Journey Complete!
Finisher #30 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.52
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Fun House
The Stooges
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2020s
Favorite Decade
Samba
Favorite Genre
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Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
159
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
|
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
|
5 | 2.56 | +2.44 |
|
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Shalimar
Rahul Dev Burman
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
|
5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
|
Movies
Holger Czukay
|
5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
|
m b v
My Bloody Valentine
|
5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
|
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
|
1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
|
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
|
1 | 3.09 | -2.09 |
|
Ten
Pearl Jam
|
2 | 3.92 | -1.92 |
|
Disintegration
The Cure
|
2 | 3.85 | -1.85 |
|
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
|
2 | 3.83 | -1.83 |
|
Hot Fuss
The Killers
|
2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
|
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
|
2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
|
The Joshua Tree
U2
|
2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
|
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
|
2 | 3.66 | -1.66 |
|
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
|
2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.83 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 5 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.57 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.22 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.29 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.4 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 4.4 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| T. Rex | 2 | 5 |
| Stan Getz | 2 | 5 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 5 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Air | 2 | 5 |
| Fela Kuti | 2 | 5 |
| John Lennon | 2 | 5 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.2 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.25 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.25 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.25 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beck | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| U2 | 4 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Blur | 3, 5, 2 |
| Arcade Fire | 2, 5, 3 |
5-Star Albums (159)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Obviously this album is hella long - no album should be 3 hours long - but I can't help but admire it despite that - even because of it. The humor, humanness of the songs is addictive. It wasn't completely exhausting, because it felt more like hanging out with friends. The spare musicality, and the variety of instruments used, different vocalists, all help the cause.
22 likes
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Oh man I forgot how much I loved The Rockafeller Skank when it came out. Really feelin it still. OH SHIT I never heard that last 2 minutes, that wasn't on the radio! I am remembering that my mom did not let me get this cd because of the parental advisory, which I understand now after hearing "In Heaven." Some of these songs are kind of stupid, but they are all fun. I really liked "Praise You" back in the day as well.
19 likes
Johnny Cash
4/5
There's no question that this album is powerful, and the fact that he played at a prison, and the interaction with the audience of prisoners is beyond remarkable. HOWEVER, Johnny Cash released 97 albums in his career, 3 of which are on this list. Did 2 of the 3 need to be live albums from prisons?
17 likes
The Killers
2/5
I find the Killers fatiguing. They fatigued me when I first listened to them when this came out in high school, and they still fatigue me 18 years later. They just zap my energy.
I will say, Mr. Brightside is the one bright spot on the album. They really nailed a particular emotion, and it resonates. I was at a karaoke bar in Minneapolis this weekend, and someone sang that song - the whole bar sang along, which was really a blessing since the guy was tone deaf. But the song still resonated, and we could all feel the energy.
I watched a Song Exploder episode on one of their songs recently - I like that show, but this episode was boring, it lacked content, and I blame The Killers. The song was not from this album, but it doesn't matter that much because all their stuff sounds kind of the same. It added to my dislike of them, hearing how they could barely articulate where the lyrics came from, or what the song was about. The most compelling moment was when they said the guitar riff sounds like "the desert" - they are from Las Vegas. But the song sounded more like Las Vegas itself - a grotesque manifestation of capitalism, an illusion of prosperity and vitality, a thin veil concealing a vast emptiness. That's how this album makes me feel, and not in a good way.
17 likes
Megadeth
3/5
This sounds very stupid to me but it's also fun, and not a bad thing to listen to if you just feel like turning your brain off. No, I will not be listening to all the live tracks.
17 likes
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
Radiohead
5/5
I remember where I was on October 2nd, 2000 at midnight: buying this album in a record store on Massachusetts St. in Lawrence. Then back to my room mate Andrew's room to listen to the album 2 times in a row in total silence. My favorite track off this and perhaps my favorite Radiohead track of all time is The National Anthem. When that kicks in it's fucking go time.
Motörhead
4/5
I don't think I had actually listened to a Motorhead album before, they're so fun and so intense. I think I understand why people like to talk about Lemmy now.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Had not listened to the whole album before. Obviously the title track is a great song, but perhaps the album relies too much on that vibe, most clearly evidenced by the song "Keep Gettin' It On".
Gang Of Four
4/5
I like these guys. Had not listened to them in a long time, so excited to see them on the list. Really appreciate the tight hooky guitar riffs and basslines.
The Smiths
4/5
The songs are so friendly and approachable, then the lyrics bite at you. Really classic sounding, doesn't necessarily sound like an "80's album" which I tend to appreciate.
Donovan
3/5
Really enjoyed part of this, other parts seemed like faux-mysticism, maybe trying too hard or something. Surprised to recognize some songs, most notably "Season of the Witch." Definitely some songs on here I will keep coming back to, the album as a whole dragged on a bit for me.
Tito Puente
3/5
Fun album... not particularly grabbing for me though.
T. Rex
5/5
Ty Segall led me to T. Rex a while back and they quickly became one of my faves. I think this album is a gem.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
These are fun songs, but I generally find live albums kind of lame and this is no exception. By the end I was thoroughly bored of it. Feels more like a "fan favorite" for hardcore Thin Lizzy fans than a true classic to me.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Never heard this before! First struck me as a precursor to Thievery Corporation. I was a little put off by the ridiculous canned drums and twerpy basslines, but I think the music got better as the album went on, and it also just grew on me.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Hard not to love Harry Nilsson, he is so playful and earnest. Quite a few good songs here and I think they hold together pretty well as an album too.
Sugar
3/5
Reminds me of some similar sounding bands that I have never been able to get into, like Pearl Jam, and the Holdsteady. Wondering if their significance has something to do with the rise of grunge in the early 90's. I liked a couple of the songs toward the end of the album which pushed it to 3 stars for me instead of 2.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Could not get past the vocal delivery, so whiney and melodramatic. Also found the instrumentation rather irritating. Had to struggle through this one a bit.
Prince
4/5
Admittedly I am not a huge Prince fan but I certainly appreciate him, and I feel like this album exemplifies what is so endearing about him.
The Offspring
3/5
Surprised a little bit by these songs - many of them seem more "serious" straight-ahead punk, as opposed to most of their radio songs which seem more like joke songs. I definitely enjoyed it. Not sure it belongs with the greats though. The hidden track reminded me of the old days, listening to 6 minutes of silence to hear some weird little ditty.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
I appreciate some Tracy Chapman songs but overall bored by the album.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Kind of liking this! I did not know they were the ones who did "The Killing Moon" but I really like that song. I like the unstable, on-the-edge feel they have going on in some of the songs. Solid!
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
This album is a doozie! Overall I appreciate the minimal/maximal approach they take, ebbing in and out of quiet understatement and overblown soundscapes. At a few moments some of the sexual aggression felt disturbing. Some excellent songs here though including some classics (Hurt, Closer), and a very good album.
Lou Reed
3/5
Not terribly excited by this album. I imagine there will be other Lou Reed albums on the list that I will enjoy more. The tracks that most caught my attention were "The Kids" and "Sad Song."
Elbow
4/5
Was not aware of this band so wasn't sure what to expect, but very pleasantly surprised.
Green Day
5/5
I definitely bought this album on the day it came out - I was 16. I was riding in the back seat of my friend's car listening to "Holiday" - we had it cranked and he was driving too fast trying to take a turn off 18th Ave - into the ditch we went! A fond memory. I get why some people don't like Green Day but they were such a big part of my formative years and I come back to their music often enough. I think this is their best album. "Jesus of Suburbia" is epic, I love that song. Rounding up to a 5.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Anything I heard between ages 16-24 probably has an advantage over the others due to subconscious bias - this album included. With that caveat, I think this album is a stunner. It also is immortalized by her untimely death, and makes the songs that much more potent. And what a voice! Really love the instrumentation on the album too.
Leftfield
2/5
This was ok, didn't much for me. A bit turned off by the house music aspects of it.
Depeche Mode
2/5
I want to like this band, but I find myself irritated by what feels like thick layers of irony. I enjoyed some songs but mostly felt annoyed throughout.
Motörhead
3/5
Liking this more than the Thin Lizzy live album anyway. I have to say I do enjoy listening to this band, their sound is exciting and so consistently rock n roll. With two albums on the list though I kind of wish it was not a live album that included many of the songs on the other album. I enjoyed the Motorhead song, I think it's gutsy when bands write their own theme song, but I think this one works.
Paul Simon
3/5
I had heard things about this album but had not listened to it. I actually thought it was older, like 60's. Can definitely hear the 80's in it though. It was a good listen, I liked a number of the songs. At times it felt disgustingly pleasant, a bit too much. I liked "Graceland" the most probably.
Sabu
4/5
Really feeling this album. I like how you can hear all the distinct parts so clearly. The percussion feels like it's right there. Loved the guitar on "Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso."
Blur
3/5
I like this album, and I went through a "Blur phase" in probably late high school/ early college. I don't love all the songs on this album but some of them I really do, like "Beetlebum" "Song 2" "Killer for Your Love" and perhaps "Look Inside America" & "Strange News from Another Star." "Essex Dogs" too, I forgot about that song. This, as with all Blur albums, struggles as a whole for me. I prefer Damon Albarn's other projects more - Gorillaz, The Good The Bad and the Queen, and his solo stuff.
The Specials
2/5
I have tried to get into ska in the past to no avail, and this album is not changing my mind. I find it kind of exhausting. I did find myself a little bit charmed by a couple of the songs, but those moments were rare.
Nina Simone
4/5
Nina Simone has such an expressive voice and tells stories to powerfully. I was expecting a lot from this album, and was expecting more than I got somehow. But after listening to the album a couple times I realized that part of what makes these songs special is their depth - I could probably listen 100 times and still have something to learn from them.
The Beach Boys
4/5
I appreciate this album and the Beach Boys - they were a big part of my childhood listening. Where this one falls down some for me is in the dweeby, simplistic, overly emotional lyrics in many of the songs. But I can't deny the iconic sounds and the cultural weight that Pet Sounds carries.
Fairport Convention
2/5
This is a kind of hippies-taking-themselves-to-seriously brand of music that doesn't appeal to me. I was reading about them and their nickname was "The British Jefferson Airplane" - that kind of sums it up for me.
Suede
4/5
Not at all familiar with this band, but liking them a couple songs in. Yeah, definitely liking this. "Black or Blue" and "Still Life" stuck out on first listen. They have the emotional thing going on that some 80's bands have, but it seems darker and more unhinged. Finding the sound intriguing, and unique.
Rush
3/5
I knew the song Tom Sawyer but didn't know it was Rush. I appreciate the instrumentation but don't especially enjoy it. Not keen on the vocals, but found myself enjoying some of the jammy parts.
Talking Heads
4/5
Solid album. Definitely hear why we often discuss TH as a reference point for our music. The end of "Mind" made me think of Open Door Policy. The repetition and winky-ness of the songs is very RCE. Not sure I had listened to this album before. Most familiar with "Heaven." Liked it even more upon second listen. They're like demented party jams.
Sonic Youth
4/5
This album sounds fresh, as if it could have been released yesterday. The themes and anxiety feel contemporary still, even apt for the current moment.
Jamiroquai
3/5
Very funky. I was interested in hearing more from this band - my first exposure to them was when my sister downloaded one of their songs when I was in middle school. I found their sound exciting. I asked her about it yesterday and she said she probably heard it in the movie Center Stage, which I never saw but is apparently about dancers. On this listen, for some reason I couldn't shake the perception that the singer was emulating Stevie Wonder, and that bothered me. A reference point that occurred to me, but didn't bother me, was KC and the Sunshine Band - another band I heard for the first time in middle school. Waffling between 3 and 4 on this one.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I appreciate this album in a conceptual way, but if I'm honest with myself I don't get that much out of the experience w of listening to it. I think it's a pleasant listen, and kind of funny, but the idea of it holds more weight for me than the execution.
ABBA
3/5
After listening to this album my feelings about ABBA remain neutral.
Maxwell
2/5
I really enjoyed the first track and was hopeful, but recognized that it could go either way depending on what happened next. It had a potent mix of funky-as-hell, kind-of-cheesy, and that Kool and the Gang summertime vibe. I was disappointed that the subsequent tracks descended into the 90's idea of baby-making music. Kind of went gradually downhill throughout the album for me.
The White Stripes
5/5
This album is very special to me - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground was one of the first songs I learned on guitar. Little Room is one of my favorite songs ever, not just of the White Stripes. Tons of gems here Hotel Yorba, Fell in Love With a Girl, We're Going to Be Friends. There are a few songs I don't love here but I think it's a fantastic album that still sounds great 20 years in.
Public Enemy
4/5
Solid album, still relevant, still sounds fresh.
Brian Eno
3/5
Not familiar with Brian Eno's catalogue, as I presume you both are, and it started out funkier than I expected, more accessible that I thought it would be. Like the drums in "No One Recieving." "Backwater" sounds like the goofier side of the Beatles, like something Paul would write and make Ringo sing. "Kings Lead Hat" was a dead ringer for the Talking Heads, and I was not surprised to find out that it was intentional. "Julie With" and "Through Hollow Lands" and "Spider and I" as more along the lines of what I expected the album to be like. It was not a cohesive album, jumped around. After hearing this I wonder if that willingness to go all over the map musically is what made him a good producer. I liked the album, did not love it.
Bee Gees
3/5
I have enjoyed the Bee Gees from time to time but largely I think of them as a band who has kind of a schtick for overly emotional songs and occasional disco party jams (Stayin Alive). This album felt slightly more sophisticated than my caricature at times, but at other times lived up to it. Some serious Beatles vibes at times. I get that it was in the air back then, but wow, dead ringer at certain moments. I kept finding myself thinking 'this is a kick ass song' and then the lyrics would all but ruin it for me.
Morrissey
4/5
I have listened to the Smith's some but don't know a ton about Morrissey (other than what I have heard from Jon) so I am coming to this more or less with fresh ears. I liked "Everyday is Like Sunday", so smooth and 80's in a good way. Like the spooky guitar work on "Late Night, Maudlin Street". I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would.
Neil Young
3/5
Neil Young is one of the greats that I wished I enjoyed more. A couple excellent songs, but most of them just floated by in the background for me.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Very strong start with "Don't Stop." Some work themes on this album, very RCE. Ended strong too, I liked that disco song. Overall a fun album, little to complain about.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Very excited by the intro. Yeah, really liking this. I can hear how influenced Ty Segall is by Black Sabbath in these songs. Each of these songs are just instantly likable. I don't love the vocals but they aren't unbearable and there are so many redeeming qualities to the music. I was of course aware of Black Sabbath but had never listened to a whole album. I think I'm a new fan. Wow, Wicked World almost sounds like a jazz tune at times. Yeah this album kicks ass. Love the way the songs mesh together. Liked it even better on the second listen, and was better able to appreciate the expressiveness and vulnerability in Ozzy's vocal delivery.
Talking Heads
4/5
The Talking Heads do a thing and they do it well. I enjoyed many of these songs though none of them really knocked my socks off. Between a 3 and 4, will round up.
Steve Winwood
2/5
I didn't know much if anything about Steve Winwood and I decided to read about him before listening to the album. Kind of got my hopes up - child prodigy, playing in bands at 8, record deal at 14, played with Clapton, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, B.B. King... but all that lead up led to a big disappointment. The music is so soft rock, pale R&B, made for daytime radio. I kind of wanted to punch him during "Second-Hand Woman." His voice reminds me of - sorry for this Jon - Phil Collins, in a bad way. I did not like this album.
Wilco
3/5
I came to Wilco later on in their career, and although I enjoy certain songs in their earlier catalogue, I struggle with the lethargic mood of much of it. It brings me down, I find it depressing and exhausting. "Sunken Treasure" is a good example of that. I like "Outtasite". Some really soft and beautiful songs too, like "The Lonely 1." They can get really heavy too (in a good way) like on "Misunderstood" which I think is a solid opening track. Overall a good album but not one I will likely come back to.
Paul Simon
4/5
I was a little nervous when he started up with straight up Bob Marley, but it turned around immediately and I ended up liking the album. "Paranoia Blues" stuck out. Also "Everything Put Together Falls Apart" and "Run That Body Down" on second listen. Yeah I like this.
Pink Floyd
4/5
What a lovely, epic album. I listened to "Dark Side of the Moon" album a lot in high school but I don't know that I had listened to The Wall all the way through - more than happy to have a reason to. Can hear why it is so legendary. Goofy how it gets all play/musical at the end.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
I know CeeLo mainly from Gnarls Barkley, not familiar with much from him earlier than that. I was expecting to like this more than I did. I liked a few of the songs but most of them I just found uninteresting. It was fun to see all the guest artists he had on the album though.
Simply Red
3/5
Had a hard time making sense of this one, especially after the first track was super 80's synthy and then the second track was jazz/big band. Overall I didn't like the album that much but it did make me curious about them. Loved their Talking Heads "Heaven" cover, it made me appreciate the lyrics in a way that I hadn't in the TH version.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Liking the straight-ahead indie punk thing they do. "The Sprawl" made me think of Parquet Courts, esp that talk-singy thing at the beginning. Started to get long and repetitive about halfway through. Getting worn down by the consistently dire vibe. Really starting to hate it toward the end - if it ended 5 songs ago I might have rated higher.
Roni Size
2/5
Liking this a song in - sample based? Sounds like it could be contemporary. Defies genre a bit, which I appreciate. 2hrs 20 minutes? Good Lord. Meant for hookah bars and Amsterdam coffee shops with that kind of length. Halfway through getting a better sense of the "genre." This is what 2am feels like when you're trying to rally but you know you're too damn tired. The first two tracks were great, the other 21 left me wanting.
David Crosby
4/5
I thought this was a very good album. Fun picking out Neil Young's voice singing harmony. I liked the simplicity of the acoustic guitar and almost tinny recording quality in some places. Was reading about him, did not realize he was in The Byrds, and interesting to hear about him hanging with Buffalo Springfield, sitting in for Neil Young at least once. Seems like there was a lot of intermingling between bands that resulted in a lot of music.
Elton John
3/5
I have never been a big Elton John fan but it's impossible to deny the cultural force of songs like "Tiny Dancer," and I enjoyed hearing it in the album context. Some good oddballs here, like "Razor Face" - never heard it but it is a fun jam. "Rotten Peaches" sounds like a parody, like they took some words and put them in an "Elton John" style. I don't know... doesn't excite me but on par for Elton John.
The Byrds
3/5
These songs are ok but I'm not that into it, sounds like children's music to me.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Sonic Youth can be so consistently gloom-and-doom, it's hard for me to stomach for long periods of time, and this album did not provide much relief track to track. I was not compelled to listen to any of the bonus tracks, I was ready to move on.
Living Colour
2/5
Not bad but not that into it. I thought "Funny Vibes" was a disaster of a song until I looked them up and found out they are a group of all black men, then the lyrics made more sense. Got Huey Lewis and the News vibes at certain points, but Living Colour is more hardcore. The moments when they fused hip hop in were somewhat intreguing. Overall didn't do much for me, was tired of it by the end of the album.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Oh baby the album starts with that lick they used for Gettin Jiggy Wit It, now I know where it comes from! Of course "We Are Family" is a classic but I did not know who the artist was. This is really eye opening for me. Some of the songs and themes are just way too feel good earnest to even be enjoyable. Glad I heard this but probably won't seek it out in the future.
Pulp
2/5
I looked into this band after we listened to Blur - they were in the Britpop "big four." I listened to Freaks (1987) at that time, and really liked some of it. This album not sticking out as much, I am underwhelmed. Hearing similarities to Blur in some of the instrumentation occasionally. Not really into the album.
Elliott Smith
4/5
I like Elliott Smith's voice, so unique and mysterious. I like the slow songs as well as the harder jams, I appreciate that he can navigate both. I thought this was a solid album with good songwriting and stayed interesting throughout.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I think it's a decent album, and I said this about the last Wilco album too, but despite being a Wilco fan this album doesn't get me particularly excited. I like some Billy Bragg too (thanks to Jon) but this album is just ok to my ear. Rounding up to 3 stars.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
I can hear in this album why some people appreciate this band so much. I don't have much history with them, other than being familiar with the hits. I like the driving beat that permeates many of the songs, it makes me feel like I'm on a journey, looking out the window of the Amtrak at the mountains or something. I also like that they become unhinged (for them) at certain moments, and showcase some messiness alongside the otherwise unobjectionable prettiness. The mix of vocalists works for me too because there is not one that I object to. All in all, a good album that I would listen to again.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
There were moments of this that I found compelling - the end of I've Lost the Reason, for example, when the distorted vocals kick in. Overall I found it dull. I liked the last couple songs. My mind could be changed about this album, but not a great first listen for me.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Found this repetitive and boring for the most part. I liked a couple songs, namely "Step It Up" and "Chicken Shake" but I was more than ready for the album to end.
Don McLean
3/5
Woe is the album that opens with a song as epic and legendary as American Pie. What do you follow it with? It's like they weren't even trying - mostly slow ballads that felt pale after the AP roller coaster. "Winterwood" caught my attention somewhat, and "Everybody Loves Me, Baby was fun but sounded like an attempt at AP part 2.
Gene Clark
2/5
I know nothing about Gene Clark, going in cold. Loving the first song, such a warm groove. Halfway through, nothing has lived up to that first tune but generally liking it. Getting really sick of the harmonica, I feel this album could do without it or less of it. The bass is really plunky sounding, kind of getting on my nerves too - like I want to hear a stand up bass instead. Omg the Stand by Me cover is rough, we are going downhill. Overall not very impressed. Probably a 2.5, rounding down.
The Human League
4/5
This band is funny in a Kraftwerk and Devo sort of way. Hard not to like it, it's weird and friendly. Oh, I actually know "Don't You Want Me", that was a surprise. I like that song. This was a good listen.
Brian Eno
3/5
This is more along the lines of what I previously thought Brian Eno did - weird sprawling mostly instrumental stuff. Some of the songs I enjoyed ("In Dark Trees" especially - something about that echoey horn sound that gives me the shivers I'm a good way) but overall I thought it was just so so.
Kate Bush
3/5
I appreciate the unique sound and experimental pop, though I don't particularly enjoy most of it. If I heard this without context and had to guess when this music was from I would have probably guessed much later than 1985, a testament to its progressive sounds and the influence it has had on other musicians.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
The album did get long and sprawly and it wasn't all pure gold but I can't deny the sheer skill and vision that Jimi had, and the whole band plays very well together. Cool to hear some classics in album context, like "Crosstown Traffic" and "All Along the Watchtower."
TV On The Radio
4/5
I really enjoyed this and would listen to it again. TV on the Radio is a band I had occasionally heard a song or two from, and liked, but had never really sought out. I may be on the verge of fandom after this.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I think what I learned listening to this is that I thought I liked Led Zeppelin more than I do. Apparently I more like to hear some of their epic jams every once in a while. Listening to all this as a double album I really got bored before I was even halfway through. Some exciting moments here and there.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Solid Americana, exactly what I expect from The Boss.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Idk these all sound like 90s pump up jams. "Chico's Groove" was really the only one that caught my ear.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Album starts with a bang with "Lust for Life." Can it live up? Ooo, The Passenger, such a great song too. "Success" is great too. There's a playfulness and positivity to this music that I really appreciate. Good album!
The B-52's
4/5
I like how goofy this band is, and I like their surf rock sound. My dad used to play them for us kids sometimes. LOVE "Rock Lobster." I don't think they needed to include the cover of "Downtown", that track weakened a pretty good album.
Soft Cell
3/5
Mixed feelings about this one. I really like 'Tainted Love' and maybe a couple other songs. I also like the musical aesthetic, how it treads this ground between dweeby and sophisticated. Struggled with some of the sadistic themes and lyrics. I was excited by the song 'Memorabilia' but then it went on about a minute and a half too long.
Soul II Soul
2/5
Snoozefest. Thin musically. Glad when over.
Blur
5/5
This is a contender for my favorite Blur album. The song "Parklife" was a favorite of my brother and me when I was in high school. The overtly British stuff is charming, like "Bank Holiday" and "London Loves." Several great songs on here and I think it covers a fair amount of ground while staying cohesive as an album throughout.
Deerhunter
4/5
What a beautiful album. It's like a sea of friendly existential dread. Knew of this band but had not listened to them much if at all. Looking forward to exploring them more, and if this album is any indication I will be a new fan.
Frank Zappa
4/5
Funny how Frank's weird personality comes through even in instrumentals. Not surprised to read that Captain Beefheart was involved with this one. Could hear the Beefheart influence on Tom Waits especially in "Willie the Pimp." I enjoyed this album, but I do wonder given FZ's vast discography whether this deserved to be on the list. Still, 3.5 rounded to 4 for me.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Wow, kind of stunned by this. How have I never heard of this guy? Hearing Lemon Twigs in this, and Jack White. If this came out now it would still sound edgy. Getting really yacht rock with the Medley. Second half of the album sounds more dated but I still like it overall.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
I have listened to a fair bit of Rufus Wainwright and this was consistent with what I think when I think of him. His voice is beautiful, the songs are thoughtfully constructed and embellished with strings. In the end though, the music is just so brooding that it brings the whole experience down for me.
The Cardigans
5/5
I always liked Lovefool since I heard it on KROC in the 90's, but man this whole album was a knockout! Not a song I didn't enjoy. Love their warm, unpredictable chord changes. I really like Nina's voice and the band is stellar. Thought I was hearing Black Sabbath influence in one of the earlier songs but figured I was imagining it - then they did that incredible Iron Man cover. Risky move but I thought they pulled it off, reimagining it in their own distinctive style. Didn't realize they were from Sweden. 5 stars!
The Pogues
3/5
I like listening to the Pogues from time to time, and I thought this album was pretty solid. However I don't relate that much to the music and rarely go out of my way for it.
10cc
4/5
Some of these songs are idiotic I the best way, "Worst Band..." "Hotel". Some excellent guitar sounds. It sounds like they are having fun. I enjoyed it, and it made me curious to listen to more from these guys. From Wikipedia, sounds like they were really in stride for about 5 albums in the 70's.
Bon Jovi
2/5
These songs are so stupid and I hate his voice. This is the pinnacle of annoying 80's rock. The only thing saving this from 1 star is that some of these songs might be tolerable with a different singer.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Found this largely underwhelming.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Pleasantly surprised to see something so recent on here. Good album, a bit long and rambly for me though and I like some of his other albums more. King Kunta is a hell of a song.
UB40
3/5
Had not heard of this band but I think I liked them by the end. Where it got weird for me is when the onligitory 80's synths combined with the soulful reggae grooves.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I have not been a Bob Dylan fan but I have slowly warmed to him over the years. This album certainly pushes me toward fandom. It is easy to hear all the influence he has had on subsequent musicians listening to these songs. The lyrics are so interesting, and make me want to listen again. I was driving down to Rochester to get my vaccine for part of the album, and it's the perfect soundtrack for driving through the vast landscape.
Big Star
3/5
This mag be unfair but these songs sound like they are trying to be deep and profound but it sounds insincere or inauthentic to me. Was surprised to find out they are American, they sounded super British to me. Given the timeframe they were ahead of their time in terms of the Britpop and Altrock stuff that became super prevalent in the 90's. Reading that this album was shelved due to its lack of commercial appeal and released years later makes me a little more sympathetic knowing they were underdogs.
2/5
Idk... finding this mildly amusing but I don't think I like it.
The Zombies
3/5
This was a good listen, pleasing sounds and more of them were familiar than I expected.
The Band
3/5
The Band is ok, they don't excite me very much. I enjoyed "Caledonia Mission." "The Weight" is iconic but I have heard it so many times and I don't like getting it stuck in my head.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Obviously this album is hella long - no album should be 3 hours long - but I can't help but admire it despite that - even because of it. The humor, humanness of the songs is addictive. It wasn't completely exhausting, because it felt more like hanging out with friends. The spare musicality, and the variety of instruments used, different vocalists, all help the cause.
