May 06 2021
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
3
May 07 2021
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
1
May 10 2021
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2
May 11 2021
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
3
May 12 2021
1989
Taylor Swift
4
May 13 2021
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2
May 14 2021
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
4
May 17 2021
Moving Pictures
Rush
3
May 18 2021
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
2
May 19 2021
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
3
May 20 2021
Black Metal
Venom
Some of the industrial music on this list is worse but not by much.
1
May 21 2021
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
I forgot how much I like Tinaβs voice. I wouldnβt skip any song on this album with the exception of 1984, which just made me laugh with how 80s it was (so maybe I wouldnβt skip that one either).
5
May 23 2021
Rio
Duran Duran
I canβt unhear the saxophone now...
2
May 24 2021
Elephant
The White Stripes
4
May 25 2021
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
2
May 26 2021
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
5
May 27 2021
Treasure
Cocteau Twins
2
May 28 2021
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
3
May 29 2021
Eternally Yours
The Saints
Aside from track 3 (yikes!) this is a fun little album.
3
May 30 2021
Songs The Lord Taught Us
The Cramps
It sounds like a blend of a bad Elvis impersonator and bad punk music. The songs were mostly boring until they got unpleasant. I prefer bands that make sounds that sound good together rather than making sound for the sake of making noise.
1
May 31 2021
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
Loretta Lynn
2
Jun 01 2021
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
3
Jun 02 2021
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Cee Lo Green
False advertising, wanted more soul.
2
Jun 03 2021
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
This could have benefited from some editing but it was fine for background music.
2
Jun 04 2021
Crazysexycool
TLC
False advertising, wanted more soul.
4
Jun 05 2021
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
2
Jun 06 2021
Suede
Suede
Iβm stuck between and 3 and 4. I hear things I like and it reminds me of The Smiths. Ultimately, I could definitely listen to this but no song really grabbed me so I guess it gets the 3 rather than the 4.
3
Jun 07 2021
A Northern Soul
The Verve
3
Jun 08 2021
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
This is the link that gets us from 80s metal to 90s alternative. I only knew Mountain Song and Jane Says but this album could easily be could be on regular rotation.
4
Jun 09 2021
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
I would listen to this on a rainy day, I like his voice but I get bored by the end of the album.
3
Jun 10 2021
Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
Lots of feelings and vulnerabilities exposed with this one. I first heard Sleater-Kinney when they opened for Pearl Jam in 2003. I wasβ¦not a fan. My ears felt assaulted. In the almost 20 years since I first heard them, I have tried several times to like them. I SHOULD like them because they have all the pieces of a band I should love. Women who rock and pull no punches. A sound that is unique and a message I can get behind. I canβt quite figure out what I turns me off so much and I have spent way too much time pondering this question. I thought at first that it was the way her voice sounds like reverb to me, but I think that could be really interesting used in the right way. I actually really dig the music so that isnβt it either. I think what it boils down to is that it feels like she is just shouting at me. Now stick with me here because this is the soul bearing part. It turns out that I have a huge double standard. I can listen to a man scream into a microphone and find it earnest and impassioned. I listen to a woman scream into the microphone and I find that I want her to tone it down, pretty it up, not be so emotional. Oh fuck, how did I get to be so sexist?! And now you know my deepest shame. It turns out that I want to smash the patriarchy but in a nice (and more melodic) way, which is really not smashing it at all but just succumbing to my programming. Iβm giving this album 5 stars and I will keep listening to it because this album, more than any other, has made me think about myself and how I view the world and who taught me to view it the way that I do. It turns out I disliked Sleater-Kinney because it feels like an exposed nerve, which I think is kind of the point. And one that I want to keep exposing.
5
Jun 11 2021
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
I appreciate the constant creative experimentation; however, I like other work from Prince more.
3
Jun 12 2021
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
It was interesting to wait until after we got 50 Cent to go back and rate Kendrick Lamar. Both benefited from the guidance and executive production of Dr. Dre but they could not be more different. Where 50 Cent was very one note (just pure aggression), Kendrick Lamar was all over the place, exploring different themes and musical styles. Not all of it works for me but it was captivating.
4
Jun 13 2021
Dry
PJ Harvey
4
Jun 14 2021
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
4
Jun 15 2021
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4
Jun 16 2021
Ingenue
k.d. lang
3
Jun 17 2021
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Love superstition, wish there was more of that funk groove on this album.
2
Jun 18 2021
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
I had never heard of Big Brother & the Holding Co, but this is the classic rock sound I love (plus no one sounds like Janis). Pass me the bowl, I can listen to this and chill all day.
3
Jun 19 2021
The Score
Fugees
Intelligent, a little angry, and with effortless cool. Perfection.
βSo while you fuming, Iβm consuming mango juice under Polaris
Youβre just embarrassed 'cause it's your last tango in Paris
And even after all my logic and my theory
I add a βmotherfuckerβ so you ignant niggas hear meβ
Mic drop
5
Jun 20 2021
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
3
Jun 21 2021
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
This album may technically be 70s but the synth heavy sound came to define the 80s pop music. Just not my thing.
2
Jun 22 2021
Live!
Fela Kuti
2
Jun 23 2021
xx
The xx
Easy, chill background music.
3
Jun 24 2021
Cut
The Slits
I found that I was relieved when my phone unexpectedly lost connection and the music was paused, I preferred the sweet sweet silence to this.
1
Jun 25 2021
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
2
Jun 26 2021
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
3
Jun 27 2021
Doolittle
Pixies
Love the variety and βHeyβ is on just about every mixed tape I ever made.
5
Jun 28 2021
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
This one is mixed for me, I like some of the music but I think I would like it more with a different lead singer.
2
Jun 29 2021
Rapture
Anita Baker
Great voice, the 80s easy listening is not my thing.
2
Jun 30 2021
The Coral
The Coral
I feel like someone took a bunch of music that I like, chopped it into jigsaw pieces, and then put it back together randomly. Too disjointed for me to really get into, the album was bookended by some songs with lyrics that were pretty terrible, but I enjoyed dreaming of you.
3
Jul 01 2021
Synchronicity
The Police
3
Jul 02 2021
Repeater
Fugazi
4
Jul 05 2021
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Classic, love the bluesy influences.
4
Jul 06 2021
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
One star for my daughter repeatedly asking me what a sex store is because of this album.
1
Jul 07 2021
Wild Gift
X
Maybe itβs the pop-punk loving side of me, but I really enjoyed this album, especially the first and last tracks sung by the female vocalist. I liked the blend of 50s rock with the driving pace of punk. This is the more palatable version of what The Cramps were trying to achieve. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars and ended at 4 because I want to look up more music by X.
4
Jul 08 2021
Among The Living
Anthrax
I can handle the music for a couple songs, I canβt handle the βsingingβ. I just canβt get sit through more than a couple tracks, so itβs a hard pass from me.
1
Jul 09 2021
Melody A.M.
RΓΆyksopp
2
Jul 12 2021
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
Embarrassing truth, I have never listened to this album before, I have never even actively chosen to listen to Fleetwood Macβ¦and yet I knew all but 3 songs. A testament to the song writing that every song was such a big hit that I knew them anyway. This album is pervasive in our cultureβs collective consciousness for a reason.
5
Jul 13 2021
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2
Jul 14 2021
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
Parts of this reminded of the boat tunnel scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It got weird, dark, a little creepy, and altogether unpleasant.
1
Jul 15 2021
Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
Much more pleasant than the solo Billy Bragg album.
4
Jul 16 2021
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
I had this album on in the background for many a homework session in high school because itβs not too slow but also not too distracting. Background music is all its good for though.
3
Jul 19 2021
The Specials
The Specials
I like the ska sound (4 stars) and dislike the lead singers voice on many of the tracks (2 stars). I guess that leaves me with an average rating of 3 stars.
3
Jul 20 2021
The Wall
Pink Floyd
3
Jul 21 2021
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
3
Jul 22 2021
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
3
Jul 23 2021
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
3
Jul 26 2021
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2
Jul 27 2021
Blue
Joni Mitchell
5
Jul 28 2021
Orbital 2
Orbital
Shhhhh! I almost turned this off within the first track. Any time they sample someone speaking it loses a star as it interferes with my ability to let this fade into background music.
2
Jul 29 2021
Night Life
Ray Price
1
Jul 30 2021
Parachutes
Coldplay
4
Aug 02 2021
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
This might be my least favorite of the way too many Nick Cave albums on this list. Telling that the song I liked best was a Dylan cover sung by vocalists I like more than Nick Cave.
1
Aug 03 2021
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
4
Aug 04 2021
American Pie
Don McLean
Vincent is pretty song, the title track is all too familiar. Nothing else really caught my ear.
3
Aug 05 2021
Horses
Patti Smith
3
Aug 06 2021
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
3
Aug 09 2021
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
Upbeat and fun if not exactly original.
3
Aug 10 2021
Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
These guys desperately want to be more hard core than they are. They end up sounding a little juvenile ("Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" and "Good Head") but ultimately this is a fun little album if you just roll your eyes at how seriously they want to take themselves.
3
Aug 11 2021
Arise
Sepultura
1
Aug 12 2021
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Meh, itβs fine. But is it just me or did all the songs have the same speed/drumbeat?
3
Aug 13 2021
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
Could have been good with a little self-control.
2
Aug 16 2021
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
4
Aug 17 2021
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
While, as others have pointed out, this album is less polished than melancholy, I find that to be a point in its favor. I like thatβs itβs a little more raw, a little more rough around the edges. I love this album. I find Disarm to be hauntingly beautiful. All in all, this album is so quintessentially 90s and yet has so many levels it keeps me coming back.
5
Aug 18 2021
Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
I varied between it fading into the background and actively wanting to switch it off. It was a mash-up of spoken word poetry, jazz, and soul that ultimately I just donβt get.
2
Aug 19 2021
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
3
Aug 20 2021
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
3
Aug 23 2021
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
MotΓΆrhead
Guitar is great, recording quality not so much. Don't put a live album on the list unless the quality is better than this.
2
Aug 24 2021
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Beats hold up, lyrics not so much.
3
Aug 25 2021
American Idiot
Green Day
Riley says 5 stars and I agree. I have a soft spot in my heart for pop punk and Green Day does it better than anyone. Jesus of Suburbia is like a microcosm of the whole album, a tiny pop punk rock opera all on its own. Even if you donβt love them, you have to appreciate the ambition here.
5
Aug 26 2021
Timeless
Goldie
4
Aug 27 2021
Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
2
Aug 30 2021
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Not as good as Elephant
3
Aug 31 2021
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The harmonies always blow me away. Sometimes the song writing veers too far into a country sound I donβt enjoy as much.
4
Sep 01 2021
The Bends
Radiohead
I first heard a song from this album, Fake Plastic Trees, in the movie Clueless staring Paul Rudd and some other people. This movie, and the Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo and Juliet (starring Paul Rudd!) which also featured a Radiohead song (Talk Show Host), introduced me to Radiohead and led me to an album that has become one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time.
The album starts with a woosh like something is blowing in, then hits you with the guitars, and honestly this might be my second favorite opening to an album (behind the base line for Seven Nation Army). I get excited every time I hear that woosh because I know what is coming next. The layers of sound! The guitars get loud like an arena rock show, then soft again, always layered in a way that is indicative of how experimental they are/will continue to be. At times you get flavors of U2, Oasis, REM, and yet they have a sound that is uniquely their own.
The music is always vulnerable, eerie at times, angry at times, and broken in the most hauntingly amazing way. I am a lyric person but despite the fact that I can't tell what Thom Yorke is saying 80% of the time, the combination of his voice and the music transcend the often unintelligible lyrics. The snippets of what come through can be devastating. The rejection of the fame/attention, the futility of life, and the intense longing to belong. The optimism and positivity is cut with cynicism (Nice Dream) but you are quickly brought back up from the nihilism of Fake Plastic Trees by the reverb-y guitars of Bones. They achieve a balance in this album that I can't find in many other works. Case in point is the fade out of Street Spirit which is a perfect contrast to the way the album wooshed in with Planet Telex
The Bends would be in my desert island 5-disc CD changer. It perfectly encapsulated my 90s angst while managing, like Paul Rudd himself, to never age.
5
Sep 02 2021
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
Is it the most annoying thrash metal album on this list? No. I guess that is good enough for the extra star.
2
Sep 03 2021
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
3
Sep 06 2021
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
It's like a good electronica album. I can put it on, let it blend into the background, and really get shit done. Keeps my toes tapping and my fingers typing.
4
Sep 07 2021
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
2
Sep 08 2021
White Light
Gene Clark
3
Sep 09 2021
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
4
Sep 10 2021
Rocks
Aerosmith
3
Sep 13 2021
Dust
Screaming Trees
3
Sep 14 2021
Marquee Moon
Television
His voice is the only thing that kept this from being 4 stars. I just couldnβt settle in all the way and enjoy.
3
Sep 15 2021
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
First of all, this album does not sound or feel like it was made in 1985. Second of all, the mid-90s success of female singer/songwriters owe a TON to this woman. Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, Aimee Mann, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, and even Sinead O'Connor. I hear Suzanne Vega in all of them. I like the songs where the acoustic guitar takes the lead more than some of the other synthesizer sounds. I love cracking, small blue thing, and undertow in particular for the guitar parts and for how intimate the lyrics feel. It might not be in my list of favorite female singer/songwriter albums of all time but itβs certainly responsible for them so 4 stars seems appropriate.
4
Sep 16 2021
Faith
George Michael
Oof. I want your sex has not aged well.
2
Sep 17 2021
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
I canβt take Tom Waits in any more that very small doses, a whole album is too much.
2
Sep 20 2021
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin
3
Sep 21 2021
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
Delightful little pop album but ultimately too light and fluffy for my taste.
3
Sep 22 2021
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sinead O'Connor
3
Sep 23 2021
The Blueprint
JAY Z
2
Sep 24 2021
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
I canβt believe I have never heard Jurassic 5 before! Lyrics that play on grammar (βpassβ participles), reference DDT, and Herman Munster? Whatβs not to love. They also have that almost jazz-like groove that I love in digable planets and de la soul. Thanks 1001 albums, this is one I will be coming back to.
4
Sep 27 2021
Abraxas
Santana
4
Sep 28 2021
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
3
Sep 29 2021
Either Or
Elliott Smith
I had to wait until an appropriately gray day to listen to this because Elliott Smith is not sunny day music. I only ever had Figure 8, but thank goodness this album is on the list because it reminded me how much I enjoy wallowing in his music. He is like the male Aimee Mann to me, not quite folk but folk adjacent, not the biggest voice/range but super emotive, distressed in the best way like soft jeans.
5
Sep 30 2021
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
3
Oct 01 2021
Pelican West
Haircut 100
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would based on the description of them as "new wave"; less synth-y and more jazzy. Really liked the almost a bossa nova sound on Lemon Firebrigade.
3
Oct 04 2021
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
3
Oct 05 2021
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
So Bennie and the Jets is far and away the best song on this album. Side note: thanks to Dianaβs βcute bootsβ story, I only hear electric boobs rather than electric boots and it makes me laugh every time. I hated the candle in the wind song that got popular following the death of Princess Diana (so many Diana references today!) and I had no idea at the time that it was a rewrite. The lyrics about Marilyn Monroe were way less sappy and more interesting. Not interesting enough for 5 stars but listening to this did make me want to go watch Rocketman so I will bump this up to 4 stars based the fact that my interest has been piqued.
4
Oct 06 2021
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
I didnβt know there would be stones songs I actively disliked. I disliked dear doctor. Jigsaw puzzle went on way too long. Factory girl was out of place. The intro to sympathy for the devil is iconic and got me all pumped but the rest of the album was a let down.
2
Oct 07 2021
Odessa
Bee Gees
Boring and too long. No wonder they made the pivot to disco.
2
Oct 08 2021
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
3
Oct 11 2021
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
3
Oct 12 2021
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
2
Oct 13 2021
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
4
Oct 14 2021
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
I donβt know if itβs the slower pace, the beats, or the samples used, but this is undeniably 90s and that it comfortingly familiar even when I have never heard any track beyond The Rain. Is this the best hip hop album? No. Would I put this on while I get shit done. Absolutely. I hover between 3 and 4 but I think pure nostalgia bumps this up to 4.
4
Oct 15 2021
Maverick A Strike
Finley Quaye
Ok, trip hop reggae, this could be interesting. I am not sure it really worked.
2
Oct 18 2021
Blur
Blur
Oh Blur, there are some moments where I like the music and then you go and ruin it with something I actively dislike. You could be so much better.
2
Oct 19 2021
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
I realized that A) I have this album on tape that a friend in high school made for me but I had no idea the tape he made was a straight album; and B) he must have run out of room on that one side because I have never heard the last 3 tracks before.
4
Oct 20 2021
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
3
Oct 21 2021
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
2
Oct 22 2021
At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
This one is a little longer and has some slower stuff than "At San Quentin". This one just generally seems less rowdy. This version of Jackson with super growly June Carter is the best though.
3
Oct 25 2021
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
I think I might like Bon Jovi?! At least for walking the dog. It kept me moving and I didnβt get bored. I could do without the intro to Social Disease though.
3
Oct 26 2021
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
Meh. The only song I really liked was Maggie May. I do like a lot of the guitar, but his voice really doesnβt do it for me.
