Brewed a Session IPA during this album. Very hair, very 80s. Not exactly my favorite style, but dig the talent of the group.
Not in latest (2018) book.
Powerful album; especially the context of 9/11. The length of the album/songs keeps it from being 5 stars, but it's a great album.
Powerful album that takes me back to my "rebellious" youth. Listening to this album that my friend burned for me with "P-VDOP" written in sharpie in my Discman. Those were the days. Plus, these boys were local to me (DFW, TX area) and are legends here. 5 stars for sure.
A classic. This is one of the best albums of the 60s.
I thought I was all about 90s grunge, but I'd never heard of Sebadoh before. This album was one of the "low-fi" grunge records of the era that I missed. Was a neat album, but not something that will have the replay power of other grunge artists of the time. Definitely enjoyed it, but not enough to listen to over and over, thus the rating of 3.
Interesting album I would have never otherwise listened to. I dug the political tones of it; felt genuine. Not my favorite genre, but a good listen. I'll probably never listen to it again, but I get why it's highly regarded in the genre.
Lots of catchy pop tunes on this one. I'd give this one another listen anytime; really enjoyed it.
A classic. Great jazz notes and they nailed down the lead singer (Donald Fagen) in this album. Really dig it.
Really dig this album. Illegal Smile is a gem of a song.
Oof. I just didn't get it at all. I rarely give out 1-star ratings because I usually find some redeeming quality, or at least one song I kind of like. But not this one. There's not one song I ever want to hear again. Not one minute of one song. This album wasn't meant for me at all. Even knowing the context of the album (it was made right after he was paralyzed after falling 4 stories); didn't help at all.
The first heavy metal album of all time and it's by the Prince of Darkness. All-time great. \m/
Live at Folsom is so much better than this. Neat album, but not Johnny's best.
A 3 star album saved by the title track to 4 stars. Iconic guitar lick.
This would be so much better without lyrics. The music is insanely good, but Bowie's lyrics and singing on this album do nothing for me. I'm just not a huge fan at all of this album. Maybe he was making too many in the 70s.
Absolute fantastic album from someone I've never heard of before. I'm ~250 songs in to the 1,001 albums book, and this is the first one where I stopped what I was doing to read the lyrics as they were sung. I'm so happy I discovered this album and this artist. Will definitely be listening to more. Sigourney Weaver and Jesus Hates Faggots are the best, but the rest of the songs have fantastic melodies and harmonies. Really well done.
Not for me. Guitar was really good, but the voice is just not my style. Some really weird moments in this album, too.
Quite possibly the greatest live heavy metal album. Very well done all around: great symphony, great band, great crowd. Just a masterpiece of a live album.
One of the best voices of all time, but this was a chore to get through. Some fantastic standards, and the session musicians are fantastic. 5/5 for Ella's voice, 4/5 for the studio musicians (real talent, but the music was "beneath" their talents), but this is an absolute never listen to again album just because of its length, so that's a 3/5. Averages out to a 4.
Is sort of a generic 80s synth-pop album (which isn't a bad thing) until the last track. "Don't You Want Me" is quite possibly one of the best (if not THE best) pop songs from the 80s, that song alone bumps this album up a full star from 3/5 to 4/5 for me. Such a banger of a song.
Great music and lyrics, but I just can't get over his singing style. It's very distracting and oftentimes incoherent. I get why people like him, it's just not for me.
Interesting album from someone who was killed way too young. Lo fi is fun to put on in the background and I'd definitely spin this album again in the future. Good stuff.
Really liked the music, especially the classical aspects of the music, and his voice eventually grew up on me. 3.5/5.
Not my style. Some catchy riffs on some songs, but the psychedelic movement is not for me.
2.5/5
I respect the technical skill required to create this album, but just not my taste at all. Clearly the creator has talent, but the music did nothing for me, personally. Well orchestrated and arranged, but not to my personal musical tastes.
Amazing voice, what a national treasure she was.
A great voice, but other than the hits, the rest is sort of forgettable. Tina is a fantastic singer, but I was kind of bored, especially with the bland music. Normally a 2 star from me, but her talent carries it to a 3.5/5.
Good background music to work to. Not very memorable to me, but I still enjoyed it.
A masterpiece of thrash metal. One of my favorite albums of all time. "One" might be the best metal song of all time.
