As someone who grew up surrounded by desert but didn't appreciate the landscape until I grew up and moved away, I connect with U2's desire to build an album around their desert inspiration. The album builds up and opens with so much excitement and energy. That energy builds and is held throughout the entire album. This album marries unique rock instrumentation with Bono's soaring, ethereal voice to make every track something interesting, unique, and a little bit mysterious. Everything about Bono's voice seems deliberate; you can feel the emotion behind the way he sings, artistic and full of emotion, but in full command of his vocals. Bono's lyrics, inspired by political and world events, are also deliberate and done incredibly artfully, as if writing a poem. This album caught my attention and didn't let go until it was finished. Every song was strongly written, sung, and performed. This has definitely inspired me to dig further into U2's discography.

I still remember when this album came out, how much noise it made in the indie rock community, and the major stir it caused in the mainstream community by winning a Best Album Grammy. Back in 2010 when I listened to this, I didn't appreciate this album, nor understand the hype around it, so I was excited to listen again all these years later with ears that have expanded and developed their tastes. This time around, I enjoyed the album a lot more. This is yet another album that is best enjoyed as an album, and not as singles. It makes good use of storytelling and the songs have good ups and downs and mixed tempos to keep things from feeling stale. This time around, I'm happy to say this album resonated with me and is exactly what I have come to enjoy about indie rock.

I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production; I had never heard anything like it. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Even the album art makes a confronting statement, communicating a very charged, thought-provoking, detailed message, a message that makes many statements in one image. It all comes full circle with a mostly spoken world closing track explaining meaning behind the album title "To Pimp A Butterfly". As if that's not enough, Kendrick uses several Black-defined and influenced genres (funk, soul, jazz, to name just a few) and modern, fresh, audibly intriguing production across this album to create a progressive and elevated hip-hop experience. I won't say that I love every song, but damn if the production, lyrics, and style just don't keep me intrigued and curious all throughout. I wanted to keep listening, and I want to listen again. In my opinion, this is easily one of, if not THE most important hip hop albums in the past decade or more (disclaimer: I'm so incredibly white so please don't take my word for it). It's art, it's protest, it's love, it's hate, it's poetry, it's politics; it's black struggle and black power.

This immediately transported me to years and years of Mexican markets, restaurants and taquerias, from adolescence through to my adulthood. I can vividly see, hear, smell, and taste the specific food, colors, decor, and ambiance that is associated with so many places like this. It's always a good sign when you can connect to the music on a level that transports you somewhere else! If you are splitting hairs, this is more "Cuban" than "Mexican", but that doesn't stop it from being perfect and timeless in any Latin setting. Classic mambo albums and artists like Tito Puente are staples in these settings, and for good reason. It's fun to listen to, it's joyful, it's passionate, and it's exciting while also still being perfectly accessible for relaxing (again, in my case, almost always dining or shopping -- these can be forms of relaxing!). A real joy to listen to!

I see now why he is called RAMBLIN' Jack Elliott. He also drawls, howls, yodels, and warbles. Definitely not my thing. It was bearable for 30 minutes, but just barely. I would argue that I could have gone without hearing this one before I die.

I was REALLY into this album and band as a teenager. I think I wore myself out on AC/DC, as I have not really listened to them or this album much in the last decade or so. That said, this has reminded me that this album rocks from start to finish -- there isn't a single skip for me. I'm really excited to be listening to it again.

Another album that I was already pretty familiar with, though it had been a while since I had heard it front to back! Led Zeppelin II has has some of my all-time favorite Led Zep tracks, while others on the album are "sometimes foods". That said, this is an album that I do enjoy listening to as one whole piece. This album is truly a pioneer among a few other late 60s trailblazers, building a foundation for a musical sound that would define an entire genre.

I should preface this by saying I'm not an expert on funk music, but at least off of the top of my head, I'm not really aware of any other concept albums that play within the funk genre, but it seems like a perfect genre to play around with in this way. Further contributing to the idea that these guys don't take themselves TOO seriously, they centered their concept album around something that was already fairly corny during the 70s: space and sci-fi. That said, space-y synth lends itself so well to funk music, and these guys clearly understood that! I was surprised when "Give Up the Funk" started and I recognized the song -- so iconic! I love putting band names and track titles to iconic songs that are embedded in our cultures without us being completely aware, often due to their use in movies and television! My personal enjoyment of this album comes in at about 4/5, but the album's worthiness in this project is a definite 5/5.

I love 90s alternative and indie, but I have gone through life without too much knowledge on The Verve's discography, so I was excited to check this out. (Almost) everyone knows Bitter Sweet Symphony, and what a great album opener it is! It really sets the stage for the album and is a good representative of the rest of the album's similar quality offerings. The symphonic motif from Bitter Sweet Symphony cascades throughout all of the songs, calling back to it. The word "symphonic" reminds me of hymns, so I can't help but wonder if there's something at play here with their album title? There is a dreamy, psychedelic sound that is woven throughout this album, making it really easy to listen to. With the exception of one track, these songs are all at least 4 minutes long, many in the 5-7 minute range. There's an air of passion in this album where these guys seem to just be jamming and feeling the music with no regard for track length. For me, all of the above points help craft this album into a cohesive experience from start to finish, making this album's whole greater than the sum of its parts. Everything except Bitter Suite Symphony was new to me; my standouts on this album were Sonnet, Space and Time, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, and Velvet Morning.

I thought the progressive aspects of this album as they pertain to hip-hop were definitely on display, making this album seem fresh in comparison to a lot of the hip-hop I've heard in the past decade or so. For hip-hop, his voice is incredibly smooth and the music was laid back. That said, this album and the tracks on it ultimately didn't resonate with me very much; it was easy to listen to, but for me, it was "just okay".

I know a tiny bit about gangsta rap, primarily from the late 90s and early 2000s, and almost all of those artists, if you dig in, were found by, launched by, or are somehow tied to Dr. Dre, an original NWA member. These guys are the definition of "O.G."; they are the reason (like it or not) that gangsta rap is so prolific in mainstream music today. Their rough life experiences in Compton are what birthed this music scene. I can see why this album is monumental, but the lyrics have not aged well. Gangsta rap is notorious for its very vivid (and sometimes over-exaggerated) descriptions of violent behaviors, but exaggeration or not, I really can't get behind the excessive misogyny and domestic violence. The "black community versus the cops" message from 1988 still feels relevant today, though.

SO many iconic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs on this album, but I had never listened to it front to back, so this was another exciting one for me. To that point, I never realized so many of their most beloved songs came from this first album! I'd rather listen to any of these Skynyrd hits than Sweet Home Alabama, so the fact that it's not on this album is, in itself, almost worth a bonus star in my rating. This album reflects a time when track order really seemed to be more of an intentional, precise art. I Ain't the One is a perfect opener, setting an exciting stage for many of the band's bigger mainstream hits, and arguably, some of the most well known jams in classic rock history. The second half of the album slumps a bit too far into swamp rock for me. Just when you think you might finally be getting bored, the album closes with its rising phoenix song, Free Bird, one song that is practically two separate tracks. The first "track" is a patient ballad, slowly building with some of the most recognized lyrics and guitar riffs in rock music history, before finally blooming into the second "track", an epic ~5 minute instrumental that stands among the best that rock music has ever witnessed.

I was not familiar with the band PJ Harvey, let alone the album, but I'm a sucker for 90s grunge women, as they typically come with sultry, gritty, smoky vocals. In that regard, this album did not disappoint. Each track is its own emotional rant wrapped in edgy guitar, raw lyrics, and powerful vocal roars. While a lot of grunge is influenced by blues, I found the bluesy tribute particularly prominent in this album. I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of tracks that even feature "cello rock", which is typically a fairly niche indie subgenre. This is another album for me where I felt like the entire album on its own was more significant than individual tracks. Overall, a fun discovery and listen for me.

I had admittedly never heard of The Mothers of Invention, but as soon as I saw the album cover, I saw and recognized Frank Zappa and knew I was in for...something. There is some interesting musical composition in this album, but god, that damn kazoo. The kazoo was enough to send me spiraling into madness. Every moment of kazoo was agonizing. Too much kazoo. I've probably said 'kazoo' more times in this brief review than I have in the past decade or more. I like weird and bizarre, but Frank Zappa lives in his own world that is within his own galaxy, and it's not a world or galaxy that I can personally handle for very long. It's a world of eldritch insanity that compels me to release myself from my mortal coil. This album was no exception. I never wondered and will never have to wonder again what doo-wop parody would sound like.

This was very easy to listen to; it was perfect for both background music and active listening! It reminds me of more upbeat elevator music, and I LOVED the latin flair. Now I am wondering, if someone is going to play "elevator music" in an actual elevator, why they would settle for anything less than this. I didn't feel like I needed to try to understand the occasional, minimal lyrics; they felt more atmospheric than anything and added a nice vibe. This album was a nice surprise!

One word I would use to describe Portishead's vocals, especially on this album, is "haunting". This album mixes a chamber music sound with what was, at the time, an electronic-forward, trip hop sound, with the occasional record scratch sound effect straddling the line between the two realms. It makes for a very interesting listen! Prior to hearing this album front to back, I was only familiar with the song "Glory Box" off of this album, and I still feel like this is the standout of this album. Ultimately, a very chill listen, and while it didn't stand out in any exceptional way to me, I enjoyed it.

The jazzy influences and the fact that this album came out squarely during the gangsta rap era probably made this album stand out at the time. It was a decent listen; there were some songs in here that I found particularly catchy. I think personal enjoyment for me would come in at around a 2.5.

This album was...distracting. There was a point where I literally had to pause this so I could concentrate on something I was trying to do. "Acid folk" is the perfect genre description for this, because this bunch was definitely taking lots of hits in order to develop this messy album. At its best, I would find some songs on this album tolerable, if only the vocals were not present. At worst, the album was a cacophony of dissonant, competing sounds among the instruments and vocals, and the cadence of the song. Honestly, they probably had to try really hard in order to make all of their music sound THIS noisy and THIS busy. I like folk music, and wanted to like this, but all of the dissonance honestly just ended up stressing me out. Overall, a big miss for me.

This was a new artist and album for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. Little Simz's rapping style had a very pleasing flow, and her vocals were interesting. This album felt very fresh, even compared to other recent hip hop albums. Sometimes on hip hop albums, I feel like all of the beats blend together and aren't distinguished enough, but that was not a problem here; each song stood well on its own and offered something to distinguish it from other songs on the album. I also found the album straight to the point as there were no interludes to be found on this album; in this case, I think that made the album stronger.

I am casually familiar with Nick Cave and his hauntingly sad vocals, but this album somehow seems even more matched for it than what I've previous heard from their discography. The song crafting on this album is undeniable; each song evokes a deep, emotional story. The ambient music techniques used on this album add to the haunting quality, but also make it a fairly peaceful listen. A very unique, moving album that almost feels as if it was intended to be religious. I admittedly wouldn't be able to listen to this often, but I'm glad for the opportunity to experience this.

I KNOW this album is iconic, but I had never heard it. In fact, my total knowledge of Simon's solo work is pretty well limited to just a handful of songs, most of which are on this album. I was eager to give it a full listen. The ways Simon and his team found to blend African and zydeco music with his more typical folk sound was not only revolutionary for its time, but nothing short of artful and masterful. In listening to this, I knew I was hearing something that was unique, and is probably still fairly unique in its execution, even today. The music and album craftsmanship at work here is undeniably top notch. On one hand, Simon did westerners a great favor by making them aware of the beauty of African music, but on the other hand, this could just as easily be interpreted as a white musician with a slumping career using an "unknown, exotic" sound to revive said career, building it on the backs of South Africans who more than likely did not get their fair share in pay and recognition in exchange for what Simon took from them. This really is an album that people should hear before they die, as there is nothing else quite like it. I really did enjoy it from an idealistic "one world" perspective, but that's not the world we live in, as much as I wish it was. Realistically, Simon knowingly did something great AND horrible in making this album.

