1001 Albums Summary

Great start to this listening project. Both enjoyable to listen to with some touches of experimentation throughout. 3/5 Stars

Used to listen to this album a lot in high school/college. Interesting dynamic and backstory to the album, overall the nostalgia for it pushes it to 4/5 stars for me.

Overall I enjoyed listening to it, but by the second song my wife made me turn it off the Sonos and listen with headphones

ARE YOU READY FOR THE MATRIX? The album goes on a bit long, but if you are in the mood for 90s industrial/goth/techno nostalgia, it absolutely slaps.

Some decent songs, but Tom Petty’s voice is super annoying

Really enjoyable, even outside the hits.

I never listened to Minor Threat in High School even though I was into punk rock - if I did this album probably would have changed my life.

It was good and energetic, but I always have a problem with live albums. No matter the production, the vocal performances are always lacking or pack a lot of “pop” from the microphones.

Classic.

Excellent production/samples, but lyrics really showing their age

Sounds like the late 90s electronic, but pretty great use of old blues samples.

Loses one star for the cringe inducing outro on “the girl is mine”. Otherwise amazing album.

Pretty solid production and signs, I just hate Morrissey

Really disconnected and uneven - really long as well

Pretty fucking dreary, but solid songs

Fuck Eric Clapton and his anti-vaxx shit. This album of mediocre tunes doesn’t make me reevaluate my distaste for him.

There are times when you hear an album for the first time, and it fits a piece of your pop culture understanding perfectly. In this case, its the entire 90’s coffee shop folk vibe, I had no idea it came from this one album. Also, I don’t think I had ever heard “Fast Car” prior to today, which is a shame because its an absolute gem.

Great album, love this creative period from Eno

Great album, sad that the only streaming version I found had a bunch of weird bonus tracks (I recommend only listening to the original track listing). That Lady and Summer Breeze are obvious highlights.

Woof. I was really excited to listen to Can after hearing them referenced so heavily. Album starts out great, but holy shit I was not ready for the 17 minute ambient “experimental” clusterfuck, which the album never really recovers from.

I loved this, it was a really fun listen and reminded me of some of my favorite bands. Also it was a treat finding out that “worst band in the world” was the sample used in J Dilla’s “Workinonit”

It’s a fine Christmas album, but only a few tracks are the “definitive” versions that I would include on a playlist

A good reggae album, but it kind of one more for the entire album.

It was pretty cool and had some real vibes, but I had it on in the background and nothing necessarily jumped out at me.

Reminded me of the sound/looseness of the Stooges second album. Standouts were the longer medley tracks, really groovy/heavy listen

I really loved “This Years Model” in part because it had such a consistent sound - I was a little hesitant on this album but overall I liked it for a lot of the same reasons. “I want you” and “Blue Chair” are highlights

Fun times!

I was a little shocked by her voice, might be something that grows on me with repeated listens but I just couldn’t get into it today

It gets a little boring and repetitive by the end

It’s fine, but never mind

One good thing about this project is that it has forced me to confirm things I’ve thought for a long time, in this case it’s that I really don’t fucking like GunzNroses. The backing music is fine I guess, but pretty repetitive. After a few songs you’ve basically heard all of their tricks and flashes. Then there is Axel Rose, who continues to amaze me at how overrated he is as a vocalist. I find it sounds like listening to a baby wailing and posturing as a tough guy who fucks.

I generally like the Clash and this album is no exception. There is something undeniably fun about their vibe

I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and this album has always been a favorite. Always love a relisten

Just didn’t hit for me. It’s always a challenge when an album comes in at 60+ minutes

Fuck, what a banger. Really enjoyed the “jammy” parts

I’m surprised an album that made 1001 albums would be so hard to find. Not available at all on Apple Music, and the YouTube link was to some random user’s video playlist. I guess the music was fine, but kind of a head scratcher on why this was included.

It’s fine. There are a lot of good elements, but overall it just doesn’t come together for me and is never greater than the sum of its parts.

