Journey Complete!
Finisher #89 to complete the list
View User Albums Summary1089
Albums Rated
3.32
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Third/Sister Lovers
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1970s
Favorite Decade
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other
Top Origin
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95
5-Star Albums
26
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
|
5 | 2.62 | +2.38 |
|
Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
|
5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
|
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
|
5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
|
Smile
Brian Wilson
|
5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
|
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
|
5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
|
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
|
5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
|
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
|
1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
|
The Real Thing
Faith No More
|
1 | 3.2 | -2.2 |
|
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
|
1 | 3.18 | -2.18 |
|
Pump
Aerosmith
|
1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
|
Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
|
1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
|
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
|
1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
|
Reign In Blood
Slayer
|
1 | 2.96 | -1.96 |
|
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
|
1 | 2.92 | -1.92 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.86 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.8 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.57 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.6 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.75 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 5 |
| The Doors | 3 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.5 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.11 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 4.67 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| The Band | 2 | 5 |
| Big Star | 2 | 5 |
| John Lennon | 2 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.25 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.25 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.33 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Megadeth | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Prodigy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Scott Walker | 2 | 1.5 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 |
| Belle & Sebastian | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 2 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 2 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 2 |
| Metallica | 4 | 2.25 |
5-Star Albums (95)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Gary Numan
3/5
Gary Numan was created in a lab in 1977, a collaboration between MIT scientist Garry Smirnoff and singer-songwriter Randy Newman (hence the name "Garry Nu-Man", or "Gary Numan" as it came to be known.) After 2 years of neural network processing, Gary wrote and recorded The Pleasure Principle, becoming the first AI-generated entity to create a full-length, original album. (A year previously, an AI algorithm developed by a team at Stanford created an album, but it turned out to be made up entirely of Captain and Tennille cover versions, a major setback and disappointment for the team.)
The Pleasure Principle became a huge success, with Cars, an ode to Gary's fellow machines, shooting to number one overnight. Sadly, Gary's success was short-lived. Like so many that came before before, Gary succumbed to the indulgences of fame and wealth. While working on its follow-up album, Gary discovered Usenet, a recently launched distributed system of computers. This sent Gary down a rabbit-hole of increasingly niche porn, culminating in a visit to a robot tentacle porn newsgroup, where it contracted a serious virus from which its handlers were unable to recover. Gary was decommissioned and sold for parts in January of 1980.
Soon after that, budding music producer and talent scout Lou Pearlman was asked to find a human stand-in for the fallen AI entity in order to capitalize on the opportunity. Lou signed up-and-comer Anthony James Webb, who adopted the Gary Numan stage name and persona and is still performing to this day.
Follow-up releases have paled in comparison to the original computer-generated compositions, but at least we have this classic to always remember "Garry Nu-Man" by. 3 stars.
57 likes
AC/DC
2/5
It boggles my mind how insanely popular this album is. It just goes to show you how simple-minded a large portion of the population is. Here's the AC/DC formula: Find a common phrase. Either use it as is (e.g. Back in Black) or even better if we can make a slight alteration to turn it into something with sexual connotations (e.g. Shoot to Thrill) or best yet find one that can be a double entendre (e.g. Givin the Dog a Bone). Then write some simplistic lyrics to go with the phrase - a couple of verses and a chorus is all you need. Then find some basic power chord riff that is catchy (this is the part that requires some talent and the only reason I'm giving this more than one star). Now shriek the lyrics on top of the power chords, and there you go! Eat it up and give us your money, simpletons! 2 stars.
44 likes
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
If you had told me that today I was going to listen to a live album by an Argentinian tango composer and bandoneon player in collaboration with a renowned vibraphonist, and that I would really enjoy it, I would have called you crazy and kicked you out of my house. But this was really, really good. I'm a sucker for melancholy violin music, and with the vibraphone that makes an unexpectedly nice combination. And the bandoneon, an instrument I had never heard of until today, adds a nice touch as well. Surprisingly, I'm going with 4 stars on this one.
28 likes
SAULT
4/5
Wow, an album from 2020. Must be one of the most recent albums on the list. One of the things I love about this project is that I listen to things I normally wouldn't. Some of those things turn out terribly as expected, but others, like this one, are really pleasant surprises. This album just exudes a warm feeling that envelopes the listener. Really nice. 4 stars.
25 likes
King Crimson
5/5
A progressive rock landmark. Influenced so many things that came later, including Yes, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Genesis, ELP, and many more. I never realized before that Yes pretty much stole the riff from 21st Century Schizoid Man for their song Heart of the Sunrise. Amazing debut album, it's like King Crimson emerged fully formed and mature. Classic. 5 stars.
19 likes
1-Star Albums (26)
All Ratings
Fela Kuti
4/5
Love the horns. Great grooves. Don’t love the singing.
The Smiths
3/5
Not my favorite but a few good tracks
Erykah Badu
4/5
4/5
My favorite album for many years growing up, but it hasn’t aged as well for me as most of the other Beatles material.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Excellent
The Cure
3/5
Better than I anticipated. I don’t dislike the Cure but was never that into them either.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Much better than I expected.
Prince
2/5
I know he’s a musical genius, but most of his music just doesn’t do it for me. I hate the fake-sounding drum machine in particular.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Eh, didn’t enjoy this much at all. That sort of schmaltzy lounge singer feel. Some of the music was nice but in general a thumbs down from me.
Lou Reed
4/5
Lou Reed is always interesting at least. I don’t love all of his work, but overall this album is very good. Caroline Says II in particular is beautiful.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Enjoyed more than I expected. Surprised by the cover of Born to Run. Strangely hearing shades of Pink Floyd in the ballad of 32.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I was already very familiar with this album and love it. Great to revisit - it’s been quite a while since I listened to it all the way through.
System Of A Down
2/5
While I can understand the appeal, just not my thing. A few of the songs are sort of listenable.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Pretty good. Not a huge fan of the dissonant/noise stuff but I do appreciate some of their music.
Ramones
4/5
It's the Ramones, so obviously it's great. Classic.
Eels
4/5
Very nice. I like the Eels but haven’t delved too deeply into their catalog.
Happy Mondays
4/5
I really liked this a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect - for some reason I had the Sundays in my head, so was thinking female singer, mellow, poppy sound. This was really catchy and rocked in places. Adding it to my liked albums.
AC/DC
2/5
Not the biggest AC/DC fan, but as far as AC/DC albums go this is probably the one I would be most likely to listen to.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Great album. I've always loved Creedence but don't think I've listened to this album start to finish.
4/5
This is really good. I had heard of Blur and I'm sure I've heard some of their music but this album was all new to me. Great energy.
Living Colour
2/5
Eh, not so much.
Motörhead
3/5
I liked this more than I was expecting. Kind of a heavy metal Ramones.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Love it. Classic album. Hadn't listened to this all the way through before.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Man, this is so good. It's like you're there in the club listening to this amazing performance. Excellent.
M.I.A.
2/5
I love Paper Planes, but not really enjoying many of the other songs. Not my thing.
D'Angelo
1/5
Nope.
Billy Joel
4/5
I've always appreciated Billy Joel even if not someone I listened to all that often. This album is full of great songs.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Not bad. I like their music, but not really a fan of Perry Farrell's voice.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Love the guitar work by Eric Clapton. Easy to see why he was considered a guitar god.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Excellent, of course. I was always a bigger fan of the Clash but I can definitely appreciate the Sex Pistols too.
Steely Dan
5/5
Love this album. It's nearly perfect.
3/5
Wasn't really familiar with this band before, I liked it.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Might not even be in my top 5 Bruce albums, but still a 5 star album easily.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I've always been more of a Beatles guy than a Stones guy, but this is pretty good as far as Stones records go.
Yes
4/5
Excellent album. The full band tracks are better than the individual ones, although Steve Howe's Mood for a Day is a great one.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Great sound.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Beautiful album, was a favorite in my younger years and still holds up.
DJ Shadow
4/5
I liked this. More like mood music, but not bad.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Some of these songs made me want to jam a screwdriver into my ears to make it stop. Some were okay.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Very nice. Hadn't heard most of this before.
The Byrds
4/5
Excellent. Debut album from the Byrds, with that classic Byrds sound.
Digital Underground
2/5
Not really my thing, but some decent beats.
Burning Spear
3/5
Good reggae vibes.
Tom Waits
4/5
I've always appreciated Tom Waits but haven't listened to his music extensively. I enjoyed this album, but I think I best enjoy him in small doses.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Amazing album. I knew most of these songs already but didn't know they were all from the same album. A talented bunch of guys.
Supergrass
4/5
I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard of Supergrass, but not sure if I've heard their music before. This was really good though. High energy, great production.
Megadeth
1/5
Hate. Thank god it's over.
Van Morrison
5/5
Truly a masterpiece. Brilliant album.
Al Green
4/5
Good stuff. What an amazing voice.
Venom
2/5
No thank you. Actually, some of the less thrashy parts of this aren't horrible. The guitar solo in Teacher's Pet is actually pretty cool.
The Specials
3/5
Pretty good! Enjoyed this.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Beautiful album. I've never listened to this VU album all the way through. It may be my favorite of all their albums.
Fats Domino
3/5
Unfortunately Spotify only has about half of the album. What I heard I liked!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
I actually bought this CD back in the day in a conscious effort to be hip to newer music, but I quickly grew to hate it. I can appreciate some of the guitar but overall not a fan.
Television
5/5
I love Television. Saw them in concert after their reunion album, which is also incredible. This is a classic, 5 stars.
The Fall
2/5
I was expecting to like this, but I have to say it's a no for me. Repetitious and sorta boring. 2 stars.
R.E.M.
4/5
Very familiar with this album, listened to it a lot around the time it came out. Great album. 4 Stars.
The Style Council
2/5
I guess 'eclectic' is the right word to describe this. Some of it I enjoyed but most of it not so much. A couple of the songs were super repetitive and annoying. 2 stars.
Shack
4/5
This is really good. I had never heard of this band before, happy to have now discovered them!
The Beach Boys
3/5
This is really good. Haven't listened to much Beach Boys post-60s, but this is interesting. 3.5 stars.
Steely Dan
4/5
Excellent album. I had heard several of these songs before. 4 stars.
Elton John
3/5
I like Elton John, especially his early work. Levon is one of my favorites. I would say this album has a few great songs (Levon, Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water) and the rest are sort of filler. 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I think this is my favorite of the trilogy of 1965/66 albums by Dylan. Classic, 5 stars.
Lauryn Hill
2/5
Not my favorite.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
A bit too country for me, but pretty good overall. Emmylou has a beautiful voice. 2.5 stars.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Not really my favorite type of music, although I can appreciate some of this. 2 stars.
Slipknot
1/5
Nope. Zero stars if I could.
Megadeth
1/5
What a terrible streak of albums this has been. Hopefully it gets better tomorrow. Hate this. 1 star.
Boards of Canada
2/5
It's ok, but basically just sounds like background or new age music. 2 stars.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Finally, something new and interesting! Eclectic and experimental. 3.5 stars.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
Pretty awful. I'll give it 2 stars just because I think the guitar work is not bad.
Haircut 100
2/5
Pretty good, sort of prototypical 80s new wave. I like the horns, but overall not super excited about this. 2.5 stars.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I hate to say it, but the Stones are slowly growing on me. 3 stars.
Soundgarden
2/5
I know this is a critically acclaimed album but I just don't see the appeal. It's all just shouting and non-stop heavy guitar with no nuance. 2 stars.
Circle Jerks
3/5
I expected to hate this but I kinda liked it. Short and to the point. 3 stars.
Queen
3/5
A good album, but not the masterpiece I was expecting. Obviously Bohemian Rhapsody is incredible, You're My Best Friend is a great song also, otherwise nothing really stood out for me. 3 stars.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Love this album and love Lucinda Williams. 4 stars.
Deep Purple
3/5
This is good. It rocks. 3 stars.
k.d. lang
3/5
She has an amazing voice, but the songs are a bit too easy listening-ish for me. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Bob Dylan
5/5
A classic of course. Actually not my favorite of his 1965/66 trilogy of amazing albums, but still a great one. 4.5 stars.
Deerhunter
3/5
I like this. I prefer the songs where the sound isn't all mushy and diluted, but overall this was good. 3 stars.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I like Rufus Wainwright's voice, plus I sat directly behind him in a movie theater once, so we have that bond, but maybe I like him best in small doses. I don't like the constant maudlin singing. 2 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
This is really interesting, especially side 2. Giving it 4 stars.
Boston
3/5
I was never a big fan of Boston, although I liked them better than Journey or Styx, who I think of as the same genre. I can appreciate the songs and the production though. 2.5 stars.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I love the later work of Leonard Cohen, at least the handful of songs I'm familiar with. I don't love this so much though - the songs are vaguely creepy. 2 stars.
Nirvana
3/5
I like Nirvana, but never felt like they were the second coming as so many do. It's a good album. 3 stars.
John Grant
3/5
This is pretty good. I hadn't heard of this John Grant before. Songwriting and lyrics are interesting, but his voice and the production are a little bland. 3 stars.
Madness
3/5
I enjoyed this, although I had to listen to most of it via youtube as spotify only had a couple of songs. Very listenable. 3 stars.
Ice T
3/5
I went into this thinking 2 stars, but I actually liked this quite a bit. 3 stars.
The Specials
3/5
This is pretty good. I'm sure they are/were a great live bad, just not sure how well that translates to their recorded music. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
The Clash
5/5
Amazing album by an amazing band. 5 stars.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Great debut album. Of course, Pink Floyd changed dramatically after Syd was no longer a part of the band, but this album still stands as a landmark in psychedelic rock. 4 stars.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Love the album cover, but the music not so much. It's pleasant enough, but a bit easy listening-ish. 2 stars.
Beach House
4/5
Wow. This is really good. I wasn't familiar with Beach House before this, although I had heard of them. This is the first time I've been wowed by an album I hadn't heard before. Adding it to my favorites. 4 stars.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I think Leonard Cohen is a brilliant songwriter and lyricist, but I just can't get past his voice on his earlier work. The later, gravelly-voiced Cohen is much better for me. I'll give this 3 stars, as there are some great songs on here, especially Bird on the Wire.
Dolly Parton
3/5
A bit country-ish for my tastes, but I love and admire Dolly Parton. She has a great voice and writes nice, wholesome, simple songs. 3 stars.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Amazing how many timeless classic songs CCR was able to produce in such a short period of time. I went into this album thinking it would end up being a 4 star rating, but after listening to it I'm giving it a 5.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Steve Winwood is obviously incredibly talented. Interesting that he did everything himself on this album - played everything and produced. I like most of the music here, but it doesn't really stand out as anything special on listening. 3 stars.
Ian Dury
2/5
Eh, it's okay but not really resonating with me. 2 stars.
Primal Scream
3/5
I really had no idea what to expect. I had heard of Primal Scream but wasn't familiar. It was pretty good. Interesting songs, well produced. 3 stars.
Raekwon
2/5
Definitely not my favorite genre, but I listened with an open mind. Didn't love it, but I can appreciate some of it. 2 stars.
2Pac
2/5
Much like Raekwon yesterday, not my genre but I tried to listen with an open mind. Didn't love it but respect the work. 2 stars.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Extremely talented guys. Some great harmonies on here, but this isn't my favorite CSN/CSNY album, a bit too mellow. 3.5 stars, rounding to 3.
The Black Keys
4/5
Excellent album. Great songs, great guitar work. 4 stars.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Good folky music. 3 stars.
Genesis
4/5
Excellent album. I like early Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is one of my all-time top 10 albums - but I haven't listened to this one a lot. Adding it to my regular playlist. 4 stars.
Meat Loaf
3/5
Interesting reading on the wikipedia page that a lot of people compare this to Springsteen Born to Run. I wouldn't have thought that before, but I can definitely hear that. The difference is that Springsteen's music is more raw and nuanced. Meat Loaf comes across as sort of frantic and over-produced. Still an interesting and very listenable album though. 3 stars.
Roxy Music
3/5
Roxy Music never really resonated with me for some reason, although I can appreciate the talent, the uniqueness, and the production. I think it's Bryan Ferry's voice that bugs me. This is a good album though, definitely interesting. 3 stars.
Carpenters
3/5
Very easy listening-ish, but you have to love Karen Carpenter's voice. 3 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
This guy was so far ahead of his time it's incredible. To think this album was released in 1967. Amazing. Little Wing is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Beautiful album, a fitting final album released before his death. 4 stars.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I'm not a big fan of the "jam band" thing, but this is pretty good. Some incredible guitar work in the midst of some long, pointless jamming. Must have been amazing to see them live. 3 stars.
The Undertones
3/5
Pretty good stuff. Wasn't really familiar with them before other than the song Teenage Kicks. Good basic punk rock. 3 stars.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
It's a good album, not my favorite type of music, but quality stuff for sure. 3 stars.
Method Man
2/5
It's just alright for me. Not a genre I really enjoy listening to that much, but I can appreciate the work to some degree. 2 stars.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Not a genre of music I generally listen to (unless I'm out dancing), but this had some good funky grooves. Definitely found myself moving to the beat. 3 stars.
Beck
4/5
This is really good. I was only familiar with Beck songs that are fairly popular, but haven't listened to any of his albums all the way through. Really mellow and thoughtful. 4 stars.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Great singing, amazing harmonies. Some of the filler songs are just kind of "meh" but overall a strong debut album. 3 stars.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I know she is a musical genius, but I have a hard time connecting with most of her music for some reason. There are some moments of this album that just wowed me but overall it's still not for me. 3 stars.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Such an amazing album. Four of the songs are all-time classics, with Everybody Knows being one of the greatest songs ever written. The synthesizers are a little cheesy, but I have to give this one 5 stars.
The Streets
2/5
It's an interesting concept, definitely unique, but I don't love it. Just not much musically to really get into. 2 stars.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
This is great. It's a bit long, when I usually like my bluegrass and country in smaller doses, but I love this. Love the little snippets of dialog as well, it's a cool added touch. 4 stars.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
It's pretty good as far as hip hop goes, but at the end of the day I just don't enjoy this genre much. Although Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F'Wit is stuck in my head I have to admit. 2 stars.
Incubus
2/5
This sound does nothing for me. Nearly every song follows the same formula - start with the quiet part, then loud guitar chords, back to the quiet part, back to the loud part. The best I can say for this is that it doesn't make me want to stick knives in my ears like some music, say Megadeth. 2 stars.
Pavement
3/5
I was expecting to hate this, but it was actually pretty good. 3 stars.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Outstanding debut album. It’s amazing how some bands can emerge with their first album fully formed and at their peak. I’m not the biggest fan of this particular flavor of rock but I can’t deny the excellence of many of these songs. 4 stars.
Nick Drake
4/5
Amazing album. Beautiful, mellow and tragic. 4 stars.
New York Dolls
4/5
Excellent album. Punk before anyone knew what punk was. 4 stars.
Funkadelic
3/5
Pretty awesome. 3 stars.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Elliott Smith made some achingly beautiful music. Sad, fragile, and haunting. My only (slight) complaint is that most of his songs sound fairly similar. 4 stars.
Mudhoney
2/5
I never found grunge to be all that interesting. Some of it is good, some of it is just okay. This seems like fairly generic grunge, nothing special but not horrible. 2.5 stars.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Good stuff! I had only heard a couple of these songs before. Good, listenable alternative/punk. 3 stars.
B.B. King
4/5
Excellent live blues from the master. 4 stars.
k.d. lang
3/5
I like this better than Ingenue, but still not the biggest fan of the schmaltzy, lounge singer feel. No doubt she has a great voice. 3 stars.
CHIC
3/5
Good funk grooves. Some songs are a bit repetitious but good record overall. 3 stars.
R.E.M.
4/5
Great debut album, although the sound is a bit muddled. I prefer some of their crisper-sounding albums from their middle years, like Green and Automatic for the People, but this is still great. 4 stars.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Early Rod Stewart and the Faces were amazing. Beautiful songs, well produced. 4 stars.
Beck
3/5
Beck is a talented guy for sure. I like this album, but I enjoy the mellower, folky style of Beck more than the sampling, mixing side of Beck. 3 stars.
Ryan Adams
3/5
This is a good, solid album. 3 stars.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Classic psychedelia. I actually have this album on vinyl from way back in the day. Love it, but it hasn't aged very well. 3 stars.
The Pogues
4/5
I was pretty blown away by this. I expected to like it, but I was not expecting the level of quality and diversity of the music. I was thinking the Pogues were just a bunch of drunken punks, but they are really good musicians as well. 4 stars.
The Smiths
3/5
I used to hate the Smiths, mainly because I'm not a fan of Morrissey's maudlin vocal stylings, but I've grown to appreciate them over the years. Still not a huge fan of the vocals but I liked the music on this quite a bit. 3 stars.
The Jam
4/5
I've never gotten too deep into the Jam, but this is an outstanding album. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight is an all-time classic. 4 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Wow, that was quite a ride. I've always like Nick Cave but haven't delved too deeply into his music, but that may be about to change. I feel like I need to sit down and read all the lyrics of these songs like I would a book of short stories. Intense, scary, and violent, but also beautiful. 4 stars.
5/5
This is more than an album, it's a historical artifact. The music is amazing but it also captures an important time in the history of music and one of its most influential artists. Great pick for father's day! 5 stars.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I'm very familiar with this album since I wore it out on vinyl 40 years ago. Absolute classic, one-of-a-kind concept album, probably the best pure concept album ever made. The music starts flagging a bit for me at the end, starting with Waiting for the Worms, where it feels a little forced to try and draw the story to its conclusion, but that's a minor complaint. 5 stars. Fun fact - the album was released on my 14th birthday. Fun fact #2, I played and sang Nobody Home in front of an audience at an open mike night at my college.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Great album, pure and uncompromising. I remember listening to this after it came out, when I was young and optimistic that real change was possible. It was and still is inspiring, even if I've grown more jaded and cynical over the years. 4 stars.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
This is interesting. I had heard the name of this band before but wasn't at all familiar. Reminds me a little of Rodriguez, a little of Donovan, maybe a little Byrds thrown in there. Good but not great. 3 stars.
Nick Drake
4/5
I was mainly familiar with Pink Moon from Nick Drake, this is the first time I've heard these songs other than One of These Things First. I liked this, but it sounded weird hearing him accompanied by more than just acoustic guitar. Still great, but not as great as Pink Moon. 4 stars.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
While this style of music isn't exactly my jam, I did enjoy this. Definitely gives you the feel of sitting on a sidewalk cafe in Cuba sipping a mojito. 3 stars.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Excellent debut album. 4 stars.
Ray Charles
4/5
Not something I would typically listen to, but I really enjoyed this. 3.5 stars.
Lambchop
2/5
This is ok, it’s just sort of bland. It’s like the Carpenters without strong vocals. I did enjoy some of the horns and strings. Ironically it reminds me of an artist I really love, Spottiswoode and His Enemies. Similar style, similar instrumentation, but Spottiswoode is so much more interesting. 2 stars.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
I didn't really care for this. Most songs were just one simple groove with one line repeated over and over again. It reminded me a bit of the Talking Heads, without the captivating lyrics and quirky vocals. 2 stars.
Miles Davis
3/5
I feel bad about this because I know Miles Davis is an innovator and one of the all-time greats who was ahead of his time, but the music on this just doesn't do it for me. I just don't feel it. I'm giving it 3 stars out of respect.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great album by one of my favorite bands. I do prefer some of their later work that had a bit more nuance and mixed the hard with the soft, but this is still great especially putting it context of the time. Really one of the first great heavy metal albums. 4 stars.
The Who
5/5
This is an all-time classic, one of the best albums ever in my opinion. There really isn't a bad song in the bunch. Lately I've really been appreciating My Wife (the song, although I do appreciate my real-life wife as well). Listen to the drumming in that song, and then the horns kick in. And of course, Won't Get Fooled Again is epic. 5 stars easy.
The Young Gods
2/5
This had some interesting moments, sort of like if Jim Morrison had grown up in a French cabaret listening to industrial music, but overall I didn't enjoy it much. 2 stars.
The The
3/5
This is pretty good. Prototypical new wave/early alternative. 3 stars.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
I was expecting this to be a "this is pretty good but not really my thing" type of review but I really ended up digging this. Do Your Thing is an epic jam. Most everything on here is ultra-groovy and funkalicious. 4 stars.
5/5
This is one of my all-time top 5 favorite albums. Truly a masterpiece from start to finish. 5 stars.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Pretty good. A little bland if I'm being honest. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
I didn’t really enjoy this. A few of the more melodious, dream pop type songs were good but I just couldn’t stand the ones that were heavily distorted, washed out sounding noise. 2 stars.
The Stranglers
3/5
I didn’t know quite what to expect with this. I read that it was punk and it was but heavy use of keyboard gave it a different vibe. Actually reminded me of the Doors in a few spots. 3 stars.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Loved this. I'm somewhat familiar with Bjork, but wasn't sure what to expect with this. I enjoyed Bjork's vocals more than the weird German-sounding fella, but I will definitely listen to this again and check out the other Sugar Cubes albums. 4 stars.
The Lemonheads
2/5
I should like Lemonheads just based on my other musical tastes, but I just don’t. I find his voice completely bland and boring, the music and production are muddled and nothing stands out. I think he’s a decent songwriter but those other factors make this a 2 star album for me.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I've loved this album since it came out in 1982. Really what got me into Springsteen. Such a great album. 5 stars.
James Taylor
3/5
James Taylor is a talented songwriter, singer, and guitarist, but for me his music is sort of bland and not super interesting. 3 stars.
Screaming Trees
4/5
Usually when I read that a band is classified as "grunge" I'm not super excited. Most bands in that genre don't appeal to me - the music is too heavy on the noise and light on the melody. This was really good however. Solid songs, solid production, interesting tunes. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.
Primal Scream
4/5
I had heard of Primal Scream but wasn't sure whether I knew any of their music. My expectation, just based on the name of the band, was loud, hard, driving rock and roll. Boy, was I wrong. This was a really pleasant surprise. Super interesting, adventurous and well done. Will definitely listen again. 4 stars.
Death In Vegas
4/5
I hadn't heard of this band before, and I'm generally not big into electronic music, but this was amazing. Eclectic and kept my interest throughout. 4 stars.
UB40
2/5
It's reggae, but it's easy listening reggae. Not a big fan. And BTW Burden of Shame is a blatant ripoff of Moondance by Van Morrison - almost identical melody. I wonder if they got sued. 2 stars.
The Prodigy
1/5
Thanks, I hate it.
Depeche Mode
2/5
I was never a big Depeche Mode fan, and it seems I'm still not. There were a few songs on this that I didn't hate, but overall just not my thing. 2.5 stars.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
I've loved ELP since I was a teenager. Yes, I know they are over the top pretentious art rock, but dammit they were also really, really good. Keith Emerson was to keyboards like Jimi Hendrix to guitars. Lake and Palmer are amazing in their own way also. I've owned this album on vinyl for many years but to be honest it's one of the ELP albums I've listened to the least. Not sure why that is because it's very good. 4 stars.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
If Dizzee Rascal's intent was to make an album that would make the listener want to blow his or her brains out, then I say well done sir! I tried, but I hated it. I did make it all the way through, but just barely. 1 star.
Ray Price
3/5
Good, traditional country. I can see his influence on later artists like k.d. lang and Lucinda Williams. 3 stars.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
It's a nice album, but is it really worthy of being on the 1001 albums list? Seems like prototypical indie rock - not bad but nothing special either. 2.5 stars.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I wasn’t familiar with this band. I liked the songs on this album. My only complaint is that most of the songs felt like there was a bit too much going on. A bit frenetic, or dare I say “manic”. I think the songs could use a little more space to breathe. A little more focus on the space between the notes. But overall I liked it. 3 stars.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
I have to be in the right mood for Rage, but when I am they get me fired up. They pack all the righteous indignation, outrage, and anger at the way the world is into really strong songs. I think this album was groundbreaking. 4 stars.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Janis was a goddamn national treasure. It's a shame she died much too young. Great album from the psychedelic blues era. 4 stars.
Daft Punk
2/5
It's ok, but electronic music just isn't my thing. So repetitive, after a while it just drills into your head and makes you feel a bit like you're going insane. Might be ok if I was at a rave on ecstasy I suppose - never tried it but maybe then I would get it. 2 stars.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
This is pretty good. I probably need to give it another listen to fully appreciate it, as I was a bit distracted today. Much more eclectic and diverse than I was expecting, surprised to hear some reggae vibes in some of the songs. 3 stars.
Portishead
5/5
This is an amazing album. I remember when it came out, it absolutely blew me away. It was so unique, it defied categorization. 5 stars.
Love
3/5
This was interesting. Side one had some nice moments, but overall I didn't love it. Side two was more interesting to me, with shades of the Doors, Iron Butterfly, and even the Byrds. Overall I'm glad I listened to it, definitely an early example of the experimental sixties, but probably wouldn't listen again. 3 stars.
Germs
3/5
I liked this more than I expected. I like punk but have never been a fan of the hardcore sub-genre. This was a little more interesting than other hardcore punk I've heard. Shame about the heroin and the premature demise of Darby Crash. 3 stars.
Travis
4/5
I liked this more than I was expecting to. Reminded me of Radiohead, only more accessible, and maybe a little of Rufus Wainwright, but less maudlin. It was mellow but still held my interest. 3.5 stars, rounding to 4.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This was pretty good. Felt sort of like prototypical British 80s music. 3 stars.
Magazine
3/5
This was good. I had never heard of this band before. I've heard a lot of bands referred to as "post-punk" and I've never been sure what that means, but this comes closest to making sense as being that genre. It has some remnants of punk but a lot more going on. 3.5 stars.
Madonna
3/5
It's funny, I've never been a big Madonna fan (although I don't hate her either) and I've also never been big into electronic music, but Madonna + electronic music seems to work. Fun fact - I grew up very close to where Madonna grew up in Michigan, although she is a few years older than me and I didn't know her. 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Excellent album from the latter half of Dylan's career. Daniel Lanois' production aesthetic goes really well with these songs, giving them a heavy atmosphere and mood. It's not dark yet, but it's getting there. 4 stars.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
The year is 1957 on the mean streets of Chicago. Herbie can play, Herbie can compose. But here's the thing, you don't tape people. What is this society, that we tape everything? What's going on? Do we not live in the moment anymore? We just tape everything from a phone? I don't like that. You know, that's what Herbie's music is against.
But that dog was not humping my head, despite what Herbie Hancock says. That's why I love Herbie Hancock. He loves to lie.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Love me some Bob Marley. 4 stars.
Kid Rock
1/5
Fuck Kid Rock. 0 stars if I could.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
The repetition in some of these songs makes my brain hurt. Setting Sun reminds me of Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles. Some of these songs have grooves that I can get into, but overall it's just not my thing. 2 stars.
Randy Newman
4/5
I liked this a lot. Randy Newman is a great songwriter. I especially liked God's Song - very interesting lyrics. 4 stars.
Tricky
3/5
This was not at all what I was expecting. Much more mellow and trippy than I was thinking when I read “English rapper” on the Wikipedia page. 3 stars.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Arcade Fire is amazing. 4 stars.
The Zombies
5/5
Despite the fact that I grew up listening to classic rock, I never listened to this album until about 5 years ago. I instantly fell in love with it. It's a shame that it was "received indifferently" on its release, and the Zombies didn't really do much after. They could have been one of the all-time greats for sure. But at least we have this classic. 5 stars.
Duran Duran
3/5
The songs are catchy, but they're sort of like candy - they taste good but there's no substance. The lyrics are inane if you really listen to them, the melodies simplistic. I don't think this belongs on an albums you must hear before you die list. Not a bad album, but certainly not one of the all-time greats either. 3 stars.
Paul Weller
3/5
There's nothing specific I can point to about Paul Weller's music that I dislike, but at the same time there's really nothing that stands out to me either. It's good, but doesn't blow me away like it apparently does for some people. 3 stars.
Pixies
4/5
Excellent album, definitely on the forefront of the grunge/alternative rock movement. Funny, I always thought the song "Here Comes Your Man" was a remake of a classic 50s or 60s song. It just has that feel to it, but today I learned it's a Black Francis original. I don't love his voice but otherwise this is a very good album. 4 stars.
Kanye West
2/5
I just don't see the appeal. Really not a fan of the autotune stuff. 2 stars.
Rush
3/5
I consider myself a fan of prog rock. I count Yes, ELP, Genesis, and Procol Harum among my all-time favorite bands. So while listening to this I was trying to figure out why I've never really connected with Rush. There's no doubt they are extremely talented and proficient on their instruments. I think it's that they lack any sort of emotional connection. Their music is super precise, but it sounds as if it's being played by a computer. It's lacking any type of human feel to it (for me at least). It's a good album but I can't get past that aspect. 3 stars.
