vapid drivel, some of the worst music in a long time

I really tried to give this a listen with an open mind, honestly I did. Unfortunately it's the same unfinished-sounding noodly background music with whining on top that I've come to expect from these Emperor's New Clothes incarnate. Horrible

prog noodling outweighs good tunes

a few good tunes and lots of meandering, like his other work

ponderous but rudimentary

Their best collection of tunes

Pretty good, singles are classics

Interesting, can hear some Krautrock origins in the fusion arrangements

A few stone-cold classics, lots of filler

Side 1 full of classic tunes, Side 2 cheesy and boring as hell

Exactly as expected

Sounds like a 70s or 80s Elvis Costello album, not as weird or precious as feared. It's OK

Not bad, not as good as Sound Affects

Really good and doesn't overstay its welcome

Not Dark Yet is an all time classic, rest is good but the blues/roots stuff gets weary

Like most Fall albums it gets a bit samey but still sounds great

Pretty great, didn't realize how much of this was written by Bowie.

Tuneful but a bit of a cliche

great set of tunes

the well known tracks are surrounded by interminably overlong prog/grunge noise. starts well

vapid drivel, some of the worst music in a long time

It's pretty good as modern country goes. Not up to the '70s standard though

the constituent parts are fun but the album itself is dull as hell. sounds like it was more fun to make than to listen to. De La Soul did it much better

Starts well, goes downhill. Not as good as Live Through This

Pretty good, like a more melodic At The Drive-In

Really good, surprisingly! No Sweet Home Alabama or That Smell thankfully

great voice, songs and arrangements very much of its time

Fantastic, no notes

Maggie May plus wallpaper. Songs are fairly long for no apparent reason

Very enjoyable, from a weirdly innocent period in time

decent, but sounds like Innervisons b-sides in comparison

I really tried to give this a listen with an open mind, honestly I did. Unfortunately it's the same unfinished-sounding noodly background music with whining on top that I've come to expect from these Emperor's New Clothes incarnate. Horrible

Just terrible. Would have sounded derivative in 1996, now just puzzling why anyone would make something so dull. Couldn't even finish it

The famous songs are the good ones. Last song is truly awful. Polar opposite of Rumors - here the bad reputation is well-deserved

It's OK. I didn't understand the fuss when it came out, still don't. Not as good as his dad, much better than copycat whiners such as Radiohead. John Cale doesn't get the credit he should for the OG arrangement of Hallelujah but I doubt he cares.

Was very excited to buy this when it came out - did not disappoint, ribbed plastic box, secret bonus track and all! Still sounds fabulous today, all killer no filler. Great to hear it again

Better than I remembered from when I owned this a long time past. Odd to think this was radio-friendly pop music 40 years ago!

The sound of mid-90's British mediocrity. At least this one doesn't have the (or any?) awful Noel Gallagher Beatles rip-off atrocity. Still rings with the banshee wail of Beth Orton unfortunately. She must curse Dido frequently, wishing she hadn't hitched her frail wagon to these losers.

great to hear some of the origins of psychedelic soul

Some classics, pretty misogynistic in places!

Didn't like it when it came out, and it's still a disappointment after the first album but sounds great today. Glad to hear it again

banger after banger, incredible!

incredible album, especially good to hear those tracks sequenced again

I'm sure this is good quality but I really don't like this style of music!

Great voice, probably heard this a thousand times when it came out in the background. Very 80s!

Incredible run of songs throughout, *almost* as good as Tumbleweed Connection

I can see how this was very influential, however none of the component parts are that much fun to listen to. I've had this album for years and didn't recognize any of it. More Sufjan Stevens than Badly Drawn Boy unfortunately

The sound of summer 1994, very proud I had a pre-release tape of this! Evocative of OJ's white Bronco and the Romanian football team. Would be a 5 from Badhead alone but the dreadful title track drags it down a bit

just dull, sounds like a bar band playing CSNY but forgetting how the melodies work

bossa-nova standards, not thrilling

really good, up with his best and the rare "concept" album that isn't embarrassing in parts despite the content

So many great tunes, would have been incredible to be around at that point with classic songs being dished out daily. Most of this would be on a Greatest Hits

