Best new find yet. I listened to it three times already and I’m liking it more each time. Peter Gabrielish voice, clever lyrics, good stuff.

Classic. Good to listen to it again with a more attentive ear.

Still great.

Really interesting, especially reading the history. Like a symphony at times, but bouncing between rich harmonies, complex songs, and goofy, childish tunes. Only a few that can really be called songs. A huge range of instruments.

Provocative, cynical, catchy, I can see why they were so big.

Beside the ones that got airplay - which are all good - I like 4th Dimensional Transition, which channels old, psychedelic Pink Floyd. The Handshake, Future Reflections also keepers.

Minimalist but engaging, just guitar and voice, and sometimes just guitar. Short songs, gotta enjoy each while it lasts. Beautiful fingerstyle playing that I need to try.

I can see why it was such a popular album, but it’s not for me. Her lilting style grates on me.

Less clever and more teen angst and relationships than the first album, but grew on me on the second trip through

Every song is a different style. Groovy to atmospheric to soul singer. I can listen to this many times, and only skip a few.

Grooving to the sweet organ sounds. Somehow I missed out on the Jimmy Smith phenomenon. Will have to listen to some more of his MANY albums.

Classic. Good to listen to it again with a more attentive ear.

One of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. All of the quirkiness and clever lyrics.

This one was both challenging and fascinating. Took me two listens to *kinda* find the beat.

Some of their best songs, sprinkled - like many of their albums - with a few blues/country clunkers. Take out 2-3 songs and this album is perfect.

Many very short songs, 2 min and shorter. Feels like brief, disconnected thoughts. As far as I know; I couldn’t understand much of the lyrics. Some catchy, some punk thrash.

Really interesting, especially reading the history. Like a symphony at times, but bouncing between rich harmonies, complex songs, and goofy, childish tunes. Only a few that can really be called songs. A huge range of instruments.

The master of making a simple song so good. Teeters on the edge of cheese a few times, but forgivable knowing the time frame. I wouldn’t say powerful, or cathartic, but maybe soothing. Or empathetic, speaking for a nation in pain.

I’m Fred Armisen in the hip hop episode of Portlandia, trying to learn the roots of the genre. Clueless.

My third favorite of their albums, which is still 5+ stars

Fun one. Tapped into my 70’s prog rock concept album pleasure center. A little like Muse making The Wall.

A huge talent that I just don’t get into. Lotsa sexy lyrics in this one.

I listened to this one many times when it was new. On re-listen I found it still enjoyable, if a bit tired.

Wow good! I had no idea. She nails every one of these great songs.

Meh. This kind of thing is not my bag, baby.

Rockin fun. I’d love to go back to 1970 and see them play this live.

Really got into this one.

Garage band fun

That amazing, full-length Do You Feel Like I Do is enough. The rest is gravy.

Janis showcase. She was so good.

Never heard of them before but really liking the album. A mix of styles. A few songs sound like Soup Dragons meet Kate Bush. One sounds like Pet Shop Boys. One has a middle eastern or maybe Indian styled but the words are in Spanish.

Best new find yet. I listened to it three times already and I’m liking it more each time. Peter Gabrielish voice, clever lyrics, good stuff.

I liked this more when it came out. It didn’t really catch my interest on re-listen. Not bad, actually quite good, but it’s lost its newness.

Quick listen, didn’t capture my attention.

Hundreds of listens and I’m still hearing new details.

Bleh

First time I’ve heard the originals of some of these. Pretty interesting. I got a Beach Boys vibe at times.

I’d have gone with Paranoid but this has some interesting stuff.

Loved it. Minimalist and clean and not a note or beat out of place. Perfect horns.

Pretty cool, lounge music and other styles. Voice like Portishead singer. Good one for a dinner party.

Most amazing first album. Classic right out of the gates.

Not really songs, more like he finds a hook and repeats it for a song length. Works sometimes, especially on Praise You. Just repetitive on others.

So much smooth flowing Marvin goodness. Then I read the background and had to listen again.

Psychedelic space rock. Not bad but not great. I only made it partway through, it’s a veeeery long album.

Couldn’t make it through the whole thing.

Almost spoken word, his voice is so low. Captures him at the end of life, still the wordsmith.

I didn’t listen to the whole thing, not really in the mood, but I still liked what I heard, mostly.

One of the great first albums.

Garage band fun, but an upscale garage, with epoxy floors and glass doors

Classic rap sounds, fun listening. Now I want to listen to more by them.

No need to listen to this one again. Experimental sounds, interesting at times but not much there.

First side is very Bowie-esque. Good listen overall.

“Desert blues,” a genre I didn’t know existed. Love it. Guitar driven, American blues influenced but very African. Great stuff.

Bouncy ska fun. Turns out I only know two Specials songs, and neither is in this album. But it’s still a good listen.

Not as good as remember. For its time I suppose it was impressive but it hasn’t aged well.

Some CSN, some CBGB.

Love the song. The album isn’t as good.

From what I read, one of the best albums of the nineties. I don’t see it.

Lots of great songs. A few unlistenable thrashers.

Song after song I thought Oh, this is a good one!

Great soul and blues

A few of my favorite Doors songs: L.A. Woman and Riders on the Storm. Some rough blues.

TIL: John Fogerty didn’t grow up on the bayou. And he did write Proud Mary. And I’m still sick of CCR.

Raw, dynamic, rockin’ goodness

Amazing singer.

Good to delisted to this, it’s been a while. Clever, raw songs and terrible vocals.

