Journey Complete!
Finisher #51 to complete the list
1090
Albums Rated
3.73
Average Rating
100%
Complete
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
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1950s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
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US
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
305
5-Star Albums
22
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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Ratings by country
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duck Stab/Buster & Glen | 5 | 2.02 | +2.98 |
| Wonderful Rainbow | 5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
| Trout Mask Replica | 5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
| Locust Abortion Technician | 5 | 2.38 | +2.62 |
| Rock Bottom | 5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
| Third | 5 | 2.43 | +2.57 |
| Black Metal | 5 | 2.47 | +2.53 |
| Boy In Da Corner | 5 | 2.57 | +2.43 |
| The United States Of America | 5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
| KE*A*H** (Psalm 69) | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Life | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| The Rising | 1 | 3.06 | -2.06 |
| Chemtrails Over The Country Club | 1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
| Heartbreaker | 1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
| All That You Can't Leave Behind | 1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
| I See A Darkness | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| Very | 1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
| A Northern Soul | 1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
| Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| World Clique | 1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.71 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.8 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.8 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 4.6 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.75 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Yes | 3 | 5 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.22 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.29 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.33 |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 4.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.67 |
| Blur | 3 | 4.67 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.67 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 |
| Manic Street Preachers | 2 | 5 |
| Fairport Convention | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| Rufus Wainwright | 2 | 5 |
| Common | 2 | 5 |
| LCD Soundsystem | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| The The | 2 | 5 |
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 5 |
| Willie Nelson | 2 | 5 |
| The Byrds | 5 | 4.2 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.25 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beck | 3 | 4.33 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 4 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 1.67 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 2 |
| The Verve | 2 | 1.5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 2.25 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Jane's Addiction | 2, 5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 1, 4 |
| George Michael | 2, 5 |
| U2 | 1, 3, 5, 4 |
| Marvin Gaye | 5, 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (305)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Marty Robbins
5/5
YE-(and I cannot stress this enough)-HAW
110 likes
Black Sabbath
5/5
Imagine:
It is 1970.
The heaviest thing you'd ever heard was Jimi Hendrix, maybe a little Blue Cheer if you were really spicy.
You're browsing in the record shop and see this spooky looking album with a grainy picture of a woman in a field on it. You buy it out of curiosity, and bring it home.
You pop it on to your record player, and are greeted with the sounds of rain.
And then, suddenly, thundering guitars, playing an evil riff, with a man yelling at a satanic figure giving him nightmarish visions.
Nothing could prepare you for this. It was unlike anything else at the time. And it STILL holds up today.
95 likes
David Bowie
4/5
With this album, Bowie really achieved one of the highest accolades he had ever or would ever receive in his life as an artist: having a cover of one of his songs appear in the soundtrack of Shrek 2.
86 likes
AC/DC
4/5
AC/DC is like a delicious plain chocolate ice cream. Every bite is going to be basically the same, but you aren't gonna be all that mad about it.
76 likes
The Pharcyde
3/5
Lots of albums take themselves too seriously; this is the first time I’ve heard one not take itself seriously enough.
Undeniably fun, don’t get me wrong. But it feels like the musical equivalent of a guy that is easily talented enough to get into the NBA, but instead uses his gifts exclusively to throw suction-cup dildos into increasingly bizarre, high up, and hard to reach places.
73 likes
1-Star Albums (22)
All Ratings
Talking Heads
4/5
Very fun and dancy, just a good time. Pretty ahead of it's time too.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Some good ass blues rock. The double drummers holds up super well live, too. The jams are really where this album soars.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
It is quite a feat to have an album this long that somehow doesn't feel bloated. Excellent kickass songs, and even better ballads.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
The kind of album that makes me want to dig deeper, I love that. Right now it's a four, but that could easily edge up as I familiarize myself with it.
Duran Duran
4/5
Punchy and fun, I want to drive to the beach while listening to this album.
The Doors
4/5
More variety than I was expecting, I quite enjoyed it all.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I didn't dislike it, but it felt kinda generic honestly.
Sonic Youth
5/5
I see why this is such a classic. I think I still like Goo better, but this is noisy punky alt rock in rare form
The Rolling Stones
3/5
As always with the stones, the hits hit hard, but the deep tracks tend to be very inconsistent.
The Temptations
4/5
The A side could be an easy 5, but the back half drags into good but generic motown that brings the record down a bit.
Carole King
3/5
Some good singer-songwriter, with the emphasis on songwriter; Though her versions are great, I prefer a lot of other performances and arrangements, such as Taylor's "You've got a friend".
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Some absolute jams here. The ballads aren't as strong as the more hype tracks, but few things I've listened to are as strong as those hype tracks lol
Robbie Williams
3/5
not on spotify, so couldnt listen
Tears For Fears
4/5
A good album. Really, really strong singles, unfortunately muddled by some lackluster deep cuts, but overall a great slice of 80s synth pop
The Blue Nile
5/5
Incredibly well paced and measured; an excellent demonstration of restraint in pop music that is seldom seen. Rad.
Liz Phair
2/5
Bloated tracklist, but there are some real gems in there too. I see why it's on here even if I don't think its a "great" album. I just wish it was more refined.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Incredible. Timeless. One of the best displays of soul onto wax I've ever heard. The B side is a little weaker than the A side, but still very very nice.
The Only Ones
2/5
Half of it sounded like credit music for a forgotten 90's sitcom, and the other half felt like a promising demo that was never worked on afterword. It felt like it was almost good a lot of times, but then just fell kind of flat.
David Holmes
2/5
Cool transitions between songs and a few highlights, but nothing really drawing me back.
KISS
1/5
KISS just sounds like an ABBA cover group that decided to become a heavy metal parody act, and does a disservice to both.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
The most important hip hop album of the decade, with hard-hitting lyricism, flow beyond compare, and incredible jazz and funk-influenced beats
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
Incredible songwriting, performance, and message. Not to mention the sad, sad story behind the album that only enhances it. A gem who's influence is plain to see in much of the music of the next decade.
Boston
4/5
Sounds undeniably consistent, and incredible, but gets kind of one-note despite how fun that note is.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
A fun folksy romp, with one of the most criminally underrated Zep songs (Friends). It has a few duds, however, and doesn't hit quite as high of highs as some of their other works.
Violent Femmes
4/5
An absolute swanky jaunt of folk punk. The vocals are unique and distinctive, and the style feels so ahead of its time for the early 80s.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
lemme tell you, driving into the sun after a long work week after only getting about 20 cumulative hours of sleep for the past week and mildly going insane... quite a trip. I've never done drugs, but I feel like that was an honorary high. I swear I could see and smell the music.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Just meh. Not bad, but not for me.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Politically charged, yet makes me wanna party. Thats a combo I can get down with.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Couldn't stop smiling the whole way through. Fun, funny, and a worthy sequel to Folsom Prison.
The Auteurs
2/5
Very, very meh. Not even bad, but I got nothing out of this.
Miles Davis
5/5
One of the most groundbreaking, infectious, and listenable jazz record of all time.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
By the books classic rock. Nice and listenable and predictable.
Roxy Music
3/5
Fun arty and weird vibes. Definitely an album for a specific time and mindset, but excellent if it is what I am craving that day.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
This album grows on me with every listen. Feels like trying to remember music you heard in a dream
David Crosby
3/5
Fun bluesy vibes, almost psychadelic at times. Very nice.
Motörhead
4/5
So much energy brought live, I just wish the recording was a little clearer. To be expected for a live Motorhead album though.
Beatles
5/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I feel so voyeuristic listening to this album. I feel like I'm looking at her through a one-way mirror, the lyrics a very personal reflection of her situation and the instrumentation perfectly complementing it. A masterpiece of emotion. And her voice, my god.
Bad Company
3/5
Some classic, bog-standard blues rock. I've always felt a little lackluster towards Bad Company to be honest. They just feel so generic.
Gotan Project
3/5
Not bad, and makes for nice background music, but ultimately feels very same-y throughout, with most songs not feeling like they build up to much
Fugees
5/5
From the get-go one of the greatest hip hop albums I've ever heard. Absolutely blown away.
Queen
4/5
The album that saw Queen really hit their stride. Excellent songs (Flick of the Wrist especially being an underrated Queen song), but the production can make the project feel a little dated. The foreshadowing of ideas that would be explored later in their catalogue is always fun though!
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
One of the most chill and relaxed hip hop albums I've heard so far. Very fun and vibey. Ultimately a little dated sounding, but not in a bad way; just missing some of the high-density rhymes and flows of later rappers that really attracts me. Biting and funny lyrics though!
Khaled
2/5
The opening song was great... and nothing else lived up to it (but a few at the end). Wasn't expecting that surprise John Lennon cover though lol.
Fats Domino
3/5
Some very, very good rock'n'roll. Unfortunately, I'm just never crazy into pre-60s rock, no matter how good it is. All in all a nice and listenable record, but nothing that draws me in significantly.
The Crusaders
2/5
Funky vibes, but nothing that really grabs me. It's not bad per-se, but it's just kind of... bland. Sounds like a watered down version of On the Corner or Head Hunters.
Ryan Adams
1/5
Did not listen, due to the sexual controversy surrounding the artist. The 1 is a reflection of my distaste with Ryan Adams.
Sonic Youth
4/5
It is dissonant, out of tune, and gritty, and I enjoy it for it. It is a little bit up its own ass, but in an endearing way. I like it. It is definitely something you need to be in the right mood/headspace for though.
R.E.M.
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. Good structure, great lyrics, and honest presentation. That opening track is a ripper, too.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Just kind of... meh. Had some fun instrumentals, but the vocalist was the bad type of annoying
Air
3/5
Very backgroundy, which makes sense as its a soundtrack. I definitely liked it, didn't love it. Kind of makes me want to see the movie
Otis Redding
4/5
God I fucking love Otis. An excellent, excellent record from an excellent performer, even if much of it is covers. Probably some of the best covers out there, if I'm being honest.
Digital Underground
2/5
Kinda fun, but so incredibly dated. Not really for me. Also I wasn't expecting multiple songs about a sci-fi sexual fetish, but they may have been the highlight of the album.
Mylo
4/5
Surprisingly fun and listenable, a lot of good stuff but nothing big that wowed me. Waffling between and 3 and a 4 here.
Q-Tip
5/5
Deliciously tasty and laid back hip hop. Surprised I haven't heard of this one before.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Absolutely gorgeous, so easy to get lost in. Great lyrics as well.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I always expect more out of the dead than I ever seem to get. Just okay at the end of the day.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
This was surprisingly delicious. The songs didn't really go anywhere, but they didn't really need to. They just chilled out and did their thing; I like that.
Steely Dan
4/5
Fuck I am turning into a dad, I appreciate Steely Dan now
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Unexpected hit. Bjork's vocals really made the chaos shine. Sounds like a love child between the Cranberries and the B52s.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Fantastic, blew me away. A masterpiece of noisy alt rock.
Pavement
4/5
Very nice, but I feel like I need a little more time to chew on it. It could either end up a major grower, or lose its luster fast for me.
Steely Dan
2/5
Ah, bland and uninteresting, just how I remember Steely Dan. Solid instrumentals though.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Very nice and good in the background, but only a few tracks really stood out.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Not bad, but not really for me. Feels like the music equivalent of those oscar-winning movies that people like because they feel like they should. Honestly was a bit of a slog.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Vibey but forgettable.
Incubus
4/5
Incubus is kinda like tasty junk food for me. I know its not really that good, but is still enjoy consuming it lol
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Excellent vibes, Marley really lives up to the legend
Orbital
3/5
Excellent background music, but not much that drives it into the foreground for me.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Everything I want out of an electronic music album. Literally bopped my head from start to finish.
The Stooges
4/5
About as raw as it gets. Really appreciated this piece of punk's history.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Very nice stuff from the boys, consistent theming and excellent sound, but whoever thought that "Take a Load Off Your Feet" should make the final cut needs to be fired lol
Alanis Morissette
2/5
What is worse than something that is just bad? Something that almost is good sometimes, and then spoils it with more badness. Almost a 1, but "forgiven" and the really fantastic bass part on the otherwise blegh "you oughta know" saved it
Pulp
3/5
Hit or miss, but the misses were close and the hits were soft. Very middle of the road for me, but overall "nice"
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Swanky and stanky. The Picasso of jazz. Rock on Thelonious.
Napalm Death
4/5
Brutal as fuck, and bold as hell. Brings to mind the sound effect for a car engine of a PS2 racing game revving mixed with a barking street dog. In a good way.
Green Day
4/5
This is how a band does a sound change and comes out on top for it. Excellent pop rock fun.
The Coral
5/5
My first 5 from something I've never heard a lick about beforehand. Very enjoyable psych-influenced indie, with a little polka and ska for good measure.
Stan Getz
4/5
Noah's favorite album so far. Some damn fine bossa nova.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Super fun stuff. Could have been a 5, but a little bit of bloat just holds it back.
Fairport Convention
5/5
Scrumptious. I have the sudden urge to join a hearty homegrown dinner with butter I churned myself.
Pantera
4/5
Chunky groovy goodness, all great songs, but can get a little much to listen to near the end as a cohesive album
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Perry Ferrel always sounds like he is trying to sing while both furiously masturbating and dropping a deuce at the same time, which really brings down what otherwise contains a lot of really great songs
Animal Collective
4/5
Delightful psychedelic pop. I need to give this a proper listen, I don’t think driving to work on my car speakers does it a justice.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
It had some okay songs, but others have done the same thing but better. Not to mention a few problematic lyrics.
Madness
3/5
Not on Spotify, couldn’t listen
The Streets
2/5
A cool concept, but honestly so much of the album was just annoying, both the whining and the rapping and beats themselves. I like the idea of the album far more than the execution.
John Coltrane
5/5
A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME A LOVE SUPREME
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
Damn, what a fun album! Just packed with jams, I bet they would be a blast to see live
Eagles
3/5
The Eagles will always be a standby for a few good jams and the rest of the album being listenable but bland
Cypress Hill
2/5
I 100% understand why this album should be on this list, but man I just did not enjoy it much.
Metallica
3/5
Some incredible recontextualization of songs set to an orchestra, but it doesn't save how weak a lot of Load/Reload songs are. I almost rated it a 4 just on how good this version of Call of Ktulu is though.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Raw, aggressive, and sexy. Love it.
Roxy Music
4/5
Some very fun artsy and punky glam. And those synths are absolutely going wild!
X-Ray Spex
5/5
Absolutely fresh as fuck punk. Love it. Can't believe I haven't heard of these guys before!
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
A fun psychedelic trip. Some parts of it translate better live-to-album then others, however.
The Dictators
3/5
Fun and silly proto-punk, but lacking some substance (that might kinda be the point of the album, though)
The Monkees
3/5
Pretty derivative, with the first half especially just being “I can’t believe it’s not Beatles!™”, but still very listenable, and the back half especially had som fun creative ideas.
Queen
4/5
The heaviest Queen has ever gotten. It’s funny, this album has the opposite problem that a lot of others do. Usually, there are a few standout tracks, but the album fails to give a cohesive experience. This albums works amazingly as a work on its own from start to finish, I just wish there were a few more standalone bangers!
Thundercat
4/5
Simultaneously holding hands with seriousness, sexiness, and silliness, which is quite a feat to behold. Very enjoyable modern fusion, but I wish there was a bit more variety of sound here.
Nirvana
5/5
Just because it is the most accessible Nirvana album doesn't mean it is the weakest; not by a long shot. A tour de force of bringing the grunge movement into the mainstream purely on it's incredible songwriting and melodies, not to mention the great rhythm section between Grohl and Novoselic
The Fall
2/5
I like the energy and attitude, but the songwriting just isn’t there in most cases. I could see later albums by this band really growing into something cool, but this debut just doesn’t do it for me
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I definitely get why it’s popular, but it honestly just doesn’t I much for me.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Pleasant and interesting, but not something a that’s gonna really draw me back anytime soon
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Some fun and boppin' classic rock and roll. Gets an extra star for the sheer charisma Buddy Holly puts forward on the mic.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Fun vibes, but it is so 90’s it hurts, and the songs overstay their welcome every time.
Hawkwind
4/5
It has some (glaring) flaws, such as songs overstaying their welcome and not translating as well live as they would in the studio. But that combination of proto-punk energy and space rock spookiness is so tasty that I can look past it’s shortcomings. An extra star goes to Lemmy’s energy and skill alone.
The Doors
3/5
What a strange collection. It has some of my all-tome favorites from the Doors, as well as some of the most boring stuff they ever wrote. What a conundrum.
The B-52's
5/5
Subdued and explosive all at once. It somehow makes me nostalgic for a time that never was. Nobody can do it quite like the B-52s.
Kanye West
5/5
One of the modern classics. Kanye at his most self-aware, teetering on the edge of hedonism and trying not to fall into the void. Production is beyond incredible, features are fire, songwriting is incredible. If I had one criticism, its that Chris Rock's little skit goes on a tad long.
Sade
1/5
I had a visceral reaction to this album, like a child revoking after touching a hot stove for the first time. I was driving faster on my way to work as if I could outrun the music. It feels like robots. It feels like lies. It’s like a nice glassy wrapped package that someone left empty. It has all the heart of the incidental music of a summertime Hallmark movie. Hopefully I won’t cross paths with this album again.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
The first song was an absolute BANGER, but the rest of the album bounced between "pretty good" and "pretty boring" unfortunately.
David Bowie
5/5
I guess I’m a Bowie fan now! Half existential bops to dance to, half eerie and gorgeous soundscape. Robert Fripp and Brian Eno really bring it together to paint a gorgeous masterpiece for David Bowie to launch himself off of. Beautiful!
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Frankie is always pleasant, but he just doesn't seem as comfortable trying to adapt his style to bossa nova and it comes off as a little forced/trend-hoppy. He's smooth as butter, but butter doesn't go on everything.
Beastie Boys
3/5
There is do denying that this is an incredibly fun record. However, this much beastie boys in one sitting can get very grating, very fast. best enjoyed in smaller doses, for me.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Very fun rock record, showing Dave Grohl step out of Kurt’s shadow less than a year after his death and come out with a sound that was his own. Earns its way to 4 stars as Dave Grohl being a one man band for the whole record. I still think some of their later stuff like The Colour and the Shape or Wasting Light has stronger songwriting, however.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
The sheer brilliance of Paint it Black brought this up to a 3, and the deeply rapey energy of Under My Thumb pushed it right back down.
The Damned
4/5
The damned continues to cement themselves as my favorite band from the early punk scene. Surprisingly varied, this feels like a transitional album for me. So close to a 5, but a few duds just barely hold it back.
Joy Division
4/5
This album is definitely gonna need some more chewing for me. I was kind of taken aback by how much I wasn’t into it at first, given joy divisions legacy. But by the end of the album I was vibing with it. I went back and listened to the earlier tracks and enjoyed them. It will get a 4 for now, subject to change.
Ash
4/5
Great mix of slamming guitars and pop sensibilities. Maybe not the most original work in the world, but it was a fun ride!
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Fun jams and fat beats, but they tend to drag on a little. I wish this was a more concise record.
The Gun Club
4/5
A pretty groundbreaking combo of punk and blues, it's really cool to hear the origin of this sound.
Beatles
5/5
youtube.com/watch?v=BD5TA0FVNf0
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I already knew over half the songs, but hearing it all come together as one unit makes it all the better. Some classic stuff here.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Better than any 69-song long album deserves to be. The duds in it weren't even bad, just kinda boring, and the highs were definitely very high. But still... its just so loooooooooooooooooooong.
Kate Bush
3/5
This is gonna need some chewing. Some parts of it I absolutely adored, and other parts I could not stand. It’s getting a 3 for now, but that’s more of a stand in. This album deserves to steep for a while.
Miles Davis
5/5
youtu.be/wwOipTXvNNo
Ray Charles
5/5
The upbeat songs make me want to dance, and the slower ones have such an old school Disney vibe between the strings and the choir. Really into this. And the cultural importance of the album truly solidified the 5 for me
Leonard Cohen
3/5
On one hand, the songwriting here is undeniably stellar, and his voice can absolutely put me in a trance. On the other, so much of the instrumentation and arrangement is just absolutely NOT for me. It really depends on the song to see which one wins out on this album.
Billie Holiday
3/5
A perfectly fine, pleasant album, but for some reason I just never connect as well to Billie Holiday as I do to her contemporaries, like Nina Simone or Ella Fitzgerald. A lot of the songs I’ve heard done by other artists that I prefer, but it was still a perfectly nice listen.
The Black Keys
5/5
Everything I want out of a garage rock album. Just solid crunchy guitar, bluesy licks, and ridiculously catchy hooks. This is the kind of album I'd have a CD of in the care and just vibe to every time I'm driving.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
Ella’s voice is absolutely dessert for the ears, the arrangements are top notch, and you can’t hate on classics from the American Songbook. I had an internal struggle with my desire to rate this a 5. Usually I like albums that are one complete experience; something meant as a one-sitting treat. But this is like a full gallon of premium ice cream. Should I fault it for being larger than it’s pint-sized cousins simply because it won’t fit into one bowl? For this album, I don’t think so. “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is still a trash song though and I stand by that lol.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Just my kind of vibe. Gives me very big Moody Blues energy with a modern twist. I wanna dive deeper into these guys.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Jam packed with tasty synth-fueled indie jams. Feels like it’s cut from the same cloth as Florence + the Machine, but they used that cloth to make tight jumpsuits instead of flowy dresses. It may be a Friday morning, but this album makes me long for Saturday night.
Lambchop
4/5
Very pretty chamber pop with a bit of a country feel to it. Beautiful orchestral arrangements. Feels like it falls somewhere between Neil Young and Neil Diamond. If there isn't a guy named Neil in the band I will be thoroughly disappointed.
Marty Robbins
5/5
YE-(and I cannot stress this enough)-HAW
Small Faces
3/5
A super fun psychedelic journey from start to finish. I just wish the production on this thing wasn’t so rough, it really does the album a huge disservice in my opinion.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Fantastic beats from Timbaland, and some bomb features as well. It is unfortunate that I find Missy Elliot herself to be so dreadfully boring. I genuinely do not get her hype someone please explain it to me.
