Best Ever Albums

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 00:33:34 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 04/18/2020 04:33

Epilogue...
A few weeks ago I began compiling my ‘Top Albums of 1995’ chart.
After several months of listening to, and rating / ranking 400+ albums to develop my ‘Top 300 Albums of 1994’ chart(s), I was more than ready to start digging into the following year. So… I just wanted to put an end-cap on this 1994 chart forum with some final thoughts.

While researching 1994, I added roughly 120+ new albums to BEA’s database, with approximately 75% of those albums making the cut for my Top 300. In total, I’ve listened to a little more than 400 albums to find my favorite 300 albums of ’94. But I gave ratings to everything that was weeded out; the majority of which earned a score of only 65/100 and below.

How did the albums of 1994 fare in terms of overall rankings? Well, my #1 favorite album of ’94 is GBV’s “Bee Thousand” which now also sits atop my Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart... so that's a pretty nice accomplishment for an album of ANY given year 😎 . My next highest rated album of ’94, Melvins “Stoner Witch” (earning a score of 95.4354), didn’t even break into my overall Top 100, but would currently sit at #249 of all-time faves.

1994 had only a slightly more significant impact on my Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s

#1. Guided By Voices - “Bee Thousand”
#52. Melvins - “Stoner Witch”
#91. Nirvana - “MTV Unplugged In New York”
#97. Pavement - “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”
#99. Beastie Boys - “Ill Communication”

Thanks to everyone who offered feedback, commentary and ratings to my 1994 charts!! Much appreciated 😄 The final chart results look a lot different today than they did a few months ago. So, for anyone who may be interested… here’s the entire list of goodies linked below.

Top 100 Music Albums of 1994

Top Albums of 1994... #101-200

Top Albums of 1994... #201-300

I’ll undoubtedly continue to unearth some additional 1994 albums over the upcoming weeks, but for now the focus is on sorting out another Top 300 of 1995.

I hope everyone is taking good care to stay healthy... and keep on enjoying great music!! 😁

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 08:56:56 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 03/23/2020 12:56

fjooso wrote:

Awesome! Looking forward to it! And of course I my coast just a bit in your jet stream

As do we all! Looking forward to 1995, brother!

Re: Here's How: 1994

fjooso — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 03:57:04 GMT

Author: fjooso

Posted: 03/23/2020 07:57

Awesome! Looking forward to it! And of course I my coast just a bit in your jet stream

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 23:34:48 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 02/18/2020 04:34

Chart update: 1994 Top 300
Whew!! The past few months have been a whirlwind (Happy New Year! ...where did January go??, etc 🙄 )
Back on track with 1994 again after a big overhaul of 92/93 charts. Was hoping to get all those new entries buttoned-up with a 2019 date stamp, but as I poured over my stash of old Rock fanzines... the listening queue was continually increasing. A few album stragglers may still pop up, but for now I guess everything prior to '94 has finally been squared away.
Upon reaching 300 rankings for 1994, I've still got (at least) another 80+ albs to review...
Check back wit ya later 😎

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 23:26:12 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 11/12/2019 04:26

Chart update: Spillover # 101-200
Just a quick update to mention I'm approximately 1/2 way through 1994, with maybe ~150 albums still in the listening queue.
Here's the latest nonsense so far: Top Albums of 1994 #101-200

Planning to work on some year-end clean up of stray albums from 1990 - 1993, before resuming the top 300 of 1994.

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 07:36:27 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 10/10/2019 11:36

NoisyBeast wrote:

And I absolutely LOVED Monster Magnet's 1991 "Spine Of God" full length alb!
= 91.1
]

\m/ Oh yeah! That's their best. No question. One of the best metal albums of the decade, easy!!!

I'll get to the rest later, but for those following Spine of God is essential and blew all our collective minds when it came out. A truly landmark LP.

Still can't believe u don't love Superjudge though. 😉

And will have to check out that Captain Beyond LP now. Only familiar with their classic debut which is also essential.

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 00:19:45 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 10/10/2019 04:19

Tilly wrote:

LMAO. Absolutely, kids. Thin Lizzy rules!!! Top 5 hard rock band of the 70s.

Just want to make sure I understand your rankings. Does this mean you didn't care for Superjudge?!?! Superjudge. Another absolute killer stoner rock album of the 90s. 😲

Do you not like Deep Purple's In Rock?!?! (And if so, now I'm totally confused! lol)

Still LOVE your rating system! Will burn Deliverance for the car and then pick up that Buzzoven LP. That name is pretty corny though! lol.

edit: What's the album with the demons and angels in front of the civic building? Looks cool!

