Hey, reader! If you can't find the full album anywhere, email me at sodaco3@gmail.com and I'll send a zipped file of the songs. John Zorn. Hmmm.....let's talk about John Zorn. He's a jazz artist (saxophone) who specializes in avant-garde jazz. This alone will turn away quite a few people, and I can't blame them: avant-garde art is inherently pretentious with it's "ooo, look at how I deconstruct certain pervasive elements in art and rearrange them for new experiences". It's pretty anarchist, and anarchists SUCK! Given this, I'm pretty surprised that Zorn is even on this list. I would've went with his much more popular "Naked City", but maybe that was too "jazz-rock" for 1001. Regardless, most people are going to walk away not enjoying John Zorn's work. So, what is he doing with this album? Well, he's got a 5-piece band built of two alto-saxophones, a bass, and TWO DRUMMERS! Neat. Double drummers is always risky but it's avant-garde so we'll let it slide. Cool production note: each saxophone is playing in a different channel (Zorn is in the right; listen for his licks!). Also of note is that everyone playing is improvising, giving a sort of full sound that surrounds the listener like a chaotic hug. Can you feel it? Zorn's compositions are interesting, as he opts to do these much shorter tracks that don't stick around for long before moving on the the next one. Zorn is heavily inspired by the hardcore punk scene in New York, London, and Tokyo at the time, particularly the rise in grindcore (see: Scum by Napalm Death). That sort of quick-and-dirty, attack on the ears is something that was very much inspired from grindcore and can be seen crossing over in jazz through Zorn. Again, most people will not like this, but for what it's worth I think it's a cool approach to jazz. By the 80's, Jazz had pretty well split; smooth jazz was on the rise with the likes of Kenny G, producing the most accessible, commercial music possible. Meanwhile, Jazz was being used more as a prop for other genres, such as acid jazz in the UK being a combination of electronic beats with jazz (great for clubs), or hip-hop producers incorporating jazz samples in their beats, leading to the rise of jazz rap in the late 80's and early 90's. This comes AFTER the prominence of avant-garde jazz actually, so Zorn is late to the party and very much on his own. Regardless, his approach to jazz with the mindset of hardcore punk makes for a fresh and thrilling listening experience. Overall, I think there's a lot one can take from this album, but they'll need to be open to the weirdness of it all. Do not expect structure, melodies, and rhythms that ground most songs. Instead, listen for how each instrument is playing off the others while also being totally independent from the song. There are times in this record where the stars align and you can hear the purposefulness of Zorn's band coming together in creating some really rad shit. But you gotta be open to it, or you'll just walk away thinking it's a total stinker. If you liked this record, consider listening to Ornette Coleman's stuff! I recommend "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Free Jazz", both records that did NOT make this list because Coleman ISN'T ANYWHERE ON THE LIST, DESPITE HIS NAME BEING HONORED BY THIS ALBUM. FUCK YOUUUUUUU 1001 ALBUMS!!!!

This is a comfy album that's great with morning coffee (or an evening drink). Just the right amount of country drawl and simple strumming makes Jones a solid artist for his time. Not much of a country guy here, but if I can enjoy a country album then the name on the front must be pretty damn good.

At the time of writing this, Scum by Napalm Death is the lowest-rated album on this website. Which makes sense, in a way, because Grindcore is inherently inaccessible. The genre goes out of it's way to be heavier, faster, and more brutal than hardcore punk in every way, and Napalm Death is the exemplification of this. Yet, the production is so purposeful in what I hear. Riffs are distinguishable and blast beats keep time while the singer roars lyrics of anger and nihilism. It sounds heavy and loud without being messy. Maybe a little messy for stylistic purposes, but overall it's actually pretty good! Even fans of power metal should have a good grasp of this album. Songs are a lot shorter here so nothing overstays its welcome. You get some heavy riffage, maybe a verse-chorus, and then you're on to the next song. It plays pretty well. I'll discuss the weaker aspects of the album now. One of the downsides of the shorter songs is that they tend to come and go with little lasting power. You'd be hard pressed to match a song to a riff that you remember, so repeat listens are kind of needed for full absorption. Vocal also lose a little impact as their mostly unintelligible. They contribute more to vibes than anything. This album also features the renowned "shortest song on record" with "You Suffer" clocking in at 4 seconds. It's pretty good; blink and you'll miss it! It's worth noting that After "You Suffer", you get to side b of the album which actually has a differwent lineup. With the except of drummer Mick Harris, you get a whole new band on the back half. With this comes a whole new sound, leaning into a more guttural tone than the edgy tone of the first half. Either way you cut it, you need to be a certain kind of person to like Napalm Death, and I liked em! I'm going to point to the metalheads and ask those who didn't like it to try again. I think it's worthy of a spot of the list! God bless.

I can't believe I get to listen to this album. The vibes are immaculate, just perfection. It's like floating along warm summer air. Everything feels so purposeful in it's placing, with every sound, word, and visual just lifting the album above levels I didn't know could exist. My only complaint is that it gets a little same-y here and there, but man I can forgive that with how beautiful it all is. Perfection.

Bjork crafts these wonderful pieces of music with so much purpose, you can hear it in her production. I'd like to think she is primarily a vocal artist, with her voice at the forefront. This makes the music all the more purposeful, being built around the central driving force of Bjork's singing (which is wonderful, by the way). As such, there's a lot of beauty here in this album, with some of the compositions reminding me of one of my favorite albums of all time (Actor by St. Vincent). It's a wonderful body of work, I don't think I can find anything bad to say about it. Well done, Bjork.

Good punk for it's time, but doesn't have the same impact as other artists in the genre.

It's weird to write that in an album with only 7 songs, it feels like there's so much padding. Steinman wrote 2 really good songs and handful of others to make it an album, which brings the whole thing down.

Some clear stand-out tracks here: Waterloo Sunset, Situation Vacant, and Love Me Till the Sun Shines. The rest is just fine. It's a perfectly fine album.

Each song is so good, with none feeling out of place. The gospel gives it an extra punch without overstaying its welcome, and the production is exquisite. Enjoyed the first half compared to the second, but still easily my favorite album so far.

What a groovy, fun album! The first track Zombie is the more upbeat of the half, with a clear blueprint for the incredible opening track Born Under Punches on Remain In Light, released three years later. Clearly an important political album, criticizing the Nigerian military of the day. It's impossible not to appreciate such a cornerstone.

I didn't realize I knew Killing Me Softly until it came on! What a hit, huh. Anyway, as far as East-Coast Hip Hop goes this is good but definitely not the best. This feels more like a tea-up for Lauryn Hill who would go on to release an incredible solo album. For what it's worth though, it's still a real good hip hop album. More of a 3.5 than a 3.

Sounded more Jangle Pop than Post-Punk, which is a shame because I like Post-Punk but not Jangle Pop. The edgier songs were highlights (Thorn of Crowns), but those were rare. Found myself mostly bored throughout.

A great album for Black History Month. This is the genesis of truly radical hip hop that would go on to influence all the best hip hop records to date. Terminator X provides the hard-hitting production that keeps the music memorable, Chuck D's presence is unmatched, and Flav is...there. Not a perfect album, but still a one worth listening to for it's history alone.

Good, simple singer/songwriter folksy music. It never wowed me but it's a nice listen

Notable more for Bowie's influence than anything else. Not a huge Bowie fan either, so this album didn't do much for me. Still good though, so 3 stars it will sit.

Very unique production applied to fine pop songs. Not my bag, but not bad either. I can walk away at least appreciating this.

Alt rock is a gamble because you can end up getting lame mainstream butt-rock more times than not; This unironically rocks. There are some cheesy production choices that are very late 90's/early 2000's (turntables in a rock album?), but I ended up enjoying the overall product. Good riffs make a good album, who knew? WHATEVER TOMORROW BRINGS, I'LL, BE, THEEERRREEEE

I can't believe I get to listen to this album. The vibes are immaculate, just perfection. It's like floating along warm summer air. Everything feels so purposeful in it's placing, with every sound, word, and visual just lifting the album above levels I didn't know could exist. My only complaint is that it gets a little same-y here and there, but man I can forgive that with how beautiful it all is. Perfection.

This is smooth as hell. John Martyn has a voice that makes this record so crisp, it's hard not to enjoy it. Also comes with interesting and varied instrumentals that keeps things fresh. Solid record.

Good, but not nearly as good as the work of Fela Kuti. Often times feels too polished. A nice piece of work though.

THE FUCKIN BESSSSST. Janelle Monae does not miss on this album. A beautiful voice and wonderful, amazing songs. An honest treat to listen to.

Bland and uninspired britpop. Wished I was listening to something else almost the entire time. No more of this, please

Good, but not nearly as captivating as the first Nick Cave album we listened to. West Country Girl keeps things interesting, but the stripped-down piano thing was never my jam.

Sounds like the kinda stuff me and some buddies jammed to in the basement, so I'm going to muse about improvisational rock for a moment. Typically, the drummer lays down a 4/4 beat and plays that for 64 measures. During that, the guitarist usually plays some sort of noodley riff and the bassist matches up to the key. Play around that for the however many measures then the drummer switches things up. Sometimes there's change in dynamics (see: Where You Love) and sometimes they synchronize to certain "hits". The overarching point is that the band has to be in lockstep with one another (known as being "in the pocket") to know where to make smooth transitions and where to play around for a bit. It's a departure from typical songwriting and requires building on (or borrowing from) foundational elements of the craft started by many others (see: The Grateful Dead and Phish). For 1969, this can be pretty impressive because these guys were at the forefront of "Jam Rock", a genre that isn't super highly regarded. That's why looking back on this today can seem pretty mediocre and uninspired, especially considering the lack of vocals which delegates this to mainly background music than anything. But for what it's worth, I think it's perfectly good. Wouldn't put it on a pedestal or anything, but it has it's place in music history and I think that's worth something.

Oh god, it's so lame. Just four white dudes doing "funk" and occasionally there's a good song in there. Clocking in at 70 minutes, this album way overstays it's welcome. I want to listen to anything else. Closer to 1.5 to gets a 1 for punishment's sake.

Lenny Kravitz is just fine. I listen to this and think "He sure is making that music and singing". It stirs no strong emotions in me. For reference, Doolittle by Pixies came out the same year, so, yeah. I hope I get to listen to a good album this week.

Lukewarm alt rock that never really grabbed me. First time hearing this band it's not a great first impression. Vocalist is probably the weakest point here, but the production is too clean so it always sounded like the band was pulling their punches. Coulda been way better, there's potential.

Mr. Costello didn't quite click with me on his last album "This Year's Model", but I've found myself enjoying this one! Pretty straight-forward new-wave pop rock stuff; nothing revolutionary, but still a light and fun listenin- wait, did he just drop the n-word with a hard r in Oliver's Army? Oh my god he did. What the fuck?

Hard not to enjoy at least the opening track. Quintessential music that cemented THE Michael Jackson that's most widely known, and for good reason. First side is like a non-stop dance party with MJ as the MC keeping things alive. The energy is infectious! The second side mellows out, embracing a more chilled out vibe without sacrificing too much of the fun. (Quincy Jones is on production and is a master of the craft). She's Out of My Life feels more like an obligatory ballad than an earnest entry; Gotta make the runtime quota somehow I guess. It's clear that side B is the weaker of the two, but it's definitely still solid music at the end of the day.

It's a double album and clocking in at 2 hours, I found it difficult to digest in one sitting. To start, they make great fuckin' bangers with wild riffs, maxed distortion, and superb composition makes the heavier songs pack a serious punch. Contrast that to the more soft and tender songs like Tonight, Tonight that give the album breathing room and variation. This makes for a wholly strong album, giving great credence to the legendary status of this alt-rock treasure. Rarely did I feel like there was a low point, but the length of this titan makes it hard not to get at least a little burned out. Closer to a 4.5 than a 4.

Nice, simple, sombre. There's beauty in the stripped back, basic delivery of these little songs. Nick Drake has a voice does not carry much though, and perhaps that's the point, but it doesn't impress on me much.

Holy enjoyment, Batman! An album with a jangle pop inflection that I actually enjoy? What a marvel... This record has a lot of stellar things going for it, from the genuinely fun songwriting to the delivery of the band. The drums and bass lines do exactly what they need to do without sounding flat or invisible, the flourish of guitar and synths give the songs great personality, and Paddy McAloon on vocals is a genuinely pretty good singer. All in all, this is an easy album for me to enjoy, though the slower songs didn't quite capture me. Either way, a great album!

The very first album in the book! Frank Sinatra did us a lot of favors by being a workhorse, namely bringing "the LP" as it were to everyday households. The music itself is very low-key, mellow, just plain ol' sad. Perfect for "the wee small hours of the morning", but kind of makes me sleepy. Shoutout to Sinatra's backing band, they nail the performance here.

Brazenly different and interesting. The kind of pop for weirdos, which is cool. Kate Bush is so dramatic in every one of these songs, it takes the form of a sort of "camp" that isn't really my style but I can still appreciate it from afar. Pretty cool!

Pretty good Psych Rock. The first two tracks along with Interstellar Overdrive were clear standouts, but the rest sort of breezed along with no real impact. It's good overall though.

I listen to this Steely Dan album and I learn EXACTLY what all the fuss is about: it's the most accessible music while still being dignified, eloquent, and fun. It's exquisite how good this album is, really. Jazz rock has never been more fun. I bet my parents will love this; we can listen to it over drinks and talk about current events or something, idk! People with taste listen to Steely Dan, and Aja has to be the pinnacle of this or I'll be damned.

What the fuck is this.

Maybe I'm just sleepy right now, but this album puts me at ease. Neil Young is one of the masters of singer/songwriter music and this album proves it with his delicate strumming and unique singing style (I grew to enjoy it). Production is also masterful, especially for a live album. It all sounds so clean and warm, exactly how you want Neil Young to sound. That was just side 1, of course. Side 2 woke me up as the electric guitar took over and it rules. I know Powderfinger is the darling track here, but Welfare Mothers and Sedan Delivery bring a heaviness that help cement the contract between the two sides, both being equally great in different ways. Closer to a 4.5 than a 4, truly.

Simple indie rock, doesn't wow me but it's still pretty good.

Bowie really knows how to frame an album, making it theatrical without making it too campy. Each song is good, but when compiled together it makes an album greater than the sum of it's parts. And it's all under 40 minutes! One of the greatest albums of all time is actually pretty digestible; who knew? Anyway, I can see why this is considered the GOAT album but I don't love it like a lot of others do. It's great, don't get me wrong, but a 5-star album's gotta feel special!

Nina Simone is a master of words, summoning vivid imagery and commanding you hear them with her soulful voice. The band is simply there to reinforce these things, but that's not to downplay their role! Everything works together in wonderful tandem to set a high bar for vocal jazz and soul music. Simone has one of the greatest voices, doing these songs great justice. The only complaint is that the hard-hitting songs on here (Four Women, Wild is the Wind) are watered down by the more forgettable ones, making the album weaker as a whole.

Incredibly unique, for better or for worse. Sometimes it comes across as groovy hi-volume punk rock with an Elvis Presley inflection, and sometimes it comes across as white people making noise for the sake of it. I can see why people would dislike it for the latter, but the former is just too intriguing for me to not enjoy. Album just kinda chugs along though, taking no time to let you digest the previous song as it hurls you into the next, and then the one after that. Herein, it makes for mainly nonsense and I can't help but shake that this sort of music is mainly built for a live crowd to just go buck wild, with little semblance of a setlist, opting for just "vibeS" (except the vibes are loud, crazy, and energy that are all off the charts).

A lot of fucking around that amounts to extremely mediocre songwriting and execution. Impressive that it managed to be wildly weird and different while also being lame as hell.

This is a comfy album that's great with morning coffee (or an evening drink). Just the right amount of country drawl and simple strumming makes Jones a solid artist for his time. Not much of a country guy here, but if I can enjoy a country album then the name on the front must be pretty damn good.

It's okay. The vocalist can get on my nerves at times and the songwriting isn't all that good either, but it keeps things interesting enough to maintain some semblance originality. I doubt this is anyone's favorite album though; it certainly isn't mine.

Songwriting doesn't do much for me. It's well produced and executed for what it's worth, I like the fuzzy guitars and there's a great confident vibe from the vocalist that effectively makes these songs better than what they are: shallow and lame. I throw it a 3 for goodwill, but I only thought it was alright.

This is a nice little listen! Nothing groundbreaking or subversive, just an enjoyable pop rock record kind of reminiscent of Genesis later into their career. Pretty good!

Sounds like Soundgarden set out to make an album just full of bangers: heavy riffs, superb production, even Cornell's singing (God rest his soul) works well in this hazy grunge environment. Another 70 minute album makes it a bit overly long, but with songs like these you can't go wrong.

Tom Petty never did much for me but I'll admit that "The Heartbreakers" are carrying the weight here. Simple well-produced pop rock is all that's here, and it's good! Won't go back to it, but it was nice enough at the time.

Wow, what a unit! These guys really know how to build a song, mastering their compositions to bring everything together in perfect harmony. It may seem like simple rock on the surface, but the way these songs are played blows me away. Only hangups is that it loses some steam on Side B and singer Fogerty is not a favorite of mine. For a tight, all-around superb Swamp Rock record, this is your go-to.

Amazing how much of a wholly unique and incredible album this is. Just wonderful, not much else I can say.

Another Costello record, this time his debut. This one has so much more edge and snark, I can finally see what all the fuss is about. Taking old-school rock and roll songwriting and twisting it make for an exceptional sound, like if Buddy Holly got jaded and cool. It seems as though something got lost as he carried on, but this album does a good thing, I think.

The whole "exorcist" part on the bells is a nice motif at the start of the album, well-built and executed by Oldfield. Then the album drops off like a fucking bag of bricks, just bad. Computationally aimless, terrible mixing, a total mess of "prog rock". Oldfield excels when he's building on something, adding and taking away elements for the purposes of repetition. This magic is somewhat ruined in the part where he explicitly states the name of the instrument being introduced next instead of letting the music speak for itself. Man also need to learn variation during these repetitive parts; just something else, anything! I think this record was a fluke: Oldfield is a subpar songwriting and producer who stumbled onto a catchy-yet-eerie riff that got itself into one of the most acclaimed horror movies of all time. Outside of that, isn't worth a full 50 minutes worth of material. I can't believe I own this album.

Such a drastic change in quality compared to the other prog rock record from yesterday. Pink Floyd was in their prime with this one, and this a huge fucking stride to hit. Instrumentally rich, compositionally unmatched, structured perfectly. Only gripe I have is with David Gilmour's occasionally strained vocals, but man is it easy to look past. One of the best albums ever.

Fine, albeit boring. Hard to recall anything that left an impression, good or bad. Perhaps that is the worst sin in music, then. The lone exception to this is the final track Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga, which takes a turn from the folksy stuff to demonstrate some incredible instrumental raga rock. Felt like they took a risk on the closure and it paid off imo. Bumped from a 2 to a 3 for this alone.

Exactly what it says on the tin 😎 Exceptional listen, sounding somewhere between big band/swing and bop with it's frankly extensive list of performers on here (16 in rotation, to be exact). Although released in 1957, recordings were from 1949 and 1950 which was years before Davis would begin forming his quintets, so the songs can get a little busy at times. I'd reckon this is an overall easy listen though, and pulling all these singles together on the one album is certainly appreciated. This here is jazz 101, so don't skip your fundamentals

The Roots? Like from the Jimmy Fallon talk show? Unfortunately, this will be many people's initial exposure to these east-coast hip-hop legends. While this isn't the most prominent album in the discography, there is still great music here. There's clear Mos Def influence here, and I fuckin love Black On Black so I'll happily listen. And for the most part it's great! Around the mid-point it does seem to get a little aimless and experimental, which causes it to lose steam for me. This, combined with the 70 minute runtime, makes for a overly long album that maybe could've been broken up into two separate releases (maybe an experimental EP?) and reorganized for a more concise listening experience.

Fitting to get this one right after it's been officially added to streaming services! If you showed me just the first track and told me "this is what shoegaze is", I'd be totally hooked. Unfortunately, I feel the album falls off a bit and loses a good bit of it's edge that got me hooked. While the flood of reverb is nice to listen to, the way it's used doesn't impress me nearly as much throughout the rest of the album. Despite all this, the album still comes across as a stellar and unique listening experience, so hats off to mbv for killing it with this album.

I groaned when I saw I had to listen to U2. Everything about this band from Bono's lame "activism" to their polished pristine sound has made the thing seem so sterile and boring. For what it's worth, it is well-produced and easy on the ears. It's just so underwhelming, so uninteresting. It just doesn't do much for me, even if it is competent enough to not be strictly bad. Maybe that's my confirmation bias talking, I dunno.

Fuck, I had notes but forgot to save! It's a good album, very theatrical and purposeful in it's songwriting. Back half had me hooked more than the front. Gave it 3.5 on rym sooooo I'll give it a 4 here

Apparently at the start of Cheap Trick's Career, they put out 5 albums in only 3 years and this was the height of it all. You can tell, because the fans are totally fucking into it and their playing is full of energy. The songs are good enough that they perform well on a live stage, probably even better than the studio albums. But if we're talking live albums, I've heard plenty better performances so it doesn't blow me away by any means. File this one under "Good".

Coldplay gets a bad rap for being bland or corny but these songs are compelling enough to me that I enjoyed the album quite a bit! Varied songwriting and solid hooks that keeps the runtime fresh, exceptional production that plays to that songwriting, and a few hit songs to keep things fresh at the halfway point. My biggest problem, however, is the runtime. A couple of songs in the back half could easily be axed to allow for a more digestible album, but instead it ends up feeling a bit bloated and kills the momentum near the end. The CD era of albums is certainly to blame for this, but alas.