3
Oct 27 2021
Country Life
Roxy Music
3
Oct 28 2021
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
2
Oct 29 2021
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
4
Nov 01 2021
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
3
Nov 02 2021
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
3
Nov 03 2021
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
3
Nov 04 2021
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
This is fine for what it is, the whited-down, I mean watered-down version of early rock and roll. I'd head to the hop and twist the night away listening to this.
3
Nov 05 2021
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
Huh, I thought Iron Butterfly would be heavier. More guitar driven. Disappointed.
2
Nov 08 2021
Different Class
Pulp
I don't hate the music the whole time, but I really HATE the lyrics. Every song is about revenge or sex or sex for revenge. And then there is the rape fantasy. "Oh I really love it when you tell me to stop, Oh it's turning me on." All the lyrics do for me is turn me off.
1
Nov 09 2021
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
I was skeptical as the initial track descended into staticky, sonic chaos. Good thing Jimi pulled it back from the brink. There are some true gems here. Little Wing, with one of the sultriest guitar solos ever made, just leaves me wanting more. The title track has big finale energy, great way to wrap up the album.
4
Nov 10 2021
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
Super authentic, perspectives worthy of repeated listens.
4
Nov 11 2021
Raw Power
The Stooges
4
Nov 12 2021
90
808 State
I donβt know a ton about electronic music but this was somehow both strange AND boring.
2
Nov 15 2021
Disintegration
The Cure
The best of the Cure albums on the list although I probably would have enjoyed this less had I been listening on a bright sunny day. It's better suited for night time wallowing.
4
Nov 16 2021
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
So itβs hard for me to rate jazz. Itβs not my thing, I donβt seek it out, but as jazz goes, this was pleasant. Riley proclaimed it repetitive but I liked the variations on a theme rather than a bunch of experimental sounds that donβt tie together. Rileyβs criticism was hilarious though considering she listens to the same damn song or album on repeat for weeks or months at a time.
3
Nov 17 2021
Solid Air
John Martyn
Remember when I said jazz wasnβt my thing? This feels like guitar jazz. Is he saying words? Is he skatting? Who can tell.
2
Nov 18 2021
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
Come on 1001 album random generator, give me something GOOD! This album suffers a little bit from being the latest in a line of albums that range from terrible to just meh. There is just nothing to get excited about here.
2
Nov 19 2021
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
2
Nov 22 2021
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
3
Nov 23 2021
Pretenders
Pretenders
4
Nov 24 2021
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
I appreciate the concept, but ultimately the music is too repetitive to hold up well to repeat listening.
3
Nov 25 2021
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
3
Nov 26 2021
Purple Rain
Prince
4
Nov 29 2021
Being There
Wilco
3
Nov 30 2021
Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur
I would have told you before we embarked on this journey that I liked Blur. Somehow I owned a Blur album that I liked (neither one we have had so far have been it) but it turns out that growing up has meant moving on from Blue. While this album was better than the last one, it is still very hit or miss. The hits aren't good enough and the misses are too big for it to break even.
2
Dec 01 2021
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
I like Spike Island, and then Getting Bright at Night through White Devil but Kiss like Lizards and particularly Meatmaker are bloody awful. They were so close to being more than noisy noise.
2
Dec 02 2021
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
Great vibe but suffers from being too one note. Scenario is the only song that stands out as being different on this album.
3
Dec 03 2021
Eliminator
ZZ Top
3
Dec 06 2021
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
Good energy but super short! I feel like the fans at this live show got shafted.
3
Dec 07 2021
Sheet Music
10cc
The lead single "The Worst Band in the World" failed to chart. Are they they worst band in the world? Not by a long shot based on other albums included in the 1001 albums list. But just because they aren't the worst band in the world, does that make them worthy of inclusion on this list? Absolutely not.
2
Dec 08 2021
1999
Prince
This one is hard for me. I like it more than Sign O the Times because it is less all over the place which made Sign O the times probably very exciting for people who were not me. I don't like it quite as much as Purple Rain; however, which means I should be giving this a 3.5 but our stupid rating system doesn't allow it. Fun fact, being in the class of 1999 meant that this song was requested and played at every high school game/function my senior year. However, it was NOT our official class song because the administration thought the line "I've got a lion in my pocket, and baby he's ready to roar" was too inappropriate. Of all the Prince lyrics about sex to get huffy about....
3
Dec 09 2021
Soul Mining
The The
2
Dec 10 2021
Whatever
Aimee Mann
3
Dec 13 2021
In Utero
Nirvana
Ok, I am about to get my 90s kid credentials revoked. Let me preface this by saying that I like grunge. I like the mix of rock and punk and all the grit and distortion that comes with it. But for whatever reason, I just could never get totally behind Nirvana. There are lots of songs I like (All Apologies, Dumb), some I love (Heart-Shaped Box), and some I don't really get but I'm willing to go on that ride (PennyRoyal Tea). But I actively dislike Scentless Apprentice and especially Tourette's (why is that possessive??). They are just noise for the sake of noise. Rape Me has always bothered me because it is supposed to be an anti-rape song like "go ahead and rape me but I will survive this" but you can't really get that unless you read that Kurt intended it that way.
Ultimately I feel like Nirvana is Ethan Hawke's character, Troy, in Reality Bites. Trying to be counter culture, anti-everything artists on the outside with a soft, sensitive center...but in reality Troy (and Nirvana) just aren't as good as people want to believe them to be.
3
Dec 14 2021
Stankonia
OutKast
I love Outkast. I love their sound. Do I wish they bent their considerable talents towards worthier lyrical topics than their many conquests? Yes. However, contemplating the aftermath of those conquests as in "Ms. Jackson" makes it clear to me they have something more to say than just rapping about "Gangsta Shit" (but they can do that too).
4
Dec 15 2021
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
For the first 30 seconds, I thought this was going to be a very different album than it turned out to be. I dig the harder rock sometimes veering into punk sounds. Lead vocals are powerful and I like the strings on Secretly. Actually, the parts of the album (Secretly in particular) reminded me of Evanescence. They are similarly melodramatic, they both incorporate hard rock with orchestral elements, and they have powerful lead vocalists....too bad I can't understand any of Skunk Anansie's lyrics. Even reading them, they are gibberish ("skinny kack para, para dutty dykie nigga") so even if I want to scream along, I wouldn't know what to say. The lyrics leave this one at 3 stars but there were some pleasant surprises with this one.
3
Dec 16 2021
Killing Joke
Killing Joke
I did not enjoy this album until The Wait which is track 5. Aptly named.
2
Dec 17 2021
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4
Dec 20 2021
Tidal
Fiona Apple
I think I knew at the time (but I had since forgotten) that Fiona Apple was still a teenager when Tidal came out but this album has never sounded like a teenager wrote it. It is emotional, raw, and definitely more musically complex than the standard radio fare of the mid to late 90s. To teenage me, these songs were permission from an older, wiser, much cooler girl to be whatever I wanted to be, whether that was sultry, angry whatever. It's a message I still need to revisit sometimes and this album will forever be in rotation for me.
5
Dec 21 2021
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
Huh, turns out I enjoy Queen even when I only recognize one of the songs.
4
Dec 22 2021
16 Lovers Lane
The Go-Betweens
3
Dec 23 2021
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
3
Dec 24 2021
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
I might need to listen to this album a few more times before I can figure out how I really feel about it. My first impression is that the back half (from Pyramid on) is really in the groove but now I need to go back and listen to the first half. The fact that I WANT to listen to this album a few more times to figure out how I feel about it speaks volumes when compared to so many other albums on this list.
4
Dec 27 2021
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Listening to jaunty Christmas music in March (because I forgot to rate the album when it came up on Christmas) is weird. It is marginally less weird than the out of tune Christmas music that emanates from the run-down ice cream truck that rolls through my neighborhood on sunny days. Some of these (Christmas (Baby Please Come Home and Winter Wonderland) are the tracks that you hear ubiquitously as soon as Halloween is over and some I had never heard (and really never need to hear again). I will stick to listening to Christmas music during the month of December (except for the ice cream truck).
3
Dec 28 2021
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
I honestly donβt know why I like this better than the other thrash metal on this list, but I do. Which is still only good enough for 3 stars.
3
Dec 29 2021
The Band
The Band
Almost a 2 because of any song with lead vocals by Richard Manuel. I much prefer Helmβs voice.
3
Dec 30 2021
Faust IV
Faust
2
Dec 31 2021
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
3
Jan 03 2022
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
3
Jan 04 2022
The Visitors
ABBA
I donβt know if I will ever actively seek out ABBA but you canβt help but move your feet a little.
3
Jan 05 2022
Drunk
Thundercat
2
Jan 06 2022
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
3
Jan 07 2022
Be
Common
4
Jan 10 2022
OK Computer
Radiohead
OK Computer is only slightly, ever so slightly, below The Bends for me as it skews more experimental and electronic than it's predecessor. But it still contains a lot of the guitar that I love about the Bends with a more dystopian feel. I was reading old reviews of OK Computer and someone called it βbody music that circumvents the head to reach the spirit.β That's a pretty apt description of what both The Bends and OK Computer mean to me. Radiohead is one of a handful of bands for which the lyrics are only very distantly important. For me, OK Computer is almost entirely about the feeling evoked rather than the poetry expressed.
5
Jan 11 2022
There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
2
Jan 12 2022
Heaven Or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins
3
Jan 13 2022
Entertainment
Gang Of Four
3
Jan 14 2022
The Man Who
Travis
3
Jan 17 2022
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
I would have told you I didn't know any Grateful Dead songs but I did surprisingly know a few of these, the best of which was Friend of the Devil. I was glad to listen to an album with normal length tracks. The live albums and 25 min of jamming for one song are unbearable. Since this album was pleasant and concise by comparison, it gets an extra star.
4
Jan 18 2022
Me Against The World
2Pac
This is the most emo rap album I have ever heard. So much self-loathing, anger, and hopelessness. The bleakness was actually kind of refreshing in a way. He definitely has an opinion on the nature vs. nurture debate.
4
Jan 19 2022
Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
4
Jan 20 2022
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
2
Jan 21 2022
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
4
Jan 24 2022
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Why does every track end up sounding the same?
2
Jan 25 2022
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
3
Jan 26 2022
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
Stylistically "Big Ten Inch Record" was jarring both for the lyrics and the sound. It's like someone plunked a Jive song down in the middle of a rock/blues album. Turns out there is a reason it doesn't sound like the rest of the album, it was a cover.
4
Jan 27 2022
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of my favorite songs (the way it builds!), The Boxer is one of only songs I could remember all the words to when I was sleep-deprived and blearily rocking my infants to sleep in the middle of night, and Cecilia just always makes me happy.
5
Jan 28 2022
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
It did not help that I was listening to this in the late afternoon when I was already tired but this is sooooo low energy.
2
Jan 31 2022
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
3
Feb 01 2022
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
My family listened to this album on repeat. Nothing beats her delivery, she made me feel her pain even when I was too young to understand why she was in pain. Unfortunately, this album remains relevant.
5
Feb 02 2022
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
2
Feb 03 2022
Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
3
Feb 04 2022
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
2
Feb 07 2022
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
3
Feb 08 2022
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
This album feels like the score to a show that I can't see. Despite the diversity of sound, I ultimately have no idea what is happening on stage or how the story is progressing so I lose interest.
2
Feb 09 2022
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
First of all, the beginning of the song Morning Glory sounds like The One I Love by REM. How did I never notice that before? Secondly, how did his voice not annoy me in the 90s? Don't get me wrong, I still like some of these songs. Hello is underrated and is an excellent start to an album. Roll With It sounds like they want to be the Beatles while Don't Look Back in Anger actually sounds like it could be the Beatles. And of course there is the aforementioned influence of REM. It was a nice walk down memory lane, even if it's one I am not likely to repeat any time soon.
4
Feb 10 2022
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Love the Pixies, back half had more of the Pixie sound than the front half. The main problem with this album is the length.
4
Feb 11 2022
Kenya
Machito
3
Feb 14 2022
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
I haven't ever heard this but it feels like the jumping off point for Digable Planets and De La Soul. It feels a little more dated but definitely in the same ballpark.
3
Feb 15 2022
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
I am having a tough time with this one. There were moments of listening to this that were not entirely pleasant. But somehow they were unpleasant in an interesting way that made me want to listen to more. I can't figure out why that is, but due to the fact that I want to hear more, I am giving this 4 stars.
4
Feb 16 2022
Rip It Up
Orange Juice
New wave is just not my jam. I did wonder why Edwyn Collins (A Girl Like You) was stuck in my head and then I read that he is the vocalist and it made sense. He has a very distinct way of singing that really doesn't work for me. The best track was A Million Pleading Faces which sounded nothing like the rest of the album. One extra star for the drums and flugelhorn (you don't hear a lot of flugelhorn in pop music).
2
Feb 17 2022
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
2
Feb 18 2022
Take Me Apart
Kelela
Was digging this vibe. Fills the R&B hole in my playlist that is good for chilling in the dark (Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, etc). I could listen to Onanon on repeat.
4
Feb 21 2022
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
Like a cross between Elton John and Pink Floyd. I enjoyed this and will listen to more.
4
Feb 22 2022
Music From Big Pink
The Band
3
Feb 23 2022
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
I feel bad giving this a 2 considering the cultural significance and the fact that the sound is perfectly pleasant. The problem for me lies in the fact that it was designed to be background to what was happening on screen. It is not designed or intended to be digested on it's own.
2
Feb 24 2022
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
This album feels like the musical equivalent of walking into a modern art exhibition and being told that a wadded up gum wrapper is the hottest new art piece. I donβt get it, which makes me angry because I feel like I have been conned. How is this the same man that wrote Hallelujah?! This album is a con job, it has to be. I was sold a bill of goods when I saw the name pop up and what I got was a saxophone laden eighties dumpster fire in which Cohen doesnβt sing so much as recite bad spoken word poetry.
1
Feb 25 2022
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
Some of the samples and hooks are really catchy. Itβs Kanyeβs rhymes that are often delusional or just bad.
2
Feb 28 2022
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
3
Mar 01 2022
No Other
Gene Clark
3
Mar 02 2022
Grace
Jeff Buckley
1994 was one of the best years in music, maybe ever, and this album was part of the reason why. In contrast to the distortion and discontent coming from Seattle, Jeff Buckley made an album that was just as emotional and raw but beautiful. His vocal control is amazing as are his musical choices about when and how to use it.
Lover, You Should Have Come Over is one of my top 10 favorite songs and was on just about every mixed tape I ever made. I even wrote a psychology paper on that song in undergrad, got an A :). That sigh before the first note of Hallelujah gets me every time. He may not have written it, but it's most definitely his song now. The opening of Last Goodbye sounds a little like it was ripped off by Oasis for Champagne Supernova (the "how many special people" part). And I actually love the way that So Real falls apart in the middle and then puts itself back together.
This album is different and classic at the same time. Unlike some of the other music from '94, my love for this album has only grown and that speaks to the wide array of musical styles from which it draws inspiration. That range is apparent in who has claimed to be influenced and inspired by Buckley. Everyone from Adele to PJ Harvey, Radiohead to Lana Del Rey. Hell, Jimmy Page said this album was close to being his favorite of the decade and David Bowie said it was one of the 10 albums he would bring to a desert island. I gotta agree with the greats on this one.
5
Mar 03 2022
Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
The voice is a huge turnoff and I could not hate that broken English song any more than I do.
1
Mar 04 2022
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
More aggressive and harder than the album Be. I like Be better but I generally like his flow.
3
Mar 07 2022
Homework
Daft Punk
Background music
3
Mar 08 2022
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
I will always love the texture and unique quality of her voice.
4
Mar 09 2022
High Violet
The National
4
Mar 10 2022
Apocalypse 91β¦ The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
They turned up the political and social commentary ("I Don't Wanna be Called Yo Nigga" is particularly interesting considering the pervasive use of the word in later hip hop). I actually like this better than It Takes A Nation.
3
Mar 11 2022
Vespertine
BjΓΆrk
3
Mar 14 2022
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
The parts I like, I like better than Tricky's Maxinquaye. Blue Lines is a stand-out but then Thankful for What You've Got doesn't sound at all like it belongs on a trip-hop album. Ultimately, I think both this and Maxinquaye deserve 2.5 so I will split the difference and give this a 3 and Tricky a 2.
3
Mar 15 2022
Illmatic
Nas
3
Mar 16 2022
Diamond Life
Sade
Remember how pretentious-ass couldn't get past the saxophones to appreciate Tina's voice? I feel the same about Sade. I can't appreciate the voice and the general groove because all I hear is the sax.
2
Mar 17 2022
Maxinquaye
Tricky
2
Mar 18 2022
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3
Mar 21 2022
Low-Life
New Order
2
Mar 22 2022
Garbage
Garbage
This is a 3.5 star album. I am going 4 because I was so pumped to see them last year with Liz Phair and Alanis. Stupid pandemic.
4
Mar 23 2022
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
The best Leonard Cohen album on the list. Vibes are more Simon and Garfunkel than Nick Cave which explains why its my highest rated of the LC albums. Guess he should have stopped at 1.
3
Mar 24 2022
Here Come The Warm Jets
Brian Eno
2
Mar 25 2022
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
Clearly these guys can play, but why they chose to play this is unclear. And really? A kazoo?
1
Mar 28 2022
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3
Mar 29 2022
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Maybe the only example of prog rock that I can really get into. I didn't go into this expecting to like it more than than Dark Side of the Moon but man this is a balanced album and I love that they keep bringing it back to the same riffs. Feels very complete.
