Best Ever Albums

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:48:58 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/13/2026 20:48

EXPLANATION: WHAT IS THIS LOG??? Go here: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=571094#571094

For my criteria page, go here: http://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15503

To visit my Main lists, go here:
Greatest Classical Music Works: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15098
Greatest Albums (Rock & Jazz): https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15276
Greatest Songs/Tracks/Movements: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15246
Greatest Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15558
Greatest Paintings, Sculpture and Architecture: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15560
Greatest Works of Art: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16117

Various (in progress) genre lists, listed in order of how recently I've worked on them:
Best Action/Adventure Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=749761#749761
Best Comedy Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=748991#748991
Greatest Literature: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=691617#691617
Best Teen and/or Coming of Age Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=683219#683219
Best Gangster and/or Hood Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=682513#682513
Best Editing/Structure in Film History: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=667443#667443
Best Visuals (Color) / Best Visuals (Black and White): https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=666231#666231
Best Horror Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=656102#656102
Best Hip Hop/R & B/Soul/Funk Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=650323#650323
Best Animated Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=647884#647884
Best Comic Book/Superhero Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=646189#646189

Bold = Newly added
Bold + Italics = Was already listed but recently upgraded/downgraded

Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week(s): 8-3-26 - 8-16-26
Remnants of a Deeper Purity - Black Tape for a Blue Girl (1996)
Live at Reading - Nirvana (rec: 1992; rel: 2009)
Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974)
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1966)
Miss America - Mary Margaret O'Hara (1984) [released 1988]
I Could Live in Hope - Low (1994)
Inside Out - John Martyn (1973)
Eye of the Hunter - Brendan Perry (1999)
Machine Gun - Peter Brotzmann (1968)
Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk (1956)
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis (1959)
Cosmic Interception - Von Lmo (1994)
The Lion and the Cobra - Sinead O'Connor (1987)
Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf (1962)
The "Chirping" Crickets - The Crickets (1957)
My Own Prison - Creed (1997)
A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002)
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (rec: 1955-58; rel: 1958) [Compilation]
Automatic For The People - R.E.M (1992)
Rock N' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956)
Revolver - The Beatles (1966)
Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965)
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (1964)
Beatles For Sale - The Beatles (1964)
Help! - The Beatles (1964)
Hot Fuss - The Killers (2007)
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul (1988)
Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963)
Meet The Beatles - The Beatles (1963)
With The Beatles - The Beatles (1963)
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson (1987)
Spice - Spice Girls (1996)
Music For The People - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (1991)
Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963)
How Do You Like It? - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963)
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956)
Tiffany - Tiffany (1987)
Peter Paul & Mary - Peter Paul & Mary (1962)
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys (1963)
Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (1962)

Top 10+ SONGS/TRACKS for the Week(s)

FAMILIAR ROCK/JAZZ ALBUMS - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT UPDATES: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=758644#758644

NEWLY LISTENED - ROCK/JAZZ ALBUMS - RATED:

NEWLY LISTENED - CLASSICAL WORKS - RATED:

FAMILIAR CLASSICAL WORKS - RE-RATED:

FAMILIAR SONGS/TRACKS/MOVEMENTS - RE-RATED:

NEWLY LISTENED - SONGS/TRACKS/MOVEMENTS - RATED:

FAMILIAR FILMS - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT “ACTION/ADVENTURE” UPDATES: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=752087#752087

NEWLY WATCHED FILMS - RATED:

FAMILIAR PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT “PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART” UPDATES:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=753512#753512

NEWLY VIEWED PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART - RATED:

FAMILIAR LITERATURE - RE-RATED:

NEWLY READ LITERATURE - RATED:

Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10

/10 to /10
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TOP 50 WORKS OF ART OF THE YEAR (2026)
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane (1964)
The Last Supper - Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1495 - 1498) / Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy [Painting]
Sistine Chapel Ceiling and The Last Judgment - Michelangelo Buonarroti (1508 - 1512; 1535 - 1541) / Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy [Painting]
Notre-Dame de Paris - Main construction principally directed under Bishop Maurice de Sully (1163 - 1260, main construction; various additions, updates, restorations thereafter; reconstruction of fleche and roof from fire damages: 2019 - 2024) / Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul-II, Paris, France [Architecture, including Stained Glass and Structural Sculpture]
Through Silver in Blood - Neurosis (1996)
Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974)
Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom (2010)
Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk (1988)
Spiderland - Slint (1991)
Suicide - Suicide (1977)
Geek the Girl - Lisa Germano (1994)
Down Colorful Hill - Red House Painters (1992)
Yerself is Steam - Mercury Rev (1991)
St. Peter's Basilica - Principal Architects: Donato Bramante (Original design and began construction of central Greek Cross plan: 1503 - 1514); Michelangelo Buonarroti (Revised plan and construction with updated Greek Cross design heavily informing the final result less the later addition of Maderno's Nave and Facade; revision and main design of the central Dome: 1546 - 1564); Carlo Maderno (Revised to Latin Cross plan with addition of central Nave; addition of Facade: 1603 - 1629); Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Revision of St. Peter's Square, addition of Colonnade: 1656 - 1667) (Building completed and opened by 1626; various revisions and additions thereafter) / Vatican City, Rome, Italy [Architecture, including Structural Sculpture]
The Survivors Suite - Keith Jarrett (1976)
Temple Of The Morning Star - Today is the Day (1997)
Blue - Joni Mitchell (1971)
Improvisie - Paul Bley (1971)
The Doors - The Doors (1966)
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus (1963)
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1822)
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)
The Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Michael Mantler (1968) [aka, "The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (1968)"]
Ys - Joanna Newsom (2006)
Y - Pop Group (1979)
Guernica - Pablo Picasso (1937) / Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain [Painting]
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1820)
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane (1969)
Hejira - Joni Mitchell (1976)
A Genuine Tong Funeral - Carla Bley and Gary Burton (1967)
Millions Now Living Will Never Die - Tortoise (1995)
Out to Lunch - Eric Dolphy (1964)
Bad Moon Rising - Sonic Youth (1985)
Fire of Love - Gun Club (1981)
Master Of Puppets - Metallica (1986)
Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones (1972)
Sahara – McCoy Tyner (1972)
Good - Morphine (1992)
Fun House - The Stooges (1970)
Lady of the Mirrors - Anthony Davis (1980)
Chartres Cathedral - Master of Chartres (Anonymous French Architect) (early phase of construction from 1120s - circa 1165, with only the crypt, towers and West Facade surviving a fire of 1194; thereafter the main Gothic structure as currently seen was largely established structurally from 1194 - 1221; further completion and details from circa 1221 - circa 1250 with consecration in 1260; various modifications and additions thereafter) / Chartres, France [Architecture, including Stained Glass and Structural Sculpture]
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground (1966)
Bullet in the Head - John Woo (1990)
Faust - Faust (1971)
Salisbury Cathedral

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:44:36 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/12/2026 17:44

The fact that…

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Don’t take the “hate” too seriously… I’m poking fun at them yes, but also both sides of the argument, simultaneously satirical and serious…

Yes, I think they’re very overrated, and the ratings below ARE what I really think, however I do rate them a little bit better than Scaruffi and do think he (kind of) overstates some of his points even if I feel they are more accurate than not — even where he exaggerates or over-generalizes, I still get what’s “correct” about it and where he is coming from, especially in relation to the rather widespread assertions that they are “clearly the greatest band (artists, etc) of all time” — a very ridiculous notion in my view (sorry here comes added dose of elitism…) if one consumes and compares with the greatest music/art of all time