Some good songs, Back to Life and Jazzie's Groove were bangers. Other tracks were filler to me. Rapping with a heavy London accent has always seemed a little off to my American ears; nothing wrong with it, just not what I'm used to. Decent album, but definitely a product of its time and it hasn't aged well in my opinion. 2.5/5.
Big Wilco fan. This album was a great listen. Will definitely give a spin again in the future. Christ for President was my favorite and Hesitating Beauty was a great one too. Woody Guthrie could write great ones.
Nope. Not doing anything. I generally thought I like post-punk, I mean, I like (some) Talking Heads songs. But this was a chore to get through. I didn't enjoy listening to it at all. Some acid trip of pseudo-intellectual noise that has no defined structure at all. I understand that is the point of the album, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. 1.5/5.
One of the best albums ever. Every song is a jam. Already listened to this album 100 times, but it’s still so good.
Not my favorite album of all time. I knew BeeGees were a different sounding band before disco, but they are so much more interesting in the disco era now. Nothing here appealed to me at all. 2.5/5.
Very very British. Felt like I needed to revolt or something after this. But after I got over the super thick accent and the sing/rap style, it was a decent listen. Probably won't listen again, but it wasn't as bad as my initial impression was going to lead me to believe. 3.5/5.
Not my favorite The Beach Boys album. I really like Pet Sounds, and you can hear some of its proto-sound in this album, but it is not super strong in hits and shows how tired Brian Wilson was before the genius Pet Sounds album the next year. Surely some decent songs, but if Pet Sounds is a 5, this is a 3 for sure.
Great early punk. Laid the blueprint for more famous/successful acts. One of the better proto-punk albums to me. 4.5/5.
Fairly decent 70s rock. Good sound and highly polished. Never heard anything other than Bad Company's hits, so was nice to hear other B-sides. Favorite was The Way I Choose. Solid album.
A masterpiece by a musical genius. Cat Stevens is a master storyteller. Wish we could have more music by him, but his personal and religious choices are his own. Songs of my youth all abound here (it's before my time, but Cat Stevens was a mainstay in my house growing up). Wild World and Father and Son are some of the best songs ever to grace my ears and I get tears listening to them to this day. Some weaker songs make this a 4.5/5, but I just can't give this album, that meant so much to me growing up, anything other than a 5/5.
Fantastic album. Some absolute classics here. Not the biggest Neil Young fan, but this is solid songwriting.
Rod's voice is iconic and "Stay With Me" is an all-out banger of a song. If it had a couple more hits, it would be a perfect classic rock album.
I recognize that people like this, but it's just not for me. Some good beats and all, but will likely never listen to this album again.
Not my style of music, but I get why people like it. The rhythms are hypnotic, but this album is repetitive to me. Every song sounded very similar to the preceding track. However, I really dug the longest song, Madam Medusa, but that was really the only highlight for me. 2.5/5.
Not my favorite style. Very dated sound. Lyrics don't always rhyme, even though they likely "would" if they were pronounced differently, but for some reason she didn't. Nothing in this album reached out to me as special. Did somewhat like the record scratch sound, but didn't really need an hour of that.
20 years ago this would have been an instant 5 from me. As I've grown older, the screaming metal sound just isn't for me, but I really like the music still. Teenage me would be so ashamed.
One of the best albums of the early 90s. All Apologies, Heart-Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Team, and Dumb are great songs. It just never gets old. Nirvana just takes you back to your youth and the music has aged really well. It was so ahead of its time, but at the same time, very much a product of the 90s.
Every song is a hit. Really well done and his voice is great. 4.5/5, but relegated down to a 4 star since it's not one I'll spin on the regular, but rather I acknowledge its greatness.
Some hits, but not my style and was not interesting for the most part. Very talented singers, but the smooth, easy listening style is incredibly dated by today's standards.
Not in 2018 version of the 1001 Albums book, but listened anyway. Seems like quintessential early 2000's indie rock. Dreamy songs and basic guitars and drums. Easy to listen to, but likely won't spin this album again.
I really wanted to give this album 5 stars; it's that good. However, it's just a tiny-bit too campy to get a full 5 stars. The guitar riffs are amazing, and Eruption is my favorite guitar solo of all time. This is a solid debut album. 4.5/5.
