Really pleasant surprise as I don't normally listen to anything like this. Loved her voice and the blues influences in here. Super cool to hear 'Mbube' and to get some context for 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' (even though Miriam's version is a cover)
I'd heard Once in a Lifetime before, that was definitely a stand out track. Some of the tracks were better than others, a few felt a bit chaotic and didn't do anything for me. This album felt fine, but it was anything special.
Googled what on earth this genre of music was and along with instrumental/electronic it said 'acid jazz'. Surprisingly I did actually listen to the whole thing. I could appreciate the songs without featured artists much more than those that had a feature. The Rough and The Quick was a bit heavy for my Friday afternoon slump at work and The Rake might be my least favourite song I've ever heard. Better tracks were Keeping Pigs Together and Bussing. I can see why people might enjoy those but this album was really not for me.
This was a fantastic album. It was strange hearing Bittersweet Symphony in context after hearing it in isolation so many times, and it is still definitely the highlight track, but there are plenty of songs on here that are overshadowed by it. I hadn't heard all of the singles before - they're all very strong. I don't think this album has aged much whatsoever since it's release.
This was a little on the disappointing side for me. I absolutely love Kashmir, what a classic song. But everything else missed the mark and this album was a bit too long. Some of the songs were long for no reason.
Must've been revolutionary when it came out, and I can see why. Very much enjoyed the guitars and overall musicality but I doubt I'd be dying to listen to this album again
Loved the mix of genres in this and the themes. Lots going on in terms of instruments but the production was great. Let Love Rule is a highlight track.
Googled what on earth this genre of music was and along with instrumental/electronic it said 'acid jazz'. Surprisingly I did actually listen to the whole thing. I could appreciate the songs without featured artists much more than those that had a feature. The Rough and The Quick was a bit heavy for my Friday afternoon slump at work and The Rake might be my least favourite song I've ever heard. Better tracks were Keeping Pigs Together and Bussing. I can see why people might enjoy those but this album was really not for me.
I've never heard an album like this with many short songs one after the other. I had this on in the background while doing some chores and it passed me by without catching my attention in a negative or a positive way.
Based on the first track, I was going to give this album a 4. It seemed batshit but in a good way. I enjoyed the fact that track 1 was like an electronic version of a symphony in a way, with a similar structure. Sadly I didn't like the rest of the album as much, it seemed a little flat, but would be excited to hear more Kraftwerk records.
Really enjoyed this. It definitely felt indicative of 90s music but also somehow felt fresh. Got New York City vibes throughout
Definitely sounds like the era it was released in. The copious amounts of banjo in the first track was a pleasant surprise. I went in blind here and was fairly pleasantly surprised. Definitely some weaker tracks and a lot of it is cheesey pop but a pretty solid record
This was a fantastic album. It was strange hearing Bittersweet Symphony in context after hearing it in isolation so many times, and it is still definitely the highlight track, but there are plenty of songs on here that are overshadowed by it. I hadn't heard all of the singles before - they're all very strong. I don't think this album has aged much whatsoever since it's release.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and it went up in my estimations once I learnt it came out in 1998. But some of the smaller 'interlude' type songs spoiled it a bit for me and hampered my enjoyment
I'm unsure about how to rate this one. I can listen to it, and I appreciate that it must've been pretty revolutionary on release. But I don't think I'm the target audience on this one. I find the way the lyrics are sung/spoken/shouted too aggressive - I understand that's the point and it fits in with the theme of the album, but I don't find it pleasant to listen to. That's my only real complaint, as instrumentally I really like the guitar/bass riffs and drums. This is probably a 2.5 stars for me.
It was nice to have a slightly different genre come up. I can't pick any particular faults with this album, it just didn't feel good enough for anything but an average rating. A pleasant experience though.
I will admit to this one being a DNF. But that's not because it's bad music - it definitely isn't. But blues isn't generally my genre as it's too slow and steady. It gets 2 because I love the harmonisation between the voices and instruments on the tracks I did listen to.
