Arguably the hardest album I have had to rank so far and the first one to really make me question why exactly it was included on this list. I was intrigued at first due to it being the newest album I have listened to so far as well as it being from an artist I have never heard of. I can genuinely say that I liked this album (didn't necessarily love it), but after giving it some more thought, I was left baffled as to its placement in the 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die. This sounds harsh, but I didn't feel it did anything unique or overly interesting for an album that came out in 2017. Everything that I enjoyed has already done before, and I didn't find Jane to have a particularly standout voice. I ended up looking into this one a bit more after seeing that she has less than 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and this album does not even have a Wikipedia page (!). This isn't a mark of its quality at all as it is a fine album, but all of this really made me question why such a niche artist was selected as "required before you die" listening. I can only think of personal preference being a reason for its placement (maybe the author really likes this artist?). While I did like this one more than other albums I feel have a legitimate reason for being on this list, I do not feel the need to come back to it and do not understand why it was included over so many other amazing albums. 2.5/5.

THE perfect metal album. To be fair, I am already a really big Metallica fan that has seen them live and enjoys pretty much everything they have released outside of most songs on Load, Reload, and St. Anger. While I would personally take Ride the Lightning or AJFA over Master of Puppets, I cannot deny that this is the masterpiece that made them legends today. The vocals, guitar, bass, and drums are all as strong as can be within the metal genre, but the songwriting and composition make this album insanely hard to beat. I feel that Cliff Burton played a huge part in making this album what it is, and you can tell that this was easily their most mature and sophisticated album up to that point (most would argue they never reached these heights again, but I feel AJFA has amazing moments that prove them wrong). Every song structure here is crafted so tightly that it makes the whole album feel cohesive but unique with a mix of lightning fast and slow paced songs: for every insane track like Damage Inc., you have a somber track like The Thing That Should Not Be that creates a great pace throughout the listening experience. I feel that there is not a dud on this entire record and that every single track has a unique element that makes it stand out from the rest. If I had to choose particular songs, I would say Disposable Heroes and Master of Puppets are my favorites. The anti-war message of the album is most strong through these tracks, but the entirety of the record features pounding aggression and softer moments that really let the lyrics and emotion stand out. This is one of the only hard rock albums I can think of where the songs would work just as well as orchestral versions, especially the instrumental track Orion. For that reason alone, I would say that this album is amazing, but having that aspect combined with top notch performance from every single member makes this flawless. 5/5.

A fun week of albums continues! This is the first non-English album I have received on this list and comes from a genre I know absolutely nothing about; however, I enjoyed this one a lot for what it is and more than I initially thought I would. The production and instrumentals are great with many unique sounds coming together in a catchy, cohesive manner. It feels like a mix between traditional Brazilian/South American music and Rolling Stones-like blues rock with its prevalent bass and electric guitars standing out in the mix. Although I cannot speak to the lyrics, I found Jorge's vocals to be strong and elevate the energy of the tracks throughout the record. The main reason I cannot rate this higher is that I have no idea how this compares to the rest of his work or the overall style of his music. If there were specific songs that stood out as being amazing, I would be very impressed given my lack of knowledge of the genre, but the songs blend together in a way that makes it difficult to differentiate between tracks at some points. With that being said, I enjoyed this one more than a lot of albums I have received so far and would throw it on as background music again. 3/5.

I am a sucker for some good percussion, and this album delivered on that and much more. I really enjoyed the upbeat/funky vibes that were present throughout "Bongo Rock". This record was just pure fun, and I had a great time listening to it throughout its super quick tracklist (I listened to the original eight song release rather than the extended 2006 version, but I am now tempted to listen to all of the bonus tracks in the future). The tight collection of songs here just feels timeless with all of the performers clearly giving it their all. After doing some research, it looks like a good chunk of these songs are covers of older hits (In a Gadda Da Vida was the only one I knew for sure was a cover), but I feel that they did a fantastic job making these tracks their own and giving them the twist they need to keep things exciting. This definitely feels like a record that had the potential to be sampled a lot in the future, and I recognized 'Apache' by its use in the Sugar Hill Gang's song 'Jump On It' immediately. Overall, this was a great album to go through, and I feel like I should own this one on vinyl in the future. 4/5.

Unimpressed and somewhat bored by this one. Some fun ideas here, but there wasn't enough variety to keep me interested throughout the long listen. I think this is mainly due to my lack of appreciation for the EDM genre in general: while I can understand why some might enjoy this style of music, it just comes across as polished noise to me while also having a tendency to become very repetitive. With 'Let's Get Killed', I felt like I was listening to a solid soundtrack for a Nintendo 64 spy game (I unironically felt this way even before reaching the 007 cover which ended up cementing these notions immediately). While some of the songs on here might be catchy when looking at it through this made-up context, I don't necessarily feel the same way towards them knowing they come from a standalone album, let alone one that is included on the 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die. It would be fine in the background as it is pretty harmless outside of some vulgar language in the talking segments, but there was nothing enticing or memorable here that would make me want to come back to it in the future, especially considering the absurdly long track lengths present throughout the whole record. I can't say that I hated it, but it was pretty mediocre in my eyes. 2/5.

Great background music. No immediate standout tracks, but Cinnamon Girl reminds me of Trip Shakespeare. Seems a little more upbeat than what I remember from Harvest (listened to it years ago though). 3/5.

Kind of like the Strokes meets the Rolling Stones, but less appealing than it sounds. Lyrics/vocals are weak, and I'm not getting any of the innovation I would expect from an album appearing on this list. Some of the guitar work is decent, but that's about it. 1.5/5. NOTE: just looked up the album and saw that it was unreleased for years before coming out in 1976 and that I listened to an extended version of the album. Not sure what the big deal behind this one is.

Way different than other music I have heard from the Kinks (You Really Got Me, All Day and All of the Night). Kind of feels like their "Revolver/Sgt. Pepper" level of experimentation which a lot of bands tried to emulate back in the mid-60s. This feels like one of the more successful attempts to do this, and some songs really reminded me of McCartney's writing technique. The album grew on me through the first listen, and I bet it would grow on me more through subsequent listens as well. 3.5/5. NOTE: Love Me Till The Sun Shines is catchy and has been added to my Starred list.

I was surprised to see that I not only got an album I've already heard before so early (day 4), but that it was also one that I have heard so many times because I love it so much. My uncle gave me a copy of this album on CD when I was in high school, and it became a main staple of the CD book in my old Honda Accord. It has also been my go-to flight album as it features a great range of calm to intense sounds that make the airplane experience fun/interesting. It is hard for me to argue that it isn't a perfect album as every track stands out and cannot be skipped (whenever I hear one song, I want to hear the entire album). If I HAD to choose my favorite tracks, I would say Time, Breathe (in the Air), and the Brain Damage/Eclipse finale (that's like half of the album right there). 5/5.

Very calm and relaxing, but still has lots of character. Love the instrumentals overall, but especially in "Norway". This is the type of album that would be great in the background but can also hold my interest if I was focusing in on listening to it. It's hard to call something "timeless" that you have only heard once, but this is an album that feels like it will never be dated and could come from any generation. Will definitely listen to more Beach House. 4/5.

This was the first album I received on this list where I had not heard the entire album but had heard specific tracks in the past (Right Here, Right Now; Rockafeller Skank). I can see why this album is on this list as I am guessing it was a pioneer for the techno/club music genre (especially since there were songs I already knew). It is difficult for me to judge since it is not the type of music I ever listen to or since it is not meant to be heard on earbuds/at work, but it seems rather innovative and possibly influential to future artists (though I do know Daft Punk's first album came out before this). Praise You was the track that stood out to me the most outside of the two songs listed above; however, I probably wouldn't listen to this song or the album again (though I understand the appeal). 2.5/5.

Now THIS is an album you expect to be on this list. Hearing this puts you back in the mid-70s and makes you picture how different this must have sounded at the time. Blitzkrieg Bop is the ultimate album opener and immediately establishes the high energy, upbeat, and fast tone of the entire record (it's hard to beat). Beat on the Brat stood out to me the most on the first listen outside of BB, and I was shocked to discover a cover of Let's Dance towards the end of an album (a song I have loved for a long time and could always picture a rock version in my head); however, there was not a single dud on this whole album which makes the entire thing a standout. I can totally picture the Ramones in a small, dark club powering through this set in 30 minutes and how wild the crowd reaction would have been. I'm not sure if/how they progressed after this album, but did they really need to? There is no doubt that they have influenced many of my favorite bands and that it will be remembered for a long time. 4.5/5. NOTE: while my reaction is really positive towards this record, I cannot give it a perfect score as one could argue that all of the songs sound the same. The only album I've given a 5 so far (Dark Side of the Moon) has a wide variety of tracks while also maintaining its cohesion. That impresses me more in terms of an album, but I still really enjoyed the Ramones.

I can respect this album for what it is, but it is way too avantgarde for me. Though I have never listened to Sonic Youth before, this almost feels like a "transitional" album in a way between crazy/experimental sounds and a more traditional pop structure (though I am not sure which way they are transitioning at this point in their career). For every moment that resembles an average pop song, you get a "In the Kingdom #19" or "Death to Our Friends" that is out-of-this-world weird (did like some of the instrumentals on DtOF though). The best song in terms of both sides of the spectrum was Madonna, Sean, and Me (although the ending has no right to be that long since it is just ambient noise), but I can't say anything here is fully clicking with me. I could see them progressing past this album, but I don't really have the desire to see what else they have done since 1986. 2/5. NOTE: Did listen to their top rated song on Spotify out of curiosity (Teen Age Riot), and it was much better than any of the songs on EVOL. They definitely went more pop (probably controversial based on everything else I heard today), but I feel they made the right move.

Not the most exciting album, but decent. A lot of the songs sound the same so it was difficult to have anything stand out to me. I was surprised to see that this came out in 1980 as it feels more like it would come from the mid-to-late 80's based on its progressive sounds (maybe they were ahead of their time?). The vocalist gives me Clash-vibes, but that might just be because this fits in perfectly with the "post-punk" era of music that was coming up at the time. It's definitely listenable, but I don't have any really desire to come back to this one or explore the rest of their catalog. 2.5/5.