Not in the 2018 version of the 1001 Albums book. Still listened. Not quite my genre, but an interesting listen. Enjoyed for the most part.
Taylor is a guilty pleasure of mine. She’s a fantastic songwriter and has proven she can write hits. This may be her best album. 4.5/5.
Super nostalgic for me. This is a fantastic album and Sweet Baby James is an all-time great song. James' voice is smooth and effortless. A real treat.
Very well produced and her vocals are amazing. Tragic life she lived, but she left some great music for us to enjoy. Really liked the tracks from Mark Ronson; I didn't know he produced them, but they immediately sounded like his type of song to me. Great album.
Decent electronic album. Good background music. Not my favorite genre, but it was enjoyable, but not memorable at all.
Classic bluegrass with legends of the time. A great adventure through classic bluegrass tunes. Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
Always have a soft spot for Aerosmith. Easy to forget the amazing guitar work that's overshadowed by the charismatic vocals, but this is a solid classic rock album that hits all the right buttons for me. Might be my favorite of there's, too.
Didn't think I was a big Bowie fan. I want to give this album a 4, just because of Bowie, but after listening to it, I totally see why it's so great. I listened to it twice, because I couldn't believe my ears. It's really that great.
Wow, this got me moving! Really enjoyed the amazing jazz. So much energy. Great trombone solos. A fantastic overall album. Really well recorded and mixed for the time, too.
Some decent songs here. For years, I thought they were just "Lovefool" and nothing else. This is a really good album and shows their metal appreciation. Pleasantly surprised!
Great example of late 50s jazz resurgence. Probably Count's best album ever, and with a jazz supergroup of the time. Really great sound, really dig it. 4.5/5.
Basically every song is a hit. Impressive debut album.
I'm more familiar with the Beach Boys, and maybe that's why, but this album seems like a Beach Boys knock-off, down to the "car" songs. I dug it, but all I could think of was this was like K-Mart Beach Boys. Nothing wrong with that, but not exactly sure why this album is included in the list. 2.5/5.
The man and master. Prince is a marvel of modern music. We lost him too young. This is his masterpiece. This is one of the most obvious 5/5 in this list it's not even a question.
Very electric and very new wave. Did not have any re-listenability. Some songs were OK, but I was bored through most of it.
Some good tunes and I tapped my toes a few times. Nothing too memorable though.
Outdated; very "old" sounding, and not in a good way. Very slow and no song was memorable. No hooks and no traditional verse-chorus-bridge structure, so it makes for a tedious listen.
Instrumentation is fantastic though. Really enjoy the strings and other orchestral features. This along bumps it up a star. 5/10.
An all time great. Probably the best punk album to come out of 1994. Right at the blossoming of my musical tastes as a child. This is nostalgic for me. Probably listened to this album 100 times. Just as good as the first time.
Nice proto-grunge. Grunge is my favorite genre and this is one of the early trendsetters. I can totally hear Nirvana and Soundgarden here. Good album.
A surprisingly pleasing album to listen to. Did not think I would like this at first glance, but I enjoyed the laid back jazz sound and soothing singing voice. What a strange group of guest singers though!
An all-time great album. Incredible for a debut, too. Every song is fantastic. Great guitar work and personable and relatable/smart lyrics.
A few good songs (This Corrosion and Dominion/Mother Russia are good), but definitely a product of its time and hasn't aged relatively well. 2.5/5.
Wow, was not prepared for this. I liked the other Spiritualized album on this list, but this one blows it out of the water. Favorite tracks are: title track, Come Together, Broken Heart (my favorite), No God Only Religion, and Cop Shoot Cop. A fantastic album and quite a surprise.
Surprising that I liked this album. Really catchy. I always considered her "country" in my mind, but she's really bluesy and I dig it. Will listen to more of her. 3.5/5, but rounding up to a 4.
All-time great. The Beatles are masters of songwriting. Relatively simple music by today's standards, but they set the standard for pop music for 50 years and counting. Wish Spotify had the mono mix, but stereo is still cool. Easy 5/5 and it's not even an argument.
Some good tracks, and I understand U2's following and why people like it, but I just can't stand the lyrics. The music is amazing and the tones used are some of the best in the industry, but the lyrics are so off-putting and pretentious. I'm not U2 hater, I like their hits decently enough, but it's not for me. 2.5/5, round up to 3/5 for the music.
