1001 Albums Summary

Strong start, weak finish

'Them Bones' is a top-5 track in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. 'Rooster' is also a song. Also: most ypt (yeah's per track) - Layne Staley or James Hetfield?

Phantom of the Opera, Transylvania, the transition into Strange World and Iron Maiden (x3) are all 'cheff's kiss'. Di'Anno, not so much.

This does very little for me. Half a star each for 'Make Me Know It', 'Fever', the melody of 'Girl of My Best Friend' and 'The Girl Next Door Went A'Walking'. The rest is incredibly bland. I don't believe this Rock 'n' Roll thing will survive for too long.

Soubour is a classic, Wayei great desert-trance, Petit Metier beautiful, and great finish with Desert Melodie and Mali <3

What a peaky record. 'Gasoline Dreams' hits harder than I remembered, and the lineup of singles is great: 'So Fresh, So Clean', 'Ms. Jackson' and 'B.O.B.'. The lows are quite low - looking at you 'We Luv Dees Hoez'... - but THAT PRODUCTION. Insane to induce frisson by the sound of pouring a drink. As a cherry on top, it's always nice with a bit of Killer Mike and Cee-Lo.

What a pleasant surprise! Someone has been hanging out with R.E.M. and Dinosaur Jr., and I'm all for it. Probably my second-favourite song titled 'Man on the Moon' released in 1992.

Not every composition is strong enough to be held up by basically only Cohen's guitar and recognizable vocal, and the melody of 'A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes' borrows a bit too much from 'So Long, Marianne' off his previous record. That being said, an album containing 'Bird on the Wire' and probably my favourite Cohen recording 'The Partisan' will never go below 4 stars. Ever.

Wow, okay. This has very few redeeming qualities to me. Some tracks like 'Planet Claire' and '52 Girls' are tolerable, but it was truly an annoying chore to listen to this. To top it off, the album finishes by absolutely ruining 'Downtown' for me. I don't know, maybe I'm just no fun.

'You Ain't the Problem' is an awesome opening track setting the tone for this entire genre-defying album. Then you have great tracks like 'Rolling' with a pulsing beat straight from Tame Impala, the beautiful 'Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)', 'Hero' with transcendent strings and a catchy indie-riff, and of course 'Solid Ground'. There is juuuuust a bit too much of filler in the form of interludes and intros for my tastes, but what a statement of a debut album!

FUN record with some great tracks in 'Kicks', 'I'm Not Your Stepping Stone' and 'Take a Look at Yourself'. A good portion of non-memorable tracks and 'Little Girl in the 4th Row' is a bit tedious. For a band who, according to their name, should oppose the British Invasion, they sure do sound a lot like their contemporaries - just almost breaking out into 'Day Tripper' on 'Louie, Go Home'.

Things I like: - Post-punk - Marxist ideals Things I do not like: - Fear - Whiskey - The fiddle With each listen the underlying melodies surface more and more, and 'Last Dance' is starting to convince me that perhaps the fiddle has some "raison d'être".

God, I love The Waterboys. But not like this... You can sense their greatness on 'We Will Not Be Lovers', which is an excellent track not at all suited for this album, until they smacked a fiddle on top of it. Speaking of which, I am still not friends with that instrument. Then you have other highlights like the title track and a great Van Morrison/Beatles cover on 'Sweet Thing'. Overall they are still at the top of their game when they lean into the grandiose or their Irish and Scottish roots as on 'The Stolen Child'. Then you also have 'Jimmy Hickey's Waltz'. Just, why? And can we please stop it with albums ending on a shitty cover song? Thank you.

Geez, leave some sweet melodies and groundbreaking innovations for the rest of the music industry. How does 'Tomorrow Never Knows' still sound so fresh 57(!!) years later?

The album that solidified Amy Winehouse as a household name is drenched in retro and Phil Spector-esque sound, while laying the groundwork for a lot of soul-inspired music that followed it. Don't pay too much attention to the lyrics behind the upbeat songs, unless you want to be sad and bluesy.

For virtually any other band, Amnesiac would be the definitive magnum opus. With Radiohead, you can make a somewhat reasonable claim that it doesn't even belong in a list of their top 5 albums. I won't make such a claim. 'You and Whose Army', 'I Might Be Wrong' and 'Knives Out' is a strong contender for the best 3 track-stretch in their entire discography.

The Ramones are not the world's worst band. They are, however, the world's most overrated band. 'Hey ho, let's go'? No. Come on, there is nothing punk about 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' and then to have it as your second single. Fuck off.

One of the few albums where I can still remember the first time I listened to it. Incredible how Coltrane translates the incredible skills of the entire group of musicians into something spiritual and almost otherworldly.

Does it get any more 70's than this? A very ambitious blend of prog, glam and art pop (is art prog a thing?) results in an album that doesn't even sound like it's from earth. It gets a bit too flimsy on the art waltz 'Falling In Love With Myself Again' and 'Talent Is An Asset', but the highlights make this a very enjoyable listen. 'Thank God It's Not Christmas' is one of the greatest titles ever (mostly due a certain Queen song it predated quite a bit), 'Complaints' has some great Supertramp vibes and the catchy 'Equator' lives rent free in my mind, and I don't mind.

At first I was ready to give this 1 star, maybe 2 for 'Freedom! '90'. But it's a pop record, and its qualities lies within its catchiness and recognizability. And there are some catchy and beautifully composed songs on here like 'Waiting (Reprise)', 'They Won't Go When I Go' and 'Cowboys and Angels'. 'Waiting for That Day' is also quite a good tune, but like the man himself acknowledges, it is veeeery close to 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' in chord progression. On the other hand, you also have the ridiculous pan flute on the heavy-handed 'Mother's Pride', so I really don't know what to make of this.

Impressive showcase of creativity and musicianship fueled by strong and important beliefs. Efforts like these give a reason for publishing a new version of '1001' each year. A bit too few strong, memorable tracks to hit a 5/5 rating.

Wow, these The Smiths blokes make some great music. I sure hope that Morrissey isn't an insufferable prick and ruins an otherwise perfect album composed by Marr by smashing on bloody awful lyrics on 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'. Oh well.

Tough record to boil down into a rating. Its greatest strength is Van Morrison insisting on defying conventions - lyrically, compositionally and structure-wise. This strength also makes the whole thing a bit inaccessible and makes you alter between a calm meditative state and frustration at the repetitiveness and runtime of the tracks. When it transports you to an entirely different state of mind, it's magnificent. I am just not able to stay there for the entirety of the record.

"Can we get much higher?" Probably not. The production and sampling alone is worth 5/5.

If this doesn't immediately transport you to a curbside café in Havana, nothing will. The impact this record had and the doors it opened for world music everywhere is difficult to overestimate.

Interesting production with some early highlights in 'Novocaine For The Soul' and the catchy 'Susan's House'. I'm not quite sure that the lyrics hold up, like on 'Guest List' which sounds like a sad RHCP song. There is a fine line between naïve and simple lyrics. That cover still gives me nightmares.

A classic with obvious highlights in the megahits 'Rio' and 'Hungry Like the Wolf'. Shoutout to the mean bass on 'My Own Way' and 'New Religion' - that shit slaps! Also amuses me that 'The Chauffeur' is the perfect song for the movie Drive - written 30 years prior.

Man I love 'Child In Time'.

Perhaps the most important underground band since the velvet kind? I believe the Onion was right when they wrote that Pitchfork wrote “In the end, though music can be brilliant at times, the whole medium comes off as derivative of Pavement.” 'Gold Soundz' really is a terrific track.

'Never Let Me Down Again' is the best Depeche Mode track ever released, and I am willing to die on this hill. In general, this is peak Depeche Mode - great with a little (a lot!) S&M action on 'Strangelove'. I don't understand closing an album with a small hidden instrumental piece at the end of another instrumental piece.

How on earth was this the successor to Astral Weeks? Quality is obviously still here, but the structures and lyrics are almost complete opposites of his previous output. There is still plenty of room for innovation, and the title track is just immensely impressive.

This is my jam. 10/10 cover. Absolutely insane production (just listen to 'Dragon Queen'!). Stunning highlights in the bangers 'Zero' and 'Head Will Roll' along with the wicked good 'Dull Life'.

When I first heard this record a while ago, I thought that maybe there was something I was missing. Now I am sure. I am not missing anything, it's too long and just not that good.

Peak Nirvana. Peak Grunge. Incredible run of tracks from 'Scentless Apprentice', 'Heart-Shaped Box', 'Rape Me' to 'Frances Farmer...'

New Order doing New Order things. At their best when the drum machine is kicking and the production is filled with tons of samples. Individual tracks go in just a bit too many directions which makes the record lose a bit of focus.

Peak MBV. Peak shoegaze (along with Souvlaki by Slowdive). Absolutely insane that Kevin Shields was able to create something so dreamy which at the same time insists on having an intimate connection with the listener.

Interesting choice of Massive Attack album to say the least. There are some definite highlights on this like the classical 'Weather Storm' and 'Euro Child' which would serve as the blueprint for the majority of tracks on Gorillaz' debut. However, when they decide to dip their toes into reggae like on 'Karmacoma' and 'Spying Glass' I lose all interest.

I knew the day would come where Prince would pop up. I mean, I can appreciate His Royal Highness’ virtuose talent and his take at bringing down gender barriers, but I am always bored, disappointed and wishing that the runtime of almost every track had been halved.

Greatest a cappella achievement since Don’t worry, be happy? All joking aside, it is impressive how much warmth and intimicy is created on Medúlla through the use of the human voice. This is amplified by the production on Björks voice, which makes you feel like she is either whispering or screaming into your ear - a great example is on the Icelandic 'Vokuro'. Maybe a bit uneven track listing favoring the first half - or perhaps the curiosity sparked by innovation quickly wears off?

I do not connect with the blues in any way, shape or form. The musicianship is there, but what else? Three of the tracks, including 'Mannish Boy', are re-recordings - perhaps because the remaining (original) songs are just not that great. Two stars for the musicianship and for not being actively annoying to listen to. I am just completely indifferent to this record.

Strong Zeppelin record, albeit a bit too long. If they had disregarded the need for adding material in order to make it a complete double album, this might had been in the discussion for their best. The run of 'Houses of the Holy', 'Trampled Under Foot' (if only they had recorded many more funk-inspired tracks!) and 'Kashmir' is incredible, even for them.

Cinematic triphop. At times the atmosphere created is magnificent, but more often than not the music fades into the background to the point that I didn't even notice when the album had finished.

This is a fun album. It is also an absolutely terrible album where I often genuinely wondered how on earth Soft Cell recorded, let alone released, these tracks. On 'Youth', Marc Almond can't hit a single note even if his life depended on it. The only bearable moments are 'Tainted Love', 'Seedy Films', and the closer 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye'. Having sung and danced countless times in my life to 'Tainted Love', I've wondered why I hadn't dived deeper into their discography. Now I know why.

How on earth do you release this as your debut album in 1969?? It's completely insane to think about. Side one is out of this world - 'Good Times Bad Times', 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You', and 'Dazed and Confused' are sublime. Side two doesn't quite keep the ball rolling with 'Communication Breakdown' being a highlight. I love this album, but somehow it doesn't quite feel like a 5/5.

A lyrical odyssey with great classic hiphop production. Storytelling at its finest and packs a great one-two punch in '4th Chamber' and 'Shadowboxin''. Impressive lineup of guests, and it's always nice to have the whole clan together.

I hadn't listened to this record in its entirety since the obligatory grunge-fanatic period as an angsty teen. I found it to be a surprisingly tedious listen, the album bloated and most tracks way too polished for my taste. There are obviously some legendary tracks on this, but then there's also 'Half' which is just... not that good.

Definitely a highlight of the late stages of Bowie's career. Incredible that he could keep this level of innovation and songwriting quality throughout. Perhaps also one of the most accessible and thoroughly enjoyable Bowie albums out there - which is certainly not a bad thing. 'Where Are We Now' really is magnificent.

What can anyone say about 'Highway 61 Revisited' that hasn't been said countless times before? Dylan perfectly captures the cultural landscape of his homecountry and creates lyrics and music defining an entire generation while driving his own evolution into rock instrumentation. Even though Dylan was only 24(!!) years old when releasing Highway, he speaks as though he has been around for centuries with lyrical references to literary works spanning throughout the anthropocene. 'Like a Rolling Stone', 'Ballad of a Thin Man' and 'Desolation Row'. What more is there to say?

Bang-average album by Costello. 'Blame It On Cain' and 'I'm Not Angry' were interesting, but overall the record sounds incredibly bland. Not looking particularly forward to the remaining entries by Costello.

For sure an influential album, but there are some real stinkers on this. 'Buried Alive' and 'Teachers Pet' make it seem like the album is more of a parody than an actual attempt at creating something, well... good. And the lyrics are often downright atrocious. Then 'Don't Burn The Witch' hits and you get to see why so many bands were inspired by Venom's sound.

Very interesting production with obvious inspirations from the contemporary post-punk movement and especially Talking Heads (especially on the title track). I like it! Crazy to do this as a follow-up to Rumours, and perhaps it was necessary for Fleetwood Mac to continue to develop and not get stuck in their previous sounds. As almost always with double albums, some tracks could have been omitted, but I even a length of 60 minutes might have worked.

There is some great classic instrumentation on this. The trumpet on 'But Beautiful' really is beautiful and haunting. With that said, I found the entire thing to be quite dull. Although her voice is magnificent and the arrangements are very pleasant, it tends to fade into the background. I was reminded of Nat King Cole's Christmas record, but unlike that I can't really think of an occasion to ever put this on.

The album where Paul is fixated on honey pies - the wild and domestic kinds - for some obscure reason. With 93 minutes this includes a plethora of first class Beatles songs: 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun', 'Blackbird', 'Revolution' to name some. But in all honesty it does also contain some fillers ('Wild Honey Pie', 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road?'), and I found side three to be actually quite weak. The record would probably have been stronger if Harrison had been allowed to get more songs in the final tracklist. My biggest surprise with this re-listen was that 'Revolution 9' was... not that bad? I actually quite enjoyed it, and they seemed like they were having fun.

I genuinely believe this is a perfect record. Joni Mitchell writes lyrics just as hard-hitting 50 years later and accompanies them with lush instrumentation comparable to Paul Simon. The melodies are catchy without ever being trivial. THAT moment in 'This Flight Tonight' when the music switches to what she is listening to in her headphones while on a plane... Come on! And the title track. Wow. That track is SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL. Closing out on 'River', 'Case of You' and 'The Last Time I Saw Richard' is also just completely unheard of.

