I'd never heard of Bill Callahan before today. The genre is classed as country, but that isn't the genre I heard upon listening to the album. Wikipedia has it classed more as apocalyptic folk, or doom country... Sounds like they are making up genres, but it does fit better in these categories than just straight "country". This type of music reminds me a lot of Nick Cave's more folk oriented albums. Bill's deep, slow vocal delivery brings with it feelings of gloom and despair. His phenomenal, poetic lyrics really drive these feelings home. He has a philosophical quality to his music. A few examples of deep lyrics include: 1) From the song Eid Ma Clack Shaw (about the death of someone close to him) : Love is the king of the beasts, And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat 2) From the song All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast (The eagle is depression and anxiety, and when he shows up all the smaller birds (good thoughts) fly off): The leafless tree looked like a brain, The birds within were all the thoughts and desires within me, Hoppin' around from branch to branch, Or snug in their nests listenin' in, An eagle came over the horizon, And shook the branches with its sight, The softer thoughts: Starlings, finches and wrens, The softer thoughts, they all took flight Overall, this was an amazingly deep album which was a lot to digest. Thankfully, none of the songs overstay their welcome. I listened to it twice today: once for the lyrics, and the second time for the musical accompaniment. An absolute classic of a record. I will definately listen again. I will say, you have to be in a gold head space in order to enjoy this record. It is very heavy and dark, but if you are open to it, it is absolutely beautiful. Favourite songs: My Friend, Rococo Zephyr, Too Many Birds, Jim Cain, All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast, Eid Ma Clack Shaw Least favourite songs: Invocation of Ratiocination 5/5

Before today, the only songs by War that I knew were the hits (Low Rider, The Cisco Kid, and Why Can't We Be Friends?). These guys were a hit in the 60's - 70's, and actually, this album was named Album of the Year in '72, so I am excited to hear more of their catalog today! This album is a slow, funky masterpiece. Songs such as "City, Country, City", although being 13 minutes long, were excellent. Instead of being a long song with half a dozen solos mixed in, it was one huge groove, in which each member of the band could solo, and show their skills while the rest of the band kept time. There are some amazing artists in this band! The inclusion of a harmonica in "City, Country, City" surprised the hell out of me, in a good way. The opening song, The Cisco Kid is such a fantastic funky song! This band is a melding of soul, jazz, funk, Latin, blues, and rock into one hell of a laid back sound. They sound a lot like Sly and the Family Stone, but their musical themes are never negative. It is always "peace and love", which is refreshing to listen to. You would think, with a title like "The World is a Ghetto" you'd be in for a political, negative album, but this album is full of positive vibes. The long drawn out grooves have a way of pulling you into a trance, and making all your worries disappear. Overall, an excellent album today. Not something I would always be in the mood for, but it helped make yard work a hell of a lot more enjoyable today!! Favorite songs: The Cisco Kid, Where Was You At, The World Is A Ghetto, Four Cornered Room Least favorite songs: "City, Country, City" 4/5

This is John Lennon's debut solo album after the break-up of the Beatles. At the time, he had been going through some primal scream therapy with his psychiatrist to help work through some childhood trauma. You can really hear it through the lyrics on this record (especially the song Well Well Well where he is almost sacrificing his vocal chords for his screams). The themes of this record include childhood abandonment (Mother), and psychological pain. The song God is almost a farewell letter to the John Lennon everyone knew from the Beatles, and hello to a new John Lennon. This album was mostly performed in a 3 piece band format, featuring Lennon on guitar and vocals, Ringo Starr on drums, and Klaus Voormann on bass (this is apparently the artist who drew the cover art for the Beatles record, Revolver). The song Love features Phil Spector on piano. Phil also had a hand in producing the record along with John and Yoko. Upon seeing the title of the record, I was scared that it was going to feature the awful moaning of Yoko Ono, but thankfully, it did not. Apparently John and Yoko both released a record in 1970 named Plastic Ono Band; how cute. I'd rather listen to pigeons fuck than listen to Yoko Ono. I also had a preconceived notion that I would hate this record because it was John Lennon (the only Lennon solo songs I knew are Happy Xmas (War is Over) and Imagine, and I don't care for either one) but this was so much more than that. There was a lot going on with this record, and I really enjoyed it. Overall, I was very surprised with today's album. It is beautiful. Lennon laid his heart out on tape, and it really comes through. I will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Well Well Well, I Found Out, Hold On, Mother, Working Class Hero Least favourite songs: Isolation, Remember, Love 4/5

Germs are a 70's hardcore punk band. Super fast and thrashy like punk should be, but I haven't got a baker's fuck of an idea what the lead singer is saying. It's exactly what you expect from a good punk band. Hard, fast sloppy, and unforgiving. I realised while listening through the album that one of their songs "Lexicon Devil" was featured on the Radio station Channel X on GTA 5. I couldn't remember where I heard it before until I looked it up. Punk is a weird genre. Each song ranges from 1-2 minutes in length, and never overstays its welcome. That is, except for the last song on the record, which is almost 10 minutes long. Overall, a perfectly fine punk record from the roots of the genre. Nothing really to write home about, but not bad at all. Favourite songs: Lexicon Devil Least favourite songs: Shut Down (Annihilation Man) 3/5

Why is this garbage considered music. Someone standing behind a computer pushing buttons while the crowd trips on Ecstasy. Never heard of Roni Size or Reprazent, and wish I never had. More worthless electronica shit that has no place on a list like this. What did this influence? This is the music aliens listen to while they probe your arse. Fuck electronica, and drum'n'bass. 9-10 minute songs with looped shitty lyrics, and wind chimes as a musical instrument. And why would someone turn Morse code (the most irritating sound on earth) into a song? Favourite song: Beatbox because it's only 1 minute long. It features someone trying to beatbox, but they're so bad at it that they just record a small clip and looped it to make it sound impressive, but it is actually shit. Least favourite songs: the whole fucking album. 1/5. There's an hour and 20 minutes I'll never get back.

Favourite songs : vampire blues, see the sky about to rain (beautiful visuals), for the turnstiles Least favourite: ambulance blues (long and rambling), on the beach Overall not a bad album. 3-5

Favourite songs: the fox in the snow, mayfly, the stars of track and field Least favourite songs: seeing other people, if you're feeling sinister, me and the major The back half of this album was better than the front half. 3/5

Fantastic blues album. The fact that it is live adds to the recording. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and whiskey. The cheers of the crowd, and the fantastic blues guitar playing make this an amazing listen!! Favourite songs : it's my own fault, how blue can you get?, sweet little angel Least favourite: worry, worry (if forced to pick one) Easy 5/5

This is a very dark and melancholy album, with themes of death throughout. Oddly enough, this was my recommended album the day after the Queen actually died. Favourite songs: vicar in a tutu (an injection of humour), there is a light that never goes out, the Queen is dead, cemetery gates Least favourite songs: never had no one ever, I know it's over 3/5

Teriffic melding of styles between Billy Braggs and Wilco. In a few songs it felt like putting the words to music seemed almost forced and unpolished, but overall a fantastic album, and a great memorial to the words of Woody Guthrie Favourite songs: Christ for President, Birds and Ships (Natalie Merchant's voice on this track is beautiful), Hesitating Beauty, The Unwelcome Guest, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key Least Favourite Songs: Hoodoo Voodoo, Walt Whitman's Neice, Eisler on the Go, Ingrid Bergman 4/5

This is a very dark, melancholic album, kind of similar in feel to The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, but much more polished. I feel like the album could have been wrapped up in 20 minutes if it wasn't for the sometimes needless 1 minute instrumental intros and outros. The album somehow feels unfinished by times (notably the end of the song(and album) Seventeen Seconds, where the drum track is still ending, and they just cut the music off early) . This also happens at the end of The Final Sound (here it seems like it was an attempt at a transition into A Forest, but it didn't really work). There are a few gems in this album, but overall, just dark and depressing. Favourite songs : A Forest (I like how they use reverb and feedback to sound like echos and wind in a dark forest), At Night, Play for Today Least favourite songs : Secrets, Three (in both songs the vocal track is basically whispered, and overlayed by music so that you can almost not even hear the words) 2/5

This album was definately not my cup of tea. Favourite songs: Countess' Caper (fantastic trumpet work in this song, more like mariachi music than bollywood music), One Two Cha Cha Cha, Baby Let's Dance Together, Hum Bewafa Hargiz Na They (Happy) Least favourite songs: Title Music (awful wailing/moaning track played intermittantly throughout song) Naag Devta (more awful moaning), Aaina Wohi Rehta Hai 1/5

This album was a great listen! Amy had a beautiful voice, and was gone too soon!! A beautiful artist, with the ability to meld jazz with pop in a cohesive manner. The lyrics to the song Help Yourself ring true sadly: "I Can't Help You If You Won't Help Yourself". Favourite songs: Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke), Amy Amy Amy, Help Yourself, October Song, Fuck Me Pumps, You Sent Me Flying/Cherry Least favourite songs: Know You Now, I Heard Love Is Blind 4/5

I had never heard of Sparks until today, so I didn't know what to expect going into this listening session, however I was pleasantly surprised. The singer has a very uniquely high singing voice which reminds me of the band The Darkness, and their music has a similar sound to Supertramp or Talking Heads. I really enjoyed the music, but found the lyrics got buried sometimes below layers of guitar and crash drums. Favourite songs : Hasta Manana Monsieur, Talent is an Asset, Here in Heaven Least favourite songs : Equator, Complaints 3/5

For me, this was another surprisingly fantastic album, and one that I never in 1 million years would have stumbled upon on my own. Usually, given my ADHD, long, drawn out instrumental pieces are hard for me to listen to, however Mike manages to keep your interest through the addition of instruments or background vocal stylings throughout the whole album. Since the songs are so long, I have broken them down individually to highlight the moments that moved me. For Tubular Bells Part 1, the first roughly 5 minutes is the Exorcist theme song, so it has a dark and eerie feel to it, then Spanish guitar is added in, followed by electric guitar to pull us out of the darkness. At the 13 minute mark, there is another drastic tempo change, accompanied by background choir humming and piano which builds into another rocking guitar solo. Around the 20 minute mark there is a funky bass groove playing on loop, almost lulling you into a trance, then an announcer starts naming instruments, and they get added in layers over the bass grove until the 23 minute mark, when you have a huge symphony of sound to finish the song. For Tubular Bell's Part 2, the first huge transition happens at around the 8 minute mark, when the song begins to picks up with backing vocal harmonies. A huge shock at the 12 minute mark, when gutteral, almost agitated groans accompany a rocking drum beat and guitar solo. At the roughly 21 minute mark, the final breakdown starts with a nautical sounding guitar riff with constantly increasing tempo. Favourite song: I enjoyed Tubular Bells Part 1 a bit more than Part 2, however both were very good. The version of the album Spotify brought up for me to listen to had 2 other tracks, which were isolated excerpts from the larger 2 songs on the album. Sailor's Hornpipe had Viv Stanshall humorously talking about an old house while the final nautical breakdown from Tubular Bells Part 2 plays in the background, sounding like a maritime house party. The other additional song is called Mike Oldfield's Theme, which has an almost LOTR/Middle Earth vibe to it. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It isn't something that I would sit and listen to on repeat, but it was absolutely worth a listen, and I'm glad I did. 4/5

The front half of this album was more upbeat, and the back half was more somber and melancholic. At times the delivery of the vocals almost felt forced in that the singers were putting no flair on singing at all, almost as if bored. I did, however, enjoy the harmonies of the male and female vocals. The music delivery was uneventful, with simple guitar riffs and drum beats, typical of new age pop music. Favourite songs: Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Intro (an upbeat instrumental number), Chrystalised, VCR An interesting note about the song Fantasy: It begins as a relatively slow and boring song, but around the 1:30 mark, the bass kicks in in a big way (it would be a great subwoofer tester at that point) Least favourite songs: Night Time, Stars, Shelter 3/5

This was a great album, full of sounds of jazz/blues/funk/country throughout. I enjoyed the guitar and synth solos. Could be classed dad rock or elevator rock, but a very good listen for sure! Lots of musical experimentation throughout. Favourite songs: Bodhisattva, Boston Rag, Your Gold Teeth (awesome synth solo in this one), Show Biz Kids Least favourite songs: Razor Boy, Pearl of the Quarter (a lot of steel guitar work in this one, has a strong country vibe to it), My Old School 3/5

Before this exercise, I knew of Buffalo Springfield, but was only familiar with their most famous song, For What It's Worth, so I was happy to familiarize myself with more of their music catalog. This album begins with a great rocking song, Mr. Soul. Neil Young's voice is so recognizable. The second song has a slower funky/country feel to it, and Richie Furay's voice is phenomenal. The next two songs were duds for me, slow, melancholic, with moaning lyrics. Bluebird was a terrific song sung by Stephen Stills with a terrific banjo solo at the end of the song. I enjoyed the rock/funk sensibilities that went into Hung Upside Down, and Furay kills his part of the lyrics. Sad Memory is another slow, depressing song. Good Time Boy is a bluesy/funky song that I really liked. The addition of the brass instruments and the brass solo towards the end of the song was awesome. Rock and Roll Woman has an almost psychadelic rock feel to it with the synth solos throughout. Broken Arrow, the final song on the album, was a strange one that I couldn't really get into. The constant tempo changes and musical breaks for random sound bytes just took from the overall flow of the song. Overall it was a great album. It is too bad they broke up so soon, because I feel they could have made some awesome music. Favourite songs : Mr. Soul, A Child's Claim to Fame, Hung Upside Down, Bluebird Least favourite songs : Everydays - Live, Expecting To Fly, Sad Memory 3/5

This is a fantastic album of country/bluegrass/Appalachian music. The harmonies reached by the brothers, and their tenor voices are beautiful. The mandolin playing, especially in the song Let Her Go, God Bless Her, by Ira Louvin is awesome. This album, as referenced by the title "Tragic Songs of Life" is full of songs about heartache and loss (as is usually the case with country music). The songwriting is beautiful, and each song artfully tells a story. Notable songs include: Tiny Broken Heart is a touching song about heartbreak; The whooping in the song In The Pines is awesome; The lyrics to Alabama paint a beautiful picture of the state; Katie Dear is a very dark song about forbidden love; My Brother's Will is a very sad and beautiful song about the loss of a sibling; Knoxville Girl was a shockingly morbid song about murder; Take the News to Mother is a sad song about war and loss; Mary of the Wild Moor is a sad song about death and loss. The last four songs were full of messages about God and religion, and were beautiful in their own right. Notable songs from this section of the album include: Lord, I'm Coming Home has a haunting, echoy chorus which drives home the message of spiritual awakening; Thankful is a beautiful hymn about being thankful for the blessings given by God every day. Favourite songs: "Let Her Go, God Bless Her", "In The Pines", "Alabama", "My Brother's Will", "Knoxville Girl" Least favourite song : I'll Be All Smiles Tonight Overall, I really enjoyed this album! 4/5

This is the first album I've recieved that I have listened to many times before. That didn't stop me from listening to it again! I love The Eagles, and this album is a gem! Glenn Frey & Don Henley's vocals are amazing, and the harmonies reached by the band are wonderful! The addition of Joe Walsh on guitar was awesome, and his solos throughout this album are terrific! The addition of strings in Wasted Time brings that slow ballad to a whole new level! Favourite songs : Life in the Fast Lane (awesome, rocking song), Hotel California, Victim of Love, Try and Love Again Least favourite song: if forced to choose, Wasted Time 5/5

I just recently listened to a "The Ongoing History of New Music" podcast episode about The History of Alt Rock. In the episode, Alan Cross talks about the influence of the New York Dolls had on punk and glam rock. This can absolutely be heard when listening to this album. The fast guitar and drums, the gravelly tone of the singer's voice... The New York Dolls were definately ahead of their time, which is a shame, because they didn't get the fame they deserve until later on, but their music is teriffic! Favourite songs: Personality Crisis, Trash, Subway Train, Pills Least favourite song: Lonely Planet Boy 4/5

Before this, the only song I ever knew by Lauryn Hill was Doo Wop (That Thing). Listening to her music, there is strong influence from genres such as R&B, Reggae, and Rap. The late 90s/early 00s hip hop beats are a great throwback. In Lauryn's high notes, I can hear Mariah Carey, and in her song structure/delivery I can hear Missy Elliot. Hip Hop/R&B isn't necessarily my favourite, however, I can definately understand and appreciate why this was such an influential album to so many. Favourite songs: Everything is Everything, Doo Wop (That Thing), "Every Ghetto, Every City", To Zion, Forgive Them Father Least favourite songs: When it Hurts So Bad, Nothing Even Matters, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 3/5

Alice Cooper is the king of shock rock!! It is very evident by some of the topics touched on in this album. Some examples include: Unfinished Sweet - a song about dental surgery. Alice uses dental drill sounds and screaming/moaning noises to really drive home the cringe factor! Sick Things - his delivery in this song is so creepy, which is the point! I Love The Dead - a song about necrophelia, which in and of itself is shocking! The fact that it is almost a love ballad/porno groove adds to the shock factor. Another surprising song was Mary Ann, when it is just him and a piano. Overall a great album! Alice Cooper was a revolutionary artist, and paved the way for the likes of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. Favourite songs: No More Mr. Nice Guy, Elected, Billion Dollar Babies Least favourite song: Sick Things 4/5

Before this album, I had heard of Coldplay, and was familiar with their hits (of which, it turned out, there were 3 of on this album). I wasn't familiar with any of their other stuff, so I was happy to get to listen to a whole album so I could get a better feel for the band as a whole. Coldplay's hits grace the playlists of soft rock/pop rock lovers worldwide, and Chris Martin has a very unique voice, and delivery. I was hoping to find a new song of theirs that I hadn't heard but really enjoyed, and I found a few on this album (A Rush of Blood to the Head, Green Eyes). I also find that the addition of piano throughout their music catalog is beautiful, and adds to the emotional feel of most of their songs. Favourite songs: The Scientist, Clocks, In My Place, A Rush of Blood to the Head, Green Eyes Least favourite songs : Politik, Amsterdam, A Whisper Overall, I'm glad I listened to this album. Not something I would gravitate to over and over, but excellent nonetheless 3/5

I had heard of the Byrds before, but never delved into their catalog much. There was definately quite a bit of musical experimentation throughout this album. Some things worked better than others. Space Odyssey (sounds like they used a kettle whistle as a sound byte throughout, which became annoying after a while) Moog Raga (just an instrumental experimentation with the Moog modular synthesizer, which was awful. Sounded like someone murdering cats) Even though there was a lot of stuff that was "out there" on this album, there were a few good tracks. Favourite songs: Wasn't Born To Follow, Goin' Back, Draft Morning (an example of where experimentation worked. The song starts out slow and soft, lyrics about slow, sunny mornings... All of a sudden the protagonist of the song gets drafted.... A musical bridge which gets heavier with sounds of war... Followed by the heavier, darker lyrics on the second half of the song... It was interesting and unexpected), Old John Robertson Least favourite songs: Moog Raga, Space Odyssey, Tribal Gathering Overall, a few good songs, but too much experimentation with random sounds, and nothing of note really stuck out for me. 2/5

I didn't think I knew the band Madness until I heard the song Our House. There is some serious experimentation and mashups of instruments throughout, including a constant baseline of ska, with piano/synth/horn overtones, and constant tempo changes. Overall, not a terrible listen. Favourite songs: Our House, Sunday Morning, Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word), Tomorrow's (Just Another Day), Blue Skinned Beast, Madness (Is All In The Mind) Least favourite songs: New Delhi (used sitar music to set the scene of India, but it just ended up being annoying), That Face 3/5

I never thought I knew Primal Scream until I heard the song Movin' On Up, which I was familiar with. I am having a hard time figuring out what genre of music they should be catagorized in, because their music is such a mash up of different styles. Certainly the common denominator in all their songs is an electronic/pop/house music style which is heavy with sampling and beat loops. Their songs are also interlaced with rock/psychedelic/gospel/jazz/funk... and the list goes on. Some of this experimentation and mixing doesn't hit for me (space type beeps and bops/irritating synth notes etc.), however there are a few beautiful songs on this album. I found that a few songs went on in an infinite loop for too long and I lost focus. This is the kind of album that would be great playing in the background at a house party, or when you are high as a kite. Favourite songs: Movin' On Up, Come Together (instills feelings of hope and unity in me when I listen to it), Loaded, Damaged Least favourite songs: "Don't Fight It, Feel It", Inner Flight, Higher Than the Sun, Shine Like Stars Additional note: the version of the album I listened to on Spotify contained a few bonus tracks: Stone My Soul, Carry Me Home, and Screamadelica. These additional tracks were not bad, all of which had a slower, more intimate feel to them. 2/5

Billie Holiday has such a recognizable voice. It is so raspy, smokey, and beautiful. She is one of the greatest female crooners. Ray Ellis' orchestra is beautiful. The music is low, with Billie's voice overtop, but every now and again, waves of strings and flutes wash over you, and then amazing trumpet solos blow the roof off the place. This album features songs that are about love and heartbreak. I am not a huge fan of jazz, but can absolutely appreciate it all the same. Favourite songs: I'm a Fool to Want You, The End of a Love Affair, But Beautiful, For Heaven's Sake Least favourite songs: Violets for Your Furs, You've Changed, I Get Along Without You Very Well 3/5

This is a phenomenal album! I remember the first Lenny Kravitz song I ever heard (American Woman, off of Big Shiny Tunes 4). I thought it was a fantastic song, and really liked his style, but never really delved into his back catalog at all. I found myself enjoying that same sound on this album (rock mixed with strong funk/jazz/blues vibes). This album touches on topics such as peace & love, racism, and religion. The piano breakdown in My Precious Love was fantastic!! Favourite songs : Let Love Rule, Rosemary, Blues For Sister Someone, I Build This Garden for Us, Flower Child Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Mr. Cab Driver, Freedom Train, Sitting on Top of the World 5/5

Hawkwind reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd, Rush, and The Doors. They are definately in the psychedelic rock genre. I've never listened to any of their stuff before this exercise, but heard about them, and how "out there" their music was. You can definately tell that the "space race" of the 60s-70s had a major influence on their song style. The use of synthesizers, theramins, trumpets, heavy bass grooves, lasers... (basically whatever they could get their hands on) gave the music a very futuristic feel, and was very exploratory in nature. Something I noted, given this is a live album, you barely hear the crowd at all throughout the duration of the album. The end of "Welcome to the Future" is the only time they are heard to any degree. I think the music and copious amounts of hallucinogens lulled them into a trance for the duration of the concert, lol. I didn't hate this album, like I thought I would. There was definately some experimentation going on, and the long drawn out solos sometimes are hard to keep focus on, but there were a few songs that weren't bad on the album. Favourite songs: Time We Left This World Today, Upside Down, Orgone Accumulator Least favourite songs: The Awakening, The Black Corridor, 10 Seconds of Forever, Sonic Attack, Welcome to the Future (these songs are just noises and talking), Electronic No. 1 (just God awful theramin noises), You Shouldn't Do That (almost 11 minute drawn out, acid induced solo) 2/5

I had never heard of Elastica before today. I would compare them to the girl alternative rock/punk groups such as Garbage or Paramore. Not a bad sound, but nothing really set them apart from the loads of other bands just like them from that era. Was a good listen, but not something I would throw in heavy rotation to listen to again. Favourite songs: Stutter, Annie, Never Here, Blue, S.O.F.T., Least favourite songs : 2:1, Car Song, Indian Song, Line Up, 3/5

I've heard of Miles Davis, but never listened to any of his stuff before today. I must say that jazz is not my favourite, and just instrumental music even less so. This music is beautiful in its own right though, and would be perfect for setting ambiance in a coffee shop or restaurant. Favourite songs: Budo, Darn That Dream, Moon Dreams, Jeru Least favourite songs: Venus De Milo, Deception 2/5

This whole album sounds like you are listening to it underwater. There are so many layers of muddy guitar, and the vocals are just out of focus so you can't really destinguish what they are saying at all, so you just end up hearing moaning mostly. I can hear how My Bloody Valentine influenced shoegazers of the late 90s-early 00s though such as Smashing Pumpkins or Hole, but this album was definately not my favorite. It all just ended up being noise and caused me to loose focus quite a bit. Favourite songs: Sometimes, When You Sleep Least favourite song: Touched 1/5

I've never heard of Suede before today, so I entered into this listening session not knowing what to expect. What I heard was notes of brit pop/ alt rock of the 90s. Vocal delivery is very similar to The Smiths. Not a stand out album for me, but not terrible either. I'm glad I listened to it, but it isn't something I will put in frequent rotation. Favourite songs : Moving, Animal Nitrate, Metal Mickey Least favourite songs : The Next Life, Breakdown, So Young 3/5

Thank God that album is done. I must preface this by saying electronica/techno isn't my favourite music, but this album was very dull and almost painful to listen to. I am not one for long drawn out songs with no lyrics, I find I tend to loose focus. A few weeks ago I got the album Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, which is two instrumental songs, ranging around 22 mins each, and that album managed to keep my interest because Mike kept changing tempos, and adding in layers of sound and different instruments. All Orbital did was maintain the same slow shuffling beat throughout the whole 1hr 15min album and changed up a few spacey sounds and bangs/pops. The vocal samples that are looped throughout the album sound like they were taped from late night documentaries and infomercials. Maybe if I was tripping on ecstasy I may be able to tolerate this droning nonsense, but I doubt it. Favourite song: if forced to pick one, Crash and Carry. It had a not bad beat (the first song to actually have one on the album), and it only droned on for 4mins Least favourite songs: Forever, I Wish I Had Duck Feet (the end of Forever, into the start of I Wish I Had Duck Feet there is this God awful wet rustling/rain sound that is awful to listen to), Philosophy by Numbers, Are We Here?, Attached 1/5

Before today I hadn't heard of Minor Threat. This was a true hardcore punk album, and it did what all good punk albums do, it came in loud, fast, and heavy, said what it had to, and got out. The whole album consisted of 9 songs, and the total album play time was only 21 minutes. The lyrical delivery was fast, raw and angry. The bass playing was stellar on this record!! It is a shame that Minor Threat didn't stay together longer to create more content, because it is easy to see the influence that just the one studio album that they made had on future bands. Favourite songs: Betray (the part when they slow the tempo down in the middle of this song is awesome), "Look, Back & Laugh" , Sob Story Least favourite song: if forced to pick one, Cashing In (I just didn't like the lyrical delivery as much, but it is still a teriffic song) 4/5

I am familiar with Simon & Garfunkel's hits, but never delved far into any of their records, so this was a great listening exercise today. I always had a preconceived notion that Simon & Garfunkel were a band that only the highly educated, and hipsters listened to, but man was I wrong. I love the harmonies that Paul and Art can create, and those layers of harmony laid over soft acoustic guitar make for fantastic easy listening folk. There are songs on this album that touch on hard hitting issues (the song "7 O'clock News/Silent Night" has news excerpts about hard hitting issues of 1966 (mainly the Vietnam War) laid over the Christmas carol Silent Night. The news starts low and slowly builds and builds throughout) and they also inject humour (A Simple Desultory Philippic is a comical jab at Bob Dylan and his style of music writing and delivery). All in all, a fantastic album!! Favourite songs: A Simple Desultory Philippic, Homeward Bound, The 59th Street Bridge Song, The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Cloudy, The Dangling Conversation 5/5

Another outstanding album!! Bob Marley was one of a kind! People have tried to emulate his sound, but have never been able to capture it just right. His music has a way of instilling hope and happiness in me every time I listen to it. I find the song No Woman No Cry almost therapeutic (I can turn it on on a bad day and feel better instantly). The part of the song where he repeats "Everything's going to be alright" just forces you to put everything in perspective. Such excellent reggae music with subtle notes of funk mixed in. Every song on this record is amazing! Favourite songs: No Woman No Cry, Bend Down Low, Talkin' Blues, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), Revolution, Natty Dread, Lively Up Yourself Least favourite song: if forced to pick one, Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock). It is still a phenomenal song, it just didn't hit as hard for me as the other songs. 5/5

I've heard of UB40, but never delved into their stuff before. This is my second reggae album in a row (yesterday I had Bob Marley). Unlike Bob's sound, this has more pop sensibilities to it, and the saxophone is a great addition to the overall feel of the album. This album deals with some pretty heavy topics about racism, politics, and poverty. I enjoyed this album, but not as much as Bob Marley's album. This record had a lot of instrumentals, experimentation, and drawn out solos throughout, whereas Bob Marley kept his album on track and tight, which is why I liked it more. Favourite songs: Tyler, Burden of Shame, Little By Little, Food For Thought Least favourite songs: Madam Medusa (13 minute song that just felt too long and drawn out), I Think It's Going To Rain Today 3/5

This was a teriffic album! Fats Domino was revolutionary at his craft. Every song on this album is awesome! I can imagine hearing this in the 50's and how different it must have sounded. To be someone credited with influencing the king of rock and roll Elvis Presley! Fats' piano playing is flawless, and his bluesy lyric delivery make him stand out as one of the greats! The piano solo in La La is fantastic!! I love The swing style feel of this record. Favourite songs : all of them, but stand out songs include : Blueberry Hill, Blue Monday, La La, What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You, Poor Poor Me, Troubles of My Own Least favourite song: if forced to pick, The Fat Man's Hop only because it is an instrumental number 5/5

This is Peter Gabriel's first solo album after the break up of Genesis. I must say I'm not very crazy about either Peter, or Genesis' music, but am familiar with both. This album started out with a very weird prog rock song, then transitioned to the very popular and familiar Solsbury Hill. Modern Love, Slowburn, and Down the Dolce Vita are rockin runes, and the rest of the album was more really weird prog rock experimentation. There were constant tempo changes and nonsensical lyrics throughout. Overall, very odd and experimental, and nothing to really captivate me, so this just affirms my dislike of Peter Gabriel's style of music. It may make more sense if I was high. Favourite songs: Solsbury Hill, Modern Love, Down the Dolce Vita, Here Comes the Flood Least favourite songs: Waiting for the Big One, Moribund the Burgermeister, Humdrum, Excuse Me 3/5 (Solsbury Hill alone gave it +1 point)

I remember this album well from when I was a teenager because my sister played it on repeat. Waterfalls was a jam back then, it was on every radio station constantly. This album is super thirsty in that the dominant topic of conversation is sex. The music is a good blend of R&B, pop, and 90's hip hop. I really like the harmonies that the three women can achieve. I found that the first half of this album was better than the second half. Favourite songs: Waterfalls, Red Light Special (great guitar solo in this porno groove sounding song), Switch, Diggin' On You, Kick Your Game, Creep Least favourite songs: Let's Do It Again, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Take Our Time, and all the Interludes throughout (Intro-lude, CrazySexyCool - Interlude, Intermission-lude, Sexy - Interlude, and Can I Get A Witness - Interlude). These frequent interludes throughout the album remind me of Lauryn Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and like that album, I find they distract from the overall flow of the record. 3/5

I am very familiar with Green Day. They were a big part of my formative years with music. The first cassette of theirs I ever owned was Nimrod, and I loved it. After that, I went out and bought Insomniac and Dookie. American Idiot came out when I was in university, and got a lot of air play on both Much Music, as well as the university radio station. There were quite a few singles released off of this record: Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, American Idiot, and Jesus of Suburbia. The song Holiday reminds me of the movie Accepted every time I hear it. This album is fantastic. 2 songs (Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming) are 9 minutes long each, but there are tempo changes throughout, so really each of them is like 4-5 songs. Overall, I love this band and this album. So great, I listened to it twice. Favourite songs: Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy Least favourite songs: if forced to pick one, Whatsername 5/5

This is the first time so far that I've gotten a second record from a band I've already listened to in this exercise. The first record by the Eagles that I got was the classic Hotel California. This record is their self titled debut. It has three well known and fantastic singles on it: Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, and Peaceful Easy Feeling. You can tell that this is an early album in the bands career simply because they were still experimenting, trying to find their sound (country rock/dad rock). There are some lesser known songs on here that are fantastic. Some songs are fairly rockin' compared to other songs in the Eagles catalog. The harmonies that Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon can reach is phenomenal, and creates that signature sound that is so recognizably the Eagles. This was another great listen, so much so that I listened to it twice. Favourite songs: Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Nightingale, Chug All Night, Tryin' Least favourite songs: if forced to choose, Most Of Us Are Sad. It just didn't move me like the other songs did, but is still a great tune. 4/5

I've heard of MGMT before, but never really paid attention to their music much, it was just background noise while Hits 1 was on the radio. Having now listened to an album of theirs, I have a bit more of an appreciation for their musical talents. I must start by saying that newer indie pop rock is not really in my wheelhouse, but I didn't hate this album like I thought I would. The first half of the album is leaps and bounds better than the second half. In the song Weekend Wars I can hear a bit of David Bowie influence in the vocal delivery. Favourite songs: Kids, Electric Feel, Weekend Wars, Time to Pretend Least favourite songs: 4th Dimensional Transition, "Of Moons, Birds & Monsters", Future Reflections, The Handshake 3/5

I've always had my preconceived notions about Talking Heads and their music, but never really delved into it much past their hit singles. At the onset of this album, I didn't really know what to expect since the first song, I Zimbra, is just nonsensical language, but after this song, it returned to the Talking Heads I had heard before. Oddly nervous lyric delivery, and experimental, spacey music. The lyric delivery always did, and continues to drive me crazy, and they make no sense most times. One song, they sing about how the air is trying to kill you, and another song they sing about how animals are morons. Overall, not my cup of tea, but I do get that Talking Heads are very influential to bands that came later, I just don't get the appeal myself. Maybe I'm just not intelligent enough for nerd rock. Favourite songs: Life During Wartime, Animals, Heaven, I Zimbra Least favourite songs: Drugs, Electric Guitar, Mind, Paper, Memories Can't Wait 2/5

I know of Kid Rock's hits but never really delved into his back catalog. Kid Rock was hitting his stride when I was a "rebellious" youth listening to vulgar music. What he was doing with the country rock/rap fusion was never really done before. Some of it stuck, other things flopped. And a lot of people are quick to throw out all of Kid Rock's music because of his political leanings, unfortunate as they may be. I didn't love everything in this album, but there was quite a bit of nostalgia tied to Bawitdaba, Cowboy, and Only God Knows Why. In some of the music, listening now as an adult, there was some needless vulgarity by times, but I'm not prudish enough to hold that against him. I feel like I can smell the album cover.... Dank weed, wet dog, and econo cigarettes. There were a lot of songs on this record that repeated lyrics such as making note to 100 spoke wheels, hookers, being raised in Detroit, and 40s in the trunk of cars. A lot of people hate on Only God Knows Why because of heavy auto tune usage, but then they turn around and love T-Pain or Kanye West. To me it is a choice that was made, not necessarily out of necessity, but to add a little flair to the song. Favourite songs: Only God Knows Why, Cowboy, Bawitdaba, Devil Without a Cause, I Am The Bullgod, Wasting Time, Fuck Off Least favourite songs : Welcome 2 The Party (Ode 2 the Old School), Where U At Rock 3/5

I've always written off The Doors as just another psychedelic rock band with 6 minute acid induced organ solos throughout most of their music, but after listening to this self titled debut album, boy was I wrong. They are so much more than that. Yes, those organ solos do exist (in Light My Fire for example), but there is also many songs that are less than 3 minutes long, and have funky, jazzy, bluesy feels to them with typical 60s rock overtones. The addition of an electric organ was, at the time, revolutionary to the genre of rock, and led to many other bands doing the same thing. Jim Morrison had such a unique singing voice. Some of his vocals may make more sense when high on psychedelics, but one can definately appreciate the magnitude of this album, even when sober. I was worried about the song The End when it started playing and I saw an almost 12 minute run time, but the solos are kept short in it, and Jim keeps the song flowing well throughout, making the time fly by (the song doesn't go on so long that it becomes stale). Overall, impressed with this album. It has opened my eyes to more of what The Doors were. Favourite songs: Break on Through (To The Other Side), Soul Kitchen, Back Door Man, Twentieth Century Fox, Light My Fire, The End Least favourite songs: Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), The Crystal Ship 3/5

I'd never heard of Ash until today, but everything I've read about the band told me I would like them. This proved true! What a great 90's alt rock/grunge/pop rock band. I heard influence from many different sources while listening to them: (1) Goldfinger sounds quite a bit like Nirvana; (2)the vocals on the chorus of Girl From Mars sounds like Weezer; (3)the chord progression in I'd Give You Anything sounds like N. I. B. by Black Sabbath A few songs on the album run into each other seamlessly (notably Girl From Mars into I'd Give You Anything, and Let It Flow into Innocent Smile) I thoroughly enjoyed this listening experience. From the heavy distortion and sludgy guitars to the tight drums this album was great! If I were to have any criticisms at all it would be that sometimes the vocals fall behind the wall of sound and distortion a bit, and the use of static as a backing sound in a section of Innocent Smile was a bit irritating, otherwise a great album. Favourite songs: I'd Give You Anything, Angel Interceptor, Kung Fu, Girl From Mars, Lose Control, Goldfinger, Darkside Lightside Least favourite songs: Lost In You, Innocent Smile 4/5

I never really listened to much of Peter Frampton's stuff until today, so I was unsure of what to expect. What I got was a high energy, rockin' live album. I knew a few of his hits off of this album, but most of it was new to me. A few things of note: 1) the stripped down bass groove in Doobie Wah is awesome, 2) the acoustic set in the middle of the concert, which included All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side) & Wind of Change was a nice touch. 3) the little guitar solo track called Penny For Your Thoughts was awesome (some amazing guitar skills showed off on this one) 4) I could have done without the 4 minute talk box solo on Do You Feel Like We Do. A talk box is cool if it just adds a flair to a song, but in a long drawn out solo, it becomes kind of annoying. Overall, a great album. The crowd was electric, and I can only imagine how cool it would have been to be there. Favourite songs: Show Me The Way, "Baby, I Love Your Way", (I'll Give You) Money, Something's Happening, Doobie Wah, Penny For Your Thoughts Least favourite songs: I Wanna Go To The Sun, Wind of Change, Lines on My Face, Jumping Jack Flash 4/5

I had heard of The Monkees before, and knew that they were America's answer to The Beatles and had a TV Show, but never delved into their stuff too much. Apparently this was the first album where the label allowed them to create their own music instead of regurgitating music that was created for them, so with that in mind, there is some experimentation here, and some of it feels a bit unpolished. You can hear how they were very similar to The Beatles, and can also hear inspiration from the likes of Chuck Berry and Simon & Garfunkel. Spotify links to the Deluxe version of this album, which has a bunch of stereo remixes of songs as well as some demo stuff from the recording studio, and a few stand alone singles. I didn't mind this album, you can see what they were driving at, but it just didn't wow me, and it wasn't refined and groundbreaking like The Beatles, more of a parody of sorts. Favourite songs: 99 Pounds, No Time, For Pete's Sake (Closing Theme), Sunny Girlfriend, Randy Scouse Git, Mr. Webster, All of Your Toys, She Hangs Out, Nine Times Blue, Love to Love, You Can't Tie a Mustang Down Least favourite songs: Zilch, Pillow Time, Band 6, Early Morning Blues and Greens, If I Learned to Play the Violin, Peter Gunn's Gun 3/5

This is Aretha Franklin's 10th studio album, and is her first with Atlantic Records. From what I understand, in her time with Columbia, they were trying to mold her into a pop star, forcing her to try and fit into a mold of what was popular at the time, and that just wasn't her. Atlantic gave her artistic freedom to just be herself, and man does it show on this record. Her vocal runs and creative freedom shines bright here! Her backing band on this record, Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, were super tight, melding seamlessly with Aretha's huge voice. It was with this record, that she blew the top off of the soul/blues genres and paved the way for future acts to aspire to. Every song on this album is phenomenal, and just makes ya wanna move. On an unrelated note: Every time I hear Aretha's name, I think of the part of School of Rock, where Dewey is trying to convince Tomika that she can sing in front of people, even though she's a bigger girl. "You've heard of Aretha Franklin right? She's a big lady. But when she sings, she blows peoples minds! Everyone wants to party with Aretha!!" Favourite songs: Respect, Good Times, Save Me, A Change Is Gonna Come, Soul Serenade, I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) Least favourite song: if forced to choose, "Baby, Baby, Baby" 5/5

David Crosby's first solo album, made after the success of Crosby, Stills & Nash's debut album, and their first break up. He had a few other artists featured on this album as well such as Neil Young, Graham Nash, members of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Joni Mitchell. There were some exploratory works on this album that felt unpolished, but were also some fantastic songs as well such as Cowboy Movie. That song is apparently loosely based on the temporary breakup of Crosby, Stills & Nash. In this song, the individual members of the band are given aliases; Stephen Stills is Eli, Graham Nash is the Duke, Neil Young is Young Billy, and David Crosby is Fat Albert. The other character in the story, Raven, is apparently Rita Coolridge, who in real life had affair with both Stills, and Nash, and caused the bad feelings between them, and led to the splitting of the band. The harp section in Traction in the Rain is great! The song Music is Love had symplistic lyrics, and is underwhelming. Overall, not a bad album, but nothing really stood out with it either. Favourite songs: Cowboy Movie, What Are Their Names, Traction in the Rain Least favourite songs: Music is Love, Orleans, I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here 3/5

Never heard of GZA/Genius before this exercise. What I heard was some excellent flows and literate rhyming schemes. I didn't think I would enjoy all the samples taken from the kung fu movie Shogun Assassin that were laced throughout this album, but they flowed into the other music seamlessly. RZA did a great job mixing it. There is some really cool music in this album, some excellent collaboration with the other members of the Wu Tang Clan, and some stellar 90s hip hop. Favourite songs: 4th Chamber, Shadowboxin', Gold, Liquid Swords, Swordsman, Cold World Least favourite songs: Hell's Wind Staff/Killah Hills 10304 (good song, just didn't care for the long preamble before the song started) 4/5

Before today, I only knew the song Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, so I looked forward to listening to more of her catalog of music. This album was phenomenal. The acoustic guitar added an intimate feel to the whole thing, and her voice is beautiful. She sings about hard and heavy topics such as domestic violence (Behind the Wall), racism (Across the Lines), addiction (Fast Car), and poverty/welfare (Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Mountains O' Things). With so many hard topics being covered in one album, it is pretty heavy, and makes you think about hardship, and the shortcomings of society. I thoroughly enjoyed the album, and will definately listen to it again. Favourite songs: Fast Car, Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Across the Lines, Mountains O' Things, Behind the Wall, Why?, For My Lover Least favourite song: if forced to pick, Baby Can I Hold You (amazing song, just didn't move me as much as the rest of the album) 4/5

This is the second album by Aretha Franklin that I've gotten in this album generator. This particular album is her 12th studio album, and was made 2 years after the first album of her's that I listened to (I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You). This album definately feels more polished, and complete. The backing band are more lively, and add a funky/bluesy feel to the music. Aretha's vocals, as always, blow the roof off of the place, and the addition of Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston's mother) and her group the Sweet Inspirations, along with Aretha's sisters Carolyn and Erma Franklin as background vocals just added that little bit of contrast to elevate the whole album that much further. There isn't a bad song on the album. Things of note that stood out: 1) People Get Ready has a fantastic gospel feel to it, 2) Eric Clapton was brought in as the guitarist on the song Good to Me As I Am to You, and his bluesy rock style was awesome, 3) Chain of Fools is a phenomenal song. Every time I hear the lyrics: "You told me to leave you alone, my father said "come on home" , my doctor said "take it easy", oh, but your loving is much too strong, I'm added to your, chain, chain, chain... " my mind goes back to the movie School of Rock when Tomika is convincing Dewey that she can sing. Amusingly enough, I referenced School of Rock with my first Aretha Franklin album as well. Favourite songs: Chain of Fools, People Get Ready, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Good To Me As I Am To You, Groovin', Niki Hoeky, Money Won't Change You Least favourite song: if forced to pick one, Ain't No Way. Still phenomenal, just not as much as the other songs on the album. Easy 5/5

I've never listened to any of Donald Fagen's solo stuff, but am familiar with his work with Steely Dan. This is his first solo album, which was made after Steely Dan broke up. It has a lot of the same characteristics as a Steely Dan record, but doesn't have as much of the "rock" sensibilities. This record is heavier to the funky/jazzy pop rock sound, sometimes termed "yacht rock". Heavy to piano and synth as well as brass instruments. It has the ability to make the listener bob their head to the beat. Donald Fagen's vocals are smooth and layered perfectly with the funky music backing. Overall, this is a good record, not phenomenal or anything, but I didn't mind listening to it, just wouldn't rush out to buy it (I have the same feelings towards Steely Dan records... They're good, just not phenomenal). Favourite songs: I.G.Y., Green Flower Street, Ruby Baby, New Frontier Least favourite songs: The Nightfly, Maxine, 3/5

