Journey Complete!
Finisher #266 to complete the list
1089
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3.35
Avg Rating
160
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100%
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1088
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1082
Written
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vs Global
0.16
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3.35
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1950s
Favorite Decade
Funk
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Balanced
Rater Style
20
1-Star Albums
5-Star Albums (160)
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Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott 2 | 5 | 2.64 | +2.36 |
| The Grand Tour | 5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
| LP1 | 5 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
| Chris | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| I’m a Lonesome Fugitive | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| The College Dropout | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| The Bends | 2 | 4.01 | -2.01 |
| Bone Machine | 1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
| Yeezus | 1 | 2.77 | -1.77 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.86 | 4.3 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5 | 4.25 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.8 | 4.13 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Queen | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| ABBA | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Goldfrapp | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Adele | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Fiona Apple | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| CHIC | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Elton John | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanye West | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
Popular Reviews
Slipknot
1/5
I try to approach each album with an open mind however this album has two things I absolutely detest: overly long 90s albums and nu-metal. I tried hard but this 100% is not music for me and is a complete struggle. The lyrics are just so pathetic and are meant for angsty teenagers. But I'm neither angsty or a teenager. I will never been listening to this again.
23 likes
Common
3/5
I'm not a big rap guy so getting rap albums is always tough for me here. So far all the rap albums mostly come from the US and represent a culture I did not grow up in and have never experienced. This makes it tough to judge these albums given how reflective they are of the society the respective rappers grew up in.
However, compared to some of the previous rap albums I've gotten, this is more in my style. The beats are more jazzy and the flow is a bit more my style. Still the lyrics are a bit homophobic, which Common has admitted to saying he doesn't want to use any more which is always good to hear.
18 likes
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Bland early 2000s pop. It's competently done (Pharrell is a producer) but it's just bland. And too long. Could have cut 20 minutes and it would have been bearable. It's also really cliche and just sounds of that time.
17 likes
OutKast
2/5
Ah rap albums and the super fucking longness of them. What a huge waste of time. This could have been a trim 45 minutes and been pretty good. Instead we get an over 2 hour bloated monster. So many shitty skits. Some songs are listenable so this avoids 1 star but just.
1.5/5
13 likes
Jack White
5/5
This is my first time listening to solo Jack White and it's great and it's more White Stripesy music, but it made me realise how important Meg White was for him. It's missing that little piece that made the White Stripes so good. Still great music since Jack White is so talented.
13 likes
4-Star Albums (267)
1-Star Albums (20)
All Ratings
Joy Division
3/5
I know I should like Joy Division but the music just doesn't do anything to me. I know this is a seminal album but it falls flat to me and just sounds mediocre.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Another band I've never listened to but knew I should. Really enjoyed this one! A bit of an acquired taste sometimes, but I definitely will use this as a jumping off point into exploring more of Sonic Youth's catalogue. Not super into some of the noise rock stuff, but other songs more than make up for it.
Blur
3/5
I like Gorillaz but this album doesn't do much for me.
Various Artists
2/5
I hate Christmas songs.
Air
4/5
I've never heard of the film but I liked this sound track. Some tracks with clear movie dialogue were a bit annoying but the others were great background music. Will add some of it into the rotation for calm background music.
Metallica
3/5
A whole load of meh from me. I've never had any interest in metal and I appreciate the importance of Metallica but the music just sounds generic, dull, and uninspired. Found this album just boring.
Charles Mingus
4/5
I'm an absolutely massive swing-era jazz fan --I love swing dancing-- but as jazz moved away from the swing era to bebop, modal, and other genres I kinda lose interest since it just isn't for me. Nonetheless, I found this album did work for me, even if it's a bit more experimental, although I don't see myself returning to it any time soon. Solid jazz played by solid musicians.
MC Solaar
3/5
I'm not a rap person and my years of French from high school are in the past. I enjoyed the beats of this and while I could understand parts of it, I feel I'm really missing the meaning. The music was a great mix of jazz and African-inspired stuff and I liked it. Very fun to listen to. 3.5/5
Pere Ubu
1/5
Unlistenable garbage. Maybe if they got rid of the shit singer this might have some redeemable qualities. The music itself borders on listenable at times, but then the horrible vocals come in and take destroy whatever good will the song had. Wikipedia mentions this album as post-punk and looking at some of the other bands that are classified in this genre, e.g. the Talking Heads, Devo, or Joy Divison, they had musicianship that made their weird shit listenable. Here it just doesn't work. Possibly the worst album I've heard so far.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
It's okay I guess. I guess almost two decades removed from this album, this style is now pretty common. I'd never listened to Amy Winehouse before this album (I don't think I'd even heard a song from her) and I wasn't sure what I was expecting but given how revered she is, I was hoping for a bit more.
The Clash
4/5
Another classic album that I have heard so much about but never listened to. I think a day isnt sufficient to digest this so I am going to relisten to it again over the coming weeks. Such an influential and important album that I am happy to have finally listened to.
Spacemen 3
4/5
Never heard of this group before and only saw that it was listed as neo-psychedelia which sounded interesting. After giving it a listen, I did enjoy it but it didn't sound really unique or ground breaking. Some songs are a little too long but overall the album doesn't out stay its welcome and I will be checking out some of the other albums from this band. Unfortunately can't give half stars so I round up to 4 stars.
Randy Newman
3/5
I see why Disney brought in this guy, but the songs don't mean anything to me now. I like his voice but they all just started to sound the same.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
The first album on this journey that I've actually listened to prior to seeing it on here. And I've listened to it a lot over the years and know all the songs by heart.
What more can be said about it that hasn't already been said a thousand times about this album? This is considered Fleetwood Mac's magnum opus and one of the top 10 best selling albums of all time. All for good reason. Not a single dud on here. Absolute brilliance from start to finish.
The Stranglers
4/5
Missy Elliott
3/5
Not a rap guy. This is fine. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible.
Talking Heads
3/5
Otis Redding
4/5
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
I realized after researching a bit that I was familiar with Gil Scott-Heron through The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. This is great stuff. Super jazzy and bluesy. Loved the piano.
Nirvana
3/5
I appreciate the importance of Nirvana but this album just doesn't work for me.
Paul Weller
3/5
It was okay. Some songs are interesting but I think the album is a couple songs too long. Some good guitar work but it sounded a bit generic at times.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Kinda jovial music but ehhh.... sounds super cheesy. Does get a slightly better rating since it's from Africa and that is a nice change. 2.5/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I am a swing dancer so I have listened to many, many, hours of Basie. I am very familiar with this album and it's a great one.
JAY Z
2/5
Not a rap guy. Doesn't do much for me.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Radiohead
2/5
Every song sounded identical and I don't think I could remember a single bit about any song.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Elbow
2/5
Never heard of this band. After listening to the album it makes sense. Nothing excites me about this.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Ah Derek and the Dominoes. I've listened to this album many times over the years. The guitar work on this is superb and something I love yet over the years I just don't get into it as much as I used to.
Saying that, this entire album is worth it just for the song Layla. I've been listening to that song for almost 2 decades now and hearing that opening riff always makes me want to crack up the volume.
Oasis
3/5
Sounds super 90s and really dated. Songs go on way too long and probably could have cut a bunch of them. First time listening to Oasis and probably first time I've ever heard a full song by them and I'm not impressed.
I'd give it 2.5/5 but I'll round up to 3 since for the Wonderwall meme and guitar players.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Never listened to Nick Cave before. Have heard his name here and there. This was my first time listening. It's okay.. but Scott Walker did it better. I did some research and found that Nick Cave was heavily inspired by Scott Walker and I 100% believe it.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
A recent goal of mine is to properly go through the McCartney back catalogue since Band on the Run was the only one I knew. It's been hard to top it because Band on the Run is exactly the kind of album I love. So much so I listened to a lot of it yesterday after listening to the album from this site. I adore this album from start to finish. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five is a top 5 McCartney composition for me, including his massive Beatles hits.
Absolutely flawless album for me and learning about the whole recording story in Nigeria and them getting robbed during the recording is interesting too.
Beck
2/5
This isnt a great introduction to Beck. Songs started to sound the same about halfway through.
Sparks
4/5
I'd heard of Sparks from time to time and with that documentary the past year, I saw the name a lot and yet I never checked them out since I always got the impression they were very art rocky and a band that would be tough to get into.
I have to say, if the rest of their catalogue is like this album, I was completely wrong. This was absolutely right in my wheelhouse. The melodies were super catchy and I loved the instrumentation, especially those guitars. I will definitely be looking further into their back catalogue.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
1969 was an amazing year for John Fogerty. He wrote hit after hit after hit. No exception here. A collection of great songs that is pure rock and roll.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I'd heard a few songs here and there from this album on Spotify playlists before but I'd never sat down and listened to it in full. I'm of a mixed mind. It's an interesting album but I don't think something I'd listen to in full. Also very concept-albumy to me and out of context the songs don't really work.
DJ Shadow
2/5
It's an interesting idea that this album is made entirely from samples and I appreciate the production expertise is requires to do that, but in the end I just don't care.
Moby
2/5
I dunno what Eminem had against this guy. This is just bland inoffensive stuff that runs on too long.
Jethro Tull
3/5
I've always been familiar with the band Jethro Tull and how it had lots of flute and how it is one of the prog rock bands. Beyond that I've never actually listened to any of it. Now that I have, it was 100% exactly what I think of when I imagined the term prog rock. I should enjoy this more than I thought but it was just okay. Maybe if I were younger I'd dig it more.
No other rock bands feature the flute so heavily -- for somewhat obvious reasons -- and it definitely is something different from the sound everyone else had. I will always applaud bands who try something different, but in the end it's not for me.
Van Morrison
3/5
I'm only familiar with Van Morrison hits of which two of them open this album. Then I heard the same songs over and over again. This album just doesn't go anywhere. It's the same sound for 10 songs and I got bored midway through. He just doesn't go anywhere new. For such a highly acclaimed album, I was expecting a lot more.
Orbital
2/5
I live in the technno capital of the world and I've heard better techno through the wall from my neighbour. It's bland and boring, but it's saved in that regard. It could be a lot, lot worse, like the shitty looping on the first track which sounds neat in the first 15 seconds, then you realise it goes on for another minute and a half.
Wild Beasts
3/5
Once again, an album is hampered by poor vocals. The music underlying it sounds interesting enough and when the song doesn't feature the lead (?) singer it actually isn't too bad. Not great, but not crap and never really rises about middling.
Jacques Brel
3/5
This was interesting. The opening song, Amsterdam, I know from Scott Walker and I realised I'd come across the name a few times through that. I love that song and was hoping for more like it and the rest of the album kinda doesn't deliver. He is an absolutely amazing singer but musically it just doesn't work for me.
Gary Numan
4/5
I've vaguely heard of this guy before and going in I had absolutely no idea what I would be listening to. It is definitely weird but it's the kind of weird that just works for me. I can't explain why. The vocals aren't that great, but somehow combined with cheesy at times and repetitive music, it just works.
I also found out that a song I've loved for over a decade by a small indie band was a cover of Metal and I had absolutely no idea. I'd say this album is 3.5/5 so I have to round up.
This is the kinda of stuff why I like this generator. I'd have never listened to this otherwise.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
I'm a little familiar with Sly and the Family Stone but I've never really explored their discography too much beyond Dance to the Music. I was going in expecting some funky beats. While the beats are certainly funky, that magic touch just isn't there. Reading a little about the making I see there was lots of drugs involves. Also the social setting of the US played a roll too but being 50 yeads removed causes it to hit not as hard.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Elvis Costello is another one of those artists I just never listened to. I've heard about him my entire life and may have heard a song of his here and there but never investigated. I regret not doing it earlier. This is great music. Nothing much more to say. The vocals really fit with the music and listening to the 2021 remaster, the production sounds really fresh and great. I know there are more Elvis Costello albums on this list but I might go search them out myself.
Also a personal touch is that he lives in my home town and my mother has seem and his wife shopping at the local grocery store numerous times. She's interacted with them a little bit since she is a huge Diana Krall fan and
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
This is a tough one. I am not a big rap person so the album isnt super appealing to me. Plus the whole gansta rap aesthetic is just nothing I relate to and this album is full of it. I dont think some of the lyrics have aged well and misogyny is pretty bad. Nonetheless the album is super influential and some of the beats are good. Happy to have crossed this off the list but I probably wont be returning to it again.
Justice
3/5
I do a lot of house dancing and thus have been exposed to hundreds of hours of house music. This means that my standards for great house music are pretty high and unfortunately, while this music is great, it just doesn't reach the heights of others in the genre do.
Common
3/5
I'm not a big rap guy so getting rap albums is always tough for me here. So far all the rap albums mostly come from the US and represent a culture I did not grow up in and have never experienced. This makes it tough to judge these albums given how reflective they are of the society the respective rappers grew up in.
However, compared to some of the previous rap albums I've gotten, this is more in my style. The beats are more jazzy and the flow is a bit more my style. Still the lyrics are a bit homophobic, which Common has admitted to saying he doesn't want to use any more which is always good to hear.
Carpenters
3/5
Karen Carpenters voice is divine but in the end the album just doesnt soar.
Massive Attack
3/5
Meh.
Burning Spear
4/5
What a great album. I never listen to reggae so this album was a great surprise. Good beats, good vibes, and great lyrics.
Nina Simone
4/5
Ahh Nina Simone. What a godly voice. This album proves she is one of the best. Powerful songs and a powerful voice.
4.5/5
Alice In Chains
3/5
Ehh it's okay. I don't think I can remember which song is which since they all sound identical. The production reeks of the 90s and the album is 15 minutes too long. Not for me. 2.5/5
Grateful Dead
2/5
I know the Grateful Dead were famous for being a live band so I guess it's hard to evaluate their albums because this is just bland. Also the mixing sucks.
Pulp
3/5
I like Different Class by Pulp and have listened to it in full numerous times, but I'd never really explored beyond that. I don't mind the vocals, but overall this album is just too long and doesn't have that song to bring you in like Common People.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
A few years ago I was listening to spotify similar to playlists and songs from this album were on that list. Prior to this I was never really into any form of country music, but I enjoyed the songs and decided to listen to this album in full. It completely worked for me and introduce me to the genre. Lucinda Williams has led me to other country acts and it's a genre that has some really great music if you avoid the mediocre radio pushed country. 4.5/5
The Offspring
3/5
I had a passing familiarity with The Offspring as I do enjoy a few of their songs but have never listened to a full album. It really reminded me of playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. It was fun although you aren't going to get a huge variety in terms of music as the songs do sound very similar. Yet, oddly it had this weird charm that just hit me in the right way although I don't think I'll be revisiting it soon though.
Magazine
3/5
Perfectly average. Nothing special, nothing bad just pure middle of the road music.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Absolutely not my type of music. I really struggled to listened to this. At least it inspired a good Weird Al song. 1.5/5
The Young Rascals
2/5
What an awful album cover. The music is okay and I enjoy the 60s production but there is something missing that would make this album great.
The Who
3/5
A solid but not amazing debut by The Who. You can hear a bit of the direction they would go in, but this pales in comparison to what the band would become.
AC/DC
4/5
Hell yeah. I've listened to this many times before. I mean what do you expect? It's AC/DC. You know what you'll be getting. Is this the most intricate music every made? No. Will it rock you? Absolutely. This is just pure rock and roll and doesn't claim to be anything else.
4.5/5
Depeche Mode
3/5
Fun stuff but I find with Depeche Mode it really depends on how I am feeling that day and today I wasn't really feeling it. Loved the production on it.
3.5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This is a hard one. I liked it but at the same time it felt like a real chore to get through. Why did this have to be a double album? Feels like it's two separate albums just smashed together for fun.
This is my second Nick Cave album and my previous opinion was low and this album improved it a bit. It's much more bearable this time around and it's certainly listenable to. But again, it's way too damn long. If it was split into two albums I'd probably like it a lot more.
Beth Orton
3/5
Ehh it's okay.
Leftfield
3/5
I do a lot of house dancing so I'm very familiar with the genre. This is fine music but there is way better house stuff out there.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
This is what this list is for. I'd never heard of this before and I'd probably have never listened to it otherwise. This is great. I've done only a minimal amount of salsa dancing in my life, but this music makes me want to get up and dance. This is great stuff.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I'd never actually listened to a Leonard Cohen song beyond Hallelujah. I know he was greatly revered for his music and I get it after listening to this. It's pretty good and I love his lyrics. Great stuff and very chill vibe. 3.5/5
Air
3/5
This is the 2nd album by Air I've heard and honestly.. it wasn't that great. Just fine. Nothing to write home about. The other one I enjoyed much more than this. 2.5/5.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Ahh this album. I split it up over a few days listening sessions to make it easier to listen to since it's a lot of the same theme. I only really knew The Book of Love before and maybe had dabbled in a few songs from it here and there. It's ambitious but in that ambition you need to back it up with solid material and there just isn't enough here. 2.5/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
I only knew of the Hurt cover before listening to this. That cover is fine. The other covers are just bad. Bridge Over Troubled Water is especially grating. His voice just took the soul out of the song. Personal Jesus was also pretty bad since I just got the Depeche Mode album with that song on it a few days ago. When Cash isn't doing modern covers / his own songs, it's great.
2.5/5
Beyoncé
3/5
I've never listened to Beyonce. I've heard a few songs from her via popular culture. Supposedly she is the queen of pop and is this super star. I don't hear any of that here. It's just fine bland rnb/pop. Nothing special and nothing that really pushes it beyond anything. It's just middle of the road average. 2.5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
After finishing the album I realized I didn't even notice the album was over. I don't think I could remember a single song that stood out. It was just perfectly fine middle of the road stuff.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
It was fine but quickly you realise he uses the same damn trick a lot so that takes a lot away.
Tom Waits
1/5
I respect Tom Waits but that doesn't mean I like his music. Very grating and absolutely not for me. I had to break this album up over a few days because I couldn't take more than a few songs at a time. Never going to listen to this again.
10cc
4/5
All I knew about the band was the urban legend of their name, so I had no expectations. What an album. This sounds just so unique and different from what else was going on around the time. It feels like if you released this album today, it would do quite well since the music sensibilities just seem so modern. Kinda reminds me a bit of when Paul McCartney would go full on silly. 4.5/5
Van Halen
4/5
This is my first time listening to Van Halen. Sure I've heard songs of theirs over the years, but I've never actively sought them out to listen to. My expectations were far exceeded since this didn't really sound like the Van Halen I've heard before, which I guess is the 80s version of the band. I loved the sound of Eddie's solos here and it didn't sound like the wankery that it would eventually become (which while technically impressive sounds very stale to me). This is an absolutely great album and one I will be revisiting. 4.5/5
Duran Duran
3/5
This is quintessential new wave music. I don't hate it but I also don't love it. It's missing something that would push it to greater heights. So it just sounds a bit middle of the road to me.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Wow. This was an ELECTRIC performance. I'd heard a few songs by Sam Cooke before, but I'd never given him a proper listen. This was outstanding. I love live albums and this must have been outstanding to see live. This entire album was absolutely rocking and Sam Cooke was a tour de force.
Baaba Maal
3/5
This is what this book is made for. I've never heard of this and would have never sought it out. I have absolutely no idea what any of the songs are about, but the vocals sound great. I really dig it, although it is a little long and feels repetitive which lowers the rating for me. 3.5/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
It's surprising that I've never sat down and listened to this album from start to finish in a single setting. It still sounds fresh as it does almost 60 years later. There is a reason that Hendrix is held in such high regard.
Steely Dan
3/5
The epitome of boomer dad rock. It's fine but safe and never takes risks.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Leonard Cohen discovers a casio.
Talking Heads
3/5
I think I've finally accepted that Talking Heads just isn't a band for me. I've listened to a bunch of their albums before and like songs here and there. Hell I loved the podcast U Talkin' Talking Heads 2 My Talking Head (which you should absolutely check out since Adam Scott and Scott Aukerman are amazing) but still just don't dig the band. This is a fine album but not for me.
Steely Dan
3/5
So I get another Steely Dan record just two days later. Seriously why are there FOUR Steely Dan albums on this list? This is pure boomer dad rock material. It's not bad, it's not great. It's just fine.
Turbonegro
4/5
Never heard of this band, but it was fun! The lyrics are not the best, but the music is rocking and it sounds like they are having fun with it and not taking it too seriously. Production sounds great too.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Ehhh..... the first half sucked. Second half was better. But I guess they were trying to make a point that was lost on me. Maybe it made sense in 1978 but in 2022 it makes none. 1.5/5.
4/5
This is the 2nd Bowie album I've listened to from start to finish (the other being his first). It was pretty good and I know this album is rated super high, but it's a 4.5/5 stars for me. Maybe it'll grow on me over time as I become more of a fan, but it's just not quite there for me.
The Dictators
3/5
I've never heard of this album or band and I had no idea what it would be like. Looking at the album cover, I took a guess at how this album might sound and it completely matches it. It was a fun romp and something that is definitely deserving to be on this list. 3.5/5
Christine and the Queens
5/5
I discovered Christine and the Queens a few years back on spotify and fell in love. She has become an absolute favourite of mine and it was a delight to have to listen to this album again. I'm really looking forward to see where her career takes her.
George Jones
5/5
Ive never heard of this. I loved this. Pure country that just sounds great. Love it.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
It is really hard to rate this. Buddy Holly is so engrained in the history of pop music that it is unfair to judge without that lens. I appreciate it but since it set the stage for so much later that it sounds a bit quaint now. It is a shame we never saw him develop as an artist. 4.5/5
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
What a completely seemingly random assortment of musical styles. No idea what this film could be about. An interesting listen but I'll probably never listen again.
The Who
3/5
I'm a pretty big fan of live albums, but this one just felt lacking that special something that made it great. I did enjoy the longer extended versions of songs on the 2nd half of the album, but it wasn't anything to phone home about. 2.5/5
3/5
Pretty fun mid 80s pop. Sounds super 80s but that's the charm about it. 3.5/5
LL Cool J
3/5
Not a big rap guy so it's always hard to judge a genre I don't really enjoy. Still this had good beats. Wasn't always a huge fan of the lyrics, but the production was good although it suffers from that 90s era run-time length. It didn't need to be 60
Beatles
5/5
For my 100th album I get my favourite album of all time and I've listened to this album an endless number of times. If a doctor is giving me one hour to live, this is the album I want to be heard playing. To me it's completely flawless and I love every single song.
Side 2 is possibly the best 22 minutes of music ever recorded. Here Comes the Sun is my favourite song of all time. There are so many other songs I love from so many artists, but Here Comes the Sun just taps into something so deep and it's to me it's the most perfect song ever written.
I could talk endlessly about why I love this album, but it's pointless. It's the highest rank album on this site and always included in the top 10 albums of all time. It's there for a reason. The peak of creativity and mastery by one of the greatest bands of all time.