Weird timing consider I just had a post-punk album from the same exact year yesterday (The Teardrop Explodes); however, I definitely found this album more interesting and unique. While I don't feel that I am a huge fan of this genre overall, the tracks on Remain in Light were more distinct and detailed which is what I feel is needed to make an album like this work. I also feel like it did not feel dated in the slightest which is always impressive for an album that is more than 40 years old. The track that stood out to me the most upon my first listen was Crosseyed and Painless due to the upbeat instrumentals, and I was surprised to find out that Once in a Lifetime is a Talking Heads song (absolute classic!). Would listen to this one again and also explore the rest of their catalog to see how many other songs I know. 3.5/5.

This is the second album I have gotten on this list that I have heard all of the way through before! This is truly a record that needs to be played loud in order to experience it fully (which I vividly remember doing at Naismith during winter break). It's amazing to hear the amount of detail that three guys can put into their instrumentals and vocals, and the production here really allows for everything to stand out. Rush is fantastic, and this is probably their most famous album due to it including their most popular song. I have always enjoyed Tom Sawyer, and I feel it is the perfect opener as it kicks off everything with a bang. I personally think that Limelight is the strongest track on this album (it's been on my Starred list on Spotify for quite sometime), but there are no songs here that I would consider bad. My only knock to this album is that the second half is somewhat weak compared to the first half, but it is still very enjoyable throughout. 4/5. NOTE: It is an odd coincidence that a band I saw this past weekend (Outhouse) jammed YYZ acoustically. It would have been absolutely amazing to hear Rush do that live.

This might be the hardest album I have had to give a score so far. I enjoyed it mainly for the clean production, solid guitar work, and consistent vibe throughout the whole record. This is another set of great background music which is not necessarily a bad thing; however, I didn't feel that there were any standout tracks or moments which makes it a little harder to judge. I would guess that it would be a grower upon multiple listens, but I am not sure if there was enough for me to give it my full attention in the future (although I definitely wouldn't be opposed to listening to it again in the right setting). 3/5. NOTE: I was a couple of songs in when I randomly thought "This sounds similar to the Bang a Gong song", and it turns out that song is also by T. Rex! Not my favorite song, but I think it's funny that with all of the songs I have heard over my lifetime that I was able to make that connection.

Well, now I absolutely know why Deee-Lite is a one-hit-wonder... I did not get anything out of this album at all. It sounded pretty generic throughout, and the repetitive lyrics and vocal style really got irritating as I went through it. Ironically, this is the first album I have listened to on my nice headphones (I’m home for Thanksgiving break); however, it did not enhance or save the experience. This is the first entry I’ve gotten where I didn’t want to finish it, but I am determined and have decided to listen to every album fully. The only bright spot for me was their hit, Groove is in the Heart, but only for one reason: I had never heard the Q-Tip rap verse before which is awesome as always (huge fan of verses from “the Abstract”). Outside of that moment, it was overall the strongest song on the record, but the repetitiveness also ended up bringing it down a notch for me. 1.5/5. The weakest album I have heard so far on this list.

First album I have heard after a long Thanksgiving break (long, but much needed!). Unfortunately, I do not have a ton to say about this one. I enjoyed the initial listen, but I didn't feel myself immediately impressed. It reminded me of a more upbeat/British invasion version of Simon and Garfunkel, but I don't think it ever hit the heights of either that genre or that group. I thought the guitar work was poor overall which is never a good thing, and I felt like I was listening to the album on shuffle as the track order did not seem very cohesive (2-4-2 Fox Trot should not be a closer). However, some parts were catchy, and the vocals were pretty strong so it could have been a lot worse. 2.5/5. NOTE: I had no idea that David Crosby was the singer for this group. Now the folk connection I made makes a lot more sense!

Definitely the raunchiest album I have had on this list so far. I am not a fan of rap in general, but I could still appreciate some of the stuff they were trying to do here. Most of it doesn't feel dated, but there are some moments that definitely pinpoint this album to the year 1990. On the first listen, I enjoyed the The Humpty Dance (catchy) and Freaks of the Industry (smooth) the most, but they are songs that I don't see wanting to listen to again in the future. The main thing that brings this album down for me is its length; it has no right to be over an hour long. If they trimmed some of the fat, I probably would look at this one a little more positive. 2/5. NOTE: this is probably the worst album art I have seen so far on this list. It's hilariously dated.

Definitely fun and deserving of its album title! I felt those classic 1960s vibes throughout this entire album; very easy to pinpoint the 2-3 year range that this came out. It was nice to see how they stayed more consistent with their style/genre throughout the album as opposed to other albums at the time trying to emulate the Beatles' diversity (Something Else by the Kinks is a good example of this). I didn't have any of the tracks immediately stand out to me (I see a lot of people mentioning the title track as a favorite), but I could see myself coming back to this one in the future. 3/5.

This one was very interesting as I have heard a lot of Lenny Kravitz, but none of these songs sounded familiar to me (I mostly hear his later tracks out and about). I was VERY surprised to see that this was his debut album as it felt like someone who was already established was creating these songs. If I had to describe it for anyone to understand, I would say it is Prince mixed with The Beatles; it feels harder to explain the style of music anyway but that. The title track, Let Love Rule, is definitely the standout here, but the whole album was solid and went by really fast for its length unlike other albums I have listened to so far. I was surprised by the Christian themes throughout the album (especially on Rosemary); it is not something I would have expected based on other tracks I have heard from him. Overall, I got a lot of enjoyment out of this one. 3.5/5.

First country album I have received on this list. I am honestly not a huge fan of country at all (modern country is probably my least favorite genre), but I do find that I can appreciate older, folk-ier country as time goes on. I did enjoy this album more than I thought upon realizing what I was getting into, but I didn't think it stood out too much in terms of specific songs/moments. The instrumentals were relaxing and exactly the type of country I would like to listen to; however, I was not a fan of John's voice solely due to my dislike of the genre in general. I would definitely listen to this album again over some other albums I have received so far from genres I love which is a really good sign. If I liked country more, this would be higher up in my rankings. 2.5/5.

This album features a lot of firsts for me on this list: this is the first album I remember coming out and being a huge deal, the first album with multiple hit songs that I already knew before listening (I had already heard 7 (!) out of the 13 tracks), and the first artist that I have actually seen live (Arrowhead Stadium 2018). This was a very successful turn from country to pop for Taylor Swift, and she has continued to evolve ever since then. This may or may not be an exaggeration, but I think 1989 could be considered my generation's Thriller in that every single song could have easily made it on the charts at the time. They are also similar in that they came from an artist already at the top of their genre but pushed them even further into the mainstream; there's a reason why she went from playing arenas to playing stadiums after this album. Overall, this is a very fun record with no real duds. I would lean towards Blank Space and Shake It Off being the stand-out tracks here, but I was pleasantly surprised by This Love and Clean as they were nice calm songs to end out the album. After hearing this fully, this is peak pop Taylor, and I can understand the folk direction she has taken since then as it will be hard to reach these heights again in this genre. 4/5. NOTE: The inclusion of Kendrick Lamar in Bad Blood was a major positive for the single version of this track. The album version felt a little empty, but I'm guessing it's because I am so used to hearing the even more bombastic version instead.

This is one that I was excited to listen to as I am typically a big fan of music from this time period/genre, but it unfortunately just didn't do much for me. It started somewhat strong with the opening track (one I have definitely heard before), but it just became more and more dull throughout the VERY long listen. Rooster was the only song that stood out immediately because it was a little more upbeat/emotional than the others. Nothing impressed me instrumentally as far as guitar and rhythm parts go, and I did not enjoy the lead singer's nasally voice for the most part. I find that this pales in comparison to the energy and passion from other grunge acts that were performing at this time (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc.). I can understand why this might have been popular back then, but I can't help but think of it as boring now. 2/5.

I really enjoyed this one! The whole album is great and feels complete despite its short length. The production and arrangements could not be simpler with most songs just featuring an acoustic guitar and vocals; however, this is not a drawback as it feels more intimate and timeless because of this stylistic choice. With this type of approach to a recording, my enjoyment of the songs typically rely on how much I can tolerate the artist's voice, and I feel that Nick Drake did a fantastic job enhancing his dark lyrics with his strong vocal performance. This is definitely one I will throw on again in the future (feels like a nice winter or rainy day album), and I can see myself diving deeper into Drake's catalog after this (I am surprised I have never heard of him). 4/5. NOTE: I was shocked to find out that he died only a couple of years after this album at the young age of 26 (!). After knowing this, it does feel like I am listening to a lost soul through his creation which makes it a bit more tragic. I am happy he left such a great impression before leaving this world with this beautiful set of tracks.

It has been a great week of albums so far! CCR is always awesome so I had no doubts that this would be an enjoyable listen. I really like John Fogerty's voice as well as the unique combination of rock, country, and blues that made them stand out from other bands coming up during the late 1960's. They are just fun to listen to and don't feel dated at all. One thing I will say (and this kind of echoes the sentiments of Todd in the Shadows, an excellent YouTube channel that posts music reviews and retrospectives) is that I see CCR as more of a singles-band rather than an album-band. This stood out immediately to me when listening to Green River as some songs were weak when compared to there stronger tracks. They have plenty of amazing songs and could fill a greatest hits album with ease, this album is brought down a bit by their overall approach to the release of their music as track ordering doesn't seem to mean much to them. Overall, I would still throw this one on again, but I would rather listen to their greatest hits (there are other CCR albums on this list so I might change my mind by the time I get to those). 3.5/5.