Note: ratings subject to change. I’ll probably go through a portion, maybe all of the early ones, in two rounds to fine tune… It usually takes me a few Beatles albums to get acclimated to rating, especially their largely superficial early fluff with more and more (hopefully?) accuracy. The energy and melody is of course pretty much its (only) attraction as most of it amounts to very very little “emotional, conceptual, thematic content” behind that (they are by and large pointless little songs, where almost “nothing” of note is experienced, saying literally “nothing” about anything that isn’t a dime a dozen in every single art form, any given year, from almost any random collection of mainstream or chart topping artists one could name — just minor, silly variations of — basically — a very superficial layer of energy and melody about love when you get right down to it — virtually no creative insight, depth, experiential content about…) besides all of it being about almost the same god damn thing over and over again 🫢 This dichotomy (sorta entertaining, occasionally mildly arresting at its very best, cheery energy vs more or less “empty” content) offers very little import, significance, “content” to grasp and to observe, to listen to, with a good sense of a finite rating — basically because there is so little there. In a sense, these very low ratings can be a similar phenomena as the higher ratings (an advancement towards an infinitude of meaning, emotional, conceptual, creative depth) however it is in reverse the lower you go towards an “infinitude” of empty, pointless, superficial emotions, concepts, creativity, minimal significance, minimal depth, increasingly inconsequential … etc.

So in a way they can be similarly difficult to get a qualitative grip on. Maybe these are really just masterpieces on the order of The Divine Comedy after all? 🤥

EARLY ROCK, THE BEATLES AND CONTEMPORARIES (DATE ORDER)

Rock N' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956) 4.5/10 to 5.1/10; 5.1/10 to 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 5/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956) 2.9/10 to 3.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.0 / 3: 3.3 / 4: 3.1 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.9 / 8: 2.9 / 9: 2.9 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.3 / 12: 3.1
The "Chirping" Crickets - The Crickets (1957) 4.5/10 to 5.8/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (rec: 1955-58; rel: 1958) [Compilation] 4.9/10 to 5.6/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
After School Session - Chuck Berry (1958) 4.8/10 to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Twist & Shout - The Isley Brothers (1962) 3.3/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 4/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Peter Paul & Mary - Peter Paul & Mary (1962) Not Rated to 3.0/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf (1962) Not Rated to 6.2/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (1962) Maintained 2.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.2 / 2: 3.2 / 3: 2.7 / 4: 2.7 / 5: 2.7 / 6: 2.6 / 7: 2.6 / 8: 2.6 / 9: 2.7 / 10: 2.7 / 11: 2.8 / 12: 2.7
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys (1963) Not Rated to 3.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.5 / 2: 3.1 / 3: 2.9 / 4: 2.5 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.8 / 8: 2.5 / 9: 2.6 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 3.1 / 12: 2.9
Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963) 3.5/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.1 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.3 / 5: 3.7 / 6: 3.2 / 7: 4.3 / 8: 4.8 / 9: 3.1 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 2.9 / 12: 3.7 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 4.5
Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963) TBD … first revisit in years, but probably 3, 3.5, 4… / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise
How Do You Like It? - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963) 3.0/10 to 3.5/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.1 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 3.1 / 7: 3.4 / 8: 3.0 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.5 / 11: 3.5 / 12: 3.2 / 13: 3.4 / 14: 3.6
With The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 3.7/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.2 / 2: 3.4 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 3.6 / 6: 3.3 / 7: 4.8 / 8: 4.2 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.0 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.1 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 3.7
Meet The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 4.4/10 to 4.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10 Tracks: 1: 4.1 / 2: 5.1 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 5.2 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 3.6 / 7: 3.0 / 8: 3.6 / 9: 3.3 / 10: 4.2 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.0
Surfin’' Bird - The Trashmen (1964) 3.3/10 (WTF??? Must’ve had this confused with some other “surf” album or Trashmen CD when I rated this?) …to 5.9/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (1964) Maintained 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 6.0 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 3.9 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 4.8 / 6: 4.8 / 7: 5.4 / 8: 5.1 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 4.5 / 11: 5.1 / 12: 4.8 / 13: 5.0
Beatles For Sale - The Beatles (1964) 3.0/10 to 4.3/10; 4.3/10 to 4.4/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 1: 5.9 / 2: 4.3 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 4.4 / 5: 4.6 / 6: 4.0 / 7: 3.6 / 8: 5.3 / 9: 3.0 / 10: 3.4 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 3.5 / 14: 3.2
Mr Tambourine Man - Byrds (1965) Maintained 7.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 7/10 Tracks coming
Help! - The Beatles (1965) 4.4/10 to 4.6/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 6.1 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 5.5 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.0 / 6: 4.5 / 7: 5.8 / 8: 3.2 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 5.8 / 14: 3.8
Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965) 5.5/10 to 5.4/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 5.0 / 2: 5.8 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 5.7 / 5: 4.5 / 6: 4.2 / 7: 5.7 / 8: 3.2 / 9: 5.7 / 10: 4.1 / 11: 5.2 / 12: 4.4 / 13: 5.2 / 14: 5.1
Revolver - The Beatles (1966) Maintained 5.5/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 5.8 / 2: 5.8 / 3: 5.8 / 4: 5.1 / 5: 4.0 / 6: 5.1 / 7: 5.1 / 8: 4.0 / 9: 4.5 / 10: 4.4 / 11: 3.8 / 12: 4.5 / 13: 4.5 / 14: 6.8
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1966) Maintained 9.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 9/10 Tracks (maybe … so much their “own art form” that they are difficult to rate): 1: 6.8 / 2: 6.9 / 3: 6.4 / 4: 7.6 / 5: 5.9 / 6: 7.2 / 7: 7.6 / 8: 5.8 / 9: 6.1 / 10: 6.8 / 11: 7.4
For Certain Because - Hollies (1966) Not Rated to 5.8/10 / SCARUFFI: /10
The Monkees - The Monkees (1966) 2.9/10 to 4.7/10 / SCARUFFI: /10
Odessey & Oracle - Zombies (1968) 6.7/10 to ??? TBD / SCARUFFI: 7/10 Tracks…

OTHER UPDATES (RATED ORDER):

Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974) Maintained 9.5/10 … maybe 9.4, depends on which ratings win out, any given listen, for the tracks… / SCARUFFI: 9.5/10 Tracks: 1: 7.2 / 2: 6.8 or 6.9 / 3: 7.0 or 7.1 / 4+5: 8.5 / 6: 7.5 … fwiw: 1st half, 1-3 = 7.9; 2nd half, 4-6 = 9.0; all combined, cumulative overall quality and score: 9.5 or maybe the highest 9.4
Live at Reading - Nirvana (rec: 1992; rel: 2009) Not Rated to 7.6/10
Live - Built to Spill (rec: 1999; rel: 2000) Not Rated to 7.4/10 / SCARUFFI: 7/10
Keep It Like A Secret - Built to Spill (1998) Not Rated to 7.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 7/10
You in Reverse - Built to Spill (2009) Not Rated to 7.1/10 / SCARUFFI: 7/10
Ultimate Alternative Wavers - Built to Spill (1993) Not Rated to 7.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 7/10
Moving Pictures - Rush (1981) Not Rated to 6.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 6.5/10
A Farewell to Kings - Rush (1977) Not Rated to 6.5/10 / SCARUFFI: 6.5/10
Caress of Steel - Rush (1976) Not Rated to 6.3/10 / SCARUFFI: 6.5/10
Jar of Flies - Alice In Chains (1993) 6.0/10 to 6.2/10 … very possibly 6.3+ / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains (1995) 5.5/10 to 6.1/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Sea Change - Beck (2002) 5.8/10 to 6.1/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Fly By Night - Rush (1975) Not Rated to 6.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
DAMN - Kendrick Lamar (2017) 5.4/10 to 5.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Frogstomp - Silverchair (1995) Not Rated to 5.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Automatic For The People - R.E.M (1992) 5.6/10 to 5.7/10; 5.7/10 to 5.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks 1: 6.3 / 2: 5.6 / 3: 5.1 / 4: 5.5 / 5: 4.0 / 6: 5.3 / 7: 4.1 / 8: 4.8 / 9: 4.3 / 10: 5.3 / 11: 5.8 / 12: 5.6
My Own Prison - Creed (1997) 5.4/10 to 5.8/10 … apologies to all who trusted me to remain hip and legit, the only valid explanation and excuse for giving in to this must be that I am old enough to miss the 90s… / SCARUFFI: 6/10 Tracks 1: 5.8 / 2: 5.1 / 3: 5.0 / 4: 5.5 / 5: 4.8 / 6: 4.9 / 7: 5.1 / 8: 5.0 / 9: 5.0 / 10: 4.5
Ancient Melodies of the Future - Built to Spill (2001) Not Rated to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 5.5/10
A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002) 5.1/10 to 5.6/10; 5.6/10 to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 6.0 / 2: 5.3 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 5.1 / 5: 6.3 / 6: 5.0 / 7: 5.3 / 8: 4.5 / 9: 4.8 / 10: 4.2 / 11: 4.3
Hemispheres - Rush (1978) Not Rated to 5.6/10 / SCARUFFI: 5.5/10
Hot Fuss - The Killers (2007) 5.2/10 to 5.4/10
There's Nothing Wrong With Love - Built to Spill (1994) Not Rated to 5.3/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Rush - Rush (1974) Not Rated to 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer (1990) 3.1/10 to 5.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Let's Get It Started - MC Hammer (1988) Maintained 4.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Human Clay - Creed (1999) Not Rated to 4.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
The State - Nickelback (2000) 2.5/10 to 4.5/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul (1988) Maintained 4.4/10
The Fame - Lady Gaga (2008) Not Rated to 4.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson (1987) Maintained 3.9/10
Too Legit to Quit - MC Hammer (1991) Not Rated to 3.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
Spice - Spice Girls (1996) 2.9/10 to 3.8/10
Music For The People - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (1991) 2.3/10 to 3.7/10 … so noisily, artificial, and puffed-out-chest-bravado-terrible, that it approaches being almost good (ironically, comically) by sheer force of will … its also hilariously unclear if it’s an intentional joke, even diametrically offensive and racist, or just an artist loudly and completely unaware of his lack of talent and fake social consciousness … does any of that make this the “Trout Mask Replica of Pop Rap” all hip hop fans have been begging for? Scaruffi’s first 9/10 of hip hop?
Tiffany - Tiffany (1987) 2.6/10 to 3.1/10 Tracks: 1: 2.9 / 2: 3.8 / 3: 2.8 / 4: 2.7 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 2.8 / 7: 2.8 / 8: 2.7 / 9: 3.3 / 10: 3.2

/10 to /10 / SCARUFFI: /10
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/10 to /10 / SCARUFFI: /10

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

MadhattanJack — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 03:07:30 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 08/12/2026 07:07

DommeDamian wrote:

Yo yo my favorite rapper Captain Beefheart, maaan. You'on wanna start no beef with Beefheart, he's got beef in 'is heart against society.

In case anyone wasn't aware, I think about a year or so ago they made Trout Mask Replica a free download on Bandcamp. My immediate assumption was that they wanted more people to use samples from it in in their own musical works, since having the files makes that a fair bit easier, but there are probably lots of other possible explanations, like "they just got tired of having to sell it."

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DommeDamian — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:35:04 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 08/11/2026 12:35

AfterHours wrote:

@Tigga

See? Better represented than you thought!

Greatest Hip Hop All Time

9.4: Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart (1969)
8.9: Y - The Pop Group (1979)
8.5: Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)
8.3: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedy's (1980)
8.2: Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen (1984)
8.1: It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy (1988)
8.0: Consumer Revolt - Cop Shoot Cop (1990)
7.9: Frizzle Fry - Primus (1990)
7.9: Roots - Sepultura (1995)
7.9: For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? - The Pop Group (1980)
7.8: White Noise - Cop Shoot Cop (1991)
7.7: I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses - Backxwash (2021)
7.6: The Clash - The Clash (1977)
7.6: 77 - Talking Heads (1977)
7.6: The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (2000)
7.6: Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard - Hella (2005)
7.6: Fear of Music - Talking Heads (1979)
7.6: Tetsuo & Youth - Lupe Fiasco (2015)
7.5: Korn - Korn (1994)
7.5: The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004)
7.5: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (2010)
7.4: Remain in Light - Talking Heads (1980)
7.4: Summertime '06 - Vince Staples (2015)
7.4: Smoke In The Shadows - Lydia Lunch (2004)
7.4: Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
7.4: Clouddead - Clouddead
7.3: Delete Yourself - Atari Teenage Riot (1995)
7.3: The Cold Vein - Cannibal Ox (2001)
7.3: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998)

You forgot:
Rock Bottom: in Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Hood, the music is rapping and Robert don't like it, so he says "stoooop it"
Suicide: Rev's electro-beats and Alan is talking and making screams as adlibs, basically rap........right?
Spiderland: same as Suicide, just more reserved
White Light/White Heat: "sucking on my ding dong" out of context could be a rap lyric.
The Downward Spiral: Reznor rapper with industrial music reminiscent of hip hop grooves.
For Alto: he is rapping, but through a saxophone.
In The Court of The Crimson King: first song was sampled in Power, by Kanye West, who's a rapper.
Days of Wine And Roses: the drummer made an insane solo album playing with tapes. You know who else plays with tapes? That's right. DJs. Which is rap.
Slow Deep And Hard: this is metal. Metal is music. Rap is music. Therefore this is rap. 🤣

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DommeDamian — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 02:39:17 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 08/11/2026 06:39

AfterHours wrote:

TiggaTrigga wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

Music For The People - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (1991) 2.3/10 to 3.7/10 … so noisily, artificial, and puffed-out-chest-bravado-terrible, that it approaches being almost good (ironically, comically) by sheer force of will … its also hilariously unclear if it’s an intentional joke, even diametrically offensive and racist, or just an artist loudly and completely unaware of his lack of talent and fake social consciousness … does any of that make this the “Trout Mask Replica of Pop Rap” all hip hop fans have been begging for? Scaruffi’s first 9/10 of hip hop?

It could've reached 9/10 territory if it somehow synthesized Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions, Dalek's Untitled, and maybe Kanye's MBDTF or Impossible Nothing's Phoneminomicon. Those are probably the closest we'll get to a hip hop 9/10. But I think you're right about the lack of talent and fake social consciousness with that guy

Yes!