Lou Reed
3/5
Lou Reed is one of those artists who is very hit or miss for me. Also depends a lot on my mood that day. Today I was digging this. Not the worst thing he has done but not the best either. 3.5/5
Tina Turner
3/5
This is my first time listening to a Tina Turner album and given her reputation, I had high hopes. After listening I was sorely disappointed. I her vocals to be fine but the instrumentation on a lot of songs just reeked of the 80s and I think that spoiled it a lot.
Motörhead
4/5
Never listened to Motorhead but was familiar with them. Not the hugest fan of Lemmy's voice but the music makes up for it. Good old fashioned rock and roll fun. Lyrics are a bit amateurish at points.
Metallica
2/5
I don't enjoy Metallica but I do enjoy symphonies. This was a mess where it sounds like Metalliac had a keyboard that would play a symphony only to be drowned out by their instruments. I found the symphony didn't add to the sounds of the song. 1.5/2
Arrested Development
3/5
It's fine.
Minor Threat
4/5
This was fun. Not the biggest fan of punk vocals sometimes, but this album had some rocking tunes and was fun through out it's very short length. Given I've gotten some really long albums recently, that's a huge plus.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Great stuff. I think I've heard of the name of the band in passing because of how silly it is but I completely dug it. Fun country-infused rock. 4.5/5
ZZ Top
4/5
Great blues driven rock and roll. Some filler, but the rest were killer.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
This is now my 2nd Costello album and it's fine. I don't get why this guy is on the list so much. The music is okay but it never really felt challenging at all. The songs just feel a bit bland and meld together.
Fugees
3/5
What was it with rap albums and probably even albums in general in the 90s being 60 minutes long? So many of these albums are just full of filler to pad out the length to reach an hour length when they should have been 40 minutes. This one was too long and but it did feel chills. Definitely better than some of the other rap albums from the same era I've gotten.
Deep Purple
3/5
I should have liked this a lot but I much prefer Rainbow which covers roughly the same sound but just rocked better. 3.5/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Good stuff. Although I do get the sense after this album that once you hear a few reggae songs, you've heard all of them. Not that this is a bad thing, but it does get a little samey after a while.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Ahh the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A band that is so hard for me to judge. Some songs of theirs I love and other times I'm just like fuck off.
Miles Davis
5/5
This is a tough one to rate. I absolutely love swing-era jazz and have danced countless hours to it. As jazz moved to other styles, it kinda lost me. I dig this album, but I have to be in a certain mood for it. Nonetheless, this album deserves its spot in history.
Heaven 17
3/5
Middle of the road new wave. 2.5/5
Beatles
5/5
It's really hard to give a Beatles album less than 5 stars. Of course it makes it hard to rank them since I love Rubber Soul, but it's maybe my 5th favourite album of theirs? I know every song without having to listen to it and hearing them again is always a treat.
The Strokes
3/5
I had heard of the Strokes but couldnt name a single song by them. Listening to the album I recognized one song. And then realised Id heard that song before in the previous track. And the next track. All the songs sounded identical like they found one thing and didnt bother trying anything new. A very one note album. 2.5/5
Alice Cooper
4/5
I only knew the title track and the reputation of Alice Cooper as a shock rocker but this was completely unexpected. A wide variety of music that was completely unexpected.
Machito
5/5
Love it. Afro-Cuban jazz is fantastic. This is what this list is all about.
The Charlatans
3/5
Perfectly bland average middle of the road stuff. Never is bad but never really tries.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Why oh why did I wait so long to listen to this album? Growing up my father was always telling me I had to listen to this album and the whole story behind it but I never followed through. I should have earlier. I love Jarrett's piano playing here. To think it's all improvised. So fantastic.
Tori Amos
3/5
Once again another 90s album that is way too long. I enjoy Tori Amos, but I felt like this dragged way too much in a lot of places.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Fun stuff. I need to explore him more. I know the Beatles really loved this guy. Also I learnt this is the source of that coconut song.
The Avalanches
4/5
I read a bit about this album before listening to it and wasn't to impressed. However after listening to it, it just resonated with me a lot. I can't quite put my finger on it since I'm not a huge fan of this type of super sampled music (I got Endtroducing..... a while back and didn't like it) but this album seemed to avoid what I hate about the genre.
Eminem
3/5
Not a rap guy and while I get Eminem is playing a character, I just can't stand the lyrics. It just hasn't aged very well in my view. 2.5/5
Rod Stewart
3/5
I'd never heard a single Rod Stewart song before listening to this album. It was perfectly middle of the road.
The Lemonheads
4/5
Really 90s alt-rock. Fun to listen to and each song is nice and short which is always a plus. 3.5/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Never heard of any of these people. It felt quite epic. Good old fun.
Syd Barrett
4/5
I know of the tragic story of Syd Barrett so I had some trepidation listening to this album but honestly I didn't think it was too bad.
Perfectly bland middle of the road. 2.5/5
David Holmes
2/5
This album has two things I dislike: being a too long album in the 90s and lots of sampling. Just doesn't do it for me.
Brian Eno
3/5
I've known the reputation of Brian Eno for making weird ambient music but this wasn't too bad. Definitely not a representation of what is to come.
Pulp
4/5
I said on my other Pulp review that I hadn't explored much Pulp beyond Different Class. I really enjoy this album despite all the things I dislike about 90s music: too long albums and Britpop. Yet this album works for me. Maybe it's because it is anchored by the banger of a song with Common People.
ABBA
5/5
I love this album. For four decades it was ABBA's swan song and it is fantastic. Such great tunes. When All Is Said And Done is my favourite ABBA song.
Slipknot
1/5
I try to approach each album with an open mind however this album has two things I absolutely detest: overly long 90s albums and nu-metal. I tried hard but this 100% is not music for me and is a complete struggle. The lyrics are just so pathetic and are meant for angsty teenagers. But I'm neither angsty or a teenager. I will never been listening to this again.
The Cure
3/5
Ehhh it's fine. Really middle of the road stuff. Don't really remember much about it.
Tears For Fears
3/5
I do enjoy me some 80s new wave but this album just didn't click as much as the others. Still good even if the songs are a little long at points. 3.5/5
ABBA
5/5
The 2nd ABBA album this week and I can't complain. I love their music and even when the songs aren't the best, they are still a joy to listen to.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
I'd heard of the band but never a song so I wasn't sure what to expect. They were definitely ahead of their time since this reminds me of 90s alt rock but this was released in the 80s. Clearly they knew what was coming and anticipated it before everyone else. I will definitely be listening to this again. 4.5/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
One of my favourite albums of all time and my favourite Pink Floyd album. 45 minutes of great music.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Pretty run of the mill stuff. Sounds very 80s. Not too bad not too good. Album art looks like the cover of a bad 2000s YA novel.
David Bowie
3/5
My 2nd David Bowie album on this list and this one didn't connect as much with me. It's fine but it just didn't feel exceptional. Maybe I'm missing something with Bowie but I just haven't found that in yet.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Ehh.. it's fine I guess.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I'm a big swing-era jazz fan so I'm very familiar with many of these songs. This was a very interesting experiment. I think it worked sometimes and other times didn't. Can't stay I particularly enjoyed the country aesthetic to these jazz songs, but I applaud the effort.
Gene Clark
3/5
Very Neil Young vibes. Doesn't surprise me since he was a member of the Byrds which weren't far away from Neil Young. Pretty middle of the road 70s stuff nonetheless. A few songs I liked but otherwise it does sound similar to other albums from that era.
Joy Division
2/5
The first album I got on this site was the first Joy Division album and almost 150 albums later I get their other album. In the time between my opinion on the band hasn't really changed. I think they are still quite mediocre and this album was perhaps worse than the first. I can't really remember anything about it after I just finished listening to it.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Never heard of this band before. Was quite nice mid-90s rock. Although once you've heard a few songs you've kinda heard them all.
Jeff Beck
3/5
I love the music on this and it's a really who's who of late 60s early 70s musicians. However the vocals are just bad. I've gotten a few Rod Stewart albums now and I've realised I just don't like his voice. He just doesn't have the power to really belt it out, which is required for these songs.
John Martyn
3/5
Never heard of this guy. Pretty chill vibes on this one. Not super amazing, but totally music I could relax to.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
A great album and I'd love to give it a 5 but honestly, it's too damn long. So many great songs but it does start to get repetitive after a certain point. I feel like you could easily cut 20 minutes and still have the same experience. 4.5/5
Grizzly Bear
3/5
This should 100% be right in my wheelhouse since I love this kinda music but this just wasn't scratching that itch. I found the album a little too long and a little too repetitive. 3.5/5
Metallica
3/5
Ah Metallica. This is my third Metallica album and it's got a few songs I do know. Enter Sandman is just such a banger. The rest of the album isn't too bad either, but it does feel a bit repetitive. I'm struggling to remember anything other than the massive hits. 3.5/5
ZZ Top
4/5
Good old fashioned hard blues rock. Like the other ZZ Top album I reviewed, there is some filler here but the rest is killer.
Black Sabbath
5/5
I've never really listened to Black Sabbath before and this was a great introduction to the band. I just love that late 60s early 70s blues rock sound. The guitar tones just tickle me in the right way. Yeah it's a lot of extended solos and guitar noodling, but I enjoy it. Gonna be putting this into the rotation for sure.
The Replacements
4/5
Enjoyed it. Nice and short and definitely dealt with topics very much ahead of the time.
Hole
4/5
I've only known Hole as being the band Courtney Love was in and had never heard a single song. I enjoyed it. A little repetitive and a little long, but I did enjoy that 90s alt rock feel. 3.5/5
Buck Owens
4/5
Love it. Great old fashioned honky-tonk. Tons of fun.
James Taylor
5/5
I've known of this album for a long time but never given it a proper listen. I loved it. Taylor's voice is just fantastic and coupled with that lovely acoustic guitar playing. Such great stuff.
Simply Red
2/5
Ehh... pretty middle of the road 80s schlock. Not that great and sounds very dated. 2.5/5
The Smiths
2/5
Can't say I enjoy The Smiths. I find most of their music dull and uninteresting barring a few great songs. Definitely won't be listening to this again.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
So this is my third Leonard Cohen album now and it's still just fine. I like it but don't love it. Obviously this album being recorded just before he died makes it interesting and his voice sounds actually really great and I quite like it. But again you kinda get the same sounding song repeated over and over again.
Bebel Gilberto
5/5
Love me some bossa nova. Such great stuff.
Nas
4/5
My standard rap disclaimer is that I'm not a rap person so I always listen with an ear from someone who doesn't listen to this genre regularly. I loved this. The beats felt fresh and the lyrics were great and Nas' flow was fantastic.
Erykah Badu
4/5
Enjoyed it! Loved the neo soul vibes. Although my only complaint is that it is a little too long and got repetitive. 4.5/5
The Cure
3/5
Another day another long album. Like the other The Cure album I got, it's fine. Very bland middle of the road. Nothing exceptional except that's way too long. Seriously did the last 4 songs need to have a combined length of more than half an hour? Easily could have cut this album in half and gotten the same effect. 2.5/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
Ehh.. pretty middle of the road. Hard to really comment anything exceptional. Just pretty average music.
Prince
4/5
This is the first time I've ever listened to Prince and I think I may have heard a song by him here and there. Otherwise I just knew about him through popular culture.
I liked it... but it's also too damn long. In recent days I've gotten so many albums that are great but just have too much filler. Easily could have cut down quite a bit from this album and achieve the same. Nonetheless it's quite fun and funky.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
After a bunch of really long albums, it was nice to have some short easy listening rocky/popy songs. That's probably making me enjoy it a lot more since I don't think these are exceptional and just kinda straight forward covers of some good songs. 3.5/5
The Mars Volta
5/5
I saw another hour long album after so many in the last few days and thought god damn it. But this hit me in the right spot. I absolutely loved it. Heard the name but didn't know what to expect. This just scratched an itch that I absolutely love. Just some really great music and I'm going to explore the rest of the catalogue.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Ehh it's pretty generic pop RnB. You get the gist pretty much halfway through. Probably about 20 minutes too long. 2.5/5
Al Green
3/5
I was hoping a lot more for this album given how good Al Green is for a singer. It just never soared when I thought it could. 3.5/5
B.B. King
4/5
I was lucky to see BB King live a few times near the end of his life. At this point he was quite old and couldn't really play as much as before but he still was able to make his guitar sing when he could. This album is a testament to his amazing blues guitar playing. 4.5/5
Fleet Foxes
5/5
What can I say but I'm a sucker for this type of indie folk. I've always loved and it is just scratches an itch. Yeah there is a lot of similarity but I can't help it, I just eat this shit up.
The Fall
3/5
Never heard of this band before and looking it up they sure are prolific. They have a very interesting sound and it sounds like they are inbetween the 80s and 90s. Really hard for me to decide but I enjoyed it enough. 3.5/5
Def Leppard
3/5
I've never listened to Def Leppard before and this is my first exposure. If you asked me to name an 80s metal sound, this would be it. It just sounds so 80s. In short doses it is okay but 45 minutes is too much for me. 2.5/5
50 Cent
3/5
There is some good stuff on here, but the filler is pretty mediocre. Definitely could have cut a few tracks and it would have made for a better album.
Def Leppard
3/5
Just two days ago I got my first Def Leppard album and now I get another. Once again, too long and just too bland. It's just boring forgettable 80s crap. 2.5/5
New Order
3/5
Like my Joy Division reviews, I found this also to be quite mediocre. Very bland, middle of the road and safe. It's not terrible music but it never goes beyond a certain point when it could.
The Waterboys
4/5
Never heard of this band before, but I love me some Celtic inspired rock.
Fairport Convention
4/5
This reminded me a lot of British rock from the 60s/70s except missing the electric guitar. I also learnt that I had heard the singer before from The Battle from Evermore from Led Zeppelin IV which makes complete sense. After learning this I realised that this band reminds me a lot of Led Zeppelin but a folk version of them. Fun stuff. Also 2nd day in a row with the celtic inspired music.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
This was an interesting listen. I have always been put off by the name of the band. I get what they are going for but it just didn't gel with me. Same with the title of the album. It's all part of it.
Yet listening to the album, it was a mess and very hard to listen to, but yet there was something there. It had a certain charm that made it an interesting listen. Of course, I'll never been listening to this again, but that's the point of this list isn't it? 1.5/5
Radiohead
3/5
I have just accepted I do not find Radiohead all that interesting. I've tried to get into them and like the previous album I got on here, it's just boring. A good song here and there but otherwise nothing to phone home about. I did enjoy this more than The Bends.
Portishead
5/5
Another band I'd heard the name of but never listened to. I loved it. I think today I realised that I absolutely love trip hop. Looking at the list on wikipedia a bunch of artists on there that I love: Moloko, Everything but the Girl, Goldfrapp, Gorillaz and now Portishead.
I absolutely adored this and it will be added into my regular rotation. I will definitely be checking out their other albums.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
I've known the name but never listened. This just sounded bland and very B-sidey. Just fine music but kinda long. Inoffensive stuff that I see no need to return to.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
This is the most jazziest jazz I think I've heard. If you asked me to show someone what jazz sounded like, this would be it. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of this era of jazz and much prefer the swing era but it's fine. Bill Evans was an amazing pianist and this album does give chill vibes.
Louis Prima
5/5
I love this album. I'm a swing dancer and have spent many hours listening to this and other works by Prima. Fantastic album and a brilliant mix of swing and jump blues.
Elliott Smith
4/5
I wasn't familiar with Elliot Smith's work before so I had no preconceived notion of what to expect. I did learn recently, however, that a favourite artist of mine, Phoebe Bridgers, was a huge fan. Knowing her music very well and listening to this I get it.
I really enjoyed this album, although it could have been shorter to have a stronger impact since I felt it dragged a bit. Nonetheless, his music is interesting and definitely want to explore his discography a bit more.
Wire
3/5
I should liked this a lot more. The songs were short and fun but the vocals just didn't work for me.
Queen
5/5
Queen is my favourite band of all time. On my last.fm they are twice the number of my 2nd place artist. I could talk about every Queen album in detail for hours.
I love this album. Of course the famous songs Bohemian Rhapsody and You're My Best Friend, but it's full of so much other great stuff. Brian May's contributions on this album are outstanding: '39, The Prophet's Song , and Good Company are brilliant and more people should know them. '39 is possibly my favourite Queen song, or at least in the top 3.
This album is such an eclectic mix of songs it's always a joy to listen to.
Coldplay
4/5
I've never really got the hate that Coldplay gets. I've listened to a few songs from them here and there and it isn't bad. This was a fine album but definitely has a certain vibe that one has to be in the mood for. For me it would have been improved significantly if the songs were shorter since I find many go on a tad too long. 3.5/5
Ray Charles
3/5
I love Ray Charles but this is a big miss for me. It probably sounded good at the time but 60 years onwards it just sounds quaint and old-fashioned.
Goldfrapp
5/5
I got into Goldfrapp last year and have gone through their entire catalogue once or twice since then. It was great to return to this album having become a lot more familiar with their music.
Public Enemy
4/5
Standard rap disclaimer: not a rap person. This was fun and really great beats. The issues discussed didn't feel dated and more than 30 years later it felt as relevant today as it was back then. The production didn't feel dated either and it has aged really well.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
I listen to lots of disco/funk outside of this challenge and this should be in my wheelhouse. Hancock is such a great pianist but this album just didn't do it for me.
Ozomatli
2/5
This is a tough one because I can't find a complete version of the album anywhere and it made for a very disjointed experience. The songs were okay but a little all over the place for me.
My rating would possibly be different if I could listen to the entire album in a single place.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I enjoy live albums and had heard songs from this here and there on other Thin Lizzy albums but it just doesn't do it for me. Also learning that there a lot of overdubs is quite disheartening. 2.5/5
Julian Cope
2/5
It's fine but too god damn long. Did this need to be 75 minutes? You could have easily cut 30 minutes and made this a really great album. Instead it feels bloated by the 50 minute mark. It's interesting music for sure, but a lot of it could have been left on the cutting room floor without really changing the message. 2.5/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
This album is a reminder that I need to explore Fela Kuti so much more. I've listened to an album here or there but really need to dive deeper. This was fantastic.
Paul Simon
3/5
I enjoy me some Paul Simon and had never heard this album before. It was... interesting? Knowing that Graceland comes next, which is such a great record, you can feel this is the step towards that at times. At other times it just is very 80s schlock... I mean he writes a song about allergies.
Santana
4/5
That was fun.
FKA twigs
5/5
Never heard of this artist before, but this is the kinda music I'm really digging these days. Good vibes and great beats. Definitely will be checking out more from her.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
I enjoyed this album, but it was mostly just background music. Harris' vocals are just nice and smooth and this was a perfect chill out and vibe album. 3.5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Never heard of the band before but I love it. Exactly the kind of music I love. Will be checking out the rest of the discography.
Cypress Hill
3/5
It was fine. Did sound a bit dated but I guess it was a step in the direction of where west coast rap was moving.
Cornershop
3/5
I only knew Brimful of Asha and love that song (although I love the fatboy slim remix more) so I was curious to see how the rest of the album played out. It was an interesting experience. It felt a bit disjointed to me and went through a variety of different genres and I love the Indian influence, but at the same time it felt bland. Something is missing here that would put this into a category which I would really enjoy. It just felt present. Like it always just stays in first gear or something. 2.5/5
The Byrds
4/5
I love me some country. This was a shock for me since I know the Byrds as a folk/rock band so I wasn't expecting this. I can't complain this really. I just love that country sound. 4.5/5
AC/DC
5/5
This is the perfection of hard rock. It's simple. It's loud. It fucking rocks.
The Black Crowes
4/5
First time line listening to this band and I dug it. However it does have that aspect of rock that I've kinda noticed has plagued many bands since the 70s that I just can't put my finger on but it just sounds off in places. Nonetheless, I enjoy many of the tracks and will definitely be checking out more. 4.5/5
Cocteau Twins
5/5
I'd never heard of this band before and really liked it. Looking into it after listening, I found I was familiar with a lot of other artists on the 4AD label which explains why I really vibed with it. Very dream pop and will 100% be going through the other albums from this band.
Lorde
4/5
I enjoy both Lorde and Antonoff. Any time I hear something I enjoy from new music from modern pop acts I think "did Antonoff produce this?" and many times I've been right and love it. Yet here... the magic is missing. I think another comment said it right: it's missing the bangers. This album feels 90% of the way there to being great, but it's just missing those one or two songs that, for me, take it to a 5/5.
Le Tigre
5/5
I love this exact brand of music. Surprised I've never heard of this band before, although I am familiar with some of the names in the riot grrrrl movement but not this one. Absolutely will be checking them out. Also reminds me a ton of Neko Case's first band Maow.
Green Day
4/5
Green Day is one of those bands that reminds me too much of my youth and my liking of them will always be judged through that. I remember American Idiot coming out in high school and I just never dug the pop-punk sound that was dominant at the time. Even though this album is from a decade earlier, it still reminds me of that pop punk sound from my youth that I, even after all this years, still have issues with. Still this isn't offensive and it is perfectly fine music with a few bangers here and there so I can't punish it too much. Plus it's short and doesn't overstay its welcome so that's always a huge plus for me.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Listening to this album I had this sense of I'd heard it before... and looking into my last.fm history I indeed had. I had completely forgotten I listened to this album a fair number of times almost a decade ago. It all came flooding back about how I loved this album and I'm not quite sure why it went out of rotation. This is great live blues rock jamming. The guitar tones just wail in a perfect way. Add in the extended jams and this what I want out of a live album.
Eurythmics
5/5
I've been listening to this album for years now and it's always such a joy. Everyone knows Sweet Dreams, but there is a lot of other really great stuff on here (Jennifer, This is the House, Love is A Stranger). Really pure 80s perfection here.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
This was a tough one... I liked some tracks but not others. Sometimes it was really easy to listen to other times I wanted to turn it off. I find shoegaze such an interesting genre and when the album was vibing I vibed. This might be another one to check out when I'm in a different mood.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Yet another band that I've slept on for reasons I don't know. This was a banger and now I have to dive deeper into their discography. A fantastic album from start to finish.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I only really know Stevie Wonder's really famous albums so this was a very nice pleasant surprise. Tells me I need to investigate his back catalogue a lot more since this went down easy.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Classic Chicago blues. Love it. Also during this set (but not on this album) he brought out some famous swing dancers (check out youtube). This is what I want in a live blues album. Top form from one of the all time greats.
Deerhunter
2/5
Never heard of this band before this. Probably for good reason. It's just boring. Bland and boring and every song sounds similar. Completely forgettable. 2.5/5
The Human League
3/5
Really, really 80s sounding synth-pop which I should love but I just couldn't get into it. 3.5/5
Taylor Swift
5/5
I've been a Swiftie for more than a decade now and have loved her evolution as an artist. 1989 represented a shift away from the country sounds from her earlier albums and was hinted at in Red. This is a direction I've absolutely loved as she matured as a songwriter.
