1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

937
Albums Rated
2.93
Average Rating
86%
Complete
152 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1950
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
30
5-Star Albums
39
1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Top Styles

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
5 2.66 +2.34
Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
5 3.07 +1.93
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
5 3.12 +1.88
Dry
PJ Harvey
5 3.24 +1.76
Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
4 2.31 +1.69
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
5 3.34 +1.66
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
5 3.36 +1.64
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
5 3.38 +1.62
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
5 3.45 +1.55
GI
Germs
4 2.54 +1.46

You Love Less Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
1 3.86 -2.86
Play
Moby
1 3.45 -2.45
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
1 3.38 -2.38
2112
Rush
1 3.36 -2.36
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
1 3.32 -2.32
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
2 4.3 -2.3
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
1 3.29 -2.29
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
1 3.24 -2.24
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
1 3.15 -2.15
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
1 3.1 -2.1

Artists

Favorites

ArtistAlbumsAverage
Stevie Wonder 4 4.75
Nirvana 3 5
PJ Harvey 3 4.67
Radiohead 6 4.17
Bob Dylan 6 4
Public Enemy 3 4.33

Least Favorites

ArtistAlbumsAverage
The Divine Comedy 2 1
The Rolling Stones 5 2
Barry Adamson 2 1.5
Bee Gees 2 1.5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer 2 1.5
Ryan Adams 2 1.5
Tom Waits 4 2
Leonard Cohen 5 2.2
Van Morrison 3 2

Controversial

ArtistRatings
TV On The Radio 1, 4

5-Star Albums (30)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt

I don't blame Robert Wyatt for making this album full of noodling nonsense; I blame the listmaker for pretending as though there were anything of merit here.

Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope

I wish I loved anything as much as the listmaker loves British guys who jerk off on tape and call it "music."

Arular by M.I.A.

stop sayin crazy shit bout vaccines, lady

OK by Talvin Singh

oh, you put South Asian instruments on top of your boring-ass techno. cool, i guess.

Basket of Light by Pentangle

"wow, the British folk revival of the 60s is a big deal!" -- no one who is not British alt name for this list: "fewer than 500 albums you should listen to before you die, plus a bunch of mediocre british acts from the 60s 70s and 80s"

1-Star Albums (39)

All Ratings (937)

Dookie by Green Day
Oct 22 2021

Happy punk

Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers
Oct 25 2021

Fun garage-y 70s rock with fuzz and keyboards.

The Score by Fugees
Oct 27 2021

Classic. Fuck the outro.

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings
Oct 28 2021

thppt. shoulda stayed in the Beatles.

Aqualung by Jethro Tull
Nov 03 2021

Lotta flute. Lil too much piano.

Either Or by Elliott Smith
Nov 04 2021

Too sad for me.

Songs From A Room by Leonard Cohen
Nov 08 2021

He's not as sad a bastard as I thought?

Sign 'O' The Times by Prince
Nov 09 2021

Most double albums would be better as single albums.

World Clique by Deee-Lite
Nov 10 2021

Not really a house music guy. The single was enough for me.

Arrival by ABBA
Nov 11 2021

Not my jam.

Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi
Nov 13 2021

Got pretty dodgy when it wasn't the hits.

In Rainbows by Radiohead
Nov 14 2021

Memories of the Dwight spot.

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Nov 15 2021
Low by David Bowie
Nov 19 2021
Hot Rats by Frank Zappa
Nov 20 2021

Weird and good, funky.

Boston by Boston
Nov 26 2021
Shaft by Isaac Hayes
Nov 27 2021

Sheela had the boogie

3 + 3 by The Isley Brothers
Dec 04 2021
Shaka Zulu by Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Dec 05 2021
Spiderland by Slint
Dec 10 2021

mumbleing nonsense.

Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
Dec 12 2021

That was fun!

Live At Leeds by The Who
Dec 14 2021

Tremendous live album. (1995 expanded version)

Tical by Method Man
Dec 17 2021
Heroes by David Bowie
Dec 24 2021
Electric Prunes by The Electric Prunes
Dec 27 2021

Holy shit, that was terrible. Like a parody of 60s psychedelic rock.

Dust by Screaming Trees
Dec 31 2021
American Beauty by Grateful Dead
Jan 02 2022

Not bad, but not really my bag. Sorry, fellas.

Foxbase Alpha by Saint Etienne
Jan 14 2022

Aggressively mediocre. This list looks worse every day.

Smash by The Offspring
Jan 15 2022

Didn't age well for me.

New Boots And Panties by Ian Dury
Jan 16 2022

British. Can't sing. Can't pick a genre, can't do most of them particularly well. Perfect for this list.

Quiet Life by Japan
Jan 19 2022

Not bad, solid New Wave.

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
Jan 20 2022
The Scream by Siouxsie And The Banshees
Jan 24 2022
Heaven Or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins
Jan 25 2022

Hearing a lot of Lush and Siouxsie, but it's not my jam.

Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
Jan 26 2022
Sincere by Mj Cole
Jan 30 2022

Bad. Boring. House music probably shouldn't be on this list.

