351
Albums Rated
3.2
Average Rating
32%
Complete
738 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Hard-rock
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
44
5-Star Albums
29
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
|
5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
|
Rocks
Aerosmith
|
5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
|
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
|
5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
|
Truth
Jeff Beck
|
5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
|
Vivid
Living Colour
|
5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
|
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
|
5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
|
Hysteria
Def Leppard
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Bad Company
Bad Company
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
In Rainbows
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.84 | -2.84 |
|
Kid A
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.56 | -2.56 |
|
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Guero
Beck
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
|
1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
|
Debut
Björk
|
1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
|
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
|
1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
|
Melody A.M.
Röyksopp
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
|
1 | 3.13 | -2.13 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 4 | 5 |
| The Who | 2 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 |
| Aerosmith | 2 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| OutKast | 2 | 1.5 |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Radiohead | 4, 1, 5, 1 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2, 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 1, 3, 4 |
5-Star Albums (44)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Barry Adamson
1/5
Nice enough background music. In a list of 1001 albums I must listen to before I die, though? Let's let "background music" be a disqualifier, shall we?
20 likes
R.E.M.
5/5
I’ve said before that Green is in my top 5 REM albums, fighting it out with Life’s Rich Pageant for top spot, while Automatic for the People holds the door shut to keep Murmur from getting in.
I divide REM into two eras, there are more but I’ll keep it simple. The two eras are Before Document and After Document.
Green is the best of that latter period. It updates some styles from the earlier period and takes the rock elements that came in during Document. I was 19 when Green came out and it was in constant rotation.
They’re all pretty great, but standouts for me are Pop Song 89, Orange Crush, The Wrong Child, World Leader Pretend and the Untitled cut that ends the album. Heck, even Stand, though killed by overplay at the time, is a pop gem with its Cars-like chorus.
It was great to revisit this album!
10 likes
OutKast
1/5
An hour and a half of Outkast is about 2 hours too much Outkast. Much like Kanye, these guys are not geniuses, and people need to stop throwing that word around like it means something.
10 likes
Aerosmith
5/5
Top to bottom a fantastic record. For me, it's just behind Toys in the Attic.
3 likes
1-Star Albums (29)
All Ratings
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Air
4/5
Dire Straits
3/5
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Adele
2/5
Love the voice, but the songs have a sameness to them that gets tedious after a while.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Hugh Masekela
4/5
I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Thirty seconds into Parts of a Whole, they had me. I loved the unison trumpets and how the style borrowed a lot from American jazz yet was different from what I would expect in the genre.
Drive Like Jehu
1/5
Not for me. I managed to miss them the first time around. Sadly, that didn't hold.
Motörhead
3/5
The classic lineup! You really get a feel for the power of the band. I remember how HEAVY this was considered at the time, and how quaint that idea feels now.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
I hadn’t heard of this before it showed up on the list. I like it. It’s like a soul version of the Black Keys. Given Danger Mouse’s involvement, I’m not surprised. There are elements of Funkadelic and Curtis Mayfield. I would listen again.
Randy Newman
1/5
I’m not a Randy fan, so this was a tough slog. Some great arrangements, but I couldn’t get past Newman and his phrasing.
Common
2/5
I like the way he blends Gospel and Rap on this. It's not generally my kind of thing, but that fusion is interesting.
The Temptations
2/5
Psychedelic Temptations were not my thing. I feel like David Ruffin was also missed. The title track was pretty good, but beyond that nothing stood out.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
This is where I came in with Nine Inch Nails. I loved this record for all of the new it brought and for all of the old it twisted and tore.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
I liked this one. Catchy songs, and really interesting riffs.
Queen
5/5
This album is one of my all-time favorites. Listening to it today was fantastic, because it’s a repeat of something I do often. Freddie’s master class on live looping in The Prophet Song is worth the price of admission on its own, but starting with Death on Two Legs? Sheer perfection.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
The follow up to Rumours. Some great moments, and a couple of great songs. Did NOT need to be a double album though!
Living Colour
5/5
This was great. I remember this leading to a bit of a funk-metal craze at the time, but they were missing the whole free form thing that Vernon Reid was throwing out there. This is still their best integration of all that.
The Avalanches
1/5
Nice enough songs, but they all sounded to me like they'd been recorded with a microphone left in the other room. Not for me.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Fun and bubbly throughout. There are a lot more telltale signs of their time in the LA punk scene than I recalled. The little semi-tone line ends remind you where they came from before they added that poppier sheen that Jane Weidlin brought in.
Oasis
4/5
When Definitely Maybe first came out they led off in North America with Supersonic , which wasn’t my bag, though it has since grown on me. If they’d led off with Live Forever, like they did in the UK, I’d have probably been on board sooner.
I find this album a mixed bag, but it’s one of my favourite recorded acoustic guitar tones. Slide Away always strikes me as a missed opportunity, because it really told us which way they were heading, but they used it as a b-side.
Leftfield
1/5
I didn’t know until today that there was a 90s Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Some interesting sounds at the start, devolved into dance cliches quickly.
The White Stripes
3/5
A fun listen. It’s been a while. I like it a lot more than I did at the time.
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie! Such a great record, coming out of the glam era into something different.
Spiritualized
3/5
Always a special place in my heart for some indie psychedelia.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
I always try to separate the art from the artist. I can’t really do that here. Manson is as shitty as what he sings about. Fuck him. Fuck his shitty albums.
Nina Simone
3/5
Loved the sound of this, across the board. Her voice was great.
Cypress Hill
3/5
I remember not liking this at all when it first came out. Now, I quite like it. That's largely reflective of my views of hip-hop at the time vs now.
The Birthday Party
3/5
I'm not usually a Nick Cave fan, but I quite liked this.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
For Kashmir alone, it's great. Some true classics on this record, but there's some filler.
Pixies
3/5
Third best OG Pixies album. Over the years, I’ve seldom listened past Velouria. Today I confirmed why.
Nico
1/5
I was never a fan of her work with the Velvet Underground. I always felt they’d have been better with a singer…
I forgot she had this record. I would like to go to there again.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Jennings was a guy I didn't catch in the past. The marketing went a bit too cowboy for my taste, and he didn't get that late-career renaissance that Johnny Cash got. I liked this.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Stephen Stills
3/5
I often skip Stills, and this album makes me wonder why. It was a good listen.
Massive Attack
2/5
This sounded not at all Massive, nor Attacking. Not for me.
T. Rex
5/5
An all-time favourite of mine. A dreamy folkadelic cross between the Beatles and Bowie (Ringo loved them, Bowie's producer Tony Visconti produced it, so it all checks out!)
Beastie Boys
3/5
Another one I hated at the time, but quite enjoy now. It brings their punk/hardcore influences together with rap and the nascent hip-hop genre. I really enjoy it now.
