Category: Music Reviews

Bridge Of Sighs (1985)

Don’t get excited by comparisons to Jimi Hendrix, good or bad.  He’s obviously not Jimi Hendrix, but to say or believe he’s worthless because he sounds verrrrry similar to a guitar God is to say that all Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, etc. imitators and followers are cr@p.  Which wouldn’t be fair to a lot of good music.  Bottom line, almost every song has been written at least in part by someone else already, so if that bothers you so much you should throw out all your “imitator” albums.  The only problem I have with my own logic and my strong defense is that this album sucks beyond the title cut.  But that’s no reason to hate the man.

Grade: D

Volume 1 (1988)

I love the idea of this “Supergroup”, even though it claims Bob Dylan as one of its members. Dylan and Geddy Lee are waging a furious battle for worst vocalist in the known universe. Dylan’s winning, because he refuses to disguise the vocal terror that is his natural singing/talking-along-with-music voice. But I have no objections
to the others, and it seemed something really nice could come from this. I’m not wholly disappointed, as this album does have two viable good songs on it, but it should have more…especially considering that there are four decent songwriters in the band. Oh well. You live, you learn to accept disappointment.
Great vocal by Harrison on the opening cut.
(“Handle With Care”)

Grade: C

Feelin’ Alright: The Very Best Of Traffic (2000)

I’m not even a fan, really.  I just kinda like “Low Spark” and had lots of available cash at the time.  So I bought a best-of, figuring it would be, at least, tolerable.  And it is, for the most part.  But it isn’t any friggin GOOD.  Back to the drawing board.
(“The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys”)

Grade: C

Opiate (1992)

Still your worst drug value.

Grade: F

Undertow (1993)

In retrospect, they’ve gotten better and better with each album up to 2001’s ‘Lateralus’.  This is a leap ahead of ‘Opiate’ (thank God) but several steps behind ‘Aenima’, not a bad thing.
(“Sober”)

Grade: C+

Aenima (1996)

GREAT first two songs and album cover.  Could it turn out to be a masterpiece?  No.  Reason?  You can’t really have an entire album full of only good/great songs, unless that album is called “Greatest Hits”, and even then it’s iffy depending on the song selection and the quality/consistency of the band.  The song fragments here are annoying and unnecessary, they add nothing to the album.  The final song is a waste of time, and rather annoying itself.  Besides that, there are several other fairly-good-to-good songs here to back up the opening salvo.
(“Eulogy”, “Stinkfist”)

Grade: B+

4/20/13: The album cover don’t enter into it, but it’s still cool. Re: the “reason”, that’s not true. You CAN have an entire album full of only good/great songs, but it’s not common, and you need more talent than this band has. And “Eulogy” should have been last, not second, unless the actual concept here is “wretched song-order placement”.

Grade: B+

Lateralus (2001)

Lurking at that point between B and A, I’m torn.  Some of the songs are hooky, well sung, and well written.  Some others merely have mild atmospheric charm.  In the end, the good songs just aren’t quite good enough to push them over the edge and into a stellar grade.  Nice try, though.
(“Schism”, “Reflection”)

Grade: B+

10,000 Days (2006)

It all sort of blends together and it all sort of sounds the same.  A bit boring after two good albums, both of which had the advantage of much better gloomy riff/vocal noise.  This may well be the end.

Grade: D+

Lemon Parade (1996)

The big hit got boring REALLY fast.  So then we move on to the lesser hits and album tracks, which have their moments.  They’ve either aged better, been better right from the start, or (probably) have not been listened to nearly as much.  It’s comforting to know some of my albums degrade and date themselves as the days go by.  Do I sound bitter to you?
(“Open Up Your Eyes”)

Grade: C+

Third Eye Blind (1997)

They put all the good stuff at the beginning.  After track 6, do yourself a favor and reset it to the beginning, or better yet take it off and put on something better.
(“Losing A Whole Year”)

Grade: B-

Temple Of The Dog (1991)

I used to ADORE this album, especially the hypnotic and powerful “Hunger Strike”.  But I’ve found myself getting sick of the (two) songs I never really loved all that much, and my passion for a lot of the “good” songs has turned into more of an admiration at accomplishment than a desire to actually listen to them.  Of course, things like that can happen when an album’s in heavy rotation in one’s playback device of choice for months.  Take this grade as a composite of my former adoration and my current admiration and simple appreciation.  It could go back up, it could just as easily plummet off the radar.  I hope it goes up, because I WANT to like this album.
(“Wooden Jesus”, “Hunger Strike”, “Say Hello 2 Heaven”)

Grade: A-

2012:  This is a beautiful and moving tribute made for one reason – Love.  Twenty years later, it still blows me away at times.  A classic.

Grade: A

Tears Roll Down (1992)

With this band I generally agree with your average consumer.  The hits from ‘Songs From The Big Chair’ are very good, a couple of others are pretty good, and the rest is just above synthesized boredom.  Luckily, their best album had legitimate hits, and they’re all here.  I have a bit of a soft spot for this band, so their weak tracks/filler don’t/doesn’t bother me too much.
(“Shout”, “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”)

Grade: B

Welcome (2002)

Thank You.  Goodbye.

Grade: F

System Of A Down (1998)

A major annoyance when they don’t have the music to backup their poor vocals and spotty songwriting.  They admittedly do show at least the ability to hit the musical jugular on occasion.  Just need a little consistency, boys.
(“Sugar”)

Grade: C

Toxicity (2001)

Here we go…following up their self titled debut, they produce a decent album that’s mostly hard and fast but which has its “soft” moments.  Those moments I generally like, and a couple of the hard and fast ones are at least a small pleasure to listen to.
(“Chop Suey”, “Aerials”)

Grade: B-

Head Trip In Every Key (1998)

Not just a (minor) hit here: They string together enough musical decency to almost warrant purchase.  But almost isn’t enough, especially when you can’t quite find a viable second single on the entire album.