Very strong beginning and middle, but the end of the album is a little weak. Really like this album overall and the hits are hits I've heard and enjoyed for nearly 30 years. Really great album.
Probably the best debut album ever. It's so clean, so well written, so well performed. Absolutely brilliant.
Interesting for sure. Was not including in my 2018 version of the book, but I listened anyway. I kind of liked it. 3.5/5, but rounding up to a 4.
Really smooth singing voice, but she has very limited range (which I think is her trademark). Every song is in 1 octave. Good background music, but that's really it for me. Did think the duet with her kid was cute. 2.5/5.
The Beatles' first huge hit. A classic that I've listened to hundreds of times. Can't get much better in 1963, that's for sure.
I really liked some of the songs, but this album is just too long. I can only take so much screaming at once.
That being said, the music is top notch. I really like the musicians and the Brazilian roots really shine. Truly fantastics musicality.
2.5/5 but rounding up to 3/5 for great music. The screaming just is too much.
Quite possibly the best album of all time. Every song on this album is damn near perfect. It's rare to have an album of songs that each song still gets airplay to this day. Second Hand News is a perfect pop song. What a treat of an album.
Hopefully Lindsey Buckingham will eventually get to talk to Diondre Cole. Oooohhhh weeee!!! What up with that?!
Green Day's masterpiece. What a perfect pop-punk album. Every song flows together nice and moves into the next one. It's one of the few 21st century albums that really engages you from song to song and is best listened to in its entirety. What a fantastic album from one of my all-time favorite bands. Listening to this when I was in my youth during the Kerplunk! days would have been slightly disappointing, but now that I've grown up, I can really appreciate American Idiot for what it is: perfect for its time and genre.
Nice work, Green Day!
Not the biggest Elvis Costello fan, but this album was enjoyable. Not memorable at all to me, but still a decent listen. 3.5/5.
One of my favorites. Great album to work to, to sleep to, or to listen. Really takes me back. Solid songwriting and musicianship. A master pop album.
Was planning on giving this a 2-star, until I heard 22 going on 23. This song alone is worth an extra star. What an amazing riff and the vocals of PTSD is horrifying. Truly a great song which saves this acid-trip of an experimental album by a band I thought I knew. Also a local Dallas-area band. The lead singer's dad was Mr. Peppermint!
You're My Best Friend, '39, Love of My Life, and Bohemian Rhapsody. This is such a fun and well-recorded album. Possibly the best by one of the all-time greats.
Love Janis Joplin. Her voice is such a treasure.
Not many French House artists can make me tap my toes like Daft Punk. Really well executed and has aged really, really well. A joy to listen to.
Love this album by Grapevine, TX-bred Norah Jones. She's a north Texas treasure. We went to the same middle school, but she went to a rival high school, but that's forgiven. Such an amazing voice and fantastic musicality. These are classic tunes and amazing that she was only 21 when this was recorded. Sounds like a veteran; a natural. Great listen and so happy this is on the list. Although, this album is not included in my 2018 version of the Book. Still happy to listen to it.
"It's better to burn out than to fade away"
Luke Null, with a guitar solo by Jack White, on SNL sang the best rendition of "The Dark End of the Street", which saves this otherwise somewhat forgettable album.
Somewhat forgettable to me. Not much of interest and for sure weaker than their work in the '70s. I really like Pink Floyd, but missed this album in the past. First listen and save for some neat effects while wearing headphones (whispering and stereo effects), that's really all it offers. It can't even touch the genius of The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon.
Really good and relaxing jazz. Really dug this album a lot. Will give it another listen.
Decent beats but other than the hits, nothing too memorable on this album. Very similar sounds on all of the songs.
A perfect album. Mixed perfectly, too. The synth has even aged well. Impressive. Truly a work of art.
One of Texas' greats. Not for everyone and save for La Grange, the front half is the best. Still a solid 4.5/5, but rounding down to 4 stars.
Steely Dan is a 5, so it makes sense that half of Steely Dan is a 2.5. Nothing at all memorable on this album. In fact, I was a little bored. I tried to give it a chance, but there is nothing on this album I'd ever care to hear again. Not offensive or bad, just forgetful. Donald definitely needed Walter Becker.
