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5-Star Albums
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1-Star Albums
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Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
|
5 | 2.11 | +2.89 |
|
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Tago Mago
Can
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
|
4 | 1.88 | +2.12 |
|
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
|
5 | 2.89 | +2.11 |
|
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
Black Monk Time
The Monks
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
|
5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
|
Third
Portishead
|
5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
|
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
|
2 | 4.02 | -2.02 |
|
Graceland
Paul Simon
|
2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
|
Hotel California
Eagles
|
2 | 3.6 | -1.6 |
|
So
Peter Gabriel
|
2 | 3.55 | -1.55 |
|
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
|
2 | 3.52 | -1.52 |
|
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
|
2 | 3.49 | -1.49 |
|
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
|
1 | 2.48 | -1.48 |
|
Dirt
Alice In Chains
|
2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
|
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
|
2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
2 | 3.39 | -1.39 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.83 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.14 |
| The Flaming Lips | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.25 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (30)
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Popular Reviews
Queen
3/5
I really wanna like the album more than I can honestly admit. I think it’s a 5 in terms of cultural impact but for my listening pleasure a lot of the songs are just on. Bohemian Rhapsody is a 5/5 and the production is very good but, I wish the rest of the album was as catchy and bombastic as that.
18 likes
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Definitely a The Flaming Lips fans. I'd probably prefer Yoshimi over The Soft Bulletin but this is my 2nd fav album of theirs. Also a huge fan of Wayne Coyne's vocals, although sometimes from live performances they sound a bit rough, recorded they have that perfect balance of normal-sounding-guy with a passionate vulnerability. Race for the Prize is ever so more relevant in our COVID world. The Flaming Lips whole vibe is happy melancholia; softly sad but smiling, dancing, and laughing while slowly letting tears fall. Their concerts always look like one big party, I'd love to go to one but a bit sad I missed out when they were in their prime. 4.5 to 5 for me.
17 likes
Taylor Swift
2/5
Like, I really hate listening to this type of music. Essentially what I hate about "pop music" is this perfect vocal-style, I like my vocals with some grit or humanness. This just feels so manufactured and processed. Instrumentally it's all fine, it's just pop vocals ruin it for me 100%. I have nothing against Taylor Swift as she clearly is successful at what she's doing, but it's just not for me in any capacity. Furthermore my impression is she has no different lyrical content beyond relationship woes which gets old, but I get it... that's a huge market.
The better songs are with The National and Bon Iver but, it all still feels too "pure" for me. I can't relate to it at all. Like, it's like a 1 or 2 on enjoyment but I can't even properly rate this, so I guess it's just a 2 from me. I don't WANT to hate it but I really don't ever wanna listen to it again.
16 likes
Radiohead
5/5
Kid B.
I have a hard time separating Kid A from Amnesiac since they are almost siblings, but it's another classic Radiohead album for sure. Like Kid A, this one took me longer to get into but eventually I came around. I would have loved to be a Radiohead fan when this came out, alas it was before my time.
13 likes
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I don't know much Emmylou Harris, I know she is considered iconic in folk circles. I like her voice, definitely heard it on other collaborations. A lot of these tracks are just sort of "there" for me though, nothing that really jumps out to me. Very chill, not bad.
11 likes
4-Star Albums (250)
1-Star Albums (2)
All Ratings
Radiohead
5/5
I mean, c'mon.
Motörhead
2/5
I had only heard "Ace of Spades" the song from the album, maybe one other. This would be perfect music for a dive-bar, like North Star or something. Beyond that, all the songs basically are the same tempo, same drum pattern, same style. There is something to that, but it doesn't do much for me just listening intently. As a live show, I could see the appeal. Some of the song titles/themes are gross.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Ahhh. I have only heard "Let's Get It On" the song in a joke context, so kind of fun to listen to it without that. It's a nice song though. I love the trumpets.
1. First two tracks are a little too similar.
2. "If I Should Die Tonight" has a niiiice silky smooth groove. Those horns tho.
3. "Keep on Gettin' It On", meh. Obviously just trying to repeat the theme of "Let's Get It On" for some reason. I would of not included this at all.
4. "Come Get to This" is a bit more jaunt-y fun. Like walking down a city street with a spring in your step.
5. At this point, I kind of dropped off. Hah.
Thematically it's a bit worn out now though, like I couldn't seriously play this for seduction without laughing. Remember "Delilah" on the radio? Reminds me of that love-y soft-rock. I think there's better Marvin Gaye than this album.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Never heard of them before, but looking at the cool cover I knew it had potential to be interesting. Initial vibe was like "is this punk?". Sorta, but a little more "off". I like it. Parts of the energy remind me of RCE actually, the social commentary part of it. I like it. I'd probably give it a 3.5 but I'll round up.
The Smiths
3/5
I've never listened to the album before, but I've heard some of the tracks. I love "The Headmaster Ritual". The rest are just ok. I'd prob give this a 3.5 but I am barely rounding down to 3.
Donovan
3/5
Tito Puente
3/5
It's alright. I can appreciate it but nothing I'd listen to on my own. Good background music. I'm no salsa dancer but I'm sure this would be fun to dance to.
T. Rex
3/5
I have definitely heard some of these tracks, but never knew they were T. Rex. Another artist I'm aware of but haven't listened to much. I like it but not sure I'd listen to it on my own. Reminds me of a very subdued Queen, which makes sense considering T.Rex is considered Glam Rock. 3.5 rounded down to 3. It's a liiiiittle too poppy than I would like. I could see why some would rate it 4 or 5. Fav tracks: Monolith
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I wish there was a video version of this. Pretty good for a live version on these songs. I feel like this is the type of music that sounds amazing in person but back on the computer I'm like... ehhh. I only knew "The Boys are Back in Town", which I didn't even know that was Thin Lizzy.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Initial cover art I was like "oh boy, this is either Hip Hop or something really dumb". Immediate thought listening was: is this the eponymous category of "World Music"? Also surprising that the guy named "Jah Wobble" is white, heh. Guess he was part of Public Image Ltd. It feels like this is using various sources of music, instruments, etc without any conclusion. Music that sounds just "there", feels very 90s Best Buy World Music CD section. I find it sort of cheesy. Especially the voiceovers. It's like, look at my super unique music cause I have these other instruments! Everything is so on-the-nose. The level of introspective goes as deep as a philosophy major in freshman year who smokes a lot of pot and thinks they are super smart, braaah.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
First song is like, 70s Tom Goes. His take on "Get Ready".
Joking aside, this is pretty easily listening, just throw it on in the background and it'll be fine. Very Radio friendly. Beyond that, doesn't do much for me. I can tell he's got some talent, but not exactly my cup of tea. I wouldn't reach for the radio dial to turn it to something else though.
Oh and I have heard "Without You". Very Beatles-esque. I like the harmonies, actually. This one might be my fav on the album, but it's a bit cheesy, but it's earnest so I can't fault it. This was prob the movie/breakup song of the year.
Oh god I have heard "Coconut". Not a fan. I remember Coke used it for their Coke with Lime (Put the lime in the coke, you nut). Pretty good ad, actually. It's on YT.
"Jump in the Sea" instrumentation is pretty good actually, thought it was a different band that came up through Spotify. The lyrics/vocals bring it down for me though.
Really hard to rate, but 2.5 rounded up to 3 for me.
Sugar
2/5
Meh. Pretty generic 90s alt-rock. Definitely the thing you heard on the radio in the 90s. Not sure what to say, but it's... there. I don't remember any of this either.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Totally melodramatic but sort of leaning into it, I like it??? The crooning vocals are so hamfisted but it sounds fun. I love the punk element. It's like punk D'Sievers. Like, this live would be a fun time with friends. I didn't know these guys were the ones who did "Come on Eileen" which is a banger. I agree with Jon that "Tell Me When My Light Turns Green" might be my fav, along with Geno. I'd prob give it a 3.5 but I'll round up to 4.
Prince
3/5
This is a hard one for me. I don't really like Prince as a whole. Mostly due to vocal deliveries and general style. He's obviously very talented in all aspects of music and music production, but the result isn't my cup of tea. Most of the instrumentation I like, but I enjoy it most when it's without the vocals.
Side note: When the track "The Cross" played I thought it was a completely different band that came up after the album ended. Probably my favorite track cause it's the least "Prince-like" on the album. I actually like the vocal delivery on this one.
It'd probably be a 3 or 3.5 but since I don't really "like" prince I will personally give it a 3. But, anything from 3-5 I think is justifiable.
The Offspring
3/5
I have a soft spot for this album. Hearing "Self Esteem" on the radio was unique since it was so negative, which wasn't common in the 90s on Rochester's pop radio. I've heard maybe half of this album's tracks? Kind of reminds me of the Ace of Spades album by Motorhead, like all the songs kind of blend together but they got a thing going on and they are nailing what they are aiming for. Fast and loose. Would have been fun to listen to them in a dive bar before they got popular! I'd rate it higher than Motorhead since this feels like it aged better.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
WOAH "Fast Car" hit me in the nostalgia hard, I was like "omg what is this, I know this", super good. Like Jon said it's so honest/naked that it's kind of shocking especially at the time, this was a bit before singer/songwriter was so common. This performance on YT of her playing it for one of the first times just with acoustic guitar at Wembly is so cool, shes nervous and it adds to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teZsA_ci-7E
If the rest of the songs matched "Fast Car" this could be a 4-5 from me, not something I'd listen to all the time but I can respect it.
But, the rest of the songs do nothing for me, which is a shame. Still I can respect it.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Heh, I know "The Killing Mood" but I actually thought that was a recent indie band's song. That song aged pretty well, I like it.
There are some interesting instrumental ideas across the rest of the songs, but in general the vocals completely ruin it for me, it's all the bad parts of Bono and U2. Still, this whole album is pretty interesting for the time it came out. A bit unconventional 80s. Some of the guitars feel very Pink Floyd inspired. I'd personally prob rate it a 2.5 but I'll round up.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I've actually never listened to a full NIN album. Sonically I love everything that they are doing, synths, noise, distortion, it all sounds really good. Except, and this is a common sticking point for me, I do not like the vocals at all. If it was purely instrumental it would be a 4 for me. But, man the vocals feel like it's trying to be edgy but it's too "clean" sounding as well? I think some of the themes are kind of dumb like "Closer". Some of the quieter songs were nice, except again for the vocals. Really conflicted, but it's prob about a 3.5 but rounded down cause I don't really wanna listen to it on the regular.
Lou Reed
2/5
I don't think I've heard a full Lou Reed album either. I do not mind the style, but there are way better Lou Reed songs IMO. Nothing really grabbed me here.
Elbow
2/5
Another band I heard of, but never listened to. Honestly musically they are good, some interesting progressions/melodies. However, thematically it completely falls flat for me. Most it sounds too "happy" for a sour old bastard like me, and the lyrics are seemingly one-dimensional in their focus on relationship woes. Also is very "produced" sounding and I like a little bit of rough edges, or at least something a little off. I can respect it, but not for me.
Green Day
3/5
I never got into Green Day, but they aren't bad per say. I can appreciate the punk opera concept and I think the album starts strong but then fizzes out, like Jon said. It's not bad, but not my thing. I did get a bit tired of it towards the end, probably won't listen to it by choice, lots of the songs were played so much on the radio, so that's my association.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into Amy Winehouse. I think it's the vocal style. Nothing in it sounds "bad", but IDK. I would like it better with a different vocalist. Instrumentation is fine.
Leftfield
3/5
Not bad, I was coding and this was perfect for in the background. I'm sure there's some history here that's important but I typically don't get much out of typical house/techno unless it's live. I suppose 2.5 up to 3.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I like Depeche Mode, but I do not love them. I think the vocals are too naked/clean/straight compared to the darkness of the sound for my taste. I don't think this is their strongest album. Just felt a little too dated, very 80s, a little cheesy at parts. I like the synths though!
I have heard "Behind the Wheel" before, prob one of the standouts. Nice driving beat. Also heard "Nothing" before too.
Really don't like "I Want You Now", those breaths are a biiiit much. Pimpf is sooo overdramatic.
"Agent Orange" was nice atmosphere. Kinda reminds me of a jam of ours without lyrics.
"Pleasure, Little Treasure" is kinda fun. I swayed my shoulders in a goofy way.
Pretty sure I've heard "Route 66". Had to look it up, but it's a cover. I'm guessing I'm getting into B-sides or something now.
"Stjarna" reminds me of like, FF7 music or something.
I can't believe they put a cover of Moonlight Sonata on here. Ballsy, but I am not a fan of something that popular being on an album as a cover unless it's a piano-focused album/cover album.
Motörhead
2/5
About the same as last time, although maybe slightly better since there is some banter. I wonder if some of this is overdubbed? Pretty consistent with their album, so if no overdubs then they did a good job.
Paul Simon
2/5
Definitely like Simon & Garfunkel more than Paul Simon solo. Not my type of music here, all the parts of pop music that I hate. ;) I am sure there are people who really like Paul Simon but, not for me.
Oh god I just had a flashback to college freshman year where I knew a guy named Simon and whenever I saw him I said "Hey Simon, where's Garfunkel?". I can't believe he didn't punch me, I was an annoying piece of shit. I thought I was being clever.
Sabu
2/5
Doesn't do a whole lot for me, it's not offensive and just sorta there. It was in the background while I was coding and it wasn't the worst. Very rhythm heavy, obviously. But, ehh. I finished the album and some other random ones came up in the playlist by Sabu (Volvera for example), which were much more interesting.
Blur
4/5
Blur is a band I've only heard a few songs of but always wanted to dig a bit deeper into. Song 2 I've heard a ton of, it sounds so 90s and captures that Nirvana-esque angst. I heard the rest of their stuff is a bit different, and so far I'm liking it!
Some really cool guitar stuff on this album too. Like that stuttery-effect on M.O.R. and the glitch guitar on On Your Own. I also like the singalong/gang vocals a lot. Reminds me a bit of some of our RCE energy actually.
"Movin' On" 2:42 sounds just like the Atari Punk Console from our songs! It might be a super fuzzed out guitar though, hard to know!
"Essex Dogs" intro with the drums coming in is siiick. It has the same Hot Team synth glide! This song even has a long freaky guitar part. I love this one.
On the Special Edition, some of the b-sides definitely sound jammy like Hot Team do.
If Blur used a drum-machine instead of live drums, I think you could make a case that RCE ripped off Blur.
This album is just fun energy, but has some interesting technical things going on as well.
The Specials
3/5
I think I have heard of this band, part of the first wave of ska revival I think? Never heard any of their songs though. Oh, I guess I have "Little Bitch", It had to look it up, but it was in DDR haha! Might have been a cover though. Also heard "Ghost Town" from another of their albums.
I do like ska though, I think it's fun. Not something I necessarily go out of my way to listen to, but if it comes on through the radio or online, I usually enjoy it.
Some really dumb songs in here though, like "Too Hot" and "Stupid Marriage". But, I guess it's all in fun.
Apparently they even have a song called "Rat Race" haha.
Overall, the album is good but doesn't really blow me away, so 3.5 rounded down to 3.
Nina Simone
3/5
I can appreciate Nina Simone, but it doesn't really do a ton for me.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Sacrilege alert, but I just don't like The Beach Boys at all. It all sounds so cheesy to me. I get the music production and "wall of sound" history of the album, and for what it's doing in 1968 it's quite forward but... as a listening piece it does absolutely nothing for me. I would give it a 3* just for the techniques heh...
Fairport Convention
3/5
I am not a huge classic folk fan, I had no listened to any of this band before. They have 26(!!) studio albums, so they have been going for a long, long time. For me, nothing in here is "bad", but listening to recordings does absolutely nothing for me. Listening live might be more fun. The vocalist is good, but very cookie-cutter "good singer' for me, I typically like "flawed vocalists".
Suede
3/5
Pretty generic Britpop. Again, has some vocal parts that are very U2esque which I hate. There is some nice instrumentation going on, but this feels very 1994, so I guess I can't fault it too much.
Rush
3/5
Admittingly not a huge fan of Prog Rock, but Tom Sawyer and YYZ are good songs. If the rest of the album had the same strength it would be a 4, but the others are quite cheesy to me. The guitar work and synths are good though, but the vocals can either be great or... very hammy.
Talking Heads
4/5
Talking Heads is a band I have not dived into much, although I know they are a big influence on a bunch of bands I like (Radiohead especially, considering they took their name from a Talking Heads track).
I am not a huge fan of the singer's voice when it's straight, but after a few listens its acceptable to me now. Some crazy instrumentals and interesting progressions. I can appreciate some of the experimental/different instrumentation/tempo/key changes. For 1979 it's quite forward thinking. I can definitely see the influence it had on Radiohead.
Part of the vocal stylings/delivery do remind me of RCE (Cities, Life During Wartime). I can see parallels with Jon's vocal delivery here. If I loved the vocals more it could be a 5. At first I thought I wouldn't listen again but I did it twice. With RCE there is a joke aspect that is fun, but here it's just commentary that is purely negative. I am listening to this one twice though, as it was a lot for just one listen. RCE could definitely cover one of these songs and it would be "on brand".
Fav Tracks: Life During Wartime, Memories Can't Wait
Sonic Youth
3/5
Don't know much Sonic Youth, but I enjoy the style. I'm not sure this is their finest work though, some of it doesn't do much for me. Love the lofi/feedback/dissonance parts of it, but overall there aren't any tracks on here that are ones I'd wanna go back to listen, except maybe "Shadow of a Doubt".
Jamiroquai
3/5
It's not bad, not my style normally. Live I would prob like a lot more. Funky but nothing that was like "WOW THIS SLAPS". It's like... accessible Jazzy.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Listened while working, which I think is kind of a perfect pairing for the repetition here. I read a bit about Autobahn and it's supposed to effect "like driving down the Autobahn" with the repetition and changes. The brief pauses and little changes after remind me of taking an exit ramp and getting onto some other road.
This is probably not my favorite Kraftwerk album (that is likely Trans-Europe Express), but it's probably up there. I haven't really listened to it much lately. I like the inclusion of some traditional instruments like flute, etc.
Mitternacht is a nice track, very moody. Reminds me of Berlin Era Bowie/Eno Side B tracks.
Morgenspaziergang electronic parts reminds me of some of my test equipment that I modified that does weird stuff. Fun! I do like the inclusion of traditional instruments on the album as a whole. I know this is kind of the last album they do that on.
ABBA
3/5
I really don't know Abba, but this album was actually pretty happy and sounded OK??? I wouldn't listen to it on my own, but I can see why people would like it. I was doing cheesy dance moves/swaying cause it just pushed me to. It's so earnest and so 80s. It also sounds very theatrical. I am kind of surprised by some of the songs like "I Let The Music Speak", it sounds like it's made for a play. Fun fact: The Visitors was one of the first records ever to be recorded and mixed digitally, and also one of the earliest in history to be pressed on the CD format in 1982. They sure do like their harmonies.
Maxwell
3/5
First impressions, oooh this is nice. Funky grooves. I do not know much of the genre "neo-soul". This does not sound like 1996 at all. Very modern sounding, if this is the original they did an amazing job in the production, sounds like a modern remaster. Love the bass on this, the piano, the synths, the sax. All the instrumentation is superb. Vocals are good, if not straightforward, but I would almost prefer it without. I like the falsetto parts, if it were more of that I'd be down. As the album went on I started to get kind of bored though.
The White Stripes
4/5
I should probably listen to more of The White Stripes. I definitely enjoyed this. I like Jack White's vocals in general, and some of the jammy/off-kilter instrumentation at times was up my alley.
Hotel Yorba reminded me of a rocky Bright Eyes. Definitely fun.
I have definitely heard of "Fell in Love with a Girl". It's good. Not much else to say.
I liked Little Room a lot, simple fun.
The Union Forever might be one of my favs on this album. Goes a lot of places. Love the plain vocals/smacking of drum sticks after 2 minutes. Reminds me of that jam where I used the drumsticks against Tom's metal beam. :)
I Think I Smell a Rat. I mean RCE cover lol? In my mind I was dreaming up a businessman music video for this song.
Aluminum is enjoyably sort of experimental/off-tempo.
I could see people giving this a 5. But it's not my favorite style to listen to all the time, it's a time and a place for me. It was fun to walk to for suuure.
Public Enemy
3/5
The definition of a mixed bag. I do not like Flavor Flav's schtick, I feel it totally waters the entire politically charged messages which I think are pretty good, I like Chuck D's delivery. From reading about Public Enemy it seems like Flavor Fav is sort of a hype-man for the group so I get it, it probably made sense and made them more popular, but in terms of the general "art" his inclusion drags it down. Welcome to the Terrordome, Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Contract On The World Love Jam - Instrumental, and obviously Fight the Power are the standout tracks.
Brian Eno
3/5
Vocals Brian Eno is not my thing. The only song I already liked was "By This River". This entire rest is... acceptable. Not much to say.
Bee Gees
2/5
My only knowledge of Bee Gees is their disco stuff. This seems like completely typical late 60s/early 70s easy listening rock/folk. It does not do much for me. It's not offensive, but it moves me not. Vocals are fine, instruments are fine, but I'm completely ambivalent. 2.5 down to 2.
Morrissey
3/5
I did not give this a fair shake, but I am not in the mood for Morrissey at all, lol. This feels like more of the same, maybe a little weaker than the last one we listened to. It's all fine, nothings bad... I will give it 3* since I feel like it's more my mood that isn't into it.
Neil Young
4/5
This one has a bittersweet sentimental association for me. Maria (remember her?) really liked this album, and I got it for her on vinyl for her birthday. It's not tainted by that association, but my mind associates a few songs on this album with her. I knew of Vampire Blues, See The Sky About to Rain, On the Beach, Revolution Blues before though. On the Beach is my favorite. I'm a total clichè, but Thom Yorke has a nice cover of it, which is how I first heard it, lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHaqT3CcZfw I actually think the original may be better, it has a nice chill/vibey feeling.
I actually don't know much Neil Young. In some ways, this is a 5* album. But, it's not one I listen to all the way through. So, probably closer to 4* for that reason.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Test for edit later.
Black Sabbath
4/5
The sort of music I was warned against as a kid as demonic! That cover art is great. Haven't heard all of the tracks except The Wizard, Wasp, never knew it was Sabbath actually. Also forgot Ozzy Osbourne was the singer in Sabbath. First one starts very Sludge/Doom Metal (was a genre born from this single song?). Second is much more up-beat... by metal standards. The entire album reminds me of growing up and hearing the bus drivers play "Laser 101.7" on the radio (Rochester classic rock station). Rest is pretty typical Sabbath, but I enjoyed it. I think the shortness of this album helps it actually, a preview of what's to come. 3.5 up to 4.
Talking Heads
3/5
First impressions are that this is leading up to "Fear of Music", which we reviewed already. Same themes/ideas but not as fleshed out to my taste. Some of the same lyrics even! Fear of music is definitely better.
Steve Winwood
2/5
80s cheese to the max. Soft-pop-rock. The only redeeming quality is it's hilarious since it's so straight. I'd love it in a cheesy 80s movie, but I'd never ever want to listen to it beyond that. I guess a time and a place. In some ways I can respect it for how uncompromising it is. This is one I turned on "Private Listening" on Spotify so it doesn't ruin my algorithm. I guess I have heard the track "Valerie" and "Higher Love" but those are on different albums.
Wilco
3/5
Is this the first breakout success for Wilco? I know Misunderstood, I like this one, teenage me would have ate it up. I always viewed Wilco as a band that has a theme of feeling like they are too old/missed the boat and are the old-guard that doesn't quite fit in and is coming to terms with that through their lyrics, kind of like Future Islands and Sun-Kil Moon. I don't know, it's a bit boring to me? It's not bad, just I can't relate (yet).
Paul Simon
3/5
I think this album is better than Graceland, for me. Also there is a lyric that said "Queen of Corona" and I did a double-take. The songs feel a little more personal/gritty than Graceland. Some neat instrumentation on this album as well. Still nothing I'd personally listen to a lot, but I could see a few of these songs gracing a playlist of mine somewhere.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Conceptually I think it's cool, but execution wise there are a lot of tracks I wouldn't care to listen to. I don't enjoy listening to kids sing for example, but thematically it's great. Very rock-opera, very Queen. There are standout tracks like "Comfortably Numb", "Another Bring in the Wall, Pt. 2", "Goodbye Blue Sky", "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3". Really hard to rate this one. It could easily be a 4-5. But, I'm leaning 3.5 rounded up to 4. I did a deep dive reading up on Pink Floyd and Syd Barret, since I actually don't have much of a Pink Floyd knowledge. I should probably watch the film.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
I do find Cee-Lo Green's vocal styles kind of interesting, he has an interesting cadence and good range. There is some neat instrumentations/flows here but, not quite the potential it could be, weighed down by some of the themes. Not my jam, but not bad.
Simply Red
3/5
First song was 80s cheese. Then 2nd is sorta Soul and live?
What the hell is Jericho's lyrics?
Personal enjoyment would be a like a 2. But it's to be objective I guess a 3. He's not a bad singer and nothing is bad, but absolutely not my music.
Sonic Youth
3/5
For some reason I didn't enjoy this one as the previous Sonic Youth albums. I think I like the female vocalist more than the guy. It got a little better as it went on. I like the long noisy instrumental at the end of The Spawl, for example. It sounds very mid 90s post-punk so I guess at 88' they maybe defined this sound? With more heavy distortion front-and-center, 'Cross the Breeze would sound like a metal song interestingly. Lyrically it feels a bit juvenile, very HS writing feeling. I will say this album has quite a range of styles in terms of instrumentation and it's all interesting to me. 3.5 down to 3.
Roni Size
4/5
When the drums started I was like "alright this is not bad." Hip hop but sorta jungle electronica-ish? Not bad to have on in the background while working (which I am doing now). I like New Forms... uh huh, uh huh, uh huh. Reminds me a bit of DJ Shadow, there's a darkness here that I like. Oh shit this is the 2hr album. I did enjoy it, but Jungle/DnB is very draining lol, but I was working and trying to stay awake so it worked well. 3.5 up to 4.
David Crosby
3/5
First thought was "is this country?" "Oh it's more folk I suppose". I know the name David Crosby but don't know his music. I like Cowboy Movie, some nice energy here. Then I didn't enjoy the rest as much. Not bad, but nothing that jumped out for me.
Elton John
3/5
Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza. This is a tough one since my first impression was "Oh, great. Elton John". But even listening to Tiny Dancer I was thinking "Y'know, this song is actually really good. It's just I've heard it so much it's lost any novelty. If I heard this the first time I would be blown away." So many details/harmonies/production things going on in this track. It's like Elton John's "Hey Jude" for me. I've actually heard more of these tracks than I thought. I can't deny that this album is very, very good. It doesn't necessarily match my tastes though.
The Byrds
3/5
From David Crosby to The Byrds! I don't know much about them, but it feels like they are trying to be like early Beatles. Then I heard the end of C.T.A - 102 and WTF. Is that like Crazy Frog in my right ear? Bizarre. Renaissance Fair is not too bad, a bit of Simon & Garfunkel vibes. Everybody's Been Burned has a nice slightly down-tempo vibe. Another very S&G feeling track. I like the guitar work here. Almost reminds me of a Radiohead guitar track with the two panned guitars playing different things. Thoughts & Words is not bad either. The album seems to be getting better as it goes, at least for me. Not a huge fan of the right-panned drums. I assume this must be an early stereo-remaster where they feel they must pan things hard left and right. Some nice reverse tape echo effects here, probably quite unique for the time. Well, theres a few tracks after this that don't do much for me either. Ended up being just okay.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Man we are getting all the Sonic Youth these days. Again, the guys vocals are not my thing and that again was the first thing that struck me on the first track. Production clarity has definitely gone up, for better or worse. I kind of hated the female "I love you I love you I love you" on Drunken Butterfly. Live and super loud is how I'd like this music for the most part. Yeah overall I dislike this album the most of Sonic Youth. It's very middle-school-feelings. Looks like Tom listened to the Deluxe Version, even the normal versions too long for me here. I mean, I like doom and gloom and this isn't their best work, for sure. The best track is "Sugar Kane", and you know I don't like the guys voice really.
Living Colour
3/5
At first I was like, ehhh generic 80s-90s "classic/hair metal rock" sound, but it got better as it went on. It's cool that they were pioneers for people of color in this genre though. I guarantee many racists listened to this band, found out they were black, and were like "I'M SO CONFLICTED". Listened to some live performances on YouTube and they seem to get much heavier and more interesting to me. I can see some RATM vibes, I'm guessing they were influenced by LC a bit. Lyrics seem to be a bit socially conscious which is nice to hear. I have heard "Cult of Personality", not a huge fan. I've heard Desperate People, that one is not bad, cool guitar work. Overall very good control of his voice, but not my type of vocals. I got to Memories Can't Wait and was like HOLD ON A SEC. Man, many people covering Talking Heads from our list so far.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Funkayyyyy Discoooo. First track is quite nice. Then it sort of went downhill for me. Not bad at all, just not my thing. I feel like a broken record with that phrase.
Pulp
3/5
Strong start instrumental. I know a few Pulp songs (Common People, Disco 2000) and those are pretty good. First track is pretty good. I like that background vocal ahhh-ohhh. The e-bowed/sustained guitar that sounds synth-y is nice. First track reminds me of early Muse actually, mostly the falsetto and electric guitar. Nice outro too. One thing I like is watching Pulp video, cause the singer is quite an expressive performer, although some of it is likely cause he is so damn British, if he were American I'd probably be annoyed. I'm switching over to the deluxe version now cause I'm curious. Well, that was maybe not the best decision. After the first song the album has fallen off for me, shame. Not a single other song does anything for me.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Elliot Smith reminds me a lot of Bright Eyes, but I find him to be the nicer, gentler version. Nothing on the album did a whole lot for me, but nothing was bad. Very chill.
Billy Bragg
3/5
First thought was "oh no is it Country?" but I see Wilco is on the album too so... maybe it's ok. Definitely have heard "California Stars", it's very nice. Apparently "Mermaid Avenue is a 1998 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco." I wouldn't say anything in here did a ton for me though. It was not-offensive but this style of folk rock is maybe not my fav.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
I find Fleetwood Mac boring/uninspiring without Stevie Nick's vocals. So, some big duds on this album for me. Also, way too long. Rumors this ain't. A few ones I liked like Sara but beyond that, I'd never listen to anything on this album.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Some interesting ideas, but the execution never hits for me. I don't mind the vocal style and sort of like it, but lyrically it's uninspired. Very early 90s sounding.
Stereo MC's
3/5
I knew the first track, I like it. A few others are nice tasty jams, but overall a bit one-dimensional and got a bit bored by the 2nd half. 3.5 down to 3.
Don McLean
3/5
Another first track that everyone knows well, definitely heard this many many times so It's hard to objectively rate it. It's obviously a great song, but I am curious how the rest of the album will fare, not sure I've heard any of them. Oh guess I've heard Vincent. I remember when we got Napster and my dad downloaded a bunch of mp3s and I remember him listening to this song and singing along... wow memories. It's quite simple guitar folk overall, not bad. Kind of quaint, his voice is very pure and plain, there is a certain appeal to that.
Gene Clark
3/5
It's a folk thing. It's fine. I have no feelings on it.
The Human League
3/5
I know The Human League were pioneers in this sound, but it never did a whole lot for me. I always found it a bit cheesy, I like the instrumentation more than than the vocal stylings, but even then it's a little cheesy sometimes as well.
Brian Eno
3/5
I like this album a bit more, there are a few tracks that I already knew, but overall it's still just... okayish for me. 3.5 to 3.
