AllMusic's Scores

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For 17,234 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 31% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.4 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Marshall Mathers LP
Lowest review score: 20 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14,355 out of 17234
  2. Mixed: 2,857 out of 17234
  3. Negative: 22 out of 17234
17234 music reviews
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    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Beatles [White Album] [50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition]
    As good as Martin's remix is--it may not be as revelatory as his stereo remix of Sgt. Pepper in 2017, but it does manage the trick of sounding rich and bold without betraying the feel of the original--the real appeal of this deluxe reissue is the unreleased material, all presented in sparkling fidelity. This high fidelity is especially welcome on the Esher demos. ... Taken on their own, the session tapes are absorbing listening, but they also have the side effect of making the finished The Beatles not seem like a mess, but rather a deft, cleverly constructed album that accurately reflects the abundant creativity of these sessions.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin IV [Remastered]
    Expanding on the breakthroughs of III, Zeppelin fuse their majestic hard rock with a mystical, rural English folk that gives the record an epic scope.... A song or two feels slightly different--"Misty Mountain Hop" jumps a bit as it seems to groove a little bit stronger--but by and large this [supplemental] disc shows that as a producer, Page not only knew where he wanted to go but he knew how to get it right the first time.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols. 1 & 2 [Reissue]
    The main difference between the two albums is that the first volume retains a sense of discovery, whereas the second is made with the confidence that this particular formula works. In either case, the two albums -- whether heard individually or as a pair, as they so often are -- aren't so much complements but of a piece, music that changed the course of popular music and remains a testament to the genius of Ray Charles.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    London Calling [25th Anniversary Legacy Edition]
    It's fitting that an album that truly deserves an expanded edition not only gets the deluxe edition it deserves, but one that makes a convincing argument that the sometimes ridiculous practice of expanded, multi-disc editions has a purpose after all.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    What's Going On [40th Anniversary Edition]
    What's Going On was Marvin Gaye's masterwork, the most perfect expression of an artist's hope, anger, and concern ever recorded.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Sticky Fingers [Deluxe Edition]
    The real selling point to both the Deluxe Edition and especially the Super Deluxe Editions are the live material. The second disc is rounded out with five selections from the Roundhouse in 1971, killers every one, but they're eclipsed by the first official release of Get Yer Leeds Lungs Out on the third disc of the Super Deluxe Editions.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Tago Mago [40th Anniversary Edition]
    Can released not merely one of the best Krautrock albums of all time, but one of the best albums ever, period.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Complete Columbia Album Collection
    Just by its sheer size, a box this mammoth isn't for everybody but The Complete Columbia Album Collection restores warmth, heart, and mess to an artist whose legacy was turning into a monochromatic myth.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11
    These sly revisions gave the 1975 album a slight veneer that's been stripped away by this unfussy, startlingly clear remastering, but the big difference is that the chronological sequence on The Basement Tapes Complete gives the set a narrative.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Live in Europe 1967: Best of the Bootleg, Vol. 1
    The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1: Live in Europe 1967 box is an essential addition to the catalog.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ten Freedom Summers
    Ten Freedom Summers is his magnum opus; it belongs in jazz's canonical lexicon with Duke Ellington's Black Brown & Beige and Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Girly-Sound to Guyville [Box Set]
    Much of the spooky sparseness of Girly-Sound was stripped away on Exile in Guyville, which in this context feels big, bold, and colorful--not the beginning of something, but rather the culmination of fearless bedroom exploration. When paired, it's impossible to deny that both Exile and Girly-Sound retain their artful power: What's amazing about this reissue is, it points out how distinct those two projects are.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-1966
    By breaking down the barriers that separated these three albums, The Cutting Edge shows how for Dylan during this blinding, brilliant peak his music was a living thing, evolving from song to song, take to take, where the quest itself was as transcendent as the final destination.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Blue Lines: 2012 Mix/Master
    Flaunting both their range and their tremendously evocative productions, Massive Attack recorded one of the best dance albums of all time.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fetch the Bolt Cutters