First side good, short songlets. Second side ambient and bleh.

Some greats that have aged well

Typical not-quite-chaos of OC, hard to listen to

Four stars for the lyrics, minus one for the terrible singing, which may or may not be an affect. Think of it more as a wobbly, spoken word performance.

Saweeeet! Listen to this many more times.

Great Irish music, but it gets to be a bit much - 18 songs!

There’s a common style running through these Scottish bands of the time: these guys and Soup Dragons and Jesus and Mary Chain. Very good stuff.

Not my thing, but they do play tight and high energy. Lyrics are meh.

We’re goths, not vamps! I don’t love the style. And that super low voice is distracting.

Brown Sugar, Wild Horses, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking and Bitch all on one album. And the rest is solid too.

The literal one man band. A few bland ones but mostly keepers.

All new, to me, and a lot of good stuff. Makes me want to go on an exploration of their catalog.

I didn’t give this one enough time but I liked what I heard.

A bunch of the classic Christmas songs I’ve heard over the years.

Listen to this again when you have more time on

A few fun listens but I skipped through a lot. Don’t revisit.

Listen to this when you have more time and the wife doesn’t have to hear it.

I’m sure I would get more out of this if I took the time to listen to it head-to-head with the Stones. Someday.

Hard to listen to it objectively but I feel like it has aged well.

Significant at its time, I guess.

Quite an assortment of styles. Goofy at times.

Really? Two albums by PJ Harvey already? Ok, this one is odd, kind of a cross between Bjork and Sinead O’Connor. Listenable but not very interesting. Maybe there’s more in the lyrics that I wasn’t hearing.

Rocking goodness, and better with each listen.

Still works. Not my favorite of theirs, but high on the list.

Enjoyable but didn’t hold my interest.

Good album but I’m still sick of them.

Excellent album. A slightly too-80’s production, like a smooth jazz backing band around her great, smoky voice.

Good stuff., a variety of folk and groove. Check out more of his stuff, there’s a lot.

Great first album but my god, the squeakiness! Some stars for All Through the Night and Time After Time.

Mixed bag. I could do without the waltzes.

Great, rambling funk rock from the master.

Well, it’s SPLHCB. One of the greatest albums ever produced. I listened to it more carefully this time as a concept album, rather than the individual songs I’ve heard many times, and realized I’ve never really appreciated it that way before.

Notes of The Clash but less political and less known.

Possibly the same person as Otis Redding. Has anyone ever seen them together?

British KISS minus the makeup. I bet the mosh pit was a blast.

Still my favorite male voice. Mostly great. A few songs are just plain goofy.

Tried it twice. Bland and depressing. Two stars for decent lyrics.

You know you’re enjoying the album when every song seems to end too soon. Even the title track, which is more than 8 min long.

I only recognizes one song but enjoyed the whole album.

Too polished and produced at times but hey, it’s MJ. Always great.

Holds up well. Some straight up blues. Interesting to read what perfectionists they were. Their demos sound just like the album versions

My initial reaction in seeing this was WTF?! THREE albums by PJ Harvey?! Is she married to the editor? Then I listened to it and realized this is the good one.

Probably an important album but not my taste. I tried it twice but nothing grabbed me. Interesting, at least, to listen to and think about the different song structures and singing styles.

Gave it a more thorough listen, the lyrics are better than I’ve noticed before and the non-single songs are good, too.

Mostly covers, but it’s Eric Clapton, so they’re great listening. Especially liked Motherless Children. I Shot the Sheriff is good, of course, but more credit to Bob Marley for that.

Most interesting listen yet. Smoky bluesy Cajun flavor that gets under your skin.

Hmmm. I loved Automatic. This one is even higher on the jangle-o-meter. Above my threshold for enjoyment on about a third of the songs.

Amazing album, so many huge hits.

Art rock / prog rock, the early edition. The first and last songs are perfect.

I would not have come across this one on my own. Different, enjoyable, worth another listen.

My favorite version of them, the masters of gloomy, gothy, wonderful stuff. I’d only heard the hits from this album but the rest is great, too.

His “blue eyed soul” phase, lots of good stuff. The title song is one of my favorites from Bowie.

I’d have put Hounds of Love on the list instead, but this was good. I need to listen to it more closely some day.

So good. I listened to it three times and still want to hear it more.

Some classic tracks, some meh. Winwood was so good.

Peak Yes, for my money. It’s a close race with The Yes Album but this is my favorite of their albums and their many lineups.

I am not sure how to describe this one but I enjoyed it twice. I will listen again.

Starts off interesting, unusual, and veers into drifty, ambient blah.

Significant album, just not my thing.

The Beatles hitting their stride

Best of their albums? Maybe. Hard to beat Safe from Harm. But maybe. Tracy Thorn - great.

I missed this one, it was well before I got into Latin music. Clearly he nailed this long before Gloria Estefan. Great album, and I will be listening to it again.

I love old ZZ Top, when they were more blues, and less pop cheese and innuendo.

Darker than Pretty Hate Machine, still great.

First time I’ve really listened to Alice Cooper. Some good tracks that stick in my head, especially Hello Hooray, Raped and Freezin, and Bilkion Dollar Babies

She was so good. Just nails every song.

Impressive right out of the gate, and a true original sound.

Got through most of it but nothing caught my attention

Enjoyed a couple of listens. Some throwback sounds, some hints of Blackstar.

Like his voice, good beats, some good lyrics but too much “I’m great” theme. And lots of cliches in some songs.

Spanish, French, English singing, interesting but not grabbing me.