A fun week of albums continues! This is the first non-English album I have received on this list and comes from a genre I know absolutely nothing about; however, I enjoyed this one a lot for what it is and more than I initially thought I would. The production and instrumentals are great with many unique sounds coming together in a catchy, cohesive manner. It feels like a mix between traditional Brazilian/South American music and Rolling Stones-like blues rock with its prevalent bass and electric guitars standing out in the mix. Although I cannot speak to the lyrics, I found Jorge's vocals to be strong and elevate the energy of the tracks throughout the record. The main reason I cannot rate this higher is that I have no idea how this compares to the rest of his work or the overall style of his music. If there were specific songs that stood out as being amazing, I would be very impressed given my lack of knowledge of the genre, but the songs blend together in a way that makes it difficult to differentiate between tracks at some points. With that being said, I enjoyed this one more than a lot of albums I have received so far and would throw it on as background music again. 3/5.

This has been one of the most difficult albums to get through so far which is never a good sign. I had never heard of Nick Cave or his band before listening to this record, and I am not exactly sure why this is deserving of its place on this list after getting through the whole thing. I thought the vocals, instrumentation, and lyrics were all mediocre at best. If I had to guess after my one and only listen, I would say this was most likely a punk/post punk artist that attempted to "branch out" by making a mature album after years of sticking to his unique formula; however, it felt mature in the worst possible way in that it was slow, boring, and lacking in substance. I could definitely hear some Lou Reed influence in here (not that I listen to him much) and surprisingly some Johnny Cash as well, but it didn't attempt to stand out as much as those artists do. The one time I feel it tried to do something different was on the song Green Eyes, but I thought that track was cringeworthy and a terrible way to end off the album. While I have been mostly negative, I will say that I did find a bright spot towards the end of the album with Idiot Prayer. I wasn't a fan of it enough to add it to my Starred list or anything, but I felt the strings and organ added some depth that the rest of the album was missing. Overall, this one ends up towards the bottom of my list. 1.5/5.

The first live album I have received on this list, and a fantastic one at that. This concert is one I was familiar with and had seen footage of before, but I had never taken the time to listen to the entire performance. Nirvana is obviously beloved and could do no wrong back in the early 90's, but I feel that this outing helped elevate them to that legend status they have today since it is SO good. It says a lot when a band can prove themselves through the Unplugged concept. While they are mainly known for heavy guitars and screaming in their album tracks, they carry this performance with subdued, emotional vocals and tight instrumentals that create a very intimate and special listening experience. I feel this material would be more appealing to a broader audience than their other music in that it has a little something for everyone. While the renditions of songs from their older albums are great (maybe some not as strong as the original recorded versions), the covers are what stand out here the most. The Man Who Sold the World is fantastic and is definitely the most well known cover due to it originally being a Bowie track, but I really enjoyed the stretch of Meat Puppets covers (especially Plateau), and the track Where Did You Sleep Last Night could not be a better closer. The fact that these covers were included gives a great look into Kurt Cobain's inspirations that fueled his creativity, and the intense performances on them makes it sad that we didn't get more music from him after this. While I don't have much negative to say, I will admit that I have to knock this one down a bit just for the fact that it is a live performance rather than an album. I evaluate a setlist/show different than I would a track listing, and I find it much more impressive to compile new, unknown songs in a cohesive manner rather than combining proven hits and covers. As an experience, I would give it a 4.5, but as an album that appears on this list, I give it a little lower. 4/5.

Fun and interesting listen. The rawness and high energy carried this one for me as this would have been a groundbreaking show to see back in the late 1960's. The vocals reminded me of Gene Simmons from the early KISS albums (pre-Destroyer), and I got a lot of Clash-vibes as well which means they might have been a big influence on the punk genre (could they have possibly been the first punk band?). I can see the innovation that probably earned them a spot on this list -- the performance is wild and very experimental for its time, especially on the last track Starship; however I found some parts sloppy and that most of the album wasn't very memorable after it was over. I also am still against the idea of including live albums on this list in general as it is not as impressive to put your already proven songs or covers together to create a collection of songs. While I got some enjoyment out of this one, I probably would not come back to it. I'll give it above average due to its significance, but not by much. 3/5. NOTE: I did some additional research, and it turns out that this is actually their debut album. Very interesting choice to introduce yourself to the world through a live performance, but it makes sense to me as they probably felt they couldn't replicate their sound in a studio. This makes it a bit better than a standard live album, but I am keeping my score the same as it still didn't stand out a ton to me.

This album was fine, but I don't have a ton to say about it. It was probably refreshing at the time to hear a throwback to music from the early 70's (got a lot of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones vibes from the Black Crowes) so I can see why it was successful; however, the band didn't seem to take many chances to make themselves unique within the blues-rock genre. Interestingly enough, I feel like this group could have really only succeeded in that very specific year of 1990: this probably was a breath of fresh air in the aftermath of 1980s synth and glam rock, but I feel it would come off as boring or date the following year when grunge and alternative took over the scene. Their biggest song, Hard to Handle, and the opening track, Twice as Hard, were the standout tracks to me upon the first listen, and while the rest of the songs are solid, they do kind of blend together by the end of the record. Not a bad album by any means, but it ultimately did not give me a reason to come back. 2.5/5.

A great heavy metal album! I had heard of Judas Priest in the past, but I only knew them by their name and couldn't have told you any of their songs off of the top of my head. Upon listening to British Steel, I instantly recognized Breaking the Law which I have always enjoyed for its fast pace, killer main riff, and vocals. I really liked the lead singer's vocals throughout this album which usually makes or breaks this style of music for me. His voice gave me Iron Maiden-vibes (which I believe this might have preceded?), and the overall power and tone matched the quick and energetic instrumentals perfectly. In fact, I will say that this is the first metal album that I have heard where I actually enjoyed the vocals more than the music itself. I usually expect more intricate guitar and drum work from this genre, and I was surprised that the music was more straightforward than other metal bands from that time period. The best way to describe it would be if AC/DC had Bruce Dickenson as their lead vocalist (which is not a bad thing). I found the first half of the record much stronger than the second half as the last couple of songs go for a slower vibe that doesn't quite match the rest of the album. Overall, I did enjoy listening to this one a lot, and I think it would be fun to throw on again on much bigger, louder speakers. 3.5/5.

THE perfect metal album. To be fair, I am already a really big Metallica fan that has seen them live and enjoys pretty much everything they have released outside of most songs on Load, Reload, and St. Anger. While I would personally take Ride the Lightning or AJFA over Master of Puppets, I cannot deny that this is the masterpiece that made them legends today. The vocals, guitar, bass, and drums are all as strong as can be within the metal genre, but the songwriting and composition make this album insanely hard to beat. I feel that Cliff Burton played a huge part in making this album what it is, and you can tell that this was easily their most mature and sophisticated album up to that point (most would argue they never reached these heights again, but I feel AJFA has amazing moments that prove them wrong). Every song structure here is crafted so tightly that it makes the whole album feel cohesive but unique with a mix of lightning fast and slow paced songs: for every insane track like Damage Inc., you have a somber track like The Thing That Should Not Be that creates a great pace throughout the listening experience. I feel that there is not a dud on this entire record and that every single track has a unique element that makes it stand out from the rest. If I had to choose particular songs, I would say Disposable Heroes and Master of Puppets are my favorites. The anti-war message of the album is most strong through these tracks, but the entirety of the record features pounding aggression and softer moments that really let the lyrics and emotion stand out. This is one of the only hard rock albums I can think of where the songs would work just as well as orchestral versions, especially the instrumental track Orion. For that reason alone, I would say that this album is amazing, but having that aspect combined with top notch performance from every single member makes this flawless. 5/5.

Excellent debut album by one of the most unique rock bands of all time. The Doors' sound is decade-defining, and it is amazing to see how fleshed out they were in their first studio release. I really enjoy Jim Morrison's low and haunting vocals, and the emphasis on the electric organ really makes this music stand out from other acts at the time. Instead of emulating the Beatles or The Who like a lot of other bands were doing back in the mid-late 60's, they went in their own direction which makes me respect them a lot. There are obviously some very popular songs on this record (Break on Through (To The Other Side), Light My Fire, and The End), but I would say there was not a weak song on this entire album. I listened to it in both stereo and mono, and upon these two listens, the track that stood out the most to me that I hadn't already heard was I Looked at You (added it to my Starred list). While I enjoyed this one quite a bit, I will say that some of the songs do blend together since they all feature the same instruments. I still think this album is great despite this, and I would recommend any fan of rock give this one a listen. 4/5.

One of the hardest to get through albums I have heard so far on this list. While others I have rated low for being boring or not taking any chances, this is the first one I have gotten where it felt like the music was actively trying to be as annoying as possible which REALLY bugged me. Luau is just painful noise for the last couple of minutes. and Super Unison has an irritating dog whistle going off for the first 30 seconds of the song. While these songs stood out to me in a negative way, the album as a whole did not feature any successful riffs, melodies, and moments that made this worth listening to in spite of those agonizing parts (especially considering it is over an hour long). I do not consider myself a fan of dark/abstract emo rock so this album clearly is not for me, but it is hard for me to see any redeeming qualities that someone would get out of this even if they are a fan of the genre. I cannot deny that they took chances here (which keeps it from being at the very bottom of my list), but this is one I would never want to come back to. 1.5/5.

This is a strange one because while I don't think it is necessarily a bad album, I am not sure of how it received enough of a reputation to appear on this list. I had never heard of this rap/rock group before so I was surprised to see that their song "Scooby Snacks" had 22 million streams on Spotify; however, I was even more surprised when I heard it and realized none of it sounded familiar. Even the Wikipedia page for this album is nearly non-existent with no facts or notes on the recording or its significance (something that has been very prevalent for every other album I have received so far). Given all of this, this album just doesn't feel overly innovative or high quality for the time which makes things even stranger. By the end, it all just started to unfortunately blend together. It was cool to hear rap with real instruments (RHCP, A Tribe Called Quest, and Sublime are the first bands that come to mind when I hear this), but this just wasn't as fun as it should be due to its execution. I ultimately didn't think the rapping or the instrumentals were special enough to make this one I want to come back to. Not much to say outside of that. 2/5. NOTE: As a big James Bond fan, I did appreciate the cover of one of the best tracks from the movie franchise, "We Have All the Time in the World"; however, it didn't really try to be unique and definitely paled in comparison to the original Louis Armstrong version.

