I was downloading this as I boarded a plane so I could listen on the flight. It barely completed downloading before the door was shut and we were on our way. Without internet I had no inkling of what it was I was about to listen to. Somewhere over Idaho around the third “song” the plane encountered rough turbulence. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be the last album I hear. The thought started making me giggle. And as the cacophony continued in my headphones the plane bounced more intensely and drinks were spilled and I giggled harder and odd uncomfortable looks were coming my way. If only I could be playing this over the plane’s PA... a vision that turned my giggling into open laughter. If you’re reading this then it would seem I survived both the flight and listening to this album. I was on the verge of awarding this my second ever 1 star rating. Then again, it did manage to give my flight a mad tea party vibe. I also really love the album cover. “Wonderful Rainbow” is a great title against the soundscape it presents. No, this will not be joining my lowest rated album even though I likely will never make it through the whole album ever again.

How have I never heard any of this before?! Really enjoyed the easygoing sound. The guitars shimmer over the ethereal vocals on (This Is The One is a great example) and their songs seem to unfold delicately to reveal their story. Was Don’t Stop was recorded backwards? I Am The Resurrection is a wild mix of poppy music over some seriously angry lyrics, with a killer guitar ending. Love it so much. My favorite song from this album. Still perplexed how I missed this group entirely but very exciting to realize things like this are out there just waiting to be discovered.

This is really nice chill out or background music… something you would expect to hear in a trendy bar or hotel. Very nice to hang out with - I found it quite pleasant for background music while I worked. I can think of many occasions where this is the sort of music I would really want to play. This isn't the kind of album that will reach out and grab you, but instead the music sidles up and puts its arm around you. I didn't spend a lot of time distinguishing between the songs. Instead I just grooved along and let it flow around me. The album coheres very well while still having some clear individuality between the songs. The (Digital Deluxe) edition I listened to adds 4 extra tracks at the end. All four were worth hearing and didn’t detract from the flow of the original in any way I noticed. Good stuff!

When I was a kid I loved going through other people’s record collections and playing new albums. I remember discovering Roger Whitaker, Marty Robbins and Dr. Hook at my aunt’s house. My parents collection lead me to Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, Sam Cooke, Mohamed El-Bakker & His Oriental Ensemble, Waylon Jennings, Barbra Streisand, Santana and Bette Midler. My sister’s collection turned me on to the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, .38 Special, Elton John and Bad Company. Today I realized that I am loving this web site so much because each day feels like pulling a new record out of someone’s unexplored record collection. A new album cover appears and I instantly begin to speculate on what exciting new listening experience is next… Like the wildly random listening experiences of my youth, after listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Aerosmith out pops some smooth, jazzy Brazilian music from the 70s. And jazzed I am! Halfway through this album my stress had melted away and the morning was looking great! Elis Regina’s vocal delivery is always spot-on. The arrangements are never boring. The supporting vocals fantastic. I love this album so much. This is another perfect listening experience is a week of perfect listening experiences. I would have replayed VENTO DE MAIO over and over as a kid, and have already started doing so as an adult. From the interesting key of the opening song “Vento de Maio” through the glorious choir in “O Trem Azul” to the groovy guitar and scatting in the closing song “Aprendendo a Jogar” I enjoyed every note. A truly wonderful album!

I have no idea what this might be… “All Mod Cons” is ok, like a smoothed-out punk song or something. I can’t quite get into the stuttering tempo. But there are promising elements here. “To Be Someone” appeals to me quite a bit more. I’m warming up to this. Love the lyrics about a fallen rock star. Really good! “Mr. Clean” seems to be how the singer is angry at an office coworker. Interesting and catchy! “David Watts” continues the sort of odd tempos. And the song is intriguing… Is this a be careful what you wish for song? I’m not sure but I do like it. “English Rose” is a surprisingly tender song. I love the singer’s voice and the water and what I think is a great love song for England. I wasn’t expecting this but like it a lot. I love the music and lyrics of “In the Crowd” - and what’s this?! A warning about the government and media?! Interesting… and goes all psychedelic guitar at the end. This is a contender for my favorite track of the album. “Billy Hunt” is another catchy song with more cleverly descriptive lyrics. A threatening bionic man reference?! I like this. “It’s Too Bad” is a great little breakup song that’s quite happy sounding. Very enjoyable. “Fly” is a really great love song! The tender parts intersperse with exuberant outbursts. I love this song. There seems to be some hints of The Who or something in here. Wonderful! “The Place I Love” I love! ‘Not within a yard of those trendy do’s.” Is this song about hiding out with your pets? Really good song. “‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” seems to be protest song with a beat you can dance to. Clapping! I can get into this. “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” is a great song. Terribly disturbing about a poor guy getting attacked in a tube station. Really good, and disturbing… I think I’m on the verge of loving this album. A second listen is in order but I find The Jam’s lyrics so vivid and the disjoints in the music held together with such great talent that I think I may love this album… …………………………………. My second listen really did cement my love of this album. After the third listen, I’m loving every song - even the first track which took me a few listens to warm up to. These lyrics have depth and paint vivid pictures. The Jam takes on class and society… with a sound blending dashes of new wave, The Who and The Kinks into something pretty special. I love this album!

This album is a good example of why I wanted to try listening to the 1001 albums. Something I missed back in the day, something I probably wouldn’t listen to a lot, but that I am glad to have listened to now. As someone who used to troll used record stores to make mix tapes filled with unusual things I love knowing that this was the genesis of these songs. Also reminiscent of the music a friend of mine from Montreal creates.

Really enjoying this… another album I likely never would have listened to but really good! Some of my favorite tracks were the piano ones like Pueblo Neuvo and Buena Vista Social Club. I’ve heard some of these songs before - I think maybe in some movies?

So excited this was one of my favorite albums in high school. Probably haven’t listened to the album from beginning to end in over 20 years. The opening to “Money For Nothing” still gives me chills. “Walk of Life” makes everything seem better. But it is the rest of the album that I’m glad to hear again. “You’re Latest Trick.“ “The Man’s Too Strong” should be heard in the context of the album. And how the hell have I made it through the last 5 years without listening to “Why Worry?” “Brothers In Arms” - a perfect closing. Just sat in silence for a while after it ended. This reminds me why I have to get back to listening to albums again.

A lot of guitar. Never listened to this whole album before. Doubtful I will do so again… Loved hearing all the bigger hits that I have not forgotten. “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Legs”. “I Need You Tonight”. Nice break from the faster songs. I remember this song but couldn’t have identified it. “TV Dinners” - don’t know that I’ve ever heard this but enjoy the silliness. Why is it called “Dirty Dog” when it appears they only sing about a “Scurvy Dog”? While I don’t regret listening to this album. I enjoy ZZ Top’s guitars more in smaller doses.

Never listened to this album before. Maybe heard one song on it (Downtown Train) prior to this. Wasn’t sure how I would fare staring at 19 of these tracks ahead… “Singapore” was a great surprise! Had no idea I would like it so much. Then “Clap Hands” proved to be surprisingly enjoyable. Great percussion. “Cemetery Polka” has incredible imagery and music. Really like “Hang Down Your Head” and “Rain Dogs.” “Midtown” feels like an amazing intermission. “Downtown Train” ls so much more meaningful than Rod Stewart’s remake. This album has surprises, twists and turns and is a real journey I’m glad to have made.

How have I never heard any of this before?! Really enjoyed the easygoing sound. The guitars shimmer over the ethereal vocals on (This Is The One is a great example) and their songs seem to unfold delicately to reveal their story. Was Don’t Stop was recorded backwards? I Am The Resurrection is a wild mix of poppy music over some seriously angry lyrics, with a killer guitar ending. Love it so much. My favorite song from this album. Still perplexed how I missed this group entirely but very exciting to realize things like this are out there just waiting to be discovered.

Never heard of this band before. Catchy… really fun! Favorite track: Get Over You. But I enjoyed the whole album. This sounds more modern to me than 1979. Lots of little musical surprises scattered throughout. Love the lead singer’s vocals. Definitely adding this to my library!

Haven’t personally sat and listened to any Beatles album before from beginning to end. I know as a child no one in my family owned any of their albums. Very curious how the next 99 minutes will be… I recall hearing most, but not all, the songs on The White Album before (from the can't recall hearing category is "Honey Pie", one of my favorites during this listen). There were also some songs that I have heard somewhere in the past, but completely forgot about ("The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", “Rocky Racoon”). I think what surprises me most (but really shouldn’t) is how whimsical this all is. Maybe because I mostly associated this album with Revolution 9 and Helter Skelter/Charles Manson I hadn’t expected that. Glad to have cleared up a terrible overgeneralization. Very much enjoyed The White Album's wild eclecticism. Only took me 53 years to get here but I am very glad I did.

I’m very familiar with The Ramones greatest hits, having started listening to them in college. So I figured I’d like this album if only for the hits I already love. There are many songs on this album that were new to me that I’m very glad to have heard: Judy Is A Punk, Chain Saw, I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement, Havana Affair, 53rd and 3rd Let’s Dance is an enjoyable cover version of the old 50s song. My favorite new song though is “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World.” A surprising and concise look at a Nazi soldier that evokes so much more than you might expect. Listened to this twice today. It’s been fun revisiting the Ramones and exploring their music beyond the bigger hits.

Oh an album I owned and enjoyed when it came out! I haven’t listened to the album in a very long time. Loving the big hits, but this album also has a lot of depth beyond the hits. Really a great album. Listened to it a couple of times and love it from beginning to end.

Didn't think this was my cup of tea at the start… and was ready for the first three songs to be over not long after they started. Then the song “Obvious” came on and I found myself starting to like what I was hearing. "Been Caught Stealing" was great! “Three Days” was a pleasant surprise… Incredible guitars. Wow! “Then She Did” followed that and… am I a Jane’s Addiction fan? A haunting song… Where did “Of Course” come from? This is great stuff… followed by “Classic Girl”… a perfect ending. I started this listen wondering if I could make it to the end, and ended up blown away by Jane’s Addiction. Great album!

Absolutely no clue what I was in for. When the accordion on “Sleep On The Left Side” started I had a pretty good feeling this was going to work out fine. Might this be love at first listen? As “Brimful of Asha” opened I knew this was special. Love this song even though I’m not entirely sure what a Brimful of Asha is. Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow? Hell yeah! The songs get even stranger and more wonderful. “Bitter The Soul” and “Chocolate” are utterly delicious. What colorful, trippy world have I stumbled into? “Funky Days Are Back Again”? I'm ready for a pair of dungaree cords! Turkey gravy? “What Is Happening”?! (Little surprises around every corner but nothing dangerous…don’t be alarmed.) “Good Shit” more than lives up to its name. “Good To Be On the Road Back Home”… how did this country song slide right in so naturally with the rest of the album?! Really love it. They end with an incredible cover of “Norwegian Wood” and totally stuck the landing. From the opening notes to the end this was a transformative listening experience that I will come back to again and again. I feel so much better for having experienced this.

I’ve loved “There She Goes” since it came out and listen to it routinely still, but for some reason remained unfamiliar with the rest of this album. The opening song “Son of a Gun” is easy-breezy and drew me in immediately. Really liked “Timeless Melody.” Seems like I’m in for some nice 90’s pop… There were several nautical-themed tracks that I am adding to my boat playlist - “Liberty Ship” and “Doldrums”. “Feelin’” is catchy as hell. As the album progresses the darker tones become increasingly obvious (“Freedom Song”, “Failure”). This culminates in “Looking Glass” where the poppy confection struggles and drowns as you realize just how dark a circus this has been.

Who new that I was born in the same year as heavy metal. The least I can do is check out its origins… Good to have listened to this from a historical perspective. I have heard Summertime Blues before. Didn’t hate the listen but not really in my wheelhouse.

Never heard of them before, but really dug the first tune “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night).” Great song and great lyrics. How have I never heard this before? The second track “Bangles” again drew me in right away. I want to see this lady’s dressing room and vanity. Fantastic fun lyrics. “Onie” took it down a notch into a pleasant, dreamy tune that I liked a lot. Made me wish I was wandering through the streets of a new town gazing into shop windows wearing boots and a mini skirt. After changing my name to ‘Onie’ of course. Clever lyrics abound. “Are You Lovin’ Me More (But Enjoying it Less)”. Great sixties sentiments like “Sold to the Highest Bidder” and “The King Is In His Counting House”. A delightful cover of “About A Quarter to Nine”. Some quality sexy time with “Luvin’” and “Try Me On For Size”. And a couple of transportation songs, “Train for Tomorrow” and “The Toonerville Trolly”. Speaking of… “The Toonerville Trolly” is a generous helping of Cool Whip on this fabulous album! I started literally laughing out loud on a public bus - so much fun! But I found myself wondering if ‘ridin’ the Toonerville Trolly’ might be a euphemism for something else… and imagining all the possibilities. Throw in the artsy album cover featuring the band in the same pose as a modern art rendition of them and it’s pretty much everything I could ask for in a 60s album. So glad to have been introduced to The Electric Prunes!

Here I am with a bit of a dilemma. Michael Jackson is a problematic artist and I’ve not listened to his music in the last decade aside of what I’ve heard occasionally in the grocery store. But here goes… Somewhat familiar with this album, but never owned it. I have probably heard it all the way through before this, but not often enough that I remembered all of the songs. Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Another Part of Me, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal and Leave Me Alone are all understandable hits I remember well. Speed Demon and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You are up there too, but I can’t say the same for Liberian Girl and Just Good Friends which I didn’t think hold up against the rest. All that said, even this impressive assemblage of songs can’t overcome the terrible failings of Michael Jackson for me. At best I just end up feeling depressed listening to this. I doubt I’ll do so again.

I listened to this album fairly often when it came out. Really loved it then but kind of haven’t listened to it in the last 15 years. Let’s see how it holds up… This is one moody album. I immediately felt taken back to the movie as “Playground Love” opened. I immediately wanted to go back an re-watch the film. The song is really impressive. The lyrics and sound create a powerful combination. “Clouds Up” starts to build the tension, and this is when the album really starts to feel like something you might hear in a church. The choir voices, droning organ… I had never noticed how this whole thing feels almost like attending a very non traditional mass of some kind. “The Word Hurricane” comes in and I am realizing that there are very strong connections between Air and a lot of the instrumentals of The Alan Parsons Project. Funny that I never made that connection before, but there’s a lot of strong similarities. The instructional interlude with the breaths below then lead to a transformed chaotic, trippy ending. “Clouds Up” amps up the tension again - really liking this. “Dirty Trip” brings in the main theme music again, reworking it well. And is that an autoharp I’m hearing? Air knows how to build these instrumentals as the songs progress to keep things very interesting. The piano-based “High School Lover” is another interesting variation on the theme. The strong bass and arrangement again is quite evocative of some of Alan Parson’s arrangements. No wonder I like this so much. “Ghost Song” and “Empty House” heightens the ominous feel of the album no doubt in response to the tension in the movie, whose plot I cannot remember for the life of me. I really loved the piano and drums of “Dead Bodies”. Really stands out while totally fitting in. “Suicide Underground” adds dialogue from the movie over a nearly religious instrumental track. I am starting to remember the movies plot now. I’m not sure if listening to this while traveling on a bus across the stark Icelandic landscape is influencing my rating, but this is a spectacular soundtrack that I am glad to have rediscovered and will no doubt enjoy again soon.

I’ve always liked Steve Earle, although haven’t listened to a lot of his music. Time to remedy that a bit… I’ve always been a big fan of truckin’ songs. “Guitar Town” is a really fine specimen of this genre. Steel belts, truck stops, boots and motels? All to a rockin’ country arrangement? Count me in! We’re off to a great start. Clearly Steve Earle knows his hay around a good hook. “Goodbye’s All We Got Left” is such a great sounding song it makes me wish he was breaking up with me. Spoiler alert: at this point I hit add to add this album to my library. It’ll take a real surprising disaster to derail this. “Hillbilly Highway” is a simple but very compelling seemingly autobiographical song about a musician and the choices we make in life. just a straightforward great song. “Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough)” has lyrics as compelling today as in 1986. We are seeing what 35 years of where exacerbating inequality in the land of plenty gets us. Maybe this song should have been a little angrier and more demanding back then... Loved “My Old Friend The Blues.” This song would have come in handy over the last few years. I’m sure it will again soon. “Someday” is another great song about not getting by in America. Again, a perfect sentiment in 1986 that sadly makes me wonder if we will ever progress… “Think It Over” is a sweet little breakup song that you can dance to. “Fearless Heart” is a really sweet love song with very clever lyrics and a great arrangement. Couldn’t ask for more… “Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” is a touching song. Full of those hopes and promises that likely will never quite come true. Sort of a country “Cats in the Cradle”. I’m fine with a little too much sap these days. “Down The Road” is that classic ‘keep on keeping on’ advice to those who can’t find love. A classic ending to a classic country album. What a great debut album! Definitely see why it’s on this list. Listened to it 3 times already and expect it to be in heavy rotation for a while.

I grew up hearing Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, but never explored his music beyond that. Didn’t know about this album, pretty sure my ears are Dylan-deficient, so glad to check it out. After the first seconds of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” it is clear this belongs on the list. Should have listened to this a long time ago. “She Belongs To Me” is an example of the smoother Dylan voice and a truly beautiful song. “Maggie’s Farm” swings a bit. I enjoyed it less than the softer song before it. But “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” goes back to that softer sound that I definitely prefer. “On The Road Again” surprised me with its witty lyrics. And the fun continues with “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream”. Crazy dream story with rocking music. Of course I’ve heard Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” before. This sparse version contrasts with the lush cover by The Byrds, and while I’d likely always think of the latter first the original really focuses you on the poetry of the song. “The Gates of Eden” and “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” read like poetry. Nice ending with “It’s All Ober Now, Baby Blue”. Still not sure how big of a Dylan fan I am, but the importance of this album is irrefutable. Glad to have listened to this.

I have no idea what this might be… “All Mod Cons” is ok, like a smoothed-out punk song or something. I can’t quite get into the stuttering tempo. But there are promising elements here. “To Be Someone” appeals to me quite a bit more. I’m warming up to this. Love the lyrics about a fallen rock star. Really good! “Mr. Clean” seems to be how the singer is angry at an office coworker. Interesting and catchy! “David Watts” continues the sort of odd tempos. And the song is intriguing… Is this a be careful what you wish for song? I’m not sure but I do like it. “English Rose” is a surprisingly tender song. I love the singer’s voice and the water and what I think is a great love song for England. I wasn’t expecting this but like it a lot. I love the music and lyrics of “In the Crowd” - and what’s this?! A warning about the government and media?! Interesting… and goes all psychedelic guitar at the end. This is a contender for my favorite track of the album. “Billy Hunt” is another catchy song with more cleverly descriptive lyrics. A threatening bionic man reference?! I like this. “It’s Too Bad” is a great little breakup song that’s quite happy sounding. Very enjoyable. “Fly” is a really great love song! The tender parts intersperse with exuberant outbursts. I love this song. There seems to be some hints of The Who or something in here. Wonderful! “The Place I Love” I love! ‘Not within a yard of those trendy do’s.” Is this song about hiding out with your pets? Really good song. “‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” seems to be protest song with a beat you can dance to. Clapping! I can get into this. “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” is a great song. Terribly disturbing about a poor guy getting attacked in a tube station. Really good, and disturbing… I think I’m on the verge of loving this album. A second listen is in order but I find The Jam’s lyrics so vivid and the disjoints in the music held together with such great talent that I think I may love this album… …………………………………. My second listen really did cement my love of this album. After the third listen, I’m loving every song - even the first track which took me a few listens to warm up to. These lyrics have depth and paint vivid pictures. The Jam takes on class and society… with a sound blending dashes of new wave, The Who and The Kinks into something pretty special. I love this album!

Hmmm. This cover looks like a warning to listeners like me. Although that font draws me in. Dracula and a scorpion? Never mind that. Into the breach! The first two songs were a bit rough. Although the lyric “you only kick half an ass” interests me… Actually found myself enjoying “On A Rope”. Pretty sure I’ve have heard this song before. Really like “Young Livers”. The opening sounds almost festive! Are those bells? Is this a metal ska album? Those are some nice harmonies. What is happening? “Drop Out” is pretty good too. I’m not sure I can sustain the necessary energy for a whole album of this, but I’m liking some of this quite a bit more than I thought. “Used” is my favorite song yet. Throw in a sax and some orchestration and… bells?! This song is pretty great. “Ball Lightning” - ‘you want some cheese with your whine?’ Really liking this song too! Nice backing vocals! So glad to have pressed on in this journey. Enjoying some good 90s guitar work. Ok now we are on “Fat Lip”. I can barely take the verses. But I am liking the chorus. Rocket From Crypt is not making this easy… then again “fat lip learns slow.“ I started to notice some quality percussion in “Suit City” but it and “Heater Hands” feel like too much work for me to listen to. “Misbeaten” is a little more melodic and adds a horn section… and the backing vocals at the end are a pleasant surprise! Love the ending! “Come See, Come Saw”... Horn forward with a pun title? Guitar solo at the end? Temptations-style backing vocals?! Yes, please! This might be my favorite track. “Salt Future” takes it down a notch. A song about Salt Lake? Well it probably won’t be embraced as the city’s unofficial song but there are those harmonies again. “Burn Alive” ends with a high production value song that I warmed up to as it progressed. Listened to this three times now and, while there’s three or four tracks I’ll likely keep skipping, I’ve added this to my library and will be listening to this again. I did not expect this to be the case at all…There’s variety, cleverness and quality musicianship throughout the album. A genuine surprise to me!

I’ve never listened to a Metallica album before. Certainly aware of this album, but looking at the track listing don’t recognize a single song. ”Battery” surprised me from the git-go. I had not expected soft guitar. Nice of them to ease me into the water a bit. Once in I’m finding the water a tad too hot for me. Excellent playing, although The Poseidon Adventure comes to mind: “I can’t take this. Give me a Strauss waltz.” “Master of Puppets”… maybe going down a little easier. Like the previous song, there’s a break in the middle for the unexpectedly calm and pretty guitar solo. Is this a thing in their music? Give you a little palette cleanser before the second half of the song? I’m enjoying this middle section. I see why these guys are legendary musicians. That middle part almost had me liking the song. “The Thing That Should Not Be” is plenty dark. There’s that grinding guitar. How long is this song? “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” thankfully is taking things down a notch. Still not connecting. Halfway through. Must…press… on… “Disposable Heros” - the music is well-suited to the topic of war. Neither is pleasant. Maybe all war songs should sound like this. And like war, really anxious for this to be over. “Leper Messiah” is my favorite song so far. These songs are long though aren’t they? I wasn’t expecting an instrumental, but here’s “Orion”. It’s better than I expected. The soft interlude is quite nice. This is my favorite song on this album. I’d like to hear a symphonic arrangement of this. “Damage, Inc.” has lyrics that fit the music very well. I made it through a listen from beginning to end… not unhappy for the experience. I appreciate the skill of the performers, but struggled to find any connection to this music. I’m afraid I’m just not dressed for this party.

I like the Foo Fighters and had heard some of these songs before. Hadn’t listened to the album in its entirety though. Some bands of this era/style I have listened to seem very monotonous when listened to as a full album. Didn’t feel like that for this album. “This Is a Call” is a great start to the album. “I’ll Stick Around” has that smooth Grohl vocal performance I like best with the Foo Fighters. “Big Me” softens things up a bit. I’ve always liked this song, and I think hearing it in the context of the album improves it even more. Other standout tracks for me include “Good Grief” which feels like a pretty raw emotional response to turmoil and change. “Floaty” is haunting in the simplicity of its lyrics. I very much enjoyed "For All The Cows" both musically and lyrically. "Wattershed" sort of jumped out at me and made me take notice. Great song and lyrics, some pretty interesting tempo changes. "Exhausted" summed up the last few years for me. One of my favorite songs on this album. I love the line 'What if the day had stayed in bed?' Great ending. This album's pacing and variability required a lot of versatility to make. I enjoyed taking this journey even more after the second listen. I don’t know why I’d never listened to this back in the day but glad to have gotten it in before I die.

John Prime’s lyrics are so beyond what I might have assumed from the young man pictured on the album cover. “Illegal Smile” reminds me of a simple way to escape troubles in life. The clever lyrics can in one moment make you laugh and cry. ‘Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down and won’. By the first chorus of “Spanish Pipedream” I'd added the album to my library. “Hello In There “ is so beautiful… left me in tears. Then “Sam Stone” followed that up with a devastating song about the impact of veteran's addiction. Every song overflows truth with an emotional heft that can change you as a listener. John Prine tackles war, government, jingoism, aging, drugs, depression, relationships, the environment and a host of other topics with perceptive and unflinching observations of humans and humanity. The organ warms itself against the stark lyrics. The guitars wander from folk to country with occasional touches of rock to elevate the stories. Every song on this album is a gem. Experiencing them together as an album is a powerful and emotional experience. This is an album that will connect you more deeply to your humanity if you are willing to listen. An amazing work of art that I will listen to again and again. RIP John Prine

I haven’t listened to much Paul Simon in a long time, and was surprised there was an album from 1983 that I had never heard of nor could recall any songs from. I started off a little skeptical about a song called “Allergies” kicking things off, but I quite liked it. Nice guitar solo in the middle and I like the music and lyrics. This song was the most obviously from the 80s on this album. The 80’s elements made me like it more, overlaid as they were on what was unmistakably a Paul Simon song. Also as an allergy-sufferer I appreciated the odd subject matter. Settled in to “Hearts and Bones”, a really nice song, and knew I would be in Paul Simon’s capable hands for the rest of the listen. As the album progressed I found myself pretty much loving every song. Paul Simon has more unconventional subjects (“When Numbers Get Serious” is great, despite some questionable multiplication), all accompanied by interesting arrangements. There are two “Think Too Much” songs. Both are fantastic (although I give the edge to (A) as my favorite, but glad both are there). “Song About the Moon” is one of my favorite songs on the album. “Train in the Distance” seemed vaguely familiar to me, so I may have run across this at some point in the past. “Rene and Georgette Magritte After the War” is beautiful, Paul Simon is a wizard of taking a lyric like that and making it flow so naturally in the song. “Cars are Cars” was the first song that as it started I thought might be a miss for me… but by the end I had warmed up to it. Love the juxtaposition of styles between the chorus and the verses. “The Late Great Johnny Ace” has an unusual ending provided by none other than Philip Glass that I found was a nice ending to the album. I’m glad this album was on this list as I doubt I would ever have encountered this anywhere else. Great album I will listen to again and again!

I wasn’t looking forward to a Black Sabbath album. Not really what I typically think of as music I would listen to. But I’m willing to listen to all of these albums once… and I do know the song “Iron Man”. Not my favorite song, but we’ll see. I started the album and realized I did know the first song “War Pigs”. Looking at the lyrics, I found I kind of liked it. Then “Paranoid” came on and I realized I not only know the song, I really like the song! “Planet Caravan” was new to me, but I the moody description sailing through space under the watchful eyes of the war god Mars was a surprisingly tender song. When “Iron Man” started, I started feeling my fingers moving and suddenly realized where I know all these songs from. Several years ago I played a lot of Guitar Hero with my friends and had played along to these songs often… Raised in the 70s and 80s, “Electric Funeral” resonated with its horrific vision of atomic destruction. As a bonus, I think it ends with some just punishment for the wicked. “Hand of Doom” is a surprisingly sultry depiction of war leading to drug addiction. That was a theme on one of the songs on the John Prine album I just listened to as part of this project. How cool is it that doing this 1001 project I can compare/contrast these two artists?! Black Sabbath presents a much more graphic depiction of the subject well-suited to the hard, ominous music they make. “Rat Salad” was a groovy 70s metal instrumental with a prominent drum solo (not my favorite thing in music), but I liked it well enough since it was pretty concise. A lot of bands indulge a little too much in their solos to stay interesting on a recording. I appreciated Black Sabbath keeping this one tight. “Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots” had some good 70s metal to wrap things up. The singer is a bit obsessed with the fairy in boots, and I’m not exactly clear on what the singer is observing. Although maybe the doctor’s diagnosis at the end explains things? I’m glad I listened to this album, and I will listen to them again, although maybe not in one sitting like this. Black Sabbath still isn’t squarely my thing, but I’m more than happy to dabble in their music now and again.

No clue what this might be… Put this on and the odd “percussion” that opens “Earthquake” mad me wonder what I was in for. Things quickly became quite ethereal and I suddenly wanted to be floating in a pool in the dark. This music has a strange polished shamble to it that appeals. “Don’t Cry” staggers its way to its conclusion then “Revival” gets things back up to speed. It has a very nice musical interlude at its heart. This album has a way of being unconventional while avoiding becoming unpleasant. It’s hard to pin down the hooks - they drift by and slip away before you really lock your ears on them. The saxophone in “Coronado” was very welcome. I have been complaining about how the sax has been instrument-non-grata in popular music this millennia… There’s a kind of Radiohead-crossed-with-The-Shaggs-with-a-dose-of-Badly-Drawn-Boy quality that I find quite compelling. A welcome addition to my library.

REIGN IN BLOOD is very far out of my wheelhouse both musically and lyrically. This listen started out rough… then I ended up listening to it several times. “Jesus Saves” and “Reborn” were two of the songs I appreciated most. Slayer plays at almost superhuman speeds. On the negative side I never did get into “Piece by Piece” or “Necrophobic”. “Raining Blood” is a surprise. I was previously familiar with the Tori Amos cover of it. I did not realize they were the same song until I read the Wikipedia page. I had to play them back to back to believe it. One has to wonder what inspired her to do the cover, or how she became aware of the song in the first place… I ended up liking this more than I ever thought possible. REIGN IN BLOOD took me somewhere I didn’t want to go, yet inexplicably I found myself not hating being there. While I don’t see Slayer as part of my daily routine, this gets an extra half star for its expansive effect on my musical Overton Window.

ROCK ‘N SOUL is a smooth sounding soul album featuring great backup singers. This takes me back to when I was a kid listening to Sam Cooke on my Close ‘n Play record player. I enjoyed Solomon Burke’s music, although I can see why Sam Cooke is more known. Still I’m surprised to have no recollection of Solomon Burke given the quality of this album and his title as the “King of Rock ‘N Soul.” Favorite tracks: Cry To Me; You’re Good For Me; Won’t You Give Him (One More Chance); Hard, Ain’t It Hard; He’ll Have To Go.

I’ve owned BACK TO BLACK and listened to it regularly since shortly after its release. The album is a masterpiece that propelled the sound of the 60s into the 21st Century. It still feels fresh and modern 15 years after its release. Amy Winehouse’s delivery is spectacular on every song. I could list any song on it as a favorite. "Addicted" may be the best weed song ever. "Rehab" is a revelation. "Tears Dry On Their Own" is a showcase of brilliant phrasing. BACK TO BLACK is perfection.

I hadn’t listened to BUENOS NOCHES FROM A LONELY ROOM before, although I have been partial to some of Dwight Yoakam’s other hits in the past. I expected to enjoy some country. I like the old-school Country sound. Some great guitar picking, fiddling and accordion here. Plenty of clever country lyrics in “I Got You”. This song bodes well for the rest of the album… Then comes a stream of songs reacting to the singer being cheated on and/or left by his lover. Lacking any apparent introspection, the reaction to this is an unpleasant mix of whining and murder. For whining see “One More Name,” “I Hear You Knockin’” and “Send Me The Pillow”. Blah. For murder see “What I Don’t Know” and “Buenos Noches From A Lonely Room”. Yuck. He does manage to handle the breakup better in “Home of the Blues.” Oh… Johnny Cash wrote that one. Dwight needs to check out Alanis Morissette for lessons on how to manage strong emotions around breakups without resorting to homicide. “I Sang Dixie” has the expected undertones of the south’s delusional rewrite of its history I find tough to enjoy, what with its glorification of “rebel pride” as a wholesome love of the south. Let’s not forget what and who the rebels were fighting for and against. Boo. Thankfully Buck Owens jumps in with a great duet of “The Streets of Bakersfield.” I love the accordion and Buck sounds great. “Floyd County” keeps things moving in a better direction as it laments the death of a coal miner. Whew. Things wrap up with some forgettable Christian country. Meh. Not seeing why this made the list of 1001 albums. There are much better country albums and songs (some from Dwight Yoakam) that I would rather listen to. Very little to enjoy here.

I started off listening to fROMOHIO curious about what I was hearing, but not initially sold on the first two songs. It seemed a little unpolished and I wasn’t sure I was ‘getting it’. Where is this coming from?! Where was it going?! Then as the album progressed I started to recognize some real genius happening. Two drum solo tracks?! I thought I hated drum solos? “Let The Drummer Have Some” and “‘Nuf That Shit, George” dispelled that myth. The music is very well played. The lead singer sounds a lot like Tommy Shaw, which is great. Little lyrical and musical surprises pop up everywhere. At times the album has touches of punk, jazz, beat poetry, pop, rock, folk…. Once I stopped trying to figure this all out and just sat back I found myself totally enjoying the ride. Immediately after the album finished I started it over again and had no doubt this album is a 5. A welcome addition to my library that makes me happier with each listen. So glad to have been introduced to fIREHOSE. Fantastic, unique, awesome!

When this came up I was not thrilled about more metal. Oh well, here goes... "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" started and I was liking what I was hearing in the opening guitar. The lyrics were melodious expressing sentiments I could agree with. Is this me liking a Megadeth song? On to "Hangar 18" and I'm really digging it. Somehow I've plugged into this and... can repeated exposure to metal bands in this project turn me into a metal-head? "Take No Prisoners" takes off like a rocket. The guitar streaks through the opening and locks in on the melody as the drum starts kicking its ass. Fantastic stuff! The lyrics come in and… wow! If thrash metal has hooks Megadeth knows how to write them. Blown away by this song. "Five Magics" takes things down a notch and makes me want to get back into Dungeons & Dragons. Typical of their songs there are several killer guitar solos, not what I typically think of as my thing but man these are good... Is it me or is this album a lot of fun? "Poison Was The Cure" opens ominously and then explodes into Megadeth's high-speed thrills. Even if you hate this stuff you're delusional if you can't recognize the talent behind it... I love the witch cackle kicking off “Lucretia” and its lyrics. Yes, this is me loving some Megadeth. “Tornado of Souls” rocks! Incredible song. The music is intricate. Incredible performance. Then the guitar solo… holy crap! Wow wow wow! “Dawn Patrol” switches to a more ominous tone and much slower pace quite suitable to the seriousness of the lyrics. It is more frighteningly applicable today than when it was created. Should have heeded this song in 1990…. Who knew to go to Megadeth for environmental action songs? “Rust in Peace… Polaris” is sung from the perspective of a nuclear missile. Cool! Takes me back to my youth until I realize there are still nuclear missiles pointed at most of us today...may they all rust in peace. Feel like I'm getting a little Halloween treat as "My Creation" treats us to some Dr. Frankenstein serenading his monster. Love the abrupt ending. I'm sitting here with my hair blown back and a huge smile on my face... I went from dreading this listen to listening to RUST IN PEACE four times through already. I did not expect a topical, comprehensible, melodic, technical, downright fun listen... a real surprise!

I’m familiar with a little Badly Drawn Boy, but this is the first time hearing this album. Mostly gentle and pleasant - but never boring - with some darker undercurrents that occasionally bubble up to the surface. The songs have a way of being unique and quirky without crossing over into annoying. There’s a lot of cleverness in the arrangements and the lyrics. Some Highlights: “The Shining” features some great horns in the opening the turns to a really nice guitar song that builds the orchestra back by the finale. Really nice. “Camping Next To Water” seems to be about someone stranded in the woods alone living on fish. Really great song! “Once Around The Block” has a pleasant, quirky vibe - a fun listen. “Magic in the Air” was very a really nice love song that has just the right amount of sweetness. “Cause A Rockslide” is interesting with cool lyrics (“your sweetness would cause a rockslide”) and a trippy second half I enjoyed. “Pissing In The Wind” takes things in a country direction with fun lyrics and a shambly feel. It is probably my second favorite song on the album after… “Disillusion” is a groovy dance track with a great beat and rhythm section Great song - my favorite on the album. “Say It Again” has some more really clever lyrics. Great song that builds and builds as it goes - “dried up thoughts but my nose is runny.” Just when you think you have THE HOUR OF BEWILDERBEAST pinned down the album throws a curve ball into the music and/or lyrics. The surprises really work and never feel out of place (except maybe “This Song” on headphones). With each listen there’s something new to discover. Somehow Badly Drawn Boy weaves all these unique pieces together into a cohesive, enjoyable album.

