402
Albums Rated
3.04
Average Rating
37%
Complete
687 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Curator
Rater Style ?
34
5-Star Albums
17
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sincere | 5 | 2.38 | +2.62 |
| Bright Flight | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Medúlla | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Only Built 4 Cuban Linx | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
| Kilimanjaro | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
| Millions Now Living Will Never Die | 5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
| NEU! 75 | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
| Trans Europe Express | 5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
| Buffalo Springfield Again | 5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
| Selected Ambient Works 85-92 | 5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heroes | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Sign 'O' The Times | 1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
| Fever To Tell | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | 2 | 4.26 | -2.26 |
| Ocean Rain | 1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
| Cypress Hill | 1 | 3.15 | -2.15 |
| Rattus Norvegicus | 1 | 3.15 | -2.15 |
| This Is Hardcore | 1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
| Country Life | 1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
| Suede | 1 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 6 | 4.67 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.6 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
| Björk | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Morrissey | 2 | 1.5 |
| David Bowie | 6 | 2.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Prince | 1, 4 |
| U2 | 5, 2, 3 |
5-Star Albums (34)
View Album WallPopular Reviews
Raekwon
5/5
Catchy, groovy, through and through. Thought I would like it after “Tical” and was happy to be right.
3 likes
Silver Jews
5/5
Smooth, clever, well-balanced. Love the vocals and acoustic guitars.
2 likes
Mj Cole
5/5
Fantastic. Sparse without being boring. Repetivie without being monotonous. Less vocals the better in general here.
1 likes
Nina Simone
4/5
Always incredible.
*What More Can I Say?
*Why Keep On Breaking My Heart?
1 likes
The Teardrop Explodes
5/5
Drums are great, guitar work is unexpected sometimes. Best of these British punk-ish albums so far.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (17)
All Ratings
The Beach Boys
5/5
Wonderful way to start.
Ray Charles
3/5
* You Don’t Know Me
* Born to Lose
* Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles
Harry Nilsson
4/5
*Early In The Morning
* Jump Into the Fire
Also decent Arthur Russell Iowa Dream vibes at spots.
Common
3/5
*Faithful
A lot more Kanye than I was expecting. Don’t know anything about this but always thought about Lupe Fiasco.
Patti Smith
4/5
Fiona Apple but faster.
Some of the guitar work sounds like the Strokes.
The Byrds
4/5
More modern than I was expecting. 12 string reasonably well-paced, don’t get sick of it.
* All I Want to Do
* It’s No Use - sounds like the Guess Who, the solo is insane.
Faith No More
3/5
The Used stole these guys’ chord progressions. Almost didn’t finish: Surprise! You’re Dead brought me back in.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Guitar on the title track is fantastic. Nothing special as far as my exposure to country music can tell.
Method Man
3/5
Groovy, not as corny as I was expecting.
*Sub Crazy
*Release Yo Delf
Nina Simone
4/5
Always incredible.
*What More Can I Say?
*Why Keep On Breaking My Heart?
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
*Let Her Go, God Bless Her
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
Reminded me a lot of Elliott Smith. Some modern moments and some really neat breaks.
*The Shining
*Cause a Rockslide
*Bewilderbeast
Stereolab
3/5
Groooovy. Better than expected, but nothing too much jumped out.
*Old Lungs
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Decent! Nothing too special.
*December
Aerosmith
2/5
Solid through and through.
*The hits, of course.
Prince
1/5
No interest. 4 tracks in and nothing stands out.
The Roots
3/5
Groovy. Nice push and pull between songs.
*Sacrifice
*Thought @ Work
*Break You Off
*Water
John Lee Hooker
2/5
Better slower, better acoustic.
*Rockin’ Chair
*My Dream
Morrissey
1/5
If I never hear another Morrissey song again I will be okay.
The Doors
5/5
Immediate hit. Loses some steam with Alabama Song, but picks right back up.
Nirvana
4/5
Fantastic. Riffs sound huge. Acoustic isn’t bad either. Joe liked it a lot.
10cc
1/5
Corny. Couldn’t get into it.
5/5
Killer intros, great textures.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Great. Not as far away from Fetch the Bolt Cutters as I thought it would be. Lost some traction by the end but the same can be said about her new stuff. First 3 songs are hit after another.