5
Mar 30 2022
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
3
Mar 31 2022
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
3
Apr 01 2022
Kala
M.I.A.
I appreciate the unique sound.
3
Apr 04 2022
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
1
Apr 05 2022
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
3
Apr 06 2022
Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams
I used to love this album. It was my perfect rainy day music. Then came #metoo and a slew of allegations that he was a manipulative, abusive, lecherous fuck. Sigh. I canβt separate my feelings about the man from my feelings about the music. If I could, this would be a higher rating.
3
Apr 07 2022
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
One of the greatest rock albums of all time. There is both an edge and a sultriness to Led Zepplin. Maybe itβs the way they slide between notes, maybe itβs the blues influence, or maybe I have just seen dazed and confused too many times, but this album makes me want to do drugs and get laid. I guess I now better understand the phrase βsex, drugs, and rock nβ rollβ.
5
Apr 08 2022
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
4
Apr 11 2022
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
3
Apr 12 2022
Truth
Jeff Beck
Rod Stewarts voice was made to sing the blues. Ol' Man River and Greensleeves were odd choices for this otherwise bluesy album.
3
Apr 13 2022
Suicide
Suicide
2
Apr 14 2022
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
3
Apr 15 2022
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
3
Apr 18 2022
Arrival
ABBA
3
Apr 19 2022
Achtung Baby
U2
4
Apr 20 2022
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
2
Apr 21 2022
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
2
Apr 22 2022
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
I love his voice but found myself getting bored
2
Apr 25 2022
Deloused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
Itβs not boringβ¦
3
Apr 26 2022
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
This album feels very ordinary, particularly when compared to To Pimp a Butterfly.
3
Apr 27 2022
1984
Van Halen
2
Apr 28 2022
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
5
Apr 29 2022
Station To Station
David Bowie
3
May 02 2022
Songs Of Love And Hate
Leonard Cohen
I never quite get to loving LC. It's more like songs that I tolerate and hate.
2
May 03 2022
Phrenology
The Roots
3
May 04 2022
Second Toughest In The Infants
Underworld
Some of these tracks remind me of the background music that you would play in a scene where life around the main protagonist is sped up and blurry to denote the passage of time. Similarly, these tracks blurred together and nothing stood out for me. It was fine as background music.
2
May 05 2022
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
2
May 06 2022
Who's Next
The Who
I never really got the hype about The Who, never really got their concept albums. But this is a solid album of rock songs, opening and closing with some of the best tracks we have heard from The Who. If there were more albums like this, I would get the love.
4
May 09 2022
All Directions
The Temptations
3
May 10 2022
Made In Japan
Deep Purple
3
May 11 2022
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4
May 12 2022
Legalize It
Peter Tosh
3
May 13 2022
Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
I literally almost fell asleep.
2
May 16 2022
Low
David Bowie
2
May 17 2022
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I kinda love the RHCP but I know other people hate them (or at least feel very ambivalent about them). I have always enjoyed their more bass driven sound. 1 star off for anytime Anthony Kiedis tries to do that rap-rock thing.
4
May 18 2022
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
The avant-garde jazz vibes (looking at you title track) almost downgraded this for me, but this is better than some of the other Bowie on the list.
3
May 19 2022
New Forms
Roni Size
2
May 20 2022
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
3
May 23 2022
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
The first track had me worried I wouldn't make it through this album. Thankfully it got more listenable, but never rose to the level that I would actively seek this out to listen again.
3
May 24 2022
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
I had this album. I did a lot of homework while listening to the repetitive beeps and boops. It was a feature, not a bug, but now it just bugs me.
3
May 25 2022
Back In Black
AC/DC
AC/DC only has one level, 11.
3
May 26 2022
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
2
May 27 2022
Golden Hour
Kacey Musgraves
3
May 30 2022
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
2
May 31 2022
Graceland
Paul Simon
My first boyfriend was convinced that Paul Simon sold his soul to the devil after his failed relationships (with both writing partner Art Garfunkel and wife Carrie Fisher) to come away from those failures with Graceland. The album is a blend of such unique styles and sounds and it is amazing to me how joyous the album sounds despite the preceding failures of Simon's personal and professional life. My first boyfriend was not the brightest but he may have been correct in this case.
5
Jun 01 2022
GI
Germs
You know you are in for something fast and furious when you see 16 tracks in a total run time of 38 min. I guess this is on the list because its considered "the first full-length hardcore punk album" but maybe there weren't full length hardcore albums before this because people can't take that much hardcore punk....
2
Jun 02 2022
Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
2
Jun 03 2022
Boy In Da Corner
Dizzee Rascal
3
Jun 06 2022
Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
It takes balls to declare yourself everyone's new favourite band. The first and last songs were the best on the album but even though they have a sound I like, I started getting tired of it.
3
Jun 07 2022
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
Man, lead vocalist Adam Granduciel sounds an awful lot like Ryan Adams (but without the problematic personal life that I know of!), Yay for modern Americana that I don't feel guilty listening to!
4
Jun 08 2022
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
3
Jun 09 2022
Snivilisation
Orbital
3
Jun 10 2022
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
3
Jun 13 2022
Young Americans
David Bowie
The overuse of the saxophone on this album makes this feel dated but I like the funk undertones, particularly on Fascination. I still don't like Bowie's voice so its looking like Bowie albums have a ceiling of around 3 stars.
3
Jun 14 2022
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
3
Jun 15 2022
John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
What did John Barleycorn ever do to anyone?! Together with Jethro Tull and King Crimson, I think it is really the genre of Prog Rock that must die.
2
Jun 16 2022
Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers
Sure it sounds a little basic now, but it is refreshingly upbeat and keeps me tapping along.
3
Jun 17 2022
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
How is the best Stones song (Paint it Black) on the most meh Stones album?
3
Jun 20 2022
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
3
Jun 21 2022
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
3
Jun 22 2022
Technique
New Order
3
Jun 23 2022
Nevermind
Nirvana
4
Jun 24 2022
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
3
Jun 27 2022
Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
2
Jun 28 2022
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
3
Jun 29 2022
Rubber Soul
Beatles
4
Jun 30 2022
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Is Peter Frampton Yacht Rock? "Baby, I Love Your Way" screams Yacht Rock to me but the rest is fine classic rock.
4
Jul 01 2022
Forever Changes
Love
3
Jul 04 2022
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
2
Jul 05 2022
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
3
Jul 06 2022
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
I get that this album is important. I also get that you grew up hard and you are a bad-ass motherf***er. I get it. But damn it is hard to listen to these sexist and derogatory lyrics now (ever?). I often wonder if the most popular female rap/hip-hop artists today listen to early gansta rap and what they think about it.
2
Jul 07 2022
Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
3
Jul 08 2022
Skylarking
XTC
2
Jul 11 2022
The Yes Album
Yes
2
Jul 12 2022
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
3
Jul 13 2022
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
1
Jul 14 2022
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It's loud, high-energy, punk flavored rock that set the stage for all the female fronted rock bands I love today.
5
Jul 15 2022
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Wikipedia tells me this is "the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the [Billboard] chart." Even though I will never actively chose to listen to Elvis, I can't give this anything less than 3 stars for the cultural significance and for bringing rock and roll into the mainstream.
3
Jul 18 2022
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
4
Jul 19 2022
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
My least hated nu metal/rap rock album on this list?
3
Jul 20 2022
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
2
Jul 21 2022
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
Before I clicked play, I had it in my head that I would be hearing a different Springfield, Dusty Springfield. So I was confused but pleasantly surprised to hear the rock sound and male vocals on the first track before realizing my mistake. Despite my mix-up, I ended up liking this album more than a lot of the Neil Young solo albums on this list.
4
Jul 22 2022
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
I don't know who this Derek character is but hooray for an album that sounds like Eric Clapton without the guilt of supporting a racist POS. Wait, did Clapton cover Layla from Derek? Oh Shit...Derek IS Clapton. Damn it.
4
Jul 25 2022
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
2
Jul 26 2022
Closer
Joy Division
The voice ruins this for me.
2
Jul 27 2022
British Steel
Judas Priest
My least hated metal band yet? I guess thatβs good enough for a 3.
3
Jul 28 2022
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
Touched and To Here Knows When are bloody awful but if you can push past (or better yet, just hit skip) on those two tracks at the beginning, the rest of the album has that muddy, lo-fi sound that is so early 90s alt rock but not grunge. Not enough here to bump it up to 3 stars but I don't hate it.
2
Jul 29 2022
Survivor
Destiny's Child
2
Aug 01 2022
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
4
Aug 02 2022
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
5
Aug 03 2022
Violator
Depeche Mode
The lyrics of this album are awful. The music is meh but the beats are repetitive enough that I found myself unconsciously tapping my toe so I guess that is something.
2
Aug 04 2022
Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Dexys Midnight Runners
Not a great sign when my favorite track on the first half of the album is instrumental. Why oh why did Kevin Rowland ever think that "putting that 'crying' voice on" was a good idea?!
2
Aug 05 2022
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
3
Aug 08 2022
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
A jazzy Nick Drake is different but maybe not better than a sad Nick Drake.
3
Aug 09 2022
Disraeli Gears
Cream
2 really excellent classic rock standards (Sunshine of your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses), 4 really good bluesy tracks (Strange Brew, SWLABR, Outside Women Blues, Take it Back), 3 really meh tracks that were too psychedelic for me (World of Pain, Dance the Night Away, We're Going Wrong), and 2 real stinkers (Blue Condition, Mother's Lament) leave me squarely in 3.5 territory. Sadly, I expected more.
3
Aug 10 2022
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
4
Aug 11 2022
Document
R.E.M.
4
Aug 12 2022
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
βYou are hardcore, you make me hard.β There is nothing sexy or seductive about Barry or this album.
2
Aug 15 2022
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
5
Aug 16 2022
Pyromania
Def Leppard
4
Aug 17 2022
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
4
Aug 18 2022
BEYONCΓ
BeyoncΓ©
3
Aug 19 2022
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
I am less familiar with this Led Zeppelin album compared to their earlier albums but that is an oversight I plan to rectify. The four song progression from the bluesy slide guitar of In My Time of Dying, to the rock of Houses of the Holy, to the more funky sound of Trampled Under Foot, to the classic opening of Kashmir (even my 4 year old canβt help but bob her head along to this guitar riff) shows all that Led Zeppelin has to offer. Yβall know how I feel about Led Zeppelin π and this album is no different.
5
Aug 22 2022
On The Beach
Neil Young
3
Aug 23 2022
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
I guess I expected the Talking Heads to sound more synth-y (a la Burning down the House). The music was more rock than I expected but I guess this album was part of their transition. Too bad the only good song isn't even their song.
2
Aug 24 2022
Bubble And Scrape
Sebadoh
I had a couple Sebadoh albums (Bakesale and Harmacy) and I have literally never met anyone else who has even heard of them, let alone liked them, so I was surprised as hell to see them pop up on 1001 albums. I also was surprised as hell with some of the sonic chaos on the album. I get that they were all βlook at us we are so lo-fi and coolβ but why make so many sounds that donβt sound good? Turns out there is a good reason why this album sounds like two different bands, all the songs I like are written by Lou Barlow and all the songs I donβt were by Eric Gaffney who left the band after this album and didnβt appear on Bakesale of Harmacy (if you like the first couple songs, give those other albums a listen). I wish I could give this album a higher rating because the songs I like, I really like, but overall itβs a mess.
3
Aug 25 2022
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3
Aug 26 2022
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4
Aug 29 2022
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
4
Aug 30 2022
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
First listen I did not like this album. 2nd listen was better and I got a lot of work done thanks in part to the driving beat of most of the songs but it still faded into the background for me. Split the difference, 2 stars.
2
Aug 31 2022
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2
Sep 01 2022
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
Sorry guys, I like the music (why donβt people use a harmonica anymore!), but I just canβt with his voice.
2
Sep 02 2022
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
3
Sep 05 2022
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
4
Sep 06 2022
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
5
Sep 07 2022
Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
4
Sep 08 2022
Infected
The The
2
Sep 09 2022
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
3
Sep 12 2022
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
I didnβt finish the album. I feel bad rating it on a (very) incomplete listen, but I feel like the fact that couldn't finish speaks for itself.
1
Sep 13 2022
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
3
Sep 14 2022
I Against I
Bad Brains
I dunno, maybe this benefited from being short and fast after a couple very long and slow albums. At least this wasnβt boring.
3
Sep 15 2022
Iβm a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
So I like bluegrass, I like some country, I have even been to MerleFestβ¦and yet Merle Haggard is not my thing. The slow songs kill any joy I get from the faster paced songs. I also prefer the music when he is not singing. I would go back to MerleFest though.
2
Sep 16 2022
Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
Never heard of The Damned before but damn if I am not a fan.
4
Sep 19 2022
The ArchAndroid
Janelle MonΓ‘e
Janelle Monae strikes me as someone exceedingly creative and the album is eclectic and interesting as a result.
4
Sep 20 2022
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
Huh, so I CAN like Tom Waits. I was convinced after we got Bone Machine that I did not like Tom Waits, not no way, not no how. But somehow his voice works better on this slower album? Based on Jersey Girl, where he seems to slip in and out of his growl, it appears the gravel is a CHOICE. My throat hurts just from listening but this is an album that I may come back to when I need a good wallow.
3
Sep 21 2022
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
3
Sep 22 2022
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
The sound is high-energy, it's classic, and the importance of Little Richard on the trajectory of both rock and roll and desegregation of musical audiences cannot be overstated. That being said, there are really only two songs (Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally sound almost identical while Can't Believe You Want to Leave and Miss Ann are slower but very similar to eachother).
3
Sep 23 2022
Make Yourself
Incubus
Lang said "I can see why late 90s, coming-of-age, angsty teens, who rejected the culture of the cools, would be in to this." His review was basically describing me. Incubus was my bridge between my 90s alternative roots and the emo of the early 2000s. I first got into Incubus with their preceding album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E, an often schizophrenic combination of heavy metal guitars, bass-driven funk, electronic/scratching, and Brandon Boyd's intense but also melodic voice was so interesting to me. Make Yourself is definitely more refined but still incorporates all those different styles. I take issue with the idea that at some point the angst should lift, I will never grow out of my enjoyment of screaming/singing along with Brandon Boyd.
5
Sep 26 2022
Sound Affects
The Jam
3
Sep 27 2022
School's Out
Alice Cooper
2
Sep 28 2022
Moondance
Van Morrison
My roommate in undergrad swore that Van Morrison was the best get-it-on music. I never understood. I still don't. Don't get me wrong, the music is perfectly pleasant. But this album is more likely to put me to sleep than put me in the mood.
3
Sep 29 2022
Virgin Suicides
Air
I am glad I waited a few days to rate this. I am flummoxed by the high reviews. Very few of these songs feel like stand-alone tracks, it feels like a collection of sounds that accompany and play a supporting role to a visual medium I can't see. I don't hate the general feel or sound but something is definitely missing (it doesn't even feel that emotional to me, perhaps because the visuals are adding that piece of the puzzle). It's funny we got Nine Inch Nails two days after this because I am no NIN fan but that album feels MUCH more cinematic to me. Instead of missing a piece of the puzzle, I can almost see a movie playing in my head during large chunks of the NIN album. Not so with Air. Ambient music is weird to me. How am I supposed to get invested in something that is purposefully so chill and designed not to grab your attention?
2
Sep 30 2022
evermore
Taylor Swift
Hands down my favorite Taylor Swift album. Stripped of most of the big pop production, you are left with writing that is poignant and an album that feels much more intimate. Folk-y Taylor Swift is my favorite of her reinventions so far.
5
Oct 03 2022
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Everything about this album, even the chaos, feels like a purposeful choice with a specific point of view. It's emotional and demands attention. That being said, a lot of this album makes me feel a little ill. The opening lyrics of Closer make me deeply uncomfortable. The whole album is about self-destruction but that song and Big Man with a Gun very explicitly detail how that self-destruction violently drag others down too and the glorification of those darker thoughts have always left me on edge.
2
Oct 04 2022
(Pronounced 'Leh-'NΓ©rd 'Skin-'NΓ©rd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3
Oct 05 2022
C'est Chic
CHIC
If you like a song on this album you better like it a LOT because each song is repetitive af.
2
Oct 06 2022
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
I listened to this album a fair amount in the early 2000s. It occupies the same sad hole in my heart where Aimee Mann and Elliott Smith also reside. I can only listen to them when it's a little gloomy out and when I am in a certain mood. Gillian Welch's voice and harmonies are beautiful. I love the way the music highlights traditional bluegrass instruments like the banjo but with a dark twist. If I had one critique it would be that sometimes the music is so slow and soft it sometimes takes on a droning/dirge-like feel that can put me to sleep. Like I said, gotta be in the right mood.
4
Oct 07 2022
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
2
Oct 10 2022
Protection
Massive Attack
3
Oct 11 2022
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
3
Oct 12 2022
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
4
Oct 13 2022
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
Maybe I was already pissed because I saw the length of this album. Maybe I was already annoyed because choosing to do 69 love songs is a terribly immature joke. Maybe I could have overcome those annoyances if it was good, but it wasn't.
1
Oct 14 2022
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
It feels so basic now, but points for paving the way.
