Wow, that was way more irritating than I thought it would be.

I thought his voice sounded so creepy so I looked up what the album was actually about: “Its Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical narrative follows the illicit romance that develops between the middle-aged Gainsbourg and 15-year old girl Melody Nelson.” Yeah, no. This was gonna be a 2 based off what I initially heard and now it’s a 1.

Whyyyyy are there so many sex noise/porno skits?! Why do they feel the need to add those in? Even if you're someone who isn't bothered by the misogynistic side of it, it's just annoying to listen to! Though it's not my typical genre, this isn't my first Biggie album. There's some more enjoyable tracks on here, but I still prefer his 'Mo Money Mo Problems' over anything else.

A chill, pleasant album. It gives me “summer afternoon barbecue” vibes. No particular song rose above the rest, but I wouldn’t complain if one showed up on a playlist.

As Tom said to me, the singer’s voice is the progenitor for all “hipster/indie bullshit” and I do love my hipster/indie bullshit. While not quite something I would listen to on my own, this is the closest to the kind of music I enjoy of the albums so far.

Meh, there were a few times where I thought things were getting better and then it just went back to feeling like spoken-word poetry.

That was a trip. The songs ranged from enjoyable, to weird, to… about dinosaurs? They do have some entertaining lyrics at least.

This was fun! Great music to work to as it’s upbeat with a nice variation in instrumentation.

I really liked the beat of Mango Pickle Down River. She kept things interesting with all the different elements mixed in to each song, though it could be too much at times. Would probably listen to certain songs again.

Is this what it’s like to live in an 80s video game?

Really enjoyed the guitar riffs in a lot of songs. The vocals aren’t my favorite but I get why they fit with this style. Listened to it twice through since it’s so short!

I’ve loved Fast Car for years and have listened to this album before, though not recently. Talkin’ Bout a Revolution is a fantastic opener. Not quite 5-stars, but I definitely understand why this is on the list.

Ahhhh yes, an album I’ve never listened to but with four songs I recognize. The opening song and Lovely Rita were the standouts of new-to-me tracks. A solid 4 and one that I could probably grow to like even more.

Constant Craving is good, but I found the rest of the album underwhelming. There were some enjoyable moments within songs, but nothing else really stood out.

Okay, so, this was better than I thought it would be. Still not something I would listen to on my own, but it made me want to head out on a road trip down south.

It’s just… not that fun to listen to. The first song was almost painful. This may have historical relevance, but the enjoyment was not there.

Some really great songs on here surrounded by alright songs. As usual, could do without the skits.

Easy listening, sounds very much of its time.

I do enjoy an album where the short intro song leads into the first full track. This one goes above and beyond with that. The beginning of Time is meh but the guitar solo is👌🏼. I feel like I enjoyed parts/elements of the songs, but rarely the entire thing.

He’s not someone I would hang out with, but I can’t deny he creates some good music. The opening track is my favorite.

Good vocals and guitar. Lodi was the standout from the new-to-me songs.

I’d never heard of this artist before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was more pleasant than I thought it would be. The album could use some editing though.

Too long, would have preferred it without the instructional bits.

Wow, that was way more irritating than I thought it would be.

Pretty forgettable

War Pigs to Electric Funeral, all bangers. After that I feel like it loses steam. The vocals aren’t my favorite, but sometimes they work well.

This album wasn’t created for someone like me and that’s fine.

Pleasant to listen to.

I found this too chaotic to enjoy. There were moments that worked and I’d start to get into the song and then it would completely change.

The first few songs were quite enjoyable. It didn’t hold my interest until the end, but still fun to listen to. In the end, 3.5/5 rounded down

Better than I thought it would be considering the album cover. Good for listening to while getting work done.

Starts strong, but fades quickly. Still relatively enjoyable overall.

It felt like I was listening to the part in a musical where the music keeps going, but the lead talks and addresses the audience. Him being off the beat all the time really irked me.

Not particularly interesting, but okay to get work done too.

When the best song on the album is over 7 minutes long you know they can create some good music. Enjoyed this and would listen again.

Bit too grating for me in moments (I don’t need to hear your dogs barking for an extended period of time), but it was alright.

Take Five is pretty great. The rest of the songs are pleasant, but nothing really stuck out to me.

Loved the guitar

Solid album - didn’t blow me away, but I would listen to it again.

I found myself enjoying a few of the songs on here after being initially skeptical. That album cover tho.

I wanted to like this more, but in the end it was just “fine”.

A very pleasant listening experience. I would definitely listen to more of his work.

The first song was okay, like I enjoyed the guitar, but the vocals were iffy. Then it slowly got more grating, to the point where I was glad the album was over.

This was a great time. I think my favorite song is the title track, but there were a lot of good ones.

