931
Albums Rated
3.59
Average Rating
85%
Complete
158 albums remaining
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Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Rock-and-roll
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Generous
Rater Style
188
5-Star Albums
40
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
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Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine | 5 | 2.66 | +2.34 |
| Heaux Tales | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Back to Basics | 5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
| Yeezus | 5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
| Happy Trails | 5 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
| I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail | 5 | 2.81 | +2.19 |
| Live / Dead | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Da Capo | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Gold | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Greetings From L.A. | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fat Of The Land | 1 | 3.4 | -2.4 |
| The Downward Spiral | 1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
| High Violet | 1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
| I'm Your Man | 1 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
| Nighthawks At The Diner | 1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
| Ghosteen | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| Kala | 1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
| Leftism | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| Destroy Rock & Roll | 1 | 2.89 | -1.89 |
| Second Toughest In The Infants | 1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 5 | 4.8 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.8 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.4 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.5 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.67 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.67 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| David Bowie | 7 | 4.14 |
| The Band | 2 | 5 |
| Eagles | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 5 |
| Kanye West | 2 | 5 |
| Ryan Adams | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Amy Winehouse | 2 | 5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4.25 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Who | 4 | 4.25 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.25 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Cure | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| M.I.A. | 2 | 1 |
| Björk | 4 | 1.75 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 2 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Dinosaur Jr. | 2 | 1.5 |
| Tom Waits | 4 | 1.12 |
5-Star Albums (188)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Prefab Sprout
3/5
A nice if unexceptional record. I’d never heard of this group before, but this further confirms my theory that this list is mostly made by white British critics in their forties and fifties picking their favorite stuff rather than trying to get a list of the most important albums of the modern era. Bony was my favorite tack, it had great production and a nice little melody, as was when love breaks down. Maybe I should have known about this group and missing something?
30 likes
Arcade Fire
2/5
This is some of the whitest music I’ve ever heard in my life. I guess some might call this “ambitious” but I think it’s just a bit over the top and not very compelling.
17 likes
Common
5/5
When people say they “miss the old Kanye” THIS is what they are talking about, even if this album is technically Common’s. The soulful production sounds great rather than dated and the social commentary and songs like “Love Is” give us the opposite experience from the Marshall Mathers LP. Hip hop can be a beautiful genre as this album, and later work by Chance the rapper (clearly inspired by this and samples it) shows. Would give 4.5 if I could but what the hell.
14 likes
Grateful Dead
5/5
Of course I have to give this a 5! This album shows the Dead at their wildest and while it's no Europe '72 it does have a few Glorious moments. The St. Stephen-Eleven-Lovelight suite is exceptional and made me jealous of anyone who got to see this lineup of the band in their prime. An entire album side of just "Dark Star"? Wow. I would totally understand if anyone takes off an entire star for "Feedback". This is probably a 4.5 because of that but what the heck.
13 likes
Nas
5/5
A stark and brutal portrait of Queensbridge in the early 1990s. Nas absolutely raps his ass off like he knows this could be his ticket out. He tells stories at such a rapid clip that it was hard for me to keep up at times and that he wrote this at 20 years old is simply astounding. The eerie beats enhance the mood of this album and parallel the lyrics well (the sample of "human nature" at the end of this album was fun to hear so close to Thriller though the context was completely different). I'm fairly confident there is no Kendrick Lamar without this album, as I lots that likely influenced Kendrick here.
9 likes
1-Star Albums (40)
All Ratings
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I thought it’s was really good. No obvious hits, but really interesting only having heard rumors. It’s clearly the same band but it almost sounds like a group of outtakes because it’s so different and unstructured.
Fugees
4/5
I would have given this a 3 bc I hate skits and not every song was good but it moves up to a 4 because of lauryn hill’s rapping alone. She’s so great especially on “Ready or Not”. None of the others are bad but she clearly outshines the other two.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
She’s obviously a great singer but this was just kind of boring. It was nice to have in the background when I worked and impressive that it was all presumably done in one take.
Massive Attack
3/5
This was pretty interesting but nothing gripped me. It was a cool fusion of styles and well executed but I don’t feel like I ever need to hear this again
Pixies
3/5
Some of the rock and roll here was great but man the singers voice was sometimes insufferable. Here Comes Your Man outshines the rest of the album by far for me.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
This album is a great argument for why you should go out on the top of your game. Every song on here is good. The Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and Cecilia are enough to give any album at least a 3.5 but it was all great. Beautiful arrangements, interesting Melodies and lyrics which create a story you want to follow. So good, just wish it had been remastered.
The The
2/5
Meh. There was a lot going on with this album but I did not connect to it. This was probably hard to make, but except for the piano solo in uncertain smile I did not enjoy this album. I don’t think I’d ever want to hear this again
Talking Heads
4/5
I wish I could have listened to this more closely before reviewing. I liked what I heard. There was funk, rock and world music all rolled into a fun package. Psycho Killer is of course a classic song that would raise the score of any album. Great bass parts all around. I don’t think it was perfect but I’m gonna give this a 4.
Taylor Swift
4/5
I liked this album more each time I heard it. These melodies are just so goddamn catchy and the production was really fantastic. I know its one of the more recent albums but everything soudned so crisp and clean which was nice on my ears. The songwriting was very good too. It felt sincere and was very accessible. "Blank Space" and "Shake it Off" were clever self-referential tracks where Taylor Swift acknowledges and mocks what others say about her. "Style" had some funky guitar parts and built its groove in a way that I really liked. I do think the album starts to wilt towards the end and a different tracklist might have fixed this.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
5/5
This was right up my wheelhouse. I was wondering how long track 1 could be when I looked and realized I was deep into track 3. I mean that as a compliment. The whole first side of this album was a fantastic and interesting jam. Like the pig-pen era Grateful Dead with a harder and tighter edge. Great guitar parts. I never heard to this and will come back to this for sure.
R.E.M.
3/5
A very mature sounding album that was absolutely no fun to listen too. It was all so serious and morose but without any levity or even percussion to break it up. I think if I was more of a lyrics person I’d appreciate this a lot more but it felt like a slog to get through honestly. It could also because the budget broke my brain and im exhausted.
The Band
5/5
Great album by a great band. If I’m being honest I’d give this a 4.5 because it does drag a bit at times but the highs are too high to give this a 4. Up on Cripple Creek is one of my faves by them with a fantastic groove. Look out Cleveland, the night they drove old Dixie down and King harvest are also highlights. What an excellent group of musicians.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
This was a slog. I did not like this 1 bit. I’m sure the lyrics are good if you pay close attention but the music sucked. At least with Dylan you get some nice acoustic guitar sounds for the most part. I’m truly baffled at how this could be a comeback album. Who heard this and thought “wow this is what I missed!”? I’ll pass.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
This was some nice and gentle stuff to start my morning to. I feel like I can’t give it a fair review without understanding the lyrics, so I will give it a 4 for benefit of the doubt and for creating a nice atmosphere and vibe.
Ride
3/5
This was fine, and had some nice guitar parts but was not really my taste. I don’t love low fi sounding music in general as I love to hear all of the instruments and I feel like we lost that with the way it was mixed. Since this is shoegaze music that was certainly intentional.
James Brown
4/5
Very good but in serious need a a remaster. The parts were too far panned in 1 direction or the other so listening in AirPods was a pain. But James brown is an undeniable talent with a great voice and I think this show would have been incredible to watch in person. If we had half stars it would get a 3.5.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
This album is on here more for its importance than how good each track is I think. While it was likely pretty amazing to hear when it first came out, I don't think most of this album aged very well. BUT you do get some key components of hip hop still relevant today. A mix of party and political songs (The Message is obviously fantastic), sampling, and even some electronic music elements (Scorpion). Parts of it felt more like an R&B album than a hip-hop album but I think it was just too early in hip-hop's history to expect anything different.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
A pleasant but not particularly memorable album. It was a pretty effective hybrid of old-school country and modern pop sounds, and she has a beautiful voice but I was not really "wowed" at any point. The Dave Matthews duet and Bruce background vocals were nice surprises. It would probably be good to get a female perspective on this album and its lyrics.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
When I tell people I usually don't like indie rock this is what i'm talking about. The music jumped around to various sounds without ever really establishing a groove and some of the falsetto vocals became really unbearable at points. I think this is somewhat technically impressive and was probably a difficult album to make, but it is not an enjoyable album to listen to. I don't feel like there was much soul in here.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Just a phenomenal album from start to finish. It's a real tragedy that this was all that was released in his lifetime because this was something special. "Lover, you should have come over" is fantastic, full of raw passion and emotion which soars and takes you on a journey, and of course "hallelujah" is probably a top 10 cover of all time. This fusion of rock, blues, pop, and folk really works for me and his vocals feel authentic. Like he means every word he sings.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Meh. Not really for me. I think I might have appreciated the more political songs if I was a bigger lyrics person but nothing melodically gripped me here.
Marty Robbins
5/5
Really great. Each track was like it’s own western film and I found it really impressive how a world was created within each song, filled with vivid characters and settings. I know the Grateful Dead covered El Paso from this, but they must have been inspired by this world building too. Cool Water, El Paso, and Billy the Kid did this exceptionally well. I’d probably give this a 4.5 if I could since I can’t say it’s something I’d truly want to listen to frequently and sounds dated but it’s country music at its best for sure.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
The definition of fine. I did not hate it but would be happy to never hear this again. I really did not like the singer’s voice which was hard to get past. It was a little too much like the whiny 90s ska of a tony hawk video game soundtrack for my taste. I don’t think the horns really added much thoug I usually love horns. I did think Used sounded like Bruce so that’s a plus.
Tim Buckley
4/5
The beginning of this album really wowed me but I felt like it started to drag towards the middle. It feels like a worse version of Astral Weeks which still makes for a pretty good album. I hear David Crosby and his son in is voice and it was interesting to get this one so close to that one. I do like the ambition of the jamming and longer songs so I have to give this one a 4.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
The sunshine yesterday felt inappropriate for this album. Moody and full of mystique, I felt like I needed to be alone at a bar or fireplace at with a martini or scotch in hand. I do think it ran a few tracks too long.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
This was meh for me. Some very good guitar soloing (you can see why RHCP added Dave Navarro for a bit) but the singing was insufferable. The worst parts of punk siniging for me. Also these songs did not have very good Melodie’s for the most part. I won’t listen again.
Beastie Boys
3/5
This was a LOT of sound for a Monday morning. Sure shot was a great opener, and Sabotage is the best rap/punk fusion I can think of aside from Rage Against the Machine. The rest of the album however was not great for me. It felt cluttered and annoying. Though I get that the Beastie Boy’s were showing that they could actually play instruments too, which is fine, I don’t think the fusion of styles worked on the rest of the album as well as it did on Sabotage.
Jacques Brel
2/5
I cannot tell you why this was here. I did not enjoy it. Maybe the lyrics were amazing so for benefit of the doubt it gets a 2
Dr. Dre
4/5
I’ve heard this before and remember it being well produced if filled with homophobia and sexism (rightly) not acceptable today. Snoop Dogg truly brings it to his world debut and the G Funk sound is fun, just wish it was less vulgar.
The Stooges
4/5
This was much more psychadelic than I expected which was fun. These guys were clearly influenced by the Doors and Hendrix though some of these songs (like "dirt" a clear highlight for me with its slow build and heavy groove) sounded like they could have been on Sticky fingers or Exile leading me to wonder if the stooges influenced these sixties band. It messed with my sense of rock history which was cool. The last song however did sound like it was written by Yoko Ono and lasted far too long.
Prince
5/5
Great from start to finish. Funky and fun. Love Little Red Corvette and Lady Cab Driver especially. No notes here. Would give a 4.5 if possible.
Eagles
5/5
Great album. Hard to listen to the title track objectively because I’ve heard it so many times. Victim of love is currently my favorite Eagles song.
The Birthday Party
1/5
God awful. I actually find it offensive that this is taking up a spot on this list while most hip hop artists do not have a single album on here and others only have 1. Horrendous.
Arrested Development
4/5
This album was very well put together. The themes are positive and important and the samples are fun and well crafted. I can see this album being a big influence on Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and yes early Kanye. Having said all of that, aside from “dawn of the dreads”, which was my favorite track, it was missing that X factor that would make me want to listen to it again .
Björk
2/5
I did not care for this. Idk what else to add, it wasn't for me and I don't want to hear it again
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
A beautiful example of southern rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd has an incredibly focused musical identity as a band and I really like their no-frills approach to rock and roll. The songs are authentic, the band is strong, and the music just feels good. (Note these guys were actually progressives and the the band's image got distorted by those who survived the infamous plane crash). Finally, FREEEEEBIRRRRDDDD!!!! As much as it has become a joke to yell at encores, this song and the guitar solos at the end are just phenomenal with each measure elevating the guitar parts further into the stratosphere.
Kacey Musgraves
5/5
I was impressed with this album when it first came out and still think it is very good. We get a strong sense of who Kacey Musgraves is from this record and I thought it blended country with contermporary pop very well. The Melodies in lonely weekend, velvet Elvis, and High Horse were all super catchy.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
A nice if unexceptional record. I’d never heard of this group before, but this further confirms my theory that this list is mostly made by white British critics in their forties and fifties picking their favorite stuff rather than trying to get a list of the most important albums of the modern era. Bony was my favorite tack, it had great production and a nice little melody, as was when love breaks down. Maybe I should have known about this group and missing something?
Orbital
3/5
Ill be honest and say I did not finish this one but I do not expect that I missed much. It was fine electronic music but it’s not for me. While I don’t need vocals I do like a melody and that was missing here.
The Go-Go's
4/5
These songs are catchy, fun and some of them really rock! While "Our lips are sealed' is a gentle introduction, "How Much More", "Tonite" and "Can't Stop the World" all kick ass. I cant help but feel like Green Day must have been partially inspired by this melodic punk-rock and don't see how Dookie could happen without this album. It defintiely sounds like a product of the 80's and is not exceptionally deep, but I thought it was an enjoyable listen overall.
The Black Keys
5/5
One of the Best albums of the 2010s and a big album for me. I remember being super excited about this initially. Two young white guys making blues music in 2010? Incredible (maybe would have found this less so if I had more context of what else was out there). It sounds modern and classic at the same time. Next Girl and She's Long Gone are both searing, These Days and Everlasting Light are beautifully wilting, and Never Gonna Give You Up is a fantastic cover. Tighten Up is actually one of my least favorite songs on the record but I wonder if it was just because it was so overplayed. This is the Black Keys' best album and will almost certainly remain so as time passes. I'm upset it's not on the RS list so glad to see it here.
Queen
4/5
This album was not made by the Queen I know. While elements of their distinctive (and too Broadway for me) sound are in here this sounded a lot more like Led Zeppelin to me. I mean that as a compliment. This rocked really hard and it was cool how all of the songs flowed into each other. I did not know any of these songs before so this was an interesting listening experience for that reason. Would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Classic British blues that was probably more exciting at the time than it is now. Clapton’s soloing is excellent years before he would peak artistically with cream, Derek and the Dominoes and Blind Faith. The rest of it is good but not great.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
This is fine but I dont really have enough reference points to evaluate it in any fair way.
Nick Drake
3/5
Some nice acoustic songs here but I was not wowed by anything I heard. I’m guessing this was pretty influential on lots of indie folk artists which so why it’s here.
Steely Dan
3/5
Pretty good but not in my top few Steely Dan albums. I thought this one was a bit too scattered by be great although it definitely had nice moments and great playing.
ABBA
3/5
This was fine. Nothing here was painful to listen to, but I never need to hear any of it ever again.
XTC
2/5
Nothing exceptional about this. Boring and at its best sounds like a derivative of Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson
Bad Brains
3/5
This was probably a big influence on the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other similar groups but I did not love it. No great melodies on here.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Does not sound like “the beach boys” but that’s what makes it great. A really unique collection of songs which shows off all of their individual talents and strengths as a groups.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Extremely well executed. Cash is charming, funny and sincere in this performance and I wish I could have seen him live. The stories in these songs are great and while sometimes the arrangements were a bit too sparse for my taste, I have to say they were well crafted. I’d probably give this a 4.5 if I could but I can’t.
The Cardigans
4/5
This was a cool album with lots if interesting sounds. It contained one of the most interesting covers I’ve ever heard (Iron Man) and plenty of other catchy songs.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Probably a good version of what it is supposed to be achieving. Not for me.
Roxy Music
3/5
Ambitious and impressive, but not at all fun. Listening to this was work and that cuts against its score for me.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I liked hearing how an American genre of music was translated to another continent and sung in a different language. Though I did not understand the lyrics, the music underneath was unquestionably the blues.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Willie Nelson is great. This is a beautiful and simple album which shows how powerful stripped down country music can be without the flash. I’ve always loved willie Nelson’s guitar playing (Can I Sleep in Your Arms was a highlight for me) and wish there was a bit more of it on this album.
The Mars Volta
3/5
Because they opened for RHCP this was technically the first band I saw in an arena. We did not like it. This was fine but not really for me. I think this band has some great musicians but only a few of the songs had real grooves so it reminded me of prog rock in that way.
Ice T
3/5
Picking up where NWA left off with Straight Outta Compton but reminding everyone that he did it first. Ice T did a good job here showing people what gangsta rap is and has some fun beats too. Unfortunately I think this album is about 30 mins too long. Remove the skits and some of the worse songs and this would have been a better album. Would have gotten a 3.5 if possible.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
This album was about 55 love songs too long. A 69 love song album is an amibitious concept, which I can respect, but unfortunatley the execution was far from perfect. This is a pretty uneven mix of songs and sounds from jazz to rock to experiemental/avant-garde. It is cool that one group can cover so much ground sonically, but as an "album" it is pretty exhausting. Luckilly none of the songs were very long, but it was hard on my brain for the vibe to keep switching every 90 to 120 seconds.
The Dictators
4/5
Well the "I Got You Babe" cover was unexpected... This band sounds like the Ramones if they took a step closer to pop. The album still rocked though and the final track was a great salute to/mockery of the Beach Boys
George Michael
5/5
The more I listened to this the more I liked it. I thought the production was excellent and that George Michael is a strong singer with a powerful presence. I also felt like I was learning about him as I listened. Great pop.
Charles Mingus
3/5
Ambitious and impressive but hard for me to emotionally connect with. He’s obviously a talented musician.
The Roots
4/5
If you cut this down to it’s 45 best minutes this would be 5. Great rapping, good hooks, and lush instrumentation. Unfortunately there was also a decent amount of filler sounds, interludes, and spoken word that I did not enjoy. Talib Kweli was a nice surprise on both of the tracks he featured on. Again it says a lot about this list that none of the most important rap albums from 2011 are on here (take care, watch the throne) but this middle aged safe group is.
Steely Dan
5/5
A unique sounding album with some fantastic guitar playing. My favorite songs were “My Old School” ( both of my friends who went to hard transferred out) and “The Boston Rag” which really wowed me in its arrangement.
Randy Newman
4/5
Randy Newman wrote some very creative songs but not the most fun to listen to. "Sail away" was eerie when I realized what it was actually about. If I was a bigger lyrics person maybe this could be a 5 but the music itself is just not fully there for me.
Elvis Presley
4/5
While there are not hits on it this album helps to show us why Elvis was called the King of Rock and Roll. His singing is effortless across all of the styles we find on this album. He can do blues, rock, soul, country and jazz (if fever counts as jazz). The final track was my favorite.
SAULT
4/5
This was very good. Seems like it came out in response to the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the themes clearly reflect that. I had never heard of this album or this group before, but I will be checking out their other music for sure.
David Bowie
3/5
I generally find David Bowie’s music to be underwhelming compared to all of the hype it gets and I think this album is a good example of it. Nothing on here was bad but nothing was exceptional to me. Maybe you “had to be there”? Something is just missing in it for me.
Buck Owens
5/5
Very well executed country music. Nice little stories in many of these songs and masterful guitar accompaniment. The playing was never too much or too little.
Beatles
5/5
Easiest 5 so far. The fact that the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan show playing “all my loving” 1 year earlier is astounding. This is the album where they fully matured as songwriters and while it’s not my favorite Beatles album it is still better than most releases by any other artist. I think “in my life” is a top 10 song of all time and find it shocking that it’s not the final track. Norwegian Wood, Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, If I Needed Someone, Michelle, Girl, I’m Looking Through You are all fantastic tunes as well. The vocal harmonies on this album are stunning and the melodies are just some of the best ever written. Wish there was a documentary of them making THIS album.
Björk
3/5
Very strange and Bjork. Intricately produced but not something I'd ever need to hear again.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
This was decent. Sounds like these guys were influenced by Jeff Buckley and Arcade Fire and in turn might have influenced Tame Impala but I didn’t really hear anything in here that would make me want to listen to this album again. “While You Wait for the Others” was the clear standout track for me.
Talvin Singh
1/5
I could not finish this. It was not an album but a sound collage so it should not be on this list. I’m sure it was difficult to make but these are not songs.
Stephen Stills
4/5
This was a very good album. I did not know a single song beforehand but had everything I like about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Some songs with nice harmonies, some songs with searing guitar parts ("The Treasure" in particular) and a very "end of the 60's" feel over all. Almost like a final gasp of the decade although it was 1972. I will definitely listen to these songs again. Would have gotten a 4.5 if possible but a little too long. Also "Johnny's Garden" sounds like "Midnight Rider".
Slipknot
2/5
I will never listen to this again. Having said that, it was better than I expected. The guitar playing was good if a little too busy for my taste and when the melodic singer was in focus I enjoyed the music more. When the other guy was singing…. Not for me.
Madonna
3/5
An EP of the best songs on here would have gotten a 5 from me but there’s just too much filler. The title track is the clear standout for me but Express Yourself and Pray for Spanish Eyes were also great. The duet with Prince was a fun surprise too. Since Madonna is only an ok singer for me the instrumentation was major in whether I liked a song or not and there were more I found “meh” than great. Would give a 3.5 if possible.
Muddy Waters
4/5
A glimpse of a master at work. This is the blues. Not at its most flashy but at its realest. Would have been great to be here. Not the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard so I’ll give it a 4.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I did not listen to this closely enough to give it a fair review but what I heard was interesting enough
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Gets a 4 for superstition alone. The rest of the songs were not strong enough to pull this up to a 5 for me. We’ll be hearing more from Stevie Wonder.
Beyoncé
4/5
A very good if not “classic” Beyoncé album in the sense that Lemonade is. For me this was one of the first albums we heard that was purely fun and no actual work to listen to which sometimes in life you just need. Rocket, Flawless, Partition are all great. Not the best performance by Jay z, drake, or Frank Ocean but their guest spots are all enjoyable. She really is a great singer.
King Crimson
4/5
This was very impressive and at its most impressive when I listened closely. These are fantastic musicians who take you on a journey with these songs. I don’t think this was the most accessible music in the world (although Kanye did famously sample the first track in Power) but like some jazz I don’t think it is supposed to be.. I would give this a 4.5 if I was able to
Guns N' Roses
5/5
This has to be one of the greatest debut albums of all time. What an entrance this band makes (too bad they could not really follow it up). Welcome to the Jungle is a powerful statement of who these guys are and might be the second best introductory track ever, after Good Times Bad Times. Here, Guns N Roses takes hard rock and makes it palatable through great melodies, exquisite guitar playing, and soaring vocals. Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine would both be some of the best songs by most other bands. I have not hear this album in a while but I was very impressed.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Not at all for me. I obviously did not understand the lyrics but I don't think that really made a difference here.
Otis Redding
5/5
Otis Redding has one of my favorite voices of all time. There is so much strength and passion in his singing and it shows on this album. The covers of "Change Gonna Come" and "Satisfaction" are both unbelievable and his version of Respect would probably be better remembered if Aretha did not take it from him forever. No bad song on here.
3/5
I can't believe we heard two albums by her before hearing one by the Rolling Stones, the Who, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Marvin Gaye, the Clash, or Bob Dylan. This is fine, but I have no clue what the makers of this list are getting out of PJ Harvey's music to put this on here to the exclusion of so much great hip-hop and R&b.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
This was nice and cute. The album definitely has a vibe to it, and the horn arrangements help to add a lot of texture to these songs. Was this the most exciting music I've ever heard? No. But this defintely feels like a real cohesive album with a vision. A stronger vocal would have made this a better album for me.
DJ Shadow
3/5
Meh. Probably carefully crafted but missing that X-factor that really lapels me love an album. Maybe it’s because I’m used to hearing rapping over beats.
SZA
4/5
This is a great album. You get a sense of who she is from the lyrics, there are some great grooves and production and I remember being wowed by this when it first came out. A true album sonically and conceptually. I didn't give it a higher score because I actually think it's too long. No song is bad, but by the end the songs start to sound similar to me as most of the songs have similar tempos/melody lines etc. So while it's not a super long album, I think it could cut a track or two.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The album marking Bruce's 21st century comeback. The Rising has many beautiful moments whether they are soaring with joy (Mary's Place) or devastatingly sad (You're Missing/ My City of Ruin). It captures a moment in time both lyrically and sonically. This is a very good album that will not get a 5 because the other albums of his on here are still a tier above. I also think that there are a few clunker tracks on here that could have been cut given the album's length in order to get a perfect score. However, I'm sure it was thrilling when this came out, as it marked a return for one of America's greatest rock and roll bands during a moment when they were sorely needed.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Meh. Nothing on here was terrible until we got to the song in Icelandic with the death metal vocals, but I did not love it. Sounds like the Go Gos a bit. I won’t be listening to this again.
The Police
4/5
A very good album with some of my favorite Police songs (Synchronicity II and Murder by Numbers). This album shows how much further musically they could have gone had they not broken up shortly afterwards which is a shame. But it is also possible they left at the top of their game. A couple of terrible songs like “Mother” kept this from being a 5.
Gang Of Four
4/5
This was a pretty fun listen. The lyrics were interesting and the drums were great. Not sure if ever listen again but there was a lot more happening musically than a lot of punk rock from this time.
Drive Like Jehu
1/5
I couldn’t make it past track two. Not fair to review.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
This is a decent rapper who I'd never heard of, but like many 90's hip-hop albums it has not aged well and I would not listen to it again. I did like the line about meeting at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop. This is my subway stop so I could really relate to that line alone.
Metallica
3/5
This was a cool project. I definitely does not deserve a spot on this list over other albums as it is more of a novelty than a true album, but some of the tracks were pretty epic with the addition of a full orchestra
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I don’t have anything original to say about this album, but it’s an easy 5. All songs but one are fantastic and the other one (songbird) is still very good. It has a totally unique sound.
Femi Kuti
4/5
I've never listened to Femi Kuti before, but I do like his father and the apple did not fall far from the tree. There were some funky tunes here and it was nice to have on as I worked. Was I as astounded as when I heard Fela's Expensive Shit? No but this was still very good music with some nice political themes.
Goldie
1/5
While this album is probably a good version of whatever it is supposed to be, it’s just not for me. I had it on in the background while I worked and forgot it was on most of the time. This is not a good thing.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Some very well mad music that I did not like. This stuff is clearly intricately crafted and sounds like science fiction but I did not really feel anything listening to it. The guitars in Route 66 sounds the same as in Doom And Gloom by The Rolling Stones, so maybe the Stones borrowed from this? It was a pretty unique cover.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
I had no issue with this album, but like a lot of late 80's/early 90's albums I don't think it aged well sonically. I wouldn't listen to this again, but I can see how teens at the time found it to be a fun album.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Like others we heard this week, it’s not bad but VERY 80s. I think the last 2 tracks were the strongest and stronger than the 2 hit songs which I already knew. There are some very Rich sonic textures here including a beautiful sax solo in “The Working Hour”. I’d give a 3.5 if possible.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Easy 5. Every song is an absolute banger and this plays like a greatest hits. Quincy and MJ really cooked up some fire on this one. Each song is distinct but the album feels cohesive. My favorites are PYT, Baby Be Mine, and Human Nature.