3
Oct 17 2022
21
Adele
Adele clearly went through some shit but damn I am glad we got this album as a result. This album is a pop masterpiece with infusions of R&B, gospel, and soul. Her voice has a very unique texture and tone that makes every note ooze with her heartbreak, anger, and depression. By the time Set Fire to the Rain is done, I am emotionally exhausted, and it's only halfway through the album! This album will be in my regular rotation forever, it was a classic the moment it was released.
5
Oct 18 2022
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
my first thought was "is that a didgeridoo?", my second thought was "is this jazz? funk? disco? lounge?". The answers are yes and I don't know. I don't know how to categorize this but it's fun to listen to, a huge juxtaposition to the apocalyptic warnings of many of the lyrics. Some of the tracks ("Music of the Mind") veer too close to improvisational jazz for my taste but the album is nothing if not unique.
3
Oct 19 2022
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
Most of the songs just repeat one line over and over. I don't hate the energy, I hate the lazy writing.
2
Oct 20 2022
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2
Oct 21 2022
Bad
Michael Jackson
4-star album (too much unremarkable filler like Speed Demon, Liberian Girl, Another Part of Me and MJs ballads like I Just Can't Stop Loving You are really not my thing), but the real question is do I give it 4 stars when I can't hear a Michael Jackson song without thinking about the allegations of abuse? My ability to listen to his music is tainted. Lose a star.
3
Oct 24 2022
Pornography
The Cure
When I first start listening to a Cure album I think "Oh, I really like the Cure!" but I tire of it around 2/3 of the way through the album.
3
Oct 25 2022
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
I dislike when she sings in her high register with that breathy whisper (most heavily featured on White Dress but in other songs too), it is unlistenable. Overall I am not sure what the fuss is about with Lana.
2
Oct 26 2022
Funeral
Arcade Fire
This album benefits from the context in which it was discovered. I had grown very weary of what passed for early 2000s "alternative" rock and this album comes along and it was love at first listen. I had also just started dating someone really great so the time in my life when this album was on heavy rotation was rose colored for sure.
5
Oct 27 2022
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
I feel like I should give this only 4 stars just to differentiate it from the Zeppelin albums we have had on this list so far...but I can't. Their whole sound is just so iconic and while often imitated, it has never been duplicated. It is to be expected that the third album they put out in the span of less than 2 years will have some weaker material, and it doesn't matter because they are at such a high level that those differences are meaningless.
5
Oct 28 2022
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
Oh and you know what? I bought another Sonic Youth album and it sucked... it's just noise. - Juno MacGuff
Maybe she bought this one?
1
Oct 31 2022
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
2
Nov 01 2022
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
3
Nov 02 2022
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
1
Nov 03 2022
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
I like the first song. The rest of the album didn't quite live up to it for me but it was fine.
3
Nov 04 2022
Nowhere
Ride
I generally liked it, it needed something more special to really get it over the hump to a 4. Nothing to complain about but nothing to get excited about either.
3
Nov 07 2022
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
"Without soul, there'd be no rock, and without rock, there'd be no soul."
3
Nov 08 2022
The Cars
The Cars
Really a 3.5, I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. This might be my favorite 80s album that isn't really an 80s album, probably because the rock is more prominent and the synth didn't totally take over.
3
Nov 09 2022
Fishscale
Ghostface Killah
2
Nov 10 2022
Sincere
Mj Cole
3
Nov 11 2022
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
1
Nov 14 2022
Siembra
Willie ColΓ³n & RubΓ©n Blades
3
Nov 15 2022
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
5
Nov 16 2022
All Hail the Queen
Queen Latifah
3
Nov 17 2022
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
3
Nov 18 2022
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
3
Nov 21 2022
Odelay
Beck
I put Jack-Ass on a bunch of mixed tapes I made for people. I always enjoyed that that it was so different from the omnipresent Where It's At. The main draw of Beck is that he is not boring.
4
Nov 22 2022
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
3
Nov 23 2022
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
4
Nov 24 2022
Abbey Road
Beatles
4
Nov 25 2022
Future Days
Can
Wikipedia tells me that Future Days distinguishes itself as the group's "most weightless achievement, perpetuum mobile, solar-powered in an eternal peach sunset, skipping over the tips of green coastal sierras, gulping lungfuls of delicious air." The description is randomly assorted words to which we are supposed to attribute meaning, much like this album is a bunch of random sound bits strung together to make "songs".
1
Nov 28 2022
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
4
Nov 29 2022
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
4
Nov 30 2022
Songs From A Room
Leonard Cohen
2
Dec 01 2022
I Should Coco
Supergrass
Mostly solid album. Loved "Alright", brings me straight back to the 90s. Hated "We're Not Supposed To", why do they sound like chipmunks? Averages out.
3
Dec 02 2022
Connected
Stereo MC's
2
Dec 05 2022
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
I wish every song wasn't so repetitive. Cut 1-2 minutes from each track and this would have been 4 stars.
3
Dec 06 2022
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
This album spans the generations. It managed to annoy me AND a carpool full of middle schoolers.
2
Dec 07 2022
Haut de gamme / KoweΓ―t, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
Mostly happy upbeat music which is at odds with how he is described in his wikipedia article (multiple assault charges and a conviction for statutory rape). I have a history of docking stars for artists who use their status to exploit others and no exception will be made here.
2
Dec 08 2022
Like A Prayer
Madonna
Oof, this album has aged about as gracefully as Madonna herself. Super dated sound, weird artistic choices (looking at you Act of Contrition). The title track is still solid.
2
Dec 09 2022
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
Electronic Resistance seemed out of place at first but I was pleasantly surprised by the departure from jangly pop into jangly electronica.
4
Dec 12 2022
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
I listened to this back-to-back with Faith and I prefer this album to George's debut. They Won't Go When I Go was particularly nice.
3
Dec 13 2022
Dummy
Portishead
The whole album is a vibe best enjoyed after dark. Itβs lonely and yet makes me feel like I am not alone. Itβs hauntingly, achingly ethereal but also tinged with a sour regret you canβt quite stop thinking about. Glory Box is a standout for me but the whole album is perfection.
5
Dec 14 2022
All Mod Cons
The Jam
3
Dec 15 2022
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
2
Dec 16 2022
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts
The Adverts
3
Dec 19 2022
Van Halen
Van Halen
3
Dec 20 2022
Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
3
Dec 21 2022
Tapestry
Carole King
4
Dec 22 2022
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
2
Dec 23 2022
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
3
Dec 26 2022
Aja
Steely Dan
2
Dec 27 2022
Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3
Dec 28 2022
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
4
Dec 29 2022
Teen Dream
Beach House
3
Dec 30 2022
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
4
Jan 02 2023
The Age Of The Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets
Sounded like the soundtrack to a 60s Bond movie...which I guess is what they were going for?
3
Jan 03 2023
Frank
Amy Winehouse
This is jazz where the main featured instrument is Amy's voice. I love the unique texture of her voice but the style of these songs is not really my thing.
3
Jan 04 2023
A Seat at the Table
Solange
The music may not hold my interest but the interludes and messages do.
3
Jan 05 2023
Out of Step
Minor Threat
Can I just listen to an instrumental version? Strong dislike of the voice but love the energy.
3
Jan 06 2023
Fragile
Yes
No. Prog rock is not my thing. The Brahms was an unexpected surprise.
2
Jan 09 2023
The KΓΆln Concert
Keith Jarrett
I find the random voices very distracting. I kept looking behind me thinking someone was talking to me.
2
Jan 10 2023
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Was it an artistic choice to have this album sound muffled? Or a limitation of the recording equipment?
2
Jan 11 2023
L.A. Woman
The Doors
4
Jan 12 2023
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
3
Jan 13 2023
Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
2
Jan 16 2023
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2
Jan 17 2023
At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
Beautiful voice, I wish the recording quality were better or I was there in person.
4
Jan 18 2023
Let It Be
The Replacements
Probably would have been a 3 but damn if Androgynous wasn't super ahead of its time.
4
Jan 19 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
3
Jan 20 2023
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Is Jack Black consciously trying to sound like Iron Maiden? Should they be flattered or offended?
3
Jan 23 2023
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Can't Take My Eyes Off You is maybe my favorite cover ever, Everything Is Everything had an amazing video, and Forgive Them Father might low key be the best track on the record. It has everything that makes Lauryn Hill unique, the hip hop paired with her incredibly soulful voice and tinged with reggae. Her lyrics that are often about being authentic and her deep disappointment with other people/systems that are not genuine. Her confidence and vulnerability were all on display in this album and that resonated deeply with me as high school senior trying to find her footing and place in the world.
5
Jan 24 2023
Hysteria
Def Leppard
I give Pyromania a slight edge. Hysteria veered a little more towards the pop-side of pop-metal.
3
Jan 25 2023
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz kind of defies musical categorization and seems to pull samples and influences from lots of genres which keeps it interesting. Ultimately, that inclusion of different influences results in a sound that is much more sonically pleasing compared to Blur. But I do feel like I am missing something by not seeing the accompanying visual art that is part of the "virtual band" experience.
4
Jan 26 2023
Black Monk Time
The Monks
This album made me laugh, not sure that was what they were going forβ¦
3
Jan 27 2023
Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Lots of great stuff here, but like all jam bands, it gets boring and hard to differentiate the who and what (the where was easily the worst)
3
Jan 30 2023
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear is at times very reminiscent of Fleet Foxes (Ready, Able in particular). It's good dreary day music but it took a couple listens because it tends to fade into the background.
4
Jan 31 2023
Parklife
Blur
The best of the crappy Blur albums on this list.
3
Feb 01 2023
The Rise & Fall
Madness
3
Feb 02 2023
Parallel Lines
Blondie
4
Feb 03 2023
2112
Rush
Well turns out I like 70s Rush way better than 80s Rush. This has a classic rock sound...like what Jack Black sounds like when he tries to be super rock n' roll.
4
Feb 06 2023
Metallica
Metallica
If Enter Sandman is your entrance music, you better back that shit up because you are declaring yourself to be bad ass. As the best closer in baseball, Mariano Rivera backed that shit up. Virginia Tech uses Enter Sandman as the team takes the football field and the whole stadium is jumping up and down like the writhing snake that graces the album cover (spoiler, they do not always back that shit up but its still the most bad ass entry into a sports arena). Metallica, for the most part, also backs that shit up by delivering what has become kind of a standard against which all other heavy metal is judged.
4
Feb 07 2023
Face to Face
The Kinks
3
Feb 08 2023
Follow The Leader
Korn
Whatever you want to call this, nu metal, rap-rock, aggro-metal, alternative metal...it sucks. Look, I like to scream along as much as the next kid, but stop growling your lyrics at me. Wikipedia tells me people liked this album with Entertainment Weekly reviewer Jim Farber calling it "a big load of dumb fun" and said that "going to almost laughable lengths to mess with metal clichΓ©". They got the laughable and clichΓ©d part right.
1
Feb 09 2023
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
I feel like the album cover really reflects the album. From far away, the picture is calm and serene. Up close, there are so many intricacies. This album is really beautiful but ultimately I prefer my serene music to be a little more depressing so that I can really get a good wallow.
4
Feb 10 2023
The Stooges
The Stooges
There is so much potential here and a lot to like. Ultimately, I bumped this down from 4 to 3 because it just didn't feel like a cohesive album. More like a starting point that could go lots of different directions.
3
Feb 13 2023
My Generation
The Who
I like that kept hearing reprises of the song My Generation throughout the album, it made it feel cohesive.
4
Feb 14 2023
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
The instrumental songs are great. The lead singers voice is terrible. I don't love Kurt (Cobain)'s voice but it is miles better than Curt (Kirkwood)'s on the MP covers that Nirvana did for Unplugged.
3
Feb 15 2023
Amnesiac
Radiohead
3
Feb 16 2023
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
3
Feb 17 2023
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
2
Feb 20 2023
Dookie
Green Day
This is the album that kickstarted my little pop-punk loving heart.
5
Feb 21 2023
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
4
Feb 22 2023
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
I am rarely (never?) tempted to go track by track in a review. But this album has so many different reasons to hate it, it's impressive so let's take this journey shall we?
Holes - The beginning screams Coldplay but like a crappier version of Coldplay...oh wait, is that a saw? wtf?
Tonite It Shows - It sounds like a song from a musical for a character who is like walking alone but then comes to some big realization. It feels very theatrical...but sung by someone who can't quite hit the notes.
Endlessly - Is that the saw again? Is that a chorus of people trying to sound like the saw?
I Collect Coins - Like an old timey jukebox running out of power and going slowing out of tune
Opus 40 - oh! this song doesn't suck...wait, why are they dragging out the end so much? stop ruining this!
Hudson Line - dear god the 80s saxophone and just 10 extra seconds of a single high pitch at the end. Why?!
The Happy End (The Drunk Room) - Is the drunk room in a creepy funhouse? What is with the weird stop in the middle where I was blissfully relieved it was over, but no!
Goddess on a Highway - oh! a second song that doesn't suck, let's try not to ruin this one at the end.
The Funny Bird - NOW you are self-conscious about your voice and singing through some voice distortion box? why now? Oh good, let's end this song with a bunch of random noise.
Pick Up If You're There - I didn't hate this one even though it was a little like a funeral dirge...until that effing saw sound again, and then for some reason an unintelligible answering machine message. Seriously, now you guys are just fucking with people, laughing at what they will listen to and call it music.
Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp - I don't have a huge problem with this song. But it's way too little, way too late....oh wait, 3:50 seconds in it ends and becomes a hidden terrible track that again sounds like the backing to a bad musical that happens in a creepy funhouse.
2.5 not crappy songs are not enough to pull this out of 1 star territory. Also they made me spend all this time listening to the songs again so I could write this review and I am spiteful about that.
1
Feb 23 2023
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
2
Feb 24 2023
The Contino Sessions
Death In Vegas
2
Feb 27 2023
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
3
Feb 28 2023
A Night At The Opera
Queen
3
Mar 01 2023
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
2
Mar 02 2023
Brothers
The Black Keys
5
Mar 03 2023
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
3
Mar 06 2023
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3
Mar 07 2023
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
Started strong, but I was expecting a little harder sound with a name like The Stranglers. Ended up getting a very Doors vibe on some songs with that electric organ. Ended up being more silly than subversive.
2
Mar 08 2023
Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3
Mar 09 2023
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
Blessedly short. not my thing.
2
Mar 10 2023
Revolver
Beatles
5
Mar 13 2023
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Songbook, phonebook, sing anything you want Ella, I will listen.
4
Mar 14 2023
Dirt
Alice In Chains
Its funny to me that on the list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums" in Rolling Stone, #24 is Rage Against the Machine, #25 is Metallica's Black Album, and #26 is Dirt. I agree with this order, but there is little daylight between these and I enjoy each of them immensely for different reasons.
4
Mar 15 2023
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
Really dig the guitars in this, nice find!
4
Mar 16 2023
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
3
Mar 17 2023
Clandestino
Manu Chao
I mostly don't know what Manu is saying because he sings in "French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages", but despite the language barrier, Clandestino is varied and interesting.
4
Mar 20 2023
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
3
Mar 21 2023
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
3
Mar 22 2023
Yeezus
Kanye West
It's hard to listen to this now and not see the mental health problems. It's like a sonic manifestation of his bipolar disorder. Couple that with his recent anti-semitic comments and listening to this album 10 years after it dropped feels more like listening to a cautionary tale rather than experiencing ground-breaking art.
1
Mar 23 2023
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
2
Mar 24 2023
Trafalgar
Bee Gees
Not the fun upbeat disco Bee Gees you were expecting.
2
Mar 27 2023
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Sounds like a party.
3
Mar 28 2023
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
3
Mar 29 2023
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
I love Tracey Thorn's voice but I very much dislike the smooth jazz vibe. Her voice is the only reason this is getting two stars instead of 1.
2
Mar 30 2023
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
The spoken word of Trouble Down South and Psycho Cupid was off-putting. Darkness and Doubt had some twang that was completely out of place. At least on Abernant the twang verged towards irish drinking song. This album is a big No.
1
Mar 31 2023
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
2
Apr 03 2023
Close To The Edge
Yes
2
Apr 04 2023
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
I like the vibe but it never grabbed my attention to rise above background music.
3
Apr 05 2023
The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
Poor manβs velvet underground
2
Apr 06 2023
Chris
Christine and the Queens
3
Apr 07 2023
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
4
Apr 10 2023
The Healer
John Lee Hooker
4
Apr 11 2023
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3
Apr 12 2023
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
3
Apr 13 2023
Goo
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth tried their best to ruin a great album with last 30 sec of Mildred Pierce and the end of Scooter + Jinx. Despite them trying to ruin their rating, there is a lot to like and appreciate about this album compared to some other Sonic Youth on this list.
4
Apr 14 2023
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
2
Apr 17 2023
Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos
I didn't discover Tori Amos until Under the Pink (1994) and then I went back and listened to Little Earthquakes relentlessly. Tori was basically a different, less distortion driven way to express my teenage angst at a time when grunge music was dominating airwaves. Grunge and Tori Amos were two sides of the same coin for teenage me.
5
Apr 18 2023
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
3
Apr 19 2023
Palo Congo
Sabu
2
Apr 20 2023
One World
John Martyn
This one is hard to nail down, is it blues? jazz? pop? Sometimes his voice really worked for me (Couldn't Love You More) and sometimes it really didn't. Overall, I am more intrigued than turned off.
3
Apr 21 2023
Paris 1919
John Cale
His voice reminded me of Belle and Sebastian, but without the jangliness that makes Belle and Sebastian pleasant.