Prince
3/5
A true pop classic, and the opening 3 tracks is a hell of a sequence. I’m not too fussed about the rest of it, but what a start!
Big Black
3/5
It explains a lot about where Albini is coming from. I enjoyed this.
Richard Hawley
3/5
I love Hawley's voice. It's like a cross between Nick Lowe and Damon Albarn. A lot of it reminded me of Blur's The Universal. A nice chill listen!
Soundgarden
5/5
I love this record. It’s the peak of Soundgarden. The songs are their strongest and they really found themselves here.
The Prodigy
3/5
I hated these guys back in the day. It was because they were the poster kids for the whole Electronica is going to take over. It didn’t, and I like it more now. Those two data points are unrelated.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Enjoyable. It's not a style I'm familiar with, but this was a good listen.
Ice Cube
3/5
Loved this. This was the album today. Today was a good day!
The Verve
3/5
Enjoyed it at the time, and continue to do so now. For as much play as Bittersweet Symphony got, Lucky Man still gets me to this day.
The Lemonheads
4/5
I only vaguely recalled this one. It’s really enjoyable. I also was unaware that Juliana Hatfield was the bass player on it.
Jamiroquai
2/5
I'm more a fan of Virtual Insanity than anything on here. Not my favourite by them, and not my favourite in that pop-funk genre of the early 90s.
Beth Orton
2/5
I had heard of Beth Orton, but this was my first time hearing her music. I liked it.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Listening to this, you can hear how much music borrowed from them. Not just electronic artists, but there was a huge influence on New Wave and all that followed.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
These guys are tons of fun. I enjoyed the heck out of this!
Beatles
5/5
My favourite Beatles album (it's back and forth between this and Rubber Soul).
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
So sparse, and so powerful. I can’t believe how simply he recorded it.
AC/DC
4/5
Their best album. It's tough to listen to in one sitting. You can't hear the same song repeatedly for too long, even with Bon Scott singing.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
I’ve heard about Jarrett for years. This is the first time I’ve sat down and really listened. Great performance!
k.d. lang
3/5
Not generally my cup of tea, but you can’t deny her voice.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
I’d forgotten how great some of this album is. There’s a few songs that I’ve skipped over the years. They felt new to me this time. I guess I’ve always skipped them.
Eagles
2/5
A fraction of what they would become.
Hole
3/5
The highs were high, and the lows were forgettable. Still, on the strength of Malibu alone, this gets 3.
Maxwell
3/5
I really liked this. It slipped past me at the time, but I love this sonic update of the Curtis Mayfield sound.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I always thought of them as the She Don't Like Jelly guys. This was much better than I expected. Still out there, but a bit more accessible.
The Mars Volta
3/5
Yet another band I’d heard of but not heard. A good listen, though I’ll admit my idea of progress sits more on the Yes side of things than this.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Brooklyn frat boy rap at its best!
Tom Waits
4/5
My favourite Waits album, bar none!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Classic songwriting and arrangement. It’s audio comfort food!
Eurythmics
3/5
I generally liked what Annie and Dave did outside of Eurythmics, but you can’t deny the influence of this record
The Kinks
3/5
Shows the genius of Ray Davies even if you don’t remember the songs after.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
I've listened to a lot of Brian's solo work, but never that of Dennis. I enjoyed this.
Van Halen
5/5
One of my favourite albums by one of my favourite bands. I love it all from Jump to Top Jimmy to Drop Dead Legs and all places between!
Sonic Youth
1/5
I like some of their earlier avant-garde stuff, but that’s more curiosity. It's like looking at an abstract painting and thinking, “That’s neat, but I’m not gonna look at it for an hour!” When they moved into the grunge-pop era with this, I was out.
The Black Crowes
5/5
Hell of a debut. Music that still plays a ton!
OutKast
2/5
I never got the fuss over OutKast. I still don't.
Massive Attack
2/5
It's still neither Massive nor Attacky, but I liked it better than the last one. It's good background music.
Primal Scream
1/5
Gets a bit noisy and clangy, without being interesting enough to earn it.
T. Rex
4/5
It’s not my favourite T-Rex album, but I’m always happy to see them pop up!
The Rolling Stones
4/5
In my top 5 Stones albums for sure. I just wish that radio stations would remember that there are songs other than Brown Sugar on here!
4/5
I generally like X, haven’t gone back before More Fun in the New World in years. I enjoyed this. It makes me want to go back to listen to Los Angeles.
Goldfrapp
3/5
The Bond themes we never got to hear. Great background music!
Yes
4/5
For Roundabout alone, this has earned its place on the list. The other stuff is okay too.
OutKast
1/5
An hour and a half of Outkast is about 2 hours too much Outkast. Much like Kanye, these guys are not geniuses, and people need to stop throwing that word around like it means something.
Dr. Dre
4/5
Probably the first hip hop album I really appreciated. I love Dre's backing tracks. It feels as much a Snoop album, but darker.
Deep Purple
4/5
Child in Time is an all time great. I dig the rest too. I always forget that this was a couple of years before Machine Head. This sounds like a band far more together than their first album together.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Not what I’m used to from PJ, but I liked it.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Some of the roots of funk found here. Herbie is known so well as a serious jazz musician who branched out into other areas. As part of the generation that first heard him with Rock-It, it’s great to hear that he was breaking new ground long before that!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Max's drums have never sounded better. I've had this one lying around for a while and never gave it a listen. That was a mistake. It's a great record and a solid "comeback" for Bruce.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I really enjoyed this. I always thought of Billy as the guy who plugged into a little Fender amp and sang New England. There’s still some of that here, but every now and then there’s these little auditory surprises.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
I love the band, and I love most of the songs. Did it need to be a double though?
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie’s imperial period. He could do it all, and he made it groove!
The Young Rascals
2/5
I'm not particularly enamoured with the songs, though the sound of the recording is fantastic.
Traffic
2/5
Somehow I'd never heard this album, despite having been a fan of Steve Winwood for most of my life. The opening instrumental really grabbed me, but the rest left me cold.
The Who
5/5
Among the definitive live albums in rock, but this one just feels more life. Bonus points for their iconic version of Summertime Blues.
Elliott Smith
4/5
This was the most Jon Briton album that Jon never produced. I had skipped a lot of Elliott’s music back in the day, thinking it was another weepy folk guy. This proves me wrong. Great record.
Skunk Anansie
2/5
The first track was great, the rest less so. Not my cuppa tea.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
First album with the Attractions. Not his best. Steve Nieve is the man, he would better figure out his place after this.
Bee Gees
3/5
Before the disco days, when it was just about songs and harmonies.
4/5
It’s fun and out there in just the right ways.
Aphex Twin
2/5
Not my bag at all, but decent as background music. I don't know that what amounts to modern-day muzak is a must-listen.
Love
3/5
I enjoyed this one. A fun blend of folk and psychedelia.
