880. Music Has The Right to Children

Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
1998

Tracks
1. Wildlife Analysis
2. An Eagle In Your Mind
3. The Color Of The Fire
4. Telephasic Workshop
5. Triangles & Rhombuses
6. Sixtyten
7. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
8. Kaini Industries
9. Bocuma
10. Roygbiv
11. Rue The Whirl
12. Aquarius
13. Olson
14. Pete Standing Alone
15. Smokes Quantity
16. Open The Light
17. One Very Important Thought

I know electronica probably seems overrepresented to me because I don't like it, but I feel secure in speculating that this is the 700th techno album we've had on this List. So yay, another milestone.

I guess this sounded something like Brian Eno. But it doesn't feel much different from the 699 electronica albums we've had before. Just dull background music that doesn't seem to lift a finger in regards to engaging its listener.

And there's also a sanctimonious note at the end about the dangers of censorship. Entirely skippable.

RATING: 2/5 

879. Devil Without a Cause

Devil Without a Cause
Kid Rock
1998

Tracks
1. Bawitdaba (Greenpoint Brooklyn)
2. Cowboy
3. Devil Without A Cause
4. I Am The Bullgod
5. Roving Gangster Rollin'
6. Wasting Time
7. Welcome 2 The Party (Ode 2 The Old Skool)
8. I Got One For Ya
9. Somebody's Gotta Feel This
10. Fist Of Rage
11. Only God Knows Why
12. Fuck Off (Shaniqua Cooper)
13. Where U At Rock
14. Black Chick White Guy

We are truly in a stretch of terrible to "that wasn't so bad, I guess" albums, and I hope that something comes along soon to rescue us. At least we have XTC on the horizon. I get the feeling the Listmakers are getting more unsure of themselves the closer we get to the present.

We are once again treated to songs that run the gamut from racist to sexist, according to your pleasure. He's obnoxious, not shocking or revolutionary. Eminem recorded a verse in "Fuck Off," and apparently that experience made him never want to work with Kid Rock again. 

Annoying, immature, and unoriginal.  

RATING: 2/5

877. Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader
Korn
1998

Tracks
1. It's On
2. Freak On A Leash
3. Got The Life
4. Dead Bodies Everywhere
5. Children Of The Korn
6. BBK
7. Pretty
8. All In The Family
9. Reclaim My Place
10. Justin
11. Seed
12. Cameltosis
13. My Gift To You
14. Earache My Eye

So we are currently just ping-ponging from nu metal to electronica, which in my opinion are the only two radio stations in hell. Hopefully, someone like Nick Cave will come along soon and remind us that other styles of music exist.

Korn is bearable sometimes. Surprisingly (based on the title), my favorite track was "Dead Bodies Everywhere." Most of the time, though, they were incredibly obnoxious and immature, with braindead lyrics and generic thrash tracks.

I would imagine even people who liked a few of these songs would find an hour and ten minutes of this style of music wearing. 

RATING: 2/5

876. OK

OK
Talvin Singh
1998

Tracks
1. Traveller
2. Butterfly
3. Sutrix
4. Mombasstic
5. Decca
6. Eclipse
7. OK
8. Light
9. Disser/Point.Mento.B
10. Soni
11. Vikram The Vampire

This is techno music with a twist, the twist being that Talvin Singh incorporates Asian and Indian elements into the style.

Which makes it more interesting than your average electronica album. Of course, to me, your average electronica is pretty damn boring, so perhaps this isn't saying much. I actually think the album peaked with its first track, which had an Indian orchestral string section that was really astounding. The rest of the album was much less memorable and sounded dated, with the exception of "OK" which had cool vocals.

But "Decca" was just plain weird.

RATING: 3/5

875. Moon Safari

Moon Safari
Air
1998

Tracks
1. La Femme D'argent
2. Sexy Boy
3. All I Need
4. Kelly Watch The Stars
5. Talisman
6. Remember
7. You Make It Easy
8. Ce Matin-Là
9. New Star In The Sky
10. Jeanne

So more electronica, which is not my cup of drug-laced tea. But this actually felt like more of a throwback than the other recent electronica albums on the List and I enjoyed it just a tad more than other entries.

