384
Albums Rated
3.41
Average Rating
35%
Complete
705 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
56
5-Star Albums
8
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yeezus | 5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
| No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live) | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| White Ladder | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Legalize It | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Modern Kosmology | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
| Wild Wood | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
| Honky Tonk Heroes | 5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
| Trans Europe Express | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| Vespertine | 5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
| Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 | 5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Astral Weeks | 1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
| Wild Gift | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| I See A Darkness | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| Rip It Up | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| New Boots And Panties | 1 | 2.7 | -1.7 |
| Birth Of The Cool | 2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
| Hard Again | 2 | 3.62 | -1.62 |
| Here's Little Richard | 2 | 3.57 | -1.57 |
| The Gershwin Songbook | 2 | 3.53 | -1.53 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 5 | 4.8 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.67 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 |
| Queen | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| The Smiths | 2 | 5 |
| Michael Jackson | 2 | 5 |
| U2 | 3 | 4.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Björk | 5, 4, 2 |
5-Star Albums (56)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Birthday Party
1/5
I respect Nick Cave but this ain't it chief. A really angry and worse Joy Division. Almost unlistenable as a whole.
19 likes
Waylon Jennings
5/5
My 16 year old self would've wanted to punch me for saying this, but I actually really liked a Country album.
Didn't overstay its welcome and after a stressful day of work, felt soothing. Had some great acoustic guitar and bass to accompany the outlaw imagery.
Would say Omaha was the best of the bunch.
19 likes
Kanye West
5/5
Say what you will about the man, Kanye produces great art. Interesting and captivating throughout. A great album to workout or to motivationally pump up to. One of the best albums I've listened to from this site.
18 likes
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
It has some interesting moments here and there. The last minute of Hope There's Someone and the cameos from Lou Reed and Boy George for instance. Despite the songs being pretty straight forward with little variation musically, it has beautiful piano and strings throughout. It's also has some meaningful lyrics regarding ANHONI's life and transition, plus longing for someone.
I can truely understand why this is on the list and how it has touched many hearts, but I just cannot stand the vocals and that alone was too distracting to enjoy this. Mad respect for her creating meaningful art that has touched many, but it's simply not my cup of tea.
10 likes
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Couldn't help but dance while listening. The songs flowed really nicely and the music itself was punchy yet not too in your face. Hasn't won my heart yet but definitely a good album
9 likes
1-Star Albums (8)
All Ratings
Yes
4/5
Public Enemy
2/5
Its alright, though not for me. Will give another listen soon
Beck
3/5
Björk
5/5
Really enjoyed this album
Motörhead
5/5
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The Undertones
4/5
Blue Cheer
2/5
Just a b-tec version of cream
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Was surprised by this album. Enjoyed the jamming chilled vibe of this one.
Solange
4/5
Definitely a repeat listen
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Bon Jovi
3/5
Its got some good songs but its a bit outdated for me
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
Its decent but need to be in a moody mood to appreciate it
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Definitely a repeat listen for some songs like Tangerine and Immigrant Song
The Prodigy
4/5
Great album in the right mood but a bit too much for most of the time.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Yes
4/5
It was a good listen, loved roundabout and heart of the sunrise but wasn't as good as the yes album. Opinion might change in the future. Would give it 7/10
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Pantera
2/5
Some songs are decent, though not for me. Just couldn't get into it
5/5
Album full of bangers. Not as good as the debut but only just
Van Halen
4/5
Great guitar work in this one and only a few songs were filler. Deserves another listen.
The Birthday Party
1/5
I respect Nick Cave but this ain't it chief. A really angry and worse Joy Division. Almost unlistenable as a whole.
Parliament
3/5
Loved the singles for the album and overall enjoyed it despite its filler.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
6/10. A good listen, good vibes, though the songs sound the same and gets a bit repetitive
Megadeth
3/5
Good metal album, great first 2 tracks and the rest is ok too
Brian Eno
4/5
A really interesting listen and unique to what I've listened to so far. 8/10 for this one
Beth Orton
4/5
Definitely a re-listen this one for the chill afternoons. Was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. Its only 4 stars since there is some filler towards the end.
4/5
Only 3 songs but a great listen. Another 20 minute song downloaded 👌
Tom Waits
3/5
Like the concept and loose feel of the album. Although I did not love this album, i respect it and admired the musicality of Waits and the jazz band. Will save for late night listens
T. Rex
3/5
3.5 out of 5 for me, great instrumentation similar to Bowie and Reed era but not as interesting
Love
4/5
Surprised by this album and its influence. Definitely a re-listen
Fela Kuti
4/5
Something completely different. For long songs, it was incredibly funky. Didn't love it but will be a recurring listen
Black Sabbath
4/5
Was familiar with Snowblind and Changes but the rest was a pleasure to listen to. Got some new favourites
Kanye West
5/5
Say what you will about the man, Kanye produces great art. Interesting and captivating throughout. A great album to workout or to motivationally pump up to. One of the best albums I've listened to from this site.
The Crusaders
3/5
Some good jazz but didn't love it. Wish it had more vocals as the title track was superior with them
Moby
2/5
It feels harsh to give two star but I couldn't enjoy the album. Grateful to listen to Moby, but its 20 minutes too long and difficult to engage with
Brian Eno
3/5
Decent study/meditation music
Talking Heads
4/5
Great songs here, will need a few listens but guaranteed 4 star album.
The Doors
3/5
First time listening through all of a Doors album and it was a decent listening. I really liked the instrumental breaks and the loose feel of the longer songs and Break on through was a great song but was tempted to skip some of the album.
Green Day
4/5
A really enjoyable album, especially whenever in the mood for some catchy loud music
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Heard a few songs before so while enjoyable, nothing I loved or found that particularly interesting
The Offspring
3/5
You have to be in a certain mood to enjoy this album, otherwise it gets annoying. Loved some parts but could have been shorter or with more variety.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I was excited when I got assigned this album as Apple's reputation was high and was not disappointed. A great album for chill vibes, for house duties and walking. Listened to Criminal several times today which says enough for the 5 star rating.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
This is an emigma, its technically a decent album. Good instrumentals and voice, and would be best suited playing at night, but just couldn't get into it. Felt bored after the first half and got a bit repetitive. It's a 5 but as I didn't enjoy it, 2 stars.
ZZ Top
4/5
Heard this one before so it gave me time to listen to the deep cuts. Apart from 2, all the songs were enjoyable and a thrill to listen to
Sigur Rós
4/5
I actually listened to this album once a year ago and was intrigued when this popped up. To me this is what an album should be, a collection of songs that blend together musically well. The only reason why its 4 stars is because unless it appeared in a study playlist, I wouldn't listen to any of these songs individually. When in the right mood and the right time its a 5 but elsewhere it would be a bit annoying and almost impossible to listen for 70 straight minutes without changing to something else. Great album though
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I feel harsh giving this a 2 as this would be a 5/10 but I cannot give 3 stars for an album I wished was over half way through. Some surprises here and there, found the theme song from Father Ted, but was mainly bored throughout. Nothing terrible, just meh.
Elvis Presley
3/5
My first Elvis album, and must say an interesting experience. There are elements i loved including his crooning voice and smooth feeling of the album, but it is a bit too old for me. While all songs were good, none were that memorable after a couple of listens and captured my interest to specifically search for one on Spotify. I must say it did make me want to explore more of his music and listen to some of his hits. Looking forward for more Elvis in the future.
Machito
2/5
This is the first 50s album I got from this generator and it's overall a mixed bag. I loved the percussion playing throughout the album and it's gotten me excited for more afro-cuban beats. The problem with this album apart from the dated production is the excessive horns and no vocals. I personally don't mind instrumental music and it can be fantastic, but the horns were too loud and got annoying after a while, making the songs blend in together in a bad way. For me two stars isn't a bad album, but one I didn't like or struggled to listen throughout. I listened to another song with Graciela afterwards and it was much more of an enjoyable experience. I feel this album would be better experience live in a jazz club and dancing while being tipsy/drunk.
Mekons
2/5
Not the biggest fan of country music but it wasn't a bad listen. The first half was better than the second though, with great songs like Chivalry and Hard to be Human which were stronger compared to the more country songs after.
Grateful Dead
4/5
This album is so relaxing, it would be perfect for chilling around a campfire or going for a stroll in the park on a sunny day. Nothing bad on here, but nothing sticks out as a standout on the first listen through. Definitely gonna listen to this again.
U2
5/5
Before starting the 1001 albums journey, Achtung Baby was one of my favourite albums to listen to. Its also probably the only u2 album that's equally balanced throughout, with the usual like Joshua Tree or All You Can Leave Behind being much stronger in first side and weaker in the second. Although the 80s were great to them, to me, the 90s was the best u2 era. You have a perfect album like Achtung along with the underrated but great Zooropa and Pop. Its a shame they haven't been able to put out anything near interesting and consistent since the 2000s.
Since I already know the album well enough, I decided to listen to the deluxe tracks instead and was suprised by its quality. You do have some duds like their cover of Paint it Black and Fortunate Son, but there are also quality numbers like Lady With the Spinning Head and the Temple Bar Mix of Horses. About half of them were truely great.
The guitar sound on this is fantastic, really crunchy on Zoo Station and The Fly, delicate on One and groovy on Mysterious Ways. The rhythm section is great throughout and the vocals have a fantastic range from baritone to falsetto.
Overall a great album and one I wish I could have experienced when it came out.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Some funky guitar and bass here, and I'm loving that. The theme song is great too and the jamming on Do Your Thing was good too. The only thing is as its a soundtrack, the songs kind of repeat themselves and theres little variety to warrant a double album. Overall it's not as good as Hot Buttered Soul, the other Issac Hayes entry in this generator. Listening to a few songs at a time would be my go to when I feel like some funk.
Summary, funky but too long to like the album as a whole.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
The second album that features Cuban music and its better. The calm tempo makes it feel like you're in an old western movie at times. The Spanish lyrics are soothing and the guitar work is very good.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I enjoyed half of the songs very much and appreciate the music throughout. The only thing is I'm not a big fan of Elvis' singing style and it gets weary by the end of a whole album. This is my second album so far and my opinion hasn't changed, but I can pick and choose songs like Tokyo Storm Warning and I Want You.
The Jam
5/5
After every song I was hoping the next would not be a dud. But the bops kept on coming. The bass is excellent throughout this, the guitar work was great too. I'm glad this album is good solely because I can say this. This album is my Jam.
Steely Dan
4/5
Not a massive Steely Dan fan but I was surprised by the quality of the songs here. Every musician gives something great and contribues to a well-rounded album.
Favourite songs: Do It Again, Kings and Reelin In The Years
Prince
4/5
Never listened to Prince before as I'd assume it would be cheesy 80s. Despite some outdated production, I was proven wrong. It has 3 great singles on here and the album cuts were good too. It has made me look forward to watch the movie just to see how the songs are featured. Only a 4 because a couple of songs were average.
Tears For Fears
4/5
A great 80s pop album, great songs throughout though a couple get annoying at times (Mothers talk, I believe). The keyboards and guitar drive this album with heart-warming songs of Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head over Heels, to darker material including The Working Hour. Apart from a couple of songs, a fantastic album.
Soundgarden
3/5
This album was almost superunknown ;) to me before listening to it today. Only really knew Black Hole Sun and Fell On Black Days. Must say it was a good listen. Had to take breaks as it's tough to listen in full in one attempt but the quality of songs on here is great. Especially liked the singles as well as some album cuts including Limo Wreck and 4th of July.
Bee Gees
2/5
To sum up my experience, it was more interesting to find out the Bee Gees had members other than the three Gibb brothers than to listen to the actual album.
It's not a bad album, but it does get boring during the second half. I like a sad ballad here and there but not every single song, it makes the running time feel longer than it actually was.
That being said I did appreciate the vocals and the harmonies in this. Weirdly I would say Maurice's songs were the most enjoyable. Barry and Robin were good too as well as the orchestral elements but it got tiresome by the end.
In all honesty, if they put some up tempo songs in the mix of ballads, it would have been a good listen overall.
Patti Smith
5/5
Pretty flawless this is. It feels like one of those albums I should have been listening to for ages and regret not experiencing in my teens (early 20s now). Patti Smith's vocals and energy is entertaining and a good listen. I particularly love how the two songs covered are part of melodies, it gives them a twist and a perfect example of how songs should be covered (i.e. make it your own).
Was also pleased with the instrumentation with this and pleasantly suprised to find Tom Verlaine on Break It Up. Apart from the two melody tracks, my favourite tracks were Kimberly and Free Money.
MGMT
3/5
Forgot how great Kids and Electric Feel were, such amazing tunes. Loved Time to Pretend as well and the rest were fine but not the same quality. Enjoyed it but apart from the three singles, not memorable.
Alice Cooper
2/5
School's out is a good tune but was not for me. Respect Alice Cooper and i like some for their songs, but I was pretty bored. It's a bad sign that I was distracted as his band's appearance in Wayne's World kept popping in my head.
Beatles
5/5
Its definitely 5 stars, I would be lying to myself if it was any lower. But at the same time a couple of the songs can be annoying at times. I actually enjoy Yellow Submarine which is contrary to other reviews on this site, but I need to be in a really good mood to enjoy Good Day Sunshine, otherwise its a straight skip. Same story with Dr. Robert, who's backstory is way more interesting than the song itself.
That being said, the 5 stars is warrant because I love half the songs to death and enjoy the rest. I particularly love Tomorrow Never Knows instrumentation and sonic sound. Also there's 3 songs from George which is fantastic as he's my favourite Beatle.
On a side note, the album cover is their best, even better than Sgt. Pepper.
I feel like all but one or two Beatles albums on this list will be 5 stars. It's kind of annoying at times they're too good. Then again if you've sold the most records in history, what else do you expect.
Brian Eno
4/5
During the first song, I thought it was another collaboration with David Byrne. Their voices are uncannily similar. The overall quality of the album is good and with this being the third Eno album generated for me so far, it's great to hear what his vocals sound like. Favourite songs were Here He Comes and King's Lead Hat.
Morrissey
3/5
Before this listen, I've only listened to The Smiths and none of Morrissey's solo releases. Think what put me off was that I loved The Smith's instrumentation more than the lyrics and the vocals.
The album itself is pretty good, but not memorable. Did like Suedehead and Everyday is like Sunday though.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Couldn't help but dance while listening. The songs flowed really nicely and the music itself was punchy yet not too in your face. Hasn't won my heart yet but definitely a good album
Dr. Dre
4/5
The thing that stands out the most is the production, its superb 👌. Its quality really gives the songs an extra oomph. Its great to listen to depside not being the biggest fan of rap and lyrically unrelatable as a Caucasian from the other side of the world. Some of the music and beats can be incredibly dated like Lyrical Gangbang, but bangers like Let Me Ride and Nuthun' But A "G" Thang more than make up for it. Plus it gave the world Deez Nuts.
