The best part about Jane's Addiction is Dave Navarro's eyeliner.
It was a pleasant listen but I don't remember any of it to be honest. I guess I'll have to go back to it to have a real opinion about it. Spoiler altert: I probably won't.
I'm beyond tired of hearing the singles and I felt that the other songs were mostly fillers, but the truth is that I'm not a fan at all. 40 minutes of AC/DC is just way more than I can take. Maybe one day I'll become some 55 years old dude having fights in dive bars and then I'll change my mind about them.
My knowledge of country music is close to none. Even the ones I know and like (Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash) has more folk in them than Emmylou. This is country front to back, and while I can't say that I was crazy about it, it's easy to see why people would like that one. Emmylou has a great voice and most of the songs have a bright, uplifting vibe that is comforting. From what I gather this is mostly covers, but I didn't really recognize the originals except for For No One, which was kinda nice.
Close to perfection. Pink Moon gets all the praise but I'd say that it's just as good in many ways. It has the beautiful arrangements of Bryter Layter and the automnal, introspective mood of Pink Moon. Best of both worlds, really.
Starts and ends in a perfect way. There are some fillers along the way but the good tracks are strong enough to warrant a 4 overall.
Nothing mindblowing, but I understand why it became an important piece of the cultural landscape in hip hop. I'm glad I heard it, but I doubt I'll ever return to it.
Very good and obviously an important record for trip hop, if not the first one. There are a few weaker spots here and there, but it's mostly solid. I'm glad I listened to something else than Mezzanine for once.
Let' get this out of the way: I am an unabashed Radiohead fanboy. So it might not come as a surprise that I'm giving their first classic album a perfect score. But the truth is, how was I supposed to give it a lower score with songs like Fake Plastic Trees and Street Spirit?
I feel that giving it 2 stars might be a bit harsh, but at the same time I thought it was really boring overall, save for one or two songs. They've done much better before and after that album so it's a bit surprising to see this one here.
I can hardly justify whi this album is included in this list when their two previous albums are already featured. It's a good album, but it brings absolutely nothing new to their sound. To me this was a diminishing return and I'm sure there are far more deserving albums that could have been representend in the book instead of this one.
Such a fun and varied album. It loses a bit of steam in the last half but there's no real bad moments here.
I love that kind of music. Nothing truly stands out for me after the first song, but it's all about that nostalgic, deeply American atmosphere anyway.
I love this band and this is a good album, but there's just no reason for it to be included here when Lost Souls exists. There are far more deserving albums out there.
I get it, it's a pretty daring record for 1985 and I can see why it's praised. But even at under 40 minutes, it got a bit tiring and samey in the second half.
Possibly the best album featuring a toilet seat on its cover. Huge classic nad much more than just California Dreamin'.
Another masterful album by Nick Drake. It's easy to see why he cared deeply about that one. People always rave about Pink Moon (and rightfully so) for its mystique and melancholic feel, but this one's just as important. This is what he wanted to do. The lush arrangements and warm production makes it something really special.
This shouldn't work as much as it does, but it does. What a trip. Playground love is the obvious highlight, very Air-esque in its sexiness, but all the other songs have that hypnotic patterns that are way more dark and anxious than anything else they've ever done. Great stuff.
Those orchestrations are miraculous. No one sounds like Mingus and his blend of experimental big band, classical music and the so-called world music. Most importantly, he kept pushing the jazz genre forward while still bopping hard. This album is a testament to his genius.
Really great stuff. I don't listen to Zappa/Mothers as much as I should. I think that's because I find his vast discography a little bit intimidating. I'll get to it eventually.
I don't know about this being one of their most essential releases, but it's still great. I feel that giving it a 4 is a bit much, but since there's no half stars I feel that it's closer to my appreciation than a 3.
To me, this is the quintessential rock album. This is the album that broke with Zeppelin's epicness and glitters to go back to its basic, more dangerous roots.
A good album with a few real standouts but with some weaker spots here and there. Still, it's easy to see why it's considered a classic.
Jumping Jack Flash with sitar is still Jumping Jack Flash.
Not bad, but as a newcomer I failed to see what is supposed to be so exciting about Alice's music. I'll try again with another album.
First real discovery that I make with this challenge and it's a real good one! Quite atmospheric synthpop with post-punk undertones, I love it and I need it on vinyl now.
There's only a few Iggy albums that I really like, and this is one of them. Turn Blue is the only low point here, the rest of the album is filled with bangers!
Not one of my favorite bands by any stretch of the imagination, but there are some really good moments here. The last three songs prevents this from getting a 4.
