Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z
A still young (maybe?) Hova full of fire and lewdness, but then he still is pretty lewd. This album has such a solid groove and goes pretty hard in parts. Surprisingly one of my favourite Jay-Z albums; not the overall brilliance of The Black Album, but real flashes of his genius.
Highlights: A Week Ago, Ni**a What, Ni**a Who (Originator 99), Can I Get A..., Money Ain't a Thang
8/10
Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter - Jay-Z
The first half is the less than impressive Hova I had expected. Then the second half - while nothing as exceptional as Vol. 2 - is way cooler and has much better grooves. Jay-Z flow and lyrical skills continue to be as awesome as ever throughout.
Highlights: Big Pimpin', Come and Get Me, There's Been a Murder, Hova Song (Outro)
7/10
Voulez-Vous - ABBA
The most disco of pop disco albums. A veritable party mixed with love ballads with a groove. Even tired old grumpy LOGMAN can not listen to this without eventually coming to life - If It Wasn't for the Nights is an absolute gem and Kisses of Fire is a good time forever!
Highlights: If It Wasn't for the Nights, Kisses of Fire, Voulez-Vous, Does Your Mother Know
9/10
Vs. - Pearl Jam
I really dig the way the guitars compliment each other on this album; Mike McCready and Stone Gossard rarely play the same parts and it gives the songs more dynamics. And these songs are full of passion and fire. A real product of the time, but still a gawdam awesome album that holds up well almost 35 years later.
Highlights: Rearviewmirror, Dissident, Go, W.M.A.
9/10
W is for What a Way to spend 2025
Waitin' For The Night - The Runaways
The first album with Joan Jett taking over as frontwoman and stuff is already a bit heavier. Because JJ does not mess around.
Highlights: Wasted, You're Too Possessive, Gotta Get Out Tonight, Don't Go Away
7/10
Waiting for the Sirens' Call - New Order
I was listening to this album with someone and they thought it was Manic Street Preachers... and I think that perfectly sums up this album. The whole thing is pretty standard Britpop and sounds more like a band influenced by New Order.
Highlights: Morning Night and Day, Waiting for the Sirens' Call, Turn, Guilt is a Useless Emotion
7/10
Waking Up The Neighbours - Bryan Adams
Like a less heavy Def Leppard album; the gang vocals and harmonies on this sound exactly like the Hysteria album, but this album has more cheese. I love BA and he absolutely killed it on this, but I think the album is a few songs too long - there are about 4 or 5 songs that sound WAY too similar, so if he eliminated a few of those it would be under an hour and be a lot tighter. Sometimes less is more.
Highlights: Don't Drop That Bomb On Me, Can't Stop This Thing We Started, Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven, Is Your Mama Gonna Miss Ya?
7.5/10
Walking Off the Buzz - Blessid Union of Souls
I only have one song - Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me). It is a lot of fun. Very typical 1999 pop radio rock kind of thing.
8/10
Walls and Bridges - John Lennon
Lennon doing way too much partying to keep caring about world peace, I guess. Instead, he chooses to get as middle of the road as possible - I get the feeling he was trying to get some hits or at least some radio time.
Highlights: Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out), Steel and Glass, Whatever Gets You Through the Night, What You Got
7/10
War & Peace - Warren Peace
Well this thing is a mess. Some attempts at proper songs, but also some attempts at being a doucheburger. And, surprisingly, the latter is more successful. I am not sure why every song needed big messy noises to end them...
Highlights: Fire and Ice, Dear Diary
6/10
Warning! - Green Day
As fun as some of these songs are, they just sound like a bunch of earlier Green Day songs, just with acoustic guitar and keyboards and weak-sauce drumming. They really lost any remnants of their "edge" here.
Highlights: Minority, Macy's Day Parade, Castaway, Church Sunday
7/10
WARP - JUDY AND MARY
The first half of this is EXTREME JAM craziness; a whole lot of noise and avant-garde "music". Then somewhere around the middle, YUKI decided to start practicing for her solo career and there is a massive shift towards pop hooks. Just covered in a layer of noise. I respect that their guitarist just never played sensible chords and treated these songs like a jazz jam session.
Highlights: motto, ガールフレンド, ひとつだけ -ver.WARP-, Brand New Wave Upper Ground
7/10
Waterline - Charlton Hill
I think the production on this album does it a great disservice; it is very much of the times and while that does work on a few songs, the rest get stuck in the mire of sounding very generic. It results in a lot of the songs lacking in emotion and just sounding dated. Which is a shame, because I know that underneath the songs actually have some soul.
Highlights: The Last Thing, Crash Landed, Turn To You, Deep
7/10
Waterloo - ABBA
Benny and Bjorn are working harder on this album - I do not recall them singing so many songs on any other album. It is ABBA. A good time is guaranteed.
Highlights: Waterloo, Honey Honey, Watch Out, Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
8/10
WAVE - YUKI
In some ways, this feels like YUKI's most straight-laced pop rock album. Apart from a couple of electro dance numbers. But overall, it really is a collection of great hooks over some simple chords. And that is a good thing - because it results in a some outstanding songs.
Highlights: 歓びの種, You've got a friend, あおぞら, ふがいないや
7/10
"Albums" listened to so far: 1815
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