Or maybe we just haven’t recognized Trout Mask Replica for the Southern Hip Hop album that it really is? :wink:

Yo yo my favorite rapper Captain Beefheart, maaan. You'on wanna start no beef with Beefheart, he's got beef in 'is heart against society.

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:50:16 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/11/2026 01:50

@Tigga

See? Better represented than you thought!

Greatest Hip Hop All Time

9.4: Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart (1969)
8.9: Y - The Pop Group (1979)
8.5: Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)
8.3: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedy's (1980)
8.2: Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen (1984)
8.1: It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy (1988)
8.0: Consumer Revolt - Cop Shoot Cop (1990)
7.9: Frizzle Fry - Primus (1990)
7.9: Roots - Sepultura (1995)
7.9: For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? - The Pop Group (1980)
7.8: White Noise - Cop Shoot Cop (1991)
7.7: I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses - Backxwash (2021)
7.6: The Clash - The Clash (1977)
7.6: 77 - Talking Heads (1977)
7.6: The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (2000)
7.6: Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard - Hella (2005)
7.6: Fear of Music - Talking Heads (1979)
7.6: Tetsuo & Youth - Lupe Fiasco (2015)
7.5: Korn - Korn (1994)
7.5: The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004)
7.5: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (2010)
7.4: Remain in Light - Talking Heads (1980)
7.4: Summertime '06 - Vince Staples (2015)
7.4: Smoke In The Shadows - Lydia Lunch (2004)
7.4: Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
7.4: Clouddead - Clouddead
7.3: Delete Yourself - Atari Teenage Riot (1995)
7.3: The Cold Vein - Cannibal Ox (2001)
7.3: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998)

Ok ok ok ok ok fine … a bit of a stretch on many of those…

Obviously I am just kind of amusing myself and don’t really think a lot of those are “hip hop” but it’s an amusing exercise that goes to show that the leap from their actual genres over to hip hop isn’t really all that much if you just think about these for a few seconds plus give it a touch of imagination beyond stricter genre trappings…

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:19:11 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/11/2026 01:19

TiggaTrigga wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

Yes!

Or maybe we just haven’t recognized Trout Mask Replica for the Southern Hip Hop album that it really is? 😉

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

TiggaTrigga — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:35:09 GMT

Author: TiggaTrigga

Posted: 08/10/2026 23:35

AfterHours wrote:

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:47:07 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/10/2026 18:47

DommeDamian wrote:

Link

Ok nice, Blackbird is a nice little song but were you trying to point out that they copied/transposed a passage of Bach so therefore Blackbird and/or White Album = Mass in B Minor (or Goldberg Variations, Well Tempered Clavier, Tocattas and Fugues … or Bourrée in E minor, etc?) Or that this makes them geniuses of a similar order as Bach or other great Classical composers?

For the record, they pretty much do a similar thing in In My Life…

Bach is a cornerstone of pretty much any pianists/keyboardists repertoire and his music is so fundamentally structural and of a perfect order to so much else, and so much a tenet and exemplar of musical form in general that one could probably just as well find it in Metallicas Master of Puppets album with how formally rhythmic it is and its tendency towards Baroque/Classical/cyclic form…

Or as in The Doors basically updating Bachs harpsichord concerto in Light My Fire…

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DommeDamian — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:17:22 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 08/10/2026 16:17

Link

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DommeDamian — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:16:43 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 08/10/2026 16:16

AfterHours wrote:

Never heard that album but I do want to say it is greatly exaggerated in general that myself, Scaruffi, “Scaruffists” dont like melody or catchy music.

It would be true to say we don’t tend to favor EMPTY (unearned, lacking emotional content, inconsequential, superficial, lacking meaning…) melodic or catchy music. But this would also hold true for ANY style of music (melodious, catchy or dissonant, chaotic…).

Several of the catchiest works ever populate among the highest or exceptional ratings of my lists whether it be In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (among the catchiest albums ever), Springsteens The River (loaded with passionate, vigorous melody), Lisa Germano, Magnetic Fields, Enos forays into pop, Pink Floyd’s Psych Pop (same category as Sgt Pepper, just more psych, more ferocity, more duality, more unique harmonically, more experimental), even Dead Kennedys (harsh yes, but among the most relentlessly catchy albums ever), Husker Du and The Doors in similar category this regard as DK … Jagged Little Pill, The Band, Roxy Music (practically Art Pop), Cyclops Nuclear Submarine Captain, Love, Dummy, Rickie Lee Jones, Julian Cope, Talking Heads, Underwater Moonlight, Arcade Fire, XTC, Belle and Sebastian, Decemberists, Prince, Stone Roses, Kanye West, Michael Jackson, Janelle Monae, Marvin Gaye, The Clash, Olivia Tremor Control… and so on…

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozarts Don Giovanni or other Opera or his best Symphonies (greatest melodist ever?) or his numerous Piano Concertos (absolutely supreme melodic examples from multiple varieties, themes, emotions), Schubert 9th, 8th, and other masterworks of piano, lieder… Tchaikovsky Symphonies, Piano concerto, Trio, VC … lots of Beethoven… Brahms… Bach Brandenburgs, VCs… Dvorak 9, 8, 7 etc … and so on…

And all sorts “mainstream” or (more or less) accessible “equivalents” in film/visual arts/Jazz like Chaplin, Nolan, Spielberg, Gilliam, Welles, Hitchcock … or Birth of the Cool, Light as a Feather, early Coltrane, Mingus Ah Um, Brilliant Corner … Visual arts a bit harder to compare but I feature highly the most popular artists ever (Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Leonardo, Rembrandt, Picasso, Bernini, Ruebens to an extent, Caravaggio, Bosch, Dali, Monet, Raphael, Botticelli …Munch Scream … etc) … Frank Lloyd Wright, Gaudi, The Taj Mahal, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Golden Gate … and if you want to hold me to Pop Art even F111 and Portrait of the Bourgeois made it above 7.3!

Okay, sorry, I failed: no Harry Potter or Twilight featured for literature!!! 😄

(Hopefully my rep is salvaged by Vonnegut, Gatsby, Orwell, Carroll, Tolkien…!!! 🙏 )

Longer response in coming but I partially agree partially disagree

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 13:51:38 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 17:51

The fact that…

What your favorite Beatles album says about you:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Don’t take the “hate” too seriously… I’m poking fun at them yes, but also both sides of the argument, simultaneously satirical and serious…

Yes, I think they’re very overrated, and the ratings below ARE what I really think, however I do rate them a little bit better than Scaruffi and do think he (kind of) overstates some of his points even if I feel they are more accurate than not — even where he exaggerates or over-generalizes, I still get what’s “correct” about it and where he is coming from, especially in relation to the rather widespread assertions that they are “clearly the greatest band (artists, etc) of all time” — a very ridiculous notion in my view (sorry here comes added dose of elitism…) if one consumes and compares with the greatest music/art of all time

Note: ratings subject to change. I’ll probably go through a portion, maybe all of the early ones, in two rounds to fine tune… It usually takes me a few Beatles albums to get acclimated to rating, especially their largely superficial early fluff with more and more (hopefully?) accuracy. The energy and melody is of course pretty much its (only) attraction as most of it amounts to very very little “emotional, conceptual, thematic content” behind that (they are by and large pointless little songs, where almost “nothing” of note is experienced, saying literally “nothing” about anything that isn’t a dime a dozen in every single art form, any given year, from almost any random collection of mainstream or chart topping artists one could name — just minor, silly variations of — basically — a very superficial layer of energy and melody about love when you get right down to it — virtually no creative insight, depth, experiential content about…) besides all of it being about almost the same god damn thing over and over again 🫢 This dichotomy (sorta entertaining, occasionally mildly arresting at its very best, cheery energy vs more or less “empty” content) offers very little import, significance, “content” to grasp and to observe, to listen to, with a good sense of a finite rating — basically because there is so little there. In a sense, these very low ratings can be a similar phenomena as the higher ratings (an advancement towards an infinitude of meaning, emotional, conceptual, creative depth) however it is in reverse the lower you go towards an “infinitude” of empty, pointless, superficial emotions, concepts, creativity, minimal significance, minimal depth, increasingly inconsequential … etc.