It was not offensively bad, but it was offensively boring, juste like everything else I've heard from this guy so far.
Not bad, there was some nice songwriting here, but I doubt I'll ever return to it. Still better than Springsteen.
In equal parts quirky and unsettling, this sounded like what I thought industrial music from the early 80's would sound like. I'm not sure if this was an essential listening, but you can't try to get this book's logic.
The White Stripes are the kind of band that a greatest hits would be more than enough for me. Some really great songs mixed with some rather dull ones.
Not my favorite from them, but it's a great feel-good album. Lots of Dylan covers as usual, so that doesn't hurt. Nothing groundbreaking, just great rock music.
AN album that made history blablabla don't let me hear this ever again.
Great, great country album that mixes humor, politics and melancholy without falling into the cheesy category that so many albums of the genre gets trapped in. And to think this was his first album is quite impressive as well. I have to check out his later stuff.
Way better than expected. Shirley Manson has a lot of charisma and Butch Vig does a great production with this more electronic approach. I think it's the kind of album that I would have on rotation if I had known it at the right time, but it's still cool to discover it now.
Rudimentary folk/country music from the late 50's. As a whole, this felt like a mess and even at 30 minutes it was a bit of a drag to get through. Sorry Jack. I do love your 2009 comeback though, so I'm still willing to hear your other albums.
Never really understood why people love that band so much, and I still don't. Some good songles here and there, but mostly boring in the long run. Maybe a greatest hits would be more suited for a casual like me.
I will give this a 4 despite the second half being much weaker than the first. "Girlfriend" and "She's Out of My Life" kills the mood a bit for me, but I have to concede that the first side is some of the best disco pop you'll ever hear in your life.
One of his best, that's for sure. Mark Garson's playing steals the show on this one, especially on the title track. Honestly, this would be very close to a perfect album if it wasn't for that uneventful Rolling Stones cover.
I guess I'm not the one to judge of her work because I'm not part of her fanbase nor am I a fan of this kind of pop, but I found this album painfully linear. Well produced but very cold in her delivery. It's just not for me, at least I can confirm this now.
Well, I've listened to Stand! a few times and liked it a lot, but I was surprised to see how this one is different, especially considering it only came out two years after it. Riot is much more hypnotic than Stand!, it's also more serious. I'm used to hear funk that's uplifting and optimistic, but this one's feel cynical, and that gives the album an emotional depth that I've rarely heard in that genre before. This is a unique album that is fully deserving its spot in this list.
The thin line between listening to music and falling into a coma.
It sure is a country album made in the 60's.
One of the great "I'm an angry white American young man" albums out there. "I Will Dare", "Unsatisfied", "Androgynous" and "Answering Machine" are absolute classics, but the whole album is great. It was also ahead of its time both for the lyrics and the music. Grunge bands obviously took notes from The Replacements. I could go on for hours about that album, a real gem.
Considering that I've never been a fan on his singles that I would catch on the radio sometimes, that was way better than expected. You can see that this had a lot of influence on Kanye and that he indeed surpassed the master pretty quickly, but the beats are still great for the most part.
Great britpop album with a bit of a theatrical delivery. In that way they are closer to Blur than Oasis, which might explain why I enjoyed it.
Huge classic, there's no doubt about this, but it's never been one of my favorites to be honest. It sounds good obviously and there are some awesome tracks here, but as rappers, Dre et Snoop both sounds a bit too lazy to keep me interested for 1 hours straight.
I wish I enjoyed her music, I really do. But I can't stand her voice. I totally understand why people find it beautiful, like I said I hope I can get my head around it someday, but for now now her tremolo and use of dynamics are just giving me a headache. I'm sorry Joan.
Great voice, subpar songs. Also that laughing guy in One More Dance was unbearable.
Well, that was incredible. I knew other Siouxsie albums and really liked them, but I had never really heard this one before. This has to be her best album, great goth/post-punk with menacing riffs and of course haunting vocals. This one goes in my wantlist.
I don't know what to make of this. This wasn't bad but I already can't remember any of it. I kinda just felt like 40 minutes of Van wailing. I'll get back to it eventually, but my first impression isn't that convincing.
The Byrds are the kind of band that I like but from which there's no albums I'm totally crazy about. This one's a good example, extremely pleasant and a really nice transition from their more psychedelic first years, but in the end nothing from it will really stick with me. I'll be really glad every time I hear it, but it won't become a personal classic.
A few good songs here and there, especially on Wilco's side, but I find most of the album to be pleasant but uneventful. The idea of giving old Guthrie songs to younger musicians is really great, and Wilco are obviously having fun with them, while Bragg mostly sticks to his usual serious "union on strike singer" delivery.