Knopfler's (the Mark one) signature finger-picking guitar is evident from the first track 'Down To The Waterline'. But what really shines here is the drumming of Pick Withers. Never a dull moment! A really strong debut with highs - the funky 'In The Gallery' and 'Sultans of Swing' - and lows - the lyrically weak 'Wild West End'.

Hilariously dated and way too long. Perhaps you can find some redeeming qualities in som well-produced beats, and 'Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes' was enjoyable, but it's just not enough for me. And can we just agree to drop it with pointless interludes? Thanks.

Honestly almost completely blown away by this. This is the missing piece of the puzzle bridging the gap between British psychedelia of the late 60s up to the British rock groups of the 00's. You can clearly hear the sound presented on Kilimanjaro in later British acts like Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. Some great tracks on this like the opener 'Ha Ha I'm Drowning', 'Thief of Baghdad' and the danceable 'Went Crazy'. Throughout the record is a controlled chaos of synth, organ, drums and erratic vocals, and it works really well! Unfortunately, 'When I Dream' is way too long - at least the version currently on Spotify. I wholeheartedly understand why it was originally cut down.

Without a doubt the most boomer rock band out there, but who cares. 'Take It Easy' is one of the greatest opening tracks on a debut ever. However, it's no coincidence that their best-selling album is their greatest hits. As you say in Danish, 'There is far between the schnapses', and for every memorable track, you have at least two that does not move me in any way. It's odd because I am bored during the acoustic tracks and then when the electric guitars kick in I am yearning for a more stripped-down instrumentation. 'Take the Devil' manages to hit a sweet spot though, and 'Tryin' is not half bad either.

evermore contains a lot of fine melodies, but Swift insisting on repetitions in her lyrics to cater to the lowest denominator really irks me. The intimate production of the instrumentation throughout (as on 'champagne problems') really is something special, and Swift is at her best when she channels her inner Phoebe Bridgers (''tis the damn season') or Lana Del Rey ('cowboy like me'). The collaboration with HAIM on 'no body, no crime' is another highlight.

A legendary album by a (now) legendary songwriter. His increasingly gloomy world view definitely seeps through on this, his third and final record. The emotions are never hidden and it seems like everything is constantly balancing on the edge of a knife. Indeed very haunting and it's very refreshing to hear songs which are absolutely cut the bone with no fill.

I love everything about Bat Out of Hell. Everything is so extravagant, overcomposed, and just in general turned all the way up to 11. Steinman's melodies are rock-solid and his lyrics succeed in convinced you that the entire fate of mankind depends on whether or not this horny teenager gets to third base tonight in the backseat of a Chevy Camaro. EVERYTHING is at stake. Instrumentation is of course ridiculously on point with Todd Rundgren and members of the E Street Band combining to make this silly record one of the best and most enjoyable rock operas ever. Thank you Meat Loaf, you absolute legend.

This is one of my favourite alternative rock albums of all time. The record is packed with power and beauty. 'Look at You', 'Sworn and Broken' and of course 'Gospel Plow' are incredibly beautiful. With each listen, my favourite track changes. First it's 'Dying Days', then it's 'Witness' and the next time it is yet another one. Very impressive! Mark Lanegan truly was a genius with a voice of his own.

"Alright so we got a Bee Gees record for you." "Okay, but I'm not the biggest fan of disco." "It's over 1 hour in runtime." "That's... a lot of disco." "It's from 1969!" "That's... a bit early for disco?" "Also it's a failed baroque pop concept album about a fictional ship sinking in 1899." "It's a WHAT?" 60's Bee Gees where have you been all my life? There are some genuinely great songs on this - 'Marley Purt Drive', 'Give Your Best' and 'Seven Seas Symphony'. The lovey-dovey songs are a bit tedious to get through, and the entire album seems a bit disjointed. It left me longing to hear more about the sunken ship!

My familiarity with The Beau Brummels is quite sparse, but on this 1967 record they sound miles behind their folky contemporaries. The songs are underdeveloped, and throw in an uninspiring and sloppy production and the end result is a truly unremarkable record. 'And I've Seen Her' and 'Old Kentucky Home' tempted me to give this a 1/5, but the 'The Wolf of Velvet Fortune' luckily manages to raise this to a 2/5.

What a testament to the absurd quality and depth of The Cure's discography that not a single of my Top 10 Cure tracks are on this record. Despite it being one of their strongest. The songs are grandiose, Smiths vocals desperate, and the lyrics gloomy as ever.

The influences from Master of Puppets are obvious, but Sepultura's fourth record is more brutal and experimenting in nature. And the drumming is just slightly more tight, as heard on 'Subtraction'. A monster of a track with a brutality in the higher end of the thrash metal spectrum. The legendary title track is equally as brutal and sets the tone for this entire tour de force of industrial-inspired thrash.

How the hell did Boston manage to create this as their debut album??? The style is fully-developed and the musicianship is at full display here. There are some great tracks on this - of course 'More Than A Feeling', but the follow-up 'Peace of Mind' is also extraordinary. At some point though, you begin to question what the purpose is of all this virtuosity. None of the songs succeed in moving me, and while this might not be the aim at all, it's still sad to feel no connection with these brilliant musicians.

Of course this album is immensely impressive - not only for being the prototype heavy metal album, but also for how developed the sound and style is. Tony Iommi's riffs are legendary - as on 'The Wizard' - and his unique way of playing definitely guided the band towards a heavier sound. 52 years later and 'Black Sabbath' x3 is still one of the best doom tracks ever written. Lastly, the production throughout this really is something else, with the vocal pan on 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' being a highlight. The whole process of recording the album in one session seems to have added a unique element to the atmosphere and overall feel.

For sure a milestone in the ever-expanding career of the Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers contains some of Jagger and Richards' best songwriting. Mixed with a band that sound so incredibly in sync and the product is bound to be extraordinary. While 'Can't Hear Me Knocking' and 'Dead Flowers' showcase the band at their grooviest best, the biggest highlight is without a doubt 'Wild Horses' which is as beautiful as 'Brown Sugar' is creepy. The use of 'Wild Horses' in the Gimme Shelter documentary - with the camera panning over the faces of the then-young group contemplating their own lives and the stark contrast to the tragedy at Altamont Free Concert - is one of the greatest moments of rock and roll ever caught on film.

A refreshing departure from the usual radio-friendly disco tracks which catapulted ABBA into music stardom. Everything is still thoroughly composed on the album, but the tracks seem to have more air to breathe and space to develop in. The songwriting is of course extraordinary with the title track providing a strong start while warning the listener that this is not your usual ABBA endeavor. Good stuff.

How can you not like an album which includes the greatest song ever, 'Respect', as determined by the unassailable metrics imposed by Rolling Stone Magazine? Joking aside, Franklin truly is at full force on this record, making incredibly good choices in the songs she covers. A highlight is of course 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - Franklin might be one of a handful of artists capable of matching Sam Cooke's emotion and strength on this song.

For sure some underdeveloped songs on this album, where the sound and Jack's eclectic guitar playing can't quite carry everything. With that said, there are plenty of highlights throughout. 'Black Math' is awesome and it's refreshing to hear Meg on 'In The Cold, Cold Night'. The guitar on 'Ball and Biscuit' is so muddy and ugly, and Meg's drumming on 'The Hardest Button To Button' is vicious as hell. And then what the darn is 'Little Acorns'? I guess the only thing that's left to say is: lååå lå lå lå lå låååå låååå

Absurdly strong start in 'Chocolate Cake' which is never quite lived up to on the remainder of the album. A weird mix of catchy pop-psychedelica including the grossly overplayed 'Weather With You'. 10/10 artwork and title.

There are obviously some very talented studio musicians present here (and a lot of them!). And Bakers deep vibrato is smooth as silk. But overall the record is quite non-memorable, save for some few moments sprinkled throughout. The funky bass on 'Sweet Love' and 'Same Ole Love'. The discrete funk guitar on 'Been So Long'. And the layers upon layers of percussion on almost every track. But all in all the album is much too polished for my tastes. I understand why it was Baker's commercial breakthrough, because every track feels as though it was written and produced with the sole intention of maximizing airtime.

15 years ago this album was on repeat non-stop via Youtube in my room at home. A lot has changed since then, but the sound quality still sounds like someone ripped a DVD and converted the audio track to an mp3 file. The mixing and volume levels are all over the place. Everything is incredibly bloated - I mean, I've listened to Grateful Dead live bootlegs from the 70's with better sound than this. Then there's the setlist which is atrociously bad. Hetfield's voice is very rough on the first handful of tracks, and often time it feels as if the band and the orchestra are playing two different songs entirely. A few tracks like 'Call of Ktulu' and 'The Thing That Should Not Be' actually grow to something else entirely with the added orchestration, and both band members and audience seem to be having fun. Lastly, if this Metallica record is on this list, I will be very disappointed if the first four albums of their discography isn't on it as well.

Amazing to think that Ye was already an insecure megalomaniac with a victim complex on his debut album. The main message of the record is the dumbest of takes: "Kids, don't stay in school. Instead work a lot to make money so that your kids can afford to... go to school?". Overall, the production and sampling is off the hook with Ye being responsible for the vast majority - absolutely incredible. Apart from too many interludes/skits (why is this a thing?), the only true miss is 'The New Workout Plan' and maybe the last 8-9 minutes of 'Last Call'. The rest of the album is fully packed with absolute bangers - 'We Don't Care', 'Jesus Walks', 'Never Let Me Down', 'Family Business', and the mythical origin story that is "Through The Wire". Great debut setting the tone for hiphop for years to come.

Extremely enjoyable effort from the legend Tito Puente (perhaps most famously known as one of the prime suspects in the shooting of C. Montgomery Burns). The orchestration feels effortless but interesting and complex at the same time. Although the lyrics are completely non-understandable to me, the language of mambo is universal. Highlights were the classic 'El Cayuco' and the playful 'Hong Kong Mambo'.

'Close To You' is such an amazing song (although originally by Burt Bacharach). Rest of the album? Not particularly so. The cover of 'Help' really adds nothing new to the song. 'Baby It's You', another Bacharach product, starts off side 2 quite strong, and although the vocal harmonies are impressive, the remaining songs continues with a mix of blandness and sugary sweetness.

There is not a lot worth mentioning on this the sophomore major label album by The Lemonheads - most famous for an uninspiring but radio friendly cover of 'Mrs. Robinson'. 'It's A Shame About Ray' stands out as a decent track, and you can see why it was chosen as the title track. Nothing aggravates about this record, and nothing stands out. I most certainly did not need to listen to this before I died.

I don't really think that Nelson's vocal and melodies are strong enough to elevate the VERY sparsely instrumented songs on this record to something interesting. Then you finally get full orchestration on the terrible 'Down Yonder' which sounds like a parody more than anything else. While this may be a concept album dealing with a double-murder and subsequent newfound love-interest of the Red Headed Stranger, I was never truly invested in the story nor enticed by anything musically. Although the title track does have a nice melody and Willie-boy is quite good at conveying emotions (as on 'Can I Sleep in Your Arms'), this just wasn't for me.

This is REALLY not might kind of groove. 'Janie's Got a Gun' was nice and 'Hoodoo/ Voodoo Medicine Man' cranked the energy up a bit which was much needed. Hate the fiddle at the end of 'What It Takes'. Interesting that this album should appear the day after NASA redirected the trajectory course of an asteroid by crashing into it - just a shame that 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' is not on the record.

I think it's difficult to realize just how amazing it is for any band to sound this good and play this well together. Every single part of the instrumentation sounds magnificent - both in isolation and in the interaction with the rest. The runtime is daunting, but Exile On Main Street is packed to the brim with top-notch tracks: 'Tumbling Dice', 'Let It Loose' and 'Shine a Light' just to mention a few. "I know I play a bad guitar" Jagger confesses on 'Living Cup', but luckily Keith Richard sure doesn't play a bad guitar on this record - perhaps the greatest collection of rock and roll tracks ever.

Strap in boys, this is gonna be a long one. Full disclosure, I believe that Kendrick Lamar's run of "good kid, m.A.A.d city", "To Pimp A Butterfly", "DAMN." and "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" is completely untouched in the world of hip-hop. It might be the best run of albums for a solo artist ever. The man is on a completely different level. "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is the record that catapulted Kendrick Lamar into superstardom. This is before Kung Fu Kenny and before creating a political and societal shockwave. This is K.Dot transforming into Kendrick Lamar. Both are storytellers beyond belief, though I prefer the latter. The whole album really is a long journey - into the depths of Compton and into the depths of his transformation. Starting off with a flash-forward to the ending of 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' is pure genius. It lets the listener know that the gangsta-rap persona is not here to stay and also plays into Kendrick being "thirsty" - but for what? Money, power, pussy or religion? In the spirit of transformation 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Backseat Freestyle', although clever, are a bit underwhelming compared to the later tracks. I realize that it's K-Dot representing his own self-image at 16, but the record REALLY takes off from the storytelling of 'The Art of Peer Pressure' and onwards. From here on out, maybe except for the less interesting Janet Jackson-featuring 'Poetic Justice', the album is a full 10/10. The one-two punch of 'good kid' and 'm.A.A.d city' is impressive - the vocal effects and panning are sick. Combining the lyrics of the latter with confessions in 'Money Trees' it's very understandable why a lot of people believe Kendrick once killed a man. I mean, at the very least that is what he wants us to believe. The darkest moment might ironically be on the abstinence preaching 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' which became the number one party anthem in 2012. And you understand why - the production is off the charts. Then you are hit with the closing 3 tracks. 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' is an instant classic with rich storytelling and introspective reflections. 'Real' is incredibly personal and then the tribute song 'Compton' hits with everything you could ever want - from Dr. Dre to Tupac throwbacks. I'm going for a 4/5 and saving 5/5 for the next 3 of his albums. DAMN this was good. But he was only just beginning.

Quite enjoyable effort from shock rocks grand old man, Alice Cooper. The themes are of course macabre and the content a bt difficult to take seriously. Overall there is just enough variation throughout the record to avoid it becoming a snoozefest. The cover 'Hello Hooray' kicks everything off with a lot of theatrics. I was surprised by the entire vibe, but then saw that it was probably due to producer Bob Ezrin who would later turn the theatrics all the way up to 10/10 when producing The Wall and co-writing 'The Trial' off of that. The album also includes a weird variation on the James Bond theme on 'Unfinished Sweet', a nice pop tune a la The Monkees on 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and finally the classic 'I Love The Dead' which opened the door for many future metal bands concerning what you were allowed to actually sing about on a record.

Impossible not to enjoy Manu Chao's music and the impact his debut had on exposing people around the globe to world music. One of my go-to artists for chill music that anyone can jam to. And boy does he love his marihuana.