4/5
I enjoyed this. I didn't follow the band until The Resistance. Their music is a great blend of many things I like. This record is no exception.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
Yawn.
The White Stripes
3/5
Probably the most out together album the White Stripes did. A bit uneven, but some great songs here!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Appropriately swampy.
Pavement
4/5
I dug this. Some great tunes and authentic performances. The singing and playing is not flawless by any stretch, and that’s the charm of it.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Great soul/funk. I was only familiar with Shuggie when he played bass on Peaches En Regalia with Frank Zappa. This record was fun. I can see how it influenced Prince and Lenny Kravitz.
Bad Brains
3/5
There’s elements of punk and metal throughout. They’ve absorbed a lot here.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Messy, but catchy as hell. I'm more a Do the Collapse era fan, but this was a fun look at how they got there.
The Damned
3/5
Not as raw as some of their earlier stuff, but I liked that they kept the aggression, and dug deeper into melody.
Miles Davis
3/5
This was a huge shift for Miles. While I'm not crazy about where it ended up, I can appreciate this as the transition. McLaughlin and Zawinul are fantastic on it.
The Pharcyde
3/5
Fun. I skipped over this at the time. I enjoyed it this time. Will I listen again? I'm not sure.
The Adverts
1/5
I never heard of these guys until now. After hearing it, I can see why.
The Pogues
3/5
I'm not generally a fan of Celtic-style music, but these guys are the exception. It's a great record... for all that Celtic shite up in it. ;)
ABBA
3/5
Definitely darker than most ABBA albums. My parents used to pick up all of their records, but by this point they’d stopped. One of Us was the only one I recognized, probably on a Greatest Hits collection. Musically it’s everything ABBA has always been. Lyrically, it’s perhaps a bit more.
Van Morrison
4/5
This is peak Van Morrison for me. Big points for It Stoned Me and Into the Mystic alone. The rest is great too.
Frank Zappa
4/5
This gets to 4 on the strength of Peaches en Regalia alone. The other stuff is fun and beautifully played, but once you’ve heard Peaches it’s a high bar.
Screaming Trees
4/5
I hadn’t heard this one, but I liked it a lot. Mark Lanegan had a way of writing these pop gems that they managed to dress up in a coat of indie-cred. I like it.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
I'm not generally into the new folk stuff, but I like these guys. This was enjoyable.
David Bowie
3/5
I love it when we get an all-but-forgotten gem. Blackstar was proof enough that Bowie had it going on up to the end. I'll give this record the edge over the one the cover spoofs. Heroes was a one-song album. This has a lot more going on.
Radiohead
4/5
After this album, Radiohead and I parted ways. I think OK Computer is fantastic, but I liked where they came from more than where they were headed.
B.B. King
3/5
Live B.B. is the best B.B.
Hookworms
2/5
Not sure that this was a must-listen. It was okay. The neo-psychedelic label gets thrown around a lot, and I don’t always hear it. This was a perfect example of that.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Great songs, great voice. Can’t go wrong
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Fantastic record! Simon and Garfunkel at their finest.
UB40
2/5
I was never a UB40 fan. I don’t know that this changed my mind, but it was better than I expected.
Syd Barrett
2/5
About as meandering as I expected.
The Doors
4/5
The iconic Doors album.
Sisters Of Mercy
4/5
I knew of, but missed this band first time around. I enjoyed this a lot.
Richard Thompson
2/5
I can’t believe I’ve never listened to this. Not really my cup of tea, even though I appreciate the talent behind it.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Right on!
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I love the noisiness and experimental nature of this. Normally, that sort of thing drives me nuts, but not here. I’ve been listening to this record for years, just don’t ask me to be able to name a single song.
The Fall
3/5
A decent album by The Fall. Not my favourite of theirs, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Meat Loaf
4/5
I think this album was mandatory in the late 70s. A classic rock opera!
Röyksopp
1/5
Not my thing in any way.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
One of Clayton’s best. I’ve always loved his tone on this record. You can see where it developed into his Cream tone.
Anita Baker
1/5
Not my thing at all. Good for what it is, but I don’t want to listen to what it is.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I know that they got better than this not long after, but damn, Mountain Song is still killer!
The Doors
3/5
I’m not a big Doors fan by any stretch, but you can’t deny the power of The End.
The Who
5/5
Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again, and Behind Blue Eyes on the same album, and it’s NOT a Greatest Hits collection?!? A Huge record, and undoubtedly one of, if not, their best!
Anthrax
3/5
I remember seeking this one out because it had a song based on Apt Pupil by Stephen King (Skeletons in the Closet). Anthrax came from a different side of thrash than the other Big 4 bands. There was a little more punk to their sound than Metallica or Megadeth, so they sat closer to the Slayer end of the spectrum, but there was more melody that Joey Belladonna brought.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Always a spectacular voice.
The Slits
2/5
Cool record. I had heard about this, and that it was punk, but not punk rock. An apt description for a fusion of styles like this.
Public Enemy
4/5
This album was my gateway to hip hop. I heard the version of Bring the Noise that PE did with Anthrax and found this album. The great soundscapes and songs led me further into the genre.
Kraftwerk
3/5
This record reminds me of the time I put the 12" single of Tour de France on and played it on the wrong speed. I was a good few minutes in before I noticed the error.
Autobahn is influential. You can hear so much of what would come to fruition in the 80s with bands like Depeche Mode. As a cultural artifact, it's a 5, as an album that I'm listening to in 2022, a solid 3.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
An enjoyable album. Just one Smile and I Don't Want to Hear it Anymore prove to me that I like Randy Newman just fine when he's writing for other people.
Iggy Pop
4/5
I've always really liked The Passenger. Lust for Life is great too, despite being so overplayed. Until now, I never knew that the rhythm section was the Sales brothers (Soupy's sons) from Tin Machine.
The United States Of America
2/5
Experimental composition? Oookay. 20 Songs of it? Yeesh.
Some of the melodies sound like the harmony, with the principle note removed. That was a thing at the time, and this uses it in spades. I enjoyed Garden of Earthly Delights, but most of the rest was pretty tedious.
Cheap Trick
5/5
One of the all-time great live albums. The set is perfect, and there's a reason this is the prime version of I Want You To Want Me!
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Her voice is great. You can’t go wrong with the material here either, but her previous record had this “I’ve never heard something like this before” This doesn’t have that, nor does it continue that.
Fugazi
3/5
I like this better than most of the Minor Threat stuff. The whole band writing the songs together seemed to work well.
Paul Weller
4/5
This surprised me. I was expecting a much more mellow Style Council kind of affair, and this wasn’t that. His songwriting has always been strong, but this is a real leap forward.