Grade: C-

Reading, Writing, And Arithmetic (1989)

Pretty voice, to be sure, and powerful too when the occasion calls for it.  The problem, as usual, is in the songwriting.  This is mostly useless, but has a coupla moments that somewhat redeem it (not enough).
(“Here’s Where The Story Ends”)

Grade: C-

Core (1992)

Sure, they weren’t on the level of the great grunge Gods. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t any good. Plenty of bands have sounds similar to another band. The difference in judging seems to be that when you don’t like the second band, they’re “unoriginal” and “posers”. When you DO like them, you prefer to call them whatever-band-they-sound-like esque. Kind of a silly way to go about reviews, don’t you think? This is a great album. Yes, great. Not good. Great. Got it? Good.
And in the name of all that is good and sacred, if that sounds familiar, Denis Leary deserves to be ripped…see “Bill Hicks”.
(“Sex Type Thing”, “Creep”, “Plush”, “Wicked Garden”)

Grade: A-

8/10/12: “Sex Type Thing” is either a rightfully vicious, sarcastic put-down of scumbag rapists/sexists/misogynists or it’s pro-rape. I’m gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that they’re not TOTAL SCUMBAGS and assume the former. I’ve heard “Excitable Boy”, and I don’t think Warren Zevon is pro-psycho-killer-turned-grave-robber.
Call me crazy. As for the music, it’s no more derivative than Zep was and it’s more consistent than anything Zep except ‘Zoso’. Suck it Trebek.

Grade: A

Purple (1994)

I really like this band. To hell with the critics. If they don’t know the difference between an album full of good riffs and a talentless, worthless copycat, that’s their problem. This is a great album, surprising even me (a fan already) and making me wonder if this band perhaps DOES deserve to hang out with the Gods of Grunge.
Alice In Chains was never this consistent, Soundgarden only did it once. Pearl Jam? Ok, that may be pushing it a bit too far. Nirvana? Alright, alright…I was just speculating.
(“Lounge Fly”, “Still Remains”, “Interstate Love Song”, “Big Empty”)

Grade: A

Tiny Music… Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop (1996)

Meaningless great hooky riffs are their style, not melodies. So when they lose them and try to go soft, they become mostly dull, hokey, and boring. And completely irrelevant, except for “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart”, which has some great meaningless hooky riffs.
(“Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart”)

Grade: D+

No. 4 (1999)

“Down” and “Sour Girl” are the only songs worth your time. And you’ve heard “Down” before, in various (and superior) incarnations.
(“Sour Girl”)

Grade: C-

Second Coming (1994)

This begins and ends with a BANG.  Otherwise, it’s one of those guns that shoots out a little banner saying “bang!”.
(“Love Spreads”)

Grade: C-

Fields Of Gold 1984-1994 (1994)

I understand ending a band on a great high note when you’re ending your musical career entirely.  I even understand making music in a solo career or another band after that…if that first project became everything you wanted it to be, you wouldn’t let it fall into decline just to make more money.  So I understand why Sting ended the Police after ‘Synchronicity’.  This is horribly average compared to the Police’s best-of.  But Sting, even on his own, has some undeniable talent.
(“Fortress Around Your Heart”)

Grade: B

A Decade Of Steely Dan (1985)

Yes, I LOVE greatest hits albums. Sure, you miss out on some interesting filler and the occasional underrated song, but at least (if the artist is halfway-decent) you get a good product worthy of many replays. This fits in nicely with that theory.
(“Bodhisattva”, “Do It Again”)

Grade: A-

2010: Tasty.

Grade: A

Born In The USA (1984)

Yes, it has hits galore.  Yes, I recognize their validity.  But I question their quality.  “Born In The USA” is almost undeniable, with the drums pounding out the rhythm for Springsteen’s powerfully delivered lyrics.  My favorite is the much more sedate “I’m On Fire”, which features the creepy and haunting lyric “Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley through the middle of my skull”.  Wow.  But the rest just don’t resonate the same way.  It’s a very good album, though, and a nice piece of history.
(“I’m On Fire”, “Born In The USA”)

Grade: A-

Tunnel Of Love (1987)

I’ve never really had much belief in Springsteen’s myth.  After all, if he WAS the next Dylan, he would be as marginally interesting as that vastly overrated “artist”, whose career should have died a dignified death in the 70’s.  So, having said that, where does this much more talented artist fit in the musical landscape?  Well, ‘Born In The USA’ made him a superstar.  This is a relatively minor and laid-back effort.
(“One Step Up”)

Grade: B-

Rotting Pinata (1994)

Another band with hit-plus-filler, this one escapes a truly dismal grade by virtue of their hit and a little bit of interesting music also.
(“Plowed”)

Grade: C-

The Best Of Spirit (1973)

“Mechanical World”, written in part by future Heart (Huh?? Something here is kind of weird) bassist (for Heart’s famous commercial-sellout years) Mark Andes, comes out of nowhere and mesmerizes you with its changes in tempo, instrumental mastery, and air of lonely beauty.  The rest is written by others, and doesn’t hold a candle to Mark’s early-life peak achievement.
(“Mechanical World”)

Grade: C+

Louder Than Love (1989)

Big Dumb Album.

Grade: D

Badmotorfinger (1991)

A quantum leap up from ‘Louder Than Love’, this album is quite respectable, if not fully likeable. In retrospect, it fits nicely in the middle of a BAD record (‘Louder Than Love’) and a GREAT one (‘Superunknown’).
(“Outshined”, “Rusty Cage”)

Grade: B-

2012: I grew up in the 80’s, so the thought that this music gets better with age because of all the sh1t I hear these days is inapplicable. The sh1t from the 80’s doesn’t get any better. Upped a grade for sonics alone.