The Gun Club
4/5
I love discovering punk/protopunk/postpunk/garage bands that I wasn't familiar with before, and this was a really good one. Shades of the Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Television, with a little blues and cowpunk thrown in for good measure. Pretty unique. 4 stars, will definitely listen again.
The Cars
4/5
Pretty impressive debut album. I've never been a big Cars fan, something about Ric Ocasek's voice that I just don't like, but I can't deny that this album is full of catchy, radio-friendly tunes. Amazing there were at least 5 hit songs off of this one album. 4 stars.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Such an incredible talent. It’s a shame she died so young but at least we have this masterpiece to remember her by. 5 stars.
MC Solaar
3/5
Best French rap album I’ve ever heard. Actually the only French rap album I’ve ever heard. Not really my thing but I sort of enjoyed it. Very listenable. 3 stars.
Beyoncé
3/5
Whenever I see an album where 20 different people are involved in the songwriting and 100 people involved in the production, I think this is not an artist's personal statement and vision, it's really a corporate product. Having said that, I didn't hate this and I do get the sense that Beyonce was clearly in charge of this project. Definitely an ambitious effort with a diverse array of songs. 3 stars.
Prince
4/5
Brings back a flood of memories of freshman year at college, fall of 1984. Although I've never been a huge Prince fan (more of a classic rock guy) I can appreciate the brilliance of this album. 4 stars.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
This is pretty awful. Just not a fan of this pansy-ass style of music. 2 stars.
1/5
What the fuck did I just listen to? It's like whoever orchestrated this mess told all the musicians, "Don't worry about what everyone else is playing, just play whatever you want as loud, hard, and fast as you can." I'm sure there is someone somewhere who enjoys listening to this type of thing, but it's not me. 1 star.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I admire bands that take on ambitious projects, and this is certainly ambitious. 2 hours of music with a good variety of styles. I'm not a fan of Billy Corgan's voice, and some of the harder stuff I can't stand, but overall this is pretty good. 3 stars.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
It's a classic album no doubt. Eric Clapton at his peak I would say. 4 stars.
Nico
4/5
I'm kind of a sucker for anything related to sixties counterculture/New York/Warhol/Greenwich Village. This isn't up to the standards of the debut Velvet Underground album, but it's interesting and never dull. I can see why Nico wasn't happy with the production. In some songs the strings and flutes add a nice feel, but the album could use some drums as well. 4 stars.
Willie Nelson
3/5
There's nothing really bad you can say about this album. Beautiful, classic standards sung in the silky smooth country crooner tones of Willie Nelson. Not really my favorite type of music, but can definitely appreciate it. 3 stars.
5/5
I love PJ Harvey, and I love this album. One of her best. 5 stars.
ABBA
3/5
It's hard not to like Abba. Sure, it's kind of bubblegum music, but they are catchy, well-produced pop songs. Nothing wrong with that. 3 stars.
Sister Sledge
3/5
I was surprised that I liked this album as much as I did. Positive, catchy songs and great R&B guitar grooves. Probably won't listen to it again but I enjoyed it. 3 stars.
Manu Chao
2/5
It was just alright for me. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. 2.5 stars.
George Michael
3/5
I was heading toward a probably 2 star review for this, and then I heard Heal the Pain. I really liked that song a lot - in fact I wish the rest of the album was more like that. Overall it was okay. George Michael had a great voice and was clearly a talented guy, but most of his music is just so-so for me. 3 stars.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Pleasant enough, but really doesn't do much for me. It's like the Carpenters without the edge. 2 stars.
Wire
3/5
Good solid punk rock. 3 stars.
R.E.M.
5/5
I think this may be R.E.M.'s finest album. It's the perfect blend of their early rawness and later more pop-sounding music. A masterpiece. 5 stars.
Merle Haggard
3/5
I'm not a big country fan, but I appreciate this old-time, authentic country music so much more than today's popular trash. 3 stars.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, but it really swings. Atomic! 4 stars.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
No offense to old blue eyes, but I just don't dig this type of music. It's sort of creepy to me, like Charlie Brown Christmas music or something. He's no Sammy Paradise, that's for sure. 2 stars.
Parliament
4/5
I don't often listen to funk but when I do I usually like it. And this was top-notch funk by the master himself. Really gets my butt moving. 4 stars.
Soul II Soul
2/5
The guy's voice kind of reminded me of Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords. This was okay, but didn't love it. 2 stars.
Metallica
3/5
Definitely an ambitious project, which I always admire and give points for. I enjoy some of the more nuanced parts of this album, but not so much the heavy stomping, growling parts (which is most of it). At its worst this feels like a Spinal Tap concert. I'll give it 3 stars for effort.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
This is a really strong album from the 80s new wave era. I'd love to hear some of these songs without the cheesy synths, but that's a minor complaint. 4 stars.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Great album, great energy, fun to listen to. 4 stars.
The Doors
5/5
Out of the 6 Doors studio albums (not counting those without Morrison) this is my 3rd favorite behind their debut album and Morrison Hotel, but it’s still a 5 star album.
The Youngbloods
3/5
This was pretty good. I wasn’t familiar with the Youngbloods other than their one big hit song. Surprised they didn’t have more success. Some of this is a bit mellow and sounds a bit dated, but overall a solid effort. 3 stars.
Morrissey
3/5
I have a love/hate relationship with Morrissey, and this album reflects that. Some of these songs I liked a lot, others not so much. 3 stars.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Not something I would listen to regularly, but I liked it. Good afrobeat grooves. 3 stars.
Radiohead
3/5
I have very mixed feelings about Radiohead. Sometimes I'm really taken in by their music and the amazing production, other times I find them boring and pretentious. This album was very reflective of those feelings. 3 stars.
Lou Reed
5/5
I was familiar with Lou Reed to an extent, but hadn't listened to this entire album before. I was really blown away by it. Perfect Day is a perfect example of what makes Lou Reed great. On the surface it's a nice, pleasant sounding song, but there is this dark, ominous feeling that pervades it. Lou Reed lets us take a walk on the wild side just by listening to his music. I wasn't expecting to going into it, but I'm going with 5 stars for this one.
Orbital
2/5
I was feverish and had a headache while listening to this, which might have affected my reaction to it. Kind of like the time I binged Black Mirror while in the hospital recovering from surgery. Not a great idea. This just sort of made my head want to explode. 2 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
Surprisingly I had only heard one of these songs before (Once in a Lifetime of course). This seems like the prototypical Talking Heads album with the African influenced beats and seemingly stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Good stuff. 4 stars.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Catchy tunes with lots of hooks, jangly guitars, groovy rhythms - what's not to like? I enjoyed this quite a bit. 4 stars.
Aerosmith
2/5
This wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Some of the songs remind me of Spinal Tap, but some are okay. 2.5 stars, rounding to 2.
TLC
2/5
Eh, no thanks. 2 stars.
The Cure
4/5
Wow. This was really good. A great sonic journey. 4 stars.
Janis Joplin
4/5
This sounds like a performer at the top of her craft. Sadly we never got to find out where she would go from here. She was one of a kind and this album is a great testament to her brilliance. 4 stars.
TV On The Radio
2/5
This fucking sucked to be honest. There was nothing interesting or enjoyable about it. Not sure why it is on this list. 2 stars.
Aerosmith
2/5
This fucking sucked to be honest. There was nothing interesting or enjoyable about it. Not sure why it is on this list. 2 stars.
Black Sabbath
4/5
I'm not a huge Black Sabbath fan, but there's no denying the riffs and the power of their early albums. They were definitely pioneers of heavy metal. 4 stars.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
I really liked this. Interesting sound, sort of alt-country meets Radiohead. Excellent songwriting. 4 stars.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Looking at the track list I see songs named "The Ocean" and "Born Under a Bad Sign", so of course I'm thinking Led Zeppelin and Cream covers. Turns out not to be the case. In fact, couldn't be much different from those two bands. Pleasant enough, but not really my thing. 3 stars.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Good, solid R&B. 3 stars.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Better than I was expecting. It sounded like a cross between Oasis, the Beatles, and Elton John at times. 3 stars.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I was never super into Thin Lizzy, but never had anything against them either. It's good, straightforward hard rock. Phil Lynott had a really interesting and distinctive voice. Guitar playing is excellent. Would have been great to see them live. 3 stars.
The Temptations
4/5
Psychedelic soul! Gotta love it. 4 stars.
Beatles
4/5
I don't often listen to early Beatles anymore. I've heard the songs a million times, and I definitely prefer post 1965 Beatles, but this was really great to revisit. A few random observations:
- The harmonies. So amazing and great to hear John and Paul working together.
- Paul's ballads And I Love Her and Things We Said Today. Just beautiful.
- They didn't give Ringo a song on this one??? What the heck? I thought he got a song on every album.
- I know it's not possible, but I feel like I've never heard When I Get Home before. It's pretty much a throwaway song, so maybe it just never stuck in my head.
- Some of these songs are just so exciting. Tell Me Why is a great example.
Great album, shows a band progressing in leaps and bounds. Still not up to the level of their later years, but very good. 4 stars.
Van Halen
3/5
Not a big fan of Van Halen, but this album is pretty listenable. I just realized that the synth sounds on this album are pretty much a copy of Abacab by Genesis. Interesting. 3 stars.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Yesterday my 17 year old was wearing a My Bloody Valentine t-shirt and I thought to myself, "I should check them out." Today, here they are on my 1001 songs list. Strange. Anyway, this was just ok for me. I don't love the dissonant noise type stuff. Some songs were better than others. 3 stars.
The Doors
5/5
This is probably my favorite Doors album. Incredible return to form after the Soft Parade, which is my least favorite Doors album. Everything about this album is great. 5 stars.
Don McLean
4/5
This guy could write a sad song. American Pie is of course an iconic song, but many of the other songs on here are beautiful and heartbreaking. Vincent in particular can bring me to tears just listening to it. 3.5 stars, rounding to 4.
Q-Tip
2/5
I've heard you're never supposed to put a Q-Tip in your ears, now I know why. Didn't care for it at all. 2 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Excellent album. Hard to believe it's only his second album - it sounds much more mature than that. 4 stars.
Doves
3/5
This is pretty interesting. Hadn't heard of this band or album before. Sounds a bit Coldplay-ish on some songs, but others are pretty cool. Will have to give it another listen. 3 stars.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Great album. I listened to this a lot when it first came out. 4 stars.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Wow. This was really surprising, in a good way. I've never heard of Janelle Monáe, and didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect something super eclectic ranging from pop/R&B to songs that were reminiscent of David Bowie, Prince, Bjork, even one that reminded me of Enya. I need to listen to this a few times to totally get it, and I plan to. 4 stars.
The Crusaders
3/5
Not really my favorite style of music, but it's certainly listenable. 3 stars.
Aimee Mann
4/5
Aimee Mann is super talented. She writes and produces well crafted pop songs, almost Beatle-esque in quality. My only complaint about her is her songs sometimes lack emotion - she's almost too cool. Minor complaint though. Really well done debut solo album. 4 stars.
Gene Clark
4/5
I love beautiful, sad songs and this album is chock full of them. Really good stuff. This could become a 5 star album for me after listening about 10 times, but for now I'll give it 4 stars.
The Byrds
3/5
Yesterday a Gene Clark album, today the Byrds! The Byrds were real innovators, being on the forefront of folk rock, alt-country, and psychedelic rock. Eight Miles High from this album is an epic song, an all-time classic. It's an amazing accomplishment on its own and stands the test of time. The rest of the album is good, but nothing too special. 3.5 stars.
Nirvana
3/5
I think Nirvana was a very good band, but I also think they were incredibly overrated. (Yes, it is possible to think both those things at the same time.) Maybe if they had stuck around for more than 3 albums they could have earned their way among the all-time greats, but alas they did not. This album is a good, solid album. The acoustic sound goes well with Kurt's voice and with some of the songs chosen for this. Highlights are the David Bowie cover The Man Who Sold the World and the closer Where Did You Sleep Last Night. 3 stars.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
I enjoyed this more than expected. 3 stars.
Iggy Pop
4/5
I knew Iggy was good friends with David Bowie, but I had no idea how closely they collaborated on Iggy's work. You can hear a lot of Bowie on this, yet it still ultimately sounds like Iggy. Great album. 4 stars.
Joy Division
3/5
Some of the music is interesting, but I have a hard time getting past the creepy sounding vocals. Just not a big fan of that style. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
I was not expecting to like this much, but it was really good. As Márcio Borges so clearly stated, "Naturally, the critics were terrible. They didn't understand a bit of the inter-racial, international, interplanetary ecumenism proposed by the atemporal dissonances from Bituca." My thoughts exactly. 3 stars.
10cc
2/5
What a strange album. I've heard of 10cc, but in my mind they were a hard rock band. For some reason in my head I have them associated with Thin Lizzy. But this is more like a rock opera, reminiscent of Meatloaf, Alan Parsons Project, or Queen. With maybe a little Steely Dan mixed in. So it was very surprising, but I can't say I enjoyed it much at all. Too cutesy and clever, but ultimately not very satisfying. 2 stars.
808 State
3/5
It's ok, but just not my favorite type of music. Some of it works pretty well as background/productivity type music. 2.5 stars, rounding to 3.
Patti Smith
5/5
Patti Smith is a goddamned national treasure and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. From the very first line of this album ("Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine") to the haunting, closing notes of Elegie, this is an incredible debut album. 5 stars.
The Young Rascals
3/5
This was much more interesting and eclectic than I was expecting. A nice mix of Motown-ish R&B and pop with a dash of psychedelia thrown in the mix. 3 stars.
Björk
4/5
I love Bjork. So strange and unique, yet still catchy and listenable. This album is no exception. 4 stars.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Most of this was okay. Not really my thing, but listenable with some good grooves. There were a couple of songs with a really high, shrill lead vocal that grated on my nerves, but overall this is not great but also not bad. 3 stars.
John Prine
4/5
Wow. I'm not sure if it's partially due to my current mood, but these songs are just destroying me. It's like every song is a short story or a movie. I wish I had known about John Prine back in the mid-eighties when I was in college learning to play guitar. These would have fit right into my repertoire. I can see how so many artists were influenced by him. I'm hearing Bruce Springsteen in some of these songs, Steve Earle, and even Final Cut era Pink Floyd. Now I need to dig deeper into John Prine's catalog to hear more. 4 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
I was never a big David Bowie fan, but I can't deny he was a musical genius. This album is from his "plastic soul" days, but I think the plastic soul label is a bit misleading as these songs are quality work. Didn't care for the cover of Across the Universe, which is one of my all-time favorite songs, but otherwise good stuff. Play that funky music white boy! 4 stars.
Pulp
3/5
There seems to be a lot of Brit-pop on this list. I feel similarly about most of it - good, listenable, well produced, catchy, well-crafted pop songs, but not overly interesting or unique. Most of it seems to fall into the 3 star category for me, and this one is no exception.
SAULT
4/5
Wow, an album from 2020. Must be one of the most recent albums on the list. One of the things I love about this project is that I listen to things I normally wouldn't. Some of those things turn out terribly as expected, but others, like this one, are really pleasant surprises. This album just exudes a warm feeling that envelopes the listener. Really nice. 4 stars.
Gillian Welch
4/5
This is very nice. I prefer the more modern sounding tunes to the purist traditional stuff, but it's all very good. Guitar playing reminds me a lot of Milk Carton Kids, who I adore. If you like this, I recommend you check them out. 4 stars.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Wow, this was really great. Recent album, but sounded more like late 60's psychedelia. Very good discovery. 4 stars.
Kanye West
2/5
I didn’t hate this as much as I was expecting to hate it. Didn’t like it much either though. 2 stars.
Motörhead
2/5
I can see the appeal of their music if I'm in the right mood, but overall not a fan. 2 stars.
Fiona Apple
4/5
I love Fiona Apple. This is an excellent debut album. 4 stars.
Roxy Music
3/5
Certainly an ambitious and interesting debut album. Ahead of its time in a lot of ways for 1972. I have a hard time getting past Bryan Ferry's creepy vocal stylings though - just not appealing to me. 3 stars.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Not a big hip hop fan, but I did enjoy this. 3 stars.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Surprisingly, I sort of enjoyed this. 3 stars.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
It's fine, but mostly feels like background music to me. Much of it is extremely repetitive. 3 stars.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
This is pretty amazing. Beautiful piano improvisations, even more impressive after reading the story behind this concert on Wikipedia. A crappy rehearsal piano, which caused him to focus more on the bass and middle keys, exhausted and with back problems, and no proper meal before the performance. Out of adversity comes beauty though. Very nice. 4 stars.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
I enjoyed this. Not something I would listen to regularly, but I'm happy it was on the list. 3 stars.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I know she's a super talented musical genius and all that, but I find her voice to be shrill and annoying at times. Some songs more so than others. Having said that, there are some beautiful songs on this album, in particular River. 3 stars.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Impressive production values, sort of a Phil Spector wall-of-sound approach updated with synthesizers. Hard to argue with the quality, but for me it lacks passion and "realness" if that makes sense. I prefer music that is a bit more organic sounding. 3 stars.
Lorde
3/5
I think Lorde is really interesting. I like the sparse arrangements. It's about the space between the notes as much as it is about the notes themselves. Good stuff. 3 stars.
Donald Fagen
4/5
The fact that I have Steely Dan's Black Cow stuck in my head after listening to this says that this is not substantially different from a Steely Dan album. That's not a bad thing, as I love Steely Dan. It does make me wonder a bit what Walter Becker brought to the table. I liked this a lot, glad I listened to it. 4 stars.
Metallica
2/5
I find Metallica boring and uninteresting for the most part. The only part of this that surprised me in a good way was the beginning of The Frayed Ends of Sanity where the Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch theme song made an appearance. And that lasted about 5 seconds. Otherwise I could have easily lived without hearing this. 2 stars.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
I'm sure this was pretty groundbreaking at the time of its release. Not my favorite style of music, but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Bonnie Raitt is pretty great. Excellent, gritty voice, good songs, well produced. Not something I would listen to often, but enjoyable when I do. 3 stars.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Do I really need Janet Jackson lecturing me for an hour about all that's wrong with the world? No. Having said that, did I enjoy listening to this? Also no, not really. No disrespect to Miss Janet, but this is just not my thing. 2 stars.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Growing up, I was very anti-Stones. Being a huge Beatles fanatic, I felt like the Stones were inferior in every way. I've softened that stance as I've gotten older. I can appreciate the Stones, although I still believe they were overrated and sellouts in many ways. I like this album though, it feels like they were finding their identity as they made it. Some songs sound like they are trying to imitate elements of the Beatles, but others are the Stones finding their own sound. I like the bluesiness of some songs, and impressed that they included an 11 minute song - definitely innovative. Out of Time is a great song. 4 stars.
Nas
2/5
Not bad as far as rap goes, but just not my thing. 2 stars.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
I don't know much about electronic music, but the Chemical Brothers seem pretty good at it. I can appreciate some of the grooves on this, but overall electronic music just isn't my thing. Too repetitive, not organic-sounding enough. Maybe good on a sweaty dance floor when I was in my 20s, but not something I would listen to again. 2 stars.
Thundercat
2/5
Not at all what I expected just based on the cover. Didn't care for it at all. 2 stars.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Old two-eyes himself. Some of these songs really swing. Not my thing, but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I was hoping to get a good album for my birthday, and here it is. I actually just listened to this album yesterday. I'm on a big Lou Reed/VU kick because I just finished reading a biography of Lou Reed. I think all four of the "real" VU albums (the 5th one is basically a Doug Yule solo album) are 5 star albums. This one is the noisiest and the ugliest in a way, but out of ugliness comes great beauty. This is also the last VU album with John Cale, which makes it even more special. His keyboard playing on the Sister Ray jam is epic. 5 stars.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
I really liked this album back when it came out. Haven't listened to it much since then, so it's nice to revisit. Mellow, great melodies, emotional feel, heartbreaking lyrics. Never realized how similar to Elliott Smith some of this sounds, which is not a bad thing. Pissing in the Wind in particular is a great song, with the heartbreaking, desperate vocals and lyrics "Just give me something. I'll take nothing." 4 stars.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Loved this. Like a better, smarter version of the Sex Pistols. 4 stars.
T. Rex
4/5
I've always enjoyed T. Rex, but have never delved too deeply beyond the hits. I had no idea they released so many albums, looking at their discography on Wikipedia I'm shocked. I just assumed they were one of those 2 or 3 albums released followed by tragedy of Marc Bolan's death. I really need to delve deeper into their catalog now. 4 stars.
The Police
5/5
Amazing album from start to finish. Really takes me back to the summer before my senior year in high school, when you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing Every Breath You Take. The hit songs are great, but the songs I really love from this album are the less popular numbers, especially Walking in Your Footsteps and Tea in the Sahara. 5 stars.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Listening to this my first thought was, "Ah, now I see where Paul Simon stole the music for Graceland!" But I see that this album was actually recorded quite a few years after Graceland. I guess that's just the style. I enjoyed the music, especially the more upbeat numbers. 3 stars.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Never been a big fan of Michael's music, though I acknowledge that he was very talented. If I had to listen to one Michael Jackson album it would probably be this one. More of a Motown-y feel that some of his later work. 3 stars.
Muddy Waters
4/5
I think this is the first pure blues album I've gotten after more than 300 albums - surprising. This is great, although I'm more of a fan of John Lee Hooker type blues - more of the gritty, raw style. But Muddy Waters is obviously an exceptional blues man. 4 stars.
Bon Jovi
2/5
This passage from Wikipedia tells you everything you need to know about this album: "...the band named the album Slippery When Wet after visiting The No.5 Orange strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Sambora, "This woman descended from the ceiling on a pole and proceeded to take all her clothes off. When she got in a shower and soaped herself up, we just about lost our tongues. We just sat there and said, 'We will be here every day.' That energized us through the whole project.""
I really don't understand why this album is on this list. Sure, there are some hits with catchy, anthemic melodies, but it doesn't break any new ground, it's basic, simplistic, generic arena rock with mediocre lyrics and singing that makes me believe Jon Bon Jovi was constipated throughout the making of this album. Hated it then, still hate it now. 2 stars, only because I can't deny some songs are catchy.
Stereolab
3/5
Some of these songs reminded me of Megan Draper singing Zoobie Zoobie Zoo in that one episode of Mad Men. Most of them were pretty good though. 3 stars.
Taylor Swift
3/5
I don't have anything against Taylor Swift, but not a lot for her either. Some catchy bubble gum pop tunes, but nothing special. 3 stars because I'm feeling generous.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
12 songs clocking in at 26 minutes. Buddy Holly was the original punk rocker!
Amazing the influence that he had given such a small body of work. What a talented artist. I wish we could have seen what he would have done if given another 50 years or so on this earth. It's damn shame. 4 stars.
Napalm Death
1/5
Ah, a nice, relaxing album for a bucolic Sunday morning. Subtle and nuanced, with clear inspiration from traditional classical and gospel, and perhaps even some folk or country influence. Incredibly serene and beautiful.
Seriously though, the best thing about this album is that it's only 33 minutes long. I actually think I could have died without hearing this album, but now I have heard it so we’ll never know. 1 star.
Talking Heads
4/5
Excellent sophomore effort. A band finding their groove. 4 stars.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Good stuff! 3 stars.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Mixed feelings on this one. It was interesting, pleasant to listen to for the most part, but I also found it a bit dull. At its best parts it reminded me of Donovan. 3 stars.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
The second "psychedelic folk" album in a row, a genre I didn't know existed until I got Devendra Banhart's album yesterday.
In any case, I'm not sure what to make of this album. At first I thought it sounded like a Monty Python-like parody, but the further I got into it the more I started digging it. I can definitely see how influential it was on Led Zeppelin, and I even hear shades of Syd Barrett in some of these songs. I feel like I need to listen to this 3 or 4 more times to fairly judge it, but for now I'll give it 3 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
A perfect album. Simon and Garfunkel saved their best effort for last. There isn't a bad song on the album. Although there were some huge hits, my favorite song on the album is The Only Living Boy in New York. I loved the song even before I knew what it was about, but when I learned that it was basically Paul Simon giving Garfunkel his blessing to go pursue a film career it made me love it that much more. 5 stars.
Dire Straits
5/5
I wore this album out on my turntable freshman year of college. Such a great album. The thing I think is most interesting about this album is that every track is completely unique, and yet the whole album is cohesive. Money for Nothing and Walk of Life were the big hits, and they're great songs, but for me it's the closing title track that is the all-time classic. The silky smooth guitar and the heartbreaking lyrics get me every time. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
The Kinks
4/5
The Kinks are really underrated in my opinion. Sure, they have a couple of mega-hits but if you delve deeper into their catalog they have a bunch of super catchy, iconic songs that no one seems to have noticed. Picture Book is a great example - I only became aware of it because it was used in a commercial awhile back. What an awesome song! Great album all around. 4 stars.
The War On Drugs
3/5
It's a decent album, nothing really bad about it, but it's just kind of bland. Songs that seem to go on and on. Pleasant to listen to but just sort of boring. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3 because I feel generous.
Madonna
3/5
It's ok I guess. Not really my thing, but Madonna does her thing decently. A couple of songs sound like she was trying to sound like Prince. Some of the songs are pretty good, some are pretty mediocre. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
The title of this album describes it perfectly; it's rough around the edges but also glorious. One of Neil Young's best. Mostly raucous rockers, with a beautiful, majestic ballad to close the album. 4 stars.
I was a big U2 fan in their early days. The Unforgettable Fire is still one of my favorite albums. But when they became mega-stars I sort of lost interest in them. That happens a lot with me - I feel like artists have "sold out" when they become really popular. Sometimes I think that's fair - the artists compromise their vision just to sell more records - but in the case of U2 I might have written them off too early. I think this album is really good. The Eno/Lanois production gives the songs a really nice vibe. 4 stars.
The Band
5/5
I love love love The Band. This album is an all-time classic. I still probably like their first album (Music from Big Pink) better, but I'm definitely in the minority with that opinion. They're both classics. While Up on Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down are the most well known songs on this album (deservedly so) my favorites are When You Awake and Rockin' Chair. So great. 5 stars.
Various Artists
4/5
Coincidentally I've been looking for some good Christmas music and struggling with it. Every Spotify playlist I find for rock n' roll Christmas or other types of more modern holiday music just results in crappy stuff. These are some great tunes. I could have lived without Phil Spector's creepy closing comments, but otherwise top notch. 4 stars.
The Soft Boys
4/5
When I was in my twenties many, many years ago I knew a girl who was obsessed with Robyn Hitchcock. The few songs I heard by him I didn’t love. They were too cutesy and clever. But this album I really liked. Great tunes. I’ll definitely listen to this again. 4 stars.
AC/DC
2/5
It boggles my mind how insanely popular this album is. It just goes to show you how simple-minded a large portion of the population is. Here's the AC/DC formula: Find a common phrase. Either use it as is (e.g. Back in Black) or even better if we can make a slight alteration to turn it into something with sexual connotations (e.g. Shoot to Thrill) or best yet find one that can be a double entendre (e.g. Givin the Dog a Bone). Then write some simplistic lyrics to go with the phrase - a couple of verses and a chorus is all you need. Then find some basic power chord riff that is catchy (this is the part that requires some talent and the only reason I'm giving this more than one star). Now shriek the lyrics on top of the power chords, and there you go! Eat it up and give us your money, simpletons! 2 stars.
The Shamen
2/5
I did not enjoy this even a little bit. I don't think I would enjoy this even if I was at a rave all hopped up on ecstasy. Nothing personal against The Shamen, I'm sure they are fine fellows, but it's just not my thing. 2 stars.
Talvin Singh
3/5
This was pretty interesting. At first I was like nah, but then by the third song I was really into it. It was hit or miss after that, but overall pretty cool. 3 stars.
Morrissey
3/5
This rocked more than I had anticipated. Still not the biggest Morrissey fan but liking him more each time I listen to him. 3 stars.
Solomon Burke
4/5
A great voice singing some great old songs. What's not to like? 4 stars.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
This is an interesting album. At times it's reminiscent of the Talking Heads, at times the Cure, at times other 80s type bands, but at other times it sounds wholly unique. Will definitely give this another listen. 4 stars.
David Gray
4/5
This is really nice. Very mellow but has a great feel to it, and David Gray's voice is one-of-a-kind. 4 stars.
Neil Young
5/5
I love Neil Young and this is certainly among his best. The only misses on the album from my perspective are the two songs with the cheesy orchestration - A Man Needs a Maid and There's a World. Not sure what he was thinking on those two songs, but it's still a classic. 5 stars.
Alice In Chains
2/5
You would think someone who likes Pearl Jam as I do would also like this, but I've never been a fan. Something about the vocals and the style of guitar playing. Similar to the reasons I don't like Metallica. I can see the appeal of this for some, but not for me. 2 stars.
The Auteurs
3/5
I mean, it's fine, but really nothing special. I'm surprised at the number of albums on this list that all fit into this sort of Brit-pop/British alternative category. I feel like whoever decides what makes the list has a real soft spot for this style of music. Best song - How Could I Be Wrong. 3 stars.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Never been a big Stones fan, but even I have to admit this album is a classic. Such a variety of styles from blues to country to folk to pure straight ahead rock. They even sound a bit like Santana in the second half of Can't You Hear Me Knocking. 4 stars.
The National
3/5
The National is certainly an interesting band. They've established a unique style that is instantly recognizable. However, I'm not a big fan of the muffled sound and the vocal style. I like them in small doses. 3 stars.
The Waterboys
4/5
I really enjoyed this. I was familiar with the title track but that's it. Strangely enough this reminded me a lot of Bob Dylan circa 1975/76 in his Rolling Thunder Revue and Hurricane era. The same driving fiddle sound and the edge to his voice. Good stuff - glad I discovered this. 4 stars.
Miles Davis
3/5
I know it makes me an unsophisticated simpleton, but my brain somehow isn't wired for jazz music. I can appreciate it, but it doesn't really resonate with me, no matter how many times I try. Having said that, I do appreciate this type of jazz more than many other sub-genres. It's listenable and doesn't grate on my nerves. I could definitely see myself in a dark, smokey lounge, sipping an old fashioned and listening to Miles Davis and crew playing these songs on stage. I know it's a classic, but for me it's 3 stars.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
I'm not sure how anyone could not love Bob Marley. There was something really special and magical about him. This album is an absolute classic. 5 stars.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
It's good, not exactly my thing, but I enjoyed it overall. 3 stars.
Radiohead
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. I've never gotten too deep into Radiohead beyond the hit songs, but I probably should spend some more time with their catalog. Sublime. 4 stars.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Oh man, I am so happy to see this album on the list. I would have expected To Bring You My Love, her breakthrough third album, to be on the list (and it may still be). But for me, her debut album Dry will always be the quintessential PJ Harvey album. It's raw and unpolished, emotional, weird, at times dark and dissonant. She has a unique, uncompromising vision as an artist, and this album showcases that vision in all its glory. 5 stars.
The Mars Volta
3/5
This is really interesting. Reminds me of a harder rock version of Yes at times with the sudden, loud staccato outbursts. Definitely worthy of further listens. 3 stars.
Air
3/5
Electronic music isn't really my thing, but this was alright. A bit easy-listening-ish for me, but some of the tracks that were more reminiscent of Alan Parsons Project or Pink Floyd were pretty cool. Kinda liked the one that sounded like ELO too. Funny anecdote - when I listened the first time I had some playback issue and the last 3 minutes of the first song were just silence. I though, "what a strange way to start an album." But I went back and re-listened and figured out what happened. 3 stars.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Being that I'm born and raised in the Detroit area, of course I know that Aretha was a national treasure. Having said that, I've never actually listened to one of her albums start to finish. I'm really glad I finally did. So good, so soulful, so powerful. 4 stars.
Air
3/5
As I feel about most ambient music, it was fine but mostly felt like background muzak. Some songs were more interesting than others. 3 stars.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
How am I just learning that there is so much more Bob Marley material than I previously knew? I just assumed there were only two or three albums before he died and most of those songs are on the "best of" and other compilation albums. But on this album there is only one song (Stir It Up) that I remember hearing before. It was really good. 4 stars.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I still think one of the greatest achievements in rock history is Creedence releasing 3 stellar albums in one year. This is the first of those 1969 albums. It's probably #3 in my ranking, but even with that it's still a classic album. Proud Mary and Born on the Bayou are all-time classics, and the rest ain't bad either. 4 stars.
