1037
Albums Rated
3.32
Average Rating
95%
Complete
52 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
72
5-Star Albums
30
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cut
The Slits
|
5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
|
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
|
5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
|
Songs The Lord Taught Us
The Cramps
|
5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
|
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
|
5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
|
Out of Step
Minor Threat
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
|
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
|
Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
|
5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
|
Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
|
5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
|
1 | 3.48 | -2.48 |
|
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
|
1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
|
Eagles
Eagles
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
|
1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
|
Woodface
Crowded House
|
1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
|
The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
|
1 | 3.08 | -2.08 |
|
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
Electric
The Cult
|
1 | 3.02 | -2.02 |
|
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
|
1 | 2.99 | -1.99 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.57 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 8 | 4.25 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.25 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| Björk | 3 | 4.33 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| U2 | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Eagles | 2 | 1.5 |
| Eminem | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (72)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Scissor Sisters · 6 likes
2/5
I thought this was pretty meh. Not offensive, but it was like listening to neo-Elton John euro fanfic.
2/5
George Michael · 5 likes
2/5
Started strong, but I lost interest pretty quick. Freedom! 90 fucks, but the rest I could take it or leave it.
2/5
Snoop Dogg · 4 likes
4/5
Really actually enjoyed this one. I have no idea what things make me like a rap album vs not liking one.
3.75/5
War · 4 likes
4/5
I enjoyed this album quite a bit. It's not really in a style I normally listen to, but I may seek out more like this in the future.
The Cisco Kid is a banger. I also liked the longer songs.
4/5
Megadeth · 2 likes
5/5
I thought this was going to be passable, but didn't have high hopes. I thought I knew what Megadeth sounded like and I didn't think I liked it. Turns out I was wrong and this is a great album! I listened to it all the way through like 4 times in a row. I don't really care for Mustaine's vocals, but they're easy enough to get over. The rest is excellent.
5/5
1-Star Albums (30)
All Ratings
Dire Straits
3/5
Was not all that taken with this album on first listen. There were the singles I was already familiar with and they were still good.
Near the end, I was warming to it, so I relistened and realized that most of my negativity were around "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry", which were both snoozefests.
I like the end of the album quite a bit. If it were all like that, I'd give it a 4. As it is with the snoozefests, I'll give it a 3.
3/5
The first half was only passable by me. It wasn't offensive, but I was definitely bored.
I dislike Dylan's vocal style with his upward inflections. I was ready to just slog through it, but did the research quickly and saw the back half is electric so I waited for that.
I found the electric half much more enjoyable, as I'm way more taken with interesting guitars and drums and such than the lyrical content.
The electric saved it from being a 1-2 star listen.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
This was different from my expectations
1. Less vocal harmonies overall than I would expect from S&G.
2. More orchestration as well, and variation in orchestration across songs.
3. Bridge over Troubled Water is just a decent song. I liked the rest of the album more.
4. Cecilia is a banger.
5. Why Don't You Write Me is also a banger, and I was surprised to see it the least-listened-to song on the album (according to Spotify). It reminded me of late Beatles output.
Very good album. I'd give it a 3.7/5 if I could.
The White Stripes
5/5
Already loved this album. 5/5
I don't know if I can be objective about it.
1. I love all the songs, even the "weird" ones. Little Room, Aluminum, Expecting (less weird, but still) are all great.
2. I think I prefer the back half of the album overall, but that's because those songs are underappreciated.
Favorite Songs:
Same Boy You've Always Known
Offend in Every Way
Now Mary
This Protector
Hotel Yorba
Finding It Hard To Be a Gentleman
Norah Jones
3/5
1. Don't know why doesn't do anything for me, probably because I've heard it a million times (like everyone).
2. Seven Years had some cool slide guitar after I thought it was going to continue doing the arpegiated guitar forever. I liked that.
3. Cold Cold Heart's slight bass swing is pretty cool, and I like this song.
4. Feelin' the Same Way was pretty boring.
5. Haven't heard a song that really stood out since Cold Cold Heart
6. I've Got To See You Again is a cool song. Little bit of a gypsy swing thing going on.
7. Last few songs are pretty. Good way to close out the album.
3/5
Pantera
4/5
I know I've listened to this before, but I didn't remember it very well.
Listening with fresh 2022 ears, I found a lot to like. The singles still hold up pretty well, although I probably could never hear Walk again and be ok. This Love is still good.
I was most surprised by Fucking Hostile and Rise. Those are straight bangers and I enjoyed them a lot.
It fell off a bit near the end, but not by a lot. I was still enjoying it. Too bad Anselmo is a shithead.
4/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
Great album. Not much to say otherwise though.
Classis and will stay classic.
Van Morrison
3/5
Weird album. I liked it, but it was also pretty same-y.
There was some weird things with desyncing between instruments in like, Madame George. That was off-putting a bit, as it just seemed clumsy and didn't add to the music.
Also, Slim Slow Slider just fucking ends. It has a little weird freakout and then quick fade. What a weird way to end an album.
3/5
Ministry
4/5
never listened to this. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Highlights:
Just One Fix
Corrosion
Scare Crow (I knew this one from Inter Arma cover)
4/5
Missy Elliott
4/5
really enjoyed it, surprisingly. I was mostly passively listening, but didn't get bored and any time I really tuned in it was all good.
4/5
Fiona Apple
4/5
Was a fun jaunt. The singles were as good as I remembered, and the songs I didn't know were mostly as good as the singles.
4/5
Kanye West
5/5
5/5
I will say it's a little front-loaded, and I don't think that Blame Game needs to be 7 minutes just to hear Chris Rock talk about Yeezy teaching women how to sex good.
Hell of a Life sampling 21st Century Schizoid Man is real good too. It's all really good. Like really really good.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Pretty decent album. Some songs were great but some were sort of a slog. I liked it more than I thought I did, but I like their later stuff that has more going on instrumentally.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Somber album, but very pretty. I thought I'd get bored and I may have if I listened in one sitting, but over a couple sittings, I quite liked it.
Blue Cheer
3/5
not bad but sort of boring
Bob Dylan
3/5
liked it a lot more than the live bootleg we heard. That being said, I think only half the songs were all that good.
Another thing I noticed was that the longest songs were also the ones with the least going on. What's that about, Bob?
3/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Great album. I listened to jimi in middle school and sorta burnt myself out on him then, but I guess 30 years is long enough to come back.
Solomon Burke
5/5
I really really liked this album.
Some of my favorites:
If You Need Me
Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
Hard, Ain't It Hard
I liked the production a lot. I don't listen to basically anything pre mid-60s, and I like how the guitar was panned all the way to one channel with other instruments sometimes solitary in a channel and sometimes mixed stereo. It felt like the guitar was next to me and not "around me" like I'm used to.
I listened through it twice and want to listen again.
5/5
Carpenters
4/5
Huh. So I assumed I was not going to like this, because the bits of individual Carpenters songs I've heard have done nothing for me.
However... I find myself liking this over the full listen. I guess hearing them in the context of the album is a different and better thing.
Beginning of We've Only Just Begun - reminds me of Carole King, but then the chorus goes in a brighter direction, which is sorta cheesy, but I don't hate. I prefer the non-chorus portions of the song, but overall I like it.
Love is Surrender - just ok, but not bad. I like the organ and background more than the singing in this one. Sorta a Charlie Brown vibe.
Maybe It's You - nice melancholy song. Sorta reminds me of Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. I like when the woman sings on her own, more than the vocal harmonies, I think. She has a nice lilt.
Reason to Believe - reminds me of a chill country song. It again has a Carole King quality that's sorta nice, but overall this song is just ok.
Help - this song is a banger and a surprise. I like it.
(They Long to Be) Close To You - everyone's heard this song. It's basically a meme at this point. I did find myself enjoying it more than I expected. The twinkly keys in the background reminded me of something from like Willy Wonka. It's a chill song. It also has lots of just the woman singing (I should find out her name. Karen).
Baby It's You - Just ok one. Not much to say. I don't like "sha la la la la oooh" portions in songs though.
I'll Never Fall in Love Again - More Carole King vibes. Like, quite a bit. I like this song for that reason. More of just Karen singing, except a few overdubs.
Crescent Noon - more of a jazzy number. I like it. Not in the instruments so much, but in the singing. Again, sort of a melancholy, moody song, which is my style.
Mr Guder - weird song, which makes me like it. It has the "ba da da da" stuff, but in a weird way and I dig it.
I Kept On Loving You - Ken(?)-led song. That's my least favorite part about it, but the rest has that Belle and Sebastian quality I noticed. The instrumentation is quite nice.
Another Song - more Carole King feel. I am realizing these guys preceded Carole King in general, so probably I should be saying it the other way around. I like Karen's singing a lot by this point. The instrumentation is really nice on this song too. I like the harpsichord and the drumming, especially. Weird song to end on, and apparently it's the least-listened song on the album, according to Spotify numbers.
Overall:
I'm realizing that a lot of the background sounds that I'm liking are similarly represented in Belle and Sebastian's happier music. I think without that touchpoint, I might find this more cheesy than I did.
Didn't expect to like this, but I did.
4/5
Nina Simone
3/5
I listened through this twice and there are nice songs and some that are not so great for me. I think overall, it was a good listen, but not necessarily something I'd come back to. Sorry, Nina.
3/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
There's some good stuff on here, but I had heard how great this album is and I wasn't so impressed. It at times reminded me of Modest Mouse or Pixies, but not as good.
The singles are solid, and some of the others were pretty good as well. I just don't see myself coming back to it. It wasn't offensive, it just didn't hold my attention.
3/5
Primal Scream
3/5
I thought this was ok, but it really wasn't catching me. I don't have much to say except I don't think I'd choose to listen to it again on my own.
3/5
Jeff Beck
3/5
I don't have much to say about this album. It was just ok.
I wouldn't be able to identify it in a line-up with other classic rock of the era.
I did like the song title "Blues Deluxe" though. Like, "you guys are blues lite. we're blues deluxe".
3/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Ok album. I tend to like it more when Eno is part of a collaboration more than when he's solo.
Sade
3/5
Wasn't in love with it on the first listen, but I liked it more on the 2nd listen. I don't really have any touchpoint for this style of music. I enjoyed it, but probably not enough to revisit.
3.5/5
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5/5
Great great album. Was surprised how much I liked it.
This is the 2nd really big discovery where I hadn't heard of the artist before and it was 5/5. Stoked!
Elbow
3/5
Initially, I was pretty taken with this. First few songs were great. I found myself gettin bored by the end, however :(
A lot of the singles stand on their own, but I'm not in love with it as an album. It tended to be a bit same-y.
3/5
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Good album. Brought me back to middle school.
There's enough catchy little ditties here to make this a 4/5
Gene Clark
3/5
Wasn't bad, wasn't great. I sorta don't remember much about it already.
3/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
weird album, but enjoyable enough.
I would almost definitely never choose to listen to this again, however. I respect it for what it is, and it was neat to hear the source of Renegades of Funk from RATM covers album.
Metallica
5/5
Great album
5/5
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Meh.
The Police
4/5
Really liked this album.
Mother is weird and like Birthday Party.
I actually thought the singles stood out as not fitting with the rest
Coldplay
3/5
Pretty good album. I actually liked a lot of the songs I hadn't heard before. Sorta sounded like Radiohead-lite. Enjoyable.
3.5/5
U2
2/5
this is not good at all. I sorta like Mysterious Ways, but that's the *only* saving grace on here. I dislike this quite a bit.
2/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Liked this just fine. Enjoyable but not amazing.
Machito
3/5
Catchy and fun. Very easy listening. I enjoyed it for what it is, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Didn't know this one, but knew the artist.
I like it quite a bit. Listened through twice. Very good post-punk. Would listen again.
Gary Numan
4/5
Good album. Of course I knew Gary Numan, but never listened to a full album.
Observer sounds *very* similar to Cars. Funny that they're only 2 tracks apart.
The thing that's stopping this from being a 5 is that some songs are same-y.
4/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
Liked this quite a lot.
The thing stopping this from being a 5/5 is just that the vocals are over-repeated without enough other variation to keep it from being grating. Some songs are better than others in this regard.
It doesn't bother me much over a single listen, but I know it'd stop me from playing the album on repeat, and thus 4/5 instead of 5/5
Eric Clapton
2/5
Boring
R.E.M.
3/5
I didn't think much of this at all. It was ok.
I did like 9-9 though. It sorta reminded me of Gang of Four or something like that w/ the scrape-y guitarwork.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Great album. I think on a single listen, I'd give this a 4. However, I suspect it'd grow on me with a few more listens even more, so I'm going to give it a 5/5.
UB40
2/5
Just meh. I don't get this style of dub. Not offensive, but would never seek it out.
Gotan Project
3/5
Pretty good, but also pretty same-y. I liked it but probably don't need to hear it again.
Reminds me of the background parts of Igorrr sort of, when he's being all french-y.
The Strokes
5/5
Haven't listened to this in forever. I really really enjoyed the relisten though.
5/5
T. Rex
3/5
Not bad. Actually quite liked the sound. Similar to Bowie. Why it's a 3/5 is because there's not enough variation from song to song. Any one single is probably a 5/5, but overall it's like hearing it on repeat.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I enjoyed this, but not a ton. I like the Stones, but they can be pretty same-y. Overall, I'd say it's a 3.75/5, so I'll round up.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
4/5 very enjoyable listen. I listened through twice and this is definitely not my sort of standard listening. However, I found it engaging and never got bored.
Mekons
3/5
Initially thought this was going to be a 4/5, but as the songs progressed, I liked it less and less. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't especially good either.
3/5
The Stranglers
3/5
Not bad but not amazing, by any means. I wouldn't have necessarily even have called this a punk album if I hadn't looked up a bit of context on the album.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
3/5. Some was nice, but overall I didn't really care for it. Sorta reminds me of more boring version of things like The Shins.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Very nice album. I'd heard it before, but not in a long time.
Liz Phair
4/5
I liked this, but didn't love it. I feel like it sorta grew on me over two listens, however, and think I'd like it more on future listens. It reminds me Breeders or something to that effect.
3.75/5. rounding up to 4/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Really liked this, and was not familiar at all. I didn't know this level of complexity existed in electronic music in 1976. Very very cool.
5/5
John Prine
4/5
I really liked this album, surprisingly. The lyrics were good, the music was good, and it sorta reminded me of Jim Croce (I don't have a lot of context for this type of music, so forgive my bad comparisons).
4/5
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I liked this and there's a few great songs but by the end of the 2nd listen I knew it wouldn't stick with me.
James Taylor
4/5
Good album. Would listen again
The Sonics
3/5
Not bad but not amazing. The screaming was done too much imo for the music.
Korn
4/5
This album was way better than I remembered. Back in the day, I disliked this album for not being as good as Life is Peachy and for, I dunno, the rap influence or whatever. It's actually really fun in general though.
Def Leppard
3/5
Eh. I got bored of this pretty quick. Every song sounds basically the same. It's like ACDC.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Just as good as it was when I was 13 and first heard it. I love this album.
5/5
The Black Crowes
2/5
This was so meh I almost died.
There's nothing about this that is engaging, except "Hard to Handle" has a bit of nostalgia. It works better as a single than in the context of the album though.
I was so bored listening to this...
2/5
Aerosmith
3/5
Wasn't bad as I was expecting. Some songs were even maybe good?
The faster-paced songs were pretty good, like Rats in the Cellar.
Get the Lead Out was also decent.
Lick and a Promise was also decent.
Overall, I'd rather be listening to another band like Led Zeppelin though.
3/5
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I didn't care for this at all. initially, I thought it was maybe going to be something like Belle and Sebastian, but it just was nothing in the end.
2/5
Megadeth
5/5
I thought this was going to be passable, but didn't have high hopes. I thought I knew what Megadeth sounded like and I didn't think I liked it. Turns out I was wrong and this is a great album! I listened to it all the way through like 4 times in a row. I don't really care for Mustaine's vocals, but they're easy enough to get over. The rest is excellent.
5/5
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Not bad. I didn't know about Janis stuff before solo work. I enjoyed it OK, but wasn't blown away by any means.
Sepultura
4/5
I had heard this before and it didn't really click, but I enjoyed it more this time. I'd say it is a little long for no good reason, and it would be better if it were like 40 minutes instead of 70.
Dire Straits
3/5
I liked this one more than Brothers in Arms, although I couldn't tell you exactly why. It's a decent album but not amazing.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
Liked this, and wanna return to it and understand the concepts better.
Common
4/5
Good album. Reminds me of Kanye stuff from the same period, except more uplifting.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I like this alright. There's some good singles, but the other songs don't do much for me. I am between a 3 and a 4, so I guess I'll put as 3.5 and round up
3.5/5
Bobby Womack
3/5
Pretty good! I listened through twice. It was hard to stay focused on, but the singles were quite good. The other songs were pretty forgettable. I think overall I wouldn't revisit this again, but I enjoyed it enough.
3.49/5
Joan Armatrading
4/5
I like this album. It reminded me of Esperanza Spalding, somewhat, but less jazzy and more country. It was good and I'd listen to it again.
4/5
3/5
Not bad, but it didn't have any sticking power with me. I listened to it twice and I can't remember any songs other than Knights of Cydonia. I do remember there's a few that have Queen vibes and that's pretty cool. Overall, it's just not for me though.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Very good album. I'd heard parts of it before, but never sat down with the whole thing. Very neat that it's the first album only made of samples. Some of the songs go on a bit too long for my tastes, which is what is keeping this from being a 5/5. But It's still great.
4/5
Amy Winehouse
4/5
This really shouldn't be something I like, but her voice is so good, and it interacts with the backing instrumentation so well. I like this quite a bit.
4/5
Willie Nelson
3/5
Pretty decent album. Not amazed, though.
Jacques Brel
3/5
I kinda liked this? but also, I'm sure I don't ever need to hear it again.
3/5
Spiritualized
2/5
Found this very boring and wasn't into it at all. I don't get the appeal.
2/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Here's a band I've heard of many times, but never listened to. I think I tried to listen to the follow-up, but don't remember it at all. This album was quite good though, and I'd listen to it more.
3.75/5
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This one grew on me over the listen. I liked it enough to listen through a 2nd time.
4/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
Good album. I liked the banter. I've never cared much for Johnny Cash but this is decent.
3/5
Kraftwerk
3/5
Liked this. Didn't love it.
TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS
TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS
TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS
I liked some of the songs more than others though.
Highlights:
Hall of mirrors
Showroom Dummies
Franz Schubert
3/5
Green Day
3/5
Thought I would hate this because I remember hating it in 2004. Instead, it's a mix of good songs and bad ballads. Overall it's a meh. Good attempt though.
3/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
I didn't really care for this. It was a real snooze. Sometimes sounded like boring pixies.
Louis Prima
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. I think it's because of the goofiness. The lyrics were funny and engaging.
3.75/5
The Jam
4/5
Good album. Reminded me of something like Gang of Four.
System Of A Down
5/5
Already loved this album. Haven't listened to it in a long time though. It really holds up.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Just OK. I am surprised by how meh this is, as I really like loveless.
The Prodigy
4/5
Was a good listen. I've listened before. It a little too repeaty for me, but it's still really good.
3.75/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Wasn't bad, but also not that great (for me). I don't know why I don't connect with this sort of music very much. It wasn't very engaging.
