1001 Albums Summary

Really great B side. The jazz elements and cello work together really well with his folksy style

Pretty good. Not a ton to see, nice to see reggae roots

I did not really like this album. Some of the guitar work was good, but the vocals and lack of substantive lyrical content was tough for me

Last song is great. I never realized how operatic Buckley’s voice is. First side was a little slow for me

Pretty good! Not a huge Joni Mitchell fan, but nothing bad to say about the album

A bit disorienting times, but a really great listen. A bit of neutral milk hotel, a bit of nick drake, and a lot of fun!

Easy listening punk,

Easy listening punk,

Those bass lines! Little kitschy lyrics at times but the synth instrumentation and use of reprise more than makes up for it

Not my style a little too dark and dreary

Some really great tracks on the b side I liked it way more than I expected to

Some catchy tunes but I just didn’t find it that memorable overall. Maybe biased against my idea of contemporary country tho

I didn’t really like it. The songs felt kinda similar and didn’t really move me

Pretty good guitar work at points but on the whole didn’t speak to me too much

Good start but the end got a bit redundant

Really great garage band vibe. Unpretentious

Yeah idk I couldn’t find myself engaged

Pretty great album. Lots of spirit and the unplugged versions wer an interesting change of pace, I still prefer the electrified version of their hits though

Karma chameleon delivers but all of the other songs feel a bit empty

Didn’t strike the right balance of engaging and ambient. May not have been in the right headspace though

I really wanted to like this album bc I love quest but I found myself waiting for it to end

The bside is especially fantastic but overall great

Nice pink vibes. Overall pleasant to listen to but missing an x factor

Couldn’t fully get into this album. I like the generally direction of the stripped down punk but I didn’t really identify with it. Also there were just a lot of songs

A few good tracks but I’m a bit burnt out on punk

Overall a pleasant album to listen to but not super engaging like I’d go back and listen to it

I didn’t love it. The covers felt a bit uninspired and the whole album just didn’t feel like it was pushing any boundaries. Tina turner does have a great voice though. Maybe it’s just the instrumentation that felt a bit dated

Great album. I liked this one more than the prior good blend of rap hip hop and other instrumentation

It’s one of my favorite albums. The waves of dissonance with the monotone vocals. The immersive wall of sound is so perfectly mirrored in the album art. It’s really a treat every time I hear it

I was really surprised by how much I liked this album it was a bit long but overall really witty and selfaware

I was in a bit of a bad mood, so that didn’t help but I couldn’t get into it and it felt a bit repetitive

I’d give it a 3.5 if a could my feelings towards this album are better than neutral but only marginally so

I actually quite liked this album. Definitely some bob dylan elements but I liked the piano and lyrics

There were some good folksy moments but I wasn’t compelled by the lyrics

I liked this album. A slightly jazzier velvet underground. I suspect this album grows on you, but for now only four

Sheela-na-gig is a banger but otherwise not really my style

Some good songs but a little one note. I like the other styles of music that mr Charles dabbled with

It’s a five after that first bass line. This album really taught me that dissonance in jazz isn’t just meant to be pretentious and gatekeepy. The funk can’t be contained

Not sure what happened to my previous rating but I really enjoyed this just a little lomg

Solid album. Very well mixed and mastered. Smooth operator is a banger.

I initially was not excited for this album but it really grew on me.

Fantastic. Immersive in the way that Loveless or Sgt Peppers is and with beautiful restrained production and guitar work.

A bit bland I really don’t have good or bad things to say about it

Pretty good. Emmylou has a great voice and the instrumentation is fantastic. The album was a but samey though

I’ve always liked billy Joel but this album so far surpasses my expectations. He’s really like an Elliot Erwitt with his compelling narratives and playful barbs at the American condition. And then on top of that the sax rocks and there’s a random boss’s nova background band for get it right the first time. Just fantastic

I was really bored by this album. I really didn’t like any songs and it all just kinda dragged

I wanted to like it but the production was a little rough around the edges and I didn’t think the lyrics were as compelling as other Lou reed songs

There were some okay songs but on the whole I didn’t find it as intriguing as some of their other work

Kinda like Leonard cohen but without the emotional impact

Okay. Nothing really jumped out at me as being super memorable

Also just kinda bland. I think we need a palate cleanser

Definitely some interesting ideas with the industrial vibe. The depiction of sex was a bit off putting to me and I was really bugged by how hard the vocals were to depict in the mix

Nice instrumentation and blending with the electronics. But the Album is a bit too long and I found myself bored

Another 3. It’s like not bad but just palpably samey to the other rock of the day

Pretty good. Dragged at times but neat to see Proto-shoegaze

It’s basically a greatest hits album, and there are definitely some great songs. Wild, Wild horses is always great. Brown sugar is beyond problematic but at least they’ve retired that song concerts??

A good album. I didn’t love it enough to give it 5 stars but it definitely deepened my appreciation for me Bowie

I liked this album. Tim is a hard guy to judge. Not certain how much of the music is being playing straight and how much is pointed satire. Absent thinking about the lyrics though it’s a great album

Bb king is a legend. This is such a great album and it’s so benefitted from being recorded live. I haven’t listened to the blues in a while but this will always serve as an excellent reintroduction

It’s a cool album but I didn’t feel it leaving a lingering impact

Eh. I had a hard time getting into this. The instrumentation is fine but the lyrics seemed a bit needlessly pretentious

Some phenomenal tracks. Meatloaf’s mixture of sincerity and sarcasm is really nice. Some songs are just a bit long and repetitive

I’m certain this is good for the right kind of person but I was not feeling grimy electronic music so I struggled with this

Some good tracks. At times redundant but overall an interesting listen

Truly a masterclass in modern production, but it’s Kanye so the best I can do is a three

Definitely some interesting and important ideas that are communicated concisely and intelligently but the musical stylings didn’t totally do it for me

I really didn’t like everything except the last three songs, those were pretty good, but I just couldn’t get into the rest of it

I liked this album. Does it appeal to my white boy sensibilities, absolutely, but I’m not complaining. Money for nothing is so good and there are some other fun songs on the album

Of course Mariah Carey has a good voice. The production seems a bit dated though and some of the songs read as very shallow (esp that one about growing up too soon) Overall it’s not an unpleasant experience, it could just be so much more

I liked everything about the album except for Björk’s voice. I really just can’t with the operatic warbling. I’ll give it three because I believe it’s a taste that could be acquired

I like Depeche Mode but this album was just quite boring. I never realized the importance of a “single” on an album, but here I noticed that there’s no one song tie the others together

Making consent sexy since 1973. Definitely a solid album and this is more like a 4.49 for me but I guess I felt it was missing something extra to push it to a five

An important and interesting album for sure, but I struggle to really rate old school rock and roll too highly because all of the songs are so similar

Waterloo sunset comes out of nowhere as a five star song but the rest of the album is just so 60s and so British that it feels a bit too of its time

I’m a little embarrassed by how much I enjoyed this album. But a bunch of German dudes making space sounds was a great time

It just feels like an inferior version of the revolver album by the Beatles, just 30 years later

It’s pretty good. The songs are a bit samey but the overall vibe is fun

A really foundational album. It’s everything I love about grunge especially the way it doesn’t take itself too seriously. You can totally hear their influence on much later bands like grouplove. It’s very easy to listen to & fun all the while

Some great tracks but the album drags a little due to its length. I now like the Cure more than I thought I did which is neat

Soooooo looooong. Definitely some great tracks that have aged well, but the album is just so long without much justification and that holds it back for me

I honestly loved this album. Such a fun blend of Louis’s Italian heritage with his jazz/blues upbringing in NEW Orleans. The songs/lyrics are good, but the instrumentation and vocals and their mixing and mastering are phenomenal

A really witty album with lots of great tracks and great instrumentation

This has been a really important album to me that I’ve listened to be fore and I’ll listen to again, but on this listen through I didn’t find it as engaging as a I have in the past

I used to really love this album, and it’s got some good tracks but Neil young and CSN is somehow less than the individual parts combined. Good, but neither of their best work

Pretty good album. I definitely understood the smiths in my mind. I don’t have too much negative to say, it was just missing that secret sauce

I feel like this track is missing a single to tie it together. The production is great but otherwise the songs are a little bland

It’s really misogynistic so it’s hard to hear it for anything beyond that. The musicians are obviously good and the folksy moments are fun, but the lyrics are so trite and problematic that it’s a 2 for me

I had really low expectations after the last album, but this album is actually really fun! I was head banging a little bit on the train and some of the guitar solos are really novel and interesting. It’s not totally my vibe so I can’t give it a five though

A very fun early prog album that packs a lot of depth into its short runtime ((the opposite of many other prog works). I like space jazz

How can you not love the wall. Such a landmark piece of music that has such wide appeal. The guitar is great, the lyrics are great, Pink Floyd is just pretty great

Two good songs on the album but otherwise a bit bland

The well known songs are bangers, but The lyrics feel pretty dated and empty. The slurs used don’t add anything while really ruining my immersion

It’s pretty good, but I was expecting so much more. And tbh a lot of the songs reminded me of Jan from the office singing about her assistant. Smth about the whiny tone

Idk I just found this album to be really boring. There’s basically nothing remarkable that I can remember from it. It didn’t help that I never understood any of the lyrics

There are some fun moments but I don’t want to be tied to deep purple for 2 hours

I like Radiohead but this album was quite boring. There were no memorable songs and i just found myself wanting it to end

For sure a fun album just missing something I can’t put my finger on to push it to a five

I think this album is really fantastic. The production is spot on, Michael Jackson really brings unmatched energy to any track he touched

This album was boring. I like ambient beeps and boops, but these beeps and boops bored me

I don’t like prodigy really. This album is just not that great, I don’t have strong feelings about it

Maybe a 3 is a bit unfair, but I know this is not an album I’ll return to. The famous songs are good but the rest just don’t really hit for me

It’s definitely a fun album that still feels modern even today. Too bad their music doesn’t stream so I can listen to it without YouTube audio compression

We’ve had a lot of this early electronic music and it’s pretty good, just not very remarkable

This is a fun album! My favorite Bowie so far, still missing a special something that I can’t put my finger on. I dig the American though

Definitely one of the better punkish albums we’ve had. Not too self serious. Short, which is important. And well produced. Better than neutral, but not a 5 for me

This is a fantastic album. Really great synergy with the band. Super fun and nothing negative to say

2 I didn’t hate it as much as I expected to. But it’s too long to be as repetitive as it is and the nine minutes of laughing for an outro isn’t the best thing in the world

It’s fine. I’m a bit over britpop tho. I don’t have a whole lot to say

Lots of interesting ideas. Not all of them resonated with me, but you can tell this was put together with a lot of thought. Not the kind of thing I’ll relisten to, but glad I heard it

Pretty solid. I’m still not all in on the smiths but you can definitely see a lot of good ideas here

Good solid fun country music. Nothing to complain about here

Pretty good album. The through line is not as definite, but it’s basically the first concept album so I can’t ask too much of it. Also the hard left right pan is a just a bit distracting

Pretty solid album. I’ve definitely unfairly written off the beastie boys in the past, but this album is pretty good old school hiphop/rock. My only gripe is that the album is a little long for the number of ideas it’s bringing

Tainted love is fire of course but that’s the only thing saving this album from being a two. It’s boring, needlessly sexual, and not something I’ll return to

Nile rogers on guitar is always great but this is not my favorite of chic’s work

I found this album to be so boring but I think I was just in the wrong headspace. It’s probably worth another listen but it’s not the kinda album I’d crave listening to, the tracks are a bit all over the place in terms of style

Way better the previous Coldplay album we had, does this appeal to my white boy indie loving sensibilities, ye. Do I mind? No. Loved the guitar tone and the lyrics weren’t as prominent so I didn’t have to dislike them

Fantastic. It’s hard to go wrong with Sinatra but there are no duds on this album. The master is great (not always a given for these older albums) and it’s really a joy to listen to

Really solid album. It’s totally my style so I can’t go all the way to a five but really enjoyed the guitar work and the drums. I’d never listened to a Metallica album and was pleasantly surprised

When this album started I thought I might really enjoy it, but then it just went further and further downhill. It’s just a bit boring and the songs aren’t well differentiated

Definitely some good songs, and I think I could give 5 stars to a different talking heads album. Just something about this falls a little flatter than I might like

Pretty good. The representation of women and gay folks is a little problematic, but the flow is good and there are definitely some good lines. Nothing super catchy and single-able

I’m a sucker for neosoul, so of course I like this. SZA is great, she’s not my favorite in the genre, but the album is well produced, the lyrics are right, and SZA certainly brings a lot of emotion and energy to all of the tracks

If you like Metallica I’m sure this album is monumental. For someone less interested in metal, it’s still pretty cool. It’s not exactly my style, but it does feel slightly better in terms of variety than the previous album we listened to

This album felt super boring. I don’t really have much positive to say, but it also wasn’t bad I guess

There are some indisputably fun songs on here (although I don’t know if Jon was going for “fun”). There are some stinkers. On the whole a decent album, and that intro organ riff pushes it up to a four for me

Iconic Dylan. Definitely incoherent at times, but in the pleasantly dissociative sense. This album is great for reasons that aren’t easily put into words. The instrumentation and mastering is great, but that’s not it. Dylan’s voice and lyrics are great (if you’re into that), but that’s not it either. It’s tough to say, but easy to say it’s a five

The guitar tones are great but I kinda hate the lyrics. It’s a tough one for me, if we hadn’t had so much metal recently I might feel differently

Some really great tracks here. I enjoyed this album and that feels pretty unusual coming from a modern band Id never heard of

I was starting to think I didn’t like radio head with the past two albums. However this album really reoriented my thinking. It’s great and quirky in all the right way

I really was not in the mood for 70s rock, and I really was provided with 70s rock. Just arrived at the second song, and 76 is way too late for this hideous exoticism and colonial smoke show. The guitar playing is good, but not very inspired—living in an uncanny valley between 80s greats like Van Halen but after the more direct and unpretentious styles of earlier 70s. Overall it’s very self serious without good reason. It feels like it wants to be a concept album but just isn’t hitting it. I wanted to like rush but I didn’t

Really solid album. Not the kind of album I seek out for a relisten but glad I heard it. A fun blend of blues jazz and that 60s instrumental avant garde

I’ve been woefully uninitiated to Queen Latifah’s work. She’s definitely great but it loses one star just because I don’t think there’s a single to tie the album together, the production feels a little dated (especially the mix is a bit weird), and finally the album is just a bit too long to not have a nice arc between the songs Very witty lyrics with great delivery, both of which definitely hold up

This is a neat album. The band had existed for 19 years when this album came out, and it shows in the production which is pretty great. However the album doesn’t seem stale for such a seasoned band. That being said, I can’t give it 5 because it’s missing something I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s a high 4, but a 4

This is a really fun album. I like the blend of traditional acoustic instrumentation with the electric guitars. I have t really been exposed to Brazilian music outside of bossa nova and a taste of samba, so I’m a bit out of my depth here. I’m glad I got the additional exposure. I’m giving it a 4 because to me, a non-Portuguese-speaking person, the album felt a bit like a cluster of decent songs that didn’t feel all that unified. Id happily be disproven or get a better explanation for why the album format doesn’t work the same way in this cultural milieu

Head empty a bit here. It’s kinda interesting and he’s definitely a talented producer. I feel like he tantalizes us a bit with a whiff of cool production techniques but doesn’t fully develop them. The songs don’t feel dated Per se, but they don’t exactly hold up either. I’m pretty neutral overall

I don’t love the lead vocalist. The rest of the instrumentation is pretty cool Medication is a pretty standout song. This is one of those albums where I could see myself giving other albums by them a 5 but this just slightly missed that mark

The pogues are definitely the pogues. They’re pretty hit or meh for me. I’ll never hate a bit of shanty punk. This album’s direction as more ballad-centric is not particularly to my taste, but still a solid album overall

I didn’t know this phase of Madonna existed, so definitely an interesting listens. The lyrics feel like a bit of a step backwards away from the witty and sometimes incisive exploitations of cultural mores of her 80s hits (like a virgin, material girl) Even her more basic The vibe is interesting, and the album is definitely well produced, I’m just not certain that I jive with the 90s dance music production. It’s very Moby to me with the drum beats, it’s just missing the fun samples. Maybe this was ahead of its timed, but it feels a bit dated now I don’t really like madonna’s vocal performance, it feels a bit strained at times despite being technically fine.

Fantastic album. It’s part concept album and part list of mega singles. I’ve always loved this album but I never gave it enough credit for how meaningful it was. It’s so personal and raw while also applying those feelings to larger societal issues (alcoholism, police brutality, etc). fantastic production and really tasteful non musical interludes. A five for sure

I don’t have a whole lot to say here. It’s very competent jazz but it didn’t feel super distinctive (maybe it was at the time), but absent a more informed prior, it’s gotta be a 4

That opening Rhodes tone with that bass, killer. Give me an album of that. This album is kinda the height of that 80s sample-based hip hop, and it’s fantastically produced—great use of soundstage. the lyrics of the beastie boys are not great, both inscrutable and simplistic. a bit juvenile as well. Id like to see a post-superstar beastie boys when their artistry remains but their pomp wanes a bit. A year and a day slaps If it was just the bboy tracks it would definitely be getting a 4 and I will round up to a 4 but it’s more like a 3.6

When you learn to play wonderwall on guitar you completely ignore the lush orchestration and tasteful drum palette. Re-listening to wondewall with a more critical ear really deepens my appreciation for that track. On the whole, you can hear the strong influence of classic rock (don’t look back in anger is so John Lennon it borders on pastiche) The general mastering is pretty great, the clean drums and vocals punch through the heavier guitars with ease

Great guitar tone and really tight drumming. The lyrics are interesting, and I’d probably need another listen to have a full picture. However they’re definitely clever, the phallic imagery on the “rust in piece… Polaris” is a well-executed satire of Cold War one-upmanship . I really enjoy the enjoy the guitar playing. (Knowing nothing of the genre) it has all the elements that I like from both math rock and classic rock. Honestly, I think this is as good as it gets for metal and me

I wish I had more to say about this album but for some reason I really just didn’t connect with it. I think it was probably really influential in shaping the post-2000 rap sound. The lyrics are good, a mix of vulnerability and wit. The production is okay, but I won’t hold that against Nas too much. Maybe on a different day this is rated higher, but it’s a 4 if I’m true to myself

To me, Def Leppard has always lived in an uncanny valley between Peter Gabriel and Metallica. That 80s sonic palette just doesn’t totally gel with the hard rock sound they’re striving for. The lyrics are bad, or at least boring. Nothing about the album is poorly executed, solid vocals and 80s pinch harmonics guitar. Of course, pour some sugar on me rocks. but the album feels like the record label described their median consumer and the Def Leppard created a normal distribution around that median—pour some sugar is the outlier in that distribution. I think pour some sugar goes so hard because they leverage the background singers much better—it feels like a song by a band and not market research made manifest. Strong words for an album I don’t really have strong feelings for. Sorry, Mr. Leppard you don’t really deserve the hate I’m giving.

You can really hear Thelonious’s deep understanding of the rules of jazz and the blues in his playing. He bends the rules in all the right places making for a wonderful bit of piano playing. Sonny Rollins kills on sax. The mix on the bass is a little low, but the bass player still holds it down. The drum tone is great, so classic and restrained. It’s amazing how just a title and Monk’s playing unlocks a rich lyricism in “I Surrender, Dear”. That slow swung section is amazing. But I just didn’t connect with this album as much as I have other 5s, so it has to be a 4

I almost wish I didn’t see the R Crumb album cover before listening to the album itself. The racial caricatures aren’t cool. Janis’s vocals are superb, a surprise to no one, and the band highlights her voice well. The guitars are fantastic, it’s the early days of the fuzz pedal and you just don’t hear tone like that anymore. You can feel that they’re pushing the boundaries of the music that’s currently available to them. I could do without the tanbura (or super sparse sitar?) on “Oh, Sweet Mary,” but I can’t fault them too much for wanting to experiment. Overall I’m super glad I listened to this, no complaints about the music.

I had never heard of this band, so I was really struggling to justify why this album is on the list. My preconception was totally misguided; this album rocks. The band is so locked in. Their use of the funk palette works way better than it should for a bunch of young effeminate British white dudes from the 80s. The lyrics are fine, but the bass, percussion, and guitar more than make up for it. And a little clarinet in a pop album? bring it on!

I really hated listening to this album but I was not in a good mood for Zappa-esque weird rock. I suspect that this album is actually pretty good, but I can’t give it any more than a 3

I’ve been off queen for a little while, and this album proved to be an excellent return to form. The band has a lot of cohesion and Freddie’s vocals and arrangement really shine. I don’t really have anything negative to say

This album is quite bland to me. Even everybody hurts, a song I thought I liked, read as a little dry. I can see why people love REM, but this hasn’t aged well to me. Maybe the lyrics are good, but I kinda hate them? I think that the album conjures Neil Young vibes in an uncanny way. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt with a 3 but to me it’s barely eking out a 2.6

The triplet flow on those initial bongos are amazing. Mayfield assembled a really tight band for this album. No pieces are out of place. This album is great, there’s nothing at all to complain about.

Another long overdue introduction to a hip hop legend. This album has aged beautifully. Ice Cube is not trying to be cute or too clever with the lyrics. It’s straight ahead hip hop that’s well produced with good lyrics. It’s really a wonderful album to listen to. It’s a man’s world is an interesting subversion and dismissal of the misogyny trope, I’m here for it.

Shoegaze and grunge guitar with trip hop beats leaning on the darker synth textures of 80s British alternative (Depeche Mode, new order) . A wonderful synthesis of the nineties. Totally holds up. It pulls on the attributes from contemporary and past music while clearly delineating a path to 2000s alternative, a really great album to hear.

Modern production with nick drake melancholia, great. There’s no way the song Sunday sun isn’t a reference to nick drakes Saturday sun

This album cover is amazing. Listening to this is a little strange because I can tell that Solaar is doing some French plays on words, but I have no idea what they mean. The flow is superb, the samples and beats are equally superb.

this album is solid. k.d. has a great voice with a really authentic patsy cline vibe. The album feels a little safe, but the what’s there is well-executed. The bass tone on “down to my last cigarette” is super corny

This is Tuesday 11 pm WPRB music. It definitely has a crowd, I’m just not in it. In a purely neutral way, it has a timeless quality, it’s hard to assess when it came out without checking. This band feels very influential, “Hollow Hills” feels like the intro to a nirvana song, so clearly the band is pulling on the right strings. Kick In the Eye is a really tight song, and a much better use of that plunky 80s bass sound than yesterday’s album

This is a solid album. The production is top notch but the actual songs are just a little bland. They feel almost too crisp to me

Oasis automatically played after the album ended, and I was like “oh this song is pretty good!” I think that says enough about the rest of the album

Definitely colors within the lines of southern rock, but I’ll never sneeze at some good Americana.

I’ve never really connected with gangsta rap or stoner rap so I’m not surprised I don’t connect with this.

If Father John Misty and Steely Dan had a baby and raised him in a loving Christian household, this is the music I think he’d make.

My favorite piece of melancholia to ever be released. Nick drake perfectly captures the emotional milieu of wistfulness, lethargy, and yearning. Truly transporting and one of its kind. I’m only sad there’s not more nick drake to listen to.

It’s tough to describe why I liked this album. It felt very raw and vulnerable which is cool. You want it darker is super weird and absolutely rocks. Overall a great listen

The mix/master lacks a bit of oomph which is distracting. Im not totally sure what George Michaels was going for with this album. It’s never bad, but it feels a bit all over the place.

It’s hard to disentangle nostalgia from merit on this album, but I definitely enjoyed listening to it. The songs do a good job of feeling distinct but tied together

Any good faith review of this album needs to buy into the Tom Waits grovelly-voiced musical ecosystem. With that predicate, this album rocks. It’s a great mix of hopelessness, wit, vulnerability, and inscrutability. Overall very Tom Waits. Nice production too, the sandpapery mostly acoustic (and sometimes non-instrumental) sounds really add to the tangible roughness of Tom’s voice.

Ordinarily, I feel like I should really dig this album, but it didn’t live up to what it could have been for me. I think I just don’t love this kind of early rock and roll stuff, but it’s a solid album for sure

Without casting a value judgment here, this album feels way ahead of its time, in humor, master, instrumentation. I didn’t really like it that much, but a very strange time capsule to behold

I really do not have any feelings towards this album.

I love Brian Eno, but I’ve never loved his vocals. That’s how I feel about most of this album.the one standout is “By this River” which is quite beautiful and suits Eno’s voice perfectly.

I really want to like the talking heads, but I still haven’t totally come around to them. This album is definitely solid though I still struggle with David byrne’s whimper shouts

This album was fighting an uphill battle against my grumpiness, and it actually won. I really enjoyed the weirdness of the songs because the weirdness is balanced by convincing instrumentation and musicianship

Really solid album. Cool flow and fantastic instrumentation. I’m here for all of her creative choices

This album is too long and by the end you realize that it’s really not that good. Some of the samples are kinda fresh, but the album is mostly lacking.

It’s a decent album, but it suffers without Johnny Marr and Morissey is just too melodramatic for anything more than a three

I’m a bit over Radiohead. It’s one of those albums where the algorithmically generated album started automatically playing and I didn’t notice. It’s good but it’s nothing special

I will always love John Prine. His lyrics are so balanced in profundity and unpretention. So wonderful. And oh boy is “your flag decal won’t get you into heaven” still relevant today

There were some songs I liked and some I didn’t. It’s a little long

This album is pretty generic. Definitely not bad but also definitely not something I’m gonna hurry back to.

I struggle with 80s songs that say “Bad thing bad” in upbeat pop songs (Looking at you, “Do they know it’s Christmas?”). The first half of this album falls under a similar umbrella for me. “Illiteracy, No!” Is quite possibly the worst lyric I’ve ever heard. Maybe that rhetoric is poignant for a certain demographic, but it reads as trite for me. I acknowledge that Janet did not make this album to appeal to my then-unborn white boy sensibilities. The album takes a decent upturn with “miss you much” but disappoints in the later songs. The one piece of praise I’ll give is for the flow of album which is very well sequenced.

To me, there are few more perfect songs than “Over the Hill,” so I was disappointed to learn that the rest of the album is not equally great. It’s still a solid album, I just wanted a little bit more

Fairly solid album. It's a Christmas Album, so I think it would be near impossible for any non-Vince Guaraldi artists to get a 5

Really evocative vignettes. I wasn’t 100% in a Waits-y mood, but always an interesting listening

I’m not a Green Day hater, in fact I think good Green Day can be really great, I just didn’t think that this album was all that special

I like the band, so I liked this. It’s not as spectacular as big pink but still good

I wanted to enjoy this album, but the rock was a bit too intense for me to really get into the instrumentation and lyrics are kinda nonsense, very forgettable

The first song is pretty good but the rest is either boring or a little cringe. Definitely personal bias speaking, but I feel trip-hop is a bit over-represented in the sample here

This album feels like a bit of a boring misappropriation of the punk musical vocabulary. Maybe it’s an interesting transition between the more straight-ahead rock of the 70s and the glam rock of the 80s, but I just don’t find it that compelling.

Great guitar tone, great voice, reverent to the Americana tradition without feeling derivative. If you like James Taylor, it’s a winner.

This album feels very MTV. I’m always scared of an album with a big hit as its first song (is the rest just padding?). But I don’t think this album is deliberately padded. I’ve just never been into the jocular vibe in hip-hop especially when that’s intermingled with misogyny. The best songs are their most direct, like “Freaks of the Industry” etc.

Fantastic playing throughout. The slide guitars on “You Ask Me To” is a further standout. It loses a star for some bad takes, but solid old school country through and through.

This is a tough one to rate (and to listen to). You can really tell that Kurt put his heart and soul into every track. However, he must have been in such a dark place that it’s hard to hear this album without being constantly reminded of Kurt’s impending mortality.

Of course I love it. Usually with world music I’m willing to be lenient with some production weirdness, but this whole album is super tight. The percussion is especially wonderful.

I initially didn’t understand why MIA was included on this list but, my preconceptions were quickly dispelled when I actually listened to the album. The album should get a five just for its novelty, I’ve never heard anything that sounds like it. But the album is more than just a cool sound, it’s solid all around.

I always feel like I’m not schooled enough in what makes good punk good, but this just felt a bit unremarkable to me.

I love 90s R&B/neosoul so this album was destined for a high rating from me. While I don’t think it’s quite as good as my favorites of the genre, it still deserves a five, and it’s an album I could see myself revisiting

This is a really fun album. It’s definitely pre-punk which makes it an interesting cultural artifact. The lofi sound is perfectly done, and overall I have nothing bad to say.

I love a Tribe Called Quest and this album is no different. Super old school vibe that suits their flow well

Obviously a hugely important album that will get a 5 from me. There’s a lot of misogyny and some homophobia which is not super cool, but I’m going to set that aside for the purposes of this rating

This album is like a 3.49-3.51 to me and I’m not quite sure how to round it. No parts of it are bad but it feels very plain for a Joni Mitchell album

I really love neosoul and I’ve always liked common’s vibes. This album isn’t perfect, there’s some slightly jarring language and it’s a little long. A solid album overall, but I wanted just a little more

No frills punk. Crazy that such an influential band only really released one album. However, the album does make up for that outsized influence.

I feel like I could really enjoy this album if I was in a different mood, but as it stands this album fell a bit flat to me. Their sound is way ahead of their time, but it almost so perfectly predicts the 2000s singer-songwriter vibe that the music feels a bit played out (definitely not their fault).

Some positively insane guitar tone. Classic Neil Young songwriting. As always, the Canadian songwriter makes me relish in Americana.

I didn’t love this album. I can easily believe that it was hugely influential, but this vibe has never really gelled with me. It kinda falls into that zone of the Talking Heads where I feel like I should like it

I really have no feelings about this album. It feels like generic 90s rock

Every time I think I’m off of Radiohead I get pulled back. I think this is my favorite Radiohead album. Some of the same eccentricities of their later work balanced with a bit more overt vulnerability. It’s a wonderful album that’s wonderfully produced

I little bit of punk, a little bit of prog, and a whole lot of fun.

Big 60s energy without feeling too cliche. A fun listen for sure.

No strong feelings for this one. I don’t think this was the best use of Janis’s undeniable talent.

This barely squeaks out a 3 for me. I’ve never been a U2 fan and this album is no different. I speak of uncanny valleys a lot, but I think U2 is uniquely uncannily between rock and pop.

I had a pretty visceral negative reaction to this album. Maybe this is someone’s jam, but it is definitely not mine.

Fantastic guitar playing but just a little too long and generically classic rock to grab a 5 from me

This is a solid album but lacks some extra pizzazz that would bump it up to five for me. I bet if you’re a CCR fan this is gold, but I’m a little too ambivalent to go above a 4

I’m usually not too picky about the mastering of an album, but those jangly guitar tones were just too piercing for me. Each of the tracks were a bit generic. Cool to see early psych-garage, but not really my jam.

Wow! This was genuinely one of my favorite albums we’ve had to date. Maybe it just struck the right nerve, but something about the amazing mastering with the equally amazing playing just made this pretty magical. I just only wish I could have heard this in 1970 when this would feel even more groundbreaking

This was a cool album! I wasn't 100% jamming on it, but i suspect that if i had any degree of Portuguese fluency it'd be 5 stars for me, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I really tried to give this album a fair shot. And I think maybe I’m still not doing that, but I really didn’t like this album. The b side in particular is not my vibe. It falls neatly into the the preachy 80s music that I’ve lamented previously. Coupled with that glam rock style, it’s a lose-lose for me.

Very unremarkable 90s alternative.

Pretty good. A little long, but the core is solid. His other work might be interesting to check out.

I’ve definitely given worse albums 4s and better album 5s. It’s on the fence for me, but I think it falls on the low side

Solid overall but lacking the tinge of psychedelica that would make this a 5 for me

Some interesting ideas that probably laid the groundwork for later styles of rock (punk etc). But it’s interspersed with too much of what John Lennon would call “Granny Music”.

Great playing, great vocals, great fun!

Very listenable. Concise without feeling incomplete much better showing for CCR than their previous album

The most notable thing about this album is its horrible album cover. Otherwise the music is unremarkable.

This album is so packed with monumental hits that I’m a little desensitized. But I think if I was listening to candle in the wind or Benny and and jets for the first time, this album would be an instant five, so that’s what I’ll give it

I struggle to justify the inclusion here. The single “There She Goes”, isn’t even that great. The songs either feel like music that the Beatles did better 25 years prior or that Oasis would do better 5 years later.

Great musicianship across the board, and some fun songs. Not every album has to have a catchy tune, but I think this album would have more staying power (for me) if I could latch onto one song.

Nick Cave is not totally my jam, but this album obviously has a lot of effort put into it. For me, this is as good as it gets for nick cave

I like this album. Not super relistenable, but I’ve tried to get into this album before but it was nice to finally have the incentive to finish it. Solid all around

Unfortunately, I think I hate Rush.

It would be misleading to call this album ahead of its time. This album is so integral that the face of rock music would be unrecognizable without it. You can’t be ahead of your time if you bend the times to your whim.

Every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal. Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul.

Nothing wrong with this album, but not anything that knocked my socks off

An album that can be appreciated on every level. No filler, the band is super tight, and Aretha kills. A no surprise 5.

I absolutely adore Beck, but this is not my favorite by him. Some good songs, and not an unpleasant listen, but squarely in 4 territory for me.

I always feel like I should like New Wave more than I actually do. The A side is a little generic but the B side is wonderfully weird and very Devo

This is a pretty cool album. I love that you can hear the last pieces of big band still hanging on while hearing the emergence of the instrumental palette of funk and soul. James Brown gives a great performance and the audience adds to the experience. Some production quirks, but I won’t hold that against anyone.

This album punches above its weight for me. I’d definitely throw this album on in the background of the imaginary parties I throw. It’s missing just a little something that would push it to a 5, but a strong showing to be sure.

The more psychedelic tracks are really cool! I could take a whole album of that funk prog psych rock thing but I feel like they were a bit afraid to really lean in

I wish I was better able to appreciate jazz. I didn’t personally connect with this album, but if I try to be objective about my ratings, it’s a 5.

I love shoe gaze and dream pop, so you can’t ask for much more.

This album didn’t speak to me personally but it does have merit as a jumping off point for many later bands.

There’s nothing wrong with this album, but it’s not really my style. Some of the extended solos are pretty cool, but I didn’t like the vocals or the subject matter thereof.

Man, I love bob dylan. The sound of that shrill harmonica in that gigantic concert hall really hits different. “She belongs to me” and “just like a woman” were especially captivating. Loved it

ABBA rocks. Both infinitely nostalgic and infinitely fresh. Their production is always unparalleled and their band cohesion is top notch, a great album on all fronts

Obvious five. When the deeper cuts are better than some monumentally famous songs, you know the album is good

This album is a very strong four for me. If we hadn’t been listening to such great albums recently, I might give it a five. The proto punk is cool to see and the album still feels pretty fresh

Very simple and very good. Political without being naggy.

I don’t like techno

Fun album! Little Bit of baroque pop, little bit of folk rock. Great harmonies. That last song is bizarre but not unwelcome!

I’m not sure how I’ve never crossed paths with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but this album is pretty good! It definitely hits that alt rock vibe while still feeling fresh.

Not surprised to hear that this was produced by a velvet underground alum. Simple, but still fresh. Doesn’t totally feel like it’s pushing any envelopes, but still very solid

I’m always gonna love nick drake. That intro is one of the most beautiful orchestrations in the history of pop. This album is an easy five no matter how many times I’ve heard it

I like old school country, and I certainly don’t dislike punk and its derivatives, but, this album fell flat for me. I’m reaching for the Pogues, the Cure, or most anything else before this. I can imagine a later stage in my life where I wonder how I ever gave this album such short shrift. But for now, it remains worse than neutral

It may be that I’m just growing into my appreciation of PJ Harvey, but this album was pretty good! Not a whole lot of analysis I can give, it just struck me better than our previous PJ album.

It’s nothing to write home about, but it gets bumped to a four for having some fantastic guitar and keyboard tone and for being so concise.

I’m vehemently neutral on this album. Some decent songs, but largely not very memorable

Fonky!

I really enjoyed this album which kind of surprised me! Without the bonus tracks it’s a perfect length to enjoy the vibe without getting saturated.

Very good album. No frills, just good tracks.

This album is very nostalgic to me, so I can’t be impartial. But I can be amazed by just how much I still love these British dorks.

This album lands squarely in the “I feel like I should like this” camp. However, for reasons I can’t articulate, I just don’t find it that compelling

This is someone’s jam, but not really mine.

This album is a little unmoored, but the tracks individually are solid. David’s voice sounds great, and some of the melodic choices are fantastic.

Some great songs, and I’m particularly fond of “Friend of the Devil”. But this album feels longer than it is. I need to go deeper on their back catalogue, but for now I don’t feel super connected to the Dead’s music

Strong album, teetering between a low five and a high four. I’ll bump it up for the adventurous ambient sax and Eno collaboration.

The kinks are always solid, and this album is no different. Really good production for 1969. All in all, nothing earth shattering, but nothing to complain about either.

Great at every turn. I was expecting this an album to feel a bit dated (it is already ten years old). But it doesn’t at all. “Rocket” is now far and away my favorite Beyoncé song.

Solid. Better and more thoughtful than generic aughts indie, but still not knocking my socks off.

Some standouts, of course, but not everything I was hoping for. Some slightly weird production at points, but a good listen all in all

This album is too long, but it’s also too Stevie to be anything less than a five.

You’ve gotta respect this album for pushing the boundaries of modern music. However it remains remarkably musical despite its innovativeness.

I don’t know if it’s possible to be derivative of your past self. If you can, this would be the first album I’d add to that list. It’s so disappointing because Brian Wilson can be pure magic, but this just feels like flaccid covers of a past life. I’d have preferred 52 minutes of chorale arrangements like that first song. That song was beautiful.

This album is noticeably stifled by its outdated, and now cheesy, instrumentation. The vocals are a little shaky, and the lyrics are a bit uncomplicated. There’s an endearing earnestness to all of the aforementioned. However, not endearing enough to push it above a 3.

Really cool album. I dig the proto new wave. Not afraid to get weird but still being very listenable. Always nice to be exposed to an album you probably would have never found otherwise

I used to think of Led Zeppelin as these untouchably cool figures. Now I know that they’re actually huge nerds. Their devotion to the folk music canon with the flavors of hard rock makes for really interesting and timeless music. There’s a lot packed into this relatively short album

One of the best debut albums i have ever encountered. The band is unbelievably tight and the album flows like water. The production and mastering (or remastering?) is flawless. The line between appropriation and inspiration is fine, especially with Zeppelin. But regardless of who should get the true credit, this albums rocks.

Better than much of the 90s singer songwriter music out there, but still not music I really connect with.

I can see the merit of this album as a film soundtrack, and maybe in one of my more avant-garde moods, I can appreciate a soundtrack for a nonexistent movie. For now, it basically just reintroduced the city noise my headphones were actively trying to cancel out.

Pretty solid album. The flute is refreshing and tastefully done, but the whole package just can’t be a five for me.

As I read more and listened more to this album, I appreciated it more. It’s still a little eerie to me that this was released two days before his death. I do think this is a really good album, but it’s still not an album I really enjoyed.

One verse of “…Baby One More Time,” is euphoric pop bliss, but quickly becomes trite. Unfortunately, the album lacks anything else with similar pull. The ballads are bad, all of the outdatedness with none of the emotional sincerity. It’s a 2.5 for me with a round up.

Simple yet deep. Definitely the kind of album that benefits from additional listens. Nothing to complain about. It’s my favorite album that prominent incorporates a jaw harp.

Truly a magical hour of music. There are certain musicians who cannot make a mistake while improvising. The connection between their feelings and the music they play is direct. Jacob Collier and Herbie Hancock immediately come to mind as other examples. Jarrett obviously also possesses this skill. Listening to music like that will always be a treat. There’s a reason why this became the best selling solo piano album to date.

One of the best “fly on the wall” live albums I’ve ever heard. The perfect mix of clean and professional with loose and intimate. Sarah has an amazing voice and the band sounds great. Also huge shoutout to the recording team for making a live 1957 recording sound better than a lot of studio albums 10 years later.

This album is a little dorky at times, but so am I. Something about tors album speaks to me and it’s an album I can see myself growing with. And “In Your Eyes“ is a no surprise standout.

Music from this era is feeling a bit passé. I’m sure the pendulum will swing back, but for now I’m not a huge fan of this style. It feels way more sterile than the Neo soul of a few years prior which I don’t love. It’s not bad, just not good.

I just can’t help but love the 60s. This album is definitely good and i’d love to give it a 4.5. But since there are so many amazing 60s albums, I’ll leave it at a 4

Dylanesque lyrics with some fantastic guitar playing. I’m always happy to be pandered to. “Wild West End” stands out as my favorite.

Some of the synths are really good. And I have a lot of respect for the direction that this album pushed music in. That being said the main vocalist is so wildly off key that the album is tough to listen to. It makes you wish auto tune was invented earlier to prop this album up.

I can’t help but love this album. Yes I’ve probably listened to 5 hours of Hotel California in my lifetime, but the title track still somehow feels fresh, and the other songs don’t feel like filler. I’m a sucker for music that feels palpably American though.

This is not really my style. Even “Faith” is worse than I remembered because of the bad mastering. It sounds like “Faith” is being played on a small speaker in another room.

The first half of the album is pretty tough. The second half of the album is a little better, but not enough to bump it up. The hits hold up, but they’re drowned out by way too many other tracks

This album is really not my thing. Maybe if I understood German I’d like it more, but this was really a slog for me

This would be an easy 5 if it came out in 2023. The fact that it came out in 1970 makes it even more impressive. Santana’s guitar playing is obviously great, but upon revisiting these songs the percussion stands out as another tasty feature

Really fun album. Freddie gives an amazing performance and the rest of the band is equally tight. Good all around

I don’t feel like I have the right mental frame to understand why this album was included. Maybe I should go back over the lyrics with a finer tooth comb, but I won’t, because I didn’t like it

It’s definitely punk. I’m not too deep into punk so this won’t get highs marks from me. There’s nothing especially wrong though

No doubt that this is a musical family. I’m huge bossa nova fan, but if you would have described a “bossa nova, drum machine, new age” album, I would have been skeptical. All of the elements blend together in a really tasteful way that shows considerable restraint for the time. A treat to listen to.

I had a pretty negative reaction to this album. It’s too long, I’m a bit burnt out on this genre, and the lyrics didn’t do enough to hold my attention. That long song at the end felt especially brutal.

Effortlessly cool without feeling shallow. A nice blend of acoustics and electronics. Definitely an album I can see myself throwing back on

There’s nothing bad about this album. There’s nothing that great either. The lyrics lack depth, but not every album should be deep. I’m not a reggae connoisseur, so maybe this broke major ground, but I don’t connect with it.

One of my least favorite Beatles albums. You can really feel their looming breakup. That said, it’s still amazing. The guitar tones are tasty, and the production and instrumentation are a beautiful microcosm of where rock came from and where it where it was going.

This album still feels fresh more than 20 years later. It leverages the sonic palette of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, while setting the tone for the rest of the 00s. Some problematic lyrics (looking at you “So Fresh and So Clean”). But no album I’ve heard so seamlessly blends earnest philosophical musings (“Humble Mumble”) with an epicurean embrace of sexuality (“Stankonia”).

Maybe with additional listens, I’d appreciate this album more, but on first listen it reads as whiny suburbanization apologia. The instrumentation is solid, but everything else is not really to my taste.

Whimsical, witty, vivid and heartfelt vignettes about the idiosyncrasies of life. Set to a compelling blend of 80s pop and (a small slice of) African music. I wouldn’t want to live in a world where this album was never made. Indie music of today would be a lot less interesting and a lot more Western.

It’s definitely 60s rock music. Some cool guitar solos, but the band doesn’t feel cohesive enough for me to call this jammy like the Dead. I accidentally listened to the bonus track acoustic version of “If you can’t Learn from my Mistakes” which is intensely beautiful. I might take another listen if there was a good remastered version, but for now I don’t get that much from it.

Surprisingly fantastic. Jammy in a satisfying way. It’s one of those albums where it’s hard to describe what exactly makes it great. It’s both nothing and everything. It held my attention for an hour and 6 minutes, I can’t give a much more ringing endorsement than that.

If you like AC/DC this album is perfect. I like AC/DC well enough, but not enough to give this album a 5. All of the songs sound pretty similar.

Honestly this album is really fun. Nothing earth shattering about it, but just fun proto-glam fuzz guitar blues. Some super catchy songs too that still totally hold up.

R.E.M. is one of those bands that are only a few standard deviations away from me loving them. It’s a little bit of Dylan, a little bit of alt rock, but the package just never comes together for me. Not bad, just not something I really enjoyed.

I’m really empathetic to the troubled genius that Syd was, but this album isn’t that great. It feels like a collection of unreleased demos that stayed as demos for a reason. It’s honestly getting a sympathy star to get it up to a 3

Refreshing new wave album. Satisfying rhythmic and instrumental choices. The album drags a little with some repetitive motifs, but isn’t so long where it’s insufferable

This album is pretty good. My favorite song was that pseudo-indian jam at the end. Nothing else really felt particularly compelling though.

Can’t say no to little Coltrane.

If you like Van Morrison, and I do, this is sublime. When a band is really working, you can forget that there’s individual musicians. This is a great example where the band coalesces into something more than the sun of its parts.

This genre isn’t my thing. That said, this feels like an absolutely flawless execution of all of its ideas. I can’t earnestly give it a five, but this is as close as an album like this could be.

Honestly, a little underwhelming. I love Neil Young, but a lot of this felt very generic. That last song was great, and bumped it up a star, but there’s much better Neil to be had.

This album doesn’t really hold up that well. Maybe it was fun in the 80s rave scene, but now it feels pretty generic. No strong feelings one way or another

Surprisingly strong album. Really compelling and listenable melodies without betraying its punk routes. One I would not have found by myself, so thanks 1001!

I’m not a huge ska-head but this album is a really good. I was familiar with “Rudy” but I honestly thought this album was from the 90s. Ska is timeless I suppose! Maybe with another listen I’d see more variety in the songs, but on first pass it feels a little repetitive.

4 stars for the quality of the music, -3 stars for Marilyn Manson sucking in every way, +1 star for the musicians he underpaid who deserve more credit, the band is tight. God I hate hearing abusers talking about sex.

I’m not sure if I believe in divine inspiration, but this album is making me believe in extraterrestrial inspiration. This album stands out with no clear predecessors or successors. Funky!

Transcendent guitar playing interspersed with poetry about the multitudinousness of the universe. All of that with an unbelievably tight band for a live album. Great listen.

I’m totally biased, but I love this album. Enjoy the silence is an all-timer for me.

Unbelievably sick. Stevie is the king.

The are no off notes about this album, Booker T’s arrangements are really strong. A great vibe to throw on for a dinner party, but not something I’d choose to listen to as art unto itself. Good covers to be sure, but this album is not why Willie is a legend.

I can’t think of another album that has made me feel so humbly human. This serves as such a great testament to the breadth of beauty possible with the human voice. Björk has a great ear for the way that vocal dissonance can electrify every fiber of a listener’s being. Björk presents some very challenging sonic palettes, but the structure of the album does a remarkable job of holding the listener’s hand. An étude and a symphony. One of a kind.

2pac is awesome. Really tender while remaining cool. 2pac has a great sense of melody, 66 minutes just vibes on by.

Aerosmith is lame.

Very strong melodies and instrumentation. Lyrics are a little pretentious and goofy at times, but nothing too damning.

Very 80s and yet very modern. Really interesting percussion and guitars that don’t fit together at all, but it works. Deliciously collegiate and wholly unique.

Historically interesting as an a link between punk and new wave. but I didn’t find the music very compelling. Fine but not outstanding.

I lack the mental model to adequately appreciate industrial music like this. Really good music can give you chills. The use of feedback, dissonance, and strange timbre also gives me chills. It’s more similar to chills from nails on a chalkboard though, but not in a bad way? I doubt that this is the level that Einstürzende Neubauten wanted me to appreciate the music on. But in terms of magnitude of physiological response, it’s way up there. A little long though.

I really wanted to like this album. It’s not as generic as some of the boring rock we’ve had, but still leaves me wanting more.

Not a bad album, but also definitely not his best. I could see myself rediscovering this album later in life and loving it. Until then, it’s just pretty good.

A tragically perfect embodiment of both rhythm and blues. The Instrumentation sounds like it was pulled right from the grooves of an old Ray Charles vinyl. The vocals have so much soul and are so earnestly delivered that it’s impossible to avoid feeling the dourness that Amy so clearly felt.

A lot of really interesting, underdeveloped ideas. Obviously a product of the minimal music of its time. Some moments of real beauty. I’m on the fence about this one.

The B side rocks. I think the beastie boys are cool? But I still haven’t made up my mind. Academically, I understand that the Beastie Boys are largely satire, but I still have a hard time emotionally feeling the jest of the album. Maybe really good satire reads as sincerity?

I feel like I should like Elliott Smith more than I do. I think if I was 10 years older he’d be super formative for me. However for me, the style reads as a little whiny and derivative. It’s a tough one, but I can’t earnestly rate it highly.

Very close to being a 5 for me. I think if there were vocals it’d be a 5 for me. I totally recognize the significance of this album, but something about it just misses what it’d need for a 5.

Very cool. A masterclass in 90s production. Easy listening without falling into tired themes.

Good lyrics can make you think, but really good lyrics can make you feel. It’s remarkable how these lyrics percolate directly into your heart, with no impedance from understanding. Beautiful in its simplicity, beautiful in its execution.

Really strong album for 1981. It sets the tone for 80s alternative without feeling dated. “Monitor” is pretty sick and surprisingly proto grunge. The EBow on “Sin In My Heart” is rad. Great tone across the board. The lyrics are the only thing I don’t love.

This album is good but not great. Kind of a 3.5. The overall sound is pretty cool, but it doesn’t come together for me.

Good synergy, good beats, good production. Good album!

Fantastic. All of the wit and soul of every Neal Young album, but that mid 70s production makes for silky renderings of Young’s great melodies. “Vampire Blues” is one of the most compelling environmentalist songs I’ve ever heard.

Pretty mid. I understand that it was influential for other influential bands, but this didn’t do a whole lot for me.

I’m biased, but I love this album. It’s kinda wild to think that this album is 25 years old and that when Bob finished this album, the sixties were 25 years behind him. This is, by some measures, middle period Dylan. This album shows that behind his inscrutable poetry there is a man who feels sadness, humility, anger, and love. I would never introduce anyone to Dylan with this album, but it 100% deserves all the praise it gets. I know this review is already long, but I just have to shout out “Make You Feel My Love” as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.

I wanted to like this a little more than I actually did. I don’t think anything here is bad per se, but I didn’t really connect with the musical style

I think part of what makes this album magical is its place on the precipice between acoustic and electric. It retains much of the acoustic soul of the 60s and 70s while obviously pointing towards the glitz and synths of the 80s. The production is second to none. Harmonies are tight. Lyrics are emphatically and effectively delivered. Instrumentation is even better than it needs to be. Not a piece out of perfect place.

A bit pretentious, even for me. I struggle with new wave music because it always reads as self righteous to me. I’m certain if I was coming of age while this was coming out, this would be a my lifeblood. For what it’s worth, they do have a good feel for catchy riffs.

The textures of these guitars make you feel like you’re in a float tank of tone. Reminds me of the tone of “Let It Be” era Beatles (obviously not a coincidence). Good to throw on for its vibes, but not music I feel emotionally connected to.

More emotionally vulnerable than the other Morrissey albums we’ve had. Dialing down the preachiness makes this a much easier listen. Really nothing to hate here.

Solid guitar, somewhat insufferable vocals, dated production. Very strange and not in an endearing way.

Definitely solid, but this felt a little distracted and scattered. Lots of great ideas, just lacking the cohesion and directness I would have liked.

Fantastic. One of the things that Prince does best is making music really sharp and well produced without losing any of the soul and energy of a demo. Little red corvette is amazing.

I’ve always loved this album. Glad to see it included on this list. It’s a great album to throw on and vibe with. It’s so effortlessly cool.

Better than a lot of the 90s British rock we’ve had, but still not perfect. Nothing remarkable to say one way one way or another.

Very collegiate and unpolished but not in a bad way. The xylophone solo on “Gone Daddy Gone” is sick and the production on the percussion is great overall. Honestly a really pleasant surprise.

Solid album, I like all of the related artists more than I like this album, but a fun spacey vibe nonetheless. Don’t love the vocals.

This is about as good as an album like this can be. Problem is I still don’t really really like this style. Zappa is cool and I’m glad he pushed the boundaries of music in the way he did, it’s just a bit of a tough listen.

Was I a bit grumpy going into this, yes. Did this help, no. Really not my thing.

I don’t think I get it, but I also don’t think I like it.

Obviously solid, but not perfect. I think I’d take a real blues or folk album 100/100 times over this.

I absolutely l loved that last song, everything else was pretty mid though. This wouldn’t preclude me from seeing PJ live, but this album wasn’t really for me.

Obviously Adele is a generational talent, both as a vocalist and a songwriter. The punchy pop production really suits this album. Not sure what more you could want.

It’s mediocre psychedelia—which this list has an excess of. It’s worse than its influences (old school rock and roll, folk, Hindustani classical music)—all of which this list has a lack of. There are solid moments, and their use of synths feels a little fresh. “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a man insane, it’s my president LBJ” is a hilariously bad line.

Really strong album. Doesn’t try to do too much. I’m always gonna be biased towards neo soul, but I really enjoyed this album.

“Rio” (the song) is pop perfection. I think when the frenetic intro and verse opens up to the harmonious and jubilant chorus, you really feel like you have trekked through the desert and finally found your oasis. I wonder if that was intentional. Either way, as far as these new wave albums go, this is as good as it gets for me. Of its time without feeling dated.

This should be a 5 star album for me, but I left wanting a little more. Not sure what exactly, definitely something.

Unmistakably the pogues, in the best and worst ways. Some strong songs, but I didn’t connect enough to rate it more than a four.

Trash lyrics, good vibes.

Outstanding. My only complaint is that I wasn’t around in 1974 to have my mind blown even more than it is 49 years later.

I’ve listened to this many times, and I’ll listen to it many more. Each time as magical as the first.

Really great. Beautiful at times without losing its funky core. Curtis Mayfield has a knack for making cool music.

I don’t totally get the ideas here, but it’s not bad. A weird one for sure.

This has always been one of my favorite albums of all time. The beauty packed into such brevity is unparalleled. And to think this is start of the genre, no exemplar to follow—outstanding.

In an alternate universe, where indie is mainstream, this is what flipping through radio stations might sound like.

Problematic treatment of women. Kanye’s a pretty good rapper. And a fantastic producer.

Straight ahead soul with nothing to complain about.

It has its moments, but I found myself waiting for it to end.

More than the sum of its parts. And when the parts are great, the album will be fantastic. Shoutout to the band and orchestration which really shine.

I can see how this may have felt important in the 90s. It’s definitely different; I’m just not sure it holds up. The electrified acoustic on “junk shop clothes” sounds particularly dated. I am a hater of this general geoperiod in music, so take my review with some salt.

The first song is legendary. The other songs are pretty good but not nearly as good as the first.

Obviously a visionary musician and producer. There are some really great, unique textures, it’s just not quite catchy enough for it to get a five from me.

I love Neil young, and this list loves Neil Young. This album didn’t quite do it for me, but still really solid.

I’m glad to have listened to this. This definitely expanded my conception of Grunge outside of just Nirvana. This album definitely holds up, and earns its spot on this list. Not perfect, but good!

I’m gonna pretend we live in the alternate reality where this album opens with that iconic “Dancing Queen” piano roll—not the bizarre teacher simping. ABBA are obviously better musicians than I will ever be. But what’s incredible (and incredibly frustrating) is that their songwriting in their non-native English is still better than I will ever do.

Horny and heteronormative with a splash of incel. Not really my thing. It does get a bonus stat for being a 90s British album that doesn’t sound exactly like oasis.

I love everything Dylan does. While this isn’t my favorite, the rawness of “I want you” and “Just like a woman” and the cooky lyrics of “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” make this an easy 5 for me.

Strong album. I don’t love AC/DC, but there’s nothing to complain about here.

Another strong Black Sabbath album. Surprisingly tender at times, surprisingly experimental at times, all without losing its iconic hard/heavy rock feel.

Strong album, but not so remarkable that I can give it anything more than a 4.

Iconic perfection. I’ve been going deep on Van’s later work (which is amazing) but this album still totally holds up.

Very weird. Not entirely good and not entirely bad. Just weird.

As a white guy who likes the blues, I like these white guys who like the blues.

Delightfully jammy and informal without losing the polished production of a mainstream artists. That tone on “My Way of Giving” is tasty.

Deeply moving, raw, and intelligent with slick music to boot. A great album I definitely wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Bad. Makes 1 hour feel like 5. Really didn’t like its preachy lyrics. It somehow manages to be repetitive and really all over the place.

Vapid songwriting with instrumentation that isn’t innovative enough to drag the album up.

Really strong production, and some fantastic songs. They’re not all gems, but a solid album.

When I’ve heard of the title track, but can’t name any other songs by that artist, I begin to worry. I am especially skeptical when that title track comes first. This album confirms those fears, the title track doesn’t hold up, and the remainder of the songs are incredibly thin.

Could be a lot better, could be a lot worse. 90s Britpop really is a genre.

It’s interesting to hear these Afrocuban compositions in the frame of midcentury big band. Great playing, very timeless.

Someone’s been listening to Nick Drake. Solid album, very daintily beautiful.

I like the vibes, but the album didn’t hold my attention the whole time.

Interesting use of dissonance, not 100% my thing, but a cool listen.

There’s something I don’t like about Sufjan Stevens. Maybe he lies a little too close to my own sensibilities. So I didn’t really like this album, but maybe that’s not his fault.

I try to trust music dorks when they like an album, but this really didn’t do it for me. The vocals are whiny, and the production makes it sound like you’re listening to an ill-fated college punk band through three layers of concrete dorm walls.

Some great moments, some not so great moments. On the whole, glad I heard this, but something I’m unlikely to return to.

There’s a depth to Cyndi’s music that I wasn’t aware of coming into this album. She manages to make all of the 80s tropes sound fresh (in some way because it feels like she’s doing them more earnestly). That said, not totally my thing, but a strong album for sure.

As the kids say, they had me in the first half. The A side is a little too drum and bassy for my liking. But as the B side delves into more melodies and an almost prog rock vibe, I think the albums becomes much more interesting. Not a hard enough pivot for anything above a four, but enough to bump it above neutral.

Unremarkable, some cool ideas, but didn’t really hold my interest.

Very weird. I don’t get it, but I also don’t like it.

This totally warrants a relisten, but I already know it’s a 5. The Dylanesque lyrics embedded in the jazz/folk/rock texture is a treat. Also that straight-ahead blues number in “Harry’s House / Centerpiece” is outstanding.

Unremarkable. Felt a little long to be as similar as the songs are. The Pet Shop Boys are great at their best, but I don’t think this is that.

Kinda weird. Somewhat like if the Beatles were less good and tried to make Sgt Peppers in the post-synthesizer world

As a white boy with parents who were coming of age in the 70s, I’m basically genetically forced to like the Eagles. Donning a more objective cap, the deep cuts here aren’t great. They grew a lot as songwriters, and their later albums don’t have a song out of place.

Glam rock isn’t my favorite genre, and the unsubstantial lyrics make this a miss for me.

Great songwriting. Strong lyrics with relatable characters. Almost Prine-esque. The instrumentation isn’t totally my thing, but nothing too damming.

Not really my thing. The instrumentation is cool and bluesy but the lyrics are bad. A mixed bag.

I understand why this album exists, and it’s well executed for what it is. Unfortunately not my thing. Drumming is especially tight.

Some very strong songs but a little long. Excellent production.

This checks a lot of boxes for me. Punk stylings without being too antiestablishment or simplistic. Great playing (especially the percussion), and concise while still developing its ideas.

I don’t like it, but I think that’s the point. So I hope they don’t mind the 2 stars.

Cringe at times, visionary at others. The deep exploration of the early 2000s pop textures makes this read more like hyperpop than pop.

Textbook Clapton. Very suave without feeling impersonal. This definitely inspired a lot of soulless yacht rock to follow

I know enough French to know that this would be way better if I understood French. Unfortunately, without more fluency, the musical style isn’t my thing, so I can’t give it too high a score.

A little too long. The beats are cool, but not so cool I can see myself revisiting it.

Honestly this album is great. Not quite sure what it is about it, but it’s firing on all cylinders for me.

Iconic and still making waves today. Unabashedly silly at times, but that only works in its favor.

There are few albums that feel so aesthetically American. I’m certain of I did a deeper listen to the lyrics of appreciate the writing more.

Not bad. Not great either. Any album with a song like “Kung Fu” is going to get knocked down a star.

I love Paul Simon, but I didn’t love this album. Better than neutral, but a bit too goofy at times for my liking.

Very strong. Easy to listen to (for Nick Cave). There’s a lucidity to the lyrics and delivery that make this album compelling.

I don’t like the concept for this concept album, but this is by far the best concept album I’ve heard. Maybe if I was French and understood the nuance of the lyrics I could take a better stance. But musically it’s phenomenal.

Generic. Holds up unbearably neutrally.

I feel like any praise for this album should be redirected to the Neptunes. The production is perfect, the lyrics are a little lacking, and Justin is fine. It’s also a bit long.

Not my favorite of the post-Beatles solo albums (looking at you George), but still totally earns itself a five.

Fine, albeit somewhat unremarkable. Still not a Talking Heads convert.

This is good by Aerosmith standards, but still not my thing. Always trite feeling.

Slick without losing its grit. Really great. Good features too.

Interesting, lyrics are a little flat, but the style is interesting.

Better than neutral, but feels a bit derivative.

A little weird, even for me, (that’s Björk for you), but well executed for what it is.

It’s fine I suppose, albeit a little goofy.

Goofy, and not my thing.

Very well executed, but not totally to my taste. That piano on Aladdin Sane is fantastic.

Not bad. I continue to not really like New Wave, but this is okay.

Fantastic. No surprise there. You hear a lot of these songs on the radio which really don’t do the fantastic production justice.

This is a cool piece of musical archaeology. You can hear MBV’s DNA, but it’s not completely developed in this album. I think that makes this album notably worse than Loveless, but it was cool to hear the path that lead them to shoegaze perfection.

Great! You can hear the influence of his dad, but it doesn’t feel derivative.

I liked this album much more than I expected to. The sampled and recut vibe works here. Not something I’d throw on to listen to intently, but excellent background vibes.

Surprisingly great, the instrumentation is to my liking, and feels unique.

Every Dylan album will get a 5 from me. This isn’t one of my favorites, but it has a youthful flippancy that’s appealing to me. This feels like uncut Dylan, which has pluses and minuses.

Interesting and atmospheric at times, but leaves a little to be desired enough. Not weird enough to be eclectic, but not normal enough to fly under the radar.

Good songwriting in a style I don’t love. This feels part pastiche and part confessional. It’s an interesting listen, but not something I’d rush back to.

I was surprised by how much I liked this. This feels like a really important bridge between 20th century rock and modern day alternative.

This was the album that helped me realize that rock music could be art. It borders on avant garde without being unlistenable. Good stuff.

A little lethargic but not unbearably so. I like Emmylou, but the 2000s production doesn’t really suit her.

You know what you’re going to get when you listen to Metallica, and this does not undershoot or overshoot those expectations.

I like Fugazi in theory, but less so in practice. Their music isn't really my style, but it's not overtly objectionable.

It's definitely bongos. It's definitely influential. It's definitely not something I'll frequently come back to.

Michael Jackson has an unparalleled voice, and Quincy Jones is an unparalleled producer. It’s a 5.

Brian Eno is on this list a lot, both directly and indirectly. I think this album merits inclusion but isn’t prefect. There are some songs that are pure bliss, but the album drags just enough to hold it back from a five.

Surprisingly great! Deliciously eighties without feeling dated. The production is solid as well.

The Arctic Monkeys have always been on the outskirts of my musicals taste. I like some of their songs, but this left me a little wanting as all of the songs kind of bleed together.

Strong songwriting that’s well delivered. The level of satire is just a little too high for me, but definitely a worthy inclusion.

I doubt I would have found this album on my own, and I’m glad I did. Everything about this album is great. No frills soul, good stuff.

Bummer this album isn’t on the major streamers. It’s a great introduction to Fats. This should be required listening homework for anyone who likes rock.

I don’t like Elvis Costello, and this feels like derivative, inferior Elvis Costello. Come on Eileen slaps though.

Basically perfectly executed. 90s west coast hiphop at its smoothest.

Utterly baffled by this inclusion on the list. The music is fine, but, boy, are there so many better albums that could have taken this album’s place.

There’s something satisfying about The Jam. Highlights the cool elements of New Wave without with feeling stuffy or pretentious. There’s also just a fun pop-punk undercurrent to a lot of the tracks.

Too long, but the vibes are pretty cool. These albums can feel kinda boring, but this mostly avoids that.

This is a weird Radiohead album. Despite the vocal similarities between Thom Yorke and Rufus Wainwright, this album is pretty solid. The lurching, emotive ballads aren’t my thing, but what’s here is well done.

This is begging for a 21st century remaster. As it stands there’s not enough here to be anything more than loud blues hard panned into each ear.

I generally don’t go for music of this era. But this is sufficiently creative to make me interested in Janelle’s other (more recent) work. I dig the reference to “Crimson and Clover” in “Mushrooms & Roses” (that song is really great). But overall, the songs aren’t 100% to my style.

Björk always walks that line of being so weird that I want to stop listening, but also so weird that I can’t stop listening. This album in particular has some beautiful production decisions, but it’s not the kind of album I’d throw on again for casual listening.

The bones are good here. If this album was from the 70s it might get higher marks, but it being so recent makes it feel a bit derivative.

I feel like this album nosedives a bit on the B side. The A side isn’t that great either. Kind of a weird inclusion.

There’s a lot of Morrissey on this list, but this one feels like a fair inclusion. Good production, distinct from the Smiths, and lyrics that don’t make me hate everything.

Doesn’t feel dated. Missy definitely doesn’t get enough credit.

The first two songs are so good, but the rest of the songs are so similar yet so bland that it almost makes the good songs bad.

Strong at every point but way tooooooo loooooong.

Love Stevie, but didn’t love this. Still perfectly executed, just not to my taste.

Kendrick is the man. No notes.

I like it! Poppy without losing its silly robot DNA.

Don’t love her vocal style. It has a up-and-down downstop and start nature that makes me feel like I’m stuck in musical traffic. It’s a quality that sometimes put me off of Joni Mitchell. Other than that there’s nothing objectionable.

This is my least favorite complaint to leverage, but I don’t understand why this was included on the list. It’s fine, but so unremarkable and so long.

Great A side. The B side feels a little long and all over the place. But the A side is so good it stills merits a 4.

This album is the perfect balance of nuanced instrumentation with straightforward “songs” that each stand alone.

Interesting instrumentation at points, but mostly unremarkable folk rock.

I like the style, but don’t love the lyrics. Overall solid though.

Concept albums can be good albums but rarely have good songs. I think this is one of the best concept albums ever, but still doesn’t have enough strong songs for anything above a 4.

I really liked this album until Ian Curtis started singing. I’m not really in a position to talk, but the goofy nerds who sung for these alternative bands of the 80s really don’t do it for me.

The A side of this album makes its successor, Pet Sounds, seem like divine revelation. The B side begins to bring out what makes The Beach Boys special. All in all, it’s a bit of a wash.

Deeply unremarkable.

A bit dour, but that’s by design. The songs definitely bleed together, but it’s a vibe.

There are interesting moments, and “Our House” holds up. But the foundation is shaky, and it gets a demerit for that New Delhi song and for not being available on major streamers.

There’s something about the slightly stilted Norwegian accents and silky synths that make this album magic.

Cooler people than me probably love this album. To me, it’s better than neutral, but nothing to write home about.

Transcendent. Genre, time, mood. Name a characteristic, and Amy will reinvent it.

One of the most mixed bags we’ve seen. Some very high highs. But those highs are mere seconds long, an instrumentation choice, or a quick melody. But the total package is a bit too variable.

Surprisingly disappointing. I loved MIA’s other album on this list, and I have a lot of respect for the themes and energy she brings. But this album just doesn’t hit. This album is much less accessible than her other album.