Anita Baker
3/5
Anita Baker does have a very good voice that takes from jazz and gospel and brings it into what was then contemporary R&B (especially well showcased on "Watch Your Step), but the whole album sounds incredibly dated. Unfortunately a lot of 80s albums just have not aged well and though this is not her fault, it's very noticeable throughout. On the positive side I do respect the 8 track length and the cohesive vibe created here. No track is out of place or a waste of time, but I don't think I'd listen to this again
The Soft Boys
3/5
No real issue with this, but I didn't see what was so special or groundbreaking about it either. Sounds a bit like the Byrds in the punk era to me with some Beatles and Ramones influences involved as well.
Nas
5/5
A stark and brutal portrait of Queensbridge in the early 1990s. Nas absolutely raps his ass off like he knows this could be his ticket out. He tells stories at such a rapid clip that it was hard for me to keep up at times and that he wrote this at 20 years old is simply astounding. The eerie beats enhance the mood of this album and parallel the lyrics well (the sample of "human nature" at the end of this album was fun to hear so close to Thriller though the context was completely different). I'm fairly confident there is no Kendrick Lamar without this album, as I lots that likely influenced Kendrick here.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Meh. I must be missing something about this guy because I don’t see what is outstanding here. It’s certainly way better than his punk band’s album but that’s not really saying much. The second disc is better than the first. He also sounds like Eddie Vedder to me.
Elvis Presley
4/5
An album on this list more for its importance than how it sounds today. While it was revolutionary at the time of its release, today it sounds quaint and like a relic of another time. We do get tastes of all of the genres that influenced Elvis and together create rock and roll (blues, country, rockabilly, gospel etc.) along with some covers of early rock and roll songs, so In that sense it is an excellent historical document. I found it interesting that there is only one of Elvis’ many hits on this album. Aside from Blue Suede Shoes there are no hits! At least none that are still hits in 2022.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I liked this album but not enough to listen again. It sounded a lot like David Bowie and got better with each listen, but I don’t really see what’s special about it. Another British 90s album which could have been cut in favor of a far more relevant Black artist.
Wilco
5/5
I never heard this before and really enjoyed this album. It felt like a more modern version of Exile on Main Street, in that you can hear alternative rock, country, folk, and bluesy numbers all back to back (plus “Monday” sounds like it could have actually been on Exile). This album was a great blend of different types of American music and kept me engaged. Plus Hotel Arizona sounds like our song Cracked at the end. I will be checking out more Wilco music.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
An easy 5 stars. This album is simply stunning. Here Kendrick takes the seeds planted by Nas on Illmatic and grows them into an epic story of a night out with friends gone very wrong. From the moment we hear the beat drop on "Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe" we know we are in for something special, and the rest of the album does not disappoint. The lyricism is excellent, the beats underneath are dynamic, and the features are top tier (Jay rock's verse on "Money Trees" sums up the themes of most hip hop songs in 1 minute and is prefect). Additionally, these songs work well on their own, but combine into an epic rap opera with a rich narrative and well written characters (Kendrick rapping fro mthe perspective of3 different characters in "Sing about me" is always impressive. This is one of the best albums of all time.
Don McLean
4/5
This was pretty good but the two songs I already knew were much better than the rest. It could honestly be a familiarity bias so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I did not realize for years that he was singing about the history of rock and roll in the title track but once I learned this and reread the lyrics I was pretty blown away.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Nice music to wake up to. Don’t have many reference points here but these are obviously skilled musicians.
Death In Vegas
2/5
Not the wiliest thing I’ve ever heard but I didn’t like it. I’m just not really sure who this stuff is for and would need a fan to explain it to me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I’d never actually heard this in full before and it was very impressive. I enjoyed it more the second time I listened once I better understood the story which was devastating. I do think it’s funny that a lot of the songs were basically disco or musical theater but were probably beloved by those who “hated” those genres. Another Brick Part 1 was my favorite . Would give a 4.5 if possible.
New Order
4/5
I’d never actually heard this in full before and it was very impressive. I enjoyed it more the second time I listened once I better understood the story which was devastating. I do think it’s funny that a lot of the songs were basically disco or musical theater but were probably beloved by those who “hated” those genres. Another Brick Part 1 was my favorite . Would give a 4.5 if possible.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
This was a cute little album, but not one I think is essential to listen to. The other Belle and Sebastian album we heard was better. Again this choice shows the biases of the list makers.
Paul Simon
4/5
On this album we get concise storytelling and a diverse group of sounds and influences. None of it sounds out of place however. The panpipes in "Duncan" should be a lot more jarring next to the folk strumming on "Everything Falls Apart" or the jazz basslines of "Run That Body Down" but it doesn't! The world music sound he utilize on Graceland is forsehadowed here. Also the two big hits are fantastic, I've heard them both many times before but I enjoy them each time I hear them. The sparseness of many of the arrangements is striking and there were a lot of unsettling moments of quiet, but for someone who just left one of the most successful musical duos of all time maybe that was the point.
Deep Purple
4/5
A pretty good album at the crossroads of hard rock and psychedelia. I liked it a lot but don't think anything here is better than what Led Zeppelin or black Sabbath does. Highway Star is a lot of fun, and of course the album has the most learned riff in rock history (besides seven nation army) so that's gotta count for something.
Air
2/5
Meh. Not very exciting or interesting to me. not offensive either. Would give a 2.5.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Another "fine" album from an 80s group that tells me more about the list makers than popular music. No reason why this should be on here over any Drake, Rihanna or OutKast album
The Smiths
4/5
a better version of what we heard yesterday, but not really my personal taste. I'd give it a 3.5 if possible but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Supergrass
4/5
I hear elements of the Revolver-era Beatles, Oasis, Stones, and Tom Petty in this. Nothing groundbreaking in here, but this is a solid rock and roll album. G-love was my favorite track on here. Essential? No. But at least it’s good.
Louis Prima
4/5
I read on Wikipedia that the intention here was to preserve the feeling of his live Vegas show and I think they was done well. Louis Prima has a unique voice and is quite charming. Also, Jump, Jive, an’ Wail, gives us the bridge between big band era jazz and early rock and roll and shows us the similarities between them.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
I'm not sure what to make of this exactly. It's very different from the jazz album we heard yesterday and even more different from anything else we heard as a part of this project. I had this on while I worked and it was a good companion as it did not distract me too much. However, I don't think I would be able to just sit and listen to this for its full 70 minute run time.
Cee Lo Green
5/5
Excellent. This is the first album we heard since Thriller (and one of the only in this whole process) that was pure fun to listen to. While I have respect for lots of grandiose music, there is also a time and a place for music that is just a lot of fun. There are several bangers on here (the songs with Timbaland, Ludacris, and T.I. in particular) and the fusion of upbeat R&B with hip-hop was really great. Cee-Lo was singing and rapping a decade before Drake made it mainstream and is a legitimately good singer (Sorry Aubrey). I never heard this before but will be listening again.
Van Morrison
5/5
Just an unbelievable album and one of the best "vibe" albums of all time. Van Morrison and his band take you on a musical journey which at times feels both timeless and otherworldly. While clearly influential on Bruce's The wild, the Innocent I can't think of anything else that sounds like it. The fusion of folk, jazz, soul, rock, and pop is simply remarkable and his voice is not bad either. Easy 5.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
While this album grew on me the more I listened to it, it was a snoozer overall. This might just be a preference, but I do not love synth-based music. I feel like this lacked any real groove, soul or melody. Some of the songs were long enough to create the impression of a groove or jam, but I'm not sure this was truly achieved. "I Want to Wake Up" and "Rent" were exceptions to that for me, as both did a pretty gtood job creating an atmosphere, but the rest didn't do much for me. The singing was unimpressive too. I'm not sure what the setting for this music is. Is it to dance to? Is it to listen to alone? Very 80's new-wave but not for me.
Leftfield
1/5
Nope. Shouldn't be here.
The Pogues
3/5
I can see why someone who loves both irish music and punk would like this, but it's really not for me. I'd give a 2.5 if possible but I'll be generous.
Rod Stewart
3/5
I have never heard this in full before and thought this was fine, verging on good. My favorite tracks were Mandolin Wind and Maggie May. Honestly I don't think I like Rod Stewart's voice very much. I'd much rather hear Mick Jagger.
Soundgarden
4/5
Very solid hard rock/grunge. This sounds like a Blueprint for foo fighters but with more sonic texture. Chris Cornell has a pretty astounding voice. While this album was not really my personal preference, if was definitely well made if a few tracks too long. Black Hole sun was the only one I knew before and it seems pretty obvious why when I listen to the album in full.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Cheap Thrills shows us why, even with a tragically short career, Janis Joplin will always be in the conversation for best singer in rock history. She exudes raw power with her screams but also has some tender moments here too. The band is pretty great too, while this is not the most complex stuff, the band is dynamic and supports Joplin well throughout the album. "Piece of My Heart" is a rock classic that is still great every time I hear it and "Summertime" was a cool reinterpretation of a standard. The one thing I could have lived without was the fake crowd noise inserted here.
4/5
This was much better than I expected it to be. A lot of this album sounded like a more modern version of U2 and I thought the production was very strong. Like U2 though I felt like some of it was a little too "over the top" and forced sounding especially towards the end of the album.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Bongo Rock might be the funniest album title we've gotten so far. This was a fun listen, but not something that I would need to go back and hear again. I think there is much better funk out there.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I did not really know what to make of this. It has some beautiful moments but was overall just a bit too dreary for me. I liked the country-influenced tracks at the end most of all. Not sure why this is here, I'd put different albums from 2021.
David Bowie
5/5
I cannot believe it, but I'm going to give this David Bowie album a 5. Despite the roasting this album gets in the beginning of Parliament's Mothership Connection David Bowie, with the help of a Beatle, put together a great rock/funk fusion on this album. These songs are catchy, and very well produced. I already knew ("Young Americans" is a great opener and "Fame" is a lot of fun") and liked the hits but had never heard "Fascination" before and thought it was a great track. As an aside I think its pretty interesting that John Lennon personally appeared on two covers of his own songs (Across the Universe here and Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky"). I'd listen to this again.
Def Leppard
3/5
I view Def Leppard as the band closest to the border of “good” vs “bad” classic rock, but on the bad side (I think Van Halen is closest to this border on the good side). Some of these songs are fun to listen to, but a lot of it is too over the top for me and I’d rather just hear AC/DC. They do bring some welcome melody to this type of music, but it all feels so dated and corny.
The Verve
4/5
Sometimes there is more to a one hit wonder then you think. This was good and reminded me a lot of Oasis in that it took 1960s sounds and modernized them for the 1990s (though less pop and more Pavement than Oasis). I enjoyed it.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
What an efficient 26 minutes. The entire blueprint for 60s rock and roll is here in one great collection. Buddy Holly was not the first rock and roller but he was one of the best (actually writing many of his own songs) and it’s tragic that we will never how how he would have grown as an artist over the course of his life. I do however find it astounding that Not Fade Away was track 2 instead of the final song here. What a missed opportunity.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Fine. Not much to say about this except I assume it was big in England?
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
Listening to this is hearing a master of their art form at work. Personal issues aside, Jerry Lee Lewis is excellent on this record. Great Balls of Fire and Long Tall Sally are two of my favorite early rock and roll songs and these versions are great. There’s a reason he’s called the killer as some of this stuff goes harder than anything Metallica ever recorded.
The Black Crowes
4/5
I had never heard this in full before and while. I think it was very good, I think it falls just short of the 5 star tier. It was fun, but it was really just an updated Exile on Main Street or Sticky Fingers. It's kind of funny to hear American music refracted back through the Rolling Stones but it really sounds like they were a huge influence on this albums. I was really wowed by "Sister Luck" and think they'd put on a good concert.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I think if I had more time with this album it would get to a 5. I like his other two albums but had never heard this one until today and must have missed it when it came out. It was fun to hear something so modern but it also had a pretty classic bluesy and soulful sound.
The Auteurs
3/5
Not bad, but not great either. This is another British album taking up space on this list with so few r&b, rap, or country albums
Erykah Badu
5/5
A great album and one I’d say is one of a kind except I think it works well as the sister companion to D’angelo’s Voodoo. There are a diverse array of sounds on here but the project feels cohesive overall in the way it mixes jazz, soul, hip hop and rock. Really special.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Positives: This had the best guitar solos I think I've ever heard on a R&B album. I mean wow, That Lady and Summer Breeze blew me away. (It was hard to hear That Lady and not think of Kendrick's "i" if I'm being honest). The Doobie Brothers Cover was also great (For more great covers check out their album Givin it Back. The vocals were great but for me it was more awesome for me to hear an R&B/Funk band do the extended jamming we hear on this album. I wish that was the whole album Negatives: Some of the slower songs were pretty boring and unremarkable to me. After the lift off of "That Lady", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" was a huge leftdown. Overall: The highs on this album were very high for me but the lows were pretty low. There are songs I'm bookmarking and songs I never need to hear again in my life.
The Hives
2/5
This was a LOT for a Monday morning and it was not an album. Having said that it was solid garage rock. I will only give it a two out of five since it is not a proper album but it wasn’t bad.
Donovan
3/5
This was nice and gentle, but nothing really wowed me. It was cool to hear the psychadelic/folk fusion. Donavan went to India with the Beatles and taught them fingerpicked and His influence on the White Album is clear. The hits were the true highlights and while not every song Is my taste this album definitely deserves a spot here.
Maxwell
5/5
If Mamas Gun was the companion to Voodoo this is the precursor. Jazz influenced R&B which feels both classic and modern at the same time. The title perfectly describes what we hear, as the songs flow seamlessly into each other. My only criticism is that some of the songs are a little too similar to each other but overall this is a great album.
Linkin Park
2/5
I get that this is a big group in 2000s “rock” but it’s not for me. Too many songs sound the same and it lacks soul.
John Grant
3/5
Unremarkable singer-songwriter album. I'm sure if I was a bigger lyrics person I'd appreciate it more but I can't really tell why it would be on a list like this, Track 9 was a little to explicit and direct. Like we get it, conservative christians are full of shit but you don't need to actually say all of the slurs.
Frank Ocean
5/5
One of the best albums of the 2010s. Channel Orange was one of the first major albums to openly discuss same-sex relationships sounded fantastic at the same time. Thinkin Bout You is beautiful, Super Rich Kids is good commentary, and Pyramids is an absolute epic. Plus this may be the only time we hear John Mayer on this list and he provides two excellent guitar solos (White and Pyramids). Frank Ocean delivered a classic on his debut and it's a shame that his music was never really this focused again.
Miles Davis
4/5
Evocative of a specific time and place in American history, this album features great musicians collaborating with each other but for me is not more than music to have in the background. That likely has nothing to do with them and everything to do with me, who did not grow up listening to this kind of music. You can't deny the talent.
Gene Clark
5/5
Never heard this before but was really impressed. There was a beautiful and sweeping fusion of rock, country, and folk. The guitars on "Strength of Strings" was really phenomenal. It really says a lot about the Byrds that Gene Clark the 3rd best-known member. Reminded me of the Stephen Stills album we heard.
Dr. John
3/5
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. On paper I should have loved a psychedelic New Orleans album from the late 60s but it was just a little too scattered for me. I think maybe because there weren’t many strong Melodies to hook me in?
Q-Tip
4/5
Really well produced. Loved the Norah Jones feature and "dancing machine" sample. It's always interesting to hear albums by a rapper/producer because they have a strong musical sense and that was clear here. I'd give this a 4.5 if it were possible. Pretty funny that this is here but not Tha Carter III, 808s and heartbreak or Paper Trail
Blur
3/5
This just sounded like a David Bowie album with crisper production . I don't think there was anything particularly unique about this album though it had some nice guitar parts, harmonies and dancey sections. I did not come away from this understanding how this could be someone's favorite band or album. The Beatles ("End of a Century" sounds like it could have been on Sgt. Pepper), the Kinks, Bowie ("Jubilee" sounds a LOT like "Suffragette City") The Clash, Elvis Costello ("Tracy Jacks" sounds like "Pump it Up") and Oasis already exist. I already thought that Oasis was the much better Beatles-inspired band from this time and if this is the best album Blur has to offer then my opinion has been reaffirmed. Again, not bad by any means but not "Great". I did not hate it but could happily live the rest of my life never hearing this again, which I feel is a telling statement about how good this was. Would give a 3.5 if possible.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Sounds a lot like the Killers meeting the Talking Heads. The single is the clear highlight here. What happened to this band?
Also the Dark of Matine sounds like Hava Nagila
The Replacements
4/5
Sounds like the clash, Black flag, and Lou reed all fused into one. Not my personal preference but clearly a good album with amusing lyrics and emotional highs and lows. I’ll probably never listen again but I could see why someone else would.
Richard Thompson
2/5
I did not like this. Some songs were fine, but some of them almost feel like musical theater -versions of irish folk songs (I found "Poor little Beggar Girl" particularly unbearable). Honestly I hated Linda Thompson's voice and all the songs I liked best were sung by Richard. I always have heard that he is an amazing guitarist, but you would not know it from this album. The live tracks at the end of the Spotify version do showcase that a bit, but those versions are not actually on the album so they don't count and can't raise the score. Some of it is pretty beautiful but not enough for me to give this album a good rating or want to listen to it even again.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Probably my 3rd or 4th favorite Stones album but a 5 nonetheless. A love letter to their influences, Exile gives us great blues, country, spill, and old fashioned rock and roll songs but it’s still the Stones and these guys are not messing around. My personal favorites are Shine A Light, Tumbling Dice, All down the Line and Sweet Virginia.
Neu!
3/5
Background music. Taking up space on this list.
Paul Weller
3/5
Sounds like a latter day Eric Clapton and like a classic rock album made in the 90s. It was pretty solid but I can’t say it was exceptional or why it would be on this list.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
This is my least favorite of the country albums we’ve heard so far. Waylon Jennings has some music but this collection sounds pretty unremarkable to me.
Rufus Wainwright
1/5
I found the beginning of this so insufferable that I did not listen to the full album. If anyone gives this a 5 I’ll give it a full shot.
Johnny Cash
4/5
This was good but I don’t think this list needs both this and live at Folsom prison. I’d swap it out with one of Johnny cash’s American Recordings albums. It’s cool that Carl Perkins is on here too.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Not my favorite RHCP album (probably stadium Arcadium) but an easy 5. This contains banger after banger and honestly sounds like it could have come out any year between its release in 2000 and today. I just listened ti an interview with John Frusciante who said that on this album he tried to create more space in his guitar playing and you can hear that in the dominance of Flea’s bass throughout.
a-ha
4/5
I liked this much more than I expected to. While this type of synth pop is not my sonic preference, it was very well executed. "The Sun Always Shines" sounds like it influenced U2's "Beautiful Day", and a listen to The Weeknd's "Dawn FM" shows how influential A-ha's sound still is. They are more than their 1 hit. I'd give this 3.5 if I could, but I'm feeling generous today.
Deep Purple
3/5
The definition of a classic rock live album. Gratuitous as hell. Flashy guitar solos ajd long (too long for me) drum solos. I think I preferred the studio versions of these songs though I do enjoy a long jam. I think maybe being at this show would have improved the listening experience a lot for me. Pretty wild they we heard two deep purple albums before anything by The Who, Led Zeppelin or bob dylan
Scott Walker
3/5
Very 60s but a little too schmaltzy for me. I can see this as music used in a Quinten Tarantino soundtrack. I did enjoy the first track which was just a retelling of the plot of the seventh seal which I watched in my high school film class.
AC/DC
5/5
Perfect for what it is. Is it the "best" music we've heard? Of Course not. But its AC/DC. It kicks ass. Highway to Hell is one of my favorite pure rock tracks (and riffs) of all time and it doesn't get much better.
The La's
3/5
Fine 80s pop-rock. Not bad but not exceptional. Maybe if I grew up listening to this I’d like to more.
Missy Elliott
5/5
Wow. How did this come out in 1997 am still sound like the future in 2022? The production and rapping were both great and it clearly influenced everyone from OutKast to Drake who pushed hip hop to be more ambitious as a genre. And this was a debut album?! Extremely bold but it works! I never heard this before and will need to relisten to fully grasp it all.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
My least favorite of the early rock and roll records we’ve heard so far. It was fine, but nothing spectacular about it.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I apologize in advance but I could not get to a 5 on this. I'm sure it is one of thew most "important" albums of all time for the way it changed the direction of rock (and pop) music, but it just did not sound very great. "Like A Rolling Stone" is obviously one of the most important songs of all time, and "Desolation Row" is impressive but I didn't think the other songs reached that tier. Bob Dylan certainly has several 5 star albums, this just isn't one for me. To get a five an album needs to make me feel something and this one just..doesn't. Too many rambling lyrics that are frankly inaccessible to me.
Prince
4/5
This was pretty good but like most double albums there were some songs I’d cut. My favorite was “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man”. I’m surprised it was remastered to recently as the whole album sounded a bit tinny to me.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Fine but not particularly memorable. I can see how this influenced a lot of indie rock that came afterwards.
Sparks
2/5
This was not for me. It sounded too much like musical theater. The guitar solos were actually great but they did not seem to fit the rest of the album. The singing was bad, and sounded only slightly better than Yoko. I will almost certainly never listen to this ever again.
Pixies
3/5
Given that this album came out in 1988 I have to assume that this album had a large influence on Nirvana and other 90s bands. It also sounded like it might have been an influence on the rock-side of the White Stripes. With the exception of "Where is my mind" which I already knew, I can't say that I really like what I heard here. Both of the singers are bad and the sound is just a bit too low-fi for me to really enjoy.
CHIC
4/5
An album where the first song (and single) is worlds better than anything else that comes later. This was a fun dance/disco album and I can see why Daft Punk remade this sound on "Get Lucky". The production was really great, with great grooves to keep you dancing, but the slow songs did feel jarring given how the album begins. "Good Times" is fun, and while long did not feel obnoxious to me. I can tell why that song is still played on dance floors everywhere. Overall thought I was not moved by this album and did not find it exceptional.
I'd give this a 3.5 if possible.
The Killers
4/5
I actually never heard most of this album before as far as I can remember. I thought it was a pretty solid pop-rock album overall. The hits are all good songs even if Mr. Brightside is completely overplayed today. Some of it is definitely over the top and I think Sam’s Town is a better album (not sure if that’s on here or not) but I liked it. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
The Doors
4/5
The songs on here seem to be bluesy or trippy but not both making it an inconsistent listen as compared to the debut album. It was good but not great (like that debut album). I’d give it a 3.5 is possible.
PJ Harvey
4/5
This rocked. While harsh in some spots, I think it was maybe my favorite PJ Harvey album we've heard, and we've heard a lot! Cool thrash guitar parts.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I assume his first two albums are on here and those will get 5s. This one is not quite there for me but maybe it’s just because I never heard any of these songs before. My favorite was “You Tripped At Every Step”.
Elton John
5/5
What an exceptional opening to an album. Wow. I wish the whole thing was as good as the first few tracks (funeral for a friend through the title track) but it started to wane for me. Saturdays alright brought me back though and This should still get a 5.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Rolling Stone lists this as the best country album of all time. I haven’t listened to enough country albums in full to know if I agree but I can certainly understand why it’s listed so high. There were a lot of well written songs here which told concise personal stories (especially the title track). I can also see why Dolly Parton is considered the Queen. I’m sure this was a very influential albums to lots of later country artists, and singer songwriters.
The Cars
5/5
Wow this was like a greatest hits. Just banger after power pop banger. I thought this was extremely well executed and a lot of fun to listen to. While some of it sounds a bit dated the album is cohesive and just has too many hits to argue with.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Having only one day with this album was tough. It’s soo long. There are definitely a few good songs on here but I think lots of it could have been cut or this could have been two or three different albums. The vocals sounded really low in the mix which I found interesting. Almost like he was trying to hide. I feel bad only giving it a 3 without feeling like I gave it a full chance but I also don’t really feel any desire to hear any of it again asides from 1979.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Not my favorite musically, but still a five. This is a really impressive first album with Pearl Jam debuting themselves to the public fully formed and at the top of their game. There is some really great guitar playing on here and Eddie Vedder's personality is pretty magnetic. Another album that could function as a greatest hits.
David Bowie
5/5
Wow, this was a cool album. I'm not sure how often I'd listen to this again but it was extremely well executed. It's always satisfying when someone can still make great art later in their career and Bowie certainly deserves a place on the list of those who can do that. The fact that he made this knowing he was dying gives the whole thing an eerie feeling. My favorite track was Lazurus, but I loved the ambition on display throughout the album.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Pretty cool that this is essentially a collaboration album between Iggy Pop and David Bowie. You can definitely hear Bowie's influence all over this, as Iggy Pop's punk rawness has been softened slightly to fit some more melodic tunes. I won't be listening to this again most likely but it was well made with lots of different sounding songs yet having a cohesive feel throughout.
The Yardbirds
2/5
Just not very good. I can see the appeal of this to a British person in 1966 but in 2022 you can access real American blues very easily. This is missing lots of the soul and pain found in the actual blues music. Jeff Beck of course has some nice guitar parts (especially on “Jeff’s Boogie”) but it’s just not enough to save this album.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
I was really impressed by this album. Ghostface is a great rapper still interested in showing off his skills 15 years into his career on FishScale. The soul-based production was great too. I could always do without the skits on a rap album and would have made it shorter but I will listen to this again for sure. Fun fact: He did a concert at Vassar when I was there and went on earlier than scheduled bc he was already there and wanted to leave lol.
Various Artists
3/5
This one only took one listen to get. Fun versions of Christmas songs that sound like anything else Phil Spector produced during this period. This turning of classics into "modern" sounding songs might have been more fun when this came out if it wasn't the day JFK was assassinated.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Just excellent all around. Pink Floyd here took what the Beatles did on Abbey Road and pushed it to the next level. There are multiple singers and songwriters but it all feels cohesive, the instrumentation is perfectly executed (loved the sax on us and them and they keys and guitar on any coloring you like), and the whole thing feels epic without going over the top. This was one of my fist close listens to this album alll the way through and it’s an easy 5.
Brian Eno
1/5
A full album of drums/space? No thank you
The Doors
4/5
A good album, but it's missing what's special about the Doors until the final track. When the keyboard/organ comes in in "Riders on the Storm" we get what we came for. It's fine with me that they also wanted to do other things musically, but that track is the clear standout for me.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This album, full of heavy hitters, has to be one of Dylan's best. "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", "Masters of War", "Blowin in the Wind" are some of the greatest songs of all time and all three are on here. The lyrics are fantastic and the sound uniquely his own. I do think the second half begins to lag a bit, but the first half is so strong that this remains an easy 5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Excellent from start to finish. My favorites are The Beat, (I don’t want to) Go to Chelsea, and Little Triggers. It still sounds modern while retaining the same base in 50s and 60s rock found in the debut album, which if on here will be getting a 5 from me too.
Yes
3/5
Proficient yet pretty inaccessible to me. These guys are obviously great musicians but I didnt really feel anything listening to this. Close to the Edge is better.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
This was fine. I have no real complaints, but why was it on here? I feel like Jeff Buckley does a much better version of the same thing but maybe I’m missing context?
Television
5/5
Never heard this album before and it was fantastic and maybe the first post-punk album we’ve listened to that I really loved. The vocalist seems to bridge the tone and eras of Mick Jagger and Stephen Malkmus and the guitarist is absolutely on fire. I do remember Jay’s Marquee Moon story so this of course made me think of that, but wow what an epic song.
The National
1/5
Boring and morose. I prefer his/their work with Taylor Swift.
Doves
3/5
Fine but definitely not exceptional and another waste of a slot on a list like this. It sounds like Coldplay but it’s not Coldplay. Again, with so many rap, r&b, and country albums missing this shouldn’t be here.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Fine disco. The hits were great and the rest were fine. I’m not angry that I heard this but I don’t think I’d ever put it on again.
Kate Bush
4/5
A well put together album, though some of it was a little too out there for me. However, this must have been very Influential to many artists who came afterwards in synth pop, indie rock and maybe even electronic dance music?
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Not sure how to give this a fair score
Pixies
2/5
Enough of this kind of music. Worst pixies album we have heard so far and I think we heard 3.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
A nice collection of 60s pop songs. It was an easy listen with California Dreaming being the clear standout track (though I liked straight shooter too). I’d give this a 3.5 if possible.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This may be the pettiest album I've ever heard. The whole concept is hillarious and the music is good! Maybe a little long.