The Temptations
2/5
Groovy start, didn’t finish.
Neil Young
3/5
Haven’t ever enjoyed his voice. Borrowed Tune was a standout.
Listened to this the last day of this being on Spotify (1/26/22) what up.
The Prodigy
2/5
Can’t decide if this is the club music from The Matrix or a Tony Hawk soundtrack.
Not my taste but fun as hell.
Found out “Mindfields” was actually in The Matrix.
*Funky Shit
Crowded House
2/5
Bland. Didn’t finish.
Billy Joel
3/5
Easy listening—nothing stood out, except maybe the guitar on “She’s Always a Woman”.
3/5
Beatles-ish at times. Pleasant.
CHIC
4/5
Good Times, enough said.
Frank Ocean
5/5
Hooked right out of the gate. The hits are massive, drums sound great throughout.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Better than expected guitar work.
Megadeth
2/5
Couldn’t get into it. Didn’t finish.
Living Colour
2/5
Generic feeling. Bass was nice, vocals made me stop the album and go listen to Genesis.
The Band
3/5
Solid. Smooth.
*I Will Be Released
Barry Adamson
4/5
Trippy, spooky, more vibraphone and it would be the Twin Peaks soundtrack.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Nevermind but not as good. Great textures for the first few songs.
Anthrax
2/5
Ehhhh.
Joy Division
4/5
Liars + Airborne Toxic Event + _________. Not bad, loved the guitar tones and noodly sections.
Robbie Williams
1/5
Only half was on Spotify. That wasn’t a bad thing.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Started out great. Title track was a good closer. Killers-esque at times.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Fantastic. Haven’t listened to him before but classic songs done very well.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
Not for me.
Blur
3/5
Can really hear the connections to Gorillaz. Dynamite drums, vocals lost me some, but decent effort nonetheless.
Animal Collective
4/5
Didn’t have enough time to finish. Enjoyable but nondescript.
Metallica
3/5
Strings make it sound like a regular Coheed album. Usually think that kind of thing is tacky, but the first two tracks hooked me in. Couldn’t hang for 2 hours.
Beatles
5/5
Dynamite. Not as fleshed out, maybe simpler than their other albums but some really nice moments.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
It’s a keeper. Futuristic, seamless.
Eagles
4/5
Great. Worth coming back to across the board.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Not much here for me.
Norah Jones
3/5
Guitar-driven tracks shine. Nondescript in the rest. Pleasant!
Steve Earle
2/5
Didn’t make it far.
Ian Dury
1/5
Not for me.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Never gave the whole album a chance. Guitar is stellar. Lilac Wine + the hits, great album.
The xx
3/5
Minimalist, occasionally not very interesting.
LL Cool J
3/5
Better than expected. Some good ones up front but didn’t wow me.
Buffalo Springfield
5/5
Wonderful. Some dull moments, but otherwise great, low-key, well-performed.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Sounds like it was made today. Not gonna make it fully into my rotation but close.
The Fall
2/5
Oddball noise. Slint-lite.
David Crosby
4/5
Low-key. Pleasant. Will probably give a re-listen.
Deee-Lite
2/5
Expected to like this one more.
Funkadelic
4/5
What on earth did I just listen to? Great.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Dynamite. Groovy. Raw. Fun.
2/5
A bit corny, but decent.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Decent. Too long to finish. The slower the better.
Suede
1/5
Not for me. Middling.
Raekwon
5/5
Catchy, groovy, through and through. Thought I would like it after “Tical” and was happy to be right.
Paul Weller
2/5
Couldn’t finish.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Don’t mind his voice but not my thing otherwise.
The United States Of America
2/5
Trippy.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Can’t get past the voice.
5/5
Always glad to see the Beatles pop up. More theatrical, love the sitar. The wide, reverby ones are the most appealing on a first listen.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
Falls flat at times. Not expecting every second to be captivating, but some of the grooves leave something to be desired.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
“What Makes You Think You’re the One” has Fun. vibes. All over the place track to track.
Pretenders
2/5
Middling.
Def Leppard
3/5
Good guitar work. Not my style.
