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Thu Jan 14 2021
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
From the first minute of listening, I suddenly understand why people compare early Springsteen (see: "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ") to Dylan. "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" sounds so much like "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" and "Sad Eyed Ladies of the Lowlands" sounds so much like "Mary, Queen of Arkansas" that I'd almost call it plagiarism on Springsteen's part.
I can understand why people like Dylan so much, but his style just isn't for me. This is definitely one of those "I probably learned something from this, but I'm not going to listen to it again" albums.
2
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Fri Jan 15 2021
L.A. Woman
The Doors
I had previously heard their self-titled album, but didn't care for it. I think I like the bluesier sound here more, but it's still not for me. It's not about the album (or the band) itself being good or bad, it's just not the style of music I like.
2
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Sat Jan 16 2021
Virgin Suicides
Air
I like this one a bit. It's mostly instrumental atmospheric stuff, with some vocals here and there. The song "Dead Bodies" has some great drums. Still not a "must add to my library" album, though.
3
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Sun Jan 17 2021
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The first album I've been given that I've heard of before (even if I've never listened to it the whole way through). The title track is as good as it's ever been, and the whole album mostly succeeds in keeping the atmosphere alive. I think it drags a little bit toward the end and if somebody told me this was their favorite album ever, I'd look at them sideways. With that said, it's definitely a good album with a few standouts, it's just not exceptional.
4
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Mon Jan 18 2021
xx
The xx
I liked this one the most of all the albums so far. It's still not really what I listen to, but a lot of the beats had a great atmospheric vibe that I could get into.
4
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Tue Jan 19 2021
Bad
Michael Jackson
It's Michael Jackson. You know who he is and what he sounds like. Bad is not his best album (two guesses what it is), but it's not bad (pun intended) either. The sound is dated, but it's been a very important and influential album so this makes sense as one of the "albums you must listen to".
3
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Wed Jan 20 2021
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
The music is good, but the lyrics are a little bit too ironic and inscrutable for me to really get into. Highlight of the album for me is "Slideshow at Free University".
4
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Thu Jan 21 2021
Devil Without A Cause
Kid Rock
This album has no right to be as good as it is.
4
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Fri Jan 22 2021
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
I liked this one quite a bit, especially the opening track, "Take on Me". Very 80s.
4
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Sat Jan 23 2021
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
British guy makes psychedelic rock music but - get this! - he's not a Beatle.
Forgettable, IMO.
2
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Sun Jan 24 2021
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Today I learned that I really, really, really do not like reggae. I'm sure this was an important album and all, but man do I not enjoy this. I'd rather listen to the Kid Rock album again than this one.
1
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Mon Jan 25 2021
Manassas
Stephen Stills
The album is clearly made by some talented dudes but it's very long and none of the songs had the je ne sais quoi to hook me.
3
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Tue Jan 26 2021
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
This was a very good album. If it was just the first side, I'd give it 5 stars. The second half was a bit lackluster and samey, so 4 stars. The album art is amazing, as an aside.
4
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Wed Jan 27 2021
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Talented and has some good tracks, but nothing outstanding. I think the vocals are mixed to be a little bit too quiet.
3
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Thu Jan 28 2021
The College Dropout
Kanye West
This is the first album on the list that I've already heard. It's Ye, man, how can you not love it? Absolutely a bona fide classic, five stars.
5
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Fri Jan 29 2021
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Pretty good chill indie rock. The sort of thing to throw on in the background and not really pay much attention to.
4
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Sat Jan 30 2021
Pump
Aerosmith
Some decent music, but the lyrics are kind of juvenile and none of it really stood out to me as particularly fun to listen to.
2
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Sun Jan 31 2021
Live!
Fela Kuti
Fantastic drumming and percussion, with some horns thrown in for texture. This is the best non-Kanye album on the list so far.
5
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Mon Feb 01 2021
Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
I don't know what I'm supposed to get out of this. They've got some nice sounds at times, but it's droning and repetitive and I just don't especially enjoy it.
2
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Tue Feb 02 2021
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
Very good Latin music, but I'm never going to listen to it again.
4
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Wed Feb 03 2021
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
Oh god it's literally 69 love songs
It's 3 volumes
It's 3 hours
I suffered through one hour and I can't take any more. Please kill me
1
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Thu Feb 04 2021
If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby
Pretty good folk stuff. Not my kind of music, but certainly listenable.
3
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Fri Feb 05 2021
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
It's incredibly bland heartland/roots rock with country influences. Not something I'd come back to.
3
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Sat Feb 06 2021
Kid A
Radiohead
I liked this one quite a bit, especially the opening few tracks. I didn't enjoy the vocals as much, but some of the instrumentals were fantastic.
4
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Sun Feb 07 2021
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
This was a great jazz album, and I'm definitely going to look into more albums by Mingus (note to self: Wikipedia says "Mingus Ah Um" is his other masterpiece).
5
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Mon Feb 08 2021
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
This album is so good, oh my god. It's truly a masterpiece and it almost makes suffering through all of the filler albums worth it to find one like this.
5
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Tue Feb 09 2021
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
It's one of those "objectively good" albums: well written, well performed, well regarded. But I just don't like folk music that much, and this doesn't stand out to me for that reason.
3
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Wed Feb 10 2021
Bossanova
Pixies
Pretty good! Just good old fashioned hard rock music
4
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Thu Feb 11 2021
New Forms
Roni Size
Not bad, but not the best house/jungle/rythym-n-bass album I've heard either. Also, way, way, too long.
3
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Fri Feb 12 2021
Blue
Joni Mitchell
I think I like this more than the other Joni Mitchell album, but it's the same sort of thing: she's clearly got tons of talent, but I just don't like the music.
3
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Sat Feb 13 2021
Tommy
The Who
This is a tough one to give a 5 to. I didn't find it a particularly enjoyable album, frankly, but it's clearly competent musically. I'm giving it a 5 mostly for its sheer scope and ability to make you feel things, even if it wasn't always pleasant.
5
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Sun Feb 14 2021
Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
Good, but I preferred "You've Come A Long Way, Baby"
4
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Mon Feb 15 2021
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
Decent British arty pop-rock music. I think I liked the vibe of the album more than I did the actual music. Could definitely see this as a strong 3 instead of the 4 I gave.
4
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Tue Feb 16 2021
Funeral
Arcade Fire
It's fine, but man is it boring. I could easily forget that it was even playing.
2
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Wed Feb 17 2021
Low
David Bowie
I know Bowie was a legend or whatever, but I thought this album was kind of meh
3
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Thu Feb 18 2021
The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
I thought it was all right musically but a bit weird lyrically: kind of ironically awkward, but just enough to be uncomfortable. It might be an "important" album but I don't think it's enjoyable.
3
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Fri Feb 19 2021
NEU! 75
Neu!
Another sort of "whatever" album. It's decent electronic rock to have on in the background, but it's entirely forgettable.
3
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Sat Feb 20 2021
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Pretty good! I'm not really a metal fan, but the guitar work is obviously skilled. I think it's mostly the vocals I don't care for, but here it works well.
