169
Albums Rated
3.31
Average Rating
16%
Complete
920 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Psychedelic-rock
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
22
5-Star Albums
6
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
|
5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
|
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Drunk
Thundercat
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
|
5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
|
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
|
5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
|
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Teen Dream
Beach House
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Protection
Massive Attack
|
1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
|
John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
|
1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
|
The Coral
The Coral
|
1 | 3 | -2 |
|
Among The Living
Anthrax
|
1 | 2.85 | -1.85 |
|
Bad
Michael Jackson
|
2 | 3.81 | -1.81 |
|
Metallica
Metallica
|
2 | 3.79 | -1.79 |
|
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
|
2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
|
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
|
2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
5-Star Albums (22)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
4/5
Wow. Impressed. Heard of X, I think, but never listened before. It’s catchy, pared down, good variety, not too one note. I hear ramones, pixies, misfits, Jefferson airplane, sonic youth, iggy and the stooges, that says it all. Saved the album to my library.
21 likes
The Only Ones
5/5
Holy shit… that was awesome. This is exactly what I was looking for on 1001, bangers that were never on my radar. This album had a bit of Telivision, Roxy Music, Bowie, Violent Femmes and Of Montreal. First song was a good reforestation of the rest of the album, genre mashup, sounded like Roy Orbison mixed with Television. This album has everything I want, Proto punk, good breakdowns, solid recording and fidelity. What an impressive big sound and on top of that Horns and Keys, and in that way predicts and transcends punk and post punk. Loved it. Saved it. 5.
20 likes
N.W.A.
3/5
Waaaayy too long. I feel like they needed to edit this down to half. The first few songs it was like they were trying to squeeze everyone in. It’s interesting, never listened to the full album and I’m realizing now Gangster rap was created during this album: there’s a stark difference between the songs, some still stuck in the 80s paradigm. It may have been created but it sure wasn’t mastered, later albums Dre would produce like The Chonic abd Doggystyle epitomize the gangster rap style and do it much better. Weird to think the Beastie Boys came out before this, you hear it sampled a few times, it puts the album into perspective, because the beastie boys album was better, more complete song craft. Dr. Dre’s sampling really shines in some of the interludes. Easy E was annoying and not a great rapper—apparently he was a drug dealer and funded the album, most of his shit was written by others and it shows. MC Ren, Dre and Ice Cube all stand out as better. I liked a couple of the more 80’s style non-gangster songs like “Somethit Like That” and “Express Yourself.” Not a terrible album but not yet fully cooked. 2-3, C+, gets extra credit for be prescient re: Fuck the Police.
15 likes
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Best Rock Drummer, Top 5 singer, Top 5 Guitar player, Best 6th man in John Paul Jones. Can’t do better than that. I’m always amazed that this album came out in 69’, it ahead of its time. Early metal, with some folk, lots of blues and a little middle eastern. There are some epic compositions, great breakdowns, solos, hooks. Pretty great album. “Good Times Bad Times” best drums? good hook, good solo. Babe I’m Going to Leave you, best riff? Gage me goosebumps. “You Shook me” was a little tough after blues fatigue—but I have to look at this objectively, and objectively it’s dope, with a great drum fill at the end. “Dazed and Confused” best breakdown? “Black Mountain Side” some fun middle eastern vibes. “Communication Breakdown” is a classic who style rock song. “How Many More Times” great groove. I don’t know if it’s because it’s been two of my favorite bands, but wow, two 5 stars in one week.
12 likes
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Upbeat, epic, dramatic. Both modern and retro. Is thus the Big Little Lies intro song guy? Each one of these songs seemed well though out and composed, had a beginning middle and end. I’m impressed. Not a bad song, so I guess it’s a 5.
11 likes
1-Star Albums (6)
All Ratings
Otis Redding
3/5
Love the vamping and jamming at the end of the songs. Is this the best covers album ever? Would it be better if he wasn’t doing covers and just camping and jamming. Backing band deserves credit for the jams. I found this album to be punctuated by the fade outs, songs always ended just when he was beginning to have fun—probably a radio play thing, but it’s cutting off the best part of the band and his performance each time. I think these songs would each be 7 minutes in a modern album. Love track 1, intro is on point, love that guitar sound, saved for later. Less of a fan of track 2, generic swing R&B. Voice really shines in track 3, better than the Sam Cooke original. Track 4 really swings, head bopper, would be fun to dance to, loved the skat at the end. Track 5 is another song showcasing the voice, nice waltz, hood breakdown at the end. Track 6 is swinging but kind of cookie cutter, though it includes the line, “shake it like a bowl of soup” haha. Track 7, hard to beat the vocal harmonies of the temptations on the chorus, the vibrato on “girl” is beautiful. Track 8, another cover, meh, does include the line, “I don’t know what a slide rule is for” lol, anti-intellectualism. Track 9, Nice driving blues, guitar solo in the middle was just okay, he does ask the girl to fuck him until “my back ain’t got no bones.” Track 10, don’t like this version of satisfaction, worst song on album, original is more nuanced. Track 11, nice ballad, chill, FADE OUTS!!
Dusty Springfield
2/5
If nothing else, this is a very good SOUNDING album, well produced. The music sounds good, but is a bit one note. For someone who thought Dusty Springfield was a one hit wonder this is a pleasant surprise. Sounds almost like a female Isaac Hayes (or he like her) the orchestration, the back up singers and horns. The hook on Son of a Preacher man is undeniable. Awesome drum sound throughout, especially the first few songs. Love the guitar noodling on track 5. Track 7 has a great crescendo. I like it when the end of the album goes a bit more boho and experimental, sitars, Spanish guitar, chimes, interesting word play—I kind of like the Jefferson starship leanings here better than the R&B sex ballads. Track 8 almost gets to a 007 intro, epic vibe. Overall, fun to explore the album, sounded nice, but ultimate background more music.
Traffic
1/5
I’m gonna say 1 because this made me want to give dusty Springfield a better score. Great jamming, great vibes. Proto Prague/Jazz fusion but it leaves a lot to be desired. Traffic and Steve Winwood seem like a half thought, like they never think hard about their albums, just jam and throw on some lyrics. First two tracks are pretty good, great vibe, good walking songs, good musicianship, but ultimately repetitive. Tracks 3 and 4 seem stunted, weird tempo, bad vocals didn’t work for me. Track 5 goes somewhere interesting sounds almost medieval, tells a story, good flute. Track 6 is strong, cool organ sound—same as my favorite traffic song—really shines on the breakdown. Some moments where it shines, but as a complete album it kind of flops. Sorry Dusty Springfield.
Duran Duran
2/5
First word to describe this album, it’s ecstatic. It’s like a new wave wall of synthesized sound. With the first track your thrust into the frenetic tempos and layers of sound. The singing and chorus work to bring it back to earth. Like Dusty Springfield abd the Smith’s before it though, this album feels like a package of good songs surrounding that banger hit in the middle, Hungry Like the Wolves, which shows more balance, a better hook and chorus and harmonies holding it together. I liked this album but felt that it was missing what I love about new wave, the post punk and pre rock minimalism and exploration of ennui. Track 3 starts with the post punk I’m looking for then builds to return to the ecstatic synth wall. I found the digital drums effects and dominating bass annoying, showing the albums age. There is really only two songs not super up tempo. Last song is dope, it goes where I want this album to go and scratches my new wave/post punk itch. Shows where new wave can go. Shows what elements were retained andwhich were cast aside. The annoying and thrumming pervasive baseline is nowhere to be found. I prefer the minimalism here to the maximalism that takes center stage on the rest of the album. It’s proto modern electric indy and I wish there was more. Though I will say, I had a great time listening through it and wished I had leg warmers, hair spray and a brightly colored Walkman to accompany it. PS, big fan of the album art.
Neil Young
4/5
Surprise, surprise, Neal Young is a great song writer. First song very Grateful Dead, chill party song vibes. Second song has great keys. Only heard this album once, but have heard a lot of good things. On the Beach is amazing. String album that seems to fit in between his earlier stuff and later stuff. Like Harvest and Down by the River, everything is good. There’s only one song I didn’t like, a blues song about oil. Blues songs by rock musicians always seem like a phone in, they don’t have the sadness of original blues, they just using the style. This song not only vamped as a blues song but the lyrics also reminded me of Neal Young’s more recent heavy handed, zero nuance protest songs, which are my least favorite if his catalogue. Still, that being the exception, good sound, good songs, classic Neal Young.
Metallica
2/5
The fact that this album is on here proves that it was made by a redditor. Definitely a foot tapper/head banger of an album, Lars Ulrich’s drums sounding like artillery abd machine gun fire, James Herfield sounding like a 6’2” cigarette butt. Gotta keep in perspective that this was 30 yrs ago and set the stage for metal. But 30 yrs later, it sounds a bit nerdy, though I bet at the time it was amazing. My complaint: this album is heavy as fuck, but it could be heavier, it’s over produced, the voice dubbing/layering, sound effects, multitrack shit. If the production was pared down to the 4 essential instruments—with their effects—I think it would sound better, harder, the over productions softens the sharp edges. Their older stuff isn’t as well produced, I’d say underproduced, but there’s a happy medium to find in there. Fun album to listen to. Metal can be so repetitive and one note I think I tuned out after about song 6. They slowed it down a couple times, but it still didn’t help, always the same equation. Lastly, there’s an egregiously long fade out on track 1.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I’m a big fan of sonic youth. Post-Punk Shoegaze with a bit of garage punk in there. I love what they do with two guitars and pedal fx. Their albums vacillate between symphonic distorted euphoric trances and obnoxious whiny punk rock. Whether or not I love one of their albums always depends on which dominates the album. Disapearer, Dirty boots, Cinderella’s big score are three of the former, solid sonic build up culminated by a great climax and fx driven sonic breakdown to bring it home softly. I’m able to disappear into these songs and the wall of harmonic distortion they create—somehow they are able to find a harmonic balance in there. But then there’s always a few songs with Kim monotone spoken word about something I don’t care about—generally these are the songs I skip. Mildred pierce was going great until someone started squealing. Sonic Youth can be so hit or miss, but it’s always compelling, generally an album reflects like a grassroots zine, edgy, experimental, sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful, rarely boring. Compared to some of the other one note albums we’ve listened to this one has a lot more to say. That being said there’s a few sonic youth albums that shine a bit brighter, so this garners a 3 from me.