As great as a Christmas album can get. There are so many classics here that I had no idea came from the same album/producer. While Phil Spector is definitely not someone to idolize (that's an understatement), it is hard to deny the impact he had on music production which is just as evident here as it is anywhere else. The joy, warmth, and fun of Christmas is felt throughout this entire record, and many of these songs are THE definitive versions of these holiday classics. There is also an original song (Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)) that has gone on to become a staple in itself and is the strongest song on the whole album IMO. I am thankful that they assigned this one to me during the holiday season, but I think I would have enjoyed this at any point in the year. This is a difficult one to rank due to it being a compilation of artists and specific to a certain season, but I would definitely throw this one again next Christmas. 4/5.

A really solid debut by one of the biggest bands of the 1970's. This album reminded me a lot of how I felt listening to CCR's Green River: the band themselves are great with the specific record featuring some monster hits that are fantastic, but it does have some filler songs that keep it from being great. I definitely cut Eagles more slack in this circumstance as this was their first ever album and features more intricate instrumentals/harmonies that are very impressive for a debut record. You can tell that they were already shaping into the band they would come known to be, and while I have no doubt that they improved as the years went by, this was a great introduction to the world and indicative of the potential they had. I would throw this one on again, but I have a feeling that there will be an Eagles album in the future that I will really love. 3.5/5. NOTE: I did add Take It Easy to my Starred list after visiting this album. I always forget how much I enjoy that song, and it was fun hearing the high quality details of the banjo and guitars after only really hearing in on FM radio.

This is an absolutely crazy debut album from a band that I've never heard of before (even though it was released during my lifetime unlike most albums on this list). I was skeptical before and during the first set of songs, but the album *slowly* hooked me more and more throughout. It is not something I would want to listen to all of the time, but I can definitely appreciate it for what it is. The album is finely crafted from an instrumental perspective with everyone giving it their all here. If I had to describe it to someone who had never heard of this band before, I would say it is My Chemical Romance if they made experimental rock in the 1970s. The MCR vibes mainly come from the lead singer's vocals which sound nearly identical to Gerard Way's and from the overall emo feeling present on every track. While I enjoyed the vocals for the most part, it was hard for me to understand what he was saying at some points which led me to focus more on the instrumentals. From that perspective, the progressive rock staples are all here which is both a good and bad thing. While this style allows for more freedom and expression through instruments, it also tends to allow for a bloated feeling due to long tangents during songs. For example, Cicatriz Esp's outro last way too long for what it is (incoherent noise with distorted ocean-like noises in the background). This eventually leads to more great guitar and drum work, but it leaves me wondering how much of the album could be trimmed down to make for a more cohesive and focused listen. In short, although I don't think this album fully clicked with me, I still respect it and had a good time listening to it. 3/5. NOTE: I was pleasantly surprised to see that Flea, one of my favorite rock stars of all time, played bass on the majority of this album due to the original bassist leaving the band before the album's recording. This makes complete sense and definitely sounds like him upon further inspection (Drunkship Of Lanterns features some of his craziest work on bass even when including all of the RHCP discography).

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It is pretty weird and all over the place, and while I did not hate it at all, it is not something I would necessarily want to come back to. You can tell the band was inspired by 50s/60s pop music while incorporating some unique reggae/post-punk elements. The vocalist and musical style kind of reminded me of Dexy's Midnight Runners, but I am not too familiar with their work. Overall, there were some catchy moments and fun ideas here, but it was a bit too strange for me. 2.5/5.

This is definitely one of the first cohesive concept albums/rock operas ever released by a band which means it definitely earns a spot on this list; however, I feel that it was a bit pretentious and overly long for what it was. Don't get me wrong: I had a fun time listening to the whole album and thought there was plenty of variety and great instrumentation here, but I can't help but feel that it came across as a bit generic and repetitive at times. While the concept was carried throughout the whole album, the overall story was not very clear to me upon my first listen. Maybe this is something that becomes more apparent in subsequent listens, but typically an album of this sorts makes its characters and plot clear from the start and has story beats that carry this all the way to the end. With 'Tommy', I did not feel a strong connection to this concept which just left me listening to it as a random collection of songs. When looking at it through this lens, I don't think it's their best work from a songwriting and arrangement perspective (although I have not heard a ton of Who material). This one has the potential for me to truly understand and respect it more, but I am not sure that there was enough here even in its long length to make me want to come back for sure. Overall, I enjoyed this one and understand its spot on this list, but it wasn't as great as some people might think it is. 3/5.

I had a really good time listening to this record! I already knew some Depeche Mode songs, but I had never heard any of the tracks off of this album before so it was completely fresh. I found this very innovative even for as late as 1987, and I was never bored listening through the entire album even though some songs sounded pretty similar. I know that Depeche Mode was a major influence on one of my favorite modern bands, CHVRCHES, and I can tell that a lot of their stuff is going for a similar tone and vibe that this collection of songs offers. Outside of this connection I made, I was pleasantly surprised to hear some Moody Blues-like lead vocals and slower tracks which is something I am always down for. This was very apparent on the track 'I Want You Now' which I have added to my Starred list. Overall, I definitely liked this one and am interested to dive deeper into this band's catalog. 3.5/5.

A fantastic album from one of the best musical artists of all time. Elton John has made a ton of music over the years (31 studio albums according to Wikipedia), and while I haven't heard many of his albums all the way through, it is hard to imagine anything beating this one. His vocals, songwriting, and piano playing are all top notch here, and there's a certain energy to his earlier work that made him the legend we know today. This record features some of the his biggest and best hits (Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets, GYBR, SNAFF), but I was most impressed with how diverse and memorable the tracks outside of these were. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding is a very interesting way to start off an album with its dark overtones in the first half shifting over to a more upbeat and light second half. This track is representative of the album as a whole as it constantly switches between slower/darker songs and fun/light ones. While this can be detrimental to some records, nothing stands out as being out of place here which is crazy impressive. Out of the songs I have never heard before, This Song Has No Title, Grey Seal, All the Girls Love Alice, and Social Disease stood out to me the most (the fact that I can remember so many of these songs after hearing them once is not something that happens very often on this list). The only negative thing I have to say is that it might be a *tad* too long at 1 hour and 15 minutes. While I thought this went by relatively fast, there are a couple of songs that could have been cut to make this an absolutely perfect album; however, this is still nearly perfect and an album I will definitely listen to again in the future. Truly iconic. 4.5/5.

The oldest album I have received on this list so far (first album from the 1950s in general), but it definitely did not feel dated in the slightest. I enjoyed this one for what it was: a very solid jazz record that establishes a specific mood right off the bat and just feels cool to listen to. I am not too familiar with Miles Davis or the genre in general, but I can tell that he is a fantastic trumpet player and songwriter based on this album alone. I liked the fact that the tracks were shorter lengths compared to what jazz is typically known for; this allowed for tight compositions and a nice quick pace throughout the entire album. This one is hard to give a rating to since I really have nothing to compare it to, but I could see myself throwing this on in the background again as a light listen. 3/5.

Unimpressed and somewhat bored by this one. Some fun ideas here, but there wasn't enough variety to keep me interested throughout the long listen. I think this is mainly due to my lack of appreciation for the EDM genre in general: while I can understand why some might enjoy this style of music, it just comes across as polished noise to me while also having a tendency to become very repetitive. With 'Let's Get Killed', I felt like I was listening to a solid soundtrack for a Nintendo 64 spy game (I unironically felt this way even before reaching the 007 cover which ended up cementing these notions immediately). While some of the songs on here might be catchy when looking at it through this made-up context, I don't necessarily feel the same way towards them knowing they come from a standalone album, let alone one that is included on the 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die. It would be fine in the background as it is pretty harmless outside of some vulgar language in the talking segments, but there was nothing enticing or memorable here that would make me want to come back to it in the future, especially considering the absurdly long track lengths present throughout the whole record. I can't say that I hated it, but it was pretty mediocre in my eyes. 2/5.

I am beginning to notice a trend in the thoughts I have towards the 1990's rap/hip hop albums that I have received on this list so far. I ended up giving all of them (this one, Sex Packets, and Come Find Yourself) a 2 mostly because I just don't connect with them very well. I feel that I don't completely understand the appeal of the genre and cannot appreciate the difference between rappers/styles of rap. There are some rare circumstances where rap will really connect with me, but 'Tical' is unfortunately not one of those cases. Outside of a couple of cool samples here and there as well as consistent performances throughout, there was nothing really distinguishable here which really hurt it for me. All of the beats sound eerily similar to each other, and I didn't find any of the raps overly impressive (better than I can do, but still). If this came out in 1990 or 1991, I feel my thoughts towards it would be a bit more positive as it would have been indicative of the transition into innovative gangster rap going on at the time; however, this came out in 1994 which means a lot of artists were already doing this style before its release (Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Method Man's own Wu Tang Clan). If you are a fan of this music overall, I have no doubts that you would enjoy this; however, as someone who doesn't listen to much rap or hip hop, there is not much here for me to comment on. 2/5.

An entertaining listen and great performance from Jerry Lee Lewis and his band, but my stance on live albums being included on this list still stands. There are a lot of catchy songs here that are full of energy that can't always be captured within a studio environment; however, these are all songs that already existed through very solid recordings by both Lewis and other artists at the time (there are way too many covers here considering the album's short length). Overall, this is a good live album from one of the most memorable acts of the 1950's, but I don't see myself coming back to it again. 3/5.

Better than some of the other electronica I have received on this list so far due to its great use of older samples and consistent style, but I ultimately found this one a bit dull despite its reputation as one of the top albums of all time from this genre. This might work better in a setting outside of listening to it through earbuds at work (I go through most of the albums on this list this way) as it does feel rather epic in scope at some points, but to me, it was just good background music with nothing really sticking with me after the first listen. I could see this being great music for commercials as every track is very ambient but fun with some blues/R&B elements thrown in here and there. Although I wasn't very impressed with this one, I will give it a slight boost in that it did not feel its length at all. I usually dread listening through any album over an hour, but this one really flew by. Probably will not come back to this one, but I didn't mind it. 2.5/5.