Cross by Justice
Feb 02 2022

Not my thing.

Chris by Christine and the Queens
Feb 07 2022
Timeless by Goldie
Feb 09 2022

that was too much DnB

L'Eau Rouge by The Young Gods
Feb 11 2022

intriguing, but too shouty for me

Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix
Feb 12 2022

(almost all double albums should be single albums BUT) there are many great songs on here

Celebrity Skin by Hole
Feb 13 2022

Can't always catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
Mar 04 2022
69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields
Mar 09 2022

Three hours of this? Fuck off.

Mar 11 2022

I get the concept, but that doesn't mean I have to love the concept.

Kid A by Radiohead
Mar 14 2022
Dirt by Alice In Chains
Mar 15 2022
The Cars by The Cars
Mar 17 2022

Wow, that was really great.

Rip It Up by Orange Juice
Mar 18 2022

I started off suspicious, but there were good bones in there. Collins' voice sometimes drove me crazy, but I liked a lot of what they were doing musically.

Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
Mar 23 2022

That was nice.

Want Two by Rufus Wainwright
Mar 25 2022
Made In Japan by Deep Purple
Mar 26 2022

hahahaha this list is so dumb, this is a completely unremarkable record

Rock 'N Soul by Solomon Burke
Mar 31 2022

That man can sing.

High Violet by The National
Apr 07 2022

That dude's voice just ruins it for me, every time.

One World by John Martyn
Apr 08 2022

lol another noodly white guy from the 70s, what a surprise

Casanova by The Divine Comedy
Apr 11 2022

"My slap and tickle made her giggle" haahahahaha this list is like "the 100 albums everyone admits are great and then 900 other pieces of shit like this"

The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
Apr 15 2022

See, I don't hate all white-dude UK rock.

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Apr 23 2022

man, kiedis is such a terrible lyricist

The New Tango by Astor Piazzolla
Apr 25 2022

There's "here's an acknowledged classic of a genre you may not know well" and then there's "here's a piece of music that's almost intentionally impenetrable so you can feel dumb when you don't get it."

Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt
Apr 27 2022

I don't blame Robert Wyatt for making this album full of noodling nonsense; I blame the listmaker for pretending as though there were anything of merit here.

Blur by Blur
Apr 28 2022
Viva Hate by Morrissey
May 02 2022

::reads 'Bengali in Platforms' lyrics:: YO FUCK THIS RACIST TRASH

Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
May 07 2022

British guys doing blues and twang, huh?

Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope
May 09 2022

I wish I loved anything as much as the listmaker loves British guys who jerk off on tape and call it "music."

Smile by Brian Wilson
May 23 2022

oooof can i just be polite and say "I recognize that Brian Wilson is a musical genius"?

Eagles by Eagles
May 24 2022
Zombie by Fela Kuti
May 30 2022
Dry by PJ Harvey
Jun 05 2022

she's so fucking good

White Ladder by David Gray
Jun 18 2022

another english singer-songwriter zzzzzzz

Definitely Maybe by Oasis
Jun 30 2022

Those guys really stole a lot from better bands.

Chelsea Girl by Nico
Jul 10 2022

I did not like her singing or this music!

Oxygène by Jean-Michel Jarre
Aug 08 2022

Like a John Carpenter soundtrack without a John Carpenter movie.

Medúlla by Björk
Aug 15 2022

I just told someone "If there is such a thing as a 'mostly the singles' fan or Bjork I am it" but this was interesting and clubby in a way that was accessible for me

Cut by The Slits
Aug 25 2022
Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
Aug 27 2022

The covers have long been the stuff of my nightmares, and I imagine this was pretty heavy stuff for its time, but it does feel a tiny bit ... softer ... than my expectations.

Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers
Aug 29 2022

Different than I expected - more rock, less R&B? but good.

Goo by Sonic Youth
Aug 30 2022
Grace by Jeff Buckley
Aug 31 2022

Gold.

Faith by George Michael
Sep 06 2022

Great pop from a star in mid-explosion.

Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis
Sep 07 2022

yeah der it's very great

Third by Portishead
Sep 08 2022
Tommy by The Who
Sep 09 2022

This is a PERSONAL rating - I acknowledge Tommy's place in musical history, but ... there's too much non-rock in there, and I didn't like most of it.

The Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Sep 11 2022

"The Message" (the single) is legendary. Why in the world did the listmaker include this entire record, with the cringeworthy "Dreamin'" and the embarrassing "You Are"?

Kenya by Machito
Sep 20 2022
Leftism by Leftfield
Sep 22 2022

Good house music is barely tolerable if you're not on the dance floor. This is not really good house music.