A+ 10/10 absolute banger. The only negative are the two interlude type songs, but as a whole it really works together. Excluding those two interludes, any of these songs would be a top 10 hit.

It’s fine I guess. Not a lot of variation with the backing tracks, and I couldn’t really focus on the lyrics to connect with them.

Impressive that it was one guy recording most of the instruments, the sound is energetic and fun but the style doesn’t vary too much. Some great guitar parts and some fun early synth work, but overall a little repetitive.

Ends up just kind of boring and cringey. The production is too quality, but a lot of the songs lack cohesive bridge sections and the lyrics are subpar

Hit or miss. Mercedes Benz was a real throwaway track.

I think this is their most focused output, and coming off of White Light/White Heat it’s surprisingly mellow.

What a tour de force of creativity. Definitely going to add this to regular rotation. Only downside is weird/bad mixing in a handful of songs.

Man, the opener has not aged well. The messaging of “it’s hard being pretty because people don’t care what you THINK” is a little oblivious and self -obsessed. Coupled with the following intro on “Haunted” with the refrain “people all over the world working 9-5 just to stay alive” seems completely disconnected and out of touch, with a follow up line of “probably won’t make no money off this, oh well” like, thanks so much Beyoncé for being so selfless to bless us with this without considering making money (even though it obviously would be a smash hit). Luckily those are the only real down points, Haunted turns into a great track and everything after is pretty great. Shocking frank about sex, love, and relationships and superstar production.

Extra long album, but no fat to be found.

Banger after banger, so many classic riffs and songs.

It didn’t really grab me, but musically it was fine. Don’t know if I would go back and Re listen but I can see the appeal

It didn’t really grab me, but musically it was fine. Don’t know if I would go back and Re listen but I can see the appeal

Has some interesting ideas but the mixing is terrible on several tracks

I was honestly going to give this a chance even though I fucking hate Eric Clapton. It starts out pretty good with Strange Brew and Sunshine of your love, but nothing else on the album really pops.

It’s always amazing to here such a vibe, consistent throughout a piece of work like this, that encapsulates an entire time period and genre.

It’s overstuffed and definitely bloated, but the sheer creativity and ideas explored really rivals The White Album. While I think I prefer Speakerboxxx, both “albums” have so many rich ideas and interesting sounds.

It’s a solid album, but ends up a pretty tedious listen. Masterful performances, but the length and drama require a specific mood.

A real banger of an album. While side 1 doesn’t ever really match the energy of the opener, it’s still rock solid. The only misstep on the album is “Darling Nikki”, which is both just kind of a bad song and the mixing was terrible.

Kicks balls and slaps titties. Hits for days, and its one of the rare albums where skit/field recordings add to the narrative.

I’m not super into thrash metal, and some of the songs go on a little long, but there are some super interesting ideas and dynamic shifts that took me by surprise. Prime example was the middle section in “Master of Puppets”, just really compelling and epic guitar moves.

Competent blues played by a bunch of white British dudes

It’s great, but loses a lot of Re listen potential since it’s a live album

It’s long and kind of slow, but the overall atmosphere is so singular and well executed. Also “Love Song” would get almost any album to at least 4 stars.

It’s fine. The music is good, but I really can’t stand Morrissey.

I might need to Re-llisten, but nothing on here connected with me.

Pretty great, solid bangers throughout. Main detractor is the super annoying “Mango Pickle Down River”

Not as good as live through this, but solid

The music was great and there was something charmingly off kilter about the vocals

I was between a 2 and 3, but honestly it was just too repetitive for my taste. Almost every song just has too much of Mariah Carey’s humming/display of vocal range. Like, “OOooOoooWahHooOoOoOoo you get a twoOoOooooo”

Interesting sound (although definitely “of the time”), somewhat of a concept album that’s connected by a bunch of interludes. Overall it’s an interesting cohesive listen, but the amount and frequency of interludes weakens it’s appeal for relistens.

Torn between 3 and 4 on this one. “Two Weeks” is an obvious highlight, but I felt like I was maybe missing the moment or impact that this had. It’s a prime example of mid-2010 pop, but I don’t know if it’s the best example of the period (although maybe it helped define the genre-sound at the time).