Faith No More
4/5
This was the last album I bought in vinyl when the world had moved on from the format (I’ve bought others since, but it was the end of an era). Epic is a blast but there’s other stuff on here that’s great. Falling to Pieces and The Real Thing especially.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
I enjoyed this. Partly as a precursor to what was going to come from these guys and also because Joan of Arc always stood out to me as a great song on its own.
Moby
4/5
This was practically the soundtrack of my 20s. A lot I love here, still lots to which I’m indifferent, but the stuff I love gives it a 4.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This is most of the CCR I love. It really does feel like a greatest hits collection.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
An enjoyable collection of classic soul sounds. None of the songs particularly stood out for me, but the sounds are there.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
First album out and they have American Girl. Also, Breakdown. I give this one a 4 because the album cuts didn’t yet have the power of the deep cuts of later albums. A great start for a great band.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Catchy tunes with interesting instrumentation.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Definitive Beach Boys for me. Wouldn't it Be Nice, Sloop John B, and God Only Knows all on one record? It's a fantastic collection of sounds.
The Undertones
4/5
Loved this. Not sure how I missed it before, but I'll be making up for lost time.
Iron Maiden
4/5
I first bought this record a little after Number of the Beast came out. At first, I was surprised at how different it sounded compared to what I expected from Iron Maiden. Either way, I still enjoy it. Highlights for me are Remember Tomorrow and Sanctuary. I love Phantom of the Opera, but find they've done it better on live versions. The drums on the record feel haphazard, and never quite nail the groove like they did on the live version that was on the Women in Uniform single.
Van Morrison
3/5
It didn't really grab me. It sounds like "here's a bunch of songs, do the Van Morrison thing to them" That's no small feat, but I found that none of the songs stuck with me like they did on other releases.
5/5
One of my all-time favourite records, top to bottom. Bowie and Ronson did
Something great here, and its influence is still felt.
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
This didn't land for me. I liked the band much better a few years later when they did Shake Some Action. I don't hear any of that tuneful effervescence on this record.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Not a fan of Nico, but damn. The influence of this record is huge, and still sounds so ahead of its time were it not for the out of tune vocals of the singer.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
So much more to this than No Woman No Cry (though that does dominate and deservedly so). Knew only one song, but really enjoyed this.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Such a beautifully intimate record, and by that, I mean so real. It’s so real. I missed out on her for the most part, but this is telling me that I DID miss out.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Legend for a reason. Great songs with great voices bringing them.
Arcade Fire
1/5
I don’t get them. I don’t get any of these “how many people can we fit on a stage? More? Give ‘em a drum” bands. If the songs were there I’d be down, but I’ve heard them for years, and listened now and found that literally none of it sticks in my mind. Gun to my head, I couldn’t name an Arcade Fire song to save my life. And I JUST listened to this album!
PJ Harvey
4/5
One of the great Albini collaborations. PJ seldom disappoints and this sounds more like her than anything else.
Metallica
2/5
It’s an interesting novelty, but it leaves me cold. The rough edges all get sanded off. It used to be that Metallica’s appeal lied in those edges.
The Smiths
4/5
My favourite Smiths album. Marr and Morrissey at their peak as songwriters and performers.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
I love The Message, but somehow never found my way to the rest of this album. I liked it a lot.
Radiohead
1/5
I loved all of their previous albums, but this is the one where they lost me. Give me songs, not soundscapes.
Brian Eno
2/5
I find Eno's experimentation interesting in small doses. a full album is a bit much.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
This has a lot of my favourite Hendrix stuff. Listening to it today, I think I enjoyed it more than Axis Bold as Love.
Black Sabbath
3/5
This album is brought to you by cocaine. This was where Sabbath moved from the proto-metal sludge into trying to be the Pink Floyd of metal. Still, some great songs on here.
Barry Adamson
1/5
Nice enough background music. In a list of 1001 albums I must listen to before I die, though? Let's let "background music" be a disqualifier, shall we?
Supergrass
3/5
I love these guys. They always sounded like a reasonable facsimile of stuff I loved to hear. More of that here, but in the absence of stuff I love, I'll take it.
The Kinks
3/5
I tend to be more a fan of the Kinks on either side of this, in terms of eras. I'm a huge fan of the Shel Talmy era, and then the 80s Give the People What They Want and State of Confusion era. Listening to this, you can hear the wide range, and see why they were so influential.
Jacques Brel
1/5
It's a joke right? Come on. I HAVE to listen to THIS before I die? Tedious. I kept waiting for a punchline that never arrived.
Tim Buckley
2/5
You can see where Jeff Buckley picked up some stuff from his dad, but I definitely prefer Buckley the younger. Nothing memorable for me on this.
John Grant
1/5
Not my bag. Too mellow for my liking. When he tries to be edgy it falls flat.
Slipknot
2/5
This album certainly lives up to its title. Never a fan of the Cookie Monster vocals of a lot of modern metal. I found the next album had more melody, and I liked that more. Generally, I prefer Corey in Stone Sour to most of the Slipknot stuff.
Talk Talk
3/5
Definitely one of the more interesting New Romantic bands. This album had a lot more shades than others of the era.
Rod Stewart
3/5
You can see the roots of Every Picture Tells a Story here. These first three records are my favourite era of Solo Rod.
Stan Getz
3/5
Great playing. Lacks the danger of Miles or Coltrane, but they’re not setting out to do that.
The Dictators
2/5
A solid start to punk, but the formula was definitely improved by the time it got to the Ramones and Sex Pistols. Dick Manitoba gets on my nerves quickly, as does the excessive reverb.
Arrested Development
3/5
A few interesting songs. It was a fun listen. I’m not sure what I’m looking for in hip hop, but this was largely not it, and yet I enjoyed much of it.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Some interesting bits here and there. Lo Borges has some interesting soul elements. Nascimento plays more traditional Brazilian music. Not really my thing.
Q-Tip
3/5
What I've always enjoyed about Q-Tip is that he focused on the songwriting in a way that most hip-hop producers and performers don't. There's lots of that on this record.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
As with many double albums, there's a great single album here once you get rid of the filler.
Khaled
1/5
Not for me. I don't get how this makes the list.
Foo Fighters
4/5
This is such a great record. I remember when it came out that it completely vindicated my view of Dave as the backbone of Nirvana and, IMO the true talent. This record is a great cross-section of Grohl's varied influences. There are many power pop references and angular punk chord progressions.
Sex Pistols
4/5
It's a great rock record. Jones, Matlock and Cook are a great band. Johnny Rotten annoys the hell out of me, but I'm able to get past that because the band sounds so solid.
The Blue Nile
3/5
I completely missed this at the time. Music was so much more regional at the time. I enjoyed the overall sound here, synthpop with actual guitars being played as well. Stay was my favourite track.
The Offspring
4/5
The overall sound gets a bit grating at times, but that’s just the 90s for you. Great songs that prepare you for more great songwriting to come from these guys!
