The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project

It has been a really long time since I listened to this all the way through. In the day, I listened to this more than Siamese Dream. these days I listen to Siamese Dream more. I think their first three records are all excellent. Didn’t really care for much after.
 
Lee Newman said:
8/14/23
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The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Inifnite Sadness



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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpk

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins released in 1995. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
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An incredibly ambitious record that's probably a little bloated, but that overindulgence is also part of what makes these lofty projects so much fun to unpeel and discover. I admire the bravery. Siamese Dream was a lightning in a bottle moment and that's firmly wedged at #1 but I think Gish and this behemoth flip flop between 2 and 3 depending on the day.
 
Lee Newman said:
8/14/23
View attachment 179955
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Inifnite Sadness



www.allmusic.com

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpk

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins released in 1995. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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I had this and Siamese Dream on CD. I don't know if I ever even listened to this entire album but I do love the singles. I'll have to try to play the whole thing sometime this week.
 
Lee Newman said:
8/11/23
Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles
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a good album, and I like the novelty of having each side dedicated to either swing or ballads, but I personally prefer soul music pioneer Ray Charles to pop crooner Ray Charles. 4/5
favs: It Had to Be You, Just for a Thrill, Alexander's Ragtime Band
least fav: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
 
Joe Mac said:
This one gets lots of acclaim. It’s got good singles. But it’s a bad double album. Bloated and it runs out of steam at the end of each record. Half good half boring. Siamese Dream is streets ahead. 2.5/5
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There's a lot of great B Sides from this era that could have definitely subbed in for some of the album tracks. I actually listened to Mellon Collie the least of the early Smashing Pumpkins albums at the time. But my neighbor had The Aeroplanes Fly High box set and we would listen to that all the time.
 
Lee Newman said:
8/14/23
View attachment 179955
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Inifnite Sadness



www.allmusic.com

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpk

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins released in 1995. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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My favorite by them. I've never been of the opinion that it would be better as a single album; I love the massive journey it is, and wouldn't cut a single track. 5/5.
 
dbarila said:
There's a lot of great B Sides from this era that could have definitely subbed in for some of the album tracks. I actually listened to Mellon Collie the least of the early Smashing Pumpkins albums at the time. But my neighbor had The Aeroplanes Fly High box set and we would listen to that all the time.
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I had this box too. It was a great set. Each of the 5 singles had at least 3 or 4 really legit B-Sides. Compliments the album nicely. Kinda wish I hadn’t sold it off when I traded in all my CDs to the local 15 years ago.
 
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My first concert ever was supposed to be The Smashing Pumpkins on their Infinite Sadness tour. My best friend growing up got his parents to take us and another friend to the show for his birthday. I had to buy the tix with my paper route money and was very stoked. Problem was they mailed out progress reports right before the concert and I was getting a “D” in algebra so I was grounded and part of my punishment was that I couldn’t go to the concert. My friends offered to take the ticket and try to sell it for me but being a music weirdo, I passed on the opportunity and decided to keep the ticket a a “souvenir” since I couldn’t go.

The story has a happy ending as I learned to always make sure, during progress report season; to drive home quickly in between the end of my school day and the start of football practice to intercept the mail before my mom had a chance to go through it. I also had a friend steal some of my math teachers stationary and had another friend forge hand written weekly “updates” that my mom had required for me to become ungrounded. Looking back at it now it probably woulda been easier to just try harder at algebra but I digress. These steps allowed me to make it to my first concert the following April to see Beck on his Odelay tour and 23 years later I would also finally get to see the Smashing Pumpkins live it was a terrific show.
 
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So. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness... sure every song on it isn't 1979 or Bullet with Butterfly Wings, but I don't think any songs are bad either. I think it is ambitious and that ambition made it long (THERE IS A SIX HOUR VERSION ON SPOTIFY, Please god no.) - that is really its only fault and I don't really think that is that big of a deal. The focus of Siamese Dream does give that album a slight edge. I do think this is better than Gish. Only other SP albums I think are worth listening to are Zeitgeist and Oceania. Zwan was also pretty good. 4 stars.
 
08/15/23
ab67616d0000b27331521abf3574d6f66084f366

Jack White - Blunderbuss



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Blunderbuss - Jack White | Album | AllMusic

Blunderbuss by Jack White released in 2012. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
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I enjoyed this album very much when it came out. I don't know when I last listened to it. It would appear to be more than six years since it does show up in my Last.fm. I don't think that it would have made a list of 1000 for me. As maligned as it is, Boarding House Reach might because it was at least something different. My memory of this was that it sounded like White Stripes turned up to 11. I think I like Raconteurs and Dead Weather better than the Stripes and his solo work because there are other strong artistic voices in those groups.
 
Lee Newman said:
08/15/23
ab67616d0000b27331521abf3574d6f66084f366

Jack White - Blunderbuss



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Blunderbuss - Jack White | Album | AllMusic

Blunderbuss by Jack White released in 2012. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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Weird that I just heard a Jack White song on the way home from work and was thinking about how I still like The White Stripes, and The Ranconteurs, but I've never liked much of his solo work.
 
I have a lot of respect for Jack White for what he has done with Third Man and as a champion of indie music. But I do think he is overrated as a songwriter and artist, beyond the early White Stripes stuff. I’ ve tried to get into his solo stuff, but I just can’t feel it.
Sixteen Saltlines has a great riff and there are some really good ideas here, but the album never really takes off. 2/5

I have a LOT to say about Smashing Pumpkins though, but will have to wait until I get some time to sit down and write.
 
Lee Newman said:
08/15/23
ab67616d0000b27331521abf3574d6f66084f366

Jack White - Blunderbuss



www.allmusic.com

Blunderbuss - Jack White | Album | AllMusic

Blunderbuss by Jack White released in 2012. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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It’s fine. This and the second one are fine. The acoustic one was quite good. Everything after is a steaming hot pile of horse shit. 2/5 seems fairish. Not one 1001 that I feel I someone must experience before they croak.

White more generally. Like stripes first four. Don’t mind the last two. Didn’t enjoy the raconteurs bar that steady as she goes song. Never bothered with the dead weather.
 
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