined by dumb lyrics.
Nothing Compares 2 U -- Sinéad O'Connor
Spotify- 5: Banger
- 1: I feel bad as she just died, but man I've never liked her music, and that includes this song and this album. I mean, is there anything technically wrong with it? No, not really, but it's just so BORING. Like, this is supposed to be interesting? And it's a cover, no less, so I give it even less credit.
- 4:
- 3: Overrated but RIP
Go Your Own Way -- Fleetwood Mac
Spotify- 5:
- 2: Man, that was boring... some cool instrumental stuff but that was just advertisement music in my mind.
La Bamba -- Ritchie Valens
Spotify- 1: repetetive
- 3: I remember one time a local band decided to cover this song, but they were all english-exclusive speaking white dudes. So when the singing starts he just belts out "I don't know the words to La Bamba!" to the tune of the opening line in the song, and it was pretty comedic. He then proceeded to just make nonsense noises the rest of the cover. Other than that, this song is too ingrained in the human psyche to have any truly musical opinions on this.
Hotel California -- Eagles
Spotify- 5: Great song by the Eagles. Doesn't get old. 5⭐ 5/5
Rock Island Line -- Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group
Spotify- 5: -
- 3: Nice story about trains
- 3: dunno i kinda like this
Come è profondo il mare -- Lucio Dalla
Spotify- 3: This has a cool ethereal effect to it that makes it feel like a song from a Summer night, and I think it's neat. I feel like I'm being told something important and I don't know it, though, and I wish it paid off with a relief from the verses more often. Still, I could see myself liking this more as time goes on.
- 2: I think this could have been a couple minutes shorter. Not the sound I expected, but that's a positive. Wish it did more.
Cry -- Johnnie Ray
Spotify- 3: This was pretty close to a 4 star, because the beginning had me hopeful, but there just wasn't enough there to make me give it a higher rating.
- 2: I think the vocals just irritated me too much
Minnie The Moocher (03-03-31) -- Cab Calloway
Spotify- 2: i just don't care
- 5: Great song by a legendary artist
Cut Your Hair -- Pavement
Spotify- 2: It's funny but just okay.
Dum Dum Boys -- Iggy Pop
Spotify- 2: It was boring and long. Was expecting something more.
- 4:
Guilty by Association -- Joe Henry and Madonna
- 1: No thanks. Just really bland 90s crap.
- 2: Not sure why this is here, as it has little to no recognition anywhere online, and is just very standard. Nothing terrible or offensively bad, but boring.
- 2: -
- 1: What's this doing here?! Not on Apple Music, some odd bootleg on Youtube was all I could find. And then a pretty much nothing song in my view.
You and Whose Army? -- Radiohead
Spotify- 4: Radiohead’s music is so dreamy
- 4: On a second listen I enjoy this song a bit more, but I still wouldn't say this is the Radiohead song from this album worth listening to over something Knives Out. Perhaps that is on the list as well.
Up Around The Bend -- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Spotify- 2: That accent, that sound, and that crazy guitar riff... are these southern features or am I stereotyping? Apparently, "going up around the bend" means "going crazy". Quite energizing for a country rock song.
Open Up -- Leftfield
Spotify- 3: Pretty good electronic track. One of those songs that I forgot I knew.
- 4: I really liked this!
- 3: Oh cool, an electronic dance track that actually has engaging vocals. I feel like a lot of them ditch that for some reason. I like the breakdown in the track as well, it is just far too long for what is truly presented. And this is a shorter track in this genre...
- 4: Call me crazy but I love Johnny Rotten's vocals. The backing track is also really cool and reminds me of making my own acid house tracks on Rebirth.
Anarchy In The UK -- Sex Pistols
Spotify- 5: Rhyming "Antichrist" with "Anarchist" is famously one of the most labored, forced rhymes in modern music history that it has no choice but to be an all-time classic. This band was a ball of unstoppable energy that broke against all the established rules of convention.
River Song -- Dennis Wilson
Spotify- 3: Really loved the mid section of this song. Everything else was okay.
- 3: It seems strange that this is the song selected from an album with songs like Time, but still relatively alright, just wish it did a bit more.
Days -- The Kinks
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Subterranean Homesick Blues -- Bob Dylan
Spotify- 4: torn between my firm conviction that Dylan is a piss-artist and my equally firm conviction that this is quite a good song.
- 5: What a great song
Yakety Yak -- The Coasters
Spotify- 4: I grew up listening to the oldies on KISN FM so this brings back a lot of memories. Also love the 2 Live Crew version lol
- 3: I'm pretty sure this is the song of all time. It is not bad, nor is it like "holy shit, I gotta listen to Yakety Yak!"
Cokane In My Brain -- Dillinger
Spotify- 3: This feels like the anti-reggae song, with the vocals and drums feeling loud and not relaxing at all, but that matches the lyrics. I actually kind of like this take on this style of music, just wish it was shorter and less repetitive.
- 2: lmfao
- 2: I don't really like reggae, so not my thing.
Boys Don't Cry -- The Cure
Spotify- 3: It's fine. But nothing special.
- 5: Not only my favorite Cure song, but one of my favorite songs from the start of the new wave/post punk era. Just really love how short and sweet this song is.
- 4: A few years ago I couldn't stand anything by The Cure. What changed, I don't know. However, great band and this is a great song! 4⭐ 4/5
- 5:
Crazy -- Seal
Spotify- 4: Banger tbh
- 3: I've always regarded Seal as Top 40/Adult Contemporary but I won't lie - he's made some great hits over the years. Everything on Crazy is middle of the road but it's a road that's smooth and interesting.
- 3: Good pop song by Seal. I remember it a lot from when I was younger. 3⭐ 3/5
- 1: I never wanna hear this song again, isn't that crazy?
Electricity -- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Spotify- 1: I get it’s inclusion but it’s so weird, too weird.
- 1: I get Beefheart's important, I really like Trout Mask Replica. I.....do not like this song. I do not like it.
- 3: this song makes my throat hurt
It's Too Late -- Carole King
Spotify- 5: Amazing song from an amazing album.
- 4: Pretty solid. I like the quality of her voice in this song. Not my favourite song on this album, but up there.
- 4: A pretty iconic song that is pretty good but also nothing absolutely fantastic. Just good music from the era, which makes sense considering this album as a whole really does sum up pop and folk music from the era.
I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) -- Chet Baker
Spotify- 5: It's not my usual thing but everything here is amazing.
- 3: Very soft voice, it's pretty soothing
- 4: This is really wonderful
- 4: He seriously has a fantastic voice, I'm starting to think the album generator doesn't start with this album just because the author wanted Frank Sinatra to be first. The jazz is like being in a jazz club, it teleports you right back.
Oh Happy Day -- The Edwin Hawkins Singers
Spotify- 2: Such a joyful song but gospel music isn’t for me whatsoever
- 3: Not bad but not good, just a bit boring.
- 5: Beautiful and timeless
- 3: I'd say this song can turn any frown upside down!
- 3: See, I don't hate your modern Christian rock and country because I hate you and God and all that shit you spout, I hate it because it's not this. This sounds like they love what they believe, and are musically competent too. Just too long or this would be getting a higher star.
Love For Sale -- Billie Holiday
Spotify- 2: i liked the intrumentals, but the vocals were not really for me
- 3: It's a pretty song but Holiday's voice is sooo sad on this record.
- 2: Nice but boring
Bamboléo -- Gipsy Kings
Spotify- 5: oh wow this slaps, I guess I really like flamenco because I never heard anything in the genre that I disliked lol
- 4: This was pretty good! I'm glad I heard it on here, might have missed it otherwise.
- 4: It was a really weird feeling the first time I heard this song and trying to remember where I heard it before, only to remember it was playing while the pig mom in the movie Sing was dancing in a grocery store. Anyway, good song.
- 4: Some memes refer to this as the "stereotypical Spanish song". Even for such, it's a nice dance song.
Plateau -- Meat Puppets
Spotify- 5: Smells like meat puppets
- 5: I've known the Nirvana cover for years, but mever listened to the original (I'm a poser, I know), but it really is crazy how ahead this song is and this whole album was compared to everything else at the time. Nailing that grungy acoustic years early, it's no wonder Kurt saw it as such an inspiration, although one has to wonder if this album would even be on the 1001 Album list had Cobain not had them on that MTV Unplugged. Any way, the song is good, as expected, I like how punchy it is, and while I don't like his voice quite as much as Cobain's cover, I do have to give plenty of credit to the original artists and their impeccable work.
Private Dancer -- Tina Turner
Spotify- 2:
- 4: Tina has a handful of grest songs, this is one of them. I can see what my Da likes in her.
Scar Tissue -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Spotify- 4: Beat 4-10 Arthropod to this song.
- 5: Great song on a fantastic album. Everything about this is wonderful
The Humpty Dance -- Digital Underground
Spotify- 1: Got this on the 1001 albums generator. Not a fan
- 3: I got this album recently on the 1001 albums challenge and this was the highlight of the album. Very old school hip-hop.
- 3: A sort of novelty song that isn't a bad example of this era of hip hop.
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out -- The Smiths
Spotify- 4: Another Smiths' song but this one I like more. Still not a fan of the band.
- 5: I've known this song forever because my mom loves it, and while the lyric "If a ten ton truck kills the both of us" is hilarious to me, I do also love this song. It's just so somber and sad sounding, makes you wonder if the singer's perspective is all there and thinking straight, or if it really is just infatuation. Then again, it's Morrissey, so he's only in love with himself. Oh well, still a good song.
Take My Hand Precious Lord -- Mahalia Jackson
Spotify- 3:
- 2: Great voice and she seems like a nice lady, but DO SOMETHING
- 5: Tears and chills - RIP MLK
Firestarter -- The Prodigy
Spotify
Ashes of American Flags -- Wilco
Spotify- 3: Can't get into it that much
- 3: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is always put up there as one of the greatest albums of all time and I just don’t get it. It’s just…fine?
- 3: -
Man -- Skepta
Spotify- 5: banger
- 2: Oh god this song reminds me of the PE changing rooms. Almost wish the beat didn’t come in
- 3: i like grime. but don't think this is necessarily a special example of it
- 2: Grime is not a genre that I tend to listen to a lot. This was not bad as such but not right up my alley either.
- 4: Wow, a British rapper that isn't MF DOOM can have a decent flow? That's a shock. I like how aggressively this attacks you, and doesn't let up. Repetitive, but enjoyable.
Please Read The Letter -- Robert Plant
Spotify
Cry Me A River -- Julie London
Spotify- 4: I like voices like hers, and while this was a bit simpler than I would enjoy, the shorter length helps it. Just soothing.
- 3: Pretty vocal and great backing track.
America -- Simon & Garfunkel
Spotify- 5: One of my favourites of all time. Brings me to tears everytime I listen to it. Audible perfection
- 3: A solid premise that has a pretty disappointing chorus all things considered.
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu -- Domenico Modugno
Spotify
Purple Rain -- Prince
Spotify- 3: I tried to listen to this song as if I had never heard it or of Prince before. And you know, I don’t like it all that much. I think upbeat, more energetic songs are better suited for him.
- 4: Stuck between 4 and 5
- 2: OK - I'll say it. I'm not a big fan of this one.
- 4: I'm not really a Prince fan and this is the first time I've listened to this song in full. I feel like I've heard excerpts but never in full. Given how famous it is, I was maybe expecting more because I felt the song was way too long.
- 2: Jesus, does this song need to be THAT LONG? I know it's iconic, but c'mon, this is not that special. Feels like the kind of 80s music that led to the much lesser style of the late 80s. The strings at the end were nice though, and it certainly is iconic, at least three of it's NINE MINUTES are. I'll let it squeeze by with a two, but I genuinely don't understand the appeal of Prince. Is it because people think he's hot? Because that pedo stache ain't doing him any favors.
Hound Dog -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 4: Good
- 3: I love the juxtaposition of the background singers sounding like a barbershop quartet whilst Elvis is being as aggresive as 1956 can be.
re: Stacks -- Bon Iver
Radio Free Europe -- R.E.M.
Spotify- 2: This seems to be THE song from this first R.E.M. album, but I've never thought anything of this song in my multiple attempts to listen to it. There's better songs on this album, let alone R.E.M. as a whole.
- 5: I was never a fan of REM until recently and this was the song and album that really got me into them. I love it. It took a while but I'm really digging the rest of their discography.
The Killing Moon -- Echo & the Bunnymen
Spotify- 4: -
- 5: I've known this song for a long time, and listened to the full album just recently. It's a classic. If you like new wave or wanted to get more into new wave, I would definitely recommend this.
- 5: It's weird, one day I'll be in love with this song, the next I'll grow bored of it three minutes in. Today is one of the former, as I just love the vocals and the desperation of this song. It's so pretty yet almost scary sounding (for a pop song, any way) while all perfectly capturing that 80s charm. So pretty.
- 5: No doubt that its a 5 star
Kings Of The Wild Frontier -- Adam & The Ants
Spotify- 3: I feel all that build up in the song doesn't really lead anywhere worth while, but I could see liking this kore were I to listen to it more.
- 3: I recently got this album on the 1001 albums challenge and it was a wild listen. Just a smattering of influences and weird songs. This is one of those weird ones that just kinda works for me. It's not amazing but it's just weird in a way that I like.
- 2: the whole song felt like it was building up to something... but that something never came... eh, not really my cup of tea
O Sole Mio -- Enrico Caruso
Spotify- 3: idk - its kind of amazing to hear a recording from 1916
- 3: I believe this is the oldest song I've gotten so far, and what a voice this guy has. I only wish the quality was higher, as it really just sounds like fuzz, but I understand a song from over 100 years ago has its limitations.
- 2: Well, he's got pipes, that's for sure.
Toxic -- Britney Spears
Spotify- 3: Super mega processed vocals give her voice a robotic sound. Maybe that's for the best. It's a decent dance track I guess.
- 3: It’s a good pop song, I’m more of a …baby one more time person if I were to choose out of the big spears hits. This is solid though.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised -- Gil Scott-Heron
Spotify- 4: More of poetry than a song, but it still goes hard. It forces the listener to sit down and take in what he is saying, and it goes hard, quite frankly.
- 5: Its just so great
Sunny Afternoon -- The Kinks
Spotify- 4: I could listen to this song on any sunny afternoon.
- 5: Y'know, I really can't decide between a two and a three with this one. Part of me loves pretty much the entire song, but the other part of me really does not care for the second half of the chorus, which takes up probably like fifteen seconds in this whole song... yeah, you know what, I'm being petty, five stars!
C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) -- Wu-Tang Clan
Spotify- 3: Not my favourite of theirs but I enjoy it
- 5: Simply one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time on one of the best hip hop albums of all time. This thing is catchy, has a solid beat and great verses. It’s hard not to love this song! Instant classic (5/5)
- 5: 5/5 rhymes, 5/5 beats
- 3: I appreciate the lyrics, I respect Wu-Tang Clan as artists, but I don’t enjoy this genre of music.
Police & Thieves -- Junior Murvin
Spotify- 4: First became aware of this through the the Clash cover, good and all as the Clash are the original is way better. Fantastic production by Lee Scratch Perry makes it that little bit extra special.
Rock Lobster -- The B-52's
Spotify- 5: Wow, so much of the hook of that one "CHAMPAIGNE COCCAINE GASOLINE" tune came from the epitome of surf rock. Both songs are good btw, but only this one blew my mind.
- 4: fun
- 5: No idea why I love this song because it’s so odd but I like it more with every listen. They must’ve been on some sort of substance when writing this
Needle of Death -- Bert Jansch
Spotify- 4: An incredibly pretty and sad tune that I think is just bogged down a little by repetitiveness.
- 3: Sad. Pretty.
- 4: Lovely song
- 5: wow this one is gorgeous and sad
I Can't Make You Love Me -- Bonnie Raitt
Spotify- 2: My first song on this generator, and it's a bit wank. The conceit is a subversion of the boudoir anthem, slow tempo and lush instrumentation backing an ultimatum for her partner to be honest, even if the truth reveals a lack of love. But I wasn't fully honest with that sentence, as instead of "lush" I should have written "mawkish". A somewhat interesting idea, but (are you ready for this?) it didn't make me love it (thanks for your applause!).
NoRadio, signing out.
- 2: An interesting choice to make a sensual love ballad about someone NOT loving you, but I suppose it kind of works. However, this is covered in so much cheese that it may as well be deep dish. That keyboard is so fake sounding it hurts, and that crystal falling sort of sound that songs from the late 80s and early 90s have is bonkers in an age where Nirvana are currently dominating for the younger crowd. Once again giving it a two due to not being in the worst mood, but if it keeps giving me songs like this that one star is definitely going to stsrt being used more in this session.
When the Levee Breaks -- Led Zeppelin
Spotify- 5: Fantastic reworking, amazing musicianship and production.
- 5: Is this Zeppelin's peak? Never knew before reading the wiki entry that it was a cover, but it's fitting, somehow, that their best song is a reworking of a very very old country blues song
Hammond Song -- The Roches
Spotify- 2: Not feeling it, harmonies were not good either
- 1: no
- 1: I really don’t like this
- 3: It's fine, but a bit boring. The harmonies can be satisfying. I really liked when one singer and a guitar hit the same note, and then the vocal faded out to give more attention to the guitar. That was my favourite part.
- 3: The deeper voice can come off as a bit ugly at times and I’m not sure on the vocal as a whole but it’s a nice beautiful song.
West End Girls -- Pet Shop Boys
Spotify- 2: Just not for me
- 3: this song takes me back to a time. I know they struggled with getting the emulator to sound like a trumpet. I can't help wondering why they didn't just hire a busker with a trumpet off the street.
- 2: Ehhh completely forgettable.
The Eton Rifles -- The Jam
Spotify- 3: The Jam is very middle of the road for me. Perfectly inoffensive, if not a little boring. The hook is good.
- 3: This was alright, certainly good for the Jam, as I've always found them pretty down the middle of the road as a band. I liked the chorus, but the verses left a little bit to be desired.
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City -- Bobby "Blue" Bland
Spotify
Blueberry Hill -- Fats Domino
Spotify- 3: first rock n roll song? probably. exciting? perhaps not.
- 4: Even Vladimir Putin covers this tune!
- 3: Doesn't really go anywhere exciting for me.
- 4: Beautiful song that reminds me of my grandparents. 4⭐ 4/5
- 4: A classic by an old rock and roll master.
My Moon My Man -- Feist
- 4: we, as a society, will never recover from the indie music released in the 00s. it will always be the blueprint.
- 3: Pretty good song; not the best by Feist
Band Of Gold -- Freda Payne
Spotify- 2: Eh, filler music. This came and qent without me having any real thoughts.
Start! -- The Jam
Spotify- 4: Good song, not the Jam's best song, but a damn good song all the same.
- 3: Ok, not my taste
- 5: Fantastic song, fantastic album, fantastic band.
- 4:
- 4: That riff is just straight up Taxman by The Beatles, yeah? Oh well, a good riff is a good riff, and the Jam change it up enough everywhere else to make it one of their more notable tunes.
She Sells Sanctuary -- The Cult
Spotify- 3: Decent. Not much more to say reallym
- 3: It’s hard because I like most post punk quite a bit but this song is a bit “overrated“ in my opinion, feels like the most mainstream post punk can really go.
- 2: Eh, I think I've heard this before, but it's so non-definitive that I thought nothing of this. Reminds me of U2, but that isn't a good thing for me.
- 5: My deity of your choice I loved this song as a teenager. The first few opening beats of the song grabbed me hard and pulled me close. It’s still so good. ❤️
Over The Rainbow -- Judy Garland
Spotify- 4:
- 3: This poor girl has a gorgeous voice, wish I liked the song more.