Yes
3/5
Hot and cold throughout - I liked some of the more experimental moments, and some of the moments of head bobbing grooves. On the other hand there was quite a bit of that late 60s / early 70s idealism that can sound overly twerpy.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
I found this to be a pleasant listen, despite the excessive run time. Took me a few sittings to get through it. Nothing mind blowing for me.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
A great album, love the driving grunge, lyrics with vulnerability and aggression. Had listened only to their more recent album from 2019, which was also very good. Coincidentally I was recently listening to a This American Life episode from 1997 in which they featured "Words and Guitar," which made me like that song even more. I did not learn until after that there is no bass, which I was impressed with because they have achieved a full sound without it.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Oh man I forgot how much I loved The Rockafeller Skank when it came out. Really feelin it still. OH SHIT I never heard that last 2 minutes, that wasn't on the radio! I am remembering that my mom did not let me get this cd because of the parental advisory, which I understand now after hearing "In Heaven." Some of these songs are kind of stupid, but they are all fun. I really liked "Praise You" back in the day as well.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Great album, with some monster songs in terms of cultural presence, not the least of which "Take Five." I haven't said this about an album yet, but I actually wished it was longer. The band sounds great and it felt like they were just warming up.
Fugees
5/5
Love this, excellent songs and kept my interest throughout. The three of them have a nice dynamic that keeps the songs moving. Lots of great samples. My only complaint is the bonus tracks, not needed.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Most of this was unobjectionable but not particularly captivating. Really disliked that song with Dave Matthews. Not super familiar with her work but I have to believe that in her vast catalogue there are better albums.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Never have really loved Simon & Garfunkel. Can appreciate their hits every once in a while. "Baby Driver" was the most enjoyable track for me this time around, for whatever reason.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Very enjoyable, some classic songs on here. Maybe only one dud toward the end of the album.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Coincidentally these guys just released a new album this week that I listened to. I liked this one more - it was a bit more raw. Some good moments, some smart lyrics, some tasty guitar licks, but overall a slog for me. It's a fairly consistent onslaught of a sound I don't appreciate that much.
The Cure
3/5
I respect the devastatingly emotional cavern they have created, but I don't particularly enjoy it.
David Bowie
5/5
Fantastic album. Bowie was experimenting and keeping his sound fresh and relevant to the very end.
New Order
3/5
Was not expecting to recognize a song right of the bat - I think I actually know "Love Vigilantes" not from this original version but from the Iron & Wine cover. Found my head bobbing to "This Time of Night." Overall it was somewhat forgettable, one I likely won't come back to. But I liked it more than I thought I would.
The Young Rascals
3/5
I thought this was a fun listen - has some of that doe eyed earnestness of some of the music of 60's. Dipping their toes into phychadelic rock, which I could have used more of.
Tom Waits
5/5
An excellent album and important transition in his career as he started collaborating with and being influenced by his wife Kathleen. She introduced him to Captain Beefheart who became a major influence, and you can hear that in this album. He started developing more voices and characters that continue to show up in later albums. I am reminded why I like his music so much listening to the first couple tracks - he creates such vivid scenes, you can imagine the loneliness, seediness and darkness of the places he inhabits. Sweet to hear a song about Kathleen (Johnsburg, Illinois). I think there are a number of masterpieces on the album - 16 Shells, Frank's Wild Years included. Other standouts for me are Swordfishtrombone, Down Down Down, and Gin Soaked Boy. Ultimately I find Rain Dogs to be a better album - certainly my favorite of the 80's trilogy and probably of all his albums - but for me it still deserves 5 stars.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Her voice is so unique, beautiful, expressive, haunting, warm, rich, textured - a real force, and showcased so well by these songs and the orchestral backdrop.
Ash
4/5
Had not heard of this band and after listening I am surprised they are not better known. A shimmering example of 90's grunge. Could hear bits and pieces that sounded like other bands - Weezer, Blur, Oasis, Black Sabbath, The Beatles - and anyone else hearing "Strangers in the Night" in "Lost in You"? Yet they still have their own unique sound.
Q-Tip
4/5
First few times I heard Q-Tip was randomly on the radio, and each time I would be like WHO IS THIS?? It was not like anything else I had heard. Something about the combination of his unique voice and the jazz and funkiness of the samples keep his sound really tight and fresh, and is showcased well on this album.
Pretenders
3/5
I liked this more than I thought I would, liked the bright chippy guitar sounds and the vocals. Wasn't expecting to recognize any songs, but knew "Brass in Pocket," though I don't really like that song.
Madonna
3/5
Very nostalgic hearing the song "Ray of Light" again, brought me back. Overall kind of a snoozer.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
What a scorcher!
Tim Buckley
2/5
He paints a picture of a womanizing sleazeball. Found his voice rather annoying. I did enjoy the instrumentation and liveliness of the songs.
Khaled
3/5
Thought this was a fun album and nice change of pace from the other albums we have heard so far. Unfortunately with this album not being on Spotify I listened on YouTube and it became a major distraction - the ads, a playlist with the tracks out of order, and skipping audio (at first I thought this was my wifi but upon further investigation it seemed to be the source files). In any case I enjoyed the singing, including the duets, and the music was lively and exciting. Would listen again if I find another way to listen and enjoy it more.
John Martyn
3/5
Thought it was ok, classic sounding. Could tell he was being experimental but it sounded tame, at least by today's standards. Definitely heard the Nick Drake influence at times. Underwhelming for me overall.
Kate Bush
3/5
I want to like Kate Bush more than I do, and I have tried to get into her music in the past. It just doesn't stick to me, like I can't relate or something. I do appreciate the uniqueness of the music here though, the experimental nature of the vocals and instrumentation.
Sepultura
2/5
Some of the heavy metal guitar riffs are tasty but the screaming vocals are just a non starter for me - I don't relate to that aggressive intensity and it's not pleasing to my ear.
Eric Clapton
2/5
I was disappointed by this. He's such an incredible guitarist but it is not showcased much. The one I recognized most was I Shot The Sherriff, but it's a pretty straight cover and The Wailers did it better.
The Who
3/5
Interesting to know this is a concept album. Some good songs here and there, but I am having the same experience I have had previously with The Who, which is to say I just can't really get into them.
Lambchop
3/5
Maybe a bit boring for me, but I appreciate the humanity of the music - you can really hear a person in it. By chance, Lambchop happened to drop an album on the day I listened to this - 5/21/21, and the sound and feel are largely the same, except for his more recent embrace of auto tune.
Tom Waits
4/5
A good live album in what sounds like a fairly intimate setting with an engaged audience. Not TW's best songwriting, but the album sets a nice nighthawk mood with the jazz and the iconic gravelly voice. My favorites are "Eggs and Sausage" "Better Off Without a Wife" and "Warm Beer Cold Women" because I feel they best capture what this album is about. "Nobody" is a gem too, and "Big Joe Phantom 309" is enjoyable when I'm in the right mood for it.
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
Love the sound of that santoor. Hard to know what to think about this in the context of the other albums, it is so different. I enjoyed it, and may come back to it.
4/5
It's easy to understand, listening to this, how they became influential in a short amount of time. Their sound is exciting, electric, captivating. My only previous exposure to this was RATM's cover of Kick Out the Jams, but I think I might be a new fan.
Scott Walker
4/5
Oh yeah, strong start. Like a Tom Jones 007 feel. I like the spaghetti western sound of "The Old Man's Back Again". The only one I didn't like was "Boy Child". There's something about the way he sings that makes it difficult for me to take it totally serious, but I found it a fun and enjoyable listen.
David Bowie
4/5
I was hearing a lot of texture in the songs, lots of layers to listen to. I like the heavy rock n roll, and simultaneous sophistication he brings to it. I haven't listened to many Bowie records front to back, really enjoying it.
David Bowie
3/5
Since we just listened to Aladdin Sane, I find myself comparing the two albums, which is a random touchpoint, but in any case I liked AS better. This one was just not as compelling. The ambient tracks toward the end were interesting, but didn't feel cohesive with the rest of the album.
Paul Weller
3/5
Got too "blue eyed soul" for me, but parts of it I liked. Impossible not to appreciate his guitar playing. Not sure what it means, if anything, but hearing strong similarities between this and Audioslave. For evidence, listen to "Sunflower" and "Dandelion" by Audioslave back to back. The similarities between the guitar playing and singing styles is striking.
Burning Spear
4/5
Solid reggae sound throughout, happy to have heard this.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I did not enjoy this. It was a barage of unending dreary angst. Sure maybe that's the point, but it's not for me.
Morrissey
2/5
Idk... not that into the music and he keeps singing about things that make me think he's an asshole.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this, I thought there were some really good jams. Favorites are probably "Whole Lotta Love" "Lemon Song" and "Moby Dick". And "Ramble On." Hard to decide on favorites here, mark of a good album.
Van Halen
3/5
Not objectionable, but I don't love the showy guitar glam rock they do so well.
Donald Fagen
5/5
A well crafted album with lots of Donald Fagan charms, with his dry, witty, intelligent lyrics and expressive voice. Some nostalgic value for me too - this album slowly became a family favorite starting sometime in my teenage years.
The Replacements
3/5
Wish I liked this more, them being from Minneapolis and all, but I just don't find their music very interesting or exciting, in general or on this album.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
I respect the heartfelt emotion and honesty but this is not something I would choose to listen to on my own.
Talking Heads
4/5
I've listened to this album before but it had been a while, and I expected to like it more than I did. There something opaque about the Talking Heads, like you can tell there's a joke there but it's also serious, and what exactly is the joke? I continue to find myself impressed by the technical abilities of the band that sometimes get overshadowed by the strangeness and by David Byrne's singing style. For that reason I especially appreciated the instrumental "unfinished outtakes."
Waylon Jennings
2/5
I listened to this twice and both times when I got to the end I was like, what even happened? It was pretty blah for me, which disappointed me because I usually like Waylon Jennings quite a bit, or at least I thought I did...
Green Day
4/5
A solid Green Day album. There are some songs I don't care for on here but by and large good stuff. Longview is one of my favorite songs of theirs.
The Waterboys
2/5
I found this... quaint? Idk, I didn't really enjoy it much.
Elastica
4/5
Wow! They were not on my radar but I liked this quite a bit. I was hearing Blur in it, so interesting to find out that Justine Frischmann (lead singer) dated Damon Albarn for several years in the 90's. Found this very easy to listen to, makes me want to listen to their other stuff too.
The The
3/5
Kind of goofy, moments of glory. I didn't love it but I sensed a depth to what felt like an art project.
The Jam
3/5
I thought this was good, I would listen to it again, but not particularly mind blowing or anything.
Simple Minds
2/5
I did not find this very interesting.
Common
5/5
I thought this was excellent, I would like to come back to this one.
Slint
2/5
Props for finding a song and sticking to it, but unfortunately I got sick of it pretty fast and just wanted it to end about 20 minutes before it did. Makes me think of Pavement, I wonder if they were influencing each other.
Pulp
2/5
I'm learning that Pulp is pretty hot and miss with me. Mostly misses here. I liked "Something Changed", felt that it brought together their unique cocktail of cynicism & earnestness nicely.
Pixies
4/5
Pleasantly surprised - a lot heavier (in sound and lyrical content), more substantial, and more interesting than my perception of the Pixies, which was formed by hearing "Where Is My Mind" over and over again in various contexts over many years.
Elis Regina
5/5
These songs are so bold and fearless, so exciting! I love this!
Prince
5/5
I approached this album with some preconcieved notions, even some trepidation, being an MN native and resident but not a huge Prince fan. I realized very quickly though that I had never listened to this album as a whole, and I really thought it was exceptional. The songs are well written, they hold together well, and his raw talent is showcased throughout, both his musicianship and his vocals. Purple Rain as the album finale is just epic.
Blondie
4/5
Damn, these guitar sounds sound fresh. Love her expressive vocals. "11:59" sounded like a deleted scene from Grease. Largely really liked this - more than enough to make me want to listen to more Blondie. That alternate version of Heart of Glass (Once I Had Love) was freaking dope.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
A lovely album. I can't put my finger on what is so unique about them, but they just seem to have a way of composing and writing that is unexpected, unusual, and appealing to me.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
In a strange coincidence, before I knew this was the album today I was talking with my Dad about the very first albums he bought - one of them was this one! The songs are creative and interesting. Sometimes I find them impactful, other times I get a bit lost. Much of her craft seems to depend on the lyrics and if I'm not able to follow them I lose interest a little bit. That said, I think there is a lot to unpack here that can't be gleaned from a single listen, and I look forward to coming back to it.
The Style Council
3/5
This is fun and unexpected. How many times is Paul Weller going to show up on this list?? And quite differently each time. The album really goes downhill for me though as it fractures into different genres - was hoping it would stay in that strange clowny jazz realm they started in.
Stan Getz
5/5
This is so freaking classic and so freaking good. I'll take more where that came from.
David Bowie
3/5
I thought this was good... Bowie's softer side. Not in love with it. If I am painfully honest, That 70's Show kind of ruined "Changes" for me, because they would often use it for melodrama.
Mekons
3/5
This could either grow on me or become very annoying - not sure which yet.
The Blue Nile
3/5
Can't say I loved it, but it seemed unique, and I liked the deadpan moodiness of it, an entanglement of cynicism and beauty. Enough to pique my interest anyway.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I didn't care for Arcade Fire until I heard The Suburbs. This album does about the same for me as it did when I first heard it, which is to say, not much. I find it a bit exhausting.
Beastie Boys
2/5
I enjoy the Beastie Boys every once in a while and in small doses, but listening to each of these songs one after another made me focus on how silly and stupid their schtick is. The sampling is spot on though.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
I thought it was nice, very earnest, so much so that at times I wanted to throw up in my mouth. The highlight for me was "Everybody's Talkin" and the lowlight was "Song with No Words."
Morrissey
4/5
I was starting to think I just don't like Morrissey, but I did enjoy this album. He's a crank but he has some good points. This may sound like a dig, but my favorite part of the album was the last minute of the last song, "You Know I Couldn't Last," when that cool bass line kicks in and they rock out to the finish line - I could listen to that on repeat for a while.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
The scary thing is a lot of this could have been written yesterday, almost 30 years later. I enjoyed the intensity and clarity of purpose.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
They surprised me a little in a good way - more experimentation than I am used to thinking of them. For example I was NOT expecting for that synth to drop in Save the Life of My Child. Of course Mrs Robinson is an absolute classic. The end seemed abrupt, the way the last words of the album were "at the zoo..."
Super Furry Animals
4/5
This was new to me, and I really enjoyed it. I like when bands can navigate little experiments and moments of genre bending as seamlessly as they do. They really caught my attention at "[A] Touch Sensitive" and perhaps my favorite was "Juxtapozed with U."
Tim Buckley
3/5
I liked the jazziness of this record, I still just don't like his voice unfortunately.
CHIC
3/5
Some of this I liked, the funkier moments. Ultimately too disco for me, and some songs were too long and repetitive.
Oasis
3/5
I respect Oasis and I REALLY like some of their songs, but they produce a wall of impenetrable sound that has always been unappealing to me. That's what most of this album is like for me, but I do have a soft spot for "Supersonic." I also liked "Bring it on Down," don't really know that song well, same with "Cigarettes and Alcohol." I appreciate "Married with Children" as a song and as an anomaly on this album.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
I like a couple of these songs but the album itself has never really grabbed me. Some of their albums are solid, for me this is not one of them.
Santana
3/5
I appreciate the skillful and soulful guitar work, the songs themselves don't do much for me.
Miles Davis
4/5
I first heard this a long time ago after getting it from the Rochester Public Library - I was trying to learn more about Miles Davis at the time, and I wasn't ready for how vast and varied his catalog is. Maybe a decade later, I appreciate this album more.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
A classic no doubt, though I like Frank's swinging stuff more, this was pretty downtempo.
Between 'Beautiful Day' and 'Elevation,' this quickly turns into a greatest hits of songs I hated as a teenager. I don't hate them anymore, but I don't like them either. Most of these songs make me cringe a little.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
I have always found this band exhausting, so I was dismayed to find that it's 90 minutes of music. I did find the monologues quite compelling, which surprised me, usually that kind of thing doesn't work. But, more than ready for the album to be over by the end.
Le Tigre
3/5
I found this fun, I liked that it's somewhat loose but also packs a punch.
Johnny Cash
5/5
What a legendary album. I just love his interactions with the inmates, it makes the music even more powerful. I don't remember hearing the announcements and chit chat at the end, I like that they didn't cut that off.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
I don't really like the Smashing Pumpkins outside of a few songs, but I found this tolerable albiet boring.
These are fun songs. This is a nice way to listen to Rod Stewart, because although I like him, I tire of his voice but with Ronnie Wood alternating on lead vocals throughout the album, it creates a nice balance.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Was not aware of this band. Thought it was ok. Their guitar sounds made me think if the Raveonettes, the way they almost sound uplifting if they weren't soaked in reverb as if playing from a dark empty dungeon.
2/5
Didn't really enjoy this. It was like an excitable fever dream that you wake up from sweating and annoyed.
Stephen Stills
2/5
"Johnny's Garden" caught my attention, the rest sounding really blah to me. Lost points for album being too long, lost points for lame album cover.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
I could see myself getting into this to some extent, but something about it feels, I don't know... empty?
Can
3/5
Really like the funkiness of much of this album. Seems to meet into Halloween music later on. The story of this band and album is more interesting than the actual listening experience for me.
Megadeth
3/5
This sounds very stupid to me but it's also fun, and not a bad thing to listen to if you just feel like turning your brain off. No, I will not be listening to all the live tracks.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I thought this was ok... definitely could hear the influence it might have had on other singer songwriters of subsequent era. Nothing mind blowing.
The xx
3/5
Really promising opening sounds in terms of establishing a sound and a mood that I felt I could soak up for the duration of an album. Unfortunately, it plateaued after that, and sank into a wallowing sadness that I found less interesting.
R.E.M.
3/5
A clear classic, though REM is not really my jam.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
I have often relied on Bill Evan's music to relax. This album exemplifies what I like about his stuff - skillful yet low key, moody. The glasses clinking and occasional voices coming through really set the mood, you can imagine the setting.
Cornershop
4/5
I liked this, it's strange and goofy in all the right ways. I like the richness of his voice, it reminds me of Robert Pollard. A couple duds on the album but overall strong, and turned me on to a band I didn't know anything about before.
The Coral
4/5
Really liking their sound. Some special songs here, "Dreaming of You," "Waiting for the Heartaches." Really strong album. It seems like they are super talented, they know who they are as a band, and they are just having fun with it.
Ray Charles
4/5
Nice to hear, what a voice! Lots of good songs. Some of the content of his songs haven't aged very well but these are pretty good for the most part.
The Verve
4/5
Bittersweet Symphony has always seemed ubiquitous to me. Nice to hear some of their other songs, I am liking this quite a bit.
R.E.M.
3/5
I appreciate many of these songs but REM never gets me too excited.
Pavement
3/5
Generally I respect what Pavement does, I thought this album was pretty good, though I do get exhausted of the "singing" after a few songs - better in small doses.
Jurassic 5
4/5
I have a soft spot for Jurassic 5 as I really enjoyed them when I was in high school. "What's Golden" was one of their songs that I listened to a lot. Some of their stuff sounds a little silly to me now, but their hooks and samples are undeniably catchy, and the varied voices of the rappers helps keep it interesting. I remember "Thin Line" now too.
The Byrds
3/5
Some really nice sounds, ultimately a bit too pretty for me but I do appreciate that this band and album helped shape rock n roll.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Epicly funky from the first second. This is a goddam masterpiece. Love the jazz fusion, love the balance of experimentation and improvisation against catchiness and hooks.
The Cure
2/5
There's nothing wrong with this but I do not vibe with it.
Ute Lemper
4/5
Ute is new to me. Such a powerful voice, and I loved the orchestration. They kind of feel like Bond tunes, with how dark and grand many of them are. Pleased to hear a couple Tom Waits tunes on the album.
Eagles
2/5
There were moments when they sounded pretty good, but overall finding this bland, which is generally my reaction to The Eagles.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I thought this was a great album with lots of good songs and lots of descriptive lyrics. One I would come back to.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Really admirable the way he storefronts his voice throughout the album. There's no hiding from your lyrics in this context, and the lyrics hold up. The electric guitar really holds its own too.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Hard to deny that this is good, but I just don't like JJ's music much. Part of it is her voice, and part of it is that it's the quintessential, I don't know, music to do cocaine to? Interested in seeing some live performance footage, I feel like I would appreciate her more that way.
KISS
4/5
Finding it difficult to dislike this, as stupid as it can be at times. Meets the definition of irrisistable rock n roll.
Daft Punk
2/5
Most of these songs feel like unresolved experiments as opposed to releasable material. How these songs garnered mainstream attention is baffling to me. Even the songs I recognize like "Da Funk" and "Around the World" get too repetitive and annoying as whole songs to me. I suppose they work well in a club or live setting though and it sounds like they did a lot of promotion beforehand.
Beach House
4/5
Good stuff, I can get into this. Have listened in the past but never has stuck to me. Interesting to read about this album and how it struck a chord with people and caught on in a big way.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Really tasty beats, good songs. Feel like it doesn't quite capture the quintessential Missy Elliot we would hear later on.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Love this! Glad Bowie encouraged them not to break up.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Fantastic album, love it! Shocking how small of a discography she has given the huge impact she has had on the world of music.
2/5
I listened to this very seldom in my Blur phase, and now I understand why I didn't remember it. The songs are bland. I feel they developed some of the ideas present here more effectively in later albums.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Before listening I wondered why this was on the list - Dylan's 30th studio album, well beyond his "prime." But I really appreciated the songwriting and heard greatness in it. Classic Dylan storytelling, and notewotlethy as a return to form after a long dry spell. You can hear him grappling with his age, and he sounds so old. Remarkable to realize that he is still releasing vital material now, more than 20 years after this album was released.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Thought this was really fun to listen to. Recognized more than I thought I would.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Absolute trail blazers - great stuff. Hip hop has come a long way and so my one knock is that this does sound a little basic 35 years later. No denying its importance and impact though.
Deee-Lite
3/5
A few of these I liked, mostly not my thing though. I sure they worked well in a 90's club. The first half of the album was boring to me. The first song that caught my attention was "What is Love." "Groove is in the Heart" has nostolgic value for me, but also I feel like it's genuinely a standout song. I also liked "Who Was That" and "Build the Bridge."
The Yardbirds
4/5
I liked roughly half the songs on this album. Felt like I enjoyed every other or so. They do the blues really well. I know they were pioneering Brisish psychadelic rock but their songs in thay realm don't grab me much. My favorite moment on the album is during The Nazz Are Blue when during the guitar solo (at 1:25) Jeff Beck umexpectedly holds a note and it turns into this monstrous feedback siren sound.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Good fun energy. Come on Eileen is an obvious classic. All sounds a bit dorky to me though.
The Mamas & The Papas
5/5
Sounds of its time but still resonates today. Every once in a while I hear California Dreamin' used in a show or movie and it always hits super hard. Their harmonies are really powerful. Excellent album.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
I think this is a pretty good album; has some nostalgic value for me because I was listening to some of these songs in high school. Still really like "Big Poppa" and a few others. Not sure that the album is aging super well overall though.
Roxy Music
3/5
I have heard people talk about Roxy Music with great esteem, but I'm not sure I get it.
Alice Cooper
3/5
This rock n roll sound he has going really appeals to me - the dirty guitar driven hooky sound. The subject matter is adolescent and overtly strange, which is a bit eye rolly but also fun.
Tom Waits
4/5
This is a good album, and I frequently come back to many of these songs, especially "Heartattack and Vine" "Downtown" "Mr Siegal" and "Ruby's Arms." As an album it's a little too divided between rippers and sweetness, and perhaps not his peak in terms of songwriting. "Jersey Girl" and "On the Nickel" are wonderful songs too but I don't crave listening to them like I do some of the other songs on this album, or some of the other albums in his discography.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Such a breeziness to these songs, you can almost smell the ocean air.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Strong album, I love their laid back style.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Really started appreciating this during "To Face the Truth." There's an earnest cheesiness to this that is appealing to me.
Death In Vegas
2/5
Strong start with "Dirge." Thought I was going to kike "Aisha" knowing Iggy Pop was on it, but I did not like it. Overall very hit and miss.
The Pharcyde
2/5
I liked the samples and the upbeat vibe, their willingness to just be loose and have fun. Disliked the basic themes, and the mysogeny, transphobia, homophobia, etc. Probably won't come back to this much.
Erykah Badu
2/5
Erykah Badu's reputation precedes her but I haden't listened to any of her albums. I was disappointed, I found that the songs were not holding my attention, but were fading into the background. Not too crazy about her voice either. Could grow on me.
Wire
4/5
Really enjoyed this, liked the short songs and the dirty guitars. My favorite tracks were "Pink Flag" and "Strange." Interested to hear more of this band now.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Nothing to complain about here - solid Basie album.
Red Snapper
3/5
I thought this was good, punchy - it got old pretty fast for me though. Coincidentally I had just listened to a newly released album in 2021 right before this one that was strikingly similar - I think it was The Long and Short of It by quickly, quickly. Not sure if that means much, but it was intriuging to stumble upon that 21 year time warp.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Somewhat liked it but also kind of bored by it. New band to me. Makes sense that they toured with R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins - bands I feel similarly ambivalent about.
Sebadoh
3/5
Vaguely familiar with this band. Did not like the album at first, but it grew on me and I kind of liked it by the end. There is a charm within the dourness.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I like the album cover and name, very architectural. I enjoyed the album. A bit hippie-ish for my taste, but certainly palettable.
Weather Report
3/5
I know Birdland and like that song but most of the others I find boring and kind of dweeby.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
I liked Roadrunner and Astral Plane, but that was where the album peaked for me. Not much variation in themes, and the guy seems like an ass. Pablo Picasso was super dumb.
David Bowie
5/5
This is quite an album. It showcases songs that have become absolute cultural icons - Young American, Fame - and others I am not as familiar with but are very good. Did not realize John Lennon was on this album, and I was not familiar with the Across the Universe cover.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
When I was younger I really didn't like Bruce Springsteen's music, but I think it has gotten through to me slowly over time, and these songs hit me pretty good now. Some heavy hitters here really - 10th Ave Freeze Out, Born to Run, Jungleland... The saxophone solos are one of the things that would have turned me off in the past, now I find them quaint.
Marty Robbins
3/5
These songs are fun, I used to like the song El Paso more, but as I have listened to it more closely, the story is really simple and kind of stupid. A good album for what it is, a collection of westerns.
Nick Drake
3/5
Nice, quite calming and introspective. I prefer Nick Drake is small doses though, just find that I wallow in it after a while.
Jane Weaver
4/5
I enjoyed this, seems interesting and unique. Surprised it is so new. How objectively can we look at something 4 years old in the context of the last half century of music?
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
I find this extremely calming and beautiful. Wonderful that a group like this achieved international success.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
I like this and appreciate it for the soulful blues that is is, but it doesn't excite me particularly.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Fantastic album, lots of great songs. In the opening track you canhear them struggling with pan effects, is it genuinely disorienting with headphones on. Great lyrics and Hendrix guitar playing.
John Cale
2/5
Not a big fan of this. It sounds like a demented children's album.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
This one surprised me. I was expecting not to like it based on the band name, album cover, year released, and opening sounds on the first track. But it quickly grew on me and I really liked it by the end. It's sharp, the sounds are pleasing, some of the lyrics are funny.
Beastie Boys
3/5
A fun listen, I especially like the classic samples. Although I know they were blazing a trail, I can't help but hear Lonely Island. I know L.I. sounds like the Beastie Boys but sometimes it sounds like the other way around, and hearing it that way accentuates the ridiculous juvenile content of the lyrics, making it harder for me to take seriously.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
A great display of skill, but far too long. This feels like an album for fans only. Whipping Post made me uncomfortable.