Was torn between 4 and 5 here. Objectively I think we've heard better albums, but I got more enjoyment out of this than some others. I'd only heard Common People before listening and really liked that song, but it was even better in context.
I'd heard Once in a Lifetime before, that was definitely a stand out track. Some of the tracks were better than others, a few felt a bit chaotic and didn't do anything for me. This album felt fine, but it was anything special.
No complaints here. A cohesive album, didn't think there was a bad song, very much enjoyed
This was a little on the disappointing side for me. I absolutely love Kashmir, what a classic song. But everything else missed the mark and this album was a bit too long. Some of the songs were long for no reason.
Always enjoyed a bit of Eminem, this was no exception. I think Marshall Mathers LP is an objectively better album though - other than My Name Is and Guilty Conscience, I think Slim Shady LP lacks stand-out tracks that Marshall Mathers LP provides.
I'm honestly not sure of the significance of this album for it to be included in this list, all of the songs are covers of much older songs written mostly pre-1950, which I guess is why the album feels much older than 1978. I don't know much about Willie Nelson (although I have heard of him) so maybe he is the reason it's on this list more than the album itself? I do find that this kind of music can be quite a comfort to me though. There's something about the predictability of the chord progressions in these older songs that makes me feel safe, and it's nice to just have on in the background. It's nice enough but I don't think it's essential listening.
Really wanted to like this but I wasn't all that keen. I already knew Paper Planes (which is probably one of the best songs of the 2000s) and Come Around, the rest of the album went over my head. I really like the context of the album and the themes, but didn't have the best listening experience because it's not really my thing. I can appreciate how well produced this album is though.
I liked this more than some others - some of the transitions felt a little off though (e.g. 'Satan' to 'December'). Wish I could give this 3.5 - it's not quite a 4.
I feel super confused about this one, genuinely lost about how to rate it. One song I love and the next I don't. For the first time listening to these albums, I actually went back and re-listened to a few songs because at first listen I honestly could've rated this 2, 3 or 4. I still feel unsure, but I genuinely think I will come back to this one - there's something about it that makes me want to carry on listening.
This was completely different from what I expected. Some of the songs on here are the most 80s things I've ever heard. It has not aged well. I knew Everybody Knows but only because there's a cover of it that I really like. I think it's a very well written song but the original version makes it seem like a terrible song. I don't really have anything positive to say to be honest. A bit batshit in the worst possible way.
This was a long album, it kind of felt long for the sake of it. However, I love the instruments in this, they create a vibe that I really like. The instrumentals on their own are really smart, and I enjoy the rap also. There's some clever lyrics in here, I liked "I'm Morpheus in this hip-hop Matrix". Shame about the homophobic lyrics, not aged well and were uncomfortable to hear, that alone loses this a star.
Would never normally listen to something like this, I like parts of it but others feel a little sparse and don't really hold my attention at all. It's fine background music, but I don't find it to be particularly special.
Quite nice, pretty chill. Not much else to say really
Enjoyed quite a lot of this, some country vibes done in the right way, so I liked a lot of it. Let down by the weird instrumentals etc at the end (not sure if they are part of the core track list or not??)
My perception of Rod Stewart has always been that he makes really boring music, this album has changed that perception somewhat as I liked it much more than I expected. But still not something I'm going to come back to
Prefer this to the other Talking Heads album we've heard, it's a different style and I enjoyed it way more
Really pleasant surprise as I don't normally listen to anything like this. Loved her voice and the blues influences in here. Super cool to hear 'Mbube' and to get some context for 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' (even though Miriam's version is a cover)
I enjoyed the first 2 songs but the tracks starting from From Rags to Riches were a bit abstract for me and I somewhat wanted to turn this off. The whole thing just kinda got worse the longer it went on
This is probably a 2.5/5 for me. There were some elements I liked but I mostly just found this noisy
Wow this has aged really poorly, sounds really dated Not the absolute worst music I've ever heard, but not for me at all
Listened to this so much in my early teens when I was depressed as shit and I thought I was edgy lol. It's the first album we've had so far that I've already heard all the way through several times. It must've done so much for the genre and is one of the defining albums of the 90s culturally imo. And Dave Grohl on drums!! My favourite single is In Bloom and my favourite non-single is probably Drain You. But there's not a bad song on here.
