Nerd wizard rock that I do not want.

Oh bloody hell, here we go, more fucking electronic garbage. Seriously, this is my 330th album so far and my 27th of the electronic genre. That's too many! I realize that 27/1001 is only about 2% market share for genre, but like goddamn, even that is too much for me. I do not want this on a train, I do not want this in the rain. I will not put this music in my brain.

Uggghhhhh. I can't with this crap. There's no merit here. Beyoncé seems like more of a product to me than a person. When a massive team of people does all the work and you just show up to sing, I mean, where’s the artistry in that? It just feels so manufactured and artless.

Okay, c’mon! Three fucking Dexys Midnight Runners albums on this list?!? That is too much!! They have 1 exceptional one hit wonder and the rest is pure shite. We’ve discussed this already, topic fucking closed now alright!

This record is the exact sound of all indie anti-pop mainstream records in the 2010s. It takes me back to being 25, wanting to get drunk, party, and listen to anything but this style of music. I don’t dislike it, I just can’t have fun with it. And nothing about this feels special or groundbreaking.

Great beats, amazing lyrics, and lots of interesting sampling from artists I love.

So ahead of its time! Sunday Morning is one of the best songs ever.

Fantastic! One of the greatest opening tracks of all time to set the tone for the album. Love the juxtaposition of The Opera with raucous rock n roll. A great bloody time, the whole time.

Meh. The current spotify version has We Are Family on it 3 times, and two of those versions are over 8 minutes long! Nobody likes that song enough to listen to over 20 minutes of it on one album.

This was apparently shock rock in the 70's. School's Out is a good track on it's own, but the rest of the album sucks. The lyrics are all so cheesy and cornball. Not an album I'll want to listen to again, stick to Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits.

Love this album! Poignant lyrics, endearing ennui, wistful storytelling.

Highly enjoyable listening. Not a jazz fan generally, but this is an album I can see myself putting on again.

Absolute crap. Unlistenable. You know back in the day when you'd go to HMV and they'd have the listening station pre-loaded with the picks of the week? This is like the random album they had to put in that to meet a genre quota mandated by corporate. It suuuuucks.

Meh. Not into concept albums, even less so rock operas. Pinball Wizard is a bop though, I do enjoy that tune. Props for the ambition with this album and it's amazing how they used to do the whole thing live, but I'm just not into it.

It's brilliant, exactly the kind of music I love. A magical blend of rock/punk energies and wry self-deprecating earnestness. I love the absurdist yet heartfelt lyrics and effortless cool layered into every track.

Heard enough of this crap in high school when it was on everyone like a bad rash. Not supporting this misogynistic prick.

This album had some amazing singles, classic George Michael songs that I've always loved. But the rest of it is so meh. It comes out strong with Faith, Father Figure, and I Want Your Sex, but the rest of it just felt like filler.

Never heard of this band or album before. Did not know a single song by this group. The songs are mellow and the overall tone is chill. It just didn't grab my attention though. Meh overall. I don't feel like this is a gap in my musical knowledge that needed to be filled.

Uninteresting, unheard of crap. I'm going to be pissed off if shit like this made the list but something truly remarkable like Flood by They Might Be Giants or Soul Mining by The The didn't.

Spotify doesn't even have the full album! The two singles they did have were alright. But I couldn't give this the full listening experience. Spent the day listening to I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman instead.

Not my vibes at all. Sure, there might be some merit here, but I don't want to spend time trying to find it.

Enjoyable listening. I prefer George Harrison's solo albums, he really flourished when he was liberated from John's tyranny. The one thing everyone needs to know is that the track Imagine was largely written by Yoko Ono, who John selfishly decided wasn't worth crediting because she's "just a wife, y'know?" He was a total douchebag, but it is easy listening.

A fabulous album through and through, one of my favourites. And props for one of the all-time most iconic songs of the 60's - Time of the Season. It so perfectly encapsulates the hippie counter-culture of that time.

Wtf is Mott? Really shitty band name. And they couldn't come up with a better name for the album? Generic 70’s rock. Inoffensive, mediocre. I wouldn’t flip the station if I saw their name on the display.

Boring. Sampling is just such an uninteresting act. I don’t care for it.

Cool funky grooves. Everyday People and I Want To Take You Higher are absolute classics, welcome additions to any party playlist. Sex Machine is so self-indulgent. I don't need to groove to the same instrumental number for over 13 minutes, that doesn't do it for me. One of those tracks where the people who are really high on the dance floor can zone out and go all night, but the rest of us roll our eyes after 3 minutes and want the DJ to move on.

It's alright, definitely not the worst album I've come across so far. I don't want to listen to a full hour of it. Should definitely be on the list of ugliest album covers ever.

Easiest 5 star rating I'll ever give. No brainer. This otherworldly offering from the B-52's is one of the greatest debut albums ever recorded. They are so fucking cool and I love every track! This is an all-time favourite album of mine that I have loved for years. Dance This Mess Around, Lava, Rock Lobster, and 6060-842 are standout tracks, but I really do love every single note of this album.

It’s alright. No complaints.

This ain’t it. Do not want.

Lousy Oasis wannabes.

They obviously appeal to a lot of people, just not to me. Boring ass music.

I like Lou Reed's voice, but this album doesn't seem particularly special. I listened and didn't mind it, but it never fully arrested my attention.

It's great. Not as a solid as A Night At The Opera, but a damn good listen.

Patti is giving me life today! This is an obvious 5. Iconic debut album. You love to see it: an amazingly talented badass woman at the helm of the punk movement. Fuck yeah!

I dig it! Haven't given The Stooges much attention before, but clearly that's going to change. I enjoyed this album a lot, looking forward to hearing more.

Oh Moz, you’ve certainly made an impression on me.

It’s monotonous, but not as bad as I was expecting.

Disappointed when I saw the album cover, but I gave it a chance. After listening it's clear that it's just more crap undeserving of this list. Clearly chosen because of the British bias of the list-makers. First track was fine. The rest was annoying garbage.

This album is a whole ass fucking MOOD and I am loving every minute of it!!

Enjoyed the Tracks of my Tears cover. Don’t mind Bragg’s voice, but I don’t care enough to go here again. Neutral.

It was saved from a 1 star rating by The Book of Love alone because that song did strike a chord with me. 1 gold nugget amid 68 turds.

Living After Midnight, Rockin' to the dawn! This is quality old school metal that's always fun to listen to. Love it!

A solid album through and through. Dig a lot of the songs, especially I Am The Resurrection.

Classic album, definitely worthy of the list. Happy to see Canada represented. Neil is one of our greatest treasures.

Frank Zappa has never appealed to me musically and that's mainly because his image is so off-putting. He looks like a total fucking creep. Only knew the song Valley Girl and that he gave his kids fucked up names. This shed new light on Zappa for me, but it's still not my bag. *shrug*

This so isn't worthy. It's generic 80's new wave. It's fine and that's it. It shouldn't be on the list.

It's too repetitive, there's no nuance in the sound or production. PSB is one of those \"just the hits\" kind of artists for me, no deep cut hidden gems here.

Gross creepy weirdo whose music sucks.

Absolutely essential grunge album. It will rock the fuck out of your soul from the first track to the last. Chris Cornell was an unparalleled talent and killer vocalist, a tremendous credit to the genre. This album is a stone cold masterpiece.

So not into this weepy whiny drivel.

Didn’t mind it. Big band and swing aren’t my wheelhouse at all, but I can appreciate the musicianship on display here.

Innocuous 90's rock.

It's got some bops that's for sure. Had never heard of Neneh Cherry before, and while this isn't really my kinda jams, I didn't mind having it on in the background.

All the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I bet any money he was a terrible lover in real life, selfish and inconsiderate of his partner's needs. The music isn't unlistenable, but the lyrics are so immature and the artist is a loathsome piece of shit. Jeff Buckley is a far superior musician and artist compared to his deadbeat father.

A pleasant surprise! I love the moody, brooding lyrics contrasting the perky pop-ish guitar.

FINALLY! I've been waiting for an album by one of the big big most worthy artists. Sgt. Pepper is very strong. I appreciate how groundbreaking it was, but it's not my favourite Beatles record. Still such a joy to listen to nonetheless. A fabulous listen through and through! Thank you generator for finally satisfying my Beatles craving.

The southern rock magnum opus. And it’s a debut album! Tuesday’s Gone, Free Bird, and Simple Man existing together on the same album blows my mind. I fucking love it.

It’s fine for what it is, but it’s not for me. I’m glad someone is thinking of the penguins though.

Lovefool is a bop, it permeates 90's radio playlists, but that isn't enough of a reason to say that the whole album merits a spot on this list. And I agree with everyone else saying this is one of the shittiest album covers of all time. I would never look at this and equate it with the syrupy pixie pop that comes out of it.

Sucks ass. I hate it.

I dig it, The Jam are such an underrated gem. I got a lot of mileage out of this album today. It bangs.

It's fine, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

I like it a lot more than I expected to. Sade's voice is fierce and sexy!

I expected more from this. It didn’t give me any feels.

I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe under different circumstances, but I don’t have the time to care today.

It was too one-note for me. Lost Cause was a good track though, I liked it. I zoned out of all the sadness and only noticed that it was over when Spotify automatically went into Beercan off of Mellow Gold. I thought "there's my Beck!" and I was happy again.

Cannot separate the "art" from the artist on this one. Scumbag rapist Nazi fuckhead that I will not listen to.

I'm digging it, but I'm not flipping for it. They didn't reinvent the wheel, it's fine for what it is.

Completely biased rating because FUCK YESSSSSS!! This is the sound of me discovering a musical preference of my own, the sound of being 12 in 1999 and figuring out who I want to be. It is an undeniably groovy and unique album that is a direct line to my younger self.

His voice is so soulful and emotive. I'm digging it. Shame that he's a piece of shit wife-beater. Let's stay together or else I'll beat the piss out of you.

Complete crap. Just total horseshit that I want nothing to do with.

I guess they’re saving all the ecstasy for their next album? Very meh. Unremarkable.

The hits are hits for a reason, all that guitar is goddamn catchy shit and I'm here for it. But the album does become quite monotonous as it goes on. Thank you for giving us "Legs" and knowing how to use them.

The first track hooked me, had to go back to it a few times. Saved to library. The second track was great too. Mostly enjoyed the album, but did get a bit bored by the end. The first two tracks set me up for success and I wanted more of that throughout.

TV Party tonight! TV party tonight! Classic angry youthful punk with a dash of humour. I like it.

Crummy hippie space junk. It fucking sucks and I hate everything about it.

Nerd wizard rock that I do not want.

It felt a bit chaotic, there were too many ideas being jammed into this album. The Stones are always enjoyable though. Solid pick for a Saturday.

This is an absolute monster of an album. “Today” is such a beautiful, tragic song. Peak Corgan sad boi brilliance. The whole thing is a solid listen all the way through, love it!

It's lovely. I appreciate the unfettered authenticity and wistfulness. The melodramatic "Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying" is a song that will always have a special place in my heart.

Been an avid classic rock radio listener my whole life, so I'm very familiar with all of Supertramp's big hits. They're alright. I've never cared enough to seek out more of their music. Would rather listen to Rush. Neutral on this.

Just had "If You're Feeling Sinister" the day before, so it's interesting to compare so closely together. I like this album too, it's got that same whimsical yet sardonic lyricism I appreciate from this group, and it seems to be a peppier album overall. Instrumentation is wonderful, enjoying it a lot.

Completely unenthused about this. I don’t have anything against it, but I’m just not into it. Very meh.

Pure fun! This is such a joyful album. I love Louis's voice and the playful way he engages the other contributors. Everything about this evokes carefree, don't take life too seriously fun vibes. I like it a lot!

#1 Record is a good album. This is not. I tuned out when they started singing about Jesus.

It was better than I expected based on the album art and the incredibly stupid band name. Seriously, who named this band?? It’s such an immature name and it inspires no confidence. Tunes okay though.

I just can't. I'm happy that Björk has had success being her authentically oddball self and whatnot, but I'm just not musically compatible with this record. I want to have a good time when I'm listening to music. Not be all high-brow artsy fartsy experimental. It's not you, Björk, it's me. Points added for the iconic swan dress.

Sappy old drunk, he sang the same song 11 different ways on this album. It gets old fast. But he does have a nice voice.

The album artwork is absolutely abhorrent so I can see why it sold poorly. I've been known to judge music by the album cover and that severely lowered my expectations going in. But I have to admit this album is right up my alley. I'm liking the melding of hard rock and post-punk sounds with the alt rock sensibilities. The intensity of the vocals pairs exceptionally well with the rawness of the music. There's something reminiscent of Freddie Mercury in the vocal tone, am I the only one hearing that? I like.

I just… like, why?? It should not be on the list. There’s nothing about this album that is culturally significant. It’s music. Okay, I’ll give it that. But to say this should be included with the likes of Bowie, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nirvana… actual artists whose work was impactful? That’s insane. This doesn’t fit.

I listened to The Joshua Tree a lot when I was in high school. Everyone seems to agree the first three tracks are all monster hits. I also really like Bullet the Blue Sky and Running to Stand Still. It's just a great fucking album.

I hate live albums, but there are always exceptions to the rules. Exception: Johnny fucking Cash. It was a great idea that was executed brilliantly. Felt like a prisoner by the end of it, but that was the point right?

There’s nothing about this that even remotely interests me musically.

Fantastic album, love the collaboration of these four spectacular artists! Even though there wasn't much cohesion between them during the recording process, the end result sounds like they had remarkable recording chemistry throughout. Helpless is a beautiful song, and Our House has been a favourite of mine for many years. Woodstock is quintessential classic rock, it does not get any more classic or any more rock than that song. What a killer start to the week, bloody good album!

The Doors have been one of those bands that I skip on playlists, but I think it's just because their biggest songs are so overplayed. I'm enjoying this listen way more than expected based on my history with The Doors. It's quite remarkable that this is a debut album. It's excellent.

It definitely has a sound that is very specific to its time. I could get into it with more listens, but I just don't have the attention span for it today. It's okay. It got better towards the end of the album.

Hidden gem! I've never heard of this group before but this album speaks directly to my musical sensibilities and tastes. It's remarkable how much Poly Styrene's vocals remind me of Kathleen Hanna. I'm digging this so much. Plus, fuck yeah, saxophone!! I am instantly in love with this record and Poly Styrene. She is a punk goddess and badass feminist icon. Oh bondage up yours indeed!

More of this? What even is the difference between this and Fragile? I'm just glad I could put it on in the background and get through it. Sounds like an uninterrupted continuation of all their albums. *shrug*

You get exactly what they told you: a dirty sounding record, musically. The people writing it off as loud noises owe it a few more listens to appreciate the layers of complexity. It rules, it flies in the face of every commercial instinct other bands at this time followed.

Canada’s Bob Dylan. National Treasure. Icon. This is a wonderful debut album, it’s emotionally driven and poignant music.

Musically it’s good. I liked having it on in the background while I worked. It didn’t make an impact though. It’s just not for me.

Oasis at the pinnacle of their creative success. It plays like a greatest hits and it's good. It's enjoyable music. Not my favourite, but damned if I won't sing along to Wonderwall every single time it comes on. Have to.

I liked "Fun House" better, but I enjoyed this album too. I like their sound, I like their style. Did not love "We Will Fall" though - too long, too jarring compared to the rest of the album. "No Fun" and "1969" were the best tracks.

It’s a bloody good soundtrack for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. But other than that, not for me.

My top Spotify artist of 2021, fuck yeah! I can’t get enough of The Smiths. The emotional, social, political intensity of the lyrics with the one-of-a-kind catchy jangly Marr guitar work is a heady and addictive pairing. It’s a killer combo for me every time.

I don’t know if there was programmatic collusion, but getting this album on Dec. 25th is a special treat. I enjoyed it a lot this morning while opening gifts. Very 60’s, a classic through and through. But only needed once a year.

Sheryl’s got some hits, some songs with lots of sing-a-long-ability. But as an artist she just doesn’t resonate with me or evoke any powerful feelings. She evokes mediocre feelings at best. No catharsis, some fun. That’s it. And what is with the name of this album?? It’s so hokey.

I was expecting something very different based on the album cover. Instead of some doofus punk rock like Blink-182 I got more of a pre-emo sensitive crooner vibe, like James Blunt or Jason Mraz. It’s not for me. It’s fine, but it sounded like the same song 16 times.

I never understood the appeal. Gave it a chance, but it’s still not music that I can connect with. It’s an impressive debut from an impressive artist on paper. It just doesn’t go any further than that with me.

Fucking iconic! This is a landmark grunge album. Love or hate her, Courtney’s artistry is undeniable. From her furious primal screams on Violet to her heartbroken guttural wailing on Doll Parts she leaves no piece of herself behind. It’s all out there on this record, every raw feeling. And I fucking love every minute of it. Masterpiece.

Finally, just over 100 albums in and the Starman himself graces me with his presence on this journey! It’s not my favourite iteration of Bowie, but it is a damn good one nonetheless.

As a debut album it is wildly successful at telling us exactly who Talking Heads are and what they’re all about. David Byrne is the chosen one of the new wave art punk revolution. I love the quirky POV of this album, and the playfulness in the lyrics. I’m just such a sucker for weirdo misfits that put humour into their work. Stellar record, just love the shit out of this band for daring to be so authentically different and carving their own path.

Know the name, but never knew a single lick of his music. It’s definitely country. But not as dull as I was expecting. There are some major pop elements throughout that make it more listenable than run of the mill guitar and twang country. Steve’s alright with me.

Sympathy for the Devil is a banging opener for an album. Tonally this album is all over the map. But I did enjoy it, a lot. It was a very pleasant classic rock listen this morning, I listened to it end to end several times. There’s something about it that just feels like a good Stones album. Like if you were alive when it came out and bought it you’d be happy with that purchase.

The Shaft theme itself is a killer track. I know it more so as a pervasive pop culture reference than a song. But it slaps. The rest of the album is fine. It’s fine.

I'm not really a hip-hop or rap fan, at least not current modern rap. But early 80's beginnings of rap and hip-hop is prime listening. Especially The Message. That song is beyond influential. It is the critical doctrine for any aspiring rappers and it is still completely relevant today. Banger.

This is what happens when you feed the Mogwai after midnight: a shitty artist creates shitty overindulgent narcissistic album.

Love Talking Heads and this album delivers exactly what I want from them. Excellent follow up to their debut Talking Heads: 77, it’s like a seamless continuation of that album. I’m Not in Love is my new favourite Talking Heads song.

This guy's wikipedia page is a wild ride, he sounds like he was an immature unbearable ass. The music is okay, but it's not something I would seek out. Mingus the Dingus indeed.

It’s fun. Not their best though. The first song felt like a bunch of musicians in the same room but all playing different songs. It hit better by the end. But it’s not a very cohesive album overall.

I don’t give a shit about Cream. This album is surprisingly way more mellow than I thought it’d be. Point added for Sunshine of Your Love, but the rest of it is junk.

I didn't realize I actually knew the song Babylon already. Never knew who sang it, but have heard it millions of times on 90's radio. This was a pleasant Monday morning album to listen to while I caught up on my work. It kinda gave me Damien Rice vibes. But it's not one I'm going to return to, it's just not me.

Mellow. It's like South African doo-wop. Not for me, but it's fine.

Ah Joni, a Canadian national treasure! Always a pleasure listening to her. She's a powerful storyteller and wonderful musician.

Oh goodie, another one for the rubbish bin! I can't stand this experimental electronic crap.

I am pumped, I adore the Pretenders! This is a magnificent debut album. At the intersection of 70's punk and pop rock is where the Pretenders meet to floor everyone with their we-don't-give-a-fuck lyrics melded into peppy instrumentation. They don't juxtapose lyrics and music as intensely as The Smiths do, but they're in that same vein. A precursor for sure. There's that subtle hit of something melancholy or maudlin wrapped in a wistful package and I love it. Chrissie Hynde's voice is magnetic and alluring. She's got that quality that expresses so much toughness and badassery but also softness and vulnerability. She's incredible, I could listen to her on loop for days and never get bored. Big fan!

Love the song Pacific Ocean Blues, but the rest of the album is stuffed with two many conflicting influences and styles. It just feels like a hodgepodge of any musical sound that caught Dennis’s fancy. I can see how working firsthand with Brian Wilson would make it seem like that’s how you create a brilliant album, jamming all the things you like together and stirring it up. But the thing is, you have to actually be a musical genius to know how to meld instruments, styles, and influences together in a brilliant way. Musical genius Dennis Wilson is not. Hairy motherfucker too, wasn’t he? Jeez.

It didn’t sound or feel very different from The Holy Bible, their previous album, which was on my list a while back. It was fine. It just didn’t break new ground or offer anything different. Not sure why both of these albums need to be on the list when they’re essentially the exact same. This album art is definitely an improvement over the other one though!

It's a beautiful album, and I appreciate it so much for what it represents: Brian's triumph over past traumas and a return to his best creative self. A lot of songs and arrangements remind me of They Might Be Giants. He's such an impressive and influential artist. I love to see him being fun, quirky, and oddball in his lyricism, it pairs so perfectly with all of the playful instrumentation.

Buffalo Gals is obviously catchy, and Double Dutch was a cool jam. Jive My Baby got me feeling the sunshine. But I can't listen to a whole album of this stuff. Especially all the "radio program call in" gimmicks, that got old fast.

Not jazzed about this at all. Bland 60's rock. It hasn't moved the needle in any meaningful way musically for me. Should be called Meh music for Meh minds and bodies. This crap needs to be bumped from the list to make room for Weezer's Blue album, which I just learned is NOT on the list and that's a goddamned travesty.

Brilliant! Fuck yes! Starting my day with Tom Sawyer is exactly what I needed. Rush is awesome, this album is awesome, it is undoubtedly a 5 star record. The musicianship on display here is mind-blowing. Neil Peart rules!!

It's hard to come down off the Rush high from yesterday, and this album is not a cushy landing. It's too homogeneous throughout. I just don't care about it. And fuck Eric Clapton! He's an enormous ass. I know he's talented, but he's also such a dick. I'm going back to Rush.

Great band, but this album is too chaotic and unpredictable. There’s no cohesion throughout it’s just like a spastic ADHD foray through styles and tones. Love the song Ma and Pa, reminds me of my pal Peattie and the mix CDs she used to make for me.

The music is lively, funky, fun. It gets you moving. But for me the lyrics are the most important and engaging part of any song. Not speaking the same language as Jorge makes it hard for me to enjoy it. Not into foreign or world music, I’m just not. Musically though it was much more of a joy than some of the other crap on this list.

These guys love a concept album, eh? It’s a funny sight gag for the album cover. I’m not pumped by the music though. It’s just bland. How many Who albums does someone really need to hear to get the gist of it anyways? Give me Baba O’Reilly and call it a day.

Music for a Renaissance Fair. There's too much plinky guitar plucking. I don't know man, I might be in the minority here but I prefer the way more commercially appealing 80's Genesis over this prog rock experimental stuff.

I love the album artwork, but 2013's bloody valentine sounds remarkable similar to 1991's. There doesn't seem to be any stylistic innovation or growth, which is surprising when there's a 22 year gap between albums. It sounds like elevator music for a 2000's wannabe indie neo-noir film that no one saw. This is too much of a downer for me, I won't be coming back to it.

Good Times is a frigging good time, obviously. It's the only memorable bop on the album though. Long live disco and all, this just didn't do it for me.

It's Stevie! At the top of his funk game, bringing slick catchy grooves and buttery, yet emotionally charged vocals together in perfect harmony. Living For the City, Higher Ground, AND All In Love is Fair on the same album blows my mind. He's an incredible artist and he's unparalleled at constructing hit songs without it feeling formulaic or manufactured. It's just beautiful, compelling artistic expression in every song.

Very boring. This was a harsh let down after Stevie Wonder yesterday, damn. It was pleasant enough to have on while I fed my son breakfast this morning but I don’t care about it or for it at all.

Finally! Only 138 albums in and I finally get some Bob! I’ve waded through so much shit to get here. Anyways… This is a more seasoned Bob, a reflective Bob. We still get plenty of his folksy charm, but there’s more effortless polish on this album. It’s cohesive in tone throughout and it flows beautifully from one track to the next. It’s confessional and self-aware even if Bob insists that it’s not meant to be. He can’t help it, he writes from the very base of his soul. He doesn’t just leave blood on the tracks he leaves his whole heart. It’s at an interesting new place in his life and I dig his perspective on it at this point in his career. It’s impressive and inspiring.