Only knew two tracks: I Want You to Want Me and Surrender. Interesting that I only knew the live versions, which both still hold up. The rest of the album is similarly rocking, with great energy and screaming fans.

Classic grooves. The kind of stuff that gets imitated and sampled endlessly.

Country without the country formula and country cliches. Sweet songs, if a bit simplistic, or maybe child-like is a better description, in the innocent sense.

Impressive first album. Nothing I knew but all listenable and ages well.

Like Heart of Saturday Night but live, with some funny commentary between songs. Good but doesn’t top HoSN on my list.

Sweet voice and guitar, lightly dark lyrics, nice all around

I feel like I should like this more. Just not into the genre.

Original style, some new ideas, some formula

Beautiful voice, just not into it

I’m usually a sucker for prog rock albums but this is a bit beyond me.

Bleh. Gio was right.

I had this album! Somehow lost it and forgot about it but I still knew it well. Good to hear again. A nice departure from the gangster rap of the time.

Classic jazz, could listen to this any time

One of those artists who can keep coming up with new sounds and ideas. And make them entertaining.

Great stuff, less pop-y and more thoughtful, mature and interesting than much of his work.

Well this is straight up fun.

Three great classics, but the rest is good too. Hard to believe this album is so old! Barely out of the sixties!

They set the standard for Unplugged. Shows how talented they were.

Great, amazing debut. I remember hearing this for the first time and asking “Who TF are these guys?!” And it’s the same reaction now. They get close to the ‘poor me’ genre but thankfully don’t dip too deep.

Still sounds good. Poppy lyrics but with some complexity to the music.

Still great after many, many trips through this album.

On the positive side, it was a groundbreaking album, launching the gangsta rap genre that still survives. And musically at least half of the tracks are pretty catchy. On the negative side, I don’t like the violence, the mysogeny, and the tough guy act.

So good! Makes me want to pick up my guitar and play and sing them all.

Sure it’s an important album but not my cup of tea.

Punk with a dance beat, or funk with a jangly guitar and British accent… I’m going to call it pfunk. Not to be confused with P-Funk. But pretty fun stuff and worth another listen.

Every track is imbued with a certain… randynewmaness. If you love that sort of thing, more stars. Me, no.

Lots of great songs. I join the 80’s soccer moms in my appreciation of Billy Joel.

Definitely worth another listen. Her voice is so high, though, it’s distracting.

A couple of keepers

The original Byrd, apparently. Dylan-esque but fuller sound. Good but not my cup o tea

4th album on the list from PJ Harvey. I don’t get it.

The fourth(?) Bowie album on the list so far and I’m still loving him. Hard to believe he made this while coked out of his mind. Love Golden Years and TVC15 especially.

Groundbreaking I know, but I’m just not big on Nirvana.

Huge right out of the gates. Interesting how different his voice sounds on different tracks.

Hard to listen to, and not enjoyable. Novelty songs about all of the people they don’t like.

Enjoyable but I don’t need to listen to it again.

Not as good as I was expecting. Their best songs are great but there’s a lot of filler.

They brought an original sound, which is not easy to do. Worth a few listens, at least.

Not bad, as thrash metal goes. Hard to connect it with any Norwegians I know.

Bland

Rockin’ poetry

So unlike where they ended up, it’s strange to listen to. Beatles influence and 50’s bubblegum rock. A few songs hint at the good things to come.

The birthplace of ambient music, so I read. It’s difficult to listen to with any close attention, really by definition. I will say it is inoffensive.

Starts off sounding like The Cure - which is not a bad thing - but shows a lot of where they were headed.

So many great songs. Peak Mac.

Well centered on my trip hop taste. Interesting that he mixed himself down so low, letting the vocalists have the spotlight.

Typical RS album: one great song, Sympathy for the Devil, one my all time favorites. Street Fighting Man is good. One or two others in the not bad pole. And then a bunch of what seems like filler.

Listening to this I realize I’ve never actually listened to a whole album of his. Really good, and improves with each listen.

Many trips through this album and I’m still hearing new things.

Rockin’ good times. I mostly missed these guys when they came out.

Interested blend of styles, in an era when there weren’t that many to work with.

Ok, beyond the magnificence of Bohemian Rhapsody, there are other excellent tracks. The Prophet’s Song is similarly complex, You’re My Best Friend is an enduring and sweet love song, Love of My Life is beautiful. And then there’s I’m in Love With My Car… let’s not talk about that.

I like the funk influence, the bass lines, and his vocals are great as always. Have to put up with the gangsta crap: the violence and misogyny.

I still remember every note and lyric, and it’s still perfection. Engineer rock for sure, with the precision and perfectionism. But also great composition and technique, and I love the harmony.

A little bit Radiohead, thankfully not too much. Listenable but not very compelling to me.

Still rocks. A mixture of heavy metal, funk and rap. Lyrics are a little weak. Nice cover of War Pigs.

Funny to hear what was considered hard rock in 1980. Pretty tame. Guitar tone sounds more like punk. 2.5 stars; I’m rounding up.

So much goodness. (Except Backstreets - bleh.) The tracks that didn’t get air play are even better than the ones that did. I’m loving the last three.

I need to listen to this one more closely. It’s poetry with a little musical backing.

Reminds me a lot of Was Not Was: a big variety of styles, jazz and funk and rap and more. It’s a good listen.

Maybe I’m rounding up a bit but I love this album. Inventive in so many ways, especially the lyrics and his vocal creativity.