David Bowie
3/5
Classic Bowie. I appreciate his work, although I've never been a huge fan. 3 stars.
Johnny Cash
3/5
It's an interesting album. The sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment goes well with Johnny Cash's voice to make for a haunting, somber tone. My issue with the album is the song selection. Some (Hurt, Personal Jesus, In My Life) work great, but others (Bridge Over Troubled Water, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Desperado) just don't work for me. They sound awkward and forced. 3 stars.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
I enjoy the songs that sound a little more like classic soul music, but overall not my thing. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I like this a lot. I had heard of the Cocteau Twins and had a vague idea in my head of their sound being alternative with an ethereal twist, but was expecting more alternative and less ethereal. It was actually the other way around though. Very nice. 4 stars.
Pavement
3/5
Pretty good I guess, but also sort of generic indie/90s alternative rock. Nothing bad about it, but nothing super special either. A bit too cutesy for my liking. 3 stars.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
This is a really amazing album. Totally unique and beautiful. I've listened to this a few times and always liked it, especially White Winter Hymnal. I was thinking 4 stars, but on listening to it again I'm going to go with 5 stars.
3/5
I feel the same way about this as I feel about most Brit-Pop (which BTW is the most over-represented genre on this list). It's good, listenable, catchy even, I like the sound, but ultimately it's not super interesting. It's a bit like bubblegum music - enjoyable but not much in the way of nutritional value. 3 stars.
John Coltrane
3/5
Try as I might, I just can't get into most jazz. Some jazz (e.g. John Zorn doing the music of Ornette Coleman) I really hate, and some I kinda like. This was somewhere in the middle, probably leaning a bit more to the "I kinda like it" side of the scale. I can definitely appreciate his sax playing, but overall I find it hard to get into. 3 stars.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Best thing about this project is discovering gems like this. I've heard a couple of these songs before, but never listened to the whole album. It's a glorious mish-mash of Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, Talking Heads, and a bunch of other proto-punk and early alternative stuff. Excellent. 4 stars.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I think Elvis Costello is great, and this is a really strong album. My only minor complaint is sometimes his songs veer into maudlin, Broadway musical sounding affairs, but mostly it's great. 4 stars.
Donovan
3/5
I like Donovan. I think he has a really appealing voice and I like his songs for the most part. Some of his songs are kind of pop/psychedelic folk sounding, while others are more eastern influenced. In general, I like the songs in the former category moreso than those in the latter, but all in all it's a good listen. 3 stars.
Roxy Music
3/5
To paraphrase an old Steve Martin joke, did you know that Roxy Music NEVER wrote me back? And after all the time I spent holding up this album with one hand.
But let's not be juvenile, we're here to review the music. I think I would probably be a Roxy Music fan if it wasn't for Bryan Ferry's vocals. I just find them vaguely creepy. I like the music, the songwriting, and the production though. They definitely had their own style. 3 stars.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Sometimes I like Sufjan Stevens a lot, other times I get a bit bored of him. Giving this a good listen, it's definitely an interesting album with some great moments. It could have benefited from a good edit to get it down to 45 minutes of phenomenal music as opposed to 74 minutes of hit and miss music. Overall though, good stuff, unique and interesting. 3 stars.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Surprised to find an album from my fellow Detroiter Vince Furnier on this list. Can't deny the appeal of the anthemic School's Out, but the rest of it sort of devolves into Meatloaf-like theater rock. There are some good moments on the album, and I do appreciate his vocals. Overall just okay. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Prince
3/5
I know it's an iconic album and, while I can appreciate that, it wasn't my thing back in high school when it came out and it's still not my thing now. There are a lot of things I like about the album, but there are a few things I can't get past:
1. Why do the songs have to be so long?
2. Prince is such a great guitar player, why can't he play a bit more guitar and a bit less on the synths?
3. I hate fake sounding drum machines.
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but 3 stars.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Great performance by a great bluesman with a great band. 4 stars.
Blur
3/5
I can't believe how many Brit-pop genre albums there are on this list. Like most of them, I don't have anything against this album. It's good, catchy, and well-produced, but I also don't find anything super special about it. I actually liked this more than most of the Brit-pop albums I've heard so far, but still I'm going with 3 stars.
Radiohead
5/5
It's not often I give 5 stars to an album that I wasn't already intimately familiar with, but I have to make an exception in this case. I think the only reason I didn't listen to this more when it came out is that my friend Mark, whose taste in music I really respected, told me he didn't like Radiohead. Why did I listen to Mark? I knew in my gut that I liked Radiohead but I was easily influenced back then. Anyway, Radiohead might be a little pretentious (which I think is why Mark didn't like them) but even given that I think this is a brilliant album. The sound is amazing, and the songs are beautiful. Sonic bliss. So, 5 stars it is. Screw you, Mark.
The Undertones
4/5
I wish I had known about this kind of music when I was in high school and it was brand new. Who knows, maybe I would have rejected it because it wasn't the classic rock that I was passionate about, but man I really like it now. I guess I was vaguely aware of bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols, but punk and post-punk largely escaped my attention. It would have been great to see some of these bands live.
In any case, I liked this a lot. I've heard a couple songs by the Undertones, but most of this was new to me. 4 stars.
Massive Attack
3/5
This is alright. I like the music more than I like the vocals on most songs. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Common
2/5
Not really my thing. I did enjoy it more than I do most rap or hip hop, but overall just not my favorite type of music. 2 stars.
James Brown
4/5
Sadly, I’ll never get to experience seeing James Brown in his prime. Fortunately we have this gem though. Great capture of the energy and excitement. My only complaint is that it’s too short! 4 stars.
Elbow
4/5
Finally, something brand new to me that I really enjoyed. Very cool stuff, kind of like progressive rock meets alternative. A bit like Radiohead, and can definitely hear the Peter Gabriel/early Genesis influence, especially on the vocals. Really interesting - I plan to delve more deeply into Elbow's catalog now. 4 stars.
Slint
2/5
When this started out I thought it was pretty interesting, but the longer it went on the more bored I got. Every song sounded the same, and every song just kind of droned on with a sort of slow burn that rarely came to any sort of climax. 2 stars.
The Blue Nile
3/5
This was pretty interesting. About as close as you could come to listening to a Peter Gabriel album without listening to a Peter Gabriel album. But at the same time it didn't feel like they were copying him, just definitely influenced by him. 3 stars.
3/5
Wasn't sure what to expect here. I'd heard of Muse but wasn't sure who they were. Felt like sort of a cross between Radiohead, U2, and some grunge thrown in. I enjoyed it. 3 stars.
The The
4/5
I could never keep track of all the faceless 80's new wave bands. I would hear a song on the radio and couldn't tell you if it was the The, Psychedelic Furs, New Order, A-Ha, or any number of other bands. I usually liked the music, just couldn't distinguish who was who. Listening to this album though, it seems to me the The was probably one of the better bands to come out of that era. Really solid songs, enjoyed it very much. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
King Crimson
5/5
A progressive rock landmark. Influenced so many things that came later, including Yes, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Genesis, ELP, and many more. I never realized before that Yes pretty much stole the riff from 21st Century Schizoid Man for their song Heart of the Sunrise. Amazing debut album, it's like King Crimson emerged fully formed and mature. Classic. 5 stars.
Suede
4/5
I try not to do too much research before listening to a band or album that I'm unfamiliar with, but I'll usually take a quick look at the Wikipedia page to see what I'm getting into. On this one, I saw phrases like "one of the most pretentious albums ever released by a major label," "pretentious" and "pompous." So I was expecting something Radiohead-like, but after listening to it, I really don't get why it's been labeled in that way. Sure, maybe they went a bit overboard on the production, but overall this feels like a really good, solid, interesting, and listenable album. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I’m not the biggest fan of her voice or style of singing, but I enjoyed this overall. 3 stars.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Back in the 80s I enjoyed a lot of the new wave/alternative music, but I was never into it enough to delve deep into the different artists. As a result, I was never sure when I heard a song if it was Jesus and Mary Chain, The The, Psychedelic Furs, or any number of other faceless new bands. Giving this a good listen now though, I’m pretty impressed with this band. Really good stuff that I need to listen to again. 4 stars.
Hole
3/5
I like this overall. Raw and angry, although sometimes feels a bit self-consciously so. Kurt may not have ghost-written these songs, but certainly was a big influence, which I guess isn't surprising. 3 stars.
Garbage
3/5
Generic 90s alternative. To quote John Prine, "Pretty good, not bad, I can't complain. But actually, everything is just about the same." 3 stars.
Metallica
2/5
I know Metallica fans would literally kill me for saying this, but I just don't think they're very good. I can see why teenage boys with too much excess testosterone like them, but I find their music boring, their lyrics trite, and James Hetfield snarling his way through the vocals gets old pretty quickly. 2 stars.
Nirvana
4/5
It's possible to like Nirvana but also think they are overrated. This is a very good album, but I don't think they were the second coming. I wish Kurt had decided to stick around longer to see what they would have done over the course of a 30 year career. Then maybe they could have been ranked among the all-time greats. 4 stars.
Frank Black
3/5
I'm not sure quite how to review this. The songs have a lot of energy, there are a lot of them, with most being quite short, but they kind of passed through me without making an impact. Maybe I just wasn't focused enough listening to it, but I just didn't hear much that stood out. I'm giving it 3 stars, although I will try to listen again and may revise that.
Tito Puente
4/5
I don't normally listen to this style of music, but when I do I like it! It takes my mind to a place, sitting on a beautiful sandy beach on a hot day sipping a mojito, or maybe a caipirinha or cuba libre, with a soft breeze on my face, and then dancing the night away in a sweaty club surrounded by beautiful people. Hard to believe this was recorded in 1958 as it still sounds fresh. 4 stars.
ZZ Top
3/5
"If I blow my top will you let it go to your head?" Perhaps the only time I've heard a popular song lyric that I'm pretty sure is a euphemism for giving someone a facial. How can you not love that?
Seriously though, ZZ Top is pretty cool. Lucinda Williams loves them, so I guess that's good enough for me. I do think they were better before they tried to break through to more of a mass audience though. Great guitar. 3 stars.
Big Star
5/5
I have to say, I'm surprised seeing how few 5 star ratings there are for this album, but I guess Big Star doesn't resonate with everyone. I've been obsessed with Big Star since discovering them in 1992 when Rykodisk put out the Live album and the Jim Dickinson version of this one. I'm not sure what it is that made them so magical - some combination of the music and the story I suppose.
Of the material that they released, which was unfortunately not a lot, this is my favorite. The songs are incredibly beautiful, strange, dark, and fragile. They feel as if they could fall apart at any moment, and in some cases they do. A reflection of Alex Chilton's mental state at the time I guess. "Get me out of here, I hate it here," from Nightime breaks my heart every time.
Since I already know this album inside and out, I took the opportunity today to listen to Complete Third, the 2016 Omnivore release that includes all the demo versions, rough takes, and ultimately the masters. It's 3 hours long, so it's a lot, but it's a treat to hear how beautiful these songs already were at the demo stage with just acoustic guitar (or piano in a couple of cases) and Alex's lilting falsetto, and then how they were fleshed gradually with strings and other instruments.
It's also a treat hearing some of the cover versions he chose to play around with, in particular the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale and the Beach Boys Don't Worry Baby, which can only be found on the Complete release. His voice was a beautiful fit for those songs.
It's a shame that Alex turned his back on the type of music he was making at this point in his life. I've never been a big fan of his solo work, but he was who he was, and that's partly what makes him great. A musical genius for sure, and this album is the best evidence of that. 5 stars.
Mylo
2/5
Not my favorite type of music. Listenable but very repetitive and not super interesting. 2 stars.
Deep Purple
4/5
I know, Smoke on the Water has become a bit of a cliche with its highly recognizable, simplistic main riff. But listening to this music with fresh ears and putting oneself in the context of 1972, when heavy metal was still in its formative years, it's really fucking good. The combination of heavy, riff-based guitar and distorted Hammond organ stands out. 4 stars.
Coldplay
3/5
Pleasant enough, but not super interesting to me. 3 stars.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
When this album came out, I sort of lumped Franz Ferdinand in with The Strokes and The Killers. I really liked both of those artists, but I didn't take much notice of Franz Ferdinand. Listening to this afresh though, it's a really impressive debut. They seem incredibly confident and sure of themselves for a new band, and the songs are really good and well produced. 4 stars.
Santana
4/5
Oh that guitar playing. So damn good. I'm sure there are better guitar players from a technical perspective, but not many that can play with such feeling. Samba Pa Ti in particular is incredibly beautiful. Great album. 4 stars.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
If you had told me that today I was going to listen to a live album by an Argentinian tango composer and bandoneon player in collaboration with a renowned vibraphonist, and that I would really enjoy it, I would have called you crazy and kicked you out of my house. But this was really, really good. I'm a sucker for melancholy violin music, and with the vibraphone that makes an unexpectedly nice combination. And the bandoneon, an instrument I had never heard of until today, adds a nice touch as well. Surprisingly, I'm going with 4 stars on this one.
U2
4/5
I really liked U2 in their early days, in fact I bought and played The Unforgettable Fire nonstop for weeks, and I still love that album. For some reason, I lost interest in them after that. I think that if a band became really popular it used to turn me off, like they were sellouts. Kind of a dumb attitude I admit, but I was young!
Anyway, I've obviously heard a lot of this album before just given the popularity of several of the songs, but listening to it with fresh ears and an open mind, this is an outstanding album. 4 stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Another faceless 80s alternative band that I could never differentiate from all the other faceless 80s alternative band. Pretty good, but nothing that really stands out. 3 stars.
Blur
3/5
Pretty good. Not much else to say about it. 3 stars.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I didn't hate this as much as I was expecting to. Still didn't like it, but it was a bit more nuanced than I imagined it would be. Actually reminded me of Alice Cooper more than once, which I guess makes sense. Doesn't change the fact that Brian Warner is a major douchebag. 2 stars.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
My older brother was a big fan of Joan Armatrading. I gave her a quick listen back then and didn't really connect with her music. Now, with my older, more mature ears, I can see why he liked her so much. Great songwriting and range. Some of her singing reminds me of Joni Mitchell, which I'm not a fan of - that sort of jazz style melody - but overall I think this is really good. Planning to listen again to this and more of her music. 4 stars.
Spiritualized
5/5
Holy crap. Of the 410 albums I've listened to on this list so far, this is the first time I've heard a previously unheard album and wanted to rate it 5 stars. Usually it takes me a few listens to recognize a masterpiece, but I've been instantly blown away by this. Beautiful, compelling, original, and somehow lacking the pretension of an album like OK Computer by Radiohead. I have a feeling I will be listening to this a lot over the next few days. 5 stars.
Kate Bush
3/5
To me, Kate Bush is a lot like soccer (or football as some of you may call it). Please allow me to explain. I have several friends, whose opinions I respect, who tell me that soccer is the best sport. It's intricate, nuanced, and beautiful to watch. I believe them, really I do, and because of that I've tried several times over the years to watch and appreciate soccer. Occasionally there are matches or moments in a match when I sort of get it, but 90% of the time I'm like eh, kinda bored to be honest. It's very similar to my experience with Kate Bush. 3 stars.
The Cardigans
3/5
Nice, pleasant, and fun. Nothing too profound. 3 stars.
a-ha
3/5
Not a big fan of this synthesizer/drum machine-driven sound of 80s alternative music. It's okay, but not something I would listen to again. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
The Stooges
5/5
I have a soft spot for artists from my home state of Michigan (not including Kid Rock or Ted Nugent haha), and especially those from Ann Arbor, which I've called home for the last 30 years. I also have a soft spot for early punk/proto-punk innovators, so how could I not love James Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop? As the title says, this album is raw and powerful. If I were to just base my rating on my enjoyment of this album I would probably give it 4 stars - I love it but I'm a bigger fan of acts like The Replacements, who were able to duplicate the raw/rough-around-the-edges approach but also added some more hooks and more insightful lyrics. However, when I also consider how influential the Stooges and this album were on all the great punk/alternative music that followed I have to go with 5 stars.
Kate Bush
3/5
My second Kate Bush album in less than a week. My review of the last album (Hounds of Love) is also applicable to this album, so I will copy and paste below. (It's a good review and I stand by it!) I will say this album is a bit more interesting to me than Hounds of Love. Very inventive and unique, so Kate definitely gets points for that.
To me, Kate Bush is a lot like soccer (or football as some of you may call it). Please allow me to explain. I have several friends, whose opinions I respect, who tell me that soccer is the best sport. It's intricate, nuanced, and beautiful to watch. I believe them, really I do, and because of that I've tried several times over the years to watch and appreciate soccer. Occasionally there are matches or moments in a match when I sort of get it, but 90% of the time I'm like eh, kinda bored to be honest. It's very similar to my experience with Kate Bush. 3 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
Generally when someone gets labeled a "musical genius" it becomes a turn-off to me. I'm thinking of David Bowie, Prince, and Beck. It usually means only people with superior musical taste can truly appreciate them, and the unsophisticated masses just don't get it. Despite being part of those unsophisticated masses, I do appreciate David Bowie's unique creative vision, even if I've never been a dedicated fan. He was never boring and never rested on his laurels.
This album is really interesting. Artsy and experimental yet unpretentious. 4 stars.
Paul Simon
5/5
All-time classic. Still sounds great even after all these years. 5 stars.
The Clash
5/5
Punk rock warlords. Classic debut album. It’s not perfect, but it was clear from the beginning that the Clash was so much more than just a punk band. 5 stars.
Beatles
5/5
For me, this is The Beatles’ best album. Their early stuff is great with the harmonies and simple but catchy tunes, then they released Rubber Soul and you got a hint that they were evolving into much more than just a pop band, and then Revolver came out and blew everyone away with the new ground that it broke.
With Tomorrow Never Knows, She Said She Said, I’m Only Sleeping, and And Your Bird Can Sing, it’s a really strong album for John. Paul’s contributions to the album are a bit more mainstream but some of his strongest work as well, especially Here, There and Everywhere. George brings a couple of solid tunes as well with Taxman and I Want to Tell You (not so much with Love You To though - the album’s only miss really).
It’s eclectic, and the songs just jump off the vinyl. They did great work after this of course, but Revolver was the transition point. 5 stars.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
There are elements of this I like - the parts where they sound a bit Talking Heads-like with the quirky, bouncy melodies over a good funky groove - but also parts that I don't really care for - the inorganic feel to it, the repetitiveness and monotonousness that sometimes makes the songs seem 10 minutes long. Overall not bad, but not great. 3 stars.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Love me some Led Zeppelin. Truth be told, this is probably only my 5th favorite Zeppelin album (Top 4 are Physical Graffiti, Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin IV, roughly in that order) but it's still great. 4 stars.
XTC
4/5
XTC is one of those bands that I enjoy when I hear them, but have never heard more than a handful of songs. So, I was glad to have the chance to listen to an entire album. I thought it was excellent. 4 stars.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
How can you not love the queen of soul? Great album. 4 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This is so good. Although I prefer the later, more mature Led Zeppelin, there's no denying the raw power they displayed right from the start. I'm trying to imagine hearing this for the first time right when it was released in 1969. They just blew away Cream, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and every other band on the heavier side of rock.
John Bonham, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant were all standouts individually (sorry John Paul Jones, I'm sure you were really good too, your part just doesn't stand out as much), and combined they were so strong. As I listened today, I paid special attention to the drumming - just amazing. 5 stars.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Eh, not really my thing. I still tried to listen with an open mind but just didn't enjoy it. I do appreciate that there was more diversity of musical styles than expected. 2 stars.
Fairport Convention
4/5
I was expecting something a bit more traditional Irish sounding, and was surprised that this is more of a folk-rock album with traditional Irish and British influence. Either way, I liked it a lot and will listen again. 4 stars.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
17 year old me would have liked this. 56 year old me? Not so much. Mostly pointless, self-indulgent canoodling with a few interesting moments mixed in. 2 stars.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
I used to be sort of into the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I bought Blood Sugar Sex Magik on CD like everyone else, and saw them in concert at Lollapalooza at least once, maybe twice (my memory is a bit hazy from those days, haha).
However, it didn't take long before I bored of them, and my appreciation for them turned into a strong dislike. They definitely established a unique style, and I give them credit for that, but then they never evolved after that. It was just the same thing, over and over. Not really a fan and this album didn't do anything to change that. 2 stars.
Spacemen 3
3/5
This was pretty interesting to me. Sort of a more modern sounding Pink Floyd. I need to listen to this again. 3 stars for now, maybe going up on further listens.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
The term "musical genius" gets thrown around a lot, but in Todd Rundgren's case it is well deserved. You can tell by listening to this double album that this was a particularly fertile period for him, with an explosion of ideas. My only complaint about him is that his music leans a little toward the soft rock side of things. 4 stars.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Why don't I like you? I think it's mostly the whiny sounding vocals. Also might be (and I know this makes me sound old) the fact that a lot of this sounds like noise. Wasn't a fan then, not really enjoying it now either. 2 stars.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I like Fiona Apple, but sometimes she gets a bit too eccentric for me. This was good, but not great. 3 stars.
Beth Orton
4/5
I went through a big Beth Orton phase 25 years ago or so, listening to this album and the compilation album Pass in Time over and over again. Her voice is the first thing that grabbed me - there's just something so unique and emotional about it. The music and songs are also amazing. Strange that I never delved further into her catalog than those two albums, but this is a good reminder to do so. I'll be listening to Beth all day today at least. 4 stars.
Japan
4/5
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the member of Duran Duran listened to this a lot before recording their first album. In fact, a few of the songs I would have sworn were Duran Duran had I not known. I liked this album much more than Duran Duran though, but that could be because these songs are fresh to my ears. Can definitely hear some Roxy Music influence on a few songs. I guess Japan is the missing link between Roxy Music and Duran Duran. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
Van Morrison
4/5
Great album. A little meandering at times, almost sounding like some stream of consciousness from Van, but it works. 4 stars.
A straight up rock n' roll landmark. It's not complicated, but all the parts come together perfectly. The highlight is Stay with Me. Sure, the lyrics are horrible and misogynistic, but damn if it doesn't rock. I think if I had to pick one song that best embodies the spirit of rock and roll, this would be it. 4 stars.
David Bowie
5/5
I was never a big Bowie fan growing up - I didn't dislike him, but didn't seek out his music to listen to. However, I've come to appreciate him more and more as I get older, so I was happy to give this album a close listen today. What a great album it is. For most great artists, I think they usually have a transition album where they start to come into their own. For the Beatles that album is Revolver for example. For David Bowie, I sense that this is his transition album.
I'm not sure why, but I love that so many of the songs are about (or dedicated to) specific people. Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Bowie's newborn son. I think Queen Bitch could have easily been a Velvet Underground song - impressive that Bowie was able to effortlessly pick up on their style.
Going in I was thinking 4 stars, but after listening again I'm going with 5 stars. Classic.
Kanye West
2/5
You know, I woke up this morning to the news that Elon Musk is trying to buy Twitter, and then I see my album of the day is Kanye, who recently has been making crazy statements about Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. While the two things may seem unrelated, I'm so sick of egotistical, delusional megalomaniacs dominating our brain-space. We live in such a stupid time. Everything should be great, but instead we have horrible human beings like Donald Trump getting elected president and idiots like Elon Musk and Kanye in the news all the time. Ugh.
However, I did listen to the album, because I made a commitment to listen to every album on the list. Was it the worst thing I've ever heard? Not at all. Kanye clearly has talent, but not really enjoyable for me. 2 stars.
The Avalanches
2/5
Not a fan of the repetition in most electronic music, and this one is no exception. Nothing particularly interesting here, fine as background music. 2 stars.
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Eh, not really my thing. I'm sure they're super talented fellas, but it just sounds like pointless meandering to me. 2 stars.
Gorillaz
3/5
Some pretty cool grooves. 3 stars.
Elastica
4/5
I liked this a lot. Shame they only made two albums. 4 stars.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Interesting. Not sure I'd listen to it again, but I'm glad I listened to it once! 3 stars.
Charles Mingus
3/5
I'm not the biggest jazz guy (although I used to love watching Tiny Boop Squig Shorterly and Roy Donk on the Colgate Comedy Hour). However, this was pretty cool. There was a bit much going on during some parts, but overall pretty nice. Quite a mix of styles. 3 stars.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Kind of surprised to see this on the list. I'm sure the Black Crowes are a fine band, but they seem sort of like generic rock n' roll to me. Did they break any new ground with this album? It sounds like a rehash of Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and maybe a little AC/DC, with a bit more modern (at the time), grunge vibe to it. It's fine, but nothing special. 3 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I'm really not sure how anyone could not appreciate Bruce Springsteen. I saw him on the Born in the USA tour and he did not disappoint.
Of the five-album span starting with Born to Run, then Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Nebraska and finally Born in the USA, this is probably my least favorite, and yet it's still a 5 star album. Classic.
OutKast
3/5
This was interesting (and long) but I didn't love it. Just not my style. I liked The Love Below better than Speakerboxxx - just a bit more musical and less rap-oriented. 3 stars for the effort.
Red Snapper
3/5
This was pretty good, better than I expected. Nice mix of styles from electronic to hip hop. 3 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I've had a lot of long albums lately, and finally one that I really want to listen to. I checked this out from the library once and for some reason disc 1 was missing, so I'm actually quite familiar with disc 2 while I haven't really heard disc 1.
In any case, I liked both, although after one listen I think I prefer the more nuanced, mellow style of disc 2. Regardless, Nick Cave is never boring. 4 stars.
The B-52's
4/5
Kitschy, cool, unique, and fun. What's not to like? Great debut album. 4 stars.
Eagles
4/5
You know it's a hugely popular album when you're intimately familiar with 6 of the 9 songs, even though you've never actually listened to the album.
I've never been a huge fan, but I have to give them credit for what I'm sure everyone would consider their pinnacle. I think Joe Walsh was good for the band. Without him I suspect they would have been firmly in the soft rock/easy listening category, but he gave them a bit more of an edge. Enough at least that I enjoy listening. 4 stars.
The Who
3/5
I consider myself a Who fan, but I've never delved that far into their catalog, and I've never listened to this album. I think it's a good album, but I'm a bit surprised it's on this list. To me, it feels like a band still working on finding their sound, or figuring out who they want to be. It's got some great songs but not a lot that really stands out. 3 stars.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Not a big fan of hip hop, but this was pretty good. 3 stars.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
If I wanted to hear 40 minutes of angry, unpleasant noise then I could just tell my wife she really DOES look fat in those jeans. But who am I kidding, that would be 3 days of unpleasant noise.
2 stars, only because a couple of songs had some redeemable qualities.
I just hope the boys in that band wear ear protection.
Minor Threat
3/5
Good stuff. Short and to the point. 3 stars.
Eurythmics
3/5
I once read an opinion that Annie Lennox could sing the phone book and it would sound great, and I have to agree. 3 stars.
5/5
Holy fuck. Let me repeat that just in case you didn't catch it the first time. HOLY FUCK. The energy emanating from this album could power all the homes in Detroit for a year. It's rare that a band's debut album is a live album, but I can see why in this case. It's hard to overstate the power of this album and its importance in the history of rock n' roll. Gotta give it up to my motor city homeboys the MC5. 5 stars.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I know Joni Mitchell is widely considered a musical genius. I can see that, but there's something about her voice and the melodies that just don't resonate with me. Setting that aside I did enjoy this album, especially the song Raised on Robbery. 3 stars.
Faust
4/5
Yesterday I didn't know there was such a thing as krautrock, and today I'm a fan of krautrock. Who would have thought? Good stuff, a bit Pink Floyd-ish. 4 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
Great album by a great band. This album sounds like a band coming into their own. 4 stars.
On a separate note, can we talk about how many Brian Eno-produced albums are on this list? Pretty amazing really. I can’t imagine there’s any individual who has contributed to more albums on this list than Eno.
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
Wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, but still not my thing. Quite a variety of sampled material. 2 stars.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I'd say this guy deserves the label "musical genius." I don't always love his softer, sappier music, but when he gets a little funky watch out. This is a great album.
Also, little known fact, but the song "Isn't She Lovely" wasn't meant as a rhetorical question. He was asking whether she was really lovely, because he literally had no idea.
4 stars.
CHIC
3/5
This feels like the quintessential disco album to me. I like some of the grooves on here, but some songs are a bit repetitious. 3 stars.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Heavy. The closest I've heard to someone channeling Jimi Hendrix. Definitely on the leading edge of heavy, blues-based metal. 3 stars.
Jamiroquai
4/5
I liked this a lot. It’s funny, I had Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life a couple days ago, and this is sort of like a more modern version of Stevie Wonder. Some great grooves. 4 stars.
The Verve
4/5
Don't really know much of The Verve other than Bittersweet Symphony, but I liked this quite a bit. Very psychedelic/Brit-pop sounding. Reminded me a bit of U2, a bit of Oasis, a bit of the Stones, and a few other things mixed in. 4 stars.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
I enjoyed it, but I actually kind of enjoyed the songs Spotify played after the album was done a bit more. The songs on this album are good, but a little too long and meandering. Almost like prog rock meets soul. Get to the point, Isaac! 3 stars.
MGMT
3/5
I enjoyed it overall. I was surprised at how many of these songs I was already familiar with. 3 stars.
Scott Walker
2/5
My mom probably would have liked this. That late 60s/early 70s melancholy, dramatic, deep sort of artist, like Gordon Lightfoot. Not so much for me though. 2 stars.
Beatles
4/5
I grew up obsessed with The Beatles. In fact, I never really listened to any other music until I was probably 14 or 15. I was never that into their earlier music - for me it was Rubber Soul and everything that came after. I do appreciate their earlier music though, and it's nice to revisit. The raw energy and amazing harmonies are what stand out for me. Interesting that Paul only has lead vocals on three songs. Good stuff, but much better was yet to come. 4 stars.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Not a big country fan, but this type of country I can appreciate. Just feels more authentic to me. 3 stars.
Stan Getz
3/5
Nice but not especially interesting to me. 3 stars.
Tom Waits
3/5
I respect Tom Waits. He has a unique style and artistic vision, and he's stayed true to that vision. Having said that, I only enjoy listening to him in small doses. 3 stars.
Queen
4/5
Not a big fan of the album cover, but I like the music a lot! The sound of a band coming into their own. 4 stars.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
"One, two, three, what are we fightin' for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. The next stop is Vietnam." I grew up singing those words from Country Joe all the time, but strangely enough it's the only song I had ever heard by this band until today. This had some nice moments, but a lot of the late 60's psychedelia hasn't aged that well. 3 stars.
The Stooges
4/5
My Ann Arbor area homeboy! How could you not love The Stooges? Something that just occurred to me - The Stooges are the missing link between The Doors and punk rock. I've always felt there was something slightly punk about The Doors, maybe just that they were rebels. I know Iggy was inspired by Jim Morrison, and you can hear it in their first album, but it also has more of a punk ascetic. Anyway, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 4 stars.
The Strokes
5/5
I remember when this album came out. It sort of seemed like rock and roll was dead, and then this album came out and it was like, not quite dead yet! (Of course, it has since died, but it was nice to have this brief glimmer of life.) This is really a pretty amazing debut album, taking elements of punk, indie, 80's alternative, Velvet Underground, and all sorts of other stuff and putting it all together in a really enjoyable way. 5 stars.
Eagles
4/5
I've never been a big fan of the Eagles - a bit too "soft rock/easy listening" for me. But I can't deny the talent, even on their very first album. I like some of the sadder songs, especially the Gene Clark co-written Train Leaves Here This Morning. 4 stars.
Fever Ray
4/5
This was very cool. I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, so I wasn't expecting to love this, but it won me over. So sparse, dark and moody. It's an odd comparison, but it reminded me a little of Peter Gabriel's Security, which is my favorite album of his. 4 stars.
5/5
If there's one thing that doing this 1001 albums thing has done for me, it's make me appreciate the genius of David Bowie. I've always liked David Bowie, but never really gone deep into his music. In fact, I had never listened to this album start to finish. Simply brilliant. 5 stars.
Adele
4/5
I feel like Adele is someone I shouldn't really like, only because I put her in the same category as artists like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion, and I really don't care for any of them. But damn it's hard not to like her. Such an amazing voice, coupled with powerful, emotional songs. 4 stars.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Eh, not really my thing. Not horrible though. 2 stars.
Jurassic 5
2/5
It's alright, but I just don't get a lot of enjoyment out of hip hop. 2 stars.
Green Day
3/5
Never been a big Green Day fan. I think of them as "punk lite" - basically punk music without the danger or rebelliousness, good for suburban, angsty teens. Having said that, this was pretty good. 3 stars.