Funkadelic
5/5
The absolute pinnacle of funk, with a healthy blend of rock and psychedelia. I would give my left leg to be invited to a 1970's George Clinton party, and I don't even like parties.
Prince
3/5
Ah, Prince. An undeniably excellent songwriter, musician, and performer. And yet he is so hit-or-miss with me. Some songs are absolute bangers, and other honestly feel bothersome. Every Prince album feels like this weird mixed bag, and this one is no exception.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Certainly fun rock, and the singer has some swagger to him. Nothing that is keeping me coming back, however.
Talvin Singh
3/5
What a unique blend. I don't think I've ever heard Indian Classical fused with electronic/breakbeat before. It is not a project I am going to return to a lot, but at the same time it is something I would be eager to hear more of.
Cyndi Lauper
2/5
The kind of pop that I really don’t vibe with. Some songs are fun in a “sing along road trip” kind of way, but not something I’d listen to on my own time. Gotta say though, All Through the Night was kind of a bop.
Television
4/5
What an excellent and groundbreaking piece of work. This is the blueprint for post-punk right here. Very close to a 5 for me, but just a few songs I didn’t bop with as hard as others. Maybe it would be a 5 on a different day; it’s certainly almost there.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Rarely do I even give much thought to lyrics in an album, but this one earns its 5 on the lyrics alone. The beautiful sparse instrumentation and haunting voice Leonard brings are just icing on the cake.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Perfectly fine I guess, but nothing here differentiates them from the other 10000 bands chasing the Beatle's coattails in the late 60's
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Super fun riot grrrl stuff. Gets a little samey, but not in a bad way. It wants you align with its vibe, and if you won't do that then fuck you. I like that energy.
Pavement
3/5
Some solid 90’s college rock. There are definitely some amazing gems here, but also a lot of bits that could use a good amount of refinement.
The Fall
2/5
Imagine a very tasty cake, made by a very nice baker. But when the baker went to decorate it, she accidentally grabbed a tube of toothpaste instead of decorative frosting. Mark E Smith is that toothpaste. Not even Colgate, he’s a crest motherfucker. I almost gave this a 3, because the rest of what the band puts in is really tasty, but at the end of the day I don’t want toothpaste in every bite of cake.
Justice
4/5
Give me a big throwback to Homework/Discovery era Daft Punk, and I am absolutely loving it. I was almost set on giving this album a 5, but wow, the song The Party was so bad it lost the album an entire star for me.
Hole
3/5
Pleasant enough, but aside from a few tracks that caught my ear there is nothing here that is drawing me back.
Gillian Welch
4/5
Pretty cool and relaxing country music, with some rad harmonies at times.
Soul II Soul
2/5
I’m a little upset by this album. I have very few 1 star albums, and almost this whole work was so dreadfully boring that I thought I’d finally found another super-dud. But then Back to Life just had to go and be a bop, so this album earns its second star.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
I’m so upset with myself for never jumping on the Fleet Foxes hype train when I had the chance, because this album as absolutely incredible. Every vocal harmony impeccable, every note perfectly placed. This album feels like looking at a masterfully crafted wood carving. It feels like it takes the best bits of each of the year’s seasons and rolls them into one. Not only is this a 5, but I think it firmly has a place among my favorite records now.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I love me a good concept album, and the A side delivered handily. The B-side was a little more hit-or-miss, but all of it likeable. Ultimately a quite good album, but not the greatest I have heard from either of the duo.
Sigur Rós
5/5
The sound of midnight in the wintertime, being alone without being lonely, a calm darkness with nothing insidious hiding in it. Absolutely marvelous.
Paul Simon
3/5
Sorry Paul, but you are better when you've got Artie by your side. Not a bad album, but it just felt like something was missing... something tall, with a curly hairdo, perhaps.
Frank Black
4/5
A very fun and well written punky/alt rock record, but it really didn’t need to be a whole hour long. Takes away from the energy and sustainability of the record.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Definitely fun, and an improvement on his debut, but not quite enough to earn a full star. If his previous was the lowest of the 3s, this is the highest of them. The songs I liked I absolutely loved, but a lot of the ones I didn’t really got on my nerves.
Sam Cooke
4/5
It started pretty decent, but every subsequent song got better and better, culminating with an amazing live version of Bring it On Home. Close to a 5, but a few "live album-isms" hold it back.
The Specials
3/5
Feels like some elevator music, but an elevator in a weird fever dream that never really ends, but there is a fun dude dancing in the elevator with you so it’s okay.
Ute Lemper
1/5
You know when you were a kid, and your parents dragged you along to some event? And you sat there, quietly and politely, all the while withering away inside and wishing it was over so you could do literally anything else? I have never heard that feeling captured so impeccably into music as I did here.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
“Okay, okay, hear me out. What if we took the mediocrity of the Sex Pistols… but made it longer?”
- John Lydon, probably
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
A fun blues-rock romp, and a nice look at some the earliest musings of the genre, but it isn't an album that Ill be coming back to in full very often.
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
One of the prettiest albums I’ve heard in my time. This is what it looks like when an artist has an artistic vision, and takes the utmost care to craft what was in their mind into something they can share with the world.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The Rolling Stones come back again to knock one firmly in the middle of the park.
The Who
4/5
A set of smashingly silly songs, the Who once again proves why they deserved to be at the forefront of the 60s British Invasion.
Stereolab
4/5
The album grew on me with each song, I liked it quite a bit! Synthy, a little post-rocky at the tail end, it felt like a group that was just making the exact type of music they wanted to make.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I definitely see why this alienated Joni Mitchell fans of the time. It was a little more artsy, a little more jazzy, a little more psychedelic than her other musical endeavors. However, I thought it was an experiment that yeilded a great end product! Maybe not the instant classic that Blue was, but a great album of its own; I want more time to digest it.
Moby
3/5
One of the first electronic records I ever listened to, so there is some nostalgia here, but it really is just easy listening music for 1999
Doves
4/5
The type of dreamy indie rock that is right up my alley. Definitely enjoyed this one, and I’m gonna seek out more of their stuff in the future!
Ian Dury
2/5
Fun at times, but annoying at more times. I read that a lot of the acclaim for the album comes from the lyrics, but I really just don't see it.
The Police
4/5
Usually Andy Summers is my biggest gripe with the Police, but he really came into his own on this record. Stewart Copeland continues to be monumentally underrated, and Sting brings the same flavor he always does: tasty, but quick to get sick of. As a whole though, I think this is my favorite I’ve heard from the Police.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
If someone asked me for the most generic piece of classic rock music I could think of, I now know where to point them to.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Some nice indie singer songwriter stuff, with a little electronic flavor peppered in here and there. I didn’t love it, but I certainly liked it.
Ministry
5/5
An absolutely excellent foray into industrial metal, and the sheer ridiculousness of Jesus Built My Hot Rod easily puts this at a 5 (though a bit of nostalgia is clouding my judgement, if I’m honest)
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Fun at times, but annoying at more times than that. It felt like the guitars and vola swere fighting against each other rather than complementing each other.
5/5
An absolute masterpiece of progressive rock. Long-winded gorgeous songs with so many moving parts. It's not for everybody, but it is most definitely for me.
Sugar
3/5
Fun rock, and great to drive to. The mix is a little much for me, everything gets a bit muddy. I can feel the influence of this record in much of the rock of the decade to come, but I think I prefer a lot of the bands that were influenced compared to this.
Sepultura
5/5
A fantastic blend of traditional Brazillian music into groove and nu metal. Even a little death metal influence in there. I haven't listened to this record in a very long time, I forgot how much I loved it.
ZZ Top
3/5
The hits are obviously gold here, but the deep cuts honestly don't do a lot for me. Still a pretty nice record though.
Fairport Convention
5/5
I think I liked Unhalfbricking a little more, but this record still felt like a time capsule into a fantastical past, and I loved it.
John Martyn
2/5
This didn’t feel like a mediocre album of its era chasing the Beatles hype. No, it felt like a mediocre album from the 80s instead, when everyone was fascinated by bad “world music”. But hey, at least it’s ahead of its time I guess?
Neil Young
4/5
Excellent and poignant folk rock. Very close to a 5 here.
Motörhead
4/5
This album was an easy 5 for me… right up until “Jailbait”. Yikes, Lemmy, what the fuck were you thinking?
R.E.M.
4/5
I definitely liked it, but it isn’t my favorite I’ve heard from REM. Fantastic atmosphere though!
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Noisy, thoughtful, and full of energy, this album hits a perfect sweet spot for me. The guitars in particular were so damn good. Looks like I have a new band to dive into.
Joy Division
4/5
Fun, dark, and gothy, I liked it a lot. Part of me wants to give it a 5, but I think that relates more to the iconography and story of the band rather than the music itself, which sits at a solidly high 4 for me.
Shack
3/5
Falls somewhere between Oasis and Third Eye Blind. Enjoyable enough, but it’s not something I’ll really return to much, as I think others have done the same sort of sound better.
James Taylor
4/5
This album just barely earns a star on the incredible strength of Fire and Rain alone; the rest of the songs were decent to good, but couldn’t live up to that exceptional standard.
Queen
5/5
No other band can jump from heavy metal to cabaret to prog rock with the effortless grace of Queen, and this album displays that with a beautiful smattering of song variety.
The Cardigans
3/5
This album gave me extreme enjoyability whiplash. For the first few songs I honestly thought I might be giving it a 1, they just plain annoyed me. But then Never Recover was fun enough to at least solidify a 2. But then Lovefool came, and my deep hatred for that song made me want to drop it down to a 1 again… but then immediately after Losers came on and not only saved it from losing a star, it bumped it all the way to a 3. And then that Black Sabbath cover… I honestly have no idea how to feel about it other than strangely intrigued. With the album ending on a nice but forgettable few songs, I think I’ll have to rate this a very confused 3 in the end.
Chicago
3/5
I guess when this band got together, they were feeling a little... horny ;)
a-ha
3/5
Obviously the big pull here is the opener, but The Sun Always Shines on TV was equally incredible. Unfortunately the rest of the album is just kind-of-okay synth pop.
David Bowie
4/5
A swankier and stankier Bowie than I heard on Heroes, but Eno and Fripp’s hand in the matter is sorely missed for me.
Nick Drake
5/5
This album absolutely gripped me from start to finish. I don’t even really remember my drive to work this morning. This is the kind of music that simultaneously makes me want to create, and dashes my hopes that I will ever make something close to this level of a masterpiece.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
A fitting name for this album. The back half was good, but the front half was phenomenal. I love me a nice concept album, and the arrangement was so solid.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
I always saw this album as swing’s last hurrah before rock and roll fully took over, and what a hurrah it was. All the players are top notch here. And what a ballsy move to put an atomic explosion on the cover barely a decade after WWII; ballsy, and fitting for the music here. It just edges into a 5 for me.
Van Halen
4/5
Very few albums mix clear virtuosic playing and fun silly jams as well as Van Halen does on their debut.
Soundgarden
5/5
Psych and prog infused grunge; this album was so formative to my musical tastes when I first discovered it back in freshman year of high school. I may not go back to Soundgarden as often as I did back in those days, and there is definitely some valid criticism here (particularly about it being a long and exhausting listen for one sitting) but this album could never be anything but a 5 for me.
Slint
5/5
The musical equivalent of a snuff film.
Beatles
4/5
While my heart lies with post-Rubber Soul Beatles, this album is probably their best showcase of their early sound. A strong and well done collection right here.
Youssou N'Dour
5/5
This album is awesome. The songs were long but never got boring. Consistently fun throughout.
Slayer
5/5
I was gonna write something about the big 4, their skill as musicians, laying the groundwork for death metal, blah blah blah... but really, there is only one thing that needs to be said here:
*deep breath*
FUUCKIIIINNNGGG SLAAAAYYEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!
Frank Zappa
4/5
Not really what I expected given what I thought I knew about Zappa and had heard from him before. I figured it would be a lot more avant-garde and experimental. In any case, it was still some pretty great jazz-injected prog rock.
Dirty Projectors
5/5
I wish I’d discovered this album outside of this project, as one day is not enough to really rate and digest it. However, I think this is still a pretty clear 5 here; I love this creative and experimental indie.
Cream
4/5
Cream is always at their best when they lean harder into their psychedelia than leaning into blues. Also, I am convinced Cream is good in spite of Clapton rather than because of him.
Björk
4/5
This is a hard one to rate, especially with so little time to sit with it. The first half was inconsistent for me, but everything from One Day to the end was fantastic. I think it will just barely earn its fourth star for me, but really this album is done a disservice by trying to take it all in for one sitting/one day. But oh well, time marches on.
Jane Weaver
3/5
I like the sound and overall ideas here, but it really flounders in its execution. I feel like I kept waiting for something bold or adventurous or unexpected, and never quite got it. A very safe record.
The Stranglers
4/5
This sounds like one of the earliest branches of the evolution of punk into new wave. Love the synths. Pretty dope.
David Bowie
4/5
With this album, Bowie really achieved one of the highest accolades he had ever or would ever receive in his life as an artist: having a cover of one of his songs appear in the soundtrack of Shrek 2.
Charles Mingus
5/5
For me, this is the absolute pinnacle of Third Stream, and Mingus’s greatest masterwork.
John Lennon
4/5
John Lennon proves he can sound perfectly decent when away from the other mop-tops. This album just barely grabs a fourth star for the sheer pettiness found in the diss track here.
The Youngbloods
5/5
An oft-forgotten jazzy psychedelic country album? Oh yes. Yes PLEASE.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
I always forget that Neil Young had a weird garage rock phase in the 90s… honestly, it always felt like the worst of both worlds for me.
The Adverts
4/5
Delightfully tight and catchy early punk, this was a very nice treat today.
The Byrds
4/5
It is rare to find a band in the late 60's that can tread the same ground that the Beatles explored at the same time without sounding entirely derivative. Bravo.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
It’s got some swagger but it loses a lot of steam in the back half. I think it’s a better project as individual songs, but listening as a sum gets a bit to samey. I did quite like it, overall, though. Between a 3 and a 4 here.
MC Solaar
4/5
This is some of the best rap that I didn’t understand a word of lol. Honestly, if I spoke French, this could possibly be a 5 depending on the lyrics. But man, this guy flows so nice, and the beats are delightful.
Public Enemy
5/5
This is my first dive into Public Enemy, and holy shit it was good. The flows were amazing, the lyrics fun and poignant. But the real star for me is those beats, probably the best early hip hop type beats I’ve ever heard. Amazing.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Probably the most accessible Sonic Youth album I've heard so far, but that doesn't make the Kim and Thurston duo any less tasty.
Alice In Chains
5/5
The perfect album to put on when I just want to feel like shit.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
This album was a strange one. Mostly synth pop, but with a good deal of pop rock and prog rock and even a little disco for good measure. But outside of the title track, it never really came together for me. It is something that feels like it needed a little more refinement of identity.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Elvis Presley? More like Pelvis Presley.
Eagles
3/5
It was good, but not great. And it was definitely a hit-or-miss type of record, with some songs right up my alley and others just so dreadfully boring.
The Icarus Line
3/5
Some pretty nice noise punk. I liked it, but didn’t love it; I feel like I’ve heard the same thing done better before and since.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Well... this easily goes on record for my biggest changed opinion.
The first (and last) time I listened to this record in full was over a decade ago, back when I was still in high school. And I hated it. HATED it. I thought it was the most boring, annoying, overrated bit of trash, and that it didn't deserve to it's place among contemporaries like The Damned and The Clash. And over the years, hearing a song or two here or there, my opinion was unchanged. Even getting a PiL record on this project just reinforced my opinion that John Lydon is trash.
When I saw this come up for the day, I groaned. I was expecting to give it a 1, have it give me a headache, and life would move on. But something changed.
The singing that I thought was grating nonsense now felt passionate and aggressive. The boring and overdone guitar riffs now felt enormous and fiery. The songs were all far catchier and more fun than I used to appreciate.
I LOVED it.
So, I would like to apologize, Sex Pistols, for years of trashing you. You deserved better.
Tim Buckley
3/5
A good sound that gets a little long-winded and sleepy by the end of it. The first track is literally just All Blues but folk lmao. I can definitely hear a little influence on his son.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The proto-everything album. I certainly enjoyed it, but honestly Nico drags this down by a lot. I like the ripples it caused more than the album's splash itself, but the forward-thinking experimentation is pretty incredible in and of itself.
T. Rex
2/5
Not bad, but it felt like the songs were always building toward a payoff that never came. It kept climbing slowly up the ladder to the high dive, building anticipation, getting to the edge... and then turning around and just climbing back down. Musical edging with no satisfying release. I want to enjoy this more than I really do.
Pink Floyd
5/5
My favorite album from (one of) my all-time favorite groups. Dark Side of the Moon may get more glory, and it deserves the praise it gets, but this album is the Pink Floyd at their best for me, especially Richard Wright. The synths on this project are so massive, but so emotional at the same time. This band really just has a way of grabbing a hold of you and whisking you away into whatever world they are crafting in the music. And when you add the inspiration to most of the lyrics and the story of Syd Barret into it all, you get the cherry on top of this sweet, sweet dessert.
Crowded House
3/5
A very 90s crowd-pleaser piece of pop rock. This would be great background music for grilling or hanging around a campfire on a summer night. But when listened more intently than that, only about half the songs really hold up for me. It just barely missed out on its fourth star.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
I really like her voice and style, it reminds me of a feminine version of the guy from the Eels for some reason. Great songs throughout. I just wish it didn’t get so samey, but that’s the nature of the genre sometimes.
Def Leppard
4/5
It might be samey. The parts of the songs might not flow super well between each other at times. It is certainly so dated that I feel like my hair is starting to tease itself up in true 80's fashion. But my god if it ain't some of the most fun music out there.
Steely Dan
4/5
Of the three Steely Dan albums I’ve heard from this project, this one sits as an easy favorite. Fun, thoughtful, exciting musicianship. Too polished, but that’s always my issue with steely Dan. Boddhisattva in particular was an amazing highlight. Fuck, I don’t like how much I like it. I really have transformed into a dad.
ABBA
4/5
It is such good head bobbing stuff. Full of bops, especially the singles. A few duller tracks hold it back (as well as my own pickiness with pop music), but this is a very very fun listen, if anything.
Travis
2/5
This is like if Coldplay or early Radiohead didn’t have a knack for good songwriting.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Not really my taste for the most part, but a few songs really pull this up for me, particularly Forest Fire.
Meat Loaf
5/5
I needed something this bombastic, cheesy, fun, and "epic" today. It truly pulled the best of hard rock and musical theater together into one ridiculous ride that I will gladly hop on again.
The Kinks
3/5
Not what I was expecting from the Kinks. The chamber pop arrangements were pretty fun, and there were definitely some really cool ideas that did flesh out well, but a lot of it also felt a little unfinished in quality, especially when it comes to the musician's performances. Good songs that just needed some work, IMO.
The Who
4/5
The real OG rock opera. It has that classic Who sound, but unfortunately I think the narrative is muddy to say the least; unfortunate, considering what I was hoping for out of a rock opera. The music itself was pretty consistently fun, however. Even more interesting is knowing how this project almost acted as a vehicle for Townshend to explore his own traumas and spirituality; that honestly is the most interesting part of it all for me.
Depeche Mode
5/5
Dark, edgy, and moody, with great songwriting and even better atmosphere. But for me, the most astonishing part is how ridiculously clean and well produced the album is through and through. It is spotless. The musical equivalent of a black marble statue in a dramatically lit room.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
It’s not ELP’s best record, but it is undoubtedly their best album cover.
Deep Purple
5/5
I forgot just how much I loved Deep Purple (and classic heavy metal in general). Ian Paice continues his legacy as one of the most criminally underrated drummers of all time, but the rest of the band has no problem at all keeping up with him. The organ especially slaps in the back end of the record. Fantastic stuff, through and through.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Some solid conscious soul and funk. I think it falters a little around the middle of the album, but it starts and ends strong enough to make it to four stars for me.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Excellent songwriting, great lyrics, fantastic performances from the musicians. Honestly, the biggest thing holding this back from 5 stars for me is that it can feel very dated in the 80s at times. But damn, it is a rock solid album.
Don McLean
3/5
A pretty good album throughout, but the immense highs of the two singles it contains really outshines the rest of it.
Radiohead
5/5
It is impressive how Thom Yorke managed to out-depress the entirety of grunge. Honestly, I didn't even like this album much the first time I listened to it. Strange, despite it being a perfect mix of things I like: alternative rock veneer over progressive/artsy songwriting, disaffected lyrics, and dripping with pretentiousness. I came back to it after a few months and it completely clicked for me, and now I think it is an essential album to its core.
AC/DC
4/5
AC/DC is like a delicious plain chocolate ice cream. Every bite is going to be basically the same, but you aren't gonna be all that mad about it.
The Charlatans
2/5
Honestly, I think I just don't care for Britpop. It was... okay.
Rush
4/5
A classic of prog. Not my favorite from Rush, and not every song on the back half is a hit, but all 3 members are at the top of their game in performances, and the title track is undoubtedly a gem.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
That Doobie Brothers cover was an especially fun gem in this already very fun album. Unfortunately, that one set of Swiffer commercials completely ruined the song That Lady for me.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Being given the accolade of "the 47th best album of 1994" really feels about right, for this.
The Prodigy
3/5
Big fat beats, but the best part of the album is the cover. Crab looks ready to throw down.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
It makes me sad that this is honestly so average, considering the highs I know that McCartney can reach both as a solo artist and a band member.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Who knew funk, nihilism, and a dash of yodeling would end up as such a winning combination?
Mike Oldfield
5/5
A prog classic, made especially impressive by being nearly a one man show. Just great, and right up my alley.
fIREHOSE
3/5
It sounded like proto-Primus, in a way. I liked it, and thought it was interesting for sure. But I probably won’t be coming back to this project much.
Johnny Cash
5/5
The best live album ever recorded. Bar none.
JAY Z
5/5
Never been much of a Jay Z fan, but I think this album had changed that. It is top tier hip hop in every category. Just a monolith of excellence.
Arrested Development
5/5
Bops from start to finish. What a fun album.
