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Finisher #596 to complete the list
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Albums Rated
3.44
Average Rating
100%
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1950s
Favorite Decade
Rock-and-roll
Favorite Genre
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Top Origin
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Rater Style ?
111
5-Star Albums
20
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tago Mago
Can
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Shadowland
k.d. lang
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
|
4 | 1.9 | +2.1 |
|
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Future Days
Can
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
Scum
Napalm Death
|
4 | 2.07 | +1.93 |
|
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
|
1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
|
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
|
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
|
1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
|
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
|
1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
|
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
|
1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
|
Rip It Up
Orange Juice
|
1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
|
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
|
1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
|
Chris
Christine and the Queens
|
1 | 2.82 | -1.82 |
|
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
|
1 | 2.79 | -1.79 |
|
Yeezus
Kanye West
|
1 | 2.78 | -1.78 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.57 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.43 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.6 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.6 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.33 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.67 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.67 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| King Crimson | 2 | 5 |
| Can | 2 | 5 |
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.25 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.25 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.25 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 1.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Kanye West | 1, 3, 4 |
5-Star Albums (111)
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Popular Reviews
Little Richard
5/5
The 'patient-zero' for 99% of this list. Modern music owes everything to Little Richard's innovation. Sure, he was riding a wave of change in the 1950's, but the bands that influence the bands that are listened to now were influenced by Little Richard.
4.5/5 for musicality. 5/5 for originality.
48 likes
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
It's hard to get a grasp on an album that you've never heard by an artist you don't know. Listening to A Little Deeper by Ms. Dynamite in 2023 you're not hearing too much originality or something that merits inclusion on a list of 'Albums you must hear'.
When a record that barely had any traction when it was released and who's global stats only show a bump in the UK compared to a flat reception outside, you get a good look at the biases the author(s) of this book have for subpar UK performers regurgitating more popular artists who's only crime appear to not be based in the UK.
3/5.
31 likes
Def Leppard
4/5
Of all the albums I felt the need to defend, Def Leppard's Pyromania shouldn't be one of them. Yet the slaughter of poor reviews of this album need to be corrected.
Pyromania is a monster. What it did in 1983 and paved the way for is probably invisible from most of the reviewers here who probably don't realize they were possibly conceived to this album.
Did Def Leppard overstay their welcome? Yes. Is 1983's Pyromania Def Leppard's peak? No, that would come with Hysteria, the actual album that has the one-armed drummer. Rick Allen had both of his arms on this one.
4/5.
30 likes
Funkadelic
5/5
This is my second PFunk album in less than a week and man-oh-man. The title track alone merits its five stars, I mean, who sends a guitarist into a session and tells them to play like their mother just died?
Very deep funk album that doesn't show the funky side that they will become, but this is my style.
24 likes
The Black Crowes
4/5
This album was a breath of fresh air in a period that had hard rock / hair metal being pushed aside by grunge. Along come the Robinson brothers with their blues-base true-rock record.
17 likes
1-Star Albums (20)
All Ratings
Sonic Youth
3/5
Would really give it a 3.5 - 3.75. Good rocking album that wears its influence on 90's grunge on its sleeve.
Does it belong on the list? YES
Average: ★★★
1. "Teen Age Riot" ★★★★
2. "Silver Rocket" ★★★★
3. "The Sprawl" ★★★
4. "Cross the Breeze"★★★★★
5. "Eric's Trip" ★★
6. "Total Trash" ★★
7. "Hey Joni" ★★★
8. "Providence" ★
9. "Candle" ★★★
10. "Rain King" ★★★
11. "Kissability" ★★★
12. "Trilogy: The Wonder" ★★★
13. "Trilogy: Hyperstation" ★★★★
14. "Trilogy: Eliminator Jr." ★★★★
4/5
I haven't listened to this album front to back in about 20 years. I've forgotten how good it is. Knowing how the Gallagher brothers have fared since their rise to fame has tinted how freaking talented they are.
4/5.
Fred Neil
4/5
I never heard of this album, or of Neil. This record is fantastic, it straddles multiple genres. His voice reminds me of Glen Campbell, Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits.
Le Tigre
4/5
Never heard of them, but then again, the late 90's / early 00's newer music and Riot Grl were not my focus. I dig it, love the quirky lyrics and the different sounds they came up with. Very much a They Might Be Giants meet early Beastie Boys vibe.
I'm glad I discovered this (new to me) band. Is Le Tigre an album I must hear? Maybe? Does it belong on this list?
Would give 3.5 - 3.75 but will round up to a 4.0 for this one.
Rush
4/5
Tom Sawyer speaks for itself. While weird, it's a seminal song of the time.
Red Barchetta. Holy crap, can we say near perfect? This song was laid down in one take.
YYZ, Limelight, and The Camera Eye round out a good run of Prog Rock. Witch Hunt and Vital Signs are the weaker tracks that finish off the album.
3.75 / 5.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dylan at his best.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
I've never willingly sat down to listen to a Brazilian Afro-Cubano-Salsa-Pop record. The experience of África Brasil by Jorge Ben was eye-opening. The influence of this type of music and this album, in particular, is easy to pick up.
My issue with some different styles of global music is that the repetitive rhythms and verses get frustrating and this record does not difer, still a really good listen.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Fun, typical 90s indie-pop rock. Of note, their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson' was the first alt cover that was a significant hit. All of the covers today whether good or bad are because of this.
Michael Jackson
4/5
The problem with using the latest technology for music is that you risk it sounding very dated in the future. This album has not aged well in terms of technology.
Eight of the 11 tracks from this album were released as singles (Nine if you count the UK release of Liberian Girl, but please don't). The album could be re-released with those singles only and only improve the album. Speed Demon, Liberian Girl and Just Good Friends detract from the album which suffers from the production values of the period.
Paul Simon
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I'm probably the only person that is not a fan of Graceland and the influence that World music played in Simon's future works, but this album is lovely to listen to. It will definitely work it's way into my rotation.
Actual score: 3.9
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Fun listen. It wouldn't be on my must-play list, but I'd give it a spin on occasion.
Pantera
4/5
Seminal thrash metal album from the 90s. Very rarely does a band's non-musical story surpass the musical one, but man-o-man does Pantera have a hell of a story as a band.
Their contribution to metal can be told through this album.
The Zombies
3/5
Understand how this album has gained new fans and is listed as an influential album. I'm discovering that I'm not that into Psychadelic Rock, but I like the covers.
Charles Mingus
5/5
I'm listening to this as the only person in my office on a Friday that is gray and rainy out. This, album is perfect and its impossible to pause or walk away from it once you start it.
It's hard to pick a favorite track, but that closing medley is a hell of a tune.
Tim Buckley
2/5
The Sgt. Peppers influence is all over this album. I'm not a fan of the experimental folksy lovey-dovey folk sound of Tim Buckley so this doesn't ring to well for me.
TLC
3/5
I bought this CD when it came out, haven't listened to it complete in about 25 years. Damn good 90s Hip-Hop Soul.
Forgot about how Lisa Lopes was the crazy in the Crazy Sexy Cool, but her talent was taken from us too soon.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Isn't Anything isn't…good.
In the late 80s I was into hard rock, metal, modern and rap. Indie music like MBV didn't register on my radar.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
My favorite LZ album, the best debut album, an absolutely perfect album.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Very good alternative to the US / England concept of the blues. I also hear some jazz and middle eastern music in here. Similar to the Jimmy Page / Robert Plant Led Zeppelin Unplugged album.
Jeff Beck
5/5
Five stars for Beck's Bolero alone. This record is responsible for that 60's / 70's British Blues sound. Beck brings on Rod Stewart before he became the mega-star, and Ronny Wood before becoming a Stone.
The Pharcyde
4/5
In a time that Gangsta Rap and the East Coast / West Coast rivalry was ruling the airwaves, Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde is a modern hip hop album in a classic style.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Great 80s synth-pop, and, yeah at some points the sound is cringingly 80s synth-pop.
XTC
4/5
Todd Rundgren helps this album. As a thematic piece, it has a Beatles Sgt Peppers vibe that finishes weaker than it started. Dear God feels thrown in at the end - which of course it is and while it's a good song, it doesn't feel connected to the album.
3.5/5
Funkadelic
4/5
Fried Ice Cream is a reality!
Beatles
4/5
Wikipedia article really helped me through this one. Reading the processes of the writing / recording made some of my least favorite Fab Four songs more tolerable. I was pleasantly surprised by George's "Love You To".
Funkadelic
5/5
This is my second PFunk album in less than a week and man-oh-man. The title track alone merits its five stars, I mean, who sends a guitarist into a session and tells them to play like their mother just died?
Very deep funk album that doesn't show the funky side that they will become, but this is my style.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I've never delved deep into Elvis Costello's catalog beyond his greatist hits and radio hits, so this was a different side of EC that I'm used to seeing. And I dig it. His voice never bothered me as it seems to bother others, but I've grown up with that voice and am a well-enough-versed veteran to listen beyond that. The writing, production, and musicality of the Attractions put together a great late-era New Wave album.
Overall, 7/10, rounded up to a 4/5. I don't know why added to the list, but can appreciate it presence.
The Temptations
3/5
The Temps breaking from their familiar Motown Sound to get funkier including a 9+ minute near-masterpiece in Runaway Child. With a little traditional late 60s soul style thrown in, this is a good Temptations album.
I remember when this album came out. I grew up on early U2 and was not happy with the direction they went in after Achtung Baby. When ATYCLB came out, it felt like a surprise return to a familiar U2 that I liked. I still prefer the earlier U2 and understand the need to experiment, but this album is one of their better ones.
Morrissey
3/5
I'm listening to Morrissey and I'm not…sad???
Seriously though, Morrissey takes a lot of hits for being the original emo downer, but this is an upbeat rocker.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Regarded as the first heavy metal album, this is a shredder. The lyrics focus on the dark, storytelling perspective that would be a theme with metal.
Iommi and Butler are the standouts here, Ozzy's voice never gained traction with me, but this iteration seems less 'Ozzy Inc™' than in his later years.
Eurythmics
3/5
Very 80s synth-pop. Eurythmics were everywhere with their distinctive sound. After almost forty years on, the sound has not aged so well and while Sweet Dreams gets the glory, Love Is a Stranger is a stronger song that was a fave growing up.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Sounds like the 'best friends' medley on the soundtrack to an 80s movie.
Standout tracks: Wishing Well, If You All Get to Heaven, Who's Loving You
Deep Purple
4/5
I once played soccer with Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, this was almost as good.
KISS
4/5
I used to work with a couple of guys that were in a KISS tribute band (DO NOT EVER CALL THEM A COVER BAND) and they would play KISS all. the. time. This is a good album that is just fun rock-n-roll.
RIP Dave my God of Thunder - I miss you brother.
Mylo
2/5
I would be happy dying before listening to this album. I don't know why it was included and while I'm not much into electronic, I've heard plenty that would fit perfectly on a list of albums to listen to before I die.
Bonus, if I'm ever asked for recommendations on music to play while on hold with customer service, this will surely come to mind.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Rufus has a style that is very particular and can be offsetting to most when you get past his bigger hits. I'm a fan of Rufus and listening to this album top to bottom felt tough for me. Still a great album that highlights his vocal range.
Tom Waits
4/5
Love me some Tom Waits and this album is always toward the top of my list.
4.5/5
Slipknot
1/5
My first reaction to this when it came up was ugh.
I'm an 80's / 90's metal/thrash kid. The early 00's rehashing of punk and metal was not good in my view.
BUT, I went into this album intending to give it a fair listen. My opinion still hasn't changed. While technically skilled, the rythm section carries this album with the standard metal fills. The mix between sing/yelling/crooning doesn't play well to me.
Soundgarden
4/5
If Superunknown made the list, I wonder about Ultramega OK, Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger because those albums are the perfect Soundgarden sound. Superunknown is good, but I remember when Spoonman came out thinking they overstayed their welcome. Nevertheless, Soundgarden represent the pinnacle of the NW Grunge sound (yeah, Nirvana is overrated and had Chris Cornell done what Kurt did around the same time they'd be more revered).
3.5/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
You can note the evolution of the big band sound in this recording, but then again let Basie be Basie and you get solid gold every time.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
The music of the 80s. AatA were some of the best syntho-pop in the post-punk pop scene. Some of that music comes off as very dated forty years later, this not so much.
Richard Hawley
4/5
Do not listen to this if you're morose or mourning. Wow, I've never heard his solo stuff and this album convinced me I need to dig into it. I don't know how to even categorize this music.
Tom Waits
4/5
I would listen to Tom Waits read from the dictionary while playing an accordion. Rain Dogs is near peak Tom Waits.
He's very experimental musicality-wise, but his lyrics are just poetic.
Iron Maiden
3/5
It's hard to imagine that Iron Maiden goes back to 1980 with their debut album. This borders between the iconic British hard rock sound that was emerging from Europe and what would eventually become the sound of later 80s and 90s Heavy Metal. This album is a great little time capsule piece.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Easy listen when you're all up in your head. Amazing album that is close to five stars, but Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall cast a great shadow.
Venom
3/5
Good early thrash. The influence on Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and other 80s thrash pioneers is present.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
What makes Sinatra one of the greatest is his constant change. He loved music and singing and was always looking to new artists and influences and learning from them. Antonio Jobem was as hot as Sinatra and the Beatles in his home country of Brazil. When his Bossanova sound became popular worldwide he paired up with Sinatra for this classic. Sintra's velvet voice is tested for the slowed down pace and lower range than he's used to.
Not one of my favorite Sintara albums, but it still gets a spin on occasion.
Cream
5/5
Yes, it's possible to separate Clapton's current tendencies to be an A-hole from the genius of CREAM. This album is a good reason. Nevermind the genius of Clapton's playing but listening to one of the greatest drummers Ginger Baker and the masterful bass playing of Jack Bruce makes this album such a sonic explosion that they only needed three members to do it.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Great rock album. Classic Rod Stewart that launched him from the Jeff Beck years. Long before he became Rod 'The Bod' and the disco years, this album shows why he was great.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
Amazing that the message is still relevant. TDHoH, PE, BDP, KRS-ONE, Marvin Gaye… etc - the list can just go on and on. Black political music has long been speaking truth to power and yet goes unheard.
I hope that messages like this will no longer have to be recorded.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Raw Samba of the 60s was great. Just like all things great and trend worthy, when they go pop its an indication that the trend has jumped the shark. This is a decent poppy-samba album, but 60s pop like this isn't my cup of tea.
Gilberto's earlier Samba is much more worthy of inclusion on the list.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Never heard of her before. This hybrid of 60s pop, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez is good.
Hookworms
3/5
This is a new one for me. While I'm scratching my head as to what makes this album so important that I listen to it before I die, I like it. I'll have to check this group out to check on the rest of their catalog.
Common
4/5
Damn amazing album. Common has always been on point, but Kanye's participation reminds me of what made him so great.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
PSB being PSB. Can't argue too much with it, their sound is timeless.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Of course this album is still relevant some 20 years later. ZDL may have gone of the deep end, but I still listen to this album pretty regularly and may of course still blast 'Killing in the Name' when I'm in a mood.
4.5/5
The Byrds
3/5
Never got into the Byrds - is this their must listen?
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Never heard of Manic Street Preachers before. Now that this has introduced me to them, I'll check out the rest of their discography.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
One of the Stones' best.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Beautiful piece of work. Side one is a five star, side two's 3.5 bring this to a four star.
Turbonegro
3/5
It started off strong and after the fourth song got very repetitive.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Peter Tosh
4/5
On par with Bob Marley's best.
Burning Spear
3/5
My second straight reggae album and neither was a Marley disc. I wasn't much of a raga fan, but this is definitely worth the listen and I will revisit again.
Björk
3/5
Not what you expect to hear from Björk - very good for background noise.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Perfect example of songwriting and singing.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I don't know why a 'live' album by a band that some admit overdubbed 75% of the album in the studio is a 'must hear' - there are many better live albums that yield the same effect with better results (KISS ALIVE).
On the whole, this is a good Thin Lizzy album and reflects why this forgotten band is cited as an influence.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I've forgotten how great this album is. Billy Corgan, mad genius that he is has pretty much spoiled all good will the Pumpkins earned.
The 90s grunge sound is credited with being born in the PacNW. Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins expand that area with this album.
4.5/5
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Why is this a must listen? It's not awful, but I can think of many synth-pop albums that could be on a list of must listen, this would not be one.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Frank's best era. This album was the first concept that he made and would continue to follow the format. This album was the first pressed 12" LP. From an artistic standpoint, this is some of the best Sinatra songs recorded.
If you're in a melancholy mood, listen to this album.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A little mix of Hendrix's iconic blues, hits and filled with the psychodellic rock of the era. A double-album is a heavy lift, could this have been condensed down to one LP, no but two is a bit of a stretch too.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Why listen to a full album of songs that sound different?
I like Franz Ferdinand's debut album, but a must-listen? I wouldn't suggest that.
Talking Heads
3/5
My dislike for David Byrne aside, this is a great TH album. Very future driven. 3.5/5
Sigur Rós
4/5
I didn't know what to expect with this band and boy was I impressed. Nice ambient sounds that remind me of some mellower Radiohead.
The Smiths
3/5
The Smiths are dated now and Morrisey being Morrisey and all, they've caught some flack. This album doesn't hold up as much today, but spoke of the times and was influential to so much of the later and current music we have now.
Taylor Swift
4/5
As a father to a teen-ager, I recognized many songs on this and enjoy them. TS is America's Pop-Queen.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Starts off interesting, plateaus and drops at the end. To the point that I just want it to end.
It's decent indie rock, not my style though.
Hole
4/5
Iggy Pop
4/5
One of the originators of punk proves he can work solo too. With the help of David Bowie, Iggy knocks it out of the park here.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
When Bruuuuuuuuce turned this album in, his manager, Jon Landau told him he needed a single for the radio. He went back and produced that single - Dancing in the Dark and an additional six more would be released. Every single record was a top-ten hit.
You can't argue with this and you can't argue with Bruce because he is the Boss.
Metallica
3/5
For all the slack Lars gets for being a mediocre drummer, James gets overlooked for what a horrible singer he is live. And I'm a Metallica fan.
On paper, this is a brilliant concept. Executed? meh. I will say S&M 2 is better. Heck, there's a number of orchestral / rock collabs that belong on the list in lieu of this - The Rolling Stones/London Phil, Led Zeps MTV Unplugged, etc.
I love Metallica's constant trying of different things, but 3 stars from a Metallica fan is tough to give.
Blur
3/5
Don't get why so much meh-Brit-pop is must listen. I didn't listen much to 'em when they were around and I still don't.
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Forgot how good the Afghan Whigs are. While grunge was taking over, this album is a nice alternative sound to what would become the ALTERNATIVE sound.
Morrissey
2/5
It's Morrissey, so it's good…I guess. this week has been tough picks for me and I don't have the headspace for a Morrissey album. But thanks for the reminder that Maggy is dead!
Traffic
3/5
Very good. Steve Winwood delivers here… 3.5/5
T. Rex
4/5
it may sound dated, but this is the album that influenced 80s and 90s rock and is still influential today.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
it may sound dated, but this is the album that influenced 80s and 90s rock and is still influential today.
Soft Cell
4/5
Damn great 80s synth pop reminiscent of Depeche Mode. The tainted love remixes are a great bonus.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Good 90s club music, but I can easily see why she's classified as a 1HW.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Jazzy Rap. The last track alone merits the disc five stars.
Stan Getz
4/5
A different side of Getz that I'm not familiar with.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Definitely psych-rock and not what you'd imagine PINK FLOYD sounding like. I liked it more than I thought I would. 3.5/5.
Magazine
4/5
Hot Damn. I never heard this group before. I thought Television was the preeminent Post-Punk band, I'll need to check out more from them. 4.5/5
Incubus
2/5
Oof. This late 90s early aughts pop metal is tough to get through. I don't get why an Incubus album is a must listen to when there's only one recognizable song on it. And I don't like that one song.
2.5/5
Janelle Monáe
5/5
Screw it. 5.0. If I could rate higher I would.
I've not listened to much of Janelle Monae, but I am wowed by this album. It's hard for me to pull the trigger for 5.0 on something thats new to me like this without it being a groundbreaker or iconic artist. But wow, this was a great disc to end the week on.
I'm going to relisten now.
N.W.A.
3/5
Groundbreaking album that changed hip-hop/rap. Some of it is very dated and doesn't sound like it belongs on what you would imagine 'gangsta rap' is today, but I remember how shattering this whole thing was. 3.5/5
Buzzcocks
4/5
What people think the Sex Pistols sound like, but actual Punk music. 3.5/5
Doves
3/5
I've heard There Goes the Fear in snippets, but the rest of the album was new to me as was the band. The upbeat tracks were fun and the slower ones oozed a Coldplay vibe.
3.5/5
SAULT
4/5
My second time this week getting an album from the recent five years thinking meh, modern music doesn't grip me and for the second time I'm floored.
I can see why SAULT is classified as R&B/Soul but there is so much more to this album that doesn't fit into those genres. There's some Jazz, 80s Pop, New Wave elements.
It's a very poetic, easy listener of an album. 4.5/5.
Aerosmith
3/5
Classic Aerosmith, not their best album but I'd guarantee this album is on the list solely because of 'Back in the Saddle' which is one of their best songs.
3.5
Elton John
4/5
Starts off strong with some classic Elton hits and thins out to be some of his weaker stuff.
Ian Dury
4/5
I…I don't know what I listened to, but I like it I think?
4.0
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Groovy - 3.5.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Isaac before he went full-throated crazy. Amazing piece of work, his voice is like hot butter.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
A lot of these songs don't originate with Sinatra, so why is this album a must listen? Nelson Riddle. He's one of, if not the best oranger in the American Popular Songbook. Entire papers and documentaries have been created on what he did with I've Got You Under My Skin - one of my favorite Sinatra songs for the very reason Nelson Riddle is amazing. The trombone transition at the end of the song merits this album the full five stars it deserves, the same material in the hands of any other combo of arranger/singer would yield more Michael Bublé oatmeal.
Sam Cooke
3/5
I like live albums like this where you hear the raw performance, some are recorded live and 'enhanced' in the studio. This is a good archive of a performer that did not get to stick around to prove his value as one of the greatest singers around. Bonus points for King Curtis blowing on the sax, you can tell the influence he had on players like Clarence Clemmons.
3.5/5
Little Richard
5/5
The 'patient-zero' for 99% of this list. Modern music owes everything to Little Richard's innovation. Sure, he was riding a wave of change in the 1950's, but the bands that influence the bands that are listened to now were influenced by Little Richard.
4.5/5 for musicality. 5/5 for originality.
Public Enemy
4/5
YO CHUCK-D, WHERE ARE YOU?
Typical PE album, not their best but still a solid 4.0.
Depeche Mode
4/5
DM are the peak synth-pop to come out of the 80s/90s. This album is one of their finest - 3.5/4
Van Morrison
4/5
Belongs on the list: 5
Monumental Album: 4
Influential Album: 4
Van-the-Man™'s best disc. 4.5/5
The Doors
5/5
Hell of a freshman outing from The Doors. This album is still on frequent rotation for me. Morrison's lyrics with Manzeric's organ fills and Densmore's drumming are groundbreaking. Wish they would've lasted longer to see what else they could've contributed to RNR.
The Black Crowes
4/5
This album was a breath of fresh air in a period that had hard rock / hair metal being pushed aside by grunge. Along come the Robinson brothers with their blues-base true-rock record.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
I never got into country music until the last few years. Outlaw Country is the latest discovery for me and you can't have Outlaw without Waylon. Billy Joe Shaver's addition to the lineup helps turn this album into a fun romp. 4/5.
Circle Jerks
3/5
Three chords and the truth. Punk rock at its essence.
3.5/5
Beatles
5/5
All due respect to Paul McCartney's recent comment that The Rolling Stones are basically a blues cover band, this sophomore album from the Fab Four that has nearly half of its fourteen tracks as covers is great. While not a fan of their earlier works, The Beatles tapped into a vein that changed the direction of pop music and this disc is evidence.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Even the casual music fan can't deny the immensity of this album. Quincy Jones is the best.
Sex Pistols
3/5
The pre-fab band that gave Punk its look (because its founder ran a clothing store and wanted to promote them and figured he could put a band together and sell music and clothing). Johnny Rotten's voice becomes a little grating by the time you get to the end but still worth a listen every once in a while.
3.5/5
Beatles
5/5
My favorite Beatles album. Something turned out to be one of their best songs and John / Paul didn't write it. But the perfection in this album is the side 2 medley. They pulled unfinished songs together to fill an album when they were clearly not getting along and had no interest in working together anymore, that is where the talent shines.
Queen Latifah
4/5
Good classic hip hop. I forgot how great Queen Latifah was as an MC. 3.5/5
Elton John
3/5
Good solid album with well known hits from Sir Elton. Should've been a single disc, lots of tracks on this album follow John's signature sound and get repetative.
3.5
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Easily a solid five without RESPECT (one of the very few songs that is a cover very much better than the original, all due apologies to Otis Redding who even thought the same). Aretha Franklin blending pop, funk, soul, and gospe are fantastic. Her cover of Sam Cooke's 'A Change is Gonna Come' is just hauntingly beautiful.
The Stranglers
4/5
Never heard of them before and I'm impressed. They're a good example of English Post-Punk.
Slayer
4/5
Ahhh… this takes me back to high school. While I was more into Anthrax, Slayer and Metallica rated a close second. This was the album from them that I played often to my parents discontent.
Talking Heads
4/5
The Talking Heads being the Talking Heads. I can tolerate them to a point, but David Byrne just annoys me. 3.5/5
The Roots
4/5
Good, raw hiphop.
Aerosmith
3/5
Don't do drugs mmmkay? This album is an example of what you can do if you're clear-headed. Sonically, PUMP is dated but Aerosmith put out one heck of an album with this. What It Takes is still in frequent rotation for me. 3.5/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Love the song, was curious about the rest of the album for a while. The song is really the must listen and the rest of the album is a solid meh. There are plenty of better examples of acid / psychedelic rock available.
The song alone would rate a good 4 but the rest of the album along with the song is watered down to a 2.5/5.
T. Rex
3/5
Fantastic, I think this might be my second T.Rex album from the list and this one belongs on it too. Definitely hear the influence on Bowie and 80s New Wave.
3.5/5
Guided By Voices
2/5
I normally try to listen to the whole album, after 131 albums, I finally hit an album that I really struggled with.
The short song transitions is hectic and disorienting. TMBG did a similar thing in their early years, but with a more eclectic songwriting style that I favor.
2/5.
Various Artists
4/5
How awesome to get this album on Christmas, I can't imagine giving a different review in August, but you need a certain environment to listen to this album.
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector by Various Artists is on heavy rotation in my house during the holidays and it's easy to separate the genius from the malcontent. Spector was a handful always, but he nailed the recipe with the wall of sound and his eye for talent in Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector and the rest make everything he touched perfect.
4.5/5
Talking Heads
3/5
Is every TH album a must listen?
Sonically, this is an interesting album, but nothing to write home about. Once in a Lifetime does the heavy lifting here.
Brian Wilson
4/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
It's 11º outside as I listen to this. This Marley album takes me to the beach for a warm respite from reality. The only song from BMs Greatest Hits whose picture hung on every college student's wall - Stir it Up is one of Bob's better known songs and pairs well with the rest of the album. It's nice to hear some Bob Marley I'm unfamiliar with.
4/5
Sabu
4/5
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, before In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. But Cuban.
This album is 65 years old and sounds like it was recorded down in the barrio yesterday. While it seems out of place for a Blue Note record, latin-jazz ushered the way in for the Bossa Nova craze that would come in a short decade.
This was a fun listen and I plan on buying this on vinyl to have a dance party in my living room.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
Hell of a solo WU album. Have to imagine being produced outside of and not featuring a lot of WU chums this outing is all Ghost. He can hold his own to fill an album.
3.5/5
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Raw and gritty. This album produced Bruce's best work, because he was locked in a legal battle for ownership of his work and he couldn't put out any new music until it was settled. This meant he worked. And worked…and worked.
This album has my favorite Bruce song - Something in the Night, it's such a beautiful song. Add to it Candy's Room and Racing in the Street as some of the lesser known songs to the biggies like Badlands, The Promised Land, Prove it All Night and Darkness make this a full five-star album.
Neil Young
4/5
I'm glad that NY kept his best stuff from CS&N to make this, CSNY are a great group but this album would've suffered under the full group. This is up there with Neil's best.
4.5/5
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I haven't listened to this album in about thirty years and forgot how raw and original it is. Jam Master Jay's sampling and cutting work with the by today's standards 'simple lines'. But this right here is one of the building blocks of rap. Long before the autotune. 4.5/5.
The Cramps
4/5
If the Munsters were a punk rock band they would be the Cramps.
The Cramps are the answer to the question you didn't know you wanted to ask: can a four-person band have two guitars, a singer, a drummer and no bass? Yes.
Does this album belong on a list of albums you must hear? If you listen to this album and think for a moment you heard the newest Jack White vault release from when the White Stripes opened a Burger King, then you have your answer.
The Undertones
4/5
This was really fun and a good indicator of what PopPunk should be. A fun little tidbit about this band, they're from Derry, Northern Ireland and were popular during 'The Troubles'. I highly recommend the Netflix series 'Derry Girls' which takes place at the same time and gives a visual to what it was like being young during this period.
Alice In Chains
3/5
This is the definitive Grunge album. AiC had a tap into the teen angst, anger and lostiness that came to be associated with Gen-X and the 90s. 3.5/5
Rush
3/5
Monumental album for Rush, not my favorite from them. 3.5/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Elements of metal, blues, prog and experimental rock. All of this coming from a trio.
Fiona Apple
3/5
If Shameika said she had potential, then by golly she sure did.
This is a more mature album coming from the borderline grunge princess of the 90's. It feels disjointed and all over the place sonically. Lyrically, some of her best writing.
3/5
Frank Ocean
2/5
I could gladly die without ever having heard this album and just another example of why auto-tune is destroying music.
Syd Barrett
3/5
More of a look into the freestyle mind of Syd after leaving Pink Floyd. You can hear where he has it together and where he doesn't. I suspect this is a must-hear due to it being Syd Barrett and gives a peak into what Pink Floyd would be doing had he stayed.
3/5
Supergrass
3/5
I missed this one when it came out, but then again, I was living in NYC listening to the last bit of metal glory and the rising grunge scene. This style of post-punk / pop-punk wouldn't catch on for some time, by which time I've moved on.
It's okay for what it is, I think there are albums that better capture the pop punk British sound of the time. 3/5.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Very ambient. So ambient, I forgot I was listening to it. While not my style, good album.
3/5.
The Hives
3/5
The good: the garage-revival of the early 00's was a great throwback to simple three-chord plug and play raw rock and roll. The Hives hit their mark here.
The meh: recognizing this is a 'compilation' for the sake of getting more airplay, the album is very repetitive.
3.5/5
Cheap Trick
3/5
Growing up in Wisconsin in the 70s, my friends and I would gather in a buddy's basement and listen to this album a ton, while enjoying the finer cabbage from the garden. I look back on those days as character defining. One friend went on to become pretty famous, another got into some trouble with assaults and joined a cult. As adults we're no longer to much in touch, but every time I hear this album and in particular the famous 'I want you to want me', I go back to that basement and think HELLO WISCONSIN!!
The Police
4/5
The album itself is almost a greatest hits package. I haven't listened to Synchronicity top to bottom in ages and as a whole it plays much better than each track individually.
Green Day
4/5
(Pop) Punk Rock Concept Album? Sure. Less about the music and more about the context of this Green Day's American Idiot came at a time when Radiohead also dropped Hail To The Thief. At the turn of the century when so much was going wrong in the world and the US seemed to be the party responsible, music led the boom of discontent. I wish that the GWB, Iran / Iraq wars, Wall Street, BLM incidents led to as good protest music as came out of the late 60s / early 70s. American Idiot thematically is the closest.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Great album that highlights the rising digital creative scene.
Beastie Boys
4/5
This follow up to Ill Communication was considered a flop when the Beasties moved from their party-boy anthems to well written verses with good sampling and actually playing their instruments. It didn't take long for this to become and underground hit and now rivals Ill Communication as their best - I do give Paul's Boutique the edge over the prior.
4/5.
Eric Clapton
4/5
Clapton's updated raw vision of the blues that followed his heroin addiction, this is the transition piece that led him to his modern mainstay.
As news about Clapton being a piece of shit continually make headlines, it's time to remember, even assholes can be talented.
4/5.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Proto-pop-garage-punk? I'm not sure how this is classified, but take the irritating parts of all of those styles, blend them together into a homogenized slurry of early-00s rock and you get the Arctic Monkeys?
3/5
5/5
I remember my older brother coming home really excited from a concert at a local community college on Long Island in the early 80s. "This band from Ireland is the next big thing, they're amazing!". While I was young and unable to go see them until the Achtung Baby tour, my fandom jumped onboard like any other impressionable early teenager's would when their mentor in all things music discovered a new gem.
My love / hate relationship with the Dublin boys would swing both ways through the years, but you can never argue that Joshua Tree is an amazing album. Yes, Bono can be an irritating prick at times and The Edge's guitar stylings can be predictable and lazy, but this era of U2 that launched them beyond the stratosphere will always be peak.
5/5.
Dire Straits
3/5
It doesn't sound like a late 70s album. Jazz, Fusion, Rock and Prog together.