I am a sucker for some good percussion, and this album delivered on that and much more. I really enjoyed the upbeat/funky vibes that were present throughout "Bongo Rock". This record was just pure fun, and I had a great time listening to it throughout its super quick tracklist (I listened to the original eight song release rather than the extended 2006 version, but I am now tempted to listen to all of the bonus tracks in the future). The tight collection of songs here just feels timeless with all of the performers clearly giving it their all. After doing some research, it looks like a good chunk of these songs are covers of older hits (In a Gadda Da Vida was the only one I knew for sure was a cover), but I feel that they did a fantastic job making these tracks their own and giving them the twist they need to keep things exciting. This definitely feels like a record that had the potential to be sampled a lot in the future, and I recognized 'Apache' by its use in the Sugar Hill Gang's song 'Jump On It' immediately. Overall, this was a great album to go through, and I feel like I should own this one on vinyl in the future. 4/5.

Meh. Although I can recognize its importance and understand why it would be included on a list like this, I ultimately found this album unimpressive and pretty average. It is hard to even call it an album as it is more of a collection of random songs Jack Elliott recorded at the time (it doesn't even show up as an album on Spotify; it shows up as a playlist). I'm sure what he was doing at the time could be considered groundbreaking in the folk scene, but I didn't feel the same impact that I do when I hear a rock or blues album from the 1950's in that the songs here are pretty simple and somewhat forgettable. One track that stood out to me was 'Grey Goose', and that is only because it sounds straight up like an Adam Sandler song. Another track, 'Cocaine', I remember for its unique reference to a drug that I'm sure wasn't being done very often, but I cannot tell you anything about the song other than that. Overall, there just wasn't enough depth or emotion here that would make it stand out when compared to other folk artists who came afterwards that were most likely influenced by Elliott. I didn't hate it, but I ultimately found it perfectly mediocre. 2.5/5.

Very cinematic feeling to this one. Almost every track here felt like it could have been a Bond theme back in the 1960's (at least in terms of vocals and instrumentals). It overall reminded me of the bombastic Tom Jones tracks I have heard from around this time period, but the album definitely felt like it took more chances lyrically than what most vocal pop artists were doing during this period. Scott's voice, while not as impressive as other singers from this very specific genre, was solid for the most part. His overall tone and dialect reminded me a lot of Gordon Lightfoot which is not something I would have expected. The risky lyrics are what stood out to me the most here as some of the instrumentals here felt a little dated and corny when looking at it from a modern day perspective. I could see some people loving this sound and really getting a kick out of the lyrical themes here; while I wouldn't say I loved it, I did get some enjoyment out of this one. 2.5/5 (but close to a 3).

Somewhat catchy during certain parts, but not super memorable as a whole. It is hard for me to judge a DJ's work as it is typically relies on the work of others through samples. In this instance, I noticed a bit of Metallica's 'Orion' on one of these tracks so I am sure that there is a ton here that was not originally created by DJ Shadow. While he did use this piece in a unique way, it is hard for me to tell how good this really is outside of my personal enjoyment of it (which was average). I understand that it takes real talent and patience to create mixes on the level he is doing here; however, I am overall not as impressed as I probably should be by this work. If it had more that stood out or more of a cohesive album structure, I would probably like this more, but it just ended up coming across as what I would consider mediocre DJ work (even though this is probably considered one of the best given its placement on this list). There is nothing here that would make me want to come back to it. 2/5.

The first Rolling Stones album I have listened to from start to finish which I think surprise most people I know. I've always been a huge Beatles fan so I would hear constant debates on which band was the better of the two. This led me to directly compare both throughout most of my life, and I definitely felt that the Beatles were the more talented, unique, and fun band (and still do). Although I have never considered myself a huge fan of the Stones, I enjoy their style and can think of quite a few songs that I think are fantastic which made me excited to give this one a go. Overall, I felt Aftermath was a really good set of songs and exactly what I would expect from a Rolling Stones' album featured on this list (mostly solid blues rock with some experimental elements). I thought that the album started off super strong, and while there were some songs that I could have done without towards the middle, it ended up being a great and fun listen. My immediate favorites were Under My Thumb, Flight 505, and I Am Waiting which were all pretty upbeat. I found the album to be at its weakest when it slowed down which thankfully didn't happen too often. I did think that the last track was a VERY underwhelming closer as I was surprised once the album ended since it didn't give that impression at all. In short, I enjoyed this one enough to be excited for other RS albums that are on this list. While I'm sure this isn't their best work, it was rather enjoyable for what it was. 3.5/5. NOTE: I ended up listening to the UK version since, as a Beatles fan, I know that the US versions don't really count. That being said, I was disappointed that the UK release did not feature Paint It Black as that has always been one of my favorite Rolling Stones tracks since it first appeared on Guitar Hero 3. There is a chance that I would have given this a 4 if it was included as I feel it would have been an amazing opener.

I had a great time listening to this album! Very chill but engaging at the same time. I had never heard of the Go-Betweens and did not recognize any of the songs on here, but after giving this one a go, I feel they are a very strong indie pop-rock band. There has been a couple times already going through this list where this genre and decade did not mesh well and caused the record to feel dated; however, I REALLY enjoyed the production on this album as every single instrument and vocal line was crystal clear. This was well needed given the band's acoustic elements they incorporated in every song. It really made me appreciate the finer details that the band put into their tracks and was probably the strongest part of the album overall. Love Goes On! is a great opener and probably my favorite song throughout the short track listing. I did like every track on this one, but they did start to blend together a bit towards the end (this issue might improve or worsen upon further listens). Besides that, I thought this was a great album and would throw this one on again. 3.5/5 (but close to a 4!).

It "isn't anything" more than noise. While that might be a bit harsh, I definitely felt that way at times working my way through this relatively short listen. I think this band is just a *bit* too weird and abstract for me to fully appreciate, and that's okay. I can see why people would like this and can even hear moments that might have inspired future rock groups (Radiohead is a band I can definitely see pulling from this material on some of their earlier work). It reminded me a lot of how I felt listening to the Sonic Youth album I received earlier on this list: I can definitely see them progressing beyond this album (especially since, in this case, it is their first), but I really don't have a desire to check out their other work after giving this one a go. It just felt pretty messy overall; although, it is hard to deny that the energy and diversity is present throughout. I don't blame anyone for enjoying this, but I didn't get much of it. 2/5.

I surprisingly didn't get much out of this one, but I also didn't hate it. I knew of the band Jane's Addiction in name only and could not have told you any of their songs off the top of my head (though I did end up recognizing Been Caught Stealing). My only reason for knowing them is that their guitarist, Dave Navarro, had a brief and arguably unsuccessful stint as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While I personally enjoy that RHCP era and feel some great songs came out of it, it was always evident that the change in members made the songs more dark and aggressive which is what I expected out of this JA album. It delivered on both of those fronts for the most part, but there were some things that held it back in my eyes. While I thought the instrumentals were strong overall, I was not a fan of the lead singer's voice at all. It reminded me of the vocalist for the Offspring in a bad way in that it didn't click with the overall tone they were going for IMO. I also thought that some of the songs here were unnecessarily long (there is almost no song in the world that is worth of 11 minutes unless your name is Meat Loaf). This helped make the whole album feel a bit forgettable in spite of some great guitar and drum work. I can see why this album would get a lot of respect as it feels ahead of its time by a few years, but I am personally not a big fan of it. 2.5/5.

Not much to say about this one. A pretty safe album to include on the 1001 Albums list as it doesn't take many chances but doesn't completely suck either. It felt similar to the Neil Young album I listened to earlier on this list (a little more upbeat than that one), but I didn't think that Gene Clark's voice was as unique as Neil's which brought it down a notch for me. I am guessing that this record probably stood out more back in the 1970s when it was originally released, and while I did enjoy it somewhat, it ended up becoming background music to me rather quickly and did not have enough elements that would make me come back to it. Silver Raven was the standout track here, but I barely remembered it by the time the album finished as a lot of the tracks felt the same. This one is a textbook definition of a "middle-of-the-road" album for this list. 2.5/5.

This was a great album! I was very excited to listen through this one as I have never really given the White Stripes a chance in the past. I'm sure most people are aware of Jack White or their smash hit "Seven Nation Army", but I mostly think of one of my favorite movies, Napoleon Dynamite, whenever someone brings them up as their song "We're Going To Be Friends" is used during the opening credits. That song has always been a favorite of mine, and it just so happened to be on this particular album. Overall, I really enjoyed the high energy and quick pace of this record. I feel like it had less vocal effects and a cleaner production than other White Stripes material I have heard in the past which really benefitted every song on here. While not necessarily revolutionary, White Blood Cells ended up feeling timeless in that it definitely does not feel dated in 2022 as some other albums from this time period might. It is also an album that could have worked in the 1960's/1970's as well with its loud guitars and bombastic drums. My favorite aspect of this album ended up being its short track lengths as it kept me engaged throughout the entire listen. It was a breath of fresh air when going through this list as there are many albums that are not only needlessly long but also have songs that go on for 7+ minutes. In short, I had a lot of fun going through this one, and I can see myself listening to it again soon. 4/5.

Black Monk Time seems VERY unique and ahead of its time in a way, but I didn't get much enjoyment out of it in the long run. It is very punk (possibly one of the earliest forms of it), but is is also still clearly from the 1960's through its psychedelic feelings and overall recording style. It felt like it had an anti-war tone to it all, but the lyrics didn't really fit with this outside of a couple of moments. It might have just been the overwhelming sense of rebellion present that made me feel this way as The Monks were definitely trying to do their own thing. In a way, this feels like a "hidden gem" of sorts in that it comes from a band that only created one album and comes from an era where this music really didn't fit in with the norms. I can see why someone might think this makes it worthy of including on the list, but I just didn't get as much out of it as someone else might. The idea of it being creative/innovative was more interesting than the album itself IMO. I didn't hate it, but I'll probably forget it by the end of the day. 2.5/5.

