2025 in 2025: Day 121

M(A)DE IN JAPAN - Ayumi Hamasaki

I am unable to paste her symbol as text. Maybe I need to add it to my fonts or something? Flower is the heaviest and angriest and most awesome heavy Ayu song ever. And that guitar solo in Mr. Darling is just about the coolest. Hard to believe this album is almost 10 years old! And at this point was her last great album...

Highlights: Flower, Mad World, Mr. Darling, Survivor

8/10

Mack Daddy - Sir Mix-A-Lot

Strangely, this is purely Baby Got Back. I say strange, because I have two of his less popular albums in full. And Sir Mix-A-Lot is always good for some bounce. This song is iconic. I mean, who does not like big butts?

10/10

Mad Mad World - Tom Cochrane

This is just Life is a Highway. Bah gawd this song never gets old. I think I have heard a total of two Tom Cochrane songs in my life and can not remember the other. I think he is Canadian. So I should listen to more of his work!

10/10

Made in America - Blues Brothers

I would not brag about such things. Immediately leads consumers to believe your product may be poorly constructed. More live "blues" jamming from the best fake band ever. Belushi sure had a cool tone, even if he was not much of a singer.

Highlights: Soul Finger, Who's Making Love, I Ain't Got You, Going Back to Miami

7/10

Made in Heaven - Queen

This album is so much better than it had any right to be. Like, how do you just take a bunch of half-finished songs and make an album that is probably 20% better than any other album you have released in 10 years?!? And how did Mercury's voice sound so awesome still, despite being at the end of his life? Some massive rock songs, some chill pop, some epic ballads and even a dance number. All in all, it is the perfect sign-off. Fab.

Highlights: Let Me Live, Too Much Love Will Kill You, You Don't Fool Me, Made in Heaven, I Was Born to Love You

9/10

Madman Across the Water - Elton John

Would you believe this is only one song? A bit of a shame, really. I do not think I have actually heard this album in full. What a clown. This is Tiny Dancer. Legendary song about Tony Danza.

8/10

Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles

The Fab Four go full on psychadelica. I will be real with you: the original EP is probably the worst recorded music in The Beatles' discography. One good song and they are all produced terribly, in my opinion. But then the US version that has now become canon adds the 1967 singles, and they are some of the absolute best songs The Beatles ever recorded. Go figure.

Highlights: Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need Is Love, I am the Walrus, Baby You're a Rich Man

7/10

Make It Big - Wham!

How is this only the song Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go? I mean, this song is awesome, but I do not understand why I do not have the full album. Or more Wham! I should have ALL the Wham!

10/10

MAKUAKE - eill

This is surprisingly.. funky! Like, full on funk dance pop. Very very cool.

Highlights: MAKUAKE, FUTURE WAVE, 初恋

8/10

Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J

Nothing like some old school LL Cool J to make the day even more badass. I actually do not recall listening to him so much back in the day, but this album strikes me as bit of a harder edge to some of his earlier cuts. The title track is all kinds of badassery. Marley Marl was/is def.

Highlights: Mama Said Knock You Out, Murdergram, Eat Em Up L Chill, Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling)

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1062

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2025 in 2025: Day 94

Hello Nasty - Beastie Boys

As much as I love Beastie Boys and their off-centre brand of music, this album is a bit long. However, it does start off with just killer hip-hop jam after hip-hop jam and it works so well. I have the remastered version so need to go back to my original CD and get the original version of The Grasshopper Unit, because the sample in the chorus is sorely missed here. 

Highlights: The Move, Just a Test, Intergalactic, The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin'), The Negotiation Limerick File

8/10

Hello Nasty (2009 Remastered Edition) - Beastie Boys

And this here is the bonus disc. The instrumentals are pretty rad, as are some of the remixes. I may be one of the few people that disagrees with the Beastie Boys themselves and still prefers the original version of Body Movin' to the Fatboy Slim remix (that is also pretty cool, though). 

Highlights: Dirty Dog, Switched On, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Piano Jam

7/10

HELLO WORLD - SCANDAL

This is a seriously solid album. Like, every song is the same amount of enjoyable pop punk fun. おやすみ is bordering on a taste of what is to come from them - slightly more adventurous. But yeah, just a great album.

Highlights: おやすみ, Place of life, Departure, Your song

8/10

Help! - The Beatles

This is The Beatles firing on all cylinders; Lennon writing some of the best pop songs of his life, Harrison finding his feet writing good songs, and McMarketing doing his thing, I guess. That cowbell in the chorus of I Need You is inspired and the volume pedal gives a great effect. Top stuff all around.

Highlights: Help!, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, I Need You, Ticket to Ride, I've Just Seen a Face

9/10

Hexagonal - Lessang

Another random Korean hip-hop track in my collection - this one called 헤어지지 못하는 여자, 떠나가지 못하는 남자 (The Woman Who Can't Break Up, The Man Who Can't Leave). It is decidedly groovy. According to wikipedia, Lessang were successful despite being unattractive. As opposed to LOGMAN, who is unsuccessful despite being unattractive...

8/10

High Havoc - Corduroy

My favourite cool cats with their fake 60s spy thriller soundtrack. And honestly, it works on every level. Back in the day, I thought it would have been a great idea to actually complete the circle and write a heist movie with this album as the inspiration. But I think I only got as far as calling the movie High Havoc. Honestly, I would like to know which line they are wanting to catch at 10:28 from Shibuya. It may well be outdated information, so they are possibly going to confuse some tourists from the UK.

Highlights: High Havoc, London England, The Corduroy Orgasm Club, Something in My Eye, Very Yeah

9/10

High Times: Singles 1992-2006 - Jamiroquai

Let's keep the funk rolling! I had to buy this album when on a super discount so I could get these two new songs. Such is my completist attitude. Well worth it, because they are both super funky and super cool.

Highlights: Runaway, Radio

9/10

Hillbilly Joel - The Shit

The greatest punk band go country and still manage to keep almost every song under a minute, while also retaining the whistles and roosters crowing. Every song is about drinking and being drunk. Party with The Shit!

Highlights: Passed Out In AA - FUCK, Where's the Party?, Drunk and in Jail for Arson, Dear Burger King

7/10

Hip-Hop Lives - KRS-One & Marley Marl

The Teacher teaming up with an old rival to show the young rappers how it is done. Surprisingly solid album; KRS never stops evolving and delivers a pretty firm lyrical beatdown on the world. This album deserves way more love.

Highlights: I Was There, Rising to the Top, Kill a Rapper, This Is What It Is

8/10

Hip-Hop Breaker - DJ Reggie

I have had a fantastic day so far and then DJ Reggie comes along and just brings the whole day down. Well, except for his rapping about Robert Smith stealing someone's lipstick and Tina Turner being the "President of Party Town". Stepping on broken TV screens does not sound like a fun dance. Teen Wolf could have been a good song if he had kept the whole thing from being super loud and distorted. I need a break.

Highlights: Matlock Rock, TV Shows - The Movie

5/10

HIStory - Michael Jackson

MJ was clearly pretty angry on this album; a lot of frustration and sadness being vented about the way people and the environment are being treated. And that District Attorney that was out to get him - absolutely no one is buying you are not saying Tom Sneddon in the chorus, Michael. And we def lose points for having R. Kelly on here (very much removing this song after today). But there is so much other greatness going on that I will easily forgive MJ for that one. HIStory is still the most confusing song; the verses are so badass, but then that chorus is all glorious orchestration and choir of triumph. 

Highlights: They Don't Care About Us, Stranger in Moscow, Earth Song, 2 Bad, D.S.

7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 775

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