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Funky and soulful. The standout tracks still get you moving. Sly was ahead of his time. There are still people chasing this sound.
ZZ Top
4/5
Simple to the core, and that's why it still rocks today. There are some gems here, but the real trick is three guys playing together.
3/5
This is my favourite Dylan album. All the songs I like, with great sound (on the acoustic stuff at least. The electric stuff sounds a bit shrill).
Iggy Pop
4/5
Bowie and Iggy together is a great thing, as with Bowie and Lou. It's remarkably raw for being Bowie involved during the mid-to-late-seventies.
ABBA
3/5
My parents had this record. While I skipped over a lot of it, Knowing Me, Knowing You is probably my favourite of their songs. It gets three on the basis of that alone.
Sonic Youth
3/5
There is no tone fuzzier than this. I was introduced to Sonic Youth in the Prepared Instrument, more avant-garde days. While it's great that they got into making songs like those on here, which were excellent, it just felt a bit like they were doing what everyone else did.
Parliament
4/5
You can see where funk and rock got fused together here. It's definitely a Bootsy album. Highly recommended!
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
I was surprised by how much I liked this at the start. The description did not make me think I would. Halfway through it began to grate on me a bit. I like what they’ve done to a degree, especially the opening cut, but I don’t see this as something I’ll revisit.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Not my favourite Simon and Garfunkel album. The songs are okay, but the best is yet to come.
Gene Clark
3/5
Leans a little further country than I'm into. Clark was one of the Byrds' better songwriters, so there's a lot to enjoy here. I just don't know when I'll do that again.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Frusciante returns! This record was a true return to form. I remember seeing them on tour for this record, and there was a sense of renewal. Great songs, well performed and though BloodSugarSexMagic was the GOAT, to me, this was the more substantial record.
Throwing Muses
2/5
I've always felt like Throwing Muses were one of those bands you're told you should like, but nobody you know has ever heard of them. That said, there are some good songs on here.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Young filled out this band nicely, but they were already doing well before him. It's a solid record, and everyone is in beautiful voice.
Björk
1/5
I've never understood the Björk thing. I still don't. This record took a long time to get through.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I have a list of songwriters who should have others sing their songs. Cohen is one of them. He's in good company in a list that also contains Bob Dylan and Neil Young.
These songs are undeniable though, and despite the performance, which does not work for me, the songs do!
Death In Vegas
3/5
I think this is the album Damon Albarn has been trying to make for years. I enjoyed this.
Eels
4/5
I love this album. Eels have done a lot since, but this one still tops it. It felt more like a band at the time than it did a further Mark Everett solo project under the name Eels. Some great songs here.
The Smiths
3/5
It's definitely the bridge between their debut and The Queen is Dead, but there's not a lot that stands out for me here. Great playing by Marr, but this is where Morrisey starts to get a bit grating.
Scott Walker
2/5
It was easing its way into self-parody.
Joan Baez
3/5
I thought I would get bored of this pretty quickly, but the purity of the sound, mostly just Joan's voice and guitar, was riveting.
Def Leppard
5/5
It's still in regular rotation around here. A great collection of songs. Harmonies and a sound unlike anything before.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Modern Kosmology was a surprise. Great songs with lots to keep the ears engaged. I'll listen to this again.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
I love the calculated nature of it, naming themselves so that they’d be shelved next to The Beatles. The songs don’t land for me, and I find their voices grating.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
A *double* album of bluegrass? Well, that's a test. I know it's meant to have that live feel, but the discussion of how they want everyone to play the song gets tedious quickly.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
Call me surprised. I enjoyed a lot of this album. Faster was particularly engaging.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Definitely ahead of its time. Parts of it reminded me of Peter Gabriel era Genesis, or Marillion in the Fish days (though that's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?). It was an interesting and enjoyable listen.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Three stars for Personal Jesus alone. I was more of a Some Great Reward fan, but this was a big improvement over Music for the Masses, it felt like a return to form.
The Prodigy
1/5
You can throw all the Prodigy albums at me that you want, but you're still just trying to make fetch happen.
Jeff Beck
5/5
This album was a big one for me. It showed me just how great a player Beck was, and it was within a song context. Great sound, and great band with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood sounding fantastic.
Aerosmith
5/5
Top to bottom a fantastic record. For me, it's just behind Toys in the Attic.
Tina Turner
3/5
Some timeless songs on here. Also some largely forgettable songs, but when you've got Better Be Good To Me, What's Love Got To Do With It, and the title track, you've got room for some filler. Her voice is always distinctive and can be powerful and vulnerable at the same time.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
This is the psychedelia I like. Fuzztones for miles and microphones pushed to the breaking point. You're Gonna Miss Me is the sound of the late 60s for me.
fIREHOSE
3/5
I liked this. I loved the very upfront mixing style. It gave it a live feel. I never listened to this band before. No reason, I just didn't. That was an oversight. I'll definitely listen to more.
David Holmes
1/5
There are two genres of electronica as far as I'm concerned: Stuff I Like and Stuff I Do Not Care About. This lands firmly in the latter camp, as I try to figure out all of the albums that didn't make the cut so that we could have a bunch of background music electronica.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
This is a great record. Lots of solid songs. These guys are my daughter's favourite band, so it's one we can enjoy together.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Not their strongest. I much preferred their looser earlier style. The sequenced nature of the synths betrayed that on this record.
Kate Bush
3/5
I've listened to this album a lot recently, as my daughter discovered it via Stranger Things. I don't recall being interested in it back when it came out, but I enjoy it now!
Elliott Smith
5/5
There was an earlier Elliott Smith record on this list that I said wasn't what I expected of Elliott Smith. This is more what I expected, and I like it much more than I thought. It's filled with great songs, with such a raw feel to them. No matter how sparse his instrumentation, Smith manages to make them sound full. I'll be listening to this a lot.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Raising Hell is my favourite Run DMC album. It's something I appreciate much more than I did at the time. Tricky and My Adidas still hold up well for me, as does, obviously, Walk This Way.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is probably my favourite Stones album up there with Exile. Street Fighting Man and Sympathy for the Devil are the standouts, but it's a great record even on the songs where they're being goofy.
Bauhaus
3/5
Great texture, and a couple of decent songs. Bauhaus as a school of thought is all about how form follows function. This is more style over substance. Great style.
Bon Jovi
5/5
Hit after hit. There are few albums that scream 1986 as loudly as this one. Great songwriting and production land an album that still holds up!
The B-52's
3/5
Kitschy as hell. As it should be! It's a small doses listen for me, but a listen nonetheless.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Without a doubt, my favourite Dylan album. It drives me nuts how out of tune his guitar is on Down the Highway, but I can’t fault the rest of it. It doesn’t get much rawer than this.