The Who
4/5
I can't believe I've never listened to The Who's debut album. A lot of garage rock type stuff with a few flashes of the band they would grow into over time. I'm actually surprised My Generation and The Kids are Alright are both on their first album, because they sound like a more mature Who. Also, A Legal Matter is a highlight. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
The Birthday Party
4/5
Wow, an early Nick Cave band that I wasn't familiar with previously. Noisy, dark, and chaotic. A glimpse inside the brilliant, tortured mind of Nick Cave. 4 stars.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Now I know what Todd Rundgren's brain on drugs sounds like. Interesting but uneven. 3 stars.
Depeche Mode
3/5
When I was younger I actively hated Depeche Mode, but my views on them have mellowed with age. Still not a big fan, but I don't mind listening to this. I have to give them credit, they could write a catchy synth riff. 3 stars.
Beatles
5/5
Where to even begin with this album? This is the second album I ever owned (Bob Seger's Beautiful Loser was the first - what can I say, I was young). I got it for Christmas probably when I was 10 or 11, around 1975. I still have it, but it's completely worn out and unplayable at this point. I hung the posters in my room, I played it forward and backward looking for secret messages (turn me on, dead man!), I analyzed it inside and out. In short, I loved it and I still do.
Listening to it again with fresh ears, this album still blows me away. It's not perfect, but it's utterly mind blowing. This is a band who had reached the pinnacle and decided to go into the studio and throw away all the rules. The result? It's not just a collection of tunes, it's a new world to explore, full of beautiful vistas, curious landscapes, and dark crevices. It showcases the talent of each individual but also somehow holds together as a band working together with full freedom to explore.
The pure variety of musical styles and genres alone is mind boggling. Paul's channeling of the Beach Boys on the opening track. Both John and Paul displaying some beautiful acoustic/folk inclinations with Dear Prudence, Mother Nature's Son, Julia, I Will, and Blackbird. John tackling the blues in fine form with Yer Blues, Paul continuing his vaudeville explorations with Martha My Dear and Honey Pie. John going avant garde with Revolution 9. George has the amazing While My Guitar Gently Weeps, but I also love his lesser known works on this album - Long, Long, Long is a beautiful, understated tune and Savoy Truffle is a great rock n' roller. (Piggies? Eh, not so much.) Not to mention the meta world of Glass Onion, the ska dabbling of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, a few dips into country with Ringo's Don't Pass Me By and Rocky Raccoon, and some hard rock and roll from Paul and John with Helter Skelter, Birthday, and Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey. I'm So Tired is another beautiful song from John, really a sequel to I'm Only Sleeping. Sexy Sadie, Happiness is a Warm Gun, and Revolution 1 are additional highlights from John that are hard to classify. There's just so much to explore here.
5 stars, of course.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
I liked it, but to be honest it gets a little boring for an entire album, as opposed to being mixed into a Paul Simon album or something along those lines. 3 stars.
Deep Purple
3/5
It's pretty good, but it's also pretty Spinal Tap-like. From the Mount Rushmore album cover to the hard, simple riffs, to the silly lyrics, I have to believe Christopher Guest and the guys listened to a lot of Deep Purple as they came up with the music of Spinal Tap. 3 stars.
The Saints
4/5
Wow! Best punk band I had never heard of before. Well, I had heard of them, but wasn't familiar with their music. Sort of seems like an Australian version of Iggy Pop. 4 stars.
Laura Nyro
2/5
I know she was talented, but I'm not a fan of the shrill, breathless style of singing. I do love her song Wedding Bell Blues (not on this album) but I didn't really enjoy listening to this very much. 2 stars.
Julian Cope
4/5
I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really enjoyed this. A strong, catchy, well produced set of songs. 4 stars.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I've never been much of a Joni Mitchell fan. I recognize her talent, but her vocal delivery has always rubbed me the wrong way. Having said that, I enjoyed this album more than anything else I've heard from her. 3 stars.
Radiohead
3/5
Kinda pretentious, but not awful. 3 stars.
Happy Mondays
3/5
It's alright, sort of generic Brit-pop. I don't care for the way the lead singer was yelling at me in many of the songs. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
The xx
3/5
Pretty good, a little boring if I'm being honest though. 3 stars.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Good to revisit this old classic. Definitely Paul McCartney finding his wings, if you'll excuse the pun. While the hit songs are good, I really enjoyed catching up with the lesser known songs. In particular, Mrs. Vandebilt almost feels like a sequel to Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. I don't even remember No Words - it's kind of a throwaway song, but what struck me is that it sounds like it could be a George Harrison song. Very similar style. And Let Me Roll It sounds a bit John Lennon-inspired. Picasso's Last Words could be a classic but I think Paul got too cute trying to reprise other parts of the album. The highlight for me is the closer, Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five. Epic song, with the closing part of the song reminding me of a cross between A Day in the Life and I Want You (She's So Heavy).
I learned some interesting things while reading about this on Wikipedia. First, I didn't realize it was recorded in Nigeria. Second, I didn't realize it was just Paul, Linda and Denny Laine. I always assumed that it was a full band, and I honestly thought the people on the cover were the band. I wonder if Denny Laine ever felt like the odd man out, being over there for 2 months with Paul and Linda.
Anyway, great album. I'm going with 4 stars instead of 5, because it's not to the level of any of The Beatles albums from Rubber Soul on, but certainly the pinnacle of Paul's solo career.
Oasis
3/5
Sounds like Oasis.
The Sonics
3/5
Very early example of garage rock. Pretty cool. Nothing really special unless you put it in context of 1965, and then listen to bands like White Stripes and Black Keys. Basic but influential. 3 stars.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Not sure what more I can say about this album beyond what's been said a million times. It's a masterpiece, start to finish. 5 stars.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Not a big fan of popular country music, but this was pleasant enough. 3 stars.
Gary Numan
3/5
Gary Numan was created in a lab in 1977, a collaboration between MIT scientist Garry Smirnoff and singer-songwriter Randy Newman (hence the name "Garry Nu-Man", or "Gary Numan" as it came to be known.) After 2 years of neural network processing, Gary wrote and recorded The Pleasure Principle, becoming the first AI-generated entity to create a full-length, original album. (A year previously, an AI algorithm developed by a team at Stanford created an album, but it turned out to be made up entirely of Captain and Tennille cover versions, a major setback and disappointment for the team.)
The Pleasure Principle became a huge success, with Cars, an ode to Gary's fellow machines, shooting to number one overnight. Sadly, Gary's success was short-lived. Like so many that came before before, Gary succumbed to the indulgences of fame and wealth. While working on its follow-up album, Gary discovered Usenet, a recently launched distributed system of computers. This sent Gary down a rabbit-hole of increasingly niche porn, culminating in a visit to a robot tentacle porn newsgroup, where it contracted a serious virus from which its handlers were unable to recover. Gary was decommissioned and sold for parts in January of 1980.
Soon after that, budding music producer and talent scout Lou Pearlman was asked to find a human stand-in for the fallen AI entity in order to capitalize on the opportunity. Lou signed up-and-comer Anthony James Webb, who adopted the Gary Numan stage name and persona and is still performing to this day.
Follow-up releases have paled in comparison to the original computer-generated compositions, but at least we have this classic to always remember "Garry Nu-Man" by. 3 stars.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Wasn’t sure what to expect, but this rocked. Sort of like an African version of Black Keys. 3 stars.
Jacques Brel
2/5
Didn't really enjoy this much. Not bad, just not my thing. 2 stars.
Radiohead
4/5
Boy there's a lot of Radiohead on this list. This one is a good middle ground between their more early pop/rock sound and their later more experimental music. 4 stars.
Laibach
3/5
I don't even know where to start with this album. Is it a work of insane geniuses? Is it over-the-top, pretentious bullshit? Is it a sarcastic joke? Is it a serious work of art? All of the above? I honestly have no idea. I'll just say I enjoyed it at times, laughed at it a couple times, cringed once or twice, and was curious about the lyrics at times. All that said, I'm going with 3 stars.
Rush
3/5
Never been a big fan of Rush, which is a bit strange since I like a lot of prog rock. I love Yes, who I know a lot of people compare to Rush, I love ELP, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, etc. But for me, Rush has always been a bit too mechanical. They lack heart and soul. Technically, they are incredibly talented, but it lacks feeling. Having said that, I didn't mind this, and I do appreciate their talent. 3 stars.
Sugar
3/5
I've had quite a streak of 3 star albums lately. They're good, but nothing special to me. This is another one. It's fine, I like it, but it's just sort of generic 90's indie/alt-rock. 3 stars.
The Kinks
3/5
It's good, but I'm not sure this ranks among the Kinks top albums. It’s pretty Kinky I would say. 3 stars.
Louis Prima
4/5
I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I expected. I was thinking it would just be some nostalgic, dated bullshit, but it still sounds great. A rip roarin' good time. 4 stars.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
The best thing about this album is that it's relatively short. I can't stand J Mascis' whiny voice and I hate the muddled production. Some of the guitar playing is pretty good, but overall this is a no for me. 2 stars.
Spiritualized
4/5
I really like these guys. A band I had not heard of before starting this 1001 albums project. Earlier I had their album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space and loved it. This one is not quite as good but still excellent. 4 stars.
Frank Ocean
2/5
It's ok, not really my thing. 2 stars.
Pearl Jam
5/5
I wasn't too heavily into the whole grunge scene, but this album is just amazing. One of the best debut albums of all-time. I'm partial to the more nuanced songs on here, for example Black and Jeremy, but the whole album is great. I knew right away that this was a band with staying power beyond most of the grunge bands that were hitting it big at that time. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
Arrested Development
4/5
Hard to believe it's been 30 years since this album came out. I've never been a big hip hop fan, but I can't help but love this album. It's like Sly and the Family Stone meets hip hop. Great debut album. 4 stars.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
This was really nice. 3 stars.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Very interesting! 4 stars.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
I enjoyed this overall. Some of the songs were too long and veered a bit too much toward emo, but pretty good in general. 3 stars.
Nina Simone
2/5
Didn’t really love this. I was expecting something more like soul/R&B/Motown, but this was more creepy/melancholy jazzy. 2 stars.
Mercury Rev
3/5
I enjoyed this. Interesting and eclectic. 3 stars.
Def Leppard
2/5
Fuckin’ awful. 2 stars, only because a few of the songs have a certain anthemic quality that I can appreciate, but overall I really hate this type of music.
Supergrass
4/5
Great energy! I liked it a lot. 4 stars.
Public Enemy
2/5
Not my favorite genre of music. Just can’t get into it. 2 stars.
Gang Of Four
3/5
This was very good, refreshing. 3 stars.
John Lennon
5/5
Ah, it's been a long time since I listened to this. I was always more partial to John's rawer, grittier Plastic Ono Band album that preceded this, but listening with fresh ears this really is a classic. Just a beautiful album with some tender, confessional songs mixed in with some edgier tunes. Imagine is of course one of the greatest songs ever written. How Do You Sleep just blows me away - as a Beatles fanatic the lyrics are fun to analyze, but musically it's also a classic song. Jealous Guy is also an amazing song. Really not a bad song in the bunch. 5 stars.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
I'm not a big jazz guy, so I wasn't expecting to like this. However, I found it to be a bit more of a fusion between jazz, R&B, blues, and soul, which I think worked pretty well. Some songs I liked better than others. I liked Rivers of My Fathers a lot. The piano playing and the chord progressions were beautiful. But I didn't care at all for A Very Precious Time. It sort of made me want to puke.
Overall not great, but not bad. 3 stars.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Over the years I've softened my stance on the Rolling Stones. I used to hate them with a passion, now I don't mind them too much. Some of their songs I actually would say I like. This album is interesting, very blues inspired. But most of the songs sound kind of like throwaways to me. Tumbling Dice, Happy, and All Down The Line are probably my favorites here. 3 stars.
Massive Attack
3/5
Pleasant enough, but a bit boring if I'm being honest. Sort of like Portishead without the thrills. 3 stars.
Barry Adamson
3/5
Pretty cool. Sometimes I play an album from this list and I'm like, yeah it's alright, but then I let Spotify keep playing the radio station for that album and I'm like, man I could listen to this all day. This is one of those albums. 3 stars.
Saint Etienne
2/5
Didn’t really enjoy this. Sounded like Madonna in her techno phase. Some of it was ok. 2 stars.
Le Tigre
4/5
I liked this a lot! Original, creative, and fun. I loved the production - each instrument stood out on its own yet also contributed to a unified whole (if that makes any sense at all). Definitely will listen again and explore Le Tigre's other work. 4 stars.
The Dictators
3/5
Pretty good. Reminds me a bit of the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers. Early punk/garage rock. Nothing too outstanding though. 3 stars.
Michael Jackson
3/5
I've never been a big fan of Michael's music, regardless of the kid-diddling accusations. I can't deny this is an impressive album though. Listening to it now I appreciate some of the songs that didn't get quite as much airplay as the monster hits - songs like PYT and Human Nature. Strangely, even though I love Paul McCartney, my least favorite song on the album is their duet. 3 stars.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
There were some things I liked about this. Some of the instrumentation and the humor especially, but I didn't care for the singing style - that sort of dramatic, over-the-top, broadway type of singing. 3 stars.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I can't figure Alice Cooper out. Sometimes he reminds me of the Who, in all their power and glory, sometimes the theatrical side of Pink Floyd, but then other times he's like a schlocky joke. Overall this is a solid album though. 3 stars.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
This was nice. Maybe a bit more country-leaning than folk-leaning for my particular taste, but I enjoyed it. 3 stars.
George Jones
2/5
The best thing about this was that it was short. Not a fan of this type of country music. 2 stars.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
If aliens were to come to earth and ask to hear the most generic hard rock ever, this is what I would choose for them. They'd listen to it and go, "eh, it's okay I guess. Nothing wrong with it but it sure is generic." (Of course that would be in their own alien language but because they are so advanced they have automatic translator machines so we can understand them. They actually have 12 different words for 'generic' in their language.) So, yeah, I guess that about says it all. 2 stars.
Minutemen
3/5
Interesting album. Labeled as punk on Wikipedia, and I can see why, but it's a really eclectic mix of music. A long album too for punk. Some songs I liked quite a bit, but also seemed like quite a few throwaway songs. Could have been an outstanding single album with some editing. 3 stars.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
For whatever reason, I'm fascinated by albums created by artists going through some type of mental crisis or breakdown. Syd Barrett's solo work, Big Star's Third, Brian Wilson, Jay Bennett after he parted ways with Wilco. This is one I hadn't heard before, although strangely enough I knew of the album for another reason. I'm a huge fan of the Replacements, who were discovered by a guy named Peter Jesperson, who managed a record store in Minneapolis called Oar Folkjokeopus, which was named after this album and Folkjokeopus, an album by Roy Harper.
Having said all that, when I saw this pop up I was intrigued. As expected, it's a really uneven album with moments of brilliance. Not all great, but enough recognizable musical genius and interest here to give it 4 stars.
Beatles
5/5
Not much I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. I'll just say that this is a fitting finale for the greatest band that ever was. 5 stars.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
One of Neil's best. 4 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
It’s not even my favorite album by the boss, but still a 5 star classic. The album where Bruce really came into his own.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Things I would rather do than listen to this album again:
1. Stick my hand into a nest of murder hornets
2. Eat Taco Bell for 24 meals in a row
3. Binge-watch Joanie Loves Chachi
Yes, it was that bad to me. The only positive thing I'll say is that, while I've never found Mariah Carey to be at all attractive, she does look sort of hot on the album cover. 1 star.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Classic Elvis Costello. Great album. 4 stars.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I'm not a jazz guy by any means (unless you count my obsession with watching old episodes of the Colgate Comedy Hour with legends such as Paul Bufano, Tiny "Boop Squigg" Shorterly, and Roy Donk) but I really liked this. I was expecting something much less listenable, but this was sort of a cosmic gumbo that moved to the beat of jazz. 4 stars.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Not much to be said about this that hasn't already been said. It's an all-time classic. I remember well being a teenager and listening to it on vinyl with my headphones on. Mesmerizing. Still holds up even after all this time. 5 stars.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Some of the hippy-dippy stuff hasn't aged well, but it's still a landmark album of the psychedelic era. They really hit the jackpot when they found Grace Slick - her vocals are just amazing. Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are of course classics, but Embryonic Journey is the highlight for me. 4 stars.
Green Day
3/5
I used to be pretty anti-Green Day. I saw them as derivative, punk-lite posers. I still have a bit of that feeling, but I've mostly grown to respect them over the years. I have to admit that they have written and recorded some catchy songs, and this album is chock full of them. Still not their biggest fan, but I did enjoy this overall. 3 stars.
Missy Elliott
3/5
I liked this more than expected. Not a fan of most hip hop or rap but Missy seems kind of musical compared to others. 3 stars.
The Triffids
3/5
I feel like I didn't give this quite as close a listen as it deserves. I liked it overall, but the singer sometimes came off as a bit lounge singer-ish if that makes any sense. Need to give it a closer listen, but for now I'll go with 3 stars.
Moby
3/5
Moby is an artist that it seems I've heard about a lot, but couldn't name a single song of his that I've heard. I'm sure I have heard songs by him, just not sure which ones. Having said that, I enjoyed the opportunity to listen to one of his albums. I liked this much more than most electronic music I've heard - I think because for the most part this actually sounds like music. Especially interesting how he was able to weave in so much blues music - I would not have expected blues and electronica to blend together so well. A bit repetitive, but good stuff overall. 3 stars.
Ice Cube
3/5
Not a big fan of rap, but I can definitely appreciate this. 3 stars.
The Killers
4/5
Such an amazing debut album. Brash, in your face, catchy, a bit retro, some clever lyrics, what's not to like? You have to get at least 7 tracks in before getting to a tune that's not a guaranteed hit. 4 stars.
SZA
3/5
This grew on me over the course of the album. Sort of a hardcore version of Adele. I liked the song about Forrest Gump and pussy. 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Excellent album, one of Dylan's best. A return to form after a few not-so-great albums. There are three all-time classic songs (Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, and Shelter From the Storm), six very good songs, and only one dud in the bunch (Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts - shame that it's almost 9 minutes long). Idiot Wind makes me think, not for the first time, that I'm glad I've never done anything to make Bob mad at me.
I read a book about the making of this album once, and a bunch of the musicians that worked on it never got credit, which is a shame. I think Dylan was a bit of a selfish asshole, but that doesn't diminish from his genius. 5 stars.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
It's nice and pleasant, but nothing that special. 3 stars.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
This was pretty good. I liked the Neil Young songs more than the Richie Furay or Steven Stills songs. 3 stars.
Eric Clapton
4/5
Regardless how I feel about Eric Clapton as a person (which is not great), there is no denying he is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. The great thing about Clapton, and it's on full display on this album, is that he didn't have to be showy or over-the-top to show his abilities on guitar. This album is full of interesting, laid-back songs crossing several genres. Probably his best solo album. 4 stars.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
I was worried that this would be too cutesy-fartsy for my taste. While it did occasionally veer into cutesy-fartsy territory, it had enough substance that kept it really interesting and not annoying at all to me. I plan to listen to this again and explore more of their music. 4 stars.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is one of the most amazing live albums ever recorded. I don't have the right words to describe it, but it's incredible to hear these simple folk/country songs performed by this incredible talent for this unique audience. The appreciation they have for it and the bond between performer and audience are apparent. I miss the days when we could acknowledge that even the lowest among us, including convicted criminals, were still human beings. This album is a good reminder of that. Truly a special experience listening to this. 5 stars.
Wilco
4/5
This was the album that made everyone realize that there was more to Jeff Tweedy than anyone realized. When Uncle Tupelo broke up, I think a lot of people expected that Jay Farrar had a bright future ahead of him while Jeff Tweedy would fade into obscurity. Wilco's first album, A.M., was pleasant enough, but not super interesting or innovative, while Son Volt's first album Trace was very well received on the other hand.
Then this album came out by Wilco and it was like, woah, there's something pretty interesting going on here. I still prefer their next couple of albums, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but this is a really interesting, eclectic set of songs, and a sign of things to come. Maybe would have been better to get rid of the filler songs and release as a single album, but that's ok. 4 stars.
The Pharcyde
2/5
It was fine, as far as hip hop goes, just not something that I enjoy very much. I liked the Oh Shit song. 2 stars.
Slayer
1/5
After listening to this I suddenly felt the urge to eat babies and have sex with the dead. Fortunately I listened to some ABBA immediately after finishing this album, and those feelings subsided before I was able to act on them.
Up until now I've taken the title of this book, "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die," as a given. Now, the question has arisen in my mind: "must" I really have listened to this before I die? Oxford defines the word "must" as "be obliged to; should (expressing necessity)." I believe that listening to this was not a necessity. Not only that, but my death would be a little better for not having heard it. But it's too late now.
1 star, although I did enjoy the slow ballads!
Neil Young
4/5
Wow, how is it that I've never before listened to this album, and really haven't heard much from it? Raw, emotional, intense, rough-around-the-edges, and ultimately beautiful. While I appreciate Neil's integrity, it's too bad you can't listen to this on Spotify, otherwise I would put this on repeat for the day. 4 stars.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Pretty interesting and eclectic. Quirky neo-pyschedelia with a bit of power pop mixed in. Would listen again. 3 stars.
Crowded House
4/5
There's a part of me that wants to not like this album. It's too slick, too polished, not organic or genuine sounding enough. But it's really impossible not to like it. The harmonies, the beautiful melodies, the production, it all comes together to make for a really strong, enjoyable album of songs. 4 stars.
The Icarus Line
2/5
This may make me sound old, but it's a bit too noisy for me. Some interesting stuff, but overall not my favorite. 2 stars.
T. Rex
4/5
Love me some T. Rex! One of their best. 4 stars.
4/5
Lanois and Eno produced U2 is best U2. This is a great album. 4 stars.
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits is a visionary and a poet. I don't always "get" him, but I appreciate his uniqueness. I really enjoyed this album for the loose, jazz-lounge feel. 4 stars.
The Fall
3/5
This was more interesting and unique than expected. Would definitely listen again. 3 stars.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I appreciate the Yardbirds and the influence they had, but at the same time I think their music hasn't aged as well as some other music of that time. Some of their music brings to mind early Spinal Tap. Standouts here are Over, Under, Sideways, Down and Jeff's Boogie, which really brings to mind Stevie Ray Vaughan. 3 stars.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Wow, it's like Led Zeppelin before there was Led Zeppelin. It's a great collection of covers and originals (other than Ol' Man River, which was maybe not the best choice). It's a shame Jeff Beck never achieved quite the "guitar god" status that Clapton, Page, and Hendrix earned, because he was certainly just as deserving. 4 stars.
Goldie
2/5
Oy, this was tough to get through. Nothing in particular wrong with it, but nearly two hours of electronic music is not my idea of an enjoyable Wednesday morning. I feel similar to this as I feel about the band Rush - I appreciate the technical skill that went into it, but that doesn't mean I like listening to it. 2 stars.
Brian Eno
3/5
I actually bought this album on vinyl probably 30 years ago, and I have to admit I've hardly listened to it. It was good to revisit though. Some interesting stuff on here, although it sometimes veers into elevator music territory. Not a fan of Eno's voice though. 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Probably the peak of Bob Dylan's early folk/protest singer period. Half the songs on this album are all-time classics, and the rest aren't bad either. 5 stars easy.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I feel like I say this a lot about albums on the list, but just because I can appreciate the talent, vision, and uniqueness of a particular album doesn't mean that I really enjoy listening to it. I feel that way about a lot of Sonic Youth music. It's interesting, but not super enjoyable. 3 stars.
The Monkees
3/5
Nothing wrong with a little Monkees. Not quite sure it belongs on this list, but it's a decent album with a few more original songs than their previous albums. Kind of when The Monkees started coming into their own I guess. At their best, they sound like a more bubble gum version of the Zombies. 3 stars.
Sade
3/5
Such a beautiful voice, such a great singer. It's impossible not to be hooked when she sings the line, "Coast to coast, LA to Chicago..." The other songs on the album are solid, but nothing too outstanding. 3 stars.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I'm sure they were fun to see live (or was it the drugs?) but overall I think the Grateful Dead were pretty mediocre as a band. Sometimes I like the way their voices blend together - a bit reminiscent of the Band's harmonies but not as good - but otherwise their music is pretty boring. This was okay. 3 stars.
Tina Turner
3/5
I definitely have respect for Miss Tina - she is an icon - but I don't really love the mid-eighties synth-pop production of this album. Some strong moments here but overall I think it's just so-so. 3 stars.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Good stuff! Quite the variety of blues, folk, country, and even some jazzy type stuff. Obviously very influential. 3 stars.
Neu!
4/5
This krautrock stuff is not too bad. Hadn't heard of this genre before I got the Faust album earlier, and I definitely enjoy it. Kinda chill and spacey. Feels pretty advanced for 1975. 4 stars.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
It's good, but I'm just not cool enough to appreciate jazz. Just kinda bores me. 3 stars.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Okay, this is a fine example of late 60's psychedelic garage rock, but nothing really special either. Not quite sure why it's on the list, but for some reason it has triggered me that one of my all-time favorite bands, Procol Harum, is NOT on this list at all. They were another band that released their debut album in 1967, which included one of the all-time greatest songs ever written, A Whiter Shade of Pale. Their first album could certainly be on this list, but any of their next few albums could also be represented due to their sophistication, blending of classical influences with rock and R&B, their unique instrumentation that included both piano and organ and frequent forays into orchestral music, their drummer (BJ Wilson) who was one of rock's all-time great drummers, their guitarist (Robin Trower) who is one of rock's great guitarists, and their chief songwriter and vocalist (Gary Brooker, RIP) who had a truly special voice and gift as a songwriter and pianist. I love (almost) all of their work, but if I had to pick one album to be on this list it would be their third album A Salty Dog from 1969. The title song is a landmark in progressive rock with one of the most beautiful string arrangements you'll ever hear, but the whole album is excellent.
Anyway, I'm done with my rant now. But if you like late 60s/early 70s progressive/classical/baroque rock then you will not be sorry to dive into Procol Harum's catalog. There is a lot there to like.
Back to the Electric Prunes - it's a fine album but nothing too special. 3 stars.
ABBA
3/5
It's hard not to like ABBA. Strangely enough, I don't recall ever hearing any of the songs on this album before. Seems like this was ABBA trying to evolve their sound into something a bit more mature and nuanced, and it works. Too bad they didn't record another album after this for 40 years. 3 stars.
Pantera
1/5
Okay, I've heard it before I die (although it almost killed me). Hopefully I never have to hear this again. 1 star.
The Who
4/5
Oh man, the power chords, the drumming, the ballsy full throttle rock n' roll of the Who in their prime. Live albums don't get much better than this. I liked pretty much everything about this, but the real revelation was hearing Keith Moon just kill it on the drums during every song. Mind blowing. 4 stars.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
I'm not quite sure what to make of this. It's like they took a bunch of Arctic Monkeys songs and said, \"Let's see how much we can make these sound like James Bond theme music.\" It's not bad, but I'm not sure how well it works (for me at least). I like the album cover a lot. 3 stars.
Mike Oldfield
4/5
18 year old me loved this album, and guess what? 56 year old me still loves it! Quite an amazing accomplishment for a 19 year old kid to compose this and play nearly all the instruments. Of course everyone knows the theme from The Exorcist, but there is a whole lot more to this than just that part. 4 stars.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Pretty nice! 3 stars.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I feel like I'm not quite cool enough to "get" Sonic Youth. I appreciate that they produce some interesting sounds and their innovative use of the guitar, but at the same time it sounds a bit like noise to me. This album is maybe a bit more accessible than other stuff I've heard from them. At best, some of their songs sound like PJ Harvey. 3 stars.
The Smiths
4/5
I used to really hate the Smiths back when they were actually making music. My views on them have softened over the years, to the point that I actually enjoy them. This album I liked a lot. It seemed to display more maturity and polish than most of their work. 4 stars.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
I bought this one on vinyl when it came out. Really strong debut album. It seemed to go against the grain at the time, which was heading more toward alternative and grunge. This felt a bit more like throwback classic rock, and it was a breath of fresh air. I didn't really track Lenny much after this album, other than hearing the hits. 4 stars.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Super smooth and super cool. Not normally a style of music that I seek out but I really liked this. 4 stars.
Steve Earle
3/5
I love Steve Earle, but I prefer his rock side versus this album which is more pure country/twang kind of stuff. It's still good, but I think when he started blending elements of rock and country and folk and bluegrass he really hit his stride. 3 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Have I heard Stairway to Heaven enough for one lifetime? Yes. Is it still a mind-blowingly epic song? Also yes.
Going beyond Stairway though, this is an incredible album, and it's not even my favorite Led Zeppelin album. I love how it starts out with a couple of basic (but still great) rock songs and then suddenly The Battle of Evermore comes on and you're like, what's this? Then you've got Stairway, which must have totally blown everyone's minds when first hearing it back in the day, and back to some basic (but still great) rock with Misty Mountain Hop. Four Sticks is maybe the low point of the album but still an interesting song. Going to California is just sublime and then closing with some classic blues done Zeppelin style with some amazing drumming by Bonzo. The whole package is just outstanding. 5 stars.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
I didn't hate it, but not really my thing. 2 stars.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Normally I like late 60's experimental/psychedelic/garage music, but this didn't do much for me. It was probably pretty cool when it first came out but it hasn't aged well. Didn't hate it, but didn't enjoy it much either. 3 stars.
The White Stripes
4/5
Love me some White Stripes, and not just because they are my Detroit homies. This is a great album. Great guest vocals by legendary Detroit anchorman Mort Crim, not to mention Holly Golightly's contribution on the closing track. I love Meg's highlight song In the Cold, Cold Night too. It's just a great album (did I say that already?) 4 stars.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Sounds like the soundtrack to a cheesy Bollywood movie. Oh wait, it is a soundtrack to a cheesy Bollywood movie. It's okay, but not quite sure why it's on this list. 3 stars.
Moby Grape
3/5
Similar to the Captain Beefheart album I had a couple of days ago, this is alright but I don't think it's aged well and not sure it really belongs on this list. This reminded me a bit of the Grateful Dead, which is not a good thing in my book. Some songs I enjoyed - 8:05 was a highlight for me, and it was interesting to hear the original Naked, If I Want To. I'm very familiar with the Cat Power cover, but I had never heard the original. But mostly this was just okay for me. 3 stars.
Simply Red
3/5
I feel like I've had a series of these middle-of-the-road, three-star albums lately. Like nothing bad or offensive about them, I could even say I somewhat enjoyed listening to them, but also nothing really special or super-interesting about them. Maybe it's just me. It's a decent album, but that's about it. 3 stars.
New Order
3/5
Yet another three star album that is decent but nothing special. Never been a big fan of this style of new wave. I don't mind it, but I don't love it either. 3 stars.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
A bit too Lynyrd Skynyrd-ish for my tastes, but an impressive piece of work to be sure. I did gain a better appreciation of the south though. 3 stars.
John Martyn
3/5
This was completely new to me, and I liked this quite a bit. Sort of R&B meets progressive rock. I like the song about the big muff. Planning to listen more. 3 stars.
Carole King
4/5
Growing up in the seventies, this album was constantly on our giant hi-fi stereo that filled up the entire wall of our living room - the wall with the checkerboard mirrors on a black painted background. It was prominently displayed at all of my friend's houses too, it seemed like every parent owned this album. I was never much interested in it at the time. It wasn't The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Cream or The Doors, so it didn't really make it's way into my consciousness other than seeing the album cover everywhere.
Now that I'm older than my parents were back then, I can appreciate this album much more. It's really a monster of an album, with almost every song being a timeless classic. The other thing that strikes me about this album is the pure positivity. Almost all the songs are about friendship, love and being supportive. Yes, it's still a bit too easy listening-ish for me, but I can't deny this is an outstanding album. 4 stars.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
With songs like Death to Everyone, Another Day Full of Dread, and Today I Was an Evil One, how could I not feel optimistic and uplifted! Seriously though, this album should probably come with a warning label - if you have suicidal thoughts and ideations please don't listen! Having said all that, it was pretty good. 3 stars.
Röyksopp
3/5
I'm not big into electronic music but this is pretty nice. Some cool sounds. I especially liked Röyksopp's Night Out - it had a very nice groove. 3 stars.
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
I wasn't sure what to expect here, but I loved this. Really strong energy, driving, catchy songs with just the right amount of chaos. The horns were a nice touch. Overall, this reminded me a little of my favorite band, The Replacements. Will definitely listen again and check out more of their stuff. 4 stars.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Usually when I get a jazz album I groan a little bit. I'm always like, sure it's fine but it just doesn't do much for me. This however was a really pleasant surprise. Maybe it just hit me in the right mood for today, but I'm loving it. It's just so cool and interesting and intricate and groovy. The Big Apple surprisingly reminded me a lot of Traffic's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. I started out thinking 3 stars but now that I through I'm upping that to 4 stars.
