NIN taps into every feeling you’ve ever had of anger, rage, sadness, jealousy, regret, and hurt, and puts it on record. Trent Reznor communicates people’s darkest emotions and impulses here, without ever sounding inhuman. He took all of humanity’s darkest emotions and feelings and made them relatable, and that’s what drives these songs into the upper echelon.

Probably the most macho album ever, without ever being offensive. When aliens come down and ask about rock n roll, this will be the first album humans will play them.

Jane’s Addiction has always been a band that I’ve liked their singles but never really dove in. This album made me realize how great of a full album band they are. This record is awesome from beginning to end, and the last four tracks really carry a lot of that weight. Even with two tracks coming back to back to make up 20+ minutes of the whole album, it really is most of the musical and emotional content of the album. Front half is for guitar-hero riffage, back half is for artistry.

A folk rock masterpiece. Every song has just the right amount of twang and dirt without it turning into outright country. The Band really gets rolling and there’s not a bad track on the album.

Top of the pile of the early Beatles albums, and also technically a soundtrack. John has a lot of machismo throughout the record, while Paul seems a bit more coy and smitten. You start to get a small taste of things to come as the songwriting starts to get more focused.

Get It Together is the top track, MCA is stellar the whole album. Futterman’s Rule is a heavy, badass instrumental groove.

I can’t finish it. Got 3 tracks in and holy shit it’s boring. Think if Bob Dylan was more verbose and less talented.

Super fast, super powerful, with killer songwriting. Battery is a hell of an opener, and MoP is an all time classic track. Spectacular from beginning to end.

Gotta be able to listen to Rod Stewart but this record jams. Lots of good guitar work, but what do you expect from Jeff Beck?

I actually own this album on vinyl. Every track is exactly what you want from ZZ Top. Great guitar work and the opening three tracks are just a perfect album lead in.

I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer. Mostly great album, has all the things I like about The Doors and only a bit of what I hate. Why they followed the stellar “Land Ho!” with the meandering “The Spy” is beyond me, but otherwise it’s pretty solid.

Phenomenal beats throughout, and every track is a lyrical blast. Opens strong and just gets stronger. Added to the rotation!

This album rocks, and has a blast doing it. The drums and bass are tight and mixed fantastically, and everything is really riff-y. Lots of statement songs, the band definitely had something to say and said it. The right kind of punk rock.

If you want a definition for Arena Rock, here it is. This album was clearly written and produced with the idea that every song would be a live spectacle. The hits are hits for a reason (they’re so damn good) but I’m not much for Bon Jovi overall.

Not a Joni Mitchell fan but this album is fun and jazzy. Basically about how JM fucks.

A fun dance pop album. Very early 90s, lots of synths and layers of sound. Would be shocked if 90s nights in gay bars around the world weren’t playing some tracks from this album.

Bombastic. The backing band is great throughout, and she goes all-in the whole album. The first couple tracks are a rough start but once it gets going it never hits the brakes.

Weird ass noise rock for weird ass people.

Yeehaw! Some good old country blues, and he definitely earned the Ramblin’ title. Not much of a country guy but this was a pretty good time.

Listened to this driving, and it was great for that setting. Cool instrumental tunes for a lot of the album, but any track with lyrics isn’t as enjoyable. Sounds extremely late 90s, almost to a fault

What a killer rock album. Excellent songwriting throughout and killer tunes to match. Every song is POWERFUL.

Only made it halfway through (busy day) but what I heard was stellar. Giving a higher rating based on what I heard and will definitely go back to finish. Very fun R&B sound, real laid back but gets its message across loud and clear. Lots of power here!

An absolute perfect encapsulation of 80s heavy metal. Every track is fierce, powerful, and surprisingly accessible. Rob Halford has the best range in metal and it shines through this whole album.

Fire. The Famous Flames are on another planet this whole album. Tight, grooving, and fierce as hell. And James Brown is running the whole show like he might never do another. Every song has funk, soul, emotion, charisma, and raw energy. I imagine it’s only a 30 minute set because they’re all out of gas by the end.

Very cool, very chill album. Good acoustic songwriting and just an enjoyable listen. Didn’t understand most of the lyrics but the tone was wonderful.

