This whole thing is just a giant collection of garbage and it's inclusion on this list is an insult to every other artist and to every one taking part in this exercise. There is nothing about this that even makes sense, the artwork, the title, the construction of the track listing, the inclusion of two version of "Rollin'" and the Outro is just a big ol' heap of garbage. I can't believe I made it through this whole thing. I'm exhausted and need a fucking beer. Giving it one star since it won't allow me to give it anything less.

Okay, it's starting to get pretty obvious that the collective of critics involved in making this list probably leans heavy on British critics who served as tastemakers in the 1980s and the 1990s. That seems like the only logical explanation for what seems like a gross over representation of mediocre and unworthy British albums from the 1980s and 1990s. This album is a perfect example of this. Aside from the hit that everyone knows from so many movies from the 1990s, this album and band is completely inconsequential. Nothing really here at all.

Aerosmith is quite possibly the worst band on this list. I can't believe that I received a second Aerosmith album, and neither of which are their most well known album, which makes me think there is at least a third. Just incredible.

Just always way too much Stones on this list. Given that, for some reason I enjoyed this album more than the others I received, but man did I just forget it immediately and will not listen to it. Just bluesy bar band rock music. Not for me and certainly way too over represented on this list. I guess it is what it is.

This is not for me. Obviously there are people this is for, and I'm stoked for them that this exists for them. But it's not for me.

I had a lot of trepidation going in to this, just because of all the baggage that comes with Clapton. I'm certainly familiar with the title track--who isn't?--but the rest of the album, though nothing that stands out as an absolute recognizable song, it all sounds comfortingly familiar. I guess that's the spell that blues guitar based music casts on it's listeners. Clearly a tentpole in the long line of this style of music. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting.

Was completely unfamiliar with this, and it's a pretty flawless solo jazz piano performance and recording. Gorgeous.

Another artist I had never heard of--and right off the bat I know this is not for me. The folktronica aspect of the beats complementing the backbone of these songs is just too distracting and too much for me. Though there are some more straight up singer-songwriter guitar based songs in the middle of the album that I did find appealing. His voice reminds a ton of Ryan Adams and the whole album I just wished I was listening to one of Ryan Adams early solo records instead. I'm sure this album is great for a lot of people, but it's not for me.

Raggae is tough for me, it never elevates to anything more than background music, which is my own issue. This was just the same, I realized I had the album on repeat and was probably halfway through the third cycle of listening to it when I realized. Always fine to have on in the background, but it didn't grab me in any meaningful way.

I love this album so much. A nostalgic punch that puts me in an immediately great mood. 5 stars forever!

Never really got in to the dead, and have just always had varied associations with them. This record is objectively great, the middle set of Candyman, Ripple, and Brokedown Palace is excellent and I can see how this album has been so enduring for so long. Up there with any of the best of the classic American music records.

I have known about Neil Finn and Crowded House and everyone's love for them forever. Suffice to say this is not at all what I was expecting, way more unconventional then I was expecting given all of the love. But I found it smart and instantly likeable. Played this record a few times and will play it again.

A lot of overlapping qualities shared with the Riot Grrrl movement and big of the time bands like Nirvana. This album rips, killer debut effort.

Streaming services do not have this whole record available, I assume it's performance royalty issues on some of the cover songs, but was able to find a playlist on YouTube and soldiered through despite the occasional ad to skip through. This album rips! Pretty energetic from the performer and the crowd, and very distinctly rock n roll, which is not really what I was expecting.

This album rips so hard. Nothing but bangers. 10 out of 10 forever!

Muddy Waters is a classic, and this is an excellent recording of an excellent performance, that gives a real sense of what it was like in person.

Another artist that I have aware of forever and have heard many songs, but never really \"listened\" to. This album is a delight, and really meshed well with my mood today. I need to dive in a bit more on his stuff.

This album is incredible front to back. Always kind of aware of Aphex Twin and heard the music occasionally in the background, but never listened to a whole record front to back, this is just excellent. Obviously game changing.

Pretty excellent beats and lyrics, killer golden age of hip-hop record.

This band is so ridiculous and over the top, and Black Dog is maybe the most ridiculous opening track I have ever heard on a album. 20 seconds in and I don't know how anyone has a reaction other than "what am I getting myself in to here." The ballads and "When the Levee Breaks" is what makes this album, the second side of the record is very solid. Although "Stairway" is a classic, I probably never need to hear it again. Too many people have tried to argue to me that Led Zeppelin is under rated, but I think they might be the most appropriately rated band ever. I struggle giving this 4 stars, 3 seems right.

A band that has always somehow been in orbit around me, plenty of people love them, but I have never sat down and given a listen. Pretty fun album, and I dig the vibe a lot. Will explore more of their records.

Really cool and far out record.

Never listened to much R.E.M. but am fully aware of their influence, and I can hear other bands sounds all over this record, clearly very important to formative year old budding musicians. R.E.M. doesn't do much for me though. Pleasant enough for sure.

Much better than I was expecting. I am not super familiar with the 2 Tone ska revival from the 1970s and have kind of been dismissive of ska in general, but this is a lot more eclectic and enjoyable than I was expecting. Will check out more from The Specials.

Classic album, absolutely love BPB. Great album to revisit this morning.

Don't love this by any means. It's fine, but just kind of reminds me of a poor man's Nick Thornburn and now I'm just listening to Islands records.

This is not for me. Obviously there are people this is for, and I'm stoked for them that this exists for them. But it's not for me.

This album is all over the place. Transitioning from traditional song structure to sound collages. It's a lot. Cool to be turned on to something like this from the 1970s. It's got a bit too much of a prog-rock feel to it for me. But pretty fun and interesting record.

Fantastic album.

Killer record.

I have never listening to a Hendrix album, I only know his stuff in the every present social culture of his hits, inclusion on soundtracks/comps etc. This album is great, and a lot more noisy and disjointed than I was expecting--in a very good way. Dude rips for sure.

I was not thrilled to listen to this, aside from the title track I am not sure I knew anything else from Hole. I don't have a ton of nostalgia for this sound from the 90s either. The second half the album ended up being a lot better than I was expecting after the first half though, and found myself bopping along gleefully. Not the worst by any means.

Never listened to Joni Mitchell, this is great, and it's pretty clear she's got a pretty strong influence in a lot of music to come afterwards. Great record, production quality is top notch.

Slightly embarrassed to say I have never "listened" to this band, but I think I've heard 80% of the songs on this record about a 1,000 times. Part of that is my aversion to late 70s classic rock, and part of that is probably because they have so many different singers in this band, that I have never been to off the cuff recognizing all the different songs as belonging to the same band. I also have conflated them with The Eagles forever too. That being said, this is great, like I said I've heard so many of these songs a bunch of times, it feels super familiar, just not in the album format. I still don't think I love Fleetwood Mac by any means, but I'll give it a 4/5 because it's obvious a classic.

Bauhaus is not for me.

U2 is assuredly not for me, even when trying to objectively put them in to context and ignore all the baggage surrounding Bono and Edge. I guess the best I can say is I can see why people would be in to this. But it's not for me.

Enjoyed this more than I was expecting, I need to be in the right mood for the Prog-Rock, but this was dope.

A lot to say about this record. It obviously held a prominent spot in my life when It was released when I was a 17 year old. I owned it and played it constantly just like everyone else I knew. It made an indelible mark on that time of my life. I probably have not listened to the full record in 20 years now. It still sounds great, both from just a straight pop pseudo Lou Reed sound and from a production standpoint. I'm wringing my hands over all of the knee-jerk bullshit reactionary decisions to 9/11. I fully remember the album art change, whatever that's fine. American's and their puritanical bullshit. But the removal of "New York City Cops" for only the US CD version is just maddening dumb. It's especially dumb that this is the only version the change was made on. The US Vinyl and every single international release contained the correct original track listing. However, for some reason the US CD version has seemingly become the definitive version as it's what all the streaming services carry. Just fucking sickening.

This album is incredible. Always have just kind of known this dude's name more for being adjacent to Lynch contributing to "Lost Highway" and know he's worked with a lot of rad people. First time I've sunk my teeth in to one of his singular works though, and it's absolutely incredible and rewarding.

I had never of this band and this record made zero impression on me. I never really paid any mind to the Britpop movement at all. Nothing bad about it, just kind of meh, and I had a hard time contextualizing it at all.

This is my first repeat artist in this project! I have heard many songs on this album a lot and really enjoyed it. The track with Thom Yorke's inclusion mid way through the album was a big turn off for me, but I did my best to get through it. Not as much fun as the first album of her I had on this list: "Dry." But obviously this is a bit more polished than that. Still great all around.

Elvis Costello is not for me. I certainly respect him more than I like him. I get that people love this kind of stuff, but to me it just kind of seems like very overly busy and produced music overlaid with some mumbling crooning.

This whole thing is just a giant collection of garbage and it's inclusion on this list is an insult to every other artist and to every one taking part in this exercise. There is nothing about this that even makes sense, the artwork, the title, the construction of the track listing, the inclusion of two version of "Rollin'" and the Outro is just a big ol' heap of garbage. I can't believe I made it through this whole thing. I'm exhausted and need a fucking beer. Giving it one star since it won't allow me to give it anything less.

This is fine, I have never listened to a full Little Richard album. And it's fine, but ultimately something I do not care much about.

Never heard of this artist, and it didn't leave much of a mark on me, it's just fine noisy garage rock. Probably will never think about it again.

This album is almost perfect, absolutely spellbinding. One of the best.

Pretty straightforward second wave ska. I had "More Specials" a couple weeks and enjoyed that a lot more than this, it seemed a bit more eclectic, while this feels a lot more like a straight take on classic ska. Obviously an important record in the grand scheme of all things ska. Not bad by any means.

This is pretty much a perfect album from a perfect songwriter. So few records make me a feel a very a specific thing and this is one of them. It's been a while since I listened to it, I only wish today's Portland weather matched the mood this record invokes as it's a very Portland record.

This album is kind of funny, the country elements tinge it all over a lot heavier than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting it to feel so disjointed, but maybe that's what you get from one of the first to do it. I definitely consider the influence of traditional folk music to be a lot more present than country music, particularly considering what side of the Atlantic The Mekons hail from. Enjoyable enough.

Not at all familiar with this record, the extent of my Big Star knowledge and familiarity has always been limited to "#1 Record." But this is great and all over the place, reading about the backstory and the different track listings/presentations of the album was certainly interesting. Alex Chilton rules, and this is great.

This album is incredible, ahead of it's time, and speaks truth to power. It's still sounds absolutely fresh today. Excellent album.

Scott Walker is great. Haven't really listened to any of his records before but found this charming and grounded and pretty enjoyable. I like the mix of originals and covers, which as I understand it, this was the last one of his records with such a balanced mix. Always down to check out more of this stuff.

This was a perfect album for a lazy Sunday morning. Incredible harmonies and takes on a lot of traditional songs. The recording is very worn and lived in and it just feels so comfortable to put on. Great record.

Incredible band, incredible album. Just killer bass lines, funky guitars, keyboards and horns. A band firing on all cylinders. Fantastic.

This album was a lot more rocking than I thought it would be. I was pretty discouraged by it upon initially looking in to what it was when I saw it pop up, but I had a great time listening to it. It's out of my usual wheelhouse so there isn't a ton to say about it for me.

This is maybe the most boring and uninteresting version of Rock n Roll I have every listened to. There is nothing at all interesting or exciting or rocking about this.

I have always been skeptical of Nick Cave for a pretty absurd reason, simply because he resembles someone I know that I am extremely skeptical of. But I have never doubted that I would enjoy his music. I was told this was maybe not the best entry point to him, but I absolutely loved this and am looking forward to more of his albums (assuming there are more) on this list.

I have never really listened to The Smiths, I find Morrissey to be utterly insufferable. I have heard a number of their songs covered by other artists. This album has some jams, and I'm done with it and don't want to listen to it again.

Very hard rocking modern rock n roll, way better than I was expecting.

This album definitely hast he well known hits, but I am not in to the production at all. It certainly rocks, but it is not for me.

I have always loved The Kinks and this album in particular. Love the through line story and concept for it. The Kinks rule!

Classic jams for sure. Steely Dan is a bit much for me. It's good for sure, but just a little too much. Dirty Work is a straight jam though for sure. Pretty good time listening, but I don't love it and couldn't listen to it a ton.

Pretty unique sound for this time and place. I guess we'd call this Post-Punk. I've always heard that Pere Ubu was great and have almost gone and seen them live a bunch but never really checked them out. Very cool record.

Nirvana at the height of it's power. Albini's production puts the band as they should sound on record, and it's so powerfully distorted and raw. This album straight up rocks and is an all-time favorite of mine.

Some of the most classic songs we've heard a million times. Enjoyable listen.

All of the radio hits on this record sound so much different than I remember them sounding when they were hits. The rest of the context of the record makes them all a lot more enjoyable. Definitely talented and a good record, just not really for me.

Wasn't stoked on this, but it's pretty harmless and inoffensive overblown rock, and it certainly has some--jams, doesn't feel like the right word, but--jams on it for sure. Boston is fine, it was enjoyable enough, but I would not listen again.

I just saw Pavement live in person three nights ago, so this has been very fresh in my mind. Great record, I go back and forth which album of theirs is my favorite, and this one is always middle of the pack. Great to listen to it again a few days after seeing so many of these songs live.

Gimmicky album that I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to the whole way through. Definitely some filler but definitely some killer tunes. It’s a slog. Luckily I pulled this on a day I was doing a solo three hour road trip.

This is super cheesy and not for me at all. I can't in good conscience give it more than 1 star. I guess I can say that it's a bit eclectic. But that's all it's got going for it. Not sure how this is on this list.

Epic double album ELO. ELO rules, though I'm partial to the more succient predecessor to this record "A New World Record" this album definitely is a banger and has plenty of what we love about ELO. Meticulously produced and meticulously performed, Jeff Lynne's ambitious swing is pretty grand.

One of the best. Just a nuanced raw reaction to rock n roll gone astray. Just a killer record and a killer vibe and a killer sound.

I do not know Salsa music at all, but this is great, it grooves, and it's very enjoyable to listen to. Great record.

This album is a lot of fun, chaotic and pretty all over the place. Captain Beefheart's sound is truly unique and he is truly an artist. This album is a trip to listen to.

This is a loooooong album, too long. The Cure have never really appealed to me much at all. Sure you hear an occasional song here and there and it's fine, but a whole album is too much. Not for me.

Never listened to this record, though it's been ever present, people love it. Pretty impressive debut record for sure, very fully formed. A lot of fun to listen to.

This record and this band take on almost mythical stature, which I'm sure that's how Jonathan Richman prefers it. At the end of the day though these recordings that were pulled together to make this record are an excellent snapshot of an otherwise short lived and unrealized sound. Richman has always been changing and not wanting to even perform any older songs all that often. These songs are edgy and have that proto punk driving force and their influence is far felt 50 years later. It's an incredible recording and we should be thankful it exists.

This album is beautiful, a really excellent debut album, about as fully formed as it gets. The production is ethereal and atmospheric and gorgeous. Love this record.

I am very familiar with Electric Warrior but didn't find much of The Slide all that familiar, but it hits the same notes as Electric Warrior. Killer glam rock album, Marc Bolan rules.

Great R&B record, that's been sampled a ton throughout the years. Cool to hear the real thing from front to back.

Never listened to an album from The Monkees before and this is a lot cooler than I thought it would, sure it's got the very classic British pop vibes you'd expect from the late 60s but there's something a bit weirder and stranger on a lot of the tracks rather than the just straightforward pop songs I was expecting. The Monkees seem cool

Had never heard of Songhoy Blues, but I'm very familiar with the modern Taureg guitar based music coming out of Niger, and this shares a lot of the same guitar driven similarities. Ultimately, it's a little bit one noted but very enjoyable and very moving.

Obviously an incredibly influential record--the raw energy is pretty incredible. Been a bit, had a good time listening.

Only ever really familiar with the hits from Yusuf Islam, so kind of cool to listen to a full record, though "Father and Son" certainly looms large over this. Pretty chill record to listen to.

Surprisingly great! And I only say surprisingly because this was completely foreign to me in every definition of the word. 5 stars!

Patti Smith rules. I had never listened to one of her records before and this just seriously rocks.

I guess this album was big at the time, but I have always considered a-ha to be one hit wonders, and there's nothing on this record that changes that for me. Maybe it's that new wave is just so out of my wheelhouse that I don't understand the context, but it's not doing it for me. It seems strange to me that this is on this list.

A big ambitious album, and it's absolutely beautiful.

What can I say about this record--most likely my favorite record from The Beatles. Though not necessarily their best. 5 stars all the way.

Morrissey sucks, I can not imagine possibly caring about something less than I do listening to this person's music. Get it out of here. Wish I could give it less than 1 star.

Great record from both a lyrics and a beats standpoint. Just solid all around.

Put this on and hardly noticed or paid attention to it. Trip-hop I just think is not for me. I know this is supposedly to be the best of the era/genre and it seems pleasant enough.

Ha, yeah I don't know, this is great, it's fine. I have a hard time caring about live performances. They are so limited. I know this is supposedly legendary, so trying to listen to it through that lens is somewhat disappointing. James Brown is great though, this kind of stuff is just kind of ho-hum on this list.

Oh my god. This is so insanely cheesy and bad. I felt like I was Scott Aukerman on the "Analyze Phish" podcast, with every song starting with me being open minded to it, and the opening instrumentation, thinking "Okay, I can try to get in to this..." and then as soon as the vocals start it's immediately "Nope, okay, what the fuck is this? Seriously?" Absolutely wild to me that this is a whole bunch of people's favorite band. My god...

Perfectly enjoyable, with about half the songs being songs I've heard a thousand times. Great to hear them in the context of the record they were all released on.

I was super skeptical of this to say the least. But this was way better than I was hoping for based on the description. Very cool stuff!

I remember this being pretty ubiquitous when it came out, but I can't fully remember if I ever listened to it or not, and listening now it has a weird familiarity and unfamiliarity at the same time. This music feels very timeless and cinematic like it could have sound tracked a film from any era. It has a quality of feeling very at home anywhere. Recommended.

New Wave is not really my jam, but this is fun enough. I did not know "Cars" was Gary Numan, killer song. Not the worst by any means.

This record is cool, certainly demonstrates his virtuosity, but I also really dig how he gives short lessons before each piece to the Western audience as a way to introduce the music. Aside from all of that it's just a great record.