Arguably the hardest album I have had to rank so far and the first one to really make me question why exactly it was included on this list. I was intrigued at first due to it being the newest album I have listened to so far as well as it being from an artist I have never heard of. I can genuinely say that I liked this album (didn't necessarily love it), but after giving it some more thought, I was left baffled as to its placement in the 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die. This sounds harsh, but I didn't feel it did anything unique or overly interesting for an album that came out in 2017. Everything that I enjoyed has already done before, and I didn't find Jane to have a particularly standout voice. I ended up looking into this one a bit more after seeing that she has less than 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and this album does not even have a Wikipedia page (!). This isn't a mark of its quality at all as it is a fine album, but all of this really made me question why such a niche artist was selected as "required before you die" listening. I can only think of personal preference being a reason for its placement (maybe the author really likes this artist?). While I did like this one more than other albums I feel have a legitimate reason for being on this list, I do not feel the need to come back to it and do not understand why it was included over so many other amazing albums. 2.5/5.

A fun and powerful listen! I've seen this album cover a few times before (it is possibly the coolest art from an album on this list so far which says a lot), but I had never heard of the band. It came to a pleasant surprise that Janis Joplin was the lead vocalist; while I am not too familiar with her work, her voice is so distinguishable that I knew immediately that I had heard it before. Her vocals might not be for everyone as they can be a bit too much at times, but I enjoyed them overall throughout this record. It brought a sense of creativity and spark that the music might not have had without her. I did recognize one track going through this one: 'Piece of My Heart'. That song is really great and was probably the most upbeat song on the record, but the whole album was very consistent with its blues rock style and energetic instrumentals. The one weird thing that stood out to me was the use of fake crowd noise throughout the album. I was fully expecting live material based on the initial cheers in the first song as well as the message on the cover stating "Live Material Recorded at Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium"; however, it was obvious right away that this wasn't truly live as the crowd would come and go throughout every song. This wasn't "fake" in the way that the album 'Alive' by Kiss is as that album attempted to recreate the live experience; with how this one was laid out, I am not sure exactly what they were going for as it could have just been a very solid studio recording. Odd, but it didn't ruin it for me at all. I had a great time listening to this one, and I would give it another shot for sure. 3.5/5 (but close to a 4!).

This is a very hard album to rank. As far as EDM goes, I liked this album more than others I have received so far, but there were some issues that I couldn't overlook that ended up bringing it down quite a bit for me. On the positive side of things, 'Cross' was not boring or generic in the slightest. It didn't seem to heavily rely on samples which I personally feel can be a detriment on a lot of these well-regarded electronic albums (while it takes talent to recognize/manipulate good samples, it is not as impressive in my eyes as original creations). I loved the original melodies and instrumentation present on this record. It had a great bit of variety featuring funky bass, Supertramp-like electric organ ('Valentine'), and old-timey piano ('Stress') that helped make it something unique. Most of the songs did not feature vocals at all which allowed for the music to stand on its own. With that being said, this brings me to the two major negatives I found on this album. The first (and not as big a deal) is when vocals actually show up, they are either weak ('DVNO') or downright awful ('The Party'). The latter featured a singer that I would describe as a bootleg Ke$ha which is a description I hate to give to anyone. The second issue and what mainly brought this album down for me was ironically the synths. The electronic noises on this record were terribly loud and super distorted. Maybe it was just my earbuds, but there were moments where it made some songs almost unlistenable, and even if the ones where they were a bit more subdued, it would still take me out of the experience a bit. If the synths were more clean or incorporated more into the production, this would probably be my favorite electronic music album outside of some of Daft Punk's work, but I don't think I will be coming back to this one due to how it is intended to sound. I think EDM fans should give this one a listen, but I can't give it the recommendation that I wish I could give it. 2.5/5. , but some of the synths are terribly loud and distorted that takes me out of it a bit. The Party is one exception where vocals are present (second half of the album has more vocals DVNO), and it is pretty bad. Reminds me of a bootleg Ke$ha (if that's even possible).

Very solid debut from one of the strangest bands I can think of (in a good way). I was definitely aware of the B-52's through Love Shack and Rock Lobster (the latter being on this album) as well as through Kate Pierson's vocal appearance in R.E.M.'s 'Shiny Happy People'. Although I have enjoyed what I have heard from them in the past, I wouldn't have necessarily thought that an album of theirs could be worthy of being on a list like this; however, I think S/T earned a spot for sure due to how fun and unique it was. I would say this album was ahead of its time by a few years at least and that it fully embraced its weirdness in a way that there is a certain charm to it that is nearly impossible to duplicate. There is just so much personality here shown through their dorky beach rock vibes and very unique vocalists ('Hero Worship' had some insane vocals from Kate in a way that was almost Yoko Ono-esque). Overall, it was clear that this was their statement to the world and that nothing was going to stop them from being themselves which I can really respect. I wouldn't say it is the most finely-crafted or well-written album ever, but it is a fun listen that I would recommend to others. 3.5/5.

Sonic Youth is the first repeat artist I have received on this list so far, and they were not a band I necessarily wanted to come back to after visiting the overly abstract 'EVOL'. I looked back at my review for that album before giving 'Goo' a listen, and I said that I could see them possibly progressing/diving more into a traditional pop structure through future releases. After giving this album from four years later a listen, I definitely found it more accessible and entertaining overall while not straying too far away from the avantgarde style the band had in their earlier work. They arguably took the safe route by cleaning things up a bit (not that it's pop in the slightest), but I feel it worked for the best. 'Dirty Boots' and 'Kool Thing' were really solid alternative rock songs (I recognized KT from Guitar Hero III, but I feel like the game might have used a rerecorded version as this sounded different from what I am used to hearing). The overt weirdness was still present in tracks like 'Tunic', 'Mote', and 'Mildred Pierce', but most of the time, the strange moments were pushed towards the end of the song instead of extended across a whole track which was an improvement. The cleaner production and flow of the album also help make these abstract moments less polarizing. There was nothing on here that I absolutely loved, but I enjoyed it overall and can respect their progression. 3/5. NOTE: Sonic Youth somehow has five (!) albums on the 1001 Albums list. I'm not saying they are a bad group, but that high amount puts them in the "best band ever" category which I would definitely disagree with. Maybe my opinion will change as I listen to more of their work.

This was a really good album! It definitely feels like a record that would have been in line with what I was listening to back in high school/college in my green Honda Accord (90's alternative rock was my main go-to even though I was born in the late 90's). "Let Me Drown" was a very strong opener and did a great job establishing the tone and feeling of the album as a whole. It was during this track that I realized just how much Chris Cornell sounds like Sammy Hagar; I'm surprised I never made that connection before. His vocals were strong throughout the entire album, and I was impressed by the great guitar work/production in every track as well. There were some great songs in here, but it was pretty clear to me that "Black Hole Sun" deserved to be the big hit off of this album. Despite this, I found almost every song way more catchy/unique than other grunge bands from that time period which definitely boosted its enjoyment factor. I will say that it fell off towards the end for me as it concluded on a slow and somber note (it doesn't help that this album came out in peak CD times which definitely contributed to the overly long 70 minute runtime). Overall, I enjoyed going through this one, and I could see myself liking it more and more as I give it a re-listen. 3.5/5.

This was an excellent album! It is the only record I received so far that I actually listened to twice in one day because I enjoyed it so much. Ray Charles is always fantastic, and his performance here is top notch. I have heard what feels like a lot of his work over the years, but I did not recognize any of the tracks on this particular album. For what I know about him, this was a perfect representation of what he is capable of. The first half features more upbeat, big band music (my favorites being Alexander's Ragtime Band, Let the Good Times Roll, and Deed I Do) while the second half features some great orchestral ballads (the highlights being Just for a Thrill and the last three song stretch which is definitely the brightest spot of this record). I found this division between styles super interesting as this was obviously originally intended to be listened to as "Side A and Side B". Some might find this a bit repetitive as there is not much instrumental diversity throughout the two different types of songs, but that didn't really hurt it at all for me as the music and performance from Charles were both very strong. This album is absolutely timeless and nearly perfect. I will definitely come back to this one in the future (maybe I can even find an original pressing for my collection). 4.5/5.

A great album from one of the most highly-regarded songwriters of the 20th century. I am more familiar with Paul Simon's work with Art Garfunkel than I am his solo career (although I do love 'Kodachrome' and 'Me And Julio Down By the Schoolyard', the latter of which comes from this album). Because of this, I was very interested to hear what was his first release after S&G broke up sounded like. After giving this one a go, I would say my expectations were met exactly as this was a very good effort by Simon for his first solo venture. Every song on here is solid with no real duds. The album included not only tracks that could be considered throwbacks to his former group but also songs signaling a change in direction for his own career. The record overall reminded me a lot of Paul McCartney's first solo album but WAY more polished ('Run That Body Down' and 'Congratulations' would not have felt out of character from either Paul). This was a strange connection for me to make as I've never found the two similar before. It is also weird that both albums came out within a couple of years of each other during a period of disbandment (I think McCartney released his while the Beatles were still together, but they were holding on by a thread at that point). Anyways, I still found 'Me and Julio' to be the best and most fun track on the record, and while I do think his work with Art is stronger, I really enjoyed listening to this release. I would give it another spin in the future, but it mainly makes me excited to hear some full Simon and Garfunkel albums later on in this list. 4/5.

This one was enjoyable but overall forgettable. It is really cool that this comes from an all-girl group as not only is this rare to see in general but also happens to be in the post-punk genre dominated by males. The Slits seemed to be having fun (I think) but the music was pretty sloppy for the most part with a lot of the tracks blending into one another. The only song that ended up standing out to me was their cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" which I thought was excellent. It was a great twist on the original Marvin Gaye version and surprisingly fit their style perfectly. Outside of that, I didn't find any of the other songs very memorable or catchy, but I still liked listening to them. This is probably not one I would come back to, but I can understand why it might be on this list. 2.5/5.

