Journey Complete!
Finisher #499 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.34
Average Rating
100%
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Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
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1950s
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207
5-Star Albums
98
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle | 5 | 1.87 | +3.13 |
| The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter | 5 | 2.15 | +2.85 |
| Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman | 5 | 2.22 | +2.78 |
| Wonderful Rainbow | 5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
| Oar | 5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
| Moss Side Story | 5 | 2.53 | +2.47 |
| Playing With Fire | 5 | 2.54 | +2.46 |
| Chelsea Girl | 5 | 2.63 | +2.37 |
| Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby | 5 | 2.66 | +2.34 |
| Shalimar | 5 | 2.66 | +2.34 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ten | 1 | 3.92 | -2.92 |
| American Idiot | 1 | 3.77 | -2.77 |
| Hot Fuss | 1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
| Californication | 1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
| Born In The U.S.A. | 1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | 1 | 3.68 | -2.68 |
| Born To Run | 1 | 3.64 | -2.64 |
| Hotel California | 1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
| Black Holes and Revelations | 1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
| Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 5 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 5 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 5 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.6 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Beck | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 5 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.5 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.67 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.67 |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 4.67 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 5 |
| The Flaming Lips | 2 | 5 |
| Belle & Sebastian | 2 | 5 |
| Wilco | 2 | 5 |
| Spiritualized | 2 | 5 |
| Iggy Pop | 2 | 5 |
| Stan Getz | 2 | 5 |
| Fela Kuti | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 3.89 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.33 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 1 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 1 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 1 |
| U2 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 1.5 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 1.33 |
| Suede | 2 | 1 |
| Def Leppard | 2 | 1 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1 |
| Elvis Costello | 2 | 1 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 1 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Prodigy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 1.5 |
| Eagles | 2 | 1.5 |
| The xx | 2 | 1.5 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1.5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 2 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 2 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 2 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Green Day | 5, 1 |
| Frank Sinatra | 2, 5, 5 |
| Madonna | 4, 1, 2 |
5-Star Albums (207)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
1/5
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 will not allow me to give it anything less.
25 likes
The La's
1/5
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.
24 likes
Deee-Lite
1/5
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.
12 likes
Morrissey
1/5
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.
11 likes
Aerosmith
1/5
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.
7 likes
1-Star Albums (98)
All Ratings
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
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.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Was completely unfamiliar with this, and it's a pretty flawless solo jazz piano performance and recording. Gorgeous.
David Gray
1/5
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.
Burning Spear
2/5
Reggae 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.
Green Day
5/5
I love this album so much. A nostalgic punch that puts me in an immediately great mood. 5 stars forever!
Grateful Dead
5/5
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.
Crowded House
4/5
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.
PJ Harvey
4/5
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.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
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.
Blondie
5/5
This album rips so hard. Nothing but bangers. 10 out of 10 forever!
Muddy Waters
4/5
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.
Nick Drake
4/5
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.
Aphex Twin
5/5
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.
The Pharcyde
4/5
Pretty excellent beats and lyrics, killer golden age of hip-hop record.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
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.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
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.
Dr. John
4/5
Really cool and far out record.
Madonna
4/5
This is exactly the kind of album I looked forward to hearing when beginning this project. Something that I know all the hits to but have never listened to the full album. This was great and it was fun to take in the whole thing.
R.E.M.
4/5
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.
The Specials
4/5
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.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5/5
Classic album, absolutely love BPB. Great album to revisit this morning.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
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.
The Prodigy
1/5
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.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
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.
JAY Z
4/5
Fantastic album.
Public Enemy
4/5
Killer record.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
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.
Hole
3/5
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.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
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.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
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
3/5
Bauhaus is not for me.
U2
1/5
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.
King Crimson
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I was expecting, I need to be in the right mood for the Prog-Rock, but this was dope.
The Strokes
4/5
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.
Barry Adamson
5/5
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.
Suede
1/5
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.
4/5
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 & The Attractions
2/5
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.
1/5
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 will not allow me to give it anything less.
Little Richard
2/5
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.
The Icarus Line
2/5
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.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
This album is almost perfect, absolutely spellbinding. One of the best.
The Specials
3/5
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.
Elliott Smith
5/5
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.
Mekons
2/5
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.
Big Star
3/5
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.
Missy Elliott
4/5
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
4/5
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.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
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.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Incredible band, incredible album. Just killer bass lines, funky guitars, keyboards and horns. A band firing on all cylinders. Fantastic.
Turbonegro
4/5
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.
Deep Purple
2/5
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.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
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.
The Smiths
2/5
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.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Very hard rocking modern rock n roll, way better than I was expecting.
ZZ Top
2/5
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.
4/5
I have always loved The Kinks and this album in particular. Love the through line story and concept for it. The Kinks rule!
Steely Dan
3/5
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.
Pere Ubu
3/5
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
5/5
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.
Fats Domino
3/5
Some of the most classic songs we've heard a million times. Enjoyable listen.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
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.
Boston
3/5
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.
Pavement
5/5
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.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
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.
The Black Crowes
1/5
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.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Epic double album ELO. ELO rules, though I'm partial to the more succinct 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.
The Stooges
5/5
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.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
I do not know Salsa music at all, but this is great, it grooves, and it's very enjoyable to listen to. Great record.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
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.
The Cure
2/5
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.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
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.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
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.
Nick Drake
5/5
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.
T. Rex
4/5
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.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Great R&B record, that's been sampled a ton throughout the years. Cool to hear the real thing from front to back.
The Monkees
3/5
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
Songhoy Blues
3/5
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.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Obviously an incredibly influential record--the raw energy is pretty incredible. Been a bit, had a good time listening.
Cat Stevens
3/5
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.
Gotan Project
5/5
Surprisingly great! And I only say surprisingly because this was completely foreign to me in every definition of the word. 5 stars!
Patti Smith
4/5
Patti Smith rules. I had never listened to one of her records before and this just seriously rocks.
a-ha
1/5
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.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
A big ambitious album, and it's absolutely beautiful.
Beatles
5/5
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
1/5
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.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Great record from both a lyrics and a beats standpoint. Just solid all around.
Portishead
3/5
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.
James Brown
3/5
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.
Pearl Jam
1/5
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...
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
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.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
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!
Goldfrapp
4/5
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.
Gary Numan
3/5
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.
Ravi Shankar
4/5
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.
Dire Straits
2/5
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.
The Byrds
3/5
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.
Laura Nyro
3/5
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.
Nick Drake
5/5
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.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
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.
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
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.
Nirvana
5/5
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.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
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.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
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.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Great collaborative album from three iconic artists, the harmonies on these somewhat simple and stripped down country songs are phenomenal.
Thundercat
2/5
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.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Just a killer all around record. I love Sonic Youth.
Paul Weller
1/5
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.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
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.
2Pac
4/5
This album is one of the best early hip hop records ever. Excellent lyrically, expertly produced. 2Pac at the peak of his craft.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
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.
The Shamen
2/5
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
2/5
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
2/5
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.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
I had never heard of Sarah Vaughan and this live recording is absolutely lovely. Very warm and very enjoyable.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
I love this album and used to listen to it a ton, and it's great to revisit. Almost flawless.
Cheap Trick
4/5
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.
David Bowie
4/5
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.
The Black Keys
3/5
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
2/5
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.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
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
4/5
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.
Neil Young
3/5
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.
Santana
2/5
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.
2/5
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.
Brian Wilson
5/5
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.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Just an excellent well rounded jazz record.
Daft Punk
3/5
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.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
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.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
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.
Supergrass
2/5
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.
Sisters Of Mercy
1/5
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.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
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.
Def Leppard
1/5
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.
Hole
4/5
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.
Beach House
4/5
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.
GZA
4/5
This record is a classic. Atmospheric, dark, incredible lyrics and beats. Still as good now as it was when it was released.
Beck
5/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
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!
Germs
4/5
This album is so critical and crucial to so much music that was inspired by and came after it. The bass is mixed perfectly on this thing, I wish all hardcore/punk albums sounded this good. Incredible record.
The Stooges
4/5
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.
The La's
1/5
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.
Depeche Mode
1/5
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.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
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 front men 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 audacity 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 initial 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.
The Jam
3/5
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.
Solange
4/5
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 psychedelic soul record and it's an excellent record.
Japan
2/5
This album is fine, but I am just getting really tired of British bands from the 80s. This is not for me.
Butthole Surfers
4/5
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.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Such a fun and challenging album. The dancing swinging quality of this post-punk record is so infectious. I've always loved this record.
Ramones
4/5
As classic as an album as it gets. The genesis of punk rock. Super simple straightforward driving and catchy songs. It's instantly apparent how important this album is with how familiar it sounds and how ubiquitous music that sounds like it has been in the last 40 years. A true classic.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
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.
Rod Stewart
2/5
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.
Linkin Park
1/5
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.
Small Faces
2/5
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
3/5
The Roots are just kind of ubiquitous 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 earnest 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.
AC/DC
3/5
This album is always fun--I definitely 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. Coincidentally 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.
The Smiths
1/5
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.
4/5
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 just vibes really well for the whole 62 minutes. Very much enjoyed listening to this today.
4/5
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 Loretta Lynn. Could listen to her all day.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
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.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
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.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I had never listened 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.
Frank Ocean
4/5
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.
SAULT
4/5
Clearly an important record that explores the black experience, including anger, sorrow and grief. It's musically excellent and very dancy. Great record.
Blue Cheer
2/5
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.
The Verve
2/5
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 familiar 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.
Alice Cooper
3/5
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.
The Cure
3/5
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
1/5
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.
The Damned
3/5
Great punk record--love the rush and urgency.
Morrissey
1/5
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.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
This album is gorgeous and such a welcome change from the usual overrepresented British nonsense. Absolutely loved listening to this a couple times today.
Missy Elliott
4/5
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.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Truly a masterpiece, this record is perfect and absolutely magnificent 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.
3/5
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.
The Waterboys
4/5
I have never heard of this band, but this record was quite enjoyable.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
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.
The Temptations
3/5
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.
The Replacements
4/5
A classic killer album that hits you quick and easy. Listened to this about 5 times before I knew it. Always excellent.
The Temptations
3/5
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.
Femi Kuti
4/5
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.
Yes
3/5
This was fine, but just a little too much. I sense prog is going to be overrepresented on this list.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
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.
The Blue Nile
3/5
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 instrumentation, 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.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
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.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
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
3/5
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.
Public Enemy
4/5
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.
Little Simz
4/5
Self-empowered and confident, this album is excellent.
Wire
4/5
One of the all time great post-punk records. A classic and always a great listen.
Miles Davis
5/5
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.
The Birthday Party
3/5
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.
Ute Lemper
3/5
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.
TV On The Radio
3/5
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.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
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.
Donovan
4/5
Classic record from a classic artist. Great lazy Sunday listening, listened to this on repeat all afternoon.
Billy Bragg
5/5
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.
The Jam
2/5
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.
Death In Vegas
3/5
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
1/5
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.