They've got the beat! This is pure, concentrated new wave in a bottle, and it's totally good for you maaaaan. It's simple enough: catchy hooks, drums keeping an peppy beat, and everything else to fill out the sound. There isn't anything else to this album; it delivers on the basics and that's all it needs to do. Songs don't stand out too much except for the two singles, but none of the songs are bad either! It's all good, that's pretty much it.

Gimmie Shelter starts us off strong and damn is it a fine-ass song. Like, one of the best of it's kind. After that banger of an intro, it reels itself in and stays pretty lackluster for the rest of the album. It kind of makes me wish they had brought the same talent and energy that they did for Gimmie Shelter, which shows us better energy and songwriting overall. The closest it gets to piquing my interest again is Monkey Man and maybe Midnight Rambler. It stays in this low until the very end of the album when it closes with the classic You Can't Always Get What You Want. Guess they were trying to tell me something there.

These guys again?! Once again they wear their Bowie influence proudly, but this time the man is hands-off. I think that after the help on the last album (All the Young Dudes), they were more confident in their abilities so it ends up being a better album overall. I want to take a moment to talk about the huge Bowie bias this list has, as he's come up arguably more than any other artist (except for Neil Young on a technicality). Sure, he's a influential artist, but do 9 of albums need to be on the list, including some of the passing music influenced by him? It feels like the compiler wanted to show off Bowie as much as possible.

The album that showed another side of the noisy grunge band, and did so extremely well. Particular hits like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Heart-Shaped Box, and Lithium can't be found here because they simply wouldn't work in this "unplugged" setting. Instead, a more carefully-selected setlist is used to great success for a more tender and intimate album. Overall, it's just incredible. You have everything there is to love about Cobain et al. with a whole new vibe that sounds just as good as when they're being loud and large. A must-listen.

Coming deep out of left field (Mali to be exact), this album has a lot of grizzled soul. Songs tend to be overly long and overstay their welcome with little variation to justify their length. This ultimately becomes an exercise in how much one can "appreciate" world music in one sitting, which isn't very long for me.

Catchy! I do not know much Pet Shop Boys but I can get down with most of what they're doing here. Fun synth lines, dance beats, and lyrics make for a fun album, and I can't hate that. Unfortunately, some of the sampling here sucks and takes away from the overall product. Otherwise solid stuff.

Bjork crafts these wonderful pieces of music with so much purpose, you can hear it in her production. I'd like to think she is primarily a vocal artist, with her voice at the forefront. This makes the music all the more purposeful, being built around the central driving force of Bjork's singing (which is wonderful, by the way). As such, there's a lot of beauty here in this album, with some of the compositions reminding me of one of my favorite albums of all time (Actor by St. Vincent). It's a wonderful body of work, I don't think I can find anything bad to say about it. Well done, Bjork.

Another U2 album noooooooo. Sans Brian Eno on production and a whole 5 minutes longer than The Joshua Tree, I had a feeling I wouldn't like this one any more than The Joshua Tree. And in a lot of ways, that's true! But the extra edge on this album that helps make it more compelling. Unfortunate that it's all I can say that's good on the album. It all just comes across as a snoozefest and I can't be bothered to engage with it more than that.

Roxy Music is kind of in a league of it's own, in that it's hard for me to find strong comparisons. That, combined with the strong show of compositions, makes me adore this album's presence. It's pretty weird, but also loud and fun! It also takes time to wind down and get pretty lowkey, which is always welcome for pacing purposes as long as the songs don't suck (they're fine here). Pretty good overall!

Your parents will HATE these guys! Edgy, loud, proud, punk rock (kinda)! There's a lot of energy packed into this album and I can respect it. It also has a certain amount of polish not normally found in most albums like it, so it's got a lot going for it imo. Yeah, this kicks ass.

Bootleg Bob Dylan, not very interesting. A few catchy songs but nothing substantial enough to warrant talking about.

Joy Division is one of the GOAT bands, hands down. I don't think anyone did it like they did before or since. They were and still are the name synonymous with post-punk. Then why do I feel like I'm listening to a record so amateurish, so mediocre? I cannot enjoy the opening track at all, I feel it rarely finds its footing, and god rest his soul but Ian Curtis is not a good singer. It sucks because I genuinely enjoy a few of Joy Division's songs (Disorder, Transmission, and Warsaw are all classics), but I can't for the life of me give this album above a 3. Shame.

Imagine me, for a second, looking up this album and reading the genre on the tin: "Is...is that funk metal? Oh dear lord". Not my idea of a good time but alas, we're here for a reason. And sure as rain, it doesn't suck! I mean, kinda. Epic is strange...the verse is so lame but then the chorus hits and I'm like "Yooouuuu want it alll but you can't haaave it" cause it's great. It's an album that can have genuinely good songwriting when it wants to, but that's dependent on if they feel like white-boy rapping like RHCP or not. To boil it down to it's essentials, the Alt Metal parts are worth the listen, but the Funk Metal parts drag it down, averaging it out to just a "good" album. 3 stars!

Depeche Mode are masters of their instruments, crafting synth lines and electronic beats that are meant for each other, as if they were destined to come together in perfect darkness. The songs here are just so incredibly well-composed, it's difficult to not enjoy them. The atmosphere built into these songs are also strong and compelling. Overall great album.

Arguably the beginning of Rock & Roll as we know it, Little Richard was belting these songs and people were going fucking insane for the music. And there's a good reason for it: it's so loud, energetic, and passionate that it leaves the whole performance on the floor. You got your money's worth with Little Richard. As is the problem with these sorts of albums, it often sounds like it would be better live in the moment of Richard's prime. Unfortunately, we're all several decades too late so we won't get to experience the true awesomeness of Little Richard killing it on stage in the 50's, but the album is still great.

A very nice listen. Dusty has a graceful voice that's always appreciated. The album is at it's best when the songs find footing to elevate Dusty's voice, like in Windmills of Your Mind and Son of a Preacher Man. If I didn't know any better, I'd think Windmills was a James Bond song. Overall a treat.

Hmm. It's good indie rock stuff but I don't know if I like it enough to really vibe with it. The singer isn't great but I can easily look past that, and the production is a perfect match for what they're going for I think, but man it just don't click with me. Sorry, only 3.

I listen to my little samba songs and do my little samba dance (I do not actually know how to samba, so I just white-boy dance. You know the dance). An easy listen and one with few complaints, but a pretty shallow listen too. It mostly becomes relaxing background music, which can lead it to becoming underappreciated.

To Pimp a Butterfly (TPaB) might be one of the most important hip-hop albums of the decade, maybe even regardless of genre. It is masterfully structured, made with thoughtful social commentary and just all-around good music in general. We're exploring the best of funk, jazz, soul, and hip-hop (obviously). And it isn't just anyone on the credits, you've got Thundercat on bass, Dr. Dre producing, and a laundry list of great features worthy of admiration. I can't find much negative to say about this record, but I honestly don't want to because it is just so so good. It's simply the best at what it does.

For an alt rock record, there are some interesting sounds being explored here. There's some NIN influence I think, given the timeframe and the drum loops mixed with darker guitar tones. Not explicitly industrial but you can hear some semblance of the genre. I don't think Shirley Manson's vocals aren't quite for me, but I can appreciate the songwriting. A very 90's record.

Very blues, very loud. The sound is totally on point but the songwriting does nothing for me. I'm mostly just along for the ride with this album, letting it go from one song to next while soaking in the sheer bluesiness of it all. Overall good.

This album is so british, I wouldn't be surprised if album cover was tea-stained.

Full, unrestrained personality. Queen just does Queen so well (I wonder why that is...) and I can't stop enjoying how simply great this is. The compositions are large and perfect for a sunny day. Just radiant, I love them. And the best part is that it never gets stale! Queen keeps things fresh from song to song, such as the lovely acoustic ballad '39 or the soft and sweet Love Of My Life. I would be remiss to not talk about Bohemian Rhapsody which, though sorely played out, is larger than life in it's own way. Overall great album. We could all use a little more Queen in out lives.

This is the best of it's genre and an extremely important album to boot. It's style, sound, and substance was huge, managing to enjoy mainstream success while also resonating with music nerds of the day (and today). To top it all off, it managed to do this while being the follow-up to the darling Nevermind, and it still rocks. Oh, and it has Albini production. Nirvana forever.

Tender and light, these songs are wonderful listens. Carried mostly by the thoughtful songwriting and Stuart Murdoch's soft vocal deliveries, this album is sinister in intent only. Sneaking out at night to meet a friend or a lover, having harmless fun under a full moon, and eventually parting with bittersweet feelings. It's a nice album :)

Time for a confession: I own the actual 1001 Albums book (2014 edition). This album was one of the few times where I felt compelled to crack open the tome and learn why deserved a place in the music history canon. After reading, I'm still not totally sure. There's reference to clear influences (Peter Gabriel and Prince) and the album's sound (soulful vocals over electronic explorations), but nothing that really answers as to WHY I'm listening to this. I think that TV On The Radio might just a be a middle-of-the-road indie darling to point to for hipster points (remember, this was 2008. Hipster culture was alive and well). But now, over a decade later in 2021, I feel this album needs some sort of staying power other than just being "pretty good". Was it largely influential? Did it build upon it's own influences in a unique and compelling way? Is it indicative of a certain music scene or genre? I need the people over at 1001 to throw me a bone with this one because I can't always pick up everything you're laying down. I guess when you're recommending 1001 albums, a few aren't going to stick the landing. We'll try again tomorrow, I suppose.

Devo is a one-of-a-kind band. Though they weren't quite coneheads yet, you could sense their weird nerd-iness and quirky delivery through many of their songs. The album starts with a banger and follows up with a cover that rivals the original. Devo rules at playing their songs in their little oddball world. Not ever song is a winner but this album is an undeniable new wave cornerstone. We Are DEVO!

Elton starts out strong with this album, and I mean really strong: he's in his own league and it shows. It drops off a little after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but it's still good songs overall. There are a few particular weak points on this album (Jamaica Jerk-Off) but otherwise I enjoy Elton John's works. Even here, though, the album is overly long and could have benefited from cutting down on a few of the songs.

Bruce Springsteen is the main guy here but the E Street Band really add so much to the overall compositions. They keep things from getting too boring, too formulaic, and elevate Springsteen with sweeping instrumentals that allow for a fuller sound with more personality. Springsteen brings his own, and the E Street Band give it more ground to stand on. Helluva band. Anyway, Springsteen basically IS heartland rock, and he's very much in this sound. Undeniably solid album.

It's the big popular REM album. The one with "The One I Love" and "It's the End of the World". But this is solid alt rock that I can get behind. Admittedly not very familiar with REM outside of the hits. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy something like this though.

More than anything, I really enjoy the production on this album. Everything sounds so full and rich, it lends itself extremely well to the compositions. Not much of a fan for Brett Anderson's vocals though (too steeped in glam rock stylings, it borders on parody), but the rest of the band does a lot of great work here.

Bon Jovi ROCKS!!! 🤘 In like a sort of Gen X, classic rock radio kind of way. They play a commercial for Naproxen and your local mattress store before coming back with "15 minutes of non-stop ROCK!" and they kick it off with Livin' on a Prayer. What I'm saying is that in the wide world of rock music, from Deep Purple to King Gizzard, Bon Jovi is kind of lame. A little fun, but also a little lame. It feels like Jovi is performing rock, but is never really hitting the mark. Oh, and the b-sides are b-sides. It probably has a reason to be here.

Beautiful piece of work. I think the blend of western classical music and North Indian classical music lends itself well to being more accessible while preserving the integrity of both genres. Full of peace and serenity, this body of work is best for relaxation. I appreciate being introduced to this album, as it also lays groundwork for later psychedelic influence from the likes of The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and many others I'm sure. Love this album.

Fundamentals! You must know your fundamentals! Who was at the forefront of acid rock at it's peak in the late 60's? Who headlined Woodstock and opened with an electric Star-Spangled Banner? Who turned a down-and-out nightclub in Greenwich Village into one of the most popular recording studios in New York City? It's Jimi Hendrix. And Electric Ladyland is his great swansong. Giant sounds suit the artist, as this man was larger than life. Album's way too long though. Cut it in half, keep the bangers and it's golden. I mean, it's still golden but it's 70 minutes.

Good music that is sorely held back by artists that are too full of themselves to realize that maybe they should cap it out at one hour so that it's a more concise and focused album. I understand this is peak space rock but man is it a slog to get through. Going to use this opportunity to say now that a long album does not make it a bad one. There are great double albums and longer albums! The issue I tend to have is that if you are going to structure a record to be longer that 40-50 minutes, you need to have a good reason. Do all the songs make it so that the album is greater than the sum of it's parts? Does it lend itself to an overall experience rather than just a collection of songs? How does that experience fare in the end? These are the questions that put longer albums like Space Ritual on trial, because the artists behind the album are ultimately asking me to invest more time and attention than I would a regular album, so they need to make it worth my while. Ultimately they nail certain thematic ideas (the length of the album could be equated to the vastness of space), but when I'm in the thick of it I find I'm not so impressed. The smaller moments that I enjoy don't make up for the fact that the whole piece, front to back, is not as incredible as it would lead me to believe. And no, I'm not going to listen to it while high.

Within Sonic Youth's discography, EVOL and Sister were described to me as companion albums: two sides of the same coin. Sister is the more accessible of the two, as it starts to leave behind the no wave and experimental roots for the band. Sister sees Sonic Youth move gracefully into some great alt rock songs without getting too "safe". Well-paced tracklist, standout songs, and overall cohesive tone means you've got a bonafide classic on your hands. More, please!

Quiet and easy music. Kinda rides the same wave for the whole album, making it devoid of interesting dynamics. Hard to stay engaged when it does so little to engage. Really it's only until the end that I find it picks up a bit and does more. For what it's worth though, the reverb-filled dream pop is a nice listen. I just wish it did more.

A pretty album. Easy to listen to, nice compositions, but left little impact on me. The title and cover art imply it's a heavily political album but I ended up sort of drifting away to the sweet melodies. This one is interesting because it's kind of tinged with country/alt-country but it lands on a more pop sound with hints of soul. It's a unique sound and I like how it's developed over time. Reminds me of Magnolia Electric Co., but Jason Molina is untouchable. Lambchop will have to sit comfortably in that shadow.

My first of many Dylan albums on this list. From later in his career, it seems as though a 90's Dylan has grown a more grizzled singing voice, giving the songs a bit more edge. Most of it is a pretty easy listen though. Nice songwriting (as expect from Bob Dylan), but never much of an impact. I think you need to be a certain kind of person to really enjoy Bob Dylan, and I'm just not that person. Overall it's a fine album.

My only prior knowledge to Fatboy Slim was Rockafeller Stank and Weapon of Choice, so when I put on the album and found it wasn't nearly as good as the singles, I was disappointed. Although I'm not familiar with Big Beat or Breakbeat, I feel that there are far better sample-based albums that elevate the samples beyond just selected beats and single lines ("Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven" is particularly uninspired). A mere two years after this album's release would be The Avalanches' "Since I Left You", a masterclass in plunderphonics; The Funk Sould Brother should take notes. Otherwise this is a perfectly fine album. Pretty good beats but overall not blowing me away or anything.

I don't listen to much house (or just electronic music for that matter), so I can appreciate something new like this. The beats are nice, but the ambient parts get a bit hollow and generally drag out for me. I think a large part of this album is that it's meant to be played in a club setting. Lights, dancing, drinks, and socializing would all enhance the music! But in a vacuum, the music has problems keeping me engaged as a I sit here at my computer. Some standout tracks on here (Space Shanty gets especially good with that phaser/flanger. Daft Punk, anyone?), can't say I was into the whole album though.

Goddamn beautiful. Deserves every bit of praise it gets. The production, the songwriting, the personality and everything that comes along with it. It flows so well from one song to the next, it feels like one giant, wonderful experience. And that is what albums should strive for: experiences. I've had a string of 3-star albums for a bit now so this will break the streak, and I couldn't be happier that it did.

Missy Elliott is a lot of fun on this album! The production stands out and her confidence makes this worth listening too. It's not the best hip-hop by any means, but Missy Elliott has cemented herself in the history of hip-hop and it's well-deserved by all accounts.

Shoutout to making a soundtrack sound fun. I find that most soundtracks tend to fall into the background and have no life to them outside of the intended movie, but Hayes clearly wanted music that could be enjoyed at home as well. That kicks ass! Thank you Issac Hayes. The penultimate track Do Your Thing is also a certified 19-minute banger and deserves to be immortalized.

Britpop at it's peak and it totally rules. Just such a large sound being used to the full extent of it's abilities. It feels like they frontloaded all the good songs though, because it ends up losing some steam after Lenny. Still worth a full listen though; the Britpop history is a fascinating one which I'm happy to explore outside of the usual Blur and Oasis records.

Going to play this for my dad to gain street cred with him.

Lynyrd Skynyrd were at the top of their game when they released their debut album. Excellent songwriting, perfected tone, and THE GUITARS! Oh man, this is guitar heaven. Can't call yourself a fan of rock until you've heard Skynyrd absolutely tear it up. Good album.

Fun little songs, but they can get busy at times with synths on beats on synths on synths. Combine that with songwriting that's hit or miss, and you have an album that didn't impress me as much as Actually, the earlier Pet Shop Boys album. Still a few bangers here though, just not consistently impressive. Disappointed :(

This is a different kind of metal. It comes at the genre from a whole new angle, giving low-key vocals and aiming for overall atmosphere rather than riffage. It's a risk I can respect, but not one that pans out super well. It ends up being pretty mundane and somewhat abrasive. And not the cool, challenging abrasive like early Sonic Youth or Swans, but the kind of abrasive that sort of meanders and doesn't do much to enhance the music. Bad Brains tried here and didn't come up with much.

Not only are they insanely important in the history of music, but they rock harder than any band at the time. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, they also don't overstay their welcome. I'm willing to bet that with slightly more nuanced songwriting that they'd have more barn-burners like The Witch, but some crazy guitar solos make it seem like music your parents would hate. And that's awesome.

This isn't your "Breakfast In America" Supertramp! This is your prog rock, big sound Supertramp. Still theatrical and fun, but it takes a slightly more nuanced sound here. Admittedly not familiar with their older stuff, but happy to have listened to it. Songwriting is the real standout. Check out "Bloody Well Right"

At the time of writing this, Scum by Napalm Death is the lowest-rated album on this website. Which makes sense, in a way, because Grindcore is inherently inaccessible. The genre goes out of it's way to be heavier, faster, and more brutal than hardcore punk in every way, and Napalm Death is the exemplification of this. Yet, the production is so purposeful in what I hear. Riffs are distinguishable and blast beats keep time while the singer roars lyrics of anger and nihilism. It sounds heavy and loud without being messy. Maybe a little messy for stylistic purposes, but overall it's actually pretty good! Even fans of power metal should have a good grasp of this album. Songs are a lot shorter here so nothing overstays its welcome. You get some heavy riffage, maybe a verse-chorus, and then you're on to the next song. It plays pretty well. I'll discuss the weaker aspects of the album now. One of the downsides of the shorter songs is that they tend to come and go with little lasting power. You'd be hard pressed to match a song to a riff that you remember, so repeat listens are kind of needed for full absorption. Vocal also lose a little impact as their mostly unintelligible. They contribute more to vibes than anything. This album also features the renowned "shortest song on record" with "You Suffer" clocking in at 4 seconds. It's pretty good; blink and you'll miss it! It's worth noting that After "You Suffer", you get to side b of the album which actually has a differwent lineup. With the except of drummer Mick Harris, you get a whole new band on the back half. With this comes a whole new sound, leaning into a more guttural tone than the edgy tone of the first half. Either way you cut it, you need to be a certain kind of person to like Napalm Death, and I liked em! I'm going to point to the metalheads and ask those who didn't like it to try again. I think it's worthy of a spot of the list! God bless.

The Rolling Stones are hack frauds. They write well-over an album's worth of songs and basically land on one or two good songs that sell it as singles. The rest are boring or just outright bad. Under My Thumb is a good song! I like it as a single. The rest is just whatever. This is the genesis of "pop" albums where you get a couple of songs to sell the whole album and it makes everyone a bunch of money. I know people like to complain about contemporary pop music but honestly it's not bad for the reasons they complain about. It's bad because they make a handful of boring album-filler and promote the hell out of the singles. It sucks the life out of me. Thanks, Rolling Stones.

As someone who is not all-too familiar with Dylan's work, this sort of folk rock is something I can really get behind. I can understand why purists got mad when Dylan "went electric", but this gives the flat folk sound some real texture and life. In this context, Dylan's voice becomes alluring and mysterious instead of sort of annoying. Ballad of a Thin Man is particularly memorable with it's heavy piano and simple drums giving full leeway for Dylan's vocal performance of the blues-y tune. This is just a compositional wonderland, so rich and inviting. I didn't think I'd like a Bob Dylan record this much, but here we are.

Around the same time that Sonic Youth was transitioning from no-wave experimental rock to noisy alt rock, Dinosaur Jr. was in full-force with this second studio album. It's a tidal wave of sound and distortion, as the guitars sweep you away while the drums keep time. It's almost a comforting kind of noise, opposed to the dark and haunting noise of Sonic Youth. One if the big problems with the metaphorical wave of sound though is that it tends to wash over you and get a little same-y. The obvious differentiator though is Poledo, a bizzare sound collage mixed with a heavily-degraded tape recording of a simple folk song that closes the album. Crazy! Overall definitely worth the listen for the overall tone being presented.

In order to stand out with house music, you need to make unique production choices that can elevate the sound overall. Les Rythems Digitales does that to some extent, but it feels like it falls flat more often than not. "From Disco to Disco" uses these great dirty synths and "Music makes you lose control" samples a bassline that seems out of place for house music but works extremely well. But then you get tracks like "Dreamin'" and "Sometimes" that are a bit more boring. With such a mixed bag, it's hard to outright say if this album is good or bad. I think it's definitely worth it's salt in one way or another, just not the best thing to grace this list.