Digital Underground
2/5
Its smooth hip hop but fairly boring. The production is good for the most part, delivers a good sound. Some of the beats like the first half of Sex Packets and The Way We Swing are enjoyable.
It is however at times incredibly lame. For instance, the Humpty Dance was pure cringe and it reminds me of a spoof of 90s rap that would feature in The Simpsons. It was a bold claim in Gutfest '89 to compare themselves with The Clash and The Who but you have to back it with memorable intriguing songs.
Its not terrible and offensive but I couldn't enjoy this album.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
This album pretty much represents GNRs legacy to me. Which is balls to the wall power, great solos and a crop of great singles. However like this album, GNR are also extremely overrated. A fair bit of the album tracks were cheesy hair metal that should stay in the late 80s. It stands out to a lot of people and I love some songs like Welcome To The Jungle, but as an album I simply couldn't get into it.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
This was a nice surprise. A prog adaption of a classical suite. I must say it was an intriguing and enjoyable listen. Particularly love Lake's playing of strings in this, especially in Sage. Palmer's drumming was pretty good and compliments the piece.
Although Emerson did play the keyboards and the organ fantastically, I did find some of the synths at the end of some songs and throughout The Old Castle. I'm also not a big fan of the Nutcracker so it's rock adaption wasn't that enjoyable. Still a good album that's been saved on my phone.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
About time I got a Bowie album. Wasn't familiar with this one but enjoyed it after a few listens. Literally not one track which was unpleasant to listen to and particularly liked Station to Station and Wild Is The Wind.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
A good acoustic album that would be best suited on quiet day walks and drives. I'm amazed by the talent of future folk/country stars like Young and Stills. I particularly enjoyed the use of melodic acoustic guitars throughout and enjoyed the banjo in Bluebird. Liked 6 out of the 10 songs.
Boston
4/5
There are no bad songs here. All can be played individually and would cause no offense. You've gotta admire Tom Scholz's songwriting/producing/guitar work and Brad Delp's vocals here. Massive respect here and particularly enjoyed Let Me Take You Home Tonight and Peace Of Mind. The only reason its not a 5 because I didn't have any passion for it, I didn't love it. It just doesn't move me.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Good soulful blues this is. Enjoyed the title track a lot, kinda got bored in the end, but glad I listened
Radiohead
4/5
This is well-rounded, aesthetically pleasing, and damn enjoyable album. Radiohead know how to put out a good album and have consistently done so through most of their doscography. Favourite songs were Idioteque and National Anthem
The Doors
4/5
The Black Keys
4/5
I just love how the album cover is straight to the point and simple, yet unique. The music is consistently good and though I only loved a few tracks, it will be played a lot in the future.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
The Stooges
3/5
Great songs, attitude and charima sabotaged by its production. Its quite annoying when I'm turning up the music (which is fantastic), Iggy's loud vocals appear out of nowhere and it has to be turned down again. Can't fault it too much as apart from it's production, this album certainly is an enjoyable case of Raw Power
The Flaming Lips
4/5
A nice pleasent listen with an interesting concept. Great mixture of indie rock, folk and pop here. Particularly liked part one of the title track in this one and Are You A Hypnotist?
Queen
5/5
It was good revisiting Sheer Heart Attack again. I used to listen to this regularly as a teen on the way to and back from High School. There isn't much enthusiasm for Queen as there was back then but still can't fault a near-perfect album. I must say though that re-listenting to this after a few years has gained me a new love for the deeper cuts like Lily in the Valley and Bring Back That Leroy Brown.
It's got two fantastic singles, a great guitar solo in a quirky opening number, a couple of song suites that go well and a perfectly fitting closer. None of the 13 songs overstay their welcome here. Behind A Night At The Opera, this is their best album.
The Pretty Things
2/5
S.F. sorrow and Old Man Going are great tracks but overall it was a bit boring. I get its one of the first rock operas but it didn't suit well for me
Tim Buckley
4/5
To be honest, when I saw this on my timeline, I was frustrated there was another late 60s album. But when I payed attention to the Wikipedia page, I was intrigued to find out how Jim Buckley's dad sounds like. Happy Sad was a suprise pleasure to listen to.
It's very tender acoustic jazz. Definitely a repeat listen and despite some songs being a tad too long, a worthy album for this list and reminds me why I signed up for this generator in the first place.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I was a bit worried when I saw this was from the 50s, as the previous one I had from that decade sounded increadibly dated. It was actually pretty good. Nice and relaxing, chilled instrumentals. No songs stick out in particular but as a whole is a decent listen.
Dire Straits
4/5
Haven't heard this for a long time. Back then it was one of those albums that had a few good tracks but as a whole was a little boring. Was a favourite of my parents but didn't see the appeal. So it was good to get a new perspective of Dire Straits.
I forgot how good the guitars was here, Mark Knopfler's solos were fantastic and the jamming just makes me want to be a part of it. The songs have a nice chilled vibes drenched in blues and rock. It's still not a favourite but have gained respect for it and will be saved for the mornings. Favourite tracks are Sultans of Swing and In The Gallery.
Foo Fighters
3/5
I honestly admire this album more than I enjoy it, and it's a decent one. When you're in the most famous band in the world at the time and the singer dies, it would be extremely hard to replicate any of that success. This album wouldn't have been easy to make or promote in these circumstances, but Dave Grohl did anyway. It's not their best album and can really only enjoy half of the songs, but for an album recorded by one musician, its hard to beat.
The album is raw and vulnerable, which in turn makes it a really interesting experience. Songs like I Stick Around and Alone and Easy Target where you can hear Grohl's anger and the loud guitars speaks so much. And while I'm more of a Nirvana fan, the variety between the softer songs like Big Me and For The Cows with the heavy shit is most welcome.
I've always considered this not as a Foo Fighters album, but a stepping stone between that and Nirvana. The Foos turned into a different animal after this, unique concepts with their albums, but the results are pretty bland (with the exception of The Colour and The Shape). It's healthier they turned out this way and they have some great hits (Pretender, Learning to Fly) and lots of mainstream success, but sometimes I wish they could make another album that's not by the numbers rock and speaks to the heart like this does.
R.E.M.
4/5
Finally an R.E.M. album. Am a bit biased here as they're one of my favourite bands and their albums are top quality. The first half is fantastic, all killer and no filler. Hard guitars in Finest Worksong and Strange, and great vocal harmonies in It's The End Of The World. The second half starts strong with The One I love but the rest doesn't have the same qualities as the first. Out of their 4 albums on this list, this is my least favourite, though still a great album. Also has the best apocalypse song ever.
Erykah Badu
3/5
A nice pleasent listen, silky smooth R&B and good vocals. A song didn't stand out in particular to me though. I feel like this would work better as background noise to a party or even studying then as an album you solely focus on listening to.
Ian Dury
1/5
The instrumentation is decent but couldn't stand the vocals. There are a couple of songs I didn't mind like My Old Man and Wake Up And Love Me but overall was pretty unenjoyable.
Genesis
3/5
This is a pretty decent album with a fantastic first half and an enjoyable but patchy second half. I loved Firth of Fifth before listening to this and like I Know What You Like, even if the latter remains more as a recurring presence and joke in Top Gear. I also enjoyed More Fool Me a fair bit and Isle of Plenty a fair bit as nice side closers. Although I quite enjoy long songs, some on this were just not interesting for me. Epping Forest was a bit too long and was waiting for The Cinema Show to be over as it was one too many. It's good but not my favourite Prog Rock album.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Listening to Goo pretty much summed up my feelings for Sonic Youth. It's respectable, has some great songs and interesting subject matter, but don't love it. Great singles here though, and album cuts like Tunic and Mote were enjoyable, but the excessive feedback did get a bit grating near the end. I wouldn't buy or download it all but will definitely revisit some tracks I liked.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Usually not a fan of double albims but Tusk was a pretty great listen. Each of the three songwriters bring something great to the table. Particually liked Sara and and Angel where there was a notable moment from each member. Over & over me and Tusk were great too.
Pavement
3/5
I never really got into Pavement and still not a fan, but this definitely had some great songs on here like Here, Summer Babe and Jackels. Not bad but the distortion gets a bit too much at times to enjoy it.
The Cure
4/5
The music is pretty calm and laid back, yet dark and creepy at the same time. I was already familar with A Forest (which is my favourite Cure song before getting this, but after listening I've gained new interest for the album and its cuts including Secrets and Play For Today.
Have to also appreciate Robert Smith's guitar and vocals on this as it's not flashy and tame, yet intriguing. The drumming and the bass fit the same quota too. The only real complaint I have is with the keyboards, which for the most part feel like background noise to the main action. It should've either been turned up and played more of a prominent role, or abandoned all together. Also the instrumental tracks were pretty boring.
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
There's technically nothing wrong with this album, but it didn't interest me at all. It's good background noise for movies and bars/restaurants, or even for classy house parties, but not enough to desire a listen by itself. I will give it props for making smooth music and Fitzgerald's vocals was pleasant.
The Cardigans
2/5
As a whole, this album wasn't bad, but pretty boring and uninteresting. Wasn't a big fan of Lovefool actually and was disappointed as it's their hit, but did like a couple of songs like Happy Meal and Your New Cuckoo. Their Iron Man cover wasn't great, but it was at least unique and took me half way though to recognise so props for that.
Steely Dan
4/5
Countdown to Ecstasy flew by in terms of time. Loved Bodhisattva and My Old School. Great guitars, keyboarda and vocals. Only a couple of songs I wasn't a fan of but six ones I did enjoy.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
This is one of those albums that should be on this list due to its legacy in music and media, but one I didn't like a lot. The title track has been heard several times in the past in movies and on Spotify shuffles and its a good song. Good organ and guitar riffs and solos here and there but got bored of it all very easily.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Pretty enjoyable, liked the grooves here and Wrote For Luck was my favourite here. After a while the songs become the same which is the only downside here.
Aerosmith
4/5
This album definitely rocks and a lot better than I expected. Not a favourite as the middle of the album dips in quality, especially Nobody's Fault. But the bookends of this (first three, last three songs) were fantastic. Back in the Saddle and Home Tonight were my favourites.
Muddy Waters
2/5
Respect Muddy Waters for being a big influence on blues and rock, but got bored after a while. More suited to background music for me.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Good soulful music that's nice and at times was pretty enjoyable. Liked the title track but as whole it wasn't that memorable.
Miles Davis
2/5
Does the album title ring true, yeah.....nah.
It's quite listenable and not bad at all, and would be important for jazz fans. But for me no song sticks out in particular, or any moment in that regard.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Good combo of singers and musicians, music that was very pleasing and a few great songs too. Liked Our House and 4 + 20 especially. Just didn't love it.
Kraftwerk
5/5
It is such a great album and love the early electronics and rhythms, along with the German flair in Kraftwerk's vocals. Listening to this made me want to catch a train in the middle of the night in the city. A very essential listen.
Trans Europe Express to Abzug was perfection and its chant felt like a powerful mantra. Have to say though, the German version was better and in partitcular, so were the live versions of Hall of Mirrors and Showroom Dummies in 1981.
Fun Fact: Dr Dre playing a live version of Metal on Metal at the beginning of Defiant Ones effectively prescribed me to Kraftwerk and this album.
Jeff Beck
2/5
Finding out that a pre-well known Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart were on this was more interesting than the actual album itself. I can see why it would be on this list due to it's starting points for these well known musicians, and its pre-metal riffs and its bluesy style similar to Zeppelin, but the whole album just simply doesn't appeal to me for repeated listening or to be loved.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
It's an alright album but have to give propts to Terence Trent D'Arby's vocals here. So lively and brilliant piece of soul, just unfortunate the production is very dated here and gets a bit annoying.
I did like half the songs on here a lot actually but the remaining were skippable. Let's Go Forward and As Yet Untitled were the best songs here and can see why Wishing Well would've been a big hit.
Gang Starr
2/5
I'll give credit due when its due. Gang Starr have good rapping vocals and their sound isn't cheesy like a fair chunk of rap/ hip hop music around that time. There are a couple of decent songs here too. But as a whole this was as interesting as a ham sandwich, has the essential elements but nothing enticing for me.
Tina Turner
4/5
Actually a good album and enjoyed it far more than I would have ever expected. Its pure 80s but still listenable today. Apart from the Help cover which overstayed its welcome, all the songs were of great quality. It did get a bit tiring when the last couple came on but apart from that really happy with this.
New Order
4/5
An almost great album by New Order here. Was only faniliar with their singles and Joy Division so there was plenty of unheard material for me. Perfect Kiss (the 12 inch version) is my favourite song by them and though the album edit isn't as great, still fantastic. The album cuts were mostly great, with Sunrise and Sooner Than You Think being the highlights.
The bass in this is phenomenal throughout. The synths and percussion are fantastic. The only thing not perfect in terms of the music is Bernard Sumner's vocals as it tends to be flat here and there. Also the closer Face Up can get pretty annoying.
Jane Weaver
5/5
I think this is the first album so far not to have it's own Wikipedia page, so was going in blind. Never heard of Jane Weaver but have to say after listening to this, I'm intregued to hear the rest of her discography.
I listened to this twice in one day and it still sounded fresh. I cannot think of one thing wrong about this album. The music is dreamy yet not sleepy, the jamming sections are full of mystic rhythms that keeps you on your toes, and Weaver's vocals are so pleasant to hear.
Favourite songs are H>V>K, Modern Kosmology, The Architect, and I Wish. No bad songs on here and it flows perfectly.
Steve Earle
4/5
This is probably the first country album I've listened to that I actually enjoyed. I was dismissive of the first few seconds because I'm generally not a big fan of the southern twang vocals. But as the drums, lead guitar and background keyboards rolled in, I got hooked lined and sinkered and soon embraced the twang. It's by no means perfect or consistent, but it did capture my interest and brought a few bangers along the way.
Bob Dylan
4/5
It has the hits, the deeper cuts, and a bit of a funny blooper. I'm not the biggest fan of Bob Dylan, but have to admit this deserves to be in the 1001 book. Favourite songs were Homesick Subterranean Blues and Maggie's Farm
Tim Buckley
3/5
Really enjoyed half the album and particularly songs like No Man Can Find The War, I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, and Pleasant Street. There were a few aspects I found annoying though, like his high voice and the title track which I was waiting till it was over.
AC/DC
4/5
AC/DC may be a 3 chord band but they know how to make the blood rush and necks sore. Wall to wall pub rock with classic guitar solos and riffs along with some really great lyrics from Bon Scott (Touch Too Much for example). Admittedly it isn't the most deep, sophisticated or intelligent album by a mile, but it's honest good fun to rock out with. Highway to Hell is a classic Aussie album and the majority of songs on it are great (not so much Get It Hot or Love Hungry Man).