4/5
I was wary about this one, going into it. I have discovered I don't care much for Britpop during this project. However, I am a big fan of other work by Albarn, Gorillaz being a particular favorite of mine. Honestly, I liked it a lot! It's not gonna be a new favorite or anything, but it was great hearing him in early spunky years and cool to see an origin of the Britpop sound. I can see why they were basically the face of the genre (along with Oasis).
Iggy Pop
4/5
Not at all what I expected. Knowing the Stooges I figured that there would be some sort of punk edge to it. That art rock/synth pop vibe was completely out of left field; it sounded almost like a Bowie record. It was a cool surprise though! I don’t think it’s the easiest record to listen to, but I definitely liked it.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
A classic of cool jazz, and jazz as a greater whole. Dave Brubeck is so precise on the keys that he sounds like a MIDI file, and the rest of the team backs him up superbly, particularly Desmond and Morello on the highlight Take Five.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
5/5
I've never really listened to salsa before, but holy fuck. Throw me a bag of tortilla chips because this was delicious.
Dire Straits
3/5
Too many clunkers for a higher rating than a 3, even with Mark Knopfler's top notch guitar and the masterpiece of Sultans of Swing.
The Saints
3/5
Waffling between a 3 and a 4 here. I’m a sucker for that 70’s punk sound, which this delivers in spades, as well as enough variety to spice things up. But the songwriting is pretty inconsistent here. It also lacks a certain “it” factor for me that really pushes contemporaries like the Damned and the Sex Pistols to the top. Overall enjoyable, if flawed.
The Mars Volta
5/5
If Rush, Santana, and MCR adopted a baby together, this is the monster they would raise. I love it. These guys have been on my radar for a while and I see why they are always spoken among the greats of modern prog.
Coldplay
3/5
The real heroes here are the sound engineers. This album is ridiculously lush, it’s a joy. Unfortunately, this album still somehow feels less than the sum of its parts. I liked every song. Hell, some I even loved. But together as a single listen it gets very samey, very quick.
Jurassic 5
3/5
All these guys have amazing flows. But unfortunatley it seems like half they time they don't really have much to say. The beats were passable, but not amazing (except for the last song where they actually use whirly tubes in music, that was delightful). Ultimately fun, but not anything pulling me back here.
Garbage
5/5
This blew my expectations away. I only knew Only Happy When It Rains going in, and I don’t care for it. And honestly, the opening track was a snoozer. But goddamn, every other song. Just. Fucking. SLAPPED. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard alt rock blend genres like trip hop and industrial so masterfully into their sound. The songs are catchy, edgy, sexy. It’s a masterpiece of songwriting. Garbage absolutely does NOT live up to their name.
Ice Cube
3/5
Too much Ice, not enough to drink.
Honestly, I appreciate this album more than I like it; it’s a landmark for sure, and songs like Once Upon a Time in the Projects and It’s a Man’s World bump so fucking hard. But Ice Cubes flow get old pretty fast without the rest of NWA to back him up. The mostly unremarkable beats certainly don’t help, either. It has some great stuff, but it is too bloated for his charisma to carry it alone.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Super “throw-on”-able. Short and sweet, catchy and sexy, and full of spunk. This was a big hit for me.
John Prine
3/5
Really great songwriting and lyrics here, particularly on the A side. This guy clearly has a lot of talent. But at the same time, I think it’s better as individual songs; as a full album it gets pretty samey for one sitting.
Richard Hawley
4/5
What a cozy and snug album. I want to curl up with some hot cocoa and watch the rain while this is spinning.
Air
3/5
There are some gorgeous songs here. These guys really know how to craft a relaxing and wondrous atmosphere to get lost in. Unfortunately, the line between "relaxing and wondrous" and "just kinda boring:" is a thin one, and it is nearly a coin flip to determine which side any song falls on. It is a nice album, but not consistent enough for me in its execution.
Nico
2/5
Honestly just... dull. The arrangements were okay, even interesting sometimes. The songwriting was passable. But man, Nico herself just does absolutely nothing for me. She was bearable on that Velvet Underground record, but here she has nothing to support her. Also, apparently she is super duper racist, so I am glad I didn't care for her music lol.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Janis is a tiger shooting firecrackers. What an excellent, punchy, and fiery set of songs.
Method Man
2/5
Honestly… disappointed. The beats were really rough. And worse than that, the production and mixing is so inconsistent. I feel like I couldn’t even hear the rapping over the drums on one song, then the next song turns the vocals so far up they drown everything out. The ONLY redeeming factor here is that Meth here is actually pretty talented. He’s got a good flow and some solid wordplay, even if I don’t really care for his style.
Radiohead
5/5
atmorpshere lik e parmesan chees
Gene Clark
3/5
Generic old-school Eagles style country rock. A few good things here, and nice in the background, but honestly mostly forgettable.
Gang Of Four
5/5
Such an interesting blend of flavors going on here. Nothing quite like it! And that's not even getting into the lyrics. This was a delight.
OutKast
5/5
Literally broke ground for southern hip hop. Bops for days, for weeks, for years.
New York Dolls
4/5
A lot of glam, a lot of punk, and a whole lot of rock n roll. These guys were way ahead of their time.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I honestly am having difficulty rating this one. I definitely think I enjoyed it, but man, it is not an easy listen. Weird and off-putting and hilarious and full of talent. Zappa do be Zappa.
Sepultura
4/5
Definitely some solid thrash here. It doesn't hit quite as high as Roots for me, but it proves that early Sepultura was no slouch at all.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
The album's title predated the term "swinging" in the sense of partner-swapping sex by 8 years, inadvertently creating a pun on top of the original pun (whereby swinging could refer to either the genre of swing as well as the original innocent meaning of swinging; i.e., to have a good time).
Beyoncé
4/5
Mad sexy. I didn’t vibe with every song on here enough for it to get a 5, but the sheer creativity, personality, and honesty on this record is astounding.
The Pharcyde
3/5
Lots of albums take themselves too seriously; this is the first time I’ve heard one not take itself seriously enough.
Undeniably fun, don’t get me wrong. But it feels like the musical equivalent of a guy that is easily talented enough to get into the NBA, but instead uses his gifts exclusively to throw suction-cup dildos into increasingly bizarre, high up, and hard to reach places.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Never before has a band name fit the sound they have with such accuracy. And man, what a sound it is. Tom is one of the most creative guitarists out there, and Zach is a monster of a frontman. Absolutely excellent.
Taylor Swift
4/5
I love this sound and this direction for Taylor, but as a whole it still is the typical “love some songs, bored by others” experience I get from a lot of her albums. The aesthetic here is great though, I wish it was a little shorter/more consistent of a project so I would want to come back to it more. But tolerate it is just enough to push it into a 4 for me.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Something about this really just didn't click with me. I think the beats were great, and I found the subject matter important stuff to discuss. I just don't think the MC had the skill or charisma to make what he was rapping about not sound super preachy and condescending. Oh well.
3/5
An equal mix of cool inventive style and just kind of bland slog. A very inconsistent listen for me, which made it hard to really engage. Overall I think I lean toward positive; it wasn’t bad, I just didn’t really care for it.
Tricky
4/5
Really cool trip hop. I was going to say it gave me big vibes of Massive Attack, until I read the wikipedia article and saw he was a member lol. Great record!
Solomon Burke
4/5
Just what it says on the label: a healthy mix of soul and rock n roll. Solomon expertly blends the styles; both sides of the coin feel equally represented and endlessly enjoyable.
The Soft Boys
4/5
A pretty cool marriage of new wave and psych rock. I bopped hard to a lot of these tracks, but there are definitely a couple fumbling ones tht significantly decreased my enjoyment.
Talking Heads
4/5
The musical equivalent of those weird outcast kids in high school that didn't care about your opinion and had more fun than any of their peers.
Soft Cell
3/5
Surprisingly fun for a group that I had written off as a total one-hit-wonder. Not something I see myself coming back to very often, but it is a fun little album with some real gems in there.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Chill, relaxed, and fun. Such good beats and such good bars. I liked this even better than Low End Theory tbh, even though that is the Tribe album I always hear the most praise for. Loved this one.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Honestly I found most of the record kind of boring, but the last 3 songs really bumped it up to a solid 3, particularly the closer. I see why that blew people’s minds in the mid 70s.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Really love this kind of sound. Great guitar work. Almost a mix between jangly and droning that somehow works? My only issue is that it’s a bit samey, but it’s a minor issue. Just barely holding it back from a 5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
A fun idea with an equally fun execution. Gotta love those classical/rock fusions.
The soulless corpse of a once-great band, forced to dance for our money in a sad attempt at entertainment. Listening to this record while the sun rose felt like a disservice to dawn itself.
Blondie
3/5
Some of it was great, particularly the classic singles, but other stuff just didn’t do much for me. A classic 3 star if I ever heard one.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Such a fun and cheesy romp. I see why this is such a historical album, kicking of hip hops golden age. Great rhymes and lyrics, and even better beats. The only issue I have with it is the fact that it’s a little too samey throughout, in regards to flow in particular.
Hats off to Aerosmith for showing up and playing their own sample and joining in on the fun, too. Baller move.
Raekwon
3/5
Like a fat man struggling to buckle his seat belt, the first few tracks just couldn’t click for me. But by Criminology we were off on an amazing and thrilling ride, all the way through Ice Cream, at which point it ran out of gas fast. If this was just track 4-15 it might even be in the running for a 5, but the bloat surrounding it drags it down so hard.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Normally I like pretentious shit like this, but this one just felt like… well, pretentious shit. Like a female Thom Yorke without anybody to ground him.
Elliott Smith
5/5
I really liked this. Very intimate and subdued, but that didn't stop it from dragging me along and making me feel like I am walking the cracked pavement streets of LA.
Common
5/5
This album has a few issues, particularly in length and pacing. It’s a bit bloated, both in overall length and in a few songs that really could have been edited down a bit.
But all that falls by the wayside with just how good of a vibe it puts out. Equal parts passionate and relaxed. I feel like I’ve been snatched away and placed into Common’s living room, and he is making some tea while telling me about some social issues he is passionate about. That is a feeling I can’t help but love.
Iron Maiden
4/5
It’s always a shock loading up some Iron Maiden and not getting Bruce on the mic, but this record holds its own as a debut. The biggest draw is the playing; top notch across the board. Even Paul bring his on style that really feels his own. I see why this really ushered in NWOBHM.
The biggest drawbacks here are the production and songwriting. The rawness really makes it sound more thin than aggressive; not fitting for their style IMO. And while the songwriting isn’t bad per se, it doesn’t reach the heights that many of their later masterpieces showcase.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
The iconic duo's final album is definitely their best. Classic songs, surprisingly varied and dynamic, and excellent songwriting and performances all around. A real treat.
2/5
I’ve listened to, and enjoyed, Ornette Coleman. I’ve listened to, and enjoyed, John Zorn.
This sounds exactly like how I’d imagine Ornette Coleman played by John Zorn.
This is music for masochists.
Merle Haggard
4/5
This style of country is always such a vibe, and few vibe with it better than Merle.
Talking Heads
4/5
A solid step up from what was already a fantastic debut. Their sophomore album squeezes out a little more catchiness, fun, and memorability that their first album lacked a smidge. I really enjoyed this, it comes very close to a 5 for me, but a few “good not great” tracks at the beginning of the album hold it back for me.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Definitely has a raw, faux-live energy that is both fun but a little bit grating at the same time. Songs are solid though, and everything has a pretty loose and jammy feel to it. All the players here are great, but compared the Janis they are like candles to a torch, which really holds back the songs where she isn't in the spotlight. Overall a very fun time, and Janis is always a pleasure, and its flaws are many but minor.
3/5
There are a good couple of songs here, but the majority are a bit of a snooze. The biggest draw here is definitely Loretta's voice, she has some major pipes. A nice record but nothing too memorable.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Well... this exists.
Christine and the Queens
5/5
Now this is how you make a pop album up my alley. Full of bops and bangers, solid variety of sound and approach without sacrificing a clear identity, and just a damn good time.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
This is a tough rate. I only really liked about half the songs; the other half I didn't care for. Much of it sounded too much like some boring "easy listening" type of music.
But the tracks I liked? I LOVED. The Click Song and Mbebe are definitely going on heavy rotation from now on, and that rendition of House of the Rising Sun was gorgeous. I think it is just enough to push into to a 4th star for me; rare for an album with half I didn't really enjoy.
The Young Gods
2/5
I wanna get off the boat Mr Wonka
Louis Prima
4/5
Just a rip roarin good time. I want whatever drugs Louis is having.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I think the stripped-down arrangement really helps Bruce here, and the storytelling is great. But there is just something about the Boss that I can't put my finger on, something I find deeply unengaging. I liked this a bit better than some other stuff of his, but not enough for it to make a significant difference overall.
Parliament
5/5
https://youtu.be/ccvB00h6EnI
Os Mutantes
4/5
Music for a fever dream. I love this. It’s definitely not something to dive into every day, but it is absolutely perfect for when this kind of mood strikes.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Quintessential "indie" rock right here, and there is a particular honest charm here that I really dig throughout most of it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
A lot of people give RHCP hate, and especially this era onward when they got super radio friendly, but I always liked it. Solid songs, if a little overplayed, and a lot of fun. It could maybe slim down a bit, but what album in the late nineties wasn't kinda bloated lol.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
I had high hopes for this album, but man... it was such a bore. I honestly had difficulty driving on my commute home because it was putting me to sleep.
Culture Club
2/5
This is absolutely not for me. I didn't enjoy a single minute of this, apart from "Church of the Poisoned Mind", which almost came together for me before falling apart, which is even worse than just not coming together at all IMO. The only reason this is 2 stars instead of 1 is that it is definitely a competent album; well played, well written, well produced, and you can tell they are having fun. I just didn't have any fun with them lol.
T. Rex
3/5
Fun stuff, especially the back half, but it works better as individual songs rather than a full album. Nothing draws me back enough to listen again start to finish.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Feels like I am floating adrift on an ocean of sonic goodliness. A great way to start my day.
The Cure
4/5
Definitely long-winded, but the Cure here manage to avoid falling into feeling bloated and land squarely into a dreamy, moody hypnosis. I dig it. Great for these rainy days going on.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
Some nice but generic 2000s rock. Honestly, it feels more like a promising demo than a complete album. I liked it, but really not a ton draws me back. (Also, Josh Homme always feels like a dollar store Chris Cornell to me lol)
Pixies
4/5
Solid, fun, and creative alt rock, with a bit of a weirdo twist. I think the whole of the album was a little greater than the some of its parts; none of the songs themselves stood out to me significantly, but the album as a whole did. I'm interested to hear some more from them.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
Cut from the same cloth as early Taylor Swift, with consistently great songwriting, lyrics, and vocal performance, even if a few tracks weren’t really my taste. A great country pop album. Unfortunately, the fact that Space Cowboy was not, in fact, about cowboys in space, was a major letdown.
Death In Vegas
4/5
Solid, interesting stuff. I like the blend of sounds going on here, and the songs may be a little long but they develop themselves well enough that I don't mind it.
Van Morrison
3/5
A nice album. Just barely misses out on a 4 from me. It’s definitely got some bops, particularly Into the Mystic and Glad Tidings, but it just doesn’t completely click together for me.
Metallica
5/5
Arguably Metallica's magnum opus. An amazing, inventive, and powerful set of prog-infused thrash metal tracks, full of tasty riffs and fun solos.
Minutemen
5/5
Its impressive having an album this long, and this samey, still not feel bloated or tired by the end of it. It feels like a post-punk charcuterie board; lots of little tasty bites to mix and mach and enjoy across a large spread. Not to mention great musician ship, cool lyrics, and just the deep feeling that everybody here is having fun and not taking things too seriously. That makes for a star of an album in my book.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Perfect blend of dancey goodness and artsy weirdness. I saw so much buzz for this album when it came out, and honestly it lives up to the hype. I'm gonna have to check more of these guys' stuff out.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Way more varied and fun than their debut, the only other full project I've heard from them. Not every song is a hit; a few succumb to the grating way their voices dig at me. But for the most part we have some fun lyrics, some absolute banger beats, and just a good time all around.
Portishead
5/5
I love trip hop, and this is the grandaddy of all trip hop albums. Great vocals, even better sampling and sound design, just a masterpiece.
Primal Scream
4/5
Sometimes when you throw a bunch of genres in a blander and set it on high, something pretty cool comes out. This is one of those times. Not every sip of the psych-dance-gospel-dub smoothie is perfect, but it's never uninteresting.
The Specials
3/5
More focused and fun than their sophomore album, I think this is a cool but inconsistent debut.
Various Artists
3/5
In a vaccuum this is a 4 star album; it has solid performances and a fun sound that holds up and doesn't overstay its welcome. However, two major things hold it back: Firstly, it is a Christmas album. I won't get any joy busting this bad boy out in February. Secondly, I don't want any Christmas gifts from such a raging, irredeemable asshole as Phil Spector.
The Cure
4/5
I feel the sudden urge to go buy some eyeliner and black clothes.
System Of A Down
5/5
SOAD proving from the get go that they are one of the most creative, unique, and fun acts in the metal scene. The politically charged lyrics still hit home today, fortunately or unfortunately, and the sequencing and pacing of the album, is top notch to make seamless transitions between silliness and seriousness. Not my favorite from the group, but an incredible accomplishment in its own right.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did considering other Wu Tang projects I've heard, but man, Ghosty just has a way with words that can drag me in to a story. The narrative-based rapping is definitely the strongest draw here, with a strong second going to the excellent production (I mean, come on, DOOM and Dilla? Spoiled!). There are too many skits IMO, and not every song is a banger, but this was definitely a good project.
Massive Attack
4/5
Moody, groovy, and surprisingly varied. Definitely a solid entry in the trip-hop genre; it's man flaw is that it lacks any real "stand-out" tracks for me.
Beach House
5/5
So dreamy, but never to the point of feeling like it blew itself away; it remained fluid but thick and sweet, like floating in a pool of honey. The songwriting and production echoed a lot of the same notes as Fleet Foxes for me while also calling to mind Phil Spector and his wall of sound, and of course it definitely had the influence from the synth-rock sounds of Disintegration-era Cure. This hit a lot of sweet spots for me.
On another note (or perhaps because of these notes), damn would this make some good bonin’ music. I gotta go get my wife.
5/5
Some people say this is the best Beatle's album; I place it closer to 3rd or 4th. But, this is the Beatles, so that is still an easy 5 stars.
Neil Young
3/5
Neil Young is like horseradish. It can really make a dish if it's used right and played to its strengths, but far too often it's either diluted to being pointless or coming on faaaaaar too strong. But man, when it hits right.... it hits RIGHT.
Slipknot
4/5
Iowa is the only other Slipknot album I've heard, so coming into this one surprised me with just how pop-oriented it was. That's not a bad thing, though - the variety and catchiness it adds may not please the pure metalheads, but I think it made for a fun listen.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Super fun, full of soul and swagger, and surprisingly funny and sad at times. A great "throw on at any time" record.
Hole
3/5
This definitely had some higher highs than Celebrity Skin (namely, Rock Star and Violet), but overall it really just gives me "pretty decent" vibes, with a nod to Love's vocals as a solid driving force.
The Verve
1/5
Watching Paint Dry, the soundtrack. I’d almost respect it, if the Verve had intended to make me feel like my brain folds were being smoothed from boredom. I’m still not entirely convinced they didn’t just put a saltine cracker on a record player and let the needle drop.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
I thought I’d enjoy this bland and aimless mess of pretentiousness better if I looked up a translation of the lyrics.
That just made things far worse…
Arcade Fire
4/5
A grand, layered, and spiraling next step in the band's sound. It is epic for sure, and an excellent album, but it does make me miss a bit of the fire and homegrown feel I heard in their debut.
Tom Waits
5/5
I completely understand why someone may not like this album.
If that someone is you, I just want to reassure you: It is okay to be wrong.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
It’s a shame I found much of the music to either have dated production or a bit lackluster arrangement, because Tracy has such a compelling voice. And, even more than that, the biggest strength of this album is easily the lyrics. She touches on social issues in such relatable, character-driven ways that really make an impact. If you are a lyrics-driven listener this will be amazing, but ultimately lyrics are just something that don’t draw me as much as the music itself does, and that lowers the album a lot for my personal enjoyment. I’m giving it a 3, even if I think the album “objectively” deserves higher.
Kanye West
4/5
It’s a game-changer of an album for the fate of hip-hop; really helped bring in a new era. And not to mention it introduced the world to the crazy ego of Kanye lol. It is definitely bloated; not every track is a winner; there are too many skits for my taste; and Kanye is really hit or miss on his bars for me. But even given all that, the strengths of this album, the boldness and openness of his lyrics, the great features, they all pull this album back up. What really secures the fourth star for me is the production: few people ever match Kanye’s ability to flip a sample.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Fresh, Funky, and surprisingly soulful. A few tracks are weaker, but the strong ones are STRONG. And this isn't even mentioning how groundbreaking it was!
Black Sabbath
5/5
I've always loved Sabbath's first 3 records, but for some reason I never got around to the 4th. I can solidly say, it holds up to their standard, and more; I think I like it even better than Masters of Reality. Guess the cocaine really worked!
Can
5/5
Such a blend of funky rhythm and experimental nonsense, in a way few other acts can match. Maybe no other acts. I have been wanting to listen to this album for years, and it absolutely didn't disappoint.
Metallica
4/5
What a polarizing album lol. Trve Kvlt metalheads see it as the album where Metallica became irredeemable, mainstream music fans see it as the band being boiled down into their most listenable and polished form, and all manner of opinions fall in the middle (including mine).
I see it as an album where Metallica went for a more commercial sound, and did so very successfully both in execution and profit. It might be a bit of a sell out, and it doesn't hit as high of highs as their earlier stuff for me, but there is still some damn good stuff on this one. Load and Reload on the other hand... thank god this came before them lol.
Supergrass
4/5
If Billy Corgan had an affair with Britpop, this would be the baby. Well written, well performed, and well produced, but there is a certain special “it factor” that it seems to be missing to really push it to greater heights.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Beautiful songwriting and great lyrics, but the dynamics are really what got me. Stevens is equally powerful whether he be a whispering breeze or a howling gale. In a genre that can often find itself with the dynamics of a snack pack of vanilla pudding, this was quite refreshing.