Kinda fun, but ultimately a wash. I'm guessing the UK club scene in the late 80's/early 90's was a fun time, but it doesn't translate well to home media.

You're very brave to be recommending this album to me, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; Did you know that? I suppose you have to list the obvious albums, but little did I know we'd be here. For the uninitiated, almost everything we owe alternative rock in the 21st century can be traced back to this album along with a good chunk of Radiohead's discography as a whole. They are simply too important not to have on this list. It's so glaringly unlike anything else before it, with it's songwriting and production and little flairs that make it memorable. The pacing is perfect, making for an effortless listen. It is Radiohead's magnum opus, and they've still got a few albums in the pipe that come really close. I find it hard to talk about individual songs because it's all so great, but I'll attempt: Paranoid Android is this fantastic piece of art rock with multiple movements to tell a larger story and give us a truly wired experience for the rest of the album. Karma Police is the climatic down-beat song right before the interlude that gets us a little moody. See what I meant about pacing earlier? This is followed by a back half that goes through a different set of experiences and it ends on such a wonderful strong note. Yeah, this album is good :)

Had no idea who this artist was (possibly a result of my overall lack of country music knowledge) but she's left an immediate impression on me. Just a country gal with a lot of soul. It's lonely, longing, but not depressing. It's a sort of familiar loneliness that you can appreciate and drift away with. The album never dwells on one feeling for too long though, as it picks up and slows down in nice peaks and valleys. Some songs lean further in a country rock direction than simple folk. This variation is welcomed and makes the music all the more enjoyable.

Chapman has a voice made for this kind of smokey, deep folk music. The kind of music that really means something. It's impactful and you can tell Chapman has poured her heart and soul into a debut to ensure it was something that could resonate with listeners. I can respect that through and through. Obviously the first two songs "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" and "Fast Car" are big songs, but other tracks on here like "Behind the Wall" stand out for their full showcasing of Chapman's voice (also helps with pacing). "For You" is a smooth closer that allows for greater reflection on the album. The biggest thing holding back this album is that the other songs not mentioned end up being a sort of wash, lending itself to album filler which is a shame because it clocks in at under 40 minutes. Not a whole lot to this album and I wish that the other songs had a bit more to them. Not sure how but it would be tremendous if that aspect was improved. Otherwise, it's a fine album.

New wave punk rock, so cool! Attitude, rumbling bass, keyboards, all in a band! Gets me going. I like the drive of this album. This is the kind of nerdy hooligan music I can get behind. It's the right amount of edgy while also being fun. I like it a lot.

Unfortunate that I got the second album before the first (Want One). What purposeful music though! Compositions are wide and sweeping, lifting Wainwright's voice and giving it so much dignity. I'm reminded of Sufjan Stevens in a lot of ways, that being "fancy pop" for lack of a better term (there's even banjo at one point!). I think it is very good, but perhaps a little to grand for it's own good? It ends up trying to be this magnificent magnum opus and comes across as maybe too much. It becomes a bit tiring with all of it's orchestrations and it makes me wish there was just a straight pop song or stripped-down acoustic song for grounding. Otherwise it's a nice listen. I don't want to rag on it too much but I had to figure out why it didn't click as much as I had thought.

Always grateful to get recommended more country music, as I don't know the genre all that well and being exposed to the best can allow me to garner a greater appreciation. Sounds a bit like Dylan at some points but is nowhere near as grating. It's a sweet and mellow album, as the warm sounds of Clark's voice and guitar float through my ears. I wish it had a bit more substance though. Nothing wrong with a simple album, it just ends up not being wholly remarkable or memorable for individual moments. Still rocks near the end though and I can always get down with a barn-burner! Thanks for the music, Gene.

Lost my album notes but I thought the album name was very fitting. Great stuff.

The year is 1995: UK media is giving generous coverage to the like of Blur and Oasis as a "Battle of Britpop" rages on the charts with a battle between the leading singles for each band's subsequent albums, "The Great Escape" and "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", respectfully. The media was late to the party though, because "Parklife" was the real big hit for the lads and the prime definition of britpop. These are great songs, too. Catchy as hell, good fun, and tons of personality from Albarn et. al., all culminating in a definitive album for the genre. This is nothing if not exemplary by the album's title track "Parklife", in which does an exaggerated accent of a very content englishman, followed by the chorus where we all sing "ALLLLLL THE PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE" and then we go hand-in-hand through our parklife. The back half of the album is not nearly as good as the first half, dropping off all Bank Holiday, picking up with To The End and the last three tracks. Still worth a listen for Britpop history.

Nice, simple, unoffensive. Miss Sade has a nice voice to carry away with the music, but nothing ever feels like it sticks with me for more than a few seconds after. Sometimes it picks up and gets a little funky like Cherry Pie, but for the most part I'm just sorta vibing to the tunes.

A genuine treat, listening to k.d. lang. One of Canada's finest singers, we get a nice array of country, singer/songwriter, and tremendous songwriting to back it up. I just find it to be a bit unengaging sometimes, like Lang doesn't want to do too much. Which is fine, but leaves me not yearning to relisten again. A real pity, if you ask me.

Another fantastic funk/soul soundtrack. This one comes a year after Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" soundtrack, going for a more lush and mellow vibe instead of a bombastic one. It's just the funky stuff that everyone can get down with. An all-around good time.

Completely unique sound, utilizing big band, banjo, some strings, it honestly feels like a nightmare to play live. But the studio album? Perfectly campy. A show within itself. Just a ton of fun. There's even a little refrain they do of the main melody at the end of "Old" as if they're changing the stage for side b, haha. Reminds me a little bit of Supertramp's Crime of the Century in it's framing and whatnot. I think it's a very well-done album, but something will always keep me from absolutely loving this big theatrical albums. No matter how good, it always comes up a little short. Oh, and Come On Eileen is the ultimate white-people jam, so credit for that.

The debut Chicago album is a DOUBLE ALBUM?! And it's "only the beginning" (see what I did there?). Chicago is, without a doubt, very good at this kind of music. It's well-composed, well-performed, and well-paced. This is all undone by Side C's opener "Free Form Guitar" which rocks my socks. It totally breaks the flow of the album built up for the past 30-40 minutes by just experimenting with horrid guitar sounds and I love it. I wish more albums had a mid-point wake-up call. After that though it gets right back into it's normal groove and everything is alright again. I definitely feel that this is one of the better double albums, but it still ends up being too big for it's own good.

Underwhelming 90's alt rock. A bit jangle pop-y. Not my style, frankly. There are some catchy bits for the most part it just doesn't leave much of an impression on me.

Reminds me a lot of early Swans with a bit more punk than no-wave! Still retains a lot of no-wave elements (see: that high-class piano solo in Religion II, the vocals on Fodderstompf) without explicitly being a part of the scene. This is made all the better by the fact that the no-wave movement would've been at it's genesis around this time, so PIL is at the cutting edge around this time. The punk elements are also a huge part of the sound, lending itself extremely well to the sneering sarcastic tone of the album. This is so great. More modern post-punk bands should aspire for this level of raw vitriol. And coming off of the less-than-stellar Sex Pistols, I applaud John Lydon (formerly Rotten) for making this move in the music scene. If only his contemporary political views didn't make him a FUCKING TRUMP SUPPORTER, THEN MAYBE HE'D ACTUALLY BE A COOL AND ADMIRABLE FIGURE IN THE MUSIC WORLD, YOU FUCKHEAD. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN GODDAMN MUSIC FOR ONCE.

With the monumental Velvet Underground behind him, Lou Reed has moved on to do his own thing. A lot of these are perfectly good songs but Walk on the Wild Side is a bonafide classic. Overall though, I'm not all that impressed with the music. Around this time Bowie was doing Ziggy Stardust and that blows Transformer out the water imo. Side B is a bit more theatrical and fun than side A, but the whole product still stands on it's own.

Acid/Psych rock bands of the day tend to be meandering or simple in a lot of their music, preferring to play with the guitars and see what cool sounds they could pull up rather than focusing on songwriting. It's fine. I don't mind too much because the music isn't bad but it also isn't memorable. Giving it credit for being a cornerstone of the genre, but that's about it.

I find it difficult to write about jazz because the whole world of it seems so untouchable, so magnificent that mere words cannot describe the blood, sweat, and tears put into the records around this time. Miles Davis is, of course, a household name in this regard. His work can be appreciated around the world, and this is an album for the books. It's so simple, yet so much is happening underneath the surface, it's surreal. I can't not call it perfection. Miles Davis is a master of sound. What more can I say?

This is it. This is THE pop album. Quincy Jones on production, and Michael Jackson riding high off the success of Off the Wall, coming together for an album of just hits. Well, 7 out of 9 were hits, but that still makes for a juggernaut of an album. It's funky, fresh, and full of energy that makes you want to get up and DANCE. MJ was the biggest music artist in the world. Even long after his death, I reckon people will still call him "The King of Pop". This album is the reason why he's the king. The only thing keeping it from a 5 is some songs don't stack up to others (I'm looking at you, The Lady In My Life). Otherwise this is the quintessential pop album. You either know, or got to know.

Simple, cozy little folk songs with the band. You can tell there was some cross-influence with The Doors here, what with the jazzy drums and electric organ freestyle. Nothing too crazy, just nice songs played well.

Would this be considered part of the post-punk revival bands of the early 2000's? I can't say for certain, but what I do know is that they have some great songs on here. It's all loud and rockin' and differentiated. I can't help but feel there's a weird gap in quality here, not sure where but it's holding the album back. Either way, I appreciate the energy.

It may not seem like much but the rock compositions on here is super compelling. Like, fantastic riffs and backing rhythm makes this album a crazy-good listen. The stylings are also uniquely great, pulling from some folk, some soul, and maybe even a bit of funk. To that extent, I think this goes from a forgettable one-and-done rock album to a well-polished piece of work. I still take issue with the longer runtime, although I did not find it was excruciatingly overlong like some others on this list. You could potentially trim a few songs here and have a really great album on your hands, but the overall product is still worth a listen.

A live album. A live comedy album? There is definitely music here, but Waits does not hesitate to play the crowd instead of his guitar (or piano, or whatever). There are several Intro tracks, if that gives any indication of the length of this album. This is due to Waits mostly fucking around. Worth noting that I do not know Waits' music prior to this album, so it's a bit muddled on what's supposed to be a part of the song and what's Waits just fucking around. He does this a lot. His voice and personality lends itself to this though, making it a smooth album for the ears. The instrumentation is pretty good too, with nice blues/jazzy bits with the band. The songs I could leave, but Waits is a naturally-gifted performed. He just take to the stage so naturally. I can see why this live album makes the list, as it exists as a document of pure and simple entertainment at it's finest, but as music it's alright.

Truly spectacular songwriting, just not really for me. I was worried this would be like the other 60's psych albums and be a bit of a messy compilation of sounds but it ended up being surprisingly well done. I wish I liked it more though.

Nilsson is an expert songwriter. I am impressed by most every song on here, just lovely works. I don't have much more to say. Just great songs.

A lovely low-key album. Alison's vocals work well with these smooth, lush sounds that move so slowly, it feels like you're in a memory or a dream. It experiments with some weird ideas and doesn't always pay off, but for the most part it's a nice album. Even the circus music ended up sounding pretty good!

These are some tight songs! Well-performed, excellent guitar work especially. Largely upbeat, fun jangle pop with a sort of indie/britpop edge. Looking Glass is also a killer closer. Grateful to have heard this.

Insufferably dumb, but they lean into it in such a way that the dumb-ness makes too much sense. I don't know what to make of it. The music is pretty good, but man is it so obnoxious. I understand that's a selling point for some people though. Just not for me, I guess.

A krautrock classic! I have listened before and loved it. Listening again, I still love it. This albums comes at the end of their relatively short stint in the 70's, forming in 1970 and releasing this as their last official album in, well, 1975. This finality was due to differences between the duo of NEU! that could not be reconciled. As such, this is widely know as a fantastic "double album" with side 1 being completely by Rother and side 2 being only Dinger. Rother's side is noticeably more calm, entrancing listeners with ambient bits while keeping that classic steady Motorik beat. This is my favorite side of the 2, but side 2 is still worth exploring. A much more punk-influenced edge on the sound, still with the Motorik beat driving it. Dinger decidedly makes his side a wake-up from Rother's side, a stark contrast for listeners who had got up to flip the record over just a few seconds ago. The only major low point for the album is near the end of E-Musik where Dinger slows everything down. It just doesn't work as well in comparison to side 1, and ultimately takes away from the upbeat precedent set by the rest of side 2. Other than that, this is a wonderful album. Well-worth the listen. Loved it!

A brilliant album in it's own way. The intro track and Jump makes you think Van Halen might've gone full synth! Where's the hard rock guitars I'm so used to? But then Panama kicks in and you know they're business-as-usual, and business is really really good. So side 1 is going really well, a nice ambient intro with back-to-back hit singles and then it kinda dips down for two non-singles that aren't bad, but don't have the same lasting power. Still keeps the shredding in tow though; we all love a bit of Eddie shredding. Flip over to side 2, and it's all Alex just killin' it on drums. Oh man! Eddie comes in with pure shred. Guitar and drums are on fire. It's fucked. It's kind of jazzy with it's fun swing and little clean guitar interludes when David Lee Roth asks "What do you think the teacher's gonna look like this year?". Great song. Strong way to open side 2. The rest doesn't quite reach the same level as Hot For Teacher, but at no point are the songs bad or even boring, they're just sort of not quite at the same level. Closest song that could hang would be Girl Gone Bad

Oh boy, The Wall. I audibly sighed when this came up as the next album. Not that I dislike Pink Floyd in anyway (quite the contrary!), but The Wall is such a behemoth of a thing to tackle. Plus, having heard it before, I need to find the words to explain my feelings about this album. It's difficult, but I'll try. The Wall is impressive. It's Pink Floyd's most ambitious, sweeping work that tackles, sex, drugs, and rock n' roll but in a realistic way. It's not fun or cool or sexy, it's depressing and antisocial. It's a way to cope. It's also a double album, 80 minutes long, and I've got issues with double albums...but alas! We've got music to listen to, not just bemoan about. There's a great flow to the album which helps with pacing and overall structure. There a few what I'll call "bridge songs" that help get the track playlist from point A to B. For example, The Happiest Days of our Lives helps bridge Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 to Part 2. I would be fine with this, but then you have a bunch of great songs that string together without any sort of "bridge songs" (Brick in the Wall Part 2 through to Goodbye Blue Sky is particularly excellent), so it calls into question whether it acts as padding for the album. For what it's worth though, they all string together to form a cohesive story of mental breakdown and eventual isolation. Side 1 and 2 are good at this, making for a solid first half of the album. The second half, in my opinion, isn't nearly as strong. The songs wallow a bit in the depression, which I understand is the point, but they don't quite stack up until it hits Comfortably Numb. This song is so goddamn good. This is a turning point for the rest of the second half (with The Show Must Go On starting side 4) and things really pick up here. In The Flesh! is a great retread of In The Flesh? but now we have more context as to what's happening. It's great storytelling as far as the album goes. This side as a whole is about as climatic as it gets, with a huge build up to The Trial that, eventually, tears down The Wall in a big fashion. For this, we get to take a look around Outside the Wall. It's kind of nice, actually. The soft accordion, the children singing...hey, isn't this where- The Wall is a magnificent piece of work. It's The Goddamn Wall. It also stops itself short of being perfect in more than one way, which kind of hurts because it feels like it should be perfect. It ends up being really good, and that's not a bad thing. It just isn't what I hoped it would be.

A 2018 release! This means that I won't be able to find it in my edition of the book, so I'll have no idea why it's on here. And that's kind of the problem with newer albums: unless they made a big splash upon release or soon after (see: Black Star by David Bowie), then an album is going to have to so some heavy lifting to convince me that it's important or influential. Otherwise, it's just a newer album that some guy liked more than another album on the list. Well, consider me impressed because this mountain of sound is so good. The steady beat with the psychedelic synth walls envelop the sound so nicely. "Opener", in particular, is not afraid to explore it's sonic landscape for a while before kicking in the vocals. And that's probably my only real problem with the album: the vocals. While the grandiose electronic arrangements blow me away, the vocal bits remind me of a generic garage-rock revival band from the 2000's that is just alright. "Boxing Day" also ends abruptly; who's production choice was that? Overall it's a good album. Pretty superb album, if you ask me. However, it'll need more time to see if it'll do anything to the wider music landscape. I can hear some of it in the newest King Gizzard album "Butterfly 3000", but "Microshift" still has some heavy lifting to do for it to really earn a spot on the list.

George Clinton makes a type of funk that is explicitly a character of the genre. It is exaggerated compared to the likes of Curtis Mayfield and Sly & The Family Stone. Parliament brings phatter beats, wonkier bass, and an explosive personality to the vocals. It's so good! Of course, we have to pay respect to Bootsy Collins in the band for bringing awesome bass skills to this funk. This carries over from his significant work with James Brown, making for a truly funky sound. Also worth noting Bernie Worrell's work on the synthesizers, who would go on to work with the Talking Heads on Speaking in Tongues and live album Stop Making Sense. Clearly, a star-studded lineup coming together brought together to just record some fun songs. And they are great! Okay that's it. Go listen :)

Folk music framed as a children's book: whimsical, playful, and a bit intense at times. Stevens is particularly good at building songs with this intensity, giving it a sort of build and fall. To that extent, I think Stevens is an excellent songwriter. That being said, it doesn't resonate with me very much. No fault of the music, it just doesn't stick with me.

A bit of odd-ball pop music. Does not stray away from eccentric arrangements and play-styles. But, at it's core, it's still pretty good indie pop music. Some may find the eccentricity annoying, what with the constant off-beat hits and moving from one riff to another. It sounds similar to what ADHD would be like in music form. All that being said, I don't think it would be nearly as memorable if it didn't have those manic moments. One of the simpler songs, Two Doves, is a nice song but doesn't stick with me like the weirder tracks that come before. The drum break in Useful Chamber was particularly fun, leading into the dirty distortion of the next section in the song. I think, at the end of the day, this isn't going to be one of my favorites. It's just too self-indulgent to have any really depth, despite how much I appreciate the choices made to make this album stand out.

Welcome to the most underwhelming album. Such an okay place Least it has some grace

I love LCD Soundsystem with my whole heart. James Murphy is god's gift to music lovers and I'll stand by that. Truth be told, I was late to the party. By the time they had released three spectacular studio albums, broken up, and gotten back together again, I was only just getting around to trying Sound of Silver (easily in my top 5 favorite albums of all time). So when this album came out, I experienced it at around the same time I experienced the rest of LCD's other albums. At the time, I found it very underwhelming. Compared to weight that Sound of Silver and This Is Happening was pulling, American Dream felt like an album made out of necessity. As if "okay, we got the band back together and now we need to get enough songs for an album. We've got a few great ideas here but still need some more things to flesh it out", which leads us to a somewhat underwhelming tracklist. The opening songs, Oh Baby and Other Voices, feel like they're trying to approach prior LCD songs, but never quite reach the same heights and end up being perfectly acceptable. Not bad, not great either. Just acceptable. However, other songs on here, like Change Yr Mind and How Do You Sleep?, are clear standout tracks with fantastic production and dynamics that hit different. Though I still believe that LCD mastered the art of song dynamics on Dance Yrself Clean, these songs can still hang with the best of em. Worth noting, I think, that this album partially exists because of David Bowie. James Murphy had the great opportunity to play on Blackstar and talk with Bowie before his death. His discussion with Bowie led Murphy to become inspired about his own music and it drove him to contacting the other members to kick-start the band again. To what extent Bowie's influence is on this album, I can't really say, but I appreciate a good story nonetheless. Anyway, Tonight is also a clear standout track. Probably the most pop-y on the album, it's got a great synth bassline and motorik drums to keep the pace while James Murphy muses (as he does so well) and the other elements of the song build in and drop out. Of the many tools in LCD's toolbox, repetition is probably the one used the most. And this is because repetition legitimizes. And when repetition legitimizes, the song has a solid foundation for build off of. It is the essence of LCD Soundsystem's sound, so if you can't get down with that then you probably can't get down with most of their catalogue. THAT'S DANCE-PUNK, BAYBEE. The run from Change Yr Mind to Call The Police is great stuff, but it sinks back into being just acceptable by the title track. I think that, at the end of the day, I'm always gonna love LCD Soundsystem through thick and thin. Even if I don't love every album or every song, they're a band that has done so much great work that I can't not give them credit. This album, though, is definitely the low point in their discography. I can't wait to listen to the rest of LCD Soundsystem on the list.

An awesome wave on 90's rock. Heavy distortion, big drums, just a wall of sound, while also using dynamics effectively to give room for wider sonic exploration. Vocals remind me of Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, cementing that 90's power pop feel. This sound is incredible, I love the rawness of the distortion and the chosen riffs. This is definitely a fallout from Nirvana's career, and I have no complaints whatsoever. Sonic Youth is another clear influence, with all of the best parts. 1977 is probably the most straightforward album on the list so far. As in, there isn't much to branch off from here, it's just making the best of it's influences. Ash doesn't do anything inventive or boundary-pushing, they just do the best with this sound and it's great.

Production on this is superb. Aiming for a more downtempo and laid-back sound, it is immensely good at utilizing reverb, delay, and mixing to bring out these feelings with the songwriting. You can hear influence from Radiohead especially, which had released the monumental OK Computer just two years earlier. This is for the best, though, as it never fully feels like it's trying to copy or attempt to become Radiohead, but dialing Travis' own sound through this new alt rock lens. It is worth noting that it slightly more pop-y, though more in structure than sound. I quite enjoyed this one overall. Nice and relaxing record with the stylings of the day that I like. Can be compared to Radiohead, Coldplay, and Muse without explicitly being any one of them.