Not a fan, but I can get into it I’m some moods.

Nice throaty tone but too lilting and vibrato for my taste.

Sinatra smarm. I hate it.

Reminds me of my childhood; mom had this album. Some beautiful songs, some goofy (the flea one, the laughing one). The African ones are the best by far.

Provocative, cynical, catchy, I can see why they were so big.

Interesting but not my thing. Theatrical singing, with song style that borders on novelty. Steven Sondheim meets Spike Jonz meets Moody Blues.

I have now listened to a Taylor Swift album. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. She tapped into my 80’s / 90’s brain.

Starts strong with 1969 and I Wanna Be Your Dog. Then it wanders through a variety of oddities. Some hints of Pink Floyd influence.

A bit of a guilty pleasure, but very listenable, creative, and would be pretty dull in concert.

Love the fury of You Oughta Know and the words and music on most tracks. A few throwaways. And Ironic is just annoying. But great album.

Sweet Emotion belongs on my “best songs ever” list, and the whole album rocks heartily.

One of the more unusual new finds for me. Very personal songs for him, real anger about his upbringing. His style is unique, random words at times making it feel like a novelty album.

Oof, tough listen. Barbara Streisand and Bjork had a love child, who sang James Bond theme songs on Broadway.

Some cliche and self-absorbed lyrics but original style and a great break from gansta. All Falls Down is great.

Excellent, my new favorite (for now) Beck album.

A near perfect album, with classic after classic.

I’ve owned this for years and only listened to it a few times. Which says a lot about how much I like it. Not bad but doesn’t really grab me.

A lot of good stuff, beyond the ones that got air play. The second half is straight up blues

4.5 starts really but it still rocks after many listens.

Loving this.

Prog rock delight.

Hmmm, I’ve always loved Automatic, but hearing this I realize that contained a lot of rehashing, and this album was first. So my Automatic love gets automatically transferred here.

Genius might be a bit much, but he was definitely a classic

Amazing talent, right out of the gate.

Pretty voice, but I can only take so much of this music. And that is 1.5 songs.

Rock & Roll Woman and Mr Soul stand out. I suspect Steven Stills was the strongest part of this group.

Ok so they helped create the country rock genre. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Transition album, from “I can’t understand what he’s saying” to “I can understand him but I don’t know what he means.” Great album though, with a few of my favorites from them, especially Orange Crush and the beautifully dreamy You Are the Everything.

Bruce hits the big time. Much pop-ier than earlier work but all good.

I preferred Lust for Life, but this isn’t bad. You can definitely hear the Bowie influence.

This thing is all over the place. Psychedelic, blues jam, even a touch of country. And the Lear Jet thing… Still, a few jems. 5D, Eight Miles High are keepers.

One of the groups that keeps impressing me with their inventiveness. And it started with their first album.

I put several of their other albums ahead of this one.

That voice. Somehow sweet and powerful at once.

Not a lot different from CS&N, which I think is a good thing. Good listen, especially the first half

My favorite Kings of Leon, when they were raw, hillbilly-sounding rock. Everything later was more polished and produced. Still great, but this first album is the most fun.

Possibly peak R.E.M., although it’s a broad, flat peak. Definitely one of my favorites.

Not a lot of variation, some of the tracks are easy to confuse with others. But damn it’s a good formula. More punk influence than I expected.

Self-absorbed, angry, violent, childish. But Stan is a great song.

In a word, bland. Not bad but nothing I felt the desire to revisit.

Too much gangsta for me. Guns and violence.

Objectively, she’s a great singer. But I don’t like the diva style, with the never ending flourishes. And many of the songs are barely songs, with little to no melody, and just serve as vehicles for her singing.

Started off not liking it, morphed to okaying it, and gradually got to really liking it. Vibes of instrumental Pink Floyd, with a touch of Jesus and Mary Chain.

My first CT, apart from the few songs that got airplay. I love the sound and style, full and rich, and her beautiful voice.

All new to me. Like most of his albums, I might obsess on it for a few hundred listens.

Such an original group. The keyboards were amazing. Prog rock candy.

Juicy prog rock channeling the 80’s for my pleasure

Bleh. This hasn’t aged well, and I wasn’t much of a fan in the first place.

This thing is all over the place, from soft piano to rock to hard rock to heavy metal. Mostly great, though. I need to give it a closer listen.

Amazing songwritier. Fun to hear some that are known for other performers

I remember well when this came out. Beautiful voice, but sounds dated now.

Enjoyably avant garde and cool. Lots of jazz influence. A bit of Bitches Brew.

Straight up hard rock but with luscious Queen harmonies. Plus Killer Queen, which is its own thing, and a masterpiece at that.

Ravey goodness. Holds up well.

I’ve tried to like Radiohead. And I do like a few of their songs. But this album is everything I don’t like about them. Drifty, whiney, self-indulgent.

Cool and dusky, like a humid evening by the lake with your special person.

Still trying to figure out Brilliant Corners.

Plays like a DJ set on Mixcloud. Sometimes danceable, sometimes more atmospheric, but a busier type of atmosphere.

Lots of country twang. Not a genre I enjoy.

Still great, with a few of my favorite B Boys tracks.

Multiple listens, and it got better each time. The whole album gives me a sense of enormous well-being.

Typical White Stripes, raw and simple yet still catches my attention and sticks with me all day. It’s a magic touch.

Psychedelic concept album. Not bad, worth a more careful listen sometime to absorb more of the story. Sounds like early Pink Floyd at times.

Not my thing.

