This album sucks!!!!! Van morrrisin more like van BORRISON,,!!!!! bitch

Fuck, I really like this, and I was not expecting that AT ALL. I mean, five songs all longer than what I consider casually listenable? Seems like something I'm destined to be annoyed or at least bored with, but I really adored this. Firstly, it's gorgeous both musically and lyrically, with the strings really meshing well with the weirder choices such as a mouth harp and banjo. In that way it reminds me of a Leonard Cohen album, but I'd say the lyrics are far more abstract than Cohen's works, but it still really works. I like that there s no regular song structure yet it returns to the same line every few minutes to bring the song into its own orbit and not let it stray too far outwards and become a mess. I don't know if I'll go out of my way to listen to most of these songs separately due to their length, but as a whole album this is certainly up there as something great. I will admit her vocals remind me a little bit of whoever sings "Dance Monkey", but not really annoyed at it here. Then again, I never found the vocals on that track too annoying either, so perhaps I'm the one broken. Any way, amazing album, truly unexpected.

Y'know, I look at this album after listening and think how much of an album this is in the "walk by without thinking about listening" spectrum, which is really a shame, because the contents inside are excellent. The violin's ability to go from scretching to being absolutely gorgeous at a moments notice, or the piano appearing sporadically to aid with the Vibraphone's more mellow sound, or the bandoneon really partnering with everything else to create this great album. Yes, the songs do go on a tad long, and I could understand why someone may find this more boring than anything, but just listening to the wide range of emotions really lets this one spread it's wings and be absolutely fantastic. Perhaps not music for a Sunday drive or a workout, but music for the point of listening.

Whoa, this is crazy ahead of its time. At least, it sure feels like it. The electronics add to the music rather than detract, and man is that bass playing really satisfying. I actually love this album. It's just experimental enough without sacrificing the music to really bring me in. Sure, there's some weird circus-y stuff, but it hardly detracts it for me, in fact, I think it adds to the charm. Shame this is their sole album, would definitely binge their discography otherwise. I love how well it eases from psychedelic rock to baroque pop to ballads while all sounding like its own thing. Reminds me of what I've heard of the later Kinks but more rock heavy. Again, just crazy ahead of its time.

When I saw this album I had never heard of last night my first thought was "three star at best", but alas, instead this is probably my favorite album so far. Amazing how an album I've never heard of by a band I've never heard of suddenly becomes one of my favorite things I've listened to in recent memory. Just excellent. The falsetto was a joy to listen to and the energy the album had really scratched that "weird but catchy" itch stuff like Oingo Boingo, Jack Stauber, and even David Bowie hit for me. And the fact this is almost fifty years old makes it all the more impressive.

While an album I cannot deny as influential with its sound and design, and some of the songs are indeed classics to stand the test of time, but the album as a whole is obviously meant to be listened to as an album, never on it's own. Many songs lead directly into the next dong, which is fine for those with lyrics, but the instrumental songs that are three in a row feel strange, like they're supposed to be an intermission, but it comes at the end, just making it feel like a movie soundtrack. Iconic, but not that fun of a listen.

While blues as a genre isn't always my thing, I still found my self tapping my feet to most of this album. It started a little shakey, but in the middle I was enjoying myself quite a bit, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the ending song, I still am extremely satisfied with it.

Every single song was just such a slog. Five minutes of quiet in the beginning, then starts to build up, then either stays built up or goes back to being quiet. Now, I know that sounds like most songs, but there is a specific brand of it with U2 that makes it all just blend together. It's only getting 2 stars because while I didn't completely enjoy it, there's no denying the 1-2-3 punch that is the first few songs. Would of been better as an EP with just those and Bullet the Blue Sky

Some other review said this was weird Halloween music, and I agree, but in the best way possible. I actually quite enjoyed how weird this could get, but blues still isn't for me, so some of this album was a bit repetitive. Excited for other Tom Waits albums, though.

When listening to this album a situation would arise often where I enjoy how a song sounds, and am thoroughly enjoying it, then it goes on another three minutes. That's not to say the songs are long, because they all don't really surpass five minutes, other than the B-Sides, but they don't go anywhere. Often I'll be waiting for the song to heighten or have some sort of climax, and that just never happens, and I understand this is not necessarily something that needs that "drop", this isn't Dubstep or anything, but even comparing it to something like Fatboy Slim, it just comes off as weak, and it really loses steam in the second half, mostly being over prolonged atmospheric music. I mean, three stars is still pretty good, because I didn't dislike the album, it's just hard to praise the album when we live in an age where this style of music has only been improved. Who knows though, perhaps I'm not smart enough for it.

I almost feel as though I shouldn't be listening in to these songs because of how personal they can get, but I'm glad I can. Although I do find some songs kind of funny (such as Black Hair) I can still respect the message behind these songs, as well as the emotion. Into My Arms obviously being a standout performance that alone deserves the praise the whole album gets.

When I first started this album I really wasn't feeling it, and as such some of the early songs felt weird to listen to, but I gave it another shot with some proper earbuds rather than just my car speakers and man does this jam far better in that style! I'm also glad the version of the album I listened to had some songs twice for the singles version, because it gave me a second chance at some songs just in case I was on the fence, and this was just all around a solid album.

I think some of the reviews here saying all the songs sound exactly the same is quite the exaggeration, unless sticking to one genre constitutes as that nowadays. Songs were enjoyable if a little simple, but sometimes something more lighthearted is good. I may be bias though, my parent's showed me Lemonheads at a young age, so I may be going easy on it.

Yes sure does like their long songs, huh? Overall good but can't see myself listening to any of it again due to it's length compared to how I listen to music. I also think the later album, Fragile, is far better.

When it comes to an album such as this, a lot of thought has to be put into what you rate something like this. The early 2000s were an interesting time for music, and some of that shines through here, and we now live in an era where stuff that was tough and what the "cool kids" listened to now comes off as vulgar and childish, but that's exactly it. That's the point, an album like this isn't meant to be seen as a literal commentary where every word is someone's thoughts and opinions, it's a mash-up of a person going from rags to riches, with both themselves and a character they made up to choose to rap through, and in the process it can start to get muddy on what is supposed to be taken seriously, and what is a comment only meant for the shock. I do not think this album is for everyone, and I can understand why someone may hear some of this and decide there that its just vile, because it is, but sitting back and viewing it in the context of the world at the time and why this album was made gives it reason to really breathe and say what it says. Although admittedly some songs do go a little too far to the point where I question if there is anything being said. What cannot be denied is the ability of the rapping here. We had not yet reached Eminem's era of puns=good rhymes (window pane comes to mind), and instead got a situation where every song had a consistent flow where multiple words were rhyming in conjunction with all of the next five lines, all without question. The little small skits also really start to show that this album isn't meant to be the most serious thing in the world, but some of the rapping really does sell every single line. Do I feel bad bobbing my head to someone saying they're going to kill someone while insulting three different minorities? Absolutely, but there's something there I cannot deny that makes me enjoy this album. I will note the fiest half the album is far superior to the second half, but even the second half has songs like "Criminal" and "Bitch Please II".

This album was a weird one for me. Obviously there is an influence of an album that can be seen while looking at it, and it's obvious what this album did for this sort of rock going into the 90's. Bands such as Oasis are obviously inspired by this, and I could see why at the time this would be something big. The issue comes in to the fact that it doesn't change that I'm just not a fan of this album, or really this style of music. I mean, I enjoy some good jangle pop, but the singer's voice sometimes can go from just a little weird but okay sounding to very whiney (which ironically is a complaint I have for Oasis as well), and it makes a lot of the songs feel very repetitive. I'm not saying the songs all sound similar, because they don't, but it does start to blend together. I was honestly ready to give this a two star rating, purely pushing it up a little because of it's influence and "There She Goes", but I will push it right over to three stars purely due to the final song, "Looking Glass". I'm a sucker for long songs that get more and more frantic or "stressful" as the song goes on (see "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by the Beatles), and this one stratched that itch pretty well.

When it comes to Billy Joel I know some people get a little sick of it, stuff like Piano Man seemingly playing wherever you go, and a lot of his other songs being so well known that they seem to be heard at least once a week, but doesn't that just show the man's talent for this sort of thing, especially when the songs you don't hear everyday have that same level of quality? That level of quality doesn't shine brighter than The Stranger. Every single song on this album is excellent, even the longer ones which any other artist of the time would have caused it to feel as though the song is a drag, but not on this album. The album even flows well from song to song, with each placement just making sense. Sure, some of Joel's songs may be a little cheesy, but the musicality and enjoyment from each song on this album gives me no other choice but to give it five stars.

I've gotten quite a few blues-y type albums now, and I'm starting to warm up to it a bit more, so my new challenge is now overcoming the next threat: live albums. That's what makes this so complicated, I understand a singer can really put their all into a live performance to make it better than any studio recording (Frampton Comes Alive! springs to mind) but often these songs just aren't as good as something with no random audience members cheering the whole time or the usually less than optimal sound quality, but I will admit, despite what the number down below may seem like it says, I did enjoy the album. It's just when it comes to something like this it's hard for me to think too much of it, and the addition of blues, which I already struggle to decide if I like or not, makes it a bit more of a mixed bag for me. I can understand why this is considered one of the best live albums of all time, I just can't fully get into it.

There is a semblance of an album that I like within this album, but all of the songs get close to doing something I like and then don't do it. I can understand why someone may not like his voice, but that isn't what bothers me, there's just something I can't fully grasp as to why I don't entirely enjoy this album, but I must be missing something, it's obviously considered a masterpiece of somesort. Perhaps I'll return to this on my own time and see if anything changes.

First off, very funny 1001 Generator, I don't know if I would've thought of doing that if I tried. Second off, fuck Morrissey. I won't be giving it a one star just for that, because I think that's unfair to the rest of the band, but fuck Morrissey. This album is excellent, not only do the notable songs actually stay enjoyable, but even the not so famous songs are enjoyable, which is an issue some albums from this era suffer from. I know some people think this just sounds sad and that's all to take away, but I think there's more to it then that.

A nice album where you can obviously see the weirder and innovative roots you would see in later Doors' albums, but the organ solo stuff, while good, does feel a little too safe and extended at times. Still though, overall very good, and still earns a four star.

When I was younger, my knowledge on David Bowie was very slim, I basically knew Space Oddity and that he was in Labyrinth, but when he sadly passed away I decided to change that, but I always kind of ignored this album because it was more rock 'n' roll than his later albums, and I had grown tired of classic rock as a genre. Boy do I regret this, that was amazing. I mean, of course Starman is great, but the rest of the album is no slouch either. It's no wonder I usually see this at the top of rankings for all his albums, and I'm super excited for his other eight on here.

This is another case of an album almost doing stuff that I like, but not quite reaching it, but this album is far better than the usual line up that does something similar. A lot of the songs just sound very manic, which has its place, but sometimes its hard to listen to, not in like a depressing way, but just like how a lot of stuff doesn't resolve how you want it to, and that's usually the whole song. Top tier album name, though. Its also weird hearing "Coconut" and realizing you knew a song off an album you had never heard of by an artist you had never heard of.

I really tried to like this. I tried getting myself into the first song, and all that jazz, but it just kept going, and going, and that's when I realized I still had two-and a-half more songs like this. The third song was fine, because at least it was normal song length, but then the beast that was the last song just never stopped, and I couldn't even get through it, for the first time on an album while doing this daily album thing. I decided perhaps I just didn't like the song itself, but I went back to the versions this song was covering, and the massive fifteen minutes of difference in length really showed me the filler this album can have. Perhaps I just don't understand soul, that seems to be the case with a lot of albums similar to this, but I really don't like this one. Only getting a two star because that third song I saw the appeal somewhat.

I admittedly don't think I get blues at all. All of these songs would start interesting and then drone on and on, not really doing anything more with the songs. It was just really boring. I liked Hooker's voice but his choice of perhaps five words to each song is underwhelming. Oh well.

I do understand a lot of O'Connor's songs are mainly built around the lyrics and what they are about, but that's only one part of a song, and sadly, I usually enjoy the sound of a song before the lyrics, in which these songs really lack for me, even "Nothing Compares 2 U", in which Prince's at least has it's own sound to it. All I could think while listening to this album is "This sounds like if Enya was the lead singer of The Cranberries, which makes sense, considering they all are from Ireland, but I still couldn't shake that feeling, and it made a lot of songs sound like nothing I've heard before. I don't sound too harsh, but literally nothing here was something I cared about, even pushing it below U2. It's just a nothing album for me. Guess I just don't like Irish singers, except the Cranberries.

I admittedly knew very little to nothing about Brian Eno before listening to this album, but I was admittedly very worried judging from what kind of music comes up when you type his name in. Luckily, this album seems to be nothing like that, and in fact, was quite enjoyable. I can see why he was very much connected to both David Bowie and David Byrne. Looking forward to the other albums by him on this list.

I saw the overall review score for this album and got a little worried, but afterwards I realize that's just because I'm guessing most aren't the biggest punk fans, and that's okay. I'm really not either, but I did generally enjoy this album. It did get a little repetitive at times but it's shortness and raw energy made up for it. I mean, I didn't find it anything super special, but it was still enjoyable.

Unlike a lot of other reviews here, I actually hadn't seen this Rolling Stones album before (somehow), so this was a whole new experience for me. That being said, it wasn't that special of one. I never was a huge fan of the Rolling Stones, as it didn't do much for me, but this album was okay. That being said it was just okay. There wasn't anything that truly stuck out to me and while it started out strong in never really went anywhere. It's a very consistent album, so those who like the Stones will probably enjoy this album quite a bit, but all this is for me is another driving force as to why I will never understand the Beatles vs. Rolling Stones comparison

First non-english speaking album, and man what a jam. Saw some comments saying all the songs sound the same and I couldn't disagree more, every song was a totally different song, just under one genre, and it was enjoyable throughout. Some songs went on a little long, but that's okay! It almost feels like something you'd hear in a game like Katamari.

An enjoyable album that flows well together. It really felt like something I would hear in something like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or something similarly 90s. A lot of the lyrics still accurate today, but sadly a lot of lyrics are also questionable, like the entirety of "Da Bichez", but at least somewhat enjoyable to listen to. Like one ear and out the other sort of deal here, can't see myself listening again, but we'll see.

Well, it certainly isn't the sound I was expecting when I started the album. Sadly not really a sound I'm crazy about. It takes a very simple approach for a lot of the songs, but that just means a lot of the songs start out good then don't do anything to stick in my head. I will agree that the bass is very nice, and some of the songs remind me of other songs I do like (early Ministry comes to mind), but this really doesn't do it for me.

This isn't exactly what I was expecting for this album to sound like, but it did sound pretty cool. Not like, regularly music cool, more like a roller-coaster of emotions from something you can tell was made with a music video in mind to the Metroid soundtrack, but still very good.

I will not deny that the guitar on this album is obviously very ahead of it's time, but save for that, I don't really get the specialty. I think the album cover is more iconic than the music inside of it. Again though, guitar is great, and is really carrying this score itself.

This album grew on me as I listened to it, as my intial thoughts were more along of the lines of "they experimented so much they forgot to make an actual song". That being said, still don't think it's anything crazy. Every song is reverb effect, repeat a line for three minutes, add jungle noises. Like, I like some stuff, but even those often didn't turn into something I liked until too late, such as Bluish. Not to say the songs all sound the same, because they don't, but they do all have the same general formula that gets repetitive in one sitting. I do like how each how each song goes into the next, I'm a sucker for that stuff, but most of the songs don't stand on their own when needed.

I'm not exactly a fan of Van Morrison as a person, so I figured this album wouldn't be up my alley, especially since I kind of despise Brown Eyed Girl, but this album was okay. I recognized far more than I was expecting to, and the standout songs the other reviews are mentioning are as good as they say. It is mostly just "You know that guy who did Brown Eyed Girl? More of that", though.

The first album on here I've actually heard all the way through before this when I was going through all of ABBA's discography, but I'll listen to it again to freshen up my opinions. While not my favorite ABBA album, it is certainly up there. It's such a change up from usual tone of an album by the group, being far more open to minor keys and more "darker" subjects (not that the album is deeply psychological or anything), and I think it benefits from it. It certainly has that "final album" feel to it, which is why their new album, Voyage, is such a huge disappointment to me. Head Over Heels is a huge standout to me, which seems to not be the most popular song on here judging from other reviews, but I see it as a top five ABBA song easily. It's an album that shows ABBA is capable of a lot more than just generic pop like many seem to think it is. You can especially tell in the reviews who didn't bother to listen to the album (why bother rating it?) and who did. Oh well, very enjoyable. Perhaps not as good as I remember overall, as I don't return to listening to songs off this album as much as stuff like Voulez Vous, but still good.

Just enjoyable. Songs had a similar sound but changed it up enough for each song to be discernable, and the big change ups like the electronic focus in Electronic Renaissance was always nice. Nothing hugely amazing here, but would happily listen to the entire album again, and I'm looking forward to their other album on the 1001 list.

I originally knew Cornershop from Fatboy Slim's remix of "Brimful of Asha", and man was that all I ever needed of Cornershop. Every song here was just boring, with a weird mix of folky sound and dance music not meshing together really at all. It got to the point where every song I was just waiting for it to be over after like thirty seconds. Best song was Brimful of Asha, but as I said, no reason to listen to it when a better version is right there.

While I do think the album is indeed rather quite sad, I think that's hardly a reason to rank the album so sad. His voice is sometimes a tad droning, but it often works with the tune of the song, and it only heightens the emotions when his voice raises in pitch, it shows he really does view his writing as something worth sharing. I think if you view these songs as poetry first this really is an excellent album.

This is what I would think of if someone said "stereotypical rockabilly album", which isn't necessarily a good thing. I mean, I understand this type of album wasn't exactly common at the time, so I'll give it a couple bonus points there, but considering there are multiple other Costello albums to go, I'm not exactly revving to listen to more. I suppose I didn't dislike how it sounded, though, at least for now.

Man, I saw the amount of songs and that this was a punk album and got so worried I was gonna have a terrible time but boy was I wrong. This album rocks. Not every song is amazing but it all works so well together, and the amount of real topics mixed with just goofy shit makes this really enjoyable, and as others are saying, this is far funkier than any other punk I usually here. One of my favorite albums so far.

Man, this was not good. Not even anything here was interesting like the samples. I mean, they made the 007 theme boring. How?

Pretty cookie cutter rock. Well... perhaps not, as this is 1969, and I wouldn't say much rock sounded quite like this yet, just people started to sound like this. Nonetheless more interesting sounds already existed by then. The last song was pretty alright, but they ruined that by adding like five minutes that weren't necessary.

I relatively enjoyed my time with this album, but it was just pretty much 90s alternative rock, and nothing more than that. Nothing bad, but nothing absolutely remarkable either.

Just like the Neil Young I got before this, much of this album is exactly what I would expect from this. Not bad, not anything spectacular either, although I did enjoy it more than Young's solo stuff.

Well, I didn't hate this, but it really wasn't notable. Like stuff you'd hear on your local rock radio when it was feeling spicy and tired of other 90s rock.

I was suprised by how many songs I knew off of here, whether that be songs I knew as Johnny Cash songs or just didn't know were U2. Sadly, while I do like this more than Joshua Tree, still nothing I care for whatsoever. I just don't get the appeal of U2. I suppose at least everyone was right and they do sound different between albums. Not good, perse, but different, made it less monotonous.

Surprisingly good, but I should have expected that from an early 2000s rap album, they are always surprisingly good. Funky and every song flowed into the next so well. Really enjoyed my time, even if it was a little long.

Wow, this is not really soul, huh? I liked almost everything with this album except the main part, Cee-Lo's rapping. His voice just does not much what he is saying at all. The couple times he actually did sing were far better, but that was rare on this overly long album.

This album really peaked in the middle, with banger after banger, but the beginning and end felt a little same-y. Still very good though, glad to have finally listened to a full album by Jane's Addiction

Olive Garden

When I saw this album I had never heard of last night my first thought was "three star at best", but alas, instead this is probably my favorite album so far. Amazing how an album I've never heard of by a band I've never heard of suddenly becomes one of my favorite things I've listened to in recent memory. Just excellent. The falsetto was a joy to listen to and the energy the album had really scratched that "weird but catchy" itch stuff like Oingo Boingo, Jack Stauber, and even David Bowie hit for me. And the fact this is almost fifty years old makes it all the more impressive.

I originally wasn't going to listen to this album, as it isn't available on my streaming service of choice, but I thought that was unfair to giving this a fair rating, especially after I liked the last Cohen album I got, and while I certainly don't regret listening, I don't know if this one had as much of an impact. It was hard to take some of the songs seriously with the Jaw Harp in the background, and while some songs were enjoyable (I particularly enjoyed Story of Isaac and what I believe is the most famous song from the album, The Partsian), a lot felt very similar to what I heard on the previous album of his. Obviously, for Cohen lyrics are the most important thing, as it's basically poetry, but it is hard to ignore the similarities, such as the quick picking of the guitar. It sounds good, don't get me wrong, but it's very similar. I suppose we'll see what the other Cohen albums choose to do, still got three more.

Hmm... I can't decide between 3 and 4 stars on this one. It was so incredibly haunting that it was interesting to tune into, and some songs were certainly a joy to hear for the first time, but others felt a little overly long. The last song I still can't decide if I liked or not because it would flip-flop between making me feel different things so much it's hard to pin down. I think I'm gonna give it the 4 stars purely because I can recognize the pure art behind it.

I did enjoy my time with this album, but sadly it was another case of a lot of songs almost doing what I want them to, but not quite hitting that mark. I did enjoy a lot of the actual musicality of it, and almost every instrument switching from speaker to speaker was a joy, but the lack of a lot lyrics sometimes made the songs blend together, and I have no clue how I feel about that last song.

I'd like to preface by saying I have no clue why this album is on this list. It's the most steretypical rock album I've ever heard. My only thought was that perhaps it was ahead of its time, but it's from '83, so if anything it's behind it's time, so I can only assume it's because of the former Mott the Hoople production that got it on here. Other than that the album is alright. It's not like it's a bad album, just a boring one. Like a boring early Alice Cooper album. I'm still gonna give it three stars because I did find myself sometimes bobbing my head or just enjoying it, and the vocals are different enough, I suppose. It's a very light three, though.

I started this album thinking it was gonna get a 2 star for being just kind of a standard R&B 2000s album, but god damn did this album do whatever it wanted. I really love how experimental it was. We've got rap, R&B, drum and bass, experimental techno, whatever you wanna call "!!!!!!!", and just a really experimental album. Was it perfect? No, everything that was safe wasn't that interesting, but I really love whenever it would do something weird, made it fun. That upper review that said something about hating rap obviously didn't listen to the album, because it's far more than that.

Really not a fan of live albums. I could see why this is a must listen to, but nothing really stuck out that made making it live any more important to it's musicality. Just a lot of screaming. My favorite song was the middle part of the medley for the fact that people would just let the man sing. Obviously he's having fun with the crowd, having them participate, but it's not that fun for the actual listener. Seems like I'd prefer an album by Brown that isn't live, huh?

In my experience listening to this album, it wasn't really anything all that notable. I wouldn't say the songs really sounded the same, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what any sounded like moments after the song ended. Nothing here was bad, but even the song I liked the most, "Jesus", wasn't anything too special. I can see why others may say differently, though.

I genuinely don't get it, and I tried not to let my already present disdain for Clapton bother me, as I do try to separate art from the artist when I can stomach it, but that didn't help this album. Every dong sounded like exactly what you expect it to, hardly anything stuck out, and when it did, it was because it was just notable how much worse the song was compared to the original. I just don't get it. Sucks, because 1974 was doing pretty good as a year so far, but this just felt like a compilation of songs you'd hear on the classic rock radio and forget as soon as they stopped playing. Not impressive at all, and doesn't really make me feel like "well at least his music is good".

I had obviously recognized the album cover and band name because of Smoke on the Water (which I will say right now is far too overrated when there are far better songs on this album alone), but I never knew too much past that. This was just seen in my eyes as "dad rock" through and through. This was alright, though. I mean, nothing spectacular (besides that guitar, all of the soloes were wonderful), but certainly nothing bad, save maybe Space Truckin'. There were some times where songs genuinely surprised me with their quality, and I don't regret listening in. Will I be adding Deep Purple into my band rotation? No, probably not, but I still enjoyed it, in a middle of the road, one time romp, sort of a way.

Most of this album was pretty mediocre, and felt almost like a more pop-y R.E.M., but I did enjoy some songs when they decided to change it up, and the last song was really quite good. I think the album would've benefited from more soft spoken songs such as that one. Other than that pretty middle of the road.

This album was just nothing for me. It blended into the background really well once it started, and it only had me start listening a couple times throughout the album. Did I hate it? No, but the only situation I could imagine actually liking it is in the middle of playing something like Gran Turismo, otherwise I can't imagine dancing, or just listening to this.

I can't stand most 90s alternative British rock, other than Radiohead (yes that includes Oasis), so before I heard of this album I thought it would just add to the pile, but this was pretty great. A lot are mentioning influences like Oasis and Beatles, and while I do hear that, all I could think during was actually Smashing Pumpkins. Not only in his voice, but being able to rock out then reel it back in to really give the album some nuance. Not every song is a banger or anything, but this was still really enjoyable, and the last few songs were absolutely fantastic.

The beginning of this album had me worried, as while I don't mind talk-singing, it didn't exactly sound great in the first song, and then the second song was mostly instrumental, but it wasn't interesting instrumental. Luckily, the third song, Mama Roux, was actually pretty enjoyable, and I enjoyed my time with the rest of the album. I don't know if I think it's anything all too special. Even if this was 1968, I'm sure plenty of other artists were making music such as this, as it's obviously inspired by such. Forgive my ignorance if that's not true, though. But yeah, okay. Perhaps I'll revisit this album sometime to see if my views become more positive, as I could see it doing that.

You can definitely hear Brian Eno in this album, especially in the instrumental focused second half, but that definitely isn't a negative. Considering almost every vocal focused song is an absolute delight while a lot of the non-verbal songs are good at driving emotion as well, this is a quite good album, although I will admit the second half is less interesting overall. Not the best Bowie album but still excellent, because, well, it's David Bowie. This is a high, HIGH four stars.

Starting this album, I really didn't get it, as it just seemed like Pacific Rock from the era, and not much more, but the second half of the album, starting with Thoughts of You, really changed the album into something that felt a lot more impactful. His voice seemed like it genuinely meant what it was singing, and the musicality really showed through from that forward. It felt like the first part was like "Yeah, I was the Beach Boys, but these are my true musical abilities. It's a shame that he died so young and couldn't have a flourishing career, I truly think it would've only gotten better.

While I'm not as attached to this album as some others seem to be, I cannot deny that this album is excellent, or at the very least has excellent songs. Some of it is a little steretypical rock for my taste, but stuff like Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog are famous for a reason. No, the big surprise for me was the quieter song Going To California. I've never heard anyone talk about this song before, and it's probably my favorite. It's just so nice and calming, while still definitively having that Led Zeppelin flair. Almost reminds me of what I've heard from Zeppelin III coming into one perfect song. Album was great as a whole, though, not perfect, but deserves it's recognition.

Just kind of a punk album. A lot of it blended together for me, and while I didn't dislike it, I couldn't tell you much about most of it. Some songs were definitely better than others. Pretty much a straight down the middle sort of album.

I don't think I'm much of a Prince fan. This is the first of his albums I've listened to in it's entirety, and while there were a couple songs I liked, a lot of songs felt like filler. Really the whole album felt like a filler album, and that's a shame. I thought giving Prince a proper shot would change my thoughts on his music.

I actually know this album pretty well, as my mother would play it constantly as I grew up. Despite now questioning if this was the best lineup of songs for a child to be listening to, this album is excellent. The song has a great presence of punk that a lot of folk "punk" bands miss. It certainly feels just like raw emotions, and sounds good doing it. Are the lyrics questionable? Absolutely, but I'd say not understanding that that's the point would be a major disservice to this album. Every song just knows exactly what beats to hit when needed, and ending on a slower, melancholy note really wraps it all up. Just wonderful.

Far better than expected. I'm more familiar with Chicago's later work, and while 25 or 6 to 4 is an absolutely excellent song, the more and more ballads the less and less interesting. Luckily, this album had none of that, it was just excellent Big Band/Funk/Rock all around that also had some unexpected very experimental sound. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half, but it was all good, and if Jimi Hendrix thinks the guitar sounds good, then you're doing something right. Now if only the songs didn't go on so long sometimes. Not like they're repetitive, they certainly earn there length most of the time, but it makes it hard to imagine wanting to listen to them again when half of them are twice or even three times as long as the average song.

When I first got the album I wasn't interested, then I looked into it and became interested, but being done with it I was right to be uninterested. Was it bad? No, but a lot of the songs never really went anywhere for me. I'll use Radiohead as an example as Yorke does appear on this album, but a lot of their songs build up to a climax of some sort that's satisfying. This album does not do that making a lot of songs feel similar and not notable. The songs featuring Yorke were the best and the more calm paced songs came out better than any rock heavy song, but still not really anything notable.

Van Morrison should really stick with the horns section he rarely uses. It always sounds the best of all his songs. Sadly he instead thinks aimless guitar playing a yell talking counts as music and just bad poetry with annoying sound.

Just amazing really. The album may be short with it's amount of songs, but when the "worst" song on here is better than most other songs, you know you have created something basically perfect. I just adore this.

Relaxing, and the first album I feel asleep to, which no other album has even come close when I try. Not much actually notable about each song though.

This was actually one of the first albums I ever listened to all the way through without interruption, so I suppose you could say it holds a place in my heart of some kind. I mean, obviously it's a double album, but it's crazy how many memorable songs are on this album. 1979, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Zero, We Only Come Out At Night, Lily, and many more. It's just a really fantastic grunge album that has a lot of variety. I admittedly seem to like the first part more than the second part, but both have great songs and are a joy to listen to. Getting some good albums lately, can't wait for another line of stinkers.

Yet another case of a lot of songs on one album just not quite doing what I want it to do. That may be due to its short run time for a lot of the songs, but often they'd have a good backbone (especially with that bass) then just repeat it rather than building it. I know that's kind of how punk generally goes, but it's still disappointing. It did get better as the album went on, but it was still just okay by the end.

When the album started I was gonna be one of those people going against the pack, as with the first couple songs I didn't understand the more than four star average rating, but as the album went on I understood it a whole lot more, especially the last couple songs. Obviously Franklin's voice is magnificent, but as the album went on instruments came in to compliment the voice rather than just copy it and it became a nuch fuller album. Not perfect because of those first few songs, but I do get it now.

The nicest thing I can say about this album is it certainly sounds different, but that still isn't a compliment. It sounds like they took all the Samsung ringtones no one ueses because they sound weird and made beats out of them, but squeaker and more repetitive.

Man, horny 90s R&B is gotta be one of the worst genres, so in comparison, this is... better? Still not very good... Some of this album sounds good but then I actually listen to the lyrics and I start wondering how anyone can take this seriously, or at the very least not get uncomfortable, but most of the time the songs boil down to the same thing, slow beat, and lyrics about fucking at night. Nothing much else to see here. I've also now had to listen to two different versions of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" because of this website now, and that song wasn't really worth more than the one try, didn't really need a lesser cover. Can't decide between 1 and 2 star, but gonna lean towards 2 star for the sake of not seeming overly hateful.

I'm going to just go out and say I always thought this album was far too overrated. I mean, obviously there are some excellent songs on here that defy expectations of what a "pop" song can do, but then you have songs like "Fixing A Hole" that just come off as awkwardly paced and boring. I just always felt this was the worst of latter half of The Beatles musical career, and that includes Yellow Submarine and Let It Be, and that Magical Mystery Tour was just a better version of this album. Now, it sounds like I hate this alblum, but of course, a less than average Beatles record is still better than most albums in all of the history of music, and this album is no exception. A Day In the Life is fantastic, She's Leaving Home really shows that Paul just excels in more than just "silly love songs" and the beginning of the album until Fixing A Hole is hit after hit, really showing how important this album is. I view this album as an important stepping stone as to what we would see in the future, but doesn't quite hit that mark for me to be a perfect album.

I just don't think PJ Harvey is really my style. This is now my second album by her and while I did enjoy this one more than the previous one I received, this one still felt like not quite something I was dying to encounter in my life. I don't think it digs hard enough into it's anger for my taste, but again, I did enjoy this enough, felt more grungy and less simple alternative rock. Perhaps this one will grow on me.

Picture this: I start the album, and am greeted with a sick drum and guitar combo, I'm thinking this will be another Minutemen situation where I get a funky punk album I enjoy a lot. Now picture that all being ripped away ten seconds later, when the song completely changes to some folk punk that pales in comparison to bands like R.E.M. and Violent Femmes. The album isn't awful, but it never feels like it commits to the style, which I get would be a highlight, the variety, but despite this all the songs still blend together and only when that funky sound starts to bleed out does it get a little better, but nothing ever hits that high that those first ten seconds explore.

Similar to my last Stooges album, Raw Power, I didn't think all that much of this one. It was full of manic energy and most of the songs were pretty blood pumping, but most of them also felt more like live renditions of songs, with lots of noise but not much back bone. Works in a setting where you're jamming in some sort of crowd, but not sitting and listening in an office or car, like many are when they listen. Just can't see myself choosing this over different energy filled songs when I'm in the mood.

I saw electronic album and figured I'd be in for a bad time, but the year did give me some hope, and hey, this was far better than I expected! It did something a lot of later electronic albums seem to forget as time goes on, which is to actually do something with your time. If you're going to take up ten minutes of my time, at least have it go somewhere, and this one did, at least moreso than expected. Was it a little goofy sounding at parts? Yes, but in a good way, really feeding into itself. My only wish is that some of the parts were split up a little more. Not removed, but split up, as I really enjoyed the first half of Part 5, but the second half wasn't quite my thing, and it also had a pretty big change, like it was supposed to be two parts but they kept it one to have less parts. Overall, surprisingly good, and if people are comparing this to Eno, then I have hopes when I get to his ambient stuff.

A lot of songs on this album give off the feeling like they're building up to an absolute breakdown that would be in place in the cutscene of a video game before a boss fight, but that "boss fight" music never comes. If not that than it's just basic bossa nova. None of it is bad, just elevator music with flare, and I generally like "elevator music". I also think it's funny many are saying it gets better as it goes but some of the later songs made me laugh out loud at how ridiculous they sound.

I thought this one would be a little more definitively four star than it is, but it dtill earns it. Most of the songs are high quality and enjoyable, I'd just say some of them go on a little longer than needed. I do understand why the big songs from this album like Ex-Factor are the big songs, though. The skits at the end of some of the songs are cute and don't hurt the songs they are attached to like I was led to believe. Just a more solid than average 90s R&B. This should be the album getting the praise for this genre, not crazysexycool.

It's very obvious this album is meant to be listened to with a sound system where you can hear all of the instruments and sounds blend together. The issue is that as an album, it's usually preferential to build an album out of that, but still make it good without that necessity. This album, without that help, is boring. It is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, and I could understand liking these songs when you know them well, but nothing sticks. I wiuld struggle to tell you one thing about any of these songs once they're over. They usually have a good hook that never goes far enough to be catchy or interesting on a casual listen. Obviously an album can just be intended as a high art form where you listen from start to end with the best equipment, and that's the only way to listen, but that's hard to expect on a casual level. Again though, I did not HATE this album, there were parts I enjoyed, it just feels like something that went in one ear and out the other. I feel as though I'm being more aggressive than I am feeling, so it's gonna go right in the middle at three stars to show it is the perfect "this exists and is alright" album.

I have no clue how to feel about this album. First off, Ye, or Kanye West, is a certified crazy asshole. He always has been, and looking up to him for his personality, is questionable. That being said, after listening to this, I understand why this is some big event in rap and even in other genres. This album definitely sounds different than anything releasing at the time, and the sampling is easily the best part of the whole album in my opinion, which is actually one of my gripes with songs like Stronger from his earlier album. It has an energy to it where even songs I'm not liking get me enjoying it, it knows how to be a good album, and I cannot deny that. I do think it comes off a little egotistical, however. Both in the lyrics, which is expected, but also in the sound. A nine minute song where the beginning is single piano keys for the first bit? That doesn't come off as musically impressive, it comes off as full of yourself and thinking you can do whatever and people will call it art, and that's ehat people did. It's just so many pros and cons I gotta but it right down the middle. I will say the idea people found King Crimson through this album makes me happy.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME TWO KANYE ALBUMS IN A ROW?!! I see much more negative reviews on this one than My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, yet this has the same issues that one seemed to have for me, so I suppose we'll see. Okay, just listened, and man this is a step down, at least for me. I will say the pros is songs still get you enjoying them in the moment, so he still succeeds there, but nothing here sticks with me, and the production has not increased, in fact I'd say stuff like rather than clever samples and an orchestral sound we have this screech-y electronic sound with way too much autotune. Can I hear modern rap in this album? Absolutely, but not a compliment. It also feels worse as we go. Some of these lyrics are also pretty hilariously bad. This is Eminem's level of pun cheesiness for some of these. Just as self indulgent, but I don't see why this album gets that critique and not his other albums. I just don't know what to say. This is alright at best, aggravating at worst, but at the end of the day this was just unnotable. Perhaps if I was very into rap at the time of this release I would of seen the revolution being played, but all I hear is songs made out of dog barks are the drills in the car repair shop while a sex obsessed narcissist knows he can say whatever and will get a perfect score and millions of sales. Yet, I struggle to give this a 1 star. Truly an anomaly. I think it will indeed fall into that 1 star category though. I think fleeting memories of Kanye's work I do like will suffice for me.

Wait, the album with Hungry Like the Wolf, the most overrated 80s pop song of all time, is not only good, but really fucking good? The bass is so suprisingly funky, and not at all scared to hide it, unlike a lot of other songs in pop. Everything has such a good energy to it I was tapping my fee the whole way through. Man, and I thought I disliked Duran Duran. Time to give them a chance. Only dropping it to a four because the songs do tend to go on a little long, and as I said earlier, Hungry Like the Wolf is just straight up not very good in my opinion. But it's a high 4.

Okay, I saw electronic and 2000, and braced for at best a two star, but this is nothing like other electronic music! The consistent vocals and more ambient tone really made me feel like I was listening to a calmer song in Radiohead or Muse's discography, rather than repetitive dance music with no clear goal. Songs weren't overly long and I just really enjoyed a lot of this. Songs were similar but not repetitive, and it was just excellent all around. Super shocked by this one.