Intentionally abrasive music that grinds, gnashes, and snarls are you. Reznor is putting his production skills on full display from the word "go", using dynamics as a tool to make the loudness hit harder than ever. Drums hit you like a punch, square in the jaw. The Downward Spiral also shows Reznor's flexibility, as he from loud, exciting bangers to slow, building jams that give room for experimentation. Reznor is not afraid to work outside the box, playing into the thematic elements of mental illness and mania. He does these magnificent pieces of songwriting with each song it's incredible. Like ever frame is a painting, every song is a case study. Bring March of the Pigs of music class and dissect that marvelous piece of work. I have no reservations about the "angsty" or abrasive bits of NIN. That's kind of the whole jam. I love it. I think the front half is stronger than the first half but overall it's the best stuff to come out of the 90's.

Pretty underwhelmed by this album. Sounds mostly like half-baked ideas that vaguely sound like Sonic Youth. From what I understand, this is an album that requires a few relistens to really enjoy. I don't think I will, though.

Pretty good 90's rock that takes from a lot of it's contemporaries at the time. Radiohead, Soundgarden, a third band. It's not bad! But it didn't impress me all that much.

Amongst the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver in the folksy singer/songwriter scene, Devendra Banhart is a name that stands out. Haven't heard of him before but his delicate playing and storytelling can hang with the rest of 'em. He's sweet and sour at the same time, evoking bittersweet feelings of autumn days with only his guitar and voice. It's vaguely evocative of the more tender parts of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors", while still remaining distinct. On a sleepy weekday morning, Devendra Banhart is a perfect way to appreciate the time.

This is Mayfield's "What's Going On". It's subtle yet effective in all the right ways. Fans of "Superfly" and his earlier works should be ready to slow it down. We're just gonna soak this music in and look around. Reflect for a moment. Yeah.

The original GLAM!!! Loud, proud, and definitely cross-dressing, these Dolls will let you know what you're in for with the very first track. The vibrancy of David Jo Hansen's vocal performance brings the music to life, you can tell the group was destined for greatness just listening to it. Iconic.

The early 90's was a great time to be a hip-hop fan. You had the incredible debut of Nas with Illmatic in '94, the explosive Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in '93, A Tribe Called Quest's jazz rap classic The Low End Theory in '91, and many more. Among all these, though, is Jeru the Damaja's debut. It's got classic east coast stylings with boom bap beats, but the interesting part is Jeru's willingness to push the boundaries on the samples. All be frank though, this is just great hip-hop. As far as I'm concerned, Jeru can hang with the rest of them. Wicked.

The Pixies are in their own field of 90's alt rock. The being, there doesn't seem to be any other band like them. And to that extent they're pretty good at what they do, but it's not for me. I think that, for the people that it is for, they'll absolutely love it. I can easily see this being my favorite album if I was more into the sound, because The Pixies are exceptionally good at what they're doing here.

The pinnacle of modern prog rock. Move over, Rush. Step aside, King Crimson. We've got an eccentric Mexican with a fantastic falsetto, a savant Puerto Rican with a knack for a guitar, and a band who can keep pace with the two. There are segments on this album that will blow you away, just raw compositional goodness. There's solid dynamics too, with The Mars Volta knowing when to go full tilt and when to be more reserved. These allow for truly memorable moments such as in Eriatarka where the songs builds itself to the choruses. There are parts that are a little overly long, though, and could use some sparing in order to keep things moving along, but it can be easily forgiven for how spectacular everything else is. Great great album.

The B-52's do an excellent job of laying down an old-school surf rock riff and riding that all throughout the song. It's an element that sounds conventional, until you hear it for yourself and realize that the B-52's are anything but conventional. They get spooky synths, nonsense lyrics, and lean 100% into making fun upbeat bops. It's a shame that pretty well every song on here is eclipsed by the incredible Rock Lobster, which fully explores every facet of the riffs they use with excellence. No complaints there. Another great one near the back-half is 6060-842, which just rocks. All the songs rock! The B-52's rock.

Funk rock and funk metal are genres with the cards stacked against them. It's taking the cleanness out of funk and the edge out of rock/metal. Fishbone, in comparison to their contemporaries (RHCP, Faith No More, Sugar Ray), is slightly more successful in this regard, but it still comes out as being a bit of a wash. The ska-inflected bits are better than the others, but it still doesn't end up feeling sounding all that great.

Some pretty good 60's songs mixed with some pretty mediocre 60's songs. This is punctuated with the strange smooth jazz instrumental with a spoken word piece in the beginning and end about some random girl. Weird.

Yeezus is on the list? Why is Yeezus on the list? I guarantee most listeners on this site will not give this album a generous rating. Honestly I don't blame them; Yeezus is far from West's strongest album and marks his exploration into more experimental hip hop. It is also, in my opinion, his most confident album. It is oozing with machismo and loud production. West wants to make sure you really hear him. Well, I heard it. And it's pretty damn good. Not great, but pretty good. It loses a bit of steam after New Slaves and takes a while to pick back up, but the product as a whole is undoubtedly a complete product. Here's the kicker about this release: every West album from here on out would be a mess upon rollout. The Life of Pablo would see post-release changes to the tracklist, Ye was lead by two controversial singles that are not on the album, Jesus Is King kept getting pushed back surrounding listening parties and a film, and, lastly, Donda is the most recent of West's bizarre releases with more pushbacks and listening parties. Here's the truth: at the time of Yeezus, Kanye West was THE hip hop artist. With a unique creative vision and total freedom in how he approaches his work, the music industry had little-to-no control over him after this album. This is a benchmark in West's career in more than one way, and I have no doubt that his mental health had some part to play. But, all in all, West is unmatched in the current landscape of hip hop: this album could be considered proof of that. I'm tired, you're tired, Jesus wept.

Fugazi holds great importance for their contributions to the post-hardcore genre. They are my favorite band's favorite band. Underneath the screaming vocals and loud guitar, these guys are expert songwriters. It is computationally complex without becoming overbearing or boring. It is simply a better vehicle to carry hardcore punk to new heights. Obviously they are not the first post-hardcore band, with the likes of Minutemen and Husker Du doing great things with the genre in the 80's, but 90's post-hardcore was ran by Fugazi, alongside Unwound, The Jesus Lizard, and a particularly notable album from Slint. I think this is the stuff of champions.

Like most EDM-derived music, this album is best judged on the dancefloor instead of my home office. Regardless, the only high point on this album for me was Red Alert, which had a great dirty bass synth and a tremendous beat to drive it. Everything else is really just alright. Nothing terrible, but I don't think I'd ever come back to this album again.

A lot of comparisons to the Smiths and Talking Heads without ever holding a candle to either. Some songs fare better than others, but the album suffers as a whole for not having much to offer in the way of genuinely good music. The best songs are when Zeke Manyika has a hand in things, which is unfortunately few. The rest, I can leave.

Before the Talking Heads released one of the greatest albums of all time, even before they honed their new eave sound with Brian Eno, they released this: a sound more focused on the art punk tendencies of before. They have not gotten fully weird yet. Alas, their songwriting shines and the extent of their instrumentation and Byrne's vocals are undeniably unique. Far from their best album, but still really good. Says a lot about their discography, methinks.

With hip-hop still being a relatively new genre, we'll have a few entries that don't approach it the same as most others. The production on this album is interesting, because it's somewhat minimal in it's choices. A focus on just the drum beat, with a undercurrent baseline and occasional sampling means that the MCs are not overshadowed in any way. Speaking of, their lyrics and flow are super good and worth checking out. My biggest issue is that no songs really stuck with me on here, likely a byproduct of the minimalist production. The exception to this would be Good Newz Comin', which has a fun and funky instrumental outro. Oh, and A Tribe Called Quest is on here.

Grace is a fantastic, sweeping piece of alt rock. It stands apart from it's other 90's alt rock contemporaries, like Radiohead, the Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Jeff Buckley plays his own songs and it comes with his own flavor of alt rock. It's really fuckin good. Wide-ranging barn burners to quiet, tender moments make for a great album with expert pacing.

I was extremely fond of Bjork's Vespertine, so I was looking forward to what she'd do here on her first album. I will say that her compositions are beautifully arranged with an eye for fantastic production. She is one-of-a-kind in what she is creating and I think that's fantastic. There is a particularly interesting bit in live track There's More to Life Than This where Bjork seemingly takes the microphone offstage to the back and continues to sing along to the now-muffled instrumental. before going right back out. Incredible! Although I don't love this as much as I loved Vespertine, I think Debut is a great record. Deserving of a place on the list, no doubt.

Prince is a GOAT music artist. Now that the formalities are out of the way, I'll focus on the album. It's a weird product of it's time. I suppose that makes the name more fitting than not. There's lots of gated drums, funky synths, and it's all exacerbated by Prince's unique songwriting. He's so confident in his delivery though that Prince convinces me that it's great music. And there are certainly some great songs on here. But Prince doesn't wow me like he does for many others. I think he's certainly talented and worthy of praise, but I don't love any of his albums. That's just personal preference; I can't control that. It certainly seemed like Prince was trying to make a big statement about music and mankind as the 80's grew old, but I can't see much past the odd production choices and long runtime.

Some very okay rocks songs, with maybe two good ones. Not worth talking about when there are so many albums that do what Jane's Addiction does but better.

Common on the mic and Kanye West on production is a powerful thing. This is on display throughout the entire album, but The Food is where it really shines, especially where it's a live performance with so much energy. The whole album is a spectacular showing of rap excellence at this time. Common has great lyrics and flow, and Kanye has great beats from early in his career. Majestic.

God, this record rocks.

Extremely mediocre 90's pop rock. The opening track grabbed me a little, but I quickly became bored with this album. Skippable, in a word.

Undeniably one of the greatest album openers of all time. A lot of the rest is just a lot of your typical cock rock of the 80's. I mean, everyone knows GnR. I liked it.

After NWA, Ice Cube showed he could still deliver with a strong debut solo album. There's no doubt that The Lench Mob brings a-game production for the album, but it's Ice Cube's attitude and lyricism that really cements this as a hardcore hiphop album for all time. NWA deserves praise on their own, of course, but Ice Cube clearly did well for himself after the group. I'll say that the first half of songs are better than second half, but the whole thing is still cool af.

ELO has established themselves prior with albums such as Eldorado and A New World Record. Leaning heavy into the string arrangements made them one of the most notable "Symphonic Rock" bands . Hell, there's even a "conerto" on this album! It's always been their wheelhouse, of course, but Out of the Blue was the most ambitious ELO album at the time of it's release, being a double album and having their most popular singles ever. Being a symphonic rock album, it's naturally going to be very theatrical by nature. This usually isn't my style but ELO sells it so well that I can't not love it. However, the album's tracklist length hinders the total product as a lot of the songs on the first half sail right by me. I love Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman, and Jungle, but the rest didn't stick with me as much. This then brings us to the second half which kicks off with the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" and I'm 100% enamored with what this album does. Just a fantastic display of musical prowess. Wow! The last few songs are a nice way to close the album, especially The Whale. Overall a wonderful experience that I'm sure I'll love even more with repeat listens. Based and GOATed

Eno was a very busy man around this time. But before he worked with Bowie, Genesis, Devo, and the Talking Heads, he released Here Come The Warm Jets. Also notably before his ambient works, this leans more into the art/glam rock that he would also help produce with Bowie. Let's call a spade a spade: Eno is a goddamn genius. He's experimental approach to production means he's not afraid to take risks and try new things. I truly believe his music acts as a blueprint for others, as we can see elements of the songs here get incorporated into future songs and albums. Even if I don't like all the songs on here, I think it's an important album that's worth visiting at least once. Worthy of being on the list, no doubt.

Oh, god. I didn't think we'd see it but it's here. We have Ska on the list. To give it credit, Ska is not all bad. And it also isn't the kind of Ska you'd clown on these days. No, we're looking at 2 Tone! A "second wave" of the genre from England during the 80's alongside New Wave. Madness, as it turns out, is a pretty good example of 2 Tone. It's sounds a lot more New Wave than Ska at times, but the influence here is undeniable. And for what it's worth, it's pretty good! Catchy, fun stuff with lots of unique sounds to carry the melodies that would otherwise be unremarkable. It also has Our House (in the middle of our street), which is undeniably a classic. An album that's hard to dislike, good times all around! Oh, and there's a guy doing blackface on the cover.

Leonard Cohen, the great singer/songwriter from Canada, is on his third album here. He's continuing the dark and somber feeling from his last album, Songs From a Room, and knocking it out of the park. Each song here stands on their own in excellency. He weaves incredible stories and drenches them in ambience, not just in his guitar but in little flourishes of strings and backing vocals as well. Beyond instrumentation, Cohen will sing with an unbridled passion, even in the quieter and more subtle moments. Some might find him boring but I find his stuff compelling. I mean, Cohen will always be considered one of the best. He's just too damn good.

Miles Davis, who had not missed once in over a decade thus far into his career, decides to make a jazz fusion double album to let people know who's the king around here. This comes right after the 3-year long stint of psychedelic albums that have largely put the music industry in a strangle hold. This also comes one year after In A Silent Way, which was certainly not psychadelic. By god, I think we're about to hear Miles Dewey Davis III put his whole bussy into this album. Bitches Brew is not cool; it is dynamic, bright, and unpredictable. Bitches Brew is a wildfire.` It was sparked by a drive to make jazz more relevant again, hence the fusion in jazz fusion. These are not concessions, though. Fusion is an opportunity, one that Davis is more than willing to grab and master. A lot of Bitches Brew is simply musing on the sounds. It's not for understanding, but for feeling. Let it carry you away and explore the soundscapes. Miles has created this wonderful sonic environment for you to enjoy, so enjoy it. No doubt, it'll get weird at times and it is 90 minutes long, but you'll be surprised with how quick time passes when you're digging the Brew. I'll say right now that Spanish Key is the tightest song on here, but the individual songs matter less so in the long run. You've gotta just experience this album as is. Not everyone is going to like it because it's jazz and that ends up being a devisive genre more often than not. I promise that there's nothing to "get"; you either like it or you don't. I like it a lot.

Rush joined the wave of prog rock in the 70's and really hit it big with their concept album 2112. Since then, they've been putting out bonafide classics. By 1981, they really hit the big time with Moving Pictures, featuring all their biggest songs like Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and the famous instrumental YYZ. This record rocks. I think a part of it is just awesome prog stuff that is clean and concise. Rush doesn't wank around too much, getting to the point and then moving on. This is their strongest point and probably the thing that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Maybe it's because I'm Canadian, but I've heard Rush on the radio plenty before, but I've never heard King Crimson, Genesis w/ Peter Gabreil , or 70's Yes on the radio. That's not to say commercialized or marketable = good, but that there's a certain widespread accessibility to Rush (aside from Lee's vocals, sorry) that you wouldn't find otherwise in prog rock. That being said, perhaps the 80's were a turning point for prog rock. After their heyday in the 70's it seemed as though things were moving towards a more pop-rock sound (or New Wave, in the case of King Crimson). But Rush would hold their own, continuing to make prog rock into the 80's, for better or for worse. Anyway, album is frontloaded to fuck lmao

A band and album completely foreign to me. The only thing I recognized was the opening song, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang", covered by LCD Soundsystem on a live album. Pretty good. Obviously, the whole album is a satire of sorts intended to dunk on yuppie corporate life. But I'll be frank, this is pretty shallow, musically. Some of it is catchy, sure, but I'm sitting here listening to some fart-y synths and can't help but feel like this album needs some "punching up", so to speak. Bass groves are, more often than not, holding this shit together. I love the idea of this album, but the songs just don't deliver.

In a sea of psychedelia in the late 60's, Pentangle holds strong with an album that is decisively not very psychedelic at all. It's folksy and prim and proper. The compositions, for how nice they are, deserve praise. Unfortunately, I didn't get much out of the album. Just a bit boring, even if it is well-composed. I'd believe this is a product of being a folk baroque album: nothing wrong with it, just not for me.

God, they're so good. Legendary songwriters, performers, and all-around instrumentalists. I want to listen to it again.

Eminem, for all his notoriety, was THE rapper for white dudes in the early 2000s. He was up there with 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z, and he was WHITE. I can't understate the race thing; in a genre built and dominated by black guys, Marshall Bruce Mathers III was this hardcore white guy who seemingly gave no fucks. Even years later, he's left an imprint on internet culture with the song "Stan" taking on new meaning. Dr. Dre is on production here so you know it's gonna be good. Eminem's lyrics are pretty hardcore for the sake of being edgy. I think at this point he knew his audience wanted shocking so he gave them lyrics that would scare parents, the same thing that worked for N.W.A. Only two reservations are the album length and the extent that Eminem is trying to be edgy. So by the time you hit the 11th track he's spewing homophobic shit and it's not even cool or funny, it just sucks. That's not trying to hold him accountable or anything, I just don't care much for the content. It didn't age poorly or like fine wine. The Marshall Mathers LP aged okay.

It's 1978, and Marvin Gaye is BACK! After the thoughtful "What's Going On?" and the sexual "Let's Get It On", Gaye gives us the buttersweet "Here, My Dear". It's a divorce album. Funny side note, we're having a bit of a year for divorce albums. Country star Kacey Musgraves, R&B megahit Adele, uh....Kanye West went through a divorce. But he never went made Donda a divorce album. It doesn't matter, the point is that there's a wide array of emotions to explore on a divorce album. Definitively different from a mere breakup album because they're more "adult" for a lack of better words. There's legality involved! There's lawyers for this sort of thing! It's serious stuff. Marvin Gaye is doing the thing he does best on this album: reflection. He wants to explore every emotion, every moment, every facet of his divorce to delivery a truly multi-dimensional album. It's also a double album, so you're getting many dimensions whether you like it or not. It's a pretty mellow album. You get some funky danceable stuff in there, but a lot of it is musing on a topic for about 5 minutes at a time, which might overstay it's welcome a bit. When Marvin Gaye muses, he really stays musing for a while. Specifically the song "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You", already 6 minutes long, gets an instrumental reprise (that's not really all that instrumental) to close out side 3 and then pops up again as a reprise (though only 40 seconds long) to close the album. Man up a lot of stock into that song, huh? It's good. It's not his best, but it's certainly never bad. Of the double albums on this list though, I think this might be one of the weaker ones (but nothing will ever be worse than Space Ritual).

Sly and The Family Stone will always have my respect. High-energy, radical songs where everyone in the band their a-game to deliver a truly spectacular album. It's awesome. A ton of tight songs in the first half, and then the incredibly bluesy jam "Sex Machine" dominating the second half. It's too good.

The story of Nick Drake is a sad one, and his music reflects this. It's lonely and melancholic, while also being nice and lush. His compositions bring these beautiful strings and percussion flourishes to accompany his simple guitar and voice. It's also not afraid to get a little exciting at times, with a rockin' sax solo on Poor Boy. Very mellow for the most part though, making for a wonderful morning album. Worth a spin.

The definitive heavy metal album from the definitive heavy metal band. At least, the definitive New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Semantics aside, this is a band that consistently brings their a-game when it comes to metal. The riffs are heavy, the solo are shreddy, and the lyrics are evil. Iron Maiden delivers this in spades, perhaps a little too well. Album also features one of my favorite riffs of all time in the titular song (the riff in question is right after the second solo). Overall I'd say side B is stronger than side A, but the whole product delivers.

Marquee Moon is, of course, the cornerstone of the art punk side of post-punk. They gave an energetic boost to the otherwise very dark and dingy sounds of Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, and....oh, huh? Marquee Moon came out before all those bands? Huh. Well, even if they aren't the cornerstone! They put out some quintessential post-punk. Compositionally unique, it sticks with me even after repeated listens. They'll explore cool new bridges or verses and then move on to another, refusing to stick around too long leaving you wanting more. But then you get even more punk-y goodness that you can forgive it.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about music, and this includes Illmatic. But I hold strongly that Nas's debut album, Illmatic, is the greatest and most important hip-hop album of all time. I cannot and will not dispute this. It goes hard. The sampling and the beats, Nas's flow on each song, the lyrics, the whole product. It's the combination of Boom Bap production with hardcore lyrics and flow. But the lyrics aren't just braggadocious or tough, they're a reflection of reality. Nas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens, later dropping out of school and fully immersing himself in music. Nas, of course, is a natural wordsmith and lyricist. His cadence along with the depth of the bars elevates the art of rap to a multi-dimensional instrument. Each song stands on their own, you can tell that love and care went into the album as a whole. It is not a product of commerce, but of passion. Incredibly impactful and insanely catchy, Illmatic is an all-timer.

My second Fela Kuti album, with more awesome afrobeat. The funk is infectious, the grooves are killer, and Ginger Baker kills it on the drums. Baker is like half the reason that this rocks so hard, and Kuti is the other half. You really can't go wrong with the insanely great music here.

Very distinctly New Wave. Interestingly enough, belongs to the New Romantic scene form the UK in the early 80's (see: Duran Duran) that took New Wave and added a glam spin on it à la Bowie. Tres chic! Big focus on ambience with this album. Japan likes to fully flesh out their environmental soundscapes, which ultimately sets them apart from other New Wave artists of the day. Otherwise it's not all that notable. Not bad!

