Struck me for how original it is and the songs are thoughtfully composed. I’ve always loved “Lullaby” and “Pictures of You.” To be honest though, some songs make me sleepy and I look forward to them ending.

Great singing and good energy, but just can’t get fully behind the butt rock genre.

I’ve long loved this one but haven’t listened to it in years. Great reminder, especially of more obscure songs like “Pigs in Zen.”

What a voice, but I was ready for it to end about three songs prior to it ending.

I’ve long been a fan of this album and this band!

Solid collection of catchy hits!

Couldn’t get through this one.

Solid album that’s a pleasure to listen to.

Fugazi and Sonic Youth had a sweet baby with this one!

I went in planning to give it 4 stars to make room for “Blue” to be ranked higher, but that’s only because I forgot how amazing this record was! It’s right there with “Blue,” I’d say.

Few can make a sax sound cool on a rock album, but by jove Bowie’s done it!

Love the lyrics and rapping, but wish the background music was less monotonous.

I never owned this one but always wanted it. I realized listening to it that I must have accessed it at some point because every song was familiar. Beautiful production (such clarity) and it’s definitely unique and fresh.

Went in wanting to like it, but got bored quick. Good background music.

This album made me smile, and I’m not a fan.

Nice atmosphere; love the singer’s voice; this album has a vibe I am digging!

Listened while working and just can’t imagine listening in a more direct and attentive way.

Started out really strong, but I got less enthusiastic as it labored on. I think small doses of Pet Shop Boys works best for me. First couple songs: great. “It Couldn’t Happen Here”… well ultimately I wish that one couldn’t, and hadn’t.

It was better than I expected, but expectations were low. Some good singing and there was certainly some heart put into it.

Wish it wasn’t so repetitive, but you know if this album’s playing I’m taking Anita out on the dance floor to BOOOOGGGGIIIIIIEEEE!!!!

A masterpiece! Great energy; great instrumentation; great creativity.

Awesome record. Love the moodiness and psychedelic guitar riffs.

An epic undertaking and David Gilmour is a master guitarist. Standouts include: Another Brick in the Wall, Mother, Young Lust, One of my Turns, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell, and Waiting for the Worms. I might be getting loose with the 5 star ratings, but an ambitious project like this with so many infectious songs is worthy, I think.

I enjoyed this very much, but like so many jam band albums I know, the songs lacked a distinctiveness that’s needed in my mind for a 4 or 5 star album. There are exceptions of course (Voodoo Chile, for instance, and I was captured by 1983…(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)).

This album is a big reason I’m doing this project: to discover an album/artist I didn’t know that is good. Great is better, but good is good, and I think Grant Lee Buffalo’s “Fuzzy” is pretty darn good. Major Bowie vibes at times, but set against more rootsy music. I listened to it once and then half of it again in the evening because I was still intrigued!

I wish I could have been there live, but I wasn’t digging the recording because the singing just never stopped. Would have liked some space in there so instruments could shine. Cooke’s voice is outstanding but too relentless.

I listened to it while working and totally enjoyed it. Honestly, hearing Anita talk and rave about it and how unique it is among jazz albums elevated it in my mind.

I want to like Massive Attack so much, and I totally dug the start of this album, but I ultimately got bored.

I dug it. Need to give it another round where I’m able to listen to lyrics closer.

Much grittier than I was expecting. Liked the energy and the chaos of it, but stopped it before all the bonus tracks were done. At some point, I was done.

I need to give it another listen. I definitely dug it and was close to giving it four stars.

An awesome unplugged grunge show only to be rivaled by Alice In Chains. Loved the covers they did.

Gotta hand it to them: they know how to write a catchy southern song.

I loved loved loved this! Super creative and interesting. Great performance. Super bold and it just never let up in its awesomeness!

A nice sound (great voice) but not my jam.

I was way into grunge in the 90s but heard so much Nirvana on the radio unsurprising never got their albums. This was my first listen to “In Utero.” Great intensity and overall solid, but I do prefer my grunge with more guitar leads and harmonies.

The songs all sound the same to me and while I’ll dig any by itself, I’m not a fan of the album.

Nice album to work to. High Tide or Low Tide a stand-out surprise!

Glad I listened to this. Not my favorite genre, but I appreciate it.

That was a joy!

Gorgeous album, and I can understand why my dad calls contemporary music mere “noise.” This album breathes!

I loved song #1, and then the album fell apart for me. It was like Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones had a baby, and it was one of those babies you look at and cringe. It has value: it’s a baby, after all. But good lord!

Love the feel, love the poetic verse and voice, but can’t do more than 3 stars because I was very ready for it to end by the time it did.

I haven’t listened to this one in a while but my first band’s guitarist was obsessed with Roxy Music and this album particularly. Bryan Ferry’s vibrato is legendary! This album is a pleasure for me.

