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Finisher #395 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.11
Average Rating
100%
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1950s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
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Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
73
5-Star Albums
44
1-Star Albums
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By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Venus Volume 1 | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Cypress Hill | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| Let England Shake | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| Nothing's Shocking | 5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
| The Idiot | 5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
| Rust In Peace | 5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
| Astral Weeks | 5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
| Private Dancer | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| Brilliant Corners | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
| Fear Of A Black Planet | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disintegration | 1 | 3.85 | -2.85 |
| The Queen Is Dead | 1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
| On The Beach | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| Unknown Pleasures | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| You Want It Darker | 1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
| Meat Is Murder | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Pornography | 1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
| Low-Life | 1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
| Closer | 1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
| Loveless | 1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.57 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.5 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.67 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.67 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.67 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 4.67 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 1 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 1.33 |
| The Cure | 3 | 1.33 |
| Joy Division | 2 | 1 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 1.75 |
| Echo And The Bunnymen | 3 | 1.67 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 2 |
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1.5 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1.5 |
| New Order | 2 | 1.5 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 2.2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Prodigy | 5, 2 |
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 4, 1 |
| Pink Floyd | 5, 3, 5, 2 |
| Frank Sinatra | 5, 3, 2 |
| Black Sabbath | 2, 5, 4 |
5-Star Albums (73)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
I found myself continuously asking “is this song done yet?” And it never was. It never was.
72 likes
Talk Talk
2/5
I'm going to create another list called "1001 Mediocre New Wave Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". That would reduce the current list by about 700, and it might be hard work to replace those, but I think it's worth it.
69 likes
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Why are there so many Nick Cave albums on this list? This is nearly impossible to listen to.
46 likes
The Smiths
1/5
Anyone else also get this album on September 8, 2022? The day Queen Elizabeth died? Can’t be a coincidence, right?
Anyway, as for the album, I thought it was terrible and I hate that I live in a world where it is considered good.
40 likes
Orange Juice
1/5
There's not a single Tool album on this list and yet I have to continuously listen to this garbage and garbage like it.
35 likes
1-Star Albums (44)
All Ratings
Kate Bush
4/5
Great songs - Running Up That Hill, Big Sky, Cloudbusting, Waking the Witch, Watching You Without Me, Jig of Life
Very experimental album, probably especially for the time. Hard to categorize it.
John Martyn
2/5
Not a great album. Surprised I've never heard of this guy though. All the songs are kind of boring and uninteresting. "Big Muff" was kinda funny. "Certain Surprise" had a croony, Dean Martin-y feel. "Dancing" had a 70s groove. Those were the only ok songs on the album.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
What can you say about this one? Classic Sinatra. All great songs. Missing a couple of my favorite Sinatra songs (like Luck Be a Lady), but they're all exactly what you'd expect on a Sinatra album.
TLC
4/5
Not really my thing but this is about as prototypical mid-90s R&B as you can get. Solid album. Worth listening to.
Tortoise
3/5
Maybe this was ground breaking at the time, but now it sounds like every "Alpha Wave Music to Relax and Study" video on youtube. Would put it on in the background and forget about it but there's nothing special about it. Giving it an extra star for any historical relevance it might have.
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
Absolutely fantastic. Pure funk. Head starts bobbing of its own accord. Not too sure about "All About Love" even though it has some good moments. Everything else is great though. Too short.
Sex Pistols
5/5
This album is pure energy. Weird listening to it today, when all the "controversial" aspects seem tame. It's been imitated so much that it almost sounds like a parody of itself. No doubt that this is as punk as a studio album can get.
The La's
4/5
Mostly nondescript but catchy songs. Recognized "There She Goes" from every movie ever. Everything else was new to me. I liked "Liberty Ship" and "All By Myself". There aren't really any standouts but there are no bad songs on the album, and the songs that are on there tend to grow on you.
Supergrass
3/5
Pretty eclectic mixture of songs, sometimes just one song was an eclectic mixture. I liked "Sitting Up Straight" but not much else.
Public Enemy
5/5
Powerful album with tons of cultural significance. Lyrically strong and deep with a lot of innovative sampling of sound bites interspersed throughout. My only criticism is that the songs seem to run together musically, but Public Enemy was always more about the lyrics than the music.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
There's some really good songs on this album (Cherub Rock, Today, Disarm) but overall it's pretty boring. 3.5 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Garbage. Not sure what I'm supposed to like about this. I guess some of the songs would sound good in a movie soundtrack in a scene where a guy walks into a room where his whole family just got murdered. No thanks.
The Sonics
3/5
Not really sure how to rate this. On the one hand, it's just a bunch of covers so who cares, but on the other hand there is a raw energy here that is palpable and impressive. They put their own subtle spin on the covers but at the same time there wasn't much difference between them and every other version of the songs I've ever heard. I probably won't listen again but I didn't hate it. I bet they would have been great to see live. "Strychnine" and "Have Love Will Travel" are great songs. "The Witch" & "Boss Hoss" grow on you.
James Brown
3/5
Big James Brown fan but this album really isn't that good. "Lost Someone" was pretty cool though.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Every song on this album is catchy and interesting. No low points. Great example of classic Reggae.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Classic album. Cool cover too.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
"Dreamer" was ok I guess. The rest of the album was pretty forgettable. Reminds me of "Eels" in some places.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Beautiful voice here. Nice collection of standards performed pretty much perfectly. Not really a fan personally of this kind of thing even though it's easy to admire the talent. Also I don't generally like live albums. I think the Spotify version linked here is only half of the album. Full album is here: spotify:album:4HXhOHapnfYAFUuQqBWQ3L
Kinda messed up of the emcee to call her out for performing with lyric sheets...
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Generic techno.
Steely Dan
4/5
You kind of have to be in the right mood to listen to Steely Dan, but luckily I'm in that mood most of the time. "Deacon Blues" is the highlight of this album but the whole thing is great.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Psychedelic blues rock. Probably a fun band to see live, but this album didn't really do much for me. It did make me a little curious about this band though. They have some good stuff, just not much on this album in my opinion.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
I had never heard this album all the way through but, like everyone I guess, I know all the hits and they're all on this album. The songs I hadn't heard still felt familiar. Great album
Neil Young
3/5
This was a strange listening experience. Clearly cathartic for Neil to write and perform these songs, but they weren't very interesting for me. Especially given the fact that his voice is objectively terrible. Not sure why he attempts to hit some of the notes he goes for. Despite this, I find myself thinking about some of the songs long after I've heard them. Can't really articulate why. Summary: objectively bad, subjectively good.
The Black Keys
4/5
Good but not great. Some pretty forgettable songs on here. The good ones are really good though. "Ten Cent Pistol" is probably my favorite, but the most popular are probably "Howlin' For You", "Next Girl" and "Tighten Up" which are all also pretty great. Could skip the rest and not miss anything.
Black Sabbath
2/5
I guess none of the songs are terrible and there were some cool guitar riffs here and there. No good songs either though.
The Yardbirds
3/5
This was overall an enjoyable listen. A step up from the usual 60s psychedelic rock that was prevalent around this time. Not sure I'd listen again but didn't mind it while it was playing.
Nina Simone
3/5
I get why people would like this, powerful voice, meaningful lyrics, emotional music. Just not my thing really.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Don't understand this at all.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Didn't do much for me.
The Who
3/5
A very relaxing listen. Kinda clever with the little fake commercials interspersed between the "real" songs. "I Can See For Miles" is a great song and I like "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" but otherwise not too impressive.
Fever Ray
2/5
Very generic. Could be nice to have in the background while you're doing something else, but so would any random album like this. Nothing special about it. "Seven" was the standout song for me.
M.I.A.
3/5
This album is a mixture of catchy and annoying. Not too sure how I feel about it.
Yes
3/5
Mellow album to put on in the background. Not sure I'd listen on purpose though. The talent is palpable and obvious but just not my thing.
James Taylor
4/5
Pretty solid. The big hits on this album are incredible: "Sweet Baby James", "Country Road", and of course "Fire and Rain" but a lot of the rest are pretty unmemorable. Wasn't familiar with most of the rest and I'm pretty fine with that.
Rush
3/5
Another of many examples on this list of an album where I can appreciate the talent, but it's not for me.
Suicide
1/5
The first note of the first song had me intrigued but it quickly got really bad after that. This seems to be a pattern with bands I haven't heard of on this list. Anyway, this whole album was awful. "Girl" might be the worst song I've ever heard. "Frankie Teardrop" was kind of interesting but still terrible. Unnecessary screaming everywhere.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
Good stuff. The guy is an incredible lyricist, but I felt like I had to pay too much attention.
Steely Dan
2/5
Pretty boring.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Nice album but not great. 3 great songs ("America", "Mrs. Robinson", "A Hazy Shade of Winter") and the rest were ok. Can't really call this a good album even though I'm a big fan of Simon & Garfunkel.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
This is a cool album. Don't know if it's "good" but it is definitely cool. The harmonizing is something else. "Turn to Stone", "Sweet Talkin' Woman", "Sweet Is the Night", and, of course, "Mr. Blue Sky" are the standouts but there aren't really any duds.
Wire
2/5
Not my thing. Kinda neat hearing "Three Girl Rhumba" and how clear it was plagiarized by Elastica on "Connection". I remember learning about that but had forgotten who was the original artist. When that song came on I thought it was playing the Elastica song.
Television
2/5
Another underwhelming punk album. There were some parts of Marquee Moon that were ok, but overall this was a dud.
Beck
2/5
Didn't really like this one other than "Lost Cause". Really depressing stuff.
Janet Jackson
4/5
This is a really good album. Not really my thing but the songs are catchy and danceable all while providing a social commentary (although sometimes a little corny). That was probably the whole point so mission accomplished. Unlikely that I'll listen to it again though.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Mostly forgettable tracks with some interesting features. Really not like any albums I've heard before, even though most of the songs sounds pretty similar to each other. It's a mixture of world music combined with McLaren yelling random stuff. I think most of the songs would be better without him.
Common
2/5
Meh. "The Food" was the only song I liked on this album.
Hole
3/5
Reminds me of the 90s. Good but fairly generic.
The Only Ones
2/5
Another bad punk album.
Beatles
4/5
How do you rate The Beatles? Kind of an impossible task. Just give every album 5 stars? I'm normally not a big fan of these kinds of poppy love songs, but The Beatles can make even those sound good. That said I'll give this 4 stars since I like a lot of their other stuff better. Feel like I'm grading on a curve though.
The Specials
3/5
This is an ok album. A few good songs on it, but this kind of ska sound gets a little too repetitive for my taste. Still, not bad overall.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Cool album. Pretty good as background but not generic like a lot of "background music" albums on this list.
The Birthday Party
2/5
I thought the first song "Blast Off" was ok. Had a White Zombie feel to it. Album fell off pretty quick after that though. Picked back up with "Several Sins" but didn't much like the rest of it. It was unique though, I'll give it that.
The Who
3/5
Songs are all good but I'm just not a big fan of live albums. The show was probably amazing, album really isn't.
Boards of Canada
1/5
It was a miserable experience listening to this.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
This is not a good album. None of the songs were objectively terrible though so I guess I can give it 2 stars. Can't for the life of me understand how this is on this list though.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Cool voice. This album gets a bit repetitive, but each song is pretty cool on its own.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Nice album to listen to. Lots of interesting tracks. Not really my thing but didn't mind it at all. I was expecting to dislike the whole thing.
3/5
I feel the same way about this album as I do about just about all prog rock. It's kind of like watching a circus act or a magic show: The skill and talent is evident and impressive and I'm glad I saw it, but I don't ever need to see it again.
U2
3/5
Kind of a weird experience listening to this. I haven't listened to this album in a long time and I was expecting it to be really good. Instead even the songs I like weren't as good as I remembered them.
Foo Fighters
4/5
This album goes down in quality after the first three songs but still a thoroughly great album from start to finish.
John Prine
4/5
This is a great album. This style of folk/country music can get repetitive but every track here is solid despite this. Don't know how anyone can listen to "Angel From Montgomery" without crying.
Neil Young
1/5
This isn't good. At all.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
This was definitely a step above most electronic dance music stuff. Still not my cup of tea, but every song was solid. Could imagine a DJ in a 90s rave just throwing this album on and just stepping away for an hour and no one would complain.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Nice, pleasant album. Billie Holiday's voice is full of emotion and feeling and the songs are all sad in their own subtly different ways. That said, the songs do blend together and are hard to distinguish from each other. Can't really imagine listening to this to just enjoy it and I think that's what music is really about.
Michael Jackson
5/5
This is an incredible album. Every song either is or could have been a hit. And with good reason too. I don't think I paid as much attention to this album when it came out because the previous albums were "Thriller" and "Off the Wall" and how do you top those? Answer is you probably don't but this is still a top tier album.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Elvis Costello is one of those hit or miss singers for me and this album is mostly a miss. I've listened to a few of his albums and they all tend to have one great song and the rest are mediocre. I couldn't find the great song on this album.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Incredibly powerful voice. Good songs, but only a couple of real great ones.
Happy Mondays
4/5
I didn't expect this to be good and was pleasantly surprised. Started off strong with a little bit of a lull but most of this album was really good.
Radiohead
2/5
Not too impressed. Don't think I've ever heard this entire album before, but on this listening the only song I liked was "Optimistic". The rest kind of blend together. Might be good as background music though.
The Police
4/5
The beginning and ending of this album is not good at all but the middle is unbelievable. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you like a song or you're just familiar with it, but the 4 songs I knew (Synchronicity II, Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, Wrapped Around Your Finger) are enough to make this a great album. I also liked Miss Gradenko which I don't think I've heard before.
Johnny Cash
3/5
The Spotify album isn't the same one from the Wikipedia article. The one I listened to was way too long and had a few too many cameos from other artists. Also, not a big fan of live albums anyway (San Quentin twice in a row? Ok...) and some of the pandering in this one was hard to take. Still the songs were pretty good, but I'd rather hear them on their original albums.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Interesting. Not bad, but not really good either (or at least not my thing). I could see this growing on me but not too interested in giving it the chance.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
This was interesting, just not something I would ever listen to on purpose.
Air
2/5
There's really nothing here. I assume it worked as a soundtrack but not interested as a stand alone album.
Fats Domino
3/5
It's tricky to rate this album. I don't think the full album is on Spotify, so I'm not sure if I'm rating this correctly. Still the songs I did hear were all pretty good. Nothing really stood out except the big hit "Blueberry Hill". Still not too bad. I bet it was more impactful when it came out.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Really eclectic mix of songs on this album. No duds, but only a couple of really good songs (Band on the Run, Jet). Worth a listen though, some of the songs seem like they would grow on you.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Not bad, not good. Of course, "No Woman No Cry" is amazing and I really liked "Them Belly Full" but the rest was just ok.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Not great. I liked "Sunday Shining" and that's it. Completely forgot about that song until I heard it again. Probably going to forget about the rest of these songs real quick.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
They've got a pretty unique sound which is cool to hear. Most of the songs on this album are pretty bland though. "It's A Sin" is a cool song though. "Shopping" is just stupid.
Weather Report
3/5
I feel like I'm writing the exact same review for all the instrumental only albums on this list. Basically this would make decent background music, but not really interested in listening to this album more than once. I'm nearly positive that first song "Birdland" is a theme song from some cheesy 80s tv show, although I can't remember which one, and the internet is no help, but that little bit of nostalgia isn't enough to bump up the overall rating.
Beck
4/5
This is a mostly fantastic album. There are quite a few duds but the good songs more than make up for it.
Burning Spear
3/5
Felt like pretty generic reggae to me. Could see putting it on in for some background music.
The Prodigy
5/5
This album was pretty great. Ultimate example of the rave sound of the 90s. Not really my thing musically so I didn't want to give this 5 stars but I have to. It's as good as anything I've heard so far.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Pretty unusual album. They really have a unique sound that sets them apart. Couple of songs I really liked were "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1" and "Are You a Hypnotist??". "Do You Realize??" was also pretty good. Not really the kind of music I usually like to listen to but still really good.
Tricky
3/5
OK but not great. Songs kinda ran together but nothing too bad. I liked "Black Steel" but it was the only one I thought was more than just ok.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Didn't mind this. There were no standouts but nothing really bad either. Probably would have been a cool band to see in concert, but the songs didn't have any staying power for me.
Bauhaus
2/5
I get that these guys were innovative and unique for the time. You can definitely tell they influenced a lot of my favorite 80s bands. That said, this album didn't really do anything for me.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
This album just isn't very musical and so it doesn't do anything much for me. The Killing Moon is good but I wouldn't like to hear any of this stuff in more than small quantities.
The Cars
5/5
I thought the three songs "I'm In Touch with Your World", "Don't Cha Stop", and "All Mixed Up" were pretty bad but the rest of the album was so good they more than made up for it. 4.5 stars.
R.E.M.
3/5
Nothing too bad but nothing too good either. "Radio Free Europe" was the only song I liked.
ZZ Top
4/5
Real mixed bag here. Lots of fun songs but starts to get a little repetitive. The hits like "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" alone are worth it though. Also really liked "If I Could Only Flag Her Down" which I'd never heard before. 3.5 stars.
The Doors
4/5
Pretty enjoyable listen. Sounded like a really good blues band jamming for the most part. One thing I never understood with the doors was the keyboard that seemed sort of out of place. Definitely was the case here.
Hole
4/5
Wasn't expecting to like this too much but it was surprisingly entertaining. Was a little repetitive at points, but overall a good album. Very 90s. Very grunge.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Don't really get this album. It's not bad or anything but this kind of music doesn't do much for me.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
A fairly entertaining listen. The guitar work is obviously top notch. But most of the album is standards and I've heard better versions elsewhere. The non-standards are ok.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Pretty cool album. I think a little better than the other prison album of his "At San Quentin". Still, not a big fan of live albums in general. Songs are good, but live versions of songs when you're not actually there in person to hear them lack something. 3.5 stars.
The Monkees
2/5
Pretty bad. If this is the only Monkees album on this list then they messed up. Was cool to hear "Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina" on "Zilch" but that and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" were really the only highlights of this (long) album.
The Kinks
5/5
Really like this album. I'm familiar with the usual Kinks songs but had never heard any of the songs on this album. I keep listening to the title track over and over again. It's got a Lewis Carroll feel to it. The whole album is amazing though start to finish. There are a few silly songs on the album but they don't really distract from the whole and even those have some parts that are really good.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
This is a pretty cool album. Not really my thing but they have a very unique style and I didn't hate it so there must be something to it, right? Hard to judge this kind of thing. Probably one of those albums that I wouldn't mind having on in the background while doing other things.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Fantastic singer singing some mediocre tunes.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
There were a lot of songs on this album where I liked the music much better than the lyrics. I really liked the music though.
Pearl Jam
5/5
I had forgotten how good this album is. Used to listen to it all the time in the early 90s. Not only is the album 5 stars but just about every song is 5 stars.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Seems like they are good for their genre but not a fan of this style of music. Hard to judge impartially but I didn't like it.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Incredible musician but these songs are pretty boring. Definitely some bright spots (Sweet Thang and Strawberry Letter 23) but overall not really worth listening to, except maybe as some inoffensive background music.
Beatles
3/5
I'm kind of surprising myself with how low of a score I'm going to give this. It is still the Beatles, and there are glimpses of their genius in this album, but the songs are for the most part not that good or covers that are worse than the originals.
Mj Cole
2/5
Just a bunch of repetitive beats and hooks. Not very creative or interesting at all. There was one song (Rough Out Here I think? Can't even remember, that's how interchangeable these songs are) that had a moment or two that I liked, but this was just pointless all the way through. Could see some of these songs being appropriate at a crappy rave somewhere but that's the only thing that saves it from 1 star.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I didn't really like this kind of thing. They are just making fun of music, while making music. Seems like a weird take. Trouble Every Day was pretty interesting but the rest was too weird for me.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Every song almost sounds good.
Moby
4/5
Wasn't expecting to like this, but was pleasantly surprised. Creative and fun.
The Boo Radleys
1/5
Don't really get it. Pretty boring stuff.
Stereolab
4/5
It's weird how sometimes I really like this style of music and sometimes it feels like a waste of time. I enjoyed this album but not really sure why. Cool mix of electronic music and lounge. Creative and fun. Loses a little steam in the 2nd half but still fine.
The Zombies
2/5
Really low key album. Too low key for my taste I think. "Time of the Season" is a great song though.
John Coltrane
5/5
Fantastic stuff. Can get a bit too manic at times so I can see why people might not like it. However, the manic never gets overwhelming and I'm not really sure how. A testament to his genius I suppose.
Gene Clark
3/5
This was a collection of well-produced, arranged, and sung songs. Nothing remarkable or interesting about it though.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Just a really well done example of a pretty cool style of music. Lots of energy. Would have been fun to see this in person. Really enjoyed this album.
Beatles
5/5
First of all, I just want to point out the obvious: "The Beatles" must be the worst ever name for a band.
Now that that's taken care of this album is incredible. Very eclectic but just about every song is amazing.
Sepultura
2/5
I thought this was going to be an album by The Roots. Imagine my surprise.
Van Morrison
5/5
One of the best storyteller songwriters ever. Pretty much every song on this album is great.
Pixies
3/5
Big fan of several Pixies songs including a couple on this album but overall this is kind of hard to listen to. Sounds a lot like a few friends got together with some instruments and decided to screw around in the garage.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
There are a couple of really good songs on this album but most of it is just way too pretentious. Felt very "I'm 14 and this is deep" to me. For example, on the last song of the album, they sing "Silent Night" as you hear a newscaster describe horrible events of the day in the background. It's the kind of thing I would have come up with in 7th grade and then felt real smug about it afterwards. I think I would have given this a higher score when I was younger but these days I just found it mostly annoying.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Not my favorite. Hard to explain but it doesn't really sound like she's singing songs. It's more like she's just talking to you but melodically.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
The harmonies on this album are something else. There are a few incredible songs including the underrated "Marrakesh Express" and the rest of the songs are presentable at least. Didn't really like the cover of "Everybody's Talkin'" but had no problems with the rest.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Brought back some memories of listening to this album over and over and over again as a kid. The first half is still pretty amazing, but it falls off sharply starting at "Girlfriend". "She's Out of My Life" is ok, but is a little cheesy as well. Still solid album.
Prince
3/5
Not sure if I'm giving this a fair shake because Spotify doesn't have the whole album on here, but this only had a couple of songs that I liked. The rest wasn't bad, but not great either.
Goldie
1/5
Generic nothing.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Fairly generic musically, but is pretty good for what it is. Wouldn't be bad for the background, but don't think I would go out of my way to listen to it again.
Incubus
3/5
Very ordinary 90s style toothless rock/metal. Generally, I like this kind of music but this felt a lot like trying to cash in on a trend and not much originality.
Jamiroquai
2/5
Really only familiar with Jamiroquai from "Virtual Insanity" and maybe one or two other songs that I can't remember right now. Nothing on this album seemed to have the same funk. Not sure how they chose this album for the list but I can't imagine there is more than one Jamiroquai album on this list. Can't imagine this is their best album though.
Mudhoney
3/5
These "important" bands never really do it for me. I guess this is considered the beginning of grunge, but I just didn't hear many songs that stood out to me. Wasn't bad at all but not that good either.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Thought I would like this more than I did. Blue Suede Shoes was the only song I really liked. The rest was ok but not my favorite Presley stuff.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
These guys have a really unique sound so they're always fun to listen to. No real standouts on this album except for Spellbound though.
Eminem
4/5
This guy really is a master of clever wordplay and interesting rhymes. The lyrics can be a little too edgy for their own sake but if you take them as Eminem supposedly intended - fictional accounts of a terrible character - it's easy not to get too upset by it. Still it sort of detracts from the otherwise impressive album.