At the time, this album was likely seen as a risk; Willie already had a very successful, very deep country career, and this project was truly a departure from all of that. Willie found a way to take every song on this album, make them his own, and make them work for him. He did this without compromising his status as an outlaw country icon and without dishonoring the sweet spirit of the original versions. Willie's voice is so easy to listen to, and in covering some of these classics, he proved the easy listening quality of his voice can stand among the best of them.

I actually had no idea that Janis fronted a band, let alone that "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" were recorded under said band; I always thought these were solo Janis songs! But, let's face it: even now, it's still a solo Janis song as far as I'm concerned; she is famous for it. I mistook this for a live album before reading that the live audience sounds were edited into the album. I am not really sure about the reasoning behind this decision, but I found it to be an interesting one. I am not typically a huge blues fan, but something about Janis has just always grabbed me. Her vocals always strike me as something that shouldn't work, but god, they just DO. The guitar on this album has a hazy, raw sound quality to it that just plays off of her vocals so well. The acid rock lean along with all that rasp and gravel take this album to an enjoyment level that would otherwise not be achieved for me, personally. Side A totally rocked for me, but Side B wasn't nearly as strong, save for "Ball and Chain".

A best friend (to protect her identity, we will omit her name) has been sending me Bollywood tracks for probably a decade and a half at this point, so I have developed a very subjective, certain taste and idea in my mind for what I consider "good Bollywood music". I am sad to say that this really wasn't it. However, considering this album is from the 1970s, it was fun to hear some influences from the height of funk and disco era on here. Lots of Spanish influence, too! Ultimately, this just wasn't for me.

This album definitely puts the "proto" in "proto-punk", as this really does feel like an unfinished, beginner's prototype for punk music, if that can be imagined. The spirit of punk is present though: they are making loud noise and they don't give a shit. This has very unpolished production, mediocre execution, and for my taste, is almost unlistenable. While I get that this is heralded for being the birth of punk music, I'd rather just listen to some "post-birth" punk music that has better production and execution. As stated, the spirit of punk is here in its proto state, but the majority of this album was just not very good.

As someone who grew up surrounded by desert but didn't appreciate the landscape until I grew up and moved away, I connect with U2's desire to build an album around their desert inspiration. The album builds up and opens with so much excitement and energy. That energy builds and is held throughout the entire album. This album marries unique rock instrumentation with Bono's soaring, ethereal voice to make every track something interesting, unique, and a little bit mysterious. Everything about Bono's voice seems deliberate; you can feel the emotion behind the way he sings, artistic and full of emotion, but in full command of his vocals. Bono's lyrics, inspired by political and world events, are also deliberate and done incredibly artfully, as if writing a poem. This album caught my attention and didn't let go until it was finished. Every song was strongly written, sung, and performed. This has definitely inspired me to dig further into U2's discography.

I really enjoyed the opening track for this album, but it fizzled out for me after that. Fuzzy and yet digital, retro and yet space age-y, upbeat and yet dreamy, this album merges some of the best of more modern electronic pop music with the psychedelic rock of yesteryear. Definitely not bad, but not particularly stand out, either. I would listen to this as background music, but that’s about it.

I've always appreciated The White Stripes' role in the revival of the garage rock band sound. Back in the early 2000s, they felt unique in that I can't recall anyone else doing what they were doing, at this time, quite like the them. They treaded lightly in their roots -- the blues rock space -- on this album, but never at the expense of the garage rock sound they were migrating towards. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground is a great Zeppelin-esque opener, which I am sure was the intention. The vocals are even modeled after several Robert Plant-isms. Jack White's voice and singing style in general have always intrigued me and make the band's music more fun than it would be without him. That said, while I recognize that this is the album that shaped their familiar sound and rocketed them into the mainstream, and while a few of their most signature songs are on this album, it's not the strongest of their discography. Still a decent album, though!

I still remember when this album came out, how much noise it made in the indie rock community, and the major stir it caused in the mainstream community by winning a Best Album Grammy. Back in 2010 when I listened to this, I didn't appreciate this album, nor understand the hype around it, so I was excited to listen again all these years later with ears that have expanded and developed their tastes. This time around, I enjoyed the album a lot more. This is yet another album that is best enjoyed as an album, and not as singles. It makes good use of storytelling and the songs have good ups and downs and mixed tempos to keep things from feeling stale. This time around, I'm happy to say this album resonated with me and is exactly what I have come to enjoy about indie rock.

While I understand the experimental aspect of this album, the album still felt unpolished or unfinished. I enjoyed the overall electronic additions found here. There were also several nods to Indian music, which was fun to hear. Otherwise, this was pretty forgettable for me.

Going into this album, I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Is it a new fave? No. But would I listen again? Absolutely yes. This alternative rock album straddles a space between 80s new wave and 90s grunge, and I was able to pick up influences of both genres in these songs, which I greatly enjoyed. Some of the tracks, both musically and lyrically, are just a bit experimental and weird, but in the perfect amounts. This is another album where the whole thing is better than the individual pieces. In a world where albums now so often seem written for and around some singles, I always find albums that are clearly intended to be one continuous experience to be interesting.

Somewhere in the wordy prattling that is typical of blues lyrics, Dylan had moments of genius where he wrote some truly poetic lyrical phrases that have long stood the test of time. It's nice to hear some lyrics from this time period that give permission to be poetic while still rocking and rolling. It is sometimes to his detriment though; I sometimes find him to be rambling on lyrically at the expense of the music. Still, I find it difficult, personally, to be into Bob Dylan; his nasal-y drawl that he tends to sing with has always grated on me. This very quality is one that has drawn others to follow his 60+ year career. It's all personal preference. That said, I have no reservations about Bob Dylan's deserving place in this project, but I'm still just not that into him.

Who knew reggae music could come out of Scotland? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The artist and album seem relatively unknown compared to others that have crossed this project. I am not super familiar with the reggae genre, but this album felt very light and was easy to listen to; it brightened up a cloudy, gloomy day, and I'm sure would make a sunny day feel even sunnier. For whatever reason, "Sunday Shining" was a big hit with me; I haven't stopped listening to it!

I'm not very knowledgable on the genre of "thrash metal" and many of the adjacent genres and bands, so I don't have much of a basis for comparison. That said, this album's sound is what I correlated with Pantera. It turns out, this album was more or less their first full venture into metal that was AS heavy as what is on display on this album. In the beginning of my listening experience, I felt that the vocals had more screaming than I tend to like, but then some damn amazing metal rhythms and riffs would come along to smack me with a vulgar display of power (see what I did there?). This pattern continued on many, if not most, of the tracks, progressively acclimating me. By the end of the album, I was really kind of digging the off-tempo screaming and ridiculously good metal rhythm duality. This was a fun listen, and I'm definitely interested in exploring more of Pantera's discography!

Having not heard this album front to back before, I didn't realize that the iconic song Jump essentially had an intro, thanks to the title track, 1984. This is a great synthy lead-in to Jump, and to the album as a whole. In addition, the title track made me pick up on just now synthy this album really is. I was already very familiar with Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher, and upon listening to the album, I feel like everything else pales a little bit in comparison to these three powerhouse classics. Still, there is some really rocking instrumentation and guitar work on this album.

This was my first exposure to Erykah Badhu's music. I love her voice and the way it seemed to just gracefully dance across the music. It was a smooth, easy listen, but ultimately there were no specific standout moments for me.

This album was good background music while I worked, but it all just kind of blended together into one low tempo, indie blob. It was okay, but again, another "not great" from this band. Hoping there isn't a third album of theirs in this project. With the many epic artists who I am sure did not get a spot in this project, were two Flaming Lips albums really necessary? I guess the creator and I can agree to disagree.

I liked how this album was divided in half between a "big band" jazz sound, and a more "stripped down" piano ballad sound. Between these two parts, this album clocks in as pretty short, and yet Ray commands each track, giving them his all and lending his full-bodied soulful voice to these old standards! He sounds golden and he makes it seem so effortless. In addition, despite the fact that this album's recording is such poor quality, his playing of the piano comes through so nicely and effortlessly, especially on the second half. Jazz is not a favorite of mine, but Ray makes this so easy to listen to.

What a debut album from Rage! They are sometimes credited with developing the metal-rap genre. If that's not true, they certainly were paramount in perfecting it. The fact that they already have the formula down so well on their debut album is incredibly telling. The group shows a lot of energy on this album in both the metal and rap areas, and they clearly have a handle on what it takes to make these genres successful independently and together. They also find a common ground for metal and rap in the topic of politics; the lyrics and imagery on this album are incredibly motivated by political themes. An enjoyable listen from such a unique band!

RHCP, to me, have always had such a unique, signature sound; there just isn't any mistaking them for anyone else, and this album cemented that sound for them. While some other bands do the "funk rock" sound, RHCP still stands out among them, and is probably the most known for this sound. Simultaneously, with this iconic album, the helped to usher in the 90s alternative craze, and would be solidified as powerhouses in that genre for the next two decades. This album has some of the band's greatest work on it -- the funkiest guitar riffs coupled with fun funky vocals, as well as memorable lyrics. True to the album name, I never realized just how many sexually suggestive lyrics danced throughout the songs on this album. Overall, it's just a fun, interesting, and catchy listen. Not every song is a hit single, but every song is fun to listen to and I wasn't tempted to skip anything -- a feat for an album clocking in at nearly 1 hour, 20 minutes. An album definitely worthy of this project!

This album in particular reminded me a lot of Jim Morrison's dreamy, distant, psychedelic vocals. I had either never noticed that before, or it is a sound they moved away from in later albums. The Killing Moon, a known hit of theirs, was the standout track on this album. I loved the eastern strings that permeate the track. Additionally, this track leans a little more into the goth rock and new wave space than others on the album and hits a sweet spot for me there. Otherwise, the album was okay. I liked what I heard just fine, but overall didn't personally find any other standout qualities; it was kind of a "one note" album for me.

A few other albums exist on Spotify from this artist, but strangely, this album is missing. Fortunately, I was able to track it down on YouTube. In addition to this being a perfect example of a concept album, it's certainly a protest album as well; the theme carries all throughout but if you haven't been paying attention, it is especially overt on the track Terminal Passage. Overall, the album is filled with strong poetic lyrics directed at America's treatment of Black Americans. Behind its political lyrics, this album is backed by some good, emotional vocals, and a pretty standard blues and soul flare. I am really glad for the opportunity to check this album out and hear its message, and am pleased that the author was able to find this and thought to include it in the project. Musically though, this is not really my jam.

I liked a lot of the instrumentation on this album, but the vocals almost ruined it for me on nearly every track -- just not my thing. I thought Lexicon Devil and Manimal were two of the more well-rounded songs, both musically and vocally.

I knew a couple of Zombies songs including the infamous Time of the Season from this album, but had never heard of this album. The occasional baroque pop song with psychedelic pop leanings found on 60s albums here and there are usually such easy, upbeat, and enjoyable listens for me. That said, this album does not dabble in the genre; it is absolutely immersed. It is an absolutely shining example of baroque pop with psychedelic pop leanings from start to finish. People have been listening to this genre of music for 60+ years. And yet, you have a moderately known band that has a fairly unknown album that is especially representative of that genre, and even after so long, the album has still managed to stay fairly unknown. To me, that makes it a perfect inclusion to this project. Anyone who knows and cares about bands of similar sound, such as The Beach Boys, The Kinks, or even The Beatles should be made aware of this album and should listen to it! While I wouldn't say that this album necessarily blew me away, I really just found it to be all-around pleasant and a great listen. I didn't find a single song to be a skip. It’s just simply a very well done album on every level.