Consider how unlikely it was that this album ever existed: After recording a couple of successful Canadian teen dance/pop records Alanis Morissette gets dropped from her label. Then at age 21 comes back to deliver 12 powerful, unflinching, passionate, honest, deep, dramatic personal songs with a range and depth most people couldn’t express in a lifetime. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime creations that sits at the top of the pile of my favorite albums. I don’t have a favorite song. Instead, how about some favorite moments… “Why are you so petrified of silence? Here, can you handle this?” - All I Really Want. “Every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back I hope you feel it” - You Oughta Know (toxic males: please note how angry one can be without resorting to firearms). “We’ll love you just the way you are, if you’re perfect” - Perfect. “And what it all comes down to is that everything’s gonna be quite alright” - Hand in My Pocket. “You took me out to wine-dine-sixty-nine me, But didn’t hear a damn word I said” - Right Through You. “My brothers they never went blind for what they did but I may as well have” - Forgiven. “I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone” - You Learn. “You treat me like I’m a Princess, I’m not used to liking that, You ask how my day was” - Head Over Feet. “‘Cause all that matters, Mary Jane, is your freedom, So keep warm my dear, keep dry, Tell me what’s the matter Mary Jane?” - Mary Jane. “Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out” - Ironic. “I don’t want to be the sweeper of the eggshells that you walk upon and I don’t wanna be your other half, I believe that one and one make two” - Not The Doctor. “We’ll there’s an apprehensive naked little trembling boy with his head in his hands, and there’s an underestimated and impatient little girl raising her hand” - Wake Up. “So forgive me, love, If I cry in your shower, So forgive me love, For the salt in your bed” - Your House

When I went to look up this album, I was startled at how many albums there were from Tim Buckley. Then as I listened to “happy sad” I started to realize what an insignificant speck I was in the world of music for never even having heard of him. As “Strange Feelin’” got going I thought ‘train song.’ As it chugged along Tim Buckley added his mournful, voice like a lonely train whistle. I loved the kind of noodly-jazz feel. “Buzzin’ Fly” is also fantastic. More vibraphones and marimbas?! Oh yes, I think this can work for me. The lyrics are beautiful. Tim Buckley’ vocals are incredible. Really great song! “Love From Room 109 At The Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)” certainly sounds like it was written in a specific moment. This is the kind of song that one wishes someone would write about an event in their life. As I sat with my wine listening to the guitar solo I was suddenly in a dark hotel lounge in 1969… this song is long and meanders quite a lot. By the end I felt I had moved from the lounge into a concert hall. “Dream Letter” features a lot of cello/vibraphone/marimba and more melancholic lyrics. Really would like to be watching this performed live. Preferably with a cocktail in hand… “Gypsy Woman” introduces some interesting percussion and plays a lot with the tempo. I loved the slow build of the guitars from quit to frenetic. As the song comes together it becomes a mesmerizing chant. My favorite song on the album! “Sing A Song For You” and it’s poetic, (bitter?)sweet lyrics is arguably the most “conventional” song on the album. Lovely. “happy sad” pulls you back in time into its shmoozy, warm, dimly lit world. There are some very strong jazz currents that toy with other genres. The cellos, guitars and Tim Buckley’s vocals add heavy doses of pop, rock and the symphony that makes this album something else. It isn’t ‘music for all occasions,’ but the occasions it is for are ones I’d enjoy attending once in a while. Yet another new listening experience that I am glad to have.

I enjoyed listening to DAYDREAM NATION for the most part. The album combines punk with some catchy pop melodies and a lot of instrumental experimentation. The experimentation sometimes come off great, but there are a number of places where the songs and experiments go on a little too long. Still I did like a lot of the music. Some of the standouts for me were: "Teen Age Riot" - loved the opening and it is catchy "The Sprawl" - especially the ending "Total Trash" - except the ending (experimenting was a little too long) "Candle" - pretty good with some catchy lyrics "B) Hyperstation" - this one is interesting and I think at times would not be among my favorites (along with the other two in the trilogy at the end) -bordering on too much - but I appreciated the odd tunings, lyrics, and crazy sounds they were getting out of their instruments At times I found myself wishing that the distorted, fuzzy guitars were cleaner and let the melodies shine through a bit more. I found the listening experience better on higher-quality headphones than on speakers. The fuzzy guitars came out better and I was able to distinguish more subtle bits of the music. This seemed equally true playing on quality computer monitors, home stereo or car stereo. This album is definitely ambitious and really feels like it was clearing a path for a lot of 90s music. DAYDREAM NATION likely won't become a regular listen for me. Still I very much appreciated the opportunity to make its acquaintance.

Flying blind again going into this one with an artist I have never heard of. “Pristeen” is certainly unique. Halfway through the songs I started wondering if I had taken something a half hour ago that was starting to kick in. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this album at this point, but the opening drums and guitars in “Double Vegetation” grabbed my attention. The verses show off Julian Cope’s vocals which were starting to grow on me. Good song! As the album progressed, I was liking this more and more. There were a number of standout songs. "East Easy Rider" with its cool, groovy sound, the organ in "Promised Land", "Safesurfer" and its mantra-like ending, "If You Loved Me At All" with its really catchy chorus, the also catchy "Drive, She Said" with that old-school guitar vibe (perhaps my favorite song on the album - "Yeah we could crawl but I'd rather drive, she said"). PEGGY SUICIDE has a lot of subtle things happening in the music alongside some very pointed lyrics in songs like "Soldier Blue" and "Leperskin". The former seemed disturbingly relevant today - so much for progress. The youth choir singing "Western Front 1992 C.E." over the strange drips and ominous music was very cool although it may have a decidedly niche appeal. "Hung Up and Hanging Out to Dry" spends more time out in the more experimental sounds. These songs were well-placed later in the album as by now I am fully on-board and ready to appreciate them, although I could see how they might inspire the use of the skip-forward button for some. I pretty much fell in love with this entire album. I had thought there was no way I'd make it through the extra 11 tracks of the DELUXE EDITION, but by the end of the original album's quietly appropriate last song "Las Vegas Basement," I was more than happy to hear more. The additional tracks of the Deluxe Edition (an entire album’s worth) consisted largely of music that seemed suited for the lobby of a boutique Millennial hotel or maybe the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. Nearer the end were some alternate versions and very experimental pieces. The Deluxe Edition I didn’t mind but probably wouldn’t visit that often and wouldn’t recommend to new listeners. Judging from PEGGY SUICIDE, Julian Cope is a very interesting person in a profession that is filled with interesting people. One review referred to him as a madman, and that seems apt. This madman's music is fantastic and inventive, the lyrics at some times pointed and other times cryptic, and this album has a lot to say. Madmen can often end up creating unlistenable music. Fortunately I did not find this to be the case here. This album is a wonderful, trippy, exciting journey. Fantastic!

I haven't listened to Mudhoney before. They are somewhat similar to some of the grunge bands I have listened to, with stronger punk influences. I liked it well enough, and there was some good playing going on, but it never really grabbed me. I liked the guitar solo in “Thorn”. “Fuzzgun ‘91” would be great for a grunge beach movie. “Pokin’ Around” was my favorite song - the harmonica was a welcome addition. I don't know if I would have liked this album more if I had listened to it when it was released. Today, I didn’t mind listening to EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FUDGE, but I can't say I'm very motivated to do so again.

After the first two songs I was unsure how to feel about this. It was interesting and unique, I was surprised these lyrics were coming from these young guys, but I wasn’t totally into it. “Don, Aman” changed that. I really liked it. Then “Washer” absolutely blew me away. Really beautiful surprise. This song is incredible. I liked “For Dinner…” a lot. Then “Good Morning, Captain” closed the album with a stunningly good song. This is dark, moody, introspective with widely varying dynamics. It also helps to focus on the lyrics. On subsequent listens, the first two songs still haven’t really connected with me. But those last four songs are really remarkable and I keep thinking about them. Spiderland leaves me feeling haunted.

I had only a vague recollection of Björk when this came up, so I was excited to check DEBUT out. I loved "Human Behavior" - especially the drumbeats that drive it. Definitely have heard this song before and liked it. "Crying" seemed familiar as well, so now I'm starting to wonder if I have heard this before, but I liked the song. "Venus as a Boy" is great! One of my favorites on the album. Such a lush and interesting song. "There's More to Life Than This" had a great beat and some fun backup vocals. I loved the live thing, then in the middle when a door slams and she sounds like she's off singing in some other room. The harp song "Like Someone in Love" was very interesting and sweet. A lush song that sounds both modern and classic. "Big Time Sensuality" sounds like a dance track, with a very unusual lyrical accompaniment. I particularly noted how cohesive the song is despite the music and the lyrics at times feeling like they are coming from two different worlds. Great song! I liked the rest of the album except “The Anchor Song”. In my worst-case scenario I feared the album might have all been like this, but fortunately this was the only one. Otherwise I really enjoy the mix of electronic and traditional instruments that this album brings together. Björk has created a unique, eclectic, largely listenable album. Amazing, fun, unique!

This is one of the most listened to albums of my life. It’s been in heavy rotation since I discovered it in 1987. I cherish every note. I very rarely listen to single songs off this album. I feel incomplete hearing these songs out of context. Throughout my life, artists come and go and return again as my tastes drift. But Kate Bush has been at the core of my listening without pause for over 30 years regardless of what other musical interests I may be pursuing. This album helped me navigate some of the most challenging times in my life. I am hopelessly in debt to Kate Bush. There isn’t no score high enough to reflect that.

It was nice to have this album pop up the week before Halloween. True to its title, HAUNTED DANCEHALL would make a great soundtrack to a Halloween cocktail party. Or any shmoozy cocktail party. Or the dim lobby or lounge in a boutique hotel. I enjoyed having this music on. There are some great beats, unique sounds, and interesting melodies. Hard to pick any favorites as all worked well for me. Loved the music and sounds in “Tow Truck” and “Theme” had some cool beats and guitar. The title track “Haunted Dancehall” was well-titled and would make great music for a horror movie. Loved it! The album isn’t something I’d put on as an activity in and of itself, but it makes great background music for doing other things. The music is interesting without being overly distracting. HAUNTED DANCEHALL is long, but that works fine when I’m listening to it in the background. It’s full of tricks and treats, not boring or annoying as it explores some unique musical soundscapes.

This debut album from Lynyrd Skynyrd packs in four songs I was familiar with and already liked - “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Simple Man” and “Free Bird”. I hadn’t listened to these in a while, but they sound as great as ever. As for the rest of the album: The opening track “I Ain’t The One” sees the singer abandoning the mother of his child using a lot of questionable terms of… endearment? Maybe not something one might write today. The incredibly jaunty but lyrically pointed “Things Goin’ On” takes on the subject of poverty and the environment and is very relevant still today. The song is great. Then the singer in “Mississippi Kid” heads to Alabama with his gun to fetch his woman and kill anyone who might cause him trouble. Not the most positive view of Mississippi I guess. And my least favorite song. “Poison Whiskey” is some pretty great 70s music, strong on guitars and organs. Loved this song about the perils of rotgut whiskey. This album version of “Free Bird” has an organ opening that I think is often not heard on the radio cuts. Man this song is incredible. It could earn this album a 5 on its own, but fortunately it doesn’t have to. An incredible debut from an incredible band.

I haven’t heard of this album before. The opening song was a real surprise. This is a more updated sound than I expected. It didn't feel purely country to me although there were strong country undertones. "Michelangelo", "I Don't Want To Talk About It Now", "Red Dirt Girl", "J'ai fait tout", "One Big Love", "My Antonia" and "Boy from Tupelo" were some of the highlights on my first listen, but going back I could probably add the rest of the songs to this list. This is a solid album! I read that this was the first time Emmylou Harris wrote her own songs (all but one) for an album. It definitely worked for her. The songs are very well crafted. This is a gentle and very strong album from a true legend. I can't think of anything not to like about it.

I have only heard a song here and there from Kraftwerk, mostly from college friends' mixtapes back in the 80s and 90s. But that and Sprockets on Saturday Night Live were enough to give me an idea of what might be in store here... As anticipated TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS is a musical journey, long on electronic music with limited, repetitive lyrics and melodies. At times this album felt almost like a parody - then I remember that this was released in 1977 and realize that this is the source from whence those parodies sprang. "Europe Endless" takes us out of the station and rapidly zipping across the continent. The first station stop along the way is a meditative one. The reflective "The Hall of Mirrors" juxtaposes our watching ourselves with being watched by others in "Showroom Dummies." Back on the train, "Trans Europe Express" chugs out of the station and continues our journey. "Metal on Metal" continues the song - you can practically hear the train whistles. When "Abzug" starts I realize that we are still on "Trans Europe Express" despite the new song title. These three songs blend together without breaks in the music or the theme. "Franz Shubert" is a welcome change of pace after the previous song trilogy. It's a simple but very meditative song that I found not unpleasant. Like the previous three songs, this blurs seamlessly into "Endless Endless". It seems that our journey will go on... At times this album had me looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being pranked, but the repetitious patterns in the songs became strangely soothing. Once one separates the memes that followed from the original, Kraftwerk's huge contribution to electronic music pull into sharp focus. I enjoyed taking this journey, but like a journey across Europe likely won't be making this a daily commute. Still it might make for great meditation or to lull you away from waking life.

I've listened to this album many times, but probably not since the early 80s when my sister moved out of our house and took her album collection with her. Live albums aren't usually my jam as I generally prefer the cleaner sound of a studio recording. The crowd and background sounds are often distracting to me . Was that sound at the 0:55 mark in Wind of Change the sound of - a gunshot? balloon popping...? I quite enjoyed listening to this album though. It is well recorded and I enjoyed the 70s arena rock vibe. Even the 14 minutes of "Do You Feel Like We Do" didn't wear on me. Frampton's songs are solid 70s rock and he knows how to deliver them live. FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! is easy to like as the big hits I am familiar with were actually from this album. There is an intensity Frampton's live performance brings that explains why this is one of the greatest live rock recordings.

I'm so happy this is on the list! Anyone who thinks they know ABBA and haven't heard THE VISITORS have missed a major part of the ABBA story. This was their last album before their long hiatus. It was crafted as their group and their relationships were coming apart. Through it all every song sparkles with incredible craftsmanship, creativity and variety. The cover art shows the group dramatically shadowed entirely separate staring in different directions. It's a dramatic cover and a clear signal that this album will be a bit different... and maybe signaled their breakup to come. From the first notes breaking into pulsing synthesizers and Frida's dramatic delivery there is a clear change in tone over previous ABBA releases. I still get chills hearing it. "The Visitors" is a driving, paranoid opening with a great beat. ABBA can paint detailed, interesting images and tell such vivid stories in their songs, and “Head Over Heels” is one of many examples of this. "When All Is Said And Done" brings the breakups the group were navigating at the time to the surface. It's a great song that captures a level of maturity we should all strive for when our relationships end. "Soldiers" addresses the seriousness of war and is one of my favorite songs on the album. "Soldiers write the songs that soldiers sing the songs that you and I don't sing." This remains a bit too applicable to the 21st century filled with war that went on for decades while most of us paid little attention. "I Let The Music Speak" is a tribute that shows the appreciation of music itself, a subject ABBA visits often. This song clearly foreshadows later work Benny and Bjorn would do writing the musical Chess. "One Of Us" is a heartbreaking song of the ambivalence that accompanies breakups made even more impactful when considering the circumstances of the group performing it. Such a powerful expression of regret. Things get a little lighter with "Two for the Price of One" where ABBA shows off their cheekier side in the story of a lonely man who answers an ad and gets more than he bargained for. Another exceptionally crafted song that tells a fun, delightful story. "Slipping Through My Fingers" beautifully captures the feelings of a parent seeing their daughter grow up. Really amazing song. "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" is the last song on the original album and is a beautiful, meditative, wistful ending to the album. I love this song so much. The extra tracks released over the years have been a treat, some of them better than others. "Should I Laugh Or Cry", "Cassandra", "Under Attack", and "The Day Before You Came" are among my favorites of the new tracks. They've been some sustenance over the years... I also enjoyed the inclusion of "From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel" on the Deluxe Edition that gives a peek into the evolution of a song. For newcomers, though, the album has more impact with its original ending. I have loved Abba since buying the Super Trouper album back in 1981 and remained a huge fan even as most of the world moved on. Abba has created some of the greatest pop music ever so it is a great relief that they are represented on this list. There are still plenty of music snobs who ignorantly dismiss ABBA without ever considering the intricacy of their arrangements or the emotional depth in these songs. I'm glad to see much of that has faded away. For me personally this is a particularly special opportunity to opine on THE VISITORS as part of this project a week before the release of their next new studio album - 40 years later! I am thrilled to share my deep feelings for this album knowing that this isn't their last and that ABBA will continue to enrich us with new music.

I wasn’t sure if I would be into this. Hearing this might be a bootleg tape gave me visions of terribly audio quality - and I struggle at times with Dylan's vocals. Fortunately the audio quality seemed good for something with "bootleg" in the title. Although on the first 3 songs I struggled Dylan’s delivery, I started to enjoy the album during “Visions of Johanna”. “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “Desolation Row” was very good and where I started to relate more to the album. At the end of the first album I was still not sure how to rank this. I was not yet really enjoying the listen despite the brilliant songs and extremely talented performance. Was I going to have to give this 3 stars since I had no interest in adding it to my music collection? When the second disc in the set started with the band everything changed. The band helped click everything into place and I really started loving the music. They helped smooth over the parts of the vocals that I had found grating. The lyrics took on a new urgency. And everything became much more fun! I was hearing some of that heckling from the audience because Dylan had "sold out." I guess I am one of those unwashed masses that Dylan sold out for, because I really like him when he plugs in. I'm so glad he ignored the haters and expanded how he presented his music. I'm glad to have the opportunity to experience "pure" Dylan in disc one, but I'm not really interested in listening to it again. When Dylan started working with the band my appreciation of him moved from my head to my heart.

I love the album cover, but have no clue what is in store. And after the first two songs I don’t have my bearings. I’m think I might be enjoying this - but I feel a little lost. Is this music from India? The songs hint of something exotic… or not? I’m not sure. I like the lyrics, and love the cracking and vibrato in the singer’s voice. By the time I get to “Poughkeepsie” I don’t feel any more grounded. When he starts listing Elvis songs I don’t know what to make of this. I feel like I may be in a parallel universe. This music is familiar and yet very alien. “Dogs They Make Up The Dark” happens and I don’t know if I like it or not. With “Will Is My My Friend” I’m sensing something really beautiful. But I still can’t bring it into focus. As I listen to “This Beard Is For Siobhan” I’m still unable to get a lock on this album or how I feel about it. I understand the words but this is really beyond me. Everything about this album feels just out of my reach. There’s something tantalizing and… amazing?… here, but I can’t quite grasp it. Nor can I walk away. The instrumental “Tit Smoking In The Temple Of Artesan Mimicry” happens then “Rejoicing In The Hands”… am I listening to something in the Asian tradition? As I listen to “Fall” I’m starting to think I need a guide. Did I say “Asian tradition” earlier? Here’s “Todo Los Delores”. The false start is enchanting. Who is Devendra Barnhart? What am I listening to? This album has affected me deeply. But it is also defying me. And I don’t know how I feel about it. “Insect Eyes” is really disconcerting. How can I be listening to a song and be so on the verge of love and hate at the same time?! As I listen I return to the cover art and it now feels soothing and sinister. “Autumn’s Child” is a dirge that draws me in while offering no satisfaction. The album ends. Listening to this was confounding, tantalizing, intriguing, maddening, soothing, familiar, alien. I am moved, repulsed, seduced, repelled and adrift. REJOICING IN THE HANDS confounds my effort to assign a score. It’s almost as if it has opened the door to a parallel universe. I have no idea if that is somewhere I want to be. Yet I am compelled to listen again… …on the second listen I really enjoyed this. Still not confident I know what this is all about, but I’m ready to take my little teeth out dancing and show them a real good time.

Talk about a moody album! This album could make a great movie soundtrack. “Sour Times” feels like it could be a theme for a James Bond movie. The same holds true for most of the songs on the album to some degree. I love the lead singer and the music. I really enjoyed listening to this twice and will listen again. It is particularly good as background music while I work or as music to relax to at the end of the day. It is filled with unique sounds and samples but is oh so smooth. It’s great that DUMMY has come to my attention, because I should be listening to more Portishead. I definitely understand why this album made the 1001 list.

I’ve listened to songs by Orbital in the past, but this was my first time hearing a full album. I really enjoyed this album. The music is interesting and has that 90s electronic music sound with a lot of cool samples. Great music to listen to while working! My favorite songs: Forever, Crash and Carry, Kein Trink Wasser, Are We Here?

I LOVE this album cover and title. I also read that Frank Black was legitimately named Teenager of the Year. So I really wanted to love this. I didn’t think I had heard Frank Black before, but I did have in my library his cover of “Sugar Daddy” from the Wig In A Box album celebrating the music from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Pixies are also a band I feel like I should know but don’t. So I’m jazzed to listen to this… I started off wondering if this was a punk album, but while the influences are strong it’s not that... “(I Want To Live On An) Abstract Plain” and “Calistan” are amazing! The guitar solo is awesome in “The Vanishing Spies”. “Speedy Marie” is fantastic and introduced me to the word ‘romaunt’. This is a smart album! Then comes “Headache” - another incredible song. Wow wow wow! A song about the aqueducts built by Mulholland?! Holy shit! This album is officially off the hook incredible. How many times can I keep saying how great a song is? How many songs are on this album…? A song about ‘pong’?! ‘Pachinko’ and ‘Parcheesi’?! Rhyming ‘potlatch’ with ‘Sasquatch’?! ‘Chateaubriand’ in the lyrics?! Photon powered spacecraft?! The 60s sci fi show The Invaders?! Not to mention I now know the word ‘thalassocracy’! Throw in catchy as hell music and… LOVE LOVE LOVE! You know an album is great when you keep saying ‘oh THIS is the best song on the album’ over and over as you listen. TEENAGER OF THE YEAR has that. It is a fantastic album that I can’t wait to listen to again. So much going on and so much still to discover!

Haven’t ever listened to Nas before this and this isn't a genre I have much experience with... The rap on this is impressive, albeit with the occasional problematic lyrics. The music has lots of 90s flair, although iI found it was a little stripped down for me as the music and samples could become monotonous. Although I guess maybe that's part of the deal here since the focus is on the rap. I liked listening to this. Although I don't see myself listening to the whole album, there are some songs I will revisit again. Hovering around a 3.5 rating so I guess I'll round it up since the rap is so strong. Favorite songs: “Life’s A Bitch”, "Memory Lane (Sit-in' in da Park)", "Represent", "Ain't Hard To Tell".

Well this is interesting - reviewed Nas yesterday and today this Common album opens with a reference to "Big Nas." I assume that is the same guy? It's interesting because these two have some pretty different vibes in their music. Not to mention this album is centered around Chicago while Nas' is all New York. I have seen Common perform live a few times at music festivals and really enjoyed it. So I was excited to have a chance to check out one of his albums I've never heard. I loved the album. The music and samples are fantastic, and Common is so good. I particularly love the warm and cozy music that accompanies most of the tracks, with the electric organ enticing you to settle in and listen to the lyrics. "Be (intro)" is a great opening. Other songs that jumped out at me included "The Corner", "Go!", "Love Is...", "Chi-City", and "They Say". But I guess I can say all the songs are quite good. My favorite I think is "Real People". I love the smooth easy-listening vibe with the saxophone. Yet Common's performance still tackles a lot of uncomfortable observations of the world around him. I listened to this three times in a row... just kept letting it repeat and was happy to hear the songs again. A beautiful album!

The album cover had me instantly intrigued. If I had seen this in a record store I would have picked it up. But I had no idea what I was in for. When “Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space” started I immediately started to feel chills. As advertised, seems like the perfect music for floating in space. I found it incredibly beautiful, teasing me with some kind of familiarity. At the close of the song the chills returned as I realized what was happening. An incredible opening that immediately earned the album a place in my library. “Come Together” certainly feels like it belongs with the opening number, but it has a much stronger rock vibe. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now on a musical journey to I know not where… “I Think I’m In Love” stood out with its lyrics. ‘Think I can rock and roll, probably just twisting’ or ‘Think that I’m a winner, Baby, probably Las Vegas’ or ‘Think I’m on fire, probably just smoking.’ I love this song. The spacey orientation of this album might result in a sterile void, but the songs feel intensely personal. The subject of “All Of My Thoughts” sounds lost after losing someone very special. Song of the songs have a strong psychedelic sound. And then there’s a sort of spacey, trippy folk sound in “Home of the Brave” I very much liked. “Broken Heart” is heartbreaking masterpiece of a song. Incredible and beautiful. It was surprising in “Cop Shoot Cop” to hear John Prine quoted in this song. The song is great - a perfect closer to the album, although I imagine its runtime and long solo will be off-putting to some. Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space is an otherworldly album that combines rock with a modern wall of sound, at times bordering on religious music with organs and gospel choirs - even taking the occasional almost-jazz break. The songs are lush and richly woven, complex structures that evoke wonder and grandeur. While occasional parts of this album went on a bit long here and there, the high points on this album left me a bit awestruck. There are so many occasions that I will want to hear this again. Spectacular.

Have never heard of this group before. As I listened to the album the first time I felt like I might be hearing something very modern what with its odd song structures and airy backing vocals. Is this some post-modern new wave or something? I kept thinking that maybe this is a little too modern for me? I did not feel comfortable listening to this album. There was something persistently alien that prevented me from enjoying this. I started listening a second time but abandoned that attempt after I started feeling annoyed. BITTE ORCA is some new kind of music to me, but I don’t see myself wanting to hear any more of this. There is real talent on display but ultimately I feel unable to relate to this… even though I kind of wish I did.

Holy cow! This is so much fun! At first I thought "Oh good - instrumental music to work by." That went out the window right away as "Wild Jungle" had my feet pulling me out of my chair to dance to the frenetic music. Those TPS Reports were not being well-served by KENYA. "Congo Mulence" took things down a notch, but didn't really get me back to work. Instead I just sat there swaying to the music imagining myself in a 1950s lounge drinking Pink Squirrels and Blue Hawaiians. For the rest of the album there wasn't a moment I wasn't enjoying this. I was transported elsewhere for the duration just listening, dancing and grooving. What's bad for productivity is great for my mental state. I love this album. It is so lively and the big band really swings! My only regret is I didn't get to see this performed live. Really happy this made the list!

Leonard Cohen is an artist who I have always felt I should know more about than I do. I have a familiarity with the seemingly endless stream of “Hallelujah” covers, which is a wonderful but overexposed song. Beyond that I don’t know much. This album is a bit tough for me. It’s so downbeat - at times almost absurdly so. Reminded me of some of my efforts with Bob Dylan. But I love a lot of the lyrics and music. My favorite songs: Avalanche, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Diamonds in the Mine (thank god for the backup singers), Famous Blue Raincoat. After trying unsuccessfully to enjoy listening to this on my second listen, I sought out some of the covers listed on the Wikipedia page. Aimee Man’s cover of “Avalanche” is awesome, I watched the TV series that it served as the theme for and loved it but didn’t recognize it as the same song. I also knew and loved Tori Amos’ cover of “Famous Blue Raincoat”. The Jennifer Warnes cover is also fantastic. Both make the song so much better. Allison Crowe’s cover of “Joan of Arc” is great as well. Clearly I like Leonard Cohen as a songwriter more than a singer. I can appreciate the occasional song but this entire album is too much.

Had not listened to this before, but had heard about half the songs previously. It has a great album cover! My favorite song on this album, and possibly of the Beatles, is "Eleanor Rigby." I read on the Wikipedia page that the string octet was inspired by the soundtrack to PSYCHO. I love that soundtrack so I guess it isn't such a surprise I love this song. I also already loved the songs "Taxman," "Here, There and Everywhere," "Yellow Submarine," "Good Day Sunshine," "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" (which rivals Eleanor Rigby for my favorite Beatles song). The rest of the album was new and I liked them on first listen. Probably my favorite of the new songs were "Doctor Robert." The song seems to imply this doctor might not be completely on the level... "For No One" stood out to me. I also found "Tomorrow Never Knows" to be an amazing end to the album. I love its epic psychedelic structure. It's easy to see why this was such an important and beloved album. It overflows with musical ideas and packs a huge punch for its relatively short runtime.

I'm familiar with later White Stripes, but not this album. This album rocks! It feels a bit like classic 70s rock to me a lot of the time, which is a good thing. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is one of the harder rocking songs. I wouldn't have been surprised to have heard something like this from Bad Company in the 1970s. Great opening to the album! "Hotel Yorba" has a really great jaunty beat and a fantastic chorus. SO so good. One of my favorites. "I'm Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman" is a slower but still awesome rocker with some great organ. Really great organ. "Fell In Love With A Girl" leans away from 70s hard rock and more towards punk. It's another impressive song and makes me wonder how a single person created such a diversity of songs. There is not a song on this album that I don't like or love. "Expecting" has a very interesting stuttering guitar. "Little Room" brings an intense drumbeat with some incredible vocalizations by Jack White. This guy is amazing. "The Union Forever" is a dark, moody rock song and I love Jack's voice with its incredible intensity especially as it cracks on the choruses. Then suddenly near the end has a vocal solo accompanied by a tapping drumstick before lapsing back into its somber melody. Incredible! "The Same Boy You've Always Known" is one of my absolute favorite songs on this album. Again that strong 70s rock vibe with a beautiful vocal performance. This is a perfect rock song. "We're Going To Be Friends" is a really sweet song that is about a school day in the lives of a couple of kids that perfectly captures that infatuation and joy of a young kid making a new friend. It gave me chills in its ability to take me back to the best times in elementary school. "Offend in Every Way" has really great, interesting guitar work and that strong beat that drives so many of The White Stripes' songs. I can rave about all the rest of the songs. But instead I will just wrap up by noting that this is one hell of an album that offers so much. Rock was alive and well at the turn of the 20th century in this incredible album. There is great variety but the album holds together well. Really liked the piano-driven closing song "This Protector." Meg White joins in to great effect! One of my favorite listens in what has been a journey filled with great listens. This is a great rock album!

I’ve been waiting for some Beach Boys music, as I have only been exposed to their greatest hits and was pretty sure I was missing out on something. I had no idea how true that was... “Don’t Go Near The Water” seemed like a strange opening for an album entitled SURF’S UP by The Beach Boys. But I loved the song. It is heartbreaking how applicable it is 50 years later. I instantly loved “Long Promised Road” with its quiet verses and rocking choruses. The bridge was so beautiful. Couple that with the deep and complex lyrics... such an impressive song. “Take a Load Off Your Feet” is really wild! Strange as it starts off talking about wrinkly feet. “Take good care of your feet, Pete”. Bizarre sound effects abound in this song, including car horns, clanking plates. I loved it! I also loved this version of “Disney Girls (1957)”. Really like the three-syllable treatment of ‘Disney’. I have always loved this song but did a disservice to myself by not seeking out this original. There is so much more dimension in this performance than the covers I've heard. “Student Demonstration Time” has a unique feel but is very well done and catchy - a bit surprising since it is documenting student riots and police shootings. The synthesizer siren is pretty cool - quite a song. "Feel Flows" is so unique and beautiful. "Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul recall senses sadly". The complicated lyrics along with the sort of weird backward overdubbing makes for a really psychedelic while still unmistakably The Beach Boys. I love this song. "Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" is so applicable today it disturbs me to think of how little progress our world has made despite the technical revolutions of the last 5 decades. Really incredible. "A Day in The Life of a Tree" contrasts dramatically to something like "Feel Flows." This elegiac song starts off an you might not suspect it was The Beach Boys. But as the organ swells those unmistakable harmonies join in and the song begins to soar. Another really incredible song. "'Til I Die" is really a beautiful and haunting song that is such a prime example of the happy/sad currents underlying the Beach Boys music. "Surf's Up" is an epic ending to the album that left me stunned. Haunting. The song craft on SURF'S UP is beyond belief. The songs' deep environmental, personal and sociological themes are still sharp and even more pertinent today. I've already listened to this 5 times and every time I get more out of each song. This is one incredible album that has completely changed how I think about The Beach Boys.

I SEE A DARKNESS is the first album I've listened to from Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It's a pretty downbeat affair, and when I first started listening I worried that it might become tedious. This album was anything but that... "A Minor Place" seemed like a pretty down song on the first listen. Then after hearing the album I realized it was one of the more upbeat tracks, relatively speaking. "Nomadic Revelry (All Around)" is basically a love song, albeit a rather somber one. It would seem death is never far regardless of the nature of the song. I absolutely loved "I See A Darkness". Lyrics about the existential struggle of living that runs as an undercurrent to our friendships - those friends that we seek as a refuge from the darkness. Really moving song that gave me chills. My favorite song on the album. Incredible. The introspection continues with "Another Day Full of Dread" that lives up to the title. It is followed by "Death To Everyone" that contrary to what one might assume is not an angry threat but another existential exploration of death. The fun of living is a real positive part of the lyrics. You'd never know it if you weren't listening carefully. The remainder of the album continues in this vein, with what might be a downbeat sea shanty ("Madeleine-Mary"?), a redemption song (or prayer? - "Today I Was An Evil One"), and more somber, existential explorations. The album closes with "Raining in Darling", a dirge-like - dare I say - love song? A really beautiful dirge of a love song. This is a really bleak album that I would not suggest as the soundtrack to your next party. Many of the songs do have climaxes where the energy increases, but not by doing much with the tempo - instead by the swelling arrangements. Still that shouldn't put anyone off - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is a master of making somber songs about somber subjects very listenable and absolutely beautiful. This is a really impressive album that I will be listening to again.

Some big band jazz! I don't have a lot of experience with this genre, but I enjoyed listening to this album. The first thing I noticed was how clean the recording sounds. I guess I halfway expect music from 1958 sound like an old recording, but this sounded crisp and clean to me in my headphones, in the car, and on my home equipment. Some observations and highlights for me: The piano work in "The Kid from Red Bank" The muted trumpets in "Duet" and "Splanky" That warm, cocktail vibe of "After Supper" The saxophone in "Flight of the Foo Birds", "Double-O", "Whirly-Bird", "Splanky", "Fantail" I like the musical arrangements - they showcased various parts of the band well without become tiresome. The album flowed along well. The album cover and title seem a little insensitive especially 13 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That disturbed me a bit. I guess it fit into the 50s fetishization of nuclear power. Still... Aside from that quibble this was a welcome change of pace and a fun album to listen to.

I haven't listened to this album in quite a while - so it was good to have this opportunity to revisit it. On this listen the similarities to the Electric Light Orchestra stood out. The way that many of their songs have distinct, contrasting "movements" and their use or orchestral instruments and the string arrangements at times had me thinking Arcade Fire is a sort of alternative music evolution of ELO. I love the song "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)." The music and vocal performance transports me to the snow covered landscape of the song. "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" with its shouty delivery and accordion tackles dysfunctional family dynamics and sacrificial lambs by referencing Laika, the first creature sent on a one-way trip into space. "So the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights." Incredible imagery and a great song. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" is one of my favorite songs on the album. The xylophone is a fantastic addition to this song that starts with a power failure and goes to so many places from there… Crown of Love's" heartbreaking exploration of love and its impermanence shows the softer side of Arcade Fire, until it builds to a frenetic ending. So good. "Wake Up" is a masterpiece. 'We're just a million little gods causing rain storms turning every good thing to rust.' Wow. "Rebellion (Lies)" is a close contender for favorite song on the album. The key changes on "Every time you close your eyes" are so great. "In The Backseat" gives the lead vocals to Régine Chassagne and is a cool change to end the album on. I love the feelings evoked of just riding in the backseat... and at times her voice is very reminiscent of Björk to me - so compelling. I love this album. FUNERAL's strong underlying themes of family and community are explored with a desperation that is palpable. A fantastic debut from Arcade Fire that has more than earned its place on this list!