Grade: B

Superunknown (1994)

Fourteen out of fifteen. That’s a pretty good ratio. Where the HELL did this come from? The lyrics are often puzzling, but the music more than makes up when necessary. Where else can you find a song about a guy who plays at being a drummer with some spoons and a few plastic barrels that is actually GOOD? It’s quite good, actually. Some of these hooks are downright dangerous – they’ll dig into your inner musical junkie and demand satisfaction from time to time. And you’ll enjoy every minute.
(“Fell On Black Days”, “Head Down”, “Like Suicide”, “Fresh Tendrils”)

Grade: A+

Down On The Upside (1996)

It was impossible to follow ‘Superunknown’ with anything as good…that was probably a once-in-a-lifetime album by an otherwise maddeningly inconsistent, occasionally really bad band. So they put out something with almost as much material as ‘Superunknown’, and at least can’t be faulted for trying. I’m a big fan of quitting at your peak, but in this case I’m somewhat glad they didn’t, as this is a decent album, with a coupla songs that could have fit on ‘Superunknown’.
(“Blow Up The Outside World”, “Applebite”)

Grade: C+

2012: See ‘Badmotorfinger – 2012’.

Grade: B-

A-Sides (1997)

Not worth it. Not because the music is bad, but because everything good here is good somewhere else, with MORE good stuff.

‘Superunknown’ by itself is better than this. ‘Badmotorfinger’ is worth owning, and maybe ‘Down On The Upside’.

The early stuff is just inferior versions of later, greater stuff.

Grade: B

Telephantasm (2010)

Ummm…yeah. See above.

Grade: B

Irresistible Bliss (1996)

With the exception of “Soundtrack To Mary”…I THINK I’M GONNA HURL!

Grade: D+

Daydream Nation (1988)

A horrible, boring record.  Period.

Grade: F

Washing Machine (1995)

Up until the very end, an effort worthy of ‘Daydream Nation”s complete and utter failure.  Then they hit you with a song that has riffs galore, intriguing vocals, and fascinating lyrics.

I’m shocked.
(“The Diamond Sea”)

Grade: D

Singles (1995)

How soon is now, anyway?  I don’t believe in the concept of time.

Grade: D-

Gish (1991)

I had almost completely forgotten about this album, just like ‘Siamese Dream’ Unlike ‘Siamese Dream’, however, this one does let up a bit after the first two songs.
The rest is basically filler…very good filler, but filler nevertheless.  That being said, I can listen to the entire album without pain and without falling asleep.
(“I Am One”, “Siva”)

Grade: B

2012: Very good filler…hmmm…if it’s very good, how can I call it filler? I can’t. STUPID STUPID!

Grade: B+

Siamese Dream (1993)

Wow…I had almost completely forgotten about this group for a long time…I used to play this almost every day, but I grew sick of it, and my liking of it plummeted.
Listening to it now, I realize how good, nay great, an album this really was/is. It begins with a flourish, and unlike ‘Gish’, it never lets up after that.
(“Today”, “Cherub Rock”, “Luna”)

Grade: A

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995)

A great album to impress your girlfriend with if you don’t have a “sensitive” side but want to pretend you do. Or, the Luther Vandross of Alt-Rock. Otherwise it’s spotty.
(“1979”)

Grade: C+

2012: Two things…I ripped the riff from Tom Servo, and “1979” is very good.

Grade: B-

Adore (1998)

A promising beginning to the album, but the excitement of that quickly fades as the songs go on, sixteen of them total. The “sound” of the Pumpkins is there, this is not a failed departure. This is a failed Pumpkins album. This would appear to be the end…a pity, because I believe from the sound of the album and all the usual layers of music that Billy Corgan really tried this time out. D’Arcy and James Iha cannot be blamed for this failure, as Corgan goes to pains to label each and every song as his. Note to Billy: when the album is weak, don’t prove it’s your fault of your own free will.

Grade: C

2012: “Perfect” is the ultimate ITunes grab.

Grade: C-

Rabies (1989)

This one captured my attention on a late night drive to a club with a then-friend of mine and his then-girlfriend.  I may have been drinking before listening to it.  I cannot justify its existence when I’m sober.

Grade: D

Slave To The Grind (1991)

As far as 80’s hair-metal bands went, I never really hated these guys even after their very brief musical reign was overthrown by Seattle.  The reason?  Because as is shown here, they can actually rock hard, even if their intent is far greater than their ability.  They also can write “Monkey Business”, a song that declared that they weren’t intending on fading away like the more balladish-pop-metal of Poison, Bon Jovi, Winger, etc etc.  Unfortunately for them, they did fade rather quickly, as former fans switched allegiance to their grunge band of choice.  And after listening to this entire album hoping for more “Monkey Business” type music, I discovered that while the rest did rock, it didn’t rock in a very catchy way.  At least they separated themselves slightly from the hair bands.  Even if this did only that, I suspect they would crack a tiny smile even as they bombed away.
(“Monkey Business”)

Grade: D+

Sackcloth N’ Ashes (1995)

Every band’s a liar.
(“Black Soul Choir”)

Grade: D

Negotiations And Love Songs (1988)

I’m not a fan.  If you are, you’ll probably enjoy this very much.  What I hear is a load of pop-ready singles that make no lasting impression and (with one exception) make me look forward to the next song.  Or next album.  By someone else.
(“Kodachrome”)

Grade: C-

Greatest Hits (1972)

There’s something about Paul Simon that just pisses me off.  I’m not sure exactly what, or why, but it brings down all these songs a notch or two.  Maybe I just hate his voice.  Then again, Art Garfunkel’s vocal contributions in general don’t do much for me either.  I’m confused, a little, but I know I’m probably never gonna play this whole album ever again.
(“Bridge Over Troubled Water”)

Grade: C

Frogstomp (1995)

Let me start off by saying I am truly embarrassed to own this album, and I would probably toss it if it didn’t have some sentimental memory value.