I have always put Talking Heads squarely in the "new wave" genre, but one thing I noticed with this album in particular is that the band, at least at this point in time, had way more funk and disco influences in their music than I realized. I Zimbra was a very unexpected but pleasant opener; I listened to that track several times. Overall, I really dig the bizarre rhythms that are used by Talking Heads. I think the band's vocals fit the progressive take on music, but sometimes those vocals come off as more hypnotic and monotonous than anything. I found myself really enjoying the first half of the album, but was kind of bored with the second half.

This definitely takes me back to a specific period of the 2000s where a lot of indie music had this folk leaning, and I remember Fleet Foxes being a standout example of the genre at the time. This album is a pleasant enough, easy listen, but that said, it is rather monotonous. After a few songs, it all kind of fades into one (albeit, nice) noise. I particularly liked White Winter Hymnal and Your Protector, and found those to be standout among a lot of dreamy, distant, slow folk songs. I wish this album had been more songs like these.

I knew some Sam Cooke, but this album made me a Sam Cooke FAN. This is easily one of the best live albums I have EVER heard. Sam is just as magical and energetic on a live album as he is in studio recordings. If anything, he's even more so in a live environment, where he is able to have these amazing interactions with the audience. He mixes a powerful, electrifying presence and untamed, raw vocals in with all of the quintessential Sam Cooke qualities that already made him great. It's a crime that this album was shelved for 20 years before it was finally released. In a world full of questionable live albums, this album shines as a prime example of what a live album should be. It has big energy, but feels intimate; I really felt transported to the moment. It made me wish I could have physically been there!

As I was listening to this album, I kept humorously referring to its genre as "soft hip hop" in my notes; these qualities were no doubt brought on by its close soul and funk ties. For me, these qualities made it all the more enjoyable. In the last decade or so, rap music has mostly migrated away from gangsta rap to a different style of rap. This album predates most of those big names that were part of that cultural shift. Common (and credit where credit is due: his producer, Kanye) were clearly onto something with this sound. Not a big standout for me, but enjoyable to listen to!

This album is fantastic from start to finish. There is a great mix of upbeat songs and slower ballads. Aretha commands every note of every song with her one-of-a-kind voice, in a way that only Aretha can do. Her impeccable abilities are so dynamically on display here, flexing crystal clear high notes, rumbling low notes, and everything in between. A special shout-out to (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. This song sends me every time. This is easily one of the greatest songs of all time, and the way she owns every moment and every emotion of this song deserves acknowledgement. I don't even know what else to say that hasn't already been said. Aretha is a one-of-a-kind legend and the queen of soul, and this album is just one reminder among many as to how she snatched that crown.

One of my main complaints with dream pop is that it can be too, well, dreamy. It ends up coming across as monotonous, unexciting, and a bit boring. This album pretty much fell into that pit trap for me. It was pleasant enough to listen to, but I wouldn't seek it out again. That said, Zebra and Take Care (the album opener and closer) broke the mold a little bit, and did catch my attention as standout tracks.

I love this concept of a sci-fi album with minimal robotic singing, especially ahead of the new wave craze. This reminded me a lot of something you might have heard in a 70s Tron movie. In fact, I'm sure these guys influenced a lot of new wave and electronic artists that would come to the scene later in time. This was both a strange and cool listen.

I like this album...but I don't love this album, as a standalone or really as a piece of The Beatles' discography. It is fun and catchy, and an incredibly significant album in the course of Beatles history. That said, I would put most of the songs on this album in the "good" but not "great" bucket. The particular flavor of 60s pop on display on this album is always kind of hit or miss with me, and this era of Beatles just wasn't my favorite. I'm rating this a 3/5, but let the record show that I'd put it at like a 3.5/5, if I could.

This album definitely felt like a raucous free for all, which was mostly a fun, good thing. Overall though, it wasn't really my thing.

When the first track started, I figured I was in for a disaster. But, as the album progressed, I actually found myself liking this album a lot more than I thought I was going to! It is very reminiscent of some 80s alternative and new wave which I love. It's also saturated with some of the most defining sounds and effects from the 80s. That said, it still somehow defies being pinned into any genre from that time (thanks, it's the ecstasy). While I really loved the music on this album, the singing and vocalization is what I found to be lackluster. The vocals are usually incoherent and the lyrics (when understandable) are often nonsensical. While this goes along well with much of the 80s, something about the vocals just seemed worse than that. This album may be a hot mess, but damn if I can't help but find it to be an intriguing, cool mess.

All yelling, no substance. Awful lyrics, awful musicality. The band title and album name are a little try-hard, too. We get it, you're edgelords. Thanks, I hate it.

I thought the album was okay. It was easy to listen to, and had a nice kind of smooth groove to it, but ultimately I was just kind of bored, so I guess it wasn't really for me. Pyramids was a super standout track though; it caught my attention unlike anything else on this album. This album is definitely more than a 2, but less than 3 for me.

I love The Strokes' vocals -- they've always got a bit of that trademark cool distortion, but never at the expense of actually understanding the lyrics. A lot of the instrumentation of the album feels simple and muted, but the album does not suffer for it; it allows the catchy rhythms of these songs to shine and when great guitar solos crop up, they're all the more stand-out due to the lack of overcomplicated music. The songs are short and sweet and to the point. There is something to be said about music that is not unnecessarily repetitive with its bridges and chorus. Looking back at this album in 2022, the sound and style that is present on this album was clearly setting a standard, as many indie rock bands in the 2000s and even 2010s would go on to use this as their guiding light. Definitely a defining moment in rock music. Simply put, The Strokes are just effortlessly cool on this album.

Ah, the original rock opera. I think it's pretty cool how the concept was birthed out of a desire to find a way to escape the "short song format" of music that had existed up until this point. I had not heard this in full before, and was not familiar with the plot. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to completely discern the plot from the music alone; I had to rely on a little help from Wikipedia. Needless to say, the plot is very much a product of the 1960s. The album did feel a little long and bloated, but it was bizarre, which I appreciate, so it evens out. There were some great songs on this album. That said, musically, this particular album is classic Who. They aren't reinventing any wheel there; this particular album is all about the introduction of the rock opera format, which it turned out their musical style was perfect for. This album dared to try something new, and while not perfect, brought about a significant form of musical storytelling. That in and of itself makes this album a worthy addition to the project. Thanks, Who, for gifting us the rock opera!

This album had some good moments, and then it had some "meh" moments. I didn't really dig the heavy blues songs. For me, the standout tracks were Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Street Fighting Man, and Salt of the Earth. I make a point to specifically call these out because I feel like they were the most interesting tracks on the album due to having some musical aspect giving them an extra "kick" out of average bluesy purgatory. I would be remiss not to dedicate some discussion to the iconic Sympathy for the Devil -- one of the most well known and regarded songs in music history. It feels like a Bob Dylan song in that the lyrics aren't afraid to tell a long story, but I admittedly find the topic and the music surrounding it is so much more interesting than most Dylan tracks, from the hand drums down to the iconic "woo woo" vocalizations.

It was okay! This isn’t particularly my jam. Glad to be exposed to some Afrobeat music in here, though!

I wasn't familiar with this album of the songs on it, aside from the infamous La Grange. It's impossible not to get hooked on that teaser intro and vocals, only to then be paid off with exceptional rhythm guitar and riffs. Blues rock can be a bit hit or miss for me, but ZZ Top's music has a unique gritty, "dirty south" rock quality to it that I can't help but dig; it perfectly complements Gibbons' iconic vocals, and that is very much on display on this album. I enjoyed this album even more than I thought I would!

It was okay; very funky! Oddly enough, I liked the didgeridoo songs the best.

I found this album to be an excellent display of 1980s heavy metal. The tracks are chock full of excellent guitar riffs, the vocals are over-the-top and perfectly theatrical. There are no duds on this album; each track has an exhilarating power of its own, and that power does not let up until the very end. That said, I still find the album to be incredibly accessible to someone who might be a little metal-shy or metal-timid. Though they are undeniably great, this album is SO much more than just the well-known Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight. I loved every minute of this album.

In a bit of research, I learned that this album was the result of Basement Jaxx being displeased with the state of dance/electronic/house music, and this album was intended to redefine the genre. I'm guessing they didn't accomplish their goal, because I fail to hear what is so genre-defying on this album. Most of the tracks seem thematically scattered and musically unpolished, like we are hearing an album full of demos. It wasn't a great listen, but it was tolerable. Honestly, I would not even find most of this music to be very danceable. The experiment to redefine the electronic space kind of fell flat and remained just that: an experiment.

So, I should start by saying I liked this album okay. For me, there is always a baseline "like" when it comes to ABBA. That said, this album just didn't quite fully hit for me. It seemed darker than their earlier stuff, which for me, kind of results in ABBA, but with the wind knocked out of their sails. On the other hand, a band that was very progressive musically and who was all over 70s dance and disco scene, it's not difficult to see this as an early lean into what would become 80s new wave. I will say that the title track, The Visitors, was really outstanding and new to me. I was hoping the rest of the album would follow the same lines. But again, there is just something about ABBA that makes this baseline enjoyable, period.

I have become pretty familiar with all of these songs individually, to some degree or another, over the years, but have never heard the album from front to back. These songs are outstanding as individual tracks and in a whole album format. I just love the vocal harmony among these four; Young adds something special here and I like the band's sound better with him (which is ironic, since I'm not a solo Young fan). While dominantly folk, this album touches several different genres and does so masterfully.

I don't think I had heard anything by this group aside from Green Onions and Mo' Onions! I didn't realize instrumental music was their entire jam! Green Onions is one of those songs that everybody knows. It's iconic, funky, and the organ solo just GOES FOR IT. Ultimately, I think the concept of instrumental funk is completely worthy of this project. As far as personal enjoyment, I thought it was just okay.

This album was okay. As someone who isn't too familiar with Iggy Pop, I was very intrigued by his vocals on this album; they often reminded me of the fairly unique stylings of Mick Jagger -- if Mick Jagger did proto-punk style music. I can't recall ever having heard anyone sound like they are emulating Mick Jagger, intentionally or otherwise. On some of the slower songs, it reminded me a bit of some stylings that would become popular under the goth/new wave 80s umbrella. Overall, it seemed pretty ahead of its time, and probably the best listen of the proto-punk genre I've heard on this project so far. I'd rank this at about a 2.5/5, but will round up to 3.

Another album where I know almost every song to some extent individually, but have never heard the album front to back. There really isn't a dull song on this album. The music stands out with its piano-forward rock sound, and the lyric writing is truly top notch -- all of these songs tell a truly memorable story; the lyrics aren't overly simple, but the storytelling is never sacrificed for the clout of sounding artistic, deep, or edgy. Billy makes it all seem so cool and effortless. This album just has an all-around major display of talent. An excellent inclusion in the project.

I have enjoyed many a Tom Petty song over the years, so I was actually pretty surprised by how average this album was. It was certainly easy enough to listen to, and a couple of the tracks are Tom Petty classics, but I personally didn't find the entire album's offering to be anything significant enough to warrant a spot in this project. A decent first album, though!

I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production; I had never heard anything like it. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Even the album art makes a confronting statement, communicating a very charged, thought-provoking, detailed message, a message that makes many statements in one image. It all comes full circle with a mostly spoken world closing track explaining meaning behind the album title "To Pimp A Butterfly". As if that's not enough, Kendrick uses several Black-defined and influenced genres (funk, soul, jazz, to name just a few) and modern, fresh, audibly intriguing production across this album to create a progressive and elevated hip-hop experience. I won't say that I love every song, but damn if the production, lyrics, and style just don't keep me intrigued and curious all throughout. I wanted to keep listening, and I want to listen again. In my opinion, this is easily one of, if not THE most important hip hop albums in the past decade or more (disclaimer: I'm so incredibly white so please don't take my word for it). It's art, it's protest, it's love, it's hate, it's poetry, it's politics; it's black struggle and black power.