- 3: Sounds just what I expected from a 1939 movie soundtrack.
Many Rivers To Cross -- Jimmy Cliff
Spotify- 3: It's fine.
- 2: That choir kind of comes out of nowhere, and doesn't really seem all that earned. I think it would've been better as a longer track with a slower build-up, or at the same length but keep it more personal with just Jimmy Cliff singing. Otherwise, this just fells unnotable.
Pretend We're Dead -- L7
Spotify- 5: I didn't think I knew this song but it was recognisable. Not sure where I heard it but I knew the entire thing. Great song and have to check out this band more.
- 2: This was pretty boring and I'd say almost behind it's time. This sounds like something from the early 80s, not the early 90s in the height of grunge.
- 4: Makes me so nostalgic
New York City Cops -- The Strokes
Spotify- 5: Torn between 4 and 5
- 5: Maybe the best song on a flawless album?
This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us -- Sparks
Spotify- 5: A fresh and fun, silly bop. I feel like it does some clever stuff musically, but I'm just not musically-minded enough to know what.
- 3: What a weird song, I dig it.
- 5: This one is absolutely mental. Really glad to see Sparks on this list and especially a track from Kimono My House.
- 5: This is one of the best songs of all time, full stop. It is not only a perfect glam rock song, but a perfect rock song, pop song, and anything in-between. I love this song, and I love this band. It all completely changed my life. You could say I'm definitely biased, as I've had my time to absorb myself in the life of the Mael brothers, but the alluring falsettos, the great instrumentation, and multiple catchy hooks make this something that grabbed me instantly the first time I heard it, and never let go.
- 4: This is a fun one
- 4: Like Rush meets Kate Bush. Sparks are so weird and wonderful. Really torn between 4 and 5.
I Feel for You -- Chaka Khan
Spotify- 2: Due to me only knowing the intro of this song, I didn't know Chaka Khan was a girl until fairly recently. Just the only thought I had during this song. Otherwise, I'd say this is too long.
- 3: Chaka Khan.
It's grand, if the male voice was removed, i think it would be a blander 80s tune.
Chaka Khan
They Can't Take That Away From Me -- Fred Astaire
Spotify- 4: Astaire recorded this Gershwin masterpiece before anybody, back in 1937, and he is truly faithful to the letter of the song but his rendition fails to unlock the feeling in the way that well-known interpretations by Billie Holiday (also 1937), Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, or even Frank Sinatra do.
- 2: This just feels like generic musical pop, something people will reference for years, but does anyone actually listen to it in their free time? No...
- 3: Good song. Nothing too great - nothing to terrible. 3 ⭐ 3/5
- 2: Not my thing.
Into Dust -- Mazzy Star
Spotify- 2: Boring alt-country. I could see a build-up helping it, but alas, one was not there.
- 5: pretty song, liked it very much
- 2: Boring. I like a song by Mazzy Star, but this was too long and constant. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it.
- 3: hope's voice is gorgeous but this is no fade into you
Orinoco Flow -- Enya
Spotify
Someone Great -- LCD Soundsystem
Spotify- 4: now this goes hard
- 5: Eeeeasy 5
- 3: I was getting into it about a third of the way through, which is weird because the whole time I was thinking it was a little boring, so it must be doing something right. Gotta give it credit for that.
The Court of the Crimson King -- King Crimson
Spotify- 5: Listen, I cannot stand Prog. It does my head in. But this album & song is too good.
- 2: Prog rock ain't my bag
- 3: I kinda miss when music was a whole production.
- 2: -
Águas De Março -- Antônio Carlos Jobim
Spotify- 4: Stunning. You could spend a day listening to all the versions and then the covers only to constantly switch which one you prefer on any given day. Evokes such a mood.
- 4: cute
it makes me want to frolic in the sun
- 4: Crediting this only to Jobim is quite the move generator, considering Elis Regina is the highlight of this track. Her laughing as she sings and her genuine enjoyment of the track as she sings it shows a true love for the music at play, and the song is just so relaxed yet playful that it is a treat.
This Land is Your Land -- Woody Guthrie
Spotify- 3: Maybe
- 3: To the New York Islands. This land was made for you and me
- 3: The sentiment is nice, Woody Guthrie is based, and you can definitely hear where Bob Dylan got his style, but this song sure is misunderstood and in turn, overplayed a lot, and it makes it very boring to listen to now.
- 3: Quite cute
- 2: I've been told this song has a deep meaning but I've never been able to extract it myself.
Im Nin Alu -- Ofra Haza
Spotify
Rock Of Ages -- Def Leppard
Spotify- 1: 80s hair metal is one of my least favourite genres of music
- 4: Just a jamming track, this song really shows the power of a solid chorus. Overplayed, perhaps, but I enjoy it when it comes on.
Mustt Mustt -- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Spotify- 2: I'd be curious what the Massive Attack remix sounds like, but otherwise repetitive and boring.
To Be Young Gifted and Black -- Bob & Marcia
Spotify- 3: Not as good as Nina Simone's, I think this more poppy version takes away from the song's message.
- 2: Made me listen to Nina Simone’s version which is great. And the production on hers is tight
- 3: Catchy, but pretty simple past that. Plenty of covers, so I wonder what makes this the version to listen to. Also, why does Elton John have a cover of this? I don't think he's black...
Sapore di sale -- Gino Paoli
Spotify- 2: Quite good but i wouldnt ever listen to it
- 3: Never heard this before, quite enjoyed it. Lovely uplifting summery vibe to it.
- 4: This is pretty incredibly dramatic for 1963, and I think the addition of a saxophone (I think?) is cool too. Just a solid pop ballad.
You Know You're Right -- Nirvana
Spotify- 3: not the biggest fan of the vocals, bit whiny
- 4: It’s a shame that I hate the vocals so much cos the rest of the song is great
- 5: One of Nirvana’s best; it’s a shame we never got the album due to Kurt’s suicide.
- 3: Nirvana is great, but I've never thought much of this song, despite trying multiple times. It feels like there was a reason it was left behind to not be released. Still Nirvana though, so it's still pretty alright.
"Heroes" -- David Bowie
Spotify- 5: This song is everything to me
- 5: This song feels like the end of a movie in the best of ways. The overwhelming use of sound at all moments really has Brian Eno shining through, and it only benefits the song. Also, Bowie is Bowie, I would be shocked if any of his songs on this list, as I assume there's more, would be anything less than a five star.
Stay with Me -- Lorraine Ellison
Spotify- 5: Fresh Tina Turner vocals from 1966 with a demonstration of the gritty vocals by which she is known. This song kicked off a fantastic Rise and Fall of a 1960s Soul Label play list
- 5: Wow, i can’t believe I’ve never heard this before.
- 4: This song is very nice
Cross Road Blues -- Robert Johnson
Spotify- 2: oldy woldy
1936?!!
feels like it should be in the background of an old tape of people building railroads
- 5: What can one say about this song? Johnson's entire catalogue can fit in a small playlist, but each of the songs he wrote has been covered by an uncountable number of artists. His influence cannot be overstated, he is simply one of the best to ever have picked up a guitar.
- 2: I love how long blues has persisted as a genre, but still not a genre I especially like. Gotta give it a bit of credit though, so I'll give it an extra star. I'm aware this probably won't be the popular opinion, by the way.
- 2: meh
You Oughta Know -- Alanis Morissette
Spotify
You're Gonna Miss Me -- 13th Floor Elevators
Spotify- 4: Reminds me of first getting into 60s psychedlia. Still holds up
- 4: Like it, up beat, like led zeppelin
Legalize It -- Peter Tosh
Spotify- 2: Very much a bloopy reggae jam, and I like the psychedelic effect on the voices to give it an even more tripped out effect, but sadly reggae is just not my sort of thing. Tells more about my character than this song's, but oh well.
Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) -- The Jacksons
Spotify- 4: You ain't gotta tell me twice, Mikey.
- 3: Grown up Jacksons. It's like solo Michael Jackson before he went solo.
- 5: A banger from the Jacksons. Love the song and the whole album.
Everybody (Backstreet's Back) -- Backstreet Boys
Spotify- 5: Classic, you cannot tell me otherwise.
- 5: unashamedly & unapologetically love this song forever
I Try -- Macy Gray
Spotify- 3: Quite liked it up to the chorus.
- 2: This is the kind of music that causes me to say the late 90s-early 00s was the worst era for pop music. The voice is grating, the production is over zealous, and I just cannot be bothered. The strings at the climax are the only thing saving this song.
- 5: Hell yea
- 4: Solid song. Atrocious production values tho.
A Nickel and a Nail -- O.V. Wright
- 3: Instrumentals are awesome, so bombastic and powerful, but I feel it's missing something in the singing department, although I do think it's just the quality of the sound, and a more modern cover, were it to sound the same and be just as powerful, would move me a bit more.
- 4: pretty good
The Click Song -- Miriam Makeba
Spotify- 3: Actually didn’t mind this. Probably not something I’d go away and listen to but I love the Xhosa language so this was cool to hear
Like I Love You -- Justin Timberlake
Spotify- 3: You can definitely tell Justin Timberlake's Michael Jackson influences on this track. It has a solid vocal variety and intrigue to it that makes it danceable yet still moody, but the rap verse and complete switch up at the end of the song kind of ruins it for me, really halting the momentum it had going.
- 1: Ooof... this just reeks of early 2000s production. Does not sound good at all.
Psychotic Reaction -- Count Five
Spotify- 5: I can get behind this. I count five stars for these nice gentlemen.
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) -- Dead Or Alive
Spotify- 3: Middle of the road guilty pleasure
- 3: Pretty good 80s-pop, but probably too overplayed for me to get any new enjoyment from it, and definitely not the best showing of the era.
Ambition -- Subway Sect
Spotify- 3: Saw this on a playlist labelled "anti-pop pop" when looking it up, and I think that sums it up pretty well. The proto-punk and post punk influences are definitely there, but it doesn't hit quite as hard. Still decent.
- 2: Uninteresting mild punk
- 4: New to me. Can't help but think of Dreadzone's Little Britain. I like the song, been later bring to a bit of their album too
- 1: I can’t.
- 3: Would've been better if ti wasn't so bleep-bloppy.
State of Independence -- Donna Summer
Spotify- 2: Quite a lot going on with this one, not really feeling it.
- 3: Decent
- 4: -
Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud - Pt. 1 & 2 -- James Brown
Spotify- 4: The more I hear of James Brown, the more I love
Blitzkrieg Bop -- Ramones
Spotify- 4: This feels like an opening credits to a great movie.
- 5: Straight Classic! Catchy, simple!
- 4: Hi, ho, let's go! 4⭐ 4/5
- 5: Punk pop at its finest
Leb' wohl -- NEU!
Spotify- 3: Alright background music
Dancing Queen -- ABBA
Spotify- 4: Yeah, of course. This is pretty much a perfect dance track that everyone knows and loves to some degree. I'm sure that's not true, and there's people who hate this, but in my opinion they're trying too hard. My only real gripe is the overplaying of this track compared to the rest of ABBA's discography, especially when it can often compete head-to-head with this song.
- 5: Does this song make me cry everytime? Maybe
- 4: This isn't my favourite ABBA song by far, or even my favourite track on the album, but it's still a solid bop. It makes sense why it's one of their hits.
- 5: literally my fav ever
- 4: A classic pop song with immaculate production. The instrumentation influenced everybody at the time including Elvis Costello and it's not hard to see why
- 5: The soundtrack to every wedding ever. And yet it still sounds so fresh, ABBA are geniuses.
The Girl From Ipanema -- Stan Getz
Spotify- 3:
- 4: cool sounds
- 5: This song is peak making the hairs on your neck stand up while still being ultra relaxing. Everyone sings in such a relaxing way, and it just feels like sure a perfect Bossa Nova song. It's a shame that some just call this elevator music, as it's so much more.
Wood Beez -- Scritti Politti
Spotify- 2: Pretty bland 80s schlock.
Message In A Bottle -- The Police
Spotify- 3: message in a bottle by taylor swift outserves
this one was okay too
Welcome To Jamrock -- Damian Marley
Spotify- 2: Not my thing, but it's good
- 2: It’s okay.
- 3: This had a pretty cool sound to it. I don't love it, but it's solid.
- 5: On the World Jam riddim from 1984. Rewind, selecta! I had to spin this one back and play it again. 5/5
- 1: I don’t mind some reggae but this is just bad
Fever -- Peggy Lee
Spotify- 3:
- 2: I just got a Peggy Lee song the other night on here that I thought was amazing, so I was hopeful for this track, but it was kind of boring. The snapping and bass are cliché, even for 1959, and the lyrics come off as beating around the bush and it never really gets on with it. Sorry, but not for me.
Black Night -- Deep Purple
Spotify- 4: Kind of generic, but certainly rocking enough to be pretty enjoyable, and I like the licks and hooks here quite a bit. Being short helps, but Deep Purple (usually) didn't have too much of an issue with that.
- 3: Tis grand, I suppose.
Jolene -- Dolly Parton
Spotify- 5: Classic song and I hate country. It's a perfectly crafted tune. I also love Miley Cyrus' version too.
- 5: Without a doubt a 5 star
- 4: A pretty light four. I'm not crazy about the slight country twang of the song, but it's still good.
Good Vibrations -- The Beach Boys
Spotify- 5: The Beach Boys at their peak. The harmonies are just outstanding.
- 5: I can't appreciate any full Beach Boys album, but there's a lot of individual songs that I love, this being one.
- 3: This song is certainly good, but it's hard to be as impressed by it as anything from Pet Sounds or even other songs from this very album when this song is just so famous. Seriously, go listen to Heroes and Villians instead, it's fantastic.
Musica ribelle -- Eugenio Finardi
Spotify- 2: Super generic and left my mind as soon as it was over. Not bad, but certainly boring.
54-46 Was My Number -- Toots & The Maytals
Spotify- 2: It was okay, nothing special imo
- 3: Sublime sample!
- 3: Nope. Nothing about this stands out or makes me want to listen more closely. Boring and repetitive, but probably good for background music in a beach-themed movie.
- 4: 54-46 stars/5
Frontier Psychiatrist -- The Avalanches
Spotify- 4: More of a cult classic than a fanstistic song, Since I Left You better be on this list as it's the better song, but this brings back memories. Great sampling and scratching
No One Will Ever Love You -- The Magnetic Fields
Spotify- 3: Man this is a bit sad isn’t it?
But having this on here is just making me dread 69 love songs when I get it on the albums generator.
- 4: Beautiful
- 2: 2/5
- 1: Nope. This 3 hour long album made me angry over at the other listening project, not doing THAT again. 😂 The audacity!
Jesus of Suburbia -- Green Day
Spotify- 4: This was one my favourite songs as a teenager. Doesn’t quite hit the same but it’s still brill regardless
Stupid Girl -- Garbage
Spotify- 4: this whole album slaps tbh
- 5: Love it. Huge fan of Garbage and the album this is on. Although I think there are better songs on the album.
Imagine -- John Lennon
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Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On -- Jerry Lee Lewis
Spotify- 3: Innocent music
- 2: Every single one of this dude's songs sound the exact time, but this one feels even worse, because at least on the mix I listened to the piano is mixed down, which is exactly the opposite of what I want for this guy's music.
Creep -- Radiohead
Spotify- 5: One of the few Radiohead songs I like. Excellent through and through.
- 5: This seems like a weird first 5 star, but I've had a soft spot for this song for quite a while. All I can think about when I hear this now is that Conan performance where he has the long blond hair and he's looking like a snack. Awesome song.
- 4: I relate
Walking on Thin Ice -- Yoko Ono
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This Corrosion -- Sisters of Mercy
Spotify- 3: it's interesting but a bit long. nothing special. also the album cover for this looks so bad.
Surfin' Bird -- The Trashmen
Spotify- 1: the family guy gag had a grip on me as a kid, song is fucking annoying though and besides being kinda funny, it isn't listenable at all
- 1: I didn't think I knew this song and then it started and it was like "oh that song". I wish I could ironically enjoy it but I don't. It's trash.
- 1:
- 4: Jaysus...im sure every comment here will about Family Guy, and I won't disappoint either. But this is all I can think of!! And because I'm smiling it gets a 4!
Raining Blood -- Slayer
Spotify- 1: Hmm, Thrash Metal, not a style of music I'm very familiar with. I've always found some of the death/Satan/bloody side of metal a bit laughable and the kind of music angry adolescent boys listen to. This is heavy and fast but faintly ridiculous to me.
- 2: I love metal and then almost always the singing starts and it's trash. Why does the genre have so many awful singers that destroy otherwise interesting tunes?
- 1: God i hate this
- 5: This is definitely Guitar Hero III bias talking, but this song rocks! The guitar playing is immaculate, and this is one of the few thrash metal songs that really fly by despite the run time, unlike most other thrash metal songs. I could see why someone would deslike this, but as you get used to it, you can really appreciate it for it being more than just loud noise like many seem to think.
Sour Times -- Portishead
Spotify- 3: I'd say maybe this could benefit from being a little shorter, but I don't know. It's definitely an interesting sound. Maybe I'll like the whole album when I eventually listen to it for the 1001 albums generator. Still, I don't like it quite enough to give it a higher rating.
- 3:
- 5: Another great trip-hop song. My personal favorite from Dummy is ‘Roads’, but this is still amazing.
- 2: I don't like the vocals. Music is okay, but nothing special.
Heart Of Glass -- Blondie
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Kool Thing -- Sonic Youth
Spotify- 4: If Sonic Youth made a pop song it would sound like "Kool Thing"
- 4: I dig the album Goo, but I think the songs work in the context of the album, when they're out on their own they get lost. Good song, within the album it's a great song
- 3: Decent, I like it. One of my more favourite Sonic Youth songs.
LTA
- 4: Again not my favourite Sonic Youth song and never understood why this is often considered there best when Teen Age Riot exists. But regardless it is a great song
- 5: Fucking rocks!
The Look Of Love -- Dusty Springfield
Spotify- 4:
- 4: her voice is really wonderful.
Hard to Handle -- Otis Redding
Spotify- 5: Nothing bad to say about this one
- 4: Great song
- 5: black crowes found dead in a ditch king otis outsold
- 4: Nice, groovy soul with a disciplined energy. Lyrics are interesting too, filled with many idioms.
Champagne Supernova -- Oasis
Spotify- 4: Pretty good, kind of longer than it needs to be though.
- 5:
- 2: I like Oasis but this is a drag.
- 4: Good tune
- 1: As a huge Beatles fan, Oasis never appealed to me AT ALL, and this reinforces that. This sucks. "Why, why why?" indeed. Only people full of themselves like this, right? Maybe I'm full of myself for not liking this. Who knows, this sucks.
- 4: It's hard to give this one a straightforward rating. This video was on MTV constantly for probably a year.
Was this our generation's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? To be honest, I think it was.
Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl -- Bessie Smith
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Wonderous Stories -- Yes
Spotify- 4: Beautiful vocal
- 3: I kind of wanted a relief from the sound at times, as otherwise it, once again, felt like a build-up to nothing, but pretty alright all around.
- 4: Only 3:49, pfft what sort of prog is this. Yes? Maybe.
- 4: Peaceful tranquility
Ticket To Ride -- The Beatles
Spotify- 3: I generally really like all eras of Beatles, so I'm not a hater of early Beatles stuff, but I've never thought much of this song. I mean, I like John's vocals here, and perhaps it was ahead of its time, but I just find it generally boring. I can name better and more deserving songs on this album alone.
Vuelvo al sur -- Gotan Project
Spotify- 3: Unsure if I was supposed to be listening to the live version or not, but I listened to the studio recording. It was alright, thought it was gonna be instrumental only, but words made it in pretty far in. Didn't really add to the song. Basically, decent, but far too long.