Actually, that’s not completely fair. It would be embarrassing if I LIKED this album, but I don’t hate it. After all, they’re just a bunch of teenagers.

And as far as stupid things go, making a cr@ppy album is very much on the harmless no-foul side.

And, ok, I admit it…a few of the hooks actually semi-hook me.

Grade: D

Sweet Oblivion (1992)

If a tree screams in the forest and nobody cares, does it really make a sound?
(“Nearly Lost You”)

Grade: D+

Auscultate (1995)

I enjoyed “Bluster” very much from the first time I heard it on the radio.  So, guess what happened?  I bought the album!  Thinking there would be more good songs! (Well, “Honour Me” isn’t bad).
(“Bluster”)

Grade: D+

Let It Bleed (1969)

Moments of genius, moments of stupidity.

Grade: B

Sticky Fingers (1971)

I was a bit excited to discover this album in a nearby library, so that I could check it out and listen to the entire thing, knowing all the time I was mainly just using it as a means to get my kiss-a$$ review of “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” in print.  It starts off with a signature riff, one of Keith’s best.  And when I say best, I’m putting it in “Satisfaction” territory.  It doesn’t stop there, though.  Richards plays some amazing guitar while Jagger comes up with some nice lyrics and even goes Led Zeppelin for a while with his perfectly timed recitals of the song’s name in conjunction with Richard’s riff work.  Ahhh…I feel better now.  On to the rest of the album.  Not a great album, but a good one.  Other songs you might find interesting include “Brown Sugar” (although I’m rather sick of it) and “Bitch” (Which I don’t think I’ll EVER get sick of).  Yes, there’s some cr@ppy filler and a cr@ppy-as-usual blues cover.  So it’s pretty much half of a great album.  Which is all you can really hope for these days.
(“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”, “Bitch”)

Grade: B

Hot Rocks (1964-1971) (1986)

This could easily be an A+ if it was just comprised of better selections.  As is, there’s loads of good music here, nothing truly revelatory but pretty d@mn good.  Only “Heart Of Stone” and “As Tears Go By” make me wince.
(“Gimme Shelter”, “Street Fighting Man”)

Grade: A

Flashpoint (1991)

Doesn’t sound that bad, and I usually think that live albums tend to suck.  Unfortunately, the song choices are somewhat suspect, and it IS a live one, so it’s not quite as good as it could be.  If you love the Stones, you’re gonna buy it anyways.  If you’re more of a casual fan, I’d recommend withholding purchase unless you spot it in a bargain bin in a few years.

Grade: C

Forty Licks (2002)

A very expansive greatest-hits package, this is separated into two cd’s worth of music.  The first disc is a wonderful collection of some of the Stones’ best early-to-middle period songs.  The second disc relies heavily on later material, and consequently suffers from the decline of the Stones in their later years.  If you want to buy one Stones album, ‘Hot Rocks’ is the way to go.  I’m sure there’s a later-period-only best-of out there somewhere that you could buy if you wanted a complete overview of their catalog.  I personally find a lot of their later material embarrassing by their standards.
(“Street Fighting Man”, “Honky Tonk Women”)

Grade: B+

2010: Chock-full of too much goodness to resist.

Grade: A

Murmur (1982)

This is the world at large’s full-length introduction to Michael Stipe and company. I find it a bit boppy and very non-threatening. I don’t know what the hell Stipe is talking about, a pattern which would continue over their next few albums and, let’s be honest, their entire career. The man seems to enjoy writing lyrics that make you think. Which is a good thing, in general. But when I put on my favorite artists, I want to KNOW what they’re talking about, and be able to just sink into a bubblebath with a contented sigh, and enjoy it. Besides, I don’t think on command, thank you very much. Unless this really is just a jambly mess of chaos.

Grade: C

2010: Stipe gets even more twitty in retrospect.

Grade: C-

Eponymous (1988)

They weren’t very good at all until ‘Document’. Three of the good songs on this best-of-up-until-’88 are from ‘Document’. And thus this album is elevated from mediocre to pretty good.
(“The One I Love”)

Grade: B

Out Of Time (1991)

“Losing My Religion”. No. I will not listen to that song ever again. Michael Stipe has always been a pretentious twit, and here his music and lyrics combine to full twit-effect. What about the rest? Well, it’s not bad…better than I would have expected after the first single.
(“Texarkana”, “Belong”)

Grade: B-

2011: He does mean well in a lot of ways…and True Believers are hard to find.

Grade: B

Automatic For The People (1992)

“Everybody Hurts” has achieved the same status as Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”, both as a prom song and a song that has been played continuously and mercilessly since its release. It’s a very good song, but how many times can we keep playing the d@mn thing and still enjoy it? With that noted, my two favorites here do NOT include that song. Btw, Andy Kaufman stinks.
(“Ignoreland”, “Drive”)

Grade: B-

8/20/12: Not to be morbid, but he certainly does by now. Oh shut up, he’d say it himself if he wasn’t dead.

Grade: B

Monster (1994)

Nice hard-ish rock guitar throughout on this album, beginning with the killer riffs on “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”. Most of this rocks pretty hard…there’s certainly filler but it’s more tolerable than it could be.
(“What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”, “Star 69”)

Grade: B

8/20/12: All the meaning in the world didn’t save any of their other albums from being worse than this, and all the meaning in the world doesn’t make this any better than it is. Perhaps they should, with some exceptions, find another medium with which to bore the life out of their clientele. Thank you, Diane.

