Nov 10 2021
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Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Great stand-out moments. Not as consistently enjoyable as Tumbleweed Connection, but the singles stand strong. A solid part of the collection during Elton John's brilliant string of early 70's albums.
4
Nov 11 2021
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Surfer Rosa
Pixies
Heavy-rotation on college radio show, and with good reason. Was essential listening for me that year, but it has been ages since I've had it on start-to-finish. Holds up with amazing energy! Excellent production by Steve Albini, restraining the madness at times and then letting it all loose.
4
Nov 12 2021
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Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
Quietly intense and beautiful.
5
Nov 14 2021
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Bossanova
Pixies
Two pixies albums in 3 days, hmmm. Heavy surf-rock vibe. More of a pop sensibility, but still with some of raucous energy of Surfer Rosa. Doesn't hit the high points as strongly as Doolittle.
3
Nov 14 2021
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Screamadelica
Primal Scream
4
Nov 15 2021
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The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
A classic!
4
Nov 16 2021
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Is This It
The Strokes
Bringing the shades of Ramones and Velvets into the 21st century.
4
Nov 17 2021
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Vespertine
Björk
Deep and intimate. By turns breathy and dreamy then suddenly out-front and powerful, you hang on every note for an irresistable listen.
5
Nov 18 2021
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Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3
Nov 19 2021
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Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
3
Nov 20 2021
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American Beauty
Grateful Dead
5
Nov 21 2021
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Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
4
Nov 22 2021
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2112
Rush
Absolute classic!
5
Nov 23 2021
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Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
How have I never heard this album? Unique sonic collages within the language of hip-hip. Stands alongside Massive Attack!
4
Nov 24 2021
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Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
5
Nov 25 2021
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The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
One of the staples of my early-80's listening. The hits punctuated every party and dance, enjoyed by all as we shared Martin's sense of drama.
4
Nov 28 2021
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Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
My favorite Davis work - challenging and diverse, moody with amazing breakdown moments.
5
Nov 29 2021
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The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Title track and Nasty are great. Rest of the album feels like filler.
3
Nov 30 2021
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Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Simply incredible in all its drug-fueled excess. Sure, it drags around the middle of side 1 with Changes and FX, but kicks back with Supernaut and never lets go.
5
Dec 01 2021
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Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3
Dec 03 2021
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
4
Dec 04 2021
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Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
4
Dec 05 2021
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Junkyard
The Birthday Party
3
Dec 10 2021
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Spiderland
Slint
4
Dec 11 2021
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Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
4
Dec 13 2021
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New Forms
Roni Size
3
Jan 05 2022
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Moon Safari
Air
A great album for chill, delightful to hear them channeling their inner Serge Gainsbourg.
3
Jan 06 2022
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Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Incredible theme song, there's no denying. Most of the rest of the score instrumentals lack the theme's punch and pizzazz. We finally wake up the pulse again with "No Name Bar" and "Do Your Thing" (supremely smooth but honestly long and repetitive at over 19 minutes). Curtis Mayfield did it better with "Superfly".
3
Jan 07 2022
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Bubble And Scrape
Sebadoh
3
Jan 08 2022
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Achtung Baby
U2
Effectively bouncing between styles and moods, this is a great album that stands among U2's best.
5
Jan 10 2022
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Let's Stay Together
Al Green
4
Jan 11 2022
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Heroes
David Bowie
Other than the brilliant title track, I found that the 3rd of the Berlin trilogy doesn't have the same punch as Low and Lodger. Similar mix of pop singles and ambient pieces.
4
Jan 12 2022
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3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
4
Jan 14 2022
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Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
3
Feb 17 2022
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In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
5
Feb 18 2022
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The Poet
Bobby Womack
3
Feb 24 2022
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Scott 4
Scott Walker
I feel like I must be missing something. The production seems as over-the-top and campy as on his earlier records, and not nearly as arresting as his other contemporary singers were doing.
2
Feb 25 2022
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Here Come The Warm Jets
Brian Eno
Sheer brilliance from start to finish. It remains amazing to me how fresh the album sounds after 50 years (ask me again in another 50 years and I expect to say the same thing). Biting, humorous, and satirical, with a wondrous sense of experimentation in sound and composition.
If this 1001 list were put in order, I'd easily put this record in the top 10.
5
Feb 26 2022
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Sunshine Superman
Donovan
This is by no means a bad album, and Season of the Witch is solid, but it doesn't grab and hold your atttention like so many of the other greats of 1966 did. Donovan always strikes me as a chameleon, not an innovator: the guy in the 60's who was doing what everyone else was doing, but less well. The 'Airplane cover just makes you want to put on Surrealistic Pillow or Baxter's, and even Season of the Witch puts you in the mood for Them or Van Morrison.
3
Feb 27 2022
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Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
Pleasant Street was a stand-out track, along with Morning Glory (which I knew from 1980's This Mortal Coil cover). Of the several Tim Buckley records on the list, this one seems most cohesive.
3
Mar 01 2022
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Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
3
Mar 02 2022
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OK
Talvin Singh
3
Mar 03 2022
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Water From An Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
Great album - caught me by surprise. Has a timeless quality, many of the tracks harken back to roots in the 50s or 60s. Definitely a keeper!
5
Mar 04 2022
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High Violet
The National
Decent album, but I found its interest fading after each listen.
3
Mar 05 2022
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Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
4
Mar 07 2022
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Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
3
Mar 08 2022
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Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Can we give more than 5 stars? It's been quite some time since I listened to this album start-to-finish, and it transported me back to the excitement of the first time. Amazing record!!
5
Mar 09 2022
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Melodrama
Lorde
4
Mar 10 2022
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Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
3
Mar 11 2022
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Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
4
Mar 12 2022
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Who's Next
The Who
5
Mar 15 2022
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The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
5
Mar 16 2022
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She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
The top singles were huge, but even so they don't convey how huge this album was on release. The first 6 tracks got regular radio airplay and Ms. Lauper was all over MTV. A number of the tracks are inescapably stuck in the 80's (like the cover of "When You Were Mine") but the record seriously stands the test of time (after time . . .)
5
Mar 17 2022
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Sister
Sonic Youth
4
Mar 18 2022
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Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
I'm really surprised to see this one made the list. Tom Waits has long been one of my favorites, and I do appreciate his early material even though I don't love it as much as his albums from the 1980's and early 1990's. But Nighthawks at the Diner falls in a bit of a no-man's-land among his catalog. Clearly exploring new directions, but the material is emotionally detached in tone - none of the warmth of "Martha" or "Rosie". He hasn't become the chameleon that emerged on Small Change. The intro sections are amusing but feel they come from a different artist, and on the whole the songs feel kind of one-note (almost like someone heard "Step Right Up" and wanted it to be the basis for a whole album). It lacks the depth of heart and the variety of tone that make subsequent albums (event those as uneven as Heartattack and Vine) so compelling and worthy of repeated listens.
3
Mar 19 2022
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Graceland
Paul Simon
4
Mar 22 2022
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Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
4
Mar 23 2022
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Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
3
Mar 26 2022
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Homework
Daft Punk
3
Mar 27 2022
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Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
4
Mar 28 2022
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Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
I recall this album sounding revolutionary on its release, a very different take on the sound of a singer-songwriter. It got heavy airplay on my radio show, with standout tracks like Small Blue Thing, Undertow, Knight Moves, and the single Marlene on the Wall. This debut still stands atop her catalog, in my opinion.
That said, I think the emotional distance of the storytelling dims some of its appeal over the years. Solid tracks, but no longer one which stands up to full listens.
4
Mar 29 2022
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Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
I find something new in every listen. A brilliant and truly timeless album. Easily top-10 of the entire list.
5
Mar 30 2022
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Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
4
Mar 31 2022
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Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Fantastic record start to finish. Solid tracks like Cinnamon Girl, Cowgirl, and River with lots of airplay, and don't sleep on the groovy title track.
Obligatory diss to JR for his bs that has Neil pulling his music from Spotify . . .
5
Apr 01 2022
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Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
4
Apr 04 2022
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461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
Great guitar but it feels he’s still trying to find wings as a songwriter. Blues motifs are strong but album feels uneven compared to contemporaries.
3
Apr 05 2022
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Private Dancer
Tina Turner
4
Apr 06 2022
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Revolver
Beatles
5
Apr 08 2022
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Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
3
Apr 10 2022
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Faust IV
Faust
4
Apr 14 2022
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KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
4
Apr 15 2022
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Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
This didn't make a huge splash in the US, but it was a vital piece of 1980's college radio. It's among the best Side A to be found, with solid tracks back-to-back. This re-listen gave me a reason to revisit why I never "flip over the record", and was reminded that the second side is considerably less consistent. However, the rush of Faron, Bonny, Appetite, When Love Breaks Down, and Goodbye Lucille #1 more than justifies a solid rating. I'd give it 9 our of ten, but will round up for sheer nostalgia value and Thomas Dolby's production.
5
Apr 16 2022
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At Budokan
Cheap Trick
3
Apr 19 2022
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Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
5
Apr 20 2022
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Slipknot
Slipknot
3
Apr 21 2022
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Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
4
Apr 23 2022
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Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
5
Apr 30 2022
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Doolittle
Pixies
4
May 03 2022
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Moving Pictures
Rush
Absolutely classic!
5
May 05 2022
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Country Life
Roxy Music
4
May 06 2022
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Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
5
May 09 2022
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The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
4
May 12 2022
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Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5
May 13 2022
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Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
Quietly beautiful. The more I learn about the experimentation behind its creation, the more amazing it becomes.
5
May 18 2022
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The Blueprint
JAY Z
3
May 21 2022
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Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
5
May 22 2022
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The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
3
May 23 2022
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Face to Face
The Kinks
5
Jul 01 2022
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Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
3
Jul 02 2022
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
5
Jul 21 2022
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Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
3
Jul 22 2022
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Nixon
Lambchop
4
Jul 24 2022
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Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
A great sign of things to come for Dolly Parton. Most of the songs felt more like sketches, presenting a lyrical idea of situation but leaving me waiting for more on the theme. And perhaps it's the sound of country twang: it feels from an older age than 1971 (unlike many other albums of the same year like Tapestry or Blue).