I love this album. The songs are absolute bangers and Style is a top 5 maybe top 3 favourite song of mine from her work. Yeah Shake It Off is silly and stupid, but she always has a few of those on her albums. Every time I relisten to songs from this album I discover some small new thing.
Also, perhaps most important, I am the same age as Taylor so I really identify with her themes and topics that she explores in her songwriting. When this album came out, I could feel what she was going through in her life since I was going through similar things in my own life. I've always felt a very strong connection to her themes as she captures what it's like to be at that age.
Suede
3/5
The definition of bland to me. I didn't really find it all that interesting. Never seemed to go anywhere and always just felt present but not exceptional. 2.5/5
Caetano Veloso
2/5
This is why I love this challenge. This is the kinda stuff I love listening to. I didn't really enjoy it, but I'm happy I listened to it since it's so outside my wheelhouse.
It was a very interesting mix of genres that didn't feel very coherent. An experiment absolutely, but one that I don't think was a success. Too many things were tried to be done at once and it results in a confusing mess. But it was a really interesting listen to but I don't think I'll be returning to this.
2.5/5
Isaac Hayes
4/5
What a fantastic and fun album. It sounded super modern and I can't believe this from 1969. Almost a 5/5 out from for me except for the last song which just I found couldn't justify its long length.
Fela Kuti
4/5
It was really interesting to read about the history behind this album and how it led to an attack on Kuti's commune. Still I liked it slightly less than the other Kuti albums I've listened to over the years (and on this challenge). Can't really say why but it just didn't click with me as much as the others.
Brian Eno
3/5
I am not a big fan of Brian Eno or David Byrne and an experimental album full of samples was not something I was really looking forward to. And yet.. it kinda worked for me. Not by a huge amount but it wasn't as awful as I was expecting. It's albums like this that make me appreciate this challenge. There is no way I'd listen to this otherwise and I probably won't again, but I'm certainly happy I did.
The White Stripes
5/5
A regret in my life is that I never saw The White Stripes live. I could have seen them a few times during their career but I never did. Obviously I can go see Jack White now but it isn't the same. Him and Meg were such a special union and it's a shame that Meg suffered so much from anxiety.
The energy and music these two could make always impresses me and I'm always discovering something new I like about them even after 15 years.
A fantastic album through and through.
Adele
5/5
What can one say? This has been a favourite of mine for some time now. It's crazy to think she was only 21 when this was recorded with so many absolute bangers. Many songs of this are in my regular rotation and it's a pleasure to listen to the album in full again since there are a few more songs I've forgotten about.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Some super funky and soulful jams. Love it.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
I'd never heard of this guy (and yet he has the largest ever attended concert in history!?) and I always am sceptical of electronic music on this list, but this was okay. Not amazing, but not the worst thing. It has good production made for something in the 70s though. 3.5/5
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I've written about how I'm not a rap guy on previous rap albums, but this is one of the few rap albums that I'd listened to a few times before this. I read that one of the members mentioned how at the time rappers were supposed to appear tough and how this album wasn't. I think that works a lot in its favour as it ages a lot better than that tough-guy rapper image which to me is very dated and part of my issue with a lot of the rap albums I've encountered on this list so far.
5/5
I'd never heard of this band before... I wish I had! I loved this. Short and catchy which satisfies that craving I have. Will be exploring the rest of their discography based on this.
Living Colour
3/5
I knew the opening song and that was it. I didn't really enjoy this album much. It felt musically very dated to me and just bland. 2.5/5
5/5
It's fucking Sgt. Pepper's. What the hell am I supposed to say. I've known these songs all my life and will continue to listen them for another 50+ years.
The The
3/5
I feel like I should have enjoyed this a lot more. It's got a bunch of really interesting sounds, but yet something is missing for me. It's preventing me from really enjoying this album. 3.5/5
Can
2/5
Uhh... I liked parts of it? Then it got fucking weird. I can enjoy weird but sometimes it goes in the direction of just fucking with you and I couldn't really stand that. It's certainly an experiment to say the least. I'm happy to have listened to it since I never would have but I don't think I'll be visiting this again.
Death In Vegas
2/5
Yawn. The worst criticism I can give an album is that it is boring. This album was boring.
George Michael
3/5
It's fine. Pretty generic but not offensive. His voice is fantastic but the music is so bland that it doesn't really matter.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Belle and Sebastian is a band I should love, yet... I just don't care for them. I've tried to listen to their music and it just don't vibe. I like adjacent bands like Camera Obscura or The New Pornographers but B&S just don't vibe with me. Also they totally ripped off Queen for Funny Little Frog and I never seen this mentioned anywhere. 2.5/5
Röyksopp
3/5
Ehhh it's fine. But sometimes I find with electronic music is that it ages poorly. Plus I listen to a lot of house and hear way better things all the time so I'm always quite negative to these types of albums.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Got a kinda smooth quality that I don't like. But still it's Elvis so it isn't bad, but it doesn't impress me. 3.5/5
The Jam
3/5
It's weird how these punk/new wave albums can be a complete hit and miss for me. Sometimes I absolutely love them, like I did with Wild Gift by X, which was released around the same time and is of very similar genre, but this I didn't find all that interesting. I can't explain it. Bizarre. It was fine, but a little bland for me.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
This was blandest of the bland. Looking at some of the reviews here it seems like you had to be there to get this. Now 30 years later, it just sounds like one similar song and nothing very special. Could easy cut out about 20 minutes from this thing and lose absolutely nothing.
Astor Piazzolla
5/5
Well this was unexpected. I really dug these instrumental tracks and will enter my chill music to listen to at work playlist. This is the type of stuff the list is made for. I'd have never listened to this without it. A fantastic find and some really great tunes and musicianship.
Frank Zappa
5/5
Zappa is an artist I just have never listened to. I dunno why. I should listen to him since everything about him is what I like, but yet I never have. I think this was a fantastic entry into his - very extensive - discography.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
As the follow-up to Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (well Lindsey Buckingham) wanted to create an album that didn't sound like Rumours. And boy does this album not sound like Rumours. And for me that's a big negative. Unlike the White Album, there just isn't enough there to make me really love this album. I don't particularly enjoy Buckingham's songs on this album and that really brings it down. Plus it's really long. As great as Fleetwood Mac is, they aren't as talented as The Beatles and can't full off this long length.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
I enjoy some songs on this (although the 4 Way Street versions are wayyy better) but because I like many of the live versions, the album version pale in comparison.
Merle Haggard
5/5
Hell yeah. This is just good old fashioned country music. Loved it.
Cheap Trick
2/5
I've always heard that this is a definitive live album so my expectations were high. After listening to I wonder wtf the hype was about. This was bland and I've heard so many better live albums. 2.5/5
Mylo
2/5
Ehhh... for such a lofty title it's got a lot of lifting to do although the title refers to the track that just lists rock and roll bands that are damned to hell (which is my favourite track).
The problem I find with a lot of electronica / house / techno / EDM on this list is that since I am an active house dancer and club goer, I hear really fucking good EDM all the time which blows this crap outta the water.
2.5/5
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
I got another Zappa record a few days back and this is now my 2nd. In comparison.. this was an interesting experiment. I kinda dug the experimental nature, but it wore a little thin after a while. I think if the album cut out 15-20 minutes it'd be better since by about the 40 minute mark you kinda get the point and it gets a bit repetitive. Like you can be weird and experimental, but if you are just weird and experimental it loses the weird and experimental nature. It's about finding that line.
3.5/5
Michael Jackson
5/5
My first MJ. What a great start. I've danced to a bunch of these songs and really love the funky/disco beats. However the ballady stuff doesn't do anything for me and it does drag in the latter half. But still the highs are super high and make up for it.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
It's fine, but this album just feels flat overall. Maybe it's the vocals just being a level below where they need to be. Just pretty forgettable 60s folk though. A curiosity but definitely not anything I'll need to listen to again since others did it better. 2.5/5
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Another album I never would have listened to without this list. Saying that... it was bland. 2.5/5
Femi Kuti
4/5
Nice afrobeat by the son of the creator. Still it does get a little samey after a while since each song is so long you definitely felt a couple songs could be cute and not really lose anything.
Nonetheless, the musicianship is fantastic.
Fats Domino
3/5
I like me some Fats Domino but this album was lacking something. Maybe it needs to be heard loud on an old record player but it just didn't sound that great.
Marianne Faithfull
5/5
Well this was a pleasant surprise. Never heard of this artist before and it was fantastic. Reading about her I'm surprised the name doesn't ring a well since she was involved in the 60s British invasion. Definitely a great find.
Morrissey
3/5
If you've heard one Smiths song you've heard this entire album before. I'm not a huge Smiths fan and this guy really is one note in terms of music. Every song sounds the same and he can't seem to be diverse at all. But at least it's short and isn't offensive (unlike the man himself). Generic and bland. 2.5/5
Jamiroquai
4/5
Quite enjoyed it and I've learnt how to play funk guitar from the guitarist of this band (although he isn't on this one).
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
It's sad this album is no longer on Spotify since it's an absolute banger. Although I slightly prefer the live versions from 4 Way Street, this still absolutely rocks.
The Smiths
4/5
After getting a Morrissey album a few days back I get this. Of course, I got this on September 7th, 2022 but I didn't listen to it since I was travelling and what happens the next day? The actual Queen died. I saw it was given as an album for everyone the next day which is a fun little thing.
As I wrote in my other Smiths review, I don't really care for this band, but relistening to this album after some time reminded me of all the songs of the Smiths I loved are on this album. So for that reason I enjoyed it a lot more.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I enjoy me some old fashioned country but I feel like I should have enjoyed this a lot more. I agree with a lot of the sentiments done by the other users written here. 2.5/5
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Never heard of this guy before but it was quite soulful and funky. Not as funky as I like, but still a great listen.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
I'd never heard of this group and started listening to it... then I found out this is the hiphop group that Michael Franti was in. I've seen Michael Franti live and had absolutely no idea he did this before his current projects. His music has definitely changed but his politics hasn't.
It was an interesting listen but a little to on the nose for me.
Lou Reed
5/5
I wrote last time that Lou Reed is very hit or miss for me. This album is the hit. So much great stuff here and Lou Reed at his finest.
Tom Waits
3/5
I saw another Tom Waits album and was dreading the inevitable. I hated his first album as it was unlistenable. This one was way, way better. His voice was actually bearable and the music was listenable. It actually worked together as an album.
The Adverts
3/5
It's perfectly average middle of the road. Once you've heard one song, you've heard it all. 2.5/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I enjoy Joni Mitchell and had heard this album had a huge influence on a lot of people. Unfortunately I don't quite get why. She is a super talented songwriter, but the music itself is pretty generic jazzy stylings and didn't strike me as all that inspired. I should like the jazz but it just didn't do anything for me. It sounded like a rock person trying to do jazz and not quite understanding what makes jazz jazz.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
The 2nd Sly & The Family Stone album and this was a huge improvement over the other one (which is the follow-up to this record). Obviously in the follow-up they moved away from this sound, but this is the sound I love a lot. Super funky and just a blast.
Fiona Apple
5/5
Fuck yeah Fioana Apple. Love her and love this album.
Brian Eno
2/5
This is now my third Brian Eno album and I just don't get it. This is pretty bland bad shit. It's not interesting and it's so boring musically.
The Undertones
3/5
It's fine. I can't stand I'm the biggest fan but I can't say I hate it. It's just present. Nothing wrong with that but this far into the list I'm starting to feel like I've heard this type of album a few times now.
Bad Company
2/5
Ehh it's pretty bland generic rock. Completely forgettable.
The Verve
2/5
Ahh two things I really hate: britpop and long albums. Did this need to be 75 minutes for a bland mix of similar sounding songs? Besides the opening track which I'd heard around before, the rest sounded identical and I'm hard pressed to remember the difference between the tracks. And seriously 75 fucking minutes of this shit? Cut out half of it and maybe I'll enjoy it little more.
The Gun Club
3/5
It was okay. Maybe I wasn't in a great mood but I thought it was just average.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Good stuff. I am a sucker for this kinda indie rock so of course I'll like it. Although it's great it doesn't soar as some of the other indie rock albums I love. Still a great listen. 4.5/5
Garbage
5/5
Fuck yeah.
The Verve
2/5
A couple of days ago I got another Verve album and I could not, for the life of me, distinguish them. Same complaints I have: long and boring britpop from the 90s. Seriously after listening to these two albums this band has like 1 song they've rewritten over and over again.
I dunno why both of these albums needed to be here when clearly they are the same fucking album.
1.5/5
Steely Dan
4/5
The 3rd of 4 (FOUR!!!) Steely Dan albums. This is the one I knew about the most and it's the one I actually enjoy. It's varied enough compared to the other albums it felt like they were actually taking risks before they became bland.
U2
3/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5x9WEqGvM
3.5/5
Kraftwerk
4/5
Sounds really modern for being made in the late 70s. It's clear to see why Kraftwerk were so influential and this must have been a trip in the 70s.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Clapton has better songs but these were just fine middle of the road old British blues.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Well this was interesting. I can't say I enjoyed it but I can't say I hated it, but at the end it's quite forgettable and more of a curiosity than anything. 2.5/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
It almost feels sacrilegious to not rate this 5 stars, yet... it just didn't feel as solid as other albums I love. The music is great and the guitar work is good, but it just lacks something. Compared with the other Hendrix album this just didn't speak to me. It's still good but I don't expect to be returning to it any time soon.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Some really great old school hiphop. I'm not a huge rap person but this kinda old school stuff speaks to me a lot more than a lot of the more modern stuff on here. It's kinda goofy but really fun.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
It's perfectly acceptable middle of the road stuff. Only remarkable thing about this would be that around this time Mott the Hoople was touring with an opening act called Queen who would very quickly eclipse them in every aspect.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
It's always a pleasurable day when I listen to Janelle Monae. I absolutely love her work and this debut album is only a taste of what is to come. It's just great fantastic music and if you liked this, check out the follow-up albums. They take this concept and get even better.
Absolutely fucking banger and sounds so fresh.
Steely Dan
2/5
The fourth and final Steely Dan album I'll get. Thank god. It's just bland shit. Like the other albums, this is just boring dad rock. Nothing special. They never tried to make their music interesting after the first album. It's just boring and unexceptional. They didn't need to be on this list four fucking times. One was sufficient.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Pretty good stuff although the songs are quite short and there is a lot of stage banter. I love stage banter but when the songs are so short it's a little bit too much banter. Nonetheless, Cash's voice really shines here and I thoroughly enjoyed the crowd reactions.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Never heard of this guy before. It was slick and 90s sounding production. Nothing to write home about. Pretty middle of the road. Completely forgettable.
Queen
5/5
Queen is my favourite band. I know every album and every song so it's going to be hard to say anything negative about them, especially for the Queen albums on this list since they are my favourites. I love Queen II since it improves significantly on the debut album and still has Queen in their prog-rocky/fantasy phase which disappears for the most part after this album.
So much great stuff on this album but I have to say The March of the Black Queen is just such a fucking banger track and I wish Queen played more songs from this era later in their career since it was completely different from what came later.
Madonna
3/5
In theory I should like this since it's trip-hop electronica, a genre I enjoy... but yet it's Madonna's version of it... and it's not great. Compared with other bands like Goldfrapp, Portishead or Moloko, this just isn't that great. It's passable but the ground has been trodden by better artists. 2.5/5
Bert Jansch
4/5
This was just a perfect pleasant discovery. I love my some singer-songwriter with fantastic finger-picking. It hits right in that sweet spot of relaxing music. A great discovery and what this list is great since I'd never have heard of this guy otherwise.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
This is a tough one. I'm not a huge fan of the 90s era music and this one reeks of 90s production, but I understand how influential this album was and how well selling it was but it just sounds too aged for me. Plus it's overly long. There are some good songs on here but like so many albums from the 90s, it's 15 minutes too long. 3.5/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Ehh.. I don't hate it but I don't love it. Like the other RHCP album, it's fine. The good songs are good the bad songs are bad. The album is quite one note and too long and by the 10th song they clearly ran out of ideas. Besides Californication I've already forgotten all the songs. At least it isn't offensively bad like some other albums.
XTC
3/5
Interesting listen. I'd heard the name of the band before but wasn't familiar with their music. It was interesting, pretty inoffensive stuff. Could be put on the background and let it fade. Nothing really stood out for me. Perfectly bland middle ground.
Sebadoh
2/5
I feel like I should have enjoyed this more. It's listed as indie music and although it's 90s (my least enjoyed decade) I do like indie stuff from every era. Yet this felt very disorienting. It couldn't really decide what it wanted to be and as a result didn't feel cohesive. Also the lofi quality just didn't work.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I really enjoy Springsteen, especially his early stuff, and this album is fantastic. Knowing the history about how important this album was to his career makes it hit even harder. Of course, the live versions of these songs is always better since they become live epics (like Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out becoming 20+ minutes). A near perfect album and just fun to blast while driving down the highway.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
I try and approach every album with an open mind and let the music speak for itself and avoid the misgivings of the artist in rating the music.
Nope. This was torture and an absolute struggle. Like the other 1 star albums I have on this list, it has all the things I dislike: bad vocals, metal, stupid fucking lyrics, way too long, being from the 90s. It doesn't surprise me I hated this album since Trent Reznor is on it and I really do not care for NIN. Plus the whole thing with these artists in trying to be shocking or deep or some shit like that. Seriously it's so lame. Named after serial killers? I'm offended at how pathetic that is. It's very edgelord.
Ramones
3/5
It's the same song over and over again. Fortunately it's short 30 minutes so you don't have to listen to it very long. But damn is Blitzkrieg Bop a fucking bop. Kinda goes downhill after that.
The Smiths
2/5
The third Smiths album on this list and thank god this shit is done and over with. I've concluded I just do not care for this band. They write the same damn song over and over again and Morrissey's singing never changes. Once you've heard a couple of songs you've heard them all. For such an acclaimed band I was hoping that maybe they had variety but they found one thing and did it pretty mediocrely. Only thing I don't look forward to is there are 3 more Morrissey albums. Seriously why do people fellate this group and members so much? They are one trick pony.
I would give it two stars but Girlfriend in a Coma is a great Douglas Coupland book so that's a plus in my book.
2.5/5
Britney Spears
2/5
I made sure to come with an open mind for this album since it came out when I was young and I didn't care for Britney Spears. Listening to it in 2022, it really starts off with a bang, before really becoming the same thing. Very front loaded and the rest of the stuff after the first couple of songs is disposable and forgettable. Better work was done by people like Max Martin later. The first couple of songs are bangers though.
2.5/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I've never actually listened to a Rolling Stones album in full. This is a band that I've just never been a huge fan of in general for reasons I can't explain. I knew the hits off this album but the non-hits didn't do anything for me. It's still good music, but it just doesn't excite me much in any way.
3/5
Never heard of this band and I really dug the guitar work. Unfortunately the singer is just way too weak to lead this kind of band. His voice just wasn't powerful enough and it showed. 2.5/5
Blondie
5/5
I'm ashamed to say that I'd never listened to this album in full before. I knew the hits, but I hadn't listened to it the full way through. I regret not doing it earlier. This was fantastic and lots of great stuff has been added into the rotation. Debbie Harry's voice shines throughout and the riffs just hit me in the right way.
Roxy Music
3/5
I've heard of this band before because it was the band that Brian Eno was in. I don't particularly enjoy Eno's solo work (gotten 3 albums so far) so I went into this with a lot of trepidation. It wasn't too bad. I didn't overtly hate it but I didn't love it. The album opens with a banger but goes down hill after that.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Reading the reviews for this, I was expecting worse but it wasn't that bad. Nothing super special, but the reviews make it seem a lot worse than it is. There are much, much worse versions of this type of music.
Saying that, it doesn't do anything for me.
2.5/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
This is my 2nd Sonic Youth album and I did not enjoy it as much as the first. Too long and not that interesting to me musically. Definitely could have been half the length and had more impact on me. 2.5/5
The Pretty Things
3/5
Never heard of this band before. Surprised since they aren't terrible, but definitely aren't amazing.
I agree with a lot of the other comments about the comparisons to the Beatles. I'd say this is an interesting historical curiosity that deserves a listen since it is considered the first rock opera, but beyond that better musicians did the concept better.
R.E.M.
4/5
REM is another band that I've never really been into and I just knew the hits. I dunno why I've never gotten into them, but they have this sound that represents a certain era of time that I can't always grok. Also all my knowledge comes of this band comes from R U Talkin' REM RE: ME.
Randy Newman
3/5
I said in my other Randy Newman review, but I get why Disney hired this guy. His is the template of Pixar movies so this album, unsurprisingly, sounds like that. It isn't bad, it's comforting, but it isn't exceptional.
3.5/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
First time listening to Tom Petty and his band and this wasn't a great showing. It's perfectly bland middle of the road stuff. Never tries too hard and never fails, just bland. Middling stuff. Can't say it's horrible but just blah.
Queen Latifah
3/5
I knew Queen Latifah had a rap career before her career as an actor but had no idea what it was like. This wasn't bad. It's very dated in the sound, but it's a sound I like. Plus it has really relevant lyrics and I'm sure a female voice at the time was a good thing in a very male-dominated music.
Elvis Presley
4/5
This is the most Elvis sounding Elvis album I've heard. You can really how those early 60s British artists were ripping this off (which Elvis was ripping off from black artists). The harmonies are also super tight and sound fantastic.
Q-Tip
3/5
Pretty run of the mill hiphop. Not much more to say beyond that.
Joan Baez
4/5
Fantastic folk from the beginning of the 60s. It's easy to see where a lot of the singers who came after Baez took their inspiration from.
Red Snapper
3/5
Problem with this type of music for me is that I go to clubs and dances where this genre of music is played a lot and I hear the top artists making it. This is fine but I've heard better. Sufficient music to throw in the background to do other tasks.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Never heard of this band before and the title was intriguing. This definitely is an interesting album but it really reeks of its age. It's pretty dull.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
It's okay. I enjoyed some of the funk but definitely could have been funkier. 3.5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
What a fantastic album. Unfortunately I don't think it's as good as the later stuff in their careers and there are some clunkers on here, but it's definitely a sign of things to come.
The Prodigy
3/5
Again with these electronic albums, I live in the techno capital of the world so my baseline for good techno (a genre I don't particularly enjoy) is very high. This was fine. Nothing special and overly long. You get the gist of it after a few songs (which is my complain about all techno... I guess you need to be on drugs to enjoy it)
2.5/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Great classic rock. I much prefer Blackmore's Rainbow over his Deep Purple stuff so this isn't as great as his other work. Still good stuff and of course, Smoke on the Water is a killer.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
The third Elvis Costello album I've gotten now and like I said last time... why does this dude have so many albums on the list? This was by far the worst of the 3 I've heard so far. It's long and dull.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
The problem with an album like this is that the opening track is so perfect that anything that comes after it pales in comparison. Respect is such a fucking amazing song that everything else just feels second rate after it.