I went in thinking I would love this more than I did. A couple gems and I love this band, but the album didn’t blow me away.

I need more Nick Drake in my life. Lovely guitar and vocals. Solid album.

Creative, atmospheric, unique, but ultimately boring.

Felt like a disaster of an album to me, right from track 1 (and I don’t hate funk).

Nope.

Awesome album. I was disappointed with LA Woman and I’m not sure this record is all that different, but it just struck me as more solid. Jim’s voice is legendary.

Loved it. Super dark and gritty. Never heard of this band before!

I enjoyed listening to my first Madonna album front to back. The hits are great, and the B-sides are surprisingly interesting.

A trip into Brian Wilson’s mind…as I expected, it was interesting, weird, super creative, and surprising. Not the kind of album I’d spin most days, but I appreciate it for the art that it is.

Too many drugs were consumed in the making of this record.

This was the perfect album to have recommended to calm my nerves before a job interview with my employer Clark College.

I enjoyed this quite a bit! Great voice; good vibe; solid set of songs.

Solid collection of great folk tunes. Bob’s got a gift!

All in could hear on every song was “Come On Eileen.” What should recognizable voice. Overall fun album and band, but not one I’ll revisit much or at all.

Particularly dug the “In Love With You” duet with Stephen Marley. This album is solid front to back.

Loved it. Smooth, well written songs!

Gave it two spins in a row cause it’s been a while and it’s so refreshing. It was better than I remembered it being, and I remembered it being very good.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Loved the slide guitar and rootsy feel.

I enjoyed this one. I could hear how they influenced artists I really like, but I kept thinking that the artists I really like took what this band was doing and made it better, which is why 3 stars is the most I can give.

I didn’t give this one the attention it deserves. I loved hearing it as background music to grading papers and cleaning house. I will come back to it happily, which is evidence for me that it’s a 4 minimum.

One of my all time favorite albums. This one opened up a world to me.

A great collection of catchy songs that fail to move me emotionally but do keep me listening (and happy).

5 stars, only cause there’s no option to give 6. I’ll always remember showing up at Target before the store opened, getting in at opening, grabbing the disc, playing it in the parking lot, discovering the secret book tucked underneath the CD holder, and just soaking it all in.

I really liked 3/4 of it. Great energy and creativity. Not a 4 cause the 1/4 I didn’t like, I really didn’t like.

There’s a formula they stick to, for sure! Loved “Love Hungry Man.” Pretty sure the last vocal on the album is the lead singer hurling.

I’m familiar with another album from Travis (“The Invisible Band”) which I liked much better. This one was alright.

I gotta say, I was often impressed!

Not my style. I appreciate the abilities of the musicians, and hence the two stars.

I know this album well and listened to it on earphones this time around. It’s a masterclass on creating atmosphere.

This album had so much energy and originality I feel bad not giving it a 4 or even 5, but I couldn’t emotionally connect and I don’t expect to listen again (but who knows), so alas a three.

Loved hearing the songs I’d never heard, like the Andy Warhol song!

Appreciating the poetry, but a bit monotonous for my taste.

This album checks so many boxes for me, but somehow I just couldn’t get into it.

Really dug the “Reason to Believe” and “Help” covers.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. A great album to cycle to!

Great collection of songs! This one brings me back a ways!

Well that was epic and awesome!

A grunge masterpiece. Every song memorable. “Would?” is the perfect ending!

Saw it in London in ‘96. Loved it then; love it now!

There’s enough cringy stuff on here to cause it to fall short of a five for me, but there’s just as much inspirational stuff and the music is darn good. I enjoyed this!

So much to love!

The hits hit hard! The non-hits are cringy are times. Overall, quite enjoyable.

Stellar live album! What a voice.

It was alright.

Loved it! Serious Oingo Boingo vibes!

What a gem! Glad to have heard it! Beautiful voice, guitar, recording.

Haunting. Freaked over “Lilac Wine” and the last two tracks were awesome.

Beautiful performance. A bit to monotone to keep me coming back, but it was nice to work to and listen in intently every once in a while.

Masterpiece

Love the singer. Songs are decent.

Nice tunes, but nothing really leaped out at me. In fact, I can’t remember a single song just 30 minutes after listening (albeit I was working while listening, but a 4 or 5 star record will at least distract me at times from that work).

As hard hitting now as when it came out.

Great collection of songs! “Strange Brew” is of course outstanding!

Listened to it all. Ambitious undertaking with many perfect moments.

Nice sound. Good music to work to for sure.

First time hearing it. Hit machine. Only criticism is that there’s a formula they never ever stray from, so feels repetitive. They even say something to that effect in FOB: “Let's nuke the bridge we torched two thousand times before.”