Jimmy Smith
4/5
A decent and enjoyable album, was great driving to and can definitely see it being played a lot in a chilled environment. I'm usually not a fan of the organ but was pleased with it here. Some good fills here and there too
Wild Beasts
2/5
At first I enjoyed it a fair bit, with The Fun Powder Plot to All Kings Men being enjoyable. But as it went on I began to lose interest and it did get a bit repetitive in a negative way. It's alright but wouldn't listen to it on a regular occurance.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
This is a perfect example of a mixed bag. At least half of these are bangers that make you want to dance like no one's watching. Right Here Right Now and Praise You are fantastic songs in their own right either.
The other half of the batch is too repetitive for its own good and gets pretty annoying (You're Not From Brighton and Soul Surfing are such examples). Must say though for working out to at the gym our outside sports, its fantastic.
Beatles
4/5
Though a tad old, Hard Day's Night is a great album and their best before Rubber Soul where The Beatles had a string of perfect albums.
Really the only dud on here is When I Get Home and have to be in a good mood to like Tell Me Why and I'll Cry Instead. Apart from that every song is fantastic, with the title track being my favourite.
I'd also have to recommend the Hard Day's Night movie and some of the bloopers from the album on YouTube as well for a good laugh.
David Gray
5/5
Such a pleasure to listen to. Loved This Year's Love and Please Forgive Me in particular. Not a bad song on White Ladder. A great folktronica album.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
A Girl Called Dusty is essentially a time capsule from 1964, covering the latest hits and singing originals from the best composers of the time. While Dusty is a great vocalist and I did enjoy a couple of the songs like 24 Hours From Tusla, it hasn't aged well today. Not something I would willingly listen to all again unless having a party with a Swinging Sixties theme. I was also heavily distracted when some of the songs were ingrained in my brain from pop culture like You Don't Own Me (Suicide Squad) and Mockingbird (Dumb and Dumber), which I was temporarily excited to find their sources, only to find out they were mostly covers.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Great production and music to back up the surpurb vocals. It was a pretty interesting experience to listen to both the English and French versions of Chris. Listening to the English one first was like a 3/5 as only a few songs were great to me (Girlfriend, Doesn't matter).
But after a few hours break and then listening to the French one, it's definitely a 4.5/5. The songs just breathe a bit better and the vocals sound more natural. It also made songs like Goya Soda and The Stranger which were ok in English make more sense. Maybe it was also just better on the second listen. Recommend highly though regardless.
George Michael
5/5
Had to give this a 5. I could try to be nitpicky with a couple of songs I didn't enjoy as much as the rest, but that would be wrong as they were both still good (Heal The Pain and Soul Free).
There is a nice balance of ballads interjected with some dance and folk numbers. George Michael's vocals are out of this world too. Thankfully this album also doesn't feature much of the 80s sax. Favourite songs are Cowboys and Angels, Freedom!90 and Praying For Time.
Pink Floyd
5/5
The Wall is a perfect Rock Opera, with numerous great songs that stand out on their own, intertwined with others that make it flow as a whole. It's pretty much Roger Water's magnum opus, and has some of David Gilmour's best guitar works (comfortably numb anyone?).
Out of Pink Floyd's perfect albums from 73-79, this is my least favourite but it's still a significant piece of art and worthy of 5 stars. Think it's because I kind of relate to the character of Pink in a way. Introverted, withdrawn in my own world occasionally, and emotionally numb and depressed at times. Just this fact makes it difficult to listen compared to Dark Side or Wish You Were Here. Plus it is really lacking key moments from the rest of the band (except Gilmour).
Various Artists
3/5
Not a fan of Christmas music, but this wasn't bad at all. I liked White Christmas, Sleigh Ride and Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) in particular. It does get boring as it goes on though. I was also happy Spector's Wall of Sound made these songs more lively and listenable as an album itself.
The Who
3/5
The Kids Are Alright. I feel like this would've been a better listen if I was more familiar with The Who's studio output. Really only knew I Can't Explain, My Generation and Summertime Blues before this and was lost with some of the songs halfway through. There were highlights though. Depsite not knowing what snippets were included, I dug the My Generation melody. Substitute, A Quick One, and Fortune Teller were really good as well.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Supa Dupa Fly has an accurate title for this album as it does hum and flow smoothly, though not too in your face like the insect. The four singles are bops, with Sock It 2 Me and The Rain being my preferences out of them. The album cuts are mostly great too, with Best Friends being my favourite.
Missy Elliott's vocals is smooth, playful and her rapping skills flows so well. Sets a nice chill vibe overall. The featured are great too (though didn't enjoy the intro and outro from Busta Rhymes). Timbaland's production and beats are fantastic here too, making them really enjoyable. Cut a couple of tracks off for b sides or for another album and it would be perfect.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
It has some interesting moments here and there. The last minute of Hope There's Someone and the cameos from Lou Reed and Boy George for instance. Despite the songs being pretty straight forward with little variation musically, it has beautiful piano and strings throughout. It's also has some meaningful lyrics regarding ANHONI's life and transition, plus longing for someone.
I can truely understand why this is on the list and how it has touched many hearts, but I just cannot stand the vocals and that alone was too distracting to enjoy this. Mad respect for her creating meaningful art that has touched many, but it's simply not my cup of tea.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Apart from some of the excessive feedback and a couple of tracks, this album was great to listen to. The trilogy was great, Teen Age Riot is a classic and enjoyed Eric's Song and Cross The Breeze. Enjoyed this more than Goo.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Very good album and an interesting listen with its layered Synth and Keyboard sound. The vocals had a nice range and accompanied the bands dark music style really well. Only heard Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence before but it was great to hear their extended versions. World In My Eyes, Halo and Policy of Truth were the newbies I enjoyed a lot. The last two songs I didn't like as much as the rest, but apart from that great listen.
The Clash
4/5
I'm not a massive fan of punk but I like The Clash. Think thats because you get more than one style of music in their albums. A bit of punk, reggae and rock in 35 minutes.
The UK version which is on Spotify is great but isn't as good as the US, missing White Man, Clash City Rockers and I Fought the Law. Still you get White Riot, Police and Thieves and Remote Control which are fantastic songs. The good thing about having two versions is that with the quality of new songs, you would see how The Clash would improve over a couple of years.
8/10 for the UK version
9/10 for the US version
Soft Cell
3/5
Quintessentially 80s music. Tainted Love is a great track and album cuts like Sex Dwarf and Youth are decent too. Nothing bad but would rarely listen to by choice.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Jesus this album is annoying. The vocals are irritating at best, the organ and keyboards are cringingly crap for the most part, and the rest of the instruments are mediocre. Literally the first track feels like a fly is buzzing right in my ear while the whining vocals stabs them to bleed. Thriller! has the most ironic song title as I wanted to chuck my earbuds after two minutes. It doesn't help that the few good musical moments on here like the intro riff on Codex and I Will Wait can be found in a better form elsewhere on this list.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
2 classic songs from The Rolling Stones here, with Sympathy for the Devil is an epic and Street Fighter Man featuring fantasic instrumentation and politically charged lyrics. The rest of the album is good but not as great as those two songs. I do appreciate the variety on here, bit of blues, country, and rock. Jig Saw Puzzle and Stray Cat Blues are the best of the album cuts.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Very enjoyable listen with the extravagant brass and percussion playing here. Not normally a fan of drum solos but the Ginger Baker and Tony Allen one was fantastic. Fela Kuti has a great voice, only lost interest near the end of two of the songs. This would be much better if experienced in real life, could imagine having a ball to this.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Good sample usage, a few great tracks (Remember His Name, What's Golden for instance), and overall good rapping. Didn't love it but nothing wrong with it either. A nice middle of the road album for this site.
Talking Heads
3/5
Quite enjoyable, half of the songs are good to great and the rest are meh. Psycho Killer is a classic, Uh-Oh Love Comes To Town was a great opener and The Book I Read had a smooth groove. Middle of the road for this list.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
I was so tempted to give it 2 stars after two thirds through as I really only liked Two Weeks up till then. A couple more were ok but the rest were pretty boring for me. It was mainly the slower ones that belong as part of a nice soundtrack to an indie film, but forgettable afterwards. The final three song stretch made this album worth listening for me and bumped it up a bit. It was because it was louder, darker and more intriguing than the rest. Its not for me as a whole, but do like some of its parts a lot.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Can't complain about Dusty's vocals, truely excellent. The music backing it is pretty nice too, suits her voice perfectly. The songs themselves were good, though for some reason I couldn't get into Son of a Preacher Man. Prefered Windmills In Your Mind, Don't Forget About Me and So Much More to one of her biggest hits.
Crowded House
4/5
Love a bit of Crowded House. Half of the 16 tracks are really good and single worthy, four more are good, and the rest are meh. Fall at Your Feet, Whispers and Moans, and Weather With You were my favourites here.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
I actually listened to this a year ago when finding new music before discovering this site. The opinion is the same, great stuff, but can't listen in one setting. Love that Lauryn Hill can go back and forth with singing and rapping easily, and the skits take a nice break from the music while providing context to the album. A couple of songs were not for me and some were average, but apart from that every track is good or great. Loved the title track, Doo Wop, even the bonus track Tell Him was great.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Started great, pleased I got something I would never have come across. However, the album did get very repetitive as it went on. If it was around 40 minutes and had the best half of the songs or even more with some edits, it would be a strong 4, maybe a 5. The guitar playing was probably the best thing on here, shows a hint of the music of Senegal and surrounding reigons. I also like the vocals and percussion in this too, gives it a unique feel compared to Anglo-American music which dominates my Spotify.
Rush
5/5
One of my favourite albums ever so a bit biased here. A really great album to listen to while driving, though Red Barchetta might come with some speeding tickets. Every song is great, though can understand why some might find the vocals or synths a bit annoying as its not for everyone. The guitar solos and riffing is excellent, the bass parts are so beautifully complex, and the drumming stands out so much. An air guitar, bass and drum staple. The lyrics are awesome and meaningful too. Limelight might be my favourite song ever.
Rush are practically ignored in Australia as you would never here them at house parties growing up, find their cds in music shops, or hear their songs on rock music stations who cherish their contempories and other hair metal and pub rock bands. Maybe they were not as commercial, or just too nerdy. Either way, I wish this was more exposed here as they would've been very important to me as a misfit in high school.
The White Stripes
4/5
Gave it two listens, much better on the latter one. Surprised how good it was despite it having two musicians. Gets a bit long by the end but still a good time. Fell In Love With A Girl and We're Going To Be Friends were the best of the singles and I Can't Wait was my favourite album cut.
Eminem
5/5
It's Eminem, pretty much every person's stepping stone to hip hop and rap. Everyone knows at least a few songs on MMLP, The Real Slim Shady and Stan to name a couple. There are gems all around too, with Criminal, The Way I Am, and I'm Back being the most memorable. The production and the beats on this is fantastic and makes a whole album of a genre I'm not a fan of really enjoyable. It might not be one of those albums that can be played anywhere anytime, but it's definitely an essential listen.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
The vocals are by far the best element on here. If I'm grateful for anything about listening to this album, is to hear Aretha Franklin's soulful delivery and notes. The songs are pretty good, Respect is one of the most famous songs of all time. Also liked Do Right Woman..., I Never Loved a Man, and Baby Baby Baby.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Perfect background music to studying or working, gaming, cooking, walking, or even reading to. Sounds like a cool soundtrack to a dystopian sci-fi game or movie. At the same time, there's no memorable songs on it as it all kind of blends together. I also wouldn't listen to this much out of pure enjoyment like the 4s and 5s I've rated so far. A good album still though.
Common
3/5
I'll give Common credit where credit is due, his vocals are so smooth and gives a great vibe for the beats that accompany him. The feature are really good too, particularly like Pops on the last track. Some really good songs here with the favourite being The Light. Not something I would listen to whole as its not my thing but definitely some songs will be added to the playlist.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
First few songs in was great, after two thirds it got a bit grating on the ears, then after the final couple it turned enjoyable again. A rollercoaster of emotions when listening to this. Favourite song was I Bet You Look On The Dance Floor.
Dire Straits
5/5
Despite the album dropping off in the second half, there isn't anything wrong with this. All except The Man's Two Strong and One World are fantastic and even the mentioned lesser tracks are decent. Money for Nothing was the one I knew before but really came away liking So Far Away and Your Latest Trick. A classic album
The Who
3/5
Don't know if I made this joke before but these kids were alright ;) Anyway, I enjoyed half of this a lot. My generation and The Kids Are Alright were the highlights. The drumming and bass is flawless, drives the instrumental closer home. Respect for The Who and the album is good but you can tell they still had developing to do.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Bit ironic I got this a week after the Neil Young vs Joe Rogan fiasco so had to watch this with ads on YouTube. This situation at this time is still going on so was intrigued to see if I would miss the music that disappeared from Spotify. From this album at the very least, Young feels missed as I would love to have some of these songs saved. The acoustic and electric guitar parts are really good throughout too.
I was reading the wiki article for this and found out Young wrote half the album while having a fever. And those songs (Cinnamon Girl, the title track, Down by the River and Cowgirl in the Sand) are the best on here. The rest are ok but not as good. A very decent and fine little album.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Good instrumentals and production, decent rapping all around too. Has some good songs too like Its Nasty and Scorpio. I'd say this album for me is alright, but gets a bit tedious by the end. I do appreciate the variety between early hip hop and the romatic songs as it makes it easier to listen for the first time.
For some reason, I couldn't dig the title track which I know is very well regarded. Just was too long and had enough halfway through. Preferred it's sequel (Survival) in the deluxe tracks weirdly. Also really enjoyed New York New York a lot and seriously wondering why it wasn't on the original album.
Portishead
3/5
First listen through was great, the second wasn't the same. Has a dark and moody atmosphere that suits a cloudy day.
Silence and The Rip were my favourites here to play. The singles Magic Doors and Machine Gun were okay.
The album itself is alright, but goes on a bit too long. Good rhythms and beats are found plus the vocals here are strong.
Just trim a couple of songs and it would be a stronger set. Or even cut some out, then Third would be a threat.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Really liked two thirds of this a lot. Steve Wonder is a fantastic singer/songwriter plus a talented musician. Wouldn't have guessed he did drumming throughout this and the bass was actually from a moog. Favourites are You And I, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life and Big Brother.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I could write a 1000 word essay here on why Wish You Were Here is 5 stars. But like the album, its better to use words sparingly for maximum effect. Simply put, it's flawless to me.
Fantastic lyrics about Pink Floyd's success and their troubled former bandmate Syd Barrett, along with a palette of flavours on the musical front. The title track and Shine On are the highlights of 4 great songs. Probably my favourite album ever.
Orange Juice
1/5
I didn't hate it but just found it very boring. Rip It Up was ok to start with but eventually was waiting for it to end. Vocals were annoying and the music itself is meh. I like 80s music a lot but this wasn't for me.