3
Jul 25 2022
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Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
3
Jul 27 2022
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Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
3
Jul 28 2022
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Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
5
Jul 29 2022
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Back In Black
AC/DC
5
Aug 01 2022
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Dummy
Portishead
5
Aug 03 2022
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White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
3
Aug 04 2022
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Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
4
Aug 05 2022
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Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
3
Aug 06 2022
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Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
4
Aug 07 2022
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Something/Anything?
Todd Rundgren
4
Aug 08 2022
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Scream, Dracula, Scream
Rocket From The Crypt
3
Aug 17 2022
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Le Tigre
Le Tigre
2
Aug 18 2022
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Rio
Duran Duran
2
Aug 19 2022
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Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
4
Aug 23 2022
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The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
5
Aug 24 2022
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Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
3
Aug 26 2022
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Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
A very pleasant listen, fades easily into the background but also impresses with nice riffs. Surprised to see the roots of this kind of "world new age" on a record from the late '60s.
4
Aug 30 2022
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Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Amazing energy as a guitarist and performer. The demonstration he needed to show the strength of the songs in longer and less inhibited format.
4
Sep 02 2022
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The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
5
Sep 03 2022
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The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
3
Sep 04 2022
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Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
4
Sep 06 2022
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Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
5
Sep 07 2022
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Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
This album most successfully showcased Tracy Thorn's rich vocals in moody yet engaging tracks. One of the defining albums of 90's British electronica.
4
Sep 09 2022
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Beautiful Freak
Eels
3
Sep 10 2022
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Blur
Blur
3
Sep 12 2022
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Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
4
Sep 13 2022
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My Generation
The Who
3
Oct 01 2022
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Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
An enjoyable listen, but rather one-note in its tone, sound, themes, and production. Reminds me of the result if an artist listened to Tori Amos and decided to make an entire album based on the slow songs from "Boys for Pele".
3
Oct 03 2022
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The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
For all the reviewers' lofty talk of the album's themes and strengths, this album is underwhelming for any group, especially for a return of the E Street Band. The opener Lonesome Day would have been a strong opener for a band with lesser expectations; other than the intriguing Worlds Apart few other tracks really stood out or made an impression. With weak lyrics and repetitive and predictable song structures, the album struck me as a collection of filler from Seeger or Mellencamp sessions. Springsteen deservedly has at least a half-dozen entries on this 1001 list - The Rising should not be among them.
3
Oct 08 2022
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Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
5
Oct 09 2022
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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
3
Oct 13 2022
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D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
3
Oct 18 2022
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The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
4
Oct 19 2022
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Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
4
Oct 21 2022
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Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
3
Oct 25 2022
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White Ladder
David Gray
Unworthy of the list. The single "babylon" belongs in the Hall of OK songs. The rest of the album sounds like something from down the road's open-mike night: overly long songs, bland lyrics, uninspired melodies, average voice. I can forgive an inoffensive and unremarkable album, just don't put it on the list and have us listen to its entirety.
Special place in hell for its producer. About half of the tracks included forward-mixed additions well out of place. Most notable in opening track and Babylon, with terrible clicky drum track.
2
Oct 26 2022
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Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
4
Oct 27 2022
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A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
4
Oct 28 2022
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Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
4
Oct 29 2022
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Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
5
Nov 08 2022
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Virgin Suicides
Air
Indistinct and forgettable, a step down from Moon Safari. The final track using the film dialogue was distracting, dimming the album's appeal as even ambient listening. Unclear why this would be on the list.
3
Nov 09 2022
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Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Huge when it came out, the staple of everyone's college party deep listening in 1988. It sounds a lot less unique today, in the wake of the singer-songwriter revival that was to come. Several of the songs (especially "Baby Can I Hold You?") I'd forgotten were Tracy Chapman and not Joan Armatrading. "Fast Car" hit hard on release but has strained under a million repeats. Most incisive track to me remains "Behind the Wall".
4
Nov 11 2022
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A Night At The Opera
Queen
5
Nov 15 2022
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Amnesiac
Radiohead
4
Nov 16 2022
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C'est Chic
CHIC
Many songs dragged too long. Solid singles, but it felt that 2/3 of the album was filler.
3
Nov 18 2022
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Wild Wood
Paul Weller
3
Nov 19 2022
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Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
4
Nov 27 2022
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The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
5
Nov 28 2022
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Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Solid album start to finish. I'd forgotten how strong side A was - just about all of it it got decent airplay when this was released. Side B slows down some but finishes with the gem of a title track.
5
Dec 01 2022
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Hunting High And Low
a-ha
3
Dec 04 2022
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Headquarters
The Monkees
3
Dec 07 2022
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Hms Fable
Shack
I used to have this album and gave it away in a pile of seldom-listened to CD's. Now I remember why. Utterly uninteresting and undistinguished, with nothing to separate it from hordes of other mid-90's offerings. If there are indeed only 1001 albums on this list, HMS Fable does not belong on it.
2
Dec 08 2022
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Purple Rain
Prince
5
Dec 10 2022
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Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
4
Dec 15 2022
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The Visitors
ABBA
3
Dec 16 2022
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Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
4
Dec 18 2022
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
5
Dec 20 2022
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1989
Taylor Swift
Dull and predictable. Too many songs start off slow and moody but go right back to the same radio-ready anthem beat. Production was childish - everyone's drums in 1989 sounded less fake. Despite the supposed influence of synth-pop, the album just goes through the motions, lacking the heart of that genre. Gonna go put on some Soft Cell, Yazoo, and Erasure to get this noise out of my ears.
2
Dec 22 2022
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Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Gotta give it 5 stars for the sellar long tracks. But I’d forgotten just how much unfinished filler was on this record.
5
Dec 24 2022
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Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
5
Dec 28 2022
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Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
3
Dec 29 2022
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Superunknown
Soundgarden
4
Dec 31 2022
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Bad
Michael Jackson
3
Jan 01 2023
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Parallel Lines
Blondie
Blondie - it's 11:59 and I'm running out of time. Among the greatest capture of the CBGB energy, grabbing early 60's rock'n'roll energy and giving it the punk treatment. Phenomenal!
5
Jan 02 2023
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Fromohio
fIREHOSE
I don't get it. Strong bass lines and decent hooks - good. But punctuated by inexplicable breaks for stoned muttering bad drunken brother-in-law musings posing as deep thoughts - bad.
3
Jan 05 2023
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I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
4
Jan 06 2023
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Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
The daring work of expert musicians. I admire just how difficult this record must have been to write and record. So I admire Trout Mask Replica and it was fun in a quirky mayhem sort of way for a few songs. But once again I have had difficult making it all the way through the album - started to feel like a chore. It does bring a new appreciation for how Tom Waits and others inspired by the record have been able to capture its wit and spirit and tone down the sense of assault. File this one away with Throbbing Gristle "Second Annual Report": very glad it was made, respect the hell out of the musicians, but for the sake of my sanity it will not often see my (figurative) turntable.
4
Jan 11 2023
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Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
4
Jan 12 2023
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New Wave
The Auteurs
2
Jan 16 2023
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Paul Simon
Paul Simon
4
Jan 17 2023
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Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3
Jan 18 2023
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At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
5
Jan 20 2023
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Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
3
Jan 21 2023
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american dream
LCD Soundsystem
Nothing new to see here.
Others are describing this as an homage to post-punk, but it just comes across as crass plagiarism. The influences are dragged out with too heavy a hand, so it sounds like your local band fired up the drum machine and deciding to "do" Suicide, Eno-Talking Heads, The Cure, Bowie, Sparks, etc. The lyrics attempt pithy with and clever observations but fall apart with bland aa-bb rhyming and obviousness. As with the LCD debut with the Talking Heads/ Being Boiled mashup of "Losing My Edge" a dozen years earlier, it just seems that Murphy must rely on borrowing another's voice instead of finding his own.
2 stars for the fleeting entertainment of playing "who am I this time"
2
Jan 22 2023
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Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
3
Jan 23 2023
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We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
4
Jan 24 2023
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Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
4
Jan 25 2023
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The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Beautiful arrangements by Nelson Riddle, and Ella's vice is superb. However, an abridged version is recommended for listeners of this 1001 exercise - after the second hour I was seriously thinking of what else I could be listening to.
4
Jan 28 2023
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British Steel
Judas Priest
Love love love Judas Priest but remember this as never being my favorite. Several strong rocking tracks but punctuated by United, RWB, and some others that just got feeling same-y. Really hoping to see Sad Wings of Destiny / Screaming for Vengeance make the list . . .
7/10, will round up just for the strength of Halford's voice.
4
Jan 30 2023
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Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
3
Jan 31 2023
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Heaven Or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins
Everyone should know Cocteau Twins! So thrilled to see them on the list, however this album was a disappointment by comparison. Their 1980's releases were otherworldly, carrying us away to dreamy heights on Elizabeth Fraser's angelic voice. The needle comes down on the first track of Vegas to a "Twins lite" - still unmistakably her unique voice but tethering the sound to earth. Vocal and guitar arrangements are less complex and interesting here than on previous albums and EPs, I suppose in the interest of broadening their appeal - this received greater attention on American radio. To me, only Iceblink Luck retains lasting appeal, as it follows in the bright vein of (then) recent tracks like Caroline's Fingers or Orange Appled. Other tracks have a tendency to fade into the background, struggling to capture our imagination.
4 stars for being a decent album, but treat yourself to their earlier catalogue for a truer sense of this band's influence on dreampop.
4
Feb 01 2023
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The Sensual World
Kate Bush
Yes I said yes I will yes! Some solid tracks, especially the brilliant closer "This Woman's Work", but uneven compared to her stunning previous album Hounds of Love.
4
Feb 02 2023
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Elephant
The White Stripes
3
Feb 04 2023
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First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
3
Feb 07 2023
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Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
5
Feb 08 2023
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OK Computer
Radiohead
5
Feb 10 2023
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I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
4
Feb 11 2023
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The Score
Fugees
3
Feb 13 2023
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Fragile
Yes
This is a tough one. The album includes three of the best songs of the 1970's in Roundabout, Long Distance, and Heart of the Sunrise. However, the album's other tracks don't do a good job of propelling the momentum. 4.5 stars, rounding up on the strength of the main tracks, but still falls a narrow second to Close to the Edge.