What a fantastic album. My Old School is a top 3 Steely Dan track and is a blast to hear. The whole album rocks pretty hard, and you know it’s going to right out of the gate. An absolute gem.

The ultimate blue collar album. Most of Springsteen’s biggest hits are here, and a lot of good stuff in between. I’m On Fire is a big highlight, and who doesn’t know Dancing in the Dark? Not a big Bruce fan but this whole album is probably his most listenable.

Whenever I listen to The Pixies I enjoy them but there’s not really anything incredible about it to me. I enjoyed this and there’s some good fun alt and punk rock but I’m not going to remember it a week from now.

It’s Morrissey. It’s not The Smiths. It’s just fine.

A power trio if there ever was one. Clapton has the coolest guitar tone of all time here, and he shows it off on just about every track. The bass makes some wild moves all throughout the record. And Ginger Baker’s drums thunder on every track.

Not a perfect Queen album by any means but you can definitely hear their confidence growing in a big way on this album. Roger Taylor is beating the drums like it’s do or die the whole album, and is really the star of it all (to me at least!). Ogre Battle, White Queen, and Seven Seas of Rhye are the best tracks here.

Sometimes chill, sometimes beautiful, sometimes weird as hell. Lots of cool grooves and some world music tones too. Not my normal cup of tea but it was pretty relaxing at times.

One of the best rock albums of the last 20 years. Every riff feels new, original, and powerful. The songwriting is hooky and memorable. I can’t speak highly enough about the album.

A modern day punk record you can dance to. For a debut album it’s a masterclass in rocking out and having a blast while doing it. Every track is cool and riffy and flying through at the speed of sound.

A folk rock masterpiece. Every song has just the right amount of twang and dirt without it turning into outright country. The Band really gets rolling and there’s not a bad track on the album.

Hendrix’s magnum opus. You like stereo, right? This album plays like a hippie fever dream in the best way. A couple sprawling epics at either end of the album and a lot of hard rocking on all sides. And, of course, Watchtower, Hendrix’s ultimate Dylan tribute.

Every beat on this album is incredible. And everyone on this album is an awesome rapper. The rhymes are much more hit than miss, and a lot of the songs have meaning, which wins big points with me. It’s a little long for my taste but otherwise this album absolutely earned its spot on this list.

Fierce. Ferocious. The album that put the Metal in Hair Metal. From the opening notes of Welcome to the Jungle, you know you’re in for something special. The band hammers away at track after track of brutal, real hard rock. Slash is peak Slash, and Axl has never been more Axl.

This record grooves so hard. Just cool, funky laid back tunes carried throughout. Everybody in the group gets their turn, but I really noticed how tight the bass and Jimmy’s keys are on every track. The melodies haven’t stuck with me just yet but it’s definitely something I’ll revisit.

What the hell did I just listen to? Good for this dude for getting his stuff out on record. This shit is weird.

Recited just sounds like he’s having a lot of fun making it the whole time. Even the last few tracks have spirit in them despite being sadder songs. Title track grows on me the more I hear it. Everybody Loves Me, Baby is clever in the best way possible.

A somewhat punk-y debut from the heavy metal legends. Di’Anno isn’t my cup of tea but he gives a real punk edge to a good part of the album. The rest of the band shred through with gusto, and overall the music here is pretty great.

“Rikki” sets the tone as the lead off track, being smooth with some downright creepy lyrics if you really analyze them. A great album front to back, though it loses a little steam at the very end. And a great instrumental!

The grandfathers of electronic rock music. Lots of very familiar beats with moody Eurocentric lyrics. Album has a great flow but some of the tracks are very long and repetitive, even if the motifs never really get boring.

Wild and weird with beautiful harmonies. McGuinn is definitely a weird dude and can’t decide whether to make a psychedelic, folk, or country album, so instead the band deliver it all in one. Worth a headphone listen but not something I’d keep coming back to.

It was a big joke to listen to Sade when I was a kid. Now that I’m grown, this record is excellent. Smooth vibes throughout and she is in complete control of her voice and sound throughout the record.