I didn’t despise this like I have with other 1-star ratings, but two stars seems… generous. 1.5/5 with Jesus Built my Hotrod being one of the more entertaining song titles I’ve ever come across.

Nothing stuck out to me, but it was still fine to listen to.

Remove the skits (though they weren’t THAT bad) and the 12-minute finale and you’ve got an awesome album.

Thoroughly underwhelmed

I thought his voice sounded so creepy so I looked up what the album was actually about: “Its Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical narrative follows the illicit romance that develops between the middle-aged Gainsbourg and 15-year old girl Melody Nelson.” Yeah, no. This was gonna be a 2 based off what I initially heard and now it’s a 1.

Went back for a second listen because the first time through was so nice.

Enjoyable, but didn’t stick with me.

I listened while on a run and although it was enjoyable to start, the group of instrumental songs toward the end were kind of a drag.

Fun to listen to.

The big song off this album (Le Freak) typically annoys me so I was a little worried, but it wasn’t too bad. Sometimes it felt more like elevator music.

Probably would have been a three except for when the saxophone kicked in. The way it was played (breathy, crackling) irked me too much

Good vibes

I liked the running joke with the drummer’s songs, but otherwise it’s pretty forgettable.

Makes me nostalgic for a time I wasn’t alive for, hah. Great to listen to while working but no song really stuck out.

Not offensive, so it has to be higher than my 1-star albums, but it was also incredibly boring, so it can’t get more than two.

Some fun beats

I thought this would be better than it was. The instrumentation irked me at times. Maybe it was the mixing, but I had to stop listening with headphones because certain sounds were grating. Everyday People was enjoyable at least.

The first few songs were better than I was expecting and I would willingly listen to them again. The latter half don’t hold up as well, so this is more like a 3.5/5 for me.

Some standout songs in here though it didn’t stick with me enough to go higher than 3.

I was glad when it was done.

I hadn’t listened to this album all the way through since high school and I’m glad I had a reason to listen to it again.

Fantastic. Fun, great instrumentation, and the vocals to match. My first 5!

Not my style

A bit long, but not too bad overall

Enjoyable - started out as a 4 but as the album progressed it felt more like a 3.

I’ve listened to this album previously and really like it.

Is some of this rating nostalgia? Sure, but there’s lots of actually great songs on here.

Didn’t enjoy it enough to give it a 4, so call it 3.5 rounded down

Chill sounds, nice to listen to.

A bit too much talking

The beats were fine, but this style always feels like they’re constantly shouting at me.

Funky, but alright.

Nothing bad, but nothing stood out either.

I quite enjoyed this. The vocals weren’t amazing, but the instrumentation was cool.

Nice to listen to

Not quite as strong as Sgt. Pepper’s, but still overall enjoyable. The lyrics for Run for Your Life are questionable though…

A solid 3. There were some songs where the guitar sounded great, especially Down on Mission Street.

2.5 rounded up, felt too much like noise at points.

This was closer to 1.5. A lot of it felt like noise.

Not quite my style but there’s some enjoyable tracks.

Became dull after a bit

I thought I’d get tired after the first song because the vocals are… unique, but I had a fair amount of fun listening!

More interested in her backstory than the album.

I was not expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. I recognized some songs, but there were new ones that grabbed me and caused me to listen twice through. My first 5 star on a new-to-me album!

I just… it’s like they made every production choice I wouldn’t.

I thought I would like this more. At least there’s a few awesome songs that bump it to a 4.

Some cool guitar

The first song was interesting and then it faded into the background.

There were parts that caught my attention, but not enough to be more than a 3. It’s also quiiiiite long.

This went from rave, to elevator music, to 2000s PC game music, and back. Not really for me.

Became more country than I was expecting.

I liked this more than I thought I would! More like a 3.5.

I appreciate the brevity of the album. The instrumentation was alright, but the vocals weren’t my favorite.

Probably a 3.5, mostly pleasant.

The vocals sounded like a high school garage band.

Might have been a bit much to listen to first thing on a Monday morning. Still, it was alright.

Good vibes

There’s a fair amount of songs on here that I’m not drawn to, but the good songs are SO GOOD.

The songs blended together, still a decent listen.

Enjoyable

The lyrics are a bit much, though I did enjoy the beats and sampling.

The two most popular tracks are the best ones. Outside of those, nothing really sticks out.

I was hoping for a bit more, pretty meh other than Superstition.

I’ve listened to this album before and found it generally fun to listen to.

Oh good, more skits about how great a rapper is at having sex.

So dull.

The commentary about the police vs. the Black community is great. It’s still very relevant. It’s the misogynistic and homophobic lines I can’t deal with.

A couple moments caught my attention, but overall it was… fine.

There’s a couple songs I was more into. As usual, could have done without the skits.

Liked the guitar at points, pleasant, but not a standout.