3/5
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
I generally don't care for most rap, but I enjoyed this album quite a bit. I would listen to this again for sure.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Pretty meh. It was totally inoffensive though.
I did like You Better Run though.
2.75/5
Haircut 100
3/5
Not bad, but also sorta same-y across the album. I liked the bass, but the sax was the same a lot, and same with the vocals and such. I don't see myself returning to this one.
3/5
Van Halen
5/5
This album kicks ass
Ray Charles
3/5
Solid album. I liked it more than expected.
However, most songs sound pretty similar to me.
3/5
Julian Cope
3/5
I liked parts of this, but overall it was sorta a slog to get through. I definitely didn't hate it, but it didn't catch me, that's for sure.
2.75/5
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Great album, if a little long and slow. His voice is beautiful though.
4/5
Boston
5/5
Great album that I've never listened to, but of course I've heard probably every song on the radio. Not sure I knew all these songs were Boston. Good shit
5/5
Kraftwerk
3/5
Decent, but not great.
3/5
Pretty boring, honestly. I don't understand why this was so popular. People compare them to the Beatles, but this is by no means as good as Beatles, nor as catchy.
That being said, it wasn't *bad*, so I'll give it a 2.5.
The Doors
3/5
Just ok. L.A. Woman song was dope though.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Heard this album before, but it was better than I remembered. Chill album, without a ton of what I would call hooks, but still very pleasant and enjoyable.
4/5
The Roots
4/5
I liked this, but it was definitely overlong. I think I would have given this a 4 if it were shorter, but as it is, I'll give it a 3.5.
3.5/5
Miles Davis
3/5
Not much to say. It was nice, but didn't hold me.
3/5
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
I remember listening to this a long time ago and it being good, but not great. I was wrong and it is great. I was feeling a 5 initially, but now I'm more like a 4. I think it's a bit overlong, but otherwise it is really freaking good.
4/5
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Liked it, but didn't love it. Some songs were very good though. I liked Anger a lot, and Is That Enough?
3/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
Liked this more than any of the other Bob Dylan albums we've listened to. That being said, I still probably wouldn't throw this on ever.
2.75/5
Simple Minds
3/5
I didn't think much of this. It was just ok. Pretty same-y overall.
Promised you a miracle was decent though. It had a cool synth line.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Liked it alright, but nothing amazing.
I just generally am bored by blues.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Liked this more than I expected, but still don't feel any need to come back to it. It's a lot like Depeche Mode to my ears. I wonder if they aren't very similar if you ignore lyrics, which I generally do ignore.
3/5
R.E.M.
3/5
Liked this better than most REM I've heard, but still it was just ok.
Paul Weller
3/5
I'm fairly certain I've never heard of this. I would never have guessed this was the dude from The Jam. I liked it ok, but it's not really a style I can get into. Americana just isn't my jam. That's a pun.
3/5
Hole
5/5
Fucking banger.
I've loved this album since I was about 12 though...
Miles Davis
3/5
I want to get this, since it's like the #1 jazz record. It didn't really capture me though. I listened through twice and it was very nice, but I was not amazed. I feel like this is a personal failing. That being said, I can't just rate it high because I'm supposed to.
3.49/5
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
This is 80 minutes, and it is a lot of jamming. I got pretty bored.
3/5
Rod Stewart
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. I was surprised when I learned it was from 1971. It sounded a lot newer to my ear than that.
4/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
Pretty weird album. Some songs were really cool, but overall it was just weird.
3.49/5
Janis Joplin
3/5
Was fine. I liked this more than the pre-Janis band album we listened to though. 3.25/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Good album. I've heard it before, but I still like it a lot.
4/5
The B-52's
4/5
Good album I've never heard before. Some songs did drag on though. Still fun.
3.5/5
The Shamen
2/5
Eh, this was fine but not my style at all. It was way too repeaty.
2/5
Bee Gees
3/5
Liked this, actually. Was surprised that I liked it. I didn't love it, but it was good.
3.25/5
Femi Kuti
2/5
This just wasn't for me. I didn't find it offensive, but it was boring and repetitive. Any small part is nice enough, but it didn't do anything for me constructed into a song structure.
2/5
Black Sabbath
3/5
Fun album. I think if I heard this in the 70s, I'd probably like it more.
3/5
Gorillaz
3/5
Decent but overlong and sorta boring.
2.75/5
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
Really didn't care for this at all. It's interesting, but I don't know why I'd ever revisit it. There's no rhythm to it, and I can't get down to something with that is devoid of rhythm.
1.5/5
Moby
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. The songs are repeaty, but each song is different from the other. Also, the songs aren't over-long so the repeaty-ness doesn't bother me like it would in other places. The songs didn't overstay their welcome. That being said, the overall album was a bit over-long. I could have done with 1/3 of the songs being cut.
3.5/5
Parliament
3/5
I didn't much care for this. I guess I'm not very funky. Sad.
2.5/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Quite a good album. I listened through it twice and both times were a bop.
3.75/5
AC/DC
3/5
Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. AC/DC is a band where any one song is good, but the songs are similar enough to each other that I'm burnt out by a full album. That did happen on this album, but it wasn't so bad.
3/5
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Wasn't bad, wasn't great. I do hear the early punk aspect though. I just don't think it had much sticking power.
3/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Very nice and pleasant. I quite enjoyed it. Pretty and listenable. Sorta reminds me of something like Nico.
3.75/5
The Only Ones
4/5
Quite good album. Reminds me of something like T. Rex but with more punk feel.
3.75/5
The Byrds
4/5
Very good album. I listened through it twice. Dunno what it is exactly that I like, but it's well put together, front to back.
4/5
Elliott Smith
3/5
Not bad but also pretty forgettable
2.75/5
Elis Regina
4/5
I liked this. Definitely not my kind of normal listening, but I enjoyed it and would listen again. I liked the jazzy numbers most.
3.5/5
Beatles
5/5
Love this album. It's just banger after banger.
Not sure if I'd heard the 2009 remaster, but I love the mix, with different instruments per ear, and vocals in the middle.
5/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Good album, but long. I still enjoyed it, as I generally enjoy Nick Cave.
3.75/5
Neil Young
4/5
This has some good bangers, like Old Man.
Overall, I enjoyed it and would return to it.
3.5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Good album, but I wasn't surprised by that after the previous S&G albums.
3.75/5
R.E.M.
4/5
Liked this more than I expected to.
Lots of catchy songs on here. 3.5/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Another one I liked more than I expected to. I don't know if I'd listen to this on the regular, but it's quite catchy.
3.25/5
Ozomatli
3/5
Wasn't bad, but didn't do much for me either. There were parts that I liked, but overall it was a bit slow and long.
2.75/5
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Pretty good jazz album. I liked it but it didn't hold my attention.
3/5
Van Morrison
3/5
I liked this one more than Astral Weeks. It didn't sound quite like the same song over and over. I don't know if I'd come back to it still.
3.25/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Very enjoyable album. I've always liked Tom Petty though.
4/5
The Teardrop Explodes
5/5
Another surprising album. I liked this one quite a bit. It wasn't perfect, but I really enjoyed it.
4.5/5
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Kinda liked this. I'm not sure what about it, but it was enjoyable. I wouldn't return to it though.
3.25/5
The Smiths
4/5
Good album, but I was already familiar.
The first track is a bit long/meandering, and it takes a little to settle in, but then I'm very much into it.
4/5
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Not bad, sorta all over the place though. I was surprised by the variety of sound across the thing.
Most songs were forgettable though.
3.25/5
Adele
4/5
Liked this more than I expected. Her voice is so nice, that the rest doesn't seem to matter so much.
3.75/5
Big Black
4/5
Liked this album, but didn't love it. Gotta appreciate what it did though.
3.75/5
Iron Maiden
3/5
Nothing about this really stuck out to me. I'm disappointed. I thought I'd like it more.
3/5
Pixies
5/5
Great album. Already loved it. 5/5
The Kinks
3/5
Pretty good! I did think it was a little samey.
3/5
Culture Club
2/5
Eh. It was fine, but didn't do anything for me. I didn't hate it, but I'd never choose to listen again.
2.25/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Great album. I had listened through parts of it before, but never the whole thing. I did feel at times like it's hard to differentiate one song from another, but the overall sound is unique and enjoyable.
4/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Good album that I don't think I'd heard before. Not many songs I was that familiar with. I enjoyed it though, for sure.
3.75/5
The Who
2/5
Man, the number of times I found myself bored listening to this was just, way too many times.
2/5
Screaming Trees
4/5
This album was very good. It has a bit of the Pearl Jam - Ten sound, but with a lot of other things going on. I listened through twice and if it were 1996 it would be in my regular rotation.
4/5
Jungle Brothers
2/5
I didn't care for this at all. I just can't get on-board with such repetitive backgrounds. Lyrics aren't something I focus on in music, so this could have been clever as all hell and it'd be right over my head.
2/5
4/5
At first I didn't really care for this, but it ended up being fairly catchy. I liked it alright, but I wasn't in love with it.
3.5/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Loved this album. Just very pretty and I liked the guitarwork a lot too.
4.25/5
The xx
3/5
Pretty boring. I had heard this before and wasn't taken with it then and not taken with it now. That being said, I wouldn't turn it off if it were on in the background.
2.75/5
Dolly Parton
4/5
Pretty good album. I've always had an issue w/ the standard basslines in country music like this, up/down/up/down, stairstep. It just gets super repetitive. However, there are some really cool basslines in some of these songs, and I like what all the other instruments do as well.
3.75/5
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Enjoyed this more than most early hip-hop. Maybe it's because of the rock aspects. I wish I enjoyed this sort of thing more, but it gets really repetitive. The focus is on the lyrics/vocals, and that is just not my focus in music.
3.25/5
Queen
3/5
I found this to be quite boring. Each song sounded like the other and I didn't get it. I assumed maybe it was a concept album because of that, but I looked into it and it isn't. Was sad that I didn't like this more.
2.5/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Liked this more than I like most Rolling Stones. Actually was pretty good.
3.75/5
Steely Dan
3/5
I'd heard this before and I know some people love it. I didn't, but I didn't hate it either. My wife did, however. I thought it was decent, but nothing special.
3/5
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
This one was pretty boring for me, sadly. I maybe don't have the background to know why this is important.
2.5/5
Jane Weaver
4/5
This was pretty interesting. I liked it, and it reminded me of Cate Le Bon just a little.
3.5/5
Supergrass
3/5
Very interesting album. It reminded me of Beatles in that britpop way, but it was way more listenable than, say, Oasis. There was a lot of neat ideas. Overall though, I just don't care much for britpop.
3.49/5
The Fall
4/5
Like this. I listened through it twice and both times were good.
3.75/5
Travis
3/5
Weird album. I was taken aback that it wasn't pop punk, which is what my brain thought Travis was...
It was good, but not great. I think I wouldn't enjoy it on return listens, but it was fine background music.
3/5
Eagles
1/5
This was really just the most boring album I've listened to. So generic it may as well not exist.
1/5
Q-Tip
3/5
Liked the front half of the album, but it didn't really do much for me overall. I liked that it has interesting instrumentation, which is usually where rap loses me.
3.49/5
Talking Heads
5/5
Great album, but I already knew that. I'd listened to this album a lot last year.
4.5/5
Magazine
4/5
I didn't know this one, but I liked it. It got a little over-long near the end and same-y, but there's plenty to like here. Reminded me of something like Wire.
4/5
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Never cared much for this band, and at the beginning my biases were confirmed. Each song was pretty similar to the other. That changed somewhat near the tail of the album, with the longer songs being more interesting. I liked this a little more than I expected.
3.49/5
Van Halen
4/5
More good Van Halen. Not as good as debut album, but still a lot of fun.
4/5
KISS
3/5
Liked it more than I thought I would, but still nothing amazing. I wouldn't return to it, but I'll likely continue to sing along to the singles.
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
Love this album. Already loved it, and still love it.
Bowie is a god.
5/5
Otis Redding
4/5
Really enjoyed this one
4/5
CHIC
3/5
Not bad, but nothing amazing. I enjoyed some songs more than others, but I probably wouldn't revisit it.
3.25/5
MGMT
4/5
I've heard most of these songs before, but all together I really liked the album.
4/5
The Boo Radleys
3/5
This was ok, but sorta boring overall. Not as boring as the most boring shoegaze, but not exciting.
3/5
The Pharcyde
4/5
Really liked this. It was really playful and I just enjoyed the whole thing.
4/5
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Liked this one. I didn't realize some of the songs were theirs, but I knew them already.
3.5/5
Cream
2/5
Pretty boring, overall. I don't think I'd revisit this. Some songs are good, but the ones that aren't are really boring.
2.49/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Decent album. I liked it more than I expected. Sorta like folkier Dinosaur Jr. The songs were overall too long though, and meandering. I also didn't care too much for Neil's vocals.
3/5
Paul Simon
5/5
This album owns. I didn't know it, but yeah, I really dig it. Now I know where Vampire Weekend got a lot of their sound.
4.5/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
Blues-y thing that I didn't care much for.
"Get on Top" was pretty good though, with its funky guitars. The last part of the song especially gets funky and I liked that song.
Overall, it was pretty boring though.
2.5/5
Billy Joel
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. I associate songs like "She's Always A Woman" to Billy Joel, but he's got a lot of variety on the album.
4/5
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
It was ok, but nothing really hooked me. I didn't dislike it in any way, but I don't have any reason to come back to it.
2.75/5
Violent Femmes
4/5
Pretty familiar with this album already. It has a lot of great stuff on it.
4/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I remember when this album came out, and I was not into it because I liked Fever to Tell a lot. Coming back to it, it was better than I remembered, but it's still a pale comparison, imo.
3.49/5
Eminem
1/5
Thought the beats and rapping were OK, but couldn't deal with the blatant homophobia. Too bad.
1/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Not bad. Not great either. Why is this 72 minutes long? Some great things on here surrounded in duds.
3/5
Prince
3/5
This was fun, but I've never really connected w/ Prince for some reason. I didn't dislike it, but I can tell it's not something I'd go back to much.
3/5
Crowded House
1/5
I hated this album. Hate hate hated it.
1/5
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Really fun album. I would return to this and enjoy it.
4/5
The Human League
3/5
Decent, but nothing amazing. I was a little bored, and could tell I wouldn't revisit.
2.75/5
50 Cent
3/5
Liked this more than expected, but still, I don't see myself coming back to this either.
3.25/5
Lorde
4/5
Very decent pop album. I don't really care for pop, but if I was going to listen to pop, I'd listen to something like this.
3.75/5
4/5
Decent album, but I wasn't super taken with it. It's nice, but I like Rid of Me more.
3.5/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Really liked this, and didn't know it already.
4.5/5
Funkadelic
3/5
Liked parts of this quite a bit, but overall a little same-y.
3.49/5
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
More boring than the other Run-DMC.
2.75/5
Iggy Pop
4/5
Good album. I like Iggy and had listened to this album before though.
4/5
4/5
Wasn't quite sure about it on first listen, but there was enough there that I thought I'd give it a second spin. Enjoyed it much more the 2nd time through. There's a few slower parts, but overall pretty fun album and I'd come back to it.
3.75/5
Shack
3/5
I think I just don't care for britpop. This was a big nothingburger for me.
2.5/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
Best Bob Dylan I've heard so far. I would even go so far as to say I liked this alright.
3.49/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
I wasn't super taken with this. It feels disingenuous that they switch their lyrics to social issues all of a sudden.
"Student Demonstration Time" was very tryhard, imo
3/5
Steely Dan
4/5
I liked this quite a bit more than Aja. It was good to great. I would listen again. Especially My Old School.
4/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
I didn't really like this. The songs felt too long and I kept looking thinking it was 5 minutes but it was like 3 minutes. Also, I don't really wanna listen to fake people fucking or getting head.
Boring, overall. 2.49/5
The Incredible String Band
4/5
Weird album, but actually it grew on me over the listen, so I listened again and liked it more.
Weird shit, but in a good way.
3.75/5
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Really liked this, and was surprised I've never heard it. Must have been a bit mind-blowing in 1984. This seems way ahead of it's time.
4/5
Heaven 17
3/5
Liked this initially, but it got too same-y through the listen. Some neat things here, and cool to hear early dance music, but overall I wouldn't listen to it again.
2.75/5
Iggy Pop
4/5
Great album. Love how different it is from the Stooges. I'm sure you have Bowie to thank, partially, for that. And Eno, right?
4/5
Tom Waits
4/5
Great album. I have listened to it quite a bit before, but not for at least a few years.
4/5
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Ok album. I'm not really into this genre, but it was nice for what it was.
3/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Thought I'd dislike this quite a bit, and I ended up sorta liking it. I'm not sure I'd come back to it, but it was decent. 3.25/5
Suede
4/5
Interesting album, and decent. Definitely heard lots of Bowie in there, and overall I enjoyed it.
3.5/5
Various Artists
4/5
I liked this. It's just nice to hear x-mas music I haven't heard a million times before, and I'm pretty sure I hadn't heard a bunch of these renditions.
3.5/5
Fiona Apple
4/5
Liked this, but wouldn't go so far as saying loved it. All the songs are fun, but most overstay their welcome. I like all the rhythmic things happening, but it's hella repeaty over the songtime.
3.5/5
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
This album was cool, and I'd like to listen to it more.
4/5
King Crimson
4/5
Not sure I've ever sat down and listened to a King Crimson album before. There was a lot to like here, but it was pretty spaced-out.
3.5/5
Queen Latifah
4/5
I generally don't care for early hiphop (89 isn't that early, but it's not that..late either). I liked this more than most, though. I would choose to listen to this again.
3.75/5
Burning Spear
2/5
Boring. I don't get reggae.
2/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Very pretty album. I enjoyed it but didn't love it, however. I'd definitely listen again, as it was so pretty.
3.75/5
Lightning Bolt
4/5
Liked this one quite a bit. There were a few times where it was too repeat-y, but they were short enough sections that it didn't hamper it overall.
4/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
I liked this some amount. I'd definitely listen to it again, but I wasn't super taken with it. Just under the borderline
3.49/5
Robbie Williams
1/5
I really hated this.
Post-britpop/hyper-britpop, and I don't care for britpop. It's super bad.
1/5
Paul Simon
4/5
Nice album. I liked it but not as much as Graceland. It's more minimal, and that can be nice, but I liked the instrumentation on Graceland quite a bit more.
3.75/5
GZA
2/5
I tried, but I just couldn't get into this. I think I'm allergic to most 90s rap :(
2/5
The Cardigans
3/5
This was passable, but I'm sure I wouldn't find myself listening to this ever again. Iron Man cover was kinda fun though.
3/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
Decent-ish new wave stuff. I found it to be pretty same-y over the play, so it was just ok.
3/5
Thundercat
4/5
Great album, and I really enjoyed the whole thing.
4.25/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Very good album and I liked it a lot. Reminded me more of Carole King and I like the jazziness added to the sound.
4.25/5
John Martyn
2/5
Just ok. Didn't do much for me, honestly. I wouldn't choose to listen again.
2.49/5
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Really dug this, except the last song.
4/5
The Cars
4/5
Liked this, but not quite as much as I thought I would. It's solid though.