Common
4/5
A really well made neo-soul/rap fusion. You can tell that this was made in the same sessions as Dangelo’s Voodoo just from listening to it. The horns on “cold blooded” were awesome and “Funky for you” was a highlight for me. Jarring to hear Common, of all rappers, use an anti gay slur given what he is today. Not quite a 5 but very good.
Tom Waits
1/5
This was bad. Maybe if you were there you’d be charmed by his presence. Just a total slog all the way through for me.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
A good showcase of her talents, I think her self-titled second album is better.
4/5
An interesting and very British concept album. While I enjoyed it the more I listened to it (especially “Victoria”, “Mr Churchill Says” and “Australia”) a lot of it felt like a Sgt. Pepper knock off. Why listen to a Beatles album with weaker Melodie’s when you can hear the real thing?
Air
3/5
I thought this was better than the other album of theirs that we heard, but it’s not something I’d put on again. It sounded like the drumming was done live in the studio which sounded very cool with the electronic music on top of it.
Coldplay
4/5
This is a nice collection of songs and introduction to this band. I think their only 5 star album might be viva la vida or a rush of cold blood to the head, but not sure if either are on here.
Bauhaus
3/5
I liked this album more than I expected to. Reminds me of joy division/new order. did not care for the tracks with talking.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Very strange and very 60s. At times it sounded Like a psychedelic Howlin Wolf but also sounds like early Dead on the blues songs.
The Stranglers
3/5
The first song sounds like the Doors. Lots of sexism in the lyrics. Maybe they are doing some commentary? But if not it’s concerning. This was fine and I could have been fine never having heard it.
The White Stripes
4/5
I did not love this as much as I expected to if I'm being honest. I really like Jack White but this album feels pretty scattered. I really liked all three of the songs listed on my fav tracks (guitar on "Ball and a Biscuit" is scortching!) but I didn't love most of the others. While Jack White brings grerat energy to the table and gave a us a riff for the ages to open this album, there was no one to balance him out like Brendan Benson does with The Raconteurs (my favorite project of Jack White's). I really hated Meg's singing and felt like some of the songs on this album could have been cut to give it punky and "in your face" brevity. At the same time, it's hard to think of a rock song more influential than Seven Nation Army since 2003 and I have to give credit for that. I also am now curious to go back and listen to more White Stripes so my interest was certainly piqued.
Tim Buckley
5/5
I thought this was really strong top to bottom. He had great presence and the band did a great job keeping the songs interesting musically. Better than the other Tim Buckley album we heard, which I also liked.
TLC
4/5
This album was a fun change of pace and I had never heard the whole thing before today. It was a nice fusion of hip-hop and R&B, and "case of the Fake People" confirms my suspicion that it influenced Drake, one of the most important artists of the 2010s. The hits (Creep and Waterfalls) are really great, but there is filler (like the Busta Rhymes interlude) that I would have cut. I was thrilled by the surprise Andre 3000 feature on the last track. Hopefully some Outkast is on this list.
Billy Bragg
5/5
This album was an ambitious concept that was well executed. To take the scraps of someone else's unfinished work and to turn it into something that sounds simultaneously modern and classic is not an easy thing to do. The one critique might be that a lot of this just sounds like a Wilco album, but I liked the other Wilco album a lot. Maybe if I knew more Woody Guthrie songs I'd feel more qualified to judge the execution but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt in my score. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Barry Adamson
2/5
A imaginary soundtrack is a n interesting concept. The Miles Davis track was my favorite. The others…not so much.
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
If you like rock and blues influenced guitar playing, I have the album for you. Here two of the GOATs united for one glorious celebration of the instruments and the songs are not bad either. Favorites: bell bottom
Blues, keep on growing, why does love got to be so sad, and of course Layla. Clapton’s second best work (after Blind Faith).
Ozomatli
4/5
This was one of the most unique albums we've heard so far. It featured a variety of sounds, genres, and languages yet nothing sounded out of place. Parts reminded me of the Roots, Santana, the Black Eyed Peas among others but the album still had a cohesive feel. I wish some of the melodies were stronger.
Jurassic 5
4/5
These guys are very good rappers. The production was solid as well and only 6 or so of the 17 tracks were explicit which in rap it’s pretty unique. I’m not sure how often I’d really listen to this again but it was well crafted.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Not really for me, but you can’t deny the richness and quality of her voice. Though she died young her voice has a very aged/experienced texture.
OutKast
4/5
Another double album that could he a five with some trimming. Really two solo albums that diverge in sound, style, and approach, we get some great songs surrounded by some crap. The intro to Roses still hits, Bowtie is a lot of fun, Jay Z’s too short verse on flip flop rock is great, and Andre 3000 shows why he’s considered a creative genius throughout, though I wish he rapped more. It’s kind of sad to hear Big Boi repeat over and over again that there’s no issue with him and Andre knowing that they would only make one more album together after this. This is the most recent rap album to win album of the year at the Grammys. Probably bc there not much rapping on it.
Sebadoh
3/5
Meh not really for me. This was fine, and sounds like a less poppy Nirvana which makes sense given they they shared a label. I thought the first half was stronger than the second half.
Duke Ellington
4/5
I’m certainly not the audience for this so it is hard to fairly assess it. It doesn’t feel particularly progressive given what Miles Davis was doing at the same time, but my jazz knowledge is pretty limited. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Eminem
4/5
This was so much that it was difficult to process. On the positive side, the beats were great and it is clear why Eminem is considered one of the best rappers ever. "Stan" is an incredible song, and throughout the album Eminem rightly points out a lot of society's hypocrisy in caring more about song lyrics than violent imagery in movies or actions of their President. BUT, these are not just any explicit lyrics, they are REALLY explicit, disturbing and sometimes just go too far. There's a way to do satire subtly or make points without constantly resorting to shock value. Of course all of the lines about gay people, people with mental disabilities aged horribly, but I still think it must have been offensive for the year 2000 too.
Common
5/5
When people say they “miss the old Kanye” THIS is what they are talking about, even if this album is technically Common’s. The soulful production sounds great rather than dated and the social commentary and songs like “Love Is” give us the opposite experience from the Marshall Mathers LP. Hip hop can be a beautiful genre as this album, and later work by Chance the rapper (clearly inspired by this and samples it) shows. Would give 4.5 if I could but what the hell.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
We’ve all heard 60s rock incorporating elements of Indian music, but I’ve never heard the reverse until now. This was interesting, but at its best on the songs that were not rock covers. I’m glad I heard this, but would not listen again.
Fishbone
2/5
There were too many sounds on this album. I think it’s cool that Fishbone could play so many styles of music well but I don’t think this flowed well as an album at all. Maybe more listens would lead this to grow on me, as the songs on their own are decent but it felt like a slog to get through for a 40 min album with the punk parts being my least favorite.
Mudhoney
3/5
I like what this album likely did for music more than the album itself. Pre-grunge seems like an accurate description. Maybe this would have been fun to see live? But I likely would be too scared to be smacked around. There is definitely sincerity here though.
John Coltrane
5/5
Magnificent. One large flowing and vibrant piece of music over 4 Parts. Really excellent stuff. Feels superhuman and like it may have influence psychedelic rock given its year of release?
Michael Jackson
4/5
When I started listening to this album today I thought I’d wind up giving it a 5 but then after the first half it got…boring. This was maybe one of the most front loaded albums I’ve ever heard. The production on the first half is exceptional, and exciting to listen to over 40 years later but the second half was sappy, corny and forgettable, which is a crazy thing to say about Michael Jackson.
Beatles
5/5
Probably my easiest 5 thus far. One of my top ten albums of all time and one can’t even imagine hearing for the first time in 1966. Two years after “She Loves You” the Beatles were doing THIS? Astounding. More melodic and revolutionary than Sgt. Pepper and more adventurous than Rubber Soul, Revolver shows the Beatles at the peak of their creative collaboration. Each songwriter is bringing absolute heaters to the table here. I tried to list my favorite songs on here but could not decide. I wish we could have had cameras in the studio for the making of this masterpiece.
Massive Attack
3/5
Lots of people seem to be calling this vibes music. I think that’s fair. It’s kind of background music even when lyrics are happening. Well produced but not memorable.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Probably too ambitious for its own good. Unless so little thought was put into this that it became a sound collage. I can't tell which scenario is more likely. I like the section with "And We Bid You Goodnight" because the Grateful Dead do this song too and it was nice to latch on to something familiar while listening to this album. Would not listen again.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
An absolute classic. As much as I’ve heard it, the end of “Stairway to Heaven” is simply exceptional and one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded. Here we have white Brits playing the blues, but bringing something truly original to it and taking the genres of both blues and rock further. The rest of the tracks are pretty great too.
The Specials
3/5
I feel like this must have influenced the Clash and the Police greatly, but it isn't exceptional on its own. The fusion of rock and reggae into ska can very easily verge into corny territory, this one does not do so but there are times where it got close. This really should get a 3.5 if possible as I’m totally stuck between scores.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Fine as background music and as a dreamscape. Could I ever listen to this focused on it? Probably not.
Silver Jews
2/5
A fine album that has no place being on this list. What is essential about this? Why should this be on here and not Drake, lil Wayne, future, most Grateful Dead albums, etc. the pedal steel was nice when used. And good band name.
Roxy Music
4/5
An ambitious and creative record, but one that I’d think is inaccessible to most people. You can definitely hear the Bowie and early rock and roll influences on this group (Remake/remodel is a good example)
The Cure
4/5
I think a great album creates its own world and I do feel like that was done by the cure here. There is a consistent and cohesive sound throughout, but one that felt more like background music to me. Maybe if I was more of a lyrics person I would have paid greater attention to what was being said here. It was fine to have on while I worked but at no point did I compelled to stop working and just listen, which all of the 5 star rated albums made me do if I was working while it played.
Little Richard
5/5
They don’t call Little Richard the architect of rock and roll for nothing. Just a fantastic performance on this album and one I wish I could have seen live in his prime. His voice is so powerful and the energy is high throughout. Is it truly an exceptional album? Not in 2023, but when this first came out I bet it rocked people's world. 4.5 if I could.
Motörhead
3/5
I found this to be a pretty unexceptional live album and see no reason why this needed to be included here. The songs I knew didn’t sound very different from that studio versions. I will say that the night before I was up working until 2 am and this was absolutely not wha to was looking to hear the day after, so I’ll give this a 3 instead if a two for that reason.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
This sounds like what would result if you googled “70s beach boys album”. Those albums had fewer harmonies anyway. Really beautiful and interesting record. I think if o had more time with it it could get to a 5, but it doesn’t have the same magic of The Beach Boys at their peak in my limited listening today.
The Adverts
5/5
Awesome punk rock album from a band I had never heard of until today. The album sounded like one long song, but not in a bad way. It was totally cohesive and the energy felt sincere. Great guitar solo in “No Time To Be 21”. You don’t often see those in punk albums.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
It was fun to hear such a modern sounding record even if I don't think it really belongs on a list like this. A unique blend of dance and rock music. "Dragon Queen" had a great outro.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Very Beatle-esque and very good. I also hear bands like Oasis and Fountains of Wayne in here, though those are Beatles influenced too. Stupidity Tries sounds so much like John Lennon wow. I wish his voice was a little stronger but it does have the sincerity that I always appreciate. Favorite songs: Junk Bond Trader, Everything Reminds Me of Her, Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud
David Bowie
4/5
Another ambitious and interesting David Bowie album I’ve never heard before. Even if I wouldn’t listen to this again, I’m starting to understand why so many people lose their shit over this man and his music. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever heard.
Nirvana
5/5
One of the most legendary live albums of all time, and for good reason. Highlights for me were Dumb, Polly, and of course the legendary vocal performance on Where Did You Sleep Last Night. Honestly the end of that song gave me a chill while listening and knowing what would happen to Kurt Cobain so soon after. It’s tragic that we’ll never get to hear where Nirvana were going to go next sonicly, as their ambition is on full display here. Also, give that “About a Girl” has become a classic rock staple it’s funny to hear him introduce it as a song we wouldn’t know.
Justice
3/5
I don’t think this was bad per se but it was just really not what I was looking to hear today. I also don’t like that only some songs had Melodie’s and there were a lot of scratchy sounds that grated on my ears. First and last tracks sounded the same to me, I think that must have been intentional? If so helps bring the album full circle. I did like the funky bass line on DVNO a lot.
Al Green
5/5
Excellent. I only knew the title track before listening to this, but all of it was great. His voice is like silk and the arrangements under him do a wonderful job supporting his voice. The Bee Gees cover was well done too. This music just feels good.
Rush
4/5
Extremely ambitious. It felt like Led Zeppelin on steroids. Is the first track one song or several? If one then it might be the longest “song” we’ve heard this far. The melodies were not as strong as I would have liked but my god was the musicianship strong. The guitar solo in “something from nothing” was fantastic. 4.5 seems most appropriate.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
I couldn’t finish this. How is this a must hear before I die?
Cream
4/5
A very good album, but not a 5 for me. I imagine this would have been really exciting to listen to when it first came out, but some of the songs sound a little silly today. At its best though we hear 3 of the best rock musicians of all time sounding way bigger together.
Cypress Hill
3/5
This is the most aggressive music about smoking weed I’ve ever heard in my life. There were some good tracks in here, and lots of good rapping but it was just too long.
Röyksopp
2/5
this was boring and I honestly don't know who it's for. I'd genuinely love for a fan of this to explain the appeal to me.
Ray Charles
5/5
Here’s why I was going to give it a 4: I’m hoping that there is a more soul/r&b Ray Charles album on here, because while that would likely get a 5 from me, this doesn’t quite get there. There are some excellent moments, but it’s a little too schmaltzy for me. The more raw and wild Ray Charles is probably in my top 5 singers of all time (the scream on Someday almost gets there) He’s certainly able to make many of these songs his own which should count for something, I just wish he made them better than they were before.
Here’s why I decided it deserved a 5: I will end by saying that I totally understand why this is on here, and think it’s one of the most important albums we’ve heard so far. In something I’m calling a “reverse Elvis”, Ray Charles shows how similar country, jazz, rock, and r&b could be and thus serves as a powerful symbol of the melting pot of American music (the cover of Your Cheating Heart, with the jazzy and bluesy piano solo proves my point). This music could only be made in a country like this.
Carole King
5/5
A gorgeous album by one of America's best songwriters. Bubbe may have told her she wasn't very good when they worked on songs together in high school, but boy was she wrong. All the songs here are great and this is in the top 50 albums of all time for me. I think Carole King's version of "will you still love me tomorrow" is the better version.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
A great example of country music in the 1950s. The harmonies were beautiful and the instrumentation sounded great but I’d be lying if I said I did not get bored while listening to stone do this. I was fascinating to hear such a different interpretation of “In The Pines” so close to the now iconic Nirvana version. I liked Kurt’s better.
5/5
Simply excellent. Almost every song on here is a classic in its own right and while the Beatles influence is clear, the sound is Oasis’ own. One of the best albums made by brothers ever.
The Youngbloods
4/5
This was decent and has a great title but I don’t see why this album should be here without so many other hip hop or r&b albums present. I thought the second half of the album was stronger. “Quicksand” sounded like “My Girl” by the Temptations to me. The piano playing throughout was really great and brought a lot to the longer spacier jams. This would probably be a fun live band.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The Queen has arrived. What a voice, and what an excellent group of songs. I don’t have much original to say here, but I will never forget her performance if you make me feel like a natural woman to honor Carole king at the kennedy center honors. It was spectacular and it’s such a shame that the song’s outro is faded out here.
Burning Spear
3/5
Less "pop" than Bob Marley's reggae, and more vibe oriented and explicitly political in its lyrics (though Bob Marley was obviously extremely political as well). Some of these songs give us history lessons in the lyrics which is interesting but there are very few lyrics I found memorable. This was not an album I'd ever heard before.
Grateful Dead
5/5
Of course I have to give this a 5! This album shows the Dead at their wildest and while it's no Europe '72 it does have a few Glorious moments. The St. Stephen-Eleven-Lovelight suite is exceptional and made me jealous of anyone who got to see this lineup of the band in their prime. An entire album side of just "Dark Star"? Wow. I would totally understand if anyone takes off an entire star for "Feedback". This is probably a 4.5 because of that but what the heck.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Gorgeous. I love Willie Nelson's voice, and distinct style of guitar playing. Is every song thrilling? No but it feels good and shows us the range of his talents. I would absolutely listen tot is again.
The Who
5/5
I’ll give this a 5 for what it represents more than what it is. The story is insane and I would not listen to many tracks on their own but as a whole this is an impressive work. How Pete Townsend thought of this I will never understand, but it is a true rock opera with a full story that you can more or less follow if you follow close attention. The drums sounded fantastic on here and I loved “underture”. The Pinball Wizard intro will also always be fantastic.
Elvis Presley
5/5
The MF King of Rock and Roll shows why he earned his title here. A great group of rock, soul, and country influenced tracks with a band that’s on absolute fire. It would have been awesome to see Elvis live in 1969 before everything went downhill. “Power of My Love” was epic and “Suspicious Minds” is a great song too.
ZZ Top
4/5
The blend of blues rock and 80s pop sounds makes this an interesting but corny listen. The guitar playing was very good but many of these riffs sound the same as the album progresses. I also wish Billy Gibbons’ voice was a tad better. “TV Dinners” might be the funniest song we’ve heard so far in this project? “I Need You Tonight” was my favorite.
Killing Joke
2/5
Not for me. I don’t see how this is essential listening. I liked the chiller and more spacious parts the most.
The Stooges
4/5
Interesting half-way point between psychadelic rock and punk rock. Cool wah guitar effects much more similar to Hendrix than I expected. Not my favorite music in the world but this was certainly a cool record and it's crazy that it came out before the Beatles even broke up. Did not like the 10 min long song. A record ahead of its time for sure.
Fave Tracks: 1969, Real Cool Time
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Probably in my personal top 10 albums of all time so I’m torn between keeping this super short or writing 9 paragraphs. Just excellent and sincere songwriting, singing, and musicianship all around. This is an extremely serious rock and roll record without any of the pretension that alienated me from prog rock. “Prove It All Night” is one of my favorite songs ever but honestly every single song on here is good and is a great illustration on why keeping albums shorter is a good idea. Some of my favorite moments are the opening wail of “something in the night”, the band kicking in on the title track, the pre-chorus in “The Promised Land” and the bridge of “Badlands”. Easy 5.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
This is a very good album, but short of a 5 for me even though I’m glad I heard it (the bad luck of being after Darkness may have played a role here). As good as the hits are, there were just a few too many tracks that I’d call filler. Also I’m sorry but the way she sings certain words was very hard for me to get past. Pretty funny that Flea plays bass on “You oughta know”.
Bill Callahan
3/5
This album has no business being on this list. Having said that it was fine. I wish the quality of his voice matched the quality of the music underneath it. The final track “Faith/Void” was my favorite.
Django Django
4/5
This was pretty good, though I'd hardly call it essential listening. It kept my interest throughout and the production was very strong. The blend of styles here is pretty unique and I'm guessing that's why it was on this list. Was this album bigger in the UK? I have no memory of it being big here in 2012.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
She is a good singer, but I have absolutely no context for this album so it's hard for me to give it a fair review. The background singers are called the "Belafonte singers", so maybe this was intentionally given to us today. I'd rather hear an album by Harry Belafonte instead and am hoping he iso n this list somewhere.
Arcade Fire
2/5
This is some of the whitest music I’ve ever heard in my life. I guess some might call this “ambitious” but I think it’s just a bit over the top and not very compelling.
Radiohead
4/5
I knew this album as the first major "pay what you want" album but had never actuall heard the music before. It is sonically impressive and though it was released in 2007 still sounds futuristic. A really interesting blend of technology and human elements that made me feel like this is the kind of stuff the Beatles might be doing if they were making music in the 21st century. The basslines were fantastic and the guitar parts had really nice texture. As I typed that previous sentence I realize what a massive compliment I just gave Radiohead and that I must give this album a high score. However, I do wish the melodies were stronger, some of these songs felt too atmospheric and not enough like "songs" which would not have happened on a Beatles record. I do think melodies are really imporatant ot what I look for so that was the disappointmnet for me. A great album that felt a bit too much like work to listen through. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Hookworms
3/5
This honestly sounds a bit like the Radiohead album from yesterday in a way, though certainly much less innovative. Never heard of this group before and have many better suggestions for a 2018 album. Here are a few: Championships by Meek Mill, Scorpion by Drake, Invasion of Provacy by Cardi B, Astroworld by Travis Scott, Black Panther Soundtrack, Thank u next by Ariana Grande
Hole
4/5
A solid rock and roll album. The production was very strong and the guitars sounded great. I can’t pretend this was very musically interesting, but I imagine it was very important for many women to see this group in action so I won’t discount that.
The Police
5/5
What an excellent group of musicians and strong group of songs, including a few I’ve never heard before. Two absolute bangers: Message In a Bottle, Walking on the Moon. The only “bad” song is “On Any Other Day” with the poorly aged line about his son being gay. Observation: The beginning of “Bring on the Night” sounds like “edge of seventeen”.
The Beach Boys
4/5
This album felt like the Beach Boys' "Hard Day's Night". What I mean by that is that it's not their absolute best work but it forshadows the greatness that would come only a year or two later on "Pet Sounds". All of the ingredients used later are present and you can hear the band beginning to experiment with different instrumentation. Since it's the Beach Boys I knew the harmonies would be great but damn were they gorgeous ("Please Let Me Wonder" and "She Knows Me Too Well" being the best examples here). I also thought that here, Brian Wilson took Phil Spector's wall of sound concept and improved upon it largely due to the vocal harmonies. This is most obvious on "So Young". There are a couple of songs I could do without, and the album definitely feels more like a collection of singles, but it does give you a good sense of who the Beach Boys are and why they are great. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Nick Drake
3/5
I don’t think I listened closely enough to give this a fair score, but it wasn’t bad. I can see this being a big influence on Belle and Sebastian and other similar artists.
The Crusaders
3/5
This was fine. Nothing remarkable, but it was nice to have on while I worked. The jazz guitar solos were very good.
David Bowie
3/5
This is the first Bowie album we’ve heard that did not raise my appreciation for him in any way. I’m sure I’ll get hate for this but It just doesn’t speak to me lyrically or sonically in any way. I’d rather just hear the Beatles or the Kinks, as this album feels like worse version of their songs. “Queen Bitch” was a highlight for me.
Beatles
4/5
This album shows us where the Beatles come from (musically speaking). The covers on here are some of their best, ranging from Broadway to Motown (my faves are You Really Got A Hold On Me and Money) and the originals show the promise of what they would do only 2 years later on Rubber Soul. My fave originals here are All my loving (what an incredible melody) and I Wanna Be Your Man, which still rocks in 2023. A 4 feels appropriate as a tier separator between this album and other Beatles albums on this list.
Eminem
4/5
While the opening track (not including the introduction) might be one of the greatest introductions to a new artist of all time, the album as a whole is rough to listen to. I know he was being controversial and disgusting on purpose, but it is stil A LOT to listen to for an hour, even if the worst part of me finds some of it funny. I cannot imagine hearing this for the first time in 1999 having no idea who this guy is or what he wants with my children. Production-wise the Dr. Dre beats sound fantastic. I also have to wonder if Eminem/Hillary is the only instance of a rapper endorsing someone for President who they threatened to kill/assault on an earlier album? Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
Man I hated listening to this. Who is this for?
CHVRCHES
3/5
This must have been influential on Jack Antonoff’s synth heavy production style making it therefore influential on Taylor Swift, Lorde, and others. The actual album was fine though no track truly stood out to me.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Pretty awesome debut album and one that I could not imagine hearing in 1970 when there was the term heavy metal did not exist yet. The guitar on "Warning" is fantastic and the whole album sounds like Led Zeppelin's evil half-twin ("The Wizard" in particular). It’s bluesy, mighty, and powerful rock and roll. It also contains the rare instance of a song name also being the name of the album AND the band. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Black Flag
3/5
This is the kind of rock I really don't like. It would definitely be a great example of what harcore music is though and I bet a lot of Vassar punks loved this shit. I do like the intensity of the guitar and feel like it could be fun live if i want worried about getting punched in the face. For better or worse, this album is extremely consistent, has a clear vibe, and achieves its goal. So it gets points for that.
The Kinks
3/5
The music on here was pretty boring although there were some amusing stories within them here and there. The Beatles already made better versions of this music.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Fine for what it was, not my personal taste but not upset I heard it.
R.E.M.
4/5
A good record but not one I’d really need to hear again. Stand was a highlight for me, maybe because I already knew it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Exactly what I expected to hear when I pressed play. Not a bad thing just an observation. These guys have a clear sound and vision for what rock and roll should sound like and it works most of the album. The first and last tracks were the highlights for me.
Spacemen 3
1/5
Never heard of this band and for good reason. As someone who enjoys melodies, what a slog to get through. Maybe they were influential on others, but the authors including this while excluding so many black artists and women from this list reflects really poorly on them.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
Funny band name. Horrible album. Just awful and grating on my ears. Were they making fun of sexual assault? Double gross if so.
Bob Dylan
5/5
One of the best albums of all time. What a great group of songs! My favorites are Simple Twist of Fate, and You’re a Big Girl Now, but really every song on here is good. What a relief after the last 2 days, though I do wish we got this on a day where I could truly soak it in.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
This has to be one of the greatest debut albums of all time. I can’t even imagine being a guitar player and hearing this for the first time in 1967. Wow he really busted the door right open from track one. My favorites are all of the hits.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Am I normally in the mood to listen to this? No. But that should not stop this from getting 5 stars. An iconic statement from top to bottom. Definitely deserves to be here.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Never heard this one before but the Beatles influence was clear as day. However he still brought a lot of himself here. It gets a 4 but I wonder if with more familiarity I’d give it a higher score.
The Avalanches
3/5
A much better sound collage than the Incredible String Band. I never need to hear this again but it was an interesting album to listen to.
Coldplay
4/5
This used to be a very good band. The scientist is an excellent song and many other on here were of a quality Coldplay had not reached in almost 10 years. I forget that sometimes.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Better than the other arcade fire album we heard recently but still not my taste. There was a bit broader of a sound palate here, and some songs that sounded clearly influenced by Bruce, but it’s still missing something that would make me want to come back and listen again.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Excited to finally hear Bob Marley thought i how more of his albums are in this list. Some of the songs are very political while others are sweet love songs, which reflects his unique career well. It’s just outside of a 5 for me because I know he has others which deserve that score. Is this version of Stir it Up different from what’s on Legend? Sounds like it.
Dolly Parton
4/5
A wonderfully executed collaboration between three icons. Their voices work well together and the arrangements are great (especially for a country album from the late 80s). The lead guitar on “To Know Him Is To Love Him” is gorgeously tasteful.
Violent Femmes
5/5
This was awesome. I only knew the first track but I was hooked throughout the album. This acoustic punk sounds like music “anyone could make” but I mean that in the best possible way. The 50s influence was fun to hear as well.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Boring and unnecessary both as an album and a part of this list
Kanye West
5/5
I have not listened to Kanye since he became a nazi but man this was great to hear. What an excellent album musically. “We Don’t Care” is a powerful mission statement and has to be one of the best track 1s on a debut album ever. The skits I would be happy to never hear again (especially the one making fun of people who get degrees) but the songs were all on point. Phenomenal production, biting commentary on race and lots of humor throughout. There is a of course a strain of intellectualism here which makes his support for trump less surprising in retrospect. I MISS THE OLD KANYE.
Talking Heads
4/5
This album doesn't have any of the group's best songs but the build at the end of "Found a Job" and inventive cover of "Take Me to the River" shows that the Talking Heads are serious musicians, and not just "quirky" art students. The influence of disco on rock and roll can be heard in a lot of the guitar playing here. David Byrne's singing is not always my favorite, but it is certainly distinct. The back half of this album is stronger than the front half in my opinion.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
While this was not for me at all, I think it executed its mission. If I was a goth vampire in the 80s, how could this not be my soundtrack? I will never listen to this again but I can see why someone else would like it.