Rod Stewart
4/5
What do have against Rod Stewart? What did he ever do to me to deserve such ire (I think it was the feathered bleach tipped short hair like an Arizona golf retiree lady)? Anyhow, this album is great. Jumps back and forth between genres, folk, rock, a little blues, a little funk. Most impressive is the layering of string instruments, namely guitars. It seems almost all the songs have a depth imbued by the layers of guitars, 12 strings and mandolins, a few songs create a soundscape without a rhythm section. Every now and then he’ll throw in a rocking song with a bang in’ breakdown. Then at the end, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst all the folksy vibes is a funky electrified rock song to add a period to the album. Only strike against it is I found the lyrics a bit milk toast. It pains me to say it, but this album was dope. Giving it a well deserved 4.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Uhh, best guitar player ever (arguably) and Matt’s favorite drummer playing psychedelic rock, yeah, you’re asking for Matt to hand out his first 5. The album is filled with banger after banger, no bad songs. I’ve always thought of this as a Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic album, now I realize it’s an album where Jimi spans like 5 genres and adds his magicians Psychedelic touch to each of them. I’m hearing R&B, folk, blues, rock, rockabilly, bebop and proto-funk—which is essentially what Jimi Hendrix is, a holy amalgam of skills, experiences and his time and setting spanning these genres to create psych rock. This album sets the stage for so many albums which follow it. This band might just be the perfect 3 piece, an insane guitar player with a really tight rhythm section. Every song has a great lick and impressive groove. Enough has been said about Purple Haze, it’s the single off an album that is made up of singles. The groove on manic depression is incredible. Hey Joe is perfect—misogynist lyrics notwithstanding. Wind cries Mary is perfect. Let me stand next to your Fire bangs. Third Stone is a solid jam session. Are you experienced is Jimi doing a Beatles’esque hippie anthem. Stone free is a great mix of R&B-psych. The only strike on this album, as with many Hendrix songs, there are some egregious fade outs, you want the song to keep going, he’s set the table for a breakdown and it just fades out. Stone Free and 51st Anniversary are the two worst offenders in this, though nothing will be as bad as bad, give you bigger rock blue balls than Little Wing (different album). Love that Hendrix ties it all together at the end with a solid blues cover, paying homage to the forebearers—note the Easter egg fart (distortion blip) at 3:14 on this song. Amazing album, long, love it even though I’ve heard it about 1 million times and it was my first real classic rock exposure at 12, doesn’t matter still tapping my feet to it at 36.
Muddy Waters
1/5
Yawn. Now I realize why I don’t own any straight blues albums. “Is this not over yet” definitely went through my head a few times. Too repetitive, all the songs sound the same, same guitar, harmonica, drums, harmony. Don’t get me wrong this is low down and dirty as it should be. His voice is guttural and perfect for blues. The harmonica howls. The rhythm section keeps it crawling along like a mud snake. “I can’t be satisfied” was a bit different and that was welcome. “Cross eyed cat” had a baseline variation which made it stand out. Maybe if it was hot out, and I was feeling a buzz and inside a sweaty biyou speakeasy I could appreciate it more. But I’m not and I can’t.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Best Rock Drummer, Top 5 singer, Top 5 Guitar player, Best 6th man in John Paul Jones. Can’t do better than that. I’m always amazed that this album came out in 69’, it ahead of its time. Early metal, with some folk, lots of blues and a little middle eastern. There are some epic compositions, great breakdowns, solos, hooks. Pretty great album. “Good Times Bad Times” best drums? good hook, good solo. Babe I’m Going to Leave you, best riff? Gage me goosebumps. “You Shook me” was a little tough after blues fatigue—but I have to look at this objectively, and objectively it’s dope, with a great drum fill at the end. “Dazed and Confused” best breakdown? “Black Mountain Side” some fun middle eastern vibes. “Communication Breakdown” is a classic who style rock song. “How Many More Times” great groove. I don’t know if it’s because it’s been two of my favorite bands, but wow, two 5 stars in one week.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Animal Collective
4/5
I’m a fan of Animal Collective. Their music is all at once elated, trippy, imaginative, childlike and oddly infused with nostalgia. This to me is what post modernist music should be. It’s the sensible trajectory for pop music to have taken. Jumbles of harmonic samples from the past, a full palette of noises gleaned from what exists. I really enjoy this album. It’s meditative and trance like. However, I find that it doesn’t reach the heights of the albums preceding it: Strawberry Jam and Feels, which both ultimately seem to have more concrete song construction, whereas this seems to flow meditatively from one song to another. This is definitely volume up, listen in a dark room, maybe while high, music. Or just sunny day music.
Eagles
3/5
Ah, The Eagles, AKA, music for hillbillies to fuck to. I don’t care what anyone says, Hotel California is an amazing song—reggae, country, classic rock, dual soloing guitars, great build up and climax. I don’t care if it’s not about anything and it’s a made up place. But, alas, you can’t give a 5 for just one song. After Hotel California you’re fucking hyped then you get the proto-margaritaville trash in New Kid in town and it instantly goes from a 5 to a 3. Then you get Life in the Fast Lane, great hook, drum beat, and your back, it’s at least a 4 now. Then the rest of the album happens and it has four too many love ballads. You get a momentary reprieve with Try and Love. As much as I want to give this album a 4 for two songs, I can’t. The Eagles are a best of band, their best album is their best of album, they can’t pull together a full album that is great, even with the addition of Joe Walsh. This album shines in fleeting moments, but the rest is just Dusty Springfield and therefore It’s a 3 for me.
Anthrax
1/5
With the first strum of a bad guitar effect I was like, “I’m going to hate this.” But once the pounding double kick came in I was open to it being cool. It’s very heavy, which is what I found Metallica lacking. The band is definitely talented, at least technically. I like the punk rock chanting. I heard a lot of influences, Rush, Prague, Punk. I could see a direct line leasing from Anthrax to Rage Against the Machine. But overall, I found that after the effect of the driving metal wore off, my toes stopped tapping, I found it repetitive and boring. I also found the singer pretty lack luster—except for his wild banshee like screams—he doesn’t seem up to snuff compared to the technical skill of the band, his voice was just sort of bland/flat. I started out thinking it might top Metallica, but eventually I realized this album lacked the song craft of Metallica. But my toes were tapping the whole time and I was pumped. I’m thinking barely a two or a 1.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Epitome of pared down punk rock. Simple three piece, singer with an enigmatic voice and delivery singing street anthems. Not to mention a great name and some crazy swagger to go with it. They’re not master of their instruments but they manage to make it sound good. You can feel the grime of the 1970s on this album. Smell the cigarettes and booze. It’s a fun album that breezes through with reckless abandon like a drunken night leaving you with a hangover. You can hear the dead Kennedy’s, the strokes, yeah yeah yeahs and many others in this album. It’s short and sweet and sour, though I think it gets a bit repetitive and could be a little shorter. It’s a 4 from me.
Jimmy Smith
2/5
Felt like background in a pink panther tv episode. Very relaxed, meandering, chill party vibes. But it’s repetitive. Sounds so much like background music it becomes background music and lost my attention and I stopped engaging.
CHIC
4/5
VERY short and very sweet, it’s saccharine, molasses thick. This album is vibes central and the vibes are good. It starts out with one of the most memorable bass lines ever and the vibes keep coming. I had an epiphany while listening: this is proto hip hop, all the songs stay on the break the whole tome so people can keep dancing, the songs don’t have the traditional verse/chorus/bridge format. Which, if intentional is revolutionary. In the slower “Will You Cry” is basically vapor wave before vapor wave. I bet this album has been sampled a million times and for good reason. Put it on and the party gets going. It’s a 4, maybe even a 5.
Faith No More
2/5
Very talented but very annoying. The slap bass, the rapping and singing are all grating. The singer sounds like a fucking Gremlin. Considering when it came out, however, it seems ahead of its time, even revolutionary: early rap rock, hardcore, proto-primus, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down. But I can’t imagine a context in which I’d want to listen to this. I liked the Heavier Suprise You’re Dead. Zombie Eaters and Woodpecker from Mars both sound at home in the 2000s and aren’t as annoying. Can’t deny the balls of putting a proficient cover of War Pigs on there. But still, my vote is a 2.
Steely Dan
4/5
Not as good as Aja, Pretzel Logic or Can’t Buy a Thrill, but still a solid album. This album is tight, laboratory clean, antiseptic, jazz rock. Every song is good (Razor boy just okay). Bodishava is fun, upbeat. Boston Rag has a chefs kiss hook abd great breakdown. Show is Kids is a hit. My Old School has a chorus that makes nostalgia beat through my heart. King of the World is almost pedantic and sounds proto Phish. Good listen, their other albums better be later on the list.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I’d give a 5 to JUST the Moby Dick drum solo. I’m not going to squeeze this lemon until the juice runs down my leg, the album is great. All songs are good. String rifs, great technique, etc. something tells me Robert Plant was cheated on during the recording of this album. It’s a 5.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
His lyrics are good, but the music just has never been there and isn’t there now. Perhaps he was cursed and born one generation too late. Maybe it would be better as a spoken word album. Max Weinberg is a perfectly mechanical robotic drummer. Bobby Jean almost got me there, almost. Really backloaded the hits in the end of the album, but it wasn’t enough to win me over. 3 for me.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Great album. It’s an interesting mix of fun danceable (get innocuous, tone to get away, North American scum) juxtaposed with a few emotionally resonant masterpieces (Someone Great, All My Friends, New York I Love You). I hear prince, I hear electronic, I hear punk, I hear tribal rhythms. The repetitive style of the songs either put you in a dance trance or hammer home the reverence. I want to give this a 5, it deserves it, but I think Sound of Silver and Watch the Tapes, could’ve been left off for a perfect album. I’m stuck between 4-5. Might have to sleep on it.
The Replacements
3/5
Pretty solid album. Good variety. Punk inflected rock. My favorites are the less punk, more overly sentimental ballads Androgynous and Unsatisfied. A few songs faded into the background for me. 3 or 4.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
It’s like Hank Williams/Bluegrass. We’re they the originators of In the Pines? Their yodeling on it is beautiful. A lot of violence against women in this album—I think o heard a podcast about Knoxville Girl. But I think these songs are old Appalachian songs. Eerie to hear them with the dulcet tones of bluegrass and country. Oh, haha, the title is “Tragic Songs of Life” didn’t catch that. Interesting how my mood affects my rating. Given that this is repetitive if’s probably give it a lower score, but I’m really giving with it, sonic going to give it a 4. And in spite of the violence.
Ramones
4/5
Iconic. Simple. Perfect?
First four songs are perfect. Everything after drains their energy a bit with repetition and less inventive harmonically. But still solid. Joey Ramone has has some great vocal styling. Led the way for other faves like Sex Pistols (boy band?), Misfits, etc. Also, many cameos in great film soundtracks. 4.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Surprised by my response to this. After the last blues based snoozer I was cynical. But surprisingly found myself to enjoy this quite a bit. You can see the roots of rock and hear a few covers. It seems like a show I would’ve enjoyed watching. The up tempo brightness in “I’ve Got My Mojo Workin’” was what put it over the top for me. (And it turned out it was only 9 songs, and the last 4 were bonus track versions of the same songs). 3 or 4.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Though the frat boy/punk/misogynist vibes are a bit faux pas and certainly cancelable, this album can’t be denied. This is a really fun album had me singing along, laughing and popping and locking at my desk. 1986, this was early on the scene and still holds up. The flow is solid, samples are dope, classic 808 drum machine stuff. The special Beastie Boy touch seems to be the humor, comedy film criminal personas of the characters abd the stories/world they create through world play, song interludes and gimmicks. Some of the songs are a perfect mix of rock and hip hop often times better the genre it spawned. A lot of credit is due to Rick Rubin for the sound refined in JZ’s 99 problems 15 yrs later. My one critique is that some of the songs are a bit grating and can be annoying, but that’s part of the appeal isn’t it? The audiophile, and whomever told Ashton the Sex Pistols were a boy band and thinks On the Beach is Neal young’s best album, would say Paul’s Boutique is their best album, but I’d say this is close if not better and came 3 yrs earlier. 4 for me, biting at the heels of a 5.