Hey, reader! If you can't find the full album anywhere, email me at sodaco3@gmail.com and I'll send a zipped file of the songs. John Zorn. Hmmm.....let's talk about John Zorn. He's a jazz artist (saxophone) who specializes in avant-garde jazz. This alone will turn away quite a few people, and I can't blame them: avant-garde art is inherently pretentious with it's "ooo, look at how I deconstruct certain pervasive elements in art and rearrange them for new experiences". It's pretty anarchist, and anarchists SUCK! Given this, I'm pretty surprised that Zorn is even on this list. I would've went with his much more popular "Naked City", but maybe that was too "jazz-rock" for 1001. Regardless, most people are going to walk away not enjoying John Zorn's work. So, what is he doing with this album? Well, he's got a 5-piece band built of two alto-saxophones, a bass, and TWO DRUMMERS! Neat. Double drummers is always risky but it's avant-garde so we'll let it slide. Cool production note: each saxophone is playing in a different channel (Zorn is in the right; listen for his licks!). Also of note is that everyone playing is improvising, giving a sort of full sound that surrounds the listener like a chaotic hug. Can you feel it? Zorn's compositions are interesting, as he opts to do these much shorter tracks that don't stick around for long before moving on the the next one. Zorn is heavily inspired by the hardcore punk scene in New York, London, and Tokyo at the time, particularly the rise in grindcore (see: Scum by Napalm Death). That sort of quick-and-dirty, attack on the ears is something that was very much inspired from grindcore and can be seen crossing over in jazz through Zorn. Again, most people will not like this, but for what it's worth I think it's a cool approach to jazz. By the 80's, Jazz had pretty well split; smooth jazz was on the rise with the likes of Kenny G, producing the most accessible, commercial music possible. Meanwhile, Jazz was being used more as a prop for other genres, such as acid jazz in the UK being a combination of electronic beats with jazz (great for clubs), or hip-hop producers incorporating jazz samples in their beats, leading to the rise of jazz rap in the late 80's and early 90's. This comes AFTER the prominence of avant-garde jazz actually, so Zorn is late to the party and very much on his own. Regardless, his approach to jazz with the mindset of hardcore punk makes for a fresh and thrilling listening experience. Overall, I think there's a lot one can take from this album, but they'll need to be open to the weirdness of it all. Do not expect structure, melodies, and rhythms that ground most songs. Instead, listen for how each instrument is playing off the others while also being totally independent from the song. There are times in this record where the stars align and you can hear the purposefulness of Zorn's band coming together in creating some really rad shit. But you gotta be open to it, or you'll just walk away thinking it's a total stinker. If you liked this record, consider listening to Ornette Coleman's stuff! I recommend "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Free Jazz", both records that did NOT make this list because Coleman ISN'T ANYWHERE ON THE LIST, DESPITE HIS NAME BEING HONORED BY THIS ALBUM. FUCK YOUUUUUUU 1001 ALBUMS!!!!

Another Cure Album, much darker than Disintegration, but still fantastic.

Fundamental album for....ska. Ska is a weird genre. It originates out of Jamaica which is considered the "first wave" of ska in the 60s and 70s. It's very calypso-inspired, if you know about that. Heavy on the brass section, emphasis on the off-beats, and so on. Then, in the late 70s and into the 80s, it was picked up in England and thus began that "second wave", more commonly known as 2 Tone. The Specials embody 2 Tone. You hear more guitar, along with elements of new wave and early punk rock in 2 Tone compared to the original Jamaican Ska, but it's still unmistakably ska (just pick any track and give it a listen). This was then picked up in North America during the late 80s and was expanded upon as Ska Punk. Leaning more into hardcore punk, you had a heavy focus on faster and dirtier riffs, more aggressive vocals, while still retaining the brass section and off-beat rhythms. This was the most commercially successful iteration of ska, with The Mighty Might Bosstones being a standout of the genre. Gamers will be quick to recognize this flavor of ska in Tony Hawk games, with Goldfinger being a favorite. Pop Punk enthusiasts will know of Jeff Rosenstock, former member of ska punk bands "The Arrogant Sons of Bitches" and "Bomb the Music Industry!", along with his more recent solo release "Ska Dream", which features all flavors of Ska, not just Ska Punk. So what does this say about The Specials? Well for one thing, they aren't in one place for the album's runtime, no. They tend to move back and forth between the more energetic punk-rock influence distinct to 2 Tone, and the more laid back original sounds of Jamaican Ska. This represents largely the "importing" of ska to England, brining a fresh and more local sound. This mirrors the very real migration of Jamaicans coming to England in the 50s after World War 2. Children of Jamaican parents growing up in England during this time would be adults by the 70s and 80s, and some would be musicians! So the blend of Jamaicans Ska along with punk-rock and new wave would be the natural conclusion of Jamaican immigration. Specials members Neville Staple and Rico Rodriguez are both from Jamaican and contribute largely on this album. Worth noting that this album was out in 1979, too early for new wave, so we got mostly punk rock influence. This put The Specials on the leading edge of the genre, with none others like it. This, however, becomes a double-edged sword for 2 Tone. On one side, The Specials were doing something very unique and notable at the time, indicative of real-life current events at the time. On the other edge, few could meet the same level of quality of The Specials (Madness was the closest), as a result of Ska being kind of...hokey. Almost like a cheap imitation of the more "genuine" ska music of Jamaica, as leaning too much into international music can sort of cheapen the experience. This leaves The Specials being special and important, but not really all that good. It's a hard thing to swallow, but 2 Tone deserves to be clowned on. Jamaican Ska and Ska Punk can hang though, they're cool.

Glam rock masterpiece from Bowie because he is the greatest artist of all time etc etc. You know what, Bowie is maybe a little overrated! I like his songwriting and his approach to performance art, but I find the songs themselves pretty underwhelming. I like Ziggy Stardust! I enjoy Hunky Dory. I do not think this is is a great album. Did it make a splash when it landed? Oh god, it's clicking. His song writing is better than I gave it credit for. No, it's not "just alright". God dammit, how is he this good? I don't even like Bowie that much, but his skill is undeniable. Quicksand is introspective and thoughtful in it's purposeful piano playing, Andy Warhol is snappy and quick, both in guitar and lyrics. I don't know why but side 2 did more for me than side 1. Argh! Curse you, Bowie.

Before becoming the name synonymous with Disco, the Bee Gees made some pretty fancy pop. Odessa presents itself as this grand sweeping double album, the stuff of legendary bards. Akin to epic poems from ancient Greece, accompanied by orchestral strings upon strings, Odessa so badly wants to be larger than life. Simple gold lettering laid atop a royal red, it is simple yet effective in conveying to those who judge books by covers that this album is the last great album of the 60's. It's okay. I can appreciate the amount of effort that went into this though; a concept double album is a grand undertaking and with all the tensions on the group at the time, it would be no small feat to complete a project as ambitious as this. However, I find the Gibb brothers to be underwhelming songwriters. Not bad, just underwhelming. A bit boring, even. There are some good bits in there, but the whole product does not impress me as much as it would like to impress.

Classic hardcore punk! For my money, though, one of their compilations would be a better pick because it'll feature stuff from their self-titled and "In My Eyes" as well. All three releases are short enough that the compilations make for a better-suited experience overall, but I can't complain too much. Anyway, it does everything about punk so well. It's got attitude, edge, energy, and not stick around for more than 30 minutes. What's more punk than that? Also, Cashing In is an all-timer closer. Great record.

there only needs to be one Jane's Addiction album on the list and it should be this one. Better songwriting (marginally), better structure, and more dogs barking. That's all you need, really. Still not a huge fan of Jane's Addiction, but I can appreciate this album a lot more than their debut, which did not impress me nearly as much.

Side project of Eric Clapton after Cream disbanded, Derek & The Dominos never did any other albums. And perhaps this is a damn shame, because this high points on this album are amazingly high. Bell Bottom Blues is a prime example of an amazing hard-hitting chorus that I wish never ended. Everyone is in their prime on this record, and it shows. Songs flow naturally from one to the next, making for a well-paced album that explores different moods. The overall strengths lie in the absolute beast that is Eric Clapton rocking his guitar, keeping a strong pace with the rest of the band as he carries a rocking momentum into the solo. It's a must-listen for any classic rock fans, because it rocks so hard. Great record, even if it is a little long.

Very unique album with regards to it's style: it's got sophistication, quirk, and playfulness. It's the kinda of style that would be later adopted by Vulfpeck with their more funky stylings. Regardless, there's a lot to like about the album but there are some off choices, such as the hiphop song. It might be the most eclectic album I've heard on the list so far, for better or for worse. It's really side B that leans heavy into it's right turns, so be ready for that. Pretty good otherwise.

The first album on Swan Song Records, Led Zeppelin's very-own label after their contract with Atlantic Records was up. Atlantic was ultimately still the distributor for Swan Song, of course, but that's neither here nor there! New label, new beginnings for the Led Zepp. What would they put out first? Physical Graffiti is a sprawling double album, with a very strong first LP and a slightly less strong second LP. They maintain their blues rock roots with a hard rock sound that defined rock must for...the rest of time? Hard not to understate Led Zeppelin's influence, they really set the bar; Physical Graffiti is no exception. This album also has the Arabic-inspired epic Kashmir that elevates the whole product, really. A classic through and through.

I am the proud owner of this original release on vinyl, including the functioning zipper. As you would expect, the record itself is practically unplayable, but it's a cool piece of history to own. As for the album itself, this is definitely the Rolling Stones' best showing. That being I am not much of a Stones fan, I'm not all that captured by them even at their best.

Another album to cement CCR as the gold standard for swamp rock.

When Bowie passed away on January 10 2016, he left behind a legacy: a discography of truly great albums, an impact on the music industry only few have claimed, and a pretty large quality gap in his career. Some would argue that he hadn't put out a good album since the 80's. Others would affirm that, it didn't matter what he point out at this point, because his name now speaks for itself. Regardless, David Bowie was not the musical workhorse that he was in the 70's, and most of the world had pretty well made it up it's mind about Bowie. Not much else to be said. Turns out, though, that he left behind one other thing. A mere two days before his death, Bowie released Blackstar, impactful in it's cover art alone. This album...is something else. It's almost prophetic, let he knew he was dying and had one last great album in him. He reached deep, and pulled out the most introspective and dark album he could ever pull out of his soul. It's deep as hell. It's a lot. Musically, he's going above and beyond with these compositions. Songs play naturally through the movements and sour when they need to, adding an extra gut punch of what this album is really about: death. Everyone here is on their A-game, working to elevate the songs and work towards a great crescendo on Bowie's last album. Wow. This is David Bowie's last album, huh? God, what a thing. I think, for Bowie's swan song, this is exactly what it needs to be. I don't absolutely love it, but I don't have to. It speaks for itself. ★

Mariah Carey, pop darling, is known for her silky smooth voice which has graced 17 albums thus far. This her 5th album. Do you want to know something I didn't know? Carey is credited as the PRODUCER for this album! He made these songs!! All this time I thought she was a pretty face with a voice being used by other producers in the game, but no! She's the songwriter, producer, did her own background vocals too. That's hilarious. Anyway, this album marks a turning point in her discography (from what I read). She pivoted from a more watered-down adult contemporary pop sound to a more hip-hop + R&B sound. This is evident in Honey, the album's opening track. Unfortunately, Honey is also the strongest track as the rest of the album falls back into slow jams that are just okay. It's a bit disappointing because it feels like I listened to the same song in 10 or 11 different ways, just not very engaging. Mariah Carey is a wonderful voice that is delegated to the same shtick over and over and over again. This is also a divorce album, so maybe it's warranted. Marvin Gaye did it better, in my opinion.

More of a unique success story than a musical masterpiece, White Ladder is known for being David Gray's self-financed album that managed to stay in the UK top 100 for almost three years straight. Big seller in Ireland too, hitting 20x platinum in it's first week. How does it hold up? It's nice singer/songwriter stuff from the 90's. Soft, sweet, and an easy listen. Some interesting production choices including electronic-geared drums. Good voice, good songs, good album.

Kraftwerk are the great pioneers of electronic music, weaving their synthesizers, vocoders, and electric drums to make the sounds of the future, and this album demonstrates that in spades. Intrinsically unique is the group's background, growing up in a unique musical vacuum post-WWII. This pushed Kraftwerk to innovate and developed the gran new genre of Electronic music, embracing the cold, calculated sounds of synthesizers. I love the little ambient arpeggiated synth line in "Spiegelsaal" especially, so cool. There's also Iggy Pop and David Bowie influence on this album, but it's a lot more subtle than other contemporaries of the 70's.

This is it! The original punk rockers. Attitude, riffs, a driving drum groove, that's all you need. Catchy as hell too, great for a fun time. I will say, though, that punk has been greatly expanded on (dare I say, improved?) in the years since this album and it almost makes me wished they pushed the envelop even more! Either way, I can get behind this sort of sound.

The second album in Cash's "prison albums". This concert may be slightly overshadowed by the great "At Folsom Prison", but it's still great nonetheless. Cash is such a natural performer, his rapport with the audience makes you feel like he was a prisoner himself. Oh, wait, he was! They don't call it "outlaw country" for nothing, eh? He puts on a damn good show. You'll hear mention of Cash speaking of the cameras from the UK telling him what to do. Those very cameras would capture the famous image of Cash giving us the middle finger. You can tell, in that little bit of trivia, that Cash is a performer of the people. He doesn't care about the cameras, he cares about the people in front of him. It's a great measure of showmanship. There are natural highlights on the album: I Walk The Line and A Boy Name Sue are some of his best performances of all time. Even the lowlights are worth hearing too, especially the audience banter. This leads him to play the song "San Quentin" twice in a row, which is awesome. Yeah, this is an all-timer.

Nico, perhaps best known for her collaboration with the Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol, went on to make some very sweet-sounding folk with a symphonic edge. Things take a left turn on It Was A Pleasure Then, with feedback from an electric guitar being used. Truthfully, the album never quite hits the same level of quality after the first two songs, but the overall product is a generally enjoyable listen.

Apple's excellent debut. She is a unique songwriter for the end of the 20th century, giving her haunting production a jazzy edgy as she plays along on her piano. Apple's on the stage at the back of a smokey club, but she's no background singer. An aside, I love the drummers on this album. Matt Chamberlain and Danny Frankel are so tight, yet so smooth. Great job by Fiona Apple

Really nice folk rock songs. Buffalo Springfield will always go down in the books for their contributions during the 60's (and the members' later fame), but on it's own the album still hits a sweet spot.

The first britpop album from Blur, though not their debut album. By the time Leisure came out in 1990, Blur was already late to the niche and dwindling "Baggy" or "Madchester" scene (see: The Stone Roses). As such, Blur's debut did poorly, along with live shows and touring. Down, out, and discouraged, the band regrouped for a new sound and image inspired by the success of Suede. This would be the band's first of many contributions to the brand new genre of britpop. It is explicitly riff-driven pop. Pretty good songs but only the opening track is worth opining about for the most part.

Nice Big Band arrangements, though my interest wanes as it goes on, relegating Basie to background music (a fate worse than death). Not a bad listen, but there are better big band albums out there.

This Little Simz album from 2019 was added as part of the newest update to 1001 albums (circa 2021). While not the newest album on the list, it is still fresh enough that it's quite bold to put it down in the list of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Regardless, Little Simz is a rapper I'm already familiar with, having released the fantastic Sometimes I Might Be Introvert in 2021 (which could very well be album of the year for me). Truly, I have few qualms about this being added to the list. Simz hits hard with her rhymes, switching up her flow and vocal styling to keep you engaged. Simz is accompanied by production from Inflo, who brings beats and structure to the songs that are unlike anything else right now. Genuinely incredible. Compared to her follow-up, I think I still prefer SIMBI for the satisfying framing and continued pushing of boundaries, but this is still a great album through and through.

Indie pop outfit out of the UK featuring dreamy guitars and a falsetto that can either fit the song or drain you. Two Dancers (i) and (ii) are especially nice listens given the sequencing, the the rest of the album just sort of washes over me. It's nice, but not groundbreaking to me.

Brian Warner owes his entire musical credibility to Trent Reznor. The aggressive, hard-hitting industrial sound is not just an influence, no, Reznor is literally producing a good chunk of this album, including the best moments. The Beautiful People? Reznor. Tourniquet? Also Reznor. The Reflecting God? Fuckin' Nine Inch Nails, baby! You can argue that Warner has his on imprint on the album, but the gaps where Reznor isn't producing are also gaps of quality. Compared to Downward Spiral or Pretty Hate Machine, Antichrist Superstar is a cheap imitation. As ambitious as it is, though, the pacing is well-done! The concept album breaks chunks of tracks into "cycles", giving some credence to the runtime. Concept albums clocking in at over an hour long are prone to making my eyes roll, but at least execution here isn't bad. Warner touches on capitalism and satirizes fascism while inverting religious conservatism on it's head with the whole horror antichrist aesthetic. It's clever way to shock your way into the mainstream, like the Sex Pistols or Elvis Presley. For all the great bits in the album, there's a lot that ends up dragging things down. The middle "cycle" of the album is really what bores me the most. Beyond that, the Begotten aesthetic doesn't really phase or impress me. There's potential in here, but it's too cluttered, too commercial for it to be great.

Essential 90's hip hop starts and ends with A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (RIP) expertly spit bars over fantastic jazz beats. The opening moments of the album with the bass of Excursions is neigh-unforgettable, setting up expectations for the rest of the album's runtime. The Tribe has the stage: now is the time to listen. The vibes on this album are perfection. It's so incredibly mellow, like hanging out with your friends, chillin'.

Icelandic post-rock weirdness. As the cover art would suggest (and the translated title, "A good beginning"), this album is a lot like floating around in the womb. It's dreamy, mellow, nice. Instrumentation helps achieve this goal with a lot of reverb, some strings, and dainty keys. While the arrangements are something to behold, this is largely held back, I feel, by the vocals. I can look past unconventional vocal stylings most times, though when it detracts from the music I can't help but notice. Additionally, I feel that "Olsen Olsen" was a perfectly good closer, and the two tracks that come after it are superfluous. Otherwise, it's a very nice listen.

ZZ Top, before the beards and sunglasses, were strong players in the blues rock genre. It's very blues. Blues to a T. So much so that ZZ Top rarely does anything subversive or innovative to do much interesting with their sound. The obvious exception to this is La Grange, a more southern-geared rock piece that showcases ZZ Tops strengths: tighter playing styles and bringing the drums to the forefront. Instead of playing metronome for the 12-bear blues, La Grange has drummer Rube Beard as an active participant in the band for once. Ultimately, La Grange serves to show that the band has potential to be great, but decidedly muddles around in mediocrity throughout the album's runtime.

Black Sabbath release six great albums at the start of their career between 1970 and 1975; can you guess which number this one is? Yeah, it's a classic. Just guaranteed heavy metal from the early 70's. Also features the compelling piano ballad "Changes" One of the great things about these early Sabbath albums isn't just that they were writing great songs, but that they were willing to experiment and push the envelop with things to keep the albums fresh. Even if you didn't like the ambient "FX", I'm glad it's there. Outside of that, ending side A on Supernaut and opening side B with Snowblind is a powermove; I can only imagine what it was like to hear it for the first time when it originally came out. Fucking excellent.

Probably the best songwriters around in the mid 60's, with a natural highlight being their harmonized vocals. Their instrumentation is compelling too, with varied and complex playstyles across all instruments. Even if I wasn't 100% in love with the full album, I can't not respect how good these guys are.

What a helluva album. A lot of fun, a fully realized concept, interweaving serious themes, and captivating me the whole time; That's a success! Rarely, I think, does an album get me so excited while listening but fuck, The Kinks did it here.

Bookends comes in near the end of Simon & Garfunkel's career. Throughout the 60's, they would put out classics such as "Homeward Bound", "Scarborough Fair", and "The Sounds of Silence" (the last of which you can hear in "Save the Life of My Child"). Truly, Simon & Garfunkel had left their fingerprint in the folk world of music and beyond by this point. Being a concept album that explores a life from beginning to end, you would think that "Bookends" would also bookend their career as a duo, but as we would find out two years later, it's not quite so. Regardless, they would once again knock it out of the park with this record. Putting the odd "Voices of Old People" aside, this is a wonderful folk listen. Simon & Garfunkel harmonize so beautifully, so naturally, you'd think they were born to do it. Here, they are accompanied by occasional strings and brass, subtle in their ways that it enhances the song, instead of detracts. This album is deceptively short though, not even a full 30 minutes of songs on here. That can be forgiven though, given how nice the songs are. And how could I forget the bouncy Mrs. Robinson? Great song. I liked the album enough, but never get too excited or invested in it apart from Mrs. Robinson. Not bad at all, just not my cup of tea.

Take a time machine back to 1957, sit in a smokey jazz club in Chicago and hear the live musical act of Sarah Vaughn and her Trio (Jones on Piano, Davis on Bass, Haynes on Drums). Natural stage banter, a smooth backing band, and Vaughan's wonderful voice is a treat to listen to. I'm listening to the LP version here, which is significantly shorter than the CD version but gives the full idea, I think. She even shouts out Ella Fitzgerald at the end and scats for a bit, it's great.

Time Out is widely revered in the jazz world. It is essential cool jazz, but known for pushing jazz in new directions, such as it's use of odd time signatures. This was inspired by Brubeck's time overseas, where he would hear the locals play in time signatures different from the 4/4 that became the norm in western jazz. Moving on, the highlight of this album is easily Take Five, which features a bombastic drum solo from Morello while Brubeck plays the same hypnotizing bar over and over again. It's a display of jazz musicianship unlike any other.

David Bowie, great in his own right, released his last album in life "Blackstar", and passed away mere days later. As if he also knew his time was up, great Canadian folk artist Leonard Cohen followed suit in the same year. You Want It Darker, Cohen's last album in his life time, came out October 21, 2016. 17 days later, he died. There's not much left of Cohen's voice on You Want It Darker. What he has, though, he leans into. The titular song and opening track is, in fact, dark. Cohen sings about death in a very religious way. Similar to Balckstar, it's as if Cohen knows his time is up. Unlike Blackstar, Cohen prefers to keep things simple with his last album. This subdued sound is nice, but can lose steam after a few songs on account of sounding samey. Cohen is really dwelling in this sombre, grizzled mood the whole time, so you'll really need to be in the mood for that.