3.5/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Neal Young is stretching his legs on his second post-Buffalo Springfield solo disc. His first collab of many with Crazy Horse is a great peak into where he will take his music.
His songwriting stands out here - Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River, The Losing End… etc are all sonically not something that you'd think a singer / songwriter would put out in 1969.
This popped up on the tail end of NYs battle with Spotify, and I'll repeat what I said last week with an Eric Clapton selection, it's okay to seperate the asshole from the music when they take stands you don't agree with.
4/5.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
Early 90s raw rock. This would equal the early indie scene while grunge was pushing hair metal to the side.
Elbow
3/5
New one for me.
I've heard of Elbow, but if you wanted a Peter Gabriel Radiohead/Coldplay cover band, this is them. The sound is etherial and makes good background filler with the concession that this one hour album feels like four.
3.5/5.
Aerosmith
3/5
Back in the 70s the boys loved this album because Boston's Aerosmith brought The Rolling Stones sound to an American band. The girls loved this album because of Steven Tyler and his big ten-inch… record.
Great rocking album with instant classics Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way.
3.75/5.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Most of the samples from early to mid-90s hip hop come from here. I've never heard them in full, this is a disc I will easily buy and put on for background music.
4.5/5.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Good album, but like most of the post-2000 additions to this list I gotta ask what makes this a must listen? I've never heard of this album or group. Granted when this was released, I had a four year old running around the house.
3.5/5.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Decent background ambient electronica.
3/5.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
"I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them". - Ira Gershwin
This collection features my favorite era of American music and one of the tops of the genre - Ella Fitzgerald. While it's her name on the album, it's a veritable who's who of greats that made this collection possible. Aside of Ella being the highlight vocalizing the amazing words of the brothers Gershwin, this would not be possible at all without Nelson Riddle's orchestration.
I've struggled to get through some of the selections on this list that are only one disc. The whopping six discs of music on this selection wasn't enough for me. I could've gone for more Ella Fitzgerald.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Makes good background music, other than that…
Marvin Gaye
3/5
This is painful. Right from the title, which is what Gaye said to his wife when turning over the agreed upon 50% of the royalties of this album which was negotiated to end the divorce proceedings she brought against him. He'd fallen behind on child support and his spending habits and the long legal proceedings left him broke. Oh yeah, that wife was also the sister of Motown / TAMLA records executive Berry Gordy.
Marvin Gaye is a tough listen, his vocal range is spot on. The smooth R&B sound he evolved into from his earlier Northern Soul fame lost some fans as well. Combining the hard R&B and the personal lyrics make this a heart rendingly good album.
3.5/5.
Oasis
3/5
Siblings always produce really good music when they hate each other.
3.5/5.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Part folk, part rock, part country, Joni takes her talent in all directions. Sonically, some of this album is very dated, but the showcase here is Mitchell's lyric writing. It's amazing that this period of American music gave us Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan etc…
4/5
The Stooges
4/5
OG Punk.
Who else can go into a hotel room for two days and output a classic album with I just wanna be your dog and 1969 other than Iggy and the Stooges?
4/5.
Supergrass
3/5
90s Brit-Pop, with this, the second album I've gotten from Supergrass - a band I never heard of before starting this list. I wondered before what made them a 'must listen' and now that they have so far, two albums on this list, I wonder what is their catch? This is a good album, for what it represents.
3.5/5.
Massive Attack
3/5
Trip Hop / Chill Hop - great selection from a period where electronic music was starting to fall into its own.
3.5/5
Fugazi
3/5
The band that successfully kept punk alive in the late 80s / early 90s merits a must listen with Repeater.
3.5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I missed out by being a little too young for Echo and the Bunnymen by a few years when this came out. Now after knowing their impact on music and giving this album my first full listen, it's good. That whole British new-wave / post-punk sound was all over the place, but EatB clearly have it down pat.
4/5.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Not my favorite SY album, a quasi-thematic album that goes from okay to pretty darn good by the end.
3.5/5.
The Pogues
4/5
Punk music turns Celtic.
Ground zero for the Irish punk bands like Dropkick Murphy's, Black 47, Flogging Molly, etc. all start with the troubled Shane McGowan and his colleagues.
Great album, great track list.
Miles Davis
5/5
Not my favorite era of Miles, but when Miles Davis tells you he's a genius, listen to him.
The highlights for me are the more traditional "Miles Davis" sounding ones. The experimental is okay in my book, but when he blows his horn, he wails.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
A lot of blues, a little prog and the best female rock vocalist ever. Gershwin's Summertime and 'Piece of My Heart' get the proper love and respect Janis' legacy deserves, but the cover of Big Momma Thornton's "Ball and Chain" rounds this out as a great slice of Americana.
4.5/5.
The The
2/5
I wasn't a fan of the The when they started, I'm still not.
I do get the reason they're on the list though.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Only the 70s could give us rock flute. And because its the 70s, it works.
4/5.
Roxy Music
4/5
Roxy Music sets the bar for the 80s sound with this album.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
You know how Bob Dylan does Bob Dylan stuff like record a Christmas album when he's a non-practicing borderline atheistic Jew, records Sinatra cover albums, etc, because he's Bob Dylan?
I'm Your Man is like that, only not as good. Cohen's lyrics are good here, but my gawd. The music has to be a joke, otherwise the thought of using a 1987 Compaq Presario to generate the tones was a serious artistic oversight.
3.5/5.
The Byrds
3/5
That 12-string Rickenbacker that leads of the title track and flows throughout the album of original songs combined with Bob Dylan covers has etched its way into becoming one of the iconic sounds of the 60s.
The Byrds are one of those groups who's music gives just about as much Entertainment as the internal intrigue.
3.5/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
1978? You can hear this album's influence in late 80s synth pop, 90s college rock, on and on. This was a pleasure to listen to and this album in particular is an example of the post-punk sound's influence.
Bonus: what a great version of Helter Skelter.
David Holmes
4/5
This takes me back to the clubs in the 90s. This album is very indicative of the 90s electronic clubs sound, bonus, the segue's between songs with the live dialogue is clever - especially with the James Bond Theme.
4/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
In which Mr. Wonder plays the organ.
Innervisions is ONE of this iconic sounds from a period where Stevie Wonder constantly reinvents his sound'. Crossing over Soul, Jazz, Gospel, Spiritual, and good ole' Rock-N-Roll, Innervisions is a home run.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Rubén Blades? The actor?
What a fun ride, I don't speak Spanish, so I can't comment on the social commentary aspect of this collaboration. But I do dig salsa music and this spans a range. This Afro-cuban-disco-jazz centric album is a fun listen and I'll definitely revisit.
4/5.
Billie Holiday
4/5
This pains me to listen to. I love Billie Holliday and listening to this final record released while she was alive leaves me uneasy. Her voice is not what it was on her best record 'Lady Sings the Blues'. She is a ghost of herself, wracked in addiction and mostly likely terminal when she recorded these tracks. The orchestration by Irving Townsend is too Lawrence Welk-like and doesn't compliment what could be a more bluesy, torch-song like recording.
Holiday sings some of my favorites from the Great American Songbook and nothing on here challenges what are my favorite versions. Bonus to her for trying to put her spin on these treasures, but she should have gone to Nelson Riddle who was working wonders with Frank Sinatra during this period.
3.5/5.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Music in Exile by Songhoy Blues is a great dessert-World Music album. It follows in the footsteps of the genre and while I enjoyed listening to it, I don't believe it would be on the updated list without the backstory of the members.
3.5/5
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Locust Abortion Technician by Butthole Surfers comes at a period of fun, schlocky punk rock. MOD, SOD, and Scatterbrain helped make this genre popular. Not the bet representation of the sound, but I liked it nonetheless.
3.5/5.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
It's rare that a Live album should be considered a must listen, this is one of them. There is something about early Jazz and the American Songbook that only improves when performed live in a small club. Sarah Vaughn is one of the top females singers from this era, sometimes overshadowed by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, her voice remained at it's peak throughout her career and didn't suffer the fallbacks that the others did.
Good solid performance.
4/5.
The Beach Boys
3/5
The US' version of the Beatles - all pop, no flop. Today! is The Beach Boys transitional album, they're growing up here and moving on to what will become Pet Sounds. But to get there, Brian Wilson needs to do his Brian Wilson thing. Paired with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound this album while flat in hits is a good heritage slice of The Beach Boys cake.
3.5/5
John Coltrane
5/5
As near perfection you can get with a jazz album. I'm probably in the minority by thinking that Giant Steps is superior, but Love Supreme is a stellar work.
4.5/5.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
The sound that launched the second wave of punk, new wave and post-punk. The voice of that sound, Bob Marley is still influential, some 40 years after his death. And there's a reason, Bob's sound is often copied, but never duplicated. Natty Dread drags on a little towards the end, but this album got well worn by the youth across the pond.
4/5.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Good solid Funk-N-Roll that set the standard for those that followed. Obviously, Stand! and Everyday People standout, but Track 2 and the near-fourteen minute Sex Machine are phenomenal songs.
4/5.
Blondie
3/5
Getting away from the recognizable hits like Hanging on the Telephone, One Way Or Another and Heart of Glass, Parallel Lines by Blondie spans the multiple genres that came crashing together during this era. When you blend Post-punk, new wave and disco to make it work, it works. Sadly, filling an album with songs that don't make this sound work gets a little repetitive.
This is a very good album and does what every Blondie album needs to do, blend a few of the recognizable hits with the sound currently working its way through the NY clubs.
3.5/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
This album was the second most popular album behind Master of Puppets when I reached high school in 1986. The legacy of Number of the Beast catapults Iron Maiden to the upper echelons of heavy metal because of its quality and its influence.
Compared to the metal that would be released after this album broke music, one would think it tame and hardly Heavy Metal. But just like the Beatles and Elvis' music today pales in comparison to the children they spawned, Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast shares the same limelight.
4/5.
Bad Brains
3/5
Of all the Bad Brains albums, I Against I is not the one to list as 'must listen'. But since it's here, let's talk.
This album is one of Bad Brains weaker sets, combining elements of pop, disco and some elements of DC Bounce. This is a good selection of a the punk genre in transition, too late for the great punk scene and a precursor of the 90s pop-punk that will be prevalent.
3/5.
Prince
5/5
Prince was a genius, I acknowledge that. When he was on, he was on and Purple Rain is the best example of his work.
5/5.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
What you would think sounds like an Enya-esque inspired album, then realize this album came out in 1974! For the technology limitations compared between then and now, this album can easily be released today, and while not my normal choice for mood music, I'm interested.
3.5/5.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
After watching all 50,000 hours of the 'Get Back' documentary and being amazed at watching Paul McCartney whip out 'Get Back' while waiting for John Lennon to come to work, I acknowledge his genius. But then in the same documentary, you see him churn out utter bullshit like 'Maxwells Silver Hammer' and realize when McCartney is on, he's on. When he's off, he is way fucking off.
The same goes for 'Band On The Run'. McCartney's entire post-Beatles career is basically him spouting 'I wrote Hey Jude' and revising common history that everybody knows is fucking bullshit but he does it anyway. Band on the Run, Jet, and Let Me Roll it do the heavy lifting on this album to merit it on a list of 1,001 albums you must listen to, but the rest of the McCartney drivel waters down the splendor of what could be a good album - but this isn't the only McCartney or Beatles album that is guilty of such.
The last two tracks, 'Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)' and 'Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty-Five' are fun little jaunts that you want to hear once and be done with.
4/5.
Beastie Boys
4/5
This iteration of the BBoys is my favorite - them returning to their punk rock / instrumental roots. This fourth album that follows up Check Your Head to round out the 'Instrumental' portion follows their original 'party-boy-white-boy-rappers' phase, while the platform that launched them is also their weaker.
The one-two of Check Your Head and Ill Communication gets to their Beatles 'experimental' phase which is the richest period.
4/5.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Moss Side Story by Barry Adamson is what makes me question the worthiness of an entry on a list 1,000 albums to hear before you die. Why? WhyTheFuq is an album that some guy made to get noticed as a cinematic composer worthy of such an entry?
On the whole, the album is…okay, so I'll leave my critiques of Adamson's bland compositions that don't stray from a 4/4 time and take issue Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen of Iceland who wrote the entry for this album in the first printing of the book (and what I would guess is the entries for the reprinting). If you wanted to see a post-punk-avant-garde soundtrack (but I beg of you to tell me what the connection this album has to post-punk other than the artist having been in two post-punk UK bans, but I digress), I'm sure Yoko Ono has something for you and I can guarantee, her view of Avant Gard music is spot on and as a matter of fact, I feel you are blocking her a slot on this list.
Congratulations to Barry Adamson for turning a demo into the career you wanted, I'm not sure that I'm for the better after listening to this.
2/5 for the entry on the list | 3/5 for the musicality.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
ELPs TARKUS delivers exactly what it is, an edgy prog-rock album. This list is turning me into a prog-rock fan and while this isn't my fave of what I've been hearing, it was a good listen.
3.5/5.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
With all due respect to Glass Animals fans, and fans of late 90s / early 00s BritPop – No.
Understanding that the book this list is based on is British and most of it's contributors are British, the amount of unnecessary BritPop on this list is a head-scratcher.
Rings around the world is an okay album. It starts off strong and almost halfway into the album I started getting annoyed and frustrated. Yay for the band that they peaked at number three on the UK charts, but across the pond you have to get to the Indie Charts before you even see this album rank a moderate 32 for the year. This is not a list-worthy entry.
Perhaps I'm becoming annoyed at the draws that are giving me mediocre UK pop for the the third time in four days, but I'm hopeful tomorrow will be better.
3/5 for musicality | 2/5 for list worthiness.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Granted, I'm not into the Western African World Music scene, but after some exposure to Femi Kuti's father Felt and Ali Farka Touré, I had higher hopes for this album. Femi has it tough, being the child of a legend and while this album is a good listen, I don't grasp it as much as the others.
Femi Kuti's self-titled album is a fun listen, spanning jazz, fusion, punk, afro-cuban, and soul. Some of the songs suffer by being way too long and repetitive.
3/5.
Jurassic 5
4/5
I've forgotten how good F5 is. This album is raw, the beats are simple and the lyrics are great.
4/5.
Dr. John
4/5
Funk, soul, and jazz all combined to make the Mardi Gras sound.
Dr. John's first album is a fun trek down the Mardi Gras wormhole, this is such a great album.
4/5.
Al Green
4/5
Dayum, Reverend Al.
Al Green's voice is instantly recognizable and iconic. Let's Stay Together is an amazing song kicking off an amazing album. The Memphis 70s sound is so prevalent on here.
The album includes the Reverend's cover of the Bee Gee's 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' which, may be better than the original, it's very close. How many cover songs can do that?
4/5.
The Only Ones
3/5
Another of the British list writers put bands only British people would know on list entry. I've never heard The Only Ones and after today I probably will never again. 1978 is an era during a time of great change in music, and the punk / post-punk sound is probably the most vibrant sound getting changed. The Only Ones sound like they're jumping on a popular bandwagon sound, and while there are many bands that are just as guilty (cough, Sex Pistols, cough) they don't excel at it.
This freshman album is a good example of Neo-80s New-Wave-Post-Punk, but it's also forgettable and really makes me wonder what makes it's addition to a list of must listen albums.
Overall it's okay.
3/5 for the album. 2/5 for its inclusion on the list.
The War On Drugs
3/5
This starts off nice and smooth. It's an easy listen, harkening back to 70s/80s singer / songwriter FM rock, Bob Segar and Jackson Brown come to mind.
This is my first experience with The War On Drugs, and it was pleasant and soothing.
3/5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I get the hate for Elvis Costello on this list, but Armed Forces is a tour deForce that definitely belongs and is a must listen. This 1979 near-masterpiece is a sonic balance of punk, post-punk and the oncoming 80s pop sound. Of course Nick Lowe's production does the heavy lifting here.
4/5.
CHIC
3/5
A great slice of the perfect example of a music genre that crashed and burned so fast. Chic's sound exemplified the sound of Disco, and that's with thanks to Bernard Edwards bass and Nile Rodgers guitar. Take those two sounds away and the iconic sound of disco is gone.
The album is very dated. Some of the songs like LeFreak and I want your love are still relevant, but the rest of the album while sounding innovative, lags.
3.5/5
Pavement
3/5
Indie rock when indie rock was good. All of the comparisons to current bands gets lost on the fact that this style of music was relatively unheard of, with the exception of Pixies, which is blown away by Pavement.
3.5/5.
Donald Fagen
1/5
Combining my least favorite things in music: Steely Dan and smooth Jazz. I know my biases are personal, so I'll rate this as to its being on this list which is 3/5.
Yeah, never mind. I tried to be fair. This is just shit. Music isn't supposed to make you hostile.
1.5/5.
Dr. Dre
4/5
Solid example of early 90s rap. Dre transitions from the 'Gangsta Rap' label that NWA acquired and turns to Hip Hop Impresario by featuring the Death Row players. This is where Snoop emerges and turns into an eventual impresario himself, but that's another story.
4/5.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I first heard the song Monkey Man in an episode of 21 Jump Street. The rawness of that song hit me like a ton of bricks. Monkey Man is on this album along with songs like Gimme Shelter (watch the doc on this song if you can, the woman singing backup harmony was very pregnant and awoken out of bed to sing this. There's one point where you can hear Mick Jagger give a 'Whoo' because he's so floored by her vocals), Love in Vain, Let it Bleed, Midnight Rambler and You Can't Always Get What You Want. Along with a fondness for Country Honk - a honky tonk version of Honky Tonk Woman makes this one of the Stones best albums in my book.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Instead of writing a new review that criticizes the overabundance of British-Pop on this lis, I'll just copy/paste my last critique, which was also a Super Furry Animals album - just 12 albums ago.
"With all due respect to Glass Animals fans, and fans of late 90s / early 00s BritPop – No. Understanding that the book this list is based on is British and most of it's contributors are British, the amount of unnecessary BritPop on this list is a head-scratcher. Rings around the world is an okay album. It starts off strong and almost halfway into the album I started getting annoyed and frustrated. Yay for the band that they peaked at number three on the UK charts, but across the pond you have to get to the Indie Charts before you even see this album rank a moderate 32 for the year. This is not a list-worthy entry. Perhaps I'm becoming annoyed at the draws that are giving me mediocre UK pop for the the third time in four days, but I'm hopeful tomorrow will be better. 3/5 for musicality | 2/5 for list worthiness."
Kelela
3/5
Not my bag, but the production is really good. I'm not sure what makes this an album you must listen to - its no different than any of the same genre specific album that's currently available.
Genesis
3/5
I've discovered a liking for prog-rock through this list, but this listen was tough. I've always had trouble getting into early Genesis, maybe its Peter Gabriel's falsetto or the weird hippy-dippy Jethro Tull-like flute music. I do get early Genesis' influence on music and would give this a second listen at some point, but don't see a heavy rotation from this one in my future.
3/5.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Another Marvin Gaye masterpiece that is a concept album. Personally, I struggle with some 70s Soul and some tracks on this album are good examples. BUT. Marvin wears his soul on his sleeve once again as he addresses his childhood and marital issues with his wife, who is also his boss' sister, so his struggle was real.
For as much as this is great Marvin Gaye album, once again, listen to the Funk Brothers in the background. Jamerson's bass and of course the drum work on the title track are masterful.
4/5.
Radiohead
3/5
Not my favorite Radiohead album and I'm not so sure as to why it's a 'Must Listen', but a good attempt on a new direction in sound for the band.
3/5.
Wild Beasts
1/5
Now I know what Tiny Tim would sound like if he was dug up and given a record contract.
4/5
Great album.
Are We Not Men? Stradles that punk / post-punk / new wave perfectly. As a bonus, the only non-Devo song written by the band, The Rolling Stones (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction is a great example of taking an original and putting your spin on it.
4/10
The Band
4/5
The Band shows that they can step out of Bob Dylan's shadow and still be great. Man how I wish these guys could've kept it together to continue to put out great music, but we had them for how long we needed to have them and Music From Big Pink perfectly illustrates the collision that rock, folk, country and blues would happen in the Woodstock, NY scene.
4/5
Grateful Dead
4/5
Two of the loveliest songs every written are on this album. Ripple and Brokedown Palace come on the same tracklist as other popular songs Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia and Truckin'. The Grateful Dead are a polarizing band, you either like them or you don't, there is no in between. Their songwriting and musicality are simplistic at best, but don't let a studio recording convince you of their influence and impact without listening to them live. The time to see them live with Jerry at the helm has passed, but their spearheading of a new genre within rock and roll has kept their style of music going since the late 60s. You can't really argue with an impact like that.
4/5.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Good album. Full of that late 70s folk / pop sound. You definitely need to be in a space for this, kinda like with Joni Mitchell's non 'Blue' work.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
If I wanted to hear a group namecheck themselves on a record, I'd listen to DJ Kahlid. This album started off on the wrong foot and got worse from there.
Okay, after a thorough listen, this album warmed up on me. 1999 seems a little late in the 90s techno for an album that sounds like this to emerge. But it's better than I expected.
Is it a must-listen? Maybe. Is it iconic? No, but I'll say this is the first album after some 230 assignments that forced me to reverse my decision.
3.5/5.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
Public Image: First Issue is a good…demo.
Johnny Lydon can't figure out where he wants to take his new band. Are they still punk? Are they post-punk? New Wave? The over nine minute opening track even has some early Industrial flavors to it.
Whatever this is, Lydon's screeching doesn't help. He's all over the place as punk icon, poet, and attempted crooner. Later releases from PiL are list-worthy, but my lord did Warner Brothers do the US a favor by not releasing this. If only the people that though this would be a worthy entry onto a list of albums you must hear before you die followed the same rationale.
3/5 for musicality. 1/5 for 'Must Listenability'
Joan Baez
3/5
Monumentally influential album that led to the folk explosion in the 60s. Joan Baez' debut album is the groundwork that would lead to Bob Dylan, The Byrds and the essential sound of the 70s. Combined with an ethic for doing good and protesting the bad, the hippie movement is being seeded here.
3.5./5
Gang Of Four
4/5
Very good traditional punk album from a band I've never heard of.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
The quenticential sound of the 90s. I haven't listened to this album in about ten years and forgot how good it was. You don't get many concept albums in this age of single-driven music.
3.5/5
Justice
3/5
don't know why this is a must-listen. if I wanted to listen to French electronic music, I'd put on Daft Punk. I don't like Daft Punk.
2.5/5.
Paul Simon
4/5
I wasn't a fan when this first came out, but acknowledged that it was something special. Paul Simon's World Music sound never really landed with me, but I discovered Ladysmith Black Mambazo which I did like. Today I still feel the same about Paul Simon's solo work, I know it's really good and after a fresh listen to Graceland for the first time in over 20 years, I get it.
3.5/5
Neil Young
5/5
This is a frequent listen when things are gloomy. With recent news of another (!) mass school shooting here in the US, which followed a mass shooting in a supermarket, people have been on edge and I've been thinking about music that I'm drawn to when it's dark. This was one of them and I'm so glad it popped up for me.
This album wraps up Young's Doom Trilogy when his world was collapsing around him and it strikes real. It's a must listen for when you're sad, or quiet, or completative or … whatever.
4.5/5
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This album sounds like summer. Bruce is a supreme story teller, and this album is the best example of his songwriting. His tales weave an arc through love, loss and genuine lostiness to put you in the middle of the angst of America. And it all starts with the perfect description…
'The screen door slams. Mary's dress sways.'
I've listened to this album to easily know it's a five-star must listen. This is the album that broke Bruce from local boy to international superstar. His perseverance and drive to create the perfect album that would save his failing recording career is an emotional drive that is perfectly crafted for album listening.
This is Bruce's masterpiece. He's created others that are great, this is the best.
5/5.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
I think what strikes me most about this album is that it doesn't fit within the confines of what I would think Brazilian music is. The Samba sensation of the 60s that introduced 'Girl from Ipanema' and forced its way into the works of great singers such as Frank Sinatra is not present here. It's indescribable really, I pick up a lot of smooth jazz, Mexicali, Morricone and American pop with a Spanish / Portuguese vocal track.
I don't know anything about Milton Nascimento to formulate an actual reaction to his music, but this was a pleasant listen.
3.5/5.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Man, that band that was on Sabrina the Teenage Witch is really good.
Janet Jackson
4/5
Never listened to the album all the way through. The singles from it were monster hits and were everywhere, so I knew coming into this album that it would be good. Layering the concept on top bumped it up a few notches for me.
4/5.
Jamiroquai
4/5
With this album, Jamiroquai does what generations of English musicians have done before them. Take music originated in America and not as popular as before and put their spin on it and make it better.
4/5.
David Bowie
3/5
David Bowie's songwriting paired with Mick Ronson's musical and orchestration genius make for a great listen. Not my bag, but a good spin.
3.5/5.
Nick Drake
4/5
Man… this one hit me hard today. I never heard Nick Drake before and didn't know what to expect. I was gripped from the first song through.
I'll have to explore more of his catalog.
4/5.
Lou Reed
4/5
The whole package. Lou Reed crosses the punk, post-punk eras and launches himself into glam with the much needed help of David Bowie. This album is such a gem of a listen.
Carole King
5/5
Not only is Carole King a gifted songwriter, the person behind a lot of hits, but she's a good singer. Tapestry graduates her from behind a desk at the Bryll Building to the spotlight. Amazing album with amazing songwriting.
The Byrds
2/5
The good thing about this album is its brevity. Key songwriter Gene Clark's departure from the group prior to this album is evident by the rambling inconsistent songwriting. It appears that when a song got complicated in the writing process, they decided to stop right where the problem occurred. The supposed influence of psychedelic rock this album is purported to carry is a bit of a stretch in my book.
The only thing that puts this album on a must listen list is that you can see what happens to a group that loses it's motivation and of course, without a single Bob Dylan cover to carry them, only 8 Miles High (a subpar song at best) is the lone standout.
4/5
This is the Beatles Sgt Peppers.
4/5.
Dolly Parton
4/5
There is a criminally small amount of country music on this list. And I'm not a big country music fan. The list writer(s) being from the UK is very evident when you look at the amount of mediocre 90s pop dance. Anyways…
Before she was a national treasure. Before she was an actress. Before she was the butt of jokes about her looks, Dolly Parton was pure country. Country music is story telling. It makes you happy, sad, optimistic and angry. Dolly's songwriting earned her slot on this list and her voice secured her spot on the list of great singers.
4/5.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Oh… what could have been.
If I could master the skill of turning my life's aches, pains, joy and dependance into verse as easily as Amy does on Back To Black, I would also be able to describe how monumental and touching her music is.
Instead…
Blue Cheer
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
Having not been much of a Bowie fan, this one caught me off guard. I enjoyed it. The balance of vocals and instrumental tracks are sonically smooth and enjoyable to me - unlike David's Ziggy period.
4/5.
Lana Del Rey
1/5
First, very few albums are so iconic in their first year that they become "a must-listen to before you die" status. Second, of those albums that are, they were game changers that spoke to current events (What's Going On), or forever changed the sound of music (Elvis, The Beatles). Lan Del Rey's "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" does neither.
Moving on from the worthiness of being on such a list, this album is still meh. The vocals are repetitive and whiny while the music is flat.
This is my 254th generated album and it is the first that I've stopped listening to before making it the blissful end. I've grudged through a lot of bad albums, this one takes the cake. Congratulations Lana, my first one star review goes to you.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Curtis Mayfield being Curtis Mayfield. This album has a great funk sound, but what purpose does a generic funk album have on a list of 'Must-Listen-To' Albums?
3/5
I don't find many live albums that should count on a list of 'must listen' too, and despite my love Bobby D, this one is included. The mythology of the concert and the stigma of Dylan going electric is what merited this album on the list I'd wager. But its inclusion as a live album is okay.
Dylan's acoustic set is amazing, filled with a greatest hits blast. Moving into the electric set backed by the Hawks before they became THE BAND, you can hear Dylan struggling to set the pace - or maybe that was intentional and he played sloppy to antagonize the crowd that was not so happy that he was playing electric.
3.5/5.
Radiohead
4/5
It's hard to find a weak song on this album, this iteration of Radiohead is where they start to break from the early 90s grunge darlings that brought them success with Creep and you hear an improvement in the lyric writing and composition.
4/5.
Cypress Hill
3/5
A favorite that I still play on occasion. Cypress Hill's debut is their best and they rode in on a part of the wave of west coast gangsta rap in the early 90s. While not the best example of the genre, their latin roots and glimpses into the barrio's of the west coast make for a great album.
They won't match the success or quality of this album, but some 30+ years later, it still holds.
3.5/5
Dire Straits
3/5
Dire Straits 'Brothers In Arms' was an album that didn't do too much for me when it was released. Money for Nothing was a monster hit that ruled the airwaves and of course MTV. Looking back on it now, Mark Knopfler's genius for the guitar shines and produces and fantastic album with several hits.
3.5/5.
ZZ Top
3/5
Texas Blues can't be more Texas.
3.5/5.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
I bought this album when it came out. It's a fun album, but must listen? Nah. After seeing that they're still around and poking around their website, I saw this tidbit: "The band became an international hit, settling down in the UK, where their multi-platinum debut album ‘Come Find Yourself’ spent an incredible two years in the UK album chart." Now I get it. Once again the list authors believe a majority of the albums you must listen to are UK 90s pop hits.
Come Find Yourself is a good blend of rock, hiphop, and jazz with some good samples and I've enjoyed my first relisten in about 25 years. But I've forgotten about it pretty quickly.
3/5 for musicality and 1.5/5 for list worthiness.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Elvis' most important album deserves to be on this list, the other bajillionty from the book? Nah.
Anyways… coming from the punk migration to post-punk, pop and new-wave My Aim Is True is a great blending of the prior influences and some others mixed in to make a good album.
3.5/5.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
The album itself grows a little repetitive when you consider how far a southern Hammond organ-based soul group can go. But when you add in Booker T & The MG's are the house band to the current label that is driving the sound for 60s R&B Soul - STAX. AND Mr. Booker T is an 18 year old prodigy at the time, this album becomes amazing. How many other infamous house bands - the Funk Brothers, The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, The Wrecking Crew should have put out their own albums?
4/5.
Massive Attack
3/5
Oh, hey look. Another British 90's electronic act that is a must-listen to. Just like the dozens of other British 90's electronic acts that are on this list.
Aside from the above, this album is pretty good.
3/5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Some of his best.
4/5
This was more fun than I expected. Bonus points, it's nice to see the authors find an electronic album from this decade that wasn't British.
3/5
A different sound that I'm not used to from The Kinks. Elements of prog-rock and Brit-pop sound off here
3.5/5.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Love me some Kendrick. m.A.A.d city would be an awesome album… if there weren't a bunch of more awesome albums behind it. Amazing freshman effort that change the face of Hip Hop only for the better.
3.5/5.
Pulp
3/5
This one impressed me more than I expected. I was big into the music scene in the 90s and knew of and liked Pulp, but didn't actively seek them out.
This album is indicative of the British Pop impression of the US's grunge pop.
3.5/5.
4/5
Great album, and a must listen. I'm not on the Bowie bandwagon, but do admire his constant reinventing of himself and his sound.
4/5.
Kanye West
1/5
I tried…
When it comes to controversial people on this list, I easily separate the art from the artist and took the same approach to listening to this album. I haven't listened to a lot of Kanye, but I've heard his earlier albums. This was just unlistenable, and I'm disappointed I couldn't make it past the first four tracks.
This is my 271st album on the list and the second one I couldn't make it through. The first, Lana Del Rey's Chemtrails is also a recent addition, but I will acknowledge Kanye does belong on this list and maybe just Yeezus isn't the album that should get him there.
1/5.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Beautiful. One of my favorites. Even more so having lost my father recently, "Father and Son" just turned me into a weeping pile.
50 Cent
3/5
A lot of rap / hip-hop is tough in an album format. Filter out the singles and the features, you're left with a lot of meh that shouldn't have been recorded. And that's what you get with 50 Cent's 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'". His backstory and mythology made him popular with this album's release. Tie that in with the hit singles and Eminem collaborations, you've got some good tracks. But the filler drags this album down. The sound didn't age well, combined with the constant G-Unit shoutouts made this listening experience drag on. The album could've been 15 minutes shorter and been more successful.
3/5.
The The
3/5
All the good things about 80s synth-electro-new wave-pop before they became a cliché. The The were a band that came a bit before my time, but their legacy and influence wears well on this album. This was a great listen.
3.5/5.
Thundercat
2/5
Drunk by Thundercat is an interesting listen. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. More importantly, an album from 2017 is too immature to make it on to a list of albums you must listen to before you die. So to borrow from Shark Tank - I'm out.
2/5.
Goldie
2/5
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a 17 minute drum track. The producers of Timeless must've thought to themselves that that was a record that needed to be broken and created a 21 minute electronic drum track. The only problem is, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is good and Timeless' 21 minute eponymous opener and the rest of the album is total shit.
From the original version of the book:
"Some of Timeless sounds dated today, but few dance producers have come close to realizing such an ambitious artistic vision. It is the sound of future jazz from a distance planet, set to the sharpest beats."
Andy Pickering, the poor individual charged with writing the paragraph for Goldie's entry must've fallen and hit his head. Nothing about jungle-drum-and-bass music is a must listen to and that music surely has not aged well. Nor has his entry for this album.