4
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Sun Feb 21 2021
Moon Safari
Air
Good calm trip-hop / electronica. Like their earlier album from this list (the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides), this is great atmospheric music to put on and vibe out to.
4
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Mon Feb 22 2021
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Kind of dad-rocky Rock and Roll. They very well might be talented, but it just sounds old and dated to me.
3
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Tue Feb 23 2021
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
Pretty good house/electronica, but I prefer their tracks without vocals to the ones that have them.
4
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Wed Feb 24 2021
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
Not really my style. Can't call it bad, but I'm not coming back to it.
3
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Thu Feb 25 2021
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
She's got a great voice over some semi-ambient electronica/trip-hop beats. Very "lo-fi hip hop to relax/study to" vibes.
4
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Fri Feb 26 2021
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
I'm sure if I was alive in his time, I would have thought this was the greatest thing ever. But I'm not, so I don't. It's great swing music, I bet, but it's not for me.
3
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Sat Feb 27 2021
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
Being important does not make an album good.
3
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Sun Feb 28 2021
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
Some good tracks on here, but overall, it's not my sound.
4
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Mon Mar 01 2021
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
The album is short and stripped of filler, just how I like it. The opening track, "Shout", is a 10/10 masterpiece, but some others are a bit too singy for me.
4
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Tue Mar 02 2021
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Another one of those "important" albums that I just could not get into.
2
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Wed Mar 03 2021
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
Arty punk music made by and for people who think that enjoyable music is too bougie for them
2
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Thu Mar 04 2021
Abraxas
Santana
Expertly played guitar. It's a shame I prefer drums.
4
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Fri Mar 05 2021
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
I don't especially like it, but I'm glad this album exists. It's a very bold album with big ambitions and it's unabashedly theatrical, and I appreciate its sincerity. It's just that in spite of all that, it doesn't try to *do* anything and doesn't really go anywhere or explore any interesting ideas. Combine the uninspired and cliched lyrics with mediocre melodies, and you get a 3/5 album.
3
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Sat Mar 06 2021
Urban Hymns
The Verve
After "Bittersweet Symphony", I completely forgot I was listening to anything.
3
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Sun Mar 07 2021
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
I think there's some decent music here, but it's ruined by terribly crude lyrics and a lack of substance. At least it's short.
2
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Mon Mar 08 2021
Mothership Connection
Parliament
Magnificent funkadelia
5
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Tue Mar 09 2021
Disraeli Gears
Cream
Pretty decent Beatles-esque psychedelic rock.
4
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Wed Mar 10 2021
Connected
Stereo MC's
Pretty good trip-hop. Reminds me a little bit of Massive Attack's "Blue Lines," although I thought that one managed the style better.
4
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Thu Mar 11 2021
Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams
Classic Americana / heartland rock, that isn't absolutely boring.
4
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Fri Mar 12 2021
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
I thought the album was interesting, but "Relax" was the only song that I could see myself wanting to listen to again.
3
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Sat Mar 13 2021
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Exactly what it says on the tin. Great Western tunes.
4
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Sun Mar 14 2021
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Arty music I don't understand or enjoy. Tom Waits sounds like he's doing a sarcastic impression of himself.
2
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Mon Mar 15 2021
Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur
Pretty good punk-ish indie rock. Not every song is my style, but the general sound of the album is very nice.
4
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Tue Mar 16 2021
Superunknown
Soundgarden
It's fine, I guess? I don't think it's a masterpiece or anything like some reviewers seem to think, but it's certainly listenable. Maybe you had to be there, I don't know.
3
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Wed Mar 17 2021
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
It's Queen, what more do you want? Classic hard rock
4
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Thu Mar 18 2021
Repeater
Fugazi
Wugazi without the Wu? Who could have imagined!?
4
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Fri Mar 19 2021
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
Pleasant semi-atmospheric rock. Not life-changing, but maybe a good album to put on while working when you don't want to get distracted.
4
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Sat Mar 20 2021
All Mod Cons
The Jam
Good British rock, but that's about all I can say: it didn't stand out to me as anything too unique or interesting
4
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Sun Mar 21 2021
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
Not a big fan of this one. It feels more like a monologue over a beat more than a rap album.
3
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Mon Mar 22 2021
Synchronicity
The Police
FTP 1312 and so on and so forth
The album is fine, I guess. I don't find it particularly exciting.
3
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Tue Mar 23 2021
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Absolute classic album. Do I wish there were fewer skits with him having sex? Of course. But the rhymes are enough to keep it a 5.
5
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Wed Mar 24 2021
London Calling
The Clash
I didn't enjoy this album at all. It felt rushed, inconsistent, and did not capture my imagination. I was astounded to read that so many reviewers consider this "the best album ever" when I was trying to decide if it merits a 3 or not. Honestly, if it weren't for those other reviewers, I would probably have called it a 2.
3
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Thu Mar 25 2021
Closer
Joy Division
I thought this one was all right instrumentally, but I couldn't enjoy the vocals. Maybe it's just a preference thing, but it wasn't my style.
3
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Fri Mar 26 2021
The Cars
The Cars
80s classic rock / dad rock. It's a good album without any filler (literally zero filler), but I couldn't keep myself from picturing old dudes saying "now this is REAL rock and roll" the whole time I listened to it
4
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Sat Mar 27 2021
Thriller
Michael Jackson
It's Thriller. You know, "best-selling album of all time" Thriller? "Respectable choice for best album ever" Thriller? "Beat It" Thriller? "Billie Jean" Thriller? Yeah, that Thriller.
I didn't need to listen to it again to know it was a 5/5, but I did and I can confirm: it's still a 5. RIP MJ
5
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Sun Mar 28 2021
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
I'm not a fan. It's noisy punky rock with some nice sounds here and there, but not something I ever want to listen to again
2
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Mon Mar 29 2021
Street Life
The Crusaders
A very fun little funky jazz album. Certainly not the sort of thing you'll blast on repeat for days, but it's a good thing to put on for some creative energy while working.
4
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Tue Mar 30 2021
Tidal
Fiona Apple
God, I'm so bored. It's like somebody made one song and recorded it a dozen times to pad out a an album made to fulfill some record contract. The artist obviously has musical ability, but no talent for writing anything compelling.
2
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Wed Mar 31 2021
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
I think it's decent enough 60's pop, but it's in desperate need of a remaster. The mono 60's sound is incredibly dated and keeps the instrumentals decidedly behind Springfield's (admittedly very good!) vocals
3
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Thu Apr 01 2021
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Decent jazzy folk rock. It's certainly technically competent and I'm sure somebody thinks this album is amazing, but I'm just not into folk music.