2
Apr 24 2023
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
3
Apr 25 2023
Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2
Apr 26 2023
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Mudhoney
4
Apr 27 2023
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
2
Apr 28 2023
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
I can see how his voice works better for fronting a more pure jazz album like this than it does for Bone Machine. I just can't handle that this album is more like a live reading of a collection of short stories.
2
May 01 2023
Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
James Taylor's voice is a warm blanket, soft and cozy. I sang Sweet Baby James to my kids when I would rock them to sleep while Fire and Rain is my favorite James Taylor song. Even though I don't put James Taylor on much anymore, I know I can always go back and put this on and I'll have a friend to make me feel better.
5
May 02 2023
Chelsea Girl
Nico
2
May 03 2023
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
My 4 year old said "He sounds like a bad guy" and she is right. The title track gives me major Scar vibes from The Lion King. In a way, the music actually fits his voice better than some of the other albums we have had to listen to. That is the only reason that I am giving this an extra star and should in no way be misinterpreted as a softening of my dislike for this artist.
2
May 04 2023
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
3
May 05 2023
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
This album sounded like the backing track to an awesome training montage in an 80s action movie. I'm pumped, point me toward the bad guys.
3
May 08 2023
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
1
May 09 2023
Casanova
The Divine Comedy
2
May 10 2023
Ramones
Ramones
3
May 11 2023
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
4
May 12 2023
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
1
May 15 2023
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
Best Sonic Youth album on this list.
4
May 16 2023
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
3
May 17 2023
Eagles
Eagles
3
May 18 2023
Signing Off
UB40
2
May 19 2023
The Last Of The True Believers
Nanci Griffith
My family took a lot of road trips when I was a kid. We lived in NC But we drove to TX, Yellowstone National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park at different points. Nanci Griffith was the soundtrack to these drives across the country and honestly I can't think of a better soundtrack to driving through the mountains and across the heartland of this country. This probably veers too far into country music for my taste these days but the nostalgia of it is strong, her voice is beautiful, and her music helped shape my love of blue grass even though I don't love country.
4
May 22 2023
Boston
Boston
4
May 23 2023
Permission to Land
The Darkness
3
May 24 2023
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
I can respect the musicality, but The Beach Boys is not my jam.
2
May 25 2023
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
2
May 26 2023
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
3
May 29 2023
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
3
May 30 2023
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
3
May 31 2023
Our Aim Is To Satisfy
Red Snapper
3
Jun 01 2023
Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
I only ever noticed it when it was annoying, not for anything that I liked.
2
Jun 02 2023
Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
Way more space-y than Spacemen 3 (the album generated the day before this one) despite this album being released 13 years before the Spacemen 3 album.
3
Jun 05 2023
The New Tango
Astor Piazzolla
3
Jun 06 2023
Ray Of Light
Madonna
2
Jun 07 2023
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
2
Jun 08 2023
Tellinβ Stories
The Charlatans
I don't know what they are trying to say calling themselves the Charlatans. Are they falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill? Are they frauds? I actually think that description applies much more to Oasis, but mostly because the Gallagher brothers seem to have an inflated estimate of their importance. I dig this rockier, more self-effacing version of Britpop.
4
Jun 09 2023
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
I do NOT like the falsetto in the first track, and no matter if I like some of the punk music that follows, this recording quality is shit and the vocals are unintelligible.
1
Jun 12 2023
Tical
Method Man
3
Jun 13 2023
Picture Book
Simply Red
Nice elevator music.
2
Jun 14 2023
Superunknown
Soundgarden
My review of Grace by Jeff Buckley referenced how 1994 was the most incredible year for music (Portishead, Weezer, Beck, Jeff Buckley, Beastie Boys, Green Day, Live, Tori Amos, Cranberries, the list goes on) and Superunknown is part of what made 1994 incredible. Chris Cornell is one of the best male rock vocalists of all time, his range is ridiculous, and his voice is just raw power. Soundgarden may not be my favorite of the projects of Chris Cornell since I prefer Audioslave to the more heavy metal sound of Soundgarden, but his voice is nothing short of 5 stars every time.
5
Jun 15 2023
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
Juxtaposing harmonies with lyrics about insects laying eggs under the skin or the stream of consciousness lyrics of I Got the Hots, The Soft Boys are not pleasant to listen to but at least they are not boring.
2
Jun 16 2023
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4
Jun 19 2023
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
I literally almost fell asleep.
2
Jun 20 2023
Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
The instrumental tracks are the best. What beautiful guitar work. Soothing and cozy on a gray, rainy day.
4
Jun 21 2023
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
I know itβs a lot of noise, but somehow, and I canβt put my finger on why, itβs not JUST noise and I dig it.
3
Jun 22 2023
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
2
Jun 23 2023
Butterfly
Mariah Carey
I respect her range but I hate how she uses her voice to sing in that breathy way.
2
Jun 26 2023
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
3
Jun 27 2023
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
2
Jun 28 2023
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
I love when covers make the song something totally different. This is the case for most of the covers on this album. Hurt is a real standout. But Personal Jesus also stands out for just how different it is from the original.
4
Jun 29 2023
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
4
Jun 30 2023
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco
4
Jul 03 2023
Devotional Songs
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3
Jul 04 2023
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
1
Jul 05 2023
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
2
Jul 06 2023
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Well damn. This sounds old but somehow the message is still relevant. That is depressing.
3
Jul 07 2023
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
I literally wore this record out. Money might be my fav Pink Floyd song but I think Wish You Were Here might be the better whole album. Pretty close though...
4
Jul 10 2023
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
I love her voice but I prefer the songs with more of the soul/motown vibe. I did not know until seeing the album cover that Dusty Springfield was white and I definitely would not have guessed she was English.
4
Jul 11 2023
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
2
Jul 12 2023
Slayed?
Slade
4
Jul 13 2023
Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
Was ok for the first 4 songs and then hit a rough patch. The slower songs are particularly brutal.
2
Jul 14 2023
The La's
The La's
3
Jul 17 2023
Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
Don't think I ever heard any of these "classics" in the club, but they were fine for background music. Back to Life is the clear standout and the only track that made me stop what I was doing and listen.
3
Jul 18 2023
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
This some how seems "jazzier" than Kind of Blue but I think I prefer the melancholy of Kind of Blue.
4
Jul 19 2023
S&M
Metallica
I like the idea. I would have preferred leaning into the concept even further and making instrumental only versions of Metallica songs.
3
Jul 20 2023
Urban Hymns
The Verve
3
Jul 21 2023
Arular
M.I.A.
I generally like the vibe, problem is each song is so repetitive.
3
Jul 24 2023
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
3
Jul 25 2023
If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby
3
Jul 26 2023
Destroyer
KISS
2
Jul 27 2023
Pearl
Janis Joplin
A singular voice.
5
Jul 28 2023
MedΓΊlla
BjΓΆrk
3
Jul 31 2023
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Goes off the rails the last couple tracks.
2
Aug 01 2023
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
The middle third of the album was great. I have a special place in my heart for Gigantic since my roommate in college originally thought the lyrics sounded like "amphibian love" instead of "a big, big love". I still like to sing it that way. Ultimately, this album is not my favorite Pixies album, it doesn't feel as intentional as Doolittle, but I still love the Pixies sound.
4
Aug 02 2023
Live At Leeds
The Who
3
Aug 03 2023
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
2
Aug 04 2023
Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
4
Aug 07 2023
Real Life
Magazine
2
Aug 08 2023
Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
Noisy noise a la Sonic Youth
1
Aug 09 2023
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
This reminds me of Jethro Tull, so it gets the same rating.
2
Aug 10 2023
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
1
Aug 11 2023
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
3
Aug 14 2023
Street Signs
Ozomatli
4
Aug 15 2023
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
3.5 stars really. I enjoy Elton John, but sometimes it feels overindulgent. But maybe that is just who Elton John is.
3
Aug 16 2023
The Joshua Tree
U2
4
Aug 17 2023
Sail Away
Randy Newman
The best thing about this album is that it reminded me to go re-watch Major League.
2
Aug 18 2023
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
3
Aug 21 2023
Blunderbuss
Jack White
4
Aug 22 2023
Fun House
The Stooges
Do I overlook LA Blues? Would have been a solid 4 without it.
4
Aug 24 2023
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
Her voice sounds like she swallowed some of that gravel road and I love it. Can't Let Go is a personal fav.
4
Aug 25 2023
Heroes
David Bowie
The title track props up this album.
2
Aug 28 2023
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
3
Aug 29 2023
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Strange to think this is the album that kicked off heavy metal and resulted in much pearl clutching, I expected it to be more intense. Mostly it just sounds like a bluesy rock album with some kick ass guitar solos.
3
Aug 30 2023
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
Man, "Don't" kill my vibe! I was digging this fossil of the early grunge/indie rock era...until they went and blew it with the song "Don't". One star deduction for that monstrosity of a song and making it the longest song on the album was just adding insult to injury.
3
Aug 31 2023
Water From An Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
3
Sep 01 2023
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Apart from the first track, I felt like I was at the enchantment under the sea dance before Marty McFly spices things up.
3
Sep 04 2023
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
Semantic satiation is a phenomenon whereby the uninterrupted repetition of a word eventually leads to a sense that the word has lost its meaning. Halfway through drop the pressure Mylo says morherfuckerβs so many times it loses all meaning. Not only are the lyrics repetitive, the repetition of the same sounds renders this album nothing more than background music.
3
Sep 05 2023
Movies
Holger Czukay
I am not a fan of krautrock. I am a fan of my pre-K daughter's song about being cool in the pool (to the tune of "do your ears hang low"):
I will stay real cool in my little swimming pool
On a sunny summer day, I will splash around and play
When I wear my bathing suit, I will be cool and cute
In my swimming pooooool!
1
Sep 06 2023
Electric
The Cult
3
Sep 07 2023
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
1
Sep 08 2023
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
God Only Knows is a masterpiece. However, I mostly dislike vocals sung entirely in falsetto so some of the slow songs I find to be grating. They are at their best when the tempo is a little faster.
3
Sep 11 2023
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
I am genuinely shocked this is from 2004, it mostly sounds like it could have been made decades earlier. Fun record.
4
Sep 12 2023
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
1
Sep 13 2023
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
The song that got me unconsciously doing a little shimmy was East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. Unfortunately, that is not reflective of the rest of the album.
2
Sep 14 2023
Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
3
Sep 15 2023
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Oh so this is what a poppier Tracy Chapman would sound like! I guess Joan came first so technically Tracy sounds like her rather than the other way around. Either way, great voice, but without the emotional starkness of Tracy.
3
Sep 18 2023
Ys
Joanna Newsom
So Bjork-y. Sometimes it works and sometimes its just odd.
3
Sep 19 2023
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
Veers too much into smooth jazz territory for my liking.
2
Sep 20 2023
Gold
Ryan Adams
This album screams America to me maybe more than almost any other on this list (sorry Bruce). It has a classic sound, a fusion of rock, country, and folk. I guess a man abusing his privilege/influence/power to prey on young women is not uniquely American though. Sigh.
3
Sep 25 2023
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Underground had a dark circus vibe that I kinda like. Ultimately, like other TW albums, this album is sunk by the voice that only partially works in a narrow set of circumstances (like on 16 Shells, a highlight of this album for me).
2
Sep 26 2023
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
3
Sep 27 2023
Quiet Life
Japan
3
Sep 28 2023
The Doors
The Doors
4
Sep 29 2023
Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
3
Oct 02 2023
The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
I am actually surprised I never heard this album before. It is squarely in my family's wheelhouse of country adjacent folk music like Nanci Griffith. I love the mix of an original song and a cover on Blue Moon Revisited. Ultimately, this band is probably too country for me to pick up much these days, but perfect for a passing time on a rainy day and a pleasant surprise.
4
Oct 03 2023
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
3
Oct 04 2023
Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3
Oct 05 2023
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
The best selling jazz album ever and with good reason. Even though I think this album is timeless, it's interesting to me that later in life Miles Davis refused to play anything from Kind of Blue because remaining static stylistically was the wrong option. But then why even make a jazz album? Albums are inherently static. Jazz is inherently improvisational and dynamic. It's a distinction that makes it hard sometimes for people to enjoy recorded jazz. Maybe jazz is always meant to be enjoyed live where the music can follow or lead the vibe of the whole room at a particular time and in a particular place but I do enjoy this album quite a bit. It is soothing and subtle and moody in all the right ways. It makes jazz accessible to everyone.
5
Oct 06 2023
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
4
Oct 09 2023
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
3
Oct 10 2023
Savane
Ali Farka TourΓ©
3
Oct 11 2023
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Clearly Tim Buckley has a great voice, but man could he benefit from some editing.
2
Oct 12 2023
En-Tact
The Shamen
2
Oct 13 2023
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
Apparently I like new wave if its all dark and gothic. Who knew?!
4
Oct 16 2023
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
3
Oct 17 2023
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this album, it just made me happy. I knew Mr. Blue Sky but not much else and I loved the emphasis on the orchestra and the combination with the pop hooks and falsetto harmonies that reminded me of the Beach Boys. The album felt grand and dramatic like Queen, but lighter.
4
Oct 18 2023
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
I definitely found this album more interesting than Pet Sounds. The attempt to address heavier topics in the lyrics was laudable but felt jarring as it didn't mesh with the overall vibe. 3.5 because I am glad I was exposed to a different side of The Beach Boys but ultimately, I probably wont be revisiting.
3
Oct 19 2023
The White Room
The KLF
2
Oct 20 2023
Justified
Justin Timberlake
I think the album is supposed to make me feel like sexy time, but it just makes me feels old. The album sounds dated and some of the lyrics are just terrible. JT can sing but whatβs the point if words and music are mostly meh.
2
Oct 23 2023
The Clash
The Clash
4
Oct 24 2023
Fromohio
fIREHOSE
3
Oct 25 2023
Scum
Napalm Death
1
Oct 26 2023
Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
As the first song says "It's not good, It's not good!"
1
Oct 27 2023
Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
3
Oct 30 2023
SΓ£o Paulo Confessions
Suba
3
Oct 31 2023
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
I like the songs fronted by Crosby best, more bluesy guitars like on Long Time Gone and Wooden Ships please!
4
Nov 01 2023
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
My review of Back in Black was that AC/DC only has one level. That is an apt review of Highway to Hell as well. It's all just a Touch Too Much.
3
Nov 02 2023
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Wilco occupies that early 2000s indie rock space where Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard also reside. None of them have traditionally "good" voices but they are emotive and distinct and somehow just work with their song writing. YHF gets better the more I listen to it and thanks to the 1001 albums project, this will be back in my rotation more frequently.
4
Nov 03 2023
NEU! 75
Neu!
I saw this was described as krautrock and was dreading it. I saw this got not 1 star reviews and I was curious. Was it just me or did the first track feel like it could have been written by Mannheim Steamroller?! Is Mannheim Steamroller krautrock?! Anyway, not what I was expecting, but still not my favorite.
2
Nov 06 2023
Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
Likes: less twangy than American Beauty.
Dislikes: TOO LONG. 25 min versions of songs?! This is why I never listened to the Grateful Dead. This is and the fact that I never did enough drugs.
2
Nov 07 2023
The Libertines
The Libertines
3
Nov 08 2023
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
3
Nov 09 2023
m b v
My Bloody Valentine
2
Nov 10 2023
California
American Music Club
The album (maybe its the band?) is a little all over the place. Bad liquor is punky but transitions to Now You're Defeated which is in the ballpark of bad country. Occasionally he sings in a very 80s moan-y way but generally I can't place this as 80s which is maybe the nicest thing I can say about this album. I found Lonely to be particularly annoying. But I guess that makes sense, no one likes being lonely.
2
Nov 13 2023
Sulk
The Associates
Just no.
1
Nov 14 2023
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
Ultimately, this album is fine but there is little that makes 50 Cent innovative. He certainly wasn't breaking any new ground with his lyrics which don't have any of the vulnerability, humor, or introspection of some of the other hip hop artists on the 1001 album list and his delivery is nothing special. My favorite part of this album was Patiently Waiting which featured Eminem.
3
Nov 15 2023
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
I can't get past the voice.
2
Nov 16 2023
Shalimar
Rahul Dev Burman
2
Nov 17 2023
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
There are times that the way she uses her voice reminds me of Tori Amos. I prefer those moments but most of this is just too experimental and not cohesive enough for me.
2
Nov 20 2023
Nixon
Lambchop
2
Nov 22 2023
...And Justice For All
Metallica
3
Nov 24 2023
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
2
Nov 27 2023
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
2
Nov 28 2023
Highly Evolved
The Vines
I forgot I like the Vines. They were a welcome return to a more grungy sound amidst the rock played on the radio in 2002 (3 doors down, Nickleback, etc.). Does anyone else think the intro to In the Jungle is screaming out for more cowbell?
4
Nov 29 2023
World Clique
Deee-Lite
3
Nov 30 2023
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
1
Dec 01 2023
Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
4
Dec 04 2023
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Amazing that while I have never actively sought out listening to a Fleetwood Mac album, I knew almost every song on Rumors. Interesting that only one song on the follow-up, Tusk, even sounded vaguely familiar. More Stevie Nicks would have bumped this up, love her voice.
3
Dec 05 2023
Traffic
Traffic
Other than "Feelin' Alright?" this was just fine. There are lots of other 60s rock albums I would pick up before this album.