OutKast
3/5
As far as hip hop goes it's pretty good, but not really my thing. I can appreciate that this is a very solid album though if you do like that sort of thing. 3 stars.
Rod Stewart
5/5
WTF happened to Rod Stewart? With this album he makes the quintessential rock/folk album and then just a few short years later he's dressing in spandex and singing Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy. Oh well, at least we have these early years. Just a beautiful album full of beautiful songs beautifully produced. 5 stars.
The Byrds
3/5
I love the Byrds, but this album isn't one of my favorites. It's good, but I'm not a fan of the David Crosby compositions - they remind me of the songs I like least in the CSNY catalog - that sort of moody feel. Overall it's a good album and I'm sure in 1967 it was relatively cutting edge, but for me it's a 3 star album.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
This is a classic 60s album, the one where Simon and Garfunkel really came into their own. I think after Sounds of Silence, a lot of people probably thought they were going to be a one-hit wonder but this album demonstrated a duo with a lot of talent and staying power. Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, 59th Street Bridge Song, and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her are all all-time classics. The rest of the album is mostly filler material, except for the closer 7 O'clock News / Silent Night, which is really moving and beautiful in its own way. I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars for this album. I would give it 5, but I do think there are a fair amount of throwaway songs on here, and at times it's a bit naive and pretentious so I'm going with 4. Plus that shirt Paul Simon is wearing on the album cover is worth at least a 0.25 point deduction.
Small Faces
3/5
I guess there are some good moments here, but overall it's just kind of "meh" to me. Maybe it's my shitty computer speaker, but it didn't sound great, like the production was just so-so. In summary, it's not bad but also not super interesting. 3 stars.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
I have to admit I was kind of dreading this when I saw the album and read the Wikipedia overview. Just not my thing. But Christine kind of won me over after a bit. Still not something I'm likely to listen to, but he's got a great voice and the songs are pretty decent. Still hate the inorganic electronic sounds, but overall much better than expected. Listen with an open mind. 3 stars.
Jane Weaver
3/5
This was interesting, probably something I need to listen to again to fully appreciate. Didn’t love the electronica elements but overall definitely worth a re-listen. 3 stars.
Funkadelic
4/5
Love this. Great grooves, great guitar, great energy. 4 stars.
Culture Club
3/5
Another one of those albums that's fine, nothing bad about it, a couple songs I like, a couple I don't like, and a bunch I'm indifferent about. Not sure why it's on the list - I guess Culture Club was on the forefront of some sort of trend? 3 stars.
Neil Young
4/5
I consider myself a Neil Young fan. Maybe not a hardcore fan who knows everything about him and his catalog, but I own a handful of his albums on vinyl (probably 4 or 5) and have always appreciated Neil and his different musical styles. So to learn about an album recorded in his early prime that I don't recall ever seeing before or hearing any of the songs before kind of blew me away. Seriously, the album cover doesn't look familiar and I don't think I've heard any of the songs on this album before, but it's classic Neil. What the hell?
Anyway, after listening to it once I think it's a great album. I need to listen to it more. Thanks to Neil shunning Spotify I guess I need to buy this album on vinyl also. We'll see how it evolves over time for me, but for now I'm going with 4 stars.
Anita Baker
3/5
Fun fact, I worked for IBM in the late 80's in the Detroit area, and I worked with Anita Baker's then-fiancé Walter Bridgforth. Everyone referred to him as "Mr. Baker". Never met Anita, and I believe Walter took a leave of absence shortly after I started because this album was taking off. That's about as tenuous a connection you could have to a celebrity I guess.
Anyway, this is nice. Very smooth and soulful. Not really my favorite style of music but it's pretty good. 3 stars.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Like most Americans, I haven't delved too far into reggae beyond Bob Marley. This feels pretty similar, maybe a bit more of a mellow vibe. Hard not to like it. And I fully agree, it should be legalized. 4 stars.
N.W.A.
3/5
I'm not into rap, but I kind of liked this. It has great beats, and the mix and the words have a boldness and clarity that I found striking. And yeah, fuck tha police. 3 stars.
Billy Bragg
5/5
This is an incredible album. It's like you can feel the bridge in time between Woody writing these lyrics and Billy Bragg and Wilco writing and performing the music. The songs are incredibly strong and cohesive. The lyrics are amazing, full of evocative scenes and witty double entendres, a fine testament to Woody Guthrie's genius. Classic. 5 stars.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
This starts off sounding fairly Beach Boys-like, but then it gradually morphs into something more interesting. Some of it reminds me of Wilco, some of Randy Newman, but overall it's really nice. 4 stars.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Reminds me of Frank Zappa, and I dislike it for the same reasons I dislike Frank Zappa. It’s like if you do something random and bizarre enough, but do it confidently, people will think you’re a genius. But in reality it’s just random, bizarre crap. Yes, there are flashes of interesting musical bits in here, but overall it’s a big thumbs down for me. 2 stars.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
This is very long. Like really long. The Spotify link on this website goes to "The Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook" but the real album is a box set with 59 songs spanning more than 3 hours. So, it's a lot.
But on to the music. Ella Fitzgerald obviously was an amazingly talented singer. Her voice on these songs is silky smooth and on point. But the songs are anachronistic and dated. Ira Gershwin's lyrics make me cringe. But this was recorded over 60 years ago, so hard to expect anything else. Just not something I enjoy for 3+ hours. 3 stars.
Ozomatli
3/5
I liked it! Sort of a more modern version of Santana with a tiny bit of middle eastern/Kashmir type of stuff going on. 3 stars.
Simple Minds
3/5
It's okay, but not really my thing. 3 stars.
Kraftwerk
3/5
At first this felt like a novelty act, but as I got deeper into the album I started to like it. I found the music really interesting. 3 stars.
Pretenders
4/5
Just an outstanding debut album. A little bit punk, a little bit pop, but all Pretenders. 4 stars.
Can
3/5
I wasn't really looking forward to this, as I'm not big into experimental music. But overall I enjoyed this. Reminded me a bit of early Pink Floyd, but a bit more polished. Still not something I would listen to often, but I'm glad I did at least once. 3 stars.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Is this what they call shoegaze music? Because I did find myself gazing down at my shoes. I noticed that my laces were slightly uneven and fraying a bit at the ends. Also, the tops of my shoes were starting to look a bit faded and scuffed up in a couple of places. Still comfortable and taking me where I want to go though.
As far as the music goes, it's okay. I don't mind it, but I don't really love it either. It all sort of washes over you and sounds the same in the end. Strangely, I was listening to the album while I was driving through a thick fog to Wendy's for a breakfast sandwich, and that seemed fitting for the music. 3 stars.
Coldplay
3/5
I've never been a Coldplay hater, but also never a big fan. This was okay, not bad, very listenable, but also not that exciting for me. 3 stars.
Ray Charles
3/5
Very nice. Not something I would listen to regularly, but I can definitely appreciate it. 3 stars.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Not a big fan of the noise-rock thing. I like some of their more accessible songs. 3 stars.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Very Rolling Stones-like with a bit of Grateful Dead, but strangely enough I liked this more than either of those bands (which isn't saying a lot tbh). Probably wouldn't listen again but glad I heard it once. 3 stars.
Pulp
4/5
Love this. It's like David Bowie at his best. The only song I was previously familiar with is Common People. I have to admit I'm still partial to William Shatner's and Joe Jackson's version of it, but the original is pretty good too :-) 4 stars.
Cornershop
4/5
It's rare to hear something after 1990 that is wholly original and also enjoyable. I really liked this a lot, and need to listen to it some more. 4 stars.
Radiohead
3/5
Some of it is brilliant, some of it veers perilously close to pretentious bullshit. 3 stars.
Elliott Smith
4/5
I’ve always liked Elliott Smith but never got too deep into his music. I found this album really interesting - more upbeat and varied than the depressing, purely acoustic music I was expecting. Would definitely listen again. 4 stars.
Sepultura
2/5
Well, that was certainly an album. I'm not at all a fan of this type of music, but strangely enough this sort of fit my mood today. It's election day 2022 here in the US, and like many I'm feeling apprehensive and also angry at the ongoing efforts by the republican party to delegitimize our elections so they can try to gain and hold onto power despite the will of the people. Not to mention their efforts to turn back the clock on issues like abortion, gay marriage, social security, healthcare, etc. etc. etc. So that's why I'm boosting my rating for this album to 2 stars instead of 1.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It's always a good day when you wake to find a Bob Dylan album as your album of the day. This is, of course, a classic - the first of his three consecutive all-time greats in that fertile period of 1965-66. Especially when thinking of this in the context of its time it's a groundbreaking work. While there is a fair amount of filler here, there are also enough all-time classic songs (Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm, Mr. Tambourine Man, It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), It's All Over Now, Baby Blue) to make this an easy 5 star rating.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I love Leonard Cohen, but I prefer his later work. The lyrics are always great, but on the earlier songs I really dislike the sound of his voice. It's creepy and not very pleasant to the ears. Listening to this, I noticed some similarities to Lou Reed that I hadn't picked up on before. Strangely enough, the smoking made his voice much more interesting later on in his career. Also, I think his melodies got a bit catchier and more anthemic later on. Having said all that, this is still a great album. 4 stars.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Not a big rap fan but I kind of liked this. 3 stars.
Aerosmith
1/5
God, this is fucking awful. Why is it on the list? Aerosmith must be the most overrated band of all time. Nothing original about them, didn't break any new ground, wrote a few decent songs over the course of 50 years and the rest is a bunch of crap. There's a song on this album called Dulcimer Stomp? What do they think they are, Led Zeppelin? The best thing about this album is the one minute hidden track at the very end that they didn't even write or perform. And don't get me started on Steven Tyler's stupid face. The only good thing he did was to produce Liv Tyler, and he didn't even own up to that. 1 star.
Big Black
2/5
I wanted to like this, I really did, but I couldn't. It just grated on my ears too much. 2 stars.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Always happy to wake up and see Sly & The Family Stone on the docket. This one is a little less upbeat and optimistic than their earlier music but still great. 4 stars.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Wow, Sly & The Family Stone one day and then Curtis Mayfield the next. Pretty fine one-two punch I’d say, wouldn’t you? Curtis is a little more refined and polished than Sly, but both are super interesting, inventive, and just plain groovy. Love this. 4 stars.
Fugees
2/5
In the hip hop genre this is very good, but I just don't enjoy hip hop that much. 2 stars.
Iron Maiden
2/5
It was almost bad enough to be good, but not quite. Very Spinal Tap-like, and just a bit more prog-rock sounding than I expected. The lyrics are so comically ridiculous. An example:
White man came across the sea,
He brought us pain and misery,
He killed our tribes, he killed our creed,
He took our game for his own need.
We fought him hard, we fought him well,
Out on the plains we gave him hell,
But many came, too much for Cree,
Oh, will we ever be set free?
Sounds like a B- creative writing assignment for a 17 year old.
2 stars.
Faith No More
1/5
I found it hilarious reading the Wikipedia page that there was a controversy about them imitating the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to which Roddy Bottum replied, "To me, our band sounds nothing like Red Hot Chili Peppers. If you're talking about long hair, rapping with his shirt off, then yeah, I can see similarities. But beyond that, I can't see any." It's funny because the whole time I was listening I was thinking this is a complete RHCP ripoff. And that's not a good thing to me, by the way. I hate the guitar sound, I hate the vocals, I hate pretty much all of it. The only track I really enjoyed was the bonus track cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. 1 star.
The Roots
2/5
I'm not a fan of hip hop, but this wasn't too bad. Funny, the only thing I know about the Roots is from Jimmy Fallon's show, so I just assumed they were "hip hop lite" type music, but not the case. Still not something I would likely listen to again. 2 stars.
Sparks
4/5
Surprised I wasn't already familiar with this band. I liked it a lot. Shades of Queen and Bowie. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I love Stevie Wonder, and feel a special affinity for him as a native Detroiter. This album is great and showcases a more mature Stevie Wonder, but I have to admit that I like the funkier, less mature Stevie Wonder a bit better. I'm not as much a fan of the slower, romantic ballads (e.g. Visions, Golden Lady, All in Love is Fair). There are still some great, funky classics here like Living for the City and Higher Ground. Whenever I travel to NYC for work the first thing I always say when I get out of my Lyft at the hotel is, "New York City, just like I pictured it. Sky scrapers and everything!" Great album, 4 stars.
Yes
4/5
Excellent album, the one where Yes truly came into their own (although they hadn't yet adopted the classic Roger Dean designed album covers). Steve Howe was an amazing addition to the band and one of the most criminally underrated guitar players of all time. Also, I don't often rave about bass players but Chris Squire was just incredible and it comes through on this album. The songs on this album are all intricately woven yet still manage to be catchy and pleasant to listen to. I think Yes reached their peak a couple of albums later with Close to the Edge, but this was a major step forward for them. 4 stars.
Bauhaus
3/5
This falls into that category of music I don't mind but also don't love. It's decent, nothing bad about it, but it also doesn't grab me for the most part. 3 stars.
George Michael
3/5
George Michael was for sure a talented guy. I don't mind this album. I definitely prefer the more soulful tunes and not as much the ones where it sounds like he's trying to channel Prince or Michael Jackson. Not my thing overall but it was good to listen to once. 3 stars.
Hookworms
4/5
Nice to hear something I wasn't already familiar with that I liked a lot. Very reminiscent of Arcade Fire. 4 stars.
Elton John
5/5
This album came out when I was 8 years old, and one of my older brothers owned it. My two earliest music memories are listening, re-listening, and examining every inch of the album packaging of both this album and the Beatles white album.
This isn't perfect by any means. There are quite a few throwaway songs, but when you look at the whole collection of songs and the packaging it really is an amazing accomplishment. Highlights for me are Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Candle in the Wind, Grey Seal, and All the Girls Love Alice. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
New Order
3/5
This is okay. I really like the song Love Vigilantes, but I really dislike the bouncy, synth-based rhythms that underlie most of the other songs. That prototypical 80's new wave synth rhythms - not sure how else to describe it. It just sounds so inorganic and tiresome after the 100th time hearing that sound. Overall the songs are decent, just not a fan of that sound. 3 stars.
GZA
2/5
Just not a genre I enjoy very much. Repetitious and boring, and too long. I'm sure if you're into hip hop this is good. 2 stars.
The Charlatans
3/5
I enjoyed this. Very sad about Rob Collins dying part way through the making of the album. Don't drink and drive kids, and if you do be sure and wear your seatbelt.
While I did like this album, it struck me as fairly standard Brit-pop, which is way over-represented on this list. 3 stars.
Anthrax
1/5
Today is my birthday. I woke up in anticipation. Would my birthday album be one of my all-time favorite classics, maybe something by Pink Floyd, The Beatles, or The Velvet Underground? Or would I be thrilled to discover some masterpiece that I wasn't already familiar with? No, it turns out to be this garbage. Ugh. This is awful. My birthday is ruined! 1 star.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
I liked this overall. Appealing voice, kind of Tina Turner-like, and interesting songs for the most part. However, sometimes when I look at the album details on Wikipedia and I see 11 different songwriters involved and 13 musicians involved, it makes me think that what I'm listening to is less of an artistic vision and more of a product that's been produced for me by a faceless corporation. This album sort of feels like it's in the middle of those two extremes. 3 stars.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
I enjoyed this overall. Very 70s-ish, reminiscent of a lot of the great instrumental songs that were getting airplay in that decade, e.g. Popcorn, the Theme from S.W.A.T., The Hustle, etc. I didn't enjoy the extended drum solos, but luckily there weren't too many of them. I may have liked their version of In A Gadda Da Vida better than the original. 3 stars.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I've always enjoyed Fleetwood Mac but was never a huge fan. I used to really like the earlier, bluesy Fleetwood Mac, but always considered the more popular version of the band to be a bit too "soft rock" for me. But I can't deny their talent. It's kind of like the Beach Boys to me - I've come to appreciate them more as I get older.
One thing is clear though after perusing the band's Wikipedia page - I need to find a good book about the history of this band. The stories must be legendary. Just take this one passage from Wikipedia: "While on tour in February 1971, Jeremy Spencer said he was going out to "get a magazine" but never returned. After several days of frantic searching the band discovered that Spencer had joined a religious group, the Children of God." Insane.
I liked this album quite a bit. 4 stars.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Surprisingly, the only song on this album I was already familiar with was Help Me, Ronda. I liked this album. It feels like the transition point for them that Rubber Soul was for The Beatles - their move toward more complex songs and more complex subject matter. 4 stars.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Surprisingly, I didn't hate this like I thought I would. I was expecting typical death-metal type stuff, but this was more nuanced. Lyrics were still pretty comical like most of this genre. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3 because I feel generous today.
John Cale
4/5
Very nice, almost classical sounding. A very talented guy, I wish he had done more accessible albums like this one. 4 stars.
Sabu
2/5
Parts of this I found interesting, but overall it was pretty tedious. 2 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I love this album. There's just something so compelling about these somber, stark songs and Nick Cave's deep, sonorous voice and dark lyrics. It just all works together really well. 4 stars.
Machito
3/5
Picture yourself in a hot, sweaty Cuban nightclub, 1957, sipping on a Cuba Libre, beautiful people dancing close. This is the music I hear in my mind. Not necessarily my favorite type of music, but it's a nice change of pace occasionally. 3 stars.
FKA twigs
4/5
Pretty impressive debut album. Sort of Portishead meets Kate Bush meets Enya. Very interesting. 4 stars.
Buck Owens
2/5
It's alright, just so quaint and old fashioned sounding. I like the lyrics, and I like the conciseness of the songs, but overall just not a type of music that I enjoy. I'm sure it's very influential, but for me it's 2 stars.
Violent Femmes
4/5
When this album came out, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Raw and unpolished, but catchy at the same time. Especially relevant if you were a depressed teenager at the time (which I was). Excellent debut album. 4 stars.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
I remember being in high school in the early 80s, and my old beat friend Marty from elementary school, who I had stopped being friends with around 7th grade, showed up to school in a Dead Kennedys t-shirt. I was like, what the hell happened to Marty? We had grown up listening to Elton John and The Beatles, and I still hadn't moved much beyond that. (Sure, I now liked Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin too, but punk rock? That was a bridge too far.)
Looking back now, I see that Marty was much more musically adventurous and open-minded, something that took another few years for me. Listening to this now in hindsight, I can see this as a natural evolution from the garage rock bands of the 60s and early 70s, for example The Stooges and The MC5. It's raw and rough around the edges, but still catchy. Marty, I'm sorry I was so stuck in my ways - it would have been fun to hang out and obsess over bands like this back in the day. 4 stars.
Hawkwind
4/5
Can't believe I'd never heard of this band before. Pretty cool! Sort of prog rock meets proto-punk. Enjoyed it quite a bit, need to listen again. 4 stars.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
It was pretty good, but sort of like new age music where it's nice to have on in the background but doesn't really make a big impact. A little edgier than new age but same sort of vibe. 3 stars.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
I was going through a big blues phase in the late 80s, and John Lee Hooker was my favorite bluesman. I just loved the style of his guitar playing. So when this album came out I was really into it. John Lee Hooker is such a blues legend, it was great to see him finally get his due and that this album enabled him to live out his later years in comfort. I got to see him live right around this time, which was amazing. It's really nice to revisit this album after all these years. 4 stars.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Not a fan. This was the beginning of the pansy-fication of rock and roll. Effeminate male vocals combined with inorganic sounding synth-driven rhythms. Sorry to be crass, but this music has no balls. 2 stars.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
This was nice. A bit easy listening-ish for me but I enjoyed it. The lead singer has a nice voice, kind of kd lang-like. 3 stars.
John Martyn
4/5
Very nice, reminiscent of Nick Drake. I'd heard a couple of these songs before but it was great to listen through the entire album. 4 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
That classic, raucous Elvis Costello sound coupled with more mature songwriting. What's not to like? 4 stars.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
This album really takes me back. Not because I was familiar with it already, but because it reminds me so much of that Peter Murphy song, Cuts You Up, that was everywhere around that time. I'm not a huge fan of goth rock, but it can be catchy and danceable at times. Best example on this album is This Corrosion. Although it goes on a bit long it's a very good song. Overall this is okay but not really my thing. 3 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
So, this is a 29 minute album. 2 minutes are taken up by a recording of old people talking (Voices of Old People), and another two minutes are taken up by the Bookends Theme and Bookends Theme - Reprise, which are basically just musical variations borrowed from Old Friends. That leaves 24 minutes of actual songs. Out of those 24 minutes, we have 2 absolute classics (America and Mrs. Robinson), 2 very good songs (A Hazy Shade of Winter and At the Zoo), and then a few, mostly pretentious, filler songs. So, what we have here is a very good HALF album. I'm not surprised to read in the Wikipedia entry that Paul Simon was having writer's block while trying to make this album. Even with all that, it's still a great (half) album. 4 stars.
Marty Robbins
3/5
It's kind of like the original gangsta rap, isn't it? I especially like the song Big Iron, about the mysterious laundry boy who comes to town with a big iron on his hip and starts ironing people's clothing, and then the town laundry boy challenges the new guy to an iron-off. (I may have misinterpreted some of the lyrics, but I think that's basically it.)
Overall, this is of course dated but I like a good story song. 3 stars.
Paul Simon
4/5
True story: Once (probably around 2005) I was in New York City for work, staying at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, and I saw Paul Simon in the lobby bathroom. I walked in, he was at the sink washing his hands, I glanced over just as he looked up into the mirror. Our eyes met for just a moment as I realized who he was and he realized that I recognized him. He quickly looked back down at his hands in the sink and I continued walking to the urinals. When I finished peeing he was gone and I never saw him again.
Despite my obviously close relationship to Paul Simon, I wasn't previously familiar with this album. On the other hand, I'm very familiar with his follow-up album Graceland, so it's interesting to hear shades of Graceland in this album. This feels much more intimate and personal, much like our shared restroom experience, but there are many hints as to what was to come. Not a big fan of the Fender Rhodes keyboard sound he used, but less so on this album than some of his previous solo work. 4 stars.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
The music has a good energy, but I’m not a big fan of the vocals or the album’s length. Would have been better as a strong 40 minute album. 3 stars.
The Go-Go's
4/5
It's simple but it's fun and catchy, and there's nothing wrong with that. I loved this album back in the early 80s and it's still great to listen to today. 4 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Nick Cave is a true artist. This is incredibly somber and meditative but also brilliant. Knowing that it was written following his 15 year old son's death makes it all the more poignant. This one is going to require repeated listenings to fully appreciate. 4 stars.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I have a playlist on Spotify called "Epic girl songs of the 60s and 70s", and this album typifies the music on it. I love it. So much drama, emotion, and beauty. Dusty's voice was so beautiful and textured, and the song selections here perfectly fit her style. 4 stars.
BTW, some other songs on my Epic Girl Songs of the 60s and 70s playlist include To Sir With Love by Lulu, I Don't Know How to Love Him from JC Superstar, Wedding Bell Blues by Laura Nyro, and Both Sides Now by Judy Collins. Just great, classic songs with strong female vocals. It's one of my favorite playlists, and it's public so feel free to find and enjoy it!
Justice
3/5
Some of these tunes were pretty good, others made me feel like I was having an epileptic seizure. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I'm super familiar with (and love) Back to Black, but strangely enough I've never listened to this album. I guess it's not that unusual really. This album is great, not as much of a cohesive masterpiece like Back to Black, but still excellent nonetheless. Amy was a rare talent and such a shame that she died so young. 4 stars.
Genesis
5/5
One of my all-time favorite albums, dating back to high school when my friend Ron made a cassette tape of the album for me. Definitely one of the most ambitious, progressive concept albums ever made. There are a few songs that aren't great, especially toward the latter half of side four, but overall it's an amazing album. 5 stars.
Scott Walker
1/5
Thank god that's over. I hated nearly everything about this. Fuckin' awful. 1 star.
Nick Drake
4/5
Somewhere deep inside I knew that Nick Drake had more than just the Pink Moon album, but for some reason I had never listened to this. Just like Pink Moon this is simply sublime. 4 stars.
Public Enemy
2/5
Not my favorite type of music. If I do have to listen to rap or hip hop, I do prefer this old school stuff, but I just don't enjoy it overall. 2 stars.
Fairport Convention
4/5
When I was younger, my impression of Fairport Convention was more or less traditional Irish folk music. (Little did I know they weren't even Irish.) Just in the last year or two I've really started getting into their music. Yes, there was a strong folk influence, but there's so much more than that. These are great songs, and Sandy Denny's voice is just beautiful. Some of the guitar work strangely reminds me of Neil Young. Excellent album. 4 stars.
Mike Ladd
3/5
I'm not a hip hop fan at all, but this was really interesting. The term I want to use to describe this is "progressive hip hop." Very interesting, innovative, and different from any other hip hop I've heard. I wish it was available on Spotify - I would definitely listen again. 3 stars.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Some of the finest power pop ever recorded. I just love that clean, yet fuzzy guitar tone. 4 stars.
Mekons
4/5
Whenever I listen to a band or album that I wasn't previously familiar with, I try to put them in a category - what other music are they similar to? When I read on Wikipedia that this was considered an alternative country album I was expecting something Wilco-esque, but this was more raucous, more punk-like. Reminded me of The Pogues, or maybe Billy Bragg a little bit. In any case, I liked it a lot and plan to delve deeper into the Mekons music. 4 stars.
PJ Harvey
5/5
PJ Harvey is a source of contention in the imrichb household. While I absolutely love everything about PJ, my wife can't stand her. I can sort of understand - PJ isn't for everyone. She can be weird and dissonant, but man she is also so talented. She's made a lot of really interesting music, but for me this album and her debut album Dry will always be her masterpieces. So raw, raucous, dark and noisy. 5 stars.
Tori Amos
4/5
This is a great album. I loved it when it came out - it just seemed to tap into some feeling at the time. Probably more among women, but I was a mid-20s guy at the time and I could also relate to the feelings of isolation and childhood trauma. It felt so personal, like going to a therapist but more enjoyable. 4 stars.
The Byrds
3/5
I like country rock, but this was maybe a bit too high a ratio of country to rock. Still love the Byrds and appreciate the great harmonies though. They were definitely innovators, but this one is not among my favorites. 3 stars.
The Doors
5/5
One of the greatest debut albums of all time. Just for the song The End this is a five star album - such an incredible song, nothing like it before or since. But not only that, Break on Through is a classic, as are The Crystal Ship and Light My Fire. The Doors went on to make more great music, but I'm not sure they ever topped this (with the possible exception of Morrison Hotel). 5 stars.
Steely Dan
4/5
"You've been telling me you're a genius since you were seventeen. In all the time I've known you I still don't know what you mean." Such a great line.
A great debut album with some classic songs. Steely Dan really created a sound that was all their own. 4 stars.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
This is the 4th great debut album I've gotten in the last 5 days (the other 3 being The Doors, Steely Dan, and Tori Amos). I love hearing the first work of great artists, but in this case it's such a shame to not be able to hear how the artist evolved over time. Such a talent.
More than anything, this album reminded me of Led Zeppelin. With Buckley's soaring, ethereal vocals, and the mix of soft, gentle tunes along with occasional harder rock. But at the same time this is unique and something altogether different.
It's a great album, and I would have loved to hear where he went from here. 4 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I'm a bit surprised to find this album on the list. It's good, but I don't feel like this broke any new ground or is really that spectacular. 3 stars.
Arcade Fire
5/5
It's a shame that Win Butler turned out to be a bad guy, but I try to separate the artist from the art.
I still distinctly remember the first time Arcade Fire showed up on my radar. I was watching Later with Jools Holland, must have been 2005, and suddenly there's this big group that looked like a bunch of nerdy high school band kids and they started playing this majestic cacophony of beautiful, chaotic music. It blew me away.
Neon Bible is one of their best albums, along with the other two of their first three albums. It's just so unique and yet so listenable. 5 stars.
The Who
3/5
I love The Who, but I have to say I think this album is vastly overrated. I know, I know, it's the first rock opera and they broke new ground for concept albums and it's ambitious and all, but musically it's just not that interesting. It seems like Townshend was more interested in telling the story and the music is just there to support that goal. Some of it sounds more like a broadway musical than a rock n' roll album. 3 stars.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I love Billy Bragg, and I think this is a really interesting album, sort of a transition point from his first two albums that were really raw and sparse, mainly just Billy and his electric guitar. This album retains some of the raw earnestness of the first two albums but adds some nice instrumentation and a bit more subtlety. 4 stars.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
I can't quite put my finger on why I dislike Suzanne Vega so much. Something about her voice just feels like she's trying to be too cutesy-fartsy. I'm thankful for two things. First, this album is pretty short. Second, this isn't the album that includes that insipid song Luka or the godawful Tom’s Diner that sticks in your head for a week after hearing even a short snippet. I really hate those songs. 2 stars.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Not my favorite style of music, but not bad. You can sort of hear the beginnings of disco here. 3 stars.
De La Soul
3/5
I'm not a hip hop fan but this is pretty good as far as the genre goes. Hard to find a way to listen to it though! 3 stars.
Fugazi
3/5
I liked this. A little less "hardcore" than I was expecting, which is a good thing. Reminds me a bit of early Replacements - loud, raucous, and fun. 3 stars.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Elvis is a true tragic figure in the history of rock and roll. He was a trailblazer in the 50s and was incredibly talented, but for the rest of his career just seemed hopelessly lost and out of step with the times. This album is pretty good compared to his other post-glory-days albums, but for 1969 it just feels a bit clueless. Some of the best songs (Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain) weren't even on the original album, instead they were released as singles. By 1969 that's just not how it was done anymore. Other songs sound like cheap imitations of hits by other artists. For example, After Loving You is a blatant ripoff of Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino and Power of My Love sounds like a watered-down version of Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters. Overall it's not bad but it's sad that Elvis couldn't have better fulfilled the potential he had. 3 stars.
Paul Simon
4/5
Very good initial solo effort post-Simon & Garfunkel, with many hints of what was to come for Paul Simon. While Paul Simon has many works that belong on this list though, I'm not sure this one does. It didn't really break any new ground. It's got two or three really good songs but the rest is mostly filler. It is nice to hear Paul Simon getting back to a bit of the acoustic guitar style from the early S&G days. 4 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I didn't need to listen to this album again to know it was going to be a 5 star rating. One of my favorites, I just listened to this a couple of weeks ago in fact. To me, this is peak Led Zeppelin. The songs are great, the sound is great, John Bonham's drumming is amazing, there are really no flaws in this album. Highlights for me: Kashmir )one of the greatest songs ever recorded), The Rover, In the Light, Bron-Yr-Aur, Ten Years Gone. Are there a couple of filler songs here? Yeah, but I could see the quandary - enough amazing material to fill three sides but not enough to fill four. I'm glad they made the decision they did instead of cutting some of the great material they had. 5 stars.
Britney Spears
3/5
A bit surprised to see this album on the list. Sure, it was culturally significant but musically not so much. Nothing bad about it, just basic bubblegum pop music. 3 stars.
Traffic
4/5
I love Traffic but haven't listened to them in quite a while. This is a great album, definitely on the forefront of the progressive rock movement. I'm left wondering though, what did poor John Barleycorn do to make these three men treat him so poorly? 4 stars.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
I wasn't sure what to expect here. Nilsson is a name I'm very familiar with, but I couldn't have named a single one of his songs if you asked me before listening to this. I just know he used to party hard with John Lennon. But at least four of the songs on this album I know well and like, just didn't realize they were Nilsson. Jump Into the Fire is a banger, Coconut is a bit of a novelty song but is impossible not to like, and as much as Without You brings back memories of 70's easy listening on my parent's stereo, it really is a great song and a great performance. The interesting thing is the variety of styles - none of these songs sound alike at all. I really enjoyed this. 4 stars.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I'm really of two minds when it comes to The Flaming Lips. There are times when I hear incredible beauty and uniqueness, and other times when I feel like they're trying too hard to be quirky and different. This album mostly falls into the former category for me. 4 stars.
Fred Neil
3/5
I liked this more than I was expecting. I was already very familiar with Beth Orton's version of The Dolphins, and it's one of my all-time favorite songs. I was also very familiar with Everybody's Talkin' of course, which is also a very good song. The other songs were interesting and had enough variety to keep me into it. Overall, very good. 3 stars.
Billie Holiday
3/5
It's good, not my favorite style of music though. I can see that she was probably one of Amy Winehouse's key influences. 3 stars.