5
Feb 14 2023
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Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
With an obligatory shout-out to the Yokohama Rubber Company, I will admit that Steely Dan is a band that I admire more than I enjoy. For me, a little goes a long way, perhaps driven by the overplay of so many of their tracks on a lot of the playlists where I've been delving recently. So a number of the less-familiar songs tended to fade into the background while I was trying to listen, and made it harder to judge each on their own merit. So I made myself give it a second, more active re-listen. Each song is crafted expertly, wonderful production and brilliant musicianship. Maybe that's why it's so exhausting - they stand tall among any of their peers in yacht rock, but the peaks are harder to see against the other peaks of this album (I expect to find the same thing on Aja when I come to it).
This is another album which makes me with this exercise ranked on a scale of 1-10 rather than 1-5, since I'd love to give it 9 stars. It's a great album, but it rarely excited me - its sense of cool leaves me a little cold.
4
Feb 15 2023
View Album
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby
I think the self-aggrandizement sabotaged folks' perception of what was a solid debut. Decent album, got a lot of airplay on college radio stations on release. Never noticed how much the refrain to Dance Little Sister sounds just like (Heaven 17) Penthouse and Pavement.
3
Feb 16 2023
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Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Somewhere among this sprawling double-album was a more coherent and concise collection. Not bad, just too much of the same.
3
Feb 17 2023
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The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
2
Feb 19 2023
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The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
2
Feb 20 2023
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Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
Naw, screw that. A 3-star album on release, and later taken off the 1001 list?!? Not even gonna dignify that with a listen - give me something else from The Fall, it might surprise me. I got enough of Fred Durst's bulllshit in the 90's.
1
Feb 21 2023
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Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
Opens with one of the greatest tracks of all time - not greatest Stones tracks, but songs by anyone. And finishes solid with the drawn-out Cant Always Get. However, it surprised me that I didn't recall the tracks in between as being so uneven. Probably just used to skipping Live With Me and You Got the Silver. 9-star album, but this time I gotta round down to stand Sticky Fingers at 5 stars.
4
Feb 22 2023
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Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
1
Feb 23 2023
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Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
4
Feb 24 2023
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The Who Sell Out
The Who
3
Feb 25 2023
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Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
5
Feb 28 2023
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Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
2
Mar 05 2023
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You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
4
Mar 06 2023
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Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
4
Mar 07 2023
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Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
5
Mar 08 2023
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Gold
Ryan Adams
Lifeless and soulless, no clever turns of phrase or creative arrangements. Any band or local songwriter would have left this collection unrecorded. No business being on the list.
And obligatory slap from beyond the grave from Sylvia Plath for taking her name in vain on such a dull song.
1
Mar 09 2023
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Paris 1919
John Cale
4
Mar 15 2023
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Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
Seeing the album come up on my list, I was surprised to find an offering that I'd never heard of before. The first track was god musically, but I was surprised by the casual vocals and vague story. And that was about as good as the record got. Each track seemed like Grant roughed out his lyrics as he wrote, but never got any further. Like Ryan Adams' Gold the other day, I couldn't believe this made the list. Attempts at wit fell flat or were just puerile - not everyone can be Sparks.
In the end I'm glad to have heard the album - often, we musicians overthink our writing and self-edit because it's not good enough. Apparently, some artists can just wing it and have their albums recommended as "must listen". I don't know anything about the rest of Grant's catalogue, but I'll pass.
1
Mar 18 2023
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Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
This was one of my first albums, and first Hendrix record. Haven't listened in its entirety in decades, but amazing how so much comes back.
Love Hendrix, and the album has amazing tracks like Little Wing, If 6 was 9, and Castles Made of Sand - but like Electric Ladyland it does feel a bit uneven. And strange choices for order (strange to start with the very odd EXP) and inclusion (She's So Fine).
But when it shines it shines. 9 stars, rounded down.
4
Mar 19 2023
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I tried, I really tried. I am a huge fan of prog rock but ELP has always left me a little cold. And while this is obviously a technically strong performance it leaves me cold. Guess you had to be there . . .
2
Mar 20 2023
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Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
4
Mar 21 2023
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Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
4
Mar 24 2023
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Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers
3
Mar 28 2023
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
5
Mar 30 2023
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Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
Good message, but there was a surprising sense of sameness to it. More important, that sameness was one of mood, an almost lifelessness which betrayed the supposed passion for pride in her black identity. Held my interest for a couple of tracks, but I kept waiting for more, for it to go somewhere unique, challenging, ins[piring.
For me, that didn't come.
3
Apr 01 2023
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
2
Apr 04 2023
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Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
4
Apr 05 2023
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Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
5
Apr 07 2023
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I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
3
Apr 08 2023
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
2
Apr 09 2023
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Entertainment
Gang Of Four
4
Apr 10 2023
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Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
2
Apr 12 2023
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The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
5
Apr 14 2023
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Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
3
Apr 16 2023
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World Clique
Deee-Lite
4
Apr 17 2023
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Tapestry
Carole King
5
Apr 19 2023
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Ray Of Light
Madonna
3
Apr 21 2023
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Connected
Stereo MC's
2
Apr 22 2023
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Aqualung
Jethro Tull
5
Apr 23 2023
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Leftism
Leftfield
2
May 02 2023
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Smokers Delight
Nightmares On Wax
Decent groove, but ultimately immemorable - this album has no business being on this list. Yet another mid-90's entry of dance-floor stuff, lost amid artists doing it way better (Massive attack, Trans Global Underground, Moodswings, etc.) The author's bias towards the 90's is beginning to wear.
1
May 03 2023
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Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
2
May 04 2023
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Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
3
May 05 2023
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Odessa
Bee Gees
2
May 08 2023
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Under Construction
Missy Elliott
3
May 11 2023
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Trafalgar
Bee Gees
Notable for opening with one of the most pernicious earworms in music history. No business being on the list.
1
May 13 2023
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Hypnotised
The Undertones
4
May 14 2023
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Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
3
May 15 2023
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Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Mine is the last voice you will ever hear.
Yes, FTFH were huge when I was in college. The singles were ubiquitous. Yet somehow the debut album was a real letdown, very much less than the sum of its parts. The cover choices defied understanding, and the material stretched too long. Would’ve made a fine single album.
3
May 17 2023
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Manassas
Stephen Stills
3
May 19 2023
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16 Lovers Lane
The Go-Betweens
3
May 22 2023
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Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
4
May 27 2023
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Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
2
May 30 2023
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The Bends
Radiohead
4
Jun 01 2023
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Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Really glad I listened to this, a charming romp through Americana and bluegrass. However, it felt long for my tastes, and found myself wondering if the tracks were on repeat. Some solid songs, and ones I'll enjoy learning to play.
3
Jun 05 2023
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Dust
Screaming Trees
2
Jun 06 2023
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1999
Prince
5
Jun 07 2023
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Bad Company
Bad Company
4
Jun 08 2023
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Very
Pet Shop Boys
Love the Pet Shop Boys, but there is an unfortunate sameness to the tracks on this record. Go West was a strong finisher, but by then I'd gotten a little numb to the beat. I think the issue is my listening environment - I am not at a rave or a club, this album's natural habitat. For that I'll grade on a curve . . .
3
Jun 09 2023
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Timeless
Goldie
1
Jun 10 2023
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Electric Warrior
T. Rex
3
Jun 11 2023
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Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
1
Jun 12 2023
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Urban Hymns
The Verve
1
Jun 15 2023
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Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
3
Jun 16 2023
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E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
4
Jun 17 2023
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A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
5
Jun 19 2023
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Dry
PJ Harvey
5
Jun 20 2023
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This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
A lot of bands are an acquired taste, and can take a lot of listening before you really get them. And sometimes even needing to reacquaint yourself in between albums. With The Fall, I often find myself needing to require my taste in between songs. This Nation’s Saving Grace is an exception; it caught my attention when it came out when I was in college, and quickly became one of my favorite records of the year. Yes, it is wildly uneven in its tracks for such a long record. But the highs more than make up for it! And many decades later, I still dive in, joining Mark E Smith in the weirdness.
5
Jun 21 2023
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Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
2
Jun 23 2023
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John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
3
Jun 28 2023
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Harvest
Neil Young
5
Jun 29 2023
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Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5
Jun 30 2023
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Young Americans
David Bowie
3
Jul 01 2023
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Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3
Jul 10 2023
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Teen Dream
Beach House
2
Jul 14 2023
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Cloud Nine
The Temptations
3
Jul 17 2023
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Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
4
Jul 18 2023
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Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
Nepotism on the list. Unfortunately, while Ms. Gilberto benefited from her father's connections, it does not translate to a memorable album. With a weak voice and uninteresting lyrics (for the English ones, others who speak Portuguese can judge on the others). This album is remarkable only in that she has made a lifeless samba record. Not even silky enough to be good background music.
2
Jul 20 2023
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I Against I
Bad Brains
4
Jul 23 2023
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In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
4
Jul 31 2023
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American Gothic
David Ackles
I wanted to like this album, but at every turn it found ways to disappoint. The folky strangeness brought to mind Tom Waits or other quirky Americana, but Ackles' awkward phrasing and clunky lyrics got in the way. Think Tom Waits without the sense of humor, or Leonard Cohen without the pathos - and all sung by a Neil Diamond cover band.
I am glad I had a chance to hear the album - it is ambitious, and offers a lot to consider for a songwriter's list of "don't do". But knowing that another album lost a spot to it, it's hard to say it belongs on the list.
2
Aug 01 2023
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Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
2
Aug 03 2023
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If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
The hits have definitely stood the test of time. The other tracks . . . not so much. Fairly lifeless treatment of covers like Do You Wanna Dance and Spanish Harlem. The other originals felt stuck in their era. I found myself wondering when Mama Cass was going to take a deserving spot at center stage, and was disappointed by more and more songs with John and Denny out in front.
3
Aug 04 2023
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Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
5
Aug 05 2023
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Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
Warning - under no circumstances should you listen to this album while driving.
Normally I appreciate a good aural assault. But this album is like taking Negativland or John Zorn’s experimental music and stripping its humor and context.
2
Aug 06 2023
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Eternally Yours
The Saints
3
Aug 07 2023
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A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
I have tried over and over again to be interested in albums by this group, and never succeeded. Not terrible, just not for me. Perhaps too clever for his own good?