Notably, there were a few tracks I liked, which doesn't happen very often for me with electronica albums. I liked "Remember" and "You Make Me It Easy." This is probably because those songs resembled Everything But the Girl and Belle and Sebastian more than, let's say, L.T.J. Bukem. 

Still, not my steez. 

RATING: 3/5

874. Queens of the Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
1998

Tracks
1. Regular John
2. Avon
3. If Only
4. Walkin' On The Sidewalks
5. You Would Know
6. How To Handle A Rope
7. Mexicola
8. Hispanic Impressions
9. You Can't Quit Me Baby
10. Give The Mule What He Wants
11. I Was A Teenage Hand Model

This album is labelled "stoner rock" which I guess makes sense because there are some psychedelic elements here. Still, I tend to associate stoner music with chill hop. This felt too energetic to be really deserving of the phrase.

I guess it's more about heavy, fat sounds, which can be found throughout the entire album. I didn't find it the most memorable or varied entry, but it was still enjoyable while it lasted. And it's definitely more interesting than any metal.

I don't think this was necessarily essential listening, but entertaining nonetheless

.

RATING: 3/5

873. System of a Down

System of a Down
System of a Down
1998

Tracks
1. Suite-Pee
2. Know
3. Sugar
4. Suggestions
5. Spiders
6. DDevil
7. Soil
8. War?
9. Mind
10. Peephole
11. Cubert
12. Darts
13. P.L.U.C.K.

Ugh more metal. This is nu-metal, which distinguishes itself by blending other styles together. But metal has such a, um, shall we say, strong personality? It still retains its texture even if you throw in other elements. And I just hate this particular texture.

My distaste for this style of music is painstakingly documented on this blog, so I won't harp on it too much. I guess these guys did get political in their lyrics, which certainly makes it more interesting. Of course, it was very difficult to discern what they were saying.

In the end, I find it amounts to the same thing, whether it wants to call itself nu metal, old metal, or thrash metal: headache-inducing noise. 

RATING: 2/5

872. Deserter's Songs

Deserter's Song
Mercury Rev
1998

Tracks
1. Holes
2. Tonite It Shows
3. Endlessly
4. I Collect Coins
5. Opus 40
6. Hudson Line
7. The Happy End (The Drunk Room)
8. Goddess On A Hiway
9. The Funny Bird
10. Pick Up If You're There
11. Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

Another very likable album. Considering what it is coming up next, I won't venture to say we are on a streak of good albums. But it's a nice reprieve.

Unlike some of the other recent albums on the List, which are firmly stamped by the 90s, this album sounds like it could have come out five years ago, or fifty years ago. It just had a really unique and timeless sound. If I had to equate it to something we've had before, it would be Neil Young or Nick Cave.

I had never heard of this before, so I am grateful to the List for introducing us. Even if the ending sounded like it was the soundtrack to a weird silent film. 

RATING: 4/5

871. Celebrity Skin

Celebrity Skin
Hole
1998

Tracks
1. Celebrity Skin
2. Awful
3. Hit So Hard
4. Malibu
5. Reasons To Be Beautiful
6. Dying
7. Use Once & Destroy
8. Northern Star
9. Boys On The Radio
10. Heaven Tonight
11. Playing Your Song
12. Petals

I really enjoyed the previous Hole album on the List. Some people have noted that the previous Hole album had a lot of input from Kurt Cobain. Obviously, this one didn't. I thought there might be a significant dip in quality, but thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case.

I still love the vocals, which remind me of Liz Phair. Courtney Love wrote all the lyrics to this album, and they really show how talented she is. I think a lot of people dismiss her as Cobain's wife/killer. But she's a great musician in her own right, and probably didn't do it. Probably.

So another great Hole album with smart, punchy songs that are just a tad creepy.

RATING: 

870. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
1998

Tracks
1. Intro
2. Lost Ones
3. To Zion
4. Doo Wop (That Thing)
5. Final Hour
6. I Used To Love Him
7. Forgive Them Father
8. Every Ghetto Every City
9. Everything Is Everything
10. Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
11. Tell Him

Well, I must say I am disappointed. 