Kate Bush
3/5
I like the concept/ideas Kate Bush does more than the execution, unfortunately. I really wanna like her, but it doesn't get there all the way for me. She's kind of a mix between Tori Amos and Bjork for me. "Running up that Hill" is a classic though, perfect 80s electronica-darkness. Definitely more of a Bjork fan here. 3.5 down to 3.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I think the guitar work on this is pretty good, and I think Jimmy Hendrix is actually a good singer/performer to my tastes, but this is likely an artist I'd much rather see live than listen back to. Some classics on this album make this one of his better albums, for sure. 3.5 to 3.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Somewhere along the way I confused "TV on the Radio" with "Girl Talk", so I was surprised to hear more of an indie-rock sound. Digging the vocals. Some nice little flourishes/ear candy bits in a few songs as well. A little too straightforward for me in some ways though. 3.5 down to 3.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I think Led Zeppelin are great, but for me they are just fine. I guess I like them, but not a band I go out of my way to listen to. I can't deny the greatness of this album though, it might just be because of how much Zeppelin I've heard over the years. Kashmir is a classic though. Jimmy Page is an awesome guitarist and Robert Plant has quite a unique voice. 3.5 up to 4.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I don't necessarily dislike Bruce Springsteen, but I find the most of this completely un-relatable for me. It's fine. It's fine. It's there.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Not bad. Generally not something I listen to all the time, but I like it in the background while working. At a club or rave it would be fun for sure. Also TIL that this is considered "Big Beat", which I looked up on Wikipedia. At first I thought it was acid house. I do like the breakbeats.
Iggy Pop
4/5
I know of The Passenger, which I like. Sixteen is gross, obviously. I didn't know Bowie sang at all on this too (Tonight), I know this was the Berlin-trilogy time where they worked closely together. You can hear the Bowie touches a bunch of times. I generally like it, 3.5 but can't decide between 3 or 4. I will round up to 4 but I could go either way.
The B-52's
4/5
Another example of why this 1001 album process is great: listening to artists I wrote off completely. I just knew B-52s as Rock Lobster and Love Shack, which I didn't think are bad... but I feel like I've heard pop culture parodies more than the actual band. There is a proto-punk/surf aspect in here that is pretty neat. They definitely ride the humor line well, I see RCe parallels here. In fact, RCE probably wouldn't exist if not for bands like B-52s making humor in music a thing. Reminds me a bit of Devo as well. Fav track: Dance this Mess Around. 3.5 to 4.
Soft Cell
3/5
I know of Tainted Love, which is probably one of my favorite 80s electronic-pop songs. Never heard the rest. It's uhhh a mix. Songs like Seedy Films and Sex Dwarf are thematically dumb. Instrumentally I like all that's going on, some of the vocals/noises are not great. I think I hate Sex Dwarf, haha. Don't want the sex noises and the phrase is kind of offensive. I guess it's based on a real headline the singer read. I am conflicted. Do I like it or hate it? Heard Where Did Our Love Go as a tail-end part of Tainted Love on some mixes.
Soul II Soul
3/5
It's alright, not a general fan but I can't say anything here is bad.
Blur
3/5
Had higher hopes for this one, but still plagues by symptoms of Brit-pop so this doesn't hit as well as their self-titled album. Trying to be critical of the system but still has that 90s optimism sound. Nothing really stands out in here to me.
Deerhunter
4/5
Strong start. Love that combo of up-front drum machine with very twangy acoustic guitar. I've definitely heard the first track. This sounds great. Distorted vocals and noisy elements are awesome, this is definitely up my alley. Deerhunter have described themselves as "ambient punk" according to Wikipedia, which I can see from this. Some of the tracks don't hit as hard, but "Earthquake", "Don't Cry", and "Helicopter" are very good. They all don't hit as well as those though, but still about a 3.5 to 4* for me.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I feel like I need to be in a smoky basement at a house party. Being buzzed AF and listening to this would be great. First track is quite fun, definitely some interesting things going on here. I am not very knowledgable of Zappa so I'm glad to listen to him deliberately. There is definitely a "jazz" feeling to things here, especially with the long solos and back and forth. Jamming for sure. I could see this construed as showing-off/mastubatory guitar-playing but from what I know of Zappa ego is not a huge thing in the playing. I could be wrong. I don't know. 7 minutes into Willie The Pimp and I'm ready to move on. Finally Little Umbrellas is different. Overall, it's not bad but doesn't do a whole lot for me right now.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
A name I've never heard before. Surprised to hear synths. Shit for 1973 this is quite modern with it's synth-explorations. Via Wikipedia: "The sound and structure of Wizard was heavily informed by Rundgren's hallucinogenic experiences. It was envisioned as a hallucinogenic-inspired 'flight plan' with all the tracks segueing seamlessly into each other, starting with a 'chaotic' mood and ending with a medley of his favorite soul song". Fascinating. Ok I just looked at the track list and I'm 4 songs in and thought I was still on track 1. Wow. "You Need Your Head" is crazy! I have a feeling I need to listen to this all again. Dogfight Giggle woooow lol. This is like some RCE mandatory overtime shit. This is a perfect follow-up to that Zappa album, there is much more "heart" in here for me, but I'm sure vocals help here. 3.5 to 4.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Good voice, but not the type of music I'd want to listen to. I have heard "The Art Teacher" before. His voice with another style of music would be interesting.
The Cardigans
3/5
Saccharinely sweet. I do like her voice though, but I might prefer it in a different context. No idea that "Lovefool" was this band, crazy. That Ironman cover was unexpected, kind of like it?
The Pogues
2/5
Nope. I mean, it's not horrible, but it has even less value for me. If you want drunken Irish shindigs there are better options.
10cc
3/5
First song title... had promise. It's alright, a little hammy though. I like a lot of instrumentally what's going on here, but the lyrics and vocal contents drop it a point for me. Has potential, but not jiving with the result.
Bon Jovi
3/5
I don't love Bon Jovi. But, I get why people would like it. I can't deny You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin' on a Prayer are just kinda fun, the choruses are catchy. I don't mind his voice, it meets the super earnest party rock fuck ya brah attitude. This all sounds very 80s montage though, which I always think is dumb fun. Never would listen to any of it on my own, but if it came on I'd enjoy it for what is is... and move on.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Not bad. Kind of slightly different pop-rock. Not a ton of feelings but it's nice.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Hard for me to rate, since hip-hop is typically not my jam. In terms of genre it's prob 4-5, but there is a lot going on here that I could dive deeper into, but not my cup of tea really. Definitely some interesting things here, so 3.5 up to 4.
UB40
3/5
Did not realize UB40 sang political messaging, so a bit more respect to them. I'm not a huuuge fan of Reggae but as this goes it's pretty good. Reggae is kind of nice background music for me. It all is groovy and easy listening.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Dylan is fine. I don't get into it. I can see the appeal but meh. Nothing stuck out on this album for me personally.
Big Star
3/5
Not bad, I knew the song "Holocaust" which is probably my favorite but... calling someone a Holocaust is maybe a bit much in respect to the actual Holocaust. 3.5 down to 3. I kinda like the singers voice but it doesn't go beyond that for me much.
3/5
Pretty 80s new-wave. I'm generally not a huge fan of new-wave, but this is pretty good in that regard. "Tears are Not Enough" and "Look of Love pt. 1" are prob the standouts for me.
The Zombies
3/5
It's fine. I don't get into 60s pop-rock stuff. It's like Beatles-lite for me. I'd rather just listen to the Beatles.
The Band
3/5
Doesn't do a ton for me, but not bad. Some of the extra songs that weren't on the main release are kinda better, I like "Yazoo Street Scandal" but it's not on the Spotify default album.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
I got confused and thought this was "The Magnetic Zeroes" so I was expecting that ONE song.
Oh boy, these lyrics are a bit much. The singing is a bit too saccharine to me, but that's my bitter heart. Ugh, do I wanna listen to this for 3 hours though? I am gonna skip to "The Book of Love" which is their "hit" and see if I like it. Eh, not really. I am bailing on this. Also funny their 2020 album is called "Quickies" and is 47 min long, ha. I am not opposed to the length of the album if I enjoyed it... but it's just there. 2.5 to... 3. But just barely. I wouldn't be offended if it's on, but I would prob never choose to listen to it. Could work well for background music.
Yes
3/5
Hoooly shit. I only know the first song cause of the "To Be Continued" meme that went around a while back, never knew that was Yes. The bass slaps for sure. As far as 70s prog go, it's not bad. Not into the vocal stylings so much. Still nothing I'm that into.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Quintessential kosmiche of Krautrock. Had heard this album before but it's been a few years. From the original 4 track version there is not a single dud, haven't listened to the deluxe yet. Remix sounds very modern, but I'd be curious of how the original sounds. Still a touchpoint for anyone doing soundscapes/ambient/space music.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
I appreciate the aesthetic here. "Bedroom Production" style Punk/Riot Grrrl always works for me since it is still in many ways, a push back on the "Old Boys Club" of music. Interesting that one of the members was part of Portlandia which helped their revival. That said, I would much rather listen to this in a loud dive-venue, in my experience that's where this music has the most power. Listening to it outside of that just isn't the same. Live it would be 4/5, but recorded it's a 3/5. It is a little same-y as well, but again it works better as a live experience for me.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
"The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You" were the two songs I knew. I heard "Praise You" recently on the radio and didn't know it was FBS and thought it was a new artist, so I think a lot of this has aged well. I especially like the stutter-vocals on Praise You that keeps going for a long time, a technique I am surprised to not hear more often in music honestly. There is a playfulness in the tracks that I really appreciate, it's just fun music but also the breakbeats and DJ-style mixing adds a depth to it. There are some somewhat cheesy 90s sounding acid-techno style squelching synths that feel a bit dated, but this was the 90s. The deluxe edition is a bit too long though, I'd cut it down in half personally. But, that original length album exists, so that's the one I'd listen to as a first time listener. Still really hard for me to rate. It's a 3.5 in terms of enjoyment, but I will round up to 4.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I won't even pretend to have enough knowledge of Jazz to give it a proper rating. It's a 3.5 up to 4 for listening purposes, but I know a few of these songs are so iconic I'd imagine this is objectively a 5, but for my personal tastes I can't quite go there. No surprise, but Take Five is my favorite.
Fugees
3/5
Oh shit, this is actually pretty good. I know the name but my hip-hop knowledge is quite lacking. I know "Killing Me Softly With His Song" which is great, but I enjoyed "How Many Mics". There is a chill jazzy-ness that is the backing feel for the vocals. Some of the other tracks fall a bit flat for me. Also, "The Beast" is a weird track with the "Chinese Restaurant" bit, like... is this offensive, IDK. It's dumb regardless. If this album was half as long it'd be better IMO, so 3*.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I don't know much Emmylou Harris, I know she is considered iconic in folk circles. I like her voice, definitely heard it on other collaborations. A lot of these tracks are just sort of "there" for me though, nothing that really jumps out to me. Very chill, not bad.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I get why people like S&G, but most of the songs are boring to me. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a prime example, lots of people like it but I'd rather listen to something like "The Boxer". There are a few Simon & Garfunkel songs that I really like, but there are a lot on this album I don't care for at all. Nothing is bad here, but personally listening enjoyment is a 3.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Never got into Sinatra, but it's fine. I see why people like it, but not for me.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Had to give it a few listens. When it works for me, it works well. It feels like just a little bit more "off" and it would be bad, but it holds itself together for me just enough to be likable. Like on songs "Knacked" and "Sludgefest". The delivery on some songs like around 1 min+ on "Little Fury Things" is rough. But in general, I like the garage-lofi-distortion-noise onslaught. I'll have to dig into them a little more.
The Cure
3/5
I imagine if I was a little older and grew up listening to Cure as an adolescent I would be very into it, but it feels dark in a way that I (surprisingly) cannot connect with. I can respect it, but doesn't do much for me.
David Bowie
4/5
Surprisingly experimental in some songs, considering this was his last album. Blackstar is a masterpiece. Lazarus is my 2nd favorite but a bit more straight-forward, I do like the transition around the lyrics "By the time I got to New York". Girl Loves Me is good too. Sue is the only track I feel isn't as good as the rest of them, the guitar just feels a bit cheesy, like it's trying to be heavy but it falls flat for me. But, for the real gems on this album, it pushes it up to 4.
New Order
3/5
Heard a few of the tracks before "Love Vigilantes" and "Elegia". Beyond those two, doesn't do a ton for me. Not bad though.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Another style of music I just don't care for. It's not bad, but not for me. Does nothing.
Tom Waits
5/5
This is a pretty good album to encapsulate a lot of styles of Tom Waits. You got your bastards, your brawlers, and your bawlers. This is definitely an album that keeps you thinking "What could be next?". I had not listened to the entire album for probably at least 7 years, but I had fav'd at least half the tracks, but discovered some new ones that I really like to add. The only duds for me are "Town With No Cheer", I don't think it adds anything to the album nor the Tom Waits catalog. Frank's Wild Years in isolation is just a little dumb-fun story, but if I recall Frank is a character throughout Wait's career, so there might be something more interesting there chronologically. I was thinking this would be a 4, but I am thinking it's probably a 5 actually. Not something I want to always throw on, but I can't deny it's a great album.
Billie Holiday
3/5
This is apparently her last album? You can hear the years worn on her, but that adds a kind of beautiful-tragicness to it. I like the 1st song the best. Really makes me want to go to a Jazz bar and just sit and take it all in. 3.5 to 3 since it's a bit one-dimensional.
Ash
2/5
Meh. Below-average punk-rock. A bit cheesy for me. I've heard "Girl From Mars", which is ok. It's fine but does not a whole lot.
Q-Tip
3/5
Definitely heard "Love Vigilantes" before, funny I think it was a cover Iron & Wine did. Elegia wow, definitely heard this before, I heard it in a trailer for "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" (video game). Besides those two, not much does anything for me here. Not bad.
Pretenders
3/5
Did not know "Brass in Pocket" was Pretenders. Interesting, overall not bad but nothing that struck me as very interesting. I kind of like her vocal delivery though.
Madonna
3/5
Surprised I knew a couple on here. Very plagued by the late 90s, but I do remember my mom singing "Ray of Light" in the car, which is hilarious now. I mean, it's alright but nothing great.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Some of the vocal little bits where he's just laughing or doing odd noises kind of annoy me, but I think I enjoy live Jerry Lewis more than recorded. Can't deny the legacy of Jerry Lewis. The funny thing is lots of this was likely scandalous and a "bad influence" on the youth.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Some of the songs were great, but others are a bit underwhelming. I think I enjoyed Sweet Surrender, Hong Kong Bar, and Make It Right the most. If the rest of them would be as good as those, it would be a 4 but, 3.5 down to 3 for me.
Khaled
3/5
An interesting choice. I'm glad the list is not 100% English-centric, but it's hard to listen to this and "get it" as a non-Arabic speaker. The voice does sound familiar though. Really did not like the Beatles cover, but I'm guessing those who speak Arabic really appreciate it and maybe turned them onto the Beatles. 3* Cause I have no idea.
John Martyn
3/5
Pretty chill. I can see John Martyn having a cult-appeal. Some neat experimentation going on here, but overall is just fine... doesn't do much beyond that for me.
Kate Bush
3/5
Again, I wanna like Kate Bush more than I do. A few nice tracks on here but... I wish I liked it more.
Sepultura
3/5
I don't necessarily dislike Death Metal, and it's cool that they are from Brazil. Beyond that, it feels very typical heavy metal, a bit uninspired for me. Then again, I'm not a metalhead so :shrug:.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Not bad but Eric Clapton reggae at times is kinda odd. It's fine but, IDK. Not sure what this version adds vs. Bob Marley and the Wailers. I didn't NOT enjoy it but... it's fine.
The Who
3/5
This was a trip down to Wikipedia. I can admire the idea of the rock opera, but in some ways this one feels a bit self-indulgent. It feels somewhat exploitive of the idea of a "deaf, dumb, blind kid" as well as abusive situations of said character. I doubt that was their intention, but it's a peculiar choice. I suppose it's "edgy" of those times, now it just feels kind of try-hard. I can definitely respect The Who going for it though, and I think it has artistic significance. No tracks I really dislike, but nothing really speaks out either, which I suppose is potentially good as a cohesive album. There are other rock operas I would rather listen to, but I can respect it.
Lambchop
3/5
I know of Lampchop from the Mr. M album, which I think I listened to cause of a Pitchfork review. First two tracks on this album I enjoyed, but as it went on some things didn't do much for me. I think I like his voice, but sometimes the falsetto is too much, in small doses I like it but, the way it's used gets a bit annoying.
Tom Waits
4/5
Kind of a turning point for me within Tom Waits discography. This is the performance when he turns into the type of performer you hear from here onwards. This is as much of a mood-place as you can get. Instant smoky-jazz club. I want to live here. Every time I see a plate of eggs and sausage I think of Tom Waits now. I will say it's not an album I listen to much though, none of the songs are really best listened to in isolation, if I listen to this it's the entire album.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Relaxing. I can see how a lot of famous musicians around the time were influenced by this, probably their gateway into music from India and those Indian instruments.
4/5
That first track is very RCE. I love it. Honestly this whole thing makes me miss live shows, I can't wait for their return. First 3 songs are very nice. The following songs aren't as good except for Motor City is Burning and Starship is.. I'm not sure, pretty indulgent but of 1969 probably way more novel. I think I like proto-punk. This could come out this year and I'd believe it.
Scott Walker
3/5
I get why people like Scott Walker, a few of the tracks I ike but in general a bit underwhelming for me. On Your Own Again is probably my favorite track.
David Bowie
4/5
I liked more here than I thought. There's so much David Bowie blindspots I have, and while everything on this album isn't absolutely amazing, there is a lot of production and intent going on, nothing seems half-assed. I enjoyed the janky-ness of some of the playing, 3.5 up to 4.
David Bowie
4/5
Another good Bowie album. A few songs are underwhelming to me like "Beauty and the Beast", but "Heroes" is one of Bowie's best songs. There is still some funky stuff going on/strange ambient tracks that are staples of the "Berlin Trilogy". Robert Fripp's guitar playing is also a good addition, although from reading apparently Michael Rother of Neu! was originally considered.
Paul Weller
2/5
Meh
Burning Spear
3/5
It's Reggae. It's fine.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Unfortunately the more I listen to Sonic Youth the less I am impressed. I like everything they do on paper, but I just can't get behind the execution in general. I knew of Tunic, but it goes on twice as long as it should, otherwise I'd like it.
Morrissey
3/5
Did not dislike as much as I thought I would, mostly due to instrumentation. But, it's ok.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Pretty sure half these lyrics are about sex and the singers penis. Cool dude. Instrumentally it's good and I see the cultural "value" bit personally doesn't fit into anything I'd listen to on my own time. I wouldn't ask someone to turn it off.
Van Halen
3/5
Did not dislike as much as I thought I would. Now I'm not sure if Van Halen or The Kinks version of "You Really Got Me" is the one I've heard over the years. Can't deny the legacy and technical prowess of the guitar playing, but beyond a fun novelty every once and awhile doesn't do much for me.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Honestly couldn't get through it all. Not something I HATE but absolutely not my jam.
The Replacements
4/5
Pretty good. Heard a few of the songs. Funny I never knew they were from Mpls. I'd say like a 3.5 or so. I Will Dare is probably my favorite track, following Unsatisfied. There's enough heart here that makes me push it up to 4. Live woulda been sick.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
It's ok. She's not a bad singer but it is what it is.
Talking Heads
4/5
At first I wasn't a huge fan, but after a while I started to dig it. Interesting rhythmic elements throughout all songs. "Once In A Lifetime" is a happy-sounding song with actually depressing lyrics which is always a fun combo. A lot of random little electronic/swelling guitars are pretty nice, still this is all pretty modern sounding. 1980, wow.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Not bad actually. Definitely not something I'd throw on, but right venue, right place... it could be grand. Apparently this is Outlaw Country.
Green Day
3/5
I imagine there are many who really like this album and have strong nostalgia for it, but I never got into Greenday when I was in middle/high-school so my touchpoints are from the pop-radio hits. I'd suppose Green Day are sort of punk-pop. Nothing bad, but it's all a bit surface-level for me. 3.5 to 3.
The Waterboys
3/5
Liked this a bit more than I thought I would. I would say the more coarse/rough vocal stylings help separate it from generic folk/rock. Overall a nice sound. The original edition of the album only spanned the 1st disk so I stopped there. The sounds for the most part sound pretty same-y, but I'm sure if you like it it's perfect that way. Deluxe is a bit too much for one take. 3.5 down to 3 since there weren't any standout tracks for me.
Elastica
3/5
Short and sweet punk rock. It's nice but not amazing for me. I like their aesthetic though! Fav track: 2:1, nice vibes on this one.
The The
3/5
"I want to listen to Prince". "We have Prince at home." Prince at home:
The Jam
3/5
It's ok. Nothing bad here but it's just sorta there for me. I'm indifferent.
Simple Minds
3/5
I like the other album more. This is fine 80s but beyond that, eh.
Common
3/5
Not bad. Apparently a big switch back to his "roots" after he previous album dabbled in other genres. I think I am more curious on that one! I like the samples on this, the drums especially.
Slint
3/5
Instrumentally I like all that's going on, but vocally is where it breaks for me. Spoken word parts are fine but some of the singing is... not great. Very dynamic though. I can see why other bands were influenced.
Pulp
3/5
I know of "Common People" and "Disco 2000". Common people is probably their most popular song, it's a great class-warfare anthem. I Spy has a fun instrumental. I'm not sure how I feel about the whispery-vocals. 3.5 down to 3. Probably their best album. I think I would like the band better with a different singer though. :/
Pixies
4/5
Really impressed with the variety here. A ton of great tracks. 4.5
Elis Regina
3/5
Culturally I have no touchpoint here, it's nice though.
Prince
3/5
I get why people like Prince, but in general I am not a fan of pop so this is just "okay" for me personally. In terms of general consensus and historical purposes it would be a 5 for sure, but enjoyment is just "ok" for me. Always feels a bit corny for me.
Blondie
3/5
Some high highs and low lows on this album. The Blondie hits on this one are good, but there are a lot of songs that don't really need to exist on the album as well.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
I respect the experimental-ness, but it doesn't always work for me. The guys voice is not my cup of tea, the female led vocals are better for me, like on Stillness is The Move which is not bad. But it is definitely indie-pop, which in the end I still don't usually like a lot.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
It's nice, but nothing shattering for me. I can see why people would love it though.
The Style Council
3/5
This album is genre-bending at best, or completely different genres at worst. Jazzy, but then you have songs like "A Gospel" which are basically Hip-Hop, then it goes into "Strength of Nature" which is... new wave? I think I like the instrumental jazz pieces the most, the vocals don't add a ton for me.
Stan Getz
4/5
Playing this made my apartment instantly more classy. I like it. Gotta love that Bossa Nova beat.
David Bowie
4/5
Another Bowie album I had only heard bits and pieces of. Changes and Life on Mars are great, ofc. Kooks reminds me of the Beach Boys or something, pop harmonies etc. It does fall off a little bit towards the end for me, but overall pretty good.
Mekons
3/5
I respect what's going on here, but the execution doesn't do much for me. Maybe I'd just need more time with it.
The Blue Nile
3/5
I liked it for a bit, then the content and execution fell a bit flat. Lyrics are too cheesy for me but it sounds alright.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This album came out when I was a sophomore in college so I remember it vividly. I had one roommate who was kind of a dick and he really liked it so it soured parts for me at the time. Regardless there is a nice theme going throughout this of growing up and forgetting your humanness, which as I get older I think about more and more. Wake Up was so overplayed that I can't listen to it much anymore, but the other tracks are still great. Not something I'd always listen to but was a nice thing to come back to.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I know it's all supposed to be lighthearted and silly rap, but it doesn't do much for me. It all feels juvenile but... at this point in my life I am not the target demographic for this. Even in middle school I didn't care about Beastie Boys though. I'm sure the legacy of this is probably 4-5 stars but for me it's only 3*.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Chill, although some of it is a bit too clean/pure for my tastes. Guitar in tracks like Wooden Ships is more interesting to me, in some ways this sounds like Simon & Garfunkel, similar folks-y vocals. Very 70s. Long Time Gone is better sounding to my ears with the solo vocal parts. Song with No Words is actually pretty annoying to me.
Morrissey
3/5
Kind of done with Morrissey at this point. But it's okay.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
I want to like this more than I did, I appreciate these themes in hip-hop but the lyrics are so bop-you-over-the-head that there's no nuance and it isn't interesting at all to me. Sounds alright though.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I remember Bookends (the theme), but the intro into a synth thing at 2nd track was quite a surprise. I know a lot of these tracks, and I find them some of the better Simon & Garfunkel tracks, there is a tender-sadness to them that I can appreciate. Things flow well into each other as well, it is definitely an "album".
Super Furry Animals
3/5
There are some interesting sounds here, but thematically it falls flat for me. A little too cheese for my tastes.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I knew of "Sing a Song for You" which is really nice, the rest is not bad but not exactly what I would be looking for. I think you could make an argument for 4* or above, but for my enjoyment just a 3.
CHIC
3/5
We all know "Le Freak". Overall not bad but nothing I'm freaking out over, ho ho ho ho ho.
Oasis
3/5
I find Oasis utterly vapid, that is likely influenced by the Gallagher brothers being so up their own asses. I find it tolerable, but nothing I'd ever go to listen to. The music is indifferent to me, but their drama is kind of ridiculous. Surface-level 90s Brit Pop to me.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
I knew a few of these songs. It's not always my jam but when it works it's nice. I can respect that these are pop-indie-rock songs but there is a bit of nuance to them, some interesting structures/tempo changes. 3.5 up to 4.
Santana
3/5
Classic Latin Rock. It's nice to have in the background but beyond that doesn't do a ton, but it's definitely culturally significant, 3.5 down to 3.
Miles Davis
4/5
Definitely well-known and iconic in modern Jazz. An intimidating album, I can't say I have the background to fully appreciate it. It's likely a 5 but enjoyment (and understanding) for me is a 4. Some bold play here. Might be the only trumpet I've ever heard with echo/delay. It also sounds like a lot of this was spliced together from many cuts, but I would have never guessed that, seems like a complete one-take to me.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
1:00 AM: "What is this thing called love?" "I have a new 1001 album today, let's listen", and it's apropos for all the reasons I hate to admit. Scene: Post-cocktail party. Swap stories. Has-beens of what-could-have-beens. And time grew cold. Fuck you Sinatra, but you got me 5 drinks deep, you win with your candor and forward lyrics. I can only laugh how piercing your earnestness is, I hate it and also respect it. Some sort of party-bus went by during my walk, I wanted on but also want to leave it be. I mentioned to the driver "What a night!" and he chuckled as the passengers took selfies outside to remember (or delete in the morning). I'm just a tourist here, keep, moving. And recollect. Did I mention I'm laughing? I'll be around, from now on. I Goodbye again. Now and then, drop a line. Let's get "serious", this was a perfect post-party walk around the block sad-nostalgic-I'm-getting-older sort of mood. Normally listening I'd fucking hate this shit, but in this very specific mood-very specific time it really worked. Unfortunately all the songs sound about the same though. 3*
I sort of have a prejudice against U2, but I think a lot of that is cultural and Bono. Beautiful Day is a fine pop song though. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of... ok this is too much, it basically is like someone took a Christian worship song and removed all mentions of God in it, same with Walk On, Peace On Earth, Grace, oh god... The tolerable part of the album is probably The Edge's ambient-guitar-stuff but it doesn't save it. It's obviously a well put-together album but, lots of these songs are just painful. Oh man, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced this? My how the mighty have fallen. I understand why people like U2 though, but this sort of U2 is on a mission to do something I am not interested in when listening to music. 2.5 up to 3 since it's competent.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
I appreciate the ambition and the idea of a southern rock opera but it gets a bit old for me. I know a few songs by them though that I do like but I was unfamiliar with this one.
Le Tigre
3/5
I am not the audience for this, if I were a teen girl I’m sure I’d be all about it.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I've only heard the first track, but it's a great concept. Not something I'd always listen to, but I have a soft spot for Johnny Cash. I love that they kept all the quips and dead-space, really puts you there.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I would have rated this a lot higher in High School, but it's still not bad. I certainly wouldn't' change the radio if any Smashing Pumpkins came on, but it still feels very "of the decade".
It's okay, musically it's pretty good. Pretty solid 70s rock and roll, but it doesn't do a ton for me personally.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Pretty chill but was just sort of "there" for me, I do like the slow-dark delivery though.
3/5
I am generally not a huge fan of Prog, and Yes is quintessential Prog. Always intricate song structures and impressive virtuosity but... emotionally it is completely technical for me. It's not what I go to for music.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Supergroup? At first I thought I'd rate it higher, but the later tracks dragged for me. Some of the later stylings of songs didn't do as much as the ones at the start. An interesting Wikipedia read on the process, though. 3.5 down to 3.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
Very 80s, but not in a way that interests me. Bit too poppy for me, but I suppose it's fine for what it is.
Can
5/5
When I was introduced to Can they kind of blew me away, it did not sound like the 70s rock I knew. Can is my favorite group in the classic Krautrock pantheon. They're funky as hell, sometimes accessible, while other times experimental and jammy. Damo Suzuki might be my favorite of their vocalists, although Malcolm Mooney has some great performances as well (not on the album). There are a bunch of interesting Krautrock documentaries and articles for digging deeper, highly recommended for music nerds. "Halleluhwah" goes by a lot faster than its 18:31 track time would suggest, it keeps it interesting and changing in subtle and dramatic shifts somewhat subtle ways that you can get lost in pretty easily; definitely my favorite track. Not sure if this or "Ege Bamyasi" is my favorite, but this is almost the perfect Can album. Going from "Aumgn" straight to "Peking O" is a bit much though, I think "Peking O" should be removed completely since it doesn't add anything "Aumgn" didn't already do and parts of it don't fit with the rest of the album to me. Looks like originally "Aumgn" was Side 3 and "Peking O" + "Bring Me Coffee or Tea" was Side 4, which is a bit more palatable I suppose.
Favorite tracks: Paperhouse, Halleluhwah, Bring Me Coffee or Tea
Megadeth
3/5
I never knew the vocalist/guitarist of Megadeath used to be in Metallica, makes sense. Regardless, in terms of Metal speed/thrash doesn't do much for me, at least in this form. Feels like the mix is boring and just kind of there. I'm sure this is a classic, but it's just ok to me. Obviously the guitar playing is well done, but yeah.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I am pretty ignorant of folk, so I'm glad this was in the list since it led me to read up on Ramblin'Jack Elliot and by extension, Woody Guthrie. I find the music kind of quaint, kind of cute, and very nostalgic. Not what I'd throw on, but if someone really dug it and wanted to listen to it, I'd have no qualms.
The xx
3/5
Maybe the ones who popularlized the tight-production, low-key-moody indie-vocals that still is a popular genre in itself. I like most of the songs, but I can't say they blow me away. Very indie-radio friendly, I still hear The xx played on our local hip radio. There is not a lot of difference between songs, to be honest. Very one-dimensional on this album.
R.E.M.
3/5
I like their previous album. A lot of this is too soft and a bit too easy-listening for me. Everybody Hurts is almost a parody of itself. Man On The Moon is good though.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
At first I enjoyed it a lot, but all the songs are about the same tempo/style so it wore on a little it. It's nice but, got sort of bored.
Cornershop
3/5
Very west-cost summer. Reminds me a bit of Sublime at times, but with more variance. Overall it’s fine.
The Coral
3/5
I enjoyed the instrumentation more than the vocals/lyrics. Interesting tempo changes, so it wasn't boring at least. But not my thing.