The Kinks
4/5
Fun stuff. Not super complicated and each song is nice and short. Good fun.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
The same song written 12 times. 2.5/5
Deee-Lite
4/5
Fun stuff. Only really listened to a few songs from this band but the whole album was a joy to listen to.
Rod Stewart
3/5
This is now the 4th (I think) album I've gotten that features Rod Stewart and it confirms my opinion of him. He just isn't that great of a vocalist. Technically he is sound, but he just doesn't have a powerful voice that is needed for these tunes. For example, on the 2nd track of the album It's All Over Now, his vocals just sound out of place on this. He should be belting out those lyrics but he doesn't and it suffers.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I should have liked this album. I like the first two Arcade Fire albums and I never really explored their discography after that. This just felt so long. Maybe I need to let it grown on me but I did not like this.
2.5/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I'd listened to this album a few times, but mostly forgot the songs except Superstition. It's just another fucking amazing song it makes everything else on the list sound like crap. The other songs are fine, but pretty forgettable, but god damn is Superstition an amazing song.
Pixies
3/5
Ehhh it was okay. Definitely different but wasn't as catchy as I was expecting from them. I know the 2nd album a little better and this wasn't as good as that.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Right... more Steely Dan. This was bland. Perfect background music for a restaurant or elevator or something. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either.
2.5/5
Radiohead
4/5
First Radiohead album I actually enjoyed. It didn't all sound similar and the songs were more varied and sounded good.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
This was unexpected as I had never heard of this band and didn't know what genre it would be. I loved the guitars but the vocals weren't completely up to snuff. The production also really sounded modern. Definitely will be adding some of these songs into my rotation since I enjoy me some old blues rock.
Kacey Musgraves
5/5
I'm a huge swiftie so I'm familiar with Musgraves, but I'd never actually had a reason to listen to her. I know people have tried to make up beef between these two (which I don't get) but I understand why. This album is very early Taylor before she went much more pop / indie.
And I love it. I'm a sucker for stuff. Great country with pop infusion. Need to dig into her discography more.
The Stooges
4/5
I didn't know what to expect from this album and I was presently surprised. Couldn't say I was a huge fan of the 10 minute long dirge. It was interesting, but a huge shifting of gears.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
This is what this list should be about. How else am I going to encounter Malian dessert blues? (Although I think I've seen this group on the NPR tiny desks concert list) I agree with the other sentiments here about how the language barrier is a bit tough. Normally that isn't a problem, but given the history of this band and the ongoing war, it's a shame I don't quite know what they are saying.
David Bowie
5/5
The 3rd (of 9!) Bowie album I've gotten and this is the first one that's really connected with me. It was really great and it sounded fresh to me. Maybe this is finally the entry into Bowie's catalogue I've been looking for.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Never of this artist before. Reading about it, it's another one that should be in my wheelhouse since it's indie folk but it was just long and bland. What a shame since it felt like it could have been amazing. 2.5/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
It's fine. Not really my musical style. Very old school. Not really a fan of the rap rock though.
Sugar
3/5
Pretty average 90s alt-rock. Nothing special and some okay guitar work, but it does sound samey in the end. Nothing remarkable and at least it isn't 60 minutes long.
Faith No More
4/5
It's like if the Chilli Peppers didn't suck. Maybe I don't hate this genre as much as I thought if it was done by actually interesting people. 3.5/5
Björk
5/5
I'd only ever listened to the opening track before and was only familiar with the general character of Björk from impressions of her. This was great. I definitely have to dive deeper into her material. I know she just released a new album a few months back that has been on a couple of best ofs this year.
Pavement
4/5
Hmm... I dunno where I stand on this. I love indie rock and I liked this album, but it didn't get its hooks into me as some other indie stuff. I think it'll grow on me over time. 4.5/5
Bad Brains
3/5
Fine. Nothing special. Middle of the road. Not long which helped it a lot.
Björk
5/5
Just a few days ago I was saying I need to dive deeper into Björk's discography and lo and behold I get another album from her. I understand why people don't like Björk. I totally get it, but for me it just works completely. This is such great music. I'm sad I didn't dive deeper into her work earlier.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Based on the title I was expecting something very different. Very little surfing here. Some great tunes and was certainly not expecting this from The Beach Boys.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
I swear I've heard this exact album a few times now.
The Go-Betweens
5/5
Never heard of this band before but this hit right in the sweet spot of music I love. It hits my indie rock soul hard and I can't wait to listen to more albums from them.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Ehh... some great stuff but at the same time just wasn't feeling it. 3.5/5
Sepultura
2/5
Brazilian heavy metal? When I saw that I had my hopes up on a take of the genre that might be different. I was a little disappointed because if you didn't tell me this ban was Brazilian, I would have never known. Maybe sing in some portuguese?
As for the genre, I don't much care for metal and especially not this kind of metal where the vocals (if you can call them that) destroy any sense of musicality. When the vocals weren't present, I enjoyed the music. So this is a tough one for me to rate since if I hate the vocals I really dislike the music, but the musicianship was clear here.
The Jam
3/5
Ehh pretty generic late 70s fluff. Nothing really memorable.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Pretty good stuff, although a lot of songs sounded very similar to me.
The Band
4/5
I'm only passingly familiar with The Band and I've listened to their first album a bit but never in full. It was pretty good. Some good late 60s music.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
I said for the other Smashing Pumpkins album that it was the blandest of the bland. This was a little more interesting but fucking christ did this need to be 2 hours long? If you're going to release a 2 hour every song better be a fucking banger and worth it. Absolutely not here. It's 80 minutes too long and someone needed to tell Corgan to cut shit out. If you made it a 40-50 minute album I'd be happier but given how long it is I dislike it a lot. I hate long albums, especially albums with tons of filler, which this album has in spades. Seriously it feels like every other song was a B-side or something. Because of that I have to rate it lower.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
The music is beautiful and the message is important given how the singer is trans... but fuck the voice is just so grating. My least favourite works on here are albums with vocals I can't stand and unfortunately that is the case here. I cannot stand the vocals.
Love
4/5
This is why I like this list. This was an album by a band I've never heard of that I really enjoyed. It definitely didn't sound like the late 60s to me and one of those ones I think should have more recognition. I don't think there was a clunker on it. It's one of those albums that is just pleasant to listen to.
Violent Femmes
5/5
I love this shit. I'd heard the band name before but never listened. Absolutely what I look for in music.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I'll put it frank.. this sucked. The covers felt very uninspired and it shocks me that people were like Elvis at this point. Seriously, he covered a bunch of rock and roll songs from black artists who had way better versions from the same time. Disappointing.
2.5/5
Lana Del Rey
3/5
This is my first exposure to Lana del Rey and it was an interesting experience. I like Jack Antonoff produced stuff so I didn't hate this album, but still it felt like it was always stuck in 2nd gear. Maybe that's her vibe, but it definitely felt like it was missing something.
Miles Davis
4/5
Pretty good but long.
The Cars
4/5
Never heard a song by them before and it's pretty good stuff. It never goes above and beyond for me, but it never stinks either. A nice middle ground and a great find.
Talking Heads
4/5
The third Talking Heads album I've had and the only I've enjoyed. It's fucking weird and I actually enjoy it. Dunno why I like this over their other stuff, but this one is just weird enough that I like it. Not enough to say that I will regularly listen to the Talking Heads, but enough find it passable from them.
CHIC
5/5
I absolutely love Nile Rodgers and have been inspired by him in my own guitar playing. I also absolutely love disco music, but I'd never actually listened to this album in full. It's hard to judge since it opens with one of the most influential songs ever written.
Good Times is such a fucking amazing song and influenced an entire genre of music and it opens the album. Everything after that is going to pale in comparison. It's still really good music, but damn is it hard to follow Good Times.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
The 4th (!!!) Leonard Cohen album I've gotten. It's fine. Like all the others. Maybe slightly better than average but there's nothing else to say after 4 of his albums. 3.5/5
Alice Cooper
4/5
This Alice Cooper is very different from what he became in these early albums. Like the other one, this was great music. Really diverse and it's from 1972 I wouldn't have guessed. He was ahead of the curve here since this sounds late 70s / early 80s.
George Michael
3/5
Like the other George Michael I got, it was fine. Nothing special. I'd never heard any of the songs on here so wasn't sure what to expect. It's fine.
Beatles
5/5
I'm not the largest fan of the early Beatles stuff. I've listened to all of it through many, many times, but they still had a lot of "filler", but here we are starting to see their evolution into what they were going to be come. It's hard to rate it less than 5 stars since it's great music but it's almost unfair compared to what was going to come in the next years.
Cream
5/5
I love me some Cream. All four of their albums are fantastic and this is no exception. Some brilliant late 60s British blues rock. Can't get any better than this.
k.d. lang
5/5
Growing up in Canada, I always heard k.d. lang's name but I never listened to her solo. I've listened to her on the amazing case/lang/veirs album so I knew her voice. I loved it. Definitely regret not listening to her earlier in my life. She has such a great voice for country and it hits me in the right spot.
David Bowie
4/5
My 4th Bowie album now and this one I knew the most about since I remember it coming out and Bowie dying immediately after. Due to this I listened to a few songs at the time but didn't keep with it and this is my first full listen. Since I'm still not the biggest Bowie fan, this album didn't speak as much to me as others. It's great music by someone on their death bed, but still didn't capture me as much as Aladdin Sane.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Never heard of this band before but it definitely felt like it was from a transition period in music. Still it was lacking something that would make it great.
The Pharcyde
4/5
I had no idea what I was expecting going into this and based on the album cover I didn't have high expectations. As someone who doesn't listen to hiphop, I thought it was great.
Everything But The Girl
5/5
Aw hell yeah. I love Everything But The Girl and just a few months ago they announced a new album (maybe tour??). I love trip hop and EBTG is one of the first bands that introduced me to the genre.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I've expressed here before that I'm not a huge fan of sampling and this album is full of them. I mean it's not terrible, but at the same time, there are times when I'd just rather be listening to the originals.
Tom Waits
2/5
Another Tom Waits album? Seriously? I simply don't like his voice. It's so grating. Still not as bad as the first album but this was a struggle to listen to. Still sucks though.
1.5/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Another Brian Eno album. Again it's fine. Nothing mind blowing, nothing special. Average.
The War On Drugs
5/5
I've heard of the band but never listened. On my first listen I wasn't super impressed but I left it on repeat and some songs popped up again and I was digging it more. I gave it another relisten with fresh ears and I really enjoyed it. Definitely vibes with my tastes after another listen.
Nirvana
5/5
I am indifferent to Nirvana. I don't hate or love them. I really enjoyed this album. Somehow the acoustic framing made it just sound so much more raw and authentic in a way I can't describe. Kurt's voice is fantastic and it is clear how good of a musician he is here. For some reason that just never comes through to me on the other albums.
Tom Waits
4/5
I saw this and thought fucking christ another fucking Tom Waits album? I just got another one a few days and I hated it and I saw this was an 76 minutes long and felt fuck me. But you know what? it wasn't utter shit! His voice isn't grating and the jazz atmosphere is something I really dig. I've been to enough jazz clubs to appreciate what was done here and his voice was actually pleasant to listen to. I really, really enjoyed this album. Given how much I've hated him in the past this was a very welcome change.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Ehh... pretty forgettable.
Doves
4/5
Never heard of this band. It wasn't bad. I think I need to listen to this again in a few days. It's like the war on drugs album I got a few days ago. It didn't immediately capture me, but possibly waiting a few days and relistening will help.
R.E.M.
5/5
Ohh this R.E.M. album I really enjoyed. It sounded great. Maybe I like the earlier stuff than the later album that I got.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
I was familiar with the name but had never listened to the album in full before. Really enjoyed it.
Yes
3/5
First time listening to Yes. Having never listened to it before this is what I imagined prog rock would sound like. Not the largest fan but it's satisfying enough I can't hate it. 3.5/5
Portishead
5/5
Aww hell yeah. Almost 200 albums ago (203) I got my first Portishead album and wrote how much I loved it. I said I would be going through their other albums and I did so I was already familiar with this album. I've really come to love this band a lot. I love me some trip hop.
The Stooges
3/5
Doesn't do anything for me.
Digital Underground
3/5
This was fun, but at the same time, it feels very, very dated.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Another band I think I've seen the name before but never listened to. Didn't know what to expect and really enjoyed it.
The Zombies
5/5
I've heard the name before and wasn't super familiar with the music. When the last song came up I'm like "oh I have heard them before".
Overall very, very Beatles-esque and definitely a shame this group only had such a limited output and was met with indifference. This is some great 60s era music that has aged like fine wine.
Hookworms
4/5
An interesting choice for an album from 2018. I liked it and I dug the synthy vibes. Will check out the other albums from this group (although another artist that had a sexual creep in it seems). 4.5/5
Patti Smith
5/5
Hell yeah. Great songs and great vocals. She is another artist I've only heard the hits from and have slept on. I need to dive deeper into her discography.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Some great jazz. Nothing more to say.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
I had no idea what this was going to be about and I enjoyed it. It was sufficiently weird and prog rocky that I really liked it. Vocals weren't the best but they were competent enough that I didn't feel like ripping my ears out. Sad to read about the artist though. 3.5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Who did Nick Cave blow to be on this list 5 fucking times. Seriously? This is my 4th album of is and it's just as bland and dull as his others. Again this felt like the same song being repeated over and over again. Thank god I only have one more of this trash left.
2.5/5
The Damned
3/5
Ehh pretty midroad punkish music. Nothing more to say. Some great guitar work at times but not enough to elevate it beyond that.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Compared to the punk album I got yesterday, this was a lot better. More political, more overt. Some great guitar work.
Aerosmith
3/5
Ehhh it's fine. Not my jam. 2.5/5
Spiritualized
5/5
This was a surprise. I saw the long length and wasn't looking forward to that, but this hit me in the right spot. I've become recently a bigger fan of shoegaze and this is labeled as shoegaze so that explains why I liked it. Going to check out their other stuff based on how much I enjoyed this.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan at his peak. An amazing album.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Some great blues tracks, but it never really goes beyond cliches. The guests are great, but again this doesn't really push the genre anywhere. Nothing I've never heard before. 3.5/5
Fairport Convention
4/5
Some really nice 60s folk. Can't go wrong with it at all.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Another name I was familiar with but never listened to although I am familiar with New York I Love You ... from something else. Even though I liked it, the overly long songs just didn't always work for me. If it were 10 minutes shorter I'd like it a lot more.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
This is what I wish were more on the list. I never had heard of this artist (but I know his uncle) and this was a really interesting take on some rock songs mixed with Indian music. I won't say it was super successful but it's worth the price of admission and something that I enjoyed listening to.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
I've never actually listened to this album in full before. I always forget this is a debut album and it so chock full of monster hits it's a best of. Slash's guitar work is what I want out of my hard rock.
King Crimson
3/5
Ehhh too much prog rock for my tastes. An interesting listen and maybe i'll return to it someday but it's not my jam.
The Doors
5/5
I've listened to a few Doors albums in full and a hit compilation but I'd never listened to this album. I always am sleeping on the Doors. Plus Riders on the Storm is such a great album close. The deeper cuts on this album really are great and should be more well known. A great album of music.
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
Interesting choice for an album from 2021.
It sucks. It sounds like a ton of other generic hiphop/RnB albums that exist. Even the message of the album is amateurish and many more skilled artists have handled the subject matter a lot better. Plus how the beats are just so fucking bad. Seriously? It's just so bland and uninspired.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I really enjoyed this album, but it's such a pain that she removed all her albums from Spotify and that definitely coloured my view of the album. I liked the jazz more than her follow-up album (Hejira).
Suede
3/5
Boring. Never heard of this band and it never does anything interesting. 2.5/5
Pantera
2/5
Why do they have to destroy interesting music with horrible vocals? The music is interesting enough to me but then you have some horrible vocals just take a massive dump over it. Screamy and annoying.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Bland. Nothing special. 2.5/5
The Beach Boys
5/5
This is my first time listening to this album in full and I understand why it was so influential at the time. Still sounds fresh all these years later.
Solomon Burke
4/5
A great mixture of rock and soul. Sounds great but doesn't soar as much as either of the genres separately.
Sepultura
2/5
Another Sepultura album and like the last one, I fucking hate the screamed vocals. When they weren't there I was digging the vibes but man why did they have to go and ruin it with a bunch of annoying sounds? Really a shame. Also this album is too long.
1.5/5
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Pretty generic acoustic guitar music.
Norah Jones
3/5
Very coffeehouse jazz. Nothing amazing but can't be mad with it. It doesn't really try anything new in the genre and it's just a pleasant listen.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
50 minutes of the same song sung over and over again. Sinatra is such a boring singer. He has a high quality voice but this album doesn't show that. It's just boring songs repeated over and over again. 2.5/5
Willie Nelson
5/5
Great album from Willie with some amazing instrumentation. Classic country sounds. Love it.
The Youngbloods
4/5
Never heard of this band before and it has a great sound. Very Late 60s and I can hear influences of other groups on them. A neat little historical curiosity that was pleasant on the ears.
Sonic Youth
3/5
The third Sonic Youth album now and I thought this one was just okay. A little samey after a while and didn't exactly blow me away or anything.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. I like the live band behind the beats and the jazz influences were nice. 3.5/5
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Pretty good 50s rock and roll.
4/5
I'm not a huge prog rock person so I really had to be in a mood to enjoy 15+ minute long songs. I didn't hate it and could get into the groove. This is very much a mood album and I was in the mood today.
5/5
Aww hell yeah. This is some great shit. It's super fucking weird and didn't sound like anything else at the time. Great music and tons of fun.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Oh fucking christ yes. This is hard electric blues and what I want out of it. This album goes hard and sounds amazing. Electric blues on full display here.
David Bowie
3/5
Good first half. Awful second half. Yeah Bowie was influenced by the Eno ambient stuff (which I've already gotten a bunch of) but that doesn't make it good.
Only interesting thing I can say is that I biked by Hansa studio for over a year before learning that I was.
R.E.M.
5/5
My third REM album and I'm finally starting to really dig this band. Really loved the sound of this album and see how it influenced so many other alt rock bands that came after it.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
I was familiar with another album from Kiwanuka, but hadn't explored his others. Fucking amazing stuff. Such a voice and the musicality shines through.
The Monks
4/5
This is why this list exists. What the hell was this. I agree with all the other comments about how this was completely ahead of its time. This would have been wild to listen to at the time. What a find.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I'd only ever listened to the Yoshimi Battles album before (which I got almost 400 albums ago) and I think I liked this album more than that one. In the intervening time I've come to appreciate this type of music a bit more. Maybe I'll revisit the other album as well. Still a bit longer though.
Faust
4/5
This was super weird shit and I loved it.
Gang Starr
4/5
Good flow and beats. Enjoyed it.
Frank Ocean
3/5
I was only vaguely familiar with the name Frank Ocean but couldn't really name much about him or his music. I can appreciate it but I wasn't that impressed. It was fine but like many things on here, it didn't exactly blow my mind or anything.
John Coltrane
5/5
I've written how on here how much I love swing era jazz but when jazz evolved into other forms, I don't enjoy them as much.
This album fucking rocks. The musicality. The skill. Everything about this album is perfect.
The Byrds
3/5
Didn't like this as much as the other Byrds album I got. Nothing really stood out here and just pretty generic mid 60s folk rock.
Tricky
5/5
Hadn't heard of this guy before but I had already heard his work in a massive attack album I got almost 400 albums ago. Goldfrapp is on this album and he was a contemporary of Portishead whose music I love. I enjoyed this a ton. Chillout vibes and some good trip hop. Going to check out his other work.
Elliott Smith
4/5
2nd Elliott Smith album and it's good. Still missing something for me, but I enjoyed it a lot. 4.5/5
Iggy Pop
3/5
Fine album. Didn't really impress me all that much.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Was familiar with the name but had never listened to this. Was totally my jam and a great entry into the indie rock catalogue.
The Temptations
3/5
Fun, but something felt missing from this album. It kinda drags in the latter half.
The Kinks
3/5
Some good 60s era rock. Nothing super special though.
2/5
Fine old fashioned country. A lot of similar songs. Nothing super amazing. At least it was short.
Dr. Dre
2/5
I can't remember where I heard it from but they said one of the least interesting things for musicians to write about is the music industry. This album has a bunch of that and it's completely uninteresting. Also hasn't aged that well.
2.5/5
Aphex Twin
3/5
So how do I judge this music? It does what it sets out to do... be ambient music you can put on in the background and forget about. Does that make it good? I enjoyed it a lot since it faded in the background as I worked, but that's not really but I'm looking for in most of my music listening. So it suffers from that. It's also quite boring musically which is the point.
Duke Ellington
5/5
Hard to rate the Duke anything less than 5 stars. Obviously a bit disappointing to learn there is a mixture of studio recording here but hey it's still fucking amazing.
a-ha
3/5
Another album that has an absolute banger opening tracking but then falls off. It's not bad music, it's just very 80s. Nothing super special.
Eels
3/5
Ehh pretty generic and nothing really excited me. Bland.
Queen
5/5
As I've said already, Queen is my favourite band. I know this album backwards and forwards. Brighton Rock is why I picked up a guitar many many years ago. So much good stuff on here beyond the incredibly well known Killer Queen.
Television
5/5
I know recently someone from this band died but I had never listened to it. Really loved it. Understand why a lot of the musicians I listen to posted about their influence on them.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
This was super interesting to listen to. It very much had throw shit at the all and see what sticks. It was a wild ride. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. Something to return to from time to time though.
OutKast
2/5
Why did this have to be 75 minutes long? I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it weren't so damn long.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Just yesterday I got OutKast which was also a very long hiphop album. This album is, like yesterday, is just fine. But it's too damn long. Could have cut about 15 minutes and would have been tighter and better. Beyond that, perfectly acceptable old school hiphop.
Culture Club
2/5
Another album that opens with a banger and then drops off quickly in quality. Definitely can't say it was all that great.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I agree with another comment that said early electronic music is super repetitive and doesn't explore. That's the problem with pioneers, they were limited by the tools of their time and they were the innovators that opened the doors for others. You can hear in this the evolution of the genre that others would come along and perfect. A product of its time.
Pixies
4/5
I definitely enjoyed this more than the other Pixies album I got a while back. Will have to dig into the band deeper to decide if I really like them.
Adele
5/5
It's fucking Adele. What do you expect? Beautiful melodies and piano. All I ask for in an album from her.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
Never heard of this band so going in I didn't know what to expect. The first couple of songs were super, super rough but near the end it started to get more enjoyable. It is an interesting listen and something I am happy to have heard, but don't think I'll ever need to hear again. It's not the worst thing I've heard on this list, but it doesn't suit my tastes.