Talking Book by Stevie Wonder
Sep 23 2022

yes duh, talking book kicks off maybe the greatest four-album run ever

Pump by Aerosmith
Sep 24 2022

hahaha this is not a "you-must-listen" album unless the number went from 1001 to 1000001, steven tyler is the anthony kiedis of singing about fucking

Guitar Town by Steve Earle
Sep 26 2022

i like some steve earle, but i don't like this steve earle, sorry. (i also don't really like most country, so yeah)

Remedy by Basement Jaxx
Sep 28 2022

i'm sure people on X love this, but, um, outside of the club (and possibly inside it as well), house music is borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring (also LOL at this clown talking about how "robotic" EDM is and then making a super robotic album)

Who's Next by The Who
Sep 30 2022

slam dunk classic, absolutely stacked with great songs

1999 by Prince
Oct 01 2022

lil long

Calenture by The Triffids
Oct 02 2022

"50 Or So Albums You Should Listen To Before You Die And Then An Unending Parade Of Mediocre White Men"

Elastica by Elastica
Oct 03 2022

so much fun

Skylarking by XTC
Oct 07 2022

XTC is boring! Sorry!

Headquarters by The Monkees
Oct 09 2022

hahaha i am aware that some people actually think the Monkees were good musicians and that's fine i guess, but this is not a good record, very dependent on vocals and harmonies except they are not great singers, otherwise a very derivative 60s sound

Frank by Amy Winehouse
Oct 10 2022
Aftermath by The Rolling Stones
Oct 11 2022

there are moments - “paint it black,” “gimme shelter” - where the stones are of course transcendent but when i listen to their albums i mostly hear british guys playing pretty good versions of black and american music

Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper
Oct 12 2022

starts off sounding like a cast recording of a rock-theme Broadway musical

Tidal by Fiona Apple
Oct 13 2022
Basket of Light by Pentangle
Oct 19 2022

"wow, the British folk revival of the 60s is a big deal!" -- no one who is not British alt name for this list: "fewer than 500 albums you should listen to before you die, plus a bunch of mediocre british acts from the 60s 70s and 80s"

Fragile by Yes
Oct 22 2022

whoever called it "wizard nerd rock" was right

You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
Oct 24 2022

you know what? life's too short to keep listening to Ol' Mumbly Joe just because some list said so. I DON'T LIKE ANYTHING LEONARD COHEN EVER MADE there i said it. on to "Led Zeppelin III." fuck yeah.

Queen II by Queen
Oct 27 2022

no hits, but not bad

Colour By Numbers by Culture Club
Oct 28 2022

yet another totally unremarkable album that makes me think the listmaker just grabbed a few albums he had heard of from various genres that he doesn't know anything about (I am from the generation that made "Karma Chameleon" a hit, it's a fine song, but the idea that I must hear this album before I die is laughable)

From Elvis In Memphis by Elvis Presley
Oct 30 2022

kid can sing, "Long Black Limousine" was good, a lot of the rest was schmatlzy and overdone

Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Oct 31 2022

hoooooooo baby CCR is so fuckin' fire

Gasoline Alley by Rod Stewart
Nov 02 2022

a British singer-songwriter who doesn't suck! hallelujah! (also enlightening to an 80s kid who mostly knew "Do Ya" and "Forever Young" growing up)

Aja by Steely Dan
Nov 08 2022
The Healer by John Lee Hooker
Nov 09 2022

john lee hooker is great; why is a "___ and friends" cash-in record on this list?

Kilimanjaro by The Teardrop Explodes
Nov 11 2022

that was actually not bad New Wave?

Ready To Die by The Notorious B.I.G.
Nov 12 2022

seriously why do rappers think we want to hear skits where we hear them fucking

Brothers by The Black Keys
Nov 15 2022
Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices
Nov 16 2022

that was very boring

Snivilisation by Orbital
Nov 18 2022

i have never been to a rave, i only used X once in my life and that was when friends made me go see Phish with them, i was all relaxed and super flirty, when they played "Twist Around" i did the "Whoo!" in the wrong place and everyone nearby looked at me like i was a narc, anyway writing this review has been far more interesting to me than listening to this record was

Dummy by Portishead
Nov 21 2022

trip hop >>> house

Imagine by John Lennon
Nov 22 2022
Paris 1919 by John Cale
Nov 25 2022

Some nice surprises. More albums should be half an hour long.

Under Construction by Missy Elliott
Dec 08 2022

speaking for like a minute after half the songs is a cruel act but it still bumps

Very by Pet Shop Boys
Dec 09 2022
Drunk by Thundercat
Dec 20 2022
Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones
Dec 23 2022

::reads "Brown Sugar" lyrics hahahaha fuck these culture vultures and fuck their song about raping slaves

Superfly by Curtis Mayfield
Dec 28 2022
Haunted Dancehall by The Sabres Of Paradise
Dec 29 2022

lol convinced that whoever chose these records fucking HATES electronic music, so they picked the worst shit they could find, like this lazy nonsense

Copper Blue by Sugar
Jan 02 2023

i've got to listen to more Husker Du

Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
Jan 03 2023

Basically a perfect album (esp. musically), with only a little bit of Axl's burgeoning paranoia, instead of the mess that was Use Your Illusion.