2/5.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Not what I expected from a live Tango album. This was a pleasant listen, and I could get into what merits it's inclusion on this list opposed to other Tango albums. But I'll sit back and enjoy this one for now.
3.5/5.
Nina Simone
5/5
Lovely, emotional and smooth. Nina Simone is one of those artists who's influence is wide-spanning. This album is near damn-perfect.
4.75/5.
Björk
4/5
I probably haven't listened to this album much in the last 30 years, but I remember loving it when it came out and my opinion hasn't changed. Björk has a style that is smooth, relaxing and wide-ranging. This was treat.
3.5/5.
Bobby Womack
3/5
80s smooth jazz / R&B / soul is not in my wheelhouse and I couldn't name you one Bobby Womack song, nor do I have any recollection of the song that made this album a hit. Which is kind of the weak point of this type of list. Anybody can easily name off 100 albums that are a must listen to. Music aficionados might be able to pull off 500. But 1,001 is going to have some holes in that leaves people scratching their head. Like this album
Sonically and production-wise it's an okay album, but again, this music isn't my thing so I really can't judge it.
3/5.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Some good Americana / Country has made it to the list. While not her best, this is a very good album and an example of how good the music coming out of Nashville was when the pop-Country fad started making waves and changing the genre for the worst.
4/5.
Anita Baker
3/5
My original review got deleted by 'human error'.
To summarize, this style of music isn't my thing, but I ended up liking it more than I expected.
I wonder how many children born in late 1986 / early 1987 were conceived to this album.
3/5.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
An interesting take on popular music using a musical style most were not familiar with? Sure. A must-listen? No. There are more sitar styled albums that should bump this from the list, heck there are more options from people named Shankar.
3/5.
Suede
3/5
This album hits in my sweet spot of music enjoyment and I'll tell you I've never heard one song from this so-called monster hit. Growing up in the twi-state area and listening to some of the biggest US pop, rock and alternative radio stations this hasn't caught my ear.
I get there that a list in this style needs to pick up some things that I'm unfamiliar with, but for crying out loud, can we please slow down on the 80s/90s BritPop? And slapping on a descriptor like 'they sound like a modern Bowie' doesn't help. Bowie sounded like a modern Bowie. Suede's eponymous debut LP sounds like the boring Brit-pop that made the Gallagher brothers think they should be pop stars.
3/5.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Interesting concept from Joni that speaks for itself. I mean, it's Joni Mitchell. This album gets bonus points for having Jaco Pastorius on some of the tracks.
While not her more familiar work, definitely a must listen.
4/5.
Bon Jovi
3/5
All of the negative reviews of this album just scream "If you weren't there, you wouldn't get it."
Yeah, hair metal is the second most loathed music style following disco currently. But just like disco, hair metal was good before it became cliché and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet is in the top 5 of hair metal albums. Love it or loathe it, it's a good representation of the genre. There's no other reason this album would be the best selling album of 1987 and is currently the 48th best-selling album in the United States.
3.5/5.
*Update: This is the first time in about 20 years I've listened to this album front to back and it sounds… different. Is this a poor remaster? Did JBJ rerecord this iconic album? Whatever, it sounds too engineered from what I recall this album sounding like.
Q-Tip
3/5
This is a good Q-Tip album. Tip's best work came from the Tribe years. Should this album merit inclusion based on it being a Q-Tip album, or an album that is from a member of the Tribe. Regardless, this album doesn't rank high on the Hip Hop / R&B / Jazz-Hop / Fusion albums to be worthy of inclusion on this list.
3/5.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Damn fine album. Post-punk meets 80s synth pop. Bjork catches a lot of slack, but like Yoko Ono, her skill is in her range and this album doesn't suffer as a result. This is a revisit-worthy album.
4/5.
The White Stripes
3/5
I write this two short blocks from the club where the White Stripes first started and about a half-mile from Jack White's Third Man Records Detroit store. Jack White is to music like Veganism is to eating. Meaning, how do you know if someone likes Jack White / The White Stripes? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Elephant is a good garage album. The ballpark anthem Seven Nation Army is almost a cliché now, but White has some other good songs on here. There's No Home For You Here, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself are two. But, when he strays from the raw garage sound he's known for (In The Cold, Cold Night), the problems of Jack White / The White Stripes show. White's basic songwriting isn't supported on the weaker music of off-brand songs but excel when his garage sound is paired.
I love what he's done for music, record stores, and recording, but this is a middle of the road album.
3.5/5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Not particularly a fan of Cohen's recorded stuff, but this knocked me for a loop.
Absolutely mesmerizing.
4/5.
The Specials
4/5
Great OG Ska album. Long before 90s Ska / Punk bands would change the sound of ska, this album has all of the elements that were at the beginning of ska - Raggae, post-punk, etc.
4/5.
4/5
It's loud, it's obnoxious and it's unsettling. But isn't that the point of jazz?
John Zorn pushes the Avante Garde sound of jazz to the limits where it almost sounds like heavy metal - again, isn't that the point of jazz? To experiment? Spy vs. Spy is a great symphonic, catastrophic wall of noise that somehow flows into a very good album.
4/5.
New Order
3/5
One of New Order's weaker albums that came after their peak and precipitated their new image of post-90s synth-dance. This is coming from a New Order fan as well.
3/5.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Of course this album belongs on a list like this.
Listening to Blue on Apple Music through AirPod Pro's with Noise Cancellation on was a moving experience. I felt like I was inside of the piano by the end of the album.
5/5.
Elastica
3/5
More Brit-alternative than Brit-pop, but I remember hearing this a lot back in the 90s and always enjoyed their music. On relisten, it's still good.
3.5/5.
Pulp
3/5
In the US during 90s Pulp kind of got buried by Oasis, Blur and other likeminded bland Britpop groups because other than the few standouts, they all sound the same. Pulp's Different Class falls into that line and extends into the 'If David Bowie first came to fame in the 90s this is what he'd sound like' sound. It's not bad, it's not groundbreaking, it's just okay and thats not too bad.
P.S. the William Shatner version of Common People is the best version.
3/5.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
You know when seeing a band and album name that you've never listened to that you're in for a Britpop 90s band and today's reveal proves this rule.
No disrespect to Damon Gough, his record is okay and on first listen I'd give it a solid 3 stars. But we're here to listen to albums that you need to hear before you die and I can tell you this album does not fit that bill. By a long shot. Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour Of Bewilderbeast wasn't a must listen when it came out. Seeing as this isn't in the original edition of the book, for future consideration to the authors, if you need to stretch your bias by looking at a record's performance that peaks on Billboard's US Independent Albums at 23, please seek professional help.
2/5.
Kanye West
3/5
I'm aware of Kaye's significance as a performer / producer before nosediving off of the pier of sanity. However, I don't get the hype. 'The College Dropout' is a decent hip-hop album with some standout tracks (the ones with features from other rappers outshine Ye's solo stuff), but I'm not convinced this is a remarkable album.
It does belong on this list, so a 3.5/5 is the best I can do.
Napalm Death
4/5
The great thing about the Thrash / Punk / Speed Metal on this list is 28 songs, 33 minutes. This music and Napalm Death in particular just thrusts it's message in your face, blows up your home and leaves. Unlike the one hour, eighteen minute Kanye West College Dropout I had to sludge through.
This album gets a lot of hate from this group, but these guys are more gifted musicians playing with the tenacity and talent to get this music out than about ⅔ of the rest of this list.
3.75/5.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Jansch's work is new to me, which surprises me as I just learned he was a big influence on Jimmy Page. His influence on this album is easily seen on Page and other familiar names in rock and roll.
Pleasant listen.
4/5.
Santana
4/5
Is it jazz? Rock? Salsa, latin, prog?
Santana makes easy many types of music on this album. It's a great listen for a variety of moods.
4/5.
The Youngbloods
4/5
This album is a very eclectic range of sounds. A very pleasant listening experience.
4/5.
The Stooges
4/5
Simple Motor City Punk. Not the Stooges best work IMO. but a great listen.
3.5/5.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
Having never heard of of Spence, I was impressed at how his sound serves as an influence for the more popular singer songwriters we are familiar with.
3.5/5.
Pixies
4/5
The Pixies best album. The album that inspired much of what became the grunge movement and on into the indie craze.
3.5/5.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
When the album could easily be confused as a greatest hits compilation, you know its a five-star.
5/5.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Elvis is the meat in this sandwich, but you don't get a good sandwich without good bread and that's where The Jordanaires and the Nashville A-Team come in and make this an amazing album.
Presley's vocals are good and he's at his peak here. Why? Because this is the music he wanted to make. He's having fun with his friends and making some great rock and roll and country music. If Elvis was able to make more of this music and less of the Colonel's shit that he was forced to do, he could've kept going instead of meeting the fate he did.
4/5.
Tears For Fears
3/5
It's a great Brit-pop album from the 80s and you still hear some of the hits today, but a must listen? I haven't listened to this album in over thirty years and today's revisit makes it feel dated.
3/5.
Miles Davis
5/5
Wow… moving and emotional. This is a Miles Davis record in name only. Looking at the personnel on this record is like a who's-who of some of the best Jazz musicians around.
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
John McLaughlin – electric guitar
Chick Corea – electric piano
Herbie Hancock – electric piano
Joe Zawinul – electric piano, organ
Dave Holland – double bass
Tony Williams – drums
I get the critiques of Miles' avant-garde and fusion styles, but this album is just beautiful music.
5/5.
Queen
4/5
Some of Queen's finest work. The production skills alone make this a great album. I like that Queen was an all hands band, everybody contributed so that it wasn't a vanity project for Freddie Mercury and Brian May. But with that lack of vanity, there are some weaker songs keeping this from being a perfect five-star album.
4/5.
The Fall
2/5
You know an album that you never heard of is British 90s pop/indie just by seeing the cover pop up. The Fall's 'The Infotainment Scan' is a great example of 'If at first you don't succeed, maybe try 14 more times…"
The Infotainment Scan is an okay album. I've never heard it before and this period is when I was at my prime new music listening. It's not a great album and it surely is not something that you definitely need to hear before you die.
2/5.
R.E.M.
3/5
I'm a bit of an REM fan and do enjoy this album. Its influence helped kick of the college rock / indie rock scene of the 80s and 90s. But this album just hints at the phenomenal band REM will become.
3.5/5.
The Offspring
3/5
Boy were we angry in the 90s.
Smash comes in that sweet spot where grunge and alternative have pushed hair metal to the side and themselves are over saturating the music scene with a sound that isn't as great as the sound that got them here. This music was all over the radio and to a certain degree, still is. The upcoming latin music revival would push alt-rock to the side as the popular genre and The Offspring and their compatriots bear the brunt.
3/5.
Common
4/5
Good, raw hip hop. Common's beats are great, his flow is on point and his message in each piece is clear.
This reminds me I need to listen to more Common.
4/5.
George Michael
4/5
Faith by George Michael is just short of a greatest hits record for him. I remember when this album was released the fury that it created. It's still such a powerful listen for the big hits + One More Try alone.
4/5.
The Strokes
3/5
It's great that The Strokes reclaimed the punk sound back from what the 90s Punks did to it. While not true punk, Is This It checks off a couple of boxes and is a pleasant listen.
3.5/5.
Garbage
3/5
A seminal 90s Grunge album. Shirley Manson's vocals match well to the distorted sound. One of the better grunge albums that has held up still.
3.5/5.
Faith No More
4/5
I owned this album when it came out and nearly wore it out from playing it so many times. Now some 30ish years after my last full listen, I remember every downbeat, every nuance, every little element of every song.
FNM's legacy is very secured from an album that was one of the first to mix genres like rock, prog, rap, classical, and jazz. The Real Thing is a true winner.
4.5/5.
The La's
4/5
Now if every 80s / 90s BritPop album on this list was as joyful to listen to as this, I wouldn't complain so much about 80s / 90s BritPop.
I was quasi-familiar with their one hit, 'There She Goes', but didn't know it or them enough to expect it when it started. Before then, I was enjoying their music.
4/5.
New Order
3/5
Good 80s dance-synth-pop. The benefit to New Order with Low-Life is this is their album that turned them into the New Order they are known as. This is their inspirational album that leads off a new genre.
3.5/5.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Yeah, you can tell Andy Warhol had something to do with this album.
The Velvet Underground & Nico is so far ahead of its time. An album in 1967 that was a successful avant-garde / punk / psychedelic / artsy / post-punk album that paved the way for so many bands.
4/5.
Erykah Badu
4/5
Good music, good singing. Erika Badu has that voice that makes you melt. Now, what makes this a must listen? I don't know, but a thoroughly enjoyable listen nonetheless.
3.5/5.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Great background noise, great mixing, great alignment of different genres that share a beat.
4/5.
Culture Club
3/5
This is a borderline album for the list. It's got some big hits, it's got Boy George who gender-bending display brought Culture Club friends and foes. But does any of that make this album a must listen? I'd say no, the album itself does not wave a flag or carry a meaning. Its just 80s new wave synth pop that hasn't aged too well.
3/5.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
A beautiful voice that was quieted too soon. It's sad to listen to the emotion and biographical nature of this album and knowing how the story ends.
Frank is a great album and would probably get a 5 from me in some alternate universe that Back In Black doesn't exist in.
4.5/5.
The Avalanches
4/5
Great example of mixing using samples. I had no problem enjoying this album in the background while I worked. I'm not so sure I'd recommend it as a must listen, but I would definitely relisten to this.
4/5.
Paul Weller
2/5
In today's entry of "The author's bias for 80s and 90s British Pop Rock and some other albums you should listen to before you die", Paul Weller's sublimely average Wild Wood. Wild Wood was so popular that it kicked three singles that made it to the top 20 in the UK. I don't know how it did in the US because the Wiki page for this spectacular artistic merit that I just listened to so I can die is sparse.
Paul Weller is the type of musician people tell you they listen to to sound smart. Why his second album has to be listened to before I die is a question I will ruminate on from now until the day I die.
Wild Wood is a decent enough album, 3/5 for musicality, 2/5 for it's presence on this list.
Supertramp
3/5
Seen as their transition from prog / synth rock to their more familiar sound with the addition of the Hammond piano Crime of the Century lays down the tracks for the amazing Breakfast in America album that will launch them beyond the stratosphere.
Good album, not my favorite, by it has that distinctive Supertramp sound that is still such a guilty pleasure.
3.5/5.
Beach House
2/5
If you were to ask me what I thought early '00s Indie music sounded like, this would be the example I could give. Surprisingly, this is my first time hearing this album or this band (unless it was playing in a Starbucks), so ranking this as a must-listen album that sounds like every other album from it's time period and not seeing albums I've heard of makes me scratch my head.
2.5/5.
Motörhead
3/5
Patient zero for what would become thrash metal. The Big 4 of thrash, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax all cite this album as their gateway to what made them great.
3.5 / 5.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
This would've been in my wheelhouse in '94 if I knew it. It hits in that true post-punk / early grunge bell. My only gripe is no album from this genre / era should be more than forty minutes, the 1:10 length of this album drags out a good experience into a meh one. Especially when you have a nine minute track and then a 9 ½ minute version to close out the album.
3.5 / 5.
4/5
A modern day version of some classic punk / post-punk. Better listen than I expected.
4/5.
Elliott Smith
3/5
90's Dad rock. Pretty good album, but not so much of a iconic album illustrative of the genre / era of the time.
3.5/5.
The xx
2/5
Nice to see the authors expanding their favoritism of BritPop to post 80s and 90s.
Not a bad album, but not list worthy either.
2/5.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Once again the list authors confound me as to certain selections pop up on this list. I'm a big fan of what Rod did with the Faces. His early solo stuff is amazing. This album? Not even his best. Why does it belong on this list then? No major hits, no groundbreaking output that inspired future musicians. What then?
From the book, the author puts more effort on the follow up to this album - Every Picture Tells a Story which is phenomenal and belongs on a list such as this. Treating an album such as this as an album that precedes and kind of lays the groundwork for a (masterpiece) is a weak handed excuse to push a work that isn't thaaaat awesome.
2.5/5.
James Taylor
4/5
Sweet (Baby James) album. Can't go wrong with JT.
4/5.
Coldplay
4/5
For all of the grief they earned in their later years, Coldplay nails it with 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head'. This album can almost serve as their greatest hits, and that's fine.
4/5.
Joy Division
3/5
Granted, there are only two, but does every Joy Division album need to be here? Had the singer not killed himself, would this album merit a listen?
Still a good album from the time period.
3/5.
Moby
4/5
This album was everywhere when it was released. Even though the Gwynn Stefani of South Side didn't make it to the album cut, it helped project it through the atmosphere. Moby's Play did serve as an influence for future DJs regardless the slap back he gets today, it still holds up.
4/5.
Parliament
4/5
Fun. Kee.
4/5.
Kate Bush
3/5
Kate Bush isn't my bag, but I'm aware of how much she's influenced and know this album is cited a lot.
3.5/5.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Not my favorite Sonic Youth album by far, but I can dig what they were trying to do. 3.5/5.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Another round of love the art, hate the artist. Clapton is amazing, no other musician's fans acclaim god-like status like his and it's fairly evident on this album. There is a lot of filler, everything after track 2's Bell-Bottom Blues through track 10's Have You Ever Loved A Woman just drones. But the real gold is the bookends of the album.
People love to drag Clapton through the mud and he deserves that, but Clapton found the inspiration for the album in Duane Allman who plays on many of the tracks and had these two met, Clapton's career might've been shorter.
4/5.
Tricky
3/5
I guess the good thing about Apple Music not having the full album is I don't have to feel like I need to listen to an album that is most definitely not a must listen to album.
2.5/5.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
The origin story of this concert is a wild ride and worth the read to really frame what an impressive piece this album is. This is exactly why I love jazz and doing this list.
5/5
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Pretty decent, surprisingly doesn't sound like mid-90s indie and more 2010s, with less emo-centric verses. I'd argue about this album being on the list, but it does serve as a nice counter-balance to the other grunge and alternative coming out at the same time.
3/5.
John Lennon
4/5
The second best 'first' solo album by a former Beatle. You pick up some arrangements that could've been Beatles tunes and if done in the Abbey Road / Let It Be sequence, they could've been done great by the Fab 4. But, here Lennon assembles the best studio musicians and formulates his version of what a Beatles album could sound like without being helmed by Paul McCartney and George Martin.
Aside from the still relevant Imagine, the whole album is beautiful (even the How Do You Sleep dis track).
Nirvana
4/5
Saying this as someone that lived in the time of Kurt Cobain, I know I'm in the minority when I say that Nirvana wasn't that great and their impact on music would be less if he didn't do what he did. But this album, this show is one of the best things to come out that genre. Included is one of my all-time favorite songs All Apologies and my favorite version as well.
I remember the ruckus that ensued when the band teased the 'casual fans' in the audience with the opening chords of Smells Like Teen Spirit and when into another song.
4/5.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Peak Elvis in my book. This comes right off the '68 comeback special and more importantly in my opinion, getting out of the RCA studio and going to the local up and coming American Sound Studio and backed by house band, 'the Memphis Boys' gave Elvis that second sound that (re)made his image after his Sun Records years. Man-oh-man if only he could have gotten out of Tom Parker's grip and produced this music, he could've had a third or fourth go-round and nailed them all.
4.5/5.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
In today's entry for generic Brit-pop that sounds like just about anything else done by a better qualified group you should listen to before you die we have Lloyd Cole And The Commotions, a group I've never heard of and if I did hear anything I'd think it was the Smith's or Morrisey's solo work.
2.5/5.
Frank Zappa
4/5
I've seen Zappa described as less rock and roll artist and guitarist and more composer. When listening to Hot Rats through this lens you gain an appreciation for Zappa. I was never a big fan by any means, but also never really understood his music until I started listening to more avant grade styles to see what the big deal was (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu, etc).
4.5/5.
Happy Mondays
2/5
You know just by seeing a name or an album you don't recognize that it's going to be 80s / 90s UK Britpop and the Happy Mondays Bummed continues that streak.
I could go on my usual rant about the biases of the author(s) but I'll just check out with my usual, not a must listen to, but a decent album of the time.
2.5/5.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Lauryn Hill steps out of the shadow of the Fugees and Wyclef to state that she can put together a massive monster of an album with Miseducation. My only gripe is that it goes long at an hour and seventeen minutes, but still relevant, still great.
4/5.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
It is possible for two things to be true at once.
1) Eric Clapton is an amazing musician
2) Eric Clapton is an asshole
A lot of the reviews here today don't take the context of EC going John Mayall's Bluesbreakers into account. At a time in music when American music fans had forgotten about the blues and it was nearly erased from history, some Brits picked up some records and heard amazing guitar riffs and lyrics. Just like every form of music that Americans created and ruined, the British take and improve and make it relevant again.
Such is the case for Mayall and this album that brought aboard the young phenom Eric Clapton. Music today wouldn't be half of what it is had it not been for these two gods of the blues collaborating.
4/5.
a-ha
3/5
one hit surrounded by a lot of 80s synth pop. It does deserve its placement on the list for the influence it's wielded for almost 40 years - that has to count for something.
3/5.
Steely Dan
3/5
I fucking hate Steely Dan. I don't know if it's a result of growing up in the 70s and 80s and being subjected to the soft-rock, nouveau jazz part deus sounds of Steely Dan in dentist's offices or elevators but I've never enjoyed them. I am however, cognizant of their impact and contribution to music and knowing how they are reviewers darlings I did listen to this. And while it wasn't as bad of a listen for me as it was, I still don't get it. But this was a big improvement over some of the brit-pop cycle I've been stuck in.
3/5.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
This isn't in my original copy of the book which means someone thought that the original 1,001 albums you need to listen to before you die was incomplete without this album. How many flights of stairs do you need to fall down to elicit the brain damage requisite to think that the original list could only be improved by this album?
This is probably the most insulting example of the books author(s) cramming their Brit-Pop of the 80s and 90s down our throats when even the Wikipedia entry for this album cites "Three songs were released as singles but failed to make a big impact."
What about this album is a must-listen? I can think many reasons to never listen to this album again.
2/5.
Pearl Jam
4/5
Here it is, patient zero for the grunge boom. I picked this album up in early 1991 only because I knew the band would be playing a concert I was going to called Lollapalooza. Back then, Lollapalooza traveled from location to location instead of being fixed like it is today.
From the moment I pressed play on the cassette of this new band I never heard of, I was hooked. Little did I know the tremble in the ground would shake the entirety of music.
Ten is by far Pearl Jam's best album, and in the spectrum of grunge it is way up there.
4/5.
Sebadoh
3/5
Never heard of Sebadoh and expected less than what I got. For an early 90s album, Bubble and Scrape harkens back to some mid-80s punk rock, and that's not a bad thing. The 90s idea of punk rock became pop for the sake of punk and really ruined what was a great genre, had Sebadoh been the flag bearer for the genre, I'd be curious to see how much better it would become.
My only critiques of this album are that for a punk-ish album it runs long at 47 minutes and some of the songs sound repetitive.
3/5.
The Triffids
2/5
Can say nothing better than the reviewer that says "I'm not even sure this album was in the 1001 top albums of 1987."
2/5.
The Kinks
3/5
I'm discovering that Psychedelic Rock isn't one of my preferred genres. While not an unenjoyable listen, The Kinks Face To Face is influential and not so bad.
Adele
4/5
Regardless of being removed from the list, this album is still a must listen. Adele might've come on so strong she may have overstayed her welcome, but this album is her in her full-swing.
4/5.
Germs
3/5
Hellofa Punk album. With heavy hitters like Pat Smear and Joan Jett involved in this album, it makes me wonder what we could have had if Darby Crash lived longer.
3.5 / 5.
The Damned
3/5
More pop-punk than the familiar Punk from the late 70s and 80s icons like Ramons, Clash, and Sex Pistols, The Damned apply a Punk ideal to a post-punk / new wave sound that is pretty interesting. Worthy of a listen to hear how punk rock has evolved over the years.
3/5.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
More enjoyable than I expected. Reminds me of John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. More experimental jazzy than pop/rock.
4/5.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Herbie Hancock has done some pretty far out things, blending jazz & funk isn't one of 'em.
5/5.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
I just remember Teenage Fanclub from their collaboration with De La Soul on the 'Judgement Night' soundtrack which is phenomenal and if soundtracks were on the list it would have a slot there. Bandwagonesque is an easy listen to an alternative to what would become the Alternative sound of the 90s.
3.5/5.
Beatles
5/5
Sure the Beatles get a lot of hate, but when a 13 track has nine easily identifiable songs to a layperson, you're doing something right. A Hard Day's Night has hokey, cliché, sugary songs that in the context of 1964 is exactly what the pop music buying public wanted.
4.5/5.
Nas
5/5
When Nas dropped Illmatic Hip Hop changed. The genre evolved from a fun, braggadocious B-Boy genre to a serious, poetic, flowing piece of art.
5/5.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Early German synth? Yeah, I like it. Kraftwerk are obviously the leaders of the genre, but this album was a fun listen. Easy rhythm, simple lyrics. Good album.
4/5.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Women have always taken a back seat in popular music. They've fought and thrown some elbows to take their seat at the table, so when Alan's Morissette's Jagged Little Pill 'shocked' and drew gasps from the pearl clutchers that this docile little Canadian former children's television star burst onto the 'Alt-Rock' scene and sang about such things was released, it was fire. And it still is.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Subtle touches of the prog rock Gabriel did with Genesis, subtle touches of blues and synth rock.
I never listened to this album other than Solsbury Hill and really enjoyed it.
3.5.
William Orbit
2/5
Decent ambient background music. I mean, if the authors wanted a 90s musical album to deem a 'MUST LISTEN', instead of choosing an unknown (once again) British based artist who's 'MUST LISTEN' album is such a 'MUST LISTEN' that it barely has any clicks on the services that actually have it - they could've chosen Enya or Kenny G or even that Chant album done by monks.
2.5 / 5.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I've listened to this album enough to know it's a five-star. It speaks for itself. RIP PHIFE DAWG.
5/5.
Judas Priest
5/5
The OG of heavy metal. At 42 years old, it's still a very listenable album.
11/10.
U2
4/5
U2s last good album and following Joshua Tree, this was not a good album.
4.5/5.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
What I deem as typical latino-cuban music. I don't know why it took Ry Cooder to 'discover' latin-styled music. But I will give Buena Vista Social Club should be a listen since it awakened many ears to the sound.
3.5.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
I too like listening to bands that sound like Soundgarden that are not named Soundgarden.
2.5/5.
The Saints
3/5
John Martyn
4/5
Never heard of John Martin and expected to not enjoy this based on the reviews. But while reading about him and listening, I grew intrigued and enjoyed this album.
4/5.
Metallica
5/5
Non-stop, head-banging, floor-shaking, Tinitus-inducing thrash metal!
MoP will mark, in my opinion, the penultimate good Metallica album and just about as close to perfection they could get.
4.5/5.
JAY Z
3/5
Hip hop albums should not be more than 45 minutes at best. Jay-Z's The Blueprint clocks in at 63 minutes and is about 40 minutes too long. I'd be in favor for certain collections of greatest hits being considered for this list, Jay-Z is one. Albums with individual bangers don't make an album a must listen and this is an example.
3/5.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
He was really all over the place with this one and probably is credited with what I call "Kurt Cobain Syndrome" - the instance of celebrity for the sole reason of dying. This is a good album and his KCS paired with his Hallelujah cover are probably what got it onto this list, but when viewed through the lens of the music of the period, it's… pretty good.
3.5 / 5.
Julian Cope
3/5
Interesting music. Terrible lyrics.
3.5/5.
Madness
3/5
Methinks the only reason this album is on the list is because of it's monster hit 'Our House', which is enough to scratch the authors 80s / 90s BritPop / PostPunk itch.
3.5 / 5.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Some of their best work. This album is the perfect blend of Paul Simon's lyrics, Art Garfunkle's harmonizing and the amazing backing musicians from the Wrecking Crew.
4/5.
ZZ Top
3/5
Outside of the four familiar classics, which by no means is a flop, the rest of the album is fairly 80s ZZ Top rock.
3.5 / 5.
3/5
Even if Poison Arrow - the song that propels this album to the list showed up on a list of singles you must hear before you die, or even the top songs of 1982, I'd skip it.
This album has absolutely zero reasons for being a 'must listen' and is just another example of the author's insane logic for forcing 80s and 90s Euro-Synth onto a place it doesn't belong.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Yesterday I drew ABC's The Lexicon Of Love which was a slog at 42 minutes. Nick Cave's Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus double album clocking in at 1 hour and 22 minutes was a much easier listen. I've never really listened to Nick Cave but the production, writing and performing on this album is top notch and was an enjoyable listen
4/5.
John Prine
4/5
Never really listened to John Prime much before he died recently. His wonderful lyrics and simple music pair well with his voice. Reminds me of John Denver and Leonard Cohen.
4/5.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I'm not usually a fan of live albums. In the rare case, a live album is an attempt to capture the energy and spirit of a band that excels in that arena and this is the case with At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band.
The Allman Brothers are a result of their culture, which being a southern band would have some country influence. The addition of blues funk and soul are what takes them from a generic classic rock radio band to an experience. That all ends with the death of Duane Allman, but man this album grooves.
3.5 / 5.
Paul Simon
4/5
A master class in songwriting from a master song writer.
4/5.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie's 70s organ period was not my favorite… until I listened to this album. Holy crap what an amazing album. I'm perplexed as to how I've never heard it.
4.5 / 5.
Eminem
3/5
I like Em's writing, but I absolutely hate hip hop albums that are over an hour.
3.5 / 5.
Ray Charles
3/5
Yeah, I love the Great American Songbook and I enjoy Ray Charles. This entry baffles me because it doesn't showcase his songwriting, singing or overtly his piano playing talent. His Country Western volumes are Ray Charles that NEEDS to be listened to.
This album is an average output from Ray and as an example of the Great American Songbook, but as usual, the authors missed a great opportunity to really nail both entries.
3.5/5.
Green Day
4/5
I forgot how many pop chart hits this album produced. I wasn't a fan when it came out, and still not a fan of Green Day, but I get their impact and Dookie is definitely a must-listen.
3.5/5.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Very weird, very interesting and very much a must listen. This is a nice slice of life from the explorational age of music when electronic instruments were starting to be used.
3/5.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I could listen to Willie Nelson sing the phone book.
4/5.
Animal Collective
2/5
I guess the authors want me to end my time on this mortal coil.
2/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Some albums are impactful and some albums just sound like they want you to feel intelligent, so this is not my favorite Nick Cave.
3/5.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
From the first edition of the book: "What about Saturday Night Fever?'; you may ask. Well, you won't find compilations or soundtracks by "various artists" in this book, although we have made room for soundtracks that consist entirely of original material composed by a particular artist. Otherwise, we would not have been able to tell you about Superfly, Shaft, or Purple Rain-three milestones in pop and some of the best work by Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, and Prince respectively.
Once again, the author(s) twist and bend the rules of the list to fit their vision, but an otherwise decent funk-soul-jazz album.
3/5.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I had enjoy another Manic Street Preachers album on the list - The Holy Bible, but this is not an album I would deem as a must listen. So another instance of the author(s) cramming their BritPop bias down our throats.
2.5/5.
Duran Duran
3/5
The author(s) finally get a bullseye for their 80s BritPop synth love. I think they think that all brit pop was as good as D2 without recognizing how impactful D2 were and are.
Outside of the hits RIO hasn't aged too well, but carries that classic Duran sound.
3.5/5.
Adele
4/5
Adele has taken the bitter breakup album to a new level since Alan's Morisette's Jagged Little Pill. 21 is a heart wrenching view into a very public breakup. This album was all over with it's monster hits and is deserving of being on such list despite the over saturation Adele has taken with her succeeding 29 and is starting to overstay her welcome, but 21 can stay, it's amazing.
4/5.
Moby Grape
4/5
A quasi-psychedelic, jam, acid glimpse into the late 60s.
4/5.
Van Halen
4/5
1984 (the year) is one of the best years for Rock N' Roll music. 1984 (the album) was the threshold to the quintessential 80s rock sound and opened the door for the later hair / metal / grunge successors that worship at the feet of Eddie Van Halen's mastery.
4/5.
Pink Floyd
5/5
The only disappointment one can get in listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall is that sad feeling that isn't your first experience all over again.
This concept album packs into its two discs 1.5+hr runtime what many albums on this list only wish and that is a top to bottom solid piece of art.
5/5.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Okay Brit-synth-pop that checks all of the boxes for the author(s) that all of the other Brit-synth-pop that doesn't need to be here does.
3/5.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Having never heard of this album or Abdullah, I was happy to see a Jazz album pop up on the list AND enjoy it. Water from an ancient well has elements of John Coltrane and it just hits. Its hard to believe that an album from 1986 can sound like it was recorded at the Blue Note in 1959.
4/5
Tito Puente
4/5
^ What I love about this list, experiencing music I'm not familiar with. I've known of Tito Puente as a cultural icon growing up without having the benefit of knowing his music, his iconic status is merited with music like this.
4/5.
Yes
4/5
I was introduced to Yes when my older brother drew their iconic logo over and over on his notebook in elementary school. Fast forward I was gifted a copy of Atlantic Record 40th anniversary collection. On cassette! Since first hearing Yes on that collection I've enjoyed their music, but never took a deep dive into their catalog. Yes straddles the prog line somewhere Jethro Tull and early Genesis. Rick Wakeman's entry to the lineup starts to firm up their credentials of Prog Rock powerhouse and early rock and roll influence.