MGMT
2/5
I have never listened to this band, but have unsurprisingly heard two of the tracks on this album a lot as being somewhat ubiquitous 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."
Elton John
3/5
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.
Van Halen
2/5
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.
The Dictators
3/5
This is a great album from a great band. At first I was surprised to see it come up on the list, but with more thought it definitely makes sense and is worth of inclusion. Great revisiting it this morning.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
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.
Miles Davis
5/5
Just an absolutely beautiful and perfect record. The classic Blue Note releases are as good as they get.
Talking Heads
5/5
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.
Pink Floyd
5/5
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.
Slint
4/5
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 succinct sound that packs a punch, a really great listen.
OutKast
4/5
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.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
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.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
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.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
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.
Talking Heads
5/5
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.
Love
3/5
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.
The Police
3/5
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.
The B-52's
3/5
Not super familiar with this record in this context, but a lot of these songs are familiar 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.
Soft Cell
2/5
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.
Method Man
4/5
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.
Beatles
5/5
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.
Willie Nelson
4/5
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.
Mj Cole
2/5
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 mediocre music from the UK from this time period on this list, but that's neither here nor there.
The Who
3/5
I have not ever really listened 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.
Charles Mingus
5/5
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.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
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.
Queen
5/5
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.
Nas
4/5
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 rhythm and lyrics. Nas is one of the best.
Michael Jackson
3/5
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.
Motörhead
3/5
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 honestly an overwhelming thing to listen to and imagine seeing it live in 1980 and 1981. What a band.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
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.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Excellent album and some very welcome World variety. Expertly performed guitar compositions, a beyond enjoyable listening experience.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
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.
N.W.A.
5/5
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.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
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.
Tori Amos
2/5
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.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
This album is great, it's racing, abrasive and raw. A great output from a very short-lived but excellent band. Had been a really long time since I listened to this. Excellent.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
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.
Wilco
5/5
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 textured 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 continues to give so much. I simply cannot imagine my life without it.
Def Leppard
1/5
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.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
There is a timelessness to the songs on this album. Obviously a gifted songwriter and musician. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
Radiohead
4/5
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.
Bob Dylan
4/5
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 phenomenal. Obviously a great record.
Leftfield
2/5
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.
Spiritualized
5/5
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.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
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.
Arrested Development
3/5
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.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
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.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
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.
The Prodigy
2/5
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.
1/5
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.
The Crusaders
3/5
Just a great jazzy, funky, soul record. Just excellent vibes all around. What a delight.
White Denim
3/5
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 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.
Eric Clapton
1/5
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.
Blur
3/5
I do not know anything about this band at all, aside from knowing "Song 2" was a bit radio hit. 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.
Radiohead
3/5
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.
The Libertines
2/5
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.
Weather Report
3/5
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.
The Avalanches
2/5
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.
Kings of Leon
3/5
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 pseudo 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.
Saint Etienne
2/5
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.
Underworld
1/5
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.
Ray Charles
4/5
Just a beautiful record. Gorgeous arrangements and just a delight to listen to. Ray is awesome.
Lana Del Rey
1/5
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 skepticism proved to be well placed. This album is boring, uninteresting, and unremarkable. I don't think I ever needed to hear this.
Eagles
1/5
This is so god awful.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Listening to a full album of this is wild. It's long a little much, but I enjoyed it.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
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.
New Order
3/5
I do not know New Order at all, and had no preconceived notions coming in to this. My initial 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.
Bob Dylan
4/5
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.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
This album was and is still an instant classic. Just a phenomenal record.
Laibach
2/5
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 because of the insular nature of that area at that time. Fun enough.
The Sabres Of Paradise
4/5
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 Clearwater Revival
4/5
Creedence rocks and this album rules. Just chooglin' baby!
Beatles
5/5
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.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
This is fine but pretty inconsequential. I would not listen to this again as it made no impression on me at all.
Mudhoney
4/5
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 writing on the wall. This is a classic album, one of the best of the era and the genre.
Ray Charles
5/5
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.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
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.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
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.
Beck
5/5
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.
Slade
3/5
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.
Buck Owens
3/5
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 succinct listen. Just basking in that Bakersfield glow.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
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 surprised 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.
Sam Cooke
4/5
This is obviously a classic recording with excellent performances 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.
Joe Ely
4/5
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 Texas Honky Tonk Country. Really solid album and enjoyed listening to it immensely. Reading more about Joe Ely, he seems pretty sweet.
Gram Parsons
4/5
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 from 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.
Eminem
3/5
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 nostalgic punch from hearing this and listening to it in that context. It's not bad by any means, it's just not for me.
Mudhoney
5/5
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 track listing 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 adamant 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" release 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.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
I was immediately skeptical 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 ideal.
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.
Travis
2/5
So I had never heard of this band, and they are whatever. I am not super familiar 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.
David Bowie
5/5
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 absolute joy to see albums like this pop up when they do.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
This is a good album for sure, probably 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.
Don McLean
3/5
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.
George Harrison
5/5
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.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
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.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
I was not expecting the synthesizer drum machine vibes straight out of the 80s for many of these songs. Somewhat silly, but underneath all of that are just absolutely beautiful songs. Truly a poet. Excellent record.
Pentangle
3/5
I have never heard of this group or this record before. Very enjoyable late 60s folk record.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
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.
Kanye West
4/5
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.
Ice Cube
4/5
This record comes at you fast from the beginning and doesn't really let up. The early 90s hip-hop just hits so good.
Depeche Mode
2/5
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.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
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 eclectic 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.
N.E.R.D
3/5
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 the 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.
Suicide
4/5
This album is great and feels like such a refreshing force from this time and place. Just killer minimalist synth-punk.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
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.
The Doors
3/5
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.
Neil Young
4/5
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.
Pulp
3/5
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
4/5
Rush rules. I have not dabbled in to a ton of Prog Rock, but Rush is tops of that genre. This album kicked ass.
The Vines
4/5
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.
Dolly Parton
4/5
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.
AC/DC
4/5
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.
David Ackles
3/5
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, particularly on Jim O'Rourke's Drag City outputs. Great listen and always happy to have something unknown like this come up.
Aerosmith
1/5
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.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
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.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Just beautiful songs. Nothing bad to say about this record at all.
The Clash
5/5
This album is incredible and a classic. I’m truly surprised how much I come back to this.
Can
4/5
This is a great Can record, meandering and atmospheric. Really excellent listen.
John Coltrane
5/5
What can I say, just an absolute masterpiece.
Supergrass
3/5
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.
Caetano Veloso
5/5
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.
The Stone Roses
4/5
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.
Nirvana
5/5
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.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
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.
Pantera
3/5
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.
The Band
4/5
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 Residents
3/5
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.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Just a great punk record from a band at the height of their powers. So much fun.
Elvis Presley
3/5
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.
ABBA
3/5
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 they 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.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Great band and great album.
Prince
5/5
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.
Radiohead
3/5
This is more interesting 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.
LL Cool J
3/5
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.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Good album from a good songwriter. A perfectly enjoyable listen on this lazy Sunday morning.
Van Halen
2/5
What a hilariously cheesy band and album. Fun to hit some hits in there. Just super glad this was so short.
SZA
2/5
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.
Raekwon
4/5
This album is a classic and is just always so chill to listen to.
Frank Black
4/5
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.
R.E.M.
2/5
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.
5/5
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.
David Bowie
3/5
This record 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.
Sigur Rós
4/5
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.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
This is an excellent contemporary soul album and it's something I didn't even know I wanted. Great listen.
Gillian Welch
3/5
This was an absolute delight and very calm and peaceful record to listen to. Very much enjoyed it.
Merle Haggard
4/5
I love the Bakersfield Sound. This album is a fantastic listen.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
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
3/5
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
3/5
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
3/5
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 definitely prefer the earlier stuff from them.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
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.
5/5
Impossible not to give this record 5 stars. It is a flawed album and perhaps 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.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I do not know much about any of the 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.
Duran Duran
3/5
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.
Queen
3/5
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.
Dion
3/5
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 "Runaround 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 underneath all of it though. Certainly mixed reviews for sure.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
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
4/5
Teenage Fanclub is great, they kind of hit the sweet spot 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
4/5
Sparks are incredible and this album is incredible. Tight and ferocious. Truly excellent.
Moby
2/5
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.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
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.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
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.
Eagles
2/5
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 straightforward rock than their later stuff. I'll give it that but not much else.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
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 bona fide 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.
Foo Fighters
3/5
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.
Faith No More
2/5
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.
The War On Drugs
2/5
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 accurate 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.
Queen
5/5
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.
Bad Brains
3/5
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.
Jacques Brel
4/5
French pop from the 60s. Wild and very welcome. This was a very enjoyable listen on a lazy early Sunday morning.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
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.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
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.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Totally unfamiliar with this and Mbalax music in general. Nothing incredible by any means, but really excellent recordings and excellent music.
Parliament
3/5
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 definitely 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
3/5
The Doors. This was to be what I expected, which is to say fine.
Pink Floyd
4/5
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.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
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.
Michael Jackson
5/5
The best Michael Jackson album with some of the best Michael Jackson songs.
M.I.A.
5/5
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.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
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.
The Beach Boys
4/5
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.
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
This album absolutely rules and is a blast.
Sonic Youth
3/5
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.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Good album from a good songwriter. A perfectly enjoyable listen on this lazy Sunday morning.
The Zombies
5/5
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.
Public Enemy
4/5
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.
Beth Orton
2/5
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 will not listen to it again.
Bob Dylan
4/5
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 definitely 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.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
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.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
1/5
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.
The Band
5/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
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.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
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.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
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.
Taylor Swift
2/5
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 is so culturally ubiquitous 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 surprise 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.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
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.
Talvin Singh
4/5
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.
Kings of Leon
3/5
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.
ZZ Top
3/5
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.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
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 stylings on their own without him asserting himself so much. All in all a great album and strongly recommend.
Bob Dylan
5/5
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
5/5
Spiritualized is such a vibe, but it's the vibe I want on this lazy Friday afternoon. Just love this album.
Deep Purple
3/5
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.
Orbital
3/5
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 will not ever listen to it again.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Just a beautiful and masterful live jazz record on a lazy rainy Sunday morning. Perfection.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
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.
John Martyn
3/5
I don't know anything about John Martyn, but certainly just kind of feels like a poor man's Nick Drake. I'm not so sure this is an essential record at all. It's just fine.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
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.
Cypress Hill
4/5
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
4/5
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.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
This got my mind and my spirit right today.
CHVRCHES
2/5
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.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
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.
Solomon Burke
4/5
What a great collection of soul songs on this record. Just impeccably excellent from start to finish.
Le Tigre
4/5
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.
Kelela
3/5
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.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
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.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
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.
Khaled
2/5
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.
Jurassic 5
3/5
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
3/5
Emmylou Harris obviously has an excellent voice and this is obviously a great straight country record. Enjoyable listen for sure.
The Go-Go's
4/5
This album was a lot of fun. Just a great bouncy new wave pop post punk sound. Catchy upbeat songs. A real joy.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
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.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
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.