Yardbirds without Clapton? I’ll take it! It’s pretty bland though.

The Byrds are cool. I don't mind listening to them, but it's funny I actually prefer other versions of two of their biggest hits from this album. I prefer the Dylan version of Mr. Tambourine Man and the Tom Petty cover of I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better. I'm not in a very 60's mood today though so that may be affecting my rating.

I love the Monkees. They're fun, they don't take themselves too seriously, and their songs are catchy. Yeah, they were a "fake" band for a TV show and the whole schtick was being a blatant Beatles-esque ripoff so you can easily slap a derivative label on them. But they're obviously creative, talented guys who worked well together as a group and the fact that they fought for more creative control over the music and wanted to grow as artists in their own right speaks volumes about them. They may have started out conceptually as puppets for the network but they became so much more. The endurance of their songs well beyond the shelf life of the TV show proves that what they did resonated with a lot people in a truly impactful way. I dig everything they represent and I love their tunes. It's worth noting that I write this as a person born in the 80's who loved watching their show when I was a kid even though the episodes were already 25+ year old reruns.

Who knew Pixar's crown prince of the heartfelt ditty was so sarcastic and satirical? Not I! The unexpected darkness and depth of the lyrical content impresses me, but the showtune-y sheen layered on top of everything gets old fast. I appreciate the way he uses what he's got to make his point, but this won't become every day ongoing listening for me. Glad I stopped by, but even gladder still to be moving on.

Gross. This is my "being contrarian" musical opinion: I just can't fucking stand Radiohead. They're in the same class as Coldplay for me, pretentious music for pseudo intellectuals who think they have taste. Can we get a Muse album up in here instead please?

Beauty and the Beast is a killer start to this album. You’re immediately thrust into the eye of Bowie and Eno’s ambient creative art rock typhoon. You just know you’re in for an unforgettable ride. It’s weird, it’s passionate, it’s aggressive, it’s energetic but it’s ominous and foreboding at times too. Quite a ride, but it’s a solid album. I know there are a lot of Bowie entries on the list, he had his most prolific output in the 70’s, but this on earns its spot. I love Heroes, can never tire of that song. This isn’t my favourite iteration of Bowie, but it’s a damn good one.

No, just no. This boring crap is not worthy. This is just another beneficiary of the list maker’s UK bias. I fail to see how this makes the cut and yet Weezer’s debut album doesn’t. WTF?!?!

Teen Age Riot is one of the best opening tracks of all time, it situates the listener perfectly for what's to come on an album of hefty tracks. I love the flow and progression throughout, it all melds together so brilliantly. Favourite SY album to date. To agree with another listener, Thurston Moore is just such a dickhead. I have to attribute most of the band's success to Kim to be at peace with my listening experience; she's a goddess and a saint for putting up with Moore's shit as long as she did. Amazing album, so influential and impactful on a lot of bands I love. I adore this one.

Perfection - a quality listen the whole way through! I've looped it all morning and it's the most productive I've been in a long time. Endlessly listenable, it's such a joyful album. It puts me into a perfect mellow, chill mood. I love that Bob's message still carries tremendous weight, it isn't lost or diluted by the way it's been packaged and presented: calmly, from a place of peace and love.

Not for me. Respect to Missy for being a badass take no shit kind of artist who does things her way. Work It is a hip-hop classic from my high school days and sampling from the Beastie Boys was a cool surprise, but this was never my scene or genre.

Maybe they matter in the UK, but they only had a one hit wonder with the rest of the world when Bittersweet Symphony hit the airwaves. It was a hugely successful song and nothing else on the album punches in its weight class. I find this such a meh choice. It's not horrible, but it's not special either.

An absolute masterpiece. It's a flawless album from end to end. Cat has a remarkable talent for drawing listeners in and connecting with them while bearing his soul. And he does it with beautiful pop-folk arrangements, gorgeous melodies, and emotional poignant lyricism. He stirs my soul in a way that no other artist can. I adore this album!

Magnificent! Every note is a triumph for awkward weirdo oddballs everywhere. This band changed the game in a major way with this album and subsequent albums. They’ve influenced everyone I love musically and I’m so grateful for their sonic contributions to the world. And this isn’t even my favourite Pixies album!! Black Francis is a pioneering genius and Kim Deal is an otherworldly badass being. All hail Pixies!

Not available on Spotify. Didn’t really have the gumption to listen anywhere else. I know the gist of what Crosby’s all about. Points added for the sheer number of amazing contributors involved. But this is shit. We all know it.

Classic rock in its most generic form. It's not hurting anyone, it's just on the radio sometimes. If you like 10 minute guitar solos on every song you'll love this album. If you're like me and you'd rather get to the point already, you'll move on quickly from this to something better.

Uggghhhhh. I can't with this crap. There's no merit here. Beyoncé seems like more of a product to me than a person. When a massive team of people does all the work and you just show up to sing, I mean, where’s the artistry in that? It just feels so manufactured and artless.

Musicianship on display here is impressive. It’s just not a genre I enjoy. Album art is cool, I dig its vibe.

Ooo I am really liking this one! Brand new discovery for me. Down to the Ground reminds me a lot of Van Morrison's Into The Mystic, the progression of it, the cadence. And something about the second track Help Yourself reminds me a lot of Jeff Buckley, there's a quality to the vocals and musical arrangements that feels very Buckley. It's soulful and passionate, but edgy and deep too. Actually this whole album is reminiscent Buckley, but I know Joan came first. I'm so impressed by this groovy badass woman. I think Joan and Jeff might have been kindred musical spirits. I'm so into it!

I don't hold this album in the same regard as I do The Joshua Tree, but it's a good listen. I'm not a U2 hater, but I'm not obsessed with them either. They've just got some good jams and they make my ears happy sometimes.

She’s a damn good singer and I appreciate that her songwriting is deeply expressive without being so blatantly dirty laundry airing the way that idiot Taylor Swift’s is. This isn’t the kind of music I like to listen to, but I have a lot of respect for her tremendous talent. The album feels too repetitive in tone as it goes on to really give me what I need to be converted to a fan.

I listen to ABBA for the hits, not the deep cuts.

The balls on Ms. Turner to sing about being a private dancer at 45 years old in 1984 when women were still fighting against such a horribly ageist and misogynistic industry - trailblazer! This album is full of hits. Enjoyed it a lot.

This album isn't on Spotify. They do have the title track and I listened to that to get the gist. It didn't make me want to seek out the rest. It's not for me and I'm okay with unfairly writing it off. If the album art is ugly I have a hard time believing I'll like the music... *shrug* feeling brutally honest today I guess. Is it wrong to judge a record by its jacket? Maybe. But it's why they were invented. That's product marketing, baby!

Know thyself. I'm 34 years old, white, from the suburbs. I can't relate to a life of drugs and crime. I don't want to live a life of drugs and crime vicariously through Ghostface either. I just don't really give that much of a shit about hip-hop. I can appreciate that it's got catchy hooks and great production, but ultimately Myself knows this is a respectful no thank you, Mr. Killah.

A time capsule of 1990. I had fun with these NYC party starters.

18 tracks of noise pollution.

I usually like the juxtaposition of oddball irreverent lyrics and serious instrumentation, but it just doesn’t work for me in this case. The singer has a great voice, but I’m not picking up what he’s putting down. It doesn’t feel like an authentic expression of self, it feels contrived and forced. Not a standout.

It’s just so dreary. The whole album is tonally and sonically monotonous. I don’t get all the hype about this band. Bland. Blah.

I appreciate the tongue in cheek irreverence of the songwriting, there's a playfulness there, a subtle sendup of the classic twanging country song in every verse. The deeply earnest "I've got problems" country singer schtick of other artists gets old fast which is why this genre doesn't do anything for me. But I can see Prine up there, winking mischievously at those looking close enough to see it, as if to say "let's not take ourselves so seriously as all that George Jones nonsense, let's have fun." And I'm cool with that. And then there are nuggets of social commentary that don't beat you over the head, and that's cool too. Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore feels relevant in today's American socio-political climate, very on the nose.

I listen to a lot of 90's alt rock and grunge, so Jane's Addiction comes up frequently in the playlists. I don't mind them, but I'm never enthused when their songs come on either. Sometimes I skip their tracks, sometimes I don't. I'm more likely to skip Jane Says than Been Caught Stealing, take from that what you will. Giving a full Jane's Addiction album a listen hasn't really changed my perspective. I appreciate what they bring to the table, but it doesn't resonate with me in the same way Pixies or Sonic Youth do.

I fucking LOVE this album! This might be my favourite iteration of Dylan, I just love him going electric. I know it caused such a stir back in the day when he shifted his style, but it was a bold ballsy move that works for him. He's always challenged his listeners to keep up with him or fuck off. He goes where his artistry guides him and does what he wants, a total maverick. "Don't ask me nothing about nothing, I just might tell you the truth.” Subterranean Homesick Blues is an incredible opening track, Maggie's Farm is such a fun bop (I love cranking that one and singing along loudly in the car), and Mr. Tambourine Man is a high watermark of Dylan's songwriting. It's all solid, the whole way through. It's a great fucking album. It is irresistibly fun and cheeky and it will always hold up. Well done, Bob. Well done!

This album is an all-time forever favourite of mine. It gives you everything in perfect measure. It's emotional yet ebullient, earnest yet flip, folksy yet full of soul; it's a masterclass in storytelling and songwriting. It takes the listener on an incredible journey of good ole' times with quirky characters through wholly visceral places. It's amazing how pleasantly relatable and fun it can be one moment and how swiftly it turns deep and contemplative. Helm's vocals have always been the standout for me, he has a way of evoking deep emotion so easily while maintaining this unique twangy cool. Every note drips authenticity. He's so convicted about everything he says; I believe him and I feel like I know him intimately too. It's remarkable the way he can open up and draw you in to his world in the same breath. I just love this album so fucking much "... and I dig it!"

Cool, funky, edgy, emotional, powerful. I can dig it!

Sounds like the most generic 90’s punk rock ever, it’s very of it’s time. The singer has the typical snotty punk tone of a thousand punk rock singers before him. It’s basic and derivative and not special. I didn’t outright hate it, but I think a more impactful punk band should have their spot on the list.

I would prefer something actually listenable on a Sunday. This ruined brunch.

I'm only familiar with the QOTSA songs that get radio play, haven't listened deeply. And I definitely haven't heard any of the songs from their debut album before, just the hits that came after. I like it, it's in the vein of stoner rock that I dig. I think if I'd been listening to this in college it would have stuck with me more. But it's not breaking any new ground or blowing me away sonically. It's better than a lot of the shit I've waded through so far on this list, I'll give it that. The album artwork is horrifically dated and cheap looking though. It's giving me Bollywood hip-hop / basement porno vibes.

More french electronica? No thanks. I can at least appreciate the impact Daft Punk have had internationally as artists, points for that. But this is not for me and I hate it.

This album creates a very specific ambience. It's a humid summer night in the south, I'm on an airboat en route to a Louisiana gumbo party, just cruising through the bayou. I wanna get there while the cornbread is still warm, but I'm also not rushing. I've never done any of those things in my life, but if I close my eyes while I listen to this album I feel like I might have.

This guy has such a hard-on for what it means to be a loser and what's true, it's just a constant stream of two-bit country boy philosophizing about life. Which is funny because this album was apparently such an abysmal failure when it was originally released. Some things are better left in the rubbish bin. The album art is gorgeous though, it's exactly the kind of arts and craftsmanship stuff I'd expect to get from my friend who makes me mix CDs as gifts sometimes. That's not shade, that's a legit compliment .

A pleasant Friday listen, but it's impossible to overlook the homophobic slurs in Money For Nothing. If you want highly proficient guitar playing combined with soft 80's rock then these are the dudes for you.

Totally inoffensive and fine musically. But boring and not my scene.

This fucking sucks and I hate it. I won’t mince words today or waste time trying to find merit where there is none.

Pleasantly surprised! There's strong new wave and post-punk undertones on all the tracks that I'm so into. There's also an element of funky IDGAF cool that reminds me of Prince on a few tracks. This one grabbed me by my earholes and took me somewhere I didn't know I wanted to go.

k.d. has a beautiful voice, she packs every note to the brim with emotion and her delivery is effortlessly proficient. While Constant Craving is the obvious standout track, the rest just feels like endless buildup to it. Tonally and thematically this album is too homogenous throughout, it gets tired fast. And that's probably why Constant Craving was so successful, it's the only song that stops me in my tracks. It is vibrant, it has motion and life. Has always been.

Frank Black, Black Francis, Charles, whoever you are on any given day, I love listening to you! I'll always love your work with the Pixies best, but this is a great fucking album. Even though we still get the maximum amount of bizarreness and grime in every track, it feels a bit more refined than Pixies albums do. Like all that bizarreness and grime has been passed through a fine mesh strainer. I do think the runtime is a little long, it could have benefited from some streamlining, but I love it.

One of those "change the station" artists for me. Don't get the appeal, can't fucking stand them.

Some classic hard rock on a Friday, alright! I've never been a Motörhead fan, but I can get down with this. The guitar does all the work. The lyrics don't offer anything meaningful or profound, but that's what I expect from my rockers. Just a lot of guttural urges and bravado. And that's okay. "Jailbait" is creepy and gross though, that's not cool. Side note: I did not realize Motörhead was such a sexual band in terms of lyrical content and it is not a turn on. I think people who’ve had sex with Lemmy are entitled to some kind of financial reparation.

The longest breathy sigh recorded in human history lasting exactly 57:20.

This album is the realest, most raw and desperate expression of self that’s ever been recorded. And I think that’s largely why it catapulted Kurt Cobain and Nirvana from obscurity into the stratosphere of iconic mainstream music when it was released. There’s power in all of the unadulterated angst and anger that people immediately connect with, then and now. It’s not overblown hype, this album was the harbinger of a whole new musical era and gave a voice to lonely weirdos everywhere. It is an absolute masterpiece, completely brilliant. Every track is a five star track. It’s fucking phenomenal.

“Can’t Get Enough” will always make me think of Christopher Walken dancing in Wayne’s World 2 and for that I am grateful.

Fun, funky, upbeat good times all around.

Hidden gem! I've never heard of this band before, but I'm really digging their sound. I love the lead singer's vocals, and I love the funky rock fusion. I'm guessing this group has never come up before for me because they were marginalized black voices at a time where there was no room for anyone but white male bands e.g. RHCP or Faith No More. And that means no airtime on MuchMusic. But I'm sure glad I've become acquainted with them now, will definitely revisit! Also, I like that the album art looks like it was designed in MS Paint.

I'm not a danfan, gotta say it. I'll always bop along to Reelin' in the Years and I love Dirty Work, but songs like Rikki Don't Lose That Number feel so trite and cheesy to me. It actually sounds like an 80's one hit wonder, which is weird because this is from 1974, so maybe Steely Dan are visionaries and that's why people are nuts about them. But I'm not. They're okay and I'm okay saying that. I guess what I'm really saying is Can't Buy A Thrill is their best album to me. This one is okay, it's better than Countdown To Ecstasy. I'd sure love a hot pretzel for 15 cents, hot damn, that's a hell of a deal! And that’s something we can all agree on.

Joni's voice is perfection, always, but it is truly magnificent when she's singing this deeply personal and emotional material. This album is her magnum opus, a tour de force, the high watermark of her illustrious career. And she wrote and produced it all herself! Immaculate.

What the fuck is this shit now? I feel a hatred and rage of Joan Crawford proportions coming on. “NO ELECTRONICA!! NO ELECTRONICA EVEEEEERRRR!!!!!”

I wish the music was as striking and powerful as the album artwork. Love the concept, but the delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Couldn’t get into it.

Watered down Led Zeppelin wannabes. Meh.

Was not psyched about this one, absolutely hate the album title. What does "to pimp a butterfly" even mean? But I was surprised, it's not as bad as I expected. There's good stuff here. I appreciate Lamar's commentary and lyricism. The content here is infinitely more interesting than the run of the mill drugs, guns, girls blustering bravado that I hate about most rap and hip hop and can't connect with.

Ever notice how generally bands named after places and locations suck? Think about it: Europe? Sucks. Chicago? Sucks. Japan? Sucks. The theory is sound. Too bad this band isn't.

Solid. Personal Jesus and In My Life were the best ones for me. I don't think I'd listen to this kind of album over and over again. But it's Johnny Cash giving you his one-of-a-kind voice on a lot of great songs, I respect that.

Waste of a perfectly good spot on the list for someone else. As a rule I hate live albums. If I wasn’t at the concert I don’t want to hear it secondhand. Lame.

Spectacular! A flawless album of otherworldly themes, it eschews all the heavy-handed snide emo bullshit that was prevalent at the time. It was a massive breath of fresh air then and it still is now. You can hear and feel the rock stardom yet to come for Bellamy. I love this wholeheartedly.

Someone’s drunk uncle recorded an album of himself doing karaoke at the pub.

How do I call this album iconic without sounding like the Gen Z youth who overuse that word to the point that it's completely lost its impact? If that word still packs any wallop at all, then it's rightly used in full meaning here. The album artwork alone, my god. Everyone on the planet knows it. It also sums up perfectly why George is my favourite. These other dudes in suits and he's giving you Canadian tuxedo hippie man cool. He's the best one! The most enchanting and emotional tracks, Here Comes The Sun and Something, which he wrote both make it onto this album. Bless him for getting a word in edgewise for once! Excellent songwriting, as always. Incredible, groundbreaking instrumentation. Flawless delivery. It's what we've all come to expect of them at this point in their career. It is endlessly listenable, never boring, full of nuance and comfort at the same time. It's the perfect chunky cozy sweater that you'll never part with and look forward to cuddling in every autumn.

I liked it, cool vibes. Wasn't that impactful though, didn't leave me wanting more. It was fine and that's fine for today.

I'll just get this out of the way: I prefer Metallica. Is Mustaine trying to ripoff Axel Rose's vocal style, or is that just the unfortunate way he sings? If you just wanna rock and don't care how this album will do it for you. There's plenty of slamming metal guitar work to go around. But overall it gets repetitive and bland by the back half of the album. Mega-meh.

How many fucking Deep Purple records does someone need to hear? I've had 3 albums from them in a span of 52! Too much!! Thank Brian Christ this one has Highway Star and Smoke on the Water on it though. Classic banger tunes. This is the only DP album you need to hear, the others are just a reiteration of the same points. I hate the album "artwork".

It's a beautiful sunny Friday here in Canada for the first time in months. Spring is trying it's damnedest to spring after a long harsh winter and my energy is high. I'm just not in a bluesy mood. Today would have been a great day for some 80’s Billy Joel instead. I gave Muddy a listen, but it just does not match with my mindset today. Actually, I don't think the blues ever really match my mindset. Respect to Muddy, he is an all-time great musician. Maybe some other day.

Frank has a classic voice. But the songs and the lyrical content hasn’t aged well. I feel like I’m at a stuffy boring dinner party full of accountants and mortgage brokers who think they’re so sophisticated. This crooner shit ain’t for me.

Marty paired perfectly with Sunday brunch this morning. Thought I’d be disappointed but I liked the storytelling. It was a rootin’ tootin’ good time!

Magnificent output from Bob once again. He's just such an impressive artist, growing and changing with the times but also steadfast with his outstanding poetry and storytelling. It's what we love and expect from him. And it's his 30th studio album! He's a prolific artist who continues to create without ever becoming dull or irrelevant; instead he's only gotten better and better at his craft as the time passes. Unlike some of his contemporaries *cough* rolling stones *cough cough* who still write embarrassingly immature songs well into their twilight years. This is a deep, brooding, introspective masterpiece.

A big part of me wants to be snarky and say that I don't want Spotify thinking I'm the kind of person that would actually choose to listen to Norah Jones. Or say that I'm in cheesy lounge singer hell right now. But I listened the whole way through and it was perfectly pleasant. Just because this isn't my scene doesn't mean I need to tear down Norah. She's a fabulous singer. And this album was a huge moment in time when it was released. Even if it wasn't a moment for me, it has definitely earned it's propers and its place on this list.

Straight to video 80's movie opening credits music.

I'll dance my ass off to Come on Eileen every goddamn time that song comes on and love every minute of it. I'll never get sick of it! But I always thought this band was a one hit wonder. Was pleasantly surprised by this album. Contrary to everyone else who hates the sloppy vocals and horns I love those things! I like uniqueness and going against the grain. This is the kind of band I'd love to have seen live at a small dingy shithole bar before they got their 15 minutes of fame. Ooo-ooo ah ah indeed!

As a rule I hate live albums. Nirvana is the exception, always the exception. This is an emotionally charged, raw set. It’s moving and spellbinding. Kurt has gravitas. The covers are all impeccable too! They fit so well with Nirvana’s own material. It all blends together so seamlessly. So many things going right, it’s just so so good. It hits differently than all other live albums. Bottled lightening. Zap!

Aptly named.

These dolls have balls, I’ll give them that. They’re alright, but when I need 70’s New York punk I’ll always prefer the Ramones.

I put it on and tuned it out completely while I was working this morning. Nothing resonated, nothing stuck. I know the name Jurassic 5 and I know they had a major hit at some point in the early/mid-2000's but I could not recall for the life of me what it was and I don't think I ever heard it while this album was on. Just a very meh listening experience overall.

Loud, aggressive, angsty punk rock. I liked it, but I didn't love it. There's classic punk rock like The Ramones that I'll always adore, and then there's all this other stuff that I'm just too old for now, like Minor Threat. I no longer connect with bands like this but I appreciate what they did and what they offer to burgeoning punks that are young enough to connect with their message. Worth noting that I absolutely adore this album art!

Not what I would have chosen for myself from the list to listen to on my birthday, but it might just be what I needed. Tori's voice is incredible, and her songwriting is impressive. I'm in awe of her talent. There's a lot to unpack here, the lyrics are dense with meaning and you can tell this album was a heavily cathartic artistic experience for her. Me and a Gun is bone-chilling. I may not become a regular listener, but goddamn she has my respect now.

A moody and brooding atmospheric offering from The Boss that's perfect cool down music on a rainy day when you've been fighting with your spouse before 9am. I dig that harmonica, man. It knows how I and all of Nebraska feel. Bruce is a very talented storyteller and I love his voice. But I have to say, The Band's cover of Atlantic City is far superior. I would have loved for them to cover this whole album to infuse these songs with their carefree country bumpkin Americana enthusiasm.

The definitive punk album of the late 70's, it is an iconic masterpiece. It's one of the records I can put on and sing along to fervently the whole way through. And I immediately feel 21 and invincible again. It's a straight shot of cocky optimistic joy, spitting in the face of the apocalypse and our slowly burning civilized decline. This is powerful stuff. Every single song offers something different, quirky, oddball, unique. These are punks with style, punks with attitude, but also punks with soul. Top shelf stuff right here, it doesn't get any better than this. Death or glory!! \m/

Hot damn, I enjoyed that a lot more than I was expecting to! That In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida cover hits better than the original! This gives you all the groovy rocking 70s energy you need to pump up the day. It’s fun, I’m a fan.

Everything about this is wrong. The title is stupid, the album artwork is hideously offensive to the eyes, and the music is absolute crap. I hate this beyond measure.

I'm having a good time with this album today. I already knew "There She Goes" because it's one of the most recognizable one-hit wonders of all time. Truthfully, if I have the option I usually skip it when it comes on because it's just so played out for me. But there's some other good stuff here too. I'm not going to be a forever listener or fan from here on out, but I'm glad I spent some time with this album.

Love love love love LOVE it! I mean, Fast Car. C'mon people! That song alone makes it a 5-star album. A completely gorgeous album rife with emotional depth and raw spiritual power. Tracy Chapman is an exceptionally talented songwriter and musician. Consider the fact that this album was released in the late 80's when everything else on mainstream radio was superficial pop/rock hair-sprayed within an inch of its life. And this was the record that was finally able to bust through all of that and grab the spotlight?!?! It makes so much sense that this album was a huge smash hit. You can see how desperate people were for something genuine and authentic. Just honest to goodness brilliant and emotional songs that speak to the human condition. It's a masterpiece and a marvel of its time.

Ethereal is the only word that comes to mind to describe this album. I'm not really one for soft wispy electronic music, but this was lovely to listen to this afternoon. Love the album artwork as well, the packaging accurately meshed with what was delivered.

A live double album? What did I ever do to deserve this? Fucking Frampton. He's got a couple of bops, no doubt. But listening to one of them for 4 1/2 minutes on the radio is the correct dosage. I hate listening to people clap and whoop and holler during recorded music.