3
Dec 06 2023
Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
Terrible lyrics, discordant sounds, rhythms that were all over the place...it's hard to see what was redeeming/interesting enough about this album to warrant a place on this list.
1
Dec 07 2023
Bossanova
Pixies
5
Dec 08 2023
Kollaps
EinstΓΌrzende Neubauten
I was worried when I saw this was 80s and German. I was even more anxious after reading the blurb about industrial noises from self-made music machines. All my fears were well founded. If I could give this negativ nein stars, I would.
1
Dec 11 2023
Lost Souls
Doves
There are moments that remind me of the trip hop coming out of the UK in the early-mid 90s. And then there are times (Here it Comes) where he straight up sounds like Chris Martin from Coldplay. I like the niche they have carved out and this is one that I will be revisiting.
4
Dec 12 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
Very pretty, but also pretty low energy.
4
Dec 13 2023
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Not a crooner, best when faster, more upbeat.
3
Dec 14 2023
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
Well that was a lot more intense than I was expecting. It was like a hip hop version of rage against the machine. The beats felt old but the lyrics were still relevant. I have never heard of this group but they made me sit up and pay attention.
3
Dec 15 2023
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
4
Dec 18 2023
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
3
Dec 19 2023
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
3
Dec 20 2023
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
3
Dec 21 2023
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
4
Dec 22 2023
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
4
Dec 25 2023
Roots
Sepultura
Is there a Sepultura album with no vocals? I could get down with that. I'm glad I heard Itsari, that is about the only nice thing I can say about Sepultura.
1
Dec 26 2023
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
3
Dec 27 2023
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
1
Dec 28 2023
Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt
4
Dec 29 2023
Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
3
Jan 01 2024
Another Green World
Brian Eno
3
Jan 02 2024
Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
There was plenty of this that was perfectly pleasant, but the naming of the instruments in track 1 and especially the growling in midst of track 2 ruined this for me.
2
Jan 03 2024
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
4
Jan 04 2024
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2
Jan 05 2024
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
4
Jan 08 2024
Bad Company
Bad Company
4
Jan 09 2024
Henry's Dream
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Used in the right way (i.e., used as a backing track to scenes in everything from Peaky Blinders, to a Harry Potter movie, to Ted Lasso) Nick Cave songs can be effective and even enjoyable. However, after listening to 4 albums of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds I am convinced that albums are not the "right way" to appreciate Nick Cave, which is best in small doses.
2
Jan 10 2024
New Wave
The Auteurs
3
Jan 11 2024
Manassas
Stephen Stills
3
Jan 12 2024
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
I was pleasantly surprised by this album, an album by a British/Irish band from the 80s that I had never heard of (dammit1001 albums, just when I was starting to give up on your over representation of British bands that never made it across the pond, now I can't quit you)! The mix of traditional Irish music with rock made this album sound like it could have been plucked from the late 2000s/early 2010s indie folk revival and I am here for it. From the Wikipedia article, this album may have represented a departure from a bigger 80s rock sound but I will be checking out more of their catalogue to see if I can find more like this.
4
Jan 15 2024
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
3
Jan 16 2024
Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
3
Jan 17 2024
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
Interesting blend of traditional folk and some psychedelic rock.
3
Jan 18 2024
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
3
Jan 19 2024
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
3
Jan 22 2024
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
If Sting and Coldplay had a baby band, it would be Elbow. They briefly get divorced in "Grounds for Divorce" but then get back together (for the child). Grounds for Divorce is by far my favorite song, probably because it doesn't sound like the rest of the album and it sounds like it could be on a Black Keys album or something.
3
Jan 23 2024
The Last Broadcast
Doves
I think I prefer Lost Souls but Caught by the River was a bright spot for me.
3
Jan 24 2024
Opus Dei
Laibach
1
Jan 25 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
It's a little shocking that I never owned this album. It was squarely in my wheelhouse as a teenage girl in the mid-90s. Maybe I never felt the need to own it because I heard it everywhere. Upon my first real listening of this album, a few decades removed from being a teenager, I am transported to the feelings of angst rooted in contradiction, and the euphoric relief that someone finally said all the things. My favorite line from a review of Jagged, the documentary based on Jagged Little Pill, is that Alanis wasn't just giving concerts β she was a herald, bringing the news about all the things women were not going to be quiet about anymore. This album feels more confessional than angry but I think that makes it even more compelling. Two of my favorite tracks are ones that weren't singles and are therefore new to me, Perfect and Right Through You, and I wonder if part of the reason these cut so deep is that I have gone from being a teenage girl to raising one.
I think this album falls off a bit towards the end, but this album still deserves 5 stars for how influential it was. Alanis was a herald in more ways than one. The documentary Jagged makes note of the fact that there was basically a very small quota for the number of female artists getting airtime and they weren't allowed to play female artists back-to-back. Alanis helped open the doors for more female artists to break into the mainstream and my female-artist dominated playlists thank her for that.
5
Jan 26 2024
Imagine
John Lennon
I was underwhelmed upon first listen. But if I skip Imagine, which suffers from being one of the most overplayed songs and feels contrived as a result, there is a lot of like here. Surprisingly, Oh Yoko! might be my favorite track, the jangly piano is a harbinger of the brit-pop of the mid-2000s.
4
Jan 29 2024
Leftism
Leftfield
There is a lot to like about this album but ultimately it never rose above background music for me unless it was for a negative reason that took me out of the flow (looking at you incessant beeping in Original). Solid 3.5 but probably wont be revisiting since there are other triphop albums I would pull up first when in that mood.
3
Jan 30 2024
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Sometimes Neil Youngs voice works (harmonies) but a lot of the time it sounds like he is straining and its not pleasant. Southern Man was the highlight of this album for me.
3
Jan 31 2024
KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
Definitely not the worst metal album on this list. Some of the guitar parts were even enjoyable. Not enjoyable enough to make me ever choose to listen to this again.
2
Feb 01 2024
Kid A
Radiohead
This album makes me want to sit in dark room and feel all the feelings. Not my favorite Radiohead album but even a lesser Radiohead album is 4 stars.
4
Feb 02 2024
Is This It
The Strokes
I remember this album cutting through the noise that was rock radio in early 2000s and being so refreshing.
4
Feb 05 2024
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3
Feb 06 2024
Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
Blah Blah Blah, wait...did he just say "cover me in your golden shower"? what am I listening to?! Some strange lyrical choices but mostly this album is just very meh.
3
Feb 07 2024
Smile
Brian Wilson
2
Feb 08 2024
Risque
CHIC
2
Feb 09 2024
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2
Feb 12 2024
Dare!
The Human League
3
Feb 13 2024
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
1001 albums for the win! I greatly enjoyed this album by a band I was only peripherally aware of as they related to Belly and Kim Deal/The Breeders/The Pixies. The album is all over the place but in the best way, like one of those brightly colored rubber bouncy balls. Energy that can't be contained. I hear elements of Sleater-Kinney and even Liz Phair (even more apparent on later albums). Great find, I have already listened to two other Throwing Muses albums as a result.
5
Feb 14 2024
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
Listening to the little skits and intros makes me laugh, partly because these guys are having fun together, and partly because I remember all the middle-class white boys in the 90s listening to Wu-Tang and trying to pretend they were badass. But after laughter comes tears. Behind the bravado are lyrics which detail a pretty bleak existence "But as the world turned, I learned life is hell, Livin' in the world no different from a cell". I will probably always prefer the more jazz influenced hip hop like Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and De La Soul but I can't deny or overstate the influence this album had on the popularity and direction of the genre.
4
Feb 15 2024
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
Deep Purple may be the most obvious evolutionary link between classic rock and heavy metal I have ever heard.
3
Feb 16 2024
Under Construction
Missy Elliott
4
Feb 19 2024
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
3
Feb 20 2024
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
It is the moments of quiet that explode and the rawness of her voice that keeps me hooked. It is jarring at first but sucks me in and I can't stop listening.
4
Feb 21 2024
D
White Denim
4
Feb 22 2024
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
3
Feb 23 2024
Zombie
Fela Kuti
3
Feb 26 2024
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
4
Feb 27 2024
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
3
Feb 28 2024
Vulnicura
BjΓΆrk
First half is a 4, Black Lake is by far my favorite track but after Black Lake is a 3. I guess I will stick with first impressions.
4
Feb 29 2024
A Little Deeper
Ms. Dynamite
3
Mar 01 2024
The Who Sell Out
The Who
This album has a couple great rock riffs buried in a lot of meh psychedelic stuff that maybe I need to do more drugs to really "get".
2
Mar 04 2024
Play
Moby
4
Mar 05 2024
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
3
Mar 06 2024
Haunted Dancehall
The Sabres Of Paradise
This sounds like someone got an electric keyboard for their birthday and spent the day trying out all the sounds. βLook mom, I can make beats!β
2
Mar 07 2024
The College Dropout
Kanye West
Catchy, fresh, great production. Back before we knew how messed up Ye is, everything was looking up. Now I hate to give him streams or any attention. Great album but minus a star for all the truly terrible things he has said.
3
Mar 08 2024
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
I can't with these lyrics. I actually enjoy Morrissey's voice, I just wish he used it to say something that didn't make roll my eyes.
2
Mar 11 2024
Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
3
Mar 12 2024
Debut
BjΓΆrk
3
Mar 13 2024
The White Album
Beatles
Maybe not the "best" Beatles album because there is a lot of weird on here. But it's the album in my parents collection that I wore out. It's got my favorite individual Beatles songs and some fantastic storytelling.
5
Mar 14 2024
A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
1
Mar 15 2024
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
I don't know that I love this TVOTR album in particular but I DO know that TVOTR is my go to when I want to seed a new playlist. Their influences are so varied that a station based on TVOTR brings in a ton of great things (example, just started one and I got Spoon, Band of Horses, Beck, The Postal Service, Cold War Kids, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, Metric, Modest Mouse...). Try it, you will not be disappointed.
4
Mar 18 2024
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
2
Mar 19 2024
The Stranger
Billy Joel
4
Mar 20 2024
#1 Record
Big Star
3
Mar 21 2024
Blackstar
David Bowie
3
Mar 22 2024
Headquarters
The Monkees
People may say they monkey around....but they would be wrong. Monkeying around implies something interesting would happen. This was just boring.
2
Mar 25 2024
Stardust
Willie Nelson
I agree with Willie that these are great songs. These are maybe not great covers of great songs as Willie doesn't have the range for some of these (looking at you Unchained Melody).
2
Mar 26 2024
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
3
Mar 27 2024
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
This is the best Van Morrison album on the list. There is an energy to this live album that is missing from the studio recordings.
4
Mar 28 2024
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
It was a grey and rainy day and I enjoyed this melancholy backing track. I can't tell if my enjoyment means this is the best Nick Cave album on the list or if I just needed the right setting for the other albums....
3
Mar 29 2024
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
2
Apr 01 2024
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
4
Apr 02 2024
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
3
Apr 03 2024
American Gothic
David Ackles
2
Apr 04 2024
Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
4
Apr 05 2024
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
I have been so disappointed by the Madonna albums on this list since I only knew the hits, but even only knowing the hits from this Cyndi Lauper album, this album is everything I want and expect from an 80s pop icon. Cyndi should have been bigger and Madonna doesn't deserve her rep, at least not based on the albums on this list.
4
Apr 08 2024
The Next Day
David Bowie
I dislike slow ballads because Bowie's voice is not my favorite. But the faster, rockier songs on this album (and the minimal use of saxophone compared to other albums) are actually among my favorite on this list. I will likely not be revisiting Bowie but I am ending my 8th and final Bowie album on this journey on a high note.
4
Apr 09 2024
LP1
FKA twigs
Great find, reminds me a little of the song Roads on Portishead's Dummy. A modernized 90s trip hop vibe, I dig it.
4
Apr 10 2024
Copper Blue
Sugar
Immediately identifiable as a 90's power pop, post-grunge band, which should be in my wheel house but leaves me feeling kind of meh. I just read that the Gin Blossoms have announced a co-headlining tour with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Sugar would fit right in on this tour.
3
Apr 12 2024
Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
4
Apr 15 2024
Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
4
Apr 17 2024
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3
Apr 18 2024
With The Beatles
Beatles
I guess this is what made the Beatles popular, but it isn't what made the Beatles pioneers and icons.
3
Apr 19 2024
Django Django
Django Django
4
Apr 23 2024
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand is fun, a dancy follow-on to the grittier saviors of alternative rock like The Strokes, but I remember what a welcome change this was to hear on the radio rather than the nu metal that dominated the airwaves.
4
Apr 24 2024
Murmur
R.E.M.
4
Apr 26 2024
Machine Head
Deep Purple
Oh 70s hard rock, I can never quit you.
4
Apr 29 2024
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
Beth Orton sounds like what happens when you tell Delores O'Roidan of the Cranberries to make an album for Lilith Fair. After some reading, turns out Beth Orton played every iteration of Lilith Fair so that tracks. She sounds like a British Natalie Merchant...right up to Stars All Seem to Weep which definitely could have been plucked from an Everything but the Girl album. Overall, this feels like an album I should have/would have loved had I found it in 1999.
4
May 01 2024
25
Adele
More filler songs than 21 but there is no denying the voice!
4
May 03 2024
Third
Soft Machine
Lost me in the first minute, I could not make it all the way through Facelift. Please make sounds that sound good together.
1
May 06 2024
London Calling
The Clash
I expected punk. I got a weird mishmash of other styles. Probably wont be revisiting this particular Clash album.
3
May 07 2024
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
The Byrds
Not sure the twang makes The Byrds better, or any more deserving of so many albums on this list. Twang is not my thing but at least it was different.
2
May 09 2024
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
3
May 10 2024
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
The band's name was chosen it was suggested that a supergroup with Page and Beck would go down like a "lead balloon"...The group dropped the 'a' in lead at the suggestion of Peter Grant, so that those unfamiliar with the term would not pronounce it "leed". The word "balloon" was replaced by "zeppelin", a word which, according to music journalist Keith Shadwick, brought "the perfect combination of heavy and light, combustibility and grace" to Page's mind.
I love this story of the origin of the band name and they certainly satisfy with their combination of heavy and light. Combustibility and grace/flow? Check and check. Is there any music more sexy than Led Zeppelin?
5
May 13 2024
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Are they trying to fill up the emptiness of the space they are floating through? The songs are too long, there are often too many layers of sound (ends up being discordant rather than lush). Too bad the the whole album wasn't more pared down. Broken Heart was a real highlight for me, but overall this album would benefit from some editing.
2
May 16 2024
Viva Hate
Morrissey
3
May 17 2024
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
2
May 20 2024
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4
May 21 2024
Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Did not make an impression, but I guess that means it was pleasant enough that I didn't reach to turn it off. 2.5.
3
May 22 2024
The Slider
T. Rex
3
May 23 2024
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
5
May 27 2024
Moby Grape
Moby Grape
3
May 29 2024
Queen II
Queen
3
May 30 2024
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3
Jun 03 2024
Remedy
Basement Jaxx
3
Jun 05 2024
Alien Lanes
Guided By Voices
GBV is something I listened to in high school as I fell down the rabbit hole of lo-fi, indie bands like Sebadoh and Pavement. I have a lot of nostalgia for the overall sound even when there is not one track that sticks out.
4
Jun 06 2024
Scott 4
Scott Walker
Better than Scott 2. That is the only positive thing I can say.
2
Jun 07 2024
Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
3
Jun 10 2024
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
My favorite Nirvana album and maybe the best Unplugged performance of the series.
5
Jun 11 2024
Ace of Spades
MotΓΆrhead
Could have been higher, the guitars absolutely shred. But damn the vocals and the lyrics are bad to mediocre. Love me like a reptile is goofy rather than sexy and Jailbait has not aged well...
3
Jun 12 2024
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
Best part of this album is the strings on October Symphony...which are immediately ruined by the super 80s laser sounds at the beginning of So Hard.
2
Jun 13 2024
Basket of Light
Pentangle
3
Jun 14 2024
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
Chvrches is a weird one for me. I shouldn't like it. I mostly don't go for synth pop. I mostly don't like singers who sing in such a high register. And yet Chvrches is one of my favorites and my go to music to help pull me out of a funk. I have spent so much time trying to find similar bands and I can't quite find anything that is similar despite the ubiquitous synth pop sound. Lauren Mayberry's lyrics are constantly challenging her relationships, the way she views the world, and the way the world views her. Chvrches is a complete package and even though it makes no sense, I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame.
5
Jun 17 2024
Hejira
Joni Mitchell
2
Jun 18 2024
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
2
Jun 19 2024
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Are there better Tom Petty albums? Yes, but Breakdown might be my single favorite song and this is getting bumped up a star for the entirety of his work, not just this album.
4
Jun 20 2024
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
3
Jun 24 2024
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
3
Jun 25 2024
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Of the Damon Albarn albums on this list, this falls somewhere between Blur (2 stars) and Gorillaz (4 stars).
3
Jun 26 2024
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
I enjoyed this more than I expected to based on the dismissive album title.
3
Jun 27 2024
Hypnotised
The Undertones
3
Jun 28 2024
The Poet
Bobby Womack
3
Jul 01 2024
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
2
Jul 03 2024
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
Why do they ruin perfectly fine tracks like Spacelab with what sounds like a game of laser tag. They get an extra star because it was better than Autobahn.
2
Jul 04 2024
Reign In Blood
Slayer
1
Jul 05 2024
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
I actually really dislike her voice, she sounds like she is straining. Strong enough is solid though.