The Strokes
5/5
Listening to this record, it is obvious just how much of a formative moment it was, how influential it was for rock music coming into the 2000s. I love the throwback to garage rock and post-punk sounds, the the live atmosphere in the production makes you feel like you are seeing them at a small club. Not to mention the great presence Casablancas has on the mic, and the fun guitar interplay.
Ultimately, I think I like a lot of the stuff that this album broke ground for even more, and the album can get a bit “samey” by the end, but the undeniable influence here puts it squarely into a 5 star rating for me.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
A cool mix of jazz and afrobeat. Pretty solid arrangements throughout, and Hugh has a great time on the trumpet. I liked this a lot.
Spacemen 3
1/5
Like a garage band of college dropouts tried to make an album inspired by the generic new-age music playlist they heard in the waiting room of the “discount massage parlor” they frequent.
The Replacements
5/5
I love an album with a strong identity, and this has the feeling of coming-of-age in spades. Not only in the lyrics; somehow the music seems to carry it too. Excellent energy, emotion, and solid variety too. This one will be sticking in my mind for a long while.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This is the third Springsteen album I've had, and the third strike he's gotten. I sincerely hope we don't get a fourth.
10cc
4/5
This one feels like it deserves a deeper dive. Zany, creative, and fun, it feels like a weird mix of very dated mid-70's rock tropes and super fresh, genius ideas. It definitely grew on me as I listened.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Finally, my first full Bob Dylan record! And it was… mixed.
The songs that I liked, I absolutely loved. Not Dark Yet may be a contender for my favorite Dylan song now, and Cold Irons Bound is a banger. Most of the back half of the album really did vibe with me.
Which is why it’s such a shame I found the first half of the record so unengaging. I know lyrics tend to be the primary focus with this artist, and they were good, but lyrics alone don’t make or break a record for me no matter how good they are. Most of these songs just felt dull, unexciting, and honestly until the back half of the record I was very worried that Dylan was just going to completely flop for me.
I think one of the biggest issues was the production: when I think Bob Dylan, I think raw and cutting, and the cloudy filters over his voice surrounding everything really break a big part that attracts me to his sound.
Ultimately a big mixed bag, but enough good to make it okay. I hope his other albums stand up stronger overall.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Listening to Led Zeppelin is like visiting an old friend. I may not be listening to them nearly as much as I used to, but man, they still pack a punch for me.
While this may not be their best overall record for me (though many disagree with me lol), it packs some of their absolute best songs, like Ramble On and What Is and What Should Never Be. What a nice treat to revisit this.
D'Angelo
2/5
This album was definitely a cornerstone for the genre, pulls in a lot of great ideas, and D’Angelo is a competent singer.
But man, I just did not enjoy this. He may be a good singer, but he is also a boring one. No excitement, the same energy the whole way through. And the melodies don’t help either. What’s the opposite of an ear worm? They seemed to slide off the folds of my brain and out my ears before the songs even ended. If they ever would end; the songs all go on for two or three minutes doing nothing new or interesting.
I see why people like this, but it has so many of my pet peeves baked into it.
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
I always like a concept album, and hats off to the delicious guitar riffs and engaging vocal performance. I wish the production was a little less muddy and the sounds the played had a little more variety, but this had enough going for it to just barely scrape out a fourth star.
Machito
5/5
Excellent Afro-Cuban jazz. I could throw this on any day of the week and it will make me want to get up and dance.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of The Strokes
- 1 cup of Devo
- 1.5 tsp of Television
- .5 tsp of Daft Punk
- 2 heaping tbsp of cowbell
Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to silver saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Bring to a boil, then let simmer on medium-low heat for 56 minutes and 12 seconds.
3. Pour into a silver bowl. Garnish with extra cowbell and percussion as desired.
4. Serve and enjoy.
Mudhoney
5/5
80's grunge always hits the spot for me, so raw and gritty and fun. This formative release was a perfect little snack to start the morning.
Lou Reed
4/5
Rough around the edges, and a little patchy in places. But this album delivers an amazing story, funky wild and artsy vibes, and some verifiable bangers. It ain’t perfect by a long shot but it’s going to be rattling around in my head for a long while.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Fun but forgettable, save for a few songs. I liked it, but I'm not clamoring for another listen.
3/5
I definitely like Muse, but there is just something about them that feels lacking. In the moment I’m enjoying it, but it never seems to stick or satisfy. They are like musical empty calories.
U2
3/5
I respect the risk of reinventing their sound here, even if a lot of the time it didn't pay off. It is unfortunate that "experimental" for U2 ends up just sounding like a retread of what other groups have done a little better. Still, it isn't bad; in fact it is really, really good in some parts. It just really underperforms in a lot of other parts, unfortunately, and it is definitely overhyped. I mean, best album of all time? The song One being massively overrated? it doesn't help the pretentious image they have lol.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Some perfectly boring and forgettable singer/songwriter pop-rock. Not unpleasant, but it was a snooze.
Norah Jones
3/5
The album that inspired young musicians around the world to make perfect background music for a local coffee shop. (Legitimately great at times, though)
2/5
“Mom, can we have some Duran Duran?”
“No, we have Duran Duran at home.”
Duran Duran at home:
Orange Juice
5/5
Fresh squeezed juice right here. This was super cool, I absolutely loved it. Feels like it was the start of something new.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
A whopping ladleful of fun and creative 70's pop, with enough weird to keep it interesting despite its length.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Nice enough with a few bright gems, but nothing too strong pulling me back in.
Spiritualized
4/5
Took a lot of the ideas from Spaceman 3's Playing with Fire, and actually executed them well. Dreamy, floaty, and almost zen.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Individual songs on here I adored, but as a whole it didn't work as well for me. I think the ballads dragged it down a tad.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
A classic among classics. Sure, it doesn't get the love that II or IV get, but I think it even surpasses them at times.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Always interesting, if kind of half baked a lot of the time. That's lo-fi for you, I guess.
Dr. John
5/5
One of the most unique albums I’ve heard in my time. A masterpiece of spooky, weird, and downright catchy stuff. I loved this.
The Last Shadow Puppets
5/5
Fiery and lush in equal portions, this album goes by fast but left an impression that will last, landing solidly in an over saturated genre while still standing out by a large margin.
Happy Mondays
3/5
When it comes together it really is something great. Too bad it falls apart more often than succeeding, with the vocalist nosediving into a bad Joe Strummer impression and the songs meandering around going nowhere. But man, when it works, it slaps.
John Martyn
4/5
Nice and relaxed, with some catchy melodies and interesting production. I liked it a good deal, but my man sounds absolutely zooted out of his gourd half the time lol
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
It's like they took everything good from something like Depeche Mode and corrupted it, twisted and soiled it until it became a soulless shell of bubblegum synth pop that was all style and no substance. It is like an uncanny valley of musical nightmares, so close to good ideas but so debased.
Cheap Trick
3/5
The songs themselves were mostly unremarkable, but the performance put into them was stellar. I would have loved to be in the audience that day, but as a listen-at-home experience it lands squarely in "pretty good"
Ravi Shankar
4/5
Felt like a warm invitation into a new cultural experience of music, and clearly a virtuosic one. I wouldn't return to it often, but I'll enjoy it every time I do.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
A solid step up from their debut. It doesn’t always have the most interesting arrangement, but the songwriting is nice and tight, and the melodies are such crazy ear worms.
Little Simz
5/5
Bops on bops on bops. I've been craving some more modern female MCs that I vibed with, and this delivered that and more.
The xx
5/5
An absolute masterpiece of stripped-down, subdued indie pop. The platonic ideal of the genre.
Ice T
4/5
A little bloated, a little samey, but damn, Ice-T got more flow than I was expecting. I never gave him much credit; guess that's gonna change.
Saint Etienne
2/5
The singles bopped a bit, and Like the Swallow was at least interesting, but the rest of the album was so damn boring.
The Jam
4/5
No real stand out tracks, unfortunately, but this thing was fun and super catchy, and I loved getting a glimpse into a subculture I know nothing about.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Weird and fun, but not much to my taste honestly. I could see this being loved by a very specific kind of person.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
I feel like I'm being introduced on a 60's game show.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
Anthemic and grand without dropping into being too cheesy. I was worried how this would be after a sound change and the mysterious disappearance of their guitarist after the last album, but man this absolutely delivered.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Definitely fun, but it is the same vibe for a long time on this one. Could have done with cutting a few tracks.
John Grant
5/5
Just…. Brilliant. I was engrossed in every second of this project. I need more of this.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Alanis Morrissette, eat your heart out.
Elton John
5/5
Some of the most solid songwriting ever displayed, an even more excellently executed (just ignore Jamaican Jerk-off lol)
Eminem
3/5
Virtuosic rapping, but the beats are honestly lackluster in some songs, and the whole thing neatly fits into the definition of "too much" sometimes.
Living Colour
3/5
Cult of Personality is obviously the main draw here. The rest of the album is fun enough, but nothing really lives up to the opener.
Aerosmith
4/5
A solid 70’s rock album. It is a little more generic than a lot of it’s legendary contemporaries, but it arguably does that generic sound a lot better than others that tried the same.
Aimee Mann
2/5
The first half felt like I was trapped in a Macy's commercial from 2009, but the back half a a couple nice bits that brought it up a tad for me.
David Bowie
5/5
A genre-bending swan song that is the perfect send-off to this man’s legacy.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Definitely interesting, especially lyrically, but in the end none of it really clicked. This one deserved a revisit down the line.
Santana
4/5
An old favorite of mine growing up. My opinion on it has cooled a bit, but it’s still lovely to go back and revisit!
Lorde
5/5
I procrastinated listening to this one for years; I thought Green Light was a good single, but just didn’t think the album could reach the absurdly high bar she’d set for herself with Pure Heroine. I am happy to say I was right, in a way. She did not meet the bar; she fucking cleared it with room to spare.
King Crimson
5/5
A real pinch in the hourglass for the genre; all the influences and fledgling prog ideas beforehand really came together into this album, and no prog rock can look back without tracing some roots to it. A true influence, and a true masterpiece.
Public Enemy
4/5
Controversial opinion: This album walked so Apocalypse 91 could run.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Imagine:
It is 1970.
The heaviest thing you'd ever heard was Jimi Hendrix, maybe a little Blue Cheer if you were really spicy.
You're browsing in the record shop and see this spooky looking album with a grainy picture of a woman in a field on it. You buy it out of curiosity, and bring it home.
You pop it on to your record player, and are greeted with the sounds of rain.
And then, suddenly, thundering guitars, playing an evil riff, with a man yelling at a satanic figure giving him nightmarish visions.
Nothing could prepare you for this. It was unlike anything else at the time. And it STILL holds up today.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Few people can rap so grippingly, driving you deep into a narrative like K dot can. He is one of the GOATs for sure.
The Clash
5/5
Punk's White Album.
Beatles
4/5
Early Beatles are always fun, even if they get pretty samey and don't hit most of the high heights of their later work. A good get-up-and-boogie album.
Underworld
5/5
Pleasantly surprised! I’ve had a lot of issues with 90s electronic music on this list, but this album was right up my alley. Felt like techno and house sounds approached with a prog mindset.
Queen Latifah
3/5
She really is the queen when it comes to flows, especially for the late 80's. Unfortunately, not every song hits hard, with some inconsistent production and some bloat on the songs really dragging it down for me.
Oasis
3/5
I can absolutely see why some people love this. It's catchy, fun, uplifting, and energetic. But its also not very tight, samey through and through, and personally Liam's vocals really get to me after a while. I still liked it, but definitely no more than that.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Raw as the uncooked chicken it feels like PJ is slapping me across the face with.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
It’s nice, to be a little star-drop floating along the cosmic currents.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
The very definition of "meh."
Led Zeppelin
5/5
What can I say about this one that hasn't already been said? It is a legendary album that absolutely deserves that status.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Interstellar Overdrive -> The Gnome remains arguably the funniest song transition whiplashes ever.
Anita Baker
2/5
Groovy, but kinda boring. Not bad but nothing really bringing me back here at all.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Bopping from start to finish. The legend Fela with two legendary drummers on board? Can't get better than that!
Mike Ladd
3/5
Really cool, fresh ideas here that just needed a little more time to really come to fruition. If this had been given more work in the studio to trim down and polish it really could have been great.
Eric Clapton
2/5
Clapton proving once again that he is certainly the most overrated of the so-called "guitar gods" of classic rock.
5/5
Yup, absolutely lived up to the hype. This list is turning me into a Bowie fan for sure. I still think Heroes is my favorite, but this is a very close second.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
The best Neil Young album on this list so far. Great variety of its songs, wildly ahead of its time in some parts.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Not me crying in the break room at lunch because Johnny is giving me an existential crisis over the impermanence of life.
Cee Lo Green
4/5
Why does such a bad dude gotta make such good tunes. At least sometimes he sounds like a muppet (a talented muppet, but still).
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Sweet voice and nice toned down show. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but there was an intimacy to it I found very valuable.
David Gray
3/5
Some nice, cool stuff. Loved the vibe of it all; I just wish it got more daring or exciting at times instead of playing it safe.
The Smiths
3/5
Man, it is such a shame about the severe back problems Andy Rourke developed from carrying The Smiths all those years.
Boards of Canada
5/5
Moody, introspective, and thought-provoking. This is rare stuff right here. Perfectly captures a mood, and takes you on a journey from start to finish.
Neil Young
5/5
Another excellent one from Neil Young. Great mood, even better lyrics.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
A few fun tracks, but a lot of stuff that just doesn't stand out much from its contemporaries.
The Who
4/5
Rockin' stuff. Nothing mind blowing here, but this was simply a solid and enjoyable live album from a solid enjoyable rock band.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This deserved every lick of hype it gets. Excellence, through and through.
Wire
5/5
Artsy and angry, my favorite flavor of punk. Been meaning to listen to this one for a while and it was well worth it!
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Not bad by any means, but it is certainly too melodramatic and dated for my tastes. Didn’t really age well.
Nick Drake
5/5
The excellent soft and careful vocals I remember from his debut, with a little extra spunk brought in from the fantastic ensemble of backing musicians. This sophomore album easily lives up to the debut.
Blur
5/5
More eclectic and willing to experiment than MLIR, and I really feel it benefited from it. I can even hear some underpinnings of what would become Gorillaz sounds in here. Not to mention Damon Albarn really comes out as a great songwriter. Great record.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
I get CSN&Y and CSI:NY confused way too often.
Haircut 100
2/5
Fun but forgettable new wave. The biggest takeaway I have from this album is “Why did they choose so many inconsequential 80’s rock/new wave bands for this list?”
Steely Dan
4/5
Goddamn Steely Dan, you dildo-name-thieving fucks. You make lackluster songs, bathe them in sanitizing liquid until the recording is so clean it could be eaten off of, and then you get the fucking best musicians in the world to actually make them sound good. How do you expect me to cope with Gadd and Purdie on the same album? Fuck you. Four Stars.
Brian Eno
3/5
Is this a landmark album for the genre, and deeply important for music as a whole? Yes!
Is it a beautiful piece of music? At times!
Will I ever be busting this one out again in the future? Almost assuredly not!
Aphex Twin
3/5
Great in the background, but lackluster in the foreground more times than not. So it goes with ambient, I suppose.
3/5
Definitely a cool part of music history that’s very important to hear. I just wish the quality of the songs was a little more consistent; this is great in songs but not as a whole album for me.
Missy Elliott
4/5
God damn what a glow up from Missy. I thought her debut was absolutely carried by Timbaland and a few features, with Missy Elliot’s rapping leaving a lot to be desired. I’ve never been happier to be shown up, because god damn does she have a presence behind the mic now. Combine that with some more consistently excellent beats from Timbaland once again, and you got a recipe for a great album.
Jeff Beck
3/5
It feels a bit revisionist, but I can’t help but experience the Jeff Beck Group as just an inferior attempt at Led Zeppelin, even if they came first.
Elis Regina
3/5
Definitely a fun and pleasant listen, but I didn’t really connect to it much honestly, outside of a few select songs.
The Temptations
5/5
I always knew Papa Was a Rolling Stone was a Certified Banger™, and I am very happy to see the rest of the album has no trouble matching it's prowess.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Noise rock and noise punk I'm familiar with, but noise blues... that's a new one. It was always an interesting record, if not always "good", necessarily. But man, when it slapped, it SLAPPED.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
It is so kind of John Fogerty to let the audience know where the bathrooms are during every concert (on the right).
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Honestly, the story behind this album was far better than the music in it. It sounds like a bunch of demos that never got to get finished - which, spoiler alert, it was.
Wilco
5/5
Thoughtfully crafted and excellently written, it sits somewhere between Weezer and Radiohead in sound. I really liked this, I thought this was superb.
David Bowie
2/5
Wow, compared to the other Bowie albums I fell in love with on this project, this was mid at best. The hits are nice enough, maybe one other song, but the rest was just dull. And that’s not even including the abysmal Beatles cover on here - yikes. Not your best by a long shot, Bowie.
Lana Del Rey
1/5
Ah, Lana.
I feel like I should like her. I enjoy a lot of artists that get consistently compared to her, such as Lorde. I go in with an open and hopeful heart every time. And I am disappointed, every time.
It’s like she knows how to make a melody anti-catchy. If she wanted an ear worm, it sounds like the early bird already up and got hers.
It is so overproduced, glistening until slimy as if it were slathered in Vaseline. For an album that seems to want to craft some sense of intimacy, it does more to distance itself.
Her voice always sounds so drab, so bored. I get that’s part of her style, but her flavor of lazy singing and affected style is grating. It’s like an insecure teenager that puts every effort they can into not looking like they put effort into their appearance.
I’m not saying every moment here was dreadful. Dark But Just a Game was a consistently okay song, the bridge to Dance Til We Day gave some desperately needed energy to the album, and For Free had some dazzling harmonies.
This album did have good moments.
But man, I ain’t gonna dig through shit for a couple of corn kernels, you know?
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Sex - The Album.
Le Tigre
4/5
The riot grrrl evolution into dance punk just works so well. Excellent and fun record. My only takeaway is that the vocals do edge on annoying after a while.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Pretty decent mid-90s psych tinged rock. There were some shining moments here, particularly the closing song, but a lot of weak stuff that held it back, especially the singer's vocal delivery and melodies.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Some foundational folk stylings here. A really solid group of songs for the most part, with some real standouts. However, the whole thing is so homogenous that it gets a little tired by the end, even as the songs get better, and it just didn't suck me in like some others of the same vibe like Nick Drake.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Black Sabbath's diamond among a pile of precious gems. Has some of their greatest hits as well as so many fantastic deep cuts, and was instrumental in bringing the idea of heavy metal to the minds of the world. Amazing.
The The
5/5
Now THIS is some delicious 80's cheese. Fun, boppin, synthy, even atmospheric at times. Just jammed with jams.
Nas
4/5
Great East Coast vibes, with Nas's flow and bars top notch. It isn't to my taste as much as some other hip hop may be, but the quality here is undeniable.
Def Leppard
3/5
Some great songs here, both in the singles and deep album cuts, but overall it is less consistent than the album it precedes; that inconsistently really brings it down.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
This album was on constant rotation for me back in high school. It is great to dust you off and hear from you again, old friend; you are just as fantastic now as you were back then.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Yikes. Between dropping an n-bomb without warning and making light of comparisons to Hitler, Costello comes off as deeply ignorant in the best of circumstances. Good thing I didn't care much for him in the first place lmao.
Morrissey
3/5
This album started good; surprisingly excellent, honestly. I thought I might end up begrudgingly loving it. But, true to form, Morrissey's head slowly became stuck further and further up his own ass as the songs went on.
Prince
4/5
With Prince albums, there are always songs that I absolutely adore, and songs that I can't stand; rarely anything in between. This one was no exception. However, there was only 1 song on each side I disliked. The rest was pure gold. Remove those two tracks and we would have an easy 5 stars here.
Adele
4/5
Just boppin. Good soul-pop that gives me nostalgia for high school and simpler days.
Kanye West
4/5
I love how abrasive and aggressive it is, it almost sounds retro futuristic from an alternate universe. But man, bound 2 is just so bad that it spoils my enjoyment from the end of the album. Oh well.
New Order
4/5
Hot take: New Order > Joy Division. Y'all just are horny for a tragedy.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Quite possibly the best psychedelic rock ever put to wax. Bold, innovative, virtuosic, fun, trippy, rockin' perfection.
Suicide
3/5
I… I genuinely do not know how I feel about this.
I’m no stranger to stuff on the weirder side. I’ll take an Ornette Coleman entree with a side of Captain Beefheart and The Shaggs, and wash it all down with a glass of Sunn O))).
But here, I am baffled. Bemused. Befuddled. Be-fucked up on all accounts. Genuinely unlike anything I’d ever heard before. My attention was so deeply captured, I was like a poor fly in fly paper just waiting to die. And I’d stick myself back there again, even when it sounds like a teenager sitting on a keyboard while absolutely blasting rope.
I think I’m broken.
How do I even give this a star value.
Mekons
3/5
Some great songs, but not really a great album as a whole for me. I definitely see the appeal and why it became so influential, I just wish it was more consistent.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
The perfect album to begin a heroin addiction to.
Björk
5/5
Music of the Feywild. This was one of the coolest, most unique projects on the list, and I can't get enough of it.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Nice country with good melody and harmonies, but without anything that puts it above other similar artists.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
I wish that the deep tracks had the incredible spark that the singles do. Some great songs, but just a decent album.
Metallica
5/5
Yeah, what they did to Jason is criminal. But this essentially a prog/thrash fusion album; that’s so far up my alley it may as well knock on my back door.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Surprisingly gentle and charming. This had a lot of sweetness to it backed by strong songwriting. And while we lost John Cale and subsequently a lot of the bite that I loved in the debut, we also got rid of Nico. So, you know, trade offs.
Anthrax
5/5
Probably my least favorite of the Big Four, but goddamn if it ain’t still a masterpiece that they got here. Hats off to the drums and rhythm guitar in particular; they elevated this to a 5 for me.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Super groundbreaking, of course, and it is a deeply hypnotic driving album. The B side is near perfect IMO, but the title track on the A side does get a little repetitive, and the vocals absolute do not sit well in the mix when they crop up.