Somebody to Love is great, of course. The rest is not very distinctive

I really wanted to like this, unfortunately the well-known ones are both the best and the template for the rest. Disappointing as an album

very listenable but nowhere near as creative as Dr Dre or others of the same period

just boring, really poor effort and awful vocals

never heard of this before, obviously very influential from Revolution 9 to Broadcast and The American Analog Set. interesting

tuneful but not very memorable, like much in 1988

Does exactly what it says on the tin

lots of belters, not quite as many bangers. great sound though!

very experimental and, unfortunately, quite unpleasant to listen to

hasn't aged well, used to sound menacing when I was 13 now just sounds silly. tuneful enough but not essential

Great stuff, some of their best tunes

more interesting than I predicted, not as good as their later work

Godlike

pretty boring, if Daft Punk made a video game soundtrack but not in a good way

loved it then love it now, so lucky to see F&M perform most of this live. Just excellent, so many good memories soundtracked by this

juvenile and irritating

couldn't listen to it on Spotify but what I remember is the last great NY record until the 90s

pleasant enough

better than Darklands, still the most over-rated band of their era

great

glad I got to hear it, probably won't listen to it again anytime soon

melodic 60s pleasantries, better than their spelling at least

Incredibly dull, 3rd-rate late-era REM b-sides sung by someone with a voice better suited to silent movies. I get Dave Grohl is a "great guy" but this music is terrible and their popularity is so perplexing. Most songs would be rejected by a high school garage band - but this is not even awful enough to be distinguished as a one star album. Go away

Love it, a brilliant album from a pretty uninteresting time in music if a more hopeful one politicly. Listened to it constantly back then, still play it occasionally and am always blown away by the great tunes

a real ringer on this list for me, just love it. Unique, incredible tunes, a medley to rival Abbey Road and one of the biggest hits of the '80s tossed on at the end. What's not to love?

Another one I've had for years but barely recognize, with good reason. "Maps" apart, very meh. An odd period, a lot of derivative noise being showered with plaudits, this included.

used to love this, now hard to listen to given the weirdness and perversion following. Far better than Gary Gliiter in a musical sense, but rating adjusted accordingly for similar behaviors

timeless, does anyone not like this?

A grower, initially the Wilco-led songs are easier to get into but Billy's ones stand out and make the whole thing very enjoyable

Great guitar sound, but inessential. Stick to the Greatest Hits

great to hear this again, didn't know it was the 2nd highest selling album ever, but why not?

Nice to hear some James Brown that aren't the same old overplayed cliche tunes. Still not very interesting however

interminable and indistinguishable elementary garage rock. Each track is somehow less interesting and more sophomoric than the previous. How this guy continues to have a career amazes me. Perhaps people think he's "cool", but surely not "talented"?

pleasant and well-produced but not very exciting

nice album from an often forgotten 70s talent. Probably stick to the Greatest Hits though

So puzzling why anyone thought this was "edgy", more like musical theater than "rock'n'roll" and not in an entertaining Meat Loaf way. Self-satisfied and boring, but not bad enough for a 1*

remember being underwhelmed by this when it came out despite the great single and awfulness of the prior album. Also, Pavement being upset they were ripped off somehow? Hasn't improved with age, Beetlebum is great, rest meh

never understood why The Who are held up as one of the all-time greats. This album makes a good case, however. Enjoyed it a lot, to my surprise!

bought it when it came out based on hype alone and love it to this day. really really awesome debut, shame they never matched it. Great live band too

Really good! Great voice, great sound and lots of great tunes. Even my kids like it (although it does sound like an Italian restaurant in places)

controversial perhaps, but I think this album is hugely over-rated; it sounds like nothing else and has an essential influence on modern studio techniques but doesn't really have many tunes. Joy Division were a great singles band!

the ones you know are decent, rest meh/noise

weird to think of a time before these songs existed. their first really good album with numerous classics, and a sample of news from the era that sounds like a relic of a better time in comparison to now

really liked it, great to hear some real country music not the cheesy soft-rock trucks guns n'Applebees travesty it has become. Will check out more of her stuff

like the dark twin of I'm Your Man, or the cousin of Blackstar. First song is incredible, and the rest keep up the doom perfectly. What a terrible year 2016 was

love it, listen to it frequently, not a bad song on it and many top tunes including two or three of their best. wonderful album

sounds good for a live album, a bit too long and too many blues jams

really goid, a breath of fresh air when it came out in the heyday of Britpop. seemed to be played everywhere at the time, listening to it now brings back good memories of London bars and restaurants in the late '90s. thoroughly enjoyable

closer to what I expected from The Who, not great apart from I Can See For Miles. why the enthusiasm for this?