3
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Fri Apr 02 2021
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
I didn't *enjoy* this album, but I think it's worth listening to once just for how weird it is. World music combined with hip-hop and clips of a radio call-in show is standard fare by itself, but it's further mixed with square dancing callouts to make a completely surreal album
3
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Sat Apr 03 2021
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
It's classic heavy metal music. It's well done, but it's not to my tastes
3
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Sun Apr 04 2021
You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
I liked this one quite a bit more than the last album of theirs that this last had me listen to ("Bug"), but it still strikes me as a decent album hiding under a mess of screaming and distortion, sprinkled apparently randomly over the tracks
3
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Mon Apr 05 2021
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Great jazzy/R&B/big band music from a legend
4
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Tue Apr 06 2021
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
It's very good folk music, perhaps even the best on this list so far. But that can't save it from the fact that it's still folk music and I hate it
4
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Wed Apr 07 2021
Melodrama
Lorde
I thought this album was pretty good musically, but Lorde's breathy vocals never appealed to me and some of the lyrics are painfully cliched. Still, there's enough here to get me interested in another album by her whenever it comes out
4
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Thu Apr 08 2021
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
A great house album. Wish there was a bit more energy behind it (and maybe some more drums, but what else is new?), but it's a great album to put on while working.
4
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Fri Apr 09 2021
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Classic, masterpiece, and one of the best rap albums of all time.
Yes, the homophobia can be painful to listen to at times and it's easy to understand why that puts so many people off from this album. If this album was any less good, any less influential, any less *anything*, it could be written off as a product of an era destined to remain there forever as a forgotten time capsule.
But this is so much of everything that it's impossible to look away. This is the album that sold 21 million copies and turned Eminem into a global superstar. It's a pure demonstration of Em's lyrical abilities, technical skill, and - yes - his humor. If you can get past its transgressive attitude and offensive content, it's truly a gift to put on the MMLP and be able to experience the master at work.
5
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Sat Apr 10 2021
Dirty
Sonic Youth
This is Soundthony Badtano, bringing you another Not Good review. Come at me, Sonic Youth fans
2
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Sun Apr 11 2021
Graceland
Paul Simon
This is an excellently put together album, expertly combining Simon's folk rock stylings with South African street music. It is an exceptionally high-quality recording and well deserving of a five star rating.
...but I'm not going to give it a five star rating because no matter how much he tries to disguise it, it is still a folk album and folk is bad. Get folked, Paul Simon.
4
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Mon Apr 12 2021
Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
Wikipedia says the band's frontman described this album as an "anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road-movie record" and I think that's about as good a description as any I could come up with. I highly recommend this album to anybody who likes electronica, house, trip-hop, or similar
4
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Tue Apr 13 2021
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Excellent jazz. I don't know enough about jazz to say what makes it so great, but I know enough about music to say "I Enjoyed This Album."
5
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Wed Apr 14 2021
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
I wasn't put off by this album or anything, but it was just *there*, with the vocals droning on and on as I waited for it to be over. None of the songs stood out to me or captured my interest in the slightest.
2
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Thu Apr 15 2021
Kala
M.I.A.
Great African-styled dance music. Oddly enough, as much as I like the song "Paper Planes", it felt almost a little bit out of place here. Usually that's a sign of a single being better than the rest of the album, but here the album and the single are both great, they just have different grooves.
4
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Fri Apr 16 2021
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
I consider myself pretty well-versed with the history of hip hop and most of the old records, but this is a side of the Beastie Boys I'd never heard before. I was expecting something more along the lines of "Licensed to Ill" or "Paul's Boutique", but this is something completely different. This isn't a rap album with jazz and funk influences, this is a jazz album with funky raps played over it. When "Sabrosa" came on halfway through, I had to double-check that I was still listening to the same album. Five well-deserved stars here
5
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Sat Apr 17 2021
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Okay, this might be the biggest surprise on the list for me. The first Marley album on this list, "Natty Dread" was the first album I gave a 1 rating to: I found it legitimately unpleasant to listen to. Because of that, I was (natty) dreading this one, expecting it to be another trainwreck where I just couldn't "get" a popular/famous album.
Thankfully, no such problems here: this was a very enjoyable, entertaining album and I can completely understand why people like it. It's an album that tackles important issues without losing its upbeat, positive attitude and doesn't come off as preachy. If I have one complaint, it's that Marley's drummer seems to have a clear favorite drumroll and uses it on basically every track: it's not bad, but it feels kind of silly hearing it for the one hundredth time in a row.
4
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Sun Apr 18 2021
The Undertones
The Undertones
Sounds like pretty standard whiny pop punk rock to me. A couple of interesting sounds here and there, but it's probably more historically important than it is fun to listen to.
3
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Mon Apr 19 2021
Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
Given how much I loved the Fela Kuti (Femi's father) album on this list, I had high hopes for this one. I certainly wasn't disappointed by this album, but it had a lot to live up to and couldn't quite get there. Make no mistake, Femi Kuti is a very talented artist and Femi Kuti is a very good album, but it didn't make me feel "definitely five stars, yes sir" like Fela Kuti's Live! did.
4
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Tue Apr 20 2021
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
It's a decent album of jazz singing, but it's nothing exceptional.
3
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Wed Apr 21 2021
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
An absolute masterpiece and one of the best sample-based albums ever made, if not the best. This is a fantastic album technically and musically, and I cannot come up with any serious criticisms of it. It is truly a wonderful album and always a pleasure to listen to no matter how many times I've heard it already.
5
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Thu Apr 22 2021
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Note: I could not find the titled album, so I listened to his "Greatest Hits: Walking To New Orleans" instead.
This is another one of those cases where something is important for historical reasons but not necessarily good by modern standards. Yes, Fats Domino was a very influential person in musical history and I don't mean to downplay his skills or contributions at all, but this album simply did not do it for me.
To start, the actual quality of the recording is very poor by modern standards. On my modern hi-fi system, it still sounded like I was listening to a cheap wonky jukebox in a 50's diner somewhere. Maybe the masters are simply low quality and cannot be improved upon, but any sort of restoration attempt would be greatly appreciated.
The music itself falls into the Seinfeld trap: it may have been innovative when it first came out, but now that it's been copied and iterated on a million times, the originals feel quaint, dated, and cliched.
3
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Fri Apr 23 2021
Damaged
Black Flag
I could not enjoy this album at all. To my ears, it's an album of discordant guitars and whiny Californians screaming about how miserable their lives are. I know that this album is supposed to be one of the best punk albums ever, but I guess I'm not punk enough to understand it.
2
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Sat Apr 24 2021
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
I thought it was decent enough electronica, but I couldn't really get into it. I wouldn't mind having it on in the background, but it felt rather repetitive at times.
3
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Sun Apr 25 2021
Fire Of Love
The Gun Club
It was fine, I guess. Not an especially memorable album in my opinion. Not sure why it made it on this list instead of any of a million other rock albums.
3
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Mon Apr 26 2021
Who's Next
The Who
It's hard to believe this is the same band that made Tommy, but that's not a knock against either album: it's just a completely different style. This is a Zeppelin-esque hard rock album, and it certainly stands well enough to be compared to them. I wish I could give this 4 and a half stars, because it feels too good for a 4 but lacks the je ne sais quoi that a true 5 needs.
4
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Tue Apr 27 2021
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby
A weird album. The artist clearly has talent and there are some great funky rhythms going on here, but it's mixed with completely bizarre songs like his interpretation of the "rain, rain, go away" children's song. The album's worth a listen for the curious, but somebody looking for something to enjoy listening to can skip straight to the singles.
3
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Wed Apr 28 2021
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
Good indie rock for the sad crowd. The songwriting gets a bit repetitive at times, but the production is excellent and the sound is so engrossing that it's well worth a listen.