Debut from the absolute best by-metal band. The album is new and different in the best possible way and rocks insanely hard. Listening to this was cool because it made me realize that while this band is weird, they’re good because they’re weird in ways we all are, but have put it on record for everyone to see. Kick ass instrumentation and a lot of powerful lyrical themes, this one hits all the right notes.

If I could give this album 10/5 stars I would. It’s the best LZ album, and every song knocks it out of the park. Plus, it’s got a true drum solo that is actually very cool to listen to.

What a punchy album. This record bangs from top to bottom, with smart raps and hooky beats. Lots of cool messaging and visceral rhymes.

Think if Earth, Wind and Fire were from Nigeria. A great jazz-funk album all around. Lots of fun, infectious grooves, and top talent to boot. Who knew listening to a sax-led band could be so much fun?

Big shock here, but 47 years on from the last album I got of his and Leonard Cohen is still painfully boring to listen to. Talking a lot, and not saying anything at all worth being said.

Electrifying. Karen O is a rock and roll goddess and the band has a blast on this record. Every song is just a ton of fun, very original, and a lot of good grooves too.

A great, laid back album. Friend of the Devil is an all time classic song, and the rest of the album is just a good time. Lots of acoustic and very cool harmonies.

Absolutely beautiful stories and songs. I don’t go out of my way for country music but Dolly really does a great job with this one. The production is clean and clear, and her message gets across the whole album.

An amazing voice and amazing guitar tone. Not sure why anyone ever wrote another love song, because Buddy Holly covered all the bases on this album. A truly great record.

Some real avant-garde jazz here. Also exhibit A of “Miles Davis on drugs.” Some of the grooves the group gets into here are incredible, but some parts are definitely spent trying to find it.

BB was rockin and rollin the night they recorded this album, and it comes through perfectly. He’s having fun and sounds spectacular. This is new to my “best live album” shortlist.

Beautiful voice, very cool jazzy sound. Clearly an evolution from bossa nova, the album has a pop feel with a cool Latin groove throughout. I don’t speak a bit of Portuguese so the lyrics are lost on me, but the singing makes up some for the message being lost on me.

A cool, moody, Duran Duran-esque new wave record. A lot of really good songs and the album flows really well. Loved the singer’s voice, and the bass was AWESOME.

Top of the pile of the early Beatles albums, and also technically a soundtrack. John has a lot of machismo throughout the record, while Paul seems a bit more coy and smitten. You start to get a small taste of things to come as the songwriting starts to get more focused.

Pretty good lyrically and has a cool feel for a late 80s album, but nothing that’s going to stick with me forever.

George has a cool voice and a lot of great tunes here. The title track is the stuff you think of when you think of classic country. Very clean production and overall a joy to listen to.

Here are The Beatles about to leap headlong into their new psychedelic personas. From the backwards guitar solo on Taxman to… the backwards guitar on Tomorrow Never Knows, the band is firing on all four cylinders. Everyone has their spotlight songs, and the album shows a group taking their first real step into the unknown.

Cool. Bowie exudes cool throughout this whole record. Lots of funk, soul and jazz influences on every track. Plus, we get a Beatles cover AND a Beatle!

Waylon gets in, handles his business, and gets out. Great lyrics (no, really, some true classics in here) and slick early-70s production make this a good time to listen to.

Definitely a more far out sound than I expected from The Temptations. Classic harmonies, one wild 9 minute track, and funky grooves throughout. Nothing super memorable but nothing outright bad either.

An absolute masterpiece from top to bottom. Stevie sings with passion and soul and meaning, and his instrumentation is never better than it is here. The album is definitely front loaded with the hits but it’s also just a wonderful listen as an album. Top 20 all time for me, maybe top 10.

Take Five is a groove that has been stuck in my head off and on for over a decade. This is one of my favorite jazz albums of all time and I love the whole record front to back. It just has a timeless bit of soul to it, and always sounds fresh and new.

Seems like Neil had fun making this album, and just tossed it together in a few days. The lyrics seem to be letting a lot of despair out in a therapeutic way, and the musicianship is top notch throughout. No real standout tracks but the album is solid throughout.

Come for the punk, stay for the Irish folk.

Thrashy in the best way, great vocals, but not big on all the satanic stuff.