Supergrass
3/5
I think Jack White owes these guys some royalties for vocal stylings. A lot of uptempo white stripes vibes, almost as if the white stripes were the devil on the shoulder and super grass was the angel. Definitely a precursor to the “the” bands: the strokes, the vines, the hives, etc. really fun album, but got a bit repetitive for me. I enjoyed the latter end of the album after the uptempo stuff got a bit tired. B-
Beck
4/5
The Thetans probably blessed him for this one. I remember listening to this at Brett Dullum’s house way back when. Beck is like the love hold of Hip Hop and Bob Dylan, multisyllabic, long winded flowing over dope breaks. I hear Dan the Automator of Dr. Octagon, Lovage fame, The Gorillas, The Avalanches, Fat Boy Slim; white boy break beat samples both expansive and diverse. I like a lot of his simpler 4 piece songs without samples. There are three more experimental songs on this album that I find nearly unlistenable. But the greatness overpowers some stinkers, and one of the stinkers has a great breakdown. Solid B+. 4 .
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Is this the only good supergroup full album—discounting the Eagles adding Joe Walsh? Is this a flawless album? I’d argue yes. Good instrumental arrangements, solid musicianship, beautiful harmonies, hood lyrics, good variety within genre, spans the emotional spectrum and has that special sauce, those moments of transcendence that make it a truly great album. I can listen to it over and over. EASY 5. (Easiest 5 I’ll give unless Weezer Blue Album or any Elliott Smith Album but Roman Candle is on the list)
N.W.A.
3/5
Waaaayy too long. I feel like they needed to edit this down to half. The first few songs it was like they were trying to squeeze everyone in. It’s interesting, never listened to the full album and I’m realizing now Gangster rap was created during this album: there’s a stark difference between the songs, some still stuck in the 80s paradigm. It may have been created but it sure wasn’t mastered, later albums Dre would produce like The Chonic abd Doggystyle epitomize the gangster rap style and do it much better. Weird to think the Beastie Boys came out before this, you hear it sampled a few times, it puts the album into perspective, because the beastie boys album was better, more complete song craft. Dr. Dre’s sampling really shines in some of the interludes. Easy E was annoying and not a great rapper—apparently he was a drug dealer and funded the album, most of his shit was written by others and it shows. MC Ren, Dre and Ice Cube all stand out as better. I liked a couple of the more 80’s style non-gangster songs like “Somethit Like That” and “Express Yourself.” Not a terrible album but not yet fully cooked. 2-3, C+, gets extra credit for be prescient re: Fuck the Police.
Syd Barrett
3/5
Pretty dope. Pared down. Unpolished. I’ve always preferred Pink Floyd without Sid Barrett but solo I like him. He’s got a psych-folk-proto-punk thing going. I hear Donovan, The Iggy and the Stooges, Brian Eno. “No good trying” is some proto punk with thrumming guitar and great drumming. A couple of the more proto-punk songs were real bangers but nothing else stood out, kind of faded into hypnotic, cool background music. Better than expected. B-
Massive Attack
1/5
Pretty dope. Pared down. Unpolished. I’ve always preferred Pink Floyd without Sid Barrett but solo I like him. He’s got a psych-folk-proto-punk thing going. I hear Donovan, The Iggy and the Stooges, Brian Eno. “No good trying” is some proto punk with thrumming guitar and great drumming. A couple of the more proto-punk songs were real bangers but nothing else stood out, kind of faded into hypnotic, cool background music. Better than expected. B-
4/5
The first seven songs are beautifully preformed, just a man his words, his guitar and his harmonica. But when the songs are electrified and played with accompaniment, the album just explodes out of the headphones. Tell Me Momma bangs so hard. I’d give this a 5, but I can’t bring myself to give a live performance/best of album a 5.
Love
3/5
Is “Love” the most bold/hubris ridden band name? Naming your band after the biggest emotion, the one everyone sings about? I’d only heard, “Alone Again” and always liked it, but was pleasantly surprised by this album. This is like a combo of The Association and Herb Alpert or Burt Bacharach and Canned Heat, hippie pop gold. There are some pretty great/interesting things happening instrumentally, even some experimental moments (did I hear a like DJ scratch at the end of “good humor man?”). My critique is that I’m not a huge fan of the vocals, sort of underwhelming—which could be a stylistic choice—and the lyrics were at times bad. Ultimately, a pretty cool album. Solid B.
The Stone Roses
4/5
I appreciated the variety on this album. It seemed like it was the bridge between New Wave and Brit Pop. Loved some of the more moody songs with sonic distortion and show gazey breakdowns. I feel like this spawned bands like Spiritualized, Oasis, etc. my only complaint is the last song, “fools gold” feels dated, but is the only one that feels that way.
The Stooges
3/5
Gonna give this one extra credit because it basically created punk (though Beatles Helter Skelter the year before probably had a hand in it too). The Ramones owe this album everything. Some great songs, original vocal delivery and some great rifs. Nice pared down 3 piece sound. But also, a few velvet underground ripoffs that are too minimal and, frankly, boring. “We Will Fall” is a skip and so is Ann. I want to give a 4 for creating punk, but I’m thinking 3. I’ll sleep on it though.
Oasis
2/5
There are moments where this album shows promise, some real foot tappers, some good jams, the nice acoustic piece at the end. It’s indicative of what they will do better in their next album. But there was a lot of generically interchangeable songs on this album, Lots of guitar strumming I could tell the difference between and a lot of it sounds dated. To me the sign of a great album transcends the sound of the decade it came from. Not bad. But not great. C so 2.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
When Stevie Wonder says, “...better wash your face and hands...” in Superstition, is he staying his belief that washing hands and face is superstitious and has no scientific value? There’s a lot of interesting stuff happening on this album, the reverb is all over the place in some songs, bouncing around my head, some great funky keyboard, some Mort Gorson Plantasia esque instrumentals and modulated voice experiments. Stevie Wonder’s singing and vocals don’t really resonate with me snd I found myself wondering if this was instrumental or if he produced it for another singer if I would’ve enjoyed it more. Some of the songs slap and are super funky, others have some great licks and hooks. “Looking for Another Love” and “I believe when I fall in love” are transcendent instrumentally buy the singing and lyrics are just meh. Though it didn’t resonate with me I really respect the effort, it would be a 5 if I liked his voice/lyrics more. But I’ll give it an A-.
Fats Domino
2/5
Quaint and bopping. I could imagine dancing to this in poodle skirt at a soda fountain. This is the album that “created rock and roll” right? I suppose it deserves more stars and credit for that, ahead of its time and stuff. “So Long” and “Blue Monday” were particularly Valium soft and slow and enjoyable. But ultimately rock has evolved so far beyond this it seems rudimentary.
Elvis Presley
4/5
I’m pretty blown away by this album. Especially after Fats, which I liked, but felt was one note. I’ve generally liked Elvis when I’ve heard his songs but written him off because of the flabby-pill-ridden-Graceland thing. But like all great American stories I’ve since learned that his weirdness was on account of the trauma of fame and caused by his handlers working him to the bone and there was once a pure young starry eyed Elvis who loved black music and this album is that Elvis. But shouldn’t I wag my finger at this album because it represents the musical appropriation of black culture which set in motion 50 yrs of great music and deepened the rock and roll lie perpetuated by white supremacy? Elvis is really the Christopher Columbus of American music. The Tuti Fruti cover seems egregious and a step too far. However, the rockabilly sound of country and rock is undeniable. The variety of ballads and swinging is fantastic. The vocal/pitch variations at the end of the album are great—I hear Mac Demarco in Blue Moon. In a vacuum this would be a five. But we don’t live in a vacuum, and as an apology to black culture and a finger wag to white supremacy I’m going to ding this album one star.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This album has a dusty swagger to it that is evocative of The Rolling Stones sound. It’s a refrain of Mick’s infidelities and apologies. “Can You Hear Me Knocking” has one of the greatest licks of all time and im not sure of it simply sounds like the 70s or if its presence in all 70s movies has made it the sound of the 70s. This album drags a bit in the middle, but is generally solid all the way through; it’s like a road trip through the history of American rock by the Brits. Pretty damn good, but not perfect. A-, so a 4.
Stephen Stills
2/5
This album sounds like Steven Stills listened to Santana and the Allman Brothers and was inspired to organize a jam. There are some solid jams and breakdowns but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of sing craft here—and it’s definitely not as compelling as Santana or the Allman brothers. “Fallen Eagle” was kind of hilarious though, could be the anthem fir the last 4 yrs. found myself waiting for this to end.
Arrested Development
4/5
Except for the radio hits “Mr. Wendal” and “Tennessee” I haven’t heard this album before. VERY pleasantly surprised, especially since this style of hip hop is my preferred style of hip hop. On my first listen I’d put it on the list of best rap albums from the 90s. It fits amongst Pharcyde, De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest. Nothing on this is bad or necessarily dated. It’s experimental and fun, the playful sample filled soundscape is ahead of its time. If this came out tomorrow I’d buy it as a retro styled rap album, feels contemporary somehow. I’m not going to give it the Coveted 5, but it’s very, very close, still an solid A for me.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This album sounds great, the recording is crystal clear. Isaac Hayes us a great composer/arranger. “No Name Bar” has some killer solos. “Do Your Thang” is an instrumental banger, they get elbow deep in the groove on that track. However, this album is more of a score than its cousin/competitor Superfly which is more of a soundtrack. It pales in comparison to Superfly, “Soulsville” is a bad imitation of Superfly. That being said, this album does just what it promises as a score, great mood music, a funky background to shady. And very solid. Just a B for me though. 3.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Not only is 36 Chambers the best Wu-Tang album, but it’s one of the best hip-hop albums ever. Can’t think of a better ensemble album. Original sound, good flow, dope rhymes and a variety of themes. Started multiple legendary careers. A couple sounds tell a great story/have a good msg. This album has been in my regular rotation for years fir a reason. Easy 5.
Blue Cheer
3/5
This is nice and heavy like Psychadelic proto-Fuzz. Definitely ahead of its time—you see the bridge from Cream to Black Sabbath. The drummer sounds does a great Ginger Baker impression. It’s Jammy, heavily distorted and short. Sometimes the jamminess comes off as repetitive and a little rough/unrehearsed. Pretty good. Would buy on Vinyl. B. 3.