I used to listen to this album and Boxer back to back on road trips to and from college in the Midwest. I also have a distinct memory of listening to this album on an 18 hour train ride from Italy to Germany after missing a flight and needing to rush back to meet my girlfriend, who was flying in to visit me at the end of a study abroad program. I don’t know how it would be listening to this for the first time, probably comes off as nicely orchestrated existential whining from a baritone voiced white dude, but that was really a vibe for me during my mid-twenties. I usually reserve 5 star ratings for albums that really blow me away, or are personal favorites that I can listen to over and over (clearly this album falls into the later category).

It’s amazing how hard it is to block off 3 HOURS during a workday to listen to music. I respect the concept and overall think it’s successful, but in reality there is probably 1-2 albums of great songs, with a lot of experimentation and filler.

A couple good singles, but it’s hard to listen back without ignoring the context of his shtiness as a person.

It is a distinct piece of art from beginning to end, an immaculate singular mood.

Good vibes good times

It’s a little tedious, the first three songs all revolve around gangster posturing about killing people, the rest didn’t really hold my attention. Solid beats though.

Boring and monotonous

Points deducted for being a live album, I feel like it’s always an annoying negative and would just rather listen to the studio version of these songs.

Crass and perverse Brit pop, A+ listen, absolutely kicks balls

This is my favorite Beatles album, even though “Run for your life” is a little cringy in today’s context, the whole album kicks balls and slaps titties.

The production is top notch

It might be an important artifact, but overall just didn’t age well and didn’t connect with me

I guess this is an important album as it seems like a prototype for a lot of nu-metal bands that came in the mid-late 90’s. Not my cup of tea though.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, no way to be objective. I still remember being in my freshman year of college hearing the announcement that they were releasing a new album in 10 days, for whatever price you wanted to pay. I can’t remember if I paid $0 just for the memory, but I eventually bought a CD copy. Aside from the unique (at the time) release strategy, this album kicks balls and slaps titties. Each song is unique in style and sound, but they work amazingly well together on the album.

So many bangers on this album, only suffers from a few cover songs that are only so-so

Some great songs, but some real weak points and overall doesn’t feel as cohesive as some other CSN (excluding Y) albums

This is another high school classic for me. It’s a great listen straight through, the only weak point is “The Boy done wrong again” but in the context of the album it works.

I was in between a 3 and 4 star ranking, and I think the 10 tracks of the official album are a 4 star, but there isn’t a good indication (other than Wikipedia) that the last three tracks are “CD bonus” tracks, and the quality is a real step down.

Bobby D is a legend for a reason. Kicks balls and slaps titties.

Overall the album is good, but it seemed like the recording/mixing on the horns was distorted at times. There were also some kind of weird hippy/spiritual sections, but overall cohesive listen.

It’s a little long and definitely not LCD’s best album, and there is still a sour taste in my mouth after the whole retirement controversy.

Really sounds like pop Oasis, so pretty good

It’s fine, but if you can listen to this on a speaker system vs. headphones. Really bizarre mixing/panning choices, for example on “Elected” the vocals are pushed all the way to the left channel, while the drums are squished hard to the right.

This was a major album for me during my college years. Listening to it again, it’s amazing mix of cacophony and subtle timbres. “Love Dog” is still one of my favorite songs, the mix of heavy drums and love-lorn cooing is a perfect combination.

Voice of an angel

This was interesting as a historical listen, but there were some really rudimentary electronic experimentation moments that maybe don’t hold up as well. Also much less exciting than Can

This one grew on me. I really appreciated recognizing some of the bands The Jam has influenced (Bloc Party), and were influenced by (The Beatles). Would return.

I absolutely love Brian Eno's early solo albums. So many great songs on this album, and the sounds and experimentation work so well.

Really lovely album. Loses 1 star due to the fact they have a traffic siren on one song, which limits when I would want to put this on (it freaks me out during car listens, and is annoying at home). But overall some absolutely charming tunes.