After doing his famous outlaw country stint in the early 70's, Willie Nelson says "fuck it" and does a bunch of standards. He does a Duke Ellington song on here! How novel! Songs here are peaceful and sweat. I love that Nelson went in a slightly country pop direction with the added strings to give the songs extra depth. Just really soothing listens from Ol' Willie here. It's especially warm and cozy with the guitar on this record. Simply wonderful.

Before Outkast came onto the scene to popularize southern hip-hop, there was Arrested Development. They formed in 1988, with "Speech" MCing and "Headliner" on turntables, and did performances in hopes to get signed. This took a little over 3 years. 3 years, 5 months, and 2 days to be exact.... This album is worth passing. Even with it's southern hip hop roots and high energy, the album bored me. Most everything on here feels flat and uninteresting.

The titular song is so beautiful. The soft picking of the guitar, the melody of ooo's backing up Paul Simon, the lovely rise and fall of the song's dynamics, it's everything. The rest of the album, I'm afraid, never quite reaches that same level. The songs are still good, but never as great. Standouts include "Train in the Distance" and "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War". In fact, if "Hearts and Bones" and "Cars Are Cars" swapped places on the album, Side B would easily outweigh Side A. Seems like Simon had a few superb songs and then wrote a handful of filler to make the album.

At the forefront of psychedelic rock in the 60's was, of course, Jefferson Airplane. Their hits, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit", are bonafide classics. The rest are fine.

Post-punk has never been so weird. The thing to note about early post-punk is that the only unifying trait is the will to experiment on the punk genre. This leads to a wide range of different artist, with some experimenting more than others. The Birthday Party, in this case, leads more into the experimental side. Junkyard sounds like a junkyard. It's rusty, malformed, and a little dangerous. If punk rock were a Ford Model T, post-punk would be a T-Bucket. The Birthday Party wants you to feel kinda gross listening to this, like punk blues that's been dragged through the mud. this is accentuated by Nick Cave's wild personality; he's like a rabid dog throughout. This wild energy makes the abrasive guitars all the more interesting, as you can imagine the band tearing up a live performance with their hypnotic sounds. It's definitely not for everyone, but I think it's awesome.

What are the odds? (The website probably did this on purpose) Phil Spector, notable producer and murderer, had designed the "wall of sound", where Spector pushed the limitations of audio recording technology by having a large an ensemble as possible. This would result in a much fuller sound unique to the 50's and 60's. This "wall of sound" was subsequently used by Spector when he gathered a few artists on his label to do a selection of (mostly) secular Christmas songs. I do not like the wall of sound. I think it obscures the arrangement and is a poor use of dynamics. Which is a shame because I like some of the songs on where with their arrangement choices! If they were just a bit more stripped back and sonically legible, I could enjoy it more. Perhaps for the time, the wall of sound was even helpful, but here I find it more annoying than anything. Everything else about this is great though!

Live albums that end with "At Newport" are guaranteed to be an artist's best. Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and now Muddy Waters. Waters is obviously a mainstay of blues, and I'd say there isn't nearly enough blues on this list, but I'm glad they chose this one. Blues is a pretty simple genre, so you need to bring as much personality in order to make it shine. Waters had personality in spades. He has full command over the audience, with his naturally compelling voice and excellent guitar skills. The whole set is great, but "Got My Mojo Working" is the clear highlight, followed by part 2 and then the excellent closer "Goodbye Newport Blues". This one is a bonafide classic.

Great swing record, but easily remembered for Prima's vocal chops and energy more than anything else. Are there good solos on here? Sure. But there's also Prima's crazy scatting and that's the guy on the cover, so who are you really here for?

Nice smooth soul that is otherwise ruined by cheesy 80's production. These synths are doing more harm than good.

At the end of 2020, I found that I hadn't listened to much new music that was being released. So I made a resolution to myself to listen to one new 2021 album each week during the year. So trust me when I say I purposefully skipped this one to listen to the new ERRA instead. I don't like Lana Del Rey. This album is no exception. I find her voice grating and uninteresting. Sure, Jack Antonoff does good production and arrangement work. I think a lot of Del Rey's charm is in her lyrical work, painting these scenes with a certain feeling or aesthetic in mind. It's a shame those words are accompanied by her voice, which I dislike so much. Any other singer would've done this album good justice. For example, Nikki Lane features on the song "Breaking Up Slowly" and does a wonderful job. That's ultimately where I stand on Del Rey albums.

Nice and easy vocal jazz for your mornings. Ray Charles always sits well.

Cohen tackles synths. This is a lateral move for the singer/songwriter that works oddly well. Features the hauntingly beautiful "Everybody Knows", which stuck with me more than anything else on the album. I enjoy synth Cohen, but not as much as his old stuff which resonated so much more. The exception is the chaotic and perhaps rushed "Jazz Police". What a song.

Ice Cube's early discography is inherently important due to it's political significance. The interludes (or "inserts") shine a lot of light on the issue, but here's another: this album came out mere months after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. Ice Cube is no stranger to racial tensions in Los Angeles, so this album is all the more potent. As far as the music, it's still the hard-hitting gangster rap you could expect from early Ice Cube. There's a few rotating producers on here but the emphasis on the snare gives the album a certain punchy-ness that lends well to Ice Cube's swagger in his flow. Also features the classic "It Was A Good Day", which takes a break from the hyperviolence of Ice Cube's regular lyrics in a way that actually inverts the theme of violence to say that "nobody I know got killed in south-central LA. Today was a good day." Even weaker songs like "Gangsta's Fairytale 2" makes great use of samples. This is a consistently quality album through and through. More great hiphop for your ears.

one of the better british folk rock albums from this time. A Sailor's Life is particularly well performed, with subtlety and the songs length being used to build appropriately. There's a great balance here between the traditional folk elements and the more progressive rock qualities, taking the best from each for an album worth praising.

From what I understand, this is an important album from the genre of Drum and Bass. Drum and Bass is a pretty niche genre, so your mileage will vary with how much you like the genre. For my money, I thought it was enjoyable enough. I like the atmospheric elements and how it enhanced the Drum and Bass (reminded me of Parkour Fortress. If you know you know). The obvious drawback is that it's an overly long double album. 105 minutes is a lot for any genre.

Production on this is stellar. Maybe the gold standard for modern r&b/neo-soul.

Wilco is usually praised for their fourth studio album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but this seems like a better introduction to the catalogue. A nice mix of alt-country and roots rock that services the 90's production that doesn't necessarily date the album. The thing that really makes Being There is Jeff Tweedy's songwriting, which he is so damn good at. I didn't even realize when I went from disc 1 to disc 2 of this double album, the songs just carried me away. Superb in all the best ways.

Political hip hop very similar to Public Enemy in terms of both production and MCing. The problem with this particular album is that the political messaging takes precedence over the music, making the lyrics as dense as possible that it sacrifices any excitement found in Public Enemy's music. Production is also a snoozefest, though it's hard to top Terminator X.

Plunderphonics is a unique genre for it's methodologies. By strictly using pre-existing music, artists will mix, match, and employ unconventional methods to create a whole new piece of art. Songs will be sliced and looped beyond recognition. It's an undertaking that requires insane production skills, as production becomes the songwriting in a way. If any album has mastered this art, it's Since I Left You. There are around 900 samples in this album. It is a feat. The Avalanches themselves said that they were crazy, and they wouldn't ever get that ambitious on future releases. That ambition is what makes Since I Left You so incredible though, as the samples envelop and keep you on a constant adventure of The Avalanche's perfectly-crafted sonic landscape. Loops ground each song and get built upon with more and more samples. They come from every which way, there's no use in following each thread as it's best to just ride the wave. The album art is a perfect representation of this feeling, I think. Thematically, The Avalanches leans into adventure through use of varying songs. As they all seamlessly transition from one to another, it's like crossing borders or biomes on your adventure. Track titles are indicative of this, with "Flight Tonight", "Pablo's Cruise", and "Little Journey". Worth nothing they had to re-record their big hit "Frontier Psychiatrist" because of samples not clearing (I'd imagine other songs got the same treatment). I encourage you to seek out the song on YouTube because it's a classic. Anyway. This is an amazing album. I can't stress enough how much I adore the thing. Just so consistently well-made throughout the runtime and brimming with good times.

Blur and Oasis are certainly the most popular acts in britpop, but Pulp is the most britpop act in britpop. They're also VERY horny, which I don't like. Otherwise, the songs are alright and serve the genre pretty well.

It's disco! Light, easy fun in a tight 40-minute package.

Frank Zappa is weird! But he pulls together some pretty great jazz rock that really pushed the genre. A lot on instrumental craziness that ultimately the reason why this album is on here. Fully worth the price of admission.

Pretty unique and compelling R&B from the 80's! I'm not a huge fan of it but it's pretty good for what it's worth.

Unique pop music from Brasil! It's lush with instrumentation, rhythmically groovy, sensationally beautiful vocals. Even during the slower parts, the warm acoustic strumming accompanies Portuguese lyrics that float around the air. Occasionally taking elements of psychedelic music, we hear phased guitars add another layer to the already vast landscape of music being produced here. Excellence.

A different spin from 1001, this gives us some Afro-Cuban jams that a very much rhythmically-focused. As the name suggests, prepare for the congas. It's a nice slice from another part of the world, though the vocals leave little to be desired. It's best to consider them as part of the rhythm, with their call-and-response style that grounds the music. Overall, it's pretty simple, so it's not much to be impressed by. Sometimes a nice little album showcasing music from outside of the usual countries is all that's needed.

One of the earliest pop-punk records, and it goes hard! The hooks are catchy with lots of energy, while still staying true to it's punk roots. Much less far removed than later pop-punk records, but all music evolves in some way. With all the songs on here, some of them don't stand too well, but the general tone of the record supports the lesser songs by keeping things moving.

After the advent of disco rap (and hip-hop in general), it had become stagnant by the early 80's. Enter Run-DMC, specifically with producer Larry Smith who innovated the genre with hard-hitting drums and bombastic, in-your-face MCing. Run DMC also switched up the style of hip-hop, dropping the disco glam of the 70's for cool leather jackets and street sneakers (see: My Adidas). If that's not enough to convince you of this album's importance, I don't know what is. As for the music itself, it's certainly dated by out current standards of hip-hop. Flow is a bit rigid and simple, production is completely 80's with their drum machine sounds and synths, and lyrics are....interesting. For something so ground-breaking and innovative, Run-DMC's debut is well-made, though not a great album by any means. Run-D.M.C. gets a C for effort.

Turn off the lights. Prepare a candle. We're about to get a little more....goth. Following the innovations to post-punk by Bauhaus and Siouxsie and The Banshees in 1979, Sisters Of Mercy would follow shortly after. Though not coming out with a first album until 1980, they would fit nicely in with the likes of The Cure and other gothic rock contemporaries. This brings us to Floodland, which is a perfectly reverb-drenched, rhythm-heavy album that's so dark, the vampires love it. If you're not big on gothic rock, there's no way you're going to like this record, as this is a prime example for the genre. There's a huge focus on atmosphere more than anything else, which may not be everyone's jam, but I think it's great.

The Beatles' White Album is an oft-discussed contender for greatest double album of all time, and has a runtime of roughly the same length as a feature film. This will test my patience. White Album has a strong first half, that much is for certain. Back in the USSR kicks things off with great energy, Dear Prudence is one of the best songs ever done by The Beatles, I actually enjoy Ob-La-Di for it's simple fun, the list goes on. Though there are weak spots along the way (looking at you, Wild Honey Pie), the eccentricity gives the album a sort of carefree fun quality. This serves a stark contrast from the album cover, which is nothing. Somewhere after Blackbird, I feel as though we've lost the plot. Sure, they're well-made songs, but they're songs that sort of just wash over me. One of the pitfalls of making so many great songs is that the good songs sound just okay. This is also a pitfall of double albums, in that it becomes difficult to maintain consistent quality the longer the tracklist gets. Sure, there are plenty of great songs to talk about on White Album, but there are an equal amount of songs that get lost in the mix. Piggies, I Will, Mother Nature's Son, and many others are perfectly fine songs that lose momentum due to the other tracks that are miles better. White Album is a lesson in Beatles songwriting. It showcases how they are both good musicians and fantastic songwriters. I mean, gosh, Helter Skelter did heavy metal a full year before Black Sabbath. And props to Revolution 9 for scaring the folks at home

Queen is notable for being a singles band. The singles, Killer Queen, Brighton Rock, and the album's namesake are fantastic spectacles of songwriting that stand on their own for years to come. For the rest of the album, it's pretty good! Not nearly as great but I enjoyed the listen for the most part. It's a fun, hard-rockin' album that's simply here for a good time.

A lot of great songs on here: Come Together, I Want You (She's So Heavy), You Never Give Me Your Money, and so on. But the real crown jewel of this album is the medley, which carries on from You Never Give Me Your Money. Each song has a distinctive flavor while also flowing seamlessly, creating a great run of jams all the way to The End (haha, do you see what I did there?). I cannot stress how much I feel the medley elevates the album. I'm not a huge Beatles guy to begin with, but it's really neat to see that sort of thing played out. One of my favorite albums of all time took inspiration from this medley, so hats off to The Beatles!

Side A has pretty good soul that takes the extra step with embellished arrangements to make the songs sound a bit better. Regardless, it never really stuck with me much. Side B gets adventurous with jazz and a particularly interesting electric organ solo over a programmed beat. This was more compelling that side A, I feel, but the whole record would need to grow on me.

"Ride" the wave of sound! It's awesome. Actually enjoyed this sort of shoegaze more than Loveless. It's got a very british edge to it, which I could take or leave, but the soundscape in combination with the band's style of songwriting is a wonderful listen. I just wish some of it stuck with me more, but repeat listens can help with this.

Smooth soul is very marketable and it kinda loses it's edge as a result. Bobby Womack has enough personality to make up for this, but it ends up being just alright soul. Maybe if it wasn't so watered down, it would be better!

1001 calls him the "king of Rai", Rai being a genre coming out of Algeria. Distinctly melodic with Arabic influence, Khaled shines when he doesn't sound so goddamn poppy. This is made distinctly worse by a cornball-cover of John Lennon's Imagine, though it'll be hard to top that one cover done by all the celebrities at the start of the pandemic. I do appreciate Khaled's Algerian background, I really do, but this is too commercial, too pop to retain many good qualities. The opening track, Aâlach Tloumouni, is the obvious standout here for being the closest to standard Rai music, but the rest is watered down. It's also a half-hour too long.

This album has a French version and an English version. For the sake of brevity, I'm only listening to the French version. Nice and sleek synthpop, very much calling from the sort of 80's aesthetic revival we've been having (see: Stranger Things, amongst other things). I don't often hear much out of France, so this is a good change. I can't say I feel it deserves much of a spot on the list, though, as it sort of comes across as "just good". How has this resonated since 2018? Not sure if it has. Critics seem to love this though. Good for them.

Here, amongst the explosion of post-punk record in the late 70s and early 80s, we see the beginnings of dance-punk, which had the tone and energy of punk/post-punk alongside danceable rhythms similar to funk and disco. Entertainment! is easily the best of these early dance-punk records. Politically-charged and stilted with jagged guitar riffs, Gang of Four sounds unlike any other band from this time. Drummer Hugo Burnham holds it down so well, with steady beats driving the rhythms for the entire album. Dave Allen, on bass, keeps up with solid bass grooves not often found in punk. These two make up the "dance" side of things, while Jon King brings punk vocal attitudes over the energized guitar of Andy Gill. I love this record. It's so odd with the guitar choices and the occasional melodica, but that only adds to the charm for me. As far as post-punk is concerned, these guys made the definitive album. I find it endlessly endearing.

Led Zeppelin II, famous for being Lez Zeppelin's second album, is the followup to Led Zeppelin's first album, Led Zeppelin. Here, the band still sits firmly in the blues rock/hard rock crossroads, with these sorta jam sections to bring the dynamics down a little bit the old-fashioned way: Bonham and Jones keep it steady while Plant and Page sorta noodle before going back into the song. Not saying if it's good or bad but it definitely follows a pattern. Led Zeppelin is really good at what they do. Even the songs that don't stand out as much fit right in with the best songs. My favorite is easily Moby Dick, wherein Bonham has free reign to go crazy on the drums. I am, however starting to come to terms with the fact that I am not a huge Led Zeppelin fan. Nothing wrong with them specifically, I just don't find they do much for me. Either way, pretty good album!

Ryan Adams, not to be confused with Canadian menace Bryan Adams, broke out onto the scene as an alt-country singer/songwriter with something to prove. Recorded in only 14 days, Adams took his relationship woes and put them into wonderful, tender songs. It's true, Adams is a spectacular songwriter. He's also a terrible person. How do we approach such a personal album from someone who has done terrible things? I don't know. I know that I like the music, and I don't like Adams, so how could I possibly rate this fairly? Whatever, it's great. Of course it's great. Fuck Ryan Adams but this album has so much to offer.

The Velvet Underground are usually remembered fondly for their innovations to the rock music canon as a whole. Grunge, no wave, post-punk, punk rock, krautrock, prog rock, alternative rock, they all trace back to White Light / White Heat in some way. People smarter and more dedicated than myself have written about it better than I ever could, but I can at least share those same sentiments. Even Sister Ray alone, the 17-minute marathon track that dominates side B, could take credit for the ways that it pushed rock music. Most "experimental" rock music could be boiled down to just a few people with instruments fucking around, but to say that about The Velvet Underground would be underselling it's historical significance. As for me, it's certainly not an album I thoroughly enjoy, but there's no denying that this record is the root of many of my favorite albums. One small step for The Velvet Underground, one giant leap for rock music.

THE pop-punk of the 2000s. Green Day sold old? Sure, but they made a helluva album in doing so. It's an entire generation's first political album, despite the political messaging being pretty shallow. Not to mention that Green Day is actually pretty damn good at pulling together these songs. Not every songs nails it but there's a few pop-punk classics here that make this album worth mentioning. American Idiot is particularly notable for it's rock opera passages, which features Abby Road-esque medleys on Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming, though the whole album has a good flow to it. Some songs could definitely be cut to improve the overall album, and the Homecoming medley isn't nearly as good as the Jesus of Suburbia medley, but it's still a great pop-punk album and certainly worth of making the list.

Symphonic performance of Metallica songs, accompanied by Metallica. Clunky at best. If it were the orchestra on it's own, it would've made more sense because they can take creative liberties with how it would performed. Instead, you get Metallica playing their usual songs live being back by an entire orchestra, creating a sound that is so cluttered that it's hard to justify. It's like the orchestra is window dressing for the band instead of the focal point, ultimately serving as an ego boost for the biggest metal band on the planet. It's also over two hours long, though split by two CDs. I think this can be forgiven since it's meant to be a grand live performance that seizes a lot of opportunity to utilize the orchestra, but it's still quite a bit overly long for me. Ultimately, I think this set up works well for Metallica's more thematic songs. The heavier picks like Fuel and Nothing Else Matters kinda get the wind sucked out of them by the orchestra, whereas songs like One and The Call of the Ktulu are natural fits for this sort of synergy.

One Dexys Midnight Runners album is enough (the one with Come On Eileen), but this one is pretty good too. Lots of personality, energy, horns. God, there's so much brass.

Famously composed by drummer Robert Wyatt in hospital after falling out a 3rd-story window. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. Instrumentation is pretty jazz-rock with a psychedelic edge, which I don't mind too much, but Wyatt on vocals is a non-starter for me. His soft, shitty little voice does nothing for me. This is what makes Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road easily the best song on the album for me: a nice jazz-fusion instrumental track that leans heavily into the atmospheric elements. I was hoping to get more out of this album than I did. Just seems like Wyatt had a lot of half-baked ideas where a few worked but most didn't. Combine that with poor vocal execution and you've got Rock Bottom.

Father of Jeff Buckley, Tim shows exactly how good songwriting runs in the family. Happy Sad bathes in this warm atmosphere, built out of vibraphone and acoustic guitar, along with a few others to round out the sound. It gets a little weird at times but that gives it more flavor than anything. Anyway this is great. More Buckley, please

Green Onions (the song) is a bonafide classic. The smooth, walking bass paired with the bright electric organ makes it an easy song to enjoy. Unfortunately, few other songs on the album stack up. Worth noting that it's all instrumental and basically just jam sessions. Mo' Onions, for example, is a rehash of Green Onion with more guitar. Not that I'm complaining, but there's a distinct lack of structure or purpose here other than "we recorded a few jams that we liked". I don't know, I feel like there are maybe two or three good ideas in here and the rest is just cobbling together what they can. Not bad by any means but super underwhelming. I wish they just put a bit more time and effort in pulling together these songs.

For this album, we have New Order to thank. Not only did the Stone Roses get their start in New Order's club The Haçienda, but they would be heavily inspired by New Order's alternative dance innovations. Mixing this together with neo-psychadelic sounds and some jangle pop from the 60's, and we have the Stone Roses' debut album. With this new sound in their hands, The Stone Roses, alongside Happy Mondays, would be at the forefront of the Madchester genre, a precursor to britpop which would flourish later in the 90's. In the meantime, The Stone Roses would be releasing music that is rhythmically non-stop and upbeat while pulling from sound textures from the 60's and 70's. It's uniquely British, but still pretty good! Not quite for me I think but I can still appreciate quality music when I hear. Also of note, the official release didn't have Fools Gold which is fantastic song, but streaming services will include it at the end so I'm considering that version to be the official one.