John Martyn
3/5
I enjoyed this. Martyn has a great percussive style on guitar. His bluesy drawl adds a lot to these songs too.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
The Allmans are never better than when they’re live. I do miss the vocal harmonies on this, especially on Midnight Rider.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
For those who didn't get how great she was. For those who didn't understand the fuss. It's all here. Chain of Fools at the open is absolutely killer.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
I really didn't pay attention to hip hop in the early 90s. When I tried to get "caught up" 20 years ago, I followed Dre, Ice Cube and Public Enemy, but not Jeru. It is of a piece with the others, and I like it.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I think I'm less interested in the big rap collectives. I tended to prefer Ice Cube and Dre over NWA, and Public Enemy usually felt more like Chuck D, with some occasional interjection from Flav. Not that I didn't like this. I don't know that I'd listen again.
The Stranglers
3/5
I didn't listen to much of The Stranglers. I own the Live album, but I pretty much only listened to their cover of All Day and All Night and Skin Deep. Much like that experience, not a lot else sticks with me. I get that they're the more modern version of something like Question Mark and the Mysterians. It never quite landed for me. I also never saw them as punk, outside of their name. It's not bad, but far from definitive.
The Cramps
3/5
I can't say I was ever a fan of the Psychobilly craze. The Cramps pretty much invented it, and so I was surprised that I enjoyed some of this.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Enjoyable. She has a great voice and it was interesting hearing where The Lion Sleeps Tonight came from.
Blur
3/5
I liked it. I'm more a fan of The Great Escape. I can see how this got them there, but it's hard to listen to the chaff after you've heard the Wheat.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Fun record. I always liked Scooby Snacks and I still feel like it's the best of the bunch, but there are some others I enjoyed.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Up there as a benchmark for the best. More than a collection of songs, it's a fully realized album best heard in its entirety.
Aerosmith
5/5
One of my all-time favourite albums. There are the hits, Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way etc., but then you get things like You See Me Crying, which is a massive showcase for each band member. The title song, or No More No More. It's more than just a great collection of songs. It holds together as a great album.
John Coltrane
5/5
Everyone talks about Giant Steps as the definitive Coltrane. For me, it's this one. Head and shoulders. Powerful playing, and next level improvisation. I remember the story of Miles telling John his solos were too long.
Coltrane said, "I just can't stop playing! I don't know how to stop."
"It's easy," replied Miles. "Just take the damned horn out of your mouth."
Coltrane kept it in his mouth for this record and I'm glad he did.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
I know the good captain was a friend of Frank Zappa, and Zappa's influence on this is unmistakable, but Beefheart was no Zappa. I can listen to something like Sheik Yerbouti over and over, but not this one. That said, I understand its place on the list.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Definitive Sinatra, even though it doesn't contain any of the universally known songs (you know, My Way, New York New York etc.). He's in fine voice throughout, and the orchestrations are perfect.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
As Samba goes, I'm betting you don't get much better than this. It's not my genre, but this was a pleasant listen.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I love this record. I generally like her stuff, but this had a great edge to already great songs.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
So many great songs on this record. Manic Depression, Wind Cries Mary, I Don't Live Today, Stone Free, Fire, Purple Haze. It's an absolute murderer's row of classic songs. An utterly fantastic record.
George Michael
4/5
A great album. It shows off his voice and skilled songwriting and blows up a few of the digs at Wham. In 1987, just before we got a resurgence in 50s-style songs from guys like Chris Isaak and then the La Bamba soundtrack, George Michael put out a single with a Bo Diddley guitar riff and showed he had way more tricks than the jitterbug.
Tito Puente
3/5
Again, this stuff is not my jam, but damn if it isn't a fun listen. Way to go, Tito!
Primal Scream
3/5
I've been pretty down on the other Primal Scream entries, primarily because the name sets me up to expect something that isn't what the band delivers. This was great though. The songs and performances worked for me.
David Bowie
4/5
70s Bowie is always a win for me. It doesn't have the raw power of Ziggy, nor the broad experimentation of what would follow (Low, Heroes, Lodger), but this IS the Thin White Duke.
Sonic Youth
4/5
This is perhaps my favourite Sonic Youth album. I loved the avant-garde stuff of their beginnings, but I like that this had more songcraft while still embracing the outside.
Deerhunter
1/5
This did nothing for me. It felt like a bunch of demos, recorded by a guy who couldn’t afford a microphone, but that’s okay because there’s always this megaphone…
Radiohead
5/5
This is still my favourite album by the band. Killer anthems, with a hint of their progressive leanings. There are other albums of theirs that I enjoy, but this is always most likely to get another listen.
Fever Ray
2/5
It's an interesting listen, but I don't know that it's one I'll revisit. This album contains some interesting sounds, textures, and some good songs, but it isn't particularly memorable to me.
Beck
3/5
I liked this. I was a big fan of Midnite Vultures, but didn't find the stylistic change jarring. Back when Odelay came out, there was a lot of talk about Beck being the big thing that was going to take us to the next stage. I didn't see it then and I don't see it now, but I still like some of what he does.
This was a more vulnerable record. It feels more organic, and more real than his earlier records. It's a mopey affair, so I found I needed to break it into two sessions to listen to the whole thing.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
Fun in parts, a drag in others. I found it hard to get through. It's way too long. I know! I know! It's in the TITLE that it's 69 Love Songs. Might I suggest 12?
4/5
I think this is her best record. Great songs, and a solid band!
Beatles
5/5
This album is the culmination of the Fab era of the Beatles. Still innovative as heck, if a bit more reserved than where they’d go. I’d list some highlights, but there’s so many.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Not my favourite Velvets album. I was more a fan of White Light/White Heat. I found Cale was a great counterpoint to Lou Reed. Doug Yule didn't have the same sort of creative dissonance with Reed, and it shows on this record.
Bad Company
5/5
Paul Rodgers is a classic. His voice never gets old. This record is at once of its time and timeless!
Madonna
1/5
Madonna has always been able to reinvent herself and go after trends before they become such. That said, this leaves me somewhat cold. Most of it is her meandering spiritual stuff, which doesn't interest me. The only song that works for me here is the title track, and it's fantastic. I wish there'd been more like it!
Air
4/5
This stuff doesn't usually float my boat. These guys always managed to find a way to keep me engaged in it. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Suede
3/5
I never listened to Suede during the initial phase of Britpop. I'm not sure why. I gravitated toward Elastica, Blur and Oasis. Until now, I never took the time to make my way to Suede. I don't know if this would have engaged me like "The Great Escape" or "Definitely Maybe" did.
Mekons
3/5
This was fun. I really enjoyed it. Will dig deeper into the band.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
Background music without a doubt, but it was a fun listen.
Talking Heads
4/5
Bar none, this is my favourite Talking Heads album. What it took them to get there is fascinating, and the collection of songs that resulted is yet another example of Brian Eno pushing artists to be more themselves by trying new and different things.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
I love their sound, but the songs don't stick. J Macsis is a solid guitar player, but I wish the songwriting were more to my taste (in other words, it's not them. It's me).