So in a way they can be similarly difficult to get a qualitative grip on. Maybe these are really just masterpieces on the order of The Divine Comedy after all? 🤥

EARLY ROCK, THE BEATLES AND CONTEMPORARIES (DATE ORDER)

Rock N' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956) 4.5/10 to 5.1/10; 5.1/10 to 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 5/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956) 2.9/10 to 3.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.0 / 3: 3.3 / 4: 3.1 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.9 / 8: 2.9 / 9: 2.9 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.3 / 12: 3.1
The "Chirping" Crickets - The Crickets (1957) 4.5/10 to 5.8/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (rec: 1955-58; rel: 1958) [Compilation] 4.9/10 to 5.6/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
After School Session - Chuck Berry (1958) 4.8/10 to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Twist & Shout - The Isley Brothers (1962) 3.3/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 4/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Peter Paul & Mary - Peter Paul & Mary (1962) Not Rated to 3.0/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf (1962) Not Rated to 6.2/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (1962) Maintained 2.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.2 / 2: 3.2 / 3: 2.7 / 4: 2.7 / 5: 2.7 / 6: 2.6 / 7: 2.6 / 8: 2.6 / 9: 2.7 / 10: 2.7 / 11: 2.8 / 12: 2.7
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys (1963) Not Rated to 3.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.5 / 2: 3.1 / 3: 2.9 / 4: 2.5 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.8 / 8: 2.5 / 9: 2.6 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 3.1 / 12: 2.9
Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963) 3.5/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.1 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.3 / 5: 3.7 / 6: 3.2 / 7: 4.3 / 8: 4.8 / 9: 3.1 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 2.9 / 12: 3.7 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 4.5
Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963) TBD … first revisit in years, but probably 3, 3.5, 4… / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise
How Do You Like It? - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963) 3.0/10 to 3.5/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.1 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 3.1 / 7: 3.4 / 8: 3.0 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.5 / 11: 3.5 / 12: 3.2 / 13: 3.4 / 14: 3.6
With The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 3.7/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.2 / 2: 3.4 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 3.6 / 6: 3.3 / 7: 4.8 / 8: 4.2 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.0 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.1 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 3.7
Meet The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 4.4/10 to 4.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10 Tracks: 1: 4.1 / 2: 5.1 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 5.2 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 3.6 / 7: 3.0 / 8: 3.6 / 9: 3.3 / 10: 4.2 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.0
Surfin’' Bird - The Trashmen (1964) 3.3/10 (WTF??? Must’ve had this confused with some other “surf” album or Trashmen CD when I rated this?) …to 5.9/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 6/10 from a very old list but no listed ratings in bio or otherwise
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (1964) Maintained 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 6.0 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 3.9 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 4.8 / 6: 4.8 / 7: 5.4 / 8: 5.1 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 4.5 / 11: 5.1 / 12: 4.8 / 13: 5.0
Beatles For Sale - The Beatles (1964) 3.0/10 to 4.3/10; 4.3/10 to 4.4/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 1: 5.9 / 2: 4.3 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 4.4 / 5: 4.6 / 6: 4.0 / 7: 3.6 / 8: 5.3 / 9: 3.0 / 10: 3.4 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 3.5 / 14: 3.2
Help! - The Beatles (1964) 4.4/10 to 4.6/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 6.1 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 5.5 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.0 / 6: 4.5 / 7: 5.8 / 8: 3.2 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 5.8 / 14: 3.8
Rubber Soul - The Beatles (1965) 5.5/10 to 5.4/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 5.0 / 2: 5.8 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 5.7 / 5: 4.5 / 6: 4.2 / 7: 5.7 / 8: 3.2 / 9: 5.7 / 10: 4.1 / 11: 5.2 / 12: 4.4 / 13: 5.2 / 14: 5.1
Revolver - The Beatles (1966) Maintained 5.5/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 5.8 / 2: 5.8 / 3: 5.8 / 4: 5.1 / 5: 4.0 / 6: 5.1 / 7: 5.1 / 8: 4.0 / 9: 4.5 / 10: 4.4 / 11: 3.8 / 12: 4.5 / 13: 4.5 / 14: 6.8
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground (1966) Maintained 9.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 9/10 Tracks (maybe … so much their “own art form” that they are difficult to rate): 1: 6.8 / 2: 6.9 / 3: 6.4 / 4: 7.6 / 5: 5.9 / 6: 7.2 / 7: 7.6 / 8: 5.8 / 9: 6.1 / 10: 6.8 / 11: 7.4

OTHER UPDATES (RATED ORDER):

Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974) Maintained 9.5/10 … maybe 9.4, depends on which ratings win out, any given listen, for the tracks… / SCARUFFI: 9.5/10 Tracks: 1: 7.2 / 2: 6.8 or 6.9 / 3: 7.0 or 7.1 / 4+5: 8.5 / 6: 7.5 … fwiw: 1st half, 1-3 = 7.9; 2nd half, 4-6 = 9.0; all combined, cumulative overall quality and score: 9.5 or maybe highest 9.4
Jar of Flies - Alice In Chains (1993) 6.0/10 to 6.2/10 … very possibly 6.3+ / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains (1995) 5.5/10 to 6.1/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Sea Change - Beck (2002) 5.8/10 to 6.1/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
DAMN - Kendrick Lamar (2017) 5.4/10 to 5.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 6/10
My Own Prison - Creed (1997) 5.4/10 to 5.8/10 … apologies to all who trusted me to remain hip and legit, the only valid explanation and excuse for giving in to this must be that I am old enough to miss the 90s… / SCARUFFI: 6/10
Automatic For The People - R.E.M (1992) 5.6/10 to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002) 5.1/10 to 5.6/10; 5.6/10 to 5.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 6.0 / 2: 5.3 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 5.1 / 5: 6.3 / 7: 5.3 / 8: 4.5 / 9: 4.8 / 10: 4.2 / 11: 4.3
Hot Fuss - The Killers (2007) 5.2/10 to 5.4/10
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer (1990) 3.1/10 to 5.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Let's Get It Started - MC Hammer (1988) Maintained 4.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Human Clay - Creed (1999) Not Rated to 4.7/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
The State - Nickelback (2000) 2.5/10 to 4.5/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul (1988) Maintained 4.4/10
The Fame - Lady Gaga (2008) Not Rated to 4.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson (1987) Maintained 3.9/10
Too Legit to Quit - MC Hammer (1991) Not Rated to 3.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10
Spice - Spice Girls (1996) 2.9/10 to 3.8/10
Music For The People - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (1991) 2.3/10 to 3.7/10 … so noisily, artificial, and puffed-out-chest-bravado-terrible, that it approaches being almost good (ironically, comically) by sheer force of will … its also hilariously unclear if it’s an intentional joke, even diametrically offensive and racist, or just an artist loudly and completely unaware of his lack of talent and fake social consciousness … does any of that make this the “Trout Mask Replica of Pop Rap” all hip hop fans have been begging for? Scaruffi’s first 9/10 of hip hop?
Tiffany - Tiffany (1987) 2.6/10 to 3.1/10 Tracks: 1: 2.9 / 2: 3.8 / 3: 2.8 / 4: 2.7 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 2.8 / 7: 2.8 / 8: 2.7 / 9: 3.3 / 10: 3.2