I've never delved into much of Joni Mitchell's stuff before, I am just familiar with her hits, so going into listening to this album, I didn't know what to expect because I knew none of the songs on the record. I don't know how to categorize this style of music. It is kind of jazzy/folky. Joni has a very unique voice that I didn't much care for at first, but it grew on me as time went on. Upon the first listen to this album, I didn't much care for it, however listening a second time, I grew to like it more. I still don't love it, but I can understand the appeal in certain settings. Even on the first time listening I did like the music. Joni had some experimentation with moog synths and piano, as well as a nice coffeehouse acoustic feel. Something I found odd on The Jungle Line, was the inclusion of an almost 8 bit sound (sounds like the noise heard in 1980s Super Mario Bros on NES when you kill Bowser) throughout the song. That song, however, also featured Drummers of Burundi, which was revolutionary at the time (apparently worldbeat being included in pop music became trendy in the 80s) and sounded great. What took me a while to grasp was Joni's lyrics. She is, for sure, a poet, but one of those poets who have really obscure poems that hipsters like to sit in coffee shops and think about for hours on end trying to make sense of them. It took me two album listens to appreciate what she was saying, and I still don't really know, but some lyrics are so weird that they stood out to me such as: In the song Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, she says "God goes up the chimney like childhood Santa Claus" In the song The Hissing of Summer Lawns she says "he gave her a room full of Chippendale that no one sits in" In the song The Boho Dance she says "like a priest with a pornographic watch, looking and longing on the sly" No idea what any of that means, but the lyrics are neat. I may listen to this album again, but it isn't something I would pull up as a favourite. Favourite songs: Harry's House/Centerpiece (Centerpiece is a fantastic little jazz number), The Boho Dance, Edith and the Kingpin, The Jungle Line Least favourite song: Shadows and Light 3/5

What a shot of nostalgia today's album was! I discovered Green Day with the release of their album Nimrod, then listened to a lot of their back catalog, and they quickly became one of my favourite bands in my teen years. Every song on this album is fantastic! Green Day is an amazing pop punk band. They were always featured on Much Music in the 90's and 00's so I became very familiar with their work. The songs were fast and loud, and the drums sounded amazing on this record. Basket Case is one of those songs you hear and immediately start singing, and the bass groove in Longview is so recognizable. Favourite songs: Basket Case, Longview, When I Come Around, Welcome to Paradise, Sassafras Roots, Burnout, Having a Blast Least favourite song: All By Myself (which is just a short nonsensical song added to the end of the album) 5/5

Never heard of the band Japan before today, and for good reason. Just some typical run of the mill synthpop. Sure it may have been ahead of its time, having been released in the late 70s, and sounding like music from the 80s, but David Sylvian's voice is terrible. He moans most of the time. By times, you can hear a lot of Duran Duran in their sound, and Mick Karn's bass playing is great, especially on the songs Alien, Other Side of Life, and Life in Tokyo! All in all, I could have gone without listening to this album. I am realizing through this exercise that I hate synthpop new wave music. Favourite songs : Alien, Halloween, Life in Tokyo Least favourite songs : Despair, Other Side of Life, All Tomorrow's Parties, In Vogue, Fall in Love With Me 2/5 (a point added just because of Mick's phenomenal bass playing)

I am very familiar with Bob Dylan's work, and really enjoy his music, so I am looking forward to today's listen. This is the 6th studio album from Bob Dylan, and his first electric album (all songs except Desolation Row). Bob is one hell of a poet, spinning words together, that seem nonsensical at first, but when really thought about, take on a whole new meaning. You can tell he is a well read individual by his usage of different literary and historical references throughout his music. Bob really can't sing, and there are imperfections in the instrument playing, but I think that is done on purpose. It gives you a feel of listening to a live concert of some obscure up and coming band who isn't yet polished. I just feel it adds character to the songs. Overall, this was a phenomenal album, and going into listening to it, I didn't think anything could top Like a Rolling Stone for favourite song, but Tombstone Blues is so fantastic!! There is a reason this album is considered one of the best albums of all time! Every song on the record is amazing. Favourite songs: Tombstone Blues, Like a Rolling Stone, Desolation Row, Highway 61 Revisited, From a Buick 6, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues Least favourite song: it forced to pick, Ballad of a Thin Man Easy 5/5

I've listened to quite a bit of The Rolling Stones before, but never sat and listened to a whole album cover to cover. Right off the bat, I knew Brown Sugar, Wild Horses, and Can't You Hear Me Knocking. I enjoyed the country/blues feel of the songs You Gotta Move and I Got The Blues. Sister Morphine is a beautifully sad song about drug addiction. The way the song starts slow and melancholic, and continues to build as the lyrics spin a tale of desperation and desire adds to the beauty of the track. Bitch and Sway both had rockin' feels to them. I enjoy the addition of brass instruments by times (mainly in the song Can't You Hear Me Knocking) Overall a great album. Got me familiar with some of The Rolling Stones lesser known tracks, some of which are gems. Favourite songs: Brown Sugar, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Sway, Bitch, Sister Morphine, Wild Horses Least favourite song: Moonlight Mile 4/5

I've heard of Public Enemy, but never delved into their stuff before, so I am looking forward to today's listen. I do enjoy some 80's hip hop. Chuck D's rhymes are smooth and powerful, and Flavor Flav makes a great hype man. Terminator X is a great DJ, mixing samples and beats flawlessly. I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Especially because, unlike other 80's hip hop records, this one didn't have skits every 2-3 songs. It didn't have any skits at all, just music. I like that, beause I always found the skits took away from the album flow. Overall, I really enjoyed this album, and will probably listen again. Favourite songs: Bring the Noise, She Watch Channel Zero?! (interesting note: this song samples Slayer's song Angel of Death), Don't Believe the Hype, Prophets of Rage, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, Night of the Living Baseheads, "Caught, Can We Get a Witness? ", Louder than a Bomb Least favourite songs: Terminator X to the Edge of Panic (there is a looped squeal throughout this song that just grinded on me the wrong way) 4/5

I've never heard of Stereo MC's before today. They are a 90's hip hop/electronica band from the UK. Their music reminds me of Moby or Bran Van 3000 a bit (typical run of the mill 90's hip hop). The album was good, I didn't have a compulsion to skip any of the songs, but it also just blended in with all of the other average hip hop bands of that era. I enjoyed the addition of the saxophone at times, and the mixing of beats and samples was well done. I also enjoyed the female harmony accompaniment as well. Overall, an average album, not terrible, but also not groundbreaking. Favourite songs: Everything, Playing With Fire, Creation, Ground Level, Pressure Least favourite songs: Chicken Shake, All Night Long 3/5

I had no idea what I was in for when I saw this album pop up this morning. 90's electronica from the UK. I had reservations because the last British electronica band I listened to in this generator was Orbital, and my God were they ever awful. I was pleased to find out though that these guys are much better than Orbital. Still not my favourite type of music, but it didn't irritate me like Orbital's stuff did. These guys had a few exploratory songs which were irritating, but they also tended to be shorter. When they were experimenting, the band tended to enjoy metallic tings and bangs which was annoying (Theme 4, Bubble and Slide, Bubble and Slide II) One thing these guys did do well is explore the stereo channels, making you (the listener) feel like you were standing still, and the music was moving around you, which was cool. The flow of different sound bytes, noises, and beats was by times so soothing and repetitive that it almost put me to sleep a few times. The one thing I don't get about electronica is the mostly lack of a bass line (it's there, but subtle, unlike techno or house music). Electronica has a beat which is perceived through the repetition of noises and it just doesn't hold my interest the same way a sternum rattling bass does. If this kind of music was played in a club, I can picture zombie like listeners just shuffling about and standing there staring at the wall, lulled into a trance by the music. Overall, this wasn't a terrible album. I can't see myself ever listening to it again, just because it isn't my genre of music, but I didn't mind the listen today. Favourite songs: Planet D (Portishead Remix), Theme, Tow Truck, Wilmot, Ballad of Nicky McGuire Least favourite songs: Theme 4, Bubble and Slide, Bubble and Slide II, Flight Path Estate, Jacob Street 7am, Return to Planet D 2/5

I am not very familiar with much jazz, so I am looking forward to listening to this album. This was some very cool, smooth jazz. It immediately reminded me of something I would hear on the show Peanuts. I can picture Charlie Brown and Snoopy dancing to this kind of music. There are some very complex time signatures used in this album, which is phenomenal; 9/8, 6/4, and 5/4, which was unheard of for jazz. Overall, it was a good album, one which would create a perfect mood when cooking, or while sipping a warm beverage on a cold day in a coffee shop. Favourite songs: Kathy's Waltz, Blue Rondo a la Turk, Take Five, Pick Up Sticks Least favourite song: Strange Meadow Lark (it just drug on a little too long for me) 3/5

Never heard of Shuggie Otis until today. From what I've read, his father had a band which Shuggie would start playing guitar for at age eleven. He had to disguise himself with a fake moustache and dark glasses so he would appear older and could play bar gigs with the band! So, obviously, a hell of a talented guy. I then learned that he played all of the instruments (except horns and some strings) and sang/wrote all of the songs himself. At 21! Crazy! Delving into this record, it is amazing! I don't quite know how to classify it though. Shuggie was obviously an innovator because there are touches of jazz/funk/R&B/psychedelic rock/blues throughout. Shuggie's voice sounds a lot like Jay Kay's from Jamiroquai, and by times, his music sounds similar as well, so I would bet that Shuggie was an influencer of Jay Kay's. Overall, this is a phenomenal record, and I am very happy to have discovered it! Will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Sparkle City, Inspiration Information, Aht Uh Mi Hed, Ice Cold Daydream, Strawberry Letter 23 Least favourite song: if forced to pick one, Freedom Flight (it was a psychedelic rock number that ran for 12 mins and change. There were wind chimes in the background for the whole song, and they just became a bit annoying after a while) 4/5

This was the second solo album for Iggy Pop since the break up of the Stooges, and his second of three albums he would make that year. He was spending his time in Berlin with David Bowie, trying to get clean after a period of drug addiction. Bowie provided keyboard support to Iggy on this album, allowing more of the spotlight to be cast on Iggy himself instead of on Bowie. This album was apparently written, recorded, and mixed in 8 days!! This is a great rock/post punk album! A few songs dealt with heroin abuse (notably Tonight and Turn Blue), however there are a few lighter songs to counteract that heavy topic (Lust for Life, Success). Apparently, Bowie's famous riff in the song Lust for Life was inspired by the Morse code intro to the American Forces Network News in Berlin. Overall, a great record! I really enjoyed it. Before this listening experience, I was only familiar with Iggy's work with The Stooges. I'm glad I listened for sure! Favourite songs: Some Weird Sin, The Passenger, Lust for Life, Sixteen, Neighborhood Threat Least favourite songs: Turn Blue, Success (just didn't like the repetitive, simplistic lyrics. The music was great though) 4/5

Before today, I've never heard any of Gene Clark's solo stuff. I was only familiar with his work with the Byrds, so I am looking forward to listening to today's album. This was a fantastic folk rock/country rock album with hints of psychadelic rock mixed in. The story behind this album is a sad one. Apparently, Gene and the record label had differences of opinion. Gene wanted to release a double album, but the record label didn't want to. Upon its release, the label didn't promote the album at all, and as a result it flopped. It wasn't discovered until a re-release in the 90's, however the initial failure of the record was a financial blow that Gene wouldn't recover from. I really enjoyed this record. The use of steel guitar, especially on Life's Greatest Fool and True One was amazing, and added an almost melancholic feel to the songs. Overall, a fantastic record, and one I definately will listen to again! Favourite songs: True One, Life's Greatest Fool, From a Silver Phial, No Other, Silver Raven, Strength of Strings Least favourite song: Lady of the North (this song just didn't resonate with me like the others) 5/5

I am familiar with Cream's hits, but never delved into their back catalog, so I am looking forward to this listen. I immediately recognize Sunshine of Your Love and Strange Brew. This is some fantastic psychadelic rock, and Eric Clapton's guitar playing is phenomenal. The bass groove in Strange Brew is awesome. There are some "out there" lyrics throughout, especially in the song SWLABR (got that rainbow feel, but the rainbow has a beard) Both the album cover, and the strange lyrics tell a tale of psychadelic drug use. Overall, a great album! Glad I listened. Favourite songs: Take It Back, SWLABR, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love, Outside Woman Blues Least favourite songs: We're Going Wrong, Blue Condition, Dance the Night Away (in certain songs, they employ a mournful wailing lyric delivery which I find irritating) 4/5

Man, this was a struggle to get through. What a dark, bleak record. I know the circumstances surrounding the release of the record are terrible, with the lead singer committing suicide a few months before its release, but man was that a mournful album. Everything from the unenthusiastic, moaning lyric delivery, to the dark and somber themes. The album cover is even dark, showing a tomb. JOY Division is a poor name for a band this bleak. The instrument playing was simplistic and boring. At one point, during the song The Eternal, they decided a helicopter blade/static whirring was a musical instrument. Atrocity Exhibition contains not much musical stylings unless you are in to guitar screeches and scratches. The singer was hard to hear by times because it sounded like he was standing 20ft from the microphone. Needless to say this WAS NOT my favourite record. The first half of the album was much better than the second. They say that Joy Division can be traced to the beginnings of goth, and I can see that. Favourite song: I had to really search for one, but I think it will have to be Isolation (an injection of energy into an otherwise glum record) Least favourite songs: The Eternal, Decades, Atrocity Exhibition, A Means to an End, Heart and Soul 2/5

This is a phenomenal album!! I cannot believe Jane's Addiction is a late 80's band. They definately don't sound it! I would assume mid 90's, so they were definate trend setters with the alternative rock movement. They also had a hand in starting Lollapalooza in the states (a yearly celebration of alternative rock). I just recently listened to a podcast about it. The guitar playing is so hard, sludgy, and fast. Their guitarist is definately a hidden gem as far as guitar virtuosos go. Perry Marshall's voice is so recognizable with its gravelly nature, and unique delivery. The bass and drumming throughout are phenomenal. Songs on this record covered some SHOCKING topics such as: abandonment, drug use, Ted Bundy... but I think my favourite lyrics come from a song about shower thoughts: "The water is so fucking hot, it beats on my neck, and I'm pissing on myself, standing in the shower... thinking" Overall, I loved this album. Right up my alley music-wise. Don't know why I didn't delve into Jane's Addiction sooner. Favourite songs: Mountain Song, Jane Says, Pigs in Zen, Ocean Size, "Ted, Just Admit It...", Standing in the Shower... Thinking Least favourite song: Summertime Rolls 5/5

This album was not my favourite. Fiona Apple can be grouped into the same kind of emotional, piano heavy, jazzy pop music as Sarah McLachlan. Perhaps if Sarah didn't get the rights to the musical accompaniment of advertisements about adopting cats that have burdocks stuck to them and dogs with eating disorders, they could have used Fiona. It is the same moaning, low, slow, boring dribble. Fiona has a nice voice, but she hangs out in the low part of her register and only adds a bit of spice and hits high notes every once and again, so the lyrics drone on and kind of wash out amid the slow ballad of strings and piano. The music itself is well performed, but when combined with Fiona's singing, it just is so boring and depressing. The first 4 songs on the album aren't bad (Sullen Girl is slow and depressing, but Shadowboxer comes on right after that to inject more energy into the album again). But once the song Slow Like Honey starts, look out, because it's all depressing, boring songs from there on out It's definately a no from me. Favourite songs: Criminal, Shadowboxer, Sleep to Dream Least favourite songs: The First Taste (fyi: a one minute moaning session to finish off a song is too long), Pale September, The Child Is Gone, Slow Like Honey, Sullen Girl, Never Is A Promise 2/5

I've only recently discovered Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds upon the recommendation of a friend. The album he recommended was Murder Ballads. That album is very different than this album. This album is a departure from their typical post punk/rock sound for a more intimate, almost entirely piano based style. Many people write off Nick Cave because of his baritone voice and unique lyric delivery. I find that with the slow piano accompaniment on this album it melds quite well. I immediately recognized People Ain't No Good from the movie Shrek 2. This album had themes of romance, religion, and heartbreak. "Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?" was a heart wrenching song about love and mental illness. Overall, I enjoyed this album. Not something I would often gravitate to because it is very heavy. Favourite songs: People Ain't No Good, Into My Arms, Lime Tree Arbour, Brompton Oratory Least favourite song: Black Hair (do ya think she had black hair?) 3/5

This is the debut studio album from Buzzcocks. I've heard the band name before, but never listened to any of their music. This summer I listened to an episode of The Ongoing History of New Music Podcast where Alan Cross, the host, was talking about the beginnings of punk rock. In the UK, Buzzcocks were very important in the increase in popularity or this genre. They were right up there with The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Pete Shelley, unlike those other two bands I just mentioned, wrote more polished material, and the music played by the band felt more thought out. It was still hard and fast, but it at least had a direction. This album covered topics that adolescents considered important, such as sex, romance, and hating things (lol). There is one song where Shelley, I believe, is referring to his cock as a "love battery".... "I got this crazy current that slips through my underwear, and when it really connects, I come and go everywhere". Overall, a great album, and an interesting look at the beginnings of punk in the UK. Favourite songs: Love Battery, You Tear Me Up, Get On Our Own, I Don't Mind, Fast Cars, No Reply Least favourite songs: Sixteen, Moving Away From The Pulsebeat (a 7 minute punk song is just wrong) 4/5

Before today I had never heard of Hookworms before, so I had no idea what I was in for. What I discovered was a very ambient, almost atmospheric sound, with heavy electronic backing, and distant, layered lyric delivery. The music has strong phychadelic rock/electronica vibes to it, with a very strong beat. Although I have had issue with most electronica on this 1001 Albums Generator, I enjoyed this stuff. Perhaps it was the inclusion of a singer, perhaps it was the inclusion of an actual beat, either way it worked. Hookworms sounds similar to MGMT who I have reviewed before. A lot of the songs on this album run into each other like a compilation, which I enjoyed. It made it a better listening experience. Apparently this album was a huge change from their previous works, and it ended up being their last album as a band. Overall, I enjoyed this album. It isn't something I would gravitate to often, but it wasn't bad at all. Favourite songs: Ullswater, Negative Space, Static Resistance, Opener Least favourite songs: Boxing Day, Reunion 3/5

This album was a challenge to listen to. The only way I could keep somewhat focused is by putting it on in the background while I worked. The whole album is just slow electronica/trip hop, with random sampling thrown in, and subtle hints of reggae. It wasn't bad for what it was, but it certainly isn't some revolutionary album, in my mind at least. Also, 1hr and 15 minutes of this kind of music is way too long. One song faded into another with this album, making it hard to pick a favourite. The album, if listened to all at once, would easily lull you off to sleep. It may be enjoyable while baked, but sober, it is nothing but trance enducing elevator music. Favourite song: if forced to pick, Dreddoverboard. Pipes Honour wasn't bad as well. Least favourite songs: pretty much the rest of the album. There were a few good songs throughout, but everything blended so bad, I don't know which ones they were 2/5

This is a phenomenal album! Say what you will about Nirvana, but Kurt Cobain was way ahead of his time, and played a big part in the grunge movement that happened in Seattle in the 90's. This lineup of Nirvana was amazing. Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl! This album starts off with 5 a-list songs in a row: Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come As You Are, Breed, and Lithium! Territorial Pissings is such a raw and heavy song!!! Drain You is another gem! Dave is solid on drums, Kurt's guitar playing is so sludgy and raw, and Krist ties it all together with some phenomenal bass playing! Finally, an amazing album after an underwhelming week of obscure British bands and electronic garbage. Love this album! Favourite songs: Breed, Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Drain You, Come As You Are, Lithium, Lounge Act, Territorial Pissings Least favourite song: "Endless, Nameless". I think Kurt and the band created a perfect album, then as a way of trolling the album listeners, added this song in (which is just noise and screaming) for a laugh. 5/5 easy!!!

I am familiar with Yes, but don't know much of their catalog. The only songs I know of theirs are: Owner of a Lonely Heart, and Roundabout, neither of which are on this album, so I am looking forward to today's listen. Yes is a prog/psychadelic rock band from Britain. This album maintained the bands sound (a heavy helping of Hammond organ playing, mixed up with some surprisingly good guitar licks, beautiful lyrical harmonies, and smooth, melodic bass), but they stretched the songs out to longer run times to allow the music to develop better. That being said, the average song length on this album is 6+ minutes. A lot of the songs are compilations, marked in the song title by their distinct parts (ie: "Starship Trooper:A) Life Seeker, B) Disillusion, C) Wurm", or "I've Seen All Good People: A) Your Move, B) All Good People"). Because of this extended length, I found it really hard to maintain focus most of the time. The music was beautiful, but one song ran into the next and became very hard to differentiate between. Is it just me, or does the first organ lick in the song Yours Is No Disgrace share the same rhythm with the "new British emergency services phone number" from The IT Crowd: 0118-999-881-999-119-725....3, lol Favourite song: The Clap (an instrumental number that is just acoustic guitar, but it shows amazing technique) Least favourite songs: Perpetual Change (there is a squeal that plays at one point in the song that almost made me go deaf, it was so high pitched), A Venture 3/5

I only know a few Temptations songs, and one of them is on this album, so I am looking forward to listening to more of their stuff today. The Temptations are a Soul/Funk/R&B five piece vocal group. At the time of the recording of this album, the group consisted of: Dennis Edwards (tenor) , Damon Harris (tenor) , Richard Street (baritone) , Melvin Franklin (bass) , and Otis Williams (tenor). The melding of all of these voices turned into some amazing music! When I first heard Richard Street's voice in the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, I could have swore it was a female singer because his voice was so high and smooth. Also, Melvin Franklin's deep bassy voice laced throughout the album just heightens the music that much more! Of course, the one song everyone should know off of this record is Papa Was A Rollin' Stone. This rendition of the song is almost 12 minutes long, but it certainly doesn't feel it. What a story it tells of a father who is a deadbeat drunk. Another song that shocked the hell out of me was Run Charlie Run. A song that pulls no punches, and sings about a still, sadly, relevant and hot topic, racism. Do Your Thing, and Mother Nature are both awesome, funky songs. Overall a teriffic album. Glad I listened, will probably add it to the collection. Favourite songs: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, Do Your Thing, Mother Nature Least favourite song: if forced to pick, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 4/5

This album was fantastic! Before today, I had only known Randy's work with Toy Story and Monsters Inc. This album strayed from that quite a bit with the first song!! Redneck is the first song on the album, and is sung from the perspective of a racist from the southern US. The N-word comes out a few times, which shocked the shit out of me, given all I knew of Randy. Redneck was an amazing song that was a sadly true glimpse at the state of things in the southern US in the 70's. Randy is such a fantastic storyteller. He had such a way to paint vibrant pictures with his lyrics. Through his lyrics he spins storys complete with humour, love, and political issues. I thoroughly enjoyed this album today, and will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Back On My Feet Again, Redneck, Louisiana 1927, Birmingham, Kingfish, A Wedding in a Cherokee County, Naked Man Least favourite song: Every Man A King 5/5

Oh great, another electronica album, this time from France. As suspected, Jean-Michel Jarre's music sounds like what aliens have sex to with its space age beeps and zaps. Set phasers to lame for this album. No one should be subjected to 40 minutes of shitty theremin music. The whole record is one long song really, which Jarre split into 6 parts, however since it all runs together so seamlessly, it's hard to tell which track you're listening to. Luckily, I hated the whole album equally. Apparently this dude has Guinness World Records for the highest attendance to some of his concerts, with the largest number of attendees being 3.5 million in Moscow. I don't understand how there are that many people who would willingly subject themselves to this music, but to each their own I suppose. The one impressive thing about this album is that it came out in 1976, way ahead of its time, so I will give Jean-Michel props for that, but my God I hate electronica. I try to keep an open mind to it, but it's just not my thing I guess. Oxygene Part 5 & 6 gave the impression that we were listening to a big ass robot moving around in the wilderness, surrounded by birds and shit, which was the only interesting part of the album, but did the robot have to shuffle around for 15 minutes? I think not. Also, why is Jarre so obsessed with wind noises? Not enough drugs for me to enjoy this. Favourite song: Oxygene, Part 4 I guess, because it is one of the shorter tracks on the album. Least favourite songs: The rest of the album. 1/5, thank God that's over

I am familiar with Radiohead's early stuff (OK Computer, Pablo Honey), but mostly just the hits. I never really got the appeal of Radiohead. I get that they are a very influential band, but I find their music so depressing and dark. Everything, right down to Thom Yorke's delivery is bleak and depressing. Thom more moans than sings most of the time, and his lyrics are so out there, that I can't make sense of what he is talking about most of the time. This was an ok album, just not my favorite for sure. I can see the appeal for some people, I'm just not high enough I guess. Favourite songs: Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Bodysnatchers, Reckoner Least favourite songs: All I Need, Nude, House of Cards, Videotape 3/5

Before today I'd never heard of Dion. He apparently got his start in music singing with a Doo Wop group called Dion and the Belmonts, before going off on his own, and exploring his sound a bit more. I enjoyed this album. It wasn't something amazing or groundbreaking, but it was a nice easy listening experience. I find that Dion sounds like Van Morrison, or Simon & Garfunkel. Just a nice, easy, 70's pop rock sound. The addition of sax was great! The Spotify link for this album is a double album (Born to Be With You/Streetheart), so it was a little longer listen than just the one album, but I didn't mind because it familiarized me with more of his work. The "Streetheart" side of the album was more upbeat and rockin' than the Born to Be With You side. All in all, a good listening experience today. Not phenomenal, but perfectly average. Favourite songs: Good Lovin' Man, The Way You Do The Things You Do, In and Out of the Shadows, New York City Song Least favourite song: (He's Got) The Whole World In His Hands 3/5

The only song I've ever heard by Booker T. & the M.G.'s is the namesake of this album, Green Onions. It was in the film Pulp Fiction. Because of this, I am looking forward to today's listen because Green Onions is a rockin' song! What I discovered is more of the same for the whole album, funky, bluesy, fast, dancing music. This album is fully instrumental, which worried me at first, given my short attention span, but it was such a great album, and the songs didn't drag on like some instrumental works tend to (Avg. song length is ~3 mins). The heavy inclusion of the Hammond Organ front and center has a tendancy to remind you of being at a baseball game, but the way that Booker T. Jones plays the shit out of the organ quickly brings you back to reality. There is one point during the song "Lonely Avenue" where Booker T. is playing so fast, that the electric keyboard can't keep up, creating a clipping sound as the keyboard tries to deliver all the notes (perhaps a downfall of the electric vs acoustic organ). I also enjoy the way each instrument has its time to shine in the spotlight, making it seem like the band is just having a ton of fun jamming together. This was a phenomenal album, I wish it was longer. I will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Green Onions, Mo' Onions, Lonely Avenue, Rinky Dink, You Can't Sit Down, Twist and Shout, "A Woman, A Lover, A Friend" Least favourite song: Stranger on the Shore, Behave Yourself 4/5

Sly & the Family Stone are a psychadelic soul/funk band. I have never heard of psychadelic soul/funk so I was unsure what I was in for. Psychadelic funk carries the sensibilities of funk (music with heavy bass grooves) with a psychadelic writing style, and experimentation. Sly Stone's voice is teriffic when he actually sings. By times he takes to wailing which it slightly irritating. In one song, Spaced Cowboy, he yodels the chorus, which is very weird, but not necessarily in a bad way. Another interesting note: There's a Riot Goin' On is just 4 seconds of silence. It kind of, in a roundabout way, speaks to the state of things in the late 60's - early 70's, almost offering up a moment of silence for those struggling. Larry Graham played the shit out of the bass on this record. Interestingly, Larry is credited with inventing the "slapping" technique used on the electric bass (which is showcased in a big way on this record). Overall, an interesting listen today. Not something I would necessarily gravitate to, but not bad. Favourite songs: "Thank You For Talkin' To Me, Africa", Love N' Haight, Family Affair Least favourite songs: Just Like a Baby, Spaced Cowboy, Runnin' Away, (You Caught Me) Smilin' 3/5

This is a fantastic album by the Beastie Boys; their second studio album. This album didn't get the praise that License to Ill did, but it is just as fantastic. Beastie Boys are a hip hop group from New York. This music, at the time, was trend setting because the Boys mixed rock and hip hop seamlessly. This album is full of samples from various different artists, and the way they blend it into their beats, and make it their own, many of them pass by and you don't even notice the sample. The lyrics are amusing by times, a few noteworthy phrases include: From the song 3-Minute Rule: "I was making records while you were sucking your mother's dick" From the song What Comes Around: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair, so I can climb up and get into your underwear" Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Excellent beats, great rhymes. Will definately listen again!! Favourite songs: Egg Man, Hey Ladies, Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, 3-Minute Rule, High Plains Drifter, What Comes Around, Shadrach Least favourite songs: Car Thief, To All The Girls, The Sounds of Science 4/5

This is an album I am very familiar with! I can't believe it came out 11 years ago! I distinctly remember Adele's name being everywhere following the release. There are 5 singles out of 11 songs on this album, and each one recieved insane amounts of fanfare. Adele has an amazing singing voice! It is so weird to hear her speak, then sing! It's like 2 different people. The music on this album is minimalistic, but I believe that is on purpose so that her voice is in the spotlight, which it should be! Another crazy fact is that Adele recorded this album when she was only 21 years old. There are a lot of songs about heartbreak on this album, which she wrote after a hard breakup shortly before this album was released. There is always something to be said about an artist who writes their own material, because the pain felt through the lyrics of some of these songs is something that cannot be recreated by anyone except the person going through the breakup. This was a phenomenal album, and I will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Someone Like You, Rolling In The Deep, Rumour Has It, Set Fire To The Rain, Turning Tables, He Won't Go, One And Only Least favourite song: if forced to pick, Lovesong 5/5

N.W.A were revolutionary in the formation of the genre of Gangsta Rap. What they did on this record would set the stage for a lot of what came out in the 90's/00's. N.W.A consisted of: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, Arabian Prince, and DJ Yella; many of who would have successful solo careers outside of the group in later years. I watched the movie Straight Outta Compton which follows the beginnings and career of the members of N.W.A. It was a great movie, highlighting their come up from the ghettos of Compton, the drug dealing/gang violence that they were surrounded by in their formative years, and the racism that was rampant in the USA in the 70's (especially the racism shown to black teenagers by white people in positions of authority (ie. judges and policemen)). Given this rough upbringing, you can understand why gang violence/anarchy/misogyny are the topics covered heavily on this album. This was music that gave a voice to the hundreds of thousands of oppressed across America (songs even got banned from radio stations (notably Fuck Tha Police)). Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. The sampling and flow of the album was seamless. I have listened before, and will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police, Express Yourself, Gangsta Gangsta, Parental Discretion Iz Advised, Dopeman, Quiet On Tha Set, Compton's N The House (Remix) Least favourite song: Something 2 Dance 2, Bonus Beats, If It Ain't Ruff 4/5

This is the second studio album by The Stooges. It flopped commercially, but achieved a large cult following later on, unlike the bands debut album, and third album. Iggy Pop brings such energy both in his vocal delivery, and his stage presence. Listening to how gritty and raw this album is, it is no wonder The Stooges are credited with starting the punk rock movement of the 70's. The guitar playing is fast and sludgy, the drums are played hard, and Iggy just belts lyrics like something from another dimension. At one point, towards the end of the album, they bring in a saxophonist, who plays the living shit out of the instrument!! It is played so fast and high it almost sounds like a trumpet by times! This album has a lot of experimentation on it, which is probably why it flopped commercially. The first two songs are traditional Stooges songs, and basically the rest of the album is Iggy yelling and guitars being abused while various feedback loops are created and drums smash along in the background. All very good stuff, but not in a "radio top 40" way, more of a "I can't really play an instrument, but I can thrash on it for a long time and make it sound really cool" kinda way. Overall, an interesting album. It certainly has its place on this list, but isn't something I would necessarily gravitate to all the time. Favourite songs: Loose, Down on the Street, T.V. Eye Least favourite song: Dirt 3/5

This was the first time I'd ever sat down and listened to Nas. I'd heard of him before, or seen him featured on other artist's songs, but never checked out his stuff. I had no idea how important his music was to the development of the East Coast rap scene. This record showcased his smooth flow, and tight beats, which seem to be bass heavy, which is nice. His lyrics are less in your face than other rap/hip hop acts that I've reviewed such as N.W.A. What I noticed is a more developed, thought out method. One other thing I appreciated is the fact that the record isn't super long like many of the other similar records I've reviewed have been. This one comes in at just shy of 40 minutes, so it keeps the music fresh, and you don't get sick of it. Although I did enjoy this record (I listened to it twice), it didn't captivate me like other rap/hip hop artists I've reviewed. I can't figure out why either... Maybe today I'm just not feeling a rap album? I don't know. Since rap isn't my normal listening genre, I probably won't listen again, but wouldn't object to hearing it again. Favourite songs: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch (feat. AZ & Olu Dara), The World is Yours, Represent Least favourite song: The Genesis (I hate skits on rap albums) 3/5

Jefferson Airplane were a 60's psychadelic rock band. They had two singers, Grace Slick (this was her first album made with the band), and Marty Balin. There is no trouble telling that this music hails from the Flower Power hippy generation, as the themes of peace and love are laced all through this album. Grace has an almost haunting voice, especially in the song Somebody to Love. The harmonies reached by her and Marty are teriffic. There was a lot of experimentation going on in this album (and also the expanded re-release of the album in 2003) with different styles of music, as well as the inclusion of various instruments. In The Morning, for example, is an excellent blues song, which included Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) on one of the guitars. Jerry also was included in the songs: Today, Plastic Fantastic Lover, Comin' Back to Me, and J.P.P. McStep B. Blues, and played the part of "Sage council" for the band and helped arrange the songs for the album. How Do You Feel has a flute included in the musical accompaniment. Jorma Kaukonen dabbled away at the fantastic instrumental number Embryonic Journey. White Rabbit is a song about Alice in Wonderland, whose lyrics would be super trippy if you were on heavy psychadelics. In fact the whole album would hit different if you were stoned. Overall, a great album! I have never delved into Jefferson Airplane before, but there is some great stuff here. Will listen again! Favourite songs: Somebody to Love, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, Embryonic Journey, White Rabbit, Plastic Fantastic Lover, In The Morning Least favourite songs: Comin' Back to Me 4/5

Before today I had never heard of Weather Report. They are a fusion jazz band (jazz mixed with rock and funk). The music reminded me of upbeat TV show theme songs from the 80's and 90's. Jaco Pastorius has been called the "Jimi Hendrix of bass playing" and I can see why! Just have a listen to the songs Teen Town or Palladium, or from the extended release of the album, Black Market, and you will hear it too! His bass playing is phenomenal!! This is great ambiance music, and I really like how they blend jazz and funk together really well! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album! Not something for heavy rotation, but I would listen again for sure! Favourite songs: Birdland, Black Market (Live), Rumba Mama, Havona, Teen Town, A Remark You Made, Palladium, The Juggler Least favourite song: Harlequin 3/5

I have heard all of Prince's hits in the past, but I am not familiar with many of the songs on this album. All of Prince's songs that I know, I like, so I am looking forward to listening to this album today. This is Prince's first solo album after the break up of his supporting band "The Revolution". This is a double album, so the run time is a little long, but it doesn't feel like it, because Prince has a way of keeping your interest, and there aren't many bad songs on this record. The one song I was very familiar with before listening to this album was Starfish and Coffee. Back in 1997, Prince was on an episode of Muppets Tonight. I was a big fan of the show, and remember that episode well. The whole show the muppets keep teasing him, and keep "forgetting" to call him "The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince)". Prince was a good sport through the whole thing, and when they got him up to sing a song, Starfish and Coffee was the song he sang. I remember thinking "what a great song, with some of the weirdest lyrics I've ever heard". That song is the definition of an ear worm, and I'm sure, now that I've listened to it again, I will be singing it for the next little while. Overall, a solid album. I wasn't much a fan of the drum machine he used, but his ability to write, and perform far overshadows that slight blemish on an otherwise great album! I think nostalgia drove this choice, but: Favourite songs: Starfish and Coffee, Hot Thing, Sign O' the Times, Strange Relationship, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, The Cross, Adore Least favourite songs: If I Was Your Girlfriend, Housequake, The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, It (I wasn't as much a fan of the songs he sang as his "female alter-ego, Camille") 3/5

I am very familiar with Metallica, and this album. I have listened to it many times before, and can't wait to give it another spin today!! This album is a collaboration between Metallica, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Kamen. Many people would be surprised how well orchestras and thrash metal fit together. I watched a documentary one time called Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. It traced the roots of metal music back to opera and classical music, and notably, composers such as Vivaldi and Bach. They had the same flare seen in many metal bands today to make louder music, and provide spectacle for the observers. Some composers even used cannon fire to amp up the bass sections of their operatic pieces! The melding of the overreaching operatic performance, laced with the heavy, fast, traditional Metallica sound is amazing. This is a double live album, so the run time is quite long (over 2 hrs), but it is an amazing listen all the same. If you want a better experience, watch the live film of the performance. It would have been amazing to have been there in person to experience it! Overall, a phenomenal album. I've loved it for years, and still love it. This made for a fantastic Saturday! Favourite songs: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, Battery, No Leaf Clover, Of Wolf and Man, Hero of the Day, Master of Puppets, Sad But True, One, Fuel, The Memory Remains, Enter Sandman Least favourite songs: The Ecstasy of Gold, The Call of Ktulu, Outlaw Torn 4/5

This is the second album of Neil Young's that I've reviewed on this album generator. This one, from his time recording with the band Crazy Horse. This, unlike his solo stuff, is more rockin' than folky. It is fantastic!! I really enjoyed the harmonies reached by Crazy Horse and Neil Young. Every song on this album was awesome. Even the couple of 10 minute epics. The only song I didn't care for was Farmer John. It felt rushed and unfinished. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this album. Will definately listen again! Favourite songs: F!#*in Up, Country Home, Over and Over, Mansion on the Hill, Love to Burn, Days that Used to Be Least favourite song: Farmer John 4/5

This is my second Steely Dan record on this album generator. As like the first album, Steely Dan is fantasticly beige elevator rock. Typical "yacht rock or dad rock". I did enjoy this album more than the last one. It was more consistently good, with a few rockin' songs, and some heavy blues and funk influences heard throughout. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo was a weird ragtime song just thrown into the middle of the album, and it just felt like it didn't fit with the theme of the rest of the album. Overall, not a bad album. Better than I expected, and I will listen again. Favourite songs: Night By Night, Pretzel Logic, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Barrytown, Any Major Dude Will Tell You, With A Gun Least favourite songs: East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, Through With Buzz, Charlie Freak 4/5

I am not the biggest fan of country music, specifically what they call country music today (some unholy blend of pop and country), but I've always had a soft spot for Waylon Jennings. Every time I listen to his music, I am immediately transported back in time to driving around in dad's old truck with him listening to Waylon on cassette. Dad loves Waylon, and has passed that admiration of his work on to me. Waylon, and specifically this album, is attributed to the start of the outlaw country subgenre. A perfect melding of rock/blues/country. This era of country was fantastic. So many amazing acts came as a direct result of the works of Waylon, Willie, Johnny, and Merle. It is insane how similar Colter Wall's voice is to Waylon's. Especially in the song Ain't No God In Mexico. Listen to that song, then listen to the song Raisin' Cotton by Colter Wall. The similarity is crazy!! Overall, I loved today's listen, and enjoyed shot of nostalgia that came with it! Favourite songs: Honky Tonk Heroes, Omaha, Black Rose, Slow Rollin' Low, Old Five and Dimers (Like Me), Low Down Freedom, Ride Me Down Easy, Ain't No God In Mexico Least favourite song: if forced to pick, Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me 5/5

Oh great, another Talking Heads album. My God I don't understand the appeal of this band. Nonsensical lyrics... Weird sounds... I did like this album better than the first Talking Heads album I reviewed (Fear of Music). Apparently, this album was a big change in sound for the band. Their singer, David Byrne, had a bad case of writers block, so on the advice of their record producer, Brian Eno, David began exploring the sounds of African drums, as well as horns, and a more funky bass. I think it is the heavy reliance on the African drums, as well as Tina Weymouth's phenomenal bass playing that made this album more tolerable to me. It certainly wasn't David's rediculous vocal delivery. Overall, I still hate Talking Heads, and probably will never listen to this record again. I will say the first half of this record was much better than the back half, and the Spotify link for this album is the Deluxe Version.... 4 more God awful Unfinished outtakes of songs. So yourself a favor and just listen to the regular version of the album. Favourite song: Once in a Lifetime Least favourite song: Seen and Not Seen.... And most of the rest of the album 2/5

Today's album was a salsa album, something I am not very familiar with. Salsa music can trace its roots to Latin jazz, mambo, and I heard a touch of funk influence in there too(mainly in, the intro of Plastico). This was an interesting listen, as it is way out of my wheelhouse, and all the lyrics are sung in Latin. The brass instruments add some liveliness and danceability to the tracks, and the precussion is on point! Overall, not my favourite to just focus on and listen to, but as background music, it would be great. Not sure if I will listen again, but I appreciate why it is on this list. Favourite song: Ojos, Pedro Navaja, Plastico Least favourite song: Dime, Siembra 3/5

I've been looking forward to my first Led Zeppelin album in this series, as I'm sure there is more than one!! And what an album to start off with! Trampled Under Foot, Houses of the Holy, Kashmir, Custard Pie, The Rover, Black Country Woman; there's something for everyone! As this is a double album, you really get to experience the gamut of influences and sounds that Zeppelin had to draw from. Everything from folk rock, to psychadelic rock, to prog rock, funk/disco (Boogie With Stu) and even the real heavy stuff! Robert Plant is a master of his craft. The way his voice can soar over every instrument is amazing. Jimmy Page is a phenomenal guitarist, and really shows his chops on pieces like Trampled Under Foot and In My Time of Dying. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this album, and can't wait for the next one! Almost every song on this double album is gold, and that is generally unheard of. Usually one whole side suffers with filler, but not this album!! Not my first time listening to this album, and it won't be the last!! Favourite songs: Trampled Under Foot, Houses of the Holy, Kashmir, Custard Pie, The Rover, Black Country Woman, Bron-Yr-Aur, The Wanton Song, Sick Again, In My Time of Dying Least favourite songs: If forced to pick, In the Light 5/5

Never heard of Magazine before today, and apparently it was for good reason. This was a weird album. Magazine is a new wave/post punk band from the UK, formed by Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks. Howard can't sing for shit, the music feels Unfinished and lyrics are nonsensical. Not a big fan of this band or album. Definately won't listen again. Favourite song: Shot by Both Sides, My Tulpa Least favourite songs: The Great Beautician in the Sky, Burst, The Light Pours Out Of Me, Motorcade, Parade 2/5

The only song I've ever heard from the band Living Color is Cult of Personality. I really like that song, just never looked into their stuff any further before, so I am looking forward to this listen! And Cult of Personality is the first song on this album, so it's starting off right! Living Color are a rock band from New York, and this is their debut album. The single Cult of Personality did very well, winning a Grammy for best hard rock performance in 1990. The band was also named best new artist at the 1989 mtv video music awards. The band draws influence from jazz, funk, heavy metal, and hip hop to name a few. They sound kind of like Huey Lewis except heavier by times. That signature 80s sound is there, but much heavier than most of the music being created at the time. A few songs on this album were a social commentary on the racism seen in the USA at the time of recording, and they still ring true today (notably Funny Vibe and Which Way to America). There are also some personal lyrics (Open Letter (To A Landlord)). Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed today's album, and may explore Living Colors catalog further. Favourite songs: Which Way to America, Cult of Personality, I Want to Know, Open Letter (to a Landlord), Funny Vibe, What's Your Favourite Color? Least favourite songs: Broken Hearts, Glamour Boys 4/5

Very familiar with Madonna's hits, but not much else. Like a Prayer is Madonna's 4th studio album. This is said to have been a confessional record. It contains songs about her parents, and bonds with her family members. A lot of controversy surrounded the music video for Like a Prayer. The video shows Madonna dancing in front of burning crosses, and making out with Jesus. All that said, one can not take away the fact that Like a Prayer is a phenomenal pop hit that has stood the test of time! Express Yourself is another phenomenal hit. Madonna called on the amazing musicianship of Prince on this album a few times. They duetted in the song Love Song, and Prince also played guitar for the strange album closer, Act of Contrition. Overall, a good album, not something I would revisit a lot, but I can see how it deserves to be on this list for its influence on pop music. Favourite songs: Express Yourself, Like a Prayer, Love Song Least favourite song: Promise to Try 3/5