How do you follow up one of the best selling records of all time? By doing something completely different. A long, weird album with way more hits than misses. Tusk is still a bad ass song, and Stevie and Christine still have all the best songs.

Some cool music but ultimately it’s never exciting to listen to.

More style than substance on the Doors debut here. Some good tracks and great singles but a bit meandering for my tastes.

Couldn’t finish it. Morrissey went way overboard on sounding pretentious and entitled and it’s not a good look. The production is stellar, I’ll give him that.

The production, the band, and the songwriting are all superb on this album. It’s a shock that it came out in the mid-70s because it could easily come from the 90s or even today. For an artist I’ve never even heard of I enjoyed the hell out of this.

A slog. Some generic pop-rock and I was never really impressed with any of the music or songwriting. It’s background music and that’s about it.

A very fun bit of art punk. Definitely a lot of power and passion behind the lyrics, and the band rips through like a tornado. Great if you like poetry and hard rock mixed, not as much if that’s not your thing.

Some high-mark grunge rock on this album. Courtney Love may not be at the level her husband was, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t rocking out in her own right. This album has Fuck You attitude all over it, and the singles are great to boot.

New wave and industrial is pretty good mashes together on this album. All the musicianship is excellent and the songs are all well written and catchy, but not exactly memorable.

My favorite Stones album, with great tracks from beginning to end. Brown Sugar is one of the best guitar riffs of all time, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ is an amazing jam, and Dead Flowers is just COOL. Album is damn near perfect.

The lead off track and single were fun and well written, as is most of the album. Nothing life changing or truly memorable, but not bad by any means.

What a rock n roll record sound sounds like. Cool songs, weird sounds, some butt-shaking rhythms, and an engaging character to build it all around. Ziggy is one kick-ass record.

Elvis is rockin’ all the way through here. He sounds revitalized and excited about this new music. His voice is in great shape and the new band make things exciting to listen to.

Wow. One of the most immaculately produced albums I’ve ever heard. Everything is powerful, dark, and sexy. The singing and playing are all too-notch, and lyrically each song has a little bit of fierceness and a lot of mood.

Aretha makes you FEEL something here. Every word she sings has purpose, has a point. This album gets 4 stars on the title track and RESPECT alone.

Beautiful voice, fun and funny. Musicianship was solid throughout, but nothing like-changing.

Jane’s Addiction has always been a band that I’ve liked their singles but never really dove in. This album made me realize how great of a full album band they are. This record is awesome from beginning to end, and the last four tracks really carry a lot of that weight. Even with two tracks coming back to back to make up 20+ minutes of the whole album, it really is most of the musical and emotional content of the album. Front half is for guitar-hero riffage, back half is for artistry.

The best southern hip hop album of all time. Every track crushes the beats, the rhymes, and the production. Andre 3000 and Big Boi are on fire creatively and they know it. B.O.B. is the kind of song rappers dream of writing. As close to hip hop perfection as it gets.

This record grew on me the further in I got, and I enjoyed it pretty well by the end. The music is better than the lyrics here, but that doesn’t detract from being able to enjoy it. Also, The Offspring have a great cover of Smash it Up out there, check it out.

Cool riffs but not memorable otherwise

Really great production, really great songs, really great music. Title track will take you out of this world for 10 minutes in the best way.

Bizarre, punky, British. It’s just fine.

Smash is definitely the right title for the album, because every song is like a smash to the face of pure punk ferocity. The Offspring walk the fine line of being tonally aware, hardcore, pissed off, and a little funny all at the same time and it’s flawlessly executed. This was the jumping off point for every 90s kid who didn’t know where to start with punk rock.

Not a lot to say that hasn’t already been said about this album. One of, if not the greatest album of all time. Here, the Beatles found a way to make a record without the constraints of having to be the Beatles. As this new band, they could make whatever new and different songs they wanted, so they did. And they made an absolute masterpiece.

Funky cool reggae from one of the masters. Tosh gets his point across right out of the gate, and rides that wave through the whole album. Good stuff, nothing life-altering.

NIN taps into every feeling you’ve ever had of anger, rage, sadness, jealousy, regret, and hurt, and puts it on record. Trent Reznor communicates people’s darkest emotions and impulses here, without ever sounding inhuman. He took all of humanity’s darkest emotions and feelings and made them relatable, and that’s what drives these songs into the upper echelon.