Grade: B+

New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996)

Slow I don’t mind, pretty I don’t mind, mournful I don’t mind. But put them all together and add a dose of poor songwriting and it makes for a dismal bit of filler, broken up occasionally by a decent song. Is it worth your money? I don’t think so.
(“E-Bow The Letter”)

Grade: C

2011: Moving away from both rock and pop is very dangerous for your career. This does both. It’s intentionally obscure and minimalist in the same way as ‘Murmur’, except here you can actually understand what the heck they’re talking about. Not their best album by a long shot, but in some ways this is their triumph…Peace, Love, and Community over Money. For once, I applaud.

Grade: B-

Reveal (2001)

R.E.M. goes easy-listening/cocktail lounge act. At least on parts of it. It’s laughable, because you expect at least a stab at innovation from them each time out.
And because Stipe has to be the frontman for this occasionally annoying, horrible synth-sound album. He’s always been a bit full of himself, but he seems to be losing it. Where the hell is Peter Buck and his bag of riffs? I guess Michael decided he WANTED to actually make a semi-easy-listening, mostly hookless quiet album. I hope
he likes it, because I sure the hell don’t, and thankfully the album-buying public seems to agree with me to a certain extent. Stop with the synth moves, guys.
You have no clue what to do with them. Either get back to GOOD pop music, or (my preference) straight out rock, e.g. ‘Monster’.

Grade: D

2011: “Any sort of commerciality” and “Doing whatever the fck we want” went to war…they raised the stakes, forcing the other side to, forcing the other side to, and so on…they won.

Grade: D+

In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (2003)

It’s a good thing that 1988 was when they started to rise above persistently meaningless mediocrity. It’s a bad thing that they didn’t take all the good sh1t and put it here.
(What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”, “Orange Crush”)

Grade: B

BloodSugarSexMagik (1991)

Lots of songs here. Going through them all, I found a few keepers. But something about the Peppers just rubs me the wrong way, and even the keepers don’t do all that much for me anymore. The filler is torture.
(“Under The Bridge”)

Grade: C

What Hits!? (1992)

A collection of music one track more than ‘BloodSugarSexMagik’, it boasts one less interesting song. If only grading was always this easy.
(“Higher Ground”)

Grade: C-

2010: I’m overcome by their average-ness.

Grade: C

Rage Against The Machine (1992)

I’ve always liked good rock with meaning more than good rock without. So that’s not a problem here. And I enjoy Zach De La Rocha’s lyrics and performance. The backup from his musical mates is impressive as well. All that being said, I’d love to love this album, but the songwriting just doesn’t hold up throughout. A solid effort, though, and worthy of a follow-up.
(“Killing In The Name”, “Bullet In The Head”)

Grade: B

The Battle Of Los Angeles (1999)

The synth attempt on track eleven is silly and sad. They have one method of delivery, and frankly sound really boring/annoying/silly when they try to “branch out”.
On another note, “Born Of A Broken Man” is a completely obvious (and sad, there’s that word again) ripoff of Jesus Jones’ “Right Here, Right Now”. It actually brought back some memories that left me humming inside my head. The rest (“Guerilla Radio” excepted) is so formulaic and repetitive on this, their third album featuring the same music (hello, AC/DC) that I have no choice but to say that this year’s model is easily the worst of the triplets. I see why they broke up. Quite frankly, I’m sick of them and am glad that the band (except Zach, maybe?) made the right decision.

Grade: C-

The Bends (1995)

I never thought they’d do it, but they did.  They actually came back with an album that wasn’t horrid after the one-shot “Creep”.  Soft, melodic, and pretty at its high points, this album may take a while to kick in, but it’s not bad if you give it half a chance.  Don’t get excited or anything, but maybe crack a LITTLE smile.

Grade: C+

OK Computer (1997)

First half is worthy of an A.  Second half has to scratch and claw to achieve mediocrity.  It’s supposedly a breakthrough, hands-down classic according to some.  It’s a good album, and it’s worth buying.  But it’s not going to change your life or change music as a whole.
(“Karma Police”)

Grade: B

Kid A (2000)

Very atmospheric.  But the atmosphere is rarely backed up by good music.

Grade: C-

2010: Kid Average.

Grade: C

Amnesiac (2001)

Them boys do enjoy indulging themselves, don’t they?

Grade: D-

Hail To The Thief (2003)

“Sail To The Moon” is a beautiful song that represents their peak in that area.  “Myxomatosis” is some good solid noise-plus-vocals music, perfect for when you just want to listen and not have to think.  A couple other songs are pretty good.  There is no big deal with this band.  It’s fair quality (art?) rock, nothing more.  A few good songs don’t make a great album, let alone a great career.
(“Myxomatosis”, “Sail To The Moon”)

Grade: B-

Lovely (1988)

One-hit wonder.  Where did they pull the one hit from?  Based on the rest, I’ve no idea.
(“Crash”)

Grade: D

Rocket (1996)

Most certainly a one-shot album (and possibly career), this is mediocre noise and lyrics that rise to respectability only during “Chain Reaction” and The Hit.
(“Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand”)

Grade: D+

The Singles (1987)

Even their good songs always struck me as a bit lacking in one area or another.  Actually, to be honest, I just don’t like them for some reason.  Some of their songs I recognize as quality songs that I SHOULD like, but I don’t.  I find them dull, boring, and occasionally annoying, even when I know in my head that they aren’t.  At least, not ALL the time.  That being said, there’s a lot of (to me) boring sections here, and I’ve never liked Chrissie Hynde’s vocals.  Oh well…sometimes your best just isn’t good enough.