This album is weird. Certainly, when you see Dire Straits come up as your album of the day, the reaction is more of an eye roll than anything else. We all know their hits, and Dire Straits is fine. But you listen to this album and the first three tracks are well known hits that you realize rock harder than you remember or expected, and then after that it just falls off a cliff in to pretty sub-standard easy listening fare. Just very uninteresting overall. Weird album, from a weird band that I honestly don't know much about at all. Money for Nothing totally rips though.

Pretty wide reaching album with an eclectic sound. I hear all manner of other later bands from track to track, so it's influence is obvious. Maybe not for me, but I get it.

This album is a lot. It's an incredible record in terms of musicality and talent. It's unlike anything I've ever heard, but it's also a bit exhausting. The tempo-changes are so frequent that I feel like I'm constantly jumping from one fast moving car to the other. Very unique record.

This is the third (and final) Nick Drake record to show up on this, and it's just absolutely beautiful and so full and warm. Such a great record.

This album is crazy. Certainly the description of Britpop and Irish Chamber Pop from the 90s during the CD era when albums were needlessly long, didn't engender it to me from the get go. It's a lot, very busy, very lush pop layers and highly produced. But I had it on for a few repeats and around the third time, I think I started to get the appeal, and I can understand a little bit better why people like this music, which is an excellent outcome from this 1001 Album exercise. This is just not really for me.

I have learned more and more over the years that the country style rooted in Bakerfield honky-tonk is most likely my favorite style. This album hits all those notes, along with some Tex-Mex accordion sounds as well. Really enjoyable record.

I have listened to this record so many times over the years, but it's been a long time. Initially, when this came up, I kind of rolled my eyes. Over the years, I've come to consider Bleach and In Utero to be much better Nirvana records. But man this record rules--yeah the production is a little too polished. But there's something there with this band, and it's so clearly resonant 30+ years later why this record took the world by storm. So great to hear so many of these songs in the context of this album again for the first time in a while. Note: "Endless, Nameless" is it's own separate track on the streaming services, which I was not expecting, but I guess that makes sense when this record is presented digitally. That track rips so hard.

One of the classic records from my past. I used to absolutely love this record, and haven't listened to it fully for a while. It's still almost perfect.

I just do not care about the heady jammy blues rock at all. I get why people love this, very much not for me, and I find listening to this to be pretty boring.

Great collaborative album from three iconic artists, the harmonies on these somewhat simple and stripped down country songs are phenomenal.

I will not deny that the virtuosity here is as impressive as the roster of guest musicians who appear on this record. However, despite all of that this kind of genre fusion, as impressive as it is, generally is not something that I enjoy listening to.

Just a killer all around record. I love Sonic Youth.

Man, what is this? I don't understand this stuff at all. Just the most non-offensive boring mainstream sounding stuff there is. Nothing great or interesting about this record whatsoever.

Generally I do not dig on this kind of music, but there's something about that really appeals to me. It sounds like a bit of a precursor to what ended up being full blown synth 80s music, and I dig how restrained and full it sounds. It's a cool record.

This album is one of the best early hip hop records ever. Excellent lyrically, expertly produced. 2Pac at the peak of his craft.

I have never been able to get in to Drive-By Truckers, and I'm guessing a double album isn't the best place to start. I found myself treating this more as background music and not being fully engaged, which is not surprising, as it's kind of how I listen to this brand of southern blues based rock. It's just a bit too straightforward and rooted in things I've been hearing my whole life. This was a miss for me for sure.

Never had much of an interest in stuff like this, but there's certainly a place for it. Just not really for me.

The Cure have never really appealed to me and I was not particularly stoked about getting another album from them after previously getting "Disintegration." This is a lot more palatable, possibly because it's not overly long like "Disintegration" is being a product of the early CD era. I enjoyed this a bit more for sure, but still not for me.

Jane's Addiction is a band I have never listened to. I was kind of expecting a pretty shitty grungy sounding band (I have always conflated them with Alice in Chains), but this is a bit different than I was expecting. There is definitely a level of weirdness to them that I was not expecting and appreciate a bit. But maybe I'm having a hard time putting this in the proper context, but I just don't really care about this at all, and would not listen to it again.

I had never heard of Sarah Vaughan and this live recording is absolutely lovely. Very warm and very enjoyable.

I love this album and used to listen to it a ton, and it's great to revisit. Almost flawless.

Pretty seminal record. Maybe the only live album that I feel like is being worthy of being on this list. Cheap Trick rules and are underrated.

Of course we're all familiar with Bowie, but there are only a small handful of records that I am intimately familiar with and "Heroes" isn't one of them. This album is big and ambitious, late 70s Bowie was really something. I find it a bit disjointed, but feel less so about that the more I listen to it. It's a really great album.

This is a weirdly singular sounding album, straddling both blues based rock and modern indie guitar sensibilities. At times I find it trite, but other times it's really appealing. I certainly understand the appeal. Never really paid much mind to this band. Happy to finally give them a go though.

The Rolling Stones are basically an over-indulgent blues bar band, and I'm over it. This overly wrought and overly long record has nothing at all redeeming about it. Good for them that they are leaning in to their one trick pony skill so heavily for so long I guess.

I literally can't for the life of me figure out why this is on this list. I am not sure it's good or relevant at all in any way. It's pleasant for sure, but get this out of here!

Tom Waits is a longtime favorite and this is one of his best. I love his early records, but this record moving away from piano driven songs to more abstract and experimental song structures is a high point. One of his best.

I have never gotten in to Neil Young, I think he rules and I respect the hell out of him and how he's handled himself, but I just can't get in to his voice. That being said, I'm excited to dig in to his albums on this list, but this one isn't for me. I guess there's a good reason why it was such a big hit, it's very polished. It has it's moments before, but I think it's pretty underwhelming.

I have never listened to Santana, and it's a bit rough. I want to give it 1 star because I think it sucks, but I feel like I shouldn't because Santana is like legendary or something? I don't know.

I do not care about U2 at all and have no context or nostalgia for this. First time hearing most of these songs. They seem just pretty pedestrian and ordinary and bland, which is likely why it was such a success. 2 stars.

This album is nearly perfect and just absolutely incredible. Particularly for how good it sounds after so much time and history and gestation. What an accomplishment for Brian Wilson--a true masterpiece. We should consider ourselves lucky and fortunate that this even exists.

Just an excellent well rounded jazz record.

I have never listened to this whole Daft Punk record, and it's a lot of Daft Punk--the CD era really churned out some albums that are way too long. I enjoyed this a ton, but it was tough to get though it all the way.

When this popped up, I assumed it was some shitty emo band from roughly 20 years ago--but turns out it's an Indie chamber pop artist from England from roughly 20 years ago. This was better than I expected it would be. I don't usually go for the very polished bedroom DIY sounding chamber stuff, but this has it's moments, and has enough similarities to things I liked back then. There is a good chance that I would have loved this album when it came out if I had heard it.

This is my second Siouxsie & The Banshees record in this. It's okay, I think I am just not really in to the 80s goth rock scene. It has some great songs, and is enjoyable enough, but overall, not really for me.

I just do not care about this stuff. I feel there is a disproportionate amount of "Britpop" albums on this list. Just kind of boring.

The whole dark wave/goth rock genre is perhaps another genre that is overly represented on this list. This is not for me, and honestly is just kind of straight up bad. Nothing very redeeming about it.

Not a lot here for me either. This band has always been just beyond my reach and has been recommended to me by a number of people over the years. I just do not find this interesting at all.

I honestly cannot imagine a more boring and uninteresting record from a musical and production standpoint. This is not for me, this just plain sucks.

I was not expecting to like this much, as I was pretty nonplussed with "Celebrity Skin" earlier on this list, but this album is sweet. It rocks and doesn't feel like as much of a produced and manufactured thing as "Celebrity Skin." Courtney Love's vocals are killer.

I guess I listened to this record more than I thought I did when it was released, because all of it is very familiar to me. This certainly seems like more of a "certain time and place" type record for me, and I don't think I really listened to anything else from Beach House, but this record is better than I remember it--particularly since I didn't remember it much at all until I listened to it again on this revisit.

This record is a classic. Atmospheric, dark, incredible lyrics and beats. Still as good now as it was when it was released.

I listened to this album a lot when it came out, it was tough not too, as it was when Beck was at his height of changing genres and sounds from album to album, and this beautiful record showed a matured and more personal side of him--and he also toured on it forever. It's been a bit since I've heard it, but it fit perfectly in on this cold Friday morning. Excellent as always.

This is the second of what will surely be too many records on this list from The Rolling Stones. This is a lot better than the first record given to me--"Exile on Mainstreet"--but I just can't get in to this band. There are a couple of well known songs on this that are fine, but also just a lot of blues bar band sounding wankery. No Thanks!

This album is so critical and crucial to so much music that was insprired by and came after it. The bass is mixed perfectly on this thing, I wish all hardcore/punk albums sounded this good. Incredible record.

This album is incredible. It's a little rough at first, because from track to track it definitely seems like the mix is different and changing quite a bit--it feels a little off sonically. But the more you listen to it, the more you get used to it's intention. Some of these tracks rip super hard and The Stooges obviously rule.

Okay, it's starting to get pretty obvious that the collective of critics involved in making this list probably leans heavy on British critics who served as tastemakers in the 1980s and the 1990s. That seems like the only logical explanation for what seems like a gross over representation of mediocre and unworthy British albums from the 1980s and 1990s. This album is a perfect example of this. Aside from the hit that everyone knows from so many movies from the 1990s, this album and band is completely inconsequential. Nothing really here at all.

Oh look, another English band from the 1980s or 1990s, how shocking. I have never listened to this band--I assumed I would recognize some songs but didn't. I cannot get behind this music at all, there is nothing redeeming about this record.

Wow, where to begin. This record is great, but it also might be the biggest troll record I've ever encountered. I don't know what is trolling harder, this record or this list's inclusion of this record to listen to. Run-D.M.C. is great, everyone knows it. This album rips, and is grooving along and right when it should be peaking in to it's middle section, Steven Tyler comes in and just totally destroys all the goodwill this album had been building and working towards. Steven Tyler is one of the worst frontmen of one of the worst bands in history, and it's honestly downright appalling that Run-D.M.C. collaborating with them. The result is shocking--as if you've just been slapped in the face--and you're left recoiling to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of it. And it's so tough, the rest of album is decent too, but you're just so gobsmacked by the utter audaucity of that track that you can't listen to it objectively any longer. Top drawer trolling all around. As a bit of a note: I also fired up the music video for that abhorrent collaboration, and it begins with Aerosmith in some shitty studio riffing on that song sounding like garbage, and Run-D.M.C. are next door banging on the wall and pleading with them to turn it down, which yeah, your intial reaction is "Fuck yeah Run-D.M.C., you guys are right, we are with you, you are speaking for the whole self-respecting world, pleading with these talentless bozos to spare us from their horrible music. Power to you Run-D.M.C.!" And then they are like, we'll show them, and turn their speakers towards the adjoining wall, and you are thinking: "Oh they're really going to give them the business now! Fuck yeah!" And inexplicably, they start playing their version of that horrible song. It only takes 35 seconds of that music video to flip the script. Masterful troll job. If I was in my 20s when this came out, I would have been furious upon my first viewing. All of this is to say, it's impossible to look at this record objectively, which is just all too tragic.

This album is fine--again another English band that I'm not entirely sure needs to be on this list. I had a Paul Weller solo album from the 1990s a while back, and it was not good. This is a lot better. The Kinks cover is pretty fun. All in all, it's fine, but I'm not sure it merits inclusion on this list.

Very excellent record. I probably need more time with it to fully take in the themes of prejudice and blackness, but this record just sounds so good. Solange has an excellent voice that is highlighted so well in the context of timeless funk and soul music. It's an almost pyschedlic soul record and it's an excellent record.

This album is fine, but I am just getting really tired of British bands from the 80s. This is not for me.

This record is everything pure Butthole Surfers, and whether or not that's your thing will depend on how you feel about it. It feels like a nightmare acid trip just dripping with a sludginess that feels so quintessential to the band's best music. Great record.

Such a fun and challenging album. The dancing swinging quality of this post-punk record is so infectious. I've always loved this record.

As classic as an album as it gets. The genesis of punk rock. Super simple straighforward driving and catchy songs. It's instantly apparent how important this album is with how familiar it sounds and how ubiquitious music that sounds like it has been in the last 40 years. A true classic.

Broken Arrow is an all time song, one of the absolute best. I'm not super familiar with the rest of this album, but I dig the early, before he hit the big time Neil Young stuff. And this was a fun album.

Unsurprisingly, this is not for me. Rod Stewart is about as plain and inoffensive as it gets. Just basic blues rock stuff. It's fine I guess.

This is horrible. I thought that things could not get worse than the Limp Bizkit album--but this project proved me wrong. Musically it's just as bad, but it's so whiny and angsty. One of the most grating sounding albums I have ever heard. 1 star because I can't give anything less.

This album is more psychedelic and far out than I was expecting, so that in and of itself made it a bit more interesting than I was expecting. That being said it didn't really resonate or make an impression on me at all. Seems fine.

The Roots are just kind of ubiquitious and everywhere, and I get that people really love them. I haven't given any of their stuff a real honest listen with any real earnesty and found it kind of surprised how much from this record sounded familiar to me. This record is impressive, as The Roots are obviously a very talented and boundary pushing band musically. They seemed to the push the boundaries on a lot of different genres in a pretty focused output here. Really enjoyed it.

This album is always fun--I defintitely prefer earlier AC/DC when thy were a bit more rough and raw and rock and roll. The production on this album is super smooth and sees them start the transformation in to giant rock superstars. Conincidentally on Bon Scott's last album with the band. It's still great and it was a lot of fun to listen to this for the first time in a while.

So many things about this list and exercise is great and so many things are beyond frustrating. The over represented inclusion of anything involving Morrissey is chief among the frustrating bits. I just cannot deal with this guy. I guess this is fine, but I am so not interested in listening to it.

Always happy on the rare occurrences when something I've never heard of shows up on this list. Those albums end up, more often than not, being interesting and worth listening to and learning about and this is no exception. It's a great mix of Electronic, latin, and acid jazz influences and jsut vibes really well for the whole 62 minutes. Very much enjoyed listening to this today.

This is great. I just went to a screening of "Coal Miner's Daughter" very recently, so she has been on my mind. 12 songs in 28 minutes is great! All of these songs are great, classic Loretty Lynn. Could listen to her all day.

Easily a masterpiece and 5 stars. This album is so iconic and crucial to a sound that inspired so much after it and since. Listening to it today, it still sounds urgent and unique powerful. Just an excellent record.

I have never listened to this band and never really got the hype. This album was enjoyable enough to listen to while doing things around the house.

I had never listned to this before. Johnny Cash is at his best when he's live and loose. Great versions of these songs and great banter on stage, a real man of the people. Great recording as well.

I can't believe this record came out so long ago now, almost 11 years. It still sounds just as much like it's from the future as it did when it came out. Just a boundary pushing record.

Clearly an important record that explores the black experience, including anger, sorrow and grief. It's musically excellent and very dancy. Great record.

I had never heard of this band. It's fine, doesn't grab me at all. I guess it's on hear because it's supposedly one of the first "heavy metal" albums. I am not a bluesmen at all, and this is just way too bluesy for me. It has a rawness to it, which I certainly appreciate, but this does not grab me at all.

I know more about The Verve and the crazy love triangle between Richard Ashcroft, Jason Pierce and Kate Radley than I do about any of their music. This album does not have the hits on it that I am familar with. In general this is fine, it's big and loud which was very distinctive of Britpop in the 90s. But it's not for me at all.

I have never really listened to Alice Cooper earnestly, though I have always thought he seemed pretty cool as a person and an artist. I have heard "No More Mr. Nice Guy" so many times and had no idea it was an Alice Cooper song. I listened to it a bunch and it's great, it's got some real Paul Revere and the Raiders guitar riff vibes to it--a good thing! This album was short and sweet and rocked plenty. Very enjoyable.

This is the third album from The Cure that I've pulled on this list, and I am guessing that 3 is probably too many. This is the one I liked the most though. It's the shortest one by far!

Aerosmith is very quite possibly the worst band on this list and the worst band who has every achieved any amount of fame. 0 stars all the way.

Great punk record--love the rush and urgency.

Could not care less about this. Uninspired output from an uninspiring artist. Morrissey is grossly over represented on this list and it's so disappointing when he pops up.

This album is gorgeous and such a welcome change from the usual overrepresented British nonsense. Absolutely loved listening to this a couple times today.

I wish I would have heard this and listened to it more when it came out, because it sounds like it would have been incredible in 1997. This album still sounds great and boundary pushing today. Excellent album.

Truly a masterpiece, this record is perfect and absolutley magnificient both in a singular context as well as within the context of when it was released. I have listened to it multiple times today--both the Mono and the Stereo mixes--and it's been absolutely wonderful.

MC5 just goes at one speed and volume and it's pretty constant. There's certainly an energy there and I bet it was a lot of fun to see live back in the day. I always feel pretty meh about live recordings, and this was no different. Fun enough.

I have never heard of this band, but this record was quite enjoyable.

I had no idea what Amy Winehouse or her music sounded like, and I was not expecting it to sound like this and to be this blown away by it from the drop. Just an incredible record, her voice is amazing, excellent production, it's the whole package. I had no idea.

I definitely think The Temptations are sweet--their history has kind of made them a pretty daunting group to dive in to much more than the "hits," just so many lineup changes and variations and so many releases. That being said, I was stoked to get a full album of them here, but was slightly bummed to see it was the from the post-David Ruffin time for the group. Anyway this album has "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" which is an incredible track. The rest of it is great too, but this didn't really strike me as excellent.

A classic killer album that hits you quick and easy. Listened to this about 5 times before I knew it. Always excellent.

This is my second record from The Temptations in 3 days, both of which were post David Ruffin. It's a little much to get two records too close together and I think my enjoyment of this record likely suffered because of it. This record is just fine, nothing great or blowing me away, but I enjoyed listening to it enough.

Very familiar with Fela Kuti, but have not really ever listened to Femi Kuti. I made the mistake of reading about this album before listening to it, and was kind of bummed about what I was reading, I was expecting kind of a tamed white washed version of Fela's afrobeat, fortunately that's not what I got. This album is fun, it's clean and tight for sure, but it swings. I get why it was received so well.

This is not for me. I don't think I've ever listened to this record the whole way through, probably because it's just a bit too noodly and bluesy for me. I guess I can say it's certainly a strong debut album and clearly the lads are talented, but man is this so boring. I'd be fine to never had to slog through Dazed and Confused again.