Ray Price
2/5
It's definitely something I would never listen to independently so am grateful for being given something different. I was pleasently surprised Willie Nelson was on this as I didn't know he used to be a backing musician.
Apart from that fact the album wasn't that interesting to me. Liked the smooth introduction and a few ballads here and there like the title track and Sittin and Thinkin, but nearly fell asleep. I do see it in the backdrop a film set in the 60s or even earlier and would be pleasent in the background of a party.
Minor Threat
4/5
Listening to this was like going to a theme park and instead of going on the big thrill rides with massive queues, you visit the rollercoaster that's smaller and more simplistic but fun anyway.
22 minutes seemed short when first inspected but its the perfect amount for this punk rocket of an album.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
It's beautiful but also a bit sad. I feel in a melancholy mood could cry to The Boxer and the title track. But there are also happy songs like Baby Driver and Celilia which make it a rollercoaster of emotions.
Paul Simon's songwriting is usually great, and both his and Art Garfunkels vocals transform the tracks to another level.
I used to listen to Simon and Garfunkel solely through their Essential CD and all but Why Don't You Write To Me were on it, which is a good indication of how great this album is.
Tom Waits
2/5
Its more interesting than it is enjoyable. Was pretty hard to listen to in full. I got one of his jazz albums early on in this journey and I don't like the change in vocals here, but appreciate its something different with experimental rock. Some songs were pretty good to listen, the title track for instance was decent. Downtrain Train was the best song on here.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
First 3 songs I really liked. Good beats, smooth rapping vocals, and not too cheesy. After that there were a couple I enjoyed but the rest were a bit meh. But those first three especially were really good so as a whole, the album is enjoyable.
Chicago
2/5
Can respect rock with horns and appreciate a different rock flavour, but it was not my cup of tea. While there were a few good songs (does anybody really know....., Listen, and Questions 67 and 68 are strong examples), the album was very muddly and at times annoying.
Ghostface Killah
2/5
While I don't enjoy it, I do acknowledge it is an coherent album, with fitting concepts and relevent skits. Also the production is very good. I don't mind hip hop but this couldn't stick in my brain.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Nice acoustic folk and blues from beginning to end with a good portion of truely great songs. Very accessable to listen to as well. Blowin in the Wind was my favourite.
Prince
3/5
The first few and the final four songs were truely great, a couple more were interesting (If I was Your Girlfriend in particular), and the rest were forgettable upon first listen. I may favour this more in the future once I give it a couple more listens as that happened when I got Purple Rain. The title track, Sign of The Cross and I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man were my favourites.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
For some reason, it feels like I keep getting Elvis Costello albums. And while I'm not a fan and still don't get his legacy in the music world, this is the best one generated for me so far and as a whole is pretty enjoyable. Beyond Belief was probably my favourite on here.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
My brain is split into two when this was generated. One was overjoyed at the number 69, but the other is moaning to the fact I have to listen to that many songs about a single theme. Thank god they didn't make an album called 420 weed songs.
Do give it a listen though, as there are various perspectives, situations, and types of love around here. There is also thankfully a wide variety of genres and instruments used, even different members of the band and guest musicians take the spotlight on vocals.
Highlight picks were Papa Was A Rodeo, The Book Of Love, Sweet-Lovin' Man, No One Will Ever Love You, Long-Forgotten Fairytale and The Death Of Ferdinand de Sassure.
While I love the concept, this would be a 5 if it was condensed to half its length. That would provide enough great songs while not burning out my patience. I also feel some songs get unfairly lost in this project.
Jacques Brel
3/5
Great voice but the music was average. Need to check his other stuff
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I really enjoyed the album at the start, gave me some art-rock vibes you would find from the 60s and 70s. Race for the Prize was a great track to start off with. But as it went on and during a second listen, I enjoyed it less. I prefer Yoshimi Battles the Robots compared to this. Has some great songs but as a whole I didn't love it.
Paul Weller
5/5
Really tough to devide whether it was a 4 or a 5 as its somewhere in between. There are plenty of fantastic songs here, Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), Sunflower, Wildwood, Country, Shadow Of The Sun and Hung Up. The instrumentation is really great, Paul Weller is a truely gifted songwriter and apart from a couple songs too many, this is really flawless. Personal enjoyment was also very positive here.
The Mars Volta
5/5
I was really surprised how much I liked this, even with a minor headache at the time. Don't think there was a track I didn't like. Inertiatic Esp was my favourite of the bunch.
I must say the drumming and guitars are all top notch, made me air play those instruments in the car. The vocalist is really great and I particularly like how some of the songs are interrupted by the sound effects. Gives the intensity a nice break.
4/5
Pretty great album overall. Not one I really loved but one I have big respect for. Very heavy at times and some of the song transitions were hard to spot. Throughout it's got some brilliant songs, with Knights of Cydonia being my favourite. Also enjoyed the singles Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole and the album cut Assassin.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
For this list, its the middle of the road. Admirable and clearly a talanted band, but this album is not something I would listen to again in full.
The good: It had some enjoyable songs. Call The Police, Oh Baby and Tonight were the cream of the crop. There were others that had a good groove and overall no song was awful.
The bad: The album and some of the songs just went on for too long. The title track for instance could've been edited down as it was repeating itself, and the 12 minute Black Screen at the end made me wished it was over.
Björk
4/5
Great DEBUT ;) album here. Björk is such a cool singer and musician and along with a well rounded discography has a great style of beautiful, delicate and manic energy. It's not as good as Post (which is my personal favourite of hers) and Vespertine (the other Björk album I've reviewed so far on this site), but the quality is still great.
Lots of variety with songs that can feel at home in nightclubs, jazz clubs, and even a function in India. Favourite song was Venus As A Boy and also really liked Human Behaviour, Like Someone In Love, Crying and The Anchor Song.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Was ready to hit it straight with the one star as I was not having a good time listening to this, but the final batch of songs from Maps to Poor Song were decent enough to bump it up.
Karen O has great chops as a vocalist, but the music of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sounds as good as one of those wannabe grunge indie bands from High School that played the same song over and over again. Maybe its the PTSD talking but its not for me.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Really liked Jupiter and Teardrop along with Wish You Well. The rest were a mixture of good and forgettable. Good vocals and guitar playing, appropriate drum, bass and keys too. Also has a nice acoustic feel to it which is pleasant.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Quite a memorable ride. The music was kinda cool at first, but got tired fast. Though interesting as it was insane, would never listen to again.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Very conflicting deciding if its cool that their music gets featured in Tarantino movies and sounds like a time capsule to the 60s, or if it's uncool for the same reasons. Guess it depends on whether I can tolerate the psychedelic organ/keyboard sound or not.
Overall it is a meh but there is some nice tracks like Kicks, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, and Take a Look at Yourself. Has a good guitar tone too which I can't fault.
Charles Mingus
1/5
This just made me very depressed both times listening. I get the musicians involved are talented and you would have to love avant-garde jazz to some degree, but I just couldn't get on board.
It also didn't help every song sounded exactly the same except for an added focus of a particular instrument here and there. It's a bit like eating the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner with each serving having one different ingredient.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Very chilled vibe Catch A Fire brings to the table. I think everyone has heard of Bob Marley and apart from Stir It Up, doesn't have any hits or songs on the Legend album. Its a nice change from his later hits. Not a favourite of mine (Exodus would be) or is it perfect (some songs were filler), but a nice album to put on when in need of relaxation and joy.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Growing up I didn't really listen to RHCP. I liked a few of their singles but didn't branch out and instead dismissed them as that band that can't stop referencing California into their songs. After listening to Californication, I wish I could've looked through that silly assumption and enjoyed the music.
This is really good shit. Aside from the California references in at least 3 of their songs, you have plenty of funky basslines and guitar riffs, some sombre acoustic melodies, and chill vibes. There is also no band songs, even the bonus tracks are good. Favourite songs were the title track, Road Trippin, Parallel Universe and Otherside.
Pulp
3/5
The good: Has some great tracks. Party Hard sounds like a lost Bowie song, Help The Aged has a good chorus and passionate vocals, This Is Hardcore is very theatrical and intriguing, and A Little Soul is a nice acoustic ditty.
The bad: Overall its 20 minutes too long. Why does the last song feature 10 minutes of the same keyboard sounds. Half of the songs are either boring or sound similar to songs preceding it. And afterwards it feels like I gave a mental birth.
To sum it up, this has some good songs but overall too boring to listen in full. Would give it 5/10 if I could.
Johnny Cash
4/5
If I was judging solely on songs, it would be a 3. Has a few good songs and personally like Johnny Cash's voice, though nothing special about the music. But San Quentin gets bumped up with its inmates vocal responses during and after songs, and Cash's banter and wordplay with the audience. These elements represent how a live album can provide a breath of fresh air to its studio counterparts.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
The energy from Jerry Lee Lewis is the sole reason why I think this album should be on this list. The songs are mainly covers with some duds in this 22 minute album, and the vocal range of Lewis isn't great, but my god it's an entertaining ride for the most part and the piano skills on him is very good. So summarised its an entertaining but unoriginal album.
The Stone Roses
5/5
You can tell the musical quality of The Stone Roses at this time was supreme not only through the amount of singles of their debut, but also the songs left of the album. Fool's Gold, Mersey Paradise and Elephant Stone are some of the excellent tracks that were left of the original release. The tracks that made it instead are decent at worst and brilliant at best. I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs the Drums, Made of Stone and I Am the Resurrection are the cream of the crop.
The instrumentation is top-notch as well with the rhythm section knowing where to fire all cylinders and when to be understated. There is also some innovative tactics applied here as well, like reversing the instrument tracks on Waterfall to make Don't Stop. The vocals are calm and laidback which fit the songs very well, and the guitarist takes the songs to another level.
Gary Numan
3/5
Weirdly I have never listened to this album in full but for years was familiar of Gary Numan though his Living Ornaments 79 and 80 live albums. Most of the songs on The Pleasure Principle were featured on them and they stand out better live with more energy plus added guitars.
Nonetheless, you still get some great songs here with Cars, Metal, M.E. and Complex. There a couple of duds though, particually Engineers and Conversation.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
I love how this album is split into two parts. There's the first side which gives a loose chronicle of life from childhood/adolescence, 20s love, middle-aged divorce, and the autumn years all bookended ;) by the title track. Then there's the second side which is a loose selection of quality singles and deep cuts dating back a year or two.
I also like the emotional music balance of melancholy/despair (Old Friends/Bookends, Fakin It) and genuine feel good/happy too (Mrs Robinson, At The Zoo) throughout the album. Guess it helps having a talented songwriter like Paul Simon and having the angelic vocal talents of Art Garfunkel.
Aerosmith
4/5
Nothing technically brilliant but good old fun. Even though I never registed the song by its title, it appeared Love In An Elevator was engrained in my brain as I immediately sang along to the backing vocals. Probably the best track was Janie's Got A Gun as it's got a great verse/chorus structure plus some intriguing and disturbing lyrics. Guess the only downside was musically it gets tiring here and didn't like Don't Get Mad, Get Even at all.
Elvis Presley
4/5
I liked the crooning Elvis more than I expected. Lots of slower material compared to the Rock n Roll 50s period with plenty of ballads. It is a record you do have to be in the right mood to listen with enjoyment. I was lucky over the weekend I had time to listen to it three times.
I never listened to any of the material on this so was quite interesting listening to Elvis completely blind. Favourite song was definitely Suspicious Minds with In The Ghetto and Long Black Limousine not far behind.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Never heard of Belle & Sebastian and must say they're not bad. Its very relaxing and pleasant music. If You're Feeling Sinister started really well but I started to lose interest by the end. Favourite songs were Seeing Other People and Me And The Major.
a-ha
4/5
For a band that is quintessentially 80s, this was a very good album that went beyond Take On Me. Aside from their biggest hit I enjoyed the variety of music on here. The first half is a lot better than the second half with songs Train of Thought shining through.
Le Tigre
4/5
I don't know why but to me this sounds like a more punky and aggressive version of the B52's, specifically their debut album. Has that similar singular riffing guitar with the bright yet mechanic keyboards and drums backing it up in a fair chunk of the songs, especially Deceptacon, Phanta, and My My Metrocard. Although you do get the more serious lyrics instead of partying with rock lobsters.
Aside from comparisons and the differences in lyrics, Le Tigre stands out on its own too. There's the 90s flair and horns in Hot Topic, the previously mentioned punky tones in The the Empty, the 80s new wave feel in Eau D'bedroom Dancing, and even hip hop beats in Slideshow at Free University. I'd say I liked 7 or 8 songs on this album a lot, and the rest either sounded like repeats or were just meh.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
For what it's worth I can see why this album would be influential to hip-hop and to a lesser degree rock/rap hybrids that were to come in the 90s. Half of the songs were enjoyable and fun while the the rest were annoying af. It's Like That, Hard Times and Rock Box were the best of the bunch.
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Wasn't feeling it today. Its nice background music and would be good for uni work, but wouldn't listen to for pure pleasure sake.
Pearl Jam
5/5
On the quality of songs alone, it's a pretty clear 5. Only Porch (and if it counts, the instrumental Master/Slave) I didn't like. Everything else (except Deep) is very good at least. Jeremy and Black are very moving songs, with the latter probably being the best on the whole album. Once and Even Flow are very aggressive in nature, and Alive is one of those songs that appears to be hopeful, but Eddie Vedder's lyrics suggest otherwise. The only thing I wasn't a big fan of was the murky sound quality.
Simple Minds
3/5
This has some great singles and a neat title track, but also has a few boring songs that go for way too long (Colours Fly for instance). Musically wise, I like the bass a lot plus the delivery in the vocals, but the guitar is pretty low in the mix and the keyboards are pretty dated. The medieval album cover design is cool though.
On a side note I found out through the Wikipedia page that Herbie Hancock did a solo on Hunter and the Hunted, a peculiar fact.
The Only Ones
2/5
Liked Another Girl Another Planet, The Beast and City of Fun, but as a whole it felt way longer than 33 minutes (not counting bonus tracks). I wasn't a fan of the vocals and felt the guitar solos were too low in the mix as they were pretty decent. Nothing terrible but not a memorable experience.
I have mixed feelings of All That You Can't Leave Behind as a U2 fan. On one hand, it's a great album with fantastic singles and some pleasant album cuts, plus a more crystal quality production than say Zooropa or Pop. On the other though, it ends in a snoozefest (New York and Grace) and the album's colossal success led the way to U2 playing it safe with their future output which would become increasingly mediocre and dull.
Beautiful Day and Elevation are some of U2's best ever songs, Stuck In A Moment and Walk On are decent but powerfully uplifting when depressed, and the rest are mainly pleasent. It could've been improved with the bonus track The Ground Beneath Her Feet replacing Grace.