I liked this album, but I was a *bit* underwhelmed by the end of it. Don't get me wrong: I found quite a bit very enjoyable, but I don't think I enjoyed it AS much as 'Music for the Masses' when all is said and done. While the production was cleaner and the album had a couple of songs I had heard in the past ('Enjoy the Silence' is fantastic, but I am not a fan of 'Personal Jesus'), it just felt lacking in something that I can't quite put my finger on. I personally feel like there were more highs and a greater amount of variety in MftM which kept me interested throughout the entire listen. That album felt like peak 1980's synth pop; maybe this record just didn't grab me as much because it was now the 1990's which has a very different sound for the decade? I'm not entirely sure. While I don't have a ton to say, I did have a good time listening to this one. I wouldn't necessarily come back to it at the moment, but it could be a grower with time. 3/5.

This was a great album! Very chill but insanely catchy at the same time. The best way to describe it is that it feels like a sunny/relaxing day with bright and cheery vibes present throughout. I was only somewhat familiar with Van Morrison (mainly through his biggest song, 'Brown Eyed Girl'), and the title track was the only song I ended up recognizing during this listen; however, this album made me appreciate his voice and songwriting capabilities way more as these songs are excellently crafted/performed. 'And It Stoned Me', 'Caravan', and 'Everyone' were the standouts on my first listen, but every track here is smooth and solid. While it is not the most diverse album in terms of instruments or sounds, I did appreciate the moments where VM brought in harpsicord, flute, and saxophone to add a bit of variety. It is not groundbreaking necessarily, but it feels like the type of album that is hard not to like. I would definitely give it another listen in the future. 4/5.

Pure and simple: this album rocks. I had heard a couple of Megadeth songs before, but I had never gone out of way to give one of their albums a full listen. After giving this one a go, I would say it would be much harder to find a thrash metal album that is more impressive instrumentally than 'Rust in Peace'. The guitars and drums are SO powerful, and the production allows every single note and beat to stand out on its own. There are a ton of solos here, and they are all excellent/fit in perfectly within each track. The one thing I did know about Megadeth going into this record is their leader Dave Mustaine's involvement in Metallica during their early years. I tried to keep Metallica comparisons at a minimum and evaluate this on its own, but one thing that was apparent to me is that a lot of these songs were shorter and relied on defined riffs which are very characteristic of songs off of 'Kill Em All'. The one song that tried something different than this was the opener 'Holy Wars', and that is the best song on the album IMO. I'd be curious to know if Megadeth relied on shorter songs moving forward or if they expanded to longer/multi-part songs on future releases. While I was a fan of the music and short track lengths, I will say that I don't think Mustaine is a great vocalist. His voice never completely ruined any of the songs for me (I thought it was incorporated about as good as it could have been in the mix), but I do feel like I would have been able to take in the lyrics better and just feel an overall stronger presence if the vocals were a bit better. Overall, a great metal album with one setback that keeps it from being a great album in general. 3.5/5.

This is one of those albums where I have heard multiple tracks off of it but have never sat down to give it a full listen. It is the first Nirvana studio album generated for me on this list, but I have received their Unplugged record already and have listened to 'Nevermind' many times. My overall impression of In Utero is that while it is a very good album with some amazing songs, it somewhat pales in comparison to both of those classics. I feel that this record starts off very strong in the first half (the first four tracks are all diverse, powerful, and just pure awesome); however, it slowly started to lose me in the second half. The last stretch of songs (completely disregarding the closer "All Apologies" as that song is excellent) is overall forgettable and repetitive in my opinion. The energy was there 100%, but it was the first time I felt like there was filler on a Nirvana album. In spite of that, I thought the band's direction on In Utero was super interesting as I see them going two completely separate ways. It is clear that they wanted to further expand sonically by incorporating strings and ballad-like songs throughout the track-listing, but you can also tell they were attempting to get back at critics/fans who thought they might have gone too mainstream on NM by releasing more hardcore/brutal songs such as "Scentless Apprentice" and "Tourette's". It would have been very interesting to see them progress past this album as I'm not sure which direction they would go (I lean towards more polished rock as Kurt Cobain was a huge fan of the Beatles/John Lennon). Overall, I had a fun time listening through this one completely, but it didn't blow me away. 3.5/5.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album! Bob Marley is obviously a well-known icon even in today's world, but I wasn't too familiar with his music before listening to 'Exodus' (it's actually tough for me to think of another artist THAT iconic that I can name less songs from. Tupac maybe?). The one song I knew for sure was 'Three Little Birds' which originally came from this record. While that song is pretty good, I felt that this album as a whole reached some greater heights than I originally anticipated based off of that one track. I am not familiar with the reggae genre at all, but I find it difficult to imagine an album topping this one for me. While I still feel that this type of music seems to blend into one another, these songs all had clear messages, smooth vibes, and very clear instrumentation/production throughout. It was a calm listen that caught my attention a few times over its short length. 'Waiting In Vain' was my personal favorite (got that track added to my Starred list), but I didn't find any of the songs on here objectively bad. It wasn't enough to convert me into a full-on reggae or Marley fan immediately, but I did have a good time going through this one and might throw it on again in the future. 3.5/5.

'Close to You' is overall pretty corny, but there is no denying that it is well-crafted and relaxing. I was really only familiar with the Carpenters through Todd in the Shadows' video on 'Passage', an experimental album from later on in their career. It was clear that they were attempting to break away from their style on that album so it was interesting to go back to one of the earlier releases in their discography to see what made them famous. It was pretty much what I expected, but it did have some pleasant surprises throughout that kept me engaged. First off, I just want to say that Karen Carpenter's voice is excellent and soothing. It fits this genre perfectly, and while it is not necessarily the most unique voice out there, it is overall great and hard not to like. I also found the instrumentals and production pretty much spot on for the calm atmosphere they were going for (although 'Another Song' had an ending that went harder than I would have expected it to based on the rest of the album). I thought that the title track very enjoyable and really appreciated the unique takes on both Beatles songs they covered here (the 'Help!' cover was especially good considering most Beatles covers are pretty bad). Some of the songs did start to blend into one another at certain points, but it was overall pretty good and had lots of aspects I enjoyed. 3.5/5.

This is a fantastic album right here! It is absolutely crazy to think that this is a debut album as it is half filled with legendary classic songs known by most ('Purple Haze', 'The Wind Cries Mary', 'Fire', 'Hey Joe', and 'Foxy Lady' are all rock staples and will continue to be for many years). Beyond these tracks, every other song had something unique to offer and featured some great instrumentals (especially the well-regarded guitar work). There were lots of awesome moments that stood out to me throughout the listen: cool stereo mixing on 'May This Be Love' where the instruments keep switching sides, the insane breakdown at the end of 'I Don't Live Today', the cool backwards-like effects on the title track, etc. The feeling I had going through this record reminded me a lot of listening to the Ramones' debut album for the first time as I can just picture Jimi and his band ripping through these songs in a live setting and absolutely blowing everyone's minds. This album is much more intricate though so from a technical perspective, this is more impressive overall. The only negative I can think of is that 'Third Stone From the Sun' lost me a bit due to its length, but I am willing to bet that it would grow on me through subsequent listens. Overall, this is one of those albums that no doubt earns a spot on this list and that I will probably revisit again in the near future. 4.5/5.

I was unfortunately not impressed with this album. I had never heard of Pulp before, and I was surprised that this came out in the mid-1990's as this album cover as it gives off early 70's vibes. The music itself also did not end up feeling like it came from the 90's as it felt more geared towards the 1980's brit-pop scene. I'm not a big fan of this genre in general, but I do think something great will come along that might change my feelings towards it. As far as 'Different Class' goes, I don't feel that this record did anything new or exciting that would make it stand out especially in the year that it came out. The singer gave me strong Bowie vibes with a bit of Robert Smith as well. It was never bad and felt like it fit the music well, but I didn't get much out of it. If anything, I noticed that the vocals were mixed in a way that allowed some poor/generic lyrics to shine (this was especially apparent on 'Something Changed' and the closer, 'Bar Italia'). The only tracks I can say that I enjoyed were the opener and 'Monday Morning', but the project as a whole just came across as sort of lame. I attribute this more towards my feelings to this type of music as a whole, but this album did no favors to it. 2/5. NOTE: I just noticed that a lot of my lower ranked albums are from the early 1990's which I find very strange as a lot of my favorite albums/artists came from this time period. I'm not sure when this list was created initially, but I wonder if some of these albums were included on the very first iteration when they might have been considered more revolutionary/groundbreaking at that moment in time. A few of these albums, including this one, just feel outdated at this point.

This was SO hard to get through. 'Actually' was a dated snooze-fest that barely held my interest throughout what felt like a terribly long listen (although this isn't long at all compared to some of the albums I have received so far on this list). To sum up my feelings on this one, all you need to do is look at the album cover as the yawning was a perfect representation of how I felt going through this album. I was just constantly unimpressed by anything on here. None of the instrumentals stood out to me as it just seemed like generic 80's synth-pop throughout with no catchy hooks. I also did not enjoy the singer's voice at all; while he has a unique tone, I found it pretty irritating and noticed that he sang every type of song the exact same way. The combination between annoying vocals and boring music ended up making this feel like a parody of everything it was trying to be which is about the worst thing I can say about an album from this genre. This is not an album that I can recommend anyone check out, and I am not sure how it can deserve a spot on this list at all. 'Actually' is the weakest album I have listened to so far. 1.5/5. NOTE: I went to check this one off of my list and saw that there are 3(!) Pet Shop Boys albums on this list. How?!?!?

This was a really cool album! I'm surprised I've never heard of this band before as they seem right up my alley. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole record as it was super consistent and unique. It is absolutely crazy that this came out in 2008 as it gives off strong 60's vibes throughout. I thought the combination of British pop rock with old western soundtrack music was very interesting; some bands might have made this seem polarizing or too weird, but it fits the group perfectly. I believe that this one has the potential for me to consider it excellent upon multiple listens, but I am knocking it a tad bit as there were no individual tracks that stood out to me which is strange for an album of this caliber. Besides that, this is definitely one I would come back to in the future. 3.5/5.