Goldie
2/5
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.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
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 aggressive, broken and overdriven and raw. It's always a rewarding listen from a great band.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
This album ripped. I love the heavy reverb guitar that you find in the noise pop/shoegaze bands from this era. This was a delight after a stretch of pretty middling album selections on this.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
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 hadn't worked together before.
PJ Harvey
4/5
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 soft/loud dynamics fully realized with Steve Albini doing the recording. Great record.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
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 Cult
1/5
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.
Beck
5/5
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.
Robbie Williams
1/5
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.
Julian Cope
3/5
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.
Talking Heads
5/5
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.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
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.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
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.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
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.
Coldplay
2/5
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.
Alice In Chains
3/5
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.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
This album is a lot, stylistically, 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.
The Associates
2/5
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 song on this album. This music in general is not for me. Enjoyable enough though.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
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.
Ice Cube
4/5
Incredible first solo outing after the breakup of N.W.A. I forget how hard the early west coast hip hop hits. Great record.
The xx
2/5
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.
Elvis Costello
1/5
I just do not care about Elvis Costello. There is nothing here for me to get in to.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
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.
Dagmar Krause
4/5
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.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
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.
Elis Regina
4/5
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
4/5
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.
Wilco
5/5
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.
Traffic
2/5
This album and this band seem pretty inconsequential to me. This is some real folky almost proto jam band stuff, and just doesn't do anything for me. I guess I can get how people would like it though.
Michael Jackson
5/5
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.
Common
2/5
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.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
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.
The Young Gods
4/5
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!
The Offspring
5/5
I love this album so much. It played such a huge part in my teenage/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.
Rod Stewart
2/5
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.
Funkadelic
4/5
This is one heady and heavy album.
Van Morrison
2/5
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.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Great quick hitting album from a great band. True Rock and Roll for sure.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
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 and the Heartbreakers
1/5
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.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Early proto rock and roll is a wild thing. This record 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.
Massive Attack
3/5
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.
David Crosby
3/5
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.
Magazine
3/5
Definitely a fun and punchy post punk/new wave record. I had never heard of this band, though there was definitely a vague familiarity to them. Certainly probably a likely far reaching influence I was just not aware of. Good listen for sure.
Jane Weaver
4/5
This was a lot sweeter than I was expecting, pleasantly surprised. Worth listening to for sure.
Lambchop
5/5
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 publications, 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.
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
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.
The Fall
4/5
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.
Django Django
4/5
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.
David Holmes
4/5
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.
Various Artists
1/5
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.
Steely Dan
1/5
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.
Adele
1/5
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.
Heaven 17
2/5
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.
Peter Gabriel
1/5
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.
PJ Harvey
3/5
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.
The Lemonheads
2/5
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
4/5
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.
Fiona Apple
5/5
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.
Alice Cooper
4/5
This record surprised me a lot. I'm not super familiar with Alice Cooper aside from the myth and image and the obvious 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.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
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 absolutely love. Had a great time listening to this.
k.d. lang
2/5
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.
Wild Beasts
2/5
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.
Simply Red
2/5
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.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
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.
Black Sabbath
4/5
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.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
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.
R.E.M.
3/5
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.
The The
3/5
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.
The Only Ones
3/5
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.
Taylor Swift
2/5
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.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
Just an excellent early record from an incredible americana folk musician.
3/5
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.
10cc
2/5
This album is ridiculous, a bit all over the place. I honestly just kind of wished I was listening to Wings.
Girls Against Boys
5/5
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.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Classic through and through. Beautiful and much too short record from one of the legends. Loved this listen.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
This seems like music that Jimmy Fallon could really shake a tambourine to.
Prefab Sprout
1/5
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.
Deee-Lite
1/5
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.
1/5
This album is a lot, all the crooning and whispering. It's very dramatic and it's not for me.
Traffic
2/5
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.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
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.
Paul McCartney
3/5
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.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
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.
Bob Dylan
4/5
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.
OutKast
4/5
You know it's a classic. B.O.B. is such a great track. Had a blast listening to this a couple times today.
System Of A Down
3/5
A truly ridiculous and kick ass straight up hard rock record from the late 90s. A lot of fun listening to this.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This was a great listen. I had no idea Changes was written by Black Sabbath. Mind Blown. Killer album from a killer band.
Suzanne Vega
1/5
This was boring and inconsequential. It's not bad, but this should not be on this list.
FKA twigs
4/5
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.
Neu!
5/5
Phenomenal Krautrock record. I listened to this driving across the desert and it ruled!
Beatles
5/5
An all time classic. Easy 5 stars!
Ian Dury
4/5
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!
John Grant
3/5
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!
Kate Bush
2/5
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.
The Pogues
4/5
Probably the quintessential Pogues record. What a great and singular band.
Venom
2/5
This was not my cup of tea but it was fine. Clearly a good metal record. Just not for me.
Lou Reed
5/5
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.
Eminem
3/5
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
4/5
Pere Ubu have always been underrated and under appreciated. An incredible art punk experimental band from Cleveland. Very stoked this is on the list.
Joy Division
3/5
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.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
I love Roky Erickson and in my opinion he is criminally underrated. This album totally rules.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
This was beyond delightful. Great record.
Willie Nelson
5/5
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.
Ministry
4/5
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.
Tim Buckley
1/5
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?
The Coral
1/5
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.
Peter Frampton
2/5
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.
The Clash
4/5
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.
Digital Underground
3/5
I have no about these guys forever but never listened to them. Good early 90s alternative hip-hop.
Meat Puppets
5/5
Seminal record. Just an absolute classic from an underrated band.
Hawkwind
3/5
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.
Aimee Mann
2/5
This is some pretty basic early 90s pop stuff. Some strong chamber sounding elements, definitely not for me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
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.
The United States Of America
4/5
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
3/5
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.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
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.
George Michael
2/5
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.
Green Day
1/5
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
4/5
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.
Mercury Rev
4/5
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.
Hot Chip
2/5
Pretty inconsequential. There is just nothing here for me.
Orange Juice
2/5
This seems like another inconsequential album that is only on this list due to UK bias. Get it out of here.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
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.
Dire Straits
2/5
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.
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
This is a solid 1 star, just because this thing doesn't allow anything less. Get it out of here. Never again.
Soundgarden
2/5
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.
Bill Callahan
5/5
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.
Tom Waits
5/5
This album is a beautiful meandering masterpiece.
Portishead
3/5
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.
Television
5/5
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.
Common
3/5
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.
Motörhead
4/5
Man Lemmy rules, this album rules. Just a quick 36 minutes of rock. Love it.
Adele
3/5
I get that Adele is great, but man there is nothing about this music that is appealing at all.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
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.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Wow this is a lot and it's very long. Not for me at all.
Big Star
5/5
This record is so beautiful. It's almost perfect for me.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
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.
Björk
4/5
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.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
I was not expecting to know as many songs as I did on this. Truly a great record packed with hits from the 80s.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
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.
Pavement
5/5
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.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
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.
Bob Dylan
3/5
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.
Primal Scream
2/5
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.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
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.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
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.
Mariah Carey
2/5
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.
Holger Czukay
5/5
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.
Beyoncé
3/5
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.
The Verve
4/5
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.
Elastica
4/5
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.
CHIC
3/5
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
2/5
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.
Scissor Sisters
2/5
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.
Eurythmics
2/5
This was fine I guess. Not really for me.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
This is a stunning work of experimental and conscious hip hop. So many eclectic touches. Just a brilliant record.
4/5
A great solid and succinct punk record. X has always felt a bit underrated to me. Happy they are on this list.
The Triffids
3/5
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.
Stereo MC's
3/5
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.
Dr. Dre
5/5
This album is so good from top to bottom and is a classic. Super stoked to pull this today, 5 stars all the way.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
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.
Madness
3/5
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.
Van Morrison
1/5
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
4/5
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.
4/5
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.
The Police
3/5
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.
Goldfrapp
4/5
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.
Liz Phair
2/5
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.
David Bowie
4/5
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.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
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.
Brian Eno
5/5
I listen to this regularly, and just listened to it over this past weekend. This is an easy 5 bagger here.
The Auteurs
3/5
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
1/5
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.
Louis Prima
4/5
A classic record and a pretty appropriate one to get on a Friday morning. Enjoyed listening to these classic standards.
The Youngbloods
3/5
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 Dream
4/5
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.
Kate Bush
2/5
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.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
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.
Pink Floyd
4/5
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.
The Mars Volta
2/5
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.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
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.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
A short album of pretty straightforward romantic and catchy pop songs. Just fine.
John Cale
4/5
Excellent album. Pleased to pull it on this slow Sunday morning, it'd been a bit since I had listened to it.
Muddy Waters
3/5
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.
Erykah Badu
2/5
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.
Air
4/5
I have never listened to this whole soundtrack. Great movie and a great music accompanying it from a great band. Really enjoyed this.
Simple Minds
1/5
This is some UK new wave pop synth stuff from the early 80s that I just could not care less about listening to.
TLC
4/5
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.
Billy Joel
4/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
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.
Radiohead
4/5
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.
Elliott Smith
5/5
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.
Coldcut
4/5
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.
The Stooges
4/5
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.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
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.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
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.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Pretty classic and succinct UK punk record.
Brian Eno
5/5
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.
Devendra Banhart
4/5
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.
Lenny Kravitz
1/5
LOL! This is absolute trash.
Happy Mondays
2/5
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.
Syd Barrett
4/5
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.
Megadeth
3/5
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
3/5
Bad Company is ridiculous. They are not really for me, but are fun enough. Give me both Styx and Foreigner over them any day.
Iggy Pop
5/5
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.
Primal Scream
3/5
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.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
This is pretty middle of the road, safe, boomer centric boring music. Nothing here for me at all.
Kanye West
5/5
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.
The Kinks
4/5
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.
Baaba Maal
3/5
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.
David Bowie
3/5
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.
The Byrds
5/5
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 bona fide classic. Just country-rock bliss.
Sade
2/5
Ha this was fine, not my cup of tea at all. It was not bad by any means, but certainly not essential.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
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.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Pretty easy breezy harmony laced tunes.
Red Snapper
2/5
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.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
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.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
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.
Jack White
2/5
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?"
Soft Machine
2/5
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.
TV On The Radio
2/5
I still do not get this band. It just feels kind of middling and boring to me.
The Darkness
3/5
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.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
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.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
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 Zeppelin
3/5
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.
Beastie Boys
5/5
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.
Sebadoh
4/5
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.
Suede
1/5
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.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
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.
Kanye West
4/5
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.
Deep Purple
4/5
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.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
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.
Mike Ladd
4/5
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.
Duke Ellington
5/5
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.
The Smashing Pumpkins
1/5
That was incredibly tough to get through. Overly long and a bit pompous. Not for me at all.
Stephen Stills
3/5
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.
Tito Puente
4/5
The peak of mambo from the master himself. Just a great all around record. Very enjoyable listen this morning.
Finley Quaye
2/5
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.
The Style Council
2/5
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?
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
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.
The Pretty Things
3/5
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.