Faith No More
4/5
I remember getting their next album because I really like "Midlife Crisis" and being really disappointed in the rest of the album. Was expecting the same here but I was really pleasantly surprised. Everything on the album is good, although it does fall off a little bit in the 2nd half but the only real dud was "Woodpecker from Mars".
SAULT
4/5
Never heard of this band before but they're pretty cool. Starts off a lot stronger than it ends, and it's quite a mixed bag at points, but overall really enjoyed it.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Jam band album. Not very good. Probably fun to see live but the album is underwhelming.
Talking Heads
4/5
Always enjoy listening to a band/album like this that is experimental and unique while being listenable at the same time. Some songs are iffier than others but that's what happens when you take risks. Overall pretty great stuff.
David Bowie
3/5
My first time listening to this album and my first impression is squarely on the "meh" side of things. There's something about it, though, that makes me think it becomes better the more you listen to it, so I'm going to give this a slightly higher score than my gut says I should.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
I've never heard this album but Curtis Mayfield is awesome and this album is too.
Ramones
4/5
Simple but good. Not sure why I like it, to be honest. Every song sounds exactly the same but I still found my head nodding and foot tapping at some point in just about every song. Got to give it to them even if I don't know what "it" is.
Metallica
4/5
Pretty powerful stuff. Not really my bag and all the songs are too long. Still can't deny the raw talent on display here.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Cool, old school hip-hop. Was not familiar at all with this album but it's exactly the kind of thing I would have been into at the time. Kind of amazing what gems got lost in the pre-internet days of music discovery.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is not really the kind of album you can just sit back and enjoy. You can with a couple of the songs, but for the most part it takes a little bit of effort on the part of the listener. Some great stuff on this album (Tangled up in Blue is one of the best songs ever written) but it can be exhausting so unless you're in the mood for that it can be hard to enjoy.
Wild Beasts
2/5
Didn't really understand this album at all. Mostly inoffensive but bad, although there were a lot of parts that were miserable to listen to. Giving this 2 stars but it's really close to 1.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Interesting album. If you took the best 10 songs or so and made an album out of it I'm pretty sure it would be a 5 star effort. As it is though, there are a few duds. Still overall a really good album.
The Modern Lovers
1/5
Didn't really get this. I only liked the song "Government Center" and the rest went from active dislike to extreme indifference. I was on a streak of a bunch of good albums in a row and this really ended that streak abruptly.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Didn't realize that Pat Benatar was not the original singer of "You Better Run". Other than that you have the classic "Groovin'" and the lesser known but still great "How Can I Be Sure". The rest was pretty generic late 60s music. Nothing too exciting, but nothing too offensive either. This sits right on the border between 3 and 4 stars. I think one more great song would have pushed it up to a 4.
Cream
3/5
Didn't really do much for me. "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine Of Your Love" and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" are worth listening to but the rest of the album doesn't have much appeal. It's an attempt at psychedelic rock that might have been ground-breaking at some point but I don't think it has held up well.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Really nice album. Very 60s vibe. Cool harmonies. Catchy songs that are a little more disturbing than they first seem once you pay attention to the lyrics ("Straight Shooter" for example). Very enjoyable overall.
Nico
1/5
Really hard to listen to this. "These Days" is good, but I had to listen to it like 20 times before I started to like it. Maybe the same thing would happen with the rest of them, but I'm not going to do that. "It Was A Pleasure Then" was a miserable experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and this album was not a pleasure.
Supergrass
3/5
Pretty fun. Not the greatest songs but the energy is palpable. Probably wouldn't listen to this album again though.
R.E.M.
3/5
This has a few really good songs on it but also a lot of duds. I know I'm in the minority but "Everybody Hurts" is a pretty overrated song. I didn't like any of the songs I had never heard before. The good songs make up for the bad ones, but I can't give this more than 3 stars.
OutKast
3/5
This is a fun album. Lots of good songs but way too long and therefore lots of not so good songs too. Would have a higher score if they cut out some of the cruft. Still mostly fun to listen to.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Kind of cool. Never would have found this on my own. Songs are all a bit long and of course I have no idea what the lyrics are, but the instrumentals are interesting and it really handles the role of background music very well.
T. Rex
3/5
It's ok I guess. Wouldn't turn it off if I heard it again but probably won't go seeking it out either. Every song on this album was about a 3.5 or so.
Ministry
4/5
This was pretty cool. Definitely not my kind of music but can't deny it was impressive.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Not really a big fan of this "lecture disguised as music" type of thing. There were definitely some clever turns of phrases that elevated this a little bit but it was still a little too preachy for me. Has a distinct Public Enemy feel in some places. Also much of the album just seemed like reciting poetry over a beat.
The Specials
2/5
This is pretty garbage. Worst song is the aptly named "I Can't Stand It".
Supertramp
3/5
I'm a big fan of the Supertramp hits, but haven't heard this album before. Was relatively disappointed. I think it might grow on me after a few more listens, but my first impression is about 3.5 stars. A couple of great songs (Bloody Well Right, Dreamer) but the others didn't really blow me away.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I don't know what that was.
Death In Vegas
3/5
I don't know what to make of this. It's not terrible but it's definitely not good either. Each song seems wildly different from the one before it too. Not sure how to categorize it. One of the most aggressively 'meh' albums I've ever heard.
The Jam
3/5
Not terrible, just boring.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Absolutely unsure how to rate this album. Guess I'm glad I heard it. It was very unique especially when you consider the other music that was released around this time. Definitely didn't like it though. Also didn't hate it. Giving it a 3, but I don't know if that's right.
Coldplay
3/5
Songs are all well-crafted, and nothing overtly terrible but man is this boring. Don't really understand why this was so popular at the time. I liked "Yellow" and "Trouble" even though (because?) I've heard them 1000 times, but otherwise pretty forgettable.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
Wasn't expecting to like this very much but it was surprisingly good. Very hypnotic voice. Sort of a one-trick pony, but it's a very good trick. Can't really listen for too long though - doesn't take too long before the trick becomes very repetitive.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Really great example of a great jazz album. Bad jazz is probably the worst music there is but great jazz is the best, and this is undeniably great.
The Streets
1/5
What the fuck? Who cares about any of this bullshit? This is the first album in a while that felt like it was made specifically to make me angry.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Fine I guess. Nothing interesting about it though. Good background music.
R.E.M.
4/5
This feels very quintessential REM. I think if you love REM you'll love this album and if not, you won't. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other, but can recognize the musicality of this work, so I'll pump it up by one star.
ABBA
4/5
The hits on this album are absolute 5 star material, but there were a few duds. I think if you removed 2 or 3 songs the album would be 5 stars, but I can't give 5 stars to an album with "Dum Dum Diddle" on it.
Deep Purple
2/5
I guess I can appreciate that this is a very early, and therefore influential, example of heavy metal, but other than the first half of "Child in Time" and parts of "Into the Fire" this album didn't have much to offer.
John Cale
1/5
Absolutely not for me. The only song that was anywhere near good was "Paris 1919". "Hanky Panky Nohow" was basically unlistenable.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Was never a big fan of Nick Cave and really didn't understand why people liked him. After listening to this album I finally got it. Not really my kind of thing, but now at least I understand what the hype was about.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Feel like I would have liked this kind of thing when I was in 7th grade so everyone would be impressed with how random I am. As an adult, I liked "The Hall of Mirrors" but everything else was fairly unremarkable.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
This whole album I kept jumping back and forth between "what the hell is this crap" and "oh shit this is pretty good". Perfect example of a three star album then.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
This really brought back some college memories... I remember I couldn't believe how good this album was back then. Still pretty solid but there are a couple of duds that I was blind to back then. Even so, I gotta say that the hits really outshine the duds. Could see it being annoying if you're not already into this kind of music but luckily for me, I am.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Nice little jazz album. Very easy to listen to but nothing exciting here. Sort of generic sounding. Would gladly put this on in the background and just hang out with friends.
Bob Dylan
4/5
It's sort of hard for me to rate this album. There are a lot of great songs on it, but it's fascinating to me how many of his songs have better covers. Three on this album alone! I guess his genius is undeniable but I'm rating this album and I don't think I'd listen to this more than once.
Miles Davis
4/5
Only two tracks so it's hard to give this a fair ranking. I liked the second one better, but both are really good. Nice and relaxing, but interesting at the same time. 1st song is a 4 and 2nd song is a 5. That's easy math: 4.5 stars.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
This was a cool album. She has a great voice - sounds a lot like Chrissie Hynde - and the songs were catchy and interesting. Highlight was probably "Heads Will Roll" but I also like "Zero" a lot. I think her voice turns a lot of these songs from 2's to 4's but they're still 4's regardless.
Crowded House
3/5
Sort of a boring album. Not bad, but nothing too interesting. I liked the song "Weather With You" but even that was kind of boring.
Big Black
2/5
Lot of energy but I just didn't like it.
Fugees
3/5
Pretty cool sound but not as good as I remember it. Still pretty fun to listen to. Well-produced and cool samples.
Carole King
4/5
Great album. I thought she was doing covers of "You've Got a Friend" and "A Natural Woman" but it turns out she wrote both of those. A cool album that really embodies the sound of the time. 4.5 stars
2/5
I might be missing something. All the songs on this (very long) album sound the same, and they're all boring. At one point I thought there was something good going on but then it turned out to be a bad cover of "Maggie May". Nothing egregiously terrible but nothing to make me want to listen to it either.
Ray Charles
3/5
There was a lot of talent on display for what turned out to be a very average album. Didn't care too much for the songs and there wasn't enough of an interesting twist on the standards for me to enjoy.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Pretty good. Liked "Back Home" and "The Bottle" the best. Not super exciting though.
Various Artists
4/5
Great Christmas album, but that's all it is. No original songs or especially creative takes.
Bert Jansch
3/5
The guitar work on this album is pretty amazing. The singing/lyrics leaves much to be desired though. They sort of even each other out. This musical style isn't really my cup of tea but gotta give it up for that guitar playing. 3.5 stars
John Grant
2/5
Everything here was just really boring. Songs all sounded the same and none of it was good. I guess I liked "Sigourney Weaver" on the first listen - the lyrics were pretty funny. Other than that it was mostly meh.
Pixies
4/5
Pretty great example of alternative rock. One of those albums though that I'd rather remember listening to than actually listen to.
Elbow
3/5
Every song blends together in a jumble of mediocrity. Sound, lyrics, and music were all neither good nor bad. Just a basic 3 star effort.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
This album was a lot of fun and probably not one I would have listened to if it wasn't for this list generator. Hoping for more discoveries like this one as I continue to listen.
The Stone Roses
4/5
I think this album was a big step forward in music at the time. It continues to have some appeal but a lot of the songs just don't seem as innovative as I imagine they must have been back then. Still a very solid work, but I just don't see it as belonging in the upper echelons that the critics seem to place it.
Stereo MC's
4/5
Cool album. I think it's possible that my nostalgia for this era is causing me to overrate it but I really think this is one of the best examples of this style of music out there.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
This was pretty fun to listen to but really just in a kitschy way. It's not very good.
Miles Davis
5/5
This is just an amazing album. Very mellow but still interesting. The talent on this one album is unbelievable.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Surprisingly fun to listen to. None of the songs seemed too high caliber in terms of skill or talent, but I could see myself singing along around a campfire or something. Folksy and catchy, but nothing stood out as very great.
Manu Chao
4/5
I'm not exactly sure how to rate this album so I was tempted to just give it 3 stars and be done with it. It does feel somewhat generic, but I'd imagine that's just because I'm not super familiar with this style of music. It was a fun listen though so I'm bumping it up to 4 stars.
Ray Charles
4/5
The songs seems sort of dated now but Ray Charles really knocks them out of the park anyway.
Björk
4/5
She belongs in her own genre. There were a lot of interesting things going on without ever straying to far into weirdness for its own sake. Lot of fun and a pretty incredible creative effort. One or two duds that keep this out of 5 star territory for me but it's pretty close.
The Shamen
3/5
Not terrible but pretty generic.
Tom Waits
2/5
I don't really get the appeal of albums like this in general and Tom Waits in particular. It wasn't purely awful but it was not good at all. Can't imagine listening to this again.
The Temptations
4/5
This was a lot more funky than I was expecting. Still a few old school Temptations songs on it but mostly a different vibe than I'm used to with them. I hadn't heard most of these songs before but still really enjoyed the album.
Culture Club
3/5
Couple of good songs on here, but overall this is pretty missable.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
I'm a big Tom Petty fan but this wasn't a great example of his work I don't think. A couple of good songs that I've heard a million times (Breakdown & American Girl) but besides that it was pretty forgettable. Mystery Man had a Van Morrison feel that I wasn't expecting.
The Icarus Line
4/5
This was pretty cool. Never heard of this band before and I'm really glad they were on this list. Not sure if they'd make my list of top 1001 albums, but was glad to be introduced to an interesting sound.
The Smiths
1/5
Morissey's voice is annoying. This whole album is annoying.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Seems like a decent enough album. Not really my kind of music though.
Deerhunter
2/5
Not very good.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Not entirely sure how to rate this album. I thought it was pretty good and the story behind it is awesome. A lot of the songs had these weird moments of awkwardness that affected my enjoyment. Between 3 and 4 stars but closer to 4.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
This album got pretty repetitive, but overall it's ok. Only one song I really liked on it, but it never got grating. I think this would have appealed to me more in my younger, more angsty days.
3/5
I liked the songs but really not a fan of live albums. That said, this one is better than most. It really captures their energy and made me wish I was at the concert.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Not usually a super fan of country music, but this one was pretty enjoyable. I wouldn't change it if it came on but probably wouldn't seek it out either.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I've heard "School's Out" a million times but the rest of this album is not what I expected at all. I expected glam rock or heavy metal but this a pretty eclectic mix of enjoyable songs. More than 3, but less than 4 stars.
Pink Floyd
3/5
This is one of those albums where I can appreciate the effort and the talent, but it still just didn't do much for me. I think this was the first time I'd ever listened to the album in full and it was a pretty underwhelming experience.
Laibach
1/5
No thanks.
Nirvana
5/5
This is a great album. Every song is interesting and well-executed. I'd dock it a couple of points because the songs are all fairly depressing and a little bit repetitive. So 5 stars if you listen to it spaced out over time but 4 stars if you have to listen to it all at once.
PJ Harvey
2/5
There are some albums where you can tell something good is happening but they just don't appeal to you. This is one of them.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Real weird. That's not necessarily a bad thing and I thought I might like it after the first song but it quickly devolved into indecipherability after that.
Madness
3/5
This album wasn't bad. Very eclectic mix of songs, but nothing that felt unmissable other than "Our House".
Coldplay
3/5
I was expecting this to be bad but I didn't really mind it too much. Only a couple of good songs ("Clocks" is really good... heard it a million times but had no idea that's what it was called. "The Scientist" is pretty good too). Everything else kind of blended together a little too much for me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Why are there so many Nick Cave albums on this list? This is nearly impossible to listen to.
Sade
4/5
This was a lot better than I was expecting. This was always my go-to stereotype song to play when a bar was closing down and you wanted people to leave but I never actually listened to it. Her voice is smooth and the songs are all easy to listen to. Does the job.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Classic blues. Great album all the way through.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
This album started off really strong. If this album ended after 7 songs or so it would probably be a 5 star album. It really dropped off pretty hard after that though. Most of the songs in the second half of the album just felt like uninspired filler. First half - 5 stars, second half - 2 stars. 3.5 total.
Peter Frampton
4/5
Not bad. I mostly just liked the hits that everyone has heard a million times but those were all very good. Giving this 4 stars but it's a low 4.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I always feel like I'm in an "Emperor's New Clothes" situation when I listen to The Velvet Underground. This is garbage but I have to listen to everyone tell me it's brilliant. Pretty sure I heard him say "busy sucking on a ding-dong" at some point?? There were one or two moments that prevent this from being one star but it really is complete trash.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. I've always been a big CCR fan, but the song list didn't really jump out at me at first. It was all good though, even the "Good Golly Miss Molly" cover which I thought would be cringey. Lots of energy and talent on display here but it didn't cross that threshold into 5 star territory for me.
3/5
This is all pretty generic early eighties stuff. Only a couple of good songs on here and I'm pretty sure they are only good for nostalgic reasons. Overall it's ok, but didn't feel like it deserved a place on this list.
Otis Redding
4/5
This is a great album but as is often the problem when there's an album with a bunch of covers, there are better versions out there for most of these. "Respect" is not a cover but there is also a better version elsewhere. Still great for what it is.
Black Sabbath
5/5
This was a great album. I've listened to a few albums on this list that lost a star or two because they added too many songs. This one is a little short but at least there's no filler garbage. (Turns out the title song was actually written as "filler" but it is far from garbage)
Depeche Mode
3/5
A few great songs on here but Depeche Mode never really did anything for me. This album is the same. Mostly forgettable with a few gems thrown in for good measure.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Never heard this album before and have only known Jeff Beck as a guitarist. I was like "wow he really sounds like Rod Stewart!". Then I looked it up and it turns out it *was* Rod Stewart. Anyway, this album was ok. Lots of talent on display but didn't really do anything for me.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
This whole album was utterly fantastic. I wasn't expecting to like it so much but it was incredible the whole way through. The last few songs weren't the best but even those were catchy after a couple of listens. She really has a strong, unique voice and the tunes were all interesting (in an 80s sensibility sort of way). I can't get "Witness" out of my head.
Little Richard
3/5
Lots of energy and power on every song. He's a one trick pony, but the one trick is pretty amazing. It's pretty hard to rate this now but I'd imagine this blew people's minds back in 1957. Looking back though there's only a couple of songs on this album that are worth listening to again.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
This was a pretty disappointing album. I was looking forward to listening to it after I looked at the song list and realized I had only ever heard a couple of the tracks. Turns out the tracks I knew were the only ones listening to. This is probably a 1 star album if Sara and Tusk aren't on here. And I'm pretty sure Sara is only good because Stevie could sing the phone book and it would be worth listening to.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Perfectly fine I guess but there's nothing good here. Not sure why this is on the list.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Guess I'm not really a fan of this kind of music. This was ok but basically a worse Cocteau Twins or maybe Portishead. Don't think I'd ever choose this over one of them.
The Band
3/5
The longer I listen to albums on this list, the more I'm starting to doubt my own ability to recognize good songs. I keep getting albums like this where the only songs I really like are the ones I've already heard. Feels like I'm good at recognizing music but not critiquing it. "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" are 5+ stars but everything else is a 3. 3.5 stars overall.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
I guess I'm glad I listened to this one but it really didn't do anything for me.
MC Solaar
3/5
Usually with rap it's important to understand the lyrics. I speak a little French but the lyrics were going by too fast for me to understand what he was saying. With those caveats, this might have been good if I understood French better but from my perspective the beats and flow were good but it got a little repetitive after a while.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Just about every Elvis Costello album I've ever listened follows the same pattern: One or two incredible songs, 4 or 5 mediocre songs, and the rest garbage. This one is no exception. 2.5 stars.
System Of A Down
4/5
This album could be pretty annoying in large doses but as a one-shot it can't help but get you pumped up. Lyrics are incredible and the energy is off the charts. Can't handle more than one listen in a row though.
Beth Orton
3/5
This album was full of good songs that I would never be interested in listening to again. I never like rating this kind of album because it is clearly really good, just not anything I'd want to listen to.
Thundercat
3/5
This was an interesting mix. Lots of funky beats and grooves but overall it didn't seem to be saying much. Also some occasional over-the-top silliness that took me out of the moment. At its best it felt like a cool 70s psychedelic funk album, but at its worst it gave off edgy memelord vibes.
Randy Newman
4/5
Definitely an important work. A lot of times the lyrics, while simple, are deeply profound. There is a point though where you can get too much Randy Newman. All the songs start to sound a lot alike and a lot like every other Randy Newman song. This is one of those albums where I'd listen to the whole thing if it was on, but I probably wouldn't go seek it out.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Unfortunately I got assigned this album right after he took himself off Spotify, so I had to find sources elsewhere. Not sure I got the full experience. There weren't any stand out songs for me but the entire album felt like a great example of southern rock overall. Really enjoyed it.
Air
4/5
Didn't expect to like this so much but it was really good. I was familiar with a couple of the songs without being aware of it. Guessing they made the rounds in popular culture somewhere or other. The quality fell off a little bit in the second half but this was a 5-star effort for the first half.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This was an impressive effort. I really think it is one that would have been improved by making it shorter but even the songs I didn't like as much were still 3+ or 4+ songs. I'd listen to this any place any time. Some of the social commentary was a little too heavy-handed for my taste but usually the groove made up for it. 4.6 stars
Nirvana
4/5
Having a hard time rating this whole album. There are 5 or 6 great songs but also 4 or 5 terrible ones. Some of the worse ones just consisted of him yelling until his voice broke. Sometimes that works out (like on "Rape Me") but other times it was hard to listen to. The good songs pull this up to a high 3, low 4 stars, but not sure I'd like to have to listen to the whole album again.
The National
2/5
I feel like I'm missing something here? This is garbage.
Funkadelic
4/5
Incredible. The title song is one of the few 10 minutes songs that I have to listen to all the way through any time I hear it. This is really close to 5 stars but there are a couple of duds on the album. I'd listen to it any time though.
FKA twigs
2/5
Not really sure if I'm qualified to judge this music but I know I don't like it.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Like every Elvis Costello album, a few great songs, a few mediocre songs, and a few terrible songs. Maybe a greatest hits album would belong on this list but the individual albums are all just ok.
Turbonegro
4/5
This was incredible. Never heard of them before but they have everything - cool riffs, high energy, driving beats, catchy tunes, funny lyrics. I bet this would be a great live show. Really makes it worth it when I get a album like this from this list.
Lou Reed
3/5
Hard to judge this album. I don't think there is a single song on here that I liked at first listen. Most of them I still don't like after several listens, but there are a few that grew on me. I have to give the benefit of the doubt and assume that that is on purpose, but I still find this mostly hard to listen to.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
This was a pretty good time. The songs get a little repetitive but the lyrics are interesting all the way through. First time I heard "Hot Burrito #1" it was a cover by Belly, but didn't realize it was a cover until hearing this. Both versions are really good. Feel like this is just a little below 4 stars but I'll round up.
Nirvana
5/5
Pretty incredible. I got burnt out on this album since at the time of its release, it seemed like it was the only thing anyone was listening to, so I haven't listened to this one in a while. I can remember walking through the halls of my dorm and every room was blasting "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Pretty well-deserved praise though. All the songs are catchy without being annoying. This is going back into the rota.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Pretty interesting album. I'd never heard of Joan Armatrading before this. It felt like every song was *almost* good. Definitely one of those albums where you know the Spotify suggestions afterward are going to be good.
Ryan Adams
2/5
Pretty bad. Not offensive enough to receive 1 star but not sure why this is on the list.
The Black Crowes
4/5
Great stuff. This kind of bluesy rock is really fun to listen to when it is done well, and this is done really well.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
BIG is pretty incredible at what he does but what he does is pretty off-putting. 5 stars for style and flow, 1 star for the horrifying content. The last song of the album added a star but the audio of him getting a sloppy beej lost him a star.
The Crusaders
4/5
Coincidentally I was listening to this album not that long ago after listening to some garbage that got suggested to me by this list. I said to myself "it's a shame I get that crap but something this good will never show up". That's the universe once again telling me to shut my damn mouth. Thanks universe.
Pentangle
3/5
This isn't bad or anything but I normally don't like this kind of folk music. If I oversaw some kind of medieval court I would 100% hire this band.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Solid album. Would listen anytime.