First off; I enjoyed Monster Magnet's 1990 s/t EP
= 73.8
And I absolutely LOVED Monster Magnet's 1991 "Spine Of God" full length alb!
= 91.1
But "SuperJudge"... nah, I understand there's a sort of Hawkwind thing going...
...but I REALLY disliked the vocals! 🤐
= 65.7
(Maybe the next time I polish off a bottle of RumpleMinze, I'll give it another try?? 😁

Regarding Deep Purple: I merely referenced them to channel the ultimate "Bone head" 70's metal.
But not my favorite Deep Purple alb ("Machine Head", natch), but 2nd fave "In Rock" = 77.35

And I also referenced Captain Beyond's (somewhat disappointing) 2nd alb "Sufficiently Breathless"

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Tue, 8 Oct 2019 09:25:53 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 10/08/2019 13:25

[quote="NoisyBeast"]

Tilly wrote:

But again, I added two points since it was worth a repeat listen (Bonus "Repo" points 😉 )
((( total score = 58.03 )))

moral of the story... hey kids, listen to them Thin Lizzy albs!!! 😎

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Tue, 8 Oct 2019 00:15:37 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 10/08/2019 04:15

Tilly wrote:

How do u feel about Thin Lizzy and 70s hard rock? Deliverance incorporates a lot of killer 70s hard rock ideas into their sound which I love.

Pretty classic stoner rock album from the 90s. Definitely more mainstream than their previous efforts with its Pantera/STP leanings.

Thin Lizzy were pretty great! 😁 Phil Lynott was a truly excellent vocalist & storyteller!!
My favorite Thin Lizzy albums are:
= 90/100 = 85/100 = 85/100

In '94 I really didn't even know C.O.C. existed anymore, and now I'm especially surprised to find out they've released a half dozen more albums into the 2010's.

Listened to C.O.C.'s "Deliverance" again today, and found it relatively palatable blue-collar rock (and for that, I've boosted my rating by 2 points... elevating it to 60/100). I didn't quite catch any specific Thin Lizzy comparison, and overall the better songs are front-loaded... with a distinct lag in quality towards the end.
C.O.C.'s North Carolina brethren BUZZOV'EN released a superior debut album "Sore" the same year, IMO.

Reviewing my notes from 9/18 (upon first listen) here's how I rated "Deliverance";
{+3 {-2 {-3 {-1 {+1 + {-3 {+2

Minus 12 points for the severe lag in songwriting quality after the first several tracks.
But again, I added two points since it was worth a repeat listen (Bonus "Repo" points 😉 )
((( total score = 58.03 )))

moral of the story... hey kids, listen to them Thin Lizzy albs!!! 😎

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Mon, 7 Oct 2019 16:04:09 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 10/07/2019 20:04

How do u feel about Thin Lizzy and 70s hard rock? Deliverance incorporates a lot of killer 70s hard rock ideas into their sound which I love.

Pretty classic stoner rock album from the 90s. Definitely more mainstream than their previous efforts with its Pantera/STP leanings.

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Sun, 6 Oct 2019 15:22:19 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 10/06/2019 19:22

NoisyBeast wrote:

Tilly wrote:

NoisyBeast wrote:

#79. "Deliverance" rated 55/100 😐

You need to embrace your inner meathead/scumbag, brother! This one goes to 11!

Typically I do / was hoping this would... and I actually enjoyed their previous effort;
= 75/100
But honestly, I really missed the crossover thrash metal of their 2nd album;
= 85/100
And I'm pretty sure their hardcore punk debut was, is, and always shall be my favorite era of C.O.C 😎
= 90/100

NIce!!! I already LOVE Blind, but will now have to check out the other two! 😁 Than I will report back! lol.

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Sun, 6 Oct 2019 13:57:14 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 10/06/2019 17:57

Tilly wrote:

NoisyBeast wrote:

#79. "Deliverance" rated 55/100 😐

You need to embrace your inner meathead/scumbag, brother! This one goes to 11!

Re: Here's How: 1994

Repo — Sun, 6 Oct 2019 06:44:27 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 10/06/2019 10:44

NoisyBeast wrote:

[b]#79. "Deliverance" rated 55/100 😐

You need to embrace your inner meathead/scumbag, brother! This one goes to 11!

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Sun, 6 Oct 2019 03:56:10 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 10/06/2019 07:56

Compilations are Albums too!!

Regional comps and label samplers are always great ways to discover new music!

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Hey Drag City by Various Artists

In 1994, Drag City was a hot-shit label of rising prominence, so I eagerly grabbed this 2xLP comp to catch up on all the buzz. Was already familiar with several artists among their roster, and curious to learn more of those bands I'd only heard about / having read positive reviews in fanzines. Quickly traded this lackluster sap-sucker, but having listened to it again recently... here's the breakdown:

= ~ {-2 {-1 ~ {-2 ~ ~ {-1

-1 for the Fruitcake track which runs on too long,
-2 for the Alastair Galbraith track (which sucks lo-fi ass)
-1 for Vocokesh

((( Score = 72.1 )))

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Sat, 5 Oct 2019 20:04:53 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 10/06/2019 00:04

Just a quick note to mention; with the latest update to my "Top 100 Albums of 1994", I've reached a total of 80 album rankings. As I continue rating albums, it's likely that anything currently positioned beyond the first 40 will probably be pushed further out past the Top 100.