These mixed feeling have made me considered if this album truly deserves a place in this list. It is the worst of the other 3 U2 albums on this list and not including it could've made room for another act that's strangely absent (Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, any classical composer, even another album nor from the UK or USA would be fantastic). Though if reflecting on importance, this was incredibly popular around 2000 and had a impact on many in a post-9/11 world. To put it short, it's a great but frustrating album.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
It took a couple of listens to get intrigued but after that threshold I found an alright album. It's pretty noisy but has clear melodies. I'm glad I gave it another chance otherwise it would've remained as a bad image. Still not a favourite of mine and only really liked a few songs, but have learned to appreciate it more. Something 4 the Weekend was the best song on here.
I like how Super Furry Animals have Howard Marks, a famous drug smuggler from their country of Wales not only on their album cover, but referenced in one of their songs too. Not one of the best songs on the album but it's pretty cool regardless.
Bob Dylan
3/5
This is the first "classic" album on this generator so far I didn't enjoy too well. Half I enjoyed a lot, the other I couldn't stand. It may be due to the fact I don't like Bob Dylan's rock n roll and blues material and that dominates at least half of this. Also his voice can get incredibly annoying during those songs.
Thank goodness Blonde on Blonde has his more slow, calm and soothing folk acoustic songs to balance it out. Favourite songs were Visions of Johanna, Just Like A Woman, I Want You, Fourth Time Around and Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
If 20 minutes shorter, it would've left more of an impression. I remember liking some of the songs, but an hour afterwards I couldn't remember a specific melody or riff let alone a song title. Wasn't bad, but definitely not memorable in the slightest. Even the terrible, awful, and flawed albums leave an impression on you.
Kraftwerk
4/5
It's interesting hearing Kraftwerk before they completely turned to robots, musically speaking. The more acoustic instruments (i.e. flute, violin, guitar) was actually a nice bit of fresh air compared to the rest of their discography I've listened to so far. The 22 minute title track is a fun trip itself through the Autobahn itself and a underground level from a video game, and I like Kometenmelodie 2 as well since it's sunshine beaming out of the dark tunnel that was Kometenmelodie 1.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Why did I have to like Neil Young as soon as he puts his music off Spotify (which I understand his argument but free music under a parent account is a bit hard to justify ditching). At least it's on YouTube. Feel like this album and other works of his would be perfect for my ever-growing vinyl collection.
Its a pretty flawless album with Powderfinger, Sail Away, and the opening and closing tracks (variations of Hey Hey, My My) being my highlights. The only track I didn't overly like was Sedan Delivery. Also appreciate how its split with an acoustic first half and an electric second.
Eminem
4/5
The one just before his rise to fame as the poster of rap, leaving a fresh perspective of Eminem being poor, struggling for success and his childhood past. It's very good overall. Everyone knows My Name Is and Guilty Concious is a great back and forth between Eminem and Dr Dre, but also liked Role Model, If I Had, Brain Damage and My Fault. It does dip a bit towards the end with a few forgettable tracks.
Apart from that it's very funny at times, little outdated with some pop culture references and insults, and some interesting stories.
It was also interesting hearing Marshall Mathers LP first and finding out some of the skits (Paul, Ken Kaniff) and some spoken messages ("A lot of people ask me..." at Still Don't Give A Fuck).
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Never overly liked CCD that much but they had some good songs on here. Ramble Tamble had a great middle instrumental bit, Up Around The Bend is a nice rocker, Who'll Stop The Rain is a welcomed slower pacer, and despite being 11 minutes, I Heard It Through The Grapevine was the best song on here with lots of room to breathe for some fantastic soloing and jamming. Just couldn't stand some of the other shorter songs with the old Country Rock vibe and John Fogerty's vocals at times.
Raekwon
2/5
I'll give it props for its production and beats. Very well done and suits the lyrics nicely. However I just couldn't get into it deeply as I would have liked to. Not one of the 18 tracks I listened to just then made me go "yes, that's the shit" or made my head bop.
1/5
Honestly couldn't stand both of the vocalists which made the experience frustrating as there is decent guitar and bass going on here. White Girl was probably the best song on here. At least it was short I guess.
Waylon Jennings
5/5
My 16 year old self would've wanted to punch me for saying this, but I actually really liked a Country album.
Didn't overstay its welcome and after a stressful day of work, felt soothing. Had some great acoustic guitar and bass to accompany the outlaw imagery.
Would say Omaha was the best of the bunch.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
I was surprised by how much I would enjoy some of these songs, the first half is flawless 80s. The second half does have some quality songs too (All Through The Night and She Bop), but also some cringy music. Aside from Girls Just Want To Have Fun, I liked Time After Time the most.
The Who
5/5
I was tempted to give it a star less due to a couple of songs I would skip (Going Mobile and Getting In Tune), but after realising I've given 5 for less and that the rest of Who's Next slaps, fuck it. Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again are truely fantastic. Even some of the filler tracks like My Wife was mint.
New York Dolls
3/5
Half really good, and the other half annoying as fuck. Liked Trash the most with Jet Boy close behind.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Was a bit underhelmed when I listened to this to be honest as I've heard great things about PJ and recalled enjoying the Stories For The Cities album. Not awful, but nothing stood out either really.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Heard fantastic things about this a couple of years ago, and while I didn't fall in love with it, was a very good listen. I prefer Tidal but I like the experimentation here, especially with the percussion. Also half of the songs are noteworthy too.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
For an album that is solely recorded with one instrument and was improvised, and considering the distuptive circumstances a Jarrett had with the wrong piano, the long drive and barely eating due to his restaurant order arriving late, The Köln Concert is something to be proud of. The ultimate example of When Life Gives You Lemons...
I do have to say my respect for this album is a bit more than my actual enjoyment I got from this. A bit cynical I know, but I just didn't love it.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
I first listened to this last year. It was a hot summer's day and I spent it exploring some towns in land. I never listened to it before, but I chose To Pimp A Butterfly as one of the albums to listen on my trip because I wanted to depthen my music taste, and this was recommened a lot on music forums.
Driving out past the first stop, Wesley's Theory came on and as it kicked into the main groove, it felt like the music equivalent of The Wizard Of Oz. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore". The music production throughout is fantastic and despite not being a big fan of rap, I wasn't actually ever bored when listening to the nearly 80 minute album. Maybe it was the 40°C weather and barely any clouds in the sky that provided the positive mood, but the funky basslines and the jazz beats definitely helped the mood.
Kendrick Lamar's vocal delivery was smooth for the most part and could get angry if required. I also liked the recurring poem that kept stopping throughout until it was played in full at the end of Mortal Man. That sequence including another poem named after the album title, and an edited recording of Lamar interviewing Tupac Shakur was a genuinely interesting way to end the record. While driving through some windy roads past a lake in the middle of nowhere, I felt solely in a room in the US with both rappers, listening to this intense interview with the jazz crescendo in the background.
From the four albums I listened to that day, this stayed in my mind for a while. I've listened it a few times since, and everytime I do, I think of the time I was constantly sweating in the heat right in the middle of nowhere. Favourite songs were These Walls, Wesley's Theory, Alright, The Blacker The Berry, and i. Also the whole Mortal Man sequence is pretty fantastic too.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Find myself enjoying country more and more. This is a decent album which has good subject material, and isn't too whining. Probably not going to be a repeat listen, but would be happy if it came on shuffle on a playlist.
Pavement
3/5
After a couple of listens I don't know whether this is average, or fantastic. I'll go inbetween because at least half of Crooked Rain are great 90s songs, but you get drab like 5+4=Unity too.
Favourite song was Cut Your Hair, though we'll see how long that lasts with the Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh Oooooh hook stuck in my brain.
The Smiths
5/5
I'm glad they took a different turn on what would be their final album and didn't replicate The Queen is Dead. It doesn't have as many notable songs, but the music and production feels more sophisticated. It feels more grand and luscious, especially the string arrangements. Girlfriend in a Coma is an excellent example of this.
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before is probably their most accessible song on here, but still holds a lot of weight. You do get a couple of others that sound like they could've been from the Queen era, including Unhappy Birthday. But then you get tracks like Death of a Disco Dancer and Last Night I Dreamt... that goes into darker territory that musically hasn't been explored much.
Van Halen
4/5
Although I'm not a fan of them, one thing I can always admire about Van Halen is their musical talent. Eddie is a great guitar player with solos and hard catchy riffs. The guitar tone throughout is electric. Alex is a neat drummer who provides enough to make interesting yet simple patterns. Mike Anthony is a good support vechicle for the band and plays when needed, and David Roth oozes charisma throughout.
The songs themselves mostly great, but there is some notable filler. Would say my favourites were Ain't Talkin 'bout Love and Jamie's Cryin.
Oasis
5/5
Not the smartest or the most modest album by a mile in terms of lyrics and music, but it goes hard and strong full of great tunes. This and Morning Glory are near perfect albums, and their material afterwards was nowhere near good.
Live Forever is probably my favourite song of theirs, though its hard when half of the songs on here match the same quality. Even the b sides on the delxue are really good, especially Sad Song, Fade Away and Whatever.
AC/DC
5/5
The production alone should be an essential reason for listening to Back In Black. The guitar sound from both Angus and Malcolm is so crisp throughout. Cliff and Phil as AC/DCs bass and drum rhythm section were perfectly adequate support for the album, and despite being the new guy replacing their deceased singer, Brian owned the place.
That aside, the songs are mainly top quality. Hells Bells is the perfect introduction, Back in Black is a rock classic, You Shook Me All Night Long is just good fun, and Shoot To Thrill has that good mix of firing on all cylinders and being laid back too. On a bad day I can see one or two songs being skippable, but in the right mood and its something else.
The Shamen
2/5
I feel this is one of those albums where the sum isn't better then its parts. It has some good songs like Move Any Mountain, and there weren't any unlistenable albums. As a whole though, it was tough to sit through as I got fed up before the halfway point.
Otis Redding
5/5
This was honestly a fun and joyous listenting experience to be honest. Never would've come across it unless I was taking a music course or went to the US. Has that precise balance of swaying ballads, soul and bumping rock numbers with horns throughout that compliment the sound well.
Beatles
5/5
One sweet dream came true today. If the Beatles released Let It Be earlier in the year, Abbey Road would be the perfect final album for one of the best acts to ever exist.
George's Something and Here Comes The Sun are up there with the best of the Beatles discography, John has some neat rockers in Come Together and I Want You, Paul's work in the Melody at the end is an interesting experience they've never done before, and even Ringo has a chance to shine in Octopus's Garden.
Even the weaker songs (Maxwell's Silver Hammer for instance) can be enjoyable at the right time. Also features one of the most simple yet often replicated album covers ever.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Michael Jackson is probably the ultimate case of art vs the artist. For years I didn't listen to his music initially because of the Neverland documentary and pedo allegations, and then just forgot about him for a while really. But damn I'd be lying if Thriller isn't a 5. Most artists would kill to have half of these songs in their career, let alone on one album. Just can't help getting down with it. My only critque is that it ends on The Lady In My Life, the weakest song by a mile.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
My luck at the moment with this must be fanatical. Three fives in a row. While the first half is easily stronger than the second, I liked every single song on this. Didn't feel overly long or tired, and apart from Mississippi Kid and Poison Whiskey, every song felt essential.
You have the classic guitar request of Free Bird (great closer btw), some quality ballads in Tuesday's Gone and Simple Man, and some fun rockers with I Ain't the One and Gimme Three Steps. Overall a very enjoyable album.
Slipknot
4/5
One of those bands I have never listened to but was on my bucketlist. For a non-metal fan, it's pretty decent listen. Has some good songs and a bit of variety. Although only Psychosocial and a couple of the slower songs stood out, pretty good ride overall.
Deep Purple
3/5
Knew half of these songs from their Made In Japan album and those featured don't sound as good here. While these were wild on the live album, Highway Star doesn't sound as lively and Smoke on the Water is pretty tame. I also despise Lazy and didn't like Space Truckin much. But those that weren't on Made In Japan (Maybe I'm a Leo to Never Before) were pretty great songs and had a lot of fun listening to those.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Not something I would typically listen to but pleasently enjoyed Back to Black. Only knew Rehab before hand which I never cared for, but did come away liking the feel of the music and the vocals from most of these songs. The title track and Tear Dries On Their Own were the standout tracks.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
A very interesting experience indeed. Cool concept for an album and it made me listen to her debut ep for suite 1.
Björk
2/5
I appreciate what Bjork was going for, but for me it didn't translate on paper well enough. Kind of got lost and disengaged througout. Bit of a shame because I've really liked Debut and Vespertine from this list, and Post is one of my favourite albums from that era.
Elton John
4/5
I haven't listened to much of Elton John in my lifetime, but it was a strange coincidence I listened to the title track a few days before receiving this. It is definitely a good album, but it definitely had a mixtures of ups and downs. Elton's musicianship was brillian throughout though so I am glad I listened to one of his works in full.
The first half would be a 5. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding was a very interesting album opener that intrigued me immediately, and then you got Candle In The Wind afterwards which is a staple in pop music. Bennie And The Jets and the title track were excellent following tracks, and there are a few fun and sad songs to accompany the first half.
On the second half I began to tire from investment. Found Your Sister Can't Twist and Roy Rodgers incredibly annoying, and was overall a bit bored with the rest except for Saturday Night's Alright and Harmony which brought me back to life.
After this I found out that I probably won't become a massive fan of Elton, but can still come away liking several of his songs and appreciate his musicianship more so.
The B-52's
4/5
Was great to listen to this one again, though I can see why people could find it annoying or weird. On my first listen several years ago stuck in a car trip in between parents, the guitarist was the sole appealing factor in a sea of bat-shit insanity. And it was such good playing too.
But as time went on the music didn't go away from my head. And with every listen there would be something else to appreciate each time. The keyboards and synth bass, the chaotic vocals, the steady but loud drumming, and most importantly the songs.
B-52's is something I couldn't listen to in every circumstance as there are certain times when learning about the Moon in the Sky and the girls of the USA can be incredibly annoying. But when the mood and/or the atmosphere is right, it's a joy.
Rock Lobster has always been my pick of the bunch, a fantastic riff and breakdown, steady rhythm, filled with beautiful harmonies, story telling lead vocals, and insane animal noises. Dance This Mess Around and Planet Claire are the other highlights and the rest range from good to great.
Jethro Tull
3/5
A mixture of pretty, head grooving, and meh. The flute was actually a refreshing element which doesn't come across rock often with a few notable exceptions like Genesis. I was not a fan of the title track's main riff though, as whenever that song popped on in the past on Spotify, I would immediately skip. It does did have a good middle and solo though.
I did end up liking a handful of tracks though. Locomotive Breath had some great guitar and vocals, Wond'ring Aloud and Slipstream were some lovely acoustic ditties, and Cross-eyed Mary had an interesting riff. Everything else was pleasant but not memorable.