4
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Thu Apr 29 2021
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
Early (Wikipedia says possibly the first) psychedelic rock music. It's certainly solid, but I feel like it's on the list more for historical significance than for being a great album.
3
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Fri Apr 30 2021
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Very solid folk rock. Normally I'm eager to turn off anything folky as quickly as possible, but I made it all the way through this one without trouble, including the deluxe edition bonus tracks.
4
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Sat May 01 2021
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
Hard rock writ large, replete with screaming female fans reminiscent of Beatlemania. One of the better live rock albums I've heard.
4
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Sun May 02 2021
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Pretty good melodic British psychedelia, kind of in the spirit of a "Beatles meets the Beach Boys" fusion band. The album is solid, but the real standout is the closing track, "Time of the Season".
4
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Mon May 03 2021
Scum
Napalm Death
I'm not a metal fan at all, but I dug this album. The vocals didn't do it for me (it sounds like random mumbling and grumbling), but the drumming and guitar is clearly expert and sounds fantastic. I don't think it's an album I'm coming back to again, but it's something I'm glad I heard once.
4
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Tue May 04 2021
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
Good R&B / funk for a white guy
4
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Wed May 05 2021
Something/Anything?
Todd Rundgren
Very solid, very diverse album from a multi-instrumentalist virtuoso. Rundgren mixes R&B, soul, rock, and pop into a delightful 90-minute double album that does not wear out its welcome at all. It's astoundingly consistent in its quality despite the wide variety of styles and eclectic influences. Highly recommended.
5
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Thu May 06 2021
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
One of those defining classics that exists at a very particular time and place. It's an extremely well-performed, well-written album deserving of a place on this list for its historical importance alone, but it still holds up musically more than 60 years after its recording.
5
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Fri May 07 2021
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
I thought this was a very good softer, quieter rock album, primarily with Western and folk themes but with some more exotic sounds towards the end of the album. A 4 star rating might not do this one justice, but I don't think it quite rises to the "absolute classic" level of a 5.
4
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Sat May 08 2021
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
It's got its moments, but it's kind of just a "meh" album. It sounds like an indie rock band realizing their shtick isn't working and they need to spice it up by adding a twist, but they can't decide what to throw in the mix
3
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Sun May 09 2021
Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
Well-sung, but kind of an odd style of music. It's got the vibe of an old half-crazy Southern lady singing to herself
3
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Mon May 10 2021
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I liked this one quite a bit. It's good, funky rock 'n' roll with a Southern flair. It's one of the albums on this list that I feel like I'm going to come back to, and those albums are few and far between.
4
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Tue May 11 2021
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
I was ready to write this one off based just on the artist's clownish pose on the cover and goofy shades, but I reread the album title and promised myself that I would give it a fair shake.
Thankfully, the music is just as clownish. The music is well-produced but takes itself much too seriously while saying nothing important.
2
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Wed May 12 2021
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Hot take: if this album came out today, I'd give it a 4. But it's The Beatles' magnum opus and perhaps the most important record of all time, so it has to get a 5. Maybe it only feels so weird to me because I wasn't there in the psychedelic era to understand it, but to my ears it's a bizarre kaleidoscopic tapestry of sound, throwing influences around like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Whatever it may be to me though, it is so much more to so many more people. Perhaps more so than any other album on this list, this is one of those albums you Must Listen To Before You Die, if only to understand this thing so many other people have heard and feel so strongly about.
5
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Thu May 13 2021
Slipknot
Slipknot
I find metal to be hit or miss, but this album is definitely a hit. It's pure speed, music to bang your head to. The drums are the highlight of the album: they're crisp, loud, and powerful, a perfect compliment to the screamed vocals and heavy guitar.
5
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Fri May 14 2021
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
Good funky jazz. Not going to be on any list of favorite albums I'll ever make, but it's the sort of thing you wouldn't be upset if it came on as background music
4
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Sat May 15 2021
American Idiot
Green Day
I'm dating myself here, but American Idiot is the first album I ever owned. There are legitimate criticisms that can be made about it - it's firmly rooted in the Bush era and hasn't aged particularly well; it's a whiny sort of pop-punk for white kids in the 'burbs - but none of that is enough to detract from my rose-tinted nostalgia. Even today, I find the album's pure sincerity a very charming break from the 2010s ever-present air of irony.
5
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Sun May 16 2021
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
I could not get into this one. It just doesn't feel like anything special to me: background music, and nothing more
2
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Mon May 17 2021
Bad Company
Bad Company
Decent enough hard rock, but nothing stood out to me or grabbed my attention.
3
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Tue May 18 2021
Different Class
Pulp
Very good 90's britpop. I've been returning to Pulp's "This Is Hardcore" repeatedly since I heard it on this list, and I had a lot of hope for "Different Class" because of it. I'd say that "This is Hardcore" had higher highlights, but "Different Class" is much more consistent. With that said, this album also has a couple of songs that drag on, and drag the album down from a 5 to a 4. But it's a high 4, and I still recommend the album.
4
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Wed May 19 2021
Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
House music with a few interesting moments, but not particularly exciting on the whole.
3
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Thu May 20 2021
The Coral
The Coral
This is a weird album, and I kind of love it. The opening track, "Spanish Main", is definitely my favorite: it's a psychedelic rock sea shanty, and I would listen to a whole album of songs like it. Unfortunately, this album is not that and the rest of it is more of a psychedelic folk rock album. Still, the highlights of this album more than make up for the lowlights and it's well worth checking out for anybody who wants to hear some stuff they've never heard before
4
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Fri May 21 2021
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
This album is like a ridiculous self-parody of glam rock. The standard "Back to Mystery City" formula is awkward lyrics hurled over milquetoast guitar riffs with a surprising amount of passion and absolutely zero self-awareness.
1
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Sat May 22 2021
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Folk vocalists who are better at singing than they are at anything else. It makes me think of what the Beach Boys would sound like without Brian Wilson's musicianship.
I recommend the tracks "Straight Shooter" and "California Dreaming", and only listen to the rest if you really enjoyed those.
3
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Sun May 23 2021
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
I loved "Hounds of Love", but I couldn't get into "The Dreaming". It's one of those albums that confuses being experimental with being good, and I just could not enjoy it at all.
2
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Mon May 24 2021
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
I cannot get over this guy's voice. Maybe it's a Danny Brown thing where after you hear it a million times you start to love it, but I'm not going to stick around long enough to find out.
2
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Tue May 25 2021
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
Another album I just couldn't get into. It's absolutely musically competent, but I didn't find anything here that engaged me. Your mileage may vary
3
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Wed May 26 2021
The Healer
John Lee Hooker
It had some moments, but dragged on for way too long
2
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Thu May 27 2021
B-52's
The B-52's
I couldn't always get into their kitschy retro aesthetic, and there's a reason that "Rock Lobster" is the song they're best known for: it's the best song on the album by a mile. It's certainly not a bad album, but it's not for me.
3
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Fri May 28 2021
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
The opening track, "Sunflower", might be my favorite on the album.
I've spent more time trying to decide if he sounds like Dave Grohl (currently leaning toward "not really") than trying to decide if I like the album, so it gets a 3.