For 1994 my goal is to build additional custom charts for Top 101 - 200, and 201 - 300, but I typically try to only include albums that rate at least 60/100.
So for what it's worth, I'll predict the albums currently positioned at # 79 (C.O.C) and 80 (Rollins Band)...
#79. "Deliverance" rated 55/100 😐

#80. "Weight" rated 45/100 (Pee-yew, what a Stinker!!) 🙄
...will eventually get kicked out, and not be included within the Top 300, to make room for more worthy entries.

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 23:13:54 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 09/14/2019 03:13

RoundTheBend wrote:

Your methodology is either mad or genius... probably mad genius. No but seriously, it's pretty cool - I like how you implement something called a "horizon of expectations to your methodology. The concept is you can't expect someone from 1950 to put out a record that sounds like it came from 1990... or the meanings behind things in 1950 mean the same, etc... all I'm getting at is you reference things (or it seems you try to at least) that are reference points from before the time period the record you are reviewing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon_of_expectation

Anyway, cool methodology.

OMG! This is absolutely AmazeBalls!!! 🤣
Many thanks, and much appreciated!!!

"The horizon of expectations and rubrics invoked for a reader from previous texts will be aroused by a new text and are adjusted, transformed or merely replicated depending on the boundaries of the genre. A 'horizon of change' occurs when a reader's interaction with a new text results in invalidation of a 'familiar experience' or provides a new encounter. The 'distance' between the horizon of expectation and the horizon of change is called the 'aesthetic distance'.[7] A text of which no horizon of change occurs fulfills all of the expectations of the reader and can be considered 'light reading'. These interactions satisfy the reader's sense of familiarity in the way of 'beauty', romanticism and the expected happy ending. If a composition challenges a reader's expectation, it can do so either with a positive result in the way of a new perception, or a negative one as in an unpleasant new experience. These expectations however may dissolve, or a negative aspect of a new text may become explicit, and thus form its own familiar expectation and become 'part of the horizon of future aesthetic experience'."
�'� �'� �'� �'� �'�

The "horizon of expectations" could entirely be the crux of all this chart building nonsense. I'll certainly ponder that. 😄

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 21:57:33 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 09/14/2019 01:57

baystateoftheart wrote:

I'm not a fan of Sinatra either 🤣

Hate isn't the right word for my feelings, but I can definitely see why people hate him.

What about your next earliest rating?

Souvenir Album by Ella Fitzgerald

You're absolutely right... "hate" (such a terribly poisonous term) isn't exactly how I feel toward Sinatra's legacy. But I really do think his music is just SO gawdawful boring, and his flat vocals are rather 'Johnny One Note'. Frustration arises when I observe the heaps of praise and high ratings are given for such overwhelming mediocrity. IMHO 🤣 But, yeah... I'll even admit he's got a few decent songs throughout his career.

Regarding Ella Fitzgerald, I think she was an incredibly great artist!! The first thing I notice about "Souvenir" is that its got a 1947 release date... must have been revised, since BEA only went back to 1950 when I began rating. My favorite Ella album is "Sings The Cole Porter Song Book" = 82.055

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book by Ella Fitzgerald

Re: Here's How: 1994

baystateoftheart — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:18:21 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 09/13/2019 17:18

I'm not a fan of Sinatra either 🤣

Hate isn't the right word for my feelings, but I can definitely see why people hate him.

What about your next earliest rating?

Souvenir Album by Ella Fitzgerald

Re: Here's How: 1994

NoisyBeast — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 09:27:20 GMT

Author: NoisyBeast

Posted: 09/13/2019 13:27

baystateoftheart wrote:

I think your rating system is very cool. Controlled chaos, somehow both zany and formalistic. And I am in awe of your dedication to seeing this project through.

How did you arrive at your rating for this album? At 1946, the earliest in your ratings.

The Voice Of Frank Sinatra by Frank Sinatra

Oh Jeez! 🤡 Frank Sinatra... well, we all have skeletons in our closet. I hate Sinatra. If you're a fan, I'm truly sorry but in a fit of frustration (or something) I gave a 5/100 to several dozen Sinatra albums all at once and within several minutes. I've never listened to that particular album, but I can assure you that I haven't played such a prank on any other artist. Hopefully a stunt like that won't discredit or delegitimize my entire rating scheme. Oh sure, I've given some really low scores elsewhere but those ratings are all sincere.
You may notice that rating was given back in November 2014, nearly five years ago, and it was completely immature. Maybe I should go back a delete all those 5/100 ratings. 🤔 Nah! I just really dislike Sinatra. 🤐

Sinatra At The Sands by Frank Sinatra
Actually, I did give a 50/100 to the 1966 live album "Sinatra At The Sands", because I thought it really captures the essence of who he was, and I like Count Basie's orchestra. That's my highest rated Sinatra album

Re: Here's How: 1994

baystateoftheart — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 23:39:49 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 09/13/2019 03:39

I think your rating system is very cool. Controlled chaos, somehow both zany and formalistic. And I am in awe of your dedication to seeing this project through.

How did you arrive at your rating for this album? At 1946, the earliest in your ratings.

The Voice Of Frank Sinatra by Frank Sinatra