Hejira by Joni Mitchell
Jan 07 2023
Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Jan 19 2023
Darkdancer by Les Rythmes Digitales
Jan 26 2023

i do not like house music and this list's many attempts are doing nothing to change that

Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin
Jan 31 2023

50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong, But They Are, Because Aretha Was 50 Million Times Better Than Him

Larks' Tongues In Aspic by King Crimson
Feb 02 2023

look, I called myself a "nerd" growing up, and I have since learned to let people enjoy what they're gonna enjoy, so, enjoy, nerds! but lord, this album irritated the shit out of me. like Rush but with worse singing and annoying show-offy musicianship (at least Rush rocks).

Feb 03 2023

I haven't actually listened to a lot of Common - his rise kind of coincides with the time that my interest in new music began to wane and my habits hardened - but listening to this album made it clear to me that I'm not missing much.

Midnight Ride by Paul Revere & The Raiders
Feb 06 2023

cool story, dad

The White Album by Beatles
Feb 10 2023

as tonally weird as "Tommy" but more accessible to me.

Debut by Björk
Feb 11 2023

justice for the swan dress

Elephant by The White Stripes
Feb 13 2023
On The Beach by Neil Young
Feb 14 2023

gotta spend more time with Uncle Neil, he's great

Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren
Feb 19 2023

"let's leave the studio chatter at the beginning of every song, that'll seem really cool!"

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake by Small Faces
Feb 24 2023

The two and a half songs I didn’t skip were OK, I guess.

Ten by Pearl Jam
Feb 28 2023

pretty good

Behaviour by Pet Shop Boys
Mar 03 2023

i like the Pet Shop Boys, but I cannot underscore enough how unremarkable this album is. Recycled, dated beats with nothing special. Yet another terrible choice by the listmaker!

Be by Common
Mar 05 2023

holy shit, the sampling on "Testify" was so fucking annoying

Siembra by Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Mar 07 2023
Bone Machine by Tom Waits
Mar 08 2023

man, i have TRIED with Tom Waits. really. and I don't like him. sorry not sorry!

Mar 13 2023

a prog double album by a bunch of English dudes about a Puerto Rican teen from NYC? no fucking thanks!

Sweet Baby James by James Taylor
Mar 17 2023

james taylor singing White Guy Mellow Acoustic Songs: good job. no notes. james taylor singing the blues: WHO DIPPED THESE RIBS IN MAYONNAISE

New Wave by The Auteurs
Mar 19 2023

yet another thoroughly unremarkable album. Is the author of the book friends with these guys or something? This album wasn't bad. It just wasn't even close to "you must listen to it before you die".

GI by Germs
Mar 20 2023

what production alchemy did 70s punk bands use to make their drums sound like that

The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers
Mar 21 2023

sorry, jonathan richman's choice to sing flat and whiny doesn't work for me

Songs For Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra
Mar 22 2023

sinatra's a great natural singer, and nelson riddle's band is tight as a drum, but, like, people DO talk about how all these songs sound the same, right?

Night Life by Ray Price
Mar 23 2023

whew that hit my sweet spot for orchestral mid-century twang fronted by a golden voice, i am not joking

461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton
Mar 24 2023

ahahaha this racist POS is so wildly overrated. just look at all the 5-star reviews for this boring soft-rock trash! amazing that people think he's a GOOD guitarist, let alone the BEST guitarist. anyone with a passing knowledge of the last 60 years in popular music would be able to name five better guitarists off the top of their head. i'll start: that dude from Limp Bizkit who wears weird contact lenses. so much better than clapton. in summary, fuck eric clapton and fuck all the dudes who worship him

Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel
Mar 25 2023

yet another "why is this on this list?" pick. exactly as self-indulgent as you would guess it would be, given that it's the debut by a guy who quit a prog group over clashing egos. "Excuse Me" and "Waiting For The Big One" are straight-up embarrassing. ("Solsbury Hill" is, of course, gold, and keeps this in 2-star turf.)

Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Mar 29 2023

i am legitimately sorry that your son died, Nick Cave. truly a terrible tragedy. there are some beautiful, ethereal and haunting moods on this album. it's the meandering, pretentiously lyricized singing that ruins most of it for me.

Truth by Jeff Beck
Mar 31 2023

moderately bland, another british white guy playing the blues, whatever

Shalimar by Rahul Dev Burman
Apr 03 2023
Horses by Patti Smith
Apr 04 2023
Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
Apr 06 2023
Vespertine by Björk
Apr 07 2023

bjork is my tom waits? some people can't stand or don't "get" her, and i'm not sure i fully "get" her either, but I can't deny the emotional power of her music for me. she creates musical landscapes that are like impressionist paintings. brava!

Apr 14 2023

some good production and beats from Dre, some decent lyrics, buried in an avalanche of gangsterism, homophobia and misogyny

My Generation by The Who
Apr 17 2023

much better when not literally trying to sound like black artists

Stankonia by OutKast
Apr 18 2023

"i don't like rap" just say you hate black ppl, we know already

Bad by Michael Jackson
Apr 19 2023

phew. there are like 10/12 songs on here that i would consider formative pop hits for me. i can sing most of them from heart. i don't know what michael jackson actually did. the things i have read and seen are damning. i can't ever listen to michael jackson the same way.

90 by 808 State
Apr 20 2023

utterly forgettable. monotonous. boring. why?