Fragile has the well known Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround, but the nearly 12 minute Heart of the Sunrise is such a sonic wall of sound that is a great reason, even with all of my sensibilities.
4/5.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Not only Wu's best album, but easily in the top-three hip-hop albums of all time.
5/5.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Swamp rock straight from the swamps of (checks notes… California?).
Regardless, 1969 is much earlier than I would have expected CCR to have begun, but Green River is such a fantastic album with chock full of Fogerty originals and an original cover of James Brown's The Night Time is the Right Time to round out a solid performance.
4/5.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
She bops.
3.5/5.
Gene Clark
4/5
This album by former Byrds member Gene Clark makes me wonder what a version of the Byrds would have put out if he was still around when Gram Parsons joined. Clark's song writing and orchestration on this album would have made me more interested in listening to the Byrds if he was in charge of their output.
Wonderful melodies and smooth writing.
4/5.
The Kinks
3/5
Not what you expect when you hear 'The Kinks'. Something Else dips its toes into the water of psychedelic and prog rock before Ray takes over the reins of studio production. It was a nice alternative sound from the Kinks.
3.5/5.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Sometime in the early 80s my family was having new carpet installed, so there in our main hallway was a 12 foot carpet roll. My siblings and myself must've annoyed the living hell out of our parents by walking back and forth on the thing singing 'We Are Family' over and over. But then again, we were occupied…
While this is really a Chic album, Sister Sledge did the right thing by handing the reins of their projects to Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards. They are answer to the argument 'Disco Sux'.
3.5/5.
Kate Bush
3/5
All of a sudden Kate Bush is being discovered and heralded as a great female vocalist thanks to Stranger Things. She's always been in that hmmm, I don't know if I like it or if this is out of my league. Hounds of Love spans a range of styles, some fun and some straying into Fine Arts major justifying 'their creativity'.
3.5/5.
Steely Dan
3/5
I hate Steely Dan. Yes, they are a love/hate band and I'm aware that I fall in the minority on them. But, their music makes me angry. There is something about the combination of instrument choice and vocal pairing that brings out that urge in me. Being fully aware of that, I also know the influence they have on generations that followed so I can't let my biases really affect whether or not this album is a must listen.
Best I can do is 3/5.
10cc
3/5
Interesting choice for 10cc. Their hits aren't many but Sheet Music isn't exactly the pull anybody would make when selecting a 10cc album to listen to.
Weird, experimental and a somewhat successful attempt at making music that sounds like Harry Nilsson.
3/5.
The Stooges
3/5
Great follow up to their first release. Reading the background on the recording process, the band made the right choice in recording their raw, live sound. Definitely a sleeper in comparison, but a great punk album.
3.5/5.
The Killers
3/5
This album triggered my tinnitus so badly after two songs that for the first time in 425 albums, I tapped out. I know I'm not missing much. The Killers emerged in the early 00's bland reawakening of pop rock along with Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand. Had it not been for the arena popular Mr Brightside, The Killers would be a budget bin selection like the other two. But, it is and Hot Fuss is still deemed a 'Must Listen' and whether it truly is or not for this list, when it comes to Tinnitus sufferers, it is not.
So if you dear listener come across this review, please check your volume and protect your ears, unless you want to not listen to music that you do and do not enjoy.
3/5.
The Who
5/5
Record Company Exec: This better be one of the best albums if you want to use a picture of a concrete monolith that you just pissed on for the cover.
Pete Townsend: I wrote it.
5/5
Queen
4/5
Rock? Punk? Prog? Opera? Dixie Jazz?
This album is all over the place, from the poppy well-known Killer Queen, through the heavy-metal inspiring Stone Cold Crazy, Queen weaves a tapestry of eclectic music into a tight 39 minutes.
4/5.
Randy Newman
3/5
The problem with evolving your image over your career to the point you end it making massive music for Disney® is you become so identified with those movies that its forgotten that you've made some popular music long before.
Randy Newman has always been one of those show-tuney writers that somehow gotten popular on the pop charts. A lot of this sounds like what others have already said, raunchier versions of his Disney music.
Deerhunter
3/5
Never heard this group before, so their status as a must-listen intrigued me. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter is a mellow album that is good on the background but not gripping or a 'must-listen'. As a matter of fact, Halcyon Digest is a generic sampling of the same generic indie music that the US has spewed out for the first 15 years of the century and if you were to play a sampling of this or any other Deerhunter album I'm sure an average music listener would spout off several Franz Ferdinandish-Modest Mousey bands before landing on Deerhunter.
3/5.
New York Dolls
4/5
The influential album that influenced the influencers. Raw, gritty and similar to what Iggy & The Stooges were putting out at the same time.
4/5.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Was expecting some elevator-type easy listening until I hears Sandy Denny on the first track. I first heard her going back and forth on The Battle of Evermore with Robert Plant, but haven't heard much of her otherwise. Fairport Convention's Liege And Lief was a surprisingly good listen. It may be that I'm getting this album so close to St Patrick's day, a day filled with Celtic music that this album's traditional track on English music with a 60's musical twist, but I enjoyed it. Fun listen.
4/5.
Tortoise
4/5
Millions Now Living Will Never Die by Tortoise suffers from a miscataloging. While showing up as 'Alternative' in Apple Music, I'm picking up prog rock, jam-band, jazz, fusion and more.
This album was a refreshing listen. It's ambient tones make great background noise while working on a task that requires focus.
4.5/5.
Solomon Burke
4/5
With a voice as smooth as butter Rock 'N Soul by Solomon Burke ranks with the classics of the original rock and roll founders like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and on-and-on. Pop Soul as Burke's sound is helped lay the tracks for Otis, Motown and other black artists to once again, pave the way for future musicians to walk on.
Coldplay
4/5
Coldplay/Chris Martin catch a deservedly large amount of flack, but Parachutes was the album the projected them to the level to catch that flack. They kind of remind me of how U2 evolved into a band that people hated after Achtüng Baby.
Chris Martin's lyrics on Parachutes is top notch and I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this album.
a surprising 4/5.
The Doors
4/5
L.A. Woman gives a great indication of where The Doors were going creatively and as the tragic story repeats itself over and over again, we are robbed from finding out what Jim & Co. would do next.
4/5.
Metallica
3/5
As a Metallica fan, the self-titled 'Black Album' signals the decline of Metallica in my humble opinion. Sure, the pop-rock-thrash-metal album was a charting success and probably what James & Lars wanted, but something is missing.
Since it came out, it was one of the fewer listened albums and I'm at a point t in my life where this and future albums are rarely played until we get to 2008's Death Magnetic. This is my first spin of this album in maybe 20 years and it still strikes as a duller Metallica album, although I do grant why its on a 'Must-Listen' list like this and think at 3.5 stars it still warrants its place here.
3.5/5
Def Leppard
4/5
Of all the albums I felt the need to defend, Def Leppard's Pyromania shouldn't be one of them. Yet the slaughter of poor reviews of this album need to be corrected.
Pyromania is a monster. What it did in 1983 and paved the way for is probably invisible from most of the reviewers here who probably don't realize they were possibly conceived to this album.
Did Def Leppard overstay their welcome? Yes. Is 1983's Pyromania Def Leppard's peak? No, that would come with Hysteria, the actual album that has the one-armed drummer. Rick Allen had both of his arms on this one.
4/5.
Arcade Fire
3/5
10 tracks at 48 minutes for an album that sounds like one song. This album is probably only here for 'Wake Up', a phenomenal song that does a lot of heavy lifting to keep this album good.
3/5.
The Jam
3/5
Generic Who soundalike. Nothing that really stands out as excellent, influential or meriting of a 'must-listen'.
3/5.
Neu!
3/5
Weird, eclectic, and yet interesting. Each song seems like a different genre.
3.5/5.
Meat Puppets
3/5
Compare this album's average rating of 2.97 against Nirvana's Nevermind rating of Nevermind at 4.41 and come up with a head scratcher. Nirvana was essentially a Meat Puppets cover band and because some guy bit into the wrong end of a shotgun, they have the third highest rated album on this list. Nirvana is and was overrated. Meat Puppets are all over the place and can't follow a musical thread.
3/5.
The Shamen
2/5
Hey, you know how electronic music started getting really popular and edgy in the 90s and all of these great groups came out and represented the genre really well? How about we select a group that nobody has heard of and hasn't done much for the genre, but they're from the British Isles, so fuck everybody's opinions, right?
- The authors probably
2/5.
Ash
3/5
In today's edition of the UK Wish version of genre defining music we have Ash, a band that rides the grunge wave to D-level music celebrity-dom status that a casual music afficianado that was listening to this music during this time has never heard of but the authors of this list decide to let their UK favoritism take precedence rather than quality music.
2.5/5.
The Verve
3/5
The only required listening of the Verve is Bitter Sweet Symphony. The only reason Bitter Sweet Symphony makes the Verve a must-listen and merit entry on this list is because of the fucked up copyright laws that allowed Alan Klein snatch the rights of the song because someone messed up on the sample clearance and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are credited as the writers of the magnificent song. They're not and it's not their fault, as a matter of fact, they reverted the rights back to The Verve, but anyways the rest of the album is meh 90s Brit-Pop-Alternative-Rock.
3/5.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Kacey Musgraves is part of the crew taking mainstream country music back to good country music, so maybe that's why an album from 2018 is making a list of albums you must listen to before you die. In any event, I wouldn't add this one to the list. It's a good listen, but needs time age before being relevant for a list like this.
3/5.
Alice Cooper
3/5
After seeing Alice Cooper play Pontius Pilot in the Jesus Christ Superstar live TV event some years ago, I can see his fascination with musicals and theater.
I haven't listened to an Alice Cooper album in about 30 years, so this was a pleasant surprise listen.
3.5/5.
Orbital
3/5
Interesting electronic music that is probably better than most of the electronic music the author(s) force upon this list, but is there really room for so much content from a genre that all sounds the same? If that's the case, pull one album to stand and represent and skip the rest - this one could be that representative.
3/5.
The Jam
3/5
Another Jam album? One was more than enough and with Sound Effects joining All Mod Cons, I'd pressure the author(s) to keep Sound Effects and toss the other - this one has That's Entertainment at least. Anything to keep Paul Weller omnipresent I guess.
This all comes from someone who loves post-punk music, but come on. Not every post-punk; nüe wave hit maker needs to be here.
3/5.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
fairly typical album of the period. Sounds a little like Marvin Gaye's Here Dear, also a 'must-listen'.
3/5.
R.E.M.
5/5
Absolute gem of an album, some of REMs best lyric writing is right here. Everybody Hurts alone makes this album great, the rest is above par. No filler.
4.5/5
Pixies
4/5
Frank Black created a whole new genre with Surfer Rosa. The Alternative / Grunge genre is more famous for starting in the 90s with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Pixies pushes that needle a little further left. To 1988.
4/5.
FKA twigs
3/5
Sounds like every other ambient-electronica piece that makes me question this list. It's okay, but must-listen?
3/5
The Adverts
3/5
My first time listening to or hearing of the Adverts, and it was a pleasant experience. I'm not entirely sure how much punk needs to be listened to once you get outside of the main contenders. Crossing the Red Sea sounds like typical punk and shouts the same message, but an all together good listen.
3.5/5
Manu Chao
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Bonus, this was the first Spanish language album I listened to that was in Spanish, English and French.
3.5/5.
The Cardigans
3/5
If they were the first band on the moon, I'd understand any album of theirs being a must listen. Since they are not, and don't necessarily meet the 80-90s UK pop profile the writer(s) love, I guess Sweden is close enough.
It's an okay album, I give them credit for remaking Iron Man in their sound - they were out punched by the song, but they tried.
3/5.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I'm questioning why an album as recent as 2017 is on a must-listen list when it hasn't had time to actually have an impact, and based on prior reviewers it's not their most impactful album. Regardless, I walked into this not looking forward to listening and came out of it impressed. My Apple Music was on repeat and I didn't know I listened to the album twice.
4/5.
3/5
This album fell off the original list because it shouldn't have been on there in the first place. Muse represents a generic sound from the early 00s that you can play and struggle to name the band because they all sound the same.
Black Holes and Revelations is an okay album and nothing against Muse, but a list of albums you should listen to before you die shouldn't include groups that all sound the same.
3/5.
Ozomatli
3/5
Ozomatli takes all of the bad tropes of latin and alternative hip hop and combines them together in this album. The latin redux barely produced must-listen albums worthy of a list, this isn't one of them.
3/5.
Mudhoney
4/5
Grunge and Alternative music wouldn't be what it is/was without Mudhoney and SubPop records in the late 80s. As a matter of fact, Mudhoney is peak Grunge/Alternative.
4/5.
Django Django
3/5
clicked on the link to listen in Apple Music. It brought up the 10th anniversary reissue that had remixes and for some reason the original was not available so I listened to remixes before noticing my good. Found the original and had to start over, was bummed because I enjoyed the remixes. The original? It's okay electronic music. But it continues the author(s) bias for unoriginal British music that has no place on a list like this.
3/5.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is a goodbye message.
Johnny's saying sorry, goodby, thank you, and he loves you. This album was a masterpiece when released and after some time and a relisten after the loss of a loved one has left my keyboard sopping wet. Country music is underrepresented on this list and Johnny Cash isn't necessarily Country, nor is this album, but it's place here is well earned.
5/5.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Speaking as someone who appreciates later Dylan and even *gasp* Dylan live, this is a fantastic album. Highlands tees up nicely as a prequel to 'Murder Most Foul'.
4.5/5.
Radiohead
3/5
IN RAINBOWS marks a sonic change in direction for one of my favorite bands. I'm still unsure about this, but knowing that this album instigated the course that brings us to the current iteration of the band, I can't argue.
3.5/5.
Röyksopp
2/5
Genericised EDM that barely registered a pulse, except in *checks notes* the UK - the location that the author(s) seem to believe all must-listen music originates from.
Meh.
2.5/5.
Megadeth
4/5
Rust In Peace represents the crossing point of Metallica's decline of quality music and Megadeth's rising pace of good thrash metal.
I know I'm glad Dave Mustaine got fired, it gave him the opportunity to make this.
4/5.
Suede
2/5
I wouldn't even know how to classify this, I'm guessing some sort of alternatvie-grunge-prog?
The Who
3/5
For a concept album, I get the idea behind it. Interesting attempt and it yielded a couple of iconic songs.
3/5.
David Bowie
3/5
I get what Bowie is to fans, but I'm missing something. Young Americans is one of Bowie's forays into a musical form that he is not familiar with. He knocks it out of the park.
3.5/5.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
I forgot how many hits they had. My only critique is they try to hit too many styles from disco to funk, etc. But a good disc nonetheless.
3.5/5
Weather Report
4/5
There are two types of music I detest, Modern Country and Smooth Jazz. I always thought that Weather Report was smooth jazz, so imagine my surprise at finally sitting down and listening to a WR album for the first time and hearing Jaco Pastorius' fingers flow over his fretless base. I'm still not sold on WR, but will give more of their discs a listen. I stand corrected on WR being smooth jazz, I don't look forward to discovering something pleasant about Modern Country though…
4/5
Gotan Project
3/5
Let me tell you about the early 00's kids. You couldn't stand on a line at Starbucks without hearing this. It was so trendy, you pulled the 'Free iTunes Download Card' from the sugar station and downloaded it onto your iPod. It was so good you bought tons of Pepsi products to get the better-than-cash-iTunes-codes to download the rest of the album. Or you got it on Napster and never listened to it again.
Anyways, a different perspective on the retro-techno-trend.
3/5.
The Slits
3/5
I find it funny that reviewers are trashing this album but heaping praise on Nirvana, who cite this group and this album as a major influence in the 90s punk / grunge resurgence.
Anyways, this is a good album. The Slits are at the prime years of Punk and you can hear a little bit of everything that was influential in the late 70, early 80s.
3.5/5
Primal Scream
3/5
In which the author(s) wanted a Nine Inch Nails record but needed another UK band to feed their bias.
2.5/5.
Prince
4/5
Prince made great music.
Prince made bad music.
1999 is a blend of both.
3.5/5.
Brian Eno
4/5
Ambient indeed. Simple, easy background music that's intended to be simple, easy background music.
4/5.
Travis
3/5
The Man Who… sounds like Thom Yorke.
3/5
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits' Bone Machine is one of his albums that I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. I'm familiar with his works and know the more popular albums. Bone Machine was a first listen and won't be the last.
4/5.
Genesis
4/5
The more I discover prog-rock through this list, the more I like it. This might be my favorite Genesis album, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the 1980's, Ala Invisible Touch years.
4/5.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Mott The Hoople were an okay band that lucked into a mentorship from David Bowie. He showed them the ways of the Glam and their brief period of notoriety was extended.
Mott is the first album of that extension and Bowie's influence is very evident.
3/5.
King Crimson
5/5
The album that launched prog rock. In The Court Of The Crimson King is not an easy listen and you need to be in a place to appreciate it and prog-style music. Once you're comfortable with songs longer than the 3-5 minute range and in the 7-13 minute range you'll appreciate what goes into it, similar to freeform Jazz of the 50's & 60's.
4.5/5.
Bee Gees
3/5
In which the author(s) don't allow Saturday Night Fever because of it's flexible rule against soundtracks so they pull a Bee Gee's album that has one recognizable song.
3/5.
Beatles
4/5
The album where the influence of their US tour and return from the beginnings of Beatlemania also starts to show the groups changing influence and lays the path for them to move from the pop band they started out as to the experimental band that doesn't tour. This is the entry into my personal favorite period of the Beatles, the one where they make music for themselves and release lightning from a bottle.
4.5/5.
Steely Dan
2/5
Steely Dan is the band people talk about when they want to sound intelligent.
I fucking hate Steely Dan and their dentist office smooth jazz castoff.
2/5.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
What a listen. It's Congolese, but sounds like Caribbean, Conga, Salsa and at least a half-dozen other world sounds. Just like with a comment I made separating the man and the music with Eric Clapton, same goes here.
Koffi Olomide is a terrible person that makes good music.
3.5/5.
Richard Thompson
3/5
An interesting progression for the Folk sound. Following his success with Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson's I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight is a keystone album that sets Folk in a direction that Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits easily use as an influence.
3.5/5
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
The patient-zero of Southern Rock. Iconic for stereotypes and plane crash jokes, but Lynyrd Skynyrd have carved out a niche for themselves in American Music with this album.
4/5.
Beck
4/5
Beck is one of those weird creative geniuses that turns weird into gold, which says a lot for a Scientologist.
4/5.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
…and now I'm pregnant.
Amazing album. For a Y2k release, this could be right out of the 50's / 60's with a Sinatra / Gilberto feel. Babel Gilberto does to Samba and other afro-cuban styled music what Amy Winehouse did with American Soul - took it from the past, put a little modern polish on it and succeeded.
4/5.
Ute Lemper
3/5
A covers album even in a 1930s pre-war German Cabaret style is still a covers album, and I don't really see a covers album as much of a 'must-listen'.
3/5.
Throwing Muses
3/5
1986 seems a little early for something this grungy and alternative to have been released. But here we are. I was all prepared to review this as another UK disc forced onto the list, but this sound is easily five years ahead of its time.
3/5.
Louis Prima
4/5
Love Louis Prima. My one complaint about his music is that his songs all have the same closing and musical themes. But that's Louis. His music is awesome and definitely a required listen.
4/5.
Radiohead
4/5
I get the hate for Radiohead, I guess I just come down on their side since I've enjoyed them since first hearing Pablo Honey a-ways-back-when. OK coMPUTER is a break from the gurney whiney alternative band and moves Radiohead into whiney adult rock agents. And I like it.
4/5.
The Vines
2/5
"The Vines were frequently compared to Nirvana".
I'm not a Nirvana fan and can clearly see this is bullshit. Fuck the Brit loving music apologist that put this on the list of things to listen to before you fucking die. If you're compared to one of the greatest bands from a genre, you need to be better than them or shut the fuck up.
2.5/5.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
People that know Bruce can name a few songs.
Casual fans will say Born To Run is their favorite album.
High-brow fans keep Nebraska close to the heart as a favorite.
The story of how the album came about deserves it's own place on the list, but for an artist on the fast rise to super-stardom to stop and put out an all acoustic album at a time when that wasn't done is brave.
4/5
Foo Fighters
3/5
Foo Fighters is not a great album because it's lyrics (it's not). Foo Fighters is not a great album because it's music (it's not). It's an amazing testament of what grief and how we process it turns shit into gold.
I'm not a fan of the Foo and am kind of annoyed at how sainted Dave Growl became like he's the only person capable of cheerleading rock, but for this album, he did good.
3.5/5.
Skunk Anansie
2/5
Not hard rock/metal. This is just like the earlier 90s 'Punk' refresh. I don't what about this album makes it a 'Must Listen'. The sound is a clone of similar acts from the period while the lyrics try to be edgy, they're edgy in the sense of a Starbucks barista wearing a pin on their apron supporting ______ month and calling themselves an ally.
The music is okay, not a must listen.
2/5.
Fats Domino
4/5
The New Orleans parent of Rock and Roll. Just like his comrades in Memphis and Chicago, Fats Domino's take on 'local music' with a twist becomes on of the building blocks of the music that will change the world.
He doesn't have as many 'instant hits' on his debut as Little Richard or Elvis, and so on but Fats Domino's boogie boogie rag-time rock and roll innovations are still as much a part of American music today.
4.5/5.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Similar in style to Fun Lovin' Criminals, Stereo MC's one-hit wonder status must merit them worthy of inclusion on this list according to the author(s). It doesn't. And on top of yet another shoe-horning of a mediocre UK band onto the list, I wonder if it's their UK bias. Again…
2.5/5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
There's two things the author(s) really like - 80s-90s UK pop and singer/songwriters. Instead of pulling all the popular singer/songwriter albums a little filling out of their influences from folk and the Great American Songbook would be better. But Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love & Hate is one of those that has a few really good songs and the rest is filler.
3.5/5
Mekons
4/5
I don't know what the hell I just listened to or how to describe it, but I love it. Definitely will revisit.
4/5.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Funky, dark and smoove.
4/5.
Lambchop
2/5
I've never heard of this album and it sounds…okay. There's nothing fantastic about it that really merits being on the list.
From the wikipedia page: Nixon became a breakthrough release for Lambchop in the United Kingdom, where it received critical acclaim and was named among the best albums of 2000 by numerous publications.
Ah, now I get it.
2/5.
2/5
For all the hate I give the author(s) of the list about being so biased of 90s/00s UK unoriginal pop, I'd easily swap any of those albums for this.
This is the example of Limp Bizkit they chose warranted inclusion? Must be a must-listen so you know how bad it was in the 90s.
2/5.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Any album that is closing in on its fiftieth anniversary and still charts is an easy five-star.
Deee-Lite
3/5
No more a better sampler of 90s dance than Dee-Lite. When this song hit the charts, I bought the album and while a lot of it wasn't my favorite back then, this album was on constant repeat. This was a nice revisit to an album I haven't heard in about 20 years.
3.5/5
N.E.R.D
2/5
"Fly or Die is the second studio album by American rap rock band N.E.R.D,…"
Tis neither rap nor rock.
2/5.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Tracy Chapman earns her singer/songwriter chops with here. 3.5/5.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Sounds like something you'd do when you get your hands on a fresh new audio sampler.
3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Ozzy as Ozzy should be. Long before the crazy, chaos, and lost wandering grandfather schtick, it's easily forgotten how great of a band Black Sabbath was.
4/5.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
It's hard to get a grasp on an album that you've never heard by an artist you don't know. Listening to A Little Deeper by Ms. Dynamite in 2023 you're not hearing too much originality or something that merits inclusion on a list of 'Albums you must hear'.
When a record that barely had any traction when it was released and who's global stats only show a bump in the UK compared to a flat reception outside, you get a good look at the biases the author(s) of this book have for subpar UK performers regurgitating more popular artists who's only crime appear to not be based in the UK.
3/5.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
This album was the sound of the early 90s. Sheryl Crow and the rest of the Lilith Faire Army™ domineered the popular music channels. Tuesday Night Music Club brought such a cultural shift to the sound of music that opened doors for women, but really shined a light on female Singer/Songwriters.
4/5
Public Enemy
4/5
I grew up the black sheep artist in a police family. Band logo design was a favorite thing to me, so I decorated my notebook covers with band logos that I redrew. A police officer relative saw my book cover with P.E.'s bullseye logo on it and got mad at me because PE was anti-cop. I asked if they listened to PE or knew what they were rapping about. Fear of A Black Planet explains their gripes. Chuck D was/is the voice of a generation and the bravery it took to release an album like this was immense.
4/5.
Norah Jones
4/5
I'm surprised to see so many low reviews of Norah Jones' 'Come Away with Me'. There must be some confusion and that might be due to how this album skyrocketed Jones to popularity overnight. This is not a Pop, AOR, or smooth rock album. This is a Jazz album and for a Jazz vocal album to gain the traction and popularity this did says something about a cross-genre hit.
4/5.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Man this album just does not sync for me. Lenny's lyrics are terrible and this record just feels like a justification for a newly purchased rhyming dictionary.
3/5
Aretha Franklin
4/5
The amazing thing about Aretha Franklin was that she could take a popular song by another artist, put her spin on it and create a wholly different song that is 10x better than the original. There are plenty of examples of that on this album.
4.5/5
Talvin Singh
3/5
It's okay. In terms of a list of albums to listen to before you die, this album is an interesting merging of Indian and electronic music, but just like examples from both of these genres, it just goes on and on.
3/5.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
The sound of silence, a Sunday morning with the comics page in your lap with your dog sound asleep at your slippered feet while an autumnal rain storm passes through.
4.5/5.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Grunge / alternative long before it became popular. Its influence is present in bands like Nirvana et al.
3.5/5
Holger Czukay
4/5
Whatever the hell this is, I love it.
This is what I love about this album. Here I was, not expecting to hear 70's funk cowboy porn music but this is how I round out my week.
4/5.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Pretty good trip-hop album that I've never heard before. So a casual look at the details reveals it's from the author(s) favorite genre: 90s UK music that hasn't been heard by the rest of the world.
Like I said, good album. But given the fact that it's little known outside the UK and there are pleeeeeenty of relevant and better albums from the genre, I'm just more convinced that Demery really needs to get out more.
3/5.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
A dazzling glimpse into the 80s pop scene that wasn't as much on the forefront as others. Cocteau Twins 'Treasure' is dark and morose in a very 80s latchkey-come-home-when-the-street-lights-come-on way.
3.5/5.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I remember seeing Jesus & Mary Chain on the Lollapalooza tour in 1992 and thinking this new grungy raw sound was awesome. Turns out, J&MC were grunge before grunge was a thing.
3.5/5
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
I think I'm pregnant.
Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire De Melody Nelson is an interesting spoken word album backed by period compositions for orchestras and electronic music. I never really wondered what a French Leonard Cohen would sound like, but I like it.
4/5
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
This takes me back to the Manhattan dance clubs of the 90s. RIP Limelight.
I do wonder why Chemical Brothers have two albums on this list when one will surely do. But hey, it's not another pop album nobody heard of this time.
3.5/5
Machito
4/5
Luuuuuuucy… you have some 'splainin to do.
I have to wonder if the Ricky Ricardo character is partially influenced by Machito. Regardless, it's nice hear more jazz on this list. Kenya sets the bar for afro-cuban jazz that it wasn't until today that I really see the connection to today's contemporary latin music.
4/5.
Van Morrison
3/5
There's very few LIVE albums that I'd rate worthy of 'must-listen' status and regardless its technological innovations, recording quality and tightness of Van & The Band, I'd hardly rate this one on THAT par.
Great album, Van sounds great but I fail to see the importance of this record which hasn't stood the test of time.
3.5/5.
Nick Drake
3/5
I don't know what I'm getting out of this. Bryter Layter has a sound that is very period and Drake's lyrics don't really sync. Had his career lasted longer, I wonder how this album would rank.
3/5.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Some 45 minute albums on this list feel like like it's a three-hour listen. Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life comes in at a whopping 1:45 on two discs and feels like it's a 45 minute listen. That my friends is mastery of the art. There's many reasons a person of Stevie Wonder's stature can put out 18+ albums and SitKoL is a prime example.
4.5/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Michael Jackson
4/5
Off the Wall is where Michael Jackson shows his potential as a standalone artist away from his familial group. You see hints of pure genius in Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock with You, and Workin' Day and Night while the rest of the album falls flat to the current dated sound of the late 1970s. But off the wall is just Jackson teeing you up for something very special to come…
3.5/5
2/5
Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur is kinda like oatmeal - its food, but nobody really wants it.
2.5/5
Beyoncé
2/5
I don't get Beyoncé. She can sing. We've known that since her mother selected her for advancement over her sister and the other Child of Destiny. Nevertheless, she falls into some sort of Kardashian level of fame where all I hear is how great Beyoncé is and it doesn't resonate for me.
So should her epynonimous album be considered a must listen? To me, no.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Woody's words are still relevant. Kudos to a non-American for capturing his essence and translating it to a modern sound while still maintaining that raw Woody sound.
4.5/5
Miles Davis
5/5
It's 3AM on the lower east side of NYC. The smells of the spring rain waft in through the open window of your lower first-floor apartment lit by the reflected light of streetlamps and the flashing neon sign outside of the bar that just closed. The love of your life just left you for your brother.
This album is perfection, and not the only example of it that Miles would lay down on vinyl.
5/5
James Brown
4/5
Every great concert you've ever seen is a pale attempt at recreating the energy that James Brown had when he performed. This live record is fantastic but also misses on that energy, but that's not the record's fault for not being able to encapsulate a four dimension experience on to a three dimension piece of media that yields an aural sound.
4/5
Scott Walker
3/5
There is something about 60s/70s Brit-Singer-Songwriter schmaltz that just falls flat. Scott Walker is no different here.
3/5
The Thrills
3/5
This album turned into a forgettable album, but this was such a great listen. I forgot how many memorable songs came from The Thrills, too bad they and this album got lost in the early 00's indie-crossover flop.
3/5.
Dion
2/5
Why rewrite what WikiPedia puts so succinctly: Upon completion in 1974, Spector himself shelved the release for twelve months, only to find the album was largely met with indifference by the music establishment at the time.
Phil should've left it on the shelf.
2/5.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
Never heard of this album or band. I at first I was listening to Men At Work, but they fit the author(s) sweet spot of BritPop that he likes to shove down the throats of this lists readers.
2/5.
The Darkness
2/5
This is one of those tongue-in-cheek-cliche bands right? This album can't be serious <reads the Wiki page> "Permission to Land is the debut studio album by the British glam rock band"…
Seriously. This is my 538th album on this list and probably the 700th British band that Demory put on here instead of a proper band from that genre that launched the genre. I'm about thisclose to dropping this project due to Robert fucking Demory's insanity.
2/5.
The Who
3/5
I'll agree with others on a live album really not being a must listen and while Live at Leeds is a phenomenal album in particular Keith Moon, it's a meh from me.
3.5/5
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Freak Out! by The Mothers Of Invention is such a different album than you think Frank Zappa capable of. It sounds very contemporary for a 1966 release until you start to pick up different instruments and lyrics and then you get that it is indeed a Frank Zappa album.
3.5/5
Television
5/5
Masterpiece.
This is the album all of the indie-post punk-2000's bands want you to think they're improving. This is the album that fans of those bands call us 'Boomer' with a snear on their peach-fuzzed faces when you tell them their band sucks. This is the album that made the NYC post-punk sound of the 1970s.
This. Is. The. Album.*
5/5.
*And I fucking love it.
The KLF
3/5
I bought this album when it came out - only because of Justified & The Ancient which was a massive hit being played everywhere. I never made it through the whole album then, and this listen through some 20+ years later was no different.
Once again, the author(s) put region over importance with this list and it feels like every new day is a 50/50 gamble over whether I'll hit with another 90s UK pop or electronic album that barely registered on its release.
2.5/5.
Suicide
4/5
In 1977 this album changes music. It's an underground influence that is the reason this list exists.
4/5.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
There are better versions of this style of music than this album by Country Joe & The Fish - heck there's even better versions by Country Joe!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers had been long established before Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released, but this one turned out to be a monster and in my opinion, their last good album before switching to their 'Dani California' style. Bonus, Chad Smith's drumming on this record is a master class.
4/5.
Liz Phair
3/5
Admittedly, I don't get the fuss about Liz Phair. I do get her impact on music and see the importance of this album. But it doesn't sound like more than the typical early 90s female hard rocker.
3.5/5.
Soul II Soul
3/5
I remember Back2Life being all over the radio when it was released. But a hit single does not make an album a must listen. Unless…(checks notes) the album was UK in origin and suits the author(s) UK bias.
3/5/
Minutemen
4/5
Never heard of this album or group, so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it. A very post-punk sound with hints of Velvet Underground and Primus is always considered a must-listen.
4/5.
Laibach
2/5
I…I… Don't know what I just listened to but I feel agitated.
Why is this album here? It's not UK 90's pop.
2/5
Depeche Mode
4/5
John Lennon
4/5
My second favorite post-Beatles album. John just dumps everything on the floor. His therapy and marriage to Yoko help him put out some of his best writing ever. Just hearing his voice makes me sad that we were robbed of some of his best work and perhaps a reunion with Paul.
4/5.
Love
3/5
after reading another review on here that compares Da Capo to the Doors, I gotta agree. I really dig this and am surprised I haven't heard of this album or band before.
3.5/5.