- 3: Liked this more than I thought I would. Bit background-y. But quite good regardless
- 3: Not sure about this one. Cool sounds but I don't have anything else to offer.
- 2: Either I don’t like tango or I’m not a fan of the repetitive faux beat
- 3: It was neat but nothing unusual.
Chan Chan -- Buena Vista Social Club
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Just Walkin' in the Rain -- The Prisonaires
Spotify- 4: Great song! 4⭐ 4/5
- 3: A really strong start that I just wish developed more. Short and sweet, though.
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher -- Jackie Wilson
Spotify- 3: fun song
- 2: Eh, I liked what it had going on at first, but I feel like still doing this sort of cheesy pop stuff in the middle of the music golden age is some sort of crime. I mean, I know not everyone was on top of things, but how do you look at your contemporaries and go "nah, keep doing the 50s stuff"?
- 5: So fun, so cheerful.
Painkiller -- Judas Priest
Spotify- 1: Awful
- 2: This caused me much more pain than it relieved.
Heartbreaker -- Led Zeppelin
Spotify- 5: Oh my god I love Led Zeppelin
- 3: This feels like if someone were to say "Led Zeppelin" this is what one would imagine. That isn't really a good or bad thing, it just feels like it needs that extra bluesy push, but still better than most straight rock songs, and is far ahead of its time musically.
Romando y tomando -- Lupillo Rivera
You Get What You Give -- New Radicals
Spotify- 4:
- 4: Torn between a 3 or a 5...sometimes I'm bored with it, sometimes I think it's a perfect piece of pop. I've settled on 4 as it's not a top tier song.
- 3: With a fun, fragmented, somewhat juvenile theme, it's a song that I'd love to jam to if I'm a young teenager who feels like the world is falling apart.
Trans-Europe Express -- Kraftwerk
Spotify- 5: there are only good songs about trains
- 2: I really wish i liked kraftwerk
- 4: I recently got this Kraftwerk album on the 1001 album generator and I enjoyed it. Although like a lot of early electronic work, it's quite dull but you can see where other musicians would come along and make it a lot better.
Ohio -- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
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Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) -- Ella Fitzgerald
Spotify- 4: -
- 1: Strings are nice and all, as is her voice, but this song got old very fast, to the point where this song became obnoxious. There's basically one lyric, and it's repeated in the same tone over the course of nearly four minutes, and it's so annoying that I went from thinking this would be a four as it started to a pretty confident one star. Jesus.
Lust For Life -- Iggy Pop
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A Minha Menina -- Os Mutantes
Spotify- 4: Unexpected but very entertaining
- 3: And now for something completely different. Instrumental was groovy. Not as big on the vocal style.
- 4: I've been really curious about this album for a while, as for an album to transcend language barriers so much even I've heard of the album way out in [REDACTED] seems pretty crazy, and while I feel there's slightly too much going on her to give it a five, that geipping guitar and catchy hook make it certainly close. I'm very much looking forward to getting this on the album generator.
Stop! In The Name Of Love -- The Supremes
Spotify- 2: The supremes have some great songs but i always find this one a bit underwhelming
- 3: I sort of really like the sound palette of this song, but I find the song itself quite dull
- 5: Sweet vocal performances and a classic Motown track. 5/5 no notes.
- 4: Almost top tier Supremes but they have a few other ones better than this one
- 3: A fun song, but The Supremes had better.
Between The Bars -- Elliott Smith
Spotify- 4: I really enjoyed the somber tone of this one. I was kind of expecting it to lead into something more when it suddenly just ended, but I suppose in a way I appreciate keeping it simple.
I'd Rather Go Blind -- Etta James
Spotify- 5: Lovely, heartbreaking, blues-based soul.
Fix Up, Look Sharp -- Dizzee Rascal
Spotify- 2: Oh God, this is the worst rapping that I've ever heard for a while. Sounds like a Brit doing a parody of a Kpop rapper. Awful. I do like the beat and that saved this from a 1 star. He definitely got the big beat, no matter how bad of a rapper he is.
- 1: My partner had to listen to this album for the album generator and they hated it. I now understand their pain...
- 2: The massive beat it's built on promises a lot but Dizee doesn't really deliver anything more after the opening verse. Still not bad but I maybe expected a bit more.
- 2: I hated this album on the album generator, but this wasn't that bad. At first, then it got irritating. If it had gone on another minute it could've definitely earned one star.
I Got You -- Split Enz
Spotify- 3: Kind of sounds like The Cars, but I think it fails to deliver any pay-off, despite a good start and some cooler sounds.
Being Boiled -- The Human League
Spotify- 5: Great synthy sounds here and there.
Never Let Me Down Again -- Depeche Mode
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More Than a Feeling -- Boston
Spotify- 2: -
- 5: Very good song
- 5: One of the most iconic guitar riffs of all time.
- 3: The 70s saw the emergence of rock songs nostalgic for earlier periods of rock history. American Pie, Crocodile Rock, that sort of thing. Here, Boston sing about hearing a song, remembering a girl called Marianne, then having a wank. Oddly, even though it's clearly about masturbation, I suspect Boston would deny that in full honesty, and say the song is about the bitterweet sensation of saudade one feels when remembering a lost love. No, it's about wanking over them. More Than a Feeling is really pompous, yes, but the onanistic overtones means it manages a very lucky three.
NoRadio, signing out.
- 1: Played-out classic rock staple that I haven't heard in a while as it usually triggers a change of radio station. Fuck, this goes on and on, at 4:45 it's about 4 mins too long. In a word - " shit".
- 5: Overplayed this track for myself when I was younger, but this still jams in the right mood. Guitar leading into the chorus is amazing.
Blue Moon -- The Marcels
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MEIN TEIL -- Rammstein
Spotify- 1: Didn’t like this one bit
- 3: Huge riffs. Not super keen on the vocal
Smooth Operator -- Sade
Spotify- 4: Smooth and really relaxing, just a bit long.
- 5: Hell yeah. Love it.
Gimme All Your Lovin' -- ZZ Top
Spotify- 2: Man, 80s hard rock is dull. This, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, it all just screams dad rock, and not in a good way. Just feels like rock stars from the 70s already passed their prime, yet we still herald them as something worth listening to.
Blue Monday -- New Order
Spotify- 3: I think the length of this song does hurt it a little bit. I know it's from the synth-pop era, so of course it was long, but if we were talking about the shortened version of the song it would probably be a four star. Still really good, and there's a reason New Order is kind of the be-all-end-all of synth-pop bands. Just saying they were inspired by Sparks though, as Sparks persists through all, and if you're reading this you should listen to their album No. 1 in Heaven.
Didi -- Khaled
Spotify- 4: finally something interesting after a sea of lame 60s pop. please give me more stuff like this, thank you very much.
- 1: Yeah just not my thing
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares -- Kalimankou denkou
- 1: I think I found the right thing but I don’t know it’s boring choir music maybe something cool in the background of a gothic cathedral in a video game but it’s just not my kinda thing.
Box Of Rain -- Grateful Dead
Spotify- 2: booooooooorrrriiinnnggggg but not terrible
- 2: Not my favorite. Sounds like a backroom recording of friends who think they can sing after a few Coors. A waste of five minutes.
- 2: A little bit ago now I got really into the band America, listening to all their albums in less than a month. This song sounds like a bad one of their songs, and considering I've fallen out of even their music pretty quickly, that isn't doing them any favors.
Empire State Of Mind -- JAY-Z
Spotify- 5: NY Anthem! "I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can." Big tune.
- 3: -
- 2: Man, that chorus is unironically fantastic. So, can Jay-Z SHUT THE FUCK UP? "Yuh, yuh, aiiiee!" whenever it isn't his turn to talk, and it gets really annoying very quickly. I'm already not a fan of his rapping, but at the very least he could give room to his features that are the only reason his song is still remembered today? Light two, because Alicia Keys really does sell the song, but go to LCD Soundsystem for your "reflecting on New York" needs.
- 5: Love this song.
- 5:
Deep Cover -- Snoop Dogg
Spotify- 5: An all time classic. Dre and Snoop together is such a grest combination
- 4: Great beat
- 4:
- 3: Snoop wiped Dre
- 5: All-time classic beat
5/5
Heaven -- Talking Heads
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Dear Mama -- 2Pac
Spotify- 3:
- 3: This song is sweet, but I can't help but imagine all the mom's listening to this thinking "He's right, I am the best" whilst abusing their kids.
- 3: I recently got this album on 1001 albums generator and this was the only song I really remember from it. It's a fine album and this song is fine.
Insomnia -- Faithless
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On Broadway -- The Drifters
Spotify- 2: I think I heard these lyrics parodied somewhere before. Quite an unremarkable song.
- 2: It's fine enough, but boring.
- 4: -
- 3: I feel like this has got to be one of the earliest "being a musician ain't all it's cracked up to be" songs, but I don't know that for sure. I do know that this song is iconic enough I knew it from the title alone, and the song itself sort of lives up to that fame. I just wish the payoff to its build-up was a bit more than a pretty hollow sounding guitar solo, but I suppose that's the era's fault, not the song's.
1952 Vincent Black Lightning -- Richard Thompson
Spotify- 3: M'eh
- 3: The guitar picking is nice, but the story isn't too intriguing to me, and the song feels pretty repetitious. His voice could definitely be more annoying so I guess that's a plus?
- 4: Perfectly fine little folksy tune. Was expecting something more from the story, but oh well.
Move Any Mountian -- The Shamen
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Time Of No Reply -- Nick Drake
Spotify- 3: not clear why this song over many other better nick drake songs?
- 3: I'm not the largest Nick Drake fan so this song didn't do much for me.
Ella -- José Alfredo Jimenez
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Nancy Boy -- Placebo
Spotify- 5: Song that reminds me of being a teenager. The angst and sex of this song is still exciting now. This album still holds up so well.
- 2: The vocals were not good. I like the lyrics and the guitar was okay I guess. Very close to a one.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes -- Crosby, Stills & Nash
Spotify- 2: When it said "Suite" I thought it may change more, but it was just drab folk for seven minutes.
- 4: Good fun song, lovely harmonies and guitar work.
Sinnerman -- Nina Simone
Spotify- 5:
- 3: Strong performance but the song doesn't do much for me.I recognized that vocal riffing near the end as a sample in a Talib Kweli song so there's that.
Hong Kong Garden -- Siouxsie and the Banshees
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Lazaretto -- Jack White
Spotify- 4: First time really listening to solo Jack White, but damn I miss Meg. The White Stripes really were something and hearing this I can hear them but it's missing Meg's drumming which was so key. I liked it, but didn't love it.
- 4: Good song but exactly what you’d expect from Jack White
- 4: Haven't paid much attention to Jack Whites solo career. Here Jack raps over a funky bassline before finally firing up the guitar and some electronic bleepery half way through, pretty decent!
- 5: I should listen to Jack White more. That strings bit at the end is so silly. I love it.
U Don't Know Me -- Armand Van Helden
Spotify- 3: Doesnt need to be as long as it is
- 2: So I listen to a ton of house music and on all these lists, they always put really shit house tracks.
Race For The Prize -- The Flaming Lips
Spotify- 4: This song just starts with a band, and that theme is absolutely fantastic. I don't think the vocals have enough oomph to be able to stand with it, but the song is still amazing as a soundscape.
I Wanna Be Your Dog -- The Stooges
Spotify- 5: Menacing, I'd love to hear this with Massive Attack or Death In Vegas production. But a classic nonetheless
- 5: The riff to this song is hands down one of the coolesy pieces of music ever.
Holidays In The Sun -- Sex Pistols
Spotify- 3: More melodic than I was expecting from the Sex Pistols. I can appreciate it, but I probably don't want to listen again.
Sweet Disposition -- The Temper Trap
- 5:
- 5: Killer bass line, and a gradual build up to such a cathartic climax that's a joy to hear. It's got those jangling guitars that I can never resist, and the vocals don't grate, which is impressive. It should lose points for being overplayed in media and adverts but I refuse to do so.
My Generation - Stereo Version -- The Who
Spotify- 2: Why specifically the stereo version? Does it enhance the annoying stuttering?
- 4: i forgot the drum breakdown at the end went so hard, wow
- 4: I’m a massive Who fan but I’ve never really rated this song. When it comes on it’s pretty fun and the drums are a delight. But i never choose to listen to it
- 3: Iconic I guess, but never did understand the stuttering, was this some 60's trend? Just not my generation...
- 4: A classic rock song from a classic band. Nonetheless, the Who would write better songs and this song sounds very early 60s to me and is just missing something that would make it better.
War Pigs -- Black Sabbath
Spotify- 3: This is one of those songs where I question if I'd like it less had I not heard it very early in my life. The guitar at the end is great, but in a modern less the first half is a little stringy and takes too long for the payoff, quite honestly. Lyrics go hard though.
- 4: A bit long for me, but a classic.
Superstar -- Carpenters
Spotify- 3: A little bit sappy - even for The Carpenters - but still a good one.
- 5: Gorgeous, moving, and the orchestral backing doesn't take the song too much from Karen. Just a perfect ballad.
- 4: karen carpenter was more fun when she was singing about aliens and ecuadorian maids on that weird ass album. beautiful song though, rip karen (also, didn't sonic youth cover this?)
It Ain't Necessarily So -- Diahann Carroll
Spotify- 2: This feels like stereotypical gin and jazz music that gets repetitive even in it's average run time. Wasn't a fan of this, but not gonna give it a one due to quality singing and piano playing.
- 3: Beautiful voice but not the most interesting song
- 1: Beautiful voice but the lyrics just aren't my cup of tea. Listening once was enough for me.
Dead Souls -- Joy Division
Spotify- 5: I never knew this was the original of NIN's version that's on The Crow Soundtrack. This is a fantastic song. I love the 2 minute build up with no lyrics, something that wouldn't happen in today's music. I'd have given NIN's version a 4 but this is an instant 5.
- 5: Always a 5 star for joy division
- 3: Kind of nice, but way too long of an instrumental intro to really like it. Joy Division seems very hit or almost a hit for me, and this falls in the latter. Still good though.
Bat Out Of Hell -- Meat Loaf
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You Got The Love -- The Source
Spotify- 4: I actually associate this song much more with Florence and the machine, it’s a banger though!
- 5: The definitive house anthem, but (whisper it) I prefer Florence's version.
- 3: Everything about this screams '90s. And they fascinate me, I guess.
- 5: yacht
- 4: I actually associate this song much more with Florence and the machine, it’s a banger though!
California Über Alles -- Dead Kennedys
Spotify- 3: -
- 4: There are satirical arts which feel like a shitpost, this is one of them. Perhaps it's because the hippie-phobic views are ridiculous and not really funny when seen with 2023 lens. Still, it's a fun punk rock song with nice riffs and good satirical dimension.
- 1: Nope
- 4: A nice punk song
Is It Because I'm Black -- Syl Johnson
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Unchained Melody -- The Righteous Brothers
Spotify- 4: Really great dramatic music that I always enjoyed from the vocal greats, and this is no exception. Definitely doesn't do anything crazy but still very enjoyable.
The Numbers -- Radiohead
Spotify- 2: I like the strings that come in halfway through, but otherwise a pretty "nothing" Radiohead song. Feel like this was only included on the list due to its recency at the time of inclusion.
- 3: Nice orchestration but a bit forgettable
True Faith -- New Order
Spotify- 3: Not the biggest Joy Division or New Order fan so it doesn't do much for me.
- 4: Not New Order’s best but a banger regardless
- 3: Started my listening session with New Order, ended my listening session with New Order. A lot more pop-y than Blue Monday feels, but still good, and the song length being a bit more reasonable helps. You can tell the synthpop era is starting to disappear though.
Oh Well, Parts 1 & 2 -- Fleetwood Mac
Spotify- 2: I don't know if this is really all that allowed, since this is technically two different songs, but I guess it can slide. It's fine, otherwise, nothing all that special, but I guess for 1969 it does rock kind of hard. Still, don't see anything too special, and prefer pt. 2 because its guitar playing is more intriguing.
365 Is My Number -- King Sunny Adé & His African Beats
- 3: not really my thing
- 3: Interesting
- 3: Not bad
Autumn Leaves -- Jo Stafford
Spotify- 4: Gorgeous vocals, gorgeous strings, and it may be predictable, but this was from 1950? Like, wow. A star off because it's not making a huge mark on me or anything, but this is still great.
- 2: Beautiful voice, just not my style
- 3: This is the most 50s lady ballad that ever balladed
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) -- Jimi Hendrix
Spotify- 3: Excellent guitar playing, of course, but there are certainly better Hendrix songs. Still good, of course.
- 4: dope
- 3: I'm not crazy about Hendrix's music or anything, but it's still pretty good. This 5 minutes went by surprisingly fast. I like the dirty sound of the guitar. It's amazing that this was 1968.
- 5:
FourFiveSeconds -- Rihanna
Spotify- 5: Love this song. Still sucks that Kanye is a fucking Nazi piece of shit, but McCartney's guitar playing and Rihanna's vocals make up for that.
- 2: WHY IS SHE SINGING LIKE THAT? The backing track is OK but the recording is sort of crappy. It's just a mess all around.
- 4: Forgot about this song, but I do find it quite enjoyable. Would love a Rihanna album in this style. Could do without Kanye's parts in the song.
Birthday -- The Sugarcubes
Spotify- 4: I've always been a fan of Björk as a person since I saw her on Space Ghost (also she's a fan of Sparks so that's a major plus), but I've never gone out of my way to listen to anything by her. I really like how grippy her vocals are on here, and it has that mellow 80s mood while still doing enough to not be boring. Enjoyed this, looking forward to more of her stuff.
- 5: God everything about this song is so wonderful
Hoppípolla -- Sigur Rós
Spotify
The Winner Takes It All -- ABBA
Spotify- 4:
- 5: A bright spot on a usually very meh album, this song is both extremely motivating and devastating at the same time, being very quite sad if you sit and think about the actual history tied to its writing, and the fact that the group was still able to get up from that and make two more albums, no doubt due to money, but it's more romantic to act as though they loved music that dearly, and perhaps they did, but in the bubble of this song alone, all of ABBA's emotional moments are poured into this singular magnificent tune.
Paint It Black -- The Rolling Stones
Spotify- 5: wish i could give this more than 5 stars.
- 4: Love it.
- 5: Not a big Rolling Stones fan, but this is definitely one of their best. Nothing like a nice bit of sitar.
- 5: Not the biggest Stones fan, but this song, this SONG. Literally perfect 60s rock. Despite it's overplayed nature, it does not matter.
- 4: A great song from the early Stones.
- 5: I knew this song was good, but I think I've been sleeping on it because of its popularity. I love the sitar in this song. It has a very satisfying beat. An unexpected 5.
Fuck Me Pumps -- Amy Winehouse
Spotify- 4: I like it. That title was a jumpscare when it popped up, but it makes a bit more sense in context. Mellow, like being in a jazz club. Just repetitive.
- 3: It's okay. Not super special.
- 3: -
- 3: Kind of gimmicky.. ?
- 1: Sorry, but what? Why is this on here? I have to imagine there are way better songs available. 1 ⭐ 1/5
I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin') -- Candi Staton
Spotify- 2: Eh, once again, don't you get the feeling that this behind on the times more than anything? Just doesn't do anything for me.
- 4: I enjoyed it. Very 60s sounding which works here for me.
Corcovado -- Frank Sinatra
Spotify- 3: Nice
- 4: Beautiful sung song and the instrumental play was on point. 4 ⭐ 4/5
- 3: Little boring but not awful
- 4: Chill song. Pretty good.
Honey Hush -- Johnny Burnette
Spotify- 4: Never heard of him before but this was a banger.
- 3: Has a bit of an interesting sound for the time, but nothing special for me.