Elbow
3/5
Decent chill music but throughout I flipped back and forth with liking it, and being underwhelmed. Kind of sounds like Noel Gallagher doing an anti-Oasis album.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
This is nice and adequate but forgetful. Gives a bit of mythical and folk vibe which I enjoy. Its pretty at times and it goes by fairly quickly. Nothing really stood out though so its more of a background music type for me. Bit annoying because with more memorable songs, it could have been a new favourite.
Talking Heads
4/5
Remain In Light starts of really well and keeps delivering quality high energy song one after another, but then it quiets down and ends on a bum note. If the track list was re-arranged so the best wouldn't be all in the first half, then it would have made a more interesting experience.
Definitely the best track is Once in a Lifetime which sidenote watch the music video to see some awesome dance moves. Crosseyed and Painless is also increadibly funky and awesome.
Elis Regina
4/5
Pretty great listen but as someone else pointed out in another review, kind of cheating with it being a compilation album. Therefore this album on the 1001 book kind of feels similar to Legend by Bob Marley being ranked 48 on Rolling Stone's greatest albums of all time list.
Beastie Boys
3/5
One of those ones I had to keep coming back to make an opinion. Throughout three listens I wasn't sure if I found it annoying or awesome. Guess it really depends on the mood.
I like the transitions on most of these songs, kind of blends together like a prog album. I also appreciate despite using so many famous songs for the beats, you can hardly determine specific songs for the most part. So for respect, its pretty high up there.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Has some pretty good songs but overall more enjoyable as background music.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
1/5
This experience felt like going to a restaurant where you are given some bread and butter for a starter. It's a simple but calm starter that serves a nice warmup for the flavoursome entrees, main and dessert. What if I told you that after the starter you were only served more bread, but it was more stale and bland as the evening went on, making you hate having hope before this ordeal all started. That's how I felt listening to this album. Just glad this isn't on Spotify.
Culture Club
3/5
Colour By Numbers is a bit like a mix bag of lollies (candy, sweets, or any other term for confectionery). There are a few favourites that make your day, one or two you would happily throw to a pigeon or some other scavanger bird, and the rest are some nice filler.
I didn't hate a particular song, but there were some elements I could have metaphorically binned. Not a massive fan of some of the sax for instance. Karma Chameleon was the only song I knew beforehand and always viewed it as something pleasant. I did like the stretch between Church of the Poison Mind and Mister Man a lot though. Victims was a nice closer too. Rest were filler.
Stereolab
2/5
Had a few good moments here and there, but nothing to make me want to revisit this album again.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
Can see why its in the list with is apparent influence on blues, and the fact it shows an early Eric Clapton and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac. If you're a blues fan, its an essential listen. I however am not, and found it a bit of a drag. Has some decent guitar and harmonica solos though. If i was reviewing Bluesbreakers on legacy it would be higher than Legacy my actual enjoyment of the album.
Supergrass
4/5
Aside from Alright popping up a few times on Spotify song radio, I was very unfamiliar to Supergrass. The first listen was irritating but did notice some quality songs, so played it again the following day and my opinion has improved a lot this time round. The singles aside from Alright (which was already great) went from annoying to pretty darn good and despite some of the corny tracks near the middle (i.e. chipmunk We're Not Supposed To), the final few songs made a strong high note to end on. There is a mood and a time for I Should Coco, but it's definitely a worthwhile listen despite a few bumps.
Air
4/5
I read the reviews on this site before listening and found a lot of comparisons to Daft Punk. I can see where this is coming from, they're both French duos who work with electronic music, but I wouldn't call it fair to compare as they're pretty different outside of those two broad categories. Daft Punk is a bit of party, disco and funk, while this is more chill and lowkey. I don't know if it reflects Air's discography but I like what I've heard so far. I don't think there are stand out tracks here but all of them are solid at least. Good listen.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
I don't know if Jeff Buckley's death hindered his potential to follow up with an amazing discography, or if it solidified him as a legend with a sole fantastic album. This has a bit of everything, Jeff's great vocals and guitar playing, wrote some amazing songs and had a cover that matched them, and has a decent backing band and additional songwriters to compliment the artist. I was just really pleased that there was so much more to enjoy than his cover of Hallelujah. Last Goodbye, Grace, Mojo Pin all slap.
Faith No More
3/5
It was a good listen but was lacking a spark. It doesn't help that it's dated as hell, especially their cover of War Pigs. That being said, still enjoyed it, just felt middle in the road.
James Taylor
4/5
This is the epidemy of slipping into a hot soapy bath with a glass of your favourite beverage (up to you). The music's soft nature in Sweet Baby James has a ring of melancholy and despair to it, which reflects Taylor's lyrics very well I find. Never heard one of his songs before and only knew him from The Simpsons and the fact he inspired the opening lyrics of George Harrison's Something. But have that aside from a few meh blues numbers, it's a welcome addition to my Spotify. Really enjoyed Fire and Rain, and the title track the most.
ZZ Top
4/5
Fantastic first half but it takes a dive in qualify after Legs. Gibbons guitar playing is something else. And though not brilliant, a fun album overall.
Supergrass
4/5
I got this a week after I Should Coco, so both are pretty fresh in my mind. Both are enjoyable to listen to. I feel as a whole In It For The Money is better, but it doesn't have the same peaks as its predecessor. Was cool to hear Sun Hits The Sky after hearing the riff in The Inbetweeners. Also liked the opening two tracks and cheapskate a lot.
Death In Vegas
3/5
The Contino Sessions started off so well with tracks like Dirge and Aisha, but it got stale by the last couple of tracks.
Marty Robbins
4/5
Unlike the album cover which looks like an image of Marty Robbins printed, cut out and glued poorly to red paper, Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs was an authentic well rounded album with interesting lyrics and outlaw imagery. Gives old cowboy tv show vibes.
I personally didn't like the kind of background vocals featured but Robbins' lead was decent. The music is nice though works better as a complementary piece to those lyrics. Liked Big Iron and They're Hanging Me Tonight the most.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Was a bit curious when I tried to open this on Spotify, the first three songs are unplayable in my region for some reason. I do think this is a shame because each of them are great songs (in particular Secrets) and would like to have them saved on a playlist. The remaining tracks available range from great, corny, and a bit tame. The favourites of these are If You Think You're Lonely Now (which is great despite its corniness) and Stand Up.
On a side note, this is one of those instances where it's not great to look at the artist's Wikipedia page, as Bobby Womack's personal life is a massive yikes to say the least. Although the one upside of doing so was I found out he featured on Stylo by Gorillaz.
Queen
5/5
Brings me straight back to high school where I'd listen to this a lot on the morning bus trip. It's a very engaging album with genres and moods switching up after each song. What I find really interesting is their ambition to not use any synthesizers during the 70s and instead create sounds of clarinets, jazz bands, saxophones, through voices and guitar effects.
Every member contributes at least one of the album's all killer tracks, and the three different vocalists have a chance to shine. Even though I find Bohemian Rhapsody a bit annoying whenever its played at karaoke, I come to love it when its in context of this album. Favourite songs are 39, You're My Best Friend, Prophet Song, and Love of My Life (even though the live version is 3 times better).
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
Love the album cover and the title plus the name of the band is sick, the album itself is pretty weird to say the least. Also felt repetitive at times. Quirky, but not interesting enough.
Röyksopp
3/5
It has great chill vibes but overall not that memorable. Was good to hear Eple again though.
The Fall
2/5
Wasn't a big fan of this one. Wasn't a big fan of Mark E. Smith's vocals and couldn't care for his lyrics, or some of the punkier tracks music too (i.e. Bombast and Couldn't Get Ahead). Also found a few slower songs with very quite vocals quite annoying. The thing that saves it for me is the groove based tracks. Songs like L.A., Barmy, Paintwork and Cruiser's Creek weren't brilliant but were fun to listen to.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
You can definitely feel the members of Manic Street Preachers have lost someone close to them, both through the lyrics and the music. And while tragic for a band member to be missing and later presumed dead, the emotional tormoil makes an interesting listen. Unfortunaltely I didn't love the album as I only really liked a few songs aside from the imagery. Small Black Flowers and Design For Life were my favourites.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
A nice 4th of July present this was, despite being Australian. I knew and enjoyed the title track and Dancing in the Dark before today but the album as a whole was a pleasant suprise filled with decent tracks.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Great voice but wasn't a fan of the music.
Steely Dan
3/5
From a production and engineering standpoint, Aja is very solid. The sound quality throughout gives the songs a bit of an extra edge. It also doesn't feel like there's nearly 40 musicians on here and instead like a cohesive unit.
Have to say I didn't find the singles as great as Can't Buy A Thrill, or even the batch of songs strong or even interesting as Countdown to Ecstasy. It's a solid album with good songs like the title track, Deacon Blues and Peg, but it does swift in the background of the mind where it could be playing something more captivating.
Billy Bragg
2/5
A cool story about how this came into fruition, but musically its not for me.
New Order
3/5
Decent mix of techno and alt rock, with about half the songs being great. Would say Vanishing Point and Round & Round are the best songs on here but also like All The Way and Guilty Partner as nice album cuts and Fine Time is a good opener. Rest of the album sounded a bit generic for New Order.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Not a fan of punk music but quite enjoyed this. Holiday in Cambodia and Let's Lynch The Landlord are really fun. The vocalist is pretty enjoyable too.
The xx
3/5
I think this would be perfect to listen for either an early morning, a lazy day off, or even napping on a hill in the shade under a big tree. So calm and lowkey, but it's hard to find particular favourites as it's the mood you remember the most.
Neil Young
4/5
A great album but its not the best I've heard of his from this generator. Heart of Gold and Old Man are stone cold classics which deserves a casual listen here and there, and came away liking a few more songs like The Needle And The Damage Done. Wasn't a massive fan of the orchestral overdubs though. Also interesting to hear Alabama which along with Southern Man, inspired a much better song Lynyrd Skynyrd would make in response.
Kate Bush
5/5
A conveniently timed album to receive thanks to Running Up That Hill's resurgence on the charts from its feature in Stranger Things. And although that song definitely hooked me into Kate Bush's work, I didn't really gain a great appreciation for her until listening to this album two years ago. It was COVID time and stuck in lockdown, Running came up a lot on song radios and decided to check Hounds Of Love out.
The thing that stood out the most then was The Ninth Wave suite. After some decent to great pop songs, you got a soft lullaby which after a somber gathering of clouds, bursts over Waking Up The Witch which scared the shit out of me. It was so dark and sinister after the first side being joyous and a bit happy with songs like Cloudbusting, The Big Sky and the title track. The Ninth Wave then goes to a calm state before going Celtic in Jig Of Life, a resurgence in Hello Earth and then the curtain call in Morning Fog.
It was such an interesting listen as you have a pop artist whose prime was the 70s/80s and they could do both great singles, and weird as hell concepts and suites. Since then I have gotten the album on vinyl and listened to a bunch of Kate Bush's albums and though she isn't in my top 3 artists, have gained a massive amount of respect and love for her. And post Stranger Things, I am very pleased her work is in the limelight again, and hopefully some of those who came for Running, will like this album and some of her other works.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Has a good vibe and a decent production of beats (plus a few grooves), but nothing to stand out from the Big Beat genre.
Green Day
3/5
I can see why this was groundbreaking when American Idiot was released. If I were born a generation earlier, this album would probably be up there with my favourites or at least be remembered fondly when reflecting on the mid 2000s with the anti Bush themes, protests against Iraq and conservative culture. But as I was only 5 when it came out, its political significance has wained and is now viewed as a pop punk rock and concept album classic.
In terms of music, not a fan of Green Day but have to admit they have some great riffs and liked half of the songs. The first half of Jesus of Surburbia goes hard, Whatshername is a great closer, and although stolen by Wonderwall, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is a great pop song. Was disappointed that the one song I liked back in 2005 which was Wake Me Up When September Ends, wasn't as great as I remembered.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
Started off nice and felt pleased of getting a low key album. But then as it went on I got bored and more irritated.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
It was very enjoyable but would have been better on a single disc. Not a fan of double albums unless its for a specific context (i.e. a rock opera) or there's too much quality to waste for b sides.
Neu!
4/5
A lot better than I thought it was gonna be. A really interesting experience which makes me want to listen to the rest of Neu's discography. The punky second half was alright but the ambient first half was fantastic. Was also cool to read their backstory of making this and their affiliations with Kraftwerk.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Its an interesting concept and I like it a lot better than the last Nick Cave album that was generated for me (Release The Bats). Has some great soul vibes and don't mind the gospel references too. That being said it musically felt the same for a lot of it, which over a double album for someone who isn't that familiar with Nick Cave, gets a bit tedious.
The Band
2/5
There were a couple of really interesting songs (The Weight and Chest Fever to be specific), but a lot of it was dribble which I found annoying
David Bowie
4/5
Aladdin Sane surprised me actually with a few songs I can't get out of my head. Knew Jean Jenie before this and was never a big fan of that song and most Bowie songs in that style (i.e. Rebel Rebel) and that put me off listening to the rest of this album.
Drive in Saturday is probably my favourite of the bunch and will be in my head for a while. Panic in Detroit, Time, the title track and Lady Grinning Soul are great songs as well. The rest of the album is alright though Bowie's cover of Lets Spend The Night Together is an interesting listen (undecided whether its good or laughably bad).
Iron Maiden
5/5
Aside from Invaders and Gangland (which are alright), every song on Number of The Beast is fantastic. The production plus the music and vocals are also top notch. Run To The Hills and the title track are fun, Hallowed Be Thy Name is spine chilling, and Children of the Damned, 22 Acacia Avenure, and Prisoner are awesome album cuts.
What I like about Iron Maiden is that you don't have to be metal nut to enjoy them as their music is accessible to anyone who likes rock or heavy music. They also write plenty of songs about History and Literature which is a massive bonus.
Carpenters
2/5
Feels harsh as I don't hate the album but couldn't help but be disappointed. The title track is a staple ballad I knew before, which probably was the reason for the overly high hopes going in. There are a few good tracks sprinkled from here to there, but as a whole it just wasn't that enjoyable and got fairly boring.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Seen the Either/Or album cover before and heard good things but never listened. After giving it a listen and finding it really great, I thought why didn't I listen to it earlier. Didn't know what type of music I was gonna get but was pleasently surprised. Listened to it twice and can't find a bad track on here. Definitely an artist I want to explore more of.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The first half of this was fantastic, full of perfectly crafted soft melodic songs. And while the second half doesn't match the same quality throughout, still continues in the same reign.
And then Murder Mystery came on being that unnerving and daunting that caught me completely unaware. Bit like a dream about frolicking through daisys in a sunny day, where the weather turns to acid rain and the daisies die all around. Although a song like that definitely fits in the style of VU and Lou Reed, was still a terrible song that served as an uncomfortable listen that I wish not to experience again. After Hours is a nice little closer though that sums up the greatness before the penultimate track.