Supertramp
3/5
More variety than I thought there would be.
Pixies
4/5
Wanted to get into this album for a while.
The Replacements
2/5
Two punk albums in as many days. Pixies were better.
Stereo MC's
4/5
Smooth, takes its time. Rapping sounds dated, but pleasant.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Didn’t realize how much his voice sounds like Julian Casablancas at times. Biased towards live recorded albums. Noisy, fun.
Van Halen
2/5
Might as well jump.
Pavement
4/5
Wilco-esque at times. Solid.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Pass.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Very nice. Dylan always takes a couple of listens for me, but this was different. More focused.
David Bowie
2/5
Pleasing tone but the voice and the character album thing don’t do it for me.
Madonna
3/5
Trip hop Madonna. Who knew? Not bad, not great!
Motörhead
4/5
Fast, heavy. More punk than I thought.
Goldie
4/5
Need more time to digest.
The Smiths
3/5
Liked it more than the Morrissey solo album I had before, but not by a whole lot.
The Teardrop Explodes
5/5
Drums are great, guitar work is unexpected sometimes. Best of these British punk-ish albums so far.
Silver Jews
5/5
Smooth, clever, well-balanced. Love the vocals and acoustic guitars.
R.E.M.
5/5
Three in a row. Looking for a timeless sound and they found it. Crisp and focused.
Elastica
3/5
Pleasant. That’s about it.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Smooooooth. Drums are impeccable.
David Gray
3/5
Interesting, can see the influence it had.
Nirvana
5/5
Dynamite. Crisp, clear. Enjoyable straight through.
Gary Numan
2/5
Kraftwerk on my mind listening to this. Felt more frantic.
Echo And The Bunnymen
1/5
Didn’t finish—slowly getting weary of this genre.
Roxy Music
1/5
Couldn’t do it.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Not bad not great. Like the voice a lot but songs left something to be desired.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Love the flow, the delivery. Agree with the review that said parts didn’t age well, but good stuff.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Very nice. Going to California was gorgeous.
3/5
Eh. Was happy to hear Thom Yorke. Not great not awful.
OutKast
2/5
Wanted to like this more. Double albums are a huge turnoff in this project, but pushed through. Speakerboxxx felt like I couldn’t hear the vocals. The Love Below was better but mostly because of the instrumentals.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Guitar work and tone are immaculate.
Eric Clapton
2/5
Strange to have it back to back with Bluesbreakers. Okay, not for me though.
Supergrass
2/5
Some parts remind me of the Strokes. That’s all I can say.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Decent. “Blue Moon” has serious “Just You” vibes.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Strong Tyler the Creator influence if I can guess anything like that. Relentless.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
I’m sure it’s influential, but the delivery is too dated for me. Great instrumentals though.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Easy listening if you want. Passionate, exciting, inspired performances.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Couldn’t get into it, but not bad.
Prince
4/5
Dad used to play this while I waited in the car and he ran in to get cigarettes. He would restart it when he got back in. Bonus nostalgia points, not my thing, but enjoyed it more than Sign Of The Times.
Sade
3/5
Wish it was more compelling. Great voice, incredible bass lines. Not a whole lot more that grabbed me.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Gorgeous. Cinematic. Knew Piazzolla from his guitar works, but was expecting to enjoy this. Biased towards live recordings as well, but still a great record. Vibraphone haters stay away.
Eminem
2/5
Beats are good, the rest I could leave.
Travis
2/5
Eh. Not much to say.
Haircut 100
2/5
Continuing the streak of new wave albums I could have skipped. Sax was perfect, though!
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Voice sounded like Nate Ruess at first glance.
The Verve
3/5
Hits were all right, rest was listenable.
Oasis
3/5
Samey by the time you get to track 3.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
First one of these new wave albums I finished in a while. OK GO vibes at spots.
Japan
2/5
No thank you. Drums were all right.
The Band
3/5
Nothing super grabbed me but not so bad. Playing catch up with the albums so that’s probably skewing my impression.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Some really good tracks on here. Much better than expected.
Kate Bush
3/5
First couple of songs were instant hits. Couldn’t keep the pace up by the end. Great synth sounds.
