2025 in 2025: Day 66

Escape - Journey

That opening song is ridiculous and the rest of the album cannot live up to it, but still a decent album overall. Nothing bad. A few great songs.

Highlights: Don't Stop Believin'

7.5/10

Escape - Enrique Iglesias

Now THIS is an Enrique Iglesias album! Pop dance coolness personified. The Spanish version of Escape (Escapar) is hilarious, because they didn't bother to redo the backing vocals where he still sings in English. Maybe Enrique did not want to attempt to hit that high note again? Same thing happens in No Apagues La Luz, so I am definitely going to assume that. Or the producer did not want to have to hear Enrique attempt the high notes. Maybe both!

Highlights: Escape, Don't Turn Off the Lights, Maybe, Heroe

9/10

The Essential Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson

This is just a handful of songs that are not on MJ's solo albums pre-Off The Wall - mostly consists of Jackson 5 songs. Which only serves to remind me that I do not have any Jackson 5 albums, so am officially a loser.

Highlights: I Want You Back, ABC, Blame it on the Boogie, Can You Feel It

8/10

The Essential O'Jays - The O'Jays

And if only to further emphasise my loser status, this is only the song Love Train. It is a perfect soul jam, but I really should have more O'Jays. What a loser.

10/10

Euphoria - Enrique Iglesias

What is this? Awesome Enrique day?? The Spanish language tracks on this are stronger than the English ones, but that is not such a surprise. I Like It is awesome no matter if Pitbull appears or not.

Highlights: I Like It, Cuando Me Enamoro, Dile Que, Everything's Gonna Be Alright

7/10

Even More Dazed and Confused (Music From the Motion Picture) - Various Artists

They should have just released a big box set of all the music in the movie. Because the whole movie is full of awesome 70s rock songs. Never Been Any Reason must be one of the most underappreciated gems of the entire music world.

Highlights: No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper, Never Been Any Reason - Head East, Balinese - ZZ Top

7/10

Everybody!! - WANIMA

These guys never fail to raise a smile. I wish the weather was sunny to give them the respect they deserve! Plus it just feels wrong to listen to this kind of awesome summer music when it is grey and cloudy and I don't have a nice cold Pepsi...
Highlights: OLE!!, シグナル, ヒューマン, CHARM, ANCHOR

8.5/10

Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers

Sometimes I think I do not actually like Manic Street Preachers as much as I think I do. Does that make sense? Like, I have this idea in my head that they are an awesome band that I really like, but then when I listen to them I don't actually dig it as much as I think I am going to. Anyways, I came in to listening to this album now thinking that way, but turns out I do like it a lot; A Design For Life is a bonafide 5 star hall of fame classic, and the rest of the album is pretty darn solid, as well. I have the 10th Anniversary edition or something, and it has all these live tracks that come after the album and kill the good vibe I was leaving with. They must go.

Highlights: A Design For Life, Australia, Interiors (Song for Willem De Kooning)

8/10 for the original album, 7/10 with all the other stuffs

Everything Must Go: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition [Disc 2] - Manic Street Preachers

The demos are kind of fine? Certainly interesting from a development point of view. The rehearsals are... pointless. Unless you want to hear a badly recorded distorted live recording? The b-sides are mostly okay and b-sides for a reason. This is the stuff that makes me think I think I like them more than I actually do...

Highlights: Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky [Demo], Australia [Stephen Hague Production], The Girl Who Wanted To Be God [Stephen Hague Production]

5.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 529

2025 in 2025: Day 51

Daydream - Mariah Carey

Wasn't this, like, the peak of Mariah's popularity? Or was that earlier in life? I know that, at the time, I thought One Sweet Day was the worst possible musical combo in the universe. I think I was just trying to be edgy, because there is no way I thought this was the worst song ever even back then. And we all know Boyz II Men can sing awesome as hell. Oh, now we get Mariah singing a Journey ballad? That's a nice surprise. 

Highlights: One Sweet Day, Fantasy, Open Arms, Always Be My Baby

8/10

Daydreaming/Choose Me [Single] - BAND-MAID

Choose Me is awesome and I am super happy to get some more BAND-MAID.

10/10

Daylight - Needtobreathe

Christian pop-rock time! These guys were pretty popular when I was at church and stuff, but even then I waited until I found the CD for $1 before buying. And honestly, it is pretty decent. Lyrics are a bit preachy and self-important, but musically these songs are solid.

Highlights: Don't Wait for Daylight, Shine On, Haley, You Are Here, Lost

7/10

Dazed and Confused (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Various Artists

Oooh yeah, one of the most important albums of my high school growth. Funnily enough, for all the killer songs in that movie, this soundtrack actually could have been even more awesome? But it still rocks. Hard. My CD is actually scratched badly, and so there are some skips and whatnot during some of the songs, so I am on a bit of a mission to replace the whole album with the original albums these all appeared on. I really should finish that off. Also, this version of Rock and Roll All Nite is just odd and I have to assume it was a re-record by the 80s lineup?

Highlights: Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer, School's Out - Alice Cooper, Tuesday's Gone - Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fox on the Run - Sweet, but yeah the whole album rocks my socks

9/10

De La Soul is Dead - De La Soul

Possibly their weirdest album. A whole bunch of songs that are barely songs and random skits about people being not good - which are generally fun. Who Do You Worship? is super hilarious. Then the last half of the album features a lot more solid old school hip-hop grooves and I go home happy. Pretty sure I've been singing the hook to Ring Ring Ring for 35 years now...

Highlights: Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey), Keepin' the Faith, A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturday", Let Let Me In

6.5/10

Dear Impossible Foggy Demo - Ryan Adams

I would ask what was going on and what I was thinking with this, but at this stage I think my Ryan Adams collection has more bad than good. Especially annoying when you realise half of these could have been if recorded properly.

Highlights: Sunflowers and Rain

4/10

The Death of WCW - Bryan Alvarez

This is an audio book. It is long. It is Bryan Alvarez reading me through the history and rise and fall of WCW. This is a nice timely recap, since I have been taking a break from WCW viewing these past few months and will be returning to it soon. Also, Alvarez is such a great person to listen to; his voice always accurately portrays his complete frustration and dissatisfaction with what he has had to watch.

Highlights: Lessons Not Learned

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 399