I really liked Lauryn Hill's contributions on the previous Fugees album we had here. This wasn't nearly as impressive. It was by no means awful, but I get the sense she couldn't settle on a sound. It seems like she didn't know if she wanted to move in a hip hop or R&B direction. It could be that she was trying to fuse the two, but the result wasn't exactly memorable.

So another meh album. Hopefully something really good comes along soon.

RATING: 3/5

869. Ray of Light

Ray of Light
Madonna
1998

Tracks
1. Drowned World/Substitute For Love
2. Swim
3. Ray of Light
4. Candy Perfume Girl
5. Skin
6. Nothing Really Matters
7. Sky Fits Heaven
8. Shanti/Ashtangi
9. Frozen
10. The Power Of Good-Bye
11. To Have And Not To Hold
12. Little Star
13. Mer Girl

Madonna decided to release a trip hop album. The result is surprisingly boring, but at least she is trying to evolve her sound.

I expect to recognize nearly every song on a Madonna record, but I was only familiar with "Ray of Light" from this album. I guess this is because these songs aren't as radio friendly as her other hits have been in the past. Maybe trip hop hadn't hit the mainstream America yet, so this was mistaken for revolutionary. But this will sound stale to anybody who was keeping with other trip hop bands at the time, like Portishead for example.

Overall, I thought it was a little dull and too long, but not terrible.

RATING: 3/5

868. This is Hardcore

This is Hardcore
Pulp
1998

Tracks
1. The Fear
2. Dishes
3. Party Hard
4. Help The Aged
5. This Is Hardcore
6. TV Movie
7. A Little Soul
8. I'm A Man
9. Seductive Barry
10. Sylvia
11. Glory Days
12. The Day After The Revolution

I actually listened to this album a couple days ago, but was all album-posted out. I usually like to write my post ASAP after listening to the entry so everything is fresh in my mind. But this one is a little stale.

I still liked it, I liked the grunge aspect of it, which we've kind of moved away from lately. I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the previous Pulp album on the List, as this felt less accessible. The tracks were longer and it felt like they were more desperate to prove their edginess here. Still, Jarvis Cocker remains a very sexy vocalist.

Not terrible by any means, but I was expecting something better.

RATING: 3/5

867. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
1998

Tracks
1. Right In Time
2. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
3. 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
4. Drunken Angel
5. Concrete And Barbed Wire
6. Lake Charles
7. Can't Let Go
8. I Lost It
9. Metal Firecracker
10. Greenville
11. Still I Long For Your Kiss
12. Joy
13. Jackson

This is music clearly meant to be blasted with the windows down and the wind blowing through your lovely long hair. Like Sheryl Crow, but more country.

For some people, I'm sure this album has too much of a pop sheen to be worthy of respect. But I enjoyed it. Songs like "Joy" and "Jackson" felt very folksy to me, especially with what she was doing with the vocals.

Maybe not the most memorable album but still fun.

RATING: 4/5

866. White Ladder

White Ladder
David Gray
1998

Tracks
1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. My Oh My
4. We're Not Right
5. Nightblindness
6. Silver Lining
7. White Ladder
8. This Years Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello Wave Goodbye

Our recent Dylan album from 1966 made me nostalgic for older folk music. In a lot of ways, this is a throwback to the sounds of Dylan's time. 

Still, it comes with a 90s twist, which you can identify by the heavy use of beats throughout the album. Some people might view this as a distortion of the sound, but I think of it as a way of updating the style for a new era.

I really liked the main vocals as well, they really suited this style of music. Dylan would be proud. Or would he? I can't read that man very well.

RATING: 4/5

865. You've Come a Long Way Baby

You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
1998

Tracks
1. Right Here Right Now
2. Rockafeller Skank
3. Fucking In Heaven
4. Gangster Trippin'
5. Build It Up Tear It Down
6. Kalifornia
7. Soul Surfing
8. You're Not From Brighton
9. Praise You
10. Love Island
11. Acid 8000

I think it is cruel to use a random picture of a fat guy for the cover of your album. The guy's just trying to attend the Fat People's Festival (that's really where he was, I swear) in peace. Imagine trying to get away with that in 2020.