Grade: C

Every Breath You Take: The Classics (1995)

I’ve always liked The Police (except when “Roxanne” is played on the radio and I have to comfort myself in the knowledge that it will be over in 3:12, Hallelujah!).  I’ve just never really liked them QUITE enough to buy any single album of theirs.  Behold, the answer to my prayers.  A great album without doubt, it makes me a little sad that they broke up at their peak.
(“King Of Pain”, “Every Breath You Take”, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”)

Grade: A+

The Police (2007)

Everything you could possibly want by The Police (Therefore better than ‘The Classics’) and, unfortunately, more (Therefore worse than ‘The Classics’).  For the dedicated fan.
(“Can’t Stand Losing You”, “So Lonely”, “Synchronicity I”)

Grade: A

Come On Pilgrim (1987)

No hooks (except maybe on “Vamos”), lots of stupid lyrics (including “Vamos”) and Black Francis’ sometimes annoying voice lead to a total clunker.

Grade: D-

10/17/23: “Vamos” is better on ‘Surfer Rosa’, rendering this completely irrelevant. And embarrassing.

Grade: F

Surfer Rosa (1988)

Solid, solid. The decent songs just keep on coming, with only minor setbacks (what the hell were they thinking with “Tony’s Theme”??). Definitely worth owning; it’s got some great rock guitar on it. Just don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics.
(“River Euphrates”, “Where Is My Mind?”)

Grade: B+

2011: I still hate “Tony’s Theme”, which I could have written in about 3.2 seconds, but every other song is decent. Which is good and bad. “Where Is My Mind?” is the only one that REALLY sticks, and in today’s age, that’s dangerous. Luckily it already sold oodles of copies.

Grade: A-

10/17/23: I’d LIKE to have more albums on my A List, but this is too much of a reach.

Grade: B+

Doolittle (1989)

Solid ALL the way through for fifteen songs is quite some achievement. Unfortunately, only “Monkey Gone To Heaven” even hints at anthem status. They try to make up for good-but not-great quality with mass quantity. If you like to be moderately interested in an album uninterrupted by filler or failure, you’ll love this. If you want killer tracks, not so much.
(“Monkey Gone To Heaven”)

Grade: B+

2011: Take ‘Surfer Rosa’, scramble it around, and VOILA!

Grade: A-

Bossanova (1990)

I used to absolutely ADORE this band, and especially this album. The love affair has fallen off, though, and I believe I can grade them impartially. The music is almost always interesting here, but (as with all Pixies releases) the lyrics are sometimes just plain stupid, and a nice instrumental becomes a tolerable bit of noise.
One of the worst lyricists that I actually LIKE (because he can write catchy tunes), Black Francis enjoys indulging himself far more than he enjoys pandering to his audience. Fair enough, but don’t expect anyone to stay for the words once the music starts to fade.
(“Rock Music”, “The Happening”)

Grade: A-

2011: Space-Age Prog-Rockish Mysticism livens things up a bit.

Grade: A

Trompe Le Monde (1991)

The drop-off is obvious, and this is their worst album since ‘Come On Pilgrim’. That said, it’s still pretty good (all of their albums since ‘Come On Pilgrim’ are at least pretty good). I’m just begging Kim Deal to start writing more of the lyrics. When given enough good musical backup, Black Francis’ subpar lyrics achieve a semi-mystical quality. Otherwise they’re there to be focused on and laughed at.
(“Alec Eiffel”, “Space (I Believe In)”)

Grade: B

2010: Spacey.

Grade: B+

Death To The Pixies (1997)

LOTS of music here, good and bad. It doesn’t get all their best songs, and dismissing “The Happening” in favor of the utterly f’n ridiculous “Tony’s Theme” is beyond my comprehension. But, as written previously, there IS a lot of good music here, easily outweighing the bad. Their “Greatest Hits” could have been so much better. But hey, you take what you can get.
(“Monkey Gone To Heaven”, “Rock Music”)

Grade: A-

Missundaztood (2001)

I put this album on fully expecting to either hate it or find it dreadfully boring and/or sappy.  Then I heard the first song…not bad.  Then the second…hey, I’ve heard this one before.  Then the third…ummm, this is getting scary.  Then the fourth…alright, alright d@mnit.  I was wrong.  It does not suck.  It’s pure pop, which I often loathe, and it’s GOOD.  D@mn thing is actually good.  But not great.  After all, I didn’t stop at track four.
(“Numb”)

Grade: B

Meddle (1971)

The composition on side two has its moments.  Not enough for 23 minutes of your time, but decent background music.  The songs on side one include a very moving “Fearless” (with some help from “You’ll Never Walk Alone”) and a scary/funny/very bass-heavy “One of These Days”.  So they go 3-for-6, with a single, a double, and an inside-the-park home run.  Not bad.
(“Fearless”)

Grade: B

Obscured By Clouds (1972)

Thoroughly relaxing and potentially sleep-inducing most of the time, this album mainly serves to illustrate how much Roger Waters and Company eventually improved from as writers.  It’s not horrid, it’s not even bad, really…just nothing special, nothing of particular interest with the possible exception of “Free Four”.

Grade: C-

Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

I’m not sure exactly what the concept here is, but all the guitar noise and bass and synth hooks and strange, unexpected sound effects merge together quite nicely, thank you very much.  Since it’s made to all blend and work together, single songs maybe don’t have as much chance to stand out from the rest quite as well as one might like.  But I’ve heard this album a million times, and I can still get into some songs more than others, either disregarding or enjoying the effects around the tune.
(“Time”, “Money”)

Grade: A-

Wish You Were Here (1975)

From all accounts that I’ve heard a tribute to former leader Syd Barrett, this is a good album bookended by “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (Parts 1 and 2) and featuring a great guest vocal on the vitriolic “Have A Cigar”.  Roger Waters is taking over here, and thus the cynical and depressed will find a nice pleasant place to hang their hat.  He’s a bit of a downer, but the man can write.  And, more importantly, the other Floyd members can’t, unless you count the lessening and lessening contributions from lead guitarist David Gilmour.  Nothing here to knock your socks off…the peaks aren’t all that high, to be honest.  But the only real failure is “Welcome To The Machine”, which fails musically and as an album cut that fits well with the others.  I mean, I’m a big Roger Waters fan…and he always will be Pink Floyd to me.  But “Machine” makes no attempts at commerciality or even listenability.  Perhaps Roger just did it for himself.  If so, he has really bad taste.
(“Have A Cigar”)

Grade: B

2010: Andy Kaufman was never anywhere near this entertaining when indulging his whims.