- 2: hm
- 3: 3/5
Breakdown -- Mariah Carey
Spotify- 1: Hate her voice, just hate it.
- 5: I've got to admit tht I enjoyed this too much. Did not expect the nostalgia coming from its classic R&B-pop sound. I really love how her collaboration with some Bone Thugs-N-Harmony members amplified the soulful sound of the latter. Quite a surprisingly compelling piece this is.
- 2: That was indeed 90s R&B
- 2: Ok, not quite my style but nothing overly wrong with it.
- 2: Yooooo:
"Upon their arrival, Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone were provided with a platter containing Hennessy and cannabis which they passed out from after getting high. Awakened by their manager, the group members were receptive to "Breakdown" because it sounded similar to their previous work. Krayzie Bone was impressed by Carey for her knowledge of the group and described her as "very laidback and like one of the homies" during the recording process."
Bone Thugs Harmony legends
Dead End Street -- The Kinks
Spotify- 3: It’s a depressing version of the usual really happy songs that flood the 60’s, it’s decent.
- 4: Not my favorite Kinks song, but these two generators are really starting to make me realize that I quite enjoy this band. Always lumped them in with the lesser British invasion bands, but nah, they're great.
- 3: nothing special
- 3: nothing special
- 2: ok
Typical Girls -- The Slits
Spotify- 3: -
- 5: Shouts to Yasi Salek/Bandsplain for turning me on to The Slits. 5 stars for having an honest and original sound.
- 3:
- 4: Well, this is kind of cool. I kind of expected this to be less organized, as I've heard stories of the members of The Slits not even knowing how to play their instruments during the recordings, but it works pretty well, like if Björk was around to flourish in the punk scene of the 70s rather than the lush sounds of 90s, but I'm still jamming eith it all the same. I think it could stand to cut off some length, but otherwise pretty neat.
Iceblink Luck -- Cocteau Twins
Spotify- 5: There are at least 3 more impactful songs for me from this delicious album. Still worthy of 5 stars.
- 4: Cocteau Twins are completely hypnotising to me
- 4: I love the way Cocteau Twins just envelopes you in a sound, just so you are over-stimulated in a way that not much else can replicate and still sound good. Not my favorite song on this album, but still very good.
Sister Morphine -- Marianne Faithfull
Spotify- 2: Meh
- 3: Not a huge fan of faithfull’s version. If this was the Stones’, it’d likely get 5 stars from me
Walk On the Wild Side -- Lou Reed
Spotify- 5:
- 5: -
- 4: Pretty good. Makes me curious what the rest of the album will sound like.
Relax -- Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Spotify- 2: Gotta be one of the most boring hits from the new wave era of pop. Pretty insane this just got casual radio play though, considering this isn't just mildly horny like most pop songs, this thing shoves it in your face, to the point of being annoying.
- 2: '80s pop sounds bland, no matter how much synth is thrown in it.
- 5:
Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
Spotify
On & On -- Erykah Badu
Spotify- 4: -
- 3: 3/5
- 3: Ehh perfectly average.
- 3: comme ci comme ca
The Snake -- Al Wilson
Spotify- 3: This was pretty alright, although definitely generic for the era. I think a bit more of a kick to it would elevate it for me.
- 3: Great production, very nice song.
Laughing -- David Crosby
Spotify- 2: This must have been a large step in the soft rock movement everyone would come to know over the course of the 70s, however, is that really something worth highlighting?
- 3: Not for me
Rock The Casbah -- The Clash
Spotify- 4: What an odd choice for the list. This is almost a novelty song compared to the rest of the The Clash's catalog.
Mundian To Bach Ke -- Panjabi MC
Spotify- 4: I understand why this song is used so much in Western media, as it may be stereotypical, but it is a bop. Just repetitive.
- 2: i mean it’s lowkey a banger
- 4: Great to see a Punjab artist/song break into the mainstream, especially onto this list also. Always loved this song.
- 5: Anything less than 5 stars would be a war crime
- 4: I actually know this song already because of Just Dance, and I believe it became a little bit of a meme in recent years. My friends would play a very loud version of this in our discord calls a lot. I always thought it was kind of a bop, and that still holds true.
Good Rockin' Tonight -- Roy Brown
Spotify- 2: Pretty alright for it's age, but that age also means it's simple and repetitive. Rock 'n' roll (or perhaps proto-rock 'n' roll?) has never been my cup of tea really.
- 4: not a bad tune
- 3: Bluesy
- 5: You can hear the origins of rock and roll in this song and reading about it, I see how many musicians were influenced by it. Great stuff.
- 3: Not for me
- 2: As a fellow mighty mighty man, I approve of this song.
- 2: Didn’t like this
- 4: cool old timey shit
Pinball Wizard -- The Who
Spotify- 4: I don’t love the Who really, but respect their classic stuff and this is a classic. I dare anyone not to sing out loud and proud during the refrain of how do you think he does it? I don’t know! What makes him so good!
- 3: Sounds like a rockier, blander Pink Floyd track.
- 3: I genuinely still don't understand why this song exists
London Calling -- The Clash
Spotify- 5: Such an epic song, from and epic band. 6/5
- 4: Great song on a great album
- 4: I've listened to this album a few times through but The Clash just don't speak to me. It's still a banger of a song.
- 3: This song is certainly alright, as it blends punk and post punk pretty nicely, but his voice is just not meant for non-punk songs, and it gets grating. Insteumentals are nice.
- 3: I've discovered rather recently that I don't like punk music, with a few exceptions, but this wasn't bad. I was tapping my foot.
- 4: Favourite Clash album but actually not the best song from the album. Great though
- 4:
- 5: C'mon man, don't even need to listen to this one, but I will out of respect
Red Right Hand -- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Spotify
Johnny B. Goode -- Chuck Berry
Spotify- 5: A goddamn, gorgeous, beautiful song. This is the peak 50s rock and roll and why so many artists chose to pick up the guitar. One of the greatest rock and roll songs ever written.
It's Like That -- Run–D.M.C.
Spotify- 1: I feel terrible giving this score, not only because I know Run-D.M.C. can make far better music, but also because this is such an important part of hip-hop. Yet, this song sucks. The backbeat is terrible and hollow, the rapping is boring with almost know flow, and the hook of the song has gotta be one of the worst I've heard. Just an awful song.
- 3: Definitely old school hip-hop sound that doesn't exist any more. A fun romp though but still very dated.
All The Things She Said -- t.A.T.u.
Spotify- 4: alr heard
- 3: This was alright. Usually don't like late 90s/early 2000s pop, but this was pretty simple and okay to listen to. In another world perhaps...
- 3: The most interesting things about this song are not part of the recording.
Fairytale of New York -- The Pogues
Spotify- 4: I like it. Great duet vocal and lyrics.
- 5: Two CHRISTMAS SONGS IN A ROW
Portland Oregon -- Loretta Lynn
Spotify- 2: This doesn't seem to be on my streaming service of choice, and I wonder if the fact that this is photo Jack White is usually in seemingly edited out that has something to do with it. The song was fine, with the guitar being cool, but the rest just felt like usual country dribble.
- 3: This was quite pleasant, but feels inessential to the list for me. No credit for Jack White?
- 3: - not on spotify?
Touch Me I'm Sick -- Mudhoney
Spotify- 5: Great song from a great album
- 2: An interesting little song. Not really anything that sticks out to me. I wonder if I'd like the Sonic Youth cover more.
Maps -- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Spotify- 4: Pretty good
- 4: This song is so different from the rest of the album, going for a more relaxed and mellow rock, but I think it makes it stand out all the more. I l'm finally starting to appreciate this song after a few years of knowing it.
- 5: I forget this exists then hear it and enjoy again
Fire -- Jimi Hendrix
Spotify- 5: I’m a massive Hendrix fan and this song is brill, such great energy
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore -- The Walker Brothers
Spotify- 2: Meh
- 3: I like the build-up, but this feels like it's sung by the wrong people here. They don't hit the mark quite right enough.
- 3: Pleasant enough. I listened to some other recordings of it and I don't quite understand why the Walkers get credit for having the best version of it, except that they charted in the UK.
Woke Up This Morning -- Alabama 3
Spotify- 5: Finally, a song will get stuck on my head for the rest of the day. A song that I can't put in one genre. A song that blew my mind.
- 2: Can't wait to get the Golden Girls theme next! Pretty boring, but not terrible. Can totally see why this was picked as a theme song for a show.
End Of A Century -- Blur
Spotify- 4: I mean, it's no "This Is A Low" but it still gets the job done.
- 5:
- 3: Certainly better Britpop, but save for Supergrass, Britpop just is not the genre for me, as I find a lot of it whiney. This is close to being something I like, but I far prefer Gorillaz over anything from Blur when it comes to Damon Albarn.
Into The Mystic -- Van Morrison
Spotify
California Dreamin' -- The Mamas & The Papas
Spotify- 4: Such a sad sounding song for the era, but it really works.
Epic -- Faith No More
Spotify- 5: I had the thought that it may be this song's fault that rap-rock became more common in the 90s, but who cares? This song is amazing, each part is memorable and excellent to listen along to, Mike Patton's voice is always fantastic, and that piano at the end is gorgeous. Love this song.
- 2: Bootleg dollar store RHCP.
Perfekte Welle -- Juli
- 2: M'eh. Can't see why it'd make the list
- 2: Meh. Not very good. Pretty generic.
- 2: Pretty cool but not for me
- 2: This sounds like nothing, why is this here? Did they pay to get in? This sounds like a song that'd be the credits of a Transformer movie. No thoughts, tempted to give a one, but I didn't hate it, I guess?
Poor Poor Pitiful Me -- Warren Zevon
Spotify- 2: Test
- 3: Not sure why I like this tbh
- 2: AWOO, WEREWOLF OF LOND- Wait, no? Then why would I care?
Superfly -- Curtis Mayfield
Spotify
Chaje Shukarije -- Esma Redzepova
Spotify- 3: It was something, not my style though
- 3: I was scared with that beginning, but the rest of the song really picked up. Would probably not listen again, but definitely enjoyable enough.
Ghosts -- Japan
Spotify- 3: God, David Sylvian is so pretty, I wish I liked Japan's music more. As it stands it's alright, but pretty simple and too long wven at it's average length runtime.
- 5: Japan are a band I’m really glad I found from my parents. Sort of forgotten legends.
- 3: Quite unique, great synths
- 4: -
Situation -- Yazoo
Spotify- 5: I really like this song. The vocal performance is great. I'm kind of surprised that this is the Yazoo song on here.
- 2:
- 3: Not my Yazoo song of choice, but still good with a good sound system highlighting the synth-popiness of it all.
Crying In The Chapel -- The Orioles
Spotify- 2: it's a little bit sappy even for the genre
- 2: ho-hum
- 3: It's okay. Some beautiful voices but it feels like it needs a little more to be great.
Montague Terrace (In Blue) -- Scott Walker
Spotify- 5: Almost perfect, great narrative and song structure.
LTA
Tired Of Being Alone -- Al Green
Spotify- 4: Loved a good chunk of this, just some of the talky parts to keep it in the four, but still really great.
- 5: Beautiful. Just beautiful song. Easily 5⭐ 5/5
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor -- Arctic Monkeys
Spotify- 4: I have continually slept on the Arctic Monkeys. This is a fun song
- 4: In an era full of sad pop-punk, this surprising gem of a happy pop-punk does look good on the dancefloor.
- 3: Pretty good
- 4: This was probably my favourite song in the world when it came out in 2006 and I was a 14 year old indie kid with a guitar and a silly mop of hair. But it certainly doesn't punch like it did back then.
- 4: Song intro is really rockin'
- 3: High energy rock that takes the influences from punk and reintegrates them back into rock, but loses the notability from either. Still a decent song, though.
Into the Groove -- Madonna
Spotify- 3: It's fine I guess? Nothing exceptional.
- 2: Not really a Madonna fan. Of the songs I like of hers, this isn’t one
Superstition -- Stevie Wonder
Spotify- 5: bomb track
- 5: A mother fucking banger.
Kung Fu -- Ash
Spotify- 3: I actually liked this one a lot more than I remember liking it the first time I heard it. Perhaps by the time I get it on the album generator I'll actually add it to my song library.
- 2: I can see why it'd be considered catchy, and it's nice that it's so short, but this isn't really for me.
- 2: Ash are band that I always have such mixed feelings about
Search and Destroy -- The Stooges
Spotify- 5: RAW POWER. This one is full on. The performances are amazing and the mix is absolutely mental.
- 3: I listened to this album awhile ago and didn't think much of it. I don't remember liking the vocals on this album, but his voice has an odd soft quality to it that I like. Not my favourite song on the album though. A light three.
- 4: "Look out honey cause I'm using technology". Love this song.
- 4: Listened to the Iggy Mix, and I'm realizing I know this song from Guitar Hero, even though I've listened to this album in full before, and I finally get it. I've never thought too much of this song, but I actually quite enjoyed it this go around. Guess I just have to hammer it in until it works.
- 4: You can definitely hear the foundation of punk rock in this tune.
We Are Your Friends -- Justice Vs Simian
Spotify- 4: love this song
- 5: classique et chic
- 3: Heard it too much but it's decent
- 1: Uhh why is this here? This just sounds like hundreds of other remixes I've heard in my life. It isn't even that great of a remix. Pretty trash.
- 4: It's weird that this was a pre-Cross Justice world. That does mean this song is missing that extra crunch that Justice would display in their debut, but this is still a fire track, I like the sample, the vocals are the right level of scratchy without being whiney.
Strawberry Fields Forever -- The Beatles
Spotify- 5:
- 5: Undoubtedly a 5 star
- 5: Epic. Epic. Epic.
Lennon at his best. The takes and demo on Anthology 2 are well worth a listen also.
- 5: Pretty easy five star. I love how weird Lennon's vocals are on here, being much lower than usual, and the instrumentation is also fantastic. Love this song and this whole album, which it was on the album generator, as it may be my favorite album by the band, no joke. Consistently sounding like this is a good thing.
Divine -- Sébastien Tellier
- 1: It’s interesting yeah and I get that it tries but I hate that voice and the lyrics are nothing
- 3: Pretty good
- 4: Aha I had genuinely forgotten this song was a thing. I love the Chivers anyway.
Non-Alignment Pact -- Pere Ubu
Spotify- 3: Instrumental and the energy of the song is great.
Will You Love Me Tomorrow -- The Shirelles
Spotify- 5: All doo-wop automatically gets 5 stars from me.
- 4: This sort of pop from this era seems to always be tittering between a three and a four for me, but this one gets to totter to the latter option, as I like the shorter run time and just something about this one I generally enjoy more. It's just hard to write different reviews for each of these kinds of tracks.
Johnny Remember Me -- John Leyton
Spotify- 4: Love this. I’ve definitely heard this somewhere before have no idea where.
- 3: Very nostalgic, atmospheric.
- 3: Very close to something I like, but I wish it was more dramatic, although I understand that at the time this probably was plenty dramatic. Loved the horse gallop-like beat, but just not quite there.
- 3: Spooky, I guess? It's hard to come up with an opinion of this one.
You've Really Got A Hold On Me -- The Miracles
Spotify- 3: Iconic, but I feel it would benefit from a bit more oomph at the end, but it'd be probably be nice as a more up-tempo, dancing with a partner kind of song.
- 4: There’s no version of this song that I’ve heard that I don’t love
My Funny Valentine -- Chet Baker
Spotify- 2: meh
- 5: God, I love his voice. And the lyrics are mildly comedic while still being suprisingly humble. This dude fucks. Piano is magnificent too, jazzy without being too out there.
- 3: It's okay. Can't say I am a huge fan of the song itself.
- 3: Nice, just nice
- 3: Pretty little ditty.
The Whole Of The Moon -- The Waterboys
Spotify- 4: i actually really vibed with this
- 3: Alright
- 3: Was kind of close to something I'd like more, but just not there. There are other songs by this band that I like more.
Gloria -- Umberto Tozzi
Spotify- 2: TIL Laura Branigan’s version is a cover. Prefer her version.
- 4: I had no idea the Laura Branigan version of this song was a cover, that makes me respect this song pretty hard, because that song slaps in the right mood, and so does this one, albeit to a lesser degree.
- 3: Huh I had no idea this was an Italian song. I was vaguely familiar with the English language version by someone else. Neat.
Louie Louie -- The Kingsmen
Spotify
Romeo -- Basement Jaxx
Spotify- 1: Just boring if I’m honest
- 2: ehhh. nah.
Oh My Sweet Carolina -- Ryan Adams
Spotify- 1: Fuck this guy. Boring, tepid music from a garbage human-being. The fact that at one point this was supposed to be the great comeback for country music makes me wanna puke.
Miss Sarajevo -- Passengers
Spotify- 3: The strings under the opera section are a little bit over the top but if you're going to put Pavarotti on the track then I guess you just have to go there.
- 5: the second portion of this track was a pleasant surprise, amazing song.
LTA
- 3: You know, I saw that this was from the nineties and got nervous, but this wasn't bad. The featuring artist is interesting, and I think it fits the song. Definitely not what I was expecting, but good.
- 3: Boring
Mr. Tambourine Man -- The Byrds
Spotify- 3: They don't really sound like Beatles lite, they have their own flavor of jangly folk. Still, they do emit such Beatles-esque vibes.
- 4:
More Than A Woman -- Aaliyah
Spotify- 4: A really pleasant song and it's a shame that she died so young. Would have been to great to see her career evolve and grow.
- 5: Iconic
- 4: Huh, usually not a late 90s early 2000s R&B fan, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I think it was the beat that carried it, but I liked it. Two different songs from this album on this list but the album isn't on the 1001 Album list? Seems weird.
Goodnight Irene -- The Weavers
Spotify- 3: Vocally - beautiful. 3 ⭐
3/5
- 2: Fine enough, but feels a bit just like I'm being given advice by people from the 50s, which is usually not the best advice. I mean, good intentions here, but also let me do what I want, Irene.
- 2: I mean, it's fine. Nothing special though.
Carpet Crawlers -- Genesis
Spotify- 4: Sounds like an oversparkled story about house bugs at first but turned out to be some complex and cryptic tale about childbirth or something. Of course it'll be deep, it's progrock.
- 3: I don't get/understand prog rock. So I'll give it a 3 and not judge this. If I did judge it, I'd be giving it a 1 or 2. Man, I can't stand this type of music.
Lili Marleen -- Marlene Dietrich
Spotify- 1: You think I'm gonna like this just because its in German. Nein out of 10.
- 3: Simple, but enjoyable.
Mad World -- Tears For Fears
Spotify- 3: Tears for Fears always goes hard
- 4: Not my favourite of Tears For Fears but still a great song
Oliver's Army -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Spotify- 4: -
- 4: First one of these songs where I first heard it on the 1001 Album Generator, and I know many quite like this one, but I'm not a much of a Costello fan, and the n-word drop rubs me the wrong way every time.
Wait, re-listened, and I actually kind of like this more? Guess Costello is one of those artists where you have to listen to the song until you get into it. Bumping it up to four star.
- 1:
- 4: Great song
Love Is A Losing Game -- Amy Winehouse
Spotify- 4: song
- 3: Like is becoming a trend here, a lot of these songs are fine. Not terrible but not amazing. This is a fine album but I think there are better on it.
- 4: I think I've always felt subconsciously that Winehouse's voice is stereotypical and not that enjoyable, but actually sitting down and listening I enjoy this quite a bit. It reminds me of a 50s era pop song, being short and sweet, with the singer's voice being the item on display. I enjoyed this enough to start opening my eyes a bit more to her stuff.
The Beautiful People -- Marilyn Manson
Spotify- 4: This one is engineered to scare and shock but also groove. I don't think it is still as effective today as it was in the 90s.Also, the drum track has way too much cymbal.