I have never gotten in to The Rolling Stones. This is the third album of theirs I have pulled on this, after Exiled on Main Street and Let it Bleed. I like this one way more than the others, a bit more straightforward rock 'n' roll. Maybe the early Stones are for me. Even the one original song of theirs is a good one. Really enjoyed listening to this.

This album is almost pretty sweet. A lot of the songs sound close to different things that I do like quite a bit. I do think the instrumetation, particularly some of the synth stuff on this record are really cool and ahead of their time. The vocals I could completely do without. It's fine, but I will probably never listen to this again.

This album is a mess and feels like an experiment that doesn't work. It's probably not helpful that I think John Lydon can go pound sand. Zero interest in this all the way down.

Early hip-hop is always a trip to listen to. This album must have been wild when it came out. It rules and is a lot of fun to listen to. That album artwork too... what a time.

Jethro Tull is so much sweeter than I think they are. This album was killer and a lot of fun to listen to. Great record.

This album is killer and feels urgent and has so many great tracks. It feels raw and focused and just delivers so pointedly. Still super relevant today.

Self-empowered and confident, this album is excellent.

One of the all time great post-punk records. A classic and alwasy a great listen.

This album is so good, and it seems so wild to me now that it was so controversial when it came out. Pushed the boundaries for sure. Just a beautiful album that lives in perfect harmony with aspects of jazz and rock improvisation. The electric instrumentation sounds phenomenal.

Had a tough time getting in to this. It's got it's own vibe for sure, and I'm sure more listens would bring more appreciation to it. Scuzzy is a great word to describe it.

Seemed like this record had a lot of potential to be pretty cool, given the names involved. And it is, but it isn't really what I was expecting or hoping. The orchestral, chamber pop nature of the all the arrangements lends a nice juxtaposition to the darker subject matter conveyed in the lyrics, but it just really isn't for me. That isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable to listen to.

This band never grabbed me. That being said this album was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Seems like they have a penchant for fusing a lot of differing styles of music together, which if that's your thing, right on.

Never got in to this cat, always seemed like a little much. I'm not sure if I ever gave one of his song more than 40 seconds of my time before dismissing it and switching it off. This record was fine, overwrought and way too long surely. I get why people like it so much, but not for me.

Classic record from a classic artist. Great lazy Sunday listening, listened to this on repeat all afternoon.

What can I say about this album? I love this album, I have listened to it countless times in my life, and it holds such a nostalgic sway over my opinion that it seems impossible for me to say that even objectively this album is beautiful and perfect. Very pleased to pull this today. Also listened to Volume 2 and 3 of these recordings as well, which I highly recommend.

Pretty ambivalent on this band, and pretty puzzled as to why it has two (at least to this point) inclusions on this list, along with a Paul Weller solo record. The maker's of this list are really showing their biases. Pretty inconsequential listen.

This album was pretty fun and pretty cool. But unfortunately that is besides this point at this point when it comes to unknown mediocre non deserving bands from the UK in the 90s. The overrepresentation of this stuff really undermines the integrity of this list. It's just so disappointing.

Aerosmith is quite possibly the worst band on this list. I can't believe that I received a second Aerosmith album, and neither of which are their most well known album, which makes me think there is at least a third. Just incredible.

I have never listened to this band, but have unsurprisingly heard two of the tracks on this album a lot as being somewhat ubiquitious in culture from a certain time. That aspect of this album takes away from the rest of the music, which is kind of weird and unique in it's own right. I'd probably like this more without those two mega hits. That being said this music is just kind of lowest common denominator. As a friend of mine told me "it's perfect for listening to when you want to wear neon sunglasses and sip on a shitty Montucky Cold Snack beer."

I like Elton John, but have never really listened to a full album of his, as much as I can remember anyway. This album is kind of hit or miss, some really great stuff, and some pretty mediocre stuff, it probably suffers from being too long with too many songs. But definitely a classic and a fun listen.

This band sucks, I think everyone knows that. But, I can forgive and understand earlier U2 works being on this list. They were massive and I understand why people like those earlier records. However, this album is complete and utter trash. I think that's true objectively. I seriously cannot fathom what would posses anyone to rate this album highly and include it on this list. Just laughably bad and an indictment against the integrity of this list.

Just a big over the top album. About as cheesy as it gets in the best way. Pretty fun, but this is nothing I could ever consider with any seriousness.

This is a great album from a great band. At first I was suprised to see it come up on the list, but with more thought it defintely makes sense and is worth of inclusion. Great revisiting it this morning.

I don't love live albums, and I hope that this isn't the only Thin Lizzy entry on this list. But as far as live albums go, this one is great, partly because Thin Lizzy was just so killer live and have so many great songs. It's well recorded, and it captures their energy really well. Had a blast listening to this.

Just an absolutely beautiful and perfect record. The classic Blue Note releases are as good as they get.

The first five Talking Heads records are nearly a perfect output for a band, in terms of the overall output and their growth and evolution from album to album. Fear of Music is arguably the weirdest and most experimental of the five records and is likely the one I reach for least out of all of them. But this album rules and is nearly perfect and is a great listen every time.

This album is sprawling and majestic. Bookended by the various parts of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," there isn't a superfluous moment on this record. Near perfect.

This album is excellent when considered in context of when it came out. A forerunner to the "quiet to loud" aesthetic that came to define alternative rock in the 90s. Essential to math-rock as well. It's a tight and succient sound that packs a punch, a really great listen.

I remember this album being so big when it came out. It's a beast, essentially a double album consisting of solo helmed records from both Big Boi and Andre 3000, and it's just phenomenal top to bottom, Genre defying and generational defining. It was fun to revisit.

I had never heard of this band before, but am familiar enough with some of their Welsh contemporaries like Super Furry Animals and Stereophonics. I had pretty low expectations for this but enjoyed it well enough. Generally when things from the 90s I have not heard of come up they are not for me, but this was fun.

Oh man, I have never cared about The Boss and have found him somewhat insufferable but that might be more from his fans being pretty insufferable. However, I have never given him a fair shake, and wanted to keep an open mind and see what all the fuss is about. And this album sucks, it's unbearable and laughably bad. Very rough getting through the whole thing.

Obviously very familiar with the huge hits from this record, but not so much else from this band. This album is pretty meticulously arranged with beautiful harmonies. Very pleasant listen. Really evocative of a very specific time and place with the mid-60s AM radio gold sound.

I love this album so much and have been listening to it a bunch over the past few years. There are few albums that are flawless in terms of production and the sound they are going for and this is one of them.

This is a perfect album. Easily my most listened to output from Talking Heads. Not a miss on the whole album. The bass line on "Warning Sign" might be my favorite bass line ever.

I was not familiar with this album at all, having really only known about the follow-up to this album, "Forever Changes," and of course being familiar with the single "7 and 7 Is" from watching Bottle Rocket my whole life. This album is great, it's tight and it's weird and rocking, before settling in to the sprawling closer. Definitely enjoyed it and happy to have more context to this band.

I haven't listened to this or to The Police in general with real earnest for a really long time. I know that this is their best and biggest album, and I get why, but it's certainly not my favorite. Excellent musicianship throughout and really enjoyable to listen to and revisit.

Not super familiar with this record in this context, but a lot of these songs are familar and this sound is certainly familiar. I think the B-52's are just ubiquitous in our culture at this point. Classic new wave vibes, and pretty fun to listen to a couple times through.

Is this album good and worthy of inclusion on this list or does it just contain a massive hit? I think the fact that I do not know and also do not care enough to find out after listening kind of answers that question to me. Another miss on the overrepresented English record from the 80s on this list. It's fine but come on.

This is a great straightforward hip hop album, nothing but rhymes and incredible production from two of the best in Method Man and RZA. Nothing superfluous and this album is still incredible nearly 30 years later.

I mean potentially the best record in the world from the best band in the world. What a swan song. The b-side to this record is incredible and it hits all the feels. Just love it so much.

These kind of records are my favorite. Timeless standards performed by an artist, who shows us yet again why these are so timeless to begin with. Willie brings a quietness and space to these songs that let them breathe and also show everyone that Willie is a truly great musician, connecting with these songs deeply and making them his own. I love these kinds of records.

This took me many days to get to. This is not for me at all, but I understand the appeal. I do feel like it's on here because of the overrepresented bias towards medicore music from the UK from this time period on this list, but that's neither here nor there.

I have not ever really listned to The Who more than just a greatest hits comp and hearing their songs as ubiquitous parts of pop culture that last 50 years. This album has some bangers that everyone knows and some songs that I have never heard of, which are just whatever. Not my cup of tea, but fun to hear the hits.

This album is a masterpiece, it's all I ever want in a piece of music. It feels like there is a communing with a higher power on this record. It's universal and sacramental. Just an amazing composition. Mingus was and forever is the master.

Pretty meh on this. Another mediocre and inconsequential entry to this list. It's fine, but one of the top albums to listen to before I die? I think not.

I love this album. Probably my favorite album from Queen. It starts and ends so strong, it's kind of incredible. Brian May's guitar tone is perfect as always. Almost a perfect record.

I am not a hip hop expert, but this feels like a classic hip hop masterpiece. Hardcore east coast at it's finest. Flawless combo of rhthym and lyrics. Nas is one of the best.

Thriller this is not. Definitely an uneven outing to my ears. A few classic songs that are great, but the overall vibe and feel of this album is peaks and valleys. Not for me by any means.

This live recording is absolutely breakneck. I can't imagine them being more at the height of their abilities. Just relentlessly pounding. Laying the foundation for thrash. It's honeslty an overwhelming thing to listen to and imagine seeing it live in 1980 and 1981. What a band.

Shuggie Otis is great. Just kind of always heard his name--being name dropped by Beastie Boys will do that--but never listened to one of his records. This is just a smooth groovin jam. Great songs, great sound, great record.

Excellent album and some very welcome World variety. Expertly performed guitar compositions, a beyond enjoyable listening experience.

This is a classic album. I always forget how unexpected and unobvious these compositions are. There is a lot more depth and darkness to them than one might expect. Really short and sweet as a whole, but a great and beautiful album to listen to.

This album is so so good. Forever changed hip-hop. It's a melodic thrill ride, completely bombastic and hard hitting. Love it and an absolute classic.

One of the best albums ever made from a truly talented, soulful and empathetic artist. This album is all Stevie Wonder, every arrangement and every texture. It's simply the pinnacle of his career. A perfect record.

I knew nothing about Tori Amos. Reading about her while listening to this album, it's clear why this album is important given the context and the subject matter. Musically she is without a doubt incredibly gifted. This is just not at all for me.

This album is great, it's racing, abrasive and raw. A great output from a very shortlived but excellent band. Had been a really long time since I listened to this. Excellent.

This is the second Amy Winehouse album I have gotten on this list, and the first one blew me away. I had no idea what kind of artist of musician she was. This album is also great, it's heavy, the production is killer, and it's cool to hear an earlier output after being floored by her second album. Great listen all around.

What can I even say about this record. This record has probably figured more prominently and been more present in my life as something absolutely essential than any other record. They say music is tied to memory and time, and this record has been there for everything in my life since it came out. It evokes such deep multitudes of memories and feelings in such a visceral way. The mythology and timing of how and when this record was recorded and released aside, it's absolutely beautiful. Its at the same time texured and sparse, busy and full of space, bursting with sound and absolutely hushed. It exists somewhere in the margins like the shortwave radio recordings from which it drew inspiration. This record both lends itself to comforting background listens and is still deeply rewarding with fully attentive immersive listens. It has given and contines to give so much. I simply cannot imagine my life without it.

I was really hoping that this would be at the very least marginally easier to stomach than Pyromania was. It is in fact even more of a slog to listen to and get through. It's impressive to make something so boring and uninteresting and also give it such a needlessly long run time in the pre-CD era. It's absolutely mind boggling to me that this among the most sold albums of all time. After two records I now think that Def Leppard is perhaps the most boring and uninteresting and overrated band relative to "success" that there might be.

There is a timelessness to the songs on this album. Obviously a gifted songwriter and musician. Enjoyed this quite a bit.

I have never really sat down and given this record a focused listen. Despite that I'm struck by how familiar a lot of this record is, it must be a lot more ubiquitous than I realize. Radiohead has always been a lot for me, very dramatic indeed. And this record is very much that. Obviously they are a talented band and gifted musicians, but they just aren't really for me. I did enjoy listening to this, though it's hard for me to place it in any context.

I don't have the greatest grasp on Dylan in terms of where the lines are between his different phases and artistic personas. There is a lot of mythologizing that goes in to him, particularly the earlier eras that were more than 50 years ago now. That being said this is a rock record recording with a rock band as backing musicians, so it seems this is post Dylan going electric. A lot of very well known songs on here, and the rest of the record has a swing to it that gives it a drive. I am guessing if I listened to this a lot more I'd think it was phenemonal. Obviously a great record.

I don't really have much to say nor do I know where to begin with this. I do not know electronic music at all nor do I know progressive house music in general. I will say this was a wild thing to listen to for 70 minutes on a lazy Sunday morning. It's not bad by any means, and I get the appeal, but just honestly never something I've ever been interested in.

This is one of my all-time favorite records. Just a tour de force of space rock, neo psychedelia, shoegaze and gospel music. Incredible songs with incredible arrangements. One of the best.

I love the Tuareg desert blues when it's done well. Excellent guitar player and excellent songs. The quality of music that comes out of the Sahara region, particularly from Mali and Niger is top notch. Great record, paving the way for others.

I had never listened to this before. It's a good album both in historical context to being something that stood in contrast to the rising popularity in gangsta rap and as being one of the first Southern hip-hop records and obviously being influential to everything that came after in that genre.

I thought I was going to be a lot less in to this than I am. I just assumed it was pretty bluesy and not for me. Bluesy it is for sure, but it's also pretty fuzzed out early acid rock. It's messy and psychedelic and loud. Janis Joplin is a pretty great vocalist on these songs as well. There is a great vibe to the recordings. I get why this record has had such staying power for 50+ years.

I have never listened to Jane's Addiction--though I recognized that song "Jane Says"--and my expectations were pretty low. This band is wild for sure, and the album was better than I thought. It's loud and bombastic and just kind of straight up rocks. Perry Farrell seems to be a great vocalist and front person. I can't imagine I'll get in to this band at this point in my life, but that wasn't bad at all.

This is the second album I have received from The Prodigy--hopefully the last--and this is the one I assumed the first one was. It has the songs that I remember getting serious radio play when this came out. I was in to this slightly more than the first one, but ss I said on the first review, this band and this music is not for me. But I am happy that it exists for the people that it is for.

I am not super familiar with Radiohead, but Muse seems like something that was just trying to ride those coattails. I don't really get the appeal at all, and frankly it's just too much.

Just a great jazzy, funky, soul record. Just excellent vibes all around. What a delight.

I am not familiar with this band at all so came in with zero expectations. This album is definitely something, it's an incredibly succinct and and tightly packed and to the point record incorporating a wide variety of sounds. Touches of garage, prog rock, psych rock, and math rock. It's wild how much it has going on. Seems like it's been very well received. And it is good, just not exactly for me.

I just can't even with this. Some of the most uninspired straightforward bluesy bullshit I have ever heard. What a joke. Get this guy out of here.

I do not know anything about this band at all, aside from knowing "Song 2" was a bit radiohit. And then I realized who Damon Albarn after he tried to discredit artists who are not singular writers of their songs because co-writing doesn't count. The dude seems like a bozo. Anyway, this album was a lot more poppy than I thought it would be, I assumed that with the breakout of Song 2 as having an underground (at the time) sound, that rest of the album sounded like that. But no this is just straight pop. There are a handful of songs that feel like they could have been pulled straight from a Kinks record--in a good way. All in all this record was fine.

Yeah I don't know about this. I am not well versed in Radiohead, and this is making no impression me. Seems like people love it though.

Yeah I don't really know what to think about this. There is a certainly a rawness and a feeling of punk abandon here--I don't know for sure, but I would not be surprised if they came about as being popular after the success of The Strokes. Some of these songs are chaotic enough and fun enough to work, but I'm just not really feeling it. Kind of surprised this is on this list.

Jazz Fusion is ridiculous, but it's also pretty sweet. Great lineup on this Weather Report album. Jaco and Wayne Shorter are top notch as always. Weather Report are easy to goof on, but if you open your heart I think you will find that it can be a good time.

This just feels like a live DJ session or an underground mix tape from back in the day--in a good way. Nothing I would ever listen to regularly, but it was fun enough.

This is not as bad as I was expecting it to be. I am not sure what I thought this band was, but I didn't think they had a psuedo post-punk/garage revival sound. Seems like they are just a Poor Man's version of The Strokes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This was fine.

I do not get it. I do not understand why this is on this list. It's not bad, just very unremarkable. Maybe I don't fully grasp the context behind this band and this release, but I really feel like this album is not essential at all.

Very out of my depth. I have never heard of this band and certainly am very unfamiliar with anything this deep in the techno realm. A very long record. Not really for me, pretty relieved when it was done and I could listen to something else.

Just a beautiful record. Gorgeous arrangments and just a delight to listen to. Ray is awesome.

Very surprised to see an album that has barely been out for 2 years on this list--and I am not familiar with Lana Del Rey's music at all, so I was initially super skeptical. That skepticim proved to be well placed. This album is boring, uninteresting, and unremarkable. I don't htink I ever needed to hear this.

This is so god awful.

Listening to a full album of this is wild. It's long a little much, but I enjoyed it.

Yeah, this is my second album from "The Boss" on this list. What a fucking joke. This is so god awful unlistenable and horrible. There is nothing to this other than just an overly rushed ramble through some shitty song. Get this guy out of here. I'm sure there are even more of his albums on this list, so I have that disappointment to look forward to.

I do not know New Order at all, and had no preconceived notions coming in to this. My intial response, and it's likely a drastic over-simplification is that this is just a better version of The Smiths with no Morrissey to boot. The electronic dance vibes are a bit stronger for sure, and this album is a good time. Not for me, but it's an enjoyable enough album for sure.

This is probably the most quintessential Bob Dylan record in terms of sound and vibe he is oft associated with. It’s a great listen.

This album was and is still an instant classic. Just a phenomenal record.

This is ridiculous. I do appreciate hearing something so dramatically different than the usual on this list, but it's not really for me. I always fine music from this part of the world in the 70s and 80s interesting just becuase of the insular nature of that area at that time. Fun enough.

When I first read about this album I was so bummed to get it. I am just so tired of albums I haven't heard of on this list being electronic British artists from the 80s, 90s, or 2000s. But I was pleasantly surprised with this. Listened to it twice through while being productive around the house and it was perfect. This is still out of purview, so I don't feel like I can say a ton more about it. But I dig it.