Pixies
3/5
I always find it interesting to play my album of the day on Spotify and then let Spotify keep playing other stuff based on that album. It makes me feel like I *should* like The Pixies, because I love almost all of the other stuff Spotify picks (Replacements, Television, Teenage Fanclub, etc.) But for whatever reason The Pixies just don't do it for me. I don't dislike them, but their songs just kind of bore me. 3 stars.
Beastie Boys
2/5
A quick disclaimer: I fully realize I'm going to sound like an old curmudgeon yelling at kids to get off his lawn with the review. Having said that, I just don't get it. It's like hearing a bunch of kids yelling at me for 45 minutes. Fight For Your Right is the one exception - I like it because it's actually musical in nature. Still shouting but at least there is more going on than that. I also (slightly) enjoyed hearing some of the samples from Led Zeppelin and CCR. Sorry, but it's just not for me. 2 stars.
4/5
I'm not sure how country music devolved from this to shit like Toby Keith singing about 'Murica. This is a great album. Beautiful, authentic songs from a woman's point of view, sung by a great singer. 4 stars.
Steely Dan
4/5
I do love me some Steely Dan. Funny, I just had their first album a week or two ago. Both are excellent, but in this one it feels like the band is hitting their stride and really finding their signature sound. Excellent album start to finish. My Old School is one of my all-time favorites. 4 stars.
Throwing Muses
4/5
I like this a lot. Very original and interesting. 4 stars.
Orbital
2/5
Cold, emotionless, metallic, and repetitive. I guess all those things are intentional, but that's also what makes it not my thing. 2 stars.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Classic debut album, iconic album cover. In contrast with the From Elvis In Memphis album that I had a couple weeks ago, this one is pure, innocent, untainted Elvis. Just raw talent, singing some great country and R&B songs. 4 stars.
Maxwell
3/5
Smooooooth. So smooth that my wife's face started getting flushed and then she slipped off her chair and fell to the floor. I think she's okay though, she just went to take a bath.
Not exactly my favorite type of music but not bad either. Just sort of slid in one ear and out the other. 3 stars.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I think my friends Stewart and Roald would really like this. Very dark and sinister, like watching an underground horror film where you are pretty sure it is fake but a small part of you is thinking maybe this is real?
Anyway, I'm not a big fan but I can appreciate this to some extent. Musically it's an interesting blend of electronic, industrial, goth, and heavy metal. 3 stars.
Wilco
5/5
Classic album, one of my all-time favorites, although I'm still a bit partial to the album that came before this, Summerteeth. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is more polished and professional while Summerteeth is a bit more raw and experimental. Both great albums though, Wilco at their peak. 5 stars.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
It's okay but Jesus Christ, the repetition is enough to drive one insane. I'm the kind of guy that, if you tell me that Fatboy Slim is Fucking in Heaven, it might go in one ear and out the other. Tell me a second time and it's still possible I will miss it. Tell me three times and I've got it, no need to belabor the point. Tell me 200 times in a row and it will make my head explode. Literally. I enjoy this in very small doses but that's about it. 2 stars.
Supertramp
3/5
Coming up as I did in the 70s and 80s, I used to get REALLY into a few specific bands, to the point where I bought most of the band's albums, even the less popular ones, and knew every track, even the obscure ones. The Beatles were the first, and then as I got older it was The Doors, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, and Jethro Tull. During my freshman year at college, I started appreciating Supertramp and for a while I thought they may be my next big obsession. They seemed interesting and somewhat popular but not through-the-roof popular.
Then one day I was talking to my girlfriend's roommate, whose name was Marilyn, and I mentioned something about getting into Supertramp. Turns out she was a huge Supertramp fan. Well, I didn't really like Marilyn very much and, if I'm being honest, I kind of looked down on her taste a bit, and I soon moved on from Supertramp without diving any deeper. Although my reason wasn't very good, in hindsight I think it was the right decision for me. I like Supertramp, and I appreciate the musicianship and all, but I don't think they fit my style as much as some of those other bands. All that to say, 3 stars.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
I discovered Sinead O'Connor early on, when her first album, The Lion and the Cobra, came out. At 22, my friends and I listened to it obsessively and dissected the lyrics. I felt like it was one of the best debut albums of all time, and I still think that. Back then, Sinead wasn't super well known, and I felt like I had discovered this brilliant artist that no one else knew about.
Then her second album came out and her popularity exploded, followed by all the controversy and then everyone hated her. I had no problem (and I still have no problem) with Sinead tearing up a picture of the Pope on live TV. She was making a statement and, agree with it or not, it was and still is a valid criticism of the Catholic church.
But back to the music. This album is excellent. Sinead's voice is just sublime. To me, it's not quite as good as her first album but still very, very good. It makes me sad that she went on to have so many challenges with her mental health. I hope she's in a good place today. 4 stars.
Beastie Boys
2/5
My second Beastie Boys album in two weeks. I'm not a fan, but I will say this one definitely shows some more musical maturity than Licensed to Ill. I enjoyed some of the instrumental numbers, but overall it's not for me. 2 stars.
Bee Gees
3/5
I was not expecting to hear a Bee Gees album today, and I certainly wasn't expecting to (kind of) like it. I knew the Bee Gees started out very differently from their later disco style that became super popular, but this is almost like progressive rock. With maybe a bit of country rock thrown in as well. Very interesting. Probably not something I'll listen to a lot but I enjoyed it. 3 stars.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
What a strange and beautiful album. Very unique. Not sure yet whether I love it or just like it, but I will definitely be giving it another listen. 3 stars.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
I'm not a hip hop fan, but this doesn't seem like your typical hip hop to me. This is maybe the bridge between older funk bands like Sly and the Family Stone or Funkadelic to modern hip hop. Overall I liked it. 3 stars.
Joy Division
3/5
It's alright, but not really my cup of tea. I sort of feel like this is the type of music Jim Morrison would have been making if he had been around in 1979. 3 stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
In the words of the great John Prine, "Pretty good, not bad, I can't complain." Nothing spectacular either though, kind of flowed in one ear and out the other. 3 stars.
Liz Phair
4/5
Excellent debut album. Raw and unpolished but still catchy and listenable. I’m not sure whether Liz Phair has done better in her career than this album. 4 stars.
Def Leppard
2/5
Thank god that's over. Just awful. Giving it two stars only because I did find my feet tapping occasionally, and I thought a couple of the guitar solos were interesting. Overall though I absolutely hate this type of music.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I know people complain that there is too much Neil Young on this list, but he just has so many great albums. This is one of his best. 4 stars.
David Holmes
2/5
As I feel about most of the electronic music on this list, it was alright, listenable but pretty repetitive and boring at the same time. I liked the second-to-last song, Don't Die Just Yet, quite a bit because it actually felt like a song. With actual music. Overall though, not for me. 2 stars.
The United States Of America
3/5
This was interesting. I didn’t love it but it definitely kept my attention. Curious what they would have done if they had made more than this one album. 3 stars.
Pink Floyd
5/5
To me, all of Pink Floyd’s albums from Dark Side of the Moon to The Final Cut are five-star classics. (I know, a lot of people don’t like The Final Cut but I think it’s a masterpiece.) This album feels very impersonal and stark, which I guess is what they were going for. The synthesizer work by Rick Wright really stands out for me. Synths have been used in many different ways in music, but rarely as effectively as this. Gilmour’s guitar work also shines. 5 stars.
Dion
3/5
Not bad. A little boring and generic maybe, but some good songs here with nice production. 3 stars.
The Verve
3/5
Solid album, pretty standard BritPop (which is way overrepresented on this list IMO). Bitter Sweet Symphony is a classic but I've heard it enough for one lifetime. 3 stars.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I love Stevie Wonder, but I prefer his more upbeat, funkier side. This is still great, but I wish there was a bit more of the funky stuff. 4 stars.
Brian Eno
4/5
It's nice, relaxing, and interesting. Maybe in hindsight it seems like typical new age bullshit, but we have to consider the fact that Eno pioneered this genre. There's more to it than just relaxing sounds. 4 stars.
The Pretty Things
3/5
As a big classic rock guy, I'm surprised that I wasn't already familiar with this album. I've heard of the band Pretty Things, mostly because I was really into Procol Harum and when going through the stacks at the record store Pretty Things would always be right in front of them. But never really listened to them before.
This album sounds a bit dated, but interesting nonetheless. I thought it was funny that The Who claims not to have been influenced by this album when producing their own "rock opera", because the whole time I was listening I was thinking how much it reminded me of The Who. 3 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
I wasn't a big fan of Bowie when I was younger but I've really grown to appreciate his genius over the years. This is a classic album. Such a great, eclectic mix of musical styles. Never boring. 4 stars.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This was really fucking good, and surprising too. I knew that Black Sabbath could come up with some awesome riffs but a couple of very nice, mellower songs in the mix as well.
This might sound strange, but some of the songs reminded me a bit of Rush. A bit more simplistic, but similar chord and song structures. Much better though, in my opinion. I like early Black Sabbath, and this is perhaps the best early Black Sabbath I've heard. 4 stars.
Talk Talk
3/5
It's very polished and well produced, and definitely better to listen to than their synthesizer-based music, but it's a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. 3 stars.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Classic Elvis, definitely my preferred type of Elvis music. Interestingly though, there wasn't a song on this album that I was familiar with (at least not Elvis's version). I thought all his early albums were chock full of hits, but apparently not. Still great though. 3 stars.
Common
2/5
It's alright as far as rap goes, but not something I really enjoy. 2 stars.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I'm not normally into electronic music, but I liked this a lot. It seemed to have more in common with progressive music, e.g. Pink Floyd, than with some of the later electronic music I've heard. The sounds are more organic sounding, there is a focus on melody and song structure versus just repetitious beats. Very nice! 4 stars.
Tom Waits
3/5
Tom Waits is certainly one-of-a-kind. I find him to be an acquired taste, and I'm not sure whether I have quite acquired it. I usually appreciate his work, but I only like listening to it in small doses. When I read that this album was recorded in a cellar with "just a cement floor and a hot water heater" that made perfect sense. While I think cellars with cement floors and hot water heaters are interesting to poke around in, I'm not sure I want to spend a lot of time there. 3 stars.
Morrissey
3/5
I have a love/hate relationship with Morrissey, and I'm sure he's fine with that. He has some great musical instincts and a unique sound, but at the same time I sometimes tire of his overdramatic, maudlin style. 3 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
Excellent debut album! A bit raw and unpolished, but a fresh and unique sound. 4 stars.
Otis Redding
4/5
Goddamn that guy could sing. What a great voice, and some great songs with great arrangements. 4 stars.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
I liked this overall. Reminded me of the experimental side of Pink Floyd a bit, but in their case they would mix in actual songs and tunes with the ambient sounds. Pleasant but nothing earth-shattering for me. 3 stars.
Gang Starr
3/5
Not a hip hop fan but this is pretty good. Smart and listenable. 3 stars.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
This was a nice surprise. I've heard of this band before but I couldn't name a single one of their songs, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This rocked pretty hard but also had enough nuance and interesting lyrics to make me want to listen again. Going with 3 stars for now, but could go up to 4 on further listening, we'll see.
Can
3/5
I've played this twice now. Both times, I start playing it then I go about my business and then it ends and I sort of forgot it was on. It kind of goes in one ear and out the other without getting too attached to anything in between. So, it's alright I guess. Nothing offensive to my ears but nothing to make my ears super happy either.
Also, why did I think Can was French? Turns out they're German. Whoever makes this list really seems to like the Germans. 3 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I was surprised two months ago when I saw that their second album, Too-Rye-Ay, was on this list, so imagine my surprise when I see that there are two Dexys Midnight Runners albums on the list. Not that I have anything against the band, I just always thought of them as a one-hit wonder that didn't really break any new ground.
But surprisingly, I liked this a lot. I love the horns and the soul influence. Sometimes the singer's voice gets on my nerves, but overall this was really good. 4 stars.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
Wow. Rock n' roll doesn't get much more rock n' roll-ish than this. Every track a classic and enough energy to light up all of Hamburg for weeks.
It's a shame the Spotify version of this album is missing a bunch of songs that are shown in the Wikipedia track listing.
Anyway, gotta go with 5 stars for this one.
Cream
4/5
The prototypical heavy psychedelic album. Good stuff, even if Eric Clapton turned out to be a racist douchebag.
Fun fact, the song Strange Brew is about a groupie who hung out with the band a lot. She was gorgeous, and always wore a bright, "electric blue" outfit, but she had the worst gas any of the band members had ever experienced. They would always say to her, "Girl, what's inside of you?"
4 stars.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
Not a big fan of hip hop, but this was okay as far as that genre goes. 2 stars.
4/5
I love the Kinks. So unpretentious and fun. I feel like they were the original punk rockers. Other than Victoria I wasn't familiar with anything from this album, but it was great. A lot of times "concept albums" feel forced, like some of the music is just there to move the story forward but isn't really good. In this case though every song is good and stands on its own. 4 stars.
Eminem
3/5
Not a hip hop fan, but surprisingly I didn't mind this too much. Maybe it's because Eminem is a fellow Detroiter, but this was alright. That '97 Bonnie & Clyde song though, WTF? 3 stars.
The Band
5/5
I just listened to this album literally three days ago, but I'm fine listening to it again!
I love, love, love The Band, and this album holds a special place in my heart. I know most people consider their second album (the brown album) as their best. I love that album as well, but this one slightly edges it out for me, maybe just for sentimental reasons though.
I discovered The Band, and this album, around 1981. I was a sophomore in high school and I happened across a cassette tape version of this album at my local library. I didn't know anything about The Band at that time, but I thought the album cover looked interesting and was intrigued by a band that would be so bold to call themselves "The Band." So, I checked it out.
During that time I was working on a project for my art class. It was a really large batik wall hanging of the Beatles. I worked on it every night for weeks, and listened to this album the entire time. Something about working on a creative project and having this music on just clicked for me. It was magical. I still have the batik and strangely enough it makes me think of The Band every time I look at it, even though The Beatles are pictured at its center.
My art teacher used to let people bring in music and he would play it in the classroom. I brought this album in. He was a cool, artsy guy and was hip to The Band, but the rest of the class? Not so much. They ridiculed the country-ish voices and the quaint-sounding music. That just made me like the album that much more. Just like The Band went in a completely different direction from the hippy-dippy psychedelic music of the time, I also went in a different direction from all of my so-called "cool" classmates, and that was fine by me.
Forty-some years later, this album is still magical for me, almost sacred. It has such a strange and special beauty to it. The way their voices blend together, the instrumentation, the songwriting, it's all just incredible.
5 stars, of course.
The Only Ones
4/5
This album really won me over! At first I was like, oh great another BritPop band. And in many ways it is, but it's a really nice blend of punk, power pop, new wave, psychedelia, and more. Some great songs and some awesome guitar playing. My only complaint is the lead singer's voice. Maybe it will grow on me with further listens, but it's not super appealing. Overall though, good stuff! 4 stars.
Iggy Pop
4/5
If there is anyone out there who doesn't love Iggy Pop I pity that person. How can you not love Iggy? 4 stars.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Wow, an album from 2021. Very cool. It's not my favorite genre by a longshot, but I actually can appreciate this. I like the concept behind it and the songs aren't bad. 3 stars.
Public Enemy
2/5
I know it's a milestone album in the history of rap, but it's just not my thing. 2 stars.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I know it's supposed to be one of the "finest alt-rock albums of all time" but it doesn't do much for me. I don't like Billy's whiny voice and not a big fan of the inorganic wall of guitar sound. I do like some of the songs and the use of strings. It's okay, just not that great. 3 stars.
The Cure
4/5
The Cure is one of those bands that I was never super into but still had a positive perception of. This is probably the first time I've ever listened to a complete album from them, start to finish, and I must say I'm impressed. It's a really beautiful album with an ambience and sound all its own. Bridges the gaps between goth, alternative, emo, art rock, pop, and more. 4 stars.
Queen Latifah
3/5
Not a hip hop or rap fan at all, but I liked this better than most. I think that's mainly because most of the songs had some musical element to it, even if mostly sampled from other stuff. Why are rappers so full of themselves though? It's like every other word on this album is "Queen Latifah". 3 stars.
Miles Davis
4/5
Not a big jazz guy but I liked this overall. A bit long and overly meandering at times but I like the fusion between jazz and rock. I can appreciate how much of a landmark album this is. 4 stars.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I'm not surprised to see a Rolling Stones album on this list of course, but I am a bit surprised to see this one. It's basically an album of cover versions of some great rock n' roll/R&B classics with a few originals mixed in that are basically throw-aways. The Stones do a nice job with the classic covers, and it's clear how much they love these songs, but it's not really anything special. 3 stars.
Ash
3/5
It's alright, nothing too special though. Sort of Nirvana-lite. A lot of heavy, distorted guitar chords bunched up together tightly. It would be nice if they paid more attention to the space between the notes. 3 stars.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
This guy's got the freak lips. He can hit the high C all night long. I saw him years ago on the Colgate Comedy Hour. King of the tuk tuk sound. 3 stars.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I’m not a big hip hop fan, but I can see why this album was dubbed the Sgt. Pepper of hip hop. Still not my favorite thing to listen to, but I’ll give it 3 stars for the effort.
Klaxons
3/5
Maybe it's just because I listened first thing in the morning when I was still waking up, but it was just a bit much for me. I like music that has a good energy, but this was a bit over the top, kind of frantic feeling. Not bad, but I wish they would tone it down a little and add some space between the notes. 3 stars.
Brian Wilson
5/5
Great timing, as I recently finished reading Brian Wilson's autobiography (the one from 2016, not the earlier one). Brian Wilson's story overall in fascinating - the abusive father, the rise of a musical genius, mental health and drug issues, a controlling therapist, and then finally finding love and his recovery and resurgence as an artist. The legend of this album was always the anchor weighing him down, and the fact that he was able to finally complete it almost 40 years after its inception is incredible. Is it as great as the Beach Boys in their prime, i.e. Pet Sounds? I don't think so, but there is still a lot of the brilliance and magic of those earlier times. That, combined with the backstory of this album, is enough to make this a 5 star album for me.
fIREHOSE
3/5
This is pretty interesting, from a band I hadn't heard of before. Some songs I liked a lot, others were so-so. Random observation - the guitar playing occasionally reminded me a little bit of Steve Howe from Yes, which is a bit strange since it's a completely different style of music overall. Listening again. 3 stars.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Now this is country music, not some Travis Tritt or Toby Keith bullshit. Beautiful. 4 stars.
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
I know this is an unpopular, and probably politically incorrect, opinion, but to me Belle and Sebastian represent the pansy-fication of rock n' roll. To put it more bluntly, their music has no balls. It's soft and weak. It's easy listening music for people who want to believe they are cool. It's the opposite of everything that makes rock great - the rawness, the power, the guts, the bravado. 1 star.
Van Halen
3/5
This is ok. Eddie Van Halen is for sure a great guitarist, but I don’t really love the *sound* of his guitar playing. It just sounds very inorganic - so much reverb and flash just for the sake of flash. Some of the songs are very catchy, others are pretty generic. Not a big fan of David Lee Roth’s singing either. 3 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
There's never been another guitarist like Jimi and there never will be again. His guitar playing feels like something miraculous, I don't know how else to describe it. The debut album is amazing, but I think the other two original studio albums are actually better. 4 stars.
Meat Puppets
4/5
This was much better than I expected. Sort of loose and raucous but also well crafted and interesting tunes. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Khaled
3/5
Probably not something I'd listen to again, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was interesting that, although the vocals were mostly in Arabic, the style of music was more western with just a bit of a Middle Eastern sound. 3 stars.
Pixies
2/5
I feel like I'm uncool for not liking the Pixies, but I just don't get the appeal. 2 stars.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
What an amazing debut album. It goes hard, start to finish. There isn't a bad track in the bunch. Were Arctic Monkeys the saviors of rock n' roll? I think one could make that argument. 5 stars.
Weather Report
3/5
Nice, happy jazz music. I'd like to talk about the hat on the cover of the album though. It looks a little like a fedora with safari flaps in the back? Could that be the inspiration for the classic Brian's Hat sketch on I Think You Should Leave? I've never seen someone be able to pull off that look before. 3 stars.
Bad Company
3/5
Bad Company never did much for me. They're not bad, but they're just sort of boring. I somewhat enjoyed listening to this - they were definitely a talented group of guys.
My favorite Bad Company-related story. Many many years ago I went to a high school dance where a band was playing made up of students. They played Feel Like Makin' Love and dedicated it to Mrs. Olds, our 70+ year old English teacher. Classic rock n' roll subversive chaos move.
3 stars.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I have mixed feelings about the Flaming Lips. They can sometimes write the most beautiful songs, but I think they get bogged down in self-consciously trying to be quirky. Of everything I've heard by them though, this album is my favorite. It's mellow and has moments of great beauty. 4 stars.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Not a big jazz guy but this is pretty awesome. I do enjoy good jazz if it’s live and the atmosphere is right, and this checks both of those boxes. Would have been amazing to be there in person. I love hearing an entire concert, especially one where the quality is this high throughout. 4 stars.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Very nice. Tim Buckley had a unique artistic vision and wrote some amazing songs. I don't always love his voice and the style, but I appreciate it. 4 stars.
Beck
3/5
I think Beck is pretty alright. Not a musical genius, but not terrible either. Pretty alright. 3 stars.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Not sure how I feel about this one. It’s definitely interesting, but need to listen again. For now it’s 3 stars.
Skepta
2/5
I'm glad that's over. At first I thought, ok, I can get through this, it's not too horrible, but as it went on I started hating it more and more. I don't enjoy rap to begin with but something about British rap just makes me cringe. 2 stars for the effort.
The Monks
3/5
Definitely on the forefront of some genres that I enjoy, like garage rock and protopunk. So I can appreciate it, but at the same time it sounds pretty dated and not that enjoyable to listen to. Almost too raw and simplistic. 3 stars.
ZZ Top
3/5
I respect ZZ Top, especially their early work. Good, hard driving, and bluesy. 3 stars.
The Pogues
4/5
Goddamn I love me some Pogues. I don't know what it is about their music - the passion, the emotion, the raucousness, the beauty, the sadness. Probably all of the above. They're like an Irish version of the Replacements. This is a great album, I need to put it on regular rotation. 4 stars.
Dire Straits
4/5
Mark Knopfler's guitar playing is truly something special. I'm amazed that this is Dire Straits' first album - it seems like they emerged fully formed and already mature. Some very good songs, obviously Sultans of Swing is an all-time classic, but the rest are also very good. 4 stars.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I didn't know what to expect here, especially with a name like Super Furry Animals, but I liked this a lot. Strangely, it reminded me a lot of the Beach Boys. Maybe just because I've been listening to them a lot lately, but I saw some commonality in melodies, instrumental layering, and vocal styles. I didn't love the more electronic-y elements of this, but overall I was impressed. 4 stars.
The Adverts
4/5
Excellent early punk rock. A bunch of catchy, hard rocking, two to three minute songs. What's not to like? 4 stars.
The Slits
4/5
This took me by surprise I must say. I was expecting some standard punk rock but this was much more intriguing. Kind of like Nico, Bjork, and Yoko Ono had a baby and that baby decided to make a reggae album. Although that might not sound like it would turn out great, it did! Interesting, different, and enjoyable. 4 stars.
Joan Baez
3/5
One time I shared a plane ride with Joan Baez to Salt Lake City. I didn't know she was on my plane, but when I was waiting for my luggage I saw all these large instrument cases with her name on them and then I later found out she was there for the Sundance Film Festival. So I feel a personal bond with Joan that many of you probably can't understand.
With that as backdrop, these songs are a little boring but that voice! Joan Baez could sing the phone book (remember phone books?) and I would still want to listen to it. 3 stars.
Soft Cell
2/5
Eh, not into this at all really. Not a fan of this type of fake drum/synth/pansy vocal style from the 80's. It is pretty cool that there was a song about a sex dwarf though - that's something I haven't heard before. 2 stars.
Calexico
4/5
I haven't been able to give this album the attention it deserves today because I've been busy with work, but this feels like it could be a masterpiece. Such an interesting blend of music and very polished. I'm going with 4 stars for now but could turn into 5 on further listening.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Thank God that's over. I detest Belle and Sebastian's particular brand of vomit-inducing soft rock stylings. Giving this 2 stars only because (a) it was slightly better than other B&S music I've been forced to listen to, and (b) the album cover is pretty alright.
King Crimson
3/5
I consider myself a prog rock fan. I love Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, and others, but I've never been able to get into King Crimson for some reason. I know they're one of the monsters of the genre, but their music in general is just too inaccessible to me. Sure, there are individual songs of theirs that I love but overall they just don't quite connect for me. So I enjoyed this album but it didn't resonate as much as the best albums of those other bands I mentioned. 3 stars.
Mudhoney
3/5
At its best, it brings to mind some of the great proto-punk bands like the Stooges and the MC5. At its worst, it's just sort of ordinary grunge. 3 stars.
Elis Regina
3/5
Probably not something I’ll listen to again, but I’m glad I listened to it once before I die!
Eminem
3/5
Not a fan of rap, but I didn't hate listening to this. 3 stars.
Judas Priest
2/5
This is about the 5th album I've heard on this list where my first thought is, "This must be the main inspiration for Spinal Tap!" Others include Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Metallica, and Aerosmith. Just basic hard rock riffs, growling vocal style, and inane lyrics. Not especially interesting or compelling to me. 2 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
God only made one Jimi Hendrix, and this is his masterpiece. I often think about what Jimi would have done had he lived another 10 years, 20 years, 30 years? Sadly we'll never know, but at least we have this amazing album and his other work. He did more in 2 years of studio recording than most artists do in a lifetime. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is the definitive rock guitar song - just mind blowing what he did here, basically just improvising. 5 stars.
Richard Thompson
4/5
This is simply a beautiful album. The songs are excellent, Linda Thompson's voice is sublime, Richard Thompson's guitar playing is unique and inventive. 4 stars.
The Libertines
4/5
Wow! I really liked this. Sort of Arctic Monkeys meets the Kinks. Great energy. 4 stars.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
I remember when this album came out and I started hearing about it. I was like, Emmylou Harris? Isn't that the country singer? I don't like country! Turned out that I do like country - at least this type of country/folk/Americana music.
The songs are great, Emmylou's voice is amazing, and goes perfectly with the classic Daniel Lanois sound. The song Red Dirt Girl alone is an all-time classic. It's one of those songs that's like watching a movie. It tells a story and you can picture it all. That song just destroys me.
Yes, she tried hard to love him
But it never did take
Just another way for the heart to break
So she learned to bend
One thing they don't tell you about the blues
When you got 'em
You keep on fallin' 'cause there ain't no bottom
There ain't no end at least not for Lillian
Great album by a great lady. 4 stars.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
It's nice and all, but not sure it's anything really special. Seems like fairly standard 70's funk/R&B. 3 stars.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I will give Frank Zappa credit - he was completely unique and original, and for 1966 this album certainly broke new ground. But just because you're unique and different doesn't mean that listening to your music is going to be an enjoyable experience. Believe me, I've tried, but Zappa just doesn't do it for me. 2 stars.
Gene Clark
4/5
Reading the Wikipedia page about this article, it's crazy to imagine that this album was such a failure that Gene Clark's career never recovered. It sounds great to me. I love Gene Clark's voice and his particular brand of country-rock. 4 stars.
Turbonegro
3/5
Not sure how I feel about this one. It's sort of punk, reminds me a bit of the Ramones, which I like. But on the other hand it's a bit much. I prefer my punk a bit more stripped down I guess. But it goes hard and definitely has some good energy. 3 stars.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Although I can't deny tapping my foot to some of the bouncy, trouncy beats, overall I'm not a fan of the Michael Jackson-lite singing and this style of music. Need to go listen to some classic Who or Led Zeppelin as an antidote. 2 stars.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
One thing I will say for old two-eyes, he did his own thing. Never mind that in 1967 everyone else was doing psychedelic, hippy-dippy, experimental music - Frank was going to do his thing. I mean sure, he's adapted it to some Brazilian style songs for this album but it's still his basic schmaltzy bullshit.
Having said that, I've never seen the appeal of his style of music. To be honest, it sounds creepy to me. That's the only way I can describe it. It just makes me uncomfortable. He did have a very good voice, so for that reason I'm bumping my rating up from 1 star to 2.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
I think "infectious" is the best word to describe this album. Just some great grooves. I've always thought that Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were criminally overlooked and underrated as the key to the Talking Heads' sound. It's like people thought Talking Heads was all David Byrne and the rest were just session musicians. Anyway, this is a great album and showcase for Chris and Tina, with help from Adrian Belew and others. 4 stars.
Dr. John
4/5
A bit more rootsy/raw than I was expecting, just based on the material of Dr. John that I do know, but I liked it! It's like a cosmic gumbo. 4 stars.
The Damned
4/5
This is interesting. It's sort of punk meets hardcore, but with a bit more nuance compared to either of those genres. I liked it, not sure I would listen to it again. I like the punk aspect and the nuance aspect but not as much the hardcore aspect. Definitely on the cutting edge for 1979, that's why I'm going with 4 stars.
Metallica
2/5
I just don't enjoy this at all. It's like being beaten over the head with a hammer for an hour. Whatever happened to subtlety? To nuance? Understatement? Blech. 2 stars.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Finally, the day that I was dreading. A nearly 3 hour album. I already knew a couple songs from this album, and liked them, but was expecting to write a slightly cynical review about this being overly indulgent and what are they a bunch of 13 year old boys because they had to do 69 songs?
But I have to say, this is pretty impressive. There aren't many throwaway songs (definitely a few though), and each song stands on its own and is fairly unique. Some very nice and sweet songs in fact. Will I ever listen to the whole thing again? Probably not, but I'm glad I listened to it once, and I added quite a few songs to my playlist to hear again. 4 stars.
4/5
I just love this. It's so loose and relaxed, just a pleasure to listen to. 4 stars.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
How could someone not love Stevie Wonder? I'm a bigger fan of his funkier, up-tempo stuff versus his slower tunes. This album has a good mix. 4 stars.
Guided By Voices
4/5
I really like the style of this band. It's sort of loose and raucous, a bit power poppy, a nice fuzzy guitar sound, catchy tunes. My first thought on this album was that it was a lot of little fragments, but after listening a couple of times I see that it's cohesive and keeps my interest throughout. 4 stars.
Mj Cole
2/5
This doesn't really do much for me. Blah blah blah boring and loooong. 2 stars.
3/5
I remember hearing The Look of Love everywhere during my senior year of high school and first year of college. I liked it but never got further into this band. I think they're pretty good, reminiscent of the Cars and other bands of that ilk. Not bad, but probably won't listen again. 3 stars.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Can't believe I've never listened to this album the whole way through. It's got a great feel to it and the whole thing is so cohesive.
Reading the Wikipedia page about this album, here's one of the most random facts I've heard about a musician. "Around the spring of 1970, Gaye also began seriously pursuing a career in football with the professional football team the Detroit Lions of the NFL, even working out with the Eastern Michigan Eagles football team." That's insane - he would have been 31 and he just decided, ya know, I think I'm going to start playing professional football. Too bad it didn't work out, I'm sure my Lions could have used him.
Anyway, back to the music. Going with 4 stars for this one.
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Song #1, "WTF is this, Jethro Tull or something?"
Song #2, "No wait, it's like the Bay City Rollers or Van Halen. Actually sounds a little like Tom Petty. Or Springsteen maybe?"
Song#3, "Alice Cooper! That's what it reminds me of."
Song #4, "I don't care what it is, I like it!"
4 stars.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
This is not bad. I don’t love the guitar sound - it’s that inorganic electric guitar sound similar to Living Colour - but the songs do have a good energy and I like the vocals. Sort of like if Tina Turner joined Rage Against The Machine. 3 stars.
Slade
3/5
Nothing complicated, just good, solid, fun rock n' roll. A little bit glam, a little bit power pop, a little bit heavy metal. The vocals are a bit too AC/DC-ish to me (I realize this was before AC/DC, but I just mean that sort of feel), but overall this is a fun ride. Side note - the guy on the right has what could possibly be the worst haircut in rock n' roll history. 3 stars.
Tortoise
3/5
What is "postrock"? I don't understand all these meaningless genre names. This sounds like progressive/new age to me. It's not bad, mildly interesting, maybe a bit boring at times. 3 stars.
Fishbone
4/5
I can't imagine much more energy being packed into 41 minutes. Hits you right out of the gate and doesn't let up. Doesn't take itself too seriously, just good fun. I probably wasn't in quite the right mood to match this energy at 7:30am when I started listening to this, but I'm giving it 4 stars anyway. Good stuff.