This album contains the most popular Fatboy Slim tracks. I didn't expect to be as familiar with these songs as I was; this type of music has never really been my scene. Still, Fatboy Slim should get applause for this album. They managed to make dance music that can appeal to mass audiences outside of a club context. That's no easy feat.

It still gets wearing after awhile, but it's not nearly as repetitive as some of the other big beat albums we have had here.

RATING: 3/5

864. Apocalypse Dudes

Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
1998

Tracks
1. The Age Of Pamparius
2. Selfdestructo Bust
3. Get It On
4. Rock Against Ass
5. Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker
6. Rendezvous With Anus
7. Zillion Dollar Sadist
8. Prince Of The Rodeo
9. Back To Dungaree High
10. Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)
11. Monkey On Your Back
12. Humiliation Street
13. Good Head

I was riding high with Mermaid Ave, so naturally the List had to drag me down with this album, which has a track called "Rendezvous With Anus". Heavy metal is still attempting to shock us with its obscenity in 1998. I think you're a little late to the party guys.

That being said, this certainly isn't the worst metal album on the List. There wasn't much variety, but they seemed to be more influenced by punk bands than other metal bands.  I'll take punk over metal any day.

Also, they sounded like they were having fun, which is rare with this style of music. 

RATING: 2/5

863. Mermaid Avenue

Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg & Wilco
1998

Tracks
1. Walt Whitman's Niece
2. California Stars
3. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
4. Birds And Ships
5. Hoodoo Voodoo
6. She Came Along To Me
7. At My Window Sad And Lonely
8. Ingrid Bergman
9. Christ For President
10. I Guess I Planted
11. One By One
12. Eisler On The Go
13. Hesitating Beauty
14. Another Man's Done Gone
15. The Unwelcome Guest

Billy Bragg teamed up with Wilco to record selected songs from Woody Guthrie's back catalogue. And the result is pretty amazing.

I really did not enjoy the previous Billy Bragg album on the List, but I have been consistently impressed with Wilco. They are not the musical dream team that I would personally assemble, but they actually really work well together here. The arrangements here are just simple and easy to listen to, with "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" being my personal favorite.

A really great tribute to a legend.

RATING: 5/5

862. Clandestino

Clandestino
Manu Chao
1998

Tracks
1. Clandestino
2. Desaparecido
3. Bongo Bong
4. Je Ne T'Aime Plus
5. Mentira...
6. Lagrimas de Oro
7. Mama Call
8. Luna y Sol
9. Por el Suelo
10. Welcome to Tijuana
11. Dia Lina... Dia Pena
12. Malegria
13. Vie a
14. Minha Galera
15. Despedida
16. Viento

So this is a real melting pot of an album. Manu Chao is a French-Spanish guy, performing Latin music. Which is an odd choice from the Listmakers. You'd think if they wanted to include more Latin music on the List, they would choose an artist who is actually from South America.

Cultural appropriation aside, this wasn't for me. I don't speak Spanish, so it's obviously a bit difficult for me to connect to this anyway. But I just found the songs either forgettable or mildly grating.

I feel like this could be easily replaced by a superior album of its genre.

RATING: 2/5

861. Live 1966

Live 1966
Bob Dylan
1998

Tracks

CD 1

1. She Belongs To Me
2. Fourth Time Around
3. Visions Of Johanna
4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
5. Desolation Row
6. Just Like A Woman
7. Mr. Tambourine Man

CD 2

1. Tell Me, Momma
2. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
3. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
4. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
5. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
6. One Too Many Mornings
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
8. Like A Rolling Stone

Our introduction to 1998 is actually a bootleg album from a 1966 Bob Dylan concert. It's strange listening to music from that era again after being so fully immersed in the 90s. I missed it!

The first half of this album is Dylan alone on stage, performing an acoustic set. He then moves into a more electric sound, which the audience does not take to very kindly. I couldn't really make out what the hecklers were yelling, but Dylan was unruffled by it all. I mean, he was probably on drugs at the time, but it's still impressive how little he was affected by the haters.

But there are always haters when art evolves. This album certainly marks an evolution in folk music. It's also the closest you will get to attending a concert in 2020.

RATING: 4/5