Elvis Costello
1/5
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.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
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.
The White Stripes
4/5
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.
Beatles
5/5
No notes. An easy 5 stars.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
An excellent catchy punk record. Loved this.
The Charlatans
2/5
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.
The Byrds
2/5
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.
The Kinks
5/5
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.
Gang Starr
3/5
Classic early east coast underground hip-hop album. Holds up for sure.
4/5
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.
Bee Gees
3/5
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.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
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.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
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.
Pixies
5/5
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.
Scritti Politti
1/5
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.
Tom Waits
5/5
Great record. I love the Island Records albums from Tom Waits. Beyond reproach.
Carole King
4/5
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.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
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.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
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.
Kid Rock
1/5
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.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
This album is fantastic.
Roxy Music
5/5
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.
Manic Street Preachers
1/5
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.
Fugazi
5/5
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.
Q-Tip
4/5
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.
Korn
1/5
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.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
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.
American Music Club
1/5
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.
Janis Joplin
3/5
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.
Jeff Beck
2/5
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.
Paul Simon
3/5
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.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Had never heard of Miriam, but this record was a breath of fresh air. Just lovely all around. Great inclusion.
Gene Clark
4/5
This was just a super solid classic cosmic country rock album. Really enjoyed this!
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
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.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
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.
The Thrills
1/5
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.
The Yardbirds
1/5
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.
Richard Thompson
4/5
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.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
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.
Metallica
1/5
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 Killah
5/5
Ghostface is one of the best to ever do it. This is an excellent record all around.
Astrud Gilberto
5/5
An absolutely gorgeous and lovely samba record. Timeless.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
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.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
This was, very predictably, excellent. One of the best to ever do it. A lovely way to ease in to the day.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
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.
Living Colour
3/5
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.
The Slits
4/5
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
4/5
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.
808 State
3/5
British electronic 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.
Talking Heads
5/5
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.
Tom Waits
5/5
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.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Great album all around. Perfectly produced and nothing at all bad to say about it.
Sepultura
1/5
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.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
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
5/5
Leonard Cohen is such a singular voice and musician. Everything about this album is perfect, haunting, and beautiful.
The Saints
3/5
Just a great punk record. Urgent and energetic, short and succinct.
Kings of Leon
2/5
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?
Destiny's Child
3/5
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.
The Beach Boys
5/5
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.
Stan Getz
5/5
Charlie Byrd is always perfect. This is a great jazz/samba/bossa nova record. Great Sunday morning listening.
Boards of Canada
4/5
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.
Steve Earle
3/5
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.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Clearly this is a classic.
Screaming Trees
3/5
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.
The Human League
2/5
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.
Genesis
3/5
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.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
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.
Nico
5/5
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.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Ha Iron Maiden is ridiculous but definitely sweet. Probably the quintessential Iron Maiden record here. Just a pillar in the history of Heavy Metal.
Black Sabbath
5/5
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.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
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.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
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.
The Cardigans
3/5
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.
George Jones
5/5
Peak 1970s Nashville Country Music. No notes.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
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.
Napalm Death
4/5
Ha, it's great this is on this list. An absolute classic in pillar in grindcore. Never my favorite but it has a place.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
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.
The Hives
1/5
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.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
I had not listened to this album, Leonard Cohen's parting work. It is beautiful and eternal.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
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.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
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.
Arcade Fire
4/5
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.
Roni Size
3/5
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.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
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.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
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.
Van Morrison
3/5
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.
Sabu
4/5
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.
Steely Dan
1/5
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.
Garbage
2/5
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.
Pixies
5/5
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.
Justice
3/5
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.
Elbow
3/5
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.
Frank Zappa
3/5
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.
Orbital
3/5
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.
Ice T
4/5
This album is honestly incredible.
New Order
3/5
Incredibly fun and catchy synth and dance and post punk record. A lot of great songs and a great sound and energy all around.
DJ Shadow
3/5
I guess this is one of the premier trip-hop and sampling records? Pretty good if you like that stuff. A bit sleepy.
Stereolab
5/5
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.
The The
3/5
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.
Roxy Music
5/5
This album was excellent and a perfect Friday morning listen. No surprises there at all.
The Bees
3/5
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.
Fugees
4/5
An obvious classic. A smooth, super well produce hip-hop record. Such great sampling.
Al Green
5/5
Al Green is peerless. His voice is truly a marvel. This album is so copacetic and pleasant. Just a really beautiful record.
Megadeth
3/5
Megadeth is super ridiculous. Pretty fun for sure, but man it's so ridiculous.
Fela Kuti
5/5
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.
Lightning Bolt
5/5
Probably both the best and most accessible Lightning Bolt album. Love it forever.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
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.
The Adverts
4/5
This a fantastic debut punk record. Everything you'd want from late 70s punk.
Meat Loaf
4/5
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.
Talk Talk
1/5
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.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
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!
Kraftwerk
5/5
This album is perfect in everyway. It's everything a modern electronic record should be. Masterful work by a masterful group.
Pixies
4/5
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.
Bon Jovi
1/5
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.
Cornershop
3/5
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.
MC Solaar
3/5
Something different and better than what I was expecting.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
This album is great. Incredible melodies and production. Really enjoy this more and more with each subsequent listen.
Randy Newman
3/5
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.
CHIC
3/5
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.
The Who
4/5
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.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
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.
Billie Holiday
5/5
Absolutely lovely and beautiful and perfect record to listen to on a lazy Saturday morning with your coffee.
KISS
1/5
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.
The Undertones
3/5
Just a high quality succinct and to the point early pop punk record. Catchy and a lot of fun.
Ride
3/5
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.
Joanna Newsom
4/5
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.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
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.
Joy Division
2/5
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.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Classic Stevie Wonder. Contemplative and beautiful. A great lazy weekend morning record.
The Incredible String Band
5/5
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.
Ray Price
5/5
I could listen to only records like this and be perfectly happy. Truly excellent through and through.
Soul II Soul
3/5
This isn't my favorite style of music, but this was fun nonetheless.
Peter Tosh
3/5
An all time classic reggae record. Always fun.
Calexico
4/5
Kind of surprised to see this band on this list, but if they were going to be included, this is certainly the obvious album. I remember when this was released and never got in to it as a whole, though I thought Calexico had a great sound and I loved the first track "Sunken Waltz" a ton. It was cool to revisit this, because they do have a great sound and it's a lot more varied and interesting than I was expecting. Some great instrumentation. Really enjoyed this, who would have thought?
Skepta
4/5
I had never heard of Skepta and was unfamiliar with the Grime genre. I had read it's EDM, but this seems more like dirty hip-hop to me. I really enjoyed this record, great energy, flow, and had definitely heard a couple tracks before. This record was a pleasant surprise, very much enjoyed it.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Another Elvis Costello record... I think at this point I can safely say I don't think I'll ever understand the love for this guy. He is just pretty meh. I definitely thought this album art was an AI generated image when I saw it.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Echo And The Bunnymen continue to be one of the bands that my appreciation for has increased with this exercise. This is a great album with a lot of catchy songs. Really enjoyed it.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Tough to get much better than Kraftwerk. Pretty much everything they put out is flawless, particularly the few picked as essential for this list. 5 stars.
Metallica
4/5
Maybe the last great Metallica record?
Dusty Springfield
4/5
A really great collection of timeless songs recorded by an incredible singer. Just a wonderful album to listen to at any point. Classics all around.
R.E.M.
4/5
Fourth R.E.M. album that's come up on this thing, which seems like too many. Regardless, this was good, a lot less rocking and more of a crawling deliberate record with some great standout songs.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Never listened to Jungle Brothers before (afaik). Not a bad record at all, golden age hip hop, it grooves for sure, fun listen.
Ryan Adams
5/5
I listened to this record a ton after it came out. It's as close to a personal classic as you can get. Love it forever.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
My second Sunday in a row with an Echo and the Bunnymen record--I'm not complaining. Not as great as their other records on this list, but still pretty excellent and an enjoyable listen.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Fela is always great. Zombie is a classic track and I have always enjoyed this record. Listened to the extended version with the bonus tracks on streaming. Great record.
Radiohead
4/5
I assumed I would be somewhat familiar with this, but wasn't at all, so it seems like I never actually listened to this record at all. It's a lot better than I was expecting and different than I was expecting. There is more ambient/noisy sounding tracks on it which is a good thing. Liked this way more than OK Computer for sure.
Fiona Apple
4/5
An interesting experimental pop record. More of this stuff please.
Faust
4/5
I think this is my first time listening to Faust--which is surprising. I understand that this is likely their most accessible record. It's good for sure, but I'd be more interested in listening to some of their records that are less accessible. Cool band it seems like.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I am not familiar with Billy Bragg outside of the Mermaid Avenue records he did with Wilco. I have always been curious about listening to his country punk protest records. This seems like a great start, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The vibe, the urgency, beautiful songs.
Bee Gees
4/5
This album is sweet. Bee Gees are better and more interesting than I thought for sure. Long and ambitious concept album with just excellent songs and parts all over it. Great album.
Hookworms
3/5
Very middle of the road indie psych dance record from the 2010s. It was fine, nothing wrong with it, nothing great about it.
The KLF
2/5
I was able to find a cobbled together playlist of the original track listing on Spotify. This album was fine, it's not for me, and I don't need to wade to deeply in to this. It feels more like a "needed to be there" thing.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
An obvious classic record. Always a great listen, timeless and beyond reproach.
Tricky
2/5
Some British trip hop from the early 90s. Not too many things I could be less interested in. This is fine, probably a "you had to be there" type thing. But man it feels pretty inessential.
Röyksopp
2/5
Another trip hop record. Not my favorite by any means, but not the worst. Just kind of meh background music. Too much of this on this list.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Bob Marley, poet and a prophet.
I mean another classic record I suppose. Solid 4. Not much to say about it.
Sonic Youth
5/5
SY at it's undeniable best. Everything you want on this record. A true classic.
Lorde
3/5
You can hardly even tell that this is Randy Marsh.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Pretty seminal feminist punk record from the 90s Olympia scene. Succinct and on point.
Prince
5/5
An absolute classic. Always fun to listen to.
The Beta Band
3/5
I have no reference point for this band. I guess they are Britpop adjacent? I don't know, this album was fine, it is like radio polished mass appeal background music that feels like it was probably alternative to the most popular when it came out. Very middle of the road and inoffensive. It was fine for sure, nothing to write home about.
Anthrax
4/5
Quintessential thrash album. 50 minutes of speed and chaos. This was great to listen to after slamming espresso and dealing with a bunch of stressful stuff at work.
Kraftwerk
5/5
The quintessential Kraftwerk album. I listened to this three times today. An absolute classic.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
I genuinely have a hard time thinking of a more uninteresting and boring band than RHCP. Everything about them is bland and blah. I cannot fathom how anyone could put this on and unironically enjoy it.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Never really got in to this band. They seem kind of like a poor man's Akron/Family to me. It was fine for sure, and I probably would have been more in to this if I had actually heard it closer to when it came out.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Extremely driving and menacing gothic rock. A very long double record.