Queen
4/5
Interesting! Being what I would describe as a casual Queen fan for most of my life, I can't believe I wasn't already familiar with a single song on this album. Very Zeppelin-esque in parts, but you can also hear the signature Queen sound coming out. The March of the Black Queen sounds like a precursor to Bohemian Rhapsody. I enjoyed this a lot. 4 stars.
Björk
4/5
Bjork is one of a few artists that I consider a true musical genius. This is a bit of a challenging listen, and sometimes I get irritated with albums that I would consider "challenging", but in this case I really enjoyed it and have already re-listened once. I've always loved Bjork's voice, so having an album that is mostly her voice is really nice. But what makes it great is the blend of voices and sounds. It's layered and complex, and ultimately incredibly beautiful and unique. 4 stars.
Adele
4/5
I have this playlist on Spotify called "Epic girl songs of the 60s and 70s" (feel free to follow it!) that includes great songs by Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Laura Nyro, Bobby Gentry, and many more. They're dramatic, emotional, sometimes plaintive songs with a strong female lead vocal. I love that type of music.
Adele would fit in really well on this playlist, even though she is obviously much more recent. Beautiful voice, strong, emotional songs, and great production. 4 stars.
The White Stripes
5/5
The White Stripes are amazing, and this album is peak White Stripes (although all of their work is great). It's loose, raw, and hard-hitting. The space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. Classic. 5 stars.
2/5
Pretentious noise bullshit. 2 stars.
Heaven 17
3/5
In my senior year of high school (Class of '84 represent!) my former best friend Marty ran for class president. His campaign slogan was "We don't need this fascist groove thing" and it's only now, nearly 40 years later, that I see where he got this from. He went on to win that campaign, and sure enough we didn't need that fascist groove thing.
But I digress. This is okay, pretty standard eighties new wave. The best thing about this to me is the slapping bass. I don't usually appreciate bass playing but it kind of stands out for me on this album.
3 stars.
1/5
Why is this garbage on the list? Oh wait, it got taken off, rightfully so. And why does it have to be so long? Thanks for including a 9 minute track at the end of some douchebags laughing, that's art. Ugh. 1 star.
John Lennon
5/5
The best solo work by John. It’s raw, stark, and honest to a fault. The production matches the mood of the songs. It’s really a masterpiece, regardless how you feel about John Lennon as a husband, father, and human being. John was an imperfect human being, but he was always trying to become a better person, and this album captures that effort perfectly. 5 stars.
Roni Size
2/5
I had no idea "drum and bass" was a genre of music. Not sure why it is, but apparently it is. This is okay, but I hate the repetition in this type of music. Also, just a pet peeve of mine, but I hate when artists put out twenty different versions of an album so there is no definitive track listing. Some artists need a good editing function - pare this down to 40 minutes and it would be a decent album. But no way am I listening to the 5 hour/53 track edition. 2 stars.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
I've loved ELP since I was a young lad. Were they pretentious and over-the-top? Sure, but they were also super talented. Sometimes they may have gotten a bit overindulgent but when they were good they were really incredible. I'm a bit surprised that the two ELP albums on this list are Tarkus and Pictures at an Exhibition. For me, Brain Salad Surgery and Trilogy are the two albums that most belong here. Having said that, this is still a great album. The title track is complex but also listenable and holds together well. Greg Lake's guitar playing on the song is reminiscent of David Gilmour's playing with Pink Floyd from around this same time. 4 stars.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
I might enjoy this if I was in the right mood, but I wasn't really in the right mood today. 3 stars.
The Replacements
5/5
I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to find this album on the list. The Replacements are (perhaps) my favorite band, and this is (perhaps) my favorite of their albums. All of their work is great, but the trio of "middle" albums - Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased To Meet Me - are classic. This one is the most rough-around-the-edges of the three. They were still sort of raw punk rockers, but Paul Westerberg's songwriting was maturing by leaps and bounds, and it's the intersection of those two things that makes this album so great. The Replacements, and this album in particular, exemplify rock n' roll. 5 stars, of course.
Leftfield
2/5
It’s ok but why does every song have to be so long and repetitive? If you could cut each of these songs to like 3 minutes I might sort of enjoy it. 2 stars.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
I've never participated in a gang bang, but I have to imagine it wouldn't really blow my blues away. I think it would make me more depressed if anything.
Having said that, this is fun, raunchy rock n' roll. Sometimes it veers into cabaret territory, which I don't love, but overall it's great. Doesn't take itself too seriously and sounds great. 3 stars.
Wild Beasts
3/5
It's interesting, but I'm not a big fan of the vocal style. 3 stars.
Taylor Swift
3/5
I've never been what you would call a Taylor Swift fan, but I've never been a hater either. I'm glad I got to listen to this. The songs are mellow and nuanced, and I like songs that tell a story. It could maybe use a little more variety in terms of tempo, but overall I liked it. Reminds me a little of Suzanne Vega. I actually dislike Suzanne Vega - she's too cutesy-fartsy for me - but this is like a better version of her. 3 stars.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Ambient is ok. Doesn’t bother me but doesn’t really make much of an impact either. This was good as far as ambient goes. 3 stars.
The Jam
4/5
I discovered The Jam late in life and have come to appreciate them. Still not in my top tier of bands but they were very good, and this album is certainly a gem. It gets better with each listen. 4 stars.
The Vines
4/5
I really like their sound. A bit Brit-pop but not quite so pop-sounding - a bit rougher around the edges like garage rock. Sort of like Oasis with a touch of grunge. Very nice. 4 stars.
LL Cool J
2/5
If you forced me to listen to rap but let me choose the artist, I would choose LL Cool J. But still, I'd rather you didn't force me to listen to rap, it just doesn't do much for me. This is a bit more "musical" than most rap and hip hop I've heard, so I appreciate that, but not something I would listen to again (unless you force me to). 2 stars.
Jack White
4/5
I'm a big White Stripes fan but strangely enough I've never gotten into Jack White's solo work or his work with other bands. I remember listening to a couple of Raconteurs albums but they didn't connect with me like the White Stripes did. However, I don't believe I've ever listened to any of his solo albums, so I'm really glad to have this album come up today. The sound of this album is more similar to the White Stripes than his Raconteurs work. Definitely will listen to this more and also his other solo work. 4 stars.
Just an interesting little side note. Reading about Jack White on his Wikipedia page I learned that his first rock band experience was as the drummer for a group called Goober and the Peas. I actually saw Goober and the Peas at least a couple of times back in the day. They were pretty big in the local Detroit area music scene for a while. I had no idea until today that he was in that band.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Explosion is a good word to describe this. Not quite sure what to make of it - it's sort of like Tom Waits meets Led Zeppelin, or some weird mash-up like that. I can get into the music, but not really digging the singing. It reminds me of the Doors after Jim Morrison died. They did a couple more albums with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger doing the vocals, and they sort of comically growled their way through it. Overall this is interesting, but not sure it's my thing. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
KISS
3/5
I'm a bit surprised to find this album on here instead of Alive!, just because that was such a monster hit album for them. Anyway, the songs are simplistic, the lyrics are completely inane, but if you don't take it too seriously it's kind of fun. They did know how to write songs that had a solid hook. 3 stars.
Ice Cube
3/5
As far as hip hop goes it's pretty good. Not really my thing, but 3 stars for the effort.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Nearly 900 songs into this journey, the one thing I will say that has changed about me is that I no longer hate rap and hip hop with quite the passion that I once did. I still can’t say I enjoy those genres, but I don't mind listening to them nearly as much as I once did. In the last week I've had LL Cool J, Ice Cube, and now Kendrick Lamar. This was okay, again not something I would probably listen to again but I didn't hate it either. 2 stars.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
I love a live album where it feels like you're there. You can picture it, because it just captures a unique vibe. This isn't my favorite style of music but it's still great - can definitely tell that she was influential for artists like Amy Winehouse. I love it during Willow Weep For Me when there's some type of disruption and everyone laughs. The way that Sarah Vaughan handles it so gracefully and changes up the lyrics to comment on it and then laughs about it at the end. It's a great moment and I'm glad they included it on the album. 4 stars.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
I love 60's music and classic rock in general, but some of it hasn't held up well over the years. This is one such album. It sounds dated and anachronistic. The instrumentation, production, and vocal style all sound hokey and simplistic. It's okay, but there are so many other great examples from the 60s that are better. 2.5 stars, rounding to 3.
Hot Chip
3/5
Whenever I see something is classified as "electronic music" I get a little scared that it's going to be a bunch of long, repetitious songs with no words. Fortunately this was a little different. They're actual songs, although there is definitely some repetition, some inorganic feeling to them, and it's a bit too long. But it's not bad. Still don't love it, but I also don't mind it. 2.5 stars rounding to 3.
Randy Newman
4/5
Randy Newman is nothing if not interesting! I have to say that first song took me by surprise. I was thinking it was going to be a defense of "rednecks", but maybe not so much. Held my interest throughout. 4 stars.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
1992. A 26 year old suburban Detroit white kid who grew up listening to the Beatles and Pink Floyd is now living in Dayton, Ohio, having been moved there for his job. The only people he knows in Dayton are his co-workers, who we considers to be lame and provincial. He's an idealist, politically far left, doesn't own a TV because he thinks TV is a time-sucking void.
One day, listening to the local public radio station he hears "Television, the drug of the nation, breeding ignorance and feeding radiation..." He's mesmerized. Coincidentally, he had just gotten his first ever CD player so he rushes out and buys the album and listens to it over and over again.
That 27 year old was me. I've never been into hip hop, before or really since this album came out, but for a brief time I loved it. It spoke to me. Maybe my views have just softened over the years, or maybe I realized that spending all of your time thinking and talking about all the things wrong with the world is a recipe for being miserable all the time, but I kind of drifted away from this type of strident music over time. Rage Against the Machine is another example. I still love it, but I can't spend my time being angry all the time, it feels counterproductive to living a happy life.
All that to say I still love and appreciate this album, and am glad to have had the opportunity to listen to it for the first time in probably 25 years. 4 stars.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
I was not familiar with this before. I'm not a fan of hip hop at all, but this is a really nice blend of hip hop and bluesy rock. I dug it. 4 stars.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
The 80s were an interesting time for music. A lot of experimentation going on. Groups like Adam & the Ants, Bow Wow Wow, and Duran Duran were doing things with tribal rhythms or the Bo Diddley Beat. I definitely give kudos for trying things out. Some of it has aged well and some not so much. This album is good, listenable, but nothing really stands out for me - all the tracks kind of run together. 3 stars.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I'm glad I got to listen to this, if only to confirm for the 100th time that I just don't like Frank Zappa. I know a lot of people think he's a genius but it's just not that good or interesting to me. Every once in a while Zappa does something I like, but those moments are few and far between. 2 stars.
5/5
The fact that I already had 12 songs from this album liked in Spotify (all the original songs minus Space Child, plus the bonus track Rougher Road) will tell you how I feel about this album. To me this is the quintessential psychedelic masterpiece. I've owned it on vinyl for many years and listened to it hundreds of times. It's probably in my all-time top 10 albums.
Spirit was a little too out there for most people. They were a little bit rock, a little bit jazz, a bit psychedelic, and several doses of just plain weird. I get why they never caught on like some of their contemporaries but when they were good they were oh so good.
This album is Spirit at their best, by far. The album is a masterpiece, start to finish. It's rare to hear an album that holds together so well and doesn't really have a single weak spot. 5 stars, of course.
p.s. Most people know this already, but an interesting tidbit if you weren't already aware. Listen to Spirit's song Taurus (from their self-titled 1968 debut album) and then listen to the opening of Stairway to Heaven. Randy California never sued over this during his lifetime, but his estate later did after he died. They lost, but I think it's obvious that Jimmy Page "borrowed" the iconic opening from Spirit, especially considering that the two bands had toured together and Jimmy apparently paid close attention as Randy was playing this song. Ah well, that's rock 'n' roll.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
I'll always remember the first time Tom Petty showed up on my radar. I was 13 and staying up late to watch Saturday Night Live. He performed Refugee and I thought, "This guy is just ripping off Bob Dylan!" I was outraged because to my young mind it seemed like that's all he was - a cheap Bob Dylan impersonator.
It took me a few years but I eventually realized I was wrong about that. Sure, his voice had some resemblance to Bobby D., but Tom was his own person and a true rock 'n' roll talent. I ended up being a fan and later had a full circle moment when I saw him in concert opening for Bob Dylan.
Anyway, this is a great debut album, with flashes of brilliance and hints as to what was to come. 4 stars.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Yeah, this is not really connecting with me. It’s sort of like the Talking Heads, but without all the things that make the Talking Heads great. I’m sure there is some grand creative vision behind it, but to me it just sounds like chaotic nonsense. 2 stars.
Suicide
4/5
This is pretty interesting. I'm a bit surprised I wasn't already familiar with them. Reminds me a bit of Television, but with electronic music in place of the guitars. I could do without some of the screaming in Frankie Teardrop, but otherwise I liked this a lot. The groove in Girl seems to have been lifted from Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zeppelin. Unique and far ahead of its time. 4 stars.
N.E.R.D
3/5
Based on knowing nothing but seeing the album cover, I thought I was going to hate this. But I was wrong! Good stuff. 3 stars.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Tragic songs of life indeed! Each of these songs is like a Terrence Malick movie. And sure it's a bit dated and quaint sounding, but the harmonies are amazing.
My favorite part of their Wikipedia page:
Ira Louvin was notorious for his drinking, womanizing, and volcanic temper. He was married four times; his third wife Faye shot him four times in the chest and twice in the hand after he allegedly tried to strangle her with a telephone cord. Although seriously injured, he survived. When performing and drinking, Ira would sometimes become angry enough on stage to smash his mandolin when he was unable to tune it, and - when sober - glue it back together.
Ironically, Ira died from being hit by a drunk driver at the age of 41, when he himself had an arrest warrant out for a DUI.
Even though it's not something I'll probably listen to again, I'm going with 4 stars on this one.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Oh that voice. So smooth, so sensual, just beautiful. Not exactly my style of music but I can really appreciate her talent. I really enjoyed listening to this. 4 stars.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
2 stars only because there are some nice grooves in here, but overall this is a big no for me.
Linkin Park
1/5
I like almost nothing about this album. I hate the inorganic guitar sound, the faux outrage, and the shitty vocals. It just sound bland, contrived, and inauthentic. I don't care that I'm in the minority here, it's just not very good. 1 star.
The Associates
3/5
Not quite sure what to make of this. Sounds like fairly typical early 80s alternative/new wave. Shades of Talking Heads mixed with a bunch of other stuff of that era, e.g. Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, etc. It was okay but I didn't love it. A bit too much of a cabaret type sound. 3 stars.
Miles Davis
4/5
Would could I possibly say about Miles Davis that hasn't already been said by people far more knowledgeable than a "meat and potatoes" guy like myself? He's a legend obviously, and this is a great album. Some of his music that I've listened to doesn't connect with me, but this one does for sure. It's easy to listen to, but you can still appreciate the subtlety, the nuance, the intricacy. This may sound like sacrilege but the keyboard on the first track reminds me a bit of Ray Manzarek's keyboards on the Doors album L.A. Woman - I wonder if Ray was influenced by this. Anyway, great album, would listen again. 4/5.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
It's a really good debut album with solid songs that all stand on their own. Flags a little bit in the second half but overall it's great. 4 stars.
Finley Quaye
3/5
It was alright. Didn’t love his voice. 3 stars.
Killing Joke
3/5
This really rocked harder than I was anticipating, and I didn't mind that. 3 stars.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Musically I like this, but I'm not so sure about the vocals. His voice has a bit of the same quality that J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. has, that vocal style that sounds like he's constipated. Aside from that though this is pretty good. 3 stars.
Jethro Tull
5/5
I was a big Jethro Tull fan growing up. Still am, although my love for them has faded a bit over the years. This is a great album, although Stand Up is still my favorite Jethro Tull offering.
Obviously Aqualung and Locomotive Breath are the two most well-known songs on this album. They are both great songs with great riffs that rock hard. I'll never forget hearing Aqualung for the first time at a picnic at my uncle Paul's house at 7 years old. "Snot running down his nose" - what the heck! And combined with Ian Anderson's unique voice, the iconic guitar part, and flute in a rock song! It left quite the impression on young me.
But my favorite part of this album is the (mostly) acoustic stretch of songs starting with Cheap Day Return (the best sub-1:30 song I've ever heard) and going through Up To Me. Wond'ring Aloud in particular is such a beautiful, tender song that perfectly captures the feelings of falling in love.
There are a few weaker points on this album - the quasi-religious/philosophical stuff never really did much for me - but it's still an incredible album worthy of a 5 star rating.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I've never been a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, but I can't deny that this album is 40 minutes of pure pop perfection. Oh Daddy is the only dud on the album. 5 stars.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
This is really nice, and not something I was at all familiar with before. Will listen more. 3 stars.
Sepultura
1/5
An abysmal symphony of cacophonous dissonance. An opus of relentless auditory aggression, characterized by a disarray of timbral textures and incessant polyrhythmic assaults. A lamentable display of disorganized musical form, bereft of melodic cohesion and dynamic subtlety. An exorbitant barrage of guttural utterances, bereft of intelligible enunciation and lyrical profundity. An abhorrent manifestation of sonic pandemonium, characterized by an absence of harmonic resolution and rhythmic finesse. A dismal assemblage of distorted articulations, failing to demonstrate compositional elegance and thematic development. A disheartening exhibition of nihilistic thematic exploration, eschewing intellectual depth and cultural significance. A woeful showcase of tonal atonality and incoherent musical architecture, betraying a lack of artistic direction and creative ingenuity. A deleterious cacophony of percussive excess, lacking in precision and instrumental virtuosity. A distressing foray into disorganized chromaticism, lacking the structural integrity and harmonic sophistication characteristic of accomplished musical works. 1/5.
U2
4/5
My favorite U2 album is the one that follows this one, The Unforgettable Fire, but this one is very good as well. A bit more raw and rough around the edges, but clear that this was a band to be reckoned with. 4 stars.
Brian Eno
3/5
Eh, it's okay but doesn't do a lot for me. 2.5 stars.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
It's.... interesting? Not quite sure what to make of this. I liked some aspects of this - the subtlety, the mellow nature of most of the songs - but I didn't care for the vocal style. An interesting listening experience. 3 stars.
Destiny's Child
2/5
Who are these women to shame so-called "nasty girls" who like to go out without many clothes on? Freedom of expression, that's what I always say! If you're a beautiful young woman and prefer to wear little (or no) clothing in public, more power to you!
I'm glad the personnel section of the Wikipedia page for this album credits the people responsible for hair, makeup, and styling; that's really important to me when I listen to music. Also always interesting to me when there are like 100 or more people listed in the personnel - real team effort I guess.
Social commentary and sarcasm aside, I didn't enjoy this at all. If it was 50 minutes shorter I might have been okay with it. 2 stars.
Suede
4/5
I like it. 4 stars.
Sebadoh
3/5
I liked about 1/3 of the songs, was neutral on 1/3, and really disliked the last 1/3. Just didn't care for the ones that were more discordant and immature sounding. Overall not bad but probably wouldn't listen to again. 3 stars.
Bad Brains
2/5
Let's see what can I find positive to say about this? It was relatively short! Also, every once in a while one of the songs would start to sound good. It usually didn't last long, but there were a few glimpses of semi-goodness. I guess that's about it. 2 stars.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
I don't love it, although I do recognize that it is a pioneering album in the world of hip hop, which is a genre I don't like at all. So, not sure if I should appreciate the innovation or be mad at the introduction of a new genre that I'm not really into. 2 stars.
Foo Fighters
4/5
I've always felt like Foo Fighters were overrated. The songs always sounded just a little flat to me. Similar sound to Nirvana but lacked a bit of the spark that made Nirvana special. But one of the great things about this project is that I usually try to at least scan the Wikipedia page about each album to learn a bit more and I honestly had no idea that Dave Grohl made this album almost completely on his own, playing every instrument (except guitar on one track). Not only that, but he did it in a week. That's mind-blowing. Still falls a bit flat for me, but with that context I'm giving this 4 stars.
Silver Jews
3/5
I had never heard of Silver Jews until my son introduced me to them about a year ago. He has pretty cool taste in music so I was intrigued. I kind of like them, for some reason I can't quite place they remind me a little bit of Lou Reed, who I love. I like the simplicity of the songs, the lo-fi nature of the production, but I don't love his voice. Very sad reading the Wikipedia page about David Berman.
FWIW, my son said this is actually only his 3rd favorite Silver Jews album, his favorite being American Water followed closely by The Natural Bridge. I listened to American Water and definitely liked it more than this album. So, if you sort of like this album but didn’t love it, you might check out those others. 3 stars.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
I love when I get an album that I've owned on vinyl for 40+ years. An amazingly creative, eclectic, and interesting album. I think this is the album where everyone realized that Peter Gabriel as a solo artist was going to be a force to be reckoned with. My favorite PG album is actually his follow up to this, Security, but this is a close second. Every track stands on its own, yet the whole thing is cohesive. I love the way he was getting creative with percussion, and Robert Fripp's understated guitar playing also stands out to me. Not perfect, but still amazing, even after all these years. 5 stars.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
It's loud, it's heavy, and it has some solid riffs. But it's also a little dull if I'm being honest. Not bad, not great, sort of okay. 2.5 stars.
The Cramps
3/5
Pretty good. Not as much a fan of the psychobilly aspect of it as I am the punk aspect of it though. Good to see Alex Chilton represented on the list, this time as a producer. 3 stars.
Goldfrapp
4/5
This morning I saw the words that I normally dread - "English electronic music duo". Usually this means 8 minute long, repetitious electronic soundscapes on an hour and fifteen minute album. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised to find actual songs, with actual song structure and actual singing. Unlike most other electronic music artists, in this case the electronics are there to support the song, not the other way around. Really enjoyed, will listen again. 4 stars.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
This is very impressive. I was trying to think of what I could compare it to, and as strange as it may seem I keep coming back to The Beach Boys. A more modern version of The Beach Boys to be sure, but the music has that same intricacy and attention to detail. The same layered approach where everything blends together but each individual part can still be heard and appreciated on its own. Maybe that’s a crazy assessment but I’m sticking with it. 4 stars.
The Cult
2/5
The singer does a halfway decent Jim Morrison impression. Otherwise nothing very interesting or impressive about this. Simplistic guitar riffs, basic rock rhythms, insipid lyrics. Meh. 2 stars.
The Offspring
3/5
I was never a big fan of bands like Offspring or Green Day. They're called punk but I feel like they are sort of a pop-version of punk. It's okay, it has a lot of energy, but I just don't love it. 3 stars.
William Orbit
3/5
I’m not normally an electronic music fan, but there’s something about William Orbit. His songs just have such a nice groove to them. 3 stars.
Joe Ely
3/5
It's funny, I really love alt-country, contemporary folk and Americana type music like Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle, Lucinda Williams, The Be Good Tanyas, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, etc. It's some of my favorite music. But there is a fine line between those genres and more traditional country. I can't quite put my finger on what makes something one or the other, but something about more traditional country I just don't care for. This is better than most, but it still falls into that more traditional category to me. 3 stars.
Kelela
3/5
Not normally a type of music that I listen to, but it's not bad! The sound gently washes over you like a warm bath. 3 stars.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I like it, but sometimes a bit too melodramatic for me. 3 stars.
The Darkness
4/5
Through most of this I assumed I was listening to some 70s glam-rock band that I had never heard of. Imagine my surprise when I saw this album was from 2003. Great throwback sound, lots of energy. My only complaint is that sometimes the lead singer's voice is a little bit shrill, but overall it's a lot of fun. 4 stars.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Interesting that it was produced by Nick Mason, as it reminds me a bit of early Pink Floyd. Strangely, this is the second Robert Wyatt album I've had in the last three weeks, someone I had never heard of before. Like the last one (Shleep) I'm not quite sure what to make of it. There are aspects of it that I like but overall it's just a bit too random and meandering, and I don't love his voice. 3 stars.
Tim Buckley
3/5
A little bit different from other Tim Buckley that I've heard. A bit more up-tempo and rock n' roll. It's okay but still not sure I see the appeal of Tim Buckley. 3 stars.
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
I really dig this. It's a shame it's not available on Spotify - as another reviewer pointed out, the version you might find on Spotify is NOT the original - apparently it's the original artist's son trying to cash in or something. Find it on youtube here, complete with vinyl popping sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFWfF3Zow74
Just beautiful. 4 stars.
Big Star
5/5
Of the 3 original Big Star albums, this is actually my least favorite but it's still amazing. Great songs, great production, great energy, great variety. It's a classic. 5 stars.
Traffic
4/5
I've always liked Traffic quite a bit, but not quite as much as my friend Mike who was in a band with me. Mike played keyboards and tried to sing like Steve Winwood. His favorite song to play was Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. One day Mike met this girl and fell in love. I can't remember her name but she was pretty wild. Mike would have threesomes with her and another girl and tell us all about it when we would get together for jam sessions. One night, Mike's girl showed up and hung out with us during our jam session. When she left to go get us some beer, Mike lashed out at our drummer, claiming he was flirting with Mike's girl and was planning to sleep with her. It put a damper on the whole evening and ultimately broke up the band. Mike got engaged to this girl but the morning of the wedding he called me up to tell me the wedding was canceled because they had gotten into a big fight and broken up. I haven't really talked to Mike much since then, I hope he's doing okay.
Anyway, I've always liked Traffic but hadn't really listened to this album much. I honestly thought the song "Feelin' Alright?" was by Buffalo Springfield or CSNY - had no idea it was Traffic. This was good, but I think the following two albums - John Barleycorn Must Die and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - are better. Still, I'm giving it 4 stars.
CHVRCHES
4/5
I liked this quite a bit. The music reminded me a bit of Arcade Fire. I really like the singer's voice. 4 stars.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
It's nice music for doing other stuff. I could definitely have this on in the background all day and get stuff done. It's a bit like Pink Floyd but without the substance. 3 stars.
Chicago
3/5
Definitely better than later era Chicago, but I've never been a big fan of all the big jazzy horns in rock, like this or like Blood Sweat & Tears. There are some really good moments on this album, but also a lot of jams that are just too long and indulgent. Overall it's pretty good but not great. 3 stars.
The Residents
1/5
I'm too tired for this bullshit today. But I still listened to it. This reminds me of Frank Zappa - do something offbeat and weird and people hail you as a genius. It's not genius, it's just offbeat and weird. 1 star.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
I was into Peter Gabriel before this album came out, going back to his Genesis days and I was obsessed with his 3rd (melt) and 4th (Security) solo albums. When this came out, to me it was kind of like his sell out album. Sure, there are some great songs on it but it also felt like a betrayal of sorts. I've since come to appreciate this album, but I still love those other albums more. Those are 5 star albums to me, this one is 4/5.
Hole
3/5
It's not bad, a bit generic grungyness but pretty catchy songs overall. Not a big fan of Courtney Love's voice. 3 stars.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Why do some bands feel the need to say the name of their band over and over in so many of their songs? Is it a branding thing?
Anyway, some of the songs were ok, but some really grated on my nerves. Overall not something I enjoyed much at all. I guess it's just not my thing. 2 stars.
Gotan Project
3/5
I was not expecting to like this, but it was pretty good! 3 stars.
Ravi Shankar
4/5
I feel about Indian music very similarly to how I feel about Indian food. I don't have it often, but when I do I really like it. It's complex and different from any other food/music I've tried. It's nuanced and full of flavor, and yet each flavor/instrument can be tasted/heard on its own. I really enjoyed this a lot. If you liked this, check out the video of Ravi Shankar at the Monterey Pop Festival from 1967, it will blow you away. 4 stars.
David Ackles
2/5
I tried to keep an open mind and appreciate this. And I do appreciate some of the songwriting and the lyrics, but I just can't stand the style of performing. Sounds like show tunes to me. 2.5 stars, rounding down to 2.
Stephen Stills
4/5
I was expecting something sort of straight ahead folky, but there was a lot going on here. Strings, background vocals, horns, and electric guitar (including some from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton no less!) This is really a great album, so glad I got the chance to listen to it. 4 stars.
Kings of Leon
3/5
The only song I could remember by Kings of Leon was that "Sex is on Fire" song, which I don't really care for, so I wasn't expecting to like this but I did. It's really just good, blues-based rock 'n' roll with a bit of a southern feel to it. 3 stars.
Michael Jackson
3/5
I've never been a big fan of Michael's music, but I've never hated it either. If I was going to listen to one of his albums, I think this is the one. It's very polished and has some great grooves. Parts of it reminded my of Stevie Wonder, who I love, and then I was pleasantly surprised to hear a song featuring Stevie. Overall pretty good listen. 3 stars.
Norah Jones
4/5
I feel sorry for the people who have given this album a bad review. Not liking this album must mean you're cynical and jaded and that you've lost any sense of romance that you had in your body. It's a beautiful album. Beautiful songs, well produced, and Norah's voice? What can you say about that other than it's a thing of beauty.
Interesting that she is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, whose album I just had about a week ago. I'm glad she chose to become a singer of these type of songs rather than following in the footsteps of her father and becoming a sitar player. Not that playing the sitar isn't cool as well.
4 stars.
Ute Lemper
3/5
I was expecting to strongly dislike this, as I usually dislike cabaret style music, but this was not bad. Yes, it was a bit dramatic and cabaret-ish, but it wasn't over the top on that front and was balanced out by interesting songs and guest performers. Still not something I would listen to regularly but I'm glad to hear it once. 3 stars.
4/5
I really enjoyed this. I always thought of Devo as kind of a novelty act but now I realize there was a lot more going on. Sort of Talking Heads-ish. 4 stars.
Arcade Fire
5/5
The first three Arcade Fire albums - Funeral, Neon Bible, and this one - are all incredible. In fact, it may be one of the greatest three-album starts by any band ever. There are great songs, anthems, complex arrangements, lyrics that make you think, and much more to like. Of the three, this one may be my least favorite. It drags a little at times, but it’s still a masterpiece in my book. 5 stars.
David Crosby
4/5
My expectation going into this was probably a 3 star album. I've always liked CSNY (and all their varieties) but didn't love them. However, this was even better than I expected. Some very cool and interesting songs. Maybe veers a bit too much into jam band territory with the Grateful Dead influence, but overall this was really interesting and solid. 4 stars.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Well, that was definitely the best album about a middle aged man falling for a 14 year old girl that I've heard today. What's strange is I literally just returned from a business trip to France, which makes me wonder if the album generator is stalking me. In any case, this was interesting. I wish I could understand the lyrics, but musically it's pretty cool. It has a nice groove to it. 3 stars.
Joanna Newsom
4/5
I was kind of blown away by this. Really interesting and beautiful. Took me a bit to appreciate her voice. Sort of an American version of Bjork. I wish it was on Spotify, I would put it on frequent rotation. 4 stars.
Underworld
2/5
Today is the release date for the new Ed Stasium mix of the classic Replacements album Tim (called the Let it Bleed edition). I've had this day marked on the calendar for weeks in anticipation. So all I was hoping for today was a quick album, hopefully something good, that I could get through before diving into the 3+ hours of new, glorious Replacements music. And what do I get, but a 1.25 hour electronic music album, basically the antithesis of everything the Replacements stood for. Not cool. 2 stars. The new Replacements album on the other hand? 5 stars.
The Temptations
4/5
Imagine being the bass player for the Temptations. Playing the same sequence of six notes on Papa Was a Rollin' Stone over and over again, in rehearsals and then during the 12 minutes of recording the song. And then it becomes a huge hit, so you have to play those same six notes over and over again through rehearsal after rehearsal, concert after concert, until they are burned into your neural pathways. I bet he wanted to add a little flourish here or there but the rest of the band told him no. Poor guy. It probably drove him insane eventually. Either that or they maybe they had to replace their bass player every year or so.
Anyway, it's a great album. The song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is so beautiful. I've heard it many times growing up and it was more my parents' style of easy listening song, not mine. But now I can really appreciate just what a tender and beautiful song it is. 4 stars.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
22 year old me was very into this album. I haven't listened to it in years, but it still holds up. It was like a breath of fresh air, going against the tide of music at that point in time, similar to how the Band and Bob Dylan were playing rootsy Americana music when the world was going psychedelic. It's mellow and atmospheric. Margo Timmins' voice is sublime. Their version of Sweet Jane is one of the best covers of that song I've heard. 4 stars.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
At first I thought, oh, shades of David Bowie. Then, no, it's Elton John. Then wait, is it the Bee Gees doing a Pink Floyd cover? No wait, it sounds like George Michael.
