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

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 30

The Bridge - Billy Joel

This surely has to be Joel's most 80s sounding album, production-wise; the guitars on A Matter of Trust sound so thin and there is a fair bit of synthesizer in Running On Ice. A little bit of Cyndi Lauper is always welcome. And some Ray Charles, though he is more timeless than 80s, I guess. And Liberty DeVitto's drums still sounds aggressive, so maybe I'm just full of it and don't really know what I'm talking about?

Highlights: A Matter of Trust, Modern Woman, Code of Silence

6.5/10

Briefcase Full of Blues - The Blues Brothers

This is a live album from that legendary rhythm and blues act, The Blues Brothers. Must have been recorded before Jake went to jail? He sounds half in the bag, which only adds to how polished and downright solid the band sound. 

Highlights: Messin' with the Kid, I Don't Know, Flip Flop and Fly

6/10

Bring Ya to the Brink - Cyndi Lauper

Back to 2008? And more Cyndi Lauper? And she's doing full on dance music? I've always kind of dug this album; it isn't her best work or anything, and vocally she kind of phoned it in, in my opinion, but it still works. Because Cyndi Lauper is super cool and can do whatever she wants.

Highlights: Into the Nightlife, Same Ol' Story, Give it Up, Grab a Hold

7/10

BRING YOUR BOARD!! - ELLEGARDEN

It's 7am on a snowy Wednesday morning and I'm eating budget pizza purely because of this album. Surf's up, mofos! This may not be the greatest album on the planet, but I'll be darned if it isn't trying. The first half is probably the best 15 minutes you could ever have, outside of Jet Li beating up some fools.

Highlights: Surfrider Association, No. 13, ジターバグ, Insane

9/10

Bringing Down the Horse - The Wallflowers

This feels so quiet after that! I don't think I have listened to this album in at least 20 years; it was totally my jam in '98 and I remember busking a few songs from it back in the day, but over time I forgot how good it was? At least, how good some of the songs are. Like, it is all just harmless radio-friendly pop-rock like Matchbox 20, but with less emotion. I'd really like to hear Bob Dylan sing Josephine. 

Highlights: 6th Avenue Heartache, Bleeders, Angel on My Bike

6.5/10

Broadcast - Cutting Crew

As expected, this is purely the hit single (I Just) Died in Your Arms. Classic 80s.

7/10

Broadcast to the World - Zebrahead

I'm fairly sure this was the first album with this lineup - which seems to be the only Zebrahead lineup I like. And this is that lineup's weakest album. It's... fine? A few stand-out songs, but nothing that ever reaches the heights of their next couple of albums. I have the Japanese release, and the bonus songs from that are possibly better than anything on the actual album!

Highlights: Broadcast to the World, Postcards From Hell, Here's to You, Down in Flames

6.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 249

2025 in 2025: Day 26

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

By Prime, what an album to start my day. This album is just pure cool Jay-Z; before the dreads and becoming a billionaire, so he still had stuff to talk about (like rocking bucket hats and having girls all over the country) and the production is tight as hell. Back when Eminem was good. Also, legendary beefs getting addressed. Takeover is a badass diss track - that last line telling a bunch of dudes they only worth half a bar is priceless. I sometimes wish Kanye West had just stuck to being a producer and help create awesome jams like that and Heart of the City. Where would we all be now...

Highlights: Takeover, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Heart of the City (Ain't No Love), Renegade [w/Eminem]

9/10

The Blueprint 2 - Jay-Z

A Dream might well be my favourite opening track on a hip-hop album. The rest of this album really could have been trimmed down from a 2-disc set and made in to one solid disc instead. 

Highlights: A Dream [Ft. Faith Evans & Notorious B.I.G.], Guns & Roses [w/Lenny Kravitz]

7/10

The Blues Brothers: Original Soundtrack Recording - The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers is one of the greatest movies ever made. And the soundtrack is a lot of fun. Who would have known two comedians could get together with legends like James Brown and Aretha Franklin and some of the greatest studio musicians ever and bang out some soul classics like this?

Highlights: She Caught the Katy, Gimme Some Lovin', Shake a Tail Feather, Think

7/10

Bodyswerve - Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy's debut album! I'm pretty sure I've barely listened to this; a lot of the songs appeared as either Cold Chisel songs or were re-recorded/remixed for For the Working Class Man and those sound much better. I think the mastering on this album is giving me a headache - some real harsh top-end going on.

Highlights: No Second Prize, Fire, World's On Fire

6.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 216