Utterly captivating! This is what Jim Croce would sound like if he was deeply depressed. Drake's gentle instrumentation and introspective storytelling beckon the listener to come closer, come closer, so you can fully immerse yourself in his world. What a beautiful, sad, sensitive soul who was too pure for this world.

This record is the exact sound of all indie anti-pop mainstream records in the 2010s. It takes me back to being 25, wanting to get drunk, party, and listen to anything but this style of music. I don’t dislike it, I just can’t have fun with it. And nothing about this feels special or groundbreaking.

Not the right vibes for my Sunday brunch. Even my skiddy metalhead husband didn’t want to listen to this one. Trusting his finely tuned metal ear, we turned it off before the bacon began to sizzle. Brunch was hot and fresh, this album was not.

I cannot process the conceptual absurdity of having a band called The xx and titling the debut album XX but then only putting one X on the cover. Oh, the quirkiness of it all! *eyeroll* What a gamble someone would take buying this album without knowing the band first. Stark black and white, one X. Could be anything, any genre. Imagine buying it, taking it home, putting it on and then what actually comes out of it is just more watered down unoriginal indie? Not knowing this band beforehand, I personally expected something edgier. It's fine. I just never got into that whispery electronic indie guy-girl singer thing that boomed in the late 00's. It's flash in the pan stuff that doesn't have the musical staying power I need.

Wow, I really like this album! I saw the horrific cover art and my stomach sank, because I have been known to judge an album by its cover. But this was such a pleasant surprise! It's the groovy fusion of alt rock and psychedelic pop that does it for me. Unexpected joy for today, thanks generator!

Pleasantly surprised yet again! I'm really digging this. I love The Smiths and I can hear that influence on Suede's (The London Suede’s?) sound. They're obviously way less maudlin and melodramatic than Morrissey could ever be, but they still give me that beautiful combination of melodic songs and achy alt rock lyricism. The yearning desperation of a 20-something misfit in the 90's is palpable. I like it, and will definitely listen again, and again! And thank you Suede for the boldly homoerotic album cover, nothing subversive about this. "Have you ever tried it that way?" No, but I'm going to now!

Sounds like the kind of obscure album Tarantino would mine for soundtrack material. Scott sings in a voice that is peak old timey crooner, so it's not very exciting as a new discovery to me. Maybe if there was a recognizable nostalgic recollection I could latch onto I'd like it more. But for today, I don't have the time to appreciate this old shit that never made it onto my radar. Meh *shrug*.

Every single boy aged 13-17 that I went to high school with in the early 2000s seems to have been fucking obsessed with SOAD. My nu-metal loving skiddy husband was stoked for me to get some System today, his all-time favourite band. He’s a man of his time. There’s more than meets the eye here. I appreciate that it’s not just metal, loud for the sake of loud. The socially conscious hyper-aware lyricism driven by angry, furious instrumentals is so effective. It’s a compelling, well-structured album that rocks.

I will never like Radiohead, you can’t make me! Fuck this boring, self-indulgent drivel. I hate it.

The darkness and pain at the core of this album emanate aggressively outwards. It grabs you in a vicelike grip and doesn’t let go, immersing you in a world of unbearable raw agony, even after the album is over. It lives in the exact point of intersection between metal and grunge. It’s a tragic listen when you’re already very familiar with Layne Staley’s unfortunate story. But it is ultimately cathartic. And it fucking bangs. Would? is my all-time favourite AIC song; the way it builds is fucking flawless. And it closes the album perfectly. Goddamn magnificent album.

Fucking brilliant! The The are criminally underrated and unknown, but they deserve so much more recognition for their powerful, innovative, unique music. This album in particular is a true standout gem of the 80's. It is daring and experimental but also pop as hell somehow. This Is The Day is a heartbreakingly beautiful song; the sentiments expressed in it are both sadly nostalgic and willfully optimistic at the same time. It speaks directly to my soul and calls up an exquisite ache that I'm addicted to. I adore that rich contrast in tone and meaning all of these songs seem to have. This album is endlessly listenable, I get something new from it every time I put it on. It challenges the listener, but it also excites and inspires too. It's just so fucking good, I love it!

There’s a distinct Depeche Mode similarity I’m hearing. And possibly some Tears for Fears rubbed off on them too. I’m alright with it. It’s like those good bands had a little sullen goth okay band.

Whether you like Metallica or not is irrelevant when it comes to this album. Five massive singles, all of them the biggest and most enduring songs of the band’s catalogue, came out of it. You have to give some fucking respect to that no matter what your musical tastes are. And I, for the record, love Metallica. Because of this album. Jesus Christ, it’s got Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters on it. That is huge on its own, but then we also get Sad But True, The Unforgiven, AND Wherever I May Roam?!? That’s insanity! It’s just so fucking good. If you need to introduce someone to Metallica, you play this album and that’s it; they’ve been fully indoctrinated and converted to a life of badass high octane metal head banging from here on out. They’re the ones who take you there, fuck yeah! \m/

Gentle, sensitive, pleasant. It’s calm and easy listening if you don’t listen too closely. Drake’s delicate songwriting and instrumentation are integral to his vibe. Hazey Jane II was a bit more peppy than the other songs, which was a nice tonal change. But overall, I fail to see a substantial difference between this album and Drake's debut, Five Leaves Left (which I had 2 weeks ago). Seems like only one of them really needs a spot on this list? Having another one that's just more of the same stuff is a wasted space that could have been given to someone else. I liked it, it just didn't offer anything we hadn't already heard. I appreciate the artistry, but I wanted some creative variation on what came before.

Couldn’t get into it. Too avant-grade try hard and inaccessible. Meh.

I dig it. The White Stripes have effectively created a whole new genre of music with their frenetic musical style and sly lyrical tomfoolery. They are the perfect music for a time capsule - if you needed to encapsulate the early 2000’s in one singular sound The White Stripes would do it perfectly.

I had high expectations after loving Suede’s debut album two weeks ago. I feel so let down. It just wasn’t as interesting or engaging as I’d hoped. They steeped themselves thoroughly in some psychedelic rock influences that just didn’t do it for me. It’s a shame, it just doesn’t compare favourably to the first one.

Oh god. I don't have a problem with this in theory. The sensitive male singer-songwriter. That's fine, if that's who you are. But I don't think that is who James Taylor is. I think it's a well constructed persona to sell records and isn't representative of who he actually is as a person. I don't buy it, I'm highly suspicious of it. Partly because I can't get past a grown man naming his album Sweet Baby James. That is truly wretched. And partly because in this photo he looks so much like my douchebag ex-boyfriend. The flowing long hair and the faraway, emotionally unavailable look in his eyes. I know that look too well. It's a meticulous ruse, a long con. The forlorn and brooding look of the tortured soul bad boy that you could reform, only you and your special love! That look has sucked me into a vortex of bullshit the likes I've never known and I'm not falling for it again. That look is the hallmark of the worst kind of womanizer: the one who truly believes his own manipulative crap. He isn't a player, he's just had bad luck with women. Well, fuck you Luke! Er. James. Fuck you very much. I'm glad he's bald now.

I'm sorry, but who even is this band? The cognitive dissonance I have trying to connect these songs with the group I know for Staying Alive is unbearable. This is not the Bee Gees I know or want. If I'm gunna go Bee Gees it's gunna be disco or nothing. There's no fun here. It's like they're trying to repurpose Brian Wilson's exquisite sadness for themselves and doing a piss poor job of it.

Krautrock eh? So this is what it's come to. It wasn't too bad. This kind of music isn't for me, but it was a pleasant enough listen the whole way through while I was working. Ambient background music that boosted productivity. Is that a compliment? I don't think so. But maybe these Krauts would take it as one.

70's reggae always transports me to a very specific mindset of fuck everything and chill. Not fuck it like have sex with it, but fuck it like "fuck it, man". You know what I mean. I am bake. Good stuff.

I think it's very vital.

Love Vigilantes is an amazing album opener. It sets the tone for New Order to take the wheel and drive you straight to the crescendo of their post-Joy Division glory. Solid album.

Honestly, how much fucking French electronica does this list need to have?!?! I can’t stand it. It’s just so asinine. Point added for this album art though, because it is really cool. I just cannot stand this music and I’ve had my fill of this niche genre already, thanks.

It's Depeche Mode's Music for the Mases featuring none of their greatest hits! Buy now and you can get all this maudlin synth pop absolutely free because absolutely no one else wants it!

It was all very bland. Nothing exciting burrowed into my brain from this listening, it just really missed the mark for me. Which is disappointing because The Killing Moon is a gorgeous song that I love, so I was looking forward to this album. But it’s not on here and these bunnymen are a few years away from that greatness yet.

Never been a Green Day fan. They've got some hits and good rock hooks, but it never felt as authentic to me as some of the other acts at this time who helped revive punk in the 90's, like Bad Religion or Rancid. It's Punk-Lite for spoiled suburban kids who want to feel edgy and have a revolution without ever leaving the comfort of their entitled lives.

18 tracks, are you kidding me?! That's too much. Too much aggressive fronting and misogyny for me this early in the morning. I cannot connect with or relate to any of this and the album artwork is an assault on my eyes. Do not like.

Quite a short record but it's jam packed with the emotional and earnest storytelling we expect from Dolly. She is vulnerable yet strong and proud, and always uniquely herself which is why she is so loved and adored. I like her 80's music more, but this record is the crown jewel of her career in terms of songwriting. Country isn't my thing, but I had a nice time with this one and I respect Dolly as an artist. Iconic album artwork!

This is Bob at the height of his poetic social justice power. And it’s only his second album! He comes out swinging with Blowin’ In The Wind. The songs are beautiful and moving, the music is an emotional and endearing accompaniment. It’s flawless, an impactful listen every time.

Jesus fucking Christ, more French electronica? I’ve already had like 8 albums of this junk. This one was probably the best one on the shit heap though. Sexy Boy was a cool song, I’ll give that one props. But overall I can’t fucking stand this crap. Please, throw me a freakin’ Zeppelin bone already, man!

I know this guy is like some indie singer-songwriter darling, but this is the second album I've had from him and it sounds exactly the same as the last one. There's no perceptible difference, it's just another 36 minutes of exactly the same tone, instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics. It just doesn't do it for me *shrug*.

The casual coolness of an absolute badass posing on his album cover with a half eaten banana perfectly exemplifies what this album is all about: it's a bold new Cohen for a bold new world, it's the juxtaposition of his poetic songwriting with his synth heavy 80's sound. He gives no fucks, takes no shit, and does what he wants. Then he takes Berlin! Everyone went a little synth crazy in the 80's... you were contractually obligated to try it. But you know, we salute a Canadian icon, always. Do your cool different thing with the 80's cheese factor dialled up past 11, it's all good. If you wanted Tom Waits and The The rolled up into a dang tortilla this is a close enough approximation of what you'd get.

A fantastic album! It's not my favourite iteration of the Beatles, but damn you hear so much innovation on this record. They are sowing major seeds of influence here that countless acts have been reaping for over 50 years now. I do love that we're treated to George's vocals right off the hop, on the very first track, Taxman. He's my favourite Beatle, he was the very best one, it's indisputable, and I just love listening to him sing. Just incredibly influential and an impressive display from masters at the top of their game.

It’s a cool, atmospheric album. Lenny has cultivated the 60s ideals of peace and love, and infused them with his smooth funky flow. He’s offering it all up for a new generation of groovy-minded people. I like it a lot. It’s a solid debut album, the perfect introduction of what’s to come.

Bold of you to assume you'd be my new favourite anything. Cheeky buggers.

It’s the blues, by a legendary artist, a cornerstone pioneering founding father of the genre. I know I should be impressed, but this is just the typical late stage career low hanging fruit kind of album. It feels so manufactured, the complete antithesis of everything the blues are about. The stuff Spotify automatically played when this album finished was better.

Karen Carpenter’s ethereal voice sells the soft rock fantasy with ease. You’re getting iconic songs delivered by a voice too pure to exist. It gives me chills.

Paint It Black is about as perfect as it gets for an opening track. I like the stones, it’s an enjoyable listen for the most part. But there is quite a lot of cringey misogyny that hasn’t aged well at all. The classics are classic for a reason, and the rest is reduced to disappointing filler as time marches on.

Fuck yeah, finally! Finally I’m graced with an album from The Purple One, Prince! I mean, c'mon people, this album opens with 3 of Prince's best, most danceable and memorable songs. One minute it's defiant "we're here for a good time" philosophizing, the next its manic desperate horniness boiling over. This album was a seismic shift in the rules of male pop superstardom and a glorious precursor of what was still yet to come from this formidably talented man. Prince has a rapidly sliding scale of moods and energies that take the listener on one hell of a ride. From tenderly suggestive to outright sexual vulgarity, Prince does whatever the fuck he wants, says whatever the fuck he wants, and fucks however the fuck he wants. And the music is always superbly fitting his attitude du jour. Nobody flies their freak flag higher than Prince and it is a spectacle to behold. Utterly unforgettable.

I'm not generally a fan of double albums because they start to feel tedious and I don't always have 2 hours of uninterrupted listening time to fully appreciate them. But goddamn, Stevie provides ample variety tonally, musically, sonically, and lyrically throughout that the hour and forty-five minute runtime never gets stale. I think almost every single song on this album has been sampled, imitated, or borrowed from in some way, it's just such a massive supernova of influence! Conceptually, you think "life" is a very broad topic, but damn if Stevie doesn't find a way to hit on every universally relatable facet of it in these songs. Everything about this album works, it is an immaculate listening experience and an absolute tour de force from one of the all-time greatest musicians to ever live.

It's gunna be a no for me, dawg. I'm a lyrics first listener and I don't speak french. Jacques sounds convicted about what he's saying but I don't know what the hell it is, so for all I know he's going on about putting his dick in the middle of a baked brie. Can't enjoy what I can't understand. Quelle dommage!

Gorgeous harmonizing! I just love the way the Beach Boys sound, it’s the most nostalgic sound in the world to me. This is a fucking great album. You get fun, catchy songs that have matured out of corny surfing themes, but still emanate youthful joy. Brian Wilson is a stunning delicate genius who is too pure for this world.

Sucks. I hate the music and the insipid trying too hard to be “different” lyrics. I hate the sucky ass ugly album cover too. Sucks.

Seminal album of my young adulthood. I discovered Liz Phair in college and immediately related to everything she was singing about. The ideas of empowered female sexuality, owning your desires, and deciding for yourself what your narrative will be in relationships resonated deeply with me. I love her minimalist production too. The songs are so well-written, so sharply observant, biting and acerbic with a cynicism unheard of at her age. But damn if there aren’t sad pathetic little nuggets of optimism throughout as well. You root for this girl, you believe in this girl, you are this girl. Her dry monotone vocals shouldn’t work, but they do. They’re somehow sultry and raw all at once. Phenomenal album from a unique talent and a powerful voice we needed at this time. Thank you Liz for helping me feel empowered about my burgeoning sexuality and for helping me feel seen.

It's fine. Sultans of Swing is one of those ubiquitous classic rock songs that I know all the words to. It's really the only thing I care about on this album. A chill 40 minutes of listening but it didn't rock my world or make me want to dig deeper into this band.

The Byrds getting weird with it and not singing any songs written by Dylan eh? I don't know... Experimental possible originating point of psychedelic rock? Okay, I guess that's something. Turn! Turn! Turn! is stiff competition though, the pinnacle of success for the Byrds and probably their most worthwhile contribution to music. I can vibe with this, but it doesn't get me high.

A Gene Clark album immediately following an album by The Byrds? And not just any album by The Byrds, literally the album they released after Gene Clark left them? Coincidence or collusion? Ooo it makes me wonder. Oh great, this is also a massive commercial and critical failure that made no ripples across the pond in North America... yeah this will be fun. Side rant: how is this my second Gene Clark album and I still haven't gotten any Led Zeppelin? I thought this list was going to be non-stop banging rad music. Wtf. Back to Gene now. Boring, boring boring. It bores in the morning. It bores in the evening. It bores me at suppertime.

"If ya fuck wit me I'll put a foot in ya ass" - words to live by.

This is not Friday music. It does not mesh with all of my whims and the lighthearted frivolity I'm feeling today. I'm going back to N.W.A

A brilliant solo offering from Lou Reed. I fucking love this record. There’s no denying the amazing Bowie influence and production here, but it still has the dank New York stink of Lou’s piss all over it. It’s spectacular. The clever and biting lyricism meshes beautifully with the vulnerable moments of introspective poetry sprinkled throughout. The musicality steers further into the rock n roll vein but retains elements of the avant-garde Velvet Underground style, and that fusion begets Lou’s acquaintance with early glam rock in a truly glorious way. Oh, it’s such a perfect album! It just keeps me hanging onnnnnnn.

The proggiest prog rock that ever progged.

Lot of enduring mega hits on this album, can’t deny that. Baba O’Reilly is a killer opening track, perfectly sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s a very precise and expertly executed album. The absolute best that The Who can be.

What a ride! I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It started off on a deeply eerie note with the actual theme music used for The Exorcist. Those opening tones carried so much menace I wasn't sure I could listen to a full album of it. As it progressed to the midway point of the first track it leaned into a more triumphant rock groove. And it just kept shifting and changing tonally countless other times from there. It was an oddball record that charmed my way through to the end.

Folktronica, really? Fuck right off. I love folk but I hate electronica, it's pineapple on pizza all over again. Now that I'm listening though, I don't think folktronica is the right genre label for this... it's just more like Norah Jones if she smoked in the bathroom because of peer pressure, trying too hard to be cool. This sucks, but it's way lighter on the electronica than I expected so my ears appreciated that.

Eliminator is way better.

Very excited for more Velvet Underground, I've been on a huge Lou Reed kick since getting Transformer a few records back. This is a good, solid album, I'm digging it. But dang, I do miss John Cale. His influence is unmistakable on past albums, the best VG is a VG with Cale on board. Pale Blue Eyes is a standout track, fucking love that song.

You said it, sister. Whatever.

Light and breezy San Fran rock that I liked having on while I made brunch for my family today. Laugh, Laugh is still the best Brummels song, there were no standouts like it on this album. But it was pleasant.

I know this is like, blasphemous, or whatever. But I've always found Jimi Hendrix so incredibly boring. He's got skills, yes. He's got some hits, sure. But this album has nothing remotely interesting on it. This album is Hendrix at his worst, it's just so self-indulgent and obnoxious. The 39 minute runtime might as well be 39 years, it's just such a slog to get through.

Are we really going to pretend that Frankie Goes To Hollywood is more than a one-hit wonder? I mean, COME ON! This is crap. One karaoke worthy song does not an incredible must-hear album make.

An album rife with complexities and contradictions. A perfect portrait of Sinead as an artist, it encapsulates her uniquely polarizing persona and multifaceted talents so precisely. She’s soft, vulnerable, ethereal. Intense, scathing, and irascible. She broke the damn mold beyond any possible repair when she released this album out into the wild. Sinead is the kickass, boldly authentic powerhouse we needed at this time.

The only Faces song I like is Ooh La La and it’s not here. This band is just so mediocre. Rod’s a cool cat, and I dig his voice, but this is all just so lacklustre. Meh to the power of Meh squared.

Magnificent. The best Smiths album. Morrissey is at the height of his maudlin melodramatic lyrical superpowers. It’s just so sonically delicious the way Marr and Morrissey’s different strengths compliment each other. I’m addicted to it, I can’t get enough, I can listen endlessly. You discover something new and fascinating with every play, their music is just jam packed with nuance and pithy potency. The Queen is Dead and The Smiths are too, but I do so wish they’d ride again.

I’m disappointed. Never listened to this group but Chuck D is one of those hyped up figures so I assumed I’d hear something interesting. There was no variety throughout, just all the same tonally. Didn’t live for it, wasn’t impressed by it. Repetitive and dull.

I hate to say this about New Order, but this album is dreadful. It's like the last sad, desperate grasp at their former glory. None of the tracks are distinguishable from one another, it's just the same song over and over again. Not for me. Rating 2 stars though because I sure respect the hell out of their earlier catalogue.

Progressive hip-hop? *groooooooooooans* I swear this project is closing my mind more than opening it. There were some good beats, I'll give it that. But the vocals were so grating. It's not my scene, I don't like it, no thank you.

Flawless album. Iconic voice. Obvious 5 stars.

I dig it. I like Costello's sound, I love his unconventional and quirky vocal stylings, and I love his lyricism. You never get a predictable love song or rock and roll dirge; there's always rich layers of complexity and nuance in the songwriting that give the listener so much to mull over. Especially if you're a lyrics first listener like myself. This isn't the best possible iteration of Costello though. This is someone who knows himself, knows what he's capable of and delivers it expertly. But it isn't Costello at his most powerful and impressive magnitude.

It's a bit better than I expected, but I still don't like it. I need music that I can connect with, that has an element of fun. This was a chore. And "I don't do the dishes, I throw them in the crib."

Haven't listened to PJ at all before, knew the name and the big single Down By The Water, so this is completely new territory for me. I'm enjoying the grittiness of this album. The vocals are excellent, and the music has a sinister quality to it that pairs well with the singing and lyrical themes. I like it. I don't know that I'll go out of my way to listen to it on my own, but I like that I have a better sense of this artist now. Also, I love that PJ is looking like Rashida Jones on this album cover. Gorgeous!

It’s aptly titled. You sure do get what you pay for with this one, lots of songs about fighting robots. Do You Realize?? is a beautiful timeless song. The opening track Fight Test is a killer album kickoff song, I was really into it. Overall, I dig it.

Mad respect to David Byrne and Brian Eno because they are titans of musical production and artistry. But I just don’t like electronica. I tried, but I’m not into it. Sorry dudes, I prefer Talking Heads and Roxy Music to whatever this is.

Aptly named. This is a beautiful album of genuine Americana rock. Such a lovely, folksy, rocking album. And it doesn't even have any of my favourite Dead songs on it!! But damn, it's just so good. Jerry can take the wheel any time, I know I'm in good hands. Ripple is a standout track, and Truckin' is the ultimate ode to road trippin', but Friend of the Devil is a powerful ditty too. I can see why people tossed their lives aside to follow these guys and jam all day long. What a cool, chill way of life. Wish I'd been able to do the same. Rest in power, Jerry! Fucking love you dude. And the rad ice cream you inspired too :)

Fuck yes! I love me some CCR. This is the soundtrack of my early childhood, my dad in the kitchen cooking up dinner for his three rambunctious daughters, the shitty Sony radio on the countertop with this tape in it filling our house with good time tunes. They are the most classic of all the classic rocks for me because of the way they take me back to that place in an instant. John Fogerty has one of the all-time greatest voices because of the way it fuses blues/rock/country sounds into an unforgettable gritty rasping growl. The lyrical content and themes are perfectly complimented by the badass honky tonking guitar work. It's a whole ass mood of down home fun. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin', chasin' down a hoodoo there.

Right on, man! Gimme that sweet sweet Rush! Excellent album, so much amazing rock. I love Geddy’s frenetic singing on this album. Definitely their most iconic artwork on the cover. Tunes are all solid. But not as good overall as Moving Pictures. Respectable 4 star rating.

I like quirky. I like oddball. I like weirdoes and divergent personalities. I appreciate kitschy and campy artists. But I need them to be accessible to me on some level to truly love them. Mad respect to Waits for being all of these things and then some, but I think his reach exceeds my grasp. Some of the instrumentals were quite enjoyable, and when Tom sings a bit softer I can connect (Johnsburg, Illinois). Overall though, the intensity of his trademark growl is just too jarring for me to enjoy for an entire album runtime. Love this album artwork though, it's magnificent!

Ooo ooo oo! POW! Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough! Waaa ooo eeee ooooooooohhhhhh! Yeeee heeee heeeee ya! (I'm having way too much fun to articulate properly how I feel about this one.) Juggernaut! Titan of musical talent and prowess! Perfect listening for a Friday! I'll never get any work done because I can't stop dancing. I just love it, it's the epitome of disco fun and funk. It's the falling in love with this album all over again that's making me high... ooo ooo oo!

Oh okay. Never heard the Rolling Stones in sitar before. Not for me, but it kept my toddler chill during breakfast.

I’m a total jazz n00b. I have no clue how to evaluate this album, other than to say it was pleasant to listen to during my Sunday brunch. That seems to equate to a 4 star rating.