Pixies
3/5
Pretty good. The pixie sound is there. Lots of fun, proto-indie-punk catchy as hell foot tappers. Definitely ahead of its time. Velouria really stands out, shows hints of what’s to come. However, the album as a whole doesn’t reach the heights of their more mature albums. B-
Steely Dan
5/5
With the first notes, you’re fucking in. This album, like all steely Dan albums is instrumental perfection, doesn’t seem to be a misplaced note, and there is not one bad song. This album sounds full and rich, jazz, rock and a little bit of Latin vibes. Easy 5.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Beautiful music but boring. I yawned my way through this one. I am not a fan of the electric acoustic and this album is composed solely of that. The album is a bit one note and faded to the background. I generally enjoy Touareg Rock, but this was a little too low octane. Prefer Ali Farqa Toure or Bombino, though those can be boring. This has 90s Starbucks white person written all over it. It is soothing abd nice to listen to, would be good over a cup of Java and talking about your world travels. I respect it. But don’t like it. 2
Queen
4/5
I haven’t listened to this album before. I’ve always thought of Queen as a “best of” band. But this album proves me wrong. They are really good at guitar effects/layering and Freddie Mercury operatic/hair metal singing range/layering and it really shines in spacey, ethereal songs like “in the lap of the gods.” What really stood out to me on this album though was the harder rocking bangers like “Brighton Rock” and “Stone Cold Crazy” I didn’t know they had that arrow on their quiver, these songs blew me away. It’s cool that they added the layer of near seamless transitions between songs. I hear opera, hair metal, classic rock, even a little punk. I found myself a little less excited about a few of their songs that sounded like classic rock standards, almost southern rock, they were still solid songs but weren’t as strong and killed the vibe, I would’ve removed them completely. At the end of the album I was blown away by “she Makes me” it sounded like proto New Wave or proto Brit Pop, in fact I feel like there’s a song that straight rips it off. I feel like this albums deserves a 5, much of the album does, but there were a couple filler songs dragging it down that could’ve been cut. A-
Cream
4/5
Lots of 5s on this album. It feels like I’m waking with wine/drug hangover in a plush-paisley covered British mansion converted into an artists commune. The music songs to me like the bong smoking caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, self assured, ironic and a little fucked up. Clapton kills it with the crazy wawa psych distorted killer riffs. Ginger baker is just banging around on the drums, getting ginger-tribal, heroine making him a stiff armed and a bit loose with the beat. Pretty great album, really nailed down psych and set the stage for garage and metal. But some of the songs feel a bit loose, one sounds like the proto version of white room. I’m so close to a 5, but I’m giving it a 4.
Q-Tip
4/5
I’m a big Tribe/Q-Tip fan, but I’ve never heard this album, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I also realized the meaning/allusion of the name Q-Tip after hearing the line, “what good is a Q-Tip if it isn’t in your ear,” mind blown. Lots of cool synth-hooks, a pleasant departure from Tribe’s jazz based samples. Some of the songs have this funky, up tempo thing going and it is fire. Q-Tip’s flow, rhythm and rhyme is solid as usual and doesn’t disappoint. The one thing I struggle with on this album are the R&B style choruses, there’s a lot of them. For some reason I don’t jive with modern R&B, I think it’s generally over produced and sappy, sounds like it’s a church band, though I felt myself jiving with a few. Overall great album. A-. 4, maybe a 5 if I listen ten more times.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Love Belle and Sebastian and their lispy British, gentle hipster anthems for the artsy set, set to upbeat major chord folk/rock/pop and talking about sad things. I find that their albums can be a combo of huge hits and huge misses, some songs blow me away, are almost perfect, others do nothing for me. This album is that album for me. A couple fives, a couple 4s, many 3s. The voice is charming, as always, the tunes mostly catchy, it’s a nice listen, however “The Boy With the Arab Strap” and especially “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” are so much better and are complete albums where almost everything is solid/catchy. Therefore, despite the few gems “Seeing Other People” and “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” this album is just mediocre.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
That first hook comes at you like a brick wall to the face. Second song is part of a Wu-Tang sample... oh shit I’m in love. 4th song is... is... unapologetically, the same as the first song, but slower. Huh, maybe I’m not in love. Some sweat, saccharine keys in this album, just lulling you. Hard to hate on something with such loungey good vibes. It’s great background music. Perfect for boozing and chilling. I’d definitely buy a vinyl, but it’s a bit one note. Hmmm. Is this better than Dusty Springfield? 3
Sam Cooke
3/5
Sam Cooke was definitely a showman, I laying to the audience and pumping them up throughout, seems like this would’ve been a fun show to be at. The energy is palpable in the build up intro of “Bring it Home” they’re eating out of his hand. The show seems to be relentless, once one song ends, the band picks up and starts playing the next one—the showman work ethic is apparent. Loved “Having a Party,” hypnotic and made you want to party. The album is fairly one note, but it’s surely toe tappin.’ I’ve always found Sam cook’s voice to be just okay, velvety, but lacking something other soul singers like Otis Redding have. But this show has a raspy edge to it that you can only barely usually hear. I think he’s got some more hits to come and this isn’t his best work. Fun album though. 3.
Minor Threat
2/5
My review which embodies the soul of this album: Not bad. Fun. Fast paced. Tight. One note. Short. Roots of Punk Rock/Hardcore. Lacks strong melodies. 2.
The Who
3/5
Baba Orielly is magic—proto LCD sound system. All the songs with synth seem to shine a bit brighter on this one. There are definitely a few clunkers on this one, mostly due to lame lyrics. Like, does “gettin’ into the straight and narrow” in the chorus elicit the spirit of ecstasy that inspires a rocking crescendo? Heck no. I don’t give a fuck if he’s “mobile.” Lots of the songs are mediocrity over Keith Moon’s killer drums. There are 3 hits on this album, Baba, Blue Eyes and Fooled, all great songs, deserving of 6’s. But the rest is twos and threes. 3.
The Coral
1/5
Wow, that was a real piece of shit. Why the fuck is this on the list? Are the Coral like the genreless Ween band of the UK? Good musicians who don’t have any taste. They mashed up tons of my least favorite, annoying experimental genre rock: Gogol Bordello, Ska, Arctic Monkeys and Nick Cave. There’s a couple of moments, moments, where there’s some very Oh Sees inflected guitar effects, maybe they were an influence. Maybe they deserve credit for that? I hated this album. Wish I could give it a Zero. All that after I was excited by the album cover. Yuck.
Morrissey
2/5
Hated this from the first note, dated bass line/guitar effect. The choices for instrumentation on the first half of this movie are questionable, e.g. synth strings on “Everyday is Sunday” are awful. Lots of shitty world music vibes there sounding dated as fuck. The strong vocal presence and lyrics of Morissey wasn’t enough to save it. I was ready to vote this a 1, but then heard the latter half of the album (4 songs) toned down songs were the only bright spot, “break up the family” “treat me like a human being” the songs that stick to the 80s rubric work. It’s like he was trying to cast off the 80s and join the 90s. The 90s was a mistake. Yuck. 2 stars.
Mercury Rev
5/5
Never heard this album before—maybe the first song on a Pandora station once. It was like Daniel Johnston and Flaming Lips but with better composition. Like the flaming lips simple but thick bass lines and drum beats filled the back end and twangy voices and guitars, saws, synths, theramyns filled the high end. A lot of weird but well made compositions, very fairytale fantasy, but also with an edge of darkness—a magic mushroom fantasy land. I would love to see this band live, their breakdowns and crescendos are something to behold, almost god speed you. Kitschy, odd, cool, psychedelic, playful, dark, satirical all words I’d use to describe this, all things I love. I want to ding them for “Opus 40s” melody being ripped off of the Beatles “Golden Slumbers” chorus. But I’m not. Added to the library and Unexpectedly a 5.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
The first Indy Rock album—inspired so much that came after it, strokes, shins, Elliott smith, the list goes on. This is my idea of a perfect album, every note seems minimal to the point of feeling essential, Lou Reed’s poetry shines and every song is good, it’s fun, it’s melancholic, it’s hard, it’s soft, it’s about drugs, drinking, love, friendship, enlightenment and nostalgia. Whether it’s the the or the softness of “Candy Says,” the driving road trip vibes of “what goes on,” the jug band vibes of “some kind of love,” the perfectly soft darkness of “pale blue eyes,” the rock and roll lullaby of “Jesus,” the swinging good time of “Beginning to See the Light,” the enlightened release of “I’m set free,” the folksy, “That’s the story of my life,” even the avant- guard juxtaposition of “The Murder Mystery” its grating chanted poetry dissonant against the softer hazy moments create a sometimes skippable but still excellent song, and finally twee notes of “After Hours” this album never misses a beat, it’s relentlessly good. Easy 5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I’ve heard just like honey. But not much else from this band. Now I know where Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gets their schtick. I feel like this is perfect post punk, heavily distorted, the vocals blend like an instrument almost taking a back seat to the guitars. It’s like slow motion Ramones—“you trip me up” literally sounds like “blutzkrieg bop” in half time. The distortion and heavy vocal reverb makes for a hypnotic feel as the band jump a back and forth between soft and heavy. You can see the roots of shoegaze here, it’s like Sonic youth without all the avant garde shit. Only complaint is that it was a touch repetitive, could’ve cut like 3-4 songs. Loved it. Added to Spotify library.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Never thought of this album as a follow up to Ram, but I see it now. Paul McCartney truly seems to be fun on this album. It comes off the page, so to speak. This song has like 5 fives, real bangers each with at least two good hooks. Band on the run is almost cocky, he throws away like 3 hooks in the first minute of the song. Jet he drops two hooks. It’s all in vain though because there are also a few clunkers. Bluebird, perhaps song #2 of Paul’s “bird series” doesn’t hold a candle to blackbird, sounds like maybe Linda Wrote it. Mamunia is done real Paul Simon world music trash, probably appropriated when they visited Nigeria and yes, maybe written by Linda. Then there was the unnecessary medley of remixes of early songs at the end of “Picasso’s last words” it’s like the cutting room floor found it’s way onto this track for some reason, it’s a good allegory for the whole album, should’ve edited. Could’ve been a 5 with two more songs and minus 3-4 others. B-
Kanye West
3/5
Am I over skits? Have I lost patience for skits? I used to love that shit. Nowadays I’m like “get to the music.” By my count there are 6 dope songs on this album, all 5s. There’s also a lot of trash. If you cut out the middle I’d be happy. It’s all dead weight, it also all seems less honest, more vapid, like “look at me” rap. We all know he’s a great beat maker but I like two things about his rap, it’s honest, that bi-polar, no filter reallness he’s famous for truly in touch with his feelings and I like his playfulness and creativity in rhymes, he takes fun chances, does interesting little plays on words or metaphor. In All the good songs this stands out, all the bad songs doesn’t. I even enjoyed his 10 minute vamping over the beat telling a story about his big break. In this album it’s refreshing to feel the Chicago Kanye, not the LA Kanye, a bit more real, a bit more connected to the real world. Lots of great stuff on this album that gives you a good glimpse of the African American experience, you can feel it in the lyrics and in the beats. Not his best album, a lot of fat to cut, but pretty good. B—3
Jungle Brothers
4/5
In the tradition of De La Soul and Tribe called quest this is classic old school hip hop, rooted in jazz break beats and R&B samples. It also has a few songs which are more funk inflected and almost reach the G-Funk sound. At the end of the album it’s got a meandering tone, lots of sample/break medleys, that is awesome—very loose, as opposed to song, song song. The break in “Doin our own dang” is dope, I could listen to it on repeat for hours. I know the jungle Brothers but never heard this album in full, loved it.