Fairport Convention
3/5
The sounds of a Renaissance Festival.
3/5
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
I remember one of the few rules with this list is No Soundtracks. I guess 'Soundtracks are allowed if they contain all original songs' and yet Saturday Night Fever, a soundtrack that one could argue was MORE impactful than Superfly. But I digress…
Superfly is a seminal album that could only come in tandem with a Blacksploitation film. It sounds like a soundtrack in some areas, but still finishes with the amazing Superfly.
4/5.
The Replacements
4/5
Never really listened to the Replacements in an album format before. Always knew of their positions on lists for music or influence, etc. Now I get it. They hit in that special time overlap of punk / post-punk / new wave / pop where when it works, it works and when it doesn't, it flops. Let It Be works.
4/5.
Simple Minds
3/5
Don't know why this SM album is on the list when they have several others that could just as easily work. All in all, a decent album symbolic of the times and sound.
3/5
Grateful Dead
3/5
I get the hostility towards the Dead and still maintain my POV that live albums should be minimal in count and amazing in quality to belong on this list. Does this one meet both thresholds? Close, but no. I'm no Dead fan, but do appreciate the Dead and their live music.
3/5.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Goth before goth was goth. But the punk / post-punk label still suits. Siouxsie & The Banshees is always good.
4/5.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Quasi-New Wave-Punk-Post Punk that is actually not too bad. A 41 minute punk album is a bit long and X-Ray Spex do not try to fill it with variety. Change the lyrics to any song to be insulting, questioning, funny, angry or just infantilistic humor and you have X-Ray Spex gist.
3/5.
Linkin Park
2/5
The dumbest thing to happen to music was the late 90s / 2000s 'improvement' to punk and metal and the subsequent bands calling themselves such. Linking Park, Green Day, and Limp Bizkit topping the list.
I love metal. I love punk. I love rap-rock. This is neither and it's days like this that I hate my stupid commitment to listening to every album generated for this list.
2/5.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
I'm conflicted on John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten. But there is no doubt his post Sex Pistols project Public Image Limited has put out amazing quality music and this debut settles in as a post-punk classic.
3.5/5
Orbital
3/5
An okay album that does nothing to add its importance to a list of this nature.
3/5.
John Martyn
2/5
I find it on brand for the author(s) of this list to include a second album from an artist who has no notoriety outside of the UK. John Martyn's One World answers the question that no one ever asked regarding what Tom Waits would sound like if he had a disco/funk era.
2/5.
The Monks
3/5
Pretty innovative garage-rock for a time period that is unknowingly on its way out the door. To add some context, The Beatles were working on Revolver and Sgt Peppers when this came out.
3/5
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
This is something I would have listened to when it first came out. Today it doesn't do much for me, but its impact on 90s grunge is fully evident here.
3/5
Sugar
3/5
Doing what Nirvana did before Nirvana was NIRVANA. Bob Mould's Hüsker Dü follow up is straight up alternative / grunge that sneaks in without being the in your face, pay attention to me that Kurt Cobain's band was.
3.5/5
The Gun Club
4/5
The most original thing I've heard without having heard before. Elements of Television, Violent Femmes, White Stripes can be found here. Amazing album and will definitely revisit.
4.5/5
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
This album doesn't do much for me, but I can't really argue about it with such hits that it has.
Air
3/5
The whole ethereal electronica thing has never intrigued me, neither does this album. Air does get bonus points for originality and musicality.
3/5.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I don't get the hate for Elvis Costello on this list. Six albums is excessive for an artist without a good justification, but Brutal Youth is a pleasant album that highlights his writing and offers a range of eclectic sounds.
3.5/5
Caetano Veloso
4/5
Really dig it, this is the kind of music I love discovering thanks to this list. Caetano Veloso's self titled album is a different sound for Latin music, but I kinda dig how it's almost a sort of Prog-Latino.
4/5
Talking Heads
3/5
I'm conflicted on Talking Heads. they're a great band, they paved the way for an entire genre, sub-genre and the future of music. BUT David Byrne just rubs me the wrong way. All is forgiven on some of their other releases, but 77 just doesn't fit here with the exception of Psycho Killer. Psycho Killer is a great song, but it doesn't do enough heavy lifting to bring this album the greatness it is getting.
3.5/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Soulifically Funkifying.
4/5
Bill Callahan
4/5
I came into this album expecting to not like it, but I’m a photo Leonard Cohen / Prog Country way, I enjoyed this.
4/5
Haircut 100
4/5
I always thought these were Duran Duran songs when I was growing up. So here I am thinking I was listening to another DD knockoff group only to discover I liked this album better than most DD.
4/4
Ice T
1/5
I'm extremely biased with this one because Ice T is a punk (not in the good way), but his O.G. Original Gangster is not new, original or even a good representation of Gangsta Rap.
1/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
One would think that a Supergroup should contain easily recognizable members of well known groups that are 'Super'. Robert Demery et al allow their UK bias to outshine other Supergroups and shoehorn mediocre early 2ks bleh-rock onto a list of must listens. The highlight of the album is the cool retro cover - the album gets worse once you get past it.
2.5/5
Eagles
4/5
Just how great the Eagles 'Hotel California' is is present here in the comments for this project. Those who get it justifiably give it the 4 or 5 stars it clearly deserves. Those that don't get it, mostly in the younger generations that weren't present for the rise of the Eagles and their greatness just brush it off as Dad-Rock or Boomer-Doomer music. This album is amazing and the naysayers are lucky that the Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 2 isn't on this list because that album should take this ones place.
4.5/5
The B-52's
4/5
Sounds like the soundtrack to a B-grade sci-fi movie from the 60s. The B-52s built their own genre for music and haven't looked back. Somewhere in the proto-punk-new wave-alternative-post punk lanes you find the B-52s and this near perfect album.
4.5/5
Van Morrison
4/5
Just like I had to do with Eric Clapton and other idiotic creative geniuses, I must put on my 'Separate the man from the art' hat with Mr. Van 'the man' Morrison.
His Astral Weeks is nothing short of a masterpiece. His 'blue-eyed soul' from Northern Ireland is soothing to the ears and mood in a way that differs from other Irish singer-songwriters. His tonal range and lyrics are a perfect match for a creative genius.
I would maybe suggest his nickname be updated to Van 'the Stan' Morrison to suit his conspiracy theory-laced mind.
4.5/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Steely Dan will always be one of those critics darlings or band that someone who tells you they love music and wants to show you how much they know by their adoration of Steely Dan.
I've never understood them and never will I guess. I've evolved on a lot of my opinions on 'controversial music'; classic country? I'm in. The Grateful Dead, I won't see them live, but I'll defend them. Steely Dan, no.
3/5.
Kings of Leon
2/5
From the Wiki page for this US-based band:
"Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles and two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three of the band's albums at the time peaked in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Their third album, Because of the Times, reached No. 1."
…and
"The album became a sensation in the UK and Ireland, where NME declared it "one of the best debut albums of the last 10 years" and The Guardian described the band as "the kind of authentic, hairy rebels the Rolling Stones longed to be". The album still failed to make any significant impact in the US, where reviews were generally lukewarm and the modern rock audience was generally uninterested. In the United States, Youth and Young Manhood sold only 100,000 copies, compared with the 750,000 copies it moved abroad."
Tell me the author(s) don't have a bias when a US band can't get recognition in its own country, makes a splash in the UK and is deemed a must-listen album.
This record is awful. It has no oomph. The lyrics when legible are written on a junior-high school level. This is one of those album that would get slammed if the vocalist was replaced by Yoko Ono but gets glorified in this book.
2/5.
Wilco
4/5
I've never listened to Wilco much, and following suggestions from the likes of this list and a recent interest in classic and alternative Country, I've been listening to some Wilco. After spinning 'Being There', I think I'm beginning to 'get' Wilco and will look more into their catalog for more examples like this enjoyable listen.
4/5.
Small Faces
3/5
Having not really listened to much Small Faces, this is not what I expected. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake is a nice little sampler of Pschodelia and an interesting exploration of the concept album format.
3/5.
Gary Numan
4/5
Gary Numan - Born March 8, 1958 (age 65)
Gary Oldman - Born March 21, 1958 (age 65)
The newer Gary is the Oldman, Gary.
Regardless, this banger of an album is intuitive, original and so different than the New Wave that was emerging at this time.
4.5/5
Spacemen 3
2/5
Playing With Fire by Spacemen 3 is listed on Apple Music as Alternative - Wikipedia calls it Psychedelic rock, and space rock. Other reviewers label it Synth Prog. Talk about throwing everything the wall and nothing sticking.
I don't get this album, but then again - a UK pop album that had no traction and is compared to other albums that are not on the list? Dimery's biases become more blatant the deeper I get into this list.
2.5/5
OutKast
4/5
One of the better Hip Hop albums out there. While I'm not a fan of sketches on Hip Hop albums, they don't distract on Stankonia as much as others. Outkast packs a lot into this album at a whopping 1:13 in length. Albums over an hour a drudge to get through, but Outkast minimizes that here as well. Overall, a great HipHop album that ranks high on the list of all-time greats.
4/5.
Black Flag
4/5
Late 70s / early 80s Punk Rock is the sweet spot for music. It hits on cultural themes, speaks to the masses and most importantly - each album can jam 15 songs into a sweet 35 minutes. It always leaves you wanting more.
Is Black Flag the best punk band? They're up there, but after early British Punk, the Ramones opened the doors for amazing bands like Black Flag to crash through the windows.
4/5.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Probably my favorite PJ Harvey album. It's also the only PJ Harvey album I've listened to.
It's good, is it must listen worthy? I'm not sure. When a list like this gathers so many artists that sound similar and don't do much to break away from the track they're in are they really list worthy?
Regardless, PJ Harvey's Let England Shake is probably the better of the angry white chick alt rock that was so prevalent of the 90s-00s.
3/5
Kraftwerk
5/5
Not being a Kraftwerk fan this surprised me. Knowing that Kraftwerk are the pioneers of electronic music makes you really listen to this. And it was amazing.
5/5.
Big Black
3/5
Having never heard of Big Black, I wasn't sure what to expect. I guess the only reason they're on here is because they're an early alt/grunge/alternative crossover? I pick up a lot of what Ministry did in later years here.
Anyways, this is a highbrow album that shouldn't be so highbrow.
3/5.
The Associates
3/5
While no different than the dozens of other 80s UK synth-post-whatever-he-needs-to-justify-reason that Demery et al like to show their biases with, this unknown to me group and album were okay but again, no different than any of the multiples of examples that are well known or credited for influence.
3/5.
2Pac
3/5
Me Against The World is 2Pac's words with Dre's sound. Pac's Interscope are not some of my favorites, but his lyrics are some of his most poignant - I wish we could have had this Pac without the SoCal sound.
3.5/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Gram Parsons pissed off a lot of people - old country, new country and rock. His version of the Byrds and the later Flying Burrito Brothers weren't popular at the time, but his work has been revisited and he's getting his acclaim far too late, but his impact on music definitely deserves this recognition. '
As a bonus, this album helped the famous Nudie suits to become popular.
4.5/5.
Mariah Carey
3/5
In my opinion Mariah Carey's Butterfly doesn't signify her apex, but her decline. Butterfly is the point that she starts falling victim to the 'Diva' personality that would consumer her. The problem is, most of the music on this album is not diva-esque. Why is on this list? I'm not sure when her earlier albums are more representative of her influence. Here she's just a harmonizer that works with the 'Make-It-Big' writers and producers of the era that stumbled upon a formula for hit records.
She has the hit records, but the quality of her music is behind her at this point.
2.5/5.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
It's no wonder that Frank Zappa is connected to this album. If you don't like Zappa, you won't like this. And that's okay.
This is one of those uncatagorical albums. If you force this squad peg into any hole it won't fit. It's a fun, yet complex journey through a minefield of different genres. instead of trying to figure out what it is, listen to how it got to be and you may enjoy-ish it.
4/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Very different than the other Eno albums I've gotten on this list. This album veers into a more mainstream style with lyrics and all.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.
4/5.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Maybe it's because I grew up in an Irish music-centric home, but I enjoyed the Irish spin that Dexy's put on pop music in the 80s. You really can't argue when a group that adds violin, banjo and tin whistle to their music can be called a successful pop band - and hey, some 40+ years down the road 'Come on Eileen' is still a great hype song.
4/5.
5/5
Man this crosses all genres. Rock, Funk, Soul and a near-13 minute bongo jazz riff? Yeah, WAR really lives up to the hype with The World Is A Ghetto.
4.5/5
Mike Ladd
3/5
There's not much info that can be found about this album that warrants its inclusion on this list. Ladd's album is not original (not that there is a problem with it), it doesn't signify any new ideas in HipHop that haven't been already done-and better.
2.5/5.
Raekwon
3/5
Just like every solo Wu album, this is a solo project in name only. Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx shines brightest when joined by his fellow Wu-Tang-Clan members.
3.5/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
Probably one of the few examples of music from this genre in this time period to actually fit in with this list. I See A Darkness by Bonnie "Prince" Billy hits all of the morose tones without being too obtuse in its execution.
3/5.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
The Hammond Organ in Jazz can be difficult to execute. Jimmy Smith comes along with not only expert chops at the Hammond, but brings along his band that shine on sax, guitar, and drums.
5/5
2/5
I guess the good thing about this list is that it exposes you to things that you don't come across organically. Then I experienced Liars, a band without any recognition or inclination of being included on this list for any sober reason.
"From Wikipedia: Liars is an Australian-American experimental rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2000."
I can envision the band hammering out they lyrics to this album on their second hand typewriters in a new Brooklyn coffee shop that was recently a bodega/night club for recently divorced moms from Long Island.
I get why albums like this are included on the list, but what I don't get is why the authors continually fail to include the artists that create the reason for the album on the list instead of the substitute garbage that suits their biases. This album occupies an spot that belongs to Beck since it is essentially a Beck rip off.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I've always been neutral on the Smashing Pumpkins, but was definitely a fan of Mellon Collie.
Every time I hear this band and this album in particular, I'm taken back to the late 90s and a good friend of mine that was an über Smashing Pumpkins fan. We jabbed each other over music and SP were always an easy target for me. My buddy is no longer with us but it's times like this that I fondly remember our friendship and great conversations.
So, for any future reviewers of this album, regardless of where you stand on it, please know that Dave loved it and loved people.
Cheers Dave!
5/5 for Dave.
Talk Talk
2/5
Unispiring bland pablum. This is the band that gave us 'It's My Life' and the author(s) choose this album?
2.5/5.
Roxy Music
3/5
It's thanks to albums like this that I just realized I appreciate Bryan Ferry more when he doesn't sing. For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music was a sludge to get through when Ferry was forcing his vocals to sound like an off-brand Elvis lounge act. But Roxy Music's instrumentals bring this album up to a 3.5 for me.
Jacques Brel
3/5
An interesting dive in to French live pop music. I woulda thought Edith Piaf would be the go-to for French music. this was a fun listen and while I don't get what makes it a must-listen I'm glad I got it.
3/5.
Eminem
4/5
this is one of the few rap albums that hits all of the right chords. I'm not a fan of skits on albums, but Eminem makes them work. Hit-wise, this album doesn't have a lot, but it shines in its prouction. Dr Dre lets Em drive the ship and thats pretty rare for a producer - to sit back and let the talent take control.
4/5.
Queen
4/5
While Queen II is an album with no recognizable 'hits' the sound is locked in and probably one of their better albums. Freddy's vocals, Brians distinct sound pair perfectly.
4/5.
Eels
4/5
This was not what I expected. Having never heard of the Eels, an alt band that was around when I was into the scene made me double take at this suggestion. Turns out, it's a good record and I'll add it to my que.
4/5.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
There's something about other culture's spiritual songs that makes you appreciate the immense talent that their faith brings out. Whether from the American Plains, the Asian and African continents - you don't know the language they're singing in, but you don't need to. You just jump in and enjoy the ride.
4.5/5.
Aimee Mann
4/5
There's nothing more GenX / Latchkey than Aimee Mann's 'Whatever'. While Alanis shoved the disgruntled chick rock down your throat, Aimee's freshman album is more subtle yet direct. Good songwriting and production have her straddling several genre's in true 90s fashion.
4/5.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Well, consider me a convert from the 'Good music hasn't been made since before 2000' club. Kings of Leon 'Youth And Young Manhood' is a refreshing, fun listen.
4/5.
David Bowie
4/5
I am not a David Bowie fan, so for this album to get a positive reaction from me even when it has one my least favorite Bowie songs says a lot. Yet here I am, struggling with the complex feelings stirred up in me from a David Freaking Bowin album.
4/5
Daft Punk
4/5
It's so easy to identify good techno / EDM / dance music just by hearing bad techno. This is good because it isn't bad. Daft Punk and electronic music aren't my lane of enjoyment, but I listened to this whole thing. And enjoyed it.
4/5.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Stephen Stills, the brain behind Buffalo Springfield, CSN (&Y) and more shows his mastery for writing on this solo album as well. Interesting that this is a double album that clocks in a full 1:11 of pure content compared to some of the modern day hip hop albums on this list that fill the same timeline but with less content.
3/5.
Miriam Makeba
5/5
I don't know what she's singing, but Miriam Makeba's eponymous album is sad, happy, kind and patient. I don't toss the word beautiful around too much, but there is no better way to describe the tune of this songbird.
5/5.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Checking off the first box for Punk accreditation - 35 mins or shorter, Pete Abu's Dub Housing is a cacophony of noise translated into an art and music project. In what sounds like the soundtrack to a Contemporary Art installation in an abandoned warehouse at night you can smell the must of the exhibit and the urine on the floor through your headphones.
And I like it. Pere Ubu take the Talking Heads and dial up the experimental art school house band schtick successfully.
4/5.
Def Leppard
5/5
I can't believe I have to gatekeep fucking Def Leppard's Hysteria. But first, yes the sound is very late 80's and peak Hair Metal. But that doesn't take away from its achievements including 7 charting singles. Not impressed? This album was so monu-fucking-mental that it produced those singles in a time period of 1 1/2 years. In today's music that's enough time for the current pop-ranked singers backed by an excel spreadsheet of writers and producers to reinvent themselves three times over.
Not enough? Fine. Let's remove a drummer's arm. This is DL's first record in the four years following the accident that claimed drummer Rick Allen's arm. He relearned how to play the drums on an electric kit designed for him for this purpose.
And finally, this album fucks. This album fucks so hard that the people giving it shitty dad-rock ratings probably don't recognize that could have been conceived to this album.
5 out of fucking 5
🤘
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
I've always heard Ali Farka Touré's name mentioned in differing music conversations and his recent nomination to the R&R Hall of Fame only spread his name around more. And now I get it. Talking Timbuktu is a soft flowing journey through this little corrodor of World Music.
4/5.
The Specials
2/5
there are plenty of bands that fit the Ska bill. The Specials definitely work but if I was to choose an album of theirs that is representative of the genre; introduces listeners to on of 1,001 albums to listen to and influential albums of their discography or the genre in particular - this is not it.
2.5/5
CHIC
4/5
Disco is finally making its comeback after the backlash it caught in the late 70s and early 80s. No quicker did music turn its back on a genre than it did with Disco. At its peak the biggest acts were doing disco. The Bee Gees, KISS, Rod Stewart and event the beloved Rolling Stones had disco hits. None of that would have been possible had it not been for Chic.
Yes the sound is very dated, but buried under all of that synthy hard hit snare sound is some fantastic music theory that messers Edwards and Rogers created.
4/5.
The Birthday Party
2/5
There are only two reasons this album is on the list:
1) Nick Cave
2) Ed Roth's cover art
Add 1 and 2 together to equal the smug-critic-highbrow-self-effacing-ego that justifies its placement on this list.
2/5
The Monkees
4/5
Bummer that this got bumped by Sgt Peppers. This was The Monkees album that was to show them stepping away from their Prefab Four monicker and showing the music listening audience what they were capable. It's a fantastic album in its own right, but also a peak at what pop music was like before The Beatles change music forever with Sgt. Peppers. One could argue this is the Monkees Sgt Peppers.
4/5.
Van Halen
4/5
The second best rookie album intro chord ever. And the album just gets better from there.
4.5/5
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
one of the most 90s sounding female group albums.
3/5
Billy Joel
5/5
With five out of nine tracks being release as singles and seven out of the nine being recognizable Billy Joel songs, this monster of an album from a kid from Massapequa is one of the best albums in rock.
5/5
The Verve
2/5
I've developed a theory that there are few albums longer than 45 minutes (35 actually) that are good, great or even a must listen to before I die. The Verve's 'A Northern Soul' does nothing to change my mind.
this is an okay album and even if having a gun held to my head this wouldn't be an album representative of those 1,001 albums. 1990s BritPop/Alt must've had an Oasis filter that they pressed the button to get the same sound.
2/5.
3/5
Combine Bowie, The Grateful Dead and any generic 90s/2000s 'Indie' group and you get what Spirit is. Only they mastered this in 1970!
3/5
Khaled
3/5
When the more traditional tracks are playing, I can get behind this album. But the attempts at poppy or modernizing a traditionally ethnic music is where I get lost. Luckily for Khaled, the celebrity pandemic version of John Lennon's 'Imagine' can be catergorized as the worst version ever.
2.5/5
The Style Council
2/5
In today's entry for 'Bands that wouldn't be on it had they not had a reviewers darling in the band' featuring Paul Weller's The Style Council. Bonus entry cross-indexed to UK darlings that the author(s) of the list want to push into your ears because of their UK bias.
2/5.
Elis Regina
3/5
An album that I don't even know is the right one. this supposed must listen of an album is hard to find on the streaming sites. I'm not even sure I listened to the right album, but I've heard enough to get the gist.
I never would've guessed that pairing samba and funk would be an interesting sound but this is okay.
3/5.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I don't get into much EDM but there's something about The Chemical Brothers that gets me going - must be the harder sound that differentiates them from the rest.
3/5.
Big Star
3/5
An easy album that can sneak through and get forgotten by all of the genres because it covers them all. This easy-listening album from the 70s is definitely not in the easy listening genre.
3/5
Missy Elliott
4/5
There is so much more to this album than the one single she is known for. Usually album that include features are just filler and not great, but Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ludacris and Method Man bring tracks to this album that make it work (pun intended).
As a bonus, it annoys me that most hip hop albums go way over an hour and throw in filler sketches. None of that happen here.
4/5
Dagmar Krause
3/5
I'm not convinced this isn't Tom Waits singing in falsetto ala Wayne Newton. Regardless, this was weird and fun.
3/5
Minor Threat
4/5
There is very little wrong with this album. A whopping 9 tracks that clock in for a 21 minute album? There's nothing more Punk and when the age of angry Punk kicked in, Minor Threat were the one's banging down the door.
4/5
Primal Scream
3/5
An okay album that sounds like the rest of the BritPop from the same time period on this list.
3/5.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
This is such a great prog / psychedelic album. QSR sounds like elements of the Doors and very early Springsteen.
Live albums tend to be tough to get through, but Happy Trails, a blend of two concerts at the two Fillmore's is reminiscent of early Jam bands and makes for a joyful ride.
4/5.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Another great Punk album that proves that a 14 song album can come in at 33 minutes and be perfect. DK perfected the style of music being used for shock value and still conveying an important message.
4.5/5
LL Cool J
3/5
Clocking in a jus an hour - not usually typical for a Hip Hop album, Momma Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J is a straight up decent hip hop album. Not necessarily his best, but in terms of mainstreaming Rap to be more listenable to the pop audience, the two singles from this album brought it to the mainstream. The rest of the album keeps the pace set by the two prior for an all around decent listen.
3.5/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
There are sooooooo many electronic / techno albums that are well known that are not on this list. then there is this…
2.5/5.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Why do the best female vocalists always suffer tragically? Janis Joplin was the one singer that could have had such a great career. If only…
Regardless, Pearl is that album that you get or you don't and to not hear the pain, grief, joy and pain in that sweet, sweet voice means you're missing out.
5/5.
Spiritualized
2/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
The point of this list is to expose you to things you don't necessarily know and Jah Wobble is the perfect example of this. Somewhere between the lines of prog, reggae, punk, country and whatever else you want to regurgitate you end up with Rising Above Bedlam. I don't know how I really feel about this, but it's very interesting. It's interesting to see someone who was present at the dawn of the post punk era as a member of PiL lean heavily into the reggae sound that he obviously liked. Listening is like reading a newspaper from this time period. You don't necessarily think you'd be interested in the weather or what the weekend sales will be from thirty years ago but yet you still keep reading. And listening.
3.5/5
Scritti Politti
1/5
I infuriates me that something so unlistenable in this day warrants consideration as a 'must listen' album. I have to wonder if the authors got to 900 albums and just added 101 UK pop albums they remember from their isolated childhood where they didn't get to go outside and play because they were locked in the basement with nothing but pop radio playing.
1/5.
Tina Turner
3/5
Proof that an album can sound extremely dated and still be relevant. Tina Turner's Private Dancer was her reemergence after the very public fall with her split from abusing husband Ike Turner. This album slapped back in 1984, but unlike fellow 1984 album release alums Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA, Van Halen's 1984, Prince, and Madonna's contributions as well, this is the one that doesn't necessarily fit. Tina was known to use a lot of filler tracks and cover which she doesn't shy away from here with a great cover of Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together', but some 40 years later, this album sound dated and a little tired.
3.5/5
Marvin Gaye
5/5
It's hard to pinpoint what makes this album so great. The fact the Gaye knew what he wanted despite Berry Gordy's pleadings with him to not do a political album; his masterful songwriting; OR the themes woven through the entire album by the Funk Brothers to the point that it sound like one seamless track.
5/5.
The Coral
2/5
Not a terrible albums, but this isn't the 1,001 Not Terrible albums you must listen to.
No amount of rationalization outside of "UK Pop" could justify this album's place on this list.
2/5
Elvis Presley
5/5
There is absolutely very little that can surpass this album as one of the greatest of all time. How so?
1) It's Elvis just as he's becoming ELVIS
2) One of the mosts iconic album covers / photographs
3) The Jordanaires (which really is the number 1 reason… but I digress
4) Elvis' best backing band before Tom Parker screwed him up - Scotty Moore; Chet Atkins; Floyd Cramer; Shorty Long; Bill Black; and D. J. Fontana.
Anybody that rates this any less than a criminal 4 is out of their mind and has reason to be listening to anything on this list because none of it would be on this list had it not been for this album.
5/5
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Given the time period and the authors love for all things British Empire, this was a pleasant listen. nothing special but more than I expected.
3.5/5
Can
5/5
Once again, thanks to this list I discovered a band I heard of through a full listen to an album and became mesmerized. After listening through twice, I jumped into some other albums by Can and will be adding their short discography to my listening schedule.
5/5
Slipknot
3/5
Just because something is not for me doesn't mean it doesn't belong on a list like this. I've served my time in the Metal Kingdom™ and mostly view Slipknot as a pop-poseur band that took an existing genre and didn't add anything more to it than some weird costumes and makeup. BUT, their impact on music and metal in particular is solidified and that came from the heavy lifting that their freshman release did. NüMetal is terrible, but Slipknot flys the flag high and proud.
3/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Hauntingly beautiful. And with reason. Nick Cave poors his grief out in this tribute to his son. I'm not one to be emotionally sucked in by music but this album tears me apart.
5/5.
The Go-Go's
4/5
What do you get when you take an awesome post-punk all female band that crosses over to the pop charts with an album with monster singles that change the direction of pop music? Yeah, other than Banarama no early 80s female group could do this.
4/5
The Cure
4/5
For all of the flack Morrissey and The Smiths catch for their depressing schtick, Robert Smith and The Cure are right there with them - they really capture the angst of 80s as much as The Smiths - but with eye liner.
4/5
Pentangle
2/5
Hailing from the early days of what would become the Folk influence, Pentangle start at the far extremes with something that can be classified as folk, but really sounds like the background music of a Renaissance Fair.
2.5/5
Steve Earle
4/5
If Steve Earle is what it takes for the author(s) to acknowledge country, then I'll take it. Earle straddles the line between country and rock and delivers an outstanding freshman album.
He will go on to be one of the prominent producers and experts in music to be relied on by many rockers.
4/5
Sade
4/5
I'm pregnant.
It's no wonder you get the influence of Marvin Gaye with songs that preach about love and wonder at the differences between race, creed and class. She is missed but I hope she's enjoying her retirement.
4/5
Boards of Canada
2/5
You may be fooled into thinking this band hails from North America and what with the author(s) penchant for shoving mediocre UK electronic brit pop down your throat you'd be surprised. Well, nice try. This Scottish duo snuck onto the list, but their little art-house experiment in electronic music didn't sway me.
I don't know how we ended up here, but I blame Daft Punk and Kraftwerk for influencing these people to think they could do something. But don't let the fact that Boards of Canada are the product of the 'everybody wins' generation. If their parents hadn't told them how great their little drum loop expansion kits were we wouldn't be subjected to this trite electronic nuisance.
2/5
George Michael
3/5
George Michael manages to put one mega hit on an album of mostly good and a few meh songs. Only thing is, a good song from George Michael is an excellent song from about 90% of the bands on this list.
3.5/5
AC/DC
3/5
From the founding fathers of Hard Rock comes Highway to Hell. While not chock full of the hits you come to recognize from AC/DC besides the title track, this album is chock full of sleepers.
3/5.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
In another example on this list how most popular reviews are based on the name recognition of the band, The Modern Lovers a Punk, Post Punk, New Wave blow to the eardrums you experience the full onslaught of punk through all kinds of range. Yet not being as recognizable as the Sex Pistols, Clash, Television, Devo, PiL and more you get relegated to negative reviews from folks that don't recognize the impact this album has played on modern music. Songs like RoadRunner are essential to the genre(s) and require this album to net a solid 4.
4/5
Coldcut
4/5
This album isn't streaming in my location and I'm glad I tracked it down because this is such a great piece of electronic music representative of a period where the genre was discovering its capabilities.
I strongly recommend listening to this album, if it's not available where you are, seek with your soul and you will not be disappointed.
4/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Following up on her ride with the immortal Gram Parsons Emmylou Harris carves out her own path in an ever-changing Country genre yet keeps on doing exactly what she's done on this album through current times.
4.5/5
AC/DC
4/5
My second AC/DC album in three days worked out with Back in Black than it did with Highway to Hell. Whereas HtH is a pure rock album full of deep cuts, BiB goes balls to the wall with recognizable hits that were played between acts at the all-night battle of the bands or played in heavy rotation on FM rock stations in the 80s and 90s.
This pure adrenaline ball blaster is an easy 4/5.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Jane's Addiction was that band that I would listen to endlessly at night and drift off to sleep while Perry Ferrel's lyrics lulled me. Nothing's Shocking carves out a lane in the Alt/Grunge genre that could only belong to Jane's. While I'm a bigger fan of Ritual de lo Habitual, this album strikes some memories of a-way-back-when.
3.5/5
Christina Aguilera
3/5
This is a fine pop album and probably one of Aguilera's better ones. My question is largely unanswered as to why this is a must listen. I'll throw in that this album clocks in at a whopping 1 hour, 17 minutes - that's about 30 minutes too long for a pop album regardless of what the message of it is supposed to be, which after listening to this album, I'm not sure.
3/5
Beastie Boys
5/5
Very few freshman releases are this impactful. It all starts with three best friends and a fourth who knows something about music. The rest is history. The emergence of the Beastie Boys and Rick Rubin will change music and the accessibility of Rap music.
5/5
Ray Price
4/5
The age-old flaw of this list strikes again with Ray Price as the victim. In what is a criminal lack of country on this list (I'm not even a country music fan), Ray Price's Night Life is pounded by negative reviews that don't comment much on the quality of the music or the songwriting, but when you boil down to it this is a great classic country album. I know that if the person that plays guitar on this album and wrote two of the songs had his name on the cover, this album would have much higher ratings.
I'll let the reader find that one out and then question their thoughts on this album that is a clear 4/5.
Finley Quaye
2/5
We go now to the internal thinkings of Robert Dimery as he assembled the list of 1,001 album you must listen to: - We should add a reggae album - you mean the music crafted on the Caribbean island of Jamaica that was pioneered by such greats as Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Peter Tosh, and Steel Pulse? - Yeah! We should totally add some reggae. How about a random guy from Scotland that nobody has heard of but blends the reggae with all of the bad tropes that are associated with Reggae - You mean, you don't want to add an actual Reggae superstar? - But he's from the UK! - 👀 2/5
Hüsker Dü
2/5
We go now to the internal thinkings of Robert Dimery as he assembled the list of 1,001 album you must listen to:
- We should add a reggae album
- you mean the music crafted on the Caribbean island of Jamaica that was pioneered by such greats as Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Peter Tosh, and Steel Pulse?
- Yeah! We should totally add some reggae. How about a random guy from Scotland that nobody has heard of but blends the reggae with all of the bad tropes that are associated with Reggae
- You mean, you don't want to add an actual Reggae superstar?
- But he's from the UK!
- 👀
2/5
Doves
2/5
Lost Souls is the debut studio album by British indie rock band Doves. FFS this list could easily be the 500 albums you must listen to before you die if you were to remove the crossover UK pablum pop that sounds exactly like everything else from the same period.
2/5
Can
5/5
My second CAN album I've ever listened from this list makes me love Krautrock and want more. Now I will admit, CAN's other album 'Future Days' is more up my alley thank Tago Mago, but this one is still great. The layers of audible sounds that blend in and out in a pre-digital era had me from the beginning.