The Band
4/5
This organic, loose, jammy feel really just tickles my pickle. It just feels so real and honest, which makes even the mediocre songs nice to listen to.
Killing Joke
4/5
Somewhere in the space between Joy Division, Sonic Youth, and proto-Nine Inch Nails. Really cool, and excellently executed vision.
Nirvana
5/5
An enthralling live performance, and the deep tracks and covers really help make it a unique experience. Something about stripping it all down like this really lays bare Cobain's emotions and songwriting. It is clear why this album is so highly regarded.
The Stooges
4/5
Raw and dirty, like pissing in an open wound.
The Offspring
5/5
A long-standing favorite of mine, particularly my favorite pop-punk album. Just a great blast of energy, attitude, and catchiness.
Yes
5/5
Just so, so good. Yes yes yes yes yes.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
An important stepping stone on the way to punk - honestly, I'm blown away that it was recorded in 71 - but I just don't see myself coming back to it very often.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
You gotta sift through some of the crap boring bits here, but hidden inside are some really, really good songs (particularly Windmills of Your Mind, that song is incredible).
Madonna
2/5
3 pretty good songs, but the rest just felt like forgettable background music to a CSI: Miami lab montage. Not unpleasant, but just not memorable at all.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Pretty catchy synth-pop, and a fun direction for T swizzle, if a pretty damn safe one.
But my god, I wasn't expecting this to be the nostalgia bomb it was for me this morning. I haven't listened to any of this record aside from Blank Space since 2014. Suddenly I'm back in my freshman dorm, with all the excitement and stress of the first semester of college. Absolutely wild. The pure flashback it gave me tips this up from a very high 3 to a 4.
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
Peace.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Pretty fun album, but I think I like the full Stooges meal better than Iggy-a-la-carte. Some really catchy guitar hooks just squeak this out a fourth star from me.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
This old east coast sound is such a vibe. Fun beats and fun bars make for a fun album (if dated at times).
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
Damn Biggie's flow and storytelling is just something else, he is on a whole other level. Not to mention fucking hilarious. There is a reason he is GOAT.
The Who
3/5
I feel like this one gets overrated compared to a lot of other records from The Who. Yeah, it has some of their best songs (arguably some of the best rock songs ever), but many of the deep cuts just feel week to me, particularly on the B side. I wish I could rate this higher, but as an overall album experience I just can't.
Megadeth
4/5
I think this one has grown on me. I first listened to it coming right off of Rust In Peace, and I compared it unfavorably to that masterpiece. But seeing it in its own light, its a damn fun thrash album.
Beatles
5/5
The real tipping point from early pop sensation Beatles to experimental studio craft Beatles, balancing right on that edge. And it really is the best of both worlds! One of their best records, and that is saying something, considering its the daggum Beatles.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
I think this is a solid followup to their earlier masterpiece; it still delivers that amazing sound, even if it doesn't reach quite the heights of You're Living All Over Me.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
How do they manage to sound so bored while making their own album? Geez.
Brian Eno
4/5
Weird experimental mess for people that love getting messy.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Just some solid 90's alt rock right here. I don't think it has that star factor the Mellon Collie does, but this is damn fine.
Beck
3/5
Sad boi indie folk. Yeah, it's done well enough here, but I've heard it done so many, many times, and this doesn't stand out too much to me from much of what's been released before and since
Fever Ray
4/5
This feels like cyberpunk desert electro vibes. I'm not even sure what that means, but I'm here for it.
5/5
The atmosphere, the theming, the songwriting, its all so fucking good here. I remember liking this album, but apparently it's only grown on me since my first listen.
Congrats, U2, for being the first band to have both a 1 star and a 5 star album on here for me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Iconic, and deserving of every praise heaped upon it. What can I even say to add to the conversation? This is one of the greatest albums of all time, and it isn't even my favorite from Pink Floyd.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
If Lauryn was hungry in Fugees, here she is cooking for herself. Genre-bending, mind-rending, nerve-mending tunes here. It truly should be seen as one of the greatest records of all time.
Joan Baez
5/5
Well, looks like I've fallen in love with a voice again. Joan, you have my heart. Don't tell my wife.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
Surprisingly great indie rock from the turn of the century. This album deserves better album art lol.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
When nobody got my back, I know a new Leonard Cohen album got my back, CAN I GET AN AMEN
The Fall
3/5
I... actually didn't mind this? Mark E Smith was bearable? I even enjoyed parts of it?? What is the world coming to!?!
The Avalanches
5/5
This was the album that singlehandedly changed my mind on the ethics and artistic merit of sampling, and one of the 5 albums I credit with breaking me out of my "Rock is the ONLY real music!" phase (alongside Gorillaz' Demon Days, Madvillain's Madvillainy, Aesop Rock's None Shall Pass, and Daft Punk's Random Access Memories).
Also, it's damn good.
Brian Wilson
4/5
I love the history (damn near mythology) around SMiLE, and this is probably the closest we will ever get to having the original vision be realized. And it's good! But still, in some places it does feel unfinished or inadequately realized. However, it also feels like a final breath of relief to settle the whole thing, as well. Cathartic, I imagine.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Dreamy and drenched in reverb, and unfortunately on too far on the bloated side to really see myself returning to much. It was a fantastic fit for this foggy morning, though; that was excellent coincidence.
Morrissey
2/5
I have come to the conclusion that Morrissey is at his best when he sounds the least like Morrissey.
Elton John
4/5
Perhaps a bit too pompous and grandiose at times, but it just hits right the whole way through.
Daft Punk
3/5
A balancing act between brilliance and bloat. My soft spot for the group really wants to rate it higher, but so much of it simply needed to be cut, particularly the long run-time on tracks. This is best experienced in small doses.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
Warm and appropriately "fuzzy" Americana rock. Nothing here blew my mind or anything, but it was a very solid listen I see myself coming back to.
The Undertones
4/5
Very fun, high energy, danceable punk, it seems to be giving roots to pop-punk here. However, it gets a bit too samey on start-to-finish for me to want to sit down with this record too often.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Pearl Jam is one of those bands that came in, dropped an incredible debut record, and never was able to follow up with anything nearly as good. It is a bit of a shame, really, but considering how much I enjoy this album I will take it as it is.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I absolutely see why this got so much hype a few years ago. It is hard to make something that is so artsy while also sounding genuine, but this album seems to have come from the heart more than the mind. The fun rhythms, stripped and raw production, great vocals, catchy melodies; it was all here for me, and I LOVE it. I already know this will be on regular rotation for me.
3/5
I think this is one I need to revisit; I don't think I was in the right mindset going in, and I might enjoy it more another day. But as it is, its some nice smart rock, I just didn't connect with it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
I know an album will find it's way into my heart when it has a combination of excellent vision and excellent execution. This album knows what it wanted to be, and achieved that idea flawlessly. Not to mention, the dark vintage Americana vibe that runs through this album's blood is always an appreciated aesthetic. This is a new favorite of mine for sure.
Gang Starr
4/5
Relaxed, vibey, chill 90's hip hop. I could put this on to unwind to, and the interplay between the flow and the beats seems to bring out more than the sum of their parts. Who knew Ringo's son had this in him?
Mott The Hoople
2/5
Forgettable enough that I even forgot to rate it over the weekend, and only just now saw my error as I was trying to go rate some Muddy Waters. It had a few nice songs, but man, nothing here stood out.
Muddy Waters
5/5
It can be hard to take blues and make it sound fun, engaging, and interesting through the whole album without the standards getting a bit tiring. Muddy Waters just gets behind the mic and says "Try me."
Carpenters
5/5
For some reason I never seem to think "Oh boy, I really want to listen to The Carpenters today," but every time I do they draw me in like no other. The arrangements are just perfect, every texture and layer absolutely decadent. And Karen herself is a magnificent gem, of course. This was simply a delight.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I love that dreamy sound, and this album absolutely drips with it. Hell, they practically invented it. I just wish there were a few more standout tracks, but overall a great album.
Tori Amos
4/5
Cut from the same cloth as Kate Bush and Imogen Heap. I liked it quite a bit, but some songs definitely stuck out more than others, especially in the back end of the record. I could see this one becoming quite a grower for me.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
we really do be back at the chicken shack tho
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Like sugary candy from the 60's. Sweet melodies, decadent harmonies, and delicious tunes, and very enjoyable even if it doesn't have super complex depth. This album is super easy to throw on, too. Groovy baby.
Green Day
5/5
This was the album that changed my mind about pop-punk. I always thought it was too silly and carefree and childish to the point of being annoying. And... well, I wasn't entirely wrong, but this album taught me how to enjoy that for what it was!
Paul Weller
2/5
If someone asked me for the most generic piece of 90’s rock music I could think of, I now know where to point them to
Willie Nelson
5/5
I always love tight, story-driven concept albums. Add Willie’s impeccable delivery, and you’ve got an instant classic for me.
David Bowie
5/5
This album woke up at 5:45 pm to a house party happening downstairs, and quickly got sick of it, deciding to bar hop and scuttle around town. Never finding what it was looking for, it finally decided to walk the city streets alone through the night, stuck in its own head, until passing out in an alley behind a dingy jazz club. 10/10.
Tom Waits
5/5
I never guessed Alice’s Wonderland had such a fiery dive bar.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
This might be the Platonic ideal of hip hop.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Definitely carried by Nile Rodgers; the backing tracks mostly groove with that guitar, and the rest of the band too, but the songs themselves are mostly just "pretty alright." The album definitely loses any of its steam in the ballads, unfortunately.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Wistful and almost melancholic takes from the iconic King. The one thing that drags it a bit is the overly-glossy production and orchestration that sometimes turns sweet to saccharine.
Deep Purple
5/5
Fuck you Jake this album is fantastic. One of the most foundational albums from one of the most foundational heavy metal acts of all time, incredible performances from all players, Blackmore bringing in the classical music ideals, Paice being the most underrated drummer ever, and just loads of fun songs. 2 stars my ass ya scrub.
Turbonegro
3/5
Some of it was definitely catchy and fun, but throughout the whole album the only vibe I could get through the whole thing was "This is what a group of writers for a Disney Channel sitcom would create as punk music" lol. Gets 3 stars, but only just barely.
The Shamen
2/5
Like being at a rave with all the lights on.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
I love when an absolutely ridiculous band name shows up and DELIVERS. This had great songwriting, great performances, and I can see the way it trickled into country after it came onto the scene. Excellent.
Iron Maiden
5/5
The definitive NWOBHM, in my opinion. If you listen to any album from this era, make it this one.
Brian Eno
3/5
This was a really cool, thought-provoking, and groundbreaking album. It is amazing seeing the sheer influence this thing had; I can see it's resemblance in things like Beastie Boys and The Avalanches. It is so interesting.
But... I just didn't care much for the songs themselves, honestly. When speaking purely on the actual music, with no context, I could take it or leave it for most of the tracks. Oh well.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Zep's equivalent of the White Album. Many of these songs feel like them at their most focused in their identity, being Led Zeppelin at their Led Zeppeliniest, but many others offer refreshing variety. This also has two of my absolute favorites from them: Kashmir and Ten Years Gone. Overall another classic from my former favorite band lol.
Van Halen
5/5
Van Halen knows who they are, what they want to do, and how to do that just right. So damn tight and fun and killer. The synths may take away for some people, but I really think it blends super well with their sound. Pure excellence.
Miles Davis
5/5
I love when I see an album that can be pointed to and say "Right here. That's where it all started." What a cool formative moment in jazz history, and not to mention its fucking BALLER. The head for Budo always slaps, and the ending section of Moon Dreams slays me every time.
Ramones
5/5
pnuk
Radiohead
4/5
Excellent 90's alt-rock britpop-esque shit; this is everything Coldplay wanted to be. It was so very close to a 5, but just not quite for me... shame, as this would have been my first 5 album 5 star streak. Oh well. If only I got OK Computer today instead lol.
Billy Joel
4/5
Boppin' soft rock from the piano man himself, this is just a fun time through and through. Melancholy and jovial in equal measure, and Billy is just having a blast on every track. I dig it.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
What great singles, and what forgettable deep cuts. This is an album that I always think more fondly of until I actually go and listen to it, and find out all over again how boring and repetitive many of the songs get. It's a shame considering how good Duff and Slash are, but at least I get to listen to the genuinely amazing songs from here on their own.
Suede
2/5
I think I've realized why I tend to dislike Britpop: so many of the bands seem to just want to suck The Smith's dicks. Well, jokes on them; Morrissey sucks his own dick harder than they ever could.
Common
5/5
Just full of good vibes and deep thoughts, and Kanye behind the beats really brings out the best in him. This is a new classic for me for sure.
SZA
4/5
Not my usual vibe at all, but that doesn't mean it didn't get me vibin. Great vocals, a few solid standout tracks, and overall a good time.
Linkin Park
5/5
This is the zenith of teenage angst, and the best representation of nu-metal on the list IMO. They balance the metal and hip-hop/electronic elements perfectly. And I know they get a good deal of hate and are seen as posers/sellouts for not cursing, but feeling like the emotional impact is less because someone isn't using naughty words just sounds like edgy middle schooler criticism (though, this is definitely an album aimed at that demographic, so perhaps there is some point there).
Shits rad yo. Tight, fun, genre-blending angst.
Rush
5/5
One of the tightest prog albums out there. It isn't my favorite from them, but the catchy shorter songs and excellence on Neil Peart means this wouldn't be anything but a 5.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Definitely a solid album, but a lot of things about it really weighed it down. It was a bit bloated, a bit meandering, but the biggest detractor was Badu's voice for me. On some songs she sounded fine, but too often there was a shrill/nasal quality to it that grated on me more and more as the album went on. For a genre that lives and dies on vocals for me, it was a big downer. Overall, though, still pretty solid.
ZZ Top
3/5
I mean, it's fun for sure. But all the singles are just so played out for me at this point, and the deep tracks range from cool to super forgettable. I would have enjoyed this a whole lot more 10 years ago lol.
Circle Jerks
4/5
Hardcore punk and some of its hardcore punkiest. It is a bit uneven at times, but if you don't like a song it will be over before you know it.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Ah, brings back so many fond memories with my mildly racist father. I don't really support the band anymore, but the nostalgia here hits oh so hard.
Gorillaz
5/5
I cannot come to this album without bias. Honestly, it’s among my least favorite of their works. But… god damn… I just fucking love the Gorillaz. It’s like a blended smoothie if everything I want in a group and I’ll drink it up every time.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
A melodic, well arranged modern rock album produced by Danger Mouse? That's hitting a lot of bullseyes for me! There are definitely parts where this album could trim the fat or be better sequenced, but overall it has a lot of great highlights for me.
Hookworms
5/5
The perfect balance between noisy and catchy, poppy and experimental. Call me Goldilocks, because this was just right, and I’m gonna fucking devour this porridge.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Dang Amy, you sing so goodly but you bloat so bloatly.
Tom Waits
5/5
Listening to Tom Waits is like a reverse date rape - he'll drug you just to take you back to the bar.
Lou Reed
4/5
This was the type of album where every song was pretty great, but as a whole it got a smidge too samey. But man, some groundbreaking stuff here, especially lyrical content-wise.
MGMT
4/5
Psychy-synthy-poppy goodness. This might get up to a 5 on repeated listens; it's teetering on the edge of that last star for sure, but a few of the songs might need to grow on me a bit more.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
This puppy definitely isn't the so carefully crafted songwriting excellence of Rumours, but it is clear it wasn't trying to be. This wanted to be bold, varied, and individual, and it achieved that. Still... I feel this one is just pretty great, while their previous is one of the GOATs. In any case I'm happy with experimentation and new directions, and this was a success that simply still has to live in it's older brother's shadow.
2/5
So egregiously bad that, often enough, it wraps around to being funny. Made even worse/funnier that sometimes the riffs are actually good until Mr. Durst comes and opens his mouth.
Stephen Stills
2/5
And on today's episode of "Double Albums That Should Have Been EPs"...
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Good ol' Joni folk/pop, with a good bit of orchestral, jazz, and rock n roll injected in. Can't go wrong here!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Two pretty great albums put into one double album, but with two names, and two track listings, and two relatively distinct sounds... so why not just make it two albums?????
Suzanne Vega
3/5
It was a little inconsistent, but never really bad. Just bland in a lot of spots, and the 80's production really doesn't help. But when it is good, it is pretty great.
Spiritualized
5/5
I now have a deep, dire need for more gospel-choir-ridden space rock in my life.
Blur
5/5
There has been a lot of Britpop on this list. Some of it good, some of it pretty damn bad. But this is the first one that was FUN! Seriously! The others could be poignant or self-important or serious, but this one here was so damn fun at every turn. It had a smidge of bloat, could have been tighter in some places, but man I had a blast listening, and that's enough for 5 stars easily.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Not bad by any means, but really, I don't think I would ever think to spin this record again. It was nice, but it left no impression on me.
The Byrds
5/5
Gotta love that originating psych-folk sound, and it is such a quick little bite that doesn't overindulge or overstay its welcome. This was delectable.
The Cure
4/5
Cure being the Cure. Not my favorite I've heard from them, but still, nothing quite scratches that gloom-and-doomy itch like them.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
RHCP at their hottest and pepperiest. This is the perfect balance between the zany funk-rap weirdness of their early stuff and the catchy but safe alt-rock they grew into. I dig.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
The only Beefheart album I knew before this was Trout Mask Replica, so I wasn't expecting something so... accessible? But still, some pretty experimentally fun stuff here!
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Some good songs, some bland songs. Honestly, with this list, I think I'm getting a little oversaturated with post punk. It's making it hard to judge them fairly.
Bad Brains
5/5
Much more metal than I was expecting, but that punk ethos runs deep. Honestly, what's more punk than delivering your vocals over the phone from a jail cell? These guys are it, always have been, always will be.
The Beau Brummels
5/5
Wow, I LOVED this. Great whimsical/fantasy-inspired lyrics, that old folk psych sound that I love, and a surprisingly compelling vocalist. Gonna have this one spinning for a while.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Always love this era of psychedelia, and what these guys may lack in pure songwriting like the Beatles or the Byrds, they make up for with raw grit. Cool stuff.
The Smiths
3/5
Thank god for whoever worked on that remaster, because the original mix was so flat and tinny that it was unbearable. Now, I can finally ignore Morrissey's cringe lyrics and deep self-importance to listen to some relatively decent backing tracks in peace.
The Human League
2/5
I think Purgatory was just the 80's.
Frank Ocean
5/5
This album has definitely grown on me hard since I first heard it, I think in large part due to my own expanding musical palette. As a born-and-bred classic rock kid this album just did not work for me years ago. Now, with the experience of listening to a much wider array of genres, I can not only appreciate Frank's excellent songwriting, but how he blends so many disparate sounds into his RnB style. Pure excellence.
Jamiroquai
4/5
Super fun, but the bloat really dragged it down, and Jay Kay's vocals becoming grating after too long dragged it down a bit further. But... the surplus of didgeridoo shot it back up a good deal, not gonna lie.
Maxwell
1/5
Wow, it's like someone made a big batch of "every-R&B-trope-I-hate" juice and forced me to chug.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Yeah.... I honestly love this, and I am consciously deciding not to keep listening to it, because I don't wanna be giving money to a sexual predator.
Minor Threat
5/5
If you ask me, this is THE quintessential hardcore punk album. Not the greatest of all time, perhaps, but the most core to the sound and ethos... but also, maybe the greatest lol.
AC/DC
5/5
This is THE comeback-with-a-new-singer album. So many have tried to do that and failed miserably, so it is nice that we have this.
Weather Report
4/5
Classic funky fusion sound, love it, though it does sound a bit too dated at times for its own good.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
I've never been much of a post-hardcore guy but this album is warming me up to it. Punchy, emotional, and hypnotic; good stuff!
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Musically, this is good but a bit past her peak (sorry Jaco). Lyrically, however, she is at the absolute top of her game. I just wish I cared about lyrics more.
The La's
3/5
Of course the one-hit is the star of this, but the other stuff wasn't half bad either. However, this is basically one of the seeds that helped grow britpop, and for that I don't know if I can forgive them.
The Verve
2/5
The Verve have officially graduated into "Mild and Forgettable", a step up from their previous class of "Boring to the Point of Physical Pain."
William Orbit
3/5
Solid background music with interesting blends of sounds, but when I try to focus on it... it just feels like all style over substance.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
In The Sad Boi Hours
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Aside from a few jammin tracks, most of this album honestly felt like Marvin Gaye doing a parody of Marvin Gaye. I'm disappointed.
Barry Adamson
2/5
It's like if Tom Waits was mediocre.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Probably the most creative and out-there hardcore punk debut, and it is so fucking tasty.
Cornershop
2/5
When will the British realize that smothering things in borrowed Indian flavors doesn't make up for their own boring cuisine?
Dr. Dre
5/5
ya think snoop and dre ever fucked?
David Bowie
4/5
Some very solid Bowie. I don't think it has quite the extra special prowess of, say, Heroes or Ziggy, but it was still a very strong showing from him.
The Jam
4/5
Very pleasantly surprised here. Mostly good stuff, with a few really really GREAT songs too. The jam is a jam! Even better than the other record we got here.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Honestly I can’t even say I LIKED most of it, but man, they sound like they are having so much fun and being absolutely unhinged without caring what anyone thinks, and that’s punk as fuck. It feels like an unhinged Talking Heads after dark.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
A whole album of "pretty good", which is impressive as a double album, but it too rarely peaked into great to make this something I'd return to often. Very pleasant, very fun, and happy to have the songs come up on shuffle. Just not an album that I'd take for the "album" experience.
Ice Cube
3/5
A step up from AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted for sure, with higher highs and better beats, but it is still a bit bloated and samey. Not enough to rank up another whole star.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I liked the album for sure, but it was the story behind it that brings it up to four stars. Such a sweet sentimental revival in the memory of a legend.
Talking Heads
5/5
Good good good good shit. This is everything they were building towards in their early work, fully realized. I see why this album is so highly praised and so iconic.
Mercury Rev
5/5
WOW. This hit much harder than I anticipated. Dynamic, perfectly sequenced, powerful, interesting, emotional. Can't believe I'd never heard of them before.