A lot of the sounds remind me of early Gorillaz. Lots of great tracks and a great vibe overall.

Absolute ball kicking titty slapping rock n roll

I don’t know, there is something about the overall sound that I really liked. Parts of it reminded me of the looseness of the first Velvet Underground album, which has that sort of heroin haziness to it, most notably on “A Sailor’s Life”, which is an absolute banger.

Something about this album resonated with me. The lead singer's voice is a bit goofy and like Morrissey but I found it more charming and less annoying. Really enjoyable listen.

I don't know, the backing music has some good moments but overall wasn't into his voice on a lot of tracks - too much moaning/slurring through songs. It was almost bearable until "Rockin' Chair", which I found really tested my patience.

Pretty sweet grooves and vibes. Definitely will relisten/put this in regular rotation.

This one had some elements I really liked and definitely an interesting listen to hear where subsequent bands were influenced. I think the main downside was the lyrics and subject matter, just didn't connect.

It's definitely an impressive album and has some amazing hits, but it definitely starts to drag on during the second disc. At almost 2 hours, its a real commitment to listen all the way through, and can be a bit of a struggle.

I found a lot of the covers underwhelming, they really pale in comparison to the original/better known versions.

I guess I only really like The Temptations singles, their albums have been pretty underwhelming overall (this was my second album from them this week).

So many hits, the appeal is undeniable. Even less well known tracks like "Dirty Diana" really kick balls. The overall cohesiveness to the record is impressive.

It's a fine, if somewhat middling, effort from Tom Waits. But with so many other albums he has released that I think are more important, this one just seems average.

Honestly if this was anyone else, it would be a decent album. But I absolutely despise Morrissey, and this album doesn't do much to change my opinion.

Not my cup of tea, and overall their style and sound feels like a bit of a joke.

It's such a singular sound that it limit the times and environments you would want to listen to it in.

When they're on, like on the single "Ain't no right", it's good. But there are too few moments like this on the album, so overall you have to be into their sound and Perry Farrell's voice can get annoying pretty quickly. I think it's just not for me, but I can understand why it was important/other people like it/why it is on the list.

It's an undeniable classic that had significant impact on culture, and the production is impeccable. That being said, there are still a few issues. It seems like several songs include extended outros that are mostly shit talking Easy E, and several skits about fucking or "DEEEEEZZZ NUTZZZZ".

It has some issues, like the extended intro telling the audience that there will be a recording happening and that they will be using lyric sheets, and the extended outro of “Willow Weep for Me”, but I feel edified having listened to it.

I loved this album in college, and Re listening only reminded me why. It’s hilarious, rollicking, and just a great groovy glam time.

Shit man, this was really great. Reminds me of the best aspects of Radiohead around The Bends and Ok Computer, just awesome instrumentation and sound. I'll have to relisten, but what a treat that will be.

Absolute classic. Totally kicks balls and slaps titties.

Immediately on the opening song, there is the overriding sense of joy that carries through the entire album. It really is a stunning work from start to finish and is clearly deserving of the praise it initially earned, and its inclusion on this list.

This album dropped when I was a freshman in highschool, and with a lot of things from that time period I was interested in, I was expecting to cringe while relistening to this. I'm happy to report that wasn't the case, this album still holds up and was pretty ambitious for the time. While I think I prefer other rock operas, Green Day tried something new and found a format that really worked for them.

There is so much material (maybe too much, at over an hour it's a lot to really listen to in one sitting) that it's hard not to rate it highly. Not my favorite Stone's album, but still a great listen.

It's definitely a great album with some essential material ("Trampled Under Foot", "Kashmir"), but as an album listen it's too long. Since its a double album, it does have some logical breaks which helps out. I think this comes from the history, it seems like they had enough material for 1.5 records so they added in b-sides/outtakes from earlier recording sessions. All of the songs hold up, but its definitely overstuffed.

Really inventive use of samples, solid listen.

Kind of mediocre, there are a lot of solo acoustic folk singer albums from this time period and I don’t know what is supposed to elevate this one.