Gene Clark
4/5
A timeless sound, and lyrics that resonate.
Carole King
4/5
This is a nice album, I like her voice and she is a great songwriter. Fun to hear her version of You've Got a Friend, I am mostly just familiar with James Taylor's version.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
I like their clear, strong sound. The repetition in sound and themes got boring by the end though.
Sonic Youth
2/5
This album exemplifies Sonic Youth's barrage of nervous, negative energy, and I don’t like it. There were moments that I liked, but those moments were fewer than I hoped.
3/5
This is so intense, I cannot concentrate. I respect this but I don't enjoy it. Does make me want to explore his music more though.
5/5
Hard to find an album with a more monstrous reputation than this one. There are songs that I find more interesting and ones I find less interesting, but not a bad song on the album.
Fats Domino
5/5
Timeless spirit of rock n roll in its early days. Legendary.
Korn
3/5
When I was a teenager I listened to a little bit of Korn and found it scary. Now, it sounds, not as scary, and maybe better than I thought it would sound. But I don't need to listen to Korn every day to say the least.
Liz Phair
5/5
These are good songs and I think they are holding up well. Love the idea of this album being a song by song reply to Exile on Main Street. The stripped down sound is perfect. Didn't connect until this listen that "Shatter" is often used as background music for This American Life.
Cream
4/5
I was ready to give this 5 stars after the first three songs, but as the album went on a few of them let me down. What a classic, defining sound though!
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Elvis Costello is typically hit and miss with me, but this album was mostly hit. Pleasantly surprised. I do like his version of Peace Love and Understanding.
Traffic
3/5
I liked this, especially the first couple songs, but as a whole I found it underwhelming. As an aside, Steve Winwood sounds eerily like Nina Simone at times.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
What a breath of fresh air, finding this really calming and lifting. Reading about her, she had quite a life.
Carpenters
4/5
Good stuff, they have a special place in my heart because my mom was a fan when I was young and would play them sometimes.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I think this album has been built up in my head and I was expecting more from it. A couple songs that knock me out, but by in large I didn't find the album that enjoyable.
Billy Joel
4/5
In general Billy Joel's whole vibe kind of rubs me the wrong way, the kind of serious showiness he exudes. But in spite of myself I must admit that I really enjoyed listening to this.
Hugh Masekela
5/5
Was not aware of this before but it sure has the sound of a classic. Loved it.
Ice Cube
5/5
Great album. Some classics, and very strong all the way through. Uncomfortably topical for being almost 30 years old.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
This is alright, generally there are a couple songs per album that I really like by Devendra, and the rest are a bit boring. This one perhaps slightly better than that. At times it feels like he's saying strange things just to be strange which irritates me. Could be convinced that this album is better, but middle of the road for me.
Primal Scream
2/5
Plays like a weird dance mix with various artists, like one you found in a cereal box in the 90's. Sounded empty to me.
2Pac
4/5
2pac is so ubiquitous but listening to this makes me realize how little I know his music. "Lord Knows" really caught my attention and I was fully invested from that point on. As an aside, he and Pop Smoke sound eerily similar.
Napalm Death
2/5
Points for consistency. I feel like they both created grindcore and brought it to its logical conclusion. This is so fucking annoying to listen to by the end.
4/5
Really intriguing sound, I enjoyed all of these songs. Tragic that he died so young.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I think they have a great sound, still sounds good 50+ years later. I appreciate their political content. Catchy and poignant tunes.
Beck
5/5
This was a favorite of mine in high school and still holds up well. If anything I appreciate it more now. He is a master of seamlessly integrating disparate noises, sounds, screams, etc into songs in a way that feels effortless, and somehow correct.
Nick Drake
5/5
This is hitting me just right. His voice is so sincere, so calming with tinges of melancholy, but a great sense of beauty and hope.
The Kinks
3/5
I enjoyed this, they're not my fave but good sometimes.
N.W.A.
3/5
Good stuff, real classics. Did get long, didn't need the bonus tracks.
The Black Keys
5/5
This is a near perfect album for me, and my favorite of the Black Keys albums. Not a single bad song here. I remember hearing Dan's falsetto for the first time on Everlasting light and just being amazed at what I was hearing.
The Beau Brummels
4/5
I quite enjoyed this. Hearing their influence on Ty Segall, not sure if that is real or imagined on my part. Love the variety of instruments, the spirit of experimentation.
Rod Stewart
4/5
I enjoyed this! Rod seems to put a lot of heart into his singing. I used to not like his voice, but it has grown on me and I do like it now.
Queens of the Stone Age
5/5
I consider myself a fan, but I must not be a true fan because I have to admit I started at Songs for the Deaf and never looked backward in their discography. This sounds fantastic. Weird to think that Josh Homme was only like, 25 when he made this. The QOTSA sound was already fully formed.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
I really like this, it has hat crisp post punk sound with a sinister edge.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Liking this more than I thought I would. Cathartic to hear this kind of demented anger. This is another 90's album that I found scary when I first heard it as a young teen, and now it sounds kind of good and kind of stupid. But this beats Korn.
Wilco
4/5
"I am Trying to Break Your Heart" is one of my favorite songs. There are a few songs I really don't like on this album, but a number of really great songs too. Not a masterpiece as an album, but an album with some masterpieces.
The Prodigy
2/5
If this album were a pastrie I would say it wasn't worth the calories. Some of the songs are kinda cool, but then they just go on and on without much variation, and the album overall was the same way. Not for me.
Lou Reed
5/5
Nothing I didn't like on this album, and some all time greats, namely "Perfect Day" and "Walk on the Wild Side."
Spiritualized
2/5
It seemed like good quality and I should like it but it just didn't speak to me at best, and annoyed me at worst.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Great listen. Lenny Kravitz is another that I came to later in his career and never went back to explore his earlier stuff. Clearly very talented, an explosive debut.
3/5
I want to like Devo more than I do, I just have trouble getting into them.
Janet Jackson
3/5
I don't really enjoy this but I respect where she is coming from. Very 80's sound.
Gary Numan
3/5
I found this charming overall. Was familiar with "Cars." Many of the songs sounded super similar to each other, which became a problem in combination with the album length.
Pixies
3/5
Did not expect to hear that western theme at the beginning, or whatever that was. Overall, hard for me to get into this band, not much of this was holding my attention.
FKA twigs
4/5
I like this stuff, I think it's interesting. Doesn't feel masterful yet, I think her best work it yet to come.
Björk
5/5
Love it when an album opens up with an absolute ripper. Still sounds fresh, quite a feat (except for some of those club beats maybe). Beautiful, powerful, creative songs an excellent album.
Supertramp
3/5
More ballady and polished than I expected. Didn't really speak to me.
Buck Owens
4/5
Really satisfying sound, I am a sucker for country western when it's done well.
Small Faces
4/5
I like the general vibe, the basslines are tasty. I like the concept album format. The songs that veered into psychedelia were my favorite, in particular "The Journey."
Nirvana
4/5
The sound of this album is great, and holds up over time. Easy to hear why they kind of took over the world. On the other hand, there are 4 or 5 songs on this album that I really like, but all the others wear me down and are exhausting to get through.
John Prine
4/5
His lyrics and storytelling are so well crafted, a pleasure to listen to. He takes us on a ride.
Violent Femmes
3/5
Better than I thought it would be. I always found "Blister in the Sun" annoying, but some of the other songs were good. Still, I don't really enjoy this band much.
Beatles
4/5
A very good album, one I come back to frequently.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Remind me of Crowded House. Kind of blah, a good song here and there.
Solange
5/5
This album is so generous and heartfelt, I love it.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Am I glad I listened to this? I suppose. Did I enjoy it? Maybe. Will I come back to it? Doubtful.
The Byrds
5/5
Love that 12 string sound, and the songs are so earnest and soulful. Iconic.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Her voice is unique and strange. The songs are intense. I appreciate it. The Working Class Hero cover was ambitious, but I think she pulled it off.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Of it's time in the best way, that great late 60's political idealism mixed with psychedelia. Had never heard any of this before, but I may be a new fan.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Starts out with a bang with that killer rhythm in Sleep To Dream. Criminal is an impressive song that will continue to age impeccably. Unfortunately the album slows down in the second half for me, but still a remarkable debut.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
"Waiting for a Superman" is very catchy, gets into my head. Weirdly, the "Mokran mix" is preferable to the original. "The Gash" has a great big sound, this is the side of Flaming Lips that I like the best. There are a lot of songs on this album that make me focus on how pitchy Wayne Coyne is. I do respect what they are doing though. Crazy that they were a band for 13 years before they struck gold with this album. Waffling between 3 and 4 stars.
Queen
4/5
Pretty consistently good. Killer Queen is a hell of a song. Noticing for the first time how similar Ratatat's guitar sound is similar to some of Brian May's sounds.
Mj Cole
2/5
Could this have any less variety track to track?
Queen
4/5
I was surprised to find that many of these songs didn't hold my attention. Obviously some classics here, "You're My Best Friend" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." Easy to hear why the songs that Freddy's not lead on have receded over time.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Really solid, legendary album. Had not previously heard the story about the assassination attempt on his life just before he recorded this. Makes the songs even more powerful in that context.
Garbage
4/5
Pretty darn solid, still sounds fresh to me.
Queen
3/5
A good album. You can hear elements that will become more resolved in later albums. This one doesn't approach the following albums in terms of greatness but it is still very quality, very Queen.
Beck
4/5
I think this is a bold change of pace for Beck, and I like the album. I don't love it, as there are a handful of weaker songs but it stands out in his discography as an outlier.
Ramones
5/5
What's not to love? Scorching guitars, short songs, fast tempos, good album length, creation of a mf'n genre - it's perfect!
Iron Maiden
3/5
Sounds like wankery to me. I can tolerate it but I don't love it, or even like it that much.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Expected to not like it but actually liked it. Reminded me of some bands I liked in the early 2000's, like Fuel.
Talking Heads
4/5
To be honest I was getting sick of this album, then Psycho Killer came on and I was like, O shit yea, the Pulled Up came on and OH HELL YES what a song!
5/5
Wow these songs are so powerful because of her honesty, emotion, storytelling, and voice. The band is great too. Makes me want to listen to the rest of her discography as well.
Mike Oldfield
4/5
I like that something this unusual achieved such mainstream success. I enjoy thinking about 19 year old Mike recording this weird masterpiece not knowing it would soon give him international fame. There were parts I didn't like but by and large really enjoyed this musical adventure.
AC/DC
3/5
Small doses. They're fun, but... small doses.
The Lemonheads
1/5
Finding this rather exhausting. This is what Wilco would sound like if Wilco sucked. Thought Mrs. Robinson might make me like them more but that one annoyed me too.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Listening to this makes me feel like I'm in the hands of an expert I can trust. So good!
Travis
4/5
Surprised I hadn't heard this before, it sounds like something I would like, and I do like it. Reminds me if bands I was listening to in the mid 00's - Guster, Keane, Radiohead (The Bends specifically). At times it got too sappy for me, at other moments the grooves were just euphoric. Interested in learning more about these fellas.
Björk
4/5
She really commands a unique space of her own, I admire and respect that.
Steely Dan
5/5
What a solid album. My dad would put this record on sometimes, and Do It Again & Dirty Work must have been his favorites because I don't remember the others as well. Amazing that this is their debut album, I think the songs exemplify what is so great about them - depth of songwriting paired with top notch musicianship.
Steely Dan
5/5
Another rock sold album from SD. A handful of legendary classics. Love it when they veer into jazz like they do on a few tracks.
Beth Orton
3/5
Seemed promising, but got less interesting to me as it went on.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I bought this album as a teenager and was actually very disappointed. I had heard 1979 on the radio and was hoping for more of that - but there is a significant range of sounds and styles on the record and none of the others contained the magic I felt from that song. I appreciate the album more now, decades later. That line in Bullet With Butterfly Wings is one for the ages, "despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage." The emotional range on the album is impressive, as is the genre shifting from one song to the next. I still don't love it but I respect it.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Of course Hallelujah is epic, and the definitive version of the song. I like the songs that skew toward that heartfelt mysticism, as opposed to the songs that skew toward throwaway 90's alt rock.
Black Sabbath
5/5
So good - this sound is not getting old for me. The coexistence of the aggressive yet precise guitar work alongside vulnerable, inward looking lyrics are a perfect match.
Bauhaus
4/5
Utterly charming. Just the right amount of strange.
Neneh Cherry
5/5
Damn what a trailblazer. Watched her Buffalo Stance performance she did on Top of the Pops while pregnant, what a badass.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Obviously legends and trend setters, influential giants. What struck me was how simple and spare everything is, some of the tracks were just a straightforward beat and rapping over the top. I found it refreshing.
Solomon Burke
5/5
What an absolute gem. His voice has the power of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. The songs are irrisistable.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Good tunes, reggae up there with the greats.
The United States Of America
5/5
Some 60's psychedelia sounds top cheesy for me, but I like how this band does it. Too bad they only stuck around for 1 album. The experiments were promising. Worth investigating further.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Ok fine I'm a Bob Dylan fan, can't fight it anymore. Hearing Subterranean Homesick Blues conjures images of him with an electric guitar shocking America. Solid all the way through.
Various Artists
3/5
Not sure I quite get why this is on the list. Influential I suppose. It's good... it's a Christmas album.
The Fall
3/5
I like this a lot, the grooves are really addicting and they work well with the Iggy Pop style vocal delivery. Unfortunately got sick of it about halfway through, wanted to hear some real singing. Was ready to give this 5 stars after the first couple songs but I got slowly worn down by the end.
JAY Z
5/5
Great stuff, I don't know his discography that well but he sounds at the top of his game here. I like that this was, in part, a response to being dissed by a bunch of other rappers. I think we know who got the last laugh.
The Smiths
3/5
I listened to this earlier this year and I didn't dislike it as much this time, but that's as far as I'm willing to go at this point.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
So talented and soulful. There are so many weaker copies of SW out there, it's refreshing to hear the real thing.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Compelling range, and several great songs - Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks. They avoid the trap that they seem to fall into on other albums, of just rocking out in a way that sounds cool but doesn't go very deep. Their best album?
Cypress Hill
4/5
Great songs, and high ratio of head bobbers. I forgot that "How I Could Just Kill a Man" was their song, since I heard the RATM version first. Not sure which one I like better. The beats are just insanely catchy.
Talk Talk
3/5
They have a unique sound, I will give them that. It is just a bit blah as a whole though. Intrigued, but not yet impressed. Interested in their larger discography as it sounds like they made some significant shifts in their sound between albums.
The National
3/5
I get why some people like this band. I have always wanted to like them, but it's just so melodramatic and it's too much after two or three songs.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Just listened to "Bringing It All Back Home" so I can't help but compare them, and although this is a good album it doesn't measure up. Obviously "Blowin in the Wind" is an undeniable classic and a powerful, timeless song. The album slows down immediately after that and becomes hit and miss throughout - just had trouble staying engaged with it because of its rambliness.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
I find this album rather irritating, in a listening to R.E.M. kind of way.
Circle Jerks
3/5
Waffled between loving and hating this basically on a minute to minute basis throughout the album. The lyrics are so dumb but the concise punch-you-in-the-face punk sound is very appealing.
Peter Frampton
3/5
This being a live album biases me against it, but it has some good qualities. I think the quieter, more spare songs help give the album some relief, and you can hear in those songs the crowd's respect. The talk box stuff is fun. The Jumping Jack Flash cover is bad. The guitar work is pleasing, very skillful in the more uptempo songs. Mixed bag.
Björk
5/5
It amazes me how she creates this mystical world where she reigns supreme.
Taylor Swift
5/5
I am skeptical that we have the perspective to determine the greats just a year later, but if anyone deserves the distinction it's T Swift. She has really made herself into a legend at a young age and continues to prove it. This album showcases her ability to do indie just as effectively as she navigates country or pop. The collaborations with Haim and Bon Iver are excellent surprises. "Cowboy like me" has permanently wormed it's way into my brain since I heard it. "No body no crime" is a hell of a well crafted song. The album drags toward the end, I think they could have cut some songs (like "coney island" "happiness" "long story short" and "marjorie"). But ultimately, the album showcases Taylor's exceptional and consistent songwriting ability and staying power.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
This album was a constant companion freshman year of college. It helped ease my angst especially with my shyness and awkwardness around cute girls. I could not get enough of "Fight Test" and "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell." Lots of other great songs here, "Yoshimi" (obviously), "Are You a Hypnotist", " Do You Realize"... This album is really a gem.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Sounds both of its era as well as ahead of it's time in some ways. Surprised I had not heard this one before.
Nitin Sawhney
5/5
A remarkable work of art with something to say and many layers to appreciate. Was new to me.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
Really didn't grab me.
Dr. John
4/5
A while back I spent a lot of time trying to get a copy of this on vinyl because I had heard it was a great album. I finally got it and really enjoyed it, though something about it feels disjointed or incomplete. I really like the seedy mysticism that Dr John does so well here. Really feels different than much of the popular music of its day.
Arrested Development
2/5
Was a fun listen, but didn't really capture my attention.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Album really jerks a person around, going from "Ramble Tamble's" unpredictable wankery to getting hit over the head with "Before You Accuse Me" then back to fun but contentless "Traveling Band" & "Oobie Doobie", then to the classic "Lookin Out My Back Door"... Given how productive they were in a few short years, makes me wonder if they weren't just letting things come out and not thinking about them too much - the hits came naturally alongside the misses. Many of these songs have become monstrous on the American consciousness and are inseparable from the era - can you listen to a song like "Run Through The Jungle" for example without scenes of the Vietnam war playing in your head?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
When it started with a live song, I expected not to like it, but I really got hooked in quickly after that. He seems so wise, and the music has a transcendent quality to it. I like how the album transitions from acoustic to electric.
T. Rex
5/5
Yeah, great jams all the way through.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Really, does it get much better than this?
Ian Dury
3/5
I like the cheekiness of the lyrics and delivery style. Not blown away but interested to hear more.
Rush
3/5
Putting this in the "I respect it but I don't enjoy it" category. The story of this album is interesting, that they were struggling financially from waning ticket sales, and their label almost dropped them, but they decided to stay the course and continue to go in their own non-traditionally-commercial direction. Even with that knowledge though, I found listening to this album tedious.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
He is so thoughtful, and continues to get better. Voice smooth as butter. A soft exterior with a razor sharp edge, sucks you in and then hits you with some truth.
The Kinks
5/5
Can really hear the DNA of rock n roll in this. One of the rare Beatles contemporaries who, despite being in the same space, sound different and unique. The first time I heard Act Nice and Gentle was as a Black Keys cover, and it took me a while to even figure out that it was a cover, but it goes to show how much they have influenced subsequent generations. Excellent album.
Portishead
4/5
They seem to occupy their own genre, how do they do it?
Neil Young
3/5
Some classics here, but the album as a whole does not grab me.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Almost wrote this one off, not sure why it was even on the list. Reading about it, it was apparently critically acclaimed, nominated for a Mercury and such. Finding out that he wrote most of the songs made me warm up to it, at first I thought it was some guy singing standards. The fact that I thought they were standards is a testament to his writing ability I suppose. Gave it a couple listens, in the end coming down in the middle.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Enjoyed it, something different in this context of 1001. Didn't love it.
Public Enemy
4/5
Chuck D is always on point, I enjoyed this album. Falls down a bit the 100th time Flavor Flav says "yea boy!" That is to say it could have been shorter.
The Youngbloods
2/5
Not that into it. This kind of earnest sameness blends into the background for me.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Really enjoyed this, lots of excellent grooves.
The Avalanches
2/5
Could see this being fun at a party maybe, but I found it annoying and too repetitive. I did recognize and enjoy "Frontier Psychologist" but that was my only respite. More than ready to be through with this by the end.
Tina Turner
4/5
Irresistable tunes.
Slayer
2/5
Almost comical. Seems a lot longer than it is because it is so monotonously aggressive.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Was hooked when I heard "Human." Remind me of Portishead in their slow, deliberate, seriousness. Makes a person pay attention and groove along.
Killing Joke
4/5
Thought this was great, Talking Heads vibes.
OutKast
5/5
This one takes me back to high school, I had it on repeat for a minute there. I always preferred The Love Below to Speakerboxxx, and that's still the case, but there were some songs I appreciated this time that I didn't appreciate at the time - Bowtie sticks out in that regard. It is definitely an indulgent double album - did they need to include their version of My Favorite Things? No, but I am glad they did. There's some fat they could have cut, but very few duds. It makes me happy that the hits that took over the world - especially Hey Ya - emerged from this much larger showcase of excellent songs.
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Made me feel like I was on the beach despite it being a frigid winter day. The quality was inconsistent, definitely some good ones and some not so good ones. Felt jerked around by the Sousa style march (Parade) and the lyrics in that one were bad. The child singing in You Didn't Have to Be So Nice was charming in a way, but also maybe a bad choice for the song. "Stay" was one of my favorites.
Kanye West
4/5
His infinite arrogance makes me want to hate him but his music and lyrics, I must admit, are fantastic.
The Temptations
3/5
It was good, but I expected to enjoy it more based solely on the fact that in general I like the Temprations. Not convinced that this so called psychedelic soul suits them so well.
Fiona Apple
5/5
A real masterpiece. She doesn't release albums often but when she does they hit hard. My favorite is probably "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" but no duds on this one. The lyrics are raw and honest, the instrumentation is spare and rich. This album was built to last.
The Roots
3/5
Some good stuff here. I like the Roots but find that their albums as a whole tend to be too long and inconsistent. This would be a better album if they had cut it down to 35-40 minutes and cut some of the weaker tracks.
Little Simz
4/5
A real badass, great beats, really cooks all the way through.
R.E.M.
3/5
Not displeasing but not exciting either. Typical REM.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Sometimes when I listen to Kraftwerk they sound to silly for me, and the album started that way, but they really had me in a trance by the end. The friendliest most seductive robots.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Heck of a debut.
Coldplay
4/5
A gorgeous album, though I would rank Parachutes higher. The pristineness of the music is a strength of their music but also is a bit distracting, like I want to hear some dissonance every once in a while.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I appreciate the earnestness and clarity of the music, but the 80's derpiness distracts me. I could see myself really liking it if I was in just the right head space when I heard it.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Good moments here and there, overall the energy of it was a bit much for me. "Ecstasy fueled" is not something I necessarily seek out in the music I choose to listen to.
Screaming Trees
4/5
Really charmed by this. There are occasional quiet moments that keep it from being just thrashing guitars the whole time - and those moments help us hear and appreciate the thrashing guitars. Interesting to know that Josh Homme toured with them for a couple years. You can really hear how it may have influenced him - I especially hear it in Mark Lanegan's singing style. And I'm sure the influence went both ways since Lanehan joined QOTSA.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
This is exciting and unique, it's easy to understand why she's a star. It has pop hooks but it doesn't feel formulaic.
The War On Drugs
4/5
I can got down with this. Not their absolute best album in my opinion but definitely emblematic of their distinctive sound. Their music is like a cold dark cave, but from which you can look out and see the stars.
James Brown
5/5
This album flew by, I actually wish it was longer. It was fun to hear the audience's participation, and even more fun to hear how tight the live band is. It sounds legendary.
MGMT
4/5
I remembered more of these songs that I thought I would. I had been thinking of them as one hit wonders with Electric Feel but that is really not the case. They really have a great sound.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
A few duds but overall pretty darn good including some real scorchers. "Key to the Highway" is my favorite, they play it on Jazz88's Bridge to the Blues show about once a month and it always knocks my socks off.
Elvis Presley
4/5
A very good album that captures Elvis's vitality and greatness. My only complaint is some of the songs just don't go anywhere.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Fantastically funky grooves. Does get a little ramble over the duration of the album.
Metallica
3/5
Not familiar with this one, more familiar with Master of Puppets because that's what some of my older friends were listening to when I was in middle school. I have trouble taking this music seriously, it's mainly the vocal delivery and the extravagant guitar solos.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
I am an Arctic Monkeys fan but somehow missed this project. They say supergroup, though I must confess the only one I'm familiar with is Alex Turner. This is enough to inspire me to look up the others though. It's like Arctic Monkeys with an orchestra. At times it sounds like a Bond soundtrack, especially "In My Room."
The Cure
2/5
It's just too damn whiney. It's mostly the singing but the instrumentation contributes as well.
John Grant
4/5
Really like his voice, the richness of the music. Can't shake the similarity to Father John Misty, that first Honeybear song put it in my head. Irony lurks around every corner.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
I don't claim to be intimately familiar with his discography, but this seems like a master work. His poetry is so unique, and his voice is so dark and rich, the mood meets the words so well. A powerful listen.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Good and enjoyable? Certainly. Ingrained in my memory since childhood? Oh yes. One of the all time greatest albums? My modern ears can't hear it, I'll have to take their word for it. Certainly influential though, and apparently an early example of a concept album.
Eurythmics
4/5
Mildly dark, strange, almost goofy. Hitting me just right today.
Dire Straits
3/5
Solid, but not super exciting. Can appreciate the skillfulness of the guitar licks.
The Sugarcubes
5/5
Really enjoyed this. Bjork is such a force here. Birthday is a real showpiece, just stunning.
Nico
4/5
Have not listened to much of her solo stuff. What stands out is her haunting voice, it adds a mystical quality to the music. Unfortunately the same voice that charms me, grates on me before the end of the album.
Charles Mingus
5/5
So energetic and vital, really lifted my spirits. More like this please.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
This psychedelic rock has not aged well. The last song, The Toonerville Trolley, left a particularly bad taste in my mouth.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Good stuff, I feel like this was pretty hardcore for the early 90's.
k.d. lang
3/5
Nothing bad about this, but it is somewhat boring.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Haunting, beautiful, but despite that I had some trouble getting into it. Could see it growing on me. Or not.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I listened to this one a lot in high school. Seems like there's a lot of urban legend around it, like the whole Wizard of Oz thing. It has never quite lived up to he hype for me, but I do enjoy it. My favorites are the instrumentals "Great Gig" and "Any Colour."
The Smiths
2/5
Took me 3 tries to get through this and it's not even a long album. I find it painful to listen to. It's so whiney.
OutKast
5/5
They really have something unique and special. Not as good as Speakerboxx/The Live Below but close and still top notch.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Listening to this is like getting stuck in a fever dream - which makes sense knowing that it was created in the wake of an injury that left him paraplegic. The experience of listening to it was not enjoyable for me.
Incubus
4/5
One of my go-to's in high school. Re-listening now, I remember there are a handful of songs I don't like as much, but overall it still holds up for me. "Make Yourself" really hit me pretty hard this time around.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Hooked me, lost me, hooked me, lost me. Overall charmed by it. Block Rockin Beats was one of my faves as a teen listening to Jock Jams in my room and tossing a football to myself as I made diving catches onto my bed. Never listened to this whole album before, but glad to have now.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I love that the songs feel almost put of control. Karen O's vocals really contribute to that feeling. I can understand why this would be great live.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I admit I was not expecting to like this but I enjoyed it quite a bit and recognized more than I thought I would. I didn't look at the year immediately, and thought it was from maybe 2006. Was shocked to see it was from 15 years prior.
Kelela
2/5
I want to like this but it's just not pulling me in. Maybe it will grow on me.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Really like this, I enjoy the way country influence creeps in. Mick Jagger's singing is sometimes really distracting, but the majority of the time it works. I was driving along the Mississippi listening to this, and it was perfect for the drive and the scenery.
Hole
4/5
This is a ripper. If all the songs were like "Celebrity Skin" and "Reasons to be Beautiful" it would be a 5 hands down. Some of the songs drag for me, and I was sick of the album before it ended, unfortunately.
Pavement
3/5
I like Pavement for short bursts, I can't listen to Stephen Malkmus for sustained periods of time. I like the punk rockiness of the we're dissonant and don't care what you think, but it's also just the thing that gets on my nerves. Certainly appreciate that this has influences many bands that I like more than them.