Creedence rocks and this album rules. Just chooglin' baby!

The Beatles are the best. This record is great. There isn't much to say about it that hasn't been said a million times.

This is fine but pretty inconsequential. I would not listen to this again as it made no impression on me at all.

The recording quality on this leaves a lot to be desired, but no complaints here. This record rips. Mudhoney is a behemoth in the Grunge scene and Mark Arm already saw the wriring on the wall. This is a classic album, one of the best of the era and the genre.

Ray Charles is a legend, and these performances and recordings are excellent. This was an incredible album to pull on a lazy drizzly Friday morning. Excellent all around.

This album was fun, very solid 90s (1989 I know...) hip hop vibes. Buffalo Stance is a classic with such a solid hook. Good times.

I have never been familiar with Isaac Hayes outside of Shaft and South Park, and didn't have any real expectations at all for this. Initially I was pretty lukewarm to it, but the album builds and gets stronger and stronger, the last track was a surprisingly great 18 minute journey. Very cool stuff.

I loved and listened to this album so much the summer it came out. iPods were new and I remember loving being able to listen to it as I walked around town that summer with nothing else to do. That being said, this is not the first Beck record I think to listen to, and likely not even the fifth or sixth, and it's been a long time since I have heard it. What a jolt of nostalgia this was and I had a blast revisiting it. I remember at one point having a huge issue with the way this record is mixed, and it still bugs me, but not nearly as much as it used to. Great record.

Glam Rock generally ends up being way better than I expect--I am not sure why I don't have a better association with it. It's cheesy, but all music is. This album is a lot of fun, it's stomping and it rocks.

Love the Bakersfield sound so much. Buck Owens was there at the start and at this point his records are classics. This was a great, quick and succint listen. Just basking in that Bakersfield glow.

I know pretty nothing about this band, aside from the inclusion of their song "Hello Sunshine" in the "The Rock-afire Explosion" documentary (which is great!). I was suprised to learn that this is their debut album. It's incredibly well formed and layered for a band's first output and that in and of itself is impressive. This is a lot more up my alley than the Brit-pop stuff coming out in parallel from their colonizers.

This is obviously a classic recording with excellent preformances of many classic and well known Sam Cooke songs. It's so baked in to the culture of what everyone knows now, it feels like it's been around forever. Tough to give this anything less than 4 stars.

Had no expectations for this. This is a really intriguing and crazy album. The electric vibe punctuated by the Moog synth gives it an alien feeling in the context of what I usually associate with Texad Honky Tonk Country. Really solid album and enjoyed listening to it immensely. Reading more about Joe Ely, he seems pretty sweet.

Cosmic American Music. It's great revisiting Parsons who was easily the best known of this genre of 70s country music that has spawned so much interest in mining compilations fromt he likes of archival labels like Numero Group. This record is beautiful and sound such a part of the fabric of American music. An absolute pleasure to listen to.

Listening to this is wild after living through it so long ago. It's hard to remember just how much by storm Eminem took the world when this came out. I never listened to it then but the singles and his presence were just ubiquitous. Obviously Eminem is a great rapper, one of the best ever, and these rhymes hit hard, but it's hard to get past the nostaligic punch from hearing this and listening to it in that context. It's not bad by any means, it's just not for me.

Slightly aggravating to figure out how to listen to this. Originally released as an EP in 1988, then re-released as an album length compilation including the songs on this EP (although in a different order) and early singles from the band. The only thing available on streaming services is a 2+ hour deluxe edition which has yet a different tracklisting order than either of the first two releases. Reading interviews and such, it seems like Mudhoney has been asked about it a bunch as they seem pretty adament that they consider this their first album, and that they consider the designation between EP and LP to be pretty arbitrary. With that in mind I chose to listen to the 6 song 22 minute original "EP" releaes for this. This album definitely rules and rocks. Mudhoney were the best grunge band in that scene, and that should not come as shocking or surprising to anyone anymore. And like most bands from that scene, their first release was their best. It's the most urgent, raw and true to live representation for them. Just a great recording as well to capture that spirit.

I was immediately skpetical of this just because of Michael Franti, who has long been the butt of many jokes between my friends and I. I had no idea he had anything to do with hip hop at all. This was really hard to find to listen to. 4 of the 13 tracks are not on streaming services, and had to turn to a YouTube playlist with the occasional ad interruption between songs. Not ideall. But... this was a pleasant surprise and felt relevant and right out of it's time. Very political and urgent. I dug it quite a bit.

So I had never heard of this band, and they are whatever. I am not super familar with Radiohead but they just sound like Radiohead to me, particularly the vocals. I suppose the arrangements and instrumentation is less interesting. I don't know, I am reading and understand that there were a few post Brit-pop bands that had this sound and garnered that comparison, Coldplay among them. I think all of it is pretty pedestrian.

This album rules, and it's such an intrinsic part of my music DNA and language, just omnipresent for so long. It's a perfect record. An aboslute joy to see albums like this pop up when they do.

This is a good album for sure, probalby her best. Some of it sounds very inspired and some of it sounds kind of run of the mill. Nonetheless a great Saturday morning record.

You know, the American Pie is gets goofed on a lot as a song, but despite it's cheesiness, I have always really loved it. My familiarity with Don McLean basically starts and ends there. This album was great though, starts off with that familiar song and then doesn't veer much from that sound, over a quick and succinct album. Real pleasure on a Sunday morning.

Truly a great record. It's everything, it's brilliant, it's tender, it's transcendent, it's focused and it's sprawling. A truly transcendent record from one of the best.

Great record. I only listened to the 8 tracks on the original release, not the super expanded stuff on streaming services. Just a lot of fun.

I was not expecting the sythesizer drum machine vibes straight out of the 80s for many of these songs. Somewhat silly, but undernearth all of that are just absolutely beautiful songs. Truly a poet. Excellent record.

I have never heard of this group or this record before. Very enjoyable late 60s folk record.

Led Zep is rough. And a double album of almost 90 minutes of Led Zep is especially tough. Just too bluesy and too cheesy for me, but I know people love them. It was a slog.

I don't listen to Kanye any more at all these days, and it's certainly been a while since I've listened to this, and man is this a great record. Still sounds as fresh as it did nearly 20 (!!!) years ago when it came out. Great record.

This record comes at you fast from the beginning and doesn't really let up. The early 90s hip-hop just hits so good.

I think as far as 80s synth music (I know this is 1990) goes, you can do a lot worse than Depeche Mode. This album has a couple super well known singles on it and the rest of the album is good enough. No issues with this like I do a lot of similar music.

I did not get on this train in the 90s when this album came out though I remember it being big and different at the time. And I have a handful of friends who would count NIN as one of their favorite bands. Happy to dive in to this and after a couple listens I dig how abrasive and ecletic this record is. I'm sure it would have been wild to get immersed in this nearly 30 years when it came out. NIN is not really for me, but this is a great album.

Did not initially recall N.E.R.D. at all when this came up, but then reading about them and realizing is was Pharrell Williams jogged my memory a bit. Regardless, I never listened to them at all before. This album is okay, it feels a bit uneven and all over hte place to me, especially given the level to which Pharrell has risen as a producer. Some fun songs, but a lot of the arrangements just don't really do it for me. Fun enough for sure.

This album is great and feels like such a refreshing force from this time and place. Just killer minimalist synth-punk.

I was not expecting to know so many songs on this record and to like them so much. I guess I just didn't really have a great grasp on Lynyrd Skynyrd at all, and I've kind of always written them off. Having a lot more context to these great well known songs in the structure of an album is kind of wild. This album is great.

At this point The Doors are so ingrained in to the culture of American Music, it's impossible to not know most of these songs. I've never listened to the whole album start to finish, and it's just fine. The hits still slap, there are some nice weird songs in there, and then also some sprawling way too bluesy jams for me, which is just kind of how I think of The Doors in general. So I guess this is probably a pretty good representation of them as a whole I think.

I have always liked and really respected Neil Young while at the same really not liking his voice. Those things are not mutually exclusive. Because of that I have not really explored a ton of his music in depth, and this record is really the only exception. I think it's a phenomenal record. And a really great one to get just a week before seeing Neil perform live.

Was not super thrilled to get a Britpop album on this. But as far as Britpop goes, this seems like one of the better ones. Just fine to listen to.

Rush rules. I have not dabbled in to a ton of Prog Rock, but Rush is tops of that genre. This album kicked ass.

Was not expecting much from this band. I didn't pay attention to them when they came out and just kind of lumped them in with a huge group of bands and artists that seemed to be hitting it big and riding the wave of revival of garage rock kind of spurred by The Strokes. It's probably unfair to all of those bands to be so dismissive of them but that's how it is. This album was better than I expected, a great energy and a great sound. Production value is excellent and it's catchy and just kind of rocks. Really enjoyed listening to this.

There is such a purity and clarity that punches from Dolly Parton's songs. This record is so tight and so succinct. Just an excellent record rounded out with excellent songs.

This album is so ridiculous. Like pretty much everyone I have heard it a bunch and also was very in to AC/DC as a teenager. I listened to this album a bunch today, for the first time in a while. It was so cheesy and it rocked so much. I much prefer Bon Scott AC/DC but this album is obviously a classic.

This album is ambitious. It's vivid and lyrical and self-indulgent. It's certainly interesting, and I can sense it's influence in more modern self-deprecating songwriters, particulary on Jim O'Rourke's Drag City outputs. Great listen and always happy to have something unknown like this come up.

It is absolutely wild that people like this band and this album and that it can be considered anywhere near essential. What a boring pandering sound. Anything more than zero would be too many Aerosmith albums on this list, and this is the third one I've received so far, please make it stop.

This record is beautiful. Within the context of late 90s hip-hop this record is a revelation, nuanced, personal and cerebral. But behind all of that is incredible lyrics and rapping as well. Just a phenomenal record.

Just beautiful songs. Nothing bad to say about this record at all.

This album is incredible and a classic. I’m truly surprised how much I come back to this.

This is a great Can record, meandering and atmospheric. Really excellent listen.

What can I say, just an absolute masterpiece.

I don't know anything about this band or this record, and when I see a band if from England in the 90s I immediately cringe because of the very bad track record this list has in egregiously over representing British music, but this record was surprisingly enjoyable. A much more punk vibe and energy than I was expecting. A pleasant surprise.

I don't have all of the context of where this stands in the Tropicália world, but I am reading this is one of the first Tropicália records, so I'm guessing it's very important. All of that aside, this is just a great record. Everything you'd want and expect in a classic Tropicália record.

I'm always so skeptical of British music from this time period that I have never heard of, but this album is great. Just a very catchy toe tapping album with banger after banger. Really enjoyed it.

Still amazes me out how raw Kurt sounds in fully fuzzed out Nirvana mode as well as stripped down acoustic mode. What an artist. This record rules and it's been too long since I've listened to it.

Any follow-up to the flawless Loveless was going to be a daunting effort with impossible expectations. That the follow-up took 20+ years only adds to those expectations. Despite all of that m b v landed as a great third record from My Bloody Valentine. It has everything you'd expect from the band. It doesn't ascend to the impossible heights of Loveless but it's still a phenomenal album and a great companion listen to their previous masterpiece.

This album is intense and in your face. Pantera barks at you. Pretty great record incorporating a lot of styles, excellent guitar work, excellent vocal work. Great band.

Whenever I listen to The Band I start wondering if they might be the best band ever. Maybe not their best album here, but it's a great one.

The legendary Residents. Another band I have heard about forever but have never earnestly listened to. Obviously their influence is matched by few and it was great to give them a couple spins. This record is just as fun and as weird as I expected it would be.

Just a great punk record from a band at the height of their powers. So much fun.

Elvis is Elvis and he's great for the most part. Crazy career and crazy life. This album is great and some killer songs. Always down to listen to Elvis.

I love ABBA. But I really just know the hits, and was surprised to not recognize any of the songs on this record. Reading about it, it makes sense, this was their last record while thye were together, and it definitely is more complex and mature than their previously lighter pop music. The complexity hits you from the first track and the record immediately demands your attention. Really enjoyed listening to this.

Great band and great album.

This album is phenomenal and a classic. Prince's best album and his magnum opus. It would be criminal to give it anything other than a 5/5.

This is more interestng than I was expecting it to be. I don't know more electronic. These guys have never done for me, but this was fine to listen to.

This album was obviously a megahit in the early golden age of hip hop. I need to give LL Cool J more credit than I do because this is a great album. He's an articulate rapper and this album, though a tad too long, is a great listen and solid all around.

Good album from a good songwriter. A perfectly enjoyable listen on this lazy Sunday morning.

What a hilariously cheesy band and album. Fun to hit some hits in there. Just super glad this was so short.

I don't really know what to say about this. It's obviously good, super smooth, super clean production. Contemporary R&B and Soul just kind of go in one ear and out the other for me. Didn't grab me at all.

This album is a classic and is just always so chill to listen to.

Frank Black is really easy to make fun of. He's pretty much a parody of himself at this point. Despite that I love the first run of Pixies records and definitely love this record. This has always been one of my top records to listen to on a road trip. Just so many great sing-along-able songs. It's a tad long, but still punches above it's weight from start to finish.

I always feel like I should listen to and be more familiar with R.E.M. than I am, which is currently very very little, but whenever I do I just kind of feel "meh" about them. This is my second album of theirs that has come up on this list, and I assume not the last, and I still just kind of feel that way about it. Not bad by any means but just kind of "meh" for sure.

I love this band and I love this album, and coincidentally I just listened to this a couple times not more than 2-3 days ago. It's a phenomenal record from a creative force.

This recod is a lot to take in right off the bat, but once I got used to it, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Certainly an interesting end of life album for Bowie.

When it comes to Sigur Rós, I am really only familiar with ( ) which was released after this album. This album is just what I was expecting though, just an absolutely beautiful and visceral auditory experience. Excellent release from an excellent band.

This is an excellent contemporary soul album and it's something I didn't even know I wanted. Great listen.

This was an absolute delight and very calm and peaceful record to listen to. Very much enjoyed it.

I love the Bakersfield Sound. This album is a fantastic listen.

An absolute delight to listen to in the morning. Just a great blend of danceable funk, smooth R&B, and earnest soul. An excellent album.

King Crimson is a ridiculous band making ridiculous music. Very far out. Heady even. If you get past how ridiculous it is and just roll with it, it's pretty fun. Obviously these blokes are good musicians. Decent enough for sure.

Tears For Fears are great for sure. I have never listened to a whole album of theirs but know the hits and this is about what I expected.

Metallica used to be pretty sweet, but it's tough to take them all that seriously now because they are so ridiculous. This album is a bit hit or miss from me, but ultimately it's pretty good, I defintiely prefer the earlier stuff from them.

Very unfamiliar with Dizzee Rascal and this album, but it obviously was an incredibly well received album from such a young and talented artist. Doesn't really resonate with me which is not surprising, but this album is obviously very good.

Impossible not to give this record 5 stars. It is a flawed album and prehaps overrated. It's impossible to overstate it's significance within the context of when it came out, and it still contains some of the coolest stuff The Beatles ever put to tape, but it's also just not the best collection of songs. These are all judged by The Beatles standards, it's not their best album, but still one of the best and most important albums every put out.

I do not know much about any of hte Wainwrights other than that they are all related. Though I have always expected I'd probably be in to Loudon and not really in to any of the others. This was not what I was expecting at all, a lot more operatic and lushly arranged than I was expecting. It's a lot and it's certainly not for me. He sounds a lot like Thom Yorke to me, and that is kind of a hard feeling for me to shake. It's obviously good, but just really far away from the stuff I like. I can't see myself ever listening to this again.

I was not expecting much from this other than the big hit, but this is a sweet album. Seems like it's pretty quintessential 1980s new wave from a sonic standpoint. I had a good time listening to this.

I am not super familiar with the first and second Queen records. Sheer Heart Attack had always been my starting point, so was happy to get this and give it a listen. Certainly a good record from a great band that deserves more listens.

This is just kind of wild. I had not heard of Dion at all, and was shocked that this was their 14th album. Just seems nuts for something that far in to someone's creative output to be that well regarded without having so many other well regarded releases. I have obviously heard the song "Runaound Sue" a bunch of times, but had no idea who it was by, so seems even crazier to me that they had a hit like that in 1961 and then put something so different out so many years later. The Phil Spector sound is all over this, for or worse, at this point it just is what it is. Obviously a layered album in terms of production and it's decent enough, but it's not really for me. The quality of songs is there undernearth all of it though. Certainly mixed reviews for sure.

This album is a bit mixed for me. It has some real highs and real lows. I think there is a good reason some of these so songs are so enduring and you keep hearing them now 50 years later. They are excellent and are absolutely bright spots on this album that isn't full of them.

Teenage Fanclub is great, they kind of hit the sweetspot for me for early 90s alternative music, somewhere in the middle of complete lo-fi and more polished radio ready stuff. It's pop music for sure but has some rougher edges around it which I love. I have always dug this album.

Sparks are incredible and this album is incredible. Tight and ferocious. Truly excellent.

Moby is wild, unlike what I was expecting. All I knew about Moby was that he's a bit of a dork, a bit of a creep, and that song "South Side" which seems like it's a big outlier. He is very much his own thing. This was fine.

This album is incredible and still just as fresh and vital today as it did when it was released 30 years ago. Truly a masterpiece.

I am not familiar with Emmylou Harris at all, and this reminds me of so many other artists. She has a tremendous voice and these songs are affective for sure. Not sure if it's something that will spark subsequent spins, but a fine album nonetheless.

Putting on an Eagles record to listen to is so fucking embarrassing. Within the first few seconds you are just instantly re-assessing what you are doing with your life, and wondering if you've really lost it. The Eagles are cheesy as everyone knows, but this has some redeeming qualities in that it's a bit more straightfoward rock than their later stuff. I'll give it that but not much else.

This is better than "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town," but that isn't saying much because that is such a low bar to meet and surpass. I think this album probably benefits from the songs that everyone knows, and "I'm on Fire" is such a bonafide classic, although so many others have covered that song and have much better versions this than clown. Can't believe he has so many albums on this list.

I have never cared much to listen to Foo Fighters, despite actually seeing them live 20 years ago. Dave Grohl just seems like a dork. This album is cool, it kind of feels more like a demo, which I guess isn't surprising given how it was recorded and everything. Nice enough to listen to, hopefully there aren't any more Foo Fighters albums on this list, but I'm sure there are.