Really more like two stars, except for two great songs. Just too much hippyness for me.

High density of his better-known songs: five that I know very well. If I ever get back to playing guitar I’m sure I will play these again, he’s gold for guitar and voice.

Peak Beatles, for me. Post bubblegum and pre wacko.

Made after his experimenting with psychedelics, and it definitely has that vibe. He intentionally avoided releasing any singles, making it a true album experience. I like the experiment, and it’s pretty listenable, meaning not exceedingly weird. This was a fun one.

Jangly, unusual, typical Sonic Youth.

Maybe worth 3 stars but I don’t want to accidentally listen to it again.

Smooth and bluesy with some bounce, but a little repetitive within each song. Easily fades into the background. But it makes a good background.

Unusual one, lots of spoken word, but not poetry, more like conversation with a background track. Speaker sounds like Noel Gallagher, which makes it quite pleasant.

They were great right out of the gate.

Best of the strangely large number (three?) of T. Rex albums in this list. Very Bowie-esque.

Peak Wonder, for me. But it’s a broad ridge line.

I can’t argue with the great singing ability, but it’s not my jam, and some of the songs are actually kind of weak.

On first listen, it sounded dated, with the sappy KennyG-like sax and other easy-listening tropes from the 80’s and 90’s. Two stars at best. On second listen I found more to like, and I’m bumping it up to three.

It’s not that anything stands out, really (with the possible exception of Under the Pressure), but I found myself thinking “that’s a nice one!” for every track. Nice one, TWOD.

Launches with two mega hits, and maintains pretty well throughout.

Great one from my old collection. Holds up well.

That Lady earns this four stars alone. Interesting covers of James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, the Doobie Brothers.

Odd assortment. Solid blues, plus Old Man River (dubious choice) and Greensleeves (even dubiouser).

Lots of good memories of this album. They nailed the combination of rock, disco and strings.

A few classics, and sow gems I only just learned. Africano stands out.

Punk lite, some pretty catchy. Shades of Sonic Youth.

Unusual, varied, folksy/talky, a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.

Only for mosh pit thrashing.

Oh, that 80’s melancholy. I can’t not see the goth kids from South Park shuffling back and forth to this.

So much no.

A group that was huge in the UK and somehow incompletely missed them. Great stuff, lightly punk but more lyric driven. Peaches is a big winner.

Love it. So much tasty, groovy keyboard. Besides the two huge hits, I loved Big Brother and Maybe Your Baby.

Great songs one after another. 4-5 stars but I’ll round.

Three listens, liked it more each time. Sweet voice, cool groove, nice.

So many trips through this album, and it still shines

Still my favorite album from them. Amazing guitar, dynamic and lyrical playing, plus Pick Withers on drums.

This one is good. Changes my opinion of Radiohead a bit.

Some good ones, I liked Two Weeks. Overall more performance art than music.

Mishmash time. She’s best with the dancier stuff but the autotuning is awful. The lyric-driven folk tracks are weak.

This sent me down a Pixies rabbit hole, landing on Doolittle as my favorite. This one is good but not as

Art rock goodness from their early days.

Up there with Speakerboxx / the Love Below, good stuff with a dose of goody

I have learned that I need to listen to more Yeah Yeah Yeahs

All new, to me. He’s always good, great songwriting both music and lyrics.

Not composed songs in the usual sense. More like Crosby and friends hanging around a recording studio, diddling around with guitars and calling it an album. Better than most people trying to do that. but still.

More than holds up, this still rocks. I can’t hear the word Panama without singing it VH style.

Too. Much. Bossa Nova.

Punk grrl rock, good fun

Great voice, some good stuff, some formula

Listen to this one again, I didn’t get enough time with it the first trip through.

Afro Cuban big band

Oddly short album, and he repeated the title track. Plus a lot of between-songs chatter, so the actual music content is very thin. Not sure why this exists.

Good examples of why this project is fun. Not that I want to listen to it again. Bjorkish voice, plus harp and strings.

Probably good for its genre. Not into it.

Such a pretty voice. Gershwin must have loved hearing her sing his songs.

Brit pop? Post Brit pop? Good whatever.

Heavy, man.

One to listen to again, I didn’t give it enough attention yet.

One of their best, I think. Post teenybopper, although barely.

Tight, complex, thrash metal. No one does it better.

Tedious, self indulgent explanation. And a jazz track. It was a struggle to get through.

Omg it’s so 80’s! Doesn’t translate well to 2024, but that’s not a SP thing, it’s the whole genre. Still a fun listen.

Hard to imagine a better blues album and artist.

I love the energy of his music, African funk that never stops driving.

Starts especially strong with Tiny Dancer. Levon is decent but it’s never been my fave. Then more prog rocky.

Good one, and all new to me. Definitely needs more listens.

One of their better albums. More songs, less extended, frenetic thrash.

Not nearly as enjoyable as his own stuff. I’d call this one for Willie superfans only.

Great voice, and she doesn’t overdue it with diva flourishes (looking at you, Christina). Gets a little weaker in the second half but finishes strong with Someone Like You.

Nobody believed in me, everyone hates me, poor me…

Huge start to his post-Wham era, great songwriting that still holds up today.

A wrong turn from their previous album

Good in small doses

Never gets old.

Two Wheels Good here in the colonies. Loved it from first listen, when it was new, and it’s just as good now.

I prefer their first two albums. This one is more poppy and cheerful.

I keep thinking I don’t like Radiohead, but then I listen to this album again and change my mind, at least temporarily.