A near perfect pop dunk disco album. Forever changed R&B. A timeless classic that sounds both old and modern at the same time. Has aged really really well. A super fun listen.
This is probably the best rock album of the grunge era, and maybe even the 90s itself. Every song is fantastic.
I had never heard of this band, but had heard Common People. This may be the only Britpop I can stand. Really well done. Could be mixed better, as some instruments are too quiet in the background, but it's a really enjoyable 90s British time capsule.
Wow, what a trip. I went through a big Who phase in my teens. I've listened to this album probably 30 times and every time it makes me stop what I'm doing to listen to every lyric. It's so so so good. Not many of these songs would be considered some of their greatest hits, but every song is fantastic in its story telling.
How can he be saved??? See me. Feel me. Touch me. Heal me.
Favorite Tracks: Overture, Christmas, Cousin Kevin, Pinball Wizard, and I'm Free.
This burned CD was passed around my high school and we would use our school's CD burners to burn copies for anyone who wanted it. This was primarily because none of our button-up parents would have approved it, and we could label it with "Slim Shady" or something because our parents only knew who "M&M" was.
This album took me back to those days as I hadn't listened to it since probably 2000. It does not hold up as well as I thought it would, though. Em is trying WAY too hard to be edgy, but he had to establish his Slim Shady character, which was unknown in 1999. Still, the rhymes are other-worldly.
If I'm rating it base purely on today, it's a 3, but I'm bumping up to a 4 because of the nostalgia and Em's ability to spit fire.
One of the forefathers of Heavy Metal/Hard Rock. Such a master of repetitive guitar riffs that stick to your brain like molasses on sugar. This album set the stage for so many to follow, and it probably my favorite Led Zeppelin album. Heartbreaker and Ramble On are my favorite tracks, with Whole Lotta Love's guitar riffs following closely behind.
One of my all-time favorite albums. The last great thrash album by Metallica. What other band plays music in 21/32 time signature at 200+ bpm? It's insane how clean Kirk and James' guitars are here. And most likely Lars' best drum work. This is a masterpiece of thrash metal and likely the very definition of it. I actually like James' later mature voice rather than his earlier voice, but the higher pitched/younger voice still fits well.
My only criticism is the mixing could be better as I really wish I could hear Cliff's bass work more, but with decent headphones, you can hear it. But it's drowned out with speakers, which is sad. But not enough to not make it an instant 5 star album. Every song is memorable.
RIP Cliff.
A classic collection of standards. I'm a little confused why this album is included. It's a great album, no doubt, and I'm rating it a 4/5, much higher than a lot of albums on this list, but nothing on this album strikes me as particularly inventive enough to be included as an album I MUST hear. Even some bad 1 or 2 star rated albums, I can at least understand why they are included. But this really good album's inclusion just baffles me.
Still, it's Willie and it's impossible not to like it (for me). Such a talented man. His version of Unchained Melody is my favorite (with Elvis' a close second). Elvis' is way more moving and powerful, but Willie's is way more intimate; it's a way a man would sing to his lover, not screaming in her face like Elvis.
Elvis's debut in all of its glory. What a fantastic debut that has aged rather well for just how old it is. Probably one of my favorite renditions of Blue Moon ever (Take 9/M version). Absolutely beautiful. Can't believe he was only19 when he recorded that track.
I just don’t get Nick Cave and I just don’t get why so many of his albums are on here. It’s nonsensical poetry that sounds like it was written by an angst 14 year old. This was such a chore and I’m glad it’s over.
This one is difficult. On one hand, this may be the best album cover of all time. On the other, the music is NO way reflects the amazing album cover. It's a great operatic pop "rock" album, and I recognize it's greatness, but it has ZERO re-listenability to me. I'm glad I listened to it, and I think it's good, but I have no desire to ever listen to it again. For that, it's a 3/5, but I totally get why people love it.
That being said, Meat Loaf could SING. Great chops.
Wow, what was this? It was a complete chore to get through this. Not for me. At. All.
Other than I Can See For Miles and Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand, this is somewhat of a forgettable album, especially with the type of material The Beatles were putting out at the time. But the best thing it had going for it was the humor. It was a funny tongue-in-cheek album that never claimed to take itself seriously. It's a 3.5/5 for me, but I'll round up for the all-time great I Can See For Miles.