All in all it's pretty ridiculous, but the original ambition and really solidly launching the idea of a Rock Opera had so much impact on rock music. I love when bands take big swings like this, and overall it really works.

Might be my favorite Bob Dylan album, which says a lot because he has so many classic, influential albums. It really does have a loose unique feel to it, and while it's long, that looseness makes it a great hang out album. Even if you put it on in the background, every now and then some lyrics will just jump out and hit you at the right moment. Truly an album that I would recommend everyone listen to before they die.

Overall a fine collection of songs - I'm just a little confused as to why this compilation would be on the list rather than a full album. Maybe the band had more of an impact outside of the US, but other than "Hate to say I told you so" I don't think I've heard any of these other songs - which are supposed to be their big hit singles!

This is a perfect album. It has long been one of my favorites (my wife and I had our first dance to "God Only Knows"), and it is still so singular and grand in its sound. It doesn't try hard to be deep (although the alternate version of "I know there's an answer" is straight up about tripping on acid), there is such an earnest innocence on the edge of adulthood that instantly hits a nostalgic nerve.

It's got some great all-American songs, but some real weak points, like Darlington County and Workin' on the Highway.

Some good music, but Morrissey still sucks. Its unfortunate for the rest of the band that they are consistently dragged down by an officious asshat.

It runs pretty long, and is pretty clearly derivative of a specific 80's sound.

The vocals are a little corny, this album is emblematic of a distinct style of 1960's folk singing. However, the music is really well done, the playing is great, and it has a real charm to it.

Loved the overall sound and music - the vocals for the Beastie Boys are always a little muddled. But based on vibes alone it was a great listen.

Probably my favorite Stones album from this period, "Gimme Shelter" alone elevates this to classic status.

It's really compelling. For some reason the track listing on Apple Music is shuffled from what is shown on Wikipedia.

I know that this is an important and influential album and should definitely be included on this list; everyone should endure the experience at least once (like the album Free Jazz or The Shape of Jazz to Come). It's a creative and artistic expression, but just not one I like in the least. Its so fucking long and unless I knew the history that apparently these were extremely practiced songs, it sounds like someone gave instruments to complete novices, told them to play, and pressed record.

I appreciate hearing these albums and being exposed to a different sound than I'm used to. Overall though, I struggle to see myself registering to albums that are in a foreign language over again, and struggle to connect with them in a way that I don't for English language or even instrumental focused albums.

Really lovely soundscape

I guess it was interesting? Definitely feels like “world music” so sure, I’m happy I heard it before I died.

Overall there is just something I like about Lou Reed, even if it's depressing he has a sense of humor in his music. I would have given this 4 stars, but the song "The Kids" loses a star for the sounds of children crying. It takes something with depressing subject matter, and makes it basically unlistenable, which kind of ruins the album on relisten. Still, "Berlin", "Lady Day", "How do you think it feels", and "Caroline Says II" are all great Lou Reed songs.

Definitely glad I listened. It's interesting, I really like the overall sound and definitely want to listen again.

A lot of classics, but kind of overstuffed.

I really like Nick Cave, but this was the first time I’ve listened to The Birthday Party. It was pretty fun, but had a few weak spots.

It's an all right listen, but not my favorite Costello album. It definitely has some interesting sounds and ideas, but overall didn't really ever "wow" me

It's mostly lighthearted fun, obviously "Dancing Queen" is an absolute banger. But definitely weird in modern times with the song "When I kissed the teacher"

Its interesting as a cultural artifact of the early 1980s and early synth pop.

One of my favorites from my teenage years, I have so many memories tied to this album.

It’s kind of goofy sounding now, but overall impressive from a “one man in the studio” perspective and pretty enjoyable throughout

It has some stunningly beautiful moments and a great vibe throughout.

I was a little distracted and its a little long, but overall a lot of the ideas are bonkers or fun in a good way. At times it sounds like how I wish Captain Beefheart sounded.

The production is great and overall the flow works well - however some of the lyrics and themes have aged poorly.