3.5/5
Peter Frampton
3/5
Eh, it was decent. I didn't know all these songs were Peter Frampton, so I learned something there.
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Liked this more than I thought I would, but still, reggae isn't my thing.
3/5
Charles Mingus
5/5
This ruled.
4.5/5
Yes
4/5
Pretty fun, but not my favorite Yes by any means
3.75
Anita Baker
3/5
Liked it more over the listen, surprisingly. Little empty-sounding outside of her voice, which isn't really my thing though.
3/5
George Michael
3/5
I enjoyed this, but it was a bit long in places.
3.49/5
Tina Turner
3/5
Liked this, but not a ton. I probably wouldn't revisit.
3.25/5
Elliott Smith
2/5
I've listened before, and it didn't do anything for me those times either.
2.49/5
Richard Hawley
4/5
I liked this more than expected. It sounded like Reverend Horton Heat singing things that weren't rockabilly.
3.5/5
Elvis Costello
4/5
Good shit, although I like Next Year's Model a bit more.
4/5
Pavement
4/5
This is good. I'll bet it was super new-sounding in 1992. Now I've heard a lot like it, but in 1992, there's probably nothing like this.
4/5
Sex Pistols
3/5
Eh, I've never really cared for this. Maybe it would have been amazing in the 70's, but it doesn't do much for me now.
feeling a 2.5/5 on this, but I'll bump to 3/5 because I know it's important.
The Pogues
3/5
I wanted to dislike this, but actually it's pretty good.
I know if I listened to it 1-2 more times through I'd like it less though.
3.49/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Another good Joni Mitchell album.
4/5
Minor Threat
5/5
Fuck yeah
Tortoise
3/5
weird album. I didn't care for the huge first track, but the other songs were decent, and even good in places.
Gonna average this out to a 3/5, I think
Tito Puente
4/5
Really not my kind of music, but I definitely enjoyed myself. Not sure if I would revisit, but it was fun.
3.5/5
Soundgarden
5/5
Haven't listened to this album in forever. It was great. I don't quite connect with it to make it a 5/5, but it's close.
4.5/5
Michael Jackson
4/5
Quite fun album, and I don't think I'd heard it before
3.75/5
The Who
2/5
Snorefest for me. I just don't get it. All the songs sound the same, and the sound is not great.
1.5/5
Donovan
4/5
Good album. I know the singles, but hadn't heard the album. I liked it.
3.75/5
Linkin Park
4/5
Hadn't listened to this in like 2 decades. I like it better than I expected.
3.75/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Liked this a lot more than I expected to. Was a fun listen and I didn't get bored.
3.75/5
The Byrds
3/5
I liked this alright. Weird instrumentation/playing on the guitars pretty often, but I thought it was good.
3.49/5
Leftfield
4/5
Pretty decent electronic. Definitely sounds like the 90s now though.
3.5/5
Cypress Hill
4/5
Reminds me of playing Tony Hawk, and it was pretty fun. I thought it'd get same-y, but it didn't quite. I'd listen again.
3.5/5
Air
2/5
Eh. Didn't do anything for me. Sorta boring.
2/5
Dr. Dre
2/5
Eh, not really for me. The skits on these albums always put me way off too.
Mercury Rev
4/5
Sounded like Flaming Lips. Pretty good and I'd probably listen to it again. 3.5/5
TV On The Radio
5/5
Hell yeah. I know I listened to this when it was new, but I forgot how good it was. I wasn't quite as taken with it as Return to Cookie Mountain, but putting 15 years between listens, it is a very good album.
4.5/5
Brian Wilson
2/5
I couldn't get into this at all. It just seemed a little unhinged and would need lots of edits to become something I'd be interested in listening to.
2/5
New Order
4/5
Pretty good album. Reminded me of The Cure in places, but overall I wasn't super taken with this. I could tell it'd grow on me a bit though.
3.5/5
Billie Holiday
2/5
I wasn't into this, unfortunately. It was too slow, and I don't like Billie's warble.
1.5/5
Love
4/5
Pretty good album, only brought down by the last song.
Without last song 4/5
With last song 3.5/5
Radiohead
4/5
Weird to hear the pop version of Radiohead after listening to OK Computer and after so much. Still, not bad and some highlights.
3.5/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Another nice Nick Drake album. I liked this one quite a bit.
4/5
The Yardbirds
3/5
Was decent, but wasn't super taken with it. I wouldn't turn it off if it were put on.
3/5
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Fun album! I quite enjoyed it, although it was a bit overlong. Otherwise, some tracks were really killer.
3.75/5
Michael Jackson
4/5
Pretty good album. I enjoyed it well enough. I'd listen again. I know I've heard like half of these as singles, but the other half were just as enjoyable.
3.5/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Not bad but not great either. I like certain songs a lot, but there also feels like a lot of filler on there, and there's no reason for it to be a double album.
3.5/5
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
This album would have been decent, but the goddamn electric jug was so distracting from the decent music underneath it.
1.5/5
Hole
3/5
Better than expected, but a huge step down from Live Through This.
The songs I hadn't heard were good, but I still don't like the singles.
3/5
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Fun album. It's funny how songs were never more than like 2.5 minutes back then. Just powering through these little ditties. I like it.
3.75/5
Meat Loaf
4/5
Never listened to this, but apparently I knew the singles from the radio.
Really enjoyed it though, and I'm not that surprised. I was super into Bat Out of Hell 2 when I was a kid.
4/5
Depeche Mode
4/5
Decent album. I'm still not taken in too far with Depeche Mode, but I think I liked this more than Violator?
3.5/5
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Liked this album. Was nice and I'd listen to it again. I don't have a ton more to say beyond that.
3.75/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Very good album. Really stoked about it.
4/5
Supertramp
4/5
Decent album with great singles.
3.5/5
David Holmes
3/5
Ok album, but nothing amazing for me. I think I just don't care for this sort of thing.
3/5
Slipknot
3/5
I loved this album as a high schooler, but it's just ok now. Few songs are still great, but there's too many tracks on this and the payoff isn't good enough on most.
3.25/5
Mylo
4/5
I liked this one. The songs were a bit too long, but otherwise I enjoyed it quite a bit.
3.75/5
Alice Cooper
5/5
Was really surprised by this one. I really liked it, and will be revisiting it. It reminded me of something like Bowie, but with sillier/darker lyrics.
4.5/5
The Doors
4/5
Really good album. Was surprised after L.A. Woman being so meh (for me).
4/5
Scott Walker
3/5
Weird damn album. I liked it alright though. It was like a mix of Jacques Brel + Tom Waits with more lounge.
3/5
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Really actually enjoyed this one. I have no idea what things make me like a rap album vs not liking one.
3.75/5
Dead Kennedys
4/5
It's Dead Kennedys. That being said, this isn't my favorite album by them. I like later ones more.
4/5
The Byrds
4/5
Better than expected. I like that the songs are short and sweet. Actually enjoyed this pretty well.
3.75/5
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
No way not to rate this 5/5. Classic album that I love entirely.
ABBA
4/5
Not bad, ABBA. Not bad.
Liked it more than expected. It wasn't just cheap pop music.
3.5/5
Gram Parsons
3/5
Good for its genre. I just don't seem to get a lot from this genre, sadly
3/5
David Bowie
3/5
all the non-instrumentals are really good, but it's definitely brought down for me by the instrumentals, which are a big nothing-burger for me.
3/5
N.W.A.
4/5
Not bad, with a few exceptions. I liked Quiet on the Set quite a bit, and found myself bobbing around in my seat as the album went on.
I actually think this is a bit of a grower and I'd revisit.
3.5/5
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Nah.
Dancing in the Dark is fun though.
1.5/5
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
I love some Belle & Sebastian. This isn't my favorite, but it's much better than the newer stuff that I can't get into at all.
4/5
CHVRCHES
4/5
This is the one CHVRCHES album I like. And like it I do.
4/5
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
This was ok. The spotify link actually takes you to a remake or something from 2012, and I liked that more. This was still decent though.
3/5
Metallica
5/5
Rips. We all know it rips. Will always rip.
5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
I don't think I've ever listened through this album in full. I am finding that my take on S&G was skewed by what was popularized. I assumed this album would just be acoustic guitar and harmonizing, but there's lots going on on this album and I'm here for all of it.
4.5/5
k.d. lang
2/5
I didn't care for this album much at all, unfortunately.
Just boring, however nice her voice is.
1.5/5
The Blue Nile
3/5
This was interesting. I think I sorta like the sound of any one song, but the problem is that all the songs sound the same to me. So any one song would be like a 3.5/5 or so, but overall the sameyness brings it down to a 2.5/5.
2.5/5
Ash
4/5
Thought this was interesting. Surprised I'd never heard it before. Sorta reminded me of something like Frogstomp, but bit more diverse.
Weird that it's labelled as Brit-pop. I mostly dislike that.
3.5/5
Michael Jackson
4/5
Everyone in the world knows like 2/3 of these songs by being alive. However, I did quite enjoy listening to them in order, along with a few songs I had never heard. It was a good time, surprisingly.
4/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. Each song had its own feel, probably because each song was a different writer. Looking into it, one was even by Joni Mitchell.
4/5
The Cure
4/5
I liked this but didn't love it. It felt a little over-long, and the songs ended up being too similar. Wish I liked it more.
3.5/5
4/5
Very good album. I remember listening to this a long time ago and being a bit disappointed that it wasn't more wild like my assumptions said it would be.
Knowing what I was getting into, it was a very fun listen and I'd definitely listen to it more.
4/5
Alice In Chains
4/5
Haven't listened to this in a long time. It was a fun listen, and I sang along to pretty much the whole thing. I was never super into AIC, but this is their best album as far as I've heard.
4/5
The Kinks
3/5
I listened to this a few days ago, and already don't remember anything about it, except that it was ok.
3/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Funny running into this one so close to CSNY. I enjoyed this album quite a bit and again had my preconceptions about what these artists sound like exploded a bit. I had assumed they were all on the softer side like Teach Your Children (which is still a banger), but there's more variation here than expected.
4/5
Ian Dury
3/5
I wanted to like this one, and in parts I did, but the misogyny in it was pretty heavy. I was surprised at the end where it just became a punk song though. That song was good.
It was sorta a mish-mash of things, but not in a good way (for me).
2.5/5
5/5
Pretty great. I'm not sure what to say about it, but I like it a lot. It's not 5/5, but it's really close.
I think Five Years is a pretty slow start, feels sorta like it should be the last song. A few of the songs aren't quite as catchy as the all-out bangers like Moonage Daydream or Suffragette City.
4.5/5
4/5
I enjoyed this album quite a bit. It's not really in a style I normally listen to, but I may seek out more like this in the future.
The Cisco Kid is a banger. I also liked the longer songs.
4/5
Fela Kuti
4/5
I enjoyed this one. Pretty fun and bouncy.
3.5/5
The War On Drugs
2/5
Wasn't for me. Big "The Boss" vibes, which isn't my thing.
2/5
Morrissey
4/5
Not bad. This seems like The Smiths but with less good guitars. It's overall more varied though, so it has that going for it.
3.5/5
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Thought this was ok, but nothing special.
2.5/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This went by really quick, but I noticed I kept bobbing my head and dancing around a bit while listening, so I must have liked it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3.5/5
David Bowie
4/5
I definitely have listened to this a few times. There's a few songs that I'm not crazy about, but the bangers are straight bangers.
Golden Years + Stay both rule
4/5
Stan Getz
3/5
This was ok. I didn't really have any strong feelings either way. If this was on, I wouldn't change it, but there's nothing here making me want to relisten either.
3/5
Stephen Stills
3/5
super mid album. I would have given it a 3, but it's 21 songs for no good reason.
2.5/5
The Youngbloods
3/5
I thought this was just... fine. It was not bad and not good.
2.5/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This one was a bit sad. It was background music, and I wanted Isaac Hayes signing more.
2.5/5
The Stooges
4/5
I really liked this one. It was enjoyable all the way through.
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
I haven't listened to this in a few years. It is still fucking great. It's not quite perfect, but it's really fucking good and I should put it on more often.
4.5/5
The Monks
4/5
This was really fun. I liked it and would listen to it again.
4/5
The Who
4/5
The best Who album so far (Tommy and Sell Out did not impress).
That being said, I'm still not super taken with their sound. It probably fucking ruled in 1965 though. For that reason, I will boost it slightly.
3.5/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Weird album, but I liked it alright. Looked into the dude, and he was in Public Image Ltd. And the first song has Sinead O'Connor.
More enjoyable than most dub-ish things for me.
3.25/5
Duran Duran
3/5
Not bad, but not great either. I don't know what else to say about it. It probably sounded pretty unique in 1982 though. It's catchy, but I don't see myself coming back to it.
3/5
Nas
4/5
Recently listened to this for a different list. I liked it, but nothing stood out too much for me.
3.5/5
Green Day
5/5
Was great when I was in 4th grade. Still just as great.
5/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Actually really enjoyed this album. I haven't cared for the other Brian Eno albums I've heard, but this one is good. Probably David Byrne's fault.
4/5
Muddy Waters
1/5
Just boring. So boring for me.
1/5
Aerosmith
3/5
Another decent Aerosmith album. Color me surprised. I enjoyed this one pretty well. It's got enough variety to keep me interested. I still don't like Aerosmith overall, but I was happy not to hate this.
3.25/5
Beatles
5/5
Album rules. Only (small) thing is I could do without ever hearing Yellow Submarine again.
4.75/5
10cc
4/5
Very good album. Reminded me of something like Steely Dan + Frank Zappa. I had never heard of it, and liked the whole thing.
4.25/5
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
So, this is fine. It's just ok.
I read about this album and it beat Nevermind as best album of 1991 in Spin magazine. Wtf. That makes me wanna rate it lower.
2.49/5
Garbage
3/5
Never cared much for Garbage. I did warm up to this a bit, but still I don't care.
3/5
Jethro Tull
4/5
Good album. I'd listened to it a lot a long time ago, and it's still good. I don't love it though. It gets a little long in the tooth.
3.5/5
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Decent album, but too long. I don't really understand the background of this album though. Just high-quality cuban music in a tradition style, recorded in 1997?
Liked it ok though.
3/5
Portishead
5/5
Still great. I dunno what to say. Nothing else sounds like this, and it's so smooth and so good.
4.5/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
I liked this more than any other Tim Buckley. Still, it was just ok for me.
2.75/5
Meat Puppets
4/5
Great album. I feel like the singing holds it back a little, which is a weird thing for me to say. But the Nirvana takes on unplugged that are more melodic are just definitively better versions.
The guitars and instrumentation are fire though.
3.75/5
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Good album, but lingers in the blues-y stuff a bit too much for me. Good debut for sure though. I just prefer later albums more.
3.49/5
Rush
3/5
Fun album. I'd listened before, and I like it but I'm not super taken with it. I'd listen to it again, but if I didn't, I wouldn't be too upset.
3.49/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
I liked this more than most things like this. This screams 90s to me. Mostly I don't remember any of it, but the energy was good.
I did really like the song Life is Sweet though. I'll bump it by .25 just for that song.
3.5/5
Television
4/5
Big fan of this album in general. I was already familiar with it and I've gone back and forth on it a bit. Overall, the quality is really there and I'm there with it. However, the title track is too long and I get bored with it. Similar with the last song. Those tracks being shorter would put it in 4.5 territory, but as it is, it's like a 3.75.
3.75/5
Moby Grape
3/5
This is an especially mid album. I didn't hear anything I didn't like, but I didn't really care either way. Sounds like a hippy album and that's it.
2.5/5
Fugees
3/5
Love the singles, but overall I didn't think much of it. The filler felt like filler for real.
3/5
Nirvana
5/5
Don't know how to rate this lower than 5/5. It's so good all the way through.
5/5
Slade
3/5
This was fine. I didn't realize this style of cock rock existed in 1972 though. Sounds like proto-AC/DC or something.
2.5/5
The Killers
3/5
This was decent. I liked it more than I expected to. The singles are still terrible, but maybe that's just because of oversaturation. Who knows.
2.75/5
Richard Thompson
4/5
Was sorta taken aback how much I liked this. It's really good, and not a genre I generally like. It has that sorta Irish folksong thing, but also sounds like Joni Mitchell or similar. I love the singing, and the instrumentation.
4.25/5
Hugh Masekela
3/5
This started great and the only thing is that it overstayed its welcome. 1h 15m is too much flugel for one person.
2.5/5
Stephen Stills
4/5
I enjoyed this, and was a bit taken aback by the stylistic differences from song to song. These CSNY guys really know their stuff. However, I was not super taken overall. All the songs were good, not great (except Love the One You're With)
3.75/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Decent album. I don't have a ton to say about it though. I'd listen to it again, but I'm not super stoked about it.
3.25/5
Marilyn Manson
4/5
Hard album to rate. I've listened to this one quite a few times and really enjoyed it. Dude fucking sucks as a person, but does that really affect the quality of the music? I dunno.
The bangers on here still bang, so I'm gonna rate it thusly.
4/5
New York Dolls
4/5
Fun album. I'd listened to it, but I think I liked it more this time than a decade ago.
Trash is especially good. Personality Crisis is also very good.
3.5/5
Radiohead
4/5
I listened to this for another list in the last year and rated it a 3.5. Considered just re-rating it the same, but didn't wanna miss the chance to listen to Nude again, so I listened through the whole thing again.
This album never fully clicked for me, after loving Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief. However, today it is clicking. I really enjoyed it and even though it has a cleaner sheen than the previous albums, I'm feeling it. Nude is great (duh), but so is House of Cards, 15 Step, Bodysnatchers. The songs that click less with me are still good.
4/5
Judas Priest
3/5
Found myself pretty bored while listening to this. I wish I liked it more. I guess I don't get it.
2.5/5
Incubus
3/5
I remember when this album came out and my friends were pretty into it. I was never super taken with it.
Coming back to it 20+ years later, it has some good stuff but I mostly feel the same. There's a polish to this that I don't care for, and I find that off-putting.
2.75/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This album wasn't bad. I liked it alright, but some songs were pretty forgettable. Overall, I don't see any reason to come back to this, but it's decent enough.
2.5/5
Django Django
2/5
So, I don't know what it is about this album. It's sorta experimental on the surface, but feels very manufactured underneath. It has things I like, but they don't feel authentic to me. I wanna like this, but I just can't.
2.49/5
Justice
5/5
This album is classic for me. It's like Daft Punk, but way more engaging for me because there are tweaks on each bar every time it's repeated. It's enough that I don't get bored. Also, none of the songs are too long, which is a real bonus. Other than their live albums, none of the rest of Justice ever clicked like this one does, but this one clicks like a motherf*cker.
5/5
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Very good album. I was obsessed w/ Favourite Worst Nightmare, and this doesn't quite reach those heights, but it's not super far off.
4/5
Neil Young
3/5
Decent album. I liked this more than most solo Neil Young. He is good, and my appreciation of him has grown, but I'm still just a moderate fan.
3.25/5
Napalm Death
3/5
This is just ok. I know it's important, but I wouldn't choose to turn this on, myself. It's sad, because new Napalm Death albums really rule. The last decade or so is just banger after banger.
2.5/5
2/5
Weird ass album. I didn't hate it, but for the most it didn't click with me. I don't get it, I guess.