- 2: When I got this album on 1001 Album Generator I gave it a 1 star. I still would give it a 1 star and this was the only high light on the album for me.
- 3: Hated this album, but this song is actually pretty decent.
- 1: I hate Marilyn Manson.
- 1: I quite like some marilyn manson but not this
The Gallis Pole -- Lead Belly
Spotify- 2: Pretty boring.
- 2: Generic blues that I was not expecting to recognize, but here comes Led Zeppelin to remind me of my least favorite song on Led Zeppelin III.
- 3: The recording quality is pretty terrible as you'd expect from 1939, but a nice bouncy tune for a totally not nice bouncy subject.
- 3: A song I don’t necessarily like but can appreciate
- 2: Meh
Reach Out, I'll Be There -- Four Tops
Spotify
Wish You Were Here -- Pink Floyd
Spotify- 5: Perfect from start to finish
Best of You -- Foo Fighters
Spotify- 2: See, I will never understand when people say that "it's just stereotypical rock" when referring to the debut, but this sort of stuff I can see that argument way more. This seems like something I'd hear on the radio and never think of again. I respect Dave Grohl very much so, but this is definitely a fall from grace, even when it comes to his song writing. I heard the new album is pretty good though, I'll have to check that out.
911 -- Gorillaz
Spotify- 2: Far too long for what it is
- 2: Not doing much for me I'm afraid
- 2: D12 are great rappers and I usually like Gorillaz, but this song is just too dull for my taste
- 1: I don’t enjoy this genre of music, so I can’t say whether it is good or bad. I just know I don’t like it.
Pump Up The Volume -- M/A/R/R/S
Spotify- 2: I'm struggling to understand why this song was deemed important enough to include on this list. It's not that great and even wikipedia is sparse on praise as to why.. it's pretty generic
My Drug Buddy -- The Lemonheads
Spotify- 3: Inoffensive quick song, nothing really special to it.
- 5: Goddamn, this whole album is so great
- 3: Nothing wrong with it, but pretty nothing to me.
Always on the Run -- Lenny Kravitz
- 2: Nah, this feels way too precisely made to be what would hit the charts in the 90s. It isn't bad, but it is extremely dull, and Kravitz has tracks, that while perhaps just as manufactured sounding, at least win me over.
Tangled up in Blue -- Bob Dylan
Spotify- 4: One of the few Dylan songs I actually enjoyed.
4⭐ 4/5
- 5: One of my favorite Dylan songs
- 5: A classic by Dylan. Love it.
- 3: hm
One Nation Under A Groove -- Funkadelic
Spotify- 4: Not sure I've ever heard this. Amazing groove.
- 4: this is a really cool song
Detroit Rock City -- KISS
Spotify- 3: Best song on this album, but that isn't saying much. A minute of car noises to get to this admittedly pretty rockin' in the right mood song usually isn't worth it, but I don't hate listening to this or even regret it. Good job KISS, now make the rest of the album this alright.
- 1: Take away the makeup, the platform shoes, the tight pants and all you have is a mediocre band playing mediocre music.
- 2: Great until the vocals came in
- 3: For the longest time I thought KISS were from Detroit because of this song. As far as a rating for Detroit Rock City... it sounds like KISS.
- 2: -
Amandrai -- Ali Farka Touré
Spotify- 5: slaps
- 3: Cool, groovy, enjoyable without being invasive.
- 4: -
Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely -- Hüsker Dü
Spotify- 1: This song doesn't do anything. It's so repetitive. It annoyed me very fast.
- 3: Relatively generic mid-80s heavy rock, but I like the faster energy and the fact that I've never heard it before really helps it a bit.
- 3: If blink-182 weren’t inspired by this song l, I’ll be shocked
Ms. Fat Booty -- Mos Def
Spotify- 3: Interesting song, but completely forgettable.
- 4: The Aretha soul sample reminds me of early Kanye, it's a nice beat and does not have the pompousness that Kanye's beats sometimes have. What I appreciate the most about this song is the storytelling. This guy knows how tell stories without constantly regurgitating swear words like a 12 year old. Although, I kind of think that he might be too afraid to say bad words? Like in that one line, he suppressed himself from saying "fuck". I'm still undecided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Referring to her as "Ms. Fat Booty" is quite a statement, though.
- 3: I really like the beat on this song, but I wish there was something more to the song than just "woman hot, want sex", and maybe there is, but I can't really follow what's happening in that last verse, so that's probably on me.
I Predict A Riot -- Kaiser Chiefs
Spotify- 4: I enjoyed this and will have to check out this band more.
- 2: -
- 5: Whoa, this song is awesome! Kaiser Chiefs always pop up randomly within my life, but I've never heard this song somehow, and this just makes me feel with this and Never Miss A Beat that I need to listen to their discography, because I think I'm missing out.
What'd I Say, Pt. 1 & 2 -- Ray Charles
Spotify- 2: Hmm nothing special here to me, very rudimentary blues chord progression. A bit more interesting when the call and response vocals come in. Way too long for a song that is so high tempo and repetitive.
- 4: great vocal and groove
- 2: Meh, didn't do much for me. I can respect the energy of it, the genre just isn't really for me.
- 2: Just kinda kept forgetting it was playing
Seven Nation Army -- The White Stripes
Spotify- 4: The bass line is next level.
- 4: -
- 5: You can't just not give it 5 stars because its been overplayed to death, its a masterpiece
- 4: I remember back when Battlefield 1 was announced it used a really crappy remix of this song as the trailer music, and it blew up. I mean, it was already a huge song, but it got even bigger, at least in my age range. This caused the song to get overplayed to death, and my interest in it to wear a little thin. However, I will say this is still cracking. The guitar in the middle is fantastic, and the White Stripes do so much with so little. I feel bad not giving this a five, but it is still a fantastic song.
- 5: yes.
- 5: Classic.
5/5
I've Been Loving You Too Long -- Otis Redding
Spotify- 4: what a voice
- 3: Cool...slow
- 5: Such a classic, deep from the heart and soul. Only wish it was longer.
- 4: -
Stagger Lee -- Lloyd Price
Spotify- 3: I know this one from The Clash.It's an upbeat version of a violent story for sure. There isn't much here that offers more than other early R&B.
- 3: Good lawdy
- 4: I dug it. Late 50s style that just worked for me.
- 3: Has a similar issue I have with a lot of music from the era where it doesn't feel impactful enough, but I like this one enough. Short and sweet, but not really fulfilling.
Music Sounds Better With You -- Stardust
Spotify- 4: What a bop
- 5: the sound of my adolescence. the absolute apogee and perfection of 90s house.
- 4: This sounds like Daft Punk. Ah it was produced by one of the Daft Punk members. That makes sense. Catchy enough song shame they only did one, but I think Daft Punk covered the gap nicely.
- 3: A song that I always said was "basically by Daft Punk", and I suppose I was 1/3 right, but this does suffer from being overly long in my eyes. There is a radio edit but I imagine that doesn't count. Still a jam in the right moods.
Et moi, et moi, et moi - Remastered -- Jacques Dutronc
Spotify- 2: it's okay, not really for me.
- 2: Pretty boring.
- 2: Again, is the remastered part necessary? I genuinely am curious. Very repetitive track, and the language barrier doesn't help, but I have the sneaking suspicion that the lyrics really aren't that deep here.
Black Eyed Dog -- Nick Drake
Spotify- 2: I usually like Nick Drake from what I've heard but this was pretty boring and repetitive, and Drake is almost unintelligible. Guitar is nice, though.
- 4:
- 3: Kinda twee
Ederlezi -- Goran Bregović
Spotify- 3: It felt like I was waiting for the song to start the whole time.
River Of Deceit -- Mad Season
Spotify- 2: I don't know how I've never heard of this Supergroup, but it didn't really leave an impression. I suppose they just wanted to mix Pearl Jam's lighter sound with the singer of Alice in Chains, but it leaves feeling weightless and not in a good way. I feel like they should've stuck to what they knew.
- 2: Amazing that a supergroup can make something this boring
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Spotify- 2:
- 3: J
- 1: Man, I was hoping that this album would have better songs than the ones I've already gotten, but if this song is anything to go by, this will be worse. I mean, he not only sings annoyingly, but the song never follows a structure that's good to listen to, always seemingly choosing the complete opposite of what would sound good progression wise, and I feel like Costello only has this one sound when it comes to his music, and it only rarely lands.
Life in a Northern Town -- The Dream Academy
Spotify- 2: This just doesn't do anything once it does its first run of the chorus, never really building more than it should. It isn't bad, per se, but I can understand why this is one of the lesser hits of the 80s.
- 4: Dreamy
- 3: This was kind of nothing. Elements of something I'd like, but boring.
That's the Way (I Like It) -- KC & The Sunshine Band
Spotify- 3: A bit too long, but enjoyable.
- 3: Great, big sound. But it’s so overplayed, it does my head in a bit.
- 4: Love the big band set up, trumpet and rhythm section really make it
Sabotage -- Beastie Boys
Spotify- 1: Not a fan of rap
- 3: Dont really like Beastie Boys but this is a pretty good song
- 4: I’m just here so I won’t get fined
Common People -- Pulp
Spotify- 4: a good one
- 3: I don't have a great track record with britpop, but this was more standable. A bit long, but I liked it enough.
Essinia -- Nass El Ghiwane
Spotify- 3: General: a bit long and conceptual for what I’d generally listen to but still a rewarding listen nonetheless (3/5)
Instrumentation: brilliant instrumentation. Unique use of dynamics and many stringed instruments and percussions (5/5)
Lyrics: don’t understand them
Overall: 3/5
- 3: Interesting and cool to hear, but it's not my music. It's really cool to hear Moroccan music though. No idea what the song is about.
- 2: I swear I've heard this before... perhaps my partner got it? I suppose we'll see after this review! I was ready to give this a one in the first half, as I imagine the whining and talking is what people who don't like Radiohead and Jeff Buckley hear, but the beat picked up some slack in the pretty long song and made it scrape by with a two. Still kind of annoying, though.
- 2: Way too long and pretty boring.
- 2: I get it’s inclusion but it’s really not for me.
Little Fluffy Clouds -- The Orb
Spotify- 5: I fricking love cloods
Like a Rolling Stone -- Bob Dylan
Spotify- 3: Another song that was the best song of all time according to Rolling Stone, and while I do like this one, it repeats far too much for the content offered. Would be a four if it was three minutes shorter. Really starting to like his voice though, just takes some growing.
- 5: One of my favourite songs of all time, and I think I heard it 1st covered by the Stones on their Stripped album. This is pinnacle Dylan, but then I have about 50 pinnacle Dylan songs. People hate his voice, say he can't sing etc... But on the other hand there's absolutely amazing singers out there with crappy pop songs. I think Bob is of an era where perfection isn't a necessity, it's the song, the tune, the melody, the lyrics, the emotion. Now that's the complete package
Zombie -- Fela Kuti
Spotify- 2: I didn't think anything of this when I was actually moving around and stuff when I heard the album, so I especially don't care now sitting at my desk here. I don't get the hype with this guy at all.
- 4: I discovered this song through the album generator and think its great tbh
- 3: I have the same problem with fela kuti on 1001 albums generator, yeah musically it’s good and you can feel the energy but it’s too long for what it is, I respect it though.
The Thrill Is Gone -- B.B. King
Spotify- 3: Just a little shorter and I would've loved this a lot more, but I understand being a guitarist you usually wanna y'know, play your guitar. Oh well, I did really like the singing part of this song, just not much of a blues person.
- 3: The guitar playing is fantastic as expected. Not a fan of the strings on the original version, which for me make it a bit too polished. The version he did with Tracey Chapman is excellent though.
- 4:
- 3: where'd it go?
Dear Prudence -- Siouxsie and the Banshees
Spotify- 4: I never knew there was a post-punk cover of this Beatles song. Seems off at first, but the magic of Siouxie and the Banshees' sounds turned it into quite an experience.
- 3: Siouxse and the Banshees sure like their covers that are good, but not as good as the original, yet still do something different enough from the original to be notable.
Stan -- Eminem
Spotify- 3: It’s good that it highlights the danger of people getting too attached to public figures, and the stress the public figures must feel reading letters and emails from mentally disturbed individuals. But it is such a dark song that I don’t really enjoy listening to it on a regular basis.
- 5: Easily, for me, 5⭐. 5/5
- 5: I've never loved Stan, it kinda scared me as a kid. But I can't deny it has a deserved place in the 1001. I like that in the 3rd verse you can hear the windscreen wipers. It won me round on the relisten here, i'll give it 5.
- 4: I mean, this song is so utterly famous that it is now a commonplace word in the English language to describe someone. I mean, this is perhaps the most down to Earth Eminem gets, where there are really no jokes, and feels like something that at least worries him. The beat is great, and the change up in his voice to show the two characters works really well. There are better hip-hop song, but this is a classic for a reason.
- 4: When Stan was released, a number of literary critics began comparing the song to the dramatic monologues of Robert Browning (by "literary critics", read "excitable types at the Guardian"). Yet there is a tradition at play: that of the murder ballad. Murder ballads are rather common in hip-hop (there's a whole subgenre of murder rap), but Eminem adds a postmodern dash by presenting himself as a reasonable fellow wishing to counsel a crazed fan who does kill his pregnant girlfriend (on the same album, you have the more straightforward murder rap Kim). It's that tricksiness that pushes me away from the song somewhat. Stan is foremost an exercise in cleverness. One can appreciate the craft whilst finding the song slightly cold to the touch. Anyway, can any song featuring Dido merit 5 stars?
NoRadio, signing off.
Germ Free Adolescents -- X-Ray Spex
Spotify- 2: Oof
- 3: My partner likes this song, but her voice can be grating. I was starting to get it by the end of the song, but I still can't see myself returning to it.
Amsterdam -- Jacques Brel
Spotify- 3:
- 2: I like to think I could appreciate Jacques Brel, but I don't get much at all from this song.
Rum and Coca Cola -- Lord Invader
Spotify- 2: A nice little diddle, but repetitive and I feel like a lot of songs follow this format of song without standing out. Perhaps that's just how calypso is.
The Passenger -- Iggy Pop
Spotify- 5: la la la la la la la la
- 5: Grey riffs and catchy as hell
- 5: I don't even need to listen to it. It's an epic 5.
- 4: You finally won me over, Iggy Pop. It took dozens of times listening to this track to get it, but I finally get it now. That persistent backing, Bowie's background vocals, and the leading guitar all finally clicked. Still too long somehow, but it got me this time.
- 3: Great album all around
Pokarekare -- Ana Hato (with Deana Waretini)
Chalte Chalte -- Lata Mangeshkar
Spotify- 2: Eh, very repetitive.
- 3: Just glad to hear something from another part of the world.
- 3: Melodic and interesting.
- 2: Kinda had trouble finding the correct version, but I think I got it. I like her voice, but the song was a minute or two too long without much change.
(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais -- The Clash
Spotify- 2: I get why the Clash is influential, but this was definitely just like any other punk song from the era. I could see why they chose this as a single, but not much past that. I prefer stuff that actually made it on to the album, The Clash, for sure.
Pressure Drop -- Toots & The Maytals
Spotify
How Will I Know -- Whitney Houston
Spotify- 3: fun but lacking
- 4: Just an amazing pop song, heavy on the keyboard and a saxophone solo.
Take Me Out -- Franz Ferdinand
Spotify- 5: A contender for the best alternative rock song of all time, the breakdown from the beginning into the rest of the song is an all time classic "drop" in rock music, and it doesn't even feel like it did it too early. The drums make this a great dance rock tune that makes even the most bored listener start tapping their foot, and the fact that the guitar riff is already usually put along with the greats when going down a list shows nothing here is slouching. It's a shame that this band is considered a one-hit wonder because they were just getting started here.
- 5: I think its a 5 you know
This Charming Man -- The Smiths
Spotify- 3: I don't find The Smiths all that interesting.
Mickey -- Toni Basil
Spotify- 3: Cute song but I like her choreography a lot more. She was an original locker. Also I know people in the dance world who know her and has some mixed opinions of her as a person. I can't deny that she was a fucking amazing dancer.
- 1: What the hell is this doing here! 😂
I remember this from when it was in the charts in the early 80's, it was a novelty one-hit-wonder then and hasn't gotten any better over the years.
- 1:
Calling All Angels (with k.d. lang) -- Jane Siberry
Spotify- 2: so very 90s
- 1: This is the most boring song I have ever heard for a while.
Quelqu'un m'a dit -- Carla Bruni
Spotify- 3:
- 5: One of my favourite French language songs
Electric Avenue -- Eddy Grant
- 4: Shame this song isn't on spotify (there is a shitty cover on there). Listening to it I was thinking "oh that song". I'd heard the refrain somewhere at some point in my life. It's a nice little romp.
Like a Prayer -- Madonna
Spotify- 5: I love Madonna. The nostalgic of it warrants a 5 star from me.
- 2: Both the lyrics and video, mixing sex and Catholicism, caused huge controversy at the time. The song itself is classic 80's pop and no-one really did it better at the time than Madonna.
I Feel Free -- Cream
Spotify- 4: Pretty nice
- 3: Good not great. Felt very short and under developed
- 3: It was alright. Not too notable for me, but pleasant enough.
- 5: Short but sweet
- 3: Far out ✌🏼
Thriller -- Michael Jackson
Spotify- 4: -
- 5: truly I'm not a huge MJ fan or anything but this is an undeniable cultural touchpoint
Fire and Rain -- James Taylor
Spotify- 3: I know it's supposed to be sad, but it sounds chill AF. Too chill. Even the lyrics are too vague to engage me. I had to read the background to get it. Apparently, it's about a childhood friend who took her own life.
- 2: Incredibly "nothing" music.
Please Love Me -- B.B. King
Spotify
Chase The Devil -- Max Romeo
Spotify- 2: Eh, just reggae with a weird electronic noise in the background I kind of like.
- 3: Decent
Don't Stop Believin' -- Journey
Spotify- 5: I mean, I don't think I've ever not liked this song. I've heard it thousands of times and still haven't just skipped it. 5⭐ 5/5
- 2: Whoa, it's white people: the song! Seriously, when everyone decides to sing along to this, don't you always role your eyes a little? The song is not good enough to be as famous as it is. Hell, I'd say Journey has far better songs.
- 3: Hard to be objective about this cheesy 80's power ballad that has become a karaoke favourite. Despite it being overplayed to near-death I still get the urge to sing along when I hear that intro.
- 2: File under: skating rink classics.
Interesting backing track but the lyrics are too corny.
- 5:
London Is the Place for Me -- Lord Kitchener
Spotify- 3: Catchy tune, makes we want to go to the Caribbean and then London
- 4: pretty cool
Pop the Glock -- Uffie
- 1: Jesus, this is off to a bad start! This is shite, can only get better from here (I hope).
- 2: - don't like the vocal effects
- can't take these lyrics seriously, kinda funny tho
- i don't hate it, but how did this possibly make this list
- 1: Forgot this existed. Microcosm of the worst parts of the era.
- 2: Nothing is getting popped with this
- 1: really awful
The Art Teacher -- Rufus Wainwright
Spotify- 4: Am familiar with the name but have never heard his music before. It was pleasant.
- 5: Haunting, gorgeous, and surprisingly personal sounding for a song not directly about the singer himself's life experiences. It's amazing that Wainwright puts so much beauty and sorrow into something relatively simple. Just amazing, I love this song. His voice is also amazing.
- 4:
Cop Killer -- Body Count
- 3: Politics aside. This is some pretty standard glam-ish heavy metal.
Video Games -- Lana Del Rey
Spotify- 2: God, this feels extremely full of itself, and way too serious of a track to be called "Video Games". Instrumentals are nice, though feel a bit fake.