4.5/5
Peter Gabriel
5/5
This list has really opened me to prog rock and I used to see Peter Gabriel's time with Genesis as the answer to a trivia question. Prog rock Genesis is so contrasty to Peter Gabriel Genesis so it's no surprise to see the themes of prog still present on what is pop rock for Peter Gabriel on this third eponymous album. Edgy enough to be edgy and cast iron frying pan to the side of the head with the awakening of his political advocacy through Biko.
As a side note, I saw Peter Gabriel live for the first time in 2023 and his performance of Biko live is one of the best live experiences I've ever had.
5/5
4/5
In what sounds like the background soundtrack to a movie that is set in the wee hours of a small town. A lonely man sits solo at the bar nursing the bottom of his beer with an empty shot glass next to it. His buddy walks in and give his shoulder a pat - the universal man language for 'she's a cunt buddy and you dodged a bullet. you just don't know it.
Classic country like this, while pretty much slaughtered in the comments for this list are the reason a good chunk of this list is ON this list is sorely missed. I'm glad to see it and want more.
I'm not even a 'country' fan, but good music is good music regardless of any slide guitar present on the track.
4/5.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan is poetry. You don't always get it but you know it's poetic. His voice grates folks and I get it and even after listening to him for as long as I have I still don't get some of it.
Dylan's lyrics are eternal and I find it funny to see some of the reviews here that pan this record but give other lesser one's all fives and not seeing the irony.
This Pulitzer Prize winning author's album is a solid 5/5.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
In what can easily be confused as a Sheryl Crow album, Alt Country Lucinda Williams produces a contemporary of the time piece with the weirdly titled Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. This sound would also contribute to the craze of Modern Country which I'm no fan of, but in a world of gray areas this pop/country album is an easy and forgettable listen some 2 years on.
White Denim
3/5
Never having heard of White Denim before I was expecting the worst, but D was such a great listen. Clocking in at 37 minutes, not a minute is wasted on the Psychedelia Rollercoaster.
3/5
The Zutons
2/5
Generic unoriginal indie-pop that doesn't strike a chord or do anything totally original to merit inclusion on this list.
"Who Killed...... The Zutons? is the debut studio album by the English rock band…"
Oh, say no more.
2.5/5
Pavement
3/5
By no means Pavement's better record, but Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is a sound that was so non-existent in this time period that it's refreshing.
3.5/5
The Boo Radleys
2/5
The Boo Radleys 'Giant Steps' help confirm some biases for me:
1) Any album over one hour is not great
2) Shoegaze is terrible
2/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Brian Eno is to music what a Bay Leaf is to cooking. You don't exactly know what it is but it makes everything better.
Our world is a better place because of Brian Eno. Examples found on this album such as Julie With… and By This River just make me feel… complete.
3.5/5
Bee Gees
3/5
The Bee Gees 'Pet Sounds'.
No really, this is a really deep album. Everybody knows the 'Saturday Night Fever' Bee Gees of the Disco era, but the absolute heavy hitters from before that period go unnoticed. For example, Odessa, while a weird idea for a concept album has some legs on it.
3.5/5
The Kinks
4/5
I was never much into the Kinks and understood the impact of the legacy through songs like 'Really Got Me', 'You Really Got Me', and 'Lola'. But they've never really rung the bell for me.
'The Village Green Preservation Society' has changed that. With elements of pop and psychedelia the Kinks found a great lane for themselves here.
4/5.
U2
4/5
Growing up in the Irish Catholic Northeast US in the late 70s / Early 80s your family did a lot of 'looking across the pond back home'. The Irish music we had been exposed to through our parents was the tradidtional 'jigs and reels'. I remember my brother coming home from a concert at a small community college riding a high over the great Irish band he just saw called U2. When WAR came out in '83 with its very anti-war and pro peace in the Irish isles themed album we felt heard and seen as distant cousins.
U2 and Bono in particular have changed over and over many times to the point they can be nauseating some 40+ years after they hit the US shores, but WAR is such a neat, perfect album that would be difficult to reproduce in these times.
5/5
Joe Ely
3/5
Honky-Tonkin' with the Honky Tonk Masquerade. This is great album I've never heard before. It reminds me of Lyle Lovett's later stuff with his Big Band - the only difference is this predates Lyle's music by three decades.
3.5/5
Klaxons
2/5
From the Wiki: Myths of the Near Future received generally favourable reviews from critics, some of whom praised the musicianship, though others were dismissive of the rave tag.
So it makes total sense to support the UK generic pop bias when there are plenty of more successful iterations of this type of music that appears nowhere on the list.
2.5/5
Guns N' Roses
5/5
14 year old me wants 51 year old me to rate this a five-star and after listening to this album all the way through for the first time in about 15 years, I'd have to agree. 1987 was such a year for music and GNR's Appetite was and is still one of the best albums of all time. Yes, some of the songs are way to overplayed but every time I hear this I am taken back the time period where we played the new cassette over and over and over. I must've replaced this album 4 or 5 times.
5/5
The xx
2/5
The music that plays in the lobby of a crowded hip Sushi restaurant or late nights in an empty hotel ballroom after all of the chaotic events of the day have lapsed - in other words, bland.
How is an album that is only five years old by a band that I've never heard of designated to a must listen when it sounds like the rest of the pablum oatmeal that the rest of the genre is known for? Nothing groundbreaking, exciting or original here.
2/5.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
How the sounds on this album can be produced by only human voices amazes me. Of course everyone is familiar with Ladysmith Black Mambazo from Paul Simon's Graceland album but by removing Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo really shines here.
Absolutely stunning. Makes me want to hear more from them.
5/5
The Cure
4/5
The Helen of Troy moment for 90s Goths.
4/5
Muddy Waters
5/5
Morrissey
3/5
Morrissey being Morrissey. I'm not getting the hate in the comments here. Morrissey is a known entity and taking a page from the 'Bad People Can Make Good Music Book' - cc Van Morrison, Eric Clapton he really showcases talent that makes you regret liking the album, but Vauxhall and I is a fantastic album. Sounds very much like his Smiths stuff - which I'm sure most reviewers here give bad reviews to, right?
3.5/5
Leftfield
3/5
Straight out of the UK with yet another unknown album that simulates other more popular acts of the period. Only, this time I liked it. A lot.
90s electronic music can boring real easily and when I stepped in to this album and saw 1+ hour of music ahead I dreaded it. I was impressed by the first track and hooked by the second. This is a great background music album.
3.5/5
Deep Purple
4/5
My first thought was, 'great…another Deep Purple album'. Then I listened to this masterpiece of early hard rock and got so into it.
4/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
I was never big into Biggie. I wouldn't say overrated, but close to. The biggest thing that's always bugged me about him was all of Puffy's background chirping just to get his prima donna ass on a winner's album. Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' has good writing, but as usual, falls victim to the too may skits that rap albums have and this one's no different yielding a 1 1/4 hour album. No album needs to be that long.
3/5
Mj Cole
2/5
The setting: you wake up from a stupor in a random bathroom stall with visions of the last 12 hours of your life crashing you to consciousness. Excess drinking, debauchery, and craziness make you wonder aloud if anything you 'remember' was real. You beg whatever divinity you believe in to ease you through the oncoming recovery and for an easy transition to sobriety. Again.
As you struggle to get up onto your wobbly feet, numb from however many hours of unconsciousness that paralyzed your movement your senses come to you. You are alone as the blury numbers on your phone reveal that it is way too late, or too early to be awake.
This music is playing over the sound system.
1.5/5
Johnny Cash
4/5
Few live albums set a high bar. Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash is high up there. Cash is very casual for being in a prison and his interactions with the crowd during the show show him at his relaxed nature.
4/5.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
endless whining lyrical loops may work for most, and when it comes to the lips they do. While no Yoshimi, the Soft Bulletin is one of those albums that makes me wonder what makes this band so popular? Obviously, their live shows are the answer.
3/5
The Bees
2/5
This is like Hipster Indie Rock - the kind of stuff that you talk about to sound cool at parties but really you don't like it or know enough about it that your self-proclaimed expertise on the matter lends you to be.
Hipster Indie for the sake of being Hipster Indie is the most Hipster Indie thing a Hipster Indie could do.
2/5
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Emmylou Harris is constantly reinventing herself. Here on Red Dirt Girl she emerges into the elder statesman of Country music, looking back on her history and the history of her genre and where it's going.
Good pleasant listen and man has her voice stayed sharp.
3/5.
The Black Keys
4/5
keep
Hawkwind
3/5
If I wanted to listen to a 2+ hour live album from a psychedelic band with a singer that launched into poetry I would put on any of the Doors live albums.
But the Doors aren't British now. Are they?
3/5
Tom Tom Club
4/5
This here is proof that Talking Heads is more than David Byrne and his gargantuan ego. Chris and Tina definitely earned themselves the best TH alum album with TomTom Club.
4/5
Carpenters
4/5
straight from the AOR archives of the genius of Burt Bacharach comes the Carpenters. Regularly seen as a joke band today, it is easy to forget what a monster act this band is/was and what a compliment it was to work with Bacharach.
4/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
One thing I'm discovering through this list is my liking of concept albums. I'm no big Flaming Lips fan but Yoshimi is an album that brings on a level of joy that is unexplainable.
4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
There's a weird line drawn in the sand of the Singer / Songwriter genre that divides weird, folky pablum and the seedlings of an interesting genre. Leonard Cohen's 1967 'Songs Of' straddles that line with a good chunk in the former and a small minority in the latter. But songs like Suzanne and So Long, Marianne propel this album into the stratosphere and cue up the stage for the likes of Bobby D to fill in the holes. Cohen will go on to give us much better music, but here he's developing his niche for a good follow up.
3/5.
The Crusaders
3/5
I detest cool/smooth Jazz and The Crusaders are the group that I never knew to blame. The reason being I've heard most of this album e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Grocery stores, elevators, dentists, offices. Anyplace that was subject to background muzak in the 70s and 80s had this group and this album in heavy rotation. I can still smell the retro naugahyde-laden dentist offices thanks to this memory.
Still, this album was a game changer and I hate that I have to rate it as high as a 3 but personal biases aside, this album deserves its slot here.
3/5
Bad Company
3/5
The Temptations
4/5
Not many bands can get away with an album in which one song is 1/3 the time length of the album. But the Temps 'Poppa Was A Rolling Stone' does just that on this 33 minute lesson in funk / soul amazingness.
4.5/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
okay listen. 1,001 must listen? the jury is still out on this 2008 entry by an artist that I've never heard of.
3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
The birth of Heavy Metal has been complete. Some 54 years on after its release this album still weighs heavily towards the top of hard rock albums.
4.5/5
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Blur
3/5
From Apple Music's description: 'Worn down by fam, Britpop, and each other, Blure re-emerged…
Same Apple Music, same. In yet another case of putting an entire album on the must listen list because of one hit song, we bring you Blur. My third Blur album from this experience and another instance of three being way too many.
2.5/5
Little Simz
3/5
Little Simz has the skills to be an upper mid-tier rapper, this album while generic and okay is not necessarily a 'Must Listen'. If the authors wanted a female rapper from the early 00s there's gotta be a few with better albums out there. But I guess they're not UK-based.
3/5.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
Snoop's instant followup to his breakout on Dr Dre's Chronic was a forgone conclusion when he broke out. At the time I didn't think he'd get much out of hit and would always be Dre's side man. He does something here with Doggystyle the other sidemen like Flavor Flav could never do, own his brand and rap about it. What Snoop does here that differentiates him from other rappers is blend his style with others. Adding the funk brings out another angle for his sound.
3.5/5
Gorillaz
3/5
Always wondered what the hype about Gorillaz was. Still do.
3/5.
Skepta
1/5
I always thought wannabe generic hip-hop that sounds like the budget version of the harder core recognizable stuff was missing from this list. This album sounds like the background music to a nightclub scene in a low budget film because they couldn't afford the rights to the real stuff.
Apologies to whatever album was pushed off the list for this.
1.5/5
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
That whole angsty, angry Gen-Xer stereotype? Yeah, this is the album that launched a generation of anger. When I would go to the Industrial clubs in the mid-90s this sound that Trent Reznor established was everywhere. It became mainstream and launched singles like Hurt and Closer - never before had you had such aggression spit out over the radio airwaves and on MTV.
4.5/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
An album that rambles over a lot of different styles that doesn't feel cohesively connected. More of a singer songwriter that doesn't edit themselves.
3/5
John Lee Hooker
2/5
I'm not a fan of these post-career reaffirmation albums. You know, the ones that take a celebrated artist that was not afforded the acclaim they deserved at the height of their career, but was 'discovered' again and trotted out to collaborate with a bunch of acolytes that have been carrying his torch. This album does not belong on the list for John Lee Hooker's sake. There's plenty that he did that should be recognized. Heck, if it's a Blues album, they're better iterations that fit the category than this poor example of a once great bluesman playing ham-hocked chords and repeating the same line over and over.
They would have been better off bringing the same great musicians and playing old John Lee Hooker songs.
A begrudging 2.5 for the great John Lee Hooker.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Nothing against Mr Echo and his Bunnies, but I don't get the attraction of a full length album of consistently similar beats layered by a singer with a three-tone range.
3/5
The Clash
5/5
Pretty much the launching point for the punk movement. Everybody wanted to be 'cool' like The Sex Pistols or the Ramones but those bands wanted to be The Clash.
5/5
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
This is the reason I love this list. It's nice to see music on this list that isn't from the UK in the 80s, 90s, and 00s.
We're supposed to experience other cultures and there is no better way to examine anything without hearing their music. Indian soundtracks are an amazing meshing of current western and local which is a great sound.
4/5
MC Solaar
3/5
Good beats and samples, can't understand what he's saying but it sounds good to my ears.
3/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
Rid of Me navigates the wide spectrum of what is classified as 90s 'Alt' and 'Grunge' and really nails it. This is the sound that Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Mudhoney perfected with the help of Steve Albini, PJ Harvey delivers a solid 90s album.
4/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Never really listened to much Roxy Music outside of this list and for an album released in 1972 - two years after the Beatles break up, the rise of Disco and Punk Rock hasn't yet taken off, this album is such a contemporary sounding enjoyable listen.
4/5
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
It's not often that a 1+ hour album can pack such a bang for the buck but Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Welcome To The Pleasuredome is such a synth based roller coaster of non-stop thrill.
4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
This massive attack of classic rock hits is still timeless. very few bands could hope to accomplish the number of hits that CCR churns out here. Heck, very few have.
5/5
R.E.M.
4/5
When this album came out my buddy Mike came over to my house with this cassette and told me this was one of the best albums ever. We listened to it and at the time it didn't mean much to my 15 year old ears as some of the lyrics were advanced, but man did I recognize 'It's the end of the world…" as a monster. I've listened to Document here and there over the years as I've become a fan of R.E.M., and now see this as the bedrock album that establishes the familiarity of what we see the band as now. They'll take a break and go more poppy with Automatic before returning to their college sound roots and following the message they so well lay down in this album.
4/5
The Prodigy
3/5
The band made famous by one song with an album that doesn't have that song on it. I guess this is peak 90s UK electronic music.
3/5
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Explosion is right. That's what my ear drums did.
Throwing more fuzz box edgy lyrics that have lots of cursing doesn't make an album cool or even punk or alt-punk. This album is just a collection of someone who learned a whole bunch of sound effects on different instruments and said "I want that".
2/5
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Despite the all-star Bryll Building writing lineups that created this album, this is a miss for Jerry Wexler. The fault lying in all this talent backed a mediocre at times performance by Dusty Springfield. This one hit wonder produced one hit too many. Shame but with the right talent at the microphone or in the booth this album could be something different.
3/5
Ministry
4/5
The second Industrial Revolution happened in the clubs and on the dance floors to the sounds that Al Jorgensen and Ministry concocted through a mixture of electronic noise and construction site sounds.
4/5
Gillian Welch
3/5
Very enjoyble listen to a genre that doesn't get enough attention. That being said, While Welch's Time (The Revelator) is an easy album there are many, many more examples of Americana, Folk, etc - heck even by female artists. I think the writer(s) chose this based on a recency bias, but heck, it's not 90s UK pop!
3.5/5
Pixies
3/5
I've never really gotten into the Pixies and this album doesn't help. I will confess they are a good band, just not my style. But fercryinoutloud, why this album? They've done so much great music and this is the choice?
3/5
System Of A Down
3/5
15 year old me would love this album if it came out when I was 15. I lived through the glory years of Heavy Metal and what Nü Metal came later in the 90s was pale in comparison. SOAD sounds like a refresh to what I listened to without being too pretentious.
3.5/5
R.E.M.
4/5
Listening to my second R.E.M. album in a week makes me realize how much I miss R.E.M. Michael Stipe's voice is so cosmic.
Green was the first album I was exposed to when Stand took over the charts. They would go on. to do many, many more fantastic albums but the hit to the memory feels with this album makes it so much more valuable.
4/5.
Method Man
3/5
If 36 Chambers was a double-LP this whole album could serve as the second disc.
3.5/5
Tori Amos
5/5
Tori Amos has always been the bar for female singer/songwriters. She has a way with lyrics that can say so much more than anybody else. She belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of female singers.
5/5
The United States Of America
2/5
Late 60's Psychodelia that forked off into a weird tone of strange vocals and synths. Not too pleasing on the ears.
2.5/5
Metallica
4/5
Peak Metallica and while I know I'm in a large minority here by saying, this is an easy top-two album from the group and represents the last quality recording they'd make. One would be their first and only popular song from the album, but it's also not their best.
Regardless of the jumping the shark / sell out comments that come after this album, AJFA is highly representative of where Thrash was in the late 80s at it's peak with other bands like Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer.
4.5/5
The Human League
3/5
The good thing about early 80s UK Synth Pop!™ is that when its good, its good and when its not, you know it.
Dare! by The Human League plays easily in the background or for your 80s retro game night.
3/5.
Joy Division
3/5
Joy Division is a kind of precursor to Nirvana in that they got their fame and accolades as a result of their lead singer removing himself from the gene pool. And just like Nirvana, Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures is a mediocre output that was popularized for reasons other than 'good music'.
3/5.
Silver Jews
3/5
Having never heard the Silver Jews, I was pleasantly surprised to hear more Pavement than boring indie pop rock.
3.5/5
The Smiths
3/5
Not really my favorite Smiths album and I'm not entirely sure this album needs to be on the list when their better quality stuff is here also, but the Smiths are also consistent and Strangeways, Here We Come is consistent Smiths.
3/5
The Byrds
3/5
Chris Hillman's presence changes the direction here for the Byrds. His songs always struck me as some of the more meaningful ones. And of course, that they only have one Dylan song shows their moving out of his enormous shadow and achieving their own credit.
3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Very few bands or producers can be identified by a sound. Tops among the lists would be Phil Spector and Jeff Lynn. Lynn's influence outside of ELO as a writer/producer has been firmly cemented as one of the most influential. His sound may be dated and gimmicky but it's so easy to get lost in a listen to any of his music.
4/5
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Interestingly I understand the praise from Nick Cave. I hear some inspiration for Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and lots of psychedelic music influence. I came out of listening to this better than I expected.
3.5/5
Morrissey
3/5
There was a redeeming value to Smiths era Morrissey. 2004's You Are The Quarry shows what an insufferable prick the man is. Still a decent album as most geniuses put out good material with little effort, very few tell you how great they are while they're doing it.
3/5
While bands like Cream, the Yardbirds, etc. were stumbling their ways into the British Blues revival I would argue that Faces with Rod Stewart's distinctive gravely voice and Ronnie Lane's skilled handling of the guitar were slipping through with a mastery of the genre.
4/5.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The soundtrack to every Martin Scorsese film.
In all seriousness, this is such amazing piece of art from start to finish which ends with one of my favorite Stones songs - Moonlight Mile.
5/5
Anthrax
4/5
Mublanikufesin
Donovan
3/5
I have a thought time with Donovan. Looking at his work through the lens of someone born shortly after this album was released doesn't give me the experience to rate this kind of music from a contemporary point of view. Being considerate of the impact Donovan has and had on music I get where he's coming from and while Sunshine Superman and Season of the Witch are well known enough, the rest of the album strikes me as the kind of music I never understood or could get into.
3/5
Soft Machine
3/5
Thanks to this list, I've learned that I enjoy Prog Rock - this may fall into the prog realm, but feels for free-Jazz to me. Still an interesting listen.
3/5
Merle Haggard
3/5
Interesting selection to represent the minimal country on this list. I'm not a big country music buff, so this one is new to me - hearing some folk, Rockabilly and quasi-classic rock shows how similar the lanes on some genres can run.
3.5/5
Ryan Adams
3/5
Based on the reviews here, few people actually listened to the album and jumped straight to the Ryan Adams hate. If you can't separate the art from the artist you going to have a bad time in your little time on this sphere.
Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams is such a colossal monster of an album. Adams fits perfectly into the lane of singer-songwriter from this period with other greats like Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, etc.
3.5/5
Beck
3/5
Of all the albums by Beck to make this list, this is the one? It's fine and represents his lyrics well enough, but this is no Odelay.
3/5
The Fall
4/5
This impressed me more than I expected it to based on reading the reviews here before my listen. this is such a fun post-punk listen.
4/5
M.I.A.
4/5
One of the very few things this list does is expose you to music you're not familiar with (extra emphasis on 80s and 90s Britpop). Some things you hear and check it off your list knowing you'll never hear it again. I've been familiar with M.I.A. since she exploded with Kala. I haven't listened to her until now and wow. A sonic, multi-layered eargasm that is not something I would voluntarily listen to, but mission accomplished with this entry - I'm glad I listened to it and will add it to my que's.
4.5/5
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Very classical nouveau American Soul done by a Brit - this is the contemporary British music that I enjoy discovering.
3.5/5
808 State
3/5
Really no different than any of the other UK Electronic music on this list. Not being sure what makes this a standout for such a list, but it was an okay listen.
3/5.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
the truest example of folksy americana rock harmonies.
3/5
UB40
3/5
The UK reggae sound that UB40 plays here is a stop on the UK pop music evolution with a through line from punk, post-punk, and of course Ska, etc. This music isn't for everyone as the reviews here will show, but the impact this album and music have made on the 80s is huge and Signing Off is a significant part of the music history of that decade.
3.25/5
Madonna
3/5
When one thinks of Madonna albums, one easily thinks of any of her first five; Madonna; Like a Virgin; True Blue; Like a Prayer; and Erotica. those albums are trailblazers and ones that are truly mandatory listens. Music and its one hit that felt like Madonna was reinventing herself… again are okay but not an example of a good portion of her output.
3/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
After Punk Rock faded away, pop / rock music went in many directions. The post-punk / indie direction that Echo and The Bunnymen took music is such a startling sound for 1980. You can clearly hear the influence on The Smiths, U2, The Clash here.
3.5/5
The Sonics
4/5
Lofi, fast and cheap. Further proof that good music (and albums) can be made on a budget with lots of filler. very few originals fill this album, but that's not what garage rock really is. The Sonics put together a tight and easy album that serves as a long lasting influence.
4/5
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
When featuring the mastery of the turntable as an instrument, this literal groundbreaking album sets all new levels for what would be come Hip Hop. You can almost forgive Flash for some of the dated, cringey soul-influenced songs that do not resinate any longer.
4.5/5
The Charlatans
3/5
In today's entry of what should be title 501 UK BritPop albums you should listen too and 500 others, we have what could easily be forgiven as Oasis on a blind listen.
Nothing against the band that I always thought was The Charlatans UK, but this album was mostly background music because it sounds like everything else from the UK in this time period. However, they really do shine on their instrumental pieces.
3/5
Justin Timberlake
3/5
JT's bubble-gum pop boy band songs are great on this album and that's the lane he should stay in, but when he tries to flex his wings and become the breakout solo singer that this album was designed to be he misses. Nothing against him, but if the author(s) were being true to themselves and wanted a boy band pop album they should've just listed an NSYNC album.
2.5/5
Ryan Adams
4/5
From today's notes on 'Bad people can make good music…' We have Ryan Adams' absolute monster 'Gold'. This is a fun listen where just about everything from his well written lyrics and the music pair perfectly together that you don't realize this album just barely crosses the one-hour mark and it doesn't bother me!
On a personal level, yeah, he may be a shit human being but none of that was known at the time this record came out and really should have no impact on its artistic quality.
4/5
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
This sounds like that band that met in art school and have been friends ever since. They make every decision together, straight down to what toilet paper to buy. They're the group that you heard and thought they're good because they have that one good song you like and then made an entire album of the same song.
3/5.
Red Snapper
3/5
Our Aim Is To Satisfy by Red Snapper is not a terrible album. They do nothing new in terms of their genre to make this album extraordinary. Outside of them being British (AGAIN), a band with an even more limited list of Wikipedia entries or chart traction has very little to do with a list of this nature.
3/5 for the album, 1/5 for the list.
Alice Cooper
3/5
What strikes me most about this album is that it is so unlike what you think an Alice Cooper album would sound like - and that's a compliment. 1972 is such a strange time for music, what you think would be a horror-gore album is an easy listening alt-prog-rock disc.
3.5/5
Arcade Fire
2/5
I can understand why Arcade Fire's Funeral is on this list. Neon Bible however the band's play on their faith and struggles with it falls flat and doesn't help convince a listener that this is a must-listen album.
2.5/5.
Ramones
4/5
Three chords and the truth!™
4.5/5
Beck
3/5
When Beck and later this album were popular, I didn't get it. Maybe it was me or the whole Beck / hipster / Alternative thing just ground my gears but I get what he did to music in this period. The 90s were weir man.
3.5/5
Gram Parsons
4/5
Quite the irony here that most of the negative reviews on this album come from people that give five stars to the boring, pablum laced unoriginal pop of the modern era. Without irony.
I don't need to defend this work, other reviewers do a better job. I'll just add that Emmylou Harris' addition is nothing less than spectacular.
I'll just close with a recommendation from Tyler Mahon Coe - "If You Don't Like Gram Parsons Then Fuck You."
Ride
3/5
I still don't get what Shoegaze is, but can you please fortheloveofallthingsholy figure it out in less than an hour???? I literally had the Ramones classic yesterday that was 34 minutes that said 10 times as much as this. Seriously, cheer up.
3/5
Screaming Trees
3/5
Poppy Alice In Chains / Soundgarden. I barely remember hearing much Screaming Trees so this was the first time I've heard 'All I Know' in about 25 years, so this album being a 'must listen' is a little puzzling but its a good representation of the genre and period for a band not named Nirvana.
3/5
Air
2/5
Soundtracks are a prickly pear with the author(s) - worthy of inclusion when it matches their POV and not worthy when their weird rules for exclusion apply. Here, Air's Virgin Suicides soundtrack is a forgettable album to a near-forgettable movie. How this rates worthy of inclusion on this list is confusing to me, but then again Air's popularity alone confuses me as well.
2/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Ah yes, NME’s 47th best album of 1994. Who can go wrong with the 47th best album of the year?
2/5
Miles Davis
5/5
The literal birth of the post-Bebop movement happens on this record which also kicks off the first of many collaborations between Davis and Gil Evans. This is not my favorite Davis album, but such a key moment in Jazz that it can't be anything less than 5/5.
David Gray
3/5
In one of the rare instances on this list of the author(s) being like a broken clock, they get it right with this. David Gray is not for everyone, but the time this album came out combined with his masterful lyric writing combines for a perfect storm of greatness.
3.5/5
Crowded House
3/5
Hearing this album for the first time in nearly 30 years unlocks a lot of memories. What can easily be confused as generic boring 90s pop dismisses the fact that this sort of indie album broke so much ground at the time of its release. Does it stick and stay relevant in 2024? No, it's a pop album at its heart but still a very much listenable one at that.
3.5/5
Living Colour
4/5
What's missing from a lot of reviews here is what a groundbreaking album this band put out. 1988 was a time when the rock and rap worlds were gatekeeping their music - from a racial perspective. When a black band shredded their way into rock at the height of hair metal things changed. Living Colour's Vivid may sound dated but trust me this album did so much for cultural relations than for the music - which is fantastic by the way.
4/5.
Chicago
4/5
The Chicago Transit Authority sound of 1969 is not the same that most music listeners would become familiar with when Chicago had a broader audience in the 1980s. Pop, Soul, R&B, Funk, Brass, and Prog-like guitar wanderings make this such a phenomenal album. That this is the only album representative of this band on the list is near-criminal.
4/5
Gang Starr
3/5
Some classic 90s hip hop that centers on a mastery of lyrics, minimal sampling and straight up technique. No filler.
3.5/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Dexy's gave birth to the notion of Irish Punk music (The Pogues, Black 47, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy) and outside of their one-hit-wonder label thanks to 'Come on Eileen', this second entry of theirs to this list is very different, yet draws a roadmap for the bands listed above.
3.5/5
Devendra Banhart
2/5
This sounds like that album that that guy wrote while locked in a cabin in Minnesota recovering from a bad breakup. While sadder and more depressing than this album, that other album is a better example of what should be on the list than this.
2.5/5
David Bowie
4/5
Plenty of artists have reinvented themselves in an avant garde manner to make some very weird (at the time) music. Here David Bowie joins the likes of David Bowie, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan and many more. This is nothing new for Bowie, but when you look at the timing of the release - this album as a goodbye puts him at a level with possibly only Warren Zevon.
Bowie can be a tough listen because of his constant change cycles, but I challenge you to listen to Lazarus with getting a gut punch to the feels.
4/5
The Undertones
3/5
Love hearing NI chime in with their interpretation of (at the time) Pop Music. The Undertones have two albums on this list and at first I was thinking they couldn't possibly have a need to be so overrepresented here but after a listen to this, their first album I am corrected. Very different and a wide variety of Pop, Post Punk and New Wave make a cosmic sound for this disc.
3/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
I really like this album. The banter between Cash and the audience is the classic concert experience, but I must wonder does this list need two Johnny Cash prison albums? I can think of at least one or two Cash albums that could fit in here.
3.5/5
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Not trying to gatekeep all things music, but I will definitely come down on anyone that thinks there is some sort of music in this.
1/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
When you take a Supergroup of country singers that each emit the sounds of birds greeting the rising sun you'd think each would be a diva and want to lead the pack. Each of these masterful singers compliments the others perfectly that you don't suffer a bad track on here.
'Leave 'em wanting more' is sage advice to anyone wanting to succeed - and what Dolly, Linda, and Emmylou do here.
4/5
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Man the 90s were wild weren't they? All the reviewers for this album cancelling Marilyn Manson must not have been of age when this album came out because everything fit in his image back then too so I wasn't surprised when the actual news broke of what a shit human being he is.
Anywho… loud rock that grated people's ears was all the rage back then and this album definitely pushed the envelope. While it hasn't aged well, it still stands as a testament of the decade.
2.5/5
Jack White
3/5
White Stripes Country-style.
3.5/5
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
To know that Rufus Wainwright is the child of a musical legacy in Kate McGonical and Loudon Wainwright, plus has a background in opera, classical and theater would make sense that Want One is such a classical study of music. I mean, who else could incorporate Bolero into a pop music song and make it seem flawless?
Rufus isn't for everybody, but speaking for this period of pop music for such a quirky person to sneak into popular charts is a good thing.
4/5
John Cale
3/5
This ended up being background music while I worked and nothing really grabbed me. Cale's work with VU is impressive and I would guess evident of the importance of Lou Reed's contributions.
3/5
Wilco
3/5
A blend of Americana lyrics with a new modern sound. YHF is kinda like a gateway music into the modern indie sound.
For me it does t chime as much as Tweedys solo stuff.
3/5
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
In Ken Burns' JAZZ docuseries there is a segment where Dave Brubeck talks about his rise in jazz and how when he went on his first big tour that took him through the Jim Crow South he reminisced through tears how his bandmates were declined rooms and had to sleep on the bus, how venues wouldn't serve them - all because they were black. His whole approach to equality and civil rights is worth its own read. Dave Brubeck was a humanitarian that made awesome music.
Take Five is in the top five if not top two album of all time jazz releases. Its beauty is simple rhythm and harmony.
Getting this album on November 6, 2024 was perfect timing. I woke up to the news that the world was probably changing for the worse, so I got up, played this album and went for a pre-dawn walk.
Still, Dave Brubeck does his best to remind us, Take Five, it'll get better… eventually.
5/5
Todd Rundgren
4/5
The thing with Avante-Garde noise music is you really need to know what you're doing (instrumentally, lyrically, etc) - you can't just throw notes on a sheet and babble into a microphone and call it 'My ArT!!"
Todd Rundgren is a master at this, he's so good his nearly 11 minute 'Medley' gives his spin on some classic Soul records.
4/5
Sepultura
3/5
I haven't listened to Sepultura in a very long time. Hearing them again makes me nostalgic and reminds me that they are one of the best Metal bands around. Really - pick any album of theirs and you'll get a quality metal album. Roots in particular is a great blend between classic Thrash and modern (2000s) Heavy Metal.
3.5 |ii| / 5
GZA
4/5
Solid hip hop album and one of the better Wu solo pieces. Sounds like an extension of 36 Chambers.
4/5
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
my bloody ears
Maxwell
3/5
This style of smooth jazz / soul / r&b has never gelled for me. I get the value that fans have and know that Maxwell is amongst the best but can't speak to much more than that. However the musicians on this album lay down a very fine funk.
3/5
Björk
3/5
Björk being Björk. Making artful music born of her own trauma / life.