I have listened to A LOT of Queen, but mostly live recordings or greatest hits. I have always had the opinion that they were never that strong of an "album-band". Right off the bat I was actually blown away by 'Father To Son' and it was interesting to hear May and Taylor acting as lead vocalists on 'Some Day One Day' and 'The Loser in the End' respectively (although the latter does have some trivial lyrics). The production and mixing is intense with so many layers of sound sprinkled throughout the album. Although it's difficult to see the point of 'Ogre Battle', the backwards-played intro was wild. And then on 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke' I begin to remember why I have a hard time listened to Queen studio albums. Everything is just way too much. All the layers and all the gimmicks are like non-stop stimulants, and at some point I grow tired - I am full. It's a shame actually, because 'The March of the Black Queen' (did someone say prototype of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'?) and 'Seven Seas of Rhye' are great tunes, but at this point my senses are just completely hammered and longing for silence.

I found it quite difficult to take this record seriously - it features A LOT of sound effects which could have been taken directly from GTA (just listen to 'Heat'!). Absolute highlight is on 'High All The Time' where 50 contemplates his need for a new fax machine. That line sure aged like fine milk. Standouts are 'Many Men' (great refrain), 'In Da Club', and the two Eminem features 'Don't Push Me' and 'Patiently' - including the great line "Shady Records was 80 seconds away from the towers, Some cowards fucked with the wrong building, they meant to hit ours".

I had absolutely 0 investment in this very 90's electronica record. 'Radio 7' piqued my interest, but that's probably only because I adore the James Bond theme. I don't know, I guess I like my electronica either more melodically or danceable than this. Maybe it works better as a soundtrack - I enjoyed Holmes' work on the 'Hunger' film.

Brian Warner is by all accounts a pretty shitty human being. Difficult to separate the "artist" from the "art", when his stage persona and narrator are equally pretty shitty. The album is also pretty shitty.

This record is the sound of the new Millennium. It's the sound of countless hours spent on Gorillaz' homepage in the early era of the internet. It's the sound of being so proud of writing a guitar riff in 5/4 time that you name the fucking song '5/4'. The first half of the album is so damn strong. On 'Tomorrow Comes Today' Albarn announces his follow-up plan to fronting one of the most succesful Groups of the 90's - just do it all over again in the new Millennium. This time standing on the shoulder of hiphop and triphop groups of the previous decade. Closing remarks: '19-2000' is far superior in the Soulchild remix version, and a special shoutout to Damon's hopeless flute playing on 'Rock Da House'.

This is my first dive into ELO except for the greatest hits. I guess there is such a thing as progressive soft rock? It's difficult to actively dislike this ear-pleasing double album and Jeff Lynne sure knows how to write a catchy tune. That being said, many of the tracks blur together and as cool as the retro-futuristic soundscapes are, they do become a bit repetitive and tiring during the 1+ hour runtime. 'Wild West Hero' is a great closing track though.

Why is this unneeded amalgam of boring ABBA and simplistic Beatles on the list? The album is ridden with subpar songwriting and clumsy transitions between segments within the tracks. I am inclined to give a 1/5 since this is now the second Bee Gees album where I cannot fathom why it is on the list. And for the love of God, please stop it with the vibrato on. Every. Single. Track.

It's quite rare that an entire album worth of songs works with as sparse instrumentation as on 'Tapestry', but the extraordinary songwriting skills of Carole King are more than enough to carry the entire record. I don't feel the same emotional connection to 'Tapestry' as to for instance Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' from the same year, but there are still so many strong tracks on this - 'So Far Away', 'It's Too Late', and the amazing (and frequently covered) duo of 'You've Got a Friend' and '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman'. Crazy that 'You've Got a Friend' won two Grammys in the same year for two different recording (King's and James Taylor's).

I am having a hard time understanding the hype concerning this one. There are great bursts of energy and some catchy riffs along the way ('Pink Flag', 'Straight Line', 'Mannequin' and '12 X U' stand out), and Wire were of course completely ahead of their time when they released this in 1977. But the end product does not move me (neither emotional nor body-wise) and any innovations have long time since been thoroughly incorporated in contemporary punk and post-punk. Cool tunes though.

Now this is new-wave I can get behind! I really did not get Talking Heads in my younger days. Now I find myself enjoying them more and more with each re-visit. Their debut is rough around the edges, but very much points forward towards material yet to come. 'No Compassion' slaps hard, and 'Don't Worry About the Government' is so good and gives Byrne an excuse to flex his musicianship. Finally, 'Pulled Up' is a nice closer, but 'Psycho Killer' definitely steals the show. "Say something once, why say it again?"

'At Fillmore East' is an exhibition in stretching the six-note blues scale to last more than 70 minutes. The Allman Brothers Band does it to perfection and really shines when they switch up the dynamics and/or tempo during the lengthy tracks. The closing, original 'Whipping Post' is a great example. But alas, at the end of the day it's still just very talented musicians jamming it out and could just have well been a recording of the band in their rehearsal space. Albeit with VERY good sound quality!

Great unconventional gloomy post-punk from Siouxsie and her Banshees. Everything on the record is drenching with hopelessness perfectly captured by John McGeoch's theatrical guitar-playing. Even when the guitar is mixed all the way in the background, you can hear him giving it his all. 'Spellbound', 'Halloween' and 'Voodoo Dolly' are highlights.

The Pogues are charming as hell, and I love me some Celtic folk-punk. 'Rum Sodomy & The Lash' would have benefitted from a bit of fat-trimming (looking at you, 'The Wild Cats of Kilkenny'), but there are glimpses of greatness throughout with 'A Pair of Brown Eyes' and the cover of 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda' striking a nerve.

Short and sweet. Playful, unpredictable, tender, with great melodies. I definitely need to listen to some more 'The Divine Comedy!

What's left to say that hasn't already been said countless times? Thanks, I truly did enjoy the show.

Eh, easily the worst of The Who's concept albums. It sure does not take itself seriously, but the concept of sprinkling annoying jingles out across the record really is horrible. And then BAM, 'I Can See For Miles' hits as the closer of side 1. What a track on an otherwise unremarkable album. I do not get the praise, but then again, you have to praise Moon for his drumming, Townsend for his guitar, Entwistle for his bass, and Daltrey for his ethereal vocals... Man what a group.

I have a hard time dealing with R&B. I can obviously hear that there are a lot of redeeming qualities - the smooth-as-silk vocals, the great beats and the stellar production. But I'm just. So. Damn. Bored. And then all the repetition. ALL the repetitions. Nothing about this grabs my attention, and it seems to work the best when playing in the background while doing household chores (or other, more interesting activities...). I'm probably just not sexy enough to get it.

Goddamn, I was completely blown away by this! At the beginning of my first listen, I had to get a bit into it, but when 'On The Lash' came on, it was like the combination of brutality and catchiness clicked with me. On 'Spike Island' Joe Cardamone's desperate but lazy vocals is easily compared to fellow rock-revivor Julian Casablancas. And what an insanely great sound on the bass and guitar! The brutality seeps through the record - on the vicious 'Kiss Like Lizards' or on 'Getting Bright at Night' where an intense cacophony explodes into energetic riffs. On top of that you have innovative changes in dynamics on the post-punky 'Big Sleep' as well as a jazz-inspired polyrhythmic sequence on 'White Devil'. The record truly keeps you on your toes. Industrial of course also makes a guest appearance on 'Meatmaker' (a 00's fad that I am not a fan of), and psychedelia is given a whirl as well on 'Sea Sick' (this I approve of). But then... For some inexplicable reason, they decided to end the album with 'Party the Baby Off'. What an insufferable, empty-headed tune sounding like it belongs on an Aerosmith album - and not one of the tolerable ones. So much fun. So disappointed. What a rollercoaster.

Quite enjoyable record, and it seems like the band had a blast in the studio. Nothing remarkable either, and the closer 'Sometimes I Make You Sad' felt a bit out of place.

'New York, New York' is a classic, but you have to wonder if the song and album in general would have the same status in pop culture if not for the timing of the release shortly after 9/11. With harmonica, organ and tight jeans the references to both Bob and Bruce are plentiful. And the music is pleasant enough. Original less so. I start to lose interest around 'Somehow, Someday' - track 6 out of 16. Whew. 'Nobody Girl' has absolutely no business being almost 10(!) minutes long. ‘Touch, Feel, and Lose' is a bright moment on the latter half of the record with Adams channeling his inner Prince, and 'Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd.' ends the album the way it started - on a classic. But man is it long.

I had never heard of Solomon Burke before, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this vibrant record. There is nothing truly groundbreaking happening, perhaps if it was released 10 years earlier, and the lyrical content is not complex at all, but Burke's voice is magnetic and the instrumentation on point. The tracks never overstay their welcome, and there is plenty of variety both in genre, mood and dynamics. Pleasantly surprised!

A great, barebone musing on the state of the land circa 1973. Scott-Heron truly had a way with words and rhythm, as is extremely well showcased on the culminating track 'H20gate Blues' - transporting the listener back to the political landscape of the 70's. But what really makes the record shine is in the collaboration with jazz and soul musician Brian Jackson. On the groovy 'The Bottle' the worlds of spoken word and soul collide and merge to create a strong social commentary.

Incredible testament to noise and dissonance featuring the most playful duo of guitarists in the same band ever (example 1: 'Hey Joni'). The album is creative as hell, blending genres and creating a highly chaotic cosmos of its own. I have to mention Gordon's bass and Shelley's drums as well. They really are extraordinary and drive each and every song (almost metal-like on ''Cross the Breeze'). Also a shoutout to 'Eric's Trip' - what a tune! I do have a few issues with the record - the runtime IS exessive, and stuff like 'Providence' feels like filler - but by the time the last trilogy of tracks roll in all is forgiven and forgotten. What a way to close an album.

"Isn't Anything" is a highly impactful debut where mbv (Shields & co.) were in the process of molding lo-fi indie into what would become shoegaze. The result is more straightforward and bare than "Loveless", but it's still am incredibly earnest record with Shields' trademark ethereal melodies. It's a great ride but still a notch below what was yet to come.

Elbow really is a remarkable band. The Seldom Seen Kid almost overflows with intimacy ('Friend of Ours') and atmosphere ('The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver'). My personal two highlights where when the strings kicked in on 'Mirror Ball' and the über cool pseudo title track 'Grounds For Divorce'. Guy Garvey's voice truly is haunting and fits the entire feel of the album very well.

Even with a personal affection towards 60's and 70's psychedelic I find it a bit difficult to see why The Slider is included in the list. Sure the songs are solid, but it's very much style over substance for the most parts. Songs like 'Rock On', 'The Slider', 'Baby Boomerang' and 'Buick Mackane' feel hollow. The second side is stronger with tracks like 'Rabbit Fighter' and 'Ballrooms of Mars' almost dragging this record into three-star territory.

When Dinosaur Jr. works, it works so well. On 'No Bones' and 'The Post', the desperation in Mascis' vocals just connects with me somehow. Other times Mascis' singing gets very very very off-tune ('Let It Ride', 'Pond Song'), but it somehow never truly falls in on itself, and the distorted guitar and bass accompanies the rough vocals perfectly. But, I am really not a fan of the NU-metal-ish guitar sound on 'Yeah We Know' and 'Don't' simply becomes too lo-fi and noisy for me, making it impossible for me to enjoy (despise Murph's excellent smashing behind the drums). Had to give my ears a break after this one.

Such an atmospheric and theatric record which sounds as fresh now as in 1973. Bryan Ferry's voice is instantly recognizable and truly gets to shine on the wailing and dramatic 'Strictly Confidential'. 'The Bogus Man' is a very early prototype for The Cure's more gothic phases, and the bombastic 'In Every Dream Home A Heartache' is the true highlight for me. This is also where Brian Eno really sets his mark on the record with background vocals and excessive phasing.

When I first listened to Either Or several years ago when working my way through this list I was absolutely transfixed by Smiths songwriting. Years later I still find the record striking a nerve with Smiths sense of melody and guitar sound stealing the show ('Alameda', 'Rose Parade', 'Punch and Judy'). Although most compositions are fragile and intimate, like 'Between The Bars', Smith shows quite the range on a few tracks like 'Cupid's Trick' and the Sgt. Peppers inspired 'Pictures of Me'. Strong disassociation all over the place from a very strong lyricist: "Crooked spin can't come to rest, I'm damaged bad at best"

Kate Bush is magical and on The Dreaming she opens up her magical dreamland for all of us to enter. The record is ambitious, theatrical and full of sound bites and untraditional production fitting for a highly untraditional artist. 'Sat In Your Lap' is an incredibly powerful opener, but like a well-written piece of fiction, Bush makes sure to include both intense stretches and parts more suitable for reflection on the record. Baroque instrumentation floods the album with vocal inspired equally by Shakespearean readings as by Chinese operas ('Suspended In Gaffa'). And what vocal Kate Bush has. Dramatic, theatrical and with an incredible range. The vocal production is as adventurous as Bush ('Leave It Open') - her hoarse intensity on 'Night of the Swallow' is beyond belief. And what a tune! The Dreaming is simply a power performance by one of the most iconic voices ever. And just in case anyone had any doubt, it's quite evident: without Kate Bush, no Björk

Previously unfamiliar with both artist and album, I felt this was a very accesable introduction to The Only Ones. The melodies are on point and unlike many punk and new wave bands of their era, the musicianship is top notch. The standout track is 'Another Girl, Another Planet' which is insanely catchy while still carrying a lo-fi garage sound. No wonder it apparently became their signature song. 'City of Fun' is another catchy one, and 'Breaking Down' sees the group going full jazz with groovy 70s keys. The Only Ones might have been long forgotten along with the vast majority of their contemporaries if not for their capabilities behind their instruments. Moments like the tight 'Creature of Doom' and THAT GUITAR on 'Language Problems' make this album a very nice acquaintance indeed.

I really don't enjoy listened to Kiss. It's not the worst garbage ever, except for 'Great Expectations' which is horrible.

Imagine putting this record on in 1968 and being hit with 'Sympathy For The Devil' for the very first time… What an experience. With references to beggars, factory girls and salt of the earth, The Rolling Stones were determined to show that they were an act for the common man. Perhaps this was in strong opposition to the early stages of progressive or art rock emerging in the late 60s. In any case, the album saw the Stones returning to their bluesy and folksy roots. Although not quite resonating with me on the same level as Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street, Beggars Banquet is packed with great songwriting: The sensitive and acoustic 'No Expectations', the Dylanesque 'Jigsaw Puzzle', the classic 'Street Fighting Man' with its violent piano, and 'Stray Cat Blues' where the band plays like one living bluesy organism.

Way too long record with a weird mix of originals and covers from a guy who is quite good at playing the guitar but does not seem to have any other redeeming qualities. One star each for 'Bell Bottom Blues' and 'Layla'.