I'm not a huge fan of jazz most of the time, but I found this to be surprisingly enjoyable to listen to. Trading in "big band" jazz sounds for a more low-key, instrumental sound made this a nice, easy listen. There was some very beautiful piano work in here, as well.

I'm already not a huge fan of country music from this era, and this album didn't sway my opinion. I don't think Ray Price did much on this album to define the country genre in the 60s as compared to many of his peers (Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard), and he himself certainly has more country-sounding music out there, so I can only assume this inclusion comes down to him going more country-crooner on this album, which is somewhat unique when compared to most country singers at the time. Not a bad listen, but still not really my thing.

This album was okay...decent for a first album from a band that was integral in shaping and defining the sound of 80s metal. I can see where this album was setting the stage for greatness to come in the form of their more renowned albums. Overall though, it didn't wow me.

This was relaxing and very easy to listen to. It was smooth and warm all throughout. I really enjoyed the tracks that had Latin vibes! Also, considering the year, I felt like the production on this album was really top notch.

I'm a sucker for new wave, so I baseline enjoyed this album. I liked the hints of punk that were sprinkled around, as well. English Rose was a surprising track on this album, and very beautifully done. Overall, this wasn't incredibly remarkable for me; I did not find it to be a particular standout.

The 2000s were a great time for indie rock/pop type music, and MGMT was leading the way during this time with a fairly unique sound in a psychedelic indie pop mashup. Not only did they pave their sound in a sea of indie pop bands, many of which sounded the same, but they hit the nail on the head on their first try with this debut album. Electric Feel, Time to Pretend, and Kids felt revolutionary at the time, and honestly, that still holds true today. The lyrics are catchy, the rhythms are catchy, the distorted composition are catchy. And though there have been attempts, there is nothing else quite like these tracks. The chorus from Kids, while so simple, has also always stuck with me: "control yourself / take only what you need from it / a family of trees wanting / to be haunted". It's a message about the planet literally giving itself over to be used by its human inhabitants, and that as a result, we have an obligation to treat it better, and teach our future generations to do the same. That all said, if you're looking for more on this album like the above mentioned well-known trio of outstanding songs, the remainder of the album could possibly be a letdown. No other tracks on the album hit quite like these. Still, this album has an experimental composition at its heart, and there are unique and interesting treats for the ears all throughout. I continue to find this album a fun experience, all these years later.

This album was really interesting. It had a lot of the typical 80s new wave qualities, but they really seemed to experiment here, playing around with the "limits" of what typically defines new wave. Particularly of note, there was a lot less synth and a lot more complex instrumentation. For whatever reason, new-to-me song Living In Another World particularly stood out; I went back to listen to it multiple times. It is just so masterfully composed with various layers of instrumentation, genres, effects, and vocals.

This immediately transported me to years and years of Mexican markets, restaurants and taquerias, from adolescence through to my adulthood. I can vividly see, hear, smell, and taste the specific food, colors, decor, and ambiance that is associated with so many places like this. It's always a good sign when you can connect to the music on a level that transports you somewhere else! If you are splitting hairs, this is more "Cuban" than "Mexican", but that doesn't stop it from being perfect and timeless in any Latin setting. Classic mambo albums and artists like Tito Puente are staples in these settings, and for good reason. It's fun to listen to, it's joyful, it's passionate, and it's exciting while also still being perfectly accessible for relaxing (again, in my case, almost always dining or shopping -- these can be forms of relaxing!). A real joy to listen to!

This album didn't prove to be a favorite, but let me just start by saying damn if The Weight isn't one of the best and most influential folk rock songs of all time. Chest Fever was another new-to-me standout. I Shall Be Released was a beautiful, memorable, hymn-like album closer, as well. Even though I immediately called this out as 'not a favorite', there is still something about this album. You can sense the band's togetherness and the organic nature of their playing and songwriting. The tracks put the musicians' playing talent front and center. They wanted this album to sound the same to the listener as when they were recording it in the basement of Big Pink, and they absolutely achieved that. It feels incredibly intimate. The album didn't seem cohesive in so much as that each song seemed very individually conceptualized and completed, rather than intended as part of a greater work, but given the band's history and the overall vibe they were going for, this jam session style compilation of songs seems to work. This debut album from The Band is a great entry on the project, as it truly exemplifies the chances, opportunities, and happenstances that can pay off in the music world, take you out of the shadows of someone famous, and leave a lasting legacy.

Jazz like this continues to definitely not be my thing, but this is sooooo smooth. Miles Davis made playing the trumpet sound like the easiest thing in the world; he was truly a master!

This album didn't really strike anything with or in me. It was okay, but I was ultimately pretty underwhelmed. The one track that piqued my interest was the instrumental track, Elegia. It was such an odd but great inclusion that really highlighted and brought to light the dark wave qualities on this album.

This album went hard and didn't stop! I'm familiar with some of the band's later stuff, which isn't quite as heavy. I really enjoyed their heavier sound! I thought all of the instrumentation on this album was done really well, from guitar to bass to drums...and the organ work was outstanding too! I really feel like each band member got his talent and instrument appropriately represented on this album! Really a great addition, and an unexpected one from Deep Purple. It demonstrates that Deep Purple, a somewhat unlikely candidate, was part of shaping the heavy metal and hard rock sound of the 70s. I really dug it!

I see now why he is called RAMBLIN' Jack Elliott. He also drawls, howls, yodels, and warbles. Definitely not my thing. It was bearable for 30 minutes, but just barely. I would argue that I could have gone without hearing this one before I die.

This album seems to have a reputation of confusing people...confusing people on why it was included, confusing people on what the genre is, confusing people to the point where they don't even know whether they like it or not. This album was definitely all over the place, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in not so good ways. I like when a band doesn't force themselves to be confined to one sound or style. But that also makes for a mixed listening experience -- you like some stuff and absolutely don't like other stuff. Ultimately, I'm not sure why this album was included, except maybe for the band's daring to be eclectic. This album didn’t hit a home run, but I was interested all throughout.

Absolute pioneers! These guys really were paramount in reshaping hip-hop, and infusing it with rock sounds, which is especially on display with the iconic track "Rock Box". I don't know the proper terms for these things, so I will just say that they make heavy use of the "call and response", "finish each other's sentences", and "you rap one word and then I rap one word" styles. The sparse rapping also gives ample opportunity for the fun beats to shine through. All are certainly products of the time, but enjoyable. This is fun and was truly groundbreaking, but it does understandably feel dated and basic by today's standards. Still, during this album's time, it's impossible to deny the effect and impact these guys had from this debut album.

I wasn't as familiar with this Doors album, save for the bigger hits. Most of the album was okay, a few of the tracks were GREAT. These bigger hits (Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, and Riders on the Storm) are all outstanding, amazing tracks, and I was hoping for similar from the rest of the album. That said, I don't think any other song on the album quite held up to this trinity. I think these three tracks are highly reminiscent of their first album works, and maybe that's why. For me, the song that came closest to hitting the same level of greatness as the album's trinity was The Changeling. A great album from The Doors. I would say this particular album falls into "like", but not quite "love".

I have always been a sucker for what I call "Lilith Fair music" -- you know the type: 90s singer songwriters that aren't too pop but aren't too rock, either. This album fits right into that. Also typical of artists in this category, the lyrics are often sharp and thought-provoking, overlaid on generally upbeat music. Even though I liked it based on the baseline qualifications mentioned above, I do feel like other females singer songwriters in the 90s did the same thing, only better. For me, it started to drag the longer it went on. Maybe somewhat forgettable to me, but it was very easy to listen to, though!

Aside from some general knowledge of a couple of his biggest hits, I am not really educated on Van Morrison. I wasn't even aware that Moondance was originally his song. So imagine my surprise when I hear this album and it's basically some kind of weird folk-blues-jazz hybrid. On the other hand, I WAS familiar with his original Crazy Love, which in my opinion is one of the sweetest folky love songs to ever be recorded. It is quiet and intimate and highlights the most subtle vocalizations in Morrison's voice. I really enjoyed this album and found myself going back to it for more listening.

Honestly, this was okay, but it didn't do much for me. I was surprised at how hard this album went for 1968, though.

Honestly, I expected to like this more considering this is the same album that birthed Monday, Monday and California Dreamin'. The album was just kind of one-note for me, and I found most of the tracks to be forgettable. They certainly didn't come anywhere close to living up to the hype of their biggest hits. Overall, though not remarkable, it was still very listenable 60s pop.

I've never listened to much Radiohead, so I was very interested going into this. I was not disappointed! This album felt incredibly well crafted, from the production to the music to the lyrics. The album had an overall "sound" to it, but each song stood on its own and was interesting and unique. Thom Yorke's vocals on this album are nothing short of ethereal. His lyrics are not always understandable, but I didn't care; his stylings really lend something extra to the songs, and he knows just what style(s) and vocalizations to use in a given musical scenario to take the track to the next level. I found myself waiting to hear what he was going to do from track to track. Based on what I know about 90s music, I could quickly tell upon hearing this that there was not anyone else quite like Radiohead at the time. Though I was not really aware of who Radiohead had influenced in the music world, it is incredibly obvious upon hearing this album that it was setting standards for where alt rock would go for years to come following the grunge era. Bands like Muse, The Killers, and Coldplay were clearly influenced by this album in their own works, 10+ years after this album came out. This album was a definite win for me!

This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I love how The Pretenders, on their debut album, mixed punk with pop to make that punk sound more accessible to a general audience. I have long thought that Brass in Pocket was an outstanding and catchy song, but the rest of the album didn't quite grab me the same way. The album was good, but not great. Space Invader was a nice grab, though!

I really enjoyed the diversity of genres on this album. In addition, there was clearly a lot of experimentation going on that sort of defied the expectations for an album centered in the heart of the 60s. Both of these things kept things fresh and interesting on this album, during a time when bands had a tendency to stay kind of "one note". As a complete aside, I love Georges Seurat and the pointillism art movement, and I really liked how The Byrds seemed to gravitate towards what could be defined as a pointillism-inspired album cover. Ultimately, an enjoyable album!

I can appreciate what this album was going for, especially considering music had largely moved away from psychedelia by the late 80s. That said, I don't really feel like it pushed any envelopes or reshaped the psychedelia landscape. It felt like a conceptual demo rather than a complete album. Most of the tracks were numbingly repetitive, never really going anywhere, thus missing many opportunities to have some good highs and lows throughout the album. It was okay at best, but overall kind of boring and forgettable.

The title track certainly grabs your attention. It walks and talks like jazz, but something about it just hits differently and doesn't follow the typical jazz "composition". This general idea carries on throughout the album; if this isn't an example of or at least adjacent to improvisational jazz, I don't know what is. I decided to average this out at about a 3, as my personal enjoyment of this was fairly low, but my respect is high for the technical ability displayed on this album.

I am not usually big on live albums. I feel like a certain magic of the live performance tends to get lost in translation most of the time. Unfortunately, I felt like this album fell prey to that. I wasn't really able to FEEL the energy of the room and the performances. Not to mention, I'm already not really a fan of James Brown or his music, so I feel like this live album was probably an uphill battle.