There were elements of this that I liked. 'oh baby' was an enjoyable opener, but I did not like the next track, 'other voices' - it was really dissonant but not in a satisfying way. Similarly 'how do you sleep?' i just don't get it 😅 This is one of those where the longer it went on the less I enjoyed it overall. There were moments I liked and moments I didn't. I did give up but I don't think this album is totally irredeemable, just not my cup of tea.
This was great! Ashamed to admit I'd never heard any Jamiroquai before but this was quality.
Why is the version on spotify so long???? I Googled the original tracklist and listened to the original 36 mins. Definitely did not hate this. Wikipedia says it's influential as it inspired R.E.M and I can totally see that and I respect it. Probs 3.5 stars.
Pretty chill. Something comforting about 60s music like this imo. Not got anything particularly to say about this one though other than it was pleasant
Was surprised to see a live album on here, I can see why it has made it onto the list. Was very long though and I didn't really get into it
Didn't hate this, even though the first couple tracks were a bit weird. Brass in Pocket came on and I was like "oh!! it's this song!!" it's a tune.
Love an album with a bit of social commentary. A lot of the themes in this are still very relevant today. The album definitely has a very distinct 80s sound but I liked it. As with a lot of these albums it was just too long for me not to start losing interest.
Not the worst thing I've ever heard but I'm not really that impressed
Actually really enjoyed this. Was cool to hear some earlier stuff from Aerosmith, as most of the Aerosmith songs I know came out in the mid-late 80s. Don't know how I feel about this version of Walk This Way. I don't really like the Run DMC version, but there's something about the production of that one that is more exciting than the original.
Wow, this was such a pleasant surprise. I had never heard of this album or this band, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Was right up my street and really enjoyable to listen to. There was no filler here. A cohesive album full of great songs.
I've never really heard anything of this genre before outside of straight up musical theatre, which is obviously right up my street. This album was really cohesive and was a pleasure to listen to. My favourite moment was the orchestra at the end of 'If...'. Beautiful music.
What a pleasure to listen to. This could've been longer and I still would've enjoyed it just as much. 4.5/5
'Chocolate Cake' was such a strong opener, loved that track. Enjoyed some of the other singles too, like 'Weather With You'. A pretty cohesive sound, 3.5/5.
The first half of the album was really quite enjoyable and I really liked 'Debaser'. The second half got weirder - 'Crackity Jones' and 'No 13 Baby' were not my favourites. I think this album is a grower, but I base my rating on first listen, so it's a 3.
Before listening to this, I was only familiar with Toxicity. I would never typically say I like metal but I've always found System of a Down's music to be more interesting that would I would generally think of as metal music. And I love a bit of politics - System of a Down do that better than anyone else. This is a generally good album, but I would say it has less stand out songs than Toxicity does. For a debut album I think it's extremely cohesive. I particularly enjoyed the latter part of the album (from Peephole onwards)
Really enjoyed listening to this. Come On Eileen is obviously the highlight, but it's actually a very cohesive album. Love the brass and woodwind in it. Can't believe Celtic Soul Brothers did not do as well as Come On Eileen, what a solid single
Was so weird when I was just listening without looking at the tracklist and suddenly there's a cover of Jet Song from West Side Story 😂 I was pleasantly surprised by this. Obviously I knew the title track and it's always fun, but the rest of this album was better than I expected it to be. Really enjoyed Blue Turk (very jazzy with juicy instrumentation) and Alma Matter
Really liked this. Listened to a lot of Aerosmith in our house growing up and this is the era I know best (although I've never listened to the album all the way through before). I think this album shows Aerosmith really are versatile. There was only really one song I didn't like (Monkey On My Back). I do think songs like Love In An Elevator really play to the strengths of the band and that song really is a classic imo.