Solid record which really takes flight when The Replacements go from the more punky songs to the more posty-punky ones. The trio of 'Androgynous', 'Black Diamond' and 'Unsatisfied' smack in the middle of the album is clearly the peak.

I have a huge affection for Pet Shop Boys, and "Actually" is the boys at their most Pet Shoppy. There's room for power pop as well as sensitive, extravagant ballads. The obvious tracks to highlight are 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' (with a delightful feature from Dusty Springfield) and the smash hit 'It's a Sin' (whose melody is TOTALLY not a ripoff of 'Wild World'...). But for me the lesser known tracks 'Rent' and especially 'Heart' are just as noteworthy and work extremely well on the record as well as live. As always with the Boys: great melodies, a strong backbeat and an all around good time had by all.

How on earth do you review this kind of stuff? 'Timeless' is a long ass track. I like the beep-boop sounds around the 13 minute mark. 'Inner City Life' is the only part of the entire album that I recognize. 'State of Mind' is quite enjoyable and the album is atmospheric enough ('Still Life', 'Sea of Tears'), but it's just way too long. Even most movies have a hard time filling out such a runtime.

To call Groovin' an album is a stretch - it feels more like a collection of singles written with one purpose in mind: to climb the charts. Heavily inspired by the Beatles in both vocal harmonies and instrumentation (the knock-off sitar sound on 'Find Somebody'), I can't help but think that they were constantly a few years behind the Fab Four - and with less stellar songwriting in place. With that said, there are good moments on Groovin'. The soulful title track itself doesn't pique my interest, but the Spanish infused 'Sueno' and 'I'm So Happy Now' are enjoyable. The most interesting part of the record is the final trio of 'You Better Run', 'A Place In The Sun', and 'It's Love' which closes the whole thing on a quite strong note. What an odd collection of songs.

Great record containing the monster hit 'What's Love Got To Do with It' which I never actually held in high regard. But Turner delivers an impressive vocal performance accompanied by a smooth funky guitar. Some aspects of the album sound incredibly dated, like 'Show Some Respect', but almost every tune is still a lot of fun! 'I Can't Stand The Rain' is such an incredible tune, and TT does a great job covering it. I don't really get why 'Private Dancer' became such a hit? It's a lot of repetition with bland instrumentation a la Dire Straits (edit: lol, just found out that Knopfler wrote the track and members of Dire Straits recorded it for this album). A fun trip to glam metal on 'Steel Claw', an emotional rendition of 'Help', and a solid Bowie cover in '1984' closes out a surprisingly entertaining record.

I mean the tunes are great - but they are way better in their original form sans bongo. Why oh why?

The record that defined ambient as a genre, Brian Eno created this in 1978 and today it still sounds like it came from the future. I could actually feel my cortisol levels dropping while listening to this. Relaxing, but never boring. Beautiful, but still challenging. The heavenly choir on '2/1' is something else. From the liner notes: "Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting". Eno fully succeeded in this - Music For Airports creates a space that allows you to alternate between being lost in the music and being lost in your own thoughts.

Echo And The Bunnymen sounds like the kind of act you hire for your kid's birthday party. Do not do this. Ocean Rain is filled with dark, dramatic post-punk just the way I like it. 'Nocturnal Me' is a prime example, and the erratic 'Throne of Crowns' takes it to the next level with its manic, energetic rambling. And 'The Killing Moon' is just incredible - easily a top three moon-mentioning track.

An unparalleled fresh and original sound in 1968 with strong ties to the American song tradition, and which served as a huge inspiration for countless acts to follow. The ties to Bob Dylan are strong, but it's incredible for The Band to create a record which sounds wholeheartedly different than what they did while acting as Dylan's backing band. Music From Big Pink is charming with a production making it sound like it was actually recorded in a basement. The vocal harmonies are raw but authentic, and the highlights are plenty: 'Caledonia Mission', the swinging 'We Can Talk', 'Lonesome Suzie', 'This Wheel's On Fire' and of course 'The Weight'.

The Kinks were one of the few bands who could go toe-to-toe with The Beatles without sounding like ancient dinosaurs. 'Tin Soldier Man' and 'Situation Vacant' sounds like they are coming straight out of Sgt. Pepper, and the records are from the same year - quite impressive! A bit more rowdy than the Fab Four (it's extremely rock and roll to be banned from touring the US), the album features stints into various genres with most of them being quite successful. 'Lazy Old Sun' is an innovative take on the psychedelic genre, and 'Death of a Clown' is a straight up banger blending Dylanesque folk with British baroque. Finally, 'Waterloo Sunset' really is one of the greatest songs out of the 1960s. Ray Davies' lyrics and soft vocals continuously sends chills down my spine and cements the status of 'Something Else By The Kinks' as a classic.

Extremely powerful debut which draws you in with its indie hooks and lo-fi production. The whole thing could easily have been 5-6 tracks shorter and benefitted from the reduced runtime, but the length also allows Phair to showcase a wide variety of song structures. The album takes a bit getting used to, but by the time the stripped down 'Dance of the Seven Veils' comes on, I start to get it. Highlight of the album for me: the groovy 'Mesmerizing' leading into the monster of a track; 'Fuck and Run'. What an extremely catchy and gritty track. This song has been living rent free in my mind for several years now since the first time I heard it.

What an absolutely infuriating listen with pretentiousness and dissonance in overflow. Absolute low-point is the useless hiphop beat in the middle of 'Useful Chamber' with equally useless spoken words(?).

Bob Marley does Bob Marley stuff. Instrumentation is on point with some nice horns sprinkled throughout. The songs do start to blend a bit together around the title track, but there are still some great tunes in the social commentaries of 'Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)', 'Rebel Music' and 'Revolution'. And the melody on 'No Woman No Cry' is just superb.

The thing that struck me during this particular listen of Bitches Brew is how incredibly groovy the entire thing feels. Something so experimental has no business inducing as much head-bobbing as this record does. Jazz-rock fans everywhere salute the incredible bunch of musicians who got together to bring this groundbreaking recording into existence.

Only one listen, but one listen was plenty. I tried noting down highlights but gave up around 'Death To Everyone' - every single track on this magnificent record is an absolute highlight! The desperate, heartfelt, post-punk delivered by Oldham is simply amazing. The entire thing feels fragile but with a solid foundation in melodies, lyrics and perfect choices of the very sparse instrumentation.

An excellent record blending noise, pop and jangle in one accessible mix. Adding a shade of melancholy on top, and the inspirations from R.E.M. are obvious ('Guiding Star' for instance).

Lorde has an incredible voice and writes some catchy tunes. The production is crystal clear and perfect, but I definitely miss a scratch or smudge on the very polished surface. A pleasant listening experience, but nothing stays with me.

Maybe I am a bit damaged, but I was expecting something truly awful and unlistenable here. Instead there is a huge variety on this groundbreaking record with the common theme being snapshots of industrial Britain in a time where the British music scene was trying to find its way in a tumultuous musical decade. The most difficult part of the record was the final two tracks 'Walls of Sound' and ' Blood on the Floor' which were both difficult but by no means horrible. The road leading to the closing tracks is however truly entertaining and diverse. From the rhythmic and enjoyable 'I.B.M.' the record visits a moody atmospheric (and sometimes scary) place on 'Valley of the Shadow of Death' and 'E-Coli'. On 'Hamburger Lady', Throbbing Gristle also gives their idea for the imaginary soundtrack to a spaghetti western set in a rundown factory in northern England. The band is also surprisingly groovy at times, especially when channeling their inner role as direct descendants of krautrock as is evident on the groovy 'AB/7A' and 'Dead on Arrival' - an awesome combination of space lasers and machine throttles. Further listens are of course warranted, but I imagine it is more likely to yield and extra star than make me think less of this record.

Welp, that's the entire MBV discography only 139 albums in. m b v is better than Isn't Anything but not as good as Loveless. So there it is, the definitive MBV ranking. Shields is still a master of blending dissonance and harmonies (as on 'who sees you'), but a few soothing songs ('is this and yes' and 'if i am') I actually found a bit dull.

While Albarn and Gallagher were battling it out as pretty boys on the cover of magazines, Jarvis Cocker was out there writing songs for the working class while banging high-class girls. Well done lad. And similar to what those girls told Cocker afterwards, the whole thing was quite enjoyable but a bit too long.

I don't know. On paper, Belle & Sebastian should be my jam. But the whole thing is just way too... sweet? In lack of a better word. It's nice with some sweetness as a palet cleanser after Throbbing Gristle, but a whole menu of this? It becomes way too much.

I think it is difficult to overestimate just how massive this record was when it came out. A handful of the tracks were utterly unavoidable, and the only reason why anyone would want to avoid them would be Kiedis' awful awful awful awful lyrics. But the rest of the band? Man what a group. The return of Frusciante is really evident and brings a lot of life to the whole thing. And then there is the production... What can I say, it truly is a product of its time.

Quite possibly my favourite britpop album of all time. 'Girls & Boys' and 'Parklife' are top notch tracks and deservedly so also smash hits for Albarn and co. 'To The End' and 'This Is a Low' are equally great, and it's great to see the lads having a sense of humor by closing on 'Lot 105'. Unlike other attempts at ending on a jokey song (looking at you Beatles), 'Lot 105' is a perfect ending capturing the atmosphere of the entire thing in one short catchy melody.

What a set of pipes on this one. Adele has a phenomenal voice and the production does not get any better than this. No wonder that sales were through the roof - this is music that you can put on either in the background of a romantic dinner or for when you want a crowd to scream along to 'Hello'.

Right now, this is my least favourite of Drake's trilogy, but that's really not saying a lot. Songwriting, atmosphere and intimacy is still incredibly on point, and this is undeniably an impressive debut. My short attention span was a little challenged this time around, since Drake's compositions are so bare that they demand full focus.

A flawless album if there ever was one. Everything is so goddamn smooth! From Paul Simon's melodies to the fretless bass (well done Bakithi Kumalo) everything seems to melt together in a perfect blend. Graceland is a true rebellion against division and the road to harmony.

For some reason I did not expect Sheer Heart Attack to be my favourite Queen album, but here we are! 'Brighton Rock' into 'Killer Queen' is an exceptional opener and a perfect taste of what to come. On this record, Queen manages to blend their baroque-inspired compositions with a more heavy instrumentation to great results. The listener is still bombarded with sensory impressions, but not to as high degree as on Queen II. 'Tenement Funster' displays a great set of pipes on Roger Taylor, and the transition into 'Flick of the Wrist' is flawless. 'Stone Cold Crazy' is two minutes of pure fun, and 'In the Lap of the Gods' is Freddie at his best. The song lengths are to the shorter side which does cause some genre-related motion sickness at times, especially towards the end with 'Misfire', 'Bring Back That Leeroy Brown' and 'She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)' being quite weak compared to the first half (May proves on the latter that he by far is the weakest singer in the band). An unfocused but very entertaining record.

Thoroughly enjoyed this record, and we have to give credit to Buck Owens (and his wife Bonnie Owens???) for giving us the classic 'Wham Bam'. Not a lot of sincere emotions on this, but the tunes are catchy and fun.

My all time favourite U2 album. Let's start with the obvious: 'Where The Streets Have No Name', 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For', and 'Without or Without You' might be the strongest trio of songs to kick off an album with ever. Absolutely insane. But every. Single. Track. On this record is on point. 'Running To Stand Still' closing out side one and then starting side two with 'Red Hill Mining Town' is probably my current highlight of the album. The desperation in Bono's voice has never sounded better than on the latter. And speaking of sound, it of course goes without saying that the entire production and mixing of this is just magnificent. Well done Eno and Lanois. On a closing note, I know that The Edge gets a lot of flack for not being a particular good guitarist. While he's definitely not bombarding us with licks and solos, the sound that he manages to create on The Joshua Tree is iconic. His shifts in dynamics are excellent, and he never overstays his welcome with his characteristic, jangly, atmospheric, echoing notes. I mean, thousands have tried to copy this sound - most unsuccesful.

Amidst the early stages of rap, who knew that the worlds first album essentially created using samples would come from a bunch of very academic, very white, new wave pioneers? And through this very academic approach, Byrne and Co. managed to create a record that unlike any other resembles a stream of consciousness. Remain In Light truly is a unique piece of art and deserves all praise it has gotten. Off the bat with 'Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)' you know something special is going on. Every track is remarkable with 'Once in a Lifetime' of course grabbing a lot of the attention. But come on; the lyrics on 'Seen and Not Seen', the spoken words on 'Houses in Motion', the entire thing that is 'Listening Wind'. Just wow. I could go on for days. I think it's pretty safe to say that without this record, there would have been no Graceland by Mr. Paul Simon. Oh, and good luck trying to find a chord progression in this thing

What a pleasant surprise! Extremely nice jazz from the African continent, which I will have to dig a lot deeper into.

It had been a while since we had any songs from the soundtrack to GTA: San Andreas, so it was a pleasure to listen to 'Movin' On Up' for the first time in a while. What a great track. If only the rest of the record was like this. But it is not. The few times I have revisited this very 90's effort from Primal Scream I always end up feeling that it is very much a chore to get through this acid house inspired marathon record. I realize that it's only an hour long, but it feels like an eternity. Besides straight up boring stuff like 'Inner Flight', a lot of the tracks simply cannot keep me interested for their entire runtime (looking at you 'Come Together'). The number one drug anthem 'Loaded' just might be the exception to this, and there are other nice parts like 'Higher than the Sun', but in totality this is a record that just doesn't work for me.

So incredibly incredibly bland. 'There She Goes' is fine, but this entire thing is stuck in the 90's. I do not get the hype.

It had to happen at some point. This is the fourth Rolling Stones album on the list for me, and it's a dud. I realize the importance of Jagger and Richards developing as songwriters, but this felt quite repetitive. 'I Am Waiting' is nice, and 'Paint It Black' is simply legendary. Too bad that the version listed in the book is the UK release which did not include it...

Walk into a random jazzclub across the globe and there's a good chance that the orchestra playing is still trying to mimic the sound and atmosphere created on Birth of the Cool. With one collection of songs, bebop was surpassed by cool jazz, and smoke-filled venues never looked back. Highlights were 'Venus de Milo', 'Godchild' and 'Boplicity', but everything was just cool as heck.

Unbelievable how recognizable a lot of the tracks were. This is a blueprint record in so many ways. It does get a bit monotone, but the storytelling (and social commentary!) is great. Would have been a 4 if not for Flava Flav insisting on his "yeah boiiiiiii"…

New York Dolls are without a doubt a legendary band, although it's kind of hard to shake the feeling that they were really just a Velvet Underground inspired band sprinkled with some proto-punk on top. But it simply works. A plethora of bands followed in the slipstream of New York Dolls with Ramones being the most obvious example. But this debut is so much better than anything Ramones put out. Here you actually have plenty of variety while still maintaining a whirlwind of raw energy - exemplified by the frantic panning of the guitar solo on 'Vietnamese Baby'.