I've heard of Sepultura before via a documentary I was watching one time called "Global Metal" but I've never delved into their stuff before. They are a thrash metal band from Brazil, very similar to Slayer. The name "Sepultura" means 'grave' in Portuguese. The title track from this album "Arise" was banned from MTV America due it its apocalyptic religious imagery. I enjoyed this album. The ferocity and speed with which the band approaches their instruments is phenomenal. The beat is complex and ever changing, and the lyrics are heavily influenced by religion, doom, darkness, and war. This isn't something I can listen to every day, and it takes some listening to warm up to (I listened to the album 3 times today) but it is phenomenal in its own right. Favourite songs: Dead Embryonic Cells, Under Seige (Regnum Irae), Orgasmatron, Arise, Murder, Desperate Cry, Subtraction Least favourite song: I really can't pick one... 4/5

I have never heard of Richard Hawley so I am looking forward to today's listen. Richard Hawley is a singer/songwriter whose vocal delivery is very similar to Nick Cave, and sounds like a cross between John Denver and Frank Sinatra. The fact that this album was released in 2005 is amazing. If I learned it came out in the 50's - 60's, I wouldn't have been surprised. Some of his songs are very croonish, and others are kind of country folk/soft rock. I thoroughly enjoyed today's album. The man can certainly write a song. His song topics included: love, and heartbreak. I listened to this album twice today, and will definately listen again! Favourite songs: (Wading Through) The Waters of My Time, Coles Corner, Just Like The Rain, Hotel Room, Darlin' Wait For Me, Born Under A Bad Sign, I Sleep Alone Least favourite songs: The Ocean, Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Feet 4/5

The only album I've ever listened to by The Prodigy was The Fat of the Land, so I am looking forward to checking out more of their stuff. This, unlike every other electronica album I've listened to on this album generator, was actually not bad. It is very high energy, and it has a few looping lyrics to some songs. Their music is electronica mixed with rave, hard rock, and punk. This music, instead of putting you in a trance like all the other electronica I've heard, pumps you up and makes ya wanna move. I didn't mind this album. Not my favourite genre of music still, but not bad as background music. It was great to listen to while working today. Favourite songs: Voodoo People, Their Law, Speedway (Theme from Fastlane), Poison, No Good (Start the Dance) Least favourite songs: Skylined, 3 Kilos, The Heat (The Energy) 3/5

I've never heard of Herbie Hancock before, except on the movie Tommy Boy: Richard: I need your John Hancock. Tommy: John Hancock.... It's HERBIE Hancock! Herbie Hancock is a jazz fusion musician, who got his start as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, before branching off on his own in the 70's. This record is apparently heralded as record breaking, because of its blending of electric jazz, funk, and rock, but it did nothing for me! What I heard was a jazz/funk blend on acid. Long, drawn out solos may work in rock music, but definately don't in jazz music. When a brass instrument is played in such a high key that it sounds like someone murdering cats, I lose interest. A painful listen. I won't be listening ever again. Glad it's done. Favourite song: Watermelon Man I guess, because it is the shortest runtime. Least favourite songs: Chameleon (15 minute instrumental jazz numbers are just too long!!), Vein Melter (the only thing this song melted was my brain out of boredom), Sly 1/5

John Coltrane was a jazz saxophonist from the 60's. He got his start as a sideman for Miles Davis before heading out on his own in 1957. Coltrane pioneered a playing technique called "Sheets of Sound", which consisted of a saxophonist playing a flurry of notes on his tenor within the confines of a few chords. A Love Supreme is a dedication by Coltrane to God, as a thank you for blessing him with his gift of music. That being said, there was a very personal, intimate touch to this album. On this record, Coltrane had paired up with bassist Jimmy Garrison, pianist McCoy Tyner, and drummer Elvin Jones. What I enjoy about this record is that each artist is given a solo with which to showcase their skills. The drummer in particular was insanely skilled! Overall, this record wasn't bad. Jazz isn't my favourite type of music, and sometimes it just felt like each artist was playing whatever they wanted, instead of keeping things cohesive like a band should, but even still it wasn't bad. The artistic talent on this album is crazy! Favourite song: A Love Supreme Part 1: Acknowledgement Least favourite song: A Love Supreme Part 3: Pursuance 3/5

I never thought I knew of Dusty Springfield today, until I heard that she sang Son of a Preacher Man. That song is fantastic!! Dusty Springfield is a pop/soft rock/soul artist from the 60's-70's. By times she sounds similar to Nina Simone, The Supremes, or Janis Joplin. A lot of her songs dealt with themes of love, morning sex, lust, and gossip. It seems Dusty was awful thirsty!! Overall, a good listen today. Not something I'd gravitate to often, but a good listen nonetheless. Favourite songs: Son of a Preacher Man, So Much Love, Don't Forget About Me, I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore, Just A Little Lovin', Breakfast In Bed Least favourite songs: In The Land of Make Believe, The Windmills of Your Mind 3/5

I've never heard of New Order before today. They are a synth pop/electronic band that formed out of the remnants of Joy Division after Ian Curtis killed himself. After learning this, I didn't have much hope for this band, as Joy Division is a shitty goth rock/mood rock band with unenthusiastic music delivery. This, however, was very different. Joy Division's keyboardist/guitarist Bernard Sumner took over as lyricist, and his voice is 100 times better than Ian's ever was. I find that New Order sounds a lot like Duran Duran or Depeche Mode with their strong 80's synth/electronic sound, and heavy reliance on drum machines. Some of their lyrics are super weird too, like from the song "Fine Time": You know, I've met a lot of cool chicks; But I've never met a girl with all her own teeth... Where was he soliciting women, a meth house? Overall, not a bad listen, and a definate improvement from the Joy Division days. This was actually listenable. Favourite songs: Round and Round, Mr. Disco, Fine Time, Vanishing Point, All the Way Least favourite song: Guilty Partner 3/5

Oh my God, this is an amazing album! Before today I didn't think I knew Sam Cooke, but after listening to this album, I recognized a few songs. Sam Cooke (affectionately called Mr. Soul, and for good reason) is a Soul singer, accredited with inventing the genre! I loved every moment of this record; the way Sam interacted with the audience to keep them pumped up, the electricity of the audience, the dabbling of the band, Sam's phenomenal vocals... Overall a stellar album! I will absolutely put this in heavy rotation. This music just has a way of making you feel good! Favourite songs: Having a Party, Twistin' the Night Away, Chain Gang, Cupid, Feel It (Don't Fight It), Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons, Somebody Have Mercy Least favourite song: Bring it On Home to Me (just because of the 2 and a half minute preamble before the song starts. The song itself is awesome) 5/5

What the actual fuck did I just listen to? Robert Wyatt was the drummer of the band Soft Machine before branching off on his own. This is his second studio album, and this one was produced by Pink Floyd's drummer, Nick Mason. Need I say more? This album is super out there. Psychadelic folk maybe? I don't know what to call it. An unfortunate accident befell Wyatt in the middle of recording this record, leaving him paralyzed, which sucks, but my fuck this album still blows. Most of the album has no discernable beat to it at all. Someone just sat behind a piano and played random notes shittily while the bass player fell asleep and waves of God awful theramin screeching and synth garbage are layered overtop. Wyatt couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, and the lyrics are mostly nonsensical (especially in the song Alifib and Alife which isn't English, or any discernable language. It seems like he is singing backwards while brass instruments are abused in the background). The flute playing on Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road was terrible. The violin in Little Red Robin Hood Hits the Road sounds like something an unskilled 6 year old would play if given free range to wail on the instrument with no instruction. This album was garbage from start to finish. Painful to listen to really. Why the fuck is this on this list? Favourite song: Sea Song (if I had to pick one. In reality the whole album is trash) Least favourite songs: Alifib, Alife, A Last Straw, Little Red Riding Hood Hits The Road, Little Red Robin Hood Hits The Road 1/5

I only just recently heard of Kate Bush after she became famous again for her song Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) being used in the Netflix series Stranger Things. That song is a weird 80's pop song, so I assumed this album would be similar. I was correct. Kate Bush is like if Madonna was a much less sexual, artsy hipster who wrote shitty poetry that requires an engineering degree to comprehend and has no discernable rhyming scheme, then paired it up to very bland, 80's pop music that it doesn't mesh with. There are so many layers of sound and shit going on on this album, that for the whole album, I had to read her lyrics because I could barely hear and discern them behind the noise of the backing music. For example, I mostly heard moaning in the song The Sensual World until she started talking about her breasts for some reason. Since her lyrics are so confusing, here's what I gathered from some of the songs on this album: In the song Heads We're Dancing, Hitler told her he was flipping a coin, and if it landed on heads, they were dancing... In the song Deeper Understanding she became obsessed with her computer because it showed her the "love and deeper understanding" which she wasn't getting from people. It became so bad, people had to intervene... I think in the song Rocket's Tail, she dresses up like a rocket, jumps off of a bridge, and kills herself?!?.... Fucked if I know....here are some of the lyrics from that song: I put on my cloudiest suit Size 5 lightning boots, too 'cause I am a rocket On fire Look at me go, with my tail on fire This Woman's Work is actually a heartbreaking song about watching a loved one die, the first song on this album to actually have a clear direction and theme. She took to making bird calls in the song Walk Straight Down The Middle for some fucking reason. Overall, a very weird album. Not something I will ever listen to again, but points for her voice, it is actually beautiful. And the music, even though it didn't jive with the lyrics at all, was decent as well. Favourite song: Rocket's Tail, This Woman's Work Least favourite songs: The Sensual World, Love and Anger, Reaching Out, Never Be Mine, Walk Straight Down the Middle 2/5

Gorillaz are an English "virtual band" that blends rock, hip hop, and electronica together to make a unique mashup of sound. It was created by Damon Albarn (singer of the band Blur) and comic book creator Jamie Hewlett. The band has their own "lore" which includes their own universe, back stories etc. The "virtual band" consists of singer/keyboardist, 2-D (singing voiced by Damon Albarn), bass guitarist, Murdoc (voiced by Phil Cornwell), guitar/keyboard/vocalist, Noodle (singing voiced by Miho Hatori), and drummer Russel (voiced by Remi Kabaka Jr.). Gorillaz have collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Elton John, Jean-Michel Jarre, and more. I can distinctly remember when the music video for Clint Eastwood hit Much Music. I was a young teenager at the time, and the music was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Aside from their hits, though, I've never delved into their stuff too much before. I enjoyed relistening to some old hits I had forgotten about, and Clint Eastwood is an "earworm" that I'm sure to be humming for the next bit for sure. Every time I hear that song now, I immediately think of the movie Trolls. Aside from the hits though, most everything else on this album kind of fell flat with me. It is super quirky, as is most things Damon Albarn is involved with, with mostly nonsensical lyrics, and usually is heavy to the electronica side of things. The heavier rock/hip hop songs resonated more with me than the Primal Scream-esque electronic stuff. All things considered, there were about an even number of hits and misses on this album. I may revisit the hits, but can't see myself listening to the whole record cover to cover again. Favourite songs: Clint Eastwood, 19-2000, Rock the House, Punk, Double Bass, Re-Hash Least favourite songs: Man Research (Clapper), New Genius (Brother), Sound Check (Gravity), Starshine, M1 A1 3/5

This album is a masterpiece! It is a double album psychadelic rock opera about a rockstar named Pink, and his issues with the childhood loss of a parent, being brought up during the Blitz by an overprotective mother, dealing with bullying on the playground, becoming a rockstar, getting married, infedelity, substance abuse, and depression (yeah, a real rollercoaster of emotions). The whole time, the protagonist is using these hardships in his life to build a proverbial wall around himself, blocking him from the outside world. At the end of the album, after a slight descent into madness, he is put "on trial" by his own psyche, and found guilty of displaying human emotion. The fine for this is the destruction of his "wall". After he demolishes his wall, and experiences life on the "outside", the album ends with the words "Isn't this where -". This ties in with the very first words of the phrase the begins this album which were "- we came in?" which also continues the melody of the last song, making a full circle, hinting at the constant cyclical battles of people who fight with depression and mental illness every day. This album hits hard, deals with some heavy material, and does so phenomenally with the help of various sound effects, and genre shifts throughout. The only way to truly appreciate this album is to listen to it cover to cover. Taking it in snippets at a time causes it to lose a lot of its meaning. As stand alone tracks, a lot of these songs wouldn't hold up, but as part the greater "whole" these songs are powerful! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album listening experience this morning. I had heard the hits from this album before, but never really sat down and listened to it before. You certainly have to be in the right headspace to fully enjoy the record, but when you are, if you can keep an open mind, man does it ever take you on a rollercoaster ride! Favourite song: Comfortably Numb Least favourite songs: I can't really pick one. They all have their place in the grand scheme of the album. 5/5

What a festive album to get on Christmas Day. I am familiar with a few of these renditions of some Christmas classics, but not all of them. Phil Spector was known for his production style known as the "wall of sound" which was an "unusually dense orchestral aesthetic that came across well through radios and jukeboxes of the era." Later, in the 2000's, he would become well known as a murderer too, so there's that. All said and done though, this is a great compilation of classic 60's artists (The Ronettes, The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, and Darlene Love). Darlene Love, Mariah Carey, and many others have been in a constant feud every year over who Queen of Christmas is, and in my mind, it's no comparison, Darlene Love is amazing, I hate Mariah Carey's poppy Christmas garbage. I especially love Darlene's original Christmas classic: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) which reminds me of the movie The Night Before now every time I hear it. Overall, a warm, festive listen today! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Favourite song: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Least favourite songs: The Bells of St. Mary, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers 3/5

Ella Fitzgerald is recognized the world over as "The First Lady of Song". She is a jazz vocalist with a phenomenal and powerful voice. Her scatting ability is awesome! This is a monolithic album (the longest on this 1001 album generator, I believe) coming in at 3 hours, 14 minutes, and consisting of 59 songs. The Spotify link in the album generator links to the "Best of the Gershwin Song Book", which is a slimmed down 12 song, 45 minute listen. I, however, opted to listen to the full album, because that is what the 1001 albums book is referring to. Even though this is a huge undertaking of a listen, I enjoyed it all the same. I listened in sections throughout the day, instead of cover to cover, all at once. I think this made it better, because 3 hrs straight of jazz is a lot to digest. This is perfect coffee house jazz, and reminds me a lot of "Fallout" music, which is the best part of that game series. The last 6 songs are just instrumental numbers by Nelson Riddle, and they aren't as good as the music that contains Ella's voice. Not bad, they sound a lot like Disney movie or Looney Tunes instrumental numbers, just not as powerful as the rest or the album. Bernard Buffet created the artwork for the 5 original LP's that made up the original release. Based on the piece of artwork I saw, Bernard did poor Ella dirty. What a homely painting. Overall, a great listen. I suggest giving the full record a try, and breaking it up like I did. There are a lot of gems contained on the full record, that didn't make it to the "best of" compilation. Favourite songs: The Real American Folk Song, Things Are Looking Up, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, 'S Wonderful, My Cousin in Milwaukee, The Half of It Dearie Blues, Boy What Love Has Done to Me, Lorelei, I Got Rhythm Least favourite songs: A Foggy Day, Somebody from Somewhere, Just Another Rhumba, Sam and Delilah, Embraceable You 3/5

Peter Tosh was one of the founding members of the Wailers (Bob Marley's backing band) before branching off on his own. This is his debut solo album, and covers topics such as the legalization of marijuana, poverty, and religion. This was some great reggae, not as polished as Bob Marley's stuff, but still very good all around. There were some tight guitar solos, and phenomenal beats throughout. Overall, I really liked this album. Very easy listening. I will definately revisit again! Favourite songs: Burial, Why Must I Cry, Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised), Whatcha Gonna Do, Ketchy Shuby, Till Your Well Runs Dry Least favourite song: Legalize It 4/5

Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal. Their sound reminds me somewhat of Radiohead or alt-J. There is quite a bit going on musically in this album. There are certain songs that lean harder to the rock side of the spectrum, then other songs that are more indie pop, like the song Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) which sounds like it could be a Depeche Mode song. I enjoy the harmonies reached by the male and female vocalists. I am not a fan of indie music as a knee jerk reaction, however, there were a few enjoyable songs on this record. I doubt I will ever listen again, as it took literally all day to listen to a 1hr album because I kept losing interest , but I can appreciate what they're doing here, and how they influenced so many other new artists who have came since. I just really don't like this new age indie rock artsy hipster garbage much. Favourite songs: Month of May, Ready to Start, Modern Man, Wasted Hours, Empty Room, City With No Children Least favourite songs: Rococo 3/5

Slipknot is a heavy metal band from Iowa. Fronted by Corey Taylor, who has also had some solo stuff and sang with the band Stone Sour as well. He also has had acting gigs, and has turned his hand to writing as well. Helluva talented guy! I can distinctly remember when their self titled debut album came out in 1999. I recall seeing the music video for Wait and Bleed, as well as interviews with a few of the lads on Much Music and thinking, "what the fuck am I looking at". 1999 was the time when nu metal was huge, and acts like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Linkin Park were getting started. Slipknot exploded on the scene with a much heavier, faster, more raw sound, and all the dudes in the band wore spooky masks, which they switched out for each album release. These guys took their chance and ran with it, and were, and continue to be insanely popular, headlining their own yearly festival of hard rock/metal (Knotfest) and putting on the craziest live shows ever! It is a sonic experience to say the least. This was the last album for original drummer Joey Jordison before he had to leave the band because of a form of MS that he was battling which prevented him from playing his instrument any more. In his heyday he was one hell of a drummer, with his machine gun kick drum, and insanely technical drum beats. RIP Joey, you are truly missed. Overall, a great listen today! I recall the first time I heard the song Snuff, it blew my mind. That was the first time I heard Corey's more intimate singing voice. It is so beautiful alongside his raw, gutteral screaming voice. This is a hell of a talented band, and a great bunch of guys! Favourite songs : Snuff, Psychosocial, This Cold Black, Sulfur, Gematria (the Killing Name), Dead Memories, All Hope Is Gone Least favourite song: Vermilion Pt. 2 - Bloodstone Mix, Gehenna, Butcher's Hook 4/5

Today's album is the self titled debut album from the UK rock group Dire Straits. The band was started by brothers Mark and David Knopfler. Mark's guitar playing is very recognizable, as is his singing style. He is largely slept upon when it comes to his guitar talent. He is absolutely one of the greats! His lyrical style is similar to Bob Dylan. Dire Straits music draws influence from country, blues, funk, folk, and jazz, and blends it all together into a beautiful mix. I've listened to quite a bit of Dire Straits stuff, as well as Mark's solo stuff as well, and love it all. My favourite Dire Straits album is Brothers in Arms, and I'm sure it's on this list, so I can't wait to give that one a spin again. They were still discovering their style on this album, what with it being their first album, but for a debut album, it is insanely tight and polished. Thoroughly enjoyed today's listen, and will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Sultans of Swing, Southbound Again, Down to the Waterline, In the Gallery, Setting Me Up Least favourite song: Six Blade Knife 4/5

Why is this garbage considered music. Someone standing behind a computer pushing buttons while the crowd trips on Ecstasy. Never heard of Roni Size or Reprazent, and wish I never had. More worthless electronica shit that has no place on a list like this. What did this influence? This is the music aliens listen to while they probe your arse. Fuck electronica, and drum'n'bass. 9-10 minute songs with looped shitty lyrics, and wind chimes as a musical instrument. And why would someone turn Morse code (the most irritating sound on earth) into a song? Favourite song: Beatbox because it's only 1 minute long. It features someone trying to beatbox, but they're so bad at it that they just record a small clip and looped it to make it sound impressive, but it is actually shit. Least favourite songs: the whole fucking album. 1/5. There's an hour and 20 minutes I'll never get back.

Before today, I'd never heard of the Crusaders. They had a long history, spanning several band name changes before settling on the Crusaders (used to be the Jazz Crusaders, but they didn't want to be tied down to one genre, so they dropped the "jazz"). Once the smoke cleared, what was left was a jazz fusion band, which took aspects of jazz, funk, and R&B, and layered them into their unique blend of music. This music sounds like a cross between elevator music, a porno groove, and upbeat, jazzy 80's sitcom theme songs. It is great stuff if you keep an open mind to it. I can see how people would find it bland, but I quite enjoyed it. Maybe it's because the band displays actual talent, unlike yesterday's dumpster fire. There is a lot of great soloing by all involved on this record, and each song doesn't overstay its welcome. Even the opening song, Street Life, which is 11 minutes long. It certainly didn't feel that long. Maybe it was the inclusion of lyrics by Randy Crawford on that track, but it was a great song all around. Overall, I enjoyed this album. Nothing really jumped out at me, but it was a perfectly acceptable jazz fusion record (unlike most of the others of this genre I've reviewed so far). Favourite songs: Street Life, My Lady, Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'), Carnival of the Night Least favourite song: Night Faces 3/5

Today's album is by alternative rock artist Beck. I am familiar with Beck's singles such as Loser, and Novacane, but have never delved into his stuff too much. Beck is an artist who is great at exploring several genres of music, blending them together, and making it his own. For example, on this one record, there are hints of country, folk, hip hop, rock, and psychadelica. I thouroughly enjoyed the genre exploration, because each song could sound vastly different than the last, and it made it exciting to keep listening to the record. It didn't get stale. I really enjoyed the heavy sludgy guitars in the song Minus, as well as the bluesy folk blended with hip hop sound of Hotwax. By times, the music sounds like the Beastie Boys. Beck's lyrics are hilariously nonsensical, and may only make sense when one is stoned. A few examples of some noteworthy lyrics include: From Hotwax: Sawdust songs of the plaid bartenders, Western unions of the country westerns, Silver foxes looking for romance, In their chainsmoke Kansas flashdance ass-pants Or a few examples from Minus: It's a sensation, A bankrupt corpse, In the garbage glasses, With the crutches of frogs... And... Radiation, Feeling the force, Karaoke, Vomiting morons..... Overall, a great listen today, and one I will definately revisit in the future! Favourite songs: Hotwax, Where It's At, Devils Haircut, Novacane, Minus, Jack-Ass, Sissyneck, Ramshackle, High 5 (Rock the Catskills) Least favourite songs: Derelict, The New Pollution, Diskobox 4/5

Before today, I had never heard of Sebadoh. They are a 90's lo-fi indie rock band. Their co-founder and one of their vocalists, Lou Barlow, also co-founded the band Dinosaur Jr, which explains why those two bands sound similar. By times, Sebadoh sounds like a shittier Nirvana. In other songs, their sludgy guitars and slow beat makes them sound like Smashing Pumpkins. And still other times, their high energy songs have them sounding like the Vines or Primus. In certain songs, the instruments are horribly out of tune. Perhaps this is by design, but I personally find it painful to listen to. The lyrics are largely nonsensical, especially in their weird psychadelic songs included on this album such as Elixir is Zog. Overall, a standard indie rock record from the 90's. It blends in with the mass amount of other music from this genre and time period though. Nothing really jumped out at me. It wasn't bad, just not spectacular. Favourite songs: Flood, Soul and Fire, Two Years Two Days, Sacred Attention, Homemade (I think this song is about beating off, idk?) Least favourite songs: Elixir is Zog, Fantastic Disaster, Telescopic Alchemy, No Way Out (the last minute of the song sounds like someone channel surfing through random noise.... Why?!?) 2/5

I became familiar with not so much this album, but it's namesake song, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, in 2010 after Rock Band 3 came out, which featured this song. Before that, I hadn't heard of the Flaming Lips before. I can remember playing this song, thinking how weird, but in a good way, it was, but I never took the time to explore The Flaming Lips any further. I had since forgotten about that song until I saw this album cover this morning. It was a nice shot of nostalgia. That song is an earworm. I will be humming it now for days! This whole album is as gloriously strange as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 is. I don't know what genre of music this belongs to, perhaps psychadelic indie rock/dream pop? The lyrics, although odd, are sung beautifully, and have a way of pulling you into this strange world they are painting a picture of through their music (almost feels like an anime film). The layers of spacey sounds overlapping the synth /acoustic guitar bits, and then the addition by times of orchestral pieces is beautiful. It all blends together into this wonderful tepestry of sound. It's weird, by all accounts, I should hate this music, with its odd psychadelic aspects and indie rock undertones, but I really enjoyed it. So much so that I listened to the album twice. Favourite songs: "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1", Fight Test, Do You Realize??, In the Morning of the Magicians Least favourite song: One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21 4/5

The Who are a rock band (part of the British Invasion) from the UK. This is their debut album. These guys epidomized the rock and roll lifestyle (destroying instruments on stage at concerts, trashing hotel rooms, and Keith Moon's adoration of blowing up toilets) They were also the predecessors of punk rock. In their search for more volume, Pete Townsend and John Entwistle were key players in the development of the Marshall Stack, which became a staple of rock acts later on. Keith Moon was a hell of a drummer! Pete's use of distortion and feedback revolutionized rock music as we know it today. The speed and intensity of their live shows was legendary. Overall, a great record. Very influential to so many bands that came after them, and trendsetters of their genre. Favourite songs: My Generation, The Kids are Alright, La-La-La-Lies, Much too Much, Please Please Please, I'm A Man Least favourite song: The Good's Gone 4/5

Keith Jarrett is a jazz pianist from the USA. This is a live album, recorded at the Koln (Opera House) in Cologne in 1975. Before heading out on his own, Keith played with the likes of Art Blakely and Miles Davis. The story behind this album is a fantastic one. Before the show, Keith requested a concert grand piano be supplied for him to play the concert on. There was a misunderstanding with the venue, and a baby grand piano is all that was provided. Not only that, it was the baby grand that the venue had as a strictly "rehearsal instrument". The piano was worse for wear, being slightly out of tune, and having pedals that didn't always work as they should. Keith was also having severe back pain (he had to play the concert in a back brace) so much that he couldn't sleep, and was severely overtired, and before the concert, the restaurant he went to screwed his order up, leaving Keith only enough time for a few bites before having to leave to play the show. So tired, hungry, and with the wrong instrument, he went out, and now unable to play the setlist he wanted due to the smaller, subpar instrument he was provided, improvised 66 minutes of flawless music on the spot!! I am not necessarily the biggest jazz fan, but this story of perseverance in the face of hardship is what music is all about. This album wholeheartedly belongs on this list, simply because of that story! Even the music he managed to play was amazing, though! Not something I would gravitate to every day, but absolutely stellar work. Keith was a master of his instrument!! I really enjoyed today's listen, and the story that went along with it! Favourite songs: Koln Pt. II C Least favourite songs: Koln Pt. I (just because he spent the first 10 minutes noodling about on the piano, I'm assuming trying to figure out what worked and what didn't on it) 4/5

Ray Price is a 50's - 60's country artist. His backing band is called the Cherokee Cowboys, and has featured the likes of: Johnny Paycheck, Roger Miller, and singing backing vocals and playing bass on this record, Willie Nelson. At the start of this album, specifically on the song "Night Life", Ray sounded like a cross between Frank Sinatra and George Jones, which I didn't really care for. After that, though, he settled into the traditional old country western, with themes of drinking, heartbreak, and chasing women. Notably: the songs "Lonely Street" and "The Twenty-Fourth Hour" are very strong to the old country genre with the fiddle/steel guitar and sad theme. I didn't think I knew any of Ray's stuff. I had heard of him before, but turns out I knew "The Wild Side of Life", and it is a great song. Now I must say, country isn't my favorite genre of music, but it is moreso the shitty pop country they are making today. The old classic country still had talented artists and really good songwriting. Today, anybody can be a country star, as long as they sing a song about a dog or a truck, or a beer. Overall, not a bad album. I don't think I would gravitate to it often, but can see how it definately influenced a lot of country artists that came later on. Favourite songs: The Wild Side of Life, Pride, Sittin' and Thinkin', The Twenty-Fourth Hour Least favourite songs: Night Life, Lonely Street, There's No Fool Like a Young Fool 3/5 Note: the album cover is kinda creepy. A lad leering at a couple who is just trying to have a drink. Greasy.

Fugees are a hip hip trio from the 90's that was made up of: Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and his cousin, Pras. This is Fugees second studio album, and is also their last album before breaking up to persue solo careers. I've reviewed a Lauryn Hill record on here before, and her flow is fantastic! It reminds me of Missy Elliott. I am also familiar with some of Wyclef Jean's stuff, and really enjoy it! The one complaint I have, with almost all hip hop records I've reviewed, is with the skits they include on the album. I always find it distracting and feel that it takes a bit from the record. Aside from the skits, the album has a really cohesive flow to it. The cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" is awesome. They did a really good job of making it their own, but not straying too far from the original. Overall, an excellent listen today! Definately something I will listen to again in the future! Favourite songs: Ready or Not, The Beast, "No Woman, No Cry", How Many Mics, Killing Me Softly With His Song, Fu-Gee-La Least favourite songs: Cowboys, The Mask, Mista Mista 4/5

Michael Kiwanuka is a British singer songwriter from London, with Ugandan roots. Some of this, he showcases in his music (notably the inclusion of African drums in the opening song, You Ain't The Problem). This album deals with feelings of inferiority/not fitting in and racism. Right out of the gate there is a stellar song that touches on how he didn't feel like he was "good enough" compared to other bands/artists at music festivals. This album is one that should be listened to cover to cover. Each song blends into the next beautifully, kind of like a compilation record. I don't really know what genre Michael fits into. Often he genre hops between songs. There is some soul/blues/indie rock and folk sensibilities for sure. For having never heard of Michael before, I thoroughly enjoyed this record!! This is what this album generator experience is all about! Discovering someone new who you've never heard of before, and probably never would have listened to on your own. I enjoyed his stuff so much, I explored his back catalog further after finishing this album today! I will definately listen again!! Favourite songs: Hero (Intro & Song), Rolling, Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)(Intro & song), I've Been Dazed Least favourite songs: Another Human Being 4/5

Fela Kuti is a singer songwriter from Nigeria, who is credited with creating the Afrobeat genre of music. Afrobeat is a combination of African musical styles and American funk/jazz/blues. It also has chanted vocals. This album is very politically driven, focusing on the unrest and violence in Nigeria at the time. The album title, Zombie, was a metaphor, referring to the Nigerian military's methods. It is believed that this album triggered the attack on his commune, and the resulting murder of his elderly mother. This music is spectacular, and doesn't feel like 12 minute songs when you listen to it. There is something about it that pulls you in and keeps your interest. The Spotify link is for the re-release, which happened in 2009, and included 2 more songs, so this is the one I listened to and reviewed. Overall, fantastic music! Thoroughly enjoyed discovering "afrobeat", which is a genre I didn't even know existed. Will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow Least favourite song: Mistake (Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival) 4/5

Happy Mondays is a British "Madchester" band. Madchester was a music movement in the 80's and 90's that took place in and around Manchester, hence the name. It is a blending of indie rock/new wave with acid house and psychadelia music styles. Happy Mondays style features heavy precussion/bongo work with rock style guitar riffs and sometimes funk oriented bass grooves, all while having this super dance-y structure and delivery. Most of the lyrics are nonsensical, and there is also some brass instrument sections on this album. It has a bit of everything. I didn't mind this album, but nothing really jumped out at me either. The whole Madchester genre is kind of weird, and maybe doesn't translate as well on this side of the pond. My favourite song on the record, as shown below, is Tokoloshe Man (which isn't on the original record, but was included in the Spotify linked "Collectors Edition). If I were to have a favourite from the actual album, it would be Loose Fit. Favourite songs: Tokoloshe Man, Loose Fit, Step On, God's Cop, Kinky Afro Least favourite songs: Grandbag's Funeral, Harmony 3/5

This is Elvis Presley's fourth studio album, and his first album made after his deployment with the army. Elvis was influential in creating the rock and roll movement that exploded in the late 50's - early 60's. You can definately hear influence from blues and country throughout this album. My knee-jerk reaction this morning after seeing this album pop up was "Oh no, not an Elvis album". I understand how important he was to music, but have never been particularly fond of his music, however, after listening to this album, I was pleasantly surprised! This being an early album, and also happening right after his tour in the military, he did a bit more exploration of his sound on this record. The albums that follow this one (after he begins his time in Vegas) steadily go downhill and he becomes more of a circus act than a singer (with the hip gyrating and weird outfit). This is what I think of when I think of Elvis, and I hate that era of his music, so I am very glad this wasn't that. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album today! Not a bad song on the record, even though I only recognized one of them (Fever, because of the movie Hangover, even though the song in the movie is a remake of this one). Favourite songs: "Dirty, Dirty Feeling", Such a Night, Make Me Know It, Reconsider Baby, Like a Baby, The Girl of My Best Friend, Fever, I Will Be Home Again, Fever Least favourite songs: It Feels So Right, Soldier Boy 5/5

Today's album is my second by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. This is the album once recommended to me by a friend. This is a very dark album, whose entire theme circles around death and murder. Listening to this album is like listening to a true crime documentary. Nick's writing style and vocal delivery gives an overwhelming feeling of dread and gloom. He pairs with female vocalists such as: Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey to inject some beauty to his baritone voice. The whole record proceeds through so much death and murder, and finally ends with a song of hope (a cover of Bob Dylan's "Death is Not the End") to pull the listener out of the darkness. This album is beautiful in the most fucked of ways. Nick has a way of genre jumping between albums. The first album of his I reviewed was called The Boatman's Call, which was an intimate acoustic album which featured Nick singing with piano accompaniment. Very soft and mellow. This album was rock oriented (kind of goth rock in a way) and VERY dark. I loved this album. At first, the shock of the material kind of turned me off, but eventually, it won me over, and upon second listen, I really looked past that, and really listened. This is a piece of art! The only way to enjoy this record is by listening front to back. Favourite songs: Stagger Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, The Kindness of Strangers, Song of Joy, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not The End Least favourite song: Crow Jane 5/5

The B-52's were a new wave, post punk band, most famous for the song Love Shack, and Rock Lobster. This was their debut album. Their sound blends "surf rock" guitars with heavy synth backing and weird psychadelic, nonsensical lyrics. I enjoy the male/female vocal dynamic. This music is weird, but in a good way. Some of their stuff was too out there for me (like when their singing doesn't mesh with the time signature that the instruments are playing) but overall, I can see how many bands that came later drew influence from this band. Overall, an interesting listen today. Before this I was only familiar with their hits, but discovered a few more songs I hadn't heard before, but really liked. Favourite songs: Rock Lobster, Lava, 6060-842 (6060 842) Least favourite songs: 52 Girls, Planet Claire, Hero Worship, Downtown 3/5

My second Prince album reviewed. This record had a lot more familiar song on it than the first one I listened to (Sign 'O' the Times). This is the first album he recorded with his backing band, the Revolution. This album is sexually charged as hell! I feel like I've been ear fucked by Prince, and I'm ok with it! I could do without the 2 minute porno clips in the songs Automatic, and Lady Cab Driver, but we will chock that up to artistic expression. The Revolution were tight on this album, taking Prince's pop rock to another level! There are strong dance vibes on this, and also touches of R&B, and funk. The song Free is a great nod to the world issues surrounding people who are horribly oppressed by their governments, and preaches a message of peace and love. Overall, I really enjoyed this album! A lot of great songs on this one, and great beats throughout! Will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Little Red Corvette, D.M.S.R. 1999, Let's Pretend We're Married Least favourite songs: Delirious, Something in the Water (Does Not Compute) 4/5

Before today, I had no idea that Rod Stewart had a band! In 1969, the band "the Small Faces" disbanded when Steve Marriott left. The three remaining members picked up Ron Wood on guitar, and Rod Stewart on vocals, and became the band "Faces". Rod already had a career of his own with his solo work, so he used his time with "Faces" to go wild. A few songs on this record were sung by bassist Ronnie Lane. His voice isn't as strong or recognizable as Rod's, but is still good in its own right. There are heavy blues influences on this record, and I love the sludgy guitars throughout! Apparently "Faces" lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle: partying, drinking, and womanizing! It's too bad the band broke up after only 5 short years! I can't believe I just discovered Faces today!! After breaking up, Rod continued with his solo career, Ron Wood joined the Rolling Stones, and drummer Kenny Jones eventually joined the Who, so quite a perigree of talent came from this band!! I've heard the song Stay With Me before, but always assumed it was just a Rod Stewart song. Overall, I loved today's album! So much so, that I listened to it twice! I will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Stay With Me, Memphis, Miss Judy's Farm, Too Bad, That's All You Need, You're So Rude, Least favourite song: If forced to pick, Last Orders Please 5/5

Today's album was a weird one to fit into a genre. It was funk, rock, psychadelica, and soul all seamlessly mixed into a fantastic listening experience! Funkadelic started life as a sister act to George Clinton's doo wop group, the Parliaments. Funkadelic is where all the experimentation happened, whereas the Parliaments stayed true to the funk genre. It is said that the name Funkadelic came from the fact that most of the inspirations for their music came from LSD trips. This makes sense, given some of the song titles. Notably: Lunchmeataphobia and Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis. The musical talent in this band is amazing! Stand out props to Michael Hampton for blowing the roof off of the place and shredding guitar licks in the song Maggot Brain! Overall, a great album! Will definately listen again! I had to find the album on YouTube though because Spotify doesn't have it for some dumb reason. Favourite songs: Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!, Maggot Brain /Chant (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet!), One Nation Under a Groove, Lunchmeataphobia (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet!) Least favourite songs: Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis / Enema Squad (the Doo Doo Chasers) 4/5

This is another album that I have no idea what genre to put it in. Laura Nyro is a singer songwriter who melded together aspects of jazz, folk, soul, R&B, pop, and show tunes, creating an odd mishmash of everything. One thing about her style that I've read a lot of people don't like is the constant tempo/genre changes she implements. You are just settling into a song, getting used to the beat and flow, and Laura flips it on its head and completely changes it. While it may annoy a lot of people, I don't mind it really because it keeps you focused on the music instead of drifting off. Laura has a beautiful singing voice, and can really hit those high notes! I hear influence from jazz/soul greats such as Nina Simone and Billie Holiday in her style and vocal delivery. Her lyrics are largely nonsensical, much like Kate Bush, but older. Overall, I enjoyed today's album after listening to it twice. Much like Joni Mitchell's album I reviewed on here already, it took me some time to warm up to how out there this album was. I doubt if I will listen again, but I'm glad I did at least once. Favourite songs: Eli's Comin', Lu, Sweet Blindness, Timer, Stoned Soul Picnic Least favourite songs: Lonely Women, Emmie, Woman's Blues, December's Boudoir 3/5

Before today, the only song by a-ha that I was familiar with was Take On Me (the first song on this album). a-ha are a Norwegian synth pop band, that rose to fame with the song and video for Take On Me. I remember the sketched music video well. After the success of that song, it seemed like, on this side of the pond at least, the band kind of fell off of the face of the earth. Interestingly though, there were 5 singles released off of this album in Europe (Take On Me, The Sun Always Shines On T.V., Hunting High and Low, Love Is Reason, and Train of Thought), and they are actually still actively making music and touring over there as well (latest album release was 2022). This album is full of 80's nostalgia. Not because I was familiar with all the songs, but because all of the songs had that signature 80's heavy synthesized sound, with electric drum machines and synthesizers in the forefront. Aside from the 5 singles mentioned above, the other songs were good, but felt a bit like filler (didn't really stand out). I was hoping that another of their songs would impress me enough to topple Take On Me from my "favourite song" slot, and that is what The Sun Always Shines On T.V. did. Not that I don't like Take On Me, but it just got played to death, so it lost a lot of its grandeur over the years of repetition. The Sun Always Shines On T.V. starts off slow, but is a real rockin' 80's pop song. Overall, not a bad record. Probably not something I would revisit, but I can see how it may have been influential in the 80's. Favourite songs: The Sun Always Shines On T.V., Take On Me, Love Is Reason, Hunting High and Low Least favourite songs: And You Tell Me 3/5

Before today, I had never heard of The Jesus and Mary Chain before. They are a indie rock/shoegaze band from Scotland. One thing I am learning through this 1001 albums exercise is how much I hate shoegaze. If you aren't going to be enthusiastic about playing your instruments or singing, then why the fuck are you making music? This is depressing, brooding music which is sung by someone who seems bored to be there. The guitar is played shittily with tons of distortion (maybe to try and cover up the lack of talent, but it doesn't work). Overall, this was a shitty album by a shitty band that I will never visit again. Only reason it's 2 stars is because at least it isn't fucking Joy Division. I have no idea what this could have influenced. Why it is on this list, I don't know. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Favourite songs: Happy When It Rains, Cherry Came Too, Darklands Least favourite songs: Nine Million Rainy Days, On The Wall 2/5

These idiots should be banned from owning musical instruments. There is nothing on this record that could begin to be called music. None of these brainless bastards can play an instrument, let alone maintain a beat, or carry a tune. This sounds like a bunch of 5 year olds left in a room with musical instruments, and their main objective is to fucking destroy the instruments by wailing on them. This isn't a genre of music because this isn't music. By times it sounds like they're trying to emulate Talking Heads, but they don't have the cognitive ability to even begin to come close. The "singer" sounds like a cat stuck in a grease trap. If you can't make music, don't. This has influenced nothing but headaches from every poor sod subjected to listening to this trash. This "band" should have to pay fines for every set of ears that bleed because of their garbage. Never heard of Pere Ubu before, and will have forgotten about them by tomorrow. Whoever put this album on this list needs their head examined. Favourite songs: (if forced to pick) On the Surface Least favourite songs: Navvy, Dub Housing, Thriller!, (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, 1/5 because I have to... It'd be a 0 if I could.

