1001 Albums Summary

I mean, c'mon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

I can appreciate Nina Simone, but it doesn't really do a ton for me.

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...

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".

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.

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 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

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Test for edit later.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's a folk thing. It's fine. I have no feelings on it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's alright, not a general fan but I can't say anything here is bad.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Not bad. Kind of slightly different pop-rock. Not a ton of feelings but it's nice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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*.

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.

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.

Never got into Sinatra, but it's fine. I see why people like it, but not for me.

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.

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.

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.

Heard a few of the tracks before "Love Vigilantes" and "Elegia". Beyond those two, doesn't do a ton for me. Not bad though.

Another style of music I just don't care for. It's not bad, but not for me. Does nothing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Again, I wanna like Kate Bush more than I do. A few nice tracks on here but... I wish I liked it more.

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:.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Meh

It's Reggae. It's fine.

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.

Did not dislike as much as I thought I would, mostly due to instrumentation. But, it's ok.

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.

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.

Honestly couldn't get through it all. Not something I HATE but absolutely not my jam.

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.

It's ok. She's not a bad singer but it is what it is.

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.

Not bad actually. Definitely not something I'd throw on, but right venue, right place... it could be grand. Apparently this is Outlaw Country.

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.

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.

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.

"I want to listen to Prince". "We have Prince at home." Prince at home:

It's ok. Nothing bad here but it's just sorta there for me. I'm indifferent.

I like the other album more. This is fine 80s but beyond that, eh.

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.

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.

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. :/

Really impressed with the variety here. A ton of great tracks. 4.5

Culturally I have no touchpoint here, it's nice though.

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.

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.

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.

It's nice, but nothing shattering for me. I can see why people would love it though.

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.

Playing this made my apartment instantly more classy. I like it. Gotta love that Bossa Nova beat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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*.

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.

Kind of done with Morrissey at this point. But it's okay.

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.

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".

There are some interesting sounds here, but thematically it falls flat for me. A little too cheese for my tastes.

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.

We all know "Le Freak". Overall not bad but nothing I'm freaking out over, ho ho ho ho ho.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am not the audience for this, if I were a teen girl I’m sure I’d be all about it.

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.

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.

Pretty chill but was just sort of "there" for me, I do like the slow-dark delivery though.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Very west-cost summer. Reminds me a bit of Sublime at times, but with more variance. Overall it’s fine.

I enjoyed the instrumentation more than the vocals/lyrics. Interesting tempo changes, so it wasn't boring at least. But not my thing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty ambivalent.

I can appreciate Joni Mitchell but it's not my style. Sounds pretty though.

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.

I can appreciate Janis Joplin but it's not my style. Sounds pretty though.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Somewhat comforting in an odd way, feels a bit Dylanesque in vocal delivery.

Pretty standard 90s sounding R&B/Hiphop. Not my thing but I respect it.

This Blur album didn’t do as much for me as the other. Damn. Still ok though.

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.

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.

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.

I knew Groove is in the Heart but that’s it. The rest is early 90s dance in a nutshell. It’s ok.

Kind of boring for me, very much of the times. Not bad, but not for me.

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.

California dreaming is good. The rest are just not my thing, but it’s not bad per say.

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.

Disappointed Eno had left Roxy Music by this point. The result is fine, but nothing that sounds very interesting to me.

Kinda garbage.

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.

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.

Really like this style. I've heard a few tribe songs and this is my fav style of 90s hip-hop.

80s synth pop to the max. Instrumentally it's ok but I can never get into 80s synth-pop vocal deliveries.

Some interesting ideas here, but execution wasn't 100% my style.

I thought the themes were pretty dumb, honestly. Sounded fine but ehhhh.

Not bad, but not my kind of soul. All very competent though.

I like it, but don’t love it. 3.5

I love me some big band.

Not bad not but great. Live would be fun, but for listening at home it doesn’t do a whole lot for me.

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.

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.

Liked this one a bit more than the last Fairport Convention album I've heard, a bit more chill.

Pretty nice, but nothing that blew me away. Live I'd love it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Unfortunately completely ambivalent, nothing wrong but nothing I'd want to listen to on my own?

John Lee Hooker's shtick at this point feels a bit old, not bad but not sure any new material does much for me.

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.

I much prefer John Cale in The Velvet Underground, nothing blew me away here.

Very 80s sounding to me, which unfortunately I never quite love. Not bad but not my thing.

Never can get into how dumb most Beastie Boy songs are. It sounds fine, but thematically ehhhhhhhhh. I hate fun though.

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.

Not my thing, it's ok

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Not bad, definitely better than Steve Winwood's solo material.

Nice voice, read into her history on Wikipedia and sounds like a tough road. Not my genre but live would be lovely.

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.

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.

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.

It's nice, but there are more interesting Jazz offerings for me out there.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

I like Nick Drakes voice more than the rest, it’s just kind of simple comfortable music. Nice but that’s about it

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

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.

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.

Kinda nice, interesting wiki entry for sure. But, not my thang.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I want to like Devo more than I do, I appreciate the schtick but the execution doesn't do much for me.

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.

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.

Not as great as Doolittle but still good. I don't think I'd really go back to this album much though.

Started off strong but got repetitive for me. Liked the beats and sounds in general, though.

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.

This is the kind of stuff I associate with bad Prog-Rock. Really don't care for any of it, not my thing.

Thought I'd like it more than I did. I do appreciate this old country-western style though, but nothing stuck for me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Interesting sound, but didn't grab me as much as I wanted. But not super cheesy 80s, so it has that going for it.

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.

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.

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.

I see what she's going for here, but also am not a huge fan of the vocal delivery.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Feels dated to the 90s for sure. I don't mind it but I don't love it.

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.

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.

Knew a few of these, but some interesting other songs that I never heard before. Definitely a fan of early/proto punk in general.

Can't really get into this much, has that cheesy wankery that I almost roll my eyes at. Iconic though.

Buttrock as fuck. I just can't get into it at all, not my thing. Vocally the style is almost a meme now.

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.

Sad olde country music. I much prefer this to any contemporary country but still not my thing.

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.

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.

It's ok. Actually liked the demos better than the produced tracks. Pretty standard 90s alt-rock.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Respectable but very 80s sounding hip-hop. Not my thing. Definitely Prince meets Michael Jackson.

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?

Bombastic vocal performances, everything here is super slick. Not something I'd always listen to but it's very nice.

Good reggae but I'd rather just listen to Bob Marley/Wailers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hit or miss Dylan for me, a few good tracks but the rest I could leave.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty chill down-tempo. I like a few of the songs but beyond that for a lot I'd rather them be instrumental.

80s as hell. Reminds me a bit of Michael Bolton mixed with Prince. He's clearly a talented singer but definitely not my style.

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.

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.