very much of its time, folk standards sung with her distinctive voice. not my thing

my favorite band as a kid, my Roxy Music! lots of bangers on here, live version of The Chauffeur pips it but otherwise pretty awesome for a "boy band"

Pretty terrible. "Oh but the harmonies" - yes, what about the songs? Creepy vaguely misognyist crap sung as nursery rhymes by castrati. And, hey, harpsichords! Shite

Probably groundbreaking at the time, but now sounds like less than the sum of its parts. It's OK

Wonderful album, containing one of the greatest songs ever written. Incredible sound, amazing voice - just a classic!

Very entertaining, really captures the mood of the performance. Not my style but excellent nonetheless

for me, The Cars are probably the definition of a Greatest Hits band, classic singles but the sound is so characteristic that the album tracks become a bit samey. Probably unfair on this album as it's their debut and 2/3 of the tracks are played to death on the radio but there you go. Great album, buy the Greatest Hits!

My kids played this to death, with no objections from me. As good as, or better than, the pop albums from my youth e.g. Madonna, Nik Kershaw. WIldest Dreams in particular is a banger

I was dreading this and it lived down to my prejudice. I love The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost, but you can't even cut the highlights of this down to a single album that would be of remotely similar quality. The definition of indulgence, and a real puzzle who has the time for this

A usually reliable friend was very excited about this at the time, describing it as a Marvin Gaye-level work of genius. It's not that good, but it is both tuneful and interesting which is high praise for '90s R&B.

Grew up on this, the greatest hit songs are timeless, the rest are a bit weak but a 4 nonetheless.

Pretty much as expected but lots of fun. Puente is the classic sound of Latin jazz

So good, long grooves that never get boring. Perfect for an extended workout

pleasant jazz, my kids think it sounds like a Peanuts soundtrack

Thoroughly enjoyable rootsy/country-tinged RnR. Contemporary comparisons to Sticky Fingers are very apposite. Liked it a lot! bonus tracks are uniformly poor however

thought this was very mediocre when it came out, hasn't really aged any better. Good samples and singles, not enough for an hour's runtime

Pretty good, schmitty good. Segall Smeagol is also worth a listen

This was my favorite album before I even knew who the Beatles were (mainly for the music hall stuff!). Didn't last, but still an amazing record

Glad I heard this, knew Trouble Every Day which is excellent. The rest is like an off-kilter Byrds album mixed with Buddy Holly or something. Probably won't listen in full again anytime soon

Well, this is the 2nd Todd Rundgren album on here, and like the first its a VERY long and VERY self-indulgent mess with supposed "funny" parts and very few tunes. General rule: if someone writes, produces and plays pretty much everything on a very long album, it's likely to be mostly poor as there is zero quality control. Between all of this and the other one there could have been a decent EP, nothing more.

I remember being disappointed by this before, and it hasn't really improved with time. Three *classic* songs but the rest is pretty thin. Matt Johnson seems a good bloke and has written many great tunes over a long career but this album isn't the best.

Another one I loved at the time but hadn't heard in ages. What a great album full of bangers, thrilled to have seen them play most of this in a fairly-empty Mercury Lounge back at CMJ in 1995 (and gigged with them when they were The Jennifers even earlier). Top notch, and they made some other good albums but I don't think they were quite this exciting again

What can I say? Incredible this was an actual album and not a best-of. What a time to be alive

Pretty much as expected, pleasant country tunes very much of their time and distinctive close harmonies but didn't really hold my attention until the songs about marrying their dead brother's cheating wife and the next one about murdering their fiancee for no apparent reason. Probably worth a second listen!

The most interesting big band music I've ever heard - way ahead of its time, really good! Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I signed up

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... love this, absolute genius! Even though this isn't really an "album" it's incredibly influential. Straight line from the VU to this to everything great in the indie world.