Admittedly, I'm not Stevie's biggest fan. I mean I love his music and hearing his big singles is always fun, but on whole albums I tend to find his brand of smooth soul a little too... smooth. Or gentle, let's put it this way. That's why I prefer the tracks that has a little more edge, like Living for the City. But having said that, it's obviously a classic and I can only admire his work even if it's not the first thing I'll want to hear when I want some soul.
Some good tracks, some boring ones. Nothing bad, nothing extraordinary either. Just there.
That's a cute little blues rock cover band you've got here, do you often get requests for "Freebird" when you play weddings?
I've listened to this album 10 000 times and I still can't remember anything about Long, Long, Long.
Much more rhythmically driven than what I remembered. It's crazy to witness how that guy was ahead of its time at such an early stage of its career. He would release a lot more challenging records in the future but this one's too cool to be ignored.
Don't tell Alex I didn't enjoy as much as he wanted me to. I just don't think that the slick production goes really well with the "world music" it wants to incorporate, but maybe it's just me. There are some solid compositions though, but considering its reputation, I gotta say that I was expecting more from that one.
Started really strong but I thought it was quite spotty after that. This is the kind of album where I'll choose 2 or 3 songs to put in playlists and be happy with just that.
This is not the album that will make me a Who fan, that's for sure. A few good tracks here and there, but also a lot of filler, which is to be expected for an album that long. I guess seeing the film would help, but I'm not in a hurry to hear those songs again.
One of the most consistent Doors albums, I think. But while it has no real filler, it also kinda lacks in truly glorious and magical moments, save for the two first songs.
Pretty good, pretty smooth. I don't have much to say about this. Obviously it's good music it all kind of blends together for me at one point.
Great soul album, incredible soul singer. I should check her other albums one day.
I thought it was better than Supa Dupa Fly. The feats were more interesting and the more modern production by Timbaland suits her music best. But for the love of our Lord the Rock Lobster can you tell me why there are two of her albums in this book? This is ridiculous.
Comparing T. Rex to Bowie is futile because they just weren't going for the same thing. Bowie was using glam rock as a tool in a far wider musical spectrum that he had in mind. T. Rex embodied glam rock with a sense of sensuality and a grittiness akin to Iggy Pop. This guy just rocked with passion and that's precisely why I love him so much.
I'd write something about this album but I'm way too busy dancing to its amazing beats! No ok, I'm not really dancing. I'm not even standing up. I'm on a chair, I'm always on a chair. My back hurts.
For something called "outlaw country" I thought this was pretty soothing, which is not a bad thing. I actually liked it. It started to feel a little bit samey during the last half but the overall mood was really pleasant.
Maybe I'm too harsh with this album? I don't know. Just give us better albums and it won't happen again.
My favourite. Pompous but with a purpose. I think they really did it right with that one. No dead weight like on the other albums that would follow.
The dreamiest of the dream pop albums. The washy guitars hovers over the dreamlike production while Elizabeth Fraser's voice carries the whole thing. I suspect that some compositions would reveal to be weaker than it seems if they weren't drenched in such a soothing atmosphere. But for each song that may be a little less memorable, there is one absolute classic like Cherry-Coloured Funk, Frou-Frou or the title track.
I had high hopes for this, but it turns out that it's just pointless guitar loops drowned in delay. I try to avoid that term when I talk about music but I think this one's massively overrated.
Started really strong and it stays pleasant all the way through but some songs are sadly more uneventful than others.
It's nice to see where Björk comes from and this is rather good but let's be honest, nobody would care about it if it wasn't for her. Musically, this is standard post-punk that owes everything to Björk's fabulous voice and personality. More of a "for fans only" album than an essential one, me thinks.
I don't know what to make of this album. On one hand, I quite like the idea of having a patchy album from Fleetwood Mac. It gives us the chance to hear them stretch out a bit. But on the other hand there are a lot of filler in there, and not the funny filler kind. Maybe I'd enjoy it more with subsequent listens, but I doubt I'll ever return to it.
Great psychedelic pop mixed with britpop. And Gruff Rhys was in that band?! I didn't even know! I will definitely check out their later albums.
Decades might be the saddest song of all-time. Of course I'm giving it a 5.
It was alright I guess. I'm just not a huge fan of that kind of funk.
I like Parachutes quite a bit, but I never took the time to listen to their followup outside of its singles. One could argue that it's just as good as their first album and I wouldn't say a thing, but I personally prefer the more stripped back version of the band. Not to mention that I am absolutely sick of hearing Clocks, so that doesn't help. I know it's cool to hate on them but this is pretty good for what it is.