Good and interesting one for a listen, don’t need to hear it again. But it sent me down a rabbit hole of similar music, which was a good time.

Solidly Dylan, with all of the vocal inflections that we made fun of for many years. Some of them are actually pretty annoying. But the songwriting is what we come for.

They called it avant garage, which is accurate.

Close to four stars. Listen to this one again, good tunes and lyrics

Sure it’s good, sure he’s one of the greats. Doesn’t mean I want to listen to it.

Still my favorite of theirs. I don’t think I’ll get tired of it.

Straight up punk, plus a few more in the rock vein.

Took a few listens to get into it, but now I want to hear more from them.

Papa was a rollin’ stone is all you need. The rest is gravy

Still one of the best albums - and groups - that I’ve encountered.

Strong launch, but they got better.

Heavy on the violins and 60’s background singers and some big band. But damn, what a voice.

Gotta be in the right mood to listen to this, but it works if you are.

One of my favorites from one of my favorites. I have not gotten tired of it.

One of their albums - one of many - that I could listen to any time. A little scattered in style.

Industrial jangle-punk

Drifty dreamy soft rock. Occasionally likeable but gets increasingly annoying.

So alive and full and precise

Well, there’s Maybe I’m Amazef… beyond that not much. Some borrow heavily from earlier Beatles songs. Some experimental oddities.

The industrial division of thrash inc

A different style for her, and I really like it. Now I need to go back to folklore

Mix of lush and goofy. Like a weak Daft Punk

More enjoyable than I expected from such experimental oddity

I’d put this mid-pack in the Police catalog.

Objectively, good, I suppose, but not something I would listen to for my own enjoyment.

A little dated now - rap style changes fast. But she’s definitely the queen.

Interesting but gets old fast.

Four or five listens and loved it each time.

Not into the droning, wonky-pitched singing or the all-jangle guitar. Could have been saved with songwriting, but it wasn’t.

I really can’t get into Randy Newman. Too much a novelty sound. Works with kid movies, not for adult music.

Pink Floyd meets Alan Parsons and Jean Michele Jarre and they make a sleepy baby together

When they’re attempting American blues, which is much of the album, it’s weak. Shame on them for what they did to Little Wing. They probably should have stopped at Layla.

Full of great old funk and soul.

A Brit taking over folk music, and doing a very good job of it.

More approachable than most

Great memories, and it still rocks.

Simple music. D lyrics but well composed and catchy

That was an experience. Musically it’s a train wreck, comically heavy, overly dramatic, simplistic and repetitive. Their whole gig is trying to be edgy, and push people’s buttons.

Enjoyable experimental weirdness

Bouncy fun stuff, but cheesy electronic drums and dated synths.

Well now I can't stop listening to this. Cool club-ish grooves, great vocals, original sound.

Got through more than half. What a project! More spoof of live songs than love songs. Plenty of clever lyricism and well written songs.

Vibes of The Who, ELP, lots of others of the era. Good listen.

Quirky is, I think, the word for them. Bjork’s squeaky vocals, bounced back and forth with the male lead’s own odd inflections, but it works and the songs are interesting. Holds up surprisingly well.

I loved all that clean, flawless, jazzy goodness and clever lyrics. Still great.

Enjoyable weirdness. How does he even sing like that?!

Loved this. So original and fresh, and what a project! I am now listening my way through the rest of her catalog.

Unusual, to say the least. A soundtrack album for a nonexistent movie.

Several listens, there’s a a lot to hear in this.

Mostly not really songs. More like sung-spoken word. I found it annoying after a few tracks.

Similar to Murder Ballads, but slightly more cheerful. At times.

They don’t vary much, in my view. Not bad, not amazing. How does one pick their best album?

I think “eclectic” applies here. A blend of Indian, alt rock, spoken word, and other oddities but all enjoyably unusual.

More jangly guitar than I normally associate with her.

Sometimes enjoyable weirdness, but I don’t want to listen to it again.

I liked it more than I expected to. Screaming thrash metal with impressive drums. Somehow the singer is still understandable even at full scream.

Arctic Monkeys singer.

Aka Keep on Movin here in the colonies. I wore this thing out during college. Haven’t listened to it in many years, until now, and it is still a near perfect album.

Thick with college memories, and it still clicks.

They were not on my radar. Now they are, and I’m going to have to listen to everything they’ve done, because this is great. Bowie meets Gorillaz.

For a live album, I didn’t feel a lot of energy. Some of their extended live versions are great though.

Bleh. A bland, 30 minutes of riffing on Bo Diddley, followed by little of interest.

Maybe 3.5 but I round up. Good thrashemo

Interesting, but not worth a second listen.

Bouncy fun. Listen to this again.

Experimenting with styles, some work, some are annoying (see: auto tuning). I’m curious how much his tongue is in cheek on I Am A God.

Reminds me of Muse with the throwbackiness, but more hard rocking.

Cool dance mixes incorporating bits of inspiration from - and bits of - songs from the 70’s and 80’s

Multiple listens and it keeps getting better.

Pleasant, and some clever lyrics. But doesn’t hold my attention.

Early Siouxsie, raw and punkish

Deserved multiple listens, to catch all of the detail.

Still good but sounds a little cheesy now

Loved this one from the first listen, and it only gets better with age. Miss you, Mr Bowie.

Well… it’s raw, and it’s powerful. I have to be in a particular mood to get into it.

Probably a five star album that I like at a 3-4 star level

Funk and rock and a few other things. Worth another listen.