2.49/5
Björk
4/5
Love this album. It's not my favorite Bjork album, but she didn't miss in the 90s.
Love Venus as a Boy, and The Anchor Song. I kinda don't care for Violently Happy though.
4/5
The Clash
4/5
I'm familiar with this album. Never loved it, but it's pretty good.
I'm a big fan of some of the middle cuts that I don't think were ever singles(?), like The Right Profile, and Lost in the Supermarket.
Wish it were a little shorter overall, but I enjoyed this listen.
3.5/5
Coldplay
3/5
Pretty good album. I'd heard it a few times before. Coldplay always seems like Radiohead-lite (pretty sure this is a super cold take). I liked it fine, but hard to be excited about.
3.25/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Very solid live album. I really enjoyed it, actually. These songs would be great to see live, especially in 1972.
4/5
Nirvana
5/5
Super great album. Doesn't quite reach the heights of Nevermind for me, but it's very close.
4.5/5
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Very good one. I had listened to this fairly recently for the /mu/ list.
4/5
Cat Stevens
3/5
Nice enough album. Goes a bit harder than I expected w/ the guitar percussion. I enjoyed it fine, but don't really see myself coming back to it.
3/5
Joan Baez
2/5
Eh. It was fine. Most of the songs sounded the same to me though.
I don't think I'd come back to this one either.
2.49/5
The Who
3/5
Was fine. I still mostly don't care for the who, I guess.
3/5
Grateful Dead
3/5
Wasn't bad. I even enjoyed most of it.
3.49/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Not bad, CCR. I didn't know the non-radio-hit songs, but I quite enjoyed the whole thing. I will say Heard it Through the Grape Vine didn't need to be 11 minutes though.
3.75/5
David Bowie
4/5
Good album. I'm not sure it stands as tall as the classics, but it could grow on me. I also hear the beginnings of Black Star in there and I'm into it.
3.75/5
Frank Ocean
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. The song are just.. good. I could see myself listening to this pretty regularly. I think I'd like to stumble upon most of these songs on random, and less in the context of a full album though.
Still, good album.
3.8/5
The The
4/5
P good shit. I never heard this before.
I feel like this is good on the face of it, but also I'd like it more on repeated listens, so it gets a 3.5/5 from me, with room to grow.
Sugar
3/5
I liked this alright. It had its ups and downs though.
I think overall I didn't love this, so I think it's 3.25/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great album. 4/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
As good as reggae gets for me. That being said, reggae isn't my thing
3.49/5
Buck Owens
4/5
Enjoyed this one. It was fun and I'd listen to it again. I am not clear why 50-60s country is so much better.
3.75/5
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Pretty good, but I like the other one better. This felt a little overlong by the end for me.
3.25/5
Laura Nyro
3/5
Didn't know this one at all. Very like Carole King or similar. It's pretty enjoyable and I like her voice. The backing stuff sometimes was a little too quiet for me though.
3.25/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Really good album. Of course I've heard it before, but it was nice to revisit.
4/5
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Was fine, but not the sort of thing I'd ever turn on. I didn't dislike it or anything. It was... Fine.
2.5/5
Motörhead
3/5
While this was a good time, it's not really something I think I'd come back to often. I liked it alright, and of course Ace of Spades is a banger, but the rest was only "good".
3.25/5
Fela Kuti
3/5
Not bad. I wish the songs were not as long, though. They sorta go on and on. I would have liked 8 songs with half the length over these 4 songs.
I also really like when Fela is singing. I wish he'd get to that bit sooner in the songs.
3/5
Not bad, Rod Stewart. That being said, nothing too amazing here. I still enjoyed it though.
3.25/5
Neil Young
4/5
This album is good. I enjoyed the looseness of it and the rawness. I think this is one where having the background on it is important. Without it, it would have been like a 3/5, but with it, I feel more like a 3.75/5
3.75/5
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
This album is very fun. I feel like Wings is a joke for some reason, but I really enjoyed it.
4/5
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
I liked this more than You're Living All Over Me.
3.75/5
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
I love this album and I've loved it for like 20 years.
5/5
Wild Beasts
4/5
This was quite good! I enjoyed it and never heard of them before.
3.75/5
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Not bad. Definitely better than I expected. There was a lot of diversity between the songs. It did seem to peter off in the back half though. Overall, I wouldn't ask my daughter to turn this off if she turned it on.
3.25/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Really liked this one. I liked the back half more (the not live songs), but the whole thing is good.
Standouts:
Pocahontas
Powderfinger
Sedan Delivery
Ride My Llama
Hey Hey My My
3.85/5
Love
4/5
Good shit. I listened to this for another list, but decided to listen again. I feel about the same.
3.5/5
Adele
4/5
Very similar to how I felt about 21. It's very nice singing that trumps everything else. It is a good listen, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, I think it's an occasional listen. I think I'd fall off on this on repeated listens otherwise.
3.5/5
Neu!
4/5
Pretty good stuff. Chill, but good.
3.5/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Listened to this for another list recently. Really good.
4/5
The Stooges
3/5
Decent album, but I'm less taken with this one compared to most stooges stuff. It seems less energetic to me.
3.25/5
N.E.R.D
2/5
Didn't really care for this one. It was fine, but I'd never turn this on.
2.25/5
Japan
3/5
This was nothing much. I think for late 70s new wave though, it's decent. Also, the basslines generally slapped. Overall, that puts it solidly mid.
3/5
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
Fun album, and I enjoyed it.
This is the sort of thing where like, I was vibing the whole time, but never would think to turn it back on later. I don't know why that is.
3.5/5
Taylor Swift
3/5
Never listened to a Swift album before. It was better than expected, but overall still not my thing. I respect it though.
2.75/5
Little Richard
3/5
Richard is good, but a lot of the songs feel the same at this time, so I sorta got bored over the run.
Sorry, Richard.
2.75/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Enjoyed this one. It reminded me of something like Sheryl Crow, but obviously she's been around the block and it's her own thing
3.5/5
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Loved this album since it was new
It still holds up, in my estimation. Best Flaming Lips album.
4.5/5
The Bees
2/5
This was something. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't very engaging for me. I'm having to skim it again this morning to remember what it sounded like yesterday.
2/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Somehow I ignored Black Sabbath albums for most of my life, probably assuming it'd sound too "old" or something. However, this album is just very good. I really enjoyed it.
4/5
Kate Bush
4/5
This album rules. I kept being surprised about what I was hearing and recognizing sounds that I love from The Knife, but I guess Kate Bush was making the same sounds (with a different aesthetic) like 20-30 years earlier.
I think it's a bit of a grower, but even on first listen, I know I'd enjoy it more on subsequent listens.
4.25/5
George Jones
3/5
This was fine. I didn't think much of it, but I'd still take this over any modern country.
2.5/5
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Liked this since it was new. Was really into this band for a minute in 2004-2005.
4/5
Pretenders
4/5
Very good album. I don't think I've ever sat down and listened to a full Pretenders album. Liked the variety on here.
4/5
The Damned
4/5
Man, how is it 2023 and I've just gotten around to listening to a Damned record for this first time? This album is very good and I'm dumb for not listening to it before now.
BTW, the first song is covered by Melt Banana and I knew it from that. If Melt Banana covers your band, I should take note...
4/5
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Honestly, pretty meh on this album. I'm sure it made a big impact, but it's not a fun listen for me in 2023. Maybe I'd like it more if I hadn't heard the singles a million times. I dunno.
2.5/5
Bert Jansch
2/5
I didn't think much of this. It was fine but didn't stick with me. I liked that it wasn't over-long.
2.49/5
Dirty Projectors
4/5
Great album, but I was already a fan.
I love the guitarwork, the weird time signature changes, dude's wacky voice, and all the melodic vocal layering. I think I prefer Swing Lo Magellan, but only slightly.
4.25/5
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Was surprised by this. I just assumed I'd be into it, but it was a bit of a chore. There's little bits of interesting things here, but I think it was too tied to the concept and there's too much fluff to make it a fun listen.
2/5
fIREHOSE
4/5
Good album. I liked it and it's very much like Minutemen, which is not surprising. I prefer Double Nickels on the Dime though.
3.5/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
Best Bob Dylan I've heard. That being said, that doesn't mean a lot to me.
There were some songs that were actually catchy, and I'd want to listen to if Dylan wasn't signing.
3.25/5
Ravi Shankar
3/5
This was decent to good. It was nothing amazing, but I'll bet it did its job well of introducing western audiences to Indian music.
2.75/5
Eurythmics
3/5
Mostly thought this was just ok, but with a few good songs mixed in. I really liked "This is the House", specifically.
2.5/5
R.E.M.
2/5
I think I just don't care much for REM. It's a slog, with the occasional good song.
2.49/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Very good album. Made me think of things like Tom Waits but played more straight.
4/5
M.I.A.
4/5
Really like this album. There are parts that are over long and meandering, however when it hits it really hits. I still prefer Arular because it is tighter, but the experimentation on this in general succeeds.
3.9/5
This album is very not good. I actually really dislike it. I tried going in with an open mind, and it's just nothing. I don't know why it exists. I can't believe this was as popular as it was.
1.49/5
Fugazi
4/5
Was already quite familiar with this one. I've always liked it, but never quite loved it. I think I would like it more if just Ian sang. However, I was really feeling it this time, so maybe I'm over some hump?
4/5
The Birthday Party
4/5
I love Birthday Party
4.25/5
Massive Attack
2/5
This just isn't for me. I didn't care for it. It wasn't offensive though, so it's just a big meh.
2/5
Nirvana
5/5
Haven't listened to this in a long time, but sung along to every song, so I guess that means something.
5/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
This is not very good for me. I hadn't heard this before, but it feels very "of it's time". I thought it was boring.
2/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
This album sucks and I hate it. I really don't get it, and the vocals are so annoying. That's a lot coming from me.
1/5
Scissor Sisters
2/5
I thought this was pretty meh. Not offensive, but it was like listening to neo-Elton John euro fanfic.
2/5
William Orbit
2/5
Just ok. It's over-long and sorta boring for me. This style died out in the 90s for good reason, imo (or maybe it didn't, and I just don't know much about this style).
Anyways, 2/5
Kate Bush
4/5
Another Kate Bush banger. This one sounds a lot like Tori Amos, except with fucking screaming and other weird things I like.
4/5
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Good album. 3.5/5
Robert Wyatt
4/5
This album is super cool. I really like it and never heard of it. I wanna look into more Robert Wyatt now.
4.25/5
Raekwon
2/5
Boring album. Didn't care for it at all.
1.5/5
a-ha
4/5
Weirdly good album. I didn't love it, but it was a fun listen.
3.5/5
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Sucks. Just boring white-dude blues rock. I don't get it. Allman bro work on this is decent though, saving it from being a 1/5
2/5
Soft Machine
3/5
3/5. I listened to this for another list and it has no notes, but I gave it 3/5 then and I'll just stick with that.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Thought this was my first Taylor Swift, but apparently we already listened to a different album (1989). This is about the same for me. The album was a little overlong, but decent enough.
3/5
Kid Rock
2/5
Never listened to this back in the day, and I was better off for it.
Just drivel, through and through. The singles have some decent riffs at times though.
1.5/5
Doves
2/5
I don't get this album at all. It's trying to be a lot of things, or pulling from lots of sources, but doesn't do any one thing well. I hear little bits of all the 90s bands that came before them, but I'd rather just listen to any of those bands. Super mid.
2.25/5
CHIC
4/5
Better than I expected. Pretty fun album, and that bass be slappin'
3.5/5
Frank Zappa
3/5
I think I prefer my Zappa with the silly lyrics. These all feel like extended jams and maybe I'd grow to like this more on subsequent listens, but the lack of focus sorta had me not focusing.
3/5
Butthole Surfers
3/5
I'd definitely listened to this before, but perhaps my exposure to more weird music made this a lot more palatable than it was to me previously. That being said, there's a few tracks on here that are less songs and more experiments, which is cool in its own right, but I mostly am interested in songs. The songs are bangers though.
3.49/5
Manu Chao
2/5
Eh. This didn't do anything for me. It wasn't bad but it wasn't interesting either. Too long, too.
2.25/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
I liked this less than I thought. I don't super like PJ's voice, but the background stuff was always good.
3.75/5
Erykah Badu
4/5
Was ready for this to be lame, but it was very good. I didn't know it would kick as much as it does.
3.75/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
I liked this. Didn't love it, but it was good for sure.
3.49/5
Mj Cole
3/5
Very repetitive, but somehow still enjoyed it. I won't probably spend a lot of time with it, but I didn't dislike it. It was fun, in a way.
3/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
I sorta am over this band after the 90s reunion tour, but I guess it's been 25 years so maybe I'm ok with it now.
I can't get Mick Fleetwood's oh face out of my head while he drums though.
3/5
Tangerine Dream
1/5
This didn't do anything for me. Pretty boring, and I guess I didn't get it.
1.49/5
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I really thought I hated Bruce Springsteen, but I was surprised by this album. I guess when it's just him and an acoustic guitar, I'm into it. I don't really *love* any "guy and acoustic guitar" thing, but I like this about as much as I can like that.
3.5/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Heard this a few times before, so was ready for it
I've actually grown to enjoy this after 3-4 listens. I'm not in love with it, but it is good.
3.5/5
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Knew this one already. I like it, but the songs sorta tend to blur together. I think I like it a little less than I remembered liking it overall. Didn't totally hold up for me, but still good.
3/5
Steve Earle
3/5
Better than expected. I am often taken aback by interesting country music. I don't love it still, but I like it.
3.25/5
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Sucks. No notes. Ok, one note. It sorta sounds like the overdramaticness of Nightmare Before Christmas.
1.49/5
John Martyn
3/5
Thought this was just ok.
2.5/5
Maxwell
1/5
This just really isn't my speed. It's so boring for me. There's nothing for me to focus on, and it just seems to go on and on. The basslines can be good, but by the end of the song I'm far past ready to hear something else.
1.25/5
Ramones
5/5
Banger after banger. Love this album. Changed the world.
5/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Didn't think much of this overall. It wasn't bad, but wasn't especially good either. It reminded me of like Velvet Underground mixed with... The Cramps?, at least tonally. The vocals were sorta boring. Just not a lot here to hold my interest. Still, if this was on, I wouldn't be upset.
2.75/5
AC/DC
2/5
AC/DC is boring. They suffer for the "any one song sounds good, but they're all the same" problem.
1.5/5
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Pretty good. Reminded me of Mdou Moctar. I maybe wouldn't revisit this though. Songs are too long.
3/5
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Not bad, but I've also heard half these songs a million times. The ones I didn't know were fine.
3/5
Prince
4/5
Was ready not to like this, but actually was quite good. I like this way more than Purple Rain.
3.75/5
Tricky
3/5
The first half of this album is really good, and the second half is just ok. Overall, I'm not sure I'd revisit it, but it was pretty cool.
3.25/5
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Didn't care too much for this. It was just ok.
2.5/5
John Lennon
2/5
Yawn Lennon
I can't remember anything except the single. The rest was sorta country-folk-y? Boring.
2/5
Tom Waits
3/5
Never heard this Tom Waits. I tend to like the later stuff, but this is pretty good. Sad somber Tom Waits is good. Non-sad Tom Waits with piano is a little boring.
3.25/5
D'Angelo
1/5
Not for me. It was pretty boring and it seems like it doesn't have actual lyrics and instead it's just repeated phrases sung in fancy ways, which could be cool, but the background is too boring to hold my attention.
1.49/5
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Was ready for this to be lame, but I actually liked it decently. 80s folk is a strange thing, but I'm into it a bit.
3.49/5
3/5
I thought this was fine, but I can't really differentiate it much from its peers. Nothing really stood out. That being said, it was good enough.
2.5/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
Listened to this for the /mu/ list a while back. It was fine, and definitely better than the first album.
3/5
Eagles
2/5
The Eagles just aren't very good. This one does have a handful of decent singles though, so that's something. The rest... nah
2/5
Aerosmith
2/5
Least good Aerosmith so far. I was surprised to sorta like the other two earlier albums, but this doesn't do it for me.
Of course I know all the singles, having been born in the early 80s, and probably I even sang along with them, begrudgingly. That doesn't mean it's good though. Oh, also, I was surprised how many \"80s sounds\" there were in Janie's Got a Gun. Just never noticed that before.
Also, their ballads are hella corny sounding on here. I did like the little Dulcimer Stomp interlude though.
2/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Great album. I don't think I've ever listened to it. I listened through twice and enjoyed myself both times.
Tomorrow's Dream
Supernaut
Snowblind
Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes
all bangers
4/5
Britney Spears
1/5
Never thought I'd listen to this album, and now I have. It wasn't for me, and it wasn't particularly good. She has a good singing voice, but overall it is dull and uninteresting for me.
Toxic is a banger though. I like that song.
1/5
Coldcut
2/5
This really isn't my speed, unfortunately. Not really sure what else to say except I don't care for this genre much, and I especially don't care for this period within the genre. It wasn't terrible though.
1.5/5
Happy Mondays
1/5
Just didn't like this album. It sounded like worse versions of bands I like and don't like.
1/5
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Didn't think I needed a 25-minute interpretation of Bo Diddley's \"Who Do You Love?\"
and I was right.
1.5/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Liked this one quite a bit. I was ready not to because Brian Eno can often be pretty boring and most of what we hear of his is more ambient. But yeah, this is good.
4/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
Decent one. Liked it about as well as the last Fairport Convention
3.49/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I don't think they make a bad album. They're all good/great. They don't wow me though. Just solid.
3.75/5
The Undertones
3/5
Decent little album. I wasn't super impressed with it, but I liked it.
Anything punkish is probably gonna get decent marks from me though.
I don't see myself turning this on again intentionally, but I'd bob along to it on the radio.
3.25/5
Tori Amos
4/5
This album is great. My wife listened to this a lot in high school so I knew quite a bit of it, but still, it's very good.
4/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Love this album. Loved it before, still love it.
I especially love A Little Rain (for Clyde), but all the songs are great.
4.5/5
Turbonegro
2/5
This just is uninteresting for me. It's like AC/DC with punk, but not in any way that is good. It's also corny.
1.5/5
Def Leppard
3/5
Was ready to not like this after Hysteria, but this is the better album by far, even though it's very glam metal-ish. Decent album despite me not liking butt rock in general.
3.25/5
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
I enjoyed this. Reminded me of Mdou Moctar, but I know I have that backwards. I don't tend to enjoy the blues anymore, as it feels super played out, but I do enjoy this.
3.49/5
The Auteurs
3/5
Better than most 90s British rock, but I hate most 90s British rock.
I still wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
2.5/5
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Very good album. Didn't know Robert Wyatt before this, but he's 2/2 for bangers.
4.49/5
Kate Bush
4/5
More Kate Bush that rules
4/5
The Gun Club
4/5
Great album. Listened to it for the /mu/ list already.
4/5
Barry Adamson
3/5
I'm not super into "cinematic" music, but this was decent.
I liked "It's Business as Usual" quite a bit though. When the music is darker, I'm more into it.
3/5
k.d. lang
3/5
Better than the other kd lang album, but still not really for me.
2.5/5
Röyksopp
3/5
Thought this was ok, but didn't really do a lot for me, honestly. It was nice enough background music.