I enjoyed this bluesy early 70s rock way more than I expected to. The recording sounds fantastic and the music is really well done. The performances are so energized and visceral. These guys are really great here! Loved the rockin' tracks like "High Flyin' Baby" and "Have You Seen My Baby." "Yesterday's Numbers" has a fantastic vocal performance... one of my favorite tracks. The title track's rockin' blues vibe and supporting harmonica runs through this album like a freight train. Great stuff! There's a great bluesy vibe really evident in "City Lights" about a country boy headed to NYC to see 'the empire's tallest building where the plane shot that big monkey, and they killed him.' You also get a dose of the 50s in songs like "32-20", "Evil Hearted Ada" (which could be an early Elvis song) and "Doctor Boogie" (with a particularly fun performance by the lead singer). The last song of the original album release "Whiskey Woman" is a great closer to the album. Love this song. I prefer stopping there for the album listening experience and not playing the six additional tracks added in 1999. Not that any of the additional songs are bad - in fact I liked them - but the album really feels most complete in its original incarnation. Maybe I'm just getting tired of great albums feeling a bit compromised when bonus tracks are tacked on willy-nilly in their re-releases. I really dig this album... happy to welcome Flamin' Groovies aboard my musical library!

Fuck. I have loved this album since I first listened to it shortly after its release in 1988. But I haven't listened to the album in the last decade or two. When I saw it pop up here, I was happy to revisit it. Then I started listening. "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" started broke my heart as the lyrics came flooding back before I heard them again. They stabbed my heart as I realized 33 years have passed and there was no revolution. Poor people didn't rise up. Economic inequality instead accelerated to ridiculous proportions. And we all watched. As the remaining songs unfold I am devastated. All of them as relevant today as they ever were. The songs on this album say so much so well. They are so much more painful today than in 1988. Then I listened through eyes of hope. Thirty-three years later I listen through eyes of despair. I had no idea... The shadows cast from this album's light in 2021 are so much darker than in 1988. I desperately seek refuge in Tracy Chapman's voice. It's so warm and beautiful as it twists a knife in my soul. This is one of the hardest things I've listened to. Still I wouldn't change a note. I'm at a loss of what, if anything, I can or should do about it. "Look at me losing control Thinking I had a hold But with feelings this strong I'm no longer the master of my emotions. No words to say No words to convey..."

This isn't exactly my type of music and not the kind of thing I'll play often, but I'm very glad to have listened to it. At times the recording were a bit muddy, but the simplicity of the arrangements - a guitar and a voice - made this less of an issue. The album is under "Compilations" in Apple Music and this certainly feels like a compilation rather than a cohesive album to me. The songs deal with lots of subjects – old dogs, boll weevils, bed bugs, dogs, cocaine, 20 mule team borax, love, prison... My favorite songs: The Boll Weevil, Old Blue (from the reissue) Not adding this to my library but a pleasant listen!

This Queen album was new to me. The only song I knew was “Killer Queen” (a classic!). I loved it. Really nice early Queen that has a strong rock edge in the guitar solos (“Brighton Rock”) mixed in with some very prog-rock sounds all mixed together with Queen’s pure glam! “Killer Queen” is easy to identify as the big single off the album - it’s arrangements, little sound effect touches, and the way the instruments and the bands voices play together make it a no-brainer hit record. The big surprise was how much great Queen I have yet to discover. I loved the rock sound of “Tenement Funster” - this is a great song that joins with the two songs that follow into an incredible song trilogy. It has a more straight rock sound. Then it blends seamlessly into “Flick of the Wrist” that starts with a great piano interlude and takes things in a darker direction. This feels like more of a prog-rock song that blends seamlessly into “Lily of the Valley” which begins with ‘baby you’ve been had,’ a line from “Flick of the Wrist” that starts the third movement of this trio. This song is piano driven and a beautiful ending to this song trilogy. These three songs need to be listened to as a group to really appreciate, reminding us that there will always be a place for albums even in our digital future as the three songs are so much more when listened to together than they are as separate pieces. “Dear Friends” is a really sweet song of hope (in the best way). “Misfire” and its rhythm is so great! I love this song. Wow Wow Wow. And a love song subtitled “Stormtrooper in Stilettos”? I LOVE QUEEN! This album is spectacular Queen that brings me a lot of much needed joy and hope. Listening to it made me feel like I was listening to Queen for the first time again. So amazing! I will be coming back to this often!!!

Love the early 70s synths. Knew a lot of the songs, although not in this form. “That Lady” is great. Was fun to hear their spins on “You Walk Your Way,” “Listen to the Music,” “Sunshine (Go Away Today)”, and “Summer Breeze.” Will add several of these songs to the library

I loved this album, even though the first time I listened to it tracks 2-8 were not the correct songs. Seems Apple Music has the wrong songs associated with tracks 4-8 were the wrong songs. Whatever songs those were I listened to the first time sounded like Hanoi Rocks and I really liked them... After re-listening with the correct tracks (than you YouTube): I LOVE THIS ALBUM. This band is really amazing. Some pretty strong rock tracks in here ("Malibu Beach Nightmare") with some punk and glam and 50s stuff - all blended together into BACK TO MYSTERY CITY. There are touches of Queen, Meat Loaf, the B-52s, the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack - all have done some similar mixing before… What's great here is Hanoi Rocks has their own spin on these winning combinations. I loved every song on here. The styles varied a bit but still felt like a cohesive album. Some wild fun sound-effect shenanigans in the opening and scattered here and there - like the farm animals in "Tooting Bec Wreck", the spacey echoey effects in "Until I Get You,” the bells in “Ice Cream Summer.” Well done without being overdone. This is some of the best punk/rock/glam/50's style music around. I wish I had discovered them in the 80s as I think it would have enhanced my adolescence. Nevertheless lots of fun now, the lyrics were interesting, and I will listen to this often. And after being exposed to some additional Hanoi Rocks through the misidentified mystery tracks, will follow up with some more of their albums. HANOI ROCKS ROCKS!

This was a fun surprise. Run DMC are definitely entertaining, and I was already very familiar with “It’s Tricky” and “Walk This Way.” Hearing those songs again was a lot of fun. Those two songs alone earn the album a place in my library, and the Aerosmith collaboration is an amazing highlight in the history of rap and rock. Some of the highlights from the rest of the album: “Peter Piper” was a fun opening! I liked all the nursery rhymes references and the clanging bell. It also had an advantage to be the first song, meaning all the bragging wasn’t played out yet… “My Adidas” was fun and I enjoyed it… at times I they used the singular ‘Adida’ but that wasn’t reflected in the printed lyrics I found. I loved the sound of a singular Adida and want to refer to an individual Adidas sneaker as such henceforth. The guitar work in “Hit It Run” made it stand out and was a refreshing addition. When I heard “You Be Illin’” I realized I had heard that one before. It’s pretty good. While the ground this album is built upon is well-trod today, in 1986 this was really exciting and new. There’s a lot of boasting and some misogyny that could be throttled back a bit for my taste. Some of the songs wear a bit thin and likely will not attract me to future listens, but overall this was appealing. The highlights more than make up for the deficiencies of this album.

This is really nice chill out or background music… something you would expect to hear in a trendy bar or hotel. Very nice to hang out with - I found it quite pleasant for background music while I worked. I can think of many occasions where this is the sort of music I would really want to play. This isn't the kind of album that will reach out and grab you, but instead the music sidles up and puts its arm around you. I didn't spend a lot of time distinguishing between the songs. Instead I just grooved along and let it flow around me. The album coheres very well while still having some clear individuality between the songs. The (Digital Deluxe) edition I listened to adds 4 extra tracks at the end. All four were worth hearing and didn’t detract from the flow of the original in any way I noticed. Good stuff!

I knew Buck Owens from Hee Haw and the Grand Ol' Opry, but have never sat and listened to one of his albums. I'm glad I have remedied that deficiency. This is great classic country performed by great musicians with great country themes. Lots of heartbreak, but nary a hint of gun violence or misogyny that seems to have become more common in later years. I have always loved the song "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail." It sounds as good as ever. "Trouble and Me" seemed familiar too - it's a great song! I liked the juxtaposition on side A of "Let the Sad Times Roll On" and side B "We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll." Visiting all the emotional stops on this train! "Wham Bam" is a great song about staying single. Very clever chorus and a lot of fun! Other highlights I enjoyed included the deep bass vocal in "The Streets of Laredo." "A Maiden's Prayer" had great fiddling. And they did justice to "Memphis." The two extra live tracks were fine additions to the original album. "This Ol' Heart" and "Act Naturally" are great songs performed so well! I would have loved to have seen Buck perform live. Really fun listening to this - some good old fashioned country from a master who shows us how it's done!

Is this the 21st Century successor to Steely Dan? That’s the thought I had when I started listening to this. Really a fascinating album. I don’t know what I liked more: the interesting music or the lyrics... Songs like “Captain Stupido” (‘beat your meat, go to sleep, I think I left my wallet at the club’) explore the routine of daily life. How about a celebration of cats? Check out “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)” (‘Everybody wants to be a cat, it’s cool to be a cat… meow, meow, meow, meow)’. *swoon* As if the Steely Dan feel wasn’t enough, we get a REAL TREAT in “Show You The Way” (‘Tell ‘em how you feel, Kenny… KENNY LOGGINS’ *clap*clap*clap* ‘Ladies and gentlemen, MICHAEL MCDONALD’ *clap*clap*clap*). “Drink Dat” (‘The night is almost over but we still wanna party, Ain’t no one here sober the weed I’m rollin’s gnarly’) is a great after-party song. Actually the whole album would work well for that setting. There are love songs and topical references for millennials like in “The Turn Down” (‘Oh, ‘cause look at the mess we’ve made, who’s gonna clean it up? Oh my God, where’s Captain Planet?’) and “Tokyo” (‘It was Dragonball Z, a wrist slap bracelet’). The song titles often left me wondering where they came from… I look forward to future listens to unlock more of this album’s secrets! This is a smooth, jazzy, wildly interesting, wonderful album. Loved it SO much. Now that I’m familiar with the music, the submerged album cover has changed from scary to endearing. Man this album spills over with fun! I had no idea anything like this did (or could!) exist in 2017. The lyrics overflow cleverness - I could fill several pages with great quotes. Throw in guest spots from Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Wiz Khalifa and this is a super cool five star ride. Utterly brilliant!

DISCO lives forever! Fantastic album. Kept finding myself dancing for pretty much for the full hour. The cats thought I had lost it. The sampling on this album is wonderful. These songs are complex and cohesive sample assemblies that had me constantly lit up with moments of recognition. “Is that The Hustle?” “Fleetwood Mac!” “It’s Debbie Reynolds!” “There’s Holiday!” “The NBC Mystery Movie Theme?!” “You’re crazier than a coconut!” “Isn’t that a Disney short?” I’m not singling out any songs. This album is too fun as a whole journey. Fun fun fun yes indeed!

I never owned this album in the 80s, but I wished I had. Given the large number of albums where the non-hit tracks weren’t great, I think I would have liked most of this album then. Still, better late than never. My favorite Human League song (“Don’t You Want Me”)appears on this album. How surprising that the lead singer thought it the weakest track on the album and buried it at the end of side B. It is still my favorite song on the album, but I’m glad to have some new candidates for the position after listening to this album. “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” is a great song! I’m not sure how I missed it all these years (I think it was released as a single?) but glad to know it now. “Open Your Heart” was a single in the UK (not sure about the US) that I also missed. I quite like this song as well. “The Sound of the Crowd” is really fun and catchy and makes me want to go to all the 80s clubs. So much 80s fun! By the third listen I liked all the songs on this. Amazed to hear a Casio VL-1 as the sole instrument on “Get Carter”. Too cool! Great album!

A friend of mine years ago made me a mix tape, and on it was the song “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I loved that song, but never further investigated the group behind it. I’m glad to have the opportunity to rectify that now. FEVER TO TELL is a gritty, passionate carnival of song lead by an incredible snarling, cooing, moaning, screaming vocal performance by Karen O supported mostly by grinding guitars and pounding drums. The opening number “Rich” was exhilarating to me as the album opened, then “Date With The Night” amps things up a few notches with some incredible vocals shouting ‘CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE.’ Then in a 1-2-3 punch Karen O takes it up another notch in “Man.” WOW what a song. She punctuates the song with this sort of falsetto that is incredible. “Tick” follows and seems to just rocket the album forward. The energy is incredible as she ‘tick tick tick tick ticks’ and ‘loo-oo-oo-oo-ooses’ her way through the song. The ‘tick tick ticks’ at the end are incredible. Karen O is constantly surprising to me - witness “Black Tongue’s” ‘uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-ooooh!’ The lyrics are a lot of fun too, ‘boy you’re just a stupid bitch and girl, you just a no good dick.’ More fun ensues in “Pin” with the crazy ‘bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, dunno, dunno, dunno, dunno’ lyrics. “Cold Light” has such a great opening. A slower song still with all the energy. “No No No” has a great slow-fast thing going on. By the time I get to “Maps” it was so exciting to hear those opening drums again. Funny in the context of the album it is one of the quieter songs thus far. It almost feels like Karen O is holding back on this one. “Y Control” continues along that energy level, then we get “Modern Romance,” a softer almost intimate song, followed by “Poor Song,” a really quiet, almost dirge-like ending to the album that brings the whole thing to a quiet, sudden stop. This was a lot of fun to listen to. I also love looking at the album cover. Absolutely loved it!

Awesome album. Most of the older Aerosmith stuff I know were the Greatest Hits, so the first two tracks were expectedly great (love the whinnying and clip clops in the opening of “Back in the Saddle”). The rest of the album I wasn’t so familiar with, but I loved it all! The four times I listened to it today had me digging all the songs. It’s Aerosmith. I should have been listening to this album for most of life.

When I was a kid I loved going through other people’s record collections and playing new albums. I remember discovering Roger Whitaker, Marty Robbins and Dr. Hook at my aunt’s house. My parents collection lead me to Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, Sam Cooke, Mohamed El-Bakker & His Oriental Ensemble, Waylon Jennings, Barbra Streisand, Santana and Bette Midler. My sister’s collection turned me on to the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, .38 Special, Elton John and Bad Company. Today I realized that I am loving this web site so much because each day feels like pulling a new record out of someone’s unexplored record collection. A new album cover appears and I instantly begin to speculate on what exciting new listening experience is next… Like the wildly random listening experiences of my youth, after listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Aerosmith out pops some smooth, jazzy Brazilian music from the 70s. And jazzed I am! Halfway through this album my stress had melted away and the morning was looking great! Elis Regina’s vocal delivery is always spot-on. The arrangements are never boring. The supporting vocals fantastic. I love this album so much. This is another perfect listening experience is a week of perfect listening experiences. I would have replayed VENTO DE MAIO over and over as a kid, and have already started doing so as an adult. From the interesting key of the opening song “Vento de Maio” through the glorious choir in “O Trem Azul” to the groovy guitar and scatting in the closing song “Aprendendo a Jogar” I enjoyed every note. A truly wonderful album!

I love Stereolab, although for some reason I had never gone back and listened to this album before. I’m glad it came up because it is an album worth hearing! This album is chock full of interesting, vivid soundscapes that are perfect for chilling out to. Stereolab has a very distinct sound, but also mix things up enough that their songs are quite distinct and interesting. The lyrics aren’t so much the focus in a Stereolab song as they are another instrument. Some French, some English, but it wasn’t until the middle of some of the English songs that I realized they were singing my language. Even so, if you attend to them the lyrics often have very interesting topics they explore. My French is a bit rusty and the translation of the lyrics don’t always work well, but they provide another level of depth to explore and contemplate as you become more familiar with the songs. Here are a few highlights that stood out: "Cybele's Reverie" was really nice. I felt like I was floating along with the song. "Les Yper-Sound" is a catchy little number that seems appropriate to the political atmosphere in the US nowadays. I love the title track. Nice driving beat you can dance to and lovely French vocals. “Motoroller Scalatron” has a great jaunty tempo as it meditates on the nature of society. “Anonymous Collective” has great jingly bells and a really interesting bassline as it reminds us that we are not aware of all the forces at work in our lives. Great ending to the album. I liked everything on this album. Stereolab are formidable creators of electronic music and this is a fantastic album that more than earns its place on this list. Wonderful wonderful!

I put on this album weeks after struggling to connect with Leonard Cohen’s third album, "Songs of Love and Hate." I expected a similar experience here. "You Want It Darker" grabbed me from the first notes of the choir with its incredible bass line, the lyrics and vocal performance. The song takes us into a holy space as it unfolds as a prayer. A prayer that critically interrogates the very roots of the religious traditions it references. "Treaty" is heartbreaking. Haunting lyrics, incredible arrangements and an emotional delivery perfectly capturing my disillusionment with Christianity and religion. ‘I do not care who takes this bloody hill. I’m angry and I’m tired all the time. I wish there was a treaty, I wish there was a treaty, between your love and mine.’ "On the Level” explores the emotions of letting go. 'They ought to give my heart a medal for lettin' go of you.' The piano… beautiful. The back up singers… angelic. Cohen… perfect. 'I'm old and I've had to settle on a different point of view. I was fighting with temptation but I didn't want to win, A man like me don't like to see temptation caving in.' Cohen has put words to feelings I've begun to have in a way that I could never hope to do. "Leaving the Table" digs deep into a break up: drifting apart ('I don't know the people in your picture frame'), regret/resentment ('If I ever loved you it's a cryin' shame'), resignation ('You don't need to surrender, I'm not taking aim'). Deep within the darkness "If I Didn't Have Your Love" unfolds into a startlingly beautiful love song. This album may be dark but like the rest of the album it is far from cynical. These songs flow with the undercurrents of a mature, deep love. "Traveling Light" pairs incredible mandolins and strings along with the electric piano while the lyrics tell of shedding parts of our lives as we approach its end. Cohen's exploration of religion in "It Seemed the Better Way” hit me in a deeply personal way. After spending a lifetime losing my religion this album has made me reflect on my religious journey more deeply than ever before. ‘Sounded like the truth, but it’s not the truth today. I better hold my tongue. I better take my place. Lift this glass of blood. Try to say the grace.' In "Steer Your Way" Cohen captures other aspects of my own journey as I steer away from so many of my beliefs, foundations, and trust in the world. He offers no replacement but hearing this song gives me strange comfort. 'Steer your heart past the truth that you believed in yesterday, such as fundamental goodness and the wisdom of the way.' Damn. "String Reprise/Treaty" is largely an instrumental string piece with Cohen reprising “Treaty” at the very end. After the last note faded I sat in silence for several minutes grieving Leonard Cohen's passing from this world just a few weeks after this album’s release... and rejoicing that Cohen left this incredible gift. Where last month I struggled to relate to a young Leonard Cohen, I felt an instant deep connection to him here at the end of his life. This album lead me into some very dark personal places - but Cohen's warmth and humanity never left me feeling alone. So rarely have I encountered an artifact of a life that had such a seismic effect on me. Leonard Cohen was right… I do want it darker.

I used to listen to this album as a kid because it was in my sister’s record collection. It is the Beatles album I am most familiar with. Obviously a great album. “A Day In The Life” is perhaps my favorite Beatles song. Was great to revisit the album as I haven’t listened to it all the way through in decades. When I was a kid I recall not enjoying “Within You Without You” very much. But then it took some effort to skip forward to the next song. Not sure if it is just imprinted on me, but I wanted to skip it again (but didn’t). It does seem like a strange outlier on the album.

Fishbone does something new and unexpected on TRUTH AND SOUL (…he notes about this 33 year old album…) mixing metal, ska, soul, funk and punk with reckless abandon creating something fresh, surprising and really fun! I already knew the opening song “Freddie’s Dead,” but definitely not this funk/metal version. A great cover that retains the spirit of the original but is definitely their own. “Ma and Pa” is one of the best songs about divorce I’ve ever heard. I loved the little calliope-like descending note thing suggestive of a carnival. This interesting little embellishment reappears in later songs. The horn-forward, jaunty “Question of Life” is a ska/funk song exploring the relationship between God and man with some great saxophone. A funky fun look at a heavy subject! “Pouring Rain” is one of the albums slower songs that took a couple of listens for me to fully appreciate. “Deep Inside” goes full punk-metal-ska rebellion complete with screams challenging the squares (“plus you’ve got a blender by General Motors and a Tonka toy up your ass”). “Mighty Long Way” could almost be a great 80s TV theme in a good way (some of my favorite songs are 80s TV themes!). Great lead guitar and an upbeat, positive message about friendship. “Bonin’ in the “Boneyard” opens with fantastic funk bass and horns and comes complete with dog bark breaks. This song really smokes - made me really want to see Fishbone perform live! Funk and metal come together in the service of societal inequality in “One Day.” Great little sonic embellishments pepper this song — tick-tock sounds, a pinball-type effect, traffic noises — along with a surprising but really cool metal guitar solo. Looking for a ska/metal/punk/funk/out-of-control-carousel song warning quite directly of what is currently happening in the US? Then have a look at the sublime “Subliminal Fascism.” Incredible! “Slow Bus Movin’” addresses racism in America with a great chorus and some B-52s-esque backups. ‘Round and around and around they go, bus been going mighty slow, Brothers in the back seat come to the front, People gettin' hostile wanna kill someone.” It’s been 33 years. This bus been going mighty slow indeed. Another highly-topical fantastic-sounding song “Ghetto Soundwave” tackles police shootings and poverty in Fishbone’s funk/ska style. Fantastic song. TRUTH AND SOUL sticks the landing on a message of hope with ”Change.” A sharp sonic departure from the rest of the album, this mostly acoustic guitar song would make a perfect campaign theme. Fishbone is inarguably an incredibly talented group effortlessly able to blend a wide range of styles with great hooks and interesting, highly topical lyrics. It is filled with musical surprises that make the album even better. TRUTH AND SOUL is a great time and I will be back for more!

If you took Phil Spector’s wall of sound and replaced the lead instruments with wood shop machines you might get something like this. The opening beats to “Just Like Honey” sounded like a 60s girl group was about to sing, but instead we hear an ethereal male voice and a distorted, jangly guitar. I kind of liked “Just Like Honey,” but my ears started squinting almost immediately. “The Living End” continues on in this vein… I’m guessing the recording session went something like ‘DO YOU HAVE TO RUN THE TABLE SAW WHILE WE’RE TRYING TO RECORD OUR ALBUM?! Yes? Oh well fuck it go ahead and roll the tape.’ I’ve been known to enjoy distortion effects but I was not enjoying this much. I will say that listening on a good pair of headphones actually helped a little on a few of the songs. There are plenty of catchy hooks, beats and bass on this that I enjoyed (“Never Understand” was catchy - if someone would only turn off the grinder in the background). At times the distortion was more tolerable (“The Hardest Walk”, “Cut Dead”, “Sowing Seeds”), but I don’t see more of this in my future.

Although I had owned Beck's Mellow Gold, for some reason I didn't listen to Odelay back in the day although I was familiar with the big hits ("Devil's Haircut," "The New Pollution," and "Where It's At"). Beck uses distortion, samples and effects quite a bit on Odelay. This was front-of-mind after struggling to cope with The Jesus and Mary Chain's heavy use of distortion. I never struggled with Beck - I enjoyed the gritty distorted parts, the donkeys braying, distortion on the instruments and vocals, the record scratches and the other unique sonic touches scattered throughout. They worked well here and mostly enhanced the listening experience. I love the laid-back nature of Odelay. Lots of eclectic styles to discover: the exotic sounds of "Derelict," the driving "Devil's Haircut," the down-homey "Hotwax," the harder edged "Novacane," the dreamy "Jack-Ass," the punk-like "Minus," the twangy "Sissyneck," the out-there-sample-laden "High 5 (Rock The Catskills)," the quiet "Ramshackle." All the songs feel really unique, interesting and still coherent together as an album. Beck's music is really unique and at times weird and wild while still managing to be cool, unassuming and surprisingly approachable. It didn't immediately demand a 5 from me, but I'm happy to give it a 5 'cause I got nothing but praise for it. Odelay is doing its own thing and doing it really, really well.

This one is tough for me to rate, as I have very little experience with jazz. Going in I knew I was really out of my element here and ill-equipped to understand (let alone rate!) an album like this. The first time through I pretty much tried to get my bearings. It was clear that I was listening to some really talented musicians who were really putting it out there. I loved the low saxes, muted trumpets, tinkly piano even though I was often unsure and at times uncomfortable with what was happening musically. But even on that first listen my novice ears found moments of delight, like when the Spanish guitar would jump in. I listened to this a few more times and on each listen I had moments where I was having flashes of just flowing along with the music. A few times this occurred during the cacophonious passages and suddenly something highly structured surfaced and felt like a revelation. I shouldn't be surprised that listening to my first orchestral jazz album is challenging. This isn't an album I could expect to play in the background or even relax to right now... I still have a lot of work to do first. I've added this to my music library as an aspirational act in the hopes that I will do more work on this album and with jazz in general. Rounding this one up to a 4 although I'm hoping some future version of me will want to change it to a 5.

Great dance music album. I was familiar with a few of the songs on this album already and liked them. My favorite songs: “Rendez-Vu” - great dance track “Jump n’ Shout” - nice variety, with its super fast lyrics “U Can’t Stop Me” - great vocal performance “Red Alert” - I remember this song well, felt like 20 years ago back on the dance floor “Always Be There” - the off-kilter beats and smooth sound give more nice variety to the album “Same Old Show” - fun samples, I’m a sucker for the moan “Bingo Bango” - great Brazilian-feeling dance tune - perhaps my favorite on the album This is a fun listen. Enjoyed it a lot!

Wow… what an album! Of course I was super familiar with “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Cómo Va" and went in loving them. But hearing these in the context of the album was almost like hearing them for the first time with “Singing Winds, Crying Beasts” leading in and “Gypsy Queen” in between taking these songs to an entirely new level. I’ve really been missing out only hearing them as singles. Side A is rounded out by “Incident and Neshabur” - another fantastic song. It’s complex with time signature changes flowing along on a wave of incredible percussion - an utter joy to experience. I can only imagine how great this would be live. Side B doesn’t let up and I absolutely loved it at first listen. From the joyous instrumental “Se a Cabo” into the sultry opening of “Mother’s Daughter” there is a lot to love here. The vocal performance in the latter is fantastic. A great song that I’m surprised I haven’t heard before. “Samba Pa Ti” I have heard before somewhere, but not sure it was from Santana. Really beautiful song with some incredible guitar work. “Hope Your Feeling Better” leans more towards a funk/rock vibe supported by that incredible organ and guitar work that runs through the entire album. The album closes with and exciting finish on the percussive chant-heavy “El Nicoya.”

Having listened to Elvis Presley my entire life, I wasn’t expecting any really new insights. Oops - turns out that a lifetime of listening to greatest hits collections denied me some of the excitement of early Elvis. Elvis recorded this between the ages of 19 - 21 and it is remarkable how polished his sound is. While there are a range of song styles Elvis transcends genre and brings it all together. He makes every song his own. A few interesting moments: “One-Sided Love Affair” I really enjoyed! I don’t recall hearing this song before, but his delivery is great. “Just Because” stood out to me. I don’t recall hearing this before. Love the guitar in this one. Elvis’ singing in “Trying to Get to You” is particularly good. “Blue Moon” is so pared back and haunting. A bit unusual and really showcases Elvis’ vocal skills. I did not expect to love this song but it is one of my favorites on the album. I initially thought it might be tough to drop in and rate the first album of an artist so ubiquitous as Elvis, but listening to this album felt surprisingly fresh. For a few moments I could feel the excitement of listening to Elvis for the first time. That cleared up any doubt that this deserves a 5.

Outlaw Country and American Pop Standards would seem to be opposite ends of the musical universe. An unlikely musical wormhole, STARDUST masterfully unites these genres resulting in a truly beautiful and transformative album. I have heard all of the songs on this album before. But my experience of them has largely been as musical artifacts. I don’t think I ever felt particular connection to most of them nor would I have sought them out. Yet on STARDUST these songs resonated with me in an emotional way that they never have before. The album opens plaintively with a quiet guitar and Willie’s voice on “Stardust”. A quiet organ and drum instantly made me stop what I was doing and just sit back and enjoy. This is my favorite version of this song. The one song that I did feel previously emotionally connected to was “Georgia On My Mind.” Ray Charles’ version is perfect, definitive and always gives me chills. It’s one of those songs that I would have thought no one else should record. Willie’s incredible vocals over a beautifully subtle arrangement proves that wrong. The country harmonica solo feels like it should always have been there and the finale provides an exciting, perfect conclusion. When was the last time I ever considered “Moonlight In Vermont?” Yet this version is so beautiful that now I cannot get it off my mind. It could be that only an outlaw would have the audacity to record such an album at the height of his career. Willie has created a truly unique American classic. STARDUST is one of the most pleasurable albums I have ever experienced.

Surprise! A scant two weeks after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ debut album shows up here we get another one recorded six years later. I loved their debut but hadn’t expected a second album on this list from them. I also did not expect to love IT’S BLITZ! even more than the first album. This is a stunning evolution. Karen O’s incredible vocals shimmer over glittering synths and driving dance floor beats. Heavy doses of disco and new wave transform the band as Karen O achieves Blondie-levels of greatness. The opening track “Zero” erupts pure glitter as the dance floor lights up around me and a cascade of lights fill the room. How’d I wind up in the coolest club in town?! “Holy shit!” was my last thought as I lost myself in this incredible song. No chance of leaving the dance floor now as “Heads Will Roll” fires a one-two disco punch. This is the sort of song that gets you dancing by yourself without giving a fuck about who’s around. The drums keep time as Karen O rules the dance floor on a wave of synths and gritty guitars. This is no sterile electronic environment. These songs cozy up like best friends sharing moments of joy, sadness, pain, love and surrender. How the hell does an album get this cool?! Karen O would be right at home in a silver body suit on a series of disco-oriented tracks like “Dragon Queen.” They’re joined by lush ballads like the piano-driven “Runaway” or the guitar-and-organ-powered “Little Shadow,” perfect for coming down with that special someone at the end of a night. Songs like “Faces” and “Hysteric” add a zest of Tegan and Sara quirkiness… so much to discover! IT’S BLITZ! invites you to dance and chill with the coolest trio in town. Get your leather on… ‘cause you’d be crazy to pass up this much fun!

I had bought this album immediately after hearing "Green Light" back when it was released. It’s still my favorite Lorde song and one of the greatest breakup songs ever. I’m also a Jack Antonoff fan so it is no surprise I love this album. I can’t get enough of “Supercut” and “Greenlight” - both awesome dance songs. Other favorites include “Sober,” “The Louvre,” “Liability,” and “Sober II.” But really the whole album is great. Most of the songs are explorations of relationships. Why are we in them? What holds us together? What tears us apart? Whether your relationship is perfect happiness, total misery or somthing in between MELODRAMA has something to offer you. The music is great, the lyrics are insightful. Wonderful from start to finish.

The first several songs were pretty good, albeit with some usual braggy rap that went on a little too long for my taste. “The Way We Swing” was pretty clever musically and I thought they were pretty funny in “Underwater Rimes.” So after song 5 I thought this album might be a surprise. Things went south quickly. “Gutfest ‘89” is definitely an event to avoid. Pretty much everything else seems kind of toxic and awful. I was glad when it was over. I did like two songs. But it left me nauseous and I have no interest in hearing this album again.

I have never heard of Lambchop, but the album cover for NIXON made me very happy, so I was excited to put this record on. Turns out the cover is a great representation for what's inside. Quirky, inscrutable, but so pleasant. I loved the orchestral easy listening sound and the lyrics - even though I often had no idea what they meant. Felt like what Burt Bacharach might compose if he were really, really stoned. Highlights: "The Old Gold Shoe" - who starts an album like this? I appreciate the confidence of making such a laid back track the opener. "Grumpus" is one of my favorites on the album. I really wanted to be drinking a pink squirrel in a dark lounge while this was playing. SOOO nice! "Be square and kind to all your friends Stop staring through the bitter lens." This song has advice I can use. "You Masculine You" made me laugh immediately as the title juxtaposes with the falsetto delivery. But it is oh so lovely. "Up With People" felt like... an Up With People concert? The clapping, the backing choir, the happy music... uplifting! "Nashville Parent" had me floating on a very strange cloud where I observed neighbors fighting, owls decapitating rodents, spit on my chest, and a fiberglass funny face on the wall. I love being made so comfortable and happy while having no idea what is going on. "What Else Could It Be?" could be the easy listening version of a Bee Gees song with its lush violins and falsetto performance. I loved the ending. "The Distance From Her To There" had a real country feel that I loved. The steel guitar, the vibraphone - oh yes! "The Book I Haven't Read" is a lovely love song - the only one I can think of with the word 'disgusting' in it. I wish it were written for me. "The Petrified Florist" with its clever title is one of the darker songs on the album... definitely sensed some tension here. "The Butcher Boy" followed up with a really dark story. Because it seemed to make perfect sense I wondered if my brain had been reprogrammed ... then I had a look at the credits on Wikipedia and realized that this was an old traditional American folk song. The Apple Music credits show the writer as Lambchop since they did take liberties with the traditional song. Really unique take on this. NIXON's inscrutability doesn't bother me because the music is so nice and the singer so approachable - kind of a cross between Cat Stevens and Barry Gibb. The lyrics often felt like another instrument to me - when they didn't make sense I was satisfied with the sounds they made and the feelings they evoked. NIXON is a strange, wonderful place where I feel warm, welcome and comfortable that I will revisit often.

I’ve heard of PJ Harvey but really had no clue what sort of music it was. As I started to listen I got a Pretenders vibe. The first half of the album I was liking well enough, but nothing was grabbing me or making me want to hit that “Add to Library” button. Wasn’t sure this was standing out amidst several weeks of standout albums… When “The Mess We’re In” came on I stopped what I was doing and just listened. I’m a big fan of Thom Yorke and recognized him instantly and really, really loved the song. Now the album has my full attention. “You Said Something” took me back to New York. “Kamikaze” with the vocal delivery and drums. “Horses in my Dreams” with its shambling, dreamy feel. And “We Float” with it’s great, spare verses soaring chorus ended things on a high note. On the second listen I realized how great this album is. Standouts this time included “A Place Called Home,” “One Line” and “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore” - really fantastic. How had I glossed over these the first time? I guess I needed that Thom Yorke kick in the ass to get me to pay attention. The music is as cool as the album cover. Really great album.

This is an album filled with beauty, depth and wisdom. I was doing tasks around the house while listening and by the end of “Three Hours” had to stop and just sit and listen. Nick Drake’s voice is beautiful, the music spare in all the right places without being dull, the lyrics profound. Every song on this is a treasure. The lyrics are impressive from start to finish. Each song brings something unique and special… “Time Has Told Me” with its noodly electric guitar and piano accompaniment is a perfect opening. “River Man” has a great cinematic quality with a real drama added by the orchestration. Love the light percussion in “Three Hours” - really takes you on a journey. “Way To Blue” feels like musings on a lonely, windswept plain. “Day Is Done” is absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous song with beautiful string accompaniment. “‘Cello Song” is so good - it was at this point on the album when I revisited the cover and looked up Nick Drake’s age. A college student wrote this stuff?! He sounds like he has the wisdom of 1000 years behind him… “Thoughts of Mary Jane” is such a sweet song… lightened by the flute. A real contrast in many ways to the other songs, but yet it feels perfect in-place. “Man In A Shed” is a total delight. It tells a perfect little story. I love this song. “Fruit Tree” is such a perfect musing on fame and life… so poignant knowing how Nick Drake died at such a young age. “Saturday Sun” may be my favorite song on the album. Really beautiful song that I can’t stop thinking about. I was deeply moved by FIVE LEAVES LEFT. It’s an amazing gift from a truly incredible artist.