Ray Charles
3/5
I don't know a lot of Ray Charles, and I didn't know a single track from this album. It's all good and fine, but I think there are other albums/tracks I enjoy more. 3.5 to 3.
The Verve
3/5
I think we all know Bittersweet Symphony, it's a good rock song. The Drugs Don't Work is another song I knew and liked. If the entire album lived up to these songs I think it could go up to a 4, but there are a lot of tracks that are skippable or don't add anything interesting. It's Brit-pop-rock, usually I am not a huge fan.
R.E.M.
3/5
I want to like R.E.M., but the execution/style just feels a bit flat to me. I like the themes, but it's played too direct. It's The End of the World is a good track though. Kind of the times though.
Pavement
3/5
I have a couple songs in my liked list that are by Pavement so I was excited to listen to this. Some of the songs I'm not super into like "Conduit For Sale!" and "Chelsey's Little Wrists", which I found annoying. Other songs like "Summer Babe", "Zurich Is Stained", and "Here" are that nice chill lazy indie-rock sound I associated with them. It just barely goes from a 3.5 rounded down to 3, wavered between a 3 and 4.
Jurassic 5
3/5
A few good tracks here, but overall a little underwhelming for me. Some of it is completely skippable, but a few are some nice 90s/early 2000s hip-hop.
The Byrds
3/5
The Byrds for me are like comfort 60s music, it sounds nice but nothing I'd throw on to listen to. Nice harmonies and a chill tempo for the most part. I'm sure if I grew up with it I'd think differently.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Starting off, that is some funky as hell synth bass line (apparently from an ARP Odyssey. Love it. Once the horns came in I realized I've definitely heard this before, or at least a version of it, really good but for me might have went on a touch too long. Watermelon Man is a certified bop, definitely heard this one as well. Sly definitely increases the intensity. By Vein Melter I was starting to lose interest a bit though, but still overall pretty darn good.
The Cure
3/5
Some cool hits on here, but a bit too long which makes me have to drop it down to 3. Still one of the better 80s albums.
Ute Lemper
3/5
So theatrical. A bit surprised to see some Tom Waits covers but it sort of makes sense. I generally do not get into this sort of thing, but she's clearly talented.
Eagles
3/5
Pretty ambivalent.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I can appreciate Joni Mitchell but it's not my style. Sounds pretty though.
Billy Bragg
2/5
Something about this just kind of annoys me. It might just be me and my mind right now but I couldn’t get through it.
Janis Joplin
3/5
I can appreciate Janis Joplin but it's not my style. Sounds pretty though.
KISS
3/5
Gene Simmons is a tool. Just listen to his interview with Terry Gross of Fresh Air. Musically, it's ok. Nothing crazy to listen to, they are a live band experience for sure.
Daft Punk
3/5
This is hard one to rate just listening back, since this is kind of made to be played in a club/dance party situation. It is pretty straight-forward house with some acid/techno at times. At 1997 this was a big deal though, it's just kind of self-aware dumb dance fun that I'd love at a club but listening at home is hit or miss. Some tracks are definitely better than others. Compared to today's EDM/IDM scene this is very barebones production/embellishments which I can admire. It's a 3 for home listening and as an "album", apparently they never intended this to be an album but rather a bunch of singles. Also this was likely intended to be multiple vinyls so it's not even designed to be listened all the way through I don't think, but rather mixed in and out of a DJ's set. Since this is "1001 Albums" I will have to give it a 3, but in different circumstances it'd be a 4.
Beach House
3/5
I love Beach House's approach to using low-end synthesizers and other electronic instruments, I believe they said something like "find a crappy keyboard, and find the one setting on it that sounds good and ignore the rest". I had no listened to this particular album, but I knew of Silver Soul which is super good, peak Beach House. The semi-lofi soft melancholy singing and song progressions is millennial sad in a bottle. I think it still holds up. Legrand's vocals are still unique to my ears, they feel very honest. I hear elements of drone, shoegaze, but of course that sparkly indie-pop of the 2010s. I love the detuning on Norway, which I've heard as well. There is a bit of a lull in the middle of the album for me though, the first 3 tracks are 4s but the others are completely ignorable for me, unfortunately. I really want to give it a 4 but as an album it is not consistent in quality, so it's a 3.5 down to 3.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Standard 90s Hip-hop to me. It's not bad but just sort of there, doesn't do much that other things haven't. Very radio friendly sound to me.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Somewhat comforting in an odd way, feels a bit Dylanesque in vocal delivery.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Pretty standard 90s sounding R&B/Hiphop. Not my thing but I respect it.
3/5
This Blur album didn’t do as much for me as the other. Damn. Still ok though.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Started off really strong for me but fell of a little bit as it went, not bad at all though. This is the type of Bob Dylan I haven't heard though, so definitely worth listening.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Some is kind of nice, but some of it is a bit meh. Feels like it could be nice for a TV show/movie soundtrack. I was wanting some vocals.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
It's almost quaint compared to modern day hip-hop. "Walk This Way" and "It's Tricky" are great, but the rest of the don't do much. If the rest of the album was like those two, it would be a 4 or 5.
Deee-Lite
3/5
I knew Groove is in the Heart but that’s it. The rest is early 90s dance in a nutshell. It’s ok.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Kind of boring for me, very much of the times. Not bad, but not for me.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Come On Eileen is the best track on here, it's a total banger. The rest unfortunately fall flat, "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" was a better album for me.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
California dreaming is good. The rest are just not my thing, but it’s not bad per say.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
The beats and flow are great, but lyrics and themes are gross gansta rap that I can't get behind too much. If it had a bit more lyrical depth I'd be more into it.
Roxy Music
3/5
Disappointed Eno had left Roxy Music by this point. The result is fine, but nothing that sounds very interesting to me.
Alice Cooper
2/5
Kinda garbage.
Tom Waits
4/5
Not my fav is Wait’s work. Only the title track, Downtown, and Jersey Girl interest me, the rest feel like worse versions of other songs. It’s still all great but is also a bit short.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Instrumentally I like everything that is going on, but lyrically it's all cheesy-80s-soul to me. Although I'm sure live would be really cool, it's not something I'd listen to on my own.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Really like this style. I've heard a few tribe songs and this is my fav style of 90s hip-hop.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
80s synth pop to the max. Instrumentally it's ok but I can never get into 80s synth-pop vocal deliveries.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Some interesting ideas here, but execution wasn't 100% my style.
The Pharcyde
2/5
I thought the themes were pretty dumb, honestly. Sounded fine but ehhhh.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Not bad, but not my kind of soul. All very competent though.
Wire
3/5
I like it, but don’t love it. 3.5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I love me some big band.
Red Snapper
3/5
Not bad not but great. Live would be fun, but for listening at home it doesn’t do a whole lot for me.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Very REM/Pearl Jam esque. Not bad, Fuzzy is kind of nice. But, it feels a bit held back, but that's the sort of style that late 90s/early 2000s alt-rock sound had.
Sebadoh
4/5
I like a lot of these actually, some quite different moods between some songs. Never knew what to expect. I like the slightly off vocals, gives it that punk edge. Reminded me of Dinosaur Jr and surprise surprise, the person who produced their albums did this one afaik.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Liked this one a bit more than the last Fairport Convention album I've heard, a bit more chill.
Weather Report
3/5
Pretty nice, but nothing that blew me away. Live I'd love it.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Definitely sounded like hugely influenced by The Velvet Underground and from their Wiki that's definitely the case. However this does feel a bit more pessimism and ironic than The Velvet Underground. Some of the songs do absolutely nothing, but others like "Road Runner", "Pablos Picasso", and "Hospital" feel very nostalgic, maybe I've heard them or maybe I've just heard songs that have copped their style. "Dance With Me" is surprising that they were released with that much recording distortion, but that flaw in production is kind of my jam.
The Jonathan Richman delivery is definitely the point of which you are too drunk to sing but god dammit you gotta do it anyways, which I mean I can respect. I like that there are only a few albums of the group, makes it feel a bit more transient. I'd be curious if I'd like Richman's solo stuff or if this combination of musicians had struck gold.
David Bowie
3/5
First and last songs are probably the best, but this isn't quite the best Bowie era for me. It has those glimmers of greatness but isn't quite there yet for me. 3.5 down to 3.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Nothing against Springsteen, but I can never get into him in any capacity. I like the American myth subject matter, but it all sounds too produced and loses any way for me to relate to it. I see why others like it, but for me it's just there.
Marty Robbins
3/5
I knew of El Paso, which is just ok. I also knew of Big Iron, which is quite nice albeit a little long. Overall beyond a couple of the songs I'm not too into it, but I respect it.
Nick Drake
3/5
I like Nick Drake, but this is not my fav album. Time has Told me is a great song, but the rest did not measure up to it for me.
Jane Weaver
3/5
I liked everything except the vocal delivery. All the instrumentation was cool but if the vocals aren't my style it ruins an artist for me.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
Unfortunately completely ambivalent, nothing wrong but nothing I'd want to listen to on my own?
John Lee Hooker
3/5
John Lee Hooker's shtick at this point feels a bit old, not bad but not sure any new material does much for me.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I wanna like this more than I do. Clearly Jimi Hendrix is a guitar-god, but when it comes to listening pleasure it's just... ok? Personal enjoyment is a 3.5.
John Cale
3/5
I much prefer John Cale in The Velvet Underground, nothing blew me away here.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Very 80s sounding to me, which unfortunately I never quite love. Not bad but not my thing.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Never can get into how dumb most Beastie Boy songs are. It sounds fine, but thematically ehhhhhhhhh. I hate fun though.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Allman Brothers are clearly talented, but long guitar-jams typically don't do much for me. Which is sort of odd, since long Jazz performances of synthesizer instrumentals can be interesting to me, it might just be there's only so much guitar wankery I can take. However, I was listening to this while working and I did not mind it as background music.
Gene Clark
3/5
Not my thing, it's ok
Carole King
3/5
Definitely not the target audience for this one, not bad though. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman reminds me of that 80s/90s commercial, was it underwear?
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Kind of like it, but not enough that I'd seek it out. If it was on the radio I wouldn't change it though.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Again, I think the author(s) has over-emphasized the importance of Sonic Youth since I'd never include this many of their albums. Ironically I have ended up liking Sonic Youth less as I've listened to more albums.
3/5
I couldn't access it on Spotify but had to find an incomplete Youtube Playlist. Boy, barrage indeed. I think I'd like it more if it were more noisy, ironically? If it were more of a single tonality it might create more interesting tones, but as it is there's just tooooo much going on.
4/5
Actually might not be my fav Beatles album. I think you can easily give this a 5 based on historical/impact, but in terms of a listening I may even gravitate towards a 3.5 or 4. So gonna go with 4.
Fats Domino
4/5
I'm kind of a sucker for this old-style R&B/Rock. It just feels so pure. I listened to "Fats Domino Swings" since the linked album didn't allow all the tracks in the US, I think it's the same album? It all is good-feel music to me, without being saccharin.
Korn
2/5
I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would, there are SOME redeeming things here. There is some interesting instrumentation in the background. The guitars are plagued by that super-midrange-late-90s metal sound that is so cliche. I don't mind "dark", and I can sort of see that they are kind of self-aware that a bunch of this is pretty dumb. I had friends who listened to Korn in HS and I never got into it then. The "scatting" that they do that's a buncha weird noises is hilariously dumb and is a trope now, it made me laugh at least. But you know, I bet it would be entertaining to see Korn live during this album's tour, I'd never listen to it on my own but in that setting I'm sure it would be at least interesting. It's not boring that's for sure.
Liz Phair
3/5
Kind of caught me off-guard how honest/explicit some of the lyrics were in comparison to the voice. Not bad, but nothing blew me away.
Cream
4/5
I always thought "Sunshine Of Your Love" was a Hendrix jam, but after reading that Cream went to a Hendrix show and they came up with the song after... it makes sense. It's a bit hard for me to separate Eric Clapton, who I used to like a lot when I was younger, from the music. Between Clapton's "Keep Britain White" outburst and his most recent anti-lockdown songs (yes plural) "Stand and Deliver" and "This Has Gotta Stop" ... really? Hard to even utter anything positive. Objectively, this is a good album and one of Cream's best.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Production-wise very polished. However I really am not into the vocals, which is likely a huge draw for fans of Elvis Costello. I will say it does not sound like 79, it sounds late 90s/early 2000s to me. I can see why people would like it. Kind of reminds me of Prince for some reason. I checked out the music video for Oliver's Army and for some reason watching him makes me like it more, probably cause he has a such a nerdy look that it feels a bit more fun. I could see if I listened to his whole catalog I'd get more into it and go higher, but for now I think 3 is fair.
Traffic
3/5
Not bad, definitely better than Steve Winwood's solo material.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Nice voice, read into her history on Wikipedia and sounds like a tough road. Not my genre but live would be lovely.
Carpenters
2/5
I get why people like them, but man it is definitely not my thing, I really don't like anything here lol. Too pure and beautiful, it's like the Carpenters came back from church and recorded. I'm gonna give it a 2 because I really can't listen to this anymore.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
A bit embarrassing but I haven't heard much Rolling Stones beyond random songs here and there, but this was pretty damn good. I think you could easily rate this a 5, but in terms of enjoyment for me it's a 4. You can feel the energy on this one, I'm sure lots of these are great live.
Billy Joel
3/5
Can't deny the talent of the guy, but in general it's a bit too smooth for me. I have a few songs I like by Billy Joel but overall a bit too soft rock for me.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
It's nice, but there are more interesting Jazz offerings for me out there.
Ice Cube
3/5
TIL where "It's on like Donkey Kong" is from. Can't say I know much Ice Cube but shame there is some patterns of anti-Semitism with him. Putting that aside if possible, not a bad album. I would probably rather just listen to N.W.A though. 3.5 down to 3. It Was A Good Day is a bop though.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
I knew of "The Body Breaks" which I liked, but overall started it's alright. Interesting cadence and I like the folksy guitar, but nothing that made me want to listen again.
Primal Scream
2/5
Oof, this is 90s as hell... in a bad way. So sugar-coated, so summer. I can't listen anymore. It's competent in what it is doing, but that's my problem with it. 1.5 to 2.
2Pac
4/5
Pretty damn introspective, thematically strong. Very confessional and raw, probably was a bit uncommon to show vulnerability in hip hop at this time. I probably wouldn't listen to a lot of it, but I can respect it.
Napalm Death
3/5
Ya know, I don't mind this so much really. It is interesting to read about the politics, worldviews, etc of Napalm Death and grindcore as a whole, who Napalm Death are apparently credited with having a huge influence in its formulation. Also apparently "You Suffer" is the shortest song according to Guinness Book of World Records, the Spotify version is 3 secs longer, ha! Overall though, some interesting phrases but it's more of a statement piece than something I'd wanna listen to on my own, live would be interesting I'm sure...
3/5
This whole album is nice for city driving. Definitely captures that vibe well. Vocals are very hypnotic and sensual as well. I was gonna give it a 4 but it fell off a little for me, 3.5 down to 3.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
It's good but, it just doesn't do a whole lot for me. I think I like other Creedence albums a bit more. 3.5 to 3.
Beck
3/5
Some real nice bangers, but then it goes into some different genres so the album is a bit all over the place for me. Not into Beck's hip-hop stylings really, this album does feels very 90s in that regard.
Nick Drake
3/5
I like Nick Drakes voice more than the rest, it’s just kind of simple comfortable music. Nice but that’s about it
The Kinks
3/5
Overall pretty good, if the rest of the songs were as good as Sunny Afternoon I’d be a 4 but some are kind of just ok. Def one of the better bands of this decade though
N.W.A.
3/5
Pretty damn influencial, still relevant. Definitely some sexism/homophobia here, obviously that did not age well. I think in terms of legacy and influence it is a straight 5, but in terms of my personal enjoyment it's a 3. Instrumentally and flow its great, but I can't get down with all the lyrics.
The Black Keys
4/5
It's rare for an album to not have a single bad track, these are all bangers and I think I've heard every single one on indie radio at some point. Hugely influential in some circles and brought back a bit more blues-y guitar into the indie mainstream. Hard to rate since I've heard it so many times, I will go with 4.5 down to 4.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Kinda nice, interesting wiki entry for sure. But, not my thang.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Did not know much of this except for one song, couldn’t have said this was Rod Stewart either, a bit of a blind spot. It’s ok but sounds very radio friendly
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
It's fine... but I find this sort of rock to be quite boring and sterile. Reminds me of listening to the "hard rock" radio and thinking this was the best shit ever.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Woah, never heard of them but really digging it, although Spellbound sounds familiar. Punk energy with a few experimental flourishes. Ticks all my boxes for 1001 albums it seems. Interesting roster changes as well, I'd say the only track I didn't care for was Halloween, lyrics are too cheesy for me.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Some cool sounds on this album for sure. Lyrics are pretty shock-value but, I'm conflicted on them. Cryptorchild is pretty good actually, was not expecting a Mellotron on this album either. I am not sure their usage of "nigger" and "rape" are proper, they are not glorifying those terms but it's always feels a bit exploitive when a white man uses those terms. I mean, from what I can tell he has some racist/sexist comments... yeah. Regardless, musically I don't mind it really, he was most likely playing the media like a fiddle and completely becoming the persona his haters described him as.
Wilco
4/5
I'm not into every Wilco does, but overall this album is solid. It's been a very long time since I heard this album. There's always this sort of tired feeling to Wilco songs, they don't go all the way and are a bit restrained in their energy, but it fits their style (and age now). Indie Tiredcore? Everything feels like somewhat whimsical sad confessionals, definitely has that early 2010s energy, you can hear all the influences in later indie bands of that decade. I also enjoy some of the little experimental instrumental flourishes that most bands would not include, but it adds a depth to it that I think most don't execute well.
The Prodigy
2/5
This is basically what I thought all electronic music was until college. It s not bad per say, but it’s only useful for a club setting. If you told me this was a 90s video game soundtrack I would believe you 100%. This style feels so dated and did not age well to me. 2.5 down to 2.
Lou Reed
4/5
I have heard a few songs in isolation, but not in a while and certainly not in album form. Really like Vicious, Perfect Day, Walk On the Wild Side (most people know this one). Perfect Day was really good because Lou Reed is NOT a good singer, if it was sung by someone traditionally I would not like it nearly as much. There really isn't a bad song on here, but some I could ignore but overall a 4. Nice production as well. It might be a remaster, but if not then that's pretty impressive. Funny listening to Goodnight Ladies on an actual Saturday Night.
Spiritualized
3/5
Back in the day I loved the first track and when I was super sad at times I really liked "Broken Heart", was brutally sad but when you get broken up with its... yeah. Beyond that, I wouldn't want to listen to them on the regular. As for the rest of the album, I don't particularly care for it, but it's just standard brit-rock. I can't believe this beat OK Computer in 97 for album of the year in NME though, ouch.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
It's 90s pop. It's fine, it had a time. But, never would listen to it now. Oh wait, it's from 89? He was a bit ahead of his time then. Can hear some Prince influences in here as well. I think this is my fav Lenny Kravitz thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t-iFr9q1I8 lolol
3/5
I want to like Devo more than I do, I appreciate the schtick but the execution doesn't do much for me.
Janet Jackson
3/5
Definitely going for the Michael Jackson sound. Percussion is pretty fun, liking the general LinnDrum sounds here. I appreciate the conscious themes as well, although I don't feel like the commentary goes far enough. Lyrically it just sounds like mentioning problems, but not pointing to the issues that cause it. Some may prefer this approach, but I feel like institutions and people need to be called out, otherwise it feels like feel-good-activism, like by just acknowledging the issues of things is enough. It is a good sounding album for sure, though. Great pop, but generally not my vibe. Although those orchestral hits with the LinnDrum definitely do something for me.
Gary Numan
3/5
I want to like Gary Numan more than I do. Not a huge fan of his vocal delivery unfortunately, but it could grow on me. I like Cars and some of the other more instrumental ones, but overall the album drags for me a bit.
Pixies
3/5
Not as great as Doolittle but still good. I don't think I'd really go back to this album much though.
FKA twigs
3/5
Started off strong but got repetitive for me. Liked the beats and sounds in general, though.
Björk
3/5
First song was a strong start, but after that is unfortunately missed the mark for me. Extremely has that 90s sound which didn't age well. Lots of songs to me were filler and not very interesting. Obviously Bjork really comes into her own with later albums, but it's a fine debut but nothing like the later works.
Supertramp
2/5
This is the kind of stuff I associate with bad Prog-Rock. Really don't care for any of it, not my thing.
Buck Owens
3/5
Thought I'd like it more than I did. I do appreciate this old country-western style though, but nothing stuck for me.
Small Faces
3/5
This type of Brit-rock of the era in general doesn't do much for me. It's like if the Beatles never moved past their early works.
Nirvana
4/5
Overall pretty good but a few songs are a bit meh. Definitely some cool songs in here I've never heard, I've really only heard Nirvana's "hits". 3.5 up to 4.
John Prine
3/5
Was a bit annoyed at first but got over it. Still, not quite the generation to get into this, so in some ways it’s not for me. Sad country postwar americana.
Violent Femmes
5/5
I have never really heard Violent Femmes except for Blister in the Sun and I'm super into it. I love the energy and the willingness to make a bunch of weird noises and do some very theatrical vocals. There really isn't a dud on this album, very impressed. I'm a new fan.
Beatles
4/5
In my opinion, this is the first Beatles album that actually was good. The earlier ones are "fine" but haven't aged as well for me. Rubber Soul shows a few style choices that hint of what was to come. Norwegian Wood and Nowhere Man are my favs.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Interesting sound, but didn't grab me as much as I wanted. But not super cheesy 80s, so it has that going for it.
Solange
3/5
Pretty good pop/R&B. Not a genre I get into personally, but I can see it being a 4*+ if you're into R&B. I've heard "Cranes in the Sky", but the rest are new. Just not my style, but it's quite good. I like the little instrumental flourishes, well produced.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Did not enjoy the first 4 songs. Then the album goes into a different direction. "Insanely Jealous of You" sounds like a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground song, I like it. The rest are just ok to me, I definitely hear some early proto-punk/Iggy pop-like structures on "He's a Reptile" as well. Beyond that, it's ok.
The Byrds
3/5
I like the first cover song, the interpretation of Mr. Tambourine Man works well with the Byrds style. In general I liked this more than I expected, but still not enough to grab me to listen on my own. 3.5 to 3.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
I see what she's going for here, but also am not a huge fan of the vocal delivery.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Pretty good psych-rock. I am wavering between a 3 and a 4, but since nothing specifically grabbed me I'll go down to a 3.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Kinda wanna like Fiona Apple more than I do. Lovely voice but there could be a lot more interesting things musically done. Still, stuck out as a good 90s performer back in the day.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Definitely a The Flaming Lips fans. I'd probably prefer Yoshimi over The Soft Bulletin but this is my 2nd fav album of theirs. Also a huge fan of Wayne Coyne's vocals, although sometimes from live performances they sound a bit rough, recorded they have that perfect balance of normal-sounding-guy with a passionate vulnerability. Race for the Prize is ever so more relevant in our COVID world. The Flaming Lips whole vibe is happy melancholia; softly sad but smiling, dancing, and laughing while slowly letting tears fall. Their concerts always look like one big party, I'd love to go to one but a bit sad I missed out when they were in their prime. 4.5 to 5 for me.
Queen
3/5
Expected to like this more than I did. Granted it all was fine and I didn't dislike anything, but a lot of the tracks were just ok to me. Killer Queen rules though.
Mj Cole
2/5
I had liked the drums but they basically used the same patterns with some variations for a lot of the songs. I’m sure it’s better in da club, but as an album it’s lacking.
Queen
3/5
I really wanna like the album more than I can honestly admit. I think it’s a 5 in terms of cultural impact but for my listening pleasure a lot of the songs are just on. Bohemian Rhapsody is a 5/5 and the production is very good but, I wish the rest of the album was as catchy and bombastic as that.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Bob Marley is a tine and a place for me. Not my typical listening but when I am near a beach or when I was in Costa Rica on the Caribbean... yeah that was perfect. Some good tracks and I respect it but I wouldn't always listen to it.
Garbage
3/5
Feels dated to the 90s for sure. I don't mind it but I don't love it.
Queen
3/5
Actually thought as an album this was a bit more enjoyable than A Night At The Opera. I can respect it but nothing I'd personally throw on all the way through, some really good songs mixed with some just ok ones.
Beck
4/5
I've heard about half of these songs, this is a really cozy album. I wouldn't say I'm a Beck "fan", but this album is pretty darn good.
Ramones
4/5
Knew a few of these, but some interesting other songs that I never heard before. Definitely a fan of early/proto punk in general.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Can't really get into this much, has that cheesy wankery that I almost roll my eyes at. Iconic though.
Alice In Chains
2/5
Buttrock as fuck. I just can't get into it at all, not my thing. Vocally the style is almost a meme now.
Talking Heads
4/5
Definitely not their best album, I think the only song I'd really want to listen to is Psycho Killer which is a classic. Overall it's still very art-rock and creative, but compared to their latest works there isn't as much here. I want to rate it a 3 in comparison to their other works, but in general compared to other 3s I've given it seems too low, so I'll bump it up to a soft 4.
3/5
Sad olde country music. I much prefer this to any contemporary country but still not my thing.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Fascinating read about this album and the production/artist. To produce this at 19 is pretty impressive, especially back in the 70s. In terms of execution it feels a bit too polished for me though, I would have preferred a more minimal piece, which apparently the original demos were according to Wikipedia. Not my type of instrumental music (sans the Tom Waits-lite screaming), but I respect it.
AC/DC
4/5
Hard to rate this one, in terms of enjoyment it's a 3. Not my style of rock, but objectively it's a 4 or 5, so I'll split the difference at 4. An album full of bangers and likely the template for a lot of heavy metal/rock albums to date. Lots of the songs are so ingrained in my American psyche I can't separate them from various movies, bars, and various people I've ran into.
The Lemonheads
3/5
It's ok. Actually liked the demos better than the produced tracks. Pretty standard 90s alt-rock.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Always liked this album, it pretty chill and the motif is always interesting. It's not the most interesting sample-based album for me but it feels like it was pretty ahead of its time and definitely set the stage for hip-hop sampling. I'm also a fan of his sampling ethos to avoid using popular material, and if you do to use it in a way to not be able to pinpoint it back to its source. it An impressive debut for sure.
Travis
3/5
I would have loved this in HS or college, but now it is a bit one dimensional in terms of its alt-rock sentimentality. Nothing bad but not a whole lot of depth here either. Some tracks better than others.
Björk
4/5
The more experimental-side of Björk. I'm glad to listen to more of her different albums since I have never really heard them. A few songs on here I would listen to again but I don't love them all, still all respectable. Vokuro is like a lovely Gregorian chant and I'm a sucker for that. Who Is It starts off with a minimal choral vocal arrangement then goes into some crazy synth/beatbox drums with more uptempo vibes, kinda like it. A lot of the various octave vocals are unsettling and I'm not a huge fan of their implementation, but it's bold. The whole album feels like a progression and is essentially a narrative/play to me. I could see a whole interpretive dance performance to this. I love the bitcrushed/snappy percussion start in Desired Constellation and when the vocals amp up and the whispers come in left and right. Oceana has some really impressive instrumental flourishes that come in and out. Ancestors is kind of disturbing actually, not a huge fan. Pretty crazy for 2004, the production is beautiful as well.
Steely Dan
3/5
It's nice, it's smooth, but generally not my thing. It's good to hear this as "Steely Dan" though since I could not have told you what they sounded like. I can see why people would really like them and I can respect it.
Steely Dan
4/5
Maybe it's just my mood but I was jiving much more to this than Can't Buy A Thrill. Really liked Your Gold Teeth. I don't think I was listening with headphones before which probably wasn't doing it any favors. Between the two albums I can give this a 4, not all exactly my thing but I see it, I see it.
Beth Orton
3/5
Pretty 90s singer/songwriter. Very of the times, not a huge fan but nothing is bad. "Stars All Seem to Weep" is more of what I'd be interested in, a bit more trip-hop mixed with acoustic.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
In HS, like many others, I liked The Smashing Pumpkins. In retrospect it's just above-average for me. I waver between a 3.5 and a 3. I think Siamese Dream might be better but not sure, maybe it'll come up in the list.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
What a voice, great falsetto work. Of course many know only of Hallelujah and in some ways is almost the definitive version, although I think both Leonard Cohen and Buckley bring different things to the table. I definitely enjoy the guitar-work on the album, especially the little delayed pitch-y things in the background in Mojo Pin, which is funny cause it's the same stuff I like to do. Definitely feels like a pure musician. Also never realized he drowned to death without drugs/alcohol in his system... tragic.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Was not expecting a cover of "Changes" here. Overall though, to me this is not their best album. FX is a surprising experimental piece. Definitely preferred their debut (the only one I've rated at this point). Still good though. 3.5 to 3.
Bauhaus
4/5
Definitely got more into it the more of a chance I gave it. It has that 80s vocal-trappings which sometimes bring it down a bit for me, but damn there are some nice grooves in here as well as some interesting instrumentation. Had to listen to it twice, was originally a 3.5 rounded down to 3 but I think I have to go up to 4 since it is intriguing enough to me. Especially as the album evolves/devolves into experimental.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Respectable but very 80s sounding hip-hop. Not my thing. Definitely Prince meets Michael Jackson.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Surprisingly I actually kinda dig it. I haven't listened to this early of hip-hop much, but I like this minimalist/staccato/sparse presentation, definitely a fun little jaunt. Plus decently thoughtful lyric material. Dare I say this album is cute now?
Solomon Burke
4/5
Bombastic vocal performances, everything here is super slick. Not something I'd always listen to but it's very nice.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Good reggae but I'd rather just listen to Bob Marley/Wailers.
The United States Of America
5/5
Oh fuck ya this is my shit. I sort of recall the name/co ver art but glad to listen to this. "Creating the electronic sounds on the album was difficult because of the technical limitations. Byrd recalled "the only available functioning keyable synthesizers were Robert Moog's at +$20,000. We were left with whatever sounds I could squeeze from three variable wave shape generators, modulating one another." ... this is my shit. This is basically the Beatles "Number 9" meets The Velvet Underground. I can't believe this could chart on the billboard 200 (hit 181). The album also has some beautiful Can-like frenzy in the guitar playling, in some ways this is Krarutrock... Yankrock? The very Nico-esque vocals are a great pairing with all the other weirdness going on. This is the stuff that only could get a label's backing in the 60s/70s for sure. It's almost perfect that this was the only album that happened, then everything fell apart. It's STILL forward thinking, like a fucked up National Album that we deserve.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Not personally a huge Dylan fan, but can't deny the legacy and power of this album. I don't think it's his best album, but still quite good.
Various Artists
2/5
I really really really dislike Christmas music, but a lot of classics here and I know it's not bad, but it's a 2 from me dawg.
The Fall
4/5
Fifteenth album jeez dude. I do like and respect The Fall but not sure if the entire album is consistent in quality, but overall still good. Definitely wish I could have seen them live in their prime. I think I've only listened to the album with "Totally Wired" on it all the way through, so clearly I have some additional albums to listen to.