East Coast royalty. When Biggie wants to go hard, it's hardcore as hell. When he wants to reel it back, it's incredibly smooth. Biggie is, without exaggeration, a master of his craft. Side note: My gf loves the song Juicy. She thinks it's so sweet hearing Biggie's rags-to-riches story. Easily the best song for radioplay, but also the best song on here for the sample flip and pacing. As frontloaded as this album is, the whole thing is a great piece of work. This is THE Notorious B.I.G. coming in hot with the debut, already at the top of his game. He rightfully deserves a lot of credit for being a legend.

Sufjan Stevens, known for his tender-yet-playful voice and eclectic songwriting, was once slated to put out an album for every U.S. state. He stopped after two. This is the second of the two! This is also widely held as his best album, and for good reason! His songwriting combined with his arrangements are unlike any other musical artist I know. His use of strings and brass help give the song more emphasis on the bigger moments. Even when it's stripped down to just Stevens' voice and guitar or banjo, he endears me to no end. The highlight for me has to be Chicago, which avid Netflix viewers may recognize from The Candidate. Dammit, my computer crash in the middle me writing this and now I've lost my train of thought. The point is that Sufjan Stevens is a national treasure and he should

Kendrick Lamar raps about life growing up in Compton, around gang life and all sorts of terrible things. This was the breakout record for Lamar, before following up with the incredible To Pimp A Butterfly 3 years later. Compared to other hip hip about gang life, Lamar paints it as a horror story rather than a hardcore bragging effort. This is impactful for suburban guys like myself who already scared of inner-city violence like this, and I'd imagine it hits hard for many others as well. Yeah, it's a great hiphop album. The 12-minute epic "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" is an easy highlight, but a few songs could but cut to give it more gravitas.

Another disco classic. Everyone knows that disco is at it's best when it's fun, light, and easy. For that reason, I can't really care for the slower ballads because they end up losing the momentum of the album. Nile Rodgers is an obvious name to shoutout given his track record, but listen for Bernard Edwards on bass as well. He lays down the best grooves and has a track record that is just as storied as Rodgers'. Anyway, pretty good! This is the sorta stuff that would inspire all-time great such as Daft Punk so I'll pay my respects.

Landmark album of the post-punk revival in the 2000s. Alongside the likes of Interpol, Bloc Party, and the National, Franz Ferdinand laid down danceable drum beats with staccato guitar riffs to make for an energetic sound that drew heavily from the rise of indie rock at the time. The end product is okay. Take Me Out is a clear winner and The Dark of the Matinée is pretty good, but the rest isn't even reaching the same levels of quality. Coming back to this one after a while, I think it's better than what I remember but still not great by any means.

I have only ever recognized this album from it's cover. I do not know the band, album title, nor any songs on it, but I'll never forget that album art. Some pretty good dance music! Very much leans into some UK psychedelic stuff from around this time. As is the case with most dance music, it leans into repetition, and repetition legitimizes. And because repetition legitimizes, it gives the music a sturdy and reliable foundation for people to dance to. The beat is important! And while I might not get a whole lot out of this band's dance music, I can still appreciate the songs for their approach to alternative dance. Album could've stopped at Damaged though, I feel like that was a good way to cap it off.

The titular song is a classic, no doubt, but Dolly Parton does simple country songs so well. It's an incredibly breezy and simple album that's worth replaying. I love Dolly's voice and her approach to songwriting, I think that's worth being on the list alone. Given how big of a star she is, though, I think there's plenty reasons why we see this album here.

Adele shook top 40 radio pop to it's core when she got hit after hit from her album 21. While her debut 19 was a strong start, this would be the album that people look back on fondly. Distinctly different from the carefree electro pop of the day, Adele was backed by piano, strings, and acoustic drums while belting her tear-stained breakup songs. I like this era of Adele. Songs like Rolling In The Deep and He Won't Go have a certain punch to them that I enjoy. 21 is notably front loaded with the exception of Someone Like You closing out the album. Otherwise, this album is a welcome change from the type of pop being made in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

John Coltrane, already well-establish as a one of jazz's greats, wanted to go in a different direction after his last album. Leaning more into avant-garde jazz, Coltrane blended elements of faith and religion to create what is effectively a new subgenre of jazz: Spiritual Jazz. More spiritual in form than in substance, A Love Supreme is a piece that honor's Coltrane's relationship with God. It is reflective, passionate, and amazing in it's music. Not only that, but this record would mark a move into free jazz, for both Coltrane and Impulse! Records. Context aside, this is a beautiful jazz record. It's a little weird, but makes up for it in spades with expert use of dynamics and improvisation that only seasoned jazz musicians could follow through on. Excellence had never sounded so good. God bless.

In the early 90s, when hiphop was exploding in seemingly all sorts of directions, Massive Attack was at the forefront of a new subgenre that incorporated hiphop beats with downtempo atmosphere. This would come to be known as Trip Hop, and Blue Line was one of the first to embody this sound. Massive Attack grounds the music in Soul vibes, pulling from different vocalists to sing and/or rap over their unique beats. A lot of Blue Line feels very smokey, mellow, and cool. This sort of hazy sound lends itself well to the R&B vocal styles, which really rounds out the songs to make them sound more complete. Massive Attack has created a really unique album here and I appreciate the successful blend of genres.

The explosion of prog rock in the late 60's and early 70's has lead to Yes doing quite well for themselves, especially after The Yes Album which came out just a few months prior to Fragile. So with a keyboardist Rick Wakeman added to the lineup, what would Yes produce? A great prog rock record, that's what. Opening with the iconic Roundabout, Fragile can easily be divided into four "big" songs with some interlude tracks to splice up the pacing. I don't think Yes needed every interlude track to be included, but I appreciate the effort to spread out the "big" tracks. Even then, some of the interludes server as a medley than anything else which is still nice. Yes are extremely good at writing music in the prog rock format. Ideas are fleshed out without dragging on for too long, and songs continue to feel fresh throughout the runtimes. I mostly enjoy the bookend tracks though.

One of the rock & roll giants of the 50's, Buddy Holly mostly sings lovey-dovey songs for teenagers who want nothing more than music with the electric guitar. While seemingly mundane today, these songs were the cutting edge of American popular music as we know it today. Short 'n sweet: that's this album. It ain't bad, but it's got little depth to it. At least, not to kind of depth we're used to. Standout out track is Rock ME My Baby, which features great use of dynamics and guitar work. The slower ballads wash over me, but the final product is by no means bad. Definitely worthy of making the list.

An aggressive take on new wave, attempting to take back the sound while dropping anything that would make it too commercial. This record is successful in standing out from the other new wave sounds of the time. Excellently weird.

Billy Joel's most successful album, by the metric that you'll hear a good chunk of these on the radio. Billy Joel is clean, playful, polished enough for the masses, making his songs a shoe-in for radio. He's also an extremely good songwriter. Sure it's piano pop rock, but it's really that good. Obvious standout is "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", which is a sentimental song that tells a bittersweet story through a few "movements", if you will. Fantastic. Great closer to side 1. The rest of it is practically that good. I don't know what else to say.

One of the most iconic metal albums. It's fast, aggressive, and here to make an impact. "Battery" opens with soft classical acoustic guitar before bursting into energy that carries all the way through the album.

Cheap-sounding short songs that might be your thing, if you like the scrappy-ness of bands like Pavement and Sonic Youth. I'd imagine opinions on this range from "sounds bad" to "sounds good because it's subversive" to "sounds boring despite being subversive" - I'm somewhere between the second and the third I think.

This is it. This is the album praised as the pinnacle of pop. Kate Bush, through her passionate songwriting and dreamy production, has gifted us the Hounds of Love in 1985. As far as anyone is concerned, Kate Bush is in her own league with this album. To just call it a "pop album" would be underselling how truly unique, how damn great it is. Some of it is cheesy, sure, but I think it's easily backed up by the incredible high moments of the album. I will say I find side B noticeably weaker than side A, making me lose interest. Incredible songs otherwise.

Solid roots rock out of Canada. Kinda folksy, but all-around a nice listen.

90's grunge with a woman singing! Need more of that. Occasionally comes across as Nirvana lite, but I still like it nonetheless. Solid stuff.

Similar to how her previous album sweeped Grammy awards, 25 walked away with two awards and the leading single, "Hello", earned 3. Obviously, the industry views Adele as a powerhouse. I do not share that sentiment. They're not bad songs, but they're not the most fantastic or memorable songs either. Adele does little to push her pop songs in new and interesting directions. Great for casual listening audiences that tune into the radio and not much more, but not so much for me. Has Adele earned a rightful spot in the annals of pop history? Sure. Has she earned a spot on any of my playlists? Probably not.

Johnny Cash plays a few country songs for a bunch of convicts. He's charismatic, devilish, and killing it. Classic album.

The second half of the 80's marked a turn for hip hop. Though Run DMC was the first touchstone group for hardcore hip hop, it would be groups like N.W.A. and Public Enemy that would get especially aggressive in their delivery, effectively popularizing the subgenre. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is an undeniable radical energy, with MC Chuck D giving hard-hitting lyrics with a tough-as-nails delivery, alongside hypeman Flavor Flav who elevates the music. While rapping is certainly good on here, it occasionally comes across as a dated and even a bit corny. Rapping has evolved a lot since 1988 and I'll be hones tin saying I'm not a huge fan of Flav's presence. The real shining star is the timeless production. Hank Shocklee, who would go on to be a member of The Bomb Squad producing Ice Cube's solo effort AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (also a great record). We also have the legendary Rick Rubin credited as an executive producer, though to what extent he's involved in the album, I don't know. Either way, the sampling and beats on this album are superb. Overall great album. Holds up well and it's almost all bangers.

Noisy post-punk songs that reveal in the dark moodiness. What makes this album distinctly unique is the sort of proto-shoegaze sound that would influence the greats like My Bloody Valentine. The large, swooping sounds from The Jesus and Mary Chain are undeniable, using reverb and distortion to wield bizarre songs of lust, adrenaline, and a myriad of other fleeting feelings. Fantastic, in a word.

I'm going to get this out of the way now: AOR kinda fuckin sucks. While new wave and synthpop were flourishing in the late 70's and early 80's, hard rock music decided to develop shorter songs and sing-along choruses which made it a particularly appealing genre for radioplay. This would eventually go on to become what we now consider "classic rock", which is a term only useful in radio marketing. The truth is that most of it isn't great, largely due to commercial interests plaguing the genre with low-effort releases as a way to spin more records more often, directly into radio-listening ears. Boston is at the forefront of this genre, and they are one of the exceptions. With this being their debut album and having much to prove, this would prove to be an exceptional record with a great recording story to boot. Tom Scholz, who played almost every instrument you hear on the album save for drums and vocals, recorded the whole thing in his personal basement studio. Not only that, but the demos were effectively a passion project of his that can be seen in many of the songs. Few people could conjure the dramatic and impressive opening to Foreplay / Long Time. The truth about Boston's Boston (1976) is that it's pretty good. It doesn't suck, and that's what matters. The big songs are on side 1, the lighter songs are on side 2, and the whole thing is tied up in a nice little bow.

Beatles early stuff ain't bad. Very pop-y, but generally uninteresting. They're fine.

I lost all my notes. It's a good album.

90's french hip hop with crossover appeal into Africa. Super cool and smooth beats with an MC who can do them justice. Even if I don't understand the lyrics, I can appreciate the personality that MC Solaar brings to the table. I wish it were a bit shorter though.

George Clinton and his band of funk masters are...weird. Undeniably so. They embrace the psychedelic while maintaining the black excellence of the funk genre. This culminates in a lot of songs that are certainly funky but also strange, not dissimilar to Frank Zappa's work. This leads to a varying level of quality where the bizarre approach holds back the better aspects of the music, but other times instills a memorable quality while the music is still able to speak for itself. Obvious highlight is Maggot Brain, which carries the whole album imo. This was their breakthrough album but I much prefer some of the earlier stuff. Not bad though.

The Who Takes The Piss. Sounds more like they were trying to write a comedy album that pokes fun at consumerism, and then wrote the music after the fact. Most songs are flat and dull, marred by poor production. The only saving grace is the song I Can See For Miles, an oasis in a desert of mediocre music. Not worth much.

Just a lot of hard rock fun. Queen's theatrics and wicked riffs make for a good time all around. Sometimes it doesn't have to be that deep.

about a year after the tremendous In Rainbows from Radiohead, we see the impact with beautiful dynamics and subtle guitars shifting the landscape of indie and alt rock as we know it. It's sounds like these that move me, leave me yearning for more. This album, however, represents an important aspect to that sound: structure. Where Radiohead expertly crafts an album of highs and lows in it's tracklisting on In Rainbows, The Seldom Seen Kid loses me pretty early on before grabbing me again on the final track. I think this is a good album with the potential to be a great one, it would just need some reworking to get it really right.

Admittedly I do not know much about the space rock revival, but this album bodes well for the genre. With sounds that are floaty, fun, and comforting, Spiritualized brings a great soundscape to the table that would surely be appreciated by the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, and maybe even My Bloody Valentine. Great record for the likes of 1992.

Great punk rock classic. It's got great energy, great noise, and a lot of attitude to go with it. Punk rock hit a real stride in 1978, and this is the embodiment of that. Worth checking out the deluxe edition that has the excellent tune "What Do I Get?".

Really great folk stuff here from Mr. Morrison. I think the thing that sets apart a lot of big folk names from one another is their unique vocal timbre and exquisite songwriting. Worth a listen for sure.

Simply great heavy metal. Signature falsetto vocals and killer riffs makes almost every song a banger.

An interesting middle ground between alt and pop rock with an undeniable bitterness surging through it's songwriting. Alanis Morissette's votes will grate but I can look past it for the better songs.

Slick and smooth country from country great k.d. lang. With a voice like that and classic country tunes that call back to the great crooners of old, you can't lose. Charming is the word I'm looking for.

Dusty has a natural voice for these old tunes. Some good songs, some not so good. This is perfectly fine.

Genuinely really interesting latin music. The album flows beautifully from one track to the next exploring a variety of worldly sounds not often heard by guys like myself. Unique production notes include the use of field recordings from this guy's laptop in 1998! Perhaps commonplace now, but a total novelty back then. Excellent music from outside the usual US/UK stream.

It is worth noting that, while recorded in 1963, this album did NOT get a release until 1985. According to wikipedia, Cooke's label RCA Victor "viewed the album as too gritty and raw and possibly damaging to his pop image", which is why they didn't put it out at the time. Which is absurd, if you ask me. Sam Cooke is such a natural performer, his charisma and personality oozes out of this record. Him and his band keep the good times rolling through the entire runtime, an incredible feat. The essence of this record is that Cooke is playing so much to his audience, who plays an important part by matching Cooke's energy. This is what really makes the album so great, having the audience and Cooke playing off one another in a vibrant live show that feels so real when listening to it. It is a shame that, almost two years after this performance, Sam Cooke's life would be cut short in a frankly puzzling altercation. This album is a relic, one of Cooke in his prime doing what he did best. Incredible.

Soft and sweet singer/songwriter James Taylor serenades for all of a half-hour. It's nice enough.

The ultimate grunge album. The grunge album to end all grunge albums. Wow, that baby's penis is really blown on up my computer screen. Hold on, I need to block it. The hooks are infectious and dirty, like an open wound. Cobain's personality shines through every song with his raw vocals. The bass and drums hit like a ton of bricks; it's the sound of a decade and yet it's timeless. The songs I've heard a thousand times before are still great, and the songs I've barely heard at all are refreshing and just as good. It's the perfect noise.

Grime is a uniquely British genre intersecting hip hop and EDM, utilizing syncopated breakbeat samples to create an aggressive, energetic beat for rapping over. Boy In Da Corner is one of the foundational albums of the grime genre, winning the 2003 Mercury Music Prize and thus earning the new sound some legitimacy. Stylistically, this raw production style and MCing reminds me of the east-coast Definitive Jux production on the other side of the pond, though Dizzee Rascal is certainly a lot less abstract in his lyrics. I'll be honest, I have a certain bias against UK hip hop. I find the accent to be more irritating than anything, which leaves a lot to be desires when that's the majority of the album. I like the production otherwise though, it's unique enough to stand out.

Surprised to any form of Celtic music on here. Pulling from Irish folk music specifically, The Pogues put a heavier, modern spin on the old sounds of folk music (tin whistles, accordion, and bodhrán accompanied by electric bass and rock drums) while also punching up a few traditional songs. They also do the classic Christmas tune Fairytale of New York, though I could do without the unnecessary use of the slur FAGGOT. It also feels out of place, given the rest of the album's tone. I admittedly have a soft spot for these tunes because I heard a bunch of these (or songs like these) growing up. It's fun to hear the full collection like this, and I feel the traditional Irish folk influence is refreshing. My grievances with the album fall with Shane MacGowan's strained vocals, but it's made up for the chorus when they come in to back him up. A fantastic bunch of lads here, this album is a party.

#2 that I've encountered now in the Big Three of Big Beat, having heard Fatboy Slim prior and expecting The Prodigy to pop up at some point. I wasn't so impressed with Fatboy Slim's work, but I can get behind what The Chemical Brothers are doing with their debut. Layering psychadelic textures over groovy drum breaks, Exit Planet Dust exists in a perpetual party that is dense in soundscape. It's worth noting that Song To The Siren is the first-ever Big Beat song, being released as a single all the way back in 1992. This makes The Chemical Brothers he inventors of Big Beat, essentially, so their debut really cannot be understated. While not their best work, Exit Dust Planet is an important foray into the great club music of the 90's, especially in the UK. Also worth noting that this music is extremely repetitive. Take that as you will.

Rod Stewart, the man of many genres, had humble beginnings as a roots rock guy with a tinge of soul. It's not very good. It's like, he's definitely performing rock music, but it has no oomf to it. It's hard to describe but I find the whole sound so mundane and unoriginal. He does barely anything interesting with the music he's writing. There's a few good songs on here, I'll give him that, but Rod Stewart does not inspire much in the rock field.

This is the Beatles' masterpiece. When they decided to stop touring and become solely a studio band in 1966, they had a brilliant idea for their next record: let's bring the performance home to the record-buyers. Everything about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is spectacle, from the album cover to the audience cheering at the opening tracks and then some. I love how this album plays with unique and fresh ideas that still sound like a fitting part of this technicolor album. Off the top of my head, Within You Without You, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, and a Day In The Life do drastically different things and they're all excellent without feeling out of place. More than anything, I would describe Sgt. Pepper's as a showcase of sorts. The Beatles want to convince you of all the cool new songwriting and production tricks they've learned, fully committing themselves to developing an album that is impressive on all accounts (and, subsequently, impossible to play live at the time). This the the Beatles with no restrictions whatsoever. Fully free to make the greatest possible album that they can, with a whopper of a closer to go with it. Goosebumps.

From Wikipedia: "James Delingpole in a January 1997 review in The Daily Telegraph wrote the band had produced a 'strange mix of Bowie-esque glam rock, school-of-Syd-Barrett psychedelia and DIY kitsch'". I could not have said it better. This band is so distinctly out of time for 1996, it's hard to praise it for doing anything particularly daring. For what it's worth, Fuzzy Logic is certainly a successful blend of these influences. I just feel they do little to expand on them in a way that matters. It's a good sound, but nothing to write home about. Is this the best 90's act that Wales has to offer? I hope not.

In 1977, the Talking Heads had a vague idea of their sound but nothing was really cemented. In 1978, the Talking Heads had Brian Eno. I can't overstate Eno's influence enough. A distinct focus on rhythm and leaning into David Byrne's distinct style as a frontman leads to More Songs About Buildings And Food being a more polished, focused sound for the band compared to their debut album. I think it's a great step up and the first true album that is the Talking Heads' signature sound. Iconic.

A production masterpiece that was also a nightmare to complete. This was effectively a swan song for the tumultuous three known as The Police. Egos at odds, but bright ideas brimming at the seems. Pressure truly can make a diamond (see: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours). Is this the Police's Rumours? It certainly feels that way.

Imagine a dark, inner-city street. Hear the keys enter the ignition and turn the car on. Now the car is rolling, making it's way to nowhere in particular. The radio comes to life, but it's all scattered voices and static. Follow the car for a little before stopping by a shady alleyway. There's a woman there, muttering strange things to herself. Who is she? Is she alright? Footsteps on the pavement, getting closer and closer as the woman's deranged words get more feverish. Tension builds until suddenly, a scream from the woman! She's been murdered! We have a case on our hands. Barry Adamson is determined to tell you a story. He takes the idea of a concept album and completely commits to a narrative focus. This is a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. Vibes are noir, dirty, and cold. I can't help but be reminded of Roman Polanski or David Lynch, as Adamson weaves familiar scenes into each song. To say this album is ambitious would be an understatement. Adamson is banking on listeners being open to the idea of an imaginary film in addition to experimental elements in the songwriting. The Swinging Detective is easily my favorite song on here, but the whole album is really something to behold. Certainly one of the most unique albums on the list, though it can suffer from being sort of boring and narratively vague (likely on purpose, though i still personally struggled with it. Worth listening to once for the novelty, then never again.

It takes a lot of guts to name your album after one of the great jazz albums in music history. The Boo Radleys' album is nothing like John Coltrane's album, but let's boil it down anyway. The Boo Radleys' pull from quite a few sounds of the 90's. One of the most prominent aspects of this record is the shoegaze, utilizing electric guitars to their fullest extent by going full reverb and volume. This is contrasted by the britpop songwriting style that keeps things light, particularly in the singing and guitar hooks. This gives Giant Steps some contrast in relation to the alternative, ethereal sound of shoegaze. Good songwriting and good sounds makes for a nice, unique blend overall. More than anything, though, this album is steeped in psychedelia. It's a fresh and fun take on the genre that always feels like it's been done to death. It also flows nicely, making for an enjoyable experience from top to bottom. My big gripe with Giant Steps is that is will feel generally unfocused as a cohesive unit. This reminds me of Radiohead's OK Computer in a few ways, which would be released a mere 4 years later. Coming close to being spectacular but falling just short, we will applaud The Boo Radleys nonetheless for this spectacular showing. Well done, lads.