OK by Talvin Singh
Apr 21 2023

oh, you put South Asian instruments on top of your boring-ass techno. cool, i guess.

Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Apr 23 2023

man I got this the day before "Hotel California" and did not like that but I would file a crime report for some stolen Credence, The Dude is DOUBLE RIGHT

Now I Got Worry by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
May 01 2023

Orange is way better

NEU! 75 by Neu!
May 05 2023

that was fine ambient whatever music until dude started screaming incoherently toward the end there

En-Tact by The Shamen
May 06 2023
Kollaps by Einstürzende Neubauten
May 11 2023

i got like 521 albums to go but i'm gonna die now because this noise robbed me of my will to live

Cafe Bleu by The Style Council
May 20 2023

i did not like this

Dub Housing by Pere Ubu
May 21 2023

another one i'm apparently too stupid to appreciate; I just heard this guy's very bad singing!

Punishing Kiss by Ute Lemper
Jun 01 2023

did you guys ever see "Loqueesha"? there's no reason you should. it's a very bad movie with a very bad premise. but, like, if you watch it (maybe because you, like me, are an appreciator of bad movies), you see that, despite having an awful script, no stars, and a terrible "actor" in the lead role ... the film still seems technically very competent. it's no Marvel movie, but it's far from "Birdemic" levels. it's well-lit, the sound is good, most of the side actors are better-than-local-theater quality. it's just inexplicable how such a terrible idea and lead performance somehow had enough money behind them to make the finished product a quality representation of the Extremely Bad Ideas that were behind the whole thing. so yeah. this album. I guess the main difference is that the presence of names like Nick Cave and Tom Waits mean that in my metaphor, the equivalent would be if Lars Von Trier and David Lynch got together to produce "Little Nicky." addendum: my god, this album is so bad without this Neil Hannon guy. and then it is SO MUCH WORSE when he appears.

Exile On Main Street by The Rolling Stones
Jun 02 2023

sounded less culture vulture-ish than the other Stones stuff I've listened to. good job!

Traffic by Traffic
Jun 03 2023

pre-prog in its boring indulgence

Yeezus by Kanye West
Jun 04 2023
The Blueprint by JAY Z
Jun 11 2023

If skills sold, truth be told, you'd probably be in a dustbin somewhere. solid production, weak ass rhymes.

The Slim Shady LP by Eminem
Jun 19 2023

hasn't aged well. by that, i mean it wasn't really that good twenty years ago, but i grew up.

Live And Dangerous by Thin Lizzy
Jul 02 2023

lol this isn't even a real live album, it's a bunch of live recordings with overdubs on top. almost every live album from the 70s that is mythologized is mostly held in that esteem because the very idea of live recordings of rock 'n' roll bands was revolutionary. and they're not bad. but "you must listen before you die"? GTFO with that, boomers.

In Utero by Nirvana
Jul 03 2023

part of me thinks Kurt would have been absolutely miserable growing old in this world; part of me is sad that we don't get to experience the art he might have made in it.

Guero by Beck
Jul 05 2023

Beck has built a great career out of creating new soundscapes out of a wide variety of influences. Good job, Beck!

Urban Hymns by The Verve
Jul 06 2023

thoroughly ordinary. like Oasis, but even more middling (even the fucking album cover looks like Oasis!). yet another album that serves more as an indictment of the listmakers' tastes (SERIOUSLY, BRITISH MUSICAL OUTPUT IS NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS YOU THINK IT IS) than of the artist in question.

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen by The Residents
Jul 08 2023

if u told me i had to listen to this before i die i would kill myself first to spite u

Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow
Jul 13 2023

honestly i love hip-hop and i'm a fan of turntablism and DJs more than most of the people I know but fuck dude, not every song needs to be punctuated by long clips of people talking

Cupid & Psyche 85 by Scritti Politti
Jul 15 2023

i was there in the 80s, this record is somehow emblematic of much of the style (overuse of electronic drums, tinny slap bass, wall to wall synths) and yet not very good

Dirty by Sonic Youth
Jul 19 2023
We're Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention
Jul 20 2023

i think i appreciate Frank Zappa, Legendary Weirdo and Anti-Censorship Crusader, more than I appreciate the music of Frank Zappa

1977 by Ash
Jul 25 2023
Arular by M.I.A.
Jul 26 2023

stop sayin crazy shit bout vaccines, lady

Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout
Jul 28 2023

i'm roughly halfway through this list and I'm wondering if the rest will be like the first half: one-third classics that are beloved by most people one-third stuff I don't know - and may not like - but that are clearly interesting works of art and then the third like this: garbage tripe that can only be on the list because it hit a sweet spot with the listmaker. this is THOROUGHLY ORDINARY AND BORING MUSIC. it's a genre -- oversynthed, underbaked 80s pop -- that wasn't that great to begin with, and then it's not even one of the best examples of the genre. just because you used to stare at the album cover in your childhood bedroom and wish you were cool doesn't mean this record ever was.

Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
Jul 31 2023
Oar by Alexander 'Skip' Spence
Aug 08 2023

yet another "White Dude Makes Shitty Music, Is Praised By Other White Dudes For It" pick

Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan
Aug 10 2023

11 songs in 34 minutes. they don't make em like that any more.