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 13:29:36 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 17:29

Piero Scaruffi, in an email to RYMer stillbeaches1, just shared

“Hejira and Blue are interchangeable but if i have to pick one, Blue impressed me intellectually and Hejira touched me emotionally, and i'm getting old and emotional :-)"

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 12:02:15 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 16:02

@DelBoca

Some other hilarious ones…. Some of these are funnier if you were there in real time while the artist was endlessly hyped/acclaimed (like 90s grunge)

NMH

During the 1990s a genius of pop music arose from the musically depressed lands of Louisiana: no, not Britney Spears, but Jeff Mangum, the man behind Neutral Milk Hotel, soon destined to become one of the leaders of the 1990s pop renaissance with Apples In Stereo and Olivia Tremor Control.

The Bieb

His sixth album Changes (2020) debuted at the top of the sales charts just like all the previous ones. It was related to music just like a whistle is related to birds.

Candlebox

Among the many parasites of Seattle's grunge, Candlebox were the most amorphous. A singer, Kevin Martin (a Texas native who moved to Seattle in 1985), whose dire, whiny baritone can't decide which grunge singer to ape, Peter Klett's inept guitar riffs and one of the most predictable rhythm sections ever made Stone Temple Pilots sound like Beethoven.

Creed

Creed are grungers from Florida, whose Scott Stapp sings the most polite lyrics in the history of hard rock, while guitarist Mark Tremonti photocopies riffs from the Pearl Jam.

Dead C

If hell exists, Beatles fans will spend eternity listening to this record.

Eminem

All subsequent Eminem albums were so full of filler that the "skip" button was a necessary accessory to the listening experience.

Jay-Z

Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013) was, hopefully, just a joke.

R Kelly

Hard to believe, but Black Panties (2013) and The Buffet (2015) were even worse than his already terrible standard.

The fact that such a pathetic singer sold 30 million albums (by 2019) said a lot about the power of marketing.

In 2021 Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking, proving that he was not only an inferior musician but also a human scumbag.

Lady Gaga

Her virtually unlimited stupidity was on display at the MTV Video Music Awards of 2010, when Lady Gaga wore a dress made from raw beef.

Live

Secret Samadhi (Radioactive, 1997) leaves much to be desired, both commercially and artistically. The group seems to be out of ideas. Almost every song relies on complex dynamics to make up for the lack of good melodies. All the emphasis is on... emphasis.

Birds of Pray (Radioactive, 2003) and Songs For Black Mountain (2006) could have been made on a computer assembling Live cliches.

Marilyn Manson

The High End Of Low (Interscope, 2009) and Born Villain (2012) evoked the vision of a melancholy clown forced to repeat his routine in order to pay the bills.

Metallica

St Anger (Elektra, 2003) was their worst record yet. This is an album that was designed to suck. And it succeeded.

Sinead O’Connor

On Sean-Nos Nua (Vanguard, 2002) O'Connor performs traditional Irish tunes. An evening with Fidel Castro would be more entertaining.

One Direction

Theirs were some of the most obnoxious songs in the history of pop music.

The group then disbanded and each member went on to tedious solo careers.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam recover some of the energy of the early days, but their sixth album sounds like a scientific test of their fans' patience.

Snoop Dogg

Malice N Wonderland (2009) tries to prove that the rapper was still relevant, but it takes six producers and ten guest stars.

Staind

Every single note on this album has been done before generations before. Basically, this is an exercise in necrophilia.

Taylor Swift

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Swift's You Belong With Me was voted best video by a jury that obviously had seen very few music videos in their lives.

Kanye West

To prove that he had become one of the most ridiculous celebrities around, in 2018 West changed his name to Ye.

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake went on to become one of the most famous pop stars of the 2000s, one of the most obnoxious white singers of all time who delivered some of the most ridiculous muzak of all time on Justified (2002), sculpted by the Neptunes, and FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), mostly created by producer Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley.

Timberlake was widely considered divine punishment for those who had criticized Michael Jackson.

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 10:37:14 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 14:37

EXPLANATION: WHAT IS THIS LOG??? Go here: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=571094#571094

For my criteria page, go here: http://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15503

To visit my Main lists, go here:
Greatest Classical Music Works: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15098
Greatest Albums (Rock & Jazz): https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15276
Greatest Songs/Tracks/Movements: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15246
Greatest Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15558
Greatest Paintings, Sculpture and Architecture: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15560
Greatest Works of Art: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16117

Various (in progress) genre lists, listed in order of how recently I've worked on them:
Best Action/Adventure Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=749761#749761
Best Comedy Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=748991#748991
Greatest Literature: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=691617#691617
Best Teen and/or Coming of Age Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=683219#683219
Best Gangster and/or Hood Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=682513#682513
Best Editing/Structure in Film History: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=667443#667443
Best Visuals (Color) / Best Visuals (Black and White): https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=666231#666231
Best Horror Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=656102#656102
Best Hip Hop/R & B/Soul/Funk Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=650323#650323
Best Animated Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=647884#647884
Best Comic Book/Superhero Films: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=646189#646189

Bold = Newly added
Bold + Italics = Was already listed but recently upgraded/downgraded

Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week(s): 8-3-26 - 8-9-26
Remnants of a Deeper Purity - Black Tape for a Blue Girl (1996)
Miss America - Mary Margaret O'Hara (1984) [released 1988]
I Could Live in Hope - Low (1994)
Inside Out - John Martyn (1973)
Eye of the Hunter - Brendan Perry (1999)
Machine Gun - Peter Brotzmann (1968)
Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk (1956)
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis (1959)
Cosmic Interception - Von Lmo (1994)
The Lion and the Cobra - Sinead O'Connor (1987)
Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf (1962)
The "Chirping" Crickets - The Crickets (1957)
Rock N' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956)
Revolver - The Beatles (1966)
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (1964)
Beatles For Sale - The Beatles (1964)
Help! - The Beatles (1964)
Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963)
Meet The Beatles - The Beatles (1963)
With The Beatles - The Beatles (1963)
Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963)
How Do You Like It? - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963)
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956)
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys (1963)
Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (1962)

Top 10+ SONGS/TRACKS for the Week(s)

FAMILIAR ROCK/JAZZ ALBUMS - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT UPDATES: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=758644#758644

NEWLY LISTENED - ROCK/JAZZ ALBUMS - RATED:

NEWLY LISTENED - CLASSICAL WORKS - RATED:

FAMILIAR CLASSICAL WORKS - RE-RATED:

FAMILIAR SONGS/TRACKS/MOVEMENTS - RE-RATED:

NEWLY LISTENED - SONGS/TRACKS/MOVEMENTS - RATED:

FAMILIAR FILMS - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT “ACTION/ADVENTURE” UPDATES: https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=752087#752087

NEWLY WATCHED FILMS - RATED:

FAMILIAR PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART - RE-RATED:
SEE HERE FOR RECENT “PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART” UPDATES:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=753512#753512

NEWLY VIEWED PAINTINGS/VISUAL ART - RATED:

FAMILIAR LITERATURE - RE-RATED:

NEWLY READ LITERATURE - RATED:

Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10
Not Rated to /10

/10 to /10
/10 to /10
/10 to /10
/10 to /10
/10 to /10
/10 to /10
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/10 to /10
/10 to /10

TOP 50 WORKS OF ART OF THE YEAR (2026)
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane (1964)
The Last Supper - Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1495 - 1498) / Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy [Painting]
Sistine Chapel Ceiling and The Last Judgment - Michelangelo Buonarroti (1508 - 1512; 1535 - 1541) / Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy [Painting]
Notre-Dame de Paris - Main construction principally directed under Bishop Maurice de Sully (1163 - 1260, main construction; various additions, updates, restorations thereafter; reconstruction of fleche and roof from fire damages: 2019 - 2024) / Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul-II, Paris, France [Architecture, including Stained Glass and Structural Sculpture]
Through Silver in Blood - Neurosis (1996)
Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt (1974)
Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom (2010)
Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk (1988)
Spiderland - Slint (1991)
Suicide - Suicide (1977)
Geek the Girl - Lisa Germano (1994)
Down Colorful Hill - Red House Painters (1992)
Yerself is Steam - Mercury Rev (1991)
St. Peter's Basilica - Principal Architects: Donato Bramante (Original design and began construction of central Greek Cross plan: 1503 - 1514); Michelangelo Buonarroti (Revised plan and construction with updated Greek Cross design heavily informing the final result less the later addition of Maderno's Nave and Facade; revision and main design of the central Dome: 1546 - 1564); Carlo Maderno (Revised to Latin Cross plan with addition of central Nave; addition of Facade: 1603 - 1629); Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Revision of St. Peter's Square, addition of Colonnade: 1656 - 1667) (Building completed and opened by 1626; various revisions and additions thereafter) / Vatican City, Rome, Italy [Architecture, including Structural Sculpture]
The Survivors Suite - Keith Jarrett (1976)
Temple Of The Morning Star - Today is the Day (1997)
Blue - Joni Mitchell (1971)
Improvisie - Paul Bley (1971)
The Doors - The Doors (1966)
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus (1963)
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1822)
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1965)
The Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Michael Mantler (1968) [aka, "The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (1968)"]
Ys - Joanna Newsom (2006)
Y - Pop Group (1979)
Guernica - Pablo Picasso (1937) / Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain [Painting]
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1820)
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane (1969)
Hejira - Joni Mitchell (1976)
A Genuine Tong Funeral - Carla Bley and Gary Burton (1967)
Millions Now Living Will Never Die - Tortoise (1995)
Out to Lunch - Eric Dolphy (1964)
Bad Moon Rising - Sonic Youth (1985)
Fire of Love - Gun Club (1981)
Master Of Puppets - Metallica (1986)
Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones (1972)
Sahara – McCoy Tyner (1972)
Good - Morphine (1992)
Fun House - The Stooges (1970)
Lady of the Mirrors - Anthony Davis (1980)
Chartres Cathedral - Master of Chartres (Anonymous French Architect) (early phase of construction from 1120s - circa 1165, with only the crypt, towers and West Facade surviving a fire of 1194; thereafter the main Gothic structure as currently seen was largely established structurally from 1194 - 1221; further completion and details from circa 1221 - circa 1250 with consecration in 1260; various modifications and additions thereafter) / Chartres, France [Architecture, including Stained Glass and Structural Sculpture]
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground (1966)
Bullet in the Head - John Woo (1990)
Faust - Faust (1971)
Salisbury Cathedral

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 10:17:25 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 14:17

DelBocaVista wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

Thanks - excellent historical info, DelBoca!

Curious how you rate out the Beatles discography? Any discrepencies with Scaruffi? I am thinking more and more that he is off by around 1/2 point or more, besides MTB and HDN, across the pre-Pepper period…

This is holding up when comparing back to other “3s” as well (like Elvis 1956 album)

It’s splitting hairs as we are only talking low rather inconsequential ratings like 3.5s, 4s, 4.5s… which isn’t the same importance as mistaking a 7.5 or 8 for a 9 or alike…

Help is the biggest one it seems. Its wildly inconsistent and by no means some masterpiece but it’s sure as hell not a 3.

At this point (imo) the bio should look like:

Please Please Me (1963), 4/10
With The Beatles (1963), 4/10
Meet The Beatles (1964), 4/10
Hard Days' Night (1964), 5/10
For Sale (1964), still 3/10??? 4/10??? (Update in progress)
Help (1965), 4.5/10
Rubber Soul (1965), 5.5/10
Revolver (1966), 5.5/10
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), 7/10
Magical Mystery Tour (1967), 7/10
The Beatles (1968), 7/10
Yellow Submarine (1969), 5/10
Abbey Road (1969), 7/10
Let It Be (1970), still 4/10??? 4.5/10??? (Needs revisit)

Would Beatles fans be less hostile towards this? No. Only if they were rated like Beethoven will be!!! But I think it is probably more realistic/accurate in relation to all else on the ratings scale

Kinda close to yours. Here's a rough stab, but I guess I need to relisten to the early stuff.

Please Please Me - 3.4-3.5
With The Beatles - 3.6-3.7
MTB doesn't count...
HDN - 5.0-5.2
Beatles For Sale - 4.2-4.4. gotta think about this one because of the huge inconsistency
Help! - 4.5, same
Rubber Soul - 5.2-5.5
Revolver - 5.5-5.9
Sgt. Pepper's - 7.1
MMT (technically only the 6-song double EP should count, but let's ignore that) - 6.9
White Album - 6.6-6.8
Abbey Road - 6.9-7.0 - Funny how Scarruffi says it "runs the risk" of being their best, as if that's an insult, but then says it "scores well". It would be their best for me if not for stalling a bit in the middle of side one.
Let It Be - 4.2? needs revisit

Thanks - very close!