Suede
2/5
I think I liked Pantomime Horse a little bit but otherwise every song sounded pretty much the same. This is a whole genre of music that I can't really understand how anyone likes.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
This feels like typical bluegrass but the execution is pretty amazing. The album is way too long, but in small doses this is a pretty good time.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Just doesn't do it for me. I think I liked "Strangelove" but that might just be because I recognized it.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
I was looking forward to this when it popped up, but it's pretty boring. A couple of good songs, but overall is pretty one note. In case you weren't aware, Lenny wants two things from everyone: 1) be good and, 2) not be bad. And he tells us that in approximately 13 different ways on this album. Thanks, Lenny!
John Lennon
2/5
Album was a lot worse than I expected. A couple of good songs but mostly pretty boring. Can't imagine writing a song like "How Do You Sleep?" or "Jealous Guy" and then actually releasing them for everyone to hear. Pretty embarrassing.
Kanye West
2/5
Tough to judge this one. If there were no lyrics then this would easily be a 4 and possibly a 5. There's even some great wordplay if you ignore the actual content. However, the lyrics range from inane to offensive and really brings the whole thing down. 2.5 stars.
Kraftwerk
3/5
There seem to be a lot of albums like this on the list. Glad I listened but probably won't listen to it again. Wouldn't skip a song if I heard one, but wouldn't seek one out. Interesting album but I'm not interested.
George Michael
4/5
Have never listened to this whole album before and was really expecting not to like it. I really hate "I Want Your Sex" but everything else on the album is good to great. This would probably still be a 4 without that song but it really drags it down almost into 3 territory.
Rush
4/5
Really good stuff. The musical talent is off the charts and the lyrics are interesting and inventive. I think I have to be in the right mood to listen to this but when I am it's a great listen.
Billy Joel
4/5
Great songwriter. The last two songs (Get It Right the First Time and Everybody Has a Dream) are complete garbage but everything else is top notch if you're looking for some well-crafted lyrics and perfect accompanying music. In other words, nothing super inventive or genre-shattering but still a great listen.
Dr. Dre
4/5
I feel like I spent the entire year that this album came out having to explain to my white friends why they couldn't also say the N-word. Other than that I like it. It's probably about a 3 for my enjoyment level but it gets and extra point for being so influential.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
This album is fine. Lauryn Hill is clearly an incredible talent but there were only a couple of songs I really liked on the album.
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
This is as good as it gets for music to listen to while working or studying or otherwise mentally occupied.
Motörhead
3/5
Ace of Spades is cool but every song sounds just like it. Enjoyable album but I can survive just hearing Ace of Spades at random occasionally.
N.W.A.
4/5
Extremely influential album. I think I am able to separate my enjoyment of the style from the content. It felt very performative at times, almost like a skit. Not sure if that was the intent but it seems like it especially when you learn about Dr. Dre's past (see World Class Wreckin' Cru) but good on them for being the leading edge of a genre. I think most of the music it spawned was garbage but this one was pretty good as long as you didn't take it too seriously. 3 stars for enjoyment, but add a star for influence.
Devendra Banhart
1/5
Pretty bad. Not musical. Not interesting.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
The first Divine Comedy album that this list introduced me to got my first 1 star rating. Not looking forward to this but I'll try to keep an open mind...
Not nearly as bad as the first one but still garbage. This artist doesn't have any reason to be on this list once, let alone twice.
Paul Simon
5/5
This album is mostly just great but there's a couple of real clunkers. The bad songs pull this down from a 5 but just a little. 4.5 stars.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Not bad. A little boring but not entirely uninteresting. Not sure what situations I'd listen to this in.
The Roots
3/5
Pretty good album. The unfortunate thing about rating albums is I can only say how I feel about it at this exact second, and in this exact second I don't want to take a lot of time to pay attention to the lyrics. I have the feeling I'd rate this a little higher if I was analyzing the words. In this moment though, I don't feel like paying too much attention and it's not the kind of thing I think I'd want to play repeatedly.
Sugar
3/5
Was pretty generic grunge. I hadn't heard of this band/album before but I think I would have liked it a lot in 1992 when it came out. Probably would have gotten an extra star from me for nostalgic reasons. But on a first time listen it just sounds ok with occasional great moments.
Duran Duran
3/5
This was a pretty big deal when it came out so I get why it's on this list. Something I could easily do without though. A couple of pretty cool songs surrounded by by generic 80s synth-pop. Lyrics are a step above but it's still pretty middle of the road. 3.5 stars
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This was nice to listen to but nothing really stood out as amazing to me. Wouldn't turn it off but wouldn't seek it out.
Orbital
3/5
Enjoyed it. Nothing ground-breaking though.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
My friend in high school had a weird obsession with this band and would basically never stop listening to them. I thought they were ok then and ok now.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Not aggressively terrible, but pretty boring.
David Bowie
3/5
I like a few of his songs but I never really got all the hype around Bowie. Changes is great, Life On Mars? is pretty good. Everything else is pretty middling.
Steve Earle
1/5
Is this for real? It feels like it is making fun of country music. I like some of his other stuff so I'm not sure why this album really rubs me the wrong way.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not the best Rolling Stones album. Sounded very generic bluesy in a lot of places.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Perfectly ok.
The Temptations
4/5
The only really great song on this album is "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" (I had no idea this was a cover until today) but it's an incredible song and it alone makes this album worthy of being on this list. Any song with the balls to spend nearly 4 minutes of instrumental before the first word is uttered gets points in my book. The rest of the album is entertaining too, but nothing comes close to that one.
Little Simz
3/5
No denying her talent but this isn't really my kind of music. 3.5 stars
Tom Waits
2/5
This isn't really music. Felt more like a skit stretched out to the length of a play. Not entertaining at all.
William Orbit
3/5
Perfectly fine music to study by that sounds exactly like all the other perfectly fine music to study by that I've ever listened to.
David Gray
3/5
David Gray is what Ryan Adams wants to be. I'm not really a fan of either, but it's remarkable how more talent there is on this album than on any of Adams' work. 3.5 stars
ABBA
4/5
ABBA is pretty great and there were a lot of songs on this album I hadn't heard before. Not their biggest hits and a little bit more of a serious tone than their usual stuff. "Two For The Price Of One" brought back a bunch memories. I haven't thought about that song in a while but I listened to it all the time as a kid. Would not have been able to tell you who sings it before hearing it again on this listen.
Rod Stewart
3/5
I always think of Rod Stewart as the cheesy "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" and slightly less cheesy "Maggie May" singer, so it's always surprising to hear his more bluesy early stuff. This album isn't anything too special but it was pretty easy to listen to. 3.5 stars
The Velvet Underground
2/5
This is just boring. I don't get it.
The Pogues
3/5
I like this sort of Irish folk/punk music but not sure how to differentiate this with anything else out there.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
The only possible reason this could be on this list is because the author has some nostalgic memories of listening to this while drinking beer in the parking lot after high school with his buddies or something. This is pretty bland and generic glam rock.
Roxy Music
3/5
As a great man once said "I have no strong feelings one way or the other".
Orange Juice
1/5
There's not a single Tool album on this list and yet I have to continuously listen to this garbage and garbage like it.
4/5
I feel like PJ Harvey exists at a higher level than I'm capable of understanding.
Bad Brains
3/5
I can see why it's influential and why people like it but it's not really for me.
Talk Talk
2/5
I'm going to create another list called "1001 Mediocre New Wave Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". That would reduce the current list by about 700, and it might be hard work to replace those, but I think it's worth it.
Bad Company
3/5
There are a couple of great songs on here ("Bad Company" above everything else) but it's mostly surprisingly mediocre.
Kraftwerk
3/5
A little different than the other Kraftwerk albums on here. Glad I listened but it didn't really speak to me. Clearly too many Kraftwerk albums on this list.
Beatles
5/5
Kind of a hodge-podge of styles and it's quite short for an album with so many songs, so I could nit-pick and dock this a star but there's way too many incredible songs for me to give this any less than 5 stars.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Strange listening to this. It felt like the kind of album that would have been hailed as genius if Dylan or Donovan released it. I've never heard it before though. As it is, it felt like a great album in a genre I'm not so sure about. Feels very psychedelic sixties. 3.5 stars.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I don't know. I guess I'm glad I heard it so it's hard to give it too low of a score, but it was really not very compelling. Not sure what was going on in "Vega-Tables" but it was a weird failed attempt at being clever. A lot of the songs had really cool parts but then the whole mood and style of the song changed into something worse. Probably won't listen again.
OutKast
4/5
Lots of garbage on this album. Most of the filler was unnecessary but the good songs were incredible. Really close to giving this 5 stars but the skits were all terrible enough to lose it a star.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Not entirely sure how to rate this album. Feels very much a product of the time. I'm not sure how much I like it currently but I'm 100% sure this would have been one of my favorite albums if I were around when it was released. I'll split the difference between what I think it is (3) and what I think I my 1967 counterpart would have thought (5). 4 stars. The Spotify suggestions after this album were incredible.
Spiritualized
3/5
I really liked the first song and the unique take on "Can't Help Falling In Love" but after that my feelings aren't so clear. Everything was decently put together but not really my thing. 3.5 stars.
Motörhead
3/5
This might be the weirdest album on here. I already listened to the "Ace of Spades" album and half of these songs are already on it. Anyway, I'll say the same thing here that I did there: Ace of Spades is a great song but every song sounds just like it and I'd rather just occasionally listen to it than sit through an entire album.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
Well I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. Some duds but overall pretty surprisingly good. Like 3.75 stars probably.
The Adverts
4/5
This is as good as any punk band I've ever heard which means it's bad according the punk fans I know. Whatever, I really liked it.
Nick Drake
3/5
Got a nice feel to it but definitely too "samey" for me. Would 100% put this on in the background on a rainy day and gaze out the window. 3.5 stars
Beach House
3/5
Good background music.
Garbage
4/5
Not sure if it's the nostalgia talking but I thought this was a really strong album. A couple of songs didn't do it for me but overall it's a hell yes.
Queen
4/5
Queen is the only band that sounds like this. The guitars are out of this world. Too much of it is overkill for me but the talent level is incredible.
Al Green
3/5
I had never heard this whole thing before and was a little bit disappointed. Title track is incredible of course, but there weren't any other great ones. Nothing bad either, fine to have in the background, but probably not something I'd return to.
The Byrds
3/5
Pleasant but boring. Only one or two songs I really like but the rest was forgettable. Impressive production and composition but ultimately fell flat for me. The last track where you got to listen in on the recording process was pretty interesting.
Dire Straits
3/5
Pretty low key and mellow. Nothing too interesting except "Sultans of Swing" though. Guitar work is incredible. 3.5 stars.
Living Colour
3/5
A couple of good songs, incredible guitar licks. Unfortunately, every Living Colour (Coloür? Never noticed the umlaut before) song loses steam half way through. Like they had a great idea for a song, but then had another great idea before they could put all the finishing touches on that song and so they wrap it up and start on the next one.
Simple Minds
2/5
This is not good.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
"Stagger Lee" was pretty good. Otherwise, not worth listening to. On the bright side, this was the fourth Nick Cave album I had to listen to on this list so I think that's the last one.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Pretty impressive. This was a great example of grunge. Sounds like it was late enough in the movement to benefit from a lot of different influences, and early enough that it wasn't yet cliche.
The Cramps
3/5
I think if I was in the right mood I'd enjoy this. It has some fairly entertaining moments but I don't really like it musically. Probably an incredible live show.
Traffic
4/5
Really cool, really eclectic. Funky instrumentals, psychedelic, folk, jazz, blues. Not sure if it works cohesively but every song was great on its own.
The Kinks
3/5
Every song is catchy. No real standouts though. Definitely liked it but not as much as some of their other stuff. 3.5 stars.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Super talented artist. Most of the songs were pretty forgettable though. Still her ability really shines through.
Ash
3/5
Another band that somehow escaped my notice from a time when I would have been really into them. Not really into it now but this kind of grungy stuff was really in my wheelhouse back when this album was released.
The Human League
3/5
The more new wave albums I hear the more I realize it's not really that good. This is mostly boring and even the one song I like (Don't You Want Me) is kinda boring too. I'll give it an extra point because it was pretty influential but won't listen again.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
When people tell me they don't like this album I realize I have no idea what some people even listen to music for. This is incredible.
Slint
2/5
I don't get it. It isn't really musical, each song is like a short story with an unrelated backing track. Feels like an album that some pretentious band would make and sneer about how you "just don't get it", although I didn't really get a pretentious vibe from them, so I'll bump it up one star.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Amazing talent. Some of the songs get a little repetitive but her abilities are on full display here and it's an incredible show.
Lightning Bolt
3/5
I was expecting to hate this and surprisingly didn't. Not really something I could listen to for extended periods of time but it was pretty good. 3.5 stars
Fiona Apple
3/5
Fiona Apple has a way of making things that have no business sounding good, sound great. That said, this album was a little too weird for my taste but she is a really unique talent and is worth listening to.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Wow what a surprise. Another mediocre new wave/synth pop album. This was exactly average just like all of these kinds of albums. I'm only about 350 albums into this list so I'm looking forward to rating another 300 of these.
Can
3/5
Would have never guessed this came out in 1973. Seems like it was way ahead of its time. Not really my thing though.
The Who
4/5
The first and last two songs on this album are off the charts. "Baba O'Riley" especially being one of the best songs ever written I think. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is also pretty high up there. The middle is pretty meh though. They try to get deep with "Getting Mobile" and "Getting in Tune" but the end product is pretty corny. That middle is bad enough to drop it half a star. 4.5 stars.
SZA
2/5
Inane lyrics. Boring simple melodies. Not worth listening to at all. My criteria for giving something one star is if it feels like it is actively trying to piss me off, and this one doesn't feel that way. This is bad enough that I still wanted to give it 1 star but by that measure it's more like 1.5.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Great unique voice. Great unique sound. Have you ever heard an album that you don't think you're cool enough to be allowed to listen to? This is that for me.
The Mars Volta
3/5
This feels like the kind of thing I would like but for some reason it doesn't really appeal to me. Not sure why but something just felt a little off.
Jethro Tull
4/5
This was a pretty cool album. Even the songs I didn't like all that much would get bumped up a star or so when the riff (guitar and/or flute) kicked in. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, even knowing I would like "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath".
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
I found myself continuously asking “is this song done yet?” And it never was. It never was.
Joy Division
1/5
I've heard how brilliant this band is a million times but I've never really heard anything by them except "Love Will Tear Us Apart". After listening to this I'm glad I haven't. It really feels like an emperor's new clothes situation. This was terrible.
Judas Priest
3/5
This album is from a definite place and time. Not sure it holds up all that well even though there are a couple of great songs here. Don't think I'd listen to the album again though.
The Doors
3/5
Pretty generic blues rock. Not that great but not that bad either.
Justice
3/5
Not really sure how to rate albums like this. I liked it but there was nothing groundbreaking here for me. I'd heard D.A.N.C.E. before and always liked it. Phantom Pt. II also had a cool 70s feel to it. Everything else was relatively generic sounding but still good. 3.5 stars. Might have given it a 4 if it wasn't for The Party & DYNO. WTF was that.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
I was very impressed just listening to this, but the backstory added another star to the score. What an amazing piece of work that almost didn't happen due to one mixup after another. I wasn't expecting the groans but somehow they added another level of authenticity. The Spotify recommendations that came after this album were great too. This definitely lives up to the book's title.
Kanye West
4/5
Really good. Not nearly as much of the self-indulgent egotistical nonsense from his later stuff. He's an incredible wordsmith and it really shows here.
The Cure
1/5
Just terrible. I liked the instrumentation on a couple of songs (Prayers For Rain, for one) but I can't stand his voice and the lyrics were either inane or whiny, and the attempts to be deep were embarrassing. 1.5 stars
Tito Puente
4/5
This was pretty fun to listen to but I have no idea how to rate it. I assume it's a good example of this genre of music because everyone says it is, but I don't know how to differentiate between good and bad examples of this style. 3.75 stars
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
I don’t think you can’t deny the talent here but you also can’t deny that this is a very dated album. Don’t think I’d listen again but it also definitely belongs on the list. 3.75 stars.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
A little too sappy and saccharine for my taste but I can understand the appeal. If I don’t think too hard about the corny lyrics I could see myself tapping my foot and nodding serenely along.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This was a fairly difficult album to rate. Absolutely enjoyed listening to it and there were no duds on the entire, nearly two hour long, album. That's impressive. But nothing really stood out either. I didn't "fave" any individual songs, but did "fave" the entire album so maybe that explains how I feel about it better than I can express. I'm going to assume that was intended so even though it's probably a 3.5 star album for me, I'll give it the benefit of doubt and push it up half a star.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
I kept waiting for some kind of payoff but it never came. Felt very pretentious somehow.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Pretty fun, energetic, and inventive. Couldn't really relate to some of the lyrics but even in those cases the music was worth listening to. Overall it was a great ride.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I hadn’t heard this album before. This was the second Stones album I got in 3 days and I had the same feeling about both. Cool album but nothing really stood out. Still enjoyed but not as much as I thought I would. 3.5 stars.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
This was a pretty fun album. Not sure if it's "good" but the songs were catchy and it kept my toe tapping.
Blur
2/5
Sometimes I’ll listen to an old album like this and wonder why I’ve only heard one song from it. In this case I know exactly why. The only good song is the one I’ve already heard (Song 2).
Iron Maiden
3/5
There’s a lot of interesting stuff happening on this album but this kind of thing just isn’t for me.
Brian Eno
3/5
There’s something impressive going on here. Not really my bag though.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
This is easily the most fun album I've listened to on this list. It's hard for me to separate nostalgia for quality, but I "fave"d just about every song on it. This is back when the only thing that mattered in rap was the lyrics so every song follow the same basic musical pattern:
Run: 2 measures
DMC: 2 measures
Run: 1 measure
DMC asks a question: 1 measure
Run + DMC answer together louder: 2 measures
But it fucking works. 5 stars
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
All good songs. A couple of great songs. Had never heard this entire album before and I was expecting more. 3.5 stars
Massive Attack
3/5
Wasn’t familiar with this band and from the name I assumed it was going to be another bad punk album. One of those albums where I wasn’t too impressed but I really liked all the Spotify suggestions that popped up afterwards. Makes me realize this was probably a pretty influential album so I’ll give it a bonus star for that. 3.5 stars
Prefab Sprout
3/5
I can’t believe I made it through the eighties without ever hearing of this band. Not really a big fan of this style but I guess I can’t understand why they weren’t more popular. The second half sort of peters out but the first half is full of songs that I could see being hits.
Pretenders
4/5
This album is really cool. I feel like I absorbed some of the cool just by listening to it. None of the songs are really catchy or anything but they’re all interesting. It’s between 3.5 and 4 stars for me.
Beastie Boys
3/5
A lot of good songs in the first half. It dries up a lot in the second. The voice modulation gimmick gets old pretty fast. Don’t mind listening to the hits every once in a while but the album as a whole isn’t going to be in my rota any time soon. 3.5 stars
Mylo
2/5
Mostly forgettable. The parts that weren’t forgettable were annoying. Could almost be decent background music but then the annoying parts kick in. 2.5 stars
Eels
4/5
This album has the kind of whiny self-pity lyrics that I usually hate and I have panned other albums in the past for this reason, but I guess I'm a hypocrite because I thought it worked here. The more albums I listen to on this list the more I realize that I am just going by my gut and then post-hoc rationalizing my feelings here.
Randy Newman
3/5
Randy Newman is a pretty incredible talent and I like most of the songs on this album. It's just really hard to listen to an entire album. It starts to get repetitive pretty fast. If I heard each of these songs interspersed throughout a day or so of listening to music I wouldn't mind as much but when you listen to them all in a row you start looking for the "skip" button. 3.5 stars
George Michael
2/5
Some talent going on here but only one song I really liked. The rest were pretty forgettable. 2.5 stars
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
The Spotify version was missing a few songs but I got the picture. Generic dance music. A lot of the Spotify recommendations that came after this were much better. 2.5 stars
Steely Dan
3/5
I liked the first few songs a lot but then the quality dropped off pretty sharply. Weird thing is the songs sound pretty much the same so it’s pretty clear I don’t know what the hell I'm talking about. 3.5 stars
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I have an idea in my head about who The Rolling Stones are but after listening to a few albums I’m starting to realize they defy classification. This had a very 60s rock/pop feel and it’s as good as anything I’ve heard in that genre. It doesn’t really fit my image of them though. Still pretty good stuff. 3.75 stars.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Lyrically this is pretty brilliant if depressing, musically it's pretty repetitive. I think my rating would depend pretty strongly on my mood at the time. This time I enjoyed it but I can imagine turning it off pretty quick if I was in the wrong frame of mind. 3.75 stars.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Really cool. Sounds like Iceland. I couldn't understand the lyrics but there was a sort of uncanny valley feel where it felt like I could almost understand. A very surreal experience.
Pantera
4/5
I listened to this right after a Sigur Rós album so it was pretty hard to adjust. The drums and guitar here are 5 stars, but I have a hard time with the voice. I can't imagine there's a better example of this kind of music, but it's just not for me.
The Smiths
2/5
Just felt very pretentious all the way through. Can't stand Morrisey's voice. Hard pass.
Radiohead
4/5
Weirdly soothing for being so depressing. Great listen though.
Sonic Youth
2/5
There were parts of just about every song that I liked. Very small parts though. Mostly unlikeable.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. Lots of good things going on but there were also some overly clever/complicated parts that brought the whole thing down for me. I ended up listening to it twice and the second go brought the score up by about a star.
Pulp
3/5
Nothing really good or bad about this. Perfectly middle of the road.
Grateful Dead
3/5
What a weird album. I either hated or loved every song on it. All the hits were great. “Operator” and “Candyman” were complete garbage. I’m giving it 3.5 stars but it could have easily been 1 or 5 depending on which songs they kept.
Bon Jovi
4/5
I liked just about every song on this album but at least I have the decency to be ashamed of that.
Gene Clark
3/5
I was confused by the first few songs because I thought this was going to be *Roy* Clark. Once I adjusted my expectations I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing real stand out or groundbreaking but the whole album was soothing and easy to listen to. 3.5 stars
Frank Ocean
2/5
He’s singing about stuff I can’t relate to in a style I can’t understand. Some pretty good turns of phrases every now and then brings this up a star but still not my thing.
Venom
1/5
Everything about this album from the title to the name of the band to the album art to every single track title sounds like the workings of an angsty teenager who thinks everyone is afraid of him but really everyone is just embarrassed for him.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Mostly seemed like just noise but every once in a while it was an enjoyable noise. Adding a star because I just don’t get it but they clearly know what they’re doing
Soft Cell
1/5
Everything was terrible except the Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? combo. If I heard Spinal Tap singing Sex Dwarf I would have liked it, but the fact that it wasn't a parody is disturbing. Considering that this was probably a pretty influential album, and there were occasional interesting non-lyrical moments, I can add half a star but that's the best I can do. 1.5 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
This started off really strong. Thought it might be the easiest 5 star I’ve given. It petered out a lot in the second half though. Still this is a great album. Very pretentious but they’re so talented they get away with it.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Just a really fun album all the way through. The first half is much stronger than the second but the whole thing was a joy to listen to.
5/5
Lots of incredible songs (Day In the Life has to be one of the best songs ever written) but there are a couple of mediocre ones. Even those have parts that are incredible. I would probably give it 4.5 stars if I was just going by my own opinion but I will gladly pump it up half a star for how influential it is.
The Go-Go's
4/5
I mean, yeah it's cheesy and all and I wouldn't say it's "good" but it is fun, and I think that was the point. Just a little below 4 stars but I'll round up.