Really, who knew someone could find a million different ways to growl? My favorite growl styles were what was on display on tracks such as The Earth Died Screaming and Dark Wings. I am good with gravely vocals, but I sometimes felt like he was all growling, warbling, or mumbling, and no singing. I'm coining the term growlbling™ to identify this. Either way, I wasn't a huge fan of tracks where that was on display. Honestly, I loved a lot of the music; the minimal sound with very forward drumming, percussion, and/or morose piano made for a very dark/gothy blues vibe, something almost tribal or bayou voodoo. This album was southern gothic genre before southern gothic was cool. Goin' Out West was my absolute fave on this album; if I didn't know better, you might could have convinced me that it was from some unknown Rob Zombie unplugged session (coming soon to an MTV near you). You know that one Devil archetype -- the deep southern, prohibitionist-era, bluesy, mysterious, smooth-talking dark but not particularly evil figure? Yeah, THAT Devil's soundtrack is this album. I didn't love every song; hell, I didn't even love half the songs. But this made for a super interesting listen.

I like some Beck, but despite listening to this album twice, I just couldn't get into it. Honestly, I was just kind of bored. Not sure what happened here, but this album just didn't do it for me.

I liked the homemade quality of this album. Fiona clearly has enough history in the music game to know how to stay on the good side of the line between homemade-good and homemade-bad. There was a good but cohesive mix of styles on display on this album. I really liked the darker, moodier songs on the album: for example, Newspaper, as well as Heavy Balloon, which turned out to be my favorite album on the track. This album was very percussion-forward, which is a bit experimental for an artist like Fiona, but she made it work. If Fiona ever finds herself failing as a musician, she can easily be a dolphin, because her dolphin chattering at the end of I Want You to Love Me is top notch.

What is there to say about this album that hasn't been said a million times? Black Sabbath paved a road forward for heavy metal with this 1970 album. It would become a blueprint for successful heavy metal music for decades to come. The album has some of the most amazing and memorable riffs to ever grace music, and at least THREE songs from this album (War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man) have stood the test of time and are acknowledged as among the best heavy metal songs ever, even all these decades later. Every other song on this album, while not all as commercially appealing to the general public, serve the same level of amazing quality metal and offer a blueprint of success for the genre going forward. This album is iconic. This album is the definition of legacy.

Man, this album is just as cool today as it was when it debuted over 20 (!!!) years ago. It's easy to forget that it was so long ago because megahit Clint Eastwood STILL gets played on every alt-rock station as if it were released yesterday. As a teenager at the time when this came out, they are the first "virtual band" that I can remember taking seriously. These guys knew themselves, they knew they wanted to do something different, and they knew how they wanted to do it from the beginning of their career; with their debut album, they were not only already setting a foundation for their own signature sound, but also an eclectic alternative/trip hop/lo-fi sound that many other band would embrace in the new millennium and attempt to make their own. Speaking of eclectic, this album is all over the place, but in a good way. They don't limit themselves to any specific sound or genre from track to track, and any given one track is likely to have a mishmash of genres and musical stylings. And yet, everything they do on this album sounds intentional, cohesive, and cleanly executed. All these years later, it was fun to reexamine this album, find a new appreciation for it, and find that it has really stood the test of time.

I saw someone in another review refer to this as "proto bardcore", which was a new term to me; I honestly have not been able to forget that very amusing, very appropriate description. This album has all the making of fantastical, Celtic, medieval, renaissance faire folk music, but with a slight rock edge. The combination of folk and obvious electronic instrumentation back in 1969 seems a bit ahead of its time. Not to mention when considering the medieval vibe, this album is truly an act of anachronism. This was a fun, obscure, weird listen! I can see where this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely mine.

This was somewhere between ska and new wave? I think? Is that a thing? I wasn't familiar with Madness for anything other than Our House, but I found this album to be a good example of why they're named Madness: every song is a little bit zany and off-the-wall. This album wasn't a favorite, but the intrigue was definitely there and this album kept me interested. Madness is all in the mind!

My 100th album on this project! And what an iconic one! This double album is packed with music! Not only that, but there is so much diversity and variation of styles from song to song. This album is interesting if for no other reason than that it's on the precipice of the 60s ending and the 70s beginning. Sounds from both decades permeate this album, showing just how influential the Beatles were on both decades. Helter Skelter is also a song I personally enjoy a lot, partially for this reason -- I love how McCartney just went full force on this song, his goal to make something loud and raw and "dirty". Not only did he achieve that, but it's obvious that the song would inspire heavy metal sounds of the 70s. Other songs on this album (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) would go on to inform other definitive sounds of the 70s as well. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest Beatles fan, and that a lot of what they do is lost on me. While I found this album to be great, I don't think the entire album is at the same caliber as the best songs off of the album; there was definitely some filler (thanks, Lennon). Nothing on the album is BAD, but not everything is downright great. That said, this is a good album for George Harrison, as it features his best Beatles song ever (and one of the band's best songs in general), While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Savoy Truffle is another easy standout from Harrison's side of the catalog, which also features on this album. An interesting album that, in my opinion, really challenged and pushed the state of music at the time. I would rank this album at about a 3.5, so I'm going to go ahead and round up to 4.

I could definitely hear the punk inspiration here, along with some very heavy garage rock and hints of surf rock. I thought the production was pretty poor, even by 60s standards. Everything was way more muddled than it needed to be. I didn't hate this, but I far from loved it. The sheer number of "WHOOOOOA" and "WOOOOOW" screams on this album got really old, really fast, to the point that it probably significantly contributed to my not loving it. This album was okay, I guess, but it didn't do a whole lot for me.

One thing I noticed about this album is that it is really stripped down and low key compared to most of the Bob Dylan stuff I know, save for the interspersed harmonica moments. I guess I didn't realize that some of his earliest stuff was just him and his guitar. While this was his second album, this was the first where he actually wrote the vast majority of his own lyrics. If anything, this project has shown me firsthand what a great songwriter Dylan is. I am still just not into him as a vocalist, though, and his musical style isn't usually to my liking, either.

This is an interesting one. I liked this album okay, but my review is mostly negative and/or critical. So here goes: "I Want You To Want Me" is probably one of the most famous and well loved live recordings, ever. But why? Well, because the original album version is bland as hell and this album pumps SOME life into it. While the results are not quite as dramatic as with "I Want You To Want Me", you can take that same train of thought for their entire discography up to this point in time and apply it to this album. That is basically what this album is: a compilation of their passable songs, but live and with a little bit more life breathed into some otherwise pretty dull studio recordings. There's a reason it took this album to put Cheap Trick on the map. And there's a reason why they were not on the map much AFTER this album. Again, I liked this album okay; I was rocking along throughout most of it. But looking at this as a live album, it is not anything particularly special. There's not really a "spark" on this album to make it feel like a live album. If the source material is incredibly dull, and you rehash it mostly as is but spice it up a tiny bit, does that really make it an iconic live album? You wouldn't know this was a live album if it wasn't for the fans shouting and the band telling the fans what song is coming up next. There's just no magic in terms of a live album. Not to mention, the recording and production quality is actually not great. This is still Cheap Trick's highest selling album, and is often regarded as one of the best live albums ever (and some even say one of the best albums ever, period). But when the source material is boring, and you compile your best tracks into an album and make it slightly more interesting, calling it any of these things almost feels like a bit of a grift. Let's call it what it is: this is just a passable pseudo "greatest hits" album.

I would like to acknowledge that the album itself certainly defies being slotted into any one genre. It's hard to believe that it came out in the 1970s; something about it seems a lot more current. That said, this album didn't do anything for me. The music might have been more enjoyable as an atmospheric thing, but the spoken-word lyrics sort of took away from that. And the "concept" of the album is unacceptable and disgusting. Just, why?

One thought that immediately struck me about this album and lasted throughout the entire thing: despite this being from 1971, it still, today, in 2022, sounds very contemporary and modern. At first, I found this album to be pretty interesting, but by the time it got to track 5, it seemed to take even more of an avant garde turn and I wasn't really feeling it anymore.

I love what the Beastie Boys brought to the music scene; they are undeniably among the select few pioneers of the rap rock style in the late 80s and early 90s. It's impressive how solid they sound on this debut album -- it's like they had already been doing this for decades. That is only further exemplified by the fact that several of their biggest hits come off of this debut album. One of the amusing things about Beastie Boys has always been their ability not to take themselves too seriously. Half the time, it feels like they are joking around with each other and being stupid, and they're letting you in on the joke. I will say that objectively, this album does sound pretty dated by rap rock standards. But you know what? It's still just so old school cool. It was fun to listen for the various samplings throughout this album -- my favorite among them being Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks and CCR's Down on the Corner.

I assume this is considered "avant garde jazz" due to the mixture of jazz and classical stylings. The songs themselves are even arranged in and structured like classical movements rather than modern music tracks. When listening to classical works, my ear always gravitates towards the piano, and I really enjoyed Mingus's piano playing on this album. The brief, added Latin flair that was dabbled here and there was a nice surprise that I also loved! I'm still not finding myself to be much of a jazz fan, though! I think my overall enjoyment was rooted in some of the more out-of-the-box moments and less around the jazz itself. Still, a worthy listen!

This album was folky, ambient, and dreamy, but not so much so that I was bored or lulled into sleep. Elements of indie-pop and electronica keep it from being too lo-fi and ultimately help to break up most of the monotony that can come with albums of this type. Based on what I already know about Goldfrapp, I like how they were able to blend some of their typical, more dance-oriented elecrontic style with this more ambient genre. Ultimately, I think they did a great job doing it. I don't usually review the album art unless something specifically catches me. Well, let me just say that before hearing this album, based on the album art, I thought I was going to be in for some weird swashbuckling, sea-chanty indie music. I was thankfully wrong about that. Road to Somewhere, A&E, and Cologne Cerrone Houdini were all standout tracks for me!

Marianne Faithfull was new to me, but I found her to be intriguing. Her first album was released in the 60s and was quintessential 60s pop. Then, into the 70s, Marianne went through a rough patch, which led to her heavily abusing drugs and suffering from an eating disorder. As a result, her voice was permanently damaged and changed. In 1979, after mostly a decade of musical inactivity, she released this album which was an extreme deviation from her norm and a culmination and reflection of these many rough, life changes. This album was categorized as "new wave", and while I can hear those qualities, I felt like the album had a lot of other musical genres on display that were often even more prominent. Regardless of genre, the album was pleasantly dark and edgy throughout. This was coupled with Marianne Faithfull's raspy voice, which I loved. The songs themselves were a bit hit or miss for me. That said, Broken English and Witches' Song were both faves; the latter gave me strong Stevie Nicks vibes in musical and vocal style as well as lyric style. I'd clock this at about a 2.5, so rounding it up to 3.

This album was soooo smooooth, all throughout. The laid back yacht rock vibes are just right on this album. The overall "feel" of this album is well composed and executed, with each song still being its own thing. I was not familiar with anything from this album, so it was a pleasure to check it out!

First We Take Manhattan is such a dark song and album opener, made only more bizarre by the juxtaposition of the bubbly backing vocals (which is a continuing juxtaposition throughout the album); it stuck with me the entire time I was listening to this album. It was easily my favorite song on the album and it set the precedence for me going into the rest of the album. Leonard Cohen's singing style sits almost like sultry spoken word over the musical layers of the songs. I never could quite decide if I liked that or not, but it certainly made for an interesting, engaging listen. Leonard Cohen is like no other in that regard.

Look, the impact of Miles Davis is not lost on me. But here we are: another jazz album, another "this isn't my thing" comment. Experimental jazz is somehow even worse to me, and there was a lot of that on this album. I will say: Miles Davis was KILLER on trumpet.