Nick Drake
4/5
I think I underestimated Nick Drake the first time I got him near the very beginning of this journey. Definitely was robbed from us too early. However the songs are, for whatever reason to me, lacking something that would make them amazing. For me they need to be like 10% more to be perfect.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
A really great album, but again since it's not on Spotify that affects my rating. This is my favourite Joni album so far.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Shame Neil pulled everything from spotify since it makes having everything in a single place impossible. Also Side B is completely wild and was nothing something I ever would have expected from Neil Young. Maybe if he put his music back on spotify I'd have known about it... I read it was an influence on grunge and that makes sense. For that I really liked the side
4.5/5
Arcade Fire
5/5
According to my stats, I listened to this album quite a bit between 2009-2011 and then just stopped listening to it and didn't play a single song from it since then. I have no idea why. The songs all came back after listening to them a few seconds. Definitely should put Arcade Fire back into the rotation.
Roxy Music
4/5
This was a great listen. It's really all over the place musically and I like that but the vocals weren't my favourite. That probably reduced my overall enjoyment of it. Otherwise it's a great listen that definitely doesn't sound like it was made in 1974.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Agree with so many other reviews. This album does exactly what it sets out to do and does it to perfection. It's competence at its finest but it just fades into the background and never really gets me enthused.
The Birthday Party
1/5
As bad as the album cover. I already dislike Nick Cave quite a lot (three 2 star albums and 1 three star album) and this didn't win any favours. Very hard to listen to and will never listen to it again.
Supergrass
3/5
I agree with the top review here, enjoyable but completely forgettable. I don't think I remember anything in particular about it. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Ehh I've liked some other Zappa stuff here but this wasn't for me.
SAULT
3/5
I think I wanted to like this more than it was. I am not black and maybe this is what parts of that community want, but as an outside felt a bit patronising towards them. Like yeah of course you are beautiful but there is more to people than that. It makes black people feel very 1 dimensional.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Is this a greatest hits album? Crazy to think how many hits John Fogerty wrote in such a short period of time. Just hit after hit after hit here.
5/5
I've never really listened to Muse but I've known about them for such a long time. I really enjoyed this album yet at the same at it has this sheen to it that sounds overly produced. It's not bad, but I can't help shake this feeling it sounds a little too slick and polished. Still the guitar work is really great and those solos are great.
Janet Jackson
3/5
It was fine, but it has a very 80s style and the production sounds very dated.
Kanye West
1/5
This is my first time listening to Kanye in almost any capacity. Maybe I've heard a song of his here and there but had never listened to him. I had heard that this album was really good, but I don't get it since it was fine.
However since he's a Nazi piece of shit, that lowers my opinion of everything. I try and separate art and artist but Kanye has done real harm and for that I do not support anything he does.
Radiohead
3/5
This is the 4th and final Radiohead album I'll get and my opinion hasn't changed. They are okay to bland for me. Maybe one day I'll finally get Radiohead but after this it hasn't changed.
Stereolab
5/5
I've heard of the band and was initially impartial to the music, but as the album went on, it just clicked for me. I couldn't explain why it works since I'm somewhat picky on things but this just started to work in the right spot.
The Black Keys
4/5
It's like the White Stripes but slightly worse.
Massive Attack
4/5
I gave the last Massive Attack album a meh rating and I liked this more... but that's possible because Tracey Thorn is on it and I like Everything But The Girl and her presence made it better.
2Pac
3/5
Not a hiphop guy. My standard answer: it was fine. Since this is not a genre for me I didn't hate it nor did I really love it. I did like the olldish school vibes but beyond that didn't mean much to me.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan at his most Bob Dylanness. Love it.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Like so many electronica albums on this list, I listen to a lot of live DJed electronic music that album stuff just never works as well. It's fine but I've heard a lot better.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
This is an album that is so hard to rate. The music is amazing, but I don't really enjoy the rapping over it. Plus the subject matter is essential to why this album is so well acclaimed. But as a non-black person never having lived in the USA, living in a completely different part of the world, the lyrics don't mean much to me. So it's good but it's not for me.
Laibach
4/5
Didn't know what to get going into this and I enjoyed it. The Queen cover was really unexpected and for that I liked it. Plus I'm tired of getting shitty 80s new wave or whatever. This is what I was hoping was on the list. How often am I going to listen to Slovenian industrial metal? It was different and I liked it for that reason.
The Stooges
3/5
Nothing really impressed me about this album. It was pretty standard fare
Elastica
5/5
Never heard of this band and was unsure when it said britpop. This ain't britpop. This was really good. Other reviews say it is derivative of other bands, but if that is true, I am checking out those other bands as well since this was good shit.
The Byrds
3/5
An interesting listen. They were clearly exploring new things and wtf is with C.T.A. - 102. Came outta no where. But it doesn't quite completely work for me.
3.5/5
Black Flag
3/5
Pretty standard punk stuff. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, but happy to have listened to it.
3.5/5
Scritti Politti
2/5
It's interesting? But it's very 80s and sounds super dated. A historical curiosity but nothing more than that.
Beatles
4/5
Yeah this isn't one the Beatles better works, but it's still The Beatles so it's still very listenable.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
This is the final Joni Mitchell album on this list and this is definitely the best one. Even more than Court and Spark which I got about a month ago.
Still a damn shame she has taken everything off Spotify since I'd like to listen to these in release order to get a better picture. This is the first chronologically of the albums on this list and my favourite.
4.5/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
I've never listened to Iron Maiden so this was my first exposure to them and I enjoyed it. It's the kind of metal I can stand which good melodies and listenable vocals. Although thinking about it more, is this really metal? It reminds me a lot of Rainbow with the heavy guitars. I guess that's metal? In comparison to the other metal albums on this list, it's the least "metal" so far in my view.
Dolly Parton
4/5
I love all three of these singers individually and the harmonies are beautiful, but still this album feels like it's missing something. Still a great listen.
3.5/5
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I was familiar with the name but had never listened to his work. It's nice but long. Which is good? It's indie music that I enjoy.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
Never heard of this dude before and it's some really nice tunes, but the 80s production does shine through and while it gives it a very unique sound, it's not the sound I particularly love. Still shines through in places and was a fun listen.
Boston
5/5
God damn is this album good. Every single song is a banger.
The Who
5/5
A great album where the hits are just so good that the bring up the okayness of the non-hits.
Sabu
3/5
An interesting listen. Again this is what this list should be full of. I was completely unfamiliar with Cuban rumba music and for what it was, it was pretty good. Although the mixing is a bit weird but it's a fun listen.
The Specials
3/5
Well that was interesting. I don't think it was very good but it was certainly different.
2.5/5
Björk
4/5
I've gotten into Björk because of this list and love the other two albums. This was an adventure. I totally understand why people hate this album. It's weird but very unique and it just works for me. I normally hate avant-garde yet Björk just makes it listenable to me. Not that I would put this on all that often but it's weird in a way that I like.
David Bowie
3/5
The 6th Bowie album I've had now and it's okay. I wouldn't say anything really blew my mind and most of it is quite forgettable. I don't think he really needed 9 albums on this list.
Jack White
5/5
This is my first time listening to solo Jack White and it's great and it's more White Stripesy music, but it made me realise how important Meg White was for him. It's missing that little piece that made the White Stripes so good. Still great music since Jack White is so talented.
Little Richard
5/5
This is a hard album to rate. It's the foundation of rock and roll and a whole generation of artists were inspired by Little Richard and his antics. It's woven into the fabric of rock and roll. For that reason it's super important, but saying that it doesn't have a huge amount of variety. It's pretty simple 12 bar blues repeated a lot. Nonetheless it's so important and Tutti Frutti is such a fucking banger it's hard to rate this below a 5.
Weather Report
2/5
Not a big jazz fusion fan. Reminds me of elevator music or on hold music. Not that great.
2.5/5
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
I've enjoyed the country I've gotten on this list so far, but this wasn't that great. Sounds a bit fakey.
Pretenders
3/5
I've heard of this band but never listened to them. It was okay. Not too bad but not mind blowing.
k.d. lang
3/5
Compared with the previous k.d. lang album I got, this was not one I particularly enjoyed. It just felt a little generic. Like half-hearted? It's hard to describe but I didn't care for it as much.
2.5/5
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
This is a great collection of bluegrass and country music featuring some of the biggest names in the genres. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of studio chatter as it felt like I was in the group before they would start playing.
Of course, that's all good but oh boy is this album long. I love me some bluegrass but I can't take almost 2 hours of it.
Steve Earle
3/5
This isn't really the country music I enjoy. It just feels so off... 2.5/5
Sister Sledge
5/5
Love this album. Thinking of You is one of my favourite songs. Classic Nile.
Killing Joke
3/5
Never heard of this band but it's an interesting mix of punkish elements with industrial (?). I wasn't expecting it after the first song. It's a great addition to this list since it's something I'd never heard of and it was fun to listen to. Not something I'd regularly listen to , but it doesn't really sound like anything else from that time period.
One interesting thing is the song S.O.36 which I was surprised to learn is the same SO36 which is a club here in Berlin that I've been to a handful of times. Fun little connection.
Brian Wilson
3/5
This was exhausting to listen to. I don't have the boomer history with the Beach Boys and their music is fine so I don't care about this mythical album. It's so tiring. I can't quite describe why, but it just feels so much worse than other Beach Boys stuff. Maybe because it was released 30 years later? No idea. Just tiring.
Venom
2/5
Maybe good in its time, but not just sounds really hilarious. The audio is also shit which doesn't help but it's like amateur hour. Maybe edgy in 1982 but in 2023 it's comical, almost a parody of the metal genre. Also musically it's just not that interesting.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
4/5
It didn't start off sensational, but it did get more sensational. The singer can really belt. Can't say I particularly like the content of the second track, but the album as a whole was a nice discovery.
Megadeth
4/5
I have gotten a bunch of metal albums so far and it's my 3rd lowest rated genre so I haven't had a good track record with them. I've heard of the band before and given the description I was expecting something very different than what I got. It was great fun. Not something I'd listen to all that often but it was really enjoyable.
Shame about how the album cover is absolute dogshit.
4.5/5
Morrissey
3/5
It's like The Smiths. Exactly like them. I don't enjoy the Smiths all that much.
Neu!
5/5
I really liked this. It was fun and fresh sounding. I can see why this album inspired a lot of other artists.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
Love this album. The 80s production really works and Lauper is such an amazing singer that she carries the album through and through. Far from the first time I've listened to this all the way through and will be far from the last.
The Police
3/5
This is the first time I've listened to The Police beyond hearing a song of theirs from time to time. I was familiar with the album but only really recognised the hits. This was rough. The hits were good, but I wouldn't seek them out. It's very radio friendly music and just lacks soul for me.
Mudhoney
3/5
Some other comment said tracks that didn't make Tony Hawk soundtrack. Agreed. Still enjoyed it but probably won't return.
The Band
3/5
A collection of songs that doesn't really feel coherent.
Kings of Leon
3/5
I feel like I should have enjoyed this more than I did. It was fine, but something just felt off for me which causes me to like it a lot less. Maybe it's the vocalists voice which I find just a little bit annoying.
2.5/5
Laura Nyro
5/5
This is some great stuff. Sounded fresh and innovative and reading how she was an influence on a ton of artists I love. Great little find.
Sonic Youth
3/5
The 4th (and not final!) Sonic Youth album. Like others it's fine. I don't think they needed five albums on here.
Elton John
5/5
I listen to songs on this album on the regular so I almost didn't need to relisten to it, but god damn I will. Just hit after hit after hit. I don't think there is a song on this album I really dislike. There are definitely some that are amongst my favourite songs of all time: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, All the Girls Love Alice, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.
I recently saw Elton on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour a few weeks back so this album had really been on my mind since he played a bunch from this album. It was my first and only time hearing Elton live, but talking to my father, who has been an Elton fan since the 70s, me how amazing the show was way back then. Elton can't hit the high notes like he used to, but god damn did he do these songs justice anyway.
One of my favourite albums of all time. Easy 5 stars.
Chicago
3/5
This is the only Chicago album I actually have listened to in full before and so I knew what I was getting into. It's fine music. Still hate the 7 minute long noise track though since it feels very un-Chicago like. Do love me some good horns. It's an interesting debut album.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Ehh I didn't much care for it. It's fine but it's nothing special given the talent in the group.
2.5/5
2/5
I mean it's a pretty okay Dylan bootleg. Only reason it's famous is for the Judas thing which is also cut out from the version I listened to.
Honestly not that impressive.
2.5/5
Peter Frampton
2/5
Maybe you had to be there? This was just a subpar live album. Nothing really shone out here. It's standard boomer-era rock. Which I should love but the playing is fine. Inoffensive. Nothing really caught my ear. It just limps along.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Yeah fuck this. I guess you needed to be there, but seriously "Theme from Casanova" is the shit I hate. Self-referential masturbation. Rest of the album is bland.
1.5/5
Tom Waits
2/5
My fifth and final Tom Waits album. I can't believe this guy got so much space. I just don't get it. I didn't hate this as much as the other albums, but he still got super annoying in a lot of tracks. Never going to listen to him again.
CHVRCHES
5/5
Love the band and love the album.
Slint
2/5
I agree with other comments that I dunno if I like this. I am not a math rock fan and this album seems to be an originator of the genre so it was good to listen to for that reason. Still didnt like it though.
Madonna
2/5
It's certainly music. It's not great and sounds super dated. Also what a shit cover of American Pie.
1.5/5
Björk
3/5
Unlike the 2 other Bjork albums I got, this one didn't speak to me. It just more of a slog compared to the other two.
Paul Simon
3/5
It's been a while since I've listened to this album all the way through and I realised this time around I only enjoy a couple of songs. I get what Paul Simon was trying to do, but it does not like the lame white version of some of the music.
3.5/5
System Of A Down
3/5
That band that wrote that table song. Oh it's not on this? Damn. It's fine. Compared with other nu metal bands Serj Tankian's vocals actually work with the music and make it listenable but it's not really music I'd listen to all the time. Nonetheless it's not the worst thing I've heard here.
3.5/5
The Triffids
4/5
This was a nice little record. I've loved the Australian albums on here and this was a fun listen. Nothing super ground breaking but at the same time, not super stale.
3.5/5
Coldplay
4/5
I said in my last Coldplay review that they get unnecessary hate. This was a great album and maybe one of the first albums I ever owned on CD. Not that I listened to it all that much since I think I got it for doing well on piano. Still it's fine music and they get too much hate.
Moby Grape
3/5
Should have liked this more, but eh. Compared to similar acts from that era on this list, this didn't impress me. It's fine.
2.5/5
Linkin Park
2/5
Ahh this reminds me so much of the early 2000s. At the time I hated this music. Two decades later, I don't hate it as much, but it's still as lame and poor as it was back then. The production and the whole genre of nu metal is one I hate. At least it was short and some songs I did enjoy, mostly the famous ones. Otherwise the others sounded similar.
Tito Puente
4/5
Fun. Joyful music.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Interesting little album. Nothing that blew my mind but was fun to listen to. The album cover also reminds me of really shitty MS paint drawing.
Kanye West
1/5
Still a Nazi piece of shit. He's done real harm and even this music is pretty mediocre at best. Doesn't change my view.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Hey this doesn't contain that famous song. It's fine otherwise. Nothing to write home about.
The Young Gods
2/5
Ehh not what I expected. Can't say I'm a fan. Interesting album but not for me.
Ministry
2/5
Absolutely not my genre, but there was enough in here that I didn't absolutely hate it. Although 69 stuff is so lame. That made me hate it a bit more.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Like the other Kings of Leon album, I didn't enjoy the vocals. Also it was listenable to I guess? Still thought it was pretty meh.
2.5/5
Elis Regina
3/5
Pretty jazz stuff but it didn't super appeal to me unlike the other latin jazz albums I've gotten here. can't quite pinpoint why but sometimes it is just that way.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Big Springsteen fan so I've listened to this album many times. It was great to revisit it since I haven't done a full listen to it in a while. Fantastic record and a good follow up to Born to Run.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Remember when white people discovered world music? Boy the 80s were full of that trash.
Talking Heads
3/5
The 4th and final Talking Heads album. I've said before I just don't care for this band. The music is fine but it just doesn't speak to me. Maybe in another decade I'll figure them out but till then, they have a few songs I like and the rest completely meh.
1/5
Oh god... this album is just what I hate about music. Nu metal and rap metal from the 2000s... ugh. just awful. I hated this music at the time and I still hate it now. This is just such trash. I wanted to give it more but god no. It's just garbage. The album cover just adds to the insult. Fuck this trash.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This is a tough one. I love Pink Floyd and this album for sure is a 5 stars, but it's not one of my favourite Pink Floyd albums. It's just never quite worked for me and I just really enjoy a handful of tracks. Still this is high quality music and shows why Pink Floyd were the best at what they did.
Ray Price
3/5
Very country sounding country. Unlike the other country albums on this list, this didn't speak as much to me.
2.5/5
Genesis
3/5
Ehh it was fine. Not a super prog rock person.
X-Ray Spex
5/5
This is what makes this list worth it. What a great album that predates riot grrrl by almost a decade and a half. Sounds super fresh and unique. Shame I'd never heard of them since they should be more well known.
OutKast
2/5
Ah rap albums and the super fucking longness of them. What a huge waste of time. This could have been a trim 45 minutes and been pretty good. Instead we get an over 2 hour bloated monster. So many shitty skits. Some songs are listenable so this avoids 1 star but just.
1.5/5
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Like all electronic music that is on this list, I regularly listen to insanely good DJs at dance jams and practices so my standard is very high. This was fine. Not amazing. Fine.
Barry Adamson
3/5
I didn't enjoy this, but at least it was trying something. That's something given how much meh stuff there is on here.
David Gray
3/5
Pretty 90s sounding stuff. Can't say I am a fan.
Taylor Swift
5/5
I'm a bit surprised at the inclusion of this album. I am a huge Swiftie so naturally I like the album, but it does feel a little early since I think folkmore is the better of two albums. I love indie folk Taylor so I can't complain, but this feels a little early to add. Nonetheless, a great album from her and was once again a big surprise. She's moved in a direction that since Lover.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Such a lovely album.
The Only Ones
2/5
Ehh a pretty weak album. Some songs were good but there wasn't enough to really satisfy me.
Dire Straits
5/5
Life long Dire Straits fan so I already love this album. So many great songs on this. I just love Mark Knopfler's playing style and I've been lucky to see him live a few times.
The Darkness
5/5
Fuck this album is so fun. The Darkness knew what they were doing and it works. Yeah it's got that cheese to it, but they lean into it and it's fucking awesome.
Beastie Boys
2/5
Why did albums have to be so damn long? You could have cut out 20 minutes of this album and it would have stayed the same. It gets so repetitive after a while.
The Go-Go's
3/5
It was fine. I liked it slightly more than average but it was missing something that would make me really like it.
3.5/5
Blur
4/5
I liked this more than the other Blur album I got.
Minutemen
3/5
It was fine? Kinda long but at least each song was short so that helps?
Kid Rock
1/5
God I hate this garbage. Shitty rap rock. And too long like so much 90s crap. Doesn't help he is a Trump supporter.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Ooof... I did not like this. Normally I dig this kinda band but I can't stand noise rock. It just felt annoying to listen to. Not the worst thing I've heard on here, but tough to listen to.
Japan
3/5
Fine. Very forgettable though.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Pretty mediocre debut from this band. As another review said, probably pretty good back in its day, but now 60 years removed it hasn't aged well.
Carole King
5/5
Classic. Absolute classic. Been spinning this for a long time and will continue to do so. Flawless album from a fantastic musician.
Wilco
3/5
Familiar with the band, but never heard them. Pretty average stuff. Nothing really rememberable to me.
808 State
3/5
Ehhh. it's fine EDM. Again most of the stuff on this list is pretty bland and there is far better music in the local dance club.
Soundgarden
3/5
Knew the band name, couldn't have named a song they had made which is how I learnt they made Blackhole Sun. Otherwise, my standard complaint of this being way too fucking long. Could have cut 30 minutes from this and made a solid album since it gets really boring after a while.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Ich wohne in Deutschland also natürlich, bin ich auf der Autobahn gefahren.
Arcade Fire
5/5
As I said in another review, I like the first two Arcade Fire albums so this was an easy listen, however I really do wonder if they needed 3 albums on the list. They are a great band but did they need 3?
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Interesting album. A historical curiosity and somewhat impressive for its time, but I don't feel it has aged well.
Prince
3/5
Didn't like this as much as the other Prince album I've gotten so far. Some songs were bangin' for me but it dragged at other parts that made me dislike it.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Alt rock is definitely not my genre since I found this a bit tedious to get through.
George Harrison
5/5
I usually hate long albums and fortunately you can cut out the jams at the end since they are non-essential.
Still I've been a huge George Harrison fan for a long time and I absolutely love this album. I know so many of the songs. Pleasure to listen to again.
Fred Neil
3/5
A historical curiosity but not that interesting overall.
2.5/5
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Ooof... musically it wasn't the worst thing I've heard of here but it isn't super complicated. However the lyrics. Youch. Really, REALLY dated and pretty much sexual assault across the album. That made it very hard to listen to at times.
I don't want to give it a 1 because it's at least listenable but the lyrics absolutely have not aged well. Unfortunately that's a problem with a bunch of the rap albums on here.
1.5/5
Gillian Welch
5/5
I knew the name but never listened. Absolute banger of an album. Some great alt country. Have to explore more of her discography.
Guided By Voices
4/5
I liked this, but it still felt like it was the demos of songs. I guess that's the point but still it was a little rough.
3.5/5
The Style Council
3/5
Ehh not my thing. Again like white guys discovered more genres of music. At least a black person did the rapping.
2.5/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
So this is the Lloyd who was ready to be heartbroken. I've loved the Camera Obscura response song and had never heard the original. This was an okay album but maybe I was hoping for more. If you told me this album influenced a lot of bands that came after I'd believe it since this kinda stuff has been done better by later bands.
The Roots
3/5
It was better than some of the other hip-hop albums I've heard on here. That's about it. Still long and could have cut 10 minutes but at least it flowed so much better than other similar albums.
The Cult
2/5
This was some weak stuff. Pale imitations of other artists.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Had always heard this name but didn't know what type of music he made. It was pretty generic radio friendly stuff. Nothing to write home about and nothing that really impressed. Could have been done by a few hundred different artists.
2.5/5
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Continuing a string of rather mediocre British acts from the 80s and 90s. It's not bad it's just nothing special. Just bland and 80s sounding. Pretty forgettable after you listen to it.
Bland.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Another meh album. It wasn't bad but just boring. So, so boring. Maybe I hated it more because this week has been constant boring British bands from the 80s and 90s. They all start to sound the same.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Bland early 2000s pop. It's competently done (Pharrell is a producer) but it's just bland. And too long. Could have cut 20 minutes and it would have been bearable. It's also really cliche and just sounds of that time.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
This was better than some of the other rap albums I've gotten but some of the lyrics are really dated and haven't aged well which makes it a tough listen to at points. Still the beats are nice and I enjoy that G-funk sound.