Various Artists
5/5
Best Christmas album ever. No notes.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I don't know why I'm not more into these guys than I am. Whenever I hear them, I think, "I like this." Somehow, that never leads to me seeking them out. I couldn't name any of their songs, but I love listening to them when they're placed in front of me.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
It's a fun instrumental album by a great band. These guys were the house band at Stax Records, and it shows. I'm amused that Apple Music requires them to change the title of Rinky Dink to Rinky D**k. It seems to give them an edge they never needed. It's a clean record made by some great musicians.
The Gun Club
4/5
Twenty years before the White Stripes and the Black Keys, there was The Gun Club. They brought flat-out rock with touches of rockabilly. Too nuanced for the post-punk crowd and not rockabilly enough for the scene that brought us the Stray Cats, I don't know that they ever found their place, but there's lots here to enjoy.
Yes
3/5
This is the album where Yes became Yes. It's not just because Steve Howe joined, though that did define the sound for the next ten years, but because the songs took on the defining sound. It's Your Move is as classic a Yes song as you'll get outside of Roundabout. I saw this lineup around 20 years ago and, at the time, recognized very little of what they played. The encore started with It's Your Move, which was like coming home.
Pulp
4/5
I loved this. It was like Pulp meets Bowie meets My Chemical Romance. Much more energetic than what I'm used to from Pulp.
The Charlatans
4/5
I never understood why these guys weren't bigger. They had all the bits of Britpop I liked, just with better guitar (and everything else) tones.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
Inoffensive. She’s got a great voice and the songs are well written and produced. It’s just not my thing.
Roxy Music
3/5
A whole chunk of GenX grew up with More Than This and their cover of You Are Like a Hurricane. Before Bryan Feery just wanted to croon, there was a whole different Roxy Music. This is a fun record!
Jethro Tull
3/5
It leads off with one of the all-time greatest riffs and also has Cross Eyed Mary and Locomotive Breath. I find much of the Tull catalogue tedious, but this one is an exception.
Adam & The Ants
2/5
Outside of antmusic there’s nothing good here. Inside of antmusic, it’s too dark to read.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Like most Hüsker Dü albums. It’s full of great songs hampered by some bad engineering and mixing. The sound is rough, especially the drum sound, which screams 80s independent. The way too trebly guitar tone can also grate, but the songs are worth getting through all that.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Two words: Shit Sandwich
Lambchop
3/5
Chill indie pop. It’s gonna depend on mood for me, but I was in the right spot as I listened to it.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
There’s a reason I only knew The Killing Moon. After listening to the whole album, I know why. Still, I love The Killing Moon.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Not generally my thing, but Dolly is a goddamned delight. Her positivity on this is as infectious as it is relentless.
Beatles
5/5
One of the best. Ever. I hear something new (unintended Beatles call-out) on it every time I listen. After the mess of the Get Back sessions, they decided to get back (totally intended) together to finish things off properly. That they did. A fine collection of songs that also functions as a whole.
Talking Heads
2/5
The least of the Brian Eno Talking Heads albums. Take Me to the River unfolds at such a leaden pace that it’s my least favourite of their hits. They pick up speed after this.
Ice Cube
3/5
I’ve always enjoyed Ice Cube. Pairing him with the BombSquad leads to some great sounds, even if this does get repetitive quickly. Cube’s rants against the sell-outs are amusing, coming from the guy who starred in Are We There Yet, but it is of its time.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Its role as a progenitor of Britpop is well-earned. Like Britpop, it starts off better than it ends. It was a good record and you can see why they had trouble following it up.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Pleasant enough, but not really my thing. Great guitar player!
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
It’s absolutely an album built around a hit single. “Maybe throw a Van Morrison cover on there too.” I remember loving Come on Eileen, and liking their version of Jackie Wilson Says. Turns out, their version led me to the Van Morrison version, which is where that lived for me. The rest of this is forgettable, but Eileen gives it a 3.
Pixies
4/5
My favourite Pixies album. Opening with Debaser and continuing on with songs like Here Comes Your Man and Monkey Gone to Heaven. Great songs and decent sound.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I’ve always been more a fan of Cohen as a writer, not a performer. This does little to change that, but there are some great moments. First We Take Manhattan is a triumph on both fronts.
Radiohead
1/5
Oh good. Post-OK Computer Radiohead. I’ll let you know my thoughts after I wake up from my nap.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Dylan is electric on this album. Literally. It’s a solid record.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Not a fan of these guys at all. I feel like we already did this one, but then I realize that was a different Arcade Fire album, which makes me realize there are more than one.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I don't think I'd ever listened to a Manics record when Richey was still in the band. It's good. I still think I enjoyed them more after.
Mylo
1/5
Not for me. It didn't connect on any level.
David Bowie
3/5
Like several Bowie albums of this post-Ziggy period, it's got one great, classic song and a lot of interesting experiments.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Once upon a time, Extreme sang, "So go ask Alice. What did he say? I wanna be elected!" it sent me looking for this album. I already knew No More Mister Nice Guy and Billion Dollar Babies, thanks to a greatest hits cassette we used to listen to in the kitchen where I worked. This takes me back and for good reason!
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Much like the Velvet Underground, not a lot of people listened to or bought The Modern Lovers, but nearly all that did formed a band and the influence of Jonathan Richman and friends looms large. I don't find listening to this particularly repeatable, but admire the influence it had.
David Bowie
4/5
The title track alone is gold 4 stars right there. The rest of it is not so memorable. Gun to my head I couldn't name another one of the songs on this album I've had for nearly 40 years.
Nirvana
5/5
An album where you got more of a feel for Cobain's songwriting mastery. I think it's the best he ever sounded as a player and a singer. As swan songs go, this one is solid.
R.E.M.
5/5
Monopoly, 21, Checkers, and chess. This album saw R.E.M. continue with the acoustic elements they'd embraced on Out of Time, while also plugging in again and going darker, no longer such Shiny Happy People. Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon, Nightswimming and Drive are particularly standout songs to me. I was always more a fan of Green, but this one is up there for me (Top 5: Green, Life's Rich Pageant, Document, Automatic for the People, Out of Time).
Beatles
5/5
Among my all-time favourite album. It saw them all embrace different styles but still held together. A perfect transition from the fab four days into more control over there musical destiny. The Dylan influence starts to show, and we get these inventive songs.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I didn’t know the songs, but I’ll listen to them some more. Good songs, and you can feel the tension between the band members. Also, it was great to see Nick Lowe working with Elvis again.
R.E.M.
5/5
I’ve said before that Green is in my top 5 REM albums, fighting it out with Life’s Rich Pageant for top spot, while Automatic for the People holds the door shut to keep Murmur from getting in.