3
Aug 08 2023
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Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
I eagerly bought this album when it was released, awestruck by the songwriting power on PJ Harvey's debut "Dry". Absolutely floored by the raw emotion on the title track, the intensity rarely lets up - it is a very difficult listening album. Coming at a dark period of my life, it must have been just what I was looking for, as I recall it being on heavy rotation on my CD player for a couple of weeks. I even got the companion disc of the 4-track demo versions - also good for an evening of catharsis.
Music to burn a hole in your soul, for when you need it. Highly recommended!
5
Aug 09 2023
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Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
3
Aug 11 2023
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Remedy
Basement Jaxx
With overwhelming evidence, it seems clear that the author of this list is a male born in the early-to-mid 70's, putting his formative musical years squarely in the 1990's. I can think of no other reason for the overrepresentation of 90's techno/ club/ dance records. I understand finding room for Dee-Lite and Ray of Light and some others but he needs to cool it. Especially when it comes to this steaming pile by Basement Jaxx. Dull beats, unimaginative and heavy-handed use of auto-tune lyrics. Nothing we haven't heard before 1000 times. No need at all to hear it, no need for it to be on the list. Zero stars, if it were possible.
1
Aug 12 2023
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São Paulo Confessions
Suba
3
Aug 16 2023
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This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3
Aug 19 2023
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Imagine
John Lennon
3
Aug 20 2023
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Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
This one was kind of tough to grade. I bought this album when it was released, on an adventure pick. Some great tunes, and I gave it plenty of airplay on college radio. I think that Lloyd Cole and the Commotions are one of those great “lost to time” bands: Pretty well known amongst the indie set in the 80s, but still drawing a quizzical glance from most listeners. Definitely a group people should be exposed to, and still very fun to see when he tours.
But still not sure if it’s 1001-best material. Was frankly surprised when it popped up for today, it’s been decades since I’ve listened to it through. Strong opener and title track, and a catchy lyric wit behind an affected American put-on twang. Forest Fire and Hearbroken are excellent additional tracks. Too many tracks, though, feel like unfinished sketches: speedboat, 2CV, patience, 4 flights up.
Call it 3.5 stars, rounded up for nostalgia. And go check out a “best of” - still plenty of other great Lloyd Cole tunes but hard to recommend further full albums.
4
Aug 21 2023
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S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
4
Aug 25 2023
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Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
3
Aug 27 2023
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Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
5
Aug 28 2023
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Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
4
Aug 29 2023
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Hearts And Bones
Paul Simon
When the list contains a Paul Simon record of which I've never heard, it gives pause to wonder - so I dived right in and from the first track got a sense of the vanishing act that was Hearts and Bones.
The voice is compelling, and there's the usual glib Paul Simon effortlessness to the lyrics. But to me it doesn't click. I prefer the extended album's acoustic version of the title track, as it highlights the simple beauty of the chords and the lightness of the songwriting. It would be a highlight of many writers' catalog, but feels meandering and weak among Paul Simon songs.
Many of the tracks seem like sketches, or just iffy ideas that no-one in the studio had the nerve to question (Allergies, Cars). Knowing it was a pivot from the aborted S+G reunion, it strikes me that the pressure to just release something overwhelmed the urge to release something great.
Underwhelming and uncompelling - with at least 4 other more deserving Paul Simon albums on this list I fail to understand what Hearts and Bones is doing among them . . .
2
Aug 31 2023
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Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
Laughable, belongs on the list of 1001 albums that were released for no apparent reason.
1
Sep 02 2023
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Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
Dull, dull, dull.
No idea why this album finds its way onto the list. I suspect this is another instance of the author's personal listening bias, so often seen for albums of this time period.
1
Sep 03 2023
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Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
1
Sep 04 2023
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It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
No, really - another milquetoast offering from the early 90’s. Not a bad record, but the songs do run together and there’s not much to differentiate Lemonheads from a dozen other albums of the same ilk.
2
Sep 06 2023
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B-52's
The B-52's
This was one of my favorite albums when it came out, completely flooring teenage me. Or should I say that side one floored me. I own this record, and honestly can’t remember the last time I listened to side 2. I think after the wild gems of Claire, 52 girls, Lobster, I was usually ready to listen to something else, and literally if ever got up to flip the album. Just as well, honestly: those tracks on the flipside are nowhere near as strong.
Still, an absolute classic, and one which defined indie rock and early new wave. An easy five stars even on the strength of half an album!
5
Sep 08 2023
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A Seat at the Table
Solange
Digging the groove, and this was a completely new one to me. A lot of the production felt like homemade 90’s - like if Happy Rhodes made a soul record.
3
Sep 09 2023
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Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
3
Sep 10 2023
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Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
2
Sep 11 2023
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Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
2
Sep 13 2023
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I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
Never my favorite of Cohen’s, the 80’s treatment doesn’t hold up so well. Would be a pinnacle for most artists, but just another entry from someone already well-represented on this list.
4 stars for great lyrics, but I would not have missed its absence from 1001 to make room.
4
Sep 15 2023
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You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
1
Sep 16 2023
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Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
Just a shell of her former glory, there’s an amazing raw emotion to Holiday’s singing on this. Unfortunately, the soupy strings bring it down for me - too intrusive and out of place. I wish there had been the ability to record with this clarity for her 1940s performances.
3
Sep 17 2023
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Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4
Sep 18 2023
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Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
1
Sep 19 2023
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The Cars
The Cars
5
Sep 21 2023
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Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
1
Sep 22 2023
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Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
Part Pixies, Sonic Youth, and the Fall, and somehow much less than the sum of its parts. Imagine being in the studio thinking “sure those vocals sound awful - let’s keep them”.
The three aforementioned bands are among my favorite, so I’m no stranger to riotous noise. But I’ve always felt out of the loop for Pavement.
2
Sep 23 2023
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Ys
Joanna Newsom
I'd heard of Joanna Newsom and had high hopes. Imagine my surprise when the lush harp music was accompanied by what sounded like a drunken Bjork impression. The voice was distracting, with cadences ill-fitting to the rhythm of the words and music. Like she'd listened to Jane Siberry at her weirdest and said "hold my beer". I gave it two tries and I admire the album for being different and what she was trying to do, but can't say I enjoyed it.
3
Sep 24 2023
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Born To Be With You
Dion
I think this was an otherwise OK album that was dragged down by its production. The tempo of most tracks feels sluggish, and the heavy reverb on all of the instruments makes it sound like the album is playing in the next round. That really creates a challenge in feeling close to the otherwise personal. The generally vague air of the lyrics also doesn’t do it any favors (make “the woman” love me, not a name).
Spotify is packaging the album with Streetheart, which only serves to emphasize the production shortcomings of this record.
3
Sep 25 2023
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Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
Would've just rather listened to Dazzle Ships.
Ambient/ electronica on parade, but no a groundbreaking album by any stretch of the imagination. By 1991, we'd heard everyone using samples and dialogue bits (hell, even Durutti Column). Nothing to hate hear, a decent album on its own - but not a lot to love. I think its another instance of the list creator's bias. Some other, more unique album gave up its spot for St E.
2
Sep 26 2023
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Talk Talk Talk
The Psychedelic Furs
4
Sep 27 2023
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Eagles
Eagles
2
Sep 28 2023
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Butterfly
Mariah Carey
1
Sep 29 2023
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Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
4
Sep 30 2023
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Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
4
Oct 01 2023
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En-Tact
The Shamen
1
Oct 02 2023
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Low
David Bowie
5
Oct 03 2023
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Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
Utterly generic whiny-guy album of the 90’s. A genre that needs zero entries to this list.
1
Oct 04 2023
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Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
1001 Alex a Hilton albums generator. Not as good as #1 Record, so not sure that all the Big Star albums needed to be on the list. Enough good songs to make it a keeper, though
4
Oct 05 2023
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Brothers
The Black Keys
Is this a joke? The production is the star of the record, and it gets old after a couple of songs - same boot drums, same fuzzy vocals. The album feels like someone wanted to parody a 60’s blues rock record, and left out the heart and soul. Forgettable rhythms, predictable lyrics. Pass.
1
Oct 06 2023
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The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Fuck no
1
Oct 10 2023
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Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
1
Oct 11 2023
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Talking Timbuktu
Ali Farka Touré
4
Oct 14 2023
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Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
4
Oct 17 2023
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Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
Strong start - good throwback sound with touches of Gong. Quickly settled into another ho-hum British indie sound with daft lyrics.
3
Oct 21 2023
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Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
5
Oct 22 2023
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Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
2
Oct 23 2023
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Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
1
Oct 25 2023
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Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
5
Oct 26 2023
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Scott 2
Scott Walker
As if the other Scott Walker album wasn't enough - but wait, there's more!
He strikes me as the kind of artist that should be on the list so people unfamiliar with him can be exposed - then search out his catalogue on their own (and then leave the 2 Divine Comedy albums off entirely - we don't need the modern retread).
That said, I found this slightly more enjoyable than Scott 4, passably clever songwriting and a good singing voice. But much like Ackles' "American Gothic", there's something uncannily off about the meters and rhythms of the songs - and not in a good Tom Waits-y way.
Glad for the exposure to a unique figure in pop music, but the albums just aren't for me.
2
Oct 28 2023
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
5
Oct 29 2023
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Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
This is the kind of discovery I came here for! Like a Brazilian Beefheart or Zappa, utterly different sort of experience.
Gets chaotic at times, and not one I'll be going back to very often. But 3 stars for quality and an extra star just for being so damn out there.
Rating: 4 trout heads.
4
Oct 30 2023
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Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
A great demonstration of where Dylan was going and what greatness was to come. Fantastic highs like Rolling Stone, Tom Thumb, and Desolation.
there are a lot of Dylan albums on this list. I've always been a huge fan, and am inclined to agree, since they so often showcase a wildly different style. But have to be honest that they all can't get 5 stars. Sorry, Highway 61.
Rating: 4 Tombstones
4
Oct 31 2023
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Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
Each song reminded me of another, better song. Lots of derivative moments.
Shining hour sounds pulled straight from The Waterboys
Opening chord of Jupiter and Teardrop unashamedly borrowed from Moonage Daydream.
And so on.