JAY Z
3/5
Never got into Jay-Z, always felt he was very typical in terms of rap, which I guess you can say he is a classic. Honestly a bit bored of the album and it's fine... just not my thing,
The Smiths
3/5
Unfortunately after listening to a lot of Smiths I don't think I'm a huge fan. Instrumentally it's all fine and dandy but Morrissey's voice and delivery isn't my cup of tea.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Listen, I know it's good and all but it doesn't do much for me. Only track I really liked personally was "You Haven't Done Nothing" due to the synth(?) sound and energy, if anything it sounds like Superstition to me which came out 2 years before this album. The rest is a bit too earnest in its moodiness.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Probably my favorite album of theirs, has quite a bit of range and they are quite far along with their style that this is a great vertical slice of Zeppelin. Unfortunately it's almost become too ubiquitous that I have a hard time separating it from a lot of people that taints the impression. However, it's not my favorite style of rock and I don't always wanna listen to Zeppelin in general. I actually prefer the slower songs like The Battle of Evermore and Stairway to Heaven (as much as it was overplayed). I quite enjoyed Four Sticks with the addition of synths and the percussion is a lot of fun. Culturally and of the genre a 5 but in terms of listening pleasure it's a 4.
Cypress Hill
3/5
Oof, usage of gay slurs has not aged "Pigs" well. "How I Could Just Kill a Man" is pretty iconic though. Interesting some of the lyrics are very close to some Rage Against the Machine's later works, so clearly they were influenced (not to mention they toured together). Some of the lyrics are so silly though, "Scooby Doo ya'll" made me laugh out loud. It's okay, I see the influence but for me the execution isn't my hip-hop style.
Talk Talk
2/5
I really kinda hate this cheesy 80s soft-rock stuff. It's musically competent but is so vapid to me that it's nothing to me. Apparently their next album is prog/experimental? I'd be curious if it gets any better.
The National
3/5
I do like The National, but I don't feel like this album is consistent. Bloodbuzz Ohio is an indie classic, unfortunately the rest of the tracks don't match the quality of this song though. Lyrics are on point for this song as well "I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe" is basically a Millennial anthem, lol. I do like Runaway as well, I remember being very into this song when I was super depressed. And maybe that's how the National is best enjoyed. This is probably a 3.5.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Hit or miss Dylan for me, a few good tracks but the rest I could leave.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
I don't know much Hüsker Dü, which I guess is a sin since I live in MN. Regardless, this alt-rock sound does nothing for me, it's there and inoffensive but it doesn't move me in any way. Sounds like they were originally more of a punk/hardcore band so if those albums come up I may be into that more.
Circle Jerks
3/5
God the album title and band name combo is eye-roll inducing. But, pleasantly surprised. 15 minutes album... yep it is punk alright. I go back and forth between liking it and not... it feels like it's missing a bit of heart to it for me, it might be just because bands like Dropkick Murpheys and other skank-inducing groups basically co-opted this sound and it ends up being trite and kinda bro-y.
Peter Frampton
3/5
I can't say I get Peter Frampton, maybe it's just not my thing. Nothing here is bad but I really don't care about it at all, so I'm wavering between a 2 and a 3, but I'll round up for "talent" I suppose.
Björk
4/5
Strong interesting start. This coming off Homogenic is interesting, it feels like it could have been released in the last year. Love that instrumental oddness going on. First track has it all, orchestral Björk, weird beat Björk, instrumental oddities swirling around Björk, etc etc. Second track has some nice little poppy-sounding-beats along with interesting acoustic touches, lyrically it's interestingly explicit but pure in its intention. Oh man the Bass contrasting with the music boxes on Pagan Poetry is so fucking good, the push-pull of heavy/raw/powerful instruments with delicate twinkling of other touches+vocals is very powerful and what makes me really like Björk. This is definitely a winter album.
Interesting Wiki tidbit: "With the rising popularity of Napster and music downloads, she decided to use instruments whose sounds would not be compromised when downloaded and played on a computer, including the harp, the celesta, clavichord, strings, and custom music boxes. Assisted by the duo Matmos, Björk created "microbeats" from various household sounds, such as that of shuffling cards and ice being cracked." Honestly there is a lot of interesting found-sound tidbits in the Wiki article that for a nerd like me make me happy. Sounds like the laptop was the studio for most of it, and apparently Björk does not get the credit for her work on it. Bummer. I'd say maybe a 4.5 or 5 but I will go with a 4.5 since not every track was unique enough to grab me compared to some others.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Like, I really hate listening to this type of music. Essentially what I hate about "pop music" is this perfect vocal-style, I like my vocals with some grit or humanness. This just feels so manufactured and processed. Instrumentally it's all fine, it's just pop vocals ruin it for me 100%. I have nothing against Taylor Swift as she clearly is successful at what she's doing, but it's just not for me in any capacity. Furthermore my impression is she has no different lyrical content beyond relationship woes which gets old, but I get it... that's a huge market.
The better songs are with The National and Bon Iver but, it all still feels too "pure" for me. I can't relate to it at all. Like, it's like a 1 or 2 on enjoyment but I can't even properly rate this, so I guess it's just a 2 from me. I don't WANT to hate it but I really don't ever wanna listen to it again.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
My favorite The Flaming Lips album. This feels like the perfect encapsulation of their style: an interesting narrative concept (whether intentional or not), melancholia but whimsical sounds/lyrics, and a lust for life. I remember first hearing this my junior year in college and just being filled with hope for both the world's and my own future.
I may be ignorant, but there still isn't much out there like this. I could type out things about every track on this album; they are all good which is also a rare feat. I'd say the highlight is Do You Realize?? which most people likely already know. It's still extremely pure and beautiful and I've prob heard it over 100 times.
It's very impressive that this is also the 10th album for them, most bands start produce shit at this point but the fact that they could make this after so long is a testament to their artistic acumen, not to mention the really great production work here. One of the most human albums of the 00s. A rare straight 5 for me.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Pretty cool/positive affirming old-school Hip Hop. Watching the music video for Beyond This World was fun. Overall pretty funky and even has some disco touches in it. While it's fun, I am not sure it really does anything very unique, but overall I like it. 3.5 to 3.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Pretty chill down-tempo. I like a few of the songs but beyond that for a lot I'd rather them be instrumental.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
80s as hell. Reminds me a bit of Michael Bolton mixed with Prince. He's clearly a talented singer but definitely not my style.
Dr. John
4/5
At first I was thinking "Who is this ripping off Tom Waits?" then I see it was released in 1968. Wow. Ok not surprising he is an influence on Waits. As a Waits fan this is fascinating. I like Gris-Gris and Mama Roux but the vocals on Croker Courtbullion are super annoying. Definitely hear some Zappa-esque things here as well. I don't know if I'd wanna listen to a lot of this again but, damn I gotta give it a 4 just for the respect of this being 1968.
Arrested Development
3/5
An interesting mix of genres between songs. Kind of goes a lot of places, but overall is competent classic hip-hop, I can respect the positive vibes. Lyrically some of it comes off a bit trite though, I appreciate the "anti-gangsta" mentality, it feels a bit superficial.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I remember in middle school trying to look up guitar tabs for Creed songs on ultimateguitar and Creedence always came up first and I was like "who are these guys I just wanna learn Creed". The blunder years for sure.
Even since then, I can't say I've really listened to CCR in earnest or in a deliberate way. Just the hits/singles over the years. So this might be one of the first album listens.
Ramble Tamble is a strong start. Really liking the psych-energy and extended jams. After this, it gets into what I would expect from an extended catalog. It's all good but I'm not a huge fan of rockabilly/swamp rock. I do appreciate the weird noises on Run Through the Jungle. I've definitely heard Up Around The Bend, that's definitely the quintessential CCR sound to me. Surprisingly I've heard "My Baby Left Me" as well, not sure where but kind of surprised since it's a lesser played track on Spotify.
Anyways, while overall enjoyment may be around a 3.5 the quality is definitely 4-4.5 so I'll have to go with a 4.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Hmm...
My My, Hey Hey is a classic. That's for sure. The rest of the songs I'm having a bit of trouble getting into. They are fine, but nothing amazing. Sedan Mothers vocals are a bit annoying though, definitely don't like that one. I just wish some of the other tracks moved me a bit more, definitely not my fav Neil Young but culturally/objectively it's a 4. But, enjoyment is a 3 so I'm gonna do with a 3.
T. Rex
4/5
Idk but I enjoyed this a little more than Electric Warrior, could just have been my mood. Not every track is a straight A but between the two I think at least one of these albums deserves a 4.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Listen. This may be one of the top pop albums of all time. There's no disputing that. In terms of personal enjoyment, the first half of the album doesn't do much for me.
Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller are of course straight 5*. Some of the rest are just okay for me. I personally do not love listening to MJ, but I get it.
Ian Dury
2/5
Something about this rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not horrible but nothing produced here needs to exist, which maybe is the tragedy.
Rush
3/5
"Jesus" is what I uttered when I saw the first track of 20:33 runtime. It's prog time for sure. I mean, I can respect the concept but execution it isn't doing much for me. I am admittedly not a huge fan of his voice but it can work in songs like Tom Sawyer, but here not so much.
From Wiki it sounds like their label was wanting them to make more accessible/consumable music but they doubled down with their Side A being this single 20 minute track. I can respect that for sure, regardless of my enjoyment of it. The rest of the songs on side 2 are... fine.
Instrumentally they are all talented, but this sort of prog just always feels like it's technical for the sake of technicality. It never feels relatable for me, but to each their own.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Definitely a good singer and has an interesting vintage sound that still sounds "fresh". I liked it overall but couldn't point to a specific track that stood out. About a 3.5-4 for me so I'll round up.
The Kinks
3/5
I think I like the more rock-focused Kinks. I did like Death of a Clown due to the interesting vocal mix but everything else is just okay.
Portishead
5/5
Welcome to trip-hop. I think you can have sex to any of these songs to be honest.
Already know this one very well, I like almost every song on it. Definitely a Portishead fan, the way they can weave a seductively dark vibe is top. Beth is a great singer as well and I love her vocal style. I came to this pretty late unfortunately, didn't hear it until my mid 20s, but I probably wouldn't have liked it as a teenager unfortunately. Only track that isn't as good as the rest is "It's A Fire", apparently it wasn't on the original UK release and I see why, not bad just not in the same caliber.
Hard to pick a favorite track, but it might be Wandering Star. I really like Mysterons, It Could Be Sweet, Roads, Glory Box as well. Overall, Dummy may still be their best work.
Neil Young
3/5
I want to like it more than I do. I think there are some real standout tracks like Heart of Gold, Out on the Weekend, Old Man... but the rest are just okay for me unfortunately.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Retro-sounding. I can appreciate it but sort of boring for me.
Femi Kuti
3/5
I overall enjoyed it a good amount, but unfortunately it was a bit long for me without a ton of genre variation, if it was a little shorter I'd give it a 4 and live I'm sure 4.5+.
Public Enemy
3/5
I wanna like it overall more than I do. I think some tracks are very strong like "Bring the Noise", "Rebel Without a Pause", "Don't Believe the Hype" but a bunch don't quite meet that caliber of quailty. The album feels like it could be trimmed down by at least 5 songs, but from what I can see they wanted no dead air space between sides of the cassette so opted for 30 mins each, I get it but... it definitely shows.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Competent folk-rock, but just sort of there for me. It's nice though.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
It sounds pretty neat and there is a lot of interesting culture behind the album on Wikipedia, but for my own listening pleasure it's not my thing.
The Avalanches
3/5
Had high hopes for this one because "Frontier Psychiatrist" is a bop... but the rest fell flat for me. Sampling is fine but not very interesting to me.
Tina Turner
3/5
She's a classic. But, I've never been grabbed by her stuff to be honest.
Slayer
3/5
I dunno man, in some ways this feels so played out I can't even properly evaluate this since this sound has been so overplayed throughout a ton of thrash/death metal bands. It's interesting that this was their first well-produced album and set a standard for metal production going forward, I think that's neat. Beyond that, I can't say I really enjoy it a ton, but I can also highly respect the brevity; I actually listened to it 3x just to make sure. Live however, I'm sure it would be super fun.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Every song here could be a song in a James Bond film. Overall I like it. I like the vocal delivery as well as the theremine-like synth that wavers up and down across the album. My only qualm would be that the album is a bit static. But overall, a very seductive yet elegant album.
Killing Joke
4/5
I like a bunch of these, especially Requiem, that simple pulsating synth is a lot of fun. There are a few songss here and there that are just "ok" for me, but overall a cool post-punk album for sure.
OutKast
4/5
Of course I've heard "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move", you can't avoid that song no matter what you try. Thankfully they are both pretty good. Haven't listened to any other tracks on here before, but overall not too bad. Definitely some cool production/mixing here, the concept album of each person with a side is kind of neat. It's not my preferred style of hip-hop but I can't fault it really.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
I was digging it the first few songs, but then it started to get old and some of the vocals were annoying to me as it went on, unfortunately. It's nice though, but didn't need half of it in the album.
Kanye West
3/5
I haven't listened to much Kanye so glad to have the opportunity to do so. From what I know though, this feels like a rough draft of the "Kanye sound". Lots of filler/skits and a bunch of tracks that don't need to exist, also maybe too many collabs but... when it's your debut using others as a hype-builder just makes sense. Production-wise it's quite good, pretty impressive a lot of this was on his own at parts, you can tell he is a perfectionist and I can appreciate it. I hope the next 2 albums are on here because from what I know they are a bit better.
The Temptations
3/5
Smooth, but just okay for me. Nothing offensive, unfortunately I have nothing to say on this. It's fine?
Fiona Apple
3/5
I theoretically like Fiona Apple more than I actually enjoy listening to her in general, with some exceptions. I appreciate the style and energy but I’m not always thrilled with the execution, I can see why people like her but it’s not my thing.
The Roots
4/5
I'm definitely a fan of full instrumentation hip-hop. Some very surprising songs on here, like Water where it goes into some weird krautrock-y kosmiche music at times, could have been a Can song halfway through. Songs like Rock You, The Seed (2.0), Rolling With Heat, are all super vibe-y. Some of it is a bit bloat-y but overall I'm a fan. 3.5 to 4.
Little Simz
4/5
For some reason British hip-hop delivery does something for me. Instrumentally it's pretty great. Love the distorted drums and the synth lines. Some of the tracks are hit and miss but overall pretty strong.
R.E.M.
3/5
I wanna like R.E.M. more than I do, on paper it makes sense. But in execution I am bored, it's just so "there" for alt-rock.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Iconic. Most people are not aware of Kraftwerk and their ground-breaking electronic style that wasn't really done. The inhumanness goes so far it wraps around and becomes somehow human. Only song I'm not a fan of is "Showroom Dumimes". 4.5 to 5.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Unfortunately this sound is so culturally complicated for Americans with a lot of racists identifying with the southern rock sound. Beyond that, although I would not want to listen to this on the regular, you can't deny the legacy of this album. Simple Man is still great. Free Bird is... well, Free Bird. Nothing is bad here.
Coldplay
4/5
Coldplay peaked with the Brothers & Sisters and The Blue Room EPs. In terms of albums, I think their first 3 are strongest and I was definitely a fan of Coldplay in high school/college. Early Coldplay is Diet Radiohead with optimistic-based syrup content. Later Coldplay became its own thing, which is fine but I fell off after Viva La Vida.
With that out of the way, I think Coldplay on these earlier albums were at their prime. Lyrically they are good, it's inoffensive and easy listening. If I didn't have loved these albums in my youth I may not rate this as high as I do. I do remember coming home from a long shift at 1AM after closing up the concession stand at a movie theatre, hearing Clocks on the radio the first time and I made me stop in my tracks, as a moody 16 year old it just did something for me. It's still not what I wanna listen to most of the time, but credit to where credit is due. I think the track "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is still good, but I really can't listen to much of this anymore, I'm kind of past it all. But, 4 since I can recognize that it is very successful at what it does.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Earnest to a fault. Like, definitely too earnest for me, urghhhhhh... also so very late 80s/early 90s sounding. Her voice is clearly the star of this show, but it's just generically good to me, not my thing at all. It's competent, but I couldn't get through it.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Unfortunately plagued by the 80s sound. It's okay and I can see why someone would like it, but all sounds very 80s cheesy beyond the vocals.
Screaming Trees
2/5
Generically boring 90s alt-rock. Might be my least favorite of the 90s styles to be honest, it's just.... there... Like, just listen to Pearl Jam if you want this style.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
I definitely respect what she's going for here, but as an album it feels like it's wanting to be 2 or 3 different things. There's the symphonic songs, the more straight-forward hip-hop (Cold War, Tightrope), and then the rest are much more experimental pieces. I had only heard the radio hits that were Cold War, Tightrope so that's what I assumed the whole album would be, so I was a bit surprised. If the album contained all of one style, I feel like it would be a 4 for me, but since it's so disjointed as an album it's only a 3. Individual tracks rate much higher.
The War On Drugs
3/5
I want to like it more than I do. I do like it, but it's just sort of "there". Doesn't excite me or move me. It's kind of that 2010 era of indie sensibility that is somewhat interesting and yet very palatable, which I think compromises too much on accessibility, at least for me.
James Brown
3/5
It's James Brown. He's good. But, I dunno maybe it's the live-ness but as an album it started to drag.
MGMT
4/5
This was the hotness when I was in college. Definitely fun to listen back to it now knowing a bit more about synthesizers and sound-creation. MGMT had that great mix of vocal-pop hooks and delicious synthy vibes. I think there are a ton of bands that wouldn't exist if MGMT didn't have the success they did. I've enjoyed listening to some of the lesser known songs on here, I've heard them but it's been a while. Weekend Wars sort of has a proto-punk vocal delivery, also sort of Freddie Mercury vibe. Thematically at the time it felt like it captured the millennial energy of both being worn down but still happy enough to wanna party. Only problem is songs like Electric Feel and Kids have been so overplayed that they don't mean much to me anymore.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Very talented musicians, but honestly it gets a bit old for me. Didn't know this was something Clapton was in as well. Interestingly not the version of Layla I know as well, so that's kinda neat.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I mean, it's Elvis. Clearly a 5 for cultural impact. But in terms of listening pleasure it's a 3 for me, not my thing. But, fun to listen to and think about all the music after Elvis that was inspired.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Funky as fuck. Definitely don't know much of Sly & The Family Stalone but I'm digging it. Poet is really fun. I have heard Family Affair though, honestly it's just ok for me. Unfortunately as the album went on the songs weren't as good for me, which is a same since I really liked a few songs.
Metallica
3/5
First thing I noticed is that the mix feels a bit sterile, like it was either over-engineered to be cleaner or wasn't engineered enough, not sure. I think the only song I like is "One". And it's just okay for me. It's just not my type of metal.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Look, it's fine. But I really don't like the singer's cadence from The Arctic Monkeys so it is definitely not my thing.
The Cure
3/5
I appreciate The Cure, but unfortunately the 80s-ness detracts it for me. I can get into their dark synth energy but it just doesn't go quite far enough for me to really get into it.
John Grant
2/5
Oh boy this is too earnest for me. Just way too soft of delivery. The track Marz is better but the lyrics are so cheesy for me. I can hear some of the Midlake influences in the instrumentals and some arrangements, I am a fan of Midlake (Tim Smith era) but this is a situation where the execution isn't good for me. I really can't finish it, not a big fan. Totally not my thing.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This album compares and contrasts well with Black Star in different, morbid ways. I feel like they are both sort of reaching the same conclusion, but approaching it a bit differently as they age and mortality creeps closer. I feel like "You Want It Darker" and "Treaty" are the stand-out tracks. You Want It Darker is a better-than-average but feels like an intro that doesn't stand on its own as a track. Treaty I do like a lot. It reminds me of something Tom Waits would do, which is great in my book.
From here after Treaty, it falls a bit short of what I'd want. Maybe I'm just not old enough, but it's just ok for me. The spoken-word delivery gets older and older the longer the album goes for me. I don't dislike it, but I want a lot more out of it.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Like, I get it. Beach Boys are iconic, but wow do I really not like this album, lol. I'd give Pet Sounds more pedigree due to its mixing/production in the age it was in, but if I'm honest this is a 2 on enjoyment. Vocally Beach Boys annoy me.
Eurythmics
3/5
Love Is a Stranger and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) are 4 or 5 star songs in themselves. I really wanted to give this a 4 as an album, but every other track on the album falls so short of those two tracks it highlights the disparity between them. I love the synths on all of it though, they still held up even with their 80s-style.
Dire Straits
3/5
A name I know of but assumed was somewhat different. I know of the term "Sultans of Swing" but embarrassingly did not know it was a song. I assumed these guys were southern rock but they are British, so apparently more pub-rock. Clearly talented musicians. Beyond that, it's more of a time-and-a-place album for me, certain situations I could get really into it, but casual listening alone it doesn't do much for me.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Ahh yes proto-Björk solo career. I have heard "Birthday" which is a pretty cute song sounding song, with that Björk husky-growl that is iconic of her style, a very nice mix.
Anytime there is someone else singing it brings it down for me. The sound is a bit locked in that 80s production-style which also sounds a bit weak. It also is a bit too long, although I wouldn't have cared as much if all the tracks are bangers, but they are definitely not.
Nico
3/5
Never listened to solo Nico, definitely think I prefer her stuff with The Velvet Underground. It's not bad. Interestingly on Wikipedia she says she can't listen to this album because they wouldn't do what she wanted, they made it more orchestral/flute-y which she apparently hates. I can see why.
Charles Mingus
4/5
I like it. I feel like any good Jazz is almost always at least a 4 for me. I especially liked Track B where it sounded like he was almost singing through the horn while also playing it, very cool effect.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
This album feels quite manic, some cool songs and some others I really don't care for at all. First track might be my fav, the rest are sorta meh. Like Toonerville Trolley is sort of horrible. An interesting debut for sure.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Only knew of later PJ Harvey stuff which I liked, but dang this album is punk as fuck, really raw in the best way. Live this would vibe so hard. Rid of Me is great. Legs is intense, love her raw screaming. Hey, another recording at Pachyderm Recording Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Guess I know where to go and keep it local if need be in the future.
The albums starts to drag a bit as it goes on though and never manages to reach the heights of the first tracks as well as going maybe a couple songs too long.
Still very good, I never knew this side of PJ Harvey and I'm keen to listen more. 4.5 to 4.
k.d. lang
3/5
Soft rock basically. It's "fine" but I'm pretty indifferent, never would listen to it and I'd probably ask to turn it off if in a car. But, that's just me.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
I remember in my 20s hearing the first track on Pandora radio and was pretty struck by it, so I went and tried to listen to the album... and more of it I heard the more I started to dislike it. The heavy vibrato-vocals I think work well to be used sparingly, or just one track. But, as it goes on it gets to be too much for me. Might be a nice concert to go to and never listen to again, just for that transient experience.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Difficult to rate this one, I can't say I'm the biggest Pink Floyd fan. I think they're good but not a band I want to ever sit down and listen to. Very much the same with Dark Side of the Moon. It's such a cultural touchpoint and lauded so highly it's almost become boring to me. I'm guessing if I heard it on my own before I heard all the hype that wouldn't cloud my judgement. Culturally/musically it's a 5 but personally it's a 4.
The Smiths
3/5
One of the more popular The Smiths albums. Unfortunately the more I hear of Morrissey the less I like him. It's "good" but I can't anymore... "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" is still their best song though, still like that one.
OutKast
3/5
I dunno why but this time I'm not too jazzed about OutKast. I thought the concepts of the previous albums on the list were stronger. Also the intro song really set the mood to be eye-rolling. Bombs over Baghdad is the standout, but not sure what this song is really saying.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Instrumentally it's interesting but vocally, oof not my thing. Initially this is a 2 for the grating high pitched vocals but then I read up on the album and now I feel kinda bad since he became paraplegic during this album. However it seems this was still the same vocal style regardless of the accident from his previous works, maybe it became a bit more strained. The vocals unfortunately do not make me want to listen to it though. A 3 since it is trying something different.
Incubus
3/5
Incubus is slightly tolerable butt-rock. Definitely a time and a place thing, and that place was early 2000s in high school for me. It's rock that is "there". I suppose musically it's fine but vocally it's pure butt.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
90s big beat. I know Chemical Brothers have a big following and were a scene staple, but listening to it just exhausts me. For me not sure it aged as well as some other similar material. If I was on E in a rave I'd probably enjoy it more.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I know of Yeah Yeah Yeahs from Maps and "Heads Will Roll", but also heard "Y Control" although I didn't know the title. In general I'm a fan, a few songs on this album I'm not really into, but the ones I am into I am very into. Rich and Y Control are my two stand-outs, but Maps is still good although almost like a different album since it's so mellow. I also enjoyed listening to the 4 track demos on the Deluxe edition, they are all so much distorted but overall I think they made the right choices for the actual album's sound.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Was a bit intimidated to listen to this since I know it's the quintessential shoegaze album. Overall I'm into it, I am definitely a texture guy when it comes to music and it checked all those boxes. The only thing that I didn't love was the higher pitched vocals by Shields, I preferred the lower register or Butcher's style. 4.5 down to 4.
Kelela
3/5
It's ok. Musically it's at least sort of interesting but it's still stylistically not my thing in terms of R&B.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's iconic, of course. Unfortunately the rest of the song don't hit the emotional highs of the first and last track. I feel like everyone has said anything that needs to be said here, but I could take or leave half the album in a personal listening session. Still, when it rocks it rocks hard.
Hole
3/5
Never listened to any Hole nor any Courtney Love in a deliberate fashion. I find this album to be kind of whitewashed punk-rock made to appear on MTV and be palatable enough for the mainstream kids who wanna be cool. That's just my impression though.
Pavement
4/5
I haven't heard a lot of Pavement but I love, love, Range Life. There are a bunch of other good ones on here, a few take-it-or-leave it ones for me, but overall very good stuff. This sounds like modern indie but this was 1994! I enjoy the vocal style but I can imagine a lot of people wouldn't, it's a perfectly relatable cadence that almost anyone can sing along with. 4.5 to 4.
Stereolab
4/5
Tasty jams, Krautrock-like progressions, and I like French when it's sung as well, so this ticks a lot of boxes. I knew the name but never what they sounded like.
The Prodigy
3/5
Definitely that Fatboy Slim 90s era electronic dance music vibe... it didn't age very well for me, but it isn't "bad". Also their excuse for "Smack My Bitch Up" is laughable.
Air
4/5
Air are a viiiiibe. I've only listened to their "Talkie Walkie" album so this was fun. What a debut. A mix of downtempo lounge and fun slow dance music. Makes me feel like a fancy lad.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Not much to say... it's fine but definitely not interested in it. There's a joke here somewhere and it falls flat for me.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Thought I'd hate it more, but it turned out to be just OK. Not a huge fan of the voice but the instrumentation is... fine.
Randy Newman
3/5
Ok. Newman wants to sing the first song from a redneck's perspective but c'mon man, you know a bunch of bigots loved this song, even with the lines that take a jab at them, it will just be bypassed. I don't think its effective, but I could be wrong. Regardless it has left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe you get it more once you realize he is also Jewish but idk maaaaaan.
Regardless, not my style but he's clearly talented. I mostly know his voice from You Got a Friend In Me.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
It's beautiful and kind of cute, but generally not my vibe. I get why she is popular.
a-ha
3/5
I won't dwell on "Take on Me", but it is quintessential 80s electronic pop. Somehow has transcended how cheesy it is with the catchy riffs and impressive falsetto. I think the video really cemented it though.
I can really only say I've heard "Take on Me" though, the rest of the album is completely unknown to me. It's fine, but not my thing.
I really can't listen to it in general as the 80-ness gets to be much, but I'd say in general I think the world slept on the rest of this album a bit. Maybe I just haven't met a-ha fans but I've never heard anyone talk about any of their other work. 3.5 to 3.
The Black Crowes
3/5
For southern rock it's okay, inoffensive. In general not into this style of rock though, reminds me of listening to trying-to-be-edgy 90s radio in the US.
Bad Company
3/5
I got nothing. Didn't do anything for me but it's fine.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I hate single-side panned vocals. I'd rather have mono for Purple Haze than this overly stereo version. Other tracks are better. But ya, this is good Jimi Hendrix, what else is there to say?
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Oh shit I do know "That Lady", didn't think I knew any of this group. Overall some nice funk but beyond That Lady it didn't grab me as much as I wanted. I can see people disagreeing though.
SAULT
3/5
I like what they are going for, but musically it doesn't hit as hard as I want it to.
Orbital
3/5
In terms of electronic music I find techno to be one of the least interesting for me, at least this era of techno. I know Orbital is considered quintessential techno and I get it, but feels so dated now in comparison to modern IDM. Listening to it in a big warehouse at a rave, now that I could get into. As a casual listening experience it's meh.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Still can't get into Costello at all.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Hooked straight in due to that funky bass and guitar, then the vocals come in and daaamn what a combo. Another person I knew the name of but never listened to. I'm in a coffee shop and I can't sit still, such a vibe. Unfortunately none of the other songs hit that high for me, but they were still soulful as hell. Love to the People may be my 2nd fav.
This Wiki anecdote is worth noting: "On August 13, 1990, Mayfield became paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him while he was being introduced at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. Afterwards, though he was unable to play the guitar, he continued to compose and sing, which he found he could do by lying down and letting gravity pull down on his chest and lungs." Gotta admire that dedication.
Metallica
3/5
"MASTER. MASTER." is what I think every time I see this album title. This era of Metallic is just ok for me. Master of Puppets is fun though. I bet if this album was mixed in not such a mid-heavy way I could get more into it, it just feels a bit flat compared to modern metal mixes.
Minor Threat
3/5
I like the general ethos and sound but there wasn't a track that I was like "hell ya this is the one". Hard to rate really, it's between a 3 and a 4 for me but since I didn't gravitate towards a specific song I'll downgrade to 3.
Joy Division
4/5
I haven't ever given Joy Division a serious listen but I'm thinking I've made a big mistake. Atrocity Exhibition kicks off with that distorted guitar and possibly a synth in the background which has a freeform expressiveness that I find myself doing which is abrasive and only works with the other elements in lockstep (drums/bass). But man it works well. Total Krautrock energy.
Unfortunately it peaks there for me. Twenty Four Hours is a good vibe but the others don't get there for me, I'm not sure I love the cadence of Ian Curtis.
The Eternal sounds like something off Bowie's album Low side 2 but with vocals. Decades is nice with the synth. Maybe the last 3 are better than the first few. Still, I can recognize the greatness here even if it doesn't always tick the boxes for me.
Beastie Boys
3/5
You can tell they were sick of just doing one single thing. Definitely was surprised by the range of the album, but it doesn't really stick to anything so as an album I find it lacking. Obviously has some bangers.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
I'm assuming this is iconic due to reasons I am not familiar with. It's... ok?
Fugazi
3/5
Cool, got this after just rating Minor Threat so it's gonna be neat to hear the progression for Ian MacKaye. Not sure I love Guy Picciotto's vocal styles, I think I prefer Ian's.
The track Repeater definitely could be the opener for me. That squealing guitar is neat, definitely post-park with the interplay between abrasive and clean guitar. In general though... not a huge style of this rock sound.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
All around great album. Can't give it any less than a 4 because Stir It Up is still a BOP.
The Undertones
3/5
I'm not too into this Pop Punk sound, but live drunk in a bar I'd prob fuckin love it. Under the Boardwalk was a nice throwback sound though.
Rod Stewart
3/5
I get why people like Rod Stewart but he doesn't do much for me. It's good though.
The Stone Roses
3/5
First track was really good and definitely my thing, but then it went a bit too much into brit-pop for me. Still good, just not my thing.
Common
3/5
Never can get into Common, I always hear he's "socially-conscious" then I hear him calling people faggots and yeah... no thanks. Everything else is fine.
The Young Gods
3/5
On paper I could get into industrial, but this feels a bit too try-hard in terms of edginess. Some neat sounds though.