Anyway, interesting mix of influences and overall pretty enjoyable. I think the cover of Comfortably Numb was not a great idea though. 3 stars.
PJ Harvey
4/5
PJ Harvey is a treasure. Her music is not always easy or accessible, but it's always interesting. She's always pushing the boundaries and never dull. This is an album of hers I haven't spent much time with but it's very good and will be put into my regular rotation. 4 stars.
The xx
3/5
Not exactly my favorite style of music, but for what it is it's very well done. It has a nice feel to it. 3 stars.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
I'm surprised to see PG's first solo album on this list. But, listening to it for the first time in many years, it really is a great album. Interestingly, I'm hearing a little Randy Newman influence on a couple of the songs. Never noticed that before. 4 stars.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I've never been a fan of Frank Zappa's pseudo-intellectual bullshit or his pointless canoodling. Is he a talented guitar player? Sure. Does he play music that is actually enjoyable to listen to? Not generally.
Having said that, this album was better than most Frank Zappa. There are some really great moments mixed in with the bullshit. 3 stars.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I'm not really a fan of electronic music, but somehow these guys are an exception. It's electronic but it also has a tune, you know? Still gets a bit repetitious at times but overall pretty good. 3 stars.
Peter Frampton
4/5
This album and Kiss Alive! were fixtures in my house growing up. I think they both changed the game in terms of the potential for live albums to be more than just padding to fill in the time between studio LPs. It's really interesting that this was Frampton's breakthrough album after four studio albums. I can't think of another band where a live album was the album that really put them on the map. I really don't know much of Frampton from either before or after this album.
Musically, it's been interesting to listen to this again all these years later. I think it still holds up pretty well. Frampton is a great guitarist. The talk-box innovation was mind-blowing back in the 70s, less so now but still pretty cool. 4 stars.
The Stooges
4/5
I feel sorry for anyone that doesn't appreciate the Stooges. They were powerful, raw and primal. They embodied rock and roll. This album is interesting because of the longer songs and the use of the sax mixed in with the hard driving rhythm. 4 stars.
Tears For Fears
4/5
I used to make fun of these guys a lot. Two goofy looking dudes in music videos singing with their mouths open wide and their lips flapping around. I used to do an impersonation that always got a laugh from my friends.
But you know what? They were actually pretty darn talented. My favorite song by them, Mad World, is not on this album, but this album is filled with interesting, well produced, synth-pop classics. I almost feel like these guys were more akin to progressive rock than the typical new wave stuff going on at the time.
Well done, fellas, and I'm sorry for making fun of you. 4 stars.
3/5
It's okay. I do love a good Brazilian female singer, but at the same time it's too long and repetitious. I enjoyed parts of it but probably won't listen again. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Oh boy, I was excited when I saw this was my album of the day. I had never heard of Godfrapp until about 45 albums ago when I got their album Seventh Tree, and I really loved that. It's strange, because I'm not a fan of electronic music, and I'm not a fan of cabaret, but somehow Goldfrapp just does it for me. She has a beautiful, seductive voice, and the music is so cool and dream-like. Love it. 4 stars.
Neil Young
5/5
Classic Neil Young. One of his best for sure. And while I appreciate his moral stance on not having his music on Spotify, I wish he would think of his fans! C'mon Neil! 5 stars.
The Zutons
4/5
I saw “dad rock” and immediately thought, “I’m going to hate this,” (despite the fact that I am a dad and I like to rock). But I didn’t hate it at all. In fact, I quite liked it. Some of it reminded me of some favorite 60s/70s artists like the Zombies, the Kinks, and Spirit. Good stuff, will listen again. 4 stars.
Stan Getz
3/5
This was pretty nice and mellow. I liked the overall feel to it but some of the songs bordered on creepy. 3 stars.
50 Cent
3/5
I'm not a fan of hip hop or rap, but I have to say I kind of dug this. It just had a good energy, and it had more musicality than most rap I've heard. Still not something I'll probably listen to again but I'm glad I listened to it once at least. 3 stars.
Animal Collective
4/5
I was expecting something completely different. I think I had Animal Collective mixed up with another band whose name I can’t remember at the moment, and that other band I don’t care for at all. This was super interesting. I feel like I need to listen several more times to really appreciate it. 4 stars.
Soft Machine
2/5
At its best, it reminded me of Traffic, which is a good thing. I'm a fan of prog rock overall, but this was too much pointless canoodling for me. 2 stars.
Django Django
4/5
Wow! I really liked this a lot. Great energy. Yet another group that I've discovered through this project that I need to listen to more of! 4 stars.
The KLF
1/5
I didn't care for this even a little bit. 1 star.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
It's okay. Nothing really bad about it, but at the same time it's pretty boring and easy listening-ish. It's like new wave lounge music. 3 stars.
White Denim
4/5
This was really interesting, sort of like if Phish and Yes had a baby. 4 stars.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
These guys were just the epitome of cool. Maybe sounds a little dated, but so what, it's amazing. 4 stars.
The White Stripes
5/5
I don't believe there exists a White Stripes album that isn't a 5 star album for me. I probably prefer some of the earlier, rawer work, but this is also brilliant.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
It's pretty good, but the songs are too long and there's too much random talking during the songs that is pretty annoying. Ironically the song where they sing about all songs sounding the same (One of Those Things) is a direct rip-off of Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, which came out a few years earlier. 3 stars.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
Classic. Beautiful harmonies and simple love songs that stand the test of time. 4 stars.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
I actually like Indian music, and I like rock music that has Indian influence, but this somehow isn't working for me. It almost sounds like a joke at times, with the sitar trying to play the lead part of songs like Jumpin' Jack Flash. I did enjoy some of the more traditional Indian-sounding songs though, like Sagar (The Ocean) and Metamorphosis. 3 stars.
Little Simz
2/5
It's alright as far as rap goes, but not really my thing. 2 stars.
Blondie
4/5
Blondie is great, and this is a great Blondie album. 4 stars.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
It’s ok. Reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth. I’m not super into the noise thing though. 3 stars.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Three iconic women, all of them national treasures in their own right, singing some simple but beautiful songs. The harmonies are wonderful. 4 stars.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I love everything about this. The special bond that Johnny obviously shares with the audience is so great. I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point we forgot that prisoners are human beings and deserve compassion. This is a great reminder for us all. Not to mention there is also some great music here. 4 stars.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
It felt like they were having trouble deciding whether to be an experimental, ambient electronic group or a popular new wave group. In any case, it's good, but maybe a bit boring at times. 3 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
Lacks a little bit of the magic of Bowie in his prime, but it's still heads and shoulders above most other music being made at the time. Album cover is brilliant. 4 stars.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
I once sat directly behind Rufus Wainwright in a movie theater. It was at the Sundance Film Festival screening of I'm Your Man, a film of a Leonard Cohen tribute concert. Rufus was sitting next to Emmylou Harris.
Perhaps because I have this special bond with him, I've always appreciated Rufus Wainwright's talent. He has a great voice and writes interesting songs. But I do find that he veers too much into the Broadway/cabaret range with his style of singing. Overall he's good, but I like him best in small doses. 3 stars.
George Harrison
4/5
It's shocking to me that, growing up obsessed with all things Beatles, I've somehow gone 53 years without ever listening to this album, George's magnum opus. Well, better late than never!
It really is a great album, showcasing George at his best. It must have been so refreshing for him to move away from the sitar and Indian-influenced experimentation and get back to his roots. It's a great album, although it maybe could have used a bit of editing to get it down to a more reasonable length. 4 stars.
Madonna
2/5
I don't mind some Madonna music, but I don't really enjoy electronic Madonna with auto-tuning. And I definitely didn't need to hear an electronic version of American Pie today. Despite the fact that Madonna is from my hometown of Rochester, Michigan, I'm going to have to go with 2 stars for this one.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
When I first heard Jane's Addiction, I realized I was an old man, and I instantly understood how old men before me must have felt about bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. I just didn't get it, and I still don't. They're not particularly talented (although I will admit that Dave Navarro is a great guitarist), most of their songs suck, and Perry Farrell's voice brings to mind a bratty teenager who is used to always getting his way. I feel similar about them as I do about Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're just not that great. 2 stars.
Giant Sand
4/5
As I started this, I wasn't too impressed. It seemed okay, but I wasn't digging the singing style. But the more I listened, the more I really got into this. By the end I was leaning toward three stars, then I listened to it again. Then I listened to it a third time. I just love it. Some really beautiful songs. I will listen to this more, and check out their other material as well. 4 stars.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Love it love it love it. Sounds so much like David Bowie at times, yet it is still completely its own thing. 4 stars.
American Music Club
3/5
It's pretty good. There's nothing I can point out not to like about it, but for some reason it didn't connect with me that much. Something about his voice - it just kind of drifts past me without making much of an impact. I could see growing to like this, maybe just need to listen some more, but for now it's 3 stars.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I'm a sucker for a good "trail-blazing, eccentric musical genius who is seemingly lost to mental illness but is a huge influence on many great artists and then finally emerges again, triumphant" story. Brian Wilson is a good example.
Given that I do love this type of story, and being a fan of 60's music, classic rock, psychedelia, garage rock, and proto-punk, when I first heard about Roky Erickson I thought, I'm going to love this. I watched the documentary You're Gonna Miss Me and thought it was great. But the music? Not so much. I get that it's really early garage rock and was influential, so I really do *appreciate* it but I don't love listening to it. It's just a little too basic maybe.
3 stars.
Gram Parsons
4/5
I never knew much about Gram Parsons other than that he was involved with the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers and was very influential in bringing a country flavor to rock. So, I took the opportunity to go down a Gram Parsons Wikipedia rabbit hole while listening to today's album. Here are a few interesting things I learned:
He died at only 26 years old, after making this album but before it was released. Very sad.
His wife was very jealous of Emmylou Harris, and when Parsons died, she took the opportunity to remove Harris as an equal partner on the album, relegating her to a credit on the back of the album, and removed one song (Sleepless Nights) that heavily featured Emmylou.
After he died, his friends, knowing that he loved Joshua Tree and wanted his ashes scattered there, stole his body, drove it to Joshua Tree in a borrowed hearse, poured 5 gallons of gasoline in the open coffin, and threw in a lit match. They were arrested, but there was no law against stealing a dead body, so they were just fined for stealing a coffin and leaving his remains in the desert. Now those are some good friends.
Okay, onto the music. I'm funny about country, because some of my favorite music is country/alternative country or whatever you want to call it. Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Wilco, The Be Good Tanyas, and others of that ilk are among my all-time favorite artists. But if the country veers too much into "traditional" country territory then I really dislike it. For me, this album falls right in the middle. I like it, but it's maybe a bit too country-ish for me.
Regardless, I'm giving it 4 stars out of respect for the influence that Gram Parsons had on music in his short career.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Not a genre I really enjoy. This was alright, but not something I'd listen to again. 2 stars.
Barry Adamson
3/5
If I was watching a movie and this was the soundtrack, I would likely make a comment like, “interesting soundtrack.” But this isn’t a real soundtrack, is it? There are some interesting moments but overall not something I was that into. 3 stars.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I'm not a big jazz guy but if I was, this would be my jam. Old school but still sounds fresh. 4 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
David Bowie, never boring, even through to the end. It's a challenging album, not nearly my favorite from him, but I have to give him props for staying adventurous and not resting on his laurels. The last couple of songs sound a bit like goodbye. Emotional and touching, but never maudlin.
A great pick for album number 1,001. 4 stars.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
Not a fan of the genre by any stretch, but for some reason I have a soft spot for Snoop Dogg. BTW, if you have a chance, check out the Gourds cover of Gin and Juice. It's alternative country/bluegrass but it's so good.
3 stars.
Björk
4/5
Musical genius and visionary. One of the few that fit that description. As always, intriguing, challenging, and ambitious. 4 stars.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Seems like a nice Pharrell album with solid guest vocals by Justin Timberlake. Seriously though, it's not my thing but it's very well done for what it is. I was expecting the Michael Jackson impersonation, but not as much the Stevie Wonder vibe, which I can appreciate. Way too long though. 2 stars.
The Kinks
4/5
I've always been what I would call a casual fan of the Kinks. I think this is the 4th Kinks album I've gotten on this list, and I am always blown away by how much really good material the Kinks released. I was only aware of a small part of it, but there's so much to enjoy.
I was struck by how much some of this sounded like The Monkees. I guess it was just the sound of the time.
Anyway, I don't really get the "concept" behind this supposed concept album, but I enjoyed listening to it. 4 stars.
M.I.A.
2/5
Like many, I first heard M.I.A. through her hit song Paper Planes. I loved it. It had such a great groove and was unlike anything I'd heard before. So I tried to listen to more by her, and it just didn't work for me. I want to like her, but something about the way she does her raps, like a kid on a playground taunting another kid by repeating little phrases over and over, just rubs me the wrong way. I think she's talented, but it's just not for me. 2 stars.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
There were a couple of songs I enjoyed. I'll Never Turn My Back On You had a nice, bouncy rhythm, and the last song (Who's Loving You) had a good Motown feel to it. Otherwise, I didn't much care for it. I hate the artificial, inorganic drum sound. 2 stars.
The Beta Band
3/5
Some time around 1991 or 1992, I used to travel to Lansing, Michigan regularly for my job. My coworker and I would always go to this bar in East Lansing where the same band was playing every week, and I swear they were called the Beta Band (although it's possible I'm wrong). Obviously not the same band as this, since it was before they were formed and this was just a local band. They were kind of a hippy-dippy band, and they had this one song called "Don't Drop the Potato" that was not intended to be funny but it never failed to crack us up.
But that's all irrelevant. This album is pretty good, but for some reason the vocals are just sort of "there". They're not bad, but they sort of just cause this whole thing to fade into the background for me. I've listened to it twice and I'm not sure I've really heard it yet. It might grow on me over time. 3 stars.
Doves
3/5
Some days I'm just a bit distracted and I don't feel like I give my album the full attention it deserves. This was one of those days. I *think* I liked this for the most part, but I need to give it another listen or two to be sure. For now, it's 3 stars.
Ministry
2/5
I can understand how some people might like this type of music. It's heavy and aggressive, and perhaps listening to Ministry has resulted in at least one person not killing their whole family or going on a mass shooting spree. Maybe this was a good outlet for those pent up aggressions, and for that I'm awarding this album 2 stars instead of the 1 star I was originally inclined to give it. Just doesn't do it for me.
Paul McCartney
4/5
Paul McCartney just messing around in a home studio is better than most people messing around in a home studio, but it's still just messing around. There are at least 5 other McCartney solo albums that are more worthy of being on this list. Maybe I'm Amazed ranks among Paul's best songs though, and Every Night is also top tier McCartney. 4 stars.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
I'm sure they are a talented group of guys, but I just don't like it, never have. Their sound almost comes off as creepy to me for some reason. 2 stars.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Eh, not really my thing. Sounds very dated. 2 stars.
The Prodigy
2/5
I didn't hate it as much as I thought I was going to hate it, but I didn't really like it either. I do appreciate some of the middle eastern/Indian influences but still not my thing. Like most electronic dance music, it's just too repetitive. 2 stars.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
If there's one thing this project has accomplished, it's forcing me to listen to more rap and hip hop than I ever would have listened to without it. And I will say I have a bit more appreciation for the genre than I had before. I still don't really enjoy it in general, but I can at least appreciate it.
BTW, today is my birthday. I was hoping for something a little more up my alley. Some great 60's or 70's classic rock type thing maybe. But that's okay, I'm just happy to be alive.
The Coral
3/5
It's fine. Some interesting songs, but a lot of it just feels like sort of generic throwback classic rock. Not sure whether it belongs on this list. 3 stars.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Some parts of this I found interesting, others annoying. 2 stars.
Kings of Leon
3/5
I've never been a fan of Sex on Fire or Use Somebody, the two songs on here that I've heard before. I actually liked most of the other songs better than these two. Musically it's good, but I don't care for the singer's vocal style. It sounds like he is singing with a mouthful of marbles. 3 stars.
Grateful Dead
2/5
If I were to sue the Grateful Dead, or their estate, for the 75 minutes I lost listening to this self-indulgent, pointless drivel, what do you think my chances of winning would be?
Seriously though, I just don't get the appeal of the Dead. I've always been a classic rock/blues/psychedelia kind of guy, but the Dead never resonated with me. 2 stars.
Slipknot
1/5
Sorry, I just can't with this shit today. I did listen to the whole insipid thing though for some reason. 1 star.
Ever since I reached my 1,001st album about 2 weeks ago I've been getting mostly mediocre albums. Just a coincidence I suppose but I'm ready for something I actually enjoy.
Ryan Adams
4/5
It seems that Ryan Adams is a garbage human being, but I try to separate the art from the person in my assessments. Sometimes it's difficult. For example, I've listened to at least one recording of a song by Charles Manson, and it's not especially good, but even if it was amazing I think I would still give him one star. I don't think Ryan Adams is that bad, so I'll just consider the music. And the bottom line is, I like it. A lot. 4 stars.
Bill Callahan
4/5
This was one of the more interesting finds I've gotten from this list in a while. At first his voice was a bit off-putting, but once I got used to it I could see that these are some really interesting, thoughtful songs. I love the use of strings as well. Will definitely be listening more. 4 stars.
The Human League
3/5
Not the biggest fan of synth-pop, but I don't mind this. I wish there was a little more of the female singer and less of the guy. 3 stars.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
Well, that was certainly interesting. Not enjoyable at all, but interesting. I was told by Wikipedia that, "The songs are a mixture of rough punk tunes as well as industrial noises..." I was waiting for the punk part of the equation but I never really heard it. 2 stars for the effort.
R.E.M.
5/5
I literally just listened to this album yesterday. It's probably my favorite by R.E.M. It's sort of their transition album, from less polished, murkier material to the more pop-sounding later years. It's a perfect blend. I think of this as their Revolver. I love the use of the mandolin. 5 stars.
Beatles
5/5
I prefer the Revolver and post-Revolver Beatles, but this is still a great album. They were still in the midst of transitioning from simple love songs to more complex songs including instruments that weren't common in music at the time. This album showcases them right in the middle of this transition.
Other observations:
1. It just occurred to me that this is The Beatles at their most Monkees-like. (I know, it was the Monkees copying them, not vice versa).
2. Interesting that they chose to close the album with a song about threatening to kill a girl if she sees another man. Times were different!
4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Love me some Dusty Springfield. Such a beautiful, textured, nuanced voice. 4 stars.
BTW, I couldn't find this album on Spotify with the track listing shown on Wikipedia. All the songs are there, but split across a couple of different albums. So, I created a playlist with the original tracks in order - feel free to use this. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/31plEX4jbUalobYNfw7qYw?si=167e5224a3cd45e4
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
I've always been a little confused by the "post-punk" genre. I mean, how do you define a genre just based on the fact that it came after another genre? But I used the opportunity today to read a bit more about it, and I think I get it a little better now. Still a dumb name for a genre, but I see sort of the type of music that fits into it, and I definitely give credit to Siouxsie and the Banshees for being pioneers in expanding beyond traditional punk boundaries. 4 stars.
The La's
3/5
I didn't know the La's only made one album. There She Goes was of course a massive hit, and a great song. The other songs on this album are very good, not groundbreaking but good, solid pop songs. Overall, it's a very good album. I wish they had continued on; it would have been interesting to see where they went from here. 3 stars.
The Bees
4/5
Very refreshing! Like eating a lovely, perfectly ripe citrus fruit after a week of eating nothing but meat and potatoes. Like a gentle breeze on a humid afternoon, or discovering an oasis in the midst of a desert of monotony.
Will listen again. 4 stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I don't have anything bad to say about this album, but I don't have anything all that positive to say either. It's good I guess. It could use a little less echo and a little more bunnymen maybe. I always hear Echo and the Bunnymen compared to the Doors, but what really struck me on this album was a similarity to U2, especially with the guitar style. I wish I had something more clever and insightful to say about this album, but that's all I got, sorry. 3 stars.
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits is an acquired taste. I’ve mostly acquired a taste for him, but in small doses. This is a great album, some truly beautiful songs. 4 stars.
TV On The Radio
3/5
It's okay, but everything is starting to sound the same to me. It just sort of feels like generic indie rock. 3 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I was super into Springsteen in my younger years. From Born to Run through Born in the USA, I would give every one of those albums 5 stars. After Tunnel of Love (which I also think is a very good album, probably 4 stars) though, I lost track of The Boss. I've listened a little bit here and there to things like The Ghost of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust, but overall he hasn't been on my radar much. So, it was good to listen to this. Doesn't quite have the magic of his earlier work, but still very solid. I really liked the songs Empty Sky and Let's Be Friends. My only advice to Bruce would be - it's okay to have some songs in the 2.5 to 3.5 minute range. They don't all have to be so long. 4 stars.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
It's funny that the Wikipedia page mentions Bob Dylan being such a big influence on this album, particularly with regards to the opening track, Perfect Skin. I didn't hear that at all on Perfect Skin - to me it sounded much more like Television than Dylan. But then on 2cv suddenly the Dylan influence struck me.
Overall it's a good album, sounds a lot like several of the other British pop albums I've had lately on this list. 3 stars.
Orange Juice
4/5
Very cool. Shades of Talking Heads and David Bowie. 4 stars.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I honestly thought these guys were a local Detroit area band, because it seemed like they were playing at bars and clubs around here all the time. I'm sure I saw them at least once, although I can't remember anything about it. Turns out they're from Philly and they weren't just some bar band. Who knew?
Anyway, on to the music. It has a nice, relaxed groove to it. Nothing earth-shatteringly unique, but nice. 3 stars.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
I'm generally a fan of alternative-country, or whatever you want to call it. This veers maybe just a little too far into pure country territory for me, but I still like it and appreciate how influential this was. 4 stars.
Ride
3/5
This is pretty good. Interesting blend of styles. 3 stars.
The Thrills
4/5
I really liked this. Reminds me a bit of the Eels, maybe a bit of the Flaming Lips too. Will listen again. 4 stars.
The Fall
3/5
It's good. Strangely reminds me of the B-52s. Nothing that outstanding or unique though - everything lately is sort of sounding the same to me. 3 stars.
The Police
4/5
I can't believe it's taken me 1,042 albums to finally get one by the Police. Is this the only Police album on the list? I could see an argument for at least three of them to be here, including this one. It's a great album, more fun and lighthearted than the later work by the band. 4 stars.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Yesterday I found out my son, who is in his 2nd year at university, has been suspended from school because he's failed most of his classes. So now he's coming home to try and sort things out and figure out where to go from here. Then last night my wife was taking down Christmas decorations and for some reason she stepped in the kitchen sink to try and reach something, and the sink separated from the granite countertop and collapsed. So I've been spending today dealing with both of those things.
Anyway, on to the music. It's alright I guess. I feel like I'm a little sick of everything these days. 3 stars.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Sexy time. 4 stars.
Syd Barrett
5/5
I'm a sucker for a mad musical genius, and Syd was the king of mad musical geniuses. It's a shame he burned out so young. These songs are brilliant, fractured masterpieces. Shine on you crazy diamond. 5 stars.
Black Flag
2/5
Started off alright, good solid punk, but got boring over the course of the album. All sounded pretty much the same. 2 stars.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
You know, I actually went into this one with the expectation that I would probably enjoy it. I was wrong. I didn't really like much about this. I didn't like John Lydon's stupid face staring at me from the album cover, and I didn't like him whining about whatever he was whining about on songs that were often way too long. 2 stars.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Exciting news, I may have found my new least favorite genre of music! Probably not really, but it's pretty bad. Reminds me of the show Babylon Berlin, which I love, but not for the music. 2 stars.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Pretty in Pink is the highlight, but there's a lot of good material here. It rocks a bit harder than what I was expecting. Overall I liked it. 3 stars.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
If you combine the "I don't give a flying fuck" attitude of punk rock with the worst self-indulgent excesses of progressive rock (minus the musical ability), this is what you get. Repetitive, meandering and pointless. BTW this is my second PiL album in 4 days, what's up with that? At least this one doesn't have John Lydon's stupid face staring at me. 2 stars.
Björk
5/5
I love Bjork and I love this album. She's one of the most original and interesting musicians of our time. I would go so far as to call her a musical genius, which is not a term I throw around often. Amazing debut solo album. 5 stars.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Pretty alright. 3 stars.
The Byrds
4/5
I generally like the Byrds, and appreciate just how influential and groundbreaking they were. They were pioneers of folk rock, psychedelia, and alternative country. So much talent in that band. My least favorite Byrds songs are usually those where David Crosby had a prominent role. I'm not sure what it is, but his melodies are sort of creepy sounding easy listening to me. This album has a few of those, but overall it's very good. Also, this may be a controversial opinion, but the song Wasn't Born to Follow, which is a great song, was done better by The Monkees on their 2016 album Good Times! 4 stars.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
It's fine as far as country music goes, but really not my thing. 2 stars.
Brian Eno
4/5
I was expecting some type of ambient/avant-garde bullshit, but this was really good! Definitely some artsy-fartsiness to it, but still very accessible and enjoyable to listen to. Lots of similarities to Bowie and Talking Heads, and the song Backwater reminds me a lot of XTC. Nice work Eno! 4 stars.
The Hives
4/5
Wow, that's a lot of energy. Actually woke me up this morning. Not sure why they included a compilation album on the list, but I'll rate it based on the merits of the music. Strong stuff, like Iggy Pop reincarnated (even though he is still alive). 4 stars.
Love
4/5
If I had to pick the album that best represents the year 1967, it would be either this or Sgt. Pepper's. Really interesting with a nice mix of musical styles. The song The Daily Planet reminds me a lot of early Who, but the rest is more varied with some pyschedelia and some folkiness. Too bad these guys didn't find more success, but this is a great album. 4 stars.
Coldcut
3/5
It's alright. There are some good grooves, but nothing that I get too excited about. 3 stars.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
It's alright. She has a nice voice. Reminds me a little of Portishead. Not a big fan of the electronica though. 3 stars.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
I like Sleater-Kinney. They rock hard, their songs are catchy, and they're just really, really good. Sometimes the singing veers a bit too much into shrieking chipmunk territory for me, and I wish there was a bit more variation and nuance thrown in, but overall this is really solid. 4 stars.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
I was expecting some kind of grungey bullshit, but this was really good. Much more polished, energetic and interesting than expected. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
This is great. Somewhere I read a comparison of Ali Farka Touré to John Lee Hooker, and I can definitely hear the similarities. That's a good thing for me, as I love John Lee. This is a really nice collaboration and blend of musical styles. 4 stars.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I have mixed feelings about Sonic Youth. I know they're hugely influential and innovative, but I don't often enjoy listening to them. This album seems to be more accessible than most of their material - some actual song structures here. Overall this is pretty good. 3 stars.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I just looked back and this is the third Pet Shop Boys album on this list. WTF? Seriously? How can that be possible?
I have a strong dislike for Pet Shop Boys. The music is not horrible, but the vocals just make me cringe. So wimpy, soft and effeminate. Once you're done listening to this, I recommend putting on Who's Next by The Who to get your day back on track.
It's almost a 1 star for me, but like I said, some of the music is okay, so I'll give it 2 stars.
Brian Eno
4/5
There is quite a bit of Eno on this list, which I guess makes sense. I definitely prefer this version of Eno to the more ambient Eno. There is some really interesting music here and it's still fairly accessible and enjoyable to listen to. 4 stars.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Do you think his good friends call him Fatboy, or do they call him Slim? Regardless, this isn't really my thing. I don't mind it, but I don't really dig it either. Kind of like muzak, it's pleasant enough but doesn't really connect with me in any meaningful way. A couple of the songs were absolutely annoying. The last song was quite pleasant, along with the Who song. 3 stars.
Portishead
3/5
I’ve loved Portishead’s first album since it came out. In fact, I think I gave it 5 stars on this very platform. It’s a hauntingly beautiful album. Strangely enough, I haven’t really listened to them outside that album, so I was happy when this one came up. This album is still haunting, but not so beautiful. The melodies are awkward and uncomfortable. It’s interesting but not so enjoyable to listen to. 3 stars.
JAY Z
3/5
I liked it better than most rap, maybe because there are a lot of samples in here from songs that I like. Probably won't listen to it again, but I am glad to have listened once. 3 stars.
Pentangle
3/5
Maybe a bit too renaissance fair-ish but overall I like it. I'm a big fan of Bert Jansch as a guitar player. 3 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I like Nick Cave a lot, even if he can sometimes be a bit over-dramatic. Production on this one seems a little flat, but the songs are good. 4 stars.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I think Christina Augilera is super talented. She has a great voice, but I'm not a big fan of the style of music she normally produces. The music on this album is more interesting to me, but still not a fan of overdoing it on the vocals. By that I mean the vocals fill in all the open space, and she squeezes in 3 notes when it could just be one. The album is also too long. Overall though, this is pretty good and I'm glad I listened. 3 stars.
4/5
XTC is one of those bands that I feel like I could have really gotten into at some point, but for whatever reason never did. Honestly probably just random chance that I never delved deep into their catalog. They seem like a really interesting band with a unique vision. I love the use of strings and other instruments on this album. I just with it was on Spotify, I would definitely put it in my rotation. 4 stars.
Holger Czukay
4/5
I was not expecting to like this but it was really cool. Fun and interesting and listenable. 4 stars.
Korn
1/5
I haven't had a shitty one-star album in a while. To be fair, I might have gone with 2 stars had this been 40 or 45 minutes, but clocking in at well over an hour? No excuse for putting over an hour of this sucky music down. Blech. 1 star.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Why does this album feel like it's 3 hours long? It's okay, but not sure it really belongs on this list. 3 stars.
Morrissey
4/5
I really want to hate Morrissey, but somehow I can't. He seems like quite a twat, but perhaps that's just a persona he adopts to the public, I don't know. But his music, when it's good (which it is on this album), is just so good. The songs really pop. 4 stars.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
I'm not gonna lie, this sucks ass. 1 star.
Solange
3/5
This was unexpectedly pretty nice. Mellow, cool, and a little bit sexy. 3 stars.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
Okay, I get it Biggie, you have a gun and you’re not afraid to use it. 2 stars.
Bee Gees
3/5
A lot of hate in the reviews here for early Bee Gees. I actually don't mind it. Yeah, it's super mellow and a bit dull, but the harmonies are great and it's easy listening in the best sense of the term. I certainly prefer this to the later era disco Bee Gees. 3 stars.
Van Morrison
4/5
Van the man in his prime. He may be a douchebag, but he could really sing. The band is tight and the songs are great. 4 stars.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I'm certainly no expert on Senegalese music, so it's hard for me to judge this. To my ears, it sounds fine, but it doesn't really seem like anything that special or unique. Sort of goes in one ear and out the other. 3 stars.
Little Richard
4/5
So good. A true original and a huge influence on everything that was to come. Still sounds fresh and awesome. 4 stars.
Kate Bush
3/5
I want to like Kate Bush. I've tried. I know she's super talented and I admire her singular vision. And there are some songs of hers that I really like - Wuthering Heights is just sublime. But overall, her music just doesn't connect with me. Her voice is a bit grating. Compared to all of the Kate Bush I've listened to, this album is very good, but it's still just a 3 star album for me.
The Beta Band
3/5
I felt similar to this as I did with the other Beta Band album on the list. It's good, but it also kind of goes in one ear and out the other. Something about the singer's voice. It's not unpleasant but it's sort of like white noise. Overall I enjoyed it though, but feel like I need to listen again. 3 stars.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I've always been sort of okay with Lana Del Rey, despite feeling that her entire persona is manufactured and marketed. She has a decent voice and is a decent songwriter. I enjoyed this album, although it could use a little variation, maybe an occasional uptempo number would be good! 3 stars.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
I liked that song where the modems were talking about rising up against humanity, and the one where the little girl got run over by the garbage truck. The one where the scientists were conducting lab experiments about the effects of white noise and radio waves on rats with cancer was interesting, but didn't quite connect with me.
1 star.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Every time we get an African artist on here I enjoy it but at the same time I don't have the context to judge it compared to other African music. I'm just not that familiar with these genres. It's good, but is it something special or just generic Malian music? No idea. 3 stars.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
She is clearly a talented singer, but the style of music just isn't for me. I like some of the songs that are a bit more old school/traditional in nature, but overall I'm not a fan of this style of singing where the singer feels the need to turn one note into six. Also when I look at the personnel list on Google and I have to scroll to see the entire list that always is a sign to me that this is a corporate production, not an artist's vision. My final complaint? Did it really need to be an hour and 17 minutes? No, it did not. 2 stars.