It seems like this is the definitive example of a specific genre/type of music, so definitely agree on its inclusion on this list. It's pretty great, but such a specific vibe and mood.

woof - what a time to review a Kanye West album. Trying to keep current events out of my revaluation of this album, so bear with me. I loved this album when it was released. I loved his previously album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and this was the polar opposite. For a few months after its release, I would regularly blare this as soon as I woke up (sorry neighbors) while getting ready for work. Lyrically it's a fascinating dissection of racism in society and specifically the fashion industry/business world, deeply problematic in its misogyny, and utterly hilarious at times. There is a great podcast series (Dissect) that covers each track, the musical and lyrical content in depth, but some quick thoughts on each track as I re-listen. On Sight - Instantly establishes the worldview of this album. The sample cut-in is perfect, letting you know immediately what could have been, but clearly defining that this ISN'T what you are going to get. Black Skinhead - (so ironic in light of recent events) This is an absolute hype song. I have this on about 10 different running playlists. I am a God - "HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANTS". TBH the screaming does get a little old. New Slaves - The ending of this song gets me every time. The sample is so epic and triumphant. Probably the most interesting song lyrically, commenting on the racism in the fashion industry. Hold My Liquor - Start of a series of tracks with really problematic misogynistic lyrics, but the focus is more on the Yeezy character's issues with alcohol (as the title implies). The production is still so interesting, with the woozy beats and scattered vocal samples, breaking midway through with Justin Vernon's part and some amazing sounding guitar lines. I'm in it - Honestly this song innovates in how misogynistic and grotesque some of the lines are "put my fist in her like a civil rights sign", and the sweet and sour sauce line. It's kind of funny for how extreme. Blood on the Leaves - I know the use of Nina Simone's sample is controversial, but the production is absolutely top notch. The lyrical content, beating a dead horse, is extreme and misogynistic. It paints a portrait of men having affairs without any judgement or critical thought of the man's role in the affair. Guilt Trip - In the context of this album, this song is almost a ballad. Some surprisingly vulnerable lyrics. Send it up - Some people might find the backing track annoying, but like a lot of the sonic choices on the album, I love it. It's like a demented air-raid siren. I find a lot of Kanye's lyrics hilarious, such as "She said can you get my friends in the club? I said can you get my Benz in the club? if not treat your friends like my Benz park they ass outside until the evening' ends" Bound 2 - Absolute banger. My wife doesn't like a lot of this album, but loves this song. Another example of absolutely hilarious Kanye lines "when a real ***** holds you down you supposed to drown" "one good girl is worth a thousand bitches" think about it! "I wanna fuck you hard on the sink, after that give you something to drink" When the second chorus kicks in, it takes everything to a higher level.

This is one of my favorite albums - I went through a period where I mildly obsessed with David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, which this album is a precursor. China Girl is absolutely fucking epic. I knew Nightclubbing from the Trainspotting soundtrack, but only grew to love it more when I got into this album. I can't be objective in my assessment since I have loved this album for years, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Surprisingly not my cup of tea. I just felt like the loose feel created a vibe of being at a drug dealers house, smoking joint and then having to suffer through him playing you his songs.

This was a weird one due to Apple Music missing tracks on this album. No real way to find them within the service. So the album I listened to was only 22 minutes. As most live albums, it was filled with annoying crowd noise.

One of the few live albums I enjoy. Cash's interplay with the crowd and songs are just fun, and it seems like he cares about the men he is playing to.

The music is fine enough, but goddamn this is a long album and on a personal level Eric Clapton fucking sucks.

Really torn on my rating for this one. I liked it, it was kind of a kaleidoscope of sounds and influences from the 2000's and 2010's. I heard a lot of touches of Wilco, TV on the Radio, Beach House, and even older influences like Kraftwerk and Can. But I was stumped by the seeming lack of cultural impact - there is no wikipedia page for the album, I can't find a broad ranges of reviews, and can't find it on lists of best albums of the year. How did it end up in the 1001 albums to hear before you die?

Definitely an essential listen for the cultural impact and classic jams. My complaints are only due to the culture of rap records at the time, skits really annoy me for the most part, and the album is overly long.