Dolly Parton
3/5
The title song was the only real stand out. Still a pleasant listen but it didn’t really blow me away. 3.5 stars
4/5
There are some albums that you can recognize as incredible even if you don't necessarily like them so much. There was a lot of talent and creativity that went into making this but it would not be very high on the list of albums I'd want to sit down and listen to.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Title song is incredible. Probably carries the whole album to be honest. I didn't mind the rest but it didn't knock me out like "Theme From Shaft" did. 3.5 stars.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Generic background music. Nothing memorable about it, but fine to put on and forget about.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This was an ok listen. Superstition is, of course, incredible, and there were a couple more that I liked even though they were pretty cheesy. Probably won't listen again but I'm glad I listened to it once.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Couldn't find anything wrong or right about this album. I guess it's impressive that I found my head nodding along to a couple songs even though objectively I couldn't find anything I enjoyed about them. Still nothing here that blew me away.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I think I finally figured out my problem with live albums. If it's really good then you keep thinking about how much better the concert itself must have been, and if it's bad you keep thinking about why you wouldn't just listen to the original song recordings. At least this one is pretty good (minus some stupid banter, but maybe in 1978 it was considered "fresh").
Tom Waits
2/5
Mostly hated this. There were one or two songs that almost had my foot tapping but it was nearly entirely awful. The gross cover didn't help.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
I don't really have an objective way to judge these kinds of albums. They all sound the same to me, but somehow I like certain ones better than others. I liked this one but couldn't possibly say why.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Didn't really expect to like this. Don't really like this kind of music. But it was a really good example of this genre. Mostly bored but a couple of songs had me riveted.
Don McLean
2/5
I came for the American Pie and that's all I got.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This album was pretty good for this genre, but I am not a huge fan of the genre. Also, there is way too much representation on this list. It gets old quick. 3.5 stars
Korn
2/5
This is some high energy stuff and sometimes if you don't think about it too hard you will find yourself banging your head along with the music, but if you pay too much attention it all just feels kind of pointless. 2.5 stars
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Unique sound on this one but ultimately there were only a couple of songs that I like. Sometimes when the lyrics are too dense it takes away from the experience for me. 3.5 stars
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Really good album. Great story teller. Not sure when I would ever want to listen though due to the depressing nature. Still absolutely worth a listen and a place on this list, I'll just never listen to the whole thing again.
Nick Drake
3/5
A pleasant listen but ultimately unremarkable.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
It was fine. Won't listen again though.
Gang Starr
4/5
Great example of old school rap. This came out at a time where the world was getting tired of it so I don't think this really got its due. I think if it came out a couple of years earlier more people would be aware of it. I sort of dismissed it at the time but looking back it really equals if not surpasses anything else like it. No real variety in sound but clever and smooth lyrics make up for that. These days though I don't really have a reason to listen to old school rap unless it's for nostalgia and this doesn't do that for me.
Brian Eno
4/5
Pretty unique without being annoying which is hard to do. It's a 4 star album that I probably wouldn't listen to on purpose again.
Massive Attack
3/5
This was fine but doesn't feel like it belongs on this list. It's the 2nd Massive Attack album on this list too, which seems like at least one too many. Good background music but ultimately who cares.
Prince
4/5
The good parts were incredible but some of the songs are just too much. Trim some of the songs down and it’s probably 5 stars.
Portishead
4/5
Very smooth very soothing. Can be a bit repetitive though. It's slightly below a 4 but I'll round up.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
This is one of those albums that I don’t know how to rate objectively. On the one hand everything all sort of sounds the same but on the other hand I really did enjoy it.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Glad I listened to it and there were a couple of cool tunes on here but overall this didn't do much for me.
The Smiths
1/5
Anyone else also get this album on September 8, 2022? The day Queen Elizabeth died? Can’t be a coincidence, right?
Anyway, as for the album, I thought it was terrible and I hate that I live in a world where it is considered good.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
I usually don't like live albums, but this was a good one. Lots of energy, lots of fun.
Gorillaz
2/5
I was looking forward to this when it came up but it turns out it's mostly weird garbage with a couple of good songs thrown in the mix.
The Killers
5/5
I really wasn't expecting to give this 5 stars but I don't see any other option. There was a little bit of a lull in after the first half or so, but that first half was pretty incredible.
10cc
2/5
I'll add a star for being eclectic and unique, but it's not good. Every song sounds like a different genre, which is a little jarring. The only other songs by 10cc that I'm familiar with are "I'm Not In Love" and "Dreadlock Holiday". I like both of those, and neither is on this album so I was pretty disappointed. Album cover is pretty cool though.
3/5
Lots of highs (Knights of Cydonia is incredible) but also lots of lows. Felt like half the album was the same song. 3.5 stars.
Bee Gees
4/5
This is a very sprawling album that is not what you think of when you think of the Bee Gees. A lot of it was cringy and pretentious which is the big risk when you do a concept album like this. Enjoyed it overall even though there I had some undeniable second hand embarrassment during some of the more corny parts. 3.75 stars.
Metallica
4/5
It's an incredible album. I'm not sure how much the SFSO adds to it, but the energy was off the charts and all the songs were great. I don't normally like live albums so this loses a star for that plus the fact that it's so long, but still a solid 4 stars.
Jane Weaver
3/5
An ok album. Nothing wrong with it but I'm not sure why it's on this list.
Doves
3/5
Never heard of this band before. It was pleasant enough but nothing really stood out to me. Had a real Coldplay vibe.
GZA
3/5
Really good flow and lyrical mastery, but the songs all tend to sound alike. Seems like it's the kind of album that you have to put in some effort to appreciate. I don't really feel like putting in that much work though. 3.5 stars.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
There are a few fun songs on here and "The Message" is of course one of the best rap songs ever written. The whole thing is pretty dated though and a couple of really weird songs also bring it down a notch."Dreamin'" made me pretty uncomfortable and "You Are" was pretty out of place. 3.5 stars
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Felt like there might have been something going on here but it's really not for me.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Was looking forward to this as I like Steve Winwood's stuff even though I don't really seek it out. I was only familiar with "While You See a Chance" which opens the album. Strong start but everything else just sort of blends together in a mediocre sameness. Nothing too bad but nothing really stood out either.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Just seemed pretty average to me. It feels like I've gotten a lot of these perfectly fine but not special at all albums lately.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Whiny garbage. Didn’t like this at all but it wasn’t aggressively annoying at least.
Brian Eno
3/5
Not sure how to rate this. It’s definitely not “good” but I would also listen to this as background music anytime. After reading about it it sounds like that’s what he was going for so mission accomplished but I still can’t give it more than 3 stars.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Not really my thing but there's no doubt this is some good stuff. It's probably a 5 star album but I can't give it more than 4 stars when I balance my enjoyment of this kind of music (low) with how good it actually is (high).
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I really enjoyed this but I'll be the first to admit that it is probably mostly nostalgia talking. The songs all sound basically the same and the beats, while unique, are pretty simplistic. I'd throw the whole album on anytime though.
Slipknot
3/5
I don't like this at all but there's no doubt that it's a great example of the genre.
KISS
3/5
Should you listen to a Kiss album before you die? Yeah, probably. They are one of the most well known bands in the history of rock music after all. I don't know if this is the one though, and it turns out they're really not that good. Everything about them feels corporate and manufactured but it still does occasionally result in a compelling moment or two.
Miles Davis
5/5
Incredible. Probably the easiest 5 star album so far for me. And that's despite that weird last song that is worth negative 10 stars.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
This just doesn't feel very special in any way. Almost like they noticed there was no "Bossa nova" on the list and hurriedly found this one and threw it on there. Didn't do much for me but I tend to listen to these kinds of songs as one-offs. There might be something here that my ears just can't pick up.
Spacemen 3
3/5
Was a nice listen and I'd be happy to have this as background music but there was also nothing special about it.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Cool and clever and smooth.
Hookworms
3/5
I've never heard of this band before. Wasn't bad at all. Nothing great either but I'd probably listen again.
The The
3/5
Good new wave stuff but I don't really like most new wave.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
This one had some moments where it felt like something special was happening or about to happen but that feeling went away pretty quickly. It ended up just being a middle of the road album.
Wilco
3/5
It was just ok.
Deep Purple
3/5
Pretty generic stuff. I'd only ever heard the two hits before and now I know why. It wasn't bad at all but nothing really there to make me come back.
Madonna
3/5
A couple of great songs on this album. Mostly cheesy generic pop though. I'd only ever listen to the hits on purpose. 3.5 stars
The Strokes
4/5
There's a lot of sameness all the way through this album, but I still really enjoyed it. No real "wow" moments, but it was still a step above.
Ray Price
2/5
Didn't get much out of this. There were a couple of impressive moments here and there but overall I'm not really sure why this was on the list.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Really just didn't get it. It's a little below a 2 but not quite a 1.
Britney Spears
2/5
It's a very good example of bubble gum pop so I understand why it's on the list, but it's really hard to listen to as a grown adult.
Pulp
3/5
Very repetitive. Didn't actively hate it but I also didn't really like anything about it.
Kanye West
4/5
I sure would like to hate this album seeing as how big a prick Kanye turned out to be but this really is a great album. I guess if you’re looking for really deep lyrics you won’t find it hear but you will find great production and clever wordplay. I enjoyed listening to it
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
This is the fourth Elvis Costello album I've had to listen to on this list and, as I said in the other 3 reviews, the albums are all the same: 1-2 great songs, 4-5 mediocre songs, and the rest terrible songs. This album is no different. Unfortunately it appears there's at least one more album on the list so I'll have to write this same review one more time.
Van Halen
5/5
This album was an absolute blast. Feels like the epitome of this kind of metal. Was surprised to see the release date of 1978 because it feels a lot more modern than that. I have to imagine people were absolutely blown away when this album was originally released.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but the lead singer's whiny voice got annoying after a while. It's absolutely insane that they have three albums on this list though. 3.5 stars
3/5
Glad to hear this one. Never heard of it before and it was very nice all the way through. There wasn’t anything unique or surprising about it so I can’t really give it a high score but I’d listen again. 3.5 stars
The Incredible String Band
1/5
This was awful. I think "Waltz of the New Moon" was the only song that I wasn't actively angry about. It was like they decided to just vocalize whatever uninteresting thought they had in their head and throw a sitar in there as an afterthought. Just terrible.
The Who
4/5
I was aware of this album's significance and it does deserve a lot of credit (blame?) for being the first "rock opera", however, I didn't actually like very many of the songs. The story itself was kind of hard to follow as well, so I don't think I got much out of the "opera" part either. I'd probably give this 3 stars for enjoyment, but I'll add a star due to its place in history.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
This was a great listen. Very mellow and laid back but still interesting. I would listen to this with rapt attention and as background music. Works either way.
1/5
This was really uncomfortable to listen to. Feels like an "emperor has no clothes situation" so kudos to Zorn for getting away with it but it's a big "no thanks" from me. To make things worse I just listened to a Jimmy Smith album so my jazz expectations were too high for this noise.
I am having a medium good time trying to imagine someone who actually likes this album and is trying to tell me how their favorite song goes. I can picture the panic in their eyes as they let out their third squeal in ten seconds and realize exactly how untenable their position is.
Aerosmith
3/5
Not bad - a couple of cool songs but also not super exciting. Probably a different story if I had heard this in 1975 when it was released but rating it now I can't give it more than 3.5 stars.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Marlene on the Wall is an incredible track but the rest of the album doesn't really do much for me. I also think she has better albums than this so I'm not sure why it made the list over other more worthy stuff. 3.5 stars
Björk
2/5
I honestly feel like I'm being generous giving this 2 stars. I didn't understand the point of any of it. There's probably an artistic angle I could take to justify it but if I'm being honest it doesn't feel like there was anything worth listening to here.
The Pretty Things
4/5
Well damn. I got "Tommy" a couple of albums ago and was sort of disappointed in the quality but gave it an extra star for being "the first rock opera". Turns out this was out first and, in my opinion, it was better. Still not very good though, but I guess I can't rank it lower than "Tommy". 4.1 stars.
Roxy Music
3/5
Perfectly fine. Nothing stands out for me though.
Dire Straits
4/5
Starts off incredibly strong, but peters out after the first 3 songs. Still has a nice laid back vibe to it, so even though I wasn't completely enthralled the whole way through I still didn't mind it.
Elton John
3/5
I'd really like to rate this higher because Levon and Tiny Dancer are so good but it turns out those are the only good songs on the album. 3.5 stars
T. Rex
4/5
Very fun album. Not sure I’d call it “good” but I liked listening to it. Good energy but I think it’s more enjoyable in smaller doses.
Joy Division
1/5
This is just one of those bands/albums where I feel like everyone is playing a trick on me when they say they like it. I found it basically unlistenable.
Love
3/5
Nice but relatively generic. 3.5 stars
Milton Nascimento
2/5
Didn't get much out of this. Felt pensive and sorrowful, but I didn't understand the actual words.
Elton John
4/5
4 or 5 great songs on this album and no real duds. Lots of different genres but nothing sounded forced. Great storytelling and very much worth a listen. Album is a little too long otherwise I'd probably give this 5 stars.
k.d. lang
3/5
K.D. Lang has a cool crooning voice, but this album was dated back when it was released and it still is.
3/5
Not a bad punk album but not really my thing.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Pretty great album. A handful of incredible songs and no duds. Was familiar with the hits but it was nice to finally hear some of the lesser played stuff.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
The only Buffalo Springfield song I know is "For What It's Worth" and that was not on this album. Seems like that's the only good song they have, so this is not a good album. Nothing terrible here but I'm also not too interested in it.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Never really listened to Tim Buckley before even though I thought I had. Feels like in an alternate timeline this takes the place of some bluesy 70s band in the general zeitgeist. Pretty good stuff.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Not really saying anything new here but this really is incredible. Not a long album by any means but it felt shorter than it was. Rare album that sounds good whether you're paying attention or not.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Definitely a product of its time and I suppose a lot of my enjoyment comes from nostalgia but this album really does have a bunch of great songs on it. I “faved” just about every song on the album.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Fun album. Missy Elliott has a lot of talent. There were a few misses, especially on the back half, but overall it was a pretty good listen. 3.5 stars.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Sort of a difficult album to rate. I really liked 3 of the songs and really didn't like the rest. I'm not even sure why I liked those three as they seemed pretty objectively mediocre, but I found myself going back to them over and over. 3.5 stars.
Funkadelic
5/5
It's rare to have a funk album that you can just put on in the background and enjoy. This was one that you could enjoy if you pay attention or if you just want something to listen to while you're doing other things.
Mariah Carey
2/5
I will defend Mariah Carey’s first album to my grave and would defend it on this list but this is garbage. Not sure why it was picked over the other one. She’s very talented though so I can’t really justify 1 star.
David Bowie
3/5
Don't know why but I've never really been able to get into Bowie too much. Songs are ok but only a couple of standouts. Overall not a very exciting album.
The Style Council
3/5
One of the most eclectic albums I've ever listened to. Wasn't "good" by any means but maybe it's on this list because it's so unusual.
Louis Prima
4/5
Infectious attitude carries this album. The songs are pretty good too, but the best part was just the feeling of joy that permeated the whole thing.
Napalm Death
2/5
There's no getting around it - this is awful. But I decided to read the lyrics while I was listening, just so that I could claim to be looking at this thing objectively. Turns out the lyrics are surprisingly poetic in a nihilistic sort of way. Would never listen again of course, but the lyrics bring it up a point even if they are completely incomprehensible while the singer is "singing".
Suede
3/5
After the first few songs I thought I was going to begrudgingly give this 4 stars and talk about how it would have been 5 stars if it wasn't for the lead singer's whiny sound. Turns out the quality dropped off pretty good after that so this is a fairly easy 3 star effort. Still might have been 4 stars with just about anyone else singing.
Sam Cooke
4/5
It's hard to rate live albums too highly for me because if it's bad I'd rather listen to the studio songs, but if it's good then I'd rather have been there. This was definitely the latter. Just seems like it was a fun time.
Deee-Lite
3/5
This album was only ever made to be a fun little distraction so I wasn’t expecting much. Still, other than “Groove Is In the Heart”, it was pretty aggressively mediocre all the way through.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Has some great tracks that are a lot of fun to listen to, but the repetition can be a little much.
Gotan Project
3/5
Was a nice listen I guess, but it really wasn't anything special.
Robbie Williams
2/5
I paused listening to these albums for a few weeks and on Monday of this week I got an email saying "you will get top rated albums this whole week if you reactivate your project today" so I reactivated.
Then today (Saturday) I get this shit. WTF.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Not familiar with this artist at all so I had no idea what to expect. Turned out to be a whole lot of fun. Just a lot of talent and energy that is definitely going into my regular rota.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Cee-Lo has a unique style that's pretty fun but it's hard to listen to so much at once. Still glad I listened to this. Had a good time. 3.5 stars
Sparks
3/5
I really can't say I liked it and there are really way too many bands of this genre on this list, but the lyrics were clever and the songs were inventive so I can't really pan it too much. Still, not putting this one back on any time soon.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
I really don't like this style of music. I don't know what it is about his voice, but it just rubs me the wrong way. Like he's pretending to have a deep voice but he can't really hit low notes. Anyway, that said, somehow this didn't really piss me off as much as usual. Get a good singer and this gains at least a star. 3.5 stars.
Cheap Trick
2/5
Probably a great show but there is really no point to this live album. I like Cheap Trick (or at least the hits) but the sound quality on here was pretty bad and all the crowd participation was just annoying for me as someone who is not in the crowd.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
This album was incredibly boring. I kept forgetting I was listening to it.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
A lot of five star sections of this album but I think my overall enjoyment was not especially high. 3.5 stars
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Very cool, very smooth. Clever lyrics and a great vibe. Not too many standout songs, but you can jump into any part of this album and you will enjoy it. The only criticism I have is that it can be a little repetitive in parts. 4.5 stars
Johnny Cash
4/5
Incredible album that is very well put together. A couple of “why is this song here” moments and a couple of times where Johnny’s interpretation didn’t add much compared to the original but overall it’s fantastic. I’d rather it was a little bit shorter but it obviously deserves a place on this list. 4.5 stars
Orbital
3/5
Seemed fine, but I really don't know how to judge these albums. They all sound pretty much the same to me.
Joan Baez
3/5
Very talented. Very good for a folk album but I felt like I got the gist about halfway through the first song. No need to listen to an entire album of this.
Side note: this album must own the record for most songs with a person’s name as the title.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Really worthwhile album. Starts off with an incredibly powerful and sustained note that lets you know what you’re in for. I was let down a little by the cover of “House of the Rising Sun” and was very disturbed by “One More Dance”, but otherwise pleasantly surprised since I probably would not have found this on my own.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida should easily be on the list of 1001 songs you must listen to before you die, but not on the list of 1001 albums you must listen to before you die. This was completely forgettable. 2.5 stars and the one song probably bumps it up a star.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Marvin Gaye can elevate any subject through sheer talent which is exactly what he does here. Incredibly boring subject matter, but because it's Marvin singing you don't mind listening.
Boston
5/5
Well this is pretty great. I didn't realize just about all of Boston's huge hits were on their debut album. Songs are all pretty great with impressive harmonies and great guitars. A couple of the songs are pretty cheesy (Rock & Roll Band) but even those have redeeming qualities. Didn't expect to give this 5 stars but here we are.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
"Ramble On" is a great song. Other than that though there wasn't a lot here that I liked. Never really was big into Led Zeppelin (which made college difficult) so maybe that explains it. Still, nothing bad here, just a bit overrated in my opinion. 3.5 stars
The Stranglers
3/5
Another new wave album... I've probably listened to more new wave since I started using this site ~500 songs ago than I have in my whole life, and I was alive in the 80s. That said, I wasn't completely annoyed by this. The album is probably a little better than I am giving it credit for, but I'm just tired of this style. I really liked "Hanging Around" but the rest of it was just ok. 3.5 stars
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I think if this was anyone else I would give it a much lower rating but Marvin elevates it to another level. I can't imagine anyone else could get away with basically having the same song ("Let's Get It On" and "Keep Gettin' It On") twice on the same album. 3.5 stars
Alice In Chains
4/5
You know how some bands put out a great song and you think they might be good, but then you listen to another one of their songs and you realize they just got "lucky" somehow? For some reason I always thought that about Alice in Chains even though I liked all their songs. "They got lucky again!" I'd think, every time I heard a new one. Eventually I realized I was wrong but it was well after their heyday. Anyway, this album is great and I'm pretty sure it's not from luck.
Heaven 17
2/5
I'm expecting another bad English New Wave band after looking at the cover of this album. Oh what a surprise I was right. This album was so bad it made me reconsider my enjoyment of other new wave bands.
Brian Eno
4/5
I usually find these experimental albums to be pretentious and self-indulgent but this was pretty enjoyable to listen to. Probably wouldn’t seek it out again very often but it was simultaneously interesting and soothing.
Primal Scream
2/5
WTF. I can't give this one star because I liked the first song but it's really close. Everything on this album was awful. Just a sprawling mess.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
This is such a weird combination of good and annoying that I don't know how to rate it. The smugness is off the charts and it's sort of terrible musically, but there is often something there that makes me want to listen again.
Le Tigre
3/5
Pretty good. Not really my style overall but there were a few songs that were catchy and interesting. Was thinking this sounds a lot like Bikini Kill in parts and then found out that Kathleen Hanna is in this so duh. 3.5 stars
The Cardigans
3/5
There's a lot of subtly interesting things going on in most of these songs musically but most of it doesn't really come together for me. "Been It" and "Lovefool" are great but the rest of it just hovers a little above "good". Also every song seems to have basically the same theme (masochistic relationships) and that gets old fast. 3.5 stars
Arcade Fire
3/5
Every song reminded me of taking family trips in the 80s with the radio tuned to a station that plays nothing but generic but pleasant songs. The lyrics are a little melancholy but the music is very soothing. Ultimately though, it is mostly forgettable. 3.5 stars
ZZ Top
4/5
Great bluesy album. A couple of incredible songs and there were no weak spots anywhere.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Cool background music. Felt like I'd probably enjoy it more if I focused on it but still was enjoyable only sort of half paying attention. Reminded me of The 5th Dimension in some ways, not sure if they ever collaborated but it would have been a great match if they did. 3.5 stars
JAY Z
3/5
I mean he's good and all but it got very repetitive. A couple of incredible tracks though (especially Renegade) and he has a real way with words but I don't think I'll be listening again.
Scott Walker
3/5
Logically I should have hated this but I didn't find it completely terrible. Most of the songs are pretty boring and "old" but there was definitely something about it that was at least a little alluring. I really liked "Duchess" and sort of liked "The Old Man's Back Again" but otherwise nothing really stood out. Still not terrible to listen to and I assume if I enjoyed this kind of music more I would rate it higher. Way better than other artists of this genre but I just don't like the genre that much.
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
This was incredible. Never heard of this artist before but I enjoyed this a lot. Upbeat Brazilian songs with incredible rhythms and sounds. Thought Taj Mahal sounded a little familiar and lo and behold it turns out Rod Stewart ripped it off. Anyway, good job, list, for introducing this to me.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
I was looking forward to this as the only songs I really knew from it were "Relax" and "Two Tribes" which are both pretty great. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the album is just bland new wave and uninspired covers. Nothing terrible but nothing really great either. The title song had some cool moments but was probably just a little too long. 3.5 stars
The Pogues
4/5
This is a great take on traditional Irish folk music. The high energy and fun lyrics are an absolute blast to listen to. I'm not too familiar with the ins and outs of what makes Irish folk music good, but to my ears, this is a terrific example of it. 4.5 stars
The War On Drugs
3/5
This was a pleasant listen but not much more. I’d never heard of this band so I came in with no expectations. The album started off strong and there were no bad songs, but it was pretty repetitive. I did find myself thinking “wow this part sounds like ——— (Dylan, Petty, Springsteen, Dire Straits, etc.)” a lot. This would make pretty good background music but I probably wouldn’t seek it out.
Sebadoh
2/5
Everything on this album just sounds a little bit off. That's probably on purpose because I never got the feeling that they didn't know what they were doing but that said this was definitely not for me.