Cross by Justice? And it's French electronica you tell me? I couldn't muster an ounce of enthusiasm for this even if you paid me a million dollars. Say it with me again everyone, in the hopes it actually comes true this time: NO MORE FRENCH ELECTRONICA!!!!!!

Ah yes, the music of old fashioned wife beating inbred alcoholics who've convinced themselves they're just salt of the earth decent folk. An unbearable amount of twang and Jesus. "Ira was notorious for his drinking and short temper. He married four times, his third wife having shot him multiple times in the chest and hand after he allegedly beat her." Yeah, fuck that guy and all his hypocritical gospel songs about love and faith.

No familiarity with Tull beforehand, other than knowing the titular track Aqualung and it's instantly recognizable riff that is the epitome of "classic rock". I always considered them to be "dirtbag rock", you know, rock for dirtbags. But I'm detecting notes of "chamber music nerd" and "prog rock weirdo" throughout this album. There's also a heady amount of Jazz Flute peppered throughout. I'm not a convert or anything, but I had some good times with this one. Guess that makes me a bit of a dirtbag after all.

I mean, if we’re talking about albums with a massive cultural influence look no further. Huge. Ambitious. Powerful. It’s got grit AND effervescent sparkle in spades. If the artist’s aim is to achieve greatness by mining their soul to expose its plumbed depths, Lauryn succeeds astoundingly in that regard. We Stan a beautiful vulnerable and raw black queen who raised the bar for everyone!

I liked the top half of the record, but then it started to get a little bit tedious and repetitive. Meh. Made me wish I was listening to Squeeze instead, just craving a different kind of British sound today. I want less moody meandering 90's and more zany new wave. It's Friday! I want to have fun! Squeeze should have a record in this list, but I'll be quite disappointed if they don't, especially given the heavily biased UK listmakers influence on the chosen records.

Billie is a legend no doubt. But like dang, did she ever have a frog in her throat! I listened the whole way through and there just wasn’t enough variety throughout. Bit of a snoozer this one.

Greatest selling salsa album of all time with the weirdest fucking album art I’ve seen to date. Didn’t understand a lick of lyrics so I have no idea if this cover maybe makes some kind of sense after all? It was cool though, went well with brunch this week.

It is an album. People on it made sounds in a facsimile of music. It sucks and I hated it.

I came of age with 90s era Madonna and my first “album” of hers was The Immaculate Collection, her first greatest hits compilation. So to me, she’s one of those “just the hits” kind of artists. And let’s be honest here, her hits are huge, they totally slap, and all of them unlock core formative years memories for me. The remix of Express Yourself on the compilation album is so much better than this original version. When I got around to buying this album I remember feeling kind of let down by it in comparison. I forgot how much I liked Love Song, that collaboration with Prince is the best thing on this album to me now. They play off of each other in such a sexy way, I dig it.

Let me tell you a little story about French club/house music: NO!

Voice of a booze soaked angel.

Okay, Cube. You're the predator. Sure.

Two Ice’s back to back and neither of them were special to me. I just… it’s not for me. Sorry, I’m not someone who likes or wants to listen to gangster rap. *shrug*

I’m sorry, are they singing about a fucking Tuna Melt Trolley?? Huh? Ohhh Toonerville. Oookay. This whole thing is nonsense garbage. It’s crap.

It’s not for me. Big Time Sensuality is an alright song, but I can’t do a full album of Björk’s oddball schtick. Long live this proud freakish weirdo, but she’s not of my tribe.

90's Cocteau Twins? No thank you! I don't even like 80's Cocteau Twins when they were arguably worth listening to. It's just dreary and bland. Pointless really.

Bob wouldn't want me to kill the mood with in depth analysis of his tunes, he'd just want us all to smoke some weed and have a good time. And Bob is always a good time. I loved spending my morning with this album, it put me in such a calm, chill mood for the workday ahead. Peace, love, weed, and chill.

This is a very 90's album cover, it hinted to me that this was maybe a grunge or post-grunge album. But okay, we got some power Britpop, sure. I don't understand the rationale or connection to 1977? The title doesn't fit what the album actually is. There are some catchy rock/pop tunes here. It's a bit like Belle and Sebastian with some nerve, but not a lot of nerve. The vocals are too soft and wispy for my liking, they are often overwhelmed by the music and hard to hear. As a lyrics first listener that's just not going to work for me.

I love this. It vacillates so nicely between Bragg's sweet and folksy approach to Wilco's moody atmospheric style. Billy Bragg and Wilco really seem to understand Woody Guthrie and what's at the heart of his songwriting. They've interpreted his lyrics beautifully here for a newer audience. I feel like part of something special listening to it. And I love love LOVE this album cover! I love looking at it, it reminds me of all the times I spent walking around my city, wandering, finding cool hidden gems all by myself. But I won't say which ones! If you could bottle the feeling of walking through a city you love with no plans and nowhere to be, I'd pay anything for it. This album is close enough for now.

Jesus fucking Christ, there is entirely TOO MUCH electronica on this bloody list. I really do feel like if you've heard one electronica record, you've heard them all. Why are there so many?!? I hate this.

Damn, Rod Stewart is such a basic bitch. I enjoy his raspy vocals when I hear Maggie May on classic rock radio, don't get me wrong. I just had no idea the songwriting in his broader catalogue was so full of sappy poor-man's witticisms and cliches. "Nighttime is only the other side of daytime" and "War time is only the other side of peace time" *eyeeeeeee rollllllll* Also, peep the lyrics on the album's titular track, just rampant misogyny and racism. It's hard to listen to some mediocre old white man talk so much shit about women.

The first time I ever heard this song I was 10 years old at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party and the karaoke MC was singing it to us bratty pre-teens in between our pitchy screeching renditions of Spice Girls and TLC songs. Now I realize he wasn’t singing to us, he was singing to himself as some sort of protective self-care break mid-gig to persevere through the remaining hours of his shit job. The day the music died indeed.

The singles from this album are absolute FIRE! I really enjoy this era of Madonna. The overall flow and point of view here is so cohesive and focused. She's still putting a very trite spin on all of the Eastern ideologies she's exploring, but it is an impressive feat of adaptation and growth for Madonna's music and artistry when you consider where she started. Even though I fucking hate electronica with the fiery burning of a 1000 suns, somehow I like it when it's been heavily distilled through Madonna.

"a road that don't have no end" - that's as apt a description as any for this album. I do really like the cover though, it's a bitchin' stage setup.

Oh bloody hell, here we go, more fucking electronic garbage. Seriously, this is my 330th album so far and my 27th of the electronic genre. That's too many! I realize that 27/1001 is only about 2% market share for genre, but like goddamn, even that is too much for me. I do not want this on a train, I do not want this in the rain. I will not put this music in my brain.

Oh! Quelle surprise!The vocals are gorgeous! Lush, and enthralling. The instrumentation is magical. What an incredible combo. It slaps you in the face immediately with its point of view and personality on TC and Honeybear. I'm a huge fan of quirky, oddball, weirdo lyrics presented with straight up earnestness and unapologetic frankness. This is the niche divergent music I am so grateful for. A true hidden gem. I absolutely hate this album cover though. It's so awful and creepy, it does the beautiful music on this album no justice whatsoever and probably alienates a lot of potential listeners. I wasn't excited about it when I saw it. I dreaded it actually. What a pleasant surprise though, I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Boring basic bitch music. Very meh, very that.

Music for basic white men bitches. I don't know, man. It just sounds like every single indie artist of the 2010's with that whiny forlorn, yet aloof "cool artist guy" sound. Meh.

A nice departure from all the electronic crap I've been assigned recently. I was into it. The "love supreme" vocals that kicked in out of nowhere were kind of creepy though. They were just so jarring and at odds with the generally cool vibe of the music.

This album is a perfect time capsule for the 2004 that I experienced.

Fuck yeah! I'm into it because I already know and like The The. But I prefer Soul Mining because it is the superior album.

Some undeniable bops here. Dude is talented, and I like the way he brought something more soulful to 80s pop. A solid debut, not the best ever made, but solid.

This is some form of divine pathetic fallacy intervention for me today. The deeply ominous sounds of this album perfectly mesh with the broiling internal rage I'm currently experiencing because of shitty workplace motherfuckers that have pushed me beyond my capacity for patience. Well done, Leonard, you know what it's like when people be hasslin' and harassing you. Travelling Light is the way to go it seems, good life philosophy.

It’s The Clash, you’re guaranteed a good time. London Calling is the magnum opus, but this is the raucous debut that set us down that path to greatness. Respect for a fucking killer introduction to the world.

A bunch of basic bitches imitate the Beatles.

I hate live albums and I hate bloated, overindulgent track run times. This is way more bluesy than I expected, which is great. But I still can't enjoy the tracks that are over 8, 13, 19, and 23 minutes long. It's just so self-gratifying of the artist and demanding of the listener.

French music is already way overrepresented in this list, but now you want me to listen to an album about a lecherous old pedophile "romancing" an underage girl? FUCK NO! "Oh this album is so influential" say sexual predators, creepy old bastard men and rape apologists because it gives their sick and disturbed predilections validation. This album is garbage and should be wiped from the cultural landscape.

Giving me strong sonic similarity to Soul Asylum. It was fine, but I can see why these guys never made it truly big and are an obscure unheard group. It's not their fault they were eclipsed by the most major grunge and alt rock bands of all time. They just don't have the presence to go toe to toe with Kurt, Eddie, Chris, Layne, Gavin, Billy, Anthony, Dave, Rivers, or even Thurston and Frank Black. They know how to rock, but they ain't got that secret star power sauce.

It's pretty chill, I can vibe to it. But I prefer Lord Huron for my modern folk, tortured indie artist tunes. I love this album cover! I could look at it for hours, it's very amusing and captivating.

It’s the best Jimi ever was. Killer tunes, wailing guitar, rock the fuck out. I dig.

Startlingly still relevant 70s punk I’ve never heard before? The dark and foreboding lyrics paired with the fast and raw musicality really worked for me. I’m going to give this one multiple listens.

A much more polished and tonally mature album than School’s Out is, which I rated 1 star back when I didn’t realize how much actual legitimate crap music would be ahead of me. I liked this one, No More Mr. Nice Guy is one of those very classic classic rock songs that I always enjoy. Hello Hooray is a fun and irreverent track that I forgot I liked as much as I do. Good times.

A whimsical and cheeky record. There are deep layers of humour and wit buried beneath quirky instrumentation and 60s hippie counterculture vibes. Very bri’ish, but in the best possible way.

Garbage is exactly that, garbage. I hate to be so basic in my review and say the very obvious thing, but it's not just obvious in this case, it's resoundingly true. This is one of those bands that I skip when they come up in playlists or change the station on the radio for. I hate their sound, I hate the singing. The lyrics are all such whiny pathetic attempts to be the "edgy cool girl". "I'm only happy when it rains" - oh how pithy! how unique you are! *eyeroll*. This is the lowest point of 90s alt rock for me. I tried going into this with a more open mind today, to see if some of the deeper cuts annoyed me less than the singles, but it truly was all GARBAGE.

Put this album on to ROCK. THE. FUCK. OUT!! It's high octane, head-banging, air guitar-ing goodness all around. Musically, it's powerful, pulse pumping stuff but lyrically there's this very self-deprecating and tongue in cheek underbelly to the seemingly raw and unapologetic cock rock veneer. I love that about it, these guys send up the egotistical self-absorbed rock star character so well. But most importantly of all, it's just so fucking FUN!

I'm not that into Steely Dan, but this album feels like the best elements of their sound and style. I guess Fagen is 99% of Steely's essence? Huh, kinda seems like why even bother going solo? This is just a Steely Dan album with only Fagen's name on it. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would though, and that's probably because these songs are all brand new to me and haven't been played to death by classic rock radio, unlike Ricki Don't Lose The Number or Reeling in the Years have. I love this album cover, it's a spectacular photograph, it evokes a mood perfectly fitting the album title.

It's another live Johnny Cash album, what else is there to say? It's a typical Cash performance, he really plays it to his rough and rowdy hardened criminal audience like he's one of them. You've got his deep gravelly voice that lends all of his songs so much authenticity and his easy self-assured delivery of every song, it's exactly what's expected of him. It's fine, but it's not exciting, and I don't think it's his best live prison album. Folsom is better.

Nah man, not for me. It had nothing I could relate to or vibe with. It’s just a bunch of meh white noise pop. Made no impact. Cool magic eye kinda album cover though.

It’s such a high energy album laden with full blown snotty 90s punk attitude. There’s no real danger here though, it all feels very put on, an act played up for the cameras and promptly dropped the very second the director yells “cut!” These guys were so gimmicky in the way they served punk to the masses. They presented such an outlandish caricature of a punk rock band. The music is fun though, don’t get me wrong! Some core memories unlocked, a staple of my misguided youth and all that. It’s easy to see why The Offspring made a splash, they did all the right things and hit their marks, but then their fad came to an end and the world moved on to the next musical trend that kids could form their whole high school identities out of: I’m looking at you here early aughts emo kids.

That one single, Alright, I recognized. It’s a fun song, heard it used before in lots of movies and ads. The rest is generic Brit pop rock, unremarkable.

Reminds me of the music my Peruvian neighbour listens to when he's doing yard work or tinkering in his garage. He's a good dude that José, great neighbour.

It’s not for me. It has a lot of good stuff going for it, early aughts prog revival, Flea performed on a few tracks, band member dies tragically of a drug overdose before the album release. I’m just not able to meet it half way.

I feel badly about this, but I’m seeing Pearl Jam tonight so my ears don’t give a single shit about anything else. It’s all PJ all day and night for me. I put Laura on my shower radio and she just kinda killed my vibe. I know I’m not giving her a fair shake, and I feel badly about that, but it is what it is today. Eddie Vedder is my whole universe right now.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes!!! This is one of my all-time favourite albums ever!!! Kathleen Hanna is THE 90s badass feminist hero I needed. I love the aggressively screeching vocal tones she brings to her performances and I also love the soft vulnerable side she shows. Women are strong powerful beings and we’re unstoppable when we’re given space to speak our minds freely and exist in a respected space. She has such a unique perspective and communicates it so unapologetically. I love every minute of this album: it gives you a killer in your face balls to the walls opener with Deceptacon, then takes you through a winding and frenetic feminist journey celebrating pride, iconic women, New York, and art that culminates with an impassioned moment of gratitude for music and people who make a difference in our lives with Les and Ray. I love the way that song sounds and the genuine appreciation for divergent lifestyles and alternative pathways that it expresses. It fucking rocks so fucking hard! It’s so wildly and daringly different from everything else that was on the market in 1999 and I salute it.

Oh fuck this racist, womanizing deadbeat dad douchebag. He gets two entries on this list and Weezer gets none?!? Fuck that.

Well, I can’t listen to this one today because Neil decided to go all Old Man Yells at Cloud at Spotify and that’s my only streaming option right now. I know it’s good though, heard it before so I’ll review on the fumes of my last listen. Neil is at his full raspy and raw power here. It’s not as good as Harvest, let’s be clear about that. But he is a Canadian icon, a rocking dude that we all love up here in the Great White North. I still appreciate you Neil, even though the crusade on Spotify is only hurting yourself.

I remember seeing this album for sale at Blockbuster when I was 11 and being too afraid to buy it. It was shelved beside Nine Inch Nails which I knew was too intense for my innocent child brain. I bought Counting Crows instead. It was a solid choice and I stand by it. But I do wish I’d known about the aching transformative powers of Hole sooner. I got there eventually though. This is a great fucking album. Not as good as Live Through This, but a strong foray into the newly pop washed late 90s for Courtney.

I cannot. This is so inaccessible to me on so many levels. I don't understand a lick of the language being sung (German?) and it makes me feel like I'm at a rally for an abhorrent political stance that I would never align with. I'm making so many generalizations that are probably so off base, but it's just the way it makes me feel. I don't want any part of this. And the album cover is totally uninviting. Not for me.

Ugh. I was hoping for better for my 365th album - one full year of doing this project now! It's fun and I like doing it, but I will say there has been WAY more crappy music than I've ever expected. When I signed up I was thinking it'd be all hits all the time. But it's more like some hits, sometimes.

I want to like it, but it's just too abrasive for me. Which is weird because I love Hole, Bikini Kill, L7, The Breeders, etc., lots of other amazing women led acts from the 90s that strove to share a unique point of view with the world through their music. Maybe I need to listen a few more times to acquire the taste, but I just don't have the energy for that today. It's like the music, the vocals, the melodies, and the lyrics are all fighting for my attention and I can't hear it properly. It's not creating a cohesive whole, it's creating a jarring racket that doesn't give my ears something solid to latch onto and enjoy. Sorry, PJ. I appreciate you, but I'm not into this.

It is so of its own time, so very very 80s. It’s a glamour shot of a teenager taken at the mall. All teased up 80s hair sprayed to high hell, boldly overdone tacky makeup, smiling at the camera with the absurd confidence only someone who looks like a total clown but thinks they’re the shit can pull off. All “glamour”, it’s soul splayed out right up on the surface level, no depth.

Fuck this predator piece of shit abusive garbage man. I’m not giving him a dime of royalty money today or ever! Justice for Mandy Moore and Liz Phair. I’d rather listen to a Bryan Adams album.

No thanks. It’s one of those specialty cocktails that’s all syrup and grenadine and you can’t even taste the tequila. You doubt they even put tequila in it because it’s so sugary. But they charged you like it was given a proper 1.5oz from the top shelf. Pop country only appeals to the lowest common denominator of people. I can’t imagine what there is in this album content wise that merits our attention. Again I have to harken back to Weezer. Why the fuck is the Blue Album NOT on the list but this is?!?! I’m rating this a one, admittedly maybe too harshly, but I’m just so stymied by some of the list maker choices.

Weeeeelllllllllll... CCR is a constant 5 star band in my books. I'll always love listening to John Fogerty's deep-fried country twang. This album showcases it perfectly in so many diverse ways, with bluesy rockers and soulful ballads throughout. You get something special on every track, that down home charm of some humble music loving folks. Y'all come back now!

First off, let me just say wow! I saw this one come up and felt so triumphant because FINALLY I'm being served a real heavy-hitter worthy of a critical listen that actually meets the key MUST HEAR criteria that is the reason for this list's existence. This is magnum opus stuff right here. This is the album that pushed Simon over the top creatively into musical genius and icon territory. I know he struggled with writer's block a lot throughout the recording, but he persevered and the end result is something truly spectacular. Voices of Old People is a track that can go suck an egg, and we're stuck with it to support the whole album concept, but otherwise, this is a flawless record from one of the greatest singer-songwriters to ever do the damn thing.

A prog rock album with songs less than 5 minutes long? Such a thing does not exist... oh, there's the catch! It's a fucking live album of a prog band doing their take on some classical nonsense. I can't believe people paid for concert tickets to see this. Hate the music, but love the album artwork, that will spare it from a 1 star rating.

Every track shines in its own special way. This album is Carole King’s whole soul laid bare. She tapped into a rich vein of creativity that spewed solid gold. One of the greatest albums ever written. Period.

This was quite an epic journey! I'm not so much a fan of the foreign language albums or ones that are largely just instrumental, but I enjoyed this one today. It helped me get into a funky frenetic mode as I packed for my big road trip this weekend. Gracias!

You got some big disco hits here! This album keeps the party going. It’s ABBA being ABBA as expected and I appreciate that. Dancing Queen alone is a 5 star song - but I’d still rather listen to a greatest hits compilation over their actual studio albums. I just want all the hits, that’s all I need from them.

Ah, Fred Neil, I’ve never heard of you before, you poor bastard. But I sure have heard of Harry Nilsson. Maybe if you chose a less creepy album cover you coulda been someone worth knowing. Alas, this unenthusiastic 2 star review shall be your fate.

Take On Me is one of my favourite 80s pop songs, lot of good memories belting that one out on the dance floor with my buddies. But the rest of this album does nothing for me... they call it a one hit wonder for a reason.

A carnival of delights from one of the best psychedelic rock bands to ever do the damn thing! Grace Slick is the extra special secret ingredient this band needed to become a taste explosion in everyone's mouths. Yeah, I'll stand by that weird analogy. Made sense to me when I was tripping on LSD and following Alice down the rabbit hole.

Fully unremarkable. It does nothing for me. I doubt I'll even remember it was even on my list in a few weeks time, it just has no resonance.

It's a good time, Stevie is out here doing what he does best. He gives you heartfelt songs with a lot of intricate instrumentation and fun experimental fusion of many funky styles. But it's not my favourite of his albums. Boogie On Reggae Woman is a toe-tappin' fave for sure, it's the best track on the album. The album name is a bit stupid though, isn't it? It's clunky on the tongue. What is it even trying to say? It doesn't present to me a cohesive concept or set expectations as perfectly as Songs In the Key of Life of Innervisions do.

I never understood all the hype about this band. On one hand: they're Canadian so YAYY Canada! On the other: they're at the forefront of the musical shift towards more whiny/broody/quirky indie bands of the early aughts / 2010's that was so annoying. All these "sensitive" and "artistic" hipster personas these bands adopted just reeked of disingenuous posturing. And on my third and final hand: Win Butler is another low life sexual harassing piece of shit. I have such a hard time separating the art from the artist and you know what? I'm very okay with it. If I like you, I like you and if I don't you can go fuck yourself. It's my rating system, I decide. Final verdict: Arcade Fire is guilty of sucking in the first degree. Sentenced to this 2-star rating and 600 hours of community service.

I’m not that into Green Day, their brand of punk always felt too suburban and tame. No real danger, it’s watered down for the mildly rebellious teen. But I can’t deny that this album is full of hits, it’s very easy to listen to, and it takes me back to a specific nostalgic point in my life. This album dropped when I started the 12th grade and it was HUGE at school. Everyone had it on rotation for the better part of that year. I started to really hate Wake Me Up When September Ends with all the airplay it got.

A previously unheard and undiscovered punk rock delight! I can hear their influence on so many of my favourite acts. A gift indeed.

I'm very sick today. Barely upright. This music does nothing to speed my recovery. It's too bright, too happy, it hurts my brain. It's like a never-ending mariachi interlude from Breaking Bad that takes up the whole episode and makes you curse Vince Gilligan for his shenanigans. Grading on a curve today to balance out my harsh attitude, and points added for Bongo Bong. In the end it adds up to neutral.

I just... I mean... really? Okay, let me try and be fair here since Korn is the seminal band on my skiddy metalhead husband's youth. I'll admit nü-metal was a moment in time where something very different started happening musically. Someone was innovating, that's what must make this album worthy of our consideration. I don't think it was different or innovative for the better though. Woodstock '99 is a perfect example of how dangerous the energy that this music taps into can be. Inciting white male aggression never turns out well for anyone. I'm all for misfits and weirdoes finding the things that make them feel seen and understood. I'm all for a darker artistic expression of self, it can be powerful and cathartic to express your pain and vulnerability, like Kurt Cobain did. And it's important to have shared experiences and relate to others. Music helps us do that in such a transcendent way, especially controversial music. But I just don't like this. It's too hateful and frankly, scary.

I love this! Maybe it's the stark contrast between this and the heinous Korn album I had to suffer through yesterday, but oh my god, what a huge breath of fresh air this is! Thank you Bryan Christ for always looking out for me, you a real one dude. More likely it's just that Crowded House is a band that puts all the ingredients I like together and bakes up something truly delicious. They give me the quirky, tongue in cheek, oddball pop with a smoothness that I can't get enough of. Please let me have another piece of chocolate cake!

I hear no discernible difference between this album by CHIC and the last album I had by CHIC (Risqué). Le Freak is a certifiable bop, obviously, but the rest is just overly repetitive generic disco filler. The first track, Chic Cheer was a complete waste of 4 minutes. It was very easy to get through, so that’s something.

A bonafide masterpiece full of the peppy rock n' roll staples that set the foundation for everything else to come. It is an absolute pleasure the whole way through, great album from long ago.

Ugh. Sucks and I hate it. Props to a really cool and iconic album cover though. That saves it from a 1 star rating.

Soulful, sexy, cool. A bit too much internalized misogyny in some of the songs though.

This is hardcore. Interesting choice of title for an album so completely whiny and dreary. I’m familiar with Different Class so I was expecting this to be much more edgy and in-your-face. Unless they were trying to do some kind of ironic juxtaposed thing with this album title/imagery and the music that I’m not getting, it just doesn’t add up. Disappointing and pointless.