Einstürzende Neubauten
4/5
Raw, industrial, experimental, and noisy. EN and this album made such a mark when they came on the scene. How I wish I could have seen one of their shows back in the 1980s. Very cool that they are represented on this list.
50 Cent
4/5
Everything about this album is just a great time. Great songs, super vivid, catchy. Just a super solid album front to back.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Not knowing a ton about the specifics of Sonic Youth, it's wild to read about the context of this album, and just think about how gross and disgusting the major label machine was in 1992. Butch Vig production in full. This album seems like the polished post-Nevermind version of this band that DGC was hoping to cash in on. But that doesn't detract from how good this band and this record. It's cohesive and punching and direct in all the right ways. A great album.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
I have not thought about Grizzly Bear for years. I used to listen to their album that came out before this one, “Yellow House” a lot when it came out but never listened to this one much. It sounds very much like a product of its time but it’s a lot better and more interesting than I expected it would be after all these years. Cool that Grizzly Bear is on this list.
Massive Attack
2/5
English electronic music that I know nothing about. I think Massive Attack was a big deal at the time? I don't know. This was not for me, hardly kept my attention.
Sepultura
3/5
I guess this is fine thrash/death metal. It's just not for me by any means.
New York Dolls
3/5
Not quite what I was expecting. I guess they are more proto-punk and glam than they are punk, which I guess I didn't really realize that. Fun record for sure.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Elvis really coming in to his own as a mature and gifted singer/musician. This record is a feeling for sure.
Manu Chao
5/5
Definitely a throwback for me, it's been a bit. This album is great and just has a wonderful groove and vibe to it, nostalgic for sure. Listened to it a couple times. Great stuff!
The Young Rascals
3/5
Not really aware of this band in the context of who they are. Looks like they have a couple song that I have heard hundreds of times, of which I just never knew or cared who made them. This album was fine, seems like very feel goody middle of the road late 60s American music.
The Cramps
3/5
A classic record from a classic band. The punk/psychobilly blended genre has a great sound. It's never grabbed me the way other things adjacent to it has, but it's a good time and a good vibe for sure.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
I had never heard of this, and based on it being a live recording from both Fillmore East and Fillmore West in 1967 I figured it'd be pretty heady. Heady it is, I guess. This type of record certainly serves the purpose of just being an artifact from a specific time and scene, and if you look at it in that context, than it's a fine thing to include and listen to. But this is not nearly as far fucking out as people might think it. It's honestly pretty one note and pretty boring.
Paul Simon
2/5
This is certainly a Paul Simon album.
Minutemen
5/5
This album aside from being a classic is just an all around incredible album. Everything about these unique musicians and humans and seminal band being at their best. A truly monumental record.
Steely Dan
1/5
Some high level wankery. I really hope this is the last Steely Dan record I have to listen to on this list.
Pulp
3/5
Adjacent to Britpop bands are not my favorite. This is about as textbook 3 stars are you can get. Totally fine.
The Gun Club
4/5
This album is a bit of everything, post punk, psychobilly, gothic. It has a great vibe and energy and just great punchy songs. Really enjoyed it all around.
Sonic Youth
5/5
This album rips. It straddles that line perfectly between the no wave and experimental that Sonic Youth was transitioning out of into the alternative more recognizable song structure. I love the mx on this album so much, it just grinds.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I listened to Arcade Fire's first album "Funeral" a ton when it came out and for whatever reason feel like I didn't listen to this album much at all. That being said, listening to this now, it's way more familiar to me than I was expecting it would be, and it's a great album. Really enjoyed listening to this with fresh ears all these years later.
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
A fun little avant French pop album. Serge is always great.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This is my second Arcade Fire in the past 3 days on this list. "Neon Bible" I thought I was not going to be familiar with at all, but I was mistaking that for "The Suburbs." This is the album of theirs where I was uninterested when it came out and never really listened to it. It's certainly big and ambitious and compelling, and it likely their height as a band. I wish I would have paid more attention to it when it came out, because I probably would have appreciated it a lot more. It's great but as it is, it's a bit much and not really for me at this point.
Carpenters
3/5
Karen Carpenter is obviously an incredible tragic talent. Nothing but admiration for her musicality at such a young age. This album is pretty run of the mill and polished. A bit too smooth and especially with the cover songs, things sound a bit forced. Not my favorite by any means, but not bad at all.
Madonna
1/5
This does not need to be on this list. To me this is nothing more than an artifact from this time period in pop music. Slick production and too much autotune. It has a bit of an electronica and trip-hop vibe to it at times. But man this feels so forgettable and inconsequential. Just feature Madonna's good stuff on this list, no need to add this here.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Probably what he is known for in the popular zeitgeist for the most. This album is everything it purports to be within the context. A man of the people, great songs and great recordings.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Surprised this band has (at least) two albums on this list. Have never heard of them, though I obviously know the song "Come on Eileen." Probably overrepresented on this list. Not bad at all but nothing to write home about.
Silver Jews
5/5
Was not at all expecting Silver Jews to show up on this. What a pleasant surprise. I listened to this album all day and what a joy and a delight. Perfect!
The Who
4/5
The Who really burst on to the scene. This album rocks and shows glimpses of that raw rock n roll that The Who became known for. What a treat.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
I was not expecting this to be such an easy and obvious 5 star album. Feel like I have been blowing it not checking out this band and Gram Parsons more specifically up until now.
Slipknot
2/5
This is objectively better than the other things on this list that are adjacent to this genre of music at this time period. Obviously a talented band, just not for me.
Supertramp
3/5
A little spacey and out there, better than I first suspected it would be.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
This is an excellent album and this list needs more records like this on it.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
I assume this is just probably what good R&B sounds like from this time period. I wouldn't know. This was fine for sure.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Incredible album. The production is so incredible, the whole album sounds ethereal and other-worldly; just beautiful. An easy 5 stars.
D'Angelo
3/5
This seems like it was probably a great R&B record when it came out. Tough to say, this is not my wheelhouse. But I hear a lot on it, I hear some Prince, I hear Sly and the Family Stone, I hear jazz. Great sound in general.
Rahul Dev Burman
5/5
This album was great. I wish more albums like this, surprises, and not the obvious classics along with the severely over-represented 80s and 90s albums from the UK, were on this list.
The Cars
5/5
Excellent songs all around. Ric Ocasek has such a penchant for perfect power pop. Love this album.
Haircut 100
2/5
This is some smooth new wave.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
Had not listened to this in years. I don’t listen to B&S much anymore and this is not the first—or even second—album of theirs that I think to put on. But unsurprisingly this was great and I really enjoyed revisiting it multiple times today. Just great songs and great music.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Obviously one of those classic records from one of the pioneer of rock n roll. Just fine to listen to. Short and sweet.
De La Soul
4/5
A straight up classic record. These beats hit the right spots for that nostalgia high. Great record.
Gene Clark
5/5
Just an excellent country tinged record. Just what I expected.
k.d. lang
2/5
Didn't really have any expectations for this. It's kind of a cross between country and holiday music. It's not bad by any means, but not for me.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Not as familiar with this as I am their other work. I loved it, and of course as I expected the mix on this recording is pretty low. Had to listen to a few times to let it seep in. Great record, which is not surprising.
Bobby Womack
2/5
This seems like pretty standard run of the mill 1980s R&B which is to say it's fine, but definitely not for me.
Eels
5/5
I remember this band being a thing in the late 90s and early 2000s but never checked them out. Instantly I could tell this was going to be one of the more interesting and varied albums on this list. I listened to it a couple times today and it was great. Happy it's here.
The National
2/5
A band I have never been interested in checking it. It sounds like its parts are better than its whole. Just feels kind of boring to me. Not my favorite at all.
Spacemen 3
5/5
I had not listened to this album in a while. About as easy a 5 star album as it gets.
Richard Hawley
5/5
This was a pleasant surprise. Heavy 50s crooner vibe that reminds me of Elvis and Roy Orbison. Great production and great songs, just a lovely album.
Genesis
2/5
Ridiculous prog album from the 1970s.
Big Black
5/5
Incredible album from the late great Steve Albini. Always a blast listening to this.
Norah Jones
3/5
Everything about this is pretty and smooth. It's soothing and melodic and it's a nice thing to listen to. Obviously talented, but this is not something that I am all that interested in.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Ha, I mean I guess this is a pretty rocking album.
Ash
3/5
This was really something. Sometimes it was interesting and noisy and sometimes it was very annoying 90s power pop.
Moby Grape
3/5
Seemingly very classic 60s psych rock. Skip Spence rules. This was okay for sure.
Marty Robbins
5/5
Classic record, have listened to this hundreds of times.
The Soft Boys
5/5
This is the right mix of punk and power pop. Great record, listened to it a few times.
Otis Redding
5/5
An absolute classic. So many good songs. Listened to this multiple times today.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
I have always thought Lucinda Williams seemed pretty sweet. Definitely has some very good songs, but might not be fully for me. That being said this album was great and I really enjoyed it, and it's obviously excellent.
4/5
Was unfamiliar with War the group, but looking in to it more, I'm familiar with a handful of their songs without knowing who they were by. This album was a great vibe and a great listen. Recommended.
Morrissey
1/5
This project lulled me in to a false sense of security. It had been so long that I figured I was done with both The Smiths and Morrissey, but then BAM! Here we are. This was absolute trash which is not at all surprising.
Air
4/5
Super excellent vibe with this on a road trip. Listened to it a couple times and really enjoyed. Air is great.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
This was pretty funny to me, kind of felt like Muzak and/or lounge music. Just pretty cheesy. Enjoyable enough but I will not be revisiting.
Animal Collective
3/5
For whatever reason I never listened to Animal Collective much at the time, just didn't do it for me, and I still feel that way now after listening to it.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
This is a genre I don't care for, is not on any streaming services, and is overly long, so it already had 3 strikes going against it before I even listened to it. You can find it on YouTube, though I guess it's not complete as some tracks are missing because of copyright issues as far as I understand, but it was still close to 100 minutes and I think I got the gist and the missing tracks probably don't matter. This has not business being on this list.
Os Mutantes
5/5
Love this band, love this album. Listened to it maybe 5 times today. 5 stars.
Incubus
1/5
This was absolute garbage. I already wasted 48 minutes listening to this, I'm not going to spend any more time talking about it here.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
The late 90s and early 2000s was such a weird time. Including popular music from that era on this list seems odd to me. Yeah the singles were huge and are instantly recognizable, but these CD era album lengths are too drawn out. The albums themselves are bloated and overstuffed, especially the backends. There is a track on this featuring Redman? Crazy! Anyway this was fine. Yesterday I had Incubus and it was horrible. I'll take 77 minutes of Christina Aguilera over 48 minutes of Incubus every time.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Obviously a classic debut album from someone who is now ubiquitous culturally. Tough to listen to this objectively, it's obviously great and seminal.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
This was a lot better than I thought it would be. I have seen JSBX (and other Jon Spencer projects) live a decent number of times, and they have an appeal as a live act with a blazing force. However, I've never been interested in their recorded material because I'm not sure how it would translate. Turns out pretty well! And that is to say that I don't think many people will appreciate listening to this. It's as jarring as a recorded piece just as it is as a live performance which is awesome.