Super interesting. Not my normal cup of tea, but I dug the music a lot. The vocals weren't my favorite style, but the guest vocalists were good. 3.5/5, but rounding down to a 3. With a different lead singer, may be a 4 for me. This is just my personal preference. Very poignant cover art, too, given the backstory of who it is.
This surprised me. Not exactly my genre of choice, but I really enjoyed it. Good beats and great voice.
This is the only U2 album I really like. I wish they kept with this style throughout their career, but I understand their need to adapt to pop trends. This is such an iconic 80s album; truly one of the bests of my not-so-favorite decade for music.
Oh man, where to begin. Spinning this album from my dad's collection was other-worldly. Opened my eyes to the bluesy rock of Led Zeppelin. I must have listened to this warped and scratched LP about 50 times in my youth. It was a different sound that I had never heard before. For a few years of my life in the late 90s, there was no other band better, but at the same time, more mysterious, than Led Zeppelin. This is easily my favorite album of theirs.
When The Levee Breaks is one of my all-time favorite songs and possibly one of the best outro/Side B songs of any album ever. Stairway to Heaven is probably the greatest rock and roll song ever etched onto vinyl.
Every song on this album brings back such amazing memories of discovering all of the great classic rock of the generation before me.
Soundtrack to my adolescence. Chris could do no wrong on the 90s. What a voice!
This album and band gets a lot of flack because of a meme, but this album is, objectively, a really good pop/yacht-rock album. Some all-time classics of classic rock radio here and very well produced. It's not as bad as people claim it is because of The Dude doesn't like them. It's....fine. 3.5/5.
This is a no-brainer 5 album. One of the greatest albums from one of the greatest bands of all-time. Immigrant Song is such an amazing tune. We used to play it in HS marching band during HS and I loved hearing the crowd sing the "AAAAAHHHHH" part. So bluesy, so heavy, so soft at times. Just an all-around fantastic album. I listened to this one on my original vinyl pressing that I've had in my collection for 25+ years.
One of my favorite albums from my college days. Such an amazing album. It was the first time I'd ever listened to them and I couldn't get enough. Hearing these songs takes me back to college and listening on my iPod while walking around campus. Every song is good on this album and I haven't hear an album of theirs that hits as hard as this one. Instant 5 for me.
Hurt (one of my favorite songs of all time), Closer, March of the Pigs are some of the greatest industrial rock songs of all time. This album was instrumental in my music tastes growing up. So so so good.
I wanted to like this album as it's pretty celebrated and heralded throughout the music world, but her constant vocal ticks drove me a little crazy: it's low low low first verses then octave jump. Every. Song.
It was so predictable. No doubt she has writing chops and some of the stories in the songs were neat and relatable, but her voice is just not my thing. Still a decent album, but I'll likely never spin it again. 3.5/5 but rounding down to 3.
Not going to lie, Boblicity is one of my all-time favorite jazz tunes. This album was a staple when I went through a jazz phase in high school, in part to being in jazz band. I used to love playing Boblicity in my spare time; I even got pretty decent at it on Bass Trombone. Really good album, but Miles Davis isn't for everyone.
There are very similar ticks that Miles uses in pretty much every song. You start to notice it, such that now I can pretty much identify a classic-era Miles Davis song from a mile away. Miles got SUPER offbeat and experimental later in life, but this classic compilations is a great introduction to how Miles became the \"cool\". 4.5/5.
What a great album! I was pleasantly surprised. Really dug the trombone player's chops on "Body And Soul". So many great tunes. Found my toe tapping many times.
Fun Fact: Keely Smith was Prima's then-wife. They eventually divorced. She had 4 husbands and many known affairs and boyfriends. Scandalous! :D
This one really surprised me. I'd heard the hits before and was certain I knew what I was getting into: generic 80s pseudo-political/deep pop. But what I got was a brilliant experiment in early 90s electric rock. I got huge Nine Inch Nails vibes from this, but more "poppy" if that makes sense. This album was a joy to listen to on headphones uninterrupted. I really really liked this album and can't believe I've lived all these years and never listened to it before. If you can, listen to the 2006 Reissue. The instrumental songs added at the end are AMAZING and my favorite part of the album.