- 5: Back when LDR was good. What a brilliant song
Tusk -- Fleetwood Mac
Spotify- 4: Tusk is such a hard album to evaluate. It's the follow-up to Rumours and they didn't want another Rumours. I personally am not a fan of the album and most of the songs are just okay for me.
- 2: Pretty boring. Don't really understand the hype around this era of Fleetwood Mac.
A Little Respect -- Erasure
Spotify- 4: Not my favourite Erasure song, but still good.
- 5: This song is amazing, holy shit. The synths on this are amazing
Wichita Lineman -- Glen Campbell
Spotify- 5: yee haw
- 4: I'm discovering an enjoyment of Glen Campbell more and more with each song of his I stumble upon, and considering I'm not a country music enjoyer whatsoever, I'd say that makes him pretty good. This song is no Southern Nights, but it's still rather nice and relaxed, like driving on a long road at sunset, which I imagine was partially the goal.
Devil's Haircut -- Beck
Spotify
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me -- Culture Club
Spotify
The Fear -- Lily Allen
Jive Talkin' -- Bee Gees
Spotify- 3: It's alright. Pretty standard Bee Gees. I've been thinking that I may like their music more now than I previously believed I did, but this didn't really do much to confirm that.
- 4: Great disco song
- 2: I really like the Bee Gees but this is so boring
I Am The Resurrection -- The Stone Roses
Spotify- 5: This song is one of the best songs ever on one of the best albums ever. Five is not enough.
Chelsea Girls -- Nico
Spotify- 4: Cannot deny this is repetitive and way too long, but having heard this twice now, I've really come around to those aspects, and I really like the driving hook of this album, it is really satisfying again and again. Had this song been only two or three minutes, it would for sure be a five.
- 4: This is very long, so I was almost tempted to give it a 3, but it was good. I like the melancholy tone, and her voice is nice.
- 4: Not my favourite from the album but it’s still beautiful. I love this album
Geno -- Dexys Midnight Runners
Spotify- 3: I really don't like this band, but I'll give them this song, but NOT Eileen.
- 4: I only really know the one song by Dexy's Midnight Runners, so I didn't quite expect this song to sound like this, but it was a welcome surprise. Maybe I'll end up liking this band.
Fuck the Pain Away -- Peaches
Spotify- 2: Oh my god this is where the meme is from
- 1: I have a cat named Peaches. She's apparently not very good at making good music. I excuse her though, as she is cute.
Army Of Me -- Björk
Spotify- 5: It's crazy how Björk took trip hop and made it completely her own, making it into something that still sounds extremely intense and out there nearly thirty years later. If this is her most accessible song seemingly, then I'm curious what's to come of when I hear more of her other stuff, because this is so cool.
- 4: love Bjork but this isn't a special track from her discography to me
- 3: I always think I like Bjork more than I do
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) -- Kate Bush
Spotify- 4: Gonna say what's probably heresy and say I prefer a cover of this song by Meg Myers. The more modern, puchier peoduction really adds to the song, and makes the song achieve what I imagine was trying to be achieved back in the mid-80s. I'll still give it a four though, as this song is still good, and that cover wouldn't exist without the original of course.
- 5: Oh just fucking amazing to be honest a perfect song and one of the only few that actually deserved the popularity resurgence it got.
Blackwater Side -- Anne Briggs
Spotify
Ovunque proteggi -- Vinicio Capossela
- 3: Pretty, I think, but too long and repetitive to feel as though it earns a deeper respect.
- 3: I enjoyed this but it's my first one and I want to keep options open for future ones
- 2: Eh not that interesting. Pretty bland, especially for a mid 2000s song.
Life on Mars? -- David Bowie
Spotify
Song 2 -- Blur
Spotify- 5: Look, it’s not Blur’s best song. But it’s fucking great
Lazarus -- David Bowie
Spotify- 1: If this wasn't by Bowie would we care?
- 5: "Look up here, I'm in heaven", they don't make final words like these any more. Last single released before his death. Beautiful.
- 5: God, what a depressing track. I remember this coming out and being pretty distraught by the music video, and this was prior to me knowing anything about Bowie outside of a hit or two and Labyrinth. So, sitting and listening to it now, which I've done multiple times since then, it still is a bit unsettling, but I think there is some hint of something there that isn't all doom and gloom, and that shines a light in a track that certainly makes you feel beat down, but has you coming out of it more ready to tackle your life more than anything.
- 4: I love the cryptic drip-by-drip lyrics (my favorite kind of lyrics!), although I have mixed feelings with lines such as "I was looking for your ass" thrown in with it. But when such lyrics is combined with the atmospheric and grand sounds, it builds seemingly dark and mysterious vibes. I like it.
How High The Moon -- Les Paul
Spotify- 4: Really cool to hear the bridge between jazz, blues, and very early rock and roll.
- 3: Surprisingly good
I Don't Want to Talk About It -- Crazy Horse
Spotify- 4: Oh, weird, I get so used to seeing Crazy Horse with Neil Young I didn't even think they could be their own thing beforehand. Well, this is much more enjoyable than anything I've heard from Young, personally, as I like the relaxed sound of it and bluegrass rather than country feeling. I don't know, I like it, okay? Geez...
- 3: It was okay but pretty standard for the 70s folk rock. Preferred them with Neil Young
- 2: Yo! Another song that I didn't knew was a cover. It's pretty easy to see why though. Rod Stewart's version is a decent rock-based radio staple (the live version at the Albert Hall is even better), while this is a literal snooze-fest. But I guess it deserves an extra star for writing this. It has a nice lyrics.
- 2: It's aight.
The Dark End Of The Street -- James Carr
Spotify- 3: It’s good I really like the choir bits at the end, the rest of the song is just alright though.
- 4:
- 3: Not really my type of music, decent tho.
The Man Who Sold The World -- David Bowie
Spotify- 5: Instant 5. Nirvanas cover is great as well
- 5: Even though I’m a massive Bowie fan, I never had an appreciation for this song. But i love it now
- 5: Amazing song, there's a reason it's been covered to death. Hope there's more Bowie to come. I love how this song doesn't even really sound like other Bowie, it really gives it this special, exclusive feeling.
The Red Rooster -- Howlin' Wolf
Spotify- 1: God, I can't stand the blues. The song is fine, but just imagining everything else this artist makes tells me it would all sound exactly like this, and that pisses me off.
- 4: Did cheat a little bit and listen to the 1969 version but its a great song either way
- 2: I don't think I'm crazy about blues. This song kinda just started and ended. It didn't catch my attention.
Samba malato -- Nicomedes Santa Cruz
- 1:
- 2: I like the music and rhythm, but it's not a total package. Since I don't speak Spanish, I found the female interjection off-putting. Maybe it adds a crucial element if you know the language??
- 2: This was repetitive and more noise to me than anything.
- 3: Uhh it's fine? Nothing really special stood out to me
- 3: 3
Gangsters -- The Specials
Spotify- 3: Probably the song I remember the most from listening to this album (although perhaps that's because I'm listening to it right now), it is alright enough, but not much more than that. I like the tone though.
- 3: Interesting little tune. It was perfectly middle of the road.
- 3: I kinda liked it. Nothing amazing, but makes me more excited to get this album on the album generator.
Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
Spotify- 3: Man, this song is so hard to take seriously, and I don't totally know why. Is it because the Minecraft parody was such a meme for a bit there, or just the fact that Coldplay themselves feel far too serious for their own good? Unsure, but I will admit, while I'd never add this to my musical rotation, there are good parts of this. I'm a big fan of the harmonizing at the end.
- 1: -
- 4: So torn between 4 and 5 because this is a brilliant song.
Exodus -- Bob Marley & The Wailers
Spotify- 2: Perhaps it would have gotten a three if it was shorter, but it was almost eight minutes long, so it gets a two. A bit repetitive. I'm not crazy about reggae.
- 2: Maybe I missed something, but this was long and boring, and I think I'm only giving it a two because otherwise it would feel wrong, since it's Bob Marley.
Orgasm Addict -- Buzzcocks
Spotify- 3: Punk music is way more enjoyable for me in these small doses rather across a forty minute album where everything blends together, and this highlights that perfectly. It made me slightly uncomfortable lyrically but definitely upbeat enough to enjoy.
Loser -- Beck
Spotify- 1: I just really hate everything about this song
- 5: Soy un perdedor
- 4: Not my favorite Beck song, in fact I kind of find it weird comparing this to his future musical ventures, but I still think this is really good and that guitar riff is iconic. Just a perfect time capsule of the post-grunge 90s, and certainly cemented Beck as a musician worth listening to. Just wish it was a tad shorter, as the impact of the start loses steam a little more than halfway through. Killer opening line though, will remember that my whole life.
Free Fallin' -- Tom Petty
Spotify- 5: oh come now-- mastapeece
- 5: everybody loves this song because it is a great song. Tom Petty shoulda been president.
- 2: Bland, radio safe soft rock
- 5: how could you dislike this song tho
- 3: its OK
Summer in the City -- The Lovin' Spoonful
Spotify- 4: Great summer song! 4⭐ 4/5
- 5: Banger
- 5: Soundtrack to every summer ever. I love the key changes here.
- 5: Die Hard 3 (the best one). Cannot get over how incongruous this song and that album cover are.
- 4: This slapped
- 3: Well, this wasn't what I was expecting. I thought the sound was cool, but it needed more of that darker sound to really get my attention.
Mama Weer All Crazee Now -- Slade
- 2: Not the best Slade, but fun.
- 4: One of those songs where the rest of the song is better then the chorus. But a great song nonetheless.
Back for Good -- Take That
Spotify- 3: Nostalgic banger but a bit shit really
- 1: This song is so dorky and exceedingly cheesy that I feel sick listening to it. This is pure 90s boy band drivel, and not even in a charming way.
La javanaise -- Juliette Gréco
Spotify- 4: Damn. Strip my naked and spank me with a baguette.
- 3: Pretty and simple, but I'll admit I'm starting to get a little burnt out on the amount of non-English speaking songs. Not that they don't earn there way on here or aren't good, but when every track you get is either something you know super well or a song in a romantic language from the mid-1900s, it all starts to blend together.
- 3: Ok
I've Got You Under My Skin -- Frank Sinatra
Spotify- 4: Just cool. I love the big band vibe and everyone knows Sinatra has a great voice. Just should be shorter.
- 4: Gotta love a bit of Sinatra
Consolation Prizes -- Phoenix
Spotify- 4: fun song, as expected by Phoenix
- 2: Pretty boring song
- 3: Feels a little distracted compared to other Phoenix songs I've listened to. Certainly a solid track, I just think there are solid parts here filled in by a lot of fluff.
Lazy River -- Bobby Darin
Spotify- 2: Two Bobby Darin tracks in one day, and this one leaves even less of an impact. I hope Beyond the Sea is on here somewhere.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) -- Eurythmics
Spotify- 5: Legendary tune
- 5: One of the best pop songs of all time?
It’s just awesome and pretty dark every section is really interesting and you could listen to it over and over without getting bored.
Awaiting On You All -- George Harrison
Spotify- 4: I like the production and the song.
The Real Thing -- Russell Morris
Spotify- 4: Bit kooky, bit cool. 60s Status Quo-esque.
- 2: Didn't really stick out to me. Probably would have been better with earbuds. But it has some interesting sounds, I guess.
- 3: Outstays its welcome
- 3: It was very mild and not super memorable for me. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful, it just exists.
- 3: Mediocre
- 3: I like how bombastic this gets by the end, and chaotic as well, especially for 1969. However, why is it so long? You get the song just a minute in, so why drag it for another three past when it could've ended? No clue if I listened to the right version, though.
Elected -- Alice Cooper
Spotify- 2: Alice Cooper is a weird artist for me. He (or the band) either makes some of the best songs I've ever heard, or it's just nothing music. Despite liking this album as a whole, this song is closer to that "nothing" category. Nothing grabs me here, and the comedy of the song isn't really comedic at all, so the song just comes off hollow.
Dans mon île -- Henri Salvador
Spotify- 4: Nice and pretty, like an early bossa nova tune. Just wish the audio quality was a bit better.
- 3: Very chill, mellow, nice for a Sunday morning.
Manic Monday -- The Bangles
Spotify- 2:
- 3: It is ok
- 3: I was so confused by this song as a kid -- forty years later I'm still kind of confused.
- 2: Meh, the rhyming on this song kinda pisses me off, but it's really not anything special any way.
Wondrous Place -- Billy Fury
Spotify- 5: Eerie, beautiful. Really amazing
- 5: Sounds like poppy Tom Waits and I love it.
- 3: hm
Purple Haze -- Jimi Hendrix
Spotify- 4: 'SCUSE ME... WHILE I KISS THIS GUY
Love Can't Turn Around -- Farley "Jackmaster" Funk
Spotify- 2: An assault on the ears. Someone take this mans drum machine away.
- 3: It's hard to tell if I'm listening to the right version of this song or not, but if I am, then this is pretty crazy for 1986. I see a lot of people excuse hip-hop's sometimes thin production from the era for being from when it is, but if this sort of stuff was already this bumping, then I see why it got so beat heavy like this as the genre went on. Just lowering the score because the song isn't too crazy good beyond that or anything.
- 2: Meh
Fallin' -- Alicia Keys
Spotify- 4: Big tune, great voice. Simple and to the point.
- 3: I liked this one when it came out but I can't say it has the same effect today as back then.
- 3: It's fine.
- 2: Great vocals and nice hip-hop beat but does get a bit plodding and boring after a while.
It Must Be Love -- Madness
Spotify- 3: Another cover version (I didn't actually realize it was one until I checked).
I've always kinda liked Madness and this is an iconic 80's ska/pop song with one of Suggs' better vocals and a great intro but it kind of trundles along aimlessly after the first chorus.
- 4: I wish the song didn't get more bloopy and cheesy as the song went on, as that first minute I thought this was gonna be a five, but still a pretty good song, would love to see a more straightforward cover.
- 4: Such a beautiful song and until I read the Wiki entry I had no idea it was a cover. Solo does drag a bit.
Under Pressure -- Queen
Spotify- 5: Two top singers can't go wrong, not even Vanilla Ice could ruin this for me (although it was a close one).
- 3: hater moment: i prefer ice ice baby
- 4: Great stuff, such an iconic bass line.
The Weight -- The Band
Spotify- 2: While the lyric "He just grinned and shook my hand, "No,"" is very funny to me, the rest of the song is repetitive and dull. It feels like the Band really wanted to have Bob Dylan's storytelling capabilities, but they never are able to grab me, and it just leads to being very bland country/folk music.
- 3: Sweet song but just feels like a slog to get through. Probably why, in the past, i’ve never made the full way through even if it’s only 4 minutes
Ode To Billie Joe -- Bobbie Gentry
Spotify
W.F.L. -- Happy Mondays
Spotify- 2: Happy Mondays continues to not impress me with this relatively boring track that seems to go nowhere in its runtime. It's not offensively bad or anything, but I was forgetting about this song as it was happening, so how am I to like it?
- 3: It's okay. Kinda weird 80s shit.
Freak Scene -- Dinosaur Jr.
Spotify- 2:
- 5: This is a band I feel I discovered too late. Bypassed me in my college days somehow, I say somehow, but in an era before mobiles, Internet, digital music etc.. I can see how. Fantastic song, from a fantastic album, from a fantastic band.
Das Model -- Kraftwerk
Spotify- 2: oh kraftwerk... how little i care for you...
- 4: Not a huge fan of Kraftwerk but this song is great. A shame that the vocals feel a bit lost
- 3: Great little tune
No Rain -- Blind Melon
Spotify- 5: Brilliant blend of depression and joy, relaxed and stressed. My favourite sound of jangling guitars with a harder but no less catchy electric solo.
- 4: One of those songs that I forgot I knew. Great song
- 4: I love the melancholia presented in this song, as it really mixes the alternative rock with the more psychedelic sound really well here. Once again, I think I've perhaps heard this one a few too many times to be truly blown away, but it is still really good.
- 4: I like the tension between the upbeat, bouncy melody and the darkness of the lyrics. I am not a big Blind Melon fan, but this is one of the few songs of theirs that I really enjoy.
- 2: kinda lame overplayed
- 3: I don’t like the vocal that much but the lyrics are brilliant and the guitars are nice indie stuff.
Sweet Gene Vincent -- Ian Dury
Spotify
Loaded -- Primal Scream
Spotify- 2:
- 4: Just a great song
- 3: Find it quite grating and repetitive tbh
Taj Mahal -- Jorge Ben Jor
Spotify- 4: I love finding where songs from the late 2000s early 2010s st̶o̶l̶e̶ sampled their music from, because you always find a much better song like this funky little beat.
How I Could Just Kill a Man -- Cypress Hill
Spotify- 3: Good song
- 3: I once again didn't realize a song I knew was a cover of a song on this list, this time being the RAtM version. This is alright, but it definitely feels something is missing now, but it does make more sense as a rap rather than a more rock heavy song. Still, pretty alright.
- 3: -
Valley Girl -- Frank Zappa
Spotify- 3: It's cute that Zappa wrote this with his daughter, and it's vaguely comedic in an aged sort of way, but the whole cliché of a Valley Girl isn't really a thing anymore, meaning the whole song crumbles apart. Interesting to see an 80s Zappa, though.
- 1: No, I will never understand what's so great about this mans music. As a person on the other hand he seemed to be a good man.
Dub Be Good To Me -- Beats International
Spotify- 2: Not what I was expecting this to be, but still nothing special.
State Of Shock -- The Jacksons
Spotify- 3: Good hook, but super repetitive. It is cool to see a height of his career Jackson working with his family still.
- 3: I never EVER knew Jagger did a duet with The Jacksons...after listening I can see why. But I still think it's better than the one with McCartney and Michael talking about the girl at the end of their song.
- 1: I had never heard this before. And i never need to hear it again.
Every Breath You Take -- The Police
Spotify- 4: -
- 4: A relatively creepy song, but I suppose that is the point. The chilled out nature of the song fits with the song tonally, and the bridge being the only sign of something bigger works pretty well. Just surprised this was such a big hit.
- 5: Classic, Classic, Classic, Top 100 songs ever.
Hallelujah -- Jeff Buckley
Spotify- 3: This is ths worst song on this album, but that does not mean this song is bad. Buckley's voice is as hauntingly beautiful as ever, and nails the tone of the song perfectly, but it is also far too long, going on about two minutes longer than it should really, and the popularity of the song in multiple variations makes it something I never go out of my way to hear. I feel bad only giving this a three, because if this were a nicher song perhaps a four or a five could be in order, but as it stands this is a three. Now, go listen to Dream Brother or So Real.
Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above - Diplo Remix -- CSS
Spotify- 3: Wet Leg from 20 years ago.
O Superman -- Laurie Anderson
Spotify- 1: Just don’t get the point
How Soon Is Now? -- The Smiths
Spotify- 3: Eh it's fine. I don't really care for The Smiths and most of their work is completely bland.
The Carnival Is Over -- The Seekers
Spotify- 3: I feel like this should be a more famous song, as I've never heard of it, but then again, this was just alright for me, so maybe not.
- 3: I do really like this actually. But not enough for a 4 star. Bit repetitive after a while.
Feel Good Hit Of The Summer -- Queens of the Stone Age
Spotify- 3: Decent
- 2: Happy FriYAY! lol
- 3: Overcompensating for gingerness.
NoRadio, signing out.
Life Is A Highway -- Tom Cochrane
Spotify- 5: A bit cheesy, but I like it a lot. Familiar with the Rascal Flats cover but the original has some more edge to it that it makes it more appealing.