I had a very busy workday today, no time for 6 discs / 3.15 hours of listening. I only listened to 2.5 songs before I started up a day of onerous meetings and tasks. I could feel the old world classy vibes; Ella obviously has one of the most legendary and iconic voices ever recorded. The Gershwin songs vacillate between corny show tune earnestness and delightful unforgettable standards from a bygone era. It’s a perfect meeting of undeniable talent between singer and songwriters. But it’s too bloody long by a mile. I don’t know who could sit through an entire unbroken listen of these records. Not I, certainly not I.

The most overhyped and over-esteemed artist of the 90's. He was unjustly martyred when he died and has become a false idol for morons to worship. Sorry, not sorry. His music sucks and I'm not into it and he sounds like he was an absolute garbage human to boot.

I already told you twice, I hate Radiohead. And this album certainly isn’t going to change that. Fuck off, wankers.

Killer opening track, sets the tone for a great listening experience end to end. It's a cool, fun, classic rock album.

Meh. I know that’s sacrilege to the diehard Danimals, but I just don’t care. Peg is a bop, but the rest of it is pretty bland.

Subs, was it? I’m sorry, it’s not you. It’s me. I heard some of your beats, I listened to a groove or two, and I just know that I’m not the listener for you. You’ll find someone better, someone Serbian even, who can treat you right. I wish you well, but I’m moving on.

I felt a little bit annoyed this morning when I saw this as my album. I thought to myself "they already have Harvest on the list and that's the best Neil gets, why do we need more?" But then I started listening and I think I actually like On The Beach better than Harvest! It might be that I'm listening with a more mature ear, or the songs on Harvest have become a bit overplayed for me, but this has been a pleasant surprise. That Neil Young, he's a sly one. A talented songwriter, never to be underestimated or discredited for his impressive artistry. I was unfairly annoyed and I take it all back. This album deserves to be on the list, it's such a treasure. And I love this album artwork! It's fun, but weirdly maudlin too. It pairs perfectly with the songs you get on this one. Great Monday vibes, really enjoyable listening through and through, a perfect work of art. I will say that Neil is probably still a bit too overrepresented on this list where Canada is concerned, we do have so many other great artists that deserve to be showcased too. But, that's UK ears for you, not as open as I'd like them to be...

I know the song Cars, I've tolerated the song Cars, but it never made me want to listen to more songs like Cars. Thoughts on the album cover: is this guy thinking about how he's gunna shove that triangle up his own ass?

You really only need one Elvis album on the list, and this ain't it. I don't mind listening to the King, but this album is quite repetitive and droopy. And it sounds way behind the times for an album from 1969. Would have been cool to see Elvis steer into hippie psychedelic rock in his later career instead of going all "old man yells at cloud" country crooner. Suspicious Minds is a long time favourite song though, so I’m grading generously for that.

Aggressively, unapologetically wild and incoherent. Good musicianship being bastardized so intentionally and for what? There are some good ideas and elements here, but they're all competing with each other so hard that the listening experience is painful and uncomfortable. All of the good drowned out, smothered, spit on, and stomped by piss poor execution.

Guy's got an amazing and iconic voice, no doubt. Tons of respect for his natural talent. I don't mind having this on in the background, but I am truly so bored by crooning. This album feels like one long unending ballad and that schtick got old by the third track. The lyrical content is just too old-fashioned and sappy. Imagine if Sinatra had been of a time where he could actually sing about shit that was personal and meaningful to him? Not just this heavily manufactured and trite gentleman lover Jell-O pudding.

Very few artists are capable of the tremendous courage and unabashed vulnerability it takes to bare their whole soul in all its most disturbing glory to the world through their art. So many of them try, but so few succeed in exposing themselves and their central existential struggles with the conviction and compulsion that Trent Reznor does. This album feels like it wasn’t just a cathartic exercise for him, but a soul saving necessity, a blood-letting, a desperate attempt to cure the incurable darkness within. Almost 30 years later and it looks like he has slain those demons, or at least pacified them, and has made it on through to the other side. Good for him. I don’t particularly care to wallow in Reznor’s misery, he’s too dark and too disturbed for me to enjoy musically in a heaping dose. But I appreciate that this is a lifesaving work of art and I rate it as such.

No word of a lie, this album sounded like one long continuous song. I literally could not distinguish one track from the next. Make a cohesive album, sure. But give it some goddamn variety for chrissake.

Space rock? Fuck off. The only rock about space that I'll be listening to is Bowie's Space Oddity. This is a garbage album cover too. Where are the aliens? Where is the fun?

I know there's a lot of U2 hate out there in the world, but I don't hate these guys. They've made some killer songs that I've loved listening to in my life. This album was massive. Those first four songs are all great. Beautiful Day was the moment for a short while in the year 2000, you can't pretend it wasn't. And today was a day that I actually really needed to hear Stuck In A Moment. Didn't realize until it started in how much I missed that song and how helpful it is. If Joshua Tree is the high watermark of their career, then this album is a stellar second coming. I like it all the way through, honestly.

How many people does it take to be in a band this shitty? 9 apparently.

A bona fide goddamn rock 'n' roll masterpiece! It's way nerdier than you'd think, but it's fucking glorious. Imagine buying this album in 1971? You get it home, you put it on thinking "sweet, new Zep" and then they relentlessly assault you with so much motherfucking badassery for 42 minutes and 35 seconds you don't even think your brain can process one more shit hot guitar lick? What a time to be alive. Wish that's how I heard it for the first time.

Flawlessly conceptualized, written, and performed. Bowie's powers of oddball weirdness are growing, strengthening, blooming. He is transforming before our very eyes into the otherworldly being he was always meant to become. It's beautiful and exciting to see. He finally put all of the pieces together correctly and knows how to showcase the very best of himself to his audience. Fantastic record!

It was fine. I didn’t listen seriously enough to formulate a strong opinion. And maybe in the end, that’s worst than even the harshest 1 star review.

A double punk album? Such a thing does not exist…. Oh, too bad it’s basic and generic. Meh. I wonder how much money these cats made off of Jackass using that one lick.

Quintessential mid-90's alternative rock. Nobody combines weirdo oddball hooks and avant-garde bizarre lyricism quite like Beck. A devil's haircut indeed!

I love Brimful of Asha, that song is a solid gold certified one-hit wonder bop for the ages, but I've never listened to anything else from this band. It's about what I expected. Sleep On The Left Side was a good track. The rest was a bit too much genre-bending fusion style for me. Not digging the heavily electronic portions of the music. But damn, that Brimful of Asha is a fun song. I love it more with every listen.

It’s cool, Shuggie. You do your thing. And I’ll be moving on.

I love this! It's an essential work of burgeoning punk/new wave fusion. Uncontrollable Urge is a perfect opening track and that horribly jarring cover of Satisfaction is glorious in all its subversive cheekiness. Devo rules.

I don't get the obsession with her. I'm not just saying that to be musically snobby or contrarian... I just don't get it. She seems like such an annoying "pick me" kind of person in real life. I guess I can give her credit for actually putting the work into writing her own songs. That's fine. I just don't like the bratty entitled shit she comes out with. Ooo you're gunna write a diss track about Katy Perry because she stole your boyfriend that's actually a gross creepbag? You should be grateful she took that bullet for you, you fucking moron. And let's be honest, you would have dated him for like 6 minutes anyway and then moved on to the next poor schlub for songwriting fodder. The complete inability to relate to or care about an artist and their life makes it quite difficult to enjoy their music. Not for me.

I’m always in awe of how ahead of its time this album is. It was released in 1983 and it sounds like everything that was happening in 1993! It’s so beautifully rebellious, hitting the airwaves at the height of the 80s neon soaked synth pop excesses. This album is boldly, defiantly alternative and raw. It’s a stunning achievement in going against the grain and I love every note if it.

Fucking DJs, my god, is there anything more vapid and talentless than a DJ trying to pass themselves off as an actual artist? Listening to this is an exercise in futility. I can’t and I won’t ever find enjoyment here.

My god, the sonic chokehold this album had on my high school in 2004, let me tell you! Mr. Brightside in particular, there was something so gloriously melodramatic about that song that perfectly ensnared the overactive imagination of every angsty teen with an unrequited crush. I never got into it, but the singles are catchy and I somehow know all the words. The only thing I couldn't buy into was Brandon Flowers's strange affected way of singing, like he's trying to pass himself off as British? What is that? Why does he sing that way?

More UK crap I've never heard of getting a priority slot over stuff that's way better. *eyeroll*

Miss You Much and Love Will Never Do (Without You) are pop perfection. The rest of the album I could take or leave. Can't stand all of these annoying interludes, I don't like being preached at when I'm just trying to listen to some music. It's just really bloated too, this could have been trimmed down to half the tracks. Keep the pop hits and ditch the highfalutin bullshit. I love Janet, respect to her for insisting on making the kind of music she wants, this just isn't her best album. Iconic moment in time for her? Absolutely. Did it age well? No, not really.

Middle of the road rock. It’s fine. Clapton is such a dick though. I hate giving him credit for anything.

Quite lovely. I don’t have much stamina for double albums, but I really enjoyed every note of this one. Paired nicely with the rainy weather today, bopped along while cooking dinner and it set us all in a nice relaxed mood.

It’s very of it’s time. “Edgy” hipster rock that thinks it’s more powerful and meaningful than it actually is. A short-lived fad.

I only ever knew the song Clint Eastwood. It’s a one-hit wonder I’ll jam to, but I never sought this kind of music out. It’s not for me. If we’re talking bands represented by cartoon avatars then it’s Prozzäk or bust, baby! (If you don’t know them and you’re not Canadian, look them up!)

I’m no jazz scholar, but I know that Miles is one of the all-time best in the biz. I listened to this album at 5am while having a listless soak in the tub. Seemed fitting. The tracks are two very different sides of the same coin. Harmonious in the way they complement each other, but distinctly separate by the starkly contrasting moods each invokes while listening. I preferred the first more triumphant track to the dour second one, but overall good listening experience as a whole.

I love 70s punk, but I’ve always preferred The Clash and The Ramones. The Sex Pistols just never seemed musically inclined or mature enough to make it worth my while. They’re a band out for the opportunity to shock and offend so their music lacks the substance my ears need. Their notoriety greatly exceeds their “talent”. Just a hot mess dumpster fire of infantile white boy rage. There are valid gripes here, obvious discontentment with the monarchy, I'll give them that. They certainly do embody the spirit of punk. But annoying asshole punks, not cool punks that I can look up to.

I've never been the biggest Joy Division fan, I actually prefer New Order. But they did some remarkable things to pioneer a post-punk scene of melancholic and brooding alternative rock, opening the doors for other amazing acts like The Cure and The Smiths. Ian Curtis considered this album the band's creative pinnacle before sadly taking his own life so we'll never know if that was true. This is a very atmospheric album, I feel like I'm on a walking tour of Curtis's depression. There's some truly beautiful poetry in the lyrics, The Eternal is particularly haunting. This isn't casual listening, it's for catharsis or wallowing, what you get depends on the condition of your soul on any given listen.

Looks like a phoney album cover for a CD you’d see on a Hemnes in the IKEA showroom. And I thought all the French electronica was bad. Do not want.

Holy shit! Invaders is the most incredible high octane hard rock album opener I think I've ever heard! This is the way to start a Friday, I'm fucking awake now. My day could use some devil worship, and black magic fuckery, right on. Bruce was a really key addition to the lineup.

Generic “no name” brand Oasis. Was okay, didn’t rock my tits off.

A frenetic and dizzying musical tug-o-war between all four Beatles. I enjoyed it, but there was a major lack of cohesion. Lyrically, thematically, musically, it just pushes and pulls every which way. The tension between Paul and John is palpable! Bless George Harrison for being able to get While My Guitar Gently Weeps included. And Paul for writing Blackbird. I know this album is touted as the high watermark of the Beatles career, but it’s just too jarring a listening experience for me. Still a good time, just one that yanks your chain a bit.

Oh wonderful! An all-time favourite album of mine. A phenomenal debut album, Jeff Buckley was a man of staggering musical talent. I remember playing this album for my husband a few years back and he was so impressed by the guitar. He said all of these riffs could so easily be metal or hard rock riffs but they're played with such clean precision instead. I adore the feeling of heart-wrenching ache this album evokes every time I listen. It's emotional, yearning, deeply vulnerable, and oh so sexy all at once. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over is my favourite track. It's rife with drama and unrequited love in the juiciest way. The vocals are impressive, every track you get something nuanced in the cadence of his singing and inflection. Such a tragic loss when he died. He was an irreplaceable talent, a wonderfully emotional and complex artist, and I wish we'd all been able to see what else he would have done. This was only the beginning of what would have been a truly remarkable career. Top marks.

A middling hip hop album that fails to impress or chart in a meaningful way is something I need to hear? I think not.

It’s fine. I’m not into it at all, but it’s fine.

The wiki entry for this one sure is a bunch of puffed up bullshit, ain’t it? I don’t care what sort of “creative chemistry” or “impressionist storytelling” Taylor Swift thinks she’s come up with; I don’t like listening to her pop garbage. This is a staggering achievement in mediocrity, maybe that’s why it made the list.

Lot of hits covered on this album. It’s fun, but makes me wonder where the artistry and originality is.

Great, more UK trash that never made the slightest impact on the rest of the world. Rolling my eyes so hard I’m likely to strain every optic muscle and nerve I’ve got. There are actually successful acts from other countries that aren’t getting their due recognition and it’s pissing me off. This album was so bland and mediocre, nothing stuck.

The best thing about this album was laughing at it with my husband while we cooked brunch and felt so far removed from the target audience for this “music”.

What an absolute treat 80's R.E.M. is! Yes yes yes yes yes!! They are at the peak of their alt rock niche here, doing some of their very best work. Their fundamentally unique R.E.M. sound thrums through every note of every song so joyfully. I love all the tracks, can't pick a favourite. It's a perfect R.E.M. album. If you wanted to know who this band really is, all radio hits aside, this is the album to get deep into. It's just so bloody goddamn GOOD. Endlessly listenable because of that peppy playful instrumentation layered within the subtly moody and contemplative lyrics. There's just as much to enjoy when listening from the shallow end of the pool as there is when plumbing the depths. That's the best thing about R.E.M. - you can listen and find something interesting to consider or toy with on every level.

French rap? No. Not for me. But I will say this album cover is dynamite! What an incredible photograph, it's very compelling.

It’s a tightly wrapped 33 minutes of twang. Willie is a prolific and admirable artist, but I’m not a country music lover. Or even liker. But I gotta give respect to one of the country scene’s most iconic players.

Is the album generator sentient? I find it quite remarkable that I've been assigned some German experimental rock the very day I picked up and brought home my brand new Volkswagen Tiguan. There's something fishy afoot... Even though I hate this album, I'm marking my rating up for the serendipity of it all.

Wow, this album starts strong with Tiny Dancer and Levon! I've never heard any of the other songs before, but they all have that distinctively catchy Elton flair. I had a fun time with this one today. Even though Elton will always be a greatest hits kind of artist for me, I enjoyed my time going a bit deeper into his catalogue.

The crown jewel of David Bowie’s catalogue. The pinnacle of his personal/professional development. The harbinger of his transformation into rock alien superstar who transcends all space and time. It is a flawless obvious five star album. Top notch listening end to end and packaged with a phenomenal album cover too!

I know she’s got a cult following and all, but it’s not for me. I heard the hits and they were fine, but I’m not flipping for them. Meh.

Okay Monday morning, let's rock the fuck out then!! \m/ The title track is the gold standard template for high octane metal. It's that premium shit. The rest of the album keeps up the psychotic pace, there's not a dull moment here. Lyrically, it's so much more intense and interesting than the garden variety "hail satan, we think we're badasses" stuff you heard from a lot of other metal acts at the time. It paved the way for a bold new era of metal. The album art is very compelling too, it meshes seamlessly with the album content in such a satisfying way. Black album is the magnum opus though.

Peppy and fun, but rich with intricate complexity, and also succinct! I suppose for Mr. Davis brevity is the soul of cool? I appreciate that.

“a homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynaecologist and surgeon” you say? That is the epitome of immature 90s bullshit right there. This is crap, don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. Absolute crap. This is the lowest 1 star of all the 1 stars I've rated so far. Toxic garbage that should be burned from our collective pop culture memory.

Never really been a big Jane's Addiction fan. Been Caught Stealing is a bop, but it's hit or miss for me when I hear it. Sometimes I skip the track and sometimes I let it play through. Ritual of the Usual indeed. Ferrell has a very unique vocal style, it works well for a niche alt rock band. Navarro's guitar is incredibly proficient here, but I've never liked overindulgent tracks that go on too long. It was alright. Let's stick with that. I feel neutral about this band and their music.

Black Keys give you solidly enjoyable rock every time. They’ve got a very distinct and catchy signature sound, takes me right back to my post-uni restless summer days every time. I might like El Camino better, but this one slaps too. Have seen them live and they put on a hell of a show.

Meh. This band has got loads of alt rock cachet, but I don’t get it. Few good singles in the catalogue, but overall too highbrow artsy fartsy conceptual bullshit for me.

What, Spotify doesn’t have this album?!? Very annoying. But the good thing is I’m already quite familiar with Madness. They bring consistently fun and dynamic 80s ska to the table and you have a good time listening. Lots of danceable grooves, so they made brunch fun this morning. Our House is an all-time classic fave. Love these guys!

This to me, is the most Beatles album of the Beatles ever Beatle-ing. They've still got tremendous Lennon overlordship at this point, but there's still somehow a nice balance in the tracks. They're starting to morph into counterculture icons and they're transitioning into that phase in such a harmonious way for the listeners. Top notch, excellent work. Their output is prolific for the number of years that they were active and this is the perfect midpoint of it all. Drive My Car is a superb opening track, it’s so fun and gets you primed for some good tunes.

I hate to say this about Fleetwood Mac today, but meh. Rumours is one of the all-time greatest BEST albums ever, a must have for vinyl collectors, and I look forward to having it come up some day during this project. Tusk, unfortunately, is not even a pale shadow of its greatness. This is just sleepy. It's too slow, too meandering, it doesn't give me life. There are beautiful compositions and vocals, no doubt. But this album lacks the vibrancy and enthusiasm of Rumours. You know what it is? Too much McVie and Buckingham, not enough Stevie. There, I said it! Stevie is the best thing about Fleetwood Mac, the songs she's lead vocals on slap harder than any others and we don't get enough of it on Tusk. I can listen, but I find no joy.

I mean, c'mon! This is one of the easiest 5 star ratings I'll ever give! It's so fucking good it makes me want to throw my life away and drive around smoking doobies, jamming to it everywhere my shitbox car will take me. The hallmark of a truly magnificent album: its gravitational pull is so powerful you lose all reason. It's an absolute masterpiece. A magnum opus. At the very least there was some witchcraft or a deal with the devil to make an album this fucking phenomenal. Outstanding!

Sing it, Fats! I like it. You get a fun, swinging good time. Fun, happy-go-lucky songs about love and life that don't take themselves too seriously. Even the "boo hoo, my woman is giving me troubles" kind of songs are somehow upbeat or triumphant instead of sad. He just seems like he was a fun dude in general and that comes through in his vocals.

Nice, some Stones on a Friday, I am into that! Gimme Shelter is for sure one of the best opening tracks of all time. It's hauntingly good, with its iconic and instantly recognizable opening notes. I had no idea Country Honk was actually Honky Tonk Women, that just blew my nose and then my mind. Live With Me is shockingly sarcastic and sneering, but I like it. Could very easily have been a punk song if written a decade later. This album is just full of little treats and surprises, and then it ends with a massive hit, another recognizable banger that's been used to soundtrack countless movies and TV shows. Let It Bleed is an unassuming sandwich that upon first bite you discover has actually been made of delicious high-quality luncheon meats sandwiched between two thick slices of the finest bread known to man. Kick-ass album cover too, just fantastic, should be hung up in the Louvre.

I’m supposed to say that this album is Crazy, Sexy, and Cool right? That’s the low hanging fruit review to give. Waterfalls is an undeniable pop cultural phenomenon that I will always remember from my 90s youth. I’m not much of a fan otherwise though. Talented women, love their style, but I’m not interested in a full album. Respect for the great hits on here though.

Only really knew Get It On because of hearing it on classic rock radio in my dad’s car. The rest of the album is exactly as I expected, middle of the road, simple 70s rock. I do love this album cover, it’s minimalist but exciting in the best way. Good listening overall, I vibe with it.

Pleasantly pleasant. It didn’t imprint on my heart, but I enjoyed my time with it. Excellent album cover!

I thought this was going to be some subversive satanic rock or some bible-thumping chamber music based on the cover. I'm glad it's just some harmless 60s folk music. The name of the band and the album cover evoke thoughts and judgements that do not align with the actual music at all, it had me worried for a moment there. It’s harmless but boring.

She is a folk music icon with the purest and most true voice. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I find it grating at times and just a bit too repetitive. I have tremendous respect for the hard work she put in paving a pathway forward for other women, but this falls a lot shy of perfect for me.

I have a deep-rooted love of Van Morrison. His raspy whiskey soaked vocals take me to a special and joyful place. He has a prolific catalogue of poetic songs and emotionally stirring instrumentation. I just love listening to him. Moondance is a vastly superior album, but I like this one a lot too. It’s a shame his brilliance is currently being channeled into seriously problematic new music. I’m not going there though, I’m just gunna kick it with 60s and 70s Van, the sweet and soulful artist I admire.

I’ve heard Novocaine For the Soul many times, and it’s a song I’ve skipped or changed the station on many times too. It’s one of those songs that I don’t hate so sometimes I let it play through or I feel annoyed by it because I don’t particularly like it. The rest of the album felt the same. I got through it, it was fine, but it was also just kind of bland. Basic 90s stuff.

Damn, there is so much Eno on this list. He is a multifaceted and prolific artist, there’s no denying that. I hate to say it but I’m just not big on his solo stuff. Roxy Music is cool, and I love his work producing for the Smiths and Morrissey. Warm jets? More like tepid jets at best.

Oh my god, over two hours?!?! I don’t have the stamina for this, it’s Christmas Day for Christ’s sake. Obviously Hey Ya! and I Like The Way You Move are excellent fun time party songs. The rest, meh.

Almost halfway through and I finally get some Billy Fucking Joel! Christmas came late, but better late than never. Billy is a 5 star man, no contest. And this album in particular is a tour de force, showcasing all of his talents brilliantly. The singing, the songwriting, the musicianship, the creativity and storytelling. He is in his prime here and absolutely unparalleled at composing compelling pop/rock songs of epic sing-a-long quality. He’s a god and I worship at his altar. I ride or die with Billy.

I wish I liked this. She has a beautiful voice, she’s Canadian, and she’s always been proudly and defiantly her own unique self, a queer woman in music at a time when it wasn’t accepted or embraced. The ridicule I’ve heard about her all my life just because she didn’t conform physically to the rigid gender norms for female chart-topping artists in the 80s and 90s always made my blood boil. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been for her to forge such a successful career while unwavering in her individuality and values. I love so much about k.d. lang and truly appreciate what all of her successes represent for other marginalized artists, I just don’t like the country-western twang of it all. Maybe it’s subversive that she sings such a misogynistic and closed-minded genre, and if so, right on sister! But otherwise, I’m not into it. Respectfully not for me.

No. No no no. Horrifying messy unlistenable garbage. Definitely not something anyone needs to hear, ever.

Fucking incredible! Raw, dark, twisted, emotive, but also vulnerable and aching at times too. This is the absolute best of The Stooges. Unforgettable, groundbreaking punk rock for the ages.

I had a greatest hits CD of The Cure when I was in high school that I loved. There were so many hits! And they were the greatest. But I always skipped the song Lullaby. It felt too creepy. It didn’t have the fun, peppy overtones in its instrumentation that made the darker, more goth and emo aspects of The Cure palatable. This whole album is like a never-ending listen of Lullaby. It’s too goth and industrial for me. I don’t want to go down this creepy spider hole with them. I’ll stick the hits that keep a lighter vibe going, you know, Just Like Heaven and Friday I’m In Love, thanks.

Ms. Nina sure can wail.

Just because someone did it first doesn’t mean they did it right. I like punk, but not so much the hardcore variety on this album. It’s cool they broke new ground, but I don’t think it’s aged all that well.

This album artwork comes to you courtesy of a straight up MS Paint nightmare. Jesus Christ. Unfortunately the music isn’t much better than this abysmal cover. But it’s just okay enough to save it from 1 star.