Before today, I've never heard of The Damned. They are a mid-late 70's punk band from Britain; from the same era as The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Actually, interestingly, I learned that two people were asked to audition for The Damned: Dave Vanian, and Sid Vicious (who became the Sex Pistols bassist). Only Dave showed up, and ultimately got the job. Captain Sensible became The Damned's bassist. The aliases some of these lads use are hilarious: Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies for example. Their sound is classic punk, and was a great listen today! Dave has a funny way of spinning lyrics, such as in the song "These Hands" about a murderous clown, or "Anti-Pope" about organized religion. One interesting thing these guys do is use a synthesizer from time to time, which is something you don't normally see in punk music. Overall, not a bad listen. Nothing really stood out, but I would definately listen again if given the chance. Favourite songs: "Noise, Noise, Noise", Anti-Pope, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Machine Gun Etiquette Least favourite songs: These Hands (because fuck clowns) 3/5

Before today, I had no idea who TV on the Radio were. After a bit of reading, I discovered they are an alternative/indie rock band that fuses aspects of funk, jazz, and electronic music. After listening, this is a great album, and band! I thought I recognized the song DLZ but couldn't place where I'd heard it before. After a few minutes of Googling, turns out it was used in a scene of Breaking Bad. Excellent scene, and excellent song! By times the singer sounds like a modern day Prince. I find that their sound is similar to Arcade Fire, but with more of an electronic sound. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed today's album. This is what this exercise is all about! Discovering a new band that I never would have found on my own. I enjoyed this album so much that I listened to it twice, then started listening to their back catalogue. Favourite songs: Dancing Choose, DLZ, Golden Age, Red Dress, Shout Me Out Least favourite songs: Stork & Owl, Love Dog 4/5

As familiar as I am with Bruce Springsteen's hits, I've never sat down and listened to one of his albums cover to cover before. Right off the bat, Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, and Born to Run are all classics! I wasn't familiar with the rest of the album. The only song I didn't really care for was Meeting Across the River. This whole album was fantastic! The addition of piano and sax gives it that traditional Springsteen sound that everyone is so familiar with. The E-Street Band was tight on this record. The Boss just oozes Americana. When you hear one of his songs, you are immediately transported to NY in the 70's. Overall, a great album. I'm glad I got to listen to it. Bruce was insanely influential to artists that came after him. Favourite songs: Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Born to Run, Jungleland Least favourite songs: Meeting Across the River 4/5

I've never heard of Travis before. Apparently they are a soft rock/alt rock band from Scotland. Basically, these guys sound like Scotland's answer to Coldplay or Oasis. Their sound consists of jangly guitars with piano accompaniment. Their music has a tendency to be quite bland, as is the norm with this era of alt rock. Nothing wrong with it, it just blends in with the thousands of other bands that were doing the same thing at the same time. Overall, this was a good album. Perfectly average. The best song on the album was the hidden track at the end of the album called Blue Flashing Light. They really turned up the energy on this one (maybe they had to, given the fact they were singing about domestic violence). Nonetheless, it stood out ahead of the rest for sure! The rest kind of blended together. I enjoyed today's listen, but don't know if I will actively seek it out again. Favourite songs: Blue Flashing Light (*hidden track*), Driftwood, Why Does it Always Rain on Me?, Turn Least favourite songs: The Last of the Laughter 3/5

Looking at today's album cover, and having no idea who Richard and Linda Thompson are, I wouldn't have guessed that I was in for a folk record, but that is what I got. Not only a folk record, but a phenomenal folk record that mixes country and blues sensibilities into its sound as well! Turns out Richard Thompson was the lead guitarist and songwriter for the band Fairport Convention, before he broke off and did his own thing with his then wife Linda. The harmonies they can achieve, and the music they created on this record is amazing. Linda has a beautiful voice, and it adds a hint of beauty to Richards bleak songwriting style. The End of the Rainbow is a particularly bleak, but beautiful song. Every song on this record is amazing in its own right. From the fast paced, upbeat I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight to the slow ballad Withered and Died where Linda took the role of lead singer. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed today's album. So much so, that I listened to it three times cover to cover, and found something new to love about it each time. I will definately revisit this one, and will add it to my regular listening. Favourite songs: I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, We Sing Hallelujah, The Calvary Cross, When I Get To the Border, Withered and Died, Down Where the Drunkards Roll, The Little Beggar Girl Least favourite song: The Great Valerio 5/5

Another unknown Scottish alt rock band. This generator has a slight obsession with them lately apparently. Never heard of Cocteau Twins before. After researching them a bit this morning I learned they are another fucking shoegaze/dream pop band, and are accredited with helping start the dream pop sound. Now, I've been known to hate shoegaze, so I went into this with low expectations. This "dream pop" is different though. It is like that mopey goth rock /shoegaze garbage in song structure, but with a warmer, more upbeat vocal delivery and more jangly guitars. One weird thing about this band is that the vocals are layered so much that you can't understand what she is saying. It sounds like she is singing in a foreign language. As odd as that sounds, the vocal layering adds a etherial aspect to the music. The singer has a beautiful voice, kind of like Enya in some respects. That added beauty is welcome over the backing shoegaze shuffling garbage. It is like goth but with "hope". Overall, a weird listen today. Not terrible, but not really in my wheelhouse. I understand it's place in the grand scheme of music, but I probably won't revisit it again. Favourite songs: Heaven or Las Vegas, Wolf in the Breast, Iceblink Luck, Fotzepolitic Least favourite songs: "Road, River and Rail", Cherry-coloured Funk, Fifty-fifty Clown 2/5

Great... More fucking obscure British shoegaze garbage..... Ffs.... Never heard of the Boo Radleys before, and hope to forget them quickly. They are, as my first comment suggests, a shoegaze/brit pop band who has no reason to be on this list. Sounds like they are trying to be like Smashing Pumpkins but are too shitty of artists to come close. If the band didn't canoodle and play random shitty intros/outros, the album could have been done in half the time. Album production is garbage. Music is loud as hell, then when the vocals come in, you can barely hear them. Horns?!? Why?!? They have no place in your depressing shoegaze garbage. And random distorted electrical feedback noises.... An attempt to add psychadelica to this crock pot of horseshit.... Why? Why did they have to do poor Boo Radley dirty like this? Probably to make people think they were artsy and deep, but in actuality they are depressing emo trash. Favourite songs: Take the Time Around, Lazarus, Wish I Was Skinny Least favourite songs: Butterfly McQueen, Run My Way Runway, as well as the rest of this garbage album. Absolutely no redeeming qualities: 1/5

Before today, I'd only heard of Fugazi, but had never listened to them before. The way I heard of them was actually through another album I've already reviewed on this generator. That album was Out of Step by Minor Threat. The singer from that band, Ian MacKaye, is also the singer for this band. I loved that album, it was awesome punk, and this album is post hardcore punk. Ian never wanted to be part of a band who could ever be accused of selling out, so when Minor Threat made it to the mainstream, he left the band for another, eventually creating Fugazi. This wasn't as strong as his Minor Threat stuff, I found. Maybe I'm just not as much a fan of post hardcore punk? Whatever the reason, this just didn't resonate with me the way the Minor Threat album did. This album is full of distorted guitars, machine gun drums, and screaming lyrics. I can hear how the Offspring drew influence from songs such as Merchandise. Overall, not bad, but not great. Just average. I kind of couldn't keep focused on this album today. One song would blend into the next. Good music that was absolutely influential, but I doubt I will revisit. Favourite songs: Merchandise, Song 1, Shut The Door, Blueprint, Reprovisional Least favourite songs: Break-In, Two Beats Off 3/5

Today's album was a much welcomed change from the garbage that I've been getting lately. I love Thin Lizzy, they are a super underrated classic rock band from Ireland. Their music has everything you want from classic rock: stellar vocals, guitar solos, drum solos, leather, smoke, and sex appeal. Hell, second song in, the singer is asking women in the audience if they'd wanna bang. This live album is a compilation of the best bits from three separate shows they played: the Tower Theatre in Pennsylvania, the Hammersmith Odeon in London, and the Rainbow Theatre in London. That said, it contains all of their hits, plus some stuff I hadn't heard before, but was equally as awesome. One song even featured Huey Lewis on harmonica (Baby Drives Me Crazy)! Overall, a phenomenal record! Who cares if they overdubbed applause, it is the music and energy that shines through! Listened to it 3 times today, and will definately listen again in the future. Favourite songs: Cowboy Song, The Boys Are Back In Town, Dancing in the Moonlight, Jailbreak, Massacre, Rosalie (Cowgirl's Song), Emerald, Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed, Suicide, Baby Drives Me Crazy Least favourite songs: Sha-La-La, Still in Love With You 5/5

Today I got the luck of listening to the lowest rated album on this list, coming in at a whopping 1.87! Einsturzende Neubauten is an industrial/electronica band from Germany. They are big on "found sound", meaning they will make "music" out of whatever they come across (water bubbling/blenders/drills/breaking glass/plumbing piping... Any assortment of garbage). Taken from Spotify's bio on the band: "their early activities included a seemingly inexplicable half naked appearance on the Berlin Autobahn, where the duo spent some time beating on the sides of a hole in an overpass". These guys were wild. If nothing else, the stories of the band shenanigans is deserving of a star! Apparently they were big showmen, dressing in costume, using props, and shooting fire/assorted garbage at the audience of their shows. Also, they were pioneers of "crowd-funding", which has allowed their dedicated fans to help pay for a few of their records! The first 4-5 songs are horrid, but then it settles down into what will be the rest of the record (less abrasive noise with less shouting). I can see how many people couldn't make it through the first bit of the record and just wrote it off at that time, but power through it, because it gets "better" on the back end. At the start of the record, the "singing" sounds like exerpts from Hitler's hate speeches (shouting while very close to the mic). Later on, it was just random, nonsensical lyrics, and the last 5-6 songs are fully instrumental. Overall, an interesting listen today. This is absolutely terrible, but the antics of the band, along with my ability to see what they were driving at and what they influenced allows me to look past the awful noise I heard. I will never go back and listen again, but I still feel this is better than a 1 star album for those reasons. Also, this isn't as bad as that utter trash that Pere Ubu called music a few days ago. Favourite songs: Kollaps, Draussen ist Feindlich, Rohrbombe Least favourite songs: Steh auf Berlin, Tanz Debil, Negativ Nein, U-Haft-Muzak 2/5

Buddy Holly was a rock and roll icon in the 50's! Another life gone too soon! I can imagine how scandalous his music must have been in that time period. Looking back at it now, it is more of a pop vibe, but back then, those Strat's would have been making rebellious music that parents of the day hated. Buddy blended his country roots with rockabilly, and pop, and came up with this good ol rock and roll, in line with what Roy Orbison or Elvis Presley were doing. Imagine what Buddy could have done if he had lived longer! Overall, a great album today! Very influential, and trend setting! Will definately listen again to this classic artist and album! Favourite songs: That'll Be the Day, I'm Lookin' For Someone to Love, Not Fade Away, Maybe Baby, Oh Boy!, Last Night, Rock Me My Baby Least favourite songs: If forced to pick, It's Too Late 5/5

The second Stooges album I've reviewed on this generator. This one feels less polished than the other one I listened to (Fun House). I was never a huge fan of the Stooges, but understand that what they were doing was mind blowing at the time. Imagine living in early 60's America, listening to the swinging rock n roll of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, then hearing this! It must have been crazy! These guys were creating the beginnings of punk rock with their fuzzy guitars, heavy drums, and almost screamed vocals. That coupled with Iggy's predisposition to self mutilation at his live shows! Overall, a revolutionary album, but not my favourite. I do, however, understand how important this album and band was to music. The first half of the album was stronger than the second I thought. Favourite songs: I Wanna Be Your Dog, 1969 Least favourite song: We Will Fall 3/5

I didn't think I'd ever heard of Curtis Mayfield before until I heard the song Pusherman. Curtis Mayfield is a soul/funk artist who was once a member of the Impressions, before branching off and doing his own thing. He was integral in the pioneering of funk, and was also one of the first soul artists whose lyrics told stories of the pride and struggles of the African American community. This record was recorded for a movie titled 'Superfly' which dealt with the issues around ghettos and drug use. Some hard hitting topics on this record. Curtis' music tells a story like no other. Every song on this record is awesome! His guitar playing is stellar, and the inclusion of brass instruments and Latin-influenced beats makes him stand out amid his counterparts. Overall, a phenomenal record today. One I will definately listen to again! Favourite songs: Pusherman, Superfly, Little Child Runnin' Wild, Freddie's Dead (Theme from 'Superfly') Least favourite song: if forced to pick, Think 5/5

My second album on this generator by the Doors. This album, unlike their self titled debut, is much more blues rock forward with less acid induced organ solos. For those reasons, I found that it was a stronger album. Another reason this album is stronger in my mind is because this is their fifth album, so the band had time to settle into their sound. Apparently this was a return to their sound after their fourth album which featured jazz notes with horns and strings, so it was recieved well. Overall, a great album, and one I will definately visit again! Favourite songs: Roadhouse Blues, Peace Frog, Maggie M'Gill, Land Ho!, You Make Me Real Least favourite songs: Blue Sunday, Indian Summer 4/5

Before today I'd never heard of Joan Baez before. She is a folk singer-songwriter who rose to fame as part of the folk music revival of the late 50's. Upon first listen it is clear that she is one hell of a guitarist! This album is all covers of older folk songs, and Joan's beautiful voice and guitar playing skills have definately done right by the original songwriters! One thing that is hard to get past with her style of singing is the register she sings in (it is so high that I think dogs down the street were barking because of it). Also, her constant vibrato can be a bit annoying, but none of this is to say that she can't sing. Actually quite the opposite, she is a master of her craft! It's just that that craft isn't for everyone. I enjoyed today's listen! Not something I will revisit daily, but I can appreciate where she was coming from, and what she influenced as a result! A few songs I wondered if I would make it through, but after the song All My Trials, the album gets much better! Favourite songs: Wildwood Flower, Rake and Rambling Boy, Little Moses, Henry Martin, Silver Dagger Least favourite songs: All My Trials, Fare Thee Well 4/5

Today's album is the second of a trilogy of albums recorded in Berlin and known as the Berlin Trilogy. In the late 70's, Bowie and Iggy Pop spent a few years in Berlin, trying to get clean of drugs and alcohol, and that time turned out to be a super productive couple of years for both of them. After he released his first of the three albums titled Low earlier in 1977, Bowie toured with Iggy Pop, playing keyboard for his band. When the tour ended, he assisted in the recording of Iggy's second solo album Lust for Life, then regrouped at the recording studio with Brian Eno to record this album that same year. Most of the tracks on this record were composed on the spot in the studio, with lyrics not being written until Bowie stood in front of the mic! What a busy year, and it goes to show how much of a stellar musician Bowie was. The second half of the album, starting at the song V-2 Schneider is a huge instrumental number. It reminds me of outer space quite a bit, and is quite relaxing. I feel like it would be good music to meditate or do yoga to. Overall, a great, typical quirky Bowie album. Not my favourite album of his, but definately a gem! Favourite songs: Heroes, Beauty and the Beast, the whole instrumental second half (V-2 Schneider, Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden, & Neukoln) Least favourite songs: Joe the Lion, Sons of the Silent Age, The Secret Life of 4/5

First time I've ever heard of X-Ray Spex. Apparently they are a female punk band from Britain. Upon listening, that is exactly what they are! Good old 70's punk! The lead singer, Poly Styrene, can really belt out the lyrics, but there's something about her voice...I can't understand what she's singing most of the time. Musically, this is right down the alley of the Sex Pistols, or the Damned. The strong female lead gives me vibes of B-52s, Blondie, and Garbage. One thing that caught me off guard was the inclusion of a saxophone (not something I'd ever heard used in punk music before). Oddly enough, it worked really well with the fast punk, and gave it their own flavour. Overall, not a bad record at all. Spotify links to the bands Anthology, but I just listened to the original record, as an additional hour of live tracks and shitty B sides didn't interest me, and would have probably hurt the bands overall score. Favourite songs: Let's Submerge, I Am a Poseur, The Day the World Turned Dayglo, Identity, Genetic Engineering Least favourite songs : Germ-Free Adolescents, Plastic Bag 3/5

Hell yes!! Iron Maiden is my favourite heavy metal band!! I've listened to this album many times before, but that won't stop me from listening again! This is Maiden's self titled debut album. This was before the legendary Bruce Dickinson became the lead singer of the band, and gave them that signature sound of vocals soaring overtop of amazing heavy metal! Paul Di'Anno was a great singer as well, but his voice didn't have that strength that Bruce is known for. Paul is well suited to singing metal though, because he has a gravelly voice to match the hard hitting heavy music that accompanied him. Prowler and Phantom of the Opera are classics still to this day! Even though this album pales in comparison to some of the rest of Maiden's vast catalog of music, it isn't as bad as The X-Factor or Virtual XI (two albums made in the middle of Maiden's career when Bruce took a hiatus), and it is a super strong debut album! Iron Maiden are one of the originals in the heavy metal genre, and they have influenced so many!! This is a phenomenal album, and a hell of a talented band! Steve Harris has a vision, and ran with it, and thank God for that, because what we got out of it was this stellar band making this amazing music! Steve's bass work, especially in Transylvania is fucking amazing!!!! UP THE IRONS!!! Favourite songs: Prowler, Phantom of the Opera, Running Free, Transylvania, Iron Maiden Least favourite song: Remember Tomorrow 5/5

I can't believe that I've listened to 157 records on this generator before I got 1 Beatles album, because I'm assuming that there are quite a few in this list. Historically, I've been known to not be a huge fan of the Beatles. I never cared for their poppy stuff too much, but always understood how influential they were in the grand scheme of music. This album, however, was a bit of a stray from their usual poppy crap, and they were testing the waters of psychadelica/blues rock a bit here. Certainly albums that followed (Revolver/Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) delved into these genres heavier, but this album was the start of that shift. I thoroughly enjoyed the country/blues rock feel of the song What Goes On, and the inclusion of a sitar in the song Norwegian Wood was great! The song Run For Your Life was a bit jarring, and a weird way to end a record, but it was still a great song. The reason I tend to hate the Beatles is because apparently to make a Beatles song, all you need is harmonizing, "Ooh La La La's", and a fuck ton of tambourine work, which this album has a bit of, but not too much. Overall, a good record from a very influential band. The Beatles aren't in heavy rotation for me, but a few of these songs may make it onto a playlist for sure. Favourite songs: What Goes On, Run For Your Life, Norwegian Wood, I'm Looking Through You, Drive My Car, The Word Least favourite song: Girl 4/5

Before today, I've never heard of Miriam Makeba. She was a South African jazz singer, similar to Nina Simone or Billie Holiday. A lot of her music is sung in her native language, with a few in English. One song in particular called One More Dance was sung with Charles Colman. This song was about a wife sleeping around on her husband while he dies at home. The whole song features Charles laughing while singing, which is a bit odd. The most amusing lyric he said was " Darling go home, your husband is dead".... And then burst out laughing..... Lol. Miriam's voice is beautiful, and her version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" called Mbube is fantastic! There is a lot of sing, and repeat type vocalizations that took place throughout. Miriam was important in bringing afropop to the world stage. Overall, a great album, and not one I would have ever discovered on my own. These albums are what this generator is all about. Favourite songs: The Naughty Little Flea, Mbube, The Click Song, Lakutshon' Ilanga, Holilili, House of the Rising Sun Least favourite songs: Where Does it Lead 4/5

Today's album was the second Pink Floyd album I've gotten on this generator. This is Pink Floyd's 8th studio album, and it is another concept album, based on the pressures faced by the band during their busy lifestyle, and loosely touched on the mental health issues of former band member Syd Barrett. This is the first of Floyd's albums not to feature Syd, and instead to have David Gilmour on guitar and co-lead vocals. With the departure of Syd, the one noticeable difference is the lack of long acid induced guitar solos. This album is much more concise and direct than its predecessors. I love how this album flows together into one cohesive song. Also the way it starts and finishes with a heartbeat.... Leading the listener on a rollercoaster ride through the life of someone who grows up, chases money, and battles mental illness. It is absolutely phenomenal, especially the song Time. Overall an amazing album, and one I have heard before, and will definately listen to again. Favourite songs: Time, Money, Us and Them, Brain Damage, Breathe (In the Air), Eclipse Least favourite songs: If forced to pick, Speak to Me 5/5

Before today, I had heard of the song Jesus Built My Hotrod, but didn't know who sang it. Conveniently, that song is on this record. Ministry are an industrial metal band, whose sound is In line with other such acts of the early 90's as: White Zombie, Godsmack, or Marilyn Manson. By times, their music is straight thrash/speed metal with sampling throughout (this is where it reminds me of Godsmack). There is a constant electronic/industrial vibe throughout as well, and the lead singers vocals are fuzzy and distorted. By times the distortion/screaming made the lyrics hard to understand, but overall it gave a doom metal kind of vibe to the whole thing. This album touched on topics such as, most notably, organized religion. The song Psalm 69 didn't pull any punches in this regard with such lyrics as: "The body of Christ looked unto me A preacher with God-given hands He wants you to suck on the Holy Ghost And swallow the sins of man" I thought from the start that the familiar song Jesus Built My Hotrod would win for my favourite song on the album, but the song Hero was a classic speed/thrash metal song with a surprisingly deep message about war. Overall, an average listen today. I can see how this music was instrumental in influencing many bands to come, it's just not something I would gravitate to every day. The song Scare Crow was ~8:30 long, and most of that was just a heavy electronic beat sustained for 3 minutes at a time with 30 second lyrical breaks. The constant looping beat just lulls you into a trance more than anything I found, because nothing else changed. No tempo changes, or guitar solos, just 3 minutes of the same looping beat. Had these long breaks been omitted, this album would probably have scored higher with me. Favourite songs: Hero, Psalm 69, Jesus Built My Hotrod, N.W.O., Just One Fix Least favourite song: TV II 3/5

I didn't think I knew of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but turns out I'm familiar with the song Heads Will Roll. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an indie rock band with a female lead from New York. This is their third studio album. This album was co-produced by TV on the Radio's keyboardist/guitarist David Sitek. These guys sound quite a bit like TV on the Radio, or Arcade Fire. Karen O's vocals are awesome! Overall, a great album. I didn't know how it would go. It seems like there is a fine line with indie music between excellent music and shit music. This falls into the excellent category. I will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Heads Will Roll, Runaway, Zero, Shame and Fortune, Hysteric, Faces, Soft Shock Least favourite song: Little Shadow 4/5

This was my second album by Nirvana on this generator, and in my opinion, this is one of their greatest albums! The MTV Unplugged series was great, and led to some awesome records (my favourite being "Alice in Chains Unplugged). The premise of the show was that a popular band was brought on to play an acoustic set in front of a small studio audience, giving the whole thing a real intimate feel to it. My favourite thing about this record is that most bands would focus on their hits, but Kurt Cobain decided to include a few hits, a bunch of Nirvana's B-Sides, and 6 cover songs. If that isn't the epidomy of grunge, I don't know what is! The covers on this album include songs by the Vaselines, Meat Puppets, Lead Belly, and, most notably, David Bowie. Nirvana's version of The Man Who Sold The World exploded on the scene after this album was released, and he did an excellent job covering it too, even though he can be heard saying "I'm probably going to fuck this up" before the song starts. The fact that this album was recorded in November of 1993, and Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April of 1994 makes this an even more special performance. In my mind, this was Nirvana at their peak! Overall, a record I am very familiar with, and one that will continue to be spun regularly by me. An easy 5 stars! Favourite songs: Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Lake of Fire, The Man Who Sold The World, Plateau, Come As You Are, Polly, All Apologies, About a Girl, Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam Least favourite song: Something in the Way 5/5

For some reason, when I saw the name Gary Numan this morning and looked at the album cover I felt like I knew something of his, but couldn't place it. Upon listening to the album, it is the song Cars. It has been in movies/commercials/and TV shows in the past. Gary Numan is a synth pop artist who is accredited with helping to jumpstart the shift to electronic music in the 80's. It is easy to hear how influential his music was to so many artists who came after him. This music is very synth heavy, and he uses an interesting effect from time to time where he feeds his synthesizer through a guitar effects pedal. All of this while a drum machine beats along in the background, and Gary delivers his almost robotic vocal delivery. There is another sound he achieved in the song Engineers that almost sounded like robotic birds or something. There was a lot of experimentation going on on this record. Apparently Gary liked to dress as an android, and it even had a persona. This sounds like the music that Robots would bang to. And I mean that not in a bad way. This music would sound right at home on a 80's - 90's sci fi tv series. Overall, not a bad listen. I can see how influential this music was. Not something I would put on every day, but not something I would quickly switch off either if it was playing. Favourite songs: Cars, Observer, Metal, Bombers, M.E., Asylum Least favourite song: Engineers 3/5

I have been known to not like the Beach Boys as a knee jerk reaction, so upon first seeing today's album, I didn't hold out much hope that Brian Wilson's solo stuff would be any different. Boy was I right. This is actually much worse than anything the Beach Boys ever put out as a group. Apparently Brian started this album as a Beach Boys record, as a follow up to their album Pet Sounds in the 60's, then had a mental breakdown, and ended up taking 40 years to get his life back in order. As a nod to the Barenaked Ladies song: Brian Wilson should have stayed in bed. First off, as with every Beach Boys song ever released, there are so many layers of La La La's, Ooo Ooo Ooo's, and Do Do Doo's that it's sometimes hard to hear what Brian is saying. Not that it matters, because his lyrics are mostly nonsense. Also, I found it very hard to get into the groove and listen to this album because in one song, Brian may change up instruments, tempos, and storylines about 50 fucking times. I don't know if Brian was on good drugs, or bad meds but my fuck, at least the Beach Boys music had a direction. A lot of the time this music made me think there was someone who owned an obscure music shop who kept going out back and fetching new instruments, and the exchange would be like: I have this trumpet.. OK, I'll play that for 22 seconds... How about this choir bell? Perfect, I'll use that for 36.5 seconds... A tambourine? Excellent I'll wail on that for 56 seconds... How about this fucking drill and hammer? Excellent, I'll make a whole song using them!! For some reason, it seems like Brian was obsessed with the harpsichord on a lot of this record for some reason, so all I could think of is the Addam's Family theme song with many layers of shit laid over top. This "compilation album" is garbage, and I truly think I would take the lowest rated album on this list: Einsturzende Neubauten's Kollaps over this any day. A horrible listen, and I will never listen to it again. I barely got through it once today. Favourite song: if forced to pick, Heroes and Villains Least favourite songs: the whole album, but most of all, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow 1/5

I love Fleet Foxes. Ever since my sister got me to listen to their EP, Sun Giant, which had the song Mykonos on it, I was hooked. I've listened to this album many times before. White Winter Hymnal, and Blue Ridge Mountains are simply beautiful. I love this "chamber rock/folk" type music, which was big in the 00's - 10's. Fleet Foxes sound a lot like Boy & Bear and Mumford & Sons. The harmonies that they can hit on this record are simply beautiful, and the imagery they spin through their lyrics is amazing. I love the folk instruments (mandolin, woodwinds, upright bass, violin). It is so calming and peaceful. Really good vibes every time I listen to these guys. Favourite songs: White Winter Hymnal, Oliver James, Blue Ridge Mountains, Ragged Wood, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, He Doesn't Know Why, Your Protector Least favourite songs: If forced to pick, Quiet Houses 5/5

I've never heard of Nick Drake before, and from my research, I'm not alone apparently. This guy suffered from depression for a number of years, and he would hardly ever do interviews or play shows, so upon release, each of his records only sold a few thousand copies. He remained a well kept secret until after his death, which is unfortunate. It is too bad he couldn't have lived to see more people appreciate his music. I have no idea what to classify Nick's style of music as. It is listed as folk. It may have its roots in folk, but the backing band is strongly vested in jazz, so it is a weird mishmash of both genres, with some blues mixed in. The music is really good, and I learned that a lot of the backing music was provided by members of Fairport Convention. Nick's guitar playing is amazing, but I find that a few songs have some really weird time signatures that are kind of abrasive in that they make my brain itch trying to fathom them. I also don't particularly enjoy Nick's voice, and find that you may need a degree in philosophy to understand his lyrics. Critics say that this album deals heavily with themes of depression, but I didn't hear it, unless it was in that song where he sang about wanting to be a signpost? Overall, excellent music, but it just didn't hit with me. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't like it. I will probably never seek this music out again, but have to give props where they are due. Favourite songs: Northern Sky, Fly, Introduction, Bryter Layter, Sunday Least favourite songs: One of These Things First, At the Chime of a City Clock, Hazey Jane II 2/5

This album is like a teleportation device that instantly brought me back to middle school. I don't think I can separate my nostalgia from an honest music review on this one. Linkin Park were one of the bands that I would consider the soundtrack to my youth. I can clearly remember the first time I heard Linkin Park. I was sitting in the basement listening to Much Music, as a kid in Canada would do in those days. This song came on that was heavy, with screamed vocals, and hip hop mixing going on in the background. I was just starting to dip my toe into the "hard rock/metal" scene at the time, and was also hard into listening to hip hop, so this was a blend of the two music genres I was fond of, so it immediately grabbed my interest. The music video had a super industrial feel to it. Then came Chester's hook in the middle of One Step Closer, where he yells "Shut Up" several times with increasing intensity, and I was hooked. These lyrics immediately spoke to me as I was in my "rebellious youth" phase of life. From the song One Step Closer: "Everything you say to me, Takes me one step closer to the edge, And I'm about to break! I need a little room to breathe, Cause in one step closer to the edge, And I'm about to break!" Chester was saying what I wished I could, so I immediately went to the store "Records on Wheels", bought this album, and proceeded to fan boy everything they put out until into my high school years. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times in those years. Nu metal has always held this stigma that it is an "introduction to metal" which I would agree with. For Someone just trying to get into the metal scene, I was finding that bands like Slayer or Sepultura scared the shit out of me. Bands like Linkin Park or Korn were firmly rooted in the same metal style, but wasn't so abrasive, so it was almost like a stepping stone to the heavier and darker bands of true metal. Chester Bennington's voice was absolutely stellar! I simply love the live video that accompanied the song Given Up, where he held a scream for 17 seconds. Amazing. That powerful voice, coupled with Mike Shinoda's turntable work created this softer, more welcoming metal/hop hop hybrid that just immediately hit with me. Overall, an amazing trip down memory lane to some great times in my life, when things were simpler, and time ran slower. I have a soft spot for this music, this band, and specifically this album that will always be there. RIP Chester, you were a hell of a frontman, and were gone too soon! Favourite songs: In The End, One Step Closer, Papercut, Crawling, Points of Authority, Runaway, A Place For My Head, Forgotten Least favourite song: if forced to pick: Cure for the Itch 5/5

I've been known to be indifferent to Elvis Costello, but to tell the truth, I've never really gave him a chance, so I am looking forward to today's listen. I have my reservations, however, because upon reading up on this record, it turns out he made it in the "new wave" style which was very popular at the time. I have been known to hate new wave, so we will see how this goes. Apparently Elvis Costello is obsessed with dismemberment, because in at least 3 songs on this album, he mentions beheadings, or chopping people up. Also, in the song Oliver's Army, Costello drops an N-Word, which caught me off guard given the fact that he is a white nerd from the UK. Most of the lyrics, as can he said for most of New wave, were mostly nonsensical. The songs that actually had a clear message instead of incomprehensible ramblings were the ones I liked more (there weren't many). The last song on the record, (What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, was my favourite on the album. It sounded more like classic Costello, had a clear message, and followed a normal song structure, unlike almost everything else here. Overall, as suspected, not my favourite. I won't revisit ever again. The music wasn't bad, I just really hate new wave. Elvis gets props for the sheer magnitude of his influence on modern music though. Favourite songs: "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" , Oliver's Army, Goon Squad, Senior Service, Party Girl Least favourite songs: Big Boys, Green Shirt 2/5

Reading about today's album, I got pretty optimistic about it. Traditionally, I like Bruce Springsteen, and understand that he is very influential in the music scene. Hearing that this was a fully acoustic album (just Bruce, a guitar, and a harmonica) made this even better! I love coffee shop/singer songwriter acoustic music. This album is pure gold! It takes everything that is awesome about Bruce, and puts it in the spotlight. His songwriting abilities shine through on this one. There are themes of heartache, love, loss, and crime. His guitar and harmonica playing skills are on point too! So much beauty on one album. Not a dud in the bunch! I frequently listen to a Canadian East Coast artist named Adam Baldwin, and I would say he definately drew influence from this album for his style of music!! Overall, a phenomenal album! Listened to it twice today, and will absolutely listen to it again! Favourite songs: Highway Patrolman, Nebraska, Open All Night, My Father's House, Reason to Believe, Atlantic City, Used Cars, Johnny 99 Least favourite songs: if I have to pick, State Trooper 5/5

Today's album is another gem from the heavy metal genre. Van Halen were huge in the 80's, and Eddie Van Halen revolutionized the "finger tapping" guitar technique, which, when mastered, allowed the player to absolutely shred! He features this technique in the song Eruption. David Lee Roth was a hell of a frontman with a stellar "glam/hair metal" voice and appearance. Every song on this record is a banger! It was so hard to pick a favorite, because they all rock in their own way. Ice Cream Man shows a deep understanding of blues, showing the diversity of the band. Overall, a phenomenal album, and one that definitely deserves to be on this list!! I've listened to this album many times before, and I will definitely listen again!! Favourite songs: Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Runnin' With The Devil, You Really Got Me, Eruption, Atomic Punk, I'm The One, Jamie's Cryin', Feel Your Love Tonight, Ice Cream Man Least favourite songs: If forced to pick.... Little Dreamer 5/5

Oh no... There is another Primal Scream record on this generator? Wasn't it torture enough to suffer through Screamadelica.... Apparently not. Why is every Scottish band on this generator bland as fuck? Where is the Celtic music? Where are the bagpipes? Is it too much to ask that you inject some energy into your music? As stated above, here is another album which has no signs of life... Just robotic boops and synthesized electronic garbage. This album generator has taught me that electronica as a whole is an awful genre.... Everything on that spectrum is talentless trash. I feel like Primal Scream was trying to do something that The Prodigy saw, took, and mastered. I don't mind the Prodigy's stuff, because it has a pulse. They put so much energy into what they do, whereas these idiots are dead in the water. Apparently the band loved the movie Vanishing Point, but didn't think the soundtrack did the movie justice, so a few songs on here are dedicated to that movie, and that's how the album got its name. Like the movie, this "album" is awful, and will be forgotten quickly. No redeeming qualities at all. Favourite songs: Medication (a perfectly good rock song. They kept the electronica horse shit out of this song. Why can't the whole album be more like this?), Motorhead (could have been a better song had they kept the electronica garbage and shouting robot sounds out of it) Least favourite songs: Stuka (sounds like it's sung by a robot who loves theramins), Burning Wheel (it takes a minute and a half for anything to happen), Get Duffy, Kowalski, Out of the Void, Long Life 2/5.

This is my third Neil Young album, and it is one that I am very familiar with. In my mind, this is a perfect album, cover to cover and it is Neil's best! This album is stacked with hits; Old Man, the Needle and the Damage Done, Alabama, and my personal favourite Neil Young song, Heart of Gold. This album tells stories about aging, drug use, and love. This album was really a turning point for Neil. It exploded into the mainstream, and took him from a small time Canadian folk singer to a international star. This album was so successful, that it caused Neil to write his next three albums and fans would coin them the "ditch trilogy", where he wanted to get off of the highway of success a bit and spend some time slowing things down. The inclusion of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor on parts of this record helped to alleviate it past anything Neil had released up to this point. Also, the big band numbers, which included strings and horns was like nothing Neil had done before! A perfect album is a very rare thing, and this is one of them. This is an awesome way to spend a Friday! I've listened to this album many times before, and will definately listen to it many more times!! Favourite songs: Heart of Gold, Old Man, the Needle and the Damage Done, Words (Between the Lines of Age), Alabama, Harvest, Are You Ready For the Country? Least favourite song: if forced to pick, There's A World 5/5

Morrissey is the lead singer from the Smiths, who had a solo career after the band broke up. His solo music is quite similar to the works of the Smiths, and is indie pop or kind of like early emo/goth rock. This is his first solo album. Morrissey's baritone, angst filled voice is very recognizable. His melancholic musical themes center around love, loss, divorce, depression, and teenage angst. I think Morrissey needs to cheer up a bit! Because of the dark and depressing moods created by the jangly guitars, and almost moaned lyrical delivery, it is very hard to digest this album all at once. It is a huge downer. Morrissey's lyrics are beautiful, but the odd way that he delivers them over weird time signatures is kind of jarring. Overall, not a bad album, but probably not one I will ever listen to again. I am not a fan of depressing music. Favourite songs: Everyday is Like Sunday, Angel Angel Down We Go Together, I Don't Mind if You Forget Me Least favourite songs: Dial-a-Cliche, Margaret on the Guillotine, Suedehead 2/5

More artsy hipster music, great! Never heard of Tim Buckley until today. Upon a bit of research, I learned that his music is like psychadelic rock meets folk with some jazz sprinkled in. It sounds like all those genres got drunk at a renaissance fair and came up with this album. Apparently Tim is Jeff Buckley's dad. I know that Hallelujah song that Jeff did a version of. It is a great song, but I don't know anything else he has released. The one thing this album has going for it is Tim's voice. His range is mind blowing. He can go from sorrowful to wailing, and everywhere in between. The issues arrive when he changes time signatures like underwear, having 15 different ones in a single song. Pick 2 or 3 like a normal song, and do those for fuck sakes. You never get a chance to settle into a song because by the time you get into the groove, he's off doing something completely different, and singing about Christian's licorice clothes for some fucking reason... Whatever those are.... Are they clothes that smell of licorice?.... Are they clothes made of licorice?? Fuck off with the artsy hipster bullshit. It's one thing to be a poet, it's another to rhyme off nonsensical horseshit that makes people sitting at Starbucks get into arguments about what the song theme is. The musical accompaniment was just as horrid, again because of the constant changes. I know this is a staple of jazz music, but leave it to jazz. It works there. It does not here. Overall, horrid. The only reason it gets 2 stars is because of Tim's voice. I will never listen again. Favourite songs: Once I Was, Pleasant Street Least favourite songs: Hallucinations, I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain, Knight-Errant Goodbye and Hello, Carnival Song, No Man Can Find the War 2/5

John Prine is one of my favourite country/folk artists. He has a way to spin song lyrics that can make you laugh or make you cry, or both. This man was a poet. One of the best lyricists in the genre. This album deals heavily with the Vietnam war, and the troubles faced by the veterans when they came home (Sam Stone is an absolutely heartbreaking song. Prine's lyrics spin such a vibrant story. You almost feel like you knew Sam Stone personally). My all time favourite Prine song is on this record, Spanish Pipedream. It is such a hilarious and poignant song! "Blow up your TV Throw away your paper Go to the country Build you a home Plant a little garden Eat a lot of peaches Try an' find Jesus on your own" Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore is an amazing anti-war song that is still so relevant today. Angel From Montgomery is an absolutely amazing song. I absolutely love Prine's music. I am not much of a country fan, but I always had a soft spot for this man's ability to tell a story. The man passed away a few years ago, but wrote music right up until the end. He wrote a song on his last album to be released before his death (the Tree of Forgiveness) called When I Get to Heaven which has the most beautiful lyrics: "And then I'm gonna get a cocktail Vodka and ginger ale Yeah, I'm gonna smoke a cigarette that's nine miles long I'm gonna kiss that pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl 'Cause this old man is goin' to town" Amen Mr. Prine, Amen. I believe you did do all of those things. Thanks for the amazing music. RIP. Favourite songs: Spanish Pipedream, Angel From Montgomery, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Sam Stone, Donald and Lydia, Illegal Smile, Hello in There, Paradise, Six O'Clock News, Quiet Man, Flashback Blues, Far From Me Least favourite songs: None.... It's all gold 5/5: perfection on record.

Honestly, when I saw Depeche Mode as today's listen I immediately thought "this is going to suck", but I was proved wrong. Depeche Mode sounds very similar to Tears for Fears or Talking Heads, except, unlike Talking Heads, the singer knows how to carry a beat, and the band knows how to play instruments. They are a synth heavy electronic/new wave band. I tend to hate new wave music, but Depeche Mode do it right, at least on this album. There were a few duds on here, but overall not a bad listen at all. Strangelove is a great song! I feel like the instrumental orchestral epic Pimpf needs recognition as well! I like the heavier sound that they employ compared to their synth pop cousins like Talking Heads. These guys lean heavier into the Rock genre than the pop one, and maybe that's why I can tolerate them... Well that and the fact that their lyrics make sense. Overall, a surprisingly good album today. Not something I would actively seek out often, but if this era of Depeche Mode came on, I wouldn't skip the songs either. Favourite songs: Strangelove, The Things You Said, Sacred, Nothing, Pimpf Least favourite songs: I Want You Now, Little 15 3/5

I never thought I knew who Tom Waits was until today. After some research, I realized I know the song "A Little Drop of Poison" from the movie Shrek 2. That song isn't on this record, but it is phenomenal! This record is gold from front to back. Tom's voice is super gravelly, and rough, but it is beautiful in its own right. The best way I can describe his voice is if Louis Armstrong and Lemmy Kilmister had a baby who got really into blues rock, that would be Tom. This album has songs that are straight blues rock, as well as some that could almost be considered lounge music, and some folky ones. This is a record that immediately had me tapping my foot and bobbing my head. Tom is a hell of a poet! Some examples of his lyrics include: From the song Mr. Siegal: How do the angels get to sleep When the devil leaves his porch light on From the song Heartattack and Vine: Don't you know there ain't no Devil, That's just God when he's drunk I never realized the song Jersey Girl was Tom's. I always assumed it was Bruce Springsteen's. Tom's original version is amazing!! Overall, a phenomenal record!! This is why I love this generator! I never would have found this gem otherwise. I will definately be putting this album into regular rotation. Favourite songs: Mr. Siegal, Heartattack and Vine, 'Til the Money Runs Out, Downtown, Jersey Girl, On the Nickel, Ruby's Arms, Saving All My Love For You, In Shades Least favourite songs: None. This album is phenomenal. Not a dud in the lot. 5/5

I have never been a Frank Sinatra fan. I find his music terribly bland. This music is sought after by thirsty housewives. Don't get me wrong, musically, this is a tight album, but Frank's crooning is annoying as hell. Antonio's injection of Bossa Nova really helped this album. Frank was apparently a womanizer. An example of this can be heard in the song Change Partners, where Frank tries to convince a lady who appears to be in love with her boyfriend/husband to dump his ass so she can "dance" with him.... Dance in the bird region.... Settle down Frank, you're not God's gift to women. Amy Farrah-Fowler's version of "The Girl from Ipanema" was better. Overall, not my type of music at all. This whole Broadway scene in NY in the 40's does nothing at all to peak my interest. Probably revolutionary at the time, but it didn't age well. I won't listen again, but I get why it's on this list. Favourite songs: The Girl from Ipanema, "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" Least favourite songs: Dindi... And others.... It all blended together into a bland mess. 2/5

My favorite RHCP album, and song!! Awesome!!! I am a big fan of the Chili Peppers, and have listened to them for years. Californication is a bit of a departure from their regular upbeat music, for a slower, more intimate feel. I can distinctly remember seeing the music video for Californication the first time. It was so futuristic!! The whole video looked like a video game, and was visually unlike any other video of the time. I love the funky bass driven grooves achieved by Flea. He is a hell of a bassist! RHCP have been known to be a bit weird (shooting music videos with socks on their cocks, or Flea playing a live show completely nude). This is part of their shtick, and is part of what separates them from other bands of the genre. Overall, an amazing album. Some filler on it though. The first half of the album is stacked with hits, but the rest is good, but not of the same caliper. Not my, first listen, and I will absolutely listen again! Favourite songs: Californication, Scar Tissue, Around the World, Otherside, Right on Time, This Velvet Glove, Purple Stain, Fat Dance, Parallel Universe, I Like Dirt, Road Trippin' Least favourite songs: Porcelain 4/5

Janet Jackson was a force to be reckoned with in the 80's and 90's. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing her stuff on the radio. If it wasn't her, it was her brother, Michael. Admittedly, I've never really been a fan of Janet. I understand that her music was very important in shaping what pop is today, but to me, 80's - 90's pop all sounds the same. Especially the slow ballads (the last 3 songs on this record). If you played one of those for me, I would be hard pressed to tell you if it was Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, or Mariah Carey. I was unfamiliar with anything on this record from the outset, so couldn't really judge how it was going to be. The first 3/4 of the album is pretty good, it just falls flat at the end with all of the ballads. Black Cat is a rockin' tune!! This album is apparently a departure from Janet's regular musical works, and it is a concept album which focuses on themes of poverty, racism, love, and creating a better future for the next generation (amusingly, something Michael focused on heavily as well in his music (think of the children!! )). I think that because it isn't Janet's standard fare, it resonated better with me as a whole. Overall, not a bad record. Not something I would put in regular rotation, but also not bad. It shows real musical talent on Janet's part with her flawless vocal range. It may be a tad overproduced, but that seems to have been a trend of that era. Favourite songs: Black Cat, Alright, Rhythm Nation, Love Will Never Do (Without You), Miss You Much, State of the World Least favourite songs: Lonely, Come Back to Me, Someday is Tonight, and all of the interludes. It just distracts from the rest of the album while adding nothing of its own. This 80's - 90's fad has thankfully fallen to the wayside for the most part. 3/5

Before today I'd never heard of Bobby Womack, but I've seen people compare him to Sam Cooke (it also turns out he was backing guitarist for Sam's band for a while). I also read that the likes of Sly Stone and Janis Joplin drew a lot of influence from his work, so I knew I was in for a good funk/soul/R&B record. Bobby is indeed kind of like Sam Cooke, but not as polished. Sam's lyrics have a flow to them, whereas I found Bobby's delivery choppy, and his lyrics simplistic and a bit repetitive. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because Bobby is still a great artist. The musical accompaniment he had was excellent, and the bass grooves achieved on this record were flawless. I wish there wasn't 20 second fade outs to the songs, it just needlessly stretched out the track length a bit too much. Overall, not a bad album. If it was on, I wouldn't switch it off, but I wouldn't find myself actively seeking it out either. Sam Cooke is still the GOAT. Favourite songs: Stand Up, Secrets, Lay Your Lovin' On Me, If You Think You're Lonely Now Least favourite songs: Games 3/5

Today's helping is another electronica album, so I went in not expecting much. I have been known to hate that genre of music! The Avalanches are apparently an important exponent of "Plunderphonics", which is a music genre in the electronica realm, in which tracks are constructed by sampling recognizable musical works. Apparently, it is estimated that this album alone has roughly 900 samples scattered throughout! I find this album very repetitive, and one song runs into the next, so keeping track of what song I was listening to was a chore. For some reason, the whole album has a record crackling noise dubbed over the top of everything as if you were listening to this on an old hi fi, which is odd. As weird as it sounds, this was leaps and bounds better than any of the other electronica garbage that has been served up so far. Now don't get me wrong, it sure isn't something I would actively listen to on the daily, but as background music it isn't bad. Favourite songs: Frontier Psychiatrist, Electricity, Avalanche Rock, Live at Dominoes Least favourite songs: Two Hearts in 3/4 Time, Summer Crane 3/5