Nirvana
4/5
Didn’t hit as hard as Nevermind across the board, but still has some absolute smash hits.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Was hoping to enjoy this more. Instrumentals are great, but couldn’t get into the style.
Garbage
2/5
Catching up. Only gave it a couple tracks to catch me. Didn’t work. Won’t bother making the joke.
The Who
3/5
Fine. Processed vocals were a nice surprise.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Clean, smooth, love the voices and guitars.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Noise at times. Unremarkable, but not unpleasant.
The Hives
3/5
Gets a third star for Untutored Youth.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
Already a fan, but incredible album. Instrumentation is wide and full. Songs are direct and compelling.
Funkadelic
3/5
Didn’t listen. Not on Spotify, but not gonna hunt it down.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Not sure it will make it into my rotation, but it was rich and diverse. Surprising and pleasant.
Judas Priest
3/5
What I expected. Nothing more nothing less.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Groovy, funky.
AC/DC
2/5
Samey. Didn’t make it through.
King Crimson
5/5
Good Lord what have I gotten into.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Not good enough for a 5 but not far off. Easy pop, catchy, there’s a reason she has stayed the test of time.
Deerhunter
4/5
Good, not great. Some really catchy bits and nice textures.
Buck Owens
2/5
Well done. Corny, but fun corny.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Couldn’t get into it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Don’t remember if I mentioned his voice last time but can’t get into it. Choruses we’re decent throughout.
Joan Armatrading
2/5
Expected this to catch me more.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Good, not great. Bluesy sections felt inauthentic. Any time there was an acoustic guitar was a plus. Vocals got on my nerves.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Not my usual, but gorgeous performance.
Nick Drake
4/5
Just made me want to listen to Pink Moon. Not as good, but the instrumentation was solid.
Tom Waits
2/5
Used to listen to hardcore music while falling asleep, but listening to this at home in the dark morning = terrifying.
Bland. Got bored listening to it.
Eagles
4/5
High quality songs. Not 100% for me, but was a good listen.
Neu!
5/5
Back half was slightly less engaging than the first but man this was a trip. Great.
Fugees
3/5
Stuff like this usually takes a couple of listens for me. Didn’t quite earn it though. No Woman, No Cry plus the Recuerdos sample were highlights.
The Clash
3/5
Fine. Never caught me. Double albums are a chore sometimes.
Megadeth
2/5
Heavy, clean, precise, just not for me.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Very nice. Kind of repetitive but the feeling is classic and not overdone. Not as cheesy as I expected.
Miles Davis
4/5
Will listen again for sure. Stuff like this needs to be familiar for me before I can really rate it.
David Bowie
3/5
Never caught me, but better than the last Bowie I heard.
The Temptations
3/5
Not any better or worse than I expected, but not my thing.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Feel like this would be a natural enjoyed record because of the Killers. Not bad, but not 5 for me.
Lorde
3/5
Was hoping to enjoy it more. Pop, nice synths, but not much in any other department.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
0/3 for Nick Cave albums for me. Lead off track was fine, but the rest was more of the same. Double albums are exhausting.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
Eh.
Beatles
5/5
Was ready to give this a 4 until I heard the last track.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Hard to lift the slow ballad style songs like this out of background music. Incredible performance, consistent and emotional, but can’t say I’ll listen to it much more.
Pulp
1/5
No thanks. Not just one starring racy covers, either.
Machito
3/5
On one listen it doesn’t transcend high quality late night TV talk show jazz. Frenzy was a highlight.
The Pharcyde
2/5
Bad streak here.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Listened to it on shuffle and got real impressed by the form. Not great but listenable, which is a feat for double albums for me.
The Dictators
2/5
Vocals were a turn off. I Got You Babe was the sole highlight.
Killing Joke
2/5
Average.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Fantastic. Unfortunate that the best song by far is the only one Wilco and Bragg didn’t perform.
Tina Turner
3/5
Better than expected but didn’t wow me.
Sugar
2/5
Bland.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Hard to rate. Not bad not great.
Linkin Park
4/5
Didn’t age as well as I thought but still really fun. Guitars were way more present and heavier than I remembered.
Genesis
3/5
More prog than I expected. Not bad not great.