Radiohead
3/5
I never really appreciated Radiohead until I saw them live. I still think they are way better live than on an album but I'm not sure why. This album felt kind of boring even though I'm sure it would be amazing if I saw them perform it. 3.5 stars.
Cat Stevens
5/5
One of the strongest beginning/ending combos of any album I've ever heard. There's a little bit of a lull in the middle but there is so much lyrical and musical imagination on display here that it's hard to believe he was only 22 when this came out. Every song has a good message without being overly preachy (I'd argue the advice is offered humbly, in fact) or trite, which is incredibly hard to pull off.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Funny name. Oh it really is 69 songs? So, they're all like 30 seconds long? No? Jesus Christ. Fine.
I wasn't expecting to like this, and I didn't. It felt like doing homework. Homework can be good though even if it's hard, and this felt like that. Clearly an impressive, if self-indulgent, work, but I promise I will never listen to it again. Reminded me of when my friends show me pictures of their kid and I have to see twenty exact same pictures of the kid but with their elbow at a slightly different angle. Edit this shit, please.
Kid Rock
1/5
Spotify went down as soon as I tried to listen to this. Message received, universe, I read you loud and clear.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
It was a little bit repetitive but I didn't mind. Every song gave off a "forget your troubles" vibe that I could listen to over and over again.
Ozomatli
2/5
Can't really point out exactly what I didn't like about this but the whole thing just felt a little off.
Ice Cube
4/5
Cool beats. A mixture of strong messages that are important if uncomfortable to hear with the casual misogyny sprinkled here and there. Got very repetitive but there are a couple of great songs on here. I'm hovering between 3.5 and 4 so I'll round up.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Felt like a very average blues album. Not sure it would be considered special except for the fact that it is Bob Dylan. No bad songs, but also no songs that I would consider interesting in any way.
Richard Thompson
4/5
I had the same reaction to every song: 1. What is this shit? 2) Oh actually it's not bad. 3) Hey this is pretty good. 4) I don't know if that was good... maybe I should listen again.
Bottom line, I liked this album even though I'm not sure why.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
"Gimme Shelter" is one of the best songs of all time and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is not far behind. The deeper cuts are a mixed bag (not exactly sure what the point of "Country Honk" was), but they are good enough to make this a classic. 4.5 stars
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
Just generic sadness. Nothing really interesting or compelling about it. Made me more angry at the attempt to make me feel sad than I did sad. Felt earnest and not manipulative though, so I’ll give it a star for that.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
I was going to give this a lower score because it just feels so basic and simple, but the fact is every song was soothing and enjoyable despite hitting on some very heavy topics. Only knock is that it starts to sound a little same-y after a while. 4.5 stars.
The Triffids
2/5
Incredibly generic, bland, new wave (although Wikipedia calls it "folk rock"?) that is not worth listening to. I guess if you really feel like you have to you could listen to just the first song and you will basically understand the whole album.
3/5
Kinda get the gist after a couple of songs. Her man sucks and she either hates that fact more than anything or doesn't care at all. Still not bad overall and I imagine some of the songs would grow on you the more you listen.
TV On The Radio
3/5
I can understand why this is considered good but it's totally not for me. Very inventive and compelling in parts but I could never quite get it. 3.5 stars
The White Stripes
5/5
Jack White is so incredibly inventive and prolific. I "liked" just about every song on here. This was one of those albums that comes out once every few years that just renews your faith in music.
King Crimson
3/5
Psychedelic rock and progressive rock are always kind of hit or miss, and this album is no different. There were a lot of places where I felt like I was just getting impatient for something interesting to happen and other places where I was wowed by what I just heard. No doubt this was influential and I think this might get better on repeated listens but on this listen it was just a little above average overall. 3.5 stars
Radiohead
2/5
There are some bands that you have to see live for the hype to make any sense and Radiohead is one of them. But since I am reviewing their album and not their concerts, I have to say this was pretty disappointing. Felt like the same whiny, boring song 11 times in a row.
Common
2/5
I accidentally saw Common in concert once and it was just as boring as this album.
The Undertones
4/5
I guess "The Undertones" is British for "The Ramones". I don't think I've ever heard of this band before although I must have heard "Here Comes the Summer" and "Teenage Kicks" in some coming of age movie at some point, right? Just a fun high energy album. No need to listen too closely to the lyrics. Just nod your head along with the beat.
Beastie Boys
5/5
The Beastie Boys's best album. Lots of variety with the sampling and lots of energy and lots of fun. Clever lyrics and a style that you just didn't see in hip-hop at the time. Didn't completely stand the test of time but I'd still consider this a master class in rap music.
The Fall
3/5
Based on everything I know about myself I should have hated this album. I'm still not sure I don't. Still, there was something compelling about it. I'm pretty confused about the whole thing. 3.5 stars.
Fred Neil
2/5
I didn't really understand why this was on here until "Everybody's Talkin'" came on, and after that I still didn't. 2.5 stars
XTC
4/5
I was always worried about listening to a full XTC album because I really liked the songs I'd heard (like "Dear God" and "Earn Enough For Us" are pretty brilliant) and was worried that the rest of their catalog wouldn't live up to my expectations. Turns out I was right. This album has a handful of great songs and the rest are pretty aggressively average. The great songs pull it up a little, but I wouldn't listen to the whole album again.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Very good stuff. Lots of big hits and lesser known hits, but this really packs a punch. This type of songwriting with a message is pretty hard to do well but he nails it. Also gets some points for nostalgia for sure, but I think I'm mostly being objective here.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Well I definitely enjoyed that more than I expected to. Very smooth and soulful. Can imagine sitting in a papasan and listening to this in the dark while I sip on a glass of brandy.
The Damned
3/5
There was nothing about this that differentiated itself from any other punk-ish band I've ever heard.
Cypress Hill
5/5
I haven't listened to this in decades. What a mistake, I apologize. This whole thing is incredible. They have a unique sound that is instantly recognizable with cool lyrics and catchy beats. Pretty much every song got a "like" from me.
The Fall
3/5
I've never heard of "The Fall" before starting this list and weirdly, I got 2 albums of theirs in one week. The first one was confusing but (I think) enjoyable. This one had a great song to start it off. It reminded me of the sort of horror rap songs that were kind of popular in the 90s, I think. I got a little excited but that was easily the high point of the album.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Very interesting stuff. It's kind of hard for me to pretend I like it though. 3.5 stars
The Soft Boys
3/5
This whole damn list is just mediocre new wave bands I've never heard of. This was better than most, but not much. 3.5 stars
Def Leppard
4/5
This sounds like every other 80s pop metal band but it's approximately 25% more fun.
George Jones
3/5
George Jones has an incredible voice, but I can't imagine an album where every song sounds the samer than this one. Then, out of nowhere, a song where he rails on his fans for listening to gossip. I understand the appeal but it's not for me.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Perfectly fine. Felt like David Bowie lite, and it turns out that's exactly what it is.
CHVRCHES
4/5
I was honestly shocked to see CHVRCHΞS (people always remember the "vee" but not the "equivalent to") on here but they definitely belong. This is not my favorite album of theirs but maybe since it was their debut album it makes sense for this list. This is not normally the kind of music that appeals to me, but this album is fantastic. Maybe it's the 80s feel, or the clever (without being eye-roll-y) lyrics, or the lead singer's sheer charisma. Whatever it is, it's a great listen. 4.5 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
See my other reviews, but the TL;DR is: 3 good songs, 5 mediocre songs, 5 bad songs, just like every Elvis Costello album.
k.d. lang
3/5
Cool voice, couple of good songs, but this is pretty boring.
Cornershop
2/5
The first song played and I thought "Hey this kinda sounds like that 'Brimful of Asha' song from a while back." Then the second song played and I thought "Oh." It doesn't get any better after that. 2.5 stars.
Prince
5/5
The guy's a damn genius.
Def Leppard
3/5
This one is a little more metal than Hysteria. Still fun and still interesting to listen to but not as many songs worth a repeat listen. 3.5 stars
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Got to give Marvin a lot of credit for attempting to change the world with a single album. Everything flows together extremely well and the songs are both musically listenable as well as being lyrically important. It's hard to be lectured at for that long though, so I can't give it a full 5 stars even though it might deserve it simply for its importance in musical history. 4.5 stars
Buck Owens
3/5
One of those albums where I can recognize the talent, but it just isn't for me. I would be fine hearing most of these songs occasionally, but when you have to listen to them all in a row like that it's exhausting.
Iggy Pop
5/5
What a great surprise this was. This is exactly the kind of album that I usually don't like, and that's why I had never listened to it. Somehow everything came together perfectly here. Just a collection of weird songs that incomprehensibly work incredibly well together. Also never realized Bowie's version of "China Girl" came out after this one, even if it was only a few years later.
The Kinks
4/5
I like The Kinks a lot. I didn't realize how much until listening to a few albums on this list but they have such subtly subversive songs with catchy tunes and clever lyrics. They are well-respected, but I feel like they really should be mentioned in the same breath as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. This album isn't perfect, but still a great listen.
Muddy Waters
4/5
This is pretty great. Not sure there were any individual standouts but I'd listen to this over and over again. I don't really understand the point of live albums but that's my only knock on this one.
Silver Jews
2/5
Why would anyone listen to this on purpose? Some of the lyrics were decent but ultimately not worth it.
Marty Robbins
3/5
It said it was going to be gunfighter ballads and then that's what it was. Some fun songs but they're all kinda gimmicky.
Eurythmics
3/5
Not really much on here worth listening to except the title track.
David Bowie
3/5
Seems like there's some poignancy here but there's really nothing on here that I would want to listen to again.
The Jam
3/5
It's pretty good. Sounds like a bunch of other sounds that came out at the same time though. Not sure if this stands out from the rest, although "That's Entertainment" was a step above. 3.5 stars
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Just absolutely chock-full of hits. Rest of the album was also pretty good. Had a very jam band feel. Like they were just randomly playing whatever suited their mood at the time, so I wouldn't say it is very cohesive but the songs are so catchy and absorbing that it didn't matter much. Surprised myself by giving this 5 stars but here we are.
David Bowie
3/5
I guess it's about time that I accept that I'll never be a big fan of David Bowie. I like some of his songs just fine and it's clear there's a lot of talent here. It just doesn't do anything for me.
Leftfield
3/5
Definitely not bad but nothing I could tell that distinguishes it from any other electronic music. 3.5 stars
The Darkness
3/5
That was a pretty weird listen. I don't think there was anything bad on here, but I feel like I should have hated it. Lots of annoying antics, but somehow they didn't make me want to stop listening. Some songs were hilarious even though I hated myself for thinking so afterwards. Glad I listened but probably won't give it another try. 3.5 stars.
Roni Size
3/5
Enjoyed it but it sounded just like every other drum and bass music I've ever heard.
David Ackles
2/5
I really don't like these albums where someone is just telling a story with some barely discernible backing track. This wasn't interesting in the least.
Tears For Fears
3/5
I remember when this album came out and I thought they were overrated. They were so popular, and I couldn't understand why. Listening to it now ~40 years (WTF) later and I realize they are much better than I gave them credit for. Still not for me but at least I sort of get it now. 3.5 stars
Talking Heads
3/5
Lots of interesting things going on here but ultimately a little to experimental for my taste. Psycho Killer is great of course but nothing else really lived up to my expectations.
Q-Tip
4/5
Didn't think I was going to like this but it was really good. Pretty amazing job of managing to sound unique but still sound like Q-Tip.
Fiona Apple
5/5
This is just a fantastic album. Apple is such an incredible lyricist it's hard to believe this was her debut. "Slow Like Honey" is the only one that didn't do much for me, otherwise every song is incredible.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
Very middle of the road.
Meat Puppets
3/5
This feels like the kind of album where you uncover some hidden depth on repeated listening, but it really didn't do much for me on the first listen. My opinion on first time through is a 2, but I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and add a star.
Richard Hawley
2/5
I hit play on Spotify but then I had to leave and I didn't come back until the recommendations were playing. Based on the recommendations I knew I wasn't going to like this. Just pretty boring overall. Maybe if it came out 70 years ago I'd feel differently. 2.5 stars
Taylor Swift
3/5
This is the catchiest collection of bad songs I think I’ve ever heard.
Goldfrapp
2/5
I didn't understand the point of any of this.I didn't understand the point of any of this. I heard "Utopia" once by itself and kind of liked it but I guess I can't take a whole album of whatever this was.
Frank Black
3/5
The only song I really liked was "Headache" and I think that's just because I remember them playing it a lot when this album came out. Otherwise it was pretty forgettable.
Santana
4/5
Somehow very chill and very intense at the same time. Incredible talent on display here. 4.5 stars
Saint Etienne
3/5
This was perfectly fine but I can’t imagine any reason why anyone must hear this before they die.
Miles Davis
4/5
Very experimental but Miles is always able to somehow pull this craziness off. Not sure I like it as much as some of his more standard stuff, but it was still very impressive.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Incredible voice. I get why people like her, but it's just not for me. Every song felt like it had one or two "mistakes" that took me out of the moment. 3.5 stars
Scott Walker
3/5
Do you remember that Martin Short character "Irving Cohen" who would opine about the good ol' days of entertainment only to demand that his piano player "give me a 'C', a bouncy 'C'" and then would improvise a mediocre line or two of a song and finally finish it with "ba-da-bee, ba-da-boo, and whatever the hell else you want". Anyway, that's what this album is. Not sure if that's good or bad.
Fugazi
3/5
Honestly don't know how to rate this one. Didn't like it, but I thought it was good. WTF
Kate Bush
4/5
Very hard to pin down exactly what this album is. It defies classification. I still like it even if I wouldn't necessarily listen to it on purpose.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
This sounds like what would happen if you told an AI to make an album of songs that sound like "Under the Sea". Not sure how to rate this in the slightest.
Animal Collective
3/5
I feel like this was too weird for me, but I'm still not sure. I "think" I might "enjoy" this "more" if I "had" a little "help". (All the quotes mean drugs)
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
This was fine I guess. Nothing too mind-blowing but I didn't feel compelled to skip anything either.
Calexico
3/5
Another album on this list that was perfectly fine but I definitely didn’t need to hear it before I die.
Talking Heads
3/5
Very unusual but compelling. It's very hard to balance "weird" with "enjoyable" but Talking Heads seem to be able to walk that line. Not really my thing but I get it. 3.5 stars
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This feels like it might be good if someone else was singing. I saw "Leonard Cohen" and thought "Hallelujah" but then the first song started playing and I thought "this sounds like every generic eighties song I've ever heard". This whole album seems like a good album in need of a remake. 3.5 stars
Isaac Hayes
2/5
I'd never heard this album before and was looking forward to it. Turns out the whole thing is just pretty stupid. Only 4 songs? Stupid. 9 minute spoken word intro? Stupid. To an 18 minute song? Stupid. One nonsense word song title? Stupid. One song where he justifies (or at least excuses) his infidelity, followed immediately by a song where he complains bitterly about his partner's infidelity with seemingly no recognition of the irony? Stupid. The musicianship is impressive but that's the only thing keeping this from being a 1 star album.
David Bowie
2/5
I guess I just don't like David Bowie.
Scritti Politti
2/5
It’s weird to listen to an album with nine songs that all sound the same and somehow only one is good. 2.5 stars
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I can't really explain why I liked this but I did.
Green Day
4/5
I’m all for the idea of a “punk rock opera” and while it has the risk of coming across as gimmicky, they were really able to pull it off. This album started off really strong but wasn’t able to maintain that in the second half. Still a great listen. 4.5 stars
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
This jumped back and forth between annoying and awesome like 15 times. The annoying was VERY annoying, but it's probably harder to make an awesome song than an annoying one so I will bump it up half a star. 3.5 stars
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Another supposedly influential album that was just mediocre. Every song sounded exactly the same. I guess it wasn’t terrible but it sure wasn’t good either.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Never really thought Led Zeppelin was all that great. This album is no exception. I liked "Immigrant Song" (duh) and "That's the Way" which I'd never heard before, so that was a nice surprise. Otherwise it was fairly uninspiring. I feel like I've heard a version of "Gallows Pole" before that I liked, but this wasn't it. 3.5 stars
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
This feels like the soundtrack to every 60s movie where everyone is frantically doing the watusi.
Haircut 100
2/5
More garbage British new wave. I'm done with it.
Blur
3/5
This really isn't worth listening to. It's not terrible but the only song I liked was the first one (Girls & Boys) and even that was mostly because of recognition.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Really liked this one. A lot of duds but the good ones really made up for them. "Jump into the Fire" is incredible. Cut out some of the weaker stuff and this could easily be a 5 star.
Stan Getz
2/5
I couldn't really get into this. Wanted to like it but every song sounded exactly the same. 2.5 stars
2/5
This is one of the dumbest pieces of self-indulgent garbage I've ever heard. Stop playing the harmonica. There's really no need for this album on this list even if it wasn't terrible. Sad thing is, there were a lot of good songs on this album but this was an absolutely miserable experience. A couple of good efforts on the back half barely saved this from being one star.
LL Cool J
3/5
I thought this was pretty good but it was at the end of the era where this was considered pretty good. I don't think I'd be as impressed if it wasn't for nostalgia. 3.5 stars
Neil Young
3/5
This is a well made album but it is incredibly boring. Even the handful of songs I like are pretty boring. I would never listen to this on purpose but I can understand why people would like it. 3.5 stars
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I've given this same review for half the live albums on this list, but this is another one where the actual concert seems like it would have been a blast but it doesn't mean it needs to be an album. 3.5 stars
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
A lot of great songs on this album. The harmonies are really impressive technically and there is an underlying 60s attitude that permeates everything. A couple of the songs were really big let downs and it was sort of jarring to deal with that after hearing a great song. Really close to 5 stars for me though. 4.5 stars
Ian Dury
3/5
That was weird. Didn't hate it as much as I thought I would after listening to the first couple of lines, but I also never want to listen to it again. 3.5 stars
Slayer
3/5
I remember being scared of this kind of band when I was a kid. It's almost comical listening to it now though. I wonder if the band members were in on the joke or if they took it serious. Anyway, not my cup of tea, but the guitars were really impressive all the way through. Would have been nice if even one song sounded different than any of the others.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
"This sounds like the Arctic Monkeys with a 60s mod rock feel" - was the first thought I had when I started listening to this album. Turns out that's exactly what it is, and, well, I like both those things and I like this album.
B.B. King
3/5
Songs are all really good but I really don't think there should be any live albums on this list. 3.5 stars
Anthrax
2/5
Holy shit this is dumb. I wasn't sure how I'd react to this but I was looking forward to it. The first song started and had a pretty good riff, but then as soon as the singing started the quality fell through the floor. I can't believe how stupid every song on this album is. The guitar work is good enough to save this from one star but sheesh.
The Byrds
3/5
This is some hippie bullshit and luckily I like hippie bullshit. I think this needs a little more energy for me to bump it up into "really like" territory though. Still this is the highest 3.5 stars I can give.
Megadeth
5/5
This was surprisingly incredible. I just avoided this kind of thing when I was younger because I heard enough bad examples of it to give up. This thing really hit me though. Guitar work is insane and the lyrics and singing, while dated and cringy in some places, were powerful and interesting for the most part. Really surprised myself to give this 5 stars but here we are.
John Martyn
3/5
Just a nice, soothing, relaxing ride. Had a couple of standouts and no duds. I probably wouldn't seek this out but if it was on in the background I wouldn't mind, and depending on my mood, I might actually enjoy it. 3.5 stars
Elis Regina
2/5
I've gotten a handful of hidden gems from this list and I thought this was going to be another one, but for whatever reason this just fell flat for me. I really can't explain why but every song just felt a bit off. I really liked the suggested songs that played after this so there must be something to it, but I couldn't find it. 2.5 stars
Eagles
3/5
Handful of good songs on this album but they are front loaded to the first few songs. Really peters out after that so I can't give this a great rating. Still, not going to give them a knee jerk crappy rating that seems to be in vogue ever since The Big Lebowski came out. 3.5 stars
Metallica
2/5
Was surprisingly disappointing. All the songs sounded the same and none of them sounded good all the way through. Some great guitar broke through a bunch but that was the only part I liked and it was not enough for me to enjoy the album. 2.5 stars
The Monks
2/5
I feel like this is a great example of what punk is supposed to be about, so I can respect it, but the problem was I just didn't like it musically. Every song was just a little too unpleasant or had some unpleasant parts. Glad they put this out there though. 2.5 stars
808 State
3/5
Not bad but I kept forgetting I had it on. Not really sure if that's a good sign or bad. It did have a strange familiarity even though I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything on this album before.
Adele
3/5
She's very talented but there's nothing on here for me. Don't really like this kind of stuff but I hate giving a bad review to someone so obviously good, so 3 stars it is.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
This got pretty repetitive listening to it all at once but I liked every song on the album. Good stuff to listen to but repeated listens are pretty hard.
Hawkwind
4/5
Never heard of this band and wasn't sure what to expect. It was way too long but other than that I really liked it. Psychedelic jam band vibes.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Familiar with a couple of the songs but I always thought a raspy sounding woman was singing. So weird. Anyway, only a couple of songs worth listening to on this album, and those are the hits (I Saw the Light & Hello It's Me).
The Cure
1/5
I can't understand how anyone likes The Cure. The instrumentation can be good in parts but it is mostly cheesy, boring, typical 80s stuff. The lyrics are awful and his voice is worse. Gets a half a star for the occasional moments when there was a cool guitar or keyboard but this is ultimately pointless and not worth listening to. 1.5 stars
The The
2/5
Very generic 80s stuff. Nothing too good but nothing bad either. 2.5 stars
MGMT
4/5
I really wanted to hate this. These guys give off such a douchy vibe to me. Don't know them at all so I could be way off base there. Anyway, I enjoyed it. The first half was better than the second, but the whole thing wasn't bad.
Magazine
3/5
Definitely something going on in this album that is better than I can appreciate. Feel like I need to listen to this a few more times to give it a fair rating but for now I'm just giving it an average score.
Beck
4/5
Nice relaxing listen. Nothing mind-blowing, but it was very enjoyable. Would listen again.
Radiohead
4/5
These Radiohead guys are nice to listen to. I never really like any individual songs but really like the album overall. Guess that means the songs kind of run together so that would be my only criticism of it.
The Cure
2/5
I always found The Cure to be one of the most overrated bands in history. Had never heard a single song by them that I actually liked. This album changed that a little. The first song, which was an instrumental, so I guess not having to listen to his voice was a big plus there. There are a couple of other songs that would have been improved immensely if they remained instrumentals. "In Your House" was also good. Other than that this album is still trash.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Wow this is garbage. Great voice though.
Neil Young
3/5
Usually pretty annoyed by his voice but there are a handful of great songs on here. I feel like 3.5 is too low but 4 is too high.
Can
2/5
Kind of a weird experience. This was not very good and ultimately pointless but there were a couple of songs that I didn't mind having on when I wasn't paying too much attention. Seemed like a few relatively talented musicians formed a jam band and then just wanted to see how strange they could get.
Queen
3/5
These songs were all very impressive but I guess I like Queen for their hits and there was not a single one on this album. 3.5 stars
Pixies
4/5
This album grew on me while I was listening to it. Just very inventive and compelling all the way through even if there weren't really any stand out songs. I got about 3.5 stars of enjoyment out of it, but I'm going to bump it up to 4 stars because I'm pretty sure it will improve on repeated listens.
Kings of Leon
3/5
There's a few Kings of Leon songs that I like but none of them are on this album. It's not terrible though, I was just expecting more.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Only familiar with "Come On Eileen" and I thought there was a reason they were one-hit wonders, but this album was surprisingly good. No big standouts besides that one, but still a nice, pleasant listen.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
The bass line in "Broken English" sounded a lot like the one in "Every Breath You Take" and I thought that was the best part of this album.