Before today, I had heard of Fairport Convention, but had never listened to any of their stuff before. The way I had heard of them was actually through this generator. I was assigned an album by Richard & Linda Thompson after Richard had left the band. I thoroughly enjoyed that album, so I have high hopes for this one as well! The first thing that struck me is the sheer beauty of Sandy Denny's voice! It is magnificent!! The music is a hybrid of folk and psychadelic rock. This album is known as a transitional album, where the band started to shift away from an American folk sound, to more of a traditional English folk. This was also their second album to be released in 1969. The inclusion of traditional folk instruments such as fiddle and dulcimer is great! There are three songs that were written but never released by Bob Dylan on this album: Si Tu Dois Partir, Percy's Song, and Million Dollar Bash. If you listen to the lyrics of those songs, you can definately tell that they're Dylan's. Overall, a phenomenal record, which, after listening to it a second time, caused me to delve deeper into their catalog of music for the remainder of the day! I will be adding this to my regular listening rotation!! Perfection! Favourite songs: Percy's Song, Million Dollar Bash, Genesis Hall, Cajun Woman, A Sailor's Life, Si Tu Dois Partir Least favourite songs: Autopsy 5/5

Before today, I'd heard of the Isley Brothers, notably their songs It's Your Thing, That Lady, Between the Sheets, and Shout. Every time I hear That Lady, I think of the Swiffer commercial where the broom falls in love with a flamingo, its hilarious. These guys started as a Quartet with the four oldest boys: Kelly, Rudolph, Ronnie, and Vernon singing gospel in their local church. Shortly after that, Vernon got struck by a car and killed, causing them to take a step back and reassess things. Some time later, younger brothers Ernie and Marvin, along with Rudolph's brother in law, Chris Jasper were brought on, making it a sextet. Ernie Isley is a fucking insane guitar player (notably the guitar solos in That Lady, and Summer Breeze). Turns out that Jimi Hendrix used to tour with the Isley Brothers early on, when Ernie was young, and before he joined the group. Ernie loved how Jimi played guitar, and learned a lot about how he plays from Jimi. After Jimi left, Ernie joined, and the rest is history. Marvin Isley's bass playing is so smooth and funky, especially on Sunshine (Go Away Today). Ronnie Isley's voice is so soulful and can go from gritty and raw to smooth and buttery. A few cover songs round out this album, and the Isley Brothers did an excellent job of making them their own. A few stand outs include the Doobie Brothers song Listen to the Music, and Seals and Crofts song Summer Breeze. Overall, a phenomenal record, and one I will definately be listening to again!! So much talent in one band, let alone in one family!! Favourite songs: "That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2", Listen to the Music, What It Comes Down To, Sunshine (Go Away Today), "Summer Breeze, Pts. 1 & 2" Least favourite songs: I literally can't pick one, this album is gold! 5/5

A super quirky and weird serving of the Who is on deck for today I see. This has to be their most random record! This is my second record by the Who, the first being My Generation. A concept album, which is full of little commercial jingles and Radio London bits. Apparently they did all of this without permission, causing them to be sued by the companies they named. If you can see past the experimental, weirdness of this album, there are still some great songs on it. I Can See For Miles is a classic! Silas Stingy is kind of the first glimpse into what was to come with "Tommy". The song Tattoo is hilarious! Overall, another great album by some of the godfathers of British rock and roll! Favourite songs: Silas Stingy, Tattoo, I Can See For Miles, Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand, Odorono Least favourite songs: Armenia City in the Sky 4/5

Before today I had never heard of the Youngbloods, so I had no idea what to expect. What I wasn't expecting was late 60's psychadelic rock mixed with Neil Young-esque folk rock, and with underpinnings of jazz and blues. I figured they would be some obscure emo/goth band with a name like that. This album was fantastic! The Youngbloods brought the hammer right from the first song (starting with the fiddle intro and turning into a folk rock number). The lead singers, Jesse Colin Young, and Jerry Corbitt have amazing chemistry, and can harmonize very well in certain numbers. Admittedly, the echoing of lyrics in the song Darkness, Darkness was a bit odd, but a little bit of creative expression never hurt anyone. Sham is a real rockin' number, and the folk ballad On Sir Francis Drake is beautiful, and really shows the musical talent of the band as a whole. Overall, an unexpected, and amazing listen today. This is a band that didn't really take off, but 100% had some hidden talent! Apparently, after the band broke up, Jesse went out on a more successful solo career. I may have to go explore some of his catalog now, having heard this stuff!! Favourite songs: Sham, "Darkness, Darkness", Smug, Beautiful, Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Trillium, Quicksand, On Sir Francis Drake Least favourite songs: Ride the Wind 4/5

Hell yes, another Iron Maiden album to review today! This is the second album by them that I've gotten on this generator. This is definately not my first time hearing this album, and it won't be the last!! This is the first Maiden album to feature Bruce Dickinson on vocals, and marks the shift from what Maiden was to what they become, which is an unstoppable heavy metal global phenomenon!! That fucking wail at the start of The Number of the Beast is amazing!! Our first real glimpse at the power of Bruce's voice!! I also have very strong memories of jamming out to this song while playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 on PS2. Clive Burr's drum intro on Gangland is awesome! This would be Clive's last album with the band. He would be replaced by Nicko McBrain, who is a fucking phenomenal force behind a drum set!! Hallowed Be Thy Name is my all time favourite Iron Maiden song! The story Bruce expertly spins through his powerful lyrics almost makes you feel like it is you on death row thinking about life, and your own mortality! The powerful harmonizing guitar solos by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are fucking epic, and bring me chills!! All of this held together by Steve Harris' expert bass playing!! Perfection in song form!! Overall, an amazing album!! Easy 5 stars, no question!!! Favourite songs: Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills, The Number of the Beast, 22 Acacia Avenue, Children of the Damned, Gangland Least favourite song: The Prisoner 5/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Lucinda Williams before. From what I've read, she is a country/folk musician. This album is regarded as her break out record in which she fused elements of rock, blues, country, and Americana. After listening to the album, I would agree with that assessment. Her musical stylings remind me a lot of Sheryl Crow, but her singing ability, or lack thereof, reminds me of Bob Dylan. When the first song came on, I was impressed with the music, then she started singing, and I thought "oh God, what am I in for?" Her delivery is nasally, her accent sounds thick, and she sounds drunk. It is hard to describe, but it is just different, and initially jarring. One of two things happened as the album played through, however. Either she found her voice after the first couple of songs, or I got used to it, because the album itself is great, and I find, is stronger on the second half. Overall, not a bad listen today. Very "middle of the road". Perfectly average. Not a trend setter, but certainly nothing wrong with it. Favourite songs: Lake Charles, Can't Let Go, I Lost It, Metal Firecracker, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten, Concrete and Barbed Wire Least favourite songs: Joy (could she say the word "Joy" any more than she did in this song? It became very annoying after the first 100 or so), Right in Time 3/5

Today I got my third helping of Pink Floyd, this time with the album Wish You Were Here. This is Floyd's ninth studio album, and deals with themes of mental health, depression, and alienation, while also criticising the music industry (notably: Welcome to the Machine). Shine on You Crazy Diamond is based on former member Syd Barrett, who had to leave the band due to deteriorating mental health issues. Have a Cigar is a rockin' tune sung by Roy Harper which is located smack in the middle of this melancholic masterpiece. It provides the shot in the arm that this record needs at just the right moment! Wish You Were Here is an absolutely beautiful song! I believe this album gets some flak from critics, and listeners alike because it is compared to the stellar masterpiece that Pink Floyd released directly prior to this album, "Dark Side of the Moon". Anything would pale in comparison to that massive classic! Overall, because of the melancholic mood of this record, it is not my favourite of Pink Floyd's records, but it still deserves its time on the podium for all that it did for the prog rock genre as well as music as a whole. Favourite songs: Wish You Were Here, Have a Cigar, Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-9) Least favourite songs: If forced to pick, Welcome to the Machine 4/5

Before today, I didn't think I knew Norah Jones, but as soon as I turned on the album and heard Don't Know Why, I immediately recognized it from the radio. Norah Jones is a coffee house jazz/blues fusion artist with an absolutely beautiful voice. What I immediately liked about her music was how the music took kind of a back seat to her voice, and really allowed it to shine through. This is an absolutely perfect album for sitting in a big comfy chair with a cup of coffee and a book in front of a window with sunshine coming through on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A lot of people's reviews eluded to this being a Starbucks special, and I would agree with that statement. That isn't, however, always a bad thing. It is perfect mood music for a coffee shop or a small diner. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed today's album. Maybe I needed to have a nice, calming album today, but it really resonated with me. I will definately listen to more of Norah's catalog. The fact that this was a debut album, and was still this amazing is crazy! I listened to this album front to back twice today, and have added it to regular rotation. Favourite songs: Don't Know Why, Seven Years, Shoot the Moon, Turn Me On, Lonestar, Cold Cold Heart, Nightingale Least favourite songs: The Nearness of You 5/5

Before today I had never heard of Sinead O'Connor. She is apparently an Irish pop rock singer with Celtic influences. I thought that didn't sound so bad, but man was I wrong. This is the most angst ridden, melancholic heap of trash that I've ever listened to. Why is she so mad? Have a hamburger ffs. Upon listening to this album, I couldn't help but think that I had heard of this persona of hers somewhere else before. My mind kept going to an episode of Father Ted, which is called "Rock a Hula Ted". In the episode, a hateful, feminist, anti-Christian, vegan pop star (named Niamh Connelly) comes to Craggy Island to confront the priests because she blasted the Catholic Church on TV for turning potato factories into child labor camps during the Great Famine. During the course of the episode, Father Ted is trying to convince her that he isn't mysogenistic while keeping his housekeeper Mrs Doyle busy doing hard labour tasks, and judging the "Lovely Girls Competition" on the island. Niamh sings a few of her "songs" during the episode, which are just noise with moaning and angry lyrics (which is what I heard on Sinead's album). Upon researching this episode, it turns out that Niamh IS loosely based on Sinead O'Connor!! That's amazing!!! Anyways, back to this "album". The fiddle breakdown was awesome at the end of "I Am Stretched On Your Grave", and the best song on the record was a cover of Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U". These two facts should tell you all you need to know about the album. Overall, not great. I'll give her a point just because she made me remember that hilarious episode of Father Ted. Thank God that album is over. Favourite songs: Nothing Compares 2 U, Jump In The River, The Emperor's New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds Least favourite songs: Feels So Different, Three Babies, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, You Cause As Much Sorrow, Last Day of Our Acquaintance 2/5

Thank fuck that's over. Sonic Youth are an "experimental rock" group that are said to have been important in the formation of the indie rock genre. There is definately some experimentation going on here with punk sounds, distortion, sampling, and just straight up noise. Sonic Youth was known to push the envelope. Even the way they tuned their guitars was weird. I don't know, I like my music to have a distinct rhythm and direction. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but this is just chaos on tape. To me it seems like each band member recorded their parts alone, then they just glued them together, and didn't check to see if they meshed or not, they just said "fuck it, good enough". This is apparently the album where they found their sound..... What sound? Nails on a chalkboard? I'm all for experimentation, because without it, we would never have advanced and achieved all of the great things in music that we have, but this is just from another planet altogether. Overall, not much as far as redeeming qualities to this dumpster fire. I know there are other Sonic Youth albums on this generator and I am not looking forward to them. Favourite songs: (I Got A) Catholic Block, Schizophrenia Least favourite songs: Pipeline/Kill Time, Stereo Sanctity, Tuff Gnarl, Pacific Coast Highway, Kotton Krown.... It's all just noise..... 2/5

Today's album is a concept album by Marvin Gaye surrounding themes of the Vietnam war, and veterans returning home, and the state of the world around that time. The whole album flows together like it is one big 35 minute song. Marvin is a phenomenal soul singer, and the overall message of this album was deep, and real. As applicable to today's society as it was to 1970's America. Overall, a great album today. I got this on St. Patrick's Day, which is traditionally known as a partying/drinking day, so it was kind of a hard day to fully digest this album like it deserves because my mind just wasn't in the mood for mournful, Slow music. I can, however, appreciate the talent that is on this album, and will absolutely revisit this one on a better day to give it the appreciation it deserves! Favourite songs: What's Going On, What's Happening Brother, God is Love, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), Right On, Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) Least favourite songs: Flyin' High (In the Friendly Sky) 4/5

Before today, the only song I really knew by T. Rex was Bang A Gong (Get It On). So starting out, I know that T. Rex are a glam rock/psychedelic rock band, and that is about it. I knew absolutely nothing about this album. There are a lot of similarities between T. Rex and bands of the era such as New York Dolls, and David Bowie. Some songs on this record featured sludgy guitars and a more rock oriented vibe, others were slower rock ballads. T. Rex's musical themes were mostly nonsensical, typical of psychedelic rock of that time. Overall, a fairly good album. I really enjoy Marc Bolan's voice. I will add a few of these songs to my regular rotation for sure. Favorite songs: Telegram Sam, Baby Boomerang, Buick McCane, The Slider, Rock On, Mystic Lady, Metal Guru, Chariot Choogle Least favorite songs: Rabbit Fighter, Spaceball Ricochet, Main Man 4/5

Today's listen was very interesting! Spanish/French vocals with a bit of English mixed in! The musical accompaniment was highly influenced by Spanish culture though it sounded like. Beautifully intricate Spanish guitar mixed with modern sampling and rapping techniques left you with a very interesting sound. What I like about these international albums is that it isn't necessarily something I would ever have discovered on my own. I like hearing how other cultures music have different influences. Even though I didn't understand most of what was said, the beauty of the music that was made still came through. Overall, a great listen today. Nothing spectacular, but it was still very good! Favorite songs: Luna y Sol, Clandestino, Welcome to Tijuana, Minha Galera, Mama Call Least favorite songs: La Despedida 3/5

Oh no, not some more fucking electronica. Have I not suffered enough listening to this garbage already? With an album title like that, I am not optimistic of the contents of this record. Apparently everyone sweats Richard D. James (and this record in particular) because, as the name suggests, this is a subset of music he wrote between 1985 and 1992, meaning the earlier songs would have been written when he was 14 years old. Ok, that's cool, but it's not like he wrote a fucking symphony at that age. He pushed some buttons and spliced soundbytes together. Anyways, on to the record. As I thought, this is the dullest, most bland elevator music imaginable overlaid with a strong drum beat. I will give Aphex Twin props, at least it has a beat, unlike some other electronica I've listened to on this generator. So, one can infer that, at 14 Richard was smarter than some of these "artists" in this genre, so good for him!! The spacey sounds that most of these strung out bastards seem to enjoy are alive and well on this record. Green Calx sounds like aliens who are involved in a gun fight with all the laser noises and boops and beeps. This shit lulls you into a trance. As background music it gets a pass, but to sit and focus on this would be almost impossible. 9 minute songs where they establish a beat, then nothing else happens, just repeat the same beat loop 500 times and call that a song. Awful. I wish I knew why electronica artists as a group decided to make their shitty records over an hour long. I don't want to listen to this shit for 10 minutes, let alone an hour. Listening to gorilla's bang would be audibly better than this album. Favourite songs: Pulsewidth Least favourite songs: Hedphelym.... Probably others as well, but it all ran together into a boring mess that I've already forgotten about. 1/5

I've heard of MC5 before via a music documentary I watched that traced the roots of heavy metal and rock music all the way back to classical music and the blues. The name of the documentary was "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey". Once the narrator moves from the beginnings to the early days of rock, you see that he includes MC5 on a list of bands that he classified as "Early Metal". This list also includes other bands such as Blue Cheer, the Stooges, Mountain, Deep Purple, and others. I don't know about Early Metal for a genre type, but for a movement, sure. These guys are like psychadelic rock meets the beginnings of punk. At this time, bands were discovering how to distort their guitars, and overdrive their amps, leading to crazy fast thrashing and banging. The faster you played, the better the people liked it. It felt rebellious in a time where discipline and order were pushed hard. The kids who came out to these shows were the Baby Boomer generation: many of them grew up with war veterans as parents, which often led to strict military rules at home, so these bands offered an outlet for all that pent up aggression and anger. Those feelings can definately be heard through the political stance of the band members, as well as their live performance on this record, and though their lyrics. Overall, not a lot in the way of talent in the band. They could barely play instruments or sing, but as an idea; as a movement, this album is enormous. For that reason, I can see past the painful barrage of crash cymbals, shouted lyrics and loud distorted guitar. This is the start of something massive. It's like listening to the start of a star beginning to explode. From here, Metal would take hold, as well as punk, and everything in between. A great listen, and a great history lesson. Favourite songs: Kick Out The Jams, Motor City is Burning Least favourite songs: Starship, Ramblin' Rose, I Want You Right Now 3/5

Upon first seeing what I was in store for with today's album, I didn't have high hopes for it. I am typically not a fan of electronica at all. The thing that set this out from the rest of the electronica I've heard on this generator is the fact that it is apparently a blend of tango music and French music with electronica overlaid. I was still unsure, but it sounded more appealing than the robot fucking soundtrack that I've been forced to listen to thus far with this genre. What I heard was very weird, but interesting. Violin and accordion music that made you feel like you were sitting in a 5 star French restaurant while a rave went on in it at the same time. All this, and Spanish lyrics, tango underpinnings, and a modern twist. It was so different, but not in a bad way. Overall, for once, not a terrible electronica album. Not something I would gravitate to, but I wouldn't care if it was on either. Favourite songs: Queremos Paz, Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre), El Capitalismo Foraneo, Una Musica Brutal Least favourite songs: Last Tango In Paris, La Del Ruso 3/5

Tusk is Fleetwood Mac's 12th studio album, and the one that came directly after the phenomenal record "Rumours". Bearing that in mind, the same kind of thing happened to Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (it directly followed a stellar album, and paled in comparison, because it was held to the same lofty standards as its predecessor). Going into the recording of Tusk, the band decided that they wanted this record to sound in no way like its predecessor. They didn't want to get stick in a rut of just regurgitating similar ideas for easy sales. They also decided they wanted Tusk to be a double album. Lindsey Buckingham, the bands lead guitarist and co-singer was in love with the post punk movement that was taking place at the time, especially with bands like Talking Heads. He wanted Fleetwood Mac to stay current in the music world, so pushed the band to experiment more with these types of sounds and styles. What this all led to was a VERY different sounding Fleetwood Mac. I think that caught a lot of people off guard, and led to the album flopping, but if you can listen to this album, and forget all your preconceived notions of what Fleetwood Mac should sound like, you can certainly see a few "diamonds in the rough" so to speak on this record. I think the song Tusk is the weirdest of the bunch, with the inclusion of a marching band as background music. Overall, a great record today. Don't get me wrong, Rumours is Fleetwood Mac's golden album, but this is still an excellent record all the same. Will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Sisters of the Moon, Angel, Think About Me, That's Enough For Me, Storms, What Makes You Think You're the One, Sara, The Ledge, Over & Over, Tusk Least favourite songs: Brown Eyes, Walk a Thin Line, Not That Funny 4/5

Oh hell yes!! This is 5 stars before I even spin the record today! What an excellent album to get on a Friday. High energy to bring me into the weekend!! I am very familiar with this record! I've listened to it many times before, and can't wait to listen again. This is another of those rare "perfection on tape" albums where literally every track is stellar!! First off, what an amazing band lineup! Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward!! Ozzy's voice was so unique, and at this time was so strong! The band is one of the few accredited with starting the heavy metal genre. These bands used an almost shock rock approach to their sets by having religious imagery on stage while they played what was called "heavy satanic music". Sabbath was known to burn crosses on stage as part of their shtick, plus they dressed in dark colors. All this hype thrust them into the forefront of music that rebelling teenagers gravitated to. Sabbath's sound was also heavier, spookier, and commonly featured the "tri-tone" guitar note, commonly referred to as the "Devils note". Of course, all of these allegations of satanic worship etc were completely unfounded, it was all just an act, and man the things that this started is insane. I absolutely adore this album, and this band! Just a perfect album cover to cover! I was so happy to see this come up today! I will 100% be listening to this album many more times! Favourite songs: Iron Man, War Pigs, Paranoid, Fairies Wear Boots, Electric Funeral, Hand of Doom Least favourite song: if forced to pick, Planet Caravan 5/5

Oh no. Post Punk/Goth.... Like Joy Division? Fuck. That is exactly what this noise is, except not so depressing, and with a singer who can actually sing. This music sounds like the B-52's if they became depressed goths. It is very dark and brooding. Siouxsie Sioux does have a very good voice, it's just the dark, dank mood that this type of music spins (kind of like Morrissey in that they just need to cheer the fuck up). This is probably good music, it just really did nothing in the way of connecting with me today. This album is definately stacked heavier on the front half. The back half descends into this trashy goth vibe. Voodoo Dolly is literally 7 minutes of fucking noise and nonsense lyrics. Seriously? Favourite songs: Spellbound, Arabian Knights, Halloween Least favourite songs: Voodoo Dolly, Night Shift, Monitor 2/5

With a band name like Skunk Anansie and an album title like Post Orgasmic Chill, I had no idea what I was in for. British Alt hard rock was not my first guess, but that's what I got. This sounds like a much shittier version of Evanescence or Halestorm (hard rock with a female lead). This music has a few things working against it. The music is perfectly average when compared to 90's hard rock, and the band itself is tight, but their weak spot is the singer. I mean, she calls herself Skin, so that should tell you all you need to know. I found her very pitchy, and all over the place. That, and her lyrics were hard to follow most times, and she threw the N word around a lot as if she was in a hip hop group or some shit. That's just something you never hear in hard rock. You can tell, however, that she was passionate about the topics she was singing about (from what I understood, it largely centered around racism and mysogeny). They also have a tendency to end a song, then for a minute they play either a random unrelated beat track or a random audio sample of a fucking tv advertisement or radio blurb that has nothing to do with anything. It's off putting and weird. Aside from these random eccentricities, this was a fairly average helping of 90's rock today. Not something I would often gravitate to, but not bad in the grand scheme of things. Favourite songs: The Skank Heads, On My Hotel TV, We Don't Need Who You Think You Are, Tracy's Flaw, And This Is Nothing That I Thought I Had, I'm Not Afraid Least favourite songs: Good Things Don't Always Come To You, Secretly, You'll Follow Me Down 3/5

This is my second Funkadelic album on this generator. I found this one heavier than the other one in that it was skewed more towards psychadelic rock than it was towards funk and soul like the first album of theirs that I reviewed was. This album, obviously, featured the 10 minute epic song Maggot Brain, which was a bonus song on the first of their albums I listened to. It is a phenomenal song that features the amazing skill set of Eddie Hazel. George Clinton was apparently obsessed with shit. Taking shits, talking about shitting... It was all fair game with him. I noticed it in the first album by Funkadelic that I got (One Nation Under a Groove). There is a song on that album called Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (Doo Doo Chasers) that deals heavily with shit. Frequently throughout this album he refers to drowning in shit, and taking shits. Within the first 30 seconds of the first song on the album he talked about shit. Also, the last minute of the song Wars of Armageddon features farting/shitting noises laid over a funky beat for some reason. A passion of his apparently. Overall, another great album! This band was super talented, and I can see how they have influenced the face of music as we see it today. Favourite songs: Super Stupid, Can You Get To That, Hit It And Quit It, "You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks", Maggot Brain, I Miss My Baby Least favourite songs: Back in Our Minds, Wars of Armageddon 4/5

Timeless by Goldie..... Should be called Talent-less. This is just a drum machine on loop, with sampling, and other garbage thrown in for good measure. All with Diane Charlemagne's pitchy lyrics laid overtop. This goes on for 2 HOURS!!! The song Sea of Tears includes a looped track of someone crying for 2 minutes!! Why?!? It also features looped whale noises and waves throughout. Do you know what an annoying noise is after about 30 seconds? WHALE NOISES!! People who like this music have no fucking idea what music is. This is just garbled trash that any person with a modest understanding of computers could recreate in their living room. Electronica has in no way helped shape the future of GOOD music at all, it is shit music for simple minded people who are high as fuck on Molly. The first song on this record was 21 minutes long for some reason. Nothing happened. I spent the whole time waiting for a bass drop or change of some kind, but nothing. The same looped shit for 21 minutes, with the addition of pitchy moaning from time to time. Whoever put this garbage on this list needs their head examined. Utter trash. Favourite song: Inner City Life (Baby Boy's Edit) simply because it is the shortest song on the album. Still trash, but only 3:30 worth instead of the average 7 minute helping... Least favourite songs: The entire dumpster fire of an album 1/5 because I can't give negative stars. To paraphrase Billy Madison: "This is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point, in this rambling, incoherent noise, were they even close to anything that could be considered music. Everyone in this generator is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

When I first read Frank Ocean this morning, my old ass associated it with Billy Ocean, the 80's pop singer. Once I realized that's not who it was, I realized I've never heard of Frank Ocean before. From my research, I learned that Pharell Williams helped produce this album, and there is a song on here that features Andre 3000. I'm a big fan of Pharell, and Outkast! Pharell has quite an ear for new music, so I figured this would be a good listen today. Frank Ocean is an R&B/hip hop/pop singer. The first few songs didn't really captivate me. They were heavier to the R&B side of the spectrum, and I am not a fan of "modern" R&B, so I didn't know what to think. But once the song Sweet Life came on, it was all uphill from there! Frank's sound reminds me of a cross between Childish Gambino, John Legend, and The Weeknd. It is obvious that Frank isn't one of these fly by night artists that are so commonplace these days. Frank has a good ear for what music should be, and is a real talent for sure!! The only downfall of this album is the fact that hip hop/R&B artists are obsessed with putting skits on their records. They do nothing except distract from the flow of the record. They are annoying as fuck. Overall, however, this was a phenomenal album! I was pleasantly surprised, and will 100% listen again. I actually listened to it twice today! Favorite songs: Pyramids, Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock, Sweet Life, Pilot Jones, Lost Least favorite songs: all of the stupid fucking skits (Start, Fertilizer, Not Just Money, End), Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone 4/5

Today's album was an early punk record from the late 70's. Before today, I'd never heard of Wire. To me, they sound very similar to Minor Threat, Buzzcocks, and the Clash, but they are a bit heavier in both sound and vocal delivery. Apparently Wire is one of the bands credited with starting the subgenre of hardcore punk. This makes sense, because their songs are high energy, fast, loud, and the vocals are mostly shouted. All of this coalesces into an amazing punk record! It took me a while to get used to the singer's accent, so the first few songs, I had no idea what he was saying. Once you get an ear for it, however, it becomes easier to grasp. The band members are all masters of their craft. The guitars and drums are fast as hell! Overall, an excellent intro to hardcore punk. Apparently Wire was a hard band to nail a genre to, because for each album released, they changed their sound. That shows real talent, because not a lot of people can successfully genre shift like that. I liked this so much today, I listened to it twice. Some of the songs I wish were a bit longer (like the 28 seconds song called Field Day for the Sundays), but this is a very punk rock move to have fast, short songs, and get an album over and done with in under a half hour. Actually, by punk standards, this 35 minute album is probably a long one. Favorite songs: Mr. Suit, Mannequin, 12XU, Strange, Surgeon's Girl, Pink Flag, Fragile, Ex Lion Tamer, Reuters, Three Girl Rhumba, Straight Line, Different to Me Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, Lowdown 4/5

When I saw that today's album was another from the electronica genre, my heart sank. This is a movie score for The Virgin Suicides, which was an awful movie, so I wasn't super confident that the soundtrack would be any better. I was pleasantly surprised, however. Before today, I'd never heard of Air before. They are a British duo who came out during the electronica boom of the late 90's. Their atmospheric, ambient sound made them outliers of the genre. I think this may be why I actually like them. This music, even with being mostly instrumental, was quite captivating, and really had an air (no pun intended) of melancholy, and sadness to it (probably because it is for a movie which is about a string of suicides). The heavy bass work on this album is awesome. The bass grooves are really well done, and when coupled with the simplistic organ, guitars, and theramins scattered throughout, create an interesting sound that I didn't hate. Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. I mean, not enough to run out and buy it, or listen to it on repeat, but I wasn't rushing to shut it off like I was with most other albums in this genre. Also, average song length was around 3 minutes, and the album was only 40 minutes long, so bonus points for knowing when enough is enough, and not overstaying their welcome. Favorite songs: Playground Love (with Gordon Tracks), Dead Bodies, Clouds Up, Bathroom Girl, Word Hurricane, Highschool Lover, Empty House Least favorite songs: Dark Messages 3/5

Today's album is the second Bob Dylan record I've gotten on this generator. The first one I reviewed came out in 1965 (Highway 61 Revisited). This one came out in 1997, 32 years later. Dylan's vocals and sound are quite different than that first album. Dylan was 56 when he wrote this album, compared to the other album, where he was only 24. That being said, his voice aged between the two records quite a bit. On his 1965 release, his voice was a bit nasally, but on this record, it is more gravelly, and rough. It reminds me of Tom Waits style of singing. The musical stylings on this record are also different than the other one I reviewed. In 1965, Dylan was heavy into folk. On this record, he is more into Blues. That being said, that gravelly voice suits this genre well!! There is an up and coming east coast Canadian artist named Ryan Stanley who has absolutely been influenced heavily by Dylan, and I would say this album in particular. Especially the song Not Dark Yet. Overall, a fantastic listen for a slow Saturday. I absolutely love the Blues, and Dylan certainly makes it his own on this album!! I'd never heard any of these songs before today, but there are definately a few that will be going on a favourite song playlist in the near future!!! Favorite songs: Dirt Road Blues, Cold Irons Bound, Not Dark Yet, Tryin' to Get to Heaven, 'Til I Fell in Love With You, Standing in the Doorway, Million Miles, Can't Wait, Highlands Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, Love Sick 4/5

Before today, I had never heard of the Pharcyde. They are a rap/hip hop group from the west coast of the US. The various members of this group all have excellent flow to their vocal delivery, and the beats and music achieved on this record were amazing. This is classic hip hop for sure! Some of the themes sung about on this record were hilarious, like in the song "Oh Shit" when the singer realizes he is being hit on by a transvestite. It reminded me a lot of "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone-Loc. As I've said before, I don't know what the obsession with dumb fucking skits is in hip hop/rap groups, but they can be found on this record too. I hate them, and find that they distract from the flow of the rest of the album. Overall, a surprisingly awesome listen today. I will definately listen again!! Favorite songs: Oh Shit, Return of the B-Boy, Officer, Ya Mama, I'm That Type of Ni**a, Soul Flower (Remix), On the DL, Pack the Pipe Least favorite songs: all of the dumb skits (4 Better or 4 Worse Interlude, It's Jiggaboo Time, If I Were President, Pack the Pipe Interlude, Quinton's On the Way), 4 Better or 4 Worse, Otha Fish 4/5

I was never a fan of Nine Inch Nails, however, my music tastes have changed since I last gave them a chance, so maybe there's hope? Nope, I still can't stand Trent Reznor's angst ridden wailing. You hear of people talking about albums that have a "wall of sound" effect to them. This record has a "wall of distortion and noise" effect which is so bad, it washes everything else out. No idea what Trent was wailing about throughout most of the album. The production value on this record is super low. Some parts are so low that you have to turn your stereo up to hear what's going on, then all of a sudden they kick everything into overdrive and you go deaf for 5-6 minutes (I'd take being deaf over listening to this horseshit any day). Why does Trent find it important to whisper into the microphone, and then immediately afterwards shout into it? You're a singer, so sing ffs. This whole album goes through spells of sounding like it was recorded underwater. Also, when they are finished a song, it just ends....like running into a brick wall....no fade out, no nothing, just DONE!! I spent the 6 minute runtime of the song Hurt wishing I was listening to the Johnny Cash cover version. This version sucks ass. Industrial Rock is basically just electronica, but heavier, which explains why I was never a fan of the genre, because I hate electronica too. Overall, a difficult listen today. Trent needs to cheer the fuck up. Will I ever listen again? No. Does it belong on this list? Probably. Favorite songs: Closer, Heresy, Hurt Least favorite songs: Eraser, A Warm Place, and most of the rest of this depressing dumpster fire. 2/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Roxy Music before, so I was unsure what I was in for. Upon further research, I learned that they are somewhere between Talking Heads and David Bowie. Upon listening to the album, that is a quite accurate description. The lyrics are largely nonsensical, which is very similar to Talking Heads, while the music is jazzy/rockin' which is very similar to Bowie. Also, the album cover has boobs on it, so that's a plus as well! Lol Overall, a great album. Surprised how much I liked it. There were a few odd songs on the record, but overall, a really solid album! I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice today. Favorite songs: If It Takes All Night, Out of the Blue, All I Want Is You, The Thrill of it All, Three and Nine, Prairie Rose, Casanova Least favorite songs: Bitter Sweet, Triptych 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of XTC, so I had no idea what I was in for. Turns out that these guys are another obscure British rock band (this generator seems to love that genre a lot). It sounds like a shittier version of Tears for Fears. The album cover for Skylarking, upon first glance, looks like a woman laying down with a man squatting over her, and the woman performing fellatio on him. Upon further inspection, they are both playing flutes for some reason. That was probably done on purpose to look that way, because the first few songs on the record were about banging in the wilderness. XTC's sound was weird to nail down. They were kind of all over the place. For example: Season Cycle sounds like a Beach Boys song. The song Dying was a terribly morbid song. Dear God is an anti-religious anthem that would make anyone with a strong faith cringe. This is one of those bands that either put out bangers, or complete garbage, with nothing in between. This record had a strong start, but dropped off and slammed into a wall on the second half of the record. Overall, a weird one today. Not something I can ever see myself listening to again, and not really sure what this influenced, so I don't really know why it's included in this list? Favorite songs: Grass, Summer's Cauldron, Earn Enough For Us Least favorite songs: 1000 Umbrellas, Another Satellite, "That's Really Super, Supergirl", Mermaid Smiled, The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul, Dear God 2/5

Before today, I'd heard of Hole, but never listened to any of her back catalog. All I was familiar with were the hits. The lead singer of Hole is Courtney Love (Kurt Cobain's wife). So, naturally, Hole is a grunge band. I believe Kurt helped Courtney hone her voice, and you can certainly hear his influence on a couple of songs included on this album. This was a great album, and Courtney's voice instills a sense of anger, frustration, and desperation upon the listener. This album touches on topics such as body image, abuse, and mysogeny. For some reason, most of the songs on this album mention milk for one reason or another. It's enough to make a lactose intolerant lad like me shit myself simply by listening. Overall, a highly influential album, especially to female rock bands of the 00's. Courtney bulldozed down a lot of walls in her career, and paved the way for women in rock. Favorite songs: Plump, Doll Parts, Jennifer's Body, Gutless, She Walks On Me, Asking For It, Rock Star, Violet Least favorite songs: "Softer, Softest", Credit in the Straight World, I Think That I Would Die 4/5

I am very happy with today's album selection. I am a big Foo Fighters fan, and especially a Dave Grohl fan. The dude is super talented. Everything he touches is gold. He was with Nirvana before starting Foo Fighters. After Kurt Cobain committed suicide, Dave created Foo Fighters as a way of healing from the loss of a bandmate and good friend. This album was written and recorded entirely by Dave, with the help of a producer friend of his. He distributed the cassette to good friends, who spread it around, and it eventually caught the attention of a record label. Once he signed with them, he hired a band to tour with him to promote the album, and the rest is history. A few years back, Dave decided to try his hand, first at disco, creating a band called the Dee Gees and releasing an album with them. Then he decided to make a satirical horror movie(Studio 666), and write the whole score for the movie himself. This involved creating a death metal band called Dream Widow. Both his disco record, and death metal album were phenomenal. Not many people can genre hop like that. That takes real talent to do. Not only that, but for those records, he played each instrument himself plus sang. Just an insane talent all around. Dave is also a very humble individual. There is a famous story of him falling off stage at a concert, breaking his leg, going out back, getting it casted, then coming back out and finishing the show. He also gets fans up on stage to play music with the band quite often. After the recent death of Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, the band did a tribute concert in Taylor's memory. Dave got Taylor's son up on stage to play a song with the band in his father's honor. Anyways, back to today's album. It is absolute gold, especially for a debut album. Not a dud in the lot. I've heard it many times before, and I will absolutely listen again. RIP Taylor Hawkins. Favorite songs: Alone + Easy Target, Big Me, Weenie Beenie, Watershed, Good Grief, I'll Stick Around, For All The Cows, I'll Stick Around Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, This is a Call 5/5

Today's album is a pop/hip hop record out of Sweden. Before today I'd never heard of Neneh Cherry. After a bit of research, I learned that this was her debut solo album. She sounds like Salt-N-Pepa mixed with Madonna. This album is as late 80's as it can get with the heavy synth sounds and the hip hop grooves. Overall, a perfectly average album. Not something I would actively seek out, but not something I was rushing to shut off either. Favorite songs: Buffalo Stance, Outre Risque Locomotive, Inna City Mamma, Heart, The Next Generation, Manchild, My Bitch Least favorite songs: Kisses on the Wind 3/5

Never heard of Tortoise before today. Upon further research, it became clear as to why I hadn't heard of them. They are a "post rock" band. I was unsure of what the hell that meant, so I researched it a bit. From what I can gather, it is a genre that includes rock style guitars, which are overlaid with shitty electronica music. Fuck sakes, not more obscure electronica garbage... Yes, more electronica garbage. This stuff is perhaps one of the worst helpings of electronica that I've heard thus far. I don't hear the "rock guitar" part, what I hear is static, screeching noises, xylophones, and distorted bass notes...all mixed together in a big shitty mess...and that's just the first song. Also, the first song is....21 MINUTES LONG!!! Why?!? I spent this entire record waiting for something to happen....they had 43 minutes, and NOTHING DID....AT ALL.... Overall, a garbage record, made by a band that sounds like Walmart brand Tool meets up with a game show host. I will never listen to this trash again, and am beginning to wonder who the hell created this list? Obviously someone obsessed with electronica music and obscure British bands, because this has absolutely no reason to be on this list. Favorite song: Along the Banks of Rivers....I guess??? Least favorite songs: Djed, and the rest of this dumpster fire of a record. 1/5

Today's record was created by a stacked group of rappers, better known as Wu-Tang Clan. So many solid solo careers spun out of this group, including: GZA, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and others. I have already had a record on this generator by GZA/Genius (Liquid Swords), and the similarities between that record, and this record (where he got his start) are crazy. Even down to the sampling of old Kung Fu movies. Every member of Wu-Tang Clan have their own phenomenal set of skills that they bring to the table; differing lyrical flows and beats. From GZA's intelligent rhyming style, to Method Man's machine gun rap style, this record is a staple of 90's hip hop, and can be traced back to having influenced the beginning of the hardcore hip hop genre. Overall, this was a phenomenal record, and I really enjoyed listening to it today. I will absolutely listen again in the future. Admittedly, hip hop isn't my favourite music genre, but I can absolutely appreciate what this group of guys did on this record. Favourite songs: Da Mystery of Chessboxin', Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit, C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me), Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II, Clan In Da Front, Bring Da Ruckus, Method Man, Protect Ya Neck, Shame on a Ni**a Least favorite songs: Can It Be All So Simple/Intermission 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of PJ Harvey. From a bit of research, I learned she is a folk rock/singer songwriter. This is her 8th studio album, and it was recorded in a church, so it is closer to chamber folk. The reverb caused by recording in such a large open space, coupled with jangly guitars and beautiful autoharp made for a very nice listen. The weak point of the record was PJ's nasally voice. I wasn't much of a fan of her upper register, but her natural singing voice was not bad. Overall, a perfectly average record today. Not something I would actively seek out, but not something I would rush to shut off if it was on either. Favorite songs: The Words That Maketh Murder, All And Everyone, The Colour of the Earth, The Glorious Land, In The Dark Places, Bitter Branches Least favorite songs: England, On Battleship Hill, Hanging In The Wire 3/5

Before today I'd never heard of Pentangle before. The album cover provided no hints as to what I was in for, so I googled their name. The first thing that came up was the definition of Pentangle, which is "another word for pentagram". Given that definition, I figured I would be in for a heavy metal album perhaps? What I heard was the polar opposite! Pentangle are a folk group from the UK. Their music includes dual guitars (one artist who is Blues trained, and one who is folk trained), amazing bass grooves, and male and female vocalists. The singers are amazing, and the harmonies created by the two of them is beautiful. This album also prominently features sitar and glockenspiel parts, which is awesome!! These guys remind me a lot of Fairport Convention. This album combines jazz, Blues, and folk along with some psychedelica into one beautiful album. They may start a jazz number, then flawlessly switch genres half way through. Overall, an amazing album! Another one that blindsided me! I love discovering these kinds of records! I will absolutely listen again, I listened to it twice today! Favorite songs: House Carpenter, Hunting Song, The Cuckoo, Sally Go Round the Roses, Once I Had a Sweetheart, Springtime Promises, Lyke-Wake Dirge, Cold Mountain Least favorite songs: Train Song 5/5

When I saw the cover of the album I was given today, I had no idea what I was in for. The cover art looks like something thrown together by a 4 year old, and the band name wasn't ringing any bells either. Upon further research, I learned that this album is considered to be the first "rock opera", coming before famous works such as "The Wall", or "Tommy". It just was a bit ahead of its time, and didn't make the waves that the others did in the 70's. The Pretty Things sound like a mix of Jethro Tull, The Who, and the Beach Boys (not in instrumentation, but in the way that they sometimes harmonize their vocals in a high register). All of that while doing the amount of drugs that Syd Barrett's era of Pink Floyd did. This is a concept album in that it follows some dude named S.F. Sorrow right through life, with the album starting with his birth, moving into his adolescence, he gets drafted into the war, a bunch of his friends die in the war, he makes it home as a shell of a man, slowly slips into madness, falls in love, and on and on, ending with his death. As the record proceeds, it culminates with Sorrow's slip into madness with the instrumental track Well of Destiny. The way they record and play their instruments during this song really hits that fact home. Overall, this is a phenomenal album! It is one that you really have sit down with the liner notes and just listen to. All of the metaphors that the singer uses spins this album into a truly beautiful masterpiece. It is every bit as good as Tommy or The Wall, just perhaps a little bit less refined. I will 100% listen again. This is a weird album in the most glorious of ways. Favorite songs: Old Man Going, She Says Good Morning, S.F. Sorrow is Born, Private Sorrow, I See You, Loneliest Person Least favorite songs: Balloon Burning 4/5

The Allman Brothers Band are an American southern rock/blues band. They infuse their blues/rock hybrid with elements of jazz and country to make a very unique, but fantastic sound. This album is a live double record, with a runtime of roughly 80 minutes, and only 7 songs. The Allman Brothers Band are the definition of a jam band. Every show they played had a different rendition of their songs. They don't play the music, they feel it. This led to some phenomenal guitar solos, and some amazing band cohesion. Overall, an epic listen today. I will absolutely listen again!! This is what peak musicianship looks like. Favourite songs: Statesboro Blues, Done Somebody Wrong, Stormy Monday, Whipping Post, You Don't Love Me, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed Least favorite song: if forced to pick, Hot 'Lanta 4/5

Today's listen was a breath of fresh air. Jungle Brothers are a hip hop group from NYC who got their start in the late 80's, and are still making music today, and actively touring. They got their come up alongside other groups such as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. They are said to have greatly influenced the Wu-Tang Clan. The reason today was a breath of fresh air is because this late 80's style of hip hop is clean, and free of the copious amounts of slander that later helpings of the popular genre "gangsta rap" would include. This "hip hop lite" speaks to the strengths of women instead of the mysogenictic views taken by later artists (ex. the song "Black Woman"). Jungle Brothers also speak about avoiding drugs, and turning down pusher men, instead of indulging in copious amounts of chronic and alcohol, like the themes of gangsta rap entail. There is no need for a parental advisory on this record, because it's themes are clean, but it's message is intelligent and strong. They don't need to sing about gun violence and throw the 'N word' around to get their point across. This is the style of hip hop that I really enjoy. Something you can blast in your car at a red light with the windows down without fear of being called a racist or a bigot. Overall, an excellent helping of classic 80's hip hop, and obviously a very influential album. These guys were able to take hip hop, and blend aspects of funk, jazz, and the odd time, disco to it to make a really interesting and memorable sound. I will absolutely listen again in the future. I am really glad I found these guys! Favorite songs: Doin' Our Own Dang, Tribe Vibes, In Dayz "2" Come, Belly Dancin' Dina, "U" Make Me Sweat, Acknowledge Your Own History, What "U" Waitin' "4"?, Beyond this World, Feelin' Alright, Done By the Forces of Nature, J. Beez Comin' Through, Black Woman, Kool Accordin' "2" a Jungle Brother Least favorite songs: Good Newz Comin' 4/5