2.75/5
The Streets
4/5
Liked this more than I thought I would. Looking into the album and learning it's like a single narrative through it, I'm into that.
3.5/5
3/5
Skipped this album when it was new, and during the listen-through decided it was better than I expected, but then it just went on too long.
It was probably a 3-3.5 for a bit of the album, but it's too damn long, so it's a 2.5. Wes Borland has good riffs, but the individual songs are too long, and there are too many songs.
2.5/5
The Temptations
3/5
Thought this was just ok. I wish I liked it more. "I Ain't Got Nothin'" was good though.
2.75/5
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Didn't care for this. It would have been a 2.5, but the outro makes it a 2.0. 12 minutes of the same 10 second loop is a way to fill the rest of a CD, I suppose. Don't waste my time.
2/5
Pere Ubu
3/5
Neat album, and I like what it's trying to do. However, I don't super see myself listening to it again.
Maybe though.
3.25/5
The The
2/5
This reminded me of a more boring Foetus. I didn't care too much about it.
2.49/5
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Fun album, and short. Probably as crazy as a punk rock concert as far as relative energy compared to the mainstream at the time. I heard he was basically insane.
3.5/5
Morrissey
4/5
Fun album. Really didn't expect the first song to be so different from the Smiths. I enjoyed it though.
3.5/5
Frank Sinatra
1/5
Didn't like this at all
Radiohead
5/5
Love this album. It has so many good songs, and I feel like it's underappreciated, sandwiched between Kid A/Amnesiac and In Rainbows, but yeah, I love this one.
There, There is great, Sit Down Stand Up is fucking great, man, all of it is great.
4.5/5
Simply Red
1/5
This album fucking sucks and I hate it. I can't deal with blue-eyed soul. It just is so bad.
1/5
Jurassic 5
4/5
Pretty good album. Still have no real understanding of when I'll like a hiphop thing or I won't. I enjoyed this one though.
3.5/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Overlong, and it took 5 songs before Stevie Nicks shows up. I was willing to give this the benefit of a doubt but this is the album after Rumours. It's a major step down imo.
3/5
Digital Underground
2/5
This was too long, both as an album and each individual song. I don't know why you'd think you need 6 minutes per song, people! Victim of the CD age?
2/5
Circle Jerks
5/5
Dunno how I never listened to this, but it rules. It's up there with Minor Threat and Bad Brains. Mad that I missed out on this at that time when it would have been more impactful on me. Great album.
4.5/5 (with room to grow)
The Black Keys
2/5
Hard to have any real feeling about. It just exists. Wasn't bad or good, just ephemeral. I think that can't be a positive though, so..
2/5
Joy Division
4/5
Good album. I like this one more than the shirt one. It's odd that Love Will Tear Us Apart isn't on either one.
3.5 5
Morrissey
4/5
Decent Morrissey is better than good "other band" much of the time. I didn't know this album, but enjoyed it.
3.75/5
Pulp
2/5
Definitely was underwhelmed with this one. I read that this was #5 album on albums of all-time in NME in 2013. I don't get it. I guess I'm not british enough.
2/5
Wilco
2/5
Was a sleeper. I didn't really hear anything I especially liked, and a lot of it just sorta passed me by. I thought it was alright though.
2.49/5
Big Star
3/5
Decent album. Didn't leave a big impact though.
I'd listen to it again
3/5
Prince
2/5
I wasn't into this one. I guess I don't really get Prince. I liked 1999, but everything else has sorta bounced off me. Slow, repeat-y, and I don't get locked into his grooves.
2/5
Donald Fagen
3/5
yet another Steely Dan album that didn't do much for me. It's not bad, by any means, but also I don't get it.
2.5/5
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Man, I just don't care about this. It's not bad, but it's pretty boring.
2/5
LL Cool J
2/5
This one was boring. Dunno. Sorry Mr Cool J.
2/5
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Fun album. It's not a genre I really know at all, but I enjoyed it. I'm gonna say 3/5 though because I know I won't be coming back to it.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Good album. I already knew it, and used to like it more than I do now. The singer needs to reign things in just a bit, I think.
3.5/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Fun album. I do think I'd prefer a shorter version w/ shorter versions of the songs or less songs overall though. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
3.75/5
Pixies
5/5
Love this album. Basically all the original Pixies albums are 5/5 though. They're all 4+.
5/5
The Offspring
5/5
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Eh. Not bad for country. Not great either though.
2/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I could see it growing on me. It was a *little* long, but still, I had a good time with it.
3.75/5
4/5
I've never loved this album, but actually I was feeling it on this listen. I still prefer a few other Beatles albums more, but this is a solid selection.
3.8/5
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
This was ok, but overall sorta boring. I kept hearing things that reminded me of other bands, but nothing I could *quite* put my finger on. Overall, it was too slow.
2.49/5
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
I liked this one, even though it's not a style I spend any time with. I could see myself listening to it again. There was a song that reminded me of Daytona USA on the Sega Saturn.
3/5
Tom Waits
4/5
This album is good. It's I think the earliest album of his I've heard that has this sort of sound, and I like the transitional aspect of it, i.e. it's a bit more minimalist. All in all, it's Tom Waits so it's gonna be good.
4/5
Missy Elliott
4/5
Rad album. Missy is the best.
4.25/5
Suicide
4/5
Good album. Dude is pretty thirsty though. The 10 minute song doesn't need to be 10 minutes either.
3.5/5
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Not at all what I expected. I assumed it'd be some butt rock stuff, but this was actually catchy and groovin'. I enjoyed this one a lot.
4/5
Boards of Canada
4/5
I had listened to this fairly recently and didn't care for it. However, on this listen, I actually was pretty into it. Dunno how that works, but yeah, decent to good.
3.5/5
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Here's one that is just ok. It was trip hop-adjacent but not enough thst I liked it very much. There's better versions of this. Too milquetoast, not brave enough.
2.25/5
Slint
4/5
Good shit. I had listened to this a few times before as well. I enjoy it quite a bit.
4/5
Prefab Sprout
1/5
Really didn't care for this one. Seems too aligned with blue eyed soul and brit pop-ish. I don't care at all for either.
1.49.5
2/5
I've listened to this one before and yeah, I just don't care for it. It's not interesting now. Maybe it was in 1969, I dunno.
2/5
Genesis
3/5
Good album brought down by excessive length. I like a lot of the songs individually, but it's too damn long.
2.75/5
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Seems like I should be complaining about the length of this one, as I just did for Genesis - Lamb Lies Down, but the songs on here are more varied so I didn't feel the length as much. I like this album a lot.
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
This album is so good. It was a complete surprise to me when I heard it 20 years ago and liked it so much. It of course still holds up.
4.75/5
The Specials
4/5
For someone who doesn't tend to like ska, this fucks. I enjoyed it a lot. I guess you get a lot of credit when you're an innovator.
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Better than expected. Turns out I like some Bruce Springsteen. I'm not in love with this, but it's solid.
3.49/5
Roxy Music
2/5
This one didn't do much for me, which is sad because I really liked the other Roxy Music we heard.
It wasn't bad, by any means, but just a bit boring.
2.49/5
Lambchop
2/5
I didn't care for this one, although I'll give it some credit for doing something interesting. It's an alternative take on a sound I don't generally care for, and I probably prefer this take, but still, no.
1.5/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
Solid Dylan album? What is this?
Seems like every Dylan album, I say "this was the best one I've heard." I'm wondering if maybe it's not just Stockholm Syndrome setting in. Anyways...
3.49/5
Ride
3/5
I listened to this for another list, and didn't really care for it. I gave it 2/5 for that one. It's sorta boring and I can't get entranced with it or anything. There's just not enough going on.
I like it a *little* bit more on 2nd listen, so I'm willing to give this...
2.5/5
Pavement
3/5
Pavement is good. It sorta passes me by, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I don't really see what would have me revisiting this, but I have no qualms giving it a mid-3.
3.49/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
I liked this quite a bit. It's got a lot going on and I like the dynamics from song to song.
4/5
The Dictators
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. It reminds me a lot of Ramones, but slowed down. I like the sassy attitude shit a lot too. They are a good time.
4/5
Kanye West
4/5
I liked this album since it was released. It used to be a 5/5, but I think it's come down a bit because Ye is a fucking tool and I can't totally separate the art from the artist. Some of the tongue-in-cheek lines are probably not tongue-in-cheek and that makes it hit different.
4/5
Bad Brains
4/5
Another Bad Brains banger. I do think their adding in metal and funk is cool, although I appreciate their straight hardcore (and occasional reggae) version too.
3.75/5
Stereolab
3/5
Initially didn't think much of this but it grew on me by the end. Dunno why, but it kept reminding me of Deerhoof.
3.25/5
George Harrison
3/5
Lots of good singles here, but brought down by it's runtime. Especially the instrumental last few songs were unnecessary.
2.5/5
Lou Reed
4/5
Really enjoyed this listen. I listened to it before, but was feeling it a lot this time. Not amazing, but very solid. Could see it creeping up the ratings over time.
3.75/5
Dr. John
4/5
This album is good. I enjoyed it and I didn't know we had some of the Tom Waits sound back then. Cool shit.
3.75/5
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Good album. I like this more than Supreme Clientele by a mile.
3.5/5
Bill Callahan
3/5
This just isn't my genre, but I did think it was good for the genre. There were bits I actually liked a lot. The singing vaguely reminded me of something like Calvin Johnson. I don't especially dig the baritone vocal style.
3/5
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Thought this was alright. Gangbang was a hoot. I mostly didn't care for his vocal delivery, but sometimes it really worked.
3/5
Khaled
3/5
Decent album in a genre I never listen to. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't really be able to differentiate this against anything else in the genre. It's fun for a listen, but I wouldn't revisit.
2.75/5
Madonna
2/5
Boring, except I liked one song alright: "Paradise (Not for Me)" sorta had some triphop vibes, and I enjoyed that. Wish it were more of that. The rest is either bad or entirely forgettable.
1.5/5
Faust
3/5
Decent album. I listened to Faust - I before and I liked this more than that.
3/5
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Fun album. I did find it a bit long though.
3.5/5
The Doors
3/5
Few good songs, but overall I don't care much about this.
3/5
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
I wasn't feeling this one nearly as much as Superfly. It was ok, but also not all that memorable.
2.5/5
Aphex Twin
2/5
Didn't do anything for me, unfortunately
2/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
I was ready to hate this, but actually wasn't as bad as expected. I still have no interest in turning this on, but if it were on I wouldn't be bothered.
2.5/5
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Never heard of this, but really liked it. I'd be into listening to more of these guys. Too bad the main dude died at 47 :(
4/5
Radiohead
4/5
Great album. It's not my favorite Radiohead, but it's top tier for sure.
4.25/5
The Style Council
2/5
Was ready to hate this, based on the 80s sophisti-pop genre tag.
Front half, I actually didn't mind much. I wasn't really feeling it, but I didn't hate it. However, the back half is really bad, starting at The Gospel or whatever.
So yeah, I was right, overall
1.5/5
The Charlatans
1/5
Sounds like Oasis. Just as boring. I don't like this at all.
I would be stoked if there were no more britpop, sophisti-pop, or blue-eyed soul left on the list, but I don't think the odds are with me on this.
1.49/5
Ray Price
3/5
Fun album that I enjoyed more than expected. I still don't see myself revisiting this, but if it was on, I'd be happy enough.
3/5
Kings of Leon
4/5
Liked this. I heard this band was bad, but this album is quite good. I listened to a bit of their other albums and it seems this is the only one that's for me though.
3.75/5
Eels
3/5
Eh. It was fine. I've heard it before, and it still doesn't do a lot for me. I don't care much for his singing, and his lyrics are weird. Some of the compositions are cool though.
2.75/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
I enjoy this, but probably not as much as I should. It's solid, but I just can't fall in love with it.
3.49/5
Sisters Of Mercy
4/5
Good/great album. A friend recommended this a few times but I never got around to it. I regret this.
3.75/5
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
I liked this for a bit, but the songs all sound pretty similar. I do like the harmonizing, but it's not enough to keep me engaged.
2/5
The Band
3/5
I liked this. I didn't know the couple singles were The Band, but I knew them already. I wasn't in love, but it's a solid album.
3.49/5
John Coltrane
4/5
Like this a lot more than most older jazz. It's pretty great.
Beck
4/5
Beck is good. This is fun. That being said, it's not all that memorable for me. I did enjoy it, but he has better stuff.
3.5/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Elvis Costello is good. I am a big fan of the first two albums. This loses a bit of its edge, and I think it's worse off for it, but it's still pretty great.
3.75/5
The Slits
5/5
Love this album. It does take a bit of a dive in the last little bit though. Overall, I can listen to 80% of this album on repeat.
4.5/5
T. Rex
4/5
I liked this a lot more than the other T. Rex. This one is more varied and I feel like the songs have individual personality where The Slider sounded like the same good song, multiple times.
3.75/5
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
Very much not for me. Seems like a precursor to things like Everlast or Uncle Cracker. Nope.
1.25/5
Randy Newman
3/5
Assumed I wouldn't like this, but it's decent. I enjoyed the lyrics I picked up. Rare case of maybe ok situation to use the n-word? It does its job.
3.25/5
Beck
4/5
Good album. Listened to it already for /mu/ list but it's a good time. I like how he can make albums in so many different styles and they tend to be at least good, if not great.
3.5/5
Peter Tosh
3/5
Reggae just isn't my thing. I think as far as reggae goes, this is great. That being said, great reggae tops out at 3/5 for me.
3/5
Can
2/5
I listened to this already and gave it a 2 then. I figured it was worth another listen, and sadly, it's still a 2. It isn't bad, but I don't understand what it's going for or why it exists.
2/5
Nightmares On Wax
1/5
This album sucks. I'm sorry, but it's boring and I don't care for it at all. I never get what this sort of album is going for. I guess it's like listening to a movie soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist? I dunno, but it's too repeaty and this mfer is 72 minutes long.
1/5
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Like this album a lot. You'd think it'd be a slog, but not so much. I really enjoyed it.
4/5
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Damn, dude. That's so much. I got through it though, and Ella is lovely. I might rate any individual one higher, but 3h 15m of music is too much.
3/5
Germs
4/5
I listened to this album back in my early 20s and liked it alright then. I remember the songs being decent despite Darby's terrible vocals. It's less that his tone is bad (it is, but it's punk so whatever), but that he seems to lag the music. Anyways, I guess I care less about that now, because I enjoyed it.
3.75/5
Calexico
4/5
Was a fun album. I enjoyed it. It has some variance across the tracks and I like that.
3.5/5
Brian Eno
1/5
This is so ambient. It's SO AMBIENT.
1/5
George Michael
2/5
Started strong, but I lost interest pretty quick. Freedom! 90 fucks, but the rest I could take it or leave it.
2/5
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Not terrible, but also nothing I'm all that interested in. I did find it interesting that Linda Perry produced and co-wrote the whole second disk. However, it's too long. The singles are pretty bangin, but it isn't enough to save this for me.
2.49/5
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Was initially feeling this, but then it feel off pretty hard for me. I'm not sure why exactly, but I wasn't jiving with it.
2.75/5
The Lemonheads
4/5
I was worried this would be bad, but actually it was good!
I like the short length of the songs and it sorta reminds me of Dinosaur Jr, but I think I like this more.
3.75/5
Traffic
4/5
Enjoyed this one. Thought it had a lot of strong songs.
3.5/5
Blur
3/5
Weird mix of songs I liked and some just-ok songs. I was surprised that I only knew Song 2. I assumed they had at least one other popular single on that album, but maybe not? Anyways, Song 2 is great but can't buttress the rest of the album.
3/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Fun album I listened to for the /mu/ list already. I like this.
3.5/5
Air
2/5
Sleepy. I don't understand why people like this one a lot. It's...fine at best.
2.49/5
The Zutons
3/5
Fun album. I enjoyed it, but it also didn't do anything super interesting. I didn't mind it though
3/5
Kanye West
4/5
Hadn't listened to this one for a bit. I really like it, except the skits are dumb, and it's too long. Those drag down what could have been pretty much perfect.
4.25/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
I really thought I wasn't gonna like this, after Funeral did nothing for me, and Reflektor not really doing much for me either. However, I really like this album. I don't know why, but it gets me in a way the others didn't. It honestly has me wanting to recheck out those other albums, and the others I haven't heard.
4/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Man, banger album. I like this whole thing. It's just great.
4.49/5
Living Colour
4/5
Fun album. I of course knew Cult of Personality, but there's plenty of other fun things on here. There's also a few songs I thought were just ok. Overall though, I had a good time with this one.
3.5/5
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
Decent album. I just don't care much for this period of rap. There's good parts but unfortunately it doesn't fully click.
3/5
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Interesting album. I thought it was a bit overlong, and it's brave to start with a 14 minute song (after an intro song). I looked up the album and the background is really interesting. I don't think I would have known there's like 4 covers on there.
The songs that hit hit pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd revisit. I do think the production is neat though. Lots going on.
3.25/5
Skepta
3/5
Decent enough album with fun production. The backing stuff did pull me in, although I didn't really follow the lyrics. I don't think it was enough that I'm wanting to listen again though.
3.33/5
Primal Scream
2/5
I don't get these guys. I just don't see the appeal. I find it boring.
2/5
Radiohead
5/5
Initially wasn't as taken with this as Kid A. It never quite caught up, but it's still fucking great.
4.5/5
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Was hoping that I'd like this, but I don't. I'm not sure why. I find it boring even though I feel like I shouldn't. I think it's something about the vocals or the structure.
2.5/5
Björk
5/5
Love this album. Probably overall my favorite Bjork album, even if it's a little samey. It just shimmers.
5/5
David Gray
2/5
Eh. It started ok, but I got real tired of it by the end. I remember Babylon, and it's catchy but also not a song I'd ever intentionally turn on. Later, I kept thinking "oh, this is like Jewel, but sung by a guy". That's not positive or negative. Just not for me.
2/5
David Bowie
4/5
Solid album that never fully clicked for me in the past. I think there's still some tracks that I'm not in love with, but there's also about half the tracks that are bangers.
3.5/5
LTJ Bukem
3/5
Was surprised to find I enjoyed this one. Only thing wrong is that it's 2 hours long.
3.49/5
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I just don't care about this band. A couple songs are good, but mostly I find myself bored.
2/5
The xx
3/5
I didn't care much for the last xx album (s/t), and this one I feel much the same. That being said, I do like this one more. This is passable, and even enjoyable.
3/5
The Undertones
5/5
This album rules. I was surprised to see that we already listened to a later Undertones album earlier, and have no recollection of it. Apparently I thought it was decent but nothing special. This one rules though.
4.5/5
Gillian Welch
4/5
Really enjoyed this, surprisingly. It's not really my genre, but it's pretty great all the way through.
4/5
Megadeth
4/5
Very good album. I just assumed i didn't like Megadeth, but they have a few real banger albums. I like Rust in Peace better, but this isn't far off.
4/5
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
I was concerned this was gonna be like some Brian Setzer shit, but actually this kinda rules. It reminds me of something like Gun Club or The Cramps. Punk blues is good.
3.75/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Public Enemy rules. I've liked all that I've heard. I really didn't expect myself to be someone who would like this, as I don't like a lot of gangsta rap stuff that comes right after this, but yeah, these are all bangers.