3.5/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
Of course this is a perfect album. What more can I say?
Personally, I prefer Wish You Were Here and think it's a better album but that just tells you how good Pink Floyd were at the time.
Throwing Muses
4/5
Interesting album. Some weird lyrics but I enjoyed it.
CHIC
5/5
I just saw Nile Rodgers and Chic live so naturally I love this music.
Soft Cell
3/5
Ahh I'd heard of that song Tainted Love but had never heard it.
Then Sex Dwarf came on. What a time. It's 80s as fuck and that helps and harms it. Fortunately it's not too long but it still does sound very dated.
Haircut 100
2/5
Youch. Another 80s group of British people discovering some jazz/funk and making it milquetoast I feel embarrassed.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I know how important and famous this album is in the Springsteen discography but compared to his other albums, I am not a huge fan. I prefer Springsteen with the E Street Band giving a huge sound. Like the live version of Atlantic City from the Live in NYC with the band is so much better. The demo nature of these songs just isn't what I want from Springsteen.
Still it's Springsteen so the quality is high.
Jane Weaver
4/5
I didn't like this at first but it grew on me. Still feels like there are a ton of artists out there that have a similar sound. Not quite sure why this one was picked out. I still enjoyed it quite a bit and will check out more from her.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Interesting stuff! Wish the list had more of this since it's a new experience I didn't think I would listen to normally. Gets a little samey after the while but it's different and I appreciate that.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Pretty generic stuff. Can't say I really enjoyed it all that much.
2.5/5
Depeche Mode
3/5
Bland. Completely average. I've become less of a fan of Depeche Mode since I last got them 550 albums ago. It's just meh.
David Bowie
2/5
7th Bowie album and really? Did this need to be on here? It's fine but jesus christ stop sucking his dick. His material is fine but this is far from essential. Blackstar, yeah I get that. That album was important in his career, but this... no it was bland stuff by an aged rocker that is forgettable.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Pretty good stuff.
3.5/5
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
I've not really been a big fan of the rap albums on this list, but this is a solid one. Wu-Tang Clan are well respected for a reason. This still sounds good 30 years later. Not too many bad lyrics either which is something a lot of the 90s rap albums have.
Roni Size
2/5
Damn was this long. I really do not understand why this is on here outside being a niche thing. The music is bland and similar and once you've ever heard about 3 songs you've heard them all. Yeah I guess if you were in the club high on some drug you'd like this but sober it is boring and repetitive and way too damn long. I don't want to give it 1 star (since those albums are straight up unlistenable to me) but this isn't impressing me at all.
1.5/5
GZA
4/5
Ha I just got the Wu-Tang album two days ago and now I get a solo work. I really enjoyed it. Good flow and good beats.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Surprised it took this long to get a Zeppelin album. I believe it was the only artist who had 4 or more albums listed that I hadn't had yet.
Not my favourite Zeppelin album but it's still Led Zeppelin. Kashmir is just such a banger song it brings the whole album up. The first half is definitely much stronger than the second.
Dire Straits
5/5
Yes! I love Dire Straits and this album is well-listened to. I mean Sultans of Swing is such a banger but there are some great songs on this album. Definitely check out the Live at the BBC and Alchemy albums for some great live versions of these songs.
Beach House
5/5
Loved it. Beach House is a name I've heard a bunch and it was on the list of bands to check out so I was happy to give it a listen. Very much the vibes I like.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's fine. As I said in another Rolling Stones album review, I'm meh on this band. They had never worked for me and just feel very middle of the road. Some good hits, but this was just fine. Some good songs but otherwise nothing special.
3.5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I've always heard of this band but had never checked it out. It's pretty middle of the road. I don't think any super special.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Man this is goofy af. This guy isn't hard at all. Pretty bland stuff. Also too long. And no soul.
Ice Cube
2/5
Yuppp.... suffers the curse of so many rap albums from the 90s on here: sexist. This has aged very poorly it makes it a tough listen. It's a shame since I enjoyed it at times (and it's not too long!!) but yeah it's aged poorly and unfortunately that matters.
The Cardigans
5/5
Another band whose name I've heard a lot but never checked out. This is my jam. Absolutely loved it and will have to dig deeper.
Hawkwind
3/5
I mean it's fine I guess. Just really long kinda dull prog rock. It's competent but that's about it. Barely would have known it is a live album as well. The spoken word stuff is goofy as hell.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Hmm... I like Stevie Wonder and I like some songs on this, but it's just too damn long and really starts to drag in the latter half. Given how I'm a stickler for long albums, unless they really make it work, I have to knock this down a bit for the length.
4.5/5
Metallica
2/5
You like hearing the same song repeated 9 times? Listen to this then!!! Also it sounds like shit. Seriously how did people find this music hard? I was literally laughing through some songs as if it is some kinda joke. It's just so LAME. I don't really enjoy metal but at least some of the other albums had something at least trying to be interesting. Even the other Metallica albums were more interesting than this.
The Blue Nile
3/5
Pretty bland 80s era stuff. Nothing special. Completely forgettable.
Dr. John
4/5
Some really great blues/jazz from a legend.
Richard Hawley
2/5
Boring.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Sounds like the White Stripes before they existed. I really enjoyed it. Should check out more from then.
The Shamen
2/5
Pretty tame stuff. Like I say in every EDM one, I dance to this kinda music and hear way better shit by DJs and teachers who have really good tunes. Too tame. Too lame.
The Beta Band
2/5
Wimpy is how I would describe it. Like it felt like it never left first gear.
Sonic Youth
3/5
The 5th (and final) Sonic Youth album. Like the other ones... it is just fine. Nothing exceptional. Don't think they needed 5 albums on here.
John Prine
4/5
Loved it! I was familiar with the name and his stuff really sounds great all these years later.
Big Star
3/5
Neat sounding, but I agree with another review that says all the ingredients are there but they are missing something.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Ehh the music itself was nice but the lyrics were awful.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Given how famous this band is for their jam sessions on stage, this really, really sucked. It was bland, boring, and uninspired. Seriously sounds like amateur night. SO DULL.
Bee Gees
2/5
What the hell did I just listen to? I mean it was made by competent people but it wasn't good. I know disco came after but oh boy did they sound better then.
Dion
2/5
This sucked.
Mike Ladd
3/5
Started okay and then just dragged in the latter half. Again could have cut 20 minutes and had a nice solid record. It has aged better than other rap albums on here so there is that.
Brian Eno
3/5
It's literal music to fade into the background. For that reason I've added it to my playlist I play when I need calm relaxing music. As an album itself, it's okay? Nothing really special. Probably a unique idea back then but now it's bland.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
I liked parts of it but did it have to be so fucking long? A lot of the tracks sound like B-sides and there is a good album in here. I get wanting to release a double album but it was a freaking slog to get through.
Overall nothing really sounded awful but it just did not need to be so long. Also neat he played all the instruments on most tracks.
Sex Pistols
4/5
I get the influence. It's fine. Listenable but some things haven't aged well.
Coldcut
3/5
Another British electronica album? Surprise surprise. Kinda hard to find what exact version to listen to since youtube has a different listing of tracks than wiki. It's at least varied enough that makes it interesting. Still very dated but it had some charm that made it better than the other bland EDM stuff on this list.
UB40
2/5
A bunch of British white guys doing reggae? Well at least there appears to be black people in the band at some point so that helps? Also covering Strange Fruit? Interesting choice for the group.
Again with these acts, could you cut out 15-20 minutes? This album would have been so much better if it were 20 minutes shorter. By the 7th song you aren't getting anything new.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Started off a bit slow but I enjoyed it. I said in my other review that it would be great if the album where shorter. Once again that applies here. Could have cut 10-15 minutes and make it a stellar listen.
Shack
3/5
It's fine? It's pretty generic stuff and completely forgettable.
2.5/5
LTJ Bukem
3/5
This album is a pain in the ass to figure out what exactly it is. Youtube has different than wikipedia and is different than spotify, which it isn't on.. except all the songs seem to be if you search for them...
anyway it's pretty fine music. nothing special and nothing I haven't heard before. makes for good background music. I guess historically interesting?
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Pretty down the line R&Besque music. Didn't hate it but didn't love it. Like always, too long and would have been better by cutting 15-20 minutes.
Boards of Canada
3/5
It's fine. Quite long. Quite samey.
Morrissey
2/5
God this guy is a prick. Also don't like The Smiths.
Trying to be deep and smart but sounds like an idiot.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
I mean the theme is dope but it's a soundtrack album and since I've never seen the film it's just good background music.
3.5/5
Wilco
2/5
jesus fucking christ why was this SO LONG. I've gotten a string of long albums. Why does anyone think they are good enough to justify an almost 80 minute run time? It was the same song written over and over again. Cut it out or just split into two albums.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Love it. Very old fashioned country.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Ahh why do these albums have to be so long? This was two albums smashed together for no reason. In isolation I dind't hate either, but together it's dumb. I liked the 2nd one more. Still because of the excessive length I disliked it. Cut out the fat and make something good.
Pearl Jam
3/5
It's fine. Very similar sounding songs. I get that Pearl Jam was important, but 30 years on, it sounds tame.
N.W.A.
4/5
I knew the hits but had never listened to the rest of the album. It definitely drags near the latter part and like most rap albums hasn't aged well. However the highs are high and it has some bangers that are still prevalent to today.
The Slits
4/5
Reading about this group, it says this album was a big influence on riot grrrl and I can absolutely hear it. I like that genre and I'd never heard of this so it was a great listen.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Well this was a big difference from the other album of his I got a few weeks ago. Not as offensive lyrically thankfully. Still this is very renfair. Kinda neat.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
An album I've known about for a very long time, but have never listened to. Listening to it, you can hear why it was influential but nowadays, it's hard to judge. It's fine but nothing really blew my mind. I guess being so far removed it just isn't as great as it was.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Kinda amusing but again not anything special.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
I was familiar with a bunch of the songs on here so it was great to hear the non-hits. The other songs were great but not solid enough to make this a 5 star.
4.5/5
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Ooh this album started funky and then it got to the pretty standard R&B love ballads which were fine. Nothing special and largely forgettable. Unfortunately that bumped the album down a bit for me.
3.5/5
The Temptations
4/5
My favourite dance has its origins in Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations so I have to like this.
Van Morrison
4/5
Better than the other Van Morrison album I got. Too bad he became an anti-vaxxer weirdo.
Germs
2/5
Historically important but not fun to listen to.
Judas Priest
4/5
Hey that was pretty fun. Very 80s sounding metal but it was fun and didn't overstay their welcome.
Joe Ely
4/5
Love me some good old fashioned country.
4/5
I didn't enjoy this as much as the other PJ Harvey album but I liked it. I've been meaning to do a deep dive into her discography since she makes music I like.
Slade
3/5
These guys seem to have been important in the UK but I've never heard of them and they don't strike me as that interesting. Pretty middle of the road and bland.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
This was better than the other rap albums than I've gotten, mostly because it's short! Thank god. It's a great length. It doesn't stay too long and gets to the point. Some stuff has aged well (standard disclaimer for a lot of 90s rap) but he had good flow and good beats.
The The
3/5
It was fine. Nothing super special to me.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I mean this is the peak of Bruce isn't it? Every song is well known and the hits are high. Even the less known stuff are bangers. Flawless album.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
I mean what do you expect? It's bongos. It's a great historical curiosity and well worth a listen. Plus it has that sample that everyone knows.
3.5/5
Aerosmith
3/5
It's fine and pretty generic sounding 70s era rock.
The Police
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Not a huge fan of The Police. Some good songs but most is kinda blah. White boy reggae.
Supergrass
3/5
Pretty bland stuff. Never felt very inspired. Chock it up to the author's love of mediocre 90s Britpop.
Ian Dury
2/5
What the hell is wrong with you England?
It's not the worst thing on this list but it wasn't good.
1.5/5
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
I like jazz and this was pretty run of the middle. I'd say a perfectly acceptable jazz album that doesn't really do anything unique.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Another middle of the road Britpop album? And it's an hour long? Great, throw it in the book. Can't have too few of those can we now?
Just another run of the mill album. Nothing special. Not bad. Too long like all 90s Britpop crap
The Specials
2/5
Uggh. This wasn't great. At least they appear to have had a black person in this group but this is just white as hell.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
I was expecting to hate this a lot more than I thought. Maybe it's the novelty of the British accents that adds a bit of charm and makes it seem more amusing than anything. Maybe it's a nice respite from the other rap on this album that hasn't aged as well. I mean I feel like some of this hasn't aged well either but the British accents make it seem less offensive?
Napalm Death
1/5
Ahhh this album. I've known about it for a long time and was wondering when I would get it. I had avoided listening to it until I got it to see what the fuss is about.
Yeah I get it. If the vocals weren't here, it'd be at least somewhat tolerable. It isn't great, but at least there is some form of musicality. Then the vocals come in. At 33 minutes, at least it is short, but it still felt 15 minutes too long.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Of all the Dylan albums I've gotten, this is just the most meh of the 60s stuff. You get the point halfway through and it never really has that banger that makes the album great.
Ice Cube
4/5
A lot of the rap albums on this list suffer from being of their time and haven't aged well (I said as much on the previous Ice Cube album) but this album is full of content that is relevant to our modern world 30 years later. Yeah some bits haven't aged well, but it's outweighed by the overall message. Sad to see in the 30 years since it was released, the themes and message is still just as relevant today as it was in the early 90s.
The Sonics
3/5
Neat historical curiosity. Nothing beyond that.
Daft Punk
3/5
Definitely a stepping stone for better things. Way too repetitive and once you've heard a couple of tracks, you kinda know how all the others are going to be.
Traffic
3/5
I remember seeing Clapton and Winwood in 2007 at the crossroads guitar festival and thought it was neat to see them. I like the Blind Faith album but never explored much of Traffic. This was pretty middle of the road prog rock. Not terrible or offensive, but nothing special.
New York Dolls
4/5
Fun album! Love the cover too.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
This is the kinda stuff that I wish there more of. I've heard the name but never listened to this. Some great dessert blues. A great find.
The Vines
3/5
Never heard of this band and then I heard that one song and was like "oh yeah that song". I should have liked this more than I did since it was fine.
Shame they compared them to Nirvana. Unfair to the band.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Starts with some bangers but kinda gets bland after. Still good stuff though.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
This stinks. Generic shitty techno music. I don't know why people like this crap. Oh right you need to be on lots of drugs so you aren't distracted by how fucking boring it is.
Beck
3/5
Like the other Beck album I've gotten, this was kinda long and trails off in the second half. Pretty middle of the road.
T. Rex
4/5
Knew a song from this. It's not bad 70s glam rock.
The Undertones
3/5
Hadn't heard of this band until teenage kicks came on and was like oh yeah that thing. It was perfectly adequate.
Slayer
2/5
Like so many other metal albums here, I love the guitars but the vocals are just bad. Seriously metal bands, hire some good vocalists.
Ice T
3/5
Better than some of the other rap albums, but again too long. Typical problem of the 90s rap albums on this. Some of the skits are annoying but some of the messages have aged nicely and still relevant today.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
It was fine? Again the complaint I have so often is the album is too damn long. Like the last track is 12 minutes long and just thanking names. Neat but god is it way too long. Could have cut 30 minutes and made it a stellar album.
KISS
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Pretty tame. Not the largest fan of KISS as they always come across as very, very goofy. Hey at least it's short.
Hole
3/5
It was pretty fine. Like the other Hole album, it wasn't bad. Courtney Love got too much shit.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Ehh I should like this but it wasn't really vibing with me. I like the indie nature of it but I wasn't feeling it. Something to revisit in the future and maybe it'll speak more to me.
John Cale
3/5
Pretty fun but nothing special. I agree with the commenter that said this sounded like Ringo. It really does. Kinda cheesy in that way.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Love me some outlaw country.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
A fine jazz album.
3/5
Yeah this is the band Zeppelin allegedly ripped off. I prefer Zeppelin. It was fine last 60s early 70s prog rock.
Bob Dylan
4/5
The 6th (I think) Dylan album I've gotten. It's enjoyable. The opening track is such a banger. Kinda loses steam a bit through but very enjoyable.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Fun live album. Loved that the kept all the interactions with the audience as it made it feel more real.
Madness
2/5
Ehhh... no thanks. I like one song and the rest is blah. Also the cover has blackface....
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Definition of forgettable.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Pretty good stuff.
Public Enemy
4/5
Enjoyed it. Thank god it isn't full of shitty skits but still could lose to cut a few tracks. Themes are relevant today.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
It's just a smidge above average. I liked it but wouldn't write home about it.
3.5/5
Beatles
5/5
It's been said of this album that everyone agrees it's full of amazing Beatles song and filler Beatles song but no agrees on which is which. I happen to enjoy most of the stuff on here and it is still the Beatles at a creative peak.
Revolution 9 still sucks.
Hot Chip
4/5
I was familiar with the band but had never listened to this album. I enjoyed it.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I remember listening to this album a very long time ago since I wanted to explore Pink Floyd beyond the famous albums. It was a treat then and I have told people to check out the song "Bike". Syd Barrett was something wasn't he? Definitely a historical curiosity and something that's fun to listen to see the journey Pink Floyd made but it's not like I'm listening to it all that often.
Except for Bike. That song slaps.
Holger Czukay
4/5
Neat and unexpected little historical artifact. Fun listen. But nothing beyond that.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Given the renewed popularity of shoegaze inspired genres in the indie scene in the early 2020s you can really hear how this album influenced them. Loved it.
Doves
4/5
I enjoy me some shoegazey stuff but this was a little too long. Very soundtrack like. Perfect for the background but again could have cut a couple of tracks.
Aimee Mann
4/5
I knew Aimee Mann first through comedy before her music. This is the first time really listening to her and I liked it. Still a little long and a few songs could be cut to tighten it up. Love the album cover.
Beatles
5/5
It's a great album, like every Beatles album, but I rarely find myself returning to Revolver besides a few songs. Dunno why, just doesn't click with me as much. Nonetheless I still know every single song.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Interesting I guess. With the long songs it does get kinda boring after a while. Neat to hear the explanations though.
2.5/5
The Saints
4/5
Neat little punk band that seems to be not so well known. Fun stuff.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I am not really a huge Springsteen fan after the Tunnel of Love albums since it got into stuff that I don't really listen to as much. Nonetheless, I love this album and listening to it realised how many of the songs I remember. A fantastic return to form for the Boss and two decades later, still sounds good.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Hate the name but tolerated the music. An experiment for sure but one that I don't plan on returning to.
Bee Gees
2/5
As I said in the other Bee Gees album, they were so much better in the disco era. This has good harmonies but oh boy does it suck in the latter half. Just insipid melodies and production. Really sucks.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Modern Dylan just isn't that interesting.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
It's fine. I also think his cover of Hallelujah is worse than Cohen's version.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Ehhh... didn't really like it. Not a fan of that 90s sound on this album. Plus the lyrics are ughhh which brings it down
2.5/5
Suicide
2/5
Interesting and ahead of its time but jesus fucking christ that 10 minute long Frankie song made me want to shut it off. Don't need that shit.
N.E.R.D
3/5
An interesting album! I know the talent behind it are really good which helps a lot since it takes a big swing and I don't think it hits a home run but a solid double.
4/5
Hmmm... this album starts so strong with an absolute bang and then loses steam in the 2nd half. Way too front loaded which made me be like meh in the 2nd half. Nonetheless, I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For is a top 5 favourite song of mine so that counts for a lot.
The xx
3/5
This is right up my ally in terms of indie but it was just meh. Allegedly they are back in the studio to release a follow-up and maybe that will get me into them but this was just meh.
3/5
The most britpop of britpop. A genre I dislike. I didn't mind this album and I like the song wonderwall. Otherwise eh.. at least it isn't that bloated.
Spiritualized
3/5
Sonically fun and something to throw on in the background.
3.5/5
The Who
3/5
Rock operas aren't very good.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
So that's where those lyrics come from. I've heard Spinning Wheel before but didn't know where it came from. Otherwise this was an interesting album. Kinda disjointed overall though.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
I dunno how I discovered this band in 2019 but I did and I've loved them ever since. It feels like a little hidden gem that no one I have ever talked to has heard of. Great stuff and happy that others have discovered them through this.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
The same song repeated 20 times.
Fishbone
3/5
At least it has black people in it.
U2
4/5
I like this sound of U2. Better than their later stuff.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
Uhhh... yeah why did this need to be here. Nothing special.
Now looking up the guy who is behind it, he's a very active producer with a ton of artists I really like (scissor sisters, jessie ware, rina sawayama to name a few) and very active to this day but probably that's where he should stay.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Ehh I don't really find the Talking Heads all that interesting and this is just parts of them. Fine I guess. Influential for the beats.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Tough to follow Thriller. Don't think he succeeded. Still good bangers.
The National
3/5
I like The National so this should be right up my alley but it's perfectly average. Just straight down the middle.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Ahh Björk before she became the Björk. A fun listen.
Parliament
5/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccvB00h6EnI
Funky as all hell.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A good album, but really long and lacks focus. Hendrix is a guitar god but yeah someone needed to tell him no.
The Beta Band
3/5
Uhh yeah okay? Middle of the road shit.
Travis
2/5
I mean it's music... it's just fine. I'd say so bland that I've already forgotten what it is and I'm listening to it right now. Completely forgettable.
2.5/5
Prince
4/5
3rd Prince album and he's fine. Like the music is good but it doesn't excite me like other artists. Talented guy for sure but just not for me overall.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Same complaint as the other Aguilera album: it's too fucking long. Did this need to be 80 minutes long? Absolutely not. Could you have cut half of it and have a decent product? Absolutely. Hearing the same shitty early 2000s production gets very exhausting.
Kate Bush
4/5
Wiki says this was her experimental album but it didn't feel that way to me. I really enjoyed it.
The Pogues
3/5
I should have liked this more than I did.
Rush
4/5
This is held as a masterpiece of prog rock, and I get understand why. Still it's prog rock and I find it dull quickly.
The Beach Boys
3/5
That was white.
The Cure
3/5
Like the other Cure albums I've gotten, it's fine. Like completely fine. Not bad, not great, just fine.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Quite dated stereotypes and very white.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Great stuff. Can see why this is considered one of the templates for heavy metal.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Holy this this band got another album on the list? What the fuck..... yeah it sucked. But hey it's short which is great.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Another absolute banger of an album. Like the other Tribe album this is the exactly the type of shit I love.
Bill Callahan
2/5
I've been quite a fan of the country that has been on this list, but this album is a baffling choice. Nothing about this is exceptional and it's completely middle of the road. You forget songs and they aren't even finished.
Nirvana
4/5
Besides the hits, the rest of this album doesn't do it for me. It's still great stuff but it's never something I really return to.