I was going to write about how they share the same vibe as the Flaming Lips, but then I read their wikipedia page and saw that was way more accurate than I could have thought!
New Order
3/5
Finally some 80's synth that's actually fun! Not something I see myself coming back to often, but it was nice.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Bob's magnum opus. This was excellence in the highest degree.
The Kinks
3/5
I keep hoping the Kinks will click for me, and yet they never quite do. Guess I'll be staying vanilla for now.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Funny enough, it was the grand and bombastic moments where I feel Elliot truly shined here; the quieter moments were good too, but they didn't hit quite as hard as they did on Either/Or. Great album though.
Elbow
4/5
Absolutely gripped me, like a schoolyard bully picking a nerd up by the collar to shake him down for lunch money. This would be an easy 5 stars, but there is juuuuussstttt a bit too much bloat for me to be quite so generous.
The Roots
5/5
The Roots are always such a delight. They were one of my first forays into hip hop, back when I was still a classic-rock purist, so they will always be a little special to me. Not to mention ?uestlove might be one of the most important drummers of the last 30 years, if not the most important. Loved this.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Their voices blend beautifully and the tunes aren’t half bad. A lovely little jaunt this was.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Some songwriting excellence, and clear mastery of performance as well. A few too many ballads just dampen the energy for me; if even one of them was a bit more upbeat this would probably be 5 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
When I first got this, I thought "Oh no, ANOTHER 80's one-hit wonder."
Luckily this album made me it my words. Consistent fun, good songs, great performances! Definitely live up to the hit single it spawned.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
You know every damn song here.
Tom Waits
4/5
Always a delight to hear Tom's gravely voice, but this one is just a bit behind all the others on this list. Still great, just not quite a masterpiece.
Korn
3/5
Some of this is really good stuff; nice riffs, fun songwriting, and I even enjoy the parts where Jonathan Davis sounds like a masturbating gremlin. Unfortunately, some of this is really bad... that Ice Cube feature should be an embarrassment for all parties involved. Quite a mix.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
I don't think anything can say it better than this review I saw:
"Meatloaf joining The Cure for a remake of Lou Reed's Berlin."
Megadeth
5/5
https://www.theonion.com/humanity-still-producing-new-art-as-though-megadeth-s-1819578062
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
It's good, but I can't tell if they just needed to grow as songwriters and arrangers, or if that missing Mr. Young really weakens them this much. In any case this is streets behind Deja Vu, though certainly not a bad record; about as close you can get to 4 stars without crossing over.
Paul Simon
2/5
Something about this felt... off. Like, Paul just was not singing from his heart here. The songs were fine, the arrangement and production was nice if a little dated, but on most of the songs here he just felt dead inside. Like damn bro you okay?
Radiohead
5/5
Like the hypomanic brother to Kid A's depression. Fantastic stuff, through and through.
Prince
3/5
This album was incredibly tedious at times. Some of these tracks certainly felt like butter over too much bread. Luckily, there were enough slices here, with tasty enough butter, to still keep it good.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
I didn't add a single song here from Spotify, yet I'd gladly listen again.
Britney Spears
3/5
🎵 MY LOWER BACK 🎵
IS KILLING ME
🎵(and I)🎵
I MUST CONFESS
SO ARE MY KNEES
🎵(ow, my knees)🎵
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
One of the stronger showings of this mid-2000's garage rock sound. Very fun, dancey, and vibeable, but it doesn't quite reach as high as some of its contemporaries like The Strokes or The White Stripes.
Radiohead
4/5
Another solid showing from Radiohead, with excellent atmosphere and vibes. It does not reach the heights of some of their masterpieces, and feels like a little more than the sum of its parts, with each individual song not being as strong as their collective energy is together, but ultimate a strong record.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Wow, this was unexpectedly bland. I enjoyed the other two albums I got on here from these folks… this one is a serious sophomore slump if I’ve ever heard it. It felt like they were just going through the motions of writing songs without any good ideas to put in them. It wasn’t entirely terrible to listen to, but I wouldn’t spin it again.
Kraftwerk
4/5
This is at its best when it stays experimental and atmospheric; the more poppy cuts fall a bit flat. Still, the sheer fact that this came out in 1978 is insane!
Aerosmith
4/5
Aerosmith has always been the crème de la crème of generic classic rock, and this is no exception.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
This was cool! Not very polished or well-produced, but the guitar was great and the vibes were fun, not to mention good songs. Better than I expected for sure.
R.E.M.
3/5
Honestly, compared to Document and Murmur... this was kinda mid. It wasn't terrible, but it just didn't have the oomph that those records did, and the sadness hanging over it didn't feel especially poignant to me. It still had some classic songs though, and enough goodies and cool arrangements to keep it from scoring too low.
Wild Beasts
2/5
I am usually a sucker for this sort of indie art rock sound, but man, this just didn't really hit like I wanted it to. The songs almost always started nice but never wanted to develop or change much throughout. Not to mention the singer really straddled the line between unique and annoying.... this was just didn't do it for me I suppose.
Roxy Music
5/5
The best Roxy Music album here yet, by a long shot. Fun, focused, great songs, great production, this was everything I wanted an old school art rock album!
Finley Quaye
2/5
There were some good songs, and even more good arrangements, but this man just cannot make a catchy melody for his life, and his vocals probably couldn't pull one off anyway. Couple that with some honestly bland attempts at reggae and soul, and we have a pretty mid album.
Love
4/5
This was some fun and foundational psych, I dig it man. I think I'm gonna need to be revisit this a few more times in the future to really get a feel on it, bit I like it a lot.!
George Harrison
5/5
It always astounds me when an album this damn long can be this damn good. I think this now sits firmly as my favorite post-Fab Four Beatle album.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
So, so, so far beyond Idlewild that it's hard to believe it's the same artist. I loved this trip-hoppy, downtempo, drumnbass vibe.It fit perfect for this rainy, foggy day.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
I liked his voice, the idea of a concept album, and the Buck Owens cover/feature was a treat. But honestly the execution was mediocre, and the songwriting was kinda mid. Not bad, not great, just kinda feel whatever on this one.
Talk Talk
3/5
Pretty good art-pop, but pretty forgettable too, and my god is it slathered in 80's production tropes.
Elvis Presley
5/5
The best Elvis album I've heard so far, and that's without any songs or singles I knew beforehand going in. What a comeback for the King!
Suede
2/5
I guess they stopped worshipping Morrissey and started worshiping T-Rex? It's a marginal improvement with some nice songs, but it's still a relatively bloated, boring, and bland album.
The United States Of America
5/5
This was such a damn cool album, and I LOVE the singer's voice. Everything I wanted here. Gotta love discovering something amazing you'd never even heard of before!
The Rolling Stones
4/5
... doth mine ears deceive me? A good Rolling Stones album? And a double album at that? I never thought I'd see the day. I genuinely liked almost every song here, and loved many of them. Finally.
Bee Gees
3/5
The opening song was damn beautiful... and the rest just didn't measure up to it. It was all beautiful, of course. Gorgeous arrangements and heavenly harmonies. But the songwriting here just didn't have enough substance to it to keep me going, especially for such a long ride. I really wanted to like this more than I did. An alluring facade.
LL Cool J
3/5
A few really good tracks, and a lot of bloat. Nothing here really astounded me, but it certainly wasn't a bad or unpleasant experience. That cereal track was so stupid, it wrapped back around to hilarious though.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bobby D, again with the hits. I don't think this was quite as good as Blonde on Blonde, but... few albums are. This was still fantastic.
Wilco
4/5
Every song here was great, but honestly not every song needed to be here, if that makes sense. Sometimes a double album just isn't worth it. If this was maybe 60% the length it could be an easy 5.
Randy Newman
3/5
A nice vibe, and I like the anti-racist, America-critical lyrics. But it gets very samey, and it is downright jarring to hear Mr. Pixar Songs singing the N-word.
The Yardbirds
4/5
This might be the platonic ideal of psychedelic rock. Not necesarily my favorite, but about as core as it gets to that sound in my mind as possible.
Van Morrison
2/5
What is better: A song that could have been good, but was twice as long as it needed to be and got ruined? Or a song that sucked in the first place, but you still had to listen to it for double the length it should have gone?
The Undertones
3/5
Good fun punk, but it doesn’t quite hit as hard or consistently as the debut. A bit of a sophomore slump here.
Tito Puente
4/5
It was a shame listening to this while driving; it made me want to get up and dance.
Mj Cole
2/5
This really didn't do much for me. Unremarkable.
SAULT
4/5
I LOVED the sound of this record, the vibes were immaculate. The lyrics hit hard, the spoken word breaks were cool. The thing holding it back for me is that too many of the songs felt half-finished, or like they needed more refining, like they had an idea that didn't get baked long enough in the oven. It gives the album an interesting looseness, but I think it detracted more than it added.
I definitely will be checking out more from them though; there is something very special here.
The White Stripes
4/5
The White Stripes are always good for some consistently fun garage rock.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Most of the time this just felt like Weezer, but Welsh. It didn't have the zaniness that really drew me to Rings Around the World, but it was still a nice and fun record.
Neu!
4/5
I didn't expect krautrock and protopunk to work so well together. It's like chicken nuggets dipped in maple syrup - surprisingly delicious.
Ray Price
3/5
Very nice stuff, very pleasant, but it didn't do much to grab me or hold my attention. I think this could be worth revisiting though; could be more of a mood/vibe thing rather than the album quality itself.
TV On The Radio
4/5
This was neat! Indie post-punk with a funky twist. I'd love to dive into them deeper.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Just some classic rock doing classic rock things.
The Lemonheads
3/5
It has a charming authenticity to it, an endearing amatuerness. But by the end, it simply gets far too samey for me. I like it, don't love it.
3/5
It always makes me laugh just how much outrage and pearl-clutching came when Dylan went electric. This was a cool little peek into that period, but Dylan's vocals can get extra... interesting, sometimes, when live.
Tina Turner
4/5
Good songs, gigantic voice, great times!
The Pogues
4/5
It's lack of variety is well made-up for by atmosphere, guts, grit, and fun. Good stuff!
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Folkity folky folk. Not much more to it than that.
Goldie
4/5
Wow, one of these ridiculously long and bloated 90's electronic albums was actually... good?
Dr. Octagon
4/5
There is something so unabashedly weird about this record that I can't help but love; it's like a character from a 50's sci-fi b-movie jumped off the screen and started rapping (but a lot more filthy). Some of the humor kinda falls flat for me, but otherwise this was a good time.
ABBA
3/5
Vibing and fun, if inconsistent. It was a good time while it was one, but it didn't ;eave much of an impression on me.
Miles Davis
5/5
Bitches Brew's quieter older brother. I love this album through and through; one of my all time favorites.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
east meets weast what a feast
Bon Jovi
5/5
This was the second album I ever fell in love with, all the way back in middle school, and it is still straight up fire through and through. The High point of hair metal.
Nick Drake
5/5
I was genuinely upset when I found out I was on the final song; I wanted to spend more time in this tender little moment. Something about Nick Drake just leaks down into my bones and settles in my soul; haunting, touching, gorgeous. I guess I can say now that I think he has a perfect discography; what a sendoff.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
It may not have the exquisite otherworldliness that Loveless achieved, but that hazy and drony vibe still slays for me. Equal parts beauty and noise.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
I feel like the sound that so many of the other post-punk groups on this list tried for, this album achieved in mastery. Even after getting so bogged down by soooooo manyyyyy of them here, this stood out like a beacon. Mastery of punk image and sound with experimentalism and art feel.
Nina Simone
5/5
The High Priestess herself feels like such a orgotten gem these days. Her voice is so commanding and powerful, but can be softer than a breeze's whisper when it needs to be. And the arrangements here, all magnanimous!
Morrissey
3/5
I'm still not a big Moz fan, but hating Thatcher will always be based.
Ride
5/5
Love love love this. It feels like getting dunked in a cold and violent sea and getting dragged down by the current.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
He may have been a horrible racist pedophilic suspected murderer, but damn he could perform. Rest in pieces of shit, Jerry.
Burning Spear
5/5
Vibey, hard-hitting, atmospheric, and meaningful. What else could I want?
Manu Chao
4/5
I had a great time with this one, I loved the eclectic and multicultural energy here. It did get a smidge samey by the end of the record, but otherwise it was excellent.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
I liked it, but it is really the two big hits here that juuuuust elevate this album to 4 stars. The remaining songs are good but don't make it stand out too far from it's contemporaries.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Two bangers, the rest snoozers. Pretty typical of the Boss.
Elvis Costello
2/5
I've come to the conclusion that Elvis Costello is annoying.
Genesis
5/5
I knew Phil Collins was a great drummer, but sheeeeeesh he is a master on the kit. Elevates what is already great prog rock into a real 5 star album for me.
The Doors
4/5
I think Mr. Lizard King is finally clicking for me; still not a favorite of mine, but I definitely get it now. And this one has some classics and some nice deep cuts; and that organ is always killer.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
An absolute masterpiece of texture, soundscape, and emotion. I'm even more upset at my high-school self for sticking my nose in the air at this type of music and missing out on going to see them live.
Gil Scott-Heron
5/5
The ideal intersection of jazzy, spacey, and soulful for my rainy afternoon drive home. This was so powerful that I am upset I'd never heard of it before.
Happy Mondays
2/5
So forgettable that I actually forgot I already listened to it when I went to review it lol. But I had some songs liked, so it must not have been thaaaaat bad
George Michael
2/5
Some nice songs, some boring ones, overall just kinda "meh" on this one.
The Boo Radleys
5/5
My favorite artists and albums are ones that explore a variety of genres and sounds with unabashed enthusiasm, but still are strong enough in themselves not to loose a core identity about them. This delivers that vibe by the bucketful, and I'm pouring it all over myself with glee. Let's fucking go.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
A definite step up from it's predecessor, and I'm always a sucker for a good medley (and this delivered like 3 of them!). I just wish the back half was as solid as the front half; the more stable, less experimental nature of it made it kind of drag when compared between the bouncing-between-brain-folds zaniness of the A side.
Dolly Parton
5/5
An absolute pleasure of an album from an absolute pleasure of a person.
Dizzee Rascal
5/5
Glad to finally get this one off my personal to-listen list after so many years, and MAN IT WAS FIRE. This is grimey as hell, and I loved it.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I thought this was so fun. Samey by the end of it, for sure, and cheesy to boot. But I love me some cheese.
George Jones
3/5
Of all the country albums ever made, this was absolutely one of them.
DJ Shadow
5/5
This album brings a lot of memories back on listening to it, both from high school and college, and not to mention it is masterfully executed. This is one of the greats, for sure.
Al Green
5/5
Oozing with sensuality, soul, and serious vocal chops. I was bopping my head the whole drive home.
Kraftwerk
5/5
This is the Kraftwerk I've been waiting for. Just the right amount of weird forward-thinking energy without getting too much. Great, catchy songs. A fantastic medley on the back half. This was just what the doctor ordered.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
This is a great among greats and a classic among classics. I think I've found one of my new all-time favorite albums. Jeff's voice is transcendent, every note placed like only a master can. The songs are all varied, memorable, and powerful. The musicians all playing top notch. This was so so so so SO good.
Big Black
3/5
While this was definitely cool (particularly seeing Albini origin story), I'm not sure how much I actually liked it.
Deee-Lite
1/5
More like Deee-test.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
Surprisingly thoughtful, with a good narrative throughline and fun tunes.
Public Enemy
5/5
Very solid record, great rhymes, great lyrics, great beats. No complaints here.
Buzzcocks
5/5
These cocks really do be buzzin 😳
Devendra Banhart
5/5
The music here was so captivating. It took its hooks and snagged me, dragged me in and imprisoned me in its haunting beauty. Loved it.
Nirvana
5/5
As fabulous and omnipresent as Nevermind is, my heart will always belong to this final studio album. It has so many bangers and heart-wrenchers, equally fun to belt out catchy melodies in the car as it is to get your mind melted by the raw Albini production. Such a classic.
Laura Nyro
4/5
This was fun and boppin, and every song had such interesting structure and writing to it. Not something I'd throw on every day, but this was excellently done.
Beatles
5/5
I can never decide which is my favorite Beatles record: Abbey Road, or this one. This one certainly is the underdog, I feel, but it has so many of their most underrated songs (I'm Only Sleeping, She Said She Said, And Your Bird Can Sing) as well as such wildly forward-thinking ideas blended into such a fine draught. Ugh, its too hard to decide, but both are undoubtedly 5 stars.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
1/5
I feel like this was designed to hit many of my musical pet peeves. Particularly, overdubbed backing vocals that are out-of-sync with the lead vocals. I HATE that shit, and the rest of the recording was so sparse it just drew more attention to it. I was legitimately annoyed throughout this entire album and would rather not hear it again.
4/5
A huge improvement on the previous album. I still think Blur wins their war with one band member tied behind their back, but this had some rip-roaring good songs sprinkled through it!
The Prodigy
3/5
This was surprisingly a smidge better than the crab album, even given its lack of crab. But only a smidge.
The Black Crowes
2/5
Three tired radio rock singles are the best this has to offer. Why is this here?
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Banger after banger after BANGER. This is one for the history books for sure.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Okay post-punk is okay.
Simple Minds
2/5
This album slipped across my mind without leaving any trace of it's time there.
Germs
3/5
Proof that groundbreaking doesn't always mean best in the genre. Sure, it's the first full length hardcore punk release, but otherwise I just don't find it too remarkable compared to others like Black Flag and Dead Kennedys
The Sonics
4/5
Raw and rough around the edges, but honestly that's probably the biggest appeal hear. Would it be garage rock if it wasn't raw?
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
A tasty little album full of tasty little bops, scrumptious (though it does leave me wishing for a bit more).
Laibach
2/5
I liked the music well enough, but there are too many Nazi-adjacent tie-ins to make me comfortable with this at all.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
The slow burn to end all slow burns, and I need to go to the burn ward because I jumped straight into it and loved every second.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Thriller is all killer no filler? Sure, it's a pillar of pop iconography, but the shillers that can't see the weaknesses really need to chill here.
It absolutely has some of the best pop songs ever written on here. But Human Nature is good not great; The Lady in My Life is just a step above mid; and good god in heaven The Girl Is Mine is so dogshit it makes me question two of music's biggest icons.
The bops still outweigh the flops by a mile, but there ARE flops. This isn't the greatest pop album of all time; it's not even The King of Pop's greatest album (or even second greatest).
Willie Nelson
5/5
Such a good good good good good album. Classic Willie singing, country melded with a little jazzy lightness, absurdly good arrangements and playing. This had everything it needed to have, and nothing it didn't.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Something about this is so close to feeling like it could be good, or interesting, or fun, but it just falls short into some sort of mildly terrifying uncanny valley.
The Hives
4/5
This was some ripping fun garage rock, and if it started at just decent, it seemed to get better with each and every song.
N.W.A.
4/5
I was anticipating this to end up being a little too much for my taste; I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. It was honestly on track to be 5 stars, but there was a stretch of the album following Express Yourself that just dipped off for me. Cut out like four of those songs and this album would be sooooooo much better.
Rod Stewart
3/5
This sure was a classic rock album.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
FIRE THROUGH AND THROUGH. ABSOLUTE EXCELLENCE OF SONGWRITING, SWAGGER, AND PERFORMATIVE MASTERY.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Fun and glammy in many parts, but the shock rock crock was a bit of a flop for me.
Traffic
3/5
Good playing, but lackluster songs overall here. Honestly I really wanted to like this more than I did.
Portishead
5/5
Dun, diverse, sobering, sultry, ominous, and always interesting.
2Pac
5/5
I think I get 2pac now. The man really knew how to put words together.
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
This was such a fun fusion of samba and south american sounds with funk feeling. I loved every second of this.
Dion
2/5
A whole lot of blah. The production sounded nice though, so there is one redeeming quality I suppose?
Funkadelic
5/5
So good from start to finish. Every track here is so solid, but the title track is the real clincher for me. Whenever I'm feeling emotions that I don't have words for, I put this on and let Hazel speak for me through his guitar.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I actually liked this a lot. However, a big part of why I liked it is seeing an in-utero glimpse at the sounds that were fully birthed on Loveless. As a standalone experience I just don't think it holds quite as strongly, so I have have to give this a (very high) three stars.
Bonnie Raitt
1/5
Does the word "groundbreaking" have an antonym?
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The only thing I knew about going in was that people always say the theme from Shaft is so good. After listening, I can confirm its much more than just the theme.
The Cars
4/5
Absurdly catchy, very forward-thinking in that new wave sound, and the glossy production really serves the sound well.
But some bits of this are so overplayed it makes me feel like I'm picking up some hemorrhoid cream and CVS.
Steve Earle
1/5
Man I had hopes for this, because I know Steve Earle is a cool person, and Copperhead Road is a banger. But this album... sucked. This was genuinely boring country rock that pulls the least interesting bits from each of its parent genres and stitches them together in the hopes of appealing the least common denominator. I hope he's got better stuff out there, but if not... at least we still have Copperhead Road.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
These guys are so tight, their voices blend magnificently. It gets a little samey, but damn if it isn't beautiful.
Massive Attack
4/5
Groundbreaking, and pretty dang good to boot. It's nice to see some trip hop origins here.
Faust
3/5
Faust IV is fine, but I think Faust Five is the best in the Faust and the Furious franchise.
The Electric Prunes
4/5
Fun and standout psych garage, this honestly surprised me. There was more chaff here than I'd normally allow for a four star album, but the kernels of wheat that came out really were golden.
Pentangle
4/5
Perhaps it's the new boots I'm wearing for the upcoming Ren Faire, or the snow blanketing the mountains after this rare storm, but this album just hit the right little folksy spot for me this morning.
The National
3/5
This album's biggest selling point is how melancholy and depressing it is, but that does end up making it feel a bit one-note. Overall, some good songs, some bland songs, it sure was an indie album.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Arguably one of the most well-executed story driven concept albums of all time, if not the top of that list. It’s not even my favorite Pink Floyd album (not even top 3 tbh), but damn it is still just so so good.
Barry Adamson
2/5
I'm honestly a bit miffed that a concept this good is wasted on an execution this mid.