This was more fun than I had expected to have at the outset. SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US is chock full of punk-meets-rock-and-heads-to-the-beach songs. It includes a cover of “Fever” that I had listened to in the past. There’s a lot of silliness in the lyrics - a song about wearing “Sunglasses at Night” to be cool (causing injuries during a knife fight), being a “Teenage Werewolf”, or ones daddy driving a UFO (“Mystery Plane”). But the apparent silliness only slightly obscures some real angst like getting abandoned by your father, being a misfit, or trying to fit in. I ended up liking this album much more than I had expected. My main complaint for the original 13 tracks were the muddiness of the vocals in the mix. Interestingly tracks 14-18 include a few different recordings and a few new songs and all sounded much better to me. My favorite songs: “Garbageman”, “Mystery Plane”, “Fever”, “Mad Daddy”, “Tear It Up” Enjoyed many songs on this. Not exactly something I want to listen to as a whole album necessarily but happy to revisit a lot of these songs. Probably then rates a 3.5 but I’ll round up for the clever lyrics.

I pretty much ignored this album when it came out. At the time I didn’t think I liked hard rock. Somewhere became then and now I became a fan of the genre and several songs on this album, but never went back to listen to this. I’m glad to have this come up! I went into this loving “Paradise City” and “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child Of Mine.” So going in to this listen I’m already on board with a quarter of the album. Glad I finally got around to listening to the rest. There are a lot more songs on this for me. “It’s So Easy,” the first new-to-me GNR song I’ve heard in decades, had me at the first chorus. So much talent in this band... The vocal performance in “Mr. Brownstone” shows real versatility. I love the different sound. “My Michelle” was a pretty sweet (for them) love song leading into “Sweet Child of Mine” - a song that I’ve never tired of hearing. APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION is sex, drugs and rock and roll and I like it! This listen was long overdue.

I was familiar with a few songs from The Black Keys so I knew the general vibe of the band. On my first listen this wasn't a love connection... Fortunately I gave this another listen and the second time around enjoyed it quite a bit more. The soulful bluesy feel is pleasant and while it was a little long to attend to closely I did enjoy having it on. I like the single "Tighten Up" a lot, but I was surprised to prefer the dreamier songs like "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "These Days." "Howlin' For You" is a good song but I think I'm a bit tired of it as I heard it a lot on TV commercials.

I didn’t love this, although it was interesting for the strange mixing of genres. The musicians are very talented. The band sort of slides around between metal, punk, ska and even a hard-edged 80s-pop-leaning sound (“Secret 77”). That made this more interesting to me than it would have been otherwise. I also liked little touches like the shouts in “Let Me Help.” I can see how some people would be very into this. But I am not those people.

I have had a small bit of exposure to this group, but hadn’t listened to them enough to be able to readily identify any of their songs. I probably have heard some of these before… It took a couple of listens for this to click with me, but after that I enjoyed quite a bit of this. The music is great with varied with a lot of interesting instruments and arrangements. The lyrics are also pretty interesting. “Family Tree” is the first song I really locked in on. I loved the orchestration and found the lyrics very moving. After that I started paying closer attention to the lyrics and was surprised by their intricacy. Other songs that stood out for me included “Halfway Home,” “Dancing Choose” (great rapidfire delivery on the verses!), “Golden Age” (great chorus with those horns!), “Love Dog,” “Shout Me Out” (awesome build and ending) and “DLZ” (another great dog song!). This album is chock full of good stuff…

I have loved this album since it was originally released. It’s really great to hear it again. I love everything on the album, but here’s a shout out to my favorites: “World In My Eyes” - yummy Depeche Mode moodiness with their epic swells “Sweetest Perfection” - relentless beat that pulls this song along like the drugs it references “Personal Jesus” - absolutely amazing marching beat and guitars really expanded Depeche Mode’s sound while remaining firmly true to their style “Halo” - I love this lush, warm, bizarro love song “Waiting for the Night” - I’ve always been a night owl and have always felt a connection to this moody track “Enjoy The Silence” is an incredible masterpiece. A perfect song. It’s epic, the synths glorious, the vocals compelling… this could be Depeche Mode’s greatest song. What an opening… ‘Words like violence, Break the silence, Come crashing in, Into my little world.’ Incredible. “Policy of Truth” - Another contender for my favorite Depeche Mode song, this has such great lyrics on the virtues of lying. I love this song so much. All six bonus tracks on the “Bonus Tracks Edition” from 2006 were B-sides appearing on the vinyl singles. I enjoyed these a lot! Glad they were here.

This album was served up to me on Christmas Eve. So listening to it while wrapping presents may have not been ideal. I gave it a couple of listens to try to remain impartial… The Cure is a band that I always felt like I should like but never did. Friends would play a Cure album and talk about how great they were and I’d wonder what the hell were they thinking playing this at a party?! Even when I was depressed and alone there were plenty of other albums I would much rather wallow to. Until they started lightening up (“Friday I’m In Love”) I couldn’t really stand their music. I listened to it twice this time to try to give it a second chance under less festive surroundings. Nope. Things haven’t changed much for me in almost 40 years. This album annoyed me. Yes, they are talented. Yes, the lyrics are ‘deep’. No, I don’t enjoy it. No, I don’t ever want to hear it again. Guess I’ll never be cool enough for The Cure. Only now I’m completely cool with that.

IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! I didn’t expect this! Came into this a huge fan so really happy to have this join the 1001 list. This is THE classic Christmas album. Phil Spector at his wall of sound best and Darlene Love getting full credit as a single artist… really defined what modern Christmas music would sound like. Phil Spector talks of bringing “something new” to Christmas in his address at the end of the album. Must have been amazing to hear this when it first came out… I was under the impression that the 1001 Albums list didn’t include “Various Artists” so I wouldn’t have expected this but here it is. Love all the songs on this. Thanks for the Christmas present!

I really enjoyed “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space” from Spiritualized. So this time I get to go back to the beginning. 90o0 This album felt more stripped down I guess but still unmistakably Spiritualized. Really enjoyed listening to this - it put me in a real calm, meditative state without feeling boring or repetitive. I think it may have brought my blood pressure down a few notches. Some highlights for me included “If I Were With Her Now” (tells such a dramatic, tight little minimalist story), “I Want You” (bordered on a pop song), “Smiles” (sweet little song), “Take Your Time” (a very slow, taking-their-time build), “Shine A Light” (fits the artist name well!), “Angel Sigh” (a lovely, understated, minimalistic love song), “Sway” (felt almost religious in the choruses - I’d float in space to this one too), then it closes with the amazing “200 Bars” where they actually count out the first 100 bars - as a former junior high French Hornist I felt a special connection to counting out a long series of bars). Fantastic. Lovely. Soothing. Wonderful.

I like New Order and own a compilation disc of their music and one of their 90s releases. I hadn’t listened to this album before. I had heard the first two songs before listening to this but was surprised to discover my favorite stuff in the tracks I had never heard before. Highlights: Love the beats and frogs and sheep and cowbells in “The Perfect Kiss”. The guitars were fantastic in “Sunrise.” Really love this song’s echos of punk music melded with 80s dance. Great song, great intensity! The synth and guitar instrumental “Elegia” was fantastic. Moody. Complex. Beautiful. “Sooner Than You Think” has such great lyrics. Love the music too, those guitars near the end are too good. “Sub-Culture” and “Face Up” seems to end the album on a note that sets a course toward New Order’s future albums. Great New Order album! Had my rating floating between 4 and 5, but “Sunrise” made this one easy to round up.

PRETZEL LOGIC is a great Steely Dan album! I hadn’t heard it before but I’m very glad I have now. I love “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Deservedly the most well-known song on the album. But I actually like “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” better - it’s my favorite song on here. I love the whole tone of this album, with things like a fun, jazzy instrumental (“East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”) that show Steely Dan’s great talent without taking themselves too seriously. Other favorites include the groovy “Parker’s Band” and “With A Gun” and its country sounds. I have it in my head that Steely Dan albums are hard to listen to. I’m not sure why I think that. Perhaps that thought came from listening to some forgotten album of theirs in my past. That certainly isn’t the case with this album. Very enjoyable!

I have no idea what to expect from the album title and cover. “Greetings to the New Brunette” was a nice first Billy Bragg song for me to hear. I quite liked this sweet and thoughtful love song, with its lovely guitar and backup vocals. I’m a sucker for a good train song “Train Train” had me sold when I heard the opening fiddle-whistle. I like where this album is heading. “The Marriage” opens with a nice trumpet fanfare and I’d be totally into having this play at my wedding! I love the lyrics. “Ideology” is a quite an indictment of the British Parliament. Some interesting lyrics here. I was surprised to see Bob Dylan as cowriter of this song, so I looked it up and learned Billy Bragg intentionally borrowed the melody from a Bob Dylan song. “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” tells quite a story with some pretty darn clever lyrics. It’s a pretty stripped down song (as are a lot of the songs), but very interesting to listen to. The piano is great in “Honey, I’m a Big Boy Now”. Almost expect to hear this in a saloon. It tells the story of a failed marriage from the perspective of a deserted husband. I liked this song. “There is Power in a Union” is apparently an old union song with new Billy Bragg lyrics. A good old fashioned protest song that I enjoyed. “Help Save the Youth of America” is a catchy cautionary song about the United States. Pretty impressive song that is as relevant today as in 1986. I could relate well to this song. I loved “Wishing the Days Away” as it examines the futility of a man’s life who is always wishing for a new day. Really compelling. Billy Bragg exercises his impressive storytelling skills in “The Passion” that considers the life of a pregnant girl and her trials. I love the more complex musical arrangement of “The Warmest Room.” It tells a great story of a young man in love/lust. One of my favorite songs on the album. “The Home Front” wraps up the original album on a very insightful note with a detailed look at a home life in Britain. Such great visuals and observations and critiques in this song. Another great Billy Bragg tune with the fanfare trumpets returning again. There are ten additional songs on the 2006 re-release. The songs are an interesting addition and I enjoyed them although I think I will not necessarily listen to them every time I revisit this album. Some pretty interesting things there including remakes of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” and Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” (that was a surprise for sure). I really enjoyed this album. It’s got plenty of sharp lyrical observations wrapped in a really interesting package of music.

I love “Come On Eileen.” One of my all-time favorites. But for reasons unknown I have never listened to this album. I’m glad I did. This is a hell of a lot of fun and I really enjoy this album. Kevin Rolland’s vocals have a Freddie Mercury-like drama to them that I am surprised to have never noticed before. Songs like “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)” exude joy and make this album is a real pick-me-up. The strings and horns are exciting. The lyrics are often serious and even dark and contrast with the music, as in the peppy song’s “I’ll Show You” exploration of school boys change into ‘alcoholics, child molesters, nervous wrecks and prima donnas, jilted lovers, office clerks, petty thieves, hard drug pursuers’ all to the happy horns. This makes TOO RYE AYE a fun listen that exposes more depth than you might expect as you become more familiar with the songs. “Plan B,” “Liars A to E” and “Until I Believe In My Soul” were other standout tracks to me on the first few listens. Even “Come On Eileen” had a little surprise at the end. I also enjoyed the bonus tracks a lot as well. Great album!

Really wasn’t sure what 1966 The Kinks would be like. But I loved it! It has got a great vibe and is a very good listen. Most of the songs I really enjoyed, and even the ones that I wasn’t completely in to weren’t bad to listen to. My favorite songs were “Party Line”, “Dandy”, “Session Man”, “House In The Country”, “Holiday in Waikiki” and “Little Miss Queen of Darkness”. I love “Sunny Afternoon” and realized that I actually should have known what to expect from 1966 The Kinks as I know this song really well! I don’t know if I would have named the artist as The Kinks though if I had heard it before this. Really enjoyed this. Fantastic album.

I love this album and am very happy to see it recognized on this list. “Praying for Time” is one of my favorite songs of the 90’s. It’s a sober song that is as relevant today as it was then. What surprised me when I first listened to this back in 1990 was how serious most of the songs on this album were. The cover of Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go” is closer to the overall tone of this album than “Freedom! ‘90”. I remember being surprised at this. And even the really fun, dance-y “Freedom! ‘90” has some pretty cynical lyrics. “Waiting for That Day” is a really nice track with its organ background. I love the groove of this song. Other highlights on this album for me are “Something to Save,” “Cowboys and Angels” (a great waltz!), “Heal the Pain” (great song - one of the more optimistic tracks!), and “Soul Free.” I also love “Waiting (Reprise)” which is a lovely closing to the album. I hadn’t listened to any of the extra discs from the 2017 reissue (Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged). I’m glad I did this time. The MTV Unplugged performance is pretty incredible and made me sad that George Michael left us too soon. The unplugged “Freedom! ‘90” rivals the original as do many of the other tracks, and you hear a lot off the other albums as well as some cool covers like “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” It’s a really nice listen. Still I’ll keep my ranking focused on the original release… George Michael died 5 years 1 week ago and I had not really revisited his music since then. I’m glad this provided me the kick I needed to check out the re-issue and get this back into the rotation because it is a really great album.

I started this album with trepidation because I absolutely loved the album YOU WANT IT DARKER from but really didn’t connect with SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE from 1971. I wasn’t sure where I might fall on an album from 1967… “Suzanne” started and I immediately recognized it. I was familiar with the cover version by Judy Collins. I love this song, and the instrumentation and backup vocals were good. I really liked this song. "Master Song" followed up with a really interesting song that I also liked pretty well. Again it had arrangements that kept the interest level up for me. Great lyrics on this too, as on all the songs on this album. As the album continued it was clear this fell somewhere between the two previous Cohen albums I listened to. Parts of it were a little repetitive, but after listening to the album several times I started to pick up more of the lyrics and that made the repetitive parts more interesting. My favorite song was "So Long, Marianne" but other standouts were "Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye," and "Stories of the Street." Cohen's delivery of these songs appealed to me much more than "Songs of Love and Hate." Still not quite "You Want It Darker," but I enjoyed this album.

This is an album I know well, as it was in my sister's record collection in my youth and I played it often. But I don't think I've listened to it since she moved out when I was in junior high. So this is an exciting opportunity. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is nothing short of amazing. "Death on Two Legs" pairs soaring Queen vocals and heavy metal guitars to rip into whoever it was dedicated to. You know you are in for something good. Who else but Queen would then dive right into the tinny vocaled 1920's-ish "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" then with a little guitar solo jump headlong into the hard rock "I'm In Love With My Car" - a wonderful love song to a car. This is really thrilling stuff! I've always loved "You're My Best Friend." That song still makes me incredibly happy as I think of my best friends every time I hear it. I love the electric piano and vocals. Such a wonderful song. "'39" is a total change of pace and I love it. The acoustic guitar driven song is a great listen evoking its sci-fi backstory with great use of vocals and the electric guitar. I don't think I've heard this song in 40 years but as soon as it started I remembered instantly how much I love it. "Sweet Lady" is a straight Queen rocker with some unusual tempo changes that make it quite interesting to listen to. "Seaside Rendezvous" is a 20's sounding piano driven track. I love sailing along over Freddie Mercury's smooth vocalizations imagining the stage show as I sip a Bee's Knees in some illegal club. "The Prophet's Song" is a dire warning accompanied by the heavy guitars and dark vocals as a prophet warns of the flood made famous by Noah's ark. I love the a cappella vocal solo in the middle that give way to a guitar solo. "Love of My Life" is a heart wrenching love song supported mostly by a gorgeous piano arrangement. Beautiful. "Good Company" adds a dixieland style with a ukulele-driven number again providing testament to Queen's incredibly versatility. Remarkable too is that this song precedes the utterly remarkable... "Bohemian Rhapsody" - what can one say about this song? No one would ever have imagined such a song could ever be exist - let alone become a huge hit, becoming one of the most beloved and enduring songs in rock and roll - and probably in all of music history. Listening to it in the context of this album was wonderful. There were a few moments when I could briefly feel what it was like to listen to this for the first time as an eight-year-old kid and being utterly mesmerized. "God Save The Queen" closes A NIGHT AT THE OPERA in a truly epic way. I have chills. I cannot imagine any other group with the audacity and talent to create anything like this album. The songs all come together beautifully to create a transcendent listening experience. While the singles are spectacular on their own, there is nothing like listening to this album as a whole. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is a masterpiece.

I am so excited to see this album come up. It has been such a big part of my life. I loved it from the moment I handled that awesome CD case. Lost on me at the time was the backstory… that it followed the downbeat album BEHAVIOR released at the height of the AIDS pandemic. Its release also closely coincided with Neil Tennant’s coming out. All the more special now to know that now. I had no idea then. I love this album through and through… every song. Picking a favorite is very challenging and is highly subject to change. I started listing the best songs but that is basically was copying the track listing for me. So… How about the relentless “Can You Forgive Her?”… the cinematic swells in “Dreaming of the Queen”… the exuberant cover of “Go West”… the dramatic shimmering “The Theatre”… the melancholic “To Speak Is A Sin”… the abandon of “I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing”…? Every song on VERY has had a place for me since its release. I love this album from beginning to end. The Pet Shop Boys create incredible electronic dance music with melancholy just below the surface and melancholic music that dances just below the surface… and VERY has some of the best examples of this. An absolutely fabulous album!

I still feel like a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson novice - I haven’t even listened to PET SOUNDS yet for crying out loud - so I’m not sure I’m ready for SMiLE, but here goes… Talk about an aptly named album! The choir opening leads into “Heroes and Villains” and I couldn’t help but smile. It’s fun and inventive and I instantly loved it from beginning to end. Old favorites like “Surf’s Up” and “Good Vibrations.” Vegetables. Sea shanties. Barnyard animals. SMiLE is a genuine adventure! Despite the inevitable changes in Brian Wilson and the world in the nearly 40 years it took to complete SMiLE it feels like a vision fully realized. I’m stunned by this mythical creature that has appeared in my headphones. I love listening to this. I love that Brian Wilson created this. I love that this can exist. I love SMiLE.

I can’t say I was thrilled to have to listen to Black Sabbath today. I liked their last album well enough, but I didn’t recognize any of the songs on here and wasn’t really in the mood… While they still aren’t really my preferred listening choice, they are really good at what they do and I found the album often enjoyable. But then I also often found it tedious. I get tired of Ozzy’s delivery at times and long for more variety, and like a lot of heavy metal some songs just seem to grind along. But the band is really talented and there are things I really like. Turns out I did know the song “Changes” and have heard it many times. It’s a piano-driven ballad that is pretty good. Other highlights for me included the instrumental second half of the first track “The Straightener”. I like “Supernaut” - great guitar riff and drums! “Laguna Sunrise” is an acoustic guitar/orchestra song that seems out of place here, but was a nice change of pace in the middle of side B. It would seem more at home on a movie soundtrack… “FX” was annoying to me… after reading the wikipedia article it was clearly an idea born out of way too many drugs. Can’t imagine not hitting skip if this were to come up again in the future. BLACK SABBATH VOL. 4 is a decent listening experience with moments that I really like, but it isn’t something I want to listen to start to finish.

This is some fun and funky Brazilian music. I listened to “Ponta de Lanca Africano” as I was driving and I felt like it should I should be in the ending of some 1970s film. It was smooth, funky, and cool. “Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu” continued that feeling. Great opening songs! “O Plebeu” was really nice. I loved the “Lalalála lalalá lalá”s. And it really sounded like Rod Stewart stole some of the melody from “Taj Majal” for his song “Do Ya’ Think I’m Sexy?” Other highlights included “História de Jorge”, “Cavaleiro do Cavalier Imaculado”, and a really nice ending with “África Brasil (Zumbi)”. I quite enjoyed this album.

I did not enjoy MASTER OF PUPPETS despite my best efforts. But this album - released 5 years later - opens with “Enter Sandman,” a song I have really loved since the early 90s. So as I put this on I am really, really hoping the next hour holds up to that song. But I have my doubts given my experience with MOP… It turns out that the five years between MOP and METALLICA resulted in a much more palatable album. Where most of MOP monotonously ground away at my ears, METALLICA has a whole lot more going on on. The vocals are much more emotionally expressive. The lyrics are a lot more relatable and interesting. The arrangements have way more variety and interest. My favorite song remains “Enter Sandman.” I also really like - and already knew - “Nothing Else Matters” (hooray for the orchestra!). Other highlights included “Sad But True”, “Holier Than Thou”, “Through The Never” and “Of Wolf and Man”. Metallica is still not entirely in my wheelhouse, but where my main reaction to MOP was ‘when will this be over?’, METALLICA had me mostly wondering ‘what might be next?’ That and the presence of “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” made this something I’m glad to have listened to.

I have listened to this album many times before. Several years ago I became a huge fan of The 5th Dimension’s version of “Sweet Blindness.” When I found out it was originally written and performed by Laura Nyro, I landed on this album and was surprised to also find “Eli’s Comin’” (which I knew from Three Dog Night) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (another 5th Dimension hit). These songs drew me in and I fell in love with the album and Laura Nyro. I wish I was sitting in a cabaret somewhere sipping on a Gin Gimlet and enjoying a live performance of these incredible songs. Laura Nyro’s vocals are exhilarating. She creates elaborate song tapestries with varied and interesting textures, stories and dimensions. You never quite know where her songs might go or end up, but every one of them is peppered with delightful surprises. It’s such an amazing journey… I LOVE this album. If you haven’t heard Laura Nyro perform “Eli’s Comin’” then you haven’t really ever heard it, no matter how much of a Three Dog Night fan you might be. Besides the three songs mentioned previously, I’ll give a special call out to “Luckie”, “Lu”, “Poverty Train”, “Lonely Women”, “Emmie”, “Women’s Blues”, “Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)”, and “The Confession”. Looking at the previous list I feel a little silly. I could single out any song on this album as it is a phenomenal work (did I really leave out “Timer” and “December’s Boudoir”?!). The whole journey is a thrilling, beautiful adventure and I love every twist and turn. ELI AND THE THIRTEENTH CONFESSION is a masterpiece that up until now I have had to myself. Being able to share the Laura Nyro experience with my friends today makes the world a whole lot brighter!

Led Zeppelin is one of those bands I have always thought I should be listening to but never have. I could name a few of their songs, but looking at the track listing of this album am not sure if I had heard any of this or not. I am glad their first album came up on this first. Turns out I think I have heard at least some of this, probably played at friends’ houses over the years, as parts of this album seemed familiar. As I suspected, I should have been listening to this. This is a great album and I liked all of the music on it. Among my favorite tracks are “Good Times Bad Times” (I know this one from before) and “How Many More Times” (great rhythm in that one!). “Your Time Is Gonna Come” (love that organ intro and background!), “Black Mountain Side” and “Communication Breakdown” is a perfect trilogy at the start of side two! The songs go perfectly together and it was my favorite part of the album. Glad to finally get a full Led Zeppelin initiation after putting it off for nearly a half-century!

I’ve never had much exposure to jazz, but it’s something I have long been thinking I need more familiarity with. Reading a little about this album it seems like an excellent place to start. When I listen to this it definitely seems like what I would expect in a jazz record. I put this on and found it very cool and classy, relaxing even. It was nice to sit back and chill out to the smooth music. I’m still a complete novice here, but am happy to hear this album.

There’s certainly a lot of energy on this album… While I don’t generally love live albums a lot, it is great that a recording of this concert exists to show a tiny sliver of what it sounded like to see Jerry Lee Lewis rock on stage. Just hearing this performance is more electrifying that many live shows I have seen. Jerry Lee Lewis really lights these songs on fire! This is really an important document in the history of rock ‘n’ roll that captures the raw feeling of a live performance from one of the masters of the era.

Japan instantly brought to my mind Duran Duran to me as their sound seemed very similar. But I see that this was released several years before Duran Duran, so I can assume Japan were one of the early creators of this 80s sound. I started out a little ambivalent about this album. It was hard not to compare the infectious hooks present in the best songs from Duran Duran, The Human League, A Flock Of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet, ABC and the like. On my first listen of this nothing stood out like the best of those bands... But every time I listen to this I discover new great moments. It seems I had to listen a little harder to discover these moments, but they are emerging. Maybe it is just a matter of time until Japan becomes one of my staples of the synth-pop sound. I keep adding to the list of favorite songs at the bottom of these notes and it has become nearly a list of all of the tracks… My favorite songs: Quiet Life, Fall In Love With Me, Despair, In Vogue, Halloween, All Tomorrow's Parties

Went into this knowing a few Blur tracks. I didn’t recognize anything on this album though. It’s a good Brit rock album! Blur sounds like they are carrying forward the sort of pop from the British Invasion of the 60s. Its really listenable, catchy music unapologetically British in tone and lyrics. I very much liked listening to this album. The Britpop sound does have shades of the guitar-driven grunge movement of Blur’s contemporaries and some punk influences, but the music is shinier. There’s even a touch of the beer hall vibe in a song like “Sunday Sunday”. I find the songs quite clever in both lyrics and structure. Definitely a keeper here that I’m glad to become acquainted with. Favorite Songs: For Tomorrow, Advert, Chemical World, Sunday Sunday, Coping, Turn It Up

I knew Pavement going into this, but had never listened to this album. I’m glad I did I have been missing out! Pavement has that deadpan Steven Malkmus delivery that brilliantly mixes noise with very listenable songs and harmonies - a definitive example of 90s Indie slacker rock. This album has a real joy to it, not feeling over-edited or produced. How great is Stephen’s little chuckle around the two minute mark of Summer Babe? There’s a few tracks that seem a little gratuitous and I could do without, but they don’t bother me enough to even hit skip and the majority of the songs are great! Really glad to have this in my library now to bring back some of those 90s influences. Favorite tracks: Summer Babe (Winter Version), Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17, In The Mouth a Desert, Zurich is Stained, Here, Two States, Perfume-V.

I’ve heard Jacques Brel songs over the years but this is my first sustained listen to an album. Good French songs. Certainly something I’d enjoy at a bistro or cafe in the background. Not really something I’ll add to my library and listen to again, but if someone played it at my next dinner party I would enjoy it. I know a little French but only enough to get the occasional gist of what he’s singing about. So I imagine a lot of the wit and emotion I hear would be even more compelling if I were more fluent. Passionate and entertaining and I appreciate having listened to this.

My first listen to PJ Harvey was a month or two ago - the 2000 album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. So now I get to jump back 8 years to her debut album. I loved that last album, but had to warm up to it. This time I had no such issue. I was immediately into it. The opening track "Oh My Lover" has that early 90s shamble to it and is followed up with the peppier "O Stella" that I really loved. "Dress" really hits hard. It's a great song that turns a dress into a weapon. 'You purdy thang, my man says, but I bought you beautiful dresses' and 'Filthy tight the dress is filthy'. Wow. Spectacular song. This album puts a spotlight on relationships between men and women and has a raw energy that makes the lyrics all the more compelling. The music is great, the observations pointed and complicated. I like this even more that Songs Of The City... and I loved that album! This stands up to the best of what was going on in music in the early 90s. It's almost a crime that PJ Harvey didn't enter my consciousness then (male-dominated radio management anyone?!), but I'm very very glad this oversight has been corrected. Favorite tracks: O Stell, Dress, Happy and Bleeding, Sheela-Na-Gig, Plants and Rags, Fountain

I haven't heard of it nor Jazmine Sullivan before but I will remember her now! This take-no-prisoners examination of female sexuality is refreshingly candid as it explores the feelings and desires of women while challenging all the judgmental, hypocritical baggage usually attached to it. More than just an entertaining album, this is a real education and as I listened was embarrassed to realize how much of that baggage I still carry around despite my attempts to shed myself of them. I almost started this review by saying "this album isn't targeted at me" and realized that, yes, it IS targeted at me. It is targeted at a society that carries around these bullshit views of femininity and I have to contend with that every bit as much as anyone else. We are not the enlightened people we think we are and albums like this are spotlights exposing the work to be done. Heaux Tales is a phenomenal album.

Wow this is some really great stuff. Thanks to a college friend who was deeply into the blues and Eric Clapton so I’m pretty certain I have heard this album before. But I haven’t sat down and attentively listened in a non-social setting. There’s no doubt this album earns its place on this list. The band is incredibly talented and throwing in Eric Clapton adds some pretty substantive icing to that cake. Great stuff!

Well this is certainly interesting. When I first put it on I was not sure what to make if it but a strange zen came over me five minutes in and I stopped reacting and started listening to it. These songs have a lot of bizarre structures, instrumentation and vocals. At times they reminded me a little bit of Talking Heads but more out there. If I wasn’t told I would never have imagined it came out in 1978. It sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. I guess this music is so unique it really never goes out of date… I listened to this a couple times. The second time went well enough. While I probably won’t add this to my library, I don’t mind hearing it and can easily listen to it again. Favorite songs: Caligari’s Mirror, Drinking Wine Spodyody, (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, Codex I’m glad something like this exists. I’m glad to have listened to this. I’m glad to know there are people who love this.

Some shambly 90s de-tuned country music here. When I read this band had connections to Pavement I wasn’t surprised as the first thing that came to mind as the album started was “country Pavement”. The first time through I wasn’t sure about the vocal delivery… but found the songs are very good musically. Love me some steel guitars! Then on a second pass I started to hear more of the lyrics and I really started to like this. The lyrics are fantastic! While there are times when I would like to hear a polished vocal on these songs, I have to give this props for the great music and lyrics. There’s room for some lo-fi Country in my library… Favorite songs: Room Games and Diamond Rain, I Remember Me, Horseleg Swastikas, Transylvania Blues, Let’s Not and Say We Did, Tennessee

I was taken by surprise at how much I enjoyed RUST IN PEACE from Megadeth earlier, but even so I wasn’t jazzed to have this come up at first. Guess I’m still not quite completely comfortable with my thrash metal side… take a deep breath and hit play… This is unmistakably Megadeth - it rocks hard and has several songs that frolic in what I was warned about with heavy metal. Just one listen to “The Conjuring” and I’m doing an Yelp search for nearby black conventicles... There are some pretty interesting lyrics that I really enjoyed. The title track “Peace Sells” is pretty great (‘What do you mean I ain’t kind? Just not your kind’). I love that sassy vocal delivery. Of course then there’s “Good Mourning/Black Friday” that seems to revel in gory murder. Not really my favorite subject and it wasn’t for me… although the guitar really is impressive. The demonic imagery seems poured on thicker on this album than on RUST IN PEACE. I didn’t like this album as well, but I’m still surprised at how listenable I find it.

I’m not blues expert but I really enjoyed listening to this album. “The Healer” with that unmistakable Carlos Santana rhythm and guitar over John Lee Hooker’s vocals is a great opener to the album. Bonnie Raitt’s style is very evident even before she sings on “In The Mood.” This collaboration is also fantastic. This pattern repeats on the next five tracks with a different, incredibly talented guest artist imbuing John Lee Hooker’s seasoned blues performances with some of their musical styles. I loved all of the variety. Having little experience with John Lee Hooker, I appreciated having the opportunity to hear him on his own on the last three tracks. They are quite distinct but all share Hooker’s talented, emotional delivery. I don’t know that I’ve heard a more powerful ending to an album than “No Substitute.” The music drops away as Hooker delivers the last line on the album, ‘Just wasn’t there’. Amazing.

Rock and roll history here so another album that exists on another plane… I always loved Little Richard but had never listened to an album before. Perhaps what is most surprising about this album is that this is his debut album… talk about an introduction! Little Richard is on fire and this album is packed with incredible performances and hits. I also am surprised at the bite this album still has after all these years. The songs are fantastic. I was surprised to hear several tunes that I haven’t heard before but are up there with the monster hits we all know. What a gift Little Richard is to the world!

This is a really nice listen. Played is several times while working today and it seemed ideal for keeping the stress levels down and productivity up. The smooth songs kept making me think of Sade with a dance vibe. Really chilly 90s music that I’ll be happy to hear again.

This album is very smooth and well-produced, but not really my bag. I didn’t connect much with with the themes of the songs. The music was well done but I got bored well before a song ended and found myself waiting for the next one. Not long into the next song the feeling repeated. The talent on this album is really high, and I wouldn’t mind hearing this played somewhere in the background I guess. It isn’t something that connected with me really at all and I have any desire to put on again.

I LOVE this! What an incredible debut album from the 70s fashion cover design to the songs. I've definitely been missing out for the last 16 or so years! At any rate better late than never. This album is aggressive in all the ways great dance music should be. It starts off with the promise "The brothers gonna work it out" then spends the next 49 minutes doing just that. The first half of the album fires on all cylinders. Ferocious! Then we get to enter "Chico's Groove" where the Brothers take things down a notch leading the beautiful "One Too Many Mornings" and into a perfect wind down. I kept cranking this up as the album progressed. So good that at times it had me wondering if someone dropped an E into my sparkling water... It will be tough to name a favorite song from this album. A fantastic masterpiece of EDM from start to finish!

Utterly brilliant album! I grew up listening to this as from an early age I had access to my older sister's record collection. Then she and the album moved out of the house in the early 80s and for whatever reason CRIME OF THE CENTURY and I failed to ever reunite again. Hearing "School" again instantly took me back and I realized how much I LOVE this album! I'd spent lots of time over the years with Supertramp's BREAKFAST IN AMERICA album or their greatest hits collections, but for whatever reason forgot about this album. The big hits ("Bloody Well Right", "Dreamer", "Crime of the Century") I heard frequently since the 80s, but the other tracks had disappeared from memory. Oh CRIME OF THE CENTURY will you ever forgive me for neglecting you?! What an incredible album this is! And how much have I missed the deep cuts of this album! As soon as I heard them it was like being reunited with a long-lost friend. I am kicking myself for all the lost years! So so so so good as an album! The hits are 100 times better in context. Today I fell back into an even deeper love with this incredible album. Thank you for reuniting me with this amazing record!

I had to listen to this album on YouTube as I couldn’t find it elsewhere. That is unfortunate because it will be hard to listen to again and I really loved this album! In has a pretty amazing world music vibe. I pretty much loved the whole album (aside from the annoying ads that interrupted periodically). It is lush, exotic and is really interesting! I don’t think there is a song on here that I didn’t like. Really great!

I haven’t ever heard of this band before, but seconds into the first song I was pretty sure I liked them. “Under the Pressure” instantly drew me in. I was shocked to realize this song is over 9 minutes and I hadn’t checked my watch. Most of the songs on the album take you on a dreamy, uptempo and, at times, soaring journey with the drum tracks pulling a wall of music in their wake. The often ethereal vocals slide in and out without disrupting the flow of the music. It’s a style that really works well for me. There’s a lot to like in the slower songs on this album as well. “Suffering” and “Lost in the Dream” roll in like a fog around you. Both are really beautiful tracks. LOST IN THE DREAM doesn’t jump out and demand attention but lures you in with a cool, unhurried vibe. This will be an easy album to put on an revisit often.

I tried to like this album. I listened to it three times. Every time I felt like there were places where it felt like the song was going to get good and hook me, but it never did. I waited half a day for a third listen thinking maybe it was my mood or what I was doing in the day or something and expecting that I might hear it with new ears… but alas. This just didn’t work for me.