The Cars
3/5
A lot of hits here. I get why people like The Cars but it's just too poppy for me. Iconic though.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
A lot of hits here. Not something I always wanna listen to but I can't deny that it's great. Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are the cream of the crop.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Eesh, not a fan of the vocals at all. That along gives it's enjoyment to a 2 but it's "competent" in what it's doing, but... there are much better things out there. Feels like every song is a cartoon's montage.
Elton John
3/5
Listen, I know this is an iconic album and 4-5 songs are classics. But, as an album it has too much. In terms of style it's not really my thing either. I could give it a 4 star if it was like half the length.
Miles Davis
4/5
If peeing your pants is cool, then I'm Miles Davis.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Surprised I like it more than I thought I would. Still not overly into this type of Tom Petty sound but in a certain bar or setting I can get down with this. Almost gave it a 4 but it's still a 3 since I don't see myself going to the songs on my own.
Alice Cooper
3/5
It's... ok but surprisingly all over the place. Not my jam but I guess I can respect some of the weird shit?
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Good ole Creedence. Born On the Bayou and Proud Mary are the standouts but all the tracks are fine enough.
Norah Jones
3/5
I respect Norah Jones, she does a thing extremely well and is typecast as a pop musician but she does have a. strong Jazz/Country/Folk sound. Not the type of thing I want to listen to all the time, but I wouldn't mind throwing it on once and awhile. Oh to be able to listen to her in some lounge before she got big, I would of fell in love big time.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Definitely sounds like a bunch of Nirvana b-sides/demos in some ways. It's not bad but Foo Fighters definitely get better. Respect to Grohl in that he played all the instruments.
Richard Thompson
3/5
Not a huge folk person but it seems fine, the titular track was definitely the best.
Machito
3/5
Kind of fun but gets a bit exhausting to listen as an album.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Their energy is admirable, and don't mind the horns but the music is so cookie-cutter edgy mid 90s that it is boring as fuck. Like it was made to be on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Instrumentally it's fine but something about it rubs me the wrong way, lyrics are pretty dumb.
The Monkees
3/5
I am too young to have known much of The Monkees, I just assumed they were a shitty band trying to capitalize on Beatlemania, but seems I'm half right. It was an interesting Wikipedia read to see that they were originally a made-for-tv band for a sitcom, which over time morphed into a real thing due to the band members feeling like they were duping people. I can respect the drive to want to be their own thing and not just letting other musicians play their music behind closed doors.
Regardless of that though, it really is not my thing. Definitely of the time and still sounds like knock-off Beatles, manufactured music to appeal to the kids. They paved the way for all boy bands and other manufactured pop stars, it seems.
Iron Maiden
3/5
I get it's a metal classic, but I think this style of metal is my least favorite. Too "clean" in the mixing and just sort of meh lyrics, it's cliche at this point. But, it's still good I just don't jive with it.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
Liked it more than I thought. Kind of nice quaint 70s psych-folk but has something about it that is appealing. Not my genre in general but not bad at all.
The Stooges
5/5
I think I prefer the Iggy Pop Mixes over Bowie, at least on Spotify. For an album called Raw Power, having it heavily clipped thematically just makes it feel more appropriate to the material in my opinion, but maybe with a good setup the dynamics of the Bowie mix are better, but there is some major ducking on Search and Destroy that is distracting.
Regardless, the album is as advertised. Search and Destroy and Gimme Danger are awesome. The album just makes me wanna fuck shit up, destroy a park, drink a ton, and... you get the idea. I can see how influential this album was for punk for sure. Probably a 4 overall in listening enjoyment since the later tracks fall off a bit, but a 5 for importance.
Thundercat
3/5
I appreciate the production and general progressive R&B direction but there is a lot for me that it becomes exhausting after 10 tracks and I'm kind of over it unfortunately. Clearly a super talented guy.
D'Angelo
3/5
Smooooth, pretty nice grooves but nothing stuck with me beyond an enjoyable listen.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Definitely prefer this older county style compared to... anything modern. Not something I'd always wanna throw on, but I can't deny her charm and vocal prowess. Some great harmonies and instrumentation.
Butthole Surfers
4/5
A band I knew the name of but not any music. Clearly shock-artists, they were ahead of the times of the early 90s, but I can see how they were influential to MTV-vibes and Grunge feels. Musically I am into noise/experimental/punk energy so overall I enjoyed it a bunch. Sounds like live would be an absolute spectacle... but not sure I would want to be there. Not sure what 22 going on 23 is supposed to say, but feels kinda gross. Musically I like it, but the shock humor is kind of stupid to me, it would be more hilarious if the music was high-brow taking itself seriously and then just keep the name... Butthole Surfers.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
It's fun and nothing bad, but didn't grab me as much as I'd like. I can see it objectively being a 4 or 5 though.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I like Cohen, but overall felt there wasn't even a standout track for me, so it's unfortunately just average.
ZZ Top
3/5
Fine southern rock. I get it's popularity but it was a time and a place for me in HS.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Love the jangly guitar on Mother's Little Helper. Unfortunately for me, the rest of the album doesn't move me much. It's all done very well but a lot of it went by without much notice for me.
TLC
3/5
Competent 90s pop r&b. Obviously Waterfalls is a banger but the rest I'm indifferent.
Lorde
3/5
Never had listened to any Lorde except the first track. Feels a bit one dimensional and I didn't wanna finish it, but it's fine.
Blue Cheer
4/5
Pretty impressed. I was excepting some Beatles knock-off, but it's basically like every song is Helter Skelter. I see the influence on metal and hard psych for sure.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This ones a bit better for me after listening to Aftermath. Wild Horses is prob my fav, Brown Sugar and Can't You Hear Me Knocking are also great.
Spiritualized
3/5
I like it in theory, but gets a bit too repetitive for a casual listen, even for me. Definitely can get lost in it though. Live would be fun.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I think RHCP are fine, but honestly it was a time and a place in High School for me and this style of rock doesn't do much for me anymore. For 1991 though it's banging.
Public Enemy
3/5
It's fine but doesn't hit as hard as "It Takes A Nation" or "Fear Of A Black Planet".
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
Interesting it's not available on Spotify in the US, so I went to YouTube. Definitely a very vulnerable album and I did the aesthetic but nothing stuck out to me to make me wanna listen to it again, unfortunately.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
I like the ethereal-ness of it, but not a huge fan of the vocal delivery. For some reason I thought they were techno as well, so it was an unexpected surprise to hear dream pop. Still plagued by 80s-ness unfortunately.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
It's fine but I don't connect with it much, I am completely ambivalent.
Dolly Parton
3/5
The title track is pretty good, but the rest just feel ok to me. There are better Parton albums and songs IMO.
XTC
3/5
I can appreciate what their going for, but it's not my thing. A bit too poppy.
Mercury Rev
3/5
Really liked the first song, definitely has some Sparklehorse and Flaming Lips vibes. However much of the other songs are kind of misses for me, not sure I loved the execution. I dig the concept though.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Amy Winehouse is good at what she does, but it never has ever clicked with me. I think her other album is also a bit better.
Ray Charles
4/5
Respectable stuff, not something I always wanna hear but it all sounds great. A cool tidbit from Wikipedia:
"The album's integration of soul and country challenged racial barriers in popular music at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career."
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
80s synth pop cheese. Completely of the times, it's not bad.
Fever Ray
4/5
Strong Björk and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith vibes. Definitely can appreciate the great instrumentals as well as the general vibe, I'm not a huge fan of the lower-pitched vocals here though, that's just a preference. Overall pretty nice!
Nirvana
5/5
Spawned a genre and generation. Total 90s zeitgeist.
What more is there to say? Well, I did appreciate inclusion of the noise rock closer "Endless, Nameless" quite a bit.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
There's been better 3s so I am gonna dock it to a 2, but it's not horrible... just completely lackluster.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
I love synth stuff, but I really don't like prog-synth stuff. It's guitar wankery but synths essentially. It is technically impressive but it doesn't move me in any way. Clearly ELP are talented, but it's not for me.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
It's Stevie Wonder. Always good stuff. Higher Ground is prob my fav song on here.
Slipknot
3/5
The first two tracks I was surprised I didn't hate them, but as the album went on I got a bit more exhausted. It's at least moving away from nu-metal clichés but it's still groove metal... I get why some people like it but it's definitely not my thing when I want music that goes hard. For what it's doing it does well though, but it's not for me.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Not huge into this style of music but nothing was offensive, cool that he sings in Pulsaar to promote the language.
Haircut 100
3/5
I feel like a broken record but this 80s style is just too... 80s for me. It's fine but I can't get past it all. There are also better 80s in this style for me.
The Kinks
4/5
Good classic Psych-ish rock by the Kinks. Not my favorite of their material but objectively it's good.
Mudhoney
3/5
I liked the first song the most but as it went on it got a bit worse for me. Solid grunge but not a huge fan of the vocals.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
I had heard "The sound of someone you love who’s going away and it doesn’t matter" which I enjoy quite a bit. I believe I listened to this album once before and it didn't quite live up to the feelings I had with this certain song. I'm not sure the inclusion of vocals helps the album, but I get the feeling they got a group of folks together and they just do what they want, which I can respect. Also if you told me Brian Eno was singing on the track "In A Sydney Hotel" I would believe you. I just looked it up and apparently he is a producer, ha. Also absolute banger of a band name.
I respect the concept enough to but up from 3.5 to 4, but I don't wanna hear all the tracks, personally.
Beatles
5/5
It's so hard to rate the Beatles because everyone has heard these songs a billion times. Objectively a 5* though. It's been a long time since I listened to this album, it may be my favorite album as whole with the White Album following closely behind.
Orbital
3/5
I enjoyed the random vocal loop experiments, the rest of the stuff is okay, not my style of electronica that I would listen to in a non-club setting, but I liked this album more than their first.
Radiohead
5/5
I'm going to say this is the most important album of the 90s. I honestly don't have the energy to articulate beyond this, but every song is a masterpiece of art-rock-pop. Either this or In Rainbows is my favorite album of all time. It's another great of example of an album made in reaction to the time and place that they existed and we're all still living in.
Shoutout to Godrich's masterful engineering as well, the original 1997 release sounds so freakin' good to this day.
M.I.A.
4/5
I remember when this came out, I was a junior in college and hadn't heard this sort of dance music before and it left a positive impression on me. Now granted, most of the listening was to Paper Planes like most folks but I digress. Definitely could listen to more of thes tracks, but Paper Planes has been so co-opted and overplayed I just can't anymore.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Much prefer Neil Young solo over the rockier style. But it's fine.
Tricky
4/5
Pretty iconic trip-hop. Intersesting to hear "Hell Is Round the Corner" which uses the same sample of Portishead's track Glory Box. According to quick googling Portishead played a rough demo to Tricky in a car and then he went and sampled Isaac Hayes' 'Ike's Rap II' as well. I would have thought there was more cohesion between them but it sounds sort of contentious, but I think we all know who came out ahead. Overall some nice grooves but I believe I prefer Massive Attack as a whole.
Brian Eno
3/5
I respect Brian Eno and I like the style he's going for here, unfortunately it just isn't my jam, as much as I'd like it to be. Definitely prefer his instrumentals in general, but this was one of his first works so it's understandable coming off of Roxy.
The Killers
4/5
I have a soft spot for this album, listened to it a lot in college. What it is trying to do it does very well, indie rock anthem bangers. Mr. Brightside is still basically the national anthem in the UK. Still a lot of pretty good tracks on the album, although they are all pretty saccharine. The Killers peaked with this album and went down ever since.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
Really don't care for Honky-Tonk Country, but it's fine I suppose. Got annoyed to be honest but that is not emblematic of the quality.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Starts off with some nice bass guitar then went into salsa :( but I digress.
Sounds pretty competent to me but not really into salsa music as a personal listening experience.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Hoo boy, I am not totally against the concept of electronic Leonard Cohen but I was not expecting it. The 80s cheese is strong with this one. It just feels like an older guy saying "music these days has synths, I need to do this now". Production-wise it's good though. Definitely prefer stripped-down version of Cohen. This is pillow-soft rock.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Definitely liked her earlier stuff more, this just feels a bit less interesting.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Kind of cute British Folk. I liked it more at the start but it became a little same-y by the end. Not bad though.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
This completely transported me back to when I discovered MTV in a late elementary school summer on my 13" TV.
If all the tracks were as good as "You Oughta Know", "Hand in My Pocket", and "Ironic" I'd say this would be a 4-5 in terms of what she was going for. I do like her vocal cadence, kind of reminds me of Bjork sometimes. Unfortunately almost all the other tracks fall flat for me, which as an album doesn't do it for me. Shame.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Band On The Run is good. Beyond that none of any of the solo Beatles' works compare to their output together. There's nothing bad here, but it just doesn't feel like it has a lot of energy that speaks to me, maybe because he was more content?
Mylo
3/5
Some interesting jams but overall doesn't go into a direction beyond fun dancey tunes. Definitely a vibe better suited for the dance floor than an album listening experience.
Cheap Trick
3/5
Interesting read about this one since initially I did not understand why this live album was on this list vs. their normal ones. It seems this was their best-selling album of all time(?) due to how big in Japan they were, which translated into becoming bigger everywhere else. It never hurts to show people how many other people are into you, I suppose. Beyond that, it's fine. It's a typical live album for me.
Can
4/5
Anything Damo Suzuki and Can is always good. I will say between the 3 albums with him I find this one to be the weakest, but still overall very fun and experimental art-rock. Fav track: Future Days
The Doors
4/5
Can't say I've listened to a lot of The Doors, so this was a good education experience. I am pretty impressed though, of course I know a couple of these songs but I can see why they were so popular.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
I'm starting to think I like Siouxsie and the Banshees. I was originally listening on laptop speakers and halfway through Jigsaw Feeling I wanted to go listen to this on headphones. Some very Can-like guitar playing here, reminds me of their track "Father Cannot Yell".
I definitely appreciate the dark post-punk here. Fun to know that they originally didn't know how to play anything really on their first gig, that's as punk as it can get.
That Helter Skelter cover surprised me as well.
Overall it falls a bit down as it goes along for me, but overall still good stuff. Metal Postcard did kind of annoy me though.
Deep Purple
3/5
I'd say as far as live albums go this probably captured the energy quite well. Definitely some wankery in guitar-work but they definitely change things up as it goes on. Never got into much of Deep Purple besides liking "Smoke on the Water" as a teen learning guitar, but overall not bad. I could see people rating it 4-5 but it's generally not my thing.
Radiohead
5/5
Kid B.
I have a hard time separating Kid A from Amnesiac since they are almost siblings, but it's another classic Radiohead album for sure. Like Kid A, this one took me longer to get into but eventually I came around. I would have loved to be a Radiohead fan when this came out, alas it was before my time.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Damn this album is long as hell. Although most of the tracks are short, it sure feels like it drags for me. Not totally into it. Definitely hate the skits.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Lovely voice but beyond that, not my thing.
Kraftwerk
4/5
To be honest, this is the last Kraftwerk album that I can get on with as a whole. I think it's a bit weaker than everything they have made before this. I guess Computer World (the album after this) may be the last "good Kraftwerk" but I haven't listened to it in forever.
It overall feels like it's not saying much as an album, there's not really a new statement going on here.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Quintessential instrumental R&B. Pioneering use of the Hammond and electric guitar interplay. Green Onions (the song) is obviously huge, but the rest aren't bad either. They don't quite hit the same high as the title track, though.
Chicago
3/5
Clearly talented but overall a bit too jammy for me. My parents liked them, that's all I remember. I will say, "Free From Guitar" is completely out of left field and I can't imagine most people who like Chicago like it, but I dig the random noise track, very Hendrix. Can't believe it's over 6 mins long as well.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
I find gothic rock in this style comically cheesy. Seems like it's trying so hard to be edgy and dark but at least today it's trite. Mostly the vocals are the reason it's so corny. Instrumentally it's competent but... yeesh.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Shit, first song I was like "oh Hooverphonic totally sampled this for their track 2 Wicky". Looks like this is a cover of the original song by Dionne Warwick as well though, interesting how popular this first track has been.
Great vocals but some of the songs are a bit too long, still very nice though.
Morrissey
3/5
Totally skippable Morrissey, it's fine but oh boy it's not for me.
Madness
3/5
Beyond their choice of living locations, it’s okay.
Steely Dan
4/5
Pretty damn good. I am not well-versed in any Steely Dan and it's not something I'd always wanna listen to, but there's a lot to like here. Smoooooth.
Pixies
4/5
Classic Pixies. "Where Is My Mind" is probably their biggest hit, unfortunately I've heard it so many times I can't listen to it anymore due to other media saturation. Regardless, it's a good album. Not as good as Doolittle, but still good.
Animal Collective
4/5
This is an album I've always wanted to like more than I do. It's mostly down to the vocal style, but I can't deny that this is quite a masterpiece of 2000s indie-electronica. Had roommates who were into Animal Collective and I was just not cool enough to get into it. I will say it's kind of cute for the lyrics to reflect his life, he's a dad, a husband, but still wants to make bangers and still be himself. I can respect that.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Listen. It's not something I want to listen to, but I can't deny there's something here and I have to give credit to the audacity of the performances and concept. Poetry, theatre, musical; it's all here. What a debut!
Shame he had to suffer as a child so much and has some pretty bad takes as of recent years.
B.B. King
4/5
It's B.B. King. Can't say I wanna listen to it all the time but it's quite good, of course. A live album may be the best way to listen to this style since the zeitgeist of Jazz at this time was likely public performance in America.
808 State
3/5
Ok.
The Birthday Party
3/5
It's like a demented Tom Waits but for all the tracks with a punk-noise backing band. I kind of dig it but not enough to be a "fan", but respect. WELCOME TO THE CAR SMAAAASH
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Nice singer, sounds cute in a quaint-cause-this-from-the-60s way. Not my general thing but I get it.
The Undertones
3/5
Pretty forward-sounding pop-punk from 1979. I'd say this is like accessible-punk, nothing bad but doesn't move me like other punk. Teenage Kicks is fun though.
Black Flag
3/5
Apparently one of the first hardcore punk bands. These lads are definitely ratchet. I imagine many fist fights broke at their old shows, has that "u fuckin w0t m8" energy for sure. I get the legacy which would be 4-5 but enjoyment it's just ok for me.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Surprised I hadn't heard of this band due to their political leanings. Seems like a cool concept but didn't wow me in the implementation, still definitely need more black people in metal.
Sade
3/5
Chill and nice, but beyond that it's just ok for me.
Prince
3/5
It's good pop Prince, but overall not his greatest work. I'm also not the biggest Prince fan so...
The Fall
4/5
I generally like what The Fall is doing, but unfortunately the album as a whole fell a little flat for me, not a lot of tracks stuck out except for Bombast and My New House (very Talking Heads). 3.5 to 4 since I am generally a fan of the sound.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Difficult to enjoy a lot of it, but it's not bad. It's just me.
Linkin Park
2/5
I saved this one for when I needed to stay up, which I guess helped but I was still able to chuckle. I was into Linkin Park in middle school and early high school tangentially through friends.
This was (is?) pretty popular. Emo nu-metal-rap. I can't listen to it at all, it's pretty cringe these days. It's successful for what it does... but mehhhhhh.
Judas Priest
4/5
Surprisingly OK, can't say I've listened to much Judas Priest but it basically sounds like Jack Black doing his metal voice. More melody that I was expecting and some bangers here, not too shabby.
The White Stripes
4/5
Wish I could go back and give 5* to White Blood Cells since I like that one more. Seven Nation Army became an anthem, for better or for worse. Still plenty of bangers and The White Stripes doing what they do best.
3/5
A bit smoother than her earlier works (such as Rid of Me which I rated higher). Overall very competent but a bit too polished, definitely preferred her rougher/punk-ish deliveries more.
Crowded House
3/5
Easy listening but competent, but... meh.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Actually may like their debut more, but this album is too influential to give anything less than a 5. Really don't think there's a bad song here.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Interesting to hear something so new on the list, seems like pretty progressive hip-hop but overall not my thing, sounds pretty typical for R&B these days.
The La's
3/5
I knew of "There She Goes" of course, but never thought about this band in the slightest, ever. I guess that's Brit-Pop for ya. It's fine, but just "there".
Syd Barrett
3/5
Oh boy, that was a trip. It almost seems like the label are exploiting the mental state of Syd Barrett by releasing this. It's only passable through the production of the album, but those b-side rough takes are very rough. A crazy diamond indeed.
Aerosmith
3/5
Never was a huge fan of Aerosmith but this album isn't horrible. It's just middling for me, has some interesting vocal performances but it's not for me.
Missy Elliott
3/5
I know lotta folks that like Missy Elliot and there are some bops, but overall not my thing. Not bad though. Classic 00s hip-hop for sure.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
First I heard it in the car and didn't think it was interesting at all, but after listening in a different environment I can hear things a lot better. A lot of these songs sound very familiar, not sure if I heard covers or what. It's not bad and has some interesting vocals at times, but still doesn't grip me enough.
Minutemen
4/5
Definitely had to give this a few listens, at first in the car I was like "wtf is this album, it's all over the place", but in more deliberate listening sessions it's definitely a greater than the sum of its parts. Tongue in cheek punk with sometimes poignant lyrics and at other times just plain fun. I bet this would be a freakin' riot live.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Chill 90s alternative with electronic elements, completely a thing that was of the time and hasn't really come back in any way... yet. Fine, pleasing, but washes over you.
Pink Floyd
5/5
A beautiful tribute to a friend. Definitely a great listen as an album but there are also classics like "Wish You Were Here" that stand apart. The synths are tasteful and sparse, I was worried it'd get to "progg-y" but it's a good balance.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Feels almost like a cliché of country music, but at 1956 it's probably groundbreaking for the genre for all I know. It's definitely inoffensive good-ole-boy country, so ehhh.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Definitely interesting and has some interesting syncopation/melodies going on. Nothing jumps out to me as a standalone track, but it was all very nice.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This is hard because it's clearly very good but a lot of it I'm just not into. I love the idea of some of these songs positivity and love, but in practice I never wanna hear songs about that, lmao.
Definite 5 for legacy/talent, 3 for enjoyment. 4 It is.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Elliott Smith is on paper someone who I should really like, but I've unfortunately never gotten into him much. Lyrically things are great, but for some reason his voice doesn't gel with me. I imagine I have the same reaction to Elliott as many do to Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst. I can see how people would really like him and I want to like him more than I do, but that's where I'm at.
Faith No More
3/5
Clearly talented and has some fun moments, but Faith No More always felt a bit hollow to me... like it's almost there but stopped before finishing the race. Definitely some memories listening to a few of these though.
Madonna
3/5
Was hoping for more interesting genre-defining 80s pop but I feel like this album doesn't have much to add to her already existing catalog.
Beatles
4/5
Some cool stuff in playing the studio and doing a ton of different types of recording/songwriting techniques. Apparently some consider this their best album, but I don't think I can get that far behind it. To me it starts the new chapter of the Beatles, one of doing whatever the heck they want and doing it for them vs. performances.
Joan Baez
4/5
Pretty nice folk, nothing jumped out a lot to me but I've definitely heard Donna Donna before. A warm folksy blanket for a cold winters day.
John Martyn
2/5
I dunno, vocals just kind of annoy me. Reminds me of middle ages dudes on vacation in Cancun. And then there's a random ambient track at the end? Talk about genre shift. Meh.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Soulfully chill and a good match for a heavy snow day (seriously there's a winter advisory out there right now). Obviously Winter in America is speaking more to civil rights issues around the time of the album, and thematically it's very strong. Love the Rhodes piano across the album as well. Some vocal points I wasn't into, but overall very good. I can see why some would rate highly.
The Strokes
5/5
The production of "a band that is from the past transported to make a record today" works very well for me. I love the garage-rock/lofi aesthetic and the heavy distorted vocals are completely in my wheelhouse. Lots of the songs are kind of perfect indie-guitar-pop of the 2000s, if you wanted to know what indie-rock in 00s is, I'd point you here.
Not a single back track, really.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I get why people would be into Nick Cave, but on it's own it's not what I wanna listen to. It's Diet Tom Waits for me. Also way to fucking long.
Air
4/5
It's Air. It's chill and lounge-y as hell. Playground love is the best track due to the vocals, I wish more had them. Still overall a nice time.
Nick Drake
4/5
Super chill and nice classic Nick Drake. I think I prefer the stripped down acoustic singer-songwriter Nick Drake as a whole.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I knew Avalanche but overall pretty good Cohen. Diamonds in Your Mine was pretty surprising, his vocals almost went into Tom Waits territory of aggression and I was totally into it. Famous Blue Raincoat is a classic Cohen tune as well. A few songs that I could be fine without but overall strong album.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
I like the idea of Belle & Sebastian but the execution just kind of is boring for me. It's so indie it's almost to a fault. I'd be very into it in college, I'd imagine. Vocals are pretty unique and memorable but it's all just so low-key it doesn't do much for me.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Clearly talented but gets into virtuoso wankery territory and just becomes exhausting.
Deep Purple
4/5
Iconic rock album, drags a bit in the middle but the songs bookending the album are top notch.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Definitely not bad pop, very reminiscent of Michael Jackson. I am not too into this type of pop music so it's a bit to poppy for me, but for what it's doing its got it goin' on.
The Dictators
2/5
I can see how they'd be influential but damn I did not enjoy it at all, I found it mostly anoying.
Van Halen
4/5
So overplayed and somewhat cheesy, but damn are these songs overall pretty good. Credit where credit is due.
Jethro Tull
4/5
I liked it more than I thought I would. Aqualung (the title track) is probably the best, and I dug the overall folk-rock slant. I've kind of dismissed Jethro Tull in the past I think I have a new appreciation.
Michael Jackson
3/5
It's not "bad" (hur hur hur), but Michael Jackson's pop doesn't do a lot for me. It's immaculate for what it's doing but it ain't doing it for me.
Arcade Fire
3/5
I wanted to like this album as a whole more, but besides a few songs that were better than the others, it just doesn't match up to the rest of their earlier works, for me.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Kind of unexpected in a good way. Psych-rock with some interesting instrumental touches. Nothing jumped out to me as a whole but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The Temptations
3/5
I wanna like it more than I do. It's good and sounds nice, but I enjoy other albums of theirs more I think.
Beatles
4/5
Not the best of the Beatles work, obviously. But a strong start for their sound. Glad to listen to it in full, I only knew a couple of the songs.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
So much more dancey than the later works I’ve heard. I knew “All My Friends” which is an excellent example of a driving simple note progression that stays the same but all the while sounds great.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Pretty good, I definitely prefer the vocals vs instrumentals but a funk/psych combo works well for me.
David Bowie
3/5
It's David Bowie so it's not bad, however this feels like some of his weakest work I've heard yet. Feels like it's a soundtrack to a movie and I'm missing half the plot.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I get the influence and the rhythmic elements are great. It was a passively enjoyable listen.
Goldie
3/5
I read the artist as Blondie at first and was absolutely shocked, then I reread it and came back down to earth. Overall some pretty fun jungle DnB-style stuff. Never my favorite genre of EDM, but I think this is better casual listening than techno is. However I'd rather dance to techno than Jungle. Shits intense yo.
Massive Attack
3/5
This album is a bit better than Blue Lines but it's no Mezzanine. I definitely think Massive Attack are at their best with a vocalist so the first couple tracks were my favorite.
Miles Davis
4/5
What is there to say, it's great Miles Davis.
Depeche Mode
4/5
This might be the first Depeche Mode album I finally jived with. In general I wanna like Depeche Mode but it never lands fully and is too 80s in the worst way, but this one has some of the bigger hits, especially Personal Jesus. That one is a bop.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Great musicianship all around. That Gary Burton on the vibraphone is a beast. I actually know nothing about tango except more typical dance stuff so I was not aware that tango was this intense at times, almost like a video game's battle music. Not bad at all.
The Who
4/5
A strong debut. My Generation is the definitive track but the rest are good as well. Overall it's probably a 3 for enjoyment by legacy-wise it's a 5... so 4 it is!
Massive Attack
3/5
Generally a fan of Massive Attack but overall it's no where near as good as their later output.
The Icarus Line
3/5
Decent garage/post-hardcore rock. It was still just sort of "there" for me except for some interesting musical elements, but generally not my style/interest. Was a bit surprised how low the Spotify plays were, seems like they were quite popular back in the day?
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
I have a soft spot for RATM. This album prob their best. Sadly all the messages are still highly relevant. Tom Morello’a guitar work is fantastic with his use of the octave/harmonizer as well as his scratch-like playing, one of the greats. Only tragedy is a lot of the fans of this band just like it cause it’s “hard” and ignore the politics, which is the point. I’m looking at you Paul Ryan.
Ravi Shankar
4/5
Pretty talented. The explanation makes sense considering the year, diving into who this was and his influence on people like George Harrison was a fun read. It’s definitely way more intense than I’m used to for sitar but overall prettttyy goood.
AC/DC
3/5
It’s fine… the songs sound all the same but it’s iconic I suppose.
The Verve
3/5
Pretty of-the-times Britpop, which to me is almost saying something but not enough. It all sounds fine but nothing jumps out to me that is very interesting, it's all competent though.
Underworld
3/5
Mid 90s Techno/House, sokay. I always think this is a boring listen at home, but at a club I'm sure it's a lot more interesting.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
It's fine, maybe would be more interesting to me if I could understand the lyrics. Interesting Wikipedia read though, nice guitar work.
George Michael
3/5
George Michael has a good voice, but this style of sensual pop is not interesting to met at all, reminds me a bit of Prince in some ways I suppose. I guess I'm only into Careless Whisper due to how meme-y it is now.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
This is the stuff of butt-metal/rock. Is butt metal a term? It's like nu-metal-ish I guess. Anyways not a fan, it's competent but that's about it.
The Sonics
4/5
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *SICK GUITAR SOLO*
De La Soul
3/5
I can appreciate the playfulness and almost cute messaging, but it's a bit all over the place. I absolutely hate the skits and overall it's a bit long, but I can see the appeal.
The Triffids
3/5
80s cheese to me, not bad but def. not my thing.
Grateful Dead
4/5
I wish I liked Grateful Dead more, they are tight and sound great but the folk psych/rock is a bit boring for me. It's stereotypical but if I smoked a huge bowl I would likely definitely enjoy it more. 3 for enjoyment but 5 for legacy of sorts, so I'll go to 4.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Wild World is always a nice listen except for that line "I'll always remember you like a child, girl." always struck me as a little weird. Regardless it's very competent and Yusuf is a great musician, but overall it's definitely like eating a whole bucket of ice cream in one sitting, definitely too much for a single time.
3/5
I like the style but beyond that is was just okay. Competent punk but nothing stood out.
The Charlatans
3/5
Meh, more standard 90s brit-pop/rock. Really does absolutely nothing for me. Voice was slightly annoying but overall... ok.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Seminal album for brit punk. But... to be honest it isn't very interesting for my American sensibilities. I just don't think I like the straight-sing-speaking of brit punk. A fun Wikipedia read though.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Not the worst, but I like aggressive Nick Cave a lot more. Otherwise it's kind of B-tier sappy Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen for me.
Wild Beasts
2/5
Instrumentation sounded okay until the vocals came in and... I definitely am not a fan, not my style at allllll.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Sounds neat but didn't grab but a ton, good vintage psych though.
Johnny Cash
4/5
67th album he's done according to Wikipedia. Wow.
This is a tough one, with titles like The Man Comes Around and Hurt those songs are 5s, some of the other songs are 4s for me. But you can definitely tell he's done, he's ready to go. Fiona's backup vocals were nice as well. In some ways I can only give it a 4 since most of the good songs are actually covers.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Butt-rock. Meh, it's... passable but I can't see myself ever enjoying it in any way.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Nice sounding Jazz, very chill. I may be spoiled with things like Miles Davis on this list so this comes up a bit short for me in comparison, but still very nice.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Very inoffensive Jazz. It’s okay but I’d rather listen to a lot of other jazz artists.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Carried by Janis Joplin. Fine music but beyond "peace of my heart" it was just okay for me.