- 1:
Roxanne -- The Police
Spotify- 3: I've never totally gotten the hype around this one
- 2: -Heard Before-
General: I remember this song featuring heavily in that one episode of community where they explore the alternate timelines. The Police are quite talented artists but I’m not sure how I feel about this one (2/5)
Instrumentation: Drum pattern a fairly typical rock beat with little variation in between apart from one of the pre-choruses where the Tom fills are quite satisfying. The strummed staccato’d guitar has some ska influence but overall doesn’t have enough power to sound cutting but too strong to be mellow. No thoughts on the bassline (2/5)
Lyrics: about prostitution. Not particularly groundbreaking or world changing but I suppose it was a fairly taboo topic at the time (3/5)
Overall: 2/5
- 4: Roxanne. Sting is trying to tell you something
Fix You -- Coldplay
Spotify- 3: Ti een brokke van een zage ee diene chris martin.
- 4: Beautiful song. 1.1 Billion streams on Spotify, damnnnn!
- 3: I gotta admit that it did made me feel sad and then uplifted, albeit only a little. I guess it's quite a feat already for such whiny, generic sound.
Ghost Town -- The Specials
Spotify
Seven and Seven Is -- Love
Spotify- 4: Drums on this track are brilliant. Great song overall
- 3: fun garage rock
- 3: I don't even know what to think of this. It all happened so fast. It's good, but probably needs a relisten.
- 5: This shit goes HARD for 1966. No wonder everyone and their mother has covered this song, I can't begin to imagine how influential this was.
Heartbeats -- The Knife
Spotify- 5: Soundtrack of my last year in uni; always tinged with nostalgia
- 2: Eh??? I don’t really like the vocal on this the synth is okay but a little boring. Not for me
- 3:
Silver Machine -- Hawkwind
Spotify- 4: There's a certain era of Super Furry Animals that echos the feeling of this song. I recognized it immediately.
- 3: Ehh not that great. Very forgettable.
- 2: Was into the start of the song, had cool space rock vibes going, but that voice, both of them for that matter, are not good, and the song gets boring pretty quick.
- 2: Just some shite wind sound effect followed by a repetitive boring idea. 2 stars because there's surely worse.
- 3: Great in parts, less so in others
Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z) -- Beyoncé
Spotify- 4: Pop banger
- 3: Oh this song. It was fun but I hate when rap shows up on non-rap songs. Just spoils it.
- 3: I like the horns and the general vibe of this song (if you go back to other pop music from 2003 this is leagues better) but I don't like how she seems to fall off of her own beat in the chorus, and thr Jay-Z verse also seems clumsy.
Boulder to Birmingham -- Emmylou Harris
Spotify- 2: Pretty boring country song.
- 4: I love me some Emmylou and this is a great country song.
- 2: This sure is older country music. I understand why many people like this music, but I just find this to be so dull and safe that it doesn't move me emotionally in any direction.
- 3: There’s that single note of guitar and backing vocals that’s really bothering me. Leave her vocals with just the acoustic guitar and bit of orchestration, and it’ll be great.
Caballo Viejo -- Simón Díaz
Spotify- 3: it's fine, pleasant, nothing special
- 2: Not for me.
- 2: Nice to listen to but not sure what makes it special.
- 1: .
- 3: Gorgeous guitar playing and really snappy, I just wish it did a bit more, as it doesn't change much in the span of three minutes
Hope There's Someone -- Antony & The Johnsons
- 2: This is really close to something to like, but that voice man, it sounds like a crappy edit a TikTok would put on an already famous song for no reason. I understand that's just their voice, but it is really annoying as the song goes. Piano is gorgeous, music seems great, but I can't get past that voice.
- 4: Beautiful - as all ANOHNI is
Under the Milky Way -- The Church
Spotify- 3: Tis grand. Crowded House/Echo and the bunnymen, The The kinda feel to it. I'd say with a lot more listens it would go up to 4.
- 4: Yeah it’s brilliant, really quite beautiful.
- 3: -
- 3: It was nice alt/indie rock feel but still isn't exceptional.
Personality Crisis -- New York Dolls
Spotify- 3: God bless the NY Dolls. This fed-up rant to a friend who's performatively walking the line between mental illness and drug addiction has buzzsaw guitars, Jerry Lee Lewis piano... if people don't understand the connections between rockabilly and punk, here's a Rosetta stone.
- 1: I never understood the fascination for the New York Dolls and I still don’t.
- 4: Not super familiar with the band, but I love the album cover and this doesn't sound like other early 70s bands. Definitely ahead of its time.
Real Love -- Mary J. Blige
Spotify- 3: Does nothing for me
- 3: medium fine
Two Tribes -- Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Spotify- 3: A lot of energy for no real reaon
- 2: Not my type
Candy Girl -- New Edition
Spotify- 3: It's enjoyable, and I could see it getting stuck in my head, but I doubt I will seek it out again.
Because the Night -- 10,000 Maniacs
Spotify- 4: The album version of this song is surprisingly mundane. The MTV Unplugged is great.
- 4: 4/5
- 3: Didn't know this is what 10,000 Maniacs sounded like, and this is crazy high quality for a live performance, but sadly the song itself didn't grab me much.
Ultralight Beam -- Kanye West
Spotify- 4: Feels like watching a movie, well put together theatrical story. I can't hate on it. Good mix of gospel, rapping, spoken word, singing.
- 5: Wooow can't believe this is on the list, very interesting. Say what you will about Kanye, but this track is a beautiful amalgamation of artists and genres, from his best album in my view.
- 3: This was interesting. Felt a bit aimless at times. The first half was probably better than the second in my opinion.
- 4: If there's one song by Kanye West I've heard praise about, it's this song, and the verdict? It's good! Nothing amazing, but the more choir style song makes it far more interesting than yet another rap track, and the simplistic yet heavy back beat is cool too. Nothing crazy here, but I like this. God obsession is like foreshadowing for his mental psyche I feel, but it comes off well meaning here. Fuck him, though.
Paper Planes -- M.I.A.
Spotify- 5: What's there not to love about this? Great sampling of The Clash.
- 5: Stone cold classic of the 2000s, with lyrics and sampling to match the greats beats and pop hooks.
- 5: goat
- 5: One of the greatest samples and one of the most genre-defying songs of all the songs
- 4: Again, one of those songs that I can’t tell if I like because of the intense nostalgia or just because it’s good. Either way, probably a 4 star
- 4: Some of her takes are ass, and her voice can be annoying, but despite this, I quite like this track. That chorus is incredibly iconic.
Suzanne -- Leonard Cohen
Spotify- 4: I really like Cohen's guitar playing on almost every song he does, and his off key vocals are very pleasant too.
- 2: I tried. I still can’t get down with Leonard Cohen.
- 1: I don’t get the Leonard Cohen hype.
French Disko -- Stereolab
Spotify- 4: good song
- 5: When I saw "Sterolab" I was expecting something far more mellow, but this not only rocks, but really shows that Stereolab can easily do what their contemporaries like Komeda and the Cardigans were doing just as well, and just choose to instead rock the electronic world instead. Need to go into their discography more, because this is great.
Ghost Rider -- Suicide
Spotify- 3: Great buildup but nothing came of it. Still good though
- 5: It's like cool, cool, cool electronic punk music, man, I feel like it will be the best Suicide song ever. A bit repetitive though.
- 3: ...what?
War -- Edwin Starr
Spotify- 4: It doesn't say anything new or profound about war, but it's one hell of a bop. This relatively obscure guy sure knows how to rock.
Lullaby -- The Cure
Spotify- 4: One of the best bands of the 80's, this is a bit of a mixture between the poppier and darker sides of the band. A hypnotic beat and whispered vocals give this a creepy feel.
Rain Dance -- The Very Best feat. M.I.A.
- 2: Ok
- 1: yeah this is dog. respectively never make another song again.
DNL
Blue Monday -- Fats Domino
Spotify- 4: A great track by a master. Makes you want to get up and dance.
Marlene On The Wall -- Suzanne Vega
Spotify- 2: I got this album on the generator and found it boring and not much else, and nothing here has changed. This is just really nothing singer-songwriter material.
Save A Prayer -- Duran Duran
Spotify- 2: Does nothing for me... They have much better songs
- 2: this song was so boring
- 2: I like this album, but this song is kind of dull. The best part of this album is the bass playing going hard, and it kind of hides in this song. It's also too long of a track. Pops in my head every now and then, though.
Cold Sweat -- James Brown
Spotify- 2: Damn, that's long. It's okay. He has an impressive voice, but this song doesn't stand out to me.
- 2: Boring
That'll Be The Day -- Buddy Holly
Spotify- 5: An absolute rock and roll classic by a master.
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) -- Marvin Gaye
Spotify- 4: Pretty good considering I don’t like Marvin Gaye
- 2: I know that I like Marvin Gaye, plenty of his tracks have won me over near instantly, but this one just feels too empty. There are moments of greatness, but it needs to either be shorter, or re-worked, in my eyes.
Zungguzungguguzungguzeng -- Yellowman
Spotify- 1: I don't know if I've ever heard a song where the artist talks aboht themselves as much as this song before. Why does it go on for six-and-a-half minutes, especially when it seemingly has nothing to talk about, at least not what from what I can pick up. Go listen to some reggae that's actually engaging and leave this behind.
- 2: No idea what he was saying but I'm sure he could have said it in less than 6 minutes
- 3: For ska, enjoyable.
- 3: Ok, not really something I’d seek out again.
See Emily Play -- Pink Floyd
Spotify- 4: fun
- 5: Piper’s was the album that got me into Pink Floyd so I hold Barrett-Era Floyd close to my heart. Dreamy lyrics, quirky instrumentals, those classic Barrett vocals. It’s so great.
- 3: This kind of feels like something that is only liked (if it is liked) because it's by Pink Floyd, and would otherwise be pretty mixed on its reception. Personally, I've never been much of a Pink Floyd fan, but there's times stuff peaks through the cracks, and this had signs of that, but the instrumental parts between verses felt like lack of vocal ideas instead of a conscious choice. Drugs, man.... still alright.
- 3: Definitely has that 60's weirdness to it. I have respect for it.
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet -- Gavin Bryars
Spotify- 2: Entirely way too long
- 1: Yeah I listened to the 4 minute version and not the 25 minute one. I see there are always hour+ long versions. Plus Tom Waits is on this version, whose voice I find grating. The music is nice but is ruined by the vocal loop.
Master Blaster (Jammin') -- Stevie Wonder
Spotify- 3: I like Stevie Wonder quite a lot, but this track was a bit too mellow and unchanging for me. Perhaps it'd grow on me with time.
Next -- The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Spotify- 3: I know the Scott Walker version, and I think I knew this version existed, but this is still a new experience for me. I do feel this version misses some of the point of the original, being far more intense and not as march-like, but I like the strings. His voice just feels like it can't do what he thinks it can, and it can come off a little grating. Still, decent.
- 4: Really surprised by this one. Really liked it
Dear God -- XTC
Spotify- 4: I could see this as being a little dorky nowadays, where atheists are a dime a dozen (including myself), but I know for a fact in 1986 this was quite the tune to be casually playing on college radio, so the fact that it stands out so much lyrically as something that really feels like someone angry at the predicament of God and religion, rather than just "yeah, I'm an atheist, aren't I cool?". Musically it's also good, but definitely not XTC's best.
- 3: -
Willin' -- Little Feat
Spotify- 3: Nothing much grabbing me here
- 2: Sounds like one of those country tunes that led to what country would become, in a bad way. Otherwise, pretty nothing.
Soy Gitano -- Camaron De La Isla
Spotify- 3: That voice is hard to like, but I'd say the intensity of the strings and backing vocals help elevate the track into something redeemable, albeit, forgettable.
- 1: Not my taste
A Day In The Life -- The Beatles
Spotify- 5:
- 5: Masterpiece. Check the Reggae version by Easy Star Allstars too!
- 5: GOAT song wbk
Cannonball -- The Breeders
Spotify- 5: a banger
- 4: Great track. It’s as catchy now as it was when MTV was playing the video twice each hour.
- 3: I really like Breeders' guitar riffs, with me getting this and No Aloha's stuck in my head constantly, but the rest of this song for me just doesn't do enough for it to stand out too amazingly.
Tutti Frutti -- Little Richard
Spotify- 4: Such energy for a '50s rock-n-roll song.
- 3: Very solid rock 'n' roll number that is iconic, but again, with every song from this era, it's pretty repetitive. Little Richard is a good performer though, and really keeps the song from hitting that two star.
Working Class Hero -- John Lennon
Spotify- 2: Pretty boring if you ask me. Needs more Ringo
- 3: The lyrics could have been written today. The melody is a little too sparse and repetitive.
Le Freak -- CHIC
Spotify- 5: only like my 4th-favourite chic song and it's still 5/5
Non, je ne regrette rien -- Édith Piaf
Spotify- 4: Again, it’s not a song I’m ever going to sit down and listen to. But it is great.
- 4: this song is such a slay
Professional Widow - Armand's Star Trunk Funk Mix -- Tori Amos
Spotify- 1: God this is awful
- 3: The noise at the beginning is the same noise from the main menu of Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing. It's weird. Anyway, song was good.
Tainted Love -- Soft Cell
Spotify- 3: Where Did Our Love Go? better
- 5: An absolute synth-pop classic.
- 5: loveeee this song
- 5: Banger
- 3: I guess it's an iconic song but I could do without ever hearing it again
Save it For Later -- The Beat
Spotify- 3: Solid new wave, it’s really fun I probably won’t return to this though as there is much greater in the genre.
- 3: I always get surprised by what "ska" can really entail, but this didn't quite do what I like to stand out too much. Would be a nice song to randomly appear on the radio, though.
Smells Like Teen Spirit -- Nirvana
Spotify
Freak Like Me -- Sugababes
Spotify- 1: I think the generator really likes "Are Friends Electric?". I do too, but that makes me dislike this more, because why listen to this song when the best part is the sample, which is hardly edited? In fact, this song pisses me more off as it goes, because this is a cover too, right? None of this song is original, so why is it on here? I can shove songs together too.
Dirty Water -- The Standells
Spotify- 2: Perhaps this is a song for people from Boston. Maybe they love that dirty water.
- 2: This sure was 60s rock. Although I will say it did make me chuckle at the lyric "aw, but they're cool"
Dancing In The Street -- Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Spotify- 3: Probably my least favorite Bowie song, the original blows it out of the water. Still just decent overall.
- 4: Such a classic, always gets the party moving. "All we need is music"
Wuthering Heights -- Kate Bush
Spotify- 4: I was trying to figure out why I knew this song title, as it sounded super familiar, then I realized I was thinking of the book of the same name, so I did not know this song whatsoever. It was pretty good, her voice took some getting used to, but the chorus hit pretty hard and I liked how it was a ballad that actually did something rather than just being wishy washy.
- 5:
Dry Your Eyes -- The Streets
Spotify- 1: The British bias is showing with a song like this. The fact that this is the best song on the album and it is still this bad says a lot about the awfulness of everything here. The back beat is boring and the lyrics are just both of them turning around over and over, and the way it just repeats the same word multiple times like it's dialogue is infuriating.
- 4: Mmm
- 5: God this song is so great
Enter Sandman -- Metallica
Spotify- 5: I mean, it's Enter Sandman.
- 4: good song
- 5: Love this song! As a kid, I was glued to the TV watching the music video. Initially, scared to watch, but over time, loved it. 5⭐ 5/5
- 4: enter
- 1:
My Way -- Frank Sinatra
Spotify- 5: It feels stereotypical to give this a five, as it is such a generic song at this point, but I cannot deny the beauty of the build up and pay off of this song, and Sinatra'a voice is excellent in this song until the very end. Listen to the Gipsy Kings cover for something pretty different but just as good.
- 5: I mean, what a classic with that beautiful, powerful voice! Beautiful music and builds just perfectly as he croons!
I've listened to this many times but very willingly listened again, because it's just fantastic!
Paranoid Android -- Radiohead
Spotify- 5: greatest radiohead song
- 5: Love it!
It Ain't Hard to Tell -- Nas
Spotify- 4: I don't think I picked up on the "Human Nature" sample on my first listen somehow. I also like this more than I remember. Perhaps I should give the whole album another chance.
Underground -- The Upsetters
Spotify- 4: Respect to the Upsetter, great album but there are better tunes on it in my opinion. Giving this one a four star, because of the impact Scratch had on Dub, paving the way for so many.
I'm A Man -- Bo Diddley
Spotify
Holocene -- Bon Iver
Spotify- 4: Beautiful song! I've been avoiding Bon Iver for a very long time. I need to listen to more of this band. 4⭐ 4/5
Hell Is Round The Corner -- Tricky
Spotify- 3: It's okay.
- 3: It’s pretty good but I’d rather just listen to Glory Box
- 5: Could listen to this song, or any song on this album, on repeat for a full day. So sleeky and sexy and creepy. I love the eerieness of Tricky, and the voice of Martina Topley Bird is what was missing from Tricky's layer albums.
The Ballroom Blitz -- Sweet
Spotify- 3: -
- 5: If we're going for just stereotypical glam rock, then this is up there as an all time great. Just each part of this song is just pure fun, and the energy works for almost any situation it is presented in. I still have no clue what this song is about, but it doesn't really matter.
- 4: Oh it’s a banger, one of the funniest tracks ever created no doubt.
- 4:
Sabali -- Amadou & Mariam
Spotify- 4: This is the kinda stuff I like to hear on this list. I'm not familiar at all with Mali music and this was a neat little song.
- 3: Tis grand.
E se domani -- Mina
Spotify- 3: Some nice Italian music. Not super mind blowing but pleasant to listen to.
- 3: I can't really say much about this. It's an Italian torch song. I don't speak Italian, and I don't really listen to torch music. It sounds fine, but right now it's beyond me. It's healthy to recognise one's limitations.
NoRadio, signing out.
- 2: fine
Sympathy For The Devil -- The Rolling Stones
Spotify- 5: PLEASED TA MEET CHUUU
- 4: While it goes on far too long in my opinion, this is easily one of Rolling Stones' best, being extremely catchy whilst still having an intriguing message to it and being something that's worth jamming out to.
- 5: The Stones' masterpiece. I just love the unforgiving first-person prose narrated by the devil himself, citing several horrible events in human history. I also like the slick percussion sound and the guitar works. It's one of those songs that catches my full attention whenever it plays.
- 5:
Alone Again Or -- Love
Spotify- 4: Cool psych sounds from the sixties with a tight vocal performance.
- 4: Y'know, I slept on this song the first time I listened to the album, perhaps because it was the first song and I was still getting adjusted, but I really like this. The guitar is cool and pretty, and the voice is relaxed while still firm. I think this song really walks the fine line between pop and rock perfectly.
- 4: Hey, I just listened to this album for my 1001 album generator. I did say in my review there that this was my favourite song on the album, but it was hard to find a song that stood out to me at all. I quite like the soft guitar in this song, and the horns. On this relisten, I've come to appreciate this song a little more. A light 4.
American Girl -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Spotify- 4: I like this song, but I don't necessarily think it's anything special or groundbreaking.
- 4: Timeless & universal
- 4: Pretty good. Not my favourite by them, but it's up there.
- 3: Perhaps my favorite Tom Petty song, but that really isn't saying much, as I was raised by my father on a non-Petty diet (I think he didn't like his voice) and never really cared for him in my own free time. The song could actually probably use one more run of a verse and chorus, which is rare for me to say. The guitar part just feels like it's hiding not coming up with more lyrics. Although, have you ever tried that solo in Guitar Hero? Suprisingly tough.
- 5: I just love that voice
Girls On Film -- Duran Duran
Spotify- 3: Ehh it's fine. Perfectly acceptable early 80s song. Nothing special.