Liked it but didn’t love it. “Sunny Afternoon” was a clear favorite.

And I now know where “There She Goes” came from! Enjoyable set of tunes.

That was…a lot. Not my cup of tea, but I do appreciate the spirit of the record! Scott Walker had a unique vision and he went the $&@# after it!

Dang, that jam at the end of “Loving Cup”! Delicious! I like how you feel like your in a garage with these guys, listening to them play. I never listened to whole Stones albums before this, and I’m grateful!

I like them best when acoustic. Felt major Costello vibes at times. Overall, liked it fine but it doesn’t excite me.

I liked it a lot. My criticism is that most of the time there’s so much going on with the music it’s overwhelming.

This one brings back old and very strange memories of traveling from San Diego to LA to record bass in a studio for a guy I never met and who showed up extremely late and very inebriated (I think). Deep into the night we played and recorded Tim Buckley songs live that were on this album. The session was trash and I never heard results. I drove home VERY late (2, or 3am), fell asleep for much of the following day and vowed never to do such a thing again. As for the album, it’s very pretty.

Powerhouse of a voice. I got pretty excited by track 1, but then couldn’t find another track to match it. Some close contenders include “Fly By Night” and “Lookin’ For The Time (Workin’ Girl)”. So close to giving it a Four, but it’s lacking some quality that distinguished my favorite albums of this genre.

That was quite enjoyable! It appears I need more Iggy Pop in my life!

I’ve long lived this record. Perfect on those rainy days. Beck is versatile and amazing.

Love the sound of The National. I’ve heard them before and I actually don’t quite understand why I don’t keep coming back to them. Whatever that reason is, it’s why I give this a 4 and not a 5.

I kept thinking over and over again: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

There were some moments (for instance, on “On A Rope”), but not many. Overall, meh.

I liked it and learned that “China Girl” was co-written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie. This album is dark and moody and I found myself digging it generally. Still, it didn’t incite the excitement I got from “Lust For Life.”

Definitely some great jams on this one.

Some lovely chaos, but ultimately lacking memorable hooks and rifts I crave in music of all genres. “Tarpit” was a highlight.

Fabulous. Was on the road to five stars when suddenly “Jamaica Jerk-off” came on and I thought, “No Sir Elton, you have to be penalized in some form for that.”

Just not feeling it. Bored mostly. Started out great with their hit, and then waned on.

After multiple listens this weekend, I’m concluding that this album that I’ve been meaning to listen to for decades is absolutely wonderful!

Loved the first half more than the second. Power, followed by All of the Lights followed by Monster was the highlight for me.

I got excited during tracks 1 and 2, and then was thoroughly bored for the next 50 minutes. It’s painful when s as seven minute song never goes anywhere, and much worse when they’re lined up one after another.

Some sweet jams. Nice to work to.

The last song was good enough to almost change my mind, but I don’t see why this album is on the list. The set of songs are decent enough, but it didn’t strike me as particularly special.

Dug it! It was like Sleater Kinney met up with Phoenix and had a sweat little baby.

Great album but doesn’t hit the way “Abbey Road” does.

It struck me that the album starts like a Tool album, if Tool had only chimes to work with. I got through half of track one and just can’t spend my time on this one. I see the value but it’s not my thing.

Quite a few hits, so I’ll give them that, but in my opinion: dull.

So many moments causing so many shivers down my spine. If ever there was a masterpiece…

“One” is the bomb, and the rest is good.

Beautiful atmosphere. This album made me a fan of the band, and in my opinion their best work came after this gem.

I wanted to like it, but it dragged on and on and I was quite happy when it was over.

Loved it. Knew the hits but didn’t know they played “Long Black Veil,” a song I love and forgot about.

My god the mood this man creates…

Nice to revisit this one. They were definitely syncing on this one.

Groovy and fun, but the Stevie Wonder tribute kind of killed this one for me.

Loved much of it, and particularly “In My Bed.”

Found myself digging these songs more than the last Black Sabbath álbum assigned.

Heard a few tracks, which was enough to appreciate the vibe but recognize it’s not my jam.

I enjoyed the heck out of this! Only thing making it a 4 and not a 5 in my view is that some songs lasted about 1 to 2 to 4 minutes longer than was warranted. (But I also get that the band was jamming.)

Nice and catchy; exactly what I expected. Lacked that quality “Pet Sounds” has and so good but not amazing.

Independent, rule breaking, punk AF, majestic voice. I get it and love it.

If every song was “Hotel California”: a 5. However, every song is not “Hotel California” and the band is just too sleepy and reserved for my liking.

Brilliant in every way: song writing, palpable energy, performance of every instrument, vocals for the ages. This album and band have long been an obsession!