Lorde
3/5
An emotional listen to say the least. Would be perfect after a heartbreak or a breakup. Outside of that and its a heavy but decent album with some great songs. Not a favourite but a notable one.
LL Cool J
3/5
Bailed out of the first listen. Came back the following day to give it another crack, and it's actually pretty smooth. I didn't like the album too much, but it isn't bad and came away with some songs saved to the playlist. Guess stuff like this is what the generator is about.
Underworld
3/5
One of the better albums I've listened here that goes for too long. Got a bit tired after Pearl Girl was finished. Great album otherwise.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
Not a fan of rap but liked the feel of this album. Good beats and vocals with a bit of martial arts in the background
The Avalanches
3/5
Flows neatly plus it brings good vibes. Nothing much else to say
10cc
3/5
This definitely isn't boring, and have to admire the experimentation whats going on here. However, the thing about experiments is that not all of them work. For every Wall Street Shuffle, there's a Something In Hollywood.
Prince
4/5
Despite the length of the album and most of the songs, 1999 was an intriguing listen throughout. Liked half a lot and the rest were decent. The music was a bit quirky and not as bold nor engaging as Purple Rain. Still an essential listen.
Madness
3/5
Don't know whether The Rise & Fall is here for the blend of British ska and pop, music that's an 80s timecapsule, or if its solely because the author wanted Our House in the book.
Aside from those three things, this album is pretty quirky, which isn't a bad thing. It has plenty of personality and zaininess, but it's not well rounded. 4 of the songs could be chucked in a dumpster fire. I could also imagine the brass could be quite annoying if you're not in the right mood. Still, songs like Our House, the title track, Tomorrow and House of Fun (a bonus track) make it worth a listen.
Little Richard
2/5
A highly influential album that deserves the legacy, but something I'll not listen to in full again
King Crimson
4/5
Can see why its very influential to prog rock as its a predecessor for classic Pink Floyd, Yes' early 70s output, Genesis and Rush's 70s work. And while it was a decent listen and featured no bad songs, I didn't love it or come away needing to listen to it later today.
Fred Neil
2/5
Has a couple of good songs, particularly Everybody's Talkin was a welcome surprise. The only other good things I liked about this was Fred Neil's vocals and the guitar tones. Everything else can be left at the door.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Liked the finger picking, had intriguing vocals, but was pretty sombre and not in a good way. Good thing I'm not depressed because that would either be too hurtful to bare, or become the only music that will be listened
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
The middle child in the duo's discography. A mixed bag of brilliant and pleasantly meh. Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, and Feeling Groovy were the best cuts on here. For Emily is okay here but massively improved live. This album also features the most haunting version of a christmas carol Silent I've ever heard.
Travis
3/5
Not annoying at the slightest and was very pleasant. Wasn't a bad song on here either. Just felt a bit cliche musically as there were a few instances where I've heard others do better. I also don't feel a favourite from two listens.
5/5
Folks, its Sgt. Pepper. Nothing else needs to be said.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Pretty mellow synth pop. Didn't love it and didn't hate it. Nice but didn't leave much of an impression.
Bad Company
3/5
If Bad Company, Seagull and Ready For Love weren't on here, this would be chucked into the abyss of bland rock albums.
Talvin Singh
2/5
This is like going to a video exhibit in a museum. It starts quite interesting, but then it quickly turns into a mindfuck and you leave full of confusion about what you witnessed.
The Smiths
5/5
This just goes hard, whether in context to wah pedals and catchy riffs, or suicidal ballads.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Cool album cover, sweet piano flicks, all right jazz music, not really any memorable songs, good vibe.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
A fitting ambient album about losing your son. It's also very peaceful as well despite Nick Cave clearly mourning throughout. Repeated listening is unlikely though.
Maxwell
4/5
Bit like a long bubble bath. Relaxing and smooth has hell, but after a while you get a bit bored.
FKA twigs
2/5
It's not terrible by any means, as I liked her voice and some of the production, but it was sluggish and felt way longer than its 40 minutes.
Missy Elliott
4/5
I get it Missy Elliott, this is a great album full of old school exclusive songs.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
The first half is full of great solid rock songs and would be a 5. Kashmir I knew before but I also really liked Trampled Under Foot and In My Time of Dying.
The second half is where the mark drops. There are some good songs like Ten Years Gone and the acoustic Bron-Yr-Aur, but you also get annoying segments of music during In the Light and Down by the Seaside.
Aimee Mann
3/5
I like her voice and the music is pleasent, although the country vibe is not for every mood. Good vibes but doesn't feature a memorable song.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Good for a movie soundtrack or for background music
k.d. lang
2/5
Great voice, but was bored by the music.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Check out the live version of Come On Eileen on their VEVO. You won't regret it.
ABBA
4/5
Weirdly was in an ABBA mood before getting this despite not listening to them for years. Their hits are usually good but can be too happy, poppy, and slightly annoying to listen to reguarly. So getting an album with dark, introspective, somber and melancholy lyrics with some intriguing instrumentals caught me by surprise.
The title track was a great start and didn't get eclipsed until One Of Us, although the songs in between were still good despite having a bit of that overbearing shininess. The final two tracks of the original release were a dark note to end on but left a memorable impact. The b sides and the 1982 singles were good too, Under Attack being the highlight.
If you're not a fan of ABBA, this is probably going to be either the album that cements your distate, or gives you enough insight and appreciation to know how great they were/are. I'm definitely in that second camp.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
A few good songs here and there, but it felt like a snoozefest overall. A majority of songs could have been trimmed down by a minute.
M.I.A.
4/5
You know what, I liked this more than I thought I would. The album didn't get old, it had a great feel, M.I.A's vocals and rapping skills were decent, good features, and some well chosen samples and references. I reckon it will be a recurring listen.
Deep Purple
3/5
Tracks 1-3, and the encores were great, 5 was alright, and 4, 6 and 7 were shit.
Wilco
3/5
Although the running time is too long for what its worth, Being There was a pretty pleasent listen that doesn't have a strong fit in a music genre.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
It definitely deserves to be here due to its influential style of rapping vocals and combining it with some great riffs on those who ruled the scene in the 90s. As an album itself, enjoyed half of it a lot while the rest was ok.
Saint Etienne
3/5
Love the album and its title, looks like an iconic poster. The music itself is decently great though it can get a bit tiring after a while. One of the more happy trip hop albums I've heard. Their cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a highlight and one of the best covers I've heard for a while.
MC Solaar
3/5
Good beats and a cool voice. Although not my cup of tea, was a pleasant experience.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Musically and vocally its a nice hybrid mix of rock and rap. Something different with some laid back vibes.
2Pac
4/5
Despite not being a rap fan, this is definitely one of the better albums I've heard so far here. 2Pac's vocal style his smooth, and the emotional delivery and the raw lyrics are touching. The beats as well are great.
I didn't fall in love with the album, but I do like it indeed. It might grow on me in the future, or it could fall away from it's first impression.
Billy Joel
5/5
It was a pleasure revisiting this album again. I keep forgetting how many good songs are stacked in here ranging from pop, ballads and even a multi-part suite. Joel's piano and the sax plus woodwind goes hard too. Just a great time.
Duran Duran
3/5
I've heard Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf before but was not a fan of either songs. They're okay at the best of times but incredibly annoying for the rest. So when the first half sounded pretty much like that, I was pretty underwhelmed.
But then the second half kicked in with some darker musical tones and it the album was salvaged. Save a Prayer and The Chauffeur were my highlights.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I have tried to listen to this album in full before, but the running time has always prevented me from going further than the first disc. Used to always listen to the highlights on my iPod or later on Spotify. And while I finally listened to all of it, to me the excessive amount of songs has brought it down from a masterpiece to a great overloaded album.
That being said, you will gain some fantastic songs if you're unfamiliar with Smashing Pumpkins. The opening title track is a beautiful introduction, only to be followed by Tonight, Tonight which is one of my favourite songs ever. Aside from my familarity with the singles Zero, Bullet the Butterfly Wings and 1979, I really enjoyed Cupid De Locke, To Forgive, Take Me Down, Jellybelly and Lily.
This is a better listen if you listen the two halfs at seperate times, or even better if you trimmed the running order further to say 20 songs and have a 5 star double album. There are definitely a few songs that sound repeated over the 2 hrs.
Beatles
5/5
This is the first Beatles album that is all round great. There's nothing awful on here or feels out of place. In My Life, Michelle, Nowhere Man, Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, Girl and If I Needed Someone are all quality songs, with the rest being decent. Not even Lennon's death threats over jealousy in Run For Your Life derails from the quality of this fantastic album.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Out of the 50s albums I've gotten so far, this one feels the least outdated and most likely would pop on and play. Feels very all-rounded and fits nicely on a chilled sunny afternoon. Not Fade Away is the highlight which I didn't know this was the original version. It's got a great rhythm behind it which peeps it up from the Rolling Stones version which is also enjoyable. I also liked That Will Be The Day, Oh Boy and It's Too Late a fair bit too.
GZA
2/5
I know I'm in the minority here, but I just didn't dig this. The theatrics and bits of dialogue from movies intertwined with the music was admirable though.
Van Morrison
1/5
As much as I like a soft acoustic album with a wide range of instruments playing beautifully, I cannot stand Van Morrison's whining vocals. That and the fact the beautiful arrangements felt so repetitive made this experience an overlong drag.
The only element here I can think to appreciate is Morrison's guitar playing which fair dues, but still doesn't save it.
4/5
Definitely the most accessible album U2 created and for good reason too. The first three songs are all extremely high quality moving songs (especially Streets) that turned out to become some of the biggest 80s hits (more so With or Without You). There's also some fantastic album cuts like Bullet the Blue Sky and Running to Stand Still on here as well. If you wanted to explore U2's output, this is the album to start with (though doing best of 1980-90 would be a better choice).
The problem I found out about Joshua Tree from attending 3 anniversary concerts (which to be honest, 1 too many), was that the second half has a significant dip in quality. Everyone has opinions on what they like from that side, whether they prefer the more cheery acoustic country harmonica driven songs, or the more darker somber material closing the album. Personally I like the stretch of One Tree Hill to Mothers of the Disappeared, but I never listen to these songs individually. The rest (Red Hill to Tripped Through Wires) I can tolerate, but will tend to skip.
The frontloaded nature of this album is a common problem with U2's discography, but to give Joshua Tree credit, it does have some great B-sides. Sweetest Thing and Spanish Eyes are the highlights of that pack.
That all being said, Joshua Tree is a great album and definitely deserves creds for being here. I personally just find it a bit flawed and a tad overrated compared to Achtung Baby or War.
Metallica
5/5
A true classic. I'm not a big fan of metal but this is one of my favourite albums of all time. There's a nice mix of fast thrashers, melodic ballads, and slow heavy grooves, sometimes all within the same song.
There's also no weak tracks either which plague the best of albums as well.
Master of Puppets, Battery and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) have always been my highlights since listening this for the first time 8 years ago but there's always a time and place for the rest, including the instrumental Orion.
On a sidenote, it's cool Metallica and this album gained some popularity with the title track being featured on Stranger Things.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
Honestly, wasn't expecting this to be that good. Never heard a thing from Janis Joplin before, really only knew her from her image being painted on numerous hostels when backpacking Europe and news articles about The 27 Club. Must say she blew me away with those vocals.
The instrumentation is also top notch and although not live according to Wikipedia, it feels right at home at a den or a cavern type theatre full of smoke and booze. Nice little variety too for blues which can be repetitive at times from experience. Got great solos, reliable rhythm section and some slow acoustics too.
I guess the thing I find odd is that the songs themselves feel secondary to the performances. I didn't come away point at a particular song and say "This was the shit" or alternatively "Well that was shit". But if the performances were so good that you can view this record as an album, then who cares.
Also the artwork, very creative and innovative instead of an image of the band or a model. Love how the comic style features images of each song along with the band members. Only bad thing about it is a couple of the images not aging well (*cough* Summertime *cough*).
Paul Simon
5/5
How have I never listen to this album in full, or much of Paul Simon's solo work aside from Graceland. I always thought there would be something missing without Art Garfunkel, which truth be told it is, but musically its different compared to the duo's discography.
Mother and Child Reunion and Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard I've heard before so I was expecting songs with a similar music feel, but was soon proven wrong. Aside from the aforementioned songs, I came away loving Duncan and Peace Like a River, along with liking most of the songs on here too. The blues songs towards the end fitted the album but I wouldn't listen to them individually unlike the rest.
What I concluded from this is I really should listen to solo albums more, especially when it's the member who's the main songwriter.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
My thoughts throughout the experience:
The first two songs were utter dogshit. Wail came on and while it was an alright listen, it didn't salvage what's been played so far. While Fuck Shit Up is a cover, I wasn't expecting to want to do the exact opposite, so boring. 2Kindsa Love and Love All Of Me were pretty mediocre but had some good elements.
From Chicken Dog, things started to get decent. That point on to R.L Got Soul, there were numerous good grooves and licks that saved Now I Got Worry from being thrown in a dumpster fire. It's just a shame it ends on a sour note with Get Over Here and Sticky being underwhelming songs for an album that was starting to get good.
8 songs were quite alright and would probably enjoy more if I jammed out to them, the other 8 I'm happy never listening to again. Bit of a waste really.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
It's pretty like an attractive figure you see across a city square. It won't create a gravitational pull to them, nor leave you flustered. Just something to look at, feel a little warm, and forget about the whole thing 15 minutes later.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Albums like these I wish I could do half stars, as it is pretty middle of the road. Country is not my forte and while I have enjoyed a few albums from the generator, this isn't one of them. It's okay but the twang gets annoying after a while and multiple breaks were needed.
Lou Reed
4/5
Before going into this, I was pretty excited. I've heard Walk on the Wild Side before and thought it was decent, but loved Satellite of Love and Perfect Day. I've been meaning to listen to this for a while.
Upon listening to Transformer in full, I can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed. There are a few additional songs I like including Vicious and Make Up, but I didn't care for the album after Satellite. Its still a good album, but my expectations were probably a bit too high coming into this.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I really liked it the first listen but my enjoyment dropped on the second. It has a great opening and closing stretch of songs, but the middle cluster was annoying. You can definitely hear Peter Gabriel working through his style as this album contains numerous style. Some work, some don't. Solsbury Hill is a classic though.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Good feel but completely forgettable
Bob Dylan
4/5
Despite not being a fan of Bob Dylan, this one was decent. Prefer his acoustic stuff more so it fits right in my street, even if his twang can be annoying. Shelter in the Storm and Tangled up in Blue were the highlights, and no song was particularly weak.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
An album that does deserve to be in this list because of its influence over hip-hop along with it's clever sampling and production. Although I respect it, especially with the use of Kraftwerk, I personally didn't like it.
Bit like an artefact that is significant that you look and become informed, but walk away unmoved emotionally.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I have never been a big Led Zeppelin fan but IV is definitely their most accessible compared to I-III and Physical Graffiti. Everyone knows Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog is a rock staple, but both are still fantastic songs. Rock n Roll and When the Levee Breaks were solid tunes too.