    Rage sits alongside heartache and humor, the shifts in mood occurring with a dramatic flair and a disarming playfulness. The unpredictable nature feels complex and profoundly human, resulting in an album that's nourishing and joyfully cathartic.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin III [Remastered]
    While there is still a handful of metallic rockers, III is built on a folky, acoustic foundation that gives the music extra depth.... Of the first three reissues, Led Zeppelin III contains the highest quotient of unheard tunes: precisely two, although one of these doesn't quite feel new.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Houses of the Holy [Remastered]
    Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural.... This Houses Of The Holy supplement ultimately confirms that Page and Zeppelin made the right choices the first time around.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sound System [Box Set]
    This is as complete as we'll get and if it doesn't present any fresh revelations, it brings the Clash's era back to life, both sonically and visually.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings [Box Set]
    While it's true that all this music is easy to find elsewhere, it's also true that Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings sounds sterling and is presented with thought and care, so anybody looking to dive into these classic recordings will find this a fine intro.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Physical Graffiti [Remastered]
    Like most of the Zeppelin reissues, the alternate versions reaffirm that Page made the right decisions the first time around, but these seven versions all make for worthy listening in their own right.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Picture of Bunny Rabbit
    So much of Russell's work contained a playful curiosity, but that sweet character never felt so apparent as it did with the delicate intensity of World of Echo. Picture of Bunny Rabbit's continuance of that pure spirit is a gift to anyone with a special place in their heart for Russell, and even more evidence of just how peerless he was an artist.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    SMiLE
    Infectious and hummable, to be sure, and a remarkably unified, irresistible piece of pop music, but no musical watershed on par with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Wilson's masterpiece, Pet Sounds.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Van Lear Rose
    The brilliance of Van Lear Rose is not just how the two approaches complement each other, but how the record captures the essence of Loretta Lynn's music even as it has flourishes that are distinctly Jack.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Greatest Generation
    If you're a fan of autumnal pop that wears its heart on its sleeve as it shouts its feelings out to anyone who will listen and you're not a fan of these guys, The Greatest Generation is here to realign your priorities for you.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Early Years 1967-1972 [Box Set]
    Because so much of this music is raw--it's alternately live, unfinished, and improvisatory--the box underscores how Pink Floyd were an underground band right up until Dark Side. Decades later, these recordings still feel boundless: this was music made without a destination in mind and the journey remains thrilling.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Kid A Mnesia
    As a snapshot of this crucial turning point in the Radiohead discography, Kid A Mnesia presents a band taking its first steps into a thrilling new phase, one that would alter their trajectory and push them further into the unknown.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin I [Remastered]
    Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal.... Zeppelin never felt this nervy again: they harnessed their majesty and knew how to deploy it, but here it still seems like they weren't quite sure of their limits, which is why it's a particularly exciting bonus disc [a concert given at the Olympia in Paris in 1969].
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    How The West Was Won
    Songs that have grown overly familiar through years of play seem fresh and new because of these vigorous, muscular performances.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    To Pimp A Butterfly
    To Pimp a Butterfly is as dark, intense, complicated, and violent as Picasso's Guernica, and should hold the same importance for its genre and the same beauty for its intended audience.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ghosteen
    Cave hasn't played much honest-to-goodness rock & roll in the decade prior to this release, and in its place he's created something that's rich and emotionally potent, and he's truly mastered his own creation.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Little Match Girl Passion
    The sound of the SACD is vibrant, present, and life-like, particularly in the little match girl passion. Highly recommended for fans of new music.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Keep An Eye On The Sky
    [They were a creature of the studio and it] resulted in alternate mixes and instrumental scraps, the stuff that enthralls fetishists, sometimes justifiably so. Those are the listeners who will find Keep an Eye on the Sky most rewarding, but anybody who has loved the band will find something to cherish here.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Siamese Dream [Deluxe Edition]
    It's possible to appreciate just how much Butch Vig brought to Siamese Dream....This set is clearly designed with dedicated fans in mind, but for those diehards, this Deluxe Edition will offer many gems.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bloodstone & Diamonds