Incubus
2/5
This ain't my jam. It's pretty generic and bland.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Well this was shit. Mediocre 90s British electronica? Sounds like the soundtrack to a bad video game.
At least it attempted to try something new in mixing in Indian music. That doesn't make it good, but it attempted.
R.E.M.
4/5
Stand is one of REMs best songs. I didn't enjoy this as much as the other albums, but it's still some great music.
The Zutons
3/5
Uhh.... yeah? It's fine. Perfectly middle of the road schlock.
The xx
3/5
This band got 2 albums on this list? I don't understand this author. It's fine indie rock... but 2 from this band? Really??? I love my indie stuff but there are way better indie rock albums that could have been chosen..
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
The day has finally arrived. I was wondering when I would get around to this. I'd finally have to make the plunge and listen to it. I've tried before but always gave up. I know the whole history of this album and how many people love it. Yeah... it's rough. There are moments when it sounds good but otherwise I find it unlistenable. It makes all the shitty 90s britpop look like Mozart. I think anyone who says this is their favourite album is trying to be pretentious.
Looking at my criteria for 1 star albums, I complain about the vocals and this album is rife with it. I appreciate that it exists and it should exist but it's not something I'll ever return to.
Neil Young
4/5
Fantastic record from him. I've listening to Old Man for a long time now. What a great song written by such a young person. Still annoyed he pulled his work from spotify.
4.5/5
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Bland forgettable mid 90s British meh.
The United States Of America
2/5
Ehh definitely aiming high for something but didn't work. Interesting for the time period for sure.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Not my thing.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
It's fine. I like me some blues rock and this scratches that itch to a satisfactory degree.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Damn is this a great album and the best selling album of all time for a reason. What more can be said.
The Auteurs
4/5
Oh more britpop but hey it's not super long and gets to the point. It was quite enjoyable. Nothing amazing but pleasant enough and it is better than a bunch of the other mediocre britpop on here.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Great stuff.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Man if only I were smart enough to release the sounds of my modem from the 90s. I'd be a genius! As always open mind but this is utter shit. Reading about this group I see why it is included and then you learn about the horrible piece of shit one of the members was. Real absolute trash of a person.
Should be relegated to the museum as a historical curiosity but otherwise it's garbage music by a band with a garbage person in it (the other people seem okay and dealt had to live with the abuse)
Stan Getz
4/5
Some nice bossa nova to put into the background. Perfect chill album and I didn't know this was the source of The Girl from Ipanema. Wish there were more albums like this from the bossa nova category instead of the nth 90s britpop . There has to be a lot more in this genre to discover.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
So recently I've gotten a few of the lowest rated albums on this list. Just two days ago I got that piece of trash that is Throbbing Gristle. Looking at the lowest rated albums I was expecting something truly trash with this and.. wtf is wrong with y'all. Compared with the other stuff at the bottom, this isn't comparable. It's not amazing but it is super more listenable than the other stuff. Again at least it's not another generic 90s Britpop.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Wait this is from the late 90s not the 60s or 70s?
Eminem
2/5
Yeah... this hasn't aged well. I get it's a character but in the two+ decades that have passed it just doesn't fit with our view of society today. A product of its time but not worth it.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I know he is a talented musician but this was.. ehh.. too long. Also the album cover is god awful.
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Whole load of meh from me. Sounds like the singer is a bit drunk the entire time.
Peter Tosh
3/5
I think this guy likes weed.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Ah the streak of the bottom of the barrel continues. Feels like I'm making up for lost time. The other Pere Ubu album was my first 1 star and compared to that one, this is certainly better, but that's really not saying a whole bunch. Like this piece of shit is less smelly than another piece of shit. Still absolute garbage.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Hell yeah this is what I love when I want to listen to some classic blues rock. Great debut and knowing what was to come, it's impressive how clearly they knew what sound they wanted.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Just completely average and forgettable. I just finished listening to the album and I don't think I could tell you anything about it. It's not bad but not memorable in anyway.
Van Halen
3/5
Oh that song. Yeah I enjoy that song. Very 80s. The rest is just meh. At least it's short.
The White Stripes
5/5
Love the White Stripes. I've listened to this album a ton so I knew every song. Still regret never seeing them live.
Animal Collective
3/5
This should be right up my alley with the indie-nature but it was just fine. Nothing special. A little long as well.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
Been listening to this album for a long time and will continue to do so in the future. Some great late 60s folk rock. Love it, although 4 way streets is still the better versions of these songs.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Listen... I live in Berlin. I've been to the seedy sex clubs that would play weird shit like this. Doesn't make it good. I get maybe why this was important but by god is it just the worst shit. Incidentally I've gotten a bunch of the lowest rated albums in the last month or so and this definitely deserves to the lowest. It's just not good.
Ghostface Killah
2/5
So many rap albums age poorly. This is included.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Forgettable music.
The Bees
3/5
Another indie band I should like but was just fine.
John Grant
3/5
Huh... lots of indie stuff that should my bread and butter but again just fine. A little long.
David Crosby
3/5
A perfectly fine album from Crosby. I got the CSN album last week and this is similar. However it doesn't reach the heights other work does. 3.5/5
Public Enemy
3/5
I enjoy this style of hiphop but boy does it get a bit repetitive near the end. 3.5/5
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Uhhh didn't know half finished songs could be released. Shame he had mental health issues, but the music still sucks. 1.5/5
Morrissey
3/5
My disinterest in the Smiths is well documented through this journey, especially with my distaste of Morrissey. This album wasn't as bad as the others. It was just fine. Nothing more.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Perfect music that just fades into the background and you can just enjoy it without too much effort.
Manu Chao
3/5
It was fine. Not really my cup of tea but enjoyable.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Great album. Never really listened to Sabbath but I probably should listen to more of that 70s stuff.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
This is my first time listening to a Siouxsie Sioux album and I'm surprised it has taken me this long to do so. She's been an influence on so many artists I love. Saying that.. I found this album just fine. Maybe it'll take a few re-listens to fully appreciate but it just didn't do it for me on the first listen.
TLC
3/5
Not really my thing.
Neil Young
3/5
Ehh it's fine... not super amazing but fine.
Skepta
2/5
I guess if you're British?? I don't really get it. Pretty forgettable stuff and not all that interesting. Maybe it's the British accents, but it doesn't really work for me at all. Sounds very silly.
Elvis Costello
3/5
It's been almost 500 albums since I got another Costello so maybe I'm more receptive to it. Nonetheless, it's still pretty bland. And too long. 2.5/5
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Really fun album to put on in the background and just feel the vibes.
Nick Drake
4/5
Another nice little album from Nick Drake.
The Killers
3/5
The first time I've really listened to the Killers. I guess it's fine? I like some songs that are famous bu totherwise... ehhh..
Orange Juice
3/5
It was fine? Forgettable at best.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Okay this was kinda fun. Got that 80s hair metal to the max. Not something I'd listen to often but the hits are hits for a reason. 3.5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
It's been over a year since I listened to Nick Cave when I got another album from him (at least in this form). I still don't like it. This album was just ehh.... I don't like this guy and still don't understand why he got on this list so many times.
Paul McCartney
4/5
I've never listened to this McCartney album and it has vibes. Definitely sounds fresher now than it probably did at the time of releases. Nonetheless, some stuff is undercooked and probably needed another pass through.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Since the first time I got MBV on this list, I have come to really enjoy shoegaze. However did this really need to be on here? It's fine but nothing amazing.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Like I said previously, Sinatra is a boring singer. Technically proficient and consistent, but bland. He really can't sing bossa nova. Lack of a better word, but it's so god damn white.
2.5/5
Django Django
5/5
I liked this a lot. Another band I've heard the name of but didn't listen to. A surprising discovery and need to explore the rest of their discography.
Anthrax
2/5
Ehh not my thing. Like the other metal albums on this list, I enjoy the instrumentation but when they start singing it's just so wimpy.
3/5
A big old meh from me. Nothing memorable about this. I'm looking at my reviews for the other Blur albums and I definitely didn't enjoy this more than the other ones. It just kinda exists. Also suffers from my complaint of being too damn long. 60 minutes? Could have cut 20 minutes out and been fine.
Stephen Stills
2/5
I enjoy the CSNY albums quite a bit but their solo works are just... eh... did Stills really think he needed to make a double album? Not really. Too long and too boring.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Heard of this band but not that impressed. I don't think I remember anything about the album after having just listened to it.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It's Zeppelin IV.. what more needs to be said.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Ahh who doesn't love a 20 minute long prog rock song to open an album. Of course the rest is just meh. As I've said in the numerous other prog rock reviews, the genre isn't for me. It just gets a little too wanky at times and is so boring.
Tortoise
2/5
2nd day in a row where I get a 20 minute long opener song. This is an instrumental album which is the first in a long while. Nonetheless the music just isn't that interesting. It just kinda limps along never really being all that assertive.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
For a 43 minute album, it seems to go on forever. Songs sort of blend into each other and just sound similar.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
I feel like I should have enjoyed this more but it never really gets out of first gear. I know Bonnie Raitt is a talented musician but it just didn't work on this album.
2.5/5
Ride
5/5
This project has really converted me into a massive shoegaze fan. This album really worked for me. Have to check out their other stuff.
Mudhoney
3/5
I wasn't super vibing with it but god damn was this short. That's always a nice relief.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Started off very strong but I felt it lost energy as it went along. Still very funky.
Neneh Cherry
4/5
Based on the description, I was thinking that this would be another mid-tier hip hop album that hasn't aged well. I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy new jack swing and it felt short enough that it didn't fall into the traps of the eras. A nice breathe of fresh air.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Tedious. Just 60 minutes of the same boring loops. I got the other Fatboy Slim album almost 750 albums ago and I said then he has one trick and I agree. It's just tiring.
The Fall
2/5
Never heard of this band and reading wiki they seem to have an interesting history. Saying that, ehhh... not really my jam.
2.5/5
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
I'd heard of this band and album and when the title track played it, it was one of those moments of "oh yes THAT song". A rare instrumental album on here and I enjoyed it. Plus I can never really hate a short album. Really great musicians and a fun listen.
M.I.A.
3/5
I expected to hate this more than I did. It was fine. ANd hey it was short which helped so much.
Sade
4/5
I was familiar with a bunch of the songs on here from a greatest hits CD but never listened to the album in full. A pleasant journey and a nice smooth voice.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Did everything Damon Albarn touch need to be on here? No. No it didn't.
Suzanne Vega
5/5
This is my jam. I knew the name but never listened. Right in the sweet spot for me in terms of music. Definitely going to check out others from her catalogue
Orbital
2/5
Ahh another mediocre techno album. So much of the electronic music stuff on here, it ages poorly and doesn't sound exceptionally amazing. I live in the techno capital of the world so even if it's a genre I really dislike, I hear better versions walking down the street. I do like Alison Goldfrapp but even she can't save this. Also too damn long.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Ehh I normally enjoy 60s era British blues rock but this didn't do it for me. I prefer the Clapton yardbirds.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Not my thing. Just boring. As I said in my other review of Peter Gabriel, white people discovering world music. Not very interesting. Better than his other album, but that's not saying much.
Funkadelic
4/5
Well that was FUNKY as hell.
4.5/5
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Never heard of this band. Started off not really being my thing but by the end got a little better. Still it's pretty generic sounding at times so it's nothing super special at the end of the day.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
A few days ago I got the Yardbirds and I said how I prefer the Clapton Yardbirds. Now I get the band that Clapton left for. It's more in the direction that I enjoy.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
It was fine.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Great stuff. Shame she died so young as it would be great to hear where else she would have gone. A classic in blues rock.
4.5/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
I'm not really a Wilco fan (see my other reviews) so I wasn't really looking forward to this. It was until halfway that I decided to look up more info about this album and learnt it was Woody Guthrie stuff (is he even on this list? if not he should be 100%) that was mildly interesting. Nonetheless it's a mild curiosity. That's about it for me.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
See this is what the list needs more of. Music from other parts of the world I wouldn't have ever heard. This was great fun and I love the click of the Xhosa language. A great listening experience. More of this please!
James Brown
4/5
Nice and short energetic live album. Too bad James Brown was a real piece of shit person.
Talk Talk
3/5
Yawn. Boring forgettable 80s British new wave. The album is a good length but the songs are too long and just nothing feels like it goes anywhere.
2.5/5
T. Rex
3/5
Ehh it was fine. I didn't enjoy this as much as the other T. Rex album I got a while back.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Liked the start but it really dragged on near the end. Some of the covers were pretty meh. Todd in the Shadows did an interesting video about this band which helped put them into context. Still feels like you had be there to understand as nowadays it's just overly long 80s stuff.
Os Mutantes
4/5
This is the shit that should be more prevalent on the list. I'd never heard of them before and it was a great mixture of Brazilian music with 60s psychedelic. More of this please.
Gotan Project
3/5
Neat idea. But doesn't go beyond that. A little long and good for the background but nothing more than that.
The White Stripes
5/5
Another White Stripes album? Hell yeah. I've said in my other reviews that I wish I saw them live and have been a big fan for almost 2 decades. I didn't really need to listen this album since I know every White Stripes song forwards and backwards. So good.
PJ Harvey
4/5
A great debut album from PJ. I've enjoyed the other ones that I've gotten and still be meaning to do that deep dive (especially since I'm seeing her live a few times this year at festivals).
4.5/5
Scott Walker
5/5
This is absolutely my jam. Love it.
Liz Phair
4/5
It's been over a decade since I listened to this album and I definitely like it a lot more now than I did over a decade ago. Feels fresher to me. Love the sound.
The Libertines
3/5
I agree with the top review calling this landfill indie. It's fine but I've completely forgotten what it sounds like. I do know I enjoyed it while listening but that's it.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
This was a fun little jazz record (which I think is poorly represented on this list) and I really enjoyed the live improvisation. Quite fun.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
So... I like the vibe of this album but knowing it's about an old due falling in love with a 14 year old is yikes.
I would give it a 1 but I want the 1s I give out to be things I don't ever want to listen to again. As much as I hate the subject matter, the music itself was quite pleasing which saves it.
1.5/5
Crowded House
3/5
It's music? Nothing really stuck out to be. It's fine. Nothing bad but nothing special. A common response I have but really nothing made an impact on me. It's competently made but that's all I can say.
Fugazi
3/5
Pretty generic sounding punk rock. Nothing special.
Klaxons
3/5
The top review calls this nameless indie rock from the UK from the 00s and that pretty much sums up my opinion. It's fine but nothing beyond that.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
The 5th (!!) Leonard Cohen album. Been a long time since I last got an album of his and I enjoyed this one. Maybe it has been so long I forget that I found him passable but this one was fun.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
This is the 5th Neil Young album I've gotten and really this wasn't needed. Did I really need to listen to 2 10 minute long jams from a 90s Neil Young? No. No I didn't.
David Bowie
3/5
The 8th of 9 Bowie albums another one that is just fine. I live in Berlin so I know how liked this album is here but it's a whole lot of meh. Nothing mind blowing and kinda dull at points. Bowie is fine but I don't think he needed so many albums.
Mj Cole
2/5
The other reviews have summarised it. This is generic beyond all generic. This could have been replaced with hundreds of other DJ albums. Just bland bland bland. 1.5/5
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I'd heard the name of this band before but have never listened to them. It had a neat little sound but again, the album is too long and runs out of steam 2/3 of the way through, especially ending on exceedingly mediocre long instrumental tracks.
The Coral
3/5
It started off with a high note and I thought "oh this is something interesting" but kinda limps along after that. Again another album where I damn it with faint praise. It's completely normal and nothing special.
Circle Jerks
3/5
A big complaint I've had on this list is that albums are too long. This is the first album that I've listened to that I warrant the opposite complaint and maybe they could have added a little bit more. Not a whole lot more but at a brisk 15 minutes it does feel a little undercooked. I guess that's punk though so who am I to judge? Still compared to the overly long albums, a short 15 minute one is beautiful.
2.5/5
Ryan Adams
2/5
Early 2000s schlock. Very dull and way too long.
Gang Of Four
3/5
More average post-punk stuff on this list. Feel like I've heard this album 10 different times over the last 850 or so albums. Nothing special. At least it isn't too long.
Pentangle
4/5
Neat little historical artifact. Very medieval sounding.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
This was fun. Just some chill relaxing music for the morning
Stan Getz
4/5
It's jazz and samba. What more can you hate? Really relaxing enjoyable stuff.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
4th album from the Stones and it's fine. Opening track is a banger and the rest is just meh. I've never found the Rolling Stones all that interesting. They are present and fine but beyond their hits, their album tracks are just okay and nothing exceptional.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Listen, I love Ella. I'm a swing dancer by training and have listened to her for hundreds of hours, probably thousand+ now. However why did they choose this as her representation? I like Gershwin as well but why choose the over 3 hour long compilation. It is great stuff but couldn't they find a better version like Ella and Basie! which is much shorter (40 minutes) and more coherent? I don't get it... it's fantastic music and I want to rate it 5/5 but it is too damn long and could have been pared down a lot.
Eagles
3/5
Great first track and then just the rest is pretty generic rock from that era.
Goldie
2/5
Absolutely not timeless. Generic garbage.
1.5/5
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
Meh. Generic sounding 2000s era rock.
Don McLean
3/5
Why is it that so many albums on this list have absolute fucking bangers as the first track and then just limp to the finish. The rest is fine but nothing special. But god damn is American Pie such a good fucking song.
Radiohead
3/5
Oh I was mistaken and there was another Radiohead album. Well my view hasn't changed. They are very good at writing the same song 10 times in a row. Did they really need 5 albums on this list? Absolutely not. 2 would be sufficient to get the gist.
The Clash
3/5
It's fine. Nothing special to my ears. Pretty generic punk sound.
What a great bunch of opening songs and then limps to the finish.
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Familiar with her but had never listened. It was fine.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
I understand why it's historically important for the UK but white guy steals black music.
2.5/5
The Byrds
3/5
Ehhhh I think the Byrds didn't need this many albums on the list. It's pretty fine sounding mid-60s folk rock. Nothing really elevates beyond many other albums from that era.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Why?
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Some fantastic South African-inspired jazz. I really enjoy this and wish there was more like it on this list. Especially from the Africa and not just African jazz.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Maybe you had to be there but given how critically acclaimed this album is I was expecting something a lot more. It felt very middle of the road and nothing really blew my mind.
Funkadelic
4/5
Funky, but I got another funkadelic record less than 2 months ago that was more funky so this didn't go as hard for me.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Sweet soothing sounds of Billie.
Donovan
3/5
Perfectly fine. Nothing more than that.
3.5/5
Soul II Soul
3/5
As a dancer, this stuff ages so poorly. There is way better versions of this out there.
John Lennon
3/5
One good followed by many meh ones. John needed Paul more than Paul needed John.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
This is the random weird shit I love on this list. I've never heard of it before and while I didn't enjoy it all that much, I appreciated something different.
Rush
3/5
It's fine. I like Tom Sawyer but it's still prog rock and gets a bit self-indulged at times. It's fine though
3.5/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
It's only 35 minuets until the best song on the album but by god did it feel like an hour. Just not good stuff bar Come on Eileen which is certified banger.
2.5/5
Basement Jaxx
2/5
I'm a house dancer and hear a lot of fucking amazing house music all the time. This was garbage.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Ughh yeah... this absolutely did not need to be here. I don't even think it's that impressive listening to it. Just live prog-rock wankery.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Man what a start. Does feel a little dragging after that and kinda ends with a whimper but damn what a song. Carries the album.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Okay so this album leans into the kitsch and cheese and it just works. It's over-the-top in a very musical theatre way (unsurprising it came from a musical) that I normally don't like but again... it just works. It's stupid and Meat Loaf was the punchline for a lot of jokes but god damn is this fun.
Ash
3/5
Bland forgettable.
Billy Joel
5/5
Billy Joel is a favourite of mine and this album especially. I've listened to it many, many times. Probably the peak of his songwriting. He had good stuff after but nothing that every collectively reached this collection.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Meh.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Another band I've known about but have never listened to. Loved it. Very chilling and relaxing. However given the long length of each song, I find I'll be returning to this only now and then as I prefer shorter songs and with almost every song being a minimum of 7 minutes it's a bit long.
Foo Fighters
3/5
When I think generic rock this is what comes up.
David Ackles
4/5
This sounds very much like Scott Walker. A curious little discovery. Turns out this guy was popular amongst the Brits so unsurprising it turns up here. A nice discovery.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Hell yeah. This is the kinda shit I live for. I played SSX Tricky as a kid so I absolutely love It's Tricky.
Method Man
3/5
Ehh... not super into this. Especially since yesterday I got Run-DMC. At least it doesn't suffer from the overly long rap albums that were coming.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Given how revered and influential this band is (this is my first time listening to them) I was expecting more. I guess for late 70s it sounded amazing but definitely a formula that was iterated on by the numerous bands that were influenced them later.
3.5/5
The Icarus Line
3/5
The White Stripes rip-off for sure. But really? This doesn't seem to have had any impact on the culture in the 20 years since it was released. Not to say it was terrible. I love the White Stripes, but if I wanted to listen to that type of music, I'll listen to them.
David Bowie
4/5
I now believe that this is the last of the 9 Bowie albums. I can safely say I am completely eh on him. I enjoyed this quite a bit but I don't think he needed to be on here 9 times. Maybe 3 or 4 max. He's a perfectly fine artist but his music never really clicked with me. This album is one that did and maybe it's because it has that late 60s early 70s sound.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
I repeat my previous views on Sinatra. Fantastic voice that is so bland. It's technically proficient but it doesn't make me feel anything.
American Music Club
3/5
Eh.... when the only notable thing about this album is that it is in this book then you know it's going to be unremarkable. And surprise... it was unremarkable! Not terrible but nothing I haven't heard before.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Historical curiosity but nothing more than that. Interesting but doesn't really have staying power. Mostly forgettable and done better by later artists.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Fine. That's about it. Milquetoast.
White Denim
5/5
This is some great indie rock. I will be checking out more from them as it hits right where I like it.
The Pogues
3/5
Ehh it's fine. I enjoy celtic-inspired music but this didn't do it for me.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
It's bland generic dancey music. Nothing special. Inoffensive and commercial.
Scott Walker
4/5
I really enjoy Scott Walker and have found a lot of artists on this list have been influenced by him but can't quite be him. I will say that I enjoyed the other Scott Walker album over this one.
4.5/5
SZA
3/5
I know she's getting a ton of buzz and SOS is quite good but this was just fine. Somewhat generic sounding but can hear that she has something. Definitely the wrong choice to include her on this list though given how early into her career she is.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Generic slop. At least there were black people in it.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Ehh it was fine. Like the other Peter Gabriel albums it's fine. Nothing to write home about.
The Prodigy
2/5
Mediocre rave music that is boring.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
One of the best to ever do it. What else can one say?