I have never cared to listen to this band at all. Mike Patton seems like a novelty act to me and I have never given him or his projects the benefit of the doubt--except for Lovage I guess, which is really excellent. I did not even know that Mike Patton was not the original singer of this band, but I guess this is the first album that came out with him as the lead vocalist, it is just whatever, pretty meh middle of the road late 80s rock. It's about 10-12 minutes too long and includes a needless 8 minute cover of War Pigs. Don't feel like it's a worth inclusion on this list at all.

I had not ever listened to this band and just assumed I wouldn't like them. After listening I can't say that that was a completely accurrate assumption, but I mean this is about what I expected. I get why people love this stuff, it sounds like an amalgamation of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen to me, with some Paul Simon thrown in there. Just straight boring heartland rock tropes. Not for me at all, but it's pleasant and very safe and non-confrontational.

An absolutely excellent and classic album. It was a nice one to draw today on a laid back Friday. It'd been a bit for sure. I remembered that the mix on this album has always bugged me, everything feels like it should be louder and it just kind of feels buried in itself. That being said, the songs are undeniably great.

I have never done a deep dive into Bad Brains. Other than just the ubiquitous S/T debut, I haven’t heard much of them. So I was surprised to see something other than that record come up on this list. This is a tight and succinct listen. Earlier punk with this energy has both a looseness and ferocity that is tough to really pin down. Decent listen for sure.

French pop from the 60s. Wild and very welcome. This was a very enjoyable listen on a lazy early Sunday morning.

Such a killer soul/funk record. This sound just kind of personifies everything I think of when I think of this genre. Great listen this morning.

Yeah the lush chamber pop is not really for me. I don't think this band needs to have one album on this list, let alone at least two. At least it is short.

Totally unfamiliar with this and Mbalax music in general. Nothing incredible by any means, but really excellent recordings and excellent music.

I have never actively listened to Parliament (or Funkadelic for that matter), but I'm sure I've heard it passively countless times playing at parties or in the background. I had kind of always written them off as something I wouldn't find that interesting. I was only partially right. It's defintiely interesting and good and it grooves so hard. It's still not something that is going to get me jazzed but I guess I can say I fully understand the appeal now.

The Doors. This was to be what I expected, which is to say fine.

Great debut album, weird and raw. I can't imagine what it was like hearing this when it came out. But it's still great to hear it every once in a while.

Zappa and The Mothers of Invention I don't love by any means but certainly appreciate what they did and their contribution to music and culture. This is probably their most well known, I'm guessing. It's definitely an interesting and fun to listen to. A bit long and not something I want to listen a ton, but worth checking in on every so often.

The best Michael Jackson album with some of the best Michael Jackson songs.

This album is honestly incredible, both in the context of when it came out and now still today. I remember it being so intriguing, so blurring of genres and cultures and so good when it came out, and it still feels that fresh and unbelievable today. It's surprising that it didn't reach more people. M.I.A. is probably too political for mainstream success, but her lyrics and beats are up there with the best. Excellent album.

This album is certainly all over the place. It kind of feels like a fever dream to me. It's great and I really enjoyed, maybe a tad overly long.

This album was not what I was expecting at all. I guess given it's title, I had always assumed it was an earlier Beach Boys record. It's sparse and thin but man it has some great songs with beautiful melodies. It feels more like a collection of songs rather than a conceptual album, and I'm sure that's because of Brian Wilson kind of taking a back seat in the production process, but this is a great album. It's so weird to hear the song Surf's Up not within the context of Smile and hear it just end an album.

This album absolutely rules and is a blast.

Sonic Youth is one of those bands that I truly missed the boat on. Hyper aware of them and their imprint on music forever but not really all that familiar with their music. Consequently I don't feel a ton when I listen to it. This album is fine, it's like all other Sonic Youth albums, just kind of whatever for me. Maybe some day I'll do a true deep dive in to Sonic Youth, but I figure if I was ever going to do that I would have done it by now.

Good album from a good songwriter. A perfectly enjoyable listen on this lazy Sunday morning.

This is one of the great albums of our time, and truly timeless. I am happy to listen to this at any time and place. I've seen it performed live front to back with 4 of the 5 living band members 50 years after the fact and it was incredible. I love this album.

PE rules. The beats are so heavy and it's impossible not to just feel it through the whole album. Listening to this on a loud stereo was great.

Pretty meh on this. It's fine, it's not amazing and it's not horrible. Perfectly fine as some background fodder. Nothing stood out to me though and I won't listen to it again.

I haven't listened to this album in so long and I kind of forgot and took for granted how good it is. It is defintiely the album that broke the mold for me pigeonholing Dylan as just one type of artist, which is why I likely enjoy so much of his later stuff and think he is an excellent performer still to this day. A classic as far as I'm concerned.

I get that Jeff Buckley has this air of mystique and intrigue and tragedy around him, and I also understand that this is supposedly an excellent album. Which I guess it is, but it is just not for me. I can't see myself ever really getting in to this or listening to it again, but yeah it's clearly good.

This album offends me to my core when it's propped up as something someone must hear. We do not need more bluesy rock like this. Less Clapton please. I'd give it a 0 out of 5 if I could.

This album is so good and this band is so good. One of the best debut albums from one of the most important bands ever. I can hear so much music that has come since just sitting there in plain sight on this record.

Just always way too much Stones on this list. Given that, for some reason I enjoyed this album more than the others I received, but man did I just forget it immediately and will not listen to it. Just bluesy bar band rock music. Not for me and certainly way too over represented on this list. I guess it is what it is.

I am pretty meh on trip-hop. It's not for me, but I understand the appeal. I get why people would like this so much. It was more than fine.

Well I liked and enjoyed that more than I thought I would. Look we have all heard Led Zeppelin thousands of times forever. I'm not saying I never need to hear them again, but I'm not not saying that either. I know they rock. Clearly they rock. I just get so tired of them. But for whatever reason this hit right today and I really enjoyed it.

So yeah, Taylor Swift. I hadn't considered that this list would have Taylor Swift albums on it, but I guess it makes sense. Taylor Swift is interesting to me because she has such a cultural ubiquitousness that rivals maybe only Michael Jackson in my lifetime, yet I really don't have any idea what her music sounds like. I am familiar with the song "Shake It Off" only because Screaming Females did a ripping cover of it that I really like. Anyway, I guess this was a suprise Covid release and from what I read embraces much more cozy/acoustic lived in moods than some of her other poppier/dancier stuff. I am here to say that it's fine... I guess. Clearly it's well produced and it's catchy and it has a nice list of featured guests, but it is just so flat and uninteresting to me. I guess I can say now that I know what she sounds like, and I'm assuming there will likely be at least another one of her albums on this list. I don't have high expectations.

Great record to hit on after a pretty pedestrian and monotonous stretch. Very enjoyable jazz listen to help set the day for a hopefully quiet Friday.

My initial thought would be that I would hate this within the first couple minutes, but I didn't! This was a cool concept album and I appreciate the approach and the detail that went in to it. A cool cultural exploration. I dig it.

This is better than I was expecting, which is exactly what I said when I got another one of their records earlier in this thing. Still not exactly for me, but it’s fine. I dig the lead vocals.

This album is weird. The mix sounds off, things sound louder and quieter from track to track. This is supposedly ZZ Top's best album, "top Top" from what I'm told. But I wouldn't know. These boys are not for me. I do prefer Zig-Zag vs. Top rolling papers though.

In general this album was great. I really enjoyed most of it, though not a ton the few times that Ry Cooder's obvious influence seemed to take center stage. I think Ry Cooder is great, but I just love the Mali guitar stylzings on their own without him asserting himself so much. All in all a great album and strongly recommend.

Maybe as classic a Dylan album as there is. Fully electric and some of his best known songs, truly a measured masterpiece from start to finish.

Spiritualized is such a vibe, but it's the vibe I want on this lazy Friday afternoon. Just love this album.

Deep Purple is definitely some very rowdy and some very rockin' Rock and Roll. No denying that. Yeah it's good to listen to and check it out, but it is that great? Tough to say.

Never thrilled when I see something I have never heard of it and it's an English Electronic Duo. That being said this was fine, I listened to it while doing chores around the house. Totally inoffensive and fine. I probably won't ever listen to it again.

Just a beautiful and masterful live jazz record on a lazy rainy Sunday morning. Perfection.

This band doesn't do it for me, this is the second record of theirs to come up on this list, which seems like at least one too many, probably two too many though.

I don't know anything about John Martyn, but certainly just kind of feels like a poorman's Nick Drake. I'm not so sure this is an essential record at all. It's just fine.

One of my top albums and an easy 5/5. I do not listen to this nearly as often as I should so I was stoked when it came up today, especially because it's been a while since I've had something I knew I'd love. Had a blast listening to this a couple times today.

This album came out earlier than I thought it did, and it's clear that this set the stage for a lot of hip-hop that came afterwards. Pioneers to the 90s hip-hop sound. Great record.

The Pogues are great. I always expect that I am not going to like them all that much, but then I listen to them and it's great. This album is great and is probably their most interesting and their best.

This got my mind and my spirit right today.

I have never listened to CHVRCHES and honestly didn't really know what to expect. And they sounded super similar to what I was expecting. This was fine, perfectly pleasant, not really for me on a regular basis.

I just cannot get behind this drivel from John Lydon. What a blowhard. I know this stuff is supposed to be ground breaking or whatever, but it just seems so trite and overly self-indulgent.

I do not like Bruce Springsteen. If there's one thing this list has definitely done, it's made me realize that. This is the 4th one of his albums I have received thus far, and it's very different from the other ones, but not in a good way. I shutter to think how many more of his albums this list is going to generate for me to listen to.

What a great collection of soul songs on this record. Just impeccably excellent from start to finish.

I saw Le Tigre live opening for Beck back in 2005 and didn't know anything about them, and they were awesome. I haven't listened to them much, but man this record rules. Just a great sound and energy, very dancy and very much in your face. Love it.

Not really my jam or my area, but this is clearly a great record from a great artist. I fully get why it was included on the list.

I had never heard of this band, and the first few tracks weren't really connecting with me, but as this record progressed, it endeared itself to me a bit more, it got a little more far out and distinct. This late 60s psych sound is so ubiquitous, and bands from that era can feel like a dime a dozen, but I get why this record stands out a bit. It feels like a time capsule capturing a very specific moment in time. Cool record.

This album was certainly long. It has a pretty compelling backstory and circumstances behind it. And I suppose that context it makes it interesting, but it's not my favorite. It was fine.

It's kind of hard for me to rate this appropriately. This album is not available in the US and is hard to find. The best I could do was a playlist on YouTube, with videos mixed at different levels of differing lengths than the album tracks and interrupted every so often by ads. Tough to really get immersed in it.

I saw Jurassic 5 on Vans Warped Tour (of all places) back in 2000 and had no idea who they were. And I'm still not that familiar with them. This album is good for sure, and it's all over the place in style but strangely works together. Really fun album and something I'd like to listen to more.

Emmylou Harris obviously has an excellent voice and this is obviously a great straight country record. Enjoyable listen for sure.

This album was a lot of fun. Just a great bouncy new wave pop post punk sound. Catchy upbeat songs. A real joy.

I love this album and it has always been my favorite from Stevie Wonder. I don't necessarily think it's his best, but it's my favorite of his. It's hard for me to think about it objectively without taking in to account everything I associate with it, but that's the beauty of music.

The chamber baroque pop is not really for me. It's just a little much. Beautiful no doubt, but just a little much. No thanks.

I understand the inclusion of something like this, but a nearly 2 hour long album is a bit much. This is just also not for me and feels like maybe a candidate to drop for this thing.

I always kind of overlook this album with the simple reduction that this is Velvet Underground's noise album, but whenever I listen to it I love it. It's agressive, broken and overdriven and raw. It's always a rewarding listen from a great band.

This album ripped. I love the heavy reverb guitar that you find in the nosie pop/shoegaze bands from this era. This was a delight after a stretch of pretty middling album selections on this.

I do not deny that this album rocks, but I also know that this is not really my cup of tea. A great debut album, even though this isn't exactly a group of musicians who are young and handn't worked together before.

This is an excellent album. I have always heard it's excellent but never really dove in to it. This is the third PJ Harvey album I have gotten on this list and I think it's my favorite so far. Raw and rumbly, the solf/loud dynamics fully realized with Steve Albini doing the recording. Great record.

I have never heard of Alex Harvey, quite the life it seems like. This album was fun, it kind of straddles the all too familiar line between glam and punk which makes sense for the context of this album at the time. A quick hitter, this was very enjoyable.

The late 80s hard rock is not for me. I get it, I just think it's boring and overplayed. Not interested in this stuff.

A great album, a real classic. I know this whole thing frontwards and backwards and it's one of my all time favorites. Very stoked to get it today.

This is objectively bad music in every way. I can't see how this was, has been or ever could be consequential to anyone. Just a garbage fire over here. I would give this 0 out of 5 stars if I could.

I had never heard of Julian Cope before and was expecting the worst. But this was a lot better than I expected. For a while I thought this may be a 4 star album but it's way too long at 76 minutes and you can definitely get a bit lost in the sauce. 3 stars feels right.

This album is arguably the best from Talking Heads. It's not my favorite of theirs, but it's nearly perfect. Very stoked to get this today.

As I have said before, not super familiar with Neil Young, so getting any of this albums is a bit of a treat. Neil Young with Crazy Horse seems sweet. Meandering and murky. Some jams for sure. Really enjoyed this album.

The inclusion of something that was originally released as a 5xLP + 7” as an album seems a bit dubious to me. That being said this was an absolute delight to listen to, all of it. Ella Fitzgerald is obviously amazing and the Gershwin Songbook is ingrained in our culture at this point as standards. It’s a beautiful recording of beautiful versions of all of these. I still wouldn’t call this an “album” but it’s kind of hard to give it anything less than 5 stars.

I have never listened to Hendrix much more than the hits and the occasional same live footage that gets played a lot. Listening to a whole album is interesting, particularly a double album. Hendrix is obviously working on a level above most of his contemporaries. This album is a bit all over the place, but everything absolutely has it's own merit even if it doesn't mesh well together. Fun record to listen to, if overly long and meandering.

This is fine, nothing about it seems particularly interesting to me, and I'm unfamiliar with their arena sized sound. Just sounds like an early 2000s indie record I guess.

I had always understood Alice in Chains to be a grunge band, but listening to this it seems like they have one foot more firmly in the 80s hair metal hard rock and sludgy sounds and are just barely dipping their toes in what I would consider to be grunge. The vocalist honestly sounds like Axl Rose to me. Very ridiculous to say the least. This band definitely rocks, it would be foolheartedly to try to claim that it doesn't rock. People seem in to it and maybe you had to be there, nothing bad by any means, but not really speaking to me.

This album is a lot, stylisitcally, production, and length. No one ever tell Christina Aguilera that less is more. It's honestly pretty bonkers and feels very bloated. It was a wild ride, and one I don't expect to take again.

This album is 41 minutes long, and there are 3 different versions of it on iTunes of varying lengths. Always fun to deal with that. This was fine, about what I was expecting for a post-punk synth band from the early 80s. Definitely do recognize their well known songon this album. This music in general is not for me. Enjoyable enough though.

This album has a lot more to it than I thought it would as a follow-up to Rumours. Definitely a much more experimental and sparser sounding album stretched over a way too long 79 minutes. Enjoyed this way more than I was expecting.

Incredible first solo outing after the breakup of N.W.A. I foroget how hard the early west coast rhip hop hits. Great record.

Didn't really know what to expect with this, and am pretty nonplussed. I know this band and album is somewhat well known, though after listening to it nothing on it is familiar to me. And it also seems touted for blending and borrowing from so many different styles of music, and to me it just kind of sounds simplistic and boring, which is probably why it has such wide appeal. It's fine enough.

I just do not care about Elvis Costello. There is nothing here for me to get in to.

This album is undeniably excellent. Recording and production is perfect, the harmonies are beautiful. It's a perfect length. They breathe their own life into the cover songs they included on this album. It's nearly flawless.

This was a bit of a journey to search out for it, and was able to find it on YouTube. But this was a rewarding listen. Very weird and out there music at a time brimming with political turmoil and change in Germany. I really enjoyed this, and if it was easier to find these, I'd probably listen to the German version as well.

Short and sweet. This is a succinct and truly enjoyable folk record. I had never heard of this band or this album before, but it's super enjoyable.

This was a fun listen of an artist that was certainly not known to me. I kind of think that posthumous compilation releases shouldn't really count as an album, but that's just one of many already known issues with this list. Really enjoyed this and always welcome inclusion of a more diverse and relatively unknown artist on this list.

Tom Waits is a singular artist who brings beauty to everything. This album is fantastic, and though not my favorite is a critical one in his transition from Asylum to the Island. This is without question an excellent record.

I am not sure there is an album more vital and crucial to influential on musical tastes than this one. From the moment I heard this when I was 16, it totally altered the trajectory of what I was interested in. It's absolutely part of my DNA at this point.

This album and this band seem pretty inconsequential to me. This is some real folky almost proto jam band stuff, and just doens't do anything for me. I guess I can get how people would like it though.

This is an undeniable masterpiece. The songs, the arrangement, the production. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones together mad the best pop-funk album of all time.

Not doing a ton for me. Clearly well produced. It's too long for sure, but it's a product of the too long CD era albums. I was just ready for it to be over after about an hour when there was still almost 20 minutes left.

I am about as indifferent as I possibly could be to this music. It's fine, it doesn't do anything to me. But totally inoffensive and fine to listen to.

I had not heard of this band or this record, and am on a bit of a stretch where I've been getting a lot of records I have never heard of. More often than not they are not the best, but I was pleasantly surprised with this. Very cool early industrial music. I'm sure Trent Reznor was inspired by this band. Definitely dug it!

I love this album so much. It played such a huge part in my tennage/high school years and bonding over music with people. It is legitimately just banger after banger, and along with Green Day's "Dookie" a perfect encapsulation of what punk music in the mid 90s sounded like as it went mainstream. I will listen to this record on repeat all day today and absolutely love it.

Definitely was not thrilled about pulling this up, but at least it's short and relatively harmless. Pretty grating honestly, but it fades in to the background decently.

This is one heady and heavy album.

This was a bit much. It just all kind of sounded like one really long song that didn't have much variation. It was fine, and I bet it's rewarded on closer listenings. Van Morrison isn't really for me though.

Great quick hitting album from a great band. True Rock and Roll for sure.

This album was definitely a lot and is not for me. I get that it's good and important, but not for me.

Tom Petty was the most hugely disappointing live show I have ever seen. This guy was full of himself. Listening to this record, it's clear that there is a reason anyone ever only hears the hits. At least it was short.