Thank goodness these reviews are anonymous
3
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Sat May 29 2021
1989
Taylor Swift
Better than I expected it to be, but it felt very empty and without substance.
It is truly a pop album, in the sense that it is designed to get radio airplay and promote the artist as a Pop Star instead of as a musician.
3
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Sun May 30 2021
Machine Head
Deep Purple
I couldn't get into this album. They clearly want to be a hard rocking metal band, but they just don't have the riffs and the energy to keep it up.
2
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Mon May 31 2021
Horses
Patti Smith
Another album I just couldn't get into. Some interesting instrumentals at times, but Patti Smith's vocals are just not to my taste.
2
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Tue Jun 01 2021
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Decent but unremarkable pub rock. I'd recommend the single "Sultans of Swing" and check out the rest of the album only if you're truly enthralled.
3
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Wed Jun 02 2021
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Maybe I was in a bad mood going into this album, but this is one of the few albums on this list that I actively disliked. Costello's voice is grating, the music is discordant, and the title of the song "Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?" in particular rubbed me the wrong way.
1
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Thu Jun 03 2021
Scott 2
Scott Walker
I really liked the sort of "over the top" Baroque sound contrasted with the bleak descriptions in songs like the opener ("Jackie"), but it's not the sort of album I'm going to come back to over and over again.
3
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Fri Jun 04 2021
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
It's not "Rumours".
It's really hard to give any substantive criticism to this album because of how heavily the "Rumours" shadow looms over it.
"Tusk" is certainly a good album, but it's a little too long and drags at times. And at those times, I'm resisting the temptation to stop the album and put on "Rumours".
4
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Sat Jun 05 2021
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
I enjoyed the aesthetic of the album more than I enjoyed the actual music. There are certainly some great songs here, but it's got filler on it too. I'm glad I heard it and I might even come back to it, but it didn't bowl me over start to finish.
4
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Sun Jun 06 2021
The Holy Bible
Manic Street Preachers
It's fine, I suppose? I get the impression that they really felt they were making an album that was out there, truly punk and transgressive, but it feels almost tame by modern standards.
Also, all the songs sort of blend together. Not a favorite of mine, but I didn't hate it.
3
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Mon Jun 07 2021
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
Classic Sinatra.
4
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Tue Jun 08 2021
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
A short little album with some inoffensive sounds on it, but there's absolutely nothing memorable about it.
3
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Wed Jun 09 2021
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
It's decent funky rock. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. Probably not coming back to listen to it again.
3
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Thu Jun 10 2021
Forever Changes
Love
Sort of folky psychedelic rock from the late 60s. It's one of those albums that I'm sure some people point to as "that was when music peaked" but it's just not my style at all.
3
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Fri Jun 11 2021
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Very "out there" experimental funky psychedelic guitar playing. An influential and important album, I'm sure, but it's one that I'm only happy to have listened to purely for its historical significance. Hendrix's talent is undeniable, but I couldn't really get into the album and I didn't find it especially enjoyable to listen to.
3
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Sat Jun 12 2021
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
Rather boring orchestra / big band music.
2
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Sun Jun 13 2021
Stankonia
OutKast
I love Southern rap, and Outkast are the progenitors of the whole thing. Atlanta wouldn't exist in music the way it does today if it weren't for Andre and Big Boi. Stankonia is a universally acclaimed classic and one of those essential albums that everybody should listen to.
And in spite of all that, I can't give it a 5. Don't get me wrong, there are phenomenal classic tracks ("Bombs Over Baghdad", "Ms. Jackson", and "So Fresh, So Clean" come to mind) on this album. But there are also some odd choices ("Toilet Tisha") and some groan-inducing skits that should have been left off.
Stankonia is absolutely worth a listen, but you're well within your rights to just stick to the highlights.
4
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Mon Jun 14 2021
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen has better albums than Born in the USA, but I don't know if he has a better collection of songs. What it might lack in cohesiveness or consistent tone, it more than makes up for in the fact that every single track is a classic. You could pick which songs would be the singles just by throwing darts at the tracklist. There is no filler, no song that you want to skip, just 45 straight minutes of beautiful music.
5
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Tue Jun 15 2021
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
It's Dylan.
I swear I hear a completely different thing than everybody else who listens to him, because I can't get into him at all. His albums are too long, the songs all sound the same, and his legendary (Nobel prize winning!) songwriting just does not speak to me at all.
2
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Wed Jun 16 2021
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
I feel like I could have gotten into some of the instrumentals here, but the vocals just did not do it for me at all.
2
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Thu Jun 17 2021
Dare!
The Human League
Another 80s album with great synthesizers and off-putting vocals, but this one quickly grew on me. I still think the vocals are kind of kitschy and camp (and I don't know if they were intended to sound that way or not), but they work fairly well here.
4
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Fri Jun 18 2021
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Another album that's fine but just kind of "meh" to me. It didn't strike me as anything particularly special or exciting
3
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Sat Jun 19 2021
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
Solid calm rock, but it's really worth listening to just to hear the pronunciation of "tortoise" on "Seven Seas"
3
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Sun Jun 20 2021
Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
I almost gave this album a four after one listen, but I just had that feeling in my gut - the one that says "give it one more go".
Thank God for it, because this is a 5/5.
After that second listen, I put "Do It Again", "Midnight Cruiser", and "Reelin' in the Years" on repeat for several hours straight while scrolling through the entire history of the "Good Steely Dan Takes" Twitter account.
5
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Mon Jun 21 2021
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
It definitely feels like a Pixies album, with all their surf-influenced punk sound to it. Whether that's a good thing or not will depend on your taste. To my ears, it's just fine and it's way too long.
3
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Tue Jun 22 2021
The Band
The Band
It's acceptable rock music with Western influences, but it's not particularly exciting and doesn't have anything catchy enough to make me want to give it a second listen.
2
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Wed Jun 23 2021
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
This album is really a trip to listen to in 2021. It's all about the vibe, above all else. The standard formula is Missy's smooth vocalizing setting the scene of a blunt smoke-filled room in late 90's NYC, followed by a guest emcee coming in to lay down the raps. It is maybe a tad repetitive, but it makes for an excellent chill album that's easy to listen to.
4
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Thu Jun 24 2021
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
Good funky trip-hop vibes.
4
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Fri Jun 25 2021
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
It's kind of a British folk rock type thing. It tries very hard to make political points, to the point that it sacrifices the idea of making enjoyable music.
2
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Sat Jun 26 2021
Tical
Method Man
It might not be my favorite Wu-Tang solo album (that title belongs to GZA's "Liquid Swords"), but Tical is still an essential entry in the Wu catalog.
I reserve the fifth star only because it sounds a bit dated to modern ears, but Meth's talent and skills are completely undeniable and the best songs on the album ("Release Yo' Delf" jumps to mind) are bona fide classics.
4
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Sun Jun 27 2021
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
This is a real tough one to only give a 4 to. It is without a doubt one of the most important rap albums of all time and essential listening for anybody who cares to understand the golden age of rap. The best tracks on the album (the title track, "Fuck tha Police", "Express Yourself") sound as good today as they ever could have.