Nice find, definitely needs more listens

I have a drum and bass tolerance that does not last for a full album. But this is pretty good, especially the tracks with the female vocalist.

Lots of jangly guitar, not his best songwriting

Cool, unique, psychedelic, all kinds of interesting

Their debut album, mostly originals. Clean, tight sound from the get-go. Excellent songwriting.

60’s blues with a country touch

Clever and cool, intentionally dissonant at times

Quirky good stuff, shades of B52’s but more punk edge

Shades of Alt-J, but even more unusual. Vocals often mixed down to be nearly inaudible.

Sitar (or dulcimer?) and flute, background music for a relaxation massage.

Most of my favorites from them on one album.

Great album, and still sounds good. Fast Car has been unfortunately played to death.

Not into the gangsta rap but - conflicting - I like Ice Cube

Great earlier country. Much imitated voice.

Peak Stevie? Maybe.

Collaborations with many contemporaneous musicians. Some work, some don’t. The cheesy 80’s sound of the first track is difficult to listen to.

Still great.

Lots of terrible. Weak songwriting, simplistic junk. Some of the second half is a small redemption but I don’t want to encourage future me to listen to it again.

Close to peak Clash, post punk and covering more styles.

Pleasant. Inoffensive.

Love the combination of dance electronica with real instruments.

Interesting 60’s art rock / concept album. God for one listen.

Early country/rock blend. Nice version of Love Hurts

Too much yakety yak.

Straight up 80’s hard rock.

Country, folksy stuff that puts me to sleep.

Still rocking, still original

Just no.

Straight up hard rock from the. early 80s most songs sound very similar.

2018? Sounds like it dropped out of the 80’s. But fuller sound than then.

Alt rock, lacking. This kind of thing is not my bag, baby.

Enjoyable folk from across the pond.

So much goodness. I can’t tell if it’s more groovy or funky.

British folk rock, lush blend, a bit hippy-dippy at times.

Goofy, psychedelic, Brazilian 60’s rock. Interesting and kinda fun.

Enjoyed this one a lot. Bouncy Irish rocking fun.

Good stuff, great harmony, solid songwriting, lots of powerful woman theme.

Achieves epic levels of pleasantness

Blues rock jams, a good cover of Summertime Blues and, apparently, the birth of hard rock and the power trio. Who knew.

All the jangly coolness I expect from them.

Sooo dated, it’s almost funny now. No, definitely funny.

Everything I like about LCDS, together in one place. Plus some newer sounds that only add to it.

Raucous fun

More theatrical than I like, but a few tracks got my attention

One of the more tolerable metal albums

Difficult to give it just one rating, as it covers a lot of ground. Think Doors, Beach Boys, psychedelic, folk…

Meh

For me, perfection. Although listening to it again I realize I think of it only as the first side. The tracks on side 2 are less impressive.

You into old German musicals? This is your album. Me… not so much.

Beatles at the top of their game. The ending medley is perfection.

Was never on my radar, but should have been. And they should be bigger in the US. Oasisish.

Solid, beat-driven all the way through. Just no real stand outs.

Goofy German electronica

Good but oh so dated.

Much as I love Bowie, I’m not sure this one needs to be on the list.

I’m a little surprised at how much I disliked this. Lotsa yelling about things. Maybe given the right mood and a mosh pit…

Not surprisingly, they were much rougher in their early years. There are notes of things to come but it’s a bit of a struggle to get through this.

They weren’t on my radar back in the day but should have been. Good all the way through.

Shades of U2, the Replacements,

Wonderfully gloomy, minimalist, dialed in to my goth-curious side.

I’d give it four stars in its era, but three for being very dated now. Difficult for even very good social and political commentary to maintain relevance over long periods of time.

I get it, important album, inspired many… doesn’t mean I want to listen to it again. Surprisingly, for me, I liked the Nico tracks best. Perhaps, like a fungus, she is growing on me.

Exploratory, theatrical, probably influenced many.

Good find, I really liked this. Laid back mix of Mexican and American styles.

I know I’ve heard this album before but I have no idea where. Good early house.

It’s Joshua Tree. ‘Nuf said.

Ethereal, unintelligible, wonderful. Best with excellent headphones.

Raw like their first album, not quite as good

Mid-pack of the Zep catalog. Which is still four stars.

New one for me. Sounds like Flaming Lips.

C & BG, no B. Well done but nothing I need to listen to again.

Good stuff, some hints of Tribe Called Quest and even Groove Armada.

So many listens, back in the day. I still know it by heart. It’s lost a tiny bit of its charm but it’s still a fiver.

Cool atmospheric

Credit for originality - she is her own genre.

I liked the other one better but this is very listenable.

Dare I say… classic? Yes, I think I dare. It has lost nothing, all these years.

Mostly very short tracks, like song ideas that never grew.

Not one of my favorites from him.

Post-punk, edgy and smart.

Reminded me a lot of Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads. Turns out he was the lead singer. So anyway, it’s like that.

Sounds like he was experimenting with how much he could take out and still have a song. Melody? Rhythm? Lyrics? Check.

Very cool combination of Indian and dance

My first listen to the whole album. I didn’t realize it was a rock opera. And it’s a good one.

Oh, so hippie. In a renaissance fair style.

One of their more random assortments. Immigrant Song is great but what’s with that mix? Then two strangely happy, good times songs. Then blues. It gets around.

Newly-minted Thundercat fan here. Three listens and it keeps getting better

All over the place, but not bad.

Ugh. Theatrical, with the music better than the lyrics, which veer to the ridiculous. Seems to be striving to be as alternative as possible.