Grade: B+

2011: “Machine” isn’t really all that bad…the sound effects are decent and the lyrics are good, I just don’t care much for the music. But with subject matter as depressing as this, it’s not really a good idea to have a lot of catchy hooks, I suppose(?). The whole album is sad, and besides “Machine”, it’s really good. Sort of like ‘Animals’ except thankfully “Machine” doesn’t go on as long as “Dogs”, but without a “Sheep” to really push it over the edge. Very borderline, but…

Grade: A-

Animals (1977)

It was a bit difficult for me to grade this one.  I knew its approximate grade, I just had to decide exactly how much damage David Gilmour’s “Dogs” did to the overall proceedings.  In the end, though, I decided that even that song had its moments, and then my decision became clear.  Based loosely (I think) on George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, or at least an homage to it, it commands attention to the lyrics even as the hooks come out and grab you.
(“Sheep”, “Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)”)

Grade: A-

The Wall (1979)

I enjoy a fair amount of these songs, but Roger Waters sounds so pretentious and self-pitying that I’m turned off enough to skip a track unless interesting music accompanies said track.  I mean, I still think Waters thinks way too much of himself, but he does produce results the majority of the time (‘Animals’ and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ both attesting to that).  So perhaps his pretentiousness is justified by his results…in the past, that is.  Here we see a sharp decline in the quality of his material…I never thought I’d say this, but here at least, David Gilmour is the best songwriter.  He’s got the first writing credit on no less than five of the best songs here.  Without him, this album sinks into a murky, bloated Roger Waters experiment.  Sad as it seems, Waters may have run out of material.  The decline here only hints at the poor quality of the next Floyd album and the subsequent splintering of the band.  From what I’ve read and heard, Waters doesn’t even approach a quality Floyd-ish album in the 25+ years since.  All that being said, this album has quite a few good tracks/moments on it that I can’t help but enjoy…I refuse to listen to the album all the way through, but I occasionally enjoy it in limited doses.
(“Run Like Hell”, “Comfortably Numb”)

Grade: B

2010: Limited by concept, it exceeds the boundaries.

Grade: B+

A Collection Of Great Dance Songs (1997)

The choices are good, if not perfect for me (I’ve found very little use for the Syd Barrett tribute song “Wish You Were Here”).  Even there, though, it has its moments, and there isn’t a bad section on the album.
(“Sheep”, “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)”)

Grade: A

Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd (2001)

What a waste.  What could have been an absolutely fantastic 2-part release is reduced to a pretty great one.  The reason?  The inclusion of Syd Barrett songs, most notably for their awfulness: “Jugband Blues” and the indescribably bad (or insane, you pick) “Bike”.  Most of the material is Roger Waters-era material, and is consequently quite good.  I hate to say this, but Barrett’s insanity may have been the best thing for this band.  The way he was leading them was most certainly not towards stardom, or even competence.  Anyways, with that said and my mind cleared from a rather pissed off state, this is a great Pink Floyd album to own if you only want one.  But don’t take the bait…go out and buy their individual albums from ‘Meddle’ up until ‘The Wall’, excluding ‘Obscured By Clouds’.  Then you’ll have all you really need, and have it in the correct context.
(“Sheep”, “Time”, “Money”)

Grade: A-

Billy Breathes (1996)

They’re not the next Grateful Dead.  The Grateful Dead, at least many years ago, could write some decent songs.  It’s hard to get into their famous twenty minute jams when they’re forced to go into the studio and actually pare them down to the trifles that they are.

Grade: D

Exile In Guyville (1993)

She’s got a lot of attitude.  She’s not in Tori’s or Ani’s class popularity wise, and that’s no surprise after listening to this.  I don’t hear anything except annoying and/or boring noise, some soft and some hard.  Infinitely overrated.

Grade: F

Whip-Smart (1994)

Phair.
(“Supernova”)

Grade: C

Full Moon Fever (1989)

Not a bad album.  I once adored it, but then again I once adored Heart when I was young and impressionable (and, in Heart’s case, horny).  Some of the songs have lost some of their power over the years, at least to someone who had them playing for hours and hours for days and days and weeks and weeks.  But “Free Fallin'” is still nearly irresistible pop/rock, “Runnin’ Down A Dream” is a true road anthem, and songs like “Love Is A Long Road” still kick pretty well.  Decent Byrds cover, too.
(“Runnin Down A Dream”, “Love Is A Long Road”)

Grade: B+

2011: There’s really only one bad song on the entire album (“Zombie Zoo”), and while the good songs aren’t usually VERY good songs, it’s remarkably consistent and manages to sound fresh because it mixes up the approach from song to song.