Early proto rock and roll is a wild thing. This recod is cool as artifact but I'm not sure it's worth much more than that. I just watched the Little Richard: I Am Everything documentary, so hearing Tutti Frutti here resonated with me a bit more than it usually would.

Not familiar with Massive Attack at all. I'm told they have a song that is in a well known scene in the movie "Snatch." This was fine, pretty chill, but also pretty meh. Pleasant enough.

This is definitely not what I was expecting. It's a bit more experimental and heady than I would expect, but then again I don't really know a ton about David Crosby. Totally fine Sunday afternoon listen.

Definitely a fun and punchy post punk/new wave record. I had never heard of this band, though there was definitely a vauge familiarity to them. Certainly probably a likely far reaching influence I was just not aware of. Good listen for sure.

This was a lot sweeter than I was expecting, pleasantly surprised. Worth listening to for sure.

I have always loved this album, and I will go years and years without thinking about it or listening to it. And it's been a while, so I was pleasantly surprised when it popped up. I'm also a bit surprised that this album is on the list, but reading it's wiki page it sounds like it was very well received particularly in the UK and appeared on a lot of year end best of lists from UK pubications, so that tracks. This album is just gorgeous and I love the way it meanders and snakes through. Up With People is one of my all time favorite songs, and it always feels like a nice rediscovery when it pops up because it is so often out of sight and out of mind. Great record all around.

Well after all the discovery and digging in to the information regarding the version on the streaming sites actually not being the real version, and then settling in to a well worn sounding recording pulled straight from vinyl on YouTube, this album delivers. It's beautiful and peaceful and serene. I really love Indian Music and can get in to the ragas for sure. Excellent record.

I am not super familiar with The Fall, but whenever they pop up and I am hearing them, I definitely dig it. Just some great post-punk. Mark E. Smith rocks. Great listening to this first record of theirs.

Didn't know what to expect but definitely was pleasantly surprised and dug this album. It's definitely unique in terms of the stuff that I listen to. They are doing some cool stuff and certainly borrow from an eclectic range of genres.

I had never heard of it, and on the surface level description, very much expected not to like it, but this was great a lot of fun to listen to. So much of the orchestration used on this album reminds of me of so much music that I really like. Very pleasantly surprised with how good this was.

This combines two of my least favorite things: Christmas Songs and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. I did my best, and it's most saving grace is being relatively short, but this provokes such a negative visceral response in me.

I really don't care for Steely Dan, it is way too much. I listened to this with a just "grin and bear it" attitude and got through the--thankfully--short record quickly. Never again.

Woah this is was truly wild and truly a journey and truly a lot. I had no idea what Adele sounded like, it's so big and so dramatic. Obviously she has a great voice, but this is so far off from anything that would remotely be considered enjoyable for me. It was rough to get through.

Another English band that I have never heard of, and after listening to it, I can see why. I am sure this was a big deal at that time in the UK. But it feels like pretty standard new wave synth stuff. I understand that one of the songs was a hit, it's not familiar to me. I am hoping the whole album is not represented just because of that one hit.

I have never listened to Peter Gabriel and this was a lot and not at all for me. This album doesn't feel very cohesive at all. Almost like the songs are from different mixes. It's weird. It has a hit everyone knows though I guess.

My 4th PJ Harvey album on this thing, which is wild to me. It's interesting to see how hard this list goes at some artists, but as far as over represented English artists on this list, she's one of the best. I had not heard this--much more recent than the others--album of hers. It's good, and is what I was expecting.

I am not familiar with this band at all, even after listening to their top songs on the streaming services. This seemed like pretty run of the mill 90s alt rock. Very short and sweet record. It was fine.

Pretenders are a lot cooler than I thought they were. This is just a smart clean punchy post punk new wave album. It's honestly great from top to bottom.

It's interesting listening to this album for the first time now almost 30 years after it came out. It was impossible not to know about Fiona Apple in 1996 with the album and the Criminal music video being ubiquitous in all music media. Years later it's a wonder how good this album was and still is and how immensely talented Apple was already at the age of 19, especially in light of how great the rest of her output has been. Really excellent listen.

This record surprised me a lot. I'm not super familiar with Alice Cooper aside from the myth and image and the ovious title track hit on this record. I was not expecting the whole cabaret feel and him doing his own take on a West Side Story. I also loved the squonky sax all over it too. This record is awesome and my impression of Alice Cooper has been raised considerably.

More familiar with this band and album than I initially thought. It's great, it's got that big chaotic big band jazz and rock fusion thing from the 70s going on and shares a lot of the same space as the music from Jesus Christ Superstar which I aboslutely love. Had a great time listening to this.

I am only familiar with k.d. lang from being one of the more famous celebrity fans for the local Portland Trailblazers. Had no expectations for this record, and have obviously heard the last track "Constant Craving" before. It's not really for me, but obviously it's a decent record and I get why people love it. Good to have more context to her though.

Never heard of this band/album before. A pretty middle of the road and forgettable 2000s indie rock record. Fades in to the background and I'll likely never listen to this again.

This album is wild. It's all over the place and over the top. I struggle to agree that is something that one MUST hear before one dies. It's fine, but I will not listen to it ever again.

This is a singular album that lives in it's own unique space. It's so odd and mysterious and winding. I love it so much. It used to be in very regular rotation for me about 15 years ago and only listen to it once every few years now, but it's always incredibly rewarding. Very happy to pull this today.

This is a such a sweet album. It packs a punch with it's tone and melodic changes. Deceptively complex for how hard it hammers you. A stone cold classic. Rock and roll baby.

There is nothing wrong with this music, it just doesn't do anything for me. Definitely not my wheel house and maybe because of those things it feels a bit too overrepresented on this list. Will not ever revisit this.

Another R.E.M. record. Like every other one on this list. I'm hearing it for the first time and it already feels so familiar. R.E.M. is truly part of the our musical conversation in the US. This album was fine, but didn't strike me as being particularly great.

Was not familiar with these guys other than the curious name. This was better than I was expecting--I never really know what to think when I see "post-punk" and "synth-pop" together. But a lot of fun, a bit raw and loud. I dug it for sure.

Definitely not familiar with these guys at all, but it's very recognizable an familiar. I love the late 70s power pop punk stuff. Super fun and enjoyable record.

You know this is the second Taylor Swift album I have listened to on this list, and I am just having a tough time with it. It just seems so incidental to me. Clearly it's well produced, written and performed, and is catchy, but it just feels empty and like pop churn. Officially do not get the whole phenomena.

Just an excellent early record from an incredible americana folk musician.

I had not ever heard of this band, but they sound instantly familiar as a product of their time. Definitely decent early psych rock. Totally fine record.

This album is ridiculous, a bit all over the place. I honestly just kind of wished I was listening to Wings.

I was introduced to this band when I was in high school by my older co-workers while working at local pizzeria but I had never listened to this album. This album rules and totally rips. Excellent band and excellent record.

Classic through and through. Beautiful and much too short record from one of the legends. Loved this listen.

This seems like music that Jimmy Fallon could really shake a tambourine to.

This is horrible. It's bad loungey electro music and this should not be on this list. One definitely can go without hearing this album.

This a dubious inclusion on this list. I would characterize this band as more of a one hit wonder, rather than one that put out an album that one must listen to before they die.

This album is a lot, all the crooning and whispering. It's very dramatic and it's not for me.

This is the second Traffic record I've received, and that is two too many. There is nothing vital or essential about this at all. Some very inconsequential music.

Everyone loves Frank Sinatra and he's great. Obviously this is something from the earliest days of an album being an album, but it is so one note. Great crooning swinging songs that certainly just blend together and sit in the background.

You know for how coded in to my musical DNA The Beatles are, I have never listened to this album fully and only really knew a couple tracks. I know this is debut solo album for Paul and get the approach he took to it and why, but it doesn't really hit the way I was hoping. Ram is a great album, and Band on the Run is a great album. I prefer McCartney II over than this album as well. It just doesn't do it for me.

Had not ever heard of this and am just vaguely familiar with Kool Keith. This was a great listen on a chill lazy rainy Saturday afternoon. Definitely recommend.

Really great Dylan record. Some would say a return to form. Some great songs and some classic off kilter ones. Just a solid listen for a lazy Sunday for sure.

You know it's a classic. B.O.B. is such a great track. Had a blast listening to this a couple times today.

A truly ridiculous and kick ass straight up hard rock record from the late 90s. A lot of fun listening to this.

This was a great listen. I had no idea Changes was written by Black Sabbath. Mind Blown. Killer album from a killer band.

This was boring and inconsequential. It's not bad, but this should not be on this list.

My expectations for this were very tempered, honestly because though I've heard of FKA twigs, I had no idea what their music sanded like. But I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this quite a bit from the get go. Once I got a sense of pretty quickly on the first track, I just sat back and enjoyed it. Obviously a talented artist. Not really for me by any means but this was great.

Phenomenal Krautrock record. I listened to this driving across the desert and it ruled!

An all time classic. Easy 5 stars!

I have never heard of this guy. Very pleasantly surprised with this record. His whole vibe and sound is ridiculous but just really hits as something worthwhile. Really enjoyed this!

I definitely had very low expectations for this but it was better than I was expecting. Kind of odd and out there, not at all straight indie folk and soft rock as it's assigned genre's suggested. I dug it!

Am not super familiar with Kate Bush despite the recent renaissance in her pop culture relevancy. She seems great, but is just not for me.

Probably the quintessential Pogues record. What a great and singular band.

This was not my cup of tea but it was fine. Clearly a good metal record. Just not for me.

Kind of a perfect storm of everything on this record. I feel like it's nearly perfect given all the circumstances surrounding it's context.

Honestly kind of taken aback by how many of these songs were hits. I never cared for Eminem and still don't. Certainly pretty immature and juvenile. Well produced and was clearly a huge hit.

Pere Ubu have always been underrated and under appreciated. An incredible art punk experimental band from Cleveland. Very stoked this is on the list.

I have never listened to Joy Division and am only aware of them because of their iconic album artwork that seems to be ubiquitous now. Obviously I know they were a precursor to New Order and Peter Hook and the Light, but it's never really been my area. This album was fine, time and a place and so forth.

I love Roky Erickson and in my opinion he is criminally underrated. This album totally rules.

This was beyond delightful. Great record.

This album is perfect through and through, and was such a lovely pull on this Friday morning after a long week. Just beautiful and an absolute classic.

Liked this way more than I was expecting. Just assumed it was going to be pretty generic speed metal, but it had a lot more elements and was a lot more interesting. Album rocked.

Man this was not for me. Way too jammy. I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my morning coffee and some wanked out jam is happening where he's crooning about the Boogaloo? What the fuck is this shit?

I do not get this album at all, it's a mess of too many elements. And it seems like it just sounds like the poor man's version of too many sounds from the early 2000s. This album is definitely not for me and I feel like it should not be included on this list.

Been kind of dreading getting this album, because I knew it would be on the list. I don't really care for live albums, or particularly long albums, and also it's Frampton. But this was fine, pretty accessible safe rock and roll. I was surprised by how many songs I recognized. This stuff is just boring and middle of the road. It was fine though.

An excellent debut album and a classic. Not my favorite record from The Clash, but it has some great moments and captures a great preview of what was to come from the band.

I have no about these guys forever but never listened to them. Good early 90s alternative hip-hop.

Seminal record. Just an absolute classic from an underrated band.

This album was fine. It was definitely long and pretty one note, but a good recording. I kind think that long live albums should not be on this list.

This is some pretty basic early 90s pop stuff. Some strong chamber sounding elements, definitely not for me.

This is one of those albums that everyone has some sort of impression of, it's impossible to not have encountered it in some form. It's frankly an incredible record for it's time and place in terms of musicianship and production. I think it's pretty tough to objectively argue against it being 5 stars.

Totally unfamiliar with this band or this record, but man this was interesting, fun and far out. Super solid record all around and really enjoyed it. I actually listened to the extra half hour of bonus stuff that the streaming release has, which I never do for albums on this--so I think that is really saying something.

Rush is truly a wild band. No one else like them. Virtuosity everywhere. Tough to knock it too much even if it's not for you.

I have heard this band a bunch obviously, but have never listened to them outside of the stuff playing in the world, radio hits and what have you. They are certainly a very easy band to goof on which I enjoy doing. This was about what I was expecting, a bit dramatic, but cool guitar tones, and the songs are catchy for sure. Decent album.

Time and a place. Some bangers for sure. George Michael has a genuinely great voice. This style of music is just a bit too heavy 80s for me.

This is soooo bad. Green Day played a pretty pivotal role in my very early years listening to music. Kerplunk, Dookie, Insomniac, even Nimrod were all great. Dookie was absolutely vital. I had never listened to this before and I can't believe how far they fell with this record. It's absolutely pandering and derivative and feels so phoned in. As it went on I was realizing more and more that I find it down right offensive. And it just goes and goes and goes, it's way too long. This has to be a candidate for leaving the list when newer stuff is added. 1 star all the way.

Fishbone is awesome. This is a classic record that I used to hear quite a bit at a former job, but it's been a while. This was a great listen on a lazy Sunday morning.

A weird and out there record, pretty much what I was expecting. This was fun and bubblegummy and weird and dissonant at the same time. Great record.

Pretty inconsequential. There is just nothing here for me.

This seems like another inconsequential album that is only on this list due to UK bias. Get it out of here.

Dead Kennedys are great. An absolutely vital energy and ethos and message. 14 tracks in 33 minutes is just what I want from a punk record too. Absolutely loved hearing this for the first time in quite a while.

Ha this album was not what I was expecting. I know the big Dire Straits hits for sure, but haven't really gotten in to the albums much. Outside of the well known songs, this album just sounds a lot like... Dylan... to me. Which I was not expecting. It was fine for sure, nothing to get too crazy about though.

This is a solid 1 star, just because this thing doesn't allow anything less. Get it out of here. Never again.

Definitely not the best. Grunge is not great. Nirvana holds a place in my heart, but everything else which I never listened to at the time, just isn't for me. Chris Cornell obviously has a great voice, and there are some bangers on this album, the only thing saving it from a 1 star review.

What a breath of fresh air. I would have never expected something like this to be on this list. It surprises me every once in a while I guess. Very lovely.

This album is a beautiful meandering masterpiece.

I liked this way more than I was expecting I would. I am in general not a big fan of Trip-hop. I had already had another Portishead album, "Dummy" a while ago, and I like this one way more. Enjoyable listen for sure.

This album and this band is excellent. I was fortunate enough to see them a few years ago and they were way better than I was expecting. You can hear their influence everywhere, and hear things on this album that have been widely emulated by bands since them. Really fit my mood this morning nicely.

This is better than the other Common record I got largely because it's about half as long. Common is a good lyricist and these are well produced albums. Not for me. But 43 minutes is a lot better than 78 minutes.

Man Lemmy rules, this album rules. Just a quick 36 minutes of rock. Love it.

I get that Adele is great, but man there is nothing about this music that is appealing at all.

Joni Mitchell is not for me. I had never listened to her and earlier in this project I listened to her album "Court and Spark" and thought it was fine, but was surprised it was so polished and lush from a production standpoint. Folks told me that "Blue" was more her folky stripped down arrangements and that I'd probably like it more. Which it definitely is, but it just seems and sounds so one note to me. Nothing stood out at all. Another time and another place perhaps, but not for me.

Wow this is a lot and it's very long. Not for me at all.

This record is so beautiful. It's almost perfect for me.

Although this music isn't for me, it's pretty impossible to give it a low rating. It's pretty phenomenal. Vocals and the vibes are just perfect.

Bjork is someone I have never really dove in to, but just kind of always understood to be great and someone I would like. There were long stretches of this album that I was digging so much and the rest kind of just fit in the background so well. Really excellent album.

I was not expecting to know as many songs as I did on this. Truly a great record packed with hits from the 80s.

This is one of the worst albums I have listened to on this list so far. And not really in a way that screams at you how bad it is. It's just hilariously cheesy and very meat and potatoes. It's wild to me when music like this exists, like there is enough people who are on board throughout the whole process to make it happen. Just so hilarious bad.

This is one of those pillars in my musical DNA--its sound so seeped into everything that's come after it for me. Absolutely 5 stars.

Had never heard of this and when I saw it was the Blur/Gorillaz dude I figured I wouldn't like it. But it's fine. Paul Simonon and Tony Allen dare both dope and this is a good album in general, to the point where I'd listen to it again.

My expectations for the Stones are always very low--appropriately so I would argue. But this was a pleasant surprise. It's too long for sure, but has some great songs and feels more like a pop record than an album from a blues bar band. Earlier career Stones might be alright.

I suppose this album was a big deal when it came out, particularly in light of Dylan "going electric" at the Newport Folk Festival a couple short months later after it came out. It's good for sure, all of Dylan's 60s records are. It feels more like a scattered collection of songs though than anything else.

Never heard of this band before, and this is not for me. It's not bad, it's a weird one foot in indie rock and the other in electronica dance music. I just don't think this works.

This was some weird proggy sitar music, and the covers of Rolling Stones and Doors songs are just downright cheesy. This is not good and I don't think merits inclusion. Way better albums and artists to pull from for Indian Music.

I had never heard of this or was aware of this album. It seems like maybe the first real bluegrass revival in the 70s that got the hippies in to bluegrass. It's sweet that Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, and Earl Scruggs are playing on this. Super enjoyable record, and it's obvious that there is a care and joy in these sessions and what came out of it. Loved this record.

Man this is so so rough. Obviously well produced and Mariah has a great voice, but this is just feels so cobbled together with no sense of cohesion. Albums built entirely too long in the CD era concerned about charting singles really struggle as full records, and I think this is a great example of that. 2 stars.

I love this album so much. Holgar Czukay is some kind of mad scientist genius. I'm very stoked and very surprised that this is on this list. The music video for "Cool in the Pool" is one of the best videos ever made IMO as well.

I honestly am not sure what to think here. It's obviously great and super well produced and everything. I just don't think it's for me. I love the Beyoncé hits for sure. But I think this is a solid 3.

Aside from the first track, lead single on this album, I'm pretty generally unfamiliar with The Verve. I just kind of passingly know about them in the context of Spiritualized. This album was cooler and weirder than I was expecting based on how I perceived the single for so long. Totally makes sense that they are slotted in to that same era/genre. I enjoyed this a lot though it's way too long--classic CD era release.

Super skeptical of this when it came up. A band I have never heard of. But saw they were nominated for The Mercury Prize which seems to be an automatic inclusion on this list. And then saw it has ex-Suede members, and my expectations dropped considerably. I was pleasantly surprised though, this album just kind of straight up rocks and was a lot of fun. Really enjoyed it.