Stereolab
5/5
I just love this band, they have such a friendly sound that's so iconic and instantly recognizable. One of a handful of bands that I first heard by randomly pulling their CD at the library, then felt like I discovered a secret that no one else knew. At least my friends had not heard them at the time. I don't know their discography well enough to know how this stacks up, but it's certainly on par with the stuff I've heard, and seeing as this is likely their only album on the list, it's a solid 5-star for me.
The Prodigy
3/5
The only song I new from this - Firestarter - was on Jock Rock 2000, which I listened to many times as a teen. What's so tiresome about this album is that every song is basically that same song in a slightly different form. Rounding up to 3 stars instead of down to 2, solely because of nostalgia.
Air
5/5
What a breath of fresh air. It's easy to understand how this kind of thing could take over the world. I remember first hearing Air during the worst hangover I had in my life - new year's day after a night of too many different types of alcohol - beer, whiskey, wine, champagne, gin... I was debilitated, couldn't go out, couldn't move, and my friend put them on and it provided a nice cool atmosphere to make me feel, at least temporarily, a little less miserable. That memory aside, I found this album irresistible.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Ug. The cleverness - if you can call it that - and overt bravado of Neil Hannon turns me off.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I was peripherally aware of this band but had never listened to them. More butt-rocky than I thought it would be.
Randy Newman
4/5
A good album, and I got the sense from listening to it that there's a lot to unpack and uncover. I have to admit it's hard to hear a white guy say the n word so many times in a song. Of course 50 years changes us, so benefit of the doubt. I first heard about "Rednecks" on Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, he does a good job explaining and analyzing the song (the episode of Revisionist History is called "Good Old Boys"). Besides getting a little hung up on that, I think there are some great songs here and an interesting concept for an album, the Johnny Cutler everyman southerner idea.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Forgive me music gods, I previously thought Dusty was a man, just from hearing the name here and there. Glad I heard this, these songs hit like a breezy summer Sunday morning.
a-ha
2/5
Having grown up in the 90's, there's something about this particular brand of 80's music that just sounds silly to me, like a joke. "Take on Me" might as well be the flagship song for that. I'd like to think that I'm shaking that preconception, but listening to this album tells me that I haven't yet.
The Black Crowes
2/5
Throw it in the butt rock pile next to Jane's Addiction.
Bad Company
2/5
I recognized more of these than I expected to. "Can't Get Enough" is catchy, so is "Rock Steady" but there's a - I don't know - brainlessness to the music that grates on me. If it was on in the background I wouldn't mind but listening closely to it get irritating.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Jimi's talent is staggering, I'm taken aback every time I listen. This album is stacked with excellent songs. "Manic Depression" and "Hey Joe" are a couple of my all time favorites.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Strong start with "Who's that Lady" but the rest of the album was, dare I say, boring. Could see it hitting me different in another mood or context. The "Summer Breeze" cover was deeply inferior to the original and should have been left on the cutting room floor.
SAULT
5/5
This album has a sound and a swagger that is rare and special. "Monsters" in particular is an amazing song.
Orbital
2/5
Um, not my thing.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I like some of these songs. I want to like him more than I do, because he seems smart and funny and charming, but there seems to be an irony there that's not letting me in. Or he's just much smarter than me and I don't get it. I particularly liked "This is Hell" and am hearing what I interpret as a Beatles, or similar influence, in the use of background vocals which I find amusing.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
I was expecting something from this album that was not delivered. A bit underwhelming. He must have better albums that this, right?
Metallica
2/5
Yeah yeah yeah, you can play really fast and stuff. I remember hearing this in middle school and being kind of scared of it. 20 years later, it just sounds silly and annoying and I want it to stop.
Minor Threat
3/5
Yeah... I can hear the influence this had on certain punk bands I was into for a short time in high school. So I can appreciate it, but mostly I find it irritating.
Joy Division
4/5
I thought I knew this band, but now I realize I did not. They have, for lack of a better word, a minimalism, that I really admire. I like how the drums are often really prominent in the mix, and there's a lot of space that makes me focus on the words, and what's happening in each individual part of the music. New fan?
Beastie Boys
3/5
The music is great, the samples are great. Just take out the vocals and I'm all in.
Rahul Dev Burman
5/5
I'll take a lot more where that came from. What a bright spot! It seems to have an optimism that might have been more common a decade earlier, combined with that wonderful Indian sound that brings me right back to Jaipur.
Fugazi
5/5
It reminds me of stuff I listened to in the early 00's that must have been influenced by this (bands like Fuel), but this is better. Can also hear how a band like say, Tool, might have heard this and been influenced. I really feel like they nailed down a sound that would be hard to improve upon by subsequent bands that might be using it as a precedent. Maybe this is a 4-star album for me, but as I'm revisiting it I'm liking it better, so I'll bump it up to a 5 just for fun.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I like his other albums more, but I mean, come on, basically everything he recorded is legendary.
The Undertones
3/5
It's weird how much the lead singer sounds like Michael Stipe from REM... I wish I could put that aside but it's hard to. I can appreciate that this might have had a major influence because there is a LOT of stuff that came after it that sounds like it. In spite of that, I just don't like it.
Rod Stewart
4/5
These are nice friendly songs. Rod has a great rock voice.
The Stone Roses
4/5
At times soothing, at times exciting, but more "blah" than I prefer. The songs "Waterfall" and "Shoot You Down" really caught my attention.
Common
4/5
I more recently started listening to Common, with his 2021 release and really enjoyed it. Silly me, I didn't realize how long he had been around. Some fantastic grooves, great collaborations.
The Young Gods
3/5
Am I listening to a rock opera? What is going on here?
The Cars
5/5
For a while this was one of the few vinyl albums my housemate and I owned, and it would get a lot of spins. Plays like a greatest hits album, and brightens the mood instantly. Love the sound of this album.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
The idealism of the late 60's in a somewhat exhausting package.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Coming at ya!! I know this is from the 90's but it's as 80's as anything I've ever heard. Too dramatic for me.
Elton John
3/5
I appreciate many of these songs for the classics they are but in the end, with all due respect, I just don't enjoy Sir Elton John very much - at least I don't choose to listen to him, if someone else put's it on it's fine. 76 minutes of that.
Miles Davis
5/5
Not often a claim like this can be actually backed up, but this seems to do so. A really solid album from someone who seems to have defined and redefined jazz over and over for others to follow behind him.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5/5
When I was growing up I thought of Tom Petty as an old guy that got played on the classic rock stations with sleepy tunes like "Free Fallin" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." But I'll be damned if these aren't bangers. My mind has been slowly changing about him over the years, and this album solidifies my fandom - I feel like I finally "get it." My favorite is probably "American Girl," that song is addicting.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Ok... it's Alice Cooper. Quaint spectacle, nothing more.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
They still sound edgy somehow, which is quite a feat half a century later. "Born on the Bayou" is ELECTRIC. It does get too jammy at times, but then they'll come back with a ripper. Real vitality and soul on this album.
Norah Jones
4/5
I have a soft spot for Norah Jones, and "Don't Know Why" is one of my favorite songs of hers. But she's borderline soft rock, and I just can't take it in large batches.
Foo Fighters
4/5
I've never had a stomach for the Foo Fighters, it's like rock music but with too much polish. This album, however, I like more than the later stuff I'm more familiar with - it's a little scrappier and I like it for that.
Richard Thompson
4/5
An unexpected change of pace - new to me. I could get into this. Loved the opening track, lost some steam by the end.
Machito
5/5
More please!
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Very intense. Too intense, calm down. I like the songs where there are hooks that differentiate from the barrage.
Mike Ladd
5/5
Based on almost nothing other than the name, I wasn't expecting to like this but I liked it a lot. It's somehow at once lofi and sophisticated, laid back and sharp edged.
The Monkees
3/5
I sometimes think of the Monkees as an inferior version of The Beatles, which probably isn't fair, but I couldn't stop thinking about it as I listened to this album.
Iron Maiden
2/5
I find this so exhausting.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
I love how they thread the needle between rock and country.
The Stooges
5/5
Raw Power is right, holy shit. A diesel engine. I know this is an intense thing to say, but this sound is so damn good, it's almost like, how can anyone hope to top it?
Thundercat
4/5
It's good, it's somehow too understated and I think he's gotten better since this album. Love listening to the basslines. I feel like there are a lot of little jokes and intricacies in this album that I haven't fully grasped yet.
D'Angelo
5/5
Come ON! Try to top it, what is sexier than this?
Emmylou Harris
5/5
Damn, I knew her, kind of, but it hasn't really hit me until now how breathtaking her voice is. She really communicates a depth of emotion. I'm tempted to complain that she didn't write most of these songs, but in a way it's interesting that she does write some, yet chooses to record others' music. It's like admitting, there are songwriters as good or better than me, so why not sing their songs instead? And the one she wrote (Boulder to Birmingham) is a stunner.
Butthole Surfers
4/5
I thought I was going to hate this more than I did. I wasn't starting with much preconception, other than knowing their name, but I did end up liking the sharp edge on the music which sounds like a precursor to a lot of stuff I like now (like Ty Segall, for example and any number of contemporary west coast "grunge" bands). There were moments that I hated, but the vast majority I was impressed with, especially for it being as early as 1987.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Such a vital energy in these songs. At times I get a little bored, but there's no denying Sly's influence. Sometimes I feel that they paved the way for things that wouldn't have been possible without them, but that I like a lot more than them. I appreciate the social commentary in the songs. I appreciate the songs more than I enjoy them, if that makes sense.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Such a poet. Something careful and precise about his music. Coincidentally I just heard "Bird on a Wire" on the radio and it filled me with hope and calm. His influence is obviously wide ranging but it made me think specifically of Walter Martin (listen to "Bird on a Wire" back to back with "Old as Hell" and I think you'll hear what I mean, if nothing else in the way he's singing).
ZZ Top
5/5
There's something irresistible about ZZ Top, and this album exemplifies that special something.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's just another Rolling Stones album.
TLC
5/5
Top notch 90's ear candy. Yum!
Lorde
4/5
Was really into Lorde in the initial excitement when first emerging, like she was helping set a new direction for pop music. Not as sure now, it somehow feels dated already.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Too jammy, but props for keeping the energy high.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I often feel awkward rating albums by bands like the Rolling Stones, because while I acknowledge their towering legend and inescapable influence, sometimes I just personally find them a bit underwhelming.
Spiritualized
4/5
New to me, and I'm impressed. It's catchy but at the same time has an ethereal quality to it, and a repetitiveness that is at times is almost trance inducing. I'll be back.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I forgot how much I listened to this in high school, I hadn't thought about these songs in a while but they came right back to me. I like the first half a lot, it gets hit or miss partway through. I think there are several songs that sound like b-sides and could have made way for a shorter, tighter album. I gravitate toward the funkier songs like "If You Have to Ask," "Funky Monks," "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," "Apache Rose Peacock." You can almost break the songs up into groups, there are a handful of more acoustic-based songs, chief of which for me is "Breaking the Girl," a really excellent song. There are some massive hits on this album, especially "Under the Bridge" which kind of lives on a stratosphere of its own. "Suck My Kiss" is great, "Give It Away" is great. I heard that story about Anthony Kiedis writing "Give It Away" after his girlfriend gave him a jacket of hers that he thought was cool back in high school, and it stuck with me. "Sir Psycho Sexy" is ridiculous but it's super funky, really memorable and musically it's a great listen. In summary, this is a really good album but the extra fat keeps it from being a 5 star album for me.
Public Enemy
4/5
Listening to Public Enemy is disturbingly relevant to our current moment 30 years later.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
There's a kind of naked wallowing to this that I don't relate to. Maybe I'm just not that emotionally evolved.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Would like to dig into this group more, new to me but I like what I hear.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
I like this, it feels different from anything I'm used to. Gave it a couple listens and I think I'm into it.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Good clever songs, and Dolly's voice is of course unique and great. Hard not to like it... but hard to get super excited about for me.
XTC
3/5
Not unpleasant, but forgettable.
Mercury Rev
3/5
Apparently the similarity to The Flaming Lips I was hearing was no coincidence, since Donahue was a former member. I want to like this because the music seems deep and meaningful, but the wandering vocal delivery and doofy orchestration are irritating.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Her Back to Black album seems to get all the attention, and in fact I don't think I had listened to this one - but damn it cooks!
Ray Charles
4/5
Such an alluring, legendary sound. Ridiculous album title.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Not really my cup of tea - as in, I don't really enjoy listening to it. But I respect the wrapping of themes like critiques of Thatcherism and privatization, etc.
Fever Ray
3/5
I like it, but it doesn't excite me.
Nirvana
5/5
An important landmark in the annals of rock history. Lots of variety on this record, with songs like "Polly" and "Something in the Way" providing counterpoints to the heavier, grungier songs.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Super fun record and interesting blending of genres. A little on the silly side at times, but I enjoyed it.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
What an interesting concept, to adapt a Russian composer's suite to a rock context. The pipe organ really adds something dramatic and unexpected.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Insane to think that at this point Stevie Wonder was 11 years into his recording career, but only 23 years old. This album is an amazing work from an amazing artist, what else can I say?
Slipknot
3/5
It's hard to hold the knowledge that this band is from Iowa in my head when I listen to this frightening cacophony.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I enjoyed it, but I'm left wondering, with only so much West African music on this list, why this artist, why this album? Seems like he has albums that were more successful, this one doesn't even have a Wikipedia page - what the heck? So, why not Firin' in Fouta? Those questions aside, I enjoyed listening to it.
Haircut 100
4/5
Can really hear how this band must have influenced others of the time and that came after them. The rhythm guitar is immaculate. Great new wave sound.
The Kinks
5/5
Their sound is so freaking delicious. Love the concept thread format.
Mudhoney
4/5
Large, dirty guitar sounds. The relentless in-your-face fuzziness strikes me as ahead of its time.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Love this! Makes me think of Stereolab.
Beatles
5/5
I mean, come on.
Orbital
2/5
I would enjoy this at the right time and place. Like at a hookah bar, or a rave. Unfortunately I listened on a beautiful sunny drive on Highway 61 and it just didn't fit.
Radiohead
5/5
Unquestionably iconic, important, influential album. Hadn't really listened to it in a while, and it just washed over me in all its anxious beauty.
M.I.A.
3/5
My perception has been that Paper Planes was the mega hit. Reading about this album it seems like there were others and that she's been more musically active since then than I thought. I don't think I had ever listened to the album, but I did recognize some of the other songs. This may prompt a deeper dive into her discography.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I know he's a legend, so it's a little embarrassing to admit that I've never really enjoyed his music much, and I'm afraid this album didn't change my mind.
Tricky
4/5
Compelling album - I like the dark atmospheres and subject matter contrasted with the lightness of Topley-Bird's vocals.
Brian Eno
3/5
Some interesting sounds, I don't love the vocals and they kind of ruin some of the songs for me. It's hard to figure out what kind of music this is, which I imagine is part of the point.
The Killers
2/5
I find the Killers fatiguing. They fatigued me when I first listened to them when this came out in high school, and they still fatigue me 18 years later. They just zap my energy.
I will say, Mr. Brightside is the one bright spot on the album. They really nailed a particular emotion, and it resonates. I was at a karaoke bar in Minneapolis this weekend, and someone sang that song - the whole bar sang along, which was really a blessing since the guy was tone deaf. But the song still resonated, and we could all feel the energy.
I watched a Song Exploder episode on one of their songs recently - I like that show, but this episode was boring, it lacked content, and I blame The Killers. The song was not from this album, but it doesn't matter that much because all their stuff sounds kind of the same. It added to my dislike of them, hearing how they could barely articulate where the lyrics came from, or what the song was about. The most compelling moment was when they said the guitar riff sounds like "the desert" - they are from Las Vegas. But the song sounded more like Las Vegas itself - a grotesque manifestation of capitalism, an illusion of prosperity and vitality, a thin veil concealing a vast emptiness. That's how this album makes me feel, and not in a good way.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
Hard not to like it. I don't think it will make it into my regular rotation however.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Nice to hear some salsa to break it up from time to time. Irresistible.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
He really makes the 80's synth thing work for him. His voice is so commanding, it demands that you take it seriously regardless what he's saying or what's happening around it.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Nice and dreamy, whimsical. Makes me curious about this band, which I've been aware of but have not listened to much.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Fantastic, masterful guitar playing, recording in a way that's crisp and clean. A breath of fresh air.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Lots of hits here - way more than I thought. This album holds up well. Her voice is so unique and communicates so much emotion. The band is just classic 90's. You Oughta Know still hits like a sledgehammer.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
I'm really glad I listened to this. I haven't listened to much Wings, and silly as it might sound to some, I didn't realize that's who did "Band on the Run" or "Let Me Roll It" - the songs were just ubiquitous on classic rock radio, and I never stopped to think about who it was. I may not have appreciated the songs when I heard them on LAZER 101.5 when I was 20 and painting houses with College Pro, but I do appreciate them now. All kinds of interesting twists and turns, great musicianship, compelling songs.
Mylo
3/5
Some super grooves. Occasionally too much repetition in the vocals.
Cheap Trick
3/5
I liked this more than I thought I would - which is not saying much because I expected to hate it. I don't like the band, I don't like live albums. But the songs were exciting and the audience added too the ambiance in a way that added to the excitement, rather than simply be distracting.
Can
4/5
I like when they bring the funk. Very jammy (I know that's what they do, is jam), in a way that doesn't always hold my attention. Moments of brilliance here and there.
The Doors
4/5
A distinct sound that conjures images of poolside parties, lines of coke, etc. An exceptional icon.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Good, but tiresome.
Deep Purple
3/5
Don't need a live album of this. Smoke on the Water speaks for itself - probably the first song anyone learns on guitar, if not Iron Man.
Radiohead
5/5
Gets overshadowed by Kid A I suppose, but perhaps just as good. Love this album. The songs hang together despite being very different from one another. They each take you to a different wonderful and mysterious place.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Very funky. The lyrics and themes are cringeworthy at times. But I'll be damned if you can't listen to this and not bob your head along.
Joan Armatrading
5/5
Just stunning. Was not on my radar. It's like Tracy Chapman but a decade prior. Massive voice. All the marks of a real classic.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Charming to the last! In concept it seems like this would come off as a more scathing critique of modern life, but the melodies are so alluring, bright and catchy. It's like the robots have realized the true meaning of happiness.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Really warm and fun, they set up a groove and it just keeps coming.
Chicago
5/5
This is great, a perfect balance of pop appeal, sophisticated composition, and avant-garde experiments. Some nostalgic value for me too, as my Dad had some Chicago records that he would play sometimes when I was a kid.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Big, commanding synth sounds. It makes me feel cold and empty, in a bad way. This will go in the "I don't like it but I respect it" category.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Super smooth, super groovy. Love the bold choice of just 4 long songs. Because none of them are duds, you can just get in the zone and ride the hot buttery wave.
Morrissey
2/5
First thoughts: how many fucking times is this guy on this fucking list?? Throughout the album, there were moments I enjoyed, but they were far outweighed by the world that we're forced to inhabit. Even though it's a relatively short album, I found it to be a slog.
Madness
4/5
What a delightful display of Britishness. Got that great bank holiday feel, like Blur's Parklife, and some tantalizing carnivalesque moments.
Steely Dan
4/5
Really solid Steely Dan, really sounds like what I think of when I hear their name. Not sure that there's anything here that helps this climb above other albums of theirs, but a great listen, will take it anytime. Love hearing Michael McDonald on "Peg", it always surprises me in a good way.
Pixies
3/5
A distinctive sound, easy to hear their influence on other subsequent bands. If I dig deep and am honest with myself, I don't really enjoy listening to them.
Animal Collective
3/5
Nice dense, complex sounds with some pop attitude in the vocals. I like it, I don't love it.
Meat Loaf
3/5
Respect how this album really goes for it - and how Meat Loaf really goes for it, in general. It's unfortunately the kind of thing that's been diluted because my general exposure to it was probably in supermarkets, echoing through the dairy isle dodging other customers with the shopping cart. But I did enjoy the listen.
B.B. King
4/5
Although in general, live albums are inferior, this one has some great energy, and it's fun to hear how B.B. King feeds off the audience and vice versa - and how his sounds must have been formed through live performances like this.
808 State
3/5
Sure... I don't really go in for acid house, and I don't have a lot to say about this. There were moments I enjoyed, I would not listen to this unprompted.
The Birthday Party
3/5
They know what they're about and I respect that.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Groovy, love her voice. Could live in some of these songs.
The Undertones
4/5
Impressed with how fully formed their sound is, both as a punk band as early as 1979, and as a debut album. Delicious face smashers.
Black Flag
3/5
Respect it for its commitment to an energy and sound, but it quickly wears me down and I want to change the station.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Wow this brings me back to high school. Hard to evaluate it objectively. I think it sounds of its era, late 90's, with a sharp edge.
Sade
5/5
This album deserves 5 stars almost solely for Smooth Operator, fucking dynamite. And the smooth jams just keep on coming. Fantastic voice, and everything works together well, they found a sweet spot with this one, that despite sounding somewhat 80's transcends the decade because it's borrowing from other eras and the quality is high.
Prince
4/5
Great listen, some really classic stuff here. An iconic Prince album. The thing that knocks it down for me is, I don't know, I just can't quite fully get on the Prince train - I wouldn't listen to this just because I wanted to. Certainly enjoyed it though.
The Fall
3/5
Interesting sounds, full of surprises, lots of charisma in the vocals. I don't know this band terribly well, but more familiar with some of these songs than I expected.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Enjoying it, having a difficult time understanding the context of why it's on the list.
Linkin Park
5/5
This was very popular when I was in middle school, and I was very much into it. That being said, I thought I would hate hearing it again. However, I'm surprised to say I was impressed. The powerful emotions of these songs give them a timelessness, despite some of the sounds (turntable scratching) that date it. The same things that make it easy to knock also make it impactful. I know I just dissed turntable scratching, but "Cure for the Itch" is still a fucking great listen.
Judas Priest
3/5
They really balance between dark and silly. So much so that when the sing something like "United" I just don't trust it. Fun music to turn your brain off to.
The White Stripes
4/5
A very good album, one I've spent a lot of time with, particularly in high school. I've always felt it's a little too long, overstays its welcome just slightly. Ball and Biscuit it one of my all-time faves.
3/5
Some of the songs I like - "You Said Something" and "This Is Love" in particular - but most of them are kind of blah for me.
Crowded House
2/5
I want to like this band but they are just so vanilla. Make me want to stand around in a cheap suit and snap my fingers.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Legendary, exciting to listen to.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
I like the structure of this and how themes are explored and wrestled with throughout. Catchy stuff too.
The La's
4/5
"There She Goes" really elevates this album, but the rest is pretty good too. Hearing most of it for the first time. Really like the lead singer's voice.
Syd Barrett
3/5
Very unusual and unhinged, I suppose that's what some people find charming about it. It's like an album someone would do if they were brave enough to release the bad takes. It's unclear whether he's doing it on purpose or whether he's not well.
Aerosmith
3/5
It's fun or whatever, not really my thing tho.
Missy Elliott
5/5
Super hard hitting, all the collabs are awesome to hear. She's the real deal.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
New to me, still kind of processing it. It's good, it's also fiercely obnoxious.
Minutemen
4/5
I like the directness of this style, the space between the instruments, and how it's smart and angry. Do I need 75 minutes of it? No.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Intriguing, it's introspective and clubby at the same time. Makes me feel uneasy.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Obviously a super famous album, but I'm not sure I had ever listened to it start to finish. Shimmering, spectacular, lives up to the hype big time.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Wow, this is remarkable, how had I never heard of this before? Such tight harmonies.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
So warm and inviting, and then it just twists your ear around, what a genius, what a pioneer. I'll take more where that came from.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Stevie is such a freak - fantastic.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Such a mysterious voice, great songwriter. Between the Bars gives me the chills every time.
Faith No More
2/5
Don't need it.
Madonna
3/5
Some of these songs are great, some just feel like they're trying to claw for the pop charts.
Beatles
4/5
Lots of fantastic songs. Doesn't play as well as some of their other albums, but that's a high bar. I often go out of my way to hear "Taxman" and "Doctor Robert."
Joan Baez
4/5
Holy shit talk about under-rated. On the front end of a cultural revolution, start of a prolific career.
John Martyn
2/5
Some nice sounds here and there but mostly suffered through this one.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Very soulful, definitely recognizing some things here that have been sampled and I never knew where they came from until now. That electric piano is really doing it for me.
The Strokes
5/5
A great album, they have such an iconic sound, and this album is holding up well to my ear.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Super intense, I almost can't handle his particular brand of intensity, especially 2 hrs worth.
Air
5/5
Air implies a promise, one they keep - that they will take you away to unique sonic landscapes. Sometimes frightening, sometimes pristine, disturbing, or epic. But no matter what, always interesting.
Nick Drake
4/5
So soft and smooth, it's really a feat to make 2 elements - guitar and voice - hold so much weight. Nice quiet listen.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
He sure knows how to smack a person upside the face with not much more than a whisper. Powerful lyrics, powerful presence, unusual twists and turns in the lyrics.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
It's good, but I always feel like they're trying to be clever and I'm skeptical.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Some good blues, I like Clapton's playing, but for some reason it wore thin quickly, and started to feel really self indulgent. And then it just kept going.
Deep Purple
4/5
I had disregarded this band as just another hair band or something, but newfound respect listening to this. It feels like they believe what they're doing in a way that some bands in this genre can lack. Some great grooves. And what can you say about Smoke on the Water, hard to get more iconic that that.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Some serious in your face music. I had hear the hits but not the album. I think I'm a new fan. The beats, the singing, the synths, they all hit really freakin hard.
The Dictators
2/5
I'm disappointed that this album had such an important role as a precurser to American punk rock because I found these songs so annoying.
Van Halen
3/5
Undeniably talented, but it feels like many of these songs were written simply as vehicles for shredding guitar lines and not much more.
Jethro Tull
3/5
It was good? It was good, it just... didn't speak to me.
Michael Jackson
3/5
I was expecting this to be 5 stars. It is not. First two songs, fantastic. Next two, horrible. And the rest is mostly blah.
Arcade Fire
5/5
This is a near perfect album for me. They haven't released anything before or since that I have liked but this one really gives me the feels. You can feel the city hollowing out, sucked in by the vacuousness of the suburbs. I was surprised it is an hour long because it has always felt fairly concise - a mark of exceptionally well crafted songs with something to say.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Kinda hated this. It went from cliche lyrics and thin production to indulgent superjam. The way he sings really bugs me, it's like the original Creed voice or something.
The Temptations
4/5
Great songs, seems like they're genuinely exploring and pushing themselves. "Papa Was a Rollin Stone" sounded great - despite having heard it many times, I appreciated it anew.
Beatles
5/5
FUCK this is good. No wonder they took the world by storm. It's just one banger after the next. Of course, their later stuff is more sophisticated but this has a lightness, energy, and magic that doesn't come around every day.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
From the first 3 seconds, this album just hooks me in. I appreciate this album more every time I listen to it. It does drag a bit (specifically when it gets to "All My Friends", and then again in the last couple songs) but makes up for it with so many great jams, at times just mesmerizing. Faves are "North American Scum" and "Watch the Tapes."
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Some really nice tracks and great overall vibe. It is too bad he is not more of a household name, but I am glad he is for me now.
David Bowie
4/5
A good album, certainly not his best, but enjoyable. Remarkable for being his first album in a decade.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Now this will keep you warm on a cold day! Which it is, very cold today, below zero. I wonder how Tony Allen felt about Ginger Baker treading on his territory. Loved listening to this. Not very familiar with Fela's discography so I am not sure how this sits with the others but the music is undeniably vital, so grooving, I could listen to it all day!