    This set is a major go; it extends the qualitative trajectory of The Blackening and Unto the Locust.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tunes 2011-2019
    All of these pieces have aged incredibly well since they originally appeared, and in some cases they're actually more engaging in retrospect -- they're so packed with details that even obsessive fans might have missed something before.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fully Qualified Survivor
    It digs deep into emotional territory by way of tight, almost suffocating songwriting and killer arrangements, making this one of the defining Brit folk-rock albums of the period. It holds up well in the 21st century as a true testament to the excellence of Chapman's craft.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything: 1970-1975 [Box Set]
    These aren't quite the track listings from 2008 but they're close enough and, more importantly, they offer a bunch of songs that were not on Five Guys.... That's good bang for the buck and a good enough reason for the die-hard fans to pony up for this music one more time.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The SMiLE Sessions
    Quibbles aside, everything about this package is richly detailed, immensely pleasing, and overall a wonderful experience.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Warner Bros. Years [Box Set]
    With the incentive of live material for old fans and the sheer brilliance on offer when these records are taken together, The Warner Bros. Years is a powerful testament to Earle's second act.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    National Treasures: The Complete Singles
    Through these two discs, the band's highs, tragedies, slumps, and comebacks are all evident.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    American Radical Patriot [Box Set]
    Guthrie truly believed that songs should be of social service, and when the country asked for his songs, he brought them, as any patriot would. That dozens of these songs are enduring, beautiful, and wise makes Guthrie even more than that. It makes him an American treasure.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Smithsonian Folkways Collection [Box Set]
    The Smithsonian Folkways Collection is a five-disc box set that represents the first attempt to offer a career-spanning overview of the career of a giant of American music, including 108 tracks, 16 of which see their first release on this collection.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Stankonia
    It takes a few listens to pull everything together, but given the immense scope, it's striking how few weak tracks there are. It's no wonder Stankonia consolidated OutKast's status as critics' darlings, and began attracting broad new audiences: its across-the-board appeal and ambition overshadowed nearly every other pop album released in 2000.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DAMN.
    It contains some of Lamar's best writing and performances, revealing his evolving complexity and versatility as a soul-baring lyricist and dynamic rapper.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin II [Remastered]
    While Led Zeppelin II doesn't have the eclecticism of the group's debut, it's arguably more influential. After all, nearly every one of the hundreds of Zeppelin imitators used this record, with its lack of dynamics and its pummeling riffs, as a blueprint.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rough and Rowdy Ways
    Rough and Rowdy Ways is akin to transformational albums such as Love and Theft, and Slow Train Coming. It's a portrait of the artist in winter who remains vital and enigmatic. At nearly 80, Dylan's pen and guitar case still hold plenty of magic.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Black Messiah
    The societal ruminations within the fiery judder of "1000 Deaths," the dreamy churn of "The Charade," and the falsetto blues of "Till It's Done," fueled as much by current planetary ills and race relations as the same ones that prompted the works of D'Angelo's heroes, strike the deepest.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (world war)
    Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is both a pinnacle of that bold creative musical vision and a tantalizing spark of what might have been.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Smash: The Singles 1985-2020 [Box Set]
    The pair has assembled this durable catalog almost without interruption, reliably delivering singles, albums, remixes, and EPs almost annually since their debut. Work ethic and quality don't always go hand in hand, but Pet Shop Boys have both in spades.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 1984-2014 [Box Set]
    While the lack of unreleased material might make it superfluous for serious fans, this remains a splendid summation of the work of a major artist who continues to create deeply personal, profoundly moving music.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Homecoming: The Live Album
    As far as concert albums go, Homecoming is a master class in technical prowess, crowd pleasing, and soulful substance. Channeling the spirit of African queen Nefertiti (whose image she adopted for this show), Beyoncé proved to be a ruler in her own right, lording over Coachella for two career-defining nights.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Singles: The Definitive 45's Collection
    The set contains much of Ra's more accessible work, making it an excellent (and very generous) introduction for newcomers, but there's also plenty of material that might've escaped notice from longtime fans.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings [Box Set]