Very enjoyable indie record which is not afraid to be gritty and dissonant. Barlow is great as always.

Holy moly this caught me completely off guard. Insanely strong pop effort with pristine production and absolutely catchy tunes delivered by a silky smooth vocal. Everything feels so effortless but incredibly polished at the same time. The jazzy feeling on the closer 'Kissing a Fool' did feel a bit out of place and was just too sugary for my taste.

Tori Amos has an impressive voice, but I just cannot get into what she chooses to use it for. The lyrics are interesting and the compositions likewise, but I just cannot shake the feeling that Little Earthquakes is trapped in the 90s. Side note: it probably does not help that every single Disney tune since 'Let It Go' seems to be heavily inspired by Amos…

First time actually listening to Jane's Addiction. Good stuff.

How do you even begin reviewing something like this? Apparently, Minutemen wanted to have the overarching concept of the album be their cars. They definitely succeeded since the entire thing sounds like it's being played from a poor quality car stereo. And I mean that in the best possible way. It's difficult to highlight specific tracks, but the run on Side Mike from 'The Big Foist' to 'The Glory of Man' over both 'Bod Bows to Math' and 'Corona' is exceptionally good. The folk-punky 'Corona' opening with the words "The people will survive" was a bit eery. With a runtime of more than 70 minutes, it really is impressive how fun this record is to indulge in. Finally, I have to give 4 stars for making me laugh out loud from a song title only - 'Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing'.

Not only did Don McLean write two of my favourite tracks of all time - 'American Pie' and 'Vincent' - he also managed to put them on the same album. A record that stood upon the shoulder of the hippie movement of the late 60s but managed to create its very own long lasting cultural impact. McLeans voice is hauntingly beautiful - exemplified on the very visual anti-war track 'The Grave' - and his phrasings on the guitar matches it perfectly. His rendition of 'Babylon' as the closing track is also phenomenal. I don't have anything bad to say about this record at all.

On paper, this should be a 5/5 for me. I mean 'The Fly', 'Mysterious Ways', 'Ultra Violet (Light My Way)', and 'Acrobat' are all great. And this is without even mentioning 'One', the most out of place wedding song since 'Every Breath You Take'. But I have always felt that there is something missing on Achtung Baby. Just that special feeling that is present on The Joshua Tree, but I cannot find here. Maybe it's the vast emptiness that Eno and Lanois managed to capture on the previous record which just suits Bono's vocals and The Edge's sound so well. Oh well, still a great one!

Obviously incredibly hard-hitting in 1965, and if there were one band that every rock-revival group of the start 00's were trying to channel, it was The Sonics (White Stripes, Black Keys, you name it). But almost 60 years later, it sounds VERY simple and monotonous. It's some groovy stuff, and their importance cannot be overestimated. It just doesn't rock my world.

Fuck the police. And women. And Mexicans. And... Surprisingly funky, but very little for me in this.

The Boss is far from dancing in the dark on Nebraska, where he channels his main inspiration Bob Dylan to create a collection of intimate tales of outsiders across the nation. The harmonica is haunting and the instrumentation sparse. Springsteen was always a great lyricist, but unlike 'Born in the USA', Nebraska is an album were the listener is actually forced to listen and consider each and every word. I will never be the biggest Springsteen fan, but where some of his biggest hits are perfect for hitting a 6 lane highway, tracks such as 'Atlantic City', 'State Trooper' and 'My Father's House' are perfect for driving on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness.

At the same time Bowie wrote and recorded Low, he starred in The Man Who Fell To Earth, and the two projects are unmistakably intertwined. I might be biased by a recent viewing of the film, but to me there is a strong recurring theme of loneliness and alienation in both projects. This is especially felt during the second, mostly instrumental, side of the album. Released in 1977, it's a rare album that still sounds impressively fresh to this day while showing full transparency in its inspiration from krautrock. It really doesn't sound dated in any way.

First of all, 10/10 album cover. Faithfull's voice is incredibly haunting and she manages to be equal parts fragile and gritty (as on the closing track 'Why D'Ya Do It'). 'Broken English', 'Witches' Song', and 'Guilt' are all great, and 'The Ballad of Lucy Jordan' paints an all too clear imagery while borrowing a bit of melody from 'Desolation Row'. Also, her version of 'Working Class Hero' has been stuck with me since the first time i heard it. To me, it's the superior version. It really is a great record which, besides being carried by Faithfull's vocals, is driven by incredible guitar work. It's perfectly groovy, always in the background, but continuously pulsating and creating momentum.

Phil Spector you crazy cocaine-fueled murderer. This is the Christmas gift no one asked for and the wall of sound at its absolute worst.

Quite a cool experience to get this album right after their sophomore effort. Public Enemy turned the amount of samples way up, and Flavor Flav decided to turn his catchphrase way down. It's a win-win, and Fear of a Black Planet is a better record for it. At more than 60 minutes in runtime, the record is a mouthful, and perhaps it could be more focused if a handful of tracks were excluded (like 'Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya, Man!' and 'B Side Wins Again') or outros were trimmed - like on 'Power to the People'. But the storytelling is still incredibly on point with highlights in 'Brothers Gonna Work It Out', '911 is a Joke' (where Flav actually sounds great), and the cool 'Burn Hollywood Burn' with its equal criticism of typecasting and blaxploitation in films. Closing on 'Fight The Power' is crazy.

What a weird mix of britpop, art rock and glam. This is a record for people who want to dive into the musical history of Britain but have a very short attention span. I enjoyed the ride (I think?) but it feels like a tasting menu, where I never truly got to immerse myself into what was going on.

Today I learned a new music term - raga rock. While some efforts are enjoyable, I found this one incredibly dull and adding nothing new to the random Rolling Stones and Doors covers.

Simply magnificent album. Sigur Rós really are unique in the way they are able to combine incredibly beautiful sounds with something deeply primal. The result is an album that ressonates strongly with the listener and facilitates a wide range of emotions. ‘Svefn-g-englar', 'Flugufrelsarinn' and the title track are all masterpieces.

I mean, it's ZZ Top so you pretty much get what you would expect. I found the first side more engaging, but that might just be because a full albums worth of their signature hard rock is too much for me.

I completely understand why someone would not be into New Order, but I am utterly in love with their sound. I mean, just listen to 'Face Up'. Danceable desperation is my favourite thing. That being said, I always have a hard time finding outstanding tracks on a New Order record. It is the entire atmosphere that gets me, but it also means that I am never quite ready to claim that any of their records are masterpieces.

The album that started my initial obsession with metal music, The Number of The Beast is an absolute beast (get it?) of an album. Dickinson delivers one of the greatest vocal performances of the genre, and the songwriting from Harris is explosive and tight. Of course, American conservatives were highly offended by the album and deemed the band Satanists. But what these puritans actually should have been scared of, is the relentless attack on their world perception happening on the album - protagonists breaking free of conformity and violent descriptions of the imperialistic roots of USA. This is a band with something on their mind. Of course, you cannot write about this album without mentioning Side Two: 'The Number of the Beast', 'Run To The Hills' (Burr's drumming is one for the ages) and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. Absolute insanity to have these three tracks on the same side of a record.

Everything is so incredibly dense on Paul's Boutique, and the sampling and production are superb. Layer after layer of recognizable samples flowing together seamlessly. It really is impressive. The record flows nicely, and I completely understand why it's a go-to album for many people when setting up sound equipment. Everything sounds amazing. And while Beastie Boys are fun and sound great together, I always find it challenging to listen to them. Something just gets on my nerves, and I'm never truly able to enjoy it.

I must admit, I had never heard of Laura Nyro before this record popped up. The influences on Joni Mitchell and the likes are obvious from the first listen. Nyro's vocal is impressive, but I really do not care for the swing-jazzy pop she delves into on the album. Some interesting songwriting for sure, but the sudden shifts in dynamics and tempo from track to track leave me exhausted.

Holy smokes Todd, leave some drugs for the rest of us! This might just be the most 70s record of all time. Your favourite musicians favourite musician, Todd Rundgren, takes everyone on a journey through space and time. Space rock, psychedilia and progpop/rock melts together in an incredibly unfocused, too long, lovable record encapsulating an entire musical movement. I prefer the more surprising elements of the album than the rather dull Medley taking up around a third of side 2. Luckily, 'Just One Victory' ends the whole trip and a very high note.

So this could just be the early stages of a crush talking, but I might just have a new favourite world music album. I was completely hooked from the get-go and the interest never faltered through the 9 tracks. This record really is something else. Baaba Maal has an amazing and unconventional voice, and the acoustic guitar of Mansour Seck is hauntingly beautiful. Adding on top of that the idiophone on for instance 'Muudo Hormo', and the result is an incredible atmosphere transporting the listener to somewhere else entirely. What impresses me is how the record manages to be so so groovy while still leaving plenty of space for contemplation. Definitely worthy of a lot more listens.

First of all, Win Butler seems to be a shitty person. Apparently that's just how it is. Probably not in my top three Arcade Fire albums, Neon Bible is still an impressive record. Desperation, catchy tunes and unorthodox instrumentations all blended together in a shaker of solid songwriting. The highlights are plenty and the focus on religion and television is interesting. And, like I know that Montreal is close to the border, but I've always wondered why Arcade Fire has so many diss tracks aimed at USA. I mean, it's pretty weird to spend that much time singing about how awful another country is. But I dig it. 'Keep The Car Running', 'Intervention', 'Ocean of Noise', 'No Cars Go' and 'My Body Is A Cage' are all impeccable. The terrifying crescendo on the latter to close out the album is stunning. But there are also more forgettable songs, and I am not quite as emotionally invested in this one as in some of their other work. I will save my 5/5 for later.

I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but holy cow does The Black Keys owe a tonne to Jack White. Their sound is incredibly similar, but much safer than both White's solo output and his time in various groups. And much like most of White's output, I grow tired of listening to a full length album. Especially one as long as Brothers. The lyrics are vapid. It's garage rock that isn't gritty enough, and it's blues rock without heart. It's music designed for commercials. But it's not unlistenable. I just don't see the point in any of it. I like 'Howling For You' though.

This is it. This is an absolutely perfect album. The album art is 10/10. The production and mixing is 10/10. The lyrics, melodies, dynamics and overall songwriting is 10/10. The only argument against The Dark Side of the Moon is that it has been played and praised to an extreme. But just how in the world did this end up being one of the biggest commercial hits ever? The lead single is in 7/4 and it's not like Pink Floyd was a household name across the globe in 1973. The songs do not have traditional structures, a large part of the album is instrumental (and not just sweet guitar stuff), and it doesn't exactly lend itself to sing-along parties. And that's exactly why I think this is a perfect record. It has broad appeal independent of the listeners musical preferences. It doesn't rely on specific hooks or gimmicks which might alienate some people. It just exists in this perfect timeless space of universal themes and perfect sound. Even for Pink Floyd, this is not standard stuff. Oh, and Alan Parsons did all of this before turning 25… Jesus.

I knew this day would come. Hendrix was a virtuous. His guitar playing is ferocious and unparalleled. But I don't really care for listening to this for over an hour. A lot of non-memorable tracks and a handful of standalone greats. 'Gypsy Eyes' is groovy and '1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)' is epic. The album sounds like it's a live recording with a group of friends as the audience, and while the atmosphere is great, I don't think there is enough interesting material here to warrant the excessive runtime. Then, of course, 'All Around The Watchtower' just hits out of fucking nowhere! Perhaps the greatest cover of all time and the soundtrack to countless movies set during the Vietnam war. 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' keeps up the pace with one of the most iconic riffs of all time and a powerhouse vocal performance by Hendrix. What a way to end an album - I just wish there were more moments like these on the first 66 minutes.

My French is very limited. So much that I took one glimpse at the title and thought to myself "Wow, cool to have a Spanish MC on the list"... That being said, the beginning of this album quickly turned into my current main motivation for learning French! 'Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo' is a great way to kick of the album, and the horn samples on 'Matière grasse contre matière grise' are top tier. MC Solaar shows an incredible range going from the everchanging flow and melodic rapping with plenty of intonation on 'L'histoire de l'art' to the harder, fast-paced 'Quartier nord'. I was ready to give a 5/5 until the complete meltdown on 'Bouge de là (part. 1)' and onwards. I have no idea, why this dull and repetitive track apparently became his breakthrough. Then the whole thing inexplicably ends on the scatty snippet 'Funky Dreamer', and what started as a great album ends on a note as tragic as the ending of La Bohème (which is Italian, but who cares?).

I mean, it's Ice-T. Clever guy doing stupid stuff. It's fun.

Fun enough, but hard to listen to with a straight face. Some nice pop tunes though.

Man finds guitar and starts playing. 5/5.

I'll keep the review short and sweet, much like Younger Than Yesterday itself. I really enjoy the late 60's psychedelic folk-pop-rock that The Byrds helped pioneer. It's laid back, but never boring. 'So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star' is a finely written song. On this particular album they also do very weird stuff like 'C.T.A.-102' which I do not care for. Otherwise it's easy listening, solid stuff.

\begin_rant: How the hell did 'Suspicious Minds', perhaps the greatest song Elvis ever recorded, not end up on this album? Which absolute buffoon made that decision? It fills me with immense rage. \end_rant. Okay, I think I get Elvis now. This is some good stuff. We have an exceptionally strong start with 'Wearin' That Loved On Look', and the crooning 'I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)' showcases a tight backing band with amazing dynamics. Elvis' voice really is incredible, especially on 'True Love Travels on a Gravel Road', and then 'In the Ghetto' is a perfect closer. Plenty of memorable moments, but also a handful of less memorable ones prohibiting From Elvis In Memphis from being a masterpiece.

I honestly don't know what to say. Synth sounds, Britishness and strange compositions in one weird blend. 'Conversation' is catchy, but I really don't know what's going on. Boy this was weird. I think I liked it?

Third and final Talking Heads album on the list - not even 200 albums in! I do find this selection a bit odd and would have chosen both Fear of Music and Speaking In Tongues over this one. Or maybe just include all of them, I wouldn't mind. On More Songs About Buildings And Food, Talking Heads are as tight as ever. Listening to 'I'm Not in Love' you get the feeling that the band is one large organism with each limb working in perfect unison. But there are individuals. The pulsating 'With Our Love' is peak Byrne with a crisp guitar sound and classic Byrne vocals with lots of phrasings. Weymouths bass is incredible on the whole thing, but especially shines on 'Warning Sign'. I think what is missing for me on this album is enough time and space for the songs to develop. We see a bit of this on 'Found a Job', where the track is given the time needed to evolve and create some of the grooves that would fill up the next two records.