4/5
Fats Domino
3/5
Not bad. I think overall, there is better Fats Domino. After this album was over, Spotify started playing other Fats singles, and I liked them more than what I just heard.
So, good artist, ok album.
3/5
Massive Attack
2/5
Another Massive Attack album I don't get. I think most triphop isn't for me. Nothing specifically is bad, and I liked a few of the tracks more than others, but overall as a package, I'm not interested.
2/5
The Kinks
3/5
This one sorta passed me by. I didn't engage too much with it, so nothing stuck out. I am often surprised by Kinks output not sounding like I think they should sound, but that's a "me" problem.
3/5
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Didn't care for this one. It was long, and I'm not sure why the songs are so long? I was getting lost.
2/5
John Lennon
4/5
Was really concerned this one would be bad, but actually it was really pretty solid. The production was good and the songs were individually good as well. It works as an album, and I was pretty into it. Nice surprise.
3.66/5
Gene Clark
3/5
This was ok, but a bit on the sleepy side for me. It didn't catch me in any strong way, but also it wasn't bad.
2.75/5
King Crimson
4/5
Fun album. I wish I liked it a bit more, and maybe I would on repeated listens, but as it is, it's only "very good"
3.5/5
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Fun album. I didn't know this sort of album really existed back in the 50s (instrument-only rock/r&b, mostly covers, with some originals).
3.75/5
Björk
4/5
Best Bjork album since Vespertine. Sounds like a mix of Vespertine + Homogenic, but does occasionally lose the plot for me, similar to Volta. This same album, going a little bit harder, and a little shorter would be in 4.5 territory.
3.75/5
Destiny's Child
2/5
Whoa, this album is weird. There's like some girl power shit, some "girl, put some clothes on" shit, and some "god fucking rules" shit. The singing is tight, but this is way more Girls5eva than I expected.
2/5
Talking Heads
3/5
Decent album, but I am not nearly as taken with this as I am with Remain in Light.
3/5
Wire
5/5
This album fucking rules. I knew it already, but really it grows in my ratings every time I listen.
4.5/5
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Decent album. I thought I wouldn't like this, but it's better than expected.
I noticed that later in the album there's 1-2 tracks that have minimal backing percussion, and I definitely prefer those.
3.49/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Was worried this would be ambient Eno, but it's more like Talking Heads, which I enjoy. Overall though, it wasn't super memorable to me. I'd give it another listen though.
3.25/5
Fatboy Slim
1/5
The use of repeated samples on this makes me wanna commit homicide
1/5
The Clash
4/5
Really enjoyed this album. I've heard it, but the US version, long ago. I'm sad that Clash City Rockers isn't on this one, but it's very good. I love Police and Thieves a bunch.
4/5
Bee Gees
2/5
Wasn't very good. I am sad now. Nothing really bad about it, but it was pretty boring.
2/5
Os Mutantes
3/5
Just ok. Listened to this already for another list.
2.5/5
The Stooges
3/5
Decent album but honestly sorta forgettable. The songs are generally too long on here and don't hold my attention. Still, it's Iggy and I do like Iggy.
3/5
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Started strong, dipped in the middle, but then I liked it again by the end. Interesting history too.
3.49/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Didn't care for this at all. I get the appeal back in the 60s, but jazz rock is pretty bad.
1.5/5
Joy Division
3/5
Good album, but I don't love it like I'm supposed to. I enjoy it and I think I do like it a bit more on each listen. Still, it's not something I find myself coming back to often.
3.25/5
Supergrass
4/5
I wish all britpop was Supergrass. This album is very good.
4.25/5
The Saints
4/5
Fun punk album. I checked out some of their othrt work and it was all good.
3.75/5
Anthrax
3/5
Never really enjoyed this band although I always thought I ought to. They seem like they're the most punk aligned of the big 3, and yet it's never clicked much. I did enjoy this listen though. The vocals are somehow not what I want them to be.
3.49/5
Talvin Singh
3/5
This album is weird. It has a few banger tracks and a lot of sleepy tracks. If there were more tracks like Crystal or OK, I'd be pretty into it. Alas...
3/5
Fatboy Slim
2/5
I didn't care for this one, but it's a lot better than the other Fatboy Slim (You've Come A Long Way, Baby). I think it's because this one doesn't abuse vocal samples in the same way.
2/5
Syd Barrett
1/5
Listened to this for another list and really didn't get it. It's not good.
1/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
I found this sleepier than Aha Shake Heartbreak, but it's still ok. There's a few songs I liked but overall, this one was a lot less for me. I don't really see any reason to revisit it.
2.75/5
Bon Jovi
3/5
I have a bit of a soft spot for Bon Jovi, and I don't know why. I like his singles quite a bit. This album was nothing amazing, but it's fun enough. I liked it.
3.49/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Honestly don't remember this, after having just listened to it.
2.5/5
Jamiroquai
3/5
There's a 4/5 in here, but it's too long.
3/5
Ananda Shankar
3/5
This is kinda fun. I like the cover songs more than the originals though.
Still, not really something I see myself coming back to.
3/5
JAY Z
4/5
Fun album I listened to for another list. I like this one.
3.5/5
XTC
2/5
Thought I heard this one before. Was pretty disappointed with it as I assumed I'd like it for some reason. It was nothing special and I was bored with it.
2/5
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Really weird to hear Bjork with more people. The guy singer sorta reminded me of B-52s. I liked this though. A few of the songs were strange in a good way. One of them made me think of The Slits.
4/5
The Beta Band
2/5
Snorefest. I saw these guys open for Radiohead in 2001 and I didn't like them then either. There were a few moments where I thought I was gonna like them, but overall they were a disappointment.
2.25/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Decent album. I tend to not be very into the Stones, but I did enjoy this.
3.5/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Great album. Listened to it for another list.
4/5
Underworld
2/5
Didn't care for this one. I listened to this for another list.
2/5
Radiohead
5/5
One of the best. I love this album since 2001.
5/5
Ute Lemper
1/5
No, just no.
I didn't like this at all. Maybe *maybe* I would have liked this more in the context of a musical or something, but this is a nothingburger for me. It's sad, because the collaborators are all people I like (except the Divine Comedy guys. fuck those guys)
1/5
Finley Quaye
3/5
Better than most reggae, but still reggae. :(
2.75/5
Beck
4/5
Learned that I never listened to this whole thing before. It's good! I'm not surprised though. I really like Midnite Vultures and a few other of his albums.
4/5
The Cult
1/5
Honestly really didn't like this. It felt so try-hard, and rip-off and unauthentic. I was surprised because I remembered liking The Cult alright. I went back to their previous album and it was immediately better. I think Rick Rubin fucked these guys up.
1.49/5
Caetano Veloso
3/5
Enjoyed this ok, but it's one of those "good, but not my genre" type of albums. I don't see myself returning to it, but it's fun for what it is.
3/5
The Fall
3/5
I liked this ok, but the singer's drawl gets a bit tiring over the listen. I thought it was interesting to hear some like very 80s sounds on some songs, followed by some very 90s sounds on the next. Not bad, but seemed a little derivative by 93.
2.75/5
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Liked this quite a bit. It's sorta impressive how much Phil Collins sounds like Peter Gabriel. This is a cool album for 1977. Of course I knew Salsbury Hill, but I don't think I knew the rest. I enjoyed this although it slowed down a bit near the end.
3.5/5
Deee-Lite
3/5
Mostly ok, but a bit long. I hadn't heard anything other than Groove is in the Heart. I didn't mind it, but it's also not really my thing.
2.5/5
Tracy Chapman
4/5
This was great. I like Tracy Chapman a lot.
4/5
The Zombies
3/5
Decent album. I like The Zombies. Saw them live with Beach Boys and I liked them a hell of a lot more than Beach Boys.
3.25/5
Metallica
4/5
Man, it's been forever since I listened to this. It's good, but I wish they had stayed as a thrash band. The non-singles are better than I remember, but the singles are super played out. I can't really say it's bad because I heard it too much though.
3.5/5
The Vines
3/5
Eh, didn't think much of this. It was just ok.
2.5/5
Weather Report
3/5
I like Jaco and there's parts of this I like, but overall I found myself not too engaged in it. I think I'd warm up to it on repeated listens though.
3/5
Spacemen 3
2/5
Didn't care much for this one. Too sleepy shoegaze for me.
2.49/5
Roni Size
2/5
Any one song is like 3.5+ range, but 2+ hours of it is just too much.
2/5
Neil Young
3/5
Already listened to this one for another list. I like it but not my favorite Neil. I prefer a few years down the line from this.
3/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
So weird how boring this is compared to their follow-up. I felt like all the songs sounded pretty much the same. It wasn't bad but it wasn't especially good either.
2.5/5
The Smiths
4/5
See Smiths. Give high review.
But for real, this doesn't have any singles I know, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4/5
Hookworms
3/5
This album sorta passed me by. I liked it ok, but also I don't really understand why this is on the list because it seems like Animal Collective or MGMT, but 7 years too late.
2.75/5
Soft Cell
3/5
Wasn't jiving with this, until I was. The 2nd half of the album (starting at Sex Dwarf) was a lot more my speed. It slowed down a bit near the end, but Sex Dwarf through Bedsitter was really good.
3/5
Tom Waits
2/5
Man, I'm glad we didn't stick with this version of Tom Waits. I found this to be a chore. It has a certain style to it, but it's just not a style I care for.
1.5/5
Scott Walker
3/5
Liked this more than Scott 2. I would say I like this ok.
3.25/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
I remember liking this album alright when it was new, but it hasn't held up in general. There's some fun tracks like Get On Top, but all the lyrics are way more sleazy than I remembered. My wife gives this a 1/5. I'm a little more forgiving.
2/5
Alice Cooper
4/5
Not as good as Billion Dollar Babies, but still really enjoyed it.
3.75/5
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Didn't get this one, unfortunately. It was a bit of a struggle to get through.
1.25/5
3/5
Decent album. Not really my genre. I do respect it though.
3/5
The La's
2/5
I was familiar with There She Goes, of course, but the rest was new. I read that this is considered proto-britpop. I concur, and thusly mark it with a low score.
But for real, this is not great for me. I don't like jangle stuff in general, and I don't think late 80s/early 90s was when anyone should be calling back to the period they were.
2/5
Mudhoney
4/5
Liked this one. I had heard of this band but never really listened. They should be bigger!
3.75/5
David Ackles
2/5
Unfortunately didn't do much for me. I didn't care for it, and already am forgetting what specifically I didn't care for.
2.25/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Long album, but good. I enjoyed it and would listen to it again (perhaps in smaller bites).
3.5/5
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Pretty good stuff. Not really my gendre, but she's good. I was grooving.
3.49/5
Joanna Newsom
4/5
Listened to this for another list. It's very very good.
4/5
Elvis Presley
4/5
Best Elvis I've heard. Some was weird, but some was really good.
3.5/5
M.I.A.
4/5
Great album. I listened to it a lot when it was new. I had a limewire version of it though, so there's actually a few songs here I've never heard! Damn early pirating...
4.49/5
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Decent album. better than most 90s electronic for me. Still not really my thing, but still good for the genre/time.
3/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
Liked this alright. I expected more electronic and less folk, but I liked what I got.
3.25/5
Tears For Fears
4/5
Great album. I listened to it for another list.
4/5
Adam & The Ants
4/5
Thought this was very good. I think I might warm to it more over more listens too.
3.75/5
OutKast
3/5
Has some bangers but overall too long and meandering.
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
Maybe the most I've liked this album on this listen. The last 4 songs used to kill it for me, but I didn't hate them this time.
3.75/5
Keith Jarrett
2/5
Boring one. Listened for another list.
1.5/5
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Thought this was interesting, but overall not really my thing. The background was more interesting that the actual album.
2/5
Dolly Parton
2/5
This sorta just passed me by, unfortunately. I don't really remember anything about it.
2/5
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
The more I listen to this album, the more I like it. It used to be a 3, then a 3.5. I think it's a solid 4 now.
4/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
This was more Cure-like than I was ready for, but I did quite enjoy it and I'd relisten to it and probably grow to like it even more.
3.5/5
Frank Black
4/5
Listened to this a lot when I was 20, and I have a strong fondness for it after being obsessed with the Pixies. It's not as strong as good Pixies albums, but I keep it about the same tier as Trompe Le Monde.
3.75/5
TLC
4/5
Haven't heard this since I was a kid. This was like the first CD I bought myself. Still lots of fun but a bit long and my tastes have changed. Still, was a good time.
3.5/5
The Verve
2/5
Not my thing. More stuff in the britpop category.
2.49/5
Joe Ely
4/5
I think I listened to this while busy and didn't remember it at all. Relistened and liked it quite a bit. Country isn't really my thing but thus has a lot of variety and is fun.
3.5/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Decent album, but not my thing.
Still, it's Stevie Wonder.
3/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
Super boring
1/5
Cowboy Junkies
1/5
Really didn't care for this. Not my thing. Too slow.
1/5
Grizzly Bear
4/5
Listened to this when it was new. Liked it then, like it more now. The back half is really good.
3.75/5
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Just ok, but better than most early hip hop for me. Some doesn't come off as hip hop at all though.
3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Liked this less than I expected. I never really put together how much they were aping the Beatles.
Still, a couple bangers on this. Just samey overall.
3/5
The Associates
4/5
Liked this one. It's got a lot of interesting parts. Sounds like unhinged Bowie or sometimes Talking Heads.
3.5/5
Janet Jackson
3/5
Took a bit to warm up to this one. The singles are great but the rest is sorta subdued and the beats aren't my thing. New Jack Swing, maybe?
Overall it's a bit of a Rollercoaster but also too long.
2.75/5
Sabu
3/5
Pretty fun album. I really liked the stereo mix. It's interesting to see someone who is great at conga drums as a band leader. I don't understand how you compose for bongos or congas. It seems so free form.
3.25/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
Liked this one OK. I don't really get the genre mix here but that is OK. Gram Parsons seems really interesting, the more I learn about him.
Also, what is Hot Burrito #2 about? It sounds like Jesus is his girlfriend or something?
3/5
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Decent but I don't see myself revisiting it. It's OK.
Everyday people is good though.
2.75/5
The Thrills
2/5
There's parts of this I like that sorta remind me of Flaming Lips or something. But overall it feels like it's trying to ply on nostalgia and I'm not a big fan of that. Ultimately forgettable.
2.49/5
Beatles
5/5
Love this era of Beatles. This and Revolver is some of my favorite. Great album.
4.75/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
This was the first CD I ever owned. That being said, it's been like 30 years since I've listened to it. It is a decent album and more varied than I remember. I do think some of why I like it is nostalgia, but I did enjoy it for whatever reason.
3.49/5
The Residents
3/5
Weird album but I liked it more than Meet the Residents. I definitely found myself thinking "this must be what Butthole Surfers were listening to".
3/5
3/5
This is weird, but some of it is pretty approachable (maybe not for other people, but I'm pretty flexible).
It alternates between zany in a great way and zany in a dunno what is going on way.
This might grow on me over more listens, honestly.
3.33/5
Madonna
3/5
Liked this more than I expected. It's got a maximalist thing that I liked. It doesn't translate to all songs, but overall, it's a pretty fun album.
3.49/5
Klaxons
4/5
Good album! Reminds me of TV on the Radio and Bloc Party had a baby or something.
3.5/5
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Really enjoyed the first half of this album. By the end it was starting to get pretty samey. Reminds me of Joanna Newsom but a guy, and that guy sounds similar to Thom Yorke, but the baroque pop isn't as interesting as radiohead.
Still, quite liked a lot of it.
3.5/5
Al Green
3/5
Decent album but I don't think I know the vocabulary of soul music. It gets sorta samey because of that.
I think it's interesting how the instruments are used. Sometimes the drums can be rather busy, sometimes not. You have horns, but they are just these accent stabs, repeating simple motifs. I'm not sure I get it.
2.66/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Another good CCR album. They didn't make any bad ones afaik. This one was on the "only good" side though. I'm not sure if it's because the singles are so well-known and the non-singles were too bluesy, or what. I think it's something like that. Still, it's CCR and therefore good.
3.25/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Album rules. No misses.
4.5/5
Rush
5/5
Great album I've heard many times. They are unfuckwithable here.
4.5/5
Le Tigre
3/5
Wanted to like this more than I did. I kinda find it annoying. I much prefer Bikini Kill stuff.
2.5/5
The Replacements
5/5
This album rules and I am mad I hadn't heard it till last year.
I love the mix of like indie, punk, older rock, etc. It's just very good.
4.5/5
Stereo MC's
2/5
Eh, this was only fine. I didn't care much for it. Just not my sort of sounds.
2/5
Orbital
2/5
Better sounds than yesterday (Stereo MCs) but songs are really long. I like this better, but not by a lot.
2.49/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Banger album. Like it a lot. I listened to it previously, but was very ready to listen again.
4/5
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Not my genre but good anyways. I had a good time with it.
3/5
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Too long but otherwise a good live album. They clearly had a good stage presence.
3.25/5
Soul II Soul
2/5
Nah. This ain't it. I didn't care for this much at all.
1.5/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
I was dreading this but it was better than expected. I think the samba saves it for me. It still is by no means something I'm choosing to listen to, but it's a lot better than it could have been.
2.5/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I don't care for reggae, but if I'm gonna listen to reggae, I want it to be Bob Marley.
This one is I think better than the other. This is something that is ok.
3/5
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Wasn't my thing. Sorta interesting but overall I wouldn't listen again.
2.49/5
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Great alhum. Hadn't heard it before but of course this sounds like Bowie. This is more straightforward though. Still really enjoyed it.
4/5
Ryan Adams
3/5
Better than expected but my expectations were low. Still, some of these songs were decent.
2.75/5
The Libertines
2/5
I didn't really care for this. It sorta sounds like a mix of Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, which I would like, but I don't like this. There's one punky song near the end and I did like that one, however. Wish they brought more of that and less of the rest.
2/5
Hüsker Dü
4/5
I've been hit or miss on Husker Du. I think this is more hit than miss though. I liked this a good amount.
3.5/5
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
More Wainwright bangers. I think I liked this slightly less than Want One, but still really good.
3.5/5
Holger Czukay
4/5
Was really surprised by this one. I like it a lot. I listened to it like 8-9 times already.
4.25/5
Mike Oldfield
4/5
What a weird album, and not at all what I expected.
I like the Caveman part. I think maybe earliest use of harsh vocals I've heard?
3.5/5
SAULT
2/5
Didn't care much for this. I'm not sure why this is so well-regarded. It's too repetitive and the songs aren't like, dynamic enough?
2/5
Metallica
3/5
Loved Metallica as a kid but became disillusioned after Reload, so I never listened to this. I didn't hate it, but I'm not really regretting that decision. It's just mid. The orchestra didn't seem well-integrated into the music, and I'm not sure if that's just the mix or what.
Anyways, it's still Metallica songs, and those tend to be pretty good (at that time).
3/5
MC Solaar
2/5
Not my thing. I didn't really care for it.
2/5
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Good album, but not as good as Treasure. I still really liked it though.
3.5/5
Suede
3/5
I liked the other Suede album more. This is ok, but just not my thing.
2.5/5
Miles Davis
2/5
I had listened to this before and really didn't care for it. I will say it grew on me a bit, although it's still hard to say I like it. I do respect it, however.