The Byrds
4/5
Farther out there and more diverse than the other Byrds record so far.
2/5
Catching up so I might be biased but didn’t catch me. Bass was nice.
Napalm Death
2/5
Feel like I could get into this one time. Weird that the everything sounds behind the drums.
X-Ray Spex
1/5
Nope. Voice is the main put off.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Not enough to hold my attention but loved the sprawling feel.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Guitars are beautiful. Great sound, great album.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Not nearly as interesting as the first one I got from him.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
More excited about the fact that this was Portuguese language music than the face that it was a double album. Good!
Brian Eno
3/5
Not much here for me beyond the guitars, which made me think about Big Red Machine. Excited for the more ambient stuff though.
Van Morrison
5/5
Guitars and auxiliary instruments sound perfect. Almost a little too sprawling, but really enjoyable.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
If I hadn’t had this nearly back to back with more world music I would have enjoyed it more.
Green Day
4/5
Enjoyed this way more than expected.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Decent sound, decent songs.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Middling for me. Unexceptional.
Talking Heads
2/5
Same as the last album. Fine.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Fun for a minute, felt dated after that.
Wilco
3/5
Listened through even though it was double album length, which is a miracle for this. Nothing jumped out too hard, but I enjoy Jeff Tweedy a lot.
Cat Stevens
3/5
Miles From Nowhere saved this for me. Phil Collins during the uptempo parts.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Thought it would have a harder edge. Not uninteresting but couldn’t stay focused.
Scott Walker
2/5
Thinking of Jacques Brel. Might not have felt so tacky and overdone if it had been in a language I can’t understand. Not awful, just a very specific type of music.
Cheap Trick
3/5
The hits, of course. Production much better sounding than expected. Exciting.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Started off hoping it was more like Kraftwerk, motoric and repetitive. Disappointed the more it reminded me of U2. Idk.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Didn’t hit as hard as Darkness.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
More enjoyable, more listenable than White Light White Heat. The risks they took on the back half of the album didn’t pay off.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Repetitive, detailed, more to it than you get on a first listen. Great!
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Neat! Think I will enjoy an album without explanations more, they kind of took me out of it, even though they were helpful.
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
I’m not sure why I’ve always had the impression they were a Strokes knock off. Not for me.
2/5
Not awful but pretty much what I expected.
Elton John
4/5
About as good as expected. The feel loses steam over time, but double album and made it through which is nice.
Tori Amos
2/5
Not quite what I was expecting. Bland.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Electric when it starts, slowed down with the joke songs.
Alice Cooper
2/5
Didn’t grab me, didn’t repulse me.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
A bit dated but groovy at times.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
Somewhere in the vein of RSJ and Fiona Apple. Good not great.
Metallica
3/5
Long break, catching up.
Sparks
2/5
Long break, catching up.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Clean synth sounds but too 80s for me.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Decent funk.
Lou Reed
2/5
Felt like I got bored very often. Not awful.
k.d. lang
2/5
Not for me. Catching up so could be just giving it a shallow listen.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Skipped.
MC Solaar
2/5
Good instrumentals.
Big Star
2/5
Slow and corny feeling for my taste.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
RIP not on Spotify.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Love some cuica. Groovy as all get out, but not a repeat listen.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Too slow
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Skipped most.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Decent but wouldn’t listen again.
Björk
4/5
Appreciate it more than the last time now that I have more music like it in my listening. Still not 5/5.
Arrested Development
3/5
Not what I expected but not bad.
Traffic
2/5
Not as interesting as I hoped.
Otis Redding
3/5
Good when it’s good, voice is incredible. Monotonous listening straight through.
System Of A Down
4/5
Vocals are great—don’t know anything about ska but some of the instrumental makes me think of it. Tony Hawk soundtrack music.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Not bad just not terribly interesting. Guitar work in a few tracks is very nice.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Smooth, love the chords in The Windmills Of Your Mind.
Mj Cole
5/5
Fantastic. Sparse without being boring. Repetivie without being monotonous. Less vocals the better in general here.
Dire Straits
2/5
Couldn’t get into it.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Decent, but not much there songwriting wise. Strengths in the guitar tone/riffs.