The first two songs feature hamsters. The band is called Super Furry Animals. I’m interested… This album has a real 70s vibe that I found quite fun. Some good rock with a lot of interesting bits thrown in. Flute and trombone solo? Check. There are little delights to be found all over this musical funhouse. Really enjoyed it! I love how the ending ends with a “we’ll be together” anthem. A wonderfully corny conclusion that appeals greatly to me! Favorite tracks: God! Show Me Magic, Fuzzy Birds, Something 4 The Weekend, Gathering Moss, For Now and Ever

I’ve always liked The Talking Heads, although I have never heard this album. Glad that has been addressed, because this is a great album. It is really fun to listen to with its interesting rhythms, quirky lyrics and fun musical touches. But underlying all that is a lot of fear in “Fear of Music.” There’s a palpable desperation as the album grapples with the challenges of modern life. I was familiar with the song “Life During Wartime.” The problems it explores have not been addressed. The singer of “Cities” struggles to find a place to in the world that the pandemic has made a top-of-mind issue for many. Our increasingly polarized societal splits makes “Mind” something that could have been written today. Climate change could make “Air” its anthem. “Fear of Music” does not feel like an artifact from 1979. Am I reassured that despite this being true 41 years ago we are still here or frightened that this is so relevant after 41 years? Timeless. Fun. Disconcerting. Great!

I wasn’t sure where this was headed for me. The first three songs were just ok for me the first time around. I was wondering how long I could last before wishing I was listening to something else but once I got to “A Sailor’s Life” it was smooth sailing! I really enjoy “A Sailor’s Life” - all epic 11 minutes of it! “Cajun Woman” is fun… I’m always up for some Cajun accordion! “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” is really lovely. The noodly guitar and Sandy Denny are wonderful. I have likely heard this version sometime before, and definitely had heard several cover versions. Such a beautiful song. The two bonus tracks from the 2003 CD reissue are great additions! Really enjoyed them both. On the second time around… loved the first three songs too. The couple on the cover is Sandy Denny’s parents? All is well with this album.

This is a very interesting album. In many ways it feels very retro - like parts of this came straight out of the 70s. But those parts are fused with some very modern influences. I found it quite remarkable. The introspective lyrics give you a lot to think about. The album is lush, at times exotic. It feels very personal. I loved listening to it in solitude - a private escape. I was going to list some of the highlights for me, but this really was an experience that works so well as an album I don’t think I want to call out any specific tracks. What an amazing journey!

I liked this album, but as an album it was a lot. I think I would enjoy this music broken up into smaller doses. As a whole it seemed a bit monochromatic after several songs. You can hear a lot of the New Wave trends that came from this album. Apparently this lead the way. Not something I expect to listen to as an album again, but good and I wouldn’t mind hearing songs off this again.

This album is “Only Built for Cuban Linx” - so as an interloper here do not feel like I can comment in much of a meaningful way on this. It has a cinematic approach to rap with dialogue and quotes sprinkled throughout and a guest-starring credit on the cover. The original last song “Heaven and Hell” sounds like the credits should be rolling over the end of it. I was thankful for the variety as this had a pretty long runtime. The production level seemed high to me. As is often the case in this genre, the lyrics often make me cringe and I’m never sure how offended I should be. I’m on the outside looking in at something I don’t, maybe can’t and probably shouldn’t understand.

I certainly have some familiarity with this album. I used to hear it in the 1970s at my aunt’s and uncle’s house as my older cousins were very much into music like this. The songs I know fairly well are “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” The rest I couldn’t specifically identify but they feel familiar. I am not always predisposed to love the sort of rustic-rock of the late 60s/early 70s but I often do like it once I hear it. Still I liked most of the songs and will be happy to revisit this again. Some of the standouts in addition to the two monster hits mentioned previously include “Rag Mama Rag,” “When You Awake,” “Whispering Pines,” “Rockin’ Chair,” “Look Out Cleveland” and “King Harvest.”

Wow! It must have been something to see James Brown Live at the Apollo in 1962! I had expected an energetic performance, and that’s what I got. Crazy to think this was happening in a year where the top song of the year was a slow clarinet instrumental. Totally enjoyed this. The interplay with the audience was great. What a recording!

I had a group of friends in college who were really into Pixies. But at the time they never appealed to me. So I had an immediate negative reaction when I first saw this come up. Then I recalled that earlier in this project I fell in love with a Frank Black album. Maybe this won’t be so bad? I’m pleased to discover that I loved this album! The grungy/punky/surfy sound and dark themed surreal lyrics were very interesting to me. I saw it all more as paint brush strokes more than coherent stories I clearly understood. But I really like the songs painted on this album. Sometimes the cool kids are right! I have heard “Here Comes Your Man” before and really like this song. Other standouts: “Wave of Mutilation” and its crazy underwater references, “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” “Crackity Jones,” “La La Love You” (nice wolf whistle!), “No. 13 Baby,” “Hey,” and “Gouge Away.” I really enjoyed listening to this!

I guess I am realizing that the “shoegaze” genre is something I prefer in smaller doses as opposed to whole albums. I didn’t dislike this but got bored during the first song. It just didn’t hold my interest. I don’t mind listening to this and there are points I found interesting, but they sort of fly by and I feel like I’m always waiting for something else to happen.

I REALLY love this album! I probably have heard a few of the songs before, but they all felt new to me and I didn’t immediately recognize any of them. “Bhodhisattva” sets things off on a perfect, quasi-religious tone! Really awesome start to the album. ‘And I'll be there to shine in your Japan To sparkle in your China, yes, I'll be there.’ There’s a great guitar ending to “The Boston Rag” that I loved. “Show Biz Kids” is really good. Could there be a more perfect Steely Dan song than “My Old School”? I REALLY love this song! “Pearl of the Quarter” and “King of the World” are also awesome. These guys have super talent, incredible wit, and a cynicism enveloping smooth, jazzy songs that you only think are going down easy. The world and I are both in a place where this seems to be the perfect tone. How interesting that it comes from a 50 year old album.

I probably have heard this album in my youth. My dad was a big fan of Janis Joplin. I was probably a little young for this music, though, and I haven’t really listened to any Janis Joplin other than the occasional song heard on the radio. As I grew older I kept thinking I should change that but never got around to it. I’m very excited to listen to it now. This album is incredible. “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz” I knew well going in to this, but those incredible songs barely scratch the surface of this album’s contents. From start to finish it is hard to fathom how a person can put so much into these songs. They are powerful. They are emotional, they are incredible, they are fun! I teared up on several occasions. How could you not during “A Woman Left Lonely?” There is incredible exuberance captured on this album and I can’t help but feel happy hearing songs like “Half Moon.” But could there be a sadder moment than “Buried Alive in the Blues?” Such a funky song. Such a sad song. Maybe the bitterest sweet as I listened and never heard her voice as she died before it was completed. I was quite glad that the writer of the song turned down the request to have him perform the vocals on it in tribute. The song sits in the middle of the album in sad tribute to the loss of an incredible performer. How about that album cover?! That smile. That drink. Those feathers. Such great spirit captured by that image. Fortunately we have Janis Joplin’s incredible music to give us a little of that today.

I have probably heard this album before, but I only remember the big hits off this. A monster album. So great! I loved every song.

The last three albums from Steely Dan, Janis Joplin and The Who were classics that pegged my rating needle at 5, so I can’t help but worry about following those up with something I have had no concept of from 2020. Within the first minute all that was swept away. This is an incredible work that stuns me with its gravitas and unflinching examination of the racial trauma of our time in a moving, emotional piece of art. I was absolutely entranced by this album. It directly expresses outrage, grief, anger and fear imbued with such beauty exuding pride and affirmation that it lifts and inspires. I marvel at the talent that was able to pull off this seemingly impossible feat. This album speaks urgently to our time. If only everyone could listen...

I thought I knew The Style Council. The name is familiar, but when I listened to their hits from the 80s I didn't really recognize any of them. I was glad to have listened to a bit of them before diving into this album, as it was interesting to hear the difference 10 years made on this artist. Wild Wood is a solid, very well-done, consistently good rock album. The lyrics are really good. The music is spot-on. The vocals are very strong. I find it enjoyable. That said, nothing on here really stood out. It wasn't that all the songs sounded the same. They all had a consistent, high quality. None of the songs were unappealing. But I was left wanting a bit more from this as an album. Still, this is really good. I've got no real complaints. I will happily listen to this again. I'm sure that when any of these songs appear in a shuffle playback I'll enjoy them. I'd even dig hearing this in concert and grooving along - this would be perfect for an outdoor festival. If I hear any of these songs randomly in the future I'll note how good it is. I have fallen seriously in like with Paul Weller's Wild Wood album.

Has it been 10 years already?! This is definitely one of my favorite albums of the last 10 years. I love it from beginning to end. Taking some time for a close listen just reminds me how amazing it was to first listen to Adele. It's cool to remember a time when her star burst out and had us all paying attention.

Oh wow. This is an amazing album. As soon as my first listen ended I dove into a second listen and liked it even more than the first time. The music has a ton of influences and is impeccably produced. Some great lyrics in these songs too. “Said she saw the sword of sorrow sunken in the sand of searching souls” - From A Silver Phial “We all need a fix at a time like this but doesn’t it feel good to stay alive?” - Some Misunderstanding

I bought this album back when it came out and listened to it for a year or so, but drifted away and haven’t really revisited it since then. I’m glad it has come back to my attention, because this is a great album. It’s strong, feminist themes pull no punches as the songs explore strength, vulnerability, anger, exploitation, fear and a myriad of other emotions and isn’t afraid to create some discomfort. The feel of the album has a Tori Amos meets Alanis Morissette kind of vibe, two artists I really love. While this album’s more subtle approach doesn’t quite grab me to the level of those two artists, it’s still a very good listen.

Ella Fitzgerald. Nelson Riddle. Gershwin tunes. A perfect way to spend the day! Among the best things I every listened to.

Some pretty good 70s British shambly punkish poppy rock here. I liked it well enough and there are some good hooks. The deadpan vocal lead could have used a bit more variety for me to listen to a whole album. Maybe this is better enjoyed occasionally than in heaping portions.

Growing up my parents had several Sam Cooke records that I used to commandeer and play on my record player (I think manufactured by Fisher Price). I was singing along to “Chain Gang,” “Cupid,” “Twistin’ The Night Away” and “Having a Party” from a very early age. I was very excited to have this live album come up, and after listening I’m not disappointed! Sam Cooke is incredible and this is one hell of a One Night Stand. It’s a grittier performance than his studio albums that really surprised me - an amazing performance in front of a really exciting, raucous audience! Besides wishing it was longer (where is “You Send Me” - there’s just that tease at the end of track 7 - and “Another Saturday Night”?) I loved every minute of this.

This New Order album was new to me. I started making a list of my favorite tracks and ended up with Fine Time, Love Less, Round & Round, Run, Mr. Disco, Vanishing Point and Dream Attack. That leaves out only two songs. Listening again I realized it was absurd to leave out All The Way and Guilty Partner. Every song on this album is frickin' great! Attempts to determine my favorite track was an exercise in futility. I ended up playing Love Less, Vanishing Point and Dream Attack over and over as candidates for my favorite, so probably it is one of those. But I really love and could make a case for every song on the album. Technique is a phenomenal album! It is filled with cool synths, guitars, bass and drums. I’m constantly hearing some cool little flourish or twist in the music that makes me want to hear it again. This is dance music on a higher level. Every song is a delight - absolutely brilliant!

I listened to this a lot as a kid, but after leaving home and losing access to my older sister’s and parents’ record collections I let this slip away. When building my own music collection it seemed more efficient to focus on greatest hits collections and boxed sets for artists with a huge musical history given the limited funds of young adulthood. Today I realized how much I have deprived myself of for the last 35 years. In the last decade the embarrassment of riches provided by digital music has provided the perfect opportunity to correct that musical deprivation. But instead I adapted my musical shorthand: cherry-picking singles, shuffle playing songs and focusing on custom playlists. That too can be great but this project has reminded me that there is something special when you listen to a great album from beginning to end. The journey is often even more lovely than any particular song. No where is this more obvious to me than on GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. The singles I love on this album are all the more spectacular now that I’ve re-experienced them in their original context. I even feel a renewed sense of possibility and inspiration having been reunited with this masterpiece from one of the greatest artists of our time.

I wasn't looking forward to listening to this, even though I know I should experience this classic album. Punk music is something I tend to enjoy in moderation. I can see how this earns its status as a punk classic. The music is good. One of the catchiest tunes musically, “Bodies” was a bit horrific lyrically. Still not sure what to make of that. I’m still not entirely sold on this album as something I need to personally listen to much. But glad to have had this experience listening to a historic recording like this.

I know I’ve heard some of this before… maybe all of it… but it wasn’t ever a staple of my musical diet. I have no explanation for why that was the case but correcting that was long overdue. Sticky Fingers is an incredible album that lives up to its formidable reputation. The variety on this surprised me, what with some really amazing ballads, a great country song, and all The Rolling Stones rock and roll bravado I had expected.

I have always loved this album’s title track, “Sunshine Superman.” One of the apex songs of 60’s psychedelia. And I think I have grown to love “Season of the Witch” even more. But that is the extent of my familiarity with this album. Those two songs are so good that the rest of the album would largely have to be seriously disastrous for me to not give this a great rating. Is this album unmistakably of its time? Definitely - a very good thing. I was surprised at how much of this album was psychedelic folk with rambling storytelling lyrics, sitars, harpsichords and bongo drums. I started longing to be grooving along to this music reclined in some 60’s hashish lounge. The fantasy-filled storytelling of damsels and castles and knights and jesters and kings (with a psychedelic commercial interruption from “Trans Love Airways”) took me away from the worry-filled news. I can’t help but wonder it was the events in another time of stress and upheaval that inspired the creation of this. I loved the dreamy “Ferris Wheel” featuring one of my favorite birds (seagull - which also makes another prominent appearance later). Donovan’s stuttery singing on “The Trip” won me over instantly - it’s practically a crime that I have never heard it before. “Bert’s Blues” has some great orchestra arrangements that made it stand out. The final track, “Celeste,” was a perfect finale. I had a ton of fun listening to this psychedelic masterpiece and look forward to taking more trips with Donovan.

One evening in the summer of 1977 my parents took two of my California cousins and their new husbands out to dinner when they were visiting our home for a week. They came home with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album, having stopped off at Gibsons’ department store to pick it up the album because the California folks were insisting they had to hear it. My 9 year old self sat in the living room with them listening to Rumours unfold and was the first time I recall ever sharing a true moment of mutual wonder and discovery with my parents. Since that time Rumours has been a constant presence in my life. This may be the first time I realized what a unique and special album this is to me. It’s a perfect album. I know every note, yet listening to it today I still feel a rush of discovery I first experienced 45 years ago. I love every song deeply. Any one of them could be one of the best songs I have ever heard. Rumours defines timeless classic for me and is possibly the greatest album I will ever hear.

Has it been nearly 8 years since this was released? Amazing how time flies. Back then I was worried about Taylor Swift going full-on pop because I really loved her country songs. One listen to 1989 and my reservations were swept aside. Every song on this album won me over with infectious hooks galore! I know people who are dismissive of Taylor Swift - but even if you don’t like her music you can’t deny her incredible talent. Transitioning from country to pop is a very challenging feat that a very small number of artists were ever able to pull off. Taylor did this while continuing to write most of her songs, kept her fans in the process, and dominated the music charts the whole time. My love for this album is already obvious since I have had it in regular rotation for the last 8 years. I know haters gonna hate but there’s a special place in my life for Taylor and I’m very happy to see her on this list.

Mike Ladd's WELCOME TO THE AFTERFUTURE is a pretty wild trip that I really enjoyed taking. He won me over on the opening track, "I’m 5000 miles west of my future, Where’s my floating car, my utopia? My Mars colonies, like it’s supposed to be? Space 1999." I can relate. I'm not predisposed to relate to rap albums, but I fell in love with the science fiction vibe and all the ethereal music and atmosphere. There are a lot of compelling lyrics. This is one of the more unique and one of the best rap albums I've ever listened to. Some of my favorites: "5,000 Miles West of the Future", "Planet 10," "To The Moon's Contractor," "The Animist," "Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon"

I first listened to SUPER FLY on an LP sometime in the 80s. At the time I was collecting a lot of older records and somewhere had run across a used copy of this. I would go on to listen to play list fairly regularly as I really liked its funky groove. Sometime in the 90s I purged my record collection, and Super Fly was one of the albums that left my collection. It is one of many that I regret having parted with. I did have a few compilation CDs that contained tracks off this album (Freddie’s Dead, Super Fly and Pusherman) and had let those tracks replace the album in my collection, but listening to it now realize that it really is better as a whole. I love hearing this again. It is remarkable how great every song is on this, as movie soundtracks tend to have a lot of weaker spots or dull instrumentals. This soundtrack is a fantastic album apart with or without the film.

The first song was a hard no. I understand problems with policing in America, but this song isn't going to win me over to your cause. Then a series of gun violence songs left me wanting to turn this off. Fortunately at track 5 we get into some other subjects (getting high mostly - although I recommend you not drink 'that funky Cypress Hill shit'). I was actually enjoying some of the songs that didn't seem to focus on killing, abusing or slurring people. The beats are great on this - I enjoyed a lot of the music. But those first 4 songs...

I’ve heard Rage Against The Machine here and there but hadn’t ever sat down and listened to an album. I put on the album and at first thought given the genre I’d need to break up this listen into parts. Instead I was enthralled and listened to the whole thing straight through to the end. This rocks hard. A lesson in truth in labeling. What surprised me most was the skill and subtlety in the music and intelligence in the lyrics. “Wake Up” is a masterpiece - an incredible song on an album of incredible songs. The angry lyrics are served perfectly by the angry music. I get it. I dig it. These songs should rock hard and they do. Thirty years later this remains a relevant kick in the ass. The machine is still fucking winning. RAGE!

Beach House’s dreamy, ethereal sound goes down easy. I put it on last night as I laid down to sleep and was out before the end of the second song. Well-rested today I listened again. This time I made it through all the songs fully conscious. As each song started to lose my attention I started thinking about dreamy albums I like - for example The Virgin Suicides soundtrack by Air or Sigur Rós. That lead me to wonder how much more was left to listen to on this album so I could switch to one of those. Even the album cover is so light and forgettable that every time I went to the 1001 web page I kept thinking there was a problem loading the page. I sat down for a third listen determined to focus more and follow along with the lyrics. Before I made it halfway through I found myself reading the news as Beach House faded into the background. It was more pleasant in that context. This album seems to be best listened to while focused on something else. TEEN DREAM is like plain oatmeal at a breakfast buffet - not terrible or unacceptable but also not something I’ll choose if there are omelets, cinnamon rolls, sausage or French toast.

I was immediately enthralled by BAT OUT OF HELL the first time I heard it as a kid in the 70’s. The title track was unlike anything I’d ever heard. I’d listen staring at the album art spellbound as motorcycles tore out of hell and through heaven backed by angelic choirs. Meat Loaf soared effortlessly over the bombast as the lyrics took me on journeys of love, lust, heartbreak, dreams, nightmares, good and evil with as much drama as anything I had ever encountered. The word epic was made for this album. Meat Loaf is the perfect vehicle to transition between its high drama (“Bat Out Of Hell”), soaring hymns (“Heaven Can Wait”), tragic love (“Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad”), love & lust (“You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth”, “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights”) , and youthful angst (“All Revved Up With No Place To Go”). He then manages to bring it all to a perfect conclusion with the glorious “For Crying Out Loud.” Later in life that I realized the enormous role played by the other genius behind this album, Jim Steinman. His mastery of the rock epic was scattered across not only Meat Loaf’s triumphs but also other artists - notably Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Cher, Celine Dion - and from movies like Streets of Fire and Footloose). Since that realization I have been as big a fan of his work as I am of Meat Loaf. BAT OUT OF HELL towers at the apex of both their careers. It is a timeless classic that had a major role in shaping my musical sensibilities. Meat Loaf left us a month and a half ago. This album is the perfect soundtrack for that moment. I picture him roaring into the afterlife on a Harley, angelic voices welcoming him home. RIP Meat Loaf.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA is packed with incredible songs. The title track is one of the most incredible rock songs ever written. After that it’s packed with hits like “New Kid In Town,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” “Victim Of Love,” “Try And Love Again.” The quality of the remaining songs are every bit as compelling despite the tendency to overlook them. My favorite is one of those other songs. Over the years "Last Resort" has continued to expose new facets and has become my anthem of loss as I have come to perceive the world as a much more harsh and less magical place. Humanity is failing to stop - or even alone acknowledge - the wheels of our own destruction. Listening to it at the closing of HOTEL CALIFORNIA is a powerful statement. HOTEL CALIFORNIA is an incredible work whose indictment of American exceptionalism grows more urgent with each year that passes.

I LOVE the movie Tommy. In college we had a weeklong fundraiser where we showed Tommy for 6 nights in a row. I was the projectionist and watched the movie 13 times that week - never tiring of it. I absolutely love the music but had only heard the soundtrack with The Who, Ann-Margret, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Elton John et. al. I don’t know that I’ve ever listened to the original album in its entirety. Excited to do so now! I must admit to being a little bit underwhelmed by some of the performances on this album. Ann-Margret, Tina Turner and Elton John outdo these performances by leaps and bounds. So there were times I wished I was listening to the movie version. But there were several points where I liked what was going on on the album better. And it would be unfair to knock this for not living up to a star-studded, full-blown theatrical version. I love ths album. A great concept supported by great music.

When I first saw this next listen I wasn’t thrilled. Morrissey conjures images of too-cool college music I never really related to. I’m not in the mood for angsty, miserable music… It was with some surprise that I enjoyed the first track, “You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side.” It rocked more than I expected - I enjoyed it. Then “Glamorous Glue” sounded a bit more rock than I expected. The third song, which was closer to what I had initially expected, was still pretty good if not my favorite. So what’s this? I’m enjoying Morrissey? I loved “The National Front Disco.” What? You can dance to Morrissey? “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” gave me a chuckle. Not entirely sure what to make of “You’re The One For Me, Fatty”… but it is catchy. “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” is downright optimistic… What’s this? A hopeful Morrissey song?! And closing the album with a request for a hug? It looks like I… misjudged. I liked this a whole lot more than expected. I still could use a bit more vocal variety, and I’m not sure I can distinguish a lot of the songs as they kind of blend together, but I enjoyed this. Maybe not something I’ll often play from start to finish often but I wouldn’t object to it, and there are a lot of songs I will happily revisit again.

I really enjoyed this album. It has lovely instrumentation, soothing lyrics. Nick Drake has a voice which blends but adds a lot of dimension to the musical arrangements. Now that I’ve listened to 2/3 of his albums, I can say that I’m a big fan. Favorite tracks: “Hazy Jane II,” “Poor Boy” and “Northern Sky.”

I love this album. It’s like a warm blanket around my soul. Joni Mitchell’s vocals are perfectly beautiful. The songs are so so nice. Put this album on and everything seems like it will be ok. I haven’t listened to this in decades… a terrible oversight. Hearing the opening chirp of “Free Man In Paris” after such a long hiatus is like being home again. I could listen to this all day. And did.

When I started this I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it… and then it took me on a journey with a protagonist I am completely taken by. It may not seem like an epic journey - filled with mundane details as well as the highs and lows of a relationship of a stoner’s life in Britain - but by the end I was so emotionally involved that by the breakup in “Dry Your Eyes” I actually had to heed the advice myself. This is an absolutely wonderful album. I felt like my life changed a little today.

Muse’s BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS is an epic space rock album that plays like a soundtrack for encountering of the wonders of the deep space. The songs are unapologetically grandiose - like audio versions of Hubble Space Telescope images. It feels like It was created in some cosmic forge involving Radiohead, Yes, U2, Queen and Nine Inch Nails. The music is wildly and perfectly overblown. The vocals are off the hook soaring effortlessly through the maelstrom. A phenomenal album!

I didn’t realize until listening to this that David Sedaris has almost ruined my ability to listen to a Billie Holiday album, as he was really my first exposure to this artist, but after a few songs I managed to get him out of my head and stop expecting a joke… This is the first Billie Holiday album, and it was as I expected: lovely and classy and cool. I quite like her unique voice.

I've always reservations about Elvis Costello's music. Something in the way his songs are constructed have always impeded my desire to listen to them. I wonder how I'll get on listening to an entire album? The answer is I liked it ok. I didn't love it. I still don't connect with that rambling structure well. I feel like most songs are run-on sentences. Not something I hate, nor something I will seek out. Guess its a meh from me...

There were certainly some interesting points and a few fleeting, catchy moments - but most of the time I spent wishing it was over. I did not enjoy listening to this the first time through, and grew increasingly irritable as I slogged through a second listen. I have no desire to hazard a third.

This is one of my favorite ABBA albums, so I was excited to see it here! The album has a little of everything that ABBA is great at: dance, rock, ballad, folk music, boogie boogie. All the songs are great, and I'm glad the bonus track version includes Fernando! Perfect Swedish vocals, lovely arrangements, excellent production.

I am not really familiar with early Genesis… and don’t know that I have heard any of these songs before. I enjoyed the prog-rock sound and rambly songs for the most part, although even after reading the lyrics I am often left scratching my head as to what these are about. The music is great in that 70s prog-rock way. As I listened to “The Cinema Show’s” very, very extended instrumental section I was wishing I was listening to this on a record player back in 70s. Enjoyed this strange little journey…

I had received the song “Deceptacon” on a mixtape from a friend in the early 2000s and really liked it. I should have taken the cue to investigate Le Tigre further! This album kicks ass and sounds great doing it! References to Cassavetes?! The main single listing feminist icons?! Fuck Giuliani!? Count me in! Every song on this appealed immediately to me. The lo-fi instruments are magic in their hands. The lyrics seem very personal. I love it! On the first listen this seems to have become my favorite punk album.

I was wavering a bit on this album. I really enjoyed the “Chameleon” although it got a little long there in the middle, and really enjoyed the dreamy Vein Melter. I sort of wavered a bit in the middle of the album. I would up in 3.5 territory, but found the whole thing pleasant enough that I’m rounding up to a 4.

The Grateful Dead was one of the groups that came to mind when I signed on to this site. I had never listened to an album from either and thought I should listen to an album from them. And so here is AMERICAN DREAM. The country-folky sound at first surprised me, but after a few seconds I realized that I shouldn’t be surprised. I sat back and loved this album! Really nice music. Great early 70s sound. No complaints here! I knew the song “Truckin’” and when I heard “Box of Rain” it was very familiar. Really enjoyed “Operator” with what I believe to be a guiro as a great addition to the percussion (we had a guiro as a child that I loved playing… but I had to do a little research today to figure out what that thing was called). The spacey “Candyman” was really nice. I enjoyed it all.

‘86 KIX! This came out a few months after I graduated, but it remains inextricably tied to that time when I graduated from high school. Hair metal at its most refined! I fell in love with “Livin’ On A Prayer” from the first time I heard it. But this album is an embarrassment of hits. “Let It Rock,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” “Raise Your Hands,” “I’d Die For You” and “Never Say Goodbye” defined the sunset of my teens and remain incredible hits! And hearing the deeper cuts “Without Love” and “Wild In The Streets” I go right back and can sing along even though until a few minutes ago I hadn’t hear them in 30 years. Several of the songs on this album have stayed in the rotation over the last 30 years. But listening to it now I realize that I’ve forgotten more great Bon Jovi than I had been listening to. Now I have to figure out how I’m going to see this group live in concert for a long-overdue in-person Bon Jovi experience. But whether or not that ever happens, SLIPPERY WHEN WET is back and in permanent rotation. I haven’t had this much fun since I got snowed in at the Elks’ convention!

It is weird to have a “takes me back” experience from and album that still feels new to me. What happened to the last 18 years?! Anyway… this takes me back. When I first heard this in 2004 it sounded really different, really new, really interesting, and really great! This album is adventurous and daring while being really great to listen to and a hell of a lot of fun to dance to. It’s good to dance like a beautiful dance-whore again! “Take Me Out” is still as exciting as ever. This song still gives me goosebumps. The tempo change is incredible - that tempo slowdown is one of the great moments in modern music. Really amazing song crafting. But there are so many great moments in the rest of the album. Franz Ferdinand has a ton of tricks up their sleeve and each time I listen the draw me in more. The album is consistently great. It’s filled with clever rhymes, observations and lyrics. The music is varied, clever and interesting while still managing to be catchy. Another case where I started listing my favorite songs and it was the track listing. The whole thing overflows incredible. I’m so glad to have this back on centerstage of my stereo. Definitely one of my favorite albums of its decade and one of my favorite albums ever!

I had never heard of Robert Wyatt but as I listened to “Sea Song” I was very intrigued and engaged at this truly unique and very odd love song. I stared at the cover of the album as I listened and felt myself drifting into its world. Do I love this song…? I think I do… “A Last Straw” meandered about and I felt myself drifting like a krill in a giant ocean as the music pushed me this way and that through its currents. It was strangely wonderful. I could live here. Midway through “Little Red Riding Hood Hits the Road” I realized the singing was backwards. I had to reference the lyrics to realize he was unsinging the lyrics from the first half of the song. I would have thought it was some musical joke but I found it strangely satisfying. The horns in this song are wonderful and there is an excitement with really lovely piano and a driving beat. “Alifib” has more of that drifting-along-in-the-sea vibe that I really am loving. The inscrutable lyrics sound almost like a prayer amidst the shifting currents of the song. Wonderful. “Alife” continues in a similar way, but becomes more frenetic as it advances until the kind of wild saxophone bellowing away at the end. The chant at the end is really odd and I am not sure what it all means, but I really liked the drama. “Little Red Robin Hood Hits the Road” then closes the album in a really perfect way. It is dramatic and cacophonous through its first have, then settles down with some quietly droning strings and a strange monotonal chant. A somewhat maniacal laugh closes the album. Wow! This is really surprising to me that it was created in 1974… it sounds more in line with Radiohead or Thom Yorke’s solo stuff. I had no idea that something like this existed 40 years ago to serve as such a unique source of inspiration. I love hitting ROCK BOTTOM with Robert Wyatt. The swirling sounds took me into a watery world in a way that was a true surprise. I connected to the stark and solitary world it creates and will happily return there again soon.

Bummer that this isn’t available on Apple Music because I really love this album! I listened to it on YouTube though and it is as funky as one would hope. I love the title track (and have for decades), but there were a lot of other great songs on here. I love getting my day funked up like this!

This was a lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon. The harmonies are beautiful and soothing. I loved rolling along with this album. Of course the two opening songs tower over the proceedings. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Marrakesh Express sound as great as ever. An incredible one-two punch that instantly put this band on the map right out of the gate. But I liked the rest really well as well. Really nice.

The album ominous with ominous horns and timpani - like we are entering some dark nether world. And so begins a 49 minute danstravagastic journey! Thoughts as I listened… “Genesis” is an amazing opening. Intensely focused. A dark epic. Awesome. Then it translates to “Let There Be Light” that takes us from intensity to shining. This is going to be a fun ride I think… “D.A.N.C.E.” frolicked in all that new light and is so catchy and fun! And the disco party continues on a bright note with “Newjack.” All those samples! WOW! I can’t figure out what any of them are but this is some remarkable work. “Phantom” has me thinking about the soundtrack to the movie Phantasm… and as it transitions to “Phantom, Pt. II” I’m pretty sure I have a few selections for my next Halloween disco party. More lyrics from “Tthhee Ppaarrttyy” and I love that vocal! Reminds me of Ke$ha. Lots of fun. Then “DVNO” goes hard on the dance floor with a much more serious sounding vocal. What is “DVNO?” According to wikipedia it stands for “Divino.” Which didn’t really clarify anything for me… should it? “Stress” really lives up to its name. Love the music but it does build the stress! I think I hear some “Night on Disco Mountain” in there? Likely since I read that they sampled from 400 albums… crazy! (Note: Shortly after writing this I read the wikipedia page and found out I was right!) “Waters of Nazareth” is another harder dance track. I love that Justice knows how to arrange the album so that these harder tracks are modulated by the rest of the album. I like this one a lot. The finale “One Minute to Midnight” is an epic ending. Really feels like I have take a journey listening to this album. Loved the vocals. The instrumentals are off the hook. Samples run amok in the best way. Synthesizers pound and throb. Incredible production! I love this album. Sign me up to this opera-disco anytime!

Sometime around 2002 I saw Jurassic 5 at a music festival or something - maybe Voodoofest in New Orleans? They were really great, but it was one of those bands I saw that I meant to revisit. Today I realize that I never did do that. 20 years later, here we are. Wow what a great album! Felt good listening to this. Love the different voices. Great music and great rapping. So glad to have them brought back to my attention, because they are definitely worth it.

I really love this album. Elliott Smith’s ethereal delivery is so soothing. Kind of ironic for that to come from such a tortured artist. A wonderful soundtrack to help ease the daily stress of life with enough wistfulness to not be boring. Favorite Songs: Ballad of Big Nothing, No Name No. 5, Pictures of Me, Rose Parade, Say Yes

My younger sister was into reggae, and despite her best efforts it really never “took” for me. A Scottish singer singing with a Jamaican accent? I’m not sure how I feel about that. The production of the music was good. There was some variety in the songs that was welcome. This hasn’t won me over to reggae music. It was pleasant enough but I’m not motivated to listen to this again.

Another album that defies traditional review, considering that Fats Domino was at, and probably a critical instigator of, the birth of rock and roll. That alone probably justifies a five before I even start listening... Trying to set all that aside, I really enjoyed listening to this. I don't listen to albums from the 50s very often. I'm glad this project is motivating me to do so, because I only recognized "Blueberry Hill" and there are a lot more gems that are every bit as good as that song on this album. I have to say after looking at some of the other reviews on this site I'm a little jealous of the people who were excited after listening to Fats Domino for the first time. I don't think I ever had an experience like that with this artist because he was always there. Still, this album gave me a lot of moments of discovery and delight. THIS IS FATS DOMINO is fantastic!

This is an American classic from a man who is an American classic. What a debut album for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers… What can I say. This is one of the great rock records of the 70s. Fantastic!

Very simple but beautiful folk album. Lovely. Impressive how much a guitar and a voice can do! Enjoyed sitting back and relaxing to this.

In college this was the default soundtrack for a year or two. I don’t listen to it a lot today, and for some reason haven’t been compelled to, but after listening again this time had a “why don’t I listen to this more?” thought cross my mind. I realized that I may have absorbed the backlash that people have to U2 and this album. Glad to be back. This is an amazing album and it is clear to see why it became one of the best selling albums of all time. It does belong on this list, no matter how played out you think it or U2 is. Incredible album.

This is likely my all time favorite album from one of my all time favorite groups. What seemed like an apocalyptic glimpse into what might be instead is a disturbingly accurate description of this century. OK COMPUTER is the soundtrack to the disillusionment I have experienced as I witness technology’s total inability to deliver us from our own evils. And yet even as we ignore its dire warning this album is one of a very few that lit my way through some of the darker passages my life has taken. I cannot overstate its importance to me over the last 20 years. The best album to come out of the 90’s still sounds like it is one step ahead of us.

Listening to the first three songs of this was a real slog. I struggled with the vocals. I hated the lyrics. As each of these songs ended my desire to continue listening kept plummeting. “Lovely Creature” was the first song where things started looking a little better... and after that I already was familiar with “Where the Wild Roses Grow” which continued along this line. I didn’t hate this song, in no small part to the performance of Kylie Minogue. But it sounded much worse than I recall on this album. From then on it all heads rapidly south again. I’m sure someone might enjoy this as some kind of satirical joke or something, but my only joy was hearing it end.

I was downloading this as I boarded a plane so I could listen on the flight. It barely completed downloading before the door was shut and we were on our way. Without internet I had no inkling of what it was I was about to listen to. Somewhere over Idaho around the third “song” the plane encountered rough turbulence. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be the last album I hear. The thought started making me giggle. And as the cacophony continued in my headphones the plane bounced more intensely and drinks were spilled and I giggled harder and odd uncomfortable looks were coming my way. If only I could be playing this over the plane’s PA... a vision that turned my giggling into open laughter. If you’re reading this then it would seem I survived both the flight and listening to this album. I was on the verge of awarding this my second ever 1 star rating. Then again, it did manage to give my flight a mad tea party vibe. I also really love the album cover. “Wonderful Rainbow” is a great title against the soundscape it presents. No, this will not be joining my lowest rated album even though I likely will never make it through the whole album ever again.