Not a ton to say about disco. Haven't gotten a lot of disco albums, which is to the credit of the list thus far. This was fine, decent and short.

Peter Gabriel is a brand of 80s whatever music that I just don't care about. Too smooth and R&B based for me. It's not horrible by any means, just very basic and safe. Not for me.

I have been aware of this band and this album ever since it came out but have never listened to it. It's a bit too heavy on the dance and glam for me, but a fun album nonetheless.

This was fine I guess. Not really for me.

This is a stunning work of experimental and conscious hip hop. So many eclectic touches. Just a brilliant record.

A great solid and succinct punk record. X has always felt a bit underrated to me. Happy they are on this list.

This was a band/record I had never heard of, and it was perfectly fine. Catchy and safe alternative music from the 80s. Solid but probably would never listen to again.

Hadn't ever heard of this. Pretty inoffensive alt hip hop/trip hop that blends in to the background. It was totally fine, not really my jam.

This album is so good from top to bottom and is a classic. Super stoked to pull this today, 5 stars all the way.

I have never heard of this artist, and was just relieved it was on streaming. Very enjoyable, kind of served as background music today while taking care of things around the house.

I had never heard of Madness, though I am obviously familiar with the hit "Our House." Reading about this band, I was expecting a more straight up 2 Tone Second Wave Ska sound, but this album is clearly a bit of a departure from that. It's a lot more interesting than I was expecting. This band has a bit more to them than just an 80s ska band, and I'm surprised that they are still together and putting out music to this day. The blackface on the album cover I'm sure is certainly regrettable.

This was entirely too much Van Morrison. Live albums on this list are too much and I think it should be more discerning on their inclusion. This does not need to be here. It's not a great live mix, and you get real tired of the vibe real quick and it just drags on.

Nina Simone is excellent and this is obviously a great album. For some reason I wasn't particularly feeling it today and even listened to it twice, and it just kind of faded in to the background. I know it well enough though and know that it's excellent.

I don't know how I feel about this being on this list. It's obviously an important historical document in the context of live shows and in the context of Dylan's career, but it seems superfluous being on this list as 1 of 7(?) Dylan releases. I look at things from the Bootleg Series as not being really albums, but more historical artifacts expanding on Dylan's already illustrious career, and this was released 30+ years after the fact. That being said, I think it's awesome, and have listened to it before. It's inclusion on this list just seems dubious to me.

This was fine, pretty classic stuff from The Police. Not really what I was feeling today, but obviously great songs from a great band, just somewhat boring.

I have always been aware of this album and this group since this record came out and have always heard it was good, but never got to it. It's a great record, not quite what I was expecting, in a good way. Really enjoyed this and would definitely listen to it again.

Not familiar with Liz Phair at all, but reading about her it sounded like something I might be in to. This record was fine, pretty middle of the road for 90s indie stuff. Didn't make much of an impression on me.

You know, I love Bowie, but I really only know a small handful of albums, his hits and his ubiquitous impact on culture over the last 60 years. This is an album I had never fully listened to--as far as I can remember--and it's obviously great. I think at this point, I don't have the space to dive deeper in to Bowie. I'll give it a 4, we'll see if I ever dive in again.

Cool record. I am not sure I like it as much as Psychocandy. The move to drum machines, and it feels a bit more post-punk than that hard reverby noise and shoegaze sound that I liked so much on Pyschocandy. Still a good record for sure.

I listen to this regularly, and just listened to it over this past weekend. This is an easy 5 bagger here.

I had never heard of this band. This record was fine enough, pretty poppy with elements of like chamber pop and glam in it. Interesting enough, but at the end of the day, the Britpop is just not for me.

Joni Mitchell is not for me, this is one of the least interesting and just plain boring records I've ever heard. It's also too long, and all of the songs are too long. Can't believe how much this dragged. I have given her the benefit of the doubt on the two previous records of hers I've had on this list, giving both 3/5 stars. This will receive less for sure.

A classic record and a pretty appropriate one to get on a Friday morning. Enjoyed listening to these classic standards.

I had never heard of this band and saw that they were just kind of a straight American folk rock band from the 60s. Figured it'd be pretty meh, and it was slightly better than that. Some good songs for sure. Nothing to write home about though.

Tangerine is great and has put out a ton of excellent music over the years. This album is arguably their best and it's just a mood and vibe to get in to. Enjoyed revisiting it for sure.

Pretty unaware of Kate Bush aside from her resurfaced popularity from Stranger Things. It's not for me, but I get why folks like it. A different time, maybe.

This album was fine. I was expecting it to be a bit more out there. But obviously it's an important record in terms of turning the west on to African music a bit more. Good listen for sure.

I have never fully listened to this concept album, and just know the songs that have been ubiquitous in culture for the last 45 years. This is certainly grandiose and self-indulgent. I have a hard time getting past that and how bloated it feels. Reading more about the context of it and what this rock opera is about, I'm sure it's great, and I'm willing to give 70s Pink Floyd the benefit of the doubt, despite how much of a wanker Roger Waters seems to be now. Definitely a journey listening to this for the first time in its entirety.

This band is too much. I get they are good at what they do but this is not for me at all. Very stoked when this was over and I was done listening to it.

I never listened to this before now, so it's tough for me to think of it in context. But this came out in 1984, wow! Has to be one of the first new school hip-hop records of the 80s. It's a fun listen for sure.

A short album of pretty straightforward romantic and catchy pop songs. Just fine.

Excellent album. Pleased to pull it on this slow Sunday morning, it'd been a bit since I had listened to it.

Very classic and straightforward American Blues music. Blues based music is not for me, but Muddy Waters is among the best. I can't hang with it long, but this is great to listen to every once in a while.

The whole Neosoul thing never really resonated with me and diving in to a whole album of it didn't seem to make much of a difference. I get why people like this but it is just kind of meh for me.

I have never listened to this whole soundtrack. Great movie and a great music accompanying it from a great band. Really enjoyed this.

This is some UK new wave pop synth stuff from the early 80s that I just could not care less about listening to.

This album is so close to being phenomenal, but it just slightly lags for a bit right after Waterfalls, and that lag really highlights how long this album actually is--another unfortunate side effect of the CD era. It's nearly there though, but this album in general is great and a true classic.

This album is so good. Somewhere between a 4 and a 5. I think it's a better collection of songs than it is an album, but I love it.

Man, there are too many Stones albums on this list. This is fine, there are some good songs, but still just too much bluesy bar bad stuff shining through. Not for me.

This album was better than I was expecting it would be, but probably shouldn't be on this list. I was never big in to Radiohead outside of The Bends and gave up on them when this album came out. I enjoyed listening to this and there are definitely some good parts for sure.

This is an almost perfect record. I remember this making such a mark on me when I first heard it in high school. It'd been a really long time since I've listened to it and it's just phenomenal.

I was not thrilled about this when I looked in to what this was. Electronic music is not really my jam, and it's my personal opinion that it's overrepresented on this list. I love all the samples, grooves, and melodies on this album. I can't help but think it was something that would have heavily influenced Beck and The Dust Brothers in the making of Odelay. Really enjoyed this whole thing.

Another killer and raw record from one of the singular bands of their era. Everything they made was great. Loved hearing this this morning, quick and punchy. Great record as always.

I was not expecting there to be more than one Yeah Yeah Yeahs albums on this list, but I guess I honestly don't know a lot about them. Similarly to "Fever to Tell" this was fun and it's clear that it's something I probably would have liked a lot if I had checked it out when it came out.

Ha man, this album does not need to be on this list. It was fine, but in general just kind of shitty 80s glam rock. It has it's place but definitely not something you must listen to before you die.

Pretty classic and succinct UK punk record.

Very stoked this is on this list, but shouldn't be surprised. This album is a masterpiece and is perfect in every way. Very thrilled to get it this morning.

That album went by quick! I have always kind of been on the fence about Devendra Banhart. It's good music in the right setting and the right mood. This is easily his best record, and I really enjoyed it this morning.

LOL! This is absolute trash.

I have never heard of this band, this album, of this "Madchester" genre--and for good reason, it's all shit innit? Probably a time and a place, but this seems pretty inconsequential to me. No interest in ever revisiting.

This was a great album, love the whimsical psychedelic nature of Syd Barrett's music and lyrics. Just a great collection of songs and a great record.

Classic Megadeth. I don't care about this band or this style of music, but this is obviously some of the best. Jarring way to begin my weekend morning.

Bad Company is ridiculous. They are not really for me, but are fun enough. Give me both Styx and Foreigner over them any day.

This record rules. You can hear Bowie all over it. Just a great post punk art record. It's weird and raw. A perfect little record.

This is not at all what I was expecting this band to sound like based on their name. It was pretty middle of the road eclectic rock music, obviously pulling from dub, ambient, dance, krautrock, etc. But it's just kind of whatever to me.

This is pretty middle of the road, safe, boomer centric boring music. Nothing here for me at all.

All discourse about Kanye aside, this is a phenomenal record. Its impeccably produced, it's features are incredible. And it still holds up all these years later. A modern masterpiece.

I go back and forth on what album from The Kinks I think is best or my favorite. Really that seven album stretch from Kinda Kinks to Lola is pretty phenomenal. Always loved Village Green and this was a delight to get and listen to, it'd been a bit.

An outlier from the normal and usual stuff on this list. I had never heard of Baaba Maal but appreciate his inclusion. This album was great, and was a very pleasant listen on a lazy weekend morning.

A lot of David Bowie records are known to me but just more on the periphery. I don't know many of his records well at all, and this is one of them. Quick and succinct very squarely 70s Bowie record. Enjoyed this for sure.

I have never really paid much mind to The Byrds. I am not sure if I even realized that Gram Parsons was in the band for a minute. But this is a great album, and just feels like a bonafide classic. Just country-rock bliss.

Ha this was fine, not my cup of tea at all. It was not bad by any means, but certainly not essential.

Well this is a classic and easy 5. Always stoked when something I own and can listen to on vinyl pops up on this list.

Pretty easy breezy harmony laced tunes.

Put this off for a few days, just didn't have it in me for an hour of unknown electronic music. I ended up liking this more than I thought I would after my initial impression, but it's not for me and is entirely too long. I'm sure plenty of people out there dig it though.

I was not familiar with Joan at all, and this is a great folk/soul record. Very singular artist and sound. Not fully for me, but nothing against that at all.

I have not explored The Sugarcubes at all and am only aware of them for being the band Björk was in. I don't know what I was expecting, but I liked this a lot. Great fun little post-punk record.

I don't really get it. I didn't know that Jack White had a solo album. I get that he's this rambling jangly blues rock and roll troubadour or whatever--and makes a lot of music that fits that mold and all of it is fine and kind of runs together. Is this essential? Along with other albums he's done as White Stripes? I don't think so. Just kind of background music, and a couple times I thought, "this album is still going?"

I had no idea what to expect and as soon as I saw this was just 4 tracks, each around 19 minutes each, I knew it was time to strap in for some hippie proggy jams. Which is exactly what this was. It was fine for sure, but not really my jam, and overly long for sure.

I still do not get this band. It just feels kind of middling and boring to me.

Ha. This album is over the top and so ridiculous, but I have nothing but fondness for it. We used to listen to this a ton in the pizzeria I worked at in high school the year it was released. Some bangers for sure. Nice to revisit.

I was not very aware of Jah Wobble, other than that he is one of my many people to have worked with Eno. Obviously influenced by reggae and world music, which feels a bit off coming from an Englishmen. I guess this is fine, but ultimately is uninteresting to me.

I was not thrilled to get this when it came up. I was never all that in to Marilyn Manson the band, and Marilyn Manson the person seems like a POS. But, I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting. It's definitely too long--another release from the CD era--but it's good for sure.

Led Zep never really did it for me. Sure they rock and are one of the preeminent bands of our time, but man they are just so bluesy. In a take or leave it situation, I would leave it. This was fine all things considered.

For years and years I listened to this very regularly, but for whatever reason it's long not been anywhere near the top of the list of Beastie Boys albums I think of to first put on. Still, I know this record like the back of my hand, and not having heard it for a while, it was great to really get deep in to the vibe of revisiting something you love. 5 stars all the way.

You know I have never really dug in to Sebadoh--just more been aware of them because of Dinosaur Jr. This album is great. Has a distinctly 90s indie feel to it, and a bit rough around the edges. Very much dig it.

Beyond bummed to discover that a second album by this band is on this list. What a waste. Suede sucks. I am not in to this at all.

This is one of the all time classic records from my youth, and something I have listened to a bunch at various times in my life. An easy 5 stars.

I remember way more of this record than I thought I would. I remember not being as in to it after MBDTF, but really enjoyed revisiting this in light of the Kanye has shifted in the public consciousness. Just an all around solid record.

I do not care for Deep Purple, a little too straight and blues based on the rock n roll for me. But I liked this more than I was expecting given that and my aversion for double live albums. I have always maintained that whether or not Deep Purple rocks is not in question, it's just more that they are not for me. And yes the double live album definitely rocks.

Objectively speaking, this is one of the most ridiculous albums from one of the most ridiculous bands ever. I can't even imagine. A classic for sure.

Had no idea what to expect with this, as I've never heard of him. But this was great, seems like a blend of hip-hop with the avant-garde and just found the vibe and sound of this record to be really great.

This was an absolute delight. I think my days would be a lot better if everyone of them started off spinning an excellent jazz record while quietly drinking my morning espresso. Can't recommend enough. 5 stars. I will also try to give the expanded/full version of this a listen at some point as well, but this is great as it is.

That was incredibly tough to get through. Overly long and a bit pompous. Not for me at all.

I have never listened to this before, and it was about what I was expecting. A nice short record with good quality songwriting and harmonies. Totally reasonable.

The peak of mambo from the master himself. Just a great all around record. Very enjoyable listen this morning.

The trip-hop faux reggae is about as far from my wheelhouse as you can get. I guess this is probably fine, but couldn't be any less interested in this kind of music.

This band and album is ridiculous. Very whimsical seemingly just for the sake of being whimsy. I feel it's inclusion on this list is completely unnecessary and unwarranted. I guess it's fine, but who cares?

Pretty classic Simon and Garfunkel. It has it's place and I always find myself enjoying it more than I expect I will. You'd think I'd learn. Enjoyable listen this morning.

This album was fun and interesting enough and I get why it's on the list being one of the first rock operas. It's got enough 60s British weirdness in it to keep me engaged. Fun enough for sure.

I keep wanting to give this guy a chance, but man I find this so boring and inconsequential, almost grating. I just can't. Too many of his records on this list, I hope this is the last one.

This is obviously a classic record with some very well known tracks--one might even argue they are overplayed. I never got super in to Tom Tom Club but this is good enough and I get why it's here. Doesn't really do it for me the way you'd think it would.

Obviously I know The White Stripes were huge and I knew that at the time, but I never got in to them and don't think I ever consciously listened to one of their records. I figured I'd recognize a handful of these songs for sure, but was not expecting to recognize pretty much every song on the album as instantly being recognizable. I guess I didn't realize how truly ubiquitous they were. They always leaned a bit more bluesy than garage for me, but clearly this is a great rock record from a great band.

No notes. An easy 5 stars.

An excellent catchy punk record. Loved this.

This list has so many headscratchers on it. I can't for the life of me even begin to understand what kind of argument can be made for this album's inclusion. But it's not the first of it's kind. Seems like they are just a poor man's Oasis. Pretty meh.

This was fine, I didn't like it anywhere close to as much as an earlier album from The Byrds on this list that had some heavy Gram Parsons, but this was fine.

I think this is a very underrated and overlooked album from The Kinks and was honestly pretty surprised to see it on this list. I think it's one of their best and nearly perfect.

Classic early east coast underground hip-hop album. Holds up for sure.

Surprised and thrilled that Liars are on this list. I would not expect that based on a lot of the stuff included on here. Not my favorite album from them (Drums Not Dead!!), but an excellent album, and a nice change of pace from the norm here with something challenging.

This is not what I was expecting out of a Bee Gees record. It showed more depth and range than I was expecting, some tracks even sounding like some hey-day Beatles. I guess I don't know much about the Bee Gees to begin with, but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

I had never heard of Jazmine Sullivan which isn't surprising since it's very recent and modern pop music, which is a world I am very not plugged in to. This was honestly great, really enjoyed it all the way through.

You know I did my best, I really did. I had never listened to any Bruce Springsteen before doing this exercise, and I would just always goof on him for all the obvious reasons. My friends have long told me if there's one album of his I might enjoy it would be this one, and maybe if I had gotten this first on this list instead of fifth--which I cannot believe there are that many albums by this dude on this list--I may have enjoyed it more. Even trying to be objective, his voice just has so much blundering bad association for me. I can't deal. Did not enjoy this at all. I really hope this is the last Bruce Springsteen album on this list.

Quite the palette cleanser after another awful Bruce Springsteen album yesterday. An album I've listened to hundreds of times in my life is a nice way to balance that out. I have no notes on this, Doolittle is nearly perfect for what Pixies were doing at the time.

I am not sure if I have come across a more uninspired or more inconsequential album on this list. No reason for it to be included at all. This whole thing is just blah and uninteresting.

Great record. I love the Island Records albums from Tom Waits. Beyond reproach.

I was not expecting to know and recognize so many of these songs. I have heard a bunch of these countless times, either these versions or covers, I don't know? They just feel like songs that are entrenched in out musical cultural now. Impressed these were all written and on the same album. Great morning listen.

Never listened to this. Coincidentally I was supposed to see Neil Young & Crazy Horse two days ago but they had to cancel because "Health is #1" so this was a nice substitute. Album rocks for sure.

Never heard of this and it didn't make much of an impression on me. It was fine, but this is definitely in that area that I don't consider to be essential.

Everything else aside, this is just objectively bad, though well executed music. This genre of music from the late 90s and their albums suck. Way too long in the CD era, including remixed versions of earlier tracks on the album. I was not expecting to hit a fully auto-tuned song, and then have that followed up with a song featuring Eminem. Kid Rock is music for aggrieved straight white men, and it sucks that he is around and is figure with any cultural significance still. I was bummed to even give him the streams to listen to this. Get this off this list ASAP.

This album is fantastic.

Never really dug in to Roxy Music despite being very in to most of Eno's career after Roxy Music. This album is excellent and a nice peak in to the earlier work of genius. Fascinating.

This is a mess. I can't for the life of me understand how something that sounds like this would have ever resonated with enough people at any time to now be considered anywhere close to essential listening. The vocals are so grating, it makes me physically tense. Get this out of here.

Not my favorite album from Fugazi, but it's undeniably great and absolutely essential. Fugazi is maybe the only band that is not bullshit. A beacon to strive towards.