On album number 194, we've got our first Neil Young album. The man has 9 albums in the list. The probability of avoiding Mr. Young for the first 193 albums is roughly 17%. Actually higher than I had expected. With Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Young kicked of a 3 long album stretch of unheard quality. While this is my least favorite of the three, it's still an iconic album with an iconic cover and an iconic backing band. The title track is Young at his best, 'Round & Round' showcases his classic wailing vocals, and the guitar sound on 'Down By The River' is crystal clear while still being desert-dirty. The closer 'Cowgirl In The Sand' always wins me over and cements why the record is often mentioned in the same breath as After The Gold Rush and Harvest.

The Jesus And Mary Chain are obviously an incredibly influential group. Their debut, filled with oppy noise, laid the groundwork for the shoegaze pandemic of the 90's. 'The Hardest Walk' is a prime example of this. Psychocandy is such a fitting title, because the whole thing is basically sugar sweet melodies drenched in noise and dissonance - starting with the terrific opener 'Just Like Honey'. At times, the noise takes on a too dominant role, as on the duo of 'In a Hole' + 'Taste of Cindy', and although the balance is occasionally perfect ('Sowing Seeds'), it seems to me that the group hadn't quite found the balance between noise and melody that they did on Darklands.

Delightful dream pop where the highest highs ('Silver Soul', 'Walk In The Park', 'Take Care') are ridiculously good. Victoria Legrand's breathy voice is mesmerizing and a Beach House track is recognizable in seconds. Perhaps the melodies are a bit too similar between the songs, and I feel that at almost 50 minutes, the whole thing is just spread a tiny bit too thin in order for this to truly captivate me.

Fuck, another way too long album by Ryan "I am a total piece of shit" Adams. Why? Let's go. So the whole thing kicks off with a skit discussing Morrisey, and you just know the entire thing will be insufferable. Even when Adams writes a catchy tune, he either gives it a horrendous name ('To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)'), or his delivery just reeks of insincerity ('Come Pick Me Up'). The fucker does NOT have the voice for a song like 'Oh My Sweet Carolina' or the pathetic closer 'Sweet Lil' gal (23rd/1st)', and it really puzzles me that people actually enjoy this. 'My Winding Wheel' is soulless through and through, the fucking banjo 'Bartering Lines' is awful, and what the hell is the uninspired 'Shakedown on 9th Street'? This has Open Mic Night at your least favorite bar written all over it, and I hated every fucking second of it.

This is definitely music in space and NOT in time. It's long tracks having very little structure sprinkled with Buckley's musings. Using 'All Blues' as the backbone of 'Strange Feelin'' works quite nicely, and the melody on 'Buzzin' Fly' is excellent. However, this is where I hit my maximal dose. I do not care for 'Dream Letter' and I don't understand the mixing on 'Gypsy Woman' at all. Buckley's vocal is completely lost. The track itself is groovy enough, but Buckley's phrasings and moans delve into parody territory at times. A journey in space for sure, but Buckley loses me quite early on this record.

Every time I listen to The Flaming Lips, I am struck with the realization that I need to listen to a lot more The Flaming Lips. The Soft Bulletin is simply magnificent. It's accessible without ever becoming trivial, and each track is given enough time to create a micro cosmos of its own. Wayne Coyne's desperate and fragile vocal is instantly recognizable and matches perfectly with the melancholic melodies on tracks like 'Race for the Prize' and 'Waitin' for a Superman'. Also, I have absolutely zero idea what the entire album is about. Not a clue.

Album #200! I had never heard of either Shack nor Hms Fable before. Solid britpop with all the hallmarks: british accent, strings, and catchy melodies. 'Comedy' is a standout track.

Bloody hell what an album. Mustaine's voice fits the vibe perfectly and the harmonizing guitar riffs are astounding. Some tracks like 'Devils Island' and 'I Ain't Superstitious' feel a bit bland, but the two-punch of 'Good Mourning/Black Friday' and 'Bad Omen' along with the closer 'My Last Words' are all incredible.

The award for worst vocal performance apparently goes to David Thomas from Pere Ubu. This was borderline unlistenable, while somehow still being incredibly boring musically? God I hate this mix of new wave and post-punk.

Perhaps the greatest rock opera ever created? The Who were maybe the most complete group of talented musicians ever. Every one of the four lads shine incredibly bright on this theatrical and gripping record. Moon is an absolute beast behind the drums, and Daltrey's range of emotion is unparalleled. His naïve hope on '1921' is heartbreaking, and his desperation on the "See me, feel me" refrain first included on 'Christmas' is out of this world. The entire run from 'Go To The Mirror!' is a tour de force culminating in 'I'm Free' and 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. A dramatic end to a deeply personal and moving journey with sharp criticisms of postwar Britain. "If I told you what it takes to reach the highest high, You'd laugh and say 'nothing's that simple'. But you've been told many times before, Messiahs pointed to the door, And no one had the guts to leave the temple!"

Awesome jazzy hip hop. Q-Tip is a cool cat, and this fuzzy-sounding record is nearly a 5 in my book.

Latin acid jazz by a Serbian-born musician. Of course. I don't hate it, but I just wish that the album was as fascinating as Suba's story.

Wow, this was just really really good. No-nonsense punk with catchy melodies, decent instrumentalists and short, memorable tracks.

Extremely similar to their debut, on this listen The Band's second album doesn't quite get me as excited as Music from Big Pink. I don't appreciate their experimenting as much with 'Look Out Cleveland' sticking out as a sore thumb. But with songs like 'Across The Great Divide', 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down', and 'King Harvest (Has Surely Come)', this is still a classic.

Reading this horrendous/amazing album title, I had high expectations of the weirdness of the record. It lived up to the name - what a ride! Don't think I'll ever put it on again though, especially not if I'm around other people.

This is not a perfect record, but it's a goddamn great one. What a group of musicians. Jack Bruce's vocals are legendary. 'Strange Brew', 'Sunshine of Your Love', 'World of Pain', 'Tales of Brave Ulysses', 'SWLABR' and 'We're Going Wrong' are all perfect tracks. And that's more than half the album! I generally prefer the psychedelic and heavy tracks to the more pure bluesy ones, so the end of side 1 is a bit of a slump after an incredible start. But who cares, it's still a collection of some of the best songs from the 60's.

Kicking off with possibly the greatest pop song ever, 'Take On Me', a-ha's debut is highly emotional synth-pop; the kind that could only be made in the 80's. By now, Morten Harket's voice is instantly recognizable and it suits the genre incredibly well. 'The Sun Always Shines on T.V.' is almost as catchy as the opening track, and there are some lesser known gems hidden like 'And You Tell Me'. My only wish is that the group would have gone all-in on danceable synth instead of ending on some middle ground between nightclubs and new wave - not quite keeping my feet tapping and not quite keeping my interest.

The title of this STUDIO album is either brilliant or idiotic. I can't quite figure it out. But the music itself is exceptionally fierce and thoroughly enjoyable. A post-punk album recorded in a single day sounds like an awful idea, but it's clear that all members must have practiced an insane amount prior to the recording session. Especially the playful drumming of Karl Burns stands out on this frantic, yet quite streamlined collection of tracks. While there are less enjoyable moments ('Industrial Estate'), the highs definitely outweigh the lows: the awesome changes in tempo on 'Mother - Sister!', the perfect opener 'Frightened' and the almost prototype mathrock on 'Rebellious Jukebox'.

Otis Redding sings a bunch of classics while Booker T, & The M.G.'s back him up. Tough to not like this one although tracks like 'Rock Me Baby' feels a bit out of place.

High octane pure rock and roll from a Jerry Lee Lewis at the top of his game. His vocals and piano playing truly are exceptional on this recording, so much that you almost pity the piano for being put through this kind of relentless treatment.

Ugh, I really really really cannot stand nu metal. This particular record seems to be hopelessly stuck in 1999, and while some of the tracks are catchy enough, it absolutely does not warrant a runtime of almost 50 minutes. I'll give this one a low two as I know that my judgement is clouded. But in my heart this is a 0/5.

This is hardly an album but more of a curiosity and a truly great collection reflecting the American song tradition. I don't really care for the instrumental intro (or outro depending on track order), but as soon as Ella's familiar voice kicks in, everything settles into place. For most of the songs it's difficult to even imagine the renditions of anyone else. Her voice is smooth as silk and contains an incredible tenderness ('Embracable You'). My favorite tracks was 'The Real American Folk Song' with a captivating melody and a build up allowing Ella to show her full range from whispering to thundering.

If the intro on 'Witch Hunt' was just 20 seconds shorter, this album would be as perfect as Neil Pearts drumming.

What can be said about this, one of the most important album released in rock history, that hasn't already been said before? The western music world was introduced to Reed and Cale and never looked back. That tuning (!) and that viola (!) on 'Venus in Furs' lives in perfect symbiosis with Reed's chanting vocals. The mix of psychedelic instrumentation and traditional folk melodies on 'All Tomorrow's Parties' is a perfect example of the album being extremely re-listenable - with every listen a new layer uncovers itself. Of course, the absolute centerpiece of the album is 'Heroin' which must be one of the most haunting musical creations ever. A stark contrast to McCartney singing about his retirement at age 64 or Ringo singing about his friends. Oh and 'Sunday Morning' is perfect.

Okay, so this was miles better than The Slider on basically all parameters. It still feels slightly like generic late 60s/early 70s psych/glam rock, but the songwriting is solid. 'Mambo Sun' kicks it all of with a pulsating rhythm that is groovy as hell, and 'Cosmic Dancer' is a great tune. Of course, 'Get It On' is a stone cold classic. It sounds formulaic but mainly because it somewhat defined the formula.

This is what it would sound like if Dark Side of the Moon was a hip hop record based entirely on samples. Every single track perfectly blends perfectly into the next. What a mood.

A jangly nightmarish fever dream from start to finish.

"I don't want to touch you too much, baby 'Cause makin' love to you might drive me crazy"... This sounds like a vapid parody form start to finish, and it encapsulates everything I hate about 80s glam/hard rock music. For one full hour. 1 star for every arm on Rick Allen.

I could listen to members of Genesis sing "Picnic, Picnic, Picnic" for eight hours straight, and it would still be worth it for 'Firth of Fifth' alone.

I wasn't completely blown away, but the tracks were all well composed and never overstayed their welcome. Highlight for me was 'All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast' - a great track with an equally great title.

Side 1: Standard non-engaging US psych reminiscent of the musical "Hair". 1-2/5. Side 2: Holy smokes, what a track 'Revelation' is! Clocking in at 18.57, I was completely captivated during its entirety. Around the 5-8 minute mark there is a section strongly driven by the bass, where Ken Forssi is as close to being too early on the 1-beat as you can get while still being on time. The groove shift at 12.40 is pure bliss, and of course the whole thing concludes on a ridiculous baroque ending. This is everything I want from a psychedelic track.

Microphone stands falling over, forgotten lyrics, and a band who just won't end the song make out what might be the most live album ever. This is my first time listening to Sarah Vaughan, having only learned her name via a name drop in a Father John Misty track. What a voice and what a presence in each and every note. On 'Be Anything (But Be Mine)' it is as if you're transported to Chicago in 1957 with Vaughan singing directly at you and only for you. Vaughan is in complete symbiosis with her trio, and even when they disagree, as on 'Willow Weep For Me', the resulting improvisation is delightful. Jimmy Jones behind the keys especially delivers an incredible performance. And speaking of improvisation, breaking into 'How High The Moon' without knowing a single lyric is just phenomenal.

Insane debut album by Matt Johnson and company. 'This Is The Day' is one of the best songs ever written, plain and simple. 'Uncertain Smile', 'The Twilight Hour' and the title track are solid as well.

Greatest sing-along debut ever. It has been way too long since I last listened to Murmur in its entirety, so this was a nice album of the day. Mills' melodic bass is intoxicating and Stipe asserts himself as the voice of a generation. 'Radio Free Europe', 'Pilgrimage', 'Talk About The Passion', and 'Sitting Still' are all perfect tracks.

Perhaps Morrissey should waited a bit longer than 6 months from the final Smiths album to releasing his debut. An unsurprising lack of self-awareness from the man himself, who probably needed a bit more time to write some solid songs. This really could have been a wonderful EP with 'Everyday Is Like Sunday', 'Suedehead', 'I Don't Mind If You Forget Me', and 'Margaret On the Guillotine'.

Jimmy sure knew how to play the guitar. I think I enjoyed this more than Electric Ladyland, but the tracks still start to blend together rather quickly. 'Manic Depression' was one of the first songs I learned on the electric guitar because my teacher apparently was a sadist. Great track though, and the following bluesy 'Red House' is another highlight. Top three tracks were 'Hey Joe', 'Purple Haze' and 'The Wind Cries Mary'. Too bad none of them were on the original album.

The un-explicit version of a review of Dr. Dre's The Chronic: "This ------ is -------- fire. The beats are legendary, and you have to be a ------ ------ not to recognize the long-lasting impact of this ------ album. Some themes might be ------ silly, like -----, --------, or ------, but the overall production and vibe is ------- magnificent. The bass on 'Let Me Ride' is godsent."

Oh Slippy-Knotty. I have voiced my disdain for nu metal previously, but the non-polished, aggressiveness of Slipknot's debut is amazing. If Corey Taylor refrains from rapping (like on 'Only One'), then I can actually sort of enjoy this. '(sic)' and 'Wait and Bleed' slaps hard, and Joey Jordison is just monumental on the entire thing. What an absolute beast he was.

What a delightful mix of instruments and rhythms from Africa, Brazil and the funky parts of USA from one of the biggest legend of the genre(s). Jorge Ben (Jor) delivers endlessly pulsating tracks driven by his recently found electric guitar. The album is packed with catchy tunes, but especially the start with numbers such as 'Ponta De Lanca Africano', 'O Filosofo', and 'Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro' is captivating. Also nice to hear 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' hidden in plain sight on 'Taj Mahal'.

This is a record where the hallmarks of Ray Charles - the funky piano-playing and up-tempo gospel/swing/R&B/soul - is completely lacking. The result is a snooze fest through and through. Why is this one of only two Ray Charles albums on the list?

Just Rufus doing Rufus things for almost an hour straight. While this might be just a tad too long for my taste, the man really knows how to write hauntingly beautiful melodies over minor chords. The almost trip-hoppy 'Waiting For A Dream' was a nice surprise!