2
Nov 02 2023
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Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
2
Nov 03 2023
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...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
1
Nov 04 2023
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New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
5
Nov 05 2023
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Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
Like a twee pop band with occasional demonic possession by Sonic Youth.
And not in a good way. Their inspirations and shout-outs seemed completely random (Butterfly McQueen?) and the cuts and insertions distracted from otherwise competent (if not overly memorable) songwriting.
Is this on the list of 1001 Things Not to do in the Studio?
2
Nov 07 2023
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Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
Huge Dylan fan, and I admit that not all of his recordings need to be on this list. However, this would have been a good replacement for Highway 61 because it shows the "going electric" more vividly than studio recordings.
I love the solo acoustic half of the album, and prefer it over the full band - mostly owing to limitations of the recording tech (mike chirps and feedback). The harmonica is not for everyone, but adds an essential melancholy melodic note to Visions of Johanna and other songs. And to close it out, this is by far my favorite recording of Desolation Row - definitely the high point of the album.
5
Nov 08 2023
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Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
Another instance of packing the list with too many albums from the same artist. Sure, AftP sold a lot of records, but REM's best albums were in the 80's. AftP lacked the energy and spark of earlier records, with a surprising number of lifeless, draggy "filler" tracks.
It's not that its a bad album - most bands would be thrilled to have it in their catalog. But it doesn't hold a candle to Life's Rich Pageant, Reckoning, or Murmur. Any of REM's first 5 albums can be considered essential listening; their 90's output like AftP and Hi-Fi are okay for further exploration.
3
Nov 09 2023
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The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
My love of Pink Floyd has always been for their 70's output. Happy to give another run at Piper, only to be reminded why it doesn't sit on my shelves.
The album is ponderous and messy, almost playing like a spoof of the psychedelic rock genre that exploded that year. The sense of experimentation on Astronome, Interstellar, etc. is incoherent and draggy. Many of the songs sound like guys messing around and hoping that something cool happens while the tape rolls (not in and of itself a bad thing).
Unlike a lot of other albums of this genre, I feel that Piper hasn't aqed well. It feels more like a oddity, a museum piece rather than something you'd reach for in repeated listenings.
2
Nov 10 2023
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Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
5
Nov 11 2023
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Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
4
Nov 14 2023
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Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
4
Nov 15 2023
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Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
2
Nov 16 2023
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The Last Of The True Believers
Nanci Griffith
3
Nov 20 2023
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
4
Nov 21 2023
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The Dreaming
Kate Bush
The Dreaming was a bold and daring move by an hugely popular artist. Without easily accessible singles, it wasn't going to win her new fans that way, and the theatricality and delving into dark depths probably had a lot of her fans scratching their heads. Of all her albums, it's the one that most needs repeated listens to grow on you, to see the intricacy of craft and revel in the diversity of styles. Essential for those who appreciate Kate Bush, though probably a little out there for those first coming upon her.
(This 1001 list should come with side-notes or disclaimers for albums like this. "Not for Introduction to This Artist" - with a link to Hounds of Love. Like having Scary Monsters as your first Bowie album. )
Not as coherent as Hounds of Love, the risk-taking and resultant highs are worth it, and this remains my second-favorite Kate Bush record. A solid 9/ 10, rounded up for the sheer jaunting joy that is "Suspended in Gaffa".
5
Nov 22 2023
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To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
3
Nov 23 2023
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Pretenders
Pretenders
5
Nov 24 2023
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D
White Denim
Now this is why I'm glad I'm doing this list - an album I truly needed to hear!
I was unfamiliar with White Denim, and really wowed by fun grooves! Happy t have found it, and looking forward to further listens.
That said, While many of the songs are great, with shifting rhythms and extended jams, I don't feel it holds together strongly as an album. A few slow songs don't hold up their weight lyrically or vocally.
4
Nov 25 2023
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War
U2
5
Nov 26 2023
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Third
Soft Machine
4
Nov 27 2023
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Repeater
Fugazi
4
Nov 28 2023
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The Next Day
David Bowie
3
Nov 29 2023
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BEYONCÉ
Beyoncé
1
Dec 01 2023
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The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The production was intriguing, but brought down by drab singing and dull lyrics. Definitely a case of style over substance. To me it came across as off-brand Radiohead. And not in a good way.
2
Dec 02 2023
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The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3
Dec 04 2023
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Marquee Moon
Television
5
Dec 05 2023
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Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
4
Dec 06 2023
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Bone Machine
Tom Waits
5
Dec 08 2023
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Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
Started off like a bad impression of a Bowie album, and sorry to say it never grabbed me after that. The writing and singing weren't strong, and never quite fit with the music. The production was abysmal - it struck me that Wyatt sounded like he walked into a studio and decided to sing over another record.
In a year that brought us progressive pinnacles like The Lamb Lies Down, Red, and Relayer, this album stands out as a major disappointment. As a prog fan I am glad this was on the list, both for the story of its creation and as a cautionary tale. With the people involved, this could have been an intriguing "difficult listening" album, and wound up sounding like a parody of the genre.
2
Dec 09 2023
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In Utero
Nirvana
2
Dec 11 2023
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Wild Gift
X
4
Dec 13 2023
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The Band
The Band
4
Dec 15 2023
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Sound Affects
The Jam
5
Dec 16 2023
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Fire Of Love
The Gun Club
4
Dec 18 2023
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The Stooges
The Stooges
3
Dec 20 2023
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Out of Step
Minor Threat
4
Dec 23 2023
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The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
3
Dec 26 2023
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Berlin
Lou Reed
5
Dec 27 2023
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Pelican West
Haircut 100
Two great singles to open it up. After that, a perfectly listenable album, but without a lot to distinguish the other tracks. Notable, and worthy of selection for the list as a good example of a representative pop album that definitely influenced later acts (e.g., Blow Monkeys).
Solid 7/10, rounding up for serious grooving on "Boy Meets Girl".
4
Dec 29 2023
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(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4
Dec 30 2023
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Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
It’s a paradox: a solid album that I don’t feel like listening to. Three or four songs in, and I feel like I’m sensing a formula, and not entirely sure the disc isn’t stuck on repeat.
3
Jan 01 2024
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In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
3
Jan 02 2024
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The Only Ones
The Only Ones
3
Jan 04 2024
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Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
4
Jan 05 2024
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Follow The Leader
Korn
1
Jan 06 2024
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Autobahn
Kraftwerk
3
Jan 07 2024
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Sulk
The Associates
As if sparks tried to make an Echo and the Bunnymen album. Wait, no that would probably sound better. This is as if echo and the Bunnymen try to make a Sparks record.. Total rubbish.
1
Jan 08 2024
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What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
5
Jan 09 2024
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Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
5
Jan 10 2024
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Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
In terms intimate and exuberant. Nyro had a gift for songwriting and a gorgeous voice. Always one of my favorites!
5
Jan 12 2024
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Debut
Björk
Great album, with hints toward her future perfection in Vespertine. Sounds dated to the 90’s dance sound, so hard to give it full 5 stars, but still one I will revisit.
4
Jan 15 2024
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Kimono My House
Sparks
5
Jan 17 2024
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Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
2
Jan 18 2024
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Skylarking
XTC
A disappointment to me, lifeless songwriting. Having grown up on Black Sea and English Settlement, and even the wildly inconsistent Mummer, I remember being let down by Skylarking upon its release.
For a release by a beloved band, this is one I will continue to avoid.
2
Jan 19 2024
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Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
4
Jan 20 2024
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Permission to Land
The Darkness
2
Jan 21 2024
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
4
Jan 22 2024
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So
Peter Gabriel
5
Jan 23 2024
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The Grand Tour
George Jones
3
Jan 25 2024
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Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
1
Jan 26 2024
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Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
1
Jan 28 2024
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Konnichiwa
Skepta
Rubbish.
1
Jan 29 2024
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Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
3
Jan 30 2024
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Synchronicity
The Police
4
Jan 31 2024
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Killing Joke
Killing Joke
3
Feb 02 2024
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In Rainbows
Radiohead
5
Feb 05 2024
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Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
4
Feb 07 2024
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Smash
The Offspring
3
Feb 08 2024
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Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
5
Feb 09 2024
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When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
Dull as dishwater.
2
Feb 10 2024
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We Are Family
Sister Sledge
4
Feb 11 2024
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Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
3
Feb 12 2024
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Shleep
Robert Wyatt
Creative, with some genuinely wow moments. But ultimately the unevenness, weak vocals, and dissonant extra instrumentation just gets in the way.
3
Feb 14 2024
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Moby Grape
Moby Grape
4
Feb 15 2024
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More Specials
The Specials
This seems yet another example of the author overstuffing the box with a beloved band. I too am a fan of the Specials, but there is not that much that's, uh, Special about this one. Like many other bands, it's great to put their top or most influential release on the list, with the hope/ expectation that people will explore the catalog if they like it.
More Specials had a couple of standout tunes (always have loved JB style!) but otherwise didn't really show us much we hadn't already seen in their debut. I fully expect that the list's author will present us with the entirety of Fun Boy Three and The Colour Field catalog just to be sure we didn't miss it the first time . . .
3
Feb 16 2024
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The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
1
Feb 18 2024
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Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Worldly and Genius are infectious hits. But the whole rest of the album failed to impress - other tracks have always felt like filler.
3
Feb 19 2024
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Devotional Songs
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
This is an album where more context on the songs, or the genre as a whole, would help appreciate why it’s on the list. Good beat and intriguing melodies, that was a plus. But the album felt repetitive, and wasn’t a big fan of the singer’s voice, so not sure where to land on it. But glad to see some multicultural additions rather than another LCD Soundsystem snoozer.
Was it the middle eastern Aqualung? Maybe that would’ve helped . . .
3
Feb 20 2024
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The Undertones
The Undertones
3
Feb 21 2024
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Funeral
Arcade Fire
Step 1 - listen to The Moon and Antarctica.
Step 2 - ignore that you don't have Modest Mouse's sense of bizarre whimsy or ability to mold atonality. You just have a singer with a squeaky voice. Try to be like Modest Mouse anyway,
Step 3 - ?????
Step 4 - profit
Arcade Fire has always seemed like the band you are supposed to admire. I try, I really do. But I'm not sold on the quietly restrained, driving eighth notes, supposedly building up to something that never quite gets there.