After the incredible success of her prior album, Hounds of Love, Kate Bush effectively had total artistic freedom. She had proven herself as being a pop virtuoso, being skilled in songwriting, production, and performance. Kate Bush was untouchable, and could do whatever the hell she wanted. The Sensual World comes across as her most mature and subtle work to date. Instead of big bombastic vocal performances, Bush lets the instruments tell their story while blending in her voice which results in a more polished, appreciated product. Admittedly, I enjoy this a lot more than her previous works (though nothing will ever top the song Running Up That Hill). Really just a wonderful release from the pop queen. I expect nothing less.

I was largely unimpressed until the title track came on. What an incredible take on psych rock. As nice as the country parts were, I much preferred when Clark experimented with other sounds. Those memorable moments made for a great album though, so I can't fault it much. Much preferred this to White Light (which is listened to earlier on the list).

One of the cool things about the mid 2000's was this new genre called "new rave" that blended elements of dance punk with popular electronic genres at the time such as electro-house and electroclash. I personally pin the kickstart on LCD Soundsystem, though they are not actually new rave. Anyway, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs pivoted to this sound for their third album and it's solid as hell. Really big, exciting sound that encourages a punkish live instrumentation with dance beats and synthesizer. I feel it kinda loses momentum after the second track and never picks it up after that. A bit disappointing because i enjoyed those first two songs, and a full album of them would've been excellent. Not saying the rest is bad, just fine.

The Damned, one of the original punk bands at the inception of the genre, aims to go faster and louder with their third record. This sound has markings of the upcoming hardcore punk subgenre of the 80's, but for now we're in a sort of punk limbo. Most of this is really great. Just definitive punk all throughout, save for the strange "These Hands" at the end of side A. I'm a big fan of punk anyway so I was bound to like it anyway.

The Colour Of Spring is something of a bridge album for Talk Talk. The prior two albums would feature a distinct synthpop sound; not especially notable but still fitting for the 80's. It would be this album, their third, that would indicate a pivot in sound. We start to see more acoustic instrumentation and a concise focus on songwriting, utilizing these instruments to layer sounds in such a way that it feels like a moving collage (imagine the album cover, but animated). In doing go, Talk Talk creates more delicate, refined sonic textures that are well-crafted. Just superb. These new songwriting skills would carry over into their following two album, in which we would see the beginnings of post-rock as a genre. As such, we should regard The Colour Of Spring as an important stepping stone for Talk Talk as they explore more sonic pallets.

Frank Grillo "Machito" was one of the first guys to bring afro-cuban rhythms into jazz. This was a distinct style point that brought new life into the genre by focusing on the excellent percussion from Cuba (congas, bongo, timbales) while also utilizing the 2-3 son and 3-2 son clave rhythms with the horns and melodies of big band jazz. Kenya is a prime example of this work, as best shown in the song Frenzy, which is aptly named. I love the energy and blend of styles on display here, it's a real treat. It's not the most varied or excellent show of jazz in general, but based on the stylistic premise I can still enjoy this album and what it has to offer. I do wish, however, that an album called "Kenya" featured more music styling from East Africa, such as Taarab.

The success story of Back to Black is twofold. The first and most obvious is Amy Winehouse, who was the new soul voice in pop that had something to prove. While her debut album, Frank, was generally well-received, Winehouse was still only young. She held a lot of promise for her next album, which would be one drenched in many emotions as she struggled with her relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. This would be an excellent followup to her debut, proving to be more mature, vulnerable, and refined sound for the still-young Winehouse. Our second star here is Mark Ronson, who is producing most tracks on this album such as "Back to Black", "You Know I'm No Good", and of course the iconic single "Rehab". Ronson had done more than a few producing jobs before this, but none had gained him as much industry recognition as this album. Ronson would net his first Grammy nomination and win thanks to this album, so he owes quite a bit to Ms. Winehouse. His production would hone in on Winehouse's old-soul vocal styles and call back to sounds similar to 1960's girl groups while polishing them up for a contemporary audience. This sort of production work inspires a sort of new nostalgia that audiences almost certainly appreciated. Back to Black would be mutually-beneficial relationship for Winehouse and Ronson as they bring the best out of each other. Sadly, this would be Winehouse's final studio album before her untimely passing in 2011. Perhaps the writing was on the wall, but her struggles with drugs, alcohol, and mental illness would culminate in a tragic end to her life. I like to think that she will be remembered fondly thanks to Back to Black, as a shining star with a golden voice. Ronson would go on to find even more success, particularly with a certain Bruno Mars, but Ronson will always have Back to Black to credit for his breakthrough as a producer. A clear classic for the 2000's.

A very ugly, vibrant album. It's like you're being serenaded by an old sailor with only one eye, recounting tales of curious oddities and spooky characters. Waits is a one-of-a-kind songwriter who knows his voice and his capabilities when crafting music like this. He paints a picture of the city in a way that can only be described as "eerily accurate". It's fantastic. There's no one else like Tom Waits. I treasure these songs.

I consider Station to Station to be Bowie's prologue to his famed Berlin trilogy. For those unaware, the Berlin trilogy consists of the three album that came out right after Station to Station, that being Low, Heroes, and Lodger, all written during Bowie's time in Berlin. This period during 1976 to 1977 was pivotal, as Bowie would work with such great names as Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Lou Reed, and a few others. While punk rock was developing, Bowie would be in Berlin effectively crafting the beginnings of post-punk with Iggy Pop. It's hard not to understate the important of his Berlin albums. So why was he in Berlin? Well, Bowie was dealing with a cocaine addiction around the time of Station to Station, and was dealing with a great bit of backlash from the fascist elements of his "thin white duke" character. It's clear that Station to Station comes from a darker place of his psyche, but wielded in such a way that the music speaks for itself. Bowie transforms himself several times over his career, and this is probably the most striking one for me. Each song carries so much weight, there's not a second wasted on this record. Bowie would go on to claim that he does not remember making Station to Station. He would realize his cocaine use had spiraled out of control and decided to move to Europe to kick the habit. I think this album carries a big weight in Bowie's career, showing both the excellence and problems with his music and performance. I appreciate it deeply for being a standout art rock album. Absolutely worthy of praise.

That's the Way of the World is a 1975 film about the struggles of the music industry as record execs rule with an iron fist. It's alright. That's the Way of the World is also a 1975 album that soundtracks the film. This would be during Earth, Wind & Fire's (EWF) fourth lineup, and arguably the most successful one. This was still before Let's Groove, Boogie Wonderland, or their undeniable hit September, but you could tell they were bonafide masters of the groove at this point. I'm not so keen on the ballads here, but I was never a ballad guy anyway. Just good vibes all-around. Worth noting that the success from this album is what allowed EWF to add on the Phenix Horns, a brass section that would be famous for their contributions to EWF from here on out. This album is a great starting point for EWF's discography, as the early stuff can be a lot to sort through, and you get a real sense of evolution with this group from here on out.

First of all, this is an EP, so write that down. Second, I would actually recommend the compilation Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles, which is pretty self-explanatory. Early singles such as Touch Me I'm Sick and Hate The Police are essentials, so you'd be missing out if you didn't give it a listen. Okay, onto Superfuzz Bigmuff proper. This is one of the original great grunge bands, along with the C/Z Records crowd at the time. They had an awesome vibe very similar to Sonic Youth, with loud guitars and in-your-face attitude that signaled the beginning of the 90's. I do think that the songwriting isn't quite as good as what they were making with the likes of Touch Me I'm Sick, but it's still an important source of inspiration with Kurt Cobain citing it on his 50 favorite albums.

This is my favorite album of all time. Hands down. In a time when the music industry was constantly scrambling over digital music piracy and how to get a handle on things, Radiohead self-released an album on their website with a pay-what-you-want format. The price tag basically said "free". It was huge, considering this isn't some up-and-coming indie band. This is Radiohead, for god's sake. And it was a damn good album. In Rainbows gives you two tracks to set the tone: 15 Step to move through smooth syncopated beats while the rest of the band rides a sonic wave of grooves. Then, blasting onto the scene is Bodysnatchers, a fast-paced distortion-filled barn-burner that is worth the price of admission alone. But it plays a bigger part in the tracklist of In Rainbows as we move from this crazy beast of a song to the rest of the album. From here, the album begins to slow down and appreciate it's own beauty, showcasing the sonic depth and maturity of Radiohead's songwriting and production. Everything sounds lush and purposeful. Not a second is wasted on this runtime. I tend to lump the middle of this album together mentally as Nude through to House of Cards all have a similar atmosphere. Normally I would consider this a bad thing, but each song is still able to deliver a distinct personality that it doesn't feel too same-y. Consistency without boredom. This brings us into the last two tracks, where things start to pick up again. Jigsaw Falling Into Place is an energetic song that that builds spectacularly. This is tied for my favorite song on the album with Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, which is a beautifully sweeping track in it's own right. Our closing song is Videotape, which is a solemn song that utilizes the odd timing and loops to disorient the listener. It's an incredibly powerful end to an album that still manages to wow me to this day. While most people did not bother to pay for the download, Radiohead still made excellent money off of this album. It was proof that people will still want to buy music if the product is worth it's salt (and if you have enough dedicated fans). When the album hit retail shelves, it debuted at #1 on the UK albums chart. Truly, In Rainbows is a testament to excellent craftsmanship and defying industry standards. What a record.

Very uninteresting jazz. This is the sort of thing you hear in an abandoned mall, perpetually out of time. About as close as you get to muzak without actually being muzak. This is background music.

EDM album out of the UK Garage scene. Beats are uniquely jittery and almost erratic, creating an interesting foundation for the smooth padded synths and jazzy samples. This is all layered over some lovely vocals, many of which are lent by Elizabeth Troy. I am not a fan of the UK Garage scene. I find it to be clunky and somewhat abrasive in how it handles the beats, which is usually the crux of the genre.

On record for one of the longest single-disc LP's at nearly an hour long, Todd Rundgren's A Wizard, a True Star is a sprawling piece of art pop that takes you on a musical journey like no other. Songs feel more like vignettes for a larger piece of work as we chug along from one scene to the next, occasionally sticking around a little longer to ground the listener. The album cover accurately captures the kind of experience that this album is. It is certainly strange and sort of loses the plot halfway through side A only pick things up again near the end of side A. Side B slows things down with ballads and a particularly smooth medley. Rundgren's experimentation with psychedelic drugs is on full display with how this record flows, it's an excellent listen throughout. It helps that Rundgren was already an established producer/engineer by this point, so he really brings his own vision to life here. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Another important piece in the post-hardcore puzzle. Drive Like Jehu leans heavy into making more noise than their contemporaries and doing it in a way that feels like calculated chaos. Guitars drive and clash against each other like cars of a demolition derby, occasionally playing in sync playing in a satisfyingly fast way to deliver the hook. It's a vicious and biting record that accomplishes it's sound in spades.

It's fine. I should say more and maybe mention that these guys were integral to the third wave power pop sound of the 90's, but I found this album too boring to find motivation for writing.

After the post-punk stepping stone that is The Idiot, Iggy Pop returns mere months later with another album that comes raging in, best exemplified by the excellent title-track opener. I love the drums on this more than anything, what can I say. Compared to The Idiot though, this album significantly tones it down and brings things to cruising speed. This especially evident on side B, which is fine. I like Iggy Pop, for what it's worth, but the slow stuff doesn't do much for me. This album, though, is still an important part of Bowie's Berlin saga, as the producing of this album helped inspired Bowie for "Heroes". The great thing about Lust For Life is that it brings out the best in two great musicians and friends (even if I don't jive with it completely), and that's awesome.

The 60's were a wild time to be a part of the jazz scene. Bebop, established in the 40's out of necessity to contrast the big band boys, had grown into hard bop in the 50's with an influence of blues melodies. Then the 60's came around and we can see the need to break down the walls of conventional jazz rules, a way to start reinventing the genre; Charles Mingus has always been at the forefront of this. Mingus plays by his own definitions of jazz along with Ornette Coleman (not featured on this list) to bring a new experience to listeners. The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady is a crowning achievement of Mingus and Avant-garde jazz as a whole. It's theatrical, progressive, and beautiful all in one package. Truth be told, this is an album that should be wholly experienced, with art and liner notes. Additional, this is a successful blend of jazz and classical that is never boring or excessive. I don't know how else to talk about it other than encouraging you to really listen, with more than just your ears, and visualize this album to the best of your ability.

I am immediately skeptical of funk music made by white guys (especially ENGLISH white guys), and frontman Jay Kay has an, uh, interesting appreciation for indigenous cultures. I'll say this much: it's clearly evident how much this sound influenced pop music to come. Production is tight and lively, providing stark contrast from the plastic-y production of the 80's. Jay Kay is also a talented enough songwriter that the songs are fun and listenable. That's all the good things I have to say about it. I simply find this out-of-time funk to be too watered down to be good. It's a poor mimic of the funk of the 60's and 70's. The acid jazz is particularly frustrating, which is used more as a prop for the music rather than actually appreciating jazz for it's deep and complex history in music. I feel a deep resentment towards this music for being so vapid, so vain. Whenever read the lyrics I want to strangle Jay Kay. Despite being so competently made, it comes close to having a net negative value on music as a whole.

The Undertones, notable for being part of the first wave of pop punk, are back with their second album. Very similar to their debut album, but a lot more funny and snarky. Good energy, good hooks, worth a listen for pop punk history.

Lost my notes again. In short, frontman is a great songwriter and the band can keep up. Also, not country music.

Steely Dan, particularly in the year 2022. has cemented themselves as the pop-jazz-rock masters. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are the obvious rocks for this band, but I must also give a well-deserved credit to producer Gary Katz, who serves as an unofficial member of the band in a way. It is especially impressive that these singles have stood the test of time, having heard Do It Again, Reelin' In the Years, and Dirty Work prior. Really every song on here is a solid piece of work. Whole album is tight: 5 great songs on side A, 5 more on side B, clocking in 40 minutes total. Perfect blend of jazz and rock to make it pop without watering down anything. They're just damn fine songs; a pinnacle of quality.

The Arctic Monkeys entered the garage rock revival of the 2000's right around the peak, so they had a lot to gain from their debut album with a honed attack of tight drums, jittery guitar, and a driving bassline to hold it all down. Most notable of the Arctic Monkey's sound is vocalist Alex Turner's accent, which makes Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not feel like a natural sequel to the britpop of the 90's (the band has cited Oasis as an influence; quelle suprise). One of the impressive things about this record is how danceable it is. Not only is it filled with energy and fun grooves, but it explicitly makes references to dance. "Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984", "Get on your dancing shoes", references to clubs and drinking. This is an album for a night out on the town. You can even see it on the album cover, with the glazed over eyes, enjoying a drunk cigarette. Between the blaring dance tracks are the occasional slow, tender songs that break things up. Ultimately this album plays out like a Saturday night, ending as the sun rises on a Sunday morning and the boys stumble home having worn themselves out. Well-paced, but still maintains the fun factor throughout. This is a widely successful by many metrics. It moved units, was praised by critics, and landed several awards including a grammy (but the grammys are a sham anyway). Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is worth your time. Take a glimpse into english nightlife in the 2000's.

I checked to see if X's much more notable debut album Los Angeles is in the list and it is not, so do yourself a favor and good listen to that right now. X makes generally good punk. By 1981 we would start to see hardcore punk take over so for X to stick to what they know is a safe call. X's style of punk is more rooted rockabilly sound, which allows them to standout. They excel most when the songs are fast and driving, full of energy. Wild Gift is a good showing from X but I find it more underwhelming than not.

Selling England By The Pound is Gensis' magnum opus. Well, really it's frontman Peter Gabriel's magnum opus. Prior to his departure from the band in 1975, Peter Gabriel with Genesis was making some of the finest prog rock around. This band could play with the best of 'em: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, etc. Selling England By The Pound is a tight hour of songs builds in an epic way. Prog music always liked it's big moments, well you'll find plenty here. Truth be told, my favorite points are the simpler, quieter lulls of the album such as More Fool Me, which I feel is more indicative of the pop that Gabriel would go on to make. Your mileage will vary. If you've heard the prog rock from this time period, you will already know how you'll feel about this album. I'm pretty lukewarm on prog rock, but this is done well-enough that I walk away more impressed than not.

Wu-Tang is for the kids! This album is lightning in a bottle, never captured before or since. While other hip-hop groups have brought their A-game (Sugarhill Gang, N.W.A., Brockhampton, etc.), only the Wu-Tang Clan have delivered an album so hardcore, so tight, and so impressive. Not a second is wasted with every member giving their all, from RZA's beats to every MC featured. Also worth noting that this album would launch successful solo careers for several members, including GZA, Ghostface Killah, and of course Ol' Dirty Bastard who passed too soon. There's not a bad song on here. People who bought this cassette back in the 90's got 100% of their money's worth this one. I can't say enough thing about Wu-Tang's untouchable debut. Enter the 36 chambers....

Dark and moody, Portishead utilized subtlety to bring us an excellent trip hop album that loves it's jazz influences. Their excellence is twofold: the first being Adrian Utley's production that sets the mood for Dummy along with some of the best sampling at that time. Geoff Barrow is also worth crediting for introducing Utely to sampling and production work, while Barrow does the programming and a few other things on Dummy. The second great element of Portishead is Beth Gibbons and her smooth vocals. Her ambiance is unmatched and is a perfect fit for the smokey instrumentals. Dummy is purposeful, methodical, and impressive in it's execution. It's like a long cigarette break on the graveyard shift.

Eric Clapton was a notable guitarist who did great work with the Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and The Dominos, and a few others. He then went on to be an underwhelming solo artist. Now he is a washed up old racist man. Who cares? This album is dead boring, which is an unforgivable sin in music. If you bought this album instead of literally anything else in the record store then you wasted your money. There are maybe two songs on here worth listening to (not the Bob Marley cover). Don't bother with this one.

Jimmy Smith is a notable soul jazz artist. Soul jazz came about around the time of cool jazz and bebop, incorporating melodies and rhythms from Gospel and R&B. This allowed for the genre to grow, influencing the soon-to-be genre of hard bop which would also take inspiration from gospel and R&B. Jimmy Smith's play in all of this was his fantastic organ skills, which almost certainly pulls from Booker T's "Green Onions" here. Smith also gives Stanley Turrentine time to shine on alto sax, smooth as ever. Turrentine is can also be found playing with Abbey Lincoln, Duke Jordan, and Kenny Burrell on some fantastic jazz records. Speaking of, Burrell is the man on guitar for this record, doing a fantastic job of keeping things held down. Lastly we have Donald Bailey rounding out the quartet on drums. He's a steady swing while also adding personality to the track. He compliments the boys very well while also keeping time. Overall this is a short but sweet collection of jazz tunes that are done excellently.

These songs are fine. I think that Beth Orton is a competent songwriter. Stolen Car is pretty good. The rest I found to be passably boring.

Songhoy Blues has a fascinating story about cultural roots and geopolitical issues. Make no mistake, this is not just "world music" or even "African music". It's in the name; Songhoy Blues makes music that is a blend of Songhai music and blues rock. Hailing from Timbuktu, the group takes inspiration from Ali Farka Touré (also from Mali) and his style of Songhai music mixed with blues. Honoring the Songhai traditions while exploring other sounds makes for a wholly unique listen. These guys know what they're doing and they're making damn good music. I'll mention now that this album got some exposure thanks to production from Nick Zinner, best known from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I don't know how much he adds in terms of production but I can safely say that this album is not about him. Songhoy Boys are a great band, with or without a fancy American producer.

Badly Drawn Boy is just one guy: Damon Gough. Gough plays guitar, piano, harmonica, percussion, harp, etc. Obviously very talented, Gough is filled to the brim with ideas for his very first album. After a string of EPs, you could tell that Gough was eager to put together something bigger and more impactful. This is a helluva record. Incredibly wistful and complex, it's obvious that Gough put a lot of heart and soul into this record. Some flavors of folk, pop, and indie weirdness in there too. In some ways it reminds me of OK Computer with how it utilizes strings and moments of peaks and valleys to create an overall ambitious record.

According to wikipedia, this record was saved from a studio fire by it's producer, Suba, who subsequently died due to smoke inhalation. What a story! What a blissful sound. Bebel Gilberto's take on bossa nova is uniquely hers, incorporating atmospheric elements to create the ultimate calming record. Every song is a pleasant listen, though the most notable one is the Summer Samba cover. Perhaps the songs could be more memorable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

New Wave megalith XTC takes a left turn after their last album, taking inspiration from late 60's psychedelic pop. This sound is a perfect fit the songwriting talents of Andy Partridge, who expertly weaves various different sounds in and out of each song. Listening to Skylarking feels like listening to something special, like what the Beach Boys' Smile was meant to be. It genuinely feels like there are no low points in this album. Excellence.

Here's what I imagine a dating profile for the everly brothers would look like: We are: Two caucasian, gentle brothers who sing about love and girls. You are: A teen girl. Any teen girl, really. Our label says you're our core demographic so you'll probably like our songs, right? We like: Long walks on the beach, serenading pretty girls, and self-pity. We are incredibly lonely and sad. Please date us. Our talents: We can harmonize incredibly well. Despite this, our songs are shallow and we use our harmonizing talents exclusively to sell records to girls like you. Come see us live too! Where we see ourselves in ten years: We'll have a pretty good country-rock album, but we ultimately have solo ambitions. Phil (the younger brother) will smash his guitar during a live performance and walk off, thus cementing our solo split. More notable than our solo efforts, however, will be our impact on pop music, influencing the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Simon & Garfunkel. That's gotta count for something, right?