The Byrds
3/5
I think this is on here more for its historical importance than its actual quality or relistenability. It had great moments but it sounded like Simon and Garkfunkel with fuzzy psychedelic guitars.
The Charlatans
3/5
Inessential Oasis knockoffs. Again I ask, where is Drake, lil Wayne, or music by any woman?
Janis Joplin
4/5
Well I asked for “any woman” and the generator went above that request. Janis Joplin is an exceptional presence throughout this album. While it’s the big hit, “Me And Bobby McGee” stuck out for me sonically during my listen as it did not sound like the rest of the tracks given how gently she sang the beginning, and it makes me wonder what could have been later in her career should there have been one. Her voice did become a bit grating throughout the album, and without the hit cover she might have sounded more like a one trick pony, so I was stuck between a 4 and a 5.
Joy Division
4/5
I had never heard this before and liked this a lot more than I expected to. The opening track was my favorite.
Janet Jackson
5/5
This one was a lot of fun and features a totally distinct production style from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (distinct from others, not anything else they made bc it all sounds like this from what I’ve heard). A classic 80s, over the top pop album is both the best and worst ways. This album clearly took a lot of work to make and it shows in the number of tracks stacked on top of each other here. I can also hear the influence on Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and maybe even Prince? I do however think it suffers from including some of the same surface level political commentary that her brother utilized on some of his later albums. I think it’s great that Janet Jackson had something to say and was willing to use her platform to do so, but there’s a way to do political commentary that’s not so simple and (in my opinion) clumsy. My favorite tracks were “Miss You Much” , "Lonely", and “Alright".
2/5
I just did not connect with this at all. It feels like a cop-out but I really don’t have much to say. I guess I’m wondering who it influenced to deserve a spot on the list?
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Not particularly exciting but that is probably the point? Good musicianship but nothing that would make me listen to this again.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
A perfect example of psychedelic rock and the genres it draws from. There is rock, folk, blues and combinations of all three, and while the album had songs in diff genres nothing sounded out of place. This album helped give me a real sense of the Summer of Love in San Francisco and I think I would have really enjoyed seeing this band live in its prime. I Loved the guitar solos and drum parts and thought that Jorma Kaukonen's guitar playing was kind of like mine. It's not perfect but it's able to communicate what it wants to and gets the job done. I also love bands with multiple singers so it was fun to hear different lead vocalists and crafted a communal vibe very fitting with the summer of love. Favorite tracks "Somebody to Love, Embryonic Journey, White Rabbit".
Metallica
4/5
This was well done by just not my personal preference. It certainly deserves a place on the list. Kirk hammet is a beast.
Iron Maiden
5/5
Leaving the disrespect of a British album on July 4 aside, this album absolutely rocked. It likely benefited from my low expectations and frustration at getting a second consecutive metal album, but I really enjoyed this album. The shredding was fantastic and over the top without becoming corny and the Melodies of these songs were great too, and some were almost poppy. It sounds like there were multiple lead players which was fun too. My favorite tracks were “Running Free” and “Phantom of the opera”.
Oasis
4/5
Another debut album with an iconic and powerful mission statement as track 1. This is nowhere near as good as their next record, but it is still rock solid and gives a good hint of where they'd go. The Beatles influence on the melodies are clear here too.
Travis
3/5
Hearing this right after Oasis does not do this band any favors but it was not bad! It was a little mopier than I’d like, and some uptempo songs would have been a welcome change, but I thought this had some relatively funky moments with rock solid drumming. I liked the first track and the secret song at the end the most. I would hardly call this essential listening though.
Lorde
5/5
This album shows how great ambitious pop be! The arrangements were really interesting (The horns arrangement on "Sober". Wow!) and the album as a whole sounds pretty unique. Having said that, I do think that some of the songs start to sound a little similar towards the end. I also don’t think "Green Light" should’ve been the first track, as it was not one of the more musically interesting ones and does a disservice to the rest of the album by being the opening track. Ultimately this was still great all-around and Lorde clearly built on what she did on her first album here and you can definitely hear the growth between those albums. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Favorite tracks: Sober, Homemade Dynamite, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Sober II (Melodrama)
The White Stripes
3/5
A good hint of what this band would do, but not exceptional on its own.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Pretty good, but sounds a LOT like David Bowie to me, so I’m not sure how much this band was really doing something unique. But the arrangements were strong and I enjoyed listening so I’ll give it a 4.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Excellent musicianship is on display throughout this album, but at no point did I feel like I needed to stop what I was doing and just listen. Bill Evans is very good at setting a mood and staying there, and that these were each done in one take is impressive.
Sade
5/5
Diamond Life was unlike anything else we’ve listened to (with the exception of Anita Baker and the first track sounding like Steely Dan). This grew on me with each listen and I ultimately need to give it a 5. The Production was fantastic. The vocal layering, the resonant bass, and tight drumming all worked well together and was a great break from British rock of the 90s. This must have been influential on neo soul artists like D’angelo, Beyonce and others who make complex soul music.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
A great album by one of the most exciting bands of all time. What a wonderful fusion of rock and funk and political and party music. I can’t believe this many hits are on one album and the long jam track was not bad either! Easy 5 for me.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Very cool album. A cool mix of psychadelia with electronic and even hip-hop influenced sounds. This must have been a MASSIVE influence on Tame Impala, and even artists like Kid Cudi. I could not follow the lyrics closely enough to tell if there was a story going on throughout.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
This sucked. I get that it was supposed to be a parody of the hippies and music from this era but it was more like a bad sound collage. I also just didn’t think it was that funny.
Talking Heads
4/5
Pretty good, but still not exceptional to me. Speaking in Tongues will get the 5 from me assuming its on here. Having said this, the Talking Heads are clearly a unique band.
Tito Puente
5/5
Maybe todays weather biased me, but I’m giving this a five. This was awesome. It was so evocative of a particular place in both space and time (at least for someone who was never in NYC in the 50s) and feels perfectly executed. The horns were wonderful and the piano sounded great throughout. Would be fun to go out dancing to this.
Nick Drake
3/5
DEPRESSING!!!! The strings added nice flourishes but this was pretty tough for me to get through if I'm being honest. I'll give him a 3 for benefit of the doubt.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
This was great. Funky, exploratory and fun. This list has been a massive influence on a ton of artists.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
This was solid but I was not blown away. I thought the lyrics were very good with nice specificity, but I wish the melodies were a bit stronger.
Sigur Rós
2/5
This was sooooo boring. It was fine atmospheric music to have in the background but I can never see myself ever listening to this again. I'm sorry I don't have more to say. Maybe if I understood the lyrics I would, so they will get a 2 not a 1.
Primal Scream
3/5
This was a pretty cool fusion of dance music and rock and roll. While this was far from the most exciting album I've ever heard (I could not really maintain my focus on it while listening) it had some very cool moments. The audacity of naming a song "Come Together" aside, that one had great dynamics and background vocals, and "Damaged" was a musical twist, sounding like it came off of a seventies Stones album, in the context of this album. I was not moved by this in any way, but it was interesting. I'm not sure how much of an "album" this is. The songs are pretty varied in their sound but at no point did I feel that the variety was too jarring. This felt more like an expertly curated sound collage.
R.E.M.
3/5
This album was fine, but that's about it. It was nice jangly background music for me to work to, but I know REM has much better work that this. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really feel anything at all. I'm guessing this was pretty influential on lots of indie rock I find boring too. "Talk About the Passion" was a favorite for me.
Elvis Costello
5/5
Elvis Costello is my Mom's favorite so I grew up listening to this album, but I really think it's one of the best debut albums of all time. Every song on here is at least good if not great and their brevity always leaves me wanting more to see where they would go if they were longer. I really cannot believe this was first album as it is just so flawlessly executed His lyrics are punchy and interesting, with his vocal inflections adding further texture to these. Somehow he has created entire worlds in these 3 minute songs. Musically, the songs sound like he is both paying homage to his 50s and 60s rock influences where adding his own sound and flavor. You can hear this in the vocal harmonies of "No Dancing" and the lead guitar parts on "Miracle Man" and "I'm Not Angry". (Side Note: I have wanted to cover "Watching the Detectives" for a while) Each song sounds like its own self-contained world but the entire album feels extremely cohesive. Also, the drums sound fantastic on this album!
Miles Davis
4/5
Very cool. I can’t say I was Locked into this the whole time though.
Baaba Maal
4/5
While I have very little experience with music like this, the album grew on my as it continued. I really liked the guitar here, especially on the final track.
Beck
4/5
Mopey but not bad. This album reminded me a lot of the nick drake album we last heard and is different from other Beck I’ve heard.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Great concept and would have been cool if he finished the series. BUT, this was a little too long for me and I do think a few songs could have been cut.
Gang Starr
4/5
The sample of “Up on Cripple Creek” on “Beyond Comprehension” was astounding. Just totally unexpected and great. “Love Sick” was a great listen too. No matter how you slice it, there just aren’t a ton of love songs in rap, especially by male artists. It was probably a bigger deal to include that song on the album than I can understand.
AC/DC
5/5
Just absolute banger after banger. It’s rare that a band can come back with a new singer and be just as good if not better than before. “Back in Black” has to be one of the greatest rock and roll riffs of all time. Easy 5.
Scott Walker
1/5
This sucked. Smaltzy and boring. Could not finish it.
5/5
Is it the greatest album of all time? Probably note but it is just as good as everyone says. There is a wonderful variety of sounds here and the Beatles excel at all of them. Just like revolver I can’t imagine hearing this when it first came out and wish there were cameras in the studio for the making of this one. Paul McCartney is an absolute genius, Ringo’s drumming is perfect and John and George’s contributions aren’t bad either. Probably should get a 5 for “A Day In The Life Alone” but there’s just so much more great stuff here too.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Three 5s in a row! Bob Marley is one of a kind, producing some of the most accessible reggae out there but without sacrificing any authenticity as far as I can tell. The first half were songs unfamiliar to me, but the back half was just absolutely stacked with bangers. Tune Your Lights Down Low and Waiting In Vain are highlights for me.
Thundercat
4/5
Thundercat is an exceptional musician but not an exceptional songwriter. Some of the tracks did start to sound repetitive and could have been cut in my opinion, but it was an overall enjoyable listen. The guest selection was a lot of fun and the groove in “Them Changes” still slaps.
Neil Young
4/5
Thundercat is an exceptional musician but not an exceptional songwriter. Some of the tracks did start to sound repetitive and could have been cut in my opinion, but it was an overall enjoyable listen. The guest selection was a lot of fun and the groove in “Them Changes” still slaps.
Kanye West
5/5
As shocking now as it was then. But it’s great. In retrospect maybe the first sign he was absolutely losing his mind. Highlights: Blood On The Leaves, New Slaves, Bound 2
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
One of the greatest albums of all time for me. Just full of absolute bangers. “Helplessly Hoping” is one of my favorite songs ever. The harmonies and guitar playing are simply gorgeous. “Wooden Ships” is epic, and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” is the greatest song about Aidan’s aunt ever written. CSN together is greater than sun of its parts, which all great bands should be. Easy 5.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I’ve never heard this album in full before, but there were lots of previews of what The Rolling Stones would be doing a few years later, so it feels like the album of a band in transition. “Doncha Bother Me”’s beginning sounds like “It’s only Rock and Roll”. “Going Home” feels like a preview of “Midnight Rambler”. The songs themselves were pretty good, but this band has 4 or 5 other 5 star albums and this is not one of them.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Not bad, but nothing super special to my ears. This was fine to have on while I worked but nothing forced my attention to the music.
Minor Threat
3/5
Short but not very sweet. Probably good music to jump around too and cool like but not my personal preference. Apple Music says this band's discography is 47 minutes long which is a wildly low number.
Motörhead
4/5
While I can not say there was a ton of musical variety, on this album I can say that most of it kicked ass. Like AC/DC, Motorhead gives you a serving of straight up rock and roll complete with thrashing riffs and iconic guitar solos. I do have to take off some points for the sexism in the lyrics, were a bit much for me once I started paying attention to the lyrics (and obviosuly for "jailbait" cuz..gross). These guitar parts were undeniably fire though and I feel like their show would have been a lot of fun to see. Nothing very complex here, but sometimes simple is ok in rock and roll!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
I can hear the roots of Indie Rock in this album. “What Goes On” and “Beginning to See the Light” were my favorites.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Not for me at all. Maybe if I was a lyrics person. The music underneath was well produced but the vocals were just awful.
Paul Simon
4/5
This album shows why Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters of the modern era. Even on a lesser known mown album, there are wonderful songs with rich stories and cool sounds. The demos at the end show how good these songs are with just him but the arrangements took them to another place. The guitar on here was awesome (coming in hot w/ Allegries and the “think too much” part was super funky). Clunkers like “when numbers get serious” keep this from being a 5 for me.
Pulp
3/5
This was just fine. Not very interesting musically and very British. It shouldn't be on the list but i'm not surprised at this point.
Sabu
4/5
Surprisingly good to work out to, though I’m not sure how much I’d enjoy this album in any other context. Years of listening to “Drums/Space” against my will prepared me for this moment I think. The guitar on “Rhapsodia” was nice.
Aerosmith
3/5
If I wanted to listen to Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones I’d do that. To me Aerosmith is a poor man’s imitation of these acts, and aside from “Sweet Emotion” (an absolute banger) nothing on here blew me away. Round and Round” was another highlight and had some great lead guitar by Joe Perry.
Van Halen
5/5
This is everything I wish the Aerosmith album was. It was unique, interesting, melodic, and rocked hard. Eddie Van Halen’s playing is simply phenomenal and the songs Stratton perfectly between pop and hard rock for me. Running with the Devil is a fantastic opening track and Eruption is 1 of 1. The exceptional Kinks cover doesn’t hurt either.
Ryan Adams
5/5
One of the first times since we started doing this that I had the album on repeat all day. Phenomenal. I’m obviously in more of an emotional state to connect with these lyrics than anyone in the group as far as I know, but I think they are objectively very good. Combined with the music here (taking from folk, country, and rock) Ryan Adams is almost like a more contemporary Bob Dylan here. It’s a massive shame that he was also a creep and/or emotionally abusive partner. My favorites are “Come Pick Me Up” and “Call Me on Your Way Back Home. Both are devastatingly beautiful.
John Lennon
4/5
If imagine is on here it will get a 5. I think this album was probably a bigger statement piece at the time than it is today. It is still painful to hear him say he doesn’t believe in Beatles, but I imagine that was earth shattering in 1970. Mother, and Working Class hero are excellent songs, but not everything on here is that level. You can feel Paul’s absence. I get that these songs were more about primal feelings but I don’t think the execution was perfect. Would get a 4.5 if possible.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Aimee Mann is definitely a good songwriter but nothing here blew me away. I think I wanted to like it more that I truly did. It sounded like Tom Petty was singing backup in “fifty years after the fair” but it was a Roger McGuinn. Close enough. 3.5 if possible.
Meat Loaf
5/5
ROCK OPERA was all I could think of while listening to this. There is not one album-long narrative like most rock operas but this has to be the most theatrical rock album we've heard so far. Each of the 7 songs was carefully constructed and well executed. It sounds like he took Born to Run and added even more over the top ridiculousness but it worked (Having Max and Roy play on the album gives it the E Street band sound too). The title track is just so epic and was exciting each time I relistened to it for this project. Other standouts for me are "two out of three aint bad" and of course "paradise by the dashboard light" which is still funny today. Was not expecting to give a 5 but this deserves it.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I though this was fine but not exceptional, but I'm obviously not really the audience for this album. She definitely had charisma, so maybe I'd like it better live.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
I wasn't minding this until the growling began in track 2. It was just so unpleasant and unsettling to listen to. Like cookie monster was messing around on the mic.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Fine new wave. Nothing really memorable here.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Not my personal preference but well executed. Seems to straddle the border of punk and alternative rock. The guitar tone was rough but in a very good way. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
David Bowie
4/5
Like many of the Bowie albums we've heard, I thought this was really good, but was missing that wow factor for me that so many others see in him. It was definitely well put together. The piano solo in the title track is awesome and way jazzier than what you hear on most rock albums. BUT "Time" did verge on musical theater but not in the funny Meat Loaf way.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
I like getting this after Bowie because I feel similarly about a Tribe Called Quest. People absolutely love them and while I think this was well made music it just did not personally excite me that much. The best part for me is Busta’s verse on “Scenario”. Good rappers, jazzy beats but not thrilling for me.
Britney Spears
4/5
Starts out way better than I expected but does start to drag towards the end. She’s just not a strong enough singer for the ballads, but the uptempo songs are a lot of fun. Should get a 3.5 but what the hell.
PJ Harvey
4/5
The Best of the 8000 PJ Harvey albums we’ve heard so far. This one can be on the list, the others can leave to make room for hip hop and r and b
Orbital
1/5
Another electronic music album that did not make me feel anything. I honestly don’t know who this is for I had it on in the background and totally forgot about it until the verbal track at the end. That sucked too.
Queen
4/5
It's wild to me how many albums Queen released before they truly hit it big given how famous of a band they are now. This was very good and contains all of the elements of what they'd later be very popular for doing. The extended guitar parts on "Brighton Rock" were awesome. Queen is ultimately a bit too theatrical for me, but not in a funny way like Meat Loaf.
Muddy Waters
4/5
I’m not sure why this needed to be made given how many of these songs already existed, but it sounds great. Muddy Waters is one of the artists who personify blues music and he sounds fantastic here. By the end it did start to sound redundant but that’s most blues albums. Johnny Winter did a great job here.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Reminded me of Primal Scream in its fusion of british rock with club music. I didn't love that and don't love this either. It was fine to have playing in the background as I worked, but I don't think I'd ever choose to put this on again.
Anthrax
2/5
This album sounds like Metallica if you stripped that band of melody and exceptional guitar playing. The solo on “Horror of it all” was pretty good but was more about speed than taste, which lots of hard rock/thrash metal suffers from. Not for me.
The Pogues
3/5
I really hate this guys singing and am not sure a second album by the Pogues is really necessary. However I do think this is a well executed version of something that happens not to be my personal preference so I’ll give it a 3 rather than a 2. I feel like John Winton’s Irish band played a lot of these songs at Vassar.
The Clash
5/5
Easy 5, showing us how good punk can be when the band actually cares about making music. There’s ska, early rock and roll and pop all represented here but underneath is clearly the punk band they started out as. 19 tracks and none of them are bad. Wow. Now here’s a British albums that deserves to be on the list! My favorite tracks are “Clampdown”, “Rudie Can’t Fail”, and “Train in Vain”.
The Stooges
4/5
I feel like this album might be the best example of how rock music moved from the psychedelic to punk eras. Search and Destroy” is a furious and thrilling opening track and “I need somebody” had jammy and spacey guitar parts, but these don’t seem to be in conflict with each other. Not sure how much I would truly want to re-listen, which is keeping this from being a 5 for me.
Soft Cell
2/5
Meh. This group was a one hit wonder in America for a reason. Tainted love is catchy but the rest of the songs are not great. I imagine it sounded futuristic in 1981 which was probably cool. Would not be here if it was not British.
John Lee Hooker
5/5
Many late period Duets albums are not essential. This one is different. Like Santana’s “Supernatural” or Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company” the guests serve primarily to highlight the main artist’s talent. This was a great group of songs. My favorites were the Bonnie Raitt and Santana duets. At the end though all the guest and instrumentation disappears so that all we have left are a blues man and his guitar. And it still sounds great.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
This was better than I thought it would be but still not for me. "Sister Ray" felt shorter at 18 minutes than "The Gift" did at 8. That one was unbearable for me.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Really well put together if not my personal taste. Impressive arrangements and decent Melodies.
Pantera
2/5
Similar to Anthrax for me but better guitar and worse vocals. I did manage to finish the album though. The last song on here was the best and sounds the least like the rest of the album… at first then we come back to the thrashing I did not miss at all.
Missy Elliott
4/5
This was really good but shaky of the 5 that the tiger album we heard by her deserved. She’s a great rapper and interesting artist but repeated use of mixtape like tags were very annoying. Some stray thoughts: Always strange to hear old references to Trump in rap songs knowing what would happen later. Missy and Jay’s ode to hip hop itself in “Back in the Day” was great (Fuck Bill O’reilly indeed). Nicki takes a flow from Funky Fresh Dressed and uses it in Bottoms Up I think?
Lucinda Williams
5/5
Really nice music here that just feels good to listen to. I’m torn between a 4 and a 5, but it has been growing on me as I listen so I’ll round up. I do like her self titled album more though. Fave songs: Can’t Let Go, Still I Long For Your Kiss (awesome guitar solo) Jackson. Glad to hear something like this on the list.
Kings of Leon
5/5
So much better than I expected this to be. Wow. Great rock and roll that sounds classic yet modern, and a totally different sound than their poppier 2009 smash (which I also like). His voice was awesome and this just fun to hear.
TV On The Radio
4/5
I’m hearing a merging of so many styles it’s hard to keep track but I’ll make a few: David Bowie, the Ramones, Bon Iver, Nile Rodgers. I’m not sure that I’d want to listen to this again, but it was definitely well put together. My favorite songs were “Crying” and “DLZ”.
Saint Etienne
3/5
This album has the most unique Neil Young cover I’ve ever heard. The rest is just fine though it does sound like a decent amount of work went into making this album. No was this makes the list if the writers are not mostly Europeans. Was Stoned to Say the Least sampled by Kanye on Fade?
Turbonegro
3/5
A mix between scorpions and Sex Pistols. Some of the shredding was out of this world but otherwise my great music.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
A mix between scorpions and Sex Pistols. Some of the shredding was out of this world but otherwise my great music.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Never heard this in full before but was blown away. The production and arrangements are fantastic. The songs are interesting and seem to capture a particular moment in time well. I enjoyed the grooves and how Curtis Mayfeild knew when to just let a song breather. The guitar playing on “Think” was really tasteful.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
Couldn’t finish this. What a waste of one of the few hip hop slots here. Never heard of this this guy before and with good reason.
The Prodigy
1/5
Another piece of trash.
Doves
4/5
Never heard of this band before but this was solid overall. “The Man Who Sold Everything” had a great melody and the guitar parts in “The Cedar Room” were really nice. Sounds like it might have influenced Bon Iver and Hozier. Would I listen to this album again? Probably not but I’m not mad I heard it.
Ice Cube
3/5
Well this did not age well! The incisive racial commentary is just so overshadowed by the misogyny and violence that this was hard to get through. Fortunately he was a bit aware of this and the Man's world track with Yo-Yo gives at least one woman a response on the album. The sampling was decent but I missed the other members of NWA.
Alice Cooper
4/5
A solid classic rock album I’ve never heard before. I hear elements of The Who in the intentionally epic rock opera style of many of these songs, Beatles influences on the first and final tracks, and I assume the James Bond style of “Unfinished Sweet” was intentional? “Billion Dollar Babies” was fire. ”Elected” sounds like “I wanna be sedated”.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
I don’t understand how he has two albums on this list, but at least I liked it more than the other one we heard. These had a grandiose quality to them that could be a little too self-serious but did seem sincere and grew on me as I listened and because it matched my mood.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
I did not expect to give this a five, but I think this album deserves it. Fleer Foxes create a cohesive vibe throughout, with lush arrangements and sincere vocals. This sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a day in Hudson, New York or at least a drive up there. I’m hearing the influence of CSN and Paul Simon, but it still sounds modern to me.
Queen Latifah
4/5
This was very good and honestly doesn’t get a 5 because it suffers from the same problems that other rap albums from this period do. I just don’t think it sonically aged that well. The sampling was really good here and Queen Latifah is a great rapper. Ladies First is obviously a super important song in hip hop. A high 4 but I wouldn’t listen again.
50 Cent
5/5
I remember in 2003 when "In Da Club" was massive, and as an 8 year old white boy who liked the Beatles I was not ready for it. Well I am now. This is excellent. I wrote yesterday about the beats on the Queen Latifah album not aging well, and this album validates my argument. 20 years later, these beats and songs still hit, indicating an amazing job by Dr. Dre. 50 Cent is obviously a worse technical rapper and has less to say, but his charisma is so strong here that it does not really matter. This was a lot of fun to hear. Fave songs: Patiently Waiting, Many Men, P.I.M.P.
Fugazi
3/5
Better and more melodic than I expected. Is it possible this influenced Red Hot Chili Peppers?
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Never heard of this group before, but this was a solid bunch of pop rock songs. It sounds like they might have influenced Fountains of Wayne or the Old 97s.“Pet Rock” sounds like something off of Exile on Main Street. Groundbreaking or essential? Probably not but I didn’t mind this one and it grew on me as I listened. “Sidewinder” and “Alchiholiday” were great .
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Maybe this was cool in the 60s but now it just sounds like a mess. A few tracks had some decent social commentary, and these guys are skilled musicians, but overall it was just too “wacky” for my taste. I will not be listening to this again.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Fun punk rock, but it does start to sound the same after a while. It sounds like the were influenced by the Go-Gos in the Melodie’s but obviously they took the music in a much harder direction. “One More Hours” has the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song, but is just sonically so much cooler. Great to listen to in the gym. My favorite tracks were the title track and “Dance Song ‘97”
The Byrds
4/5
At what point does this just become a different band? Subbing out David Crosby and Gene Clark for Gram Parsons just totally changed the sound of the Byrds here. I do like this album and the accessibility it brings to some pretty country music. “The Christian Life” was funny and the harmonies were good throughout. “Nothing was Delivered” sounds like it had some serious influence on Tom Petty.
Love
5/5
This was all over the place in the best way. Pulling from jazz, blues, rock (and maybe creating punk in the process?) Love created a rich fusion here. I’ve never heard this album before and was really impressed. I get why they were not more popular but I have to assume they were pretty influential. Half of the album being one song is a wild choice too, but one they pulled off.
Paul McCartney
5/5
This is the sound of a depressed man missing his friends and figuring out what to do next. It's not the greatest thing McCartney ever produced, but he's so immensely talented that there are still masterpieces on here. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is wonderful.
Lou Reed
4/5
Feeling very vindicated after thinking this sounded like David Bowie and then reading he produced it. My guess is that in 1972 this was wayyy ahead of its time, so it should get credit for that. I don’t think I’d listen to most of these songs again though. “Take a walk on the wild side” is just a fascinating piece and “perfect day”is haunting once I read more about it.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Reminds me of McCartney in that it is more of a sketchbook than a proper album. These song fragments sound pretty unfinished to me and though this could be the bands style, the shortness of the songs make my case I think. I’d give a 3.5 if possible but I can’t.
Ash
4/5
Never heard of this band let alone this album. Reminds me of a mashup of Nirvana,, Black Sabbath and Green Day. Vocals were a little too low in the mix but I think the drums and crunchy guitar sounded great. I’d give you anything was a highlight for me. That guitar solo was awesome.
Solomon Burke
3/5
I read on Wikipedia that Solomon Burke is a bridge figure between R&B and Soul and that that sounds about right. There is some grit in these vocals, but not nearly the amount we’d get a few years later with Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. I did not find any of these songs to be super memorable thought none were bad which does say something.
John Cale
3/5
Ahead of its time for sure. I have to assume this was influential on David Byrne and the entire genre of indie rock. Did I love it? No but I don’t feel like my time was wasted either. 3.5 would be appropriate if possible.
The Afghan Whigs
5/5
A great find for me! The vocals were much weaker than the instrumentation on this albums though the lyrics were decent and the vocals did grow on me as I listened. Since I didn’t know anything about this band the second vocalist was a fun surprise (and she was great on My Curse). The guitars reminded me a lot of Ash from a few days ago. “Debonair” had a funky intro and the solo on “My Curse” was my playing style so that was fun. The album sounds like a hybrid between Pearl Jam and Drive By Truckers. Would do a 4.5 if possible but I think this would keep growing on me if I listened more so I’ll give it a 5.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I had never heard this album before and it sounds like a much darker Paul Simon to me. Of the three Leonard Cohen albums we’ve heard this was the one I’d most likely listen to again. “So Long Marianne” was a highlight for me. Would do a 3.5 if possibles
Randy Newman
4/5
When I woke up this morning I did not expect to be listening to an album referencing Huey Long, Lester Maddox, and the 1927 Louisiana flood but this was great. Lots to unpack here but the first track really stiff out to me. A searing indictment of both southern racism and northern hypocrisy, if you replaced “Maddox” with “trump” is could work today. “Mr. President” could too. I would have to assume he would not use the n word so liberally today. However I’m not certain what the relistenability of this is so it won’t get a 5.