2.49/5
OutKast
4/5
I wasn't totally sold on this initially, but it grew on me. I like The Love Below more than Speakerboxxx but both halves are really good. I can't give this a higher rating because it's so long, but it is very good.
3.75/5
Cornershop
1/5
This is bad. I don't like this. It's annoying.
1.49/5
Talk Talk
2/5
Was looking forward to this one, but ultimately didn't get it and found it boring. Too bad.
2/5
Bad Company
3/5
Half or more of this album was on regular rotation in my dad's tape deck when I was a kid. It was interesting to hear the songs between that my dad skipped. I liked this pretty well though. Hit the nostalgia of being a kid with no worries
3.25/5
Tim Buckley
2/5
This is the best Tim Buckley I've heard, I think. That being said, I didn't care much for it.
2.49/5
John Lee Hooker
2/5
This was fine .I think I just don't care for the blues. It all sounds the same, which it a pretty dumb thing for me to say. I'm just not interested.
2.25/5
Rod Stewart
4/5
Rod Stewart is actually pretty great. He sounds ahead of his time. I enjoyed this and listened to it twice.
3.5/5
3/5
This album was mostly not that interesting for me, but it wasnt bad. That being said, I really like the last song. It has this like chromatic aspect that I really dug. That bumps it up a bit for me. Nice save right at the end.
3/5
Shuggie Otis
3/5
This was fine but just not really my thing. Oh well.
2.5/5
The Darkness
2/5
Mostly didn't care for this. It's too AC/DC-ish.
I did like one song, but that's not enough to save it.
2/5
The Cramps
5/5
Love this album, and love the Cramps.
4.5/5
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I didn't care for this one. It's not bad, but it's just nothing for me.
2/5
Elton John
3/5
This has some bangers but also it was overlong. Overall, I felt like it was decent to good. Jamaica Jerk-off is a weird track, y'all.
3/5
Everything But The Girl
1/5
I really hated this one. It sucks. No.
0.75/5
Guided By Voices
3/5
I feel like I should like this more than I do. The concept behind it is very good. I just have a hard time understanding what the lo-fi aesthetic is adding. I went and found hi-fi recordings of a few of their tracks, and I much prefer them. Oh well, it's their choice.
3/5
Mike Ladd
4/5
Pretty fun album. I enjoyed it more than I expected.
3.5/5
The Police
3/5
Weird album but good. I liked it and would listen again.
3.4/5
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
There's aspects of this I liked, but I didn't like that it was 2h+ of music. I think I appreciated the littler interstitial pieces of discussion between the songs more than the songs.
2.49/5
Cheap Trick
3/5
Good live album. I enjoyed it.
3.49/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Way better than the other album on this list. This one is actually listenable. I still didn't love it, but it was decent at least.
2.75/5
Yes
4/5
Great great album. Must have been amazing when it was released. Some of the songs feel a little short and underdeveloped a bit though.
4.49/5
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Mr Gaye is pretty good, but just not really my style. I enjoyed this ok, but overall I'm not feeling like putting this back on.
3/5
Spiritualized
4/5
Enjoyed this one a lot more than the other Spiritualized. It sorta reminds me of Eels, but I like it better?
3.5/5
Red Snapper
2/5
Was fine, but just not my thing. Definitely feels like a 90s album though.
2.49/5
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Fun album, and was really feeling it initially. It's just too long for its own good!
3/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Enjoyed this one maybe the most of the 3 dexys records. That being said, I still didn't care too much for it. I might revisit it, but only begrudgingly.
2.8/5
Common
2/5
Too long and I didn't care for the hooks :(
77 minutes! I liked Pops at the end though.
2.49/5
James Brown
3/5
Was a pretty fun and engaging live album. I enjoyed it.
3.25/5
Billy Bragg
4/5
I keep thinking I don't like Billy Bragg, but apparently I thought this in 2022 as well. This album is good and I like it.
3.75/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Good album. Not as good as Low End Theory, but I liked it quite a bit.
3.5/5
Solange
4/5
Liked this one, although I don't really have the framework to fully grok it. I will come back to this one and try to take it in further.
3.75/5
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Decent album. I'd listened to it before. I think it's hit or miss, but more hit than miss.
3/5
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Kinda weird album but still enjoyable.
3/5
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Used to not like this album very much but it's grown on me. Poly Styrene's vocals used to bother me but I like it now.
3.5/5
John Grant
3/5
Pretty weird album. Made me think of Sir Elton. I feel like the lyrics are important and I didn't pay close attention to them.
As it is, I think this is 2.5/5
Lou Reed
4/5
Was surprisingly taken with this one, especially after learning it was a concept album. I liked it on first listen and it feels like a grower.
3.75/5
B.B. King
4/5
Good live album that works. Engaging!
3.5/5
David Crosby
4/5
Good album, and weird in a good way.
3.5/5
Bauhaus
3/5
Good sometimes but meandering
2.5/5
Girls Against Boys
4/5
Enjoyed this one. This early post-hardcore style is interesting and it's neat to sorta connect the dots with the later sound.
3.5/5
The Temptations
3/5
I enjoyed but not my genre. I'm not sure if I'd revisit it.
2.5/5
Miles Davis
4/5
I've had a hard time with many kinds of jazz, and also Miles Davis. I consider this a personal failing. However, I did really enjoy this one. I think it's the shorter songs that really did it for me in this case.
3.75/5
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Initially was really into this, but each song ended up overstaying its welcome. Ended up being good, not great, because of that.
3/5
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Decent album that is nice, but I don't have a lot of reason to revisit. Maybe though.
3/5
Madonna
3/5
I was not excited for this after Madonna - Music (2000). However, it's quite a bit better than that. I still don't love it, but it's listenable.
2.5/5
Marty Robbins
2/5
Listened to this for another list. It's just ok. I didn't care for the little interstitial story bits before each song.
2/5
Ice T
3/5
There's a lot to like here. I don't tend to like gangsta rap but this was pretty enjoyable. I thought it was cool that he just sticks a Body Count song right in his rap album. The main drawback is that it's over long. There's a lot of good samples and backing stuff though.
3.49/5
The Hives
5/5
First 3 Hives albums are all 4.5/5 for me. This collection album is made up of songs from first 2 albums, and an EP that is 5/5.
Therefore, this is 5/5, by way of rounding and averaging.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
I liked this album alright. I expected more country, but it's closer to something like Sheryl Crow. I guess this is a precursor to that? Anyways, I have a soft spot for Sheryl Crow and so I didn't bounce off this like I might have otherwise.
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
This album is decent. I thought I didn't like the Boss, but actually he's got quite a few things that are decent to good. I think I just don't like his "Born in the USA" period.
3.25/5
The Monkees
4/5
This album was fun. I'd revisit it for sure. I have sorta avoided them since they're a "constructed" band, but they have talent and the songs go from poppy to weird pretty often. I also liked that they captured them just having fun on some of the later tracks.
3.5/5
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I liked this album. It's definitely not my normal listening but it was very enjoyable. I would definitely return to it.
3.75/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Decent Nick Cave. It's somewhere between the wilder solo albums and No More Shall We Part. I liked it but it's fairly down my list of Nick Cave I would wanna revisit.
3/5
Ryan Adams
2/5
This was too long and I was bored. I'm glad it wasn't actually a double album like he wanted.
2.49/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I enjoyed this one. It has some stuff that reminds me of the earlier albums (of course) and I enjoyed those ones the most. That being said, it's probably my least favorite of what I've heard from him.
3/5
Sparks
4/5
Really dug this one. It's like glam rock + Cardiacs songwriting. Engaging and quirky, but still has hooks.
4/5
The Byrds
3/5
Mostly didn't care for this. It seems solid as country rock, I just don't like country rock. Gram Parsons is interesting though, and it's an interesting about-face from their previous material. Kudos for trying something new.
2.5/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Gotta admit I actually like some Springsteen now. This album was good, not great. I suspect I won't like the stuff after Born in the USA (really don't like that one), but everything before is pretty good, actually, this one included.
3.49/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Pretty boring album, honestly. Nothing hooked me. I think this might be my least favorite Nick Cave album so far, and I like Nick Cave.
2/5
John Cale
3/5
Nice album. More straightforward than I'd expect from someone from Velvet Underground, but I enjoyed it.
3.25/5
Blondie
4/5
Blondie is very good. I like this album and had never heard it.
3.75/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Great album. I listened through it twice.
4/5
Mariah Carey
2/5
Was dreading this but it's very listenable. That being said, it was just very inoffensive and passed me by. I'd give it a 2.5, but I'm gonna give it a 2 for being almost an hour. Too long.
2/5
Hot Chip
4/5
2nd best Hot Chip album I've heard. The Warning is way better. This, however, is good.
3.5/5
Laibach
4/5
Never heard of this, but it rules. I listened through it like 4 times in a row.
4/5
2Pac
3/5
I just don't care for 2pac that much. I tried but it's too long and the beats aren't there for me.
2.5/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
This is mostly just boring Portishead. There's a few interesting tracks like one that sounded like Danny Elfman soundtrack stuff, and a few of the tracks sound like they'd be good for opening a James Bond movie. Overall, not bad but not something I'd wanna revisit.
2.75/5
ABBA
3/5
This was fine to good. Some of the back half was pretty interesting. I liked The Visitors more though.
3/5
The White Stripes
4/5
I remember when this came out, I wasn't really into it, but it grew on me, and now it's probably my 2nd or maybe 3rd favorite White Stripes album.
I like all the weird shit they tried on this one.
4/5
White Denim
4/5
Honestly really surprised by this one. I'd never heard of it, and it's really good. It reminds me of much of what I like about King Gizzard, but this is prior to their first release. The rhythm section is super tight and the guitar parts play off each other just right. Loved it.
4.25/5
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Thought this was fine, but not really my thing. I wouldn't go back to it.
2.25/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I was disappointed in this after Fuzzy Logic. It was fine but it mostly just passed me by.
2.75/5
Fever Ray
4/5
I never spent much time with this album, but I loved the latest album, Radical Romantics. Coming back to this, it's kinda similar but it's maybe a bit too minimalist. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, but not as much as I know I could have.
3.5/5
The National
3/5
I have never understood the draw of The National. I was hoping this album would convince me otherwise, but it was just ok. I don't see any reason to revisit it, and I have FOMO that I don't get it.
2.5/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
I was talking some shit about Jane's Addiction because I think they're a mid band. This album sorta disproved that for me. I think this is their strongest album I've heard. Lots of good songs, and the others are decent enough to not skip.
3.75/5
New Order
4/5
This was pretty good! Some of it passed me by but half of it was really solid. Those Peter Hook basslines are so tasty too. I wish more of the songs were like the first song, however.
3.5/5
Baaba Maal
3/5
This was ok, but I was finding myself not able to focus on it by the middle. It's too self-similar in a genre I don't know well, so I'm not able to differentiate :(
2.75/5
Beatles
4/5
You say Beatles, I am probably gonna give it a high score. I have a serious soft spot for their early catalog in general. It's just so sing-along-able, and I love to do so.
4.25/5
The Electric Prunes
3/5
It was fine, but nothing that really clicked for me. I did like a few of the songs though. Good, and I wouldn't turn it off if it were playing.
3/5
Santana
3/5
I think this suffers from its own success. The singles I knew, I was meh about. The songs I hadn't heard were good. I'm gonna say this was good overall, but still not something I see myself revisiting.
3.25/5
Method Man
3/5
Was ready not to like this but actually it's pretty good!
3.4/5
Ray Charles
3/5
I didn't pay enough attention to the title and was surprised by these songs that clearly didn't sound like country western. Despite that, it was enjoyable enough. Ray Charles voice is good, even if he sings in genres I don't care too much about.
3/5
Stan Getz
3/5
Listened to this for another list. Gave it a 2/5 there. Listened to it just now and feeling more generous.
2.75/5
Orange Juice
2/5
Nah. This ain't it.
1.5/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Read up on this one and was excited. After listening to it twice through, I did like it but didn't love it. Little disappointed.
3.25/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
Listened for another list. Was decent.
3/5
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
I really don't like Lenny Kravitz. It's all style and posturing and no substance. It is listenable though. It resembles music.
1.75/5
The Beach Boys
4/5
I have a soft spot for this era of pop music, I think. I tend to prefer this to something later like Surfs Up. This album was fun.
3.5/5
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
I didn't really care for this. It reminded me of Prince but more boring, and I already don't really care for Prince? I dunno, I don't get how this sold 3 mil records in 3 days.
2/5
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Really good album. I'd never listened to the whole thing, but it's fun and I would listen to it again. I love the occasional album on here with hard-panned drums.
3.75/5
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Pretty fun album. I enjoyed it and pretty cool for 1966.
3.25/5
Pentangle
4/5
Liked this one quite a bit. I'll be revisiting it.
3.75/5
Queen
4/5
Happy to say I liked this one, after not really liking Queen II, the previous album.
It was just better in all ways. Was interesting to hear a song not sung by Freddie on here too.
3.5/5
Barry Adamson
2/5
This was... fine but I also don't get it. It wasn't offensive but I don't know when I'd reach for this. This isn't a mood I have.
2.25/5
Venom
3/5
This was better than expected. It has a lot more in common with punk than I expected. I was hearing Misfits, Germs, things like that, as well as Motorhead, more than I was hearing Black Sabbath most of the time. I appreciate this but would probably reach for later bands that did this better most of the time.
3.49/5
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Listened to this for another list. I liked it ok and I think it'd grow on me. As it is, though, I think it's just ok/good.
3.25/5
Portishead
3/5
All Portishead is good. This is just least good Portishead.
3.33/5
Paul McCartney
4/5
Honestly very solid album. I enjoyed it and would revisit it.
3.5/5
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
I think I listened to this album when it was new. I liked it then and I like it now. Antony (AHNONI) has a beautiful, sad, voice that is lovely, and the band really accompanies her voice well.
3.5/5
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Was a fun album. Ry Cooder seems interesting too. I vibed with it. Good shit.
3.5/5
Kraftwerk
2/5
I can appreciate this but I would never seek it out. I was bored and the songs can be too long.
2.49/5
Doves
2/5
I didn't care for this album. Post-britpop does seem like it tempers the britpop a bit, but this is just milquetoast. That being said, I liked it more than the other Doves album (a little)
2.49/5
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Banger album. I really liked it. Not at all what I would have thought of tango. Maybe it's the new tango only. But yeah, really enjoyed this one.
4/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
1/5
Really didn't like this. I mean really. I read a bunch of reviews trying to understand it and it gets compared to like Bob Dylan a lot? Can't believe I like Bob Dylan better than this. I don't really see the comparison.
Anyways, nah. Nah nah nah.
1.49/5
Sebadoh
4/5
This album is great. It has a lot of diverse sounds and they're all interesting. I found it interesting that this is related to Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Great album. As an Arctic Monkeys fan, this hits those buttons, but with some extra suave thrown in from like, french cinema soundtracks and Scott Walker. I liked it a lot and listened through it twice, and am ready to listen again.
4/5
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
When I was a kid, Evil Empire was my first Rage album and I loved it. I think because of that, I never spent a lot of time with the S/T album. The singles, of course, but not the rest.
Really enjoyed it. Probably 2nd best for me after Evil Empire.
4.33/5
Willie Nelson
2/5
This was fine but I'm not in love with the pop standards he was covering. Pretty boring, honestly.
2/5
Cee Lo Green
4/5
Was surprised how much I liked this. It stayed pretty engaging. I do think it's a bit overlong, but I still had a good time with it.
3.75/5
The Smiths
4/5
Smiths is good. There was a good amount of this I hadn't heard before. Good cover art too. This isn't my favorite Smiths but all Smiths is good.
3.75/5
Fishbone
2/5
Didn't really dig this. It has little bits where it hits, but I'm not into the dub/ska stuff at all.
2/5
Sepultura
4/5
Really really liked this one.
I listened to it most of the day on repeat. I'm going to dig into the rest of Sepultura discography. I heard Roots before, and liked it but didn't love it, so I didn't check out the rest. I love this though.
4.49/5
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I listened to this for another list and the gimmick-y aspects of it really turned me off. I didn't care for it at all.
1.5/5
Can
3/5
This was a 4/5 before the c-side. The 2nd and 3rd-to-last tracks are ultimately pointless and annoying to me, and don't fit with the flow of the album. Because they are so not good, it gets a lot less good score.
2.75/5
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Really enjoyed this album, especially the title track and the last track. It's not that common that a jazz album clicks with me, but this is one of them.
3.75/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I liked this one ok. It was more rockin' than I expected too.
3.25/5
The Pretty Things
3/5
Reminded me of something like Beatles White Album. I enjoyed it alright, but there was some interesting mixing decisions that weren't great. Still, I did enjoy this and wouldn't mind if it was playing again.
3/5
Beatles
4/5
Great album. Listened to it before. Never have been quite as in love with the later-era Beatles, as some of the songs aren't quite my speed. However, I think it's a mix of higher highs and lower lows. Maybe it's worth it for those higher highs vs just being consistent throughout.
4/5
Blur
2/5
I recognized the album art to this one, and it seems like I've liked previous Blur albums ok, but this one wasn't it. It's too much right in the brit-pop pocket, which I'm not a fan of. Won't be returning to this one.
2/5
Lana Del Rey
4/5
Here's an artist name I hear all the time without ever knowing what she sounds like. I assumed it would be much more poppy than it was. I actually thought this was quite lovely and more in-line with something like Joni Mitchell or Carole King.
I like this.
3.66/5
Fred Neil
3/5
Not much to say about this one. Decent folk album, but I'm not super folk lover. Still, very listenable.
3/5
Kelela
3/5
Interesting album that I enjoyed. I can't say I loved it, but I did like it quite a bit and am interested in hearing where she goes with this sound.
3.49/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Liked this album quite a bit. Reminds me of Bowie but a bit more off the rails, and the singing isn't quite as good. Still, I liked the energy. I guess I tend to like Eno when he's not doing ambient stuff.
3.5/5
Dennis Wilson
2/5
I read up on this album and was excited. However, I think I'd take basically any Beach Boys release (barring Smile) over this. I found this very boring and I don't like it.
1.5/5
ZZ Top
2/5
I don't like ZZ Top. However, La Grange is decent. I think I also liked Master of Sparks ok. ZZ Top start at like a 1.5/5 for me, and most songs I feel didn't move the needle. La Grange + Master of Sparks moved the needle up a bit.
2/5
Fleet Foxes
5/5
Great album. Listened to it many many times before. I like Helplessness Blues just a bit more but this one is still a banger in its own right.
4.5/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Enjoyed this. I like Leonard Cohen even though it's not my normal vibe.
3.5/5
2/5
This might be the best U2 album
2/5
Faith No More
4/5
Damn, this was really good. I've never cared too much for Faith No More, but maybe I was listening to the wrong albums before. I liked a lot of the interesting time-change things, the thrashy things, kinda all of it. It's the full package.
4.25/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
Liked this one more than S/T. It has a lot of fun songs that I enjoyed.
3.75/5
Orbital
3/5
Decent album. I liked it but it also sorta just passed me by. I feel indifferent but positive about it.
3/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
More Elvis Costello that I hadn't heard. I like this but not as much as the first few albums.