After Murder Ballads on one day and noise rock the next, the 1001 Album Gods took mercy on my ears with a quiet storm of perfect 80s soul. This was just the musical hug I had no idea I was needing. The production is spot on. This is music for a romantic evening in a swanky blue-lit nightclub sipping on a cocktail as the conversation grows more and more intimate. Sax-forward and butter-smooth, RAPTURE is an unexpectedly wonderful addition to my night.

Led Zeppelin is probably the group I most wanted to experience when embarking on this listening project. Not ever exploring any of their works beyond the occasional hits was a huge deficit in my musical experience. I love this album, a sprawling collection of eclectic songs that showcase incredible diversity in song construction. I was only familiar with the relentless “Kashmir” that churns like a black hole in this album’s heart. Spiraling around it is a galaxy of songs covering a wide range of styles. How consistently great it all is serves as a testament to Led Zeppelin’s incredible talent. I expected Led Zeppelin to be awesome. On this album they exceeded my expectation.

I just know of The Byrds from their hits and the numerous references to them in Wikipedia articles about other artists they influenced. Their influence is huge, so I have been very interested in hearing more of their work. I love the swingin’ and trippy 60s sound with occasional tinges of country. It was a lot of fun feeling this groovy listening to an album.

The cover of this album is remarkable. My interest was piqued immediately. What is it about Brazilian music that is so listenable? Is it the amazing percussion? The sound of Portuguese? Those rhythmic guitars? Maybe it’s all of that and more. This album had a lot of unique twists on the Brazilian sound and seemed to experiment quite a bit with styles and sounds that gave this great variety. It went in directions I didn’t expect. This is something I think I could have only discovered here. I love it!

I haven’t ever listened to a Marvin Gaye album, so to get the one that was “a critical and commercial failure” on its release as my first - and the one that was inspired by and recorded in the midst of a very nasty divorce - would probably not have been my personal choice for my first Marvin Gaye album. As soon as I hit play this promised to be a smooth and lovely ride no matter what the subject matter. But very quickly one couldn’t help but notice the lyrics… The pain of breakup and divorce is front and center in the lyrics. These songs don’t hide behind any allegories or metaphors. Marvin’s working things out front and center. How can such raw emotions sound so smooth?! I can see how one could be put off by six minute song that works through a lot of relationship shit (“When Did You Stop Loving Me?”). I started to feel a little uncomfortable, like Marvin Gaye pulled up a barstool and started confiding in me way too personally about his life. But I’m transfixed and staying put… “barkeep - another round please!” “A Funky Space Reincarnation” was a bit of an odd inclusion - some kind of space fantasy tangent thrown in the midst - but I did like the song. How about the title?! “Here, My Dear.” The PERIOD is in the title. Like he was gonna drop this off on her doorstep and leave without saying a word. A TWO ALBUM set of songs rehashing everything. “Here, My Dear.” I wonder if she ever listened to this? This is one really unique album. Anger, resentment, love, sadness, bitterness, regret, desperation, hope… it’s a wild roller coaster ride of emotions set to great arrangements with great musical performances. It’s definitely a one-sided view of divorce. What a way to work through a breakup!

I hadn’t listened to this group before. It’s a happy sounding album, even when the songs deal with misery, breakups and death. The lyrics are rambly and witty, with an interesting 60s-meets-the-80s feel to it all. The song I really liked I learned was left off of the original release and hastily re-added after its success as a B-side in the US, “Dear God.” Ironic because this is the song I see myself revisiting from this album. There were a variety of instruments and arrangements, but struck me with a sameness that felt less interesting to me than it should have. I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed.

The minor key made this a more challenging listen to me. Rap is a genre that I am not predisposed to love, so when I do there is usually something that stands out or is more melody-oriented. I did get a bit of that on my favorite track off this album, “Release Yo’ Delf,” with its musical reference to “I Will Survive” and horn-sounding backing instrument, which lightened things up a bit. It was the most interesting track to me. I am not the audience for this rap album. Not something I enjoyed listening to or will revisit again.

So much fun to revisit this album! It is chock-full of great 80s hits. Still, I learned a few new things after spending some time with this today. Like “When You Were Mine” was written by Prince. Over the years the monster hits off this have overshadowed a lot of other great material on this album, so it was a real pleasure to listen to it from beginning to end. Cyndi Lauper is one of the great feminist pop icons. Her songs are lyrically powerful, incredibly well-crafted and highly entertaining. One of the greatest 80s albums around!

It is interesting that this is a Jeff Beck album when Rod Stewart sings so much on it… you’d think he’d get a ‘(feat. Rod Stewart)’ mention on the relevant song titles. I started off a bit lukewarm, although I really appreciated the talent. Then as the album progressed I started to like it more and more. By the second listen I was pretty on-board with this… I was surprised at how much I loved “Ol’ Man River.” I was surprised to hear it on this album and surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how fresh it felt! The timpani really added a unique dimension to it. “Greensleeves” and “Beck’s Bolero” were also unexpected additions that were very enjoyable. Other standouts to me were “Morning Dew,” “Rock My Plimsoul,” and “I Ain’t Superstitious.” Great album!

You couldn’t say that I have been much of a Neil Young fan. I’ve liked some of his music, but was never completely into his style. As the first few songs rolled out I was lukewarm. This listen has left me appreciating Neil Young’s delivery a lot more. There’s a lot of compelling emotion in how he delivers a song. The backing bands are fantastic. I really like the country-tinged songs “Roll Another Number (For The Road)” and “Albuquerque.” Other favorites were “Tonight’s the Night,” “World On A String,” “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” and “Lookout Joe.” “Tonight’s The Night” has increased my appreciation of Neil Young.

I've heard Frank Zappa's name for most of my life. When this popped up, I realized that I had no idea what kind of music he made. I must have heard some of his music somewhere along the way but I had not idea what that might be. I put this on and fell instantly in love with "Peaches in Regalia." It's catchy as hell, the arrangements are full of surprises - I love it! Even though I didn't know what to expect this was totally unexpected! "Willie The Pimp" changes the tone quite a bit with gritty vocals and guitars and a very long and groovy jam. Really enjoyed this too. "Son Of Mr. Green Genes" I guess is not about the recurring Captain Kangaroo character... but I love it so much! It's groovy, jazzy, and so cool and unique. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a most groovy dribble to work! A lot of this music is what the nondescript instrumental rock-and-roll the kids on the Brady Bunch played was based upon, only orders of magnitude better. I have no idea why an album like this has existed for my entire life and I haven't run into it before. This is one of my favorite new musical discoveries - I'm definitely going to be checking out more from Frank Zappa!

Cat Stevens and this album has been in regular rotation in my life from before I could form memories. Yet I hadn’t listened to the whole album in decades. When the opening notes of the album started, I got goosebumps and all the bad in the world melted away by a voice that has comforted me since I could barely walk. I cannot overstate how much I love this album. Another reminder to forget about all those greatest hits collections and get back to spending some real quality time with great albums. The prodigal son returns and TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN has been waiting to welcome me home.

I just can’t get very excited about this. I lost interest quickly both times I listened to this. This isn’t a genre I am predisposed to, and I didn’t hear anything that really stood out to me.

Some nice Motown here… some of the songs surprised me from the Temptations, as I haven’t listened to their “deeper cuts” before. But I liked the album. Nothing beats the full version of “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” Epic!

This is one of my favorite albums, a great Earth Day eve listen. KID A is best experienced in a meditative state. On headphones it is glorious. Challenging in both theme and construction, it’s not a good choice for passively listening to while doing errands. What you will find here is an exceptional expression of our 21st century race towards self-destruction. Like the cover art, the music is an icy, cold exploration of existential dread. Even the song “Optimistic” is darkly so, with the refrain “You can try the best you can, The best you can is good enough” and closing with “Dinosaurs roaming the earth.” We can, it is and we are.

This album was released at a pivotal time in my own religious journey. LIKE A PRAYER came out at the exact moment I was making a decision to take one last big gamble on my Catholic faith. Over the following year, this album was a major part of my soundtrack I became disillusioned with religion and set my life on a new path. Personal stories aside, this is an incredible album released at the apex of Madonna’s imperial phase. From the upbeat Gospel-infused title track, pop confections like “Cherish”, the dance floor staple “Express Yourself”, to introspective and deeply personal tracks like “Oh Father” and “Promise to Try”, I consider this Madonna’s greatest album. There is not a song on it that I don’t love. Madonna’s exploration of family and religion is an incredible journey from beginning to end.

In late 1984 on a long school trip I forgot to pack any extra cassettes for my Walkman knock-off. At a truck stop I perused the limited selection and saw a single copy of this album. On impulse I bought PRIVATE DANCER despite knowing very little about Tina Turner. This was not something I would have ever imagined adding my my collection. By the end of side one, the universe had assigned me my diva and I had met the musical love of my life. PRIVATE DANCER overflows with fire and passion. Every song on this album is a monster. The cover songs feel like completely new tracks as Tina works them into her style. The polished 80s production serves to highlight Tina’s raw, primal energy that still makes me stop what I’m doing to listen. PRIVATE DANCER is my musical cornerstone and likely the greatest album I will ever hear.

This is some great classic Jordinaires-backed Elvis! His voice sounds really great, the recording sounds really great (in Stereo!), and he recorded this after coming back from a stint in the army (not something I have seen big rock and roll stars do in my lifetime). This didn’t have any of the monster hits I knew of from Elvis, but I enjoyed it a lot. And found a lot of songs I could bop along with. I was leaning towards a 4-star rating, but my mother would be disappointed, and he does do a mean cover of Fever. So five stars it is!

Eels can be relied on to provide playful tunes that shimmer and shine instrumentally while delivering dark lyrics struggling to make sense of life and the world. It makes for a very engaging listening experience!

This album was a lot of fun to listen to! The lyrics are witty and I didn’t pick up on anything terribly exploitative or offensive. Enjoyed it the first time but really found it great the second time. Great fun!

Tom Waits was one of the big surprises I had so far listening to the 1001 albums… I didn’t think I’d enjoy listening to him for a whole album. But when I listened to RAIN DOGS was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Now listening to this I love it too! My instinctive reaction to Tom Waits is changing… I love the instrumentation on the songs. It compliments perfectly Tom Waits’ distinctive vocals. The stories in the songs held me transfixed… “Frank’s Wild Years” opens with ‘Well Frank settled down out in the valley, and he hung his wild years on a nail he drove through his wife’s forehead.’ Who doesn’t want to hear the rest of that story?! (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well) I think I might have enjoyed SWORDFISHTROMBONES even more than RAIN DOGS. This is a wildly interesting, crazy quilts of songs. Some tell stories, some are inscrutable, and some are fun flights of musical fancy. Yet they cohere as an album - one I will be happy to listen to again! Immediate favorite tracks: 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six, In the Neighborhood, Frank’s Wild Years, Soldier’s Things, Rainbirds

I’ve heard a lot about this album, so was glad it appeared. It is lovely. Joni Mitchell’s distinctive delivery just calmed me down and made the day feel very good. What could be more perfect than that?

The first time I listened to this I felt like I knew some of these songs. Later I realized I’d seen a couple of TV shows that used a few of these songs. Otherwise this was the first time I’ve heard this group. This album really clicked with me on the second listen. Catching more clever lyrics like “So yes, I guess I’m asking you to back a horse that’s good for glue” and picking up more of the stories the songs tell really made me fall for this album. The music is really interesting, the vocals unique, and it all came together for me. “ We made the moon our mirrorball The streets, an empty stage The city sirens violins Everything has changed ” There are touches of epic, wistfulness, sadness, drama, sarcasm and joy throughout the songs. I love it! Standout songs: Mirrorball, Weather to Fly, An Audience With the Pope, One Day Like This, A Friend of Ours, Hotel Istanbul

I wasn’t crazy about the thought of post-punk… why? No good reason. I started this up with a negative attitude. Fortunately Gang of Four is pretty great and melted all that away quite quickly. I very much enjoyed bopping along to this. Clever lyrics, great songs… Glad to have my preconceptions dispelled!

I knew and really liked several songs off this album. “F.I.N.E.” and “The Other Side” came to my attention several years ago on the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Disney World. I love both - how unexpectedly cool is “The Dulcimer Stomp”?! - but “F.I.N.E” instantly became one of my favorites and is maybe my favorite on the album. “Going Down/Love In An Elevator” was a song you couldn’t miss from my college days. It still sounds as good as ever. And “Water Song/Janie’s Got a Gun” is such a classic! Really love this song. “What it Takes” rounds out the songs that I went in knowing. It’s great as well. As for the tracks that were new to me, “Young Lust” is really great Aerosmith. What an album opener! “Monkey On My Back” features some incredible groaning and screaming from Steven Tyler. I love this song. “My Girl” is a ton of fun. I love that after dulcimers they pulled out the didgeridoos for “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even”. Really appreciate these unique touches. “Hoodoo/Voodoo” keep the quality high on this album. This is such a great Aerosmith album. Filled with double-entendre (or single entendre) shenanigans that Aerosmith can do and still be totally endearing. Even though I’m 30 years late to this party it’s still rockin’ hard!

If you were to ask me to start naming Creedence Clearwater Revival songs at least five off this album likely would have come to mind. Several other songs on this album seemed familiar. So even though I don’t believe I have ever listened to this album, I have hoid most of it somewhere along the way. It’s remarkable that so many hits came from this album. Great, classic CCR.

I’ve loved this album since its release, but for some reason I was very surprised to find Kacey Musgraves on this list. I’m really happy she is. GOLDEN HOUR is such a nice album… it flows along with strong country roots mixed with a lot of other vibes. Who doesn’t want to take their “High Horse” out on the dance floor?! But this album is mostly made up of more contemplative songs that flow gently along like a wonderful stream. I’m sure there are country purists who will judge, but I’m very happy Kacey Musgraves has made this list!

Well this is certainly an interesting thing. I feel like I should have taken a lot more of something when I listened to this and it might have gotten a 5, but I still enjoyed all the surreal madness. How often do I get to listen to an album themed around the transition to aquatic of a manticore-fighting armored armadillo tank? It’s all a bit fascinating. Not sure this will be a regular listen but it is certainly something I’m glad to have become acquainted with.

This album was a fun listen! “Love Song” was full of clever lyrics with a pretty nice, down to earth sentiment of love at the end. I love the retro keyboard sound in songs like “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today.” It contrasted with the lovely piano opening “Melody Lee,” which then erupts into a poppypunk guitar-driven confection that one might mosh to. \“Anti-Pope” takes down religion with some pretty direct criticism delivered in a surprising affable way. The carousel-driven “These Hands” is certainly a dark take on a circus clown. I need this for my halloween playlist… There’s a lot of talent in this group that elevates this music a bit, and they embrace variety which gives most of the songs a distinct sound while still cohering as a whole. Loved it!

It’s been a while since I’ve really listened to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I never listened to a complete album. I definitely appreciate them more now than I did then… they create incredible compositions in a wide variety of styles. The songs are interesting, include complex arrangements and unexpected instruments, and are a lot of fun to listen to! Really enjoyed this and glad to have found a new appreciation of this group that I had not appreciated as much as I feel I should have when this was new. This is an album I will be listening to again!

Kate Bush’s THE SENSUAL WORLD was a staple since my college years. I have routinely listened to it since its release in 1989. I love every song on it. While not her most experimental sounding work, there is plenty of variety on it. I particularly love her use of the Bulgarian ensemble and other world music influences scattered throughout. On of my many favorite Kate Bush albums that I never tire of.

This album presents me with a conundrum. I was in awe of what could be done using just the human voice. Once I had admired that, the mostly slow vocal delivery of the main lyrics became tedious. I appreciated this but could not find emotional connection to it. Still, I am marveling at the accomplishment of this album. I understand why it is on this list and it is definitely something to behold which rounds up the rating half a point. But the academic attraction I felt was not enough to say I enjoy this.

What can I say? A third of this album I grew up hearing and have no question as to their greatness. The other two-thirds were great as well. This is a timeless classic that I should have listened to long ago.

This is entirely new to me and I loved it. It’s a very dark album, but there are epic moments like “Flying” where it loosens up and feels lighter. “Aisha” has a great rock groove under those disturbing lyrics. “Aladdin’s Story” is a pretty cool take on the classic ‘Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…’. I enjoyed the rock-meets-electronica of this. Death In Vegas is a group I will check out further. Not a happy album, but one I am happy to have encountered!

This was a very listenable double album. It was nice music to play while I went about various activities throughout the day. There were a few songs I really stopped to take note of, but for the most part nothing really grabbed me and made me think I had to have this in my music library. Still, I did add it as I can think of several occasions where some well done alt country might be just the ticket. I didn’t necessarily need a double album, and it doesn’t make me think “oh yeah, this has to be in the top 1001”, but I don’t mind having it here. Notable tracks: Monday, Outtasite (Outta Mind), Hotel Arizona, Someday Soon, Dreamer In My Dreams

David Bowie vibe is evident on this… so it suddenly made sense reading that he was heavily involved on the Wikipedia page. Besides “Lust for Life” (oh - yes I guess it does sound very Bowie!) and “The Passenger” I knew very little Iggy Pop. This was fun and I enjoyed it! Favorite songs: Lust for Life, The Passenger, Success, Neighborhood Threat

This album has a really fun sound and The Pharcyde can be pretty impressive in their clowning around. Could that really be a Jetsons Jet Screamer reference in “Soul Flower”?! This has a refreshing brightened up rap style that I very much like. The handling of the subject matter is problematic in many, many places. I had too many cringey moments. I didn’t mind the sex, drugs and humor, except too often the fun comes at the expense of others which really brings down my enjoyment level. I can say the music and rap skills have me leaning towards a 5, but the lyrics send me somewhere around 1 or 2. Averaging those to a 3. I’m not satisfied with this rating as listening to my favorite tracks it is too low but listening to many of the other tracks it seems too high. Favorite Tracks: Soul Flower, Officer, Return of the B-Boy

I knew and liked this album a lot already, but every time I listen I pick up more. There’s a lot of depth and much to explore on his album. It is extraordinary that one of the most unique and inventive works of a unique and inventive artist’s career was created during his 68th and last year on earth. Bowie left us with a self-created tribute to an incredible career that still feels like it has come from the future. It’s startling and wonderful!

I don’t recall ever hearing this group but I really enjoyed this! Sort of an edgier Simple Minds-ish 80s vibe going on that I really like. Homeland is a fantastic song. Others that stood out immediately were Infection, Angels of Deception, Sweet Bird of Truth, and The Mercy Beat. Great stuff!

I’m not a big R&B aficionado so I wasn’t sure how almost an hour long album might be. I put this on and was really surprised at the variety Frank Ocean incorporates into his grooves. Some really unusual drum parts, interesting orchestral backgrounds, psychedelic sounds and other interesting musical constructions and styles throughout. This kept my interest level high. The lyrics are interesting, often seeming almost conversational, and often dealing with some of the darker topics of life. This was all a lot more appealing than I had expected.

“Oh boy,” I thought as I looked at 73 minutes of 1991 rap. It isn’t my preferred genre. When I put this on and didn’t mind the first track. Then “First Impression” - not really a musical track but a monologue - took me by surprise and made me really laugh. Maybe there will be enough here to carry me through to the end… There is a lot of variety on these songs. Yes, there is a lot of guns and drugs. These lyrics aren’t for family listening. Still I was surprised how far between my pearl-clutching moments were. Ice T throws in some moments of humor and empathy and social messaging that made this feel better than a lot of rap I’ve heard. The self-reflection and a willingness to examine and play with the tropes of the genre I find very refreshing. Still not something I will probably listen to while relaxing and chilling, but I like it and respect its place on this list.

The first song I did not enjoy. The second song was rough. The third song… rough. Oh boy… are there really 13 more songs to listen to? Fourth song: Nope. Fifth song: The best so far? But still quite rough…. Is “Jesus Gonna Be Here” an old blues song? Hmmmm… “Little Rain” is a bit better with its country tinge… OK… halfway there. Not enjoying this much. But maybe this is a turning point… “Going Out West” was a little… just a little… more appealing. But I’m still waiting for it to be over. Then six more songs that I did not enjoy… Am I having a bad day? After this completed, I went back to two earlier Tom Waits albums I enjoyed, swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs. I still like them. I did not enjoy this album. I’ll give it extra 1/2 point because there is Tom Waits creativity, but I would only expect to return under duress.

I love this group. When I first saw the cover I didn’t realize what was on this album. “How Can I Be Sure” with its wonderful 3/4 time and accordion. How did I not notice the red “This LP Has The Big Hit ‘How Can I Be Sure’” on the cover?! “Groovin’” with the wonderful birds. “A Girl Like You,” “A Place in the Sun,” “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” “You Better Run,” “A Place In The Sun.” That’s a lot of songs I recognize off this! This has a lot of soul sprinkled with bits of psychedelia that sounds great. Love this great specimen of 60’s pop!

An album with “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love” should probably get a 5 based on those two songs alone. I thought the rest of the album is great. Other standouts included “She Has Funny Cars”, “My Best Friend”, “3/5 Of a Mile In 10 Seconds”, “Embryonic Journey” and “Plastic Fantastic Lover”.

A classic great rock album that I have loved for years! What can I say… it deserves all the praise. Favorite songs: Wonderwall, Cast No Shadow, Don’t Look Back In Anger, She’s Electric, Morning Glory, Champagne Supernova.

For more than 5 years I used to work the sound board at a radio station every week inserting local ads for a 3 hour national oldies radio program. In that time I probably listened to more than 1000 hours of 60s music. What a shame that I recall NOTHING from this album ever making it into those weekly shows! How refreshing would some of this have been to add more dimension to those programs?! I’ve heard talk about how important The Yardbirds were - after all their members included Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page - but all I recall hearing from them before this is “For Your Love” and “Heart Full of Soul”. Maybe I should have been more proactive… Even the Wikipedia article is woefully light on detail about this album. No mention at all of where that great album cover comes from? Or the Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions that I find on Apple Music? It seems as though there is a level of 60s music that is wildly interesting that lies below the usual stuff we hear today in the mainstream. A total gem with an amazing band (Jeff Beck!) doing great, interesting songs. I’m thankful again for this web site and the 1001 book!

I afraid most of my exposure to jazz has come from Pink Panther and Charlie Brown cartoons. Listening to this album, I feel like this is what I think of when someone says jazz music. It has made me realize jazz music is quite a nice addition to my life. I feel a bit ill-suited to offer a meaningful review, but this sounded great to me and I loved listening to it. A cool way to chill the night away. I love it!

This is a ton of fun! Great music. Fun lyrics. Refreshing next to a lot of other hip hop and rap we’ve heard on this project. And how sweet is “Dreamin’”?! This album has me smiling!

It's really nice to have a female voice after all the male hip-hop/rap groups we've heard. Lots of great rhymes and fun references scattered throughout. Some nice musical sampling. And the really great cover of "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Not all fun and games with a lot of topical subjects. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Not really that interesting to me. I was mostly bored, nothing really stood out much to me and several of the songs (I'm looking at you 'Music Scene') went on far too long. Not something I'm terribly interested in listening to again or adding to my collection. But I managed to not completely loathe it.

How much do I love this album?! I bought the cassette in 1983 and it has been one of my favorites ever since. "Our Lips Are Sealed" is one of my all-time favorite songs of the 80's. Every time I listen to it I fall in love with it all over again. "We Got The Beat" is right up there with it. But no one should miss songs like "Lust to Love", "This Town", "Fading Fast", "You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)", "Can't Stop The World." Actually no one should miss listening to this album from beginning to end. It is so satisfying to hear "Lust to Love" after "Tonite" leading into "This Town" and it makes me very happy when I do. The album is great and I never tire of listening to this. I'm so glad to see this album on this list!

For some reason I was under the impression that I liked Nick Cave. I’m starting to wonder where that impression came from… This and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ MURDER SONGS have really turned me off. I hate the album cover, though it is appropriate for the contents. There’s some musicality to the songs but nothing I am interested in hearing. I will admit that the end of “Release the Bats” made me start to laugh, if a bit maniacally. I’m not sure if I was genuinely amused or giddy because there was only 12 seconds left to listen to. JUNK YARD and I did not make a love connection.

ABC seems like a more sophisticated 80s band… something smooth and the 80s equivalent of big band music about them. Martin Fry’s voice and the lush arrangements create a really great, big sound that still sounds amazing today. I loved the hits they released off this album when they were released, but in the mid 80’s purchased it and really fell in love with the whole album. Big sound, clever lyrics, and hook-filled bass-driven 80s numbers are as compelling now as they ever were to me. Something about this album makes me want to listen to it in some open-air vehicle (a convertible? A biplane? A powerboat?) while sipping on champagne. I’m so excited to see this come up on this list!

I’ve heard several of the songs before and liked them very much. This is the first time I have heard the entire album. I liked everything on it from beginning to end. Really fun and catchy! In the Wikipedia page for this album it mentioned that this was created on an Atari ST computer using floppy disks. That’s pretty freaking amazing since this was released well after that computer was discontinued. I love this album even more given it’s classic computer roots!

It’s good to hear a classic like this. I hadn’t realized Love Hurts started with The Everly Brothers. A good listen.

I was exposed to this in my youth through my sister's record collection, but I wasn't terribly attracted to it then. Back then I would listen to "Can't Get Enough" but generally didn't listen long too much after that. It felt too "grown up" for me. I guess I'm grown up now, because I really love all of this. Very well done 70s rock that makes me feel like the cool kid I always wanted to be. I loved sitting back with the lights low and chilling out to this album. Definitely has earned a place in my permanent rotation.

Pink Floyd is one of the groups I have thought I always needed more exposure to when I started doing this project so I'm glad to listen to this album. I bought A Momentary Lapse of Reason back in college and was familiar with The Wall mostly from the movie, but don't recall ever listening to any other Pink Floyd albums in their entirety. Yes, I know that was bordering on some kind of musical crime... Turns out I already knew three of the songs on this album (the title track, "Have a Cigar" and "Welcome to the Machine"). I like all three songs quite a bit. Listening to the whole album added the epic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5)" and "...(Parts 6-9)" which are my favorite parts of the album. I love the grandiosity of the synthesizers and guitar work. Really great album and I look forward to more from Pink Floyd.

This is my second Miles Davis album and I really enjoyed it. Been listening to it off and on all day and it is really wonderful. Turns out a little jazz is a great addition to my life!

Wow! This album is hot! Great sounding recording. The horns and drums are off the hook! The patter made it a vibrant, live experience - really enjoyed the call-and-response in “Carry Me I Want To Die.” Happy to have this LIVE! album in the rotation.

Wasn’t looking forward to more rap, but this was good! Got a little bored here and there but mostly into it. I liked the smoother jams like “Around the Way Girl” and “6 Minutes of Pleasure” a lot!

I knew a lot of these songs, but this isn't a greatest hits collection. Talk about a great debut album! I'm pretty sure I've listened to this album before somewhere along the way, but didn't realize it was the debut. The Mama's and the Papa's music has such a nice effect on my psyche. There's something sweet and yet wistful in those songs that never fail to draw me in. Really special!

I haven’t listened to this staple from my college years in… years. I feel like I’ve just discovered R.E.M. all over again! I’m stunned to see that this came out in 1983. I tend to think of R.E.M. as a 90s band. It’s startling to think of just how on the vanguard R.E.M. was in the early 80s. Listening to this now I hear the massive influence R.E.M. would have on rock for the next decade or two. Really incredible debut album that is so wonderful to have back in my life after far too long a hiatus.

I’ve never been much for Sinatra, but I do love Nelson Riddle. As expected I love the arrangements and music on this. I’m not into Frank’s voice and I’m not exactly sure why. I just couldn’t stop wanting someone else singing these songs. Strange to have this feeling when I know I should be thinking otherwise… His influence on modern music is undeniable and these songs are great. Still I don’t see a Frank Sinatra fan club in my future. It’s unlikely this will be something I revisit.

I bought this album shortly after its release and listened to it for several years, but then it sort of disappeared from my radar. I don’t really have the rage in me that I still managed then. So what’s it like to come back to this almost 20 years later? It’s great! I remembered right away what I love about Linkin Park… they know how to rock but also have great hooks and modulation to hold my interest. I like their lyrics and the personal themes. Great vocals. Really great to hear this again today. “The End” is an awesome song and is kind of the perfection of the Linkin Park formula, but there are lots of other songs I very much like on this album including “Papercut,” “Points of Authority,” “Crawling,” “Runaway,” “Forgotten” and “Pushing Me Away.” Even though the last twenty years have softened my edges, I guess I still have room for some angry, angsty, cathartic hard rock. Linkin Park’s ability to modulate with softer passages is just the right kind of heavy for me.

I love Earth, Wind and Fire so I was excited to set this. Never heard this album before but knew the first two tracks and they are excellent. The rest of the album? Loved it! I was surprised to learn that this was a soundtrack for a movie. Think I may have to check that out too.

George Jones is a big part of my dad's musical tastes from ever since I could remember. But I hadn't really gotten into his music like I have artists like Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, and many others. I don't recall ever hearing this album. Even so I knew going in this would be good. Really good. This is some really great 70s country that seems like it set the standard for what we think of when we think of country. Heartbreak abounds, but it seems to always be respectful. From the sad opening title track to the candid conversation from a star to his fans as the album closes ("Our Private Life"), this is a deeply moving and personal album that happens to also be a fantastic listen. I loved it and expect that George Jones is now a staple of my musical diet.

This is one of those albums that seem to be a raison d’etre for this list. It’s every bit as good now as it has ever been for me. One of those albums that make me want to join its magical universe. The organ-heavy arrangements enchant me. The dark hooks draw me into its shadowy world. The great harmonies seduce me. Timeless perfection. "Light My Fire" is one of the best songs ever created and would earn this album a 5. But I think "Break on Through" and "The End" could as well. It was also good to hear the whole album again, because it has been a while since I have done that. If anything I think I love it more now than ever.

I was surprised to find another Fiona Apple album appear on this list… and a very recent one that I’ve never heard of. I guess I’ve been a bit out of the loop lately as far as the latest acclaimed albums. This was a really interesting and fun album to listen to! It has a rough, arts and crafty feel that is reflected in the cover art, but is built and performed with a very high level of skill even if it is what seems like clanging and banging against a wall or the barking dogs. The lyrics are filled with clever observations and descriptions that I instantly fell in love with. This really seems like the perfect thing to emerge amidst the chaos of the pandemic. The jaunty feel of the album juxtaposes with its serious and at times seriously dark subjects. A genuinely quirky and unique album that I found to be very special!

I expected this to be great, but GRACE still surprised me by just how great it is! Jeff Buckley does so much in this album. Achingly heartbreaking at times, yet not afraid to turn up the distortion on the guitar an rock out. Buckley tries a lot of things on this album and it all works incredibly well. I am transfixed. In one moment he is soaring to epic heights then effortlessly dives into deep personal introspection. What an incredible ride! I love this album so very much. Why when I first heard Jeff Buckley’s rendition of “Hallelujah” I didn’t immediate run out and buy this album I’ll never know. This song deserves all the love and praise. The performance is perfection. It is remarkable that the rest of the album more than lives up to the impossibly high standard set by this incredible performance. “Last Goodbye” is an incredibly mature breakup song so great it seems like a clear and present threat to a breakup. “Lilac Wine” is a touching performance of heartbreak as the singer reminisces on a lost love. An incredible performance that gives me chills as it ends. The fantastic accordion opening, beautiful organ and arching lyrics of “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” gives the perspective of a man desperately looking for the return of an absent lover. He passingly acknowledges culpability as he cries out for her return. “Eternal Life” is one of the harder rock songs. Buzzy guitars grind over intense lyrics like ‘I’ve got a message for you and your twisted hell, You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal Angel yeah.” Halfway through the song seems to take off as the guitars soar boosted by a dramatic string section. The original finale of the album is “Dream Brother”. It opens with dissonant plucking that gives way to a moody guitar riff over exotic drums. It was written to a friend in another 1001 band (Fishbone!) trying to encourage him not to abandon his pregnant girlfriend by invoking his own abandonment by his father Tim Buckley (also a 1001 artist!). Beautifully complicated and utterly unforgettable. I was a little sad to learn there’s only one Jeff Buckley album in the world. Then I felt a little silly because we get more from this album than any of us deserve.

It’s a surprise to have a second Super Furry Animals album. I’m curious to see how this varies from Fuzzy Logic. Right away I noticed the difference. Some cool harmonies - “Rings Around the World” is like a 21st successor to The Beach Boys by way of ELO with the noise turned up. I love it! Nice harmonies throughout, some clever lyrics, and a whole lot of great sounds to take in. Horns that could have come from Burt Bacharach, lounge music, grinding guitars, electronica, beach-friendly harmonies, weird sci fi effects and a lot more merge into some catchy, catchy songs. Really unique and really wonderful! Speaking of lyrics: “You expose the film in me” “I got some feelings I can’t get through, I’ll just binge on crack and tiramisu” “You came to me in peace and left me in pieces” “I’m not in love with you, but I won’t hold that against you” “With knives to their throat they’ll depart on the midnight train to Jordan” “But I’m in Deep Space Nine, Hitting wormholes all the time” And how about that ending to “No Sympathy”?! YES! Then dive into the oh so robot lounge-y “Juxtaposed With You.” OH YES! The 1001 gods have been serving up some good, unique albums lately. When I first saw this I worried it wouldn’t hold up. I’m glad to find it’s a great album I’m very happy to have around!

"Bang a Gong" has been a favorite song of mine for around 40 years. I still love it and have never really been bored by it. I'm sure I've heard a couple of other tunes from them in that time but I sure can't think of any names. None of the other tracks on this album ring any bells. So it looks like this will be largely a new listening experience. I've discovered yet another album worthy of the one hit off it that I'm intimately familiar with. There's a good bit of "Bang a Gong" style music that I really loved ("Mambo Sun", "Jeepster", "The Motivator" to name a few), but the surprise was the presence of a softer side of T-Rex. "Cosmic Dancer" is a string-filled, beautiful song that I fell instantly in love with. "Monolith" marches along accompanied by a lovely choir, while "Life's a Gas" is really touching. Great album!

On the previous Elvis Costello review I mentioned that I have always had trouble appreciating his music. As I put this one on I started reading the wikipedia article and was heartened to read that many consider this his best album. Perhaps this is where I turn the corner on Elvis Costello? This still is a solid “meh” for me. There were a couple of songs I liked better than the last album (“Pump It Up” and “Radio Radio”), but any moments of excitement were far too fleeting to draw me in. I didn’t hate it but it’s starting to look like Elvis Costello isn’t my bag.

Ingénue indeed!!! I loved this album in the 90s and still do. It’s filled with lush emotional torch songs, incredible vocals, interesting arrangements and ends with one of the greatest hits from my days as an announcer on adult contemporary radio. I am still having a love affair with this album!

I’ve listened to this long ago, but didn’t remember a lot of the album so it felt a bit new through a lot of it. Really lovely music. Lots of really great songs beyond the monster hits that come from this. I found “A Simple Desultory Philippic…” just a tad odd at first with the Dylan-style delivery, but I enjoyed it and the interesting cultural references throughout. This doesn’t eclipse my favorite Simon & Garfunkel album, but still easily a 5!

Ray Charles is another of those artists my dad really loved so I heard a lot of him growing up. No sure if I’ve ever heard this album in particular, but I knew some of the songs and very much enjoyed it! Smoking in some places, sumptuous in others, this is a really wonderful addition to the day.

I imagine I have listened to the New York Dolls before, but I didn’t recognize anything on the first listen. This sounds a bit like The Rolling Stones gussied up with lipstick and a chainsaw. The album cover drew me in immediately and perfectly reflects the rough and raw contents right down to the can of Schlitz next to the high-heel clogs. I love it… and I like to think I could make it with Frankenstein!