Hole
3/5
Courtney love has quite the growl. The white trash-angst really comes through. Sonically this album is solid, good recording, not too dated, sine nice thrashing guitar. However, no melodies really stood out to me. I think Courtney love carries all the weight of this album on her shoulders with her voice and lyrics. Good. But could be better.
Bauhaus
2/5
Wow, that sure was weird, intense, experimental. It had sine high points, but ultimately kind of jarring and annoying. A lot of cool things happening with instrumentation, there’s industrial, reggae, new wave, post punk, I hear Japanese drums, synths, weird distortion. I hear the roots of cure, echo abd the bunny men, devo, B-52s. I have trouble trying to imagine what context I’d like to listen to this album. They’re doing really interesting things, but the singer is annoying. C
LL Cool J
3/5
I’ve never liked LL Cool J’s persona, too much, “c’mon girl,” too cool for school swagger. But, I can’t deny this album, solid samples, great production, only a few songs dated and LL’s glow isn’t too bad. Quite a few catchy songs. I would say this album isn’t really my cup of tea, pretty straight forward and it was way too long. I found my ears creeping away and listening to other things. I would’ve cut out a couple of songs, the more dated ones, from the end. Overall I was impressed but not floored.
David Gray
3/5
I can definitely imagine low rise girls and pooka she’ll boys really digging this album. I imagine this was legend when it came out. By my count there are 4 great songs on this album. The rest are pretty meh. The digital/synth and acoustic singer songwriter combo is interesting, though I’m not sure if he pulls it off. A lot of the backing tracks sound like very generic 2000 pop and really dated. I almost wonder if he simply went voice/guitar and voice/piano this would be better unaccompanied. But you can’t deny those 4 songs. B, 3
Mylo
2/5
Try as he might, Mykonos cannot and did not destroy rock and roll with this album. I’m glad I waited until today to listen to it, had I listened yesterday, when I was hungover, it might’ve killed me. This wasn’t bad. Pretty good actually, lots of nice upbeat, poppy, major cord loops. Just found it repetitive, like most electronic music, which isn’t my bag. That hook has to be sooo good, Daft Punk or Prodigy level good, for me to buy in. This was just okay. Faded into the background for me. The song with the repeated list of musicians was the final nail in the coffin for me, and then there was 10 more songs.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Interesting thing about this album, the only thing that matches the music being created by their contemporaries it at the time is the breakdown on “Ramble Tamble.” This album is weird because it sounds and feels like it is from the previous generation—roots music and R&B of the 50s and 60s. Should their countrifying of R&B standards lose any credit? Maybe, except for fogarty’s voice the songs aren’t doing anything revolutionary. However, the instant classics on this album like, “lookin’ out my back door” “run through the jungle” “up around the band” “who’ll stop the rain” and “as long as I can see the light” are undeniable, they are so good, that even though they sound like they should’ve been made 5 yrs earlier, they’re still monumental, timeless even. It’s the soundtrack to any late 60s early 70s and any Vietnam period piece. Now the question is: is the music soo evocative of the late 60s that it begs to be the soundtrack? Or is it that their use in film soundtracks has created the trope which made them the soundtrack for the late 60s. From my POV I can’t say. But it almost feels like the songs are simply that evocative. I’d cut the covers. A, 4.
Don McLean
3/5
Prove me wrong: American Pie is spoken word with a backing band. Vincent is another hit, love this song, beautiful, just as good as American pie if not better. A lot of nice songs here, relaxing, folksy, nothing really standing out other than Vincent and American Pie though. 3
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Nick Cave is to music what Jim Jarmusch is to film: Pretty good, doing interesting things, playing with traditional forms and adding generality dark elements and a strong cult following have ascribed a certain level of genius. I’m unsure if genius is warranted. It’s a generation X thing I think. To me he’s like Neil Diamond dark with less catchy melodies. Some times his choruses hit just right and you can feel it. Sometimes it feels like he’s forcing words in that don’t fit in the structure or melody if the song. Perhaps if I listened to his whole catalog, but if it’s anything like this album, it will all fade into the background. 2
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
There’s a lot of interesting soundscapes on this album. Many of the songs would be perfect for film scores. It’s a beautiful album. Best listening to this alone and high and not on a perfectly warm spring afternoon on a vacay-eve. Still broke through the tone being off for my day. 4
Michael Jackson
2/5
This album... is bad. It just reeks of the sounds of its era. Only two good songs are Bad and Smooth Criminal. The added background of his child rape allegations stand out in the many songs about forbidden love and changing for the better. He’s a talented song writer, but this is where he began to fall out of relevancy.
Elliott Smith
5/5
This is one of my favorite Elliott Smith albums. It’s like Dylan going electric. The two previous albums were pared down singer songwriter masterpieces. This album he adds more orchestration, pianos, electric instruments and drums making for a dynamic and fun album, but maintaining his melancholy. Son of Sam, Stupidity Tries and Happiness are three of my all time songs. Doesn’t get much better than this, but I’d put From a Basement on a Hill just above it when it comes to the larger sound albums. Not a surprise grade from the Elliott Smith Superman, 5.
Saint Etienne
2/5
This album seemed to go on forever. It faded to the background quickly and stayed there. Some of the samples were fun. The uptempo beats and major chords made for a nice background listen. But, didn’t really standout for me.
Metallica
3/5
Better than the previously played more mature album. Hard all the way through. But, yet again, too long. Short, sweet and hard would’ve been nice as metal tends to feel repetitive after a few songs.
Mike Oldfield
4/5
At first I was like, “what?” Then I was like, “whoa!” Sometimes I like long winded instrumentals, sometimes not. This one I liked, trancelike, fun, weird, cool guitar. Good for driving through a snow storm on the way to Reno in a Carrolla.
Blondie
3/5
Extra points because I’ve always had a crush on Debbie Harry. Heart of Glass has been on repeat for me for years. Solid album. Very digestible. Somehow it all feels 80’s vital, maybe not hits, but all contributing to the sound of the era, well produced and technically sound. A genre mashup between pop, punk and reggae. It’s the missing link between the talking heads and Ramones on the way to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Great drumming throughout. There are a few meh songs and every song is about love. Pretty good. B
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Was this the first dub/drum and bass album or something? Did it set the stage for acts like Left Field? Did it inspire the X Files intro? It mostly sounds like the score of a B-Movie set at a carnival. Weird sound effects and rhythm section. Not great, even the album cover is bad. There are some droning synth grooves near the end that aren’t bad. C-
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Do the first moments of this album suck or are they amazing? I think the vocal style is intentionally sloppy/conversational. This is post Carly Simon proto Fiona Apple. This album is filled with instrumental sounds—bass effect, acoustic electric guitar sound—that I hate, coffee shop core, but for some reason I don’t mind it on this album. She’s doing interesting things with rhyme scheme, cadence and delivery. It’s good/bad, I love/hate it. I’m not sure. She’s laying the tracks fir something good.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
The first song was AWFUL—something you’d hear in a Fair Trade store, everything I hate about world music produced to pander to the 90s white coffeehouse set. It’s for the 90s Starbucks crowd, lame 90s elements fucking up boring blues. I hate most of this album. At one point it “Rocking Chair” sounded like the comedian playing fake jazz piano. I will admit I did some toe tapping on track 3 and 4 and felt the heart of the last track. D. Still better than Anthrax.
4/5
Wow. Impressed. Heard of X, I think, but never listened before. It’s catchy, pared down, good variety, not too one note. I hear ramones, pixies, misfits, Jefferson airplane, sonic youth, iggy and the stooges, that says it all. Saved the album to my library.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
There were moments where this shone and moments where it stunk. Was Kravitz more of a Bohemian version of Prince at the beginning then Rock fucked up his sound? I can hear the funk still embodied in his fashion sense. But mostly I didn’t like this album, sometimes generic, some songs sounded like they were recorded in a closet. Most of the lyrics were too on the nose and lacked nuance, exemplified in Mr Cab Driver. So Rosemary is just a Christian song? Puke. He’s doing something almost interesting here, spans a few genres, but he doesn’t do it well. Reminds me of Gary Clark Jr.: fashionable bohemian black man, pretty good in the guitar, rock focused, on the nose lyrics, marketed to white people with no taste who want to feel cool—Matt P. Also likes Gary Clark Jr. so it makes sense. 2.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Hated this at first. So dated, synth, backup singers, etc. especially relative to his other work I’ve heard. I started to come around later in the album, when it seemed to stop taking itself seriously, it got all whimsical. Interesting. Having trouble to put it into words. Wasn’t floored, but ultimately I didn’t hate—except for the first two.
The Smiths
3/5
So we already listened to this on our first deleted account. I’m pretty sure I wrote an in depth review. But on principal I couldn’t be brought to do it again. Solid album. Nice soundscapes. A few really catchy songs but it just doesn’t have the bangers of some other Smith’s albums. Morrissey is exceptional with lyrics and melodies, captures the rich kid emo ennui of the 80s. But, like all of their albums there’s a lot of fat, a lot of songs I don’t care about that fade into the background—they’re kind of a greatest hits band for me.
Travis
2/5
Travis is possibly my least favorite band name, sounds so whiny. This album is soft and generic. It’s what I imagine Dawes sounds like. A less indy Sun Kill Moon/Coldplay combo, it’s like that band Karen Heath liked that ripped off Elliott Smith, it feels like a ripoff of Bends era Radiohead, it’s U2 and Keen and every other 90s band. They took the vocal crescendos of Radiohead, the backing band of Coldplay and played folk with it. I do have to admit, some good melodies, nice voice, spans a few genres but nothing stands out, it’s flat and generic.
Method Man
3/5
Not bad. Not the best Wu Tang member album. Great beats, good flow. A bit dark for me. B-
Bob Dylan
5/5
You can see why he’s the voice of a generation. Some of the songs are just relentless poetry, Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie’s Farm, Outlaw Blues; wild, fun, sounds like a chase scene describing the 60s. Multiple softer classics in Baby Blue, Tambourine Man, It’s Alright Ma. Lots of great melodies, insanely good lyrics. Fun album, Lovely album. Easy 5.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
Rap Rock, really, 1001? Heavily distorted guitars, really? Are these the fathers of white rap? The missing link between stereo mcs and kid rock, everlast, etc? I’d call this lounge rap, lots of loungey beats, but also, oddly, seems to celebrate criminality, but in a movie way, not a gangster rap way. The big hit scooby-snack song, definitely an homage to Tarantino, didn’t realize that until now. There are a few cool samples hidden in here, but overall, not for me.
When the hit in this album was huge I remember reading that the lead singers dad played Mongo in blazing saddles. So I can’t help but imagine a bunch of Hollywood kids making this “rap” album. Who the fuck said sugar-gay?