But I can't give a 5 to an album this packed with forgettable filler. The tracks that you don't remember on this album? There's a reason why you don't remember them. They are just not good or enjoyable to listen to. Outside of the big tracks, there is very little here to listen to today.
4
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Mon Jun 28 2021
C'est Chic
CHIC
Excellent funky disco. No skippers on the album, just good danceable vibes.
5
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Tue Jun 29 2021
Achtung Baby
U2
I liked this one better than I thought I would given what U2 I've heard previously, but I'm not coming back to it to listen to again and again. It's well polished and it sounds good, but there was nothing here that really hooked me.
3
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Wed Jun 30 2021
Pelican West
Haircut 100
Unremarkable 80s rock where all of the songs blend together and say nothing memorable.
2
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Thu Jul 01 2021
The Grand Tour
George Jones
I think I like a good bit of country and I know George Jones is one of those mythical country heroes, so I figured I'd like this album. But somehow, it just didn't draw me in. It's got some solid guitar work and some groovy rhythm, but on the whole, I just don't see the appeal.
3
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Fri Jul 02 2021
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Groovy 70s rock and roll with a bit of country styling. I didn't care for it enough that I'm planning to ever come back to it again, but there are enough interesting moments to make it an enjoyable listen instead of an album I had to suffer through.
3
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Sat Jul 03 2021
Smash
The Offspring
Solid punk music, but it's just not my style.
3
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Sun Jul 04 2021
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
If you Dylan is too exciting for you, you might love Cohen, who delivers every line on every song in the same whispery tone. Instrumentation was clearly an afterthought, if it was even a thought at all.
1
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Mon Jul 05 2021
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Straight out the gate, I'm impressed by how this album does not waste any time. You want a title? You got a title. With absolutely no delay, the first thing you hear from this album is a woman's voice saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space."
Aside from that, the music is pretty solid. It's kind of a shoegazy, atmospheric rocker with a lot of interesting effects that give it a feel sort of halfway between a traditional indie rock album and a collection of ambient recordings. I think I'll come back to this one.
4
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Tue Jul 06 2021
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
A pleasant surprise of an album. Excellent singing by Nyro over an eclectic collection of sounds from diverse genres.
4
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Wed Jul 07 2021
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
A very solid California take on honky tonk, with both traditionalist and modern influences. Recommended to country fans, but it's not likely to win any new converts.
4
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Thu Jul 08 2021
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
I liked this album's artsy, atmospheric instrumentation and maybe could have given it a 4 for that alone if it weren't for the vocals being so irritatingly distracting.
3
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Fri Jul 09 2021
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
Horrendous noise and indecipherable vocals in French. I couldn't make it through the whole album.
1
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Sat Jul 10 2021
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Seriously good R&B instrumentals.
4
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Sun Jul 11 2021
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
Boring folk music. Not a fan.
2
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Mon Jul 12 2021
Night Life
Ray Price
Solid country music, but didn't really grab me.
3
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Tue Jul 13 2021
Zombie
Fela Kuti
I was excited about this one because I enjoyed Fela Kuti's live album (w/ Ginger Baker) so much. I still think that's the better album, but this one is no slouch either. Excellent African rhythms and drums horns, with a good political message underneath it.
4
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Wed Jul 14 2021
Station To Station
David Bowie
I could never really get into Bowie; I feel like you either get him and his music, or he's lost to you forever. I'm definitely in the latter category - I don't hate him or anything, but his music just does not speak to me. This album is some fine funky rock and roll with a sort of krautrock aesthetic to it, but that's about all it is to me - just "fine".
3
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Thu Jul 15 2021
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
There are some interesting sounds here, but it just doesn't come across as a fun album you want to keep in regular rotation. It's worth the listen one time through, but probably not again.
3
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Fri Jul 16 2021
Among The Living
Anthrax
I just couldn't get into this one. The guitar work is clearly skilled, but the vocals just sound so whiny and the lyrics are so silly that it kept me from staying engaged with it.
2
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Sat Jul 17 2021
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
I just don't like the Stones. I can appreciate why "Sympathy for the Devil" is considered a classic track and I wouldn't complain if somebody was listening to "Street Fighting Man" near me, but they just don't do anything for me.
3
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Sun Jul 18 2021
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Classic rock and roll. Historically important, I'm sure, but not especially entertaining to my ears.
2
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Mon Jul 19 2021
The Specials
The Specials
Couldn't get on board with this one. It's like a messy mix of ska and punk and it sounds incredibly dated.
1
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Tue Jul 20 2021
Metallica
Metallica
There's a very, very good 30 minute album here, the only problem is that "Metallica" runs over an hour.
"Enter Sandman" is a great track, but the rest of the album has trouble reaching those heights. The lowlights drag on for so long that by the time you get to the end, you've half-forgotten about the highlights.
3
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Wed Jul 21 2021
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
There are a couple of albums on this list that I didn't finish, but this one might be closer to "Did Not Start". The album opens with a ridiculous wail, repeats it a few times with some added distortion, then manages to get even less pleasant to listen to.
I made it two tracks, scanned a bit further into the album, then gave up.
1
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Thu Jul 22 2021
Scream, Dracula, Scream
Rocket From The Crypt
Good punk rock (maybe pop-punk?). It's so whiny that if they made it today you'd be certain it was ironic, but in the 90's, who could really tell?
I wasn't sure about this album the first time around but sat on it for a while and gave it another spin and felt a bit better about it second time. I give it 4/5, but only barely, it's right on the edge of being a 3.
4
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Fri Jul 23 2021
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Solid rock and roll; enough to keep you interested and listening, but not enough to make you want to come back and listen to it again and again.
3
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Sat Jul 24 2021
Elastica
Elastica
Great rock, veering right on the edge of the "punk rock" label. Energetic rhythms make this one a breeze to listen through; it's nearly 40 minutes but doesn't drag for a second.
4
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Sun Jul 25 2021
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
It's fine thumping rock and roll music, but it never rises above "just fine" to me.
3
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Mon Jul 26 2021
Moondance
Van Morrison
This is the sort of album where the guy is obviously very talented and I can easily understand why somebody would say "I love Van Morisson, 'Moondance' is one of my favorite albums" but it just doesn't speak to me. Aside from the title track (a wonderfully sung jazzy little number), nothing on this album really captured my imagination.
3
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Tue Jul 27 2021
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
One of my favorite Springsteen albums, and I have a lot of favorite Springsteen albums. It's edgier and grittier than "Born to Run", but without the bleakness of "Nebraska". Absolutely essential listening, IMO
5
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Wed Jul 28 2021
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
It's not Pet Sounds, that's for sure. I thought it was fine, but nothing spectacular.
3
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Thu Jul 29 2021
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Very good modern R&B, but I don't hear the "absolute classic" in it that a lot of online reviewers seem to. Well worth a listen, but it's not a new favorite of mine or anything like it.
4
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Sat Oct 16 2021
All Directions
The Temptations
A great funk/soul album marred by poor mixing. The left channel is so quiet (especially on the first track) that the experience is like going to a concert with a cotton ball in one ear.