2
Jul 09 2024
In It For The Money
Supergrass
4
Jul 10 2024
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
I always think I like De La Soul, and I do, but the problem is there is not much differentiation across the album. They have a solid vibe but its only one flavor.
3
Jul 11 2024
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
Look, I get why this wouldn't hit today the same way, but damn if it wasn't amazing to hear a woman brashly saying all the quiet parts out loud in 1993. Teenage me needed to hear what Liz had to say. 6'1 is still her best song and F&R is still devastating.
5
Jul 12 2024
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
I mean, it's pretty silly. At least it is unique? The 90s were a weird time man.
2
Jul 15 2024
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
Left wishing I could see the passion that I can only hear and imagine.
3
Jul 16 2024
...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
This album is terrible. At least some of the other bubblegum pop stars blowing up at that time could sing. I never really got the big deal with her.
1
Jul 18 2024
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
Really a 2.5 but the most tolerable TH album on the list so bumping this up to a 3.
3
Jul 19 2024
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
This is somehow both peak Dylan songwriting but also the peak of the spoken word poetry delivery that I hate. Two discs = too many = two stars.
2
Jul 22 2024
Guero
Beck
3
Jul 23 2024
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
Fun and high energy, but most of the songs sound very similar to me.
3
Jul 24 2024
Youth And Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
3
Jul 30 2024
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
3
Jul 31 2024
Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
3
Aug 01 2024
Sister
Sonic Youth
3
Aug 02 2024
Beautiful Freak
Eels
2
Aug 06 2024
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
3
Aug 08 2024
OK
Talvin Singh
Could kind of get what he was going for, but ultimately it was too trance-y for me and that ultimately means it fades into background music and can't rise above 3 stars. Nice to hear a different set of sounds in trance music though.
3
Aug 09 2024
So
Peter Gabriel
3
Aug 12 2024
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
I liked this upon re-listening better than I remember liking it when it came out.
4
Aug 13 2024
The World is a Ghetto
War
Turns out I don't like prog-soul any more than I like prog-rock. First couple songs are good and then we fall into jazz pretensions that go on FOREVER (or at least that's what it feels like). I can appreciate the musicianship, but it's not my cup of tea.
3
Aug 14 2024
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Oh jazz, I will be so happy to quit you when this journey is over.
2
Aug 15 2024
The Sounds Of India
Ravi Shankar
Like a lot of jazz on this list, I can appreciate the mastery of an instrument, but ultimately this is not an album or a genre that I would return to for listening pleasure.
2
Aug 16 2024
Fire Of Love
The Gun Club
2
Aug 19 2024
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
2
Aug 20 2024
Very
Pet Shop Boys
2
Aug 21 2024
The Predator
Ice Cube
The transition from It Was A Good Day to We Had to Tear this Motherfucka Up is a real gut punch. How are we still having the same conversations almost 30 years later?! That being said, the album sounds 30 years old and not in a good way.
3
Aug 22 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
This album starts in what feels like the middle of a guitar solo. A few too many "Changes" from their classic sound on this one (e.g., Laguna Sunrise was not an unpleasant surprise but it was not identifiable at all as Sabbath).
3
Aug 23 2024
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
As I said when we got the Syd Barrett solo album, Pink Floyd was better off without Syd.
2
Aug 26 2024
Celebrity Skin
Hole
The 90s are having a comeback moment and I feel like the trend is seeping through to indie rock. Some of these songs would not be out of place on today's indie radio stations.
4
Aug 27 2024
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
This album defies categorization. "Is this jazz? This is semen pizzazz." Somehow this one lyric tells you everything you need to know about this album.
3
Aug 28 2024
Olympia 64
Jacques Brel
Wikipedia tells me this genre is Chanson, which they also tell me is generally any lyric-driven French song. Too bad I don't speak French so the lyrics are lost on me.
2
Aug 29 2024
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
4
Aug 30 2024
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
2
Sep 02 2024
Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
Drum and bass by design fades into the background and can therefore never rise above "fine." Maybe I need to do more drugs to understand the appeal...for science.
3
Sep 04 2024
You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
More Sebadoh than Sonic Youth, I dig it.
4
Sep 05 2024
Music
Madonna
Overall Madonna has been maybe the biggest disappointment of any artist on this list. Making a name for herself as a maverick, the song on this album "What it feels like for a girl" just feels empty of any of that rebel spirit. This journey has taught me that I like about one album's worth of Madonna's songs across her whole career. Too band none of those songs are on this album.
2
Sep 06 2024
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
HΓΌsker DΓΌ
Huh, I thought with a name like Husker Du, this would be more hardcore. Itβs very pop-punk but kinda blah pop punk.
3
Sep 09 2024
Back to Basics
Christina Aguilera
Look there is no denying Christina has a great voice. Its up there with Mariah Carey but I greatly prefer Christina's full throated and sometimes growly delivery to Mariah's breathy whistle notes. That being said, many of these songs are kinda boring, it took me so long to get to Mercy Me which is maybe the low key best track on this album. Side note, how does Christina have two albums on this list and Whitney Houston has NONE?!
3
Sep 10 2024
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
It's clear she was a big influence on Tori Amos but some of the avant garde arrangements (the stretch of Under Ice through Watching You Without Me are intolerable) keep this from being accessible for me. Better than the other two KB albums on this list but only because of Running Up That Hill (still prefer the Meg Myers version).
3
Sep 11 2024
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Wikipedia says The Style Council is "Sophisti-Pop". They got the pop part right, but not as in popular. Rather, they seem to make an album out of whatever pops into their heads! Some of this is really quite pleasant but the back half of this album is schizophrenic and off it's meds.
2
Sep 12 2024
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
2
Sep 13 2024
Smokers Delight
Nightmares On Wax
3
Sep 16 2024
Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
When the second lyric of the album is "She's 17 but I done went and plum forgot it", I know this is going to be a hard album for me to connect with. I like the sound of Kings of Leon, I even like the way Caleb Followill's voice breaks. I just think they need better lyrics.
3
Sep 17 2024
Da Capo
Love
2
Sep 18 2024
More Specials
The Specials
I enjoyed the debut album but I don't need MORE Specials.
2
Sep 19 2024
Melodrama
Lorde
4
Sep 20 2024
S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
2
Sep 23 2024
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
2
Sep 24 2024
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
4
Sep 25 2024
Sea Change
Beck
Itβs like Beck decided to make an Elliott Smith album. Itβs not bad, itβs just not Beck-y. Sad Beck is pretty but maybe not as interesting.
3
Sep 26 2024
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
Its hard for me to rate an album of mostly covers but I do love her voice on these tracks with more soul/motown flavor.
4
Sep 27 2024
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
I was today years old when I found out that Ganstas Paradise is based on a Stevie Wonder sample. I think as much as I can appreciate the idea of Stevie Wonder, the reality is that it's just not my jam, especially the slow ballads. An album with just the faster, funkier songs like I Wish would be a different story.
3
Sep 30 2024
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
2
Oct 01 2024
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
Oooh a techno album that doesn't just fade into the background! Unfortunately it was noticeable for all the wrong reasons.
2
Oct 02 2024
Moss Side Story
Barry Adamson
Why is this on the list? The concept of a concept album isn't even unique on this list. Here's a concept for all those concept album artists, why don't you just focus on making music that sounds good?
2
Oct 03 2024
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Side one: ββββ
Side two: ββ
I guess I take the average? Waste of a great start.
3
Oct 04 2024
Atomizer
Big Black
3
Oct 07 2024
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
4
Oct 08 2024
Liquid Swords
GZA
Cold World is a standout for me. Too much forgettable filler.
3
Oct 09 2024
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
Best Elvis Costello album on the list. Guess he should have stopped at one album, just like this list should have stopped after including one EC album (six EC albums on this list is obscene).
3
Oct 10 2024
So Much For The City
The Thrills
I'm actually kind of surprised I didn't hear this in college when I was deep in the middle of my early-naughts indie-folk-rock rebound from what passed for alternative music radio. It is pleasant enough, like a twangier Travis.
3
Oct 11 2024
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby
Girls Against Boys
3
Oct 14 2024
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
I legit thought the first 4 songs were just one long song. There is no variation in speed or sound until you hit the first half of this love. Thereβs some good stuff in there but itβs hard to hear when everything is turned up to 11.
2
Oct 15 2024
Slipknot
Slipknot
Nu metal is just terrible. To quote one of the very few lyrics I could actually discern through the general growling, "fuck you all."
1
Oct 16 2024
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
4
Oct 17 2024
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
This album is a whole mood. Walking the dog around the dark neighborhood past creepy Halloween decorations is definitely one of two ways that you can enjoy the 17min opening track. The other is to be very high (I imagine).
3
Oct 18 2024
Bright Flight
Silver Jews
I like the lo fi sound but does anyone else feel like it was a hallmark of this time in indie folk that male lead singers be kind of crappy vocalists? Also the lyrics leave something to be desired although they did make me laugh out loud. Several songs were very stream of consciousness meets elementary school poetry where things have to rhyme but not make sense (Time Will Break the World was the funniest to me containing gems such as "A kitten from Great Britain" and "tanning beds explode with rich women inside").
2
Oct 21 2024
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
3
Oct 22 2024
Green
R.E.M.
My favorite R.E.M. album as whole. You can hear the shift in sound after Document and while "You are Everything" gives a hint to what comes next on Automatic for the People, there are fewer of these slower tracks. Perfectly balanced for me.
5
Oct 23 2024
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
It is hilarious to me that in the intro to You Can't Fade Me, Ice Cube says "Drop a old school beat". This whole album is nothing BUT old school beats. The misogyny is exhausting.
2
Oct 24 2024
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
As I listened to this I thought, "this sounds like a pop-y Bjork" only to read that this IS a pop-y Bjork album. I have always loved her voice, this is no exception, but I enjoy hearing it set to music that is less experimental and dramatic.
4
Oct 25 2024
Apple Venus Volume 1
XTC
They sing, "there are no words for me inside Your Dictionary", but sure there are, u-n-b-e-a-r-a-b-l-e for one.
2
Oct 28 2024
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1 extra star for the cover art which is clearly the best part of this album.
2
Oct 29 2024
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
2
Oct 30 2024
Trio
Dolly Parton
It's not typically something I would search up to listen to, but after a string of bad albums it was a relief to listen to something so very pretty.
4
Oct 31 2024
Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
There is something so comforting about early 90s lo-fi, indie rock. It's fuzzy like your most favorite sweater.
4
Nov 01 2024
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
2
Nov 04 2024
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
The Residents
This makes me want to Ducking Stab myself in the ear holes.
1
Nov 05 2024
Gris Gris
Dr. John
2
Nov 06 2024
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
I can see how Anohni's voice would be jarring. It was for me upon initial listening. But as I sunk in, it was reminiscent of Jeff Buckley where the voice becomes perhaps the featured instrument. I find her voice to be ethereal and emotional (the lyrics and subject matter couldn't be more personal) and worthy of a re-listen.
4
Nov 07 2024
Shleep
Robert Wyatt
2
Nov 08 2024
Kenza
Khaled
3
Nov 11 2024
Scott 2
Scott Walker
No. The most commercially successful song on this album was Jackie which was banned by the BBC. I guess this proves the "any publicity is good publicity". So the first song is banned for being offensive and the rest of the album is forgettable. Why are we listening to this?!
1
Nov 12 2024
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
4
Nov 13 2024
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
It's like everyone in a jazz band is performing their most hard core solo at the same time without paying any attention to what the rest of the band is doing. It is the aural equivalent of flashing, flickering lights and should come with a warning that it can cause seizures. Pure cacophony.
1
Nov 14 2024
Guitar Town
Steve Earle
I can see how this would be a standard in a genre that I don't love. The songs that skew more Springsteen are my favs.
3
Nov 15 2024
War
U2
4
Nov 18 2024
Mask
Bauhaus
Iβm stumped. I was expecting to hate this and I donβt.
3
Nov 19 2024
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
4
Nov 20 2024
Pump
Aerosmith
Too bad they ruin a good sound with such oversexed lyrics. When the album starts with a song that tells you that βyou better keep your daughter insideβ, I know this album is not for me.
3
Nov 21 2024
Close To You
Carpenters
Pretty. Pretty boring. The only time I perked up was when I thought they were saying Mr. Gouda and singing about cheese, but they were not. Now I am disappointed and hungry.
2
Nov 22 2024
The Holy Bible
Manic Street Preachers
4
Nov 25 2024
Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
3
Nov 26 2024
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
I hate that I kinda like Morrissey.
4
Nov 27 2024
Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
Interesting. To say this sound is eclectic and varied is an understatement. At one point I heard a dog barking and it was kind of on the beat and it didn't immediately occur to me that the dog barking was not part of the recording. It wasn't unpleasant, just all over the place. In a way that makes me want to listen for what comes next.
4
Nov 28 2024
Cross
Justice
My husband asked if I was listening to two different songs at the same time. Tells you all you need to know.
2
Nov 29 2024
1977
Ash
3
Dec 02 2024
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Four TH albums on this list and apparently they were very influential for a bunch of bands I like....but I just can't get into them. The best thing I can say about them is that the songs aren't slow and boring. So at least they have that going for them.
2
Dec 03 2024
Live Through This
Hole
Courtney Love has always rubbed me the wrong way for whatever reason so I never listened to much Hole, but the album is solid and fits right in with the female-fronted alternative rock bands that reside in my mental happy place (which is apparently not very happy at all).
4
Dec 04 2024
Calenture
The Triffids
2
Dec 05 2024
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
I know it's long but more of a good thing is a good thing.
4
Dec 06 2024
Kimono My House
Sparks
2
Dec 09 2024
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
3
Dec 10 2024
White Ladder
David Gray
It's a relaxing and chill album for a gray day.
4
Dec 11 2024
Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
It's not offensive to my ears like some of the albums on this list but damn it feels derivative. Maybe it felt more inspired when it came out but now it sounds like the ghost of 80s music.
2
Dec 12 2024
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
Dark Globe is terrible and what is happening during If It's In You? The remaining songs are fine but clearly Pink Floyd was better off without Syd.
2
Dec 13 2024
The Real Thing
Faith No More
3
Dec 16 2024
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
There are moments that are good. But this may be the least cohesive album I have ever heard?
2
Dec 17 2024
Third
Portishead
I will always and forever love Beth Gibbons' voice, loss of a star for some of the abrupt changes in sound/tempo that were jarring.
3
Dec 18 2024
Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers
I had to go back and listen to Holy Bible to figure out why I didn't like this one as much when I remember really liking Holy Bible. Holy Bible lyrics are dark but the quick pace and driving beat makes it a little harder than pop punk, early emo. Everything Must Go has lost some of the edge with a slightly slower tempo and the inclusion of the orchestral and synth sounds. I prefer the earlier work.
3
Dec 19 2024
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
Legend of a Girl Child Linda killed this album for me. Otherwise it was a solid 3.
2
Dec 20 2024
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
Beautiful voice, warm, cozy and ultimately boring album. I think Jefferson Airplane summarized this album best and they didn't even know it. You just want somebody to love. You need somebody to love. Wouldn't you love somebody to love? You better find somebody to love.
2
Dec 23 2024
I See You
The xx
4
Dec 24 2024
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio
An eclectic band and it shows in their debut. Ultimately maybe a little too eclectic for me.
3
Dec 25 2024
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Super conflicted about Eminem. Do I think he is the most talented rapper on this list? Yes. Do I think his lyrics are often abhorrent? Also Yes. What he saying is so objectionable and yet the way he says it is so objectionable. I have been pondering why this is true for 2 decades now and I don't think I will ever figure it out.
4
Dec 26 2024
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Remarkably consistent sound without every song sounding the same.
5
Dec 27 2024
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4
Dec 30 2024
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Leave favorite of S&G albums on this list. America is beautiful but some of the tracks feel like filler.
3
Dec 31 2024
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
So much Bob Dylan on this list, but this is the album that put him on the map. Masters of War is my favorite Bob Dylan song but like most Bob Dylan, I like the songs best when sung by other artists (Eddie Vedder does the best Masters of War cover).
4
Jan 01 2025
Hearts And Bones
Paul Simon
3
Jan 02 2025
Microshift
Hookworms
4
Jan 03 2025
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
2
Jan 06 2025
This Nationβs Saving Grace
The Fall
2
Jan 07 2025
Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3
Jan 08 2025
Iβve Got a Tiger By the Tail
Buck Owens
To quote Buck Owens:
"Wham bam, thank you ma'm, I'll be on my way
Thank you but no thank you, not today"
2
Jan 09 2025
Good Old Boys
Randy Newman
2
Jan 10 2025
Mothership Connection
Parliament
I feel funked up.
3
Jan 13 2025
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
2
Jan 14 2025
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
3
Jan 15 2025
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
2
Jan 16 2025
Dog Man Star
Suede
3
Jan 17 2025
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Loud, unapologetic riot grrrl music was exactly what I needed on the day that a 78-year old white man tried to define what it means to be female by executive order. Fuck that.
5
Jan 20 2025
Hms Fable
Shack
3
Jan 21 2025
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
4
Jan 22 2025
In Rainbows
Radiohead
5
Jan 23 2025
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
I can't help but feel transported to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Back to the Future.
3
Jan 24 2025
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
"Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?" You might say Shaft but you would be wrong. It's D'Angelo. This is music to put on so you can get it on.