Air
4/5
Didn’t hit as hard as MJ Cole but no skips, very interesting.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Less of a standout than I was hoping but some really neat sounds, especially towards the end of the record.
Giant Sand
3/5
Reminds me of Silver Jews.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Not hung up about the instrumentation but the two earlier albums I know seem to have vocal production I prefer and the songs were more focused than these. Still quality.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Groovy but not a replay for me.
James Brown
3/5
Was hoping this would stand out more. Good not great.
Tricky
2/5
Forgettable. Better than what the description made it seem.
Steely Dan
3/5
Pleasant. Have seen this at record stores for a decade and never listened to it.
Kanye West
4/5
Not as groundbreaking feeling because I was more familiar with his newer stuff. Cool to get context near the midpoint of his career after already having his debut album on the project. Solid.
Al Green
3/5
Groovy, soulful. Easy.
Violent Femmes
3/5
Didn’t expect folk rock. Reminds me of AJJ.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Interesting rhythms, love the guitar.
Ash
4/5
Vocals were a bit bland but the album is easy to listen to and songs are strong.
Minutemen
4/5
Really fun.
The Police
4/5
Much wilder and stranger than I thought. Tight. First time actively listening to Every Breath You Take.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Rambling.
Elbow
3/5
More interesting than I expected. Strange to think this is 2007.
Beatles
4/5
Great, not amazing. Catchy and quick, great instruments, but I prefer the later sounds.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
When I saw Roxy Music was an influence I lost hope. Better though.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Half hour was good with such a distinct style. Imagine live was better. Hits are great.
Doves
3/5
First few songs sound more modern than they should be. Fizzled after that.
Portishead
2/5
Not as trip hop as I wanted.
The Clash
3/5
Every new song: “Wow I have heard this before.” I have never listened to the Clash.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
Trippy, fun, definitely worth another listen.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Classic. Iconic. Fun.
Nas
3/5
More listenable than some of the other classic rap albums but still difficult for it to come across to me.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Neat stuff!
The La's
3/5
Decent—of course the best song is their hit.
David Bowie
3/5
Fine. Was hoping for more with the Kraftwerk and Neu! influences reported. Best Bowie so far.
Os Mutantes
4/5
Really neat. Reminded me of Crack-Up in terms of how wild the form got at times. Won’t be regular listening but was a highlight of the non-US albums.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Fun fun fun. Not as focused/direct as what came later, but so nice.
2/5
So bland please no more David Bowie albums.
John Lennon
4/5
Really listenable, but didn’t feel profound. Really thought John Lennon would have gone way farther out when he went solo.
Manu Chao
3/5
Better than expected.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1/5
Couldn’t finish it. Voice got on my nerves.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Pretty enjoyable through and through.
Adele
4/5
Very good. Strong songs throughout.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Well done but not my style.
Beck
3/5
Groovy. Think this is the first time I’ve listened to him.
Mudhoney
2/5
Eh. Couldn’t finish it.
MGMT
4/5
Very nice. Not as powerful as some people made it out to be, but solid through.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Heavy. Love the feeling of the whole album.
Ministry
1/5
Skip.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Decent. Two and a half hours is a tough sell.
Gorillaz
4/5
Solid. Not as diverse as some of the other albums I’ve heard from them but a nice listen.
The Zombies
3/5
Didn’t realize I would recognize a couple of these.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Good but didn’t make it through. Intro on the top listened track was legendary.
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
Not interested.
R.E.M.
3/5
Always kind of forget what these guys sound like. Good stuff.
John Martyn
3/5
Nice. Hadn’t heard of him. The two most popular tracks were by far the most interesting.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Very nice. Hard to imagine where these guys would be without U2.
Public Enemy
2/5
Didn’t finish but who can forget cold lampin’?
Public Enemy
3/5
More listenable than the last one but still not my jam.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Neat noises not much more. Minimal type albums like this either have it or they don’t.
Bee Gees
2/5
Fine
Yes
3/5
Good not great.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Interesting but dated.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Neat, not bad.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Bluesier than I expected. Not as good as the album from a few days ago.
Beastie Boys
2/5
Can’t help but hear: “Scranton, what? The electric city.”