Hüsker Dü was just über cool. The record is obviously way too long, but there are some great tracks like the R.E.M.-like 'Friend, You've Got To Fall' and the jangly 'Turn It Around'.

I have tried about a handful of times, but I just cannot get into 'A Seat at the Table'. The production is perfect, Solange has some nice vocal phrasings, and the themes are important and interestingly covered. But I find the songs so so boring. Yes 'Cranes in the Sky' is really good, bu that's about it.

This is the only Steely Dan album on the list that I haven't listened to before. And what a shame that is. Pretzel Logic truly is pushing the boundary for what can be called pop. All songs are trimmed in length but definitely not in complexity. This hit turned out to be the incredibly catchy 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number', but my personal favorite is 'Barrytown' with an incredible melody reminiscent of Dylan. As always with the Steely D, the production is stellar. Every instrument has its own space to operate in, and does so in sublime fashion. The drumming on 'Parker's Band' is otherworldly.

I get why the album is on the list, but the music really is laughable. Such a weird band (and a weird wiki article with an introduction ending on "Miriam Stockley on backing vocals, who had also sung with Pink Floyd". a) this is super weird to write in an introduction to an album, and b) it just seems to not be true). Hanoi Rocks were not native speakers of English and the lyrics show it. They are even more simplistic than the bands they inspired. I will admit that I got my hopes up after the cool 'Beating Gets Faster', only to be vastly disappointed by the childish 'Ice Cream Summer'.

Starts off strong with 'Shining Star', and 'Africano' was a surprising delight! But the album generally contains more of the velvety smooth soul side of EW&F than the funky, disco sound that I prefer. Insane vocals though.

Less approachable than the follower Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan's second album features longer tracks, but the same stellar production. The flow of the album is not as good as on Pretzel, but the guitar sound on 'My Old School' is enough to get 4/5 score.

'Dandy' and especially 'Sunny Afternoon' are great tracks, but Face to Face feels extremely uneven compared to the following Something Else By The Kinks. Also, this has vastly more baroque pop which is not really my favorite thing.

Honky Tonk Heroes has some great melodies on it, like the groovy 'Low Down Freedom', but it is mainly packed with "hillbilly" country like 'You Ask Me To' and 'Black Rose' with a horrendously thin guitar sound. Then BAM, Jennings hits you with 'We Had It All' as a closer. Amazing track with an equally amazing vocal performance. Don't know where that came from.

Be it a horrible act of God, personal tragedy has multiple times been a catalyst for Nick Cave to create some of the most moving music ever created. On The Boatman's Call, Cave muses on losing the love of his life, blending the line between his personal life and the characters in his lyrical universe. "I don't believe in an interventionist god". With a single line, Cave rejects his worship of Old Testament Christianity, previously an all-engulfing presence in his work (The Mercy Seat, "An eye for an eye, And a tooth for a tooth"), and accepts a much more human belief in spirituality, accompanied by a disbelief in humanity. Everything has been uprooted - the connection to god, the connection to people - and Cave is right to question; 'Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?'. Desperation is everywhere on 'The Boatman's Call', always paired with melancholy. 'Lime Tree Arbour' is an ominous warning of the revelation to come on 'People Just Ain't No Good', which is equal parts a warning and a denial acting as a coping mechanism. 'Brompton Oratory' manages to channel something primal in its pulsation, with a melody sounding so incredibly familiar as if Cave is musing over some internal truth hidden within all of us. The chorus of 'There Is a Kingdom' echoes this idea of a common connecting force even when the physical or emotional distance seems insurmountable as on the heartbreaking 'Far From Me'. But whether Cave believes this human longing for connection is something to appreciate or resent is not up for debate. The album's centerpiece makes it painstakingly clear. As the all to clear realization hits when the distance is already too far, Cave ponders "Are you the one that I've been waiting for?". And naturally, he receives no response. "Oh we will know, won't we? The stars will explode in the sky But they don't, do they? Stars have their moment and then they die"

Funky stuff. Nile Rodgers is a legend.

Welp, it might just have been a bad mood-fit, but this was very disappointing. Especially compared to Doolittle which is fantastic. It really feels sort of less stringent(?) in a way. Obviously influential, and great energy, but none of the tracks really stood out as highlights to me.

Love. Hate. Sex. Christianity. More sex. A raincoat. 5/5.

With 'Maggot Brain' as the insanely iconic opener and 'Wars of Armageddon' as the chaotic funky closer announcing the end of the world, you might think that the 5 tracks squeezed in between are fillers. But they consist of energetic, catchy pop, funk and psychedelic in just the right proportions. This album deserves all the praise. Although I don't know what the hell 'Back In Our Minds' is.

This is not as hard hitting throughout as nostalgia will have you believe, but boy is it hard hitting at its peaks! 'My Generation' really is a generational anthem, and although the James Brown tracks are less inspiring, Keith Moon never ceases to amaze me. The fills on 'The Kids Are Alright' and the drumming on 'The Ox' are out of this world.

Alright, this certainly is one of the albums ever created. Impossible to separate the artist and the mythology from the music itself, when the entire thing truly sounds like someone held talented musicians against their will and forced them to learn these horribly complex compositions. But in the end, the record really is a blast. Never boring, often humorous, and avoids being repetitive in its challenging of the listener. 'Bill's Corpse' really is a bop.

Hejira is Joni Mitchell in constant change and constantly moving. It's folk in the backseat of a car, progessive poprock on a plane, and jazzy fretless bass on a train. Always while looking up and realizing that the clouds and the world around her are moving much faster. Hejira somehow creates even more vivid mental imagery than the masterpiece Blue, and Mitchell constantly seems to be in complete control of not only her own voice but the expressions of a dozen genres. Everything comes together when she momentarily directs her melancholic gaze backwards in time on the phenomenal 'Furry Sings the Blues'. This is what every singer/songwriter should aspire to be.

10/10 accent and 10/10 Ideology (both his political standing and the track itself). I think I prefer the more stripped down feeling of his debut, but this was really enjoyable.

This is the sound of a menacing truck mercilessly tracking you down with no explanation at all. It's the increasing anxiety as the thundering engine gets closer and closer, pushing you deeper into despair. It's Duel (1971) by Spielberg.

This really bounces between being kinda cool and being kinda ridiculous. The closer 'Return to Heaven' definitely swings this more towards the latter.

Admittedly a big fan of this, I've always felt that the record drags om juuuuust a bit too much. 'Two Weeks' though. What a track.

The cradle of trip hop, the impact of Blue Lines and Massive Attack on music in the 90s and early 00s can hardly be overestimated. The reggae-heavy sounds of 'One Love' and 'Five Man Army' don't quite hold up, but the holy trifecta of 'Safe From Harm', 'Unfinished Sympathy' and the great closer 'Hymn of the Big Wheel' are perfect. Always a great listen.

If Radiohead had stopped making music after The Bends, it would have been the defining album of 90's indie rock and European alternative rock. Instead they had to ruin this album's legacy by releasing OK Computer and Kid A... The Bends is the most accessible album of Radiohead's discography, and the tracks are mostly just great pop tunes written in recognizable structures. Like, really great pop tunes. Thom Yorke is not as sulky (heh, get it?) as on later records, and Greenwood's (the Johnny one) guitar demands full attention with every violent outburst. 'The Bends', 'High and Dry', 'Fake Plastic Trees', 'My Iron Lung', 'Black Star', and 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' (best Radiohead tune ever?). This is an easy 5/5. And it might not be in my top 5 of Radiohead albums.

As much as I despise Courtney Love, Hole did put out some cool stuff. However, on Celebrity Skin it's quite obviously the tracks written partly by Billy Corgan (title track and 'Malibu' among others) which are carrying the (w)hole thing. Stuff like 'Boys On The Radio' and 'Heaven Tonight' are downright awful, and Love's vocals for 50 minutes straight is a bit too much.

Such a gifted songwriter, John Cale gently grabs you by the hand and guides you through this pleasantly accessible record of his. It's a pop record, but you still never quite know what's coming next, as Cale takes you on a journey from his home in Wales to the edges of the world in Antarctica. The most memorable stops along the way are 'Andalucía' and 'Paris 1919'.

I'll keep it brief: heck yes.

Incredibly discomforting, this might the best breakup album ever. Greg Dulli delivers a vocal performance with as much diversity as the genres explored on the record, and the choices in instrumentation (especially guitars and relentless drumming) seem to match his emotional range perfectly. Having never listened to anything by The Afghan Whigs previously, this resonated emotionally with me on the first listen. A rarity, but something that a lot of albums can only aspire to do.

Pretty boring stuff, but at least the production is shitty.

Surprisingly enjoyable! Although I probably would have liked it more as an instrumental album. The production quality on the vocals really is rough.

Linking together punk, post-punk, new wave, alternative rock and some psychedelic, Marquee Moon truly is an impressive debut. It feels extremely tight, but still very adventurous. I think this listen was the first time the album truly clicked for me - it really is outstanding with each member delivering standout performances.

Pulp really were fantastic. Jarvis Cocker is obviously having a lot of crises on This Is Hardcore, but the resulting music is phenomenal. The record ends the 90s a few years too early and sort of kills brit-pop along with OK Computer also dragging everything to be more art-rock-ish. 'Sylvia' is a standout track, and although there really are no fillers, a runtime of 69 (heh) minutes is really too much.

Merle had a great voice and some great stories to tell. 'Drink Up and Be Somebody' hits hard, but even with only 30 minutes of runtime, I'm a Lonesome Fugitive still feels a bit monotonous.

Well, this was a bit of a disappointment after Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. None of the great melodies, and although influential, Pavement's debut clearly sounds like a band trying to find themselves.

Kate Bush makes me feel things. Which is weird, because one of the limitations I often find with art pop and art rock is that the technical execution, gimmicks, and deliberate divergence from more standard structures result in an alienation of the listener. But Kate Bush channels something primal in her voice, songwriting, and instrumentation, and the resulting combination is heavenly. The first side is a monster with masterpieces like 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' (one of the greatest songs ever recorded), 'Hounds of Love' and 'Cloudbusting', and the second side is a chilling story told in 7 parts with 'Under Ice' being a personal favorite.

Wu-Tang's debut is obviously hugely influential and groundbreaking. Listening 30 years later, and the beats are still extraordinary - the lyrics not as much. Yes there are bangers like 'Bring da Ruckus', 'Da Mystery of Chessboxin' (coincidentally, today Ding Liren just became World Chess Champion... and I guess something happened in boxing as well), 'C.R.E.A.M.' and 'Protect Ya Neck', but it's mainly the production carrying the load. And goddamn intermissions on an hour long record should be banned. D'ya know what I'm sayin'?

I don't necessarily think this was bad. I just have no idea why someone would think that I needed to listen to this before i died?

Jeff Beck was a true guitar god. Unfortunately, it doesn't really show on his debut mostly consisting of blues covers. The production is poor, and the record seems unfocused. 'Beck's Bolero' is cool though.

Great to have such an early entry from the non-western part of the world. Miriam Makeba's voice was incredibly powerful, and on her debut stuff like 'The Click Song' and 'Mbube' are wonderful. Things are a bit less impressive on the more western-influenced covers like 'House of the Rising Sun'. And then I don't know what the fuck is going on on 'One More Dance', but I do not like it.

Huge debut by Baez with a perfect blend of sparse guitar arrangements and her authentic vocal. Also nice to hear the clear influence that she would later have on Dylan.

I mean, okay I guess? But hardly significant, and a weird choice in Madonna's catalogue. Obviously also too long.

'Blowin' in the Wind', 'Girl from the North Country', 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall' and especially 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. Enough said. This is Bob at his best.

'Close To The Edge' is everything that people hate about prog rock. 3 tracks, 38 minutes. Love it. Chris Squire is an absolute beast.

A wild ride going from 'Close To The Edge' to this one. Skepta is cool and all, but Konnichiwa is a bit unfocused. Interludes drag and most of the tracks are forgettable. 'Shutdown' and 'That's Not Me' are absolute bangers though.

It's jazzy, it's funky, and the title track is pure art. Very cool indeed!

The sheer energy and power on this is off the fucking charts. Zack de la Rocha spits out every line with equal parts discontent and rage, and Tom Morello's guitar sounds like nothing the world had ever heard before. Of course the entire thing is sublimely produced as well. Though I will never quite forgive Rage Against the Machine for the horrid wave of nu- and rap metal which followed, their debut truly stands as a landmark in music history. From the cover, to the sound, to the politics. Iconic through and through.

This is extremely easy listening. Pleasant melodies and no real surprises. Enjoyable at first, but as the tack listing goes on, you start to wonder whether there is any actual substance beneath the digital drums and the loop pedal. I honestly don't know. 'Babylon' is great though.

So I apparently still don't know what to make of Jane's Addiction. On one hand, 'Been Caught Stealing' is a jam and a trip down memory lane to GTA San Andreas, and 'Three Days' is truly epic. On the other hand, stuff like 'Of Course' drags on way too long, and the intro to 'Ain't No Right' is mysterious to say the least. Cut down 10-12 minutes of unnecessary fillers/intros/outros, and this would have been a really strong record.

If a debut ever was a tour de force, this is it. Monáe incorporates elements from just about every major genre in popular music (okay, maybe not dubstep), and she does it completely effortlessly. It is an equal parts retrospective and futuristic bombardment of the senses. 'Cold War', 'Tightrope', 'Come Alive (The War of the Roses)', and 'Make the Bus' are all exceptional.

One of the best records of the 21st century. Simple as that. Although dedicated to James Murphy's late therapist, Sound of Silver is just as much an homage (or a hate letter?) to New York City with Murphy and co. staggering from rock joints to electronic clubs in their sales force suits. With opening tracks like 'Get Innocuous!' and 'North American Scum', you might get the impression that the record will be filled with danceable jabs at the world, picking up where Talking Heads left off at their most playful. But then things get intimately personal. 'Someone Great' is one of the most accurate portrayals of loss and grief in modern music, and it's incredible that Murphy is able convey so many aspects of the grieving process with so few words. An immense highlight of the album which then immediately gets overshadowed by the monumental 'All My Friends'. Jesus, this track is peak music. An entire adult human life told in just about 8 minutes, with quotable line after quotable line. It's danceable, but simultaneously incredibly moving. 'Us V Them' would be a hell of a track even without vocals, and like most of the songs on the album it's just layer upon layer of electronic and analogue instrument recorded in a room covered in tinfoil. Probably something you would notice, but something magical sure happened during these recording sessions. Finally, the bittersweet 'New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down' sends us off with a reminder that life is multi-faceted and filled with conflicts - but everything is a little easier in the company of others. "You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan And the next five years trying to be with your friends again"

Survivor starts out way too strong with three absolute bangers back to back. And while Beyoncé's vocals really are out of this world, the rest of the record does not live up to the strong start. I am just not that interested in vocal phrasing after vocal phrasing, and that late 90's/early 00's RnB production is just goddamn awful. 'Brown Eyes' was cool though.