5 days ago, I reviewed a PJ Harvey album called "Let England Shake". It was a chamber folk album. This IS NOT that. This is more of grunge/indie rock, but very shitilly done. It's full of thrashy guitars and drums, and really weird time signatures. The first half of the album is REALLY weird, culminating with the most fucked song on the record, Man-Size Sextet. In this album, PJ Harvey has a tendancy to sing at almost a whisper for about 2 minutes, then for some reason, turns everything up to 11 and renders you deaf for a few minutes. For fuck sakes, how hard is it to just leave the fucking volume knob alone and sing your song?!? Although, I would take deafness over listening to this horseshit any day. Harvey's voice is angst filled, and nasally. And she seems to enjoy moaning instead of singing. Why is this on the list? What could this have possibly influenced? Droves more garbage music apparently. The world would be better off without this trash. I will never listen again, and can't wait to rinse this shit out of my ears and forget about it. I only pray this is the last PJ Harvey album on this generator. Favorite songs: 50ft Queenie, Dry, Rub 'Til It Bleeds, Yuri-G Least favorite songs: Rid of Me, Legs, Man-Size Sextet 2/5

Before today, the only song I'd ever heard by James Taylor was "Carolina in My Mind", which isn't on this record, so I knew I was in for a folk album, but was unsure how I would like it. Well, I loved it! James Taylor is very similar in musical attributes to John Denver, with that smooth country folk/blues style. This music tells a story. You can sit back, relax, sip a coffee, and be taken on a trip by his lyrics. James has a way of painting the most vivid pictures through his songs (especially the songs Sweet Baby James, "Oh, Susannah (which I know is a cover, but he does a phenomenal job of it), and Country Roads to name a few). I absolutely love this type of music. It instantly removes all of the stress from my life, and for half an hr, all of life's hardships melt away. I will 100% listen again! I don't know why I slept on James' music for so long! This album is going to be put in regular rotation now!! Favourite songs: Fire and Rain, Anywhere Like Heaven, Sweet Baby James, Steamroller, Country Roads, Suite for 20 G, "Oh, Susannah", Lo and Behold Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, Sunny Skies 5/5

Todays album is a glorious rock opera by Meat Loaf! This album is stacked with hits, including: Bat Out of Hell, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. This album is ahead of its time, and sounds like it should have been released in the 80's. These huge epic rock ballads really took off in that era. Meat Loaf puts everything he has into the delivery of Jim Steinman's beautifully intricate songs. The keyboards, the motorcycle gang-esque tough leather and chain feel of the album cover as well as the music, the phenomenal soaring guitar solos, the themes of adolescent love, and lust, the sexual innuendo, everything about this album is just perfect!! Yes it may come across as cheesy, but in the most glorious of ways!! Overall, a phenomenal album. One I've listened to many times before, and will absolutely listen to many more times to come!! An easy 5 stars!! RIP Meat Loaf, thanks for the music!!! Favorite songs: Paradise By the Dashboard Light, Bat Out of Hell, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), All Revved Up With No Place to Go, For Crying Out Loud, Heaven Can Wait Least favorite songs: none, this album is a gem! 5/5

I had no clue what I was in for this morning when I saw Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's name come up. Not a name I had ever heard before. From what I've read, he went through many name changes over the years before ultimately landing on this one. Firstly, this album isn't on Spotify. Not strange since the whole Joe Rogan fiasco that ended with a bunch of artists pulling their stuff off. I was able to find it on YouTube. Upon reading reviews of this album, it became clear that it was a fairly gloomy record of the folk rock/blues genre. I do tend to enjoy those genres, so I was hopeful that this would follow suit. This is an excellent mood rock album, which at times reminded me of Hozier's style of gloomy folk rock. There was definately some deep seated pain that was worked through with the writing of this record. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy has a style of vocal delivery in which he records himself singing the same lyrics almost as an echo, so you're left with three or four layered vocal tracks all playing at once. It kind of sounds like if you sang in a church, or large open space. I really liked the instrumentation on this record. It was kept fairly simple with keyboard and guitar in the forefront. It was nice and soft, and kind of backed up the gloomy feel of the record. It made me think of a rainy, gray, damp spring day. Overall, a really good album. I quite enjoyed it, but can understand that you really have to be in a certain mindset to tolerate it, just because it is such a downer. But if you allow yourself to keep an open mind, there is beauty in the shadows that this record casts. If it wasn't such a pain in the arse to find, I would definately listen again! Favorite songs: A Minor Place, Another Day Full of Dread, Madeline-Mary, Song For the New Breed, Black Least favorite songs: Nomadic Revery (All Around) 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of John Cale before. He is apparently the co-founder and bassist of the Velvet Underground. This is his third solo studio album, and is apparently a departure from his usual fare for a quieter slower form of music. This music reminded me of easy listening folk rock artists such as Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, and Nick Drake. Turns out Cale worked on Nick's album, Brighter Later with him. Drake needed to make a more accessible album in order to sell records and make money. Perhaps Cale saw this idea, and decided to do it himself as well, which would describe why this is such an outlier if an album sonically . Cale doesn't have a great singing voice, but the beautiful orchestration in the background more than makes up for that. Cale's Welsh accent makes him hard to understand through most of the album, but after reading the nonsensical lyrics, I guess that doesn't matter. It's not like I was going to get anything out of the utter nonsense he sang about. Overall, a surprisingly great album. Not one I would gravitate to on my own, but I wouldn't turn it off if it was playing either. Favorite songs: Macbeth, Child's Christmas in Wales, Andalucia, Hanky Panky Nohow, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Graham Greene, Half Past France Least favorite songs: Antarctica Starts Here 3/5

Run-D.M.C. were single handedly responsible for smashing down the walls that separated rock from hip-hop in the early 80's. I believe this harder sound (which is the earliest signs of future genres such as gangsta rap and hardcore rap) is why they were so prominently featured on MTV, allowing them to sell the most records of any hip-hop group up to that point. They were actually the first hip-hop group featured on MTV, and were also the first hip-hop group featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. These guys took sounds that MC's like Grandmaster Flash were making, stripped them down, simplified them, and cut them with rock instead of the usual funk sensibilities. Also, one thing that I love about these early days of hip hop is the clean songwriting. As I stated in an earlier review if an album by Jungle Brothers, these guys didn't rap about hoes, getting their birds sucked, and killing people. They sang about real issues, like racism, poverty, and world peace. The song Sucker M.C.'s is considered to be the first "diss track" ever. Run-D.M.C.'s lyrical delivery of finishing each other's sentences would become a trend in hip hop as well, being utilized by future bands such as Beastie Boys. Overall, a historic record today, and an excellent one at that!! I will absolutely listen to this again!! Favorite songs: Rock Box, It's Like That, Jam-Master Jay, Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1), Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2), 30 Days Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, Hard Times 5/5

Before today, the only songs by War that I knew were the hits (Low Rider, The Cisco Kid, and Why Can't We Be Friends?). These guys were a hit in the 60's - 70's, and actually, this album was named Album of the Year in '72, so I am excited to hear more of their catalog today! This album is a slow, funky masterpiece. Songs such as "City, Country, City", although being 13 minutes long, were excellent. Instead of being a long song with half a dozen solos mixed in, it was one huge groove, in which each member of the band could solo, and show their skills while the rest of the band kept time. There are some amazing artists in this band! The inclusion of a harmonica in "City, Country, City" surprised the hell out of me, in a good way. The opening song, The Cisco Kid is such a fantastic funky song! This band is a melding of soul, jazz, funk, Latin, blues, and rock into one hell of a laid back sound. They sound a lot like Sly and the Family Stone, but their musical themes are never negative. It is always "peace and love", which is refreshing to listen to. You would think, with a title like "The World is a Ghetto" you'd be in for a political, negative album, but this album is full of positive vibes. The long drawn out grooves have a way of pulling you into a trance, and making all your worries disappear. Overall, an excellent album today. Not something I would always be in the mood for, but it helped make yard work a hell of a lot more enjoyable today!! Favorite songs: The Cisco Kid, Where Was You At, The World Is A Ghetto, Four Cornered Room Least favorite songs: "City, Country, City" 4/5

The only Paul McCartney and Wings song I was familiar with before today was Band on the Run, which is great, so I figured that today's album would be pretty good as well. Plus, Paul McCartney was a well known name internationally due to his previous gig as a member of the Beatles. Truthfully, Paul's solo stuff is much more enjoyable to me than his stuff with the Beatles. Upon doing some research about this album I learned some interesting stories about the recording of it. For some reason, Paul decided that they would record this album in Nigeria. The studio was in disrepair, and the end of town that it was in was quite the slum. Paul got robbed of his demo tapes and song lyrics at knife point at one point during the trip. Apparently Paul and Fela Kuti got into an argument while Paul was down in Nigeria as well. Fela thought that, since Paul opted to record in Nigeria, he would "rob" some of the local musical influences, and inject it into his music. Apparently Paul invited him over to the recording studio, Fela listened to what they were laying down, and was like "oh, ok. This is just regurgitated Beatles music, never mind." Also, Ginger Baker offered them his studio to record in, but Paul being Paul said "No, I want to do it myself." Apparently right before they headed to Nigeria, the drummer and guitarist from Wings quit, so Paul recorded the bass, guitar, vocals, and drums parts himself. It was just him, and the two remaining Wings members, his wife on keyboard, and a rhythm guitarist. It would have been great if Ginger had done the drum bits for the album. The drums were ok on the record, but you could tell that they weren't really studio quality. Overall, this album endured all those hardships and still managed to go triple platinum. It was a great album, and is very easy to listen to. I may not seek it out, but it had more hits than duds, and if it was playing in the background, I wouldn't be inclined to turn it off. I went into this exercise today assuming Band on the Run would be my favourite song, but Let Me Roll It ended up surprising me, and claimed the top spot. Favorite songs: Let Me Roll It, Band on the Run, Mrs Vandebelt, Jet, Bluebird Least favorite songs: Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me) 4/5

Another helping of Alice Cooper today. Most of what is to be said about Alice, I said in my review of his album Billion Dollar Babies. This album was better than that one. School's Out is a staple of summer vacation for students everywhere!! Every time I hear that song I think of the movie Dazed and Confused. There is a lot going on in this album. The first two songs are good rockin' hits, then Alice throws in a curve balls in the form of a song that has a show tune feel to it (Gutter Cat VS the Jets sounds like it could be in West Side Story), this is immediately followed by a short track that features the bassist canoodling while shit is smashed and broken in the background. Blue Turk is a jazzy blues number, and sounds like something Frank Zappa would put out. After this hiatus from rock, he comes back strong to round out the record. Overall, a great album. Would be a welcome addition to my record collection. It's neat to hear the range of Alice Cooper's musical exploration. They are always stuck in the shock rock genre, but they are so much more than that! Favorite songs: School's Out, Luney Tune, Blue Turk, Public Animal #9, My Stars, Alma Mater Least favorite songs: Street Fight 4/5

When I saw that today's album was yet another electronica album, I didn't have much hope for it. When I read that it is kind of like shoegaze meets electronica, I had even less hope for it. What I heard, however, was a rock forward style of electronica, in that a lot of the songs on this record have pretty heavy distorted guitars and bass, with underpinnings of electronica (sampling, screeches/scratches and beeps/boops). Actually, they sound a bit like the Prodigy or Primal Scream (their good album, Screamadelica, not that other shitty album of theirs we were given by this generator). The shoegaze categorization, I believe, is coming not from the musical stylings, but more from the lyrical delivery. It can be noticed in one of the only songs with lyrics, Soul Auctioneer. In this song, the singer's vocals are sang in a style similar to Bob Dylan (nasally, and with a care free attitude). Overall, a surprisingly ok album. Most electronica albums with me fetch a 1 or 2 star rating, however, this album I will rate a 3. I didn't hate it immediately, so that's a plus. And I can hear some musical talent in most of the songs, so that's way more than I can say for any other album of that genre that I've gotten yet. Favorite songs: Soul Auctioneer, Aisha, Dirge Least favorite songs: Death Threat, Lever Street 3/5

Jacques Brel is a popular chanson artist from the '60s. His style of music delivery is like a French Randy Newman or Leonard Cohen in that his grasp on the language, and his ability to paint a picture are breathtaking. Most of his music on this album starts as a whisper, and through the song lyrics and musical accompaniment, he slowly ramps up the intensity, culminating at an amazing crescendo near the end of the song. The musical accompaniment on this record has a real french bistro feel to it, with the heavy accordion work and beautiful guitar playing throughout. Since I don't speak French, but I understand bits and pieces, I'm left with a fragmented picture of what Jacques is singing about. Given what my research and translation apps have told me, Jacques is painting beautiful artistic pictures on the stage both through his lyrics, and his acting. I wish I spoke the language so that I could experience what the audience experienced on those two nights in '64. Something of note here: both of Jacques parents died in '64 prior to this live recording, so the themes of darkness and pain are coming from a very real, very fresh place. Another interesting fact, the album opener, Amsterdam, was covered by David Bowie. Overall, a really great album. I wouldn't actively seek it out, but am also glad to have heard it. Favorite songs: Amsterdam, Les Jardins Du Casino, Les Timides, Le Dernier Repas, Les Toros Avec Final Least favorite songs: Le Plat Pays 3/5

This is my first time hearing about Beach House. They are a dream pop/indie pop group from Baltimore. This is their third studio album. The first thing I noticed was the shitty album cover. At first I thought that the album generator website was having issues drawing the album cover image, then realized there was something there....zebra stripes in an eggshell color over a white background....wtf. Negative points for the unoriginal, bland album cover. Moving on to the music, this screams 2010's. This was a time when everyone was doing the "dream pop" thing. This sounds like bands such as Fleet Foxes or Hozier without the folk sound, and more of a bland pop sound. The lyrics are heavy with reverb and sound like they were recorded in a church or a large empty space. The harmonies reached by the male and female voices are beautiful. There is so much harmony and reverb though, that the lyrics get buried by layers of echo, making it hard to understand. It doesn't matter though, because the lyrics are just nonsense. Couple this with the organ/guitar work, and you are left with a coffee house staple. Kind of bland background music. I find myself constantly loosing focus while listening to this record. Hipsters would love this music, hence its success. One song blends into another, and all of a sudden I've been daydreaming through 3 songs. I go back and try to focus, but again, I drift off. I don't know if it is the ethereal nature of this record, but it is super hard to digest. It isn't necessarily bad, it's just super bland. This pairs well with the bland album cover. This album is perfectly beige. Overall, not bad. I probably won't listen again, but I didn't hate it. It's going to be hard to highlight the best and worst songs from this one because everything blended together. Favorite songs: Silver Soul, Norway, Zebra, 10 Mile Stereo Least favorite songs: Real Love, Walk in the Park 2/5 (would have been 3 but what a dumb album cover. -1 for that)

Today's album was a slog for sure. Firstly, it is a double album. Secondly, it is very heavy lyrically as the whole album is about Marvin Gaye's divorce. It flopped upon release, because more than being an album, it was Marvin laying everything he was going through (the rollercoaster of emotions) out on tape. If you purchased this hoping for some more typically upbeat Marvin vibes, this isn't it. Marvin's telltale recording style of doubling his voice so he can harmonize with himself is spectacular. This record still has that silky smoothe slow, funky soul feel to it, that I can only describe as "bedroom music". It is soothing to listen to. There are a few more lighthearted tracks on this record, notable A Funky Space Reincarnation. The lyrics of this song are hilarious, and so typical of Marvin... 2073, 2084, 2093 Light years ahead, You and me gonna be getting down on a space bed, We gonna get married in June, We gonna be getting down on the moon. Or, another gem from the same song: Let's razzmattazz and all that jazz, Let's feel each other's ass Overall, a great listen today. Marvin's music is always good. This album is so long though, and the topic so heavy, that it just doesn't hit like the rest of his stuff does. Don't get me wrong, the album is great, it's just not something that I would put on again. It is perfectly average. Favorite songs: A Funky Space Reincarnation, Time to Get It Together, I Met A Little Girl, Anger, Everybody Needs Love, Is That Enough Least favorite songs: Sparrow 4/5

Today's album is another synth-pop album from some obscure British band. Apparently members of The Human League broke off to form this band. There is some highly repetitive stuff on this album, especially on the song Penthouse and Pavement; it really didn't need to be 6 minutes long. There's also some experimentation with different sounds....like the fucking repeated whistle in the song The Height of the Fighting. The bass groove that is played for the first half of the record is it's only real display of talent. These guys sound like a Walmart brand of Talking Heads. And Talking Heads are shitty enough, so imagine how cheesy these guys are. Overall, not my style of music at all. Not horrible, but not great. The album cover looks like you are going to be listening to business meetings on tape. Favourite songs: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang, Penthouse and Pavement Least favorite songs: Soul Warfare, Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, Song With No Name 2/5

Another random obscure British post punk band today.....yay!?! I've never heard of The Jam before, so I am unsure what I am in for. These guys sound like a shittier version of Happy Mondays or Dexy's Midnight Runners. The bass grooves and drumming on this record were solid. The spoken harmonies were weird, but worked with the musical stylings. The song Music for the Last Couple spent a minute and a half following a house fly around before any music started at all. That was kind of annoying. Overall, not a bad album. Nothing of note really happened, it's just another post punk band. I've already mostly forgot what I listened to. Nothing really jumps out at you sonically. Perfectly average. Not something I would rush out to buy, but not something I would turn off if it was playing either. Favourite songs: Set the House Ablaze, Man in the Corner Shop, Start!, But I'm Different Now, Pretty Green Least favorite songs: Music For the Last Couple, Monday 3/5

I've been known to traditionally not be a huge Sting or The Police fan. I mean, their music isn't terrible, and it is quite catchy, but I just never really jived with any of their stuff much. Message in a Bottle is a jam though! Actually, the only song I knew on today's record was Message in a Bottle. The Police sound a lot like UB40 (reggae mixed with pop rock). Actually, today's album cover (Reggatta de Blanc) translates to "white reggae" which is basically what this is. Maybe that is part of why I don't really care for The Police. The fact that reggae should be left to the Jamaicans (Bob Marley and Peter Tosh for example are both amazing artists). I just feel like Sting is trying too hard to be Jamaican (even mimicing their accent). Sting's larger than life ego isn't lost there either. On the album cover, for example, Sting's head has to be the biggest. Sonically, the band is tight. The drum work on this record is phenomenal, and the bass grooves are funky as hell! Amid the feel good reggae beats, there is some darkness though. In an interview one time, Sting said that The Bed's too Big Without You is a song about his ex girlfriend who killed herself. Overall, not a bad listen, but not something I gravitate towards. Listening to a full album did nothing to change my mind on the band. If anything, it introduced me to some of their quirkier songs (On Any Other Day for example). Favourite songs: Message in a Bottle, Bring on the Night, It's Alright for You Least favorite songs: Does Everyone Stare, On Any Other Day, Contact 3/5

Before today, the only Derek & the Dominos song I was familiar with was the epic, Layla, so this will be an interesting listen today. An interesting story about the theme of this record. It is mostly a series of love songs, as the title states, which are written for George Harrison's then wife, Patti Boyd, who Clapton eventually manages to marry. Duane Allman's spectacular slide guitar playing techniques, and Clapton's canoodling guitar solos mesh together beautifully on this album. Each and every song had at least one guitar solo thrown in. Without the solos, this album could have been done in like 40 minutes instead of the 1 hour, 16 minute runtime that this ended up being, but there is a lot of creativity to all those solos. The cover of the song Little Wing is good, but not as good as Jimi Hendrix's original. The first song on the album, I Looked Away, starts with a real country blues sounding riff to start off the record, and they kept the hits coming throughout. Although the runtime is long with this album, it doesn't feel it. Overall, a really good blues rock record. Maybe a bit too much showboating from Clapton, but who cares, it's great! Will definately listen again. I'm impressed there was a song that topped Layla for me! Favorite songs: Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?, Have You Ever Loved a Woman?, Key to the Highway, Layla, Bell Bottom Blues, It's Too Late, Keep On Growing, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, I Looked Away Least favorite songs: Thorn Tree in the Garden 5/5

I've never really listened to anything by the Pixies before, although I have heard of them. I listen to a podcast called The Ongoing History of New Music, and in a series of episodes they did on the start of Alt Rock, the Pixies and Sonic Youth were named a few key bands in the genres creation. None of this made me feel like I would enjoy Pixies, though, because a lot of people say in the early 90's you either liked Sonic Youth or Pixies. I reviewed an album by Sonic Youth a month or so ago, and I really didn't like Sonic Youth. If Pixies are anything like that noisy horseshit, it was going to be a poor review today. What I heard, however, although founded in the same ideals, was a much more polished sound. Sonic Youth were noisy for the sake of being noisy. The Pixies, although noisy, had a distinct direction and structure to their music. Also, the lead singer of the Pixies can actually sing. The first song on the record, Cecilia Ann, sounds like a thrashy, hardcore rock version of surfer rock; almost like if Kurt Cobain was in the Beach Boys. There is some great songs on this record, and these guys influenced so many groups that came after them like: Nirvana, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, and others. Overall, a surprisingly good record today. I will definately listen again! Favorite songs: Hang Wire, Down to the Well, Cecilia Ann, Velouria, Rock Music Least favorite songs: Havalina, All Over the World 4/5

I am not too excited for today's album; I've been known to traditionally not like U2's music. I have never, however, sat down and listened to a full album of theirs either, so we will see how this goes. Right off the bat, three of their "hits" play back to back: Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and With or Without You. I am familiar with these songs, and don't particularly like any of them. It may be because radio stations have literally played them to death, or it may be the ethereal, slow, elevator music-esque atmosphere that all of their songs have, but I just don't like the music, I don't have a reason why. Also, a minute passes before anything happens in Where the Streets Have No Name for some reason. Bono's try-hard, angst filled vocal delivery is just grating. Leave it to Bono to not look at the camera for the album cover photo. He probably saw a koala in distress. What a tool. I think my favourite story about Bono is that one time, Shane McGowan (lead singer of the Pogues) was crashing with Bono for a time. Bono's house was quite handy to a busy railroad. Droves of people went by on the train every day to see Shane flapping his cock at them in the window of Bono's home, unbeknownst to Bono. Bono got the blame, and promptly kicked Shane out. Overall, this is bland Walmart rock. I just don't like U2. I will never listen again if I can help it. Favorite songs: Bullet the Blue Sky, Trip Through Your Wires (the little bit of energy this album has is during these two songs) Least favorite songs: the whole beige, bland album. 2/5

Today's album is by Jerry Lee Lewis, a rock and roll pioneer from way back in the 50's in the time of Elvis. Before we delve into this album review, here is a hilarious story about Jerry: So he's in a bar, driving liquor into himself after he unsuccessfully tried to get his dad out of jail for drunk driving. Elvis calls him up and tells him to come over. Jerry grabs a bottle of champagne, gets into his brand new Lincoln Continental, drives to Elvis's place drunk as fuck, and slams into the gates of Graceland. Elvis watches on closed circuit TV as Jerry finishes his bottle of champagne, and tries to throw the empty out the window but the window was up so he ends up covering himself in broken glass. Elvis's security guard was apparently also his cousin, so he calls up to Elvis after all this horseshit goes down, and Elvis tells him to call the police. The police come and arrest Jerry Lee and put him in jail with his dad. Now, onto the album review. It is well documented that Jerry Lee may not have been the nicest human being, having married his 13 year old cousin, shot his bass player while drunkenly shooting at a door on his birthday, and being a huge racist, but we are here to listen to the music. This album is phenomenal! Jerry enters the performance hall, seemingly strung out on pills, and puts on a non stop white knuckle performance! He played the shit out of that piano, so much so that they probably needed to re-tune it afterwards. Jerry's belted lyrics, and fast paced playing style were amazing, and this was some of the earliest signs of what was to come with future rock bands of the 60's and 70's. Overall, just a pleasure to listen to! His performance was so captivating! Easy music to swing to. Imagine being there, that would have been crazy!! I will 100% listen again!! Oddly, Spotify only has 8 of the 13 songs on this record. I did, however, find a full album playlist on YouTube. Do yourself a favor, and listen to the full album as intended. It's all gold!! Favourite songs: Hound Dog, "Good Golly, Miss Molly", Great Balls of Fire, "Long, Tall Sally", Matchbox, Mean Woman Blues, Money (That's What I Want), Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, High School Confidential, What'd I Say (Parts 1&2), Lewis' Boogie Least favorite songs: Your Cheating Heart 5/5

This is the second Nick Drake album I've reviewed so far on this generator. The first of his albums (Bryter Layter) was dark, brooding, and depressing as hell. This album came after that one, and, unlike that one, is just Nick and his guitar. There is no backing band or other artists collaborations. Apparently, the album before this one, because it was so slow and depressing, sold like shit, and radio stations stopped playing his music. Nick slipped further into depression, and got really heavy into pot and pills. This album is a product of that. Like his other record, the lyrics on this album are largely nonsense. Apparently, Nick rented a recording studio for two late night sessions. Half the songs on this record he cut the first night, and half the second night. No fiddling around with layering or overdubbing or anything, just sat down, pressed record, and hammered this record out. That shows insane talent! A few years after this album was released, Nick was found dead of an overdose of depression meds. An unfortunate end for a hell of an artist. The way that Nick played guitar was amazing. He managed to do double duty in that he could achieve a bass note, and his guitar riffs all at once, basically eliminating the need for a bassist. Overall, I enjoyed this album much more than the first of his that I reviewed. This one felt more balanced. Even though it was also super dark and melancholic, there was a rawness and beauty to it that was absent on Bryter Layter. I'm not sure if I will ever listen again, but I'm glad it was on this list. Favourite songs: Which Will, Free Ride, From the Morning, Know, Road, Pink Moon, Harvest Breed Least favourite songs: Horn, Parasite 4/5

Before today, the only exposure to Dead Kennedys I had was hearing Police Truck on Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and Holiday in Cambodia on Guitar Hero 3. For the purposes of this review, I enjoyed the album so much that I listened to the extended edition of it. Dead Kennedys have a really unique sound, mixing surfer rock with hardcore punk, and lacing in their political views (which are sadly still relevant today). Jello Biafra's vocal delivery sounds like the B-52's. Their version of Viva Las Vegas may be better than Elvis'! All of the members of the band are super talented! These guys pushed their message unapologetically, and largely without representation. I Kill Children, and Funland at the Beach both have roots in Alice Cooper style shock rock, really taking the listener by surprise when they start into them. Overall, a phenomenal punk record. The fact that this is a debut album is insane! I thoroughly enjoyed this deeper dive into their back catalog. I will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Police Truck, Too Drunk to Fuck, In-Sight, When Ya Get Drafted, Holiday in Cambodia, California Uber Alles, Chemical Warfare, Let's Lynch the Landlord, Forward to Death, Kill the Poor Least favourite songs: The Prey, Drug Me, Ill in the Head 4/5

I've heard Blondie's hits before, but have never listened to an album cover to cover, so this should be an interesting day. Blondie are a pop rock band from USA. They are a female led group, and they influenced so many female led groups that came later such as: Madonna, Paramore, and Garbage. This album is their third studio album, and is apparently the album in which they changed from a new wave band to a more pop oriented band. This album still has a few rock forward songs (One Way or Another, and Hanging on the Telephone), but the bulk of the album is closer to the pop side of the spectrum. Debbie Harry had a very interesting vocal style that is instantly recognizable. She has done some living too! Apparently she was a go-go dancer, and a playboy bunny for a short period of time, she was an actress (leading role in the movie Videodrome as well as other movies), she almost got kidnapped by serial killer Ted Bundy, and she was a self proclaimed New York Dolls groupie. For this album, the band worked with record producer, Mike Chapman. Chapman saw the band as sloppy, and spent a lot of time trying to hone the skills of each individual. This didn't sit well with some of them, causing bassist Nigel Harrison to throw a synthesizer at Chapman. Overall, a fairly average album today. Nothing really caught me by surprise or jumped out at me. Just a normal run of the mill female led pop band. I probably won't listen again, but can certainly see how big of an influence they were on pop music today. Favourite songs: One Way or Another, Heart of Glass, I'm Gonna Love You Too, Bang a Gong (Get It On) - Live, 11:59, I Know But I Don't Know, Pretty Baby, Hanging on the Telephone Least favourite songs: Fade Away and Radiate 3/5

I am quite familiar with George Michael's stuff from his time with Wham! but never delved into his solo stuff much. Of course, I know the hits, like Faith and Father Figure, I just never took the time to go any further into his catalog. This album drips 80's pop, from the synth heavy sound, to the in your face sexuality, even to the cover photo. The large crucifix earring and leather jacket screams 80's sex icon! Even just by listening to this album I feel like I've been banged by George Michael. I may have ear herpes. None of this is to say that this album is terrible, actually quite the opposite! This was a fantastic record!! It has a very Prince/Michael Jackson feel to it, and I think maybe it kind of got out shined by those heavy hitters a bit, but it is still great. Overall, I was happy to delve a little deeper into George Michael's catalog of music today, and will definately add some of his stuff to my more frequent listening playlists. Favourite songs: Faith, Monkey, Look at Your Hands, Hard Day, I Want Your Sex, Hand to Mouth, Father Figure Least favourite songs: One More Try, Kissing a Fool 4/5

Today's album is a pop rock/modern day disco record by Scissor Sisters. This is a very unique genre which I haven't really heard before. It sounds like it would be awful, but surprisingly it works. The band have hints of Bee Gees, ABBA, and Queen in their delivery, and are apparently staples of the LGBTQ community, having got their start in the "NYC Gay Nightlife" scene. Some of their music is quite comical, such as Tits on the Radio, which is loosely a song about beating off because you can't see tits on a radio. The only other band that I can think of who are close to this sound is Ultraviolet Sound. Overall, a surprisingly great album today. This music makes you want to get up and move. Especially Filthy/Gorgeous. I enjoyed the album so much today that I listened to it twice. Very different and interesting. Favourite songs: Filthy/Gorgeous, Take Your Mama, Tits on the Radio, The Skins, Music is the Victim, Laura Least favourite songs: Comfortably Numb 4/5

Today's album was a real surprise! Before today, I hadn't heard of Gillian Welch before, or so I thought. Turns out, she provided a few songs to the O' Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. That happens to be one of my favourite movies, and I also own that soundtrack on vinyl. The songs she provided are: Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby and I'll Fly Away, two absolutely beautiful songs! Upon listening to this album, it was more of the same. Bluegrass/folk/singer songwriter with subtle country undertones. Absolutely love the guitar/banjo combo that is prevalent on most songs on the record. I Dream A Highway is an absolute epic of a song, clocking in at 14 minutes in length. I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll is a lively song that was recorded live. April 14th (Part 1) tells the story of a few shitty things that happened on that date throughout history. This story is continued in Ruination Day (Part 2). The topics include: The sinking of the Titanic, a severe dust storm hits the US Midwest, leading to the area being called the Dust Bowl, and the assassination of Abe Lincoln. The way that Gillian weaves lyrics and music is absolutely perfect. Overall, a phenomenal album today. One I will definately be listening to more often! Favourite songs: Red Clay Halo, Revelator, April the 14th (Part 1), My First Lover, Everything is Free Least favourite songs: Ruination Day (Part 2) 4/5

Today's album was a little different, and was a step out of my music genre comfort zone. I usually tolerate, but don't particularly like jazz. I view jazz as something to put on in the background while you work, cook, or do other menial tasks around the house. To sit and listen to, jazz is usually not even on the list of what I gravitate towards. This, however, isn't traditional jazz. This is a fusion of jazz, soul, and the African sounds of afrobeat. I would say that Hugh is Africa's answer to America's Miles Davis; a jazz trumpet player. There is so much talent on this record, and Hugh rubbed elbows with so many talented African artists. Secko Toure, the president of Guinea from the late 60's to the early 80's also dabbled in jazz composition, and actually wrote the song Minawa on this record. This was before he became president, liberated Guinea, and became a horrible dictator. Also, Hugh was married to Miriam Makeba (I've reviewed one of her albums on here already), the powerhouse singer from South Africa for a short time, and was good friends with Harry Belafonte and Fela Kuti. Overall, an interesting listen today. I didn't hate it, but it isn't something I would rush to turn on or listen to again. Unlike Fela and Miriam's music, this just didn't pull me in. Maybe it was the absence of lyrics (even lyrics I don't understand are better than instrumentals, and especially jazz instrumentals), maybe the run time was too long, causing me to loose focus, or maybe I just really fucking hate trumpets. If it was playing, I wouldn't switch it off, but I also wouldn't actively seek it out either. Favourite songs: Inner Crisis, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song), Maseru, Part of a Whole, Nomali Least favourite songs: Unhome 3/5

Incredible Bongo Band was created by film and record producer Michael Viner. The band formed in '72 to assist with the creation of chase music for the soundtrack of the film The Thing With Two Heads. From there, they went on to be a pop cover band, reimagining pop hits in their percussion heavy style. The have a funky soulful sound to their music, with the strong bass and percussion parts. The song Apache launched this band and album to legendary status as it has been excessively sampled (Sugarhill Gang, The Shadows, Beastie Boys, Nas, Aphex Twin, Goldie, Moby.... and on and on), and helped DJ's who sampled it create the sounds that would be the formation of hip hop. Overall, a fun, different album today. Not something I would necessarily gravitate to, but the music was fun and made you want to move. The runtime of this album is around 1hr 18mins, and it certainly didn't feel like that when listening to it. I was worried that bongos for that long may get old quick, but there were enough other instruments featured that it wasn't all bongos all the time. Favourite songs: Wipeout, In A Gadda Da Vida, Bongolia, Satisfaction - I Can't Get No, Apache, Dueling Bongos, Okey Dokey, Sing Sing Sing, Sharp Nine Least favourite songs: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley Your Tie's Caught in Your Zipper 4/5

Today's album is an R&B/pop album by a powerhouse group of women, Destiny's Child. This is where Beyonce got her start. All three of these women are experts of their craft, and the harmonies that they can create are things of beauty. This is Destiny's Child's third studio album, and it suffers from being front loaded for sure. The first three songs are absolute bangers, but after the halfway mark on the album, it kind of settles down into a boring run of the mill R&B record. All the "in your face, unapologetic girl power" attitude is lost, and the slow ballads begin. Overall, not a bad album, but also not a stellar performance. If the pace that was set at the beginning of this album had been maintained, this would easily have been a 4 or 5 star record. Favourite songs: Survivor, Independent Women (Part 1), Bootylicious, Sexy Daddy, Nasty Girl, Happy Face Least favourite songs: Apple Pie a la Mode, Independent Women (Part 2) 3/5

Tea for the Tillerman is Cat Stevens fourth studio album, and marks his explosion into popularity on the global music forefront. Instead of his normal fare up to this point, this album is more of a solo, minimalist folk effort, featuring Cat Stevens dabbling on the piano and guitar, and not much else. During the writing of this album, Cat Stevens came down with a severe case of tuberculosis and had to he hospitalized for a time. This time of solitude and silence allowed him to finish writing and scoring the album. That sense of solitude can really be felt in this music. Another point of interest is that Cat drew his own album cover artwork. Wild World and Father and Son are two absolute bangers, and couple that with the fact that there is absolutely no filler on this album, and it launches this review all the way up to a 5 star album. I have listened a few times today, and will absolutely listen again!! Beautiful work!! Favourite songs: Father and Son, Wild World, On the Road to Find Out, Into White, Longer Boats, Where Do the Children Play?, Miles From Nowhere, But I Might Die Tonight, Sad Lisa Least favourite songs: Hard Headed Woman 5/5

The Band are a psychadelic folk rock/blues band from the 60's. They formed in Canada, and included both Canadian, and American artists. This is their debut album, and the song The Weight launched them into stardom. They came from humble beginnings, as Ronnie Hawkins' backup band "The Hawks", then later, Bob Dylan's backup band, "The Band". After Dylan had his motorcycle crash, and was finished touring while he healed, these guys spent time in rural NY, just living that rural lifestyle, smoking pot, and writing beautiful music. The harmonies reached by the band members is awesome! These guys have a way of sounding like a bunch of lads having a jam session, while also sounding polished. Levon Helm has a great singing voice (as seen on The Weight). The fact that he can play drums so cleanly while also singing flawlessly is awesome. Apparently this album is so good, it made Eric Clapton disband Cream and persue his solo career instead. Overall, a great album. Nothing wrong with it, but just not necessarily something I would actively seek out either. A lot of folk rock/Americana that followed can trace its roots to these guys, and this record. Favourite songs: The Weight, Long Black Veil, To Kingdom Come, We Can Talk, Chest Fever, The Wheel's On Fire Least favourite songs: Lonesome Suzie 3/5

I thought going into this album that the only Cyndi Lauper songs I knew were Girls Just Want To Have Fun, and Time After Time. Once I started listening, I realized that she had quite a few hits from this album. In truth, this could be a "greatest hits" compilation easily. Out of the 10 songs on the record, 6 were hit singles. When You Were Mine was a Prince cover, and she absolutely nailed it. I enjoy Cyndi's version better than Prince's. Amusingly, I also learned today that the song She Bop is about masturbation. Here are a few excerpts from the song lyrics: "I wanna go south and get me some more..." "... They say I'd better stop or I'll go blind" "... I can't stop messing with the danger zone" Cyndi, I feel, is a slept on talent in some respects. I feel like her contribution to pop rock is sometimes minimized by the superstars such as Madonna and Cher. Cyndi should not be ignored though. She has an 8 octave range!! That is insane!! Overall, I was really surprised at how much of this record I had already heard before, and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it also. A bit front loaded, with 6 popular hits one after another, maybe they could have been spread out a bit so that the back end of the album didn't drag so much, but even the filler tracks were great. I will definately listen again!! Favourite songs: Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through The Night, Money Changes Everything, I'll Kiss You, Yeah Yeah Least favourite songs: He's So Unusual 4/5

Little Simz is the stage name of London rapper Simbi Abisola Abiola Ajikawo. For someone who is only 29, she has accomplished so much!! She has had some acting gigs, and has released 5 studio albums up to this point. This one I am reviewing today is her third. Simz states that Biggie Smalls, Nas, and Lauryn Hill were huge influences for her. I was a huge fan of Simz's style of music, mixing rapping and singing parts together, and from time to time rapping in a "chopping" style (rapping very fast). The flow she achieves is amazing! I was happy to see that the song Flowers featured Michael Kiwanuka (who I've reviewed on here before, and thoroughly enjoyed). Overall, a phenomenal album today, and one that completely blind sided me. I assumed when I saw her stage name that I would be dealing with a shitty "rap/pop" group like Juice WRLD, Lil Peep, or Lil Nas X, especially given the fact that the album dropped in 2019. However, that is not what this was at all. This was closer to 90's - early 00's rap (Like Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, or Eminem). Very thoroughly enjoyed this album today. Listened to it 3 times in fact! Favourite songs: Boss, Venom, Flowers, Therapy, Offence, Pressure Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Wounds 5/5

This is my second Dire Straits review, and this is my favourite Dire Straits album. I have listened to it many times before, and am looking forward to listening again. This is the 29th best selling album of all time. The album was so long, that in order to make it fit on an LP, the band had to trim some of the songs down a bit. The CD version of this record has the full versions of all the songs, as it was intended to be. Some of the songs can tend to wander a bit, but Mark Knopfler's crisp, flawless guitar playing makes it tolerable. Apparently Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) was consulted about how to get the guitar sounds featured in Money for Nothing. This album was recorded on an island in the Caribbean, called Montserrat. While the band were there, they heard that Sting was also there on a wind surfing vacation. Mark Knopfler extends an invitation to Sting to join them for supper one night. After supper, Mark shows Sting what they had been working on, which was Money for Nothing. Sting loved the song, so Mark asks him if he thinks he could add anything to it. That night, they go into the studio, and Sting lays down the intro lyrics: "I Want My MTV", and the rest is history. Overall, a phenomenal album today, and an easy 5. Favourite songs: Money For Nothing, Walk of Life, So Far Away, Brothers in Arms, One World, Your Latest Trick, The Man's Too Strong, Ride Across the River, Why Worry? Least favourite songs: None. The whole album is gold! 5/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Aimee Mann before, so was unsure what the album was going to be like. Aimee is a singer/songwriter, alternative artist with country influences. She sounds like Sheryl Crow, or Lucinda Williams. Her writing style is awesome, and really spins a story for the listener. The picture painted by her lyrics in the song Mr. Harris (her falling in love with an old dude who is raking leaves, and her mother dismissing it as a phase) was beautiful. Overall, a perfect album for a rainy Saturday. I was able to really listen to this record while sitting and drinking a cup of coffee this morning, it was perfectly suited for that. I enjoyed it so much I listened twice. Favourite songs: Put Me on Top, Could've Been Anyone, Stupid Thing, I Should've Known, Mr. Harris, Jacob Marley's Chain, Fifty Years After the Fair, I Could Hurt You Now, Way Back When Least favourite songs: Say Anything 4/5

Today is the perfect day for a jazz album. It's a cold and rainy Sunday, perfect for popping this live album on and giving it a listen! Apparently, the original recording of this live performance had an issue where one of the horn players was playing into the wrong mic so none of his stuff got recorded. Duke was told this, and they headed into the studio the Monday after the show, and re-recorded the messed up tracks, and added canned applause in to seamlessly blend the live, and studio parts together on the album. They did a great job of this, because I couldn't tell where it switched from live to studio recording. The song Diminuendo in Blue is 14 minutes of pure gold. The songs leading up to it were kind of slow, and this song just turned everything up to 11, and they proceeded to blow the roof off of the festival grounds! Duke told the sax player to solo for as long as he wanted, so the dude played 27 choruses, then collapsed because he had soloed for so long. That's bad ass! I can't hear the name Duke Ellington now without thinking of the ghost who lives in the attic of Nick Birch's house in the show Big Mouth. This music reminds me a lot of the jazz featured in the game Mafia. Overall, a phenomenal epic of jazz! It is one of the longer records, at just over 2 hrs of runtime, but it is absolutely worth the listen. There were so many talented musicians in one spot. The live recording captured lightning in a bottle with this performance. Glad I took the time to sit down and absorb this one. Absolutely something I would listen to again. Maybe not cover to cover, but in the background during a dinner party or while cooking for sure! Favourite songs: Diminuendo in Blue, Tulip or Turnip, Jeep's Blues, Part 3 - Newport Up, "Day In, Day Out", Black and Tan Fantasy, Tea for Two Least favourite songs: I Got it Bad (And That Ain't Good) 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Al Green before. He is a R&B/soul singer, similar to Curtis Mayfield, or Sam Cooke. Al's life started out a bit crazy, as is the case with a lot of singers strangely. His family were strong Christians, and he got his start singing gospel music in church as a kid. He was kicked out of the house at a young age because he was caught listening to Elvis. He was, perhaps, drawn to popular music because it was taboo to his religious family. Al went on to begin his music career. This album is his fourth studio recording. His style of almost whispering into the mic, and moving the microphone close then far away from his mouth to almost manually layer his vocals was amazing. His music is super catchy! The drummer on this album was from Booker T and the M.G.'s. (Al Jackson Jr.). A few years after this album was released, Al suffered a tragedy in the form of his wife throwing hot grits on him while he was soaking in the tub, then shooting and killing herself before he could intervene. That was one of the events that transpired, which drove Al back to religion. He is now a preacher of a church in Memphis. This was a teriffic album. It would be perfect mood music for a weekend morning, or a dinner party. Favourite songs: It Ain't No Fun To Me, What is This Feeling, Let's Stay Together, So You're Leaving, La-La For You, Old Time Lovin' Least favourite songs: I've Never Found A Girl 4/5

The only song I'd ever heard by Dinosaur Jr. before today was Feel the Pain because it was featured in the game Rock Band 2. I remember thinking it wasn't great. This album cements that sentiment for me. Being so unfamiliar with their stuff this morning, I didn't know what to expect. What first struck me was the fact that it sounded like the whole album was recorded underwater. That, and the fact that the guitars were so distorted and muddy that they almost came across as an un-distinguishable wall of sound. The singer couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. This reminded me a fair bit of My Bloody Valentine, who were equally as terrible. My favourite song on the record was Just Like Heaven, which is a cover of the Cure. The original was much better. Overall, this whole album was garbage. I see grunge, and alternative rock influences, but this is just indie rock trash. I hope to never hear this again. No redeeming qualities. Favourite songs: Just Like Heaven, The Lung, Kracked, Tarpit Least favourite songs: ... the whole record. It is truly awful. 2/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Skepta before. Given the album title, I was under the assumption that this was a Japanese band. Boy was I wrong. Skepta is a British rapper who is big on the "Grime" scene. If you're like me, you don't have a bakers fuck of an idea what Grime is. According to Wikipedia, Grime is a genre of electronic dance music that originated out of London in the early 00's. It developed out of the UK Garage style, and draws influence from Jungle, dancehall, and hip hop. It is fast (usually around 140bpm) and usually features aggressive electronic sounds. To Cole's Notes this a bit, it is like rap/hip hop that you can dance to. This is not really in my wheelhouse of "favourites", but I can see the appeal to certain folks. It has a very heavy bass section, and would sound good on a sound system. I didn't mind it, but it's just not something I would gravitate towards, or ever seek out again. It is pretty cool that this dude worked with Pharrell Williams quite a bit when producing this record. The one thing it features that I hate are the stupid fucking skits that so many in the hip hop game did in the 90's. I hate skits, and find that they distract from the overall flow of the record. I don't give a fuck if you had an altercation with a man on a phone and wanted to beat his ass, get on with the music! Favourite songs: That's Not Me, Man, Crime Riddim, Corn on the Curb, Lyrics, It Ain't Safe, Konnichiwa Least favourite songs: Ladies Hit Squad 3/5