I was disappointed when I saw this pop up because I'm just not generally a fan of rap, R&B, or hip-hop. But I gave it a listen trying to be open-minded and the beats were catchy. Then I heard this line "Unapologetically I be bossin' it, getting better with age" and it resonated with me. A great thing to hear on my first day back at work since the holiday break, with huge transitions on my professional horizon, and it just felt like the exact right thing to hear. That's what makes music great for me, when the content strikes a chord personally and emotionally regardless of genre, artist, or time. This album while not my genre of choice, is soaked in authenticity and genuine artistic expression; that is something I can get behind. Props to this queen for using her music to speak her truth and share her soul with the world.

There was an attempt to be an "artist", I'll say that. I just found the high-pitched, soft and breathy vocals were too much of a try-hard. Felt like a very poor attempt at emulating Björk's vocal and musical style. Not good.

An hour and eighteen minutes? I don't even want to listen to english language popular rock records for that long! Please, keep it to a tight 45 people. Who even has time for continuous listening longer than that? I mean, it's just not for me. I don't speak the language, and I'm a lyrics first listener. There's nothing here for me. The music is peppy though, I'll give it that. And dude got himself a dope album cover.

Lorde's been cool in my books from the moment I heard Royals for the first time. She's got substance and depth, and she's an interesting artist who just so happens to express herself through the kind of top 40 pop music I usually avoid. I like this album too. It's dramatic and intense, but also cavalier and intrepid in such a fun way. I like.

I love the two singles on this album, Sunshine Superman and Season of the Witch. I’ve put both of them on multiple playlists over the years. They are solid 60s tunes that I always enjoy hearing. The rest though, I’m sad to say was just bland filler. But it’s still listenable and pleasant enough.

Completely and utterly forgettable. It did not register once on my interest meter.

A few hits that hit, like So Fresh, So Clean and Ms. Jackson. But overall, it is an unfortunate victim of its time - too many immature interludes and skits that are annoying to sit through.

An intoxicating journey of funky good time tunes. Top notch musicianship and artistry on display here. Curtis Mayfield has an unforgettable voice, his soft and honey sweet delivery is always so soothing to my ears. And all of it is delivered in a tight 36 minutes! You get a hell of a lot of bang for your buck here, it's the perfect party record to throw on and get people grooving.

Not as bad as I thought it would be, but not exactly good either. Just not for me.

The darkness that Curtis expresses in his lyrics and vocal performance of said lyrics is underscored perfectly by the gothic/industrial instrumentation. It's hard to explain exactly how I like this and don't like it all at the same time. I appreciate the artistry and the raw expression, I dig the music. But I just don't want to spend a lot of time with such a depressing act. I don't want to get sucked into Curtis's melancholic and despairing vortex. I do respect it though.

A hot summer day in August. Cruising the local record shop, looking for a birthday gift for my friend, something special. Then something very Special catches my eye, The Specials by The Specials. You never see this one in the crates! A rare find. A great find. My search is over almost as quickly as it begins. The cashier ringing me up says "I just got this and stickered it less than 2 hours ago, knew it was gunna be snapped up today". Lucky me! Lucky my friend! She was thrilled. I'm still thrilled every time I hear this album.

Seldomly seen because it’s crap.

Hell yeah! The way the Beastie Boys transformed themselves into a more artistic and thoughtful act while retaining their playful adolescent charm is impressive. This album is a true labour of love, friendship, and growth. And even though it’s comprised entirely of samples, it’s somehow a stunningly original and charismatic listen. A true gem, proving the Beastie were so much more than an immature fart joke.

Untouchable guitar skills, no doubt. A few songs on here have been in heavy classic rock rotation my whole life, so I can slip back into them like a pair of well worn shoes. And I'm not surprised that the deeper cuts I've never heard are just as good. I appreciate the way Santana showcases his skills and proficiency without ever showboating them. I'm a lyrics first listener so albums that are focused on instrumentation are usually not my jam, but this made for a groovy morning. And let's not forget to mention that this album cover is an amusement park for the eyes! Damn, that's cool.

These songs are all older than dirt now, but they still slap. I feel ill equipped trying to describe the songs and music that are the very bedrock of rock n roll. Little Richard brought raucous, bawdy, and unbridled enthusiasm to all of his performances in a way no one else ever had. An artist of tremendous spirit and a true freak flag flying motherfucker, he paved the way for everything, absolutely everything, that we all listen to and love today. I salute a maverick, a legend, an icon, and a phenomenally talented artist with my paltry five star rating.

This album is an undeniably funky good time. And it's concise! Unlike so many 70's funk/soul/disco/dance records that go in for self-indulgent musical showboating and overwrought production. I really like this, it's a fantastic party record.

Hauntingly beautiful poetry and understated instrumentation combine to produce a deeply emotional and poignant album. Every song is a piece of Cohen's soul triple distilled, served to your ears in its most refined and perfect state for your hearing pleasure.

Right fucking on, man! I'm not even going to try to critically review this one, it's 5 stars, firm. No ifs ands or buts. Anyone rating lower than 5 is an abject moron. My ham-fisted attempt at a review for one of the singularly greatest rock and roll albums of all time would just be a gushing overzealous tome rotten with hyperbolic awe. I fucking love this one end to end, and will 'til the end of time. That will suffice.

These two guys, they’re street prophets for real. This album rips, it’s excellent all around. Hard Times is shockingly more relevant now than it possibly was back then, and it floored me with its prescience. And obviously It’s Like That is the anthemic hit that just won’t quit, I’ll never tire of it. This is a flawless debut, it is bursting at the seams with charisma, innovation, and originality and it’s FUN! Such a good album, love it.

Well, that happened. Can’t fault a guy for having an idea, but I can fault him for his idea being terminally boring. Oh and let me just obnoxiously attach my name to one of the most famous musicals of all time because I’m a parasitic creature with no actual originality of my own. Just very very boring.

Yeah, I can get into this, even though it is very formulaic late aughts indie which I don't normally go for. They remind me of a band I really like, Guster, who I wish were on the list because they're quite special. I didn't think I'd know any of this one, but Two Weeks I've definitely heard. That song got its moment in the sun, that's for sure. Overall it is inoffensive, innocuous, fine.

Boring. It bores me in the morning. It bores me in the afternoon. It bores me at suppertime. But it’s inoffensive.

Pretty obnoxious to name yourself as the sole artist on an album that you don't even write or sing lead vocals on for every track. It should have been given a proper band name instead of marquee credit for someone who was merely one of many that collaborated to make this album happen. My gripes about who the album is credited to aside, this is okay. I always enjoy Rod's vocals, he makes the album listenable for me. And the music is generic 60's rock n roll which my ears always like. But nothing jumps out at me as a life changing track that reaches my soul. Final verdict: I'd probably be more generous if this album was credited to the right people.

Excellent through and through. I’ll never rate Talking Heads anything less than 5 stars, I just fucking love them and David Byrne so much. It’s the music that speaks to my soul, that resonates deeply with my own being in such a spectacular way that I can’t rate this critically, only effusively and passionately. I’ll love Talking Heads until the day I die.

The first track was good, got me excited for a cheery 60's pop/rock album, but then it devolved into so much psychedelic experimental bullshit that I just got sick of it. That one track with the weird voices speaking what sounded like a made up chipmunk language... WTF was that?!? The Byrds needed to just stick with sweet, wistful pop/rock jams and be cool.

Springsteen’s ass wowed us all. Are you a soulful and contemplative singer songwriter of the people whose struggling to find the recognition and wide public appeal you seek? Put your ass in some jeans and stick it on your next album cover! Instant success! Seriously though, this album is an unstoppable juggernaut of Springsteen hits. It may not be what The Boss feels most proud of in terms of showcasing his songwriting talents, but damn if it doesn’t slap the whole way through. Dancing in the Dark will always be an upbeat but aching favourite of mine for all time. That song alone merits a 5 star rating, but again, the whole album fucking rocks. Quality stuff, this is the high watermark of 80s rock n roll.

Ooo I like this a lot! Never heard of Orange Juice before but the immediate similarity to Talking Heads has piqued my interest. It’s just got a cool and groovy vibe all its own and I’m obsessed. I love this album cover too! They look like a hip crew and I’d love to see them live in their heyday. Quality new discovery!

Well I'm saillllllllin'! Thank you generator for cuttin' me my share this morning, Fuck Yeah! I am so excited about this album today. I unabashedly love RHCP and I don't even care that this album is way too long. It's got that early 90's Rick Rubin treatment and the sweet Frusciante sound these guys needed to elevate their schtick. The singles from this album alone make it a 5 star rating: monster songs, all-time favourite material, the sounds of my misspent youth that make me feel alive. I mean, the chokehold Give It Away and Suck My Kiss still have on me is unbelievable! And the beautifully moving and humanizing Under The Bridge gives listeners a sincere look at the damaged and tortured soul of Anthony Kiedis. Okay, Sir Psycho Sexy is unbearably cringey and immature, but you have to understand that all that lascivious overflowing sexuality is part of the damage and it needs an outlet too. I just love them and I love what they're about: free range unfiltered expressions of self. Some people are brave and bold enough to let it all hang out, I'm not. But through the lens of RHCP I feel like I could be. They always give you a funky good time, and yeah, brevity has never been their forte, but you just have to sit back and enjoy the crazy blood sugar sex magik motherfucking ride to appreciate what it's really all about. In reality, my head knows this is a 3 star album, but my dick is telling me it's 5.

This is jaunty, cheeky, rowdy music for St. Patty's Day down at the pub. It's fun and the instrumentation is beautifully down home, but it's not every day listening. Serve with niche drunken holiday and festive times only.

I like this! Exactly the kind of niche badass alt rock I enjoy. And the band is fronted by a unique and bewitching woman? Amazing! I am loving the vocals, the lyrical content and style, and the production that creates the right mix of raw yet popish musicality. It honestly feels like it paved the way or in some part even inspired Hole's Live Through This. Sucks that I can't listen to it on Spotify, because that's where I do all of my listening, but at least there's a lot more Throwing Muses music there that I can explore. And I will be exploring this band more, no doubt about it. Hidden gem, good find!

So you're telling me it didn't chart successfully, and it didn't wow critics successfully either. Then why the fuck would this ever be on the list? As an example of complete and utter underwhelming mediocrity? A what not to do? Ain't nobody got time for that. It's shit. And I don't need to listen to shit for shit's sake.

It’s a peppy little album. The best track though is obviously Come On Eileen, even though I’ve heard it thousands of times. But damned if that isn’t one of the best one-hit wonders of all time.

I turned 20 years old in 2007. I can think of no track that better epitomizes the privileged existential crisis of burgeoning adulthood than Time to Pretend. MGMT put into song the way all of us were feeling about our unknown futures and the futility of resisting it. And they also made it into a fucking bop! It’s a once in a generation song that resonates deeply with a very specific mindset at a very specific time of life that I was lucky enough to perfectly connect with when it happened. The singles on this album dazzle, they soar. But everything else is uninspired drudgery.

But I don’t wanna have a shoegaze brunch :(

Ray breathed so much life and soul into these country ditties. He’s got the magic touch.

The music is too mellow for me, tonally and sonically it doesn't give the listener much variation throughout. The vocals are beautiful and calming to listen to, but overall it just doesn't excite me. And the moments it veers hard into the electronic sound are what ultimately push me away. Not for me.

The title and artwork are doing this album no favours. I was disappointed when I saw it come up, wondering what kind of crap was going to assault my ears. But it was not crap, it was pleasant. Not my preferred genre, and I won’t listen again, but it was way better than expected!

The album name and cover had me real worried, not gunna lie. I had a HUGE gut reaction assumption that this record was going to be a major pile of crap. But it's actually FUCKING AMAZING!! I love it. Socially conscious, inspired, unabashedly oddball and cool at the same time; all the elements I like blended up into one funky non-stop party groove. And Renegades of Funk... omg that has been one of my favourite RATM songs for decades!! I love hearing the original track, it's so good too! I'm so happy my extremely unfair bias has been proven resoundingly wrong this morning. Zulu nation!!!

Fuck off Pink Floyd. Wankers.

It’s very boring. None of these songs grabbed my attention. I just prefer the sellout pop rock version of Genesis to the highly conceptual prog rock one. Give me Invisible Touch and I Can’t Dance over this carpet crawlers bullshit any day.

These waterboys could use a little something else in their cups. The music is duller than dull, it’s completely uninspired pub-swilling music. I’m bored.

Seems I've tapped into an especially rich vein of middling sonic crap given the past few days of records. Who will break this cursed streak of unremarkable junk? This mush-mouth mumbling motherfucker just isn't doing it for me.

Here we have some badass bitches out in the wild, harnessing the combined powers of punk rock and unapologetic raw sexuality to flip misogynists everywhere the bird. We control our bodies, we control our messages, and you can fuck right off if you think you're entitled to a say in any of it! I love the boldness of it, I love the sounds of it. I love all of it.

The instrumentation on the title/opening track is quite jarring, it jangled my nerves, and not in a good way. It didn't get any better from there, unfortunately. There was something unsettling and disconcerting throughout the entire listening experience, something about this combination of music, lyrics, and content that irritated and grated on me. It honestly felt like it might be better suited as background music in a movie rather than focused, intent listening. There just seemed to be too much missing context for this dreary lovelorn sad sack music.

I dig it. It’s not my favourite SY album, but it’s good. Remarkable how innovative they were at this time, how much space they created for other alternative acts and basically paved the way for everything raw, distorted and grungey that I love. OGs of don’t give a fuck coolness.

This is the second album I’ve had this week with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" on it, something is in the water. Also, loving a Temptations album that doesn't have "My Girl" on it, my god that song is SO played out! Very enjoyable listen, loved grooving to it. Only downside is the 9 minute track, it just kept rambling on and didn’t fit in with the concision and brevity of the other tracks.

I wish I had a bit more time to listen seriously today so I could better appreciate all the nuanced uniqueness of this album. The snatches I was able to enjoy were quite interesting. Seemed like there was some good cheeky storytelling paired with real solid hurdy durdy twang. I’m going to circle back to this one when I can listen without distraction.

One petty upfront gripe before listening: I really hate it when albums have multiple or dual names. It's just so pretentious and obnoxious. You really couldn't figure out ONE name for your fucking album?? C'mon! Now that I’m actually listening, here’s my legit gripe: an hour and 22 minutes?!? That’s too long! Damn. It’s too much. I enjoy the brooding intensity of some songs, but had it been kept to a tight and focused 45 minute album tops, I would have been able to enjoy it more. It was such a slog. And there’s a serious lack of variety here, there’s long stretches of monotonous droning that are hard to endure. My husband mentioned that the vocals have a later years Eddie Vedder tone to them, which I liked. I think I could get into Nick Cave, but not this album.

No. I already know this is a steaming pile of crap that I don't want to step in again.

FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!! A masterclass in righteous outrage, with thought-provoking and paradigm shifting lyricism that shocked a young generation awake and into action. We can never stop fighting to take the power back \m/

We all know Aretha can fucking wail, that’s a given. And you gotta give respect to “Respect”, because it is a powerful track we all know and love, but it’s fucking fun too! This was a great listening experience overall.

I like Nico's heavy, monotonous voice and the folk/art rock ambience this album creates. But I'm big into the Velvet Underground, so this is an easy sell for me. Sounds like she was a piece of shit person though; racist and a deadbeat mom. That I have a much harder time getting behind.

You know what? This bullshit prog rock crap is actually off to a decent start. Opening track is getting my juices flowing. Okay, now we got some vocals with cryptic lyrics hinting at some kind of Grapes of Wrath like epic struggle. And here comes the JAZZ FLUTE. Now we're into some sort of love song? Or maybe it's an ode to anti-depressants and writer's block? Trying to interpret the meaning and message of these tracks is quite vexing. I'm not sure what I'm supporting in liking this, but the music is catchy.

I know too many “good old boys” who are anything but good. This music does nothing for me and the whole middle America humble charm schtick is too hokey for me to enjoy. The guy has songwriting talent, but his voice is grating. There’s nothing to latch onto. I hate the creepy blurry photo on the cover too. It repels my interest on every level.

I didn't realize that Treasure was a synonym for steaming pile of 80's dogshit.

Someone please pull me out of this dream pop hole in the ground that I've been shoved into. I didn't like Cocteau Twins bullshit dream pop from the 80's yesterday, and I don't like it any better flashing forward 30 years into the '10's today. The album cover tells me absolutely nothing about the band, I hate that, and it's not even a good photo, it doesn't mesh with the actual album content in any way. Annoying. Pretentious tripe.

Powerhouse! The songwriting, the singing, the deeply vulnerable and raw expression of self, it's all here. Adele is the whole package. I'm not even a fan, but I can respect and appreciate the true artistry on display here. And at such a young age! She's just so damn impressive.

I've mentioned this before, but Talking Heads will always get a 5 star rating from me. David Byrne is a beautiful genius, a remarkably talented and rare shiny gem among musicians, and everything he touches turns to gold. I love this album end-to-end, it is flawless. It's rock 'n' roll, but also art pop and new wave proto-everything cool in all the best ways. I fucking love it.

As I've gotten older I've come to really love Neil Young and appreciate his talent. He writes beautiful songs. And when he sings in a soft, gentle way, his vocals stir up wistful feelings of nostalgia for a life I never lived. His music, especially the deeper cuts, evoke a delicate and exquisite ache of transcendence. You can close your eyes and momentarily leave your own place in time to go somewhere else spiritually. So few artists are capable of inciting that feeling in a listener. Neil does that for me, effortlessly.

Oh fuck yeah, Friday is starting off with a BANG! This album is a tour de force of glossy 80's stadium rock. I have so much affection for it, because I loved Def Leppard growing up. Their songs are fun and so sing-a-long-able (even though a lot of the time I struggled to decipher what was actually being said through the screeching and echoey vocals.) Case in point: Love Bites. All my life I have sung that one part as "it can't be love if you're throwing him out" and just learned today that it is actually "it can't be love if you throw it about" LOL. I still think my misheard lyrics work better here. Listening with lyrics on in Spotify is illuminating so many more misheard lyrics for me! Omg. Overall though, facts are facts. The drummer had one fucking arm and they made an album with 7 singles on it!!!! That is a stunning accomplishment and not many artists have done it. Def Leppard rules!

Oh Oh Oh Oh! Not a Björk listener, but loved this song and adore the way she sings those Ohs. This album is wacky and punky in such a fun way. I enjoyed it. I wish Björk had veered left into punk instead of going right to take the electronic exit.

Underrated gem, this album gives you moody but melodic songs with subdued indie charm long before it was ever a sought after commodity in music. Great listen.

Ever notice how bands named after places all have their BIG SONG that nets 15 minutes of fame/endless radio replay? And then everything else they do is just kinda... there? See for yourself: Europe = The Final Countdown Kansas = Dust In The Wind Chicago = Saturday in the Park Asia = Heat of the Moment Boston = More Than a Feeling To be fair, the first three tracks of this album are full blown classic rock in all its timeless glory. The rest, well, they had to make a full album of material so you get some more impassioned guitar noodling to pull you through to the end, but nothing that dares soar nearly so high as More Than a Feeling. Which is the transcendent track, it is a whole ass mood for a specific time and place and I'll always dig it. But overall, not worth going much further into this catalogue.

I am completely ambivalent about this. Rating 2 stars to avoid being too harshly dismissive of something I just couldn’t get it up for.

I hate listening to movie scores. Sorry, but it's everything I hate. Music attempting to be atmospheric for very specific moments between fictional characters with made up dramas, it all feels so very TRY HARD to elicit an exacting emotional reaction… I just don't get how people can listen to it without the visual accompaniment of the actual movie. This is also heavily electronic, so I hate it even more. It's not for me. Too pompous and lacking too much context for me to care about its entire tonal point.

Brilliant debut record. R.E.M. jumpstarted what we think of now as indie rock. They have a lot of cool underground alternative cred because of their weirdly divergent yet catchy/poppy music. You're listening to real artists, people daring to go against the grain and see where it takes them. R.E.M. has always been an act with substance, that keeps me guessing. I've always appreciated what I perceive to be their deliberate oddball confidence and willingness to deviate from convention but still be accessible and open. They never cultivated or courted exclusivity in a way that so many other acts just trying to be DIFFERENT did. They just are, and we're all cool with it. The music of those who strive to truly enjoy what they enjoy while totally unencumbered by material urges or cares. R.E.M. fucking rules!

Pure unadulterated genius. Quietly and secretly taking the time to construct a final masterpiece before an unexpected and unannounced departure is something only Bowie could pull off. And it is a masterpiece, no doubt about that. What a badass baller move, man. Fucking Bowie. Even in death he's an innovator far ahead of our time, the likes of which we'll never see again. A rare, perfect gem, that blazes (that's right, BLAZES, not shines) brighter than any other. Thank you.

Generic 60s hippie junk.

Torturous listen. Not a fan of Apple, but I do respect her. I just don’t want to listen to her.

Flipping through my uncle’s old records when I was a kid, I used to think this album was hardcore and way more metal because of the cover. But then we played it one day and it’s actually a super cornball melodramatic rock opera of sorts instead. Surprise! Meat Loaf can belt it out like no other, but this hasn’t aged very well thematically. Paradise by the Dashboard Light is the tired and clichéd old “ugh women amiright?” joke that is so played out now. There’s nothing remarkable here, but I can see why it appealed to so many people, classic rock staple and all that.

Do do do do do, doot doot, do do do do! These guys are good. Pleasant 60's rock, the harmonies are lush and give me a real heady high. 40 minutes flew by and before I knew it the album was over. That's a damn good feeling, just grooving the whole way through, not worrying about a thing. I looped it a few times throughout the day and just really dug it. This is a very well-rounded trio. I like me some Young in the mix too, but you can't go wrong with CSN.

This gives me strange reminiscences of Soul Coughing, if Soul Coughing had decided to go hip hop instead of jazz alternative. The packaging was concerning, I judged very harshly on first sight. But it's alright. Not a timeless classic, but of its time and socially conscious in an accessible way. Plus, there's a Fraser Crane soundbite! Into that.

Nope! Didn't like William Orbit the first time around, not into it this time either. Fuck off electronic shit.

Good shit. Janis had the voice of a chain-smoking demonic troll, and used it to wail her heart out in the best possible way. She was a treasure and I love listening to her.

Meh. Meh-adeth. Even that failed attempt at a pun sucks.

Generic af. I don’t even say af like the kids do, but it’s fitting here. These guys are just unspecial, watered down rum and coke when I ordered a Cuba Libre.

I know this is unkind and harsh to say, but they've always felt like the budget Talking Heads to me. (And I know they came first! But still... what they were trying to do, Talking Heads did a 1000x better.) I actually enjoyed this album, maybe it's because they made more of an attempt to be commercial here, but I found it to be a concisely paced and well-rounded outing for Roxy Music overall. I hate the album cover though. It feels like such a cop out, a sleazy attempt to be controversial and titillate, "oh we'll put gorgeous naked women on the cover because then we'll actually sell some records." You know, as opposed to trying to market themselves as a band. *eyeroll*

These are not the mutants I wanted, but they're the ones I got, and I'm sticking with 'em!

Right, okay, another massive attack of absolute shit. God I hate this. Boo! Boo! Hisssssss, boo! I think I've mentioned before that I hate electronic music, yes? Enough already, please. Jesus fucking christ, how many seminal electronic albums can there possibly be?!?! I'd like to change my order.

Not my thing, but I let it play through the whole way and wasn’t bothered by it. Nothing stuck though. I can’t remember a single song. And I hate this album name, it’s clunky and obnoxious.

Oh my fucking god, best Friday EVER!!!! It's a brilliant debut album. These crazy cool motherfuckers hit the scene and it was never the same again. There are incredibly deep layers of genius embedded in the irreverent simplicity of it all. The Ramones rule. I wanna be your glue-sniffing, sedated boyfriend, baby!

Fuck off, Pink Floyd wanker.

I adore Sam Cooke, always have. But I can’t understand why this particular album is on the list. The live recording does the musicians in his band no justice. Sam’s voice rings through pure and true, he sounds great and like he’s having so much fun. But the music and the bar and the crowd create such a distracting racket.

He looks so hot on the cover. Young, sexy Elvis singing with all his passion. Yum! Sign me up. Thematically, this album is giving me whiplash. There's some classic covers, sure. But then you've got tender love songs that Elvis emotes so touchingly followed by ruthless, you-can-get-the-fuck-out break up songs. It can be quite jarring as a listening experience. He broke so many rules to pave the way for true rock n roll. What it comes down to is two things: he looks good and I’d bang him.