3
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Sun Oct 17 2021
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Excellent jazz. I don't know nearly enough about jazz to give a "real" critique, but it's one of maybe two or three jazz albums I already had in my collection before coming across it on this list, and I actually come back and listen to it every so often (unlike many other albums on this list).
5
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Mon Oct 18 2021
Gold
Ryan Adams
Uninteresting, unmemorable, middle-of-the-road soft indie rock. It wasn't actively bad or anything close to it, it was just entirely forgettable. The album is over an hour long and I don't think there was a single moment where I felt an emotion stronger than "okay, sure, I guess".
2
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Tue Oct 19 2021
Music From Big Pink
The Band
I liked this one quite a bit more than their self-titled album. It's still very folky (which I don't like) but it's got a bit more Country/Western to it (which I do like). I think the highlight of the album is "The Weight", and the rest is kind of a "you'll like it if you like folk rock" sort of deal.
3
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Wed Oct 20 2021
Basket of Light
Pentangle
Technically accomplished folk music with high-art aspirations, but man oh man is it ever not my jam at all.
2
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Thu Oct 21 2021
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
Excellent hard rock / hair metal. Drags a little bit in the second half, but the opening half (with all the big names: \"You Give Love a Bad Name\", \"Livin' on a Prayer\", \"Wanted Dead or Alive\") is exceptional and more than enough to carry the album.
4
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Fri Oct 22 2021
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
Fantastic classic hard rock with all the usual fixins. Powerful guitar riffs, high energy vocals, and banging drums abound. If you know one AC/DC song, it's "Highway to Hell", and for very good reason.
My primary complaint with the album is that it runs just a little bit too long and the songs start to all sound the same. It's a minor criticism and if I could give it four and a half stars, I would.
4
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Sat Oct 23 2021
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
This was a nice groovy salsa album. I liked the disco vibes at the very beginning and was a little bit let down that it didn't continue through the rest of it. Still, a very solid album and one that I think I'm going to come back and listen to again.
4
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Sun Oct 24 2021
Brothers
The Black Keys
Very good bluesy indie rock with some excellent percussion. It's not exactly a new favorite album, but it makes for good background vibes.
3
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Mon Oct 25 2021
Hypnotised
The Undertones
Didn't finish this one. It's bland, uninteresting British punk without a lot of energy to it. Not my taste.
1
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Wed Oct 27 2021
Blackstar
David Bowie
I just can't get into Bowie. Nothing against him or his talent, but it's just not my style of music.
2
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Thu Oct 28 2021
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Solid with some good grooves to it, but not life-changing
3
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Fri Oct 29 2021
Young Americans
David Bowie
I liked the funky vibes of this one more than the other Bowie albums I've heard, but he's still just not my thing.
3
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Sat Oct 30 2021
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
That's 'Retha Franklin, the queen of soul! Personally, I feel like the instrumentals (and recording quality) don't quite hold up to her fantastic voice, but it's still plenty to carry the album.
4
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Sun Oct 31 2021
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
There's no denying the man has talent, but I don't think there's much here for the English-speaking listener. Decent beats, but nothing exceptional.
3
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Mon Nov 01 2021
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
I couldn't get into it. It's a very diverse album with a bunch of different styles of music (well, different takes on "British guys with guitars", at least) on it, but it comes across as more exhausting than exhilarating.
2
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Tue Nov 02 2021
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
I was surprised by how much I liked this one - it's like a little psychedelic alt-rock adventure. My favorite track on the album, "Fool's Gold", has a funky almost trip-hop beat that carries it along, and it's very nice. I have a feeling that I'll be coming back to this album.
4
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Wed Nov 03 2021
A Seat at the Table
Solange
A well-produced but somewhat lifeless R&B album. For all of the interludes talking about struggle and putting it into music, the actual music on this album never had the strength or emotional power to make it "real" to me.
3
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Thu Nov 04 2021
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
Frankly, I was just kind of bored by this album. I didn't hate it, but I never thought "I sure am glad I heard this album because this song really speaks to me".
3
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Fri Nov 05 2021
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
First things first: "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" is a 10/10 perfect title.
As for the actual music: I'd heard this album quite some time ago and I remembered it being a bloated, grossly self-indulgent affair.
Listening to it again, I still feel that way, but I was reminded how good some of the songs are. The highs are high and the lows are never worse than "pretty good", but it just drowns in its own length. Worth listening to once (if only to say you've listened to it), but I can't imagine listening to it over and over again.
4
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Sat Nov 06 2021
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Blues rock with guitars. Wikipedia says they were some of the first to do it, but I think they suffer from the Seinfeld effect - everybody else does it too, so the original doesn't feel as groundbreaking (or bluesbreaking, I suppose). Well worth a listen, but not a new favorite album of mine.
4
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Sun Nov 07 2021
Yeezus
Kanye West
Another modern classic from Yeezy; the kind of thing that makes you say "what was he thinking?" on the first listen, but gets more compelling every time you come back to it. It's raw, arrogant, and unfiltered in the inimitable Kanye style. How many other artists could assert "I Am a God" without sounding the least bit corny?
His incredible success is tempered only by his own self-destructive tendencies - on "Hold My Liquor" (possibly my favorite on the album, although "Send It Up" is a strong contender), Kanye reenacts a superstar's bender, the sort of horrific "the rules don't apply to me" story that make up a superstar's day-to-day. (And what good is being a superstar if you don't have some Mike Dean synths to back you up?)
5
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Mon Nov 08 2021
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
It's a whole album of sad bluesy ballads that fail to move. I did not enjoy it at all, but at least it wasn't painful to listen to.
2
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Tue Nov 16 2021
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
I did not like this at all. To my ears, it's just a discordant mess of screaming and whining. I feel like an old man who just does not get the whole "youth music" thing, despite not even having been born when the album was released.
1
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Wed Nov 17 2021
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Excellent heavy metal, but the songs tend to run a little bit long. Favorite song is the closer, "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
4
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Thu Nov 18 2021
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
I honestly can't see why this guy was such a big deal. Maybe you just had to be there, because to me it's just some boring crooning.
2
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Fri Nov 19 2021
Savane
Ali Farka Touré
I couldn't get into it. Not bad, just not for me.
2
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Sat Nov 20 2021
The Man Who
Travis
A sad and angsty little album that has some good moments but just doesn't do enough differently to rate any better than "yeah, that was good, I guess".
3
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Sun Nov 21 2021
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
This might be my favorite Stones album of the ones I've heard so far, but that's not saying a whole lot. This album feels like a good houseparty, with Mick Jagger as host. It might be a bit long and meandering, but it always keeps the groove going.
4
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Mon Nov 22 2021
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
Gentle folky music with a bit of a jazzy, funky influence. It sounds like a bit of an odd combo, but it works surprisingly well. The fact that it's so relaxed means that I think it would work well as background music in a coffee shop, but I can't imagine somebody saying "Bryter Layter is my favorite album".
3
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Tue Nov 23 2021
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
First listen: "this album is so weird, eww"
Second listen: "this album is so weird, I love it"
One of the very few albums on this list where I got to the end and immediately listened to it a second time. It is truly a bizarre prog-rock folk album where every song seems to have a flute solo, and I love it for it.