4/5
Somehow so dated, and yet so ahead of its time. It boggles me that this was less than 15 years after the Beatles formed. Some parts hold up better than others, but this is a fun, interesting, and self-embracingly weird cut.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Excellent vibes, variety, vision, and vitality here. Not as impressive as Songs in the Key of Life for me, but it's up there.
Julian Cope
3/5
The way this album began, I was prepared to give it 1 star. But then it completely turned itself around; the run of songs from "Hanging Out" to "You..." could have been a 5 star EP. After that it gets a little less drastic but definitely more mixed to finish it out.
Ultimately this had some outstanding, brilliant moments, but it was weighed down with so much bloat and bilge that I can't give it any7thing more than a 3.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Nicely textured, but uneven songwriting for me, likely a bit too ambient for my taste tbh. But the parts i liked, I liked a good deal.
Beastie Boys
5/5
I almost wanted to dock this one star because the vocal flavor of the Beastie Boys can just get a bit too pungent for me, but they always manage to charm their way back into my heart. Couple that with great rhymes, fun times, and genuinely some of the best beats and production I've ever heard, and I see why this is their magnum opus.
4/5
"What about a vocalist?"
"You've already had one."
"Well, we've had one, yes. But what about the second vocalist?"
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Excellently varied, and masterfully arranged. I never knew what sort of sounds were around the next corner, and that was exciting. But the length of the project does it a serious disservice.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Bob always hits hard in the lyrics, but musically this one was just more inconsistent than I've come to expect from him. Still a good project, but not an instant classic for me.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Listening to this on my way to work, I was taken out of my car and shoved into a spaceship gone rogue, traveling distant planets and alien landscapes. Another common French electronic music W (perhaps the first, certainly one of the biggest).
CHIC
5/5
Disco is not dead so long as it lives in the hearts of men!
Alice Cooper
4/5
A fun run of glammy jammies. This is what I was hoping Alice Cooper would give me.
The Kinks
5/5
Wow, the kinks have finally clicked for me. I'm finally kinky! This was a fun romp with interesting songs that feel like they could be picked apart and examined for ages.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Wild, unfiltered, and unashamedly blitzing. Sometimes it can be a little too much for me, but nobody does "too much" quite like Zappa.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Brucey usually goes down like plain oatmeal. This, however, went down like plain, dry, oatmeal.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Masterful expression, done wordlessly. I am moved and impressed.
Syd Barrett
3/5
I feel like it's always a mixed bag with Syd, but its always got a little something for me to chew on at least. This is a time where I feel like the grand tragedy of his story overshadows the music a bit too much.
Supertramp
3/5
A good album for sure, if not a great one. But it is certainly strange they picked this, rather than certified pop bangarang Breakfast in America. Maybe they find the waitress as creepy as I do.
De La Soul
5/5
It may have been pouring out my window today, but this put sunshine in my heart.
The Zombies
5/5
I absolutely devoured this half-hour of flower power, and it scoured away my dour mood with a shower of empowerment. Good ass shit.
The Slits
3/5
A nifty lil dub punk thing, but I don't think it was interesting enough to return to often.
Genesis
4/5
This is a prime example of why most double albums are overhyped marketing tools. As Bilbo would say, this album feels like butter scraped over too much bread. It's still great, but there are too many thin spots that drag it down from what should be something better.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This list has really given me an appreciation for just how excellent a run of albums Stevie had. Stupendous shit once again.
Gene Clark
3/5
Why is it that so many solo works from artists previously in big groups from the sixties/early seventies settle on this same exact folk/country/rock blend? It’s not even a bad thing, or a bad execution of that sound in the least, but it’s just not that exciting anymore.
Richard Thompson
2/5
A couple good songs, but otherwise this felt like a far cry from Fairport Convention. Uniqueness and specificity was traded in for a generic overtrodden sound.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
Excellent concept with solid execution. Not exactly in line with my tastes, but mad respect to it.
Stan Getz
4/5
This sometimes verges a bit too on the "easy" side of easy listening; I wish it had just a bit more bite to it. But what can I say, it's a classic for a reason... something about it just Getz me.
Pixies
5/5
The perfect balance between chaos and whimsy in rock.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Two days ago I got her dad, now her! I was excited for this but honestly, it really fell flat for me. However, I absolutely LOVED Bananeira, so that raises it up a star.
Beck
5/5
This hits all the same eclectic alt/electro/hip-hop notes that early Gorillaz does for me. In other words, i fucking LOVED this.
Röyksopp
3/5
Those trip hop vibes are always welcome, but it didn't have much to make it stand out. Just a nice little thing.
FKA twigs
4/5
Moody, sultry, ethereal, and gorgeously layered. Sometimes the gossamer production here got away from itself for a little too long in my opinion; if bits of this just got slight cutting tweaking it could really soar.
Antony and the Johnsons
5/5
The production, features, songwriting, incredible vocals, all of it comes together to form a perfect little window of intimacy into someone's personal struggles.
Björk
5/5
My face looked like the middle letter in her name through the whole album experience.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A solid round of psych rock again from the man himself, but this is honestly the weakest of his three studio albums in my opinion.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I didn't care much for this, and thank goodness, because he is not a very swell fellow.
The Go-Go's
4/5
This was just so much fun! Bouncy and vibey. Plus, my parents went to high school with the singer lmao so that's neat.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
Not every song was a hit... but god damn. The concept of the old heads playing with the new blood, the studio chatter, the rawness, the sheer talent and variety here all made up for it.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is probably the best version of "one dude with a guitar singing folk songs" there is.
Meat Puppets
3/5
It's fine enough; some good songs. But even though the variety here is fun, it does lead it to be inconsistent, and the vocals... I'm usually all for "unique" vocalists but this was a rough go. Overall it's a good record but there is a lot that I don't seem to get out of it.
The Darkness
4/5
I vibed with this way harder than I was planning to. Just some good silly rockin fun.
Scott Walker
3/5
This is going to need a revisit one day - I'm honestly not sure how I felt about this one. It was like if Dean Martin and Austin Powers did the fusion dance.
Japan
2/5
It's like Duran Duran, but worse!
White Denim
3/5
I'm always gonna love this garage psych sound, but something about it didn't strike me as particularly special. It was carried by a great vibe, but the songs and ideas underneath didn't cut the mustard compared to artists similar to the style.
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
That sure throbbed my gristle.
Jethro Tull
3/5
Some songs here are really, really excellent, but there are too many skippable tracks here for me to place it any higher than 3 stars as a full-album experience.
Venom
5/5
It's hard to think of a metal album that is so influential as this is, that is also equally unknown to the general public. But without the seeds planted here, we might not have thrash, death, or black metal. Not to mention the whole thing slaps front to back.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I think this is a case of liking the things inspired by this album more than I like the album itself. It's fine, just nothing that keeps me coming back for more.
Pulp
3/5
Just like their previous album, this was very hot-or-miss. However, this time around, when it hit, it hit goooooood. Not enough to raise it a star above it, but there were some jams here.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Bland as ever from Mr Cosmello. Is this the last one I have to trudge through yet??
Deerhunter
3/5
This was very close to four stars; I certainly liked almost every song here. But too few of the songs really stood out or wowed me, gripped me or made me fall in love. It is almost there, and maybe would earn that next star on a few repeated listens, but for now I have to give it three.
The Byrds
4/5
This list really does love psych rock, huh? Good thing I do too, this was delightful.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
Honestly... kind of boring. This was just some bog-standard jazz that didn't do much to stand out or be interesting to me.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
I didn't like this as much as Juju, but damn did I not feel cool as fuck while listening to it! And that Beatles cover was so out there it threw me for a loop.
The Clash
5/5
Punk rock masterpiece. It doesn't get much more authentic than this.
Faith No More
4/5
Like a heavier RHCP; though I don't think this quite hits the highs of some of their best, it's better than a lot of their stuff, and I'm always happy with a little more Mike Patton.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
This was such a perfect mix of weird minimalistic vibes for me. Inject more of this directly into my veins, please and thank you.
Hot Chip
3/5
Fun and dancey, but also rather forgettable. It came and went without much impression on me.
Scott Walker
3/5
A solid star better than Scott 2. There were some very delectable songs mixed into here, though it's not a record I'd have a full meal of again.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Honestly kind of disappointed with this one. The veritable banger that is Sledgehammer just barely earns it a third star, but aside from a small handful of other tracks this was kind of a snooze.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
This sure does honk and tonk in equal measure, excellent marks for execution.
Bee Gees
2/5
Honestly bland. The harmonies were nice, but their individual singing here just did not hit me right. Outside of a small selection of songs, I won't be revisiting this. I think I don't get the hype of pre-disco bee gees.
Bill Callahan
4/5
I absolutely loved the moody vibes of this album, and his frank vocal delivery. I just wish it had a bit more variety and energy to its pacing. This is just barely shy of a 5 for me.
Moby Grape
2/5
Nice psych/country/garage fusion, but also pretty damn typical of the late 60s. I kinda liked it, but it didn't really need to be on this list. Just barely misses the 3 stars for me.
Goldfrapp
4/5
This album has a nice, moody sparseness that pairs very well with her vocals, I enjoyed this more than I expected to!
Adele
4/5
There are a few too many skips here for my usual 4 star requirements, especially with how much I dislike "Hello"... but god damn, when it hits, it absolutely HITS. It is less consistent than 21 but honestly I think it may have higher highs, and thats saying something.
The Residents
5/5
Sometimes I think I'm okay; I am a normal, well-adjusted human being.
But then I remember how much I genuinely enjoy The Residents.
The Beach Boys
5/5
If Pet Sounds often gets compared to The Beatles' Sgt Pepper, then I would say this parallels their Rubber Soul. It is an album that is mid-emergence of their previous style, and transitionary sound that blends their past and their future.
And god damn is it good.
The songs are all so fun and catchy, it explores unique and interesting ideas, the intentional sequencing of the songs really pushing forward the album format, and it's orchestration and instrumentation pushed the boundaries of what rock could do.
Can
4/5
It sometimes strayed just a bit too ambient for my taste, but at it's core was a really complex, relaxing, and cool album.
The Stone Roses
3/5
While I liked the dreamy, reverbed jam vibes this brought, I can't help but feel like it never hit the mark fully. It's unfortunate, I was hoping for a bit more here.
Leftfield
4/5
Going into this, I was expecting it to be like all of the other 90's electronic albums on here: bloated, boring, and making me wish it was over.
Well, this one was still bloated lol. But unlike the others, it was fun and interesting at almost every turn. I liked it more and more with every song. This is the album all those others wished they were.
Odd, he couldn't find no remorse
A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse
Of course his technique was from a divine source
Never knew the price of ice or what swine cost
Kings of Leon
3/5
It was fun, and had some good songs, but so much of the album felt like them trying their very best to be a Strokes knockoff.
Tortoise
5/5
I forgot how much I loved Tortoise. TNT was on pretty frequent rotation for me back in high school and early college, but I never got around to their other stuff. I'm happy this led me here!
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The most interesting part of this is just hearing them as babies trying to find their sound and vibe. It was okay enough, but if this didn't have the name "Rolling Stones" attached it would lose a lot of value.
The Police
4/5
The A side to the record was a solid 5, the B side was a low 3... so 4 stars it is lol.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Excellent folk punk with so much vocal and lyrical excellence. The only thing holding this ever so slightly back from 5 stars is that it gets pretty samey as a whole-album listen.
Kid Rock
2/5
This honestly would have been almost decent if it weren't for Kid Rock.
His rap sounds like texting autocomplete.
U2
4/5
Good and fun and catchy post punk. It's nice to remember that once-upon-a-time U2 could actually bring some energy.
Love
4/5
Always a sucker for this era, and this had some really forward-thinking and bold stuff throughout it.
Black Flag
5/5
Gotta love the classic LA hardcore
Dennis Wilson
5/5
Not only is it an amazing record song-wise, but I'm absolutely astounded by the clarity of the recording and mix here. It just SOUNDS excellent, before you even get to the equally excellent songs themselves.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
A minor step down from their debut, but this still jammed down in my ear-holes deeply pleasantly. These guys are how I wish more electronic music was.
Coldplay
3/5
Good ol’ pleasant and nice and safe and bland Coldplay
Slade
2/5
I cared so very little for this (though it had a few surprising numbers)
The Pogues
5/5
My only gripe with the last album is that it got a bit too samey; I guess they listened, because this was an extravagant, varied masterpiece.
Skepta
4/5
I've loved That's Not Me since it dropped, and I'm glad that the rest of the album holds up to it; I just wish the skits were shorter.
Roni Size
2/5
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Disney, 2003). Timestamp: 1 hour, 33 minutes, 40 seconds.
50 Cent
3/5
I liked this more than I expected, at least in the beginning. But lots of bloat and duds dragged it down for sure.
Elastica
4/5
When I saw they were an offshoot of Suede, I was prepared for the worst... but I was pleasantly surprised that this was a fun post-punk flavor of Britpop that didn't make me want to die of boredom.
David Ackles
4/5
There is something delightfully vaudeville about this. Even when it isn't fantastic, it's still pretty interesting. It's almost like showtunes for a musical that was never made.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Just so absurdly lush, the arrangements here are so lovely it's insane. Musical profundity through and through.
Donald Fagen
3/5
Just fine. It's Steely Daniel but Jazzier. Falls into their same victories and defeats. Some jams, some duds... not much to say or stick with me honestly.
The Triffids
2/5
I was hoping this would be as good as The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, but it was not, in fact, as good as The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.
Big Star
4/5
Just catchy and fun enough to nab 4 big stars; it really is ahead of it's time
Patti Smith
5/5
What an astounding piece of creative expression. Free, fiery, and avant-garde, this has every justification for it's towering reputation.
TLC
2/5
WHY ON GOD'S GREEN FUCKING EARTH IS ONE THIRD OF THE TRACKLIST MADE UP OF INTERLUDES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
Beth Orton
3/5
There’s a rainy sort of melancholy here that I liked, but it didn’t really hook me in too much. I feel like this is the type of album that could grow and grow on me if I had it on cd in my car on repeat, but for now I feel like I haven’t worn it in enough for it to get that comfy.
CHVRCHES
5/5
Now this is the type of synth pop that absolutely tickles me. This had me jamming the whole time. I'll definitely be diving into their discography!
The Byrds
4/5
A delicious smoothie made of a choice blend of The Beatles and Bobby D
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
California is my favorite famous swampland.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
This made me want to roast marshmallows over a fire on a cool summer night with friends. Near the end of the night, when things are getting a little tired and everybody is comfy.
The Cramps
4/5
Very fun punk, almost like a less heavy Misfits. I loved the aesthetic here.
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Now this was unexpected; this fucking RIPPED. And who knew Fairy Peril could sing in a tolerable manner? This was such a nice surprise. I'll have to apologize to Chris for slamming this band so hard after only having heard Ritual lmao.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I was very excited for this, but I can't help but feel... a bit let down? I was very happy with Darklands, and the idea of an earlier, noisier, shoegaze-inspiring version of that (and critically acclaimed, nonetheless) had me stoked. But the songwriting just wasn't there for me. I came away from it having enjoyed it, but it just didn't leave much of an impact on me. Maybe this was a had-to-be-there thing, and now that I've heard the music it's spawned it just doesn't work as well for me. Oh well.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This album had a strange problem for me. When it was at its most masterful lyrically, it had its most boring melodies and arrangements. When the songs themselves were more interesting, the lyrics weren't up to the bar I'm used to for Lenny boy. I still liked it for sure, but I know he grows leaps and bounds from here.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Rick like this needs to have a bit of an edge to give it what it deserves; this sounds about as dangerous as a rubber duckie.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
5/5
God damn, I didn't know the deleted scenes from Rocky Horror Picture Show went this hard.
James Brown
5/5
Few people ever have or will embody the definition of “performer” like James Brown.
Jack White
4/5
Jack White always brings a certain style and swagger that just works for me, and hearing a more free expression of sound compared to White Stripes was nice (even if it did drag a tad by the end).
Mariah Carey
2/5
Surprisingly okay for a few songs, but my god it was so samey and so long that it gets dragged back down.
The White Stripes
5/5
This is the best White Stripes album, and one of the greatest of the 2000's. Fight me.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
I reaalllyyyy didn't enjoy the A side, even with the ever-sampleable Genius of Love. But the B side had me straight boppin, so I guess it balances out?
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
This was so horribly uninspired it's nearly a 1, but at least it's competent... so it's saved, but barely.
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
This was exactly as good of a time as the album cover promised me. It's a shame the dude is a pest.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Transcendent and resplendent. This... might be a legitimately perfect album.
B.B. King
5/5
If this is the blues, then why is the album cover red, huh??
The Pretty Things
5/5
I'm always a sucker for a rock opera, and not only was this the first, it was an excellent one at that!
Hüsker Dü
2/5
I can see why some people love this. But for me, I could barely get passed the production choices, let alone the singer's voices. There were some nice songs, but it was a challenging one for me. This is close to 3 but not quite there.
k.d. lang
3/5
I think she has such a lovely voice and control... but at the end of the day it's a recording of kinda dusty old country standards.
The Smiths
2/5
Sorry Morrissey, being a misanthrope just isn’t as entertaining as you think it is. Even Rourke can’t save you on this one.
Michael Jackson
5/5
I don't get why Thriller gets all the love when it's sandwiched between two faaaaaaar better albums. Bad is so good it's bad.
Ray Charles
4/5
Ray is just oodles of fun, this was a good time here.
Donovan
3/5
Nice and chill… maybe a little too chill for its own good, tbh.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Huge, bombastic, and filled with variety, you can definitely tell we are coming fresh off the heels of Genesis here (not to mention the touches from King Crimson members in the studio). Just great art pop/art rock all around, I think this just barely slides into 5 stars for me.
King Crimson
4/5
I love the more dissonant Stravinsky and Free Jazz sounds, but Wetton is such a vocal downgrade from Lake that its nearly jarring, and knocks this album down a peg for me.
Eurythmics
3/5
It's fine, but I feel like a lot of the songs were too much potatoes and not enough meat, you feel me? I'm hungry.
Slipknot
4/5
That run of first 5 or 6 songs on the record is pure gold. After that, it does get just a tad samey and lackluster, but still a very strong record. Better than I expected from their debut, frankly.
Destiny's Child
3/5
There is clearly a superstar songwriting team doing business here, and when these girls work together their name is certainly fitting. But the huge streak of mean-spiritedness in this record dampers it, especially because it's the type of animosity directed outwards while trying to look like the better person. That just never sits well with me, personally, and makes the more uplifting or upbeat tracks just feel hypocritical.
Yes
5/5
If Close to the Edge is the long-orchestrated masterwork, this is the grab bag chock full of big ideas. It doesn't have quite the cohesive beauty of its follow-up, but it shines just as bright all the same.
The Waterboys
4/5
There was a jamminess here that was very fun, but they did let it get away from themselves a little too much unfortunately. But the lead singer was so charismatic it still was pulled off anyway.
Madonna
2/5
I didn't like this. But, it was risky and bold, so I respect it. I think primarily I just can't stand the way Madonna sings.
UB40
4/5
Much better than I expected. Great vibe, excellent lyrics. The only thing I can really fault it for is getting pretty samey over the long stretch of the album.
Orbital
4/5
Much much better than Snivilization. I didn't like all of it, but for the most part it was able to take my attention and balance the line between fun and smart. Just squeaks out a fourth star.
Solange
5/5
Oh this is for me right here. The calm rage, the sparse but interesting instrumentals, the great features, the integration of the interview interludes. No wonder this got all the acclaim and love it did!
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
It existed and it was fine.
Aerosmith
4/5
Who would have thought Aerosmith would make a good fun album in 1989??
Dire Straits
3/5
Mark Knopfler shouldn't be allowed to make full albums. Stick to single excellent songs, avoid all of the downright terrible filler.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
This was definitely a sequel to The Chronic, and while I liked that one more, this was still very strong.
Snoop and Dre have definitely fucked before.
Nitin Sawhney
5/5
I absolutely loved this. The blend of styles, the concept, the sounds and variety, it all hit the spot just right.
The Style Council
2/5
Who elected this so-called "Style Council"? I sure didn't get a ballot. I would have voted for people that knew that doing something good is better than doing a lot of things at the same time poorly.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
On one hand, this album was the exact kind of cheesy charm that worms it's way into my heart.
On the other hand, I think I just saw it slip something into my drink...
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
Casimir Pulaski Day made me cry at work, and the rest of it was amazing too. One of my new favorites for sure. It's nice to hear that the whole album lives up to how good the couple songs I already knew were.
Magazine
5/5
Finally, some GOOD post punk. This was like Marquee Moon's younger brother.
Janet Jackson
4/5
Was it a little dated, and heavy handed, and inconsistent? Yes.
Was it a good deal of fun? Also yes.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Depeche Mode really knows how to inject darkness into synth pop in such a tasty way, but this doesn't quite hit the highs that Violator did for me.
TV On The Radio
3/5
There was a good, droney taste here that pulled from diverse sonic ingredients, but I wish it didn't get blended so homogenously. Every sip tasted the same.
Beck
5/5
doggie jJUMP
Tim Buckley
4/5
Much better than it's followup. It has a different take on psychedelic folk than a lot of its similar peers, and one I think has stood the test of time better (or at least, seems to pull from similar ideas that later artists do compared to its contemporaries.)
Skunk Anansie
3/5
This was a very cool, interesting album. I genuinely loved a lot of the songs, the sound they were going for, and particularly Skin's vocals. But I don't think I love it as an album experience as a whole; It falters too much in the back half and makes it feel relatively bloated. If this was trimmed and tightened just a little it could be so much stronger.
Holger Czukay
3/5
It's some pretty alright experimental, but it's a far cry from CAN
Fred Neil
2/5
It's like if Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed had a very mediocre baby.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
It was almost good. Almost catchy. Almost impressive. Sometimes it even was. But mostly, it was just... almost.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Fun and chill, but I can't really say I'm impressed or anything.
k.d. lang
3/5
Better than her debut for sure, but it was still too inconsistent to earn a 4 star listening experience. But, when it was good, it was reallyyyy good.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Another good one from the Stones? What a lovely surprise. That makes me pretty happy.