Nothing about this seems like it'll be orgasmic. In fact, that title is downright off-putting. But you know what? It rocks harder than I thought it would. I was expecting some god awful electronic trip-hop crap, and it's not nearly as terrible as that. It's pretty cool. A pleasant surprise actually. I really dig this singer and the heavy rock on some tracks.

I mean… meh? I find it very confusing that the album title is Konnichiwa but then it’s full of very British rap. I like the album cover though.

What? Wtf does this album title even mean? This frigging sucks. And it's creepy. Get lost, Board of Canada, you're not representing our fine country appropriately and you're not even from here!!! This should be removed in favour of a Hip or BNL record.

Only 4 tracks and all of them are 12-14 minutes long. Uh oh. I’m suspicious. You know? I like this! It’s really jazzy and fun. I don’t have any context for understanding it, but I looped through it a few times and just really enjoyed it. Very cool record.

Not me soaking in the bath tub after a long stressful day crying to Willie Nelson now. Goddamn Willie, you’re a magnificent bastard. Can’t believe you got me flipping for a record of covers. Iconic. His voice is unmistakably pure and emotive. Classic and understated with remarkable confidence and grace too. I love it. Thanks for the letting me have all my feels today, Willie. You’re a bro.

Okay, so I love Bowie, I acknowledge his vast musical genius and all that, but I don’t blindly worship everything he does. This record is lukewarm at best. Just nothing about it grabbed my attention or surprised me. And Bowie has so many entries on this list already, is this one really necessary too? Really? I don’t think so. It’s a middling effort at 2010’s hipster rock with Bowie’s gigantic name attached. Meh.

Phenomenal listening experience. You get so much out of a tightly paced 39 minutes. Cool arty punk rock new wave rad badassery! It really does have it all. Definitely one for the record collection, you can pop this on and people will groove to it in any setting. And can we talk about Debbie Harry for a minute? Goddess! Unearthly treasure we do not deserve. She is the moment. She is the serve. The throaty raspy growl, my god, I'm in vocal heaven with her! This is an absolute knockout.

I came of age with late 80s/early 90s Aerosmith so for me this record lacks the special sauce that makes Aerosmith fun to listen to. But I understand a lot of purists think 70s Aerosmith is best because you get actual rock without all the affected bullshit airs being put on. Call me crazy, but I prefers the airs to be put on. Here you can see the gradual build up to what they’ll ultimately become. The upward trajectory is just starting to climb towards full-blown Steven Tyler screech singing glory. The singles rule, the rest is okay.

Ah yes, the double CD I filched from my older sister's room. Remember when you'd buy a double CD and it would come in a very clunky awkward case that didn't fit into the CD racks we bought to show off our impressive music collections? This was a crown jewel of that collection for sure, after I stole it from hers. She didn't have really cool taste, she just had this one to impress a boy she liked. I, on the other hand, listened to this album a lot. I really got into it in my college years. Billy is a difficult personality and his opinions are polarizing at best, but he's a tortured soul who writes beautiful music. I'm not a fan of overly long albums, but this just flows so perfectly throughout. It taps into something very melancholic and sad inside of me indeed. It's a cathartic listen but it also brings the alt rock intensity I crave too. Stellar work, an all-time great.

This is a most bizarre listening experience. It's like a child was let loose in the recording studio and said "look dad, I can make records too!" then proceeded to go HAM on all the instruments while shouting stream of consciousness lyrics into a mic. I like weird and oddball things, but I think this one is just a bit too far left of strange for my liking.

Top notch record end to end. Classic songs, killer riffs, and Paul is free to explore his musicality while leading his listeners on a delightful journey. I love it. I love Paul and George as solo acts so much more than in the Beatles. They get to be themselves without John oppressing their creativity. And they are powerfully creative and skilled musicians, nobody doubts it.

Jazz hands!! Ba ba ba BAAAA!

I was disappointed. The album cover immediately had me jonesing for some great undiscovered 70s funk. But then I saw the year 2017 and knew I was going to be left unsatisfied. It was listenable, sure. But why would you listen to it? Mediocrity abounds.

To the chicken shack! Oh wait, no. I don’t want to go there. No thank you.

Honestly, I am not in the mood today for music I don't recognize or know at all. I need some familiar favourites, some easy 5-star classics. I groaned, out loud and obnoxiously when I saw this album come up. I thought "Really? More unknown fucking crap that I don't give a shit about that I have to suffer through???" But I'm having a hard time right now, so I was being a judgemental bitch. I hate the band name, the album name, and the album cover. But, and it's a big BUT, the music was chill. It wasn't the awful ear assault I was expecting and I actually looped all the way through without batting an eye. I am pleased. Not impressed, but pleased for now.

Gloriously glorious! The best 70's post-punk sound, it hits the sweet spot in my eardrums just right. These guys are fucking cool and I dig 'em. People rag on punk bands for having no musicality, but Television is skillfully creative with their instruments and sound without being overbearing about it. Amazing album end to end.

My aunt had a Bonnie Raitt greatest hits CD I used to listen to a lot when I was babysitting my cousins. It calmed them down. I love her husky bluesy voice, she oozes authenticity and she’s a hell of a guitar player. And her lyrical content is uniquely vulnerable yet upbeat and tough. Quite a badass. Hail Bonnie.

You Can Call Me Al is a goddamn masterpiece, and the rest of this album slaps just as hard. 80s Paul Simon has so much BDE that you can’t help but get swept up in his strange little pop rock fantasy party.

No. Never been a Zappa fan. He’s a smart and innovative artist but I just don’t cotton to his ways. Go freak out over there, away from me.

Stevie always brings the good times, the funk, the emotions, the soul. You get a whole lot of mileage out of his records. This one isn’t his greatest in my opinion, but it’s pretty goddamn good.

All this time I had no idea China Girl had been recorded by Iggy first. I knew he had working history with Bowie, but I just didn't know the extent of it. I was already loving this album, but now I feel more rock educated and totally mind blown at the same time. Incredible artistry, love the musicianship here, and Iggy's thick dry vocals always do it for me. It's good shit.

I like this more than the other Harvey albums that have come up through this generator. It’s more aggressive and heavy, leaning into more rock instrumentation. I know that not all of these songs are to be interpreted autobiographically, but there’s very real vulnerabilities being expressed and explored here, which connects me to Harvey more than ever, and engages my listening. She’s an artist I’m aware of, but have always kept on my periphery and probably still will, but I like this better than her other offerings.

I didn’t understand a lick of this album, but I liked listening to it while I winged my eyeliner in anticipation of another shit workday full of monotonous zoom meetings.

Welcome to the house that harmonies built. I love the beautiful way Simon and Garfunkel's voices blend together, they truly are a dynamic pair. I can feel the thematic whiplash here though, the struggle Simon had songwriting is quite obvious. But the soft sweet singing and phenomenal instrumentation carry this album through all of that, so the tectonic lyrical and thematic shifts are forgiven. It's just such a nice record. Put it on to feel serene. Put it on to feel amused. Put it on to be entertained and delighted.

I could possibly like this if some of the tracks weren't so unnecessarily long. Sorry, but 6, 7, 8 minute long songs need to be as fucking radically awesome as Bohemian Rhapsody if you're going to ask for my ears. Lame ass hipster guitar noodling isn't gunna cut it. There's some okay stuff here. I don't hate it, but it hasn't made a lasting impression because it sounds like every American Indie record from the early-mid 2010's. I can't tell the sonic difference between this or whatever else came out at this time that I mostly ignored.

Bargain bin 80s junk.

I know Eno is this prolific musical genius who has innovated more in one day than most musicians could ever hope to throughout their entire career. But… I just don’t really enjoy this. There’s some pop rock sounds here that could be cool in the right setting. I just don’t care for it. Meh.

Ugh. Not this guy again. Two entries for this is group is overkill. I hate the deliberately goofy and artless way this album sounds.

Damn, the power of Stranger Things eh? Got such a huge second life that even RuPaul is using Running Up That Hill for lip-syncs on drag race now too. Good for you, Kate. Talented and under-appreciated artist finally getting her props and making some major coin. I actually love this album though. The music is bitching and offbeat in the coolest way. It's a wonderful thing to see an artist who is truly untethered and able to express themselves so freely in their music. Absolutely adore this album cover too, it's stunning. Kate is gorgeous, and I am feeling her lavender fantasy for real.

Omg, I'm in American Idol hopeful hell with these vocals. The lyrics are disturbingly dark but the gentle treatment they've been given doesn't help to serve their purpose. It’s boring and reeks of disingenuous posturing.

What.The.Fuck. I mean, they certainly tried, didn’t they?

This poor little songbird may be happy in her cage, but she isn't living up to her full potential. The entire album played through and started again without me ever realizing there had been separate and distinct tracks.

Relentless unadulterated heavy metal. You are on a punishing thrash ride from the first red-hot guitar lick all the way through ‘til the last.

I never got into these guys, and I’ve always found myself skipping their songs or changing the station to avoid them. That was just brazen naked prejudice on my part. Never liked their name because it sounded so immature and “try-hard” to be cool. I gave this entire album a full listen today and can confidently say I’ve been right this whole time. They SUCK! It was a bunch of infantile nonsense. There was one semi-decent riff that barely lasted long enough to give my ears a reprieve from all the asinine stupidity emanating from this “record”. The book and its cover were appropriately judged and dismissed a long time ago.

Barely tolerable mediocre nothing rock.

Oh no, not this sexual harassing piece of shit again. Not on my watch! Fuck you, Ryan Adams. Justice for Liz Phair and Mandy Moore. I’m going to listen to their music today instead. I hope your dick rots and falls off.

I already know what this is all about, and it's just not my thing. Not a big fan of Zappa's sound. I've mentioned before, on the last MOI record that I was assigned not so long ago, that while I can appreciate his unique POV and bold willingness to experiment, I just don't like the way the music sounds. It's not my bag, baby. Simple as that.

I couldn’t possibly be more bored listening to this uninspired drivel.

It vacillates from juvenile white boy breakup musings poorly masquerading as poignant indie lyricism to juvenile white boy wannabe Beck manufactured weirdness that tries way too hard. I already dated this loser in college, I don't need to hear his crappy album now years later.

Aptly named, it isn’t really much of anything except utterly and completely boring.

I’m exhausted by the relentless stream of crap records I’ve been assigned lately. I just want some good music, please. PLEASE. But then I get more 90s English electronic junk… *exasperated sigh*. After 20+ records exactly like this one you’re telling me we still haven’t plumbed the unlistenable depths of that genre yet? Jesus.Fucking.Christ. Enough already!

Rod Stewart singing a bunch of covers? Really? We all need to hear this before we die? I mean, COME ON! I don't need to hear the demo tape he was desperately peddling to try and get a record deal. I have no beef with Rod, and I like his raspy vocals, so I can sit through it. But this one makes me seriously question the integrity of this list and its list makers. Bad judgement call here.

Ugh, Pete Doherty has got to be one of the all-time most revolting humans on the planet. I feel like I need 6 weeks in rehab just from looking at him. And he's a talentless hack to boot. I don't know much of his music, but I'm not hearing anything special here. I'm more well-acquainted with his train-wreck of a relationship with another disgusting human being, Kate Moss. They're both foul and they deserved each other. Weak sauce.

Okay, so she's got a good voice and all, but this does nothing for me and I don't have the appropriate cultural contextual background to understand it's significance. Overall, it's fine, but I'm completely disinterested in it as a musical offering.

Generally don't care for live albums, but I wanna be part of the solution, man!! Fuck yeah!!!

No no no. I need something way less pious than this today.

I was vibing with the tribe today, it’s alright. Not my genre, not something I would seek out. But it was chillin’.

Dusty does her thing. I’ve heard her thing many many times, and it’s a good sounding thing, of course. But it’s just not my favourite thing.

I was going to completely dismiss this as unformed drivel on first listen, with the exception of Maybe I'm Amazed, which we all know and accept for the masterpiece that it is. But on second listen I started to enjoy it a bit more. Third listen was pleasant too. I do still think there are a lot of raw, unformed ideas here that haven't been fully realized. The odd Elvis like affectation of the phrase "mama" as a term of endearment is still a bizarre choice to me. It's been peppered into a few tracks and I have to wonder what that's all about. Is he emulating Elvis? Mocking him? I'm not quite sure. But it's not a colour that suits McCartney. It is a listenable and enjoyable album. But is it impactful? No.

Phenomenal debut album. Nobody brings you the down home comfort tunes that seamlessly vacillate from joyfully kitschy to powerfully emotional like The Band does. Every song immerses the listener deep in their world of eclectic characters, sorrowful tales, and countryfied catechisms. Sometimes it's like you're chewing the fat with Old Jim down the road and other times you're being taken to church. It's a truly unique listening experience. They have the gift of irreverent profundity and I am forever awed by it. Naturally talented musicians who don't even have to try, they just open up their hearts, strum their guitars, and welcome you in.

The vocals and the music are pleasing. But the overall tone is too sleepy throughout, it never picks up or gives me something to latch onto. I need to rock, I like to groove, I wanna funk shit up. This record meets 0/3 of my essential listening needs. But I do still appreciate the new path they forged with this bizarre country-alt fusion that nobody was asking for at the time.

"No Juliana next to my Evan" This is arguably the most 90's alt rock record of all the 90's alt rock records ever recorded. Other possible contenders being Weezer - Blue album, Counting Crows - August and Everything After, and Letters to Cleo - Aurora Gory Alice. It's just a stunning perfect masterpiece of exactly what it is - disaffected outcast youth expressing its apathetic and oftentimes wry or self-deprecating views on life, love, and all that bullshit you have to endure when finding oneself.

Damn, talk about a u-turn! I've got a bad case of sonic whiplash going from The Lemonheads yesterday to this today. I'm sure this record is revered for a reason but all these fucking bongos and congas are doing my head in. It just sounds like a noisy construction site. Not for me.

What a horribly bizarre album cover. Was the budget that low? Was the art director’s day job bussing tables? They went for a swanky lobster dinner one time and thought “take a photo, this is the life!” And then somehow decided this photo that makes the guys look like dorky tourist dads was fitting to sell a punk record? It is so not punk. Everything about it is so disjointed and jarring. There’s no cohesion with the genre, I can’t stand it. The music on the other hand, if you can get past this abomination of an album cover, is decent. Juvenile at times, but punk often is. It’s fine. I just don’t understand how they ever expected to sell a single record with that album cover. It’s absurd.

“I look like Moby Grape”. I thought that was just a funny self-deprecating one liner in Angus, did not know there was an actual band going by this name some 20+ years before that movie came out. It’s groovy hippie rock. I’ve been on a big Grateful Dead bender lately, so I’m digging this. Probably won’t seek it out again, but won’t skip tracks when they come up in my Spotify generated playlists because of this listen tossing them into the algorithmic mix. Hippies gotta hip, man, and I’m cool with it.

Oh god, I hate Pink Floyd. Please let this be the last of them from the generator.

Oh man, would you look at that? A huge pile of dogshit and I just stepped right in it! And I'm wearing my brand new chucks too. That sucks. Maybe there's a Ryan Adams album nearby I can wipe my feet on.

I’m not interested in weird space juice today. Spotify only has the reissued double album of this crap. I hate that. I need to hear the originally released recording, it’s a much more palatable ask. If I’ve never heard of you or your band, I’m not listening to 2 hours of it.

Ladies and gentlemen, performing for you tonight, it's Lady Styx!!! Even though this band is full of men, it's somehow the lady version of Styx. That's just what it sounds like *shrug*. They're growers not showers so it may take you a few listens to settle in and acclimate to the frenetic glam rock assault you're about to experience. Enjoy the show!

For 90s rap rock fusion I typically turned to Rage Against The Machine or Sublime. I never went into the hip hop influenced vein of that particular niche. But I had a good time with these guys this morning. Running around robbing banks all whacked off of Scooby Snacks is a mood I could fuck with today. Also did not expect to hear impassioned pleas for freeing John Gotti but I rolled with it lol.

This album encapsulates a very specific moment in time for me. It was an introduction to a whole new era of English aughts rock. I prefer AM to this one though, because the singles are stronger and more darkly suggestive. But I sure rocked the fuck out of that looking good on the dance floor song for a hot moment, don’t you ever doubt it.

It’s brilliant. Concept, music, lyrics, cover image for the album. I know a lot of people feel Elvis Costello is over represented on this list, and maybe he is, but I just love his whole schtick and I’ll take it any way I can get it. I love the brazen oddball-ity of him, I love the witty turns of phrase in his lyrics, I even love his strangely cloying and affected but endearing vocals. And this is peak Costello. If you need to zero in on his most accomplished moments, this would be the high watermark of his career. This and My Aim is True are perfect summations of him as an artist and creative entity. Love love love. Fuck yeah.

"she's busy sucking on my ding-dong". I ask you, has a more poignant lyric ever been written? Though I love Lou Reed so very much, I do think +17 minutes for a track is way too self-indulgent. Otherwise, you're getting exactly what you'd expect from VU, skewed very far left of avant-garde and a hop/skip off the path of experimentation into full blown mad science territory. It’s oddly hypnotic and shouldn’t work but somehow it does.

Keep your sex packets to yourself. One lame ass one-hit wonder from the 90's does not an iconic album make. Although they do name drop Burger King and that amuses me, so I'll be kinder with my star rating. But this album really isn't anything special.

I thought Brits were immune or allergic to boy bands? Sounds like the British pop version of Color Me Badd. It's harmless and unimpactful. Every single track sounds exactly the same; there's no tonal, lyrical or sonic variety to be found here. If the year of release was 2023 I'd assume this whole album was written and performed by ChatGPT. It should probably just stay in the $1 records value bin where it belongs.

These guys sound like they are living that Beyond Thunderdome life and gigging it up hard. The more I listen, the more I like.

Excuse me, my weird aunt got me this album for Christmas. Can I please exchange it for something cool instead? Like, Village People or Kool & The Gang? I'd even take a Boney M if you've got it. Please, help me out man!

Meh to the 10th power of meh. At least she actually writes a lot of her own songs unlike her sister.

Respect Boy George for being so unapologetically himself and giving representation to queer non-binary weirdos who defied societal norms by daring to be themselves at a time when the world wasn’t very kind about that. He does have a lovely voice too. Karma Chameleon is a song I’ve always enjoyed. But the rest of this album is underwhelming filler at best.

Monotonous hippie junk.

The singles slap, but the rest is uninspired formulaic 90s alt rock. I would never say that this is a talented or remarkable group. They got lucky with a few decent songs, that’s all.

Damn, Amy read some poor bitch to filth in that fuck me pumps song! Didn’t recognize any of these songs, and am not a regular Winehouse listener generally, but I do appreciate her uniquely acerbic lyricism and soulful voice. She had the guts to express herself however she wanted through her music and has a Joplinesque quality to her singing, personality, and lifestyle that made her highly marketable and sought after. She may have been a deeply tortured soul in life, but in music she is fierce and fabulous.

It’s fine. But I prefer the music Jack makes with The White Stripes.

Me and Julio is a great song. I generally enjoy Paul Simon, but this album is a lot sleepier than I’d hoped for. I like it better when he’s more melodic and upbeat.

Easily the most generic of all the classic dad rock that was ever created. Reelin’ in the Years I like, but I do skip it sometimes because it’s been so overplayed by classic rock radio. Do It Again has always bored me as a song, its catchy in an annoying “why is this so catchy?” kind of way. I like this bizarre album cover art a lot more than the actual record itself. This surreal gummy worm penis thing would excite Dalí to no end.

Of all the electronic, arty farty 2000’s indie rock I’ve listened to so far, this is the least offensive. It actually borders on enjoyable some of the time. The track Someone Great reminds me of a friend who played it constantly for a while in 2012. I didn’t hate this but I didn’t swoon over it either like I remember so many people did. It’s fine, it has its place. But I’m not going to seek it out.

I don't hear anything that makes this album distinct or innovative comparatively to Toys in the Attic, which is already on the list. Back in the Saddle is a bitchin' opener, sure. But Aerosmith isn't exactly known for being poetically, lyrically, or musically significant in any real way. They're just a bunch of hard partying dudes having a good time and making mediocre music in the process. It's fine, but it's not special. 90's revival/sellout Aerosmith at least gave us some iconic music videos.

Boring and it sucks.

Hail satan, listen to Sabbath! The riffs are revolutionary and the rock is unquestionably badass.

Killing Me Softly is an iconic cover, one of the best that’s ever been done. The beats are tight, Lauryn Hill is a goddess, and the album cover is perfection.

I have to take a moment here to gripe yet again about how fucking stupid it is that Spotify doesn't have the originally released version to listen to. I HATE that I'm always stuck with these remastered versions or expanded editions. I don't want all this extra shit. I want to hear the album as it was originally released and originally intended to be heard. FUCK SAKES!!! Why won't they give listeners that option?!? Anyways... this album is a masterpiece, everyone knows it. This is the pinnacle album of Depeche Mode's career, the high watermark of their artistic output if you will. This is as good as synth pop ever gets or will ever be. Personal Jesus is still the standout track, it hits every time I hear it.

Soulful and socially conscious, this album is full of joyful music Trojan Horsing a not so subtle plea for equality, peace, and racial harmony. It’s a cool stylish way of delivering an impactful message.

Zeus: Are the wickedest queens always the comeliest? Hercules: Usually I mean, talk about an asinine personality and attitude wrapped in sexy packaging. Morrissey is so yummy on this album cover, looking like a real snack. But then he lives to instigate bullshit and it’s just so immature and painful to watch. I love and appreciate his immense lyrical talent, and I feel like I could empathize with him, but then I read quotes of the things he’s said and I’m repulsed by his wretched insistent cuntiness. The heart wants what it wants though, and ultimately, mine wants witty, wry and darkly humorous lyrics, something Morrissey always delivers.

I'm gunna tell you a little story about unheard of 90s hip hop duo Gang Starr: NO. I'm so disinterested in this on every level, it’s 18 tracks of inane mediocrity that I do not need right now.

More like Boring, Boring & Boring if you ask me. I've heard a few of these songs thousands of times on the radio and they never made me want to delve deeper into the band's catalogue. It's just basic rock/jazz fodder for the classic rock machine.

Well that’ll wake you the fuck up, damn. I don’t think my speakers were ready for such aggressively loud satanism at 8:30am on a Wednesday. But, I'm into it. I don't care for the first track, the controversial one, Angel of Death. The Nazi fetishism to court public outcry and backlash feels a bit too desperate and too deliberate to be taken as actual artistic expression. Other than that, you've got a classic thrash metal album that checks all the right boxes: searing guitars, annihilating drums, and breakneck furious pacing.

I... I wish I was cultured enough to can. But unfortunately, I cannot. I am an uncultured swine who cannot discern anything other than competently played piano. I'm going back to Slayer.

Yesssssssss! Oh thank you Bryan Christ, you heard my prayers begging for a kickass album to jumpstart my sad sad heart. And you delivered the baddest, most motherfucking funky sexy cool album possible. Oh thank you thank you thank you! I needed this one. Virtuoso masterpiece! Brilliant dazzling genius flows directly through this music! All-time greatest movie soundtrack! Artistry unchained, taking us to dizzying new heights of glory! All courtesy of the Purple One, the only modern deity I worship. Truly a gift.

I’m blown away. I already knew and accepted Brian Wilson as a precious musical genius unlike any other, but as a lyrics first listener I’m finding so much previously discovered poignancy and magic here. I’ve never heard this album before, and the idea of socially conscious Beach Boys had me worried I’d be experiencing some bizarre cognizant dissonance with it, but instead I am utterly surprised and delighted! I love this sound, I love the lyricism, and I love this point of view for the Beach Boys. It suits them and they wear it well. I’m in awe. This is an amazing fucking album and an instant new favourite for me. Very well done, laser focused execution, and the album cover is breathtaking too. High point for them in my books, and a crown jewel of their discography for sure.

Shoegaze just doesn't do it for me. There's no momentum. There’s too much sad boi apathy and I find myself bored by it. I do understand it's place and how it evolved; I can appreciate the divergent nature of it, and this record is certainly the highest form of shoegaze, the most revered and quintessential album belonging to this genre. Respect and all that, but I still come back to the fact that it does nothing for me sonically. Stirs no passion, inspires no excitement. Middle of the road neutral rating.