Probably the most macho album ever, without ever being offensive. When aliens come down and ask about rock n roll, this will be the first album humans will play them.

Bossa nova with the occasional hip-hop backbeat. It’s just ok.

Sinatra does bossa nova. And surprisingly, it works pretty well. Real laid back, it’s just a few guys trying to put out a solid record, not change the world. Mission accomplished.

An absolutely awesome soul-jazz album. Groovy, a little funky, and a lot of soul all throughout give the record a cool lean against more traditional jazz albums. The music goes a long way in making you feel it, and you can also groove to it effortlessly.

Pretty great music from The Smiths. Morrissey is always a little bit too much lyrically, but it’s still a unique listen. Johnny Marr is a killer guitarist and shines through the whole album.

The title track is one of the funkiest jams of all time, and the rest of the album’s tracks don’t slouch either. Steve Cropper’s guitar work here is the type of thing that makes someone want to pick up a guitar for the first time. And to think this is the house band!

I was lucky enough to see Motörhead live before Lemmy died, and they rocked every bit as hard as they do on this album, and the show I saw was 30 years after this was released. Rock solid heavy metal and a voice that grinds through every song. An absolute blast to listen to and if Overkill doesn’t make you want to play heavy metal music then nothing ever will.

Only got to listen to a little of this. It’s fine, but not really my style.

Solid effort from CCR. Lodi is the best song here but the whole album sounds clean and solid.

Weird and wild and funky as hell. The title track has some of the coolest guitar work I’ve ever heard, and really the guitar shines throughout the whole album. Catchy, funny, funky lyrics add layers to the stellar music.

I feel like this is what you would get if the Talking Heads were one guy and somehow a bit weirder. Still some catchy stuff but overall pretty out there.

The Verve will always be low rent Oasis.

Some of the most gorgeous guitar work ever put on record. The songwriting here is personal and original, and the cover of Hallelujah is the best version of the song by miles. Sometimes chill and sometimes jammy, a great album top to bottom.

What a hard rocking record. Funky, heavy, and energized. Mike Patton is an acquired taste but has the perfect voice to pair with the music, and everything just fits. Sometimes sounds a little too much like a RHCP knockoff but otherwise a great album.

Some interesting Latin jazz. Some of it hits better than others, but it’s pretty cool for driving around town.

A catchy protest album. Who knew that could happen? Fela Kuti’s band here is tighter than any other band ever tried to be, and he is full of rage and energy and channels it into songs that energize you fully. Twelve minute songs that you actually want to hear through to the end.

Putting the roll in rock n roll, these guys sound they had a blast rolling through these tracks. A fun album that could’ve easily been recorded at a party for how fun it sounds.

Listened to most of this album, busy day kept me from finishing. Solid rhymes throughout but the lo-fi Wu-Tang-esque beats were really what propelled me through the album. Jeru has an original flow and is definitely entertaining to listen to, but I never found that standout track.

60s punk before punk was a thing. A lot of covers that, while pretty straight, are still given a hard edge and a little more shouting than the originals. A quick and fun listen to boot.

Trippy, psychedelic, and experimental in the best ways. Lots of interesting musical ideas on the album and a feeling that the group had a good time cutting the record.

This is the sound of a newly-crowned king. Jay-Z is on top of the hip-hop mountain, and he’s executing anyone who challenges for the throne with precision. He’s telling the stories that made him king and cementing his legacy for generations to come.

Crunchy, raucous blues. Muddy is just having a great time cutting these tracks, being a little raunchy, and soloing through each track with a downright nasty tone.

For the prog rock purists. Three tracks on the album, with the title track clocking over 18 minutes, is going to be a challenge for most casual listeners. But Yes make it worth the time spent with beautiful, classical, cohesive music throughout each track. Not a moment of the 18 minutes is wasted and it’s all fantastically performed.

A rock band tries to make an EDM album. It’s not completely unlistenable.

A lot more cohesive of a sound than the last Pixies album I got. A great idea of indie punk, and just some raw, primal sound throughout.