I respect what Kurt Cobain wanted to achieve with this album, and despite Steve Albini's comments after its release, I think they achieved it. Some absolute classic Nirvana tracks like Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies, the rougher/harder sound is captivating even if you haven't heard Nevermind.

This was a huge album for me in high school. It was great to re-listen as a part of this project, and the album holds up completely. The raw aggressive sound is still unique among rock albums, the guitar sounds are fascinating and Karen O's vocals are captivating. Maps is still a certified banger.

Wow, this album came up only a few weeks after The Idiot. I love both of these albums, I was really obsessed with this period in Iggy Pop and David Bowie's careers. I go back and forth between which album I love more, this one is definitely more "Rock" oriented. Lust for Life, Passenger, and Tonight are my top tracks.

I was surprised by this album. Beyond the singles, the other songs were either good to great without a lot of annoyance. “Moving in Stereo” and “All Mixed Up” stood out. Definitely going to listen again.

Sounds almost like a lost David Bowie album. Overall fine, I guess it was an important album historically because it had some hits in the UK?

This would be a 3.5 for me, but it is mostly one-note sonically. There are moments that really grabbed me, and it was mostly when the band slowed down, or quieted down from the mostly loud dynamic.

It kicks balls, but this is an album that could definitely benefit from remixing/remastering in a modern context. The several songs on the version available for streaming includes "stereo" mixing style from the 60's, which just pans some instruments hard left or right, which on headphones is one of the worst listening experiences.

So many classic songs. This formula worked so well that they re-recorded this album several more times.

A pretty solid album and indicative of the time period. You can draw a line of influence from Massive Attack, through this Red Snapper album, to a lot of subsequent great British electronic music.

This is a weird one. Serene music with a strange vocal styling, I think it would take repeated listens to judge if it was above a 3 star. While the music is beautifully played, I’m not sure that this is a unique or important work that needs to be on this list.

I had no idea there was a "twin" album to The Soft Bulletin. While there are a lot of similarities in the sonic textures, Mercury Rev create something original and interesting throughout the album. Really engaging material, definitely will re-listen

An impeccable pop album.

Overall I agree that this is an important cultural album, it launched Kanye into stardom and redefined hip-hop at the time of its release. Looking back, it has its faults: the album is overlong and includes annoying skits that balloon the run time. Absolute classic tracks though, and definitely deserves to be included on this list. It's hard to not let current news impact your listening to an album, Kanye's recent Nazi shit is unforgivable. But I still try to separate the art from the artist, and keep the time frame in mind when listening to these albums.

I mean it's Queen, so it's hard not to love. I think the only thing holding back 5 stars is the lack of their well known hits, it's definitely a deep cut collection. But its a lot of fun, with masterful musicianship and fun sonic experimentation.

Kind of one note on style, but sure, I'm glad I listened to it.

By the second song, I was ready to rate this as a 2 star album. I get that maybe it had some impact at the time, apparently it won the Grammy for Best contemporary folk album, but it seemed like a pretty average folk album and didn't do anything interesting.

Marvin Gaye died years before I was born, but goddamn if he didn't just make sweet sonic love to my ears.

Its a great introduction to The Rolling Stones, but due to the amount of covers it seems slight compared to the rest of their discography.

Pretty solid listen. I didn't realize the connection with the Bad Seeds at first, but overall an interesting sound.

What an innovative use of sound as torture! I get that this album might be important as an example or the pinnacle of a genre, but this genre is absolute trash.

Arguably their definitive album, although you could also say that Californication really distilled their style better. Its really long and kind of cringy, but has an undeniable vibe and appeal.