I divide REM into two eras, there are more but I’ll keep it simple. The two eras are Before Document and After Document.
Green is the best of that latter period. It updates some styles from the earlier period and takes the rock elements that came in during Document. I was 19 when Green came out and it was in constant rotation.
They’re all pretty great, but standouts for me are Pop Song 89, Orange Crush, The Wrong Child, World Leader Pretend and the Untitled cut that ends the album. Heck, even Stand, though killed by overplay at the time, is a pop gem with its Cars-like chorus.
It was great to revisit this album!
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Fun record. Neal Hefti's arrangements place an indelible stamp on the music. Thoroughly enjoyable!
The Beach Boys
3/5
Fun songs with great harmonies. I'm absolutely more a Pet Sounds/Smile era fan, so this is a lean and repetitive collection. Still, totally the sound of summer!
Ray Charles
2/5
His voice was unmistakable. Though I find the arrangements on the record overly bombastic, his voice makes it. I'd love to hear these pared down a bit. We're all here to hear Ray. don't make us wait.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Wow. A LOT of people played on this. I only need Scotty Moore, Bill Black, DJ Fontana, and the King. Anything else is unnecessary. That said, Elvis still had his voice, and it's here. I just wish it was better backed.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
I get that people think Kendrick is a genius. I think people overuse that term. He is noticeably better than most of what's out there today; I don't care about most of it, so it's a bar I fear I'll trip over.
Korn
2/5
This is pretty much the only Korn album I was into. I love how they were distinctive. Until today, I hadn't listened to this for over two decades, so it wasn't something I needed. Got the Life and Freak on a Leash landed for me as something that sounded different and grabbed me. Nothing else was memorable.
Beck
1/5
Beck is another one of those "How do you not like Beck? He's the next big thing! He's the future!"
God, I hope not. If he's the future, I want no part of it. Oh wait, he did this in 2005? Okay. Nobody's talking about this now. Never mind. I can continue not caring in the slightest. Indifferent to Beck since the 90s!
Peter Frampton
4/5
Great sounding band and the definitive version of these great songs. He had a great voice and is a great guitar player. Of the few great live albums, this is one of the few true greats.
Hawkwind
2/5
The only Hawkwind song I knew before listening to this album was Silver Machine. This isn't my bag, but maybe a double live album isn't the best starting point...
The Clash
5/5
It's a fantastic record. This and London Calling are damn great records. That opening to White Riot is utterly infectious.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
It's very much of its time, but at least it defines the era. Praise You and Rockafeller Skank are standouts.
5/5
I think I used to get hung up on the fact that the incessant radio play of this album put me off it. Now I listen to it and love the songs and how it comes together sonically. None of the 80s cliches, and now I'm amazed it didn't have a hand in curbing those sounds. Either way, it's a fantastic album.
Neil Young
4/5
For most of my life, I thought Young, like Dylan, was a great songwriter who should have other people sing his songs. Now I listen to this and hear the brittleness in his voice on Only Love Can Break Your Heart, and I can't imagine anyone else singing it. (I've since come around to the same thing with Dylan too). It's a raw, beautiful record.
Ghostface Killah
2/5
I never gravitated to this era of hip-hop. Wu-Tang never landed for me, so it leaves me kinda cold.
Ian Dury
3/5
Dury's influence was more potent than his material. Still, you can't help but love Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
CHIC
3/5
It does exactly what it sets out to do. Big funk and disco energy. Not generally my bag, but the band is legendary for a reason. I'll give it three just for the musicianship. These guys are all monster players.
King Crimson
4/5
I bought this on vinyl 25 years ago, and it's always a favourite listen. The first Crimson I heard was from Discipline, so I was used to that slicker version of Crimson with Adrian Belew. Hearing this rougher version of the band, with Greg Lake singing is mind blowing enough, but the idea that Court of the Crimson King was originally written as a country song by the guy from Foreigner. It's a treasure!
Genesis
3/5
My first exposure to Genesis was Turn it On Again and Misunderstanding. A far cry from the Steve Hackett Peter Gabriel prog days. This album was the first album I heard with the original lineup. My primary prog concept was Yes, so this was an adjustment to that. It's where I learned that prog was broadly defined. The standouts are I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) and Dancing with the Moonlit Knight.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
One of my all time favourite jazz albums. To me, Bill Evans is the template for the jazz pianist. He's accessible and inventive at the same time.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
To say it's a classic is an understatement. It's a great-sounding collection of great songs played by a band at the top of its game, even if their personal lives were absolute disasters.
Highlights are Second Hand News, Go Your Own Way, Dreams, and The Chain, but truly, they're all great!
Daft Punk
2/5
Everyone got gaga over these guys. Not my jam. If I'm going to listen to this kind of thing, I'll go back to Chic, but I'm in no rush. Good for what it is, I'm just not interested in what it is.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
My absolute favourite jazz album. Morello and Desmond on the same record. It doesn't get better. Experimentation with odd time signatures and Desmond's lyrical playing, along with Morello's inventive drumming. Made me a jazz fan forever. Heck it probably contributed to me being a huge Rush fan too!
Culture Club
3/5
I appreciate it more now than I did at the time. Boy George is one of the more underrated soul singers of his time.
a-ha
5/5
As my wife is fond of saying, "There was a whole ALBUM?" Imagine her shock when I showed I had two! At the end of the day, Take on Me and The Sun Always Shines on TV are going to overshadow ANYTHING else. Two powerhouse songs. The others are good, but they're only overlooked because those two are so great!
LL Cool J
2/5
Not my thing, especially at the time. But respect for the guy coming back saying "Don't call it a comeback!"
Green Day
5/5
A killer record from top to bottom. The singles were all fantastic, and then you get the deep cuts like She and Pulling Teeth. The whole thing holds up sonically today, as does the songwriting.
Al Green
4/5
A great record. Going right up against the Teddy Pendergrass style of getting bigger and bigger, Al Green keeps it more intimate.
Kanye West
1/5
I will never get the whole Kanye is a Genius thing. It's all boring as heck to me. Ah, well, not everything is made for everyone.
Steely Dan
4/5
I struggled with this record when it came out. I was a kid, and this didn't sound like Do it Again, or Reelin' in the Years. Then I grew up and realized that it was just different. Now it's a few of my absolute favourite Steely Dan songs.
Paul Simon
4/5
This seemed ubiquitous when it came out. I don't hear it much now, but when I do it takes me back!
Metallica
4/5
The last round of the prog style Metallica. Cliff's influence is sorely missed. It's no surprise that there's so little audible bass on this record. Cliff was a hard act to follow!
Still, Blackened and One are among the best of the pack of Metallica songs.
Funkadelic
4/5
Carole King
3/5
The Stooges
3/5
Willie Nelson
3/5