After hearing this I understand why Ron Wood was such an obvious fit for The Rolling Stones after Mick Taylor’s departure. The guitar on “you’re so rude" is awesome, and I expected to be bored by the Chuck Berry cover, but their jam took the song to a really interesting place for me. Not quite a 5 but overall a very good album and one I'm glad I heard.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Sounds halfway between new wave and Oasis (even some psychedelic Beatlesy stuff in “Don’t Stop”). The album sets a cohesive vibe with some nice melodies, but I don’t know if I’d listen to it again. I get why this is on here though.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
I can definitely hear the Talking Heads influence here but also maybe the Killers? I do have a better understanding of why LCD Soundsystem is considered a rock group generally though (the ending of “Emotional Haircut” making the best case for this argument). “How do you sleep” sounds like Drums/Space which was amusing to me.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Deserves its reputation as a masterpiece. Wonderful all the way though, with songs that work as their own mini masterpieces sprinkled throughout. We learned about this in my history of rock and roll class as the album where rock and roll “grew up” into a serious intellectual pursuit and I can see why. Brian Wilson and Tony Asher give us songs about love, sadness, and aging but fill them with lush arrangements. GOATED for sure.
The Offspring
3/5
This was fine but a little corny. It was probably less so when it came out so I won’t hold it against The Offspring too much. I prefer Green Day.
Basement Jaxx
1/5
I could not finish this. What a waste of a slot my God. Trash. The anti-Pet Sounds if you will.
Soft Machine
3/5
I’ve never heard of this group before and when I read the description I expected more of a psychedelic rock record than a jazz record. Great musicianship throughout but just not my personal taste. The vocals also really took me out of it when they came in in the last track but did bring the record back to where my expectations were initially. High 3.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
What a breath of fresh air! Smooth, clean and melodic R&B sat well with me today. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Shuggie Otis’ music before and I enjoyed it. Sounds like he was influenced by Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder (especially on “Miss Pretty”). It wasn’t technically on this album but the guitar solo in “Wings of Love” was ON POINT.
ABBA
3/5
The hits were great, the rest was not. I really don't think the vocals are very good for what is supposed to be a vocally focused group.
Dire Straits
5/5
Never heard this full album before but from the second the lead guitar entered in track one I was hooked. Roots and funky with the lead guitar mixed incredibly well . Honestly could get a 5 from the “Sultans of Swing” guitar solo alone. Other faves were “In the Gallery”.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I get why this album was on the list but it’s just not for me. I need a good melody to hook me in and there just weren’t any here.
Mekons
3/5
I liked the country portion of this album much more than the other portion. Some of it reminded me of the Pougues its its musical fusion. It was fine but I don’t think I’d listen again.
Iggy Pop
3/5
I don't dislike Iggy Pop but we are reaching PJ Harvey levels of disproportionate representation on this list with him too. \"Dum Dum Boys\" did rock, and I enjoyed the Hendrix-inspired guitar parts on that song.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Rolling Stone said this is the greatest album of all time. I don’t think I agree but it is phenomenal. Marvin Gaye curates an incredible vibe with the songs all flowing into each other. He’s talking about things that matter but in such an accessible way that you almost forget. This is what great art should do. Also the bass parts throughout were excellent.
Cat Stevens
5/5
Great gentle songwriting. Whoever remastered this did an amazing job as it sounds like it could have come out last year. “Wild World”’s verses sounds like when ppl make acoustic versions of rap or r&b songs to me lol. I’d do a 4.5 if possible but I can’t so ill give it a low 5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Wow! I know he’s not Columbian but what a soundtrack to listen to while driving through the country. Yes the songs were long, but I don’t feel like they dragged on. Instead, Fela Kuti and his band slowly develop and grow the groove for as long as they need to. I did some reading and learned how political and controversial this album was in his home country of Nigeria which is pretty cool. Also, the horns in “Zombie” sounded familiar to me, and it turns out that’s the sample in Beyonce and Jay Z’s “Deja Vu”.
Blur
4/5
I get why Blur was considered more tenintellectual/sophisticated than Oasis after listening to this album. However, there were very few memorable Melodie’s. It’s clearly based in rock tradition but brings in more contemporary sounds (like in “Death of A Party”). I Loved the beginning of “On Your Own”. “Theme From Retro” reminds me of “I want you (she’s so heavy)”. The final track was a slog to get through.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
At first I was going to give this a 4 because I couldn’t follow the story but after a second listen it deserves a five. I still can’t follow the story but who cares. Janelle Monae is immensely talented and like Beyonce on Lemonade created an album where the songs are in different generes but she excels at them all. Sounds like she’s pulling from OutKast, Prince, Hendrix and the B-52s just to name a few. My favorites were “ColdWar”, “Tight Rope” (which I can’t believe wasn’t a bigger hit) and “Mushrooms and Roses”. Her 2018 album dirty computer would get a 5 from me too if the list lakers allowed non white British artists a second entry.
Beck
2/5
To me, this was more of a sound collage than an album. Much of it sounded like Beck asked "what if the Beastie Boys took a step closer to the blues" (Dust Brothers production confirmed my suspicion on that front) to mixed results. While this was impressive as a package I can't say I particulalry enjoyed listening to it very much. There were a lot of harsh electronic sounds which my ears did not like hearing at all (the worst offender being "Computer Rock" the 43 second finale that was 43 seconds too long) and the singing was not very good. There was also just too much going on sometimes. Beck is clearly a talented guy but i don't see how I'd ever want to hear this again.
John Martyn
5/5
What a cool record in all senses of the word. I’ve never heard of John Martyn before today but this album is getting added for he rotation. Halfway between David Crosby and Bill withers with some Tim Buckley mixed in (and sounds like he may have influenced Dave Matthews and Ray Lamontagne). These songs were sfull of soul and raw emotion, even when they got spacier and jammier but somehow remained smooth throughout. His guitar playing was similar and the fingerpicking was similar. Great last name.
The Damned
5/5
Can’t think of a reason why this shouldn’t get a 5. Another album I’ve never heard before that really wowed me. It’s punk rock, but so much more musically rich than many others from this time. The lead guitar parts were pretty exceptional and the lyrics were interesting enough for me. My favorite tracks were “anti-pope” and “plan 9 channel 7”.
Norah Jones
4/5
Nice, gentle, and elegant. The guitar solos were all very tasteful.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
This seems more apt for a yoga class than sit down listening. Made it all the way through so it will get a 2.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
After the first listen: I get why people really love this album but I don’t think I’m one of them. Joni Mitchell is clearly a great lyricist and I imagine it doesn’t awe me because I’ve heard so much music inspired by her approach already and am just not a lyrics person. I can’t say I love her voice either. “Case of You” and the title track are killer though.
After the second and third listen: Woah. This demands your full attention. These songs are haunting, poignant, and beautiful. I get it now. Almost all the tracks are killer. Maybe I just need to keep digging.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
I had a lot of fun listening to this one. It’s full of furious and fun rock and roll. I do think some of it started to sound similar, which was fine but does stop it from getting the full 5 from me. AM would get the fine.
Suicide
1/5
Hated it. Hated it. Hated it.
Brian Eno
3/5
Not something I would return to but pretty interesting stuff here. The first song sounds like it was inspired by "Tomorrow Never Knows".
Genesis
4/5
I wasnt able to listen closely enough to see if I could follow the story, but the music and NYC references were cool. The interpolations of other songs were interestign and something you hear alot more in hip-hop. I really liked "Fly on a Windshield". If I could follow the story maybe I wouldn;t have found it too long.
Sepultura
1/5
Could not get through more than one song this was so horrible. What an insult to every great album not included on this list.
Aerosmith
3/5
This was some very adequate classic rock. Nothing about it is offensive, there are some good guitar solos, and rocking riffs, but we are supposed to be listening to the greatest albums of all time and this doesn't belong. To me, Aerosmith is like a worse version of the Rolling Stones and it's not clear what they are doing on this album that any other classic rock band could not do. I have no idea what is unique about any of this. None of their hits are on here either which is bizarre.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
It’s just hard for me to take British rap seriously with the accents. I know that’s unfair but it sounds so corny to me. Some absolutely fire beats though.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Something different but not sure why it merits inclusion here.
Skepta
4/5
Dizzee Rascal walked so that Skepta could run. Weird to get two grime albums so close together, but I think it helps me to see how much better this album is then the other one and how the genre progressed. Its also funny to hear all the British slang Drake took for his own use later. Unlike most albums we listen to here, I would have been happy if it kept going a little longer. Would do a 4.5 if possible, but it does't deserve a 5.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
One of the greatest live albums of all time. What an absolutely kick ass blues band. Their cover of One Way Out is a Classic, and the punch-in at the end of Whipping post is simply fantastic. My only regret is that we didn’t get this on a Friday given how long some of these tracks are.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Pretty good and theatrical classic rock. Not quite as corny as Meatloaf but for some reason that makes it worse to me. Like if you are gonna go there then GO THERE. First track is of course absolutely killer. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
Reminds me of Sade but trancier. This was honestly nice to have on in the background but at no point did I feel like I needed to give it my full attention.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
A random Nick Cave album from 2011 with a song featuring PJ Harvey? This list is officially a parody of itself. The music was fine but this is rediculous. I wish I liked these people as much as these list makers clearly do.
The Who
3/5
I think this was a better concept than album. It feels like you are tuning the radio around, which was cool but the novelty wore off quickly. I guess the Who were also trying to be doing different genres to be life different stations? Some of these worked for me (I can see for miles, Odrono, and Our Love Was) but the rest just didn’t and as short as this album was that made it feel so much longer.
Radiohead
4/5
I never heard this before and was shocked by how futuristic it sounds for the fact that it came out 20 years ago. Radiohead is not my favorite band but I can see why people lose their shit over them.
Miles Davis
4/5
I had heard this a while ago but was not ready for it. Years later, my time spent listening to jam bands and a wider range of jazz has prepared me for this moment. I tend to find it helpful to think about jazz albums as just a bunch of great musicians jamming instead of the way I look at rock or pop albums and then I get less frustrated with how different or inaccessible it may be. \"Spanish Key\" was a highlight for me and \"Miles Runs the Voodoo Down\" was just killer
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
This was great to fall asleep to on my early morning train. I bet it would also be good for meditations and yoga classes. But to just listen to in it’s own? Idk. I think I just don’t know enough music like this to fairly evaluate it.
The Band
5/5
Look any album with “The Weight” on it deserves a 5. Just a top tier GOATED song. I honestly didn’t know a lot of these tracks which was also fun! Pretty wild how many on here are sung by Manuel or Danko when they are probably the 3rd or 4th most important members of the group. Cash’s cover of long black veil is better but the Bands is still great.
Funkadelic
4/5
Let's get funky! The title track here just soars above the others in terms of its quality. These guys are funk icons and their pure funk will always be better to me that this hybrid of funk and rock. Having said that, this is still a very good album with some fantastic guitar work and great bass lines. Longest song title so far? I think so.
Paul Simon
5/5
I don’t think I have anything new to say about this album. It’s great. The fusion of sounds can only be achieved by a master musician like Paul Simon. The South African band is incredible and he really lets them shine throughout. Had no idea Los Lobos were featured on a track too.
Adele
4/5
Honestly this is probably Adele's worst album, but it's still really good. 21 would always be absolutely impossible to follow up but Adele still brings the heat on most of this album. I think the first three songs are the strongest run of the album, and I did start to lose interest as 25 moved more into what I'd call "showtunes territory". Her voice really is exceptional. Low 4.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
This was nice music but I have no genuine basis for comparison here, so I’ll just say that these cats are really swinging!
Faith No More
3/5
Sounds like a bridge between Guns and roses and 90s rock. “Epic” and “Zombie Eaters” sound like a blueprint for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who I know had albums before this came out but this is uncanny) and other parts of the album sound like the influenced Soundgarden and Lenny Kravitz. Not something I’d ever listen to again but a cool historical document nonetheless.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
What a unique album, and one I cant imagine hearign when it first came out. There was nothing really like it before, and nothing like it since thoguh many have tried. I know decent amount about the Wu-Tang Clan and this album because I watched the Hulu show and I can't believe this many talented rappers all basicalyl grew up together. These guys are all absolutely rapping their asses off. Method Man, Rawekwon, ODB, GZA, RZA, Ghostface and the rest each bring their own unique styles and personalities which makes this very fun to hear. As disturbing as some of the imagery is, the lyricism is so good I don't care. Wu-Tang Clan aint nothin to fuck with. Wild how many times Method Man quotes musicals lol.
Van Halen
3/5
Not nearly as good as the debut album but still fun. The first half is way stronger. “Panama” has a great guitar part and “hot for teacher” is gross. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Fine garage rock, but this was nothing special in my opinion. I understand why I’ve never heard of the even though I didn’t mind the music. “Onie” sounds like it was heavily influenced by The Beach Boys. The album is in need of a serious remaster however. Also the final song was insufferable.
The The
3/5
What an 80s sounding record.the music was fun but I really did not like the vocalist. His voice was just too rough for this kind of new wave music to me. I also just detest this band name.
Orange Juice
3/5
Another super 80s sounding and likely inessential record. However “I Can’t Help Myself” was fun and the sax outro was awesome. Id love a chance to truly rewrite this list for 2024.
Nirvana
5/5
Magnificent. The first 5 songs have to be one of the greatest opening runs in any album ever released. I can’t imagine hearing this for the first time in 1991 especially given how unknown they were before this album broke through. For three guys they have a mighty sound, and while it’s all raucous and loud, Kurt Cobain’s songs maintain strong melodies (and harmonies!) throughout.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The voice is incredible. Excellent covers (including \"Respect\" the greatest cover of all time?) and great originals too. Love the title track, and what a killer band! The Queen of Soul has this title for a reason.
Ms. Dynamite
4/5
Way better than I expected our third British hip hop album to be. I liked the blend of R&B included here and it reminded me of Alicia Keys/Jazmine Sullivan in that sense. This album was far too long in my opinion though and I was really ready for it to end.
Fred Neil
4/5
What a laid-back and unassuming record! I didn't love it on first listen but it grew on me when I listened for the second and third time today. It sounds like this might have influenced the Tim Buckley album we heard earlier in this project. The final track was wild, but I respect that he put it on here honestly. Not quite a 5 but very good.
The Beta Band
3/5
This was fine, but there really is a disproportionate number of Scottish artists on this list
Suede
3/5
Fine but inessential. “Moving” did have a great guitar solo.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Very 60s but a lot of fun. Really reminded me of the Jefferson Airplane album we heard and David Crosby’s big solo album. I don’t think I’d honestly relisten but I didn’t hate it.
Morrissey
3/5
Maybe it's my ignorance, but this was a lot poppier than I expected it to be. I don't think I'd put it on again but had no issue with it. The song about hating when your friends are successful was pretty funny to me although I'm not sure if that was his intention.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I liked this album more than I expected to. I don’t think I’d put it on again for additional listens, but it had stronger Melodies than I anticipated. It sounds like this must have been massively influential on Wilco (but also in Nirvana and Pixies). Hilarious band name.
The Beta Band
3/5
Honestly floored to see a second album by this group in a week. Who are they and why are they more important than Jay Z who we have yet to hear?.
Elis Regina
4/5
Had no idea what to expect with this but was impressed! The disco-y tracks worked just as well for me as the more traditional tracks.
The Pretty Things
4/5
This was just ok for me. Interesting historically as maybe the first rock opera, but I could not really follow the story (I also didn't really try to). Sounds heavily influenced by the Beatles but moving towards some of the harder rock sounds that would become more common towards the end of that decade. The drummer is great.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Just not for me at all. Pretty dreary all the way through without any sort of break, and I also did not connect with the singing. Happy 500 fellas.
Sugar
4/5
Lots of catchy melodies tucked behind these heavy sounding chords! The way the guitar string was being tugged at the end of “changes” was thrilling. I can’t honestly say I’d relisten to this album but it exceeded my expectations.
Hole
4/5
Fun album that sounds like it took from punk but added some pop elements. I have to imagine that Olivia Rodrigo was a big fan of this record. Really this list is becoming 1001 alternative rock albums to hear before you die.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Short and sweet! I liked the Brazilian album we heard last week better but had no real problem with this. I did find the song listing different types of parades to be a bit corny.
The Pharcyde
3/5
This feels more like a collage than an album. These rappers are talented and the instrumentation is pretty good but it did not come together for me. There was just too much going on for me to enjoy it. I also didn't feel like I got a sense of who these people are as artists from this album.
Elton John
4/5
Obviously this album starts out with two absolute heaters, catapulting it into a minimum 4, but the rest of the album does not get it to a 5 for me. I'm hearing lots of gospel influences on the non hits (especially the piano and choral background of "Rotten Peaches"). "Indian Sunset" was an interesting artistic choice, though one he and Bernie probably wouldn't make today. As weird and possibly problematic asc it is, the lyrics were super evocative and detailed.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Like in Copper Blue there were some decent melodies hidden in these harsh sounds, but they were MUCH more hidden. In no world would I feel a need to listen to this ever again.
Rush
4/5
This reminded me a lot of the Yes album in that while it's quite technically impressive, it just did not really connect with me. These are some seriously talented musicans with a pretty grandiose vision but Tom Sawyer was really the only song I felt had any "catchy" parts (although I might be biased since I knew this one already). I feel like I'm going to say the same thing about the rest of the prog-rock albums we will hear on this journey but I will keep an open mind.
Simply Red
3/5
I’m guessing this guy was bigger in the UK than the US? Never heard of him before. The sax solo in “sad old red” was fire. VERY 80s production. I do prefer George Michael’s version of this overall vibe.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Come on let's get the Led out! "Whole Lotta Love" has to be one of the greatest opening tracks on any rock album ever. What an exceptional song. Every member of this band is playing their asses off. Jimmy Page on "Heartbreaker", John Paul Jones on "Ramble On", John Bonham on 'Moby Dick", and Robert Plant on everything show why this is one of the greatest rock bands of all time. It just hits.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
A short and sweet album! Reminds me of Emmylou Harris. Great harmonies, and she has a really beautiful voice.
Johnny Cash
5/5
What a great collection of original songs and interpretations. Jonny Cash and Rick Rubin make a phenomenal team here. “Hurt” has to be one of the best covers of all time, with Cash’s grizzled voice fitting the secreting lyrics like a glove. Nothing flashy about this music at all, but it is captivating.
The Strokes
4/5
I liked this more than I expected to. I just really hate julian casablancas. He's a dickhead and is so obnoxious. The tunes here are all solid though and are a nice fusion of pop and rock. Would do a 3.5 if I could. I just wonder why this band became so popular?
Neil Young
5/5
Wonderful in its simplicity and execution. Just a man and his songs. He goes electric when he needs to but keeps everything speed down to its essential elements. Southern man, Don’t Let It Bring You Down, and Only Love Can Break Your Heart are all classics. Fun fact: this album cover is shot in front of one of the NYU Law buildings so I have to give points for that.
N.E.R.D
3/5
Miles better than Lil Wayne’s “rock” album, this is still pretty scattered. There are a few decent tracks but I can’t imagine ever wanting to hear this again in my life. Parts of it feel like Silk Sonic in its intentionally retro sound with some modern hip hop production added.
Michael Jackson
4/5
This seems to be when Michael Jackson began to become a parody of himself. Saying "Sh'mon", the over-the-top melodrama of "Man in the Mirror" and calling himself "bad" (not in the way he truly was if you knwo what I mean) are all the things ppl make fun of him for now. However, the great songs are really fantastic. Dirty Diana, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Smooth Criminal are all top tier. Also hearing Stevie Wonder pop up on "Just Good Friends " was a fun surprise. I'd never heard this album in full before so did not know the non-hits. It's no Thriller, but it has its moments!
Fiona Apple
5/5
I did not expect to give this a 5, but wow. Maybe it's my own ignorance, but this album is like nothing I've ever heard before. Some tracks sound baroque and some sound like Sade. I was hugely impressed with the song "The First Taste, and was floored by lyrics like "Never is a promise and you can't afford to lie" (on "Never in a Promise") that said so much so simply. I also can't believe this is a debut album. Well done.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
I have absolutely no context for this but I think it was well put together. It seamlessly mixed Indian music with jazz and electronica which is cool, but I don’t think I’d ever need to hear it again.
Iron Maiden
4/5
I thought this was great, though not quite as great as the other Iron Maiden album I gave a 5 to. The guitar solo on “Run For The Hills” is otherworldly. I also loved “22 Acacia Avenue” and “the Prisoner” sample on the track of the same name. What an unexpectedly great band, though I am curious about what a slow song from them would sound like and after two albums I still don’t know.
The Human League
3/5
This is so 80s I can’t handle it or take it seriously which isn’t really their fault but it doesn’t make me a bigger fan of it.
Adele
5/5
The best selling album for two consecutive years for a reason. There is something for everyone on here. A wonderful collection of pop-oriented songs featuring one of the greatest singers of the 21st century. "Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire To The Rain" were all smashes for a reason. 21 features relatable content, catchy melodies, both folk and r&b adjacent tracks and a sincerity throughout. Adele really is a massive talent and I think this will remain her masterpiece no matter what else she does over the next several decades. Easy 5.
Shack
3/5
Reminded me a lot of Oasis. I’m sure if I gave this more time it would grow on me but it didn’t grip me in one day.
The Byrds
4/5
Really nice tunes with some beautiful harmonies and clearly key in the development of folk rock. However, lots of these songs sound the same to me and so they kind of become indistinguishable from each others. “I’ll feel a whole lot better” is the catchiest song for me. What a strong melody! Also, funny to hear “we’ll meet again” so soon after hearing the Johnny Cash version.
Big Star
3/5
I thought this was fine but nothing super special. Last track sounded like the Velvet Underground to me.
Taylor Swift
5/5
I think this might be Taylor Swift’s best album and it’s definitely my favorite of hers. Folklore made more of a splash because it was such a change in tone and of course because it was a surprise release, but I think the ideas she played with there are more fully developed on this album. It’s also probably because this album has some very tasty guitar licks courtesy of Aaron Dessner of the National. The lyrics are really fantastic. They are simple but convey powerful and strong images (“Champagne Problems” and “Marjorie” were both very relevant to me personally after this year) Ann’s the Melodie’s on Willow, Ivy, and Cowboy Like Me were all extremely strong too. Plus of course “No Body No Crime” is a banger that made me famous on TikTok so points for that too. Gotta go with the 5 here.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Good blues rock by a a bunch of British Rock royalty. The liner notes on this is insane, but I don’t think the music itself is outstanding. I like it a lot because I like blues and classic rock, but would understand if it was not someone else’s cup of tea. Jeff Beck is one of the greatest rock guitarists ever though and he is able to shine on “Let Me Love You” and of course “Beck’s Bolero”.
The Byrds
3/5
Wow another album by the Byrds so soon! This has to be the last one. I thought this was fine, with the first track being the strongest. A great lampoon of rock stardom (and I think the Monkees). I also liked "Everybody's Been Burned", which highlighted David Crosby well. Finally, in "Time Between" you can hear the beginnings of the Flying Burrito Brothers as Chris Hillman starts looking towards country music for inspiration. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Kid Rock
1/5
I’m not giving this asshole any streams.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Just an epic album. 4 tracks, 45 minutes but sweeping in scope. Isaac Hayes really takes his time with these songs, both allowing the band to groove and the tension to build until the euphoric moment of release. He has complete command of these songs. The cover of "walk on by" is transformative and unrecognizable but great. This must have been such a ballsy album to make and must have influenced the psychedelic temptations as well as Marvin Gaye's moodier albums. I could have done without the spoken intro to By the time I got to Phoenix, but the end of the song was sublime. The wait paid off. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
David Gray
3/5
This was fine. It had some nice moments but I feel no need to listen again.
Joy Division
4/5
Not for me sonically, and I did think many of the songs were too long, but it was well arranged. Lots of subtleties to the sounds here (the end on "atrocity exhibition" was very cool) which rewarded a second listen. I'm not sure this should be considered rock, but I guess i do hear some talking heads and television influence here. I think this album will just come down to preference, so I'll round up to a 4 as an olive branch to James.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
I liked the other Bob Mould stuff we’ve heard more than this but this wasn’t bad. I would have preferred a change up in song tempos because they all started to blend together for me. He really does have a distinctive and crunchy guitar sound.
B.B. King
5/5
Deserves to be on here for the end of "How Blue Can You Get?'. Wow. Now THAT's blues singing. Very fun to hear B.B. King in his prime just giving this show his absolute all. The guitar sounds great, he sings with passion, and the horns are just a phenomenal addition to the overall sound. We were lucky enough to see him live in 2010, but this was certainly not what we saw then. The way he can pull the guitar strings with such finesse on here is pretty astounding. It's really hard to get that kind of precision and on full display here.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Phenomenal sampling. It was fun to listen to this and pick out what they were using in each beat. I also think it must have been wild to hear this when it first came out. What a contrast to NWA and Public Enemy (both great!). All of them are great rappers and the album simply exudes “cool”. Would do a 4.5 if I could but I’ll round up.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Wow I hated this.
Here are a list of better and more relevant albums from 2019 that won’t be on here but should have been in this ones place:
Vampire Weekend, ‘Father of the Bride’, Lana Del Rey, ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, Ariana Grande, “Thank U, Next”, Brittany Howard, ‘Jaime’.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Fun and another great use of sampling. Obviously this is intentionally goofy and their voices can be grating on the ears but the songs are well constructed. My faves are Brass Monkey and No Sleep Till Brooklyn. Would get a 4.5 but I don’t feel this really should have a 5.
Spiritualized
2/5
Good to rest to. Probably wouldn’t listen otherwise but the cover of call me the breeeze was interesting.
The Undertones
4/5
Solid punk rock from a band I’ve never heard of before! This was a fun listen too! Sounds like they pull a bit from the Clash in the fusion of rough sounds with classic melody.
D'Angelo
5/5
I love D'angelo, his music draws form so many places but is uniquely his. Though Voodoo will always be better for me this album is still pretty fantastic. And for a debut album it's even more impressive. The songs sound both classic and modern and the fact that he wrote and plays most of the instruments on here is wild too (although shout out to Will Lee who plays bass on the final track). The whole album oozes soul and he really is a master of the genre, My favorites are "Brown Sugar", "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker" and his cover of "Cruisin"
JAY Z
5/5
The beats on here are really phenomenal, and the larger than life song match up the Jay Z’s status as the biggest rapper in the world at this point in time. There are still a few weaker tracks and while I’d give it a 4.5 if possible I’ll round up. An amazing album cover too. Absolutely wild that it was released on 9/11/2001
Cheap Trick
3/5
This was fine, I think it could use a remastering.
5/5
Easy 5. While U2 (particularly Bono) have become parodies of themselves in recent years, this is simply masterful. One of the strongest opening runs in any rock album with these first 4 tracks. I knew the first three tracks well but “Bullet the Blue Sky” was new to me and I was blown away. What the Edge is doing with his guitar is also really impressive. Not exactly solos, but elevating each song with his playing.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
I was not sure what to expect from this album but it certainly exceeded my expectations. There is an interesting fusion of so many genres! Some things I hear: new wave, rock, pop, hip hop drums, classical arrangements and celtic melodies. This is an eclectic album but still pretty cohesive which I always find impressive. I thought the production was great. I loved the drums in "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" (is this one of the first times hip hop drums are used in a white artist's pop record given that it is 1990?). The songs ranged from the personal to the political and she did not hold back in either of these themes which made the songs pretty interesting. For instance, the assault on British racism in "Black Boys on Mopeds" was striking in how direct it was (and how sadly relevant it still is 30 years later). There was no hiding behind metaphors there. I did absolutely hate "I do not Want what I haven't got". That song was just too long to be fully a capella with no vocal harmonies. Her voice was good, but not good enough for that. I was really enjoying the album until that happened and it is a clear contender for worst final track we've heard so far. Overall though a unique and well executed album.
Parliament
5/5
Let's get funky! This is one of the best examples of pure genre we've seen so far. These songs are not about anything except the GROOVE and that's ok with me. I guess there are some light sci-fi/afrofuturism themes which unify the album but this album is definitely about the music itself. Of course the bass is great, but the horns add a lot for me too. I had a lot of fun listening to this. Parliment is a very unique group and I bet their live show would have been fantastic in their prime. The line in the first song where they make fun of white artists doing funk is hilarious.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Great album, but short of a 5 for me. “Boogie on Reggae Woman” and “You Ain’t Done Nothing” are both great tracks showing a fun and political side of Stevie Wonder respectively. Full of funk, soul, and passion, it still pales in comparison to Songs in the Key of Life which we will hear soon enough.
GZA
3/5
VERY NY 90's boom-bap hip hop album. The Wu Tang Clan members are all good lyricists so its fun to hear them all here. I do wish the actual songs were stronger though. None of them really stuck out to me after multiple listens aside from B.I.B.L.E, which stood out to me more for GZA's political lyrics than anything else. While this does create a "vibe" for the album, I don't find it to be super memorable. RZA's production is very good and must have been great to hear at the time when most production was simpler than what we hear here.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
This album foreshadows the change in sound the Arctic Monkeys would make after AM. At the time I guess this would not have sounded like the Arctic Monkeys but now it does. Solid stuff.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I guess there is more to this band than I thought! A fun blue-eyed soul album that I assume was more popular in the U.K. than here. Does it really need to be on the list? Of course not, but it was a fun listen.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I enjoyed it all the way through but I just can’t get to the 5. Unlike the other Bob Marley albums we heard this one just did not really wow me in the same way. It was pretty jarring to hear the studio version of “No Woman No Cry” as I guess I’m so used to the Legend live version. He’s still one of the GOATs but this gets a 4.
Laura Nyro
4/5
This was a really good album but like To Pimp a Butterfly, or Nina Simone, I think it was difficult to listen to. While it was not easy, it was a very good album there was a cool mix of folk and jazz. I really liked the vocal harmonies, the horn parts. and the acoustic guitar picking. Listening to this I could hear the influence on people like Carol King, Joni Mitchell, and even Brittany Howard's first solo album. I’m not sure I would ever truly just throw this album for fun on but it was clearly really good, really interesting, and like nothing I’ve ever heard before. This is also the first album we heard where I would say there was a music theater vibe sometimes but NOT in a bad way like on the other albums.
The Jam
4/5
I really enjoyed this! Very catchy melodies with some rough rock edges. Tell me the bassline in "Start" is not "Taxman"
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
This was a great use of sampling (fun to hear both "Freebird" and "Smoke on the Water" sampled on "Bombin' The L") but otherwise it was not too great. I'd never heard of this group and I now know why. Not essential hip-hop in any way.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. An entire album of just one vocal and one guitar is admirable, but not of the songs really gripped or stayed with me. Cohen is obviously a talented lyricist and has more interesting things to say than many songwriters, but I wonder if I'd like these songs more as interpretations by someone else.
Miles Davis
4/5
Supposedly the greatest jazz album ever. While I thought it was really good I just don’t have the genre understanding to know if that’s true. The musicians are all clearly masters of their instruments and a coherent vibe is created throughout. I’m caught between a 4 and a 5 here.
CHIC
3/5
This was fine. The guitar track really highlighted Nile Rodger’s’ skills as a player. This as not as good as the other Chic album we heard a while ago.
The Residents
1/5
Could not get through this. My God.
The Streets
1/5
Cool idea. Terrible execution. Could not get through this.
Duran Duran
4/5
Lots of bangers on here. It’s a fun fusion of pop, rock, and new wave with lots of catchy choruses. I could see myself moving this up to a 5 if I spent more time with it.
Gene Clark
4/5
Man these guys really like the Byrds and mad does Gene Clark like Bob Dylan. I enjoyed this album and its laidback vibe. Jesse Ed Davis’ guitar parts were great. It certainly has the most unique cover of “stand by me” I’ve ever heard.
The Fall
3/5
Fine but not for me. Totally serviceable punk/post-punk.
Gorillaz
3/5
Interesting album, but not Albarn's best work as "Gorillaz". Still its very creative and a cool risk for an artist to take. "Clint Eastwood" will always remind me of the Andy Milonakis show.
The Gun Club
2/5
Boring punk. Idk what’s special about this or why it is on here.
Jazmine Sullivan
5/5
Great album, offering a perspective that's been strongly lacking on this list. Once the first listen is done I can always do without skits, but each one sets of the song following it really well. Serious and sincere while still being fun and easy to listen to. The duets with H.E.R. and Ari Lennox are great, and "Roster" is an excellent song. Glad this made the list.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Damn listening to this in a state capitol was funny. This is pretty badass music. Awesome guitar work by Tom Morello and Zach de La Rocha's vocals are pretty stellar too. He means every damn word here.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
"Girlfriend" was great. It honestly felt like a mix of Television and Bruce Springsteen which was alot of fun. Otherwise the album was fine.
Weather Report
4/5
Great musicianship on full display here. It was nice to work to today.
Madonna
3/5
While it might not be my favorite, this album definitely has a cohesive sound. Pretty ambitious for Madonna to release this, as it doesn’t seem to have any obvious pop hits to my ear but obviously it was a massive success for her.
4/5
Ive never heard of this band before so thats fun! Feels kind of like a more psychedelic version of the Who with added harmonies.
Suede
4/5
I wish the vocals were as good as the guitar. “Stay Together” was the best example of this. Really awesome playing and dynamics but the bad falsetto took me out of it a bit.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Well I guess we know what George Harrison was listening to for inspiration. Its honestly strange for me to hear this kind of music with no Beatles voices entering at any point. I did honestly appreciate the explanation of the music by Shankar in the beginning as it made the music easier for me to approach. I can't say I'd really listen to this again but it was cool.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Look, making fun of Reagan is always great. I will always support that. But I didn’t love the music on here. It wasn’t bad I just wasn’t grabbed by any of it.
R.E.M.
4/5
This was my favorite R.E.M. album we’ve heard in this project so far. A bit more musically rich than the others with the hits here being two absolute bangers. End of the world is really fun and the one I love is excellent too. The saxophone one one of the later tracks was another surprise.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Stark, haunting, and beautiful just like the cover. Atlantic City is an all time favorite (though I do prefer the full band version) but this is honestly the first time I paid close attention to the lyrics of many of these songs and wow. There are entire novels contained in these songs. "Highway Patrolman" was stunning, "Johnny 99" was vivid, and "Reason to Believe" provides that glimmer of hope needed to continue. Pretty stunning, and must have been shocking to hear for the first time when it came out in 1982.
Chicago
4/5
Totally different sound from the band Chicago that I’m familiar with. This was pretty cool. A lot more experimental and political than I expected.
Japan
3/5
Back in synth world I guess. This was totally fine, but i never need to hear it again and it certainly does not need to take up a spot on this list.
Daft Punk
3/5
I love Daft Punk at their best but this is not their best. There are definitely some great tracks on here and they are a group worthy of inclusion here. Unfortunately this album is about 15 minutes too long and the last 3 tracks are bruuuuutal. Lowers it from a 4 to a 3 for me.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
This was fine background music but I don’t know why this album needs to be here or what its significance is. High 2.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
A pretty fun listen, from a group who probably does not get enough respect from music critics as they deserve. Though some of it seems corny by 2020s standards, no song on here was bad. Shining Star" is a fantastic opener with a great groove that I wish lasted longer and "That's the way of the World" would not leave my head after I heard it a couple of times. I do think the album is front-loaded with its best songs, so while it's not that long it did tend to drag a bit for me towards the end. Having said that, there is some great singing, lush arrangements and musicianship throughout the album which made it very enjoyable.
Germs
2/5
This is just not for me. There were honestly better melodies than I expected, but ultimately not something I’d ever want to listen to again.
The Verve
4/5
Sounds like a mix of Oasis, Ryan Adams, and U2! This was very good and surpassed my expectations given their one hit wonder status in the US. “Weeping Willow” was a favorite. However after hearing this I see no reason why the other Verve album we already heard needed to be on the list.
The Temptations
5/5
Grand, sweeping and ambitious. An excellent collection of tracks and big step forward from a Motown group that previously had pop hits based on puns. The arrangements here are awesome, and I like that almost every vocalist gets a chance to shine.
Judas Priest
3/5
Not at all what I wanted to hear today but I can’t fault Judas Priest for that. What I can fault them for however is how freaking corny this sounds today. Maybe it didnt at the time so it was cool, but it’s not timeless like The Rolling Stones or Black Sabbath to me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I’ve never heard most of these songs before and while it does very much sound like an “odds and ends” release, the “odds and ends” of Led Zeppelin are still better than most artists’ best album. Obviously “Kashmir” is epic, but “In The Light” was too and the comedown of the acoustic guitar track “Bron-Yr-Aur” was great sequencing. I need to do a deeper dive on this one.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
It is cool how 60s music has similar vibes regardless of language. This could fit right in with the Kinks or Byrds in my opinion. Obviously if I could understand the lyrics that would be great but I can’t punish the artist for that. Low 4
1/5
No
Bee Gees
3/5
Not at all the sound of The Bee Gees I’m used to. This reminds me of Elton John’s music from the same period. A bit schmaltzy for my taste but fun to hear.
The Smiths
3/5
This was more Beatlesy than I expected! Melodic and poppier than other Smiths I’ve heard. Not my fave but not bad!
Finley Quaye
3/5
A fun listen but not one I’m likely to go back to. It at least had a different sounds from many albums on this list in its fusion of pop, rock, and reggae. A high 3.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
This was fun if only for how modern it sounded. It was crystal clear and so clean sounding which was awesome. The album was too long, but the best tracks were a lot of fun. Good Melodies and nice disco-y guitar. Reminds me a lot of Haim.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
I don’t think this was a 4th of July coincidence. If you love Public Enemy but feel that the messaging is just too subtle do I have the album for you! It’s admirable that this group wants to discuss important social and political issues but I think they forget that for anyone to want to listen the music has to be good too. I will never listen to this again and understand why this group was lost to history even though Michael Franti himself learned the lesson and remade himself as a musician.
Simple Minds
3/5
About at 80s as it gets in my opinion. The big song was not on here which makes its inclusion puzzling, but these authors love the synthesizer like no one Ive ever seen before.
David Holmes
1/5
What an absolutely brutal stretch we've been on. I couldn’t even finish this.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Not quite a 5 for me, but the highs are very high here. "Spanish Castle Magic", "Little Wing", and "Bold as Love" are all awesome. It's such a shame Jimi did not live longer as I think he would have kept making interesting music for a long time. Side Note: Could this album cover be made today?
George Michael
4/5
Pretty solid and ambitious pop album but not the 5 stars of the other George Michael album we heard. Freedom ‘90 was great.
Jamiroquai
4/5
Fun neo-soul/r&b. I think if I could spend more time with this not on vacation I could get to a 5! Very funky!
Starts off really strong but gets pretty boring as it continues. I wanted to give it a 4 but this will get a high 3 instead. Beautiful Day is excellent though.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Never heard this before but this was fun! Given its release year was this proto-yacht rock? Sounds like it definitely inspired both Mayer Hawthorne and John Mayer’s Sob rock while drawing from the Beatles.
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
Well now we know where Missy Elliot got the “lose control” sample from! This was pretty fun to be honest. Reminds me of Daft Punk from this period. I wonder if they were pals? High 3.
Brian Wilson
4/5
Impressive and operatic are the two words that came to my mind when thinking about Smile. The idea that Brian Wilson would come back to this famous "lost" rock and roll album that destroyed him mentally is very impressive and the arrangements show why he is one of the best in pop history. Having said that I do think the actual result is kind of scattered. Wilson seems to be crafting some sort of American pop opera but I could not really find a storyline that carried through here (let me k ow if you guys did). Also it was fun to hear some Beach Boys songs from other albums pop up here since they were actually intended for this album. Good Vibrations shines as a finale for me, as not only is it a familiar classic but the recording quality is sooo good. I can only imagine what The Beach Boys would have sounded like with more modern recording technology in the 60s.
George Jones
4/5
Amazing how much he can put into 29 minutes. These songs each either tell full stories or capture feelings powerfully distilled into their essences. Some were honestly indistinguishable from each other but maybe if I listened to more classic country I would not feel that way.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Wanted to give this a 5 for “Since I’ve Been Loving You” alone (what an incredible performance by the entire band!) but the rest of the album makes this a high 4. Some of the 30s style blues songs were interesting and “The Immigrant Song” is a fun opener but the rest were just not that memorable.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Not really for me, but well put together. Unique lead vocalist
M.I.A.
1/5
I found M.I.A annoying and overrated before I heard this album and my opinion remains unchanged. Wow this was unbearable. It begins with an annoying skit in the beginning before several terrible songs play in sequence. The only respite was "Bingo" and the novelty of "U.R.A.Q.T." utilizing a sample of the Sanford and Son theme song but I would never choose to lsiten to these songs again. This honestly felt a lot like noise and frankly made me anxious to listen to this. I'd imagine this is on here for its fusion of world music and hip-hop but I do not think either of these styles is particularly well executed.I wanted to compare this to Yoko Ono's music for some of its more avant garde characteristics, but that would be unfair to Yoko.
The Cure
4/5
This album sets a consistent and heavy vibe. Though I don’t think I’d put it on again. I liked it much more than I expected to.
Giant Sand
3/5
Sounds like Kurt Vile to me. A little morose in sound but was gentle music to wake up to so that was nice.
Spiritualized
3/5
Liked it more as it progressed. What a bleak month it has been for us on this list.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This falls short of a 5 for me. It’s a good showcase of Neil Young’s abilities as a songwriter and musician (especially w the first and last track repeats in different styles). I think he has better acoustic and electric albums though.
Pulp
3/5
Meh. Nothing wrong with this but the amount of 80s/90s British music on this list is absolutely insane. I dont even have anything new to say on that topic but wow, what a narrow-minded group of listmakers.
Love
4/5
This was a cool album and one I'm glad I heard. I think it's stronger than the other Love album we heard. My favorites were the opening track, and "Maybe the People Would Be The Times...". The horns were a great addition and not something you hear often enough in psychedelic rock. Does not get a 5 because the melodies were not strong enough for me, but it could just be that I need more time with this album.
Buffalo Springfield
5/5
Great. There are so many styles and musical ideas in here but it works for me. You can also tell by this spread that the band was never going to last. Far too many ideas/competing visions. "Mr. Soul" sounds like "Satisfaction" and "Good Time Boy" sounds like an Otis Redding song to me, plus you have the folkier/country songs and "Bluebird" which is straight rock and roll. What a talented band!
Beach House
3/5
Morose and kind of repetitive. Would do a 3.5 if possible bc the singer went to Vassar and the second song is sampled in “Money Trees” which is a fire song.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Just classic sounding. "Green Onions" I knew but everything else was new to me. A great band just vibing.
Beth Orton
4/5
This was great. Some parts were morose, but not in a way that dampened my listening experience. I hear great sincerity in the vocals (particularly in “feel to believe” and “devil song”). It’s possible I could get to a 5 if I spent more time with this.
The Slits
2/5
The best part about this for me was the weird cover of “heard it through the grapevine”, otherwise not too much for me here. Just not my cup of tea.
3/5
This album is likely on here more as a historical artifact than for the music itself. It’s not bad I just prefer the studio versions of these songs. I’d go see Dylan live if this was the setlist rather than Frank Sinatra songs sung badly.
The Fall
2/5
Meh
Metallica
4/5
Not my preferred style but the guitar parts on here absolutely rocked. Kirk Hammet is a legend.
White Denim
3/5
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
I don’t understand why Damon Albarn needs a side project to write about England. Blur already does this. It’s cool that this was a supergroup though and the last track was my favorite.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I had not heard most of these songs before but enjoyed it! “I Want You” is chilling and reminds me of “every breath you take” in its content.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Just absolutely not for me. There were definitely some interesting sounds here but I have no desire to ever hear this again.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
The guitar tone on here was really great. For some reason Apple music has this labeled as "pop" and I did not think that made sense until I got to the second half of the album. The whole album created a vibe and I would listen again.
Julian Cope
4/5
The guitar tone on here was really great. For some reason Apple music has this labeled as "pop" and I did not think that made sense until I got to the second half of the album. The whole album created a vibe and I would listen again.
Santana
4/5
This album successfully blends latin music with American rock and roll (and jazz!?) such that its hard to hear where one ends and the other begins. Nothing on here was bad, but the hits soar far above the other tracks for me. "Mother's Daughter" and "Hope You're Feeling Better" sound like Cream knock offs, but "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va" do not sound like they could have been played by anyone other than Carlos Santana and his band. The guitar parts are unsurprisingly great, played with feeling and emotion still accessible to me today. Random fact: The singer/keyboardist here was one of the co-founders of Journey. Tragic!
Fairport Convention
4/5
Unsurprisingly I preferred the jammy parts of this album much more than the sea shanty songs. Damn the end of “Sailor’s Life” was fire. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Elastica
3/5
I never need to hear this again. Im guessing they have good energy in concert.
Kate Bush
4/5
Surprisingly to me this was much more accessible than the other album of hers that we heard. I had no idea that “this woman’s work” was originally by Kate Bush and not Maxwell! Pretty good stuff all around.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
This was fine but felt monotonous. I'm sure this was hard to make but it didn't do very much for me.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
The beginning half of this album is really strong, but it started to lose me towards the end. Maybe it's just a tad too long. "Today" and "Cherub Rock" are both great examples of 90s rock though and I can see why this band was as big as it was during its prime.
Destiny's Child
4/5
Very fun to hear something different on here. I think the first half of the album is clearly stronger. All of the mega-hits are in the front of the album. While it's clear from this how talented Beyonce is, I don't think I would have been able to predict how massive her star would become, and how great her solo albums would be if I had only heard this. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Fats Domino
4/5
Fats Domino is incredibly important to the history of rock and roll. Having said that, this might be the first "early rocker" whose album does not get a 5 from me. It's more transitional than the music of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis or Elvis and is thus not nearly as exciting to listen to in 2024. I'm glad this was on the list though.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I wonder what it would be like to hear this for the first time in 1991. Part P-Funk, part Hendrix, part Hip-hop and more, the chili peppers finally made some unequivocally great music with this album. The entire band shines here on tracks ranging in dynamics, genre, and tone. My favorites are "I could have lied" and the title track, but my God are the hits good songs. "Give it Away" and "Under the Bridge" are both iconic and exciting to hear every time I listen. One of my first favorite bands.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Just a classic sound. Sinatra's voice is strong enough to carry what otherwise might be a boring collection of standards.
Grateful Dead
5/5
A great album for people who love the Grateful Dead. A great album for people who hate the Grateful Dead. Simply, a great album with an insanely good collection of songs that essentially functions as a greatest hits collection. The opening three track run has to be one of the best in rock history and then you still have Brokedown Palace, Ripple, and Truckin after that. It's combination of rock, folk, blues, and country is perfect. Greatest American band ever.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
Yes it's too long and there is a Confederate Flag on the cover which is gross, but the music is great. I loved the vocal harmonies and found the banjo playing especially well done. I like the concept behind this album too and how it highlights many classic country stars years after their hits stopped.
The Shamen
2/5
God this was hard to get through, but I did it. Far too many insufferable beeps and boops. Will never listen again
Metallica
4/5
There are some really excellent guitar solos in here, but it’s not enough to make me love this album. I thought the other Metallica album we heard was much stronger and more musically diverse.
Aphex Twin
2/5
Booooooooring
Living Colour
4/5
Solid rock and roll with some great political messaging. It really is a shame how black artists got pushed out of rock and roll, because Vernon Reid brings a great perspective, and I wonder how many others were lost to the mainstream due to this.
Talking Heads
4/5
I don't think this is the Talking Heads' best album, but it is still pretty strong. Lots of great song ideas in here! I like Heaven, Life During Wartime and Cities the best. Talking Heads have a range of sound in their arsenal and all of that is on display here. Lots of fun guitar parts too. The end of "animals" sounds like the Muppets.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Never heard this before but it was familiar in a good way! Some plain fun rock and roll with a modern sound. I particularly liked "If Only".
Moby
3/5
This was like one long piece, which while impressive was also kind of boring. The sampling was well done though.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Honestly the best word I can use to describe this is Zany. Todd Rundgren is one of a kind, even if I don’t love what he does.
The Cult
4/5
Plain, old fashioned rock and roll. Nothing groundbreaking here but it was a lot of fun to listen to. Rick Rubin loves AC/DC and that comes through in the production here. The lead guitarist was on fire and I wonder why I've never heard of this band. It sounds like Lenny Kravitz may have been inspired by the cover of "Born to Be wild" and “The Removal Machine” sounds like “Start Me Up”.
Richard Hawley
4/5
Retro and cool. Not something I’d listen to again probably but this was interesting and I heard a lot of Frank Sinatra in here.
James Taylor
5/5
Its a classic. Such a beautiful, gentle voice that works better for blues songs than it has any right to. Short and sweet!
Dire Straits
4/5
At first I couldn't understand why this album would start with "So Far Away" and not "Money For Nothing" which is much more dynamic, exciting and energetic, but this album is not about that. It's about vibes. This album features a lot of songs that seem to last much longer than they should but worked as when I thought of them more as structured meditations. In that respect "So Far Away" with its repetitiveness was a much fairer preview of what was to come. I would assume a lot of this album was influenced by the softer moments on Bruce Springsteen's "The River" which came out 5 years earlier. The songs had good stories, some beautiful saxophone parts and most importantly (for me of course) some searing guitar lines. I mean check out the end of "ride across the river", god damn. This album grew on me the more I listened, which must be a good thing right? High 4.
Tori Amos
3/5
This just wasn’t for me. Reminds me a bit of Fiona Apple or Kate Bush but not as good as either in my opinion. Obviously I’m not the target audience for this though so I’ll give her benefit of the doubt and go with a three.
Stan Getz
3/5
This was nice to have on in the background, but I cant say I was grabbed by anything I heard. I imagine it's a classic in its field though and nothing here was displeasing to my ear.
Cowboy Junkies
5/5
I honestly loved this. The arrangements were sparse and haunting but it was beautiful in its own way. I have to assume they were heavily inspired by Nebraska because I hear a lot of similarities in the music here.
Napalm Death
1/5
This was horrible. Obviously that’s the point and I’m not the audience for this but my God. Lowest rated album on this entire list for a reason.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Fine. Not unhappy I heard it, but will likely never listen again. Too much like 100 other things on this list.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Reminds me of Beck and lots of other 90's fusions of rock and hip-hop. It sounds like Citizen Cope may have been influenced by this type of music. I don't really think it was anything special though and think Rage Against the Machine does a better job of fusing these two genres.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Well he got his wish! The rest of the album was pleasant and I had no issues with it, maybe it would grow on me with time but it was somewhat forgettable.
Sonic Youth
4/5
A cool alternative/punk album that sounds like it influenced Nirvana. These are simple songs with good dynamic variation, and having multiple lead singers is always fun for me. I don't know if I'd ever choose to listen again but this was well put together and it was cool to hear some punk songs of greater than 4 minute length which is unusual.
The Style Council
4/5
Man the rap track was tough to listen to. The rest was decent though and there was a complex sonic palette. I liked the stripped down acoustic song in the beginning best. Organ on "strength of your nature" was awesome too. Low 4
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Easy 5. What an exceptional album, with so much packed in 35 minutes. It came out 18 years ago and sounds like it could have come out in 1965 or yesterday. Mark Ronson's production is fantastic and Amy's voice is just phenomenal throughout the whole album. There's something here for everyone and it is just an absolute tragedy that we did not get more music from her.
Björk
1/5
Could not finish this. My god it was brutal. Just the worst parts of acapella combined with all the things impenetrable about Bjork. Who is this for?
The Associates
2/5
Meh. Very boring synth pop with no business being on this list
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Meh. Did not really make an impression on me.
4/5
Good group of songs with a classic sound. Some of them were extremely short and could have made the album longer than 28 minutes if they had been extended slightly. The title track is super catchy. Coal miners daughter is probably better but I appreciated the change from 80s British new wave.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Solid album all the way through. Nothing exceptional on here but it was fun to hear this.
Billy Joel
5/5
A wonderful album from start to finish 8/9 of these are hits! Wow. banger after banger in 8 consecutive tracks. Yes he's a little schlocky but man is this entertaining stuff. When he was good he was really good.
Tom Waits
3/5
This was better than I expected it to be. Yes it's too long, yes he sounds like a Disney villain singing their one song of the movie over and over again, no I will probably never listen to this again. BUT: the arrangements were pretty cool and I cannot deny the sincerity in his voice, most apparent in the bluesy numbers. "Dirt in the Ground" was a highlight for me.
Gotan Project
3/5
Sounds like music that would be playing in a luxury hotel's lobby. I guess the fusion of tango and electronic is cool? Low three.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Good stuff! Funky and fun to listen to. His voice is not my favorite but the instrumental parts are fun. This man should be in the rock and roll hall of fame for keeping this kind of music relevant into the 21st cetury. High 4.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
There are some really great songs on here, but it falls short of the 5 I gave to Bridge Over Troubles Waters. “Homeward Bound”, “patterns” and the title track are great but many of the others are forgettable. “A Simple Delsutory Phillipic” is clearly a Bob Dylan parody that I think would work better as a b-side than as part of an album. I didn’t love the final track, but I do respect that they had something to say about current events.
Pentangle
3/5
Very mixed album for me. The songs that more heavily featured guitar parts were better than the ones that heavily featured vocals. Never heard of this group before but reminded me of Richard and Linda Thompson.
Green Day
5/5
Easy 5. Iconic album that I have not heard in a while! It's political without being annoying, it rocks hard and it's an ambitious concept. I can't say I was able to follow the story. Amazingly it was also full of hits I remember being played at middle school dances! Not sure that will ever happen again.
Funkadelic
5/5
Great fusion of funk and rock. "Maggot Brain" remains one of the greatest guitar tracks of all time and the rest of the album is strong too. "Super Stupid" reminded me of "Voodoo Child" and the Hendrix influence makes a lot of sense.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Not a good day for me to give a fair review of anything but I liked what I heard. Reminded me of Oasis and “Australia” sounded like “Rain” by the Beatles. “No Surface But All Feeling” was a good one. I’ll give them benefit of the doubt with a 4.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Strange and not for me.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Snoop Dogg is a technically skilled rapper who also knows how to have more fun than anyone, and it’s cool to hear that he was always this way. This album also complicates the West coast/East coast dichotomy that we always hear about with the 90's, although I guess this was earlier. Crazy that Biggie's "Hypnotize" was inspired by a West Coast rapper, who inturn opens the track "La De Da Di " by discussing his love for east-cost rapper Slick Rick, and the next track contains a hook sampled by Jay-Z a few years later on Reasonable Doubt. As always, I can do without the skits, which here were so gross in some instances that I was uncomfortable.
Traffic
4/5
Solid jammy classic rock. I don’t know that I’d heard most of these songs before and it was an enjoyable listen all the way through. Steve Winwood is a fantastic keyboardist and his flute playing was a cool surprise as well.
Slayer
3/5
well, it is what it is. Im sure many ppl liked this a lot and it is just absolutely not my style whatsoever.
Megadeth
3/5
Well I liked this more than Slayer. Ready for something else though.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This has to be one of the best albums of all time. Double albums usually have a ton of city able tracks but o don’t feel like that’s the case here. Just a staggering number of great songs can found here and the hits HIT. The back to back grooves of “Sir Duke” and “I Wish” is unbelievable, the political messaging in “Village ghetto land” and “Black Man” is powerful, and even the country attempt of “Saturn” works for me. I cannot believe one person masterminded this entire thing. Stevie Wonder is a genius plain and simple. Easy 5.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Fun 60's garage rock. Most of this was average in quality but "I'm not your stepping stone" was the highlight for me. It packed a serious groove. My God was Ss396 a bad Beach Boys soundalike.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Yeah this rocked. Their three most classic songs are all here and the rest is great too. Really well done arrangements, and awesome guitar parts. Some of it was jammier than I expected which was fun too.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
I have no idea what to make of this. I assume it’s good within its genre but I just cannot give an informed take here.
Laibach
1/5
Honestly kind of scary. Could not finish it. Dystopian and maybe too on the nose for this current political moment.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
More musically diverse than I expected, that's for sure. The "Born to Run" cover was shocking. Pretty 80s in its sound even during the covers.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
This must have been influential on the White Stripes. I can't say it was that fun to listen to otherwise with the screaming in track one especially difficult to hear as I started my day. "Chicken Dog" was cool though. It definitely had Hendrix vibes.
The Who
5/5
Noisey, messy, and pure rock and roll. A good live album should show you another side of the artist you won't get from the recordings and this one sure does. At times here the Who sound more like Black Sabbath ("Young Man Blues" seriously sounded like "Paranoid") or Led Zeppelin than their traditional selves, but they prove here why they belong on the Mt. Rushmore of British rock bands (W/ the Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin). It’s wild to me how four guys could create such a big sound (and one is just singing!) and I can't imagine how loud and exciting this must have been in person. Though I wish the sound quality was a bit higher, this goes hard, and gives us another perspective on the birth of punk rock. Low 5 but it gets there.
The Blue Nile
3/5
The singer sounded a lot like Sting to me. Overall it sounded like a blander version of the Police too. Nothing to hate here, but nothing that really grabbed me either.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
The horns on tracks like Identity (which sounded like Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4") were a nice touch that elevated this beyond a generic punk album. Unfortunately the lead singer's voice was pretty difficult for me to listen to and frankly distracted me throughout the album. I don't think I'd ever put this on again, but I can see why someone else would love it and that they might have a great live show.
4/5
This album was very impressive, but not gripping. Clearly an ambitious group, Yes gave us a suite of songs in only 3 tracks, turning each into somewhat of an epic. Clearly this album was designed to be listened to all together, front to back which I can respect. Also, the muscianship was clearly great. The guitar solos ripped and the music began to veer into jazz fusion territory which requires great playing (Siberian Khatru's opening riff was fire). The vocal harmonies show how intricately this album was crafted. However, while I did not read all of the lyrics on paper I did not find a story or anything tying this all together as a rock opera. Also, the melodies were not string enough for me to remember them more than a few minutes after listening.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Wonderful all the way through and the first truly amazing album of that 4 album run for me. "Gimme Shelter" is a top Stones, 60's, and rock song for me. What a powerful (and apocalyptic) way to open an album. "Let it Bleed", "Midnight Rambler" and "Live With Me" are highlights for me as well. Of course the final track is iconic and anchors the album superbly. While I was obviously not there, it seems like this album captures the end of the flower power dream and that late 60's descent into madness. Easy 5 for me.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
I’d never heard of her before but I liked this! She has her own sound which is somehow both unique and approachable. I’d listen again.
Steely Dan
5/5
This was great all the way through and sounds like it came out so much later than it did to me! The melodies are strong, and the grooves were heavy throughout. Plus the instrumentation throughout was incredible. The guitar solos on “Do It Again”, “King” and “Midnight Cruiser” were all awesome.
Wilco
4/5
I’ve never heard this album before but was aware of it as a classic. I did like the other Wilco album we heard more than this one due to its folkier/more alt-country songs. However, Jeff Tweedy is clearly a serious and dedicated songwriter, and I do have to admire the ambition it takes to broaden a band’s sound like this. Honestly it reminded me of Smashing Pumpkins.
Slint
2/5
No sure why this one was on here. Felt like something a group a friends who learned their instruments yesterday could make. I’m sure for some people that was part of the appeal but it does not work for me.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Awesome album which feels like a playlist given all the different singers. Each member of this supergroup contributes great songs to this album. I wish it were longer and that CSNY were able to make more music together during this time. My favorites are "Almost Cut My Hair", which is exciting each time I hear it and "Helpless", which contains one of Neil Young's strongest melodies in my opinion. Plus the Jerry solo on "Teach Your Children" is always fun!
Beck
3/5
Man the first track on here made me cringe. The rest of the album was decent but that was big hole to climb out of. I don't love Beck to begin with so I'm certainly biased, but I just don't see what he's adding to popular music. "Go It Alone" was the highlight track for me.
The Only Ones
4/5
I'd never heard of this band before but this was good stuff! Punk energy but with melodies that would make me want to listen again. Reminds me of Television. The harmonic double guitar solo in "No Peace for the Wicked" really spoke to me.
Tom Waits
2/5
Well he certainly had a strong vision here. I think there have been too many Tom Waits albums already on here so I’m biased against him but this was a lot to take in. He’s a creative guy with a creative mind but I did not like the sounds here.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I’m not sure if this is considered rock music but if it is this kind of rock is it for me. Stripped of all blues influences it feel like the human element is missing. I don’t mind technology being used in music at all but here it just sounds kind of sterile.
Big Star
4/5
Have you ever wondered what The Beatles would sound like if they didnt break up and didnt get better? If so this album is for you. Try Again, for instance sounds exactly like George Harrison's solo material from this time. This album does have great moments, like the harmonies in “Give me another Chance”, and the riffs in “Dont Lie To Me”, but I don't think the melodies on this album were strong enough and while I just listened to this I couldn't sing you the songs back. That would never happen with a Beatles album (as a comparison). A solid rock and roll record that gave us the theme song to That 70's Show.
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
This was a perfect execution of his kind of music. It's not my favorite thing in the world personally, but Dinosaur Jr. did a hell of a job here. I can recognize their influence in tons of bands including Nirvana and the Drive-By-Truckers. "Just Like Heaven" was a great cover and the guitar work on "The Lung" was exceptional as well. Gotta go with a five.
Mylo
1/5
A bad version of daft punk. I had to turn it off in the middle of the song that was repeating the names of rock musicians
Bee Gees
3/5
Not The Bee Gees I’m familiar with!
What’s week for Beatles knock offs. I do have to give credit for the ambition this album required but none of it really connected with me.
OutKast
5/5
Yes some of this is a mess and could be better but I have to go with a 5. I can’t imagine hearing this in 2000 given how futuristic some of it sounds at the end of 2024. “B.O.B” is thrilling every time I hear it and “So Fresh So Clean” AND “Ms. Jackson” are iconic. Andre 3000 is an easy top 5 rapper of all time to me and number one on certain days. It is just thrilling to hear what he does when rapping. Big Boi would be the best rapper in almost any other rap duo so this is no critique of him but my God do I wish Andre would put down the damn flute.
The Clash
5/5
What a debut! These guys were pissed about England's and rightfully so. They rock hard here ("White Riot" and "London's Burning") while taking on serious issues of class and post-industrialization. The reggae groove in "Police and Thieves" shows that even the beginning this punk band was interested in expanding their sound beyond three chords. Awesome.
Van Morrison
5/5
What a Side A! MY GOD. He truly stacked the bangers here though Side B did still have its moments. A unique blend of Jazz, Soul, Rock, and Folk that just feels good. As much of a jerk as he is, Van Morrison is truly one of a kind and is great at what he does. My favorites were "Into the Mystic" and "Caravan" which will always make me think of The Last Waltz.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Meh. Never heard of this band and I didn’t feel bad about that after hearing this. It was serviceable modern rock.
David Ackles
1/5
Schlocky garbage. Couldn’t get through this album.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
I don't really feel qualified to give this a score. I liked what I heard even though I have no context for it.
The Jam
3/5
Nothing wrong with this but not really for me. None of the melodies stuck with me after listening
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Can’t believe I’m giving this band both a 5 and a 2 in the same month but I really could not get into this one. Far to much on the “noise” side of things for me.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
I really wanted to finish this but I just couldn't. It was just too weird. I feel like this is what some people must think the Grateful Dead sounds like and that makes me sad :(
Pink Floyd
5/5
What an epic suite and touching tribute to a fallen friend. The whole thing was great. David Gilmours guitar solos and Richard Wrights keys parts were out of this world. “Have a Cigar” is absolutely chilling, and the title track hits differently in the context of the full album.
Ryan Adams
5/5
Another great album from someone I wish was a better person. Ryan Adams covers a lot of sonic territory here. The penultimate track sounds like The Rolling Stones, and Adams similarly dabbles in rock, country, blues, and pop on this album, succeeding in each. The whole band
(including backup singers) sound great here. Favorites: "Answering Bell", "When Stars Go Blue", "Nobody Girl".
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
He's a unique artists but not everything worked for me personally. Madeline-Mary reminded me of CSNY and the other spacier tracks towards the back of the album were cool. Low 4 bc I feel nice.
New York Dolls
4/5
Some nice, no-frills rock and roll. Sonically this sits between the Clash and the Ramones to me. I listened to this a few times but I think I got it on the first listen. Some of the songs blended together for me, but I don't think the New York Dolls were shooting for mastery here. I bet the live shows were fun.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I probably would have liked this more if I care more about lyrics. The music on here sounded pretty similar track to track and just was not something I loved hearing. I'd be open to hearing why this is a "great album" but it sounds nowhere near as good as Blue to me.
Machito
4/5
I have no real perspective on this but it was nice to have in while I worked and the musicians were skilled. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Sam Cooke as they didn’t want you to hear him! It would have been great if video were recorded as well. His voice is great and the energy is phenomenal. The medley style of the performance is cool too and kept me on my toes throughout.
Method Man
3/5
While I do think Method Man is one of the best rappers in Wu Tang Clan I don’t think he’s one of the most interesting. This was a solid 90s rap album but was nothing special to me. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Jethro Tull
5/5
Yeah this rocked. I only knew a few of the songs before but enjoyed this all even if it is a little too self serious. The flute sound is a fun one and that extended solo on “My God” was great.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
This was fun! Some of it has definitely been sampled in stuff I've heard before. Great bass lines.
5/5
I had only heard the hits on this album before, but the whole thing was really good. Bowie sounded surprisingly like Robert Plant to me on "It Ain't Easy". Of the songs I was unfamiliar with before, I liked "Moon-age Daydream" the best (what a guitar solo!)
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
So much vibier than I expected! This is a great band as capable with mellow grooves as funk. Cool stuff on an otherwise extremely uncool day.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
This was a fun, if gentle listen. I don't need to hear it again but both performers wee great and blended well together.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
I was thinking that it had been longer than usual since we got a mediocre alternative album, but I spoke too soon.
Blondie
4/5
You can hear what a diverse set of influences Blondie had from listening to this album. Reggae, punk, 50s rock, and new wave all have a place here and it all fits. I will say that the first two tracks completely tower over the rest of the album in my opinion. "Hanging on the telephone" is a thrilling start to the album, and "One Way Or Another" is great too, but then it lost momentum for me.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Paul did his job here. The idea that this is a band is laughable but the music he wrote is great. So many bangers on one album! My favorites are "Jet" and "Let Me Roll It". Paul is the absolute king of melody, and even some of the stranger songs on here have strong and memorable melodies.
Def Leppard
4/5
Apparently the producer was trying to make a rock version of Thriller and I can hear that. It's basically more polished and poppy version of AC/DC which was fun to listen to. This is not high art, and not every song was great, but I did really enjoy "Don't Shoot Shotgun", "Hysteria", and "Excitable".
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This was pretty vibey compared to other albums I’ve heard by them. It felt more like background music too.
The Cure
5/5
I liked this a whole lot more than I expected to. Maybe it's just the general malaise in the air right now but this hit. These are good songs to get lost in with their intricate layers and long run times. I actually knew Lovesong first from the Adele cover!
The Kinks
3/5
I'm not sure what makes this one "great". It feels like a total Beatles Revolver/Sgt. Pepper knock off, which was a very common thing for British bands to do during this time but there are some abitious ideas in here to show that they were moving beyond their garage rock beginnings. Reminds me a lot of the Zombies' Oracle and Oddessy which we will be hearing at some point. I like the "story songs" with characters and narratives, but the music itself was hit or miss for me. "Waterloo Sunset" is the clear highlight for me (maybe biased cuz I knew it before) but "Harry Rag" sounded like musical theater.
The Young Rascals
5/5
This may be the best distillation of 1960s popular music we’ve heard to far. There is soul, psychedelic rock, garage rock, and colorful pop all here and it works! The Young rascals packed a lot into 35 minutes.
The B-52's
5/5
Would have been cool to hear this when it first came out! What a unique sound! Lots of fun to listen to with more punk influence than I expected. "52 Girls" was great.
Björk
1/5
I couldn’t get through this. I’m sorry Bjork.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Amy and I saw Foo Fighters do a july 4th concert in 2015. It was an awesome 2.5 hours of pure rock and roll. The idea that is started with a depressed Dave Grohl making songs alone in his room is pretty amazing. This is not the album I'd use as their entry to the list since none of the other band members are involved but it hinted at what he'd accomplish later on.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
First I'll say that this album was a fun and welcome change from our usual candidates. Sometimes you just need some fun pop to dance to. Havign said that, this was the wrong JT album to pick. Futuresexx/lovesounds or 20/20 experience part 1 would be better choices. While this album starts with a bunch of strong Neptunes production and catchy melodies (Senorita, Like I Love You, and Rock Your body are all bangers.), the album really drags in the middle, and the back half is really boring. Shocking that Janet Jackson is featured on here given what would happen between them shortly after at the Superbowl. High 3.
Nirvana
4/5
Obviously not as fun to listen to as Nevermind, but I do respect what Nirvana was doing here. Kurt Cobain had clearly had enough of being a "pop star" and wrote an album intentionally designed to alienate people (kind of like Yeezys imo). That said, there are still some really catchy melodies here b/c Kurt remained a Beatle head through and through.
Nico
2/5
Not for me at all. I can see how this was influential on many others though.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Look I’m happy with any album that contains a song titled “youth against fascism” (and slams Clarence Thomas) but this was a rough listen for me. I don’t have a problem with noise per se, but I prefer it in the melodic form we just heard on In Untero. Other albums we heard by Sonic Youth worked better for me.
George Harrison
5/5
This (triple!) album has got to be one of the biggest flexes in music history. On All Thing Must Pass George says "Hey John and Paul, you don't wanna do my songs? Ok well I'm gonna take Ringo and do them anyway and oh yeah, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Bobby Keys, and others are gonna help me play them, and oh yeah Bob Dylan is gonna write one with me too." These are some great songs and while I think they would be equally effective stripped down, Phil Spector's wall of sound production style gives them a larger than life feel which is appropriate for songs about religion, death, and the breakup of the greatest band of all time. I don't normally feel that double or triple albums are justified, but here I think there were absoultely enough great songs to justify its length. I will say that while I enjoyed the third disc of jams given who the band was, those songs were probably the least necessary and a double album would have been sufficient. Ultimately what we hear on this album is George breaking free from the Beatles with everything that's been pent up in him for years. It's too bad the beatles didn't stay together for a few more years, as I can only imagine how great this could have been with John and Paul involved too.
Holger Czukay
2/5
Pretty strange album. It tracks that this guy was in Can. Not for me at all. More of a sound collage than a group of songs.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Enough of this guy already. What is it with PJ Harvey, Bjork and Nick Cave that these guys can't get enough of? This is fine. Has Pouges vibes but is not as good.
Brian Eno
3/5
I don't have too much experience with the ambient music we find on this album, so it's hard to fairly assess it. I had it on as I worked and it served as perfectly acceptable background music, but at no point did I feel that I needed to stop workign and jsut lsiten, as I do when I hear albums that really connect with me. The guitar on "golden hours" was awesome, and the melody in "St. Elmo's Fire" was catchy, but other than that nothing really stood out to me.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I don’t think this is as good as either of his first two albums, but it still has some good songs! The ending of “sorry girl” sounds like the end of the Abbey Road Medley.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Had to listen on Youtube b/c it wasn't available on Apple and was struck by the top comment which I'll repost here: "First time hearing this song. Reminds me of my ‘special friend’, who died just before the epidemic. He was a romantic and a dancer. I imagine myself wrapped in his arms, dancing so closely. Makes me remember all our best times. Thank you for this beautiful, smooth song."
Good reminder that stuff that doesn't reach us often reaches others powerfully.
The Vines
3/5
Maybe this is too harsh but sounded like pretty interchangeable 2000s garage rock to me. We've heard enough music similar to this on the list already.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Better than I'd expected, but I would never listen to this guy's music again. I dont even fully understand who this is for. Angry teenage boys?
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
I thought this was just ok. Talented musicians for sure but I didn’t really connect with it. The Nutcraker song was a cool novelty classical blues fusion.
Supertramp
4/5
I don't think I've ever heard these songs before, but I liked the album more each time I played it today. The last song was the highlight for me. What a cool groove to end on and the horn parts sounded cool!
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
I really could not say why this album was included in this list. Pretty unremarkable British rock imo.
The Fall
3/5
Meh. Not something I’d need to hear again. Let’s get something with some soul plz.
Calexico
3/5
Interesting mix of sounds on this album. Would do a 3.5 for the ambition but I’m not sure it was super well executed.
4/5
This album must be on here for impact more than for its overall quality. While the music on here was never very sophisticated or interesting (though I did enjoy "Motor City Is Burning" and "I Want You Right Now") the energy was certainly there. I'm guessing given its 1969 release that it was a massive influence on punk and garage rock and was therefore ahead of its time. This is some pretty wild stuff and I'm assuming the live version is here because of the high energy?
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
While this album was undeniably important to the development of popular music it only had a few tracks I could see myself putting on again for fun. The transition from rock to hip-hop can be heard in the beats and backing tracks of this album (Rock Box most obviously) with the rock drums sounding really good under their rapping. I do think most of the good songs were in the first half of the album, so even though it was not too long I was ready for it to be over by the end.
Gram Parsons
4/5
Good country rock, but as an album it definitely feels slapped together. Given his tragic death it seems like this is exactly what happened. I wish he could have kept working at the "cosmic american" thing but I think others have done an excellent job taking the baton and running with it.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Not as astounding as Back to Black, but still pretty great. Amy Winehouse's debut is able to seamlessly blend a diverse group of sounds and genres, and it is a tragedy that we got so little music from her during her brief life. What a voice!
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Wish we got yesterdays and todays in reverse order. Without this there’s certainly no Amy Winehouse or Adele. Dustry Springfields voice is smooth but it still has a ton of soul. The arrangements underneath her are lush, but never distract from her singing, which is the focal point for a reason.
Hot Chip
3/5
This was fine indie pop but I don't think I need to hear this again. Sounds like they were influenced by the Pet Shop Boys.
k.d. lang
4/5
I assume the retro sound was intentional and I think it worked well. I have no idea if this is representative of the rest of K.D. Lang's music but I enjoyed this. We got all of good parts of classic Nashville sound country without any of the poor audio quality that normally accompanies it. The bonus stars in the final track were fun too and brought the album full circle for me.
Megadeth
3/5
Lots of shredding and technically proficient playing on this, but its not my style. I wish there were more soul if this type of rock music.
The Triffids
4/5
Never heard of this band before. This felt more like new-wave than post punk to me as it sounds poppier than most post punk I've heard. It's not anything groundbreaking, but it's not bad either. Some good and retro sounding melodies.
Jack White
4/5
A solid “debut” album for Jack White but I don’t think it beats the Raconteurs or most White Stripes albums of his in terms of overall quality. Sixteen Saltines, Freedom at 21, and Love Interruption are the highlights for me. Unsurprisingly these are all better live. Good mix of garage rock, Americana, and 50s blues influences throughout.
The Saints
3/5
Solid punk. I liked the horns I the opening track. Vocals sound influenced by Lou Reed. But the use of the R-word was totally jarring.
N.W.A.
5/5
I can't imagine hearing this for the first time as a white suburban person in 1988. My God. Ice Cube's first verse on the title track has to be one of the hardest rap verses ever recorded and it STARTS the album! Aside from "Express Yourself" I do think the album is a bit top heavy and starts to sound similar by the end (and the misogyny starts to become overbearing) but what a revolution. There is such raw anger on "Fuck Tha Police" and its clearly not coming from nowhere. Would do a 4.5 if possible, but its gotta get the 5 for influence and true shock value.
Ramones
4/5
Its the Ramones. It's exactly what you'd expect. Fun pop-punk songs w2ith simple chord progressions and catchy melodies. There are many good songs on here and I guess it made a huge impact but I can't say I'm blown away by any of it.
Culture Club
4/5
This album was much more Motown and Prince influnced than I expected, and that made it a really fun listen. “Karma Chameleon” and “Black Money” were both super catchy and “Miss Me Blind” was absolute banger. George Michael must have been a big fan of this album.
Radiohead
4/5
I’d never heard any of this before except “karma police” but thought it was really impressive. All the tracks had some thing cool to offer even if not all my personal taste. The only one I truly didn’t like was the talking robot/computer one but I totally get what it was included. Really great guitar playing throughout too. More time with this probably gets it to a 5 for me.
Stephen Stills
5/5
What an absolutely stacked personnel list for this album! Aside from 2 tracks being essentially CSN, Hendrix, Clapton Booker T, AND Ringo were all on here!? The songs were fun to listen too. They were both funky and sweet and sound very of the time. “Go back home” was the highlight for me though the first track is a classic. In retrospect, since I’m going 5 here I should have done the same for OK Computer.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
On this album, CCR fuses 50's rock and roll with late 60's psychadelia so well that if I did not already know which songs were covers I might guess incorrectly. Opening track "Ramble Tamble" is a microcasm of this blend and as such it works perfectly as an album opener. It's transition from tight blues to repetivie groove really worked for me. Most of the other songs I'd heard before and the originals all held up. "Travelin' Band" is as exciting as any of the Little Richard Songs they were payign homage to. "Run through the Jungle" is beautifally horrific. "Long As I Can See the Light" is a soulful ending and comedown after one of the most scortchung covers of all time. Let's talk about "Heard it Through the Grapevine" for a second. This is one of my favorite covers of all time, and I think one of the best (along with Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" and Aretha's "Respect"). They completely remade this song ans kept it interesting for 11 minutes. That is not an easy thing to do. I think this cover really influenced my guitar soloing so I may be biased but I jsut tihnk it is fantastic. A couple of the 50s covers were only "ok" (CCR did not add much to them) and they felt like filler to me.
Queen
5/5
Queens music of often too Broadway for me, but I have to go with a 5 here. The production and effort on The bands part was absolutely top notch. The playing and dynamism were both on fire through the album (even in a song as stupid as “I’m in love with my car”) which reminded me of Abbey Road in that it had a first half which included some silly songs and a sweeping medley in the second half. Ending with God Save the Queen was a nice touch too.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I would not have been able to tell you want band this was if I didn’t already know. Wow. What a difference swapping out Syd Barret for David Gilmour made. This almost felt more like a sound collage than an album but it was cool to listen to.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
This was a VIBE. Wow, what a perfect accompaniment to the first warm sunny day of the year. These musicians are great and totally locked into each other throughout the whole album. Will definitely add this to my rotation.
Carpenters
3/5
would be elevator music if it didn't have vocals. Some decent harmonies, but overall too boring and schmaltzy for me.
The Temptations
4/5
This was awesome. The only aspect I didn't like was the strange phrasing used in "heard it through the grapevine". I liked the longer psychedelic tracks as well as the more classic motown sound towards the end of the album. It would have been cool to hear this when it first dropped since it contains such a departure from their previous sound
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Yes this album is a little all over the place, but I'm going to have to go with a 5. First of all, it contains maybe the greatest cover of all time in "Watchtower" (wild that we got two of the GOAT covers in 2 weeks). Second of all Jimi is going absolutely off on the guitar throughout this whole album the solo at the end of the 12 min "Voodoo Chile" was maybe the peak but "House Burning Down" and "Gypsy Eyes" had incredible guitar solos as well. This is rock and roll with some proto-funk stylings and it would have been fascinating to hear more had he lived longer and gone further down this path. What an absolute tragedy.
Buzzcocks
3/5
I really was not in the mood for this kind of music when I listened so
I feel bad punishing them for it but it was just too much.
Ian Dury
2/5
This was another slot on this list wasted by a mediocre British musician.
Solange
5/5
Simply masterful. On this album Solange tells a tragic but inspiring story of race in America. Clearly for and by black people (as F.U.B.U makes obvious) this is an album that many white Americans could benefit from hearing. It's powerful thematically but also gorgeous sonically (the piano in particular) and shows us what can be accomplished by just letting a song breathe and focusing on the spaces between the notes. The mini speeches in between tracks also set the songs up nicely. Wow. I'm also curious how she got Wayne to record such a serious verse.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This was a very good album that had the bad luck of closely following a better CCR album. "Green River", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Lodi" are all rightly considered classics but the ambition and scale of some of the longer Cosmo's Factory tracks were missing here. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Green Day
5/5
This is a great album and a powerful statment of who Green Day was at this point in time. Catchy melodies mix with raw power chords to make some of the only pop-punk I've ever enjoyed. Their lyrics concenring alienation, depression, and anxiety feel sincere and Billie Joe's singing is not whiny in the way that many bands influnenced by this ablum do. Almost every single song on here is a banger and could have been a hit had it been chosen as a single. At 38 minutes, Green Day squeezes a ton of material into this album without adding too many tracks to dilute the quality. The "Chump" into "Longview" transition is fantastic and shows how grand they were thinking even at this point in their career.
Favorite tracks: Burnout, Pulling Teeth, Welcome to Paradise, When I Come Around, Sassafras Roots
Radiohead
5/5
This was great. The music is atmospheric but is not meandering and the album feels epic yet approachable. The melodies are strong (especially "high and dry" which was stuck in my head afterwards) and the guitar parts rip. I think I'm starting to see why people love Radiohead so much. I will definitely be adding this one to my library.
Favorite tracks: Fake Plastic Trees, High and Dry, Nice Dreams
King Crimson
3/5
This are clearly talented and ambitious musicians, but I did not really connect with anything on here. Instrumental prog rock is too much like classical and not enough like the blues for me and I think that creates a barrier for me in enjoying this type of music.
Deerhunter
3/5
Very indie-rock vibes. Was nice to have on as background music, but nothing really grabbed me. That's sometimes how I feel about the genre as a whole though there are of course bands and songs I like a lot individually.
Morrissey
3/5
I had not heard this album before, but I was still able to predict exactly what it would sound like. This was fine, but it really does not deserve a place on a list like this and just shows that the authors dont really have very broad taste.
Primal Scream
4/5
I liked this much more than the last Primal Scream album we had. Felt very influenced by the Rolling Stones in some places. I liked “Medicine” best.
Bobby Womack
4/5
I'd never heard this before and it was nice. Bobby Womack is a bad person, but one with a great voice and is a charismatic singer. Some of the production sounds dated but it fuses 70s and 80s R&B well I think.
Beastie Boys
4/5
More of a sound collage than an album, but one that shows you how important samples have always been to hip hop. The music was far more interesting than the rapping here, and it was appropriate that we got this album when we did because the whole thing was a fun easter egg hunt. Hearing the guitar solo from "The End" over the drums from "Sgt. Peppers" was thrilling as a Beatles fan, and I'm wondering if this helped influence the creation of the Love album.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Unsurprisingly I really hated this. I could not get through the final track. My God.
10cc
3/5
Never heard any of this before! Lots of silly songs here but I'm sure that was the intention and it's nice to hear from a group that isn't too self serious. I probably would not listen to it again personally, but I can see why others would.
Van Morrison
4/5
I really enjoyed this album but it shouldn't be on the list. Van Morrison is a great singer and proves it here, but these aren't different enough from the studio recordings for my to justify a space on this list.
The xx
3/5
Very 2000s. Not essential but didn’t hate hearing this album. I can’t say anything about it stuck with me after multiple listens but I remember this being “cool” when it came out.
Public Enemy
4/5
A lot to take in sonically but I’m sure that was the point. I didn’t love most of this but it was so important and the great songs were really great. The partnership of Chuck D and Flava Flav should not work at all but somehow really does.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I'm very curious to see James review on this one. It is sonically (no pun intended) not for me, but they do seem to craft a cohesive vibe throughout. It almost felt like a jam-band aesthetic mapped on to post-punk.
Mariah Carey
3/5
Honestly shocked I didn't know any of the original songs on here given the number of hits Mariah Carey has. I'm not sure this is essential listening, and lots of the songs blended together for me but it was certainly a welcome change of pace.
KISS
4/5
Was it high art? No, but it rocked. The clear bangers were "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud". Most of the rest felt like filler although I know that Beth was a huge it for some reason.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Robot music
Donald Fagen
4/5
Yeah this just sounds like Steely Dan but I'm not mad about it! Essential? No but this was a fun and easy listen.
Os Mutantes
4/5
This is the kind of album perfect for this list. Something important in another part of the world that I’d never hear otherwise. Sounds like this band loved the 60s stones.
T. Rex
4/5
This must have influenced David Bowie right? I’d never heard any of this before but it sounds familiar as the production style sounds al to like some of the Beatles solo albums of this time period. I liked the meta-ness of “Ballrooms of Mars”
Tracy Chapman
5/5
Wow this was powerful. The righteous indignation resonated with me, and the music itself complimented her lyrics well. Some of these songs hit like a gut punch. I now feel the strong urge to listen to everything she’s ever written, and if that doesn’t get an album a 5 idk what could.
Boston
5/5
Scientifically produced to be enjoyable. The songs seem simple and the themes certainly are, but the production here is so carefully constructed that the more you listen the more you find. Man do I love a harmonic guitar solo and Boston gives us plenty to enjoy here.
The Bees
3/5
This was interesting mix of genres but I'd hardly call it essential. Very 2000s vibes.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
I never heard most of these tracks before and was highly impressed. While not my personal preference sonically I think I have to go with a 5. The production feels painstaking and the subject matter is varied and ambitious. "Games Without Frontiers" (which sounds like it influenced The Clash's "Straight To Hell") and "Family Snapshot" were both chilling.
The xx
3/5
Vibey as hell. I think I liked this more than the other one we heard but neither were truly memorable.
Sepultura
2/5
This feels like a well made version of something I really don’t like so I’ll be nice and give it a 2. This music does less than nothing for me.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Funky and fun! I could have done without the extended drum track at the end, but I cant be shocked given that Ginger Baker gets name-billing here. Great musicianship throughout.
The Libertines
4/5
These guys walked so Arctic Monkeys could run. My god is this similar. The album was a fun listen even if the guitar tone got a little monotonous by the end.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
This was fun, though I should probably see the movie to have an actual understanding of whether it worked. I expected more vocals!
Syd Barrett
3/5
This sounds unfinished and feels more like a historical novelty than a real album. I feel like it is similar to the Beatles Anthology for Pink Floyd fanatics where it has value if you are trying to understand Syd Barret as an individual artist for historical or completist reasons, but its not fun to listen to on its own.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Great instrumentation. Funky and groovy with very cool lead guitar parts. Obviously I don’t understand the lyrics but that’s ok.
Scritti Politti
3/5
Mediocre Prince knockoffs. I would be surprised at the inclusion of this unremarkable 80s album on this list, but we are far too deep into this for that to be true.
John Martyn
4/5
Not as good as the other John Martyn album album we heard but still pretty cool. He really must have been a massive influence on Ray Lamontagne's vocal and musical styles. And I love Ray Lamontagne.
Kate Bush
3/5
I cant say I needed a 3rd Kate Bush album even if it is refreshing to see a female artist again. I don't think the production aged well at all, but I'm guessing this sounded pretty otherworldly at the time of its release
Digital Underground
3/5
The Hendrix sample on “the way we swing” was out of this world. Wow. But the rest of this was tough to listen to. My god did I hate the sex packet stuff at the end
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
A masterpiece. On this album Bruce is able to put searing class and political commentary into tight and catchy pop songs. Every single song on this album is fantastic and I don’t understand how they chose which ones would be singles (I guess it makes it easier when you choose almost all of them). The title track is just a searing indictment of the US government after the Vietnam war and somehow he is able to tell full stories in under 5 minutes a track. Favorites: I’m going down, cover me, born in the usa. He was always political you morons, you just weren’t listening.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Never heard of this duo before but this was really good! Sounds very 60s influenced but modern in production. I’d listen again for sure to form a stronger opinion.
Magazine
3/5
More complex than most punk which was cool to hear, but probably not something I’d listen to again. The guitar solo on the alternate “shot by both sides” was awesome.
Eagles
5/5
Lots of great songs on here and wild that Don Henley only has one lead vocal! Also serves as a reminder that the Eagles started as a country group. I also do really love the super clean production that Glyn John’s uses here and it makes the songs sound current today.
Underworld
1/5
Meh electronic music
k.d. lang
2/5
I’m sorry to say it but this felt like background music in a CVS. Pretty boring to me.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Pretty great debut album, with two absolute classics in "Breakdown" and "American Girl". Tom Petty knew who he was from Day 1 and that's very cool to me. I do wish some of the songs were a tad longer so that they could breathe and we could hear more of the band do their thing.
Tricky
3/5
I wish we were listening to The Beach Boys today instead of whatever this is. Technically impressive but who cares? I felt nothing.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
BOOOORING
Cornershop
3/5
Interesting mix of sounds here but not really sure why it is on the list.
The Who
4/5
This album shows us that the Who’s roots were as an R&B band, which I’m not sure I had realized before this. The cover of “please please please” is ballsy but I do think Roger Daltrey pulls it off well. Of course “My Generation” and “the kids are alright” are great too.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
I do like to think I'm open minded, but this is not music. It is a soundscsape. A soundscape that made me too bored to finish.
Joan Baez
4/5
Interesting mix of sounds here but not really sure why it is on the list.
The Byrds
3/5
Probably the worst Byrds album we've heard so far, and we've heard a lot. Still decent though and maybe jsut a reflection of the turmoil the band was going through at this time. In desperate need of remastering.
Kelela
4/5
Fun to just hear a r&b album with modern production. Reminds me a lot of SZA’s CRTL which came out the same year but with some more electronic music integrated into it. Beautiful voice too. Would do a 4.5 if possible.
Public Enemy
4/5
Absolutely relentless. I honestly needed this album to stop for a second so that I could take it in better. I’m sure that was Public Enemy’s intention so I can’t begrudge them for it.
The KLF
3/5
Fine, but not something I ever need to hear again.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Enough British electronica. I'd like to put a total and complete freeze on these albums being on the list until we can figure out what the hell is going on. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
The Coral
3/5
Not that it matters but this album cover is really cool. the music itself is fine. It sounds like an homage to 60's garage rock but I do appreciate the more modern sounding production. Does this need to be on the list? No.
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
I thought she was awesome before and still think so now having heard this. Great blend of blues and pop and an awesome voice. There are a couple of clunkers on here giving it a dated 80's feel in spots but overall I really enjoyed this.
2Pac
4/5
This was a solid album if a little long. The first non intro track features some of the best lyrical alliteration since “helplessly hoping” and the beats were fun west coast thumpers throughout. I cant say I understand why people say Tupac is one of the best rappers of all time (maybe you had to be there) but he clearly has something to say. He is relatively progressive in his approach to women here and warns young people about the dangers of following his path. His murder is all the more tragic when you hear all of the love he has for New York rap pioneers and the gunshots that end the album.
The Darkness
4/5
Not something I’d expect to be on this list but a fun surprise! This rocked. I know it’s absurd and cartoonish, but the songs were fun and the harmonic solos kicked ass. Pretty funny that it sounds like it could been made 20-25 years earlier in time and would fit in perfectly on classic rock radio. I would do a 4.5 if I could because the execution is perfect, but I think it is just too derivative to get a 5.
Beatles
5/5
A strong contender as any for the title of "greatest album of all time". Each Beatle brought at least one strong track to this album, and almost everything on here would be the best song ever written by any other artist. Their musicianship is also display here with intricate bass, guitar, and drum parts throughout. Yes "Maxwell's Silver hammer" is a clunker but the rest is so good that I can forgive it. Finally, we need to acknowledge how impressive the medley is. Every time I reach "Golden Slumbers" I'm in awe. The Beatles knew it was over and said Goodbye in the most impressive wait they could. Just an excellent finale from the greatest group to ever do it.
Eels
3/5
This album cover scares me. The music was ok
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Serviceable glam rock. Nothing special here to me
Minutemen
4/5
Wow I was not expecting to hear the Jackass theme music at any point during this project. While the songs themselves were brief, 43 tracks is still a lot to take in. Fortunately these guys had a lot to say, from critiquing advertising to nostalgia for childhood. The presumably remastered guitar tone sounds great and the lead parts in "the politics of time" were impressive.
Bon Jovi
4/5
I'd never heard this album in full before and it rocked. I can't believe that "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Living On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive" appear back to back to back. Wow.
I also never really thought of Bon Jovi as a hair metal band since they moved beyond that eventually, but they most certainly were!
Neil Young
5/5
Wonderful. The songs with orchestration were a little jarring in the context of the rest of the album, but overall Neil Young knocked it out of the park with this one. I love that CSN, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt featured in vocals throughout album, making it clear that Neil had grand visions for this body of work. Given how gentle so many of these songs are, I also loved that he left us with a scorcher on "Words" to make sure we didn't forget about how hard he can rock.
Radiohead
3/5
It seems like this album is just leftovers from the Kid A sessions? That sounds right to me. This was definitely the weakest Radiohead album we've heard so far and while it does have a cool overall vibe, I was not as wowed by it as the other albums. Still their worst is better than most bands' best so it gets the 3.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
We all have to start somewhere and this is honestly very funny. I love The Rolling Stones but they just were not quite there yet. They clearly have a passion for American blues and soul music but it’s just amusing to hear mick jagger sing about places he’s never been to in Route 66 as if he has any idea what he’s talking about.
The Specials
3/5
Fine ska. I thought it was cute that the album started and ended with different versions of the same song but otherwise could have lived without hearing this.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
The father of “lowfi beats to study to”. Regardless of the effort it took to make this album, it was nothing to me. Nothing at all.
The Monkees
3/5
I prefer the songs Neil Diamond wrote for them. totally ok british pop-rock from this time but I'd obviously prefer the Beatles any day.
Small Faces
4/5
Very solid 60s rock though a bit too British for me at points. I really liked the funkiness of “song of a baker”.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It’s wild to me that this was revolutionary at the time it came out, but that’s probably because of how revolutionary it was. “Mr. Tambourine Man” has some of my favorite Dylan lyrics. The imagery he creates in that song is lush and beautiful. Low 5.
Fever Ray
3/5
More interesting than our usual electronic albums. The vocals sounded like Bjork to me.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Wow this rocked. Even if Ozzy didn’t die yesterday this would have gotten a 5 from me and I’ve never heard any of it before. Toni Iomis guitar parts were unbelievable and the sound of the band was massive. Hard to believe there were only 3 instrument players in Black Sabbath. “Snow blind” was the highlight for me and I also had no idea that the big mouth theme was a cover
Steely Dan
5/5
Wow was this well put together. I can’t say I really understand the lyrics and what they mean but the music sounded excellent. Smooth and polished in the best possible way with wonderful musicianship. “Peg” was my favorite but I loved all the tracks with horns.
Roxy Music
3/5
I liked and hated various parts of this album. Obviously Brian Enzo is creative but I don’t love most of these songs. They didn’t really stick with me and after the album ended I could not sing a single song back to you.
Neil Young
3/5
I like that he dedicated an album and song to his decesased roadie, I just wish it was better. For me this album is missing both the guitar solos and tender melodies that define the two great sides of Neil Young's music. There was nothing on here to hate, but I'm not sure what there was to love either, if I was a bigger lyrics person maybe I would have liked it more? I wonder why he included the title track twice?
Peter Frampton
4/5
Never heard this whole thing before and it rocks. Insane to me that this was such a hit if his other albums were not. The talk box is really fun, but the hits really do soar over everything else for me. The acoustic? guitar only track was really cool too.
The United States Of America
3/5
Trippy but not particularly exciting or memorable for me. I could see why someone loves or hates this but I felt neither. Maybe I needed to listen more closely.
Ice Cube
3/5
Man does this guy hate the police. He’s got his talking points and sticks to them. His anger is palpable and so soon after the Rodney King Verdict quote understandable. Of course lots of the other stuff aged terribly.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Grittier than I’d like and not my personal taste, but I can see why others would like it.
Stereolab
2/5
Fine background music.
Steve Earle
4/5
A fun, efficient, album. He is unrecognizable to me on this cover given what he looks like now. I hear the influence of Bruce (seriously, listen to "Guitar Man" and "Working on the Highway" back to back), Tom Petty, and John Mellencamp in addition to the classic country he must have grown up with.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
Gotta go 5 here. This was really fun to listen to (except for "he's so unusual" which I assume was annoying on purpose. The massive pop hits fit along nicely with the rest of the album, and the Prince cover was on point. It also aged quite well for an 80s album!
Lou Reed
4/5
I liked the instrumentation on here a lot. The horns were a great addition to the sound I expect to hear from Lou Reed.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
This was pretty forgettable. One of the songs sounded like Frank Sinatra so that was something.
Gillian Welch
4/5
This was one of the most sparsely arranged albums we have heard on the list thus far, and I it also contained one the longest songs that was not part of a medley or larger suite. That puts a lot of pressure on the songrwiting and Gillian Welch delivered. These are very well written songs about both historical events and personal feelings. I did not expect to hear any songs about Lincoln's assasination on this list! The harmonies were great and the guitar and mandolin solos were beautiful. I will say that "I Dream A Highway" was probably at least 6 miniutes too long and while the length of the song is an accomplishment, I just could not keep my attention on it.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I’m floored that this band got more than one album with so many essentials missing. I will say that it was much more soulful than I expected and pretty fun to listen to. “One of those things” is just werewolves of London right?
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
It’s funny that now this sounds more like an electronic music album than a hip hop album because of how early this came out. It should be noted that these songs came out earlier in time than this album making it more of a compilation. Must have sounded pretty wild at the time these songs came out. I had no idea “renegades of funk” was a cover! Also you have to put his horrific child molestation stuff aside to even consider all of this.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Except for the organ much of this reminded me of sound garden/audioslave. I prefer those bands to this one but nothing wrong with this at all.
Tina Turner
4/5
I really wanted to give this a 5 but I just couldn’t get there. Her voice and presence are both top notch but lots the production did not age well. The cover of Help was a creative choice for sure.
808 State
2/5
Elevator music for a trendy hotel.
5/5
I honestly loved this. It was weird, but it was authentically weird. I don't think these guys were trying to appear edgy or cool like so much of the punk/new wave bands we've heard. I think they were just weird freaks in the best possible way. Reminds me a bit of the B-52s in that way. That cover of Satisfaction as track 2 on a debut album was a bold choice as well.
3/5
Super 80s in its fusion of new wave and dance music but had some fun moments. Probably didn’t need to be on this list but it was far from the worst thing we heard.
Brian Eno
2/5
Booooooooring. I’m sorry. This is a collection of sounds and an art project but it’s not an album. I’m not even saying anything about its quality, it is just not possible or appropriate to compare this to popular music.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
BOOOORING. Who is this for?
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
could not get through this one. sorry. Made sure to ask Apple not to play more "music" like this.
MC Solaar
4/5
The flows were on point. I wish I knew French so I could evaluate the lyricism. Is this the first major non-english hip hop album?
Liz Phair
4/5
So she must have been a Lucinda Williams fan right? This album marries 90s alt rock well with Lucinda Williams like vocals and packs a punch. This is not a woman I’d ever want to be on the wrong side of. Album was a little long in my opinion but Liz Phair clearly had a lot to say! Personally I had a hard time hearing the connections to the Exile on Main St tracks she says she’s responding to.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Very 80s. Only knew the big song. Songs kind of sounded the same to me.
Le Tigre
3/5
This was a fun album even if it’s one I probably wouldn’t listen to again. As someone who also hates Rudy Giuliani I really related to “My My Metrocard”.
The Lemonheads
3/5
A solid rock album. Only knew the "Mrs. Robinson" cover before hearing this. I honestly thought it was very funny that they felt the need to clarify that George Harrison was "of the Beatles" in "Frank Mills".
The Undertones
4/5
Fun poppy new wave/punk. I like this album but it wasn't mindblowing or anything so a 4 seems appropriate. Funny that we heard two covers of "under the boardwalk" so close together.
Little Simz
5/5
What an absolute breath of fresh air. I'd never heard this before and it was great. Little Simz is a skilled rapper with a lot to say about race, success, and the 27 club. The production was on point and the album was concise. I will definitely be listening to more of her music. Do I hear an Outkast sample in "Boss"?
John Prine
4/5
Really simple but powerful songs. I only knew “Angel From Montgomery” before today but I liked this!
Dion
3/5
I liked this, but I think I will have forgotten most of it by tomorrow. Some of this sounds like the solo music John Lennon was making with Phil Spector during this same time, especially "Only You Know".
The Kinks
3/5
Pleasant but unexceptional. I guess there were some nice little stories of every day peoplle tucked into the lyrics of these songs but overall this album sounds like a knock off of other British Invasion acts ("Last of the Steam Powered Trains" sounds like the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger's charisma). I feel like I said this about the last Kinks album we heard (I just checked and I did). Maybe I'm missing something, but this era of music is be well covered with the Beatles, Stones, Who, Zombies etc. so Idk why this Kinks album needs to be on this list. The durms on "Wicked Anabella" are cool though.
Heaven 17
4/5
What an appropriate opening track! I appreciated this fusion of new wave and disco even though my expectations were low. Good bass and synth parts.
Klaxons
3/5
This was pretty fun. Kind of like the Kaiser Chiefs meets EDM.
Dead Kennedys
2/5
This was tough for me to get through. All of the songs sounded the same, white people were using the N word, and the named target of their rage was...Jerry Brown...? What? I don't hate all punk rock, but all of the features of punk that I don't like can be found in this album. Overly simplistic politics, noisey and repetitive.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
This was boring. Meh. Lowfi beats to study to
Arcade Fire
3/5
I'm sorry but I just really don't care about arcade fire. This was fine background music to have on when I work but I don't get much out of their music.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Not my favorite Elvis Costello sound but he brings a lot of cool ideas to the table here. This is more intellectual and baroque-pop sounding than the albums I prefer from him but it is an ambitious effort. It's cool to hear how pop standards and pre-rock and roll can influence his sound. I like "Shabby Doll", "Man Out Of Time", and "Almost Blue" best.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Never heard of this group before! Very 90s/00s alternative
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I can’t believe the number of albums like this on the list. Sounds like a bad knock off of David Bowie. Never need to hear this again.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Beautiful guitar playing. I love the fusion of African and Delta blues styles here. Very nice to have on as I worked.
TV On The Radio
4/5
Never heard this before. Perhaps unsurprisingly I liked the second jammier half of this album a lot more than the first half. When they just let the music breath it was a lot easier for me to find my way in.
FKA twigs
3/5
This was considered very cool when we were at Vassar, but in reality it's kind of boring. She kind of fades into the background here although maybe that'a the point?
Bert Jansch
3/5
Very nice acoustic guitar work here. I thought the instrumental tracks were the strongest.
Aerosmith
4/5
Sleazy but fun. Many of these tracks sound like homages to 50s blues or the Beatles and that’s all right with me. Of the songs I hadn’t heard before my favorite was “The Other Side”. I often find Steven Tyler to be annoying but his voice truly shined in “What it Takes”.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Honestly if this was half as long with only the best material I'd give it a 5. Her voice is obviously great, and the songs are fun and powerful. She also covers so many genres over the course of this and does them all well, though this does make the album feel scattered. "Fighter" is the highlight for me.
Morrissey
3/5
The music was fine, he and his lyrics are insufferable. My God.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Fun! Retro yet modern!
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I will trust the editors that this is good jazz. Them musicians are clearly good but nothing here really hit me very strongly. Insane that Sonny Rollins is still alive.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Very 80s sounding but not in a bad way. The production was absolutely massive on some of these songs (there must have been dozens of instruments playing on "Sledgehammer") but also totally sparse in others. "This is the Picture" was striking in relation to the rest of the album. Overall it was fun to listen to, but the hits do really overshadow the rest of the album for me. His voice honestly sounds a lot like Phil Collins to me, which is funny since they both were in the same band before.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
This was fun at first but got kind of boring. Probably would have been a fun live show in the 60s.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Powerful, beautiful, emotional, and also at parts fun. I wish she could have given us more than one album from this period, but my God what an album it is. The guests all compliment her but that tracks where she is alone stand out to me and highlight the vulnerability she shows. Ex-Factor, Doo Wop, and Lost Ones are all certified classics. Easy 5.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
I thought this album improved as it continued. Lupe Fiasco had a lot to say here and the songs reflected that. I only knew “kick push” and “daydream” before listening and enjoyed hearing those in the context of the other songs here. The 10 minute mixtape style thank you track however was inexcusable.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
So we have 3 albums from these guys and one album from Jay Z, Beyonce, Green Day, none from Drake, John Mayer Tame Impala, or the Black Keys? Sick.
Ray Price
4/5
Absolutely classic Nashville sound. His voice sounds a lot like Elvis’ I think. Some of the songs start to sound the same as this progresses though.
The Zombies
4/5
This was a fun one to hear again. Like the Beatles and Kinks the Zombies are able to combine psychedelia with early 20th century British dancehall music seamlessly. "Time of the Season" is a classic that still sounds cool today. Also a great album cover.
Red Snapper
2/5
boring
The Waterboys
4/5
I liked this. Its blend of Irish folk with more modern rock sounds kept my interest and I could see myself listening to this again.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Nostalgic for me. It was so fun for a genuine rock song to be a hit when I was in high school. The full album is a bit redundant and I get why there are some negative reviews on here, but I really don’t think the music is bad. It sets a cool vibe.
Venom
2/5
I did finish it I guess but man was I happy when it was over.
Haircut 100
3/5
Fun 80s music. Not something I really need to hear again but I totally get why someone would love this if it was part of their teenage years
Pretenders
3/5
I liked the more melodic tracks the best with “The Wait” standing out most to me as a highlight. The punkier stuff was less interesting.
Christina Aguilera
5/5
Yeah if I could sing like this and people kept putting me in the same category as Britney Spears I’d be pissed too. This was really great, and while certainly bloated in places I liked it a lot. The concept of sampling on disc one and live instrumentation on disc two was cool and her singing shined throughout. The two hits were great to hear in context and a lot of fun. I’d probably do a 4.5 if possible but it’s not so 5 it is!
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Not for me at all.
Incubus
3/5
So late nineties it hurt. I only knew the big hit before hearing this and didn’t really find anything else memorable except the random psychedelic jam thrown in towards the end.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Meh
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
While i am honestly shocked we got antoher nick cave album, this is the first one we've gotten since Jane's dad brought me to see him live. The show gave me greater appreciation for him as an artist and I think I liked this album more as a result. The sparseness in the production worked for me too.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Pretty cool how full his sound was without drums! He had a lot to say but said it well. He really got us in “Help Save The Youth of America”. I was glad to see Dylan has a writing credit in “ideology” because I felt like I was losing my mind before I saw that.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Funny how much longer the first song was than the others on the album. Still sounds futuristic today.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
This was a really good country album without any of the corniness that makes people think they don’t like country music. You can hear the influence on artists like The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead and Eagles who often took country and fused it with rock and roll. You can also hear the country influence of people like Willie Nelson and others who I do not know well enough to name drop. As for the instrumentation, there was soulful piano, great pedal steel and tasteful lead guitar parts. I also really enjoyed the double vocal harmonies in the country style. Additionaly I thought the songs had the great storytelling country music is famous for, In "My Uncle" and "Hippie Boy" I was actually interested in the lyrics and where the songs would go.
U2
5/5
Very appropriate album title for Election Day. I’ve only heard a few of these songs before and enjoyed this. Bono’s voice does get tiring for me sometimes but the band sounds great and I have to imagine that it wowed people at the time of its release. Not my personal favorite band but I have to respect this for its execution and go 5.
Public Enemy
4/5
I appreciate and respect Public Enemy immensely, but this was just too much sound for me. The songs had a lot to say and I wish the production had been stripped down slightly to let that breathe. But I do understand that this barrage was their intention and it was certainly well executed.
Goldfrapp
2/5
This felt like circus music
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Simply a masterpiece. Not my personal favorite Springsteen album but an amazing piece of art. The sound the achieved here is absolutely humongous and it’s often hard for me to tell which instrument is doing which part. Thunder road, tenth avenue freeze out, jungle land, backstreets, and born to run on the same album? My God. Easy 5.
Pere Ubu
2/5
This was boring
Animal Collective
3/5
Ok now I get why people compare them tot he Beach Boys. The music is a little too low fi for me overall, but there is lots of power per sounds beach boys harmonies and instrument choices here. Low 3.
Joe Ely
3/5
Decent country but not really sure why this is on the list.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
With this album, Neil Young shows us the power that one note repeated for exactly the right duration can have on a guitar solo. Both "Cinamon Girl" and "Down By the River" have guitar solos that begin this way and prove that sometimes that is all you need. I think this is a great album. Neil Young and Crazy Horse give us some short rockers (Cinamon Girl and the Title track), some folkier/more country songs to get his guitar twanging ("The Losing End" and "Running Dry") and two psychadelic jams for the ages ("Down by the River" and "Cowgirl In the Sand" was ). I LOVE the two long tracks on this album. You can really get lost in the jam and while Young's soloing is not virtuosic it is interesting and dynamic leaving me something new to find every time I lsiten to them. Young is sometimes called "the Godfather of Grunge" and you can hear why in the opening chords of the album. This is a dirty guitar tone and emotion matters more than slickness. His voice is the same way. I'm into it.
Portishead
4/5
We’ve heard lots of albums of this type but this is the first I’ve seriously liked. There is a musicality and complexity here that I hadn’t noticed in the other trip hop albums we’ve heard. I hear Sade, indie rock, hip hop and other things too. The final track was the highlight for me.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
I preferred the vibes of portishead to the vibes of this. Not much for me to latch onto here but not exciting either.
Tom Waits
4/5
The man certainly has a distinct voice. One that I do think is best served by bluesier music underneath it. The blusiest tracks were my favorites on here for that reason, but "Jersey Girl" was wonderful to hear as well. I'll take Bruce's voice though.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
This was an intense listen. Biggie is a phenomenal rapper, but the song content could be difficult to get through at times. And don't even get me started on the interludes. Why he had to make 2 references to beating Tina turner on one album is beyond me. I wish we could have heard what a mature version of him would sound like. His dying at 24 is horrific.
M.I.A.
1/5
My god is she insufferable. I always found her annoying and felt very vindicated when she turned into a tin foil hat wearing rfk/tulsi supporting antivaxxer. One of the most overrated artists of the 21st century.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
great guitar playing. I do wish I understood the lyrics but this was cool.
Brian Eno
4/5
Lots of crazy sounds on here. Given that it's Brian Eno, I almost wonder if this album was more an excersie in musical production that an attempt at a traditional album, though maybe I'm overanalyzing. Before the vocals come in "On Some Faraway Beach" sounds alot like "Best of My Love" by the Eagles which is pretty funny given that the two artists are kind of thought to be on opposite ends of the rock and roll spectrum. This was a decent listen overall, but not something I feel like I need to return to. Low 4.
U2
5/5
So do I love U2 now? This was great. For me the Edge was the star of this album and not Bono, which is maybe why I liked it so much. His guitar parts were awesome and his backing vocals elevated every song they were featured in. "One" is obviously a classic, but "The Fly" was also a highlight for me.
Can
4/5
This album has high highs and low lows. I loved the jamming on "Halleluhwah" but my God was the droning and drums on the other tracks hard to get through. This should score a film.
Portishead
3/5
Nowhere near as good as the other portishead record we had
Wire
4/5
21 "songs" in 36 minutes. Wow. Reminds me of Television, the Sex Pistols, and Talking Heads all fused together. The guitar tone on "Lowdown" sounds great. It’s unusal to hear such clarity in punk and I really liked that. There was a bit more musical depth here than in other punk albums I heard, but it’s ultimately not sometihng I truly would expect to return to on my own. All of the other bands I named above are better. Low 4.
Can
4/5
Great music to have on in the background while I worked but u don’t think it could truly hold my attention alone.