Michael Jackson
5/5
7 great songs, 1 ok song, 1 bad song. This was about as easy a 5 star album as there could be.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
I kept forgetting I was listening to this one. Not sure if that's a good sign or bad sign. Good background music I guess.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Feels like the soundtrack from some obscure, avant-garde sixties movie with no plot. Not really my cup of tea but not terrible either.
The Libertines
3/5
OK I guess. Completely forgettable though.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Hard to separate the nostalgic value with the musical value on this one but this was a ton of fun all the way through. Very inventive rhymes and mixing of rock and rap. A really good time if you don't take the lyrics too seriously.
Dr. John
2/5
This was not really music for the most part.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Mediocre tunes, mediocre voice, mediocre lyrics. Doesn't even include their best song.
Destiny's Child
3/5
I thought I was going to give this 5 stars after the first three songs (their hits) but after that it got pretty generic, boring, and repetitive. Lots of great moments but nothing that sustains an entire song. 3.5 stars and that was heavily weighted by the first 3 songs, although the cover of "Emotion" was pretty cool too.
Lambchop
1/5
Awful. Boring and monotonous. Nothing redeeming here.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Just too boring for me to appreciate any kind of musical genius that might be happening here. 2.5 stars
The Verve
2/5
Just boring. Every song sounds exactly the same and even the famous one isn't that good.
Björk
3/5
This sounds like a lot of other Björk albums. Incredible, unique voice. Weird arrangements and lots of emotion. Didn't mind it, but it's not really something I'd seek out. 3.5 stars
John Lennon
3/5
Seemed fine, just not very memorable. Don't think I'll listen to anything on this album on purpose again and I won't miss it.
Barry Adamson
4/5
This kind of experimental music can be a little too weird and annoying and this album is no different, but there is a lot of talent on display which makes up for the annoying parts. Good background music, but probably wouldn't seek it out.
The Cult
4/5
Normally I don't like it when every song on an album sounds the same, but this was awesome. Best song is "Love Removal Machine" but after hearing the whole album, I think that's because it was the first song of theirs I'd ever heard.
Soul II Soul
3/5
If you asked me what I think of this album I would say it's not very good, but whenever my focus was distracted I found my heading nodding and my foot tapping. So I'm rating this higher than my conscious would but lower than my subconscious would.
Daft Punk
3/5
Mostly mid but a handful of tracks that I wouldn't mind listening to again. Most likely due to nostalgia though so I can't really recommend it.
Brian Eno
3/5
There's probably too many Brian Eno albums on this list. This is the 5th one I've reviewed, not sure how many more there are. Anyway, this one is not doing anything for me. Just bored and uninterested throughout.
The White Stripes
4/5
Pretty great album that could have done without the last handful of songs. The first 10 songs are 5-star quality though.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Really impressive levels of talent. The songs themselves didn't do too much for me but I enjoyed taking it all in.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
This might be the most confusing album on this whole list. It's not terrible I guess but there is nothing good about it either. If your friend told you he made this album you'd be pretty impressed but it really is nothing special compared to actual musicians. There is no historical significance to this album that I can see either so what the fuck.
Kelela
2/5
This felt very poppy and generic. Fine for what it is I guess but not sure why it's on this list.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Pretty cool listening to some of these classic songs in a non-commercial setting. I've never heard the disjointed drum solo in the middle of "Take Five", for example. Moments like that pull it down from a 5 but it's still a great album.
Genesis
3/5
This was simultaneously impressive and idiotic.
Started off really strong I thought, but just not very interesting after that. Just below 3 stars for me and the first 4 or so songs are doing most of the heavy lifting there.
AC/DC
4/5
Every song sounds exactly the same but it's still a blast somehow.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Experimental albums can be hit or miss and this is no exception. I enjoyed parts of it but it never really kept my attention. Felt a little too much like I was being lectured at. 2.5 stars
Killing Joke
4/5
Why did I like this so much? I honestly don't know. Pretty cool experience even if I doubt I would seek it out after this.
Röyksopp
3/5
Perfectly fine for this kind of thing, but not my bag. Would throw it on the background for working or studying 100%. 3.5 stars
The Pharcyde
4/5
This was pretty great. I know I'm listening to it through nostalgia colored glasses, but it was just fun track after fun track.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
This was such a dumb album. Like why does it even exist? Why would anyone decide to make it? Why would it get greenlit? Anyway, I loved it.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Joni Mitchell is an incredible talent but this kind of music just doesn't usually do it for me. River is incredible of course but otherwise I'm mostly unable to appreciate the songs. I think that's more an indictment of myself than Joni though. 4.5 stars
The Waterboys
3/5
Clearly talented, but this album is way too long. Would definitely play this in the background of some Irish themed event, and would enjoy it if they were the live band at a random pub I was in, but doubt I would seek it out otherwise. 3.5 stars
Peter Gabriel
4/5
This was poppier than I expected it to be. Lots of incredible songs but a few too many that felt like some kind of 80s-style pandering.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Incredible album but really only listenable in small doses. The songs start to blend together quite a bit.
Megadeth
4/5
Every song in isolation rocks pretty hard but it gets a little too much to hear them all at once. Still, great stuff.
Simply Red
3/5
My dislike for this album is completely unjustified but it's still there. Every song just feels a little bit off. Can't really explain it though. Talent is obvious though so 3.5 stars
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
4/5
What the fuck. This was so stupid and entertaining at the same time.
50 Cent
4/5
Doesn't hold up completely but the songs are all catchy. Gets a little repetitive and the lyrics are nothing special but the head-bobbing is pretty consistent. 3.75 stars
Beatles
5/5
IF BeatlesAlbum THEN rating = 5
Lou Reed
2/5
This kind of thing always just feels like they are daring me to not like it so they can go somewhere and rag on me for "just not getting it, man". Whatever. Rag away.
Fishbone
3/5
I never really gave these guys a listen during their heyday but I'm glad I finally got a chance. Pleasantly surprised but still not something I would seek out on my own. 3.5 stars
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I liked "The One You Love" but for the most part this is not my thing. Boring and pretentious.
Adele
4/5
Simultaneously annoyed and impressed by this. Talent and production is off the charts but just feels a little fake. If I'm not paying too much attention the tunes are all catchy, but if I start listening close it feels more like manipulation than true enjoyment. Still can't ignore that it was enjoyable. Lowest 4 possible.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I didn't think I would like this at first but it really grew on me. Had some moments where he sounded a lot like Ben Harper, but it was still very inventive and unique. Nice find.
2Pac
3/5
This was fine I guess. Didn't really hear anything that interesting or compelling though.
Jurassic 5
3/5
These guys have a very cool and unique sound but it gets really repetitive. This a group that you would be fine just listening to the hits. 3.5 stars.
Van Halen
4/5
Did not really age as well as I thought it would. I had only really heard the hits before and while they are good, they are not as good as my memory of them. The lyrics to "Jump" are pretty inane but I guess you don't notice when you are seeing how high you can jump every time the chorus comes around. Still enjoyed most of it so it's a 4 for me but I probably wouldn't recommend it if you'd never heard it before.
The United States Of America
2/5
Interesting album. Never heard of this band before. I liked almost all of the fast songs that the female lead singer sang, but everything else was pretty hard to listen to. Felt like they were trying to capitalize on the psychedelic movement of the 60s but I'm not sure if it worked for the most part. 2.5 stars
4/5
I always thought U2 was a little overrated, but this album really is incredible. The first half is much better than the second, so the rating drops a little, but still a high 4.
Travis
3/5
Thought this was some side project of some Radiohead members. It's like Radiohead lite. Might as well listen to Radiohead instead.
Donald Fagen
3/5
I had basically no reaction to this. I like Steely Dan, but this just seemed to have no point. Musicianship was good though.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Great songwriter. Definitely one of those albums you have to listen to many times to appreciate. Not saying anything groundbreaking when I say he is not the greatest singer, and the sound does get a little repetitive, but those are small criticisms.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
I definitely didn't need to listen to this but it's not bad. Voice could be a little annoying at times, but seemed appropriate for this style of music. I guess if you're a fan of this genre (Renaissance folk?) you would like this but otherwise it's completely skippable.
The Zutons
3/5
I really liked many parts of this album, and I was very aggressively blasé about the rest. Hard to rate an album like that. 3.5 stars I guess
Django Django
3/5
Music and production: 5 stars. Lyrics and vocals: 1 star. Wtf is this album. 3.5 stars
Traffic
3/5
Traffic has some very good songs but there really aren't any on this album. A handful of pretty good songs here but nothing to keep me coming back. Medicated Goo is very underrated
Echo And The Bunnymen
1/5
Another stupid brit-pop album that I was sure I would hate before I even listened. Not so fast though, the first song "The Cutter" came on and I actually liked it! Then the very next song "Back of Love" came on and I came back to earth. Awful. Third song, more awful. Fourth, terrible. And so on. So on the plus side, my instincts are correct, and on the minus side, this album is garbage. Half a star for "The Cutter" so 1.5 stars
Small Faces
2/5
Didn't really understand the point of this.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Didn't do too much for me. Blues legend but this seemed a little too watered down and overproduced. I thought it said it came out in 1969 when I glanced at the year at first, but when I realized it was 1989 it made more sense. Probably just a money grab.
Frank Zappa
4/5
Never really understood the appeal of Zappa, but this was a great listen. Didn't really care for "It Must Be A Camel" but otherwise liked this. I guess it's just his lyrics that I don't like.
Minutemen
4/5
This was pretty great. Good energy and interesting lyrics. This kind of music isn't really my thing and it was way too long, but would probably be a low-key 5 star album if it wasn't for those two things.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Embarrassed to admit that up until now, I thought Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa were the same person. I don't really like Zappa so I never listened to any of Beefheart's stuff. This was pretty good though, had a nice mix of blues and 60s psychedelia. Definitely too long.
Tina Turner
5/5
Very 80s. I would put "What's Love Got To Do With It" at the top of the list of "most 80s songs ever". Lots of people might think that is a pejorative but I thought it was amazing. Tina's voice shines, but everything was fun, even when the songs were sad. Didn't much care for the "Help!" cover, but it was original and inventive.
The Residents
1/5
I guess there's a couple of interesting turns of phrases every now and then in the lyrics, but this is just too weird for me. Not enjoyable. 1.5 stars
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Discordant and incoherent. I always wonder when I hear an album like this, does the artist actually like it? Or were they just sitting around trying to figure out how to be "unique". I liked the woman's voice on "Stillness Is The Move" and a couple other ones, but even those songs were not good otherwise. 1.5 stars
The Youngbloods
2/5
Wanted to like this. Every song was *almost* good. A few of the songs would make nice background noise, but nothing (other than "Quicksand") really stood out on this album. Prime example is the instrumental "On Sir Francis Drake" which just kind of exists without being either offensive or compelling.
Green Day
4/5
Just a fun, high-energy ride. It gets derided sometimes as "not real punk" which is sort of true, but that doesn't detract from the excellence of this album. There are a handful of duds (All by Myself, anyone?) on this album that prevent it from being 5 stars but it is still worth repeated listens.
Gillian Welch
3/5
This was a pretty good album for what it was, but man it was so boring. The only song I like-liked was "Revelator" and the rest was just tedious. Good if you're looking for something in a country/folk/bluegrass style, but I just never am.
Norah Jones
3/5
"Don't Know Why" is the first song on this album and a pretty cool one so I thought this was going to be one of those albums where I was surprised at how good it was. Unfortunately, the rest of the album has no variety or draw. It is pleasant enough, Norah's voice is great and everything is pretty soothing, but ultimately not interesting enough for me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This is very good. So many iconic guitar riffs on one album. I am not a huge fan of Zeppelin, but the band on this album was a nice mellow version of Zep that I can get behind.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Based on the cover, I thought this was going to be another British new wave album that I would hate. Turns out I was wrong. It's another British punk/new wave album that I hate. Mea culpa
Slade
2/5
A couple of decent tunes (Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Gudbuy Gudbuy, but I think the idea of Glam Rock wasn't quite developed enough when this came out. Good on them for pioneering it but I still don't want to listen. 2.5 stars
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
Really hard to rate this one. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I can't say I would seek it out. Was very interesting to listen to but since I don't really listen to this kind of music I can't compare it to anything to know how much better or worse it is. 3.5 stars
Laura Nyro
4/5
Might be the hardest album I've had to rate. Kept jumping between annoying and awesome. When I was much younger I was a huge Three Dog Night fan and thought they wrote all their own songs. I found out I was mistaken a while back, but I still had never heard the original "Eli's Comin'" until this and it's just as good, if not better, than Three Dog Night's version. Also didn't know she did the original "Stoned Soul Picnic". I guess there are enough high points to give it a 4, but there are enough low points that it's more like a very high 3.
The Hives
3/5
Relatively entertaining but the songs all sound the same after a while. I was into the first couple of songs before I realized it. Seems like the kind of thing I would have liked more in my early 20s than now.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
No variety musically but the lyrics were pretty cool if disturbing. This album probably influenced a lot of people so I understand why it's on the list, but it's not worth listening to. 2.5 stars
Faust
3/5
I was like "the indie pop singer who had like one song? OK..." Then I started listening and realized I was thinking of "Feist". Anyway, as for the review of this album, I thought it was very weird but it kept me listening. It was better than I thought it would be, and found myself listening more than once. 3.5 stars
The Clash
3/5
Usually don't listen to punk music for the musical prowess, but for the energy, and I just didn't feel much here. Maybe I would have felt differently if I heard this at its debut, but today this just felt like they were going through the motions. Adding a star for the significance though.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I've been telling anyone who would listen that Led Zeppelin is overrated but this album shut me the hell up.
Van Morrison
3/5
Good songs. Not a great album though. Live albums are almost never worth listening to.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Seemed ok, but not the best funk album I've ever heard. More introspective than groovy.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Songs started off *almost* good, but felt a little off. His weird-ass version of "That's All Right" was pretty gross (why the "Amazing Grace" rendition at the end!?). "Maggie May" took it back to acceptable, then "I'm Losing You" dropped it back down. 2.5 stars
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Very nice but I don't know how to tell if it's good or bad. Wouldn't seek it out, but wouldn't turn it off.
Bee Gees
2/5
This sucked except for "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?". I thought "Lion in Winter" had potential to be good too, but they decided to do some weird scream-singing and ruin it. This is the second "slow" Bee Gees album I've heard here - maybe unpopular opinion but neither belong on the list even though their disco stuff does. Wondering if one of those albums will actually make it on here.
The B-52's
2/5
Sometimes when you only know a band's hits, there's a reason. This was no exception. It's hard to take a full album of this even if it was a short one. Kate's voice is pretty great though. 2.5 stars
The Prodigy
2/5
Mediocre.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Mediocre, but sometimes catchy.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Very boring. I didn't like it at all but it's hard to say it wasn't good. Most likely just not for me. The lyrics seemed clever and interesting but the voice was awful and the music wasn't much better.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Of all the dumb live albums on this list, this is probably the worst. Even if I were a Grateful Dead fan I'm not sure why I'd rather listen to this than one of the countless other bootlegs out there.
Joe Ely
3/5
Sounded like generic country music to me. Nothing super appealing about it. Except "Fingernails", that was a fun surprise.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Pretty interesting stuff. Enjoyed the lyrics and he had a pretty good take on "Tracks of My Tears" but I can't stand his voice. 3.5 stars
Shack
3/5
Passable I guess? Really not sure why this is on the list. Didn't mind it but would never intentionally listen to anything on this album again.
Slipknot
4/5
Thought for sure I would hate this but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The musicians are very talented, but I'm just not into this style too much. I think they fall into a limbo where they are too poppy for metal fans and too metal for pop fans, but definitely worth a listen. Strangely, despite the screaming presentation, the messages in the lyrics are pretty good if a little cheesy. Just under 4 stars for me.
Aerosmith
3/5
Felt like the same song over and over again. I'm sure it was an influential in some way, but nothing really stood out to me.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
This was a weird album that I kind of enjoyed but never need to listen to again. Feels like a goldmine for DJs to sample.
Arrested Development
4/5
I remember when this came out and thinking it was such a nice change of pace. Maybe I'm getting cynical in my old age but it felt very manufactured this time around, like the whole image was dreamt up by a marketing department. Still liked it, but not as much as I remember. Just under 4 stars
Jane's Addiction
4/5
A lot of really good songs on here. You find yourself getting secretly pumped up as each song builds to a crescendo. Very inventive and unique sound, but some of the experiments are too far out there which takes this down a bit. Still a great album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Confusing, but oddly compelling...
This is Nick Cave album number FIVE. It has to be the last one, right?!
Eric Clapton
3/5
Kinda nice to listen to but nothing ground-breaking here. Loses half a star for being 90% covers and another half a star for Clapton being a jackass.
Big Star
3/5
This album starts off very strong. I really liked "The Ballad of El Goodo" and had no idea this was where the "That 70's Show" theme song came from (I wanted to yell "Hello, Wisconsin!"). It peters out pretty hard on the 2nd half though. The flipside drags it down a little to under 4 star territory. 3.5 stars
Pere Ubu
3/5
One of the hardest albums I've had to rate. I absolutely did not like it but I also found myself mesmerized by the sound more than once. What a strange ride. I know I'll think about this album in the future.
Nas
4/5
Just a great album with complex lyrics that paint a vivid picture of life in New York in the 90s. Very repetitive sound which is my only criticism. Would be hard to listen to on repeat.
Paul Simon
3/5
This is a very good album that has the drawback of being to reminiscent of other Paul Simon works. I felt like I *almost* liked most of these songs, and that he figured out whatever nebulous lack these had later. Honestly though, whenever I hear a non-hit by Simon I always think it's kinda meh so maybe this is a me thing. Also, I would have bet money that "Me and Julio" came out in the 80s. 3.5 stars
Tim Buckley
2/5
Probably a good example of this kind of hippie folk music but I just found it whiny and annoying.
Doves
2/5
Sounds like Coldplay trying to be Oasis trying to be Radiohead. 2.5 stars
Mercury Rev
3/5
I had to look up if this was a "Flaming Lips" side project or something. First song was awesome, but then every song after that sounded pretty much the same to me. I feel like this would get better on repeated listens but on first blush it was too repetitive. 3.5 stars
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
Pretty hard to listen to. One of those albums that would have been better as a book of poetry or something. The subject matter seems fairly unique so I kind of understand its place on this list, but I'll never listen again.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Sounded like an attempt at modern classical music, didn't get much tango out of it. Every song lasted too long and was pretty pointless. Just a frantic mess. Clearly talented though, just not for me in the least.
Sepultura
2/5
This genre just doesn't do it for me. The guitars and drums were killer though, so these guys seem to know what they're doing. Lyrics were too teen angsty for me, but I think all thrash metal is like that. 2.5 stars
Aretha Franklin
4/5
I could listen to Aretha sing anything and this album really showcases her talent extremely well. Somehow, I didn't like her interpretation of "People Get Ready" or "Groovin'" but everything else was a home run.
Morrissey
1/5
Smug and humorless and pretentious. "I will creep into your thoughts like a bad debt that you can't pay" is right up there among the worst lyrics ever written. I can't stand this.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
I was not familiar at all with this side of Todd Rundgren. Kind of hippie/weird/experimental but I liked it for the most part. Glad to discover this on here.
Eminem
4/5
Eminem has this cool, unique style of rapping where it sounds like someone is having a conversation and it just happens to rhyme. Not sure if that's the best description, but that's all I got. It's impressive as is this album. Song quality goes down in the 2nd half but the first half is an all time great and there are definite 5-star moments in the 2nd half. The only issue for me is that it's hard to tell if/when he's playing a psychotic/ultraviolent psycho and when it's really him. I tell myself he's just pretending but I think I'm wrong a lot, which is kind of disturbing. 4.5 stars
Elvis Presley
4/5
This is great. A lot of cheesiness and some heavy-handed messages (Long Black Limousine would be great if it wasn't all "SHE'S DEAD GET IT?"), but it still works for me. Maybe a little dated at this time, but if you take yourself back to 1969 this would be pretty awesome.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
It was decent. Felt like one of those artists that pretentious music snobs insist everyone should listen to, while I just smile and nod my head and try something else.
4/5
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts here. No single song was catchy or stood out, but the overall atmosphere of this whole album is really sticking with me.
American Music Club
2/5
This was mostly a waste of time. Not terrible but I could have gone without listening. Everything about it was generic and boring.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Some of the arrangements can be a bit much, but there is a reason this is considered a masterpiece. Even when it's too much it still works.
The Slits
2/5
Supposedly influential, so that gets them an extra star, but the only song I liked on this album was the one that I'd already heard - their cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". Otherwise, just rambling punk music that didn't really appeal to me at all.
Violent Femmes
5/5
First time I heard this album was in tenth grade in the late 80s. It was the last day of school so we had a party in class and the students got to bring in tapes to listen to. We got to the part in "Add It Up" where he says "Why can't I get just one FU-" and the teacher jumped up shut it off before our young ears could get corrupted. Anyway, I didn't understand why I found it so compelling then, and I don't understand it now, but it really is. 5 stars
Ute Lemper
3/5
Sounds like a bunch of songs that didn't make the cut for the latest James Bond movie. Not terrible really, but I don't want to hear more than one at a time.
M.I.A.
3/5
Was equal parts catchy and annoying. Not really sure how to rate it.
Ha. I just looked at my review (from July 2021) for her other album and I basically said the same thing. "This album is a mixture of catchy and annoying. Not too sure how I feel about it." Consistent at least.
Genesis
3/5
I grew up listening to the 80s version of Genesis so it's always weird to hear this version. Prog rock really isn't for me for the most part, but this was very good if you like that sort of thing. Just not for me. 3.5 stars
Morrissey
2/5
I listened to this whole dumb thing and yes I do deserve a medal. I listened to this album on youtube and they showed the video for "Suedehead" instead of just the song. It's the most pretentious thing I've ever seen. Garbage.
The Beta Band
2/5
Didn't really understand the point of this, but it was British so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see it on this list.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Didn't do much for me. Sounds like a one hit wonder from the 80s, but it was only released a few years ago. The French version does sound a little better than the English version.
The Beach Boys
4/5
This was pretty interesting. Never heard of this album or any of the songs on it. Didn't really sound like The Beach Boys, but it had me hooked the whole way through. It was very unique and not at all what I was expecting.
The Stooges
4/5
This was a pretty fun album but I think the biggest thing about it is how old and influential it is. There were only a couple of songs that I liked but the style and the raw energy was pretty unique for the time. Giving it an extra star above my enjoyment level for that.
The xx
3/5
Not bad, but nothing really interesting. Good background music. "Islands" and "Intro" were familiar but I'm not exactly sure where I heard either one. The whole album sounds like they set floating gently down a slow moving stream to music.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Boring folk music, but better than most boring folk music. I wouldn't listen again, but I'd recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of thing.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
This has some nostalgic and historical value, but it is pretty objectively terrible. 4 stars in 1986, 2 stars now, average = 3 stars.
Circle Jerks
2/5
This was garbage, but I think it was supposed to be garbage so congrats? At least it was short.
Love
2/5
Really not sure why this is on the list. Not a single good song on the album. A couple of songs had some good moments, which is the only thing saving this from 1 star, but no one needs to listen to this.
Spiritualized
2/5
This was mostly pointless. I kept forgetting I was listening to it.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Talented musicians. This was definitely an influence on the grunge movement, but it didn't really do much for me. A lot of noise but not a lot of direction.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
This was a lot better than I was expecting. Maybe a little bit pretentious and some of the instrumentation seemed overly 80s, but overall it was a great combo of unique vocals and lyrics. Sorry I avoided this when the album came out.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
At first I thought this album was hard to like, but as it went on I found myself getting more and more into it. Not sure how it happened, but by the end I was thinking about previous songs. Hard to classify, but there was lots of energy and attitude, and I'm glad I was introduced to it.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Just a really fun disco album. The first track "He's the Greatest Dancer" lets you know that this not going to be too serious, but it does become apparent that Sister Sledge believes in the power of music to bring us together. Sometimes you want an album that makes you think, and sometimes you just want an album that makes you groove. This is the latter.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Not really something I'd seek out, but I enjoyed it. Expert control of mood and atmosphere. I would probably only listen as background music, but it would handle that job well.