David Bowie
4/5
Funny enough one of the first Bowie albums I listened to in full a while ago. It definitely feels like a bit of an experimental album, possibly more than the other two entries of the "Berlin Trilogy". There isn't a single "anthem" song that sticks out, but it's all still interesting. Especially for the time it was released.
The Band
3/5
It all sounds nice and well done, but in general this style of Americana-ish rock does nothing for me listening back. Live I bet would be a hoot but it doesn't speak to me at all, unfortunately since I can recognize that it's all well done.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Definitely not my thing. It's fine, but too straight and cute for my tastes.
David Gray
3/5
Surprised how many songs I remembered from 90s radio. It’s definitely inoffensive 90s pop, he’s a good singer but everything else is pretty uninspired to me.
The Police
4/5
Lots of 80s bangers. I'd say in terms of personal enjoyment it's overall a 3 since the 80s-ness is just so locked into this production, I think its selling the material short. Mother was hilarious, it's like Sting wanted to pretend to be The Talking Heads for a bit. Overall if I put my reviewer hat on, it's at least a 4 so I'll round up to that.
Primal Scream
3/5
Based on the cover art, I was expecting some shitty 90s butt-rock but I'm pleasantly surprised. Like some weird jammy dub-ambient at times, it's unique for sure. I can appreciate the genre-bending but it doesn't exactly mesh well with what I'd be looking for. Trainspotting is prob the coolest track though, total vibe.
Funkadelic
3/5
Was not expecting the absolute prog intro guitar song. Definitely went on about 3 mins too long but sounded neat. Rest of the tracks tracked a bit more of what I expected, but overall very nice psych-funk-rock in the tradition of Parliament and a bit of Hendrix. The repetition of the titles and lyrically swirling around that is kind of fun, not typical anymore. They’re all having a good ole time for sure.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Cinnamon Girl is prob the best track for me, it's all good but I wish I could get more into it. Definitely a nice album start to finish though.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Sympathy For The Devil is a classic Rolling Stones song. I didn't know many of the others but they are all pretty good. Probably not my favorite RS album overall but it's definitely good stuff.
Elvis Presley
4/5
In terms of personal enjoyment it's a 3, but for legacy it's a 5, for the time this was huge for popular music, especially 1956. There is a range here of influences which is interesting. Also interesting is how short the songs are, it's like they were made for a quick intense dance with a small breather in between tracks. Between my enjoyment and legacy I'll average the two.
Aerosmith
2/5
Some Aerosmith is alright, but this kinda is a dud for me. Sleazy without a lot a redeeming musical qualities for me. Just reminds me of walking into a dive bar in some little town.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Maybe one of the few albums that is likely better live than if it were studio recorded, you can definitely feel the energy. None of the big tracks that I know were on this, but it was a pleasant energetic listen.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Decent chill reggae-esque sound. A fun bop but beyond that that’s about it.
Joy Division
4/5
This is one of those legacy albums that I wish I liked more, but the early 80s production holds back my enjoyment. There's a lot of cool guitar and other instrumentation work that is buried in the mix and the vocals are too up-front. It's also got that 80s digital-coldness sound, although not sure how the production went. Seems like some of the band members agree that they are not happy with the result in comparison to how loud/intense their live shows were. I *like* everything here on paper, it's just not presented in the best way it could be. Regardless, this is the Joy Division sound. Spawned so many great bands so glad this existed.
So, about a 3 for enjoyment but 5 for legacy, split the difference and there's a 4.
James Taylor
4/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m all for this old school folk/country. It probably helped I was driving on a highway for most of it, so it just worked well.
Slipknot
3/5
Oh boy, well I'll try to go into this with an open mind. For a debut and for nu-metal it is a very strong entry. I personally hate nu-metal and think it all sounds like it's trying too hard, but I've heard a LOT worse nu-metal. There are times there is almost an industrial sound going on, and even a few little musical things going on in the background (typically towards the beginning or end) that sound cool, but these are obviously not the main attraction. Regardless, I think they are at least better than Korn.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I haven't heard a lot of this album in a long time. Pretty classic psych-rock that somehow is pretty good, thankfully Syd has it still mostly together on this album. Interstellar Overdrive is probably my favorite track, it's pure jam-psych-sprawl. There are cutesy songs like The Gnome which are fun, which is the best of Syd's works... it all unfortunately goes from here for him. In terms of Pink Floyd, this is barely getting started and later when Waters comes onboard is when PF really become themselves.
The Gun Club
3/5
Decent punk but never gets super interesting beyond a curiosity for me. Totally serviceable though.
Barry Adamson
4/5
An album that's a concept album, a soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film. Conceptually I am 100% in. I love the idea that he made this partly as basically an album as a CV to folks saying "See, I can do this. Hire me!" Looks like it worked considered he worked on a few movies later. Only part that is kind of meh is the screaming of women which is pretty damn cliche, but then again maybe the time period this supposed movie would have been made would have been full cliche.
I wouldn't say I loved listening to it, but nothing was bad and it was a decent background listen. Rated it high for the concept and execution, it definitely sets the tone well.
Love
4/5
This album started out a 3 but as it went on I was more and more into it. Around 7 and 7 is I was like "wait, is this Malcom Mooney from Can"? Definitely some similarities on some of these later tracks with the free experimentation of Krautrock which I was into. Revelation was nuts, a bit too long but I can appreciate the energy. Apparently the next album is their most acclaimed so I'm hoping that comes up on the list!
Funkadelic
4/5
I like da funk.
Tom Waits
4/5
I had barely listened to this Waits album, I think the first time I was like "this is a bit much for me at the time" and I moved onto The Black Rider. This is a great reason to give it a deliberate re-listen.
This is one is dark, even for Waits. Cinematic and theatrical as all hell. It's like Waits got too drunk
and was locked in a basement, then was informed everyone he loved has gone away and now he has to make an album.
Sound wise, this is percussion-driven with everything falling around that. It suits the album well. There may be a few tracks that don't do a ton for me, but overall it's very strong.
Fav Tracks: Goin' Out West, Dirt in the Ground, The Earth Died Screaming
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I like their general schtick of noisy-rock but the rest of the sound is just okay for me. It's kind of like the songwriting/singing of the 80s mixed with the 90s punk-noisey rock. Definitely some interesting things going on and it's good, but I wish I liked it more.
Eels
3/5
There are a few tracks by Eels that I like, but overall this album is a bit too postgrunge pop for my tastes. Lots of the lyrical direction is slightly cringey cliche that is surface level of "world is bad" and it's almost like baby's first existential crisis.
Ice Cube
3/5
Iconic ganstarap but there are few areas where it's a bit sexist and casting doubt on some black people's identities by calling them "Oreo cookies". It was a different time for sure and ironically I bet Ice Cube of the 90s would absolutely hate the Ice Cube of today.
Regardless it's good for the genre, for sure. But for me I'd rather listen to other rap.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I definitely don't like this. It all sounds like it should be a soundtrack to a very bad romantic comedy play and somehow they got Scott Walker to sing. It's definitely not "bad" objectively but it's definitely anything I want to listen to, sorry fans.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Seems to be an indie darling, but it felt a bit all over the place. Some songs I definitely liked, others I was like "nope". A tad bit too long for me, was about ready to be done by track 14. There are interesting instrumental flourishes and it has grand ideas, but beyond that it didn't gel a ton with me. I can understand why people would really like it though, it definitely is no slouch.
Love
3/5
Nice folk-psych. Def get the appeal of this band but it’s overall not the most interesting listen for me, although there are definitely some interesting instrumental parts that are pretty ahead of their time.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I can get why people could really like Nick Cave and the concept of this album is very... Nick Cave. I can appreciate it, but not exactly what I'd wanna listen to.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Interesting almost lofi-shoegaze-y stuff. Kind of fun to listen to their earliest work, definitely pioneering for 1988 for sure. Not all of them do a ton for me but I respect the album as a whole.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
First two songs are bangers. There’s a few other good tracks as well but it falls a bit flat at times for me, especially the 2nd half. If the rest of the album followed the first half or was half the length it would be 4+
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Even more experimental than I thought it’d be. Neat for 1968 but sonically it actually isn’t very interesting, just delay manipulation and pitch shifting, likely via tape. Probably novel at the time but now the results aren’t special.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Fleet Foxes are one of the bands of the indie-folk years of 2010s that still hold up, I think Helplessness Blues is better but overall this debut is solid, I just don’t wanna listen to it as an album typically.
New York Dolls
3/5
I know a lotta folks are influenced by the New York Dolls, but it doesn’t do much for me. It’s like proto-punk and glam’s cousin.
Sigur Rós
5/5
I appreciate what Sigur Rós is doing, their blend of post-rock, ambient, and random noises is straight up my alley. The only thing I am not always a fan of is how pretty it is. I would LOVE a darker and noisier album with Jonsi’s soft vocals, but when it’s backdropped by a full string section it can get a bit much for me. Still, I think as an album this is pretty damn good, regardless of my preferences.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Pretty nice jams. I enjoyed the 1st track the most.
The Pogues
3/5
A total cultural work I imagine. I never got into Irish Folk much, there is a sort of punk energy here but I don't find any of it interesting to listen to casually. Now if I were in an Irish Bar? Hell ya.
The Clash
4/5
Probably the start of the mainstream popularity of The Clash. London Calling is a genre/country-defining song for sure, it still is awesome. There are a bunch of other gems but a few songs that really don't need to be on the album for me, it is quite long in terms of track length, but it's still punk so they are all pretty short. Overall good stuff albeit not a streamlined album experience.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Never got into Springsteen but this album is peak. Enough has been said about the irony of Born in the USA and many of it fans not realizing the critique of the USA in the lyrics, but oh boy just shows how a non-ironic sounding chorus can sway a song.
Dancing in the Dark is prob my fav track. A buncha others are fine but typically not my thing. Still it's a 5 for legacy but a 3 for my enjoyment so... 4 it is.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Plot: Someone gave too many drugs to David Byrne.
Instrumentally I love everything that is going on, but like many people I can't get onboard with the vocals. They are too distracting in their delivery. I am fine with atonal but it's just kind of annoying to me. They are sort of "there" in their annoyance, I'd want it either more abrasive or less atonal and not in this middling area of cacophony. "I, Will Wait" is more along the lines of what I want. Actually the 2nd half of the album would be a 4 for me. It's starting to grow on me though, but my initial impression is 3.
Magazine
3/5
I remember hearing "Shot By Both Sides" on the radio I believe, it's a fun post-punk song for sure. The rest are decent songs but overall not as good as that one. Not bad though.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Didn't actually like this one as much as the other live album. The titular song is definitely the highlight, funny he capitulated and played it twice.
The Stranglers
4/5
Very The Fall-qesue in the vocal delivery, which I'm a fan of. Some good punk for sure.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Y'know, not bad. Was driving so this was an appropriate soundtrack for the road.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
It's "good", but a bit flat for me in terms of Springsteen.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
It's okay... but not that great to listen to at home. Club? Maybe.
Kate Bush
4/5
Had to listen to this a few times. Much more experimental than I was expecting. Some of it feels a bit dated in its instrumentation but somehow that adds to its experimental nature for me. Pretty impressive, although not sure I'd wanna listen to it as a whole.
The Specials
3/5
I kinda like some Ska/Two Tone but this wasn't it. It's fine but nothing interesting to me.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I don't love S&G, I think the 1st track is the only one I've liked on this album. For S&G it's good but to be honest I can't get into it much. It's fine in the background for sure.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
"That's a 3* album as he-"
"Shut yo mouth!"
"I'm only talking about the album as a whole! The title track is awesome."
"... We can dig it."
Keith Jarrett
3/5
It's fine and somewhat interesting but, overall not my cup of Jazz tea.
Boston
3/5
It's good, iconic even. For an album I am not sure it has a lot to offer more than 3 or 4 songs, they are all kinda same-y. But, what it does it does well.
4/5
Bono is insufferable.
With that out of the way, this album is iconic and when I think "stadium rock" I think of U2 and a lot of the songs on this album. I am not exactly a U2 fan, but this album is extremely influential and I get it, I can imagine a live show would be quite an experience. Also, that 3 track start is so strong that everything else falls flat in comparison, it's almost unfair to the rest of the songs.
Radiohead
5/5
Listening to this just reaffirms for me how Radiohead feel so far and ahead of most music in the list, but I'm extremely biased. Production wise its top notch. Reading the Wikipedia again, it's interesting to hear it was a very focused 2-week effort to record in California, like a "summer camp" retreat. It's manic, it's frantic, and it encapsulated the times... and still does. I love that a lot of the album was just recorded, then they moved on and didn't dwell on it as much. Of course, this only works if you're really fucking good.
Some of Radiohead's best live banger in here: 2+2=5, The Gloaming, There There, Myxomatosis all go hard live but they are all top notch on the album as well. I know the band is not fully happy with the end mixes and there is disagreement between them, but I think it's great as-is. There is a leaked early version that is interesting for the hardcore, but the differences are end up as minutiae.
For further listening, Glastonbury 2003 is divine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sAoHCiTqUc
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I am whelmed. It's fine but... plagued by 80s rockness.
Doves
3/5
I respect what they're going for, but it falls flat for me. Kind of a post-britpop 00s brainchild that was all the rage.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Not bad but not my thing.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Some hits on this one. A few experimental numbers which were a nice divergence. A beautiful slice of Velvet Underground life.
Candy Says might be my fav.
Tom Waits
5/5
Waits, discussing his mistrust of then fashionable studio techniques, said, "If I want a sound, I usually feel better if I've chased it and killed it, skinned it and cooked it. Most things you can get with a button nowadays. So if I was trying for a certain drum sound, my engineer would say, 'Oh, for Christ's sake, why are we wasting our time? Let's just hit this little cup with a stick here, sample something (take a drum sound from another record) and make it bigger in the mix, don't worry about it.' I'd say, 'No, I would rather go in the bathroom and hit the door with a piece of two-by-four very hard.'
Hell ya. Also the inclusion of guitarists Keith Richards and Marc Ribot add a very nice chaotic-playing style. Although quite abrasive, there is a mix of some quieter songs like "Time". Classic Waits.
Hookworms
4/5
Pretty dope grooves. Some of the songs are a little meh in comparison but in general I enjoy the vibe and vocals.
Al Green
4/5
Smooth as butter.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
A lot of familiarity here, very close to 4 but a few ehhh songs. Pretty nice though.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Some nice tracks but a bit too one-dimensional and formulaic for my tastes. Good stuff though, this was hugely popular for the time.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I enjoyed it but mostly forgettable except the 2nd track.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Queen.
The Who
3/5
I can appreciate the concept of a pirate-radio and radio commercials album, but in terms of enjoyment it's just alright... nothing really grabbed me. It's not bad just wish I could enjoy it more.
Scott Walker
3/5
I wanna like it more and I appreciate the style, but vocally it starts to become a bit much... like too many donuts.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Not bad, a bit of the times but there are some interesting elements. 3.5
The Go-Go's
3/5
Solid but not my thing. I thought "We Got The Beat" was a 60s song, to be honest.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
I mean, you can't argue with success I guess. Do I want to listen to it anymore? No but I had a phase. I think there are definite arguments for 4 or 5 but in terms of my enjoyment, it's just "meh".
Fishbone
3/5
Got better as time went on, but mostly "ehhhh it's alright". Better options in the genre.
Parliament
4/5
Me likey da funk. Actually a bit over "Give Up The Funk" but I liked Unfunky UFO, Supergroovalistic..., and Handcuffs.
Steely Dan
4/5
Solid Steely Dan, although not my favorite for sure. Still, always impressive.
Raekwon
3/5
Points for the conceptual slant and the beats are great. Maybe it's my mood but the execution of everything didn't do as much for me as I wanted, but I can see why people love it.
Julian Cope
3/5
It's all competent but a bit all over the place, not for me but not bad.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Notoriously difficult listen, it's definitely interesting and it's obvious the influences it has had on musicians like Tom Waits. In terms of a casual listen though, it is not exactly a pleasant experience. I could see getting addicted to the chaos though with repeat listens.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
This was a nice combination, I think I like it better than just solo Sinatra actually. Spanish guitar and rhythmic elements add a lot. Lounge-y as all hell, in a good way. It's close to a 4 but really about a 3.5 and up. I probably won't listen to it again, but I enjoyed it for sure. Definitely heard "The Girl from Ipanema" before.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Yeah, in terms of gansta-rap Kendrick is definitely my pick. There's some great artistic choices through the album that subvert the earlier clichés of gansta-rap, like playing the entire voicemail at the end of the first song and not using it as a little throwaway interlude but rather as a storytelling tool. Everything sounds great but there's some needed restraint in production that elevates it all to be more than a "I'm so hard and I party hard album".
Some tracks are "take or or leave" it for me, and Money Trees goes a little long for me. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe is prob my fav. good kid also sounds great, that instrumentation and bass-line feels like some 70s odd synth/krautrock or some early electronic experimental stuff.
Interestingly enough there aren't many songs on here that feel like they can be played in isolation or on some random playlist, the material is definitely best listened in an album format, which is probably the best compliment you could get for this list.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Planet Rock is cool for historical purposes, but everything else starts to get a bit jammy and rough.
Yes
3/5
Not a general fan of the vocals or prog rock in general, but this is still more interesting to me than a lot of modern prog-rock. Still not my thing, prog always feels like there isn't "heart" to it and virtuosity/technicality is the litmus-test for greatness.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Nice folk/country, but overall became a bit of a background sound for me. Not bad though.
Beatles
3/5
I find most of this rather boring in comparison to other Beatles material to be honest. In terms of pop it's great but in terms of what the Beatles are capable of I'm underwhelmed.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Haven't heard a lot of these tracks, but defnitely a very strong debut. I kind of enjoy the production with the bleeding of vocals into other tracks with a few rough edges left in, definitely has more "oomph" for me this way.
System Of A Down
3/5
I don't mind SOME System of a Down but this didn't do a whole lot for me, felt super generic and sounded like "hard rock" in the worst way. Not my thing.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
It's fine, I can appreciate Belle & Sebastian but just doesn't do anything for me. I liked the electronic song though.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
I know the first track of course, but I was a but underwhelmed by the entire album. Not bad but ehhh...
Eagles
2/5
The titular track is a classic, but the rest of the album is completely forgettable. A bit sad, really.
Def Leppard
2/5
I think this may be one of the worse bands in this genre, absolutely boring AF.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I enjoyed it but there wasn't any amazing tracks like on "What's Going On" for me that really really grabbed me. 3.5 down to 3 I suppose. Great stuff overall though.
Genesis
3/5
Not a fan of this sort of prog at all, I find it completely cringe-y and souless to me. It's fine though, just my personal tastes.
ABBA
4/5
I think they are very talented and "Dancing Queen" and a few other songs are quite good as well. I never wanna listen to any of this on my own though, it's just been so overplayed. However, objectively it's a 4 from me.
Destiny's Child
3/5
So many of these songs were huge, kind of a preview of Beyonce in her final form. For pop it's servicable but I definitely don't wanna hear it.
50 Cent
3/5
Feels so very much of the time. A lot of "hits" that seemingly persist to this day. Definitely an odd feel for gansta-rap and pretty much a strong debut. But, it's all bravado and no substance for me.
The Hives
3/5
Hate To Say I Told You So is a popular song, definitely heard that one before. Overall I liked the punk/garage energy and the vocalists straining/screaming but a bunch of the tracks towards the end are kinda just okay. 3.5 to 3
U2
4/5
Objectively it's iconic and a "good album" but I just personally can't get into it much, mostly due to Bono and his vocal style. Best parts are the interesting guitar stuff, personally.
Kanye West
4/5
Fuck Kanye.
But, this was a tour-de-force. I know around this time there wasn't a lot of prog-hip-hop or anything approaching this level of grandiosity in the genre, so for that it's admirable. Crazy collabs as well. It's not my fav. style of hip hop but credit to where credit is due.
William Orbit
3/5
Chillish lounge-electronica. It's there and it's fine and that's about it.
The Doors
5/5
What a fuckin' debut. So many hits and staying power of an album. They coulda stopped here and been legendary as-is.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Some songs are better than others, I know this album has it's fans but it's just alright for me. Nothing bad nothing amazing for my tastes.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Tim Buckley is mighty fine by me, but that's about it for me. No songs jumped out for me, but everything was good.
Van Morrison
3/5
Good stuff in general but never could really get into Van Morrison a ton. It's great but just kind of background for me.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Definitely one of their better albums for sure. This was post-reunion I believe so there was likely some extra skin-in-the-game here as well. I dunno, there's like at least half of these songs which are fun bangers. I'd love to see them live.
Silver Jews
3/5
Reading Wikipedia on the band and David Berman is a wild and sad trip.
There is something appealing to me about the almost outsider-indie-country vocals, although they aren't "good" by any standards. I can 100% see the cult appeal here. Definitely a drunken-style country confessional.
I'm interested to checking out the entire discography though, as well as David's final project "Purple Mountains". Beyond that, I'm conflict but probably don't enjoy this enough to relisten. But I'm glad I heard of the group.
Talvin Singh
3/5
Crazy fusion of lots of different electronic music and world music genres. Feels a bit cliche and boring now though, but at the time it was probably pretty neat.
The Damned
3/5
Seems like The Damned are one of the proto-punk pre-hardcore bands that were influential. Beyond that though, not a ton that interests me sonically. Some surprisingly more complex guitar work than typical punk though.
Hole
4/5
I haven't heard much of Hole and didn't realize it was Courtney Love either. She somehow gets a really bad rep for some reason. Regardles, this album (coming after the death of Kurt Cobain) definitely has an edge and is on a mission. I dig it.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Kind of neat, a bit surprising in the diversity but there wasn't a song or moment that really grabbed me. 3.5 to 3.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This came out my sophmore year of college so maybe a bit blinded by that, but it's another great cinematic-indie album by Arcade Fire. You can tell they love what they are doing and I generally like the vocal stylings of the singer.
Laibach
3/5
Pretty interesting band. Basically a parody of fascist/authoritarian thoughts.
Per Wiki:
Laibach has frequently been accused of both far left and far right political stances due to their use of uniforms and totalitarian-style aesthetics. They were also accused of being members of the neo-nationalism movement, which reincarnates modern ideas of nationalism. When confronted with such accusations, Laibach is quoted as replying with the ambiguous response "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter". In addition, Laibach also provided most of the soundtrack for Iron Sky, a film that mocked Nazism.
That said, I do not enjoy listening to it at all. I really respect the concept though.
Barry Adamson
2/5
First track was super annoying tbh. The rest just faded into background music, which isn't "bad" but pretty forgettable.
Duran Duran
3/5
Says 80s music and I will say Duran Duran. Not to say it's bad, but it's just so damn 80s I can't get past the production, it's not... great. Hungry Like the Wolf is the only track that I really like, the rest are meh.
John Coltrane
4/5
Furious and complex. I can't even begin to understand what's going on musically here, I'm not that well-informed in that regard. I'm pretty sure I could listen to this 100x and find something new about it. I can't say I understand it, but I can appreciate it.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I listened to this three times because it was not expected at all. Definitely would not have thought it was Bruce Springsteen. It's quite minimalist but intimate which ends up making it captivating. Lyrics are dark/sad/introspective but also somewhat hopeful? Instant teleportation to Americana Folk land. Really like it and I have a new respect for Bruce Springsteen.
The Stooges
4/5
Another crazy intense and raw Stooges album. It feels jammy in the best way, although no tracks really stood out to me as "this is the one". L.A. Blues is hilariously indulgent and chaotic but I can get behind it. I think I like Raw Power more, but this is good stuff regardless.
Radiohead
5/5
Favorite Radiohead album and possibly favorite album of all time. This was the first time I "got" Radiohead. I had heard about it during the release when it was pay-what-you-want and that intrigued me enough to listen. It started me the rabbit hole and went further back into their discography.
15 Step is a drum-banger and Bodysnatchers is a manic guitar-heavy song that is very OK Computer era so if anyone lamented the lack of guitar on previous albums, this ones for you.
Nude is absolutely sublime in its sparse arrangement but soaring vocals. Weird Fishes is instant underwater vibes with syncopated guitar parts reminiscent of Let Down from Ok Computer. All I Need continues the chill vibes and I remember it being used for a PSA at one point.
Faust Arp is kind of our intermission song, but it's nice all the same. It could totally pass for a solo Thom Yorke song.
Reckoner and House of Cards continue the vibes with some interesting drums on Reckoner as well as extremely downtempo guitar on House of Cards.
Jigsaw Falling Into Place brings up the energy with an all around solid track, although maybe not my favorite.
Videotape caps off the album as Radiohead albums typically do: a sad Thom Yorke performance that could be the swan song of the entire band. More interesting syncopation with the drums and piano. Haunting as expected.
Easiest 5* of my life.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Pretty good early punk. The horns were a fun surprise, I bet they were a ton of fun live. Singer is great. All around good stuff, I can see the influence on early riot grrrl stuff too.
Gotan Project
3/5
Nice to have on in the background but beyond that I am not sure I'd listen to it on my own.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Kind of interesting electronica but overall this is all just background to me, nothing I'd want to listen to deliberately. If it was on, I wouldn't swap it. But, not something I would be like "Oh yeah let's throw on Haunted Dancehall!".
Jeff Beck
3/5
Jeff Beck is an artist I know nothing of except the name, so I can't say I've heard any of his material in earnest so glad to start with the first album. Impressive guitar-work... but that is to be expected from a guitarist from The Yardbirds. Vocals remind me of some other artist but not sure, still pretty good though. Clearly blues influenced (especially with You Shook Me cover), kind of interesting people consider this influential to "Heavy Metal".
The Greensleeves instrumental seems quite random though, I thought some other album came on shuffle. Also the clapping on "Blues Deluxe"... why?
It's all good but nothing singular that really grabbed me. 3.5 down to 3.
Ray Price
3/5
Kinda nice and cute ole country. Definitely a vibe, but probably not something I'd wanna throw on. Not bad though.
3/5
If I was still in high school this would be a 5. As I’ve grown older and listened to more music, it is pretty average. This is the last solid Muse album as a whole, but you can start to see the patterns of future albums starting with horrible lyrics (they were never good tbh) and overproduction. Muse definitely has stadium rock aspirations here and while it generally works it feels a bit hollow now. Make no mistake, they are a great “live band” and Matt Bellamy is a talented guitarist, but it all feels so juvenile now. Sorry HS me.
3.5 down to 3. High points for solid tunes and instrumentation while also tainted by my own nostalgia. Everything that is good here is just done better on Absolution and OoS. Also Muse now is a caricature of themselves it’s so sad.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
My college was in Grand Rapids, MI which is close to Holland and Sufjan Stevens had somewhat of a relationship with the college. He allowed our AV department to use any of his songs for any student projects, so that was kinda cool I guess.
I was bombarded with Sufjan Stevens in college. It was everywhere. Twee-indie was all the rage in 2006-2008, especially at a liberal-christian college. I have gone in spurts where I liked some of the songs, then hated, then tolerated, and now kind of ambivalent with a few exceptions.
Tonally it's kind of all over the place, with songs of deep sadness and others grandiose happiness. "Concerning the UFO" and "Casimir Pulaski Day" are the types of songs by Sufjan that I enjoy. Songs like "Come On! Feel the Illonoise! Part 1" are neat in concept but it's so happy twee I can't really stand it.
I remember thinking John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was quite good back in the day due to its "dark subject matter". Now, I don't really ever wanna listen to it. It is best listened to while looking through the lens of "total depravity", which a Christianity concept that is referenced the line "and in my best behavior, I am really just like him", as in we all have the potential to be monsters.
Apparently he thought it would be "arrogant" to make a double album, but c'mon man this thing is basically that. I do appreciate that he says the album-states concept is essentially a joke gimmick, so clearly he isn't taking things too seriously.
Vocally I kinda dig Stevens cadence but other times it feels just like it's trying to be too cute/quiet, but that's a preference thing.
Personal enjoyment of 3, but I'd have to rate it 4/5 if I was being more objective. I also know his live shows were very theatrical so I'm sure that'd be entertaining as well.
The Adverts
3/5
New wave punk-ish stuff. I dunno, I don't find it does much more than other contemporaries. When it's punk it's not punk enough, and when it's new wave it is too 80s. Alas.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I wanna like it more than I do. It's kinda nuts they got seemingly carte blanche to do mostly whatever they want. Concept album for sure, but unfortunately it's not "fun" to listen to. I'm into experimental and weird shit, but I dunno... maybe I just need to get drunk or do drugs.
Fred Neil
3/5
Nice folk and glad to listen to a new name, but didn't do anything else others have done better, IMO. Kind of came and went.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Completely junk food pop. I honestly don't get why some folks are like "Taylor Swift is really a different breed", there is so much more pop music I'd rather listen to. I find everything about it vapid, surface level, and completely polished that nothing interesting remains. Nothing here is what I listen to music for.
That said, I get why people would like it. It ticks a lot of the boxes for what a lot of people like to listen to. But my god, it's a 1 in enjoyment but I can't in good conscious rate it that low, but this is my damnest 2 thus far.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Peak 80s new wave. Even though it is very 80s, it is so in a good way. Solid hits and catchy songs that most people already know, but the album is full of them.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Surprised I knew a lot of the songs actually. Great cubano music, while I probably won't go back to it it's all done rather well.
Nirvana
4/5
Probably one of the better MTV Unplugged albums. Funny enough I didn't get into Nirvana much in the 90s as I was a bit young, so this album was actually the first Nirvana album I actually enjoyed, then I went back and listened to the "real Nirvana". I think my favorite songs are even Nirvana songs on here, the Bowie cover of "The Man Who Sold The World" was an entry point for me to listen to Bowie and is the standout track for me. There's a line in a Pitchfork about how Cobain shows through these covers that "this pain is as old as time" and was likely instrumental in showing the kids some other great music out there, as Cobain was a god at this point. I am glad there aren't a ton of "hits" on here either, and the strained/uncomfortable energy of the performance is perfect for Nirvana.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I like the instrumentation that almost becomes like a drone, but the vocal style just isn't my thing.
George Harrison
3/5
Some good songs with others just being "okay" to me. I'm definitely a believer in that the Beatles are best when all are present, and their individual projects never gel enough with me. Definitely prefer George over others though.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
They are all "good songs" but most of the songs on III aren't as interesting as other Led Zeppelin hits. Immigrant Song is iconic though.
Adele
3/5
Adele is a talented singer for sure. Regardless, I can't really get into it. I've love her music to be a little more interesting as she could propel a lot of genres to higher places.
MC Solaar
4/5
I do believe I enjoy French rap, the flow of the words just sound so good together. Clearly a talented rapper as well, some of those phrases were smooth as hell. Lyrically no idea what's going on though.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
It's fine. Some interesting instrumental flourishes at times but not a huge style of the cadence, I can see why people would really like it though, but ultimately not my thing. By god do I hate the skits though. Also Ghostface Killa loves referring to women as "females". Bro.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
I enjoyed it. A few meh songs, but overall it's quite pleasant and lovely. A shame half the songs on Spotify can't be played. I enjoyed "Almost Cut My Hair" and "Our House" for the two ends of the spectrum. I think Our House is probably the song I've most heard, but it's kind of a cute little thing that isn't overblown or pretentious, and I can get behind that.