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
A lot of Beatles influence, but didn’t make the cut for me.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Laid back and gentle in spots. Not as powerful as I expected.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dynamite. Masters of war always a let down but the others carry this over the line. Guitar is imperfect in a really natural way.
Muddy Waters
2/5
Not my cup of tea. Blues tends to sound the same to me.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Strange stuff wish some songs were longer.
Steely Dan
2/5
Decent made it halfway.
Stan Getz
4/5
So nice. Guitar, saxophone, vocals all off the charts.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Ironically, I’ve been listening to the Joy for weeks. Good album.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Always thought I could get into Arcade Fire but there wasn’t much to grab into here.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Not as direct as their other albums, but got to have a relisten before I can do it justice.
Duran Duran
2/5
Not my jam. Less dated than expected.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Longer, more experimental songs meant monotonous.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Very good. Amazing how many huge hits are on one album. Paul McCartney almost cost it five stars.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Right on. Knew more than I expected.
Cypress Hill
1/5
Started it, skipped it.
Björk
5/5
Incredible. Of course a few spots that don’t carry, but the overall concept and execution are tremendous.
Paul Simon
3/5
Didn’t grab me but was pleased to see the South African connection. Will probably give it another listen.
Aphex Twin
5/5
Very cool. Been getting some good ones lately. With ambient and electronic, I feel like you either have it or you don’t and this has it.
Small Faces
2/5
Bland.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
Not sure I gave it a fair shake, but didn't make it past the first disc and nothing jumped out at me.
U2
3/5
Good not great, didn't realize I would recognize so many.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Some great guitar parts. Can't remember the timing, but of course reminded me of Nick Drake, if a bit more straightforward. Good stuff.
Madonna
2/5
Fine, dated feeling.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Good. Some spots that obviously inspired Alabama Shakes.
Television
4/5
Really nice. Not going to be routine listening, but a solid listen.
Queen
3/5
Didn't care for the heavier elements. Felt more cookie-cutter than anything. I'm assuming there's more Queen on the list and I enjoy their vocal style, so I'm hoping to enjoy the other albums more.
Holger Czukay
2/5
Not as experimental as I was hoping--not as good as I was hoping.
The Who
3/5
Listenable, but I didn't get caught up into it.
The Bees
2/5
Mild and nondescript.
The Kinks
2/5
Never really grabbed my attention.
Green Day
3/5
Fun but not my style.
3/5
Very nice, better than the last Blur record.
B.B. King
3/5
A couple of standout songs, but don’t listen to enough of this style to even hear differences between some of them.
FKA twigs
4/5
Very good. Had seen her in a movie but had never given her music a listen.
David Bowie
1/5
More Bowie no thank you. Sounds flat and insincere.
The Pretty Things
2/5
Couldn't get into it.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Catching up so maybe I didn't do it justice, but even just listening to the most popular songs didn't get me into it.
Metallica
3/5
Catching up. Fun but a bit samey.
Orbital
4/5
Worth another listen, some neat percussion.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Not for me.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Guitar is really interesting but the vocals don’t catch me.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Long albums are really tough when catching up. What I heard I liked.
Beatles
4/5
Very good. Fun to see this as a pivotal album between two more distinct periods.
The Smiths
3/5
Didn’t know much about them but some of the songs scream Manchester and the 1975. Decent but the voice doesn’t hit me right.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Groovy, funky!
Johnny Cash
4/5
Live album with a lot of energy captured. Fun fun, more swearing than I thought. Can he tune his guitar?
Parliament
4/5
Fantastic. Groovy, silly at spots. The fart sound synthesizer and "ga ga goo ga" in the final track had me in tears. Don't know how this stacks up for me versus Maggot Brain, but I can't wait for more.
Fred Neil
3/5
Decent folk album, love his voice.
Girls Against Boys
1/5
DNF. Couldn’t get into it.
The Who
3/5
Good, not great--some of the less-played ones were better than the hits for my money.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Strange to get this the day after The Who’s debut. Good, better than I thought. Not sure I’ve heard a Rolling Stones song before this.
Tito Puente
3/5
DNF but really fun--learned about the mambo accent pattern, finally have an auditory image of Tito Puente.