James Taylor
2/5
This is pretty middle of the road and meh. Just don't care about James Taylor at all. It's fine, but man it's not something I would want to listen to while floating in space.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
An incredibly sharp and smart hip-hop. Seems like a great storytelling. This album was great.
Neil Young
3/5
This seems like a fine Neil Young record. Not great by any means. In general I am pretty meh on Neil.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
It's sweet that this album is on this list. I have not listened to it in a long time, but holy hell it rocks. Had a blast listening to this a couple times today.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I just had a different Pet Shop Boys album within the last two weeks and thought it was fine, pretty boring, felt like elevator/lounge muzak to me. This feels a lot more like Eurotrash dancy music, and I'm more in to it. Not great by any means, and am surprised that this band has any albums on this list.
Paul Simon
4/5
The first time I ever listened to this record was also the first time I was ever stoned, so I have a lot of strong associations with it. At the time as a teenager I had a know idea about the background and circumstances around it. I still think it's a great album and it hits in the right ways, but problematic for sure.
Lou Reed
3/5
Had not ever listened to this particular Lou Reed album. Enjoyed it quite a bit, which is not surprising.
Cream
2/5
Yeah I just don't care about Cream. Ginger Baker is a maniac, but definitely is pretty great. The other two blokes I couldn't care less about. This was fine I guess, just not for me.
Barry Adamson
4/5
I had not heard of Barry Adamson until doing this project when I got another one of his records, "Moss Side Story,"early on in this thing, and I'm stoked he has another record here. It's weird and out there in the way I want. Didn't hit as hard as that first one because of actually having expectations this time, but still a great record.
The Killers
1/5
This is so bad. I had never listened to this band and didn't know anything about them, but obviously have been aware of a band called The Killers for a long time. I have heard one of the songs on this album before, it feels like it's probably just ubiquitous in culture at this point. But man this band sucks--it sounds like they just took some elements of The Strokes that were undeniably popular at the time and applied it to super shitty packaged for consumerism pop music. Get this off this list.
3/5
I don't know about this. Obviously, I remember when this album hit and the singles hit you with a sense of nostalgia, some of these songs are absolute bangers if not cheesy for sure. Oasis is maybe the easiest band to goof on, those Gallagher brothers are corny as hell and take themselves so seriously to the point of parody. I wasn't stoked to listen to this, but it was fine, but Oasis is not for me.
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
This is my second Dinosaur Jr. album in the last couple weeks. "Bug" served as a reminder to a great band I hadn't listened to in far too long. This record is undeniably their best record and I love it so much, even the Lou Barlow bits to the close the record. It's a classic and an easy 5 stars for me.
1/5
I just do not care about this wankery.
5/5
I mean yeah, this is about as basic as it gets on an "Albums you need to hear" list. A classic, everyone knows it, everyone loves it.
Stan Getz
5/5
As classic as a record could get. Quintessential 60s bossa nova here.
Throwing Muses
4/5
I do feel like this genre of music is overrepresented on this album, but this was a good one, super solid record all around. Very difficult to find, but found a playlist on YouTube.
John Lennon
4/5
The title track is obviously a behemoth and probably the only reason this album scratches this list. The rest of it is not bad per se, but it's kind of middle of the road. I wouldn't call it essential by any means, but it's great in the context of understanding who the whole picture of who The Beatles were as a group of four individuals. I love it, but don't think it's necessarily great, the Phil Spector production is (always) a bit much for me. At the end of the day it's kind of difficult to rank this objectively, and as a teenager I would have said this was a 5 stars, but it's clearly not.
The Byrds
2/5
A bit perplexed to realize this is the 4th album from The Byrds that I have received on this list, and they are one of my few "Controversial Artists." I loved Sweetheart of the Rodeo with Gram Parsons and the other records have just been kind of meh, but I get why they are on this.
This however, I just don't know. It's uneven, half the songs are cover songs or an instrumental. I feel it's maybe not essential listening when there are 3 other records from this band that are better. An odd and (one of many) unworthy inclusions on this list I think.
Queen Latifah
3/5
This wasn't bad at all, pretty standard feeling 90s hip-hop from 1989. Just not really my jam.
Malcolm McLaren
4/5
This was more interesting than I expected it would be, and I enjoyed this quite a bit.
The Smiths
1/5
Once again I have been given another album featuring the insufferable Morrissey. Is there no end to his inclusion on this list?
The Streets
3/5
I had never heard of The Streets. This seems like an ambitious project, a rap opera or whatever. I commend the output as unique and interesting, and it's compelling enough.
Judas Priest
3/5
Ha this was sweet. I didn't realize how thrash Judas Priest was, and also didn't realize that the well known songs on this record were Judas Priest songs. Sweet for sure, nothing incredible by any means.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
This album was absolutely ridiculous. Just pure wankery. Yet, it's on this list so it must be essential? Not at all.
Johnny Cash
5/5
The American Recordings at the end of Johnny Cash's career/life were such an excellent swan song for the legendary musician. This is maybe the best one of the bunch, an excellent collection of mostly understated cover songs, with a few originals, of which the title track is arguably one of his best songs ever. Love this record.
Joan Baez
4/5
A great debut album from a legendary folk artist. All Traditional songs arranged brilliantly. Great record.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Just an excellent record from one of the best of all time.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
This is the 5th album that this last has spit out to me from Elvis Costello, and all I can conclude is that "tastemakers" who made this list must really want it's readers to like Elvis Costello. This may be the worst album of the bunch. I just find this so boring and uninteresting.
3/5
I was annoyed that this was an XTC album from the 90s and that it wasn't on streaming platforms, but I quite enjoyed this, which was unexpected. It's whimsical for sure, but a nice change of pace.
Justin Timberlake
1/5
This is a lot, and it's not good. It's big and ambitious and pandering for all the wrong reasons. It feels like JT wants to be Michael Jackson on this. It doesn't hit the mark, and feels super dated and corny.
Brian Eno
5/5
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, I have listened to it hundreds of times, and I love every single second of it.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Ryan Adams second solo album. I know Heartbreaker forward and backward but never really listened to this one much. It's great but doesn't hold the powerful nostalgic pull over me that Heartbreaker does. But it's got all the hallmarks of early Ryan Adams there and it's a great listen.
Iggy Pop
5/5
I have not listened to this album in a long time, I forget how hard this album rocks, every track is a banger. Just banger after banger. 5 stars easy.
fIREHOSE
5/5
Probably the most accessible album from fIREHOSE. An excellent straight at you album that balances all of the respective genres and style super well. Have always loved this album.
Fever Ray
3/5
Very weird putting an artist on you've never heard of and the first track is a song you have heard in part a ton from watching a television series. Definitely a genre I am not interested in getting in to, but I get why people like it. Wasn't bad by any means.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
I can't believe this record is already 15 years old. I dabbled in it when it first came out because Janelle Monáe is an undeniable talent, but don't remember it super well at all. Taken aback to hear Kevin Barnes doing a very of Montreal-y feeling song on the back end of this album. Fun for sure, but not her best by any means.
Mylo
3/5
From a genre that I don't care for and is not for me, this was enjoyable enough. Pleasant background music.
The Byrds
3/5
This is the 5th album from The Byrds on this list, and I do not think they need 5 albums, maybe 2 at most. That being said this was better than some of the others, but at the end of the day, just pretty middling.
Deerhunter
5/5
Just an excellent and beautiful indie record from the early 2010s. So much music from that time feels so dated, but this feels timeless for some reason. A perfect blend of psychedelic pop, dream pop, and noise. Enjoyed this so much more than I thought it would, and given the makeup of the bulk of this list, I found it very refreshing. Great record.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
I listened to both the English and then French versions of this record. At the end of the day this is pretty boring and uninspired pop music (to my ears at least). I think I prefer the French version to the English because it lends it at least the notion that it might be slightly more interesting than it is. But this is not it.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
Is this a good album or did they just blow up with a massive hit that sounds like a straight rip off of Modest Mouse? I honestly don't know the answer to that question. Either way, I doubt this is essential or something that you must hear before you die.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Pretty classic country album from a classic Nashville country artist. Great Sunday morning listen.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Herbie Hancock with the heavy jazz-fusion vibes on this Jazz-funk record. Herbie is one of the greats and this is one of his best.
John Lennon
5/5
John Lennon's best non-Beatles output. Beautiful and raw songs that are straight to the point. I love this record so much.
Slipknot
2/5
I truly cannot believe that there are (at least) TWO Slipknot albums on this list. I was shocked and aghast to receive this after feeling like I already got through the one Slipknot representative on this list. But here we are. This was predictably too long and too much, but still it's obvious this is a talented band.
Machito
5/5
Man this album goes hard. Incredible Afro-Cuban jazz record. Really enjoyed getting this today.
George Michael
3/5
I wasn't expecting much from this, and didn't really like Faith much at all when it came up on this list. But this was a lot better and more interesting than I was expecting it would be. It's clear that he took a much more serious approach with this, and the songs seem a lot more thoughtful. It's a pretty record.
Violent Femmes
5/5
This is about as perfect a debut album as you can get. Something totally fresh and different at the time, and every single song hits. It's just packed with bangers. This album has had incredible lasting power over the 40+ years since it's been released. It was huge for me in high school, and I saw the band perform it live for it's 30th anniversary. An easy 5 stars.
Steve Winwood
1/5
Man this was so cheesy and bad. Get it out of here.
Doves
3/5
I had never heard of this band, which is not surprising with this heavily British leaning list. Within the first couple tracks I thought to myself, "this had to have been a Mercury Prize nominee," and sure enough...
It's wild how often that happens, usually knowing that something was a Mercury Prize shortlist nominee portends a rough listen, but this was totally fine. Seems like it's a vibe for sure, and it probably functions well as background music. Nothing incredible by any means, but pretty solid.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
This is the third (so far) album that I have gotten on this list from this group, and I really don't get why it's represented so much. This list really wants me to like Pet Shop Boys. This is dull and uninteresting. Stop cramming it down my throat please.
Culture Club
2/5
This is not for me at all. The hit is whatever, it's a cultural touchpoint. This brand of 80s new wave is not for me.
B.B. King
4/5
An excellent artifact capturing a performance of one the best to ever do it. Great Blues is excellent. Great recording.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I just don't get it. This band feels like it's just a one-hit wonder right? But, this is the THIRD album of theirs that has come up on this list for me (so far). That seems so egregious and unnecessary. Totally overrepresented. It's not bad, but c'mon.
Gil Scott-Heron
5/5
This album is phenomenal. Absolutely singular and timeless and relevant.
Fairport Convention
4/5
I think Fairport Convention is pretty great, and I especially like Richard Thompson. A great mix of mostly traditional songs with newer arrangements, though it does get a little noodly at times, which is not surprising.
Janet Jackson
3/5
This was a journey for sure. Super long album in a genre that I'm not versed in or particularly drawn to. A concept album that just seemed like a lot of the same to me.