Ctrl by SZA
Aug 11 2023

all the white dudes who seem so upset that this album talks about sex should probably re-evaluate their feelings for AC/DC and aerosmith and RHCP and all the other middling bands that primarily sing about fucking

I See You by The xx
Aug 14 2023

Imagine Dragons but without drums

3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul
Aug 15 2023

i can't offer a real review because listening to the whole album reminds me of just how formative a document it was. a delicious stew of weirdness and hipness that showed that while you might care about being cool, true coolness came from self-confidence. a dramatic curtain pull on a possible future for hip-hop and sampling as art forms, it instead became the victim of being so successful as Art that Commerce demanded tribute, silencing most of De La's catalog for years and then only making it available in neutered form. RIP trugoy.

Technique by New Order
Aug 16 2023

def not my bag, repetitive song structures and off-key singing

Groovin' by The Young Rascals
Aug 20 2023

"white soul" isn't a genre, it's cultural theft

Liege And Lief by Fairport Convention
Aug 21 2023

more british folk blah blah blah

2112 by Rush
Aug 26 2023

omg while i was listening to this album the ghosts of geddy lee and ayn rand gave me sexual pleasure while whispering in my ear that i'm so much smarter than everyone around me (adding: jesus christ, they remastered this record during THIS century and they still didn't get rid of that racist-ass riff on "A Passage To Bangkok?" it was gonna be 2 stars until that shit, fellas. go fuck yourselves with that White Foolishness.)

Play by Moby
Aug 28 2023

take away the blues singers and it's the blandest type of starbucks music

Aug 30 2023

i will likely never become a regular listener of Dwight's brand of country, but man he does it well. great voice, great music.

S&M by Metallica
Aug 31 2023
Back to Basics by Christina Aguilera
Sep 09 2023

yet another double album that should have been a single album

Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Sep 10 2023

good reminder that the greatest hits on that ubiquitous record came from somewhere

Moondance by Van Morrison
Sep 14 2023

it's a good record! too bad Van Morrison turned into an anti-science shitbag

Sep 17 2023

if i heard this in an airport it would be a 5 for sure, relaxing and not distracting

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Sep 18 2023

man, I grew up with the same classic Beach Boys singles as everyone listening to their parents' music in the 80s, but now as an adult, all I hear is the overproduction that I heard on "Smile," which I got in this project before "Pet Sounds." And that overproduction - the xylophones, the timpanis, the million-part harmonies - makes me think only of the scene from "Walk Hard." "I need more didgeridoos. A thousand didgeridoos!"

m b v by My Bloody Valentine
Sep 20 2023
Smokers Delight by Nightmares On Wax
Sep 21 2023

Moby + more appreciation for funk. I appreciate DJs and turntablism, but this ain't it

Sep 27 2023

i always thought wu-tang was kinda overrated and this record might be the best example for me. pretty ordinary stuff both in terms of beats and rhymes.

Oct 01 2023

if you listen closely, at 14:36 of "Djed," you can hear the sound of the band jerking off as they imagine music nerds pretending like this is listenable

The Infotainment Scan by The Fall
Oct 03 2023

"i love music so much, my off-key singing is exactly where i want to be, and if it sounds bad to you, that's your problem, man"

Oct 05 2023

boy, eminem sure is a talented rapper. but then I grew up, and this album - a demonstration of those copious talents, largely through misogyny, homophobia, and various violent, self-harming thoughts - went from "I used to listen to this a lot" to "oh my god, do people still listen to this?"

Next by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Dec 21 2023

what kind of fucking child nominated an album with a song called "Gang Bang" for this list? trash.

Funeral by Arcade Fire
Dec 22 2023
So by Peter Gabriel
Dec 25 2023
Homework by Daft Punk
Jan 06 2024

house music is boring! and this was a particularly boring example!

Green by R.E.M.
Jan 08 2024
Too Rye Ay by Dexys Midnight Runners
Jan 16 2024
Junkyard by The Birthday Party
Jan 17 2024
Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen
Jan 21 2024

respect to Bruce. but I didn't really like this album. ok bye!

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Jan 23 2024
Music by Madonna
Jan 25 2024
Roots by Sepultura
Jan 26 2024

i did not like that

Public Image: First Issue by Public Image Ltd.
Jan 28 2024

who would have thought that the first "solo" album by one of music's most notorious egomaniacs would be this excessive? oh, wait, everyone

1989 by Taylor Swift
Feb 04 2024

i liked "evermore" more and i only kinda liked that one, sorry swifties, this was very generic stadium pop to me but I am also old. i loved janet jackson and liked madonna 30 years ago

Triangle by The Beau Brummels
Feb 06 2024
Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
Feb 08 2024

I like cool Miles, I like hard bop Miles. I just can't get with electric/jazz-rock Miles. The arhythmic compositions, the discordant melodies and notes. I can go see a Jackson Pollock painting at a museum and appreciate its place in the art world, but I don't want to hang it in my home.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Feb 10 2024

the "Born To Run" cover was good, but there were too many covers overall. covers belong on b-sides, not albums.

Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention
Feb 11 2024

more boring British folk

Our Aim Is To Satisfy by Red Snapper
Feb 13 2024

emblematic of 2000s techno and yet still thematically all over the place. derivative and boring.

Goodbye And Hello by Tim Buckley
Mar 05 2024

I listened to this as a person who worships "Grace," the debut from Tim's son, Jeff - I could hear elements of the cacaphonous sound through a 60s prism, the caterwaul in his voice. Good, but not my favorite.

Stand! by Sly & The Family Stone
Mar 06 2024
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell
Mar 11 2024

Joni is someone who, like PJ Harvey - every time I listen to her, I'm like, "WHY am I not listening to her more?!".

Mar 16 2024

::repetitive beat:: ::whimsical melody on top:: ::spoken word:: ::extra long buildup before beat drops:: no.

Ace of Spades by Motörhead
Mar 18 2024

we all love "Ace of Spades," but I couldn't help but wonder: how many of the dudes who negged SZA for singing about her pussy think this album, with tracks like "Jailbait" (written and sung by a 35-year-old) and "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", is a stone-cold classic?

Shleep by Robert Wyatt
Mar 19 2024

some interesting stuff in here, some weird noodling nonsense too

Phaedra by Tangerine Dream
Mar 20 2024

Found the original version of this album on "In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973-79, including the detuning on the title track that made me interested when I read about it. I might have been a little more dismissive based on its very simple sound had I not read about how difficult it was to even make music like this in the 70s. Well done!

Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues
Mar 21 2024

i'm sure if i were drunk at an irish wedding, this would be wonderful

Mar 22 2024

I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS, THIS WAS FUCKING TERRIBLE AND YET CRITICS ARE FALLING ALL OVER THEMSELVES TO PRAISE IT HMMMM I WONDER IF HIM BEING A WHITE BRITISH RAPPER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH HMMMMMMMMM

Don't Stand Me Down by Dexys Midnight Runners
Mar 29 2024

THREE albums from Dexy's Midnight Runners on this list? No. I was there for "Come On Eileen." No. Fuck off. fuckin' Anglophile listmaker wankers.

...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears
Mar 30 2024

there are plenty of examples of good pop music. this isn't one of them.

Mott by Mott The Hoople
Apr 01 2024

fine, i guess?

Rocks by Aerosmith
Apr 04 2024
You Are The Quarry by Morrissey
Apr 06 2024

morrissey pisses me off with his racist bullshit

Come Find Yourself by Fun Lovin' Criminals
Apr 08 2024

no. no. no no no no no. the album with "Scooby Snacks" is not, in fact, worthy of any praise. fuck off.

Dear Science by TV On The Radio
Apr 11 2024

might should listen to TVOTR more

Third by Soft Machine
Apr 23 2024

doing LSD seems terrible

Harvest by Neil Young
Apr 27 2024
Modern Kosmology by Jane Weaver
May 11 2024

why is this so supposedly notable?

Arise by Sepultura
May 18 2024

well-made but it's not for me

Idlewild by Everything But The Girl
May 19 2024
Closer by Joy Division
May 24 2024
May 29 2024

who would have thunk that critics would inordinately love a guy who looks like he should have been a critic instead of making boring hip-hop

Dare! by The Human League
May 30 2024
B-52's by The B-52's
Jun 02 2024
Roxy Music by Roxy Music
Jun 05 2024

i liked the other 2 RM albums I got from this list more

21 by Adele
Jun 13 2024
Real Life by Magazine
Jun 15 2024

bowie-ish, but too much dissonance

Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
Jun 17 2024

music to pick up a grand half-caf hazelnut macchiato by

Gentlemen by The Afghan Whigs
Jun 18 2024

i like "Gentleman" too but jesus christ, enough with the singers who don't really try to be on key

Mask by Bauhaus
Jun 21 2024
Gold by Ryan Adams
Jun 24 2024
Metal Box by Public Image Ltd.
Jul 11 2024

john lydon:obnoxious arrogance::anthony kiedis::sex and wieners

Space Ritual by Hawkwind
Jul 23 2024

you guys know that Spinal Tap was a JOKE, right?

Let's Get Killed by David Holmes
Jul 25 2024

extremely average electronic music. i like the "Ocean's Eleven" soundtrack too, but this type of music is a lot more boring without Clooney and Pitt talking over it.

Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan
Jul 26 2024

more WHite men angry about women of color making art about whatever the fuck they want

Pink Moon by Nick Drake
Jul 30 2024

very lovely (a bit repetitive tho)

Duck Rock by Malcolm McLaren
Aug 02 2024

he's no jah wobble

Aug 30 2024

i like air (the natural resource) and Air (the band)

16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens
Aug 31 2024

so boring. just like The Smiths!

LP1 by FKA twigs
Sep 02 2024

jesus christ, i hated everything about the production on this record, but the percussion that sounded like a malfunctioning washing machine on "Pendulum" was by far the worst single element. she seems to have a nice voice, tho.