And I have this sinking feeling that this and The Suburbs aren't the only albums of their waiting on the list to disappoint us . . .
2
Feb 23 2024
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Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
Utterly unique and bizarre. This is the kind of album that made growing up during post-punk such a weird journey of musical discovery.
5
Feb 24 2024
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Fred Neil
Fred Neil
2
Feb 25 2024
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Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
2
Feb 26 2024
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...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
3
Mar 01 2024
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The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
There are several Byrds albums on this list, and this is the one that most deserves a spot. A shining example of how psychedelia, rock, and folk could intersect. Beautiful voices and arrangements, and some of the band's most original work.
5
Mar 02 2024
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Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Do we need to have a Tom Petty album on the list? Without a doubt. Do we need to have multiple Tom Petty records on this list? Perhaps not. Petty and various incarnations of the Heartbreakers spent a career cranking out decent rock records, each with a single or two to rise them a little above the crowd.
Does it need to be THIS Tom Petty record? Breakdown and American Girl both stand apart as surprisingly strong for a band's debut. However, the remainder of the songs are forgettable. He had better albums, and I’d rather the spit have been left open for another artist.
3
Mar 03 2024
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Sex Packets
Digital Underground
No, I don’t recall asking that many times about DU. Not that unique when you consider all the other sampling hip-hop of that time. Give
me my De La Soul and I’m good.
2
Mar 04 2024
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Copper Blue
Sugar
2
Mar 06 2024
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Pornography
The Cure
Dark and phenomenal.
5
Mar 10 2024
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Remain In Light
Talking Heads
Absolute classic, one of the true must-hear of this collection. Everybody knows the track watching the days go by, yet it is all of the other tracks, like Crosseyed and Painless, Born Under Punches, and Houses in Motion for which is album really stand out.
The Overload is the one track that doesn’t fit, and I don’t even begrudge that - just puts a backdrop for the funky light of the rest of the tracks.
5
Mar 11 2024
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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
5
Mar 14 2024
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Signing Off
UB40
3
Mar 15 2024
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Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
2
Mar 16 2024
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Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
5
Mar 17 2024
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Casanova
The Divine Comedy
1
Mar 18 2024
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Heavy Weather
Weather Report
4
Mar 21 2024
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Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
1
Mar 23 2024
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NEU! 75
Neu!
4
Mar 24 2024
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Close To You
Carpenters
3
Mar 26 2024
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Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
4
Mar 27 2024
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Legalize It
Peter Tosh
2
Mar 28 2024
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Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2
Mar 29 2024
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25
Adele
She takes us as a tourist to her pain but doesn’t let us in. I am sad. We are over. You hear it, but the lyrics are generic so you don’t feel it. Compare this to a Tori Amos or Laura Nyro record and the difference is clear. I hope Adele can grow as a lyricist or partner up - then I think we will see the dark fullness of heartbreak.
3
Mar 30 2024
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Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5
Apr 04 2024
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Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5
Apr 05 2024
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Stripped
Christina Aguilera
Million dollar voice, 25-cent lyrics.
3
Apr 06 2024
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Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur
1
Apr 09 2024
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Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio
Intriguing instrumentation and style, I couldn’t get past the singer’s voice.
2
Apr 10 2024
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Chelsea Girl
Nico
This is a strange album. I like Nico’s contributions to velvet underground, and actually really enjoy her dark and bizarre later albums. But this one seems not to know what it wants to be. The flute and soupy strings, feel at odds to the songs’ content.
And more so than most of her other recordings, I have to wonder what the engineer was thinking when they agreed to go with that take on the vocal track. Nearly every song, she’s off key and off rhythm. Sure, I know that’s kind of a trademark, but I have to believe that they could’ve spent a little bit more time, so a few more takes for These Days and Fairest of the Season.
3
Apr 11 2024
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Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
5
Apr 12 2024
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After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Some absolute gems, but forgot how many odd filler songs were in here.
4
Apr 14 2024
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The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
4
Apr 16 2024
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Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
Beyond Dull. A late-to-the-game take on mid-90’s international flavored groove like Moodswings and Transglobal Underground. Nothing to really stand out.
1
Apr 17 2024
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Viva Hate
Morrissey
4
Apr 19 2024
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There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
5
Apr 20 2024
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Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Josh Homme should be on the 1001 list, no question. But not for this record, which is uninteresting and sounds unfinished - weak singing and repetitive songs. Lullabies and Them Crooked Vultures (side project) are much better intros. This album is staying on the shelf.
2
Apr 21 2024
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Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
Solid singles, but several of the other tracks really drag.
4
Apr 22 2024
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Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
5
Apr 24 2024
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Hot Fuss
The Killers
1
Apr 26 2024
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One World
John Martyn
This is a bland salad of an album. Nothing to complain about in the guitar playing, quirky voice, average songwriting. There’s just nothing that makes it stand apart from so many other light adult-rock albums.
I’d let it slide, in the name of getting exposed to acts who are now lesser- known. But this is not the only John Martyn album on the list - dude hardly deserves one spot, let alone a second.
2
Apr 27 2024
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Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
3
Apr 28 2024
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Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
Not all the tracks stand up with their original shine, but Bluebird, Mr Soul, Expecting to Fly, and especially the stellar Broken Arrow secure this album’s place in the pantheon.
5
Apr 29 2024
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Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
1
Apr 30 2024
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Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Somewhere, there is an A&R guy
to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude. If Peter Gabriel’s whole solo career had lived or died on the strength of this album, it seems unlikely that we would have ended up with Security, So, or Us.
I was surprised, having not present to this entire album in several decades, to see how unfocused and uneven it is. Sure Solsbury Hill and here comes the flood are huge standouts. But as for the rest of the tracks, the best I can say is, I didn’t hate all of them. I’ll give it an average rating based on the strength of it two masterpieces, and for the promise of what his third through sixth records would provide us.
3
May 01 2024
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Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
I can no longer breathe.
I can no longer be still.
Throwing Muses' first album is absolutely the kind of record for which this list exists. An American band on an small British label from the mid-80's this was not well-know on release, and has been lost to time for most people. That ain't right! For those of us who did buy and treasure the record, it was a game-changer. From the opening riffs of "Call Me", it grabs hold and won't let go. A unique and compelling collection of songs, with Kristin Hersh's haunting voice, tangential lyrics, and shifting rhythms. It is just the right kind of "difficult" album.
Your face appears
I keep forgetting your name.
It bums me out that the album still isn't on spotify, but glad some others have found it on youtube for the exposure and experience. Check out their track "Fish" from the 4AD compilation Lonely is an Eyesore - that's the next best thing. Neither the "other" (2003) self-titled Throwing Muses album nor Real Ramona, House Tornado, etc. come anywhere close to the 4AD debut's wild energy.
Why don't you do to my insight
What you do to my insides?
Other bands like Pixies and Sonic Youth were branching indi rock in simlar directions, and ultimately enjoyed more success and staying power. But this album remains, to me, at the top of that pyramid. Solid 10/10.
Favorite tracks: Call Me, Hate My Way, Rabbit's Dying, Soul Soldier
5
May 02 2024
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Savane
Ali Farka Touré
I am very glad that this extremely talented artist has an album on the list. However, it does not thrill me that he has at least two and probably three albums on this list. I first heard Ali Farka Toure on his collaboration album with Ry Cooder. That was a revelation and an opportunity for deeper exploration of west African music. But even in my appreciation, there’s not that much variety to significantly differentiate Savane from his debut or Talking Timbuktu. One is plenty - it opens the door. Two is just pushing someone else off the list.
3
May 03 2024
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John Prine
John Prine
4
May 04 2024
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Mask
Bauhaus
Goth post-punk classic. Killer bass lines, shrieky guitar, driving rhythms and all the weird that Peter Murphy can summon.
5
May 05 2024
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69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
About one albums worth of quality songs. Ambitious project, but not worth a spot here.
2
May 06 2024
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G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
Ugh that mush mouth semi rap. Spare us.
1
May 08 2024
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Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I will admit that I wasn't overwhelmed with excitement to see yet another Elvis Costello album pop up on the list. That's five so far, and I have a nagging feeling there's a sixth lurking out there somewhere.
I've never been a big fan, and unfortunately, the record did not win me over. Most of the songs had a meandering sense, setting ol' Declan to spew his word salad all over the place and be generally pleased with his own wit.
2
May 09 2024
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Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Hard to keep my feet from moving - great dance music!
That said. Definitely in the running for winner of "worst record cover" - looks like a diaper ad.
4
May 11 2024
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Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Intriguing start to the album, I was pulled in. But it became too one-note, and the limitations of the singer and the same drony melodies quickly wore thin.
3
May 12 2024
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Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
I liked his work with the Faces, but this album just seems to be retreading that work. Not sure why this list needs both Minstral Wind and Gasoline Alley - both so similar and dated products of their time.
2
May 13 2024
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The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
I am thrilled that talk talk has finally come up on this list. I would say that this is my third favorite talk. Talk album after Eden and Laughingstock, neither of which unfortunately are on the list. But I can see why this one would be chosen from their catalog, as it is most representative of their unique sound, while also being more accessible than their fourth and fifth albums.
As for the songs: magical! I was blown away when I first heard this when it was released, such a departure from their first two records. It provides a great mix of introspection and intensity. Definitely a “must check out”.
Favorite tracks: Living in Another World, Chameleon Day.
5
May 14 2024
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Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
The Byrds
Come on, ANOTHER record by the Byrds??
Only a couple of weeks ago, "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" flew at me from the ether, and I was happy to give it a 5-star review on the strength of Roger and the boys finally synthesizing folk, rock, country, and psychedelia in a coherent and effective fashion. Well done - and accordingly the list should have left off "Fifth Dimension".
So what to say of this album, following in the heels of "Younger than Yesterday" and "Byrd Brothers"? Not impressed. It goes off the deep end to country sounds, following the lead of Gram Parsons (who'd already paved the way for the genre).
Absent are the great harmonies we'd associated with Byrds albums of past, and there are only two original compositions. The Band returns to its former days of dredging for Dylan tracks and while "You Ain't Going Nowhere" is a fun choice, neither it nor "Nothing was Delivered" have the punch of former tracks.