Since my teenage years, I've had a fascination with Shirley Manson, and Garbage by extension of that. Her look and her voice are dark, haunting, edgy, and captivating, and I'm just an absolute sucker for that, along with the expected 90s alt-rock sound. That said, I really only knew their hits going into this, so I was excited for the full listen opportunity here. I am always impressed when a debut album from a band can leave such a mark, and this self-titled debut does just that. Several 90s anthems come from this album, not the least of which is "Only Happy When It Rains", which has been featured, used, or alluded to in so many things where that signature 90s edge is required. There are aspects of industrial, dance, and trance mixed in on this album, which keep things fresh and interesting. It manages to do this while still staying true to its alternative, post-grungy core. This album is full of bangers and hits, and even the tracks that are less so drew me in and had me very interested and enjoying the experience. Either way, I didn't find a single filler track. When the album finished playing, I turned around and immediately listened to it a second time, and honestly, I can't wait to listen to it again.

I definitely heard what was likely some inspiration for Nirvana. This wasn't bad, but...meh? It really didn't do anything for me.

I'm admittedly not sure why this was included. This was fine, but I'm not sure it's a must listen. Is it supposed to be an inclusion symbolizing the modern pop boy band's split and a member having individual success? Is it supposed to be a shining example of 90s Britpop? I'm not sure, because it's not really a glowing example of either, in my opinion. I didn't get much out of this. It was fine. It was listenable. But it didn't stir me in any kind of way. This falls somewhere between a high 2 and a low 3.

This was a super interesting listen! It has a lot of the typical 90s alternative vibes that one might expect from bands like Beck or Cake, yet Eels finds a way to make the album slightly more eclectic, slightly more diverse, slightly more eerie, and at times, slightly more ambient. This album feels familiar and yet unique at the same time. I wouldn't say this album just "sucked me in", it was more like a strange new thing that makes itself known and its up to you whether you want to investigate its strange and eclectic nature. And I did want to; I found myself eager for a second listen so that I could pick up on all of the quirks that I missed the first time around. Ultimately, this genre is an absolute soft spot for me, but this album really had me feeling like I was discovering something very 90s that I had never quite put my ears on before. As a sidenote, I had always wondered why so much of Eels was in the Shrek soundtracks. Well, they're both put out by DreamWorks. I had no idea DreamWorks even produced music, so today I learned.

Prior to 1001, this was one of my lesser liked (but still liked) Led Zeppelin albums. I would say that is still the case. That said, this is still a solid album which an amazing variety of instrumentation and vocal effects, and I have a new appreciation for it after listening to it in the scope of this project. Though it may not be a favorite album, Immigrant Song is hands down a favorite song from this album, and one of the best in Led Zeppelin's entire discography. Also, though maybe "underrated" is not the right word, I have always thought Gallows Pole doesn't get enough recognition; they manage to accomplish so much build up and excitement in a song with very minimal instrumentation. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, as far as I'm concerned, is a secret sleeper agent banger on this album. Again, III is not my favorite, but Led Zeppelin makes it hard not to respect and appreciate their chemistry and inventiveness. What they do was cutting edge at the time, and it just WORKS.

Eminem entered into an arena invented and owned by Black artists. Despite his white privilege, this is one area where he truly had to work to stand out, as white rappers were historically not successful and/or were not taken seriously. By this point, Eminem had already found his celebrity status, but this is the album where Eminem became fully realized, showing that he wasn't just copying Black artists, and leaving his official mark on hip hop music. He combines catchy riffs, well written lyrics, and dexterity masterfully. The talents, styles, and quirks that are sharpened on this album changed the face of hip hop and set into motion his immense career with albums following these formulas. Eminem has an obvious snarkiness and stupidity about him that he really hones on this album, making it easy to see the irony and sarcasm in his work. These are an important component to his work; as he works through his incredibly stormy upbringing, this album is a sort of proverbial mirror held up to white people, showing said white people the ugly sides of themselves and their culture that they don't want to acknowledge or admit to. Using his newly found platform of huge success, Eminem does all of this to make a statement and commentary on white culture, on what is arguably his most provocative album. White people want to like and be a part of hip hop music? Well, be careful what you wish for, because like it or not, now the bad and ugly of white culture is in the spotlight. The price to pay for being white and wanting to enjoy an incredibly successful white rapper is acknowledging, consciously or unconsciously, that this album isn't about a third party, such as Black people in Compton -- it's about white people and the fucked up things they do right in your own town...it's about white people you know and associate with, and it's maybe even about you. From a music enjoyment perspective, I like this album okay, a couple of the songs I like quite a bit. But Eminem has always been hit or miss for me, as has a lot of hip hop music; it's a fine line to draw between commentary and glorification of the troubled things many hip hop artists rap about, and Eminem is not immune from that. But it is undeniable that, for many reasons, the cultural impact of this album is significant.

I will say upfront that this album wasn't really my thing from a musical perspective. Most of the music didn't really resonate with me, but I found it listenable. The closing track, Girl Like Me, hit the hardest for me musically, and I wish there had been more like that on the album. What I really appreciated was Jazmine Sullivan's entire concept on this album. She crafted the album around various named female "characters", with spoken word interludes introducing each one, followed by a song that tells each woman's story more in depth. The stories are socially relevant and will continue to be, talking about all manner of feminist and social justice issues. The format had me so interested and while I didn't necessarily overly enjoy the music, I was very engaged in the stories being told.

Was this listenable? Sure. Was it great? Nah. From a music history standpoint, it's cool to hear a band who is regarded as a progenitor of a genre, in this case heavy metal. But even though they had part in creating it, they definitely didn't perfect it. They definitely put the proto- in proto-metal. But hey, I guess they walked so bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Pantera could run.

I knew a couple of songs off of this album, including Layla, but ultimately I know more solo Clapton stuff, and wasn't too familiar going into this. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised. While nothing is ever going to be Layla, this album was chock full of excellent tracks. The guitar was out of this world on each song, as would be expected from a Clapton album; he and Duane Allman are on full-force display here. Nearly every song makes room to show off their combined guitar prowess and I was here for it. This was heavy on the blues, which can often get a bit boring for me, but the band navigated that incredibly well with what I felt was some good variety and incredibly catchy rhythms. Clapton's singing also establishes some variety here, ranging from gravely bluesy to loud cries meant to support the heaviest guitar moments. As far as the album's claim to being a love song album, that is the part that fell short for me. I wasn't particularly wowed with this album looking at it through that specific lens. But what this album lacks in truly heartfelt love songs, it makes up for in good old fashioned fiery guitar playing.

Radiohead is quite experimental on this album; everything has an ethereal feeling about it that is quite entrancing. The tracks on this album was incredibly cohesive; they went together and felt like one big piece of art. That is to say, even their experimental work seems very themed and works well when put together. Still, while the theme and the album cohesion seems spot on, I still found this album to be a little bit improvisational and drawn out. This album was definitely a fascinating listen, but I wouldn't call it a favorite.

Huh. I found this to be unremarkable. From an artistic standpoint, I'm intrigued by the idea of taking nothing but samples and using it to create something new, but in the case of this album, and maybe the entire genre, the final product just isn't my thing.

I looove Jack White on the guitar. He is honestly a modern day guitar genius, as far as I'm concerned. And really, it's impressive too that him and Meg do all of this themselves. Seven Nation Army is such a stellar song -- it's one of those songs that everyone knows, even if they don't know that they know it. As a whole, this album falls under "good, not great" territory for me. The dirty distortions of the guitar are outstanding, but the album is overly bluesy, and I think that falls kind of flat for my personal taste. I absolutely respect and appreciate what The White Stripes accomplish on this album, though.

So far, this project has made me a little bit leery of proto-punk from artists I have never heard of. Well, this album broke the curse; I was pleasantly surprised, because this album was pretty enjoyable! Aspects of this album definitely reminded me of psychedelic rock, and at times the singer reminded me a lot of Jim Morrison. At the same time, I hear some bits and pieces that sound like 80s and 90s alt rock genres. I wouldn't ever presume to say this is the only band to have past and future musical references spanning four decades, but for some reason it was very apparent to me here!

Honestly, I didn't have a problem with this album. George's voice was spot on on every song, there was diversity among the songs, and the music and lyrics were well written. However, it didn't really leave a strong impression on me. Definitely listenable, but not really one I will return to anytime soon.

This is a fine example of synth pop and new wave. Most of these songs were new to me, and while I wouldn't say any of them just absolutely grabbed me and took me, I really did enjoy listening to the album. I'm looking forward to more Pet Shop Boys on this project. This album is more than a 3 for me, but less than a 4...one of those times I wish we had incremental star ratings!

You know, despite the global rating on this album, I was pretty hopeful. I was really into the first few tracks and loved the pure, unapologetic 80s synth sounds. However, by about midway through the album, everything kind of blurred together and the songs became less and less distinct to me. I still liked it okay, and I'd still listen again, but it just didn't turn out to be great to me!

I couldn't quite decide whether or not I liked this album, so I listened to it a second time. I still don't really know how I feel about it. Parts of it are very interesting, experimental, and are very vibe-y, with an almost electronic new-age quality about them. Some of that new-age quality likely stems from some eastern influences I'm hearing nestled in the music. It honestly isn't half bad for some ambient music. Either way, I wasn't very wowed by it. I'd rate this at a high 2.-something, so I'm going to bump it up to 3.

After splitting from N.W.A., Ice Cube certainly had his work cut out from him trying to deliver something as hard hitting and impactful as Straight Outta Compton. That said, he probably got closer with this album than anyone else could have. This album feels like a sequel or an add-on to Compton. I'm not familiar enough with rap to know if this is typical or not, but I found it intriguing how much Ice Cube sampled his own group's work in this album, just further tying it to its predecessor, the elephant in the room. Ice Cube hits on a lot of tough topics here, but this album suffers from the same thing that Compton did: overt and excessive misogyny. It just hasn't aged well.

This album was a trip! It was interesting and felt mostly fresh, even 20 years later. To that point, it's hard to believe they got electronic music so very right with this album, back in 1995. The overall mood and vibe of this album is exciting and fun. To me, some elements of new age were even present, especially in the closing track, "Alive Alone". Overall, this album was a pleasant surprise, and it really was an absolute vibe.

Alright, look. I'm a huge Alice Cooper fan, and so I am going to make a strong attempt to be as objective as possible in this review. And it is from the perspective of that objective lens that I am here to tell you that this album 100% deserves to be on this project. Alice Cooper brought shock rock out of its prototypal obscurity and perfected it. That didn’t happen without its fair bit of experimentation. But it was on this sixth studio album that Alice Cooper's efforts reached a point of stars aligning and coming together. Billion Dollar Babies brings together the best of the band's work thus far in the areas of glam, metal, horror, and shock. The album is consistent and cohesive throughout, with interesting lyrics and vocals, dark horror-inspired topics, excellent riffs, and hard hitting rock. The band went through a significant polishing phase during this album, even down to Alice Cooper himself honing in on his signature look, a look that he is still ultimately known for today. The success of this album was a culmination that led to the also incredibly successful Billion Dollar Babies Tour, a true shock rock theatrical spectacle that included drills, guillotines, body parts, blood, whips, and thousands of other pounds of miscellaneous horror paraphernalia. (Seriously, if you care about shock rock, watch the tour recording, "Good To See You Again, Mr. Cooper" and witness history in the making.) This album and its tour undeniably shaped and changed the course of shock rock, and was undoubtedly an inspiration for other shock rock legends such as Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. The impact just can’t be overstated. Honestly, this album just slays.