Grade: A-

Greatest Hits (1993)

I guess he senses the end is near, or maybe he just wanted to give us regular non-fans something worth buying, which this is.  Either way is fine with me, and this serves as an excellent sampler of all his worthwhile work.  In retrospect, he should have waited at least a few more years…I’d like to have “You Don’t Know How It Feels” on this, and a coupla others.  Oh well, life’s not fair.
(“Refugee”, “Runnin Down A Dream”)

Grade: A

Mer De Noms (2000)

When this works I love it: dignified beauty and plenty of power to call upon to blast away any doubts.  Unfortunately they can’t keep it going past the halfway point.  Their songwriting fits Keenan’s output with Tool in terms of quality songs per outing.  I actually prefer their sound here to Tool’s usual sound.  But despite my weakness for them in theory, their musical dropoff mid-album makes them unable to get any grade better than this.
(“The Hollow”, “Magdalena”)

Grade: B-

Thirteenth Step (2003)

One of their best songs yet is on here.  So I didn’t buy it totally without reason.  And I sort of liked ‘Mer De Noms’.  So it’s disappointing that nothing else here comes close to their best songs.  As always with a Maynard James Keenan band, there’s filler (more here than on ‘Mer De Noms’).
(“Weak And Powerless”)

Grade: C

Emotive (2004)

An anti-war album of covers, that’s what this is.  Just in case you see a new cover and think they’ve put out something truly new.  The covers aren’t bad, but there’s nothing really revelatory.  It’s basically a statement album, with songs only because albums without them don’t generally sell all that well.  There’s nothing much here of any real consequence.

Grade: C

Ten (1991)

There are FOUR truly classic songs on this eleven song album. I’m not talking about four good ones, I’m talking about legitimate anthems, on the level of Nirvana’s best and Soundgarden’s best. In fact, probably a tiny step above both of those bands on this album, because while this has brief valleys that ‘Nevermind’ doesn’t, it also has four great songs, which ‘Nevermind’ doesn’t. Most groups would be plenty happy with one anthem. The “filler” is pretty d@mn good itself. The result: a classic debut, which hasn’t aged a bit in 20+ years.
(“Black”, “Jeremy”, “Alive”, “Deep”)

Grade: A+

Vs. (1993)

The follow-up to their amazing debut, it doesn’t disappoint (much). The strong songs at times aren’t as strong and the weaker songs at times are weaker. It’s as if a magic wand was waved over ‘Ten’, draining it by a small but noticeable amount and effecting each and every track. In other, plainer and sadder words, it’s ‘Ten’ without the instant-classic anthems.
(“Dissident”, “Rearviewmirror”)

Grade: A-

2012: Very small…maybe a magic twig.

Grade: A

Vitalogy (1994)

Here’s where things begin to go bad. ‘Vs.’ was a worthy followup to ‘Ten’, if not as strong as the debut. That could be overlooked, though…after all, their debut is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. This isn’t as good as ‘Vs.’ The dropoff is clearly noticeable. I’m hoping the dropoff effect goes away and doesn’t infect future releases, or this band will become embarrassing, given enough time. Get it while you still can.
(“Stupid Mop”, “Tremor Christ”)

Grade: B

2010: (too)-Much maligned.

Grade: B+

2011: Listening to vast amounts of sh1t makes me realize just how non-sh1tty this is. There are low points, and it’s very weird. But it’s also very good.

Grade: A-

No Code (1996)

Yet another album worse than the previous one. Pearl Jam better take care that they break this pattern next time, because the songs here are not top-notch. There are some decent ones, but nothing that could properly fit on ‘Ten’, or even ‘Vs’. Maybe Eddie’s just a little tired. I certainly hope so. Take a long nap, big fellow.
And awake with music to go with your passion.
(“Red Mosquito”)

Grade: C+

2012: The decision to write less-pop-friendly songs was fine. But why did they decide to write less-good songs?

Grade: C

Yield (1998)

A very mild retreat from ‘No Code’, which is very bad news to those who thought maybe ‘No Code’ was an aberration and not a dire statement of decline with each passing album. So they maintain a level of averageness that has probably cost them a lot of potential new fans and fickle (intelligent?) old fans.
(“Given To Fly”)

Grade: C+

2012: Again…the good songs question.

Grade: C

Binaural (2000)

Another mediocre album from a band we know can do better. Believe me, my heart is still with them, I still love the band, but the decline here is
undeniable. They’ll probably never write another ‘Ten’-ish anthem, but decent and nicely strange is hopefully still within their reach.

Grade: C

Riot Act (2002)

Now I know how fans of the Rolling Stones feel. Not that I’m comparing this band to the Stones. But Eddie Vedder is either hoarding good songs for one GREAT album, or he’s lost it. But on and on they go…outlasting all the rest, the once-mighty Seattle rockers of Pearl Jam begin to look like an oldies act. Sure, great song catalog.
Nothing new, really, but you still pay the money to see them live or to hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll snap out of their nearly decade-old collective funk and rock out to a GOOD new album. I’m waiting…

Grade: D-

Pearl Jam (2006)

Keeping in mind that I did, do, and hopefully always will love “grunge” music or the so-called “Seattle Sound”, and that I’ve given this band chance after chance to right their ship, this is the final straw for me. They don’t like Bush or war. Neither do I. So what? I don’t listen to PJ or any rock act for political commentary to latch onto. I listen to them because they (used to) rock with hooks galore, musical and vocal. I think this is finally the end, the last gasp for PJ for any casual (NEW) listeners. If they want, they can tour on their oldies for many years, as their oldies were at times truly great. They could also release a half-dozen compilations and other bullsh1t albums to have something to tour behind. Sad. Very, very sad. I hope this is the end. I don’t want their star to diminish any more than it already has. I mean, I waited four years for THIS? Fck ‘Backspacer’, I’ve had enough.

Grade: D-

The Ozzman Cometh (1997)

I’ve always been a fan of his.  Sure, his theatrics are way overboard and at times maybe a bit distasteful, but he had a very early knack for songwriting (starting with Black Sabbath) and a definite appeal to “rebellious youth”.  He was a safe Marilyn Manson…you knew he didn’t actually believe one tenth of the cr@p he was writing.  I was a rebellious young lad once…allright, maybe I didn’t rebel until my 20’s.  I’m just a late bloomer.  And hey, you have to start somewhere.  In any case, there’s a decent selection here that I wouldn’t much quibble with.

Grade: B

2011: I don’t see how anyone can truly hate him.  It’s like hating Nigel Tufnel.

Grade: B+