Man, this has the set up to be a good album, I like the instrumentation, and this feels like something I'd like, but that voice. I understand the back story and it's "unfortunate" (although it worked out for her so I suppose it isn't all bad) but the voice rivals Springsteen in annoying. It's comparable to if Nina Simone's voice was shakey and awkward rather than powerful and soulful. It just isn't enjoyable to listen to. I mean, it could be worse, none of the songs were bad per se, but they weren't good either. The best song was the final song, as her voice far more complicated the very harsh tone, but even that tacked on one or two minutes that really didn't feel the need to be there.

Just to be safe I listened to both all of the main songs and the songs marked "(Religious Overtones)" included with the version of the album on YouTube Music. I promise you, however, that these songs do not sway my opinion of the album. This album just is not good in my opinion. Was it good in the mid-50s? Perhaps, but it isn't enjoyable now. A lot of my issue with modern country is it falls into stereotypes rather than pushing boundaries, and that's something I always liked about the country greats like Johnny Cash. Sadly, it seems this album leans more into the "falling into stereotypes" side of things. Lots of songs are tragic, so the title of the album fits, but that doesn't stop them from being repetitive and almost whiney at points. As another review pointed out, a lot of the harmonies you would expect from a duo, are near non-existent, with both brothers just singing in the same tune for a majority of the album. The guitar playing is also very ho-hum. I did enjoy the (I believe) mandolin that snuck its way in there at points, but it hardly seemed to do more than lead into said ho-hum guitar playing. At best the album was boring and inoffensive, but at worst it was hard to listen to and somehow made three minute songs feel longer than five. If these two are number four on Rolling Stones' twenty best musical duos, I hate to see what's 5-20.

Best part about these older albums is how short the songs are. Makes them far more digestible. This album seems to definitely have some iconic riffs in it, as often a song would start then I would recognize it moments later. Issue is that you never expect these riffs to be a small part of another two to three minutes. I mean, nothing overstays it's welcome, but nothing is extremely notable either, past the before mentioned riffs.

Oh Prog Rock, the only genre where I see 10 minute songs and think "Cool!". Also, I didn't expect a band I know for much poppier sounds and members who make, again, much poppier sounds, to make such a banger of a prog album. Each song is super enjoyable and always keeps you invested, long or short. I wasn't expecting to love this album so much but each song brought something to the table I thoroughly enjoyed, and brings you back in pretty quickly if it starts to slip. Shame I got this album today when I just saw a vinyl for it yesterday; would definitely of bought it had I known.

As far as Bruce Springsteen's discography is concerned, this is my favorite of his I've heard so far, but that still isn't saying it's anything special to me. His voice is still harder to enjoy than praise, and while some of the inclusions of things like saxophone do heighten the experience, a lot of it just feels like that classic rock 'n' roll your great uncle would play at the family BBQ, rather than something to actually rock out to.

This was okay. It kind of reminded me of Jack Johnson's music. You know, the guy who did that one song for Curious George. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the best part of this album was the instrumental songs, as their sound was far more up my alley. Weird that this guy was in The Jam, from what I've heard this is nothing really like that.

This is an interesting situation for me, as my streaming service of choice does not have this album in full, so I had to go out of my way to watch a YouTube video with the full thing. Sadly, this is a little disappointing. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good, but I had pretty high expectations, as I quite enjoy what I've heard from Supertramp (and that's more than just The Logical Song, I swear), but this was just an alright album. Perhaps it was my inability to listen at a higher streaming quality, but it felt often like something that was almost there, but often went in the wrong direction for my tastes. Again, still above average, but I was hoping to walk away with an eye opening prog experience, especially after the suprise that was Selling England By the Pound, but it just felt like decent music, and nothing more.

While I've never really dived into the solo career of either Simon or Garfunkel, I do have some songs from both of their times apart from each other, mostly Simon, so I was cautiously optimistic of this album, and while this does indeed sound like Paul Simon, I don't fully understand what makes this more notable than any of his other work. Perhaps because it sounds more folky than most stuff releasing in '83? I just didn't see too much from this to be more than a three star.

If I had one genre that I actually can't find much to like about it, it would be pop country, and this album is just that. It isn't as egregious as what you may hear on half of the radio stations available while you're driving in the middle of nowhere, but it still really isn't good for me. Country is built a lot on the stories the lyrics tell, but none of these songs feel any more interesting than what you could hear on something in any other song, and the instruments, while I suppose "soothing" are repetitive. That country twang can only be added to so many songs before I start to become numb to it, and then it goes from being annoying to boring, both things you don't want your music to be. Could I see why people may like this? Perhaps, and it's year of release was around the time when country music was starting to transition from more of a blues and folk focus to something more like what it is today, so this is probably for that "revolution" in music, but I just don't enjoy it. If you don't like country music, this does nothing to win you over, but it's certainly not the worst album I've gotten, and the last two songs on the album show some hint of something that could be good. Too little too late, however.

This was alright, and it was interesting to hear R.E.M.'s origins, but it wasn't super notable to me. His voice hasn't really developed into what it's recognizable for, and it makes it stand out less. There's some good songs on here, but also some that don't stand out. Basically one step forward one step back the whole time. Still good, just hoping for more from later R.E.M. albums.

This was pretty alright. I mean, the lyrics haven't aged well, and some of the back beats are a little grating. But for everything I didn't like was something I did like. The amount of featured artists was astonishing and kept it fresh, and how apmost every song flowed right into the next was a feat I don't know if I have heard to this extent outside of something like a prog rock album. I probably won't come back to this anytime soon, and the lack of it being on any proper streaming service is a pain, but I did enjoy my time. It did go on a tad long, and with other things I'm gonna put it right down the middle at a 3.

Wow, I was not expecting this! How is this from the 90s? Let alone considered pop? Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but this never what I would picture if you said that. The voice is absolutely magnificent, and the orchestral backing is gorgeous. Are some of the lyrics a little cheesy? Sure, but I don't care, it sounds amazing, and while this isn't technically an "album", so maybe it shouldn't be on this list, but I'm so glad it is. Fantastic. Reminds me a lot of Nick Cave.

Recently my partner got this album, so it's fresh in my mind. Unlike my partner, however, who didn't like it quite finish to push it into the five star category, I think it clears the bar. Each song has this feeling of what made early 2000s rock sound really good, before it became to homogenized and relatively safe by the mid-2010s, and I'll say while the lyrical content isn't usually too crazy, songs like Michael feel very ahead of their time in discussing a topic like it does. Then there is of course the crown jewel, Take Me Out. Everyone knows this song and for good reason, the slowdown with the tempo absolutely makes it a bop-and-a-half, and that technical quality is through the whole album. This album and Is This It by the Strokes really felt like they formed the alternative rock genre into something amazing, and while it may have crumbled a bit, I still can't deny this album's quality and importance. It helps that it holds up. Two 5 star albums in a row, let's keep it up generator!

I enjoyed this quite a bit, although I do find the "longer" songs near the end started to drag the feeling of the album a bit, even if they were still telling compelling enough stories. I would understand why some would not like the song structure in Mitchell's vocals, often going for whatever, whenever, but I actually really enjoy it, with the falsettos often being placed in a way that make them satisfying rather than annoying. Just a solid album, but not perfect.

A serious contender for the best album of all time. I have heard this entire album plenty of times and hear the songs present often, and while I have pages I could write about the amount of amazement this album holds within, I worry that this may have a word limit, and so I will keep it brief in saying this is just immaculately made, and while nothing here is my favorite Beatles' song, many come close. Perhaps not my favorite Beatles' album, but easily the best, and no matter what a 5 star. One of the few albums that deserves the overwhelming amount of praise it gets.

Well, I didn't expect this to be as hard to decide what to rate as it did. I figured it would either be a case where I only liked Master of Puppets and the rest was boring (I already have had run ins with Battery and Sanitarium and I still think those are boring), but the songs I had never heard are suprisingly good. In an almost cruel twist all the best songs are the long ones, while the shorter ones almost always seem too long. Basically the whole album is high highs, such as the absolute fantastic guitar, and lows such as the honestly very subpar singing, which wouldn't be that big of deal but it usually makes up half of the songs run time (seriously, Orion was a godsend and a nice break before the finale), and for whatever reason the band acts as though it's just as important as the musicality, when obviously the instruments were the most impressive. It does feel far better though then the Metallica output nowadays, where they actually seemed like they cared about the music and not just because they were THE metal band. I'm just all over the place here with thoughts, and I'm gonna smack it right down the middle of the rating system, but my thoughts here feel more conflicted than a star system can really express. All I know is that as this was Cliff Burton's last album, I wish his bass playing showed through more. Throw a bass solo in there, you were willing to back in your debut! It almost feels like they're hiding it in audio remasters, but perhaps my listening apparatus of choice for this album is at fault.

The first song was okay. For two minutes. Then the next song was okay, for one minute. It didn't recover after that until the end of the last song, which I wasn't really enjoying after the four minutes I had to get through first. He sounded like Bob Dylan, but they music was just straight boring, and at times not good.

This one is interesting because you can still hear the bluesy influence in some of these songs, something that definitely phased out as the albums went on. Sadly, that isn't a great thing in my book, as blues isn't exactly my favorite genre. This album was alright, and I think Babe I'm Gonna Leave You may be my favorite rock-centric Led Zeppelin song I've heard, but a lot of this album felt it went on quite a bit longer than needed, despite it's small amount of songs. And while the guitar and vocals were excellent, sometimes there was just too much empty space, due to the blues influence mentioned earlier. Overall an alright album, but you can definitely tell Led Zeppelin only got better with time, at least in my opinion!

I am not looking forward to this. Scumbag who already makes middling music any way? I would just skip it, but if I listened to Kanye I should probably listen to this. What, the guy who made music like this is a terrible person? Color me shocked! I was actually thinking about a two star with this one, as I didn't mind some small parts of some small songs, and the production value is pretty good. It reeks of 90s, which if that's your thing, then here you go. But then it just kept going on and on, with no song really feeling that different from each other. Whoa, he screams a bit, then at the end of the song various background noises start happening that are supposed to be eerie and uncomfortable to listen to? It judt becomes mind numbing by song number 9. Issue is the album then goes on almost double that. I also soley blame this album for the people who have "no lives matter" bumper stickers on their 2003 Honda Accord, as if they think they're edgy. All of that plus Mairlyn Mandon himself makes this a pretty definitive one star. God I hate Nu Metal.

I feel as though I'm betraying myself a little bit, but I'm actually struggling between a 4 and a 5 star on this one. Obviously those are both good scores, but I figured going in this would be an easy 5 star. However, once actually listening I do have some faults, such as despite most of the songs being relatively short, it does go on a little long, making the "oomph" of the music lose it's touch near the end, and some songs just aren't very notable and blend together. I think I'm going to have to go with the idea this is a very high 4 star, but not quite that 5 star material. Perhaps one of the other White Stripes albums on here.

Huh, I disliked this more than I thought I was going to. I knew southern rock wasn't really my thing, but even though musically it's impressive, it's also pretty boring. Non of the songs really stick out that much, other than perhaps Proud Mary (but that's because I already knew it), and the yell singing done by the singer even starts to get a little grating. None of it was BAD per se, just not interesting or my thing.

Wow, this album I have never heard of in my life sure does have a lot of accolades, huh? Guess we'll see if it lives up to it all, but I have a sneaking suspicion it won't. It indeed did not, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Perhaps on a bad day this would be getting a one star, but I didn’t particularly hate anything, and the rest of the album was so nothing for me that the bluesy sounding song, a genre I generally don't like, was actually pretty alright. No clue why this is deemed so important in the world of music though, and that first song reeks of 80s, but not in the good way like new wave, but in the bad way, like "oh this is why music changed so much in the 90s".

This album rocked pretty hard. The sampling and the back beats were extremely satisfying, and sampling themselves and news stations talking about them is a novel idea that works really well here. Plus the topics being way ahead of their times on ideals, despite the controversy one of the former members was apart of at the time, which is unfortunate. Album is only getting a 4 because it does lose the momentum it had gained as the album goes on, making the later songs feel a little unnecessary, but this album was still an absolute joy. Probably my favourite rap album I've had so far, and excited for the other Public Enemy record on the list.

Wait, I actually like Iron Maiden? Like I thoroughly enjoyed this? But this is the band your one uncle (you know the one) likes. Am I become that uncle? Oh no. Any way, this was super good, and I loved the energy. Some of the songs fell a little flat, and with an album this short that's more of a hindrance than normal, but it starts super strong and stays strong on most of the songs, making it really enjoyable. Not perfect by any means, but still shockingly good.

Man, this is extremely sexist, but I can't help but enjoy it? Perhaps it's because I know by the next album the Beastie Boys were apologizing for the lyrical content of this album, but even after listening to stuff like the Chronic and the Marshal Mathers LP, this one feels even more apparent than those, even though it definitely comes off as more delinquent-y in this album than those. Just something to note before I praise the rest of the album. The absolute joy the (albeit cheesy) lyrics, the flow between the three, and the samples/beats really bringing it all together makes it super clear why this album is so important to rap, especially for the era. I could totally see comparing this to anything modern and laughing (as I said, it's almost childlike in it's attitude), but it really adds to the whole mood. Not to mention how many lyrics here I reference without even thinking about it constantly, just because they stick in your head so easily. My only fault here as mentioned before is the lyrical content, but it's such a stellar groundwork for more Beastie Boys albums to come that it certainly won't keep me up at night. It's also extremely good at blending genres, bringing in a lot of hard rock influences that I can only assume helped the album really take off, being the first rap album to be on the billboard top 200. I don't think this is my favorite rap album (I don't think it's even my favorite Beastie Boys album), but it certainly is very good. Very, very high 4 star. Would get a 5 if not for lyrics and perhaps not changing quite enough near the end (they kind of use all of there metal influences in one fell swoop in the middle). Both of these I think will be addressed in the other albums by them on this list.

Well, this should certainly help my jazz and 50s score, as I enjoyed this quite a bit! I knew I actually quite enjoyed jazz in the right style, and this more big band approach is definitely more up my alley. Each song pops so much and it's really appreciated how Count Basie let's his whole orchestra speak rather than taking the limelight like some other jazz artists I hear, it makes it feel like a full group. It does suffer from songs being hard to differentiate, especially at the beginning, but in the middle and end it tries to fix that a bit. I also don't usually judge an album on being an "album", as not every album is meant to be a concept album, but this one also does just feel like a collection of songs taped together, which while expected of the 50s, does still drag it down a little. Just a suprisingly enjoyable album, although unsure what kind of mood I'll have to be in to listen to most of this again. Not exactly driving or chilling music, and I don't dance. The last song may be good sunny day walk music, but as it's snowy where I am, may have to wait a little on that.

Huh, this wasn't quite what I was expecting, but also exactly fits? If that makes sense. I think this album was pretty in the middle. For the pros: the way each song is connected is phenomenal, it really makes it feel like such a tightly brought together album, despite the slight change in genres every now and then. The instrumentals are also pretty incredible, and I'd almost say this would really work as an instrumental album in it's entirety, but I'm guessing that's not what got this album such a high average score. As for "negatives", while his voice is impressive, I don't find it very notable, and it actually makes a lot of tracks a bit more of a lull. I also seem to be missing what makes this so important? Yeah, it sounds good, but it just sounds like a 2019 rendition of a style many albums throughout the decades have done just as well. I also don't understand how this won "best rock album", it's not really rock whatsoever, but that isn't this list's fault. It's hard to put into words my issues, but I don't see the fantastic album here. It's alright, and I can see why it's on this list, but I don't take much away from this as a whole. More power to those who did get something from this though, it's gotta have that high score for a reason.

Okay, I'll admit, maybe I'm just uncultured and don't know what I'm talking about, but this was awful. It isn't exactly "modern" pop (over a decade old!), but it sure feels like exactly why people say they don't like modern music. The ideas behind the album are in good faith, and the messages are okay, but the songs all sound pretty same-y, both in sound and in lyrics, and an over reliance on a heavy bass sound rather than any actual instruments really drags the songs down. This album also goes on far too long, with as I said, half the songs feeling like alternate versions of previous songs. Most of the featuring artists felt useless and in the background, usually in an annoying capacity (such as Drake's feature). The last song was sweet and probably my favorite on the album, but it didn't really recover the album at all. Just like Kanye West's "Yeezus", this may have changed pop music, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

Oh, awesome, modern pop country, my ffffaaaavvoooorrriiittteee. I'd first like to say I'm under the belief lyrics, while important to a song, are usually a backseat compared to the instrumentation, otherwise it would just be poetry. That being said, the lyrics in this are awful. When they're not cheesy they're just bad. "In Tennessee, the sun's goin' down, but in Bejing, they're headin' out to work", what the fuck does that mean? What does that have to do with this love song? Yeah, timezones exist, good job Kacey. It doesn't even rhyme within the song, which I would excuse as an artistic choice, except the very next two lines rhyme with each other, so obviously it wasn't that. There's other examples all throughout the album, but when your first song has a lyric that makes me burst out laughing, you probably don't have the keen-est sense of writing, and there's probably a reason most pop singers don't write their own music anymore. Another thing is the actual choice of genre itself. It's pop country with light sprinklings of more electronic-esque genres, but that isn't used in any interesting capacity, they just usually are either a light backing track that aren't notable enough to talk about, or start the song, hoping one of these songs will actually sound different, before switching back to pop country about five seconds later. This pop country is also aggravating. It's the worst of country, never really committing to the genre, which is fine by me because modern country is pretty awful in my mind, but I agree this is more pop music than anything. Bad pop music, that is, because none of this has the goal of pop music, which is to be catchy, and I don't remember these songs two seconds after they end. How do you make a song called "Space Cowboy" boring? Or "Velvet Elvis"? There's just really nothing here I enjoy whatsoever, and the amount of modern pop albums I could understand being on here compared to this makes this even worse. Is it as bad as a male lead vocal modern country song? No, it isn't about trucks and beer, it can attempt something more interesting, it just doesn't stick the landing whatsoever.

I've never spent the time to really listen to Rush, but my significant other considers them their favorite band, so I've been exposed to various songs by them for years now. So, after finally giving one of their albums a full listen, I've got to say I'm super impressed. I mean, it was slightly in good standings already, as I knew Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight, and to a lesser extent Red Barchetta, which makes up more than half the album (number of songs wise), but I enjoyed the stuff I didn't know as well. I will say none of the songs really hit me with a strong feeling like other Prog Rock songs do (other than YYZ, that song has always, and will always, be one of my favorite instrumental pieces), but it was still all super solid and it's hard to say an album is anything but a five star when each song is good. It's a light five star, as I don't think the new songs will stick with me unless I give them a few more listens on my own time, but still a very good album I'm happy to have heard.

This was pretty good, although since it's very, VERY obviously meant to be dance music, it doesn't really jive with most of the other albums on this list and how you may listen to those. Some of the instrumental songs become background noise only a minute in, and the songs with vocals, save for one or two, are usually very simplistic. Again, this is all exactly the point in the context of the album, but I can't see myself listening to most of this in any moment of my life, other than a random shuffle. Still good enough to get into the four star range, but this is really in it's own category.

Wow, I was worried at first, but as thw album just went on I loved it more and more, then I went back and I loved the songs I was initially questioning, and the whole album really clicked for me. It's really interesting, as I hear the 60's sound people say they here, but I also hear some music that would come from the 90's britpop era, but like, not bad? It's hard to explain, but I encourage if you think this album was close to clicking with you, listen again, it was really lovely, and I think this album is great. Can be a tad whiney at times in the vocals, but it doesn't detract past a small part of a song near the beginning.

I absolutely adore Darlene Love's voice, it's magnificent, and I assume that's why of all the songs on here, hers are the ones I know the best. Sadly I'm not as crazy for the rest of the album. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), specifically this version, is one of my favorite songs. It's a shame it's produced by a murderer, but considering he doesn't actually sing in any of these (although he does talk like a weasel near the end) and it doesn't detract from the album. I think I would've adored this with just Love, but instead we'll have to keep it in the middle. Still pretty good for a Christmas album, I'd say. Also, again, very funny, giving this on Christmas. It's like the Queen Is Dead all over again.

Suprisingly good, but I did know Kendrick was this amazing rapper, and I even planned to listen to Pimp A Butterfly in my own time at some point, but since this came up before that, I get to experience this first. I think it's funny how many people say these lyrics are "offensive" in the review, as if this isn't an autobiographical album. Media literary isn't people's strong suit, I guess, but considering one of the one stars gave the Kid Rock album a 5, I don't know if that's all there is to it. Any way, I just found this to be a really good album. The flow on a lot of the raps were super satisfying, and the stories they tell are far more engaging than most other rap albums in my opinion. I don't think every song lands, and the longer songs do stretch a little thin, but things are still top notch. I will admit, I was not ready for the beginning of m.A.A.d. city to unlock memories of Vine, so that was weird.

Y'know, I look at this album after listening and think how much of an album this is in the "walk by without thinking about listening" spectrum, which is really a shame, because the contents inside are excellent. The violin's ability to go from scretching to being absolutely gorgeous at a moments notice, or the piano appearing sporadically to aid with the Vibraphone's more mellow sound, or the bandoneon really partnering with everything else to create this great album. Yes, the songs do go on a tad long, and I could understand why someone may find this more boring than anything, but just listening to the wide range of emotions really lets this one spread it's wings and be absolutely fantastic. Perhaps not music for a Sunday drive or a workout, but music for the point of listening.

Ah, yes, the album that I knew before I knew anything about rap or hip hop culture, while I didn't know it was all the way from back in 1994, I knew when seeing the album that it was important. And... it was okay. Kind of boring? Like, the flow with wach verse was crisp, but I wasn't extremely engaged with the words being said by halfway through, and a lot of the beats were simple. I could understand how this stripped down production could still be enjoyable, but this really does feel like "90's Rap Album" without much more to read into. The album is still alright, but not much more than above average.

Damn, I really am gonna become THAT uncle; first I enjoy Iron Maiden, and now I think this was pretty good too. I do have a few problems with this album to keep it from that five star, though. First, some songs do tend to blend together, especially in the middle. Axl Rose's voice, while impressive in range, can get a little annoying when he is doing his higher range, and finally Paradise City. Just in general a bad song in my opinion. So, just a pretty good album with some issues, which I suppose is exactly what I expect from late 80's hard rock. Slash's guitar playing is crazy for a (famous) debut such as this. Sure, the hits from this album are annoying now, but it's still crazy the amount of songs from this one album that get that treatment. Even the big boys don't get that

While I'm not a fan of blues as a genre, and this did not change my mind in anyway, it was more enjoyable than the average blues album for me. I really liked how snappy it was, never really lasting longer than necessary, and the crowd wasn't annoying like some other live albums. I just think this was an alright album that is dragged down by my dislike of the genre, pretty much putting it right in the middle.

I completely understand how important Buddy Holly is to music, and it is interesting to think if he would've continued to be this huge influential presence without his passing, but in the real world, he was. So, why is this album so non-interesting? I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong. Nothing here is bad, and some of it is relatively nice (extremely short and sweet), but most of it goes in one ear and out the other. It's pretty much middle of the road for it's good sound but lack of intrigue from a modern eye. It isn't like I just dislike this style of rock, there's plenty from this era that can become an earworm, but this isn't it. I think my significant other will like it way more, though.

I'll start by saying it's super smart to start the album with an explanation of the music style, that way listeners unfamiliar with the instrument and style can perhaps understand it a bit more by the first "real" song. That being said, this is kind of extremely boring. Am I missing the point? Absolutely, I was listening to him in that first song, after all, but as the top review seems to imply, I feel a boatload of substances are needed for this to be anything I'd want to go out of my way to listen to. All the songs are unnecessarily long, and nothing ever sticks in my mind after even just a minute. I feel bad saying this, as with George Harrison being my favorite Beatle, I should be living it up with this album, but I'm not. I don't hate it, none of it sounds bad, but I don't really care, and will forget I even listened to it by tomorrow's album. I can hardly even remember the album's name.

I do enjoy this album. In fact I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it took about halfway through for that enjoyment to really kick in. I mean, the first song had a such good energy to it, and then the next few songs just felt like the same level of energy? Like, to the point that everything was blending together. It wasn't until about halfway through where it felt that each song knew it's proper placement a bit more. The slower pace of a couple songs, or the rapidly changing energy is something that the early parts of the album would've really benefited from, and would've in my eyes pushed it to that 5 star range. Will just have to settle for pretty good, I suppose.

Plenty of genres in here, yet they all sound pretty similar? I suppose you could call that both a success and a failure, depending on who you ask. This was okay, but most songs fail to do much more than the surface level presented, and it makes a lot of songs just alright. Certainly not a bad album, but I don't see myself putting this on again. Certainly not what I was expecting though, I thought Adam Ant was more new wave pop-ish than this.

I've known the first two songs off this album for a solid chunk of my life, so I'm curious to see what I think of the rest. There was this fainting familiarity with some of these other songs, but it doesn't matter too much because I know them now! Man, this album was awesome. Sure it was kind of generic but the riffs were nice, the music never got grating (something a lot of classic rock causes for me) and I was jamming most of the way through. I only wish this album was more prog-ish, because you can totally hear that in there with some of the songs, but it doesn't really go for that. Amazing album regardless.

Man, I have no clue what to think of this. This is both extremely interesting for it's time period, and at times very good, then randomly they just pull the most... peculiar choices, such as cutting the audio in one speaker in a way that sounds like it's connected wrong. No matter what, I can't say I hate this? Perhaps it is indeed better on drugs, but if music is only good on drugs, I don't know if that really counts as "good".

Ah, the White Album. While it may not be the best Beatles album, it is a high contender for my favorite LP of there's, if not favorite album in general. It even sports what is perhaps my favorite song of all time, Julia. The album starts with, while not my favorite Beatles song, a great start to an album with hugh energy necessary for the ninety-three minutes ahead. It then flows perfectly into Dear Prudence, which is just super nice and calm, and I think of all things Rock Band really nailed in the visuals, adding color to the formally monochrome gameplay as the song heightens the sound. As we enter Glass Onion I remember thinking how I disliked the song for being a little to self referential, but I've grown to like it with this re-listen. Perhaps it's due to the focus on the severely underrated Magical Mystery Tour LP's songs. Next is Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, which is not that bad. I think people only hate it because John said he hated it so much, and it grew from there. It totally goes for the energy it sings about and nails it, and I think it's a great test to see if someone can just enjoy a happy song. This sentiment continues with Wild Honey Pie, which is absolutely hilarious, and is short enough where it isn't a bother. The first song that does actually irk me is The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, which chorus does grate me a little on so many repeats, and the vocals on the rest of the song doesn't help, but this is totally forgotten by the time you're getting into the opening notes on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is a rare moment where despite being a famous song, absolutely earns it and does not lose any luster because of it. The absolute emotion coming from both the guitar and Harrison's voice speaks volumes to any listener, and is in my opinion one of the few times Clapton earns his recognition. We end the first side with Happiness Is A Warm Gun, and it's range from the beginning of the song to the end is such an impressive range of understanding how to write a song that it is an absolute joy no matter how it sounds. We start side two with a jolly song about a dog. How a song about a dog can be such a lovely tribute is astonishing, and may be the perfect example of how much McCartney truly loved things in his life with this joyful passion that sometimes other Beatles members feel too cold to take advantage of. I'm So Tired, while the weaker of the Lennon sleep duology, is really good at stripping back it's sound to let it stick in the listener, and to also build up the sound as Lennon sings "A Little Piece of Mind". Blackbird shows that McCartney once again is an excellent song writer. The guitar on this is fantastic and I've yet to hear a cover that recreates it just as well, and the vocals suit it perfectly. Not McCartney's best guitar focused song (how can you top Yesterday), but it is still amazing. We do next have a tad bit of a stinker in my mind with Piggies, which is a rarity for George, but this song has never worked for me. The harpsichord sounds too dainty, and the vocals almost sound drowned out by the orchestra at times. Perhaps a stripped down version would be up my alley more. Rocky Raccoon probably has my favorite outtake of any Beatles song, and tend to listen to more than the original, but this only makes me somewhat fresh-faced for this re-listen. I think it does an excellent job telling this simple story, something certainly not rivaling Dylan's storytelling, but just fun, which fits for once again Paul. The Old Timey piano hits this sweetspot for me that I think the harpsichord in Piggies was trying to go for. I may all be bias though, as my name is in this song. Next is Ringo's only song that he wrote himself other than Octopus's Garden (which George helped with anyway), and I should hate this, as the fiddle can come as annoying and Starr's vocal talent is less than ideal, but I don't. In fact, I quite enjoy this. It has the same energy some of the goofy Paul songs from earlier bring, while completely showing Ringo should have truly been a country music singer, and just so happened to be in the most famous rock band of all time instead. Why Don't We Do It In the Road? really shows that vocal talent I love about McCartney, and shows some of that not silly love song energy from Paul we'll see later with Helter Skelter. Paul gets a completely contrasting song right after with I Will, just a completely relaxing piece that is that silly love songs that McCartney fans, including myself, just adore. The little background instrumentation that happens is severly underrated in this piece. And then we get Julia. Dear God Julia. It's just so gorgeous. We have John just singing his soul out to his deceased mother Julia, who while their relationship is certainly... "interesting", it doesn't detract at all from the pure love in this song. The vocals, the lyrics, and the guitar playing just feel the most authentic the Beatles have ever and did ever feel, and while John has never been my favorite Beatle, he does earn my top spot for the song by a Beatle. I would write more, but I want to cut myself off now. Perfect way to end side two. Side three starts with Birthday, which I'm sorry but this song isn't that bad either. It is the perfect song for what the song is about, and Paul sounds genuinely more excited for my biethday than I have ever been. Just feels like an older Beatles tune, but if they didn't have to write about love for once. In my opinion this nails what Back in the USSR tries to capture. Which is of course why it is led up with John saying "Yes I'm Lonely, Want to Die" to really bring you back down from that pleasant high. A very bluesy number, which indeed makes this a song I'm not too crazy about, but that riff certainly sticks in your head, and those repeated lyrics I already mentioned are an excellent line to show people who don't know the lesser known Beatles discography. To pair with Julia we have McCartney's Mother Nature's Son, a very melancholic song, which feels like something you listen to while laying in the grass. Just so light and airy, and the orchestral brass giving it the weight to keep it tied down to earth. Not as emotional as Julia in my opinion, but glad this made it over of Child of Nature (especially so Jealous Guy could make to Imagine later on). What I would say is somehow the most forgettable song on the album is Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, which other than John belting out the title, I completely forget the sound of after hearing. Not a bad track, but nothing crazy, and totally doesn't earn that ludicrous title. With Sexy Sadie I remember thinking it sounde reminiscent of a Hunky Dory era Bowie song, but I have since noted the actual influence in Radiohead's Karma Police. This used to be one of my favorite songs on the album, with it's 50's style doo-whop type sound really sticking in my mind and the piano focus only taking a backseat for the guitar in the chorus (save for that enchanting guitar ending) really feeling great to hear. Then Helter Skelter starts. Now, this song has been in my concious for years and years, so it's nothing new, but this seems so crazy for 1968. I'm not about to say the Beatles solely invented metal, because that would be really narrow-minded, but the raw power on this track is stronger than the album Raw Power. We end side three with another Harrison song, Long Long Long to really round out the semifinal part of the album, which is just a heartfelt message from Harrison, something he is quite good at doing. We start the final part of the album with a taste of what is to come in just a few songs. Luckily this one is far more casually enjoyable. While I don't like this version quite as much as the high octane rendition the original presents, this is still a good head bopper that really feels from it's era in a good way. Shoo-bops and all. Speaking of songs alluding to other songs, Honey Pie is sorely underrated, often being undermined by it's far weirder and shorter sibling, when it deserves to be a highlight of the album. The way once again Paul just shows a true love of the music he is making really presents an enjoyment rarely seen in the music industry. It's almost criminal that the show tune style this song goes for is not given a chance more often, as it really gives it this nostalgic feeling while still being thematically relevant to the lyrics presented. I like this kind of music indeed. Savoy Truffle is a track I always thought when I first went through the entire Beatles discography was a McCartney track because of how bubbly it is, with the horns really adding to the song, and the food allusions really just makes it so groovy to listen to. With Cry Baby Cry, which I was saw someone say was the most British song ever, is enjoyable on it's own, although a little simple, makes an excellent choice of adding a snippet of Can You Take Me Back at the end to have relaxed sound after a slowly building up song. Perhaps it's good to have to prepare for what's to come. Now Revolution 9 is... well, it's bad. Is it super experimental, and thus perhaps impressive for the time? Definitely, but it isn't enjoyable to listen to or even dissect, as it's been done to death. It's boring at best, and extremely uncomfortable most of the other time. It's coolest thing is how it messes with the audio channels, but the actual song presented should never be listened to as a song, and is definitely something I consider a sour point on the album, especially so close to the end. Luckily we get to end on an extremely peaceful note, with Ringo using his suprisingly soothing voice to basically sing as all a lullaby and bring us back to peace after that... experience. It's no wonder he went on to narrate Thomas the Tank Engine for a time. The sweeping orchestra really makes me adore this one too, and is a perfect placement and a perfect send off to this fantastic album. Now, this album does obviously have small issues, but there's so much fantastic stuff here that it really destroys any negatives this album may have, and makes it what I consider a near perfect album, and certainly good enough for the 5 star. I love this album, apparently enough to write something about each song, something I've never done and may never do again, and I just really appreciate getting to listen to this all again in one sitting, haven't done that in so long, and it really made me remember why I love the Beatles so much. Once again, fantastic album.

As someone who listened to Muse over Radiohead most of their life, I had always heard Muse was the rip-off band, among other things. Personally, I don't hear it that much, other than both being alternative rock bands that tend to use electronic sounds, so space rock. That being said, this album is still alright. I mean, it's nothing too crazy, and I knew most of my favorite songs off this album before starting (Subterranean Homesick Alien, No Suprises, etc), so nothing was too big of a revelation, but I still enjoyed it pretty well. It certainly is claustrophobic and hits what it's trying to do super well, almost like being stuck underwater, but in a good way.

I'm almost surprised how high of an average score this album has, and it's not really that high. Two nearly thirty minutes songs doesn't really seem like most people's cup of tea, but I suppose the beginning of the first song is an iconic theme in film, so perhaps that's what's bringing it up? As for me, I think it's crazy that this was written and played in its entirety by Oldfield at the age of just nineteen. That's a crazy age to be attempted to write something this influential, let alone succeeding. I'm not sure how to rate this album, however, as my usually rating system doesn't really work on an album so long yet with only two songs. I do really enjoy this album though. I don't think it's perfect, there are small parts that are either boring or a tad weird (what's up with the Korn-esque growling in the middle of the second part?), but I think the musicality of it is often very nice, and there were parts I genuinely would want to listen to over and over. The downside is I can't see myself listening to the songs anytime soon, due to the length of each song. Still, very nice. I think this would be really nice on a calm evening drive or laying in bed at night.

This has got to be the most severe case of so close to something I like but not quite making the mark so far, and I'm not even sure why. My only thought could be is perhaps I wanted the songs to change a bit more as they went on, but I didn't really have that issue while listening. I think it was just a simple case of a song not really doing quite what I wanted it to. It was alright, I certainly don't regret listening to this, just wonder if there's more to be had with this Jane Weaver's other work.

With less than 150 albums even generated, I have finished all of The Doors' content that is on this list of albums. This album actually had me worried at first, as it almost felt generic in the first half, save for what is perhaps my favorite song by The Doors, Love Her Madly, but similar to the Dennis Wilson album, the second half of this album came in clutch to earn it four stars. However, I thought this one would be my favorite of the three, but it's probably my least favorite, as some of the songs lack that style The Doors had in past albums. Definitely still pretty solid though.

Man, this album was not good at all. Like, Witchy Woman was alright, but the rest was either at best a poor man's America or at worst god awful country rock with no variety or depth. I would give the little bit for the small parts that were okay, but of course they're also obnoxious about music streaming and make it impossible to play the only okay song on the album within the album itself. Nah, fuck this band, I knew all they were good for was Hotel California, and this album doesn't even have that radio fodder.

Similar to David Bowie's Blackstar, this is a very fitting "final album, even if it isn't technically his last. It just feels so emotionally driven and his voice is absolutely haunting, bringing it all together is the orchestral sound. While I have enjoyed what I've heard of Leonard Cohen's guitar playing, having instead a hard hitting orchestra makes his words have so much more depth to them. I was worried I wouldn't like later Cohen due to the voice change, but if anything this may be my favorite one I've heard so far. It only misses the mark for five stars because some of the songs do go in one ear and out the other, or sound too similar to another song, but that hardly hinders this cool thirty-six minute album.

Suprisingly good, albeit pretty childish at times. The flow and the beats are super satisfying, and a lot of the songs do stick in your head. Only issue, as mentioned, is the lyrics can be so vulgar they're hard to ignore at times, but otherwise very good.

This feels like a really good idea executed very poorly. Metallica and even the crowd often overpower the orchestra in sound, causing them to become background noise you forget about. Perhaps if it wasn't live this would be a lot more impactful, but the constantly cheering crowd is never not slightly heard in the background, and really bothers the sound for me. The intro with Ecstasy of Gold really feels like the most self indulgent thing ever, too, get over yourself. None of my criticisms are towards the orchestra itself, of course, they did great for what they could, and maybe S&M 2 would sound better, but no way am I trudging myself through another two hours of a live metal album anytime soon if I can help it. I'm sure this was awesome live, but the only thing keeping it from the lower stars, despite my pretty negative reviews, is the rare moment when a song works, or when they do something original to the concert so the crowd isn't screaming all the words.

It feels and seems weird that there is a modern band on here with an album that's a compilation. What makes this any different enough from other compilations, and what makes it more "allowed" than stuff like Queen's Greatest Hits or Changesonebowie? Besides that, this album was... fine? Really generic 2000's punk. Certainly not pop punk, but the complete lack of difference between songs, and this supposedly being the "best of"? Not terrible, but not impressive.

A really awesome album that was ahead of it's time. Not much more to say about it for me. It doesn't quite hit the 5 star mark because a few songs aren't all that notable for me, but it's short, sweet, and a really high four star. We're talking super high four star.