Giant Sand
4/5
Cool to see a Thrill Jockey release on this list. I had never listened to Giant Sand before, but based on it's label, I figured it'd be interesting and cool enough and it was. Really enjoyed this, listened to it a couple times.
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
I had not listened to this whole thing and it was really great. An incredible spiritual, personal, and painful album, and it's just beautiful.
David Bowie
5/5
Not super familiar with this Bowie album but loved it so much. There are weird and interesting instrumentals, things I didn't know Bowie dipped in to much. Exceeded my expectations and listened to this a few times.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Feel like Nick Cave has a lot of albums on this list. This is probably my favorite or his, entirely piano based and somber. Really enjoyed it.
Circle Jerks
5/5
This record rules. A succinct less than 16 minutes. These songs have energy, hooks, blend together well. It's like a fever dream. Been a really long time since I had listened to this, great stuff.
Black Flag
3/5
Never huge in to Black Flag. Undeniably an important band, but never hit me the way a lot of other punk from that time did. Good to revisit to learn that I still feel the exact same way.
David Bowie
3/5
I had never heard of this Bowie album. I think he has 9 on this list, which feels like maybe an overrepresentation. I feel if you need to take one off, this could be it.
Skunk Anansie
1/5
I had never heard of this band/album before, and surprise surprise, they are British. This is uninteresting and inessential. I will never think of this band again.
Oasis
2/5
I know people love this band and this album, and maybe it's just because I missed the boat, but I can't get past how shitty the mix on this album is. It's like they were ahead of their time going for the compressed, tinny, shallow, lossy digital format sound that wouldn't dominate the industry for another decade. There is not high or low end, and this just sounds so shallow and empty, I hate it.
Certainly some good and catchy songs, but man this sound grates on my ears.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
This is just an all around excellent jazz record. Incredible compositions. Great album.
Cee Lo Green
4/5
Kind of laughed when this came up, and wasn't expecting much, but man this was great and was a lot of fun and really grooved. Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.
Tina Turner
3/5
A stone cold classic. The 80s were ridiculous.
Metallica
3/5
This record still has some of what made Metallica great in the early years and on Masters of Puppets, but they are starting to wain and you can tell they are moving away from the thrash metal. The mix on this record sucks, no low end at all. It seems like that is a well documented nit that has been picked though.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
Ha this album was crazy to get. So many of these songs were familiar, this album seemed to big when it came out. The mix on this is just not for me--vocals to the front and everything else is pretty minimized. Cleary this worked for a lot of people though. Interesting to listen to in terms of snapshot from the mid-90s.
Morrissey
1/5
Why is this insufferable buffoon on this list so much? Is this a goof? Somehow 90s Morrissey is no better than 80s Morrissey.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Seems like some heady jams from the late 60s SF psych scene and Woodstock era bands. Despite that expectation, this album was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Doves
3/5
This was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. It seems like there is a huge overlap between albums shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and albums on this list. Probably just a coincidence right? Definitely not a British bias.
This album is fine. Second album from this band on this list, and the first one was fine too. Essential? I think not.
UB40
4/5
Never been a huge fan of reggae but definitely haven't spent a lot of time with the genre. This was fine, it seems pretty smooth and mellow, just kind of like background music. Which nothing wrong with that, but nothing mind blowing either. Enjoyable enough.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The Theme from Shaft is obviously a classic and a masterpiece. This whole album is just incredibly excellent psychedelic and progressive soul. Really enjoyed listening to this record this morning.
The Beta Band
3/5
This feels a generic British album, which means that it is totally at home on this list.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Definitely a fun and catchy album, but feels like it has a lot more to it than just danceable vibes.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
You know I liked this and thought it was more interesting than I was expecting. There is some weird avant-fusion stuff happening underneath some of these songs, not nearly as out there as I'd like but interesting nonetheless. At the end of the day, it does just kind of feel like folk music to me that doesn't hit super hard, but I enjoyed this.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Last of the 3 Hendrix albums on this list for me. Reading about this, I saw that the original International/UK release did not include the hits Purple Hazy and Hey Joe like the later US release included, so I opted to a build a playlist of the original release and listen to that. Hendrix is definitely heady. Great sound and vibe all around.
The title track with that backwards guitar on those drums still sounds wild and far out almost 60 years later. I listened to it probably 20 times.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
I guess I wasn't aware of this album existing, but everything about this seems so familiar and comforting to me. The recording and production on this is perfect. Easily a 5 star album.
Can
5/5
This record still sound singular all these years later. Not a wasted note is right. Truly almost flawless.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
The final Hüsker Dü album is a banger, a double album hitting all the power pop high notes. Great record.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
Really lovely and excellent jazz record. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. Cool jazz baby...
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This album is perhaps underrated particularly when held up against the first two records and given the lineup change with Doug Yule replacing John Cale, but this album is every bit as good as the first two. Nearly perfect. An easy 5 stars.
The White Stripes
3/5
Meh, I don't know this was fine. The White Stripes are cool enough, but could not imagine being super in to them and listening to them a bunch. They have better records than this for sure.
Scott Walker
5/5
I think this is arguably Scott Walker's best record. Just a perfect 33 minutes.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Ha man. Some heady jams for sure. I am guessing this is probably the gold standard for official live releases for Grateful Dead? I have no idea. People love the dead, this was heady, the vocals were a bit rough, it was long, but heady. Solid 3 stars.
U2
2/5
I am not in to U2, but was slightly intrigued by an earlier album that supposedly is more post-punk than it's later bland rock music. I guess it was better, but man the production and the sound of this band is just too much for me.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
For some reason this really hit today. Just the right combination of straightforward early 2000s alternative that has enough weirdness and is catchy enough to be interesting and firmly implant ear worms. Listened to this a couple times today. Much better than I was expecting!
William Orbit
2/5
There is nothing wrong with this, it's just background boring music. Pretty meh. I'm sure people like it, but man it's bland and doesn't even register. Really do not understand how this is essential.
John Prine
5/5
A classic debut album from one of the all time American greats. A delight to listen to this morning and an easy 5 stars.
The Who
4/5
I definitely wasn't thrilled about this when it came up. Too many live albums on this list, and they generally are pretty mediocre, and they are generally double albums. But this clocks in at less than 38 minutes? That seems wild to me as a live album, and was wondering what made it so great. I also saw that it's 6 tracks, 3 of which are not even original songs by The Who, and kind of rolled my eyes hard.
Anyway the recording and performance on this album absolutely rips. This band is high energy and loud and raw in all the best way. I imagine they were insane to see live. The original songs of theirs sound incredible.
Obviously, subsequent re-releases of this album include the whole live show, not just what was edited and cut for the 38 minute release. I will give it a listen to just hear this artifact. I still don't think live albums should be on this list though.
Anita Baker
2/5
I am sure this is great as far as 80s soul go, but I just do not care about it at all, and it did nothing for me.
Brian Eno
5/5
I have listened to this album hundreds of times, and it's one of my favorites and one of the all time greats. An easy 5 stars.
M.I.A.
4/5
I already had another M.I.A. album on this list and liked it a lot more than I was expecting. M.I.A. is sweet. This album is great, always excellent lyrics, and love the dancehall and punk vibe she brings to everything. Maybe not as great as Kala, but still really enjoyed this record.
Blur
3/5
This seems like it's just a standard pop record. Nothing incredible by any means.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
This was a slog. A very long record full of self-indulgent studio wankery. Get this out of there.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
This was not quite what I was expecting based on seeing this was "alt-country." This feels more like old timey gospel and folk ballads to me than anything subverting the country genre. It reminds me a lot of Low.
That being said this was great and I really enjoyed it.
Björk
4/5
I have never done a deep dive in to Björk before, but have every expectation that she's interesting and relevant. This album was just that, still 30+ years later.
The Zutons
2/5
Both this band name and album art work seemed vaguely familiar to me and I see it was released while I was at university, so I was curious to see if I recognized any of it at all.
I did not at all, and this is entirely not what I was expecting. I have no idea what this is supposed to be. Was there some period of time where the Brits were super in to weird jangly pop dance music? This sounds like someone doing their best Jack White impression trying to make jangly dance revival music. It's not bad, it's just more "What?"
Radiohead
5/5
This is the 6th Radiohead album I have received on this, and I thought 5 seems incredibly excessive. This is the only Radiohead album I ever got in to and ever listened to with any regularity, and on top of it, it's been a really long time since I listened to this. It hit the nostalgia dopamine reservoirs pretty hard in a good way. Listened to this a few times today and loved it. Don't really care for this band much, but I will give this album props.
Tracy Chapman
2/5
Obviously very soulful and heartfelt folk roots rock music. A great voice for sure, I just find it pretty boring.
Coldplay
2/5
I definitely listened to this a decent amount when it came out and even saw them on this tour. I was in high school and my girlfriend at the time was very in to this album. I have not listened to this in a really long time, and it sounded so much more flat and boring than I was expecting. About half way through I had to check to make sure one of my speaker channels was not out, it just seemed like there was nothing in the mix, but nope everything was working as expected. Found this incredibly boring.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
I was not thrilled to get this--I will not miss the electronic album aspect of this list once I finish this--but this was more enjoyable than I was expecting it to be. Not for me though.
The Fall
3/5
I listened to this album a couple times and I don't really know what to make of it. Not super familiar with The Fall by any means but I was not expecting this to be as electronic as it was. Anyway, I had repeated listens to try to get it more and more so that's probably a good sign.
ABBA
4/5
ABBA is without question always a delight.
John Martyn
2/5
This is not for me. I guess I'll give it props because it is certainly unique and he is doing some interesting things, but the fusion folk scene is not my thing.
The Monks
5/5
One of those singular albums that exists in its own time and space. Everything about this album rips and was way ahead of it's time. It's still has incredible to me now as it was the first time I heard it 20 years ago. Incredible artifact from a time and place when a band like this had no constraints to make whatever they wanted.
David Bowie
3/5
My ninth and (hopefully) last David Bowie album on this list. It's wild nearly 1% of the albums of the albums on this list are from David Bowie. I get it I guess, but come on.
I find this to be a pretty uneven album, bookended by a couple fantastic and well known songs.
The White Stripes
3/5
Jack White sure does love playing blues music it seems.
Donald Fagen
1/5
I was not expecting there to be something as bad as Steely Dan on this list, but this succeeded in being much worse.
Madonna
2/5
I remember this album being a big deal when it was released, and I remember the music video for the title track also being huge. I have not thought about it much since then, and didn't have super high expectations.
I had no idea this was going to be so electronica and techno heavy. I didn't realize Madonna ever went that way. It's a vibe for sure, and her voice sounds great. More interesting than I was expecting just because that aspect was so unexpected, but still not for me by any means.
3/5
Another Blur album, was hoping that after their last one, I'd be done with it, but no such luck. Just like all other Blur albums, this is fine, and totally unremarkable and not at all essential.