Miles Davis
4/5
Very cool--hadn't heard this one before, first track feels like long stretches of the same chord, sometimes the keyboard sounds like someone randomly banging on it, I'm sure it's some kind of extended chord? Good stuff.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Couldn't find it on Spotify.
The Stranglers
1/5
Please no more punk.
Beatles
5/5
Fantastic. The medley is legendary.
Kanye West
4/5
Great album. Got into it a few years back after watching Jeen-Yuhs.
Morrissey
2/5
Tried, couldn’t.
The Charlatans
3/5
Decent. If I had listened to this in high school I'd probably still be listening to it now.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Good, not great. Knew more of it than I realized.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Didn't give the full hour and 11 minutes, but the hits are great. A bit dated. The rhythm on the verses of Survivor is amazing.
T. Rex
2/5
Okay. Lyrics were a little flat and I thought the instrumentation made me more interested in the folk sound they had on previous releases.
Soft Machine
4/5
Instant 5 after the first track. Instant 4 after the third track.
Ramones
4/5
A bit samey but helped by the fact that it’s fast and fun. Makes me want to go sniff some glue.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Some of the lyrics in this are crazy, man. Okay.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Wasn't on Spotify, but another album was and it was pretty good.
3/5
This would be a nostalgic 4 for me. I remember blaring this while playing Halo 2 split screen with my brother and his friend Mikey who brought a ripped version of this over on a CD. They could have cut a couple of tracks and this would be amazing.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Good--a little overwrought. Didn't look up if there is a connection with Train, but suspect there is.
Slipknot
4/5
Wild. Would have loved it if I had heard it when I was growing up and listening to heavy music 24/7.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Got this the day after Brian Wilson died--great album, even if it doesn't have the same power as what they were able to do on Pet Sounds.
George Harrison
3/5
Double albums are always a tough sell--this is no exception.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Decent—stranger than I thought it would be.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Some fun moments. Catching up so probably didn’t give it as close a listen.
John Coltrane
5/5
Amazing. Known this one for a while. Tremendous long form jazz.
The Shamen
2/5
Fine, never felt clear what this was supposed to be. A bit Buck Bumble but slower.
Rush
3/5
Don’t listen to much prog but this sounded pretty much like I expected not bad not great.
David Bowie
3/5
Fine, haven’t ever “gotten it” with Bowie, probably need more time with it.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Fantastic. Still biased towards live and live recorded albums, but lots of fun lots of energy.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
I prefer less instrumentation on these but good stuff, direct, funny at spots.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Haven't heard Chali 2na since Reanimation from Linkin Park. Better than I expected.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
I feel like I checked out this album from the public library on CD around the time it came out. The back half of the album got a little more Hives than I wanted. The bass player should be paid double what they are making now. Great stuff, fun, was happy to hear the 1975 connection on All My Friends.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Couldn’t get into it. Debonair was okay.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
Decent, nothing stuck with me.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Average.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Samey. Never got terribly interesting to me.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
Take Me Out is great.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Not what I expected. Decent, but nothing stood out.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Groooovy.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Not very interesting.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Very nice. Haven't heard this one in a while.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Not on Spotify.
Elliott Smith
2/5
I like Phoebe Bridgers so I feel like I should like this, but I've never gotten the hype.
3/5
Not on Spotify.
Deep Purple
3/5
Catching up so probably didn't give it a fair shake, but it was fine, didn't jump out at me.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Really nice. I don't know who would be happy or offended, but some progressions/grooves reminded me of RHCP.
JAY Z
3/5
Decent--the hits were the highlights.
Hawkwind
2/5
Trippy, but not groundbreaking.
Tortoise
5/5
Really nice. Layered, "transporting," lots of great moments.
Wilco
5/5
Wonderful. Knew it already, but the songwriting is solid, the instrumentation is the right amount of interesting without being distracting.
Fishbone
3/5
Interesting, all over the place.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Fine.
Björk
4/5
Very nice, not as interesting as Vespertine, some of the lyrics were a bit bare.
Mylo
4/5
Tremendous. Lots of catchy moments, a pleasant listen.
Bauhaus
2/5
Couldn't get into it.