3.25/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Oops, all bangers
4.75/5
Genesis
4/5
This is both really good and too long at the same time.
3.5/5
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Really liked the concept, but I wasn't too into the execution. It's too long and a lot of the time I wasn't engaged. I did like the history lessons though.
2.75/5
Giant Sand
3/5
This album reminds me of a little more alt-country version of Eels, but I like this more than Eels. Some songs are sorta boring, but some are really good. Overall, this is a good album.
3.49/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
I think it's possible I've never listened to this in its entirety before. It was good but I actually didn't love how it keeps revisiting the same thematic tune over and over. I'm sure there's a narrative here, but I wasn't following it. Overall though, it's a good album that *might* grow on me over time.
3.49/5
American Music Club
2/5
Didn't care much for this one. It was fine, but nah
2/5
Merle Haggard
3/5
Don't think I've listened to a Merle Haggard album. This was pretty good.
3.25/5
De La Soul
4/5
Great album.
I could do without De La Orgy, but otherwise really great. It's a bit long, but not too bad.
4.25/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Pretty listenable for a Rolling Stones album, but also a lot of it sorta passed me by. Average Rolling Stones for me.
3/5
Silver Jews
3/5
There were moments on this that I enjoyed, but the underlying country rock / alt-country vibe tends to be a turn-off for me, or at least not engaging. It was always ok/good, but rarely great.
3/5
The Cure
3/5
I wanted to like this, but it's just OK. I do like the hints that remind me of Boys Don't Cry. Mostly it is too morose and boring though.
2.75/5
The United States Of America
4/5
I've listened to this album before and it's very good. It seems like it would be pretty out there in 1968. I wonder what they would have made if they kept at it.
3.75/5
4/5
I like this album quite a bit. I've listened to it a few times.
3.5/5
The Verve
3/5
U2's little brothers or something. I do like this more than U2 though, by a lot. The album is way too long though.
2.5/5
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Enjoyed this one. I learned a bunch of things from it:
1. Side-project of Talking Heads drummer and bassist
2. Drummer and bassist of TH are married
3. Bassist of TH is a woman
Outside of that, of course I've heard Genius of Love, but found the other tracks really fun too.
Good shit
3.5/5
Madness
4/5
Was ready not to like this because I assumed ska. There's definitely ska things happening in this, but like, only structurally? It had a lot more going for it than I expected. Ended up enjoying it.
3.5/5
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
Wow, this is really good. I never heard of this, but I'd heard of Michael Franti before. The lyrics on these songs rule, and I really liked most everything. I liked Franti's delivery quite a bit even.
3.75/5
The Icarus Line
3/5
Heard of this band, but never listened. I really thought of like Mick Jagger in the vocals initially, but then read about Iggy Pop leanings in the album and that was a better fit. Later, it reminded me of Closure in Moscow.
I initially wasn't sure if I was feeling this because it's pretty derivative, but it did end up winning me over. I enjoyed this and would relisten.
3.25/5
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
This was fine but also not exciting. I found myself not able to focus on most of it. I did think the last song was cool how it went back and forth between live and studio recording though. Overall meh though.
2.5/5
Ice Cube
3/5
Liked this pretty well. I guess every early 90s rap album needs a song with sex noises though... Edgy!
Anyways, not as good as NWA but still good. The version I listened to also had the followup EP and I think I liked those tracks the most, but I can't count them in my review.
3.33/5
Pere Ubu
4/5
Listened to this for another list, but it's really good. I just really enjoyed it.
4/5
The Prodigy
3/5
Just ok. I like it better once Keith joins. It's too just techno in this mode.
2.75/5
Eminem
2/5
This isn't very good. I like his delivery, but I don't like what he's saying and the beats get boring quickly. The skits aren't funny either.
2/5
Grateful Dead
2/5
Man, this was boring. I liked American Beauty, but this was a chore. Lots of jamming, but the jams aren't very interesting? 23 minute first song is a choice.
1.5/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Pretty good album, but also a lot of it sounds like itself. There were a few standout songs but overall not a lot here to keep me that engaged.
3/5
Pearl Jam
5/5
Great album that they never defeated, imo.
4.5/5
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Interesting album. Creepy concept, but there's a lot of good sounds. It's probably better if you don't know the subject. Some of the guitar and drum work sound really ahead of their time. Overall really good album
3.5/5
Slipknot
3/5
Weird to hear a slipknot album that isn't all that nu metal sounding. It was decent, but weird to hear more groove metal and such, and some thing I just associate with older metal. Anyways, didn't dislike it and it was pretty good even.
3/5
Pixies
5/5
Was obsessed with Pixies back when I listened to them in my early 20s. I spent a lot of time with this album and it still completely holds up. I love basically everything here.
5/5
Buzzcocks
4/5
Fun album that I didn't know. I had a good time with this one, for sure.
3.75/5
Steve Winwood
2/5
Didn't care much for this. It's like if you think Steely Dan or Rod Stewart was too hard rock or something. Ugh.
2/5
Motörhead
4/5
Many songs that seem like the same song. I just happen to like that song.
3.5/5
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
For country music, this is really good. I could see myself listening to this again for sure. Very pleasant.
3.5/5
The Mars Volta
5/5
Have always loved this album. This is one of the best albums ever.
5/5
Pulp
2/5
This is not hardcore. This is hard-snore.
2/5
Minutemen
5/5
Known and loved this one for a long time. Great album and so creative, especially for the time.
4.5/5
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Decent album. It seemed good enough that I'm surprised I've never heard of it before. This isn't my genre but I still preferred this over many similar things. Maybe that's just the novelty of it being new
3/5
Gang Of Four
5/5
Love this album. Discovered it around 15 years ago and it still rules. There's so much edge and rhythm in the guitars and I love it. Great politics too.
5/5
Christina Aguilera
3/5
OK album. Not really my thing and too long though. Hated it less than I expected.
2.5/5
The Triffids
2/5
Less good version of Nick Cave + Morrissey. I didn't care much for it but there are worse things. 2.5/5
3/5
Kinks are cool and this album was cool. I enjoyed it.
3.4/5
Funkadelic
4/5
Fun album. I like this more than Maggot Brain. Doo Doo Squad represent.
3.75/5
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Surprisingly good. I was groovin' to it. Definitively not a genre I listen to much, but this is a good one.
3.5/5
Killing Joke
3/5
Good stuff. I hear a lot of early industrial here, which was sorta surprising.
3.4/5
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Good album. It's not Loveless, but what is?
A few tracks in the back half are even bangers.
3.5/5
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
Really fun album. Makes me wanna watch some 70s exploitation shit.
3.5/5
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Didn't care for it. It was fine but also not my genre at all.
2/5
Hawkwind
2/5
Too long and meandering. It was fine, but nothing I'd pick to listen to again. Sorry, Lemmy :(
2.49/5
The KLF
3/5
Didn't have high hopes for this, but actually it was ok. It's not my genre but it was good work music.
2.75/5
Steely Dan
4/5
I didn't know a ton of these songs were Steely Dan. Everyone raves about Aja and I can't really get into that. This, however, is my jam.
4.25/5
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Ayy, decent album, Herbie!
I enjoyed this and listened through it twice.
3.5/5
Sam Cooke
4/5
Very fun live album. I don't think I knew who Sam Cooke was, but I know a few of these songs. Nice to put a name to it. Good energy.
3.75/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
Listened to this for another list and was underwhelmed. On relisten, I am whelmed. It's decent.
3/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
Never listened to this PJ Harvey. Actually loved it. I listened through 3 times. It's got it going on.
4.5/5
Dion
2/5
Not my thing. It wasn't bad but it was fairly boring.
2.25/5
Big Star
3/5
Overall not too taken with this. Not bad, but also didn't make much of an impact.
2.5/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Really wasn't what I expected, but better for it, I think?
The combo of Cohen's singing, lyrics, and the 80s pastiche is initially off-putting but ultimately very entertaining. Highlights are Then We Take Berlin + Jazz Police.
3.75/5
The Avalanches
2/5
Listened to this for another list and I didn't get it. I don't get it this time either.
2/5
4/5
Very good album. The production is immaculate and there's a lot of great songs on display here.
3.75/5
The Waterboys
4/5
Was surprised how much I liked this. It seems like it shouldn't be for me based on description, but it does a lot of interesting things and ultimately won me over. Good stuff.
3.75/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Another great Joni Mitchell album. This one was pretty experimental but I was here for it.
4/5
Morrissey
2/5
Didn't really care for this. I think Morrissey doesn't work for me outside the context of The Smiths. It seems like Johnny Marr made Morriseys songs less cynical and more bittersweet or something. That balance is off here and I didn't care for it.
2.25/5
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. It's scattershot but in an engaging way. Reminded me of Zappa in that it rode that line between entertaining and annoying, but this never fell over into annoying. I'll be revisiting this one.
4/5
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Really fun album. I pretty much enjoyed the whole thing. It was cool to hear the original Stepping Stone, which I knew from Minor Threats cover.
3.75/5
Randy Newman
3/5
I liked this. I don't care too much about how Randy Newman sings but the rest is pretty great. The lyrics are good and some of the songs surprised me because I was expecting just like piano ballad type things and there was more diversity than that.
3.49/5
Scritti Politti
3/5
Decent album with interesting background. I liked this but didn't love it.
3.25/5
Queen
4/5
Here we go. Queen I can get behind. This album had a lot of good songs and they work standalone and also within the album. I was surprised hearing the little motifs show up a few times.
4/5
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
I like this album. It reminds me of Bjork, but not as experimental. That being said, it's still good.
3.49/5
Daft Punk
2/5
This one was a slog, as someone that doesn't like Daft Punk's best albums all that much. It's so repeaty, especially in the last few songs. Do not want.
2/5
Talking Heads
4/5
Really good album, and made me realize I only really know Fear of Music + Remain in Light. I think I like this more than Fear of Music though. I'll have to fill in more of my Talking Heads gaps.
3.75/5
Paul Simon
4/5
Another good Paul Simon album. I really appreciate his ability to incorporate world music stuff into his music while retaining his own sound.
3.5/5
The Go-Go's
4/5
Honestly really good album. I had no strong feelings about the singles I knew before listening, but the album is good and has more depth than I'd expect.
3.5/5
Foo Fighters
3/5
Just ok album. I do like the last 1/3 of songs more though. Still, I've never really gotten the draw of this band. It always seemed a little more overproduced than I'm ready for.
3/5
Ice Cube
3/5
Not too bad. I don't care too much for this period in rap, but this was pretty listenable compared to its peers. Either that or I'm warming up to it. Still, it was too long at an hour.
2.75/5
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Pretty fun album, although I think I was ready for it to be over when it was over. Not much to say except I liked it.
3.25/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Decent album with a few songs I like more than others. The less distinct songs were pretty forgettable though. I like Cohen, but this is on the weaker side of his material, imo.
2.75/5
Sister Sledge
3/5
Pretty fun album. Too repetitive for me, but it has some fun basslines. I would like it more if the songs were shorter.
Any of these songs work, but it's too much for me as an album.
2.5/5
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
I didn't care for this one. I don't know how to articulate it, but it wasn't for me. It's too much style and not enough substance. The backstory about the missing lyricist was interesting though.
2/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Pretty fun album, and I liked it, although in hindsight I can't really recall any details. I'd listen to it again, but it also wasn't super engaging.
3/5
4/5
Great album that I don't think I'd listened to. I *might* like this more than Los Angeles, actually.
4/5
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I really liked this album. Lots of songs I liked, and her singing was really good. Definitely would listen to this again.
3.75/5
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Interesting album. I liked Sarah's singing, but it was too forward in the mix. On a few occasions, I totally couldn't hear the backing band at all, and I couldn't track the rhythm. That was off-putting. Also, some of the songs are too slow for me. I liked the peppier numbers though.
2.75/5
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Boring Sheryl Crow-core
2/5
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Really good album. It reminds me of mdou moctar, but I think this came first and I just didn't know.
4/5
Deerhunter
3/5
I listened to this when it was new but couldn't remember it at all. Listening back, it sorta just passed me by. I did like the last song quite a bit though.
3/5
Dagmar Krause
4/5
Fun and weird album, but it did start to show its rough edges by the end. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it were only half as long, or maybe just the first half of the tracks (the songs are already only 1-2 minutes).
That being said, any artist that gives me those vague Danny Elfman vibes is great.
3.5/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
Ayy, another Arcade Fire album that I liked. I had written this band off after only hearing Funeral + Reflektor, but learned with Neon Bible that they do, in fact, make music I like.
This one, I think, doesn't reach the same level as Neon Bible, but it's not too far away from it either. I was engaged with the album throughout, and gave it 2 listens.
3.5/5
The Byrds
3/5
Wasn't too taken w/ the first half of this album, but I liked the back half quite a bit, so I gave it a second listen. On second listen... I thought the same.
Just ok first half, really good back half. Overall, I liked it. Wish the first half held up though.
3.49/5
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Initially pretty into this. However, it did wear out its welcome over the course of an hour. All the songs feel like they should be half as long. I guess this makes sense if you're dancing to it though. It's still a fun album, and I like it more on a track-by-track basis than as a full album.
3/5
FKA twigs
4/5
I listened to this back when it was new, but didn't spend much time with it. I *did* spend a good amount of time w/ the EPs that preceded this though.
Listening to this with fresh ears, I really liked what I heard. This is my kind of avant-pop. Nothing quite reaches "Water Me" level, but it's still really good and good throughout.
4/5
Beatles
5/5
I've always sorta said that mid-era Beatles was my favorite period. I love Rubber Soul and Revolver, and have been a little down on White Album and Magical Mystery Tour.
HOWEVER, this album is really fucking great and almost 5/5. Only thing that holds it slightly back is Octopus's Garden (sorry, Ringo). That being said, it's just a slight criticism.
4.75/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Fun album! I listened through twice. It reminded me of Yes + Jethro Tull. It's like if Tull had electric organ. 20 minute intro song is a choice, but one I agree with.
3.75/5
Talking Heads
4/5
I said I needed to listen to other Talking Heads albums, and lo and behold, here is another one!
This one is weird but good. In some ways it didn't grab me, but I still did like it quite a bit. I will want to revisit this down the line, but it was good to great.
3.5/5
Chicago
4/5
Big moves making your debut album a double album. I really like the intro song, and then the rest of the album goes up and down, but never way down, and sometimes way up. I like this album.
3.5/5
The Everly Brothers
3/5
I don't think I would listen to this on repeat or anything, but occasionally we get these early 60s albums and the long songs are still less than 3 minutes and there's something I really like about that. This was fun, and would be an occasional listen from me.
3.25/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
Great album. I really like it a lot, and hadn't heard it previously. I've only really listened to Trout Mask Replica, and I do enjoy that album, but this one is the right kind of weird for me to revisit over and over. I like it a lot.
4.5/5
Elvis Costello
4/5
Pretty good album. I think I like this just behind the first few albums. It have more of that flavor and I liked it.
3.5/5
SZA
3/5
Fun album. I enjoyed it, but wasn't completely taken by it. I've heard a lot of good things about SZA but I guess I don't know what to look for. It was a bit hard for me to engage with.
3/5
Goldie
2/5
I listened to this for another list and really didn't care for it. I didn't hate it, but was very ready for it to be over by the end.
2/5
The Who
4/5
Listened for another list. Probably the best Who album. It has some real bangers on it.
3.75/5
Carole King
4/5
I was surprised that this is the only Carole King on the list. This album is really good and I knew a large majority of these songs, although I don't think I knew they were all Carole King songs.
This is just a really solid album of great songs. Carole King rules.
4/5
Beth Orton
2/5
Snoozer of an album. Only really got along with Blood Red River, but the rest was a bit of a chore. Sorry, Beth.
2.49/5
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Loved this album already. Just a great album, and varied. I love the jazzy backgrounds. Wish there were more albums like this (there probably are and I don't know them)
4.75/5
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Listened to this for another list. I scored it pretty low for that one, mostly because of the terrible skit. The skit is still terrible, but I did sorta dig the goofy lines + the trip hop instrumentation.
2.5/5
Van Morrison
4/5
This didn't have many Van Morrison songs I was that familiar with, but I did like it quite a bit. It seems like a great period for his live act at the time. The crowd was engaged, and there were a lot of showy bits. Really solid live set.
3.5/5
The Band
3/5
Mostly didn't care for this. There's a few songs that are decent. It's funny to see how many more plays The Weight has over the others. It is like in the realm of 100x more listens.
Chest Fever is a good song too.
It was interesting to learn about their origin as Bob Dylan's backing band. I definitely didn't know that.
2.5/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
I really liked this album. It's not in a genre I spend a lot of time with but it has a charm that I can't deny.
3.75/5
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Really lovely album. I hadn't heard it, but really there wasn't a song on there I wanted to skip. I liked a lot of the instrumentation choices as well.
3.75/5
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Was moving around and enjoying this. I didn't care as much for that laughing man duet song, but otherwise, I liked pretty much all of it. That being said, I don't really see myself revisiting it, as it's not really a vibe I find myself wanting to hear often.
3/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
I can be hit or miss on Beastie Boys, but this is mostly a hit. I was surprised to hear actual punk songs on here, and it has a few well-known singles. There's kinda too many tracks, but overall I liked it.
3.5/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Pretty nice album. I have gained an appreciation for Emmylou over 1001 albums. I liked this one about as much as Red Dirt Girl, but this one doesn't sound like Sheryl Crow.
3.5/5
Beach House
4/5
Thought I'd listened to this one before, but I guess not. I liked it quite a bit and has me wanting to check out their whole discography. Good times.
3.75/5
Animal Collective
5/5
Already know this one, and I remember being not too taken on it on first listen in 2009. I gave it a few more listens because my then-girlfriend now-wife really loved it and it clicked at some point. It's a great album, and something I could listen to often.
4.5/5
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
I was kinda stoked to listen to this based on the wikipedia info, but the reality is that this is a just-ok album. I'm sorry, Mrs. Faithfull, but I didn't find this to be a masterpiece...
2.75/5
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
Listened to this before, but it's a really good time. Some of the songs I feel like could have been better if they were shorter. I'm not sure why there are multiple 9 minute songs on this album. This style doesn't really lend itself to long form. Knocking it down a bit for that, but overall a really good time.
3.75/5
Arrested Development
4/5
Really great album that I didn't know. I really wish this sort of rap would have won out over gangsta rap. This is way more my speed.
4/5
808 State
2/5
This wasn't it for me. I found it really repetitive and boring :(
1.75/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
Man, I keep finding Sonic Youth albums that rule. This is one of them. I really enjoyed this one. It's a 4/5 now, with room to grow. Definitely will revisit.
4/5
Black Flag
4/5
Really good album that starts to drag near the end. The front half is like 4/5 material but the back half is more like 3/5 realm, so I'm gonna split the difference.
3.5/5
Elton John
4/5
Really good album. I'm a sucker for Tiny Dancer, and the others I didn't know were very good as well.
4/5
Throwing Muses
4/5
Real banger of an album. I didn't know this one and really enjoyed it. Some of the later tracks didn't do it for me quite as much, but still, great album.
4.25/5
Aimee Mann
4/5
Liked this more than I thought I would. It's pretty catchy and I liked the hooks. Good job, Aimee.
3.5/5