I do believe this list would benefit from less "artist completeness", allowing room for more breadth. "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" should have been a "you may also enjoy" footnote to "Byrd Brothers", Gram Parsons, or the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Fine for its genre, but docked two stars in protest of one band having wayyyyy too many albums on this list.
2
May 15 2024
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Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Tasty tasty psychedelic rock! This album has been one of my favorites since my deadbeat school buddies listened to it getting high. Amazing guitar work, joyful jamming. Sure, a bit self-indulgent but I put myself in the shoes of the grooving hippies who got to see John Cippolina live. The man definitely deserves a spot on this list, and this album (especially side 1) shows him off at his finest.
Favorite tracks - When You Love
5
May 16 2024
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Aja
Steely Dan
A light-rock classic, so everyone says. Intensely crafted, every note perfect, a marvel of production and engineering. So everyone says.
Smooth! You can't handle this much smooth!
Overall, the sons are cool and detached, but without as much of the wit we'd heard on the other Steely Dan albums on this list (see general rant, below). Three songs in, and I'm feeling they're overlong (Black Cow is the longest 5-minute song I've ever heard). My toe tapped to Deacon Blues, but is that enough?
The rhythm section kicks into high gear on Peg. Excellent song, but I admit my grooving was mostly owing to it being used by De La Soul. Then they lost me again with the album's remainder, even Josie.
Too slick, too smooth. I always feel like Steely Dan is a band I should like, and 40 years later I'm still waiting for that moment. During the mid-70's Joni Mitchell was experimenting just as much with composition, arrangement, and jazz session players, with results that capture my heart and imagination. Fagen and Becker gave us a still-life.
Giving a bonus star for the otherworldly sound of the drums and over precision in the production process.
(rant: as usual, too many albums by the same artists. This is the third Steely Dan album I've come across during this project. Do they all need to be there? Does each one bring a unique facet of the artists' work and career? I'd have been happier if the list creator included a "you might also enjoy" footnote so that those interested could explore more of Steely Dan's catalog.)
3
May 18 2024
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Paranoid
Black Sabbath
\m/
5
May 19 2024
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Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
Next up in the mix-singles to hear before you die: The Cutter/ Back of Love single. By far the best of the material from Porcupine. I am a fan of Echo and the B, but still didn’t find much standout material from the remainder of the tracks. Fuel was a good ending track, but that just kind of reinforces the point.
Not sure we needed 3 albums by these guys, especially when Heaven Up Here was not one of them.
3
May 20 2024
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Treasure
Cocteau Twins
Unique and otherworldly.
5
May 21 2024
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Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Excellent early 70’s soul. Paints a harrowing and sympathetic canvas of issues which still plague us today.
5
May 22 2024
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Horses
Patti Smith
3
May 23 2024
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The Doors
The Doors
4
May 25 2024
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The Coral
The Coral
Full and derivative. At its best, it sounded like the record Tom Waits would make if he lost his distinctive voice, sense of humor, lyrical wit, and association with Mark Ribot.
1001 other albums are lined up in limbo waiting to take the place of this one. Nn
1
May 26 2024
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Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
Thunder Road, Backstreets, Jungleland, and the title track - one album with 4 all-time classics. She’s the One and 10th Avenue are no slouches either. I don’t often go all the way through for a listen, but this one has been on my heavy rotation for decades.
Hats off to the Lead Man!
5
May 28 2024
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American Idiot
Green Day
3
May 29 2024
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The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
4
May 30 2024
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Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
3
May 31 2024
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Atomizer
Big Black
I don’t think I was ever angry enough for Big Black.
3
Jun 01 2024
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Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
A nice discovery. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. Intriguing mad cabaret feel, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this influenced Tom Waits’ Black Rider, The Legendary Pink Dots, divine comedy, and a lot of other late 80s theatrical avant-garde acts. I will definitely give this a few more listens To catch things that I might have missed.
Difficult to find these days, but very deserving of a spot on this list.
4
Jun 03 2024
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Dirt
Alice In Chains
4
Jun 04 2024
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Station To Station
David Bowie
4
Jun 08 2024
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Pink Flag
Wire
4
Jun 10 2024
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Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
4
Jun 11 2024
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Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
4
Jun 12 2024
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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
3
Jun 13 2024
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London Calling
The Clash
5
Jun 14 2024
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Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
4
Jun 15 2024
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The La's
The La's
Great single, the rest of the material was workmanlike but unremarkable.
3
Jun 19 2024
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Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
I got this album when it came out after hearing the TV track. Wore thin quickly, as what appear to be clever rhymes and observations dull quickly with all the repetition. Each song seems to follow the same model, and the smugness no longer passes as a sense of humor.
Suppose there’s a reason I haven’t listened to this in almost 30 years.
3
Jun 21 2024
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Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
3
Jun 23 2024
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Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
5
Jun 27 2024
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Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
4
Jun 28 2024
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Blackstar
David Bowie
5
Jun 29 2024
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Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
Utterly uninteresting and unimpressive. Repeated lines over and over again. Background music for mindless tasks.
2
Jun 30 2024
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21
Adele
3
Jul 01 2024
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No Other
Gene Clark
4
Jul 02 2024
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Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Enjoyable, but like many psychedelic albums the poor mix sounded like someone mumbling over another record. Or maybe I’m missing the point of psychedelic albums.
4
Jul 03 2024
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Mott
Mott The Hoople
5
Jul 05 2024
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Before And After Science
Brian Eno
5
Jul 06 2024
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Survivor
Destiny's Child
2
Jul 08 2024
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Odelay
Beck
3
Jul 09 2024
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Haunted Dancehall
The Sabres Of Paradise
2
Jul 10 2024
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Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
1
Jul 13 2024
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Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
3
Jul 14 2024
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Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
Banger single, opens strong with Frustration, Sex Dwarf is hedonistic mania, and Say Hello is beautiful torch. An album I’ve enjoyed since the 80’s. But this listen I felt like most of the songs ran about 30-40 seconds too long. I suppose that’s when happens when you’re off the dance floor.
4
Jul 15 2024
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Cut
The Slits
Not a great album, but an enjoyable listen. The instrumentation was basic and felt at home with punk/ post-punk sensibilities. But the experience was odd - I vacillated between:
"this is great, feels like a late-70's version of PJ Harvey's "Dry"
and
"this reminds me of "my dog foot foot".
And maybe that's the most punk thing ever.
4
Jul 17 2024
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The Man Who
Travis
I had to wash out my ears after listening to this album - offensively mediocre.
1
Jul 18 2024
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Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Bill Callahan
I was really giving this a chance, hoping it would catch my interest. Nice mellow melodies, and then the next song was talk-sing. And the next. The whole album is talk-sing. I think if I checked out his other albums (not gonna), they'd all be talk-sing. I mean, there's a lot of Leonard Cohen songs where he isn't really singing, and a lot of Michael Gira, and Edward Ka-Spel - so I should be okay with this, right?
Nope. It just felt forced to me, and grew less and less compelling as the album went along. Kept expecting him to order a sarsaparilla and tell The Dude he should swear less.
Oh, and one star deduction for an album cover and title that made me wonder if I should even try to listen to it . . .
1
Jul 19 2024
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The Clash
The Clash
5
Jul 22 2024
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I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
5
Jul 23 2024
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Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
Unstoppable energy. Killer rhythm section. Strong standouts like "Two Steps Back" and the album closer "Music Scennnnn-eh" really show Mark E. Smith's casual vitriol.
(Find the 1979 version of this if you're new to The Fall - spotify version has 21 tracks and then bludgeons you with a second disk of live sessions. I love the lads, but that was too much even for me . . .)
5
Jul 24 2024
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Dirty
Sonic Youth
Ok, another Sonic Youth album, by my recollection the 4th I've encountered on this list so far (5th? was "Goo" on the list also?). Do we need to have the majority of artists' catalogue?
Not a terrible record, but not their best and certainly not the one I would want to use to introduce someone to the band. "diRty" would be ok to include as a footnote to the discussion of "Daydream Nation": if you liked this, check out more . . . My introduction was through Evol when it came out in the 80's, and I became a fan - this record would not have grabbed me in nearly the same way.
3
Jul 25 2024
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Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos
Straight out of the gate, start-to-finish, Tori Amos lets us peek into her world and share her emotions and experiences through incredible songs
Enigmatically, not all the way - the lyrics follow tangents and don't tell us exactly how to feel about them, we can find our way to what we need. With clear influence from Kate Bush and Laura Nyro, she stood out unique from the inevitable comparisons to artists like Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple. Lazy and unfounded comparisons, at that - music press was lumping them together based on gender, overlooking the fact that Tori Amos was miles ahead of her contemporaries as a musician, lyricist, and songwriter.
For most artists, they should feel thrilled if they ever put out an album so uniformly filled with excellent tracks. But she was just getting started - continuing to improve, following it up with even stronger collections like "Boys for Pele".
An album that regularly finds its way back onto my heavy rotation rotation. 4.5 stars, just to leave room for 5 stars to Pele.
5
Jul 26 2024
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Play
Moby
Late to the party - Vini Reilly and Colourbox and others had been masterfully mixing in vocal samples in the 80’s. Moby marketed it better and sold it to everyone for commercials, but that doesn’t make it a great album. Too repetitive and way too long.
2
Jul 27 2024
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Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
5
Jul 29 2024
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Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
2
Jul 30 2024
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Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
3
Jul 31 2024
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Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
5
Aug 02 2024
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Parklife
Blur
Changing the channel.
2
Aug 03 2024
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It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
It seems that live albums should be on the list because they launched an artist (Live at Budokan, Frampton Comes Alive), or they are definitive collections (Belafonte at Carnegie Hall). In this case, we have neither. Instead, a slack and mumbling Van Morrison churning out some ok standards and generally butchering his better-known work (talk-singing through Into the Mystic was a prime offender).
We have Astral Weeks & Moondance deservedly on the list, and some of his late-70’s albums inexplicably also present. This live album is for die hard fans and apologists only.
2
Aug 04 2024
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Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
Love love love Talking Heads. But this is a tough one for me too rate, since I feel this list suffers from having too many albums from the same groups. On one hand, you could make a case or just about all of Talking Heads catalog being considered “must listen”; on the other hand, that dilutes the diversity of our experience.