5
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Wed Nov 24 2021
Pretenders
Pretenders
Didn't like this one much. It just didn't have enough interesting or different about it to capture my imagination. It just felt like some more generic rock with some fairly cringey lyrics.
2
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Thu Nov 25 2021
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
Classic rock and roll with lots of energy, but apparently recorded using tin cans and strings, or maybe they just used the original masters as Frisbees. This is, without question, the worst-quality recording I've had on this list so far.
2
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Fri Nov 26 2021
Dog Man Star
Suede
A huge album, grandiose in scope and ambition, but it manages to pull it off quite capably. It may come off as a tad pretentious, but it's held together by the fact that it just works so well: the sound is ethereal and dreamy while the lyrics sing about dark realities and the juxtaposition just feels right.
4
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Sat Nov 27 2021
GREY Area
Little Simz
Solid British rapping, but I could do without the sung bits.
4
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Sat Dec 04 2021
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
I'm sure somebody thinks this is well-written, well-performed music. To me, it's awfully boring.
2
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Sun Dec 05 2021
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Decent enough rock music, but nothing on here was so good to make me think "oh, that's why Elton John is a household name".
3
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Mon Dec 06 2021
Elephant
The White Stripes
Hit or miss rock with some excellent drums
3
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Tue Dec 07 2021
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
It's like being in your high school friend's garage listening to his punk band. This album will appeal to you exactly as much as that idea appeals to you.
3
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Wed Dec 08 2021
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
A couple interesting sounds here or there, but nothing memorable.
3
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Thu Dec 09 2021
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
Funky.
4
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Fri Dec 10 2021
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
It's a big ("grand") attempt at a rap opera and I respect the effort, I really do, but it's just not enjoyable to listen to.
2
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Sat Dec 11 2021
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
My name is Greg and I'm here to say / Run DMC's rhymes sound old and dated
However important and influential it may be, this era in rap just sounds incredibly simplistic to my modern ears. "They walked so others could run", but they still walked. I'm glad I heard it once, but I'm not coming back to it.
2
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Thu Jan 13 2022
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
Sounds like the Cocteau Twins going goth. It's not bad, but I'd rather be listening to "Heaven or Las Vegas" for the one millionth time.
3
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Fri Jan 14 2022
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
This is one of those albums I'm glad I listened to once just for how weird it is, but I don't know that I need to ever listen to it again. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't have any consistency in theme or genre, so it's hard to think "I'm in the mood for this genre or that genre, so I'm going to listen to Truth And Soul".
3
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Sat Jan 15 2022
A Night At The Opera
Queen
This is the one with Bohemian Rhapsody on it, which is still a great song no matter how many times you've heard it. Overall, the album is pretty darn good but doesn't scream "classic" to me. It comes with a sort of whimsical "Sgt. Pepper's" atmosphere, but just isn't as consistent. It's an album with brilliant highlights, but a couple of skippable tracks too.
4
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Sun Jan 16 2022
Imagine
John Lennon
If this album was made by anybody not named John Lennon, you wouldn't think it was especially good. The title track is the highlight and the rest is immediately forgettable.
3
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Mon Jan 17 2022
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
Waits' voice is certainly unique, and it works better on some songs than others. On the whole it's a pleasant accompaniment to his tales of losers and woe, but it's sometimes a bit grating and I don't think I could listen to it all day long. That's also pretty much how I felt about the album overall: it has a couple of great songs ("Mr. Siegal" might be my favorite) and enough filler to keep me from putting the whole album on repeat.
P.S. I didn't realize that "Jersey Girl" wasn't a Springsteen original!
3
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Tue Jan 18 2022
In It For The Money
Supergrass
I liked the opening half of this album, but it didn't really sustain itself toward the end. Give it a try for some decent British rock (bordering on pop punk at times), but I think it falls short of "classic" territory.
3
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Sat Jan 22 2022
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
A short groovy little album, with a bit of a Lolita theme to it. Worth listening to for some funky basslines mashed up with orchestral strings. It almost sounds like a sort of proto trip-hop album.
4
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Sun Jan 23 2022
...And Justice For All
Metallica
Great metal album. Solid throughout, but the highlight is definitely One.
4
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Mon Jan 24 2022
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
A short little bluesy rock album. I wouldn't be upset if somebody put it on around me, but I'm not thinking "this was a great album I need to remember".
3
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Tue Jan 25 2022
Document
R.E.M.
"It's the End of the World as We Know It" is a catchy tune, but the rest of the album pretty much blends together.
3
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Wed Jan 26 2022
Live Through This
Hole
Decent but not exceptional screamy alt-rock.
3
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Sat Apr 23 2022
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
I'm not a Dylan fan. This album did not change my mind, but it didn't exactly bore me to tears either.
3
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Sun Apr 24 2022
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
The quick tempos and rock sounds in the first half had me thinking this would be my favorite Dylan album thus far (and it still might be), but it drags on and on in the second half.
3
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Mon Apr 25 2022
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The Young songs are the best ones, but the whole thing is pretty solid folk rock.
4
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Tue Apr 26 2022
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
Punk-twinged Irish folk rock. If that sounds like your thing, you're going to love this. Everybody else can give it a pass.
3
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Wed Apr 27 2022
Close To You
Carpenters
Very solid, very *very* soft rock. The title track and "We've Only Just Begun" are clear standouts.
4
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Thu Apr 28 2022
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
As far as I'm concerned, this is what Country music is and should be. One of those albums that are historically important (laying the groundwork for all the Outlaw Country albums to come), but also just good fun to listen to.
5
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Mon Sep 19 2022
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Too-arty rock that fluctuates between "I'm not cool enough to understand this" at its lows and "this is forgettable and inoffensive" at its highs.
2
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Tue Sep 20 2022
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
I don't like Elvis Costello. I don't have a substantive criticism, there's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. I don't like his voice, his music, his lyrics, what-have-you.
And yet, I can't deny that this album is clearly technically solid. The man has talent, even if his style is not for me.
2
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Wed Sep 21 2022
The Blueprint
JAY Z
While not destined to be the biggest news coming out of New York on September 11, 2001, The Blueprint is certainly the most enjoyable.
It doesn't quite hold the same mythical status as his debut album, but The Blueprint is still a solid entry in Hov's oeuvre. Some party hits, some tough rhymes, and a truly exceptional feature from Eminem in his prime more than make up for a couple of weak tracks in the lineup.
4
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Thu Sep 22 2022
Illmatic
Nas
Illmatic is Nas' masterpiece. It's one of those classic rap albums that everybody claims to love, but this one is actually still enjoyable to modern ears.
5
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Fri Sep 23 2022
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
The sorted of dated dance music you’d expect to hear in the background of a period film set in the ‘80s. A few funky rhythms sprinkled in here and there do not make up for an otherwise uncompelling listen.
2
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers
Solid British alt-rock. I doubt I’m going to come back to listen to it again, but if somebody else put it on I wouldn’t be upset about it.
3
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
Some of the songs here are the softest folk rock ever put to wax, to the point of feeling like the notes float along on a cloud. But it’s impossible to discount the technical ability and the beauty of the recording process on display.
4