Supergrass
3/5
Kinda interesting energy but parts of it just kinda went by. Curious to listen to more of them if it gets a bit more polished though.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
It's competent and Sheryl Crow is a good performer/singer but it just in general doesn't speak to me much. I can see lots of folks into it though. This is quintessential 90s alternative for sure.
Tori Amos
4/5
First off, recommend watching is the 1991/92 live performances at Montreux Jazz Festival. Captivating and passionate, she's got the "I fuckin' dare you" energy directed at the crowd and I'm all for it. My understanding is the 1991 festival she was pretty unknown. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeSj8SnUgUI&list=PL_TOoo0i6bTnIRgto-WfF8dN5Y3dHK_qr
Tori Amos had a LOT to say in this album. It's pretty dark, has a bit of venom, with some little tongue in cheek chuckles. I definitely prefer this album to many other singer-songwriter 90s albums, she is really bearing everything here. It's clearly very autobiographical processing of childhood traumas, puberty, and adulthood navigating it all. Tracks like Me and a Gun are haunting, it's pretty obvious the subject-matter and you feel like you must respectfully listen it, but it's definitely not light. Again, I prefer the live versions where it's even more blunt and plain in your face, especially Precious & Winter.
I had a phase where I was really into early Tori Amos but I kind of can't really listen to it much anymore, I was much more angry and moody then. Still, it's a damn good debut. Unfortunately I liked less and less the more she put out.
Best tracks are Crucify, Silent all These Years, Precious, Winter.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I wanna like it, but I just can't. It's too poppy and "happy" for my tastes, plus in general it all just feels slightly manufactured, I don't know. I wish I could get into Elvis Costello but it's not for me. It's definitely not bad though.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
I've listened to this in the past before, I believe. Jean Michel Jarre is a classic electronica pioneer. For 1976 this probably blew a ton of people's minds. Still has a lot of nice ear candy moments of bubbly synths and interesting frequencies. There are some kind of dated feeling synthesizer sounds and not quite to my taste, but compositionally it's excellent.
The Who
4/5
Quite the banging open and closing bookends. There is a bit of a lull in terms of tracks in the middle, but that's also probably emphasized by how good the opening/closing tracks are. Probably a 5 but more of a 4 based on the lull for me.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Rolling Stones do Blues/R&B. If this was a one-off band you'd go "Hey Rolling Stones, they did that one album that was pretty good Blues Rock." Unfortunately we know they have much higher trajectory ahead of them, but standalone it's solid and enjoyable. Route 66 is probably the best track.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
After just having Costello's first album 2 days ago, going right into this is a lot. This album feels completely full-throttle manic energy, it honesty kinda wears me out listening to it. Pump It Up is clearly the standout track.
I think with Elvis Costello I've figured out why I can't get into it: an extremely verbose lyrics per song. To be reductive, it's just too many words for my tastes and I latch onto nothing. Maybe the amount of lyrics on a lot of the songs wouldn't turn me off but I find his voice kind of grating as well. Sounds so forced to me, but that could be his natural cadence as well, so who knows.
Little Richard
4/5
Don't personally love listening to it, but c'mon... iconic and a gamechanger.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I know it's a classic album, but I can't really get into it. Inventive concept in hip-hop at the time, but... meh. It's not bad by any means, but just average for my tastes.
Megadeth
3/5
Thrash Metal is sometimes almost comical to me. This is pretty Thrash Metal. Obviously some great technique and playing on this album but it's like the cotton candy of metal. Quickly melts after consumption and just a transient experience.
Stan Getz
4/5
Chill AF classic Bossa Nova Jazz goodness. I knew of the first track but might have enjoyed the others a bit more, perhaps just because they were unfamiliar. I felt like I had quite a classy Saturday night listening to this, sipping whisky.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
I enjoyed the general sound but there feels like there's something missing that propels it further for me. Like, they don't fully have an individualistic sound yet but are so, so close for me. I enjoyed City Lights a lot, reminded me of Velvet Underground in it's thematic delivery. I just wish they had a bit more identity.
Deep Purple
3/5
Some interesting things going on instrumentally but it didn't quite grab me enough over other similar bands of the time. Deep Purple are always just "good" but never "great" for me.
The Jam
3/5
Not bad... but a bit too 80s for me. Kind of came and went. Much rather listen to other bands in the genre.
The Byrds
3/5
Not what I expected from the Byrds. Apparently seminal work of country-rock but I generally don't like this sort of honky-tonk country. It gets worse the longer it goes. The Christian Life is hilarious, was that their song to try to appease the country folks saying "look we aren't just crazy hippies!"? It's pretty interesting that they were so derided by the country music community initially as well as losing the majority of their psych crowd. I guess I can respect them for doing what they want and ignore the market, but definitely not for me.
Beyoncé
3/5
Can't say I ever listened to a Beyoncé album in earnest so this will be a good exercise. I have always respected her as an artist but it's not my genre at all but I can recognize the merit.
Pretty Hurts is kind of what I expected but I was not expected a track like Haunted which has a lot of interesting drum and synths that are borderline experimental, not to mention Beyoncé's cadence in flowing between rap and singing. From Wikipedia I see there was an artist named Boots who was a bit more on the electronic side and had some of those random experimental tracks that she gravitated towards. If I heard this track in isolation I would not guess Beyoncé at all.
Drunk in Love, I've heard this before. Actually kinda like it in some ways, has some interesting vocal choices. Kinda don't need the Jay-Z addition though. Blows instrumentals are fun. The rest of the songs started to wash over me.
I'd say it's a pretty darn good pop album, but that's why in general it's not to my tastes.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Real good and I want to like it more, but felt a little like "going through the motions" with the choice of songs here. Maybe because I've heard them so often. It's a 3 for listening but 4 for legacy/talent so I will round up.
Ryan Adams
3/5
It's fine and all but Ryan Adams never is interesting to me, it's always just reminding me of other artists I'd rather listen to.
Nas
3/5
Expected to like it more, but it didn't grab me as much as I wanted lyrically. Instrumentation and beats were dope though. Sorry Nas fans.
4/5
Instant comparison to Tommy by The Who for me, although I think I can get behind Arthur a bit more conceptually. Interesting that the actual TV program this album that was to be a companion-album for was cancelled, it's like sort of making an album for a "fake tv show" but without the pretense. Victoria is the stand-out track and Shangri-la as well, I've heard both before. A lot of tracks I can appreciate in concept but don't necessarily enjoy listening to (such as Yes Sir, No Sir).
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Sounds fine but conceptually gross. I understand it's not a celebration of a middle-age guy going for a 15 year old but... why? Probably would help a lot if I understood French. Also is this pervert ASMR?
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Mom-music.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Smooth as all hell. A very "loving" album for sure, first time I heard it all in succession and it's quite cohesive in tone and messaging. Not one I wanna listen to all the time, but can't deny it's greatness.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Cool time capsule and probably the most authentic way of hearing Muddy Waters but I'd have preferred a mono/more as-is recording.
Culture Club
3/5
80s as all hell in the worst way. This is why people say "I hate 80s music". Beyond that... it's fine but oof, not my thing.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
Definitely sounds like a band I'd find today in a dive bar punk show. But pretty forward for 1994, interesting counterpoint to grunge for sure. I enjoyed a lot of the weirder noise elements and atonal flourishings as well, but it was a bit too long to me. Towards the end it definitely starts to show a bit of the proto-emo trappings. Probably could have stopped the album halfway and been great as-is. Still very nice, if not a bit tiring. Interesting this is their 2nd and final album though.
The Stooges
4/5
Yeah, always slept on The Stooges but love the proto-punk going on here. Some parts are down right experimental/noise-rock. I'm into it. Lovely counter-point to everything else in 1969 for sure. Strong debut.
Randy Newman
3/5
I know the name and only really knew the song from Toy Story, but I'm definitely getting a bit of a more accessible, less bleak Tom Waits style of storytelling. Or perhaps Tom Waits is a darker Randy Newman?
It's somewhat comforting music, I'm not sure what it is. Definitely a guy you'd wanna walk into a bar and listen to on a piano, but at home not really my thing.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
EW&F are dynamite for sure. First two tracks are stand outs but I'm a sucker for good soul funk. What a positive bunch, live would be insane.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
The laid back alternative to the normal in your face styles of 90s gansta rap. Definitely never heard the entire album, I think musically it sounds good and is catchy and fun, by lyrically I think it kinda sucks. Thematically... it has not aged well.
Moby
4/5
Surprised how many tracks I've heard from this album. Lot of them are still great, although in general I don't listen to a lot of Moby deliberately but whenever it's on it is like "oh ya, this is fun".
I thought I'd feel the album was too long, but there is a ton of variety here that I didn't really get bored or sick of it.
Sounds like this was potentially Moby's swan song after the last album bombed commercially and critically (not sure if it's on the list but now I'm curious). You can still hear some of those punk/metal flourishes in vocal stylings and guitar here and there, it's till a blend of electronica/techno and rock to me. The gospel vocal samples are definitely what I associate Moby with, kinda brought this style into the mainstream in electronic music (to me at least).
Very interesting to hear he still struggled at the start (such as playing at the virgin megastore for only 40 people).
It's success seems to be deemed to the strategy of licensing the songs to be used in other media, whether it be commercials, movies, video games, etc. Seemed to be a bit more of a new thing then... but now a lot of these avenues are a golden ticket to success (albeit potentially short lived). If you're a musician/band these days, if you get your one song in some new TV show on Netflix you're pretty much set with an instant audience. Hell, I've discovered many amazing artists this way and kept listening to them way past the original discovery point.
5 for cultural impact and groundbreaking promo strategies, but it's still a bit scattered in track styles. Track list feels like it's the "Extended Edition", I think a lot could be trimmed down. Still, very enjoyable and simply fun.
Fav tracks: Porcelain, South Side, Down Slow
Eminem
2/5
Culturally this was transformative for white dudes doing rap, in high school I remember Eminem being mostly shock and kind of funny, but I didn't listen to it much. It was kind of a fun joke, but now... ehhh it does not hold up well at all.
Super important album in rap and 00s, but do I wanna listen to it? Hell no.
Manu Chao
3/5
Honestly don't have a big reaction to this... which means average.
Iggy Pop
3/5
It's kind of B-tier Low by Bowie for me, I much prefer Lust for Life (the follow up album). Nightclubbing is the standout track for sure, but the rest just made me wish I was listening to Bowie instead.
The Crusaders
3/5
I was annoyed at how long the first track was, it should be like 3-4 mins tops. Then the rest is just instrumental? Kind of want them to commit to one or the other.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Movie soundtracks in general are meh for me. Some nice soul and funk but, overall it's not doing it for me. Pusherman is the best track though, I've heard it someplace else though.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Kinda confusing listen. Start with a classical rendition of Erik Satie then we go into Jazz Rock? Why? Just start on "Smiling Phases". Is it a "Aha, gotcha!" moment where the listener expects more classical-type music due to the instruments? Didn't work for me, but maybe cause it's not 1968 anymore.
The Saints
3/5
Remaster on Spotify makes this sound very modern, which honestly may make it worse for me since it's so clean sounding. I like my punk noisy and slightly abrasive, this just feels too polished and safe. It was... fine.
The Slits
4/5
Total outsider music, which kind of makes it awesome. Their origin story is fun, basically didn't know what they were doing... until they did-ish. A strange punk meets reggae oddity, it didn't make much sense until I read Wikipedia. Fav track is Shoplifting followed up by Typical Girls
Neil Young
3/5
I feel like I should like it more, but it's Neil Young... but beyond that I like his other works better. Whoops.
3/5
Important album of the 90s... but personally Oasis always felt so vapid and it sounds that way too. Gallagher brothers (especially Liam) are psychopaths; they are not good people. Noel literally saw the band and thought "maybe I can use them for my creative outlet" and then sought to create a "commercial sound". To me, if that's your goal then you aren't offering much to the space. Liam also said that members of Blur should "catch AIDS and die", what a piece of shit. Blur are so much better by the way.
I know this is tangential to the actual music but I really dislike everything about those two. Musically, it's fine, safe Britpop. Definitely a contrast to grunge of the time, but today almost relegated to joke. I'd love to meet a die-hard fan of Oasis that can convince me of why they love them, because to me they are the wonderbread of brit rock.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Smooth jazzy contentious hip-hop. It does kind of feel a bit preachy at times. Hopefully I'm wrong but at least they are calling out issues like date rape, etc. Definitely a few tracks that you'd never throw on shuffle and only make sense in an album listen. Overall a good follow-up to their previous album but nothing that jumped out to me that improves upon that.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
This is wild. First track is like "wtf is going on, it's catchy though... this is like new wave Kraftwerk". Then I saw it was Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth from The Talking Heads and it all made sense. Ohhh shit Genius of Love, I've heard this. The synth and random chirps are so good. This is like a different take on "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads. I will say overall some of the songs overstay their welcome a bit and I wish a few stopped 2 mins earlier, but overall a grand showcase of what others besides David Byrne add to Talking Heads.
I'm in heaven
With the maven of funk mutationa
Frank Black
3/5
Interesting to hear the solo work of the Pixies guy, but the output isn't quite there enough for me. A bit too polished, and yet parts of it sound like a mix between Iggy Pop and The Velvet Underground... but just not as good.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I respect his work, but never can vibe with it. Always sounds a bit too cheesy for me.
Heaven 17
3/5
I had high hopes based on the album cover, but it didn't quite go art-rock enough. Just ended up as middling 80s electro-pop, which is done better other places. Only memorable song was the 1st one.
Roxy Music
3/5
I mostly like the stuff Brian Eno is doing on this album, but overall not bad. It feels a bit of a contrived thing though, like everyone is kind of doing a routine and it's not super cohesive. Like a lot folks have their own little solo time, then the next part, etc. Not bad but could be much greater.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Completely average brit-rock. Sounds like their earlier material may sound more interesting to my tastes. Manic Street Preachers is a name I know of, but this is anything but manic nor preachy... unfortunately. It's fine... albeit a bit safe and boring.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Brian Eno quipped that while the album only sold approximately 30,000 copies in its first five years, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band". -Wikipedia
David Bowie
4/5
Short and sweet. Even the 10 minute opening track doesn't overstay it's welcome (which is really like 3 songs). Kind of a perfect mix of the future Berlin stuff as well as the previous work.
Skepta
3/5
Sounds great instrumentally and I dig British rap/grime flow, but lyrically it's just hollow braggadocio.
Coldplay
4/5
Is there a more 2000s rock-alt album than this?
Coldplay quickly became a meme and as albums further progressed they moved away from this indie-alt-rock vibe with a bit of U2 and Radiohead thrown in. I'm personally still a fan of the Blue Room EP and this was the actual album followup. Production/songwriting wise they definitely stepped it up, but lost a bit of the rough edges for my tastes. Songs like High Speed are almost a Coldplay version of Subterranean Homesick Alien from Radiohead's OK Computer and Shiver could have been sung by Bono. Songs like Yellow became pop anthems and if that song did not become what it did... who knows where Coldplay would have gone. It's an important album that I may enjoy listening to about 50% of still.
From Wikipedia: "The band then took a lengthy break to compose more tracks for Parachutes. A few months later, it was arranged that Allison and the band meet at a rehearsal room to finally begin production on the band's debut album. "They started up playing in the rehearsal room and they really weren't together at all. And I was very honest with them, I just sort of said 'Look, this simply isn't good enough'"
I'd love to have known what they would have sounded like if that didn't happen, probably a lot rougher but maybe a bit less commercial for my tastes.
Favorite tracks: Don't Panic, Spies, Sparks, We Never Change
Kid Rock
1/5
If the album was maybe half the length it could squeak out a 2 for competent catchy hooks, but everything else about the songs including lyrics, melodies, and persona is just garbage. Kid Rock is so try hard to be a bad-ass that it's laughable. He's also a piece of shit. Can't say I've ever listened to any songs beyond Bawitdaba and Cowboy and I listened to the rest of this just cause it's hilarious how dumb it is.
I will say if no one has heard a Kid Rock song, it's at least culturally important in the US to hear at least a bit to understand that this is how lots of folks view a life worth living.
Metallica
3/5
"The Black Album" is pretty widely loved by fans as well as influential on many heavy metal bands. In terms of music... it's alright. It's a bit straight forward and and kind of too clean for my tastes, but none of it is "bad". It's kind of like a persons best intro to metal, and they can get into this... then move on to other stuff. I guess Metallica never quite gelled with me a ton except in middle school.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
Some interesting things here and there but in general is plagued with that "80s sound" in terms of synths and vocals that is just sorta meh.
The Byrds
3/5
It's fine but, I dunno The Byrds just don't do a ton for me. Totally fine, I liked the psych and electronic elements though.
Hawkwind
4/5
Damn for a live show I would have believed it was a studio recording. Totally tight performance. Get's a bit long-winded jammy but pretty neat Psych/Space rock. I knew of Hawkwind but never listened to them before. I imagine live this would have been mind-blowing.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
This is why people hate 80s music.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Way less interesting to "A Wizard / A True Star", it's fine and competent but just normal rock/pop to me.
King Crimson
4/5
Actually never listened to any King Crimson in any capacity, but I can see the appeal. Absolutely foundational prog sound that in some ways is better than most of its contemporaries. Free jazz as fuck in a way that I can get behind. There's definitely less typical "over-produced and over-embellished prog-rock" on this album, which is my biggest issue with the genre. Typically prog is all technique no heart for me, but this thankfully does not fit that bill.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Beyond the some iconic synth lines it's G-Funk... which I never liked a ton of. Think I'm an east coast guy I guess.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
I respect Peter Gabriel, but this is too 80s and I can't get behind it at all. Feels completely contrived and commercial packaged up nicely to be listened to over a K-Mart speaker.
Metallica
3/5
I'm sure it was a good show, and while I'm not a huge Metallica fan I'm sure fans absolutely loved this album. You can tell they care at least, I'm sure the symphonic element elevated it a ton. As a not a huge fan, I really don't think I'd go back and listen to this though.
Sepultura
3/5
I liked the instrumentation more than the clichè metal vocals.
Van Morrison
3/5
Wow I actually really don't like how dramatic this is. Almost a 2 in enjoyment but it's objectively not bad... so 3 I guess but oof.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Overall like the sound but thematically doesn't propel things for me, there's better East Coast Rap out there for me.
The Monks
5/5
1966? Holy shit. The subversiveness feels much more modern in terms of sensibilities, I would have believed this to come out this year even. It's unhinged in the best way, not too abrasive but they got something to fucking say. Continues to build the case that I am a huge fan of protopunk over modern punk.
I mean, look at this shit. Brilliant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H-fmmNmrRs
Only album by them, very punk rock of them. *chefs kiss*
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
I find it kinda accessible brit-indie-rock that is kind of like jock-jams for da club or a soap commercial. Meh, it's fine... it's formulaic and there.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I really don't like Brian Wilson or the Beach Boys. However, I can recognize the mythos and interesting history behind this album. I'm glad he was able to finally overcome it and put it out, even though it's not for me.
5/5
Woah, based on the name and album art I did not expect such an experimental/dissonant sound. This is generally in my wheelhouse of musical pleasures so I'm down with it. Never knew the band so glad to broaden my knowledge. Crazy industrial-like drums with artsy vocal trappings, a combo I haven't heard much. Definitely propelled to a professional level with the production, which elevates it from indie-artsy-trappings to something a bit more grand. I'm into it, definitely gonna explore further. I should listen to listen to more noise-rock.
Definitely not for everyone though.
The Fall
4/5
Based on the title I was thinking "man The Fall are way tighter live than I thought" but the name is misleading as this is their debut studio album. None of the hits I know of are on this album, but overall it's a strong debut of what The Fall are all about: doing their own thing, saying what they wanna say, and doing it on their own terms.
The Pretty Things
3/5
Completely competent psych-rock. Apparently one of the earliest rock operas but I would have never known unless I read up on it. Not bad but it was mostly background music.
New Order
3/5
Album art is the coolest part.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Pleasant country/folk. Definitely didn't mind it in the background as I was working but probably wouldn't throw it on to listen deliberately. Almost quaint in a cute way. If I loved the genre this could definitely be a 4, but 3.5 for me.
Britney Spears
2/5
Aight well, title track is obviously extremely influential in terms of the pop landscape then and even still today. My sister loved it, I hated it... but teenage self still thought she was cute, of course.
Rest of the album is pretty meh, for me at least. I'm not the demographic and pop in general is not my thing.
I love that there is a track called "E-Mail My Heart", hyphen and all. Peak 90s.
Otis Redding
4/5
Beautiful soul. Everything sounds great but I'm gonna go with a 4 due to it mostly being covers.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Totally fine 90s alt-rock. It's peak semi-boring 90s.
Brian Eno
3/5
Pretty bonkers collaboration. It's sonically interesting in it's collage approach, but beyond a few of them it's sadly not something I'd wanna throw on all the time. 3.5 down to 3.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Again, sorry Elvis but I just can't get into you.
Ride
3/5
I like shoegaze but this feels a little meh, a little rough.
The Beach Boys
3/5
17th album? Jeez guys.
But ok, I was expecting to hate this a lot more. I would never have thought it was the Beach Boys. I guess this was their "darker" album into the counterculture movement, I don't agree with the darker label but definitely feels more like a progression I'd wanna see from the Beach Boys.
I just don't like the surfer Beach Boys stuff, so this is more palatable. Sounds like this one is divisive among fans, but so far my favorite thing by them I'd heard for sure, but a few duds on the album. 3.5 to 3.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Definitely a band I'd enjoy live but not the sorta thing I wanna listen on my own much. I do like the rougher vocals on this early Kings of Leon album compared to "Sex is on Fire" era. Thing still feel a bit too indie-rock for me, that meaning it's a bit formulaic and the songs are just kinda there, nothing is really memorable here.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Pretty dumb but... fine I suppose. I dunno, I think there's better stuff out there in this style.
The Residents
2/5
Watching in an art-gallery or performance context? Could be a 4.
Just as a purely listening experience? No. Rounded up to 2 cause I can appreciate what they are doing but... definitely not pleasurable.
Anthrax
3/5
I was bopping my leg up and down and didn't even think about that, so I guess I can't say it sucks. But, in general I'm not a huge fan of the sound recorded. I'd imagine live I'd be like "fuuuuck yaaaa brooooo".
Definitely better than modern Metallica though.
Guided By Voices
4/5
Surprised by the brevity of the songs. Overall I enjoy it but I'd say it's more of a vibe than a few specific songs that stick out. Curious to listen to the other "popular" album.
David Holmes
3/5
It's fine...? Background music for sure that doesn't push any envelopes at times, then some other random tracks that could be a separate artist.
Gram Parsons
3/5
It's straight up OK for me. Definitely not my style of country.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
Generally like the sound but not much really stuck with me in terms of "this is a banger". Glad to listen to a pioneering album for post-punk though.
Justice
3/5
It's fun and juicy dance music. Drunk and in da club? I could dig it. But as a home listening it's a bit too straightforward for me. D.A.N.C.E. is super overplayed, I am more a fan of Genesis myself.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I respect all 3 artists, but all together this doesn't do much. In fact I may prefer them each solo.
The Darkness
3/5
I think people shit on The Darkness more than they deserve? Is it goofy? Yeah for sure, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's definitely a 2000s glam-rock revival band that isn't compromising in its vision. Do I enjoy it? Not really, but I bet I'd absolutely have a fun time at a show. Respect but it ain't generally my thing.
The Police
3/5
The Police are good at what they do, and Message in a Bottle is prob the best track. But overall I find their general output somewhat uninspired. Just feels, for a lack of a better word, dated.
Sparks
3/5
Art rock as fuck. I can respect it but... I didn't really enjoy listening to it. That falsetto is crazy though.
Genesis
3/5
Yeah, has the hallmark of overindulgence that turns me off from prog-rock. Genesis' vocals always seemed cheesy and well, sorta bad. I can't say I enjoyed any of it really, not enough to listen to again. That said, respect to the ideas.
The Doors
3/5
In terms of The Doors output it's not the style I like of them, but it's all find and bluesy. I'd just rather listen to other blues.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
When I thought I didn't like electronic dance music, this is what I thought all EDM was. Meh.
The Libertines
3/5
Indie-rock-that-you'd-maybe-go-see-live-if-it-was-free-and-you'd-have-a-good-time-but-that's-about-it-music
Kings of Leon
3/5
Kinda surprised how rough the vocals are, I would have preferred to see them go more in that direction than stadium-indie-rock-hitmakers.
R.E.M.
3/5
Wish I liked R.E.M. more, but I just find it mostly middling. It's not quite avant-garde enough, it still has its feet planted in accessibility and familiarity of song structures that I've never vibed with them much. I do respect Michael Stipe though.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
Lupe Fiasco was heralded in my college years as one of the more "conscience hip hop" artists, but that was mostly with his next album. This one definitely has a Kanye-style production/epicness around it. I will give him credit for his general deliberate choices to focus on "the issues" which I think is where hip-hop has its most power; talking politic.
That said, it's good but feels too produced for my tastes. Just not my style. Strong debut though.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Still not a fan, but I think I appreciated the vocal cadence on this album a bit more. It is what it is.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
Pop country, I suppose. I knew one song but I find this music completely uninspired.
PJ Harvey
4/5
If I may reductive, PJ Harvey is like Bjork but lives in England and is into more rock/punk. Definitely like most of which is on here, last track is a bit random though.
Turbonegro
2/5
Anthems for a mid-life crisis.
The Cramps
3/5
Sorta grew on me as I listened. Definitely a band you'd love the more you drank. 3.5.
Roxy Music
3/5
Some moments of greatness but overall I think I like other Roxy a bit more. 3.5 to 3. Farewell Eno!
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
This is wild. I don't know how much is sampling and how much is taking uncredited musicians work as-is and making a track though. Very interesting mashup and slice in time, for sure.
Jack White
4/5
Strong solo debut. DNA of The White Stripes here of course, but a bit more stripped down. Heard many of the hits but nice to hear the others.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Don't hate the concept, but not digging the execution.
King Crimson
3/5
Some nice moments in a lot of songs, but typically move into something I'm not too into. Mostly due to not liking the vocals at all.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Impressive but with most prog, I find it just exhausting and unrelatable.
Miles Davis
4/5
Lovely music for the background while I work, which sounds like a disservice as deliberate listening would be an entirely different experience, for sure.
Television
4/5
Listened a couple times while working but felt like I needed to deliberately listen so I grabbed a beer and went for a walk in a nice 75 degrees summer.
Definitely can see how many bands were influenced by this song. So many little moments I was like “hey, this sounds like The Strokes, The Wire, Dexys, insertrockpunkbandhere”. A couple tracks don’t quite do it for me but there’s a nice formula here. I like the interplay between vocals and instrument. Dynamics, they got it.
Fav tracks: Friction, Marquee Moon
Muddy Waters
3/5
Pleasant enough and I respect it, but got a bit old after a couple tracks. The dude yelling after “man” on the first track got old after the 50th time too.
Suicide
3/5
I don't hate it, but a few of the tracks like Girl are so ridiculous it sounds like they are taking the piss outta the listener. Some of it also annoys, but I do like the general groove formula. I can see why people would like it though.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I think almost every dude had a phase where they were really into this album. Well, almost every dude. I never could quite get with it much. Like, it has a buncha "good tracks" but they all feel a bit lackluster in the end, it could be something really great but they wanted to stay a bit too safe and commercial. So, it's just average for me.
Moby Grape
3/5
Sure. Ok. I felt almost nothing here. It's fine.
Paul McCartney
3/5
All of the individual output of the Beatles illustrates to me why they were as a group stronger than any individual member. Sometimes that tension of ideas can produce some interesting things that they'd never come up with on their own. There are interesting ideas overall, but I find it all pretty disappointing in comparison to the highs of the Beatles. McCartney's first solo-album: It's fine, but a bit straightforward. It feels like a regression.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
God those song titles. Lyrics suck too. Instrumentation is fine and vocally it's a bit annoying but it's a commitment to a bit for sure. Next! Neeext! Neeeeeext!
Kanye West
3/5
I love the instrumentation here with the distorted minimalist structure. Lyrics and song content though... they suck. Just typical sexual bravado that feels like a complete waste of the sonic strength of the songs. If I didn't understand English I'd say this would be a 4, but alas...
Robbie Williams
2/5
Wowza, boring as 90s pop as it gets. Completely forgettable radio-friendly disposable music.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Due to my sheltered nature, this was one of the first times I heard songs on the radio like "Can't Hold Us Down" that talked back vs. expectations/judgements on certain behaviors towards women vs. men. Let's see, I was in 9th or 10th grade.
Surprised how many tracks there were on here I recognized. Like Fighter, Beautiful.
I do remember how much people judged her back in the day, like I remember Conan talking about her dressing in a "hoe-uniform" which in retrospect was so gross that I'm sure he'd be appalled today. She's clearly talented and got a bad rap at times.
All that said, still not my thing but I can her trying to reinvent herself.
Aerosmith
3/5
Meh. Fine but meh. That's my general feelings of Aerosmith though.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
In general it's a nice comfy feeling, but beyond that it passes over me. The flyover was nice though.
Germs
2/5
I can respect the historical value here, but honestly listening is not enjoyable. I'd imagine this is a band that is purely an experience best viewed live. I think.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Liked it surprisingly more than I thought. Basically feels like prog-pop. Lot more melodic elements than I was expecting. Still not a huge fan of the sound, but it's slightly interesting and inoffensive. I don't hate it, don't love it.
Joe Ely
3/5
Satisfactory country eating.
ZZ Top
3/5
Top shelf bar rock, but still not what I wanna listen to most of the time. Time and a place. Used to love La Grange back in the day though.
Stephen Stills
3/5
It's your dad's favorite vinyl.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
The big 3 hits are still bops. I mean this is 80s top shelf in general. If only the rest of the album could reach those heights, but the power of Lauper’s vocals are to be respected.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Well that's a heck of a start. Can't say I knew that Punk-Blues was a thing but I'm kinda into it. I stopped after Sticky since that was the real album stopping point and the rest are extras. I think anymore and I'd drop it a point, but pretty good stuff.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Just way too damn long, but I'm not a fan of the Grateful Dead so this may be best for fans. Definitely captures their essence though and it sounds overall very nice. Ironically enjoyed "Feedback" the most.
Dire Straits
3/5
The favorite album of the old-timer that practically lives at the VFW.
John Lennon
4/5
I'm not one to listen to a lot of solo work by any former Beatles, but Lennon's seems to be the most Beatles-like in execution. It's hard to objectively review this since I've heard Imagine a billion times, but other tracks like "How Do You Sleep?" are interesting psych-rock almost continuations of the Beatles-style compositions. I can't see myself wanting to listen to it, but respect where respect is due.
Method Man
3/5
A bit goofy like typical Wu-Tang Clan output but not bad, definitely something to have on in the background since it's not quite deep, but it's not a bad vibe.
Brian Eno
4/5
An album whose story and mythos are maybe greater than it's actual output. It's almost quaint at this point in terms of Ambient and to me there are many much better ambient albums to date. But, huge respect for this album for sure, it's just not what I'd wanna listen to these days.
Ozomatli
3/5
Meh, it’s fine but just feels like a pop party but that’s not my thing.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Quaint cozy folk/bluegrass vibes. It's raw and that suits the genre for sure.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Was not super into it at first, but over time I started to appreciate it. Definitely top-tier Elvis to me, it's less cliche overall and more soulful blues at times. 3.5 up to 4.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
A seemingly pretty authentic snapshot in time of a psych-acid-jam band. Never heard of them before but it was an enjoyable listen, although nothing really grabbed me. Definitely one to have on vinyl and listen all the way through though. 3.5 down to 3.