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
It’s like a hybrid of Buddy Holly and Bruce Springsteen and Proto Weezer—if you put distortion on and removed the keys it could be weezer. I’m also hearing King Kahn and The Shrines. Elvis Costello has always been on the periphery for me, I’ve never really dug in so was pleasantly surprised. The Attractions are tight AF. First half was a 5, second half was a 4. A-
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
A fun freak out album. Nice and garagey, psychedelic. Most prodigious use of the Brazilian thing that sounds like someone inhaling and exhaling fast—and at first it was charming then became annoying. I wonder if it’s supposed to be less prevalent on the mix and new headphones pick it up? I loved this album at first, then found it one note and almost annoying. 3
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Avalanche is a beautiful song, interesting vocal deliveries. That goes fit most of this album, beautiful, raw, interesting expressionist vocal delivery. I wonder if his early music was so good and so overwrought and sincere that he had to go into parody mode in later life, a call and response. One critique is that this blurs the line between music and spoken word. Still good, much better than previous Cohen album.
Cornershop
5/5
This was a really interesting Brit Pop album. Seems to epitomize what Brit Pop was all about, experimentation and making poppy Beatle inflected rock, it also added a hearty serving of the break beat stuff that was getting popular in the 90s in the UK. When it started I was like, “holy shit, the 45 song” but this album was much more. Loved the Indian lyrics and Indian tunes peppered in. This seems representative of the Indian diaspora in London. Where did this band go? Chill sounds, good break beat, classic Indy, multi-genre, even a song that sounded like Devo. And most of all, solid drumming throughout. Great album, multi-genre, experimental, solid, lots of variety, every song was good. Can’t ask for much more. Albums like this are why I’m listening to 1001!
Dire Straits
4/5
“Down the Waterline” is awesome… and almost a carbon copy of “Sultan’s of Swing.” I’ve always loved “Sultan’s of Swing” and the MTV song and the synthier hit but otherwise never listened to dire straits in depth. This album was surprising, very Texas Roadhouse Rick/country with a dire straits twist. I always imagined dire straits to be more of a Prague Rock band, but this is Almost what I’d imagine ZZ Top should sound like. These guys are great musicians and okay lyricists, that’s the only thing holding this album back. Really enjoyed this album, all the songs were good but not great, B+.
The Only Ones
5/5
Holy shit… that was awesome. This is exactly what I was looking for on 1001, bangers that were never on my radar. This album had a bit of Telivision, Roxy Music, Bowie, Violent Femmes and Of Montreal. First song was a good reforestation of the rest of the album, genre mashup, sounded like Roy Orbison mixed with Television. This album has everything I want, Proto punk, good breakdowns, solid recording and fidelity. What an impressive big sound and on top of that Horns and Keys, and in that way predicts and transcends punk and post punk. Loved it. Saved it. 5.
Nirvana
5/5
This album can’t be denied. It makes me ask, was Nirvana potentially a better acoustic band? Is this their most iconic album? Was this the catalyst for Indy Rock? It’s close, but I think Nevermind is still the most iconic and evidence that their just as good as rockers. This album is so good though, so many perfect covers chosen from an eclectic swath of artists. Also had great renditions of original songs. Kurt’s scratchy voice, the acoustic guitars with electric pickups, the cello, the pump organ, the acoustic bass, the banter and KURTS SWEATER, maybe it’s because I’ve listened to it so many times, but it just feels nearly perfect, especially considering I generally hate live albums and would always prefer an album recorded on the studio. A+
Death In Vegas
2/5
Industrial Brit Pop? Sooo, I guess shoegaze? Some good buildups. Some cool sounds. Little bit of a background album though.
Marty Robbins
2/5
This album told full stories in song, which is cool. Solid song writing, nice tunes, good musicians. A bit boring and one note. What was the state of music that musicians were just playin’ western genre albums? At the cocktail party, “yeah, put on Marty Robbins, let’s hear us some westerns!” Hangin’ Tree followed by Saddle Tramp, LOL. 2 stars.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Dated drums right out the gate. I guess this is Proto-industrial, so that’s why it’s “important.” The voice is cool, dark, driving but I can’t get over the dated effects. There were some shining moments where I heard Bowie and Echo and the Bunnymen. But, overall, blah. 2.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I don’t love rock operas, but if you’re going to listen to/watch a rock opera, this is the definitive one IMO. The story of a baby boomer, born during the blitz, raised up in lower class England, to become a rockstar, hit the pitfalls of stardom, to grow old and die. It’s good but Just a little too long winded. I looked at the album thinking I was almost done, nope, not even halfway through. I understand with the movie the skits and interludes make more sense, but there’s just so much fat on this album. Some great riffs, epic moments, some awesome songs, 4.5 songs ish. But in my mind this album, though held up as the Pink Floyd gem, will just never stand up to the likes of echoes and dark side—which is a more efficient rock opera about the more existential questions. If I was rating rock operas I’d give this a 5, but since I’m grading albums I give it a 4.
Stereo MC's
3/5
I’ve been waiting for this album to pop up on this list. It was destined for this list, British, trip hop, Brit pop, white hip-hop in one. I bought this album at a Goodwill b/c I like “Get Connected” and was pleasantly surprised by the full album, it was part of my regular post college rotation in Luverne. Lots of chill vibes, good samples, good to drive to. I can take or leave the backup singers, it dates it a bit, but I see what they were going for. It is a bit too one note and too one note to be this long. 3.
The Band
4/5
Pretty good. A couple gems, a lot of solid music. Why do they sound southern, they’re not doing country music, is it like rocked up bluegrass? They relegate Levon Helm’s voice to the background too often. Lots of fun keyboard and guitar sounds. Not perfect though. Is the Band a Greatest hits band?
Joy Division
2/5
Got all the 80’s hallmarks in there. On a 40 minute album they threw a lot away on the first song. I prefer the rawness of Unknown Pleasures. Lots of repetitive baselines. The minimalism isn’t doing anything for me in this album—makes me think of Ed’s bass playing. They were trying to do something here, and I see the evolution of new wave happening, but it’s not working, seems almost amateur compared to previous album.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
This is annoying, haha. Is it actually a good album or is it just early Indy? The guitar riffs on the first few songs sound amateur, basic, repetitive. I can totally imagine Carrie Brownstein just clanging away on the guitar, LOL. The vocal delivery is always interesting. Album gets more nuanced halfway through. Actually enjoyed “Words and Guitar” and felt that “Not What You Want” rocked. This album started as an Anthrax level 1 but fought its way back to a Dusty Springfield 3.
Elbow
5/5
This is a beautiful, milti-genre, journey. Another album I’ve never hear of that I loved. Good lyrics, nice minimalism, epic crescendos. There are a few songs that almost ruin it, the country revival dirge in the middle reminding me of the radio songs of 5 yrs ago, there’s also a couple Nick Cave style songs I didn’t love. At its best this album sounds like a film score with Indy vocals. Nick Cave and country revival songs weren’t enough to ruin this album for me, it was successful despite those songs. 5.
Kanye West
4/5
Everyone says this is Kanye’s best album, I think it’s just okay. Part of me thinks the popularity of this album is solely based on Runaway, the only iconic song on this album, IMO. It’s a solid album, don’t get me wrong, but nothing really sticks with me. Kanye is definitely talented at creating a soundscape. As usual l, lots of very clever rhymes throughout. I find I like his gospel chorus sounds overly sincere, not up my alley. I appreciated the King Crimson sample but felt it gets cut off, he could let it play a little more and it would’ve made the song better. Lots of abrupt cuts in his soundscape, themes coming in an out chaotically, changing the song briefly before it goes back to normal, creates an interesting pastiche. Almost all the songs have a epic vibe to them, they feel big, the scale is big. But are they good? The rhyme “put the Pussy in a sarcophagus” just to rhyme with esophagus, seems a little lazy. There are a few fives on this album, few fours, a 2 and a threes. B+
Queen
4/5
I had a similar experience listening to this one as I did the first Queen album on this list; I haven’t listened to many full queen albums, just the hits. I find the music ecstatic and fun. Sometimes a little harder edged than the hits, sometimes more theatrical/whimsical and lots of good breakdowns via talented guitar and drums. The albums are good, they make you feel good, but fit some reason they’re not sticking to my ribs, not catchy enough for me to replay or memorize, just not compelled somehow.
Beach House
5/5
Why is their sound ethereal? Her voice? Combo of synth and guitar? Is it an effect of the droning in each song? Their music just feels different somehow. It’s hypnotic, relaxing, nostalgic, but also has a hint of emo, it’s heavy but light. A combination of Indy pop, sci-fi soundtracks, nostalgic sounding effects, early electronic minimalism and a beautiful deep female voice akin to Nico. There is really only one crescendo, but it feels like it’s constant throughout. For me this is an easy 5, just as good on a summer drive as a moody evening in by myself. All songs are good, catchy. This has been the soundtrack to many road trips and will continue to be so.
Tortoise
3/5
I liked some of the build and crescendos in this. Some really nice movie score-like portions of the album. I heard Godspeed You, Tool, Portishead, Yo La Tango. Interesting that they threaded in vibraphone. Do I need lyrics for a 4, maybe.
System Of A Down
2/5
This album lacked all the Armenian/classical training vibes that, to me, are the strengths of System of a Down. Rarely, he lets his voice shine and you see glimpses of the songs they became famous for, harmonic, beautiful and melancholic. This album seems to fall into the many pitfalls of hard rock from the era, it feels immature, like music for teenage boys. I was expecting at least one of their classics to float this album up, but it never came. 2.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Solid album. Nothing in particular stood out. Feels like the bridge between 80s new wave and 90s adult contemporary like REM/Live/Spin Doctors. We know this is a British list because Brit Pop features so heavily on it.
Aimee Mann
2/5
I’m a big fan of Aimee Man’s voice—listen to Weyes Blood if you’re looking fit a modern version. This album is way over produced. It’s as if a studio fat cat got a hard on for her and gave her way too much money to produce this album, not only that but it is indulgent and long. This would be a better album if it was pared down—the three songs that are work better IMO. The 4th sings starts with a dope sample then the 90s guitar just tramples all over it. The song, “Stupid Thing” is simply bad. If you want hood Aimee Man Listen to the Magnolia soundtrack, those tracks are magic. Aimee Man at her best. C-
Jeff Buckley
4/5
This album is kind of many things rolled into one and ahead of its time. It’s kind of Proto-iron and Wine and Bon Iver, but also sounds like a combo of Elliott Smith and STP, but also, there’s songs that seem to predict 2000s harder rock—though not in a good way. What really shines is his voice and what extermination he’s willing to do with it, it’s really something special and shines on the album. There are some interesting instrumentation choices, some cool breakdowns but also some dated stuff that isn’t working. I’d give his singing and songwriting a 5, but some of the instrumentation was 2-3 range so that detracted. It’s interesting to think about which route he would’ve gone were he still alive, could’ve been really great, but also, maybe not.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
YAWN. Electronic rarely does it for me. I will admit there were a few toe tappers, but where were the samples that really shine like his hits weapon of choice, praise you and funk soul brother, not in this album, that’s for sure. This album started out too housy and industrial, at its best Matrix fight scene, it was a 2, but then it got a little more poppy and won me over to a 3.