Great harmonies, forgettable songs.

Honestly a bit surprised by seeing this one pop up, but 'Wheels of Confusion' and especially the anthem 'Changes' are great.

Let's not kid ourselves: the only reason this record is remembered is because of the title track. And boy do I love it when a full side of a record is just one song. 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' is a monster, the riff is instantly recognizable, and the stretched out organ parts create an eerie psychedelic atmosphere. Side A is fine, I guess.

On their debut, Lehner Skinnerd manages to sound like 3 people playing while being 6 people (7 on the cover?) in the band. Impressive. While much more authentic than the southern rock coming out of Creedence Clearwater Revival (as authentic you can get by telling the stories of hardship in the south from the point of view of some white guys), songs about guns and god just doesn't do it for me. Overall, the album just feels like one long wait until 'Free Bird' finally kicks in, and although that's a legendary track, I'm not quite sure it's worth it sitting through the first 7 songs.

Did not engage with this at all. Not terrible, but really bland, especially considering all the different sounds incorporated on the album.

Fucking perfect. Pixies figured out how to play real loud, then real quiet, then real loud again, and the world forever changed.

While obviously influential as heck, I feel that a lot of the ideas Tortoise present on their second record are somewhat underdeveloped. Especially 'Djed' feels more like a collage of sound ideas than a coherent composition, and although this is less of an issue on side 2, I am never quite moved in the same way as when listening to other post-rock bands like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Psychedelic baby! Horrible band name, but Country Joe and the Fish were actually quite cool. Electric Music For The Mind is obviously very much a product of it's time, and specifically San Francisco at a certain time, but there really is something liberating about the sound.

Iconic album, iconic cover, iconic dude. Band on the Run is very enjoyable, and the whole theme on escapism is universal. While some songs are quite forgettable, the peaks of 'Band on the Run', 'Let Me Roll It', and 'Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five' are amazing. Both stylistically and vocal-wise this was a nice breath of fresh air for McCartney.

On Mama Said Knock You Out LL Cool J is witty as hell and his lyrics keep me entertained for the full hour runtime. 'Mr. Good Bar' is a banger, and it's cool to hear the origin story of Run The Jewels on 'Cheesy Rat Blues'. 'Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem)' is also top notch with a way too funky beat, and we also get the legendary opening line to the title track - "Don't call it a comeback!'.

Hits aside, writing the songs on 21 at that age is complete bonkers. Hats off to Adele who obviously also kills it vocal-wise. 'Don't You Remember' and 'Take It All' were nice surprises drawing on very British sources of inspiration like Elton John, and the Sting-esque cover of 'Lovesong' was pleasant. As for the hits, you have to be a cold-hearted bastard not to be moved by 'Someone Like You', closing out the album on an absolute high note.

I like my Zeppelins electrified, and there's not a lot of that going on here. Obviously, 'Immigrant Song' and 'Since I've Been Loving You' are amazing, but stuff like 'That's the Way' is downright snooze-worthy.

This is very cool if you like drumming, Fela Kuti, and afrobeat. It's also cool if you don't like drumming, because Fela Kuti was the man. Maybe the most important figure in bringing non-western music into the Western hemisphere? Anyways, this live album is a completely enjoyable ride through and through.

Music for when Nicolas Cage has to steal 50 cars in 60 seconds. For 50 minutes straight.

A lot of mythos around this one, and I while the songs are great, I never quite understood all of the hype.

So 80s, So Gabriel, So Good

I was expecting a bit of a snooze fest and an album stuck in the 90s/00s. But unlike the man himself, Moby's Play still holds up. Once 'Porcelain' kicks in, the entire sound of the record opens up, and it's easy to just roll with it.

He, Buzzcocks.

Quite conflicted regarding this record. I have several issues with ska and reggae, but the punk nerve and general dissatisfaction on tracks like 'Little Bitch' are great. That being said, I'll probably never listen to this again.

Gatekeeping metal is a virtue as old as time, and discussions of Metallica selling out already began with 'Fade To Black' from Ride the Lightning. In any case, Metallica definitely did not sell out with The Black Album. Instead they smashed through all fictional doors in the music industry, and every single metal act in the last 30 years owe them for this achievement. And yes, perhaps we could agree to a 10 year break on playing 'Enter Sandman' and 'Nothing Else Matters' - who knows, perhaps even they can become listenable again at some point?

I... just don't know. This is extremely captivating and at the same time infuriatingly alienating. As someone who loves 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat', this is... something else.

Legendary group, great samples, meaningful lyrics, and for once a +1 hour album, which doesn't bore me. All those skits though...

Now THIS is the Zeppelin album that does it for me. 'Whole Lotta Love', 'Heartbreaker', and 'Ramble On' are masterpieces.

Okay, I am officially fed up with 50+ minute, 30+ years old hiphop albums on this list. It's not that I think this is bad, I just cannot absorb content of this format anymore. 2 stars I guess.

If someone was completely unfamiliar with classic country, showing them this would certainly serve as a fair introduction to the genre. Too bad that, as with most country, the majority of songs are bland and toothless. Only when 'Knoxville Girl' kicks in does the album succeed in engaging the listener. And even though the final 4 tracks are solid, the extremely slow beginning is difficult to shake.

Was an easy, albeit surprising, 5/5 until the last track. Now it's an easy 4/5.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for vocal harmonies. The Mamas & The Papas have a sound making every song sound instantly recognizable.

Fucking flawless. A sonic masterpiece.

12 songs clocking in at a total of 35 minutes, ending on 'Time of the Season'. What's not to love?

I'm a simple man. I see Exodus, I give a 5/5 rating.

Intoxicating and enjoyable from start to finish.

Cannot believe that they made baseball music into a real thing!

This really was not that good, right? The guitar on 'Sold to the Highest Bidder' was especially insufferable.

American Idiot is the The Wall for millennials but with less hopelessness and even more political dissatisfaction. An anti-US, anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism monument, this record ended up defining large parts of the 00's music scene post-9/11. The album and Green Day themselves became synonymous with criticism of the Bush administration, and 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' was used in everything from protests of the Iraqi war to memorials after Hurricane Katrina. The songwriting is top notch, melodies are catchy but never boring, and the production on the guitar is otherworldly. It makes me want to bring out the eyeliner and the red tie, and I would not change a single thing about this teenage-angst ridden phenomenon.

I am completely exhausted only 3 tracks in. A good and tight hard rock song recorded in 10 different versions. Easy 50 million copies sold.

Oof, this is likely my least favorite Beatles record. There are hints of greatness, the melodies on 'All My Loving' and 'Don't Bother Me' and quite a few vocal harmonies, but nothing ever quite evolves into a truly great song. The cover of 'Devil In Her Heart' comes close to greatness, and the covers of 'Please Mister Postman' and 'Roll Over Beethoven' provide some much energy halfway through the record. But the musicianship of the Fab Four doesn’t quite hold up on these fast-paced tracks, and especially Harrison's solos are surprisingly painful.

Songs about the Deep South and the Bayou written by a guy born and raised in California. Starting your career out with the first 6 albums going platinum in the US. Easy peasy, keep on Chooglin' John.

Annie Lennox, you wonderful human being. What a powerful voice brimming with authenticity. This might be the most 80s sounding record ever made. No analogue instruments, heavy synth bass, and a drum machine. I am not a fan of the more atmospheric tracks, but when the bass and synths hit hard on 'This Is The House' and the title track (best dance song ever?), the stars seem to align.

An absolutely wonderful record, where Simon truly makes his guitar sound like a full orchestra. More of a solo album than a truly Simon & Garfunkel one, Bookends contains some of the best lyrics and melodies ever put on record. 'America', 'Old Friends', 'Fakin' It' are all intriguing - simultaneously deeply intimate while exploring the American consciousness of the late 60s - but it's the closing trio on the record that truly elevates it to a masterpiece. 'Mrs. Robinson' is iconic and is somehow upstaged by the incredibly addictive melodies of 'A Hazy Shade of Winter' and 'At the Zoo'. I still remember listening to the album for the first time and spending the rest of the week listening to the two final tracks on repeat.

So this is Morrissey's take on Britpop. Or, more correctly, it is Alain Whyte's and Boz Boorer's take on Britpop since they actually wrote the fucking music. I don't care for Morrissey's lyrics, but the music is high quality with excellent melodies on songs such as 'Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself'. I do, however, miss the energy of Johnny Marr which seems to match the whining of Morrissey to perfection.

Gangsta rap. Good shit. Shooting some people.

Neil Young's frail voice is just not suited for these heavier compositions. And some of the tracks just go on and on and on and on and...

I usually appreciate the heavy amount of Kinks on the list, but this one is a bit too unfocused and silly for my tastes ('All of My Friends Were There'). Still very impressive songwriting and adventurousness!

There is a comforting feeling of familiarity on this Lennon album but with just enough differentiation from his Beatles-era compositions to make this a standout post-breakup solo record.

This lady just does not miss! She has absolutely dominated this list with Blue, Hejira and now Court and Spark. Special shoutout to the gospel moment on 'Down to You'.

Toss-up between Supergrass' 'Alright' and Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' between being the most important anthem in 20 years.

What's this? A tight, skitless, sub 45 minutes hip-hop record? Sign me the fuck up! The introduction might be the best I've ever heard, and it's clear from the beginning that Kanye "George Bush doesn't care about black people" "I'm a Nazi" West is at the top of his game here as producer. With samples of gospel, jazz and child voices, this sounds more like a Kanye album than anything else. The lyrics are clever (with the exception of 'Go!'), and tracks like 'Testify' and 'Chi-City' are impressive. Wests verse on the latter is a downright monster. And oh yeah, Common also appears.

Scream it James!

In a decade dominated by indie rock, nothing comes remotely close to sounding like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and it is just gorgeous. 5 stars alone for 'Jesus, Etc.'.

M.I.A. is widely praised for her innovative take on pop music. I fucking hate it with a passion.

One of the coolest to ever do it, and 'This Mess We're In' is certainly one for the ages.

Groovy as hell and equally as forgettable.

I was prepared to label this an unfocused and too lengthy run-of-the-mill 00s indie effort. But then around 'Cause a Rockslide' and 'Pissing in the Wind' the album seemed to open up. Don't get me wrong, it's still unfocused and too long, but it manages to stand out among a gazillion similar-sounding indie records of the time.

I am completely convinced that I would have had much more success on the dance-floor, if this kind of music was playing at clubs in my teens.

Such an incredible voice, but it's no Dusty in Memphis. 'You Don't Own Me' is always a powerful punch, no matter the version. And the Carole King and Burt Bacharach tracks are classics for a reason.

Often overlooked in their discography, Hail To the Thief is Radiohead at their most political serving a perfect blend of the electronic destruction-of-self from Kid A and the guitar-driven rock of The Bends. Is it probably a track or two too long? Perhaps. But it also has '2 + 2 = 5', 'Myxomatosis', 'A Wolf at the Door', and possibly their greatest song ever put on record, 'There There'.

'All I Need' and 'Faust Arp' hinders this from being a perfect 10/10 record, but every single one of the 8 remaining tracks are absolutely perfect and immensely beautiful. In Rainbows really is the kind of album that opens up to you the more you listen to it. It's the perfect next step in the evolution of the band after Hail to the Thief, and it marks the end of an unparalleled 6-album run starting at The Bends. This is the fourth Radiohead album on the list. The fourth 5/5. And that's without OK Computer and Kid A...

Never heard of this recording before. It's perfect.

Elastica's debut record is a perfect blend of brit-pop, punk and post-punk. It has a new-wave-like quality without ever sacrificing solid melodies and instrumentation for gimmicks and forced quirkiness. At centre of it all stands Justine Frischmann, perhaps the most overlooked influential character in britpop history. After forming Suede, she went on to create one of the best selling debuts in UK history and be a constant source of inspiration for Mr. Dan Abnormal who also features on keys here. It's difficult, because while she was the muse behind 'Tender', she's apparently also responsible for M.I.A., and I don't know what to make of that.

Fun enough, but just not very good? I think maybe you would need to have some previous experiences with Meat Puppets to be able to fully appreciate what they were doing here.

This record feels so much more coherent to me than most of the contemporary hard rock albums. Maybe it's the gorgeous synths. Maybe it's the proggy vocals of David Lee Roth. Or maybe it's that even with a generational talent, Eddie Van Halen is constantly flashy but never boring and uninviting. The lyrics are of course atrocious.

The ferociousness of this debut is unparalleled. Not a single miss - just a bunch of young Northerners writing about hitting the town and running from cops. 17 years later, I still know all the lyrics by heart, many bruises have been acquired "dancing" to 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor', and in the meantime no other band has released anything close to 'You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me'. Goddamn I miss this version of Arctic Monkeys...

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns sees Joni Mitchell lean more into the Steely Dan inspired jazzy pop-rock without ever abandoning her playful vocal melodies. I am not a huge fan of the instrumentation, but this doesn't matter a lot, since Mitchell's lyrics and vocals are still at the center of everything. And with such a strong core, it's difficult to do anything but let the poetry wash over you.

Fugees were pretty cool, huh? The references to other recordings and artists are abundant, and the blend of hip-hop with soul and reggae influences works well. Still too many skits and soundbites though...

Tough not to get carried away and stamp your feet into the ground for this one. I could not understand a single word. Except 'Worms'. I unfortunately understood all words of whatever that was.

My all time favourite Leonard Cohen record. I love every last second of this - yes, even fucking 'Jazz Police'. 'First We Take Manhattan' and 'Everybody Knows' are certified classics, but it's 'Take This Waltz' that always gets me. Pure beauty exemplified in songwriting.

The doom, the riffs, the distorted vocals <3

Manic Street Preachers is one of those bands for me, where they've made some incredibly catchy and memorable tunes, but I just find myself immensely bored every time I listen to their records.

"A day when I was chilling in Kentucky Fried Chicken..." Obviously an incredibly important record kicking in the door to the mainstream for the hip-hop album, but between the beatboxing, interchanging MCs and misogyny, this sounds more like a parody than a serious attempt. The only thing saving this from total mockery is the early rap-rock attempts 'It's Tricky', 'Walk This Way', and 'Raising Hell'.

Incredibly refreshing, although I cannot say that I understood much of what was going on.

I had no idea that this Bragg/Wilco collaboration even existed! Their interpretations of Woody Guthrie's writings are powerful, and the previously unheard lyrics captivating. Ultimately though, this feels more of an anthology than an actual album. A special shout out to 'Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key' - what a wonderful tune.