That said, fear of music was an extraordinary bridge within Talking Heads career. The influence of Eno is immediately evident in the chaotic and rapturous I Zimbra. Other standouts like life during wartime, Cities, Heaven, and Drugs, are indicative of the transition in the band’s style. Unfortunately, several of the remaining tracks feel like filler.
In the end, a worthy listen for fans of Talking Heads, but not one which should be recommended to newbies. The list would be improved by having footnotes along the lines of “if you like this record, here are others to check out”. So put that note on Remain in Light, and we keep fans and non-fans happier.
4
Aug 05 2024
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All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
1
Aug 06 2024
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More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
You. Cant. See. It. 'Til. It's. Finsihed!
Solid album, with Tina Weymouth's basslines driving the ship. It's been a very long time since I've dusted this off start-to-finish and it mostly holds up.
David Byrne's voice doesn't stand as strong on its own (compared to the arrangements with backup singers on RiL and SiT). Liked it better than 77, but not as much as Remain in Light. Loses a lot of momentum creatively after "artists only", with side 2 much less strong than side 1.
Favorite songs - Thank you for Sending me an Angel, Artists Only
Least Favorite - Take me to the River (suffers from overplay)
(Strangely, just had Fear of Music the day before yesterday. Noted that not all TH albums need to be on this list, and at this point I'm beginning to suspect that they might be . . .)
4
Aug 07 2024
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Youth And Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
1
Aug 09 2024
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Zombie
Fela Kuti
4
Aug 10 2024
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L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
What’s not to love about an album whose first track sounds like “In the Flesh?”, if Pink Floyd were French Tom Waits impersonators? Or so I thought. After a little more mad carnival, we had a track that sounded like it tested off a copy of Ministry’s Twitch. Ok, some genre-jumping and stuck in the 80’s, still weird enough to keep me intrigued.
And then some growly metal. And more, and more. Of all the genres to settle on.
Maybe if I understood enough French to follow the lyrics, there was a unifying thread to this. As it was, the album felt disjointed and i lost interest. Glad I had the chance to hear it, but not a band I’ll be exploring.
3
Aug 11 2024
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Too Rye Ay
Dexys Midnight Runners
4
Aug 12 2024
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Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Dexys Midnight Runners
Fucking seriously!?! “Too-rah-yay” was my album yesterday. There do not need to be 4 Dexy albums on this list.
One star out of spite.
1
Aug 13 2024
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The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
I like weird. I like rough. This just felt unfinished. Recorders and kazoos and made up on the top of your head vocals don’t go well with unfinished.
2
Aug 15 2024
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
5
Aug 16 2024
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The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
Terrible. It’s made me so irritated that I want to give tomorrow’s album only one star also.
1
Aug 17 2024
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If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
Can’t get past the bad singing. If I want quirky lyrics and droll British observations, I’ll stick with Housemartins and Everything but the Girl.
3
Aug 18 2024
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Picture Book
Simply Red
Truly one of the albums of 1985.
1
Aug 19 2024
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At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
5
Aug 20 2024
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Drunk
Thundercat
2
Aug 21 2024
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Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
Too much of an only-ok thing
3
Aug 22 2024
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Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Not a bad record, but showing them off through other people’s songs. They will come into their own later, so not sure why nearly every Byrds album belongs on the list.
3
Aug 23 2024
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Kid A
Radiohead
4
Aug 24 2024
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Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
2
Aug 25 2024
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Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
Begs the question: should this be judged (and is on this list) based on the potential of the unfinished product, or by what got pressed onto vinyl? As the former, I'm inclined to be more receptive - plenty of here to catch my attention, and the kernels of some good songs. Musicianship is good, nice psychedelic and bluesy vibes.
But that's about as far as it goes. Without the context of Spence's mental illness or the circumstances of the album's creation, I'd have to say "what the fuck?"
Three stars, probably not one I'm inclined to revisit, even on the darkest nights of my soul. But still miles ahead of slogging through 4 Tim Buckley records.
3
Aug 27 2024
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Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
Yesterday I had Skip Spence's "Oar", the unfinished studio project of a drug-addled mind. And it made a whole lot more sense to me, felt more coherent than this mess.
Sounds like trying hard to be prog - sudden tempo changes, layers of textured voices, blue notes aplenty. Comes across half-baked, like they didn't actually listen to their first takes from the studio and wonder whether it sounded any good.
Each song quickly reached my threshold of tolerance, so I suppose that's an achievement on its own. Congratulations, guys.
1
Aug 28 2024
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The Healer
John Lee Hooker
This sounded like Bonnie Raitt, Santana, and friends were in the middle of doing a JLH tribute album when the man wandered in on the sessions. Most of the side 1 tracks feature the guests way more prominently than Hooker (hell, on the title track we have Santana off on his second guitar solo before Hooker even starts singing). Odd choice.
Gets way better on the non-"featuring" tracks on side 2.
3
Aug 29 2024
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Feast of Wire
Calexico
5
Aug 30 2024
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Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
Ok as background music, but few of the songs had any real grab to them. I liked “Elvis Presley Blues”, but that’s the only one that made a strong impression.
3
Aug 31 2024
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Pyromania
Def Leppard
Deducted a point for the awful cock-rockness if it’s opening track.
3
Sep 01 2024
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The College Dropout
Kanye West
1
Sep 02 2024
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Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
5
Sep 03 2024
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Nowhere
Ride
Riding on the fumes if Breathless, MBV, and Galaxie 500. An ok album, but nothing special or unique. Off-brand shoegaze doesn’t belong on a list of essential listening.
3
Sep 04 2024
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La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
4
Sep 06 2024
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Another Green World
Brian Eno
5
Sep 07 2024
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Van Halen
Van Halen
4
Sep 08 2024
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A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
5
Sep 09 2024
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Violator
Depeche Mode
4
Sep 10 2024
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Songs From A Room
Leonard Cohen
3
Sep 12 2024
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Third
Portishead
Decent listen, but docked a star for the author’s compunction to include a band’s entire discography. “Dummy” is a clear 5-star entry, and this album should appear as a footnote.
3
Sep 13 2024
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Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
5
Sep 14 2024
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Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
1001 albums that make you long for listening to anything else.
Never heard of this guy, can’t believe the size of his catalog. I’ll assume they are similarly dull and amateurish, no way I’m gonna dig deeper.
2
Sep 15 2024
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I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sinead O'Connor
1001 albums that make you long for listening to anything else.
Never heard of this guy, can’t believe the size of his catalog. I’ll assume they are similarly dull and amateurish, no way I’m gonna dig deeper.
5
Sep 16 2024
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Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
1
Sep 17 2024
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Pink Moon
Nick Drake
5
Sep 20 2024
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Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
4
Oct 02 2024
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Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
First of all, too damn much Morrisey on this list - His Mopiness doesn’t warrant this kind of over representation.
Especially not for such a weak final record as Strangeways. The magic was gone. Give me their debut, and Queen, and I will continue to think of them fondly. Strangeways did not wow me when it was released, nor has the passage of time brightened my dim view of this album.
2
Oct 05 2024
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Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Solid!
5
Oct 07 2024
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Guitar Town
Steve Earle
3
Oct 08 2024
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Opus Dei
Laibach
5
Oct 09 2024
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So Much For The City
The Thrills
1
Oct 10 2024
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Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
5
Oct 12 2024
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With The Beatles
Beatles
3
Oct 13 2024
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Henry's Dream
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3
Oct 16 2024
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Melody A.M.
Röyksopp
3
Oct 17 2024
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Soul Mining
The The
5
Oct 20 2024
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The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
2
Oct 21 2024
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All Directions
The Temptations
2
Oct 26 2024
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Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
3
Oct 27 2024
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Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
I'm a middling Dead fan, and this was kind of a struggle to get through. Starting off with a whole side of Black Star was a strange choice - a few minutes in, and still wondering when the song was going to start. The recording quality left much to be desired. I prefer some of their later-70's live recordings, where there seemed to be a lot less self-indulgence and vague wandering.
2
Oct 28 2024
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Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
4
Oct 29 2024
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Rip It Up
Orange Juice
Put it on my shelf with Pelican West. Not enough there to place it as top 1001, but digging the grooves on “I can’t help myself”.
3
Oct 30 2024
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Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
Started strong with Buffalo Stance, then faded quickly. Save this for (maybe) 1001 Songs list, but the album isn’t strong enough.
2
Oct 31 2024
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Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
3
Nov 01 2024
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Medúlla
Björk
5
Nov 02 2024
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Movies
Holger Czukay
5
Nov 04 2024
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Traffic
Traffic
Excellent grooves. One star for each ten thousand headmen.
4
Nov 05 2024
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What's That Noise?
Coldcut
Excellent grooves. One star for each ten thousand headmen.
3
Nov 06 2024
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On The Beach
Neil Young
4
Nov 07 2024
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Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
On Rumours, the band were able to use their emotional and personal dysfunction as artistic fuel. Here, the exhaustion of the supernova shows. Tusk would have been better as a shorter record, they could have channeled their efforts. The standouts are there, Sara is still one of my favorite FM tracks.
Not a bad record, but I don’t feel it deserves a spot on the list - leave it as a footnote to Rumours.
3
Nov 11 2024
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
Swanky!
5
Nov 12 2024
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Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4
Nov 13 2024
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Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
Dollar store Lou Reed. No thanks.
2
Nov 14 2024
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Lost Souls
Doves
Meh
2
Nov 15 2024
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Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
5
Nov 16 2024
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Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
1
Nov 17 2024
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Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
An album to make prog fans dislike prog.
2
Nov 18 2024
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The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Absolutely sublime!
5
Nov 19 2024
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From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
4
Nov 21 2024
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Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
4
Nov 22 2024
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Quiet Life
Japan
The album that revealed what David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Jansen and Barbieri were capable of. Solid guitar work by Dean as well, a fond farewell.
This album has a huge warm spot in my heart - was introduced by way of the Velvets cover, and fell in love (awww myyy) immediately.
5
Nov 23 2024
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Snivilisation
Orbital
1
Nov 25 2024
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Sheet Music
10cc
4
Nov 26 2024
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Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
4
Nov 28 2024
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Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
2
Nov 29 2024
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
5
Nov 30 2024
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John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
4