Goldie
2/5
Not my thing, especially not 2 fucking hours of endless loops of stoned club beats. Give me a break.
Massive Attack
3/5
Nice grooves, I enjoyed it. But something about it feels deeply impersonal and it preventing me from really getting into it.
Miles Davis
5/5
This is a desert island album for me. I have listened to it many many times and will continue to do so. It's THE quintessential jazz album. Can it even be topped?
Depeche Mode
3/5
I used to hate this stuff. Now I appreciate it some but it kind of brings me down.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
I do not understand why this is on the list but I love listening to it.
The Who
4/5
I often think of the silly popular songs by The Who like "Pinball Wizard" and "Squeeze Box" but the stuff here is much better - great guitar sounds, great vocals, tight band, ripping songs. A great listen.
Massive Attack
3/5
I like many of these songs for about half of the song and then they get boring and repetitive and don't go anywhere.
The Icarus Line
3/5
A little surprised I hadn't heard this given that it falls sonically close to my taste. If I had heard it when it came out it probably would have been too intense. There are parts I like, the Stooges influence is clear, but I just don't know if there's much here other than face smashing aggression.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Spent a lot of time listening to this getting pumped up for soccer games in high school. Love this band, love Tom Morello's guitar playing. Faves are Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy, Fistful of Steel. The album drags a bit, exceeds the magic 45 minute mark, and by the end it's kind of like... ok guys I get it. But they really keep the intensity up throughout, and I respect that. I think Battle of Los Angeles edges this one out for their best album. Probably a 4 star album, but I am rounding up for nostalgic value.
Ravi Shankar
4/5
Interesting that he was interested in evangelizing Hindustani classical music. I wonder if he would be so well known if not for George Harrison, but clearly his interest in spreading the music to the west was already in place before the Beatles. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, but I did enjoy it. Fun to hear his explanations of the music, but it does take away from this feeling like a real "album" as opposed to an instruction manual.
AC/DC
3/5
It's undeniably fun, I'll give them that. But it's surface level fun that rather bores me.
The Verve
4/5
A good listen, I like how they commit to a sound, the ballady contemplative aggression, sprawly guitar soundscapes. At times their vocals get pitchy in a distracting way, particularly some of the falsetto moments. But the albums seems to foreshadow the indie guitar stuff that would become so popular in the early 2000's. In fact, I just listened to an album today, from 2022 (Waiting to Spill by The Backseat Lovers), that I wondered whether it would exist without bands like The Verve helping define and popularize that sound.
Underworld
3/5
I don't really go in for this dancey electronic house stuff, but I found this tolerable, even enjoyable at times. However, 70+ minutes of it is way too much, count me out.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
A pleasant listen, very much hear Ali Farka Toure in it. Wish I understood the language, seems like they have quite a story to tell being forced out of their homes during civil conflict.
George Michael
3/5
Soothing music, though slightly ridiculous at times. "I want your sex" - seems like the least imaginative way to be provocative. Faith is a great song though. In all, I was bored by the end of the album.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Liked this more than I thought, though I thought I might hate it. There's enough variation and bounce in the songs to keep you guessing a bit.
The Sonics
4/5
Quite a sound, really exciting to listen to. I wish there were fewer covers on it though, that would have brought it to the next level to me. Some of these songs have been covered so many times they're really played out - like "Money" - do you really have to cover a song that the Beatles AND The Rolling Stones had already covered? Even so I admit, they did a pretty good job.
De La Soul
4/5
Enjoyed the listen. Amusing that they were labelled the hippies of rap.
The Triffids
3/5
Struggled through this one.
Grateful Dead
4/5
I haven't listened to this band a ton, but when I do they always surprise me. I'm always expecting something more raucous, but there's an intricacy and depth to the music that's very compelling. Feels like there's a world behind the songs, a marker of great art.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Still sounds fresh 50 years on. Many of these songs have an unexpected build, sounds like it is going to be a tame folk song then it slaps you to attention halfway through. Love it when his voice switches to the upper octave, it is so exciting and brings the song into a new gear. If you haven't heard the Song Exploder episode where he talks about Father and Son, I highly recommend it.
5/5
This is amazing! Had never heard it before, but instant fan. It's so believable, it's so straight ahead in some ways but with a punk soul and elements of many other genres. Sounds so fresh and original.
The Charlatans
3/5
Such striking similarities to Oasis, which I suppose is Oasis's fault because they came after, and became more successful with a similar sound. I could better hear the differences between the two bands by the end but only sort of. I'll say, I at least I enjoyed it enough that I'm interested to hear their other work.
Sex Pistols
5/5
These songs just rip, I cannot believe this is their ONLY studio album!! For a band that has had such an influence it seems impossible. It's easy to hear why they've had such an influence, the songs are catchy and they hit so damn hard.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I don't always like Nick Cave, but overall I liked this album. I'm starting to understand him in relation to someone like Leonard Cohen - strange turns of phrase describing a twisted world view, but one that has love underneath it. The songs sound thoughtful and well crafted. A couple of them annoyed me but overall, solid.
Wild Beasts
4/5
I was skeptical at first, but into it by the end of the album. Enjoyed the lushness of the production and the soulful vocals. Makes me think of Bloc Party.
Os Mutantes
5/5
Wow! This is opening new channels in my brain. I want my art to be as free as this music makes me feel. There's all these things coming in and out - there's a dirty guitar, then a sweeping synth, a "doo bee doo" pop vocal, samples of a dinner party, switching genres on a dime, all while somehow creating a cohesive set of songs. A remarkable creation, I'm hungry for more where that came from.
Johnny Cash
4/5
The "Hurt" cover still really gets me. A great example of Cash's later career. I was listening to Rick Rubin talk about how he approached these albums with Cash, and he talked about how Johnny Cash is a very funny and lighthearted in person, but they were trying to get back to the myth of the mysterious "man in black" because that's what people really responded to in the past. Seems like they did it.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I found this pretty exhausting, but on the other hand I liked it more than I thought I would.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
Really fun, very smooth and likable. A definitive and influential use of the Hammond B-3, easy to understand why it became a standard with people like Jimmy Smith doing this kind of work on it.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Nice album, I enjoyed it. However, I'm having trouble figuring out why it's on the list - if you read the Wikipedia you would think that its greatest accomplishment is being on the 1001 list itself. Ibrahim has clearly had a long and productive career, and is still going, which is exciting for all of us. If nothing else, it's a new one on my radar to dig into.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
These songs are so intense, this is what I imagine a cocaine high to feel like. Janis really brings the heat on the vocals, and some of the guitar solos are just scorching. Honestly, I have a hard time getting into this but I respect it nonetheless.
David Bowie
4/5
I love the ride this album takes me on. It's like we're gliding through space on a ship that is adding and shedding components all the time - a synth here, a vocal there. It's surprising and wonderful.
The Band
4/5
They have this thing going where the music is imperfect but that somehow makes it perfect. There's a humanity to it. I was listening to Jack White, Neil Young, and Rick Rubin talking on Broken Record, and Jack was saying that he loves the band's vocals because they're often reaching for notes, even ones that they can't quite hit, and that makes it compelling. You can definitely hear what he's talking about. At times the lyrics are a bit cringe worthy. Overall, really enjoyed it.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Intriguing that this was written amidst a period of lots of travel. The songs feel like that - some of them seem to be stuck in a state of waiting, thinking, the way you might feel if you were stuck at an airport or on a long train ride. It seems to make sense that this album didn't initially perform as well as her previous works, but became one of her most beloved. It's like a journal that you can keep reading and discovering new things each time.
David Gray
4/5
This was a trip listening to again for the first time in at least 20 years. "Babylon" was a big hit on the radio, I guess around the time I was in middle school. I associate it with a time when I was having a crisis about whether God exists - I was raised going to church, and had just heard the theory of evolution explained. Since this song has biblical references, a lot of that angst and emotion was poured into listening to the song. There's something really lonely about the album, a longing, and the synth they're using just sucks the soul out of the songs to the point where I'm left craving more richness - therefore planting that feeling of longing in me. It works perfectly. The last song, "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" hit me just right for some reason.
The Police
4/5
I'm slowly appreciating this band more and more. I used to just think of them as the band who did "Every Breath You Take" and "Roxanne" - both songs I was initially ambivalent to, but the more I listen the more I think they have something real to say. When I first heard "Every Breath You Take" on the radio when I was a kid, I thought it was boring. Later, I thought it was creepy. Now that I realize that it's a critical song about something rather dark and serious, yet it's dressed up like a gentle love song - I think it's brilliant. It's not the only good song on the album though, in fact far from it.
Primal Scream
2/5
I thought this was going to be aggressive and annoying based on the band name and the cover art. Instead it inspired apathy.
Funkadelic
3/5
They know how to groove and bring the funk - I was expecting more from this though, ended up feeling underwhelmed.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Admittedly not a huge Neil Young fan, but this album seems like a really concise distillation of his whole thing. I love the long, dirty guitar jams.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
They really nailed this one. These are the kinds of songs I really associate with the Stones, especially "Sympathy for the Devil." The one that really stood out on this listen was "Street Fighting Man," it's a unique sound, a rich sound, and the arrangement is pleasantly surprising.
Elvis Presley
4/5
It's really remarkable listening to the debut album knowing how Elvis's influence would shake the world, and how it continues to do so. My only knock here is that they really did a thing, and stuck to the thing so closely - but they did it so well that's hardly a complaint.
Aerosmith
3/5
They put on a good party.
Sam Cooke
5/5
What a gem - this makes me feel like I'm there in the club - you can hear the audience, Sam's interacting with them, the guitar's slightly out of tune... makes a person want to be there! And god, his voice is so amazing, so vibrant and present and powerful. Love it!
Finley Quaye
4/5
Hearing this for the first time, I'm surprised this guy is not more of a household name. He's like a modern sounding Bob Marley, but even more accessible to a mass audience. I found these songs to be great listens, really grooving.
Joy Division
2/5
I understand the impact and acclaim this album have achieved, but the detached roboticism of the delivery doesn't connect with me.
James Taylor
4/5
This music is so smooth, it's like landing on a soft pillow. "Fire and Rain" is a very moving song, I've heard it many times and it still hits me when I hear it.
Slipknot
4/5
Wow, this album doesn't let you escape. Every once in a while I dip my toe into Slipknot - a couple of these sounded familiar, and I think I was enjoying it for a couple tracks. I get why people are impressed by this. As the album wore on though I just started thinking, does the world need this? Does this music just encourage a kind of toxic disposition that ends up hurting people? Or is it cathartic? I'm not sure. But the feeling I had most while listening to this, was scared.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Hell of a debut album. When it first came out I wonder what it was like to hear this and wonder where they would go next. We would not be disappointed.
The Gun Club
3/5
Liked it, didn't love it, appreciate it as an album that helped shape some new sounds. I particularly enjoyed the moments when little rockabilly licks would seep in.
Barry Adamson
3/5
What a unique story for this album, that it's a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. Smart of him to manifest his career this way, create a proof of concept for exactly what he wanted to do. I wonder how this made it into the larger public consciousness.
Love
2/5
These songs are so rambly, I'm having trouble caring about them. This thesis - or lack thereof - seems appropriately summarized by the 18 minute noodly jam a the end. Who needs it?
Funkadelic
5/5
What an album, I thought it was gripping the whole time. Each of the jams is really tight despite the repetition and the adventurousness. I was charmed by "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!" - they're saying so explicitly, we're playing dance, funk, and rock music all at the same time, what are you going to do about it?? And they're doing it so well there's no way to argue with them. A great album by a great band.
Tom Waits
4/5
The very thing that drew me to Tom Waits in the first place is what makes some of his albums suffer a little bit - the fact that each song is so different, he's doing so many experiments and dabbling in so many genres. I don't come back to this one as much as some of the others because it's not as cohesive, and it drags, especially in the middle. Despite that, some of my favorites of his are on this album. It would actually be much faster for me to list the songs that aren't my favorites, but I won't do that. If I had to narrow to my top 3 favorites, I would say "Dirt In The Ground," "Jesus Gonna Be Here" and of course "I Don't Wanna Grow Up." And "The Earth Died Screaming" "Such a Scream" "All Stripped Down" "In The Colosseum" "Goin Out West" "Murder in the Red Barn" and "That Feel." There, I've named almost every song on the album.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Kind of impressed by this, especially the fact that this sound existed in the mid-80's. It instantly made me think of The Raveonettes, who wouldn't form for another 15+ years. Unfortunately, I find it exhausting, but I enjoyed the first half of the album before my ears wore out.
Eels
4/5
I've heard it said that the first song of the first album of a band is their "thesis" - if this is true, "Novocane for the Soul" is one hell of a thesis. As with most of their stuff, many of these songs fall flat for me but the ones that are great are really freaking great - wish there were more of them.
Ice Cube
3/5
Ice Cube has a unique way of seeming friendly through the tough talk. Enjoyed parts, but it was too long and I have a little trouble with the violence and misogyny.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I don't have time for this winky-ass shit post of an album. Mercifully short, though it seemed long.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
I found this really charming. It seems to have a depth that goes beyond the surprising little gems of songs. It was really making my imagination run wild, I was getting a lot of imagery popping into my mind, that seemed to be coming mainly from the sonic textures. Will be back for more.
Love
3/5
Something about their thing just bothers me, I feel them trying to be clever and I get annoyed and it takes me out of the music. Interesting hearing "Live and Let Live" after getting used to Ty Segall's version. It's a pretty faithful cover as it turns out. I can even hear how Ty may have been influenced by the guitar playing, the style is very similar.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Very difficult to get through this, I hated almost every minute of it. The concept is grotesque, and the repetition of it is like getting bludgeoned. I also hear the influence of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits in a ways that makes me embarrassed for him.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
This album kind of washed over me, nothing positive or negative, I just didn't connect with it.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I like this for its bouncy energy. There are a few songs that I recognized in a 'oh yeah I've heard it on the radio' kind of way.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Takes real vision and courage to make an album that sounds like this. It seems a bit cynical, which I'm less interested in, but the freedom with which this album bounces from one motif to another, yet stays cohesive and keeps a thread throughout is remarkable.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
This is a wonderful album, and it has just gotten better over the years. It reminds me of taking the Amtrak to Holden village with my sister - we wanted to listen to something that felt like going west, and it was just the ticket. The fact that it's a debut album is amazing, the package is fully formed and very mature.
New York Dolls
4/5
Damn this really rocks, and what an influence it had - I knew of this band but hadn't given them a proper listen. Very impressed.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Something about their style, despite being so ethereal, is also structured, and keeps many of these very long songs from feeling long. You can almost see the volcanoes and black sand beaches of Iceland.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This album feels really good. The cuica roots it in that quintessential Brazilian sound along side the blues and funk. Cool that it marked a shift for him to electric guitar.
The Pogues
3/5
It's a good album... I got into them briefly when I was in middle school... but I have a hard time getting into it now. It's fine but I wouldn't choose to listen to this.
The Clash
4/5
So unhinged, yet simultaneously smart and sharp. I love the story of their rehearsals, how they disciplined themselves to rehearse in the afternoon, play soccer, go to the pub, and then rehearse again. Sounds like a kind of utopia I would like to live in for a while.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
He's just so sincere, and so quintessentially American, so masculine. It's not hard to believe that this is one of the best selling albums of all time. Delivered by anyone else, these songs might seem like a joke. But not coming from The Boss.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Sounds way ahead of its time, the genre bending, the punchiness, the whole thing.
Magazine
4/5
Having listened to Dub Housing by Pere Ubu right before this, there must have been something happening in music in 1978. The new wave thing they are doing sounds so breathtaking. It's just catchy enough to let you in, and then slaps you on the face and you like it, dammit.
Johnny Cash
4/5
There's no question that this album is powerful, and the fact that he played at a prison, and the interaction with the audience of prisoners is beyond remarkable. HOWEVER, Johnny Cash released 97 albums in his career, 3 of which are on this list. Did 2 of the 3 need to be live albums from prisons?
The Stranglers
3/5
I enjoyed it, it's catchy and fun, but it also sounds like the roving antics of adolescents. Which they were not, they were like 28 when this was released. Seems like something that could grow on me though. I don't know.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Yeah, yeah, he's a legend, but if I'm honest with myself, I'm bored. On the other hand it's cool to hear that he had creative control over the album, and chose to make it this stripped down - mad respect for that. But... I'm still bored.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Yes, I enjoyed it. Yes, it's a high quality release. Does it pull its weight against Born to Run, Born in the USA, and Nebraska? Not sure it does - maybe this one drops off the list.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
I remember Red Alert playing on KROC in Rochester when I was about 12, and because of that, I thought I would cringe listening to this album. However, it grooves pretty damn hard. I was tired of it by the end, but the first half really had me going.
Kate Bush
4/5
I love how she just goes out on a limb here. Love the inhabiting of various personas, the experimentation. This album was a ride.
The Specials
3/5
A good example of eclectic influences and differing goals of band members combining to make something unique. It would be a stretch to say I enjoyed it, however - I'm a little averse to ska.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
They are so smooth. It's like the could say anything, no matter how rude or grotesque, and it would glide by because it's so sugary. Great writing, and a very special sound.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The theme song is such an icon. The album is worth it for that. There are some other good songs too, but also some that just sound like filler - due in part I'm sure to this being a movie soundtrack. A more concise album would have been even more enjoyable.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Extremely unique, especially in the context of this list. From the first notes played, it's obvious this is someone with command of the piano, and a clear idea about what they're saying with it. Despite the long tracks, I found this engaging, even mesmerizing, the whole way through.
Boston
3/5
These songs sound good - I like listening to them, the production is crisp, the music is played well. I just can't shake the feeling that they're a cash-grab type band, meaning they're writing songs because they want hits and nothing else. "Rock & Roll Band" is the clearest example - a song about being a rock band, getting huge, signing to a label. Seems like something a rock n roller would write about if they didn't have anything real write about.
2/5
Maybe I'm just not meant to be a U2 fan. I've tried this album many times, and it mostly just makes me feel like I'm dying inside.
Radiohead
5/5
This album was a sleeper for me, but I like it more and more every time I listen. It's a perfect blend of what they were doing on OK Computer and the left turn they made with Kid A. There's not a bad song on this album.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
My reception of this album is suffering from the fact that this is the third of theirs that we've listened to. It's fine, but it's not as good as the other 2, and did we really need 3 albums from this band?
Doves
4/5
This album wore me down. I put up my "this sounds like Oasis and I don't like it" armor, but as the album when on, I just thought some of these songs were jaw droppingly beautiful.
Frank Ocean
5/5
I knew way more of these songs than I thought I would, and I can't believe they came from his debut album. This continues to sound fresh. Love his style.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Some transcendent songs - "Pale Blue Eyes," "I'm Beginning to See The Light." Also some songs that are frankly unremarkable. This gets a boost because of its legendary influence.
Tom Waits
5/5
His best album in my opinion, which I don't say lightly as a superfan. It sounds like he was so in-stride. In some ways it's a great distillation of his career, because he uses so many styles, dabbles in different genres, uses various voices and characters. Lots of great songs, not a dud on the album. I could go on and on, if I could give this one an extra star I would. My favorites on the album are probably the first and the last song, "Singapore" and "Anywhere I Lay My Head."
Hookworms
2/5
I went on a fruitless search to find a reason for this to be on the list. In addition to finding that this album's only distinction may be the very fact that it's on this list, I instead I found that they disbanded the same year this album was released following allegations of sexual assault against the lead singer. I thought the album sounded fine, but I'll take Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer instead, thank you.
Al Green
4/5
"Let's Stay Together" is a hell of an opening song - unfortunately it kind of peaks there. The other songs are pretty solid but don't really reach the height of the first track.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Great songwriting, obviously her unique and unmistakable voice adds significant personality. Was over it by the end of it though - I think a combination of her voice and how straight-ahead country it is.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
I get the impression that they're putting on a front, and the front is a persona of the kind of person that you want to punch in the face. Looking past that, the songs are catchy and I understand why they got radio play.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
I expected to hate this but I think I love it. I love the dense sound bed created by the guitars, together with the unrelenting beat. The mysterious, reverby vocals and the surf guitar licks are the perfect icing on top.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Hard to lose after opening with "Respect" and with all her soulfulness and that explosive voice. Side note, I did not realized that Otis Redding wrote Respect!
The Who
4/5
The opening 30 seconds is killer, I wish more of the album was like that (the talk box + horns dynamic). Overall really impressed though, they can really bring the heat.
Scott Walker
2/5
The schtick wears out pretty quick. Could see enjoying it in the right context, but a whole album is just too syrupy and in-your-face.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
A soundscape to get lost in, very enjoyable.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Enjoyed hearing "We Got the Beat" in its album context. Fits right in with the other new-wave stuff of the early 80's that I like so much. Props to an all female rock band taking over the charts.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Very good, very iconic. It's not really my thing, it's so showy and not very deep. I didn't realize this was their debut, it makes me more impressed - I mean, Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City AND Sweet Child O' Mine on their debut album?? Amazing.
Fishbone
2/5
Some people really get into this ska stuff, I'm not one of them.
Parliament
5/5
This is Parliament in top-form, fantastic. Interesting that it was one of TWO albums they released in 1975 (this one is far superior).
Steely Dan
3/5
Outside of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Any Major Dude" I'm least convinced of this album's place on the list, of the four Steely Dan albums on it. But I suppose those songs almost make it worth it.
Raekwon
2/5
Yes, I know this is an influential, some say one of the greatest hip hop albums. But I was just bored the whole time.
Julian Cope
2/5
This one really wore me out. Maybe take out all the half-assed instrumental interludes and there's something cohesive and listenable. Then again, those interludes were a welcome break from the tiresome vocal delivery.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
The album is a fucking trip. It encourages me to be freer with my own creativity, because there are things on here that just seem like silly-ass outtakes - then the next song slaps you in the face with the ripping guitars and forceful vocals. It defies category and stands out.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
These songs are charming, and fun to listen to the two together. The best ones are the ones where they both sing. Take 'Baubles' off and it's a much better album.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Despite being a long album, it is exceptional. Kendrick never wastes our time, he's present, and everything he says seems important, seems worth saying. Confessional, true lyrics, and things that only he can say because they're so personal and particular to his experience, yet speak to something larger. Only a track or two that I wasn't into. I love how he has so many voices, taking on characters and throwing us off balance song-to-song, even within songs.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Cool to hear this, being something that has had such influence in the formation of hip-hop. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of its influence, is that it now sounds a little bit like a parody since it was copied so much (the break-beat DJ thing). I was familiar with Rage's cover of 'Renegades,' and enjoyed hearing the original, which is VERY different.
Yes
4/5
I find their sound rather addictive. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would considering 9-minute songs are the norm here. 'All Good People' is like two songs in one, it just switches halfway through. The first half is fine, the second half is great. I may come back to this.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Not an unpleasant listen, but overall a bit of a dirge. Seems like an album that might get better with time, or if you listen to it with the Blue Ridge mountains in the background. A surprisingly rural, country sound coming from someone from LA.
Beatles
4/5
Sprinkled with classics. Captures the magic of the Beatles. Noting it's one of three of their albums where there are no George Harrison written songs, as well as no covers.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
A good listen, very Led Zeppelin. Not their best songs but I appreciated listening to their debut front to back, quite sure I've never done that before.
System Of A Down
4/5
I really like this band, I think they're smart, they stand for something, and they have a very unique and recognizable style. They really keep the album moving, and interesting with their stops and changes, that are always very tight. I would have rather seen Toxicity on the list, but this album is good too.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Pleasant, quirky, doesn't really get my blood moving. This band has always basically gone in one ear and out the other.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
I always forget that Neil Young was part of this band, and am surprised to hear his voice. I wish I liked this more, because I like "For What It's Worth" so much (which is not on this album). I like the band too, I think their heart is in the right place, but it just doesn't shine through here as much as I want it to.
Eagles
3/5
I hadn't heard the song "Hotel California" in a while, and it's one that gets a lot of play at your local hardware store - but it kind of blew me away this time. Good lyrics, great sound. That punchy bassline is a hook for me. Unfortunately, it's the first track and the album peaks there, the rest is just kind of boring.
Def Leppard
2/5
Gosh... maybe I would like this if I heard it when I was 13. But I didn't so I don't.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This was a slow burner, but I really grew on me. Reading about how personal is was - about his divorce - made me appreciate it even more. Feels like spending time with Marvin's inner thoughts.
Genesis
3/5
Fun to listen to, feels very British and accessible while still being prog rock. Didn't really command my full attention though, due to the rambliness in places.
ABBA
2/5
They're the kind of band that sounds like they're actively trying to make pop hits, which is unappetizing. This listen of "Dancing Queen," I really liked it and was noticing how commanding the drum groove is - it really defines the song. Many of the other songs I kind of disliked. Interestingly, the other night, in 2023, ABBA was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year - so points for staying power I guess.
Destiny's Child
4/5
Really brings me back to middle school. I'm enjoying how wholesome the themes are, how unwavering in their conviction. Respect. The cheesy orchestral synth sounds don't hold up in my opinion, but beyond that I thought it held up pretty well.
50 Cent
3/5
Hard to listen to the gratuitous violence that defines many of these songs, but the radio hits still sound pretty good, which surprised me. The samples and the groove in 'P.I.M.P.' is absolutely irresistible. I found myself admiring the beats in lots of these songs.
The Hives
3/5
This band is new to me, really liked it though, good catchy face smashing punk. But why the hell would a compilation album be on the list??
U2
2/5
I'm just not meant to be a U2 fan. The Edge's playing and Bono's singing just make me feel empty, in a bad way.
Kanye West
3/5
Hard to listen to this in light of his latest antisemitic hate speech, etc etc etc. In fact it colors it a bit, except for the fact that we've always know that he's an asshole. It's disappointing to know all that, when he's clearly such a talented producer and rapper, and in his best, most vulnerable moments the music is transcendent.
William Orbit
2/5
I liked it more than most house music, but mostly I was just waiting for it to end. I genuinely enjoyed "Harry Flowers," that song has a great vibe.
The Doors
3/5
"Break on Through" and "Light My Fire" are excellent. They have such a recognizable sound, and really paint a picture of a certain LA stereotype. Some of these songs are trash (looking at you, "Alabama Song"), and overall a mixed bag. In the end, it's an iconic debut from an iconic band.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Some nice songs here. He seems prolific, and like someone who doesn't overthink things, and that free-ness with the music comes through. Sounds like it comes easy to him. Many of the songs sound like they're going to be really boring, and then some lyric or hook hits, and I'm like, damn that works so well. It seems like I say this about most double albums, but true here as well: too long. There are enough throw-away tunes here that it could have been whittled down.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Liking this more than the other Tim Buckley albums I've heard. There are some things that bug me about it, like there's so much going on in the production, where it seems like the power of the message could have been clearer with a simpler setup, and the extra "stuff" distracts from it.
Van Morrison
4/5
A very good album. "Moondance" and "Crazy Love" are some of my all time favorites and the other songs - which I don't know as well - fit right in.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
A good album, not my favorite of theirs, but some solid songs. Also some songs that could have been cut in order to make a more concise album. I was tired of it well before the end.
Silver Jews
2/5
It was fine... feels like someone's pet project that they forced onto the list. Forgettable.
Talvin Singh
4/5
Intriguing mix of influences.
The Damned
4/5
Some good British punk. Good as any punk coming out in that era, to my ear.
Hole
5/5
Fantastic album, punches you in the face, comforts you, then punches you again. Rocks really hard. Courtney Love's voice is so present, great lyrics, very enjoyable. Will listen again.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Suffered through this one. Maybe more here than I give it credit for, but I just hear the pitchy off-rhythm attitude of the singer and grate my teeth.
Arcade Fire
3/5
I thought it was good, I like the sound, the organ is quite a choice... why is it on the list though, I mean, how many Arcade Fire albums could possibly be on this list?