There are so many fantastic songs on this album. I wish they’d tightened it up at the end instead of having a bunch of shorter songs, but this is still a 4.5 rounded up to 5.

I was into this more than I thought I would be.

When the album started I thought: oh idk about this… but then I ended up rather liking it!

I despise his vocals. The rest of the band is great and pushes this rating from a 1 to a 2.

Bit forgettable, but alright to listen to.

An entire album is too much.

This is a 3.5 - some excellent songs and then others that aren’t as strong.

The standouts are: willow, no body, no crime, and champagne problems. The rest blend together too much.

This was more fun that I was expecting!

There’s a couple good tracks on here, but it didn’t grab me like another of their albums we had on this list.

Well, that became grating.

Solid 90s vibe

2.5 rounded up because I was into it at points.

None of the songs stuck out, but it was nice to listen to.

I really enjoyed this!

Fun, but the songs blended together.

More like 3.5, fun to listen to. Felt like I could have been in Mississippi on a hot, summer evening.

If someone put this on at a party… I wouldn’t complain.

Wow, that is one of the worst albums I’ve ever listened to.

I was digging it.

A bit much at times

There’s some Springsteen songs that I love, but not from this album. I think hearing many songs in a row made me realize how much it sounds like he’s in physical pain when he’s singing.

The first track gave me goosebumps.

I recognized a couple songs on here.

There’s some good tracks on here.

Some great beats, though a little long.

I found it… dull.

Lots of great songs on here, though there’s some weirder ones that keep it from being a five for me.

There’s some iconic songs in here (Stan especially), but there’s also a lot that made me uncomfortable.

I’m into it

I wanted to like this more, but the “raw” style sometimes became him not even trying to hit the notes and it was grating.

More like a 2.5. Some of the loops were short and then it started feeling repetitive.

THIS is a good live album.

A 3.5, but I rounded up because it was better than I thought it would be.

Solidly enjoyable.

Underwhelming

I specifically liked the guitar in Brighton Rock, but everything else was either great or at least fun to listen to.

‘There, There’ elevates this album from a two.

No song really stood out to me, but it was alright.

Sometimes felt like I was listening to The Beatles, other times Bowie.

I think I’m a Black Sabbath fan.

Bit much for me at points, but I’d rather listen to this than some other albums on this list.

Would definitely listen to this again.

I’ve heard of The Chemical Brothers, but can’t recall ever knowingly hearing a song. After seeing the album cover, that was not the genre I was expecting.

Groovy

His vocals are incredible at points. I also loved a lot of the guitar.

Reminded me of my Contemporary Music Ensemble days - cool if you’re in it but not always fun to listen to.

The first bunch of songs are great and 5-star worthy, but it gets weaker in the second half.

When lyrics get repeated over and over in a song it really irks me. Other than that this was alright.

I don’t think there was a certain aspect of this that really drew me in, but all the elements combined worked for me.

One song is okay, but an entire album with vocals that feel like I’m being yelled at? No thanks.

More enjoyable electronic than I was expecting.

More like a 3.5, I wish more of the songs had stood out to me.

Felt like one step above elevator music, but at least I know more about Steely Dan now.

Loved the guitar in some of the songs. Doesn’t quite hit 4 stars for me, but certainly 3.5.

There’s parts of things on here that I like, but it’s still middling.

It got annoying after a bit.

What’s the point of having vocals if you can’t hear them?

More like 2.5, but I wasn’t feeling this.

A fun album that leans toward a 4, but I couldn’t stand one sound that popped up a lot in some songs. I’m not sure what it was, but it immediately annoyed me.

I love the opening track. The other songs ranged from quite enjoyable to meh so I think this has to be a 3/3.5.

This is the Hendrix album I knew before starting this listening challenge. If I’m being honest, it’s more like a 4.5, but I’ll round it up because there’s just so many great songs.

3.5 - I was digging some of these songs.

There were moments it was alright, but a lot of the time I was glad I wasn’t wearing headphones.

Quite the variety of styles! Listened to it twice as it was good.

I was into it.

This was fun

More like a 3.5

If someone asked me to guess the year this album was released, I wouldn’t have said 1981. It’s not quite my style, but the production is CRISP.

There are some fantastic songs on here, 5-star quality, but there’s also some weirder ones that I didn’t care for. It balances out to a three.

Nothing really stood out, but it was alright.

There were some songs that were okay, but this is sitting at a 2.5.

I was feeling the jazzy vibes.

I mean, these are some great songs.

Good work motivation music

Really enjoyed this!

It ranged from kinda dull to annoying.

Not too many exciting things on here other than Sympathy for the Devil and maybe snippets of some of the remaining tracks.

4.5, love many of the songs on here

Damn, Rod, I was diggin’ it.

It mostly blended into the background.