Klaxons
3/5
I had never listened to the Klaxons before. This type of dance-punk revival stuff feels pretty niche, and was something I had a small interest in briefly about 20 years ago.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Fairport Convention is great. Always it's own weird and interesting take on folk music. Listened to this a couple times and it was great.
Throbbing Gristle
5/5
At the time I received this album, it was the lowest user rated entry out of the 1089 albums on this list--that is absolutely wild to me. I get that this is not melodic at all, but it isn't abrasive or all that challenging. It's honestly incredibly pleasant even as a background record. Subsequent listens are more rewarding as well. I know this isn't for everyone, but it's interesting and unique in the context of the majority of this list. And there is some absolute garbage on here that should not be rated higher than this album.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
As usual with Leonard Cohen, a perfect album with absolutely beautiful songs.
Minor Threat
5/5
Minor Threat is sweet for sure, but I don't think characterizing any of their releases as an "album" is accurate. That being said, this rips, just as I was expecting it would. Seminal.
Tortoise
5/5
An excellent band's best album. I hadn't listened to this for a while, and it's almost perfect.
Shack
2/5
This is some boring British pop music from 25 years ago.
Björk
3/5
Another Björk record. For whatever reason I wasn't feeling this as much as the previous records, maybe because it's slightly newer. Good and enjoyable regardless.
T. Rex
5/5
One of those albums that I have heard a bunch, love, and can't really remember not ever having as a staple in my rotation. An easy 5 stars for me.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Paul McCartney is one of the easiest musicians to goof on, the dude is a clown. 70s era music from musicians who started in the 60s aren't really the best, and Wings is no different. This album is a bit uneven, it's obviously no Beatles, it's got some really corny songs on it and it's got some incredible songs on it. "Let Me Roll It" may be one of his best he's ever written. A lot of nostalgia for this for sure. Really enjoyed spinning it today.
Jamiroquai
2/5
This is an easy band to goof on, and always has been. This was a lot, it's very long and goes very hard with the funk. A lot to take on a slow Saturday morning. I cannot deny the funk though, it grooves for sure. Totally get why people like this.
Guided By Voices
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all time. 5 stars. No notes.
XTC
3/5
I have heard of this specific album by this band, so it must be one that people really like. This was not what I was expecting as far as 80s music goes. Pretty fun and interesting music. Listed to this a few times, and really liked it.
Beatles
5/5
Ha, getting an early Beatles record on this feels a bit odd. The Beatles are essential sure and their whole catalog is essential, but is all of it a must? That being said, A Hard Day's Night rules and is an easy 5 stars.
Fred Neil
4/5
Never heard of Fred Neil, though obviously very familiar with "Everybody's Talkin'." This album was excellent and I really enjoyed it.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Another folks musician I'm unfamiliar with. Great record.
Randy Newman
3/5
Not super familiar with Randy Newman at all, but this was about what I expected it'd be.
The Doors
4/5
The first Doors album has more hits and well known songs on it than I was expecting. The Doors are easy to goof on--I guess Jim Morrison--particularly. But this album rocks, listened to a few times. I can see how it would have been so far fucking out when it came out.
Björk
4/5
Third Björk record in the last month, really backloading these. This was great and I really enjoyed it.
The Undertones
3/5
Second album from The Undertones on this list. Similar to the last one, it's succinct, energetic, and catchy. Better than I expected.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Seems like a great album from one of the torch bearers of a genre I don't care much about.
Killing Joke
5/5
Everything about this album rules. It feels fresh and relevant after all these years, even though there have been hundreds of bands that have sounded exactly like this since this album came out. Just an excellent record.
Miles Davis
5/5
I mean for real, does it get any better? One of the best records ever made.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
CCR always rips.
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
This was not good. Seems like it might be slightly responsible for so much bad white rap music. What a mess.
Astor Piazzolla
5/5
Unfamiliar with these artists and this genre, but enjoyed this record so much. Such a lovely soundtrack to a Sunday morning. I will come back to this.
The xx
1/5
This is just unpleasant and not enjoyable to me. The only tracks that I found myself enjoying, I took a look and saw they were starred on Apple Music, so they are obviously the good tracks. Not sure if they were singles or big or whatever. But man this isn't it.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
I was not expecting there to be more than one Captain Beefheart record on this list, so this is a pleasant surprise. Certainly more accessible than Trout Mask Replica, and certainly a lot more straightforward. Not necessarily a bad thing, as even though this is pretty blues based, it has those signs of the more interesting avant-rock that he'd move in to rather quickly. Very much enjoyed re-visiting this.
Sugar
4/5
I saw Bob Mould a couple months ago and he definitely played some Sugar songs. I hadn't listened to this record in a long time, and found myself surprised by how much I was loving it. I don't know why, because obviously Bob Mould is great. Just so catchy and jangly and fun. Great record.
Iron Butterfly
1/5
This album seems mostly not good. I get that it's considered to be rock and/or roll or whatever, and the very long title track has a place in pop culture, but it's mostly not good.
Beastie Boys
5/5
It's kind of easy to be dismissive of this record given how the Beastie Boys were when they burst on the scene, but man so many of these songs just rip and are so iconic. It's not the first, or even second, third or fourth Beastie Boys record I reach for, but it was great to listen to it this morning.
Ozomatli
1/5
This was so so so bad. Seems like a band that would be a great opener for Santana.
Kate Bush
4/5
Kate Bush is more interesting than I have given her credit for. This album is fierce and ambitious. Not for me, but it's a singular work from a singular artist.
Brian Eno
5/5
Eno's output is so varied and vast. It's wonderful to listen to something of his that I haven't before and have it exceed already high expectations. Listened to this on repeat today, just an incredible album.
Love
4/5
This album stands out from all the other American counter cultural music from the late 60s. It seems to exist in it's own space and is timeless. I love this album.
Slayer
4/5
Is there a more quintessential thrash metal album? I think not.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
This is ridiculous. Obviously it has a big hit on it, but the rest of it is uneven and inexplicably contains cover songs. It's not bad by any means, just very much not essential.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
RHCP are one of the easiest bands to goof on. They are so corny and wack. I know a number of people that will maintain that though they suck now, the Mother's Milk/Blood Sugar Sex Magik albums were fantastic. Those people are idiots. It is truly wild to me that people have been listening to this album for 30+ years and it's one of their most favorite things. I just can't with this band.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I don't love Neil Young and I don't love live albums. However, this hits some kind of sweet spot, the recording is great, and what's included comprises a set that is varied and succinct enough to give you a good sense of the multi-faceted Neil Young without it feeling like it's hitting you over the head being overly long. I quite enjoyed this.
5/5
An incredible group of musicians interpreting the work of a musical genius. This might be the only album on this whole list that people truly must hear before they die. Incredible.
The Sonics
4/5
Classic PNW rock n roll. This band hits you in the face, and they are going full speed the whole time. Love this energy for 1960s garage rock.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Meh, this isn't bad. It's pretty rootsy and bluesy for sure, which isn't surprising. It's overly long. I feel like I would have preferred this a lot more if had been distilled and released as a single album rather than a double album.
Britney Spears
1/5
Ha man, crazy to listen to this. What a weird time in popular music, especially since I was squarely in the age range this music targeted at the time. I obviously know the hits, and they stand out. The rest of the album, not so much. I guess that probably comes with the territory of manufacturing bubblegum pop in the model of hitting a couple big radio/MTV hits. Some killer and a lotta filler.
This album is obviously notable because it had a huge effect on pop music and culture going forward. But it's not something you need to listen to.
The Fall
4/5
I don't think about The Fall that much, but whenever I hear them I love it so much. This album is super solid front to back. Catchy post-punk at it's finest.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
This is very pleasant inoffensive pop country music. Not bad by any means.
Elton John
3/5
This Elton John album is frontloaded with the hits--the rest of it is pretty meandering. These songs go on for a bit.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Was unfamiliar with this artist, but enjoyed this for sure. The correct blend of 1980s new wave and pop.
Maxwell
3/5
Sure this is fine, but I really don't care about it at all.
Neil Young
4/5
Early Neil Young album, hitting that folk sound pretty hard. Has the giant hit "Southern Man" on it, but most of these songs are at least somewhat familiar to me. Good record for sure.
Funkadelic
5/5
I am really only familiar with Funkadelic in name, and know I have heard them playing just around many times for years. This album was killer, really got in to it, and the funk is not really my thing.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Undeniably a great and classic album from one of the best to ever do it. It's influence and imprint on society is huge. That being said, it's also a bit long and bloated. Not my favorite even though it's likely his best.
Yes
3/5
Another Yes album. This sure is proggy, but for some reason feels more tolerable than their other records on this list.
Prince
5/5
Obviously a classic and an easy 5 stars.
Roxy Music
4/5
Roxy Music always hits. What a vibe.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
I have heard this Green Onions opening track so many times in my life and it never occurred to me to wonder or figure out what that song was called or who it was by. Wild to play this record and have that song start it off. This was enjoyable enough for sure. It's not surprising that these songs have stood the test of time.
Miles Davis
5/5
A standard at this point. Miles Davis is one of one.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Had never heard of this, but this is an excellent and solid early 90s east coast hip hop album. Really enjoyed this.
The Who
4/5
I always am pretty meh on The Who and then I'll listen to them and find them so much more interesting than I was expecting. This was a great record, seems like them leaning more in to their quirkier side for this.
Beastie Boys
5/5
One of the all time classics. Every single second of this album is baked in to my music DNA. One of the absolute best albums ever made.
The Kinks
5/5
The Kinks album that first got me hooked on this great band. One of my all time favorites.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Totally unfamiliar with this, but enjoyed this more than I was expecting I would.
The Stranglers
4/5
This was a lot of fun for sure. Just a fun and excellent punk new wave record.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
This was about what I was expecting it would be. Was digging it while driving between Seattle and Portland, and had an easy 3 from me, but hearing a track featuring my favorite Fela Kuti track upped this to a 4.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
You know I don't care for Elvis Costello at all. I just kind of find him boring, that being said, obviously the bass riff to "Pump It Up" is about as legendary as it gets, and just that alone has to bump this album up a bit.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
People will say they do not get the joke on this. I don't think it's all that deep, and maybe people are trying to hard. I think this whole thing is pretty funny and is interesting enough as Zappa always is. Something I enjoyed and will likely not really ever listen to again.
Milton Nascimento
5/5
I had never heard of this album until 2 days ago when I discovered and had listened to it three times. I was shocked to see it come up on this list as my fourth to last album having just recently discovered it. I was likely going to listen to it today regardless. Anyway, this album is gorgeous. It might be a bit long, but it's rich and packed with incredible songs. I love it.
Gorillaz
3/5
I mean I guess this is fine, I feel like I remember it being some cultural zeitgeist thing at the time, but when I read about it and listen to it and look at the art for this "virtual band" it just seems so dated and lame.
Iron Maiden
4/5
As far as Heavy Metal goes, Iron Maiden is pretty sweet. Probably more accessible than most is, and I enjoyed it because of it.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
However people tried to define A Tribe Called Quest when this came out, alternative hip-hop, progressive rap, jazz rap, whatever--it's clear this record is near perfection.