PS could Fatboy Slim be cancelled today for appropriating the word “fat?”
Sister Sledge
3/5
After hearing the Daft Punk influence I looked it up and realized this is a Niles Rogers album, which doesn’t surprise me given that funky Niles Rogers strumming throughout. Wondering if this is the first album with the Niles Rogers sound? The singing on this album has a very distinct sound, I think it’s the vocal harmonies from the chorus style sound, very enigmatic. This is a tight album, sounds good. A little one note. I was leaning 4 but by the end I shifted to 3. PS They should get credit for gettin’ jiffy wit it.
Roxy Music
4/5
It’s crazy how ahead of its time this album is. It’s both glam and Proto-new wave. They were playing around with sonic vibes and FX that wouldn’t get popular for another 10 yrs. Lots of big sounds, electronic soundscapes. The guitar solo that sounds like violin on Out of The Blue is epic. Rocy music has such an interesting vibe, they seem to take themselves half seriously, but sound like the coolest kids in the room at a club, most of the time it works for them, other times it lands a bit too goofy. DEVO owes everything to Roxy Music. This album, like many of their albums has a lot of great songs and a few bad ones. I like Roxy Music a lot but they never hit that, perfect album echelon IMO, however they’ve got a sick greatest hits album library. Brian Eno would go into to better things and 5 rated albums in his solo career, but this doesn’t get there: 4.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Why do I want to not like Elvis Costello? Is it because he’s like a Hipster Bruce Springsteen? He’s a good songwriter, he’s got good hooks and good lyrics, interesting delivery, this album is multi-genre. I hear Spoon and King Khan. I’m not sure, I don’t think he’ll ever get a 5 from me, really solid stuff, but something, some pazazz is missing. Maybe it’s intentionally understated? B.
David Bowie
1/5
I hated this album. One of the David Bowie Albums I haven’t listened to. After this it makes sense why he had to go to Berlin and reinvent himself steeped in minimalism. Compared to the previous 3 albums this is trash, those albums had beautiful melodies, construction, lyrics. Later albums had more edge and minimalism. This album is just a mess. It’s decadent. Too much is going on, he’s trying to do too much and sounds confused, congas, brass, backup sinners, bad jazz piano solos. He says “qualudes and red wine” in one song and I’m guessing he was on a steady diet of both when he made this album. Oddly, the face paint on this album is the iconic image everyone thinks of when they think of Bowie. This sounds like a rock opera, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Everything Roxy Music got right around the same tone, this album gets wrong. The cover of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” which is much worse than the original points a spotlight at the shittiness of this album. Jean Genie stands out as the only thing good in this. There were some ballady piano songs that start pretty but get fucked during the chorus by his dissonant maximalism. I love Bowie, but hate this album.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
My favorite twee Brit-pop band. This one is better than the last one on the list and a step closer to the perfect 5 B&S album, but not quite there. A couple fives and a lot of other solid songs. Electronic Renaissance is off the beaten path and ahead of its time. Good listen.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
This album is about as close as I can get to a 5 without giving it a 5. It’s hard not to get up and start popping and locking with (most) this album on. There’s some songs on here that really slap, first one and The Message in particular, The Message being one of my personal favorite songs. Hip Hop as a whole, especially Dr. Dre G-Funk and Africa Bombata, owe Grandmaster flash for pioneering the sound. The Adventures if GMF is an epic break near buffet, makes me wish I could’ve experienced one of those early dance parties at the birth of Hip Hop. This is a surprisingly eclectic album, beyond samples I heard some good instrumentation including, cello, solid piano, electronic music, crooning, rhyming and skat. Not only is the album an early hip-hop pioneer but I’d say the eclecticism is also ahead of its time. It’s funny how they are so positive in contrast to more modern hip hop, they rap about monogamous relationships and how bad drugs are, surprisingly refreshing. Though there’s a couple soft boy songs that flop in the middle if the album, mostly good, but the lyrics just kind of blow, take you out of it, most specifically the very weird ode to Stevie Wonder in the style of Stevie Wonder. Those killed the 5 for me, but damn, still a great album. A-
Michael Jackson
4/5
That McCartney song, yuck, “gosh darn.” This seems to implicate McCartney in Michael’s pedophilia, now imagining them fighting over a 6th grade boy like a couple of crocodiles fighting over a gazelle. This album has some absolute bangers, Thirller, Billie Jean, P.Y.T, Wanna Be Starting Something and Beat It, but it also seems to suffer from something all his albums do, it has a few stinkers. He can’t seem to write a perfect album. But he sure can write a hook. Even though it’s hard to distance him from the pedophilia listening to all these lyrics these days, but it can’t be denied, a good album molestation notwithstanding.
Miles Davis
2/5
Yeah, I guess this was cool. 1957 was a long time ago. Some nice sounding songs. Moon Dreams stuck out. This seems like the transition from big band to jazz maybe, the synthesis of Miles’ Sound? Maybe he was doing more interesting stuff live? I was having trouble hearing the jazz amongst the big band stuff and had to restart this 3 times. It might’ve been the birth of cool, but it wasn’t cool yet, I like Miles when he gets weird, when psych Rock starts to inspire him.
Gary Numan
5/5
At first I thought, this is way ahead of its time, but DEVO’s seminal album came out the year before, so no. This was another album where I thought to myself, this is why I listen to 1001, to discover things I’ve never heard like this. But then I realized I’d definitely heard at least three of the hits on here, Films, Mr. E and In Cars, but because of the generic nature of his name, I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and I’ve written them off as one hit wonders. The songs on this are generally short and sweet. I like the sound created by the synth, guitar fix and analog drums. Good stuff, saved to library, 5.
Doves
2/5
Solid Brit pop. Evolution of Oasis, Proto Coldplay with a sprinkle of Sun Kill Moon. Some of the songs had a big sound and good breakdowns. Many times I’d be into it and they’d take it the wrong direction, a boring direction. As a whole it felt a bit saccharine and got a bit repetitive.
Madness
3/5
This was kind of all over the place. Folksy, upbeat, new wave, big band, vaudevillian and even at times Springsteen/Costello. It’s a multi-genre kaleidoscope. Seems almost like an 80s precursor to King Gizzard. When I finally hit “Our House” I was like, “ohhh, this why this is relevant.” Not bad, but also a little too all over the place for me. In what context would you listen to this? 3.
The Doors
5/5
“Father…yes son…I want to kill you.” I just got this on vinyl from my record club. It’s a great combo of swingin’ sixties lounge and late sixties psych. Goes back and forth between dancing playboy bunnies and general Kurtz. Jim Morrison’s lyrics might be a bit overwrought, but we can for give the ol’ king snake, all these songs are undeniable, not a bad one in the bunch. All got radio play but one, and it’s still a banger. On the backbone of catchy keys and guitar licks it really shines. I don’t revisit the doors as much as a used to, but when I do, I really enjoy. It’s fun to imagine how weird/fun Jim Morrison would’ve become had he made it to old age. 5.
The Damned
3/5
Good punk. Good variety, not one note like much of the punk from the low era, all punk eras for that matter. I heard examines, Sex Pistols and television. Didn’t knock my socks off but I enjoyed it. 3
Frank Ocean
4/5
First time listening to Frank Ocean. He’s been very famous for very long and every time I hear his name I think of it as a sign I’m getting more out of touch. This album seemed very post modern, pulling from a lot of places, video game, TV, radio interludes. Early on in the album is felt too soft, too Pop R&B and i wasn’t feeling it—the sentiments and vibes of modern R&B doesn’t speak to me. Then I’m the middle of the album he has a run of great songs: Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Crack Rock and Pyramids is a run of fives. Pleasantly surprised, there’s a lot of depth there, but overall a bit long and everything wasn’t a banger.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Buttery smooth, cozy. I thought it was going to be repetitive big band, but surprisingly there was a lot of variety. Nice listen on a fall afternoon. Did fade into the background, but it’s nearly perfect.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
This album is a bit abrasive and intense for a normal day, however it can’t be denied, it’s a fantastic album. Trent Reznor’s voice wavers between razor blade and buzzsaw, the lonely samples sound far away and lost, the guitar effects and driving baselines sound like cold metal in a defunct factory. This is industrial music. It’s both beautiful and too much at the same time. You can hear the influences, new wave, metal and techno in this mashup. You can hear Reznor’s theatrical appreciation and resulting aesthetic—a prelude to his very successful film score career. I think Closer and Hurt are both masterpieces which can be played on loop. I was very close to giving this a 5, even though it was a downer for the afternoon, but there’s a bit of filler, a few dongs which were threes and it just barely didn’t reach the eschelon of every song is good. 4.
Thundercat
5/5
New Jazz: Funk, Yacht Rock, Soul, techno, humor, realism, sketches, story, ennui, alcoholism, modern introspection, modern vernacular and memes, and every song slaps. 5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
I wonder how Bonny Prince Billy would feel about his album being played with interludes of adds from the likes of State Farm, Eggland’s Best and VRBO? Will Oldham has always seemed like the most pretentious dude in the world. He’s so precious about being “real” and having “integrity.” He seems like the type who would ignore you at a party and make sarcastic jokes at your expense. Bonny Prince Billy always reminds me of a train ride I took with Zoe where she had us both listen to the album in perfect unison and was weird about getting it exact, then having sex, it was a sexy idea, but her controlling exactitude, me not fucking in rhythm, the music getting off unison, the conductor knocking at the door, made what should’ve been amazing a hellish experience. I was really feeling the first half of album, raw, singer songwriter Appalachian rock. It’s fragile and wandering. Sounds like the songs of a tragic loner in the olden times. As the album went on it wasn’t as good, some bad forced rhyme and cadence, some sloppy instrumentation. I want yo love Nonmie Prince Billy and there are moments when I do, but for the most part his albums are just out of reach, I’m just not cool enough to really embrace it, kind of like when I was trying to listen to it and have sex on a train.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
Cool psych music. Gets pretty far out there at times, perhaps too far out there on Song three. Some of the songs sound straight out of the Mayonnaise fake book, specifically Calvary, which slaps real hard. 4
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Really nice clean melodic jazz. Includes three of the most iconic riffs in jazz music. This is what they teach in music school, it’s canon. Killer drum solo on Take 5. Nice listen, perfect for a party. A few of the songs weren’t legend status, so 4.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
“Let’s Get It On” has always been my least favorite Marvin Gaye hit, something about the simplicity in the message lacks the depth of hiding it through imagery. “Let’s Get It on AGAIN” is abridge too far. What’s going on is much better.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Joni Mitchell always has great lyrics, poetic, conversational, confessional, interesting rhyme scheme, even when sometimes a little forced it works with her delivery. This album was filled with fives. But I hated Raised by Robbery and Twisted, the Rockish forced spear of The former and the lame white skit scatting of the latter. Killed the vibe.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Pretty damn good. Amazing voice. Nice modern twist to classic Motown R&B. Very Phil Spector. Not sure if her fashion, voice, lyrics land for me as amazing homage or derivative. It seems to build on the genre by modernizing, adding a darker edge via honesty, depression, swearing and drug refs, but it is also whole cloth just the same old same old. It’s like the gen x punk people who became rockabilly, is it cool or is it lame? I did find the album lacking crescendos, wondering if her voice can nail a few, but maybe I’ve heard too much Adele who filled the void left by Amy. Overall mostly fives on this album, a few lesser songs but pretty damn tight.