Overall fun to listen to

Really pleased with how much I liked this!

Not bad, but not a standout either.

Some sexy guitar in the first track that I loved. Otherwise it’s decent.

Probably more like a 2.5

I just really like his style.

More like a 3.5, really enjoyed the instrumentation in a lot of the songs

It had me in some moments and lost me in others.

Some specific moments are a 5, but most if it falls around 3.5

Her vocals are fantastic, but the style of songs isn’t really something I’m drawn to.

The two really popular songs off this album are the best ones.

Good background music to work to!

A couple childhood nostalgia songs on here.

I wouldn’t have known this was improvised if I hadn’t read up on it. It’s an entertaining story and explains the moaning! Would definitely listen to this again.

A couple really good songs, but not enough for a 4-star rating.

The “noise” portions really grated on me.

The main track wasn’t bad. If anything, it was kind of entertaining. But the sounds of the others were much more annoying.

Why ruin an alright album by putting sex noises in a song?!

Nice to listen to, probably more of a 3.5.

Honestly, thought it was gonna be worse.

Love me some Simon & Garfunkel

Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man was a new standout. This is more like a 3.5.

Liked her sound most of the time

Kinda boring? But not annoying.

The vocal style took a bit to get used to, but I like the overall sound.

More of a 3.5 - fun to listen to since I was familiar with a number of the tracks.

Clint Eastwood is great, but I couldn’t get into the rest.

Probably more of a 3.5, but I rounded up because this sound reminds me so much of my time at university.

I was digging this - a 3.5 that gets rounded up.

An automatic 5-star for me as I’m very familiar with this album. It was nice to listen all the way through again.

The first song is obviously a 5 but after that it varies.

Coldplay was my favorite band for a number of years starting around the release of Viva La Vida. I threw myself into their music with the exuberance and devotion that only girls in their teens can. I’ve listened to this album too many times to count and it, along with other early albums of theirs, hold a level of nostalgia (for me) all their own. Top 3: In My Place, Politik, Green Eyes

A bit weird - recognized the opening track.

This was way more fun than I was expecting.

A few songs stood out, but I was ready for it to be done.

Some of the songs had fantastic guitar, but it was balanced out by the weird noises they decided to include.

I’m glad I was first introduced to Kate Bush in high school (Wuthering Heights, specifically). Otherwise, this would have been a very shocking experience.

I’m familiar with this album and have a few songs from it that I really enjoy. It was nice to listen to it again after a long time.

More of a 3.5 as there’s some solid tracks on here.

I respect it, but I don’t enjoy certain parts of it.

Never heard of them but it was enjoyable!

I made a little noise of excitement when I saw this album pop up. Dreams, Never Going Back Again, Go Your Own Way, The Chain, Gold Dust Woman… so many amazing songs.

Mostly faded into the background, but that last song… now that will get stuck in your head.

Not quite my jam the whole time but there were some strong tracks. More of a 3.5/5.

Annoyed me at points

I was reminded of why I never got into LCD Soundsystem

Pleasantly surprised! The vocal style was a bit grating at times, though not unexpected. Untitled stuck out to me (along with Know Your Product).

Not my fave live recording

There were moments that I really liked, but there was enough ‘meh’ that it evens out to three.

Better than I thought it would be!

Pretty unnecessary on this list, but listening to it while doing work makes the experience less annoying.

What a cool surprise this was! Sometimes it leaned a little too far into the weird, but a lot of it was fun to listen to.

Listened to it twice through and would definitely listen again in the future

Juuuuust makes it to a 4, I think.

Wow was this irritating.

There are some excellent, iconic songs in here. Buuuuut there’s also a lot of middling to good so it sits in the middle.

The track Flowers stuck out to me. Generally a cool album to listen to.

A bit long, but very enjoyable.

Not entirely sure why this is on the list, but it was an alright listening experience.

There were moments in songs that I really enjoyed, but generally it was just alright.

It’s just kind of… dull?

Free Form Guitar was a bit much, but generally good.

The vocals are very “go on girl, give us nothing”.

The instrumental song was the best one.

Three feels a bit generous but there are a few really good tracks.

I really enjoyed a handful of songs. I think some of the live stuff took away from the listening experience so I’ll take this as a sign to check out more studio albums.

They really did run with that Crazy, Sexy, Cool theme

Some of the songs were really good. Leading off with Spellbound made me excited for what this could be. Sadly it wasn’t quite as good the rest of the time.

I love how haunting some of the songs are.

A really strong album and I just love their overall sound. Not quite 5-star level but it’s close.

It’s a bit ridiculous, but a little fun too. I was leaning toward a 2 initially but it charmed me to a 3.

Hmmmm, probably a weak 3 for me. In The End is easily a 5 and there’s a few others that I enjoyed, but others were… painful.