3.5
Pere Ubu
4/5
Once again, Pere Ubu shows up for me with another banger that I didn't know of. The Post-punk era has genuinely produced some of the best music of our time and The Modern Dance continues the trend.
4/5
Radiohead
3/5
I love Radiohead, but I'm also willing to admit that not everything by them needs to be on this list and Amnesiac would be example number one of my argument.
A begrudging 3/5
Prince
3/5
Prince wrote some great singles, but his album always bore me. The 90s Soul/Funk period never caught me so while I always wanted to enjoy Prince, when I would try I would get turned off by his synth-drum machine tracks. When he goes full funk like Strange Relationship he's a joy to listen to. Obviously Sign O' The Times, You Got the Look, and If I Was Your Girlfriend are the easily recognizable hits from the album but I'd rather not have to invest an hour and 20 minutes to hear some of his 'decent' singles.
3.5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Early 2K's IndiePunk was something. When it was good it was really freakin good. When it wasn't - it so wasn't. Luckily the Yeah Yeah Yeahs nailed it and delivered a fantastic album representative of what the indie alt sound should be.
3.5/5
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Nothing shows the author(s) bias by using a UK release of an American record as a must listen. Ramblin' Jack Elliott, while a good artist of the Country western, singer-songwriter, Folk singer genres pales in comparison with any of the more well known characters from music history.
Nothing against Jack but this release leaves more to be desired, which is sad because I'm wishing this list would include more from the past or from the underrepresented genres but we were royally robbed of a good listening experience with this release.
3.5/5
The Doors
5/5
Great eclectic outing by the Doors. They're not everybody's taste but for a band to play this well without a bass player and still sound so good you're in for a treat.
4.5/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The great thing about Neil Young is his combination of good lyrics and raw garage punk sounding backing music. Ragged Glory doesn't have the 'hits' that most are familiar with and while Young has a lot of albums on this list, this one could be one to sacrifice should they need a limit.
Still a great album and a perfect example of the quality music he puts out throughout the spectrum of his career.
3.5/5
Goldfrapp
5/5
After suffering through a different Goldfrapp album on this list, I was not excited to pull this album. I'm glad I followed through and listened because this was not what I remember from the other album. Felt Mountain covers a lot of genres that makes you think of many of the great classics, but in the end, this recored felt like a 40 minute James Bond movie introduction - and that's not a bad thing.
5/5.
Neil Young
3/5
This is one of those Neil Young albums that is hard to defend for this list. He has a lot of entries based on the number of hit making groups and solo projects he's been on, but a live album is not the arena to showcase NY's talent.
He still does a great job here, but as for an album I must listen to? Nah…
3/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
The apex of the mountain of popular music in the second half of the 20th Century of American music. Dylan as poet, writer, singer, composer, and trend-setter sealed the deal with some of the finest music and the greatest song ever written on this album.
5/5
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
In today's entry of an album getting terrible reviews that aren't necessarily warranted. I've been dreading getting to this album because of all the badmouthing it received only to once again be pleasantly surprised by what I got. This type of music - for lack of a better word isn't exactly terrible or ground breaking. The Beatles themselves experimented with weird noises on the White Album and Sgt Peppers but don't get dinged by the negativity here. If the band's name weren't Throbbing Gristle, would they be so penalized? John Cage could make this album and be glorified.
This was better than I realized, but really weird.
3.5/5
Underworld
2/5
The great thing about this list is the endless 90s Electronic music that you've never heard and can go on living without hearing again.
2.5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
The influence of the English folk pop scene shows in this album, which for me personally is one of the weaker periods of pop music. However the huge hits like Scarborough Fair, 59th Street make it worth the listen. Bonus to the Dylan influenced flair to close out the album and the closing 7 O'Clock News / Silent Night offers a stark antiwar message that sadly does nothing to influence the US from remaining in a senseless war for many more years.
4/5
Scott Walker
3/5
Part crooner, part Moricone soundtrack, Scott Walker's (not the douchebag from Wisconsin) Scott 2 is an over the top (in a good way) belting of a record.
3.5/5
Solange
3/5
Hey guys, Tina Knowles second child wants you to know she’s had it rough.
I dog the message, but it’s a little too heavy-handed to the point that it’s tone deaf. Kendrick does this space well and Sola he should stick to her silver-spooned lane.
3/5
The Cure
3/5
While not the example of The Cure's music I would select for this list, Pornography is a good representation of what the 80s Goth, Pop, melancholy synth pop sound was.
3/5
The Who
5/5
Pete Townsend is an absolute genius and his Rock-Opera Tommy is proof. A concept album is one thing, but concept album / Rock-Opera was unheard of in 1969. Look no further than this concept album / rock opera / film would wind up as a successful Broadway musical.
5/5
Fishbone
3/5
I love Fishbone and I hate Fishbone. Their originality for merging ska and punk into the modern sound has done wonder for music. The problem becomes that they can also be blamed for what became pop Punk in the 90s.
Truth and Soul is a good Sophomore album, but not my favorite of theirs, but to see them on the list is pleasant.
3/5
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Some of y'all are going to be shocked…SHOCKED when you learn that about 99% of the artists on this list have done something unsavory. Jerry Lee is in the upper stretches of that list, but that doesn't take away from what he did in relation to the birth of Rock-N-Roll.
JLL was a great recording artist but an even better live act and while Live At The Star club can barely capture the excitement of his live act it gets close. Close enough that it helped create a template for how live albums were recorded and marketed.
4/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Apropos of the Byrds and Neil Young supposedly being overrepresented on this list I submit Nick Cave as an entrant. Henry's Dream is sonically Nick Cave but no different than his other albums. It's no concept album like the one dedicated to his so so why does this album belong on this list? I'm not hearing anything particularly gripping.
3/5
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Harry Nilsson is one of the greatest American songwriters, why else would John Lenon and Paul McCartney pick his brain so much.
4/5
The Smiths
3/5
When I was younger, we went on a trip to visit my older brother in college. This was my first time being in a big college dorm room with the community bathroom, a payphone on the wall in the hall and tiny two-up rooms. My brother roommate had the poster for this album on the wall next to my brother's U2 posters. Those formative days of youth are what makes you the person you become and by having two older siblings that educated you on good music you become used to hearing everything and learn to like more than you knew you would. I wouldn't hear too much more of the Smith's until I got to college, but the head start I got at that small college in rural Pennsylvania has helped open me up to a lot of music.
The Smiths 'Meat is Murder' is the band at its rawest and best energy-wise. Morrisey's lyrics combined with Marr's guitar licks serve up a great postpunk / indie album
3.5/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Good old American Southern Rock, Gainesville style. Tom Petty has done more to save and educate the music listener on American Garage, Soul, and Funk music. His initial outing on this album cites many of the influences. Full Moon Fever introduced a lot of people to his music, but this freshman release is a great raw introduction.
4/5
Lou Reed
4/5
Lou Reed is that artist that can write an underground post-punk song that sounds like it belongs on a pop radio station. Breaking away from the Velvets and the Andy Warhol influence Reed succeeds here with an actual properly produced album. It's weird and niche, and maybe a little akin to what a properly done Velvets album would sound like but their success came from not knowing what they were doing in the studio.
4/5
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
There's a reason this is one of the top five albums of all time. It has it critiques and the sound can be slightly dated (especially on You Make Loving Fun), but if a group of people that went from screwing each other, to hating each other and STILL put out this masterpiece, every musician since has been doing it wrong if they weren't doing it this way.
5/5
Baaba Maal
3/5
The great thing about this list is discovering new types of music. African music is very underrepresented and what little there is suffers in the vacuum of the Touré name. I don't know enough to give a fair critique of this album, but it is pleasant enough to listen to and something I will definitely add to my que for a revisit.
3.5/5
Christine and the Queens
1/5
My thinking is that for an album to be a must listen within a decade of its release it needs to be an amazing album or have a similar story. This does neither. Maybe I'll return to it in 30 more years.
If I'm alive.
1/5
Meat Loaf
5/5
Who woulda thought that an operatic album inspired by Bruce Springsteen's style on 1974s Born To Run would feature two members of his band, sang by a 'theater kid' who appeared in musicals and Rocky Horror would turn out to be one of the biggest selling albums of all time?
Throw in that New York Yankee great Phil Rizzuto would provide an inter-medley making him the only baseball player in the Hall of Fame to win a grammy?
Yeah, this album is great. It's dorky and Meatloaf is a strange bird but man this album slays.
5/5
Stereolab
3/5
Starts off strong and fades quickly over its 57 minute runtime. An interesting sound that is intriguing at first and just lingers.
Not bad and definitely a must listen, but about 10-15 minutes too long.
3/5
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
In a time period where popular music was changing, the authors feel that uninspiring UK pop that sounds as bland as other albums of an earlier time period should be on this list. The only thing that Tigermilk by Belle and Sebastian does that is listworthy is force you to remember that Nirvana, Pearl Jam, grunge, alternative and shredding music is happening at the same time across the pond.
2.5/5
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Another remnant of the Folk Revival of the 60s. It's value is diminished by today's standards but in terms of a must-listen you can hear the influence to the later singer-songwriters to follow.
3/5
American Music Club
3/5
The lack of a streaming option should not be a reason to remove an album from a list. Mediocrity and unoriginality should. California by American Music Club fits both categories. I found it on YT and gave it a listen. Its post-punk tones fit in with something you'd expect from Morissey and while not a terrible album, I don't understand what makes it a must listen?
3/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Listen to this as if it were a Bebop album from the early 50s and you'll get it.
4/5
Peter Gabriel
5/5
In 2022, I was given some tickets to a Peter Gabriel concert. I went in thinking I knew a couple of songs and it would be a night out. I left getting Peter Gabriel. What a concert, even at his age.
Clearly So is his biggest album, it was everywhere after it was released thanks to MTV and Say Anything but listening to this album between the hits reveals a mastery for songwriting that excels.
5/5
Ice Cube
4/5
I forgot how raw Ice Cube's lyrics were.
Here we are, 30+ years from this album's release and while the time's haven't changed, Cube has.
4/5
Ice Cube
4/5
It's funny that the bad reviews for this album all cite some sort of misogyny as the problem, yet they don't seem phased by the racism, classism and what not. If you're not against all forms of oppression you need to need to relisten to this album because Cube's talking about you.
You may not like the truth he's spewing but you need to hear it.
Not Cube's best solo effort, but what he has to say is important.
4/5
Madonna
4/5
Some of y'all weren't around in the 80s and 90s and it shows. Madonna pushed all of the buttons and she wasn't like a lot of today's pop princesses that don't have the talent to back up their antics. Madonna did.
Like a Prayers made a lot of people nervous. The Catholic Church called for boycotts, Pepsi had a collaboration film in the can and then cancelled it.
Long story short, Madonna ran in the 80s so Sabrina Carpenter can strut in the 20's.
3.5/5
Madonna
3/5
I probably haven't heard this album since it first came out and have forgotten how good it is. Madonna can sometimes be a mimic as she was with her 'Music' album but here on 'Ray of Light' she works with some of the best producers in a genre that has moved away from her original style and she keeps up.
3.5/5
The Auteurs
2/5
I seriously thought this was a Lemonheads album as I got lost in it. Only negative in not being the Lemonheads is I guess they're not British enough for the author.
This is just another bland UK Britpop album that doesn't even have a definitive Wikipedia page for being such a worthwile listen
2/5
Radiohead
4/5
Remember when this album was supposed to be a jab at George W Bush because people thought he stole the 2000 election? Look how far we came.
Anyway, Radiohead is like U2 where each album is a different direction taken in music. Hail to the Thief was a little polarizing for being so different at the time, but after a revisit now it feels comfortable.
4/5
ABBA
3/5
ABBA has been around long enough to be trendsetters, washed up has-beens, popular again, and now at the top of the mountain of the 70s sound. Arrival is very dated and had it not been for the musical Mama Mia including some of these songs into the play these songs could also sound very dated.
3.5/5
Orange Juice
1/5
Scottish Post-Punk is just another way to say UK Britpop, which this list is sorely lacking. Because, why have albums from actual influential post-punk bands when you can cram an utterly unforgettable album from a band whose Wikipedia page can fit on a matchbook?
1/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Listen-worthy for Since I've Been Loving You alone. Led Zeppelin is heavily prominent on this list because they've changed so much from album to album. They cram a lot of styles into this album that showcases the variety, skill and talent from this ragamuffin collection of studio musicians.
4/5
Cornershop
3/5
English / Indian raga 90s eclectic electronic music was nowhere on any of my lists of expectations to ever hear, or enjoy.
This is the kind of UK Electronic music I can get behind.
3/5
Willie Nelson
5/5
Willie Nelson has a way of taking the familiar and turning into his own thing. being biased as I am because I think the Great American Songbook is some of the US's best contributions to popular music and with this release, some 20-50 years after the genre's peak (depending on how you want to define it thanks to the resurgence in the 70s), in wanders this long haired cowboy with his wonky guitar and turns songs like Unchained Melody into a heartbreaking song of solitude.
5/5
Neil Young
5/5
Part of what folks miss out on with why Neil Young is all over this list culminates with After the Gold Rush. His solo work is some of the greatest writing that came after hard work. Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y while entries that are blasé set you up for the masterpieces by Young that will follow, After the Gold Rush being one of them.
4.5/5
Randy Newman
3/5
In which Randy Newman goes dark. Like real dark.
If you're only knowledgeable with Randy's work through the Disney catalog you're in for a treat to hear what a drug-fueled, drive in a dystopian 70s era is like. Hearing it from the same voice that sings 'You've got a friend in me' puts you on edge.
3.5/5
Japan
2/5
If it wasn't for all of the other Britpop from this era, this is easily mistakable for another DuranDuran album.
2/5
LTJ Bukem
1/5
From the book: "What about Saturday Night Fever?'; you may ask. Well, you won't find compilations or soundtracks by "various artists" in this book, although we have made room for soundtracks that consist entirely of original material composed by a particular artist. Otherwise, we would not have been able to tell you about Superfly,Shaft, or Purple Rain-three milestones in pop and some of the best work by Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, and Prince respectively."
I guess compilations are allowable when you want them to be. This is a weird album to break the rule with, surely there has to be a 14 hour BritPop collection from the 90s? No, why have a compilation for that when you can just have all 80 bajillion albums.
1/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
Goo by Sonic Youth comes later in their catalog and doesn't say much more than their previous albums, in all fairness - I am a SY fan but question what makes this album a 'must listen'
3/5
The Soft Boys
4/5
I've never heard of the Soft Boys and was pleasantly surprised that this was a UK-based artist. The influence is very obvious over what would become later 80s music.
This is a well deserved cult classic that will get a respin from me for sure.
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
I am not that kind of fan of David Bowie's like most that see him as the greatest thing. But I can see what an influence he was and through an album like Hunky Dory being such a monster where the opening side is a near-perfect album side.
4/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
White guys playing funky soul blues in the late 60s wasn't a thing until BS&T came around. This proggy, jazzy, funky, bluesy is such a timeless classic that it still sounds relevant with all the layering of instruments. Through in a nearly 12 minute bluesy meander through different genres and you got a great album. 4.5/5
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
A perfectly fine album that doesn't stand out with the exception of the Shel Silverstein penned 'The ballad of Lucy Jordan' and an interesting take on John Lennon's Working class hero'.
But, without Maryanne Faithfull being who she is this album would not be on the list.
3/5
Missy Elliott
3/5
A lot of heavy lifting from Busta Rhymes and Timbaland help make this freshman release successful. Missy Elliot will go on to some great Hip Hop works but you can see the talent on Supa Dupa Fly.
3/5
Beatles
4/5
I never got into the whole 'White Album' is perfection bit. I'm not a huge fan of some of the lyrics and songs on this album but in listening to this album, listen to the fun these guys are having in the background, not since the 'Get Back' sessions where you see the creative process at work do you get to witness the lads enjoying themselves rather than feeling enslaved to the recording process.
4/5
The Pogues
4/5
I raise a glass in salute of these inheritors of the Seisiún, the 2:30 am serenaders of the street, those boys the Clancy's, the Makems, the Chieftains and more. You wear centuries of grief on your sleeves and stay longer to entertain.
Sláinte.
4.5/5
SZA
4/5
I came into this album not looking forward to it based on its recency and the scathing reviews. My opinion was changed by track 2 and locked me into a fan by the end of the album.
The whole point of this project is to discover new music. I've known of SZA for a while but never heard her. Her music is not up my alley, but she earned my respect through this release.
4/5
Robbie Williams
2/5
This album left me with the same question I had after watching a biographical movie about a Pop music Superstar as played by a CGI monkey - 'Who the Fuck is Robbie Williams?'
I still don't know, but my familiarity of this list knows that anything from the UK pop music charts is going to work its way onto this list one way or another. Too bad my Oscar Death Race was also dragged down by this oatmeal.
2/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Jazz, Afro-centric, World music all flowing through Fela's music. And to close out his percussion heavy album with a 16+ minute drum solo with Ginger Baker??? Perfection.
5/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
If this wasn't a Joni Mitchell album it would have worse reviews and probably not even be on this list. While not as groundbreaking as Blue, The Hissing of Summer Lawns wears its dated sound while delivering a firm and creative package of solid folk songs.
3.5/5
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Psychedelia gets dragged nowadays, but the influence that EP had carried through and can be heard in Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, etc.
3/5
Sparks
3/5
Sounds almost like Television but much, much earlier. While I'm not into this album, I picking up the influence this would have on later post-Punk and new wave.
3/5
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Bonnie Raitt has covered so much ground in her career there is a reason she's an elder stateswoman in music (not just rock - look at her early Blues work). Nick of Time is such a dated sound to today's ears, but was such a crossover smash in how it attracted rock, pop, and blues audiences
3/5
Slint
3/5
I never heard of this album or band before so I was pleasantly surprised to hear such raw grungy sounds from a time period earlier than they really took off. From front to back this is such a 90s hard rock album that is easy to listen to and full of originality.
Bonus points for the bonus soundscape track.
3.5/5
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Music like this is why I do this project. Immigrés doesn't introduce me enough to N'Dour's catalog but sure motivates me to looking more into it.
3.5/5
Stephen Stills
3/5
there is too much CSNY universe hate here. I get it, why do some bands seem overrepresented? I'll contrast the boys from the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and all of their spinoffs as an example of the center point of American folk / rock / pop in the late 60s. At the center of that center point is Stephen Stills. This music may not strike you as great, but this is the influence that the influencers cite as what turned them to music and that can't be bad right?
3.5/5
Nico
3/5
Chelsea Girl by Nico is essentially a Velvet Underground record with Nico as the lead singer and that isn't too bad.
3/5.
The National
2/5
Generic 2010s Indie Rock that doesn't further the genre or help explain why its on a list like this.
2/5
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
The line from the 70s punk, post-punk, glam and more flow through bands like Hanoi Rocks. The 80s Hair Metal scene can claim a lot of inspiration from back to Mystery City.
This was a fun, jaunty listen.
3.5/5
TV On The Radio
2/5
Is early 00s Indie Rock the new 90s BritPop? I've had three 'current' groups pop up and I couldn't tell the difference from one to the other.
2/5
Nirvana
4/5
I was not a fan of Nirvana when they were around and thought at the time and still to this day that they were overrated. Nevermind wouldn't be the album it would become had Teen Spirit not become an anthem (bonus points if you know what Teen Spirit is/was). However, while there were better bands that wore the cap of Grunge/Alternative better than Nirvana, that doesn't distract from the monster that Nevermind is. Top 5 album of all time? No, more like lower top 20, but still a great album that launched many anthems that described perfectly what it was to be a wayward youth in the 90s.
4.5/5
The Divine Comedy
2/5
This doesn't sound like an album released in 1997. the closest you can get is Nick Cave which begs to question, why not Nick Cave on this list?
2.5/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan loves to speak in metaphors, and to shock people (metaphorically) son when he launched his new album as the Prophet, a whole electric album side made a lot of people upset, but he brought it back home (the pun!) to side two as his usual acoustic record. That all changed later the same year when he made headlines by opening his concert in electric and never looked back.
5/5 - genius!
CHVRCHES
2/5
Generic pop through the ages is still generic pop. Churches adds nothing beyond current indie pop that doesn't move the needle for the genre in any specific direction.
2/5
The Waterboys
4/5
This album is soooo freakin' good. I don't know if it's because it's early March and this is prep for St Patrick's day or just good clean fun traditional music. Regardless, my only criticism is being the Waterboys are/were a rock band dipping their toes into the traditional music pond, a more traditional band like the Wolftones, the Dubliners, or the Chieftains would have done a better job in this slot.
4.5/5
The Cult
4/5
Back in the late 80s it was a battle between what is known as Hair Metal and grungey (not grunge) rock like this. I listened to way more music like the Cult than I did Hair Metal, but after nearly 30 years its clear to see that Hair Metal won the battle by how recognizable it is vs an example like this Cult album. It's raw, loud and full of gasoline.
4/5
Motörhead
3/5
For a live album this sound is crisp and heavy, however while Motörhead recorded this album to give their fans a test of their live sound, they surpass all of this in the studio.
Live albums are a tough thing for this list and I'm not sure Motörhead is served well on this list by this entry.
3/5
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Every time I hear music in the Brian Eno vein I'm reminded of the episode of FRIENDS where Ross was trying to be a serious musician with his tiny little Casio keyboard on the stairs.
There's way too much of this music that is deemed 'must listen' that isn't too listenable. There's enough Brian Eno on hear to justify it.
2.5/5
Fiona Apple
4/5
Y'all, Fiona Apple was 19 when she wrote this. This woman lived a life through song that no body twice her age has lived. This is such a powerful album that I forgot about because this poor child was being pushed around by the media when she first broke, it's amazing she's sane today.
4.5/5
4/5
I mistakingly cued up Fragile and immersed myself into the super deluxe version. While enjoying that fantastic ride I came over here to write a glowing review only to be reminded that I listened to the wrong album. I didn't think Fragile could be improved, but I almost prefer Close to Edge. This album has the building blocks to prog and it's easy to get lost in.
4/5
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
For an album from 1995, this sounds like the pop punk albums of the late 2000's. And that's not a good company to be in. meandering lyrics over unfitting music isn't such a great sound for this kind of music.'
it's an okay record, not great, not terrible.
3/5
The Libertines
3/5
M.I.A.
3/5
M.I.A. is an awesome find and a great add to this list, however this is my second M.I.A. album and it's not too different than the other one I've heard. bUt NeiL y0uNg some may say and while softly agreeing, I will counter with NY and his CSNY cronies that may seem overpopulated on this list offer variety and varying influence that this record is missing.
3/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Nick Drake's Pink Moon is the perfect example of less being more. Simple soft guitar strumming underneath simple lyrics can yield the most impact.
3.5/5
Joanna Newsom
4/5
This is such a magical listen and reason number one as to why I do this list. I wouldn't believe you if you told me there was a singing harpist playing indie music. Or now that I think of it…
Anyways… Joanna Newsom's voice is serene and the opening track 'Emily' is a gutwrencher.
4/5
Jungle Brothers
4/5
descending from the golden age of hip hop with crips beats and loops without having to rely on agressive sampling or electronic noise that is prevelant today.
4/5
Digital Underground
3/5
A true to form late 80s / early 90 hip hop record that wouldn't be seen anywhere near this list if it didn't include a) a one-hit-wonder and b) Tupac in his early days.
This album has some good beats and is marginally elevated compared to the similar music prevalent at the time. Add to the fact that it exceeds an hour in length without bringing anything to make it seem warranted, an easy 15-minutes could be shaved.
3/5
Suzanne Vega
3/5
An interesting pick for someone who flies under the radar in pop music terms and the author(s) could easily have picked anything that included her few hits. This album is a class pick that shines the light on Vega as a natural inheritor of the crown from other female singer songwriters like Baez and Mitchell.
3.5/5
Hole
4/5
Before Courtney Love was COURTNEY LOVE. Before she got washed up as Kurt's muse and was constantly hounded by the media for doing heroin while pregnant she was the female empowerment of the grunge scene. Until Hole emerged, grunge was a boys club and just like the cover of the album shows, girls can play rough too, and boy do they.
4/5
Dusty Springfield
4/5
An interesting pick for someone who flies under the radar in pop music terms and the author(s) could easily have picked anything that included her few hits. This album is a class pick that shines the light on Vega as a natural inheritor of the crown from other female singer songwriters like Baez and Mitchell.
3.5/5
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
Just like rock and roll, Country Music has gone through several revisions. The California, Western swing sound was revitalized by Buck Owens as the Bakersfield sound - the same sound that would inspire and influence a lot of what cam out of Laurel Canyon (so again, Rock and Roll steals from others to improve itself). This is a completely fine album from Dwight Yoakam and probably one of two of his I would include on this list. However, the fact that Dwight is here while Buck Owens is not is more criminal, but I guess it's not UK 90's synth pop, right?
3.5/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
The Clash
5/5
AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY, JOE STRUMMER CREATED…PUNK.
King Crimson
5/5
It turns out that through this list I've learned that I love prog rock and have done a deep dive into the genre only wanting to go deeper. While In the Court of the Crimson King is an easy five-star album for creating the genre, Larks' Tongues In Aspic is another that goes in a completely different direction and nails it again.
5/5
Kid Rock
3/5
Sit down kids because you're not going to like what I have to say.
The book of bad people making good art is thick. And there is a whole chapter on Trump-influenced MAGAts. But again, refers back to the first sentence of this paragraph. Cultural appropriation aside, this rich boy that grew up so far from Detroit that his current residence of Nashville is closer made a good album. Again, read the first sentence. The messaging in this album has aged worse than Kid Rock's racism, but for a reflection of the time Devil Without a Cause is a good album, but if Limp Bizkit can stay on this list, so can Robert Ritchie. Again… first sentence.
If this list erased the terrible people, at least 250 albums would need to be removed.
3.5/5
MGMT
3/5
Perfectly fine, if you define fine as being stuck in a Starbucks for 40 minutes
3/5
The Icarus Line
3/5
I've never heard of The Icarus Line so this was new to me. While I found this album enjoyable, I don't find anything original or different enough to justify its inclusion on this list. Penance Soiree, while a great album name is no different than any other new, loud, shiny rock from the same time period.
3/5
Arrested Development
4/5
Arrested Development were between a rock and a hard place with this album. On the one side, they had gangster rap and hard-core rappers who were attacking them because they were nerding hip-hop, and rap and on the other side, you had the white people and the rock community who were speaking out against them for taking pride in their culture and for being proud to black and also singing and rapping about the problems that occur in their communities. Everyday People and Mr Wendel were huge hits for them and help make this album a phenomenal piece of history of the times.
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I can understand the Elvis hate, but this is the album that belongs on this list. Standing on the edge of new wave and post punk This Year's Model is a near masterpiece. Three hit songs that see radio airplay still to this day and plenty of others that fit the bill.
4/5
The Stone Roses
3/5
The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses makes for okay background music on a weekend day filled with chores because like most weekend days filled with chores you want them to be done so you can move on to the fun part. It's an okay album with an attempt to create their own sound only to be drowned out by the oncoming hard rock and grunge alternative train from the US.
3/5
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Jefferson Airplane straddle a whole lot of genres here. Rock, psychedelia, prog included. This album is clearly a product of its times and a lot of that product is dated. Obviously the standouts is Someone to love and White Rabbit are mainstays and some bluesy striations are entertaining, but some of this album, while definitely a must listen are easy skips in 2025.
3/5
Fatboy Slim
3/5
If you've heard one Fatboy Slim album, you've heard them all. And this is the second one on this list I've listened to. I don't think there needs to be more than one.
3/5
Simply Red
3/5
This album hasn't aged well. Its 80s soft pop, AOR sound just oozes through every minute of listening. Something not acknowledged or recognized in the reviews for this miss out on how much Simply Red has defined the term 'Blue Eyed Soul'. When this came out. Mick Hucknall comes off as a suave soul singer from the southern US, not some bloke from Manchester.
regardless that the sound may seem smooth jazz sax cringy it definitely belongs here.
3/5
Nirvana
4/5
In Utero > Nevermind
I still feel that Nirvana is an overrated band but In Utero is as near a masterpiece that can be gotten out of them. All Apologies is/was one of my favorite songs when Kurt was still alive. If only he had the help he needed In Utero's follow up could've been stellar.
4/5
John Grant
4/5
I don't know what to make of this, but I like it. Queen Of Denmark by
John Grant is one of those albums that sneaks in and makes you listen and experience it.
Isn't that what the point of this list is?
4/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
If every white band that used funk and soul and hybridized the sound to be edgy and cool had a slot on this list, the list would be much, much longer. I never heard of G. Love & Special Sauce and this sound and time period are in my wheel house. This album sounds like just about all of the edgy early 90s grindy albums and does no better than the popular or successful ones? so why is it here? I don't know, but it's okay. doesn't belong on this list though…
2.5/5
Muddy Waters
5/5
All of the music you like is because albums like Hard Again by Blues artists like Muddy Waters and early Country music commingled and each generation's evolution became a twist.
Muddy Waters is your favorite artist's grand-pappy.
5/5
The Incredible String Band
3/5
I fucking hate Renaissance Fairs.
2.5/5
The Cars
5/5
This album serves as an age check during 'that one song'.
Ric Ocasek nailed it with this album, its full of chart toppers and massive hits.
5/5
Lightning Bolt
3/5
A cacophony of noise oriented rock that sounds Industrial, Hard Core and EDM crunched through a blender… and I like it. Never heard of this group, and let Apple Music recommend me some more after completing this listen.
3.5/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
In the early 60s, Black American music wasn't getting much recognition. Until some Robert Johnson records got a reissue in the UK, the interest in American Blues was nonexistent… until some London 'lads' started mimicking and covering, and electrifying…
The real British Invasion happened when the Stones, and Clapton, and Beck and more retaught us our heritage.
4/5
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I wasn't a big FM fan, but Tusk and Rumours are such masterpieces. I can listen to Christine McVie warble all day long.
4/5
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
This music could only come from West Germany in the early 80s. This was a blast, it really shows the connection between early noise rock and what would become the sound that Ministry and NIN would popularize.
4/5
Yes
4/5
more like The YES Album.
4/5
Brian Eno
3/5
I don't know how many Brian Eno albums are on this list, but this is my 4th or 5th one and I couldn't tell the difference from one to the other if I had to. And there are complaints about Neil Young on this list?
3/5
David Ackles
2/5
When you graduate from the Renaissance Fair to Open-mic night at the coffee house.
2.5/5
Giant Sand
2/5
…chore is apt.
I know it can be tough to fill a variety of slots on a list of 1,001 but an album that is neutral and sounds like others from the same time period isn't one that should be considered.
2/5
Duke Ellington
5/5
This album almost makes up for the stunning lack of important Jazz on this list.
5/5
Os Mutantes
4/5
Weird, Brazilian, and Psychadelia? Yeah, music like this is why the list should exist.
4/5
Dennis Wilson
4/5
There is probably no more tragic story in American popular music than that of the Wilsons - Brian, Carl, and Dennis. Some of the most beautiful music came from them. I'd argue that while Brian spearheaded The Beach Boys and the surf sound (Dennis was the only surfer in the band) if you give The Beach Boys catalog a listen you'll discover some massive hits and lots of filler. As Brian's creativity and mental acuity waned, Dennis stepped in. While Pacific Ocean Blue is a solo album, there's enough help from the core Beach Boys sans Brian for this to have almost been a Beach Boys album - and I'm glad it's not. This is too marvelous to be anything but a Dennis Wilson album.
4/5
The Young Rascals
4/5
Regardless of what distinction the sound that came out of the late 60s SoCal Canyon mean's to people today, the Young Rascals are indicative and Groovin' in endemic to that sound. This album yielded a number of impressive hits that still stand to this day.
3.5/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
This album was banned because of the cover. while tame by today's standards, the music on the inside is definitely not. Ritual de lo Habitual is such an edgy, loud, raw album it hits hard. Janes Addiction comes hard with an album that stands out in a sea of alternative music from this time period.
4/5
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I don't recall The Dandy Warhols when they were current, this period of time being flooded by post-grunge and rap with latin music on the rise. with this album the group sets a standard for the indie pop that will follow in the next decade.
3.5/5
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
The reviews for this album are laughable. On a list of albums you must listen to belongs Buddy Fucking Holly. If not for influencing the mind-numbing unoriginal artists that you insist must be on this list even though they sound like every other artist from the same time period, then he should be there for influencing the bands that influenced the bands that influenced the bands you insist should be on here.
5/5 just to balance out the ignorant shift.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie Wonder spent a lot of time reinventing his sound and his move to the electric piano and Clavinet on this album stand out. Mix in a smoothness for love songs and political messaging that only Stevie Wonder can master, this album is a must listen.
4.5/5
Iggy Pop
4/5
Iggy Pop - the Berlin years. Yeah, this is essentially a Bowie album, but Pop takes the sound to a place that Bowie couldn't reach.
4/5
Everything But The Girl
3/5
after trying to keep myself awake and thinking this sounds like that deserts miss the rain song but only longer and more miserable I discovered this is that band. This is an unremarkable album that smacks of 90s coffee shop schmaltz - and not in a good way.
2.5/5
Brian Eno
3/5
This feels like I'm waiting for a table at Rainforest Café.
3/5
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
I never heard Lupe Fiasco, so Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor was entirely new to me. For the era, he does a good job with innovative writing matched with good production. While it suffers from the same issue common with the genre, the album length can use some cutting - I'd suggest the 12 minute Outro track that is nothing but shout outs, I'm surprised I didn't hear my name in there.