Extremely strong start with the first few songs being all absolutely great, but the spark does seem to find a bit in the middle to near the end, with Mamunia Picasso's Last Words being pretty boring. However, the final song is a pretty great bop and ends the album on a high enough note to ensure a four star. This album was very good, but I still wish Ram was the Linda and Paul project that made it to this list.

This is a weird mix of pretty generic meh 60's rock and some absolutely great songs, such as Thoughts and Words. I was expecting this to be a little more country than it was, which was a nice change of pace, but I'm going to have to be reasonable and say that the album overall was pretty mixed, earning a three star. Seriously though, Thoughts and Words rivals the Beatles in quality.

You know, after the name of the artist and the album itself, not to mention the slightly off-putting album cover, I was expecting a much more hard to listen to album than the one I got. This was a pretty joyful album all things considered, and while a lot of it was background noise, it was pretty enjoyable music. Perhaps this is heightened musically on something like LSD, but it's still pretty nice without it. Nothing amazing, and a lot of it forgettable, but I don't regret listening. I suppose just throw it in with other 90's electronica.

A natural progression of the Beatles formula, and in my opinion the first time you can hear what is to come with albums like Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, etc. It's interesting how all over this album can be quality wise. Like, there's songs like Michelle and Girl, which while being very much like older Beatles songs, feel like a deeper understanding of that style of music. You also have songs like Drive My Car and The Word that really just feel generic and boring. Finally you have songs like Norwegian Wood and In My Life that sound like what's to come more than anything. It's just a situation where for every bad song there's three great songs, but those bad songs still sour the music, leaving to be unable to grasp that five star rating. Still a must listen for that transition period, and still has some fantastic songs (Girl being in my top three Beatles songs), but every Beatles album has good songs.

The worst parts of The White Stripes (which are rare) combined with the whiney-ness and "not knowing when to stop a song"-isms of Marilyn Manson to create an album that started out already at a two star and just got worse and worse. I had decided one star by the time we got to the nine minute song that was just a combination of the song before and after it for a twenty minute "epic" that just was repetitive and boring. Perhaps this should be a two because none of this was awful, per se, but as my partner taught me: if you find yourself turning the music DOWN as it goes on, it probably isn't your thing.

Often when listening a song would start really strong, with all the instruments hitting pretty hard and grtting you pumped, and then that mope-y voice would start singing. It's certainly not a bad voice, but it feels so dainty that it takes a way a lot of energy that the songs often try and have. Obviously there are songs that work around this, with stuff like the Scientist being actually pretty good, but most of the time it almost goes for this sound with a "get up and fight" attitude yet no actual punch, and Clocks is just awful, but that's definitely due to overplaying and it just being plain boring.

I'd like to think I like Run-D.M.C, but considering many of their songs I have are from later albums, so I was cautiously excited for this album. Sadly, a good chunk of this album is a little hollow sounding, with lots of empty space and the flow of the rapping often being choppy. Obviously that's because it was very early in the genre, and I respect it heavily for that, but albums only a couple of years later in the genre don't have that issue. There are a couple songs without this issue, such as Rock Box, but then the other issue is the length, with most of the songs opting for an instrumental for long periods of time, or just ending when it should. This is close to something that's good, but the cheesy lyrics on top of all of that makes it something I'm not crazy about.

Seemingly not available on my streaming service of choice, so YouTube it is! How is this hardcore punk album, something that is supposed to be pretty "out there", one of the most nothing albums I've gotten? It didn't even give me the honor of being short like some punk albums, just kind of being normal album length. I mean, this wasn't awful, but it sure was what it was trying to be and nothing more. I understand why it's on the list, but... yeah.

I recently saw someone call Foo Fighters "surprisingly safe radio rock" which I assume stems from the prior band Dave Grohl was apart of sounding not too similar to what Foo Fighters outputs. However, I would say it makes complete sense if you look at the music Grohl actually chooses to engage with. He may play the drums more intensely than the average band, but the man cried about the newest ABBA album, so I think he's a bit more sensitive than just "the heavy drummer should only make the heavy music". I know sensitive is a silly word to use, but you can kind of feel it here, since this album was pretty much solely made with the intention of being a sort of therapy after Kurt Cobain's passing. I think later Foo Fighters could get away with being called generic rock, but I think there's enough here for this to seem like a genuine effort. Having songs like "Weenie Beenie" sound the way they do gives off a Nirvana-esque energy, and having something like For All the Cows just two songs later, which is a completely different style tells me it's at least not all generic. I will admit there are some songs here that go in one ear and out the other, but I think this is more than just a pay check trying to be made.

An absolutely amazing voice that is sadly restricted by some pretty generic songs from the era. Certainly not bad music, but it's hard to really get into music that if anything sounds like something from the late fifties. It's a shame, because there are some musical hints of greatness and definitely would've evolved had there been time to do so.

Not only is this a situation where my streaming service of choice doesn't have this album available, but it also hits my other usual case of everything on this album being super close to something I like, but because nothing quite gets there, the whole album falls flat for me. It doesn't help I already don't like Britpop, despite what some of my favorite albums may say (why is Franz Ferdinand Britpop?), so this really just isn't anything for me. Not bad enough for a one star, certainly, but still nothing crazy.

Other than their first album, this was the only Simon & Garfunkel album that I knew nothing from going in, so I was intrigued going in to see what I would get. This is the first album in their discography on this list, so I was also intrigued to see why this made it over Sounds of Silence. In the end I think this a pretty good album with some snags. There is quite a bit of variety for something from '66, and there is quite a bit to enjoy. I think some songs here are just not very notable. Other songs, such as the final song, are very strong sounding, but aren't something I imagine wanting to go back to. Overall I enjoyed my time and will be giving this a light four. You can think of it more as a 3.5 if that helps you sleep at night, if my score seems more positive than my review.

Why is this marked as Country and that's all? There's a lot more going on here than that. This was pretty good otherwise. The starting songs were easily the best of the album, with some more good songs peppered throughout, but still pretty solid, was expecting to dislike this more than I did, though. It has this feeling of "meh" resonating from it.

Man, this really is just an "Ocean of Noise", huh? Really not good, and the addition of a member being an assaulter? Man, easy to hate this. It's pretty funny that this bad mix of Mumford & Sons and Modest Mouse is on here three times, yet nothing by either is on here. Not that I'm dying for Mumford & Sons to be on here, but all this feels like to me is indie rock with too much of a budget.

This is kind of weird to listen to after just listening to this same man coming to terms with death just a few weeks ago, so the whiplash of this 80's cheese is a little goofy. Certainly not bad, but hard to get into, as the words don't much the artificial sounding music, unlike the guitar playing of earlier albums or orchestra of later. I have to give credit that a lot of similar singers were struggling in the 80's, such as Bob Dylan, but perhaps if I looked at these albums of Cohen's all as purely poetry they would all be equals.

I sure as Hell won't become THIS kind of uncle. I draw the line here.

Well, that wasn't as bad as I was expecting my second Costello album, with me originally thinking one was enough, but this still wasn't anything special. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's alright, or it wouldn't be getting three stars, but I really don't see what some see in this album. Just was boring most of the time and a lot of the good bits were a bit covered up. Only saving grace is it feels a bit more like its own thing, where I can see where someone may start to say "I like Costello because of this!", but not totally for me. Would rate lower, but I'm feeling nice, I guess. Very low three stars.

I always had this visual of Jimi Hendrix that was endless guitar solos and pretty so-so lyrics, but after this, I was blown away. When the (pretty much) first song comes on and it's soulful the way it was, and then songs afterwards kept being different genres with their own flaire, it was just consistently enjoyable. It was a bit long winded at points, dragging the score down a little, but I'm now even more excited for the other Hendrix offerings on the list.

Well, this was an interesting listen for sure. I'm usually not a fan of the random garage rock esque playing of the more Avant Garde style of music, but there was certainly stuff here that I enjoyed. The story of "The Gift" kept me legitimately enthralled for the whole eight minutes, and stuff like John Cale's voice was very enjoyable, which was surprising after really only knowing Lou Reed from this band. I mean, this has a lot of issues, definitely, so don't mistake my praise for enjoyment, a seventeen minute song is almost always unnecessary, and this was no different, and not much was actually notable, like a case of trying to be too artsy with no real direction, but I could definitely see the enjoyment here. Gotta give it right down the middle, but I will admit this is perhaps my closest to the four stars of all my three stars? I'll have to fact check that for myself, but it seems right to say.

I'm usually not a fan of country music, and in my opinion the 80s were when the genre really started pushing that "country pop" I oh so loathe. However, Dolly Parton is a treat of a person, so I won't dismiss this instantly. While the harmonies and vocals were impressive, the album left a lot to be desired. At best, it was pretty okay but less than notable country music, but it often dipped into either hard to enjoy 50s era country, or was very generic 80s country, the exact that I figured I would not enjoy. There is enough here to keep it out of the one star, but I see nothing here to make this album notable, save for vocals that are outdone by other singers or Parton herself on this very list.

I actually just recently listened to this album for the first time a few months ago, and I loved it, so we'll see if that love sticks for this re-listen. I must admit, after re-listening to this album, I think the honeymoon era for me is over with it. Its still extremely good, don't get me wrong, but I don't find myself wanting to come back soon after this recent listen, and am satisfied with fewer of the songs overall. Once again, still a really good album, but not quite as perfect as I once thought. The songs present are really good at making your head bop around during, and the vocals hit this perfect blend of being unique without being annoying. This may have dropped from a five star to a four star album for myself, but I still enjoy it deeply, and must state this is a high four star.

Well, I always thought I vaguely liked Kiss and their weird mesh of genres, but apparently those songs I do like are flukes, because this was pretty bad. The album started pretty good with the first song, but past that it was generic and boring. It's a shame, because considering Kiss is usually seen as glam rock, I bet this will drag my score down for that sub-genre, which I figured would be my favorite by the end of this.

I am sorry to say I couldn't get as in to this as I thought I would. I mean, the hits definitely earn being the hits, but a lot of the songs aren't the most notable in the world. Like, this definitely is enjoyable in the moment, but past that I tend to forget them. Until then, its pretty middling.

Suprisingly good. I liked the White Stripes-like music and the nicer poppier stuff was nice too. Only thing holding it back is the weird moaning in a lot of songs. Hard to take that seriously.

God I hate Green Day. Almost all of their famous songs either sound goofy, cheesy, or rip-off another song. You can argue that "songs sound like other songs" all the time in music, but Green Day does it so much that they constantly get called out for it, and that obnoxious voice only detracts from these iconic songs. Now, I will admit most of these rip-off songs are not on this album, but that doesn't excuse my hatred of this whiney ass band. So, let's just say I'm not going into this album with the most neutral mindset of these pop punk shit. Alright, this isn't any better. His vocals still suck, and knowing almost every song in some way just made me know right when it started I hated it. And why, oh why, is a punk album, what's know for being short and sometimes sweet, have multiple way too long songs. I realize they are usually multiple songs in one, but they are always listed as one, so they shall be punished as one. Just awful. Have no clue why pop punk is such a popular genre.

This album is mildly hard to rank, because I feel as though this supposed to be some sort of otherworldly experience judging from the composition and lyrics, but considering I'm as sober as a judge right now, this album tended to be a little boring. I really enjoyed Part 1 of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and knew this before going in because of my significant other and Rock Band, but the rest of this felt pretty samey with some bright spots shining through. There were some musical effects that had hairs on the back of my neck tickling a little, but otherwise an album that's certainly just okay.

I've known about this album for years now, and after finally hearing it, I understand why this is such a standout part of hip-hop and rap. Lauryn Hill impressed me as an artist earlier in the list with her solo album, so I was looking to enjoy this too, and it delivered. I would even say I enjoyed this more, with the little skits not being as intrusive as in that album. The only thing holding this one back is its overall length, with some of the songs feeling almost like filler, and are obviously lesser compared to some of the others. However, great album and I wish someone had forced Killing Me Softly unto me sooner.

I'm starting to think I'm not much of a Wu-Tang Clan sort of person. Both this and when I scanned through 36 chambers were pretty unnotable to me. Perhaps I'm being too hasty, as I said I only scanned through one of them, but I found this pretty boring.

I've seen people say this is a "love it or hate it" sort of album, with quite a few people on this generator going for the "hate it" route, but quite honestly, I've neither. I just think this is alright and really interesting, with a sort of folk-psychedelic vibe going on that may be annoying at times but really works at times. There are times when the hard acoustic guitar, such as on "Swift as the Wind", goes really well and sounds great, with the dreary vocals adding to it. I just fail to understand how this apparently the fifth worst album on this whole list, as it reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd's first album on here, and yet that has a almost a whole star on this album. Guess it just goes to show that artist bias is most certainly a thing. You know what? This gets a 4, it may not have earned it totally, but it won't move the number too much any way, and I wanna help it get up a bit.

An album that really feels like it ushers in the sound of 90's pop and R&B music. The issue is that isn't really a good thing. The cheesy synths and the "we need to make the world a better place" lyrics really don't do much for me.

I had gotten Belle & Sebastian's album Tigermilk a bit ago on this generator, but knew of this album from my partner's love for it, so was hoping that may enjoyment from their prior album would just be heightened more in this, and it absolutely was. It is hard to explain what makes this album so enjoyable, but the melancholy feeling with the easy listening really are heighted with the almost "locomotive" feeling of some songs, while knowing when to reel it back to really make the album feel fuller. It's just a feeling that isn't quite folk, alternative, or anything else, but its own thing that is really quite enjoyable. Excellent listen.

Her voice is great, don't get me wrong, but this all sounds the same, and that's over three hours of all the same. That's ridiculous, and the fact that this is a compilation hurts it more. Lots of songs where words are rhymed by adding "-a" at the end, and that was annoying. Just an annoyed experience, overall, and her voice saves it from the dreaded one star.

Hmm, this one is kind of tough to rate. The songs were nice and pleasant, but I never really felt as though I was getting into them most of the time, and there were small things throughout the album that were annoying more than anything, such as Charles Coleman's laughing throughout the whole song, or when Makeba's singing was muffled by herself via saying certain syllables. I really can't ignore the impressive vocals, however, and I didn't outright dislike anything, so I think it'll go in the middle with a three.

An album that starts absolutely fantastic with Roundabout, then lulls around for a bit, but brings itself back by the end for an album that while certainly not perfect, feels like a solid little package. Nothing elevates above that opening song, though.

The supposed birth of the metal genre as we know it today, and its first song really tells you that. While I do enjoy this more than Paranoid, which I got a couple weeks ago, this still suffers from guitar solos that feel as though they go nowhere and lacking substance. I think there's a lot more to enjoy here, with it feeling more like a metal album than their follow-up album, but I still struggle to praise this too much. N.I.B. may tie with Sweet Leaf as my new favorite Black Sabbath song, however, I really enjoyed that.

I really love the variation in this album. You'll be getting a punky jam at first, then a new wave bop, and just moments later a ballad, all with really excellent singing and instrument playing. I mean, listen to those meter changes on Tattooed Love Boys. The thing holding this record back is perhaps a little too many instrumental only parts and a couple songs that aren't that notable, but this was super ahead of its time in pretty much all fields.

The very essence of "in one ear and out the other". None of this was bad, per se, but other than some cool switching between audio sources, there isn't much here.

An album that's great for driving, with high energy and the vocals not really mattering. However, once you actually sit down and listen, it does seem to lack any nuance that was on similar albums from the era. Certainly good if you just wanna jam, but runs out of steam quick on an already short album.

It's been a little bit, but I think this is an example of an album that will really grow on me if I ever were to re-listen to it, and that feels pretty likely. It's pretty crazy that this was 1988, as you can really hear the coming musical wave in this album. Considering they have two albums on this list from BEFORE this album, I'm curious what they'll sound like. Sometimes this album does just sound like noise, and that can be annoying, especially since it's relatively long, but I think overall this is a really solid package.

A pretty un-notable singer-songwriter album and not much more than that. This album had an issue I hear for Joni Mitchell albums a lot where the songs seem aimless, but at least with Mitchell there is something there musically and vocally. This kind of reeks of 80's. Not in the way new wave does, but more like just in its boring production values that just feel like they're missing something, so songs can start to feel very much the same. Only saved from a one star because nothing here actively made me angry or annoyed. Most media I'd rather be angry than bored, but that does not stand with music, because this at least did not offend my ears.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Blue, but I still liked this well enough that I'm not worried about the other Joni Mitchell albums on the list. I can only hope that I still haven't reached the peak of her music. I really adored Blue Motel Room off this album, though, may be my favorite song of hers, just not enough here to raise it to the four star rating.

I really feel like an asshole saying it, and I wish I had gone into more in-depth thoughts when I said it for Miles Davis' "Birth Of The Cool", but all this does is remind me of Olive Garden. It certainly is easy listening, and the bass has some really impressive moments, but otherwise this is dreadfully boring background music. Perhaps if I were actually there it would be one thing, but otherwise this is just long and repetitive, only saved by it having its enjoyable moments peak out.

I genuinely don't understand how Supergrass (or Franz Ferdinand while we're talking about it) could be considered Britpop when Britpop is so awful yet these albums shine so spectaculary. I remember when I got In It for the Money I was genuinely surprised how good it was, but this is even better. No song here is filler, and the shock of knowing a song, that being Alright, without actually knowing who it's by was a good kind of whiplash. Just genuinely super enjoyable. There may have been a small dip in the middle of the album, but not enough to hinder the album at all.

Honestly, I don't really get this album. There is something there, and perhaps Pavement other album on the list will sell me on that something, but this felt aimless at best and extremely mediocre at worst. The thing putting this album in the 3s despite all this negativity is how many times a song just barely didn't click, making it feel like there is a version of this album out there I enjoy much more. An alternate life, perhaps. All I'm saying is it makes sense why I had not heard of Pavement before now, despite the genre of music and era.

You know, Led Zeppelin IV should be the be all end all of classic rock, and a master class in turn. So, why do I like this album all the more? The acoustic sound, the vocals really sounding more emotional than ever before, and the bluesy parts becoming there own just clicks something for me the other two Zeppelin albums I've listened to have not done. Excellent album, I'm in shock right now how much I liked this. I mean, there's definitely parts that don't really amaze me, but songs like Tangerine and Since I've Been Loving You have made up for in spades. Not sure yet if this should be a 4 or a 5, but I suppose you'll know when you're reading this.

I feel bad giving this a three, because my partner quite likes this album, but this just felt like generic grunge. There were some moments here that stood out a bit better, but I forgot it as soon as it left my ears, and had to remind myself what songs sounded like pretty often. Nothing here is bad at all, just kind of boring.

I was listening to this album bobbing my head while also thinking the whole time: "I hate this". A head bob is a head bob though, most have got me enthralled enough.

This is my first introduction to Bob Dylan for a full album, and I have a feeling this isn't the best example of the heights this man can reach. This wasn't bad at all, but a lot of times it felt like a call back album, not something from the late 90s. It wasn't particularly innovative or interesting, and was really only saved by a few of the songs working with his voice, which I can see why its considered grating here. A completely middle of the road album at the end of the day.

It seems like until the Beatles came around (I'm not just attributing this to them) a focus on the voice was all that mattered, and it leads to a lot of songs from the era to sound impressive vocally, but missing something deeper. It is easy listening, certainly, but it's extremely surface level. I can't necessarily blame the album for that, but it doesn't change how I feel about it in the (currently) modern age. Another down the middle album with this one.

I absolutely love that you can think you know what you're expecting when you go into a Nick Cave album, yet get totally thrown off guard every time. This album's first part was pretty good, but The Lyre of Orpheus was only excellent from start to finish. It is a double album, however, so I must rate them as one, and that leads to a four. Seriously, though, that second half is glorious.

Man, why is punk always so boring? I just don't get it at al- wait, I actually like this? My partner just listened to this and said it was pretty boring, but I enjoyed my time with this album, even if the voices did annoy me a little sometimes. I can understand why this is a pretty important start, and enjoy it enough as is.

First David Byrne/Talking Heads project I've gotten on this generator, as well as my first time actually listening to a full album, and it does not disappoint. I never realized how funky this could get, and the fact that this is so ahead of its time comparatively is just awesome. What an excellent album, looking forward to more.

I've tried to stop referring to other reviews in my reviews, as it feels less like my own opinion when I do mention it, but I feel as though it should be mentioned here. It is interesting how much people seem to hate this album for "shoving this movement down my throat". Now, there are plenty of good points within all these reviews, such as the amount of short interludes, or the lyrics leaving a bit to be desired at points, but I question why what I assume is a twenty-something white dude thinks this album is for them, or is trying to specifically tell THEM the message. This album felt a lot more like a love letter to black people for black people that also can be enjoyed by everyone, so viewing it as just "another piece of the BLM cog" and nothing more seems really ignorant. There are plenty of issues with this album as is, so why do you think writing a rant about BLM or any other black protests is gonna make you look like anything more than racist? Who knows, though, perhaps I'm wrong. As for me, I quite enjoyed this album. I agree the lyrics are a bit repetitive, but the musicality of it is really satisfying most of the time, and the just overall positivity of it was a nice refresher after so many of the albums on this list trying their hardest to be the most "nothing matters" shit and nothing else. I'm sure the score of this album is dictated more by politics than the actual thoughts on the album, and that seems like exactly the issue that people should realize as they write their rants on this random generator hardly anyone will ever see. Anything to get those likes and feel validated though, right?

The first couple of songs reminded me of The Avett Brothers and other folky stuff of the modern age, so I didn't hate that, but everything else afterwards felt like it dived hard into the the country music part of the genre, and they all blended in together, to the point where I was getting pissed off. Plus, it's way too long, which doesn't help at all. There's also the whole thing surrounding Adams that makes this a pretty easy one star. No clue how there's another album by him on this list.

When I first saw which Queen albums were on the list, I was kind of shocked, because most of the picks certainly weren't the big ones but after listening to this album, I can kind of see why this was picked over others, as this feels a lot more like an fully realized album, rather than just an album of attempts at the next hit maker. That does benefit that album, feeling pretty consistent throughout, and enjoyable in such. Nothing crazy amazing, but very good, looking forward to Sheer Heart Attack, as I assume its more similar to this? Perhaps not, we'll see.

I'm a sucker for an accompanying strings section to an album, it was one of my favorite parts of Lronard Cohen's You Want It Darker. So, considering this is also a singer-songwriter album with an orchestra tied to it, I did enjoy this. It was pretty mellow most of the way through, so it wasn't like something insane was in here, but it was still pretty enjoyable. Considering all of Drake's discography is on this generator, guess we'll see hoe it improves as his career goes on.

I do not have an inherent issue with live albums being on the list, but man do they like to have parts that are too long for their own good. Now, I know that's the point, you want a long show to keep you entertained, but in listening it often is just boring, and there's no exception ere. It does not help this is my first album by The Who, so not a great intro, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it more when we get around to the studio albums. For now, we're tied to a pretty mediocre live album that certainly had its charming moments but otherwise is a weird addition. Must be big, though, as I see it at every record shop I've ever gone to.

I feel like I'm going to get every 90s electronica album before I'm even halfway through this list, but at least this one was standable. Extremely boring, but standable, dare I say alright at certain points. Again, though, nothing notable, and I just keep getting confirmation that the 90s is the worst era of music.

I shared with my Bob Dylan album in the 90s that I thought I'd enjoy older Dylan more. Turns out I like, at least this album, less. A lot of it is draining to listen to overall, and while not a long album, it certainly feels long. There's parts here I do like, but I hope I do find something to enjoy out of Dylan by the end of this venture. Been sitting with me for a moment, and I'm actually bumping this up to a very VERY light 3 because the final song is actually quite enjoyable. Still not better than I hoped, but it helped a little.

Man, what is that singing on the first song? It's nearly appalling. In fact, this whole album is kind of torture. It's so BORING. Usually that'd be a two star, but this album has zapped motivation from me for the rest of the day, it was that bad. Haven't had an album that boring since all the way back with my first one star. God, I'm falling asleep just thinking about it... zzz....

It is pretty crazy how quickly rap as a genre grew, as just five years before this rap was sounding pretty simplistic (in my opinion) and this album sounds a lot fuller in its sound. Sadly, the album still feels pretty dated still, not necessarily lyrically, but in its sound it reeks of 80s in a way that's hard to enjoy. Other than the album is pretty enjoyable, but the length is also pretty unnecessary, as I'm still waiting for one of the hip-hop albums on this list to not far exceed the cool forty minutes I feel most albums work best at.

Absolutely gorgeous. I was a little wary with the first song, but the album pulled me in extremely quickly and rarely let go. It is an utter travesty that this is unavailable on any steaming services, because I want to listen to this constantly.

Hey, one of the recently put on the generator albums, glad to see the missing ones are getting in here! Usually with an album like this, at this point it becomes common place for me to think not much more of the album other than being "Olive Garden music", but the fact that the vocals here are so pleasant really elevates this album a whole bunch for me. There are a couple times the saxophone appears a little too long for my liking, but it hardly hinders the album whatsoever. I completely understand why I've heard such high praises for this album.

Blah blah, excellent voice, but can the music actually be interesting? Put a guitar teang here, a generic country music sound here, throw in an okay Beatles song, and let's top it off with a Shel Silverstein poem for good measure. Just weird, but at least it's short, and I don't dislike everything here, I just wish someone in the country music genre realized they all sounded like each other.

Whoa, this is crazy ahead of its time. At least, it sure feels like it. The electronics add to the music rather than detract, and man is that bass playing really satisfying. I actually love this album. It's just experimental enough without sacrificing the music to really bring me in. Sure, there's some weird circus-y stuff, but it hardly detracts it for me, in fact, I think it adds to the charm. Shame this is their sole album, would definitely binge their discography otherwise. I love how well it eases from psychedelic rock to baroque pop to ballads while all sounding like its own thing. Reminds me of what I've heard of the later Kinks but more rock heavy. Again, just crazy ahead of its time.

I actually quite love Damon Albarn's other musical project, Gorillaz (which only has one album on this list, somehow?), and would call it one of my favorite bands. Despite this, I've never really dug into Blur as a band, save for Song 2, which I think everyone knows. I was intrigued to finally hear a full album, but my partner had gotten a couple of their albums already, and not thought much other than being better than average Britpop, so my expectations weren't set too high, and after it was all said and done, I'd say it's okay overall. It certainly is better than most Britpop (not Supgrass though), but it is overly long and often times a song will start with something I like then not do enough with me. Very quantity over quality feeling. None of it bad, but if this is the definitive Britpop album, then I have to ask why other Britpop albums like to change what they're doing comparatively.

When I got the album Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo, I thought it would sound like how this Wilco album does. Man, is this slow, boring, obnoxiously twangy, and way too long. After a while, I started to become numb. Glad they moved away from the alternative country stuff as they went on, as this certainly didn't do any favors for what I thought of Wilco.

I kind of got the picture by the first song. Sure, it was pretty jazzy and catchy, but I would probably never go out of my way to listen to this again.

Some really cool ideas and pretty decent songs buried under trying to do weird things with pretty much every song that usually ruins a song, where a minute or two of a song is usually used up to build on the next song or just make noise. The album is also overly long, with some things repeating for seemingly no reason. I can't help but like this a little bit, but it's definitely a type of album that's been more so surpassed by internet music artists such as Jack Stauber.

The first song was energetic and enjoyable enough, and I liked it more than I thought I would, but then the album kept going. None of it was bad, but certainly not for me, and an eight minute song to top off the album just felt unnecessary. Just not really my genre unless in very small doses.

I always wanted to listen to this album because of its album cover, but I held off for one reason or another. Glad I finally got to listen to it, as it was really enjoyable. I did enjoy the more avant garde style of the first half than the pop sound of the second half, but overall still really enjoyable. Can definitely here where Rundgren's production style comes from. Also, Dogfight Giggle sounds like a song from Yumi Nikki, so there you go for the .1% that read this review and know what I'm talking about.

What is with rap albums and feeling they need to make their albums so long? Even the ones I like can usually shave a solid twenty minutes off the run time. Otherwise this album is alright. I like the lyrical content, and it is indeed pretty funny like many here say, but there's something here keeping it down, probably the length, honestly. Pretty average otherwise.

Definitely mom music, but some of the last couple songs, Million Years Ago and All I Ask, with just her voice and an instrument really blew me a way. I wish the whole album was that personal, but instead they mostly went the mid-2010's pop production style, and it really drags it down.

I thought I'd like this one more, but with each song going into one another, it flows so much I can hsrdly tell songs apart, and makes everything blend together. Doesn't help when some songs use the exact same backing music as well. It was alright overall, certainly some good stuff, but it left a lot to be desired. Right down the middle with this one.

Certainly funky and groovy enough as an album, although it does go on a bit much for my taste at points, which was normal for the disco era, I suppose. Perhaps it would be better to listen whilst dancing, but not today, please. Otherwise, alright.

Listened to the UK version, as I believe that was the intended album for this list. That means no Paint It Back, sadly. Overall, this was better than the other Rolling Stones album I got so far, but it definitely uses the best material early on, with it never really recovering from the needless eleven minute song. I could see why one would like this, but it still feels like it's set in its ways as to what rock was in the era, rather than evolving anything. I've gotta be missing something, I'm sure, but it does only confirm more for me that the Beatles vs. Rolling Stones argument makes no sense in a modern lense. Totally different things going on here, in my eyes.

Hey, I was just talking about these "guys" with my Blur review! I much prefer this project to that one, but I never really gave their first outing a fair shake, much preferring the 2nd and 3rd proper LPs. Those aren't on the list, though, so... this one was pretty alright, although I thought I'd be more confident in the four star I'm giving this. Obviously very enjoyable, but you can tell there were times when they were like "what if we did a song with this?" and never expanded it past that. That certainly has its place, but it can feel aimless here. Still, the stuff that is good is really good, just wish this isn't all those new to Gorillaz had to work with on this Generator, as this certainly isn't their best work in almost any aspect, save for a representative one or two songs most people already know any way. Man, I sounded way more negative in this review than I really thought. Basically, Gorillaz good.

Hmm... I can definitely see why this is influential, being basically post-punk before the punk movement had even really fully taken off, but I find it mostly either boring or annoying, with only snippets of an enjoyable album peeking from behind. I could totally get why someone liked this, but not really for me.

No, it's okay guys, he watched 21 Jump Street. Actually, I'm shocked, but I quite liked this. What happened between this and Yeezus that went from something so good to something so... Yeezus. Any way, this was pretty great, nothing amazing, but satisfying flow and great beats. Only some songs where my dislike for Kanye started to shine through, but that ego definitely wasn't fully developed yet.

I actually liked this more than I thought I would, as this is definitely the kind of music my father likes to listen to (as well as The Avett Brothers, if you wanna really see the duality of man) so it's almost oddly nostalgic. That being said, this isn't what I would call "good". Most songs sound the same, and while there is definitely technical abilities on display here, none of it translates to anything I would find worthy outside of a mosh pit. Probably fun on Guitar Hero or in concert, but not exactly for while catching fish in Animal Crossing, y'know?

I was expecting this to be more up my alley than it was. I mean, it was alright, but some of it blended into music you'd here at a Mexican or Cuban restaurant and not much more. The only thing sticking it up there for me is the more folksy sort of sound present in the latter half of the album.

Watching the fine line when it comes to art pop of making a song that's enjoyable to listen to and still interesting is hard to walk, and in my opinion, this album fails at it. Often it feels aimless or like it needs to throw anything and everything in at once without really sticking with me. Definitely angrier than expected, and that led to some manic parts I liked, but it was definitely wearing thin by the end. It does make me curious about her 90s album on the list, as I can't imagine it's too similar production wise. Or perhaps it is?

A glam rock album? With a Christmas song (in some versions)? With a high register singer?! AND THE LEAD SINGER COVERED A SPARKS SONG LATER IN HIS CAREER?!? I haven't listened yet but this may line-up to be quite the hit with me. While certainly glam, we're talking Journey and some hints of Queen more than Sparks, which was obviously my hope, but I still enjoyed this a bit, even it was hard to place this album and its sound. We were going pretty hard rock one moment, to showing remnants to what was to come with the emo wave of music, and then just straight up the most steretypical 70s glam metal, thirty years late. Either way, it's enjoyable enough to be barely a 4, it definitely helps that it's a shorter album, making the parts I disliked more being swift. The highlight was most certainly the lead singer's vocals when he chose to use them in just the right way. Again, a very light 4.

I was a little concerned that I just didn't get it with the first few songs on this album, with them not doing much for me, but Sir Duke and onward it was off to the races, with very few songs to slow it down. There are quite a few songs here I can't imagine I'll come back to too often, hence the four star, but otherwise an amazing album with some fantastic songs on here, such as the already mentioned Sir Duke, as well as Another Star, As, Summer Soft, and quite a few more. I'd say had the album trimmed the fat a little this would be a solid five for me, but as it stands still really good and I'm looking forward to the other albums present on the list.

I was optimistic about this album, because my partner seemed to really like it, but this is kinda generic at best, save for one or two instrumentation parts. A couple of the last songs certainly picked it up, and Hot for Teacher has an awesome intro plus I quote "I brought my pencil! Give me something to write on," all the time, so I'll give it a really light three, but disappointing for sure.

I absolutely love how focused on the bass is in this album, often being the main part of a song, and it makes it so even the songs I don't like as much are still fun to at least bop your head to at various speeds. I was worried I would end up not liking this album too much, as I got their second album already and I figured they had honed their craft more at that point, but this was far more enjoyable. I liked the manic energy that I assume spawned from the punk influences, but the dreary sound makes it so each song doesn't really sound the same, which is my main issue with a lot of punk albums. A really solid four, and I imagine re-listens would only help its cause.

I thought an album less out there than White Light/White Heat would be nice, but I actually feel it benefitted the album, as this started to blend together. There is enough here to be nice and enjoyable, though, as I do quite enjoy songs like the last one. I also like the idea of The Murder Mystery, but that nine minute run time makes it far less digestible. A light three with this one.

It is actually pretty amazing how similar this is to my album from yesterday, The Velvet Underground, and how it's that sort of Psychedelic Rock that never goes too far out there. This album, just like that one, I think would've benefitted from some more out there performances and more use of the female singer, as all the best songs are performed by her. No matter what, this was better than what Jefferson Airplane would be turning out by the mid-1980s.

A really strong start with 2 + 2 = 5 that lulls for a good chunk of the middle before coming back with an excellent last few songs. I can see the idea with a lot of the album, with a lot of songs building up to one part, but this one part is not given enough room to breathe, and the song feels cut off most of the time. I think the album would actually benefit from less songs, but make them like seven minutes long, as I can here things that are predecessors to the longer songs by bands like MGMT and Tame Impala, but the songs here are far too short. Those last four or so songs are doing so much heavy lifting for this album that it gets a light four.

Song from the hit 2005 animated film Robots and fourteen other hits! Pretty good, love the piano in here.

I knew hardly anything about The Kinks before starting this generator, with them just being one of the other British Invasion bands for me, but as my partner got a couple albums by them and showed me a few of their songs, I really fell in love. It is just so creative and charming compared to the rock 'n' roll focus still happening at the time. Obviously, The Beatles were also at their creative peak, but that doesn't stop The Kinks, and especially this album, from really standing out. Really looking forward to their three other albums on this list, as this one was awesome. Shame that the leads of the band seem to be twats at times, but that doesn't matter here!

Damn, the generator went from giving me none of the Beatles stuff to almost all of it in the same 100 albums. Anyway, this album rocks. I've always said Abbey Road is the best album by the Beatles, but this is the BEATLES album, if that makes sense (and White Album is my favorite). Just the amount of musical innovation here that was overshadowed by Sgt. Pepper shortly after really goes under-appreciated due to it in the modern eye. Sure, Eleanor Rigby is the beginner's song for getting into the deeper Beatles discography, but are you jamming to the dissonate chords in I Want To Tell You? Obviously, no gate keeping here, like what you like, but basically, this album just has everything for everyone. Want rockier stuff? Sure! Ballads? Hell yeah! Weird trippy shit? Gotcha covered! It just is such an excellent thirty minutes that happens to have the smudge that is Doctor Robert, and that's okay! Even the punching bag of this album, Yellow Submarine, is too iconic and jolly to dislike unless you're too far up your own ass. I'm partial, personally, to I'm Only Sleeping (the better of the Lennon sleep cycle duology), Here, There, Everywhere and For No One. God, I didn't think I liked this album this much, but writing this reviews makes me feel I have so much to say here, that I'll cut myself off. Easy five stars, though.

I really love this chamber pop style, which is the same reason I went against the tide and gave A Short Album About Love by The Divine Comedy a 5, horse lyrics and all. I really don't understand why people take music like that so seriously... any way, Coles Corner! I don't love this as much as that album, but this is still extremely good! I just believe it may have gone on a tad long overall, and some of the more guitar heavy songs weren't nearly as enjoyable as the more orchestral sound of the rest of the album. A lot of it reminds me of less so Sintra like a lot of people are saying and more so Roy Orbison if his voice was lower and not quite as vibratto-y. Any way, still very good, just maybe too big for its britches.

I had hopes as the album started that it would be something that I would like, despite the country and punk influences, due to the era and some snippets I heard before, but this album just gets progressively worse as it goes on. The fiddle isn't the issue, it's the barrage of sound this album presents with no real weight behind of it. It gives it a "band playing at a music festival you don't wanna be at" vibe, that is only saved because it never is offensively bad save for the one or two times it absolutely zapped my motivation in the moment. I do think my sister will think this album is amazing, as she loves everything going on here, so thanks for that Mekons, someone is getting something out of this, it just isn't me.

Y'know, I was gonna call this more rockabilly/jazzy Ziggy Stardust, but considering Bowie himself calls this album Ziggy goes to America, I can't think of a more apt description. Really excellent range of songs here that is brief but extremely enjoyable and still undoubtedly Bowie-esque. I love when this album gets really out there for the era, with stuff like the opening guitar for Cracked Actor, and when Lady Grinning Soul closes the album I know no other bliss. Not my favorite Bowie album, but still absolutely excellent, which seems to be a common belief around these parts.

Certainly not music you'd hear in Olive Garden, unlike the other Miles Davis album I've gotten before. However, I would of vastly preferred that over this noise. Is me slamming on a piano for ten minutes really count as a song? Sure, if you want, but why would you want to listen to it? I'm certain this album is purely being carried by the name(s) behind it, because otherwise this is awful. You're lucky if you hear even a minute of something that sounds vaguely organized, or even listenable, and the fact that there is an hour-and-a-half of this in this album just makes it all the worse. Maybe I'm just too dumb to realize how "amazing" this is, but it genuinely sounds like at best a sound check, at worst: toddlers. Makes me angrier just writing this review.

Call me a prude, but this album is kind of gross. I feel like, while embracing this sort of stuff is important, and acting as though human-beings don't have urges is gross, but it being this on the nose with not a lick of nuance in sight makes me just roll my eyes when I hear some sort of allusion to sex for the billionth time an album, and don't even get me started on what the back of the album and the inner sleeve look like. If not all of that, then covers a plenty. Overall, the album is okay, but most of it is forgettable or dated. I imagine when people say they dislike new wave, this is what they're imagining. Very light three.

Similar to the Simon & Garfunkel album I got prior to this, this album is realistically more close to a 3.5 than a 4, but considering I cannot do that here, it shall be rounded up. I enjoyed the overall vibe of this album, although not every song hits the mark for me. It is a huge benefit, however, that the album is pretty short. It makes it a brief and enjoyable experience I could see myself coming back to and re-examining as something I enjoy more.

This album had a lot of moments within songs I liked, but not whole songs themselves. I think a big reason for that was how horny it was, which got old quick, and the lack of real instruments, instead opting for synthesized versions, save for Kissing A Fool, which was easily my favorite song. It just made the album feel incredibly dated and stretched out. So, when I give an album like this a three, it's purely due to one or two songs doing all the leg work, and not hating the rest of it. So, good job Faith, I guess. Light three.

Not going to lie, I went into this planning this one star, and it stuck through for the five minutes I could muster before I started skipping through. Each song is musically terrible, tone-deaf, and boring, and the story is not the perfect tale people (who obviously grew up with it and don't want to admit it's bad) say it is. The only reason I could see someone giving this a five is because it made them laugh so hard it's their new favorite comedy album. Seriously terrible. When the best song is still worse off than most other songs on albums I've given a one star too, then this is all the more terrible. God, this makes me angry.

This album is cool. I was under the impression this was generic 60s rock and nothing more, but I thought the heavy use of orchestral instruments such as brass and strings was really cool, and I loved the melancholic sound a lot of songs have. There are certainly times my mind starts to blend stuff together, but there is enough here to stand out that I could say I enjoy this pretty well. I could see myself returning to this and loving it all the more.

I had quite the dilemma with this album, because it may surprise you (not really) to learn that ranking purely instrumentals with a bongo as the background beat as kind of difficult. I knew I enjoyed what I was hearing, and not too much past that, but I could totally see the enjoyment and novelty of this album. I believe I'll go down the middle with my ranking, as it just seems the most accurate.

I'm actually kind of surprised with this one. I mean, obviously this is good, otherwise I wouldn't be giving it a four stars, but I didn't expect easily the most iconic album by Talking Heads to be less liked by myself than More Songs About Buildings and Food. I just feel that a lot of the songs like to do this more ambient thing (which makes sense with Eno in the producers chair) than the funky stuff I loved before. Obviously that awesome bass is still there, but it doesn't appear nearly as often, and there's a good chunk of the album that isn't exactly the most uplifting. Not saying it has to be, but it wasn't what I was expecting with this album. That's alright, though, as a 5 and a 4 star so far with this band only means good scores are going to come when I get the other two of their albums on the list.

This was standable, and I was generally bouncing my leg along with it, but thank God this was only fifteen minutes long, otherwise I don't think I could even manage this two. Never been so drained so quickly.

That opening is absolutely excellent, and the rest of the album is pretty good too. I love the beats and backgrounds here, and the more jazzy sound of some of them. I'm not madly in love with this album or anything, but still very good, and the normal length (rare for a hip-hop album on thie generator) definitely helps.

There were parts of this that felt relatively generic in the 60s rock world, but otherwise this was really cool. There were some cool, ahead of its time stuff, and I think the variation of sound kept it really fresh. Found myself shocked at a lot of the sounds going on here, for sure.

I feel bad giving this album this score, as there were plenty of parts of somgs I liked, but it always felt like it didn't go far enough into what I would enjoy, and would slip away from me being interested in the song by the end of each song, and that either happened with every song, or the song didn't catch me in the first place. I can completely see why this is something worth listening to, and I'm glad I did, but this is either not for me, or at the very least I am not in the mood at the moment, and probably won't be most moments of my life.

This is embarrassing to listen to. Lyrics that the kid failing school because he didn't try but blamed the school relates to and record scratches that puts Jet Set Radio to shame, there is nothing here that I enjoy. The fact that System of a Down is lumped in with this whiney rap-rock bullshit because the era of nu-metal just happened to be going on is awful. Everything here just sounds the same, and the best part here is that it is relatively short compared to most other albums on here.

The first song is definitely iconic, but there's a reason its more famous counterpart is far shorter. The rest of the album is the music that you listen to in the background. Not quite elevator/phone music like some reviews say, but certainly nothing special.

This album starts pretty stereotypical, but after one-and-half Beatles covers and an amazing song in (They Long To Be) Close To You, the album shifts to this anywhere from melancholic to straight up dark sounding sound that really sounds great paired with the sometimes pretty, sometimes haunting vocals. Sure, it's nothing crazy, especially for the time of release, but there is more here than just Marge and Homer Simpson's song and other songs tacked on.

Perhaps the lightest three I've given on this generator. It generally is just generic pop music, with moments that help it stand out. That production feels like every other song in the era, though, which really does not help it. The best thing when it comes to this album is the art, which I cannot deny is gorgeous. Just wish it was attached to something a bit more interesting.

I was pretty sure this was getting a five as soon as I saw it, often heralded as the best of the Beatles solo albums, despite never listening to it. Surprise surprise, I was right. There were moments that worried me a little, especially in the middle, but Harrison is able to pull off a wide range here, where even the country guitar teang doesn't come off as cheesy and annoying, which is a feat. Just the pure emotion oozing from this album made it great, and when I even liked the instrumentals (which I might add aren't technically apart of this album), I knew it had to be a five star.

Not a bad album, but pretty boring. A good chunk of the songs had a decent hook they did nothing with, and I believe had this album released in the era the Super Furry Animals are trying to emulate, it would've been a release that just blends in with the rest of the timeframe. Voice wasn't as annoying as most other Britpop, though, so that is a plus, I guess.

I have a feeling I'm not going to remember a good chunk of these tunes past listening to them this last hour, but it was still a good experience, and did not overstay its welcome. Not an amazing album, but enjoyable enough to edge itself into that four star rating.

Choppy beats and flow, corny lyrics, and lacking substance are being merely held back by snippets of enjoyable music and inspirations surely brought forward by this album keeping it barely afloat. There are certainly other "items" to bring this album down more, but as it is not directly tied to the album itself, the album stays at that low two rating. Thank God hip-hop got much more interesting by the end of the 80s.

This album is BORING. Why is it so long winded and repetitive? This only barely gets a two because a couple of the songs have something possible to enjoy, and I appreciate the feature enough, but seriously, got sick of this "Blue October sings Radiohead" crap pretty quick.

This album has nice, relaxing instruments in the background, but I cannot get past that singing. It makes me wish it was just the backing track most of the time. That and way shorter. Didn't like this, but I can't say I hate it.

There were parts of this album I enjoyed in small doses, and it helps that it is short, but this really feels like Bob Dylan-lite more than anything. There are parts of this album that feel like they could develop to be more, but the country influences hold it back from achieving something truly unique.

What a "nothing" album. I think this album pissed me off at first, but then it just kept going and started not caring more than anything. The singer's voice is obnoxious, but it's often so drowned out in the mix that it's hard to, once again, care. Why is this album so long? Why is this artist so popular? Why do people think this and the Beatles are nearly equals?! Jesus, what a mess. At least it didn't have Wonderwall.

This was pretty alright, but not too much past that. I think it's pretty obvious to tell this was ahead of the curve in a lot of ways, but that does mean a lot of sounds were done better by others later on. It's still good, don't get me wrong, but it left a lot to be desired at points.

I actually enjoyed this album a bit, but it was pretty repetitive and the topics of the songs started to repeat enough it got kind of old. Still, pretty good. There's a style to this that's generic but still it's own flair to make it different.

Better than the other Marley album I've got, as the variation near the end of this one helped it quite a bit, but it still doesn't do enough for me to think anything too crazy about this one, and the titular song, which seems to be considered one of the highlights of the album, is considerably boring. It was alright, just don't think too much past that. Reggae just isn't my thing, I suppose.

She really does have an excellent voice, and there is some melancholic sounds here I enjoy quite a bit as well. I don't understand this "Son of A Preacher Man" praise, though, it was probably my least favorite song on the album. Heresy, I realize, but the album is very good nonetheless.

I think another listen of this album would make me "get it" even more, but it was starting to click with me more and more has the album went on what this album is trying to accomplish. Of course, I think most of the songs aren't really "snap on whilst driving" sort of tunes, but as a whole album I can really appreciate the sound here, even when it does sometimes just sound like someone messing around with settings on a synth for the first time. This may be my favorite Radiohead album so far, as far as being a whole LP is concerned.

There is stuff here that is certainly good, I especially love when they let the piano shine, but it is still an overly long, somewhat repetitive jazz album. Still, better than most.

This is not really what I expected, but I dig it. The rapping parts remind me a bit of the verses in West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys, although sometimes it does start to feel a bit more like Inner City Preasure by Flight of the Conchords at points instead. Otherwise, though pretty good. I like the beats very consistently and the use of older songs never feels like a cop out. Just a very solid album, I can see the appeal.

This is so close to being something I like more, but the country influences and the lack of any real oomph in most of the songs makes it where it is on my rating system. However, I don't understand the super low score; just seems like those of the generator don't like this style of music most of the time.

What an awesome album! Sure, the vocals are a little rough, but so is everyone else's from the era, so it hardly had an effect. It just is really satisfying synth-pop that understands to use the synth to it's benefit rather than as a crutch. It can jump from pumping you up to being dark and electronic, and I really enjoy how it knows not to overstay its welcome. Always wasn't sure what to think of New Order, only really loving a couple of the hits, but not thinking much of other, but this definitely leans me towards liking this group a whole lot more.

A light four with this now. It definitely is repetitive, but I think it has this light-hearted nature to it that is enjoyable, and I like the singer's voice more than most other punk acts. I sometimes think I don't like punk, but I think my partner's disdain and pop-punk are the reason behind that thought.

This album started out with me hopeful it would get better as it went on, but it ended with me bored. Parts I liked, but most of it dragged, and the inflated length didn't help. Not bad, but is this really an all important album? Is Fleetwood Mac an all important band, for that matter?

These songs are definitely super personal, and I can recognize and respect that, but a lot of this album is just generally boring, especially due to the style at the time musically. Also, once again, overly long, which seems to be a theme for albums for me this week. Still, not as bad as I expected, there were even genuinely good parts.

I think modern indie folk has really ruined any enjoyment I could've had for this album, as it just reminds me of the rise of bands like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons in the early 2010s. It isn't exactly the same, but it's close enough that it really makes it a far less interesting listen. There are parts of this I like, such as the build-up in Death to Everyone, but the payoff isn't worth it to make the album good enough. This isn't bad, just not amazing with a modern set of eyes.

This is eerily similar to the other Janis Joplin album on here when it comes to my opinions, that being that there's one especially notable song with the rest of it being not all too notable for me. I did like this album more, as some of the rock reminded me of other groups I enjoy and the such, but the fake "live" sound did start to annoy me near the end, and songs generally felt relatively similar. None of this makes this a bad album, because I can see the importance here, it just isn't my cup of tea musically.

When this album started I thought I was going to hate it, but while I still don't like it very much, I can't say it is something I despise. It just is generally boring more than anything, but gets better as it goes. The most interesting thing here for me is the lyric later used in Vampire Weekend's holiday. Otherwise, renaissance faire fodder.

Despite me giving this a four (because it is good) I'm disappointed in this album. Black Hole Sun is just such a good song that I figured the rest of the album would be up to snuff, but there is definitely filler here bloating the run time, and it makes the album much less enjoyable to go through than I would've hoped. However, stepping back and actually listening to the album for what it is, this is tight, and can get you into it, no matter the situation, and the songs that are good are REALLY good. I think all of that earns it a light four, despite it's hiccups. I mean, Black Hole Sun gets it up to a three star all on its own, so why not add a star for everything else?

Either I didn't notice how pretty and bombastic Yoshimi was, or this was way more up my alley. I love the orchestration and punch a lot of songs have. The lead singer sometimes isn't really up to snuff with the rest of the music, but it does add charm to it. Just a solid album.

This was alright, certainly an albums you would bob up and down to, but it doesn't feel it has too much substance. Once you ignore that, fun enough.

Just kind of nothing. Like, it was pretty repetitive and he is certainly full of himself. I just don't have much thoughts. It wasn't terrible, and not really bad. So, congrats.

My partner told me this was pretty alright, and they don't generally like punk, so I was hopeful, but this was pretty terrible. Just vocals that annoyed me, and instrument playing that seemed more erratic and off the cuff than anything meaningful or well thought out.. I enjoy the lyrics, because its nice to have lyrics that feel they mean what they're singing, but it really can't salvage the sound of this. Perhaps if they spent the song writing process writing the music and not just the lyrics, I'd like this more. At least it wasn't overly long, as a lot of similar albums like to be.

What's with French electronic duos making everything else in the genre look like child's play? This was great, I loved how mellow it was, and some of the production felt years ahead of other electronic acts. Really chill, but never boring, and the mix of vocal and instrumental tracks kept the album fresh throughout.

Yeah, this was pretty nothing. Jangly 90s pop that's part folk influence, part Radiohead-lite. I wouldn't judge anyone for liking this or anything, but it's hard to get into something so lethargic and simple. I could get why people would like this, but I wonder what it did to get here. Best track is the hidden track at the end that of course is tied to another song and you have to sit three minutes in silence to hear it. Love that, totally.

I actually went into this not interested at all, had my folk-rock fill with the Travis album I got yesterday, but I actually really enjoyed this. The music is very pretty, and the lyrics are never too seriously. It actually reminds me of Ben Folds (which makes me wonder where he is on this list) but gay. Really good, goes on a bit long, but most of these songs are very nice and a good mix of earnest and silly. Those last four songs are spectacular.

This sort of, to me any way, just sounds like an alternative version of Duran Duran, albeit before Duran Duran. It isn't bad at all, but I didn't hear anything here that was too crazy for the era, other than perhaps being pretty early on in the style of pop? Unsure. Pretty middle of the road with a good song here and there.

I am living for these early Queen albums. I thought Queen II was good, but holy shit was this even better. I may have liked the theming of Queen II more, but all the songs here are at least good, if not all excellent, and I'm still a big fan of the non-hit maker Queen that we see here that isn't present on the later records. I'm starting to see why Dimery picked the Queen albums he did, for sure. Loved this one, just one left, the big one!

This album sucks!!!!! Van morrrisin more like van BORRISON,,!!!!! bitch

Very close to being a five star here, I think there's just too many times on the album where songs go too long and it dampens the intial impact the song has. Otherwise, very amazing, I love the shift from ballad to funk bsck to ballad throughout the album, and Wonder's voice is as soothing as ever.

I'm going to use my ignorance here as a crutch as to why I dislike this. I'd like to think I'm at least somewhat musically adept, as I've played both bass and piano for years now, but this sort of stuff can really come off as a wall of noise and not much more to me, where I know I'm hearing something musically impressive, but gaining nothing from it. It certainly isn't as hard for me to like as Bitches Brew in this case, but this album still suffers (for me) with this stuff. There was things I liked (like, shocker, the bass and piano), but there were also plenty of moments I was growing quickly sick of what I was listening to. This manages to claw itself out of the one star depths, but mostly because I feel it is more my fault than anything that I think, at best, nothing of this.

How else can I describe this album other than overwhelming? Not in the same way that shoegaze can be, but more so due to this albums lack of focus or any sense of normal song structure? Lots of random things thrown into the songs to make it feel less like a natural progression and instead something where you're jumping up, down, and all around. This can be a negative on the album, with it being pretty poor listening music at points, but it can also make the album stick out, especially compared to other pop of the late 00s. It, at points, reminds me of a Vampire Weekend jam session, and that is both a blessing and a curse. I think that when I give this album a four, it doesn't necessarily mean I think it is on equal standing with some of my other ratings, but rather does enough to stand out and have bright moments that the oddities of the album don't bring it down too much. I do, however, totally understand the relatively low average score. I struggle to put into words how I feel about this, but despite my middling review, I did enjoy this, and that's what matters here, I suppose.

This album has an absolutely amazing and gorgeous A-Side that is nothing but excellent music and the peak of folk music. This steam continues on to the B-side with The Boxer, but as the album winds down it starts to lose a lot of its muster, and the inclusion of a live piece, while it makes sense, is really jarring with how loud the crowd is, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, being pretty much the finale. I could see me coming arouns to a five with this album over time, but as it stands, this is an extremely high four. I'm glad one of the Simon & Garfunkel outings on the list didn't leave me feeling disappointed, even if they are also good.

My partner hates this album; it was their first one star. However, while this list was their first time listening to this, I have some experience with these songs due to my father, namely "Jesus Built My Hotrod". Hell, I've been to a Ministry concert, even if I was only their for Primus. So, there is definitely some leverage here for me that makes me enjoy it a bit more, I'd even say the before mentioned song is my favorite thrash/industrial metal song of all time. Overall, the album isn't really too much for me, I'd say it's too mindless as it starts to unwind, which I'm sure was the goal, but it makes it difficult "listening" music. There are definitely things here I like enough, however, to get it into that middle of the road ranking, and I could see myself jamming to some of this while driving.

This was alright. I'm not a southern rock kind of person, but there are things here that transcend that and are much more enjoyable like Simple Man, and I could see myself liking Free Bird if it was some unknown song I'd never heard of. Oh well, at least it's fun to play in Guitar Hero.

This was leaps and bounds better than either Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, and I understand that probably isn't the most common opinion. I mean, this still isn't anything super crazy for me, but I can at least find enjoyment in this, probably due to a good chunk of the songs actually having a beat and tempo that makes me excited to listen to rather than bored to tears, and the normal length run time is much more tolerable than whatever Achtung Baby thought it was getting away with. Maybe the other two do have those "blood-pumping" songs, but I certainly don't remember them, and I think that just helps this album's case more.

I much prefer the more somber sounding Presley songs, because his voice benefits a lot more from those than him trying to do a bad impression of black artists from the era. Luckily, there are a few of said somber songs on this album, and it makes it so those songs are really quite enjoyable, even if they still aren't his own works, then again is anything by him really? You can also hear some Lennon-like vocals in I'll Never Let You Go, but I have no clue if John Lennon actually took any inspiration from Presley at all. Overall, some good, and some pretty whatever for a decent album all together.

I already knew going in that I was going to like this (A Passage to Bangkok slaps) but I didn't realize I was going to like it THIS MUCH. I've listened to 2112 before (albeit in pieces), but I apparently wasn't listening, because I was jamming the whole time, and even once we got past that behemoth of a song, each song afterwards was just as good, and varied, making this album never feel bloated, even with such a long song, and the instruments only add to the majesty of the whole thing. I also really love Geddy Lee's voice here. I mean, I enjoy it on other Rush albums too, but as this is pretty early in their discography, his voice is still at peak performance, and he nails every note with such perfection. Just an amazing album, I'm truly blown away. Gonna be honest with y'all, the Ayn Rand references completely went over my head until I read others reviews, and while I definitely see issues there, I still think the music is damn good, and Neil Peart, before passing, did rescind those ideas for the most part, so I look at it less as endorsement and more as seeing the beliefs of a songwriter that didn't know better. However, I could totally be making excuses so that my mind enjoys the album more free of guilt. Just thought I should specify that my five star is not in support of Rand's believes, just in support of music I like the sound of.

I really like the synths on this, and I love how personal this is, even more than The Boatman Calls, but it is definitely too long, and very repetitive. It has me feeling conflicted, because one moment I'll be getting into it, and the next I'll be dying for it to be over. Still, it is not all bad.

I listened to my own Frankenstein's Monster version of this album, as the album on my streaming service of choice was all mangled and missing songs, so if that affected my experience with the album in one way or another, I apologize. As for the album, this was perfectly alright, in fact, I liked it more than most electronica albums from the era, so I really REALLY don't understand how this has such a low average rating. Like, it's weird this is where people drew the line, and not with a multitude of other albums that are just as bad if not worse. I liked it overall, it reminded me of the music in Sonic R, and that can be a good thing in the right mood, I think.

This feels a bit more like Elvis' own style, rather than the pale imitation of black rock 'n' roll present in his first album, but instead you get an album that you can tell they were just throwing money at in the production phase, as it often feels that rather than having this really intimate collection of songs with just Elvis and his guitar, you get chamber voices and strings that really do too much for the whole album, and make it so songs feel like too much. I mean, it is certainly still alright, there are some pretty enjoyable songs here, but there's also a lot that just feels like music that is, frankly, behind on the times. I mean, 1969 was one of the best years for music period, so comparing this to all of that makes this feel still stuck in the early parts of the decade. Again, not terrible, but hard to praise, and I'd say in some ways worse than that intial outing.

Goddammit Britpop, decide if you're gonna be ass and one of the worst genres I've heard or producing some of the best albums I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, like this album is. Every song on here is a masterpiece in music, I'm not joking. The singer's voice is a perfect blend of the Bowie voice so many Britpop singers try to emulate and someone like Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy, and the understanding of making a good chord progression is unmatched as an album, with nearly every movement here so satisfying and enjoyable. It may be a little long, but I was never waiting for it to end like most albums, and stuff I actually knew before like Common People are suddenly extremely good even though I didn't think too much beforehand. I'm just utterly impressed by this gorgeous, whitty and frankly awe inspiring album.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this, as I think lyrically I understand the album in concept, but a lot of it comes off as artificial more than anything, and it is hard to tell what I'm supposed to be like "oh, good point" and what is a played-too-serious joke. As far as it goes musically, I think the backing tracks are okay, but they all sound like something I heard somewhere else before, and not really their own thing. This just doesn't feel like anything all that notable, and considering I'd never heard of this album before the generator, despite trying to relatively keep up with modern music tells me it'll be probably removed to make room for another album on the next version of the list.

Perhaps the album I have the least amount of thoughts and opinions so far. The final song nearly dragged it down to a one star, but I like the synths in the first just enough for it to die in the "forgettable" pile.

The guitar playing is immaculate and Sultans of Swing lives up to the hype (and then some) but the rest of the album leaves a bit to be desired, often being too country-rock-like for my liking, and nothing even matching the height of the album, which I already mentioned, even if there are good parts. It is more of a disappointment than anything, but it is still decent overall.

This album has its pretty high-highs and its pretty low-lows (looking at you Same Old Show) but is overall a pretty alright project with some really good songs on there. You just kind of have to sift through something nothingness at times to get there.

I swear I'm not just rating these more controversial albums high scores to be different, I just really like some of these albums, and I suppose that differs from others. It just has this groove to it at points that I get really into, and I like the singer (singers?) voice. It does start to fall apart a bit with some of the last couple songs, but otherwise an album I enjoyed my time with quite a bit.

Starts extremely strong with a pop song that definitely deserved its place on the charts at the time, but the album peters out pretty quickly and only has moments here and there reaching close to the same heights. The singles are singles for a reason for sure with this record, and I think the only new info I'm taking away from this album is that there is an Adele cover of Lovesong by the Cure. Of course her voice is fantastic, but you knew that, and I didn't have to hear either of the albums on this list to know that. Good album, just feel like Adele is always so close to being more than the "middle-aged mom pop artist".

I don't know, man. I feel bad giving this such a low score, but everything sounds the exact same, and when it doesn't it's because it was a boring instrumental. I usually like this sort of stuff, but the best song here was outdone by a far superior cover years later, and the rest of the album is rest than that, so... meh.

While I think I may enjoy Mike Patton's other project(s), such as Mr. Bungle for their more showbiz-esque nature, this is still very enjoyable, albeit kind of long winded. I have to give credit to Patton, though, not only for his voice and range, but also for being one of the musicians out there that respects and has even worked with Sparks, always bonus points for that, as I am a Mael brothers shill, just the way I like it. Anyway, good album.

Listening to this is smooth, it really is super groovy and funky in the perfect way for a hip-hop album. Once again the issues come down to the length of it all, where it starts to become very long winded and hard to focus on what you're listening too, and the relatively relaxing samples and beats don't help to not keep you from getting too comfy with it and letting it all slip past you. Otherwise, very good, I'm glad I finally came around to actually giving ATCQ a proper listen.

When the album started, I wasn't quite expecting the guitar to be such a major focus, but nearly every riff here is super catchy, and the samba style really lends itself to this blend of music that is familiar yet all its own. That final song being so aggressive comparatively puts a nice bow on this extremely well made package. Perhaps the language barrier makes this a tad repetitive, but it is a repeat of only banger after banger, so that is hardly a knock against it. Rod Stewart can eat his heart out when it comes to Taj Mahal, quite frankly. Sick of artists "sampling" (or in this case straight up stealing) amazing music and making it obviously worse. I believe George Harrison when he says he unconsciously lifts a melody from a song, not the "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" guy.

This album has everything going for it that should make it something I quite like; it's groovy, funky, the riffs are satisfying, and all the music is technically well crafted. Yet, I cannot seem to care or get into this much at all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but it is hard time to see this as more than something you know would've played at the roller rink, and I think even Chic knows that. There is definitely a place in music for that, but perhaps that "place" was torn down twenty or thirty years ago for a reason.

Dolly Parton is an excellent individual, surely being one of the most likeable still-living celebrities, but at the end of the day her music is still my least favorite major genre of country. There are some things here that are interesting to listen to, from her mom stealing her boyfriend from under her nose to a good ol' cucking (who the fuck makes a song about cucking?), but the music is so repetitive and boring that I hardly want to listen to it. It isn't offensive musically as a lot of country tunes are nowadays, but it still isn't that great or anything.

I listened to the first song on this album, "Night Life", whilst actually driving in the middle of the night, and it absolutely fits the mood of the night, as does the rest of the album I'd say. However, issues arise when you sit down and actually focus on the music, as it becomes very same-y, and the longer-than-average country album (for the time) makes the repetitiveness all the more present. I enjoy the fact that his voice isn't that exaggerated warble that many country artists do, it makes it not excruciating to listen to, but otherwise a very safe album just a couple years before popular music as a genre really started expanding as an artform.

Wow, what a crazy step up from "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere", and I know that's unfair, as there are albums between the two projects, but the generator gave me this next, and it wanted me to listen to it, goddammit! Anyway, I actually adore this. It has that melancholic vibe a lot of America albums have, but with this grit that make them feel really weighted and like it all means something, and the intimate style of the album, feeling very personal between Young and the listener, all culminates into an album that is extremely enjoyable and that I like a lot. My only nit-pick is the amount of songs labelled "blues" that are hardly such, but that isn't an actual complaint, and would not drag this down to a four alone. This is a lighter five-star, as I'm not head over heels or anything, but I still enjoy this enough for me to finally "get" Neil Young.

Man, this has a lot of hits and singles on it, doesn't it? May as well be a best of album, save for one or two missing tunes. I do think it earns its popularity, however, being a very solid album throughout, with only one or two tracks that reek slightly too much of 80s cheese to stand out. Of course, I may not go out of my way to listen to most of this again, because I can hear half of it by just going grocery shopping anyway, but still very good. I particularly enjoy the punch of the final song, "Yeah, Yeah," as it's one of the few I'd not heard before, and it definitely sends the album out right.

I knew of this album prior to getting it from not only my partner getting it and loving it, but also seeing it on multiple "best concept album" lists, and I definitely agree that it is amazing. The range of genres and making it all sound so good is fantastic, and the length isn't even noticeable, which is quite a feat with me. Amazing album.

It is getting hard to remember if an album has baffled me as to why it is on this list yet, but this one certainly makes me feel that way. I mean, it has a pretty decent average global rating, and musically it is inoffensive at worst, but why is this here? Like, this genuinely makes me upset listening to it, because it is either the type of music I'd hear at a nice-ish restaurant trying to sound intellectual, or the background music of a baseball documentary, depending on which instrument has the focus, and even though it is only four songs, it gets old FAST. I mean, wouldn't have one song sealed the deal as to what my thoughts would be? Again, this is extremely technically competent, but I can't seriously be in the minority for thinking that it is insane that this made the cut over so many other iconic albums? Just upsetting, and drags it way down. I'm sure the dog on the front had nothing to do with it, though. He's a good boy.

God dammit, Morrissey is such a fucking nonce. The whole time I was listening to this I was reading quotes of his that just displayed what an asshole he was. And yet... this was good. The nonce makes good music, because of course he does, its like a requirement of a musician. Usually hear I'd praise the singer for liking Sparks, because I am the your local friendly Sparks shill, but nah, fuck this. Bad fan to have, thank God Sparks have never joined in on his comments. Hell, they told him "lighten up" in a newer song. Anyway, he doesn't get praise. Just enjoy your four star and get out of here. Oh, and that album font on the cover is ugly.

God, what a gorgeous send-off to a brilliant artist. It is amazing to me that an album can sound so reassured yet so scared, so at peace yet not ready to go, and so relaxed yet so on edge. The use of avant-garde jazz is used to the benefit rather than just as meaningless noise, and the short but sweet album knows when to bring in something to changed it up. It is also completely admirable that nothing here sounds derivative of anything else Bowie-like, going out with a bang rather than a "best of" situation. Just fantastic from beginning to end. Bowie really nails those short track listing albums to a tee. Seems like a ten minute opener is a guaranteed fantastic choice. Also wild to see Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips as inspirations for this, but I can hear it. I also really liked the allusion to A New Career In A New Town in the final track with the harmonica, whether intentional or not.

How can an album that has pretty impressive technical feats present be so tone deaf in the actual musical department? Every song isn't just flawed because of how it sounds, because that, at the end of the day, is preference, but every song sounds the exact same, and the short song lengths only highlights this, rather than makes it stand out. Yeah, I can't deny there were times where I liked where it was going, but then the dog-like singer barked into the microphone for twenty seconds and they just repeated that at different paces into the mix for a excruciating thirty minutes. I thought maybe I was going to give this a two about a quarter of the way through, because it was more funny than anything, but by the halfway point I was exhausted and tired. It wasn't funny, or impressive, or even interesting, it was just soul sucking. Perhaps that's what they wanted, but it sure as hell doesn't make it anything more than being edgy on the surface level while far more interesting musicians actually get famous off their metal. This is just noise. Awful, awful noise.

Pretty alright musically, but I don't understand really what the point of each of these songs are, as they pretty much go over variations of the same topic in a loop that feels especially more apparent here than any other album with love songs, and just like "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", there is a ten minute song here that could very easily be three or so minutes and get the same point across. Just a very forgettable album, but I liked what I heard enough.

One of, if not my favorite, thing about Love's other album, Forever Changes, was the strings present that made it stand out from most other psychedelic rock that was around at the time. However, this earlier album seemed to be going for a more forward thinking stance on the genre. That is not a bad thing, as there are some songs here I like just as much if not more so than Forever Changes, but it also blends in more with artists like the Rolling Stones and other hits from the time. None of that is more evident than with the needlessly long final tune on the album that feels like a jam session that really didn't need to be on the album and got quite annoying after a while. Is it interesting for 1966? Perhaps, but it really brings down the rest of the albums pretty rock solid line up into something that feels more "holier-than-thou" in its production, and I lose interest in the four star I was thinking for the album. Had it been the beginning or even the middle of the album then perhaps I could forget about it and still warrant the four, but putting it at the end leaves a sour taste in my mouth that really middles the album out. Hearing people having sex (or pretending to) has never been one of my favorite genres of music, and someone yelling in my ear about it for nineteen minutes is, I imagine, no one's cup of tea. This is a cool album, in theory, but at the end of the day hating half the album really doesn't seem fair to my other four stars.

This album reminds me of U2 if they were a bit more dance focused with the music they produced. That is not really a good thing in my eyes, and the lead singer sounds like the guest singer in Gorillaz's "DARE" when he was drunk at that one live performance. Could be worse, but did definitely got on my nerves at points.

Certainly alternative rock from the early 2000s, there's this sound you can pick up from it, but I like the addition of a sort of soul sound to it all, like if Lenny Kravitz started making music in this era instead. That being said, it is very repetitive, and almost none of the songs have a climax, it's usually the same song it was five minutes before with an extra voice and instrument or two. That isn't always true, but it certainly felt like it. Otherwise pretty alright, just feels like it should've done more.

I'm a sucker for fuzz guitar, and this album has plenty of that. That and big, crunchy bass, which also gets me. This album reminds me of a modern take on one of the earlier Black Sabbath albums, and that isn't a bad thing, despite my pretty mixed views of Black Sabbath. My partner was not a fan of this album despite both of us being big fans of Them Crooked Vultures' (currently) sole album, which surprises me, because listening to this, I don't see what this doesn't have that that album does. Just really enjoyable. I'm actually pretty close to giving this a five, but there's just some small things holding it back such as the goofier sounding instrimental track, the straight up creepy sounding ending, and the realitive repetitiveness of it all, it could stand to be shorter. Otherwise, really enjoyed this, and if this is a weak QotSA record according to some fans, then I really need to give their discography a listen.

OutKast have been one of those duos that I've always said "I've liked," but I've never actually listened to one of their albums, so this is my first full experience, and this was good. I really enjoy the more regular song structured pieces, I assume courtesy of André 3000, but that doesn't stop the raps from being good too. I think if the album were just shorter (I don't know if I remember a single skit) and more tight in general, as some of the more jokey songs weren't what I would call good, then this could have made more of an impact towards me. All the big songs here, though, are great though, and even stuff like Toilet Tisha really caught me off guard with how good they were. I'm excited for The Love Below, and maybe Speakerboxxx will be good too, and that's what this album has basically made me think. Is that how people usually see OutKast? I've really got no clue. Still, solid album. Starts really strong then peppers good bits throughout.

Fuck, I really like this, and I was not expecting that AT ALL. I mean, five songs all longer than what I consider casually listenable? Seems like something I'm destined to be annoyed or at least bored with, but I really adored this. Firstly, it's gorgeous both musically and lyrically, with the strings really meshing well with the weirder choices such as a mouth harp and banjo. In that way it reminds me of a Leonard Cohen album, but I'd say the lyrics are far more abstract than Cohen's works, but it still really works. I like that there s no regular song structure yet it returns to the same line every few minutes to bring the song into its own orbit and not let it stray too far outwards and become a mess. I don't know if I'll go out of my way to listen to most of these songs separately due to their length, but as a whole album this is certainly up there as something great. I will admit her vocals remind me a little bit of whoever sings "Dance Monkey", but not really annoyed at it here. Then again, I never found the vocals on that track too annoying either, so perhaps I'm the one broken. Any way, amazing album, truly unexpected.

I feel often that with this generator I'm getting nicer and more open towards the albums I get, which is probably good overall, but it's making my positive-to-negative ratio feel slowly more and more lopsided to the former of the two. Luckily, I can count on The Rolling Stones to put me straight and remind me that my tastes and opinions are still consistent with when I started. For instance, here is the third Rolling Stones album to get a three star. Is it bad? No, in fact I could totally understand why someone would like, nay, love this, but it just feels so generic in a modern lense where Rolling Stones was falling so behind on the revolutions happening around them in music that they decided to fall back and rest on what they knew, and there can be merit in that, but what makes this more special past an admittedly great opening track. If I wanted music that sounded like this I would either go earlier into the 60's or later into the next decade, not give the very personal genres of folk and country to the British boy band. I''ll never deny Rolling Stones their iconic status, as they've certainly earned it from various track to track, but I don't understand so far what any of their albums as a whole work of art has done for the music landscape but seem like music your great uncle swears is better than the Beatles.

There are beats and (I assume they're) samples that I like on this album, and sometimes the way Neneh Cherry raps reminds me of Chuck D's flow of all things, but the album feels like a bygone era that struggles to be interesting both in the realm of pop and hip-hop, so a mix of both just spoils moments after starting, and while this album isn't too long, each song feels like it drags. It's okay in short doses, but a whole album can be a bit much. Just a whatever album.

Since he doesn't have an album of his own, I'll mention here that Busta Rhymes has a really interesting flow that is super charming. As for the rest of the album, it's pretty alright. I like Missy Elliott's rapping, and some of the backbeats are great, but the bragging gets annoying, especially the praise of Timbaland that I assume he wrote himself. None of the features feel that present to me either, other than the before mentioned Busta Rhymes. An alright album that just feels very much like an album that you'd imagine if I just said "rap album".

A huge improvement over their debut album, with beats never feeling empty between lines, and the flow between the two is also much improved. My only issues is that sometimes you can tell they found a soundbite they lacked and spammed that shit, and the fact that some lines are still ridiculously cheesy and outdated, although that does add to the charm in a weird way. Anyway, very enjoyable, so many hits here that are all deserving of such, and it feels like a soundtrack to a skating game from the PlayStation 1. Although, it is incredibly funny to me that they didn't actually want to collab with Aerosmith, and it was kind of forced on them. See? Even people profitting off Aerosmith don't like them.

I have no clue why I find Black Sabbath to be so mediocre, as it seems like it'd be something I'd be far more into, but even the hits don't do anything for me anymore, and considering this album doesn't even have those, it's hard to understand the praise. However, it is still alright overall and easy listening (for metal) that doesn't have any ridiculously annoying parts. Although just making random noise for a minute-and-a-half is definitely pushing it. Again, this is okay, but I've gotten all three Black Sabbath albums on the list now, and none of which have switched me into thinking anything more of them. Definitely influential, but outdone by all their pupils.

I have so much to talk about relating to this album, so apologies to whoever reads this if you choose to do so, although I doubt anyone will. Firstly, I've been looking forward to listening to this album for years, with it always being something I wanted to get around to listening to, but always forgetting. This is because not only is Lovefool easily one of the best, if not the best, pop hit of the 1990s, but because The Cardigans have always been compared to and been put into this bubble along with some of my other favorite bands, with Cloudberry Jam (which sadly seems to have been mostly lost in the streaming age), Stereolab, and one of my favorite bands of all time, Komeda. Cloudberry Jam always had some jazzy sensibilities, Stereolab, who's pretty well known, was the electronic one, and Komeda has a bigger alt-rock focus. The Cardigans, however, were far more pop-y then those others, and it had me worried I might not care for this quite as much as those other bands, but this was just as excellent as those. I love the whispery singing of Nina Persson, and they completely understand what I am looking for with a song, with each movement of a piece being satisfying in its own way, and they know when to bring into horns and woodwinds and all sorts of really creative stuff that sets their music apart without being too out there. I'm happy to finally listened to this. If you disagree with me, then know I'm the type of person to give a Black Sabbath album a three, and enjoy this cover of Iron Man far more than the original. Amazing album. What can I say, the Swedes make good music. Also, just to make this review more niche than it already is, the bass riff in Lovefool is the same as Persona 4 Golden's intro theme, and that's knowledge I don't know what to do with. Also also, the first song sounds like a Katamari song, even more bonus points there. God, I love this feel good shit, pump it into my veins.

I like when he sounds like Nick Cave, but man is this album boring. Nothing here bad, but this came in one ear and out the other, and you can easily place what time this was made in the history of music, and in that case it is not a good thing. It's just so wishy washy, none of the "intense" moments feel like they earned it, and I'm just left questioning why this album has so much praise. Especially with such deep lyrics as "I'd eat your brains, 'cause I'm evil, 'cause I'm evil." Not bad I guess, but I never wanna hear this again. I'm thinking a light two at the moment, but it may be a one by the time I rate it. Nah, it doesn't annoy me enough for a one star.

This makes me feel like I should be playing Crazy Taxi. It also makes me realize I really only care about this music while playing Crazy Taxi.

Aren't people who do terrible things supposed to be really talented? This was boring. Sure, the piano playing is impressive, but it's just rock 'n' roll standards played slightly faster than usual. I can find more impressive piano-centered pieces from a century before this album. Thank god it's short, or I'm more than sure I'd hate this.

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in, but I did not care for this. Nothing here struck a chord with me, and it just felt boring. I really have nothing to say other than that this is a light two.

I've always had dueling thoughts when it came to Steely Dan, as my father would always say the music made by the group was awful, but my partner thought it was pretty alright. I'm gonna have to lean with my partner with this one, probably even more so, as I wnjoyed this one pretty consistently. I'd say each song has something I like about it, and the shorter length for each track makes it so nothing takes up too much time if you are disliking something about it. Perhaps had I not just listened to all of America's discography in the last year, which is very similar, then I wouldn't care about this, but I've got more of an ear for yacht rock now, and that definitely helps this album out.

I like the viba of this album, but the first song kind of satisfies that style with the rest of it being unnecessary fluff. I enjoyed what I heard, though.

An album very much from the era in which it was created, both in the indie-folk style that was becoming increasingly popular with the approach of the 2010s, and also in the means in which the band achieved fame, being one of many artists that benefited from the illegal sharing of music on the internet (eat your heart out, Metallica) before streaming took over in that aspect. Sadly, even being early pioneers of a sound that would be adopted by bands such as the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons, the style still struggles to snag my attention, save for a hit here or there. I enjoy the idea of this album a bit, as similar songs by artists such as Led Zeppelin have always been some of my favorites, but I think this stuff just sounds too lightweight in its execution. Yes, the vocals are the major grab, but there's never anything actually impactful or moving, just feels like something to ease into while relaxing. Nothing here is bad, in fact I'd say this is a pretty decently high three star, but it's gotta do more if it wants to leave an impact. Throw an angrier sounding song in there, or change your instrument of choice, otherwise it all comes in one ear, and out the other.

Literally none of this left an impact on me. Is it loud and abrasive? Yes, but none of it actually struck a chord with me, for better or worse. There's parts that sound like Tom Waits, but when this guy does it, it feels gross, not interesting. I don't hate this enough for a one star, but I wish stuff like the string samples were used more interestingly.

An overall much more consistent Radiohead album in its tone and quality compared to most of their albums, but it doesn't nearly reach the highs of any of their other albums on the list, including stuff like Hail to the Thief. Still a solid record for the consistency and high polish, but it does feel like it's riding off the high of Kid A. Great album, otherwise. Seem pretty negative here but I should specify that this is still great. Would have loved more of that jazz influence we see at the end.

The terriblness and disturbing-ness of this album has been greatly exaggerated by the reviews on here. If you have any experience with any sort of grit in your music, you should be just fine listening to this, and the fact that Nirvana's albums have such high scores compared to this, kind of tells you that I think a lot of Nirvana's fans miss exactly what made that so special. Anyway, speaking of grit, this album is so gripping audibly that it scratches every itch I would try and achieve with any music I would ever make. And the varying genres and styles basically making fun of various types of music keeps the album light hearted without sacrificing the musicality (most of the time), despite the downright evil sound of most of the music. Overall I think this pretty entertaining, and at a cool thirty-two minutes, what's not to like? Are most of the songs something I wouldn't put on casually? Absolutely, but I think as an album and an experience it's pretty great.

This felt extremely stereotypical and almost like a parody of oneself. That isn't to say it's bad, it's completely competent as an album, but everything just sounds like surface level 80s dark wave. Now, at the time I'm sure this was revolutionary as a darker sound in new wave, but now it feels like the bare minimum as to what someone would be playing if there was a soundtrack for the 80s. It just screams angst, but that angst is hard to take seriously with the cheesy synths and repetitive drum machine. Maybe if one of these songs alone was on a whole album that sounded different, then I'd be interested due to the darker tone, but instead I was just bored by the end. Maybe in the right mood, but I have no clue what that mood would be, and why I wouldn't pick something like Depeche Mode or Joy Division first.

Not counting their debut, as it's quite different from the rest of their discography it seems, this is my first experience with Pink Floyd through a whole album, and it certainly feels like a new experience. I like the thorough storytelling and how it is all one cohesive "thing" while still managing to get those singles in there that stand out. Also it looping over and over if you so choose is a really cool touch, no matter how simple. That being said this does feel like it thinks it's higher art than it really is. At the end of the day this still feels like a pretty normal rock album, and there's nothing truly here that makes me go "wow, this was super important to listen to." I loved the reoccurring motifs, something I feel a lot of concept albums lack, and this is a good package, but I see why this is usually seen as the weakest of the big three (four?). Still giving it a four, but it's a light one at that. Also, the best song from the Wall, What Shall We Do Now?, isn't even on the actual album, so that sucks.

Her voice and guitar playing is amazing, and her songs can range from the folky traditional tunes of Bob Dylan to the dark, introspective tracks of Leonard Cohen, a few years before either were apart of the mainstream concious. So, to all of that, hats off. I just think the album sometimes suffers feom being an older album, as those more country tracks feel like something put on their to appease the masses, rather than be something truly groundbreaking throughout, which Dylan took and and ran with a few years later. However, this is still a very good album, and I'm still at awe of that final track.

Holy shit, this is awesome. The singing, the influences, the gorgeous chord progressions, and how ahead of it's time it feels. This is a powerhouse of a double LP with both singers bringing their S+++ game. Perhaps it's a little long, but it's hard to notice when every song is a banger. The Beatles influences are clear, but Borges and especially Nascimento take those influences and run, making one of the best pop albums I've ever heard. You can hear influences that inspired pop and rock bands all the way up through the 90s, and the fact that there's some that won't like this because it's not in English is a crime against themselves. I don't understand a single word and it's already a five, so imagine what the lyrics bring to the table. I adore this, were it not for Kimono My House this would be my favorite album so far.

From this generator my partner and I have discovered two things, with each of us discovering one. On my side, I got Kimono My House, which pointed us towards discovering Sparks and now having a mutual favorite band of all time. And for them, they discovered the Buckley family. First it was Tim Buckley, in which they loved his voice and more eccentric musical pallette, but then they got Jeff Buckley. Now, it's safe to say this album would rank in their top ten favorites of all time, and that obviously means I got to hear this one before I got it on here too. As for the album itself for me? It's amazing. Buckley's voice is angelic and mesmerizing. The band performing with him knows the exact mood to go for to really know when to go all out and reel it back in, and the obvious inspirations this had on artists like Thom Yorke and Matt Bellamy is worn on their sleeves. To say that this album is amazing in every way is a very easy statement. I mean, I really don't know what to say that hasn't been said. The opening track is fantastic and keeps that solid energy all the way through to the very end of the album. If I had slight critiques it'd be the length of some of the tracks, but that really doesn't matter too much when you're in the mood for this sort of stuff. I may not love this as much as my partner, but this is still an easy five star (two in a row, woo-hoo!)

Aside from Dylan's sometimes grating voice, it feels as though on this album he knows exactly where I want the song to go next with its chord progressions. It makes it so a lot of songs hit right despite his voice, making it all work. I also feel there is a lot of times on the album where an instrument makes a little peep and it's a sort of noise you don't hear a lot in music, being a more analogue yet electronic noise, and I think that's cool, as it isn't too common to hear in a folkier album. I just think this album is neat really, stuff like the percussion on the final song is a nice addition, and you can feel that throughout the album. I would only say the downside to this album is a lot of the faster pace songs still feel too all folk no substance, and miss that magic that's on the slower tunes. All and all, really impressed with this album, I get why it's so praised, and I think after two light three stars I finally get the respect Dylan gets. Oh, and any album that can actually make me throughly engaged with the lyrics on a first go through definitely deserves praise, as I'm not a lyrical person when it comes to music, yet I found myself reading the lyrics as the songs went on for nearly every track here.

I kind of figured seeing the fourteen minute song awaiting me at the end of this album that it'd make or break the album for me, but it didn't really affect my view of this album from the rest of the songs at all. I mean, it got tedious a little past the halfway mark, but it wasn't so annoying it pushed the album over to the one star. This is just an album full of little things I like, such as the guitar playing, or some of the more interesting chord progressions, but none of it really comes together for me. This doesn't feel like a congruent album to me, which stuff where songs sound decades old to newer more "sophisticated" country tunes, and even a random live(?) song. Perhaps this is just supposed to be a love letter to a bunch of commonplace country musician moments, but none of it left an impact. Don't hate this, but I certainly don't get it.

It's kind of funny that I got this so close to a Bob Dylan album, but this left a lot to be desired. Felt boring the whole thing, and gave a vibe the same way CCR does for me where it feels close to being something I like but instead just feels like southern rock 'n' roll stereotypes all rolled into one album. I have nothing wrong with this, just disappointed really. Hope Music from Big Pink is better.

Eh, I prefer this over the sound of everyone tuning on top of each other for twenty minutes at a time, but Miles Davis continues to prove to me that I don't get jazz. I just don't understand what makes this so amazing. Often it is boring more than anything, and with how long winded each song can be, it can even be annoying. I could see enjoying this in the moment at a club or something, but just listening? Total bore. Nice piano playing, though.

Modt of the album was extremely nothing, even starting to get annoying and bad near the 75% mark, but the last four songs were all really nice and bleak yet beautiful. Nothing crazy good, but earns a three for its troubles.

Some notes to start is that this is one of the ugliest album covers on the whole list, and that man, do a lot of one hit wonder bands have albums on the list, for better and worse. In this case, it's worse. The album isn't bad, per se, as I like some of the ideas here, but nothing stands out as some crowning achievement in new wave, synth-pop, pop, or even electronic. Some of it is pretty okay, but nothing gravitates to me any more than anything else that blends together from the era. There could definitely be days where I could see this getting all the way up to a four, depending on how open I am to just stereotypical synth pop, but today is not it, and thinking of all the other much more deserving albums from the era that were probably axed for this makes it all the sadder.

It's super interesting to see parody and satire of music still happening at the time of the music being made at the same time as this album. It would be like if Weird Al made Eat It before Beat It was even released. It's even better because Frank Zappa and his bandmates don't sacrifice the quality of the music (most of the time) for making fun of various genres, topics, and lyrics. It all turns into an album where you can only think more and more "holy shit, this was made in 1966!" I think the end of the album pretty much going crazy is also a great choice to keep the album from getting stale. I will say, though, that the length is a bit much, and even with only fifteen tracks, there's definitely some filler in here, with some songs seemingly repeating paordies of things like Doo-Wap. Still, really blown away by this, and I feel this is a high four.

It's kind of hard to rate this album, as I've known most of these tracks for quite a few years now, into my single digits, so to critically rate them is hard to do as something fresh. I used to think that this album went too far off the deep end compared to Nevermind, but listening to this now, while I'll still say this is lesser to Nevermind, this is also fantastic. You can tell Cobain and crew were much more into the music they were making here, and the creative variety really shines here. I could see why some may see this as too much, but that's exactly what makes it so fantastic. It's that first Nirvana album mixed with the commercial success they tasted from Nevermind, making just hit after hit, turning out an album in which a song like "Rape Me" could become a relatively mainstream hit. No other band could even dream of doing that. Kurt's voice is fantastic, the drums are great, and it'd be hard to discredit anything here. It's like Endless, Nameless becoming a full album, and just like that song, it takes a few listens, but then it truly becomes something fantastic.

How is this supposed to be on here? I'm guessing because it's traditional country in an era of Reagan-infused-country, but that doesn't make this good. Were this an album from the 50s or early 60s I'd give it some wiggle room, but this is the same year as Teenage Riot, for God's sake, Havwe some edge, something interesting, ANYTHING. It's a two star album, but this gets a one on principle. I will say the instrumentals are nice.

An album that is definitely proto-punk from the mid-60s. Sadly, it doesn't nail either side of the coin, just leaving no impression. Some of the lyrics are kind of funny, and the instruments at times nail that intensity that punk has, but its pretty forgettable all things considered. I can see why I had to hear this, but it isn't going in my musical rotation any time soon.

Despite some of the songs on this album sounding like the soundtrack to a Ford truck commercial, this album does enough to stand out as its own thing and not the just be the rock band you hear on the "alternative" rock radio station. However, that difference is still rather boring, with songs blending together towards the halfway point of the album, and very little making it easy to tell the tracks apart. I wouldn't call this solely a rock album, but just like that genre, it's so vague what this album presents it's hard to have strong feelings about it. The film centered around this band from the same year seems interesting though, and I assume that may be why this album was on the list. Also weird that Julian Casablancas got it distributed over here in the United States. Small musical world.

This album is really cool sounding, it feels like nothing else I've ever heard. Sure, that does equate to a lot of it just coming off as harsh noise and not something I'd listen to casually all the time, but this does feel like a natural evolution of much of the music that was being made out of the UK in the 90s and early 00s. It's like some really heavy metal, but lightened up with some alternative dust and synths to make it more appealing, and it works. Could see myself liking this more on a future listen, so I'll get ahead of the curb and give this a solid score now.

I may just not be the mood for an album like this at the moment, but this album impressed me far less than their prior album. I feel a lot of songs almost hit the mark, but then either went on too long and made me lose interest, or felt more like I was being yelled at, in a weird, not yell-y way. Pros are there, such as the inclusion of pretty solid string sections, and a song like Been Caught Stealing is of course a banger, but this just feels like snippets of a better album, yet runs longer than that better album probably would. I sound overwhelmingly negative here, so I should specify that this is still an alright album, and will be getting a light three, but I am pretty disappointed. Again, though, could be that I'm just not in the mood for this style of music.

I thought this would be right up my alley, but it's just okay. I think it isn't funky enough for my taste, and I don't see this album doing anything that Talking Heads doesn't do better. It has got some pretty funny and non-serious lyrics, which I appreciate quite a bit.

I'm a fan of Johnny Cash when he's on and performing, but I've never gone outta my way to listen to his music, and this hasn't really changed my mind, but it was still a nice enough live performance. Pretty crazy to think the room is full of criminals and he's just cracking jokes about the wardens with them, really makes him seem like a cool dude, but the music itself was just okay. Got a bit repetitive near the end.

We did it everyone, a rap album has received a five! It took over a year, but I kind of figured this would be the first, and I hadn't even heard it before. Kendrick Lamar has certainly become someone I highly respect since I got Good Kid a while ago, being such an excellent artist that I will happily praise in my free time, and this artist was my white whale that I was waiting for the right time to listen to, and after finally getting to, I understand all of the hype. Not only is the story and lyrical content interest enough that I'm invested throughout, something that a lot of hip-hop albums struggle to get me attached to, but the jazz influences throughout make the album something so wildly different from everything else in the genre that there is nothing to match it. Each song fits with the ones before and after it while still feeling wildly unique. Even the songs I would consider "lesser" on the album had me getting into them pretty closely, and despite the length of the album, I never once was dreading the next song. Features were well thought out and used incredibly well, and again I just have to praise the instrumentation. I can totally see why Bowie was influenced so much by this on Blackstar, and that just earns the album more praise from me. A true masterpiece.

I have to agree with the top review, this is the best Elvis Costello I've heard, but I don't mean that in quite as negative of a light! There is quite a bit here to enjoy, with Costello feeling liking he is putting the most effort into the music he's making more than anything else that I've heard, and it doesn't fall into that problem a lot of his music has where he never hooks me with the songs, as there are quite a few songs here that catch my attention. The issue is that even with most of the songs being pretty short they still feel too long and never do anything particularly interesting, at least, most of the time. Good album, I'd say, but still doesn't quite hit that four star mark, and I'm worried if this one doesn't, none of them will.

I wanted to like this, I felt like a lot of the songs hooked me at first, but then it just collapsed into what every live album from this era seems to sound like. Everyone is having a blast, sure, but I'm not there, and so each song sounding the same is a lot more noticeable, and the album feels nearly there with each new song that appears, but it seems to always to devolve to something about swinging. I understand why people would like this, but I feel not invited to the party everyone on this album is having, but I wanted to stay home that night anyway.

I'm a big fan of the shared riffs between the bass and guitar throughout the album, it not only feels very vindicating to get an album with the bass playing at the forefront, but it makes it so they're all catchy too. I'll admit every song here starts to sound the same, I wouldn't be surprised if they were all born from the same general idea, but the slight changes they make to each one pushes some songs to being really pumping tunes, like the opening credits to a really fast paced film. I just wish the singing on it fit the oomph of the rest of the instruments a bit more, as his voice can feel a little wimpy, like Ray Davies trying to sing how he sings on Village Green whilst performing You Really Got Me. Then again, someone else sang on this album at a point, and that voice sounded much worse, so maybe it's for the best? Album could've stood to be shorter, even at it's short runtime already (again, lots of repeats), but if you're in the right mood, the blood-pumping is good.

Can I stop listening to this? This is boring at best and disgusting at worst. Nothing here earns that musical quality seal to excuse some of the things said on here, and while I know that's the point, that doesn't mean I want to listen to it. Yes, the scratching and some of the beats are rarely good, but any album that thinks using Canon in D as a back beat is clever is no musical genius in my eyes. I'm only halfway through this and already want to stop, and that's rare for an album, even my one stars. After finishing it (although I did skip a good chunk of the songs once I figured out he was just gonna be rapping about rectums once again) I can confirm this is the lowest of the low. This may be my least favorite album so far, and if not, it's still terrible.

I've actually heard this album before via my partner getting it probably nearly a year ago now. I do remember liking it more then, as a lot of songs here do blend into each other for me into one homogenised "album", never feeling a drive to listen to a single song, but that isn't a bad thing, right? That's sort of the point of an album, at least in 1968 it was. I still like this quite a bit, with her voice being a standout point of the album for me, and musically it is very pretty too. It's a lighter four than expected, but it has that same melancholic enjoyment as something like a Simon and Garfunkel album.

This definitely peaks with the first song, as the rest of the album is very bland proto-rock 'n' roll with no substance save for some nice instrumentals and surprises peppered throughout (the instrumental, the guitar in the final track, etc.). It certainly isn't a bad album, but considering this album is already confusing enough to track down what to listen to, it isn't really worth the end result.

MGMT understands the enjoyment of being enveloped in a wave of sound like a shoegaze album whilst keeping the catchy hooks like your favorite pop song. This leads to an album that certainly has its fantastic hits and moments on it, and the whole album otherwise is still incredibly solid. My only worry, and the reason it stays from the five range, is I question how much this will stick with me past the singles. Some of the sounds of songs already allude me just after the album ends, and it does sort of give off the vibe of the music the alternative kid listens to just to stand out, albeit far better than most other groups that fall into that genre. I certainly don't dislike it, far from it, I just could use some more form in my pop and some more overwhelming noises in my wall of sound.

I was worried at first, as the first few tracks were certainly not grabbing my attention, despite being the singles for the album so I was worried that despite my (controversial) love for A Short Album About Love that this album would not reach even close to the same level of quality. However, after those first tracks, this album just starts rocketing off with quality song after quality song. Hannon's voice starts shining through again, and the strings are just as excellent as always. I've also come to really appreciate the goofy lyrics, as so much Britpop takes itself too seriously, and this feels like this guy was certainly in on the joke. I do wish the album grabbed me quicker and was shorter, but I really like quite a few tracks here, and look forward to getting to know them better. This dude really likes horses, huh? You know what, fuck it, this album is also amazing. I re-listened, and while some of the early tracks are still lacking, all the tracks after are so amazing, like Franz Ferdinand's lead singer singing parody James Bond themes, its the perfect schlocky album but in the best of ways. Plus, it could use the extra help on the average rating, it seems. I suppose I can officially say I'm a fan of the Divine Comedy.

Of course I know Rage Against the Machine, but I've never really listened to any of their deep cuts, save for one or two, so listening to a whole albums of theirs is new for me. I do quite enjoy this, super bumping with each song, just probably a bit repetitive, with each song following the same general format. Still good, and goes hard.

I've been interested in this one, considering it's believed to be up there as one of the hip-hop greats, and it was certainly good, but I did expect a bit more. For instance, this is labeled Jazz-Rap, but I feel the jazz influences are very light, due to the simplified production. You won't be finding any interesting jazz riffs save for one or two. Q-Tip's voice and flow is still super tight though, and I really recommend you walk with earbuds whilst listening, and you'll get pretty into it. This one may grow on me in future listens, but for now, while I get the praise, I don't think I can put it way up there.

Not at quite the same quality as Supa Dupa Fly, but the features are still used very well, and some of the beats are nice. I like the emphasised use of R&B stylings, because Missy Elliott can certainly sing, makes me surprised she didn't do one that's just that. Unless, of course, it's not her singing on some of these? I suppose that's possible. Anyway, still decent.

I have to be missing something, right? Like, there's no way I like their debut MORE than this? Well, I guess I do, but I reslly don't know why. I mean, this one is decent, but even the good songs I can't remember after finishing them, and his voice feels really grating when not doing proper punk tunes. There is enough here to be enjoyable, but that's probably because it's a double album that goes much longer than it needed to. Really mixed on this way, but I for sure don't see the hype.

I quite enjoyed the more somber and stripped down tone of track three and four, more than most jazz tunes, and the man can certainly play the piano. I just think every other track suffered from the usual jazz problems, such as being too long and disorganized for the average listener to take anything too great away. Sure, the piano and bass solos are cool, but I play those instruments. The drum solo? Did nothing for me. Still, better than most jazz, and I can at least understand the praise with something like this one.

This album is boring, and the main singer sucks at his job. His voice isn't bad in an interesting way, it's just straight up bad, and it doesn't help that his voice is so bad it distracts from pretty decent guitar playing, with a few good riffs, and when the album featured an actually good singer for one song, I could see an alternate reality where I liked this a lot more. The last song having no words was a godsend that saved my my mental state and this album from getting the lowest of low scores. Still not good.

The other reviews were not kidding, this guy really wants to be Stevie Wonder, but I think he wanted to do so out of inspiration, not to make money off his style. I was hopeful for this album because of this common comparison as well as "acid jazz" being listed within the subgenres, but I sadly found a lot of this album just okay. None of it really had that punch I find Wonder's music to contain, and no real slow tracks had the album start to feel monotonous more than something to get up and dance to. Everything here is solid enough, but I can live with one or two tracks from this guy and don't need a whole album. Also, say it with me everyone! TOO. LONG. Normalize thirty-five minute albums again.

The first couple tracks didn't do much for me, but the more the album went on the more I really liked the somber and string-filled tracks. He's got a great voice, and the choir enhances the songs rather than feeling unnecessary, something that happens too often in this era of music. Piano is great too, jazzy without being overwhelmingly nonsensical. Sure, it's mostly dinner party music, but it's pretty, I could see myself liking this a lot more as time passes, but I already like this quite a bit.

This was way better than expecting. I was figuring it would be a Alanis Morissette situation, but this is a bit more personal feeling than that! It's got an alt-rock vibe from the 90s that feels right on the edge of being mainstream and more lo-fi, and it makes it so while not every song song here is notable, a lot of it is at least interesting, and usually pretty good at that. It's at the very least way better than the Rolling Stones album this is riffing on.

Hey, I've listened to this album before! I was so inspired to listen to it one week that despite my knowledge that it was on the generator, I knew I had to sit down and listen to it. I was blown away then (but somehow God Only Knows didn't grab me) but it's even better now. The harmonies on here are gorgeous, and the small orchestra Brian Wilson was controlling on this album is some of the most gorgeous displays of instrumentals on any modern pop record. No wonder there's two different instrumental tracks on this. Brian Wilson really did make a masterpiece here, and it's a shame the other band members saw that and still shut him down with "Smile" eventually. I've seen the average score the realization of that album has on here, and I'm hoping it's just a case of people totally misunderstanding the story behind that album after years of mental issues from Brian, because the man at least displays his genius here. 1966 to 1969 really was a magical era for music, huh?

I've not listened to all of Rolling Stones' blues rock-style albums from this same era, but I think I prefer this over those, as this is far more consistent throughout the album, rather than just having one or two great tracks and the rest being forgettable. A lot of this album does feel generic, yes, but I never found myself especially disliking any track, and in fact, I'd say there's enough here I actually like quite a bit, varying from the strict blues sound to actually feel like it's from the early 70s, rather than just relying on nostalgic stylings. Just decent music you'd here on your local classic rock radio.

This one really has me confused as to what exactly makes R.E.M. such an important band to so many, as while I usually get the appeal of most of their hits as I hear them, the biggest song here, "Everybody Hurts," is a slog of a song that comes off more dreary and dull than something worth spending time on, and most of the other songs presented on this album are very similar tonally. The singer seems to think his voice is something much more dramatic sounding that it really is, as his voice does not lend itself well to these ballad-type songs, and while musically it is very solid, it needed far more times where the music picked up, such as on "Ignoreland," to not be a repetitive drag. So, you may be confused, why am I giving this a three? Well, it's more of a 2.5, and I'm just rounding up, because that's math for ya. There are moments I like, even whole songs I'd say I enjoyed, it just struggles to be anything I'll remember in a days time. I think I said something similar for Murmur, but in retrospect, that album is a very solid three, while this one is hanging on by a mere thread. Hope other R.E.M. albums on here pick up, because this was meh.

Eh, just feels like generic proto-punk. I enjoyed some of the rock focused stuff, as it felt a tad bit on the glam rock side of things, but it still didn't grab me. Also, some of the song topics are questionable, to say the least, but considering it's punk I imagine it's at least somewhat ironically. Hopefully, any way.

It kind of reminds me of a Celtic Electric Light Orchestra, but that is not a bad thing. Actually, it reminds me of all sort of influences, as you can hear artists like Talking Heads, David Bowie, and the entirety of punk having huge marks on the music at play here. Yet, it is all entirely its own thing here, with each song having this unique charm that feels just new wave enough to be catchy enough without coming off as just jumping in on the times. The change of music from ballads to bopping pop tunes is great and balanced well, and that fiddle is a fantastic addition to make it all its own musically. Not every slow ballad grabs me, and the hit here, Come On Eileen, I've heard far too much to give it a proper time of day, but otherwise this album is great, and I hope the somehow other two inclusions by the band on the list live up to being as good as this one.

I've now heard three different albums in full by this group, which I imagine is more than most people who consider themselves CCR "fans". This one is better than Bayou Country, or least feels like it. There's a tad more variation, and you fan kind of see the direction the band continues to go in, but I still don't see what makes this so special. It's just swamp rock, right? I'm not missing something special, right? Because I really feel like I'm missing something with these. I hope Cosmo's Factory opens my eyes in some way.

Is this really the same band as Screamadelica? I mean, I wasn't crazy about that album or anything, but I actually liked a decent chunk of that one, where this one other than one more actual rock heavy tune in the middle I could not get into this, and at some point was actively disliking this, like whenever the songer decided to put on that cringey voice changer. THAT got hard to listen to. I could see a band like Radiohead being influenced by the electronics on this album, but I find it much more likely that they found that on their own merits as a good sound, and not on this record. Not bad enough for a one, but it's close.

I'll start by saying that this album, musically, is not very good, and at over an hour-and-a-half long, that is not a good thing. Sometimes you'll get a guitar lick or a hook that is pleasing to the ears, but otherwise you're either getting stereotypical country rock, or Lemmy doing stereotypical country rock. It gets old fast, and whenever the lyrics are just like "I got drunk to Lynyrd Skynyrd hyuck-hyuck" the worst of the album shows. I understand that it may be relatable to some guy in Alabama who grew up in the 70s and 80s, but for most of the world, it verges on parody. However, I must admit, despite not wanting to, that I don't hate this album. Especially not enough for a one star. There are lyrical nuisances here that show more deptch and humanizing of the American South than their "culture" has ever shown, and the looking inside the album tries to display at times is endearing at worst, but genuinely interesting at times. Not every song does this, mind you, but after years of Alabama being the butt of every joke you've ever heard, to see someone actually from the state talk about their thoughts and opinions on various topics can be genuinely thought provoking, and they can definitely tell jokes that are more clever than just "Alabama lol". Needing all twenty fingers and toes to "hold the closet door closed" is one that is especially clever as a comment of the stereotypes of the state. Most of this is not good, and I'd rather not hear this again, but I have to give credit somewhere. This is too long, though, were half of these songs necessary? Still, expected worse. Looking into this album a bit more, I'd say just listen to disc one, as disc two is the part of the storyline where the fictional band of the story "Let there be rock" and while most of the decent parts musically come from this section, nothing on this back half will stick with me.

Man, why is this here? Like, I get this is an important part of nu-metal or whatever, but isn't that why Kid Rock is here? Or Korn? Like, I see no reason this is here if not for the author trolling everyone. The instruments suck, the lyrics are AWFUL, and the same song is on here twice, just to really say "fuck you" to your audience. Is that the point? Why would you want to listen to this if the artist hates you as the listener actively on the album? Jesus, just terrible.

This is a weird case where as a pop album, it has the issue a lot of punk albums have of being too repetitive, and a lot of songs blend together. It's like punk-lite, though, as it still feels like you could hear each of these songs on the radio and think "yeah, this belongs here" and not think anything of it for a moment. I could see myself liking this a lot more in a different mood, as each song is catchy and had me tapping my foot, but I'd forget the song as soon as it ended nearly every time, and that makes the whole album feel forgettable. Like, I completely get why this is here, and I think if I were to dig into this album deeper I'd really like it, but as far as impressions go, this just doesn't grab me enough to earn repeats in my own free time.

I think this album is alright, and not too much more than that. Just has that general quick fix rock that makes it so no one song is bad, but no song especially sticks out too hard either. I do get why this is here, though. It starts really strong with the first song and has parts here and there that grabs you again for moments at a time, but overall it's just decent.

I'm unsure how I dislike this album more then Pretzel Logic, when this one has a bit of a higher average score, but I thinj my issue here was it felt like every track went on too long for its own good. None of the songs are bad, but I cannot deny I wasn't getting annoyed at points when songs felt like they were just repeating stylistic beats. However, none of this is to say that I disliked this album completely, as I think it does well what it is aiming to do, which is soft rock that you put on for background music. This album does feel a step elevated above that, almost being yacht-prog more than anything, and so increased attention is recommended, but definitely not required. A decent first outing, but this band still has yet to truly prove to me why it is something more than other soft rock bands from the era.

It certainly is funky, and a good amount of the time that is a good thing on this record, as I felt myself slowly getting into it with each song, but if I take a step back and truly look at this album as a whole, it's very repetitive and lacks a whole lot of substance, to the point where a good amount of the tracks lack lyrics for a portion of the song. I understand I'm supposed to be getting down with it and not caring, but it's a little hard to when you're just sitting at a desk, doing work. Perhaps that's unfair to the album, but I mean, if I'm still getting into it while doing menial tasks, then it must be pretty good funk.

This is far better than Neon Bible, because at the very least it isn't boring, at least not most of the time. There are some songs I would even dare say I enjoyed here. Nothing I'd add to my personal library, but it works as an album. What irks me the most here is the singer's voice, as its not only very whiney, despite none of the songs expelling specifically sadness, but also that it just sounds like Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse but less interesting and singing songs that lend themselves far less to the voice. It makes some songs that feel like great indie rock tunes conceptually turn into songs that sound like stomp and holler shit you'd hear out of the Lumineers or some other early 2010s indie folk band no one likes. Another issue I find is a lot of songs tend to pick up and start to do something interesting like a minute too late, and the song ends up ending before the payoff really does its job. I just feel like this is almost there, and who knows, maybe if I gave this a couple more tries I'd start to like it quite a bit, but for now, I can only claim that this is ten times better than the slog that is Neon Bible. Okay, this actually got REALLY boring with the last few tracks, so it's still a two, but it slipped down a bit from that. No matter what I do not get the praise here. While we're comparing them to Modest Mouse, how does this band have three on here and Modest Mouse has zero? So weird.

The inclusion of (I think) a saxophone is a nice touch to stand out, but it doesn't help the Zutons from sounding like every other band of this era any way. Certainly not a bad sound, but I feel had I heard this in passerby nothing would've stood out to me. The more country-like influenced tracks here are weird too, just feel off. Light three.

Giving me this and Funeral just a couple days apart is pretty messed up. Maybe not Kanye back-to-back messed up, but close. As for the album itself, I'm conflicted, because I find some of the songs here to be the best of the band's whole discography (of what I heard) but other songs here are just as boring and soul sucking as Neon Bible, which I gave a one. Generally my system has it so it at least gets a three if I enjoy a few songs to add to my musical rotation (rounds up from a 2.5) but my disdain for not only this band as a whole, but the rest of this album still makes me feel like this is a two. You're probably thinking "then give this a two," but I hate to break tradition, it would bother me. So, if you're reading this, this three is the lighest three I've ever given, and I think as an album, Funeral is far and away the best of their albums here, I just seem to like parts of this one the most, and that helps it in my system. It's flawed, but I'm in too deep. One thing I can say no matter what is Arcade Fire is not a good band by any means.

This album is decent, as I'm sure was expected from Daft Punk. I mean, I was hoping for a bit better, but this first outing gets the job done and there's some great songs here. You can really hear the influence it would have on acts like Justice. So, instead, let me take the time to ask: Where's Discovery? The far more iconic and very obviously better album from the duo, it seems extremely weird that it is omitted from this list, as it had just as much influence if not more as this album, and does not go on too long or start to become background noise like this album. That album would be a five, no doubtm this one? No where near as close, sadly.

I am surprised I like this more the Parklife, as that is generally considered the better album by the band, but there was just something here I enjoyed a lot more. I think the british-ness of it all isn't too overwhelmingly annoying, more Supergrass-esque, less Oasis. Nothing mind blowing, but this one was good. Went on too long, though, and that's removing the two hidden tracks seemingly not apart of modern digital releases.

It may be a genre-defining departure for Madonna, or some production masterpiece that shook the musical world into the 2000s, but that does not excuse the fact that this album is so BORING. We're not talking not my cup of tea boring, but that kind of shit that grew out of favor for a reason as the years went on. None of the beats here stick in your mind as none of them are catchy, the slick nature seems like a total relapse of everything pop music had learned earlier in the decade with the rise of grunge, and I just straight up don't care as I'm listening to the point of anger. And at over an hour long despite the slim thirteen track length, why would I bother? That's not to mention the fact that Madonna does nothing here. Her voice is inoffensive but not notable, and I cannot imagine she's the one who made all of these "futuristic" backing tracks, leading me to believe the only praise this album tends to get from music critics is those who already love William Orbit's style and want to praise this boring "choose your car!" sounding shit. Feels like a crime this can be considered trip hop because putting this and acts like Björk and Portishead in the same sentence seems like blasphemy. Bleh.

It kind of reminds me of those really old union songs that workers would sing whilst working, and I think that's neat with modern production, but it is also overwhelmingly British, in an annoying eay like many Britpop artists, and that makes it so the album ranges from actually decent to incredibly annoying. By the end, it doesn't really leave any sort of an impact. I think more to the production or even less to the production would help, because it doesn't sound bombastic like the instruments try to make it sometimes, and it isn't personal like the lyrics suggest.

Man, this album is so close to a five star that it hurts, as the first four tracks and final four tracks are all fantastic pieces of folk-y power pop that scratches that itch the way a calmer Led Zeppelin song does. My issue is that three of the four middle tracks lean a little too heavy into the rock part, and feel bland due to it, as it sounds like a poor imitation of admittedly acts that would come after this, but I still don't enjoy the style. However, none of that should detract from the fact that I think this is an excellent record. This is a glorious debut where you can see inspirations like George Harrison, T. Rex, and as mentioned before, Led Zeppelin, yet this is definitively all Big Star's, with tracks like Thirteen and the Ballad of El Goodo being master class power pop pieces that I will never forget. It is a shame this group didn't take off, because I think they really could've blown the music world open. I suppose they did inspire R.E.M., but I'll just say this is better than anything that group put out by a mile. Just an awesome album, wish I could give it that five, but I gotta be fair to my system. Perhaps one day it'll get there.

I'm unsure to give this a two or a three, admittedly. On one hand, I didn't straight up dislike any part of this album, and you could even say I got into a song or two here and there, but this album commits the sin of being boring and over an hour long, and while it doesn't make it unlistenable like some bore fests, it is exhausting to get through, especially around the 3/4s area, where the songs seem to just be making random noises. I think I'm going with a two, because if we compare this to another dance record that's over an hour long I recently got, Daft Punk's Homework, then this is worse.

This is dreadfully boring, to the point where I have nearly nothing to say about it. It comes in one ear and out the other, and does not earn its extended run time at all. Perhaps there are parts that remind me of singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, but why would I not listen to him, then? Because this certainly is worse than anything he's ever made. Scrapes by with a two.

I'll admit I'm one of those freaks who thinks Tainted Love is just alright, but I was still cautiously optimistic for this album. I mean, how can one know Sex Dwarf is on here and not be excited?! As it seems, I was right to be optimistic about this one, because this was pretty nice. Nothing absolutely mind blowing, but I feel this album is far less wishy-washy than most new wave albums from the area, telling it as it is both lyrically and with its beats. It's harsh, but in a good way. I think the first step to liking this album is understanding that Tainted Love is the exception, not the rule.

This album has really good highs, like that bass line in Fascination Street, or just the overwhelming amount of noise that can feel really great in some circumstances, especially with a good pair of headphones/earbuds. The issue here is that the other times this feels kind of aimless, like they'll have a good basis for a song, then lose that intrigue over the course of the next four minutes. I completely understand why this is so positively recieved by both the mainstream and more "high class" music critics, as just like Talking Heads' Remain in Light, it balances the two mediums well, but it leaves me feeling bored and like I'm missing something. This is an extremely high three star, but I just can't inch it over to that next star ranking.

Finally, it's been a while since I got something fantastic, but it makes sense that someone I really only know bits and pieces about would come and be the one to do it. This album is great, it's so cool and unique, whilst also being very honest and feeling like some of the most genuine music I've ever heard. Björk is singing her heart out here, and it's blend of jazz, trip hop, and just general pop makes this an incredibly great release. I know her stuff after this is a bit more experimental, but this certainly lays down ground work to be someone I adore the music of.

Compared to the other album on the list by Pavement, I prefer this one, although it's been long enough that I couldn't quite tell you why. This just has a lot of stuff that you wouldn't expect, like songs just starting and ending in the middle of something, or not quite following normal song conventions. It definitely feels like something an artist like Weezer might have been more inspired by. What holds it back for me is that once again the singer's voice tries balancing the "poor but cool" of many indie greats with varying success, and can be annoying in the right mood, and also the album is not that memorable on a song by song basis. However, still a neat experience, I understand why one would think this is something amazing.

Really danceable, it feels like this would be an amazing film score to a very slick movie. Otherwise, it's just alright jazz that I enjoy far more than most jazz. I could see myself liking this more on future listens, the question is if I will ever partake in those listens.

I find this album to just be a better executed version of what Madonna tried to do a couple years later with Ray of Light. It's still relatively boring here, but there's more actual interesting beats here, and it went by a lot faster. I feel like this album just is good at feeling like a more vocal heavy version of a vocal track on one of the electronic artists' albums from a few years earlier, and that makes it more interesting. Still don't get including remixed tracks on the main tracklist, that's annoying.

My first Beck of which I believe are three on this generator, and it's kind of weird to start with the last of the three, as knowing what I know of Beck, this feels like a sequel to something I haven't heard yet, and in turn can't completely appreciate it. However, this is still good, and I enjoyed my time with it. You can hear the Gorillaz comparisons everyone is saying, but there's also something here that is completely unique, and I appreciate that. Nothing beats that opening track though, makes sense it was the hit from this album, because it hits HARD.

I was excited for this album, so I'll say I'm a tad disappointed by what I got. After the Genesis album I figured I had been sleeping on Peter Gabriel this whole time, but hearing this I feel like no one was above the risk of falling into the production trends of the time, and it leads to an experience that feels just as cheesy as any other adult oriented pop record from the time. Sledgehammer is obviously fantastic, but it is only so great because my mind has had the time to accept the production and see past it, but the rest of this I was completely blind to, and in turn just found it boring. The album does pick up quite a bit at the end however, with the second to last track being something that I could see jamming out to with some time, but I truly think had the rest of this album sounded like the final track, we could've had Gabriel's very own Low. Otherwise, Sledgehammer is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for this rating, I must admit.

I'm unsure if I'm just more open to the Byrds sound this time around, or if this album just is better because they're ripping off much better acts and blending them together, but this was pretty alright. I feel a lot of the power of the Bob Dylan tracks was stripped here, but a lot of the other covers had an energy to them that was appreciated, just like the brief runtime of the whole album. Perhaps I should give the other Byrds album another try.

All Yes albums officially gotten! My partner seems to really like this one, and I've heard all of it before, but I admittedly cannot remember a single ounce of the contents of this album, so let's hope it holds more of an impression with a more thorough listening, eh? Yep, this is certainly very good. I mean, when I add a nearly twenty minute song to my song rotation, you know you made a good album. I can't quite give this a five, as it did start to lose my attention with all the long tracks not broken up by anything more stomachable, something I feel a lot of five star prog records have, but this is still an excellent experience.

I'm now about halfway through this album whilst writing this, and I have to say, this is incredibly "nothing" music. It's like R.E.M, but far less interesting and notable. Every song comes in one ear and out the other, to the point of being tedious. We'll see if it does better in the back half, but if it doesn't, I can see this being a one star just for wasting my time. Yep, this was a waste of time. I mean, why bother with a double album if nothing is gonna change in the whole runtime? Perhaps not a one star on a song by song basis, but as an album, this is pointless.

I really did have to get used to her voice at first, as while I'm not unfamiliar with the vocal style, it can certainly be jarring. Once I did get accustomed to it, however, I really thought it was very pretty. It's filled with so much heartache, and feels all the more genuine due to the strife behind each word. Those strings are also great, and were the reason for helping me get used to her voice. My main issue is that this album is pretty repetitive, and at forty-five minutes long, which is big for an album from the 1950s, it does wear on you after a while, but otherwise this a great piece of music history, showing you don't need some impeccable voice to stand out and even stand above your contemporaries.

This album is like one big song, with songs oozing into each other and just feeling like one coherent thought, which I imagine is a big plus for those who are fans of this album. I, however, am not. It started to drag quite a bit pretty early on, and the long runtime just made it hard to stomach. I mean, it wasn't awful, but it turned to background noise very quickly, and any time I did tune back in, it felt like something not good was happening, like her weird country twang thing she does on some of the songs. Really at the end of the day this just wasn't really for me, but I can at least recognize that something good is here.

Really? This is the second highest rated album on the whole site? I mean, it's certainly okay, I wouldn't be giving it a three otherwise, but there are so many albums on this list I would not only say are better, but FAR better than this one that are struggling to even get a 3.5, or even worse, are lagging behind this one by a whole point. I just don't get it, it's certainly decent soft rock, but what else does this album do other than have hits on it everyone knows? Is that it? It's recognizable and therefore, safe? Bleh, makes me want to give it a two just for the annoyance of it, but it's not the albums fault, so I'll be fair. I have nothing to say about the music itself, save for impressive bass playing on some songs, and the Chain deserves its fame. The other hits? Not so much...

Was Machine Head this prog-y? I like this one a lot more because of it, it feels way more earned when something aggressively happened, as it comes to be a payoff rather than only a simple hook. Still a three, as it feels a little generic biker rock at times, but this is at least cool, especially for 1970.

The voice is funky for aure, but once I got used to it I found this album quite nice. It's very pretty sounding most of the time and the vocals are filled with emotion no matter how they may come off. I feel bad here because my main takeaway was actually that I'm super excited to get a Rufus Wainwright album eventually, but this was good on Its own too.

Nick Cave either I enjoy quite a bit, or is just alright, and this is one of the latter. There's some good tunes here, but also a good chunk of boring ones, and despite the normal length, it does drag on. Still, pretty okay, just know there's better.

Black Magic Woman is a fantastic track, and there's some other pretty solid songs here as well. Just a bit too instrumental for my taste, and the other vocal tracks just don't scratch the itch Black Magic Woman does.

While I understand the pride here comes from the quality of the music playing, I do struggle to see why one may prefer most of these versions to that of their studio counterparts. At the end of the day, it's a Deep Purple album, and you know what that means? Three stars! Truly the band of all time!

This album feels like the more somber and ambient parts of Talking Heads' Remain In Light; more of a vibe thana dance album, but all the components are there for a dance album still. That album, is personally, my least favorite of all the Talking Heads on this list because of that reason, controversial, I know, but I feel when a whole album is made with that style rather than just a couple of the songs, it works far better. There's songs here where the synths feel like they're sweeping you off your feet and it's magical, and when it does get you moving on the rare occasion, it is very satisfying. I can definitely see this as boring, but I think in the right mindset, this can still be very engaging. Even the bloated length doesn't feel too bad, which is impressive.

I actually had such a strong urge to listen to this album a while ago that I figured it would be a bit before I got it on the generator. That was about six months ago, so I was mostly right! This album is really great, the opening track "Turn to Stone" is such a good opener, and the album gives you that same dopamine rush throughout the album with various other tunes. It's just so fantastical, and despite the whole genre of "baroque pop" I don't think any one band has mixed orchestration and pop music this well, save for perhaps Moddy Blues' Days of Future Passed. It admittedly does lose a little steam, since the long length can make the album feel a little bloated, but they pepper in so many goodies throughout that I hardly minded, and it still holds true enough for me that this is a fantastic record.

I think this is the first album to ever scare me, as the son It's Business As Usual had me looking over my shoulder, and wasn't a pleasant experience, but in a good way, as it was really effective horror if it got me that wrapped up in it. I'd say the album as a whole is cool, it's got this neat spy thing going on that was surely a big inspiration to artists like Portishead and Goldfrapp. I'd say it started to drag a little near the 3/4s mark, but pulled me back in enough with the Nick Cave appearance. Just don't listen to this album at night, is all.

Okay, when people say "elevator music," they are usually highly exaggerating for the point of saying they find an album or song is boeing, but most of this is literally the equivalent of elevator music. Boring, Kenny G. like woodwind, generic brass blasts, and singing (when it rarely appears) that fails to make any sort of impression. I understand that this is a soundtrack, and in turn is perfect background music, but that's just the issue! It's meant for a film, not for me to spend my day casually listening to. It has the gall to tack a twenty minute track near the end to really seal the deal that this is "nothing" music. Perhaps in the context of the film this is great, but this isn't 1001 films (in which it is also on that list) it's 1001 albums. This wasn't made to be music to listen to solely and consume, it's a soundtrack, and I can name far better soundtracks if we're doing that.

This is like a slightly sadder approach to an artist like Belle and Sebastian. Instead of melancholic feels of a breezy Summer Afternoon, you get a more crisp Autumn night, and you just feel like something deeper is wrong the whole, despite the appearances of jazz-y instrumentation and even backup singers. I know this album didn't do well, and that sunk Drake into an even deeper depression that we look into with Pink Moon, but here, there is this hope that maybe things will be alright, knowing the outcome is not so lucky. I personally find this album to be very relaxing, despite this underlaid anxiety, and feel that the multitude of artists this certainly inspired all wear that on their sleeve, as I can hear them all here in this one record. It isn't anything incredibly mind blowing for me, as sound wise it is a folk album with perhaps far too much going on for the genre it is supposed to be a part of, but I still find a lot here I enjoy, and only wish that Nick Drake had better success in his time alive, because he certainly deserved it.

I remember finding the other Suede album to be a pretty lackluster album that did not leave an impression at all, so to see this one do far better in being something worth listening to is nice. I find that this album strays away from the stereotypes of britpop far better than most of its contemporaries, being more alternative rock than anything, and at least attempting to avoid that nasal that many bands similar have. I think this album just tries a lot harder to be its own thing, and I respect that quite a bit. The Pulp/Divine Comedy-like closer really bridges the gap to becoming a love letter to the era Suede is currently apart of, and it works magnificently. At the end of the day, still a britpop album, so there's a few boring tracks, especially on the front half, but the back half is good enough to really let the album pull through. Perhaps I need to give their self-titled another shot.

I was somewhat hopeful for this album before I listened to it. I mean, I liked the Massive Attack album pretty well, and Goldfrapp appearing on a few tracks was also a really good sign, but this felt very lacking. It felt like a Massive Attack album without any of the intrigue or smoothness for the most part. Sometimes the vocals that weren't Tricky were good, but then I question why this album is even credited to Tricky, or why he felt the need to split away from Massive Attack, as most of the time he is hardly in the song, being more of a hyper man, and his weird "Hamburger Lady"-esque vocal edits on his voice got annoying. I feel like the author only put this album here because he liked Massive Attack, but then again he left off Mezzanine, so I don't know what to think.

Very solid background music, but it doesn't feel more. In fact, don't some of you find this to be a tad cheesy? Some of the payoffs in songs sound like the soundtrack to a movie where the characters are celebrating, and it starts to wear a little tiring by the end. Certainly a decent little project, but probably won't stick out too much to me in just a few days.

I can see where the harsher sounds found on Daydream Nation came from, but I think the poppy-er tunes from that album help balance out the package a bit more. I mean, this is still good, especially a fan of the final track and it's guitar, but I can't imagine anything here will stick with me quite like 'Cross the Breeze or Teenage Riot. Again, though, I was bumping to this enough to inch into four star range.

I like the idea behind this album, it feels cool to have such a synth heavy prog album, pretty much removing any signs of guitars, but all it really does is open my eyes to how much guitars are needed for an album like this. The whole album, even the twenty minute song to an extent, felt like a build up to some amazing pay-off that never really came. Unless you count a weird rock n' roll track at the end as the payoff. Still, I will give it credit for the attempt here, and the church organ on one of the later tracks was the closest the album got me to feel like something here was truly trying to do something that wasn't done before.

This album feels extremely generic, and gets to the point where it is trying to cash in on the success of artists like Prince and just the Minneapolis sound in general. The issue is that this a British white guy, so it does rub me the wrong way ethically. Outside of that, however, the music sure is from the 80s. Artificial sounds aplenty, and reeks of cheese, but it is inoffensive. The album flies by, and I'm 100% sure one or two songs played without me even noticing. Sounds like their EP "4 A Sides" is something far more worth listening to, but we'll see if I get around to it ever.

There are absolutely great songs on here like Smooth Criminal, and I cannot deny that, but everything here feels incredibly aged, for mostly worse, and the fact that the best song (Leave Me Alone) isn't even on the original track listening is kind of the final straw that makes this album feel incredibly mediocre. 2.5, round up to a 3.

Similar to the other two R.E.M. albums I've gotten so far (and I can only imagine there's more) this album didn't leave too much of an impression on me. That isn't to say it's bad, it's just most definitely R.E.M, and that's the only way I can seem to describe it. If you like R.E.M. that's a good thing, but for me it just means that even though each of these albums sound somewhat different, they still blend into one homogenized glob.

Like a weird combo of U2, The Pogues, and Bob Dylan, but certainly better than the former two. It had a great, no, amazing thing going with the first part of the album, but let itself go into basic celtic rock with no interesting deviation as the album went on, with only hits of that great start the album had. I didn't outright dislike anything here, though, and the length of the album was hardly noticeable, which was unexpected. I'd say if one were to shave this albums rougher parts off you'd have something here that really is great. Instead, I can just say I'm glad I listened to this for those parts that did shine through.

I had big hopes for this album, and the opening of the first track had me thinking this was going to be a lot folk-ier than what the genres had told me, but I was okay with that, as it sounded nice, but that was ripped away from under me mere moments in, and it never really returned to that sound. There was a repeating motif throughout the album that sounded nice, and they started getting somewhere with the final couple tracks, but it was too little, too late, as I was already pretty bored out of my mind. None of it is BAD, per se, but psychedelic rock in its lightest form comes off now more as dad rock than anything with actual edge, and they would've, quite frankly, been better off just going the folk route I so desperately hoped they would aim towards.

Despite I think being earlier than a good chunk of bands I would compare this to, I still can't shake the feeling that this is like if an AI was told to make a sophisti-pop album. It is certainly surface level solid, but past that nothing here grabs me, with it being funky, but no baseline being memorable, and the singer has a great voice, but I'd never be able to pick it out of the crowd. I'll give it credit for being something I'd say I enjoyed, but it doesn't go much farther than that.

This album was far better than the other Super Furry Animals album I got, but unfortunately on a five star scale the difference isn't big enough to add that extra star, so they look like they're equals here. I just feel as though I'll actually remember this one way better, and there were even some tracks here I liked quite a bit, but I have to agree with the consensus that I don't know why I wouldn't just go seek out the musical styles they're trying to emulate here. The singing feels like a mix of Blur and The Flaming Lips, which is interesting.

As a massive Beatles fan, I'm disappointed by how just "okay" this album is. It's certainly not bad, but as the first of the actual solo Beatles albums (I think?) this leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe I'm Amazed is certainly a fantastic ballad that matches with McCartney's output in the late Beatles era, but the rest of the album feels like ideas that don't come to fruition. I mean, having both "Junk" and "Singalong Junk" just to fill an already small runtime reeks of too many idea with hardly any fleshed out. It really is just okay, nothing more, nothing else. So, I'll ask, where's Ram? How did this get here over Ram, which is not only the best McCartney album (Wings or otherwise) but arguably the best solo Beatles project, although All Things Must Pass comes close? Ut seriously baffles me. I feel like the author just didn't want to include more McCartney albums than Lennon, but this album didn't need to be here, that one did. If you're reading this, listen to Ram. Perhaps the low production values led this album to be one of the first "indie" (I use that term loosely here) albums of all time, but then why aren't artists like the Shaggs here for also inspiring artists without being something actually of high quality themselves? And once again, WHY ISN'T RAM HERE?!

This is very close to a one star, but the more America-like moments (the band America, I mean) keep it above the water for me, and the final song is at least something different, actually feeling like that "rock" and "funk" he was talking so much about earlier on the album. But those country tracks, and especially those blues tracks? Man, those SUCKED. Just hanging on by a thread, but can't in good faith give it a one.

The uncle saga continues, with this album also being an unexpected solid heavy metal release that I definitely underestimated in passing. Perhaps not as good as the debut, in my opinion, but this still definitively rocks, and I really need to open myself up to more Iron Maiden, especially when fans don't even consider either of the inclusions here the best the group has to offer.

This is weird because it feels like Chuck D got warped into a group that is just slightly different than Public Enemy. I don't mind this though, it has enough variation in it at points to be an easy enough listen, even if some of the topics feel very, VERY 90s. I'd be curious to see what happened after this album for this group, as I see high potential, but they unfortunately only made this, and I can't be bothered to check the lead guy's solo stuff.

This album's year is such a trip. I was researching when this came out, because the year in the book (and here), 1978, is wrong, and it took me a hot minute to figure it out, but if you're curious, this album is actually a compilation of songs by Regina that released in the mid-90s, years after her passing. It almost exclusively has songs from her 1980 album "Elis," her last before her passing. It also has one song that seems to not be on an album, but was perhaps released in some other manner. That means twelve of the thirteen tracks are from a single album. Quite the "compilation," huh? I just have no clue how the author of this list got 1978, as half the songs on here weren't even out yet, and even if they were, she didn't have an album release in 1978, so the year is wrong no matter what. Just an utter mess over something so small. Anyway, the music itself! It's pretty good! I was already aware of Regina from my partner getting this album, and there's some great tracks on here that bop, and even the songs I didn't know up until now that also bop! However, I'd say it does start to become a little repetitive listening in one sitting, and the more ballad-like tracks leave a bit to be desired, but overall this is a good to great set of songs, compilation or otherwise.

An underrated thing that this generator has led me to being able to do is understanding a bit more when an album has bad (or "bad") production. That doesn't mean I understand why people would say such a thing all the time, but I can wrap my head around it most of the time. Metallica is no stranger to this accusation, famously with the drums on St. Anger (which if you can't hear the issue with those things after a few moments of listening you're deaf) and today's album, ...And Justice for All. I mean, it certainly isn't as bad as that album, but where is any of the oomph with this album? It just feels so stringy with nearly no bass in sight, and it can come off as hollow. Does that stop the album from having good tracks? No, the opener is great, and One is basically Metallica's Stairway to Heaven, but a lot of the remaining tracks get repetitive with nothing to really set them apart, as you get the same guitar-drum shtick with each song, and the length of the album despite only having nine tracks just means it's all the more noticeable. I love the inclusion of an acoustic guitar in this album, it really helps break up the monotony, but they seem scared to even toy with the idea of a full song of something more mellow, and I understand why, but that's what makes it hard to stomach too much Metallica at once for me. I do sound overly negative here, as I tend to when I have glaring issues with an album, but this is still a solid metal album from the band, with tracks I do think deserve their iconic status. I just struggle to give this more than a more middle of the road ranking, when I know bands like Anthrax and Megadeth will do far better ranking wise once I get them on here.

This is an album that just makes you feel sad. It's a hollow feeling, but in a good way, which I don't know if I've experienced in an album before. It just is so obvious Drake is going through something terrible, and over fifty years later you can't do anything but sit there and listen to his sorrows. It still has this melancholic feeling to it which could make you feel perhaps more uplifted, but like getting gut punched by a flower. It really helps that the album is short, because it does get a bit repetitive, just being Drake and his guitar, but it still is the perfect representation of what folk music would be going through in the coming years, and Nick Drake was just too ahead of the curb to know it. Fantastic record, and a folk magnum opus.

I'm thinking that I don't like The Who, as it feels, just like the Rolling Stones, they're trying to appeal to more American-like musical styles all the time, rather than developing their own ideas, and it just gets annoying. I mean, I really can't stand the singing here, with all the repeating and stuttering here, and I only like it when it feels as though it isn't so self-indulgent. Plus, for thirty something minutes, this drags. The final track trying to be some mega-wild instrumental comes off as more self indulgent than something cool, and again, this just annoys me. Actually, this album really annoys me. All the music here is just exactly the type of music I dislike from the mid-60s-era. I mean, Rubber Soul came out this year, and in comparison, this is a real drag, man. I was going to go with a two, but writing this review made me realize how little there is I like here. A couple okay tracks don't make up for songs that actively make me angry.

Unfortunately, I really wanted to like this more, as it felt like every single song had gripped me right away, but only a couple tracks held on to me the whole way through the song. It's all definitely "good," but it also feels of its era, just being critical darling-indie rock, and feels predictable in a modern lens. Perhaps had I heard this when it released I'd be singer higher praises, but instead it is just okay.

I have to admit that some of this rating is based on nostalgia, as my dad absolutely loves Pearl Jam and this album, so I know each of these songs at least a little bit, but I still think this is a rather good release. Sure, Eddie Vedder sometimes sounds intelligible, but it feels so raw and honwst that it really works on tracks like Black and Yellow Ledbetter (not on this album) so I can't help but like it. Perhaps were I coming in fresh this would be a three, but I think this is a grand enough time to warrant the higher score.

I was really hoping I'd like this album a lot more than I did, with the first song having me hopeful with its stranger than expected synths, and obviously the powerhouse of a hit that is Sweet Dreams, but by the end of the album I found myself mostly just being a passive listener, not engaged positively or negatively, just listening. I'd say it is mostly just forgettable, an all too common occurrence with synthpop, I've come to learn. All the stars align for Eurythmics to have an album somewhere in their discography I like, but as of this review, it remains to be heard.

This feels definitively like a "rock" album, what someone out there thinks is the peak of the genre, despite sounding extrem safe and predictable by modern standards. All your usual suspects are here, guitar solos that really aren't that memorable, far too long drum solos, and of course a whole section introducing people in the band as if those listening to the album can see them. Is there stuff here that caught me by surprise? Sure, and of course songs like The Boys Are Back in Town have earned their place in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame, but there isn't enough here to stand out as one of the great live albums to me, and when I realize there are some blatant live picks over this one, I scratch my head even more. Not bad, just generic.

It's interesting to get some Britpop obviously inspired by Marc Bolan, that isn't a usual suspect when it comes to this genre. There are other influences here, obviously, but I'm glad this album chose the whisper-y sounds of Pulp rather than the whining of Oasis when it comes to Britpop, as it makes it so I love the sound of this album so much more. It's all jangly and earnest without being boring, and I like the lyrics, they're suprisingly engaging. This is literally right next to being a five star, but I think it just needs that next little push to be something amazing. Until then, I am very intrigued by this band, and will be keeping them in mind for future reference. This is on the good side of britpop.

This was almost exactly what I expected it to be. Bloopy reggae jams that are criminally inoffensive, but generally boring. There is harmonies and stuff I like here, as they remind me of some great 50s and early 60s doo-wop, but otherwise this is stereotypical. Sure, albums like this had to be a thing for this sound to be stereotypical, but that doesn't make it any less so to a modern set of ears.

This is that stereotypical-Elvis sound that I was surprised wasn't super prevalent in his debut, but that is hardly a good thing. I find this album to be boring most of the time, with the changing sounds of including jazzier instrumentation to be predictable rather than something daring from the pop star. Perhaps were I alive in 1960 and heard the changing sounds I'd be like "holy shit!" but instead I feel like I'm hearing what everyone else hears when the name "Elvis" is muttered.

I knew when I saw the word "blues" and the name "Eric Clapton" I was going to not be a fan of this, and despite a somewhat strong opening, I was right. Every song reads as the same boring, repetitive, misappropriation of a genre I already don't care for, and every time I had a hint of joy stem from the music it was because the song happened to be short and ended. I mean, Clapton isn't as big of a part of this as I thought he was, but that doesn't mean I still don't find his guitar picking to be dull and the songs to all feel the same. It got to the point where I was pretty much numb to everything this album threw at me, and not even clocking in at forty minutes and still getting that feeling is mighty impressive. Was this a big part of the British blues scene and Clapton's career? Perhaps, but that doesn't instantly make it good, in fact I'd argue we're all worse off for it.

This album has a great, energetic start that got me invested right away, but the next few tracks seem to repeat the same song and dance (musically) with only some tracks bringing it back into the limelight throughout. There's also great topic discussed here ruined by songs about Ice Cube getting his dick wet, and its mostly distracting. Just a very down the middle album that I give the more positive spin due to not playing itself overly long, cutting itself off at a reasonable time, which I really appreciate.

This is a chore to listen to, with its extremely boring musicality, Neil's less than enjoyable singing, and just the utter "whatever"-ness of it all. I was coasting through most of this album thinking it could scrape by with a two star, but the second (!) ten minute song on the album really broke me, with just a complete lack of joy coming from within. This is music made to appeal to the most trivial of stereotypes from the era, and the fact that this has been lumped in with grunge for years now is a sin. This is dad rock, through and through, and while I absolutely love Young's On the Beach, this is nothing similar to that at all, and is much worse off for it. Maybe its Crazy Horse's fault? I'll have to keep that in mind when listening to his other albums.

Oh no, not more blues influenced rock for middle aged dudes... I mean, this one was okay, but even the iconic track La Grange didn't feel like anything special here once it just started having rambling guitar, which seems to be what every track here devolves into. This felt more like strutting down the street than biking down the interstate, and I mean that as a positive, but it is certainly clear why this band as a whole is more iconic than most of the tracks they produced, let alone a whole album.

This album has the exact save issues that I have with Michael Jackson's Bad, where the production is so cheesy and dated that it really hurts a good chunk of songs as I can hear a solid base for a lot of the songs here, but the style of the time made it so every song oozes the same gratituous-ness that seeped from every 80s pop record. I suppose this was a tiny bit before that production style really took off into the stratosphere in the late 80s, but that doesn't make it any less out of touch by modern standards. I think Tina Turner's voice does carry this project mostly, as while it isn't anything I adore, it's aged in a way on here where it feels mature and natural, but at the end of the day this feels like an album to make money for all parties involved, and it sure did.

This was far better than expected, as while I knew guitar noodling was a major part of this, I actually didn't find it to be too aimless that often. In fact, I'm super impressed this is a live album, as you could hardly tell with the thought put into some of what they did, and the theming on the first half of the album is cool. It does get a bit boring at times, especially when they decide to do more ambient noise stuff that goes on for seemingly days, and I'm not a huge fan of the singer's voice, but I still enjoyed this enough to get it up to that positive rating.

This album contains some excellent songs, and I really enjoy Young's contributions, but I think the overwhelming country twang of it all does turn me off from it quite a bit, as stuff like those country guitars feel cheesy and stereotypical, and the rock hevay numbers are forgettable. Still when the album pulls something off, it really pulls it off. Our House is really pretty, especially.

This album reminds me a lot of America's output, being like you're relaxing on the beach, but that beach is in the middle of the woods, on a cold day. However, unlike America's early output, which I quite enjoy, I found this to be pretty boring. I understand that perhaps this was a big step for the soft rock genre, but is that really a genre worth highlighting? I mean, half the time, David Crosby and Co. decide to replace actual lyrics with slow, thoughtful vocalizing, but it leaves the song feeling hollow. There were small bits of joy when everything did come together properly, but as someone who just listened to Deja Vu, why would I pick this over something like that?

This has to be one of the most forgettable hip-hop albums I've gotten so far, which seems to be a theme with Wu-Tang's solo albums. Each song just feels the exact same after a while, and I'm not a fan of the raspy-ness of his voice in long sessions. This just feels like it covers the exact things that the GZA album I listened to already covered. Not terrible, but entirely forgettable, save for a bar or two.

Well, this is interesting. It isn't what I expected this album to sound like, but it still isn't really my cup of tea. It gives off that "desert in movies" vibe to a lot of it, and while some of the songs around the 3/4 point are better, it still leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps were it more engaging up to that point I'd be more happy eith my experience, but it was getting to be a slog, and really only survived because of picking up. I really hate albums at this length. Either commit to the over the hour or cut down your filler.

I've known about this one for a little bit, because my partner listened to it and showed me Sonic Attack because they thought I'd think it was cool, and it was. The rest of the music here carries that same space-y energy where nothing their saying feels real, and usually it isn't really, but suspending your disbelief for long enough to get sucked in a little is a neat enough experience, and there are most definitely some songs here that bang. However, the length and repetition of the whole package is a big turn-off, and by the end everything is starting to leave the same taste in my mouth. Its amazing that this is mostly all live, but it also feels sloppy enough that not knowing the music this stems from leads to aimless tracks that could use a few studio pass-overs. Overall, an experience with good and bad qualities, but I can't imagine coming back to it, unless I were to become a big fan of hallucinogens.

This and the United States of America record from the same time were so ahead of their time that it is insane how overlooked they are in the US. I mean, some of the electronic effects are so crunchy and powerful that one can't help but be taken aback by the brash sound this album presents. Can it be a bit too much? In this album's case, yes, I feel it can be, with often some songs losing focus and feeling a tad bit like just noise, and the language barrier certainly doesn't help, but can you really blame it when it's all just so cool sounding? And it is certainly varied too, which helps. There is certainly some filler here, but otherwise top notch and ahead of its time, I need to dig into more of this underrated, late-60s psychedelic rock, it's bating a nearly perfect score.

Well, this was kind of disappointing. I've known the cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart for a while now, and that song is a solid bop and a half in the right move, but it seems the rest of the album is struggling to reach that same level of excellency within the trip hop genre. That isn't the say the album is bad, because it isn't, but it leaves you not really thinking much other than "okay," and that feels sometimes like a greater tragedy than an album being bad with one good song. Instead, this just lands somewhere in the middle of pretty much everyone's scale of alright-ness, and not much else needs to be said.

Johnny Cash comes off so cool on this album, man. He's quick to a joke, he is so blunt that his aggressiveness also comes off as super charming, and he just deserves the title of "the man in black." I do wish I liked country music as a whole more, as the music here doesn't grab me too much, but when it comes to being a live album, I can't imagine the audience to performer contact gets much better, and I just like it on that alone.

This is better than I remember it being the first time I ever heard it, with the mix of this showtune-ness of it all with American glam felt like it was no one but Alice Cooper's. That doesn't mean every song here is memorable, though, which isn't great when an album is already pretty short. However, you'll never not hear me sing the praises of Alma Mater, which is one of the band's best tracks, and brings this album up from okay to good, which is quite the feat for one track. This album is nothing spectacular, in fact I'd say there are multiple Alice Cooper albums that are better before and after this, but this is still a solid release from a group/performer that I feel can go much lower quality-wise.

I'm going to sound like someone who has no idea what they're talking about now, because I don't, but is this really that ahead of its time? I mean, it's pretty decent techno, and was huge for its time, I understand that, but there were other electronic artists at the same time who made songs that I feel captured this up and coming sound better and fuller. I often see the argument "this is crazy for 1978," but Giorgio Moroder had already made multiple tracks that were electronic powerhouses, and artists like Phaedra, while not rocking the house, were showing off the world of ambient along with Brian Eno. So, this album is just an awkward middle ground that doesn't appease either part of my brain. It is pretty decent, as I said, but I would never see myself thinking this is the pinnacle of 70s electronic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to No. 1 in Heaven.

Music that is barely hanging on to its "glam rock" status, similar to Kiss or some Alice Cooper, but I'd say this is pretty okay. Most of it is inoffensive rock 'n' roll riffs with vocals that are neither forgettable nor iconic, but every now and then something leaks through that I find enjoyable. I'd say it makes me hopeful, but then I remember its just because I like glam rock, and I can find that in much better artists and albums.

This album just reads to me like a lesser Sister. That isn't to say this is a bad album, but I feel like the sense of dread they are trying to portray here doesn't come off as anti-establishment-y as one would hope, and instead can feel aimless. However, when this album does decide to rock out, it rocks out pretty hard! I love the guitar here, which is the case with all Sonic Youth projects, and the more often whispery voices are a cool change of pace compared to the louder sounds on some of their bigger releases. I see this as an interesting step in the band's catalogue, as well as a necessary one, but you can do better Sonic Youth-wise. You can do much worse in the music-as-a-whole department, though.

This has some really cool sounds to it for a regular ol' two-tone album. You could definitely tell the band wanted to change up their sound to adapt to the changing sounds of music, without removing their personality from it. That doesn't necessarily mean the whole album is up my alley, as there are often moments where the vocals annoy me pretty badly, and usually this style of music can get old pretty quick, but this is still a solid release that I feel probably at least has one enjoyable song for everyone.

Well, ain't this purty? The style of playing and singing fewls like its been copied countless times, to the point where as the album went on it was starting to feel a tad derivative, despite it being the origin point, and that did start to sour the album, even though it's quite short, but that doesn't stop that there are some really pretty chord progressions here, and the more stripped down nature reminds me of Nick Drake, but 90s-ified. Just something that's really chill and relaxed, while still having this uneasiness to me, like something else is wrong and you don't know what, and I really enioy those types of albums. Am I rambling? I'm rambling.

I know Iggy Pop wanted David Bowit to have less of a grip on this album, but I feel if anything this just feels like if David Bowie had continued his glam-ish hard rock rather than experimenting with different musical mediums in the late 70s. That leads to a record that has got some great emotion and gripping parts of it, as well as that Stooges edge that can be enthralling if done right. It does lose me a little on some of the lyrical choices (especially on songs like Sixteen) and a good chunk of songs losing me when they were oh so close to bringing me in, but this is still a rocking tune that feels like the perfect blend between that proto-punk sound and that more intense grip music had going into the 80s, and I think it pulls it off really well.

This sort of feels like the evil version of Sparks. I mean, you got high register, goofy songs that take some getting used to, especially when it comes to this album. However, the Residents are not here to make pop masterpieces, but rather avant garde art that can be hard to stomach for the average person. Me liking this album does not mean those who don't are dumb, because of course not, this is just straight weird. I'm just intrigued and pulled in by the shock of it all, so when you get something that actually rocks, it really does rock. If anything I'd say the amount of songs makes it repetitive to listen to, not so much strange, although that is certainly there. I don't know man, I just think this is a neat collection of the anti-mainstream and macabre, and it scratches some itches doing so.

I see this album as the good ending of a band like Bon Jovi. It still isn't anything special, but at least there are some competent tracks present on this album to make it stand out a little bit. Stuff like Rock of Ages and Photograph are at the very least enjoyable in the moment, and there are some solid hooks for hair metal. Again, it isn't something worth going out of your way to listen to, but I can only assume this is on the positive side of the glam metal movement. The fact that said positive side only reaches a 2.5 for me is not a great sign, however.

I've regretted giving Here Come the Warm Jets a 4 initially for a while now, and while it is at a 4.5 now, it sitting on my 1001 Album profile in the 4 category hurts my soul. Luckily, this album comes in clutch to at least make me look like I have some intelligence. This album is gorgeous, with so many moments where just sitting back and letting the music swallow you will do wonders. I mean, this is 1975, yet it sounds light years ahead of even now. I can picture a whole film from the very music that pours from this album, and still enjoy it on an average drive to and from work. Those moments of contemplation from the instrumental tracks make the vocal tracks even more gorgeous, with Eno still showing he can write a banger of a pop diddy. I could see why one would find this boring if you were expecting something more exciting, but I urge you to let this record play whilst you are laying in bed in the dark, and let everything wash over you. You don't need drugs to feel transcendent, you need In Dark Trees and The Big Ship.

I made a mistake with my Minutemen album, and that was giving it a 5 because I liked many of the songs, missing the idea that I found much of the rest of the album forgettable. Well, I won't make that same mistake here, as I once again like a lot of tracks here, enough where I get why this would be here, but it is far too long, and much of it comes off as filler at best. It makes the good tracks stand out all the more, yes, but it leaves a good disc-and-a-half worth of songs feeling unnecessary, and it leads to an album that is definitively good, but could be better, such as what could've been an amazing video game only be good because it is open world. His voice is really impressive, but the female singer got on my nerves sometimes. In that way it is also right down the middle, but I'd say its quality overall is high enough to bump it up a bit.

This starts promising, but I find it to be really generic sounding. Like if you asked someone to make punk rock with no strings attached, this would be the outcome. Its fine, but hardly notable in my eyes, save for the intrigue of a shared lead singer position between a girl and boy, but Sonic Youth pulls that dynamic off far better.

It is evident listening to this album, despite how much he may have despised me saying so, that this had a huge influence on Jeff Buckley's sole album, and his musical style in general. Perhaps not as many medieval castle references as his father, but the wistful, guitar heavy tracks have this same energy to them as the tracks presented here, especially as they ramp up in the emotion presented, such as on tracks like Pleasant Street. So, it comes as no surprise that I do enjoy this. Perhaps it is no Grace, because nothing really is, but it has that same simple beauty to it that I appreciate in the latter Buckley's work, and it makes me happy. That, and Tim's more androgynous vocal delivery here really striking a chord (heh) as well. It can breeze by without you gathering much from the songs at points, and that titular eight minute track really didn't earn its run time, but as a whole package it is something that I find earns its place among other famous psychedelic folk records, and I'll be looking forward to listening to Buckley's other records, even if it seems this higher voice is not a mainstay.

This album starts strong with a pop sensation even a three minute guitar solo can't ruin, but I think after that track the album mellows out a bit and tends to lean more towards being just alright. I mean, the nice, Summer-y vibes are all there, but sometimes the tracks get too smooth, and you start to forget you're listening to music to pay attention to. I suppose that's the point of these funky tunes at points, but I wouldn't mind something a tad more engaging. Light years ahead of its time in its soulfulness, however, and for that it earns some major ups for me. Plus, riding that high of the first track really can carry the whole album in the right mood.

FUCK. YES. This is exactly the type of longform, noisy shit that I love when Sonic Youth does it, and this shit rocks hard! Whatever the singer is usually inaudible, and quite frankly, indistinguishable from the rest of the noise, but I hardly care, because this rocks so hard that I'm jamming harder than most albums have ever had me jamming before. I could perhaps understand this being annoying, but I'm too busy loving this to care, even if it is a little longwinded. If this is the closest we get to emo on the whole generator then sign me up to finding more noise rock like this. Fuck yeah!

This was a solid enough listening experience. It felt a bit like what you'd expect out of the term "progressive rock," but considering that's a pretty safe genre when it comes to my experience, that's alright. There were times I wish the songs just did that little more to stand out as much as the titular track, but I liked the choices that made it stand out, such as the flute or the blend of a hard rock sound with that Renaissance faire sound, it works nicely. Nothing mind blowing, but I don't regret my time with this album whatsoever.

For those of you who are unaware (I doubt most of you aren't, but just in case) this is ELP's own take on a series of iconic orchestral pieces that are relatively out there compared to their contemporaries of the time, and in turn are not difficult to play, per se, but take some amount of effort to get right. Something that would be a definitive challenge for a high school orchestra, y'know? So, this album being mostly made up of ideas from that collection is really cool, but it also leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Certainly the instrumentation here is good, but comparing a single organ/synthesizer to the feats, leaps, and bounds that a group of musicians with classical training go through is nearly non-comparable, and in turn, leaves a lot of these songs sounding messy, and not in an artistic way, but rather in a way that is just altering art for the Hell of it. Sure, its neat to add some lyrics and more modern ideologies to these century old tracks, but they were good as were, and when you take a step back you realize this crowd is going wild for near butcherings of some amazing pieces. I know, I sound like a music snob, but it really does come off that way. There are parts here that I really must congratulate as a neat addition, but often I found myself just wishing I was listening to an orchestra performing these pieces, or at the very least, that these alters were studio recorded so that they could be cleaned up a bit and really brought to life. As is, its just something that's more novelty than anything. The nutcracker cover really hammers that point in, I find, and honestly, really doesn't even fit.

At first I was struggling to get behind the vocals, as while they certainly aren't the most polarizing I've heard, they do catch you off guard, especially after a instrumental opener. However, as the album went on, I was more enthralled by the near perfect blend of pop with that more gothic sound, where every track has you bobbing your head, tapping your foot, all whilst this sinister atmosphere surronds you. The vocals are no longer something to fear, but rather something worth embracing in the more surreal parts of an album. It's glamorous, like a party, but grimy, like an alley, and I think this album as a whole captures the scene of the mid-80s and its music perfectly.

I often find people comparing an album or other set of songs as a "Renaissance faire" in a negative connotation, even when I don't completely see a connection, such as with Tim Buckley's Goodbye and Hello. However, an album like this brings that comparison into an understandable light a bit more. I've heard albums that trend similar to this one, such as Leige and Lief by Fairport Convention, which I wasn't a fan of, but while that one trended towards boredom more than anything, this one just bothers me because of its potential. There are some excellent tracks hidden among the dullness here, such as the opening track and Train Song, but much of the album needs that extra oomph to not feel like I'm just exploring the basic "folk songs" section of a music library, or perhaps like a forgettable track on a Jefferson Airplane album. This album has lots of potential for me, but in the end just is a gateway into seeing what others see when they refer to something as "Renaissance faire," and mean it harshly.

I felt like every track almost pulled me in, with the feeling that by the end songs would finally be grabbing me enough and I'd be enjoying myself, but then halfway through it felt like the album gave up and became relatively boring instrumentals. Nothing bad, but we went from smooth vocals and neat progressions to what many would consider elevator music, and it left a sour taste in my mouth, even if I did enjoy the intial run of tracks on side A. Perhaps I could turn to enjoy side a enough to bump the score up a bit on this album, but as it stands I just leave feeling a tad ripped off, and not much else.

I mostly found this to be a very dull experience, where instead of the side of jangle pop with cutting lyrics and unique vocals, you instead get something that feels cobbled together to be a hit, without any of its own flavor. Almost every track is bland, and you can see the inspirations on the wall, to the point where they're more like poor imitations. This leads to songs that aren't bad at first glance, but I only wish my time is psent elsewhere, and when there is something worth listening to, it is but a fleeting moment on an overall sleepy experience.

In seemingly direct contrast to Either/Or, Smith decides to go out with a bombastic release, full of sweeping finales and heavy hitting choruses to show his more chamber-y side of his indie pop antics. This leads to a record I find to be more engaging and with higher highs than its more famous sibling, but the longer length and repetition here seemingly brings the album down to a score just as solid, or at the very least, slightly worse. I found myself being sweeped off my feet at moments by the pop brilliance on display, but I did admittedly miss the more personal feeling presented by Either/Or. However, as a final album many artists dream to go out on as great as a record as this one.

An incredible ride of alien-like synth, carnival-esque beliefs, and a downright whimsical yet oppressive nature to the whole album leads to an experience not found on many other big names in the post-punk genre. Its seemingly needless drive to weird out the listener than pull them in with the catchiest of hooks and breakdowns is fantastic, and its only when that purely punk side starts to shine do I lose interest ever so slightly, however that same heavy punk influence from the time in The Buzzcocks leads to an experience that feels sharper than its more dreary contemporaries, and I admire it all the more for it.

I had hopes with the first track, as it had this good blend of interesting vocals and a cool synthy beat to keep me interested for most of the durrstion, but it just kept getting more and more dull past that, to the point where I was starting to actually get droopy eyes. I understand it is important as an album to the world of electronic music, but I can respect history and still dislike it, and that stands to be the case here.

I find this album to be a pretty mixed bag, as often it feel as though it thinks its doing something fantastical and breathtaking, and it really isn't, while other times it really is something special. That isn't even only the hits that get that reaction either, as some of the deeper cuts here are great, as well as the big tracks. However, truly puzzling is parts that Morrissey seems to think he can get away with, such as lesbian slurs, and poor "critiques" of the U.S. that make this album hard to care for at points. I think this album has a decent amount of potential, but at the end of the day, unlike many Morrissey releases, this doesn't feel special enough to listen to despite the singer's more than idiotic beliefs. If this is your only encounter with solo Morrissey so far, I would understand sticking with The Smiths, even if tracks like First of the Gang to Die are fantastic.

I suppose I sort of respect this? I mean, its evident listening to this that there were plenty of early 2000s groups influenced by this project, but at the same time if all of those groups had said they'd never heard of this geoup in their lives I'd believe it? I mean, almost everything here seems like a surface level version of being "out there," without actually doing anything that challenging for the listener, and it leads to an album that feels like a snooze fest more than anything. It tries to wake you by the end with random noises and screaming, but if anything its too little, too late, too loud.

I must admit, this is a disappointment, and a huge step down from their previous album, Selling England by the Pound. Its heavy use of synths lead to an album that hardly feels like it means any of the music its producing, and while there are certainly cool and good uses of the synths, it isn't anything that artists like Brian Eno weren't already nailing. I will say that the album does get close a lot to grabbing my attention, with many tracks catching my attention at first, and I must give it credit for that. It just fails to prove itself minutes into each song, and even the best tracks have nothing on its sibling that I once again can't help but compare it to. Cool concept, middling execution.

I figured this album had a chance to be something a bit more special when I noticed the use of whisper-y, trip-hop-esque vocals mixed with something obviously influenced by the Britpop wave of vocal inflections. However, with the tracks being so long and hardly doing enough to earn that length, it lost my interest quick, and turning into your generic, PlayStation 1 era racing game music about halfway through rubs yet even more salt into the wound. I think there is something here that could be good, especially with more vocals to make actual songs rather than just sleepy rave tracks could benefit this album a lot, but as it is, you can just throw it in with the dozens of other generic UK downtempo techno records.

I think the main crime this album commits is being instantly forgettable. When it comes to jangle-y pop songs, you can assuredly do worse than this album, but one has to question if it really does anything all that special, and in my opinion it doesn't. It has a decent hook there, and nice bridge here, but as an album I struggle to find this to be more than a somewhat pleasant listen in the moment, and nothing more. Again, you can do worse, but you can also do a lot, LOT better.

I'm surprised how much I wanted to like this, more than anything. I figured going into this it would be an easy one star, but I found myself enjoying many of the samples, and the production in general. What holds the album back for me is the vocals. While her voice is technically amazing, it hardly ever feels honest, instead feeling like a hollow recreation of the voices of the greats that came before her, and the constant references to said music doesn't help to draw away the comparisons. It is an amazing voice on the surface level, but it never moves me, and when an entire album feels as though it is built on that voice, it takes away a lot of the credibility. Still, I have to give this album credit, because it was far better than I had anticipated.

I seem to be a fan of Neil Young sans Crazy Horse, but with the group I find often that his music goes from personal, introspective tunes with a soft guitar accompanying it, to brash, boring, and even dull rock tunes with very little to care about. However, this album seems to reach that solid balance point of being something for everyone, similar to Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. The contrast between the A side and B side give me a larger appreciation for the range of the Young, and while not every song hits here, unlike his solo works often seems to, it still is a far more enjoyable collection of songs than other albums between the pair. I also feel that this album has more grunge, especially in that last track, than Ragged Glory would ever hope to, and that certainly also helps.

I find this man's voice incredibly grating, to the point that by the first track on the B side I was getting pretty annoyed, but I do find this better than Solid Air for the fsct that it feels as though some effort was put into the catchiness of the album here, unlike there where a man who could not enunciate to save his life rambled over random musical beats. It causes this album to be just as forgettable, but perhaps a tad more enjoyable in the moment.

This is the sort of album I mean when I wish for a singer who sounds genuine in their admittedly very cheesy outlook on love, with every vocal inflection feeling intended to get the full emotion being presented out there, and it seems these albums with only hints of country do it the best (see: Grant Lee Buffalo's Fuzzy) and keep me intrigued. I love, love LOVE her voice at points, and the polished production tends to help it stand out, rather than detract from the emotion in her voice. It doesn't always work, it could stand to have a few more high energy tracks mixed into it, but otherwise I enjoyed this far more than expected. I should keep an eye out for these alt-country projects, because they tend to sit well with me, unlike their more mainstream counterparts.

This is an ugly album, and I'm not sure how else to describe it. His voice is annoying, to the point where I was groaning every time in a song that he started "singing," the guitar work (or lack thereof) feels like something picking it up for the first time and randomly plucking notes, and the whole album really gives off that vibe, for that matter. Nothing feels pre-determined, thought out, or even well executed. It isn't even like jazz with its ad-libing, you can tell every note here was planned by some musician, but whether that musician was this Alexander Spence, or a ten year old slamming on a keyboard, is unknown to me. Perhaps I can admit that sometimes a moment here and there is more standable, but there was never a moment I was truly enjoying this. It isn't even psychedelic or folk-y, its just dull and aimless.

This is some feel good shit, and I'm actually digging it. I mean, the religious parts (which are a lot of the parts) can feel a little hamfisted, but it isn't groan-worthy like that of Christian rock. It just makes you feel sunny and happy, all in a thoroughly 90s way. I think the real killer here is that the love tracks here can feel "not like other boys" at best, and sort of predatory at worst. I mean, I know that was sort of expected as a direct response to gangster rap, but in a modern viewpoint it causes far more eye rolls than that it is competing against. But I cannot deny I was still grooving along with it for a good chunk of the album, and that has to count for something.

I obviously knew Madness for their sole (US anyway) hit, Our House, but I never had an urge to explore the rest of their catalogue until my partner started getting into a couple of their tracks. I mean, it sounded, most of the time, like cartoonishly evil bad guy music, in the best of ways, and that made me far more optimistic to listen to something from their catalogue. Actually listening to it, it still sounds like the sonically condensed version of "mwah hah hah," but there are some lighter, pub rock-esque tracks that I wasn't as big of a fan of, but I think that goofy energy throughout gives off a light sound whilst still feeling deadly serious, but all in good faith. If I could compare it to something completely unrelated, it would be when They Might Be Giants has those tonally dark songs that are completely goofy once you actually tune into the lyrics, and I think that can be a blast. My only real detraction is the repetition, as I feel this album could be cut in half and almost nothing would be lost, but perhaps some adore songs here that I just shrugged at, so I suppose its best as is. When this album does hit though, hoo boy, certainly can see why Madness are one of the most famous two tone outfits. Now if we can just address the black face on the album cover we'll be golden.

I've found myself generally liking what I've heard from Brazil and its weird ventures into the psychedelic, but I feel as though this album doesn't really perfectly strike those points that I enjoyed in works like Os Mutantes. Its still good, but could stand to commit to a song more often, as there are many times in a track where it'll stsrt to get good just to end a few moments later, and believe you me, I love a short song, but an unfinished song is not how you do it. There's a lot here to like, with fun tracks that make you feel like bouncing up and down, but one has to wish for a little bit more substance in its tracks, because if I want to party, this would probably not be my first choice for dancey, flavorful tracks, but again, a solid enough venture.

Pixies as a band is a geoup I've always been aware of. I knew their big hits, I knew Doolittle by name, I even knew what came of members splitting into groups like the Breeders. Despite all of this, I had no clue this album existed. I knew not a single track off of its selection, and not even the cover rang familiar. In fact, it reminds me of a Primus album cover more than anything for some reason. So, this was an all new, fresh experience for me. It is certainly a step down from Doolittle and its copious amounts of power and strength it presented, but we're still looking at a good album with tons of catchy riffs, jarring-yet-satisfying vocal change-ups, and a solid record over all. I think it just loses a bit of that staying power that the album prior had down already, and feels like its standing in the shadows of its older brothers, but if you go in with an open mind you're still getting a great rock record with a lot to like.

While I haven't listened to a good chunk of Tim's discography, I do consider myself a fan of the Buckley's. Their voices are so amazing that the listener can't help but be entranced by their highest highs and when they go for those low notes. When it comes to Tim, I preferred his voice during that Goodbye and Hello phase, as his soulful high notes pulled me in. It was wistful, yet still so full of energy. So, finding out this (and most of his albums for that matter) chose to go to a lower register for most of the duration was disappointing, but I was still vaguely hopeful. That energy does feel a little invisible here, but that woeful singing does remain, and I still think his voice is really pretty. It makes it so when he sings on topics like his estranged son, it feels genuine, like he regrets his decisions to be apart, even though it seems Tim Buckley never really tried to meet Jeff. The backing instruments, and even Buckley's own guitar playing can feel a tad aimless, but when it does come together it really does stick with you, as long as you give yourself to it, and really pay attention to those nuances. Its an album that walks the fine line between the casually listenable on a sunny afternoon as well as engaging in your sorrows in the dark of the night. I appreciate it more once re-visiting the tracks I already enjoyed the first go around, and I think it makes sense that this is the style Tim Buckley is known for, rather than the more renaissance faire-esque stylings of his prior works, even if I do prefer them that way. I can still appreciate this.

Considered an early pioneer of what we now see as heavy metal, Vincebus Eruptum seems like an anomaly to me. I mean, it is said to have performed very well both critically and financially, yet unlike Black Sabbath, I've never heard a song off of this album, let alone this band in general. Now, I realize that is very self-centred of me, as I was not around to hear this album at release (not even close) but you'd think I'd at least here some hint of this album in passing. Perhaps an older, more rock-savvy uncle, or just from passing. Yet, I've heard nothing, nada, zilch, and once I actually sit down and listen to the album, I start to understand why. Black Sabbath were so iconic with their newfound genres because it was dark, it was demented, and it truly felt like something new was rising from Hell to take over your pot smoking-son's brain. This? This just feels like someone performing aimless, meandering blues rock with a blown out amp. The sound here doesn't feel like its an active choice that benefits the album, but rather an experiment that turned out in the band's favor. However, the lasting power fails to reach beyond that initial wave, and whilst it may have been something worth exploring in the year of 1968, more contemporary ears will find this pales in comparison to what came after it, and even before it, and while it deserves to be an important part of rock history, I feel outfits such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Black Sabbath have it covered.

This album started out okay enough, Hell I even thought I was enjoying it, which was shocking, but then as the hour(!) dragged on I started realizing how tiring this "I'm so cool" shit is. I'm all for being a cool as fuck, ballin' gangster, you do you man, but not a single thing here feels real. It feels like a guy coping with the fact he is a nobody, and can't handle that, so has to build himself up, give confidence by repeating the same tired stereotypes of fucking things up in the streets and the sheets, and not a single moment feels justified. It only explains to me why so many YouTube comments under these songs are like "these are my hustling songs" or "this gets me pumped" because no one is actually impressed with 50 Cent's accomplishments, they only take his place because they wish they were as cool as his lifestyle, and they daydream about it while working their 3rd shift at the gas station. If you enjoy this, more power to you, as I said, at first I get it, but if you think this whole album's existence is justified, rather than just one or two tracks, I want to know what draws you in, because all I'm seeing is a wannabe gangster rap great, and they make that abundantly clear that's what 50 Cent is, with all the allusions to other, BETTER rappers. 50 may have had hits, but he fell out fame pretty quickly, and this album explains that.

While a solid album overall, it does feel a bit distracted. None of the songs stand out in a poor light or anything, in fact tonally I'd say it all matches, but I still can't help but think with the amount of tracks and the length that there was far too much thrown at the wall, and while plenty of it sticks, the stuff that did fall, falls flat. It just leads the album to be hard to remember, and while I know I listened to something good (hence the rating) I'm unsure if I'll remember it beyond that (hence the rating).

I've never been a fan of the hit off this album, Freedom 90, as it feels a bit too predictable and overall cheesy in a way that only a song from this era can be, and I personally hate that sound. However, the rest of the album was an improvement over George Michael's debut, as the inclusion of a lot more real instruments and tracks not all fighting to be a stereotypical pop tune was refreshing and felt more earnest. That being said, something about this album still rubs me the wrong way. It may be Michael's over-singing, or it just feeling like a lot of tracks are still trapped in a time that did not age the best sonically, but I just cannot get into this, despite my best efforts. It gives off the same vibes as artists like Christina Aguilera, oddly enough, where it feels like the whole thing is compensating for something, but I've no clue as to what this is. This album didn't do anything to make me a George Michael fan, but I at least understood it a bit more this time around. Perhaps it was destiny, as I have been watching a lot of Arrested Development, so my album listens seem to be subtly influenced by it. That or its all coincidence... yeah, its probably that.

I have grown up most of my life listening to what isn't quite country music, but rather an Americana-esque genre with vocals that don't grate my ears as they come out of the speakers. This includes groups like the Avett Brothers, later Johnny Cash, and to an extent, Wilco, Violent Femmes (at points), Nick Drake, etc, etc. Despite this, I've never come across this album to any capacity, despite releasing at the peak of my family introducing me to what would develop as a part of my music taste. This is not the first time that has happened, as I See A Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy also sort of falls into this blind spot, but unlike with this album, where I think things like the vocals and the stripped down production hindered my enjoyment of that album, this album only flourished with its sombre, vocals backed by lush, sweeping strings that make me naturally sway, and make me feel as though I'm encountering an old friend in the form of a genre I've not embraced in a long while. The vocals are simple, and flat, but they carry the same weight Nick Cave's similar demeanour sometimes presents, and I really do get entranced by the orchestra. I do find the album tends to drag out its songs a tad, and in such, loses its luster rather than ending in a big, moving finale, but that start is something that really felt like something electrifyingly chilling, yet also like a warm embrace, and it made the album something I did really adore at points. The whole package is a little lacking, and I don't think it will sell anyone on a genre they didn't already have a relationship with, but I really got into this, and can only see myself liking it more on re-visits.

I'll start positive by stating that the strings and instrumentals are gorgeous here, with a lot of the big moments left up to them rather than Serge Gainsbourg, and it pays off fantastically. I also find the short runtime to be a Godsend when so many albums feel so long now, even the forty minute ones seem to run me dry, so something more stomach-able such as this leads me feeling far less exhausted than an album that sounds like this would leave me were it hitting an hour. That all being said, I really can't stand that whisper singing Gainsbourg does, as whilst I can see the inspiration for bands like Pulp, the way the microphone seems to peak really irritates my ears, like an annoying, overtly French ASMR. Maybe the songs are really nuanced, but being a stupid American, I couldn't understand them if I tried. Here, let's look up what this album is about! ...oh. Gross. Still, great strings, perhaps another topic with actual singing and this would be an awesome album. Instead, it is most definitely French, and I can fill my French needs elsewhere.

There were a couple tracks here I could see getting into in this album, they've got that solid new wave/dance-rock feel to them that I could see being something I would enjoy out and about. However, the album seemed to get aggressively more British with each track, and not in a good way. We're talking the most annoying acts from Britpop assuredly took influence from this album, and didn't realize that iconic whine was something that is grating on the ears. Some of the instrumentals are fine, its all very fine, but after a while it just was all blending into the same thing, with little to make it stick out.

I'm disappointed to say this, thinking I was a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins after Mellon Collie, but I found this to just be alright. There isn't as much variety in this album, and it leads to a lot of songs that feel like the stereotypical image of "alternative rock" were it to be formed as one, singular album. There are great things here, stuff I already know, such as the hits which are stellar, but I felt much of the rest of the album often had a decent hook, but felt aimless by the end, or just feels like a lesser take on one of the singles from the album, and it makes it so I can't help but feel this project is bloated. On the bright side, again, those hits are fantastic, and the instrumentation is great, it just feels like its missing something that made Mellon Collie special. Perhaps I shouldn't be comparing them, but its hard not to, because this pales in comparison.

I've always, with my limited knowledge of the band, lumped Garbage into those bands that are associated with grunge even though they aren't, and I think listening to a whole album of it breaks that stigma for better and worse. Its certainly got a unique style that's a mix of the angst of the 90s with the more laid back approach of trip hop, all with this alternative rock undertones, and it certainly gives it its own vibe, but it also leads to a lot of the tracks feeling confused as to what they want to be, rather it being angry yet seductive, or bored rebellious, it all gives a feeling of trying to emulate many of the greats from the time, and while it certainly stands on its own in parts (especially on the tracks you'd least expect, rather than the hits) it also feels confused. Her voice is great, however, and I really like some of the effects they messed with here. It breathes fresh air into a genre that was stsrting to be consumed by more and more just trying to emulate the style for a quick buck, but I think a more focused approach could do wonders for this album. I did really enjoy what I did like, though, and thats always pleasant.

This isn't your average progressive album, as instead of powerful hooks, entrancing guitar solos, and storylines to give Hollywood a run for its money, you instead get a skittish British man seemingly rambling over jazz-y rock, with this weirdly beautiful dread consuming the air as you listen to it. However, this change of pace is completely welcome, in my opinion. The haunting atmosphere that is formed from the manic piano, and alien synths give it this otherworldly feeling, but whenever Robert Wyatt starts singing, in which you can assuredly tell he is looking at his shoes whilst seeing, too nervous to look you in the eye, it all becomes too close to home. You feel nervous, anxious even, but the songs always relieve you of this feeling with these transcendent key changes that are always gorgeous and breath-taking, and the off-tone pianos become angels in a choir, and the space-age synths feel Heaven sent, and I can feel put together again, and truly say this is one of the greatest albums I've ever listened to.

I struggle to understand the appeal of anything I've heard by Fela Kuti and friends. It tries too hard to be dun, dance-y music and instead becomes repetitive down to the "one more time" being said far more than once. Is the musicianship quality? Sure, and I can recognize some good little moments in there, but when you're rocking four tracks that almost all exceed ten minutes, you need more than a solid lick or two to get me invested. Perhaps this was a party-and-a-half in the moment, but on wax it just feels like a man yelling at you for not enjoying his music enough.

I sometimes get the feeling that if I heard most of the mainstream, electropop music from the era this album released, then I would've liked it a lot more than I did at the time, because this whole album has the same vibe as that dance heavy, bass-y synth sound that every pop singer wanted to jump on in the early 2010s, but here, perhaps due to not hearing every track as its own single, I appreciate the songs here a lot more, despite it being tonally similar to those songs. I mean, its not like this album didn't have mainstream hits, but I heard songs like Head Will Roll just enough to be intrigued before it disappeared, rather than hearing it for the whole decade because the charts fail to have radio-friendly hits, before radio itself became obsolete. Any way, this album gives off that mainstream pop vibe, but like hearing it all for the first time. You don't have to hear it again if you don't want to, but very few pop songs are that bad if you don't subject yourself to overplaying, and this album embodies that feeling in my opinion.

There is certainly a language barrier for someone like myself who only speaks English, and you can almost certainly tell that with any of these French albums. They just have this feeling towards them where I know I'm missing something lyrically, and its my fault. However, I feel music is music, and the music part should carry still, and this one only kind of does. His voice can be powerful, and some of the instrumentation is nice, the horns remind me Sgt. Pepper, but it feels very repetitive even in its short runtime, and that language barrier really is killer, but perhaps I should give it the benefit of the doubt? There's no way its another French album about diddling kids, right? Then again, perhaps I should be moved by the music enough to find out what he's singing, and I'm not. So, mixed feelings on this one.

God, that voice is lovely. I understand people not liking androgynous vocals sometimes, but this is like a mix of the lows and highs of famous androgynous artists all rolled into one voice, and it hooks you pretty quickly. That being said, I did check out the first run of this album, so I thought the album was repetitive and could use some more change-ups. However, I decided to re-listen to a good chunk of the tracks and... I love it even more! Sure, the production is very of its era, but you come to appreciate the little, danceable intricacies, and that voice just gets more stellar! Its a very relaxed album, but it still has that persistent drumming to drive you tapping your foot, bobbing your head, and having a good time. I just find this to be an incredibly solid release, and a re-listen only solidified it. Man, that voice, so pretty.

I'm genuinely at a loss for words. I mean, I've known for a while now the mysticism of this album, and all the oddities (putting it lightly) that come with it, but I don't think I've ever been so taken aback by an entire album. I've dabbled in the avant-garde, and it hardly ever ends well, but I still went into this with pretty blank expectations for the sake of my sanity. However, this is appalling, yet appealing, like a car crash you can't look away from, even though you really want to. I spent the majority of this album with my head in hands, trying to live through the utter lack of cohesion or basic enjoyability, and at eighty minutes, that's difficult, but my brain seemed determined to find something I liked here: "Oh, that guitar lick was nice," or, "wow, this drumming is such an odd time signature," but yet I was ready to tap out at nearly every moment. I understand this album is the complete antithesis of all other music, but I just can't listen to this like you would look at an abstract painting, it defies music itself for me, and my brain genuinely does not know how to react to it. It is not enjoyable, it is not catchy, nothing here is music to me. Yet, I don't hate it. As I said, I hear a lick here, a still solid song here, and it makes me realize that despite defying music itself, it has those charming moments that some albums trying to be the pinnacle of music making fail to have, and I feel that makes this album somehow even better, despite being one of the worst albums I've ever heard. Its too long, many of the tracks are unlistenable, but as an album perhaps one day, I too can join the ranks of those who understand the "art" of this album. For now, it sits somewhere in the middle for me, as it represents the back-and-forth I had whilst listening. I will note the album is kind of funny at moments, as when I remembered to tune into the lyrics I'd get such wacky, zany shit that I can't help but appreciate it in that aspect.

I don't know about this one, I feel like I didn't retain anything I listened to for the entirety of this album, even the stuff I liked, and that leaves me with this awkward feeling where it feels like I can't really give the album a fair shake if I hardly have anything to talk about, but I highly doubt another listen or two will change my utter lack of views I had on this album. I liked when it stopped being so lethargic, as it didn't feel ethereal enough to live up to the dream pop style, nor noisy to be a solid shoegaze record. That all being said, I think I enjoyed listening to it? It wasn't boring, and I was generally pretty alright with the music playing. It feels like the perfect record to enjoy in the background of something else, or a nice car ride with another person, but I hardly find this essential. Just a decent time.

An album that not only exudes its love lyrically, but becomes the pinnacle of this feeling of feeling safe in one's arm via the mixture of strings that make you swoon and synths that make you feel as though you are lifting off, all perfectly illustrated by the album cover. Its sensual, its personal, its even got this tinge of sadness in its coldness, but its the type of freezing that makes you excited for the fireside, window view of falling snow with the love of your love. Every part of this makes me feel an emotion that it captures perfectly. Similar to Radiohead's Kid A, Bjork is so ahead of her contemporaries, that this still sounds light years ahead of any music being created now, and is really its own thing. Sure, perhaps it blends at points, but isn't that what you want out of this sort of album? To be infused with it, rather than a bystander, you are feeling the pure and utter love that Bjork has for her partner, and whilst that tinge of sadness only grows stronger with the knowledge that Vulnicura is about the very person this album is about, but in the moment this is bliss incarnate.

I very melancholic experience, where every song has this tinge of sadness to it, despite often being mainly very pretty and touching, both lyrically and tonally, but it still feels as though there's this effect that makes one feel a sense of longing, perhaps nostalgic, and I genuinely think its impressive how well the album makes you feel that way. Even the songs I'm not as much of a fan of, such as the country-twange-esque ones, capture this feeling like no other, and it really makes one wonder how Lou Reed was able to catapult into stardom, whilst Cale fadded from the public psyche, because I'm sure, had this album been known better, that this would've been oh so popular in today's world.

A very boring electronic album, and I'm starting to get the feeling that's the story for every big beat album. They all just give off the same vibe of not being interesting enough to make it in today's musical economy, not when so many songs have advanced so far past this, and while context when reviewing a piece of music is important, this still fails to interest me any way. There's something to hook you in at the beginning, and the use of actual lyrics at the end helps again, but between that just feels like you're getting the same information over and over until its finally over. It sprinkles good moments throughout, but hardly enough for me to imagine this actually being danceable at any point in time. Racing music at its finest. Nothing more or less.

This album feels sort of like if Simon & Garfunkel decided to hire a bunch of musicians to do whatever they liked overtop their harmonies, and I mean that in a good way, but also that it could be better. There's weird, psychedelia infused guitars mixed with space-y effects that feel like Psychedelic rock is finally coming into its own, but while that makes the overall calmer lyrics more of a novelty than anything, it does feel weird to have tracks stating the usual "gonna kill my wife for cheating on me" lyrics while someone goes ham on the strings. It works sometimes, while other times it doesn't. I think Beatles were mastering the craft already at this point, and the Byrds just didn't want to let go so they could really launch into the stratosphere here, instead they still seem to orbit Earth. Still, for 1966, its out of this world.

As someone who has gone through ABBA's whole discography (for some reason) I have severely underrated this album. It used to be an issue where I thought only of this album as the Dancing Queen album with some super underrated tracks like Dum Dum Diddle and Tiger, while most of it was forgettable, and while I still kind of think some of the tracks due have this forgettable quality to them, the album as a whole is top notch. The bass playing is on point, the vocals are strong throughout, and the whole thing oozes that pop charisma the band is known for whilst hardly ever slowing down, save for a single ballad that has good, slowed down grooves to ensure you never stop jamming. Sure, the ending is a little unnecessary, and there are still iffy moments, but as a whole this is an album I really should have appreciated more years ago, because this is nonstop heat, in that ABBA only kind of way.

I suppose we're having a "I already listened to this" sort of week, although unlike ABBA, this one stays in the same place it started for me. It is certainly Alice Cooper as a band's best album, but the album suffers from forgettable tracks all throughout, and while some of the most iconic from the band's career spawn from here, it really suffers from those boring tracks. That being said, I love when this album ditches the rock n roll sensibilities and goes for a more theatrical approach, it was what Alice Cooper (the person) was born to do, and fits the creepy style far more in my eyes than boring Who-like guitar solos. I do sound like I hate this album, but there is plenty to like: the lyrics still generally hold up, and the whole album has this feeling to it like it was so immaculately planned that there are no flaws to see. It feels all born with a purpose of being on this record, which is interesting considering Elected I believe was a couple years old at this point. A good album, but Alice Cooper's solo work was always his best (and worst) material, and this only sits somewhere in the middle of it all. Scraping by with its score here.

When looking at the genres for this album, you may expect something closer to David Bowie, perhaps The Stooges, or maybe even KISS. What I was not expecting was the Rolling Stones performed by another band. Obviously these are all original tracks, but everything exudes the same energy as the rock 'n' roll tracks you'll find on Exile on Main St, with very little to make it feel like its own thing, save for a lyric or two being a bit more eclectic comparatively. It leads to an album that I'm sure is fun for that roots rock approach with a tinge of punk mentality, but in my eyes it is an album with a poor singer (and not gruff; poor) and songs that tend to drag, which the album itself does. There are times where it decides to be more appealing and take a momentary break from the electric guitar, but then the before mentioned vocals kill it for me. At best, you're listening to something that would probably be more fun to actually perform than listen to, so boot up that copy of Rock Band and go at it, I guess. I'll sit this session out, you have fun.

An album that feels as though it is teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown throughout its runtime, we start with a song that is rather pleasant, almost noise-pop rather than rock, with an almost dance-y quality to it, like a mid-era Sonic Youth song, yet by the end of the album it feels like the band finally starts to snap, and you get screaming with harsh yet catchy guitars and some great drumming, and it all fits into this package of music that I live for. I love the catchy qualities, the noisy qualities, and all in-between. It does at points start to lose some meaning, becoming music that comes in one ear and out the other, but it is certainly worth your time as a record when you are at your highest and lowest.

Nearly a decade after Blonde On Blonde, one would figure that Bob Dylan would start to slip as a songwriter, and would not even touch the greatness that was his mid-60s album run, and while this is technically true, I can't imagine anything topping Blonde on Blonde for me, this does attempt to get pretty close, which is impressive for an artist fifteen years into their professional career. This album contains the type of "white guy with guitar" shtick that I actually enjoy; introspective lyrics, soulful guitar playing, and sometimes another couple of instruments in there to really bring the point home. The more blues-folk-rock tracks near the middle do disrupt the album in a way in which it doesn't really recover, but that A side really does the trick at being a solid showing when for most artists this would be the peak of their careers. This, however, just comes off as a good, but otherwise inoffensive part of Dylan's career.

This is non-music to me, with that roots rock blues that go in one year and out the other, with no in-between. I can recognize instruments, singing, even lyrics, but to me this is the bare minimum in which music can be. Stewart's voice is that high pitched gruffness that you find a lot in music like this, but otherwise it is completely unnotable to me as a record. No bad moments (save for his voice in the beginning when you're getting used to it) but certainly no good moments, and isn't that a worse offense than something being so bad its entertaining? Maybe so.

I was not expecting to think this lesser than the listenable case of Stockholm Syndrome that is Trout Mask Replica, but this album is far more dull than anything that album came up with. Replacing odd time signatures and recognizably talented instrumentation is boring bluesy rock 'n' roll with a singer who doesn't have a great voice, and nothing more. There isn't anything overtly ironic about this record compared to Frank Zappa's band at the time, and even if there us I'm not picking up on it. This record is probably a solid enough time if you follow the garage rock scene from the era, but this feels more like "predictable as milk."

R&B has always been a very hit or his genre for me, with greats like Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder being masters of not only their craft, but tend to run circles around others, whilst groups in the 90s tend to annoy me at best, be some of the worst music I've heard at worst. When we get to the modern era of R&B, however, I'll admit I'm very in the dark. I mean, I know artists like Drake hit those mainstream checkmarks to count as a R&B artist, and there are smaller cases of stuff I know, but it is assuredly a blind spot in my music taste. So, here comes Frank Ocean to open up that horizon a bit more for me. Now, I obviously know of Frank Ocean (although I'll admit I didn't know the difference between him and Billy Ocean at first) but I had literally never heard a single track by him, other than a meme video parodying it back in the Vine days, so this was a new experience. However, I knew the modern classic that is Blonde existed, and plan to listen to it very soon, but I knew very little about this release. Frank Ocean with this single album, though, has completely opened my eyes to one of my blindspots. That's not to say I now know every little thing on the genre; Hell, this is technically "alternative," so it could very well not represent the genre at all, but at the very least this release puts into perspective a big portion of music I've been sleeping on, and I hope to correct that soon. The instrumentation is catchy and funky whilst still oozing you into the groove, no drugs needed, and can allow any emotion to seep into the music without much issue. Ocean's lyrics are also very poignant, reflecting on moments that are easy to relate to whilst still having a deep sense of personal feeling sfrom him himself. Every feature also fits into the album perfectly, never being overused to make up for what may be lacking elsewhere. It is a very cohesive project that is extremely good at its own art. Not every track is something worth going crazy over, and I do think that is the biggest flaw here, is variation. There is plenty of changes in tempo and subject matter, but it all feels like one coat of paint, and that would be great on a shorter record, but at almost an hour long, things can wear thin in seemingly random places. The amount of interludes feel unnecessary, and it can sometimes feel like the same style of track get thrown back-to-back, rather than being spaced out, leading to awkward pacing, but when this album gets it right, it really nails it. If there's one thing this album does for me, its that it gets me hyped for Blonde better than any one figure's word of mouth does, and I'll be looking into listening to that record in the coming days. Until then, this was a solid venture into unknown territory.

Well, this is honestly kind of deflating. I was hoping for my first experience with Talk Talk to be some major, life-changing experience where I opened my eyes to the Joy Division of the late 80s, but this is very dull. Every song has the same production issues that I have with most late 80s album, and while this feels a lot more genuine, often using real instruments, it still has this hint of mainstream appeal that cannot be shaken off. I don't inherently have anything wrong with that, but then I feel it at least has to be catchy, something to grab my attention, and this certainly isn't. Everything flies by and drags at the same time, and never is it a moment to remember one way or another. I'd perhaps look for solace within the lyrics, but they feel unintelligible most of the time, and when I can tune in, they seem repetitive and its hard to discern any meaning behind them. I really am broken up about not liking this, but this album really feels like a colors on the cover, various shades of a muted brown-ish tan, and not much more. There's no vibrancy, no reason to excite, nor any dark colors to bathe yourself in. Its just, there.

This comes off as a joke more than anything, especially if you've listened to thier prior album(s). Its as if they were spooked by the overwhelming success of Come On Eileen and decided that fame was not for them, and did everything in their power to ensure they did not have a successful follow-up. That all culminates in an album that shows signs of the same fun found before; there's great violin work here, and when it does decide to pick up its feet, it can be just as fun, even if that fun is packed into a needlessly long track. However, even if they are in on the joke of the silliness of being a down-tempo, almost country-like band, that doesn't mean its all that funny. His voice seems worse here for no real reason, and the amount of rambling is insane. You could cut this album down a solid ten minutes were we to remove the talking bits, and him singing doesn't tend to feel all that more strenuous. Overall its just a huge step down, and as someone who for some reason has listened to some of their most recent albums, this "joke" seems like its what they really wanted to do, and good for them, I guess, but I understand why this didn't take off.

This is just bland, with any interesting influence from the singer being in Drive Like Jehu only being viewed through some decent guitar licks and perhaps a lyric or two. Otherwise, its hard not to see this as anything more than a predecessor to groups like Bowling for Soup and other pseudo-pop-punk outfits. Its harmless most of the time (although his voice can be rough) and the addition of horns reminds me of Alice Cooper more than anything, but this is nothing special, and would fail to stand out in a line-up of other garage rock groups from the time.

This is an infuriating experience, although not one where I'm begging for it to end, or checking out halfway through. Instead, it is an album that causes anger due to utter lack of intrigue. Perhaps over across the pond bluesy rock 'n' roll was a novelty, and this made the snarling grip of it finally take hold on the British populous, but from a US state of mind, and for that matter a modern set of ears, this is just dull, repetitive blues rock with nothing there. The same guitar riffs are used two or more times on the album, it never has any variation so that you'll remember the songs, and it almost feels like a science with how generic it is. Perhaps it isn't, and this is utterly shocking for 1964, but I know for a fact that blues was not invented by five British white guys, and there is no reason to check this out if you have any experience with the history of the genre. Even as someone who doesn't like blues, this felt like a lower low for the genre than usual, and the lack of anything original does not help that cause. I'm sure this is interesting to see if you're a Rolling Stones fan, and I know it helped open up some of Europe to blues rock, but sixty years later this is a blemish more than something to present with honor. Best part of the whole thing is the album cover; I'll give them that, Rolling Stones make a good album cover more often than they don't.

YouTuber Elliot Roberts once called this "the first grunge album," and while I don't think that is the most apt title, the amount of honesty and anger pouring out of this album is rivaled by almost no other record from the time. John Lennon seems at his most visceral of any point in his music career, with more guttural screams than you can shake a Midwest emo band at, and lyrics like "I don't believe in Beatles" to really show that he is done with it all. It truly feels like a personal project more than an album for the common man to hear, and I imagine in 1970 that was shocking for many Beatles fans ready to follow John anywhere after Paul """broke up the Beatles.""" However, despite this thrilling deep dive into the mind of perhaps one of the more misunderstood persons in popular music, there are flaws here. The album feels like it tends to ride on the trauma epicenter of it all, and it can lead to barren tracks that are just not enjoyable to listen to. Sure, that makes an exciting first listen, but it does not encourage repeat visits, and can make some of the songs very forgettable musically, despite the enthralling lyrics. Due to this, the album feels like it doesn't earn that magnum opus status that tends to be lauded upon it, with John's usual musical know-how seemingly lacking without a backbone like Paul to reel him in. Its a picture of a broken man with a lot more on his mind then it felt he let on whilst in the Beatles, but as a musical journey the music does not add much. Still, a decent romp, especially for a first listen.

I've always got to give credit to the creators of glam rock, as while some of my favorite bands and singers, such as Sparks and David Bowie, would still exist, they would not be the same without Marc Bolan and co.'s influence, and show how good they are making one of the best record's in the genre very early into its lifetime. However, I do think some flaws with the album peek their head in as the album can feel sort of repetitive, and I think it tends to be too mellow, never really exploding into something that forces you to listen like most glam albums. Its sensual, but never makes its move, y'know? This is still a great time though, its smooth, Bolan's voice is fantastic, and there are some certifiably amazing songs in this one record to make it a worthwhile listen.

An album that you don't expect to be standable for those not really into the genre, but is overall an easy, albeit tedious, listen with moments of quality sprinkled into something that is just too long for its own good. The best parts were when they were all talking because it was far more interesting than the equivalent of your grandma going through the hymn book on her piano while you sit there, uninterested, but too afraid to leave. At first I liked the instrumental tracks the most, but putting as many in a row as they did left it feeling tired and repetitive. Again, easy listen, but not worth the time spent.

Usually the thing that saves these sorts of "choose your car!' 90s albums for me is the vocal performances, as they usually have one or two tracks that save the album from complete monotony, despite all of their insistent needs to be over an hour long. Not this album though, all the vocal performances are so dull, or even straight up suck, and it makes every song suffer when they are there. It doesn't mean the instrumental tracks are much better. They're just as forgettable and robotic as every other house album from the decade. It just all feels so cold, not in the good way, and I fail to have a single thought worth writing here as I listen. Its all just so tedious, and when you've listened to quite a few of these now, it really makes the whole genre look worse.

The CD era really was a terrible time for concise, solid throughout albums, instead opting for throwing everything in the artist could that would fit on a disc, and it leads to albums like Teenager of the Year. Frank Black has some solid ideas here, with that signature feeling of Pixies throughout, but it feels like something is missing. What's missing, of course, is the rest of the band, but also those intricate decisions of what songs were deemed worthy of an album are gone, instead allowing for far too many tracks on an album that could be cut down to 1/3 of its size and be better for it. There's good playing, good song-writing, and strong enough melodies to be found on the whole project, but after an hour it all starts to feel the same, with little to help it stand out.

My family has always hated Pink Floyd for just being "noise with no substance," and after hearing Wish You Were Here (the album) I thought they were crazy. However, I'm wondering if they only ever heard this album, because this feels a lot less special. Songs seem to drag and have long introductions for little reason, and while the song topics are intriguing, its hard to take them seriously when you remember that basically the whole plot of the album is "sympathy for the ultra famous musicians," or at least that's what I took away from it. Obviously Syd Barrett is excluded here, but it just feels a bit too much like the band is tooting their own horn here. Its more nuanced than that, but it doesn't feel like it. I also feel that the guest singer on a few of the tracks is extremely cheesy, and ruins the experiences she's on. Its not ethereal to hear her singing, it's jarring. Otherwise, you know why this album is good. Great instrumentals, iconic status to the point of everyone knowing the album cover, in which only a couple bands have achieved that, and there are good tracks here, such as Time and Money, it just feels too self-indulgent to be anything revolutionary for me, and in comparison to some of their work before and after this, I don't fully understand why this is THE Pink Floyd album.

While it suffers from the same issues as most punk albums, that being extremely repetitive, it also has plenty to stand out against its other famous punk acts. Not only are Jello Biafra's vocals iconic, charming, and really suits the lyrics that are coated in so much irony they feel more earnest than any other punk act, and the alien-like guitar playing lends itself well to it all. Songs blend, but you're never gonna feel like resting while listening to this, instead you're gonna feel like causing havoc, and other iconic punk acts from the time can't say that, I feel.

I've considered myself a System of a Down fan for quite some time now, but I have then realization every now and then that the only two albums by them I've properly listened to are Hypnotize and Mesmerize, which I know aren't exactly the two big ones. Luckily today I can finally change that by listening to their debut, and quite a debut it is! I'm normally more down for their more out there stuff found on the later records, instead of this heavier, nu-metal influenced sound, and I'll also say I'm missing Daron Malakian's voice, but otherwise this album makes up for all of that by just being an incredible metal album. Every note feels purposeful, rather than just being technical noise with no melodic qualities, and the more the album went on the more I found myself absolutely enveloping into the rawness of each yell and silly little scream produced here. Its powerful, while still having a lot to say, and while the album is perhaps not as memorable as those hit tracks as their career goes on, in the moment of this record playing I don't care, as it is just so gut punch-y. It never annoys, it never is a bore, and its pure, avant-garde, bliss, in the heaviest of ways.

I wish the audio quality of the album was better, as I feel many of the tracks would benefit from a heavier sound that blows your socks off, and instead it feels like you're just listening to a band off in the distance. Still, what can be salvaged is usually pretty good, with some great parts sprinkled in to keep the listener interested. Sometimes it gets a little too punk flavored for my blood, but there are great, juicy bits of grunge to snack on throughout, and including instruments like the organ and harmonica help it stand out. Its nothing awe inspiring, but I enjoyed my time listening to this.

First impressions of Pere Ubu's first outing may make you think they lean more "punk" in the post-punk realm, especially due to David Thomas' vocal inflection, yet as the album goes on it opens up a bit, and you start to get that more dreary sound associated with many a post-punk album; stir in a woeful saxophone and some waxing poetic lyrics like reading off the random items in the room with the band, and you've got yourself a 70s art punk stew. It has its moments of greatness, such as the before mentioned sax and some great out-there moments that channel David Byrne more than anything, however it often misses the mark in the melodies department, in which I often struggle to remember a single tune after its over, and as the album gets more and more formless over time, the issue only grows more with it. You'll always be entertained by the record, and at a brisk thirty-seven minutes some experimentation is more than appreciated, but one has to wonder why to choose this over any other post-punk band for their needs, and it doesn't make an argument, just tries to please you while you're there, then send you on your way. Like a stew, its filling, but never a main course if you can help it.

An utter chore of an album to listen to, with music that your dad and grandfather can agree is good, but in a way that isn't a good thing, rather only scares you. It bores me to tears at most points, and is only saved by some good instrumentation and a decent down tempo track at the halfway point, that reeled in me just enough to not despise my time here. I respect if you like this, because you must see something I don't, as all I hear is music that is too safe musically, and often times questionable lyrically.

The CD era takes yet another victim with an album that has every right to be a solid albeit forgettable indie album in the forty minute range, and instead drags it out another twenty-five minutes, killing any and all momentum found at the start of the second, and only finding its footing when its too late and the album has turned into a throbbing lump of 90s, with nothing to set it apart. Saving this one from going off the deep end for me particularly is that it would be solid on a song by song basis, and that final track, while derivative of its era, is very solid and catchy; a solid homage to the Beatles, better than anything Oasis ever did, any way. I really wanted to like it, but halfway through I just gave up. No one track is bad here, it just struggles to earn its length, and left me disappointed more than upset.

Similar to acts like Sublime or even at times the White Stripes, this album is an inoffensive take an a niche sub-genre of blues rock that feels more trip-hop than blues, with repetitive beats and a rap-like flow to the singing to ensure even the least interested listener is bobbing their head. However, this album here leaves a lot to be desired in an already aged genre, as the CD era strikes again and takes this decent twenty minute concept of an album and stretches it to nearly an hour, with no variation to warrant the time spent. You won't hate your time here, but you'll most likely not gain anything either.

This is as generic as you can get for what many would call "classic rock," and while usually that would stand to mean inoffensive, I do find this album grates on you as time goes on. To be fair, I have a negative Aerosmith bias, so I already wasn't looking forward to it, but so many lyrics here are that creepy, cheesy, and sleazy suaveness that makes my skin crawl, and while vocally the album is competent, it still isn't anything groundbreaking. The only saving grace for me is the instrumentation, which is extremely solid, and leaves to some really catchy moments, were Steven Tyler not squealing over them. It isn't a bad album, but it feels just safe enough to be disingenuous, and songs like Big Ten Inch Record don't help that claim. Oh well, its fine, I guess.

This is a very noisy album, especially as it goes on, and while now I'm more accustomed to albums attempting to destroy my ear drums for better or worse, I'm glad I did not listen to this record back when I first heard of it a year or two back, as I would have been ill prepared, and taken it on this album. However, that isn't to say this record is good, in fact I'd say its still a hard listen, but not for the noise, rather because it can be painfully mediocre. Songs constantly have really good ideas that seem to never go anywhere, and stretch things out to ungodly lengths for the sake of what I assume is art. I'm all for noise, but my favorite part of noise is those little melodic beats you can still pick up in all the chaos, and this album lacks that for the most part. There will be a part here, a part there, and sometimes the album mellows out enough to be boring yet enjoyable, but when it desides to yell at you, it'll do it for what feels like dozens of minutes at a time. I respect the space-y quality of it all, and for 1989 there are aspects here that feel ahead of its time, but otherwise its a slog that I can only imagine is too droning to be catchy, but too pop-y to have a life changing experience in the dark of the night. It just exists more than anything, and that hurts it greatly.

I was actually surprised by the ferocity of this record at first, with the opening track really feeling like the pinnacle of "proto-punk" and while it wasn't really my thing, I could respect it. However, that feeling was quickly subdued by the rest of the track listing just being rock 'n' roll standards performed with a blown out speaker. The energy is there, but there's no balance present on the record, going as fast as you could for 1965, but I feel it just causes the album to be dated and repetitive, as for most of the tracks all I can think is "Oh, the Beatles did this, but those are their worst tracks," and while I know that isn't fair to the Sonics, it doesn't help to know that this was basically made obsolete by the wave of rock coming in the late 1960s, and by the time punk was emerging, the Stooges seems like the more obvious influence. This just feels like Jerry Lee Lewis on steroids, and at the end of the day that's still boring rock 'n' roll, even if it is raw for 1965, it doesn't feel it holds much prevalence today. Its okay at points, but hardly feels essential, and that scream he does on every track can be grating very quickly. Check it out for punk origins or if you like simple rock 'n' roll classics, otherwise don't bother.

Man, the synths and bass riffs on this album are DIRTY. Like, they're sick as well, and were this album completely instrumental, I could see myself liking this a whole lot more, as it has so many cool sounds, especially for 1994. However, my issues with this album lie in the angst of it all. If you like that sort of thing, that's awesome, I can dig some anger every now and then, but at over an hour long, this album tends to go from cheesy lyrics to just being a bit dull by the end, and while Trent Reznor is certainly the mastermind behind this album, instrumentals and all, I still think his singing is more cringeworthy than piercing, and it leads to a lot of awkward moments, I feel. However, when this album sucks you in, dear lord is it surprisingly funky, and that mood, which is more prevelant in the first half, really skyrockets the album for me from the depths of "ew" to a more understandable "oh, okay!" I can totally see why one would consider this one of the best albums of all time, just a little too much 90s-ness for me.

The intro had me worried that I'd be thinking more of Kraftwerk than Bowie whilst listening, but by the middle of the album I was very much enjoying myself, and by the end I would consider this an extremely solid album, full of those long, dreary songs that I tend to love, and this oppressing atmosphere that I believe only David Bowie's production could pull off so well for another artist. Do I admittedly believe this album would be all the better were Bowie singing here, and at the end of the day is it more Bowie than Iggy? Perhaps, but that isn't to discredit Iggy Pop, because I believe his lyrical additions suit the music well, and give it this of punkiness that I think others would struggle to grasp. In that way it feels like a remix album of Stooges songs, where someone with killer production skills completely flipped Stooges songs on their head, and I think that really works in its favor. I still don't think too much of those first two tracks, and on a short album that can really kill it, but the rest of the album is top notch stuff. Could see this being a higher score someday, for sure.

I'm almost 100% sure that the reason the Rolling Stones are so big in the United States compared to other British bands from the time (save for maybe the Who) due to their insistent need to make themselves "countey," that way it appeals to all those with an affection for country rock. Now, admittedly, Rolling Stones are better at it than the average country rock group, but as someone who can't stand the genre most of the time, this isn't that much better. Mick Jagger's voice never is pleasing on the ears, and a lot of the tracks here can blend together, despite being pretty varying in sound. It also has lyrics here that feel questionable at best, such as "We all need someone to cream on," which just left me feeling awkward. Rolling Stones at thie point seems to have completely abandoned any sort of psychedelic influence by this point, which is a real shame because their best tracks came from a mixture of bluesy rock and that era's brand of psychedelics, see Paint It Black. It leads to this album being a really sobering experience compared to its contemporaries, and in an era of so much experimentation, this feels too safe to be all that special. I get why it has its fans, especially for those who grew up with it, but for a more modern set of eyes, I'd question choosing Rolling Stones over any of their British Invasion siblings, and this album is the perfect example as to why.

Jazz Samba is smooth, its classy, it feels like living a day in stereotypical 1950s/1960s new age corporate North America, but it also lacks something. It is great as a coherent record you slap on in the background of your day-to-day life, ignoring the music itself, but even diving deeper for a moment you'll kind to find there isn't much there. Its elevator music, and while I like my fair share of what many call "muzak," this needs more layers than it presents to be anything that'll stick with me. Its a pleasant time whilst listening, but I doubt I'll remember the music itself much longer. I'll take the beautiful vocals of the Gilberto's any day.

It's amazing how quickly Led Zeppelin turned around and put out another record in the same year with an even stronger track listing than its predecessor. It's not unheard of, but its just rare enough to be impressive, and considering there's some great tracks here, you can tell they were having a creative overflow. The album itself is extremely solid, with great, memorable riffs, a solid thumping beat, and bluesy guitar just rocking enough to not be repetitive and therefore, dull. The album loses its momentum as it goes on, and could stand to cut off a few tracks (although you can tell Moby Dick was purely made to be a live track that would go on for ages) but otherwise this is an album where you can only see the upwards trajectory the band was headed in.

An utterly boring album that drags on for far too long, with melodies that would make a Christian pop radio station blush, and the lyrical content isn't too far behind. Its slow, but it isn't lush, it has layered production, but there is nothing dreamy about it. Just an utter waste of time, only really challenging to your grandparents. The CD era was a blight on the music industry.

What an incredibly cool and fun album! Its so charming and has some gorgeous moments that really are just awe inspiring. Most of it is just background music, but its really chill background music that I can easily sink my teeth into, and Holger Czukay's voice is a little silly, but overall really nice, making for a really great little jam thing with bits of greatness sprinkled in; enough so that I don't have anything but praise for this record. Really surprising, but a welcome surprise nonetheless.

I choose in my life to constantly make fun on the leading track, Ace of Spades, because Lemmy's voice is so unique its hard not to pay attention to that track. It wouldn't be a notable song without the delivery, but I understand that pulling people in. Lucky for those people, every single other song here is the exact same track but chopped up with different lyrics, some far more disgusting than others. Its fine in short bursts, but a whole album of it, even at only thirty minutes, can lead anyone to groaning every time a track starts and it sounds the exact same as the last one, two, three, etc, etc. I get why those looking for a pick me up would like the rough energy of this, but nearly everything about this has aged like milk, and it feels only like it passes due to the joy I feel singing "MY ASS IS GAY!" to the tune of "The ass of spades!" Its a cathartic experience, truly, and gives me some amount of pleasure, which I feel deserves it some indirect credit.

A really fun album not afraid of being too blunt, nor too modern. It doesn't try to wax poetic, rather being blunt with things like anime, video games, and other "silly" things that may feel out of place in a soul album, but the record as a whole stands out more because of this. It helps that Thundercat isn't just throwing these things around, but rather using them in a way that feels just right for the tone at hand. Sometimes it can feel a tad internet-brained, in which I'd rather look for an artist like Jack Stauber to fill that void, but when it hits, it can be relatively dreamy more than anything. My only main flaw is its length versus its variety. Every song here is at least good, but tracks can blend together very easily, especially at the amount of them here, and it could've easily been trimmed down as a result, but otherwise this is a great time with some sleepy yet funky jams to get you rocking out in any mood. Quite enjoyed this, I feel only a record like this could pull Kenny Loggins and Kendrick Lamar back to back and do it well.

I'm actually a tad shocked by this record, not only because I thought it would be all American Pie-esque tracks, when it was more so all Vincent-esque tracks, but because I found myself enjoying it pretty thoroughly, even American Pie, in all of its overplayed glory. It has some amazing sleeper hits on here, and even though there is some repeat tones that feel like Don McLean is copying off his own homework, when this recordtries boy does it try, with sweet little tracks aplenty, and even a Bob Dylan-esque track about ¾s of the way in that's pulled off pretty well. Its short and sweet, and I'm just impressed this bargain bin, at every record store in America-of a record is not only good, but I'd argue great.

This album ended and I said aloud "Oh is that it?" I was so sure it was going to be dragging on for another three or so tracks, and I had completely tuned out from it at that point that it was the most surprising thing of the whole listen. The album is... fine? Its extremely safe, never venturing far from its obvious inspirations and stylings, save for a reversed guitar that feels tacky here more than anything, but its inoffensive. It can be okay background music, and as I said, despite rocking far too long of a runtime, it actually breezed by pretty quickly. Otherwise, there isn't much to say, and you can get better dub experiences elsewhere.

I realize not every song out there has to be catchy. Hell, not every song has to necessarily be a "song," but it is always so jarring when something like that comes along, and its incredibly hard to adjust in a timely matter. Such is the case with much of this album, where any sort of normal song structure is thrown out for droning synths, sinister vocals, and an overall oppressive atmosphere. It works for a majority of the album, with its repetitive drive being oddly infectious, albeit many of the songs go on for too long, and I'd even say it has a melancholic feel to it at times, not unfamiliar to Velvet Underground fans. However, what seems to be considered the star of the show is Frankie Teardrop, and I mean that in any which way. Its a piece of avant-garde brutality, both on the mind and the ears. The piercing screams can cause even the most iron-willed listener to shiver, and... I hate it. I know its supposed to make me uncomfortable, but its downright a blight on an otherwise pretty decent record. Its too long, it comes out of nowhere, and in a modern age it doesn't come off as disturbing, rather edgy for the sake of nothing. Its the musical equivalent of a jumpscare, and in that aspect its memorable, but nothing to actually ponder, save for a throwaway line about there being a Frankie in all of us. The rest of the album is a synth-punk classic that earns its notoriety, but that single song bumps it down in such a way I can never see myself listening to this front to back again. Wish I could be enlightened enough to get it, but I'm not, and I really don't care to get there if that's what's awaiting me.

A very generic album, that feels like it was made to be a massive hit in its era, but that's just caused it to age like milk two decades later. It just reeks of the early 2000s, the vocal delivery, the beats, the song titles, they're all so cheesy, and while there are decent moments in here, the CD era still seems to think anyone wants to hear an hour long album with no reason to be that long. Its fine technically, and inoffensive for most of its runtime, but I was pretty tired by the ending song, and I can not pinpoint a moment that was worth listening to the album for. There are plenty of records to cover this style of hip-hop, and this one isn't one of them.

This is one of the most gorgeous albums of all time. Rufus Wainwright's voice strikes the perfect balance between whine and perfect pitch to paint a truly hurt individual, which many of these songs needed to be perfectly executed. His piano playing, and all the instrumentation for that matter, is simple yet very effective, and there is such a beautiful amalgamation of pop and ballad that its easily very near the top of its class. Perhaps its a tad long, but its hard to argue that time is wasted, as every second in every song feels purposeful, and no song is dragged out more than needed, not even the nine minute finale. It just all feels so grand, and I can only assume Wainwright was going for that, and in that case he nailed it. Shame he's known for little outside of his Hallelujah cover, because this proves he has every right to stand amongst the greats from the time such as Jeff Buckley (which he pays a lovely tribute to) and Elliott Smith. I only wish this album was more beloved, as I fail to see how this isn't considered one of the greatest albums of the 2000s, because it is.

I appreciate this album being far less poorly aged than a lot of other albums from the time, as it has a lot of effects that feel more graceful(?) than even effects from half a decade prior, and the slow leaning away from electronica near the end of the album makes it stand out all the more as a careful blend of genres. Its still relatively boring like a lot of its contemporaries, far too long, and the vocal tracks are just bad for the most part, but when this album lays its cards out it can be a good time. Just have to have a lot of patience to get there.

This is about as generic as you can get when it comes to 70s rock, which is strange, because this came out in 1983... its certainly got the technical ability at times, but otherwise this sounds like nothing in particular for most of its run time, and I genuinely forgot I was listening to music until I looked down and realized I had four tracks left, all of which I could also tell you nothing about. Its fine, I guess? It has a quality to it that isn't as cheesy as the glam metal outfits that were starting to sprout at the time, nor are the synths used in a way to overshadow the main instrumentals, something groups like Van Halen failed to do, but still this album is incredibly dull. Sharp Dressed Man has a good hook and riff, but otherwise this is the kind of music people mean when they say they like "classic rock," and I don't mean that in a good way.

An album of its time, with the same production choices and vocal inflections that seemed to get every pop station itching for more of the same you could argue this era of music has permanently left a crack in the pop industry, one that didn't really start to heal until the last couple of years. It just feels like every song from 2013 sounded like this, and if it didn't, it was trying to. This specific attempt is inoffensive most of the time, with decent moments buried under what feels like heaps of overproduced beats and synths, only feeling especially eye-roll worthy when the male vocalist appears and it becomes a cheese fest. I know this era is trying to emulate the 80s in its design, but the 80s has a charm to it that this lacks, and I say that as someone who did not grow up in the 80s at all. That isn't to say all 80s music is free from the issues here, because its far from that, but nothing from this brand of synthpop seems to have that memorable quality to it, only leading to me asking if I know any of the music here, or if its just the flavor of the week. Anyway, I've gotten a tad off topic. There's some neat things near the end (although not that final track, yuck) with scratchy bass lines and neat soundscapes that I could see getting one pumped in the right mood, but otherwise I feel this earns its way as memories of a bygone era more than something to still listen to today, and if I'm talking like that about an album from only a decade ago, then who knows how poorly this could age in another ten years?

I've listened to this album before, about a year-and-a-half ago when my parter listened to it, and I remember being caught off guard by its quality, but otherwise forgetting most of the album, with only one or two tracks making it into my regular shuffle. However, re-visiting this album all this time later, I've heard far more that is obviously inspired by this record, such as The Divine Comedy, and I've in turn fallen in love with this style of music. The amateur-ish yet insanely captivating vocals, the questionable yet charming lyrics, and God those strings! The whole ensemble of instruments on this record in general is flawless, and makes the album what it is. Most of the songs are covers, and I feel that does help Scott Walker's serious case of "Huh?" lyrics, and I'd happily swoon over this album time and time again if it were only to enjoy each orchestral sweep, dive, and peak. Its an album that somehow displays raw emotion whilst feeling cold and distant, and I think the idea of a crooner in the late 60s matches this feeling perfectly. The style is dying out, the art of music is moving on, and yet something about this simple baroque pop record leaves a massive impact on me. If this is what I have waiting for me with the rest of Walker's material, but even better, then sign me up.

This album had me nearly instantly hooked with its odd combination of high energy guitars, pulsing, danceable bass, and a neat inclusion of acoustic guitar to give it a more natural sound compared to its synth-y contemporaries, striking against a dreary atmosphere and that odd vocal delivery you can't help but tune in to. Its as if you're being forced to dance to something you'd never think to fance to, yet you can't help but have a good time. This feeling permeates throughout the A-side, into the B-side, but unfortunately does not stick the landing, with the energy and tempo slowing going down, but not shockingly enough to keep your attention, rather just kind of ween you off the record before its over, that way you aren't really dying for more, but you had a good time while it lasted. Really strong showing from a band I've had mixed feelings on, and while this album doesn't really have its own "Killing Moon," it tries damn hard, never settling for just one or two good tracks, and to that I applaud and appreciate it.

As the album was still getting on its feet I was feeling as though this would be on the more dry side of alt-country; one that can be hard to sludge through without some endurance. However, the album picked up some speed a little bit in and stayed rather good throughout, with a lot of Neil Young influence to keep you entertained, and a surprise or two in the form of noisy tracks to keep you on your toes. As much from the era, its far too bloated, and I could see this being repetitive for some, as it does keep a general tone that can feel flat all in a row, but if you let the album take you places, its really good at being something rather pretty, and I'd even argue has some of that melancholic feel that Leonard Cohen presents, although its not as captivating lyrically as Cohen. Overall, a solid record that I'm glad I spent time listening to.

When looking back on Donovan in his heyday, its easy to draw comparisons between all of his contemporaries, and how they often rose above his output, to the point where his biggest namesake in the current day is a soda "probably" named after one of his songs, which to be fair, not many musicians can say, but you get what I mean. However, if you separate his work into its own bubble, there is quite a bit to enjoy. He's got an unconventional yet pretty voice, amateur-ish enough to feel genuine on most tracks, and his guitar playing is simple yet sweet, giving to a relaxing album to put on and enjoy in the background. I'll personally say that the hits here actually do very little for me, but the deep cuts are exactly what I'd want out of this era of folk, with great pop-production to make it feel mainstream without pulling out the roots, and a just solid theming throughout. It may be a tad stereotypical, but its still a nice time. Obviously this is no Bob Dylan, Tim Buckley, etc. etc, but on its own merits, this is a worthwhile addition to anyone's collection.

This album is an insane powerhouse of sampling and just pure confidence, but not in a way that comes off as smug, rather something more fun to be around that knows its hot shit and you agree. Nothing like this could be made today, and even if it was, it would cost millions to clear, and ain't no way there would be a whole song of Beatles samples. Despite it being a party album through-and-through, just like Licensed to Ill, it has a new sense of maturity to it that comes with the expert level production and flow of each verse that's shared so perfectly between Mike D, Ad Rock, and MCA that it doesn't have the choppiness issue many rap groups tend to have. Everything here is so professional despite how loose it is, and it just feels like the pinnacle of hip-hop in the 80s. Everything changed after this record, sadly for better and worse, but the fact that we got something so funky just in time really feels like a gift more than anything. Flaws include that it feels a tad long, and due to its nature it can feel repetitive tonally, but the change-ups instrumentally are well worth seeing this album through, especially with some of the best beats coming from the last stretch in B-Boy Bouillabaisse. I can now see why this is considered Beastie Boy's crowning achievement.

The first track is a tad hard to get through, giving me the same feeling an avant-garde jazz album may give to one not interested in jazz in the first place (hey, that's also me!) but after that beast of a track the album mellows out a bit and actually has some pretty nice stuff in it. I'll admit that this album being from 1973 earns it the sense of being far ahead of its time, but it doesn't feel like it does enough to really stand out, other than a surface level striking layer to get you feeling euphoric, only for it to mellow rather quickly and then just be a decent, albeit playful and inoffensive, time. There's some stuff here to enjoy, and parts of the longer tracks are nice too, but it never feels like a proper package, and the long tracks never seem to stick the landing, save for Jennifer, which I quite enjoy and see why it would be the "big" track from this release. Its a decent time, and I can see why many quite like this, but also why one would just find this boring.

This album is far too hot and cold for me to really get into it. Its got a lot of neat moments that I quite enjoy, but its bogged down by instrumental tracks that not only pad out the run time, but bog down the theming of the album by dragging it into genres it really has little business attempting, even if said attempts are inoffensive. It does have stuff to enjoy, however, as I'd say some of the vocal tracks are pretty enough, and put a different enough spin on the alt-country tone for it to stand out in a crowd. It just feels very self-indulgent, as if at no point no one told the band "no." I could see another project by this band being better, but as it stands this one is an extremely mixed bag of good and "Eh? Eh..." to just be alright on a good day, with a tad nudge upwards for the originality.

An excellent blend of that industrial sound with something less meandering than the sound I tend to associate with the genre due to the post-hardcore and noise rock injections. The instrumentation is tight and rapid, the production feels of its time, but just futuristic enough to feel influential, and I can see why everyone and their mother wanted Steve Albini's two cents (or more) in the late 80s/early 90s. It relies on its texture, but isn't lacking a kick of flavor to it so that tracks can still have a catchiness to them all. It does lose grip a little at the very tail end of the record, and many of the tracks can come off as repetitive, but there is enough impact with each note to leave me rocking out for nearly the entirety of the album. In all essence the name Atomizer is perfect. It could probably kill a whole planet with its power, but man if those using it don't look cool as hell.

I find it very comedic that seminal albums in the proto-punk, punk, and post-punk genres all came out within the same year, as it really shows how loose those titles are. This album, in particular, doesn't feel especially punk-ish, save for its indifferent vocal delivery and some more strange guitar solos. If anything, its just a 70s take on rock 'n' roll with more angst-ridden lyrics, but it can still feel pretty stereotypical. The coolest thing to come out of this band, in my opinion, is the members that went on to be in bigger projects like Talking Heads and the Cars, as you can hear it a little here, and its neat enough as is, but when you start to forget the influences and changes, you start to suspect that perhaps the world of punk would have continued without this album, as its more of a Velvet Underground re-hash at its most out there, and while it certainly had its sway on the music world, as I mentioned it was already competing with punk and post-punk acts at the time of its release. Its more of a cool story tied into an alright album, with a good track or two to keep it in the limelight. Certainly not bad, but outclassed by everyone around them, and its hard to see it another way, personally.

I understand that UB40 is a very left leaning, interracial, mega reggae band from a time when most of those words in that order could make an old woman faint with shock whilst her husband shakes his head disapprovingly, but this music feels anything but rebellious; I'd even say it even comes off a bit ignorant, but I know very little of the socio-economic status in the United Kingdom forty years ago, so perhaps I'm the ignorant one. It just all feels like capitalizing on others' sounds and songs to make bloopy, outdated pop tracks that you could see making their way to and through the radio waves, and spinning it to feel like you're fighting against something big and overpowering like the UK government, but in reality those within the UK government were the ones spinning the record! I think it all lines up pretty well with tha album having a cover of Strange Fruit to (basically) close out the record. Does it fit the M.O. of the band and their beliefs? Yes, undoubtedly, but a song so powerful and heartbreaking feels nothing but disrespected to be surrounded by tracks for forty-year-old hipsters to get high to, while the cover itself is already rough with its synth-heavy wubs and beachy tones. Does it all match reggae and the genre's goal? Sure, but it just feels too quaint for the subject matter at hand, and the whole record matches that issue. Throw in way too many instrumental tracks that seemingly serve no purpose in an already bloated track listing (seventy minutes? And they have the audacity to make the D-side only nine minutes long? Seems like highway robbery) and you've got yourself a record that perhaps would've done something en masse in 1980, but now just comes off in poor taste at best, purposefully malicious at worst. As for the songs themselves? They're fine, incredibly dull and repetitive, with very little in the way of getting the listener re-engageed, save for throwing one of the singles in halfway through to wake everyone up, but they certainly aren't bad songs, save for one or two. Its just a shame that something that easily could've been a random record with nothing offensive or inoffensive and been forgotten near instantly is instead probably going to stick with me due to its over zealous nature, and that will only lead to more disdain as time passes.

Surprisingly good for what I expected to be just a stereotypical pick for the 1001 Albums list to fill out a quota, and while some of that generic sound is there, especially in the middle, the instrumentation is catchy, the singing is usually quality, and I would say I enjoyed a good chunk of the songs to some extent, especially that opener, what a great tune! It just fails to leave a lasting impression compared to film soundtracks, and as an album its lacking, but taking it at face value I'll admit I was expecting worse, so this was a pleasant, albeit forgettable, surprise.

There's some part of my brain that seems to have taught itself that Megadeth was the weakest link of the "big four," with them just eating Metallica's dust. However, actually listening to their respective albums has taught me anything but. This album goes hard, REAL hard, and tapes you to your seat instantly with the one-two combo that is Holy Wars and Hangar 18 back-to-back. Its an insane pair that sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly, something it rarely strays from, and other than some miniscule hiccups, the album keeps you enthralled with excellent instrumentation and Dave Mustaine's unique yet catchy vocal delivery. I understand why would could find this grating, but you're doing it wrong if you don't find at least one song to love here. Best part is it doesn't overstay its welcome, leading to a brisk pace that makes sure the listener isn't just sitting there waiting for the next tune. I mean, you already heard the best at the start, so why not just enjoy the rest? Not to say the rest isn't trying to be just as good, with golden nuggets of thrash excellency peppered all over the record, with the whole album truly climaxing at that Tornado of Souls solo, which still stands to be one of the best in the industry. Just a destructive force of album, but one that perhaps it would be worth to reckon with, just so you too can understand Megadeth superiority.

If you want to know how ignorant I was (and arguably still am) about music, I'd not heard of Japan until I played Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain a number of years ago, and I always remembered Quiet Life being one of the weaker tracks on that game's soundtrack. To be fair, its hard to discern quality over the sound effects of a guy huffing and puffing, but I basically did not touch this song, and in turn this album, until right now, nearly a decade later. I wasn't NOT looking forward to this though, I mean, Japan is pretty well liked in small circles, and there is no denying that David Sylvian isn't SO HOT DUDE OH MY GOD HUBBA HUBBA AWOOGA HONK HON- Excuse me. So, I had some amount of hope this would be a good time, and I'd say it was! Quiet Life is far more appealing with a good set of headphones, and the whole album gives me Duran Duran vibes, but in a good, more sophisticated way, as if I'm listening to Hungry Like the Wolf for the intellectual. It isn't really like that, its pretty predictable, albeit grand pop music, but I still had a good time listening, and I think this album has its own charm that sets it apart from its contemporaries, such as tHE LEAD SINGER MMM GIVE ME SOME OF THAT B-OING WOO WO- But I seriously think this could be a good time if you go in knowing what to expect. Its a tad dated, and starts to drag near the end, but there's enough here to be a more romantic view of a musical era (new wave) that tends to be overdone in a modern setting. Looking forward to digging into more Japan stuff in the future, I've heard their albums after this one are even better.

Save for the first track, I recognize the album cover more than any of the tracks on the album. They're not bad songs, but they can tend to be dull, and feel ot their era, which just means I imagine this album will get worse with age, but at least I would call nothing on the record bad, just a bit dry, and could stand to vary itself a bit. There's cool moments such as that iconic intro or the overwhelming bass on Fantasy, but otherwise this feels like an album reaching for the critical acclaim, and judging from the reaction at the time, I'd say they got what they wanted. However, I've seen no one mention the xx since, and it has me wondering how many agree with my poorly aged sentiment. For now, its just okay. Light three.

This album is proof to me that I've gone soft whennit comes to music. That, or I've broadened my horizons when it comes to the medium, but I'd be surprised something like that happened so quickly. I say that because I used to quite dislike this album, and as recently as Autumn of 2023, I still didn't get the Band. However, this listen I found myself quite enjoying this. Sure, its got a lot of dull moments, especially in the middle of the album, but it has a feeling of amateur, fireside music with some true passion behind the music, and I found a lot of the songs sticking with me more than I would have ever expected it to. Its repetitive tonally, I don't think all the hits are zingers, and I still totally see why I disliked this only half a year ago, but there was just something nice about this go around. Perhaps that's the power of a good set of headphones, or maybe I'm getting soft suddenly, but I enioyed this. I'm actually quite happy about that, as I've always enjoyed Bob Dylan's artwork as the cover, so I was sad all that time that this didn't live up to the hype for me. Still just an alright album, but I'll say I'm certainly pleasantly surprised. Suppose that shoul