Very cool. Original blend of jazz, soul, hip hop, groove with Indian flair

Fascinating history behind this incendiary album. Powerful music.

Rocking fun but often difficult to tell when a new song has started.

Great art rock album rock. Nice to hear such good drumming from Phil Collins.

More objectively good than subjectively.

This group was not on my radar. Unusual and hard to classify, somewhere in the rock / folk spectrum. I like.

Enjoyable jazz fusion, but the great title track is the key

Many genres on one album: rap, acid jazz, techno, and rock.

Thick with classics. For me this is prime Beatles

Jangle and dissonance, the tools of alt alt rock

A few keepers in there

Keeps improving with repeat listens. Voice similar to the Jazz Butcher.

No one does angry hard rock better than Rage.

Proto-grunge

Solo acoustic, country-adjacent, like Johnny Cash light.

Early punk, more tongue-in-cheek than angry. Lives on the lighter, more fun side of the punk street.

Dreary is, I think, the best one-word description. Self-indulgent. Even the title track is a slog, with a weak drum solo and, strangely, an appearance of God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen during the organ solo.

So original and interesting

Covers of blues, R&B, rockabilly.

Drift, dissonant, not one I need to hear again

Nice album, not just the one or two keepers I expected.

Thick with classics, right out of the gate.

One of the more interesting and unique albums so far. Deep vocals and piano, mostly. Veers into theater feel at times.

Meh. It all sounds so much like Cars.

Beautiful and moving. Try not to cry.

We're not about to do a free-form Jazz exploration in front of a festival crowd.

Everybody’s talking at me, plus similar stuff

Rougher than their crisp stuff from later albums. But the same raw anger and oddly entertaining vocalizations.

Some fun ones. I could do without coconut

Enjoyable lyricism.

Follows the formula: deep-voiced rage screaming, tight guitar and drums, rapid fire bass drum. Too much of all of it. Too little originality. Occasionally there’s an actual song with actual singing, and those few moments earn a star.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one so much. I always felt like their popular songs were a little dull. But the album explores a lot of genres and there are less popular gems to be heard.

Explores the edges of music, not usually in a way that I enjoy. I found it more irritating.

Some decent strum-and-sing tracks, and a bunch of more adventurous indie stuff.

I like a lot of what they’re doing: tight guitar and bass and drums, lots of energy, some Brazilian influence… it’s the screaming I can’t stand. Ruins it for me. The same album, with a good vocalist, would be great.

Classic funk goodness

Probably a very “good” album by any objective evaluation. But not my cup of tea, and my reviews are for future me.

So much goodness on one album. Really, on one side. He addressed conflict and violence and hate with positivity and love.

I listened to it twice and I still don’t have much of an impression of it. Not sure whether that’s my fault or theirs.

About as accessible as they get, which is still a stretch.

One of the better sounds from the 80’s.

They nailed it so well right out of the gate. Crisp hard rock plus harmony. And Eddy took guitar to a new level.

Minimalist surf punk rockabilly etc

Masterpiece. Compositions, not songs.

A percussion dominated funk band that covers In A Gadda Da Vida? What’s not to love?

Solid Air, but with a touch of 70’s funk

Fun one to revisit. It still holds up well.

More words than music, like the music was thrown in as an afterthought

I keep trying to like Joni Mitchell, but it’s just not happening

Great groovy organ heavy covers and the classic title track. They started strong.

Three listens and counting. Post teen angst but much cooler

One of the greats. They were unique, and they still are.

This sent me on an exploration of the difference between hard core and punk. Not sure I absorbed it, though

Moody semi-singing and long, brooding instrumental jams. I kinda like it, but it drags at times.

Bleh. A few moments of interest but 90% annoying.

I’m sure it’s quite good for what it is, but I don’t wanna listen to it.

First half = greatness, everything I remember and more. Second half, not so much.

My favorite of theirs. Great music and lyrics.

Poetic jazz. The revolution will not be televised.

Poetic jazz. The revolution will not be televised.

Now there is an interesting one. New sounds, very original.

Post punk / rock, very brit

It’s so simplistic it’s hard to define what makes it so great. They have mastered the art of rock.

Early punk, female vocalist, sax

I’ve tried to like them, and I listened to this album twice. I just don’t get it.

I guess there’s blues in there. Plus experimental screaming and other oddities.

Good for its genre but not what I want to listen to.

Goofiness and yes, a bit freaky. And clear hints of what was to come.

I mostly missed this one when it came out. All good, some great. I’m a bit obsessed with Johnny Ace now.

The usual problem with Nick Cave: I can’t tell if his lyrics are too deep and meaningful for me to understand or if they just don’t have that much meaning.

Three stars is generous but I give them credit for helping create the genre.

Wonderfully original and weird. Minimal, repetitive rhythms and breathy vocals.

Folk / psychedelic

Third time’s a charm

Solid background music. Too repetitive and too little there for active listening.

Light rock lounge musical

Original style, like Alt-J went folk, and occasionally channeling Billie Holiday. Enjoyably odd

Gets a bit jam-bandy at times but they are their own thing. So tight!

Strong Byrds influence but more on the rock side.

It’s objectively, great, with beautiful voices and great songs. But I don’t need more than a few songs of it myself.

Folk, guitar and voice. Sometimes like James Taylor. Always a country influence. Nice.

I feel like there’s an excess of Beach Boys on this list but ok. Still good to hear; all new to me except Help Me Rhonda.

A little goes a long way