What is there to say? Probably their best album, so good that it contains their worst song by far (yes, worse even than the throwaway stuff on the White Album and Let It Be) yet still is unimpeachably excellent and ground-breaking. Sensational

Bought this the week it came out, haven't heard it in ages but still know every note! Era-defining stuff, but docked a point for the bloated version of Come Together, which so disappointed me on first hearing that it wasn't the (much better) single version. Can't find the title track (from the Dixie Narco EP) streaming anywhere, would have made a good substitute.

Two days in a row where the worst song on the album is called "Come Together"! This one redeems itself almost immediately with "Something" and keeps the high quality going until The End. 3 Beatles albums in the past 2 weeks, what's to say apart from marvel in their diverse excellence. You forget how good they were

Pretty horrible, hated most of this. Constipated metal funk, evidently the inspiration for many dreadful bands that followed. Obviously good musicians so just scrapes a 2. Boo

I guess this record represents the transition from old to new country music, the point where it became bland soft rock slush. The lyrics are not as cringeworthy as contemporary efforts, but the music is very cheesy and over-produced. The late '80s were a pretty lean period for interesting mainstream music, evidently.

so good, brings back many vague memories of when it came out! Both Tricky and Tracey Thorn are incredible here, such a great set of tunes throughout. I think it's their best by far

the songs on III are better and Hurt is way over-played, but this is still pretty awesome

I'm On Fire and Dancing In The Dark aside, this is pretty rubbish and sounds like it could have been generated by an AI after hearing Born To Run. Not good

Another ringer for me, love this album. The absolute classic indulgent '70s coke rock album (meant as a huge compliment). All songs are great, and the 4 song sequence starting with the title track beats anything on Rumours or Tusk and shoves the Eagles into a pit of shit

Disappointing. Sounds a bit like reheated early Suede, but the theatrical (histrionic) vocals get annoying pretty fast and there isn't much going on elsewhere in the music that is very interesting. Nah

Another long-time favorite. Almost loses a point for "Jazz Police" but the rest is so good I can't be mean. Incredible that so many cheesy elements work so well together. The Cohen album I listen to the most

I have never heard this in full before, despite knowing the highlights from their Mixed Up versions. I was really into The Cure at a young age (before this!) and the late '80s/early 90's stuff passed me by. Sounds fantastic as a whole, would probably have been into it in a big way at the time if I was paying attention!

Really hated this at the time, background music for hipster students trying for street cred. Now the highlights sound a bit like TV on the Radio (a compliment) but the whole thing is pretty weak and inessential. Shouldn't be on this list, poor effort

Just scrapes a 4. Two classics, not sure I'm convinced by the rest very much (perhaps the singing, maybe because it sounds like a dry run for Bat Out Hell in parts)

3 good/great songs, lots of weird and meandering ones. Sounds like Genesis produced by Bob Ezrin, accurately enough

perfect timing, perfect album!

The Beatles album I play the most, for some reason. Lots of great songs, some casual misogyny, would have sounded like nothing else when it came out. Their first great one from start to finish(ish)

My favorite Stooges album. Perfect mix of melody, noise and sleaze. How many great (esp. debut) albums has John Cale produced over the years?!

A few classics but a not as magnificent as Village Green. Probably unfair as it's great but just not perfect

Really good, much better than AmeriKKKa's... Still sounds urgent, burning white hot from the LA riots and events beforehand. Not much seems to have improved in 30 years

Such a great sounding album! Old git here, but this is how rap music should be produced. Still sounds dangerous and abrasive, and sad how the "controversial" stuff like the call-in sampled on Incident At 66.6 FM resembles the golden age of radio compared to the shit nowadays on Fox News etc. Fight The Power pushes this to a 5 easily

Take Five I knew, the rest are similarly excellent. Great alto sax tone, groovy album!

everyone knows all of this, debut packed with bangers

Such a disappointment after NFR. All the songs are at the same tempo, and sound like overproduced mush. Unnecessary Joni Mitchell cover only highlights the difference in songwriting quality. Shame, barely scrapes a 3

Pretty silly, schoolboy stuff. Some of the music sounds like proto-shoegaze; "Buried Alive" could be a comedian reading a Hammer Horror script over early Ride. Other parts sound like Motorhead taking the piss out of a community theater production of Rosemary's Baby. Essential, eh?