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 00:55:29 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 08/09/2026 04:55

DelBocaVista wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

The fact that…
Rock N' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956) 4.5/10 to 5.1/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 5/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956) 2.9/10 to 3.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.0 / 3: 3.3 / 4: 3.1 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.9 / 8: 2.9 / 9: 2.9 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.3 / 12: 3.1
Surfin' Safari - Beach Boys (1962) Maintained 2.8/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.2 / 2: 3.2 / 3: 2.7 / 4: 2.7 / 5: 2.7 / 6: 2.6 / 7: 2.6 / 8: 2.6 / 9: 2.7 / 10: 2.7 / 11: 2.8 / 12: 2.7
Surfin' USA - Beach Boys (1963) Not Rated to 3.0/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 3.5 / 2: 3.1 / 3: 2.9 / 4: 2.5 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 2.9 / 7: 2.8 / 8: 2.5 / 9: 2.6 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 3.1 / 12: 2.9
Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963) 3.5/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.1 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.3 / 5: 3.7 / 6: 3.2 / 7: 4.3 / 8: 4.8 / 9: 3.1 / 10: 3.1 / 11: 2.9 / 12: 3.7 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 4.5
Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963) TBD … first revisit in years, but probably 3, 3.5, 4… / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise
How Do You Like It? - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1963) 3.0/10 to 3.5/10 / SCARUFFI: unofficial 3/10 from a very old list but no current bio or listed ratings otherwise Tracks: 1: 3.8 / 2: 3.5 / 3: 3.1 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.1 / 6: 3.1 / 7: 3.4 / 8: 3.0 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.5 / 11: 3.5 / 12: 3.2 / 13: 3.4 / 14: 3.6
With The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 3.7/10 to 3.9/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 5.2 / 2: 3.4 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 3.6 / 6: 3.3 / 7: 4.8 / 8: 4.2 / 9: 3.2 / 10: 3.0 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.1 / 13: 3.0 / 14: 3.7
Meet The Beatles - The Beatles (1963) 4.4/10 to 4.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 4/10 Tracks: 1: 4.1 / 2: 5.1 / 3: 3.6 / 4: 5.2 / 5: 3.4 / 6: 3.6 / 7: 3.0 / 8: 3.6 / 9: 3.3 / 10: 4.2 / 11: 4.3 / 12: 3.0
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (1964) Maintained 5.2/10 / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 6.0 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 3.9 / 4: 3.0 / 5: 4.8 / 6: 4.8 / 7: 5.4 / 8: 5.1 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 4.5 / 11: 5.1 / 12: 4.8 / 13: 5.0
Beatles For Sale - The Beatles (1964) 3.0/10 to 4.3/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 1: 5.3 / 2: 4.3 / 3: 4.4 / 4: 4.4 / 5: 4.8 / 6: 4.0 / 7: 3.6 / 8: 5.5 / 9: 3.0 / 10: 3.4 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 3.5 / 14: 3.2
Help! - The Beatles (1964) 4.4/10 to 4.6/10 / SCARUFFI: 3/10 Tracks: 1: 6.1 / 2: 4.2 / 3: 5.5 / 4: 2.9 / 5: 3.0 / 6: 4.5 / 7: 5.8 / 8: 3.2 / 9: 4.6 / 10: 2.9 / 11: 3.4 / 12: 4.1 / 13: 5.8 / 14: 3.8
Revolver - The Beatles (1966) 5.5/10 to 5.4/10??? TBD / SCARUFFI: 5/10 Tracks: 1: 5.8 / 2: 5.8 / 3: 5.8 / 4: 5.1 / 5: 4.0 / 6: 5.1 / 7: 5.1 / 8: 4.0 / 9: 4.5 / 10: 4.4 / 11: 3.8 / 12: 4.5 / 13: 4.6 / 14: 6.4

A few notes:
- I would have thought the (surprisingly aggressive) song "Surfin' Safari" would stand out more on its album and that "Surfin' USA" would be penalized a bit more for the Chuck Berry derivation
- Maybe a little jarring to see "I Saw Her Standing There" so far ahead of "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
- "Baby's In Black" seems better than "No Reply" to me
- You probably rate "Mr. Moonlight" higher than any serious critic in the world 😉
- Some quick math shows that the ratings for these albums aren't that much higher than their songs' weighted averages. Are they particularly incohesive to you and penalized accordingly is that just a function of how the lower end of the scale works now?

BTW have you seen Scaruffi's review of Katy Perry? Probably the single funniest line in his whole website out of and even more so in context! 🤣 🤣 🤣 https://www.scaruffi.com/vol7/perry.html

I tossed the two Surfin’s back and forth, even leaving them blank while rating the rest … may still change

I Saw Her Standing There is the quintessence of their early spirit and aggression and the effort to break from mundanity and conservative love songs. Of course I Want to Hold Your Hand holds its own in regards this with its enthusiasm.

No Reply is unusually angry with impressive pathos, emotional exhaustion (addition to its expressions of angry/pained heartbreak it is the exhausted and frustrated aftermath of peak Beatlemania, relentless demands, touring, schedule). One of Lennons very best vocal performances pre …White Album? It exorcises his pain/frustration in a way that marks an early allusion to Plastic Ono Band.

A 4.0? Dont most think this album is one of Beethovens 2nd tier symphonies, merely a notch below the 9th, from the greatest artists ever?

Math… yes, as one gets lower and lower the tracks are more and more impactfully empty and thus get less and less capable of producing accumulation (basically, for that reason of being more “empty” without the qualitative force to immerse one beyond a very superficial or fleeting, again empty, sort that is too weak/fleeting to yield gain). Lack of cohesion is also a factor.

Hadn’t seen that zinger yet! Scaruffi still a gangsta in his old age! 🤣

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DelBocaVista — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 22:49:20 GMT

Author: DelBocaVista

Posted: 08/09/2026 02:49

AfterHours wrote:

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DelBocaVista — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 11:21:58 GMT

Author: DelBocaVista

Posted: 08/08/2026 15:21

Just a quick thing about Revolver. I think the way you put it on the previous page captures what I’ve basically felt about the nature and lack of purpose of much of the album’s psychedelic qualities. Given the presence of actual psychedelic songs (TNK first and foremost and cough-She Said She Said is underrated-cough) and the various bits of arrangement, sound processing, and engineering on the album, one might think of it as some kind of psychedelic concept album, but most of the psychedelic qualities are gratuitous. The melodies carry most of the weight of the emotional/conceptual expression on the album and, while it’s tempting to think of the other elements as ADDING layers of expression, they mostly don’t jive with the inner layers (they’re counterproductive when in attempt to compensate for underdeveloped songs, and only novelties when rooted in sound-exploration-in-itself).

For example, “And Your Bird Can Sing” is about feeling disrespected by a colleague, but then why the surreal textures? Are we supposed to think of it as “feeling disrespected by a trusted colleague WHILE ON DRUGS”?. Same with “Eleanor Rigby”. “Feeling said for all the lonely people WHILE ON DRRUGS”?. Etc.
At best, they were just showing how typical emotions and perceptions are distorted by drugs, which is maybe an authentic point to make, and maybe true to the superficial concept of what psychedelic art even is, but not nearly as expressive (and I don’t mean as concepts in and of themselves philosophically, but in the potential for them to come across in art) as others who used it to gaze inward psychologically (Tim Buckley) or outward/in space (Pink Floyd) or to express the cultural liberation of doing one or the other (San Francisco bands).

At worst, this is something akin to pop art in that both the content and the “wrapping” are shallow, but without the conceptual purpose of that double shallowness found in actual pop art (ironic, because Revolver is rooted in mod sounds, which are a kind of pop art, as Pete Townsend had claimed already in 1965) and doesn’t compare well with more explicit examples of pop art in rock (the Fugs’ second album, recorded in January and February 1966 and Zappa’s “Freak Out”, recorded in March 1966). I do think it edges out “Rubber Soul” thanks to a few strong songs, but the albums are not as easily comparable as Scaruffi claims. “Rubber Soul” is not just more organic, but its mood is more “hippie” than “mod” (I know that culture’s music had just barely begun to emerge live and that the culture itself was too new for them to have absorbed)

Re: Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

DelBocaVista — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 10:47:08 GMT

Author: DelBocaVista

Posted: 08/08/2026 14:47

AfterHours wrote: