446
Albums Rated
3.26
Average Rating
41%
Complete
643 albums remaining
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Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
58
5-Star Albums
8
1-Star Albums
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Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Heavy Weather | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| Close To The Edge | 5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
| Bitches Brew | 5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| The Yes Album | 5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
| Fragile | 5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
| Tommy | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
| At Fillmore East | 5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
| Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
| Aja | 5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Ghosteen | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| You Are The Quarry | 1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
| Casanova | 1 | 2.67 | -1.67 |
| We Are Family | 2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
| Zombie | 2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
| Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water | 1 | 2.47 | -1.47 |
| Tusk | 2 | 3.46 | -1.46 |
| En-Tact | 1 | 2.43 | -1.43 |
| The Fat Of The Land | 2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.8 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Yes | 3 | 5 |
| Beatles | 5 | 4.4 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Who | 3 | 4.67 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 4.67 |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 2 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 |
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 2 | 1 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 1.75 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Fleetwood Mac | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (58)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Morrissey
1/5
This was boring to listen to. Like the same mindless droning on every song. And lyrically he just complained about a bunch of other countries, and world politics, while also complaining about how terrible he's personally been treated. Overall, I won't be recommending it to anyone
4 likes
1/5
I couldn't listen to this, I tried to be objective, but this is just noise. I did not like it at all
2 likes
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Obviously the title track is a classic, still imitated till this day, never as good as the original. The entire album is the embodiment of classic R&B soul music, his vocals, instrumentation, everything about this album had so many impacts on future music. Classic
1 likes
1-Star Albums (8)
All Ratings
David Bowie
3/5
Young Americans, and Fame good. Cover of Accross the Universe was interesting, Beatles version is better
The Prodigy
2/5
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Chameleon, watermelon man, awesome. Great album
Elliott Smith
4/5
Good acoustic album.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Classic Led Zeppelin album, immigrant song, that's the way, bron-yr-aur stomp. Great songs great album
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Interesting, irish folk music and Ska horns. Upbeat songs, some driving bass lines. Overall decent album
Iron Maiden
3/5
Lots of influence from earlier acts, like zeppelin, and sabbath. Sounds like it influenced later bands as well.
The Kinks
3/5
Sounds similar to early Beatles.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Old time country story songs. El Paso is a classic country standard.
The Shamen
1/5
Early 90s electronic dance music. It's ok, nothing I want to listen to again
Syd Barrett
2/5
Slow psychedelic folk rock
Eels
3/5
Not a bad album, 90s melancholy rock, Novacaine for the soul was a small hit.
Ramones
3/5
Classic 70s punk from the Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop is still popular today
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Melodic, interesting, lots of instruments. Vocals are quiet, some back up singers on a few songs. Interesting concept songs about people and places in Illinois. Overall good, may have to give it another listen
Beach House
3/5
Dream pop is a genre I he'd never previously heard of, but it describes this album well. It was quiet, melodic and relaxing. It wasn't bad.
New Order
3/5
Mid 80s new wave, post punk, synthesizers, and drum machines.
The Stooges
3/5
Early 70s hard Rock. RATM did a cover of Down on the Streets that was a faithful recreation of the original on this album. Overall it was a decent album
The Auteurs
3/5
Early alternative, it's OK
The Mars Volta
4/5
Experimental rock, sounds like newer Jack White. It's pretty good.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
There are some decent songs. I hear similarities to modern bands that may have been influenced by this.
The Human League
3/5
Early example of New Wave. Heavy on synthesizers, vocal effects. "Don't you want me baby" is the biggest hit off this album. I didn't recognize any other songs.
Slint
2/5
A lot of speaking on top of guitars. Some loud distortion guitars with screaming.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Slow, acoustic, reminiscent of Bob Dylan. Overall ok.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Sounded like a bad lounge singer, lyrics seemed to be social commentary. The album is called the divine comedy, if it's a joke, I don't get it. If he's trying to make some sarcastic protest, it's poorly executed.
Supergrass
3/5
Some loud punk songs, some slower acoustic songs, overall a mixed bag, a typical example of mid 90s alternative rock. I recognized the song "Alright" from a few TV shows, movies, and commercials.
Madness
3/5
Our house in the middle of our street, great song. Everything else was alright. Lots of horns, strings, interesting overall
John Martyn
3/5
Acoustic folk, singer songwriter music. Reminiscent of Cat Stevens and Nick Drake. I've never heard this before, but it was pretty good.
Animal Collective
3/5
Interesting psychedelic rock. Lots of vocal harmonies, very melodic
Carole King
4/5
At least 6 hit songs off this album. Carole King us a gifted song writer. Classic singer songwriter album from the 70s
John Prine
3/5
John Prine was a great storytelling singer songwriter. His songs are country standards now, Angel from Montgomery was covered by Dave Matthews. Overall a good album
David Bowie
3/5
Overall good album, classic David Bowie. The cover of Let's spend the night together was good.
Van Halen
4/5
Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher. Classic Van Halen album. Great guitar work from Eddie Van Halen
Depeche Mode
3/5
Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, and Policy if Truth, classic tracks off of Violator. Early 90s electronic music.
Talk Talk
2/5
Slow new wave, kind of boring
The Fall
2/5
Sounds punk/new wave. Reminds me of the B-52s. It's ok
R.E.M.
4/5
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. Great song off this album, as well as "the one I love" good examples of early 90s alternative rock.
The Band
3/5
"The night they drove old Dixie down" and "up on cripple creek" are classic tracks off this album. Reminiscent of the Grateful Dead
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Wow, great beat and rapping from A Tribe Called Quest.
Tom Waits
2/5
Lyric and music are good, jazzy, bluesy, some folk. I can't get over his voice. It's not suited for singing.
Little Richard
3/5
Classic early rock and roll, Long Tall Sally and Tutti Frutti.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Great classic reggae from Bob Marley and the Wailers. Every track is a great example of reggae.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Great folk rock, classic album
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Quiet, melodic, interesting. Reminisce of Fleet Foxes, and Tame Impala.
Good bluesy rock. "Stay With Me" is a classic track off this album.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Ambient electronic music. It's alright as background music for studying or work.
Machito
3/5
Good example of Afro-Cuban jazz. Lots of horns and drums.
Jacques Brel
2/5
He sings very well, though I don't know French, I can tell he's a talented singer. Not really my taste for music though
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Slow new wave, songs sounded very similar.
Daft Punk
3/5
Groundbreaking, house/edm album. Around the world is the most recognized track off the album.
Aimee Mann
2/5
Generic 90s pop rock.
Ice Cube
3/5
Excellent example of 90s west coast rap. Lots of lyrics about racial injustice. Some of these lyrics are just as relevant today as 30 years ago. It was a good day, and check yo self were the most notable tracks off this album
Genesis
4/5
Really interesting 70s prog rock, mixed with medieval themes, and folk stories. Overall an interesting listen, very different from 80s Genesis lead by Phil Collins.
Ray Price
2/5
Old school country, slow crooner. Good bluesy basslines. Overall ok
Def Leppard
3/5
Classic 80s hair band album. Pour some sugar on me, was the most notable song on the album. At least 5 hits, basically the sound of the 80s.
Rush
4/5
Rush is one of the best prog rock acts, 2112 is a classic example of their work. Geddy Lee's basslines are fantastic. Neal Peart was one of the best drummers to ever live. The way the guitar lines match the vocal melodies is impressive. Great album
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Neil young is one of the greatest singer songwriters of a generation. This early 90s album may be 1 of the first grunge records recorded.
Deep Purple
3/5
Classic rock, hard rock, possibly one of the first metal albums. Reminiscent of led zeppelin from the same time period. Overall enjoyable.
Thundercat
4/5
Thundercat's bass playing is innovative and melodic. Sometimes fast paced at other times slow and steady. Overall a great album
David Bowie
3/5
David Bowie, nothing else needs to be said. Great musician, classic album.
Nick Drake
3/5
Great guitar work, bluesy and jazzy basslines on upright bass, great voice and lyrics. Nick Drake is a great singer songwriter
Anita Baker
3/5
Great singing voice. Some funky grooves. Good example of R&B soul music.
The Smiths
3/5
Classic example of the New Wave/Post Punk genre.
Culture Club
3/5
This album is the quintessential example of 80s new wave music. Karma Chameleon was the most famous hit off this album.
Sebadoh
2/5
It sounded like pre-grunge, punk at times. Guitars sounded out of tune, likely in purpose. There was a lot of screaming on some songs. I can hear a lot on this album that many bands may have been influenced by. I didn't particularly enjoy it
Le Tigre
2/5
Punk sounding with late 90s political lyrics.
The Slits
2/5
Interesting combination of new wave, punk, and reggae.
Pentangle
3/5
I've never heard this before, sometimes it sounded like the Beatles, sometimes Simon and garfunkel. Medieval sounding at times, definitely late 60s folk rock. Overall not bad.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Slow, quiet, background music. Every track sounded the same. "Singing" isn't very enjoyable. Basically poetry spoken over music.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Folk rock tunes. New music written for Woody Guthrie lyrics.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Scooby Snacks was the only recognizable track off this album. It sounds very dated, mid-90s, lots of drug references, rap and spoken word over some rock. It was ok.
Björk
3/5
Interesting mix of musical styles. I can't really place the genre. Human Nature was the only song I had heard previously. She has an interesting voice and singing style.
The The
2/5
Typical 80s New Wave music.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Great acoustic. Singer songwriter album. Me and the major has an upbeat tempo. Lots of good tracks to listen to.
Alice In Chains
4/5
Classic grunge. Rooster, and Would are great tracks off this album.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Every aspect of this album is completely over the top. Orchestras combined with electric guitars, lyrics that tell stories. He belts out every song and doesn't hold back while singing. Most of the songs on this album were hits. Overall great album from the 70s
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Something between punk and new wave. It's ok, nothing memorable
ABBA
3/5
I expected to hear Disco, but it wasn't. It was definitely a pop album, but not over the top.
The Cramps
2/5
Sounds sort of new wave, reminds me of the B-52s
Michael Jackson
5/5
Every track is a classic. Beat it, Billie Jean, Thriller, Wanna be starting something, everything was great to listen to.
Radiohead
5/5
I've listed to thus countless times. Karma Police, Paranoid Android. Exit music for a film is one of my favorite tracks off the album. Classic all around
Dire Straits
3/5
Great blues rock, money for nothing and the walk of life were hits off this album. Overall decent album
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Kind of slow and boring, nothing really stands out a great.
Spiritualized
2/5
Slow, reminiscent of psychedelic rock. Trying to be futuristic sounding I guess. Nothing really stood out as great. Many tracks sounded similar.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Sounds like the Beatles if they did more drugs. Very experimental rock, the last track is 12 minutes long with no discernable lyrics, but more listenable than Revolution 9. Overall there was some decent music, lyrically he was making some political and artistic statements.
Neil Young
5/5
Great album. I could listen to this over and over, Heart of Gold, Old Man, Needle and the Damage Done. So much feeling in every song, guitar work is great. Overall great album
Louis Prima
3/5
Interesting, it is wild, as the title says. It's just fun late 50s music. I recognized Just a Gigalo, as a cover by David Lee Roth, the original might be better. Also Jump Jive and wail was covered in the 90s. Overall a fun album
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Interesting mix of Electronica and metal. Johnny Cash did a cover of Hurt, that may have been better than this original version. Overall a good album.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Slow singer songwriter, all acoustic guitar, no real accompaniment to speak of. It was ok
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Great album, classic folk rock. Lookin Out my back door, Run through the jungle, travelin band, who'll stop the rain, heard it through the grapevine, up around the bend, are all classic tracks off this album. I've heard these songs so many times, never tire of them
Tori Amos
2/5
The cover of "smells like teen spirit" was interesting, other than that it was pretty slow and boring. Tori has a great voice, the singing was fantastic, but overall I didn't care for it
Fela Kuti
2/5
African jazz. Interesting, I can hear how this may have influenced other bands, bringing some of the style into their own music.
Red Snapper
3/5
Electronica, good background music. Some of the lyrics were more explicit than expected. Overall a typical example of early 2000s edm
TV On The Radio
2/5
It was ok, nothing memorable on it.
Morrissey
2/5
Post new wave indie music. Very British oriented, some political lyrics concerning issues of the Era. I'm not sure if it's still relevant or not. It was ok, I don't see myself listening to it again.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Spoken word poem, the exact same poem set to music, montone singing (if you can call it singing). Overall I did not enjoy this
Madonna
3/5
Like a prayer, express yourself and cherish were big hits at the time. Madonna was huge in the 80s, I've heard this album many times. Overall it wasn't bad, some songs still hold up as good pop music
The Undertones
3/5
Interesting punk/post-punk album. The bass lines are great, I did enjoy the cover of under the boardwalk. Overall it was a fun album to listen to
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Overall great album, perfect example of mid-90s alternative/post-grunge rock. Tonight tonight, bullet with butterfly wings, 1979, zero, are all classic tracks off this double album. Songs range from loud, heavy rockers, to soft ballads with orchestras, nostalgic songs about better days, and songs about the angst of the present.
Hole
4/5
I've never listened to this whole album, I've heard a few of the song before, doll parts in particular. It sounded like Nirvana, if sung by a woman. It actually wasn't bad, I was surprised.
Bad Company
3/5
Overall a good album, classic 70s rock. Can't get enough, ready for love and the classic song Bad Company, of the album Bad Company, by the band Bad Company, were all hits.
The Temptations
3/5
Not what I was expecting when I saw Temptations, this was a funk album, not R&B doowop music. Overall it was pretty good, papa was a rolling stone was the only song I recognized.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Interesting kind of punk sounding, lust for life is the only song I recognized. It was ok playing in the background while doing something
3/5
This one brings me back. I listened to this one quite a few times, Wonderwall was on the radio constantly, champagne supernova and don't look back in anger also were in heavy rotation. A good album overall
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
Psychedelic indeed. It was about what I was expecting, I've never heard of this band before, it definitely had that 60s psychedelic sound, maybe it was one of the first, I'm not sure, it sounded very generic 60s to me, not impressive like a Jefferson Airplane, although I could see this as influencing the sounds of other more famous acts. Not very memorable to me.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
It was ok. I've heard better Elvis Costello albums. Nothing really stood out to me as great. It was all pretty average.
Nirvana
5/5
Great live album. Unplugged, strips all the music down to its bare bones. Every song sounds raw, it's great. The cover of "the man who sold the world" is such a great performance.
Prince
3/5
Quite a few hits on this one, let's go crazy, when doves cry, and purple rain. Overall not a bad album.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Sounded like early grunge to me, distorted guitars, hard to understand lyrics. It wasn't loud and energetic though, more like slow and depressed. The description says shoegazing, I guess that could describe it. It wasn't bad, I might give it another listen.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Interesting to have two lead vocalists, alternating who sings on each song. It was loud, chaotic, vocals were bored and apathetic sounding. It was ok
The Flaming Lips
3/5
It was interesting, I recognized the song "do you realize" I'm not sure where I heard it though, possibly a commercial. It sounded like a concept album, all the songs related to each other with the theme of fighting pink robots. Overall it was ok
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Great jazz concert, great piano work. This is some real talent. I loved it, I can see why it is received so well after all these years. Would listen to again, many, many times.
Beatles
4/5
Good Beatles album, not the best Beatles album. The title track is a classic. As well as can't buy me love, and I love her, and tell me why. Overall a great listen, perfect example of mid 60s brit-pop
Common
4/5
Wow, I loved the beats, the jazz influences, piano, horns, and strings. This was a great rap album. I would listen to this again many times. His rapping ability is up with some of the best rappers around.
The Black Crowes
4/5
This was a great album, rocking blues. Hard to handle and she talks to angels were the best tracks. Everything else on the album was really good, tons of energy, great blues links. It reminded me of some great 70s acts, definitely taking influence from Led Zeppelin.
Richard Hawley
2/5
I didn't particularly like it, slow crooner, touching on twangy country. Nothing really memorable.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Good album. I like the beats, the use of samples from various jazz recordings. Can I Kick it, (sampling Lou Reed's Take a Walk on the Wild Side) was probably the beat track on the album.
3/5
It was interesting, a concept album by the kinks, I've never heard any of these songs before. Overall it wasn't bad.
Pink Floyd
5/5
It's the wall, what can I say about it. So many great sings, the soundtrack to a movie. Great concept album.
Donald Fagen
4/5
I enjoyed this album, although it's Fagen's debut solo album, it's not a big departure from Steely Dan musically. The difference is in the lyrical content, this is more upbeat. Best songs were I.G.Y. and New Frontiers.
Nina Simone
3/5
Nina Simone is one of the best vocalists of all time. I've never heard any of the songs on this album previously, but they are all in her classic style. They're bluesy and jazzy, they tell of her struggles in life. Overall it was pretty good
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Latin Jazz, entirely in Spanish. I liked the style, good singing voice. Overall decent album
5/5
Brilliant piece of music. Close to the Edge is an 18 minute long masterpiece, almost like a symphony with movements and changes, all variations on the main theme. And You and I is the same way, 10 minutes long, a symphony as well, the last track Siberian Khatru is the shortest song on the album, still clocking in at 8 minutes and great as well.
The Who
4/5
Great live album. The Who raw and uncut. The drums and bass really stand out. This sounds like the birth of hard rock, or punk music.
The Kinks
3/5
It was kind of slow, it wasn't bad. Not what I expected from the kinks.
Elton John
4/5
Every song on the first side was a hit. Funeral for a friend is an epic masterpiece of music. The whole album is great overall, Saturday nights alright for fighting was the other hit off this album. It all flows together nicely. Great album
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Block rocking beats was the only song I recognized, but the entire album was filled with similar drum and bass, edm tracks. Overall a good example of this genre from the early 2000s.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
It was a bit slow. Interesting though, sort of psychedelic rock from the 60s. Not very memorable.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Classic country, lap steel, lots of twang. It's ok
Arcade Fire
3/5
Pretty good album, I've heard Arcade Fire before, but nothing off of this album. I'd give it a relisten
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Good album. Hey hey my my, is the best track. A lot of other good songs as well. Some of it was live.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Good example of 70s funk. The title track is he most recognizable off the album. Overall decent album.
Love
3/5
It was interesting, a good example of late 60s psychedelic music. Horns and strings were interesting. Nothing really stood out to me. Maybe it was influential to later artists work, so it sounds similar to many things that came after it.
Fats Domino
3/5
Typical early rock and roll, late 50s, piano, horns, and singing. It was influential in its day, but doesn't really stand out to me.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Jam band type music. Similar to Grateful Dead. Very long instrumentals, guitar solos. It wasn't bad, some if it was recorded live.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Typical 60s pop. Nothing special, I think I recognized the title track Groovin'
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Interesting, new wave type music, post punk. Lead vocals remind me of Grace Slick from early Jefferson Airplane albums. Overall Interesting mix of styles.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Not as good as "Whats going on". I guess an album about your divorce is helpful to yourself. But I found it quite boring. The only exception was "Funky Space Reincarnation" it was the funkiest track on the album
Oasis
3/5
It's good, but "whats the story morning glory" is better. It was their first album, it was definitely different than the mid-90s grunge music.
Various Artists
3/5
It's a Christmas album, full of Christmas songs bu famous artists. There's not much to be said. Overall a decent Christmas compilation.
Gang Starr
3/5
Good rap album. Beats are good, Jazz influences with horns and pianos. Early 90s rap that sounds like mid 90s, ahead of its time in style.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
The guitar work was good, his voice was...interesting, I didn't particularly care for the album
Doves
3/5
Overall it was enjoyable, nothing spectacular. It reminded me of early Coldplay. Which, after seeing when it was released makes sense. If this received radio play in the US at the time, it might have been popular.
Genesis
4/5
This was a good concept album, I liked the long instrumental jams. The bass was very melodic, the drums had some very complex beats. The last album with Peter Gabriel, it was one to go out on. This is the epitome of progressive rock from the 70s
The Doors
4/5
Opens with break on through, also has light my fire, and closes with the end. This album basically is the 60's. The organ, Morrison's voice, everything about it is great
Suede
2/5
It was ok, kind of boring. Nothing really stood out to me
Joy Division
3/5
I don't really know how to classify this music, new wave probably best describes it, but it's not upbeat pop new wave. Slow, driving, the singers voice reminds me of talking heads.
Jurassic 5
4/5
This was a great album. J5 has excellent flow while rapping, rhymes are great. The beats are unique and interesting. The jazz, and reggae influences in the background is great as well.
D'Angelo
3/5
Great signing voice, jazzy basslines, good beats. Typical mid 90s R&B. It was pretty good
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Some early 90s alternative rock. It wasn't bad sounded a bit like Oasis.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This was an excellent album. Funky, topical, classic songs, songs I've never heard. Just overall a great listen. Sir Duke is one of the best songs, Isn't she lovely is another classic, I wish I'd funky and is a great song. Pastime paradise was sampled for rap in the 90s. This was a great album overall
Kraftwerk
3/5
Interesting early electronic music. I can hear how this influenced a lot of other electronic music, especially Daft Punk. This was probably groundbreaking when first released but sounds pretty average by today's standards.
Mercury Rev
3/5
It was interesting, very artsy. It wasn't bad, not really my style.
David Gray
4/5
This was a great album, I've listened to it many times. So many good tracks, Babylon, please forgive me, sail away, and last year's love to name a few.
Nirvana
5/5
Just a classic album. Smells like team spirit, in bloom, polly, come as you are, lithium, and I'm on a plain, just wow. Changed music, defined grunge.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Solid reggae album.
The Beach Boys
4/5
I've never previously heard anything from this album. It was definitely a departure from their early work, song about surfing and cars. Student demonstration time was the surprise song on the album. I don't remember them being overtly political in previous songs. This album was pretty good overall.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Joni has a great voice, and excellent song writing. Overall decent album
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Great album, everything was great, not a bad track on the whole album. Purple haze, foxy lady, third stone from the sun, red house, just all great classic songs
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Interesting album. The cover of Helter Skelter was the highlight. Lots of punk influences. It wasn't bad
Jamiroquai
3/5
Very funky, Stevie Wonder vibes on a few songs. The didgeridoo was a surprise instrument on a few tracks. Overall, funky, danceable music
Bob Dylan
5/5
Classic album, like a rolling stone is probably Dylan's most famous song. Ballad of a thin man is an interesting listen. Overall classic folk rock from one of the all time greats
Yes
5/5
Another great album from Yes. I've seem all good people is probably their beat known and most popular song from this time period. But every song on this album is prog rock at its finest. Starship trooper, perpetual change, and yours is no disgrace are great songs. The clap shows off Steve Howe's guitar skills. Great album overall.
Neil Young
3/5
I've never heard any songs off this album previously. Overall it was a good folk rock album.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Great album, tangled up in blue, idiot wind, meet me in the morning, are all classic tracks. Great songwriting from Dylan as usual, every song tells a story.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Perfect representation of 60s psychedelic rock. Distorted guitars, heavy bass, booming drums, and of course the organ. The highlight of the album is the epic14 minute long title track. Overall a good album
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Interesting mix of electronic music with vocals. The song I recognized was "north American scum", that was definitely played a lot when this album came out. I think the hidden gem was "new York I love you, but you're bringing me down", it was a good ending to the album
Justice
3/5
For an EDM/house music album it was decent. I heard samples from many songs I recognized but couldn't quite place as the samples were so short and combined with others. It was an interesting approach, rather than sample whole beats or melodies. The best song on the album was D.A.N.C.E.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Good album, I like the driving bass lines, it was an interesting mix of styles. Take me out was a big hit off this album.
David Bowie
3/5
It was interesting, early electronic ambient music. Sound and vision was the best track. I can hear many later works in this album, and it was definitely an influence on other artists.
Parliament
4/5
So much funk. Loved it, great album, the definition of funk.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Parts were Happy, other parts were sad, the album is aptly titled. Overall a good singer songwriter album.
Public Enemy
4/5
The themes in this album still ring true today. Fight the power is the best track off the album, probably Public Enemy's most well known song. Overall the entire album is political, angry, and illustrated struggles that are ongoing in society.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Great orchestration, the whole album has a strong bossa nova feel. The girl from Ipanema has been covered by countless artists, Sinatra does a great job on this one. Overall very lounge singer, a bit slow. I enjoyed the Latin flavor though
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
As an example of classical Indian music, this album is great. It's nice to listen to, the sitar is played well, the flutes and the tabla make everything come together. Listening to this I can hear why the Beatles were so enamored with Indian music.
Santana
5/5
Great album, I love how the instrumental Singing winds crying beasts runs right into Black Magic Woman. Oye Como Va is another classic track off this album. The Latin rhythms and Spanish lyrics really take you to another place. Great album
Gang Of Four
3/5
Interesting mix of post-punk and new wave elements. Lots of driving bass lines, not much singing, a lot of speaking rhythmically similar to talking heads.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
It sounded a lot like Ween. It wasn't bad, slow at parts, weird electronic music in other parts.
Ray Charles
4/5
Bluest, jazzy, it's got piano, strings, and horns, and most importantly Ray Charles. Great singer, this album shows the genius of Ray Charles.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Standard 60s pop, no songs about surfing and cars like old Beach Boys albums. Help me Rhonda is probably the most recognizable track. Some of the subject matter was deeper than usual Beach Boys songs "when I grow up to be a man" has some interesting thoughts about aging and the future. Overall a decent album
Little Simz
3/5
I've never heard of Little Simz, or heard any of her songs previously. She's a very talented rapper, very fast rhymes, no mumbling the lyrics as some rappers do nowadays. Overall this was a good rap album
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Interesting, sort of post-punk rock. Good melodies, some of the bass lines were excellent. I enjoyed the last track the most, some of the middle songs were decent as well. Overall it wasn't bad
Gene Clark
2/5
Voice reminded me of James Taylor, song style reminded me of Neil Young. A bit country, a bit folk rock, it wasn't bad overall. It wasn't very memorable. The cover of "stand by me" was a surprise, but the original was better.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Reminiscent of Ella's Fitzgerald and Etta James. Jazz trio with a singer. Her vocals are fantastic. It's a bunch of jazz standards in a live setting. Some interesting ad libs when she sings about how Ella sings the song, and how she'll try her best. Sometimes sings about how she doesn't know the words, it's amusing at times. Overall she's a great singer with a good backing band, good album
Ananda Shankar
2/5
The covers of "jumping jack flash" and "light my fire" were interesting. An entire instrumental, except for the final track, album that combines traditional Indian sitar with western rock. A compelling concept if done correctly. This one doesn't quite hit the mark. I found it good for background music
PJ Harvey
3/5
90s grunge sounded similar to Hole. Overall it was decent, nothing really stood out as spectacular.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Wow. Every track is a classic. Jimi at his greatest, Little Wing, Spanish Castle Magic, Castles made of sand, wait until tomorrow, and the title track Bold as Love. Just great 60s rock.
Travis
3/5
Good example of late 90s acoustic indie rock. Writing just to reach you, and why does it always rain on me were the twonhitboff this album. Melodic, soulful lyrics, with acoustic guitar, overall a good album
Alice Cooper
3/5
Lots of blues based guitar riffs, a good representation of classic 70s rock. Alice Cooper was definitely into shock factor in his live shows, this is pretty tame by today's standards. "No more mr nice guy" was the best track of the album.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Some very long tracks on this album. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic was the most interesting track, very funky, with lots of large neuroscience words. Walk on by was also a good song, an interesting take on a classic song. Overall it was funky soul. Nothing like the Shaft theme song that I was expecting to hear
The Saints
3/5
70s punk, like the Ramones, but not as fast. It was pretty good.
The Offspring
4/5
This album brings back memories. I wore it out when I was younger. As soon as the voice-over said "Ahh it's time to relax..." I started to recite every word. Self-esteem, and come out and play were in heavy rotation, but the whole album just rocks. The mid 90s heavy punk style, loud guitars, drums and bass are great. Overall great album
The Sonics
2/5
Basically a collection of cover songs with a few originals sprinkled in. The originals were not that great, the covers were performed much better by different acts. Overall it was forgettable.
Björk
2/5
It's interesting to listen too musically. Lots of instrumentation, strings on almost every song. Her voice is very distinct through all of it. It's not something I would listen to on a normal basis. It's experimental, and strange, I'm not really sure what to think about it.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Innovative use of sampling, never expected to here Johnny Cash in Beastie Boys album. Many of the lyrics I've heard repeated by other artists. This album was influential on a variety of hip hop and rock artists. It seems dated to listen to it now, but at its time was groundbreaking.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Great voice and tone, classic 60s rock style. I've never heard of this artist or any of his songs, I'm surprised he's not more famous. I can hear the influences on other acts. Overall a good album
The Jam
3/5
Pretty decent british post-punk. Indicative of the genre overall.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
The epitome of big band music. Great jazzy horns, walking basslines and drums.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Respect is a soul classic, the title track was a great song as well, jazzy, soulful, just overall great. I will say that her version of "a change is gonna come" is one of the best I've ever heard. Aretha was one of the best there ever was.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Classic 70s southern rock, "gimme three steps", "Tuesdays gone", "simple man", and "free bird" are all classic tracks. Bluesy rock and roll, the whole album is great.
Spacemen 3
2/5
Slow and boring
Fiona Apple
4/5
I remember Criminal, Sleep to Dream, and Shadowboxing playing on the radio when this album was released, at the time I wasn't interacting in them. Listening to this alb now I can see why she was so well regarded at the time. The jazzy accompaniment, her vocals are outstanding, and the lyrics come from a genuine place. The whole album is great
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
A good representation of country folk
Muddy Waters
5/5
Just wow. This was quintessential blues, at its best. Muddy Waters is a legend. This was so great to listen to.
4/5
Great live album, many of Bob Dylan's hits. Overall a good representation of his musical abilities.
Jeff Beck
4/5
I've known Jeff Beck to be one of the greatest guitarist in history, I was very surprised to hear Rod Stewart singing on this album, and then discovered that Ronnie Wood was also playing guitar on this album. This is a super group before everyone became even more famous. The blues riffs on this album are superb, and the Greensleeves rendition wa very unexpected, overall a solid blues album
Otis Redding
4/5
It's Otis Redding, what can you say. So many great songs on this album, Respect, Change is gonna come, Down in the Valley, My Girl, Wonderful World, and Satisfaction. The rest of the album is great as well, overall a solid soul album sung by one of the greatest voices in history
The Style Council
2/5
I can't define what this is. It has jazz, rap, and new wave. They can't decide what to be, it's not bad, just all over the place.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
Nothing on this stood out as a great song, I only recognized the title track, and everything else was mediocre at best. Rumors is a far superior album, this as a follow-up is meh
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Great album, Sledgehammer, Don't Give Up, Big Time, and of course In Your Eyes, we're all huge hits. Songs that are still good today
Supergrass
3/5
It was alright, I think it gets lost in the mix of late 90s alternative, nothing really stood out to me
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
High energy, electronic music. It was alright, everything kind of blended together to me, their other album on this list is better.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Great album, classic folk, classic songs. Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Cecilia, The Boxer, and Bye Bye Love, all great hits
Pixies
4/5
I liked this, punk, indie sort of pre-grunge. Gigantic, and Where is My Mind are good tracks off this album. I had read that Kurt Cobain was heavily influenced by the Pixies, I can hear it in a lot of the guitar, and some of the way the vocals are sung. Basically without this, Nirvana wouldn't sound the same
1/5
I couldn't listen to this, I tried to be objective, but this is just noise. I did not like it at all
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
This was great, indie, pop, folk, rock whatever category you want to put it in, it was an enjoyable listen. I particularly liked "The State I'm In" and "She's Losing It". The Pachabel Canon in D that comes through in "We Rule the School" was also interesting. Overall a good album
Joni Mitchell
3/5
This was a good folk album, Joni has excellent vocal range, great singing talent. River, and A Case of You were the highlights on this album. Overall a good listen
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Great album, her rapping is great, her singing is great. The album starts with a teacher taking attendance, she's absent from class, the skits throughout tell a story, then a song follows about it, it's a novel concept. This album was everywhere when it came out, I don't know how many times I've listened to it all the way through. It's a great album
Todd Rundgren
3/5
A decent album. It was a combination of yacht rock and some slightly heavier rock tracks. It was very long, I recognized the song Hello its Me. Other than that, I'd never heard anything off this album before. There are lots of parts where it's just talking in the studio, like a live uncut show, it was kind of interesting. Overall it was ok
The Clash
3/5
It's the clash, it's punk. I've never heard anything off this album before, but it has everything you would expect from a classic punk record. Raw instrument, raw vocals, loud. Excellent representation of the genre
Soundgarden
5/5
Great album, classic grunge, Soundgarden was one of the best grunge acts. Chris Cornell's vocals are unmatched, he can just belt out songs no problem. Black Hole Sun was a huge hit, but Spoonman, with its odd time, Limo wreck, Kickstand, fell on dark day were all great songs
Turbonegro
2/5
Sounded like garage band punk. Less singing more yelling lyrics. Lots of swearing. Overall loud, not the worst thing I've ever heard but I'm notbsure I'd recommend it to anyone
Eminem
3/5
I used to listen to this all the time. At the time I didn't really think too much about how homophobic, misogynistic, and violent it was. Listening to it 20 years later, this really wouldn't be the hit that it was. A lot of the themes in this are Eminem coming to terms with the fame he achieved from his first album, not understanding how the things he says have an impact on others. But then he doubles down, says it's all a persona, he's only saying these things to sell records, will the real slim shady please stand up?
Scritti Politti
2/5
Very typical mid 80s new wave pop synth music. Nothing on this stood out to me as ground breaking or amazing.
Adele
3/5
Adele has a great voice as usual, vocals are unmatched. Overall the songs were variations on a theme, lots of similar sounds, Hello was a huge hit when it came out, a decent album
Merle Haggard
3/5
Classic country western music, from a classic country western star. This is what comes to mind when I think of country
CHIC
4/5
Pure funk. The first song I recognized as being sampled in the 90s, and Le Freak was the major hit off this album. Everything else was classic Disco and funk. This influenced so many other musicians, definitely a classic album
Supertramp
3/5
Interesting album, I don't know if any other band has a sound similar to Supertramp. Bloody well right and Dreamer were two big hits off this album. Overall I thought it was pretty good, a mix of prog, jazz, and a heavy dose of the 70s
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Strange mix of punk, new wave, and hair metal. Some call backs to early rock and roll mixed in. Overall a confusing mix of styles with nothing that really stood out to me.
The Avalanches
3/5
Interesting electronic album, lots of samples, interesting beats, something you can just sit back and chill to. Definitely took inspiration from Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers. Overall not a bad listen
David Bowie
4/5
Bowie was always good at changing musical styles as times changed. This is an interesting mix of electronic, jazz, rock, and pop. It's the last words of a dying man, in that context, the themes make more sense. Overall a good album
Eagles
3/5
Take it easy, witchy woman, and peaceful easy feeling, we're great songs. I've never heard anything else off this album, I guess "tryin" was the best of the other tracks. Overall decent
The White Stripes
5/5
This album can only be described as raw. Just guitar and drums, nothing else. It is both expansive and minimalist. Jack's guitar work is conventional and experimental sometimes in the same song. This album perfectly encapsulates the white stripes. Overall great album from start to finish
Talking Heads
5/5
Great album that epitomizes the post-punk, new wave genre. Psycho Killer is such a great song, with a driving bass line. Overall a great album
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Interesting new wave album, I liked the first few songs better than the second half. A mix of the cure, talking heads. It was all right
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
This was a great album. So many hits and overall good songs. Dreams, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, The Chain, Gold Dust Woman, and my personal favorite off this album Never Going Back Again, with some of the best acoustic guitar work I've heard
The Byrds
3/5
It was an alright album, I didn't recognize any of the songs other than the cover of Bob Dylan's My Back Pages. Basically a typical 60s folk album
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Interesting early electronic music. I can hear some influences on later act like daft punk. It would probably be classified as ambient music now, kind of slow, not really danceable. Overall not bad to listen to
Kid Rock
2/5
Nope. Bawitaba over and over, rapping with loud guitars, I am the bull God? I don't even know where to start, his rapping is mediocre at best. He wasn't the first to do rap rock, Rage Against the Machine at least had something to say in their music. The only track that is slightly redeemable is cowboy.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Interesting indie/although rock from the early 2000s. Sort of punk, the lead singer has a good voice for the genre. I've heard Maps before, I thought it was an alright song. There were better songs on the album though nothing really stood out, it all kind of blended together. Overall a decent album.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I would describe this as proto-grunge with new wave influences. It's heavy at times, melodic at other times. I didn't know what to expect as I had never heard any of these songs before but overall it was good, interesting to listen to. I can hear how this band influenced bands that came after it. A good example of history and musical evolution
SAULT
2/5
It was ok, beats were interesting, overall just not something I'd listen to again
Kanye West
2/5
I've never listened to a Kanye album before, the only song I recognized was "through the wire" it was ok as an album overall. Beats were good rapping was decent, all the guest appearances were better than anything Kanye rapped. So overall meh, not going to give another listen
Lucinda Williams
3/5
It wasn't bad, vocally she reminded me of Sheryl Crow. It was country/folk, nothing really stood out to me that would put it on this list. I didn't mind listening to it, but it would probably be on in the background.
The Smiths
3/5
Every track sounded the same. Morrisey's vocals sounded the same throughout the entire album. The only song that stood out to me was "unhappy birthday" but overall the whole thing was kind of boring and pretentious.
Brian Eno
4/5
When I saw David Byrne and Brian Eno I knew this was going to be a strange trippy album. There was definitely a Talking Heads vibe on some of the tracks, others were way out there experimental electronic music. The album was ahead of its time, I can hear how it influenced many acts to come. I could sew how this album had an impact on future music. Overall it wasn't bad, just wierd music
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
That would have been a fun concert to attend, every song was a classic rockabilly song. I had to look up who the original artists were for most of these, they were covered by the Beatles, Elvis, and Hank Williams. Overall a great example of early rock and roll
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Obviously the title track is a classic, still imitated till this day, never as good as the original. The entire album is the embodiment of classic R&B soul music, his vocals, instrumentation, everything about this album had so many impacts on future music. Classic
Living Colour
3/5
Cult of personality was a huge hit when it came out, and it is still holds up. The rest of the album is a great combination of funk and metal. A lot of it sounds dated now but it is quintessential late 80s early 90s sound. This album definitely influenced future acts. Overall a God album
Def Leppard
3/5
One of the best examples of 80s hair metal out there. Photograph, Rock of Ages, and Foolin' were big hits off this album. It definelty sounds dated listening to it now, but at the time it was huge. It was ok
Television
4/5
I've never heard any of these songs before, this was a really good album. Enjoyed the entire thing. The title track Marquee Moon was my favorite song of the album
Frank Black
3/5
Loud, sometimes punk sounding, sometimes grunge sounding. It wasn't bad, I enjoyed it.
Paul Simon
5/5
Great album, favorite track was Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. It still had some folk Simon and Garfunkel sounds, but there was some reggae influenced Paul Simon solo sound in there as well. Overall great album
Elvis Presley
3/5
It's Elvis singing bluesy rock ballads. I only recognized Fever, although I've heard it done by other artists before. Overall it was pretty standard, it didn't have any of his rockabilly hits like Hound Dog or Jailhouse Rock, just slow blues ballads. It was ok
Stevie Wonder
4/5
"You are the sunshine of my life" and "superstitious" were the biggest hits off this album. The lyrics in "big brother" are still somewhat relevant as well. Great album overall, definitely classic Stevie Wonder
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
This was great, I could listen to it all day. Allman Brothers at their finest.
James Brown
3/5
This album showcases James Brown's live performances. People have tried to match his energy and showmanship for years. That being said, I don't recognize any of these songs, this is not a greatest hits show, this is early in his career. It was good.
Boston
5/5
Every song is a classic. The whole album just rocks. More Than a Feeling, classic. Foreplay/Longtime has probably one of the greatest intros ever, the way the songs flow together seamlessly is just wow. Rock and Roll Band, and Smokin' also classic songs. Every song was a recognizable staple of classic rock. Excellent album
Michael Jackson
4/5
Quite a few hits off this album, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal, and Leave Me Alone. Some songs were really bad, Speed Demon, and Liberian Girl. So it's a mixed bag with some huge hits and some filler. Hard to follow up Thriller, but it was a decent effort
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Very 80s synth pop. I recognized "What have I done to deserve this", other than that these songs are new to me. The first track had an unmistakable nod to Crazy Train in the synth line, or at least that's what I heard. "It's a Sin" isn't very subtle in its context, but in the 80s it may have been very controversial. Overall it has a very 80s sound, if you like that. I could take it or leave it
The Roots
3/5
I've heard a few tracks of this album before, Thought at Work, The Seed, and Break You Off. All three of these songs sound like what I would expect from the Roots, great hip hop. The rest of the album goes into wildly different directions, from punk to electronic, definitely not what I expected, but it somehow all works.
Beatles
5/5
Great album, The Beatles really evolved from their "boy band" fab four roots. Taxman, the first time they sang anything political. Eleanor Rigby, great song, a departure from earlier work. I'm only sleeping, another great song, showing off their skills. The experimental sitar songs Love You Too, and Tomorrow Never Knows. I doubt anyone had put sitar in a western album before this. Good Day Sunshine, Got to get you into my life, great songs. Overall excellent album
Arcade Fire
2/5
It was alright, very over the top sounding. It wasn't very memorable, I've heard a few Arcade Fire songs prior to listening to this album, they were better than this. Maybe they got better over time?
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I've heard many of these songs before. Whether they were sung by Dusty or a different act I couldn't say. Basically an album of cover songs, but she can definitely sing, so points for that. It was well done, definitely sounds like the 60s. Overall it wasn't bad
Pink Floyd
5/5
Absolutely brilliant, a masterpiece. Especially as a follow-up to Dark Side of the Moon. Shine on you crazy diamond bookends the album, the long introduction until those haunting guitar notes come in is just so great to listen to. Welcome to the Machine follows this, a hopeless song about the drudgery of life. Have a Cigar sounds upbeat, but expresses the band's frustration with the record industry, also shown on the cover art where two people are making a deal, and one is clearly getting burned. The title track, Wish You were Here is another great song, this and Shine on you crazy diamond combine as a tribute to their former band member Syd Barrett. Overall, a great album, everything flows together, the gold standard of what a concept album should be.
M.I.A.
2/5
Interesting mix of genres, rap,reggae, and edm, overall it all sounded the same throughout. Not sure why it's on the list, maybe it was groundbreaking at the time? It was ok.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Great album, too bad this is the only one he made. His singing is incredible. The title track Grace is a great song. Last Goodbye, great guitars, great singing. His cover of Hallelujah was superior to the original, in my opinion is the definitive version of the song. Lover you should have come over is just brilliant, great song. Eternal Life surprised me, much more grunge than the rest of the tracks. Overall a great mix of music, excellent album.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
His rapping is very good, fast rhymes while also enunciating the words so you can actually understand what he's saying takes skill. The beats are good, great production that you would expect from Dr. Dre. Guest appearances from JayZ and Pharrell also added to the albums. Lyrically, I'm not a fan of his objectifaction of women and descriptions of violence against them, but this album was a retrospective of his early life, talking about what he saw, and was taught. In that aspect it's an interesting piece of work, overall a decent album
The Strokes
4/5
I remember this album in heavy rotation when I was younger. It had a raw garage sound while being polished at the same time. Soma, Someday, and Last Night are among the best tracks. Overall a great album from the early 2000s.
The Doors
4/5
This was a good Doors album, not the best Doors album. The opening track Roadhouse Blues sets the tone, this is going to be a blues rock album. The first track is probably the best off this album. Peace Frog is another notable track. The album end with Maggie McGill, much the way it started as a bluesy rock song. Overall a goof album
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Interesting mix of genres, pop,punk, grunge, new wave. I heard a bit of everything in there. I really disliked the vocals, and many of the songs sounded similar. I've never heardnany of there work before, so I didn't know what to expect. I can definitely hear hownthey influenced future acts. Since this was their last album before breaking up, we'll never know what could have been.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Definitely a good example of Bossa Nova, and Brazilian jazz. Her singing voice is very good. It would be good background music at a dinner party. The song "I had the craziest dream" sounded very similar to the Wii menu music. I'm sure that took inspiration from it. The song "Parade" was strange, she just kept listing off holidays and saying parade. One song had a child singing, which was also odd. Overall not a bad album, but nothing I'd consider groundbreaking
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Interesting african/world music entry. I liked the drums, and horns. Not quite reggae but I could definitely hear this music having an influence on reggae. Not something I would typically listen too, but it's not bad
Portishead
3/5
Electronic, ambient, trip hop, I'm not sure what to define this as, a mix of a few genres. It wasn't bad. The songs sounded similar, overall it was a decent album
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Typical pop country, more pop than country. It wasn't a bad album, I'm just not sure why it's included on the list. It's not particularly groundbreaking, nothing really stood out as great.
Nirvana
5/5
Great follow up to Nevermind. It's a shame will never know where this band would have gone. This album doesn't fall into the trap of trying to replicate past success. They continued on into the punk/heavy genre for most of the songs. This album definitely influenced future grunge acts, and rock acts to come
Miles Davis
5/5
This album was brilliant. Miles' trumpet playing along with the rest of the band, the way all the instruments interact to create these massive soundscapes that are dreamy and exotic. It's some of the best music ever made.
Lambchop
2/5
I've never heard of this band before, or any of the songs on this album. After listening to it, I understand why. It was not good. I don't know what this music is trying to be, it's like slow orchestral music, or jazz, with singing that is at times low and gravely or falsetto. Sometimes it's similar to spoken word. I don't get it, I didn't like it
Meat Puppets
3/5
I recognized the band name from the last track on the Sublime album 40 oz to Freedom, called Thanx, basically a list of people and bands they want to thank. Listening to this album, I can hear how this band influenced Sublime with some of the more punk tracks. This album is all over the place with genres, country, punk, early grunge, basically anything they wanted to play, also similar to Sublimes music. I can definitely hear how this influenced Nirvana, two of the tracks, Plateau and Lake of Fire, were covered on the Nirvana live from NY album.
Paul Weller
3/5
This sounded like 70s classic rock to me, or pre-yacht-rock. It definitely didn't sound like an album made in 1993. It wasn't bad, nothing really stood out to me. Sunflower was a good song, as well as the title track wild wood. Overall it was ok
Nick Drake
5/5
This was great. Acoustic singer songwriter, great lyrics. I had only previously heard the Pink Moon album, loved Nick Drake's voice and songs. It's crazy to thing that I first heard his music in a Volkswagen commercial. But this album was great, Pink Moon was better, but this is still top shelf.
a-ha
3/5
I've only previously heard "Take On Me", which is still a great song after all these years. One of the best synth lines ever made. The rest of the album is standard 80s new wave fare. One of the songs, the singer had a very close approximation to David Bowie's voice and style. Overall not a bad album
ABBA
3/5
Dancing Queen, and Fernando were huge hits off this album. Typical 70s Disco pop music, that was very popular at the time. It seems Money Money Money has also been revied recently due to tik tok. Overall it wasn't a bad album, just not my type of music
Violent Femmes
4/5
I really liked this album. I'd previously heard Blister in the Sun, and Add it Up. This album could be described as acoustic punk, if that's a genre. It has a very raw garage band sound. It's fun to listen too. I was surprised it was released in 1983 because it sounds like early to mid 90s grunge/indy music. Ahead of its time. Very good album.
Neu!
2/5
I'm not sure what to say about this album. It's interesting, melodic, kind of electronic rock. It's not kraftwerk electronic music. It's like early new wave I guess. It wasn't bad, just kind of forgettable
Tom Waits
2/5
Tom Waits' voice is grating at the best of times, sounding like someone who has smoked a pack a day since birth, and chooses to gargle broken glass and barbed wire. At points on this album, it sounds like a drunken lunatic screaming into the night. Many songs on this album are just strange, like Halloween music, the use of marimba, and the electric guitar stabs combined with staccato notes makes for creepy, yet comical at the same time, music that could be the soundtrack to the Munsters. Other songs sound like a New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, or one of their famous Jazz Funerals. The one song I recognized was "Downtown Train" I thought he was doing an awful cover of the Rod Stewart hit, but apparently I was mistaken and this is a case of a cover being far superior to the original. I did not enjoy this, I'm not sure who would voluntarily listen to this album.
Röyksopp
2/5
Ambient electronic music. It was ok background music, nothing stood out to me. A bit boring. I don't know why this is on the list of 1000 albums. It wasn't bad, just ok
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
This album was huge when I was younger. Everyone had it. "Juicy", "Big Poppa" and "One More Chance" were big singles. Overall, great beats, Biggy was one of the best rappers there's ever been. As for the lyrics, they haven't aged well. Gangsta rap has fallen put of favor. Much of this album is gang violence and drug dealing, as well as the misogyny throughout many of the songs. The track "who shot ya" may have been about Tupac Shakur, and could have ultimately lead to Biggy's murder. Also none of the skits are necessary, and are really explicit. As a rap album, none match this but the content doesn't hold up.
UB40
3/5
The only song I previously heard by UB40 was "Red Red Wine", which is not on this album. This album was pretty decent reggae, many instrumental songs, as well as an interesting cover of "Strange Fruit". Overall pretty good
Patti Smith
3/5
I don't know how to describe this album, it's says punk but I wouldn't call it that. "Redondo Beach" has a significant reggae influence. The opener, "Gloria" set the tone for this album, it was different, unexpected. Free Money, and Kimberly were also good tracks. Overall it was good, not what I expected
Dire Straits
5/5
Really good blues rock album. Sultans of Swing still holds uo to this day. The rest of the album is driven by Mark Knopfler's excellent guitar work. Blues riffs, walking bass lines, guitar solos, this album has everything. Other than Sultans of Swing, I'd never heard any previous tracks. They were great. Great album, definitely deserves to be on the list
Taylor Swift
3/5
As far as Taylor aswifr albums go, this wasn't that bad. It's definitely a departure from her previous country and pop albums. This is more singer songwriter folk oriented. Guest appearances from the National and Bon Iver were surprising. I'm not sure why this is on the list though, it's 3 years old at the point I'm listening to it, there hasn't been any time to see its impact on music as a whole, it wasn't ground breaking in any way. Overall it was a solid album, nothing particularly stood out though.
Kings of Leon
3/5
This album definitely had an early 2000s sound to it, garage band, not too heavy. The only song I recognized was Molly's Chambers. I haven't heard any other songs off this album previously. They all kind of blended together. Nothing really stood out as great, must listen too rock. I've heard other Kings of Leon albums that were better than this. It wasn't bad, just not anything spectrum that would put it on a list of 1001 albums.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Interesting idea for a concept album around an old song. I think he gets the story across well. O like that this sounds more like 50s country than 70s country, a nice throwback to country roots. Willie has a great voice, and that really makes these songs stand out. It was a good album overall.
Radiohead
5/5
Excellent album. Radiohead has a way of evolving on each album. Favorite tracks are Bodysnatchers, Nude, Weird Fishes, and Jigsaw Fallin into Place. Some of their best work.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Interesting album, I've heard track off this but never the album in its entirety. The opening track Bookends left me very confused, I didn't think I was listening to the right album, it sounded much more modern, the sounds were not what I expected of a Simon and Garfunkel song. America is a classic song. Voices of Old People was strange, it is exactly as the title suggests, but this is a concept album, so experimentation is expected. Faking It, Mrs Robinson, and Hazy Shade of Winter are also great songs.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
This album was interesting, the guitar work is very experimental, I didn't realize I was hearing guitar at some points. I guess the guitarist was trying to push the limits of the instrument. Lyrically, I didn't understand what was being said most of the time, although whatever was being said was repeated A LOT. I can hear how this album may have influenced later acts, I definitely thought I was listening to Smashing Pumpkins at a few points. It wasn't bad, I could definitely just put this on in the background. Overall it was just ok
Amy Winehouse
4/5
An album with a retro 60s motown sounds made in 2006. She had a great voice, lyrically autobiographical, about her struggles with drugs that ultimately ended her life. Sadly we'll never know what she would have done. I enjoyed the modern take on a 60s sound, overall it was a good album. Standout tracks Rehab, Me & Mr. Jones, Back to Black, Tears Dry in Their Own, and Addicted
Brian Eno
2/5
I was listening to this while working. It does exactly what it intended to do, blend into the background. The first song is 17 minutes longs mostly consisting of 2 sparse piano phrases looped over and over. This belongs as the end credits to a movie, or the selection menu of a video or DVD. I get that it was the first of its genre, and inspired all ambient music to come, but it just fades into the background. Which I guess, is it's point.
Steely Dan
5/5
This album is great. Steely Dan gathered the best studio musicians to create a masterpiece. Peg was the standout track on this for me. But every song was great, Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Josie, and the title track Aja, all great.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Not sure what to say about this album. I'd never previously heard of this band, or listened to any of the songs. I would say indie/pop/new wave describes this. Nothing really stood out, I didn't hear anything innovative or ground breaking, it was pretty generic. Overall, it was ok, but nothing I'd recommend or listen to again. Basically forgettable
Guns N' Roses
3/5
There's at least 4 hits on this album, Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone, and Sweet Child O' Mine. That right there is pretty impressive. This album was huge, I remember it being played constantly at the time. It seemed to bring metal more mainstream at the time. Huge hit for a debut album, overall it's still pretty good
JAY Z
3/5
Great beats, loved the samples interspersed into the hip hop. His style of rapping is iconic, you can immediately identify his voice and flow. This album was very big when it came out, Izzo, Girls Girls Girls, and Renegade with guest vocals by Eminem were the big hits. At the time, Jay-Z was churning out albums, but overall a decent album
Norah Jones
4/5
Her voice is superb. I could listen to her sing all day. Come Away with Me and Don't Know Why were huge hits at the time. This album was always playing when it came out. The bluesy jazzy tone on these songs is just great. She's a great singer, great artist. This album still holds up.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Shining Star is a great track, I've never previously heard anything else off this album. Funky, jazzy, 70s soul would best describe this. Earth Wind and Fire were some of the best funk artists of their day, this album has some great funky tunes. Overall pretty good
Bert Jansch
4/5
I really liked this, great acoustic guitar singer songwriter album. His fingerpicking guitar work is great. His singing at times reminded me of James Taylor. The musical style was similar to Nick Drake and Alexi Murdoch. I can hear how this could have influenced these artists. I've never previously heard of this artist or any of his songs. This album was a real surprise
Roxy Music
3/5
Interesting new wave album. It sounded a lot like Talking Heads. I can hear how this may have influenced future acts as this album was very early in the genre. Overall it was a decent album
Coldplay
4/5
Great album, almost every song on here is perfect. I haven't listened to this album in a while and forgot how good it actually was. Yellow and Trouble were radio hits, but the opening song Don't Panic is great, followed by Shiver, probably one of the best Coldplay songs, and then Spies, another great one. It's just a great album overall, one of my personal favorites
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
This album was really cool. Tarkus is an epic track, 20 minutes long with 7 parts, great keyboard work, it's very interesting with jazz and classical influences mixed with rock. Overall this was a really good prog rock album
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
Cyndi Lauper is an 80s pop icon. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and Time After Time were huge hits. This album is the epitome of mid 80s pop music. Cyndi has a great, unique voice, very strong vocals, excellent synth lines and drum beats. Very good album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
I couldn't get through listening to this. His voice is awful, and the music itself was uninteresting. I didn't like it at all
The Specials
3/5
Lots of energy, I liked the horns, and the Ska style. Enjoy yourself was a good track. Overall a pretty good album
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Drum and Bass, EDM, or club music. Vocals have a reverb effect on them to make it sounds airy. She has a great voice. But the songs all sounded very similar, I could hardly differentiate them from one another. The melodies were all similar. The only song I had ever heard from this group was "Missing". Which is interesting since it was missing from this album, being on the previous one. I guess they had so much success with the club remix of that song, they decided to put out an entire album that sounded exactly like it.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Nope, nope, nope. This kind of stretches the definition of music. Someone running a jackhammer and banging on trash cans while yelling in German is too experimental for my tastes. This is noise
The White Stripes
3/5
Definitely a departure from other White Stripes albums, a lot of piano rather than guitar. Blue Orchid and My Doorbell were good songs off this album. I liked Elephant and White Blood Cells better than this album.
Stan Getz
3/5
Brazilian Bossa Nova, this album is probably the standard all other Bossa Nova albums are judged by. This version of The Girl From Ipanema is the one everyone recognizes and remembers as THE version of the song. Overall it was a nice jazzy album to listen to.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Interesting album, kind of ambient music, some tracks reminded me of Radiohead. Overall not bad
Foo Fighters
4/5
Great album. Dave Grohl post-Nirvana wrote every song and played every instrument on this album, great talent. Big Me was a commercial success of this album, although I prefer other songs on this album. It's not much of a departure from Nirvana, but this album solidified Grohl's legacy in the history of grunge music
Deerhunter
2/5
It was interesting, very melodic, quiet, thinking music. It reminded me a lot of Vampire Weekend, but not as good. It was ok, I don't think I'll be recommending it to anyone
Garbage
3/5
Not a bad album, I'd only previously heard "I'm only happy when it rains", "queer", and "stupid girl". They had significant radio play at the time this album was released. I didn't particularly like them at the time, hearing them now, almost 30 years later, they're ok songs. The rest of the album was along the same vein, some synth, industrial, mixed with grunge. It was alright
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, probably one of the best albums of the folk rock genre ever made. The classic Rainy Day Woman, to the epic Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. It's lyrically great, musically great. Classic
Sam Cooke
4/5
Really good live album showcasing Sam Cooke's great energy and how he performed to an audience. I loved how he encouraged them to sing along, telling them the next lyric to sing, and just overall sounding like he was having a great time. Favorite song "Bring it on home to me". Other highlights "chain gang", "twisting the night away", and "having a party". Overall a fun, energetic, entertaining album
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Interesting, it started off as a standard Brazilian Bossa Nova record, something that sounded like it belonged in the 50s, but eventually got more modern with electronic synth music mixed into the backing jazz. Most was in Portuguese, some English songs. Overall it wasn't bad, just a smooth jazzy album good for background music
Sonic Youth
3/5
I didn't recognize anybof the songs off the album, I've only previously head Sonic Youth songs from the early to mid 90s, this didn't sound much like them. This is sited by many grunge acts as being an influential album for them, I can hear it in the indistinguishable lyrics, the heavy distortion and dissonance in the guitars, it's all there, but not quite bit together. I didn't really enjoy it, but I like where it was going
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Really liked this album, Mr Blue Sky was the only song I had previously heard, but overall it was quite the experience. This is like a combination of prog, pop, synth, and a bunch of other genres. I had read somewhere that one of the Beatles was quoted as saying if the Beatles had stayed together, they would probably have sounded like ELO. I can hear the influences from the Beatles on this album. It was a great listen
Ravi Shankar
3/5
This album was interesting, before the beginning of each song Ravi explains the particular raga that he is going to play, to teach the listener about the music before playing it so you know what to expect. I've never heard an album like this, where you're meant to learn about the subject. Overall it was alright to listen to, but points for trying to teach while entertaining
William Orbit
2/5
I would categorize this as ambient electronic music, you can't really dance to it. It's sit back and chill music, zone out, ignore everything else music. You could put it on in the background and go about your day. It doesn't stand out, it's just there. I didn't feel it was particularly groundbreaking, or revolutionary, just a continuation of ambient music made by previous artists like Brian Eno.
Arrested Development
4/5
I really liked this album. Great example of early 90s hip hop that wasn't gangsta rap. Mr Wendell was a great song, constantly on the radio at the time it came out, Tennessee was another good song. The beats on this album were good, funky basslines, and the rapping style was great, you can actually hear and understand the lyrics, which had lots of social commentary that was relevant at the time, and still is to this day
Van Morrison
5/5
Great album, so many classic songs. Moondance, Into the Mystic, and Crazy Love. I think every song off this album is great, I could listen to the whole thing over and over. The smooth jazzy bass, horns, everything about is great
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Golden Lady, Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing, this album had some great songs. It's funk, it's soul, r&b, whatever you want to call it, the album was great
System Of A Down
3/5
Definitely on the heavy side, Interesting vocals. He goes from loud screaming, to grunts, to melodic singing interspersed with very fast almost rapping. Guitars go from heavy distortion to sparse single picked notes, and all of this happens in one song, Sugar. It's the only song I remember getting radio play off this album. Overall its a crazy wild ride of loudness. This album was probably groundbreaking in that it's the first middle Eastern heavy metal act that I can think of to get any radio play in the United States
2/5
I think I had previously heard "the look of love", if I hadn't, then it sounds very similar to a different popular song. Overall this is a pretty standard new wave album. I didn't think it was really anything special
George Michael
3/5
Freedom was the only track I knew, and probably the best song off the album. Everything else was quite a departure from anything else I'd heard from George Michael or Wham, slow mostly acoustic, pianos, and orchestral accompaniment. It wasn't bad
T. Rex
3/5
The only song I recognized off this album was "get it on bang a gong". I've heard it many times on classic rock stations. Other than that, the reat of the songs were pretty generic 70s rock
Depeche Mode
2/5
It's a Depeche Mode album, his slow droning baritone over electronic music. Some songs were interesting, otherwise it was more of the same from this band. Nothing really stood out to me. It was ok to listen to
Goldfrapp
2/5
Every track sounded similar, except for Caravan Girl, the only upbeat track on the entire album. Everything was very slow, melodic, airy, dreamy. Her voice is very good. Overall I found the entire album boring, there is nothing particularly groundbreaking and I found myself questioning why this was on the list.
Leftfield
2/5
Standard electronic house music, nothing special of exciting about it. It was decent background music for working, Space Shanty stood out as being different from the other tracks, overall it was ok
Big Star
3/5
I'm not sure what to say about this album the description from the reviews has this being the final master work of a band. It wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was anything spectacular. It sounded like basic 70s rock, nothing stood out as groundbreaking, or as some underrated performance that no one's ever heard of.
Sade
3/5
Love her voice, the smooth bass and jazzy saxophone are great. I've hear Smooth Operator countless times, but never with the spoken word intro, they must cut it out for a radio edit. I also liked "I will be your friend " off this album. It was pretty good, definitely different from what was being played on the radio at the time. Best track Smooth Operator
Beatles
3/5
Obviously the Beatles were huge, this being one of there early albums, it doesn't have much depth, lots of love songs, and covers of other popular rock songs at the time. When compared to there layer work, this album doesn't hold a candle. For the phenomenon it was at the time it came out I can see it being included as long as every other album of there's is included. Overall, standard early 60s rock and roll fare.
Sepultura
3/5
I don't personally enjoy this style of music, but I can appreciate the talent required to make it. The insane speed of the drummer almost sounding like machine gun fire is difficult and requires talent to stay in time. The sweeping guitar solos require thousands of hours of practice to master, and the bassist follows along to the guitar notes so smoothly you're barely aware that the instrument is there at all, other than the extra depth added to the solos. The one thing I truly dislike about this style of music is the vocals. The guttural growls of the singing make the lyrics incomprehensible. I understand this is the style, I just don't enjoy it. From a technical aspect, these musicians are very talented
KISS
2/5
Typical KISS album, loud party rock. Detroit Rock City and Shout it out loud were probably the most recognizable tracks off this album, although I have heard Beth before, their attempt at a ballad, it was ok but doesn't really fit with the rest of the album. Overall it was alright, it served its purpose at the time, to be loud and entertaining.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This album is just classic songs up and down, not a bad song on this album. Whole lotta love opens the album with great guitars. The bass lines on What is and What Should Never Be are superb. Heartbreakers goes into Livin Lovin Maid so smoothly I previously thought it was all one song. Ramble On is another classic track with more Tolkien references, and Bring it on home is a great album finisher. Awesome
Beatles
5/5
This album is chock full of classic tracks. It's the gold standard of classic albums. I could list all the ones I enjoyed but it would be most of the album. So I will go with my favorite track, which would be While my guitar gently weeps, but Blackbird would probably come in a close second. The only songs I could do without on this are Wild Honey Pie, and Revolution 9. O understand it was experimental and ground breaking at the time, expanding the definition of what music is, but I can't listen to it, random recordings while someone repeated number 9. In spite of those 2 songs this is a top album for me
Dr. John
2/5
Weird psychedelic voodoo Mashup. I really don't know what to think about it, I don't believe I've heard anything like it before. It was definitely interesting and original. But not something I particularly enjoyed
The Crusaders
3/5
Interesting combination of Disco and jazz. Most songs are instrumental, the title track had lyrics, good vocals. Overall it was upbeat, not bad to listen to, it all kind of blended together after a while, not much differentiation between the tracks
Ray Charles
4/5
Based off the first track I thought this was going to be an album of classic country western songs done in Ray Charles' signature style of piano based blues. Bye bye love, was a great start to this album. I didn't recognize any of the other songs, but Ray's piano playing really makes this whole album. The whole thing just rocks. Inreally enjoyed this album
Randy Newman
3/5
I'd heard Randy Newman before, from Toy Story. This is not kid friendly Toy Story music. The Way he combines political and social commentary into an upbeat piano tune is actually impressive. The beginning of Rednecks really surprises you, and then to throw the n-word around like that, until you listen to the lyrics and realize he's throwing the whole country under the bus, everyone's guilty. Is it really satire if he's telling the truth that no one wants to hear. All of it done while sounding like the soundtrack to Toy Story.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
This album has a great concept for a jazz album, every song in a different time signature. Starting off with Blue Rondo a la Turk really demonstrates how this album is going to be. The whole album is great, Take Five is probably the most famous track off this album, and a personal favorite of mine. But there isn't a bad track on this album. Classic Jazz album that I could listen to at any time.
The Monks
2/5
Weird, kind of psychedelic rock music. At times reminded me of the Doors, at other times the Who, overall not similar to anything I've heard before. It definitely sounded like the 60s. I'm not really sure what to make of it
Björk
2/5
I didn't like it, every song sounded the same with Bjork singing seemingly random lyrics over electronic ambient music. It was hard to get through the entire album. It wasn't the worst thing I've heard, but I won't be recommending it to anyone
Yes
5/5
Brilliant, this whole album is great, every track is excellent. Roundabout to open the album, that bass line is superb. Then taking a hard turn into classical music, completely unexpected. It is the epitome of 70s prog rock, experimental yet approachable at the same time. Great album, could listen to it all day
Scott Walker
2/5
I didn't like his singing, he sounded like a lounge act. The music wasn't very good either. Maybe 1 song was actually listenable
Al Green
4/5
Let's stay together is a classic song that has stood the test of time. Opening the album with that track sets a high bar. This whole album is the epitome of 70s soul music, his voice is great, smooth and soulful. You can't listen to this album without bobbing your head along to it. Great album
The Go-Betweens
3/5
It was interesting, definitely had an 80s sound to it, but not the heavy synth new wave pop of the Era. I don't know if I'd say it was anything groundbreaking, I've heard similar stuff from the 80s. It was pleasant enough to listen to. Overall it was ok
1/5
I don't know why this is on the list. Like a kid who discovered his first swear word. I recognized Rollin' from radio play at the time, it's just as terrible now as it was then. My generation, what a terrible ripoff of the Who. The whole thing was bad
The Temptations
3/5
Really good, what you'd expect from the Temptations, great soul sound
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Pretty good album. Waylon Jennings is a pioneer in the country/rockabilly genre of the 60s. This album is a good example of early outlaw country, I enjoyed it
Sonic Youth
3/5
This didn't sound like the sonic youth I was expecting to here, it's like proto-grunge. Definitely not what I had previously heard from this band. It wasn't bad, just unexpected, they definitely grew into their sound over time
The Who
5/5
Classic Who album, "baba O'Reilly", "bargain", "behind blue eyes" and "we won't get fooled again" all on one album! It's a great album
George Michael
3/5
Great solo album after Wham. "Faith" is a classic song, that continues to be played. The rest is definitely 80s pop music. But an excellent example of the time.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is a great album, is it country, is it rock, doesn't matter its good. Sympathy for the devil, street fighting man, are both great tracks. Classic Rolling Stones album
Ryan Adams
5/5
This album used to be in heavy rotation when I was younger. Every track has something to offer. New York New York, is a great song. The whole album is full of rock blues music. Nobody Girl is a personal favorite of mine
Fugazi
3/5
Kind of a punk hard-core transition album. It's not the kind of music I particularly enjoy listening to. What stood out to me on many songs was a very melodic bassline coming through the noise of the distorted guitars a loud vocals. The bass isn't normally distinguishable in this style of music, I found that very interesting to hear
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Really good album, Born on a Bayou, and Proud Mary are classics, the cover of Good Golly Miss Molly, is also very good. The rest of the album is what you would expect from CCR, classic southern blues rock.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Classic bluegrass album. Really liked the mandolin work. Instrumentation is very sparse, all the songs sounded very similar. Standout song was "in the pines" covered so many times. Hearing a bluegrass version close to the original was interesting
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
This was pretty good. I've never heard of it before but I enjoyed it. Some good early 2000s rock/alternative music that never got much press, but overall it wasn't bad
Minutemen
4/5
This was a really interesting album, punk, funk, jazz, country, it has a little bit of everything. I can hear how this influenced later acts, especially Sublime. The funky bass lines, with punk influenced guitar and vocals. The vocals are sometimes almost spoken word, and at other times dissonant and out of key. It's a real interesting mix of genres. Most surprising to me was the song Corona, which was the theme song to Jackass. I didn't expect to hear that in here.
Gorillaz
4/5
Great example of early 2000s music, mixing rap, rock, jazz, maybe the beginning of lo-fi hip-hop. Clint Eastwood, 19-2000, and Rock the House were hits at the time. Definitely an album that changed the way music sounded in the early 2000s. Very enjoyable listen
Throwing Muses
3/5
Interesting, female punk type music. It was pretty good. Reminded me a bit of Blondie or Heart, but different.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
This was a really cool album, never heard of it before. It was jazzy, funky, bluesy, everything you'd expect from a 70s funk album. The political bent of some of the songs show how things stay the same, some of the things he said are still true today. Overall a good album
AC/DC
4/5
It's AC/DC, it's exactly what you'd expect from them. Driving blues based rock. Bonn Scott belts out the lyrics as only he could. It's loud It's raw. The title track is obviously the biggest hit off the album, but the rest of it is high energy rock. Classic
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
I don't know what to say about this one. His singing is atrocious, like he's not even singing along to what the instruments are doing, and I know it's on purpose, but it's not enjoyable. If you ignore the polytonal lyrics, and just listen to the instrumentals, sometimes they sound completely out of time with each other, like no one is playing the same song, but if you listen carefully it actually all comes together. It's actually difficult for a band to sound like they don't know what they're doing, but also make it all sound cohesive, that is an achievement in itself. This album, is not easy to listen to, it takes effort to get through it, the wierd spoken word poetry interludes, polyrhythms, polymeters, it's a music theorists dream, but it's too much for the average listener. For it's historical influences, it get some points but overall not an enjoyable listen
Julian Cope
3/5
I've never heard of this artist before, so everything on this album was new to me. Some songs sounded like REM, some sounded like Phish, other songs reminded me of one of the Doors long meandering acid trip songs. Overall the entire album was a mix of post new wave alternative music, but more on the experimental side. It wasn't bad, it just all kind of blended together into one long song.
Frank Ocean
3/5
I've only heard Frank Ocean as a guest appearance on other artists songs. I assumed he was some sort of producer that would ad some vocals. His vocals occasionally remind me of Stevie Wonder, musically though it's generic R&B, nothing extraordinary, it wasn't bad, I just don't see myself listening to it again
Duran Duran
3/5
Rio, and Hungry Like the Wolf are classic tracks off this album. It's 80s pop music, but the bass playing on every song is insane. It just sits there in the mix unnoticed until you listen for it and realize how much is there. It did not need to go that hard for the style of music this is.
The Black Keys
5/5
This is a great album, I don't have any complaints, every track has something to offer the listener. It's blues, it's rock, it's modern without sounding like it, it hearkens back to the blues artists before them. Great album
John Grant
3/5
Never heard of this before, it was interesting. Slow melodic songs, interspersed with electronic synths, it was a style I hadn't heard before. Lyrically, some of its depressing, some sarcastic and sparky, overall something you should listen to the lyrics rather than just the music. It was pretty good
Queen
5/5
It's Queen, Freddy Mercury's vocals always standout, Brian May's guitar work is exceptional as always. Killer Queen is still as great today as when this album came our. I had never heard any of the other tracks off this album before, but there are a lot of hidden gems on here. Great Queen album, great album all around
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Two very long tracks that riff on a theme. It was definitely interesting, playing all the instruments by himself at age 19 is very impressive. Obviously the beginning of the first song was used for the Exorcist, which brought initial attention to the album, but there is definitely much more to it. A long prog rock symphony. Overall it's a good listen
Morrissey
2/5
It was passable, some of it was interesting to listen to but most of it was pretty boring. A lot of the songs sounded similar. I didn't really care for it
Bill Callahan
3/5
This was an interesting one, it reminds me a lot of The National, most of the lyrics have a spoken word delivery over very simple guitar with a drum backing track. Musically it's not very complex and the focus is on the lyrics, what he's trying to convey. It has a very melancholy feel throughout. Overall it wasn't bad
Janis Joplin
5/5
This album was great. Such an iconic voice, she could sing loudly without screaming. "Cry baby", "me and Bobby Mcgee", and "Mercedes Benz" are classics tracks of this album, but it's just great blues music from beginning to end.
Lou Reed
4/5
Great album with the classic songs "Perfect Day" and "Take a Walk on the Wild Side". I'd never heard any of the other songs off this album before, but they were all pretty good. Great bluesy sound. Overall a good album
Cat Stevens
4/5
Great acoustic folk album. "Wild world", and "father and son" are classics tracks off this album. Great music overall.
The Hives
3/5
Interesting example of early 2000s garage rock reboot. I'd only previously heard "Hate to Say I Told You So". Many of the other tracks sounded similar, raw, unpolished, heavily distorted guitars, yelling lyrics. Overall it was ok
Neil Young
4/5
I liked this. Raw blues rock played by Neil Young. I'd never previously heard anything off this album, but it's just good.
The Cars
4/5
I count at least 5 hits off this album, based on classic rock radio plays. The first three tracks were definitely hits "Let the good times roll", "my best friend's girl", and "just what I needed" are classics. "You're all I've got tonight" and "bye bye love" are also worth mentioning. They straddle the new wave post punk line very carefully to make a classic album.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
This album is peak 90s alternative, it really exemplifies the Era. Songs like Today, Disarm, and Mayonnaise off this album are basically a prototype for other bands of the time. Heavy distortion, quiet lyrics that suddenly get loud to punctuate. Great album
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Really good post-Beatles Paul McCartney album. Band on the run is a classic, and I really liked all the changes, different parts that all flowed together, reminiscent of the Abbey Road Medley. Jet was also a hit at the time that I've definitely heard on classic rock radio more than a few times. Let me roll it is a great song as well. Overall a solid album
Metallica
4/5
I've never listened to this before, definitely an interesting concept combining metal and symphony. Two genres that couldn't be more diametrically opposed, until you actual listen to sweeping guitar solos and realize how intricate they truly are, and how much they have in common with a symphony. This album basically amounted to Metallica's greatest hits featuring the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. It really works well. I enjoyed it
Goldfrapp
2/5
It all sounded very similar, like one long James Bond song. Slow lyrics, ambient quiet music, nothing exciting going on, overall boring.
Muddy Waters
5/5
It's Muddy Waters, Live. It's great, I could listen to it over and over. One of the best blues artists just playing his heart out for the audience.
Cornershop
3/5
This was an interesting album, a mix of indie rock, dub beats, Indian music, some rapping. It's very clearly a late 90s album where the artist really wants to show all their influences in one album. Brimful of Asha was the only song I recognized off this album. I heard it on the radio constantly at the time, but never knew the title or the band who wrote it. It was a good song that got thrown into the mix of a bunch of similar sounding things, but it wasn't bad. Overall this album was decent
The Who
5/5
Pinball wizard is a classic song off this ambitious rock opera. The entire concept album rock opera idea is executed perfectly by the Who on this album. Great songs tell the story of man's life. Great album
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Interesting, a little wierd, but that's what I would expect from Peter Gabriel. I've never previously heard anything off this album. It was quite experimental sounding. It wasn't bad, I felt like the song "Games without frontiers" could be released today. Biko was an interesting tribute song as well.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
This album was not what I expected, a definite surprise. Just a big long blues jam for the whole thing. You could just put this on at a summertime party, hang out and have a good time. Very enjoyable
The Police
4/5
Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, and Wrapped Around My Finger are classic tracks off this album. Sting's vocals are great. Overall this is a good album that can be listened to over and over.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Wasn't sure what to expect going into this album, the only song I knew from this band was "Relax". It's definitely the height of 80s new wave, but it included a cover of "War" as well as a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run". Born to run was close to the original, while they definitely put their own spin on War. Overall it wasn't a bad album
Alanis Morissette
4/5
When this came out, you couldn't escape it. Alanis was on the radio constantly, there were at least 5 singles off this album in heavy rotation. "You're oughtta know" was huge, angry, and was always playing somewhere. The other songs weren't as big, "ironic" still gets mentioned. "You're learn" , "hand in my pocket", and "head over feet" were other hits off this album. It is the epitome of mid-90s angsty rock.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
It was alright, maybe I expected more from a live recording at Montreax. It had interesting tango-like music, but overall kind of slow and repetitive.
Beck
3/5
Definitely a change from the usually experimental music of Beck. It was slow, melodic, and melancholy. Overall it wasn't bad, it didn't really have any stand out memorable tracks.
John Lennon
3/5
A pretty decent album from John Lennon. Jealous Guy was good, the title track Imagine is a great song as well. The surprise on the album was "How do you sleep", obviously aimed at Paul McCartney, I did not expect the amount of anger towards him. Overall it wasn't bad
Pink Floyd
3/5
I'd never previously heard anything off this album, though I've listened to plenty of Pink Floyd. This doesn't sound anything Iike Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall. This is 60s psychedelic rock, reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane, and other acts. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected from their debut album.
CHIC
4/5
"Good Times" is a classic track off this album, the bass line has been sampled in multiple songs, and Nile Rodgers guitar is iconic. The rest of this album is classic 70s dance music, driving basslines, 4 on the floor drum beat, along with Rodgers guitars styles, and impeccable vocals. Great music.
Tim Buckley
3/5
It was....interesting to say the least. I don't really know where to classify this, funk, blues, rock, folk, i really dont know. I've never heard of this artist or any of the songs before. It wasn't bad, it was just a whole jumble of genres
4/5
I really like the style of this, it has this epic quality to it. Starlight, super massive black hole, and knights of cydonia are great songs off this album. I really liked it
Beck
4/5
This album sits in that weird place in musical history where you could get more "experimental" music in the radio. I'm not sure "devils haircut" would have been popular at any other time. "New pollution" and "where it's at" were also singles off this album that probably would be considered too wierd at any other time. The guitar effects, voice effects, the sheer amount of instruments on each track its not what "pop" music normally is. Overall great example of mid-90s music
Dolly Parton
3/5
Great collaboration between 3 legendary women singing some classic bluegrass and country. Overall, a solid country album showcasing the talents of Dolly, Linda, and Emmylou.
Elastica
2/5
I thought I had never heard of this band before, until I heard the track "connection". That song definitely got radio play, but I always assumed another band played it, I thought it was Veruca Salt, or the Breeders. The songs on this album all sounded pretty similar and there wasn't anything on here that seemed influential or ground breaking to me. As I previously stated, I thought an entirely different band played the one hit I recognized, so I'm not sure why this is something I need to listen to
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
Kind of a budget rate Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynryd mash up. Definitely emulating the southern rock style, but trying to be more modern/contemporary. It was ok, not really my thing. I'd rather listen to actual Allman Brothers
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Sounded like the 60s, I recognized "stepping stone" but I guess the version that I'm used to hearing is by the Monkees. Overall it's pretty typical of a mid-60s pop band. Nothing really ground breaking. It was ok
John Coltrane
5/5
This was just great, John Coltrane at his finest. His skills are unmatched, the back and forth with the other musicians on bass, drums and piano is just so fun to listen to. You can just tell everyone recording on this album is having a blast just making wonderful music.
The Kinks
3/5
Very 60s psychedelic rock. But better somehow. Definitely not what I expected from the kinks. It was good
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Great album, awesome blues rock energy. Layla is the top song on this, but the whole album is great. "Nobody knows you when you're down and out" is a great track, "key to the highway" is great as well. Love all the guitar solos
Morrissey
1/5
This was boring to listen to. Like the same mindless droning on every song. And lyrically he just complained about a bunch of other countries, and world politics, while also complaining about how terrible he's personally been treated. Overall, I won't be recommending it to anyone
Morrissey
2/5
As Morrissey albums go this wasn't that bad. The two previous ones I listened to on this list were insufferable. It's not something I would go out of my way to listen to.
Miles Davis
4/5
This was good, I really enjoyed it. The whole band is very talented, everyone has a moment to shine on the album. Just overall good music
Elvis Costello
3/5
It was pretty good. Also kind of generic, watered down punk-ish but not quite. Kinder Murder was good. I liked the bass tone on a lot of the songs, a bit fuzzy, not drowned out in the mix, more of an emphasis than most music.
Weather Report
5/5
This album is great. Jaco Pastorius was one of the greatest bassists to live. Teen Town is a jazz classic, Birdland is also a great song off this album. I also enjoyed Palladium and Havona. Great album
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
This is definitely a transition album, music evolving in real time. Half this album is basically funk, a few tracks of R&B, one track with electronic dance synth with robot vocals, and three tracks of early hip hop. "It's Nasty" samples the Tom Tom Club, as the group raps over the backing track. "The Message" is the highlight of the album, a true hip hop classic. It was "covered" in the 90s, lyrics altered but overall very similar. Most of the songs are about the troubles of the inner city, trying to bring the situation to light. I don't know if this album brought rap into the mainstream, but it definitely influenced and propelled the next group of rappers in the mid 80s. A historic and groundbreaking album for rap and hip hop
Metallica
4/5
Probably the album that brought Metallica mainstream. Enter Sandman, Sad but true, the unforgiven, and nothing else matters, were all on rock radio stations at the time. They are now rock/metal classics. Overall a good album
Blondie
4/5
One way or another, and heart of glass are the classic tracks off this album. But it is pretty good overall. Sunday girl, and I'm gonna love you too, are also good. Overall this is a great example of early 80s, pop, new wave music
Beatles
5/5
Opening up with "Come Together" it just hits you with the bass. After that it's a ride, Something, oh darling, I want you, each of these songs is great on its own, then put with the rea tod the album, the whole thing is great. They threw on Maxwells silver hammer and octopus garden to get the wierd beatles quirkiness in there, but then you get Here Comes the Sun, and the entire medley, all the songs seamlessly melded together into one big ending. And it is definitely an ending, that huge piano chord to end the whole thing. BRILLIANT, possibly the best Beatles album
Christine and the Queens
2/5
It was ok, she sounds very much like Maggie Rogers. But the music was more generic pop, I don't really hear anything innovative or groundbreaking, other than every song being in English and French I'm not sure why this is on the list.
Talking Heads
4/5
"Once in a lifetime" is the hit track off this album, great song. The rest of the album has some good songs. Talking heads were always pushing the boundaries, at the time this was pretty experimental. Definitely a good example of the early new wave genre in the early 80s
Brian Eno
3/5
I liked this better than the other Brian Eno album on this list, this one is more listenable, less ambient music. As a producer Eno made some of thebmost iconic albums in history. His solo work is much more experimental. This was pretty good
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Everytime the drums come in, it's basically the same drum sample from the "amen break" over and over. Every song has the same drums, maybe slightly changed. Maybe this was new and interesting at the time, or this was a breakthrough drum and bass album at the time, but now it sounds really repetitive and dated.
The Gun Club
3/5
I've never heard of this band or any of their music before so I had no idea what to expect. It was interesting, to say the least. Mostly punk sounding with some very small hints of early new wave. Listening to this I could hear how this band may have influenced later acts in the new wave genre. It's always interesting to hear early examples of musical styles where the ideas are clearly at a transition from one style to another.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
When I saw this on the list, I figured it would be "all I wanna do" and a bunch of filler. I completely forgot the other singles of this album that got radio play, "leaving Las Vegas", "can't cry anymore", and "strong enough". Solid music for a debut album. A bit rock, a bit country, with some blues thrown in. It was a pretty good album
Iron Maiden
3/5
Not really my favorite style of music. Although the musicians are definitely talented. The galloping bass lines have been emulated by many metal bands the followed Iron Maiden. It's the signature of most of the bands songs. Vocally, it reminded me of Dio, the high falsetto on many tracks. This album perfectly exemplifies the genre
George Harrison
4/5
George released this shortly after the Beatles broke up. He had a double album's worth of music ready to go. "My Sweet Lord" is the hit off this album, still a great song, regardless of the copyright issues. "Isn't it a Pity" is another good song off this album. There are some really good instrumentals, showcasing George's talent on the guitar. Overall a good album
Tangerine Dream
3/5
It was really unnerving to listen to at some points, definitely anxiety inducing. It reminded me of a soundtrack to a horror film. It was electronic, but sounded classical as well. At points it reminded me of Holst's planets, like you were be sent off to space.
Crowded House
3/5
The whole time I was listening to this album it reminded me of a band that sounded better but I just couldn't place it. I've never heard anything off this album previously, but it all sounded very familiar. Basically early 90s alternative rock, but not the heavy grunge rock, the acoustic folk driven almost new wave type. Sort of like REM, but not as good. It sounded like everything else at the time, and I'm not sure what came first. It was ok
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Nice jazzy album, pretty enjoyable for background type music
Joanna Newsom
2/5
So, this was wierd. Not sure what to classify it as. Now I like long songs, but these just meander all over the place lyrically, and musically, just going on and on. 14 minutes for 1 song. I also didn't care for her vocals, lots of warbling all over the place. This wasn't for me
3/5
It's definitely something. My initial thoughts were two bands playing 2 different songs simultaneously. After reading that it was indeed two drummer, and two saxophonists, it made more sense. This is very experimental, free jazz. It's difficult to listen to, it sounds like noise. I'd I listened to it a few more times, I would probably like it more. It's definitely for a very niche audience
Fever Ray
2/5
Electronic, kind of similar sound throughout. Reminders of Bjork with the vocals. It was ok.
Fairport Convention
3/5
It wasn't bad. Typical 60s folk rock
Van Morrison
3/5
Pretty good live album, some great Van Morrison hits. The band was great, the bassist especially stood out, great horns section, strings had some great sections as well. Over all Pretty good
Billy Joel
5/5
This album is just brilliant. It has 9 songs, and 5 were definitely hits, over half the album. Movin' Out, Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman, every one of those is a classic. The rest of the album isn't just filler, Vienna is great, Get it Right the First Time has some funk inspiration to it. Overall great album, classic album
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
This was more enjoyable to listen to than Trout Mask Replica. Although it sounded like generic 60s psychedelic music.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Interesting early electronic music. Suprised this came out in 1978, it's very different from the typical music of the Era. This was likely a very influential album for all the synth based new wave music of the 80s, and later electronic music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I've never listened to this full album before. The first track sets the tone with the funk style. The musicianship is excellent. Flea's bass is the signature sound to most RHCP songs, the slap, funk style is great. Drums are great, guitar is great. Under the Bridge is probably the best song on here, where Keidis is being his most honest and vulnerable. Give it Away was huge at the time, singing/rapping that quickly takes talent. Breaking the Girl is another good track. Overall the rest is a lot of filler, but there is some good funk in there.
U2
4/5
Sunday Bloody Sunday, and New Years Day are still great songs. I didn't recognize anything else on the album. Musically, the instrumentation is great, guitar work is iconic. I really like how the drums come in to start the album off, it really sets the tone on the whole album, drums were really good throughout, and Bono's vocals are always recognizable.