Laibach
1/5
I didn't mind this at first but later on there were some songs that I hated - HATED!! I could not bear to listen to them - it started with "Herz-Felde" and continued through the end. I've never felt so tortured listening to a song. Supposedly they claim not to be fascists, but try not to imagine a Nazi rally listing to this bullshit.
Barry Adamson
4/5
This really won me over as the album wore on. These tracks are so commanding, they're so different from each other. Yet another album that was conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, interesting.
Duran Duran
3/5
I haven't listened to much of this band, other than the hits... I find them naggy and annoying.
John Coltrane
5/5
This is one of those special albums that defines jazz. Like, you could play it for an alien, tell them "this is jazz" and they would get it, and they would be hooked. It's challenging, but it's also warm and infectious.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I just love this album. I listen to it when I want something soothing, when I'm feeling a little sad. After I first listened to it I finally felt like I "got" Bruce Springsteen, and was able to listen to his other records in a new light. Favorites: Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman, State Trooper, Reason to Believe.
The Stooges
5/5
Does anyone rock harder than The Stooges? I don't think so. I would like to know how something this explosive was born in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Radiohead
5/5
I remember being disappointed when this came out - it was so different from what I was expecting, though I'm sure I could not have articulated what exactly I was expecting. Of course, in the moment I didn't realize that that's basically what Radiohead has always done - reinvent themselves, surprise us, and after a few listens we realize how incredible the music is. This album was no different, and it's hard for me to remember what exactly I was disappointed about. A remarkable group of songs, starting with a four-track run of songs that I consider each to be Radiohead classics (15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Nude, Weird Fishes). The innovative "pay what you want" release is a nice side note. It's not their best album but it's better than most bands best album.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Solid punk record, with their own distinctive sound. Has saxophone always been a part of punk music or am I just noticing it now?
Gotan Project
4/5
This album grooves so hard. Really sultry, will make you melt.
The Sabres Of Paradise
4/5
Some excellent grooves here, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Its spareness means it works as background music, but has intricacies that makes it worthy of close headphone listening too. "Duke of Earlsfield" was the song that hooked me.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Pretty solid album - Jeff Beck's guitar work obviously has a lot of personality, but I think Rod Stewart's singing is really the star of the show - which makes it seem funny that he's part of the "backing band."
Ray Price
4/5
Really solid country, I love the low-down bar stories, and the lonely guitars. I'm glad the "introduction" trend did not catch on, it feels like a weird commercial where he's required to rep the label and promise the fans that he'll promise cranking out hits. Though there is something funny and charming about it. Favorites are "Night LIfe" and "Sittin' and Thinkin'". Some of these songs are just ridiculously similar to each other, which makes the album wear out prematurely.
3/5
Falls into the "I want to like it but I just don't" category. I enjoy some of the dirty hard rock moments, but I don't really like their "pop" moments and the vocals start grating on me after a song or two. I remember when some of these songs were on the radio and I felt the same way then.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
Fantastic album, I'm finding it hard to think about things to say about it, because this one runs really deep for me. "Casimir Pulaski Day" was one of the first songs I learned on guitar back in the day. Some just devastating songs that will make you cry, in particular "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and "Casimir Pulaski Day." I mean, several masterpieces: "Come On! Feel the Illinoise", "Jacksonville", "Chicago." Is there some fluff on here? Does it get to long? Of course it's 77 minutes! But it's more than worth that time spent and it deserves its place in the canon.
The Adverts
3/5
I enjoyed it - for me it doesn't really stand out from the other punk of its day.
The Mothers Of Invention
5/5
Hats off. This is off the wall and I love it so much. They're like a goofy ass version of the Beatles - like, all the magic and shimmer of the Beatles but you're hanging out with them and they're just fucking around. Or are they totally serious? The line isn't clear and it's fantastic.
Fred Neil
4/5
Wow, what a sleeper. Had never heard of this but props for writing "Everybody's Talkin'" and recording a version that I imagine very few people have heard. In his voice, you can hear an affectation that would re-emerge in an unfortunate manner in the 00's in bands such as Creed. However, he does it so sincerely that I must forgive it. I'm taken with the simplicity of the production, with just a few instruments, nothing more than necessary. If you want a trip, listen to Randy Travis and then come back to this - remarkably similar.
Taylor Swift
5/5
Taylor proving again and again and again that she's one of the best songwriters in the business. So many massive hits here, and they're great songs. I must admit that Ryan Adams's cover album converted me. I listened to it, and thought these songs are so good, to be fair I should go back to the original and honestly evaluate which one is better. I went song by song, and in the end, Taylor won. If I had to pick a few favorites I would say "Style" "Wildest Dreams" and "I Know Places."
Tears For Fears
4/5
Hmmm... I was expecting to find this exhausting, but maybe I'm turning, slowly, into a Tears for Fears fan. I appreciate how emotive the vocals are, and the instrumentation is layered and rich. Some of the songs are too intense - or too "80's" for me - but this album is chock-full of hits, some of which I really like - "Head Over Heels" to be specific. I guess I've heard it in enough movies and shows that I like that it's finally worn me down. I'm not quite "fan" status but I can tell I'm getting close.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Fantastic, a great vibe, some of these songs will be in rotation for me in the future. Interesting to read how it came to fruition through a last-minute mishap when Ry Cooder was in Cuba to record something else. The album drags at the end, a little too long - that's my only complaint.
Nirvana
4/5
The acoustic format really highlights Kurt Cobain's voice, which is so expressive and textured. Initially I was unconvinced that this album, which is really outside of their core discography, should have a place on the list. But when I think about it as a way to hear where the band might have gone had Kurt remained with us, it becomes much more potent.
Baaba Maal
3/5
It's ok... I'm not hearing the bottled lightning that this supposedly is. Kind of dragged on.
George Harrison
3/5
Wow this is a lot of George Harrison. Evidence of how pent up he must have been in the Beatles, going off and releasing 2 hrs of music. Of course he is a legend, a fantastic guitarist, but I don't get excited about many of these songs. I hate to say it but they are kind of pop rock snoozers. Some of my favorites were actually the Apple Jams. Could be a much tighter, and therefore more interesting, album.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Kind of expecting more from this the way it starts with "Immigrant Song". The rest is boring in comparison.
Adele
4/5
Struck by how mature her voice and perspective is at 21. Spectacular, and deserving of its place as best selling album of the 21st century. In the end, not really my kind of music, but mad respect.
MC Solaar
4/5
Incredible flow in the rapping, and some unusual, complex beats make this a really good listen despite not understanding a lick of French.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
I find him really likable, and I enjoyed some of the features. Broadly, I didn't really connect with it. The skits feel unnecessary. A long album to listen to, especially considering I wasn't that into it in the first place.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Something about these guys is distractingly passive. It seems like there's some great content being wrapped up in unnecessarily docile clothing.
Supergrass
4/5
Didn't recognize the band, and was surprised to find that I knew "Alright." Lots of spunk and vitality, I like the dynamics and tempo changes within the songs. I don't like all of these songs but most of then are at least tolerable. Really enjoyed "Time", nice groove. Kinda hate the cover art. An excellent debut, makes me wonder what came next.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
Some of the best 90's alt rock with those shimmering, layered guitar sounds that almost cross over into country, but are also rock, also pop all at once. The first four songs are spectacular, then the album slows down a bit until "All I Wanna Do" steals the show. I remember hearing it on the radio and having no idea what the words were when she said "Santa Monica Boulevard." I suppose it clicked when I finally made a trip to LA.
Tori Amos
4/5
Something really powerful and confident in the strangeness of this music. Despite having heard her name many times this is my first time giving her a serious listen. I like what I'm hearing.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I have listened to this album here and there over the years - I think my roommate had this record - and my perception of it has changed a lot. It used to be that I liked "Alison" the best and ignored most of the rest. But now some of the other songs sound way better, like "Working Week", "Blame it on Cain" and "Red Shoes." Must be a good sign if the songs are getting better with age and more listens.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Some very friendly and catchy bloops and bleeps. The French Kraftwerk.
The Who
3/5
Good, but falls short of the unrealistic expectations set by the opening track, which is not called Teenaged Wasteland but might as well be. The closer "Won't Get Fooled Again" is solid too, which makes this a nice looking sandwich with disappointing insides. I liked "Behnind Blue Eyes" too, but it doesn't fit well with the other songs.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's pretty good, I can see why it caught on, and their debut album is certainly an important moment in rock history. The fact that all but one are covers makes the album less interesting, and the one original is a sleeper. I like the bold move of not including the band name on the cover, but it would have been even better if they didn't put the label name there either (if I'm honest that almost ruins the effect).
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Not as good as some of his other stuff. I like the grooves, but the organ kind of ruins it for me, it's this silly presence that messes up what could otherwise be a heavy hitting rock thing.
Little Richard
4/5
Infectious tunes, great voice!
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I listened to the extended version, which was a mistake because it really wore me out by the end, and some of those fucked up little skits really helped wear out the welcome. Some good stuff here for sure though. I don't know, I always love hearing Wu-Tang here and there, small doses for me I guess.
Megadeth
2/5
Not worth the time.
Stan Getz
5/5
Is there any music more soothing than this? I think not.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
What annoys me is it seems like they're just saying to themselves 'ok, this track let's do Velvet Underground. Now let's do Rolling Stones, now Elvis' whatever. I bet this would be a fun live band at a party though.
Deep Purple
5/5
Deep Purple continues to impress me.
The Jam
3/5
Their sound is kind of messy, but very British, and very much their own sound. The Taxman bassline rip off is annoying.
The Byrds
2/5
I liked the first song "You Ain't Goin Nowhere," but it all kind of fell apart after that. Their take on country is awkward, it's hard to know whether they're being serious. The fact that Gram Parsons talked them into a country album, then had left the band by the time it was finished, is telling. It wasn't horrible, but given that the only song I really liked was a cover of a Bob Dylan song, I can't rate this highly.
Beyoncé
5/5
Just more evidence that she's one of the greatest of all time.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
A great showcase of her amazing voice and charisma. My only knock is that these songs have been done a million times. But I suppose that's in part due to these recordings.
Ryan Adams
3/5
A couple of great songs and a bunch of mediocre songs... the great ones are "To Be Young" and "Amy".
Nas
5/5
I can't believe I haven't heard this album before, it is amazing. Some of the beats get a little repetitive but it doesn't matter because the rapping is so good, and so are the grooves.
4/5
Some of the bands of this era, and in this genre, blend together for me but the Kinks seem to be do something unique that makes them stand out - even if I can't put my finger on what that is exactly. I liked most of these songs, and my favorites were "Victoria" and "Shangri-La".
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Wow - I don't know what he's saying but it feels like a very sexy intimate view into something I shouldn't be allowed to see.
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
She has such a smooth and relatable voice, which saves what is otherwise an awkward mix of 80's syth pop and mainstream country.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Classic, enduring album - a true great.
Muddy Waters
3/5
It's good, and obviously Muddy Waters is incredibly important and influential. This album falls down for me first because it's a live album, and second because some of the lyrics really make me cringe.
Culture Club
2/5
Some of these songs are borderline unlistenable (looking at you "Black Money"). I can appreciate this as a funny, silly thing that exists, but I don't respect it. Glad when it was over.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Damn, this is intense. I can take a song or two, and I appreciate the commitment to a sound, but damn - hard to take almost an hour of it (more than an hour with the bonus tracks, which I didn't realize were bonus tracks right away). Not totally convinced this belongs on the list, as the second and final album from a band that disbanded shortly after, and who has ever heard of them?
The Stooges
5/5
The more I listen to The Stooges the more they become my new favorite band.
Randy Newman
4/5
He seems to have a knack for writing songs with layers - there's a pleasing, mellow surface and a perplexing, sometimes dark underbelly. Listened a couple times through, very enjoyable.
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
They really are the real deal - complex, surprising music but also catchy, fun and lively. I wish every band was so spectacular!
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Snoop is so likable. Lots of good songs here.
Moby
4/5
I expected to know a few of this, I did not expect to recognize almost all of them - a testament to how much of a force he was around this time. These songs are hard to dislike - a lot of the vocal samples sound really thin and contrived in their new context, which bugs me, but I can look past it and just enjoy the music most of the time.
Eminem
4/5
This was an intense listen. I heard some of these songs when it came out, I was in middle school and it seemed like everyone was listening to it. The whole album is like an unfiltered look into the dark part's of a person's subconscious mind, and for that I both admire it and am deeply disturbed by it. "Stan" in particular still gets me, it's such a sad and scary tale. The whole album was surprisingly emotional to listen to, he's being so honest about his thoughts and experiences, even if it's veiled by exaggeration and various personas. I didn't realize that Dre produced many of these songs, but it makes sense, and explains how great the beats are.
Manu Chao
2/5
I like the travelogue concept - but I'm having a hard time getting into this, it is so disjointed and never really comes together for me.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Enjoyable, but not as compelling as the Stooges records that came before it, or the Iggy records that came after it. Remarkable as his comeback, and as his first collaboration with Bowie. I recently listened to his interview on Broken Record podcast, and Rick Ruben asked him about his introduction to Bowie. He described the music as not his cup of tea (it was probably Hunky Dory that he first listened to), but realizing the talent and imagination of Bowie's music was special. That tells me that Bowie was likely pulling Iggy in a direction that he may not naturally go. Fascinating though, to read about their paths intertwining - both recovering from drug addiction at the time - and how much they influenced each other, with Bowie continuing to explore the songs and the sounds that are on this record.
The Crusaders
4/5
I HATE the first song and I love the rest of the album. Ok maybe that's too strong. I can stand the first two or three minutes of it, but seriously, why start an album with an 11 MINUTE jam track?? Irritating. Anyway, the instrumental tracks have a great groove to them that sits somewhere between funk and smooth jazz. Windows down heat of summer cruise music. Take out or shorten the first track and I am fully on board. Especially enjoyed "Rodeo Drive" with that bouncy bassline and catchy ass melody the saxophone sings.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
This was the Curtis Mayfield album that I was expecting and hoping to see on this list. Fantastic funky soul, with a message prominently featured alongside the tasty guitars and bouncy congas. I have never seen the movie, but I love that the soundtrack out-grossed it, and certainly seems to have outlasted it in terms of its relevance too. "Pusherman" "Freddy's Dead" and "Superfly" I could all listen to on repeat. There is a sappiness in some of the other tracks that drags the album down slightly (most overtly in "Think"), but overall a real gem.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Some amount of nostalgia listening to this - I think my dad must have had an album of theirs. But my overarching feeling about all of this is that they're just trying to hard to be awesome and clever. The lead singer's vocal style is the inescapable emblem of that attitude. I want to like it because of the skill and musicianship but I can't get past that other stuff.
The Saints
2/5
Hard to put my finger exactly what I don't like about this, but I find it exhausting and the horns don't help.
The Slits
4/5
The unpolishedness of the album is perhaps its defining characteristic. I was amazed by the fact that they were supporting The Clash on tour years before releasing this debut album - I looked up some live footage of them and it answered all my questions about how they might have pulled that off. The charisma, and lack of self consciousness of those performances, luckily is captured reasonably well in the album as well.
Neil Young
4/5
I'm normally not super into Neil Young, but I really enjoyed this one. Has to do in part with how full and rich the band sounds. There's an edge and forcefulness to the songs that I'm responding to. Sounds like he was not in a great place emotionally when he was writing and recording this, which is perhaps contributing to that.
4/5
Never been a huge fan but I do appreciate these songs more as I listen to them again and again through the years. Liam's voice in itself is a magnificent instrument. I bought this album in high school and was disappointed with it, and I'm not fully into this as a whole album, but I do find some tracks really amazing on their own - in particular "Wonderwall" (even despite having heard it hundreds of times), and "Champagne Supernova."
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
I don't have a history with this album but these songs are fantastic. The beats and samples are great, and I really like Q-tip's voice, both the sound of his voice, and the way that he's chill, vulnerable, self deprecating, and still delivers a message.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Did not know what this band was about, but recognized "Genius of Love." Did not know that they were a side project from Talking Heads, but it is easy to hear after being pointed out. I don't LOVE their sound but I appreciate their weirdness. Many of the songs are too repetitive and long for me. I could see myself growing to like this band more in time.
Frank Black
2/5
I wish I could way I enjoyed this but mostly it made me realize that I'm sick of listening to bands with singers that can't sing (there are SO MANY!!) - or maybe he can but chooses to do so badly? I am not that big on the Pixies in the first place so the frontman's solo project is just one more step removed.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I enjoyed it, though it is a bit eclectic in a way that feels random. He sounds so much like Phil Collins at times, I suppose that's no coincidence given their time in Genesis together.
Heaven 17
5/5
For some reason, seeing the cover made me think I would not like this - I think the ridiculousness of it was too tantalizing of a promise to be true - but luckily I was wrong, I loved it! The only thing I recognized was Fascist Groove Thang (I think from the LCD Soundsystem cover), but I liked most of these. I appreciate the political commentary, and the spare yet imaginative arrangements. The basslines in the first half of the album are so distinctive that I was shocked to find out that the bass player was not a part of the band - he was just some kid that happened to be at the local theater that one of the band members worked at when they were looking for a bass player. Really amazing story, well told here: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/heaven-17/we-dont-need-this-fascist-groove-thang
Roxy Music
2/5
Ug, for all I try I just can't get into this. To me it feels like 'look at me, I'm being zany!'
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I didn't hate it, and kind of appreciated the overblown cinematic sounds, in the vein of U2 or Oasis. Will not be a part of my regular rotation but I suppose I am glad I listened to it before I die.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I really understand the Brian Eno quote when I listen to this (even though the album sold only only 30,000 copies in its first five years, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!"). The music is loose and cool, very exciting, and perhaps because it is unpolished it makes you think "I could do that!" Of course, you probably can't do that, the band captures a magic that is elusive and only they could capture in the way that they did. But what is more amazing and powerful than something that makes others want to create something too?
David Bowie
5/5
Really enjoyed this, listened to it a few times through. Especially enjoyed "Golden Years" and "Stay", but the whole thing has a nice flow, and I like the cleanliness of six longer songs as opposed to 10 or 12 shorter songs - at least it worked here, that is by no means a fool-proof formula. One of my takeaways from the 1001 albums adventure is that I want to spend more time with Bowie's catalog, so I can properly contextualize each album within his larger output. But what I can say right now is I like this more than I've liked some of his others, and until further research is conducted, it's currently among my favorites of his.
Skepta
3/5
Had not heard of this but apparently it did well... I enjoyed some of it but had trouble taking it seriously.
Coldplay
4/5
I don't consider myself a Coldplay fan but I am definitely a fan of this album. I got into it in high school I think, a few years after it came out. Yellow got overplayed on the radio after its release, and perhaps because of that I still don't enjoy that song, but if you take that one out all the others are solid. The first four songs are an amazing emotional journey - I used to listen to just those four when I wanted to get in the zone.
Kid Rock
2/5
When I was a tweenager I was really into 3 of these songs. They were "Bawitaba" "Cowboy" and "Only God Knows Why." I am fairly certain I listened to the whole album at the time too, but was uninterested in all of the other tracks - that is still true, and the sheer length of this album makes it all the more excruciating. Honestly I can hear how the first two songs I mentioned influenced my taste in those formative years. The riffs in Bawitaba still sound pretty good to me, but the lyrics are trash, and as this sound repeats over the course of the album it sounds like a pale imitation of Rage Against the Machine, without the innovative guitar work and actual purpose. What I still like about Cowboy (when I ignore the lyrics) is that it truly does combine country, rap and rock in a way that is convincing and enjoyable. The changes in the song make it a fun musical journey. In the end, "Only God Knows Why" is the one that I can most enjoy still. The use of autotune is actually pretty interesting, and the more introspective lyrics are a welcome respite after the continuous flogging in all the other tracks. "Black Chick / White Guy" is almost unbearable, as if it's one last attempt to test your patience if by some miracle you haven't yet given up. In summary, a terrible album with a few songs that I have memories with but no longer hold up.
Metallica
3/5
I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. In fact I some of the songs are kind of catchy. What I don't like is that it's like chugging a can of testosterone, the vocals, the guitars, the drums, everything is just so aggressive. I first heard this, probably when I was 12, and I didn't like it, I thought it was frightening. I am no longer scared by it, and I like it slightly more than I did back then, but I will not be putting this on voluntarily.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
Very moody, mysterious. Interesting that they were inspired by religion, and exploring why people need it. I wouldn't have heard that but I can hear it now. There is a lot of space in the songs, like an organ echoing through a church. But instead of an organ it's synthesizers. I enjoyed it, would listen again.
The Byrds
3/5
I like hearing the experimentation, it keeps this from being merely hippie folk. I like it more than most of the other Byrds albums I've heard. The early use of the Moog is noteworthy.
Hawkwind
3/5
Very jammy, and with the straight ahead nature of it, it's very listenable. Plus the live recording is so high quality that it doesn't even sound live, which is great. It doesn't sound cosmic enough to lift me off into outer space like "space rock" implies, but I can hear how it would be powerful in a live context, and the psychedelic interludes are a nice contrast to the classic rock.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
I enjoyed hearing "Relax" in its album context. Beyond that, the music mostly just made me feel anxious.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Quite delightful. The opening track "I Saw the Light" set a great tone. I appreciated the track where he talks about the "game" he made up in the studio, then plays examples of audio hiss, etc. - nice way to keep it light, even though I can't help but think it was filler to fill out a double album - which is, of course, the primary problem with this album. The problem is twofold - it's gets too long to listen to in a sitting, and it means that songs that shouldn't be included are included. But I really did enjoy it despite that last point, and am slowly becoming a Todd Rundgren fan.
King Crimson
4/5
Very strong start with "21st Century Schizoid Man". I'm enjoying the variety of instrumentation - the orchestral elements, the mellotron, the clarinet, alongside the traditional rock setup. The album does lose some momentum as we come down from the first track. Cool that this was a prog rock poineer. I like it more than a lot of the prog I've heard. Ends strong with The Court of the Crimson King, though the promise of the first track was never fully realized through the course of the album.
Dr. Dre
4/5
Dre's productions are amazing, he really created some impressive sounds, quintessential G-funk. Snoop Dogg's contributions really elevate the album, and in large part define it. It's too long - clearly violating the 40-minute rule which has become a reliable marker almost 900 albums into this journey. Trim some of the fat and this album would be even better.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
I'm slowly coming around to this sound - which I think of as the "Phil Collins" sound, though it might be more accurately characterized as the other way around. It's always sounded like muzak to me, like something my mom might have put on while she was cleaning... but it's starting to sound more like an old friend now. I gave it a few listens - favorites are probably "Sledgehammer" "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" and "In Your Eyes."
Metallica
4/5
There is something amazing about the very idea that a metal band would collaborate with an orchestra, and their execution of it is remarkable. I'll be honest, I'm not that into Metallica but what they achieved here with the San Francisco Symphony & Michael Kamen is special.
Sepultura
2/5
Just had to kind of get through this one - it was like getting flicked in the face every time the bass drum hit - it's just not really my speed. It's easy to appreciate the skill of the musicians but I did not enjoy the feelings the music gave me.
Van Morrison
2/5
The fact that this was recorded in a mere two days does not forgive - and in fact explains - its rambliness, noodlings, and lack of resolution. It's as if a very talented student waited until the last minute to write their paper, then just word vomited and turned it in - passable, but hardly great. It sounds like a session that could have resulted in a couple good songs for a future album and ditch the rest.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Super funky, good flow - really enjoyed this one. Noting that this debut seems to be accepted as his best album.
The Monks
3/5
People are saying some significant things about this album - first punk album, beginning of krautrock, pioneering avant garde music - wow! I guess I can hear that if I stretch but as a listening experience the first thing that sticks out is the lead vocalist's shrill voice that goes the same for me as hearing someone rub their fingers on a balloon - it gives me the chills. I do enjoy their unhinged style and there are lots more interesting "facts" about this band - that they were American GI's stationed in Germany, that they were critical of the Vietnam war, that one of their instruments was a six string banjo. I wish I could hear the music at it was recieved then, because it comes off to these contemporary ears - almost 60 years later - as a goofy novelty act rather than the hard hitting innovator that the critical acclaim suggests.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
I am a fan, and listened to this when it came out. My complaint is now what it was then, which is they have a tendency to produce some real knockout, top notch songs, and then a handful of mediocre songs, which makes it difficult to appreciate them fully in the context of a full album. I think "A Certain Romance" is my favorite.
Brian Wilson
3/5
A very pretty Beach Boysy album, and interesting to hear an isolated version of his influence on the Beach Boys. What a wild thing, to revisit and finish an album so many years later. I do question its place on the list a little bit for that reason, but it certainly turned out well.
4/5
Can't say I understand why this is on the list, but I am glad I listened to it. The arrangements and instrumentation are challenging, yet I found my head bobbing along to most of them. Feels like a scary campfire story in musical form.
The Fall
3/5
The don't give a fuck attitude is somewhat appealing but is overshadowed by the annoying repetition, dissonance, and things out of key. Mercifully short, which helped. I was listening with Margaret, and she said "too noisy, two stars, move on." I am rounding up to 3.
The Pretty Things
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyed, and appreciate the common thread / storyline. I like the experimentation and the psychedelia of it too. Big cred for being the first rock opera, even if Tommy ended up being released first. Side note, as a huge Ty Segall fan I was hearing extreme similarities between the first two tracks and some of Ty's music. Apparently not a coincidence, as he has cited this as one of his favorite albums.
New Order
3/5
This feels like kids goofing around with synthesizers taken to its logical conclusion on the billboard charts.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
I like this the more I listen to it. It's very sweet sounding, and I like this folk / country line she is riding.
Britney Spears
3/5
The definition of bubblegum pop. Some real jams here, but way too much fluff.
Otis Redding
4/5
What a voice, what a legend. Amazing that he wrote Respect, considering everyone associates it with Aretha.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Well crafted songs. No complaints, but not striking lightning in me either. I do like her voice.
Brian Eno
4/5
This album grew on my as I listened through a couple times. The combo of the samples with David Byrne's punchy guitar works well. The eclectic samples, combined from many different places, make the sounds fresh and unique.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Solid!
Ride
2/5
What a miserable dirge. And making it even worse, it's way too long.
The Beach Boys
3/5
It is hard for me to understand why this became one of their great albums. I hear a couple good songs, a bunch of decent songs, and a couple ridiculous should have been b-sides. Landlocked would have been a superior album title, I wish they would have stayed with it. I don't recognize any of these which tells me they did not become a part of the collective consciousness the way many of their other songs on other albums have. Despite all this, I understand its place on the list since it apparently did so well. But I still don't understand why.
Kings of Leon
4/5
I'm a fan of King of Leon - yes, even their Sex on Fire era, as overblown as it was, but nothing they've done since really compares to their first couple albums (this one and Youth & Young Manhood). Raw, tight, gripping rock n roll. Caleb's unique voice and delivery helps set the band apart and define their sound. The album drags in a couple places but overall a great listen.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
The kind of glam rock that I have trouble getting into. Sounds like they were not hugely successful, but were influential to some other glam bands who I also don't like listening to.
The Residents
4/5
I'm not sure "enjoyed" is the right word, but I appreciated hearing this. It sounds like people allowing themselves to be the strangest version of themselves, and I find that inspiring. Interesting reading about their long and storied history, avanti garden approach and anonymity. I am amazed that they are still active as a band in 2023.
Anthrax
2/5
Listening to this just feels like wasting time, I am not on this thrash metal wavelength at all. The songs are more meaningful than they sound like they would be, the socially conscious themes and such. And there's a lot of technical skill, particularly in the speed of the playing. But as they say, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Did not enjoy.
Guided By Voices
4/5
I am inspired by the looseness of the band generally and this album specifically. It doesn't feel over thought or over worked, the short songs feel like brief little journal entries. Feels like a feat to achieve 28 actual songs in 41 minutes. I also like the sound of Robert Pollard's voice, it sounds silky or something.