Easy 5 even with the awful last track (I since discovered that is not by Joni at all!). Her voice sounds "softest" here compared to the other '70s classics although the songs are far from "pop". Great album

It's a decent sounding Neil Young album but nothing too spectacular. One song sounds a lot like "My Back Pages". Still available on Amazon Music!

timeless, know every note

Needs no comment, the apex of jazz in my limited opinion!

All the songs sound the same, but it's a great song! "Charlotte Sometimes" and "The Hanging Garden" are probably the best examples, both on the singles collection.

Didn't get the love for this at the time, and still think it's a poor effort. Not really "fun" rap like Sugarhill Gang etc. earlier, and pretty weak compared to Public Enemy or even LL Cool J. Boring beats and one-note shouty rhymes, like the similarly overhyped Beastie Boys. Walk This Way is definitive, but only because the original is terrible. Barely scrapes a 3 for historical purposes

decent '80s pop album with all the hits, and?

More solid overall than Born to Run with sharper tunes. Pretty good

loved this when it came out, still have the version with 4 conjoined song suites. The influences seem pretty obvious now and the middle sags a bit, but still an absolute wonder.

Sounds really basic and uninspired - never understood why this guy got any attention. So many superior examples of this type of music are out there, your local bar singer-songwriter can probably do it better. Quite brief, at least

The first Steely Dan album I've listened to in full. Sounds like a collection of '70s TV themes. Peg is fun but better when sampled by De La Soul. Seems a bit directionless

great voice, songs are not worthy of it

requires no explanation, perfect if that's what you're in the mood for

truly dreadful. First song is one verse of a Bo Diddley song then 20 minutes of uninspired blues noodling. And that's the highlight! Each track gets steadily worse, with awful hippy grunting on top of amateur guitar riffing. 2nd to last track is literally 13 minutes where nothing happens at all, but even this is preferable to the final track which is as brief as it is awful. might be one of the worst albums I have ever endured.

I like some later Wilco albums but this is very basic and uninspired. Some really bad country tinged stuff towards the end that is bar band quality. No need for a double album at all

Not what I expected, being only vaguely-aware of their yacht rock radio songs. Funky, bluesy and psychedelic, like a much-better Small Faces. Lots of this is indulgent jamming, but the good parts are excellent

my favorite Pixies album. The production might be a bit polished for some but the songs are really great (and Gil Norton rules anyway). Fantastic

incredible debut; best bits on the Greatest Hits

About 60% great songs, 40% constipated funk workouts with terrible vocals, so pretty promising as a RHCP album goes. Many of these tracks are played to death on the radio, but with good reason. Overall, decent result

Another one I bought (on the day of release?), 30 years ago now! Was never my favorite REM album, although stuff like Sidewinder and Everybody Hurts has aged fine and was loved at the time despite being viewed as a bit "commercial/embarrassing" in retrospect sometimes. This is all really excellent throughout. Didn't know how good we had it.

incredible singles make this a top notch album. my usual comment re: Greatest Hits applies

Really good, can hold its own with Innervisions

prog noodling outweighs good tunes

Just incredible - sound, beats, production, lyrics. So many of their best tracks on this (and, by definition, some of the best of rap all-time). Samples from Isaac Hayes to Slayer, fantastic noise - never beaten

I had an advance tape of this in summer '93 and could only get through it once. Sounds great but the songs aren't really there, and so much whining about being a successful rock star. If only Albini had "recorded" Nevermind..

Starting to sound like the classic Queen. Killer Queen is great, of course, and you can hear the origins of Bohemian Rhapsody in Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley. The rest is OK

hadn't heard this album before, and unfortunately with good reason. Best bits are on Greatest Hits, rest is unremarkable. I love me some Lenny but not this so much

sounds like untalented teenagers playing The Hives (if that's not tautologous). If you love sub-South Park childish swearing and rudimentary rock tunes this is the album for you

Fairly anonymous light funk/jazz, but in Portuguese. Meh

was excited to hear this, unfortunately it's nothing special. Sounds unfinished in parts, as the mix goes in and out. Shame, I really try to like MBV as Kevin Shields is such a good dude, but they always disappoint me somewhat

Really entertaining - one of the best live album atmospheres I've heard captured on record. Started off thinking it might make a interesting listen but nothing more and ended up being the fastest I've bought an album from this list. Great stuff

Totally non-plussed by the hysterical plaudits afforded to this at the time. Sounds like a half-arsed mishmash of key elements already used by Massive Attack and Portishead, with some incongruous Public Enemy to make it sound "hard". Another favorite of student posers angling for street cred by proxy, like the (worse) Finley Quaye. Also responsible for the growth of modern "British hip-hop", perhaps the worst genre in music. Meh for the album and boo for its legacy

Packed with incredible tunes, all on the Greatest Hits.