Surprisingly I wasn't a fan of the acoustic songs on here, which is weird because some of my favourites on the other Led Zeppelin albums I've listened to were acoustic songs. Going to California or Battle of Evermore doesn't hit like Tangerine, Black Country Woman or Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Also didn't care for Misty Mountain Hop or Four Sticks.
In short, one half I really liked and would rate 5, the other half is more meh. So 4 for average and their fourth untitled album.
The Modern Lovers
2/5
It started off alright but then it became repetitive and not in a good way. Wasn't a fan of the vocals, a bit like a worse version of the Doors. It's interesting to hear Jerry Harrison before Talking Heads, although his organ got annoying after a while.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
You're Gonna Miss Me was a good opener and a decent tune in its own right. I liked the first half but the music went stale as the album went on. An okay listen and it would be a 3 for average, but that jug playing got on my nerves by the end.
Santana
4/5
It's definitely a good all rounder album for me. It didn't provide moments that were dying to be repeated and I didn't get a spark like with "5" rated albums. Instead Abraxas was consistent in terms of greatness and provides a good jamming album. Their cover of Black Magic Woman and that combined with Gypsy Queen provided the best track of the album.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Jane's Addiction has always been a conflicting band to me. One minute I think they're a decent rock band that I should listen to more, then the next they're suddenly irritating like flies to a face.
Nothing's Shocking reflects this as there are some classics like Jane Says, Mountain Song or even Summertime Rolls along with the enjoyable opening two songs, but while the rest are itching to skip. There's also moments were Perry Farrell's vocals become too much and ruins the music which is actually played really well.
De La Soul
3/5
Despite not being a hip-hop head, I have heard a few of these songs before, specifically Magic Number. Aside from that, I only knew De La Soul from their features in Gorillaz (insert laughing guy).
It's a bit annoying I can't listen to any of this on spotify aside from the intro skit, meaning I will forget about this in a few weeks. It's a decent album and while I only liked a few songs, I can appreciate the wide range of samples used which makes some interesting music. It's a good experience to listen in full.
Metallica
3/5
As a teenager, this used to be my favourite Metallica album. An underrated gem that goes balls to the wall and works wonders when your exercising. And while it's still a great listen in my 20s, it's their 5th best album. Ride the Lightning should replace Justice on this list.
Overall the production tarnishes the quality of ...And Justice For All which limits how often I listen to this. The live at Seattle concert on the deluxe is a highly recommended listen and a better experience as it captures the albums best songs along with needed bass.
When it goes hard, it goes hard. Blackened and the title track make a great one-two punch start and showcases how progressive Metallica could be. Dyer's Eve is an electric closer while One is truely one of their best songs.
I used to not care for Harvester of Sorrow as a teen, but it has since grown on me along Metallica's other slow heavy tracks like Sad But True. Frayed Ends of Sanity and Shortest Straw on the other hand were ones I used to hail as underrated gems, but now can see they were too long for their own good and don't fit well with the bone-dry production.
To Live is to Die has it's moments and presents the only space where you can hear bass, but it's definitely not their best instrumental by far. Eye of the Beholder has a great intro but is a pretty week song following its first verse.
To summarise, a powerful album but its production, lack of bass and a few songs needing editing makes it flawed.
Mike Ladd
3/5
I have now been assigned 2 Hip Hop albums this week that are decent but not available on Spotify, what are the chances? It either tells me I need to virtue outside of streaming and listen to new music on YouTube, or to not trust streaming itself.
Aside from 1st world problems, the production is pretty neat as the beats and backing tracks are smooth and cool. Not a fan of Mike Ladd's rapping and lyrics as it is quite mediocre, but didn't ruin the album.
Fugazi
4/5
Was surprised by this one as the term post-hardcore waved a few red flags. But once I actually gave it a listen, it subverted my expectations. It's an enjoyable experience that flows well, especially the first three songs which feel blended together. There were times where I lost interest which mainly occurred in the second half and the 3 Songs EP, but aside from that it's an album I can see listening to again in the near future. I liked Turnover, Shut the Door and Merchandise the most out of the bunch.
One of the few albums I've listened to where I prefer the bass and drums to the guitars and vocals. The grooves were really interesting and made what would have been your average punk/grunge album just a bit more special. The guitars and vocals itself were fine, just more serviceable and didn't stand out as much.
Did like how there were two vocalists which provided that extra variety. I knew one of them sounded familiar once I found out they were in Minor Threat, whose album was a bit too fast and thrashy to listen repeatedly, but was a lot of fun. It made me want to listen to Out Of Step again.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Smooth with a capital S.
Felt seducted with its velvet quality music, only to be told stories about discrimination, poverty and hard times.
I didn't find a particular track I liked on its own, but its a good experience overall.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
This is probably the only Bob Marley album before Catch a Fire I haven't listened to a single track. I do know of No Woman No Cry, but only the live version on Legend. The original isn't as good, but has a nice feel regardless.
I liked the lyrics addressing poverty and political issues here, made what was some meh instrumentals stand out. And while Natty Dread doesn't contain any classics aside from No Woman No Cry or stand out like Exodus or Catch a Fire, it is a coherent listen with no weak tracks. Just not one I will come to often.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Ooh this was a doozy. I liked Bayou Country better than Cosmos Factory but that's due to a consistent blues rock style and the long jams which were more prominent here. CCR are pretty good with short ones but they know how to make a song breathe, especially Graveyard Train and Keep on Chooglin'.
I've heard Proud Mary various times but I never knew CCR wrote it or knew the song title so that was a welcomed surprise. Also a fantastic song. The title track and Bootleg were enjoyable tracks as well.
And with Good Golly Miss Molly and Penthouse Pauper being decent, this album is definitely up there with the best I've reviewed so far. Makes me want to listen to Cosmos Factory again and see if I can change that review.
ABBA
4/5
Definitely an album where the sum is less than its parts. It drags a bit over the 40 minutes but there are high points that make up for it. Pretty sure everyone has heard Dancing Queen before whether its through film & tv, social media or drunken karaoke. Money, Money, Money; and Fernando were the other big hits I knew previously from the Mamma Mia movie and car journeys as a kid. Two out of the big three are great songs (never liked Money much) and it was good revisiting them outside of those contexts.
For the unknown, I really liked Knowing Me, Knowing You. A big hit of theirs which I've never listened to before, it caught me by surprise of how good it is. There were a few other tracks that stood out, including When I Kissed the Teacher, Dum Dum Diddle, and Why Did It Have to Be Me?. The rest were servicable but meh.
Thundercat
2/5
I've seen a lot of love and a bit of annoyance of Thundercat from the golbal reviews and have to say both sides are right. If you were listening to a few songs from this in a playlist, then it slaps (in some instances literally slappin da bass). But as a whole, Drunk is quite boring with very similar subject material and musical feel throughout.
To give where props are due, Thundercat's bass skills are exceptional, that is a fact. His vocals which technically not the best, are very smooth and chill. And Them Changes is a fantastic song. Its just a shame these positive qualities get slogged down with the bloated sleep induring remains.
Korn
3/5
I initally groaned when I got this because its an hour plus nu-metal album, but Follow The Leader surprised me.
The opening stretch of songs were really good, especially Freak On a Leash and Got the Life. Even the Ice Cube collaboration was pretty neat.
I do feel that the first half is much stronger than the second, although that could just be me having enough. The Fred Durst collab was entertaining though, even if it was pretty dated.
The Strokes
4/5
The whole is better than some of its parts. A nice nifty album that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Deerhunter
2/5
Generic yet weird. Boring yet confusing. Nothing terrible and a lot of variety, but not memorable.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Definitely need to be on psychedelics for this.
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Something different, pretty cool, and I didn't have to understand the lyrics to like it. The whole melody nelson got a little too repetitive but its a very decent album. It's also short so it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Coldplay
4/5
I assumed Coldplay would be U2 lite, but now I've listened to an album of theirs and have been proven false... sort of. I mean there are definitely qualities shared between the two including simple riffs and melodies.
This however is softer and more laidback, in vain of Radiohead's melancholy acoustic songs. I also have to mention while they wear their influences on their sleeves, you know its Coldplay as they're immediately identifiable.
The Scientist and Clocks are the biggest hits and the highlights, but there's also the title track, Daylight and Amsterdam as high quality album cuts. As a whole it may feel more of less the same songs, but it's a solid showing which never goes into a sour note.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
RHCP being spicy and funky when it needs to, yet mellow in the best ways during the softer songs too. Such a nice mix between soft and hard which makes for a great all round consistent album.
It's over an hour run time goes by pretty quickly, has no sour points and has multiple bangers. Ticks all the boxes really.
Give It Away was the only song I really knew before and its a solid banger, but I came away liking the title track and Under The Bridge even more. Sir Psycho Sexy and Breaking the Girl were my other highlights.
Peter Tosh
5/5
Good to hear reggae albums not featuring Bob Marley for a change, though I do like his stuff. This was consistently great throughout as well which is an extra bonus. Love how there's meaningful messages and really good music to back it..Highly recommended listen.
Massive Attack
3/5
Nice to listen to something different from Massive Attack than Blue Lines or Mezzanine, though feel its similar in feel to the former. Protection is not as memorable nor has the same high points as both, but as a whole it's consistently good and has a nice feel to it. The title track is the key highlight here. Tracy Thorn's presence was a nice delight too.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
The image source of 80s hair metal, have to give props to Hanoi Rocks over that at least. Had no idea they were Finnish which is cool.
Musically speaking it was better than expected as I thought it was gonna be along the lines of Bon Jovi or Poison. Some solid tracks here, especially Malibu Beach Nightmare and Tootin Bec Hec.
Was a bit same old as it progressed, but it doesn't appear to be their biggest album, so am tempted to listen to some more Hanoi.
The Damned
2/5
I was a bit disappointed in this as I liked what I heard of The Damned so far, though it was more gothic and less punk. Aside from Smash It Up which was a great song, everything else felt generic punk with not much substantial to hold onto.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
I liked it way more than I thought I would. A pretty overall kickass album with a great mix of 90s rock with in your face lyrics, and soft delicate ballads. Morissette's vocals have a decent range depending on the song too.
You Oughta Know and Ironic I've heard before but only on the radio, so it was nice knowing where I can find them in the future. Came away liking Hand In Hand and You Learn a lot as well.
It does go a bit too 90s and in your face with Morissette's vocals so its not for every mood, but is a fantastic one for most.
2/5
I get why Bob Dylan is on this list, but a live bootleg didn't need to be on here, especially one with similar energy and feel to the studio counterparts.
While it has a few good songs and I do like how the concert is split into an electric and acoustic halves, it as unessential as it can be.
John Cale
4/5
I fell in love with Child's Christmas in Wales and the title track immediately, such delights which I know for sure will be repeated constantly during Christmas.
The album itself is short and sweet, though not as memorable as those two tracks. There are some great album cuts, but the rest blends in the background.
Its a bit uncanny this can be compared to Lou Reed's Transformer, as both have are some fantastic highpoints but gets bogged down by some of its meh backbones.
David Crosby
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I do, not only for Crosby's vocals and legacy, but because musically speaking its right up my street. Even the collaboration list is stacked with fellow CSNY bandmates along with members of The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.
Its musically pleasing and was a nice listen, but overall it feels more focused on jamming instead of song structure. Cowboy movie is an exception as it has room to breathe and go somewhere. Most of the songs on here are directionless and instead suited for the background of the backyard on a sunny day.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Definitely a unique listen to anything in my life so far. Never listened to anything that has combined jazz and afro beats before, but here we are. It's actually one of the better albums in both fields I've heard from undertaking this generator journey. It goes pretty smoothly despite the lack of vocals, instead the trumpet takes that place.
A couple of tracks could have been cut to make it a better experience if listening to this back to back, but it's actually better suited to pause midway through, and hop back into again later. And although I can't give it top marks, it is a recommended listen.
The The
5/5
I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow goes hard, very aggressive and in your face which it doesn't match for the rest of the album. Instead it takes it back a notch into a more melodic and calmer state of being. That being said, the remaining tracks are mostly great.
This is the Day and The Sinking Feeling are slower and uptempo songs that you can click your fingers or clap your hands to. The former is the most accessible track on here with its accordian driven melody and relatable message. The latter is more aggressive in delivery of vocals and lyrics, but musically is positive.
And then you get to the Uncertain Smile which is essentially a two parter. The first half is driven by arpeggio guitar riffs and an upbeat chord structure. Its up there with This is the Day so far, and then that awesome 4 minute piano solo kicks in to finish off the track, elevating to the album highlight.
After those four tracks, the album provides its two weaker offerings. The Twilight Hour and Soul Mining are a servicable listen in album form, but they are just too slow to listen outside of.
Last but not least there's the appropriately titled song Giant, a 9 minute piece that is strongly driven by percussion along with keyboards and synths. Its hypnotic structure works to deliver an effective closing to a pretty awesome album.
5/7 songs are very neat and make this an essential listen, while the other 2 work for the overall atmosphere. It might not be a 5 for most but it just connects to me a lot to write this long of a review.
The Byrds
3/5
Very easy listening and a nice representation of 60s pop. None of the songs on here have that bite or stand out as much as their main competitors (Beatles, Rolling Stones etc.), but as a whole its pleasent and gives a welcoming insight to thebrest of Byrds discography.
Air
2/5
Just an average soundtrack really and nothing that stands out.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Lot of noise, but nothing much I really like. It was good to hear their output before their big hits, but don't need to again. There were a few songs I enjoyed but prefer their output from Daydream Nation and beyond.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Goth music that ebbs and flows through engagement.
Public Enemy
3/5
Great messages, good beats and vocals, mixed quality of songs, but a memorable journey. While I'm not a fan of Hip Hop, this was very decent listening.
Pixies
4/5
A great rock album, although very frontloaded with some weird ass songs in the back.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Very harmonious and more blended between vocalists compared to Deja Vu, though not as memorable as a whole.
Randy Newman
3/5
This has definitely helped improve my interpretation of Randy Newman which was just Toy Story man and being made fun of in Family Guy and South Park.
I can say for sure Newman is more skilled as a songwriter than a singer, but at least he isn't too annoying.
About half of Sail Away is not for me, but there is some good songs like the title track and Old Man than make me want to listen to again for a better opinion.
Tori Amos
5/5
How have I never heard of Tori Amos before. That piano playing is sublime, not complex but full of emotion that lets it sing. Speaking of which, Amos' vocals are very good too. The tracks with those two elements or just the voice for Me and the Gun, were so powerful.
Michael Jackson
5/5
While listening, I couldn't help think that this album was bad. And when I say bad, I mean Michael Jackson bad.
Pixies
4/5
A fun debut album with a few stand outs sprinkled throughout.