David Holmes
4/5
Some great grooves. Interesting to find out he was behind the Ocean's trilogy soundtracks - I've always liked that music but did not know who was behind it. "Don't Die Just Yet" was particularly good.
Gram Parsons
4/5
These songs are smooth and frictionless, it's hard to find anything wrong with them - does that mean they're perfect, or does it mean they're boring? The only real moment of confusion for me was the random live track. Ok, I'm reading now that the live track was fake, with canned applause, which actually makes it even more confusing. Overall though, really solid songs and performances.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
This is heavy, I like it. There's a catharsis in the driving anger towards certain aspects of society. I'm connecting with it.
Justice
4/5
They have a knack for ear worms. Impressive debut. I don't listen to that much dance music but I think part of the appeal of this is that it easily crosses over into pop & rock realms.
Dolly Parton
4/5
3 legendary singers - beautiful harmonies, a soulful collaboration. I am not overwhelmed by this album but I am certainly charmed by it.
The Darkness
3/5
I am impressed that it is a debut album, because the sound is so developed and consistent. I know "Thing Called Love" but not any of the others so I was surprised to hear that there were 5 singles. In the end, I don't really like this, it has that glam goofiness and showoffiness that turns me off. But I can't deny the skill on display here, particularly from the lead singer.
The Police
3/5
One of those bands whose sound has always seemed omnipresent, yet I'm sure I've never listened to an entire album. It's a good, tight sound, but it doesn't particularly excite me.
Sparks
3/5
It's fun and kinda catchy, and at the same time irritating and gimmicky. Likely not something I will choose to listen to, but it fits a mood that I could get down with sometimes.
Genesis
3/5
Way too long, but to their credit it seems that they never run out of things to say in 90 minutes. Some really compelling tracks here and there that would be more impactful, in my opinion, in the context of a more condensed 40 minute album.
The Doors
3/5
Perfectly good Doors sound - nothing particularly amazing here in my opinion.
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
A fun listen. Not really my thing, but I can definitely hear the dna of early 00's dance music that would follow.
The Libertines
2/5
This sounds very run-of-the-mill to me. "The Libertines was voted the third-most overrated album ever made in a 2005 BBC public poll." Seems about right.
Kings of Leon
5/5
Hands down their best album. I mean COME ON these songs are so EXCITING! They captured a raw energy that was still present in their second album, but by albums 3 and 4 had shifted into something else - not something bad, but something different and less magical that what they captured here on their debut. I watched some YouTube video the other day where they attributed the shift in sound to opening up for U2 on tour, which made a lot of sense to me. They were new to big arenas, and after listening to U2 play mid tempo rock arena jams night after night, how could their sound not change? So what they captured on this album was a specific moment in time in their development, and I'm glad we have it. I love ALL of these songs and will continue to come back to this album as I have over many years.
R.E.M.
3/5
I can respect the songwriting and the themes of these, but I find their sound underwhelming and Michael Stipe's voice annoying. Hard for me to understand why some people were calling them the best band in the world when this came out.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Heck of a debut - great songs, fresh perspective, big time collaborators. Too long though.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Some really well crafted songs. I find it a bit tedious though, the way everything is crafted so specifically.
Kacey Musgraves
5/5
This is one of those albums - I consider it a masterpiece, and nearly perfect. I remember listening to it when it came out, walking through NE Minneapolis where I lived at the time, hearing "Slow Burn" and "Lonely Weekend" and thinking, if it continues like this throughout the album it's going to be a classic. It did not let me down! I listened to it, probably dozens of times over the following couple years, and it's still one I come back to regularly. At our wedding, Margaret and I had the musicians play "Oh, What A World" for the processional. There's unfortunately one track I regularly skip (High Horse), but all the others are top notch songwriting. I also appreciate how, despite being a "country" artist Kacey is not afraid to incorporate other genres and production techniques that you don't often here in pop country. Five stars!
PJ Harvey
4/5
Quiet and understated in some ways, explosive and cutting in others. Remarkable work! Warrants additional listens.
Turbonegro
4/5
A little schticky at times, but on the whole, their style of rock n roll is irresistible.
The Cramps
4/5
At first I was really averse to this - it sounded cold and distant, too much reverb on the guitars, whatever. But halfway through the album, something switched in my brain, and by the end of the album I was a fan. The hooky little rockabilly licks and the raw, emotional vocals spoke to me.
Roxy Music
3/5
As much as I try I can't get beyond the zaniness. It sounds like a parody of Rocky Horror Picture show to me, which I acknowledge is Rocky Horror Picture Show's fault because it came after this album. I wonder if there is a direct connection or if that sound was just kind of in the air in the early to mid 70's. In any case, I keep hoping that Roxy Music will grow on me, but no luck so far.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
It's kind of fun, though I have this constant sense of "what is going on?" It comes off more like a mix tape than a singular album, perhaps due to McLaren's role as more of a curator and from what I read, very limited musical ability. There's nothing inherently bad about what's going on here sonically but it does not get me very excited.
Jack White
4/5
This is a very good, well written album. I am a huge Jack White fan, and this is one of the vinyl records in my small collection. What keeps me from thinking of this as a "great" album is simply the comparison between this and many of his other excellent records with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. There are several albums of his that I return to before this one, even including his subsequent solo albums which continue to get better. But I do enjoy this album, and there are no duds, which is always an impressive feat for any artist.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Bleak and depressing. Not bad per se, but I did not like it.
King Crimson
4/5
A great listen - they really venture into various genres in a way that feels authentic and natural, not forced. Nice flow between songs, no complains. I'm becoming a King Crimson fan.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
In general I like what they're doing here. The program matches the lofty comments they are making about the futility of war. I could do without the couple goofier, more straight-ahead tracks (especially "Are You Ready Eddie?") because, although short, they take away from the concept and the mood that they spend so much time setting up in the first track.
Miles Davis
4/5
The two-track album is elegant when pulled off by a band as skilled as this one. Complex, yet moody and enjoyable tunes to get lost in. A nice balance of accessible to challenging. A great album amongst many great albums by this legend.
Television
5/5
Surprised how much I like this. The thing that was most striking for me is how similar this is to another, more recent, band - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah. I could really hear the DNA of that band in Television. The vocal delivery, despite being "talky" (which can turn me off sometimes) seemed controlled and skillful - an intentional decision rather than a lack of skill. The interplay between the two guitars stuck out to me too - one doing strong, percussive rhythm, and the other doing arpeggiation or melodic runs. Lots of great catchy basslines as well. Sounds like it was initially underappreciated but well recieved by critics. This might make it into my regular rotation.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Very distinctive and consistent album. To be honest it gets a little repetitive (starting with Mannish Boy, which I wish was about half the length), but he has a great sound and his influence echoes through time.
Suicide
4/5
I don't know much about this band other than having heard James Murphy wax poetic about them, saying he got married to Cheree. I can understand why the music alienated audiences, it's uncompromising and there inlies its power. I allowed myself to settle into the repetition of it and really quite enjoyed it while part of me hated it at the same time. Good listen.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I listened to Chili Peppers quite a bit in high school. My main memory with this album is, one winter it was my preferred outdoor workout soundtrack. So I would be running through a snowy, windy, cold tundra listening to these essentially Californian songs. There are some great songs here, alongside a few duds. Interesting to hear that they recorded 30-40 songs for the album. Despite that, the bonus tracks, which I had not previously heard, do not add anything, and in fact detract from the album - they would have been better left to legend, unreleased. Luckily, the great songs do make up for the not so great ones, making the album worthwhile.
Moby Grape
3/5
I appreciated hearing this because Moby Grape is a band that I wrote off thinking I didn't like them, but I actually liked most of these songs.
Paul McCartney
3/5
I've never really given Paul's solo work a good listen, so this feels like new insight into his personality - some real goofiness unleashed. Some seemingly unfinished songs, some bizarre songs, almost joke songs. And then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, there's "Maybe I'm Amazed" to blow you away. Then it's back to finger percussion on a suitcase or whatever is happening in the final track.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
Impressed by the performances, unimpressed by the content.
Kanye West
3/5
It is impossible to put aside Kanye's recent hate speech and identification as a Nazi and all the rest - it colors lines like "I am a god" in even poorer light. Putting that aside for a moment, sonically one of the stand out things on this album is the minimalism of it. I was impressed by the restraint of even keeping the drums out in many cases, yet it still felt like there was plenty there to keep the songs together. Interesting to hear that Rick Ribin was brought on for just that - for stopping back and being a "reducer" not a "producer" as Kanye said. Also interesting to hear that he was inspired by Le Corbusier, and that he worked with architects in formulating his ideas about the album.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Strikes me as decent run-of-the-mill Oasis-era made-for-the-masses brit pop. I like his voice for the most part, but some of the lyrics were embarrassingly cliche - "Angels" being the worst offender in that regard. I thought the softer, more stripped down songs were standouts, they sounded more natural and less like he was just trying to impress us (thinking of "One of God's Better People" and "Killing Me").
Christina Aguilera
2/5
This brought me back, but not really in a good way, and also not as much as I thought it would. I recognized 3 or 4 of these because they were on pop radio at the time, but this was a very long album with a few too many overblown "inspirational" anthems.
Aerosmith
2/5
In the 1001 book, the reviewer points out that this is "cock rock" which I didn't realize was an actual genre. I think that sums up what I don't like about this - it's aggressive, in your face, showy. I like "Walk This Way" (though I prefer the Run DMC version) and "Sweet Emotion", the rest of it I will pass on.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I love the warm jazziness and the fearless wandering of this album. Obviously lots to unpack, will require more listens and I have a feeling it won't get old.
Germs
3/5
Noteworthy that a band's only album could become so influential and legendary - though, for what it's worth I've never heard of it. Certainly has a good punk sound to it, and is consistently good all the way through.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
This band seems to get mentioned frequently but this is one of the first times I've intentionally listened to them. Strikes me as vanilla - not objectionable, not particularly exciting either.
Joe Ely
5/5
Really loving this album. This is an outlandish statement but I'm going to make it anyway: this album is to country as Kind of Blue is to jazz - as in, it's a genre defining, exemplary and well executed example (I'll stop the analogy there). Apparently this was too outside for country radio at the time, but clearly its DNA has found its way into country music that's followed it. Baffling that he opened for The Clash, and suffered abuse from their audience - but perhaps is illustrative of how this music didn't initially find its way with a mass audience (i.e. not country enough for country, not rock enough for rock). The band is tight, the songwriting solid, and his voice strikes me as an authoritative storytelling voice that is commanding and believable.
ZZ Top
4/5
I can certainly appreciate this. It's kind of easy to make fun of ZZ Top but if you give them a good listen they really know how to throw down. My dad must have had an album of theirs because I remember him playing La Grange for us and us thinking it was hilarious the way the singer was mumbling. The riff in that song is great, simple yet iconic. I love the seamless transition between the first two tracks, a very slick move that was apparently the work of the tape engineer, but later they would recreate it live. Lots of good songs here, pretty solid to my ear.
Stephen Stills
3/5
I didn't realize he wrote "Love the One You're With" even though I've heard it so many times - it's one of those songs that just keeps showing up. Really strong start to the album with that one, but after a couple songs it seems to get indulgent and rambly, and in the end doesn't hold together as a particularly strong album.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Time After Time" are absolute classics and great to listen to anytime. The rest of the album is hit or miss, but what remains consistent is the incredible emotion and freedom in Cyndi's voice, and the band doing its best to keep up with her.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
A very distinctive sound, the guitar bends, the wildness and energy that stays intense even through the bonus tracks. Would listen again, especially now knowing that the original run time was 45 minutes, not the 80 minute extended version I almost didn't make it through.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Strikes me as "fans only" material, not "hear this before you die" material. Three strikes right off the bat - live album, long album, and long rambly jam tracks. However, it sounds like the importance of this album is that it captured their live performance sound, which is fundamental to why they have such a strong fanbase in the deadheads. On another positive note, it also strikes me that, although the tracks may be rambly, they're not noodly - their skill is evident within the improvisation.
Dire Straits
3/5
My dad used to play "Money for Nothing" for us when we were kids - we loved it -and it's still a great song in my opinion. It is fun hearing Sting's voice on it, and I just found out he co-wrote it as well. Mark Knopfler's guitar playing is exceptional, though it sometimes takes backseat to some 80's production things that take away from their sound - namely the gate reverb on the drums, the syrupy saxophone, and some overbearing synthesizers. Some tracks drag out to long for me as well, and that's the feeling that I'm left with, is there was a bit too much of the low-key drawn out mood pieces. A few solid tracks largely save it, but as an album I won't be putting this on repeat.
John Lennon
5/5
This album... is amazing. It doesn't get better than the song "Imagine" but the quality just keeps coming despite starting at such a high point. The 1-2-3 of "Imagine" "Crippled Inside" and "Jealous Guy" hit me super hard. I admire his songwriting skill, and his willingness to say what he means in such clear and powerful ways. "How Do You Sleep" is another standout, and rather shocking how scathing an attack it is on Paul - I want back and listened to the Ram tracks of Paul's that John was reacting to, and they are much more veiled. In any case, lots of great tracks here - I will refrain from listing all of them - and they hold together as an album. A remarkable work by a legend.
Method Man
3/5
He's a good rapper, and I like the sound of his voice. I found the beats a little underwhelming, I expect more from RZA.
Brian Eno
3/5
It seems he achieved his goal of making this equal parts ignorable and interesting. It sounds so commonplace now - something you might hear at a spa - but the fact that he was forging a new genre of music is amazing. The story behind the album is more compelling than the listening experience - another one that I wish I could go back and time and hear without the baggage of everything that followed it.
Ozomatli
3/5
A fun album, sounds like a party. Maybe that's why it wore me out - it started feeling long only about halfway through.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Kind of a cool idea for an album, to play with the greats. It plays like an archive piece, from the star performances to the little chit chat tracks in between songs. Heck of a run time to get through at 2 hrs, but there hasn't been much bluegrass on this list and it was a welcome change.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Solid performances, as expected from Elvis. Fun to hear the band, and inspiring that this was his comeback emerging from his dwindling film career. Some of these songs just feel like tear jerkers for the masses, which turns me off, but there are some great ones here too. It is not "exciting" in a rock n roll way like some of his earlier work, but appealing in a different way.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
I found the opening sounds very promising. The wildness introduced in the first track however, I was hoping would be harnessed into something more concise, but that never really happened. Intellectually I can appreciate it as a psychedelic jam record, and a snapshot of the San Fran Haight Ashbury scene of the late 60's.
Def Leppard
2/5
I can understand why people like this - high energy, melodic, accessible, catchy, easy to sing along to. For me it's overblown, I find many of the lyrics annoying, it's not really my speed. The one I can get behind is "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - perhaps the celebratory feelings of hearing it at dozens of weddings has rubbed off over time. The other songs are essentially lesser versions of that song. I understand why this commercially successful album is on the list, but you won't find it in my regular rotation.
Holger Czukay
5/5
Really enjoyed this - lighthearted and innovative at the same time. I love the idea that he was improvising scores for his amusement as he watched movies. I think "Cool in the Pool" is my new favorite song.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
I much preferred the tracks that leaned more classical Indian, but I suppose the ridiculous "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "Light My Fire" were necessary to setup the fusion that he was going for here - and let's ask ourselves, would it even be on our list if it weren't for those two? But it was a bait and switch in the best way, quickly working in other sitar-based originals & traditionals, even getting fully meditative with the 13-minite track "Satar." It was a great experience after getting through the obligatory covers.
Joanna Newsom
4/5
Struck by the mystical, childlike qualities of this album. It plays like a storybook, but one that requires some decoding. Really stands out, between the harp, orchestration, lyrics and vocal delivery - clearly a unique artist.
Steve Earle
4/5
I like this more the more I listen to it. Interesting that the rock press picked it up and country ignored it at first, as parts of this sound very stereotypically country. Then again, maybe that's the reason - it was novel for rock but typical for country. Well written songs and some great country twang.
Klaxons
4/5
Good sound, I like the intensity. Kind of surprised I didn't know about this band. The "new rave" label is inaccurate in my opinion, but apparently became part of the culture of the live shows with glow sticks and such. Makes me think of Grizzly Bear, with the seriousness and rigor of the sound. I could definitely get into this band.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Lots of good songs, a cohesive album. I was previously only familiar with the song "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" which came after this, but most of these songs live up to the same fun and vitality. One qualm, I hated the "Comfortably Numb" cover, and am a little surprised it played a key role in the achieving notoriety. But it was just a short blip in an otherwise solid album.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Something disgustingly beautiful about the way he sings and the way these songs are orchestrated. I can appreciate it but it's not something I will likely choose to listen to. One of my favorite parts was the very end of "Harvester of Hearts" when he says "that's all you're getting tonight" then laughs that goofy strange laugh. It felt like a glimpse behind a lush facade to something that is hiding behind meticulously crafted prose and arrangement - something that I'm more interested in seeing that what's being shown.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
These songs are devastating in the best way. He has such command of language, I am in awe. Hell of a debut.
Duke Ellington
4/5
A good listen, a very skillful and exciting band. Sounds like it would have been a great time to be there live.
Throwing Muses
4/5
This was new to me, gave it a couple listens. They have their own unique thing going on, especially in the vocals and lyrics. I like how they stay in high energy serious mode the whole time. I could see myself coming back to this.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
This is what, the third Echo album we're listening to? Outside of a few big songs, I don't find their stuff particularly enjoyable, and I can't help but feel they're taking up too much space on this list. I can certainly understand one or two, but not three. I found this one tedious to get through.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Each of these songs is like a swiftly moving train - self contained immovable objects. This album seems to have had multiple resurgences over the past couple decades, and it's easy to hear why. Well written songs, with only a couple that slow down the significant momentum. I have heard this album here and there, but I forgot how many classics are on it. Highly enjoyable listen.
Merle Haggard
4/5
Solid rough livin country songs. The band is fun to listen to. Amazing that he heard Johnny Cash as a prisoner at San Quentin - what a story! I would listen to this again.
Dion
2/5
He has a great voice, but I don't love the songs - some of them have a smarmy vibe - I don't love the production either, I felt like I was drowning in it. Seems like Dion himself was not a big fan of this, calling it funeral music, but some other famous musicians spoke highly of it later, which helped it earn its place on this list. I listened to Runaround Sue after this, much preferred that album.
SZA
3/5
I do like this album and listened to it when it came out, but there's a rambliness to it that slows it down here and there. Makes me feel like she's not sure where it is going next. The song "Drew Barrymore" is excellent, and there are a couple others that are pretty solid too. And I do enjoy the thread of Mom's advice throughout, it is a nice touch.
White Denim
5/5
NEW FAVORITE BAND
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
What I imagine it would have been like to be a 20 year old in Haight Ashbury in the 60's - sounds wild and drug induced. Cool that they were perhaps the first to describe their music as psychadelic rock. A good listen, and more hard edged than a lot of other psych rock I've heard from this era - less idealism, which is weirdly refreshing.
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
I appreciate the use of tools and building materials, it sounds like a demented construction site. For an album that they were trying to make unlistenable, it has quite a bit going for it. The rhythms are entrancing at times, and they leave a lot of space in many of the tracks, which invites then listener in before they are eventually jolted out of the trance with a primal scream. Would listen again.
Scritti Politti
4/5
This is about as 80's bubblegum pop as I can imagine, which makes it simultaneously disgusting and irresistable.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Solid album, straight ahead punk with an emphasis on melody. Listened a couple times through, would listen again.
Mariah Carey
3/5
I remember several of these from when they were on the radio. Some of them are ok.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
On the surface this is underwhelming, but as I listened more and learned more about it - recorded on one microphone, in a single day (more or less) - it started to grow on me. There is something captivating and calming about the minimalism.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Really intense and engaging songs, and the energy stays high throughout. Nothing like some good quality British hip hop.
U2
2/5
I respect their anti war rhetoric, however what I feel overwhelmingly when I listen to this is empty and hopeless. This is my problem with most of U2's catalog, I don't enjoy listening because they make me feel like that.
The Shamen
2/5
Becomes fairly monotonous over the course of an hour plus. Not sure how this sounded when it came out, but now it sounds quaint - excitable 90's dance grooves. Did not particularly enjoy it. I think I could appreciate it in the right mood, but I was not in that mood.
Bee Gees
3/5
These songs have the power to either pierce your soul or trigger your gag reflex depending on your disposition and mood. I was getting both from song to song. Didn't hear any of the "hits" that I personally associate with the Bee Gees. This was a roller coaster than trended toward lows for me.
George Jones
4/5
The voice, the production, the performances, the lyrics, it's a perfect country album.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
5/5
Really like this album, and it is holding up well. Each member of the band brings something special to the ensemble, and there's a pleasing amount of space in the mix where you can hear and appreciate each individual part as well as the whole. I first hear this when it came out, was already a fan of Damon Albarn & Danger Mouse, who produced it, and it led me to becoming a big fan especially of Tony Allen as well - his drumming really stands out and is a defining feature of their sound.
LL Cool J
3/5
The title track is worth the price of admission but the album is too long and it sounds weak compared to what Public Enemy and NWA were doing at the same time.
Pentangle
3/5
I was really hooked by the first three songs, "Light Flight" "Once I Had a Sweetheart" and "Springtime Promises." The fourth song - a literal dirge, "Lyke-Wake Dirge" - kills the momentum and the album never fully recovers. Nonetheless this band has caught my attention.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Powerful, raw, emotional songs. A cohesive album of high quality, as one might expect from a powerhouse songwriter such as PJ Harvey. I am a little surprised there's not a remastered version of this, as the mix seems a little muddy and dull.
4/5
Past the ridiculousness of Fred Durst's persona and word choices are some fairly catchy songs. I admit this album has a special place in my heart, as I remember the excitement when in 7th(?) grade my friend introduced me to this. It was something I would not have been able to access due to my parents relatively strict policies about what I watched and listened to. Many of these songs still hold that power for me, the feeling of magic of hearing something I had never heard before, something off limits - perhaps strongest with "My Way" and "Take a Look Around." The album is way too long and that final 10 minute track with Ben Stiller is garbage, but I did appreciate listening to the album again.
CHVRCHES
4/5
I saw this band at Bonaroo, maybe 2014, and I was a dozen rows back and one of the people she seemed to be making eye contact with, or at least regularly looking in the general direction of. I remember it being a soul piercing, intense, confident kind of look - which I speculate is one of the ingredients that helps her voice balance the very present synthesizers that cohabitate these songs. At its worst moments, this album is still listenable, even catchy, and at it's best is downright contagious.
Supergrass
2/5
I'm having trouble figuring out how this band got two albums on the list. I can understand one, due to the success they found, but their sound is so basic. Found myself feel annoyed through most of this.
GZA
4/5
High quality, solid album as one would expect from GZA & RZA.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Really fascinating reading about this guy, and what a backstory - drunkenly falling 4 stories out a window, becoming paraplegic, and THEN going on to a decades long successful solo career. This album is so quirky, but also sophisticated and charming. I plan to come back to this, and check out his other work too.
The Zutons
3/5
Skeptical of anything from the mid 00's that I haven't heard of. Have people heard of this band, and remember them? The songs vacillate between pretty good and catchy, to simple and boring, to schticky and annoying in a way that it's hard to tell if it's a joke or not. The singer has a strong voice, and the instrumentation sounds good, and in the end I came out liking it. But still skeptical - sounds like their second album made more impact, maybe if we're convinced this band deserves a place on the list that one should be it? I found the second half of the album to be much stronger, starting with "Nightmare Part II."
Lana Del Rey
4/5
She has a way of capturing the beauty and terror of modern life. I very much enjoy this album.
The Vines
3/5
A fun surprise to come across this album. I first heard it around 2008, I think it was a random selection in the CD section at the Fargo Public Library. Beyond that I had not context for it, no one I knew listened to this band. I remember really loving a couple of the songs, and really not caring for a couple as well. That's still more or less true upon re-listening now in 2023. My favorites back then were "Outtatheway" - which I actually performed a cover version of in our basement band at the time - and "Factory". I find that I still like the former, and am a little less fond of the latter now. But some of the others are sticking out now in a good way, including "Highly Evolved", "Ain't No Room", "1969". Others slow the album down, namely "Homesick." After some reading I am still not entirely convinced of its place on the list, but it was a nice surprise to come across this again, and it is inspiring me to check out the rest of their discography.
Japan
2/5
I find the sound underwhelming, the voice whiney. There were some aspects of the title track that I found appealing, but the charm wore off quickly in subsequent tracks. And seriously, who just names their band after another country?
Neil Young
3/5
I know everyone loves Neil Young, but I just don't feel it most of the time. This album deserves more listens, but I am far from knocked out by it.
Lightning Bolt
4/5
I love that this is their most accessible album, yet one of the most challenging listens on the list. From the 1001 book: "Lightning Bolt does not so much play music as inflict it upon the listener in a barrage of technical noise." I can't say that I fully enjoyed the whole album, but I enjoyed much of it, and what I didn't exactly like was made up for by enjoying the feeling of my ear being challenged. Also, find memories of seeing them at the Turf Club years ago.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
The book mentions that this music sounded fresh at the time, and became "the preferred soundtrack in hip cafes, hair salons, and fashion stores." This perhaps is insight into why it sounds so weak to me. My first exposure to this may have been at the mall, being reluctantly dragged along running errands with mom when I was 8 or 9. I dont know if that's the case, but the album made me feel underwhelmed and I was glad when it was over.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Nick Cave is already overrepresented on this list, we don't need his sprawling 17th album as well.
The Auteurs
3/5
This is some perfectly pleasant Britpop, very listenable, not very edgy. I respect that they were forerunners of the genre, though I assume unwittingly.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Easy to appreciate her lyricism in the relatively minimal soundscapes - minimal, especially compared to what one might expect from an album of the mid 80's. Ultimately that's what this album stands on, is Vegas's turns of phrase and wordsmithing, which works better in some songs than in others.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyed, Ali Farka Toure's playing style is hard to beat. Could listen all day.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Sounds like he was quite a character, tragic that he died so young. A few of these songs piqued my interest, and certainly show promise had he had the chance to continue his solo career.
Spacemen 3
2/5
I don't mind their sound, but the repetition and slowness was not exactly holding my attention.
The Clash
4/5
This album is good all the way through, maintains it's high energy.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
The length of this album significantly diminishes what otherwise might be a decent album - especially as, midway through, we start getting jerked around by fan voicemails and whatever the hell "Enter the Circus" was. The first half was pretty solid, the second half went off the rails for me.
The Associates
3/5
The definitely have a sound. I'm not crazy about that sound, but seems like some others were - including, apparently, Bono, whose vocal style I can definitely hear. There's a derpiness, a strangeness to the songs which baffles me. You can strongly hear the DNA of 80's synth pop. I don't hate it, don't love it.
The Only Ones
4/5
Quite enjoyed this. The vocals have a character that makes you focus on the words, and the band just rocks steady.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
This has always been a band for me that pops up here and there on playlists or whatever, but I've never taken the time to learn anything about them. I found myself liking many of these songs, even when I didn't want to - almost sounds like a metaphor for drugs, one of the recurring themes throughout the album. I like the bent towards psychedelic rock, but done in their own way. On the other hand, there is something rubbing me the wrong way about this band that's hard to put my finger on - maybe a sense that they're making a joke I don't quite understand.
Gorillaz
3/5
I am a huge Gorillaz fan, but this is not their best album and I suppose it's on the list because of songs like "Clint Eastwood" which became a classic. I've always found this album lacking cohesion and too long. That said, some of the songs that tend to get stuck in my head would probably be the first to be cut if this was a tighter album, like "Double Bass" "M1 A1" "Sound Check" and "Left Hand Suzuki Method" (which must be only on the US release?). The album starts super strong with "Re-Hash" "5/4" and "Tomorrow Comes Today" but just doesn't keep up the momentum throughout. A good collection of songs, and a significant band, but not a great front-to-back album.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Strikes me as perfectly fine 90's / early 00's R&B. I really liked "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" but nothing else really stuck out.