- 3: Bass playing is incredible, Duran Duran should get more respect for that, but despite thinking I liked this song more, I didn't think too much of this. Still alright, but not the best song by them or anything.
Motorcycle Emptiness -- Manic Street Preachers
Spotify- 5: I do think this is a great anthem, but assuming there aren't a slew of MSP songs on this list I think they have more deserving songs.
- 3: Every lyric definitely preaches their political principles.
- 3: Alright I guess
You Really Got Me -- The Kinks
Spotify- 5: An absolute classic built around that fantastic riff, followed up later by an unhinged guitar solo. One of the best rock songs of all time!
- 5: Such an underrated band... Written by Ray Davies when he was only 20!
- 4: Classic rocker. Used in so many ways.
- 3: it's pretty good but nothing special
Hellhound on My Trail -- Robert Johnson
Spotify- 4:
- 5: Pure musical joy wrapped in the tradition of blues and negro spirituals.
Only You (And You Alone) -- The Platters
Spotify- 3: 3
- 3: Yeah it’s a great 50’s slow love song, would I call it amazing and groundbreaking, no, is it my personal cup of tea, no but it’s decent.
- 3: Nice but that’s about it
Black Betty -- Ram Jam
Spotify- 3: It's a catchy classic with some rocking funky grooves but I'm sticking to three stars.
- 3: As one hit wonders go this must be up there with the best. That opening riff is fantastic, pounding blues rock that many copied afterwards. They could have skipped the boring guitar break in the middle though, minus a star for that.
- 3: Guitar is awesome, but song is repetitive and even things like Rayman Legends make the song even better, which I don't know if that's sad for this song or good for that game.
- 3: bamalamb
- 2: I don’t know why I don’t like this song. But i don’t
20th Century Boy -- T. Rex
Spotify- 4: Quite a great rocker, missing a bit of a catchy hook for me, but a great song and definitely doesn't sound like the early 70s
- 3: Great riff!
For What It's Worth -- Buffalo Springfield
Spotify- 5: Great song
- 4: Hearing songs from this time makes me wonder what it was like to be a young person experiencing all of the unrest and social changes of the late sixties.
Two Weeks -- FKA twigs
Spotify- 3: Not bad, but there are better songs on this album.
- 2: Wow, that sure was pretty boring pop music. I genuinely don't get what made this different from anything else on the radio, other than being British, which we all know the original author has a preference for.
(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 -- Nat King Cole Trio
Spotify- 3: It's better than I expected, not a fan of this style generally
- 2: Perfectly okay piano pop jazz. Not knocking anything, just not my style.
- 4: This version of Route 66 shows off Nat King Cole's piano chops more than his famously smooth vocals. Fun song still.
- 2: Only 3 minutes but feels much longer
Mais Que Nada -- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
Spotify- 3: It’s that one song from the movie.
- 4: Beautiful. 4⭐ 4/5
- 3: Oh, it's this song! Yeah, it's alright, but I feel it needs to do just that little bit more. Appreciate the short runtime, though
Harlem Shuffle -- Bob & Earl
Spotify- 4: I recognize this from The Stones and never knew it was a cover. I gotta say this original is better. The instrumentation is really nice. I especially love the horns. It didn't blow my mind, but I certainly enjoyed it enough to listen to it again. Especially when I'm in a Mowtown blues-y mood.
- 3: Precursor to the shake? Pretty average RnB song from that era.
- 3: "Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin" it's the Jump Around sample!
- 3: Never knew thats where the sample came from.
Another Girl, Another Planet -- The Only Ones
Spotify- 4: Perhaps the voice was a little grating at points, but definitely punky in the sort of ways I like.
- 5: One of them one hit wonders, 23m listens on Spotify and their next highest is 1m.
fantastic tune. Are all the best tunes about heroin??
You're so Vain -- Carly Simon
Spotify- 5: You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you - maybe my favourite lyric ever. Greeeeeat song
The Irish Rover -- The Clancy Brothers
Spotify- 3: Ok
- 3: Irish folk music is okay and short doses just don't give me a full album of it *cough cough* Pogues *cough*
- 1: Yeah…no
- 4: Very Irish. Very drinking song.
- 4: If it were the Pogues version it would get 6/5
Public Image -- Public Image Ltd.
Spotify- 2: Somehow had never listened to any PiL before, and don't think I will be again. Good tune but totally incongruous with Lydon's voice, which really, I think, only works with Pistols.
- 3: A bit monotone
- 5:
- 4: Some early post-punk is interesting as it sounds unmistakably punk yet it's buried in layers of production. Sometimes, it works well, like in this banger.
Rock You Like a Hurricane -- Scorpions
Spotify- 2: Thanks for reminding me that Scorpions were a hair metal band.
- 3: This is cheese. Delicious stinky roquefort.
- 2: Pretty fun in Guitar Hero III, but at this point in my life this song is pretty nothing. It isn't bad, but it's just slightly better than most of the 80s rock acts.
Gimme the Light -- Sean Paul
Spotify- 3: Not my cup of tea.
- 1: Nah
- 1: Don't have much to say here
Where The Wild Roses Grow -- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Spotify- 4: Not as good as Henry Lee (which I always pair with this song) but the vocals and orchestration is gorgeous. Probably a 4.5 for this one
- 4: This song only makes sense if you read the backstory, so go and read the backstory. Kylie Minogue steals the show. Great orchestration.
- 5: A harrowing duet; it initially seems romantic, but it is on Murder Ballads, after all.
- 2: I think this is a joke-y song, or I sure hope it is, but this is extremely cheesy for Nick Cave standards, and it doesn't feel genuine at all, unlike stuff on The Boatman's Call.
Loneliness -- Laura Pausini
Spotify- 1: This is so bad
- 1: What Disney soundtrack b-side is this from?
Shot By Both Sides -- Magazine
Spotify
Back Door Man -- Howlin' Wolf
Spotify- 2: You're right Howlin' Wolf, I don't like the blues. Even though this song has a pretty decent guitar riff due to the heavy distortion, it goes on way too long to be anything special, instead being just boring.
- 3: This is a blues song.
Little Bear -- Guillemots
- 2: Ehh not terribly interesting. Paul McCartney says it is one of his all time favourites but I must be missing something. This felt like the first half of a song that is building to something but never gets there.
Don't Gimme No Lip Child -- Dave Berry
Spotify- 4: Didn’t expect much from this but it’s really great
- 2: This is rock 'n' roll music from the mid-60s. Yessir. Title makes me uncomfortable.
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction -- The Rolling Stones
Spotify- 3: Bit overrated
- 2: I forget this song exists and is by the Stones.
- 3: I never realized how repetitive and simple the lyrics are in this song. I'll never not be able to sing along during the chorus.
Babylon's Burning -- The Ruts
Spotify
When The Revolution Comes -- The Last Poets
Spotify- 2: Interesting lyrics with awful delivery.
- 3: Not sure how I feel about this. Great as a performance piece but not as a song.
Tous les garçons et les filles -- Françoise Hardy
Spotify- 4: Repetitive but nice and relaxed with a vibe that I think gets lost a lot on English speaking tunes from the era.
Time to Pretend -- MGMT
Spotify- 5: What a bumping track, this should be what dance music sounds like, not repetitious garbage for twelve minutes. It's just so happy and pumps you up, despite the somewhat dreary lyrics. Shoot this kind of indie music into my veins.
- 5: one of my favorite songs ever
I Only Have Eyes for You -- The Flamingos
Spotify
Black Metal -- Venom
Spotify- 2: Meh. Not my cup of tea. 2 ⭐ 2/5
- 1: Noo.
Shakin' All Over -- Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
Spotify- 2: better than the other 60s songs I've got do far, but still not interesting enough to make me want to listen to it again.
- 4: K
Step Into My Office, Baby -- Belle and Sebastian
Spotify- 4: Perhaps the most "loud" Belle and Sebastian song I've heard, this definitely feels like new territory for the band without removing their iconic sound.
- 5: It’s cool , feels quite old fashioned which I like the riff is cool and tumbling and that tempo change at the end makes a song go from food to great.
- 3: Didn't do much for me. Good videoclip though.
Kiss -- Prince & The Revolution
Spotify- 5: Best of Prince
- 5: Look up banger in the dictionary and you find this. I've got the 12" extended version on vinyl and it's even more amazing.
- 5: This song is so catchy
- 3: A song with a solid enough hook that I will enjoy it if it starts playing somewhere in public, but Prince has yet to truly catch my attention.
Summertime -- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Spotify- 2: I think this makes me realize that Will Smith was never a good rapper. Not that I thought he was, but this opens my eyes to the idea.
- 3: -
Folsom Prison Blues -- Johnny Cash
Spotify- 3: This makes me realize I don't think I've ever heard the studio version of this song, only live recordings and my dad playing it on his guitar. Solid tune, but I've probably heard it too much, and this studio recording feels far too slow.
You Haven't Done Nothin' -- Stevie Wonder
Spotify
Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio -- Flaco Jimenez
Spotify- 1: I think music like this has to be part of your heritage to truly appreciate it. To me, this is just polka music with Spanish lyrics instead of English.
- 4: warm
- 3: Was gonna make fun of this for being Mexican restaurant music, but I started jokingly dancing to it and that was genuinely fun and put me in a better mood, so good job song!
- 1: Yeah no
Rimmel -- Francesco De Gregori
Spotify- 2: Sounds nice, but I forgot about this song while it was playing, which is never a good sign.
- 4: It's not my usual thing but there's something about this one...
- 3: A nice little Italian song but nothing exceptional.
- 3: Sounds pretty.
- 3: I can't really vibe to this, it is not bad, just not my thing.
La vie en rose -- Édith Piaf
Spotify- 3: It kind of sounded like it was over halfway through, then it kept going. The song is pretty, but there are better versions out there nowadays.
- 4: One of those songs where I love every version
4,3,2,1 -- LL COOL J
Spotify- 2: This sure was rap. I mean, the beat was boring and that "Yeah!" sample (that I know from Beastie Boys, but I'm sure is from something else) is really annoying, and from what I could gather the lyrics are just "I'm the GOAT" and not much else. It isn't terrible, just painfully average, and that makes it below average.
Solid Air -- John Martyn
Spotify
Free Man In Paris -- Joni Mitchell
Spotify- 4: I'm not really a free man, and have never been in Paris at all. But Mitchell's voice rules, and nothing else matters.
- 2: I like a lot of Joni Mitchell's stuff, but this one is a tad too country for my taste. Certainly not terrible, but it feels like one of the "nothing" tracks more than anything.
- 5: Great instrumentation, vocals and lyrics.
4.5/5
Your Cheating Heart -- Ray Charles
- 3: Close to being a four star, but I think the choir of voices just repeating Ray Charles is a hindrance, and should've just been piano rather than a whole accompanying orchestra.
- 4: Beautiful
El manisero -- Don Azpiazú & His Havana Casino Orchestra
- 3: This is a nice little diddle.
- 3: This is almost 100 years old! Crazy!
Surf's Up -- The Beach Boys
Spotify- 2: Not my favorite beach boys song
- 4: Man, I like The Beach Boys more and more with each song I hear. I've been curious about what this whole album sounds like, so I was happy to listen to this. I loved the melancholy tone to it.
- 5: yet another impeccable Wilson creation
Unfinished Sympathy -- Massive Attack
Spotify
Suspicious Minds -- Elvis Presley
Spotify- 4: guilty pleasure song
- 4: This should've been on the album, not just a single. This song shows Elvis definitely had more power musically than most people or himself let on.
Atomic Dog -- George Clinton
Spotify- 1: Not for me
- 3: It was okay
- 2: I feel like this song was made to be sampled later on. Not really anything but random noises strung together on its own.
Born to Run -- Bruce Springsteen
Spotify- 2: I've thought for a bit now that this is the best Springsteen gets, and it still is not very good. It's fine enough at first, but even at normal song length it seems to drag on and on.
- 5: i prefer a slightly more acoustic Bruce usually but this song is so undeniable
Garth Brooks -- The Fever
- 1:
- 1: Got your song and artist mixed up here. I think a song titled "Garth Brooks" would be pretty funny though. This song, though, sucks.
- 2: I think you meant “the fever” by garth brooks. Either way its a no from me
Beat the Clock -- Sparks
Spotify- 3: there’s better Sparks songs
- 5: Even the worst song on this album is a certified BANGER. It is just so slick, the lyrics are pretty hilarious, and this feels so ahead of its time. You may be thinking "but this is just generic disco," but listen to those synths man, they are high energy and keep you actually invested, so that you want to listen anywhere anytime, and that drumming is all man-made baby, giving this music from space its own humanity. Russell's voice is also magnificent, and if you watch the music video, Ron is hottest there, swear to God. I do question why this is the song chosen from this album when I think every other song deserves it more, but this is still amazing. Go listen to this album. I don't care if you dislike this song, do it.
Sunshine Of Your Love -- Cream
Spotify- 3: I love psych rock but I've always disliked Cream. They sound just like standard blues and their guitars give me a headache. Still, I can see why this is their most popular song. The riff is nice and the lyrics are good too. I also likes the tripping outro, it's a nice touch. But just like most o their songs, it's some moody monotonous blues with minimal build-up.
Peg -- Steely Dan
Spotify- 3: Peg makes the Essential Yacht list with a score of 92.
- 4: Kinda of wish this did more, but still solid. I'm hopeful that I will enjoy other Steely Dan songs.
- 3: Steely Dan is one of those bands I respect, but don't find their music interesting at all. It's so sterilized and bland.
- 4: Cool groove
- 3: I appreciate these guys are held in very high esteem, but I've yet to find a song I like.
- 3: Steely Dan is gonna do WHAT to me?
- 2: Not doing much for me. Which is a shame because Steely Dan are great
Inkanyezi Nezazi (Star And The Wiseman) -- Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Spotify- 2: Yep, that sure was Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Relaxing, but nothing more.
- 3: this is neat
- 3: big respect to this for what it is. however it was not much my thing
I'm a Believer -- The Monkees
Spotify- 4: Gotta love the monkees.
- 5: overplayed as hell but also as good as sunshine-y 60's pop can get
That goofy electric piano solo <3
He's a Rebel -- The Crystals
Spotify- 5: -
- 4: I like this and this type of music. Something so magical about it
- 4: Interesting story behind this one. Great pop song. Darlene Love’s voice just astounds me
- 3: Sounds like most pop from the era, but that sort of thing is enjoyable most of the time, just blends in.
Super Bass -- Nicki Minaj
Spotify- 3: I mean it is great but do i love it just for the nostalgia?
- 4: ngl, thats a banger. maybe a bit too overplayed
To Know Him Is To Love Him -- The Teddy Bears
Spotify- 3: Nice, chilled.
- 2: Kind of boring an repetitive, but harmless enough.
- 5: I love this type of music, so timeless and beautiful.
- 2: not my tempo
- 2: Ehhh pretty standard late 50s era pop song and nothing really stood out. I guess it's interesting Phil Spector was in this group.
- 1: Tough listen
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' -- The Righteous Brothers
Spotify- 2: I liked the other song by these guys I got, but this one is kind of boring, and the vocals are more weird than anything.
- 4: yeah it has good points and bad points
Nothing Has Been Proved -- Dusty Springfield
Spotify- 2: 10 seconds in I already sense this might a completely inessential track. Feels like very generic 80s pop to me.
- 1: Weird vocal; odd lyrics; busy backing track. There isn't really anything here I like.
- 2: It’s a shame because i love Dusty Springfield’s early work. It’s only 2 stars because of the vocals
Future Days -- CAN
Spotify- 2: Some cool sounds, but way too long and pretty boring overall.
- 1: Nope. Had these guys on the album generator. Experimental, fine but go somewhere with it
- 3: A lot of thoughts on this one. Quite enjoyed it when it finally came in. But really doesn’t need to be as long as it is. Probably great background music but not when I’m looking for something to actually listen to
- 3:
Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check -- Busta Rhymes
Spotify- 3: Really charming, it just feels goofy enough to stand out. Not too notable otherwise and I can't imagine just choosing to listen to this, but pretty okay.
- 1: Got boring so quickly
- 3: It's fine.
- 2: My wife made me turn it of
Desperado -- Eagles
Spotify- 3: Beautiful song but didnt like it enough for a 4
Peace Train -- Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Spotify- 5: this song is amazing, love the crescendo
- 3: I like how much it builds up from beginning to end, but the actual substance of the song isn't too much to write home about overall.
- 4: What is this album cover?!?!?!
Losing My Religion -- R.E.M.
Spotify- 3: Interesting song, but I like their other singles more.
Todo Cambia -- Mercedes Sosa
Spotify- 4: Beautiful!
- 4: Really relaxing, but a little long. Otherwise pretty good.
- 3: without knowing the significance of this song it does sound nice enough
Rattlesnakes -- Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Spotify- 4:
- 3: -
- 2: Had this album on the 10001 album and it was subpar at best
- 3: Can't say I am a fan of this. The mixing is also a bit weird imho with the vocals being a little too loud. Not really a fan of the vocalist.
Who Do You Love -- The Preachers
Spotify- 4: Really cool song. Feels like it could be an early stooges track
- 2: Eh, not quite my thing. Probably more interesting at the time than it is now.
Harry Patch (In Memory Of) -- Radiohead
Spotify- 2: Don't really enjoy Radiohead all that much and this song didn't really do anything for me. Just standard orchestra with sad strings. Pretty generic.
- 2: I appreciate it as a tribute and an anti-war anthem. But as a song, it's too whiny, even for Radiohead. The string arrangements in the background piggybacked everything else.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough -- Diana Ross
Spotify- 3:
- 4: Banger
- 4: marvin gaye did it better. still pretty good though and I really like her voice
You Send Me -- Sam Cooke
Spotify- 4: General: I love Sam Cooke, in my opinion he’s one of the best singers of all time. While the lyrical content is standard love spiel which was all they could get away with at the time - but Cooke has a special way of making you feel like he truly means it (4/5)
Instrumentation: standard instrumentation for the time but the guitar tone is nice and really adds to the track. The female backing vocalists also add a great level of dynamic to the track where all the different instruments are operating on different wavelengths and stand out (4/5)
Lyrics: as mentioned in general they are quite standard for the soul of the time but he truly makes it sound genuine (4/5)
Overall: 4/5
- 3: "You send me" is a pretty weird phrase for affection, but of course it's easy to get lost in its soulful sound to not care about it. Quite decent.
- 2: Not sure why this is on the list, fairly flimsy song with no real substance to it. When Sam Cooke came up those isn't a song I was expecting.
Gets two points just for the immaculate vocals.
- 4:
Blind Willie McTell -- Bob Dylan
Spotify- 3: It's OK, I guess? I'm no Dylan scholar so this recording must mean something but I'm not up on this particular one.
Doo Wop (That Thing) -- Ms. Lauryn Hill
Spotify- 5: This is how you do it all, hip-hop, R&B, 90s pop, it doesn't really matter, because this song nails all of it so it's all perfect and catchy while still having substance. It is a crime Lauryn Hill never made another album, because I can only imagine how much stuff like this we would've gotten.
- 5: Love this.
- 5: Classic song from a classic album
Buffalo Stance -- Neneh Cherry
Spotify- 2: Started at a two, then inched up to a three, then fell back into a two. It started out and reeked of the era it was released and not much more, but the interesting lyrics and some sound bites made it a good enough listen, but the long run time made me get pretty bored with it by the end.
No Diggity -- Blackstreet
Spotify- 2: Good back beat, but probably too long for my blood, and not a very notable song anyway.
- 3: It’s a good single and I don’t think there’s many songs that are really like this but it’s just never been something I’ve loved.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (with Lenny Hayton & His Orchestra) -- Bing Crosby
Spotify- 4: kind of loved this, weirdly
- 3: Nah