The only exposure I've had to Pet Shop Boys before today was their song "West End Girls", which was featured in the game Grand Theft Auto V. I enjoyed that song, so we will see how this full record of their stuff goes. Their style of music is like electronica meets disco and synth pop. It is very easy to dance to. The themes sung about seem almost melancholic, which is quite a contrast to the upbeat dance vibe. Overall, a great record today. There wasn't really a dud on the album. I will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Yesterday When I Was Mad, A Different Point of View, The Theatre, Go West, Young Offender, One and One Make Five, One in a Million, Liberation, I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing, Dreaming of the Queen Least favourite songs: Can You Forgive Her? 4/5

Oh hell yes!!! I am very familiar with Alice in Chains. They were one of the superstars of grunge that was coming out of Seattle in the 90's. Layne Stanley had such an ache to his voice, especially when he layered it a couple of times in the studio. Their sound is so low and sludgy, with a heavy bass sound, and muddy guitars. Rooster is a fantastic song that was actually written about Jerry Cantrell's dad, who was in the Vietnam War, and had the nickname Rooster. Other topics that were covered on this album included depression, drug abuse, and death. This is a super heavy album, but it is amazing all the same! Overall, loved this album. I've listened to it many times before, and will absolutely listen again!! If you liked this album, listen to their MTV Unplugged album. It hits different in a fully acoustic setting. Favourite songs: Rooster, Them Bones, Would?, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole, Dam That River, Rain When I Die Least favourite songs: Sickman 5/5

Today's album is another obscure post punk/new wave band from the UK. They apparently take a dark, gloomy post punk sound, and mix in aspects of psychadelica. After listening, that is not true. You can't just spew nonsense lyrics and be considered psychadelica. This is like goth pop. More moaning, talentless ass hats from the 80's. They fall in the same fucked up category as The Smiths, The Cure, or Joy Division (all garbage). Happy Death Men is especially awful. If you are feeling depressed, don't listen to this horseshit, it won't help. I've said it before, if you can't play a musical instrument, don't produce a fucking record. What tool signed these idiots to a record deal. Whoever it was must have been deaf. Trash. I can't wait to forget this bullshit. No redeeming qualities at all. I'll never listen again. Favourite songs: Do It Clean, Crocodiles, Pride Least favourite songs: Happy Death Men, The Pictures on My Wall 2/5

Before today, I'd never heard of the Screaming Trees before. From my research, they are an alt rock /grunge band from the 90's. Upon listening to this album, that's exactly what they are. But so much so, that they are almost indistinguishable from so many other bands like them from that era. Bands like Pearl Jam, Tea Party, Temple of the Dog, and Mudhoney did this sound so much better than these guys. One interesting factoid about these guys is that their touring guitarist for this album, Josh Homme, later went on to be the frontman of Queens of the Stone Age. Overall, a fairly average 90's alt rock band. Not the best I've ever heard, and nothing about these guys sets them out from the shit load of other bands doing the same thing at that time. I will probably never listen again for that reason, there are so many better bands. Favourite songs: Witness, All I Know, Look At You, Sworn and Broken, Gospel Plow Least favourite songs: Traveler, Halo of Ashes 3/5

Today's album is a samba/jazz/bossa nova record. I'm not overly familiar with the samba/bossa nova scene, but have been getting introduced to it through this generator, so we will see how this goes. This album features composer and pianist, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was featured on the Frank Sinatra record Sinatra/Jobim which I reviewed a while ago. That record also featured the song "Girl from Ipanema", which is a stellar track. The woman that they got to sing that song on this album was Astrud Gilberto. She was in a relationship with the feature guitarist Joao Gilberto. The saxophonist, Stan Getz went behind Joao's back, and fooled around with Astrud causing her and Joao to split, and her to start officially dating Stan. All this happened while this record was being produced. Nothing like a little love triangle to make the music flow. Perhaps one of the factors that may have saved this record was the fact that Gilberto was Spanish, and Getz was American. Jobim was the translator between them, and I guess Gilberto would tell Getz off, but Jobim would translate it as if Gilberto was singing Getz's praises. This music is stellar dinner party or cooking music. It is so relaxing and easy listening, with the Spanish/jazz liveliness. By times, the saxophone feels out of place, but apparently Getz "stole the Spanish sound for his own gain", so by doing a joint album, it was the Spanish's way of taking it back. I would certainly listen to this record again. It went well playing as I worked today. It isn't a genre of music that demands your undivided attention. Favourite songs: Corcovado (Quiet Night of Quiet Stars), So Danco Samba, Para Machuchar Meu Coracao, The Girl from Ipanema, Doralice, Desafinado Least favourite songs: O Grande Amor 4/5

This is my second Byrds album reviewed on this generator. This is their debut album, and should be more folk rock than psychadelica (which they had started experimenting with on the other album I reviewed by them (The Notorious Byrd Brothers)). The first thing that catches your attention when listening to this record is Roger McGuinn's 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. It has such a jangly, rich sound to it. That coupled with the beautiful harmonies attained by the band makes for some beautiful, soft, easy listening music. Bob Dylan wrote 4 of the 12 songs on the album. The rest were originals, mainly written by Gene Clark. The bands sound was like that of the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, or Buffalo Springfield (that early 60's hippie rock vibe). The term "folk rock" was first used to describe the Byrds, and the handle kind of stuck. Overall, a great record today, and one that I will absolutely visit again. Favourite songs: I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Spanish Harlem Incident, You Won't Have to Cry, Mr. Tambourine Man, "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe", Chimes of Freedom Least favourite songs: The Bells of Rhymney 4/5

I've never heard of DJ Shadow before today, so I was unsure what I was in for. My research tells me that it is hip hop/electronica. That is exactly what this is. Hip hop which is extensively mixed with samples of random shit, and a heavy dance beat. The only "lyrics" you get are snippets of people talking. I didn't hate it as much as normal electronica, but it still wasn't my favorite. As background music, this may be tolerable, but to sit and listen to it cover to cover, it grows old quickly. By the time the song The Number Song finished, I was over it. I've already forgotten much of this record. This album also features a staple of 90's hip hop, skits (or at least samples that are organized into 1 min snippets of randomness that has no bearing on the rest of the record). Overall, underwhelming record today. Forgettable, and boring. I won't be listening again. Favourite songs: The Number Song Least favourite songs: Stem/Long Stem 2/5

Today's album was a headache inducer. I've never heard of The Icarus Line before today, and from what I read, they are a post hardcore/aggro punk group. From that description I deduce that this album is going to be loud and angry. That is exactly what it is. It is mostly distortion and noise. At some points, even the vocalist is singing through a distortion filter for some ungodly reason, as if what this music needed was more feedback. It reminds me quite a bit of Nine Inch Nails, which is ironic because one of the guitarists from this band (Aaron North) left and joined NIN. Is a full minute of feedback distortion necessary at the end of Sea Sick? I think not. This is not music, and has influenced nothing. This is just noise with the sole purpose of being loud and annoying. To be on a list like this, you need to either be able to play instruments, have been highly influential, or have a huge, dedicated fan base. These tools have none of this from what I can tell. Spotify says average monthly listeners is only around 1,000 and their most "popular" song only has 50,000 listens (most of which were probably poor bastards trying to do this generator). Overall, this album is complete garbage. I've already forgot most of it, and have recovered most of my hearing. I will never subject myself to this trash ever again and I wonder what the fuck the list creator was smoking when he thought that shit like this was deserving of this list. Favourite songs: Virgin Velcro, Spike Island, Up Against the Wall Motherfucker Least favourite songs: Spit On It, On the Lash, Meatmaker, Sea Sick 2/5

This was a 5 star album before I even listened to a song this morning. I am very familiar with Johnny Cash's music, and this album in particular. The story around how this live performance came to be is a great one. Johnny had finally dealt with his drug and alcohol abuse problems, and was cleaning up his act. He settled down, and married June Carter, and finally started taking control of his music career again. In 1965 he decided that he wanted to finally play a live show at a prison (this idea had been floating around in his head since he released Folsom Prison Blues in 1955). His record label at the time wouldn't hear of it, but in 1967, his manager changed, and Bob Johnston was all for putting a show on for the inmates of Folsom Prison. Johnny rounded up June Carter, Carl Perkins, and the Tennessee Three and proceeded to put on two shows for the inmates (most of what is featured on this record is from the first show, except for 2 songs which are from the second show). I love how they left in Johnny's jokes and banter along with the cheers of the crowd, and even announcements from the sheriff. All of these "flaws" really maintain that intimate feel for the listener. The show featured a new, unreleased single which was actually written by one of the inmates of Folsom Prison, Glen Sherley. The song was titled Greystone Chapel, and Johnny surprised Glen by performing it live. Overall, this is a phenomenal record, and may be one of my favorite live albums. I've listened to it many times before, and love the "outlaw country" genre that he helped create. Favourite songs: Folsom Prison Blues, Cocaine Blues, Orange Blossom Special, I Got Stripes, Jackson, Dark as the Dungeon, Give My Love to Rose, Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog, "Green, Green Grass of Home", Send a Picture of Mother, The Long Black Veil, The Wall, Greystone Chapel Least favourite songs: 25 Minutes to Go 5/5

This is the second Van Halen album that I've gotten in this exercise. The first one I reviewed was their self titled debut. This album is their sixth, and was released, as the album title suggests, in 1984 (6 years after their debut album). This is the band's last record with singer David Lee Roth, and it is the first to heavily feature synthesizers. It may be a product of the 80's, or their attempt to appeal to a wider audience, but this album felt softer than their debut. A similarity to their debut album is their cheesy lyrics that are about mysogeny, alcohol, partying, and teenage angst. As corny as it is, it still slaps! The drum solo at the beginning of Hot for Teacher is absolutely flawless, coming in at 256bpm. Alex Van Halen was on fire!! He is a super underrated drummer! Overall, a great album today. Definately front loaded with Jump and Panama back to back, but not as strong a record as their debut album. That won't stop me from listening again, however. Favourite songs: Hot for Teacher, Panama, Jump, I'll Wait Least favourite song: Top Jimmy 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Love. They are a psychadelic folk rock band from the 60's. They sound similar to Sgt. Pepper era Beatles or the Doors. I must admit that at the first of my listening session today I didn't really get what I was listening to. By the fourth song, however, I was starting to warm up to the sound. Apparently this album was made at the first of the bands experimentation with heroin and LSD. Sometimes when an artist is too strung out, I find the musical direction difficult to follow. The album art is really cool and trippy. Overall, a fairly good record. Nothing really jumped out at me, and I don't feel compelled to relisten any time soon. I wouldn't be opposed to listening again however. Perfectly average. Favourite songs: Live and Let Live, Alone Again Or, A House is Not a Motel, Bummer in the Summer, The Daily Planet, Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale Least favourite songs: The Red Telephone, Old Man 3/5

This is my second Black Sabbath album reviewed on this generator, and I am quite looking forward to it. I immediately recognized the album cover, but am only really familiar with the song Snowblind (which I didn't realize until today is about cocaine). This was also supposed to be the title of this album, but publishers didn't like it because of the link to drugs, so Volume 4 was the next choice (as this is their 4th album). It was with this album that the effects of excessive drug use begin to appear. There are aspects of doom rock, psychadelic rock, and heavy blues rock throughout this album. Some amusing stories from the recording sessions include: Apparently, while they were in the studio recording this record, they would get SPEAKER BOXES FULL OF COCAINE delivered to them. Picture that. How small is the smallest speaker, like 12" x 12" starter amps? That's a lot of blow! Also, apparently during the recording of this record, the band went to the theatre to watch The French Connection, and Ozzy had to leave because he was strung out on coke and thought Gene Hackman was after him. Furthermore, their cocaine was laced with baby laxitives, which probably doesn't do much when you inhale it, however, there was a Doberman that lived at the recording studio. It ate a bunch of cocaine and took the shits. So they just had a coked up dog with the shits roaming around tripping balls. Final story: Bill Ward was worried that he was going to be fired because he was having trouble getting the time changes in the song Cornucopia right, so he is just sitting in a room dabbling on drums high as shit and drunk. He ends up passing out, and the band spray paints his entire body gold, and Bill almost dies. What a wild time to be alive the 70's were. Black Sabbath epitomized the rock and roll mantra: sex, drugs, and Rock and roll! Overall, a phenomenal, and largely slept on album. Supernaut is a fucking epic song. There is no doubt that this album belongs on this list. It helped pave the way for heavy metal bands that came later. My first time listening to this album in its entirety today. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice. I will absolutely listen again! Favourite songs: Supernaut, Snowblind, Changes, St. Vitus Dance, Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener, Tomorrow's Dream Least favourite song: FX 5/5

My God, Limp Bizkit. This takes me back to middle school. I can remember being a rebellious youth, and thinking the song Hot Dog was great because Fred Durst says the word "fuck" 48 times in the song's 3:30 runtime. This rap rock/Nu Metal movement that occurred in the late 90's - early 00's was crazy. You can see a bunch of these bands if you watch reruns of Woodstock '99. Fred Durst was actually blamed for instigating a riot during that festival by singing their song "Break Stuff" to an audience of pissed off young people. I can distinctly remember listening to Limp Bizkit's previous album, Significant Other more than this one, however, this album had its share of hits: Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle), My Way, My Generation, and Take a Look Around to name a few. Fred Durst's lyrics are corny as hell, but the energy conveyed through his angry lyrics and heavy instrumentation made for one hell of a "pump up" album. This is another one of those albums that is deep rooted in nostalgia for me, so it is hard for me to give an objective opinion on this record. I always felt that liking Limp Bizkit was a guilty pleasure. I get that they are cheesy, and dated, but I still can't deny that the music got my head bobbing a few times. I listened to the record twice today to try and separate nostalgia from fact, but couldn't do it. If nothing else, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Will probably listen again. Favourite songs: Take a Look Around, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle), My Generation, My Way, Full Nelson, Get Your Groove On (Dirt Road Mix), Rollin' (Urban Assult Vehicle), Hot Dog Least favourite songs: The One, Hold On, Outro (I don't need to listen to a looped track of someone laughing for 4 minutes) 4/5

The Slits are listed as post punk/reggae.... Oh no. 3 guesses as to why an all female band would be called The Slits.... This was really just noise. Uninspired, jangly horseshit. I don't know what the singer is doing with her voice when she does that warbly twittering, but she sounds like that gangly Russian dick from Vitas when he's singing that song The 7th Element. I think they glued a speaker to the fucking hi-hat for the song Spend, Spend, Spend, because the crashing drum noises in that song in particular were deafening. I'm quickly realizing that I hate post punk. All of it is just noise. Nothing was influenced by this garbage. The only song that was listenable on this piece of shit was a cover of I Heard It Through The Grapevine. I even listened to the album twice trying to see the appeal, and all I found was a headache. Can't wait to forget this trash. Favourite songs: I Heard It Through The Grapevine.... I guess Least favourite songs: "Spend, Spend, Spend", So Tough, Newtown, Love Und Romance, Liebe and Romanze 1/5

I first heard of Blue Cheer in a documentary titled Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. They were identified as the first "heavy metal" band. Their music was the beginnings of a tangent away from psychadelic rock and blues rock of the 60's, and the start of a heavier, fuzzier, overdriven heavy metal style. Apparently, they also played their music super, super loud, which is metal AF. This is the first time I've ever listened to anything of theirs with the exception of Summertime Blues. The vocals were yelled more than sang, the instruments were thrashed upon, and there wasn't a hell of a lot of talent aside from knowing blues scales, but this was a hell of a record all the same. Overall, this was revolutionary. These guys were way ahead of their time! Shortly after this came out, Black Sabbath started doing their thing, and the rest is history. Although this wasn't my favourite album, it is a piece of history, so points for that! Favourite songs: Summertime Blues, Rock Me Baby, Parchment Farm, Out of Focus, Doctor Please Least favourite songs: Second Time Around 3/5

Before today, I'd only knew Common through his acting career (Elam in Hell on Wheels, and Cassian in John Wick). I was aware that he had a rap career, just never took the time to delve into it before. This is his 6th studio album, and was produced largely by Kanye West, who was featured in a few songs along with appearances by Lost Prophets, and John Legend. This style of rap more closely resembles John Legend's R&B/jazz style of music than it does traditional rap/hip hop. It is as if an R&B singer decided to rap their lyrics instead of sing them. It makes the music much more digestable, especially to someone who isn't deeply invested in the whole rap game. Common's lyrics are intelligent, and he doesn't rely heavily on throwing N-Bombs around to make his point, he does it through his vibrant story telling. Overall, a really refreshing rap album that you wouldn't be opposed to playing in mixed company. I will definately add it to my regular rotation. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice today. Favourite songs: Be (Intro), The Corner, Testify, They Say, The Food, Chi-City, Real People, Faithful, It's Your World (Parts 1 & 2), GO! Least favourite songs: Love Is... 4/5

This is John Lennon's debut solo album after the break-up of the Beatles. At the time, he had been going through some primal scream therapy with his psychiatrist to help work through some childhood trauma. You can really hear it through the lyrics on this record (especially the song Well Well Well where he is almost sacrificing his vocal chords for his screams). The themes of this record include childhood abandonment (Mother), and psychological pain. The song God is almost a farewell letter to the John Lennon everyone knew from the Beatles, and hello to a new John Lennon. This album was mostly performed in a 3 piece band format, featuring Lennon on guitar and vocals, Ringo Starr on drums, and Klaus Voormann on bass (this is apparently the artist who drew the cover art for the Beatles record, Revolver). The song Love features Phil Spector on piano. Phil also had a hand in producing the record along with John and Yoko. Upon seeing the title of the record, I was scared that it was going to feature the awful moaning of Yoko Ono, but thankfully, it did not. Apparently John and Yoko both released a record in 1970 named Plastic Ono Band; how cute. I'd rather listen to pigeons fuck than listen to Yoko Ono. I also had a preconceived notion that I would hate this record because it was John Lennon (the only Lennon solo songs I knew are Happy Xmas (War is Over) and Imagine, and I don't care for either one) but this was so much more than that. There was a lot going on with this record, and I really enjoyed it. Overall, I was very surprised with today's album. It is beautiful. Lennon laid his heart out on tape, and it really comes through. I will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Well Well Well, I Found Out, Hold On, Mother, Working Class Hero Least favourite songs: Isolation, Remember, Love 4/5

I knew I had heard of Pretenders before today, but none of the songs on this album looked familiar. Upon listening, the song I knew was Brass in Pocket. Pretenders are a new wave band from UK/America. I have a history of not particularly enjoying new wave, so signs aren't looking good for this record. Sure enough, I wasn't particularly a fan of the pop style guitar playing, weird time signatures, and nonsensical lyrics (and also that washed out 80's pop sound that was done to death by so many other one hit wonder bands of the era). Overall, kind of bland. Not bad, but not my favourite. I wouldn't rush out and buy this record. I can't see myself wanting to listen again. Walmart brand 80's pop punk. Favourite songs: Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement, Tattooed Love Boys, Lovers of Today, Precious Least favourite songs: Private Life, The Wait, Stop Your Sobbing 3/5

This is my second Beck album in this generator (the first being his album Odelay, which was released 6 years prior to this one). This album has a much more intimate feel to it, with it being mostly acoustic with the addition of some keys and strings here and there. The reason this one is so stripped down is because Beck had recently broken up with his long time girlfriend, and this was his way of healing from that heartache. The pain and suffering of heartbreak, and depression can be heard all through this album, and made this record really surprising to me (I was expecting the hip hop/alternative rock stylings that I heard in Odelay). The one similarity was Beck's ability to take largely nonsensical lyrics and make them paint a beautiful tapestry for the listener. Overall, another excellent Beck record. This is another side of him that I didn't know about, but I'm glad I discovered. Favourite songs: The Golden Age, Sunday Sun, Lost Cause, Guess I'm Doing Fine, Already Dead Least favourite songs: Round the Bend 4/5

I'd never heard of Bill Callahan before today. The genre is classed as country, but that isn't the genre I heard upon listening to the album. Wikipedia has it classed more as apocalyptic folk, or doom country... Sounds like they are making up genres, but it does fit better in these categories than just straight "country". This type of music reminds me a lot of Nick Cave's more folk oriented albums. Bill's deep, slow vocal delivery brings with it feelings of gloom and despair. His phenomenal, poetic lyrics really drive these feelings home. He has a philosophical quality to his music. A few examples of deep lyrics include: 1) From the song Eid Ma Clack Shaw (about the death of someone close to him) : Love is the king of the beasts, And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat 2) From the song All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast (The eagle is depression and anxiety, and when he shows up all the smaller birds (good thoughts) fly off): The leafless tree looked like a brain, The birds within were all the thoughts and desires within me, Hoppin' around from branch to branch, Or snug in their nests listenin' in, An eagle came over the horizon, And shook the branches with its sight, The softer thoughts: Starlings, finches and wrens, The softer thoughts, they all took flight Overall, this was an amazingly deep album which was a lot to digest. Thankfully, none of the songs overstay their welcome. I listened to it twice today: once for the lyrics, and the second time for the musical accompaniment. An absolute classic of a record. I will definately listen again. I will say, you have to be in a gold head space in order to enjoy this record. It is very heavy and dark, but if you are open to it, it is absolutely beautiful. Favourite songs: My Friend, Rococo Zephyr, Too Many Birds, Jim Cain, All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast, Eid Ma Clack Shaw Least favourite songs: Invocation of Ratiocination 5/5

This is my second album by Courtney Love's band, Hole. This is their third, and last studio album before breaking up in 2002. This was the only album to feature bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. Even though Patty Schemel played drums in the demos, she was replaced by session drummer, Deen Castronovo, for the recording sessions. This was the first appearances of a creative rift forming between members of the band. Record producer, Michael Beinhorn convinced Courtney to drop the heavy, gloomy grunge sound for a more upbeat, pop rock sound. Grunge was dying, and Michael felt that appealing to the larger, and hugely popular pop rock audience would help the band gain notoriety. Many of Hole's fans saw this as a sell out, however, and this ended up hurting the band in the long run. Of the two albums that I reviewed by this band, this is my least favorite. I am not particularly a Hole fan, but I am familiar with their hits. Celebrity Skin is the clear star on this album. I remember hearing it on the video game Rock Band). I think my issue with this album is indeed the feeling of selling out that I got while listening to it, and comparing it to the older "Live Through This". Overall, not a terrible album, just kind of disappointing in the grand scheme of things. I don't think I would necessarily shut this record off if it was playing, but I wouldn't seek it out either. Favourite songs: Celebrity Skin, Use Once & Destroy, Malibu, Northern Star, Awful Least favourite songs: Dying 3/5

Before today, I'd heard of Kraftwerk, but never listened to any of their stuff before. I despise electronica music, so I never had a reason to listen before today. We will see how this goes. These guys were pioneers of electronica as well as industrial (you can hear their influence when you listen to bands like Rammstein). This is weird, but impressive given what they did with the lack of technology in 1974. Electronica today is just some talentless moron standing behind a Macbook pushing buttons. These guys fooled around with synthesizers and other electronics to get the noises they wanted, then cut and spliced tape to make it flow so fluidly. That's a fuck ton of work. Props to them for that. Overall, I still hate electronica, but can recognize the talent on this record. I will probably never listen again, but it is interesting to hear the beginnings of a new genre. Favourite songs: Autobahn (even though it was 22 minutes long, it was a song. The rest of the record was just noise) Least favourite song: Kometenmelodie 1 3/5

Today I get to listen to another record with a song that I know from playing Guitar Hero 3, this time Knights of Cydonia. I am vaguely familiar with some more of Muse's music, but haven't really delved into much of their stuff before. Muse are a chamber rock/space rock/alternative rock band from Britain. Really, my first time hearing any of their stuff may have been while playing Guitar Hero 3. After that, with the release of their album The Resistance, I got to hear, and really enjoyed Uprising. Their sound is full of fuzzy, sludgy guitars, a hell of a lot of feedback, heavy bass, and soaring vocals courtesy of Matt Bellamy and Chris Wolstenholme. The fact that they could make this kind of sound as a three piece band is epic, and the harmonizing of the two singers is otherworldly. There are themes of political corruption, revolution, and alien invasion on this record. Revolution seems to be a hot topic with these guys. Overall, a fairly good modern rock album. I'm glad I listened to more Muse today, there were definately some bangers in here that haven't got a lot of airplay (Assassin/Take a Bow). I will definately listen more in the future. Favourite songs: Knights of Cydonia, Assassin, Exo-Politics, Take a Bow, Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, Map of the Problematique Least favourite songs: Soldier's Poem, Hoodoo 4/5

Jesus, who thought it was a good idea to include this horseshit on a list of 1001 essential albums? This is truly awful. This sounds like Dollar Store brand Stone Roses. One good song does not, a good album make. There She Goes is a classic song, but the rest of this album is awful. Generic alternative/pop rock from the 90's. The one good thing about it is most songs are only 2-3 minutes long. This generator seems to be weighted heavily to shit British bands. Overall, a horrible album that I can't wait to forget. No redeeming qualities. Favourite songs: There She Goes, Doledrum, I.O.U. Least favourite songs: Looking Glass, All By Myself, Failure, Freedom Song, Feelin' 1/5 (1 point for the only song worth talking about, There She Goes).

This is the second album I've reviewed by Arcade Fire in this generator. The first one was The Suburbs. Of the two, this one is my favorite. Arcade Fire are a Canadian indie rock band from Quebec. Overall, not a bad album. I'm not a huge fan of indie music, so I wouldn't rush out to buy this, but I didn't immediately want to shut it off either. A fairly average album. Favourite songs: Rebellion (Lies), Wake Up, Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Une Annee Sans Lumiere Least favourite songs: In the Backseat, Crown of Love 3/5

This will be my second album review that features Brian Wilson, the first being his solo album, "Smile" . That album was apparently supposed to be released by The Beach Boys, and build on what they started with Pet Sounds. That didn't end up happening, however, becuase Brian took ~30 years off to get his mental health in check. This album marks a departure from the "surfer rock" style of music that The Beach Boys popularized. The musical themes went from girls, cars, and surfing in prior albums, to the alienation and loneliness that Brian was feeling while writing this album (he had already stopped touring with the band because of the stresses of being on the road). This is considered by many to be one of the first concept albums, having a similar theme, and dialog through the whole album. This was also the first album in which the Beach Boys didn't play instruments. The instrumentals were provided by session musicians The Wrecking Crew. Brian also included the super psychadelic aspects of "found sound" such as using pet noises (dogs barking), soda cans rattling, horns, theramins, bells, etc. The rest of the band didn't really agree with the direction that Brian was taking the band, but allowed him to create this album anyways, which didn't do as well as the rest of their stuff up to this point (probably because the public wanted more of the same surfer rock they came to love). The only real similarity that this album shares to any of their prior works is the harmonizing vocals. Overall, a weird album, but I can see how it was influential at the time. I am just not a Beach Boys fan. I thought my favourite song was going to be the well known "Wouldn't It Be Nice", but "Sloop John B" is a great song that I hadn't heard before. I probably won't seek this out in the future, but understand it's inclusion on the list. Favourite songs: Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows, Here Today Least favourite songs: "Caroline, No", You Still Believe In Me, Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder), I Just Wasn't Made For These Times 3/5

Today's album is a Celtic rock/folk album, which is right in my wheelhouse! The Waterboys are from the UK. This is their fourth studio album, and the first of their albums to feature Celtic folk. Prior to this album, they were just a rock band. With this album, they introduced the Celtic influences, which I love! The rock side of this band reminds me of the Canadian band Headstones, while the Celtic side reminds me of Irish Rovers. Just like you would hear guitar solos in traditional rock music, you hear fiddle/mandolin solos on this record, which is awesome! This Land Is Your Land is a snippet of a Woody Guthrie song, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank is a tribute to Hank Williams, The Stolen Child is a William Butler Yeats poem that the band put to music, and Sweet Thing is a cover of a Van Morrison song (the band breaks into a rendition of The Beatles song Blackbird right in the middle). Fisherman's Blues was used in the TV Series Lights Out, as well as movies: Good Will Hunting, and Waking Ned Devine. They get super experimental with the fiddle on this record, pushing it to its absolute limit to extract sounds out of it that were never heard before. The 7-9 minute songs on this record are really special, because that's where the band is just dabbling with their instruments, and some really cool moments occur (they feel like a jam band during these songs). The Spotify link for this album connected me with the Collectors Edition of this record, which is 1 hour, 42 minutes, and I listened to every second! There are some really fantastic songs in this extended version of the album, like: Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, And Meet Me At The Station. Overall, this was an amazing album today, from a band I'd never heard before. I will definately revisit this album, along with the rest of their discography. Albums like this is why I love this generator! Favourite songs: Meet Me At The Station, Fisherman's Blues, Dunford's Fancy, Carolan's Welcome, When Will We Be Married, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, And A Bang On The Ear, Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, We Will Not Be Lovers, Killing My Heart, World Party, You In The Sky, Sweet Thing, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?, Strange Boat, Let Me Feel Holy Again, When Ye Go Away, The Stolen Child Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Soon As I Get Home 5/5

Before today I was only familiar with Van Morrison's popular songs (Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance), so I looked forward to getting to listen to more of his catalog. I don't know why I never delved any further into his stuff, because I really like the songs I know. This is the definition of a perfect live record. The band (Caledonia Soul Orchestra) is super tight, and you would swear that they had been playing with Van for years. The chemistry between them all was amazing. This album has no overdubs at all on it. Moondance was supposed to be on this record, but there was 1 bad guitar note on the recording, so Van threw it out. He wanted perfection for his live album, and that is what he got! Van dips his toes in folk, blues, soul, and jazz on this record, and is masterful at each! Overall, an epic live album. This is how a live album should be! Everything is perfect. The only critique I could make is that it kind of overstays its welcome with the last two songs (which account for almost 20 mins of run time between them). Both songs consist mostly of increasing volume and tempo, then lulls again while the band canoodles around. It just made the end of the album fall flat for me. I will, however, absolutely listen again!! Favourite songs: Domino, Gloria, Help Me, Ain't Nothin' You Can Do, I've Been Working, These Dreams of You, I Believe to My Soul, Saint Dominic's Preview, Bring It On Home To Me, Here Comes The Night Least favourite songs: Cyprus Avenue, Caravan 5/5

Today's record is the debut studio album by The Rolling Stones. I don't know any of the songs on this record (at least their versions anyways, with most of them being covers of old blues/R&B hits). Even though this is an album of 95% blues covers, The Rolling Stones were instrumental in introducing this blues music to a younger audience. These guys had the "cool rock star" appearance, and were only ~21 years old during the recording of this album. The Beatles had the appearance of preppy school boys, whereas the Stone's looked like a biker gang. Many of the kids that were listening to these guys in their formative years had never heard of blues music before, and were looking to rebel against their parents neat, clean cut, acoustic music of the 50's. From here, it caused a chain reaction, which resulted in so many acts to come such as: The Allman Brothers Band, The Kinks, and Aerosmith to name a few. Overall, maybe not an amazing debut album as far as creativity is concerned, but absolutely important as the beginnings of something huge to come. Favourite songs: Carol, I Just Want To Make Love To You, Walking the Dog, Route 66, You Can Make It If You Try Least favourite song: Honest I Do 4/5

This is an absolute banger of an album today! 5/5 before even listening to it. I'm very familiar with it, and have heard it many times before. Looking forward to listening to it again! Thriller is Michael Jackson's swan song. This is peak fame for Michael, and he would spend the rest of his life trying to match the popularity of this record. The production costs for this album were in the vicinity of $750,000 which is insane. Off of the record, came 7 singles (out of 9 total songs), all of which charted in the top ten pop songs in the US. The first single (The Girl Is Mine, featuring Paul McCartney) was the weakest of them in my mind. Amusingly, the last single to get released was Thriller. The music video for Thriller was the first music video by a black artist that was ever played on MTV. The music video is basically a movie about a teenage couple, in which the female has a bad dream that the male is a werewolf/zombie. The filming costs associated with the 13 minute music video were in the ballpark of $500,000! The money was well spent, however, because (2 years after the albums release) the release of Thriller caused the total album sales to double!!! While promoting the single Billie Jean on the TV programme Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever Michael did his famous "Moonwalk" for the first time, blowing people away with his choreography. The song Beat It features a guitar solo, which was recorded by Eddie Van Halen. Apparently while recording the solo, Eddie caused the monitors to catch fire! That's bad ass! Overall, an absolutely historic pop classic! You can not have a list of mandatory listening without having this record on it. This record sold over 70 million copies! One of the highest sales rates of any record, ever! What an absolute powerhouse! Unashamedly love this record! Favourite songs: Billie Jean, Thriller, Beat It, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing), Human Nature, The Girl Is Mine Least favourite song: Baby Be Mine 5/5

I first heard of Turbonegro last summer on the Covino and Rich Show podcast. Covino was talking about listening to their song "All My Friends Are Dead". I was curious about what they sounded like, so I gave them a listen, and thoroughly enjoyed what I heard! These guys are punk/hard rock from Norway. They don't take themselves too seriously, singing songs with titles such as: I Got Erection, Blow Me (Like The Wind), Hobbit Motherfuckers, Shake Your Shit Machine, and Stroke the Shaft to name a few. People who get easily offended won't like these guys, but that's kind of the point. I have listened to "best of" lists of theirs on Spotify, but never heard this record cover to cover. I knew the song Rendezvous With Anus, but that was about it, so I was looking forward to hearing some more of their stuff today! Unlike what most people think, Turbonegro isn't racist at all! The band claims that the name is in reference to their style of music: Turbo = fast Negro = dark Overall, a great album! Don't take anything too seriously, and you may enjoy it too. The instrumentation is unapologetically fast and thrashy, and the lyrics are simplistic and hilarious. The first song on the record, The Age of Pamparius, is about making a pizza! I will absolutely listen again, and was excited to see that they made the list! Favourite songs: Monkey on Your Back, Prince of the Rodeo, Rendezvous With Anus, Are You Ready (For Some Darkness), Humiliation Street, Rock Against Ass, Get It On, Selfdestructo Bust, "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker", The Age of Pamparius, Zillion Dollar Sadist, Good Head Least favourite song: Back to Dungaree High 5/5

Man, this album was a real struggle to get through. I don't know why this is on this list, but someone was drunk when making the choice! The Divine Comedy is a chamber pop/europop band from Northern Ireland. He sounds like a Dollar Store version of Nick Cave, except Nick has musical talent. I had to listen to this in installments throughout the day, because if was just so shitty. The only good thing that I discovered through this listen was that this guy is responsible for the theme song to Father Ted (Songs of Love), as well as the song My Lovely Horse from the A Song For Europe episode. Songs of Love was really the only listenable track on the whole record. Overall, this album is a hot mess. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. It is only getting a 2 because of the Father Ted connection. What a gobshite. Favourite songs: Songs of Love, Through a Long & Sleepless Night, Becoming More Like Alfie Least favourite songs: Charge, Middle-Class Heroes, The Dogs & The Horses... and the rest of the record. 2/5

I love me some ZZ Top, and I love this album. The only album of theirs that's better than this one is Afterburner. This record is definately front end stacked. This album was ZZ Top's 8th studio record, and their first to feature synthesizers and sequencers. They were keeping up with the sound of the day (that 120 bpm new wave electric sound) while maintaining their blues rock, Texas boogie-woogie style. They had the beards, they had the look (old 1933 Ford coupe, women, fuzzy guitars, swag), they had the music videos, these guys had it all. They were showing no signs of slowing down. The hits on this record are all phenomenal (Gimmie All Your Lovin', Legs, Sharp Dressed Man). Overall, a beauty of a record. Every song on it is gold. Dusty Hill's performance on I Got The Six is fantastic! Also, Dusty's slap bass in Thug is phenomenal. The band is so tight on this record, it's awesome!! Favourite songs: Gimmie All Your Lovin', Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, I Got The Six, Got Me Under Pressure, Bad Girl, Thug, Dirty Dog, If I Could Only Flag Her Down Least favourite song: if forced to pick, I Need You Tonight 5/5

Today's album is the fifth studio album by prog rock supergroup Genesis. The group consists of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, along with Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford. The album was a departure from the more rock oriented previous album, Foxtrot, and a return to the more prog heavy sound of their early records. Peter Gabriel had some wild getups at the time, with his glow in the dark face paint, and reverse mohawk. His nonsensical lyrics send the listener on a tour of this midieval landscape, with subtle injections of humour at times. One such instance occurred during the song The Battle of Epping Forest, when he says: It all began when I went on a tour, Hoping to find some furniture, I followed a sign, it said Beautiful Chest, It led to a lady who showed me her best ... He's singing about a Woman's tits. This prog rock is more of a "nerdy prog rock" with the mystical folklike feel of the songs. Overall, not a bad album at all, once you settle in and accept the weirdness and constant tempo changes. Phil Collins drum work on this record is tight! I'd never heard this album before, and although not as good as prog rock masters King Crimson or Rush, it is still pretty good in its own right. Favourite songs: Dancing With the Moonlit Knight, Firth of Fifth, The Battle of Epping Forest, The Cinema Show, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) Least favourite songs: Aisle of Plenty 4/5

Never heard of Animal Collective before. This music is classed as "experimental pop". These guys should experiment with shutting the fuck up. These idiots must love recording in caves. The reverb on the music is fucking crazy. It muddles everything together, and renders it all just noisy garbage. They also have reverb turned way up on the vocals, which makes you feel like you're in a crowded store with hundreds of people talking at the same time: It's hard to isolate one conversation. In the same way, I can't understand what he's saying. What a fucking awful album. I was going to say that this is the worst album to date, but Robert Wyatt takes that cake. This is a close second though. I'd take that screaming German band (Einsturzende Neubauten) over this horseshit any day. This was just noise for the purposes of making noise. No musical talent found. Just three asshats who can push buttons on computers and synths. Fuck this album, and whoever thought this should grace a list like this should have their head examined. Artsy, hipster shit. No redeeming qualities. Really dumb album cover. I'm not on enough psychadelics for this album. Favourite song: Summertime Clothes? It's all utter garbage, but that may be the most tolerable? To be honest it all ran together into one big dumpster fire. Least favourite songs: this whole piece of shit album. 1/5

Fantastic!! An Elton John album!! With Tiny Dancer and Levon as Tracks 1&2! This should be a good listen! This album moves further into the psychadelic rock genre, while keeping the big band/strings accompaniment. It is definately front loaded, with the back half of the album falling kind of flat. This album is the third of five albums that Elton John released in an 18 month period. Bernie Taupin would write the songs, and Elton would put them to music. I guess Elton was so good at scoring music that Bernie would give Elton lyrics, and within an hour or so Elton would have all of the musical accompaniment figured out. These guys were just a powerhouse duo. Song writing machines!! This record did terrible on the UK charts, and may have been his worst tracking record there. It did better in the US, however. The odd thing is that the song Tiny Dancer was not a single in the UK, and was a single that didn't do that good in the US. It didn't become a smash hit as we see it today until the year 2000, with the release of the movie Almost Famous. The inclusion of that song in this movie made everyone rediscover it again and realize that it was a fantastic song. Tiny Dancer is actually about songwriter Bernie Taupin's then wife Maxine Feibelmenn, who had started touring with them, and was Elton's costume designer: Blue jean baby, LA lady, Seamstress for the band Overall, an excellent Elton album! Dries up towards the end, but is still an excellently produced and scored album just the same! Listening to this album today introduced me to some of Elton's lesser known songs such as Indian Sunset, which is a phenomenal story!! Favourite songs: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Indian Sunset, Holiday Inn, Rotten Peaches Least favourite song: All the Nasties 4/5

Every time I hear the name Miles Davis, I think of that scene from Billy Madison: "if peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis." This is classed as experimental jazz. Great, every record that is classed as experimental is actually shit, so my hopes aren't high for this one. This is the second Miles Davis album I've reviewed (the first being Birth of the Cool, which got a 2/5). It was the beginnings of Cool Jazz, this is the beginnings of a dumpster fire. I feel like Miles Davis' music is the type where it is actually horrible, but people can't bring themselves to say that because it's Miles Davis so they pretend that it's deep or philosophical. No, it's just straight up shit. They couldn't even bring themselves to play a song structure of any kind. Kindergarten kids would have a chance at making music that is alot better than this shit. There is a part in the song Bitches Brew where it sounds like Super Mario jumping through coins. There is also the whole song Feio (should be FERO maybe... The garbage company) where some instrument (I can't pinpoint what it is) spends the whole 12 minute song making dog barking noises. There is no flow to this experimental, improvisational jazz. It's just a slew of musicians playing whatever they want, and not listening to one another. Truly painful to listen to. It actually just sounds like musicians warming their instruments up before a show. 1hr 45mins is way too long for any album, let alone this dumpster fire. Overall, this is garbage. I'll never listen again, and have no clue why it is on this list. Favourite song: John McLaughlin, simply because it is only 4 minutes, compared to every other song that is 15 minutes plus...why?!? Least favourite songs: the whole record. It's all utter garbage. There is no start, middle or end to any of these songs. It's just nonsense. 1/5 because I have to.... It'd be 0 if I could.