As a huge fan of 80s and 90s country, I find Dwight Yoakam to be a very interesting inclusion, and honestly, a pretty informed one. At this point in time, country was taking arguably its biggest turn yet, encompassing more pop and rock sounds as made popular in the 70s and breathing a new life into the country genre (this decision is still rippling through country music today, like it or not). While Dwight Yoakam followed that musical trend to a certain extent, he still kept one foot planted firmly in that classic country "honky tonk" world, using his unique, forlorn-sounding voice to lend to his lonesome country style. Yoakam’s music was also synonymous with Mexican border town cantinas, as he never shied away from infusing his music with that noticeable “tex-mex” flair. Because of the change in the country music landscape at this time, America's country capital of Nashville was critical of Dwight Yoakam, ironically referring to him "TOO country". This resulted in him spending most of his time as a country music outsider, earning is fame the long way around, not the least of which was by playing in L.A. punk clubs. This album was accomplished as a result of Dwight Yoakam relentlessly seeking country music on his own terms and finally gaining significant popularity among listeners, despite Nashville’s backlash. While I can think of country albums from the late 80s to mid 90s that I like better, I honestly don’t know if any of them would better encapsulate this particular era’s country music past and country music future in one album, not to mention Dwight’s reputation as a “cowpunk” outsider. Dwight Yoakam has always unapologetically been his own thing, and this album is probably his most shining example of that uniqueness.

What an interesting album! There is something incredibly poetic about Leonard Cohen releasing an album talking about the heavy topic of death, mere days before his own death. It feels so deeply personal that you can't help but feel like there's some level of prophecy going on here. I'm not the biggest Cohen fan, but this album really did catch my attention. "You Want It Darker" may very well be my favorite of any Leonard Cohen song I've ever heard. There is something about him honing in on this dreadful topic, both on the song and on the album, that drew me in. I DO want it darker, indeed.

This band had historically been pretty heavily punk up until this point, but were outspoken about not wanting to do the same exact thing twice. The band found themselves gravitating toward the slightly more polished and structured sounds of alternative rock and grunge, despite protest from purist fans. This album was a result of those efforts, with the band finding some kind of balance between those punk roots and something a little bit more melodic, an outstanding offering that brought Courtney Love's charged feminist topics and harsh vocals to clash with more rhythm driven instrumentals. Love wanted to show a softer side of herself here, and she found a way to do it that worked for the band and their music. This album would inevitably lead to Hole not only becoming a figurehead of the woman-fronted grunge/alt-rock movement, but showing that they had the grit and attitude to exist among the best alt-rock grunge bands of the time. Love's vocals drip with fury and vigor and show so much range on this album, from raw screams to quiet growls. The clever lyrics mixed with that delivery and incredibly catchy melodies just send this album over the edge into greatness. I already loved Hole, and readdressing this album in its entirety only further cemented that. Really glad to see this excellent, often under-rated band on this project.

As someone who isn't really a huge punk fan, this was a punk-adjacent listen that was easier for me to digest. The music was crunchy and rioting all throughout. This band has a lot of energy, and it shows through in their music. I found it to be a fun enough listen!

Defying all likely odds, 1001 gave me this album literally two days after the last Hole album, so Hole is definitely fresh on the brain and I was ready to hear this. The title track, Celebrity Skin, is just one of the best alternative rock songs of all time, and I'll die on that hill. It comes out of the gate with immense attitude and musical energy. That opening can be recognized in a second or less. The lyrics are deliciously edgy and delivered in that burn-it-all-to-the-ground way that Love personifies, analyzing what it is to be famous from a not-so-glamorous point of view. This whole idea of fame and the California lifestyle becomes a recurring theme on this album. Hole, again being a band that doesn't like to repeat their exact style twice, takes a much more alternative rock approach on this album, shedding most of the remnants of their punk and grunge persona from previous albums. This feels like Hole's most mainstream album, which may be viewed as a negative by some, but I don't think they don't suffer from it. All of the fury of their work is still there, just in a slightly different form, and sometimes not as overt. Again, Courtney Love, to me, is just a voice of an entire movement of angsty yet justified 90s women who were seeking feminism through their music. This album is no exception to that and is another great example of that era and corner of music history.

I thought this album was good, but not great. I believe Young added a certain something to the mix that just made this band pure magic, and for me, that magic is clearly lacking on this album without him. The impact of this album however, is not to be undermined. This debut album popped up in 1969, just in time to inform and be an inspiration for many 70s soft rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter acts. They naturally had a sound and a style here that many bands would go on to covet and seek. While Crosby, Stills & Nash was not the first supergroup, they're an incredibly significant one. Before them, any group formed of members from other bands was considered a "supergroup". But Crosby, Stills & Nash all came from already pretty successful bands and created an even more successful band than any of them came from individually. Crosby, Stills & Nash, along with this album, ultimately set a strong precedent for true supergroups going forward; it's a good introduction to that 70s folk rock sound and a good foundation for things to come with this band.

This album was an excellent listen! I was familiar with a couple of the more iconic songs, but I've definitely been sleeping on Steely Dan overall, as both albums of theirs on this project have been outstanding. It was perfect for active, engaged listening as well as great music to work to. I listened through three times! Steely Dan comes out of the gate with their first album, immediately laying down iconic songs such as "Reelin' in the Years" and "Do It Again". The entire album is full of great vocal work and harmony, as well as exciting and unique guitar and instrumentation work. They do that 70s soft rock sound soooo well, and it's impressive that they got it so very right and left such a mark with their first album. An outstanding debut, for sure; really, there wasn't a bad song on the album.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to say here. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was just average, through and through. It wasn't offensive, but nothing was really exciting about it, either. It was just consistently just "okay". In this album, I can definitely hear where Costello is likely influenced by and trying to carry over some of the power pop and rockabilly of the 50s and 60s, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly. You can even see it in the album cover art. But again, I think it's all a little too evenly neat and one note, nothing out of bounds or surprising like you might have gotten from the above-mentioned bands. Where they all got their fame taking risks and playing around in these genres, Costello just seems to be mostly rehashing them. Again, I always like to note when an album is someone's debut album, because I think it can say a lot. In this case, I definitely feel like Costello already had a solid idea of what he wanted to do and didn't need multiple albums to find his sound; he had it right away. As I understand it, there's a LOT of Costello on this project, so I'm definitely feeling indifferent about that, but at least my first Costello entry was this, his debut album, so I can maybe do some interesting comparisons with future albums. You know, for science. So far, I'm definitely not seeing what all the fuss is about.

"Darkness, Darkness" was an outstanding album opener. This song reminded me of indie folk of today, and The Youngbloods were doing it back in 1969. Really cool to hear! The rest of the album didn't really live up to that song, though; it was an okay mix of folk, psychedelia, and even jazz...specifically, the kind of jazz that you might hear in an elevator. Overall, the album was very middle of the road and not that exciting. But it wasn't bad, either.

This album was fun and pretty unique! "Fusion" is a strong word that comes to mind when I think of this album. There were obvious fusions of glam, punk, psychedelia, and grunge throughout this album. As shown on this album, glam and grunge make such an enjoyable juxtaposition when done correctly. While this didn't blow me away, I really did enjoy it, and would gladly listen to it again!

This album linked to the UK version, but I made the executive decision to listen to the US version instead, because who really wants to hear this album and not hear "Paint It Black"? I have heard a few of the songs from this album MANY times over the years. But, I think mostly due to this project, I REALLY picked up on the heavy psychedelia present on this album, as well as the very overt Eastern influences throughout. These were both genre qualities that I had never paid attention to or noticed in the past. Another thing I had not picked up on previously was the dark, creepy nature of the lyrics of "Under My Thumb". Whether the lyrics tell of sexual dominant/submissive roles or something more rapey, I can't confirm, but really HEARING those lyrics for the first time was interesting. Otherwise, I was mostly underwhelmed with this album; it was just okay. Some of the instrumentation (again, the eastern influences) were cool to hear when compared to the entire album, but the overall album got pretty boring after a few songs, and many of the songs leaned more bluesy than I care for.

This album was really unique! I am not typically big on jazz (this is not news to anyone who has read my reviews at this point), but the afrobeat sounds really caught my attention. This is a short album that spans over an hour of time. The music is full of passion and feels like it could go on forever (in a good way). Ginger Baker's work is also outstanding on this album. It sounded like he really took the time to understand the culture and its music in order to perform this!

Ella's voice is so incredibly warm, so incredibly smooth, and so incredibly timeless. There is something incredibly comforting, nostalgic, and transportive about this album. Ella takes these songbook classics and exudes nothing if not pure elegance. In my opinion, she is among the best of the best of what vocal jazz has to offer. On one hand, I can't believe this is the only songbook collection by Ella on this project (that I know of), but on the other, I can't imagine it getting much better than this, anyway. While I continue not to be a big jazz fan, I must say that if I am going to hear jazz and come even close to appreciating it, this album and the voice of Ella Fitzgerald sets the bar.

So I'm not super versed on Sly & the Family Stone, but I guess I was expecting something a little more like "Everyday People" and "Dance to the Music". That said, "Riot" was overall a little bit more soulful funk. While definitely baseline enjoyable, it wasn't quite in my wheelhouse. As far as soulful funk music goes, though, I can see where this is among the best. Happy to experience it and get a little more educated on this type of music, which I know almost nothing about!

THIS. This is my kind of punk. This is the punk I've been waiting for on this project. They are angsty and grimy, but their lyrics are smart and their music is actually well done. In other words, they're not just slamming on their instruments; they're actually making lyrical and musical statements. These things no doubt contributed to their success as (arguably) the first mainstream punk band (in the States, at least). And they're regarded as among the best punk acts because they simply are; they showed that punk didn't have to just be sloppy, unmitigated noise. They had the talent necessary to leave a true mark on punk music, even with this debut album. There's just no doubt in my mind why this album went down in history. If you listen to each band member's part as individually as possible, they all sound talented and they all sound like they're giving 120%, which is an important part of making impactful punk music, in my opinion. Also, props to "I'm so Bored with the USA", because honestly, same.

From a music technicality standpoint, this has some impressive composition and playing. But also, the tracks devolve into a lot of heavy improvisation; to me, that just ends up sounding like discordant noise. Even if its discordant noise, I guess there's something to be said about the agility with which it is being played. I continue to not be the best candidate for appreciating jazz music, no matter how hard I try.

I had concerns when I saw the genre of "alternative country". I grew even more concerned when I read other accounts that this was essentially a mash-up of country and punk. I'm open to the idea, but I definitely wasn't convinced this album would be a masterful example of the mash-up. My concerns were definitely valid. It's an incredibly bizarre mashup that was not well produced. It's like hearing two different tracks, one country, one punk, that were layered on top of each other and just turned loose. The way it ends up manifesting in the final "mix" on most of the tracks is in the form of punk sounds with weird fiddle overtones. It's discordant, and it's messy. The vocals on this album are annoying and often rambly, too. I've heard worse on this project, but I'm not going to let it stop me from conveying in my rating that this was far from necessary listening.

I mean, I'm always a sucker for 90s alternative rock, so they had me at that. It was fine; I enjoyed it. However, this sounds like a massive off-brand compilation of every popular sound and style of the time, minus all the bands that made these sounds and styles popular. I really don't know what makes this album a worthy contribution to this project. Then again, this came out in 1992, so maybe they were ahead of the curve on all of these sounds? Very middle of the road. Neither under- nor over-whelmed with this. It was average, but enjoyable enough.

So, I only knew the infamous "Song 2" from Blur, and was pretty much expecting something in that vein. I was pretty wrong. This is some bizarre indie, britpop, semi-ska contraption. I did like the chipper, sunshine-y nature of it all, but overall, I honestly just could not get into it.

Meh. This album was boring. I've really got no other word for it. I thought I'd be able to get into some of the dark concepts around this album, but I didn't find myself becoming interested at any point. In fact, it almost felt like it was trying too hard, and came off as pretentious. This was another album where I didn't feel like it warranted the "must hear before you die" label. This was my second PJ Harvey album on this project so far, and I know there are many, many more to come, and I'm just wondering...why? What is this author's obsession with them?

This made for the third Dylan album I've received on this project, and I was pleased to hear that this was the least nasal-y album I've heard yet.