Can't go too far wrong with a Bowie album. Enjoyed this one
Musically the first couple of tracks were fantastic, but there are some uncomfortable lyrics in here. The latter half of the album was a lot less interesting to listen to, but was fine background music. The strings in 'Make It Right' caught my attention again but not enough to give this more than 3 stars.
Listened to the 2012 remaster of this and it was crisp 😍 I really like the style of Bowie's music and could listen to it all day. Starman is such a classic track but I don't feel that same magic from the rest of the album. The other tracks are not bad at all, just not quite as special. There were a couple of songs on here that I hadn't heard before that I really enjoyed (Rock N Roll Suicide and Moonage Daydream). Really torn between 4 and 5. I would give it 4.5 if I could. I enjoyed this more than Station To Station.
This was a DNF. The final straw was the "kill me" growl at the start of Tattered & Torn. I like to think I could say something objective about every album but this is way too much for me. There's nothing redeemable about this for me whatsoever
I will admit I've never listened to any of the older Coldplay albums (I've heard some Coldplay albums in full but much much newer ones). Obviously there are some very famous songs on here which I'd heard before but of the ones that were new to me, I LOVED Politik, God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and the title track. This was everything I want from an album - extremely cohesive, musically interesting, well produced and lyrically clever (and quite lyrically vulnerable too) I am gutted that Coldplay don't sound like this anymore. I absolutely adored this from start to finish and I can't believe I've never heard it before. Is 20 years old enough to call this a classic album? This is definitely going in my regular rotation and it's a very easy decision for me to give this 5.
I have heard this once or twice before 2 or 3 years ago so this isn't my first impression. In my opinion, Stevie Wonder is a genius. This is such a genuinely great album (although it is long - I checked the original tracklist on Wikipedia and just listened to that). Sir Duke is such a great song, a genuine classic. Isn't She Lovely is also obviously great. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed I Wish and Summer Soft. Also TOTALLY FORGOT about Pastime Paradise, Coolio had no right to get mad at Weird Al for Amish Paradise LOL This isn't necessarily something I would always be in the mood to seek out to listen to, but objectively it's fantastic. I'm torn between 4 and 5, but I don't think it's fair to mark it down to 4 just because it's not my favourite genre.
I looked into the history of this one and holy shit. I really do rate the wind instruments in this but musically that's about the only praise I can really give it. Not enough happens in this to hold my attention and each song is too long and repetitive. Not the worst thing I've ever heard though
This was chill, enjoyable background music, but I wouldn't rave about it
A pretty average britpop album. We've already heard better ones than this, and there are plenty of excellent ones still to come on this list
I have complained about lots of other albums without vocals not holding my attention but this one is a total exception. Really enjoyed this, I am a fan of jazz usually though. the saxophones and trumpets were gorgeous and I loved the double bass and wire brush drumming. I also really liked the piano track "I Surrender, Dear"
Listened to this but didn't really notice it. 3/5
Gangster rap is not my genre at all but if I listen and think "if this was playing while I was driving around in Saints Row 2, would I enjoy it?" Then the answer would be yes. 2.5/5
Overall I enjoyed this but idk what was going on with "Star Me Kitten". Creepy af
Never heard any of these songs before, but enjoyed this listen. Of the 3 Talking Heads albums we've now heard, I would say More Songs About Buildings And Food and Fear Of Music are both better than Remain In Light (although from looking at the global ratings, that's somewhat controversial)
Really liked the style of this but I wish there was less singing. It wasn't that interesting compared to the instrumental. The introduction was my favourite track for this reason Absolutely lost my shit when Questions 67 and 68 started because Panic at the Disco sampled it lol
Never noticed Heads Will Roll on the tracklist when I put this on so enjoyed it when it came on Enjoyed this, this is my kinda thing in general. This could definitely go in my regular rotation