Jeff Beck
3/5
I like the songs with the dirty, loose, jammy feel at the front end of the album. Some cool Mitch Mitchell/Ginger baker in some of these. A lot like Cream and Led Zepplin. I can see why people say Jimmy Paige ripped off Jeff Beck. There were 5s at the beginning of the album, but it got a bit repetitive and the blues and green sleeves buzz killed me. 3
Buffalo Springfield
5/5
Quote impressed with this album. Never listened to it, though it has two CSNY members in it. Quote eclectic, it ranges from Neil Young rock to Steven Stills rock, to folk, to country, to epic to R&B. Also has a good mix and sounds great. Mostly 5s. A couple 4s. 5.
Little Richard
4/5
This album I’m so many ways is ahead of its time and an inspiration fir so much that followed. Not only was he pioneering rock but he was pioneering sexuality, fashion, singing style, etc. he sings about anal sex and transgender people which feels contemporary now, 65 yrs later. This is better than the other bebop records we’ve listened to on this list, his voice, range and little touches and improvisations elevate it beyond the others. Without this there’s no Otis Redding, no James Brown, no Prince. I imagine this was insanely fun to see live with more improvisation, longer breakdowns, etc. The album started like it was shot out of a cannon, then lost me a bit in the middle with the repetition, but brought me back with some bangers on the latter half. This album deserves a 5 for all it has done, and would’ve if it was the 60s, 70s, 80s, but things have changed so much. Based on this listen alone, I still think it deserves a 4, but spiritually I’m giving it a 5.
Violent Femmes
4/5
This album is way ahead of its time. It’s Indy before Indy. It’s pixies and the shins abd decemberists. It’s a mash up of the energy and grime of punk but the acoustic sensibilities and tempo of django rheinhardt. The combo of acoustic punk and the clever wordplay, lyrics and delivery make this band delightful. There are 5 of my favorite songs on this album, the rest feel like repetition or filler, sadly. If this album were 5 songs it would be a 5, but it’s not so it’s a 4.
Miles Davis
3/5
I don’t know. Pretty good I guess. Some great moments. I can never seem to separate this era of jazz and film noir tropes, therefore it makes it hard for me to purely listen. I felt like John Coltrane outplayed Mile’s a few times (or is that just because the sax is a more dynamic instrument?). Definitely had some moments, especially near the end of the album where I said, “wow.” 3
The Byrds
4/5
Good album. Nails the cool, chill, transcendental, raw, dirty energy of 60s LA. The lyrics, transitions and sound mix can get a bit clunky at times. Love the sitar/guitar sound, the harmonies abd there are some standout parts from the rhythm section. 3.5 but giving a 4.
The B-52's
3/5
Didn’t know this album was ‘79, earns a few points for that. Lead singer sounds like Dead Kennedy’s or New Order. The aesthetic is like punk but in the style of 50s atom punk. I feel like the band are mediocre musicians. A few songs started to sound like a kids album, or maybe kids albums sound like this. It did start to grow on me a little. But just okay, 3.
The Black Crowes
2/5
This album sounds like it was composed to appeal to women who wear cowboy hats and jeans with embroidery on the ass. It sounds like the music they play during barrel riding montages on the show Yellowstone. The production value was good, sometimes it was catchy, they seem like musicians, the singer has a good scratch/voice crack thing going, but it’s just not for me. Maybe it bears too much responsibility for modern country. I can tell you that it was one of the albums I’ve least looked forward to listening to on this list.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I’d call the Flaming Lips, and this album, Dirty Precious. It’s an interesting combo of stripped down and dirty guitar and drums and spacey synth with transcendental/cutesy lyrics. The first song is one of my favorite songs, especially to dance to. The album is very solid, though I ft the limitations of their kit and at times it gets repetitive in the drum realm. Great album though. 4.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Nice. Cutesy ballads. Very saccharine. Elliott Smith references “Cathy’s Clown” in one of his songs, which is cool. I wonder how many unhappy marriages resulted from this saccharine lovey propaganda in that era?
Baaba Maal
2/5
There’s very cool things happening on this album, cool time signatures, cool singing and an expansive African inflected palette. But I’m constantly distracted by the dated synth effects, the synth horns, etc. simply ruins songs for me. I was eventually won over into thinking this wasn’t awful, but among the 4s and 3s there were some 1s and 2s in my track by track ratings. 2
Kraftwerk
4/5
Pretty great. Some optimistic songs. Some dark menacing songs. Very filmic. The birth of electronic music.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I think they did themselves a disservice by leading with Gimme Shelter, it’s such a banger, a 6 in the world of 5s, the sound is so big. But after that they seem to revert back to the stripped down blues and Appalachia vibes that are exemplified by in Exile on Main Street. The whole middle chunk of this album just feels like a let down compared to the first song. Not bad, lots of good white blues. I think the big stones fans prefer the stripped down raw things they do, but I prefer the more polished songs with the bigger sound. The last two songs almost reach the Gimme Shelter heights again, in my mind they should’ve transitioned from these and finished with shelter—perhaps this was an A-Side/B-Side thing that I’m unaware of. Good album, but only a 4.
Missy Elliott
3/5
This album started out hot, I was dreading listening to this, but the first songs grabbed me, good word play, good flow, catchy beats, first 3 songs were 5-4-5. I was like holy shit, this is Timbaland’s magnum opus, this set the stage for Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. I was excited that I realized, “let me work it” is based off of a Blondie sample. Then it started to slide and got worse, the quality dropped, the sentimental songs sapped the life out of it, the beats lost their luster and eventually it faded into the background. By the tone she wax eulogizing her friends I just didn’t care. 3 for starting out strong. The line, “you don’t see bill gates and Donald trump arguing” because they’re rich, didn’t she well, or did it?
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Not all of the songs from this album were on Spotify, but I didn’t seek out the rest on YouTube b/c I think I get the gyst: socially conscious lyrics a la public enemy and RATM, with choruses which repeat like mantras, poetic refrains, like a new age Gil Scott Heron. At first I was excited, then I realized how repetitive it was and it wasn’t necessarily a nuanced take. College Sophomore Matt would’ve loved this. 2
Wild Beasts
4/5
This album was my introduction to Wild Beasts. Beautiful music, very bespoke and pretty, the voice felt ornate. The music kind of exemplifies the Indy-rock of Josh’s generation that came after mine, I missed the boat on it, but would be jealous of lip pierced hipsters riding by on fixies out hipstering me and listening to music like this. The voice and delivery are enigmatic, maybe try hard or post modern sarcastic even? I hear a lot of Indy rock now that seems inspired by this. Listening to the songs by this band that played after the album, which were even more dynamic, maybe their best albums were yet to come? 4.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Ah yes, music for white people who have carved African salad tongs aka music played at free trade stores aka music written for white people who watch PBS aka music for anthropology and English professors to get their rocks off on the dance floor aka music played at the local Zoo’s summer concert series. I don’t want to tear this down because it is such happy music. It definitely got my toes tapping. But the dated 90s synth just assassinates any pleasure in my ears. I’m going to be nice though, 3.
The Isley Brothers
2/5
I was really giving to this album, it’s like the bridge between Marvin Gay abd the Doobie Brothers, or a black version of the band. “The Lady,” despite being co-opted for a shampoo commercial with dogs singing “who’s that lady” that loves in my nightmares, is a a good song. But then, really quickly, this album careens from a solid album into a covers album. I can’t grade a covers album high no matter how good—except Santana Abraxas, but that’s the exception that proves the rule—it quickly dropped from verging on a 4 to verging on a 3. Good musicians, lots of fun arrangements, buttery smooth voice, but covers. 2.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I’ve heard Lana Del Ray is good at lyrics, but I’m not generally lyric focused listener. I’m not sure why she gets vaulted over Taylor Swift, who I also think is overrated, was it because she caused Taylor to pivot to more thoughtful Indy inflected pop? To me it sounds pretty standard. There were a few highlights. But nothing spectacular. I was excited when Weyes Blood showed up on the last song, but that only proved to me that it wasn’t top tier when I heard a great voice.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
For what it is, this is really good. Better than Kraftwerk. Reminded me of Plantasia. The first song was a bit slow, but after that it never relented. Great album.
Boston
3/5
Boston definitely came up with their own sound the raw harmonics between the vocals and guitars. The interplay of the guitars and the drum fills are good. I marked four 5s on this album. It will always have a cheap blue collar feel to it, not sure if it’s the name or the cultural meme or actually the sound, but when I hear it it sounds like 70’s blue collar. Unfortunately the repetition caught up with me mid-album and began to become stale. I think they also might have a lame lyrics problem. My 4 evaporated into a 3. I was ready to give BOSTON a 5 after the first 3 songs.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Cool cover—nice fidelity—good vibes—dug the jams—good for road trips—nothing stood out.
Funkadelic
5/5
This album is dripping with vibe. They slap, the bang. There’s funk, there’s hendrix, there’s jamming, theirs weird trancelike whiny guitar. Every song moves me on a particular way which is what a 5 needs to do. I worry the mysterious heroin addict Jesus like guitar player has taken over the story of this album. I get what the Armageddon song is doing with all the sound effects, but it’s a little annoying, just okay the jam, the farts brought be back. Here’s to farts and heroin Jesus. 5.
The Roots
3/5
Seed 2.0 is one of my favorite songs all time. There’s a few other bangers on this album, but mostly it’s a few good songs surrounded by mediocre. All the R&B harsher my vibe. They get extra credit fir being a full band and using instruments.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
The moment I saw the album cover, name of the band and album cover, I knew I was going to hate this. After the first 30 seconds I wrote, “fuuuuck, I knew it.” But then after a while I realize even though I wanted to hate it, I didn’t really hate it. I heard I think all of the bands from the early 90s in their sound, Pixies, Morrissey, Jane’s Addiction, REM, Four Non-Blonds, Jeff Buckley, etc. mid way through there were a couple 4s in my rankings, surprised the breached 3. But then the lyrics started to stand out and I realized they were awful, Dixie Frug Store maybe the worst offender. And the quality dropped. Thank god I didn’t like it. 2.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Upbeat, epic, dramatic. Both modern and retro. Is thus the Big Little Lies intro song guy? Each one of these songs seemed well though out and composed, had a beginning middle and end. I’m impressed. Not a bad song, so I guess it’s a 5.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
Proto Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, etc. Good for what it is. Ahead of its time. Succinct. The Sarah Vaughn thing threw me off. But yet another album that is so old I’m not going to rate it a 5 but in its time it was probably due a 5.
Radiohead
5/5
Best Radiohead album. Perfect balance of rock and jazz. Gets away from the the Thom Yorke techno. Balanced. Emotional. Beautiful.