4.5/5 but rounding up. It's that good.
I wasn't too familiar with her work, but had heard her name. I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I really really liked it, so much so that I want to explore her other work. Do I think it's the best album of all time, certainly not. It's no Sgt. Pepper, but it's a solid solid album that I really wanted to give a 5, but there's just not enough variety in the album for me that hurts it's relisted-ability, but her voice was entrancing and I hung on every word. Solid work and glad she's on this list. 4.5/5.
George was writing most of these songs through the years as a Beatle, but they weren't up to the "quality" of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo to be Beatle songs. And for the most part, John and Paul were right. There are some all-time great songs in the 2 hours of tracks here, but the album as a whole is not the best. It's as if George couldn't make up his mind on what to include.
That being said, Beware of Darkness is one of my most favorite songs and that alone makes this album a 4/5 for me. Be patient with this one, it will reward you by Side Three.
I wanted to like this. I really did. However, subjectivity leads me to not really care for vocal jazz at all. I recognize the struggles she had at the time and everything she overcame, but just in this album alone, it is just not for me. The songs are too similar and the instrumentation, while enjoyable, is repetitive. It’s likely just a product of it’s time.
2.5/5
Of course this is 5 stars. One of the best albums of all time from some of the best songwriters of all time and mixed by some of the best producers of all time.
This was an absolute chore to get through. '90s Drum and Bass is definitely not my genre. It sounds sooooo dated, too. Only reason I give it 2 stars is that every so often, the deep bass would shake my windows and I got a kick out of that.
Completely nostalgic review from me. I thought these guys were the coolest. I was 16 when this came out and listened to it for hours. It hasn't aged super well, but still gets the blood moving.
All-time favorite album. This was my introduction to being a teenager. I felt these were the coolest people on the planet. Punk to the core but appeals to the masses and it is executed perfectly. Great engineering, great musicianship, and still feels authentic. Sure, American Idiot is probably their best work (commercially, especially), but this still holds its own and half the album is still in rotation on rock radio stations and streaming playlists to this day. And for great reason.
5/5 no question.
Ouch. Not for me. I didn't get it at all. Tried my best, but this was a complete chore to complete. I know some people like it, but they are people we shouldn't associate with.
Really surprised by this one. I had heard the singles all these years but never listened to the album. It’s a banger and count me as a new fan. Fantastic!
Listened to this on my 2017 double LP 45 RPM 180 gram pressing. Such an amazing album it shocks me it was written and performed by a teenager. The vinyl really warms the vibraphone tones and her alto voice really suits the frequency range of vinyl.
Do yourself a favor and find this record on vinyl and listen with open back headphones. It will change your life. What a record and what an artist.
Easy 5/5.
All of the people giving this a "1" rating I don't think understand the historical significance (for better or worse) of this album. This is regarded as one of the (if not THE) first country-rap albums ever, with "Cowboy" generally regarded as the actual birth of the genre. Is it the best album ever? Certainly not, but this ushered in several other similar acts over the years and even influencing modern country; for that reason deserves to be included on this list and respected.
For all his faults, Kid Rock basically invented a new genre with this album, which deserves a lot of credit.
This is really good thrash metal, but nothing here is memorable at all. No hooks, and I can't recall a single song on this album after having just listened to it. To e clear, it's GREAT thrash metal, but totally forgettable. And I'm only talking about this particular album because Rust in Peace is a masterpiece.
Simply a progressive rock masterpiece. I actually prefer Another Brick in the Wall for its storyline but this is easy a 5/5 album also.
I really wanted to like this but it was a chore and I looked forward to it being over. Like the cover art, but that’s the highlight. A confusing mess that is clearly a product of it’s time, but makes no sense today. 1.5/5 but rounding down.
Had a real hard time finding this in the US. As of Jan 2023, it's not on Apple Music, Spotify, or Youtube Music. Finally found some sketchy Youtube playlist, but the titles seem to match up to the Wikipedia track list.
Youtube playlist is: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW1SZ9eAdf-J0VtCX71kBZwSpDw5jBIYN
With that out of the way, really interesting album. Not my preferred style at all, but I found my toe tapping more than a few times. Worth a listen. But seriously, Imagine? Ugh.