It was okay, but kind of on the bland side. It seemed to take the typical 90s Britpop genre and infuse it with folk of yesteryear. But even then, I'm not sure what makes it a standout album of its genre and era. This is an obscure album that feels like it really doesn't have any strong reason to be brought out of obscurity.

One thing I almost immediately noticed about this album was its sound: it was an interesting and pretty balanced mix of post-punk and pre-new wave sounds. This makes perfect sense giving the release year of 1980, a time when the former genre was beginning to emerge into the latter. Additionally, I felt like the bass shined a lot on this album, which isn't something I would normally pay a lot of attention to or acknowledge. Overall, I found the album to be okay. It was not boring, but it was also not groundbreaking.

I actually dug this quite a bit. It was a nice fusion of upbeat, melodic pop punk music mixed with new wave. I felt like it was still allowed to exhibit that punk spirit but without being as messy or chaotic as some punk, which isn't typically my cup of tea. Most of the songs here were jarringly short, but it worked for The Undertones; they had something brief to say, so they said it, and then they were done. Period. While I would say this was good, I wouldn't say it is as great as other pop punk/new wave combo acts that would rise during this era.

I was surprised how fast this album went by. While part of that was due to the short and sweet album length (14 songs coming in at less than 30 minutes), part of the issue was that, frankly, this album was just incredibly repetitive. Several tracks blended together and honestly sounded like they could have been the same song. While this album was fine, I honestly just think it had been hyped up for me too much over the years, not to mention the insurmountable Blitzkrieg Bop sets a high bar. Nevertheless, I was glad to finally listen to it and experience the legacy of the Ramones.

My first thought on this album is that it was "okay". Frankly, for some reason, I was surprised to find that it deviated a lot in style from the previous Pixies album I reviewed, Bossanova. I liked Bossanova a lot and I guess I was expecting something similar. I gave it a second listen and found myself enjoying it a bit more when I removed the preconceived expectations I had about it. Surfer Rosa seems to embrace more grunge, noise, and chaos, and ultimately just has a less polished sound. The singing between the vocalists can often be characterized as discordant That said, I can fully tell where this all was intentional and was a sound they were going for here. The album's arrival was timely and obviously influenced other alternative and grunge acts that would emerge in the 1990s. Maybe not a favorite listen, but definitely an intriguing one when given a fair shake!

I didn't care for this. Due to the psychedelic nature and the vocal style, it reminded me of off-brand The Doors at several points. They failed to be as interesting as The Doors, though. The tracks are all very short, and you think you're going to escape with your life...but wait, the final track is over 18 minutes long, accounting for over half of the total album length. Honestly, this album was not the worst listen, but it was just forgettable and unremarkable.

This album is quintessential Americana heartland rock, but not for the reasons many Americans think it is. Let me explain. It is incredibly common on American Independence Day to hear the song Born in the USA blaring at every neighborhood barbecue and community fireworks show. Many folks cling to the song like some kind of badge of superior patriotism. It's just one of those songs that has become as synonymous with patriotism as the American national anthem. But here's the thing that they fail to get (which is crazy, because it's literally in the lyrics): Born in the USA (the song) is NOT about being proud of being American. It's about the STRUGGLES of being American. It's about how American soldiers were used as cannon fodder in the Vietnam War and how, when they came back, they found difficulties in adjusting to everyday life again, because of inflation, because of trauma, because of lack of support from their government. Because the government treated those who returned from Vietnam as being as good as dead. The soaring chorus lyrics "born in the USA" are intentionally antithetical to the purpose of the song; the verses are meant to make a mockery of the chorus and make the chorus feel hollow. But the real message of this album was buried by blind American patriotism. Apply this concept to Born in the USA (the album), and you have what this album is really about. Again, it is about being American, but not in the way patriotic people should be gloating about. It's about the struggles of blue collar life in America. The album cover captures it perfectly as well, with a clear blue collar type of person (white shirt, tattered jeans, faded hat) emblazoned on the front. This person isn't thriving. This person is getting by. Looking at this album for what it is, it has great, meaningful lyricism encapsulated in very catchy melodies and foot-stomping beats. It really tells a cohesive, real story of life from front to back, which is what makes it such a shining example of the heartland rock genre, and a profound piece of American rock in general. It no doubt launched and furthered the popularity of other heartland rock acts, as well. This album has a number of well known radio hits, and it was great to experience it from front to back. I only wish more Americans appreciated it for what it really is, and not for what they idealize it to be.

I was among the folks that had this album come up the day after Queen Elizabeth II's passing. I appreciate the morbidity, Alexander, but what have you done by subverting the random nature of this project? Surely this will cause a cataclysmic ripple effect across our universe with unpredictable and disastrous consequences! This album is moody and there is some dark yet catchy guitar work to be found here. For these reasons, this album really borders on something gothic, even though it and the band was never considered to be so. When it comes to post-punk alternative music like this, I always find that I enjoy listening a lot of it, but I don't often seek it out. That said, I enjoyed listening to this but probably wouldn't run back to listen to many of these songs outside of the context of the album. I think The Smiths probably have some other, more catchy individual songs. Still, a worthy inclusion!

So here's the deal: I really only know Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits. And I think that colored my view of this album. Because going into this, I was expecting something on that level. However, I found this album to contain a lot of basic filler folk songs that were okay and listenable, but not spectacular or up to the level of their greatest hits that were groundbreaking in the folk genre. But of course, the album does have some of their BIGGEST big hits such as Bridge, Cecilia, and The Boxer. So how does one review something they perceive as basic overall, yet has some of the band's best individual songs, and arguably some of the best songs of all time? Well, I don't know. But I will say that this album does have some fantastic harmonies and melodies, even among the filler songs, despite the fact that this duo was on the brink of a breakup. The album has a lot of world music sounds that work perfectly under the folk umbrella, and lends a quality to some of the songs that make them almost "renaissance" folk in nature. It is also easy to see that this was somewhat of a playground for these sounds for Simon, as much of his later work would be dedicated to world music. However, it also foretold what would be his tendency to take world music without appropriate credits, as was the case with the (albeit, beautiful) track, "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)". Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Boxer both are beautiful songs that build moment over moment until, by the end, they swell into even more beautiful music and unbelievable vocals, both showcasing Simon & Garfunkel's talent at its peak. These songs leave goosebumps EVERY time. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright was pretty boring, if I'm being honest, but I can appreciate any song that is a tribute to my favorite architect.

Any album that starts with the sound of a TIE fighter is a winner in my book. Also, 1977 was the year Star Wars: A New Hope came out. This album has previously been compared to bands like Sonic Youth, which made sense to me. There's a lot of heavy guitars with catchy melodies and dirty distortion. Many of the songs balance quiet and loud, slow and fast, which was another thing that reminded me of Sonic Youth. This album felt a little generic and not particularly groundbreaking, but again, I am generally a sucker for 90s pop/rock/alt/grunge/etc., so this album finds a nice home with me. Average, but enjoyable enough.

This was an intriguing listen! I am really not a blues fan, but the African spin put on this type of music makes it a lot more interesting! Hearing how Ali Farka Touré interprets the genre and gives it a different flair was intriguing! He still finds a way to penetrate with his vocals, reminding the listener that this is still blues music. I felt like where the album really shined was on the guitar and other string instruments. The rapid, yet precise picking often gave things an almost Arabian-sounding quality from a musical perspective. Where I would normally find blues music boring and drawling, the vocal and string qualities made this very enjoyable as well as easy to listen to. I have never heard anything quite like this, and I definitely enjoyed the experience.

What a great entry from Elton John! This album kicks off with one of Elton's greatest hits of all: Tiny Dancer. Generally speaking, this song is kind of a surprising opener, but it makes makes sense when looked at in the scope of the album. All of the songs on this album tell stories, something that Elton is well known for. The songs all have that signature Elton "flair", as well: a little pop, a little rock, some forward-facing piano, and a lot of glam. But in this era and on this album specifically, all of the songs have a bit of a piano ballad quality about them. While beautiful, I would not describe any of the songs as "fun" -- another adjective sometimes used to describe some of Elton John's later work. And so in this light, Tiny Dancer shines as an excellent album opener. The album has a very cohesive sound; one might even argue a little too cohesive, as a lot of the songs sound really similar. But honestly, for me, this doesn't take away from the enjoyment. The backing band's music is engaging and Elton is simply captivating.

Don't get me wrong, these guys have always known how to bring the energy and excellent guitar work. Both of these efforts on this album, in the 70s, laid groundwork for hard rock in decades to come. That said, aside from this album's title track, most of these tracks sound the same. The energy and guitar work is there, sure, but they really do start to sound like the same song. There is something to be said about a formula that works, though, because I still find myself toe-tapping and finger-drumming along to this album. So while this album may come off as a bit repetitive, it clearly sparked something important and long-lasting.

I didn't remember who The Lemonheads were, but I did recognize their cover of Mrs. Robinson. I'm not sure what it says about you as a band as it pertains to this challenge when you're by far most known for a cover song, but hey. This was definitely a good example of the 1990s alt rock sound. That said, it was also pretty generic and I feel like there are better examples of 90s alt rock from bands who were pioneers in this genre. Overall, though, most of the songs on this album were still fun, enjoyable listens. I'd rank this higher than a 3, but less than a 4...ultimately still closer to the 3 mark, I guess.

It is often seen where bands go from punk to a more "radio friendly" genre, becoming polished over time and losing that "edge", but Nirvana did the exact opposite here, releasing their critically acclaimed Nevermind first and later following it up with the more edgy, unpolished In Utero. There are some songs on this album that have that similar Nevermind polish, but this is ultimately a more primal album. And as I understand it, this is exactly what Nirvana was going for. Still, the magic of Nirvana is there for those that are drawn to it in the first place. You have grating, visceral emotions from Cobain's vocals and lyrics. His words fit the grunge genre so well, as he is adept at telling his very personal stories with dirty, grimy, grungy lyrics befitting of the genre. The music, while also incredibly grungy and distorted, is masterfully edgy; you can tell you're listening to musicians who know how to do more than slam on their instruments. While I understand that Nirvana wanted to go more unpolished, I personally believe they were at their best on Nevermind. Still, this album is solid, and a very shining example of 90s grunge and punk-adjacent genres. Cobain was known for pushing hard for what he wanted, and Nirvana shows here what they wanted to be, and they were uncompromising on that. And it proved to be a success. This likely would have been the beginning of their sound moving forward, had it not been for Cobain's untimely death.

This album is an interesting inclusion. While I do recognize Beyonce's immense impact on pop and R&B music as she exited Destiny's Child, this album, to me, marked a turning point where she became less of a singer and more of an experience and a production. Everything about this album was a production: the album dropped secretly and unexpectedly and toted a long list of credits and came complete with visuals. This album's work, while not bad, seems incredibly manufactured and mostly uninspired. In this case, I do think the production overshadowed the artistry. The lyrics seem disparate and disconnected from the songs. I could probably get behind this more easily if it were marketed as some kind of dark, moody, ambient electronic/R&B collaborative concept among the producers. But the need to throw Beyonce's name on this and literally market the music around her made this feel, again, overproduced. It mostly sounds like Beyonce showed up to do some vocals on songs that were never really for her to begin with. Aside from a couple of notable songs, I don't feel like she adds much to this music. If you want a more inspired experience showing Beyonce emerging from a girl group and thriving as a solid, unique solo performer with an outstanding voice, look further back in her catalog. That said, this album is the hallmark of the modern Beyonce experience, and what she has built her empire around. And beyond Beyonce, this work is a decent example of conceptual electronic R&B. Maybe that is what makes this album a notable inclusion in the project. But considering this is ultimately marketed as a Beyonce album, I would be remiss not to mention that Beyonce is not what shines on this album; it is okay for what it is, but it stifles her talent.