You can tell that U2 knew what album they wanted to make, and they succeeded on all fronts. All the singles are frontloaded but you never want to stop listening because every track could’ve been a single. Another example of albums as art.

KISS knew exactly where their career was and where it needed to go when they made this record. They start the album with a radio playing Rock and Roll All Nite before they rush headlong into Detroit Rock City. It’s like they said “We got you hooked with this, now here’s the REAL stuff.” And the album kicks ass. Paul Stanley is a man’s man of a singer and is just so good here. Plus you get Beth!

Juicy is everything that hip-hop is about perfectly encapsulated into one song. Big Poppa is the perfect player’s anthem with an even more perfect sample. The rest of the album is proof that Notorious BIG was the best rapper alive at the time. And the closing track is a haunting look at the dark side of fame in a troubled mind. A hip-hop masterpiece.

Possibly the best debut album in hip-hop history. It’s hard, it’s funny, and these guys tell stories with the best, as evidenced in tracks like Paul Revere. And everyone who’s ever been a teenager can relate to Fight for Your Right. A blast from start to finish.

This is a tight band, writing fringe rock, and Alice is singing lyrics for the horror fans of the world. In short, it rocks hard. This really feels like malice fully leaning into the persona he performs with to this day, and the results are spectacular.

Lots of strings and a very chill vibe throughout, and the singer has a very unique voice that grew on me through the listen. It was good, but mostly background sound instead of something that compelled me to keep listening.

Great punk music after the 80s is tough to come by, but this is great punk music. They’re using horns without skewing into ska, which is impressive in and of itself. Definitely an album and a band I will revisit. Atom Willard’s drums are a highlight, but he’s one of my favorite players so I may be a little biased here.

Lots of cool music and musical ideas here. The rhythm section is always tight and seems to always be doing something interesting. Most of the songs are pretty catchy but nothing here made me stop in my tracks.

Early Stones is always a little weird to me. The band sounds big and live here but the production is very much a product of his time. It all sounds great but it also sounds extremely 60s. Lots of good tracks here, and the band is definitely getting a little experimental. And there’s always that little country twang to the early stuff. Rock solid all the way through.

A soulful, beautifully written, beautifully produced record. Definitely bittersweet in retrospect but Amy Winehouse has a beautiful voice and the songs to back it up. Rehab was the big single but Back to Black is absolutely the show-stopper here. All great writing and music, every track.

Billy Corgan is a true guitar hero. He rips through this album with ferocity coming out of his fingertips. Even the more tender acoustic tracks feel at times like the guitar is under attack during the most emotional moments. And he sings with power and emotion. The whole band sounds great here, and the album rocks extremely hard.

Refreshing to hear a positive and fun outlook throughout a whole album. Never heard of Jungle Brothers before but their style and attitude is infectious. Great album all the way through.

Marc Bolan was a master of cool guitar tones and chugging rhythms and this album is a shining example of all that. A wild songwriter and a killer glam showman, and a band that plays fast and loose. Just a feel good record overall.

Emmylou’s voice is just incredible throughout this album. The songwriting is a joy to listen to and the covers are perfectly matched. A little on the slower side but it fits the tone well.

Didn’t get to finish this album, but I enjoyed what I heard. Definitely a product of the late 80s and it shows, but the 80s had the best pop music of all time so that’s not a bad thing at all. A unique sound that’s easy on the ears.

Barry Gibb can write a damn good song. The opener, title track, and closer are all highlights here. The Bee Gees before disco were a totally different rock and roll band, and a great time to listen to.

Moody electronic pop, and it’s great. Basically like if The Cure and Nine Inch Nails joined up, you’d get Depeche Mode. Really enjoyed the whole album, and it’s one of those where even if you didn’t know it, you’re going to recognize some of the tunes.

6 of the 9 tracks on this album get regular radio play to this day. So yea, it’s pretty damn good. And the other three songs? Also pretty damn good.

There’s a reason this band is as popular as they are. Every track has clean production and catchy lyrics, and a catchier hook. Every. Track. And a lot of people won’t admit this, but the songwriting is fantastic.

A weird blending of genres throughout, with some folk-rock, psychedelia, and a few jammy instrumentals throughout. A little all over the map for my tastes, but by no means bad.