Gets a 3 from the 3 middle tracks alone - the rest is generously characterized as "experimental". Very creative perhaps but a half-finished sketch of the much better Metal Box to follow

Bit close to home this one (my sister's giggles open the first track); my least favorite of the three I was involved with by a long way. I encourage people to check out Liberation and (especially) Promenade, which are excellent

Really poor, cover art is probably higher quality than the music. The musicians involved might have gone on to much better things, but this seems to the equivalent of viewing the work of a kindergarten student.

Didn't listen to this very much when it came out but it's aged well and is packed with great tunes. A bit bloated perhaps, but some of their finest melodies are on here. Anyone who likes this should check out the first two albums which are peerless for their time. Great stuff!

Not my default Dylan album to listen to, with Desire or the classic 60s ones more typical. There are lots of great tunes on here but it's a bit less varied than his other great records. I get the praise, but there are better ones!

Dull. I even listened to this in a hipster coffee shop and felt nothing

Boring, juvenile and quite irritating

I guess this was the o.g. but it's still dull white blues. Better than the Yardbirds at least

Wow, one of the best albums of this period. Must have sounded like nothing else at the time. The Rubber Soul to Highway 61's Revolver. Great from start to finish

Had not heard this before but really loved it, perfect for cheering you up if you're in an odd mood. The vibe reminded me of the first Sigur Ros album, although this obviously pre-dates it, and is not hugely similar musically . 4 stars now, will probably become a firm favorite over time.

Kind-of what I expected, virtuoso and very energetic organ, bass and drumming, with ponderous vocals on top. Didn't like it as much as I thought I would, especially with the two terrible pub-rock numbers and unexpected shout-out to the Holocaust. Probably won't listen again

much better than Aja in that it has some interesting songs with good melodies, and invents Thin Lizzy along the way. Still quite bland and cheesy but also very enjoyable

The good bits are enjoyable but there is SO MUCH stuff on here it's hard to keep any attention focused. Way too many "interludes" as was the interminable fashion at the time.The Love Below is a bit more varied, Speakerboxxx is better average quality. Stick to the singles probably

Good tunes, biting and funny lyrics. Glad I heard it

Reeks of insufferable UK lad trendiness, probably the result of a spoiled suburban brat trying to copy '80s electro tunes on his expensive Korg keyboard. Has a few good spots but mostly boring and annoying. Not sure why this is essential, if you wanted to memorialize what a Lanhdahn wanker was listening to in the late '90s we've already had Finley Quaye and Tricky.

Some of the Stones' best stuff on here. *Almost* justifies the double album but a few early-on bluesy tracks that go nowhere could have been left off. However, Rocks Off, Sweet Virginia, Tumbling Dice, Happy, Torn and Frayed, Shine A Light etc. are easily worth the 5* rating. Hugely influential (looking at you, mid-90's Charlatans and Primal Scream) and lots of fun.

Godawful rip off of Wire, Buzzcocks and The Stranglers (and contemporary Blur in a Hole/Nirvana sense). Becomes steadily worse as it goes on. Totally creatively bankrupt, so disappointing to see this come up on the list. Utter shite

Incredible sound and great songs to match. The definitive psychedelic Hendrix album

Didn't hate this as much as In Rainbows, as there were occasional hints of a tune behind the noodling. Still has that awful whine going on - surely no-one can enjoy the "singing" attempted here? And there are far better examples of drone/electronica/experimental music since the late '60s. Highly over-rated crap as ever!

the only Fall album I owned when it came out. contains my favorite Fall song, Paranoia Man, and so many other great tunes. hard to say what's their best but this is up there