Bad Brains
2/5
Clearly this has had lots of influence on bands that followed them, and is noteworthy for that. Unfortunately I just don't really like it. It sounds like punk but with stereotypical 80's pop production.
Madonna
4/5
This has aged much better than I would have guessed. At the time it just sounded like the state of pop radio, because it was the music Madonna was making. But now it sounds inventive and creative, even refreshing. Unfortunately the album takes a nose dive with the last couple songs (I especially don't think the world needed that version of American Pie, which thankfully wasn't on the original release anyway). Take those two out though, and this is a surprising gem of an album.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Some legendary classics on this album - "Chain of Fools" and "A Natural Woman" are standouts, but all of these songs hang together with soulful singing and playing.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Seems like this was foreshadowing or leading the way to late 90's / early 00's dance music. A fun listen, but that's where it ends for me.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I first heard this in college because I had a friend who happened to be a big G Love fan - that would have been about 15 years after this came out. There are a some gems here, namely "Baby Got Sauce" and "Cold Beverage." Many of the others seem undercooked, very repetitive in terms of structure and themes, which had me thoroughly worn down by the end of the hour. I do admire their laid back style, and G Love obviously has one of those unique voices that you could recognize anywhere. In the end, it's a good band to know about but the album might be better for background mood than front to back listening.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
I'm sure this is not totally fair, just a first impression, but this sounded eclectic in a forced sort of way. And at the same time they kept sounding like a dead ringer for Blur, which I suppose I can dismiss as a consequence of the time and place. I could see this growing on me as I understand what makes it unique, but the first couple listens have been underwhelming.
Radiohead
4/5
My appreciation of this album continues to grow every time I listen. So many of these songs start unassuming and by the end they absolutely fucking take off like a rocket. Jonny Greenwood is like ground control, making sure Thom makes it through the atmosphere into outer space. The only thing that keeps this from being 5 stars for me is, it's not even in my top 3 Radiohead albums - probably top 5 though.
Bob Dylan
5/5
These songs have an immediate appeal in their sound, and because of Dylan's masterful lyric writing they continue to get better with repeated listens. That, together with the legendary backlash when he went electric just before its release, makes this album great.
5/5
Bowie in top form, a fantastic and indispensable album.
k.d. lang
2/5
I didn't even know that k.d. lang started as a country singer. I suppose I am glad that gap in knowledge was filled due to this listen, but beyond providing context for her subsequent work, is this an important album for the list?
Suede
2/5
This is the second band recently who was supposedly the first band to do britpop. Hmm. Not necessarily this band's fault but I'm getting a little sick of that sound. They have some good qualities, especially the catchy guitar riffs, but I was worn down pretty quickly by the vocals and the sameness of the sound.
Traffic
4/5
I'm impressed by this, from the very first notes the album is hooky and groovy. Occasionally the lyrics veer into eye rolling hippie stereotypes, but the vast majority was simply enjoyable. The one I recognized, of course, was "Feelin' Alright?", but there were other standouts for me, including "You Can All Join In" "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" and "Cryin' to be Heard." The bonus tracks made the album much too long but there were a couple good songs there too.
Soft Machine
3/5
This was an interesting listen, somewhat challenging. I didn't fully enjoy it, it felt a bit like listening to someone's half baked manifesto. I liked the moments of prog / jazz.
N.E.R.D
4/5
One of those bands that I've been meaning to listen to but haven't really until now. Found it really catchy and fun. The arrangements were simple but with enough surprises to keep it interesting.
Beatles
5/5
Certainly among the most legendary albums, full of classic songs that still sound fantastic more than a half century on.
One of the things I was thinking about was the length of this album, 93 minutes, and the fact that it's their only double album. On one hand, like almost any album this length, some things could have been cut to possibly make it stronger. But if that had been the case we probably never would have heard Revolution 9. Would they even have made it to Helter Skelter had they not been stretching out in this way? It's amazing that they produced this much great music in a time so tumultuous within the band.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
The raw aggression of this makes me like this and hate it at the same time. I am impressed by the weight and seriousness of the sound, and also feel like I am hanging out with assholes, as they repeat phrases like "I hope you don't have a good time." The fact that they had two bass players is interesting, and I can appreciate how that is shaping their sound into something unique.
Calexico
3/5
Previously only knew this band from their Iron & Wine collaboration "In the Reins," which had a couple great songs on it that I treasure. I kind of like the "desert noir" description for this band, especially since I seem to prefer the cinematic instrumental adventure tunes vs the more traditionally structured songs. Honestly this seems like a random pick for the list, I would appreciate some more context around why this band.
3/5
I was initially turned off by some of the lyrics sounding rally lazy and cliche, but things improved as the album wore on. The composition got more interesting, the lyrics less cringy, and by the end I was more or less won over.
The Who
4/5
Though I'm always skeptical of live albums, this one has some rare magic. There is a raw power that comes through this recording, and one can appreciate how tight and talented the band is individually and as a group. Makes me want to be there!
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
On its face I find it boring. My way in was when I started appreciating that this music is not about melody and hooks, but about subtle changes - things being added or subtracted slowly over time - that create a mesmerizing, potentially trance inducing soundscape. From that angle I can appreciate it, and I wouldn't mind if it was on somewhere but I am probably not going to put it on myself.
Louis Prima
4/5
Warm voice, warm music, this is charming and energizing. Some of the songs are dated and/or derpy but most of them just sound great. I of course had to accompany the listen with the clip of him as King Louie in the 1967 version of The Jungle Book - legendary stuff.
The The
2/5
Cold and confrontational - not really my jam. I listened twice and both times really became engaged during the drum breakdown in the second half of Giant - which is basically the end of the album.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
We really experience a range of emotions - in the first three songs alone we go from bliss to anger to sadness and longing. I was traveling yesterday and had the privilege of listening to this whole thing 3 or 4 times. I don't love all the songs but the ones that I do totally make up for it and then some. Plus the backstory of his breakup adds layers to the meaning of the songs and the order that they're in. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" "Superstition" "Blame it on the Sun" and "I Believe" are all jaw droppingly incredible songs and earn top marks.
Big Black
4/5
Intense and rockin in a self destructive teenaged sort of way. I found it simultaneously frightening, silly, and enjoyable. A rare combination perhaps.
Digital Underground
2/5
Had not heard The Humpty Dance in a while, that was a fun surprise. This is an interesting counterpoint to NWA and Public Enemy, a kind of positive uplifting version. Lots of these songs are very long, and so is the album, and it wore me out by the end. Kind of funny and kind of baffling that they had two songs about "sex packets." The plethora of Funkadelic samples just made me want to listen to them instead.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Really like this. I love the "avant-garage" description, I think that captures what they are doing. Their sound is solidly punk in some ways, but they are also freely experimenting, and the concoction is irresistable. Occasionally it got annoying, like that track with all the bottle smashing, but besides that I think I have a new band to dig into.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Some solid Gabriel. I am intrigued by the decision not to use cymbals, and it apparently causing Phil Collins to create the first use of gated reverb - a dubious sound that would become ubiquitous, but I actually don't mind it here. Also interested in the fact that his label wouldn't put it out, despite him feeling like he had found his voice on it, and obviously time tells us doubting it was a mistake. So far I like this and I could see it growing on me more with additional listens.
fIREHOSE
2/5
Mostly just finding this annoying. They are all over the place and amateurish, but not in a charming way.
CHIC
3/5
Fun songs, but man are some of them repetitive. Perhaps best for background music. The fact that the album is shorter redeems it slightly.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
I appreciate the free spirit of this album, though at times it gets off kilter and out of tune to the point where it's hard to listen to.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Slick little songs. Major rock n roll DNA here. The backup singers sound really cheesy to me. Really enjoy the skillful guitar solos, and Holly's singing voice. To be completely honest I don't love listening to this but will round up to 4 stars for the echos that this and other Holly recordings sent into the future of music.
Shack
2/5
Not another run-of-the-mill britpop band... just waiting for this one to end.
Big Star
4/5
Really like the crisp, muscular guitar-driven sound. Even though they wear their influences on their sleeve (Beatles, Stones, etc) they definitely bring their own unique thing to the table. Sad to hear that label incompetence may have contributed to their demise after just a few years. I was caught by surprise to hear the original version of "That 70's Show" theme with "In the Street." Also noteworthy, a funny and bizarre choice to name themselves after a grocery store chain.
Doves
4/5
Really has s nice indie rock sound. Sophisticated and consistent throughout the album. Interesting that this band played house music previous to this as Sub Sub and this was essentially a rebrand. I'm sure it allowed them to bring something unique to their rock sound and help them stand out.
Beck
4/5
I listened to this quite a bit in high school after it came out. For me it conjures memories of driving down Broadway in Rochester listening to "Que Onda Guero". There are several excellent songs, but I have always felt that although the album starts very strong it doesn't keep up the energy it establishes in the first 4-5 songs. As an album I wish it was more cohesive. Interesting, I just now learned that Jack White played that incredibly iconic and groovy bassline on "Go It Alone".
Gang Starr
2/5
Apparently some have called this the best hip hop album of all time. Forgive me, I simply found it underwhelming.
Anita Baker
2/5
I mean... this must be pretty close to peak 80's schmaltz, right?
Björk
3/5
She has a knack for mystical sounding music. Many of these are long and rather rambly. Not fully on board with it, but it does have the strange beauty one would expect from Björk.
Boards of Canada
4/5
I love all the layers and how the songs will transform is small, subtle ways as they go along. The songs are in some ways unassuming - almost a mellow kind of background music - but the driving beats and complexity of the sound keep them really alluring. It's long but it got me in a nice hypnotic zone while I was working. Ended up listening a couple times.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
They seem like a bunch of goofballs! I wonder what Stevie Wonder thought the first time he heard them singing about him in "Dreaming," haha. Then there some more serious, legitimately good stuff too, like "The Message". "Scorpio" is a funny one too, this robot instructing dance moves. Overall I find this album charming even if I'm wondering what they were thinking during several parts. And of course I must acknowledge its importance in the early development of hip hop.
The Cult
2/5
First impression, this band seems like it's trying too hard. I am particularly annoyed by the "yow!" and "yay-ah!" sounds the lead singer likes to do, they sound phony the way he does them. Also the showy testosterone induced guitar solos, combined with the whole vibe of the album cover just support my feeling about it. There a fun-ness about this album that's appealing, but mostly it's just rubbing me the wrong way - too many rock n roll tropes.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Hit and miss, I was most attracted to the rockin numbers like "Stepping Stone". The album felt a little incoherent in some places the low point for me being "Little Girl in the 4th Row" which sounded embarrassingly like the Beach Boys.
Pearl Jam
2/5
I've always found Pearl Jam boring / exhausting and this listen was no different.
Jacques Brel
3/5
A nice voice, clearly very expressive even not being able to tell what he is saying. A little disappointing that his only album on the list is a live album, but in terms of live albums it's not too obnoxious.
Pantera
2/5
I can appreciate the tightness of the band and the skill of the musicians, but in the end I just don't really relate to this kind of aggression.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Not something I would normally listen to, but I respect the political messages and the intense sound. A concise, consistent album.
Eminem
2/5
This is tolerable if I view it like a horror film and ignore most of the fucked up things he is saying. The production on many of the tracks is really punchy and catchy, that's some of the appeal of the music for me - that and the rhythm of his flow, but in most cases not the content. I was part of the "Middle America" that he was reaching as a middle schooler, discovering the kind of music our parents didn't want us listening to. The music didn't age very well though and I have no desire to listen to this beyond the brief tinge of nostalgic recognition that I get when certain songs of his come on. But even this album, I only recognize one or two and I hope this is the last Eminem album we have to endure for the sake of 1001 albums.
Venom
2/5
It's kind of fun, kind of stupid. Can hear the joke in it, can hear seriousness in it too. Not something I plan to come back to.
The Beta Band
3/5
I like the mood, mysteriousness of the sound. Interesting that they were relatively short lived, only producing 3 albums before breaking up despite critical acclaim and support of powerhouse bands like Oasis and Radiohead. I like this well enough, might dig into the rest of their catalog.
Röyksopp
3/5
Even though I don't tend to gravitate toward electronic music, I think this album has a lot going for it. I particularly like the more up tempo dancier tunes. They have an allure to them that feels less like a forceful "you must dance" and more like a chill "take it or leave it" invitation. I like that. The more downtempo songs were a bit less successful for me. But this duo has certainly caught my attention.
Ministry
3/5
Much of the content I don't find very appealing but I am drawn to the intense driving sound of the music.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Some good songs, plenty of hits, though Margaret recognized more of them than I did. The only one I very clearly remember is Rock Your Body. Commits the CD era sin of just being too long, and there are some obvious candidates to cut in my opinion. He's clearly a great singer and his sense of humor comes though here and there. Hearing this made me wonder why NSYNC and Backstreet Boys don't appear on this list, yet here is JT, and we've listened to multiple Christina Aguilera albums for example - something against boy bands? Not that I want to hear those albums again but I think it's a fair question.
The White Stripes
3/5
I agree with the other two albums, White Blood Cells and Elephant, being on the list, but if I was to pick a third it would be either their self titled debut or De Stijl rather than this one. I feel like they were losing the plot a little bit in their final two albums, this one and Icky Thump. For me, the album never really gains momentum. I of course say all this as a fan who has listened to all the albums many times, and the criticism comes from a place of love. But even my favorite songs on this album are not among my favorite White Stripes songs.
The Bees
3/5
I like what's going on here, the multitude of influences making their way into an album that feels remarkably cohesive in spite of it. After reading a mention of Devendra Banhart on their wikipedia page I can't unheard the "freak folk" thing as well.
Van Morrison
2/5
The inclusion of Van Morrison on this list is of course warranted, but the actual albums chosen have been somewhat questionable, this being the latest example. I keep reading "one of the greatest live albums of all time" but I checked a couple lists and didn't see it in anyone's top 50. This is 90 minute (!!) album is something every Van Morrison fan should hear probably, but not something everyone needs to hear before they die.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
Kind of a derpy old world charm mixed with sharp messages. It's an appealing cocktail.
Laura Nyro
2/5
There is a curated kind of stream-of-conscious, you-can't-pin-me-down-ness to this that I immediately found irritating. It continued throughout the album and I continued to find it irritating.
4/5
Mixed feelings. It's interesting to hear how he presented the electric songs, first doing an acoustic set and then bringing on the band. And boy they sound fantastic. I find it disappointing that the animosity from the audience that has become so legendary can't even be heard in the recording. I keep hearing this story about someone yelling "Judas" and Dylan calling him a liar before telling the band to play it fucking loud, then starting "Like a Rolling Stone" but you can't hear that at all here. I did find a clip of it elsewhere: https://youtu.be/RViHf4fABxI?si=8wXlAWNvvEueFD_R so at least there's some evidence that it happened. But point is, this album doesn't illustrate that legend, you just hear an audience politely clapping at the end of each song. But it does showcase some fantastic versions of these songs, particularly the electric versions.
I was also skeptical that we were listening to, first of all yet another 90 minute live album, and secondly one that was only officially released 32 years after it was recorded. I came around a bit after reading about how much it was bootlegged, and how it influenced other great musicians.
In the end I came around, I do think this album is worth a listen before you die, as long as you know some of the context around it going in.
Giant Sand
2/5
A little skeptical of this, as it was sounding suspiciously like someone's pet addition to the list. Spare instrumentation, and low talk-singing were sounding a lot like some kind of Nick Cave impersonation. My skepticism was pushed further when the only thing listed under legacy on Wikipedia was its inclusion on this list.
Willie Nelson
2/5
I don't claim to know Willie Nelson's entire discography, but this has to be among his most boring. I can appreciate how this collection of pop standards cemented his unique voice and appealed to a mass audience, but boy does it sound vapid. None of these versions comes close to being a definitive version. Would much rather listen to his original material.
Mudhoney
2/5
Mostly exhausting. Some things I like about it, like the fuzzy sound, the raw parts of it. Makes sense that they're a Seattle band drawing comparisons to Pearl Jam, another band I have similar difficulty appreciating for some reason.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Cynically I'll say, if you've heard one Dinosaur Jr song you've heard them all. Which means if you like their sound it's a gold mine. Unfortunately I don't really, though I did enjoy some of the wilder, noisier stuff toward the end of the album.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Really solid album, one with a biting message, and at the same time one that you can also just turn up and enjoy the full sound.
TV On The Radio
3/5
They have some good stuff going on here. I felt fairly neutral about it overall though, I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it's because most of the songs have a kind of self loathing feeling to them that I don't like staying in too long. I could see it growing on me though, we'll see.
John Lennon
5/5
This is a great album. The way he communicates raw emotion through the music, and through his voice - these songs really demonstrate that he's one of the best ever to do it. I would not put all of these songs in the top tier, but there are enough knock-outs to fully make up for it - "Mother" "I Found Out" "Working Class Hero" "Isolation" "Well Well Well" and "God" are my favorites. One of the things that stuck with me on this listen was the way he is playing guitar in "I Found Out" - it's rather violent, dirty staccato playing that adds a lot to the song rhythmically and emotionally. I found it inspiring.
Neu!
3/5
I didn't realize that Rother and Dinger were so at odds that they decided to split the album. Why make an album at all together in that case? But the sounds really work together despite that. The ambiance of Rother's side prepare you somehow for the raucous jam that happens when "Hero" starts. I was definitely gravitating most toward side two, but the whole thing was a good listen, a surprisingly easy listen compared to what I was expecting.
American Music Club
2/5
They're like a more annoying version of REM. Did not enjoy.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
I can understand why this is an influential album, it seems to take punk and split it wide open into a sprawling landscape. Some of the songs are a little too long for me but all in all I quite enjoyed this.
Django Django
2/5
"Default" had an exciting sound when it came out but none of their other songs have shown much of that same magic. Some of the songs are underwhelming, others are downright annoying. Seems to have done well critically but I don't get it, I hear one good song.
Queen Latifah
3/5
Fun songs. Kind of amazing how completely formed her persona was with a debut album at age 19 - it's so clearly the Queen Latifah we all know.
Patti Smith
4/5
The sound of this record is particularly amazing for the mid 70's - it sounds to me what would become indie rock of the subsequent decades, though its influence has been wider than one subgenre.
Tortoise
3/5
They have a distinctive sound, that comes off fairly warm and inoffensive for how experimental they're being. I am not immediately hooked but I could see it growing on me. Kudos to them for helping forge a new direction in "post-rock."
George Michael
3/5
He obviously has talent, but I find the album rather boring. It's what I think of when I think about what might have appealed to the masses in that era. I don't hate it, it's perfectly pleasant, but I guess that's its weakness as well.
The Mars Volta
5/5
I listened to this quite a bit in high school but haven't listened to it much since. I am pleasantly surprised that it sounds great 20 years later. I didn't really know what prog rock was back then, but have since developed a taste for it, and this fits right in the pocket. The tug between Mars Volta's desire to "jab the common man's ears" and producer Rick Rubin's desire to cater to those ears, creates a perfectly balanced cocktail.
Saint Etienne
3/5
Sounds like the 90's idea of the future.
Soundgarden
5/5
Love their dark, grungy sound, and how they have fun with time signatures now and again. Chris Cornell really had one of the best rock voices of all time, which I can say with some confidence 1,050+ albums into this. The album is too long but to their credit it does at least remain fairly high quality to the end. Plus, it showcases what I think of as their two big hits - Spoonman and Black Hole Sun. This listen was really a breath of fresh air for me, one that I didn't even have to wonder why it was on the list - it very clearly deserves to be.
The xx
3/5
I don't particularly resonate with this brand of mellow, emo indie pop. When "On Hold" was on the radio I found it mildly annoying.
Hot Chip
4/5
Extremely catchy - there's something almost drug-like about these songs, how irrisistable they are. And as good as the synth pop instrumentation is, much of its distinctiveness comes from the lead singer's voice - truly a unique sound. I had been introduced to this band's music early in their career, but had not returned to it much if at all, and I'm happy to listen again and find that they sound fantastic. And a very cohesive and engaging album at that.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Annoyed that we are listening to this band for the third time, and highly skeptical of this inclusion on the list. Apparently some people consider it a lost treasure, a Pet Sounds of the 80's but it was a commercial flop when it came out, and I'm not hearing many redeeming qualities in the songs. In this one there's not even a "Come on Eileen" equivalent to try and save it.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
A nice departure from the norm on this list. An alluring sound, instantly appealing from the first rhythms.
The KLF
2/5
Most of these songs were too repetitive for me. The production sounds cold and impersonal. I was charmed by the inclusion of pedal steel guitar on a couple of the tracks, but perhaps only because it contrasted so starkly with the rest of the instrumentation.
Portishead
4/5
Started a bit slow I thought, without that Portishead sizzle, but they got there by the end. Interesting back story, how they were ready to give up on music until they produced another band and were really inspired by that band's process - then, after about a decade, made their final album.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
Happy to know about this. It took me a couple listens, but I got drawn into the hypnotizing rhythms. Interesting to see videos of the band live too, there is a lot of trading off the vocals between the several performers.
3/5
The quirky, whimsical songwriting is charming, though at times a little overbearing, in a " look at this weird thing we're doing" kind of way. I was not previously aware of this music, and I look forward to digging in more... maybe.
The Thrills
2/5
The songs are kind of catchy and quaint but I was extremely sick of the lead singer's voice a few tracks in, which made it painful to finish the album. I think I could stand a song or two of this at a time, not the whole album.
Paul Simon
3/5
I normally don't like bonus tracks but in this instance they were revealing. The acoustic versions, with just his voice and a guitar, hit harder than the album versions, which tells me the production was getting in the way of the songwriting instead of enhancing it.
David Ackles
3/5
I appreciate how odd this is in relation to the western rock canon we're exploring here. These are basically musical show tunes, but presented on an album without the accompanying musical. This is both its appeal and downfall for me.
Adele
3/5
Obviously a great singer who bears her soul through the songwriting. It's unlikely that I would just put on this album, but I respect it.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Despite being probably their most commercially successful album, musically it's perhaps their low point for me. I had started listening to them just before this came out, and had become a fan of their earlier work. When "Sex on Fire" hit the radio I found myself having to defend them, "but actually they're good if you listen to this other stuff..."
Slade
4/5
They have such a fun, playful, makes-you-want-to-party sound! Irresistable!
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Music to turn your brain off to, and just listen to the lovely, yet strangely haunting, sound of their voices. The songwriting on this album is nothing special in my opinion, and all the songs fade out, which is a pet peeve of mine, but the sound of the music is really nice. And I mean, it's the Everly Brothers, they're legends.
Coldcut
3/5
Usually I find house music more annoying, this wasn't too bad. I didn't dislike any of the songs, it was a fun listen. But it's not my new favorite thing either.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Wow this is super smooth. I didn't really notice the electronica influence in this until the second listen, but there it is, joining seamlessly with the classic bossa nova sound. And my word, what a voice! Just melting.
Orange Juice
4/5
Finding this gangly pop rather charming.
Faust
3/5
It's wild how they shift sound so dramatically from song to song. "Krautrock" establishes such an intriguing mood, which they break the spell of aggressively with "The Sad Skinhead" and it takes a few tracks before they bring that sound back. A bit of a rollercoaster that I'm not sure I'm on board with, but there were moments and individual songs that I quite enjoyed.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Great listening to this again, as it's one I return to now and again but it had been a while. He's pulling a lot of influence from different places, but has a sound of his own. The band seems really on point, and works so well with Beefheart's voice. The arrangements keep the listener on their toes. Did not know Ry Cooder was on this! As an aside, I knew that Don Van Vliet (a.k.a. Captain Beefheart) did paintings as well, but I didn't realize it became a full fledged successful career for him - nor did I know that he was a child prodigy sculptor. What a character.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Demented musical theater, and not the good kind. Nick Cave is overrepresented on this list. Struggled through this one.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Such a warm splendid voice she has, and the band is just super chill, absolutely nailing the vibe. It was weird that they included the preamble announcement to the crowd, but I actually found that it added some anticipation, and put me in the room. Her improvisational joke at the end of "Willow" doubled down on that feeling - like we're at the concert and get to be in on the mishaps too. The one song I question is "How High the Moon" - she seems to sort of cover Ella's version, which is a version where she also doesn't seem to know the lyrics. It ends up being a weaker end to the album. Really enjoyed this though, her voice is so incredible.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Kind of hated the first song - mostly due to that main out-of-town hook, which I'm sure was an artistic choice, but nonetheless ruined the song for me. Amazingly, outside of that I enjoyed most of the rest of the album. Or, at least in relation to that first one; there are certainly other dismal moments. But this is one of those bands that I've heard of but never properly digested, so this at least piqued my interest to check out their other music.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Easy to appreciate his distinctove style, and get lost in the mesmerizing repetition of these songs.
Bill Callahan
3/5
I find his voice calming.
Ice T
3/5
Not sure I've listened to an entire Ice T album before. Lots of good individual tracks, but like most 70+ minute albums there's some content that, if cut, might have made it stronger.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
As ever, I appreciate how unhinged they are willing to be. I much preferred side two for exactly that. The album as a whole is likely not one I'll come back to often.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Commanding grooves, as one expects from Fela - just irrisistable. Not to mention the story around this album is mind bending. Since the album criticized the Nigerian military and became a massive hit, it naturally pissed the government off. They responded by going to his commune, beating him to near death, and throwing his mother from a window, injuries from which tragically resulted in her death. You would think an experience like this might silence a person. Of course we know, for Fela, it did anything but.
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
They seem like a band who has garnered attention in part through doing deliberately controversial imagery (Nazi stuff, porn...) a tactic I don't find appealing. I do appreciate some of the sounds on this album, and the ever present experimentation. Not wholly convinced of its greatness after the first couple listens.
Bob Dylan
4/5
A legendary album at a formative moment in rock, quality songwriting in Dylan's top form. Interesting to know that there was an entire failed session in New York before trying again in Nashville.
M.I.A.
3/5
This is a fun album from a great artist, but I must admit I am surprised to see multiple M.I.A. albums on this list. Kala is the more deserving album of these two, and indeed in the 2011 version of the 1001 book that I have been reading, Kala is on the list and Arular is not. Despite this, I did enjoy the listen.
3/5
A good album, cohesive and unafraid to sprawl out with the songs. I don't know their discography well, but with (surprisingly) only one album on the list I thought it would have been the one with "Low Rider" on it.
Aphex Twin
4/5
These songs are quite beautiful. I found myself entranced by them right out the gate. Fascinating that the debut album was essentially a greatest hits - his friends favorites of his tracks to that point.
Meat Puppets
4/5
There's a term I hadn't heard before - cow punk! I like it! Fun to unexpectedly hear a couple songs I think of as Nirvana songs from their MTV Unplugged performance, but of course they were Meat Puppets songs first. They sound that lets you know they are not afraid to go for it, not afraid to just play - you can hear mistakes, but it just adds to the personality of the music, and I respect how they're making it work. Did I just become a Meat Puppets fan?
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
Really sad to hear all the turmoil he went through with the drug use and mental health issues. Tragic that this was his last musical effort. It makes this a little hard to listen to. Some of the songs are very beautiful, but the album goes downhill toward the end. It's the CD reissue bonus tracks that are the main offenders though, as usual.
The Beta Band
4/5
I admit I like this, but do we really need 2 if this band's 3 albums on this list?? Seems like an overrepresentation. Even so, it is hard to stay mad because the songs are so good. The melodies are catchy, the sound dreamy.
The Streets
3/5
Some fun stuff, but I've listened to this in the past and thought I liked it better than I did on this listen. Which I suppose indicates that it's not aging well. Much of the singing on the album is hard to listen to, whether it's him or someone else. His lyrics are clever and funny, sometimes vulnerable, which I appreciate. In the end though, there were only a couple songs that didn't make me flinch in one way or another.