So boring. It’s inoffensive innocuous soft rock. I’ve heard the singles many many times on classic rock radio and I’ve never felt compelled to go deeper. Granted, Rundgren does address the issue of his boring formulaic music with his next album, A Wizard A True Star, but I didn’t exactly love that either. It’s fine, this album is just fine. But it’s also cursed now because it features prominently in the first few episodes of And Just Like That, the worst show on television. I won’t take points off for that, but I just can’t think of a worse way for it to try and drive some substantial new royalties from. That show is so not the right fit for it. And it’s not going to get the same renewed interest that Kate Bush got from its genius use in Stranger Things. Sorry Todd, you’re just too basic.

Rattus crapus.

This is my 5th Cohen album assigned by the generator, and I believe it'll be the last. It really should be, I'm running out of things to say about Canada's songwriting poet and his prolific body of work. Part of me does wonder though, 5 albums is a lot, probably too many. I think we could have freed up at least 3 more spots for other incredible Canadian artists to be showcased and appreciated. The Tragically Hip, like hello! The songwriting is as rich and pithy as ever it was, and Cohen's younger voice drawls in a pleasingly maudlin way. It's what I expect from him. I do like an older, gruff and gravelly vocal from him slightly more, you know, the music from the later part of his career, but that's just a personal preference. Overall, it’s another fantastic album from Cohen’s vast catalogue.

What a blast! From the iconic opening track all the way through to the equally iconic closer, this album is just such a treat. You get jazzy funky fun Bowie, crooning emotional weirdo Bowie, smouldering intensity soul Bowie, and boldly venturing into R&B Bowie too! It's an ever shifting sonic kaleidoscope of tones, moods, and styles that blend together with effortless cool. It's about as buttery as Bowie ever gets; we need a biscuit to sop him up! The perfect album for a night owl summer cruise on a hot sticky night with the windows down and nobody else on the road.

Weirdly soft and delicate, yet bold and uniquely its own. Sufjan Stevens gives you a musically intricate portrayal of his Illinoisian experiences. I heard he was going to do one album like this for every state, seems he bailed on that alleged mission real quick. Perfect album cover for Illinois. A postcard from the edge of indie darling sanity.

It’s just very in its lane, classically executed punk rock. Good vibes, I liked. I appreciated the straightforwardness of it. Familiar with Fugazi already, but they haven’t rewritten the book for me or anything like that. You just get exactly what you paid for from them.

It’s a cute little jazz piano moment, but not a life changer for me.

Just because a lot of well-known artists were paid homage or contributed to this album is weak ass reason include it. Ute has a great voice, sure. But my god the whole tone of this "record" is off-putting. Is it the culled together dregs of a dreadful musical that never made it to production? Is it some sort of cabaret pop fusion I'm just not jiving with? What is this?? I don't even think it knows what it was trying to be. Better left to the rubbish bins and $1 record crates.

Surreal and wild as he ever was, Waits does what Waits does here. Talk about someone accessing their true creative core and channelling it into the world without any distillation or sugarcoating. Waits isn't someone burdened by the shackles of what others think or commercial appeal, he just sends his art out into the world and come what may. I wouldn't call myself a fan, but it is nice just knowing that he exists. I have the utmost respect for the method to his madness and the truly one-of-a-kind artistry of him.

I have so much fondness for Curtis Mayfield. He's truly underrated and not lauded nearly enough for his funky cool creative genius. He's the kind of artist I mention in passing that people shrug off in a "I don't know him" way that is so unfortunate to see because he's a treasure trove of emotive funk soul and OG R&B music with a deeper message. And that album cover! It perfectly conveys how artificial and ethically bankrupt the "American Dream" actually is and says so much about the disenfranchisement experienced by Black Americans. Whitey is thriving and doing so off the backs of hardworking immigrants and minorities struggling to eek out a base level existence, ah yes, that American Dream! What a wonder it is!

You get exactly what you'd expect from Sonic Youth's first album released through a major record label. Their signature blend of sardonic apathy and too cool for everyone and everything dissenting attitudes buffed and polished with a little extra spit shine from the label. Kool Thing is the iconic single that even the uninitiated recognize as the band's sonic thumbprint in the annals of music history. It's a good album. Kool cover art. But I like Daydream Nation more.

What is left to say about Björk after the other albums of hers that I've already reviewed? She's a nutcase weirdo marching to the beat of her own drum and I respect that. But I don't like her style of music. Electronic experimental bullshit isn't my bag, baby. And now she's serving pure human vocal a cappella this time? I mean, c'mon. I'm so disinterested in this and it's just not working for me. Nothing about this album has changed my overall opinion of Björk. It's cool that she exists and does what she does, but it's not for me.

Asinine, infantile crap that should not be revered in any way. Harmful to developing prepubescent and teen male psyches at a time when they needed to be shown better examples of non-toxic masculinity. And the guy is an absolute fucking idiot to boot. Not supporting it.

Okay, let's be real here. I like the Cos, I've already been on record a few times for this project saying so. He's a quirky oddball weirdo who puts together lyrically campy and musically intricate songs that I can vibe with. BUT, it's getting to be overkill with his record inclusions now. My Aim Is True, This Year's Model, and Brutal Youth are really all the Costello this list needs. Anything else is just list-maker bias/overkill. He doesn't really offer anything too different or nuanced with each outing, just more of his same schtick. To be clear, it's a schtick I like very much. But I do think this spot could have been opened up for another artist easily enough.

Bruh, you're not Neil Diamond and you never will be.

I don't even need to listen to this, I already hate it. And I don't need to go through the day with My Name Is stuck in my head. Granted, this album was huge and it ushered in a whole new era of white boy stupidity in the late 90's. Let’s be clear though, that was not a positive contribution to society by any stretch. I hated it then and I still hate it now. And Eminem is a garbage human being who can fuck off. He doesn't get any royalties from me. Not today, Satan!

A friend of mine saw Paul Simon in concert a number of years ago. When I asked him how it was, he said it was a great show. But there was one part in particular that had a profound impact on him. When Paul Simon played “Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War” a song my friend had admittedly never heard before, he said he cried. He said he had an incredible personal revelation about life, love, and humanity after hearing it. Having never heard that song before myself, I was curious and gave it a listen. And while I didn’t have the benefit of hearing Paul Simon perform it live, I did marvel at his poetry and the beauty of the song. No similarly affecting personal revelations or tears for me upon listening. But I love that story, and I love my friend. And this is why songwriters like Paul Simon exist, to inspire and inflame passions with their craft.

Meh, it’s not for me.

I like late 80's Aerosmith with the high commercial appeal gloss lacquered all over their music and image. They might be a bunch of lame ass geezers writing cheesy cornball songs, but they're fun. I can't deny that I have fun listening to them. And Joe Perry is absolute sex on wheels, so yeah... the thirst for Joe is also pumping up this score.

I said what I said about Tom Waits already, twice before. It’s getting tiresome repeating myself. This is the best album cover of his by far, this photo with the title and font is perfection. Dark ruminations here, it’s a very philosophically intense album, but he needed to let that all out. I hope he feels better now.

Oh god, these nerds again but now with extra nerd flavour! It's still gunna be a no for me, dawg.

Fuck yeah!!!!!! I was raised by a redneck mother who insisted that country music was the only kind of music worth listening to. I immediately rebelled against all her hurdy-durdy twangy cowpoke tunes by indoctrinating myself with every possible iteration of cock rock that exists. Van Halen, Guns 'n' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and AC/DC became deities whom I worshipped in my early teen years. That paved the way to full blown 80's obsession, with a fun and funky detour into new wave art rock which eventually led to the grunge/alt rock/riot grrl summit where I found my sonic joy and forged my own true musical identity. Even though this music is rife with horrific misogyny and the constant predatory objectification of women (which I do not support), the balls to the wall spirit of loud aggressive dissent is what resonates with me most. Hail Satan, and Fuck country music! If I could come back as a drinking, snorting, fucking cock rock legend in my next life I would. And we haven't even touched on the most amazing part, this album is a resurrection! Probably the greatest rock 'n' roll resurrection of all time after a front man dies. Bon Scott partied 'til the fucking wheels fell off and Brian Johnson took up the mantle to usher these boys into a new era, a better era arguably, that cemented their legendary rocker status for all of time. I will also add that my dad was cool as fuck and he believed in ROCK. AC/DC was one of his all-time favourite bands. He passed away in June this year, and what would have been his 67th birthday on July 15th this past weekend was a very sad day. I'm still shattered by his passing. He burned brightly just like these lads, and burned out way too fast. When he was ill, I listened to this album on many of my drives to visit with him. For energy. That's what he always said AC/DC represented to him: powerful gut-punching energy. I'll love and miss my dad until the end of time and I'll forever think of him whenever I hear AC/DC. I hope he's able to grab a bowl of cottage pie and down a stiff scotch with Bon in his hereafter. I love you dad.

I mean, Paper Planes had its moment in the spotlight, but is anything else here really worth listening to? I don't think so. A singular one-hit wonder from the late aughts does not an iconic album make. Sorry, but bitch, you basic. Oh gosh, got into some googling and I see it's also M.I.A.s birthday today. What a horrible old witch I am to give her a bad review on her birthday LOL. Oh well, I said what I said and I listened thoroughly. I think her 15 minutes of fame were up a long time ago and this doesn't make a lasting cultural impression on me. *shrug*

Goddamned stone cold masterpiece and definitive album of the Beastie discography. A very important moment of maturity and growth for the Beasties where they shed the fronting frat boy nonsense that was very harmful to women. What an incredible thing for these guys to do, to own their mistakes and change their behaviour for the better. Amazing role models, setting a killer example for future generations of men on how to be secure in yourself and your masculinity without any toxicity. Bravo! And you know, these guys are just having fun being themselves. It’s such a joy to be a passive participant in it all. MCA forever, rest in power cool dude.

Props to Jimi for giving us the most perfect version of Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower. And for shredding the absolute fuck out of his guitar in the most radical way. He’s just not my rock deity of choice. He’s a cool cat, I dig his sound, but I never seek it out.

This has been the worst year of my life. Every Day I Have The Blues is the most apt sentiment to describe the way it feels. Legendary.

As I was starting this album up my husband asked “who’ve you got today?” And I replied, “I think you’ll be able to guess. If not by the first track then definitely by the second.” Partway through the first track he said, “I know who it is but I’m blanking on the name.” I wasn’t giving any clues. Then he said “it’s Beverly Hills Bathroom right?” And then we both laughed and laughed forever because yes, that’s exactly who it is. But I digress. Overall, it’s a very bland album aside from Freedom 90, the supernova massive banger that we all know whether we’re fans of Mr. Beverly Hills Bathroom or not. I fucking love that song. But one banger doesn’t make the rest of this tripe engaging or listenable.

There’s a soft spot in my heart for Guided By Voices because of Blimps Go 90. A friend put that song on a bitchin’ mixed CD for me many years ago and it turned me on to this wonderful band. I dig it.

Meh. More like the Lexicon of tired 80s gimmick pop.

Easy down the trail, pardner.

It’s a beautiful, hot summer day and I am on vacation right now. I want to be in the sun, living large, chasing dreams! I don’t want to be sad and gothic. I like and appreciate The Cure, but this is not the vibe for today, it’s not meshing with my mood. No no. Too dark and depressive for my spirit to take right now. It’s more of a Cure greatest hits situation over here instead.

I love The Smiths and I like Morrissey’s voice, songwriting, and sad melodramatic shtick. But this is not his best outing. I don’t think this is a fitting selection for the list, even though it is of my tastes.

Ah yes, the oft spoken of blues roots of The Rolling Stones that I have genuinely never heard before. It’s fine, but I prefer their more commercially appalling rock bangers myself.

Basic bitchery of the early aughts.

Nah bro. I’ve done my electronica DJ bullshit time already. No more. This is weak, weird crap that I don’t like.

This should be something that I really love based on all my other musical tastes, 90's alt rock is my sweet spot after all. But I've just never really been into Pavement. I don't know, it's just lacking that something special that makes it standout to me. It was fine to listen to all the way through, but nothing struck me as exciting or fun. It was just kind of blandly there. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It's a perfect neutral.

The album cover is cool as fuck. Right on, crab man, you get yours! But I hate this music. It sucks so much. Rating a bit more kindly for mr. cool crab.

This is a gorgeous and lush album. I’m quite familiar with Talk Talk’s heavily synth reliant pop hits, but this is a surprising and honestly very pleasing shift in their sound. I listened to it play through several times throughout the day and it got progressively more enjoyable with each listen. The album cover is stunning too, putting the art in cover art for real. A truly compelling album in a multitude of ways.

To quote the immortal Thorgy Thor: “Ugh, Jesus. Gross.”

Oh Jesus, now it’s Irish indie pop on a Friday, like damn dude. This project has my total commitment but I’m truly feeling let down by the horrendously disproportionate ratio of hundreds of nonsense non-special records to the very few and far between actual legit epic bangers. Something truly worthy next please?? Please!

I mean, whatever, man.

The special sauce is just ketchup and mayo mixed together.

This debut is struggling to communicate one cohesive identity to the listener. Good thing his team figured out that he just needed to take his shirt off and make a thirst trap music video for the next record, otherwise he’d be lost in the shuffle and have contributed nothing whatsoever to the pop culture zeitgeist.

At first glance this looks like some 80's new age hippie sleep meditation album used in daycares to make children take their naps. This will do me no favours on the first workday back after a long weekend if that's the case. I need motivation, not shleep right now. But you know, it actually brings a lot more uptempo groovy vibes that I expected. This Robert Wyatt character is a special kind of weirdo. Good for him.

The album artwork is so offensively bad that this record can't possibly be good. Yes, I am correct. This fucking sucks. It never stood a chance.

Hmmm. 2010s French K.D. Lang vibes? Not for me.

I mean, they do their thing. But I’m not into it. I should be, it fits my sensibilities on paper. It’s just not for me. It’s not. I’ve always thought they were very meh and this hasn’t changed my mind one bit.

Yeah, man. Just yeah. Gimme all the generic white dude 70s rock. I’ve been in such a rut with this project, but this could be an uptick. It’s a bit too long, too many noodling tracks at the end, but it’s Saturday so whatever. You go, Stills, you go.

There are just too many different ideas here. Lyrically, it’s a lot. I don’t think I have the mental fortitude today to grapple with this one and go to those philosophical places that it’s urging me to. I don’t know, something about it is just inaccessible to me, there’s no joy here.

Troubadour! Chillin' with some Gilmore Girls! They plucked him from complete obscurity and gave him a humble space in Stars Hollow to occupy with his musical noodling and musings. It feels like a value bin CD from Walmart that I might have been able to get into in the 90's. But I'm too old now for this formulaic and manufactured "poignancy" to strike the desired chord with.

Album #700 for me! Holy shit! It's funny this one is coming up today as I was just chatting with my two sisters yesterday about how we need to be a unanimous united front to take down the wicked evil trying to oppress us right now. Feels like some sort of divine intervention or message from the music gods that my assertions are correct - "The Power of Three will set us free!" Also, Linda Ronstadt's hair and outfit is EVERYTHING on this cover. Major cowgirl serve right now, I am feelin' the fantasy!

I mean, obviously this is an easy 5 star record, if not for Like A Rolling Stone alone. That is possibly the greatest song written in the 20th Century. Lot of good contenders in that category, but Bob in his heyday really knew how to write about and speak to the human condition like no other. This whole album is effortlessly masterful but it's also a hell of a lot of fun! Bob's voice is perfection, his delivery is still folksy, yet rock infused in all the right ways. And I'm giving him props for his surly motherfucker attitude on the cover, too! Makes me laugh. This cantankerous looking little hipster so full of wisdom and soul, but ready to wield an acid tongue against any and all poser/scenester buffoonery. He's the GOAT for a reason. Love you, Bob!

Dennis Reynolds loves him some Genius of Love, and I love me some Mariah Carey singing sweet sweet Fantasy baby to this beat!

I mean, I was expecting a hell of a lot more witches. Meh.

Gross. Roommate was obsessed with this band and this album for all of the fall semester in 2008 and it was so overplayed in our house. I fucking hate Kings of Leon.

It’s tango, okay, sure. It’s not making me feel the happy tingly things I expect from the tango though. More bland than sultry, so it’s a bit of a letdown.

Kinda hard to review something I can’t hear. I’m gunna go out on a limb and say based on the summary, I wouldn’t have liked this.

I know Kraftwerk are revered innovators of their genre, but I just don’t fucking like it. I can say that this is not for me, with confidence, because I’ll just never get into it. I do not want. Very cool album artwork though.

Oh fuck yeah!!!!! I love Tom Petty. This album is a debut that definitely feels like a debut, but I love Tom so much that everything he does is phenomenal to me. Listening to him gives my soul the sustenance it craves. I love his songwriting, I love his incredibly distinct nasal twang, and I fucking dig his guitar playing. And American Girl is one of my all-time most favourite songs ever written; it's my go-to karaoke number, it's the best song to belt out in the car when you're cruisin' along by yourself trying to escape the doldrums of life, it's everything. I love you, Tom! I was so incredibly sad the day I heard about his passing. He's an absolute gem and I wish I'd had the chance to see him live.

Let the good times roll, indeed! Another one of my all-time personal favourite albums. I fucking love The Cars and they are so underrated in my circles. This album is fun! But it’s also poetic and profound in its own special way. My god, Moving in Stereo is such a cool and innovative song, it fucking rules. You get good time party songs, a few deep reflective moments, and some awesome new wave vibes. The Cars only get better with each successive album, but they do an impressive job introducing themselves to the listener with this one.

I should like this, but I don’t. The overly ambitious concept and bloated track lengths make it quite a chore to get through. I appreciate the genre and the band’s contribution to the scene at the time, but I think there are much better albums in this vein that I prefer listening to instead.

Nope! I thought I’d gotten the end of shitty electronic music purgatory with this project but apparently not. This sucks and I hate it.

This always bears repeating: if you have ugly or off putting album artwork I will not buy your album. And I will judge your music much more harshly because of it. This is shitty psych/prog noodling that nobody wanted. There’s a reason they aren’t part of the pantheon of all-time great classic rock acts. Their shit doesn’t resonate so it has become obscure instead of fondly reminiscent of a different time. Begone! Back to the bottom of the value bin stack with you, King Crimson!

Okay, c’mon! Three fucking Dexys Midnight Runners albums on this list?!? That is too much!! They have 1 exceptional one hit wonder and the rest is pure shite. We’ve discussed this already, topic fucking closed now alright!

Ugh. Do not want.

Honestly, it’s gunna be another no from me dawg. I guess Ho Tales is the vibe they were going for with this title, but making fancy or somehow less crass? Girlfriend looks cute in her outfit on the cover, but this music does nothing for me. Not the worst, but a far far cry from the best, that’s for sure.

Not my bag, baby. Just not my bag. I gave it a chance and then when it got to the track Deeez Nuuuts I knew I couldn't listen to a minute more of this absurdly infantile yet crass and misogynistic crap. Truly, look at the lyrics to that track. Cringe! This has not aged well and probably shouldn't have been recorded in the first place.

Eeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooo! Love this album to set the tone on a Friday going into a long weekend! I dig the Police, something about their whole sound and vibe is hypnotically listenable. Is this the best they've ever been? Probably not. Is this the most groundbreaking record of their career? Definitely not. But it's fun and I like it. Nice break from the tremendous run of crappy albums I've had lately.

The Valley called and I sent it straight to voicemail. Boring, boring album.

The authors of this book do not understand how to select records for Canada. Like, yeah, Joni is a big deal. But you already have Blue in the mix. This is nowhere near as noteworthy. Sorry, but this shouldn’t be an inclusion, the spot should have gone to another worthy act from The Great White North. I’ll say it again and again until this list gets some goddamn Tragically Hip!!

Floored by the blatantly immature and ridiculous album title and cover artwork. Seriously, this is such a pathetically bad attempt at some kind of innuendo. I can’t believe actual music business professionals shipped this. And honestly, you’re gunna tell me the Limp Bizkit album that doesn’t have Nookie or Break Stuff on it is the one worth a damn? Fuck off.

Bob is always a chill time, good listen. Is this his best? No. But am I mad about that? No, absolutely not. Can find contentment here very easily.

Jesus Christ. As I just said a few albums back, there are other Canadian artists worth featuring on this list. Not every single album in Joni Mitchell’s oeuvre needs to be included. This one was a big commercial success, but I think Blue is the definitive work that sums her up perfectly. I’m spending my day with The Hip instead. And I hope any non-Canadians that might read my review will follow my lead to discover some other wonderful Canadian gems.

More annoying psych/prog bullshit that ain't nobody got any time for today.

You think I'm gunna shit on this one too, don't you? Actually, I have something of a soft spot for Mr. Yoakam. He's a honky tonk man and he can't seem to stop. Even though this is very dusty trail corny cowpoke music, I know a lot of these songs because I was raised by a corny cowpoke mother, so there's some nostalgia at work here that lets me hear this with a kinder ear.

I'm not opposed to metal, I like metal. I respect metal. Apparently these guys paved a lot of roads for other major metal acts, and good for them. But I do not understand how anyone ever heard this and enjoyed it. It's just so rough. And not the music, it's the shitty shitty production here. With a little bit more effort this could have been tolerable. It just feels like exactly what would happen if you gave a group of delusional 16 year old kids that just picked up their instruments for the first time 2 days ago free reign to record their "masterpiece". It's garbage. I'm saving it from 1 star because I do wanna pay my respect to these fucking nutcases for just doing their thing.

Just more boring white dude prog crap.

Perfection! This is everything I want, and everything I need from an album. It’s edgy, it’s weird, it’s pioneering and has so much gritty profundity. The production is perfect, it showcases all the unique talents of this group in the most intriguing way. I get lost in these lyrics; they inspire exquisite heartache and tumultuous intellectual pondering in equal measure. Doolittle is a triumph of the most fucking awesome weirdo indie music that was cool for being indie long before indie was ever commoditized by late aughts hipsters and corporate record label tools. This is my favourite Pixies album. I love every track, I love every riff, I love every guttural howl. It is magnificent.

This is a tough one. KISS is so cheesy, but they started out with a cool, badass concept. Gene Simmons is just the grossest, most immature person. His obnoxious opinions on music are laughable because he’s only just barely a musician himself. This is probably the best KISS has ever been musically? I do love Detroit Rock City, that’s a great song. But the rest is just formulaic rubbish. I’m going to be kind though and split the score right down the middle because I did have some nostalgic fun while listening.

The Beta Band are high on cool points with me because of Dry The Rain, that is a killer track. I haven't gotten into any of their albums or deep cuts though. This album was a pleasing listen. It didn't blast my tits off, but it was cool in it's own subtle and unique way. I can dig it.

Meh. The guys in the band are sexier than the music of the band. I think they’re stronger as individual sums rather than consolidated whole.

Oh god, I hate this insufferable prick.

Oh wow, this one’s got the Joel and Benji Madden feature on it. That tells you everything you need to know. This album is peak early 2000’s rap and emo dominance. You had to choose which genre was going to form the base layer of your shitty teen identity: rap/hip hop or emo. There were only two choices, and all of us were obnoxious and rude to our parents regardless of what we chose.

Oh my god, I’m so bored! Wasn’t one album from this guy enough? The monotony! The monotony!

Cover art is apt. This album is equivalent to a glue sniffing high - not very fun, but it's there.

The dreamiest, most gorgeous harmonizing in rock n' roll history. This is a phenomenal 60's record, a true joy from start to finish.

With cornball songs like "The Boys are Back in Town" they're about as dangerous as an overfed and declawed arthritic house cat.

No thanks. Stay away, creepy teenage cousin marrying pedophile.

Certified BANGER! I fucking looooove the Eurythmics. They are the most 80's-ist thing of all 80s things and I truly enjoy everything about them. Annie Lennox is a goddess and I worship at the altar of her cool unbothered androgynous style and feminist badassery! I salute a legend and dance in her honour today.

This album pummels you with its non-stop barrage of iconic hits the whole way through. I have such a hard time separating the art from the artist when it comes to MJ. He was a born entertainer and he was breathing rarified air all through the 80s. Thriller is one thing, but then Bad comes out and blows everyone away all over again. 9 singles came from this album. 9!!! It’s a bloody impressive feat. Professionally, he was indomitable, untouchable. And I like these tunes; they are tightly woven into the nostalgic fabric of my youth. The scandals and personal life controversies are unfortunate. Does greatness just come at a cost? Or did Michael never really have a chance given his unorthodox upbringing? We’ll never know. But I do know anything less than a 5 star rating for this behemoth accomplishment is unacceptable.

Two entries for this crappy band whose 15 minutes of fame have long been over? Why???