Thought my headphones were broken because of the start of the opening track 😂 I think I have heard this all the way through before but only once, about 10 years ago. I had no memory of Breaking the Girl but loved it. Give It Away is a classic RHCP song but does annoy me a little bit. Under the Bridge is probably one of the best songs of all time imo (at least top 50) and definitely the best song of the album (maybe the best chilli peppers song?) Generally I did really enjoy this and am likely to listen again, but it can be a bit too in-your-face for 5 stars 4.5/5
WE FINALLY GOT SOME QUEEN!! This is my 2nd favourite Queen album (Night At The Opera can't be beaten, sorry not sorry) This album is pure joy for me, from start to finish. It really introduces what Queen will go on to become further in their career (and it does this way better than Queen I which is far less polished and cohesive imo) March of the Black Queen is such an underrated song, one of my favourites in their whole discography. Seven Seas of Rhye is one of my favourite Queen singles (love the piano). Love Roger and Brian's vocal tracks on this record You really get everything here, quality songwriting, huge Freddie vocals, killer Brian May guitar, big harmonies and well written, interesting music
The actual music here gets a 2. It doesn't feel that well thought out, but is fine and mostly inoffensive (some dodgy lyrics though) However this sounds like it was recorded on a toaster. Did they decide not to master it just to be edgy? 1.5/5
Holy shit Back In Black is such a good song haha Really liked this but I probably did not give it the attention it deserved. I've got no real complaints but 5/5 is saved for the albums that absolutely blow me away, hence 4 stars
Had no expectations for this going on (have never of The Cars, and did not recognise any of the track names) I had heard Just What I Needed before and it's an enjoyable track. I did enjoy listening to this on the whole, but not sure it's something I'll come back to. 3.5/5
Here, There and Everywhere is without doubt the best song I've been introduced to as a result of listening to these albums. I stopped everything I was doing just to listen and read the lyrics. What I found with this was that the songs I liked were all INCREDIBLE, easy 5/5s without thinking about it. But the songs I wasn't keen on, I felt indifferent about at best and actively disliked at worst. Comparing this to the albums I've rated 5 stars so far, I don't think this quite makes the grade (but it's probably 4-4.5)
Adele is generally not my cup of tea but you have to admit, she is great at making the type of music she makes. My problem with this is that I can tolerate maybe 2 well-placed ballads on an album, otherwise I get bored. Got a soft spot for All I Ask though.
Very chill, but has lots of generic floaty oohs and ahhs which I don't rate tbh, and they piano/keyboard they used sounds pretty bad Also singing somewhat out of tune on purpose seems to be a theme here Overall feels really dated, not sure I get it 1.5/5
Lots going on here, exactly what you'd expect from Kate Bush. I actually listened to this twice because I had no idea what my rating was after the first listen. Read on the wiki that Kate Bush produced this herself (which would've been HUGE in the early 80s) so it does get extra points for that. I found the production to be a bit rough and ready and the synth instruments stood out like a sore thumb in places. (Synths are great but they should not be used to replace instruments imo) Really liked the first 5 or so tracks, until The Dreaming (I had no idea what was going on there) I have never heard a song like Houdini in my life, it was intensely beautiful sections mixed with screaming and polyrhythmic drums. Really did not like Get Out of My House, too abstract for me I wanted to give this more (as the songs I liked, I LOVED) but can't justify it when I actively don't like a couple of the tracks I think 3.5
I've heard loads of my favourite modern artists say they were inspired by Fiona Apple, so was very curious about this one. I particularly liked Sleep to Dream, Criminal and The First Taste. Never Is A Promise was so beautiful, love the piano and the strings on this one and the vocals are fantastic. Love how piano-centric all these songs are without them all just being ballads, piano is so versatile and this really shows that off. Also how interesting they are melodically, way more to these songs than any old singer-songwriter piano track. I think this album would only get better with more listens.