4
Jan 27 2025
Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
Love: beats, flow, overall vibe. Hate: lyrics, recent sellout behavior. I guess that leaves me at a 3?
3
Jan 28 2025
Thriller
Michael Jackson
My parents had this album on vinyl and I wore it out. Undeniably a great album. Undeniably a complicated legacy. I honestly can't hear MJ and just enjoy it so loss of a star.
4
Jan 29 2025
Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
3
Jan 30 2025
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
2
Jan 31 2025
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
Hate his voice. Hate it even more after hearing him live and him telling me every 30 seconds to clap louder. Why don't you sing better and THEN I will clap louder.
2
Feb 03 2025
John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is like a less annoying Bob Dylan. Veers too country for my taste but some good songwriting buried in there and it can shine when covered by other artists (case in point: the covers of Angel from Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews and others). The song "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore" seems particularly relevant again.
3
Feb 04 2025
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
Only tolerable because of some great guitar solos.
2
Feb 05 2025
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
There is a lot to like. The main issue is just that there is a lot in general.
3
Feb 06 2025
Tommy
The Who
Iβll keep Pinball Wizard as a great classic song on its own, but a rock opera just doesnβt belong on this list any more than a soundtrack does. Itβs meant to be consumed in a different delivery system.
2
Feb 07 2025
Never Mind The Bollocks, Hereβs The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
4
Feb 10 2025
Peter Gabriel 3
Peter Gabriel
3
Feb 11 2025
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3
Feb 12 2025
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
I think my problem with Joni has always been that I canβt enjoy music as much when I canβt sing along. I appreciate the instrument that is her voice but the jazz inflections make this more difficult to access and connect with for me.
3
Feb 13 2025
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Is Stairway to Heaven too long? Yes, but the second half of Stairway would be a top 10 LZ song in its own right. Led Zeppelin II might be my favorite album but When the Levee Breaks is the song I can't get out of my head.
5
Feb 14 2025
Damaged
Black Flag
2
Feb 17 2025
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
5
Feb 18 2025
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
I want to like this but I just canβt get into it. I think maybe I donβt like things described as experimental or psychedelic. Iβm just a basic bitch I guess.
3
Feb 19 2025
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
2
Feb 20 2025
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
1
Feb 21 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Thank you 1001 Albums! I have never listened to a Nina Simone album but I have heard plenty of covers (including on other albums on this list) and I am so grateful that this oversight in my musical education has been corrected. It doesn't matter if Nina is singing her own songs or covers, her voice is powerful. Four Women was a particular punch to the gut.
5
Feb 24 2025
McCartney
Paul McCartney
3
Feb 25 2025
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
2
Feb 26 2025
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
Nothing specific to dislike here. I just feel like I am on hold.
2
Feb 27 2025
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
4
Feb 28 2025
Devil Without A Cause
Kid Rock
I hate Red Bull. Vodka is meh. Put them together and you have the only way that Red Bull is tolerable. Sheryl Crow is Vodka, just kind of bland. Kid Rock is Red Bull. The song Picture is the only tolerable Kid Rock because it's cut with Sheryl Crow. This album has nothing to cut it, it's the worst.
1
Mar 03 2025
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
No to the voice. No to the lyrics. Is that a saxophone? No to the saxophone. Just no.
1
Mar 04 2025
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
Some of the songs are aggressively annoying and for different reasons. Tracks 2-4 are good and I enjoy the lo-fi sound but the rest of the album is all over the place. Pick a lane.
2
Mar 05 2025
Transformer
Lou Reed
There are some duds in there but overall you get a unique voice used in the best possible way on songs like Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side.
4
Mar 06 2025
Vivid
Living Colour
They really are Middle Men, sitting somewhere in the overlap of the Venn diagram created by heavy metal, pop, funk, and even hip hop. The opening moments of Open Letter would even sound at home in a big theatrical stage production like Rent (Glover has one hell of a voice). As four black men playing a blend of hard rock that resists easy categorization, these guys defy all musical stereotypes.
4
Mar 07 2025
Triangle
The Beau Brummels
Completely unspectacular. It's kind of impressive how with songs this short, some of them still suffer from pacing issues.
2
Mar 10 2025
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
Oh good more talking rhythmically and calling it singing. AND we are adding random sounds into otherwise fine songs in order to sound experimental and edgy. No thank you.
2
Mar 11 2025
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
I don't think I will ever like NY's voice. But I do really like the music. Maybe I need an album of NY covers?
3
Mar 12 2025
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Bill Callahan
2
Mar 13 2025
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
Ok, so this is an electronica/ambient album. Wait no, this is rock album. No, this is definitely pop. Wait no, we are back to electronica. Wait, wtf is this random answering machine message or this autotuned elevator music? I don't even know how to categorize this. The smooth jazz saxophone, the beeps and boops, the moments of harder rock and sugary pop close harmonies mixed in...this album broke my brain. I get wanting to be unique, but this tripping over themselves to not be pinned down just comes across as a seriously debilitating fear of commitment. Clearly the "genre" of prog pop/rock/techno is not for me.
2
Mar 14 2025
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Man I really like the first track, I had such high hopes for the album based on that initial track. Ultimately it didn't live up to my expectations but it ends with a bang. Too bad the middle is just kind of meh.
3
Mar 17 2025
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
Golden champagne juicy grapefruit lucky monday
High school football hot fudge buffalo tulip sundae
Almond caramel frappe pineapple rootbeer
Black and white pennyapple henry ford sweetheart maple tea
what kind of word salad is this?!
2
Mar 18 2025
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
Makes sense this album was developed as/from a musical, it sounds very theatrical. The beginning of "You took the words right out of my mouth (hot summer night)" made me laugh out loud. Some drama club kids taking themselves way too seriously.
3
Mar 19 2025
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
I hate the super dated synthy sounds. I don't care if George Carlin comes back from 2688 to save 80s music so that a future utopian society can form, this music can die. The only reason this isn't 1 star is because it doesn't physically hurt my ears. But it is far from pleasurable.
2
Mar 20 2025
Konnichiwa
Skepta
3
Mar 21 2025
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
One decent song does not an album make. Manson has always struck me as a person who just desperately wants attention rather than artist with something meaningful to say. Despite my policy of deducting stars for lecherous fucks with credible allegations of sexual assault and emotional abuse against them, I am not allowed to give this album zero stars.
1
Mar 24 2025
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Stereolab
4
Mar 25 2025
Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Some real high points to bookend this album but lots of meh in the middle. Black Queen was unexpected and my favorite track. I will overlook a lot of meh for that gravely vocal and guitar solo.
3
Mar 26 2025
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
Kurt Cobain once said that his band was "not your typical Guns N' Roses type of band that has absolutely nothing to say." He isn't wrong, but there is a reason why this is the best selling debut album of all time. Superficial fun often beats thought provoking. I for one could use a little fun these days.
4
Mar 27 2025
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
3
Mar 28 2025
Something/Anything?
Todd Rundgren
2
Mar 31 2025
Bummed
Happy Mondays
Bummed is an apt name. Why do English bands of the 80s sound so similarly moan-y?
2
Apr 01 2025
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
In Clueless, one of Cher's main gripes about Josh is that he listens to "complaint rock" (aka Radiohead), but I have never heard a band complain more than Limp Bizkit. While Radiohead may complain about how they don't fit in because they aren't good enough for the world, Limp Bizkit act like they don't fit in because the world isn't good enough for them. I love a good "angry at the world" song (Break Stuff might be their most tolerable and relatable song but it is unfortunately not on this album) but dude, the world doesn't owe you shit. The entitlement is annoying and exhausting. Also the music is tedious and repetitive, the songs mostly sound the same with a lot of f-bombs thrown in.
1
Apr 02 2025
Before And After Science
Brian Eno
This definitely feels like a bridge between two different versions of Brian Eno. The second half of the album was markedly different, more ambient, and would have garnered an additional star if it was reflective of the album as a whole.
3
Apr 03 2025
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2
Apr 04 2025
Dirty
Sonic Youth
And with the 5th and final Sonic Youth album on the list, my love/hate relationship with SY comes to an end. Overall I think I have come around a little bit and ended net positive since I first listened to EVOL. That's basically how I feel about this double album (did it really need to be a double album?), overall net positive but there are definitely moments of just noise.
3
Apr 07 2025
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
Huh, that was weird. Kind of like when my youngest used to make up songs filled with nonsensical words. Maybe she was speaking βUnwineseβ.
2
Apr 08 2025
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
Extra star for making me laugh out loud at the randomly yelled words towards the end of Lady Godiva.
2
Apr 09 2025
ImmigrΓ©s
Youssou N'Dour
3
Apr 10 2025
Harvest
Neil Young
Considering how the album cover is what I picture when someone says Neil Young, I thought I would know more songs from this album. Alas, all my other NY reviews stand and his voice just doesn't work for me most of the time.
3
Apr 11 2025
Woodface
Crowded House
Other than a very jaunty song about Chocolate Cake and the hilarious lyric "There goes God in his sexy pants and his sausage dog" there is nothing to see here. It's very Toad the Wet Sprocket kind of meh 90s alt rock. Not unpleasant but nothing to really get excited about.
3
Apr 14 2025
Pink Flag
Wire
3
Apr 15 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
Some of the guitars kick ass, the slow ballads are not my jam. Really 3.5 but the familiarity bias is real.
4
Apr 16 2025
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
2
Apr 17 2025
Mott
Mott The Hoople
3
Apr 18 2025
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Well that was sad. Not the thing to listen to whilst taking a walk on a beautiful, sunny spring day full of new life.
3
Apr 21 2025
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
3
Apr 22 2025
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Baez has a beautiful voice but ultimately I tired of the sparseness of this album's sound (which I think is the main draw for many). I also can't help but question whether an artist who mostly arranges and sings other people's songs deserve a spot on this list even if they were a cultural icon?
2
Apr 23 2025
Elastica
Elastica
After slogging my way through a bunch of folk music, this album was such a breath of fresh air. Fun, female fronted post-punk that I somehow missed in the 90s when it is right in my wheelhouse and should have been the soundtrack to my high school years. Happy to have found it now, even if I am a few decades late to the party.
5
Apr 24 2025
The Undertones
The Undertones
3
Apr 25 2025
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
2
Apr 28 2025
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
3
Apr 29 2025
Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
1
Apr 30 2025
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
It is nice to hear the call and response "I love my mother" as part of She's Fresh (we mother's aren't often celebrated for our coolness). Scorpio may have been ahead of it's time but feels very dated and tiresome now and some of these tracks don't feel like hip hop at all. We all love Stevie Wonder but Dreamin' felt out of place. Mixed bag.
3
May 01 2025
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
Title track shows their potential but too much of this album is forgettable.
3
May 02 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath definitely turned it up to 11 on Paranoid compared to their debut. The title track and Iron Man are standard bearers of the genre. This may not be the heaviest of heavy metal on this list but extra points for leading the charge.
4
May 05 2025
Feast of Wire
Calexico
This gets better every time I listen to it, especially the front half. Such a great blend of styles.
4
May 06 2025
Too Rye Ay
Dexys Midnight Runners
When I look up a list of "one-hit wonders", Paste magazine has Dexys Midnight Runners up there at #1 with Come on Eileen. So if Dexys Midnight Runners is a one-hit wonder, why do they have THREE albums on this list?! This is the best of the three but that is not saying much.
2
May 07 2025
Shadowland
k.d. lang
Great vocalist. Not my jam.
2
May 08 2025
B-52's
The B-52's
Itβs not you, itβs me. I just hate new wave.
2
May 09 2025
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
I have a habit of detracting stars from artists who are shitty people so itβs only fair I award Dolly an extra star for being a really good person.
4
May 12 2025
Tragic Songs of Life
The Louvin Brothers
The faster tracks with the bluegrass banjo are much more tolerable compared to the slow ballads.
2
May 13 2025
Ten
Pearl Jam
Someone at work once asked me if I was stuck on a desert island with an ipod with only one artist loaded, who would it be? It would have to be someone with a deep catalog and a sound that varies so I can listen to it in any mood. Pearl Jam is the only band I can think of that fits that bill and it all begins here, with Ten. Ten is arguably one of the strongest debut albums ever with no bad tracks. Jeremy might be my least favorite track on Ten and it's one of their most popular. Eddie Vedder's growl as he starts Once gets me pumped and by the time I get to him screaming why in Black, I am emotionally exhausted. The guitars of Stone Gossard and Mike McCready are more classic rock/Led Zepplin than the punk/heavy metal sound of some of the other standard bearers of grunge like Nirvana or Soundgarden. Even though Once and Black are great tracks, the back half of the album is actually my favorite with Porch through Release being an incredible stretch of 4 tracks and a tiny microcosm of the band's varying levels. Hearing a whole stadium of the most dedicated fans sing along to Release is powerful and I would be remiss not to mention how in awe I am of PJ's live shows and the incredible fan base they have built over 35 years. I have seen PJ shows in 3 separate decades now and of the 6 shows I have been to across 3 decades, PJ has never played less than 25 songs. Thanks to industrious and dedicated fans, there is an app that tracks setlists so I know I have only seen 9 songs repeated at more than half the shows I attended. I have never seen less than 6 new songs that I have never heard played live (and that is only because I went to two show on the same tour, but even then less than 1/2 of the songs were the same). The memory and energy PJ has (at 60 years old!) to play for 2.5+ hours and vary the set-lists as much as they do is just unbelievable. I know I sound like some kind of a super fan but believe me, I got nothing on some of PJs long time fans like my husband. All this to say, 5 stars: great album, great band, great people, great shows, great fans.
5
May 14 2025
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Really a 3.5, definitely, maybeβ¦
3
May 15 2025
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Ooof no. Wikipedia tells me "the album is regarded as an important work of experimental music and art rock", but it sounds like someone dumped a bunch of instruments on the floor of a toddler playdate (toddlers with very deep and gravely voices) and recorded the result. Unlike in science where the negative results at least give you useful information, not every musical experiment is worthy of publication.
1
May 16 2025
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
3
May 19 2025
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Took a dancier turn from Fever to Tell and it works great for them. Still very identifiably Yeah Yeah Yeahs but with a shiny new toy.
5
May 20 2025
Street Life
The Crusaders
Other than the title track, this is dinner party music that you put on because itβs pleasantly uninteresting.
3
May 21 2025
Moon Safari
Air
Good chill music to get stuff done, will definitely be on rotation at work. Doesn't hurt that I picture 10 Things I Hate About You during the second track.
4
May 22 2025
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2
May 23 2025
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
Despite Christina's great voice, this album feels very sophomoric. Infatuation seems way out of place on an album that is generally trying to declare she is a strong, independent woman...except when she can't help herself? Beautiful is in fact beautiful, but the rest of the slow jamz are snooze fests.
3
May 26 2025
Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
Why so moan-y??
2
May 27 2025
Berlin
Lou Reed
3
May 28 2025
Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
very few tracks I didn't want to press fast forward 1/2 way through.
2
May 29 2025
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
Slow and quiet is not where his voice shines so the beginnings of some tracks were a little rough as a result. But he quickly hits his stride and the middle of the album has a great, funk bass driven backdrop to his rock screams.
4
May 30 2025
Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
I am sure it's good...for someone else. Not my cup of tea.
2
Jun 02 2025
Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
It's fine. It is identifiably 90s. It sometimes has that jangly sound like it could be a precursor to Belle and Sebastian. Mostly I am disappointed that after 1073 albums I am still asking "why is this album on the list".
3
Jun 03 2025
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
This is an easy "Automatic" five stars. If I had to choose only one REM album, I would still prefer to listen to faster paced albums like Green but this is the album I go to when I want to feel things.
5
Jun 04 2025
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
The voodoo witch doctor (I picture Dr. Facilier in Princess and the Frog) vibes are strong here. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's interesting, but almost an hour of it is too much.
2
Jun 05 2025
Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
2
Jun 06 2025
Born To Be With You
Dion
2
Jun 09 2025
Talk Talk Talk
The Psychedelic Furs
2
Jun 10 2025
Smash
The Offspring
One of the rare occasions that I like a band more now than I did when I first heard them.
4
Jun 11 2025
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
3
Jun 12 2025
In Our Heads
Hot Chip
I waffle between 3 and 4. I would have told you I had heard Hot Chip before, but after this album and listening to their top ten most popular tracks across multiple albums, I felt like I only recognized one piece of one song. Does that mean that I changed the station when it came on? Nothing is really off-putting about Hot Chip's sound, but nothing really grabs me either.
3
Jun 13 2025
ΓgΓ¦tis Byrjun
Sigur RΓ³s
Ouch, soothing, perfect for today (a grey rainy day).
4
Jun 16 2025
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
This is a little like walking into a modern art museum; it's interesting, but you're not sure you really get it. It makes you feel something, but mostly just uncomfortable with the fact that something is just "off" about it. This is a museum I will not be revisiting.
2
Jun 17 2025
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I don't care if he is a Pulitzer prize winning poet. If I can't listen to the poetry because I can't get past the voice, what are we doing here?!
2
Jun 18 2025
The Grand Tour
George Jones
So sloooow. Dude needs more pep in his step for this grand tour.
2
Jun 19 2025
Tago Mago
Can
Was all prepared to retract my harsh judgement of krautrock after the first half of the album, which I actually enjoyed. But man they really tried to tank the album on the back half. The track βAugmnβ was unlistenable.
2
Jun 20 2025
Hot Fuss
The Killers
5