Lorde
3/5
Not really my thing, but it is solid if you like millennial pop songs. Kinda hate that weird but common affectation she has on a few words where she sticks an "i" sound in the middle of a word for no reason. 3.5 stars
Christina Aguilera
4/5
This was a great example of this style of pop music that was so prevalent in the late 90s/early 2000s, although Christina was by far the most talented singer of anyone around back then. The three released songs ("Fighter", "Beautiful", and "Dirrty") were easily the best, but "Cruz" was also good and "Make Over" was surprisingly catchy even though it didn't really fit in stylistically with the rest of the album. Every song was some kind of "self-empowerment" anthem, which got a little old, but otherwise very impressive even if not my cup of tea.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Felt a lot like Richard and Linda Thompson. Maybe a little too country and a little too sappy for my taste but it was a nice listen.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Glad I listened to this and I can appreciate how influential it must have been to every hippie 60s band, but it gets awfully repetitive, and I will probably never listen to it again. 3.5 stars
Coldcut
4/5
Relatively generic 80s electronica. I'd put this on in the background of an 80s party, but probably wouldn't seek it out on it's own. Very creative samples and the nostalgia of hearing "Not Paid Enough" bump this up a half a star.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
This was pointless. The only reason I didn't give it 1 star was because the songs they covered were all pretty good. Not sure why someone would think anyone "must" listen to this album in any capacity.
Happy Mondays
3/5
So weird. Every song feels like it's *almost* great. Not sure what's missing, but I left feeling unsatisfied and intrigued at the same time. Feels like they were early adopters of a mediocre movement that spawned other mediocre bands like EMF and Jesus Jones.
5/5
Really great album. I had never heard a single song on it and it's not at all what I expected from XTC. A little bit mellower and more Beatles-y than what I'm used to, but it really hit the spot for me. I liked almost every song on first listen and the rest kind of grew on me after repeated listens. This was the first album that was not on Spotify that I wished was.
Kings of Leon
3/5
These guys get a lot of hate for some reason, but they're not that bad. A little same-y and I didn't really like any of the songs that I hadn't heard before, but it's not terrible.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Copy and paste this if I ever have to review another Leonard Cohen album: Lyrics were great though depressing, but overall the songs all sucked.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
I listened to this whole dumb thing for some reason, but I had my review within ten seconds of the first song. This is terrible. Just a hodge-podge of noise and words without any meaning. I don't know why anyone would want to listen to this.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
If I played this for someone today who didn't know any better they would tell me it was "obviously" created by AI.
Tori Amos
3/5
Tori Amos is an undeniable talent and this album shows off her abilities very well, but for the most part it just didn't hit for me. Loved the songs I'd heard before but the rest was sort of forgettable. This is a really good album for some people, just not for me. 3.5 stars
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
There wasn't really anything compelling about the songs on this album. The "Tale"s were interesting and diverse but they were the only thing I liked. Overall, it had no business being on this list.
Germs
2/5
According to Wikipedia, this is "considered the first full-length hardcore punk album", so I guess I'll add a point for historical relevance. It's terrible though. No need to listen to this.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
This was a fun punk album. Got a lot of B-52's and Riot Grrrrl vibes. Was very surprised to see this came out in 1978 and not in the mid to late 80s. I had a good time with this one.
Gang Of Four
4/5
My third late seventies punk album in a row, so I might be over-saturated and unfairly rating this one. Still the first song had a unique sound and got me interested right away and I stayed there throughout the whole thing. Might have gone on a little too long, but again I might just be tired of listening to punk at this point. Overall, nice discovery.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
Slow and boring. Every song sounded the same. Even the covers sounded the same. She has a very nice voice and it was quite soothing, but not really for me. 2.5 stars
Mekons
3/5
This felt like a confusing mess at times and a confusing success at other times. Wikipedia classifies it as "alternative rock, alternative country" and, yeah, I couldn't classify it either. The guy's singing voice was terrible but it didn't take me completely out of it. 3 stars, but it was an average of some really good and really bad parts rather than a bunch of mediocre parts.
U2
4/5
If I listen to Bono's voice too long it starts to grate on me, but it's hard to deny that this is an incredible album. Couple of duds on the back half, but overall this was outstanding.
David Crosby
3/5
This was completely forgettable. Musically fine but nothing interesting here.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I wanted to like this. A 60s psychedlic rock album that I'd never heard before and is considered one I "must hear before I die"? Sure! Really liked the first song "You're Gonna Miss Me", but afterwards it just got a little messy and muddled. Nothing too bad, but nothing after the first song really kept my interest either. 3.5 stars
Skepta
3/5
Never heard of this. Not terrible but British rap isn't for me most of the time. Lost half a star because of all the skits at the end of the songs. Nice production value and decent rhymes though
AC/DC
4/5
It's awesome and all but we don't need more than one AC/DC album on this list to get the gist. Hell, one song is probably more than enough.
The Undertones
4/5
Mindless fun. I liked their other album on this list better but this one wasn't bad either. Definitely don't need two albums here but I'm not sure which one deserves it more.
Oasis
4/5
Incredible debut album. A little more raw and less polished than their later stuff but I remember thinking how revolutionary it sounded at the time. Not sure if I was right or just sheltered, but it still sounds pretty fresh to me today, even if I like "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" a little better.
2/5
Was not looking forward to reviewing this. The site paused me a couple times while I had it in my queue and I finally decided to bite the bullet.
Now don't get me wrong... it's pretty bad, but the generic beats and and guitars aren't overly offensive and can be catchy at times. The angst-ridden lyrics are not good but I could see teenage me being into it. His whiny voice is probably the worst part. Anyway, everyone knows what they are getting into with this but it's probably not as bad as everyone is making it out to be. 2.5 stars
Charles Mingus
4/5
I usually don't like experimental jazz but this was compelling for some reason that I can't articulate. I think that's the point of experimental jazz, so I have to give it props.
The Replacements
4/5
One of the more interesting albums I've ever heard. I didn't like it and wouldn't really want to listen again but I thought it was inventive musically and lyrically. Definitely belongs on this list, but there weren't a lot of non-covers on here that I'd want to listen to again.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This sounds exactly like I would expect an early 70s heavy metal pioneer to sound. Very raw and unpolished. At times I felt like I was listening to Soundgarden in the 90s. Cool stuff even now and would have probably been amazing to discover when it was first released. "Changes" and "Laguna Sunrise" felt a little out of place, but I'll allow it.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Very smooth and easy to listen to. Gets a little repetitive to my ear but I don't think that takes away from how solid it is. Rating this one off of pure gut feel so anything I say here is meaningless.
The Doors
4/5
This is an incredible debut and "Break on Through" might be the best opening song on a debut album of all time. Unfortunately, a couple of the derivative blues songs pull my rating down a little bit. Still, an absolutely fantastic offering.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Just a set of covers, with no real personality added to anything, but Dusty’s voice really elevates everything. I enjoyed it but there was nothing special enough about this to put it on the list. Then again if there were no Dusty albums on the list that would be bad too, so maybe they just picked one more or less randomly. 3.5 stars
Radiohead
4/5
Incredible album. Mellow without being boring. Sad without being depressing. A little repetitive and as I’ve said in other Radiohead reviews, I think this would be much better live than on recording but that’s a small knock on a masterpiece. 4.5 stars
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. The musical part wasn’t the greatest but the lyrics were inventive and surprisingly literary. There were several times I found myself in an internet rabbit hole after wondering what some lyric or another meant and finding out it was an allusion to something that had its own complicated history. Extremely satisfying although you would have to be in a particularly investigative mood to get the most out of it.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Just a fantastic album. Why so short though? I’ve only known this group as the background for Paul Simon on Graceland, but I was glad to finally hear them on their own.
Meat Loaf
3/5
I was hoping to enjoy this at least ironically if nothing else, but other than the couple of songs that are well-known already, it’s pretty garbage. The good songs really lift it up from a bad rating. And you realize the good songs really aren’t as good as you thought when you have to listen to a whole album of this.
The Band
3/5
Weird album. Three good songs but didn’t like the rest very much. Songs all seemed pretty random and haphazardly thrown together. Didn’t really do much for me overall.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Started out fun with a retro disco feel that did not feel too contrived. After a few songs though I got tired of it pretty quickly. This is a good side dish but not the main meal.
Portishead
2/5
Same song 11 times in a row. Not terrible but not worth listening too.
Black Flag
3/5
It really my thing and the songs completely blended together. Still, there was a lot of energy and anger and that’s what punk is all about. Good job, just not for me.
Wilco
3/5
Beck but worse.
Yeah I enjoyed it. Yeah it probably belongs on this list if for no other reason than because lots of people probably don’t know that Rod Stewart was in this band. Still it was relatively boring and benign. 3.5 stars
Arcade Fire
3/5
Fairly generic indie pop for me. Didn’t get too much out of it but it was relatively pleasant the whole way through.
Tim Buckley
2/5
One of the most boring albums I’ve ever heard. As an experiment, I recommended this album to someone I don’t like and now whenever I run into him his eyes get all wide and he leaves the room, rather than risking me asking him what he thought of the album, I assume. So, I guess it’s not all bad.
Method Man
4/5
Just a solid east coast hip hop album. Gritty and “greazy”.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
Might be the most overrated band in history. I like “Mr. Brownstone” and the opening to “Welcome To The Jungle” but otherwise no thanks.
Raekwon
2/5
I just listened to Tical a couple of albums ago so I know what a good version of this is supposed to sound like. This just missed everything. Even if you enjoyed this I can’t see how you could listen to the whole album with all the unnecessary and momentum killing skits.
Metallica
4/5
This would probably have been considered a little too polished and mainstream for Metallica fans at the time, but I think they pulled it off. Clearly commercialized for a broader audience, but that didn’t stop me from banging my head along. A few too many cheesy lyrics (never realized how corny “The Unforgiven” was until just now) and duds but still a great album.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Completely forgettable.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Really don't understand what I'm supposed to do with this. "A Sunday In Madrid" was catchy though. 2.5 stars
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
These guys are really something else. The lyrics are so dense that you need to do some light research to understand what they are talking about. The musical part doesn't do much for me though. Still it's hard to reach that level of intelligence without being pretentious or patronizing. 5 stars for the lyrics, 3 for the instruments
Taylor Swift
3/5
I can't really relate to this at all, but I can understand why it would connect for some people. For me it was bland and boring, but sometimes catchy, like a lot of the Taylor Swift songs I'm familiar with.
Sonic Youth
3/5
A couple of good songs, but I never really understood Sonic Youth for the most part. Lots of experimental stuff going on and every song has something interesting in it, but also lots of boring parts. 3.5 stars
Throwing Muses
4/5
A very cool, unique sound, but maybe not as polished as I'd like. Understandable for a debut album, but I like some of their later stuff a lot better like "The Real Ramona". This one tends to wander at points.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Very dated lyrics, but I don't know how you listen to this album without your head bouncing. So smooth and well produced. 4.5 stars
Roxy Music
2/5
I knew this was going to be garbage and it was. Normally I let Spotify keep playing after these albums just to see what it will recommend, but in this case I shut it off before my ears could be contaminated.
Underworld
2/5
The same garbage, generic, 10 minute song 7 times in a row.
The Police
3/5
Mostly boring with a few interesting moments thrown in. Other than the two hits (Message In A Bottle, and Walking On The Moon) though, it was mostly forgettable. I liked the composition on a few other songs, especially "Deathwish", but overall it wasn't too noteworthy. 3.5 stars
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Awesome example of psychedelic blues. The album kind of declined in quality after the instrumental (Section 43) but it was still pretty solid. I get the feeling this album won't get a lot of "3 star" ratings, but if you already know you like music from the acid rock era, you will like this.
Red Snapper
3/5
Very generic album with a relaxing atmosphere for the most part. Not terrible but not particularly good either. Not sure why it's on this list.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie Wonder lyrics can be a little too cheesy at times, but this is such an eclectic mix of styles and subject matter that draws you in enough to overlook any small issues there. Just a great album.
Public Enemy
4/5
Lyrics are incredible. I don't usually like being lectured to when I'm listening to music but I seem to always be able to make an exception for Chuck D. Only downside is how repetitive it can be
a-ha
2/5
There's a reason that the only "a-ha" song you know is "Take on Me". This was unnecessary and the only reason it's on this list is because of the author's obsession with new wave. It's not terrible as far as new wave goes, but there's nothing interesting here either. 2.5 stars
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
All the songs are basically the same: poor guy gets in a little bit too far over his head and then is smacked down by the system. Maybe good in small doses, but hard to take 10 songs in a row of this. 2.5 stars
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
My last album for review was "Nebraska" and I complained about having to listen to 10 depressing Bruce Springsteen songs in a row. I think the 1001 album generator god must have heard me because it decided to give me this album right after. Well joke's on you generator god, because I actually liked this one. Seemed like a little more variety and little more anger than depression. Whatever it was, it spoke to me a little more even if every song still had that "working class guy down on his luck is overwhelmed by the damn system, but maybe love will save him" motif that Nebraska also had.
Ice Cube
2/5
This whole album was kind of dumb and exhausting. A couple of good tracks but a big pass overall.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Couple of good songs but just boring for most of the way.
Chicago
3/5
Every song could have been reduced by 2 minutes and this would have been a lot better.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I was pleasantly surprised by the non "Come On Eileen" songs on the first Dexys Midnight Runners album I encountered on this list, but this is not good. Thought I liked one song but then it turns out it was just a ripoff of "Werewolves of London".
PJ Harvey
4/5
I'm glad she was able to get this out of her system.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Boring. If it was on in the background I wouldn't mind, but wouldn't seek it out
The Byrds
3/5
This started off strong but then petered off pretty quickly. Hard to rate this very high when the best songs are Dylan covers, and it really feels dated now, but it was fine for what it was.
New Order
2/5
It's just the same dumb song over and over again and the same dumb song that they already released on their other albums.
The Auteurs
2/5
After the first song, I thought I might have finally found an unknown brit pop album on this list that I like, but that was easily the high point of the album. Just derivative stuff after that. Every time I thought I liked a song after that I realized it was because it sounded exactly like another song that I already knew and liked, mostly Al Stewart.
Mudhoney
4/5
Not sure how or why this was the first time I'd ever heard this album. I knew how influential Mudhoney was on grunge music in general and I was really into it at the time, so you'd think I would have seeked this out. Not as polished as later grunge stuff, but this was awesome to listen to. Might have given this a higher score if I had picked up the album when it first came out, but it was still a solid album.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Just a lot of awesome funk. I was hovering between 4 and 5 stars but Sex Machine pushed it over the top
David Bowie
4/5
Pretty unusual and varied. I think I'd only ever heard "Golden Years" before this. I'm not sure if I liked it but it was definitely good.
Stan Getz
3/5
This is hard to rate. Just felt like generic 1960s bossa nova that you would hear as the soundtrack to every movie from that time period set on a tropical island. I'd listen again, but I wouldn't really consider it "good". 3.5 stars
Yes
3/5
Thought this was a cool album despite not really being my thing. Long songs that change completely four times within the same song are sometimes hard to deal with, but I was never annoyed by anything. Overall an impressive entry even if it wasn't really for me. 3.5 stars
Elastica
3/5
I have as many nostalgic feelings about this album as anyone, but there are way more worthy albums that belong here. Fairly generic, and often ripped off in the places that were not generic. I still enjoyed the album but I probably wouldn't if this was the first time I heard it. 3.5 stars
Kings of Leon
3/5
This was such a weird combination of annoying and enjoyable for me. Really not sure what to do with it. It's probably just one of those bands that only works in small doses. I do know there are too many Kings of Leon albums on this list. 3.5 stars
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is probably the best album I'll never listen to again.
Morrissey
2/5
This is by far the best Morrissey album I've ever heard. 2 stars
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
As soon as Block Rockin' Beats came on, my nostalgia kicked in and I thought "wow, I forgot how good this song was". But then it just kept going and going and going. Then the next few songs came on and they all sounded the same, and I thought this would be a long slog. It started to get a little better after that, but overall still too long and too repetitive, and the second half really took a nose dive energy-wise. 3.5 stars
D'Angelo
2/5
"Brown Sugar" was a good song. Then it was followed by eight more "Brown Sugar"s with different names, and a mediocre cover of a good song.
Donovan
4/5
Very eclectic without losing that signature Donovan sound. A little pretentious sometimes but still an enjoyable listen
Sabu
2/5
A couple of these songs started out good or had good parts but it was just too discordant and yelly for me.
De La Soul
5/5
Just an incredible album and absolutely mind-blowing when it came out. Such creative lyrics and sampling - I don't think there's a better example out there of sampling - and the interludes were actually entertaining. It's been a while since the first time I listened to this, so there weren't as many surprises, but it was fun when you figured out some little easter egg, like which song was being sampled (they did such a good job with that) and like when I realized "Trugoy" is "Yogurt" spelled backwards.
Guided By Voices
3/5
I'll give them props for having an eclectic mix of songs. The problem is all the songs are pretty boring and seem like they're unfinished.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Really strange but really catchy. I kept saying "what the hell is this?" while listening, and half the time it was positive, half the time it was negative.
The Coral
3/5
The vocals in the first song made me think this might be a Steven Tyler side project that I'd never heard of. Turns out that was not the case. This is the very definition of average.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Another difficult one to rate. Pretty weird and not my cup of tea in any way. Still could be catchy and interesting at times. Maybe a few more listens would improve my rating but I don't think it's worth it.
Holger Czukay
2/5
I guess he gets some credit for being experimental but it felt too random and arbitrary to me. I got the sense that he was just goofing off and then said "fuck it, let's release that".
The Thrills
2/5
I got kind of sick of hearing the exact same song structure three songs in a row. Luckily, the fourth song was the exact same song structure, just slowed down a little bit. Then they blew my mind a little later by having the exact same song structure, just sped up a little bit! What a ride. 2.5 stars
New York Dolls
4/5
This was pretty badass. The grittiness of the New York City underground in the 70s was palpable here. I'm not sure I could take much more than 45 minutes or so of this at a time, but this brief album was a great listen. 4.5 stars
Blondie
4/5
Very fun album. A couple of mediocre songs in the middle pull the overall rating down, but it had a couple of gems I'd never heard before along with the hits that are all great. 4.5 stars
Linkin Park
3/5
I am old enough that I was past my angsty teen stage when this came out. Probably would have had a better memory of it if I was maybe 10 years younger. As it is, it was nice and nostalgic remembering all the hits from this album, but there's nothing really good about it.
Neu!
2/5
GENERISCH!
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Ella's voice is amazing, but listening to 3 hours of this is completely obnoxious.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Just random noises. Not good at all and not sure why it's on this list.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I thought I was really going to like this, because I love me some Jimi, and I didn't recognize most of the songs on this album, but it turns out it was mostly just mediocre meandering with some cool guitar. A couple of incredible songs on here but overall it was a pass
UB40
4/5
Nice and chill and conscientious at the same time. I wasn't expecting to like this too much, but it was a pleasant surprise. Just below 4 stars for me but I'm gonna round it up. UB40, you be 4 stars
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
This is just funky as hell. Very raw message and a unique sound too. Just a masterpiece.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Couldn't understand anything so I started reading the lyrics and that was a little disturbing. It's about a late 50s man's obsession with a 14 or 15 year old girl who dies tragically in a plane crash. Not that that matters - Lolita is a classic after all - but this didn't affect this review very much. The guy just whispers creepily over non-descript music. The instrumental "En Melody" wasn't bad, but otherwise this is not worth listening to.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Almost all of the songs sound a lot like "Born to Run" so I was going to dock this some points, but then I realized I really like "Born to Run" so I'm not mad about that.
Jack White
3/5
The only song I was really familiar with from this album was "Sixteen Saltines" and it was also the only song I really liked. The songs are all inventive and catchy, which we've come to expect from Jack, but everything just felt a little off. 3.5 stars
Missy Elliott
3/5
I remember when this came out and it seemed very innovative at the time, but I'm not sure it stood the test of time. Probably deserves a place on this list for historical reasons, but I won't be listening again. Side note: it cracks me up when she intones "I'm such a good rapper" in "I'm Talkin'". I assume/hope she's just pretending to be serious here, but I feel like lots of people didn't take it that way.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Nothing wrong with this really, but it was very repetitive and I got bored a lot. A couple of standouts, but not really much reason to recommend the whole album.
Public Enemy
5/5
A little bit of a different feel than some of their other albums. I think Just as good and just as powerful as the others.
Paul Weller
2/5
I was almost as bored listening to this as Paul Weller was recording it.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Perfectly acceptable background music for me. I just don't really care about any of it.
Dion
3/5
I think I was mostly disappointed because I was expecting something more similar to his 60s hits, but this wasn't bad. Not really something I'd seek out but it was pleasant enough even if a little too cheesy at times. Nothing remarkable though.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Not my cup of tea really, but you can't deny that she is a force. A couple of cool songs even if the whole thing seemed a bit repetitive. I bet all the naysayers on here would like "Mercy on Me" if it was Fiona Apple instead. 3.5 stars
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
I remember buying this album on the strength of hearing "Scooby Snacks" on the radio. I was very disappointed. Songs all basically sound the same, but I could see maybe listening to it when I'm in a certain mood.
Klaxons
4/5
I'd never heard of this band before. It sounds like what I wish most of the new wave bands on this list sounded like. Not really sure I'd listen again, but I had a good time while I was here.
Syd Barrett
2/5
Seemed mostly like it was just being weird for weirdness' sake. I kinda liked "Octopus" but otherwise I just waiting for it to be over.
Queen
4/5
Queen is just fun to listen to. Nice album.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Nothing really wrong with this if you like Neil Young, but I couldn't really get into it. Songs all sound basically the same and are way too long. Some cool moments make me think I would like this more on repeated listens, but on the first listen it just felt average
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
This was very boring and forgettable. The only time I felt engaged was during the instrumental part at the end of the last song.
Solomon Burke
4/5
Incredible voice and incredible presence. I probably won't listen to this album again just because it feels a little old fashioned and dated now, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a great album.
The Beta Band
2/5
I liked the chorus of "Squares" and couple of other moments on this album, but it was mostly just boring and forgettable. 2.5 stars
Pavement
3/5
Felt like generic 90s alternative stuff. I normally like that kind of thing and probably would have enjoyed this if I heard it first, but as is it feels a little too bland and derivative. "Cut Your Hair" is cool though.
The KLF
3/5
I remember being pretty blown away when I first heard "3AM Eternal" in the early 90s so I was looking forward to hearing the rest of the album. Still pretty good, but didn't live up to my memory that well. A couple of cool hits and nothing too bad bringing the whole thing down, but nothing really stood out either. Still think it belongs on the list though.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Mostly garbage with a couple of musical moments here and there. Waste of time though. 1.5 stars
The Verve
2/5
Boring and repetitive. I can't believe there are (at least) two "The Verve" albums on this list...
3/5
"The Cisco Kid" is incredible. Everything else just seemed a little too long and meandering. Not bad though. I would listen if it was on, but wouldn't seek it out.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Very good album. Was familiar with a few of the songs which were all great (especially Biko - that's an all-timer) but the rest was nearly as good. Didn't realize this was the first use of "gated reverb" so it's historical as well.
The Stooges
2/5
I'm not a huge fan of The Stooges, but I was always impressed by how raw and real they are. This album was neither though. Mostly boring and some inane lyrics make this a hard pass.