One of the best. I have always loved Q-Tip as a lyricist and his delivery is just so smooth. This is a great record.

The big three really egregious inclusions on this list from the late 90s are Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and this Korn album, and barring any unexpected later inclusions, I am finally through all three of those. This is the least egregious but man it's bad, but not in a wholly offensive way like Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit is. Still it has no business on this list.

I was a lot more receptive to this than his first two records on this list, maybe I can dig more the transition in to the 1980s. But this still isn't great but it's fine.

This album is not great to begin with, and the hurdles of it not being readily available on the streamers doesn't help it's cause. Found this lacking and generally pretty boring. Not sure why it's on this list, though I don't understand why a lot things are on this list.

This was better than I expected it would be, I just don't have any frame of reference for Janis Joplin. I was really digging the Hammond Organ all over this record.

Really dreaded listening to this when I saw it pop up. Just that standard guitar based bluesy fare from the 60s that I find so boring and uninteresting. I'll say that this seems like it's on the better end of that kind of music. It's a bit far out and reaching. But still not doing much for me.

You know, this was fine. Paul Simon is great if not just slightly problematic in what feels like cultural appropriation on his records. More so on Graceland than this for sure. But in general a bunch of great songs. “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” always hits.

Had never heard of Miriam, but this record was a breath of fresh air. Just lovely all around. Great inclusion.

This was just a super solid classic cosmic country rock album. Really enjoyed this!

I had never heard of this, but it looks like it won the Mercury Prize so it just HAS to be included. All in all this was fine but really not at all for me. I could see how British critics in 2005 loved this album though.

I was stoked when this came up. John Lee Hooker is a legend and a true OG of Delta Blues. I was super disappointed to find this album was from 1989 and not from the 60s, and even more disappointed to find that almost every other track featured a collaboration with a popular artist at the time. This is a poor representation of a great musician. This is overly produced and each song sounds way to heavily influenced by the sound of the featured artist. Just give me the straight stuff from the 60s.

I had never heard of The Thrills, and within 2 seconds of this playing I knew I was not going to like it. It's just pretty standard early 2000s sunny So-Cal Indie Pop but made by Irish folks. Could not be any less interesting.

I get that blues records making it over to England were a big deal and this was the interpretative result, and fully understand their significance, but man blues based guitar driven music from the 60s is just so boring to me. Not for me at all.

I had never listened to this record all the way though. It feels timeless and present at the same time. It’s a great collection of eclectic songs that all seem to fit together very well. Excellent all around.

You know, I was very in to this album when it came out and listened to it a bunch, saw them live on that tour, and then just stopped listening to it and never checked out any subsequent releases. I was expecting that I'd be pretty meh on it, which I was, but it's also just a good record. The sound is a bit too one note for me, but in general it's super solid.

Man what a slog. I have no idea who many Metallica albums are on this list, but I assume it's at least 3ish. Metallica has some great albums, some good albums, and some horrible albums. This thing is it's own thing entirely. I remember this happening 25 years ago and thinking it was a dumb idea then and after sitting through 2+ hours of this now, I can confidently confirm that. There is no reason for them to have ever done this, an ill conceived idea for novelty that no one ever asked for. I can't believe this is on this list. There is nothing significant or essential about this at all. Just stick with their great albums and not this incredible misguided misstep.

Ghostface is one of the best to ever do it. This is an excellent record all around.

An absolutely gorgeous and lovely samba record. Timeless.

Had no idea what to expect with this, but this was a lot weirder and more interesting than most of the stuff on this list. Very cool album to check out. This is the type of thing I was hoping to see more of when I entered in to this venture.

This was, very predictably, excellent. One of the best to ever do it. A lovely way to ease in to the day.

I have never listened to this band, but I know a fair number of people who LOVE this band. This was pretty run of the mill mid-2000s meh for me. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing all that intriguing or interesting about it.

I know many people who love Living Colour and I have never really listened to them. Somewhat surprised at how many of these songs I recognized. Super fun record, cool to finally check it out.

Totally unfamiliar with this and thought it was an excellent record. Just a great place and time artifact for the post punk, dub, art pop scene from the time. Weird and angular in all the right ways. Loved this.

Chicago is a ridiculous band, but their earlier stuff is a lot sweeter and more out there than what they ended up becoming for the rest of their existence. I always liked this album even though it's over the top and obviously way too long. But some great stuff on it for sure.

British electonic group from the 80s? Classic stuff for this list. Never heard of this, it was fine, not for me. Too much of it on this list. At least it predates the CD era when these albums got way too long.

This is my favorite Talking Heads record, not their best, but my favorite. I love every single song and everything about this album, it's the album that got me in to them, and I love listening to this. Also "Sugar on my Tongue" is one of the strongest non-album extra tracks that exists from any album.

Excellent Tom Waits record. I have always loved his earlier stuff, and this is one of the weirder ones, recorded to make it sound like it's all happening in a jazz club. Great vibe for a late in the work week morning listen.

Great album all around. Perfectly produced and nothing at all bad to say about it.

Man, a metal album from the CD era, which means an overly bloated runtime. This was a bit of a slog to get through as it's not really my favorite genre. It's fine for sure, but wore on me as the 72 minutes wore on. Not my favorite.

A classic album, great artwork. Been a staple for years. Stoked to pull this for a lazy Sunday morning listen. 5 stars always.

Pretty meat and potatoes early 70s British rock with Rod Stewart.

Leonard Cohen is such a singular voice and musician. Everything about this album is perfect, haunting, and beautiful.

Just a great punk record. Urgent and energetic, short and succinct.

I cannot believe this is the third album from this band on this list. This band seems about as middle of the road, check as many mass appeal boxes as possible, to just be a meh band that basic people love. There's nothing wrong with it, but nothing inherently interesting either. Why is this band on this list so much?

I remember this band and album being a big deal when it arrived, but never listened to it. Listening to it, it's obvious they were talented even then, but tough to deny that knowing what Beyonce has been up to since. Overly long which is a classic issue during the CD era, but this was fine, if not all that interesting to me.

This album is an excellent bridge from early breezy Beach Boys to the more complex and mature later Beach Boys with the complex lush arrangements. This song is recorded perfectly and works together. An excellent snapshot of the band growing as artists.

Charlie Byrd is always perfect. This is a great jazz/samba/bossa nova record. Great Sunday morning listening.

The only awareness of this band that I had before this was that "Yes, I know a band called Board of Canada exists" and that was it. I usually bristle a bit at electronic music, but this was absolutely wonderful. Enjoyed the whole thing quite a bit.

I had not listened to Steve Earle before, but this is about as Classic Country sounding as it can get, I guess I didn't really realize that was his deal. I guess it has more of a rocker's country and heartland rock vibe for sure. It was fine, just generally not for me.

Clearly this is a classic.

I have been aware of Screaming Trees as just the band that Mark Lanegan was in his younger days, but had never listened to them. This record was great, a snapshot of music in Seattle in the 90s. Perfectly enjoyable.

I had never heard of this band, and was listening to it and was nonplussed. Then the last track hit and I realized that they have a song that everyone has heard hundreds of times. Which I'm not sure if that's why it's on this list or if the album itself is considered worthy on it's own merit, but regardless the whole thing was kind of run of the mill and underwhelming for me as far as English synth-pop bands from the 80s are concerned.

This album is wild. It's just like a wild progressive rock opera. It's so so long. I can't imagine anyone being super stoked on this and thinking that putting the whole thing on to listen to on a regular basis was a great idea. What a world.

I did not have much expectation for this album. I assumed since it was born of the 80s it would be some amalgamation of music of the time and wouldn't resemble what I consider R&B at all. But after listening to this, it does feel like it was (at the time) a very modern take on R&B but still rooted in the classic sound from Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. It certainly seems like it has it's foot in neo-soul too. I didn't love this, but it was a good record for sure.

This album is great. Nico's voice is both beautiful and haunting at the same time. I know many of her collaborators wrote these songs for her to sing, and the arrangements are just beautiful. This is a singular work for a unique artist. Really great early morning listen.

Ha Iron Maiden is ridiculous but definitely sweet. Probably the quintessential Iron Maiden record here. Just a pillar in the history of Heavy Metal.

Possibly the first true heavy metal record? This album still hits hard 50+ years later. It's etched in to our music DNA and is a classic.

The earliest album on this list, maybe the first great album? Tough to say. I was amazed that this was 50 minutes and not more like 30 minutes long for being made nearly 70 years ago. It sounds great and these songs are excellent, it's a mood for sure, and really welcome one on a lazy morning.

Obviously a great album, and a classic at this point. Some of the skits aren't my favorite, a different time and place for sure. But a great album for sure.

This album is straight up pop music. It has both a very well known song that aside from it being well known seems unremarkable and a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." This album is short and sweet, but seems inessential.

Peak 1970s Nashville Country Music. No notes.

Old School Hip Hop is always a ton of fun. Really had a great time re-visiting this and everything about that has been so ingrained in hip hop since it came out.

Ha, it's great this is on this list. An absolute classic in pillar in grindcore. Never my favorite but it has a place.

The third record from Nick Cave to pop up for me on this list. I was never super familiar with him, and this one falls a bit flat compared to the Ghosteen and Murder Ballads. Much more succinct, but didn't leave as much of an impression on me. Still a good album regardless.

This is a comp album with songs handpicked from their early releases specifically designed to make this band more appealing to audiences in UK. This is NOT an album and should not be on this list. Automatic 1/5.

I had not listened to this album, Leonard Cohen's parting work. It is beautiful and eternal.

I always used to goof on Paul Revere and the Raiders. Maybe it was growing up in Boise and then moving and living in Portland. It wasn't until 2019 when a few of there songs were on the soundtrack for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" where I really started to listen to them in earnest. What a fun band. Just hit after hit. This isn't my favorite record of theirs but a good listen nonetheless.

This album fits firmly in to the overrepresented category on this list of UK music from the early 1980s that all sounds the same. It was fine for sure, but man this list is problematically homogenous.

This album was huge for me when it came out 20(!!!) years ago. I definitely have not listened to it in a long time, but it's incredibly connected to a specific time and place for me. Really enjoyed revisiting the album, and it's a force for sure.

When I saw the nearly 140 minutes runtime on a drum and bass record, I had nothing but dread, and it's taken my 3 weeks to find the time and willingness to subject myself. It's honestly pretty enjoyable and pretty chill, just way way too long.

As classic as you can get. These songs are so a part of everything that came after it, and just stand up over time. Short and sweet and succinct.

I've come around on this band much more in the past couple years than I ever thought I would. I don't know what it is, but something about them makes them standout from the overcrowded and overrepresented and over remembered UK post-punk/new wave scene from the early 1980s. Fun listen as always.

You know I don't love Van Morrison but it's tough to deny that he has good songs with great melodies that are pretty pleasant. This record was a fine drizzly Friday morning listen.

You can recognize a Blue Note album cover from a mile away, and it's always a good sign when the album pops up and you know it's a Blue Note. Unfamiliar with Sabu, and this is more jazz adjacent as an excellent Cuban Rumba record. Really enjoyable weekend morning listen with my morning coffee.

Was not thrilled to get yet another Steely Dan record. This is 3 now on this list and I really hope that's it. I was always indifferent towards Steely Dan but am not starting to lean more on the side of strongly disliking them than just mere indifference. They are too much, and just feel like wankery. I don't need to hear anymore of their records.

Not really for me at all. That strange blend of alt-rock, dance-rock, industrial, power pop that only the mid 90s could produce. There is a hit on this album that I recognized, but other than that it was mostly just background noise.

A great debut full length from a band that made excellent albums in a short period of time. This was produced by Steve Albini (RIP) and to this day still sounds excellent. I love this album.

Was not sure what to expect with this, but they seem much more adjacent to Daft Punk than I was expecting. This was a good listen and a fun album, though at times a bit much.

This album was good, but not at all that remarkable. Feels like it would have just faded in to the din of similar albums/sounds from bands like this at this time, which is likely why I was unfamiliar with it. Definitely enjoyed listening to it though.

Zappa in general I am in to, but I don't know, for some reason I wasn't really feeling this particular flavor of jazz fusion this morning. In general though this is a great and important record. I'm in to it.

Not my strongest genre, but seems like a pretty standard and basic techno/dance album. Just fine for sure, but not really my thing for 60+ minutes.

This album is honestly incredible.

Incredibly fun and catchy synth and dance and post punk record. A lot of great songs and a great sound and energy all around.

I guess this is one of the premier trip-hop and sampling records? Pretty good if you like that stuff. A bit sleepy.

This is an all time classic and singular record which holds a special place in my heart. Absolutely love it, and it's been a long time since I listened to it.

1980s UK post-punk. A dime a dozen inclusions on this list. At this point it all runs together to me and is all the same. This was whatever, just as you would expect.

This album was excellent and a perfect Friday morning listen. No surprises there at all.

Not thrilled to see yet another UK band I haven't heard of on this list. Early 2000s indie rock? Great... This was a lot better than I was expecting, in the sense that it was different from what I was expecting. Very eclectic and summery vibes. Enjoyed it well enough.

An obvious classic. A smooth, super well produce hip-hop record. Such great sampling.

Al Green is peerless. His voice is truly a marvel. This album is so copacetic and pleasant. Just a really beautiful record.

Megadeth is super ridiculous. Pretty fun for sure, but man it's so ridiculous.

This is an album that I have more specific takes on than most. I love Fela Kuti, one of the true GOATs if there ever was one. Ginger Baker was truly a maniac on the drums. The one thing I notice immediately is how stark the difference in drumming is when it transitions from tracks 1 and 2 to tracks 3 and 4 with Ginger Baker on drums. It's not afro-beat drumming, and I'm not sure I appreciate the collaboration all the way through as much as I would just the straight afro-beat. This is one of the rare albums where I also listened to the bonus non-album tracks that are included on streaming. The 16 minute "Ginger Baker & Tony Allen Drum Solo" taken from a live performance that has nothing to do with Fela Kuti or this album, a strange inclusion for sure. That track is wild, and reminds me so much of Glenn Kotche's 2003 composition "Monkey Chant." I'd be curious to know what if any inspiration Kotche took from this performance. A cursory search of the internet doesn't turn up much.

Probably both the best and most accessible Lightning Bolt album. Love it forever.

Never heard of this band, and nothing at all familiar about anything on this record. Kind of weird mix of late 70s/early 80s ska and new wave. It feels all over the place, but strangely works. Wild to me this is on the list, but early 80s UK new wave is waaaaaaay too over represented on this list, so I guess it's not that surprising.

This a fantastic debut punk record. Everything you'd want from late 70s punk.

An absolutely bonkers and iconic late 70s rock opera. This album is sweet but is absolutely insane. It's too much, but it's a good time.

Man this is the quintessential 80s music that just all sounds the same and generally uninteresting to me. And there is a lot of it on this list.

I remember getting another Robert Wyatt album earlier on this list, and being pleasantly surprised by it. This was the same, it was a lot more interesting and weirder than I was expecting it would be. A bit of anomaly for things on this list from the 70s. Thoroughly enjoyed this. More things like this please!

This album is perfect in everyway. It's everything a modern electronic record should be. Masterful work by a masterful group.

Pre-hiatus Pixies are all pretty beyond reproach. This one to me is probably the one that sticks with me the least. The laid back surf guitar vibes along with some super solid standout tracks make it a great album for sure, but not nearly as great as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. Still an excellent and classic record though.

Man this is bad and just have no redeeming qualities. Lowest common denominator music. At least Jon Bon Jovi seems like a good dude. But man, this list could really help itself ditching this kind of stuff.

Generally when something comes up on this list that I have never heard of, I assume it's an underwhelming group from the UK that maybe had a hit. This is exactly that. Granted I will say it's more interesting than I was expecting and a bit more eclectic for something out of the UK in the late 90s than I was expecting. But unremarkable it remains. Get it off this list.

Something different and better than what I was expecting.

This album is great. Incredible melodies and production. Really enjoy this more and more with each subsequent listen.

Randy Newman is bonkers to me. Unassuming and I think for the most part misunderstood. I don't necessarily like his music, but it's singular and unique and worth listening to with care.

Disco is wild. What a time to be alive. I was not thrilled about this, but then instantly recognized the big hit "le freak" on this record. Disco is fine and has a place as long as it's not something you listen to often. This is probably as good as it gets though.

This is a big album, in concept, in ambition and in length and for the most part it works. It's tough to wade in to an album knowing you'll be listening to it for nearly 80 minutes, but hearing Keith Moon's drumming right off the bat puts you in familiar territory. This album has some hits and is generally a lot of fun. It's a classic for a reason.

There isn't a ton to say about this album. It's a classic and pretty much flawless. Incredible songs, incredible production, incredible staying power 50+ years later. An easy 5 stars.

Absolutely lovely and beautiful and perfect record to listen to on a lazy Saturday morning with your coffee.

You know I was expecting that I wouldn't be super in to this, but was hoping it would at least be fun to listen to. Really disappointed to find it's not even fun to listen to as dumb straightforward rock. These songs just suck. There is a reason Detroit Rock City is the only song that has had any lasting power. Ouff, this is so bad and not worth listening to.

Just a high quality succinct and to the point early pop punk record. Catchy and a lot of fun.

Generally I'm not super stoked when a band from the UK that I've never heard of pops up on this list. Looking in to this band more, I was encouraged to see that some US media sources praised this album as being a seminal shoegaze record. I can dig. I listened to the 72 minute version that came out on CD and while it's solid, I would say it falls a bit short of being seminal like the real heavy hitters in shoegaze. Enjoyable enough for sure, but nothing spectacular.

Really did not know anything about this or her. But Drag City, recorded by Steve Albini, mixed by Jim O'Rourke? A real who's who of Chicago heavy hitters. This also seems like it was super well regarded. The orchestral baroque pop doesn't do a ton for me, and though this is obviously a singular and interesting work, it's not really for me. I'm sure it's endlessly rewarding with each subsequent listen.

I don't need this, I'm not sure anyone does. I can get down with Prog-rock from time to time, but live recordings are just too heavy on the wankery. This is completely inessential.

I have been aware of this album as a cultural artifact for as long as I can remember, but have never listened to it. Man the 80s are rough. Couple decent songs, but this vibe is not for me.

Classic Stevie Wonder. Contemplative and beautiful. A great lazy weekend morning record.

I had low expectations just based on the name of this band, but this was wonderful. Beautiful and discordant and melodic and organic. A lovely record that honestly sounds great. Psychedelic for sure. Absolutely loved this.

I could listen to only records like this and be perfectly happy. Truly excellent through and through.

This isn't my favorite style of music, but this was fun nonetheless.