Amazing that this is improvised. Truly a generational talent. I liked this one way more than I thought I would. 4.5/5, but rounding down to 4 since it's re-listenability is fairly low. Still, wow.
Band is mixed way too down. Her voice just covered up everything and she shifts from a soft angelic beautiful tone, to a really shrill, almost amateur-esque, sound. She only had vibrato on long sustained half-note or longer notes, which I interpret as self-taught or otherwise formally untrained. Hate to be so hard, but her voice just struck me as untamed or a very very good amateur (not that I could do any better).
Band was the best part, but her shrill voice just didn't do it for me.
1.5/5, rounding up to 2/5 for awesome band.
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I've only heard Madonna's hits, but I found myself tapping my toes to pretty much every song. And Like a Prayer (song) is likely her best song. It's complex, catchy, perfectly written and executed. About as perfect of a pop song as you can get. That song alone is worth 2 stars, then add Express Yourself, Love Song (with Prince!) you get an easy 4 star album. It's a bit dated with the sampled instruments, which keeps it from being a 5 star to me, but I'll definitely spin this one again.
These guys were pretty popular in Austin and Texas for a while. As boring as it sounds, the rhythm section is so hypnotic: bass guitar and drums really set the music apart without distracting from the dreamy guitar and vocals. Surprisingly enjoyed this a lot.
Quite possibly my most favorite album of all time. What an example of masterful storytelling and musicianship. Every time I listed to it, I have to stop what I'm doing and listen to it in its entirety; it's enthralling. It is quite simply: a masterpiece.
Highly surprised by this. Loved the Latino feel to it. Super interesting and unique!
Pleasantly surprised by this one. Never heard of Alex Harvey and sad to see he died relatively young. Album was quirky enough to keep my attention in a field of forgettable generic Brit-pop that the editor's decided to include. 3.5/5 but rounding up to a 4 because I fell like I may give this another spin in the future.
Reminds me a ton of Scott Miller and the Commonwealth. If you like this kind of music but want to listen to an artist who isn’t a scumbag, give Scott Miller a chance.
I’m rating it a 3 but this would be a 4 easy if Ryan didn’t have such a terrible reputation now.
Super nostalgic. Takes me back to HS and college days. Half of these songs were played on the radio and in "da club". Some songs have aged, but the hits still sound fresh. Hard to believe this album is over 20 years old now.
Wow, shocked! I thought I was going to HATE this album from the name to the cover art, but I loved it. Skin's voice is amazing and I'm digging more into their discography. What a cool sounding band.
Exceptional. I loved every song on this. Jericho was a personal favorite.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this album. Takes me back to my college days. It still hits hard all these years later. Wore a hole in my copy I played it so much.
Very strange, and I don't really typically like these kids of albums, but I was strangely entertained. Not enough to listen again, but still, it was....fine. Kind of liked "Let's Make the Water Turn Black".
Awesome horn section; always loved the trombone/bass trombone sound on Spinning Wheel. Variations on a Theme by Erick Satie is so great too. Love the vibe of this early BS&T album.
Just completely baffling. Not sure exactly why it's on this list at all; it's not really all that groundbreaking or well performed. I can't speak a second language, let along sing one, but her strong German accent was so distracting that I had a hard time even understanding what she was singing. I really don't want to give it 1 star as it's not nearly as bad as some albums on this list (I'm 1,053 in so far...there's more than 1,001 FYI), but I've given much better albums 2 stars, so I have no choice. 1.5/5
Tedious. This was tedious. Every song sounds exactly the same. Pretty great harp player though.
This album was hard to find. I was able to stream it on Bandcamp. So, not off to a great start, but hey, streaming this album is technically free, which is nice.
To be honest, this album wasn't all that bad. I'm not a huge country music fan, and this is not country at all, but the steel pedal guitar added an extra layer of complexity. Was neat to hear that instrument in a non-country atmosphere. Other than that, the album wasn't all that original and at points I was a little bored, but there are WAY worse albums in this book than this. Lyrics are actually very very good, but the average music, combined with a good, but forgettable voice, leads to an album that is lost to obscurity. Probably forgotten to time if not included in this list.
Fun fact, the lead singer was at some point in a band called "Toiling Midgets", so at least he has that going for him.
2.5, but rounding up to 3 because of quality, poetic lyrics.