Ice T
3/5
A lot of old school rap tends to be a little too repetitive and this is no exception. This is probably one of the best examples of it though. 3.5 stars
The Saints
2/5
Sounds like a bunch of guys were in a room and one of them just went "hey we should make a band" and this was the result. 2.5 stars
Elliott Smith
3/5
Fine I guess. Not really for me. Kinda liked "Can't Make A Sound" but everything else just blended together.
4/5
Lots of energy. I like it when these experimental records are also fun to listen to and not just an excuse to scream into a microphone.
Elvis Costello
3/5
This sounds like every other Elvis Costello album. Mostly mediocre with one or two good songs on it. This one doesn't seem to have as many bad songs as usual though.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Not sure I'm smart enough to judge this album. Seemed brilliant at times but self-indulgent at others. I'm going to cop out and give it 3 stars
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
This album was kind of disjointed as a whole, but I liked almost all the individual songs.
Arcade Fire
3/5
I thought the first song was pretty good. Then the next song sounded a lot like the first one and I thought these guys have a pretty distinct sound. Then the rest of the album sounded the same and I reconsidered. All the songs would probably be good on their own, but it was hard to listen to the whole album.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
Awesome album. Every song was a fun time. Not sure how this compares to other big band/swing albums but I enjoyed it a lot.
Hot Chip
2/5
I understand *why* this is on the list - it has that English new wave feeling that the author can't seem to get enough of, but it doesn't belong on any kind of "best of" list anywhere.
G. Love & Special Sauce
4/5
I can't believe all the low ratings for this album. This is really a gem. Unique style and just a fun time. Nothing too deep, just singing about stuff he likes: Blues Music, Cold Beverage, Shooting Hoops, etc. No need to think too hard about it, just bob your head and enjoy.
The Offspring
4/5
Basically generic nonsense. Very high-energy and fun though. Definitely worth listening to.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Not really sure how to rate this. I enjoyed the vibe though.
Parliament
4/5
I like funk and Parliament is pretty much the best at it so I like this album. Could have probably done without "Handcuffs" and they have other albums with higher funk levels, but still a great listen. Always love Spotify's recommended songs after listening to an album like this too.
Beyoncé
3/5
Beyoncé is an incredible talent of course, but there were too many boring as hell songs in between the good ones.
Solange
2/5
My last album was Beyoncé which I thought was boring but saved by Beyoncé's talent. This one is just as boring but without the talent.
(Note: I didn't realize this was her sister until after I wrote the above)
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Sounds like Sade singing bossa nova.
Van Morrison
5/5
Incredible album. I don't have a problem separating the art from the artist so as much as Van Morrison sucks, this album is about as good as it gets. I could put this album on repeat all day every day.
Duke Ellington
4/5
The music part was great, the live album part was excruciating, and 2+ hours is obnoxious.
Album minus the "introductions" = 5 stars
Album as is = 4 stars
Madonna
2/5
A couple of songs on here that I wouldn't mind hearing on the dance floor, but for the most part this just seems like Madonna trying to cash in on a musical trend. Not very inspired and not worth a second listen. 2.5 stars
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Pretty sure I would have liked this if I knew about it when it came out. Now it feels sort of generic. There were enough of these bands that were sort of "grunge adjacent" that it was hard to keep track of at the time. They probably belong to that giant pile of songs that you heard once on 120 minutes, told your roommate to hey come listen to this, and then promptly forgot about two weeks later. 3.5 stars
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This band is more of a presence than a band. I don't really like most of the songs but it was still a valuable listen.
The Associates
2/5
I keep thinking I've gotten the last of the garbage British new wave bands that I've never heard before, and here I am on album #959 and they still keep coming.
The Bees
2/5
I'm happy these guys got together and made an album, but there is no reason to listen to this. I forgot half the songs before they were even finished.
R.E.M.
4/5
Ups and downs, but overall a good listen. A handful of great songs and a couple of duds. I'd rate this just below 4 stars if I could, but it's still worth listening to.
Steely Dan
5/5
Well, I wasn't expecting to give a Steely Dan album 5 stars but here we are. Can be boring at times and I understand the "dad rock" criticism. But there's something to be said for an album you can just put on and enjoy the creative lyrics/music if you want or just let it fill up the background
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Thought it was a little gimmicky at first but after a while it really grew on me. By the end I liked it a lot. I don't think I'm being ironic either.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Had a decent time listening to this. "Kicks" is one of the best songs ever, "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" is also really good. I also liked "Louie, Go Home" a little bit. Otherwise, it's just a pleasant time with no real standouts. 3.5 stars
Khaled
4/5
I don't really have any context for how to judge this but it was definitely a good time. Very lively and upbeat.
Madonna
2/5
This wasn't bad I guess, but every song had a level of genericness that I really couldn't shake. "Ray of Light" was cool but that's probably just nostalgia talking. "Sky Fits Heaven" had a good chorus but otherwise uninteresting. Not really worth listening to. 2.5 stars
The Charlatans
3/5
This is not bad, but I'd probably just listen to Oasis if I was in the mood for this kind of thing.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Nice musicianship but it was just some weird self-indulgent crap. I guess it was worth listening to once, but it's not worth listening to a second time.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I'm sure this is good if you like this kind of thing, but I found it mostly grating.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Hit after hit after hit after hit. Unbelievable album
1/5
I don't know why people pretend to like this kind of shit.
Eagles
3/5
A handful of good songs but most of the songs were *almost* good. Seems like they were still trying to find their footing. Pleasant enough but doesn't really belong on this list. 3.5 stars
Kate Bush
4/5
She has such a unique voice. I feel like this is what artistic music should be about - she's authentically herself but doesn't use that as an excuse to be unlistenable. 4.5 stars
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Enjoyed listening to this based just on Aretha’s talent alone. Other than a couple of standouts, the non-Aretha parts weren’t really that great. She shines so bright that it brings the overall score way up though.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
An enjoyable listen but not really enough cohesiveness for me to enjoy it as an album. Would probably be a great live show though. 3.5 stars
Alice Cooper
3/5
This was pretty fun but not much more than that. Nothing really made me want to listen again. 3.5 stars
The Byrds
3/5
This was a nice enough listen, but I thought the only real standout was the Dylan cover (My Back Pages) so it's hard to give it a high score. 3.5 stars
Maxwell
3/5
Glad I listened to this, but it's not for me. Every song sounded about the same so I couldn't really get into it. About as smooth as it gets though.
Minor Threat
2/5
I like this kind of thing in short bursts maybe but man a full album of this is way too corny.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
I like this kind of thing in short bursts maybe but man a full album of this is way too corny.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
For some reason I never listened to this album when it came out, just the hits that came off of it. Doesn't really seem like I was missing anything. I'll give him credit for his musical inventiveness but I don't see any reason to listen to this again.
Soundgarden
5/5
Absolutely brilliant. Got this album when it first came out and the lyrics always spoke to me in a way that other "depression friendly" songs just didn't. How '4th of July' is not on everyone's list of greatest songs is beyond me. Honestly, I don't know why 'Black Hole Sun' is the most popular song on the album, there are like 10 better songs on here, but it is still a great song. Haters can hate if you want to hate, if it keeps you safe, if it makes you brave, but I'm gonna keep this one on my wave, my wave.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Not super familiar with Emmylou Harris, but I know that she is well respected in the country genre. This album seemed nice enough but I couldn't help feeling its inclusion on this list was the musical equivalent of Scorsese winning an Oscar for "The Departed". 3.5 stars
White Denim
3/5
Perfectly fine I guess but not sure I would have missed anything by not listening to this.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
There are (at least) *two* Everything But The Girl albums on this list. LOL
PJ Harvey
5/5
PJ Harvey albums are always interesting. This one had crazy layers of meaning while still sounding good, which can be hard to pull of without sounding too pretentious but I think she did it well. Occasionally had a Kate Bush or Siouxsie Sioux vibe which I'm not opposed to. 4.5 stars on first listen, but I feel like it would reach 5 on repeated listens so I'm just going to bump it up there now
fIREHOSE
2/5
I didn't really understand most of this. At its peak there were some Les Claypool-esque moments I enjoyed but they were pretty few and far between.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
This was a little too repetitive for me to enjoy the whole album. I bet if I heard some of the songs stand alone I would like them more.
The Stooges
2/5
I'm probably missing something but I didn't enjoy this at all.
Nick Drake
2/5
Pretty boring
Paul Simon
4/5
Very low key, but soothing and interesting. "Train in the Distance" is incredible.
Stephen Stills
3/5
This was an ok listen. I probably even enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it really belongs on this list. Couple of good songs that I hadn't heard before but otherwise it's no more or less than a decent folk rock album. 3.5 stars
Patti Smith
3/5
Good poetry but not good music. I get why it's on here, but I didn't enjoy it.
The xx
2/5
This was a complete waste of time and had no business being on this list.
The Young Gods
2/5
This was pretty annoying but it had its moments. No business being on this list though.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Just awful. What the fuck.
Julian Cope
2/5
I have to assume that when the list maker wrote the book, he didn't think anyone would actually listen to all the albums. Probably figured he could put whatever pretentious BS he wanted and no one would slog through the whole thing to call him out on it. This album isn't good and it's 2.5 hours long. I'll admit I did like "If You Loved Me At All" but otherwise this was completely skippable.
Liz Phair
4/5
I was looking forward to this album when I saw it come up, as I remember really liking it a lot when it came out. There really was nothing else like it to my knowledge at the time and it kind of blew me away. Listening to it again now and the highs are really high (Never Said is an all-timer) but there are some really slow parts that take away from the whole.
Deep Purple
2/5
I keep saying that live albums have no place on this list. This is no exception. This is the 2nd time in 3 days I had to listen to a 2+ hour album and for what? Nothing.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I'm really in no position to judge how this ranks for this kind of music since I don't really listen to this style very often. I enjoyed it a lot though, and the recommendations after listening to it were amazing too.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
This was a pretty disappointing selection for my 1001st album on this list. Just felt very generic and unremarkable.
David Bowie
3/5
This is like the 75th Bowie album I've rated on this list and they are all basically the same: very impressive, but not for me.
The Vines
2/5
Not sure why this is on the list. Not exactly bad but it sounds like generic grunge, but 10 years too late. 2.5 stars
The Who
2/5
I was looking forward to this one. I really had never listened to the whole album before, but it turned out to be just generic 60s stuff. The title track is great, of course, but just about everything else was entirely missable. Especially that cover of "I'm A Man". What the hell was that. 2.5 stars
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Noise and nonsense. This probably belongs on this list, but I can't imagine wanting to listen to it on purpose. 1.5 stars
Soft Machine
1/5
I didn't think I was going to make it through that first song. After that it got a little more bearable but still terrible. Just noise and screeching. 1.5 stars
CHIC
3/5
This is extremely cheesy, and while I like a bit of cheese, this kind of goes over the top. Lots of repetitive sounds - all the good songs sound too much like "Good Times", but none of them reach that level. "Clams on the half shell and roller skates" is an incredible lyric... this gets half a star for that alone. 3.5 stars
George Harrison
4/5
There is no doubt there is an impressive collection of songs on this album. I just think it has to lose a star for being so long. It's probably 5 stars if it's an hour shorter.
4/5
Kinda wanted to rag on this album just because of the douche factor, but it's really good. Some of it is just nostalgia for the time, but half of the songs on here are pretty great. Loses a little bit because the non-hit songs are all pretty forgettable. 4.3 stars or so
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
This almost reached enjoyable for me. The songs just all sounded a little too much the same for me to give it too high a rating. "Pretty in Pink" was the only song I'd heard before, so I was looking forward to it, but all the songs just reminded me of that one. Didn't hate it though, which I expected to after listening to all the other British new wave albums on this list. 3.7 stars, but only if I don't have to listen to all the songs in a row
Leonard Cohen
1/5
I must be missing something. This is garbage.
Queen Latifah
3/5
This has the feel of a lot of those 80s hip hop albums that don't really hold up anymore and I only like for nostalgic reasons. And since I never really listened to this when it came out, there's no nostalgia for me. That said this is definitely a better example of that kind of album than most. I don't know if I'd listen again, but I'm glad I heard it once. 3.5 stars
Ride
1/5
This was painful to listen to. It felt like I was listening for 3 hours and then I looked down and I was only halfway through the 4th song. 1.5 stars
The Blue Nile
2/5
Another hard one to listen to. I seem to remember hearing "Tinseltown In The Rain" when it came out and quickly changing the radio station. Just vapid generic 80s British new wave. Not for me
The Fall
3/5
Kind of a weird almost punk without all the punk sensibilities genre. Not sure how to classify it. Not for me but it wasn't terrible.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Just about all Dinosaur Jr. songs sound the same to me.
N.E.R.D
3/5
Weird one. Music was pretty good but the lyrics were all pretty vapid. Didn't mind listening to it, wouldn't change it if it came on, but I also wouldn't play it on purpose.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
This was pleasant enough to listen to but I didn't really feel like it was all that impressive. Weird, I just gave a similar review to my last album so maybe I'm just in a mood.
David Holmes
3/5
Sounds like generic electronica to me. Neither bad nor good.
Gary Numan
3/5
This is interesting but I'm not sure I'd call it good. I was only really familiar with the song "Cars" and I like it, but half the time when another song started I though "Oh nice, Cars!" and it turned out to be a different song. Unique but repetitive. 3.5 stars
The Electric Prunes
3/5
This felt a little too weird to listen to in 2025. I bet I would have liked it if I was alive in 1967 and in my teens or so. Very subversive and surprising and creative. Still, I think there are more compelling examples of psychedelic rock that I'd rather listen to now. 3.5 stars
Björk
2/5
I'm a big fan of Björk but this doesn't really do it for me. She's just basically doing that thing that great singers sometimes do where they are reading prose with a sort of singy voice. This whole album felt like one long boring song. She has much better and more compelling albums that I'd rather listen to.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Brilliant story teller. Sometimes when someone is this good at painting a picture I feel like I'd rather read or watch than listen. I enjoyed it a lot, but seems like the wrong medium.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
I used to listen to a lot of De La Soul and they were also talking about Jungle Brothers, but I never bothered to listen. Back then, it was a lot harder to listen to new music, so it's kind of understandable, but now I'm regretting it because this is pretty great. Don't think it reaches the levels that De La Soul did, but still a cool sound.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
This one kind of surprised me. Kind of boring but at the same time pretty pleasant, and had enough interesting parts for me to not lose interest. Did kind of feel like they were holding onto the 80s too much, but that might just be because they helped define the sound of the 80s themselves.
Bob Dylan
4/5
The way Bob Dylan works for me is I sit down to listen, it becomes pretty obvious he's some kind of lyrical genius, I get antsy and give up because it feels like I have been doing work. Great to listen to on occassion, but I can't think of a time I would ever get excited to put this album on.
Big Star
2/5
Wow, the first song on this album is absolutely awful. The next couple aren't great either, but it picks up starting with the Lou Reed/Nico cover and salvages it a bit. Still didn't like it overall, but it felt like an easy 1-star halfway through "Kizza Me". 2.5 stars
(After listening, I realized the Spotify version is not the same as the intended album. It's close though and I really don't feel like listening to the real thing after this)
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
This is the absolute definition of generic. 2.5 stars
Buzzcocks
2/5
I don't know, man. I just didn't understand this at all. 2.5 stars
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
Pleasant enough but I had no strong feelings about this.
Carpenters
2/5
Pretty cheesy and while sometimes in a good way, it's mostly not. After listening I now realize there's no reason to listen to more than one Carpernters song in a row.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Dude has an incredible voice. I just don't like this kind of music. I'm sure it's a great example of honky-tonk or whatever this is but I couldn't deal with it. 2.5 stars
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
5 stars. Next question.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I'd never heard of this before and started listening before learning anything about it. My first thought was that the lyrics were great but the music/arrangements could use some work. After finding out the lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie that makes sense. I still really enjoyed it. Another good job of this list finding an album I probably wouldn't have found on my own.
Pavement
3/5
One of those bands where it's definitely not for me but I can kind of get the appeal. Sounds a lot like Sonic Youth which is another band I feel that way about. "Conduit For Sale!" has a great example of this where he just yells "I'm trying" over and over again. I found it annoying after about the third time but I can see being enjoying the repetition if you're into it in the first place.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
A little too screamy for me, but it definitely had some kind of appeal that I really can't put my finger on. 3.5 stars
4/5
I was ready to hate this just based on my history with albums like this on this list. Actually found it pretty compelling although I'm having a hard time articulating why. It's kind of all over the map, and peters out towards the end, but I enjoyed the ride.
Pink Floyd
2/5
Very boring. Not sure I needed to hear this at all.
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
This is the music that would play in every sci-fi movie from the 50s when an alien named Gleep-Glorp shows up.
The White Stripes
5/5
Wasn't sure we needed yet another White Stripes album on here, but this is great. Clever lyrics without being too clever for their own good. Catchy tunes too. Had a couple of lulls here and there but overall I just really dug it.
Aerosmith
3/5
Cheesy but enjoyable. Felt like every track was designed in a lab to appeal to the hair metal crowd, but it worked for the most part. 3.5 stars
The Dictators
4/5
I mean, this is kind of terrible but I think it is supposed to be. I enjoyed it a lot, but still might not ever listen to it again.
The Byrds
3/5
I just don't think we need this many Byrds albums on here. This is number 5 for me and I think I gave them all 3 stars. A few good songs that are covers, and the rest are forgettable. Maybe a greatest hits album would have been a better choice.
Machito
4/5
This started at a furious, frantic pace and I wasn't sure what I was in for. It definitely didn't live up to what I thought it would be but it still delivered. Had that 60s feel like these songs were in the running to be The Jetsons theme song.
King Crimson
3/5
Lots of highs and lots of lows. That's how prog rock usually works for me and this is no different.
Giant Sand
1/5
Complete waste of time.
The Avalanches
3/5
I got the gist of this pretty quickly. One of those "if you like it you like it" albums but I lost interest right away. Not bad, but I don't see how this is different from any other EDM.
Paul McCartney
3/5
When I looked at the song list I wondered why I've only heard of one of these songs. After listening I can see why. This just seems like a bunch of throwaway songs except for a couple. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is of course incredible, but that and maybe "Every Night" are the only standouts.
Primal Scream
2/5
Not a great listen. "Medication" sounds like a song I might have liked back in 1991, but too bad this album was released in 1997. The singer's voice is terrible.
Willie Nelson
3/5
This was ok I guess. All covers. Not much of a reason to listen to it though.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
This just feels about as generic as music can be. Not a bad listen if you just want something on but there's nothing really worthwhile here. Cool voice though.
Tom Waits
3/5
I feel like I have to be in the right mood to like Tom Waits. I've never actually been in that mood yet, but I still believe it.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
I hate everything about this, but not as much as I logically should.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
I think the first song is the best one on the album. That's always unfortunate, because the rest of the album didn't live up to it, but still a fun album.
The Gun Club
2/5
This felt more like a band trying hard to be punk than a punk band.
Gram Parsons
3/5
This didn't really do much for me. Felt a bit generic. Not sure why it's on the list. The standout song is "Love Hurts" and even that song isn't that great.
Digital Underground
3/5
Generic corny early 90s rap. I liked it a lot better in the early 90s.
Morrissey
2/5
I always try to give Morrissey albums a chance and I always regret it.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. I thought she did a great job of storytelling with "Can't Let Go" being the obvious standout. Still, I liked the whole thing with its blend of country, blues, and rock complementing the song topics. This kind of thing is not normally in my wheelhouse so this was a bit of a surprise but a welcome one.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
This album has no business being as long as it is. Buffalo Stance is a classic, but everything else is just generic nonsense that I never have to hear again. She could have stopped after 8 or so. Maybe it's on here because this is a great example of how songs sounded at this time, but it's not good.
CHIC
4/5
Before I listened, I assumed this album was only on here because of "Le Freak" and I was wrong. It's not the greatest example of disco/funk I've ever heard but I was bobbing my head along as expected.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
This is a worse version of a random one-hit wonder 80s band whose name I can't remember because they were also terrible.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
This was hard to listen to. Every song felt like it had potential but missed the mark. My brain kept trying to fix everything but it never worked.
Japan
3/5
Seems like a pretty good example of new wave music, but I just don't like this kind of thing.
Iron Maiden
3/5
All the songs sound the same. I guess it was kinda fun but I could probably just listen to "The Number Of The Beast" and get my fix.
Tom Waits
2/5
Tom Waits is kind of exhausting to listen to. You really have to be in the right mood to listen to this.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Kind of corny but pretty fun. Even the songs that I didn't like at first grew on me by the end. Could easily remove half the songs though. Just below 4 stars but I'm rounding up
Anita Baker
4/5
Definitely the kind of album that will appeal more to the people who were around when it came out. Not really sure there's anything special here, but I enjoyed listening to it. Just below 4 stars but I'm rounding up
Ryan Adams
2/5
Didn't I already listen to a Ryan Adams album? So that means there's two of them on here? Nothing else I should listen to before I die except a second Ryan Adams album? Sheesh.
Merle Haggard
2/5
I was hoping to like this but it just didn't really hit. All the songs sounded the same. His voice is cool though.
Moby Grape
4/5
This was surprisingly entertaining. Took me a minute to get into it but once I did I was there all the way. Album felt sort of jam-bandy, which I normally don't like too much but eventually it hooked me in.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
There were a lot of cool moments on this album but none of the songs worked for me as a whole really except "Good Times Bad Times".
Amy Winehouse
4/5
A lot of great songs on this album. A bunch that weren't so great either, and the subject matter doesn't really change much. Insane voice and talent obviously.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
"Son of A Preacher Man" was the only great song on here but I really enjoyed everything else. I think she would have benefited from more upbeat stuff like that but her voice is insane and it was a fun listen anyway.
Jacques Brel
2/5
I always wonder how someone who was clearly not very talented was able to have a successful career in music. This album sounds like a guy just woke up one day, said “I’m making music now,” and did it early enough in history that no one had anything better to compare it to, so they just assumed it must be good.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Very good. Björk is awesome to listen to. A couple of duds on the album but for the most part I enjoyed every song.
The Clash
4/5
I was expecting this to be more punk than it was. Kind of a weird review, but I thought they were almost too good musically. I liked it though. All the songs were interesting, and a handful of standouts.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Lyrics were pretty cheesy but the beats were infectious. I remember listening to groups like this in the 90s and enjoying them, and I don't like this one as much even though she probably has more talent. Makes me realize how much nostalgia matters when judging music. 3.5 stars
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Experimental stuff. I didn't expect to like it too much but it was strangely catchy. No real standout songs for me but it was pretty nice overall.
Beatles
5/5
Just incredible songwriting. Every song is great.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Sort of bland and inoffensive. Didn't mind it but nothing really stood out either, except Solsbury Hill.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
This isn't very good.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I would never choose to listen to this. Why would anyone? It took forever.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
This is so fucking bad, man. Not as bad as their other album on this list that I had to listen to, but it's completely insane that they have at least two albums on here. 1.5 stars
New Order
1/5
This was just so boring. I'm one of those people who is not susceptible to yawning when I see someone else do it, but this kind of music always makes me yawn uncontrollably. And I have to point out that "Sub-Culture" & "Face Up" are just miserable songs. I absolutely hate them. I was going to give this 2 stars until I heard those two.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This wasn't bad, but it sounds more like someone trying to sound like Elvis than Elvis himself. 3.5 stars
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Cool riffs, interesting lyrics, great drums, high energy - what's not to like? Definitely belongs on this list too because this album really changed the direction of alternative music for the next decade.
Talking Heads
3/5
I always enjoy Talking Heads brand of experimental music. It still sounds good even though it can be a little weird, unlike other experimental bands that are too discordant for my taste. That said this album just felt pretty average. 3.5 stars
Aimee Mann
3/5
This is a pleasant enough album but only the first song, I Should've Known, really hooked me in any way. 3.5 stars