    Those consumers in the market for the earliest Elvis will be satisfied by this, as it not only has everything in one convenient box but the addition of the live material does provide a nice coda to the familiar Sun sessions.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Appetite for Destruction: Super Deluxe Edition [Box Set]
    Although nothing here may eclipse the original Appetite for Destruction, everything added to this deluxe edition enhances the album, offering proof of Guns N' Roses's immense skill while also illustrating how the band captured lighting in a bottle on their debut.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Summerlong
    No longer masked by layers of texture, Summerlong allows Johnson to showcase his gifts for songwriting and psychedelic wandering in equal measure.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
    The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow stands as one of his best late-career master works.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Skeleton Tree
    Even by Cave's dour standards, Skeleton Tree is a tough listen, but it's also a powerful and revealing one, and a singular work from a one-of-a-kind artist.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Copper Blue [Deluxe Edition]
    A more aggressive, contemporary guitar attack aside, stunning power punk masterpieces like "The Act We Act," "The Slim," and "Fortune Teller" bear all of the vintage Mould musical traits.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Offering: Live at Temple University
    Offering works as a live culmination of Coltrane's musical journey, a homecoming and spiritual communion with the deep, creative forces that drove him right until the end of his life and, based on the music here, one can only assume beyond.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Start Together [Box Set]
    A beautiful collector's piece commemorating one of America's most vital indie bands.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Satan Is Real/Handpicked Songs 1955-1962
    Satan Is Real is music crafted by true believers sharing their faith, and its power goes beyond Christian doctrine into something at once deeply personal and truly universal, and the result is the Louvin Brothers' masterpiece.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Promise
    The Promise stands on its own as a great Bruce Springsteen record; it feels finished, focused, and, above all, offers more proof that Springsteen is one of the greatest rock and pop songwriters.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    As fatiguing as it is invigorating, as cold-blooded as it is heart-rending, as haphazardly splattered as it is meticulously sculpted, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an extraordinarily complex 70-minute set of songs.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) [OST]
    The track sequencing is skip-proof. This and the film belong in every library on the planet.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    One Wing
    On their fifth album, One Wing, the Chariot avoid the pitfalls that have caught up many a band, striking just the right balance between technique and raw fury to create a sound that is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Livelong Day
    The Livelong Day is a challenging album made up of long, droning songs with numerous verses and arcane sounds. It will not be for everyone, but to the discerning listener, its dark majesty is well worth the engagement.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Liquid Swords [The Chess Box]
    Overall, though, Liquid Swords is possibly the most unsettling album in the Wu canon (even ahead of Ol' Dirty Bastard), and it ranks with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx as one of the group's undisputed classics.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Kickin Child: Lost Columbia Album 1965
    Kickin’ Child not only ranks with Dion’s best (standing between career highlights "Runaround Sue" and "Abraham Martin and John"), but it's absolutely one of the greatest folk-rock records ever.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    To Bring You My Love: The Demos
    Since so much of the album's power resides in its stunning production, this set might be slightly less revelatory than some of Harvey's other demo albums. Nevertheless, die-hard fans will savor the glimpse into her creative process that To Bring You My Love: The Demos provides.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Motomami
    Motomami is as provocative and risky as it is creative. It showcases Rosalía as a master, twisting together the contradictory strands of Latin and Anglo pop with traditional and vanguard forms and fresh sounds into a gloriously articulated radical approach that makes for obsessive listening.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Desire, I Want To Turn into You
    With Desire, I Want to Turn into You, Polachek breaks free from outside expectations and transforms her inner anxieties into an intoxicating pop euphoria.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Madvillainy
    Madvillainy's strength lies in its mix between seemingly obtuse beats, samples, MCing, and some straight-up hip-hop bumping.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Untitled (Rise)
    This group's most striking and affecting work yet.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Life's Rich Pageant
    Where previous records kept the rhythm section in the background, Pageant emphasizes the beat, and the band turns in its hardest rockers to date, including the anthemic "Begin the Begin" and the punky "Just a Touch."