Cat Stevens
5/5
Love it. Yusuf/Cat Stevens is brilliant. Loved this album for a long time and will continue to do so.
Ute Lemper
2/5
Ehhh.. it's fine but it's very theatrical and just .... eh.... musical theatrey.
Primal Scream
2/5
Uhh not my thing.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Second day in a row I get some mediocre noisy music.
2.5/5
Calexico
3/5
Fun mix of genres but at the end of the day, not super my jam. Still it sounded unique which is so much better as I reach the end of this thing.
3.5/5
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
I don't really care for Belle and Sebastian. It's fine indie rock but didn't really wet my whistle.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Emmylou Harris makes this album great. Shame she wasn't given as much recognition as she should have at the time. Reading more about it, seems like Emmylou was the only adult in the room.
4/5
Maybe it's because I'm getting to the end of this challenge but this was great. It wasn't another endless boring 90s Britpop that all sound the same. It was trying sound different and it did and I loved it for that. I wouldn't reach for it to listen to all the time, but when I want something different I'll go to this. The song titles are also wild which I love.
The Doors
4/5
Great stuff. I haven't really explored The Doors beyond their hits (and the other album on this list) but I really should. They were able to bring the goods.
4.5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
On review 203 I said I had never heard of this band and loved it. Now 729 days later (almost exactly two years) I have seen them live twice and love them. So what a great discovery from this list.
Kings of Leon
4/5
First time listening to Kings of Leon but I have been familiar with the name for a long time. I enjoyed it. Was really easy listening
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Competent is how I would describe this. It's completely middle of the road and inoffensive. It's just there. And that's completely fine.
Madonna
3/5
Snooze fest. As the album goes on it sounds like the most generic 80s music you could imagine.
2.5/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Fine. Forgettable .
Saint Etienne
3/5
It's fine but I think this far into it I don't get why there needs to so much middle of the road 90s Brit electronica. I've heard it before.
3.5/5
Eagles
4/5
I grew up listening to Hell Freezes Over and had never listened to any other original Eagles albums. Looking it up 5 of the 8 tracks (why did they separate Wasted Time into two?) are on that album so I was very familiar with all the songs. It was interesting to hear the originals and I think I prefer the live versions more. Still fun stuff. Nice and easy listening.
Neil Young
3/5
The 6th Neil Young and really didn't need this. It's fine by his standards but otherwise I've already forgotten it .
Kate Bush
4/5
Never listened to her before but I know a lot of artists I like were influenced by her music. Great stuff.
M.I.A.
3/5
It feels like recently I got her other album. Did she need two albums on this list? I dunno... completely forgettable.
Thundercat
5/5
Inject this shit into my veins.
Traffic
3/5
Like I said on the other Traffic album, it's listenable. Nothing special at the end of the day.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Very Doorsy. Probably played well at the time but now it's just fine.
Motörhead
2/5
Mediocre live album. Really agree that it's the same song repeated. Absolutely did not need to be on here.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
In theory this is the kinda bullshit I enjoy. On the other hand the songs are long and the voice isn't that amazing. So in the end, it's okay. Kinda annoying it isn't on Spotify.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Well well well here we are again Elvis. It's been about 150 albums since we last encountered you. This is the 5th of 6th albums of his. Honestly I kinda dug this one. Now did he need 6 albums on here? Absolutely not. Probably 2 would have been fine. 3 would be pushing it but 6? no....
3.5/5
Elvis Costello
3/5
HA! Just yesterday I got the 5th Elvis Costello album. Not 24 hours later I get the 6th and final one. My views haven't changed in 24 hours. This album wasn't needed. At least it was short.
De La Soul
4/5
Love this era of hiphop. Always love a collab with Q-Tip. Really fun stuff.
Marty Robbins
5/5
Well yee-haw, this is some good country shit.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
I dug this more than the other Todd Rundgren album I got. Still it did feel like it went on forever and forever.
3.5/5
Paul Simon
3/5
Like the other Paul Simon albums, there is some good stuff on here, but after the big hits, a lot is fine.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Is it cheap to give every Zeppelin album a 5? Maybe, but to me they are all really great and have been listening to them for all my life. Even if this is weaker album in their catalogue it's still what I want outta them.
Solange
2/5
Felt way too long and not great. There has got to be better music from 2016
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Yikes. Way too long and way too one note.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than the other Dinosaur Jr. album. Well until the penultimate song in which case.. no. None of that. But the rest of the album was great indie rock.
The Hives
3/5
A greatest hits album feels like cheating. Nonetheless, it's short so I can't really complain.
The B-52's
5/5
Yes... I love this album. Have for a long time.
There's a moon in the sky. It's called the moon
Neil Young
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Beyond Southern Man I think it's just fine. It's no Harvest.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This was boring. The Stones are a mid band. A few good songs but the rest is just meh. I honestly dunno how long they'll legitimately stand the test of the time.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Just like his CSNY band member from a few days ago, outside of one or two songs it's meh.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Should have been up my alley but it wasn't. It's just fine.
Raekwon
2/5
Didn't really enjoy this. But in typical 90s fashion (and especially bad with rap artists) the album is 30 minutes too long. Did they all need to fill 70 minutes worth of content with 40 minutes of material? No they didn't.
Ryan Adams
2/5
This dude got another album on here? Such a POS he is.
Kelela
3/5
Generic. Nothing special.
Primal Scream
3/5
Meh. Started strong and then dropped off. Kinda irritating near the end with too long songs.
Frank Black
3/5
It was fine but really long. I don't think this needed to be over an hour. The Pixies had albums that were under 40 minutes for a reason.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Ehh... alright. Probably not really notable outside the 90s.
2.5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
It's fine? Looking over the 2 other reviews of mine, it's middle of the road. Did they deserve 3 albums? Absolutely not. But it's inoffensive so that's what it has going for it?
Cocteau Twins
5/5
I've fallen in love with the Cocteau Twins since discovering them through this list. An excellent album with ethereal vibes.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Can't believe this dude got 3 albums.
4/5
This was a nice little respite from other music I've been listening to. Fun little album with some groovy sounds.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Fun. Probably would have cut the last song to make it a nice tight 40 minutes. Would be great.
Pixies
4/5
I waited to review this till after I'd seen the Pixies live. They were fine. Just fine. Not really interacting with the audience. But did out played a show and went home. That's what I think of this album. Perfectly fine.
Steve Winwood
2/5
Even though this album is only 40 minutes (which I love) it still feels like it drags on. It's just that soft rock that just sounds so dated.
William Orbit
3/5
Generic background music. The only notable thing about this album is that it was included in this book. 2.5/5
Yes
4/5
Oh hey it's that meme song. Otherwise it's straight down the middle prog rock. In fact I'd say that because this album is only 40 minutes I liked it. Prog rock can be very wankery but if they at least keep it within a good time period.
PJ Harvey
5/5
I've seen PJ Harvey live now 3 times this year (thanks festivals!) so I've seen a bunch of these songs live. I really enjoyed it. PJ Harvey has been a great discovery through this list.
The Doors
4/5
What a great debut album. The Doors are a great band with a deep catalogue.
4.5/5
MGMT
4/5
A band I've always heard of but never really looked into. I enjoyed it! Also that's where that one song comes from. I'd heard it before but didn't know it was from these guys.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Damn so many hits. The non-hits are pretty good too but the hits are fucking amazing.
Mariah Carey
3/5
I think the other reviews have said all I wanted to say. Amazing voice with mediocre songs. They just feel so generic.
3/5
Like the other Kinks albums, this was fun. Nothing mind blowing in the end.
3.5/5
Buzzcocks
3/5
Straight down the middle punk rock for me. Nothing super amazing.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Not really for me. It definitely picked up as it went on but still, I'm indifferent to it. Since this was a collab with Bowie, whom I also am indifferent to, this didn't speak to me in the end.
Silver Jews
3/5
This kinda indie rock should be right up my alley but... ehh wasn't. It's fine.
Aerosmith
4/5
A lot of hits on this album. It's very over the top and I enjoyed it for that reason. Of the 3 Aerosmith albums I got, this was the one I enjoyed the most.
Kanye West
1/5
He is a Nazi piece of shit and I will continue my streak of giving his albums 1 for that reason.
For the actual album, it's the only one of his I've actually enjoyed. Nonetheless, it's way too damn long and has stupid skits. Like so many albums from that era, if you cut out 20-30 minutes it would be a solid album.
Bauhaus
3/5
Like so many of the artists on this list... it's fine. As I reach the end I think my patience for these types of band is just wearing thin with like "yeah it's fine... I feel like I've heard this 200+ times already". The thing is that it is short so I can't really complain a ton which is great.
Dolly Parton
4/5
What a great album. I read that she's written over 3000 songs. Absolutely outstanding. Beautiful voice and wonderful song writing.
Can
3/5
I mean I guess it's cool? But it's prog rock so like a 20 minute song is expected. It's just tiring.
Supertramp
5/5
I was surprised at how many of these songs I knew so
I investigated and I had an album called The Very Best of Supertramp which I listened to a ton. 6 of the 8 songs on this album are on that compilation. So naturally, really loved it.
The La's
4/5
I really enjoyed the jangly guitars but damn I wish the singer was just a little better. Spoiled the album a bit for me since I loved the sound. Also legit didn't know There She Goes was from 1988 as I thought it was some rock classic from the 50s or something.
4.5/5
Korn
1/5
I was going to give this a 2 since it's everything I hate in 90s music. Too long. Shitty guitars. Shitty vocals. But god damn then All in the Family came on and it's just so immature and the fact they thought to release shows me they aren't worthy of a good rating.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
I saw Sleater-Kinney twice this summer at festivals and they were fine. Same with this music. It's fine. A little better than average but nothing super amazing. However it is short which is always a plus. 3.5/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Lovely country music. She is an absolutely delight on this.
Little Simz
4/5
I was familiar with her music before and a bit surprised to see this as a recent addition. TBH it has faired better than the other recent additions to this. Also it solves one MAJOR complaint I've had about rap albums: being too long! This is a brisk 35 minutes and I find helps so much.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
These guys got another album on the list? I mean it's not horrible but it's still meh.
2.5/5
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Appreciate the importance but didn't do it for me.
The Kinks
4/5
It was definitely Beatles adjacent. I think my other reviews kinda summarise it all: it's great but nothing mind blowing.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Akin to my other Bob Marley reviews, it's good stuff but boy is it repetitive. It does sound very samey near the end. Still it's relaxing to listen.
Gene Clark
2/5
Damn the dude from the Byrds got a solo album on this list? Yeah no reason this was essential. It said it did poorly in the US. Yeah because like 100 other people could make this album. Nothing special.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
yeah maybe firing Andy Warhol was a bad idea.
Common
4/5
I dug this album more than the other Common album I got a long time ago. Also what I loved is that it is a tight 42 minutes which is perfect length. Doesn't overstay its welcome. Shame about the Kanye connection but doesn't take away from it.
Megadeth
3/5
I've never been a metal kinda person so this album does get exhausting by the end, even if it's a short 36 minutes (hell yeah). Even then you do get the point of the songs after about 2 minutes.
The Fall
2/5
It's funny, I've gotten this band three times and the previous two times I wrote I had never heard of them. Apparently they are that forgettable I had to look up if I'd ever listened to them before. The band sounds great... the vocals suck. The last song is also... not needed.
Lambchop
3/5
This is certainly one of the albums i've listened to. As album 1007 I have nothing else to say. It certainly is an album.
The Who
3/5
Probably fun in the 60s... nowadays it's a lot of meh.
John Martyn
3/5
As I reach the end, I really just appreciated sub-40 minute albums. This helped me enjoy this a lot more than I might have before. Short and sweet. Still pretty mid.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Great stuff.
The Monkees
3/5
the discount beatles. I mean it's fine and listenable and they were literally created in a lab but I don't think looking back 60 years on this album is more of a curiosity of how corporate America tried to compete with the Beatles.
Maxwell
3/5
Smooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth
Khaled
3/5
Interesting but wayyyyyyy toooooooo lonnnnnnng.
2.5/5
Love
2/5
The top comments kinda cover it... looking back on my previous review of this band (another they have 2 albums on here??) I definitely didn't enjoy this much. It was just... there.
The Byrds
2/5
Once again I am baffled by how much Byrds there are on this list. I don't feel like anyone who isn't a boomer talks about them. I feel like once the boomers die off this music will be forgotten as it hasn't had the staying power of other artists from that era. Especially given they had 5 (!!) albums on this list
Miles Davis
5/5
This was great. Absolutely loved it.
2/5
This was from 1999? Damn. Felt like it was way past the due date.
Your Dictionary has some of the stupidest lyrics I've heard.
Also frustrating it's not on spotify.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
This was some great guitar driven music. What is preventing it from being a 5 star from me is that the songs are a little too long. If they were cut down by 1-2 minutes each they've be even better.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Just a few days ago I got another Marvin Gaye album which I enjoyed. This... not so much. It was too long and just not great. 2.5/5
Scissor Sisters
5/5
Fuck yes. Loved this band since discovering them in 2007 through Doctor Who (yes Russell T. Davies knew what he was doing) and know every song backwards in forwards. Absolute bangers from an amazing band. I just wish they would reform (Jake Shears' solo album from 2023 definitely scratches the scissor sisters itch).
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Oh god another Captain Beefheart album.... oh it is actually listenable. Kinda dug this and maybe if this talent shone through on trout mask replica it would have been a better album.
Mercury Rev
3/5
This is another type of band that should be up my alley but eh.... it's fine.
3.5/5
Nico
2/5
Meh. Not very good.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Ehh it's fine. Feels a little forced at times.
The Thrills
3/5
Some indie rock bullshit I should like but found just mediocre.
Underworld
2/5
Nah. It's fine generic electronic mumbo jumbo. Seriously why is there so god damn much of this on this list? It's so long and so boringggg
2.5/5
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
I've known the band name for a long time but never listened. Absolutely nothing special however it's under 40 minutes which is an absolute win for me at this point.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Compared to the other CCR albums on this list... this is maybe the weakest one. Still it's CCR and it rocks.
3.5/5
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Not at all my thing. The songs aren't really that interesting and the lyrics I don't like. Also too damn long.
Deep Purple
2/5
Nah we didn't need this. The live album isn't even that great.
The Associates
2/5
Man they really gave anyone a record contract back in the days eh?
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Yeah whatever. It's fine. It's not terrible. It's short but it's just another forgettable bit of 70s boomer rock that just exists.
Barry Adamson
2/5
I mean it's a neat idea but absolutely not essential.
Kate Bush
3/5
Uhh not really hitting for me. Felt more tedious than anything.
2.5/5
Mekons
3/5
This was a neat little album. Nothing super mind blowing but nice and short which this far into the challenge is a relief.
D'Angelo
2/5
Nah... just too bland for me. And too long.
2.5/5
Roxy Music
2/5
Yeah just wasn't vibing with this. Felt too played out and long.
The Soft Boys
3/5
It's almost really good. I can hear future bands taking this kinda sound and making it much better, but these people just didn't quite get there.
Genesis
2/5
Could someone have told them no? This album is over 90 minutes of which we did not need.
The Crusaders
3/5
It's hard to comment beyond the already mentioned "this is elevator music".
It absolutely is.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I loved the other Everything But The Girl album and have been a fan of them for a while, but this album is definitely a clunker. Prefer their later electronic stuff.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Still can't believe 3 albums from this band got on. The only good song was the one that's basically just Werewolves of London
2.5/5
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
It's perfectly fine music but eh... nothing special.
Richard Thompson
4/5
A really nice folk rock album from the 70s. Honestly it's the perfect length and just sounds great. It's not super mind-blowing in terms of novelty, but it executes what it does perfectly. A nice little hidden gem.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
It's a fine album but I think they had better.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Hard to disagree with the other reviews saying this was very influential but a tough listen. It absolutely feels so undercooked from someone in 2024. Definitely good to have heard but more on the historical curiosity side of things.
Goldfrapp
5/5
I love Goldfrapp so this is an instant like for me. The music just speaks to me unlike other albums in the similar genre.
The KLF
3/5
I know a bit about the history of this band thanks to pop culture (Doctorin' the Tarid is a pop and burning the million pounds). Still it feels.. very dated. I guess it made sense at the time? Still it's a little comical now.
2.5/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Thanks Simpsons for telling me about this album. Besides the title track it's pretty meh.
Big Star
3/5
Uhh interesting I guess? Apparently some people love this album a lot and I just don't get it.
Dagmar Krause
1/5
I'm completely baffled by why this album is on here. There are so many albums that could have been on here but this got on? Why? It isn't good and has no impact on anything. Just a bunch of old-timey German songs. Not even interesting ones....
Slipknot
2/5
Compared with the other Slipknot album, I enjoyed this a lot more. It's still not really my thing but at least it's listenable.
2.5/5
Van Morrison
3/5
As I reach the end of this challenge I ask myself, did there really need to be a live Van Morrison album? No there didn't. It's fine but really didn't need to exist.
Elton John
5/5
Love, love, love this album. Early Elton John is just so fucking good. Nothing more to say. Loved this album for a long time and will continue to love it into the future.
Small Faces
3/5
I had heard one of these songs before - Brian May covered Rollin' Over and apparently Smile did too in the early days before Queen - which was a nice surprise but otherwise I guess it's fine? A historical curiosity but to me nothing more.
Pavement
3/5
I know these guys are important in 90s indie rock (and I liked their other album) , but this was just down the line for me. Nothing amazing.
The Residents
1/5
I get why people were influenced by this but that person is not me. Some songs are listenable and others aren't but it gets more annoying the longer you listen and very tireseome.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I love Fiona Apple but this didn't need to be here. It's a great record and came out during the early days of the pandemic but still... probably not required listening on this. Nonetheless I personally love it.
Simple Minds
3/5
The top comment right now describes it perfectly. I've forgotten this album and I just listened to it. It does nothing remarkable nor notable and it just exists.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Neat I guess. As I reach the end I appreciate simple albums. Still doesn't do much for me but I'm happy it exists.
Baaba Maal
3/5
It would have been nicer to have a couple more of this sort of style of album on this list. I wouldn't say it is mind blowing, but it is interesting and different. I like that is from Senegal and not another generic britpop album.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Yeah another Zeppelin album that fucking rocks. Easy 5 from me. Been loving this for a long time and will continue to do so for a long time.
2/5
Just boring generic background electronic music. And too damn long.
Miles Davis
3/5
Meh. It's fine background music.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
If you're going to make a 90 minute album you better damn well be sure it's over 2/3s bangers. This was so fucking BORING. And 90 minutes? Yeah the south blah blah blah.... get a more interesting topic and chop half of it off and maybe you'll have a passable album.
1.5/5
Giant Sand
2/5
Yeah a chore. Seriously why is this on here? Maybe it's because I'm at the very end of this but really? So much boring ass shit. And too damn long.
Beck
3/5
Yeah this was not my thing. It felt more annoying than anything.
Green Day
4/5
Good god this brings back memories. I was in high school when this dropped and I remember hearing it everywhere. At the time I wasn't into the pop-punk stuff (wasn't really into music) and never really gave it the proper listen. Amazing how many songs I was familiar with despite never owning the album.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
It's fine. That's it. It isn't mind blowing or anything but fine.
Anita Baker
3/5
It's fine. Like completely down the road generic fine. It's inoffensive and bland and very easy listening. That's about it.
4/5
Ahh I wondered when I would get this. I was nearing the end and with only 18 albums left, I still hadn't seen it. It was the last (I am pretty sure) really low rated album that I hadn't gotten.
Honestly... I loved it. Maybe I am just so cynical after 1000+ albums it was different. Not every song worked, but it was trying something and I dug it. Especially the later half of the album. It was just strange enough in a way that worked for me. I get why this wouldn't be for everyone, but for me it worked.
Ray Charles
3/5
A fine big band / swing album. I wouldn't say it's anything super mindblowing given some of his other work.
3.5/5
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Neat for the time but nothing I would return to.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Proves to me the Stones always were mid. They were perfectly mediocre. This was an okay album but nothing special or innovative.
John Lennon
3/5
Meh. I said last time that John needed Paul more than Paul needed John. This album is a boring clunker. Just so tepid and uninspired.
The Streets
1/5
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. This is a joke right? The rapping is so fucking bad. If you told me this was some kids rap album they made in their bedroom for fun, I'd be like "oh good job! impressive for someone to do themselves" but this was commercially released.
I seriously thought with the last 11 albums or so I was done with the dregs and I'd get some mediocre crap but seriously... this was shit.
Soft Machine
2/5
Masturbatory self indulgent tripe. Way too long and way too boring. As I reach the end of this, this kinda shit is just so uninteresting. It's just too. fucking. long.
1.5/5
King Crimson
2/5
God two days in a row with prog rock. There is a reason why people made fun of this because we don't need 14 minute long songs that aren't interesting. This is just tiring.
The Cramps
3/5
A slightly worse version of the B-52s. Still a fascinating listen.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Some nice country tunes. As I reach the end of this list, I feel country wasn't represented enough and they could have added more. I really enjoyed most of the country albums on here and this suggests there are more gems like this. Did we really need so many mediocre Briptop albums? Or generic 80s rock crap? More of this please.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Fun old school sounding style hiphop.
3.5/5
Meat Puppets
3/5
Perfectly fine. Nothing beyond that. Completely perfectly average.
New Order
3/5
The 2nd New Order album and looking back on my old review, my thoughts still apply. Generic, bland, tepid. Not all that interesting. At least it is short is all I can say.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Hey, the really good part of that Paul Simon album. Fun stuff. As I'm only 5 albums away from completing the list, I wish there were more stuff like this. It's just interesting music. There has got to be more like it out there. If the authors could find hundreds of generic boring albums from the UK, they could have at least got them from Africa. That would be interesting.
3.5/5
Radiohead
3/5
There was another Radiohead album? One of them must have been removed since I thought they were only 4. Anyway my stance on Radiohead hasn't changed since I began this: they are boring and uninteresting. This album was fine. It's okay. Nothing special. Kinda dull. At least it was a smidge over 40 minutes which is a plus.
Gorillaz
3/5
Surprised this is the only Gorillaz album on the list. Outside Clint Eastwood, I don't find this a super banger album. They are still finding their sound here and it's a preview of things to come.
Big Black
3/5
It's fine. I know how influential Steve Albini is and his death is a loss for music production but eh. It's okay. Not really my jam.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Pretty chill alt country/jazzy sounds. I enjoyed this quite a bit. As the penultimate album, this was a nice way little album to discover.
Fever Ray
4/5
Well this is it, the final album. After almost 3 years I'm finally done.
I have to say, this was a nice one to finish one. I've seen Fever Ray live before, at some festivals, so I knew what I was getting into. Saying that, I am not the largest fan of them. It's got a vibe that you really have to be in the mood for and I've never quite been in that vibe completely. Still a really unique artist that is doing something interesting. Better than the enumerable long album boring British bands that barely have an impact on music.