This ain’t my first time at the Tito Puente rodeo! I had several of his albums in the past. Not sure if this was one of them as I am always up for some mambo. Turns out this was just the way to get my day started with a big smile… I’m thrilled this is on the list! Anyone who doesn’t find their hips moving when they listen to this should be examined by a professional. I love this era and style of music and Tito Puente is the crème de la crème.

I like my divas a little rougher than this. Mariah Carey is a remarkable singer and I appreciate why this is a popular album. There are some songs that I warmed up to more than I thought I would after several listens. The vocals flit around like… butterflies. There were times I was a bit bored and grew weary of some of the vocals. I think I like Mariah’s pop phase more than this move towards R&B. Still, this is a polished presentation of Mariah Carey’s formidable vocal skills.

My sister had a number of Rod Stewart albums I used to listen to when I was young. This one didn't get as much Close 'n' Play time as "A Night On The Town" or "Blondes Have More Fun", so I don't remember much of it well. This is pretty great! I'm sure I enjoyed it more now than I did then. I like the early 70s rock feel with dashes of folk. Excellent!

Over the years I have become increasingly absorbed by Radiohead's later, more experimental works. It has been a few years since I sat down and listened to this album. The Bends overflows stadium-level grandeur infused with deep melancholy. Powerful guitars charge into deeply intimate moments. This is an incredible album. Today this is my favorite Radiohead album. Whatever song is playing is my favorite Radiohead song. Planet Telex's power guitars... Fake Plastic Trees' desperation... Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was' gentle despondence... High and Dry's plea to a friend... (Nice Dream)'s rolling rhythms... Black Star's relationship struggle... Sulk's gorgeous, swinging guitars... and Street Spirit (Fade Out)'s glorious closing, "iMMerse your soUL in LOVE." I could go on and on. Instead I'll go for another listen.

When I’ve introduced people to Kate Bush, I always start with Hounds of Love, The Sensual World, or The Whole Story. I’m don’t recall ever sharing The Dreaming with anyone. This is despite its status - right there with Radiohead’s OK Computer - as favorite album ever. Yet I have a lot of trepidation about The Dreaming appearing here. The Dreaming is an exceptional work that towers large in Kate Bush's formidable catalog. If her albums were torn from my collection this would be the one you’ll find me clinging to desperately to the end. The Dreaming is packed with incredible drama: The caper that goes wrong in “There Goes A Tenner.” The futility of trying to recapture a moment in "Suspended in Gaffa." The exploration of the Vietnam conflict from two very human perspectives in the devastating “Pull Out The Pin”. Colonial conflict between Aboriginal Australians and the British in the title track. A desperate plea to dissuade a lover from a fateful smuggling trip in “Night of the Swallow.” Houdini’s widow’s intense effort to reconnect with her dead lover. An epic domestic battle in “Get Out of My House.” This list still just scratches the surface… every song is a literal or figurative journey that after hundreds and hundreds of listens continue to move me. Every song has incredible lyrical power and takes big chances musically. Every song is one of my favorite songs. I started to read a few of the critical reactions to this on the wikipedia page and reviews on this site but didn’t get far. Usually I find others’ reactions very interesting and enjoy other perspectives, agree or disagree. I must admit I have little desire to view The Dreaming from any perspective other than my adoring own.

Wow! This is one great guitar album! I thought “Layla” was the only song I knew from this. When “Bell Bottom Blues” came on I had a shock of recognition… I loved this song once long, long ago in a forgotten past… Hearing it now was quite startling. “Layla” is a masterpiece and it is not surprising this song is embedded into the vernacular of rock. But the rest is very, very strong and worthy of accompanying such a legendary song. I almost feel embarrassed that I have never listened to this before. Eric Clapton as a person provokes mixed emotions in me today. Still, I find it difficult to imagine how one might dismiss the quality of the playing on this album if listened to with any objectivity at all. This album is packed with incredible guitar work. Phenomenal!

Am I a PJ Harvey fan? I’m not sure… but man that opening track ("Rid of Me")!!! And interestingly there is a song with the title of the previous album ("Dry"). It's very interesting to compare the three PJ Harvey albums I've listened to. This is definitely a darker, grittier album than DRY and STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA. This seems more ambitious to me as well. The jury is out on whether I enjoy listening to it quite as much... maybe it has a more narrow band of listening conditions than the others for me. Still, I very much appreciate its raw nature.

I was not excited to have a Morrissey album to listen to. While I haven’t a lot of experience with his music, I have found him a bit downbeat and dreary in the past. So I had a little apprehension about the next 40 minutes. I needn't have worried... I found this album really enjoyable! Catchy, upbeat tunes that grew on me even more on subsequent listens. What a lovely surprise!

When this first came up I was dreading it. Shoegaze? More than an hour? Noise pop? Wikipedia had me bracing myself for a tough listen... First time through I was quickly engaged by the catchy hooks with many fun and pleasant melodies. Dashes of noise served to really make things interesting. Second time through I fell in love with this album. So much so that I immediately embarked on a third listen. That time even "Spun Around" (probably the noisiest of the songs) appealed to me. Remarkable! I love it when an album proves me so wrong!

Having acquired many grunge CDs through the Columbia House Music Club in the 90s, it is a bit of a mystery to me that I remained so unfamiliar with Nirvana. Perhaps even more perplexing is that I have lived in Seattle for nearly 25 years and still am only familiar with their bigger hits. Listening to Nirvana is something I always felt I though I needed to do. In Utero is the first Nirvana album I have listened to. I knew "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" - both great songs. The rest of this album is great! Definitely lived up to my expectations. Really glad to finally be addressing a glaring omission in my musical experience.

Seeing the Cure here made me groan. After last Christmas Eve’s “Pornography” album I didn’t really want to hear them again. *sigh* Let’s get this over with… The opening song was a very pleasant, shimmery surprise. That was followed by the also-shimmery and familiar “Pictures of You”. Oh yeah… there is some Cure I like. The first half of the album went by and I think I am liking it… oh yeah, I know “Lovesong” too! By the second half the album had become noticeably doomier. Still much better than the previous album, but I started to get bored with it. I’m still am not a Cure person but there are several songs on this album that seem to have room for me. Favorite songs: Plainsong, Pictures of You, Lovesong, Lullaby

This is an exquisite album. It's a big career leap few artists can successfully pull off even once. Taylor has deftly done this multiple times as if it were effortless. It's a stunning achievement. I am in love with this album. Deep and reflective lyrics backed by sparse, beautiful arrangements. There were so many striking moments where I stopped and just lost myself in the world of the song. Taylor is on an incredible journey and I'm happy to be able to tag along in this tiny way. Now I can unreservedly name one wonderful thing that came out of 2020.

I am not sure if I have ever listened to a Bruce Springsteen album. I’ve met a lot of super fans and haters over the years, but didn’t ever develop my own strong opinions. Knowing that he was sure to be in this project, I have been wondering how I’ll react to when he comes up. Listening to the album I immediately noticed a lot of musical influences at play in the intricate arrangements. The lyrics tell vivid, emotional stories. No greater example of this can be found than in the title track, a stunning masterpiece I have taken for granted. I was surprised at how moved I was by it when I sat down for a focused listen. Born to Run is a thrilling listen that deserves its legendary status. I'm embarrassed it has taken me forty-seven years to appreciate how truly great it is.

I haven't listened to Lucinda Williams that I recall. But I have heard the songs she has written. She has an authentic feel that is appealing. I feel like I just walked into a dive bar where someone better than the joint is performing. Not my favorite country album, but still pretty darn good.

This was a surprise! I like the song Tainted Love although I’ve probably heard it enough times in my lifetime. If I had bought this album back in the day I would have been disappointed with the rest of the album. 41 years later, I'm disappointed with the rest of the album. I found it largely tedious and and was ready for it to be over. I expected to like this a lot more than I did. There are some interesting things going on but I really didn’t enjoy it much.

Having one Sonic Youth double album under my belt I wasn’t sure I was ready for another. I had a similar reaction to this as I did Daydream Nation. Some of the songs I kind of enjoyed. But I’m never really sure they’ll be ok to the end. There are interesting moments on this and I don’t mind hearing a bit of this now and then, but that’s about all the Sonic Youth I think I’ll be needing.

I haven’t listened to this in a very long time. I smiled as soon as it came up. It sounds a great now as it ever did. Just perfect!

Wow I am glad to get another Tim Buckley album. His voice brings such passion to these extraordinary songs. I lost myself in the music. Some particular highlights: “Pleasant Street”, “Once I Was”, “Phantasmagoria In Two”, and “Morning Glory”. And how about that epic title track “Goodbye and Hello”?! Wow!

Uhhhhh… what am I listening to? More importantly, why am I enjoying it so much? This is utterly wackadoodle and I’m loving it! “Leben heißt Leben” seemed vaguely familiar. I did not expect the guitar solo, but it works well. The discordant ending is incredible! When “Geburt einer Nation” and “Opus Dei” came on I definitely knew the songs. Turns out a friend shared them with me on a mix tape many decades ago. I never followed up on the whole album. Queen’s “One Vision” works incredibly well sung by a Muppets-Animal sound-alike to a martial beat. The vocal delivery is delightful and the song quite danceable! Is this something I’ll listen to often? Who cares?! It’s unique. Crazy. Dramatic. Lumbering. Cinematic. Dark. It was strangely suited for listening to while I work… I really love this album!

I’m very familiar with this album cover, having routinely see it on T-shirts, but I have never listened to this. A bit strange since I was into 90’s growl rock back in the day. Somehow I never worked a Hole album into the rotation. What I’ve been missing out on is some awesome 90s feminist rock. The omission is glaring. The songs snarl with enough hooks to keep me interested. And as I dig into the lyrics there is a lot to work through. This is a great album. I have listened to a lot of music that seems to have influenced and been influenced by this. I’ve had a Hole in my 90s music puzzle that is finally filled.

Who thought the first great rock opera of the 21st century would come from Green Day? As I was grappling with the American idiocy of the early 2000s, this album became a soundtrack to disillusionment with a world I was realizing I didn’t understand. I went into my first listen in love with the title track, but one listen to the epic “Jesus of Suburbia” made it clear this album was really special. Green Day was operating on an entirely new level. I love me a great rock opera, and there is comfort knowing that this art form is alive and well. Nearly 20 years later American Idiot remains on my soundtrack to face a fucked up world.

*clutches pearls* The music is certainly very appropriate to the lyrical sentiments, and I can relate to the rage on display here. This is probably the right tone to take. The pessimistic sentiments are certainly something I can relate to. The anger. The screaming. It's a lot. But then again so is the world... I wasn't sure I could do any of this, but then "Sulfur" came on and I was able to muster up enough rage to appreciate it. These guys are really good... and really angry... "Psychosocial" starts and... I think I like it! The choruses sound a bit like the Foo Fighters. The musicianship is very high. This is a real surprise to me. As the album progressed, my brain started to dig it. Even the screaming. These guys are great musicians though and seem to know how to modulate the rage and have the musical chops to keep things interesting. What is happening?! Did I really just add this album to my library?! I have the feeling that had I listened to this in my teens or twenties I would have hated it, but now at 54 I'm kind of into it? I didn't think that's how it was supposed to work... ALL HOPE IS GONE is a cathartic and... fun?!... to listen. Like a scary roller coaster, I won't be riding it every day but I'll jump on this ride again. This is one pissed off album I'm apparently pissed off enough to be on board with it. Really a 3.5 in my mind but rounding up since this far exceeded expectations.

I was familiar with a couple of songs off this album from a performance I saw from M.I.A. at a music festival shortly after its release. I love it! Never got bored, really great beats and instruments, and interesting lyrics. The guest artists are great (love the Wilcannia Mob!). Fantastic and fun album!

If I have ever heard this album it was a very, very long time ago. It felt familiar to me. Of course “Changes” and “Life On Mars” are deeply embedded in my psyche, but there is much else on this album to love. How incredible to be able to look back across David Bowie’s entire, incredible career at this seminal album. Really amazing and it sounds as fresh as ever!

I had another album from The Fall (Live at the Witch Trials) that I didn’t care for much, so I was surprised that there is another The Fall album on the list. This was a little bit better, although just a little. I felt bored. Apparently this is their most accessible album… so I guess The Fall isn’t going to be for me.

This is a lot of fun! The crowd was into it and I was into it! There was some good audience interaction which added to it all. Really great!

Took me back to my 90s Sunday morning radio days inserting local ads into a new age music show. Really great for chilling out. I’m digging this!

I’m so glad MGMT is here! I bought this album when it came out and felt like I was listening to the future. It still has that feel to me today. It was the brilliant song "Kids" that brought me to this album initially. But it was "Time To Pretend" made me realize this was something very special. The glitter-grunge feel was so unique, the lyrics so interesting. This remarkable debut album continues with a strongly cohesive sound but each song has its own style and special touches. If I needed an example of "groovy" from the 21st century, Oracular Spectacular would be a perfect choice.

Here is yet another band and album from the 90s that I never got into. I like the vocal harmonies. The metal isn’t a dealbreaker for me. But the tempo and feel of these songs is really ponderous. Maybe appropriate for a lot of the lyrics. I’m ready for the next song well before the current one ends. I think I like my metal a little brighter with a bit more cheese. This album felt exhausting. Really made me want to take a nap. Even if I were in depression there are a lot of other things I would much rather wallow in than this. I can appreciate the quality of this music. Unfortunately I didn't appreciate the music itself.

Talk about bleak... this seems like the perfect accompaniment to my increasingly frequent moments of despair. The lead singer ranges from worn to desperate accentuated with occasional banshee moments. Some highlights: “The Rip” has a lovely vocal performance and really wonderful synthesizers. I love this song. Ends in such lushness. “Deep Water” is an odd ukulele piece in the album that still felt strangely in place as the most positive-feeling song here. I like it. “We Carry On” is a fast, relentless song that may be the best option if you wanted to dance to something on this album. I loved it. The out of tune guitar strumming leads into a section where the song feels on the verge of flying apart, but I found it very satisfying when it did not. “Magic Doors” feels like one of the more personal feeling songs on the album. I love its odd beats, the accordion, and the vocal performance. What a brilliant song! “Threads” closes the album with the lyrics “I am one, Damned one, Where do I go?” It’s got quite an ending with a lone bellowing, evil horn. Chilling. Where their debut album “Dummy” was something I could listen to as I worked, “Third” might be a little too ominous for that. It has now been 14 years since this album was released. I don’t know if Portishead will ever release another, but it would be interesting to see where they go from this dark place. I was very unsure initially how I felt about THIRD. On the second time through it came together for me and I fell in love with this album. THIRD is exceptional - and perfect for the world I’m living in.

This was a nice change of pace… smooth and enjoyable. Interesting that an artist from Apartheid South Africa had an album out in 1960 in the US. It was fun recognizing a few songs like Mbube and The House of the Rising Sun. Nice!

Post-punk and I have an uneasy relationship, so I wasn’t terribly excited at this prospect. Boy was I mistaken! By my third listen I was hooked, and by now I’ve listened to this at least 5 times in a 24 hour period. These are fantastically catchy songs with witty lyrics and some incredible musicianship! Magazine is willing to play some lush piano only to transition to carnival-style synth music. I am digging this! Theres sort of a punk-new-wave-beach vibe going on, but then there are little touches of all kinds of other fun sounds. And at times I just stopped to marvel at the drummer. This is one of my favorite musical discoveries this year!

I was not expecting this... I have heard of Fleet Foxes and vaguely remembered them as an indie band. This was not what I expected. The musicians are exquisite. The music is exquisite. I loved every song. Some of the particular ones that really stood out on this stand out album included "White Winter Hymnal", "He Doesn't Know Why", "Your Protector", "Meadowlarks", and "Blue Ridge Mountains." But every song is worth listening to. This is a really special album that I am so thankful to now know.

I fell in love with "There Goes The Fear" in the early 2000s, which lead me to this album. It went into heavy rotation for five or so years. Sometime since then I sort of lost track of the Doves. What a great album! I still get goosebumps as "Intro" transitions into "Words." The Doves have an epic, beautiful, sound and The Last Broadcast brings a welcome boost of optimism. Yet throughout runs an undercurrent of complexity that does not dismiss the weight of the world. I love their technique where guitars that slowly detune underneath the beautiful vocals and harmonies with stadium-level grandeur. The music is complex and layered. If you listen on headphones there are many incredible layers to explore. Really enjoyed coming back to this again.

I discovered Ananda Shankar sometime in the 80s courtesy of the used record market. I love remakes that really remake a song, and the groovy sitar versions of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire more than qualify! I also love Moog music, and there’s plenty of that here. It's great to have this album make the list! Some great sitar jams... and the go-go arrangements are icing on a delicious cake! Definitely worth a listen for its unique style.

I have never heard of this group or this, the first Rock Opera! A real surprise there… It’s hard to believe that The Who’s Tommy wasn’t influenced by this. But I don't think that takes anything away from Tommy any more than any other artist is influenced by the genre in which they work. As for the album itself, I liked it. The music great 60s stuff. I did listen to this a few times and followed along to the lyrics and started to enjoy this more. This seems like one of those really important records that this project has brought to my attention and I’m very glad for that. I'm a fan of rock operas and this is the daddy of ‘em all!

This is the one Led Zeppelin album I had access to in my childhood, so I am familiar with this album from the mid-seventies. Back then most of this album wasn’t really in a pre-teen’s wheelhouse, but “Rock and Roll” got regular play on my plastic kids record player. In the early 2000s, I revisited this album as an adult and that’s when it clicked. There’s a reason why this album is so esteemed and I got it. I really loved the variety on this album… and fell in love with most of the songs that had not connected with me as a kid. Listening to it today I marvel at the quality and variety of songs on the album. I still got that special place in my heart for “Rock and Roll.” Only now the rest of the album has found room there as well.

I’ve avoided this album for 42 years. Another one my older sister owned, but when I borrowed this I quickly returned it. I’ve avoided Judas Priest ever since. What the hell was wrong with me?! I LOVE THIS!! I loved every song! These guys know their way around those instruments. The guitars and drums are fantastic. And those vocals - hits the high notes with great harmonies! What a great album! Given my absolute love BRITISH STEEL maybe its time to reassess everything…

I wasn't sure an ecstasy-fueled psychedelic album from the 80s would be my cup of tea. But I enjoyed this more than I expected. Witty lyrics and a great 80s dance vibe made me think this might have been just the ticket for an ecstasy-fueled evening at the hottest club in 1989. Interesting and fun!

This sure didn’t look like it was gonna be my jam, but it sure is great! I love these guys! Lots of serious themes - some moving songs - but they seem to be having fun (as advertised). Great rhymes. I love the slow jams as much as the fast and fun songs. And remaking “We Have All The Time in the World”?! Very classy. Some great guitar work that really added to it all. Really great album!

There’s a lot going on here. The music is well-done. I felt like I should be enjoying the experience because of the quality of the production. I wasn’t. It didn’t help that I’m not a big fan of the chipmunk voice effect (I’m livid about what “School Spirit” did to Aretha’s “Spirit in the Dark”! Please let me unhear that!). It also didn’t help that the last song had me trapped for days listening to him go on and on and on about something… The skits felt gimmicky and annoyed me. The album went on far too long. In the end I felt trapped in a talented artist’s self-indulgent ego-trip.

Catchy, punky Britpop that I found enjoyable to listen to. I recognized Alright immediately - great song! The whole album was fun to listen to. Really representative of the mid-90s. Filled with perfect soundtrack options here for your next 90s film. Definitely worth the listen! Favorites: Caught by the Fuzz, Alright, Strange Ones, She’s So Loose, Time, Sofa of my Lethargy

I’ve loved this album since I discovered it as a pre-teen. It has been unusual in that with the move to digital and streaming music I consistently continue to mostly listen to the album in its entirety. I really miss hearing the songs in context when they are played individually. This album is a keyboard/synth masterpiece. As every song ends I anticipate the next one and to not hear it is a real disappointment. Just seeing the cover fills me with happiness. I’m shocked to read that “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” was never released as a single! And shocked that only the first three songs on the album were. There are at least three more that I would have sworn were also singles. I’ve never tired of listening to this album and likely never will. The Cars has been on my personal soundtrack for most of my life. I don’t expect that to ever change.

Of course I’m very familiar with “Groove is in the Heart”, but I was surprised to see that this album was already in my music library. So apparently I have listened to this some time ago. It’s hard to believe this is from 1990. The album is a lot of fun with groovy music to match the groovy cover. Great listen!

I grew up hearing this album in the background, but its spartan production and mature themes went over my head and I didn't appreciate it. I haven't heard it since my pre-teen years. Returning to it now is like discovering an entirely new album. The music is arresting and beautiful, the album filled with suspense, tragedy and heartache, and I loved it. While murder ballad albums tend to turn me off, this had a very different feel and focused on a range of emotions other than anger and revenge. It is surprisingly wistful. How fortunate are we that Willie Nelson had negotiated a contract that allowed him to release this album. It is easy to see how record producers would demand that more production be added to this album. I imagine that would have greatly diminished the power of this album. Red Headed Stranger is an affecting work I will listen to again and again.

This album was a staple around my house from my initial ability to form memories… and rightly so. Perfectly constructed songs performed perfectly. Amazing.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from 1997 Bob Dylan. Turns out this is a very enjoyable, bluesy album with a lot of that great organ I love which gives it a very nice mood. I was surprised to have liked this as much as the older Dylan albums I’ve heard. Really nice listen!

I had no idea what I was putting on when I started this. The first song (“Solid Air”) had me thinking jazz album. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the vocal delivery. The second song (“Over The Hill”) had me thinking bluegrass undertones. The third song (“Don’t Want To Know”) was back on the jazzier side. The fourth song (“I’d Rather Be The Devil”) becomes decidedly more funky… Turns out this is a very interesting and diverse British folk album from the 70s. The first time through I was intrigued if a little confused. On the second listen I locked in and fell in love with Solid Air and its very chill vibe. Martyn’s vocals really started to appeal to me. I really love the vibe and the instruments… a super nice experience. Not only a nice addition to better round out my musical tastes, but something I will enjoy hearing again and again. Some of my immediate favorites: Solid Air (so atmospheric!), Over The Hill (so down homey!), Dreams By The Sea (so funky!), May You Never (so uplifting), The Man in the Station (lovely with just a touch of drama)

Yet another album I went into totally blind… Instantly love the cinematic opening track! A song based on “The Seventh Seal”?! SOLD! The rest of the album? I LOVE IT! The crooning… the orchestrations… the subject matter… such a great 60s experience. Has there ever been such a jazzy indictment of war as “Hero of the War”? I see a lot of commutes on the Scott Engel/Walker train in my future!

Before this, Let’s Dance and Black Star were the only David Bowie albums I had ever listened to. They are really different albums from each other. They speak to remarkable breadth of his talent. Between those and my knowledge of his career-defining hits, I figured I knew what David Bowie was all about. Side one of Heroes impressed me with the energy of songs. They are wild and a lot of fun. Great Bowie tracks that easily surpassed my high expectations. And then I got to side 2… What a revelation! Most of side two are instrumentals that I had no idea was a part of David Bowie’s history. Wonderful electronic instruments, horns, and the band feels like Bowie in a way I never imagined. I feel like I’ve stumbled on a secret room in my home filled with hidden wonders. I’m invigorated at how Heroes has delivered an entirely unexpected and wonderful experience yet again expanding my already expansive view of what David Bowie is as an artist.

I heard this sometime back in college at a party, or at least I heard the song "Meat Is Murder." I disliked that experience enough that ever since I was sure I did not like The Smiths. Oops. Although the title track is my least favorite song on this album, I really kind of liked a lot of this. The songs are less whiny and catchier than I thought I remembered. There's a dry wit in a lot of the songs that I enjoyed. A few of the songs surprised me with their tone and quality. The only lingering reservation is I lost interest in some of the songs well before they before they ended. Fortunately the album was peppered with songs I really liked that I was able to ride those out. I'm not a huge fan of The Smiths yet, but I've made some real progress with this listen. Favorites: The Headmaster Ritual, Rusholme Ruffians, Well I Wonder, Barbarism Begins At Home

I've never been an Iron Maiden fan. Then again, there are a lot of heavy metal groups that have come up in this project that I ended up liking more than expected. I hope that's the case here. I didn't enjoy the music much. The lyrics were at best irrelevant, at worse punching down (like 22 Acacia Avenue - really couldn't find a better target for the negative energy than a woman in the sex trade? Am I supposed to be glad it ends with him forcing her to come with him? What a gentleman...). "Run To The Hills" seems to be an indictment of the treatment of the Native Americans, maybe a tiny bit less offensive to the subject of the song than Acacia Avenue? My favorite song was the closing track, "Hallowed Be Thy Name", about a prisoner on the verge of execution. I like this track. This project has shown me that I'm not averse to heavy metal if they have decent melodies and/or interesting lyrics as I discovered when I found myself enjoying Megadeth and Black Sabbath. Iron Maiden still isn't really for me. I'll give it a 2 because the musicianship is very good as was the last song. Most of the rest of this left me uninterested in ever hearing it again.

I listened to this three times today, and each time grew more and more irritated with it. I’m not sure why I had more trouble listening to this than the previous two Sonic Youth albums (E.V.O.L. and Daydream Nation), but I fear any further listens to figure it out will only further lower my opinion. Noisy. Irritating. Not for me.

A welcome respite after the last few unpleasant albums… very enjoyable, beautiful voice, lovely standards. Was fun to hear the audience murmuring now and again.

For my money, the best Michael Jackson album. Smooth, nonstop dance party in front; lush and smooth jams in the back… from a simpler time.

One of the reviews for this album called it “punishing.” Throw in “tedious” and you got my summary.

Smooth and jazzy - like being on a monorail to the future.

I love the song“Why Does It Always Rain On Me” but never listened to the rest of this album. There was a little surprised in “As You Are” as it sounded almost early Radiohead to me. Very good album!

Another album that was in regular rotation throughout my entire upbringing as my parents had and listened to this regularly. Easy to see how this cemented Aretha’s place as the Queen of Soul! Love this album.

Different than the previous Blur album Modern Life is Rubbish, like a little grit got into the pop confection? “Song 2” has been drilled into my head by a cruise line ad or something, but it is good to hear the whole thing and easy to see why they use that song. Some real variety with a country-ish tune, a cool instrumental, and a lot of other unique tracks. I liked this but not as much as the previous Blur album. I would tend to go back to that one for my Blur fix.

I think I’ve heard this album before, but it has been a while. There are a lot of great songs on this and I really enjoyed hearing it again. A close listen to this album makes me realize how great a songwriter Sheryl Crow is.

I love this album so much and every time I listen to it want to listen to it more. Dusty Springfield is perfect for Memphis. “Son of a Preacher Man” is a powerhouse hit, but there is so much else to love here. There’s a wistful quality Dusty brings to even the upbeat tracks. No one does love, loss and hope like her. I love every song.

After being slightly disappointed by “In The Wee Small Hours”, Frank’s release from the year before this one, I wasn’t sure how this might go. Everything about this was better. Nelson Riddle and his orchestra really shines. They would make this album a five with any number of crooners at the mic - check out the incredible instrumental break in “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. Still, Frank is particularly on point here and compliments these arrangements perfectly. Forget the wee small hours… I’m cooling it with the swingin’ lovers!

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to live my entire life never listening to an entire Stevie Wonder album, but that was the sad state of affairs until today. I absolutely love Innervisions. It’s soulful, sometimes jazzy style and fabulous synths were an instant love match. “Living For The City” was already one of my favorite Stevie songs. And I went in to this loving “Higher Ground,” “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” and “All In Love Is Fair.” So I already knew half the album. But the context the album provides elevates these great tracks further. So nice spending some quality time with Stevie Wonder. This album easily exceeded my high expectations.

I haven’t listened to Traffic before that I recall, at least nothing off this album. I really loved the organ, flute and sax heavy songs! Felt very groovy like I was driving out of a 70s movie.

How would it feel to realize “Odyssey” was misspelled on your new record cover? If your The Zombies, probably just fine because the music on this album is so great! I’ve always loved “Time of the Season”, but hearing the rest of this album released just weeks after I was born was a trippy, fantastic little journey. Two more really standout tracks I fell in instant love with were “Care of Cell 44” and “Brief Candles.”

Three weeks ago I head the pleasure of discovering this extraordinary artist thanks to this list and Scott 4. From the first notes of the cinematic “Jackie” to the last notes of the lush “Come Next Spring” - I love this album even more! I have another new favorite artist! Scott knows how to deliver these incredible orchestration-powered songs - as a former French horn player I can’t help but love their prominence on this album. I love this album so much I listened to in three times in a row without stopping… followed by three more listens later in the day. The storytelling on these songs is incredible. The songs deal with real life in sometimes jolting ways. These surprising moments drew me in more. The songs are beautifully poetic sending me to so many different places - absolutely wonderful! I see that Scott Walker’s most recent album is from 2016. I’m so excited to have 50 years of Scott Walker to explore. Just a few notable items: “If I could be for just one little hour, a cute cute, in a stupid-ass way.” - Jackie The incredible strings accentuating “The best of both worlds, make your pick Amanda…” - Best of Both Worlds “If you love me let me live in peace and please understand, that a black sheep can wear a Golden Fleece and hold a winning hand.” - Black Sheep Boy “Oh to die of kisses, Ecstasies and charms, Pavements of poets will write that I died in nine angel’s arms tonight” - The Amorous Humphrey Plugg “I swear on the wet head of my first case of gonhorrhea…” - Next “Plastic palace Alice, She steals her cards tomorrow deals with deafening despair” - Plastic Palace People “The cheerless day may bring us little dreams that seem to miss their mark but, oh, my darling, wait until dark” - Wait Until Dark (*swoon*)

PRINCE! As I listened, I wasn't entirely sure I've heard this entire album before... I was definitely familiar with the first half of the album. The second half less so... Great album... what's not to love about the first half? As for the second half, I'll probably need a few more listens to fully connect but no matter, that first half makes this album a solid 5!

I get why this is such an esteemed album from the 60s. I love the song “Strange Brew.” I understand why “Sunshine of Your Love” is important, although truth be told it has never been one of my favorites. I am glad to have listened to this album, and it is interesting to hear the blues turn psychedelic, but in the end I don’t see me listening to this too often.

The cover of this turned me off. The explanation of the title turned me off. So I hit 'play' fully expecting to hate this. I want genuinely surprised when I didn't. I enjoyed the anger-filled songs. The talented and catchy performances temper those hard edges. It was surprisingly good to listen to while I was working. Maybe Limp Bizkit is addressing some latent rage. This may be just the ticket the next time I want to throw a tantrum in the back seat. I went on to listen to this a second time today, except for the last two songs which the album doesn’t really need.

I enjoyed this album with its great sound and solid tracks - what I expected. A nice listen with some standouts that made me pause and really take notice. Favorite songs: World’s Apart and Mary’s Place

This was an enjoyable listen - reminding me of something I’d hear in a cool lounge… nice dance vibe with a retro feeling that I quite liked. Great to have on while I went about my routine!

I liked this when it came out, but haven’t listened to it in many, many years. It feels like I’ve just come in from the cold to listen to it now. Norah Jones has such a warm voice… takes everything down a few notches and makes me want to drink hot cocoa. Really nice.

I hit play and through the first song felt like someone slipped something into my drink. Then the second song. Then the third song? Every song filled with sinister echo and fuzz forcing me forward with an incessant, demanding beat. So this is what we’re doing?! What to think about this? I didn’t dislike it. The grooves are interesting. The runtime is a manageable 32 minutes. This album is blazing trails today - hard to believe it has been around since 1977! I can see why I should listen to this before I die. But do I like it? I started a second listen and was surprisingly into this. After the first listen I doubted I’d ever want to hear this again. Now after the second I’m tempted to play it again right away and I’m not entirely sure why… I can’t get this off my mind. This is one of the most unique things I’ve heard in a while. Or ever. I think I love it.

I was not an AC/DC fan growing up. It was one of the albums I would think of when I’d tell people I was into most kinds of music except hard rock and heavy metal. I was under the impression that my musical tastes would narrow as I age, but I really like this album now. Some great rock here that’s a lot of fun!

Interesting album for sure! Nice conceptual theme on side one, and packed with great songs throughout. Mrs. Robinson is one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs, and I love Hazy Share of Winter. Not to mention America. Save the Life of My Child is a great album opener too! Excellent!

I’m so glad to have grown to appreciate the genius of Talking Heads… great album!

I’m pretty new to the blues, and have never heard this particular style. I had no idea that music could feel so genuinely bluesy and African at the same time. Some of the songs felt very similar to the blues of the American south while others sounded more Arab-influenced. The album sort of flowed over me and partway through my first listen I really started to connect with it. There’s something very inviting and soothing here. I’m not sure how often I will revisit this but I’m very glad to experience this album.

I love Dusty Springfield, and this album is chock-full of great songs done in her fantastic style. What’s not to love?

Holy crap! I love this album! Have I become a The Smiths fan?!

The Pet Shop Boys came to my attention in 1986 with the album Please. I loved that album. But their release of 1987 of this album is what made me a huge fan. This is 80s perfection. I love every song on this album. From the absolutely phenomenal “It’s A Sin” to the sad elegy “It Couldn’t Happen Here”, this album mixes politics and personal stories deeply into these incredible electronic dance creations. One of the finest albums from the Pet Shop Boys, and one of the finest albums from the 80s, or any decade for that matter.

This isn’t a genre I’m very familiar with, and I hadn’t heard any of this before. Loads of talent packed onto this and I enjoyed the personal feel for the stories. I started off thinking this was in the 4 range, but on the second listen the amazing detail in the music and lyrics really struck me and I fell for this. There’s a dreamy quality to the songs that really elevates the album. Fantastic!

Have I really never listened to this before?! How is that possible? And how did I not know David Bowie produced this? Anyway, this is a fantastic fantastic album that more than lives up to the hype. I have heard several of the songs on this album before, but the songs I haven’t heard before are really fantastic too! This album feels fresh, if I heard it for the first time I couldn’t tell you when it was created. But I would tell you that I love it!

I had several friends into the Pixies in college, but they never really clicked with me. I appreciated hearing this album and do think I like it more than back then, but it still isn’t quite there for me.

I have The Prodigy’s debut album and liked it back in the 90s, but it has been over 20 years since I have listened to them. I’m not sure how hard-edged rave is going to go over with me today. ……………………………….. Thankfully, quite well. Apocalyptic rave music is a perfect soundtrack to the world today. I really loved this album! Rave on!

I keep thinking I’m new to jazz, but then while listening to this realized that growing up on Pink Panther cartoons gave me a pretty extensive introduction to this style of jazz. The organ grooves along and the sax wails away and I’m swept up by it all. I may not be the best connoisseur of jazz, but I really love this!

Thought I hadn’t heard any of it, but everything seemed familiar. This music has been a part of a lot of the world I just didn’t know it. Really great album! Really great songs! I love it!

It is with mild concern that I embark on this listen… I’ve heard some Siouxsie and the Banshees now and again but they have never made a real connection. It’s an interesting album that I really did not enjoy. It felt like work to listen to and isn’t something I see myself seeking out in the future.

I’m a big fan of Pyromania. Surprisingly I had never listened to this follow up album before. I didn’t realize how many of these songs I remembered from the radio until I started hearing them, so most of the album was at least somewhat familiar. I love that Def Leppard shimmer! ————————————————————————- Random thoughts: Interesting that “Love Bites” originated as a Country Ballad… listening to it now I can hear how that could work. I’m surprised I couldn’t find a country cover. “God of War” shows that anti-war-hair-metal-protest music works! Effective and interesting mixing of tempos, rhythm and melody on songs like “Don’t Shoot Shotgun.” When they start cranking it up you really feel it! “Armageddon It” is possibly the best metal pun ever. I haven’t listened to Hysteria in a long time and was struck by how lovely it is. A lot more going on in this song than I remembered or gave it credit for. ————————————————————————- With age I’ve gained greater appreciation of 80s hair metal and Hysteria is right up there with the best of them! I see a lot more of this in my future.