A solid but overall forgettable album from The Band. I can definitely see why some people might love this one as the performances all around are very good and express a lot of emotion. I enjoyed listening to it for sure, but it clearly didn't fully resonate with me as it turned into nothing more than background music by the end of it. I thought a lot of the tracks felt a bit like filler and didn't flow into each other to create a cohesive listen. 'The Weight' is no doubt a classic track, and I thought 'Long Black Veil' was also really good; other than those two, nothing really stood out lyrically or sonically. I can't deny that it is good music, but I don't really see a reason to come back to this one. 3/5.

Definitely one of the weirdest band+album name combinations I have received off of this list so far. I had no idea what to expect going into 'Scream, Dracula, Scream!' based on the artwork and my lack of knowledge on this band; however, after giving it a listen, I would say that this was a fairly interesting project but not one that is 100% deserving of a spot on this list. Don't get me wrong: I was enjoying myself throughout this one and noticing myself tapping my foot a lot more than I usually do when going through a new album. It clearly has some strong punk influences but reels these back to create some solid alternative rock tracks with high energy. It was particularly cool to see them incorporate strings and horns as it really boosted their overall sound and made them just a bit more unique. While all of this is great, I wasn't a huge fan of the growly voice the lead singer put on throughout, and a lot of the songs ended up blurring together by the end of the somewhat long listen. These were not enough to ruin it completely for me, but they do make me bump this one down a bit on the rating. 3/5. NOTE: I found out later that the leader of this band was also one of the founders of Drive Like Jehu, a band that made one of my lowest rated albums so far. I can 100% say I enjoyed this project way more than that one. Much more my speed.

This was a very strange album for me because it went against everything I knew about The Temptations going into it. It is crazy for me to picture a clean cut group singing 'My Girl' and 'Just My Imagination' but then hear something like 'Run Charlie Run' coming from those same voices. I was flabbergasted by this stark contrast, but outside of that, I didn't get much out of this album overall. I just thought it was a solid R&B album with some mildly interesting funk and lounge music aspects thrown in. The performances are pretty strong throughout, but nothing stood out to me as being exceptional. I felt that it was pretty inconsistent in terms of flow with funky songs being immediately followed up by slower songs that kind of diminished the vibe I think they were going for. I can definitely see why people like this one, but I don't think it's for me. 2.5/5.

Surprisingly boring album from the great David Bowie. While not necessarily bad or unlistenable, this feels like one that was put on this list solely because of Bowie's name as there are many stronger albums by him and by other artists that could probably take its spot on this list. There was just too many instances of weak songwriting on here with repetitive hooks and beats. Outside of "Fame" and the title track, everything seemed to blend together with an overall bland sound. I can definitely hear the John Lennon influence in terms of how Lennon's later solo albums sounded very similar to this (I am not a fan of those solo albums either). In fact, I tended to be distracted by Lennon's presence on this album: while his backing vocals added some flavor to the mix, I found the A Day In The Life reference in the title track ("I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy") and the cover of "Across the Universe" distracting and not fulfilling. Overall, this wasn't very memorable, and it didn't give me anything to come back to really. NOTE: Right after "Fame", a song started that got me tapping my feet instantly which was the first song on this album to make me do so. I immediately checked to see what song it was only to find out that the album had ended and "Turn to Stone" by ELO was auto-played afterwards. Made the album seem even slower after that revelation.

Very enjoyable album! I had never heard of Paul Weller before this, and I had only heard of his previous band, The Jam, by name (I couldn't tell you any of their songs). If you played this for me without knowing anything about the record or artist, I would have guessed it was made in the 1970's; it blew my mind when I found out it was from '93 as it does not feel like anything that was coming out at that time. It feels like bar music in the best way possible with strong vocals and instrumentation (especially the drums and acoustic guitars). It had some great rock-and-roll vibes that helped differentiate it from the folky blues genre; however, I will say it kind of fell into generic territory at some points even though the performances were strong throughout. "Country" was a favorite of mine upon first listen, but there were many highlights ('Sunflower, 'Shadow of the Sun', the instrumentals). I would love to listen to it again on a pair of nice speakers to see if any more detail comes out (especially the ending of "Shadow of the Sun"). 3.5/5. NOTE: Not sure why there is a Holy Man reprise when Holy Man does not appear to be a song on this album or the album before it. Weird.

Classic singer/songwriter vibes from this one. Very soft and mellow throughout. I thought a lot about Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor while listening (with a hint of Dylan in there as well). "For A Spanish Guitar" and "One in A Hundred" were personal favorites, but every track was pretty solid. Nothing crazy impressive or innovative that will make me remember it necessarily, but I could see myself throwing it on in the background in the future as it is pretty relaxing overall. 3/5. NOTE: I had completely forgotten that I had already heard an album by Gene Clark while going through this list called "No Other". That's typically a bad sign, but it's been a long time since I gave it a listen so it's not surprising. My thoughts on this album are a bit more positive than that one, but I think of both as not much more than solid background music.

Definitely not my cup of tea, but it almost feels like it should be. I think a big part of this were the vocals which I found passable at its best and cringy at its worst. I think the back half was better than the first ("Grey Lagoons" was my favorite track due to the upbeat drums and awesome harmonica solo), but I just didn't get much out of it as a whole unfortunately. It felt like it was teetering on the edge of being experimental without going all the way, and I didn't find anything overly special about the final recordings. I can see this being a favorite of some, but to me, it was just forgettable. 2.5/5.

Great album by a band I was not familiar with! It makes me want to learn more about the Replacements for sure. Punk rock is definitely the genre I would put them in (hard to deny that), but this album definitely leans more into indie rock with a bit of Springsteen thrown in there. I have a feeling that if I went back and listened to their work prior to this record that it would be more raw/unhinged like the Sex Pistols or the Clash; while that feeling was present in both the vocals and the instruments, it felt overall more mature and grounded than what I would expect out of a band like this (except for 'Gary's Got a Boner' which contrasted with most of the other songs on the album). The singer's voice reminded me a lot of a young Gene Simmons, but he was easier to take seriously. This connection I made seemed much weirder when I got to the 'Black Diamond' cover on this album; I actually feel that this cover is much stronger than the original KISS version which I have never been the biggest fan of. I was a fan of all of the tracks, but the opener and 'Androgynous' were two of the standouts. 'Androgynous' was VERY progressive for 1984, and I can see why it would be the highest streamed song off of this album for this reason. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this record and could see myself coming back to it in the future. 4/5. NOTE: They should've picked a different album name for sure as 1) it doesn't really fit any of the core themes of the album and 2) it could get easily confused with the late record by The Beatles. Maybe they picked this title ironically? Who knows.

Wow. THIS is exactly what I was looking for when I first started going through this list. This album was pure awesome and undeniably a classic. It feels like it has a little something for every type of rock fan while still feeling very cohesive/unique. I had heard of Jethro Tull and have seen this album cover many times in record stores. I was aware of the title track, but I had never shown it much appreciation; after focusing in on it and realizing how intricate and detailed it was, I was locked in to the rest of the album. Thankfully, everything that proceeded lived up to that first song as each song was very tight and eccentric. 'Cross-Eyed Mary' had some amazing jazz flute that ended up being present through most of the album; while I wouldn't have assumed this would work, it added so much to every track it was in. It ended up adding fairy tale/medieval vibes to the record (almost LOTR like) which helped boost the overall power of the songs on here. Even the songs that didn't have it as prominently were great: 'Cheap Day Return' was short, but I added it to my Starred list immediately based on the guitar work alone. I also loved the piano work on 'Wond'ring Aloud', and the chanting in 'My God' backing the flute was such a cool moment, especially for 1971. It just overall felt like music that was different but familiar at the same time. It reminded me of the Moody Blues at points, but definitely more rock-focused with its loud guitar and vocalist. It also reminded me of Queen's 'A Night at the Opera' (one of my all time favorite albums) in terms of album structure/theming. Not sure if it had any influence on that record, but I wouldn't be surprised. In short, this one rocked from beginning to end, and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates music. 5/5; the first perfect score I've given to an album I've never heard before.

A staple in the early 2000's nu-metal/rap genre. Fun and energetic, but I wouldn't consider it high art and find it comes across as dorky/angsty for the most part. I'm sure this is heavily nostalgic to some; however, it personally feels more like a guilty pleasure in 2022 than a classic album (although I will say it's impressive for a debut). There are undoubtedly some great tracks on here, but it just is not my style overall. It's cool that they have two vocalists with distinctive styles; however, that doesn't prevent most songs sounding exactly the same. I actually ended up recognizing more track than I expected ('Papercut', 'Crawling', and 'One Step Closer'), and I will forever love 'In The End' which, even when looking through an unbiased lens, is still the best song on here IMO. It should have been the closer to the album as 'Pushing Me Away' did not feel like a conclusion at all. In short, this one is a bit hard to rank, but I wouldn't call it greater than average. 2.5/5. NOTE: Lots of "but" and "however" in this review which shows how conflicted I am with this one.

The epitome of "this just isn't for me". Too dark, too raw, too intense... I could go on and on. Definitely creative and unlike anything I have heard before, but mostly in a bad way from my perspective. It just came across as mostly noise as tracks such as 'Mr. Self Destruct' and 'Ruiner' were nearly unlistenable. I'd describe it all as hardcore, industrial, emo dubstep grunge (too accurate IMO). I can respect it for taking chances, but I don't see it being a positive influence to the genre overall as it's just too weird. The best moments on the album were when it slowed down a bit: 'A Warm Place' was a highlight in terms of how it felt more grounded/mature. I found that this song definitely showed the potential that Trent Reznor had for doing soundtracks that he would excel at in the future. This was also my first time hearing the original version of 'Hurt'; while it is an amazingly written song, the version on here has terrible production and pales in comparison to what Johnny Cash did with it a few years later. Overall, I just don't relate to this one and have no need to come back to it despite how well the band/album is regarded. 2/5.