3/5
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Pop music is a fickle beast. It serves one purpose - to entertain. Christina Aguilera pushes the boundaries of patience with this 1 hour, 18 minute double album that really should be a single, and no longer than 40 minutes at best. Comparing to other 'pop' albums on this list, for example the Buddy Holly album I had recently clocks in at a respectable time AND entertains. Christina Aguilera (and her fellow pop princesses of the 90s and 00s) try to step outside the boundaries that pop music requires and present their music as art. She is definitely talented, but a double-disc album of her strangling her vocal cords to overemphasize what doesn't need to be overemphasized is pushing it.
2/5
Mudhoney
3/5
Not all alternative music from the 90s sounded like it came from Seattle - case in point, Mudhoney offers an album that sounds like it came out of the 70s punk rock era and refreshes 90s Alt.
3/5
Paul McCartney
3/5
I often wonder what of the first solo records from the Beatles could possibly end up on a true Beatles record following Let It Be since a lot of the late Beatles work was pretty individualistic. Yeah, Paul went full experimental with this one and the answer to my question would probably be Maybe I'm Amazed, which wouldn't do well on a Beatles record. Out of the three non-drummers, Paul falls into a rare third with this submission, but still a decent record in a historical context.
3/5
Love
3/5
An interesting dive into psychedelia -
3/5
Bauhaus
3/5
What would you expect from a band named Bauhaus? This is some awesome 80s New Wave, Alt, Post-Punk, etc.
3/5
David Bowie
3/5
I'm not the biggest Bowie fan and can easily find good things about this album, most importantly, the simplist and possibly most amazing cover. Inside the record you get a typical Bowie record, only older Bowie facing his mortality.
3.5/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
What gets tragically lost with the reviews on this album is that this is the first batch of original music from the Stones. Mick and Keith sat at the feet of the Beatles and watched them work. They then took notes and one-upped the lads. Yeah, the Stones over the Beatles any day of the week and this is the album that started it.
4/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
Arcade Fire is like a Time Machine in that it slows down time so that it feels like an hour feels like two.
Nothing terrible on this album, nothing great either.
3/5
k.d. lang
4/5
Listening to K.D. Lang sing, you forget how much of an ingénue she truly is. She helped kick off the wave of female singer/songwriters of the 1990s.
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I finally get the EC hate with this list. I've been able to defend or deflect most criticisms but this album has no place on this list. It's not bad, it's also not monumental in the terms of a 'must listen'
3/5
Boston
4/5
The ultimate Dad-Rock album that helped create a genre. A look into Tom Scholz and his journey to kick this off is amazing.
4/5
The Pretty Things
4/5
If you ever wondered what the Beatles would've sounded like if they kept their psychedelic experimentation of Sgt Peppers going you'd get this, but weirder and better.
4/5
Otis Redding
5/5
The soundtrack to those gut-punching 3AM depression bouts brought on by sadness and broken hearts.
5/5
The Mars Volta
4/5
I never imagined that Prog Rock extended into the Millennium. I've never heard Mars Volta before and being exposed to this album makes me thankful that after 950 albums, I still continue to be impressed by music I've never heard before.
4.5/5
Don McLean
4/5
The literal bridge between old, folk, and modern rock. He even wrote a song about the history of the genre. Everyone's familiar with American Pie, but the rest of the album gets lost which is a shame. It's a great folk, singer-songwriter focused record.
4/5
Big Star
3/5
Third by Big Star is one of those albums filled with a bunch of different genre-adjacent songs that somehow manage to blend together into a good listen.
3.5/5
The Residents
3/5
Noise rock that does what its supposed to do, make noise.
Luckily theses experimental albums, while fun are short.
3.5/5
Prefab Sprout
2/5
I thought that by 956 albums into the supposed 1,001 albums you must listen to before you die I would have escaped the drudge of 80s UK Pop. I have failed. The one good thing about this album is that Steve McQueen wasn't around to hear it.
2/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Accidentally listened to the bonus tracks on Apple Music and was thinking that disc 2 was finally taking this album to a place it should've started from. Turns out I wasn't supposed to hear that. bummer.
for disc 1? 3/5
The Beach Boys
5/5
can't believe I'm almost done with this project and I haven't had Pet Sounds yet, so one good thing came from Brian Wilson's passing.
I'm not a wordsmith like him, just know - this album took the longest time to get its due recognition. Luckily Brian was alive to see it.
5/5
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I like the Velvet Underground. Like, not love and White Light exemplifies why. This is the ultimate art school circle jerk compilation.
2.5/5
Frank Black
4/5
I've always like Frank Black's non-Pixies works more. Teenager of the Year highlights his outstanding work.
4/5
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
The Irish know trauma. Somehow the normal trauma of being Irish wasn't enough and Sinead O'Connor had to suffer more. She suffered more than any human should and she turned it into art, which can be gut-wrenching and painful. And beautiful.
4/5
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
Thanks to the previous reviewers, I knew to listen on YouTube and I'm glad a did. This was a relaxing piece of music that really did feel like a journey from morning to night as intended.
4/5
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
If you look at the album as 'Malcolm McLaren' project, yes you're going to hate it. THat's what Malcolm was - not an Impresario as he likes to call himself, more of a provocateur - someone who gets in your face. He's more of a modern day hype man. If this was a Flavor Flav album people would be okay. Malcolm McLaren doesn't create art, he appropriates like a hype man does and that's not a bad thing. The fact that he's a cunt is.
3.5/5
Steve Winwood
2/5
Steve Winwood was in Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, and Traffic before going solo and other than 'While You See A Chance' which would become a big hit the rest of this falls flat and for the life of me I can't understand why this is a 'must listen'? Well, I know but that can't be the only reason, can it?
2/5
Kate Bush
2/5
Yeah, I get Kate Bush is a darling to those of the hippier set thanks to Stranger Things, but this album is a huuuuuge stretch.
2/5
The Fall
3/5
When an album sounds so fresh and new and is so old its impact is obvious. The Fall's 'Live At The Witch Trials' sounds modern and indie and very reflective of the post-punk era that at times I was thinking it was Television.
3.5/5
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
I spent 968 albums dreading this based on all of the gripe I've read… and I like it.
Starting with the cover, this album leaves nothing to the imagination. It's a concept album. About love songs. 69 songs long. This no-frills cover does what 80% of the albums on this list can't even come close to. No foggy paintings of lakes with boats on them, no poetic interpretation.
69 Love songs is different and original and when compared to the endless amounts of Britpop that shouldn't be hear, it's probably shorter.
3.5/5
George Harrison
5/5
The good thing about John & Paul™ cockblocking George Harrison from more than 1-2 songs on a Beatles album was that when they fell apart George had a library of music ready to go. It's a shame that the songs on disc 1 didn't make it to a Beatles record only for not knowing what the boys and George Martin could do Ala Something or While My Guitar…
However, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass is the first and the best solo album by any of the boys.
5/5
Antony and the Johnsons
1/5
From Wiki: After it won the 2005 Mercury Prize, the record shot up the UK albums chart from #135 to #16 in one week, the biggest jump in the history of the prize.[2] As of September 2011, UK sales stood at 220,000 copies.[3]
I can't for the life of me place my finger on why this album is listed on a list of albums that you must listen to before you die. Not one. Not a single issue.
The MacArthur prize is often referred to as the genius prize - this album smacks of genius in all the wrong ways. Regardless of talent, shit music always sounds like shit music when you have a singer singing in a falsetto that sounds like Tiny Tim went mainstream.
1/5
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Fairly indicative of where the genre was at the time, and considering this album predates some of NiN and Ministry's sound I wonder if this was an inspiration.
Quite an enjoyable disc from a band I never heard of.
3/5
The Blue Nile
4/5
In what sounds like a conglomeration of Peter Gabriel and David Bowie, The Blue Nile's debut is a pleasant prog-rock-like listen. Something I'd definitely add to my playlist.
4/5
Kraftwerk
4/5
You really can't object to a third Kraftwerk album on this list can you? In terms of genres, they all but invented electronic music and each album is an original improvement on its predecessor.
4/5
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Should be mandatory listening in civics classes everywhere. Imagine what GS-H would write about today's America, probably nothing because he already wrote it. It is still Winter in America.
4/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
I get that singer songwriters are influential but Tim Buckley is one of those that I can't get into. I never got into his stuff, it just felt sad and morose - which I guess goes with the theme of the album title.
3/5
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
The group that invented harmonizing. Man, if they weren't too busy screwing each other and over they could've been bigger. Cass Elliot got the short end of the stick with this group and it's a shame she didn't get to enjoy her stint in the spotlight longer.
4/5
OutKast
4/5
Yeah, this is a good album, but in all honesty with 2+ hours of music is there much of a chance that a good group can't put out a good album?
Double hip hop albums should be outlawed.
4/5
Pretenders
4/5
The great thing about this list is you get to hear so much more from bands you think you're familiar with. In this installment, the very much Punk / Post Punk / New Wave album from the Pretenders. You'd think they were a rock act based on their radio hits but after a listen here you get so much more.
4/5
Public Enemy
4/5
years ago, high school students used to draw band logos on their notebooks. being one of those bored students who wanted to be a record cover designer I particularly followed through with this trend. when one day one of my fellow metalhead asked me WTF I would be drawing that 'rap crap' on my book next my YES and Led Zeppelin logos I only came back with 'its a cool effing logo'.
back then a lot of hip hop and PE in particular were over my head even though they came from down the road from me. However, now looking back after really listening to this music, I now get why so many people were put off by PE. Well good on PE, they innovated and spoke the truth.
4.5/5
The Beta Band
2/5
Unlike some prior reviewers, this is not my last album. This is album 980 for me. However I will echo their perfect statements in that this album is:
Boring ☑
Forgettable ☑
British ☑
Bullshit ☑
2/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
The most Bayou Rock sounding album from a band founded nowhere near the Bayou. CCR is more southun' rock than most southern rock that hails from the south.
4/5
Traffic
3/5
I've never listened to a full Traffic album before and was pleased when hearing this album for the first time. Traffic always came off as a rock supergroup but I'm getting a lot of prog and jam type music here.
3.5/5
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
You know what's great about punk rock and alternative albums from the 80s? Many songs, under 40 minutes.
Dinosaur Jr are a great band that don't get enough attention, but the influence they yield was enough to take credit for most of the 90s Alternative grunge sound.
3.5/5
Destiny's Child
3/5
One of the most atrocious things late 90s and early 00s pop has made us suffer through is the over-emphasizing of words to drag them out over a musical phrase. While not achieving as terribly high a score as Christina Applegate, Beyoncé™ and Co's Survivor doesn't survive. It's representative of an era of pop music that doesn't leave a warm feeling. Not to mention the gross pushing of Beyoncé by her momager.
The album is okay, as a record of the time but it is not a great album.
2.5/5
De La Soul
5/5
One of the finest hiphop albums created. I remember this being the first album the showcased the poetry, intelligence, and humanity of hiphop.
5/5
The Prodigy
4/5
This record was every. where. in the 90s.
It's still a good listen and I think with this much time between the releases, this list only needs one Prodigy album.
4/5
k.d. lang
5/5
Who better to make a Patsy Cline album than a Canadian Enjenue working with the same production team that recorded Patsy.
Absolutely beautiful album.
5/5
Megadeth
4/5
Rounding out the fourth pillar of Thrash is the deservedly included Peace Sells… But Who's Buying. This is/was such a monumental album that it helped to etch Metal's influence on music.
4/5
Shack
2/5
In a total judging the album by the cover you know immediately know this album is a bland BritPop filler for the list… a listen and view of the Wiki confirms my logic is probably 495/500 by this point.
This is an okay album, not a worthy must listen album.
2/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Turn the lights down, throw a scarf over the bare bulb. Put this album on the turntable and just close your eyes while the sonically pleasing back and forth in stereo take you another world.
5/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Two recognizable hits, one hell of a story told through song and one of the earlier Heavy Metal albums. Deep Purple's Machine Head is such a fantastic listen, it strikes all of the genre's in one that will develop into the 70s Hard Rock sound that is so recognizable and cliché according to a lot of people on this site - little do they know the influence this album and group wield on the shitty "Indie" hipster drivel they listen to and want to complain about not being on this list.
4/5
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
When I was in college in the mid 90's so Fraternity brothers and I took a road trip from Brooklyn to Alfred, NY in one guy's beater Nissan Sentra. He had a cassette player and maybe 2 tapes. One of those tapes was Jeru The Damaja and I haven't listened to Jeru at all since those 12 hours round trip. Is this a core hiphop album? Not even on that day when it was a literal 1/2 of the available albums to listen to. Yes it's a good album and the lyrics are good but must listen? I'm not convinced.
3/5
4/5
While bands like the Sex Pistols, Clash, and The Ramones were the poster children of Punk music, X was defining the sound. This album sounds like it could've been produced today.
4/5
Hugh Masekela
3/5
I love jazz and the fact that this album is not on my radar signifies the questionability of it being on this list. However I am not into smooth jazz which this borders on in my opinion which also makes me question its place on this list. There is a lot of great jazz. There is a stunning lack of jazz on this list. This album, sadly should be neither.
3/5
Korn
2/5
Just because an album is a must-listen means it's a good album. Take in consideration "Follow The Leader" by Korn - an album that calls out to all of the disgruntled angry underachievers. From a musicality point, there is nothing original or worthy of influence for future bands. I say this as a metal head and rap fan from the early 80s that saw what the originators of this sound were trying to accomplish, this wasn't it.
2/5
Slade
3/5
Slade is always a go-to example of what the Brits got right in the glam/hard rock era of the 70s. Bonus, I didn't get that Quiet Riot's biggest hits were Slide Covers.
3/5
The Divine Comedy
2/5
From the Wiki: "Casanova is the fourth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy."
There goes another example of England fucking up Northern Ireland with their occupation.
2/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
The album that surely changed how American college kids listened to new music outside their comfort zones definitely belongs on this list. Mon.
4.5/5
The Young Gods
3/5
Cool. French Ministry when regular Ministry would've been better.
3/5
Kanye West
4/5
To cite my prologue from Eric Clapton, Kid Rock, and many more - bad people can make good music.
Kanye West is an amazing producer, a good rapper and an okay writer. That's fine, he brings in a ton of features and cowriters to fill the gaps and puts together a good album that even though personally, I'm not a fan of his style I did enjoy.
4/5
The Police
3/5
Talk about three people that should not work together but should also work together. The Police cram into a three person lineup what other bands do in five or six. Each master of their trade come together to make an awesome album. Sting's ego can comprise another band.
3.5/5
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Another example of ATCQ being near perfection in every execution. When this album launched in 1990 hip-hop and rap were at a cross roads. East Coast / West Coast rivalries were being amped up and Q-Tip just slips in this masterpiece.
5/5
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
I wonder if this album were released without the title track for a John Hughes movie it would be on this list? My bet is no.
The Psychedelic Furs are a good hybrid band that was creating a new sound during the period, however must listen? I'm not convinced.
3/5
Afrika Bambaataa
1/5
On the one hand, the author(s) reach well beyond their intention of this list by including an "album" that is comprised of previously released singles.
On the other hand, y'all. I'm will always separate the art from the artist, HOWEVER, Africa Bambaaataa has SA'd many young individuals. His actions by far surpass Kid Rock being a douche bag or Eric Clapton being a drunk racist.
1/5
Ray Charles
5/5
I got Volumes 1&2, so I don't know if both or just Vol. 1 was intended ala the Ella Fitzgerald Gershwin album(s), but, regardless I believe both albums belong on this list because Ray Charles does something that not many can do. He de-countrifies Country music. If a lot of these songs aren't recognizable to you than he did his job because what makes real Country music so good is the story telling. Take away the cliché or the jokes about the twang and put it into a different context like 60s Soul you get a masterpiece of an album.
5/5
David Crosby
4/5
Not what I expected from David Crosby. The features really shine here and pleasant surprise of surprises, the Grateful Dead.
4/5
Gene Clark
3/5
Clearly Gene Clark was the better songwriter once the Byrds stopped being a Bob Dylan cover band. On this solo outing, Gene Clark owns the spotlight and shows you where his head is at in terms of where the singer/songwriter style of this time period is at - Country Rock is what it will become known as and this FM Radio / AOR album helps define the genre.
3.5/5
The Dictators
3/5
Having never heard of the Dictators I wondered what another 'Punk' album would add to this list - not much it turns out. Other than Dick Manitoba being in this band, underground is well-enough represented on this list.
3/5
Jane Weaver
2/5
Jane Weaver must have blackmail on the authors.
2/5
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
You don't get to listen most of the music on this list without recognizing that the songs and artists this album pays tribute to are responsible in some way. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band put to wax the stories and intentions behind the songs that built country and rock with the people that wrote, sang, and recorded them. Kudos to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for recognizing that this music could be long lost had it not been shared with current and future generations.
5/5
George Jones
4/5
If you're not into Country music, take a listen to season 2 of Tyler Mahon Coe's in-depth history of George Jones' importance on the genre.
4/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
How does a band that is a one-hit wonder get three albums on this list? Even more important, How does a band that is a one-hit wonder get three albums on this list AND WHO'S WIKIPEDIA PAGE FOR THIS ALBUM SAY: "The album was a commercial failure upon release, and its rejection by both critics and the public resulted in the group's disbandment in 1987."
I like Dexy's. I don't love them and even I can say this album does not belong here.
2/5
Cee Lo Green
2/5
A one hit wonder who's one hit makes me wonder why it's not here. The rest of the album is a generic blending of funk and hip hop. Examples of which are better represented elsewhere than on this album.
2/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Patient zero for the EZ-Mellow-Adult-Soft-Rock future of music. CS&N and later &Y were lightning in a bottle in terms of lyric, music, and harmony and their egos wouldn't allow that. Their brief time together brought us more great solo music also represented here, but this first album is chock full of hits and inspiration.
4/5
The White Stripes
3/5
The hipster's bible entry.
Jack White is a good guitar player. Jack White is a decent songwriter. Jack White is an excellent marketer. He carved his lane and stuck to it.
The White Stripes changed music in the early '00s and Jacks resurgence of garage music helped reconnect the genre back to its early roots. His wandering eye for different genres and acts is the epitome of ADHD Rock.
3.5/5
Faust
4/5
Less KrautRock and more prog rock. Given the timespan of this group and their locale, this is a phenomenal album.
4.5/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
When this album was released I was in my prime music ingestion period and I've never heard one song. 35 years later it sounds like the rest of the generic Brit-Pop that floods this list so I don't know if it was a lack of my discovering Happy Mondays or just this list being this list.
3/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
One of the instances where to maintain artistic integrity Led Zeppelin put the songs on the album they wanted and then filled it with extras, and it works. Similar to the Beatles and Abbey Road side 2, Physical Graffiti's composure of some filler tracks right next to freaking KASHMIR just keeps the ship floating.
John Bonham really shines on hear with his comoposition on tracks.
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
This album certainly did not create a whole new genre in folk, but it certainly is responsible for 99% of what came after it.
5/5
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Generic Millenial whiney rock. Fits somewhere between Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons. You know this is currently popular but will be forgotten in ten years.
2.5/5
Marty Robbins
3/5
Glad to see this thrift store bin regular get its props. This style of Adult Contemporary / Country left quicker than it arrived but with songs like Big Iron, Cool Water, and of course - El Paso Marty Robbins turned a lot of people onto country music with this album.
3.5/5
PJ Harvey
3/5
I like PJ Harvey, and this is probably the best of her FOUR albums on this list, but four albums? She's not that 'must listen'.
3.5/5
Hot Chip
2/5
Cool. More recent UK techno.
2/5
ABBA
3/5
Baaba Maal
3/5
When analyzed on an individual album-by-album basis, ABBA sounds… okay with a few really good songs. When summarizing the whole with examples like Greatest Hits or Mama Mia you can really dial in on the band. The Visitors offers a peak but not the whole vision.
3.5/5
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Once again, the author(s) get it right. This album of boring country according to some on this list nails what the birth of modern country music means to modern music. The Louvin Brothers are at the pinnacle of Country - a listen to Type Mahon Coe's podcast will paint them in a light that makes this album more appreciable.
4/5
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
This album is fresh (as in new, not in cool). I'm a firm believer that fresh albums should not be on a list of must-listen albums until they have some time to gel. But for the sake of this project, here I am… and I'm not impressed. This album came out at a time when everyone was stuck at home. If this is such a must-listen, why have I never heard of this album or even Jazmine Sullivan.
Big strikeout from the authors on this one.
1/5
Tom Waits
3/5
This is a concept album in essence, and it works. Once you get Tom Waits you understand his schtick. Nighthawks isn't my favorite Tom Waits album but it is my favorite painting.
3.5/5
Ravi Shankar
4/5
This album is five minutes of Ravi telling you what is awesome about Indian traditional music and 48 minutes of him proving it.
4/5
Fela Kuti
4/5
In thanks to this list, I've discovered Afro-beat like Fela Kuti and others. It's so funkin' refreshing to listen to.
4/5
B.B. King
4/5
It's rare for a live album to capture the energy and vibrancy of a musician's performance. B.B. King's Live at the Regal puts you in the audience and adding some of your own applause before you realize you're at work and Janice from HR is standing at your desk.
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
You wouldn't think the band that was so infamous, they have stories involving groupies and sharks that would make you toes curl could write one of the greatest love songs. Thank You is a way up there as a great song, it surpasses some of their greater well known songs which fill out this album smoothly.
5/5
Fugees
4/5
ONE-TIME
4/5
Sepultura
3/5
Whenever people talk about the holy four of Thrash, this is the album that I reference in argument that Sepultura could easily swap out any of the bands on the list.
3.5/5
Spiritualized
2/5
Floating in space would be a good alternative to never having to hear this album again.
2/5
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
An album that only the genius of Steven Stills and Neil Young could make alone. Their future works don't hold a candle to what they do with The Buffalo Springfield.
3.5/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Classic Prog Rock album that I'm sure everyone participating will enjoy. /s
3.5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
The number of albums from the post-millennium that I feel worthy of inclusion are very limited. I would add this album to the list not for its exceptionality but for its generalized interpretation of what the first decade was truly like from a music perspective.
3/5
Wire
4/5
That band that sounds like Television - but British.
4/5
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
1/5
Petition that requires the term 'Supergroup' include actual super stars of the respective genres (ex. Traveling Wilburys, Cream, Blind Faith, etc) and not musicians whom at best are quiet sidemen in bigger bands.
This album started bland and got blander and offered nothing redeeming to my day.
1/5
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
True New Wave that belongs on this list unlike the ninety some-odd knock offs.
Electronic Symphonic done right.
3.5/5
fIREHOSE
3/5
nOTBAD.
Like a merging of early 80s indie rock like REM, The Replacements, and what not. Yet it comes at a later time and sounds different but the same - kinda the point of doing this list, no?
3.5/5
3/5
Much like wha was established with British Punk, Punk music needs to come from hostility. The angry masses watching their futures stolen from them by endless war, famine, and an uncaring political party. Sound familiar?
We need a punk revolution akin to the late 60s and 70s if not to give the modern times some good music.
3.5/5
Portishead
3/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Straight up raw rock and roll. It took the Stones a long time to get to this point, but this is the essential sound of the Stones.
4/5
David Bowie
2/5
I'm in the extreme minority as someone that doesn't get/like Bowie and this is the center point of my reasoning. This album is a very niche approach to making music.
2.5/5
Heaven 17
3/5
Such a weird conglomaration of genres compressed into one album. This weirdness is what I signed up for.
3/5
Lorde
3/5
Just like the rest of the trendy pop albums on this list, Lourde’s Melodrama is no different, just more recent.
What makes this a must listen vs her debut I dont get. At least that was more original and not mired by the Jack Antonoff filter.
3/5
Saint Etienne
3/5
Having never heard of Saint Etienne I was bracing myself for yet another UK pop band that didn't bring anything exciting to this list. I was only half wrong in that this is a good trip-hop album that drags in areas but still a pleasant refreshing listen.
3.5/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Four star album with a bonus star for not using the Oxford comma.
5/5
Taylor Swift
3/5
evermore is a warm sweater on a cold fall night. high school football games, campfires, cider mills and pumpkin patches - this album reeks of it all.
however, is such a new album necessary, considering Switft's catalog?
good listen, list worthy? maybe
3/5
Portishead
4/5
Trip-hop like Portishead's other album on this list. I can't imagine why - other than this band being British Portishead has two albums on the list. This one definitely should be here.
4/5
TV On The Radio
3/5
Noise. Nothing more than a group of theater kids using their parents money to liver the nouveau-bohemian hipster life in Williamsburg.
3/5
Björk
4/5
The contrast between an inovative album like something from Björk being criminally rated poorly and the "Art-house-Hipster-Coffee-Shop-Indie-Folk-Rock" carrying a bunch of 5s shows how much personal taste biases.
4/5
3/5
Art Rock done right.
3.5/5
D'Angelo
3/5
Modern R&B isn't my bag, but I'm aware enough of D'Angelo to know this album is the GM of the genre. For me and my involvement in this list it adds some variety to a bland British landscape.
3/5
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Funkified renditions of some popular at the time hits. A different record from the Isley's, but for a group that was part of the birth of soul / R&B through this album and into current times this band refreshes itself.
3/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Like many other bands, Red Hot Chili Peppers declined in quality after a major album - Blood Sugar Sex Magik in this instance. Califonication represents a change in direction for the band following BSSM which takes them further from their roots established with Mother's Milk.
This is not a terrible album, just one that hasn't satisfied my tastes for them as a band, even with the major hits this album produced.
3/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
Generic AOR that will be forgotten about in a few years and will become the soundtrack to the 'Hey remember the early 00s?' retrospectives when the Gen Z'ers retire.
3/5
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Sultry, quiet covers and originals take this iconic album into a whole new genre that I don't believe the Junkies anticipated.
4/5
Fever Ray
2/5
Electro-Babble that offers nothing new or original in its approach.
2/5
Patti Smith
5/5
If Lou Reed were a woman she'd make this album. Good thing she did because this amazing album is better than what the Velvets have done.
5/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
This could be the album that insufferable Beach Boys fans will fawn over as the Masterpiece that Pet Sounds isn't. What people like Andrew Hickey don't see or get is that this album is one of the Beach Boys lesser quality albums. This album suffers from the lack of awareness that Brian Wilson required to keep The Beach Boys floating, but since he was in his depression era the boys moved out on their own and tried to create multiple solo-style singles instead of BB records. You don't catch a glimpse to what shows as a glimmer of good production until the last three songs of the album where the wonderful harmonies of the BB return and remind you of what made them so great.
This is an okay album. For the Beach Boys.
3/5
The Who
3/5
Before Tommy, before Quadrophenia, there was the band that was part of the Brit-Pop Invasion. Earlier Who is less fun, but My Generation is a primer into their catalog.
3/5
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
This is weird.
I like weird.
Frank Zappa is such a creative curmudgeon.
3.5/5
The White Stripes
3/5
I don't like Jack White but I tolerate him. He's inovative, a decent guitar player and an advocate for analog and long-forgotten groups. However, every Jack White song sounds like every other Jack White song and the collection of Jack White songs on this album are not the best Jack White versions of Jack White songs the Jack White has Jack White'd.
3/5
The Byrds
4/5
This album is getting a resurgence after being rated as one of The Byrds worst is now a favorite. It is for me and that's all thanks to Gram Parsons and his push to take the band into Country Rock - the experiment failed at the time but this album and Parsons' legacy are now cemented as Rock classic.
4.5/5
Stan Getz
4/5
The album that birthed the Bossa Nova craze. This album was so massive it convnced Francis Albert himself to embrace it.
4.5/5
Barry Adamson
3/5
There's something for everyone on this album. No, really! Jazz, spoken track, James Bond theme rip-off, Jazzercise and trip-hop.
This is a weird album and while I try to figure if I like it or hate it, I have to wonder why its on this list because this Swiss cheese type of tracklist makes no sense to me.
2.5/5
Mercury Rev
3/5
Checking back into this on a Monday after the weekend spaced out my listening to this album and having to rewrite my review following a computer crash.
I have no memory of this album. It's name, music, style and themes have been forgotten. That tells me everything about this album's presence on this list.
3/5
Peter Frampton
4/5
This album is the soundtrack of the 1970s American Teenager™. Just watch That 70s Show, Dazed and Confused, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and you'll get the vibe that this easily conveys.
4/5
The Streets
1/5
The stages of listening to this album:
1) good beat, this could be good
2) vocals come in. is this a comedy album?
3) wait, this is serious?
4) oh, FFS. WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS.
This is my 1,073rd album on this list so I've heard some 'interesting' music. But this is not only the worst album I've been subjected to while doing this list, it is the absolute worst album I've ever listened to in my entire 53 years on this planet.
This is the first time I've ever wished for a 0 option on the rating scale - and I've found something positive to say about Steeley Dan.
.5/5
The Beta Band
2/5
Where is the Hot Shot? This album doesn't have it.
2/5
Eagles
3/5
Congrats to everyone here. You've all seen The Big Lebowski. And based on that movie alone you hate the Eagles. Man.
However, this freshman album from a band that would only get better and bigger who were only motivated to do this came from Linda Rondstadt herself deserves a real listen. Listent to what the status of 'Country Rock' was and where it would go. Now listen to how these mere novices arranged it to put out three massive singles that are still relevant today.
3/5
Britney Spears
3/5
Man the 90s were wild. Add Britney's name to the collateral damage left in the wake of Disney's Pop Princess Assembly Line™. I was too old to listen to this when it came out, so my opinion today means even less - however what this album and this person did to the culture at the time? This is nothing short of influence.
3/5
Roni Size
1/5
I had a better review written up about this album but it got wiped away in a browser refresh. I'm not going to waste my time rewriting what a waste of time this 2 hour+ album is.
My only thing I would stress is the nerve it must take for the glowing reviews of this album while people complain about the Ella Fitzgerald album.
1/5
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Monk set the bar for cool, for Jazz, for life. This album is complex jazz that only Konk can do.
5/5
Killing Joke
4/5
Yes - post-punk. But so far post-punk that it almost deserves a new iteration of the genre. Added to their originality, Killing Jokes influence on rock and roll is relevant still today.
4/5
Calexico
4/5
Calexico's Feast of Wire is reminiscent of Wilco, Ennio Morricone, and Marty Robbins rolled into one. This modern day (if you want to call 2003 modern day) sounds older beyond its years and is example of why this list is fun.
3.5/5
The Band
4/5
If this album were to be removed from services would The Band by The Ban be on a list of The Banned??
Regardless, This Band of The Band put out a really good record called The Band.
4/5
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
When you sing like Lemmy and think you're the next Lynard Skynard that sounds like Pantera and you create a rock opera that you think is Tommy.
It is not.
2/5
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
This list really loves some Brian Eno. This is a tranquil interesting listen.
3/5
Buck Owens
4/5
Lots to unpack with this core Country album. The tail of Buck Owens' fight with Nashville-based Country™ led to his creation of the Bakersfield sound. That sound would go on to influence so much music coming out of the valley shortly after. We wouldn't be familiar with The Monkees, CSN&Y, Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young and more without Buck's influence.
4/5
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Albums like this clearly show that the UK artists that overpopulate this list excel when they keep it bleak and morose.
3/5
Beth Orton
2/5
This album starts out as a mediocre Brit-Pop version of Natalie Merchant and quickly descends into a very forgettable melange of meh.
If the author(s) feel like dolling out a slot on this list to every UK artist that gets a Mercury Prize nomination waved in their direction this is going to be a very trying ordeal.
2/5
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
It was (checks notes…) this morning that I wrote a review for Beth Orton's monstrosity of an album that I included - "If the author(s) feel like dolling out a slot on this list to every UK artist that gets a Mercury Prize nomination waved in their direction this is going to be a very trying ordeal."
I can add no more to that. I am however doubting the capabilities of the Mercury Prize in their taste of music.
2/5
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
To quote from my review of the last my bloody valentine albums unnecessarily on this list:
my bloody ears.
1/5
Tom Waits
4/5
Not my favorite Tom Waits album, but he does so much here on Heart Attack and Vine. My favorite song is on this album and probably the only reason this album is on this list - but Jersey Girl is phenomenal and one of rare examples where a cover is better than the original.
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I guess I'll have to use this as my 1,089th and final review of this project to defend this album - and I can't believe I actually have to defend it but here goes:
While, yes this is Bruce's weaker album on the list looking at the context of where we were six months after 9/11. Also some years ago Springsteen replaced his long time collaborators and brothers in arms - the E-Street band with some 'lesser' musicians heretofore referred to as the B-Street band for his 'solo' career. Bruce fans wanted Clarence. They wanted to see Stevie pretend to blush during Bobby Jean.
While the Twin Towers burned and Bruce watched, he was asked by a fan / stranger - 'What do you have to say about this? We need you to help us heal' and that's when he took his brothers who he came off of a reunion tour with into the studio and started laying down new tracks. Some of them were long standing songs he wrote and others addressed the tragedies of 9/11.
Maybe it's because I'm too close to this album. I think of my family that barely escaped those towers, my Uncle's partner who did not. There are too many to name and I think of them still every time I hear this album. There are few songs that can bring a tear to my eye but this is the one.
Yes, not his best but this album is worthy of this list because of how Bruce turned the tragedy into art, spoke of the times and shared his grief.
4/5