I went into this extremely familiar with the title track but never heard any of the rest of this album. “Schools Out” is such a classic that it makes me wonder why I’ve never heard of anything else on this album. Stir together guitar rock of the 70s and a generous helping of Broadway. Add bits of jazz and blues. Fold in marching band music and a trombone solo. Add generous helpings West Side Story. Blend. Bake into a deliciously wild and eclectic album. A genuine and wonderful surprise. I love it!

“OHHHH! THAT song!” I exclaimed as the opening notes of Weather Report’s “Birdland” filled my ears. I’ve heard this song a gazillion times on the radio - usually as background music for PSA’s or commercials. I’m VERY excited to hear it again! This is possibly the first time I’ve heard the song in its entirety. As the album progressed my reaction was positive. The songs were varied and interesting. I want to listen to it again. Jazz always scared me or put me off. Heavy Weather and some of the other great jazz albums I’ve heard in this project has made me realize there’s a place for it in my world.

Not my usual thing but I figured this had to be good. But I wasn’t so sure I would like it. Turns out I really like this album… great guests, great harmonies, great album!

WOW! There’s a reason she’s Queen Bey. Incredible album that tells incredible stories. Absolutely amazing!

The only two songs off this I have heard before was "Cars" and "Engineers." I have always loved both songs, so it was a real pleasure to listen to this whole album. I'm a sucker for a Moog synth, and this Moogtastic!

After enduring The Birthday Party and Murder Songs, Nick Cave is not an artist I wanted to listen to again. A DOUBLE ALBUM to have to listen to this time is not welcome news. Turns out that I do not loathe this, in fact I think I love it! These songs rock with interesting lyrics and great backing vocals. Some of the love songs are surprisingly tender - hadn’t expected that. The two albums are distinct - I love the rock and roll first album and the gospel feel of the second. Really nice combination. I keep wanting to give this a 4 because of the traumas of past albums. But if I disregard the terrible taste left in my ears from the previous two Nick Cave albums this double album is a 5!

It didn’t stand out a lot for me and there are many other albums in this style I’d rather be listening to. Still, an enjoyable 80s pop album with interesting storytelling and lyrics. A pleasant diversion I didn’t mind listening to.

Yesterday when reviewing the 80s album from The Go-Betweens I wrote “there are many other albums in this style I’d rather be listening to.” The band I had in mind when I wrote that was Duran Duran. Rio is their masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve listened to this album in its entirety since the 80s. The musical talent on display is incredible. “Rio” is such an absolutely brilliant opening to the album. It leaves no doubt that this is going to be an exciting ride! “Hungry Like the Wolf” is my all-time favorite Duran Duran song. I clearly remember the first time I heard this song. My mom and I were in the car and it played on the radio and I instantly became a huge Duran Duran fan. The song is exhilarating from the incredible opening giggle to the closing moans. It still gives me goosebumps! “Save a Prayer” deserves a place as one of the greatest songs of the 80s. It’s quite unique, haunting and beautiful! On this listen the consistent quality of the rest of the album really struck me: “My Own Way”, “Hold Back The Rain”, “New Religion”, “Last Change on the Staircase” (hooray for a marimba solo!). While we’re at it, I've got no good reason to overlook “Lonely in Your Nightmare” and “The Chauffeur”… every song on this album is worthy of Rio’s perfect, iconic cover art! I love this album!

Never heard of this before, and didn’t read anything about it before listening. This was a bit of a surprise… the opening song about baking a motherfucking pizza tonight? With catchy music like this oh yeah… I have a motherfucking pizza! The rest of the album did not disappoint. Rodeos, sadism, monkeys, humiliation. Loads of anal references. Talented, highly entertaining and fun!

Never listened to an Ice Cube album before. Wasn’t really looking forward to changing that. After the opening skit, the second track started, blew my hair back, and Ice Cube had my full attention. I really dug that first song with all its samples. The album did start to wear on me halfway through, though, and I found myself getting a little impatient with all the misogyny. In some ways this was better than I expected. In other ways, a lot like I expected.

This is a really nice album. I love the music, love Chris’ voice, love the French and English. Love it all! Wonderful discovery.

Classic!

I love this album. It is lush, emotional, and the instrumentation is great! More than just “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”, there are a lot of underrated songs from this album. My favorites: “Israel”, “When Do I”, “Remembering”, “Trafalgar”, “Don’t Want To Live Inside Myself”.

I love Paul McCartney and Wings! This is a great album, with the title track and “Jet” alone meriting a 5 rating. Lots of other great stuff on here though. Wonderful!

What a lovely, quiet and wonderful album. Looks like I am a complete Nick Drake fan.

I wasn’t a Bob Dylan fan going into this project. But Dylan’s career has a huge range, and with every album I feel a stronger connection. This album spoke to me from the moment I put it on. I am surprised how much I instantly connected to it. I knew “Tangled Up In Blue” going into this - I love this song. But I love every song on this album. Really impressive!

When In Rainbows was released it surprised me. I had loved its predecessor “Hail To The Thief.” Its overt politics wore anger on its sleeve and was very cathartic when It came out. In Rainbows gave little of that. I liked it, but in the years since had not returned to this much. I was surprised to see In Rainbows appear here. I started the listen knowing this was a great album. I had not expected that what I would hear today would rival my very favorite albums from Radiohead. I’m in a very different place now than I was in 2007. The world is in a very different place. In Rainbows surfaces in my life and takes on a relevance I didn’t see coming. It goes deep within, exploring some personal, dark, fearsome places. When this came out I wasn’t ready for that. I guess today I am. What a wonderful day.

I have heard of and maybe heard bits of LCD Soundsystem, but never listened to any of their albums. I immediately liked the music. But it was a real surprise that they sound like what I imagine the Talking Heads would sound like if they had formed in the 21st century. Maybe even with a little David Bowie mixed in. I had gone into this expecting a dance band for a younger crowd, and instead I got something much more experimental and interesting. Then I realized that this band had been around for 15 years when they made this and the lead singer was born in 1970… so much for my musical knowledge… Ignorant expectations aside, giving this a proper listen was something that I should have done a while ago. LCD Soundsystem is doing some really interesting things here and carrying forward some really important musical legacies. I love this album and need to check out more from them.

The Flaming Lips first drew my attention back in ‘93 with their song “She Don’t Use Jelly.” The lead singer’s raspy voice seemed to be just barely catching the notes in an endearing way and I loved the song. But for whatever reason it wasn’t until decades later that I would listen to a full album from them and discover how truly magical they are. That time came at the height-of-the-pandemic when I saw a video of The Flaming Lips performing “Race for the Prize.” Each band member was inside a plastic bubble performing to an audience who were each in plastic bubbles. Self-preservation juxtaposed with the need to connect. The song seemed to be written about the scientists researching the COVID vaccines, but I was surprised to discover it was the opening track of this album from 1999. So 22 years after its release I found this album. What I found was wildly catchy, filled with insightful songs that veer wildly from the epic to the mundane. The insights into the human condition perfectly captured by this album startles me throughout. How about insects? “The Spiderbite Song” captures the fear enormous consequences from daily events. “Buggin’” annoying mosquitos mirror the annoyance of love. Did “Waitin’ for a Superman” just make me tear up a little again? “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” captures our complicated feelings about our transient emotions in a wonderfully simple song. The moment when the lead singer clears his throat before the last verse makes me feel like I’m with someone who cares. It’s a truly special moment on a truly special album. “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate” places death directly front and center. Instead of instilling fear instead it makes me feel less alone. So much love, loss, fear, hope, sadness, joy packed into an hour. Such lush, musical experimentation! More than a great album, The Soft Bulletin is a perfectly timed musical hand on my shoulder. I’ve made a new musical best friend.

I have loved some of Solange’s songs - she has some incredible dance remixes that can rip up a dance floor. But I had not idea what lay in store for me on this album. What songs! Deeply personal and moving. Intimate. Honest. Incredible. The music is smooth without being boring. It was engaging and it slowed me down and pulled me deeper into the lyrics. Speaking of lyrics - the thoughts and feelings being expressed take this to an entirely different level. Absolutely amazing accomplishment and a wonderful gift from Solange.

After PsychoCandy I had no desire to hear another Jesus and Mary Chain album again. I was not happy to see this appear. On the plus side, it seems like they were able to record during the machine shop’s off-hours to avoid most of the horrific grinding and screeching that drowned out the music on the preceding album. Now that I could better hear them, these tunes have a sort of dark beach vibe to them. Some of them were downright catchy. There were a few highlights but it also seemed a bit drab for me. Much improved, but still not enough to make a love connection.

I kind of expected to enjoy this. Instead I was mostly bored. Like watching talented kids I don’t know putting on a play. The album is littered with some amusing rhymes and references (pagoda/Abe Vagoda, Mr. Ed). When I would hear one then replay it I was disappointed to find a throwaway bit of rhyming rather than much cleverness behind it. “Fight for Your Right” is still a fun diversion. “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” is ok. The rest was a slog.

I was bracing for a heavy metal or hard rock assault, but instead this was psychedelic and trippy. The songs are an eclectic brew that really drew me in. Surprises everywhere including some great horns, clarinet, harmonica with that trippy synth throughout. Definitely need to keep Primal Scream on my radar because I loved this.

While I’ve always heard about them, I have never listened to a Roxy Music album before. I’m impressed! The music is wonderfully complex, with orchestration and complex rhythms and arrangements. Some songs feel almost like show tunes. Really great! I’m impressed!

I’ve always liked the Pretenders but can’t recall ever listening to any of their albums. I really enjoyed this album. I didn’t realize what song Brass In Pocket was until it started. Not sure how I never knew that was the name of the song which was a surprise since I really love that song! The rest of the album had a lot of great tracks. Other favorites include Previous, Space Invader (yay for the video game samples!), The Wait, Kid, and Mystery Achievement. I really loved the album as a whole. Great stuff!

This is my second Jane’s Addiction album. I didn’t take to this quite as much as Ritual De Lo Habitual on the first listen, but it has grown on me more as I listen again. Good stuff!

If you had asked I would have denied ever hearing this entire album, but I’m pretty sure not only have I heard it, I even remembered some of the song order. Fantastic album. Classic Bruce.

A friend of mine had this album when it came out, and I’d hear a lot of it when hanging around his place, but hadn’t ever listened to it attentively from beginning to end. I don’t know that I was really aware that this was a two album set being each more or less a solo album. I love both “The Way You Move” (such a cool vibe) and “Hey Ya” (so much fun). It was a little surprising that The Way You Move is on the higher-energy disc and Hey Ya is on the smoother one. It is easy to see why this album is on this list. There’s a lot going on here and more to get my head around that I can in the 24 hours I have to check this out. Still, I walked away from the listen feeling like it would be worth the effort to explore this more. My initial impression is very positive. I love the variety. I very much enjoyed this ride!

The Wu Tang Clan and me are not exactly a perfect match. Even so, I appreciate this album. The skill on display here is formidable. I’m definitely glad to have listened to this and wouldn’t mind listening to some of it again.

Wow this was a ride… I have never heard of the Afghan Whigs even though I listened to my share of 90s grunge. It has a lot of the characteristics of its generation of music, but Gentlemen isn’t exactly the 90s grunge formula. The album is crafted like a movie exploring a very complicated and troubled relationship. The album ends with “Closing Prayer” - an instrumental piece that evokes the rolling of credits. So while the grinding guitars feel very 90s, this album stands out from a lot of that era’s music. The first time through I wasn’t sure I loved this, but after a second pass I really was drawn in to the story and the music. I wish I had discovered this when it was released because there sure is a lot to explore here. I’m not sure I have the energy now for this much drama often, but this album is definitely worthy of this list with a lot of depth to explore.

This has been a favorite of mine for a very, very long time. Still, it’s illuminating to listen to it with fresh ears today from start to finish. They didn’t have to ask for the favor in Chic Cheer: “If you don’t mind, would ya, please? Get up off of your seat and repeat Chic Chic Chic Chic Chic Chic…” I’m way ahead of you. When I put this on the headphones I floated away on disco clouds powered by groovy guitars, cool bass lines, glittering pianos and gorgeous vocal harmonies. C’est Chic is perfection. I could stay here all week.

This was a lot of fun to listen to. Enjoyed hearing shades of The Hustle and Do You Know The Way To San Jose? on Cobra Bora and Sunrise. Was a perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of housework.

Having heard a lot about The Notorious B.I.G. over the years, I figured I should listen to something from him at some point. Looks like I’m there today. I liked the way he opened the album at birth. Interesting concept. I can appreciate how real and raw this all feels. Uncomfortably so quite often - with some pretty explicit sex and misogyny that turned me off. Not something I expect I’ll ever revisit.

This had all the issues of being a live album for me. In general, I don’t tend to love being introduced to new songs on a live album recording. this one felt pretty noisy. Probably would have enjoyed it more if the recording was clearer or if I heard a studio track. As it is, I just couldn’t get into this.

I’ve always liked the song Kicks, and I am familiar with the tune I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone. The rest of this is new to me. I like the generous use of organ. Kicks is definitely the stand out track here. I didn’t love the Little Girl in the 4th Row (in English or Italian), but the bonus car songs (SS396 and Corsair) made up for those. Overall a groovy time.

One thing I can say is that this project has made me realize that I like jazz. At least as much as any genre. Jazz encompasses a wide range like any other genre. Stan Getz is truly one of my favorites. I adore this album. Those smooth bossa nova beats have me drifting off into some blissful place. I definitely need to spend more time with music like this.

Nice early 21st century alt rock that I enjoyed then and enjoy now. There is a lot of interesting arranging and instrumentation that sets this above some of the more generic albums of this era. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot holds up for me. I like hearing it again.

I really loved The Kink’s fourth studio album from a few years before this (Face to Face), so I had high hopes for this. To my great surprise, this far exceeded my high hopes! Every song on this appeals to me. This album is quirky, musically varied, and overflows fun! I wasn’t exposed to a lot of The Kinks growing up, but I’m glad to be making up some of that lost time now. I’m becoming quite a fan of The Kinks.

What can I say, it’s a great album packed with great songs! Nice to hear the Beatles having a little fun.

I had just read a story from The Guardian entitled “World close to ‘irreversible’ climate breakdown, warn major studies” and then started my first listen of this. Right on cue Blackened put a boot on my soul and ground in the depression. The message was right on cue. Unfortunately the message was delivered in the noodly, rambly, grinding Metallica style that really turns me off. All the talent on display here is lost on me when I can’t connect to any hooks or structure. It all becomes very tedious. This was an exercise in endurance. Some guitar solos that I appreciated here and there, and even a few bits of respite with some pleasant acoustic playing, but by the end my ears were numb and I was just glad it was over.

One of my favorite Prince albums with some of my favorite Prince songs (Sign O’ The Times, Play in the Sunshine, Housequake, U Got The Look, I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man, The Cross, It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, Adore - to name a few), Sign O’ The Times is an astonishing accomplishment the shows off all the things I love about Prince.

Now on our third Talking Heads album for this project. Other than Psycho Killer, I don’t recall having heard anything on this album before. On the first listen I was less enthusiastic about this, but then on my second and third listens fell in love with this expectedly weird and quirky ride. So much so that I went back and listened to the Deluxe version with 5 extra songs. Those are great additions to a great album! Psycho Killer acoustic is amazing with that cello!

Get Together, the only Youngbloods song I ever heard before this, happens to be one of my very favorite songs of the ‘60s. So I’m pretty excited to see the group appear here. It’s about time I checked out some of the rest of their music. From the moment I hit play I loved this album. Darkness Darkness kicked things off beautifully. It’s got a folky, mountainy vibe that instantly appealed. Then as it goes the psychedelia came in and it all blended into something really impressive! The arrangement is beautiful and I love the lead singer’s voice. The Youngbloods make folksy, bluesy, jazzy, country, psychedelia seem completely natural. Only on reflection do I realize what an accomplishment that is. Nothing really jolted me. It all just seemed perfect. The instrumentals are wonderful. And thank you for Don’t Let The Rain Get You Down as I enter a Seattle winter. This is one of my favorite discoveries in this project so far. There will be a lot more from The Youngbloods in my future.

I liked this ok… listened to it a couple of times today. I still kind of scratch my head about this being “a landmark of rock music.” Maybe it would have felt more that way had I listened to this in 1990. Listening to it today I thought it was fine.

I know several of the songs on this album - but performed by other artists. Emmylou Harris does them justice. I love the variety on this album. Favorite songs include Boulder to Birmingham, For No One, and Queen of the Silver Dollar. But the whole album is really a pleasure.

Never heard of this artist before. The first song had some pretty interesting lyrics and I kind of liked the music. Throughout the album I didn’t always get all the myriad of references and wasn’t always sure I knew what the lyrics were about… at other times they seemed way too spot on tied quite specifically to the early 90s. Speaking of the early 90s, I think I might have liked this album better then. Today it sounded muddled and didn’t really compel me to want to listen again.

I know I heard one song from this album (“…& On”) from a mix CD someone made for me a long time ago, but I hadn’t listened to much more from Erykah Badu. This album was really a nice listen, with a lot of it just flowing smoothly from one track to the next. Love the jazzy sound and I enjoyed grooving along to it. Favorite Tracks: Didn’t You Know, …& On, Cleva and A.D. 2000.

I’ve found my go-to album for my ‘70s drug montages. Perfect for fast zoom-in/zoom-outs, blurry close-ups of go-go dancing and multicolored double exposure lights circling over fast cuts of smiling and screaming faces. This album overflows with psychedelic energy. Today I was not tripping and feared this might be tedious. I needn’t have worried - it was quite the opposite! The housecleaning I did as I listened became wildly more interesting. I lost track of how long I had been listening or whether the song had ever changed. The 2+ hour run time flew by. Several songs into a second listen of disc one I realized I had repeat turned on and the music had started over. My cats went wild and started running all over like crazy midway through the album. I’m pretty sure this has psychoactive effects. I love how seriously Space Ritual takes itself. I love the weird cats on the cover. I love the use of flute and sax. I love the analog synthesizers. I love the serious spoken word parts (“vermilion deserts of Mars, the jeweled forests of Venus”, and instructions provided in case of Sonic Attack). I love the noodly bass lines. I love gyrating wildly to Lord of the Light. I love the cosmic grandeur. “In the fourth second of forever I could remember nothing that I did not love.” Totally groovy!

The Beach Boys were a group that I thought I understood in my youth. Then sometime in my 30s all those songs I started getting an inkling there was a lot more to them than I thought. So I have really loved having their albums come up on this project. The songs I am familiar with are so much more meaningful, and I’m discovering brilliant new songs that often surpass those greatest hits. I enjoyed the fun side one and the much more wistful side two. There’s a lot of everything I love about The Beach Boys here. I’m constantly surprised how the melodies will often go off in an unexpected direction - just one of the many ways this album transcends its genre. I listened to this three times in a row and just floated away on those beautiful harmonies over a glorious wall of sound. What a perfect album!

Mostly enjoyable, although I don’t know that I appreciate the interludes and there were a few duds on there. I’m wondering if I want any skits on my music albums… With these long runtimes I wouldn’t mind starting there to trim the length a bit. I’d probably enjoy an edited version of this… Nonetheless, there are a lot of real moments of brilliance on this album! It is packed with a variety of styles that keeps the interest level up. I really enjoyed hearing surprising instruments and styles pop up throughout. Easy to see why this is a rap classic.

Despite growing up in the 80s, I haven't listened to a lot of Heaven 17 before. The album cover had me ready to like this album, and like it I did. I love this synth-driven, pop extravaganza. It addresses some pretty interesting topics (I enjoyed "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" as I placed my ballot into the collection box today). Some days the relative simplicity of a lot of the songs might not have appealed as much to me, but it was perfect today!

I knew two of the four Isaac Hayes songs on this album going into this… Walk On By and By The Time I Get To Phoenix. I love both songs as songs, but Isaac really takes them to a special place. The songs on this album are very extended from the versions that played on the radio. These tracks take their time with you - no wham, bam, thank you ma'am for Isaac Hayes. Slow down, go with the flow and slow progression, and savor the orchestral arrangements and backup vocalists. Linger over a lost love and Walk On By. Groove to that extended piano solo in Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic. Vacillate between One Woman and another. Then take the full 18:44 to get to Phoenix. These songs gave me goosebumps then left me completely satisfied. I want to stay with this album all night.

I had kind of forgotten everything I might have known about Faith No More, and when this album came up I had a negative reaction. But I started playing the album and loved “From Out of Nowhere.” Then I realized that I knew and liked the song “Epic.” By the third song I was starting to think I misjudged. These guys sound like they’re on the brighter side of hard rock/metal - more in my wheelhouse than your Metallicas and Panteras. Then suddenly “Surprise! You’re Dead!” lurched hard right… uh oh. It was followed by “Zombie Eaters”, a ballad that starts off quietly. Now I’m not sure what to make of this… This album is a bit of a journey through a lot of styles, some more appealing to me than others. While I didn’t necessarily need a remake of War Pigs and some of the harder songs didn’t appeal to me, I respect a band who can serve up a smorgasbord of metal like this.

It says a lot that this album often exceeds its reputation. It also says a lot that it sounds even better to me today that in years past.

Somewhere in 1993 I discovered Boss Drum, The Shamen’s follow up album to En-Tact. I fell in love with the sound and enjoyed listening to that album. For whatever reason I never ventured any further into their catalog. I enjoyed this album as well. The opening track Move Any Mountain and the Pro Gen remix at the end are fantastic. The rest of the album was great. My raving days may be largely behind me, but this is a great high-energy choice for doing work around the house!

I thought The Pogues were some kind of indie, maybe punk music when this came up. Why? I have no idea. Turns out I had no idea what The Pogues were all about. I certainly did not expect that Irish folk with a little country thrown in. Nor a disturbing anti-war anthem based on “Waltzing Matilda.” I did not realize that would be the perfect soundtrack for my day. Amazing storytelling. Amazing music. I love it! Rum Sodomy & the Lash was never so great!

Listened to this all day on repeat… work was never so sexy.

I started listening to this immediately after watching a terrible documentary about a cult that committed sexual abuse and branding of women. Bad timing. Off to a bad bad start with that first song. I also have not had a lot of interest in the blues in my past, so this isn’t promising… Fortunately I enjoyed the non-branding-related songs on this album very much! Lots of energy, great blues playing, and except for that first track (which then repeated near the end - UGH), which I will excuse but never enjoy. I was surprisingly into this! Really great!

I love the album cover. The runtime of this album was a little intimidating. Fortunately, the first two songs’ cinematic quality with the piano and orchestra disarmed me. Perhaps the two hours would fly by... Turns out I've got two issues with this album. 1 - The 2 hour length B - It is stylistically all over the place There are songs that sound like rage metal, 90s grunge, movie soundtrack, love themes. Songs seemed to challenge the mood that had been set just a few minutes earlier. I would have probably enjoyed a lot of this a lot more had this been broken up into a couple of albums. I heard some good songs, some strange songs, some great songs, some interesting songs, and a few tedious songs. But despite the distinctive vocal delivery didn’t get the feel of this as an album. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is an interesting albeit unwieldy album. A good curator could lift and separate this into a few great albums.

This album is 70's guitar rock perfection. It is the foundational work on which my understanding and appreciation of this genre is built. Truly deserving of being on all the “best” lists. I had never read the history of how this album came to be. An incredible story that I'd love to see dramatized. I had not considered how such an artifact no doubt sprung from a perfectionist genius sneaking around in a dingy basement studio against the corporate overlords’ wishes. A real treat to spend today listening to Boston. Remarkable listening to this today knowing every note of every song and still being blown away by how great it is.

Amazing album. Tubular Bells - the part everyone knows - is incredible, but for my money the crazy Pt. II is where it’s at! Love love love this album!

This list is not going to let me ignore The Cure, this being the third album in a year. It was ok for me. I get the description of “gloomscapes” for this music. A lot of it did have a horror movie soundtrack feel - in particular the very short “The Final Sound” which I liked. I also liked the upbeat but still dark “The Forest”. Being pressed to listen to The Cure hasn’t yet made me a fan, but I do appreciate them more than I did before this project.

I really love Tusk. We had it in our household when it came out since we had been a big Rumours household. I don’t think it was ever quite as popular on our turntable as Rumours, but it had several really memorable parts that have followed me. The title track is weird and wonderful, and I love Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks’ contributions. Sara is one of my favorite Stevie Nicks songs and it is just wonderful to bask in the full 6:31 album version. I love that Fleetwood Mac gave us the perfect jewel that is Rumours then followed up with something so experimental and wonderful. An incredible one-two punch from an incredible band!

I’m a big fan of Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass” and some of his other pop covers. So there is a familiarity to these songs - definitely feel the connection to the songs I knew. This album is more jazz, a genre I still feel is new to me. While I keep having this nagging feeling like I’m missing out on something, I am enjoying the jazz that has been coming up in this project more than I expected. This is no exception. A lot of it I liked. Some of it I loved. And part of it left me feeling like I should be getting more out of it than I was. Still, I can recognize that this is a great album and will likely grow on me in the future.

Hmmm... well, I like a lot of the beats and references in the rap lyrics. And some pretty topical things in here - how little progress we've made since 1992. The requisite early-90's references to women and other communities in pretty terrible terms make this harder to focus on those themes of crime and injustice. Seems like every rap album of this era is going to have me struggling... I like the music and the construction of the songs. I like a lot of the themes. But I can't help but think you can be angry and topical without such denigration of others. I could excuse this as "oh, it was the 90s" but it isn't the 90's so I won't.

I hadn’t really listened to Roxy Music much prior to this project, but now I’m on album #2 and it seems that I am quite taken by this eccentric band. The instrumentation is wonderfully wild (Castanets! Oboe solos! Wackadoo synths!). The odd, quavering vocals deliver some pretty interesting lyrics. At times I’m not sure what abuse the guitar is being subjected to to make those noises. Every time I listen I hear more and more. I love it! I’m a fan!

Finally some hip-hop/rap that I can enjoy unequivocally! I loved this album when it came out in the 90’s and it has remained one of my favorites ever since. Positive message. Incredible beats. Absolutely great! After enduring other 90s rapper’s terrible treatment of women and the gays (side-eye to Ice Cube), it is refreshing to hear some positivity a pro-people perspective. I love this album!

Snazzy jazzy groovy! A didgeridoo solo? You BET I’m in!

“You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” was a childhood staple in my sister’s 45 record collection that I listened to a lot. It formed the foundation for my lifetime love of the music of Stevie Wonder. I’m sure I’ve listened to the album several times, but it is a real pleasure to spend some time with this today.

I have heard The Magnetic Fields in the past, but can’t remember any of the songs. I guess I’m not a romantic because when I saw this was going to be 3 HOURS of love songs I was filled with dread. Seemed like this was an awfully long assignment that was sure to become grating… This morning when I started listening I was most pleasantly surprised. It was quirky and not what I was dreading (the quote attributed to Merritt in the Wikipedia article makes so much sense : “69 Love Songs is not remotely an album about love. It's an album about love songs, which are very far away from anything to do with love.”). Each song is unique and delightful. There are some truly crazy lyrics with wonderfully offbeat analogies and observations. Amazing to find so many creative ways to write a love song. The styles of songs are all over the place. And the music is varied and great! This is an incredible accomplishment and wildly entertaining! I’m very glad that this assignment pressed me to invest time in such a long album. This was a ton of fun and something I will enjoy listening to again and again!

I listened to Vanishing Point from Primal Scream a month or two ago and I mentioned that I needed to look further into this group. Good thing it came up here because I had not been proactive about following through on that… The songs are sometimes psychedelic, sometimes rock, sometimes gospel, sometimes bluesy, sometimes who knows what. This album is a remarkably varied yet coherent collection of diverse songs. So so good! I was into this from beginning to end!

Looking at the wholesome fivesome on the album cover made listening to the opening track “The Witch” quite a surprise! Absolutely unexpected - like a punky-grungy Beach Boys sound. I was expecting something much tamer. Then I start reading about this band I have never heard of and discover that they are from the Puget Sound - birthplace of grunge and my stomping ground. Incredible that in 1965 this was going on. The songs are built on a simple set of chord progressions and has a lot of typical characteristics of music of that time, but there’s a dirty energy that makes this stand out. I like this partly as a historical artifact and partly for the way it genuinely surprised me. And after repeated listens the gritty recording quality became part of the sound. I see why this is here!

The song titles pretty much had me ready for something that was way off the beaten path and I wasn’t disappointed. The first time through I thought I might cut myself. The second time through I think I did. The second time through I decided to put it on while I was working. I sort of fell into a zen-like state while I was working and it served perfectly to keep things interested as I focused on my various tasks. It lended a sinister darkness to my workday which proved surprisingly productive. Somehow this horror show wormed its way into my heart. I really like this and at some point may love it.

Wasn't sure how this was going to go because gangster rap doesn't always like me, but was surprised that this went down pretty good. Several songs I really liked. A few I didn't. In Da Club is an incredible classic, and I found a few new faves including High All The Time, Blood Hound, and 21 Questions.

I’ve never listened to Teenage Fanclub before. The harmonies are really nice, the music is great - I enjoyed the album!

An interesting album I didn’t mind listening to, but not really a great match for me. Glad to have heard this but it was more of a curiosity than something I want to listen to again.

I really wanted to love this album. There seems to be so much here that should work for me. It did not. Stopped in the middle of a third attempt when I realized I was miserable.

I seem to have a soft spot for progressive rock, even though - or maybe because - it’s always on the edge of crazytown. Looking at these lyrics I am lost, so instead I just let the music flow and try not to think about it too much. Maybe someday I'll spend more time figuring out what this is all about... I listened to this first while driving around in a not-so-stellar car audio environment, and this left me quite cold. Then I listened on some high quality headphones and was in love with it. A third time I listened on some studio monitors and again really enjoyed this. I guess all the intricacy demands better equipment to be fully appreciated. Fun!

Here’s another album I have loved it since its release. Tori Amos’ piano work is exquisite, the songs perfectly crafted, the arrangements beautiful. I love every song on this which is why it has been and will remain one of my favorite albums of all time. Little Earthquakes is perfection and every bit as compelling 30 years after I first heard it.

I got into Simply Red with their Stars album in 1991. I loved that album, and later got into their Greatest Hits. So I knew and liked a few of the hits off this album. I'm glad to have had this come up as there are a lot of great new songs from Simply Red that already favorites!

One of my partner’s favorite songs is “Angel”, so I’m familiar with that song. But somehow I’ve never heard the rest of this album before. I enjoyed all the catchy britpop. Lots of catchy hooks.

I encountered this album a number of years ago, and purchased it before I had access to a music streaming service. I haven't listened to it often enough apparently to recognize all the songs, but I do recognize and like many of them. Glad to have this emerge from the fog of the past as I very much enjoy this album!

Never heard of The Waterboys before but I instantly was very interested in the prominence of the squeezebox and the fiddle. I really loved this! The bonus disk is also really great too!

I know some Dion from the 60s, but this was the first exposure to his later work. It was not what I would expect from a former teen-idol doo-wop star. Quite good!

I put on the Apple Music version of this on the headphones and was startled because the sound quality was so good! I had not expected that from an album released in 1959. I also instantly recognized much of the opening track “Blue Rondo À la Turk” even though I would never have known I knew the song from the name. “Take Five” was also instantly recognizable to me… Time Out had me fully engaged from the opening notes. Jazz is no longer a curiosity that I appreciate at arm’s length different that other genres. This project has made me realize that there is a lot of jazz that needs to be in my regular rotation, and this album is up there with the top of that list.

It’s possible I agree with many of the sentiments expressed on this album, but after one listen lack any desire for more. 33 minutes is already more than enough.

I love being reunited with an old song. I thought I only knew one song, "Smoke on the Water," on this album. But as I started this album two moments from my past came flooding back as “Highway Star” blazed out of the speakers. Once when my parents were out of town I jealously listened to it through the door of my older sister’s room where she was holed up with her rock friends. Or the time it was blaring out of her cool boyfriend’s Plymouth Barracuda as he dropped me off at school one day. One of the few moments in junior high when I felt like a badass arriving at school... Listening to this album brought me back to those fleeting moments of cool confidence. Only now those moments weren’t as fleeting and I really enjoy this album from beginning to end. Extended organ, guitar and drum solos? Twenty minutes of “Space Truckin’”? Sign me up! Really enjoyed Made in Japan. This is fantastic - right up there with my favorite live albums.

I didn’t recall ever hearing of Underworld before, although I’m told I must have heard one of their other songs on the Trainspotting soundtrack. Then I realized I knew their song Cowgirls from the Hackers soundtrack. After listening to this album as well, I’m pretty sure that I probably danced to their music on many occasions. “Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love” is an incredible opening to this album. Instantly grabbed me and I knew this would be a real ride! By 15 minutes in I had decided this is some of the best electronic music I’ve heard on this project, or maybe ever. Nearly an hour more of music was on this album. Great variety! Sometimes up dancing, other times just chilling in ambient cool. This journey had many exciting twists and turns. I was constantly engaged - pulled along on an electronic adventure. Absolutely fantastic!

A breath of fresh air after some recent ponderous rap album listens. Great musical arrangements, clever and smart rap, and a strong feeling of honesty really elevates this. I appreciated how lean it was compared to some of the sprawling, way too long recent selections in this genre. Exciting to have something I wasn’t looking forward to surprise me. Really great!

This was a strange and unsatisfying listen. Lots of short songs in varying musical styles sent through some sort of 90’s grunge distortion filter. There were some good things I would hear then they would abruptly end, like Cliff’s Notes versions of the songs. What’s with the snoring over Ex-Supermodel? Did I accidentally listen to an ad for a KTEL Record?

I’m a big fan of The Bee Gees, but up until this project had not really looked into their 60s catalog of albums. It’s something I’ve meant to do, so I’m glad this project has finally jump-started this long overdue endeavor. The versatility and craftsmanship of The Bee Gees is quite evident when you consider the many decades and styles of music they have created. Now that I have listened to two of their 60s albums, I’m further impressed at their work. This album is fascinating, beautiful and ambitious and after a few listens I can now say I’m a fan of every decade of The Bee Gees. I loved the orchestral grandeur, the concept and backstory, and the songs. While they may not have the fierce hooks of some of their later hits, the songs on Odessa still have great melodies and complex arrangements and the songs opened up more with every listen. I only wish I was listening to the original flocked album!

I’ve never listened to this debut album before, having mostly been familiar with Chicago’s greatest hits compilations until the 80s when I owned a couple of their cassettes. This is definitely Chicago, with a few little surprises. This album is funkier and bluesier in places than I expected. The guitar work gets heavy in the middle. I’m not sure I love the degree to which they take it in Free Form Guitar. It sounds quite skilled if not particularly pleasant or melodic. I can’t imagine I’ll sit through that song in its entirety again. Ready access to the skip track button would have been a good reason to get this on CD as soon as the tech was available… Other than that quibble, I loved the album!

Really fantastic! This album had me from the opening strains of I Love Your Lovin' Ways. Some really haunting songs on this. They are right to feature Four Women on the cover. What a remarkable song. There are so many great songs on this. I’ve already listened to it over and over…

This is something I would never have been aware of but for this project. The mix of “desert blues” and rock is remarkable, I absolutely love it! I was drawn to this immediately and each listen opens up more of this to me. The guitars are amazing. Reading the backstory of the group it is amazing how joyful music about dislocation and trauma can be. So glad to have encountered this!

The cover made me think this could be weird and wacky, and it is. These guys are glam rock set just a little off-kilter. I really liked it!

I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as Music for a Jilted Generation. Some good beats but I think that filled my The Prodigy quota.

I started listening to this and at first for some reason felt like this wasn’t particularly noteworthy. I was thi