Def Leppard
3/5
Sometimes I'll order a cheese pizza and then ask for extra cheese. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but at a certain point the essence of the pizza has been completely drowned in the cheese. Too much of a good thing. That's Def Leppard for me, I can enjoy a few songs here and there, but it becomes just too much 80s cheese pizza for me. Every once and a while is fine though.
Holger Czukay
3/5
Feels like a national progression for a member of Can, but skirts into early fascinations with world music which feel quite meh today. Lots of neat ideas but it doesn't really coalesce into something I'd frequently want to hear.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Nice vibes of a cross between traditional sitar and psychedelic rock. Kind of washed over but it was nice. The synthesizer parts were a pleasant surprise. Really illustrates that the combo can work and I’m surprised I haven’t heard it more often.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Pretty unique folk with a unique voice and harp as the main instrument? Yeah not surprised they got big and have success. I like her voice but the arrangements aren't really jiving for me, feels a bit twee and I can imagine I would have been more into it in college or something. Nice stuff but not my thing.
Steve Earle
3/5
Fine country I suppose. Almost Springsteen-ish at moments. Definitely typical cliches of country but this was 1986 so I'll cut it some slack.
I'd rather live in a Guitar Town than a Small Town.
Klaxons
3/5
Very mid brit-rock. There are way better bands that do this formula better.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Thought I'd hate it more than I did, but this is decent glam-rock. Still not a huge fan of the genre but this is better than most.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Never much for this type of theatrical-pop singer-songwriter stuff. I can see why people WOULD like it, but it's definitely very much a "every song could be a different play" sorta vibe.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I first heard this about 6 years ago in the Winter which felt right. I was just thinking that Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen are two sides of the same coin: Waits shows the sacred in the vulgar and Cohen brings the vulgar into the sacred.
I’m a fan of Cohen but most of his albums are a mixed bag. “Suzanne”, “So Long, Marianne”, “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”, and “One of Us Cannot Be Wrong” are great. The rest of the tracks are just “fine” for me. I’d almost wish this was an EP of those 4 songs alone and this would be a straight 5. Unfortunately due to those duds, for me it’s a 4. Definitely 5 for legacy though and a great introduction for Leonard Cohen.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Such good live energy brought down by the chatter. It’s definitely interesting to hear the time-capsule. Ellington is a trumpet beast for sure. Tried to throw this in the background but was too engaged to passively listen.
Throwing Muses
3/5
Kinda fun and high energy. I appreciate the vocal strength and the punk energy but it didn't quite coalesce into something I was really into.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I wanna like Echo And The Bunnymen more than I do.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Let Stevie Nicks sing the entire time please, but that's all Fleetwood Mac for me. It'd be a straight 5* for me.
But, it's a mixed bag and as an album it almost feels like two different bands at times. Songs like Dreams and The Chain are absolute 5* 100%, but songs like Second Hand News and Never Going Back are middling at best for me. Culturally and production wise? 5* but enjoyment for me is full of "hell yeah" and "hell no".
Oh my god I just realized the hanging balls for the first time, how did I miss this? Killer artwork though.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Sad and not bad cowboy music. I wouldn't change the station but not a thing I'd always wanna jive with. I think I've heard of Merle Haggard and wish mainstream country music today was more like this. Although I guess this is considered outlaw country?
Dion
3/5
Definitely hear the Phil Spector on here. It's... fine.
SZA
3/5
I kinda wanna look at all those monitors.
Besides that, this is competent R&B pop but I can't get into it. Love the drums though.
White Denim
3/5
Enjoyed a few songs more than others. Definitely a bit of prog-psych-indie going on that works pretty well but doesn’t manifest itself to me as entirely enticing. 3.5 down to 3.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Competent psych-rock that is a bit more loose and fun than most of its contemporaries. I wish it grabbed me more, but it was mostly background sound for me. Still a wild combo that I respect.
Electric Jug definitely sounds almost like a synthesizer. Wild, but also feels a bit one-dimensional.
3.5 down to 3.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
First reaction was being wide-eyed and uttering "woah". Industrial Stockhausen. That "drum" beat is crazy cool on the 1st track. Other tracks with that "drilling" sound definitely is a bit much for me, not one I wanna hear (I should go to the Dentist soon tbh). Definitely experimental, but I love when this stuff pops up on 1001.
I was working against the clock trying to get some client work done before the meeting so this was quite perfect for the mood.
Lots of the random noises/electronic bits are lots of things I'd make but then go "ok, I can never use this though... but it kinda sounds cool". These folks just went and did it. Inclusion of guitar was a good call to ground things a bit.
I respect it a lot honestly, I fully understand why someone would rate it a 1. I have to be in the right mood as well to listen to this, but I am glad things like this are on the list. I do wish it were a bit more focused though, it could be 35-40 minutes in total I'd imagine. Drop perhaps 1/3rd of the tracks.
Kid Rock is worse.
Scritti Politti
3/5
80s in all the clichéd ways possible. Tropes galore. Not bad but definitely a personal pass.
Buzzcocks
3/5
I dunno I should like it more than I do, but it is just "okay" punk for me. I guess it's kind of in-between proto-punk and punk proper so it's kind of not the best of either world. There's also this up and coming 80s new wave-ness to it that I'm not super into.
Mariah Carey
3/5
100% not my thing. Mariah Carey is talented at what she does though, so I'll recognize that at least.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Semi-sweet-country-folk. Kinda came and went, not bad but nothing latched on.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Some neat sounds but in general perhaps grime ain't my thing.
U2
3/5
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the standout track that most people know here. In general I find U2 to be a bit trite in their messaging, it just feels surface level so I can never get too into it.
The Shamen
2/5
This is kinda dumb rave music. I gave up on it.
Bee Gees
3/5
Parts are damn close to Bowie in a few songs which is cool. Overall a bit lacking in what I am looking for but Bee Gees are definitely more than "Staying Alive".
George Jones
3/5
Sad Cowboy Music 2
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Kinda nice and has some neat elements, but fell a bit flat in the end. I got nothin'.
LL Cool J
3/5
It does feel a bit pedestrian in comparison to other stuff coming out around the time, which likely appeals to a lot of folks but... meh.
Pentangle
3/5
Theatre kids who decided to get into music. Not bad but… definitely not my genre.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Strong debut, her other work is definitely stronger in my opinion but this is a solid, raw album that is pretty emblematic of her style.
1/5
Fuck off with this title omg. It could be a 2 because it’s competent at what it is trying to do… but I certainly don’t wanna hear it. Apparently this album was removed from later 1001 albums as well. I wouldn't have missed it.
CHVRCHES
3/5
I like all the synthesis sounds going on in the background and I can objectively say they are a "good" band making synth-pop that isn't super boring. However it's a bit too "bubble-gum pop" for my sensibilities. Definitely have seen videos of them in the studio on synths and I can respect that though.
Supergrass
3/5
Eh fine but feels run of the mill brit-pub-rock sound.
GZA
4/5
Hmm this may be the best of any Wu-Tang Clan members that I've heard so far. There's some nice lyrical flow and darkness that feels quite real and hypnotic here. Of course I don't like the random kung-fu movie samples but... maybe I even like this more than Wu-Tang Clan!?
Robert Wyatt
4/5
This may be the biggest rollercoaster of a star rating journey I have gone through. First listen I was doing other things and now paying attention and thought first song was ok, but rest sucked so maybe 2-3. But I knew there were a lot of things going on so I should actually dedicate the time to listen.
First track is awesome. A beautiful joyous romp that can only be described as “outsider Flaming Lips”, which is not a phrase I thought could exist.
2nd-4th tracks were a bit more weirdly and stilted in vocals but instrumentally I love what was going on. “Maryan” is better than “The Duchess” for sure.
Finally with “Free Will And Testament” we are back with off-kilter depressive optimism. I want the entire this.
“September 9th” is a wild jazz number???
“Alien” turns into ambient. Same as “Out of Season”.
Idk the rest sorta blend.
Last track is a little redemption. Back to Jazz.
If all the songs hit as hard as the first I could rate it higher, but just on the general gestalt it’s a 4. Really unique offering that’s further supported by the author’s history.
The Zutons
3/5
More mid 2000s UK brit-rock. Mid being the keyword.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Sad girl energy that I can see the allure of, but LDR never spoke to me as a guy.
The Vines
3/5
More I listen to stuff like this, the more the alt-indie-rock sounds of the late 90s to early 00s start to sound so one dimensional and formulaic.
Japan
3/5
Probably have heard songs by this group but never knew it. Very 80s new-wave. Some neat parts but overall it does not interest me. Life in Tokyo and Quiet Life are the better tracks. You can definitely hear the Giorgio Moroder influence on the bass in Life in Tokyo.
Neil Young
3/5
After The Gold Rush is a 5/5 track, but the rest are kind of meh for me. Unfortunately that is how all Neil Young albums are for me, a few bangers and the rest are filler.
Lightning Bolt
4/5
Definitely a challenging artist but in comparison to other material of theirs this is downright melodically accessible. Not something I wanna always wanna listen to, but it's pure tribal energy. More music than a lot of music.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Again, an example of what I used to think all electronic music was... not a huge fan.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Super sad Nick Cave but... not hugely into it, like most Nick Cave.
The Auteurs
3/5
I am whelmed in Brit-rock.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
I expected better from only hearing "Tom's Diner", most of this is not interesting at all to me. Or is a bit cringey even. Definitely an album that would benefit with instrumentation with DNA like that Tom's Diner version is.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Sounds good and fun but not something I'd listen to more than once I suppose. Maybe just not in the mood.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
It's fine. Just seems like b-tier Beach Boys to me. Dad rock 100%.
Spacemen 3
4/5
Experimental and sparse, but still a very nice listen. Definitely prefer Spacemen 3 to Spiritualized but I can see how they may have gotten sick of this sound at some point.
The Clash
3/5
Classic Clash. It's good but didn't grab me as much as their later stuff. I'm sure the debut was very influential though, but it's just a taste of what is to come IMO.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I listened to it as duty calls me to. It's competent but 100% not my thing. Idk.
The Associates
3/5
It's like a weird unhinged Bowie rip-off in terms of vocals without any interesting nuance. Instrumentals are 80s synth-pop as fuck in all the worse ways. Other than that... it's okay, I could see why someone would be into it though. It's definitely a weird combo.
The Only Ones
3/5
Big fan of the vocals, reminds me of Violent Femmes. Surprising at some of the instrumental choices that almost sound jazz-adjacent due to the Rhodes-like piano. Unfortunately beyond a couple songs it started to get a bit flat for me, so as an album it's only a 3.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
It's not bad, but feels like radio bait for Brit-rock crowds. It's safe, but could be so much better. I remember liking a few of their songs when I didn't know there was better stuff out there for me. I won't fault anyone for liking it though.
Gorillaz
3/5
Hard to rate. Enjoyment overall is a 3 but some songs are bangers for sure, this was huuuge (as well as the next album in their roster). The album as a whole is not cohesive though, but it's pretty close to a 4. The edgy kids loved Gorillaz. I wasn't cool enough.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
90s accessible-ish R&B. Not a whole lot of interest for me, it's fine for what it is.
Bad Brains
3/5
I can see how it was influential, but to me it just sounds like lackluster pop-punk with 80s production.
Madonna
2/5
How high the mighty have fallen.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Seems like a crime to give her anything less than a 4, and I ain't breaking the law today.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Definitely feels like a compilation, for sure.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Pretty laid back, competent but kind of empty rock for me. I can see ppl getting into it tho
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Sounds like a bad Elvis Costello and I don’t even like Elvis Costello.
Radiohead
4/5
Radiohead is my fav band but this is not a 5. There are some duds that are just “okay” like High and Dry, Bones, and Sulk. There are still some amazing tracks like Fake Plastic Trees, My Iron Lung, and Street Spirit to name a few.
Maybe in a vacuum where this was their only album it would be a 5 but, just a sign of what’s to come!
Bob Dylan
3/5
I really wanna like it more than I do, but I just can't get into it. Dylan is a storyteller and I like everything he does on paper, but when it comes to actually listening I am not having an amazing time. It's fine, not my thang.
4/5
It's good, classic Bowie but I find a lot of the tracks don't live up to the highs of others. Notably Ziggy Stardust, Starman, and 5 Years are the better ones for me.
k.d. lang
3/5
She's definitely a good singer, but I'd rather listen to other artists in the same vein. A bit unfortunate it's all covers as well.
Suede
3/5
Apparently some consider this the album that spawned Britpop. Not a huge fan of Britpop, but I can see how it was influential... it's a bit whiny in the wrong ways for me. Definitely glad to at least hear some Suede since I'm unfamiliar with most of it.
Traffic
3/5
Good and groovy but starts to wane for me.
Soft Machine
3/5
I like this a lot better than most prog, maybe because it's Jazz-adjacent. The instrument choices also helped, but still is a bit of a long play.
N.E.R.D
2/5
Very few rap-rock bands have anything to offer me, and unfortunately N.E.R.D. is definitely not my thing. It's not bad but I find it kinda cheesy.
Beatles
5/5
Probably my favorite Beatles album. Has a ton of range and some songs are basically genre-creating. Sure, there are a few somewhat forgettable tracks but it definitely hits more than it misses. I don't think I really have anything else to add the the general dialogue around this album but... what an album for sure.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
A bad bar band that makes you wanna kinda wanna leave.
Calexico
3/5
I knew of the name from Iron & Wine collab. It's fine? It's sorta there, doesn't move me. But for folk-ish rock I can see the appeal.
3/5
It's fine psych-rock, but doesn't do much that separates it from the others.
The Who
3/5
Fun to hear The Who live but... nothing here screams to me "wow, I'm glad I listened to this live." Maybe if I was a huge fan. Apparently some consider it the best live rock recording? Sure, ok.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Kind of a nice vibe, a bit in the background for me but that's how I ended up listening. Not bad, I wouldn't be upset if someone threw it on.
Louis Prima
3/5
Mashup of the first track is kinda killer. Pretty surprising vocal performance too, I'm kinda into it. Unfortunately it gets a bit cliché as things go on.
The The
3/5
Completely forgettable 80s synth-pop. Not my thing, but it's at least made well.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie Wonder is pretty damn talented and this album has 5 written all over it, but I think I've personally grown to have fatigue on the bigger songs on here. It's great but... personal enjoyment is only a 4.
Big Black
3/5
Pretty unique sound and interesting story. I'm real close to liking it but not quite there.
Digital Underground
2/5
Beyond the first track it was pretty much background music for me. It's... fine, but not as great as other 3 stars for me.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Boy I know the name but I did not know the music. Vocals are very unique... I can see people absolutely hating them and I am not sure how I feel. I bet live this would be killer though. Definitely has avant-garde fuck you energy that I can get behind. I may need to revisit later.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Lots of folks love Peter Gabriel but it's just pure cheese for me. Competent and what it does but I ain't eating that.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Unique structure in these songs that's for sure. But, it's not exactly a fun listening experience. I can appreciate the gesture though.
CHIC
3/5
Good disco for sure, but beyond a couple tracks the rest are sort of just there. Almost a 4.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
It's fine and parts I enjoyed. And then there's parts where the singer sounds like he's having an orgasm and I'm like duuuude stoooop.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Quaint as fuck but legacy wise it's definitely a 5. Do I hate listening to it? Not really, but I'd never personally throw it on purposely to listen.
Perfect for: sounding like you're at a classic car show.
Shack
2/5
I'm over brit-pop.
Big Star
3/5
Totally competent pop-rock but it just feels a bit all too polished for my tastes. I know Big Star are kind of a cult band but right now I'm not seeing it.
Doves
3/5
I find the sound of Doves to be like someone is used to listening to very stereotypical indie rock but thinks Doves are doing something very interesting because they haven't been exposed to other bands. Much too pedestrian for my tastes.
Beck
3/5
Feels like classic Beck, which is fine but... the kinda tongue-in-cheek Beck isn't really my cup of tea. It's well done but not my jam. That synth at the start of Girl is dope as hell though.
Gang Starr
2/5
Subpar hip-hop outshined by it's contemporaries.
Anita Baker
2/5
Soft-rock cheese. Meh.
Björk
3/5
Love Björk but this one may be a bit too personal for her that it doesn't do a whole lot for me. It's a breakup album that I can't relate to.
Boards of Canada
5/5
Pretty pivotal album for a certain aesthetic of electronic music that is still influential to this day. Not every track on here is one I'd listen to in isolation, but the atmosphere and vibe of the album is almost perfect for what they are going for.
There's a lot of little subtle and reserved sound choices that really make certain things stand out, in a way it's sort of like good ambient: you can really listen to them deliberately a get something completely different out of it than if you passively had this in the background, which is also a valid listen.
It's background music that is there for you to listen to it more deeply when you have the moment.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
The title track "The Message" is iconic and still sounds great, if the rest of the tracks were this good it could be 4-5 stars. But there's a lot of duds on here. for me, a bit all over. Still, important hip-hop album for sure.
The Cult
2/5
It sure is a band.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Songs like Kicks are pretty good, but then there are songs like SS 396 that are just poor versions of songs by the likes of The Beach Boys. Total mixed bag.
Pearl Jam
3/5
A few standout songs but I find a lot of it just kind of exhausting now.
Jacques Brel
3/5
Expressive and good voice, but doesn't do a lot for me besides make me feel classier than I really am.
Pantera
3/5
Rather be listening to Slayer.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
I know Dead Kennedys have their following and I can see the appeal, but the vocal styles are just not my thing. ALTHOUGH live the energy might be perfect, but the recording just feels a lil more silly.
Eminem
2/5
I mean, yeah... pivotal in terms of influence but man is it a bit cringe.
Venom
3/5
Listened to this while I worked out, which is probably the best way for me to listen to it. The lofi-ness made it kind of wash over me though.
The Beta Band
3/5
I knew their song "Dry the Rain" which I liked so I had some expectations here. Unfortunately I was not very much into it and don't feel much. Meh.
Röyksopp
3/5
I like the song "Remind Me" and first heard it in a Geico commercial waaaaay back in the day and since then heard a few here and there but nothing ever really grabbed me a ton. They are an electronic group that kind of does a lot of different styles which feels a bit scattered for me. I respect it, but not my type of electronica.
Ministry
2/5
Like a lot of industrial music, I find this kind of try-hard to be so dark broooo. Don't hate, don't like.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Oh 2002, what a time. I would have been a sophomore in high school. A Senorita, Cry Me a River, and Rock Your Body were played EVERYWHERE. You couldn't escape Justin Timberlake if you wanted to.
While I don't like it, it was very successful at what it was going for. It's almost kind of cute now in contrast to pop music these days. Can't deny that he can sing either. Strong solo debut. Interesting some of the tracks were intended for Michael Jackson but he turned them down.
But yeah, definitely don't wanna listen to it except maybe at a party for nostalgia and then it's just kinda funny.
The White Stripes
4/5
Hard to give any White Stripes less than a 4 but, this may be the weakest of their albums. Other than that, good stuff as always.
The Bees
3/5
Started off strong with tracks 1 and somewhat of 2 then started to waver. If it was all like track 1 I could have seen this going into my rotation.
It's a coagulation of styles that doesn't make a great soup.
Van Morrison
3/5
As someone without much exposure to Van Morrison this feels like maybe the wrong place to start. It sounds really good though, although not so much my thing. Could see why people say it's one of the better live albums: it has some tight performances for sure.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Mmm yeah definitely not my thing. So overly theatrical, I didn't even bother listening to the whole thing. Sorry.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Spicy boomer mom music.
4/5
Dylan is definitely one of those artists that when they are "on" live, they sound maybe better than the proper recorded takes. Of course, when Dylan is bad live it's quite bad. This album though, he's on. And a bit spiteful to the folks who are not into the electric sound, which I think adds to the story here. I am not sure I'd go back to listen to this, but it's an important folk/Dylan moment.
Giant Sand
2/5
Not a huge fan of the deadpan vocal deliveries, not a whole lot here I really like to be honest.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I don't love Willie Nelson, but there is something kind of comfortable about his music. I'd love to listen to him after a long horse ride sitting by a campfire, drinking some whiskey. Gotta get into the element I think.
Mudhoney
3/5
I dunno, really didn’t get much out of it. Again it’s fine but not my thing.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I like Dinosaur Jr. in general, but I think I’m more of a fan of “You’re Living All Over Me” more, still good though.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Hard to give any Bob Marley less than a 4. Especially with some of the bangers on here. I remember on vacation on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica every single establishment played Bob Marley 24/7. That was definitely the way to experience it.
TV On The Radio
4/5
Never heard this album of theirs. It's a bit more raw and artsy than their other work but overall pretty similar to the sound I'd expect. Kind of a wash over me and nothing sticks out, but it's a 3.5 rounded up to 4.
John Lennon
4/5
Pleasantly surprised, some songs are a lot heavier than I thought they’d be. Feels like a natural progression for Lennon, although some could literally be Beatles tracks. 3.5 to 4
Neu!
4/5
When Neu! is more ambient I find them the most easy-listening of anything Krautrock. Dare I say, it sounds pleasant. Of course the iconic Motorik beat is in full force, and I believe I prefer the slower ambient pieces of side 1 vs side 2. Overall though, Neu! is not my favorite Krautrock band but I can respect it.
The fact that the album does not overstay it's welcome makes me rate it from 3.5 to 4 instead of down.
American Music Club
2/5
Not a huge fan of REM and this is worse.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Like some tracks more than others, singing can get a bit annoying after a while since it's so "one-note", but I do dig the style. 3.5 to 4.
Django Django
3/5
Started off strong but started to fizzle out for me. Vocals are a bit rote and a bit too care-free for my style, though it sounds like a fun time is had by all for sure.
Queen Latifah
3/5
I can see the influential and noteworthiness of it, but generally I'm not super into it. It's fine.
Patti Smith
4/5
Sounds way more forward thinking than an album from the 70s. You can definitely hear John Cale's production styles on this album, and I think it adds to it... although in some parts I wish the abrasive punk-ness was a bit more forward. I had actually never heard this album, but I can see why people would call it the "first art-rock album". Awesome album cover as well.
Tortoise
4/5
Almost reminds me of a more modern Neu! at parts. Pleasant experimental/post-rock. It was a nice soundtrack for a work day.
George Michael
3/5
No Careless Whisper, no likey.
The Mars Volta
3/5
This is the kind of prog-rock that I just don't get into. It seems like a prog version of screamo music. Definitely don't like the vocals. It's not horrible... but not my thing.
Saint Etienne
4/5
Definitely dig the alt-dance trappings of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", sounds like a very European take on the song. I'm also a fan of the downtempo nature of songs like Carnt Sleep. Songs like "Wilson" are completely throwaway for me though, it's a bit silly with the samples. 3.5 to 4.
Soundgarden
3/5
HEY DUDES, DO YOU LIKE HARD MUSIC THAT ALSO MAKES YOU GET HARD
Wikipedia lists this as Grunge but this is 100% Butt Rock for me. I only know "Black Hole Sun" which was everywhere at the time and still has a lasting legacy but... overall this is the music of my middle/high school days. Feels like I'm way past this. But, it's competent at what it's doing and I don't begrudge anyone who likes it. I think it's mostly down the vocals, just too monotone.
The xx
3/5
I remember tangentially liking their debut album, but as I've gotten older I find it just a bit too straightforward and poppy for me. This album just continues more along those lines. Production-wise and vocals performances are good, but don't appeal to me at all. Regardless, it's doing what it is trying to do; not my thing.
Hot Chip
3/5
It’s sorta like indie-dance music. Idk Hoy Chip are fine on paper but I’m not a fan of the vocal styles.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Kind of like Dexys overall, but the album is a bit flat. No standout tracks like other albums, but it's not bad.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Sounds like he is THE singer in Senegal and put Senegalese music on the map. Not my thing but sounds good.
I find this funny, from Wikipedia: "Though the album has been criticized for its use of synthesizers, it has been praised as a showcase for N'Dour's voice"... like why can't there be a synthesizer on the album? I didn't know African music wasn't allowed to use non-traditional instruments. Why gatekeep? Cause of the pad on Pitche Mi? Guess no vibes allowed (granted this is just an All Music reviewer).
The KLF
3/5
Lots of versions of this one, I opted to go on YouTube and find the original 1991 release.
It's definitely classic electronica/dance music. It's definitely a thing and fine for what it is, but I don't wanna hear it unless I'd be transported to a 90s rave.
Portishead
5/5
I didn't realize that:
A. This is only Portishead's 3rd album.
B. They only had 3 proper album releases.
C: Third was released 11 years after their last proper album.
Off-hand I knew of "The Rip" which is an awesome, sad depressing Portishead song through and through, but is a bit of an outlier from the rest of the material on this album. I don't think I heard this album when I knew what Krautrock was, but I can absolutely hear the influence on the sound in terms of rhythm and repetition. It's interesting that this album isn't trip-hop at all, and yet still sounds completely like Portishead.
Portishead holistically just works so well, especially in this context: harsh electronica in contrast with the sultry delicate vocals of Beth Gibbons is dynamite. There really isn't a miss on this album, I haven't heard much of this in almost 10 years so I'm glad to rediscover this one.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
It’s fine rhythmically but that’s about all I get from it.
3/5
Symphonic pop eh. Yeah nah not my thing. But it's competent and I can see why others would like it, there's elements Beatles songs sung by Ringo and a cute whimsy at times, as well as some Beach Boys-style harmonies.
The Thrills
3/5
Weird indie-beach-boys-roleplay of sorts. It sounds competent but it gets to be a bit much over time. I can see how the main voice could get annoying after a while but it doesn't bother me too much... except that the general vibe is a bit much for me, so yeah.
Paul Simon
3/5
Listened to the acoustic tracks at the end on a note by another reviewer and yeah... these are better than the fully produced versions, for sure. I'd much rather just have it be Paul and a guitar. Overall it's a bit meh, too much. Keep it simple.
David Ackles
3/5
A quite sincere album, maybe a bit too much for me. But, he's not bad and I can respect it.
Adele
3/5
Adele is a good pop singer that makes good pop. That said, I am not a fan of pop music. But, respect where respect is due. Sorry Adele, you seem nice.
Kings of Leon
3/5
This basically what I know Kings of Leon for: anthemic indie-rock. They nailed that formula on this album. That being said, I think this formula is ultimately pretty hollow in the long term, but during the time it was quite popular. Sort of like indie U2. It’s fine, but I would never put it on deliberately.
Slade
2/5
Cock Rock with a Limp Bizkit.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
Was this that influential to include on this list? I can't say for certain, but to me it's just teenage hearththrob music that doesn't make sense for inclusion.
Coldcut
2/5
Maybe it's cause I'm nearing the end of 1001 but this kind of annoyed me with its samples. It's all "fine" but I'd rather listen to something like Fatboy Slim over this. 2.5 down to 2.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
I generally like the vibes, but it feels a bit over-produced to me in some ways. I think the raw beauty of her vocals are overshadowed by some of the instrumental choices. Like they were trying to make her some sort of star.
Huge respect to the producer Suba for saving the albums from a fire and then unfortunately dying from smoke inhalation. That's above and beyond respect for the craft.
Also look at the Pitchfork review archive on Wikipedia. Pretty chauvinistic, wowee. Different Pitchfork times.
Orange Juice
3/5
I liked the first song, that squelchy synth works well with the rest of the song. It’s quite a whimsical number. The rest falls flat in comparison, but it’s all still good.
Faust
4/5
I overlooked a lot of this album when I first heard it, but I enjoy the range of it all. It's almost a tour of all the different types of Krautrock styles. Not one I'd throw on all the time, but it's definitely something that you'd throw on as an album vs. individual tracks.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Pretty insane debut. Already a very strong sound, I assumed this was their 4th or so album in but as a debut it’s pretty impressive. Another one that doesn’t have a standout track, but rather is a true album listen. Wouldn’t wanna hear it all the time, but respect.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
It’s Nick Cave again, and there are other albums I enjoyed more. Ive had my fill at this point, I get the shtick. It’s not my shtick.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Good singer of course, but got a bit old after a while around the "shabba-dobie-dobie-doo" time.
Music to wrap Christmas presents to.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Nothing differentiates this from many other 80s post-punk/new wave banks for me. That meaning it's totally passable and competent but nothing I'd single out to listen to. I guess the biggest notable item here is that Pretty in Pink served as inspiration for the film's name. Word.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Good and groovin'.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Kinda reminds me a bit of Lambchop. Like Lambchop I find it... okay. It's comfy but beyond that, eh..
Ice T
3/5
Ice T is fine... I suppose. I don't know anyone who really LOVES Ice T. He is obviously very influencial on gangsta rap but, I can't relate.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This is a cacophony in the greatest way. Somehow (maybe in help to) how distorted and janky the entire album is it works to be a greater sum than its parts. I’d love to know what the recording members thought while this happened. Definitely encapsulates the subject matter. It’s a mandatory jam going into overtime, especially with Sister Ray. What a template. I hadn’t heard this album in full and it was good to dive into it.
I could see a lot of folks absolutely hating it, but the avante-garde nature somehow transcends itself into something more cohesive… somehow?
I do like the recorded album versions over the extras though. Although if the actual takes sound like the extras, well done to the producers!
Fela Kuti
4/5
Deliciously groovy. Fela Kuti has a well earned reputation.
Throbbing Gristle
4/5
A name I knew of but didn't really pay attention to. Controversial artwork aside, some of these tracks could be tracks done by bands like Kraftwerk and other Krautrock groups. Surprisingly some of the more aleatoric tracks still are a cohesive listening experience. I'm curious to listen to more, but I always associate industrial music to be a bit more heavy sounding and some of this was downright pleasant, although I'm a weirdo.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I think we basically listened to a live album version of this, but overall this is a pretty strong Dylan album. Granted, I am very reluctant to listen to Dylan deliberately so it's not in my rotation, but I can rate it as credit is due.
M.I.A.
4/5
M.I.A. has a compelling worldwide sound to me. Definitely a product of taking many parts of different musical genres into one soup. Quite a debut.
Shame she’s focused on antivax and 5G conspiracies now.
4/5
Oh yeah this is funky as all hell. I’m a fan.
Aphex Twin
4/5
I was thinking if this was made today it would be a 3, but at the time it was much more innovative. Interestingly I wouldn’t normally classify this strictly as ambient, although funny enough most of the tracks washed over me so I’m a sense it has that trappings. 3.5 up to 4.
Funny Wikipedia quote: The recording's sound quality has been described as poor due to it being recorded onto a cassette damaged by a cat.
Meat Puppets
3/5
Cowpunk eh. Well I'll be. Darn tootin'.
I knew of the one song Nirvana did on the MTV Special, but the rest I was unfamiliar with. A name I know lots of musicians drop as a band that influences them, but I suppose I hear the skeleton they are referencing but it doesn't quite come together for me in a interesting way. It's close though. 3.5 to 3.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
What a weird and interesting album. I can say a lot of it sounds demo-ish... which apparently it was. It's got some ideas but definitely not ready for prime-time in it's genre. It's more interesting as a musician to hear the raw ideas and think "ok I see what he was going for here...". Overall though, best listened for historical purposes and musically I didn't find it very enjoyable to be quite honest.
The Beta Band
3/5
Interesting this was mixed by Nigel Godrich. I'm not a huge fan of the superhero shtick they've been doing and the band feels quite average in terms of it's sound to me. Just another 2010s ground that is just kinda... there.
The Streets
3/5
Rap Opera... Hmm. Well there are interesting things going on in term of cadence and... British-ness. It feels like music definitely not relatable for me. I feel like I need to be a 15-25 year old British lad. It's fine but not the style of hip-hop I'd care to listen to.