Buck Owens
5/5
This album almost makes me okay with the existence of Bakersfield.
The Birthday Party
2/5
Well, that sure was something. I didn't hate it, but it felt like it lacked direction in an off-putting way.
At least the album cover is pretty accurate.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Pretty cool sleepy post-prog stuff, I quite liked it! I think it just slides into 4 stars for me, could be higher if it was more consistent and had stronger vocals.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Honestly just bland and boring. It was fine enough in the background but genuinely hard to put any attention to.
5/5
This was fun! A very unique sound to it that I really liked. Excellently played and written, fun album cover as well. So much to love and nothing to hate.
Sabu
4/5
This was some very fun stuff, fuse those rhythms straight into my bones baby
Eminem
4/5
On one hand the man is so clearly gifted. But my god is he whack sometimes, and just too dark for my taste in places. But at the end of the day.... he's just so dang good at his job that I can't help but enjoy it.
Madonna
3/5
A lot of this was surprisingly great! I still can't stand the title track and it faltered on the back end, but there was a solid run in there that was just excellent pop, at its finest. Maybe I sometimes do like Madonna!
Heaven 17
2/5
The first 45 seconds or so had me so hyped, and then we went on a fast track to mid city.
John Lennon
4/5
An honestly pretty strong showing from my least favorite Beatle. I think this is his best work that I heard, and Working Class Hero was honestly INCREDIBLE.
Van Morrison
4/5
This surprised me with how fun it was. There was so much life and energy on display from everyone here. It was so close to a 5 if Van Morrison didn't get away from himself just a bit too much. But my oh my do I wish I could have been at the Troubadour that night!
Duke Ellington
5/5
NOW WE'RE COOKING WITH GAS BABYYYYY
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
This was very samey... but just fun and vibrant enough to earn it a fourth star. It's the type of 80's that I can't help but smile at.
Bobby Womack
4/5
This was just a nice tight soul record. Nothing mind-blowing or wildly inventive, but it knew what it wanted to be and achieved that very, very well.
The Stooges
4/5
I love that one of the most interesting songs on the album was literally made as filler lmao
OutKast
4/5
Speakerboxx: This really gave me to appreciation for Big Boi, and the features here all smash. Hearing a young Killer Mike is especially fun. Very high 4 stars.
The Love Below: God I love Andre. When he is good, he is among the best in the game. But this here is just so, so inconsistent. Some of the ideas go on for too long for their own good, and others shouldn't have gone on in the first place. But then the next song will be a mind-boggling new direction that works so well. High 3 stars.
Silver Jews
2/5
It was honestly so forgettable that I forgot to rate it after listening to it last week. But it wasn't BAD bad. Just landfill indie for me.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
It's like if Beck and White Stripes we're sewn together. unfortunately, even though it does what it does very well, it gets so dang samey and tired by the end of its bloated track list.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Well this was absolutely excellent. If the dud "Cruz" was cut, this would be straight up a 5 star album for me. Catchy songs, great variety without teetering into feeling too dispersed and unfocused, extremely well performed on the part of Xtina and the studio musicians. This is just good fucking pop.
Little Richard
5/5
One of the most electrifying performers of all time, and it all comes through here even half a century later!
N.E.R.D
1/5
There's a special kind of torture to watching things you love done exceptionally poorly. It's like accidentally grabbing the salt for your tea instead of the sugar. It's a bad experience all around.
The Libertines
3/5
Yeah, it's fine.
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
Honest to god, hearing the angle grinder tear through sheet metal kind of won me over.
Lightning Bolt
5/5
This was so much fun. It was the perfect intersection of noise rock, party music, and the vibes of an old nintendo game soundtrack.
M.I.A.
4/5
Very very interesting and eclectic blend of styles, and it's rare to find something that is so mixed up like this to be so BOPPIN. This would be a 5 if the vocals didn't get a bit grating at times.
The Killers
4/5
It may be a bit one-note, but it's a damn solid note.
Blue Cheer
4/5
It may be very dated, but I think you get a pass when you are part of the reason a sound can be placed into time so easily.
Sebadoh
3/5
Pretty fun slacker rock, but it isn't as good as the band it spawned from.
The Vines
3/5
It's a good album, but it's not particularly "great" at anything. I don't quite see why this is on this list, even though I enjoyed it.
Baaba Maal
4/5
There's a cool worldbeat/fusion vibe here that I dig, even with the very dated production on it.
Neneh Cherry
5/5
Non stop bops. This was such an awesome trip. Dated, yes, but in the best kind of way.
Baaba Maal
4/5
There is something so hypnotic about this album, a steadiness to the rhythm and voices. Wholly different than the other Baaba Maal album we got a few days ago, but equally interesting and appreciated.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
dreamy dreamy alien steamy creamy, ayoooooo
4/5
I can't be the only one that can tell he was using the same sound effect/synth sample pack as Insomniac and Stewart Copeland on the soundtrack for the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy.
Steve Winwood
2/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__jiz18l84U
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
I think this is an album and talent that got severely ruined by it's timing and production. I was ready to give it a 1 until As Yet Untitled really showed off how strong of a vocalist and even lyricist he is when not buried under a mountain of overblown and overstated 80's soul blah. If this album had came out in the 60's or the 2010's it really could have been something great.
But it's not lol most of it still stinks.
Michael Jackson
5/5
This is the King of Pop's best album. Suck it, Thriller.
The The
5/5
Another shining example of 80's sounds and production done right from The The, this time with less cheese and more brooding.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Man, their previous record was so fun, but this just sounds like they are trying to do Elvis Costello, and succeeding even more poorly than he does.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
A few gems, but ultimately this just wasn't for me. Maybe I need to see the movie first.
Judas Priest
5/5
Rob Halford is the best metal vocalist out there. And this isn't even my favorite Priest record by a long shot.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
It was interesting, but even though they may have broken ground with the sound they explore, the ones building off of them have usually done it better.
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
This was fun! And... that's all it really was for me lol.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
Spicy in concept, kinda bland in execution. Like the hot sauce recipe I tried to make the other day.
The Monks
5/5
This is genuinely one of the best album's I've gotten in this project. From the story, to the lyrics, to the outfits, to, of course, the music. This feels like Velvet Even More Underground. It's like pre-punk post-punk. I LOVE THIS.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
It's fine, but it's definitely one of those albums that is here because of context rather than content.
Randy Newman
4/5
Satirical, critical Americana needs to be around more.
Traffic
2/5
"And the biggest 'yikes' of the year award goes to..."
*drumroll*
"Traffic, with Vagabond Virgin!!! Thank you for entering the competition, Traffic, you were almost good until the pedophilia."
Shuggie Otis
4/5
This squeezes out a fourth star for the great production and forward-thinking compositions, even if some of the early songs dragged a bit long and not every one of them was a shining star.
Fishbone
4/5
I didn't know I needed to find the bridge between Oingo Boingo and 311, but I'm very glad it is here.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
This is mayonnaise.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This was almost too potently sad for me.
Jacques Brel
2/5
It's hard to appreciate explicitly lyric-driven music in a language you don't speak.
Calexico
4/5
"Desert noir" is the perfect description for this, and it was quite a tasty treat
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
This was a fun wild romp, this is the Nick Cave I Nick Crave.
Tom Waits
5/5
This is the Waits era I feel most at home with. I'm glad I have better understanding of his earlier catalogue now; but his grittier stuff here is what made me fall in love with him.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
To all the people calling this elevator music: I wanna see what fucking elevators you're riding because that shit must be tight.
Supergrass
5/5
I said that their sophomore album was solid but had a certain "it" factor that was missing... I think I've found it. This was rompin', varied, energetic, and bursting with unbridled youth from start to finish.
Klaxons
4/5
Futuristic sci-fi dance punk? Yeah, I'm in for this.
Brian Eno
5/5
It started strong and just kept getting stronger, absolutely NAILING the landing. This was a delight, and the type of Eno record I was hoping to discover.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
A big ol nothing burger
The xx
3/5
It lacks the outright excellence of their debut, and honestly drags a bit by the end... but the intelligent craft of it still makes it a pretty solid experience. I just can't help but feel a tad disappointed.
The Byrds
4/5
Rootin' and tootin'
Deep Purple
5/5
What a banger of a live album. If only I could have been at a show like this back then. I'm over me "born in le wrong generation" high school cringe days, but I still wish I could step into an older time and place to have been there for this.
Björk
4/5
Near paralyzingly brooding, but I feel like it had a hair too much bloat to earn a 5th star. But hey, Bjork really knows how to get you thinking no matter what.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Usurpingly mid, but it was better than their orange one.
Neil Young
4/5
This is hard to rate; it has just a few songs that don't shine quite so bright. But the ones that do are straight up supernova. I think this will fall juuuuuuust shy of a 5.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
Though the way it was recorded is pretty dang cool, the results themselves really aren't anything special for me.
Scissor Sisters
5/5
This was way too much fun to give it anything but a 5.
Brian Eno
5/5
This topped Before and After Science easily, and I flipping loved that one. This was so good, so experimental but so well done and easy to take in on every factor.
Pretenders
3/5
Something just felt kinda missing here... The first side felt like it lacked variety, and the second lacked consistency, and somehow neither side could fully make up for the other. It was still very strong for what it was, but just shy of a 4 for me.
George Michael
5/5
So far above his debut it's not even funny. Poignant, catchy, fun, and interesting in historical context. This does everything it can to fight it's way to a 5 for me, and who am I to deny it?
The KLF
4/5
This was really excellently produced, it still sounded so fresh and interesting that you could have told me it would have came out last year and I would have believed you. At least, until we get to the absolutely DATED and ill-fitting vocals. If this was instrumental it would be an easy 5 for me, but with those vocals it is barely clinging to 4 stars.
Sparks
5/5
I aspire to be this exuberantly maximalist one day.
Kelela
4/5
Delightfully futuristic R'n'B, with great vocals. This is a few duller tracks away from a strong 5 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
He really set the standard for so many of the things he did, didn't he?
Kate Bush
4/5
I'm pretty sure Kate Bush is from the Feywild.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Some bops, and lots of bloat. Overall decent but not memorable.
Doves
2/5
“Mom, can we have some Coldplay?”
“No, we have Coldplay at home.”
Coldplay at home:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
There were some BOPS on this bad boy, I had a lot of fun.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
This was the 90's pop rock equivalent of Derek and the Dominos
Janelle Monáe
5/5
This was a seminal album. This deserves all the praise it gets and more. The vibes, the concept, the features, the variety, the fun. No notes.
The Associates
2/5
This gets two stars purely because it was bold and risky. The risk didn't pay off IMO, but I suppose nothing ventured nothing gained.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
This just snags a 4th star to get above the other Echo and the Bunnyman albums here, just barely. It had some cool dark vibes and really fun work on the bass.
Peter Tosh
3/5
This was cool but inconsistent (and a little gimmicky if I'm being honest)
Tim Buckley
2/5
You really aren't playing to your strengths here, Tim
The Bees
5/5
This FUCKED
Grateful Dead
4/5
I feel an unfortunate amount of this gets lost in translation from the live sound to the grooves in wax. It is still excellent, but my goodness do I wish I could have been there in the moment.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
This was a very, VERY specific flavor of country that I'm not gonna always want. But when I do... this is a pretty great execution of it.
Joe Ely
4/5
Who would have thought honky tonk would benefit so much from a moog?
Pixies
5/5
Goodness gracious this was fantastic. This is just the kind of biting alt rock that I didn't know I missed so much. The hardest part now is trying to choose between this and their debut as my favorite Pixies venture.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Wow, I wasn't expecting some actually good and interesting electronic music today, considering how the rest of this list has gone for that route, on average. This had lots of charm, fun beats, good variety and experimentation. Good stuff!
Robert Wyatt
5/5
Contemplative, patient, tortured, and vulnerable. You can really feel the tragedy of his accident here, and him overcoming it in a headlong dive.
GZA
4/5
A solid little brother to 36 Chambers, but that absolutely killer group dynamic really feels missing here for me. Given how legendary this album is, I can't help but be a smidge disappointed.
The Who
4/5
It really was their generation wasn't it? I think it's just shy of 5 stars due to a bit of a lack of focus and too many covers, but it really is rock and roll at it's mid-sixties peak when it hits its highs.
Butthole Surfers
5/5
It's rare a band min-maxes into both the experimental and fun stats, but my god they do it. They could surf my butthole any day.
Ozomatli
3/5
This was a fun blend, but there was something about the production that just rubbed me the wrong way.
Soft Machine
5/5
The field recording of an alien swingers party that ends in communal astral projection.
The Dandy Warhols
2/5
More like the Blandy Warhols HEYOOOO GOTTEM
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Ali once again bringing the chill, though this didn't get its hooks on me like Savane did.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Hit or miss. I liked the blend of Parsons and Harriss's voices, but it got genuinely boring at times; a feat for such a short record.
Muddy Waters
5/5
The platonic ideal of Chicago blues
The White Stripes
3/5
A bit of a miss for me compared to their previous two excellent records. It still had some great songs, and I liked the change to more piano and acoustic based songs, but the songwriting just wasn't up to snuff sometimes, and Jack's singing bordered on annoying in places.
Also, why is Michael Cera dressed up as Jack White on the cover?
M.I.A.
4/5
I really enjoyed her debut, so I was worried at first when I really did NOT like the opening song. Luckily the rest of the album was fire. She has such a distinct blend of sounds that has really stayed fresh through the years.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Bill is a beauty as always, but this was a LaFaro tribute more than anything, and I love it for that. Perfect for this unexpectedly rainy day. This was staying at a very solid 4 for me, but the transcendent beauty of the simple final track Jade Visions bumped this just into 5 star territory; that's a new all-time favorite for me.
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
Now THIS is how you pop a baroque.
Stephen Stills
2/5
I feel like this was more of an obligatory inclusion due to the other letters of CSNY getting some love too.
Radiohead
3/5
...is it called Amnesiac because they forgot to finish half the songs?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
It takes a lot of smarts to sound this stupid.
The Beta Band
2/5
Maybe I'm still wildly overstimulated from Trout Mask Replica, but this was just... bland. Like if early Beck/Gorillaz didn't know how to actually achieve their sound well.
Red Snapper
2/5
Oh wow, these must be the guys that make all the DVD menu music!
Kate Bush
5/5
From the A-Side exuberance to the B-Side chills, this album really hit it out of the park on all counts.
4/5
This is another chewer. It sits somewhere in the space between Yes, Led Zeppelin, and CSNY. Very dense, excellent arrangement, ridiculously clean production for 1970. But the songwriting and a few of the performances don't quite click at times... this is a tough one to rate for just one listen, but I'm going to give it a 4.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
It was interesting, at least, but not something I'm ever really going to return to. It gave me just enough of a "hmm" for 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Certainly another solid showing from Bobby D, though his 60's stuff really does shine over this to my ears. Excellent songwriting as always, but here his vocals to just get away from him a bit too much to earn him a 5.
The Zutons
4/5
An OUSTANDING first two songs, with a relatively solid rest of the album (in particular with the vocals). I quite liked this, and seeing the comparisons with The Coral (which this list introduced me to, and I liked even more). Overall I'm digging this peek into the British side of the 00's garage rock revival.
The Band
3/5
Some sort of loose jamminess was missed from the first album, but it was still a nice Americana vibe.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Fun and thoughtful, especially in the environment it came out in. Not perfect by any means, but definitely solid and respectable.
Gary Numan
4/5
It definitely got samey by the end, but you gotta admire the sheer devotion to sound, image and style. I'd call this proto-80s.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
While there were certainly a few solid tracks here, it didn't have the solid through-and-through wildness of his debut. Still better than So, though.
Eels
4/5
Just some very solid 90's alt rock, with a very suburban feel to it. Falls off a smidge on the back end, but it is overall a very solid record.
Fugazi
3/5
How on earth did I never know Ian MackAye was in Fugazi? Big fan of minor threat and Fugazi has always been on my radar, I just never made that connection.
In any case, this just didn't click completely with me today. I really liked some tracks, didn't care for others. I have a feeling this is one I have to listen to again when I don't have a hangover on a monday morning lmao.
2/5
It's like if Brian Wilson's wax replica came to life and found a studio, and made music that fits in the same uncanny valley as its looks.
2/5
A few nice tracks, but this was more misses than hits for me. I like me some noise rock but this just did not get it right to my ears.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
If I ever get a fish I'm gonna name it Swimmy Hendrix.
American Music Club
1/5
Upsettingly boring. This sounds like the type of album I would have picked up on CD at the thrift store 10-15 years ago, and been upset over the 50 cents wasted.
Sonic Youth
4/5
This list has turned me into such a sonic youth fanboy lol. Another solid one on the books for them!
David Bowie
4/5
It is wild that, 1000+ albums into the list, we are STILL getting more Bowie.
Not that I mind... in fact, I'm a bit sad that I think this is my last Bowie on the list. At least he finished off with something solid!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Obviously bold, abrasive, and wildly ahead of it's time. There is not much to the way of objective opinion that I could say that hasn't already been said to death!
On a personal level, I found this a far more consistent record than their debut; the lack of Nico on this one is a big plus for me. I love the sheer spunk this record does. It spits in your eye. However, while it is more consistent than the debut, it does lack a bit of the highs it had on tracks like Sunday Morning or Venus in Furs. Overall, I think this juuuuust misses out on 5 stars for me, but lands as my overall favorite from these degenerates.
Giant Sand
2/5
Man this guy REALLY likes Nick Cave, doesn't he.
XTC
3/5
Truly excellent song transitions, truly okay songs.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Honestly? Dub Housing is better. They sound like they are really having fun there. Here just feels like a warmup.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
The Queen of Soul never dissapoints.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
It's solid, and I like the throwback style. But holy bloat, Batman.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I don't know how much more Pet Shop Boys I can physically handle.
Big Star
3/5
It's kind of a hot mess, isn't it? I can see the appeal in that for some. But for me, it just doesn't come together enough as a full album.
Individual songs though... that's where the HOT part of the hot mess is. I think I've listened to big black car 4 times in the last hour already.
Joanna Newsom
5/5
Truly enchanting, in the deepest sense of the word. I was so transfixed that when my headphones died mid-album it was genuinely jarring and upsetting. This is easily one of the best records that this list has introduced to me.
Simply Red
2/5
These guys aren't nearly as smart as they think they are.
Paul Simon
4/5
The only Paul Simon solo effort that can touch (or sometimes surpass) his work with Garfunkle. It has such a fun, playful sound, with such gorgeous complements from the South African musicians that join him.
My big gripe here though... can you really call this a Paul Simon solo album when so much of the magic is purely from the musicians he employs here? I know that is opening a very, very large can of worms, but I can't help think it while listening through the whole thing.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
5/5
If there is one excellent side effect of the BritPop fetish this list has, it is more exposure to this excellent album. I've loved it for so many years. It is so hypnotic between the keys and the amazing rhythm section (RIP Tony Allen). Very happy to have listened to it once again this morning.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
I can't help but contrast this to Paul Simon's Graceland, that was given to me two days ago. While Graceland seems like a genuine effort of collaboration between western and South African musicians, this feels much more... exploitative. Given the nature of Malcolm McLaren and the legal issues levied at him by the musicians on this record, it looks like my gut feeling is justified.
It is an interesting blend at least, and the music really does try to shine, but the end product is unfortunately tarnished.
Femi Kuti
5/5
Not just walking in his father's footsteps, but SPRINTING.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
It's... competent? But competency doesn't earn you the ability to stand out from the pack. I honestly don't really get why this is here, not being particularly notable or excellent in any specific way.
As a drummer though, I can tell you their drummer really likes John Bonham.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Well this is just delightful! It can be hard to make blues exciting again, but taking it back to Africa seems to be just the secret recipe for something incredible.
808 State
4/5
This was way better than I expected. Dense and layered and bouncy and wicked cool, if dated.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Perfectly fine rock/soul stuff.
Django Django
4/5
I think this just earns a 4 for bringing a bit of blueiness to the indie art rock vibe that I liked. It was definitely a solid album.
Throwing Muses
4/5
Really solid female-led post punk. Gotta check out some more from these folks!
Bauhaus
4/5
Truly solid goth rock, though there was something in the production that bugged me that I can't put my finger on.
Primal Scream
3/5
It's got a nice vibe, especially in the background. But, not only does it compare unfavorably to the funny face picture album, but it is too bloated for its own good.
Morrissey
1/5
My god, his stuck his head so far up his own ass this time that he’s starting to wiggle the shoulders in too.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Nice, but not notable.
The Thrills
4/5
So much sunshine packed in here that it's hard not to love, even if it's not the most diverse or groundbreaking thing. By the end the sunshine even feels like a sunset!
Scritti Politti
1/5
I'm pretty sure Green Gartside pilfered this album on a multiversal music heist where he stole it wholesale from a dimension where Prince has no charisma.
The Cult
2/5
This is some terribly generic hard rock. A few songs ripped, but most just ripped ass.
Mudhoney
4/5
Another excellent grunge record, though I think it's lacking just a touch of the fire that puts Superfuzz up to a 5 for me.
R.E.M.
2/5
Swing and a miss, REM.
CHIC
4/5
Okay so some of the songs were a bit bloated, but damn. Go off Nile and Bernard, go OFF.
Kings of Leon
4/5
This... was actually pretty great? Really wasn't expecting much considering their other records on this list, but I thought this one was excellent! They actually found a somewhat unique sound, wrote cool songs, and played their instruments well (special props to the bassist for some delightfully catchy basslines)
Coldcut
5/5
This absolutely slapped. It hearkens back to everything that made me respect and fall in love with electronic music when I first listened to The Avalanches, and also calls to mind Paul's Boutique. I can see the massive influence this had, and it makes me wanna get up and wiggle.
John Cale
4/5
It had a bit of a shaky start, but Andalucia on was excellent!
Paul McCartney
3/5
Ram should be here instead, 100%.
I don't hate it; in fact, I quite respect the DIY, lo-fi aspect he had going on here. But the results really come out quite mixed, and in some places seemingly unfinished in a dull way to my ears.
The Beta Band
3/5
This had a lot of neat ideas that I just don't think they had the ability to execute well enough.
ALSO
THIS IS THE LAST ONE BABYYYY
I"M FREEEEEEE