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Sep 03 2024
Tragic Songs of Life by The Louvin Brothers
Sep 06 2024

beautiful harmonies, that song about the kid whose heart was broken because his bff/sweetheart's family next door was moving away might be the saddest thing i've ever heard

Heartattack And Vine by Tom Waits
Sep 07 2024

wow I liked this Tom Waits more than I have liked the other Tom Waits

GREY Area by Little Simz
Sep 09 2024

more british rap, yawn

KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka
Sep 17 2024
Electric by The Cult
Sep 25 2024

it's like, so many of The Cult's songs sound the same to me, but FUCK, they sound good.

Vivid by Living Colour
Sep 26 2024
Freak Out! by The Mothers Of Invention
Oct 05 2024
Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Oct 06 2024

jesus christ prog rock and the dudes who worship are so exhausting and boring

Immigrés by Youssou N'Dour
Oct 08 2024

hahahaha i got this right after ELP, and the difference couldn't be much more stark. joy + art vs. musical masturbation.

Felt Mountain by Goldfrapp
Oct 09 2024

like Portishead (good) with ASMR (bad)

Thriller by Michael Jackson
Oct 17 2024
Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service
Oct 20 2024

jesus christ that was annoying, I assume i would not have noticed if i were tripping balls

Live! by Fela Kuti
Nov 03 2024
Kala by M.I.A.
Nov 09 2024
Manassas by Stephen Stills
Nov 11 2024
Good Old Boys by Randy Newman
Nov 15 2024

if you've heard one Randy Newman song, you've heard most of them

Kenza by Khaled
Nov 27 2024
Odessa by Bee Gees
Nov 28 2024

the list is stacked with cruel jokes on listeners, like this one.

Fear Of A Black Planet by Public Enemy
Dec 03 2024

i don't love the references to Jews in "Terrordome" or the homophobia in "Meet the G That Killed Me," but I've looked past a lot of shit for other records. this is a top-5 hip-hop album for me.

Dec 16 2024

jesus christ just because you got a blowjob while you high on mushrooms and this record was playing back in 1969 or whatever doesn't make this good or interesting music

The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground
Dec 17 2024

all i could think about while listening to this was all the smart, artsy people who think it's brilliant and also how i never really wanted to listen to it again

Dec 25 2024

lol this ain't gonna destroy anything except any interest in a second listen. repetitive and uninspired. are the listmakers intentionally choosing boring electronic music because they hate the genre?

Jan 03 2025

might have felt revolutionary at its time, but the vocal sampling now feels repetitive at best, incredibly annoying (Fatboy Slim! Fatboy Slim!) at worst

Suede by Suede
Jan 08 2025
The Visitors by ABBA
Jan 09 2025

sounds like an Andrew Lloyd Webber cast recording.

Blue by Joni Mitchell
Jan 12 2025
The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu
Jan 16 2025

in between the cool indie rock/punk songs there were sounds like "Sentimental Journey" that made me think they actually hate their fans and were trying to punish me for listening

Moving Pictures by Rush
Jan 19 2025

Rush's music is fine. Their fans are the problem.

Sheet Music by 10cc
Jan 25 2025

annoyingly in love with its own brilliance

Bummed by Happy Mondays
Jan 28 2025
Rapture by Anita Baker
Feb 05 2025
War by U2
Mar 28 2025
Pearl by Janis Joplin
Apr 28 2025
Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart
Jul 03 2025

that was so twee that my hoodie turned into a cardigan while i listened

25 by Adele
Jul 13 2025
Ys by Joanna Newsom
Jul 15 2025
Scott 4 by Scott Walker
Jul 17 2025

like a parody of obnoxious 60s singer-songwriters

Bluesbreakers by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Aug 09 2025

take culture vultures like this off the list

Damaged by Black Flag
Aug 20 2025
At Mister Kelly's by Sarah Vaughan
Aug 30 2025

at one point she sings “I don’t know the words doo doo doo doo” and it doesn’t matter because her voice is so magical.

Sister by Sonic Youth
Sep 04 2025
Stripped by Christina Aguilera
Sep 06 2025
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
Sep 08 2025

Obviously less foundational for me than for others

Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
Sep 09 2025

yet another dude who seems to think that actually trying to sing, with pitch and tone, is below him.

Sulk by The Associates
Sep 17 2025
The Wall by Pink Floyd
Nov 09 2025

as with some other records, i acknowledge its place in modern musical history. (and "Another Brick" and "Comfortably Numb" are great). but its politics were muddy anti-fascism and so much of the "opera" part seemed to sound like calliope music with yelling on top. sorry.

At San Quentin by Johnny Cash
Nov 12 2025

i generally don't love the presence of live albums on this list, but exceptions must be made, like for this one, or Dylan at Royal Albert, or Sam Cooke in Harlem. they are unique documents, infused with energy that was only possible at that moment, in that place.

Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Nov 14 2025

Perfectionist

Only 3% of albums received 5 stars. Average rating: 2.93.

Other

Album origins are grouped into three buckets: US, UK, and everything else. “Other” means the artists you rate highest are from outside the US and UK.