Caught my attention right away and I enjoyed it. However, it dragged on with similar-sounding songs. I think I’d like this band best in short spurts.

I was underwhelmed after hearing “A Night at the Opera.” This album’s production was problematic for me. The instruments and Freddie’s voice often sounded muddled. But the songs also felt less than special. I think Queen’s brilliance hurt their rating from me: I compared the to what they can be, and on this one they fell short of their own excellent standard.

Catchy, of course.

Came in biased (love Billy Bragg!). A nice, predictable set of tunes from the union man.

Weird stuff, man.

A masterpiece I’ve long relished from start to finish!

That’s was great, and it’s clear how influential Black Sabbath was on Alice In Chains!

A collection of great pop songs. A couple album fillers, but overall a gem! Favorite line: “Sex is natural, sex is fun, sex is best when it’s one on one.” Good lord.

Awesome sound. Iconic voice. More please!

Nice melodies and a nice album to work to. A pleasant surprise!

My first Taylor Swift album. Nice sound and some good originality. I did get bored, though. Close to a 4, but I’m not quite there.

I enjoyed this. Would have loved some added instruments and vocal harmonies.

I can see how they were influenced by Midnight Oil and influential on EMF, but Midnight Oil and EMF are so much better I can’t justify anything more than a 2.

Great originality and energy. I came in wanting to love it, but the style just doesn’t grip me, so I came out liking it.

Nice to work to and I imagine pretty rad in a club.

Easily one of the most important albums in my musical education. I was a big Radiohead fan from their start (Pablo Honey). I adored The Bends. But it was OK Computer that elevated them to Gods. What a masterpiece!

I love this album. Following OK Computer? Wake me up, I think I’m in Heaven!

I really enjoyed this, and I’m thinking now that I need more Kate Bush in my life.

Love the variety, the energy, and of course the grittiness.

Some good moments; liked when it was jazzy; don’t expect to come back to it.

Great energy; loved the hard rock elements.

Serious Rolling Stones vibes. Good stuff.

That was so, so bad. Painful and awkward.

A masterful double album. A masterclass in weaving between heavy and tender. And so many hits!

Dug it. Great playing and song writing.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Smooth vocals.

This album’s a GEM!

Dug it!

Predictably solid.

Wow, so many of the Xmas tunes that come up on a holiday playlist came from this album. Gotta give it all the stars, despite its producer being a murderer.

Can’t believe I’d never listened to this before. Now that I have, I get it!

Fantastic, start to finish!

This album just did too much to define a musical movement, a generation, to get anything less than a 5. My favorite has long been “Mary Jane,” with “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know” close behind. I loved revisiting this album and I played it loud in the car as nostalgia washed over me.

Nice energy and much fun!

I was recently turned on to this album and so this is my third or fourth listen. It’s awesome and gritty.

I like the feel and the singer’s voice. Just wanted it to be a bit better. I suppose I was craving more memorable hooks.

Not bad to work to but also not my thing. I appreciate it but wouldn’t turn to it when I want to listen to music.

Nothing great here. I perked up only after the album ended and Spotify played something like it.

Great album! Would have been a Five if (1) it ended differently, and (2) there were a couple more songs that had a vibe similar to tracks 1-7.

Loved it loved it loved it! What a voice!

Oof, not a fan.

Album is full of positive messages and a good beat. It’s community wisdom in song, built for sharing. Respect.

I dig it, but too much repetition for my taste. Chic is perfect for a wedding and I can imagine they’re fun live.

I’ll admit: first time listening to this album from start to finish. Came in grumpy (can’t give The Beatles all the stars just cause they’re The Beatles! Grrr!). Then songs like Happiness is a Warm Gun, Julia, and Helter Skelter kept coming on and I thoroughly loved it and I’m giving it all the stars.

Nice vibe. Great to work to; great for ambiance. There’s only a few tracks I can imagine myself sitting down and focusing on.

A great album through and through! I love The Clash for their vocals, rhythms, riffs, and garage-y sound.

I loved it, and especially when the whole band was jamming and getting delightfully bluesy!

Dug it!

I had totally forgot about “Three Days,” one of my favorites. Great album!

I am so thankful for this 1001 album project for the way it’s got me listening to Ella Fitzgerald.

Can’t do it. Recognize its energy and it does have its merits, but at the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, most songs are annoying and the lyrics are stupid.

Enjoyable but nothing grabbed me.

Excellent from start to finish. One of my favorite all time albums. A game changer in my life (but not the first U2 album I heard: looking forward to giving Achtung Baby all the stars too!).

Enjoyable and seemed a bit more raw than other BB records I’ve heard.

Found myself enjoying this much more than expected, and if every song was “She Bop,” it’d be the easiest five star rating of my life.