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Crow Looked at Me
    This is a remarkably powerful and pure album.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Room 25
    Days after the album was released, she turned 27, yet she already sounds like a seasoned professional, and the immaculately crafted Room 25 is highly mature and immensely enjoyable. Simply remarkable.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Best Of The Black President [Reissue]
    The Best of the Black President is simply a stellar collection that bests any two-disc collection out there as it represents the continued evolution of Fela Kuti's music from the 1960s through the 1990s.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Some Girls [Deluxe Edition]
    Cagey as ever, the Stones hide which of these are full-fledged outtakes and which are recent refurbishments very well, but ultimately it doesn't matter: this is a tremendous expansion of a classic album by every measure.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Live At Reading
    Hints of this could be heard on the live comp From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, but this is a complete document of Nirvana in full flight and one of the greatest live rock & roll albums ever.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Love And Theft
    Not just his best album since Blood on the Tracks, but the loosest, funniest, warmest record he's made since The Basement Tapes.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads [2004 Version]
    The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is not only a vital document of an important, groundbreaking band on their way up, it's one of their best albums, easily surpassing Stop Making Sense.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Achtung Baby [Super Deluxe]
    Some of the remixes sound like little more than historical curios, but a surprising amount are either vigorous or imaginative and they all underscore how Achtung Baby truly was the first U2 album that could lend itself to these kind of mixes.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Renewal
    At 70 minutes, Renewal runs a bit long but its momentum never ceases and the extra space allows for Strings and his supple, intuitive band to push at the boundaries of where traditional and progressive bluegrass meet.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    L.A. Woman
    The charm of this edition is that the unreleased material is considerably looser than the finished album.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Returner
    Russell's story would be compelling enough on its own, but she also happens to be an engaging and unpredictable artist able to translate her vision effectively. The Returner is a very confident second record.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The 1966 Live Recordings [Box Set]
    The songs may remain the same but the performances are vibrant and alive. For the serious Dylanphile, that's reason enough to acquire this hefty box.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    My Dusty Road
    The set is both familiar and fresh-sounding at once.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy
    Despite the understated and lo-fi nature of the recording, Evenings at the Village Gate is a testament to their profound artistry and creative synergy.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Care For Me
    The album doesn't seek any big answers to make sense of a pointless death, but profoundly chronicles Saba's jagged path through the heartache as life continues.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Biokinetics [Reissue]
    Biokinetics is a stunning summation of the Basic Channel aesthetic.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
    It doesn't aim to reproduce the ebb and flow of his usual concert experience, instead aiming for an all-killer, no-filler experience, and it leaves no doubt why the audience got so caught up in this music.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Start Walkin' 1965-1976
    What sets Start Walkin' 1965-1976 apart from earlier comps from Rhino and Raven is that it's not strictly a hits collection. ... Instead, Start Walkin' 1965-1976 focuses on the stranger numbers within Sinatra's catalog -- hazy, symphonic psych-pop written and produced by Hazlewood. ... They help make for a convincing portrait of Nancy Sinatra as an idiosyncratic artist happily working within the confines of L.A.'s lushest studios.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    1979 [Box Set]
    Released to coincide with the albums' 40th anniversary and lovingly encased in a gnarly black biker jacket box, the vinyl-only collection includes half-speed mastered 180-gram vinyl reissues of Bomber and Overkill, a pair of double-live LPs featuring previously unreleased material from the era, a collection of B-sides and outtakes, a 40-page magazine, an Overkill sheet music book, a "No Class" 7" single, a Bomber tour program, and a 1979 badge set.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Pylon Box [Box Set]
    Though it's a shame that their 1990 reunion album Chain isn't acknowledged, Pylon Box is an otherwise near-flawless summation of a great and unique band, and it's absolutely worth every penny of its purchase price.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Blur 21
    There were plenty of other great British bands of the '90s but none of their peers--Oasis, Suede, Pulp, Radiohead--covered as much stylistic ground or wound up with a catalog as rich as this ridiculously generous box set handily proves.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Miles at the Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3
    Miles at the Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3 is an essential addition to the Davis canon.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Against the Odds 1974-1982 [Box Set]
    It's hard to call any of the unheard material a surprise, yet these demos, abandoned ideas, and working mixes help to add a dimension and perspective to Blondie's basic canon. Those original albums and, especially, the big hits are so familiar that they can seem set in stone, but when they're paired with these raw, unheard recordings, the group's nervy, arty spirit is resurrected, so it's possible to once again understand what made Blondie such a striking, special band at their peak.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Lemonade
    The cathartic and wounded moments here resonate in a manner matched by few, if any, of Beyoncé's contemporaries. She sometimes eclipses herself in terms of raw emotion, as on the throttling Jack White encounter "Don't Hurt Yourself." At the low-volume end, there's more power in the few seconds she chokes back tears while singing "Come back"--timed with the backing vocal in Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk on By"--than there is in most contemporary ballads.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Miles Davis at Newport: 1955-1975 The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4
    These performances mark the apotheosis of a creative journey that began at Newport two decades earlier.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ants From Up There
    The band seems to play as a single multi-armed unit, and yet Wood's tortured voice is at the very center of their palette. Black Country made a strong impression on their debut, but things become much more interesting with Ants from Up There.
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