I've always had an affinity for this album. When it was released, I think Amnesiac was generally regarded as a lesser album than Kid A, but there is a warmness to these songs that I think is missing from Kid A. Maybe its the red album cover. I love Life in a Glass House, but so many of the songs rank in my top Radiohead tracks.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Black Keys. They have some killer singles but I just don't know that they have a single album that holds together as a "great" piece of work. It all ends up being kind of derivative and overlong in the end. I feel like sometime this list mistakes "you must listen to this ALBUM before you die" with "Hey this was popular during 20xx, or had a couple hits on it" with importance. Overall, yeah it's got some pretty good stuff, but would I tell someone they HAVE TO HEAR THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF WORK? absolutely not. Its a specific genre and vibe, and The Black Keys do it well, but I think others have done it better.

Really great debut album. It's definitely less polished than Toxicity, but the band's unique sound is impressive. My only complaint is that I didn't realize this before, but the guitar riff from Spiders was reused on their next album.

It's fine - definitely a worthwhile listen for the impact it had, and its sad how the LA riots and race issues at the time are still relevant and a prevalent today. Some great tracks like "It was a good day" and "Check Yo Self". I liked the production, but just didn't feel a connection to it.

Another personal favorite. Tom Waits was able to create something unique and entertaining with this album, and it marked a new direction for his music that went on into weirder and wilder years.

Clearly an influential album - wasn't my favorite but I can see the merit. At least it was only 15 minutes!

I love Sade - this album sounds so fucking effortless and cool, like their natural state is pure vibes.

I always like Danger Mouse's production - even if it has a similar sonic quality regardless of the artist he is working with. It's like a director working with different actors, the films might share visual qualities but the performances are where the talent can craft something unique and interesting. I've never heard Michael Kiwanuka before, but this album is a fantastic introduction. The songwriting is exceptional, and paired with Danger Mouse's signature production the album shines.

Interesting listen, definitely a different sound than I've ever heard from Leonard Cohen. I'll probably give it a re-listen at some point, there are a lot of details, like the background singes, that I really like.

Led Zeppelin is one of those rare legacy bands that really had a run of perfect albums. With a greater emphasis on "acoustic" songs, III is a fantastic sonic exploration.

Overall a great album and really a pinnacle of 80's pop/rock. I remember when the 2006 releases came out, I was in a Sam Goody and saw the album - I had heard of Depeche Mode but never given them a listen. I was struck by the album artwork and listened to a few tracks on the demo station. I don't think I ended up buying the album, and it's probably for the best. I don't think I would have appreciated it at that point. But now, in my mid-30s I really enjoy that sound and vibe. While I prefer New Order, there are some really great tracks on this album and its definitely worth the listen.

It's fine, I guess the Police just don't really do it for me. Obviously an important cultural album, but I won't be revisiting anytime soon.

I prefer Remain in Light, but will probably give this another listen.

This is a weird one. Obviously it was a big album at the time, and Destiny’s Child benefits in hindsight from Beyoncé’s place in culture, but there is some really really cringey early 2000s culture on this album. From the opening, the soundtrack tie in to Charlie’s Angels with name drops for the actresses, it seems like this is the definition of commercialized nonsense. I was kind of shocked by Nasty Girl, which weirdly embodies the early 2000s puritanical/slut-shaming culture of America and is absolute cringe, especially coming after Independent Women, Survivor, AND Bootylicious. It’s a really weird dichotomy of culture. Overall it's just incoherent as an album. There's no overarching theme or message. It bounces back and forth between female empowerment, slut-shaming/pick-me attitudes, lusting after a man ("Spotted me my baby's father" lol), and back to female independence - and that's barely even halfway through the album! I guess its an important listen for the cultural context and place in Beyonce's history, but woof, other than some catchy singles I did not like it.

Starts with an absolute banger, I was convinced if they could keep it up I would give this album 5 stars. That quickly dissipated as soon as the bizarre, extreme panning kicked in on the second track. Really disorienting on headphones. I could barely focus on the song due to how uncomfortable it made my ears feel. Overall it's a fine listen, some decent singles that are indicative of the period. I feel like there are plenty of examples of the "sound" of this time period on this list though.

This is another nostalgia album for me. This is practically a perfect album (along with Pet Sounds) to listen to while on psychedelic drugs. And even if you haven't taken any drugs, it really holds up! The production and experimentation is top level, but still so accessible.