Today's album is the third Marvin Gaye album that I've reviewed (previously reviewed What's Going On and Here, My Dear), and his thirteenth studio album. This album is very erotic and sexual. I kind of feel like I got ear fucked by Marvin by listening to this album. It is like Let's Get It On is the first round of sex, then the "cigarette and a drink" break during the next 2 songs, followed by a second round of banging when Keep Gettin' It On starts. Marvin is a master of his craft, creating a fantastic record of soul/funk. Let's Get It On is a classic that literally everyone knows. Overall, an excellent album today! I'll absolutely listen again! Of the three records I've reviewed of his, this is my favorite. It feels like the most consistent throughout. Favourite songs: Let's Get It On, Keep Gettin' It On, Please Stay (Once You Go Away) Least favourite song: If I Should Die Tonight, Just To Keep You Satisfied 4/5

Today's album is one that I know the hits off of (What's Love Got To Do With It, Private Dancer, I Can't Stand The Rain), but have never heard it cover to cover before. The songs I do know are great, so I'm hoping the rest of the album is the same. Tina Turner is a pop rock artist from the 80's. This was an album of rediscovery for Tina. She had shredded her vocal chords, so had to re-learn how to sing for this record, also this was her first solo album to be more pop rock than r&b/soul (like her smash hit, Proud Mary). David Bowie wrote the song 1984, and Tina sings a version of it on this record. Apparently those two had a short fling while touring for their duet "Tonight" which was on Tina's album Tina Live In Europe. I guess the two were backstage, and David came out of the shower wearing nothing but one of Tina's wigs, and started emulating her dance moves. It is said that this led to a one night stand that never went any further. Mark Knopfler wrote the song Private Dancer, but didn't think it was a Dire Straits song, so Tina sang it instead. There is a solo in that song by Jeff Beck. The amount of collaborations on this record are fascinating. It was such a powerful record. The song that really surprised me which I didn't know before today, but thoroughly enjoyed was Steel Claw. That song is an absolute banger! Overall, a phenomenal record today. I'm glad I listened to some more of Tina's stuff, and will absolutely listen again! Favourite songs: What's Love Got To Do With It, Steel Claw, Show Some Respect, Private Dancer, I Wrote a Letter, 1984, I Might Have Been Queen/Soul Survivor, Let's Stay Together, When I Was Young Least favourite songs: I Can't Stand The Rain 4/5

Siamese Dream is the second studio album by alternative rock/grunge group The Smashing Pumpkins. Apparently the recording sessions for this record were full of difficulties and high tensions within the band. Despite all of this, the record debuted at #10 on the billboard charts, and went 4x platinum. The Smashing Pumpkins sound reminds me a lot of The Cure in that all of the instruments are very heavily distorted, which creates a sort of wall of sound. Unlike The Cure, however, the production on this record is super tight, making each instrument crisp and distinguishable amid the "fuzz". Also unlike The Cure, Billy Corgan's unique voice soars over all of the noise, and leads to some phenomenal music. This album has 4 singles, Cherub Rock, Today, Disarm, and Rocket. The album was released right in the middle of the grunge era, so it did very well, competing with the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Overall, I've always liked The Smashing Pumpkins, ever since I first heard their album Mellon Collie and the Infinate Sadness (which is the album right after this one). Not my first time listening to this record, and I doubt it will be my last. Favourite songs: Disarm, Cherub Rock, Geek U.S.A., Today, Quiet Least favourite song: Soma, Silverfuck 4/5

I'd never heard of The Magnetic Fields before today, except that I knew that this album is second longest on this list (Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book is 3hrs and 15 minutes). The genre of music is chamber pop/indie pop/indie folk. It kind of sounds like Walmart brand Leonard Cohen. Stephin Merritt's bass vocals are really smooth and beautiful. The album was originally conceived as a music revue. The lead singer, Stephin Merritt was listening to a pianist interpret Stephen Sondheim songs in a gay piano bar when the idea came to him. He was familiar with Charles Ives' album: 114 Songs, but felt that 114 was too many songs, so opted to go with 69. Overall, I was impressed with the record. It suffered, of course, from overstaying its welcome, but if you can get past the length of the record, and just have it on as background music, it is great! I wouldn't want to just sit and listen to this because my attention span wouldn't allow it. For that reason, I will score this a 3. If it had been a 30-40 minute record, it 100% would have been a 4. Favourite songs: Papa Was A Rodeo, Acoustic Guitar, Kiss Me Like You Mean It, "Fido, Your Leash is Too Long", I Don't Believe In The Sun, All My Little Words, The Book of Love, You're My Only Home, "Washington, D.C.", Long-Forgotten Fairytale, The Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Dancing, "Abigail, Belle of Kilronan", Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget Least favourite songs: Absolutely Cuckoo, Reno Dakota, The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be, Punk Love, Love Is Like Jazz, I Shatter, Experimental Music Love, Blue You, Strange Eyes 3/5

A 2hr electronica album? Fuck... MJ Cole is a UK Garage/House/Electronica DJ from London. This whole album reminds me of those "alternative takes" of songs that make the deluxe edition of certain records. It's like hip hop/R&B artists contacted him to Remix their songs. Because of this, there isn't much flow to the album. The album cover looks like a pamphlet for a shitty brand of cologne. I've been known to hate electronica, but I must say, of the electronica I've reviewed thus far, this is one of the least shitty ones. I'm thinking I'm more receptive to this record because of the inclusion of lyrics (sung by a bunch of different artists). Like yesterday's album, this record suffers from the issue of overstaying its welcome. 2hrs is just too long. Overall, not a terrible album, but just way too long, and way too generic. Nothing really jumped off the page with this record. Easily forgettable. Favourite songs: Bandelero Desperado, MJ FM Interlude, Tired Games, Crazy Love, Slum King Least favourite songs: I See, Sincere - Re-Cue'd, Radio Interlude, Degrees 3/5

This is my second album by Morrissey (third of you count The Smiths) on this generator. The first record was Viva Hate, which was gloomy and depressing. This album was similar, but not as heavy on the doom and gloom. This record was more indie rock focused, whereas the first album was more like goth rock. Morrissey still hasn't cheered up on this record (came out 4 years after Viva Hate (my first reviewed album)). Apparently he is a bit of a tool, which comes across in his lyrics, which sound preachy and pretentious by times. Overall, not a bad record, but I found myself constantly zoning him out. His voice is just too moany for my tastes. Plus, it's a beautiful day outside, I don't feel like moping about listening to fucking Morrissey all day. Cheer up dude, have a burger ffs. Favourite songs: Glamorous Glue, The National Front Disco, You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side Least favourite songs: We'll Let You Know, I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday 3/5

Not another Miles Davis album.... How many of these are on this list? This will be my third album of his reviewed thus far. This is the album right before Bitches Brew, which I reviewed a week ago. This is the start of that exploratory/experimental electric jazz that he continued to explore on Bitches Brew. I didn't enjoy it last week, and I still don't enjoy it today. The trumpet is an instrument fashioned by the devil to irritate the fuck out of people, and give them headaches; At least when the player is "experimenting" with the sounds it can make. If you're playing in a register that only dogs can hear, you can fuck off with your shrill sounding trumpet. I've learned that Herbie Hancock played keyboard on the first song, Shhh/Peaceful. That could explain why I disliked that song more than the second song. At least this album only consisted of 2 "songs" at 20 mins a piece, so it was over relatively quickly, but my God, how hard is it to have an idea, shape it into a song with a hook, and a structure, and record it? I like some smooth jazz, but this experimental bullshit is just garbage. Bad enough that they included 1 of these shitty albums, but 2? Fuck off. Favourite song: In A Silent Way, I guess... Least favourite song: by process of elimination, Shhh/Peaceful 1/5

I've never heard of Pavement before, but upon researching them, I learned that they are a 90's indie rock band. This can either go good, or bad. I find that there is no in between with indie. Upon listening, it is similar to Dinosaur Jr, or Sebadoh. I wasn't a fan of either of those acts, and I'm not a fan of these guys either. They're just a bunch of talentless morons making noise. At times their instruments are out of tune and they're too stupid to realize, or they just don't care. Also, the singer is tone deaf. Indie is a hard genre for me to get on board with. In my mind, they were never picked up by a major record label for a reason; Because they suck ass, which is definately the case here. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. Overall, a garbage album by a shitty band. Another album that has me scratching my head as to why it is included on this list. Can't wait to forget this garbage. Favourite songs: Cut Your Hair... I guess... Least favourite songs: Hit the Plane Down, Range Life, Unfair, Newark Wilder, 5-4=Unity 1/5

Before today, the only Ryan Adams song I knew was To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High). I had been introduced to this song by a university roommate, so as soon as I saw Ryan's name, I immediately thought of my university days! Great times. Ryan Adams is a folk rock /alternative country artist from the United States. I would say that his music is similar to Bob Dylan, or Jason Isbell. Ryan's song writing style is very cryptic, which is what reminds me so much of Bob Dylan. This album was supposed to be a double album, but the record company made it a single CD, then took the last 5 songs on the record, and put them on a bonus disc, which they included in the first 150,000 copies of the album that were sold. This allowed the record company to charge more money for the deluxe edition of the record which included the bonus disc. This pissed Ryan off because he felt like it was screwing over his fans by making them pay inflated prices for his new album. The one song from this album that I was familiar with before listening to it was When the Stars Go Blue, which was covered by Tim McGraw. I was unaware that it was a Ryan Adams song until I did a little research on this record. Apparently his song "New York, New York" gained popularity on MTV after the 9/11 attacks. Also, The Rescue Blues was featured in the end credits of Behind Enemy Lines. Overall, an excellent album today. I really enjoyed it, and will 100% listen again! Musical accompaniment was tight, and Ryan's vocal delivery was spot on. Favourite songs: Rosalie Come and Go, Sweet Black Magic, "New York, New York", When the Stars Go Blue, Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues, The Rescue Blues, Enemy Fire, The Bar is a Beautiful Place, Firecracker, Answering Bell, Gonna Make You Love Me Least favourite songs: Sylvia Plath, Wild Flowers 4/5

This is my third The Who record to review on this generator. This is a live album, recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory in 1970. This is the only live recording released featuring the all star line up (Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Pete Townshend). This record is the newest of the three I've reviewed thus far, coming out after their rock opera, Tommy. They were getting heavy into the psychadelic stuff when this record came out. A Quick One, While He's Away is a weird song. The inclusion of Amazing Journey/Sparks from their album Tommy was great to see. I guess they were having troubles with touring and promoting Tommy, because they couldn't reproduce the album in front of a live audience quite right. That is why they opted to go the route they did with this album. This album also forms the bridge between rock opera Tommy, and 70's rocker Who's Next. Overall, this was a super tight live album. Usually live albums suffer from shitty production or sloppy playing, but this album sounds like it was made in a recording studio. The 15 minute acid induced solo in My Generation was a bit much, but other than that, a really solid album. Favourite songs: Young Man Blues, Summertime Blues, I Can't Explain, Tattoo, Substitute, Shakin' All Over, Happy Jack Least favourite songs: "A Quick One, While He's Away" 3/5

Today's album was a Cuban rumba/jazz album by Congo player Sabu Martinez. The album is very precussion forward, with Cuban Tres, and double bass accompaniment on a few songs. The vocals on this record range from call and response style, to random screaming/shouting styles, which were a bit jarring. In the song Simba, it sounds like they are wailing on metal pipes, and it gets a bit irritating. Such a shrill sound. Overall, an interesting listen today. Not something I would gravitate to often, but not bad as background music.... Except for the shouty bits. Favourite songs: Choferito-Plena, El Cumbanchero, Tribilin Cantore Least favourite songs: Billumba-Palo Congo 3/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Scott Walker before. First thing that struck me was the nice, simple album title theme (Scott 4 being his fourth (not fifth as the review says) studio album). Scott sounds like a cross between Nick Cave (with the dark themes and baritone voice) and Leonard Cohen (with the odd bit of crooning thrown in). Scott's lyrics are very deep and dark, but beautiful (notably The Seventh Seal and Hero of the War). I would call this musical genre baroque pop or chamber folk perhaps. Overall, a pretty good album. Apparently this was quite the departure from his straight up pop music fare of previous albums. I think this is one of those albums not to listen to if you are depressed, because it will just make you more depressed. If you are in a good head space though, it is a beautiful record. Favourite songs: The Seventh Seal, Get Behind Me, The World's Strongest Man, Duchess, Rhymes of Goodbye, Hero of the War, The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime) Least favourite songs: Angels of Ashes 4/5

This will be my third Beach Boys record review (the first one being Brian Wilson's solo album, Smile). This will also be the highest rated of them to date. This album continues the path taken by the band in Pet Sounds, towards a more psychadelic sound, and also sees Brian more and more removed from the band due to his mental health issues. Brian only sings on 4 songs on this record, and wrote the last 3. The band was taking a new socially conscious directions, as heard in songs such as Student Demonstration Time (a song about the Vietnam War), as well as environmental numbers Don't Go Near The Water, and A Day in the Life of a Tree (songs about pollution, and the damages it is causing the Earth). They also randomly have a song about feet (Take a Load Off Your Feet). There was a documentary that was put out after their album Pet Sounds came out. In the documentary, they are interviewing Brian, and he plays an excerpt from a song he was working on. That song was Surf's Up. Fans heard it, and waited 5 years, and 6 albums before finally hearing the completed song. The only reason it was completed was because Beach Boys co-manager Jack Rieley made Brian finish the song. The album cover is a beautiful painting based on an early 20th century sculpture called End of the Trail. It depicts a warrior on horseback who appears to be mortally wounded. Overall, an odd helping of the Beach Boys today. Nothing like their traditional surfer rock at all, and very experimental. They played everything from psychadelica to folk to blues. I think that this departure from the surfer rock persona, along with Brian's wailing vocals taking kind of a backseat is why this album resonated more with me. Favourite songs: Student Demonstration Time, Disney Girls, Don't Go Near the Water, Take a Load Off Your Feet, A Day in the Life of a Tree Least favourite songs: Feel Flows, Surf's Up 4/5

My God this is a boring record. 40 minutes felt like 4 hours. I think it's because of Leonard Cohen's delivery of "spoken word" music. I feel if you are going to be a vocalist, you should do two things: 1) be excited to perform, and 2) fucking SING!! Cohen sounds almost bored to be performing, which leads to a super boring album. Cohen sounds like a Dollarama brand of Bob Dylan, and (on the album cover) looks like an unimpressed Adam Sandler. Even in his photo shoots, Leonard looks bored and unimpressed. The musical accompaniment is super minimal (almost non-existent), which doesn't help the nature of this record. Overall, not great. Lyrics made no sense, and Leonard sounded like he didn't want to be there. This music would be the type of irritating drivel enjoyed by hipsters in artsy coffee shops. Certainly not my type of music at all. I like folk, but I also like it to be delivered in a way that is less boring. This was 40 minutes of waiting for something to happen, and nothing did. Favourite songs: Suzanne, I guess? Not great, but less annoying than the rest of the record. Least favourite songs: One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (what's with the random moaning at the end of the song? Sounds like someone inhaled a kazoo and is trying to free it from their windpipe), "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and others... I was so bored, I zoned out several times, so I don't know their names, and I'm not relistening to find out. 2/5

The The? This may take the cake for shittiest band name of all time. This is generic 80's synth pop. This is minimalist garbage. Nothing happened. 40 minutes waiting for something to happen, and nothing. Just some douche with a synthesizer and a drum machine showing the different sounds he can get out of his synthesizer. The lyrics make no sense. This is just bad. Not sure why garbage like this gets added to this list so often? It hasn't influenced anything. So often I read in the reviews: it did horribly upon its release, but is considered a classic. It probably did horrible because it blows, which is true in this case. Overall, never heard of The The, and can't wait to forget them. Favourite songs: This is the Day...I guess?!? Least favourite songs: The Twilight Hour, Uncertain Smile (is there any need for a 2 minute piano outro?), Soul Mining, Giant (I didn't need a 5 minute loop of people saying "yeah yeah yeah") 1/5

For fuck sakes, why are there so many shitty britpop/shoegaze artists on this fucking list. There is so much music more deserving of a spot on this list. This garbage was made by un-enthusiastic goth idiots. Sounds like they had no interest in being there. Shitty simplistic musical accompaniment, and nasally moany singing. I could have gone my life without listening to this stupid angst filled bullshit. Whoever put this list together needs their head examined. Fuck this album. There's 40 minutes of my life I'll never get back. No redeeming qualities. Utter trash. Favourite songs: Subculture (They Can't Find Him) (hidden track at the end of the album), Idiot Brother, Junk Shop Clothes Least favourite songs: Bailed Out, American Guitars, Starstruck... and others.. It was so bland I drifted off a few times 1/5

Before today I'd never heard of LCD Soundsystem. They are a 00's electronica/indie rock band. Not sure how I feel about that mash up of genres, but we will see. The first few songs on this album didn't impress me much, but once North American Scum rolled around, I really started warming up to their style of music. It is indeed generic indie rock with a good beat. Overall, impressed with how much I enjoyed today's album. Thought I would hate it, but it was fine. Nothing astounding, but a decent album all the same. Favourite songs: North American Scum, All My Friends, Us V Them (MORE COWBELL!!), Watch The Tapes, Someone Great Least favourite songs: "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" 3/5

What the actual fuck is this garbage. No song structure, no tone awareness to the vocals. Just a fucking moron beating on a keyboard and guitars and calling it music. Eno was a hugely experimental fella, but some things just shouldn't be experimented with; such as musical talent (which there is none of on this dumpster fire of a record). Making odd screeching noises isn't making music, it's fucking annoying. Eno couldn't sing himself out of a plastic bag. Lyrics are complete nonsense. The chorus of Cindy Tells Me sounds like cicadas flying past my head ffs. Most of the tones and notes that Eno gravitates to on this album may be "new notes and tones that haven't been played before", but they're new for a reason. Because hearing those notes is like hearing nails on a fucking chalkboard. Overall, a fucking horrible album. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. When I saw that it was an Eno album, I knew it would suck, and boy was I right. What the fuck did this influence? Nothing. More horrible music that hipsters, and critics can't bring themselves to say is terrible, so they continue to pretend that it's this amazingly deep album, but it's not. It's shit. Favourite songs: Cindy Tells Me (I guess...the closest thing to an actual fucking song on this piece of shit album) Least favourite songs: Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch, Needles in the Camel's Eye, Baby's On Fire, Driving Me Backwards (sounds like it's played backwards...), Blank Frank, Dead Finks Don't Talk (looped Oh No's..... Just.... Why?!?), Some of Them Are Old (sounds like a 2 year old loose in a room with a keyboard), Here Come the Warm Jets (only good thing about this song, is that after you suffer through it, the album is done, thank Christ) 1/5.... Fuck this heap of shit. This brought me physical pain to listen to.

I was first introduced to Pearl Jam in my first year of university. My then roommate was a fan of their stuff, and listened often. That summer after first year, I carpooled to my summer job with another friend of mine who was also a fan. I grew to enjoy their stuff so much, that I bought their greatest hits cd, Rearviewmirror, and played the shit out of it. This album has so many hits on it, and for a debut album, is insanely good. The band was super tight. Even Eddie Vedder's mumbling lyrics are fantastic! A lot of the time, it's hard to tell what he is saying, but it doesn't matter. The rockin musical accompaniment more than makes up for it. Overall, the album falls kind of flat with the last 4 songs, but who cares. An album that is a hit machine like this one is allowed to have a few duds on it. The first 3/4 of the album was hit after hit. Even Flow, Alive, Once, Jeremy, Black.... Just amazing. Favourite songs: Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, Black, Once, Why Go Least favourite songs: Oceans, Garden, Release, Master/Slave 4/5

The summary of today's album states that it "is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release." and it "initially sold less than its predecessors and was met with mixed critical reception." For fuck sakes, why are duds like this included in this fucking generator? If the album was shit then, it is shit now. I hate Kate Bush anyways, let alone an experimental album that sold poorly. I am not looking forward to this album at all. This album is literally as irritating as nails on a chalkboard. Kate Bush's voice is so fucking annoying. If she'd just sing the songs, that'd be one thing, but she opts to scream and moan quite a bit. She also puts her vocals in a range that I can only describe as Japanese geisha pop. She sounds like a pre-pubescent Japanese girl. In that range I have no fucking idea what she is saying, it could be japanese for all I know. Not that it matters, her vocals are nonsense anyways. Nowhere on this piece of shit album was there ever anything that resembled song structure, or music at all. It was all just noise, and random screeching. Overall, exactly what I thought it would be, pure garbage. Just because Bjork said she likes the album, doesn't mean it has any right to be on a list like this. This influenced nothing, and is just simply a huge pile of bullshit, just like everything else Kate Bush ever put to record. This was a waste of 43 minutes. Fuck Kate Bush. Favourite songs: Houdini.... I guess Least favourite songs: Sat In Your Lap, There Goes a Tenner, Suspended in Gaffa, Leave it Open, The Dreaming, All the Love, Night of the Swallow, Get Out of My House, Pull Out the Pin 1/5

Before today, the only song I ever knew of Massive Attack's was the House MD theme song (song title: Teardrop). That song is quite good, but I was unfamiliar with the songs on this album. Massive Attack are credited with starting the trip hop genre of music (electronica music with hip hop/rap lyric delivery). This music sounds similar to Gorillaz or that Nightmares on Wax record I reviewed a while ago. Overall, not anything special going on on this record. I listened to it this morning, and I already forget most of the songs. It was kind of hard to pick a favourite song because it all just kind of ran together. This would make good background music, but it was kind of bland and difficult to focus on and listen to. It wasn't terrible music, it just wasn't that exciting either. Favourite songs: Daydreaming, Hymn of the Big Wheel Least favourite songs: One Love 3/5

This is my second Tom Waits album that I've reviewed so far. The first was Heartattack and Vine. Having very little familiarity with Tom before this exercise, I expected this album to be sludgy blues/folk, similar to the other album I'd reviewed. Boy was I wrong! Today's album was more of a jazz number than blues. For this record, he opened his recording studio up to a small group of people, and set the studio up like a seedy jazz bar, so it is super polished, but has that live feel to it. He has hilarious preambles before most songs. His preamble before the song Better Off Without a Wife is about masturbation of all things. Although being very different, it was equally as powerful as his other stuff. Tom Waits is a musical genius, this album is fucking great!! His rendition of Red Sovine's song Phantom 309 was awesome! That is such a powerful song! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. I've been very surprised by Tom Waits so far, having not known him before this exercise, and discovering that I love his stuff. The man is a poet! The way he weaves a story through his lyrics that places you in that seedy dive bar, or on the dirty streets of New York, he takes you on a hell of a ride! You can almost smell the whiskey and cigar smoke! Favourite songs: Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission), Better Off Without a Wife, Big Joe and Phantom 309, Warm Beer and Cold Women, Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac With Susan Michelson), Putnam County Least favourite songs: On a Foggy Night 4/5

An absolute classic of an album today! Smoke on the Water has a song riff that almost everyone who ever picks up a guitar learns early on. Apparently the recording studio that the band was to use in Switzerland burned down, leaving the band to seek out another space. The song Smoke on the Water is loosely based on that. Overall, a phenomenal album. Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, and Space Truckin' are all powerhouses. Not my first time listening to this record, and it won't be my last! Favourite songs: Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin', Maybe I'm a Leo, Pictures of Home Least favourite songs: Lazy 5/5

Today's record was a hell of a surprise, given the fact that I'd never listened to Violent Femmes stuff until today. From what I've read, they are classed as folk punk, which is exactly what this is. I was struggling to give it a genre, but it is acoustic with a driving bassline on most songs. I never thought I'd say these words, but the xylophone solo in Gone Daddy Gone is awesome! I thought that the band name sounded familiar when I started listening to the album this morning, and learned that Violent Femmes was featured in the song Gotta Get to Peekskill off of the Dropkick Murphy's new album Okemah Rising. I also learned that Blister in the Sun was used in a Wendy's commercial in 2007. The band couldn't agree on how best to set up the usage/royalties, and it ended up becoming a huge lawsuit, and resulted in the breaking up of the band until 2013. Overall, another fantastic "found band and album". From never having heard of them, to a fan of their stuff, this is what this generator is all about. Thoroughly enjoyed today's album! Favourite songs: Gone Daddy Gone, Blister in the Sun, Ugly, Good Feeling, Prove My Love, Add It Up, Please Do Not Go Least favourite songs: Gimme the Car 4/5

Today we have a classic power pop/new wave album by the Go-Go's. Drawing influence by the likes of Blondie and The Ramones, the Go-Go's really brought pop and punk together into a super accessible package. There is a noticeable difference between their sound on this album, and their live stuff because their record producer told them to slow down while in the recording studio. They didn't abide by this when playing live though, playing louder and faster, sounding closer to punk than pop. Overall, an excellent album today, and one that absolutely sounds of the era (80's). Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. Before today, the only songs I knew were We Got The Beat, and Our Lips Are Sealed. There are some hidden gems on this album for sure! Favourite songs: We Got The Beat, Our Lips Are Sealed, How Much More, You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep) Least favourite songs: Automatic 4/5

When I first pulled up today's album, I was not enthusiastic about it. I had a Brian Eno record last week (Here Come the Warm Jets) and it was absolute garbage. No redeeming qualities at all. From that, I drew the assumption that this would be the same. I was wrong. Although not my favorite album of all time, at least this one had basic song structure, and a musical direction. I actually didn't suffer listening to this album. Honestly, when the album started with the weird song No One Receiving, I thought I was doomed, but that was immediately followed by Backwater, which is a basic art rock song. The whole record kind of then settled into that art rock/psychadelica genre with the odd weird song scattered throughout. I don't mind an odd song here and there throughout an album, but when the whole thing is fucked, I just can't take it. A few songs (moreso on side 2) were completely instrumental, and kind of fit together into a sort of mini epic (the last 3 songs on the record). Overall, an experimental album, but one more strongly rooted in traditional musical themes. For that I am thankful. Nothing jaw dropping, but a fairly average album. Favourite songs: King's Lead Hat, Backwater Least favourite songs: No One Receiving, Kurt's Rejoinder 3/5

This is my third Rolling Stones album reviewed on this generator (the first two being Sticky Fingers and their self titled debut). This album is their 10th American studio album released, and marks a return to their more blues rock style of music. The album starts with an absolute jammer (Gimme Shelter). This song in and of itself is worth at least 3 stars. I thought Country Honk's lyrics were familiar. Turns out it is a country version of their song Honky Tonk Woman, which was released a few months earlier. Live With Me was the first song recorded with the Stones new guitarist Mick Taylor, after Brian Jones got kicked out of the band for drug abuse. Mick also played on Country Honk. Live With Me is also the first time the Stones recorded with saxophonist Bobby Keys. The London Bach Choir was brought in to assist with the recording of You Can't Always Get What You Want, providing the intro and outro accompaniment. Overall, this is a stellar album. I am a big fan of their more bluesy rock style. What an intro and outro to this album. Everything in the middle of the album pales in comparison, but is every bit as good in its own right. First time listening to this record cover to cover, but I will absolutely listen again! Favourite songs: Gimme Shelter, Country Honk, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Midnight Rambler, Let It Bleed Least favourite song: Love In Vain 4/5

This album is a shot of nostalgia this morning, transporting me back to middle school, watching the music video for My Name Is on Much Music. I remember the first time I heard the uncensored version of the song, I felt like such a badass. I still have a soft spot for Eminem. I'm not much of a hip hop/rap fan, but he is one hell of a rapper, and I tend to gravitate towards him as opposed to these new rap stars who need to start their names with Lil' for some reason (Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty...wtf). Eminem has more substance than any of those "artists". Eminem's lyrics are vulger, and they are meant to be that way. It kind of shocks you into listening to his music. His topics of conversation (especially on this record) center around mysogeny, murder, rape, shitty childhoods, and drug abuse. A lot of people get mad at his themes or lyrics, but they are ironically doing exactly what he wants them to do, giving him crazy amounts of free publicity. The simple fact that Eminem is still making good music should go a long way to proving his worth on the scene. I unapologetically enjoy his beats/samples/rap style. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed today's listen. The songs that featured Dr Dre and Royce Da 5'9" were a nice addition to the record. The one criticism I have, which I've had with every rap/hip hop record so far is why the fuck do they always feel the need to break the flow of the record with pointless skits? The record would have been stronger without them I think. Favourite songs: My Name Is, Bad Meets Evil, Guilty Conscience, Role Model, I'm Shady, Brain Damage, If I Had, Rock Bottom, As The World Turns Least favourite songs: Cum on Everybody, and all the dumb fuckin skits (Public Service Announcement, Paul, Bitch, Lounge, Ken Kaniff, and Soap) 4/5

Today's album is by a band I've never heard of before. Television took traditional punk, removed the power chords, and replaced them with complex jazz and rock solos. Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd were both jam guitarists, who liked to dabble quite a bit, as can be heard all through this record. Apparently the band met with Brian Eno initially to produce the record, but demos of the album didn't sit well with them, so they scrapped Eno, and produced it themselves, with the help of Andy Johns. Thank God for that, because I am not much of a fan of Eno's style at all! Overall, a pretty good all around record. Hell of a lot of talent in this band, and showcased on this record. Another found band that I never would have discovered had it not been for this generator! Favourite songs: Friction, See No Evil, Venus, Marquee Moon Least favourite song: Torn Curtain 4/5

This is the second studio album by Beastie Boys that I've reviewed on this album generator. Right out of the gate, Rhymin & Stealin samples Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf as well as Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks. The ability to mix heavy metal with hip hop beats and lyrics shows insane talent!! Fight For Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn are both absolute bangers! This album is so legendary! Overall, a fantastic album today. I will absolutely listen again. Favourite songs: Fight For Your Right, No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Rhymin & Stealin, She's Crafty, Posse in Effect, Slow Ride, "Hold It Now, Hit It", Slow and Low, Time to Get Ill Least favourite songs: The New Style, Brass Monkey 5/5

Before today, the only Lorde song I knew was Royals. Lorde is a electropop/art pop singer from New Zealand. This is her second studio album. Lorde sounds like a shittier version of Adele, with less talent, and a more synthesizers. I don't know what it was about this album, but I just found it boring. Nothing exciting happened at all, and I feel like I spent the whole time waiting for something to. Overall, not bad, she is definately talented, it was just so bland. Not my favourite style of music. I don't understand the appeal of this new pop music. Favourite songs: Homemade Dynamite, Supercut, Green Light, Perfect Places, Liability (Reprise) Least favourite songs: The Louvre 3/5

I waited 52 minutes, and nothing of note happened on this record. At all. This has to be the most boring album I've listened to thus far. Solange is apparently Beyonce's sister, and was a background dancer in Destiny's Child before she broke off and did her own thing. Solange has a beautiful voice, but the simplistic musical accompaniment (just keyboard, drum machine, and sometimes bass) just renders this album so bland. The message pushed through the interludes is powerful as hell, and should be heard, but dear Jesus, don't lull me into a trance, inject some energy into your music ffs. This style of music is stripped down pop teetering on R&B, which could be another thing working against it for me (I don't really like R&B music). Overall, it was such a boring record. I hope never to have to listen to it again. Time to go listen to a record with a fucking pulse. Favourite songs: Mad... I guess?? Least favourite songs: F.U.B.U, plus all the interludes (why was this a thing with hip hop /pop records?)... And other songs, but I was so bored, I didn't catch the name of them. 2/5

Today's album is by Scottish new wave/post punk band Orange Juice. I hadn't heard of them before today, but given the failure of every other Scottish band on this list so far to make a good album, I wasn't holding out hope that this would be any different. Orange Juice, however, turned out to be very different. Unlike the ungodly bleak and depressing drivel of all the other Scottish bands, these guys sound like Dollar Store David Bowie mixed with Talking Heads. There is also a few songs in which Zimbabwean drummer, Zeke Manyika, had a singing role (A Million Pleading Faces, Hokoyo). In these songs, I can hear influences from Fela Kuti. Overall, a surprisingly good album today. One I'd never have stumbled on on my own. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice. Not much made it stand out from the droves of similar music that came out around the same time though. It was perfectly average. Favourite songs: A Million Pleading Faces, I Can't Help Myself, Flesh of My Flesh Least favourite songs: Mud In Your Eye 3/5

Today's album is my first disco album that I've gotten on this generator. CHIC have those disco staples Good Times, and Le Freak. Good Times was actually the first song on this record, so it started on a high note! This was a relatively average album. Nothing too spectacular, and nothing horrible either. One thing I did find was a few songs overstayed their welcome. For example, if Good Times was a few minutes shorter, I would have enjoyed it more. One super solid aspect of the record was the bassist, Bernard Edwards. He is definately putting in work on this one!! The music is super funky with just the right amount of soul. They have the recipe for making music that makes you want to move. Overall, not bad, perfectly average. I listened twice today. Favourite songs: Good Times, My Forbidden Lover Least favourite songs: Can't Stand to Love You 3/5

This was my second album by Dusty Springfield in this generator. This is her debut album. Apparently, prior to this, she was a member of the band The Lana Sisters. After she left that band, she started the band The Springfields with her brother. While touring the US in the early 60's, she was exposed to soul music, and decided decided to try a solo career, where her desire to sing these styles of music wasn't so limited. I can't hear the song Mockingbird without thinking of Dumb and Dumber now. Her first hit single from this album was I Only Want To Be With You. This song was recorded while she was still a member of The Springfields, and was released one week after their final tour. Overall, not her best work, but a great album when you consider that it was her debut. Her voice is beautiful, and her country/folk stylings are perfect for a quiet morning listen. Favourite songs: I Only Want To Be With You, Mama Said, Don't You Know, You Don't Own Me, Every Day I Have To Cry, Can I Get A Witness, Do Re Mi, Wishin' and Hopin' Least favourite songs: My Colouring Book, I Wish I'd Never Loved You 4/5

I'd never heard of Husker Du before today. They sound like an alternative rock/punk rock band, that is like a shittier REM. After doing some research, I learned that Husker Du and REM were the two post punk bands of the 80's that changed the direction of rock music. REM became a superstar band, Husker Du never broke through to become any more than a cult favourite. The first thing that struck me when listening to this album was how everything sounds overdriven, and kind of buries the singer under layers of distortion. For most of the album, I found I had no idea what the singer was even saying, so this review is largely based on the music moreso than the lyrics. This album is a bit front loaded. After the song She Floated Away, the album became a bit bland. Not bad, but not as good as the first half of the record. Overall, not a bad album. Nothing to write home about, but if it was on I wouldn't rush to change it at all. I don't think it had to be a double album. It kind of overstays it's welcome in that regard. Favourite songs: Ice Cold Ice, She Floated Away, These Important Years, Visionary, Standing in the Rain, Could You Be The One?, Too Much Spice, "Friend, You've Got To Fall", Least favourite songs: Bed of Nails 3/5

Today's album is a 60's psychadelic rock record. The Electric Prunes sound like a shittier Sgt. Peppers era Beatles band. The first half of this album wasn't great, but it is backloaded with a few interesting numbers on the back half of the record. There were a few songs that sounded like they belonged at a renessance fair (The King is in the Counting House, The Toonerville Trolley) Overall, nothing spectacular about this album. Just more generic 60's psychadelica. There was nothing that set this album apart from the droves of other similar artists that sprung up at the back end of the 60's. Favourite songs: Try Me On For Size, Get Me to the World On Time, Luvin' Least favourite songs: Onie, Sold to the Highest Bidder 2/5

LEMMY!!! I love me some Motorhead!! I've listened to this album many times before, and can't wait to listen again! Motorhead are credited with influencing speed metal and thrash metal. They were on the forefront of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 70's - early 80's, and helped breathe life into a dying genre. Lemmy's coarse, gravelly voice helped push the hard and heavy feel of their music. Motorhead were also known to play super loud at their live shows, with Lemmy's phenomenal bass guitar taking a front seat, and hitting you right in the chest with sound! Ace of Spades takes me back to my first year of university every time I hear it. I had a dorm-mate who would start his Friday night drinking escapades every week by blasting Motorhead and shotgunning a beer! I feel like Lemmy would be proud!! The themes sung about on this record are a bit risque, but that epidimizes Motorhead's persona. They sang about substance abuse, promiscuous sex, and good VS evil. Overall, a phenomenal album today. An instant 5 stars. I didn't even have to listen to it again to assign it that grade! It is just such an awesome album, and is very influential to the droves of acts that came after it! Favourite songs: Ace of Spades, (We Are) The Roadcrew, The Hammer, The Chase is Better Than the Catch, Shoot You in the Back, Live to Win, Fast and Loose, Dance, Dirty Love, Love Me Like a Reptile, Jailbait, Bite the Bullet Least favourite songs: Fire Fire 5/5

Today's record was the third by Bruce Springsteen that I've gotten so far in this generator (the first two being Born to Run and Nebraska), so apparently we are going in some semblance of chronological order. This record came right after Nebraska, and marked a genre shift to radio friendly pop rock. This album was a hit machine, with seven singles released out of the twelve songs on the record. Songs such as Glory Days, Born in the U.S.A, and Dancing in the Dark became classics, and are among Bruce's most well known works. Overall, this was a fantastic album today. All killer, no filler. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice. I will absolutely listen again. Favourite songs: Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark, Born in the U.S.A., I'm Goin' Down, Cover Me, Working on the Highway, Downbound Train, Bobby Jean, Darlington County, I'm On Fire, My Hometown Least favourite songs: No Surrender 5/5

Today's album is by The Streets, who is a British rapper. The music wasn't bad, but his lyrics were very simplistic. If you listened to someone in Grade 5 rap, that'd be the same level as this guy. Not to say that it's bad, it's just the kind of rap that someone who is just discovering rap would like, or its like... Bible camp Rap.... Super clean. At least there isn't N bombs dropped every 10 Seconds though, so that's a positive. The whole record is a concept album. It starts with some lad misplacing $1000.... He then meets a chick, they date, they break up, he gets fucked up on pills, later on the album ends with him finding his money behind the tv. A really weird concept, but not bad. This guy is cockney as hell too, which makes him hard to understand by times. Overall, not a bad album, just not the hard, fast Gangsta rap that I'm used to on this side of the pond. This stuff, as I said, is cleaner and softer. I'd listen again, but nothing really jumped out at me upon first listen. Favourite songs: Fit But You Know It, Not Addicted Least favourite songs: It Was Supposed to Be So Easy 3/5

Today's album is a golden one! R.E.M. are an alt rock/post punk band from the United States. In the 80's, these guys were trailblazers for the genre of alt rock. Interestingly, I reviewed a Husker Du album last week, and they were another trendsetter for the genre. R.E.M. made it big, Husker Du remained a cult favourite. Michael Stipe's strange cryptic lyrics blend seamlessly into the folkish musical accompaniment. Apparently this album was the first to include mandolin, making this one closer to folk rock than its predecessors. Stand, Orange Crush, and Pop Song 89 were all radio favourites, and are phenomenal songs. These alone are enough to warrant a 5 star rating. There isn't a dud on this record at all. Overall, an amazing rock record. I've listened to it many times before, and will continue to. I've had R.E.M. on shuffle all day now! Favourite songs: Orange Crush, Stand, Pop Song 89, Turn You Inside-Out, World Leader Pretend, Untitled, You Are The Everything, I Remember California, Get Up Least favourite songs: Hairshirt 5/5

This is my second Elvis album reviewed on this generator. Just like my first review (Elvis is Back!) this one takes place prior to Elvis selling his soul to Las Vegas. Before he became a circus act with all the hair and hip gyrating his music was quite good. He is known as the king of rock 'n' roll for a reason. Going into this listen I only knew a few songs on this album (Blue Suede Shoes and Tutti Frutti), both of which are excellent songs! There were a lot more fantastic songs on this album though. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed today's album. It being Elvis' debut album, there were no simplistic theatrics to his performance. It was just him and his backing band playing good ol rock 'n' roll and blues music. I would definately listen again. The only thing I am not a fan of is his moany slow songs. All of his upbeat stuff though is gold. Favourite songs: Blue Suede Shoes, Money Honey, Tutti Frutti, One-Sided Love Affair, Just Because, I Got A Woman, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You) Least favourite songs: I Love You Because, Blue Moon - Take 9/M 4/5

Today's Bowie album is one of his Berlin Trilogy where he went to Germany to clean the drugs out of his system and ended up making 3 records in as many years, plus helped Iggy Pop make 2 in the same timeframe. It's a solid album. The only thing I don't like is the scent of fucking Brian Eno all over this record with his off tempo spacey horseshit. I feel it takes away from an otherwise great album. Overall, not my favourite Bowie album. I knew nothing on this one, and didn't care to. I can't see myself seeking this album out again. Bowie is great, just this album kind of sucks. I blame Eno. Favourite songs: Sound and Vision, Be My Wife, Speed of Life Least favourite songs: Warszawa, Weeping Wall 2/5

Cee-Lo Green is a modern day hip hop/R&B artist, which is fine, but Cee-Lo sounds like an Oompa Loompa with his high ass voice. His only song I'm familiar with isn't on this record, but is called "Fuck You". That song is an earworm, and I spent the whole day today humming the tune to it, and wishing it was on this album. It's kinda funny to listen to someone who sounds like they huffed helium sing about being strapped with Glocks and doing drive by's. I feel like Cee-Lo is trying to be gangsta rap, but he is just too soft. There shouldn't be a connection between self acclaimed soul singers and gangsta rap. Those are two very different spectrums. To be honest, I enjoyed the songs that featured other artists more than any of Cee-Lo's solo stuff on this album. Overall, not bad, but not great. It felt like it was missing something, but I can't put my finger on what that is. This album also overstayed its welcome, coming in at over an hour in length and consisting of 16 songs (plus an intro and an outro). I wouldn't race out to listen to this album again any time soon. I had a hard time getting through it once today. Favourite songs: Scrap Metal, Childz Play, The One, I'll Be Around Least favourite songs: Sometimes, I Am Selling Soul, Let's Stay Together 2/5

Favourite songs: Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), You're Good For Me, If You Need Me, Beautiful Brown Eyes, He'll Have to Go Least favourite songs: Someone to Love Me 4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Todd Rundgren before. Todd's type of music is pop rock with some psychadelic elements to it. It's like the Eagles crossed with Jefferson Starship. Nice easy listening. Something impressive about this album is that Todd produced it and played all the instruments on 3/4 of this record himself. That takes a lot of talent. Apparently after this album, he focused heavier on the psychadelic elements of his music, but this stuff is super chill. This album would be excellent as background music while doing work or sitting back and enjoying a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. There are a lot of different things going on with this album. Everything from psychadelic rock to blues rock to pop. Even a few live numbers at the end of the record. Overall, an excellent album today. I enjoyed the genre changes throughout the album. Given the fact that this was a double album clocking in at 1hr 30mins, the constant changing kept it fresh. I will definately listen again! Favourite songs: Wolfman Jack, Slut, Piss Aaron, Messin' With The Kid, It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference, Couldn't I Just Tell You, Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me, I Saw The Light, Cold Morning Light, Black Maria, Hello It's Me, You Left Me Sore Least favourite songs: I Went to the Mirror, Breathless, Marlene, Money (That's What I Want) 4/5

I am very familiar with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, as well as Tom's solo stuff. This is his only album included on this list. That's crazy, Full Moon Fever is his best album. Free Fallin', I Won't Back Down, Yer So Bad, Love Is a Long Road, Runnin' Down a Dream, The Apartment Song, Zombie Zoo..... That album is a fuckin hit machine. I don't understand this generator sometimes. Utter trash like Pere Ubu or The Jesus and Mary Chain get a couple albums, but someone as huge and influential as Tom Petty only gets one, and one of his weaker albums at that. Don't get me wrong, this album is fantastic (Breakdown, and American Girl are huge hits), but it just goes to show how hard this generator is skewed to obscure British garbage. Favourite songs: American Girl, Breakdown, Strangered In The Night, Hometown Blues, Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll Least favourite songs: Rockin' Around (With You) 5/5

Before today I'd never heard of the Dictators. They are an early punk band who sound quite a bit like New York Dolls, with the farcical attitude of Turbonegro. Apparently, one of their guitarists, Ross "the Boss" Funichello went on to join Manowar after the band went on a hiatus. There was also, in their early days, a member of the band "Handsome Dick Manitoba" whose sole role was to be the band's mascot (he is seen on the cover of this album). Overall, an excellent album! I really like how the band doesn't take themselves too seriously. The foundations of what these guys were doing would go on to facilitate the formation of punk. These guys just didn't catch their break like New York Dolls or the Ramones because of a few failed record company deals. They would always remain an underground favourite, and they gained a new fan today! Favourite songs: (I Live For) Cars and Girls, California Sun, I Got You Babe, Two Tub Man, Back to Africa, Weekend Least favourite songs: Master Race Rock 5/5

Today's album takes a hard look at the state of America for the African American population in the 70's (rampant racism, poverty, crime) and puts it on display. Sadly, many of the issues brought up on this record still ring true today. Even the album cover tells a story. African Americans standing in a poverty line, being overshadowed by a large billboard which depicts a happy white family. This album is much more stripped down than the Curtis Mayfield that I'm used to. It isn't the fast paced, danceable music that was featured on albums such as Superfly. This is much more reserved, and dark. It is very similar to Marvin Gaye's album What's Going On. This album starts with the song Billy Jack, which has some amazing bass grooves throughout. Overall, a very different, but very culturally important album today. It is super heavy, and hard to digest, so I don't see myself listening to it much in the future, however the message is super important, and I'm glad I listened to it today. Favourite songs: Billy Jack, Jesus, Love to the People Least favourite songs: So In Love 3/5

I love CCR! So happy to get to listen to this album today. So many hits (Lodi, Bad Moon Rising, Green River) on one record. This is apparently one of three albums made in the same year. CCR are a southern rock band. Their mix of fuzzy guitars, and John Fogerty's distinct vocal delivery make for an easy listening experience. Overall, I loved this album! So much so, I listened to it twice! Being such a fan of CCR, it was nice to listen to an album cover to cover, and discover a few fantastic B-Side songs in the process! Favourite songs: Lodi, Bad Moon Rising, Green River, Commotion, Cross-Tie Walker, The Night Time is the Right Time Least favourite songs: Wrote A Song For Everyone 5/5

This is my second Police record I've gotten on this generator. This one, unlike the other one, is extremely experimental! Mostly gone are the heavy reggae sound, and instead, it's been replaced with new wave garbage. I don't know what the hell happened on Mother, but it is almost unlistenable. Just Sting moaning. Truly painful. Truth be said, I'm not a huge fan of The Police, and moreso of Sting. He is the same kind of douchebag frontman as Bono from U2. I just find that reggae sung by white people loses something. It's like it isn't genuine or something. Also, whatever the fuck is happening on most of this record is also not up my alley. Overall, not a great album today. It was a struggle to get through. It is definately stacked in the middle of the record. Once Every Breath You Take comes on, the record gets leaps and bounds better, until Wrapped Around Your Finger, then it returns to its regularly scheduled trash for the last few songs on the record. Favourite songs: Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, Wrapped Around Your Finger Least favourite songs: Mother, Walking in Your Footsteps, O My God, Tea in the Sahara 2/5

Thank God that's over! What a dumpster fire of musical styles and genres that album was. Bjork can't maintain one specific genre throughout the entirety of this album. She goes from jazz to house to electro pop to art pop, and usually switches multiple times per song. You just start to settle in for a pleasing listen to a song and BAM... You're headed off in a completely different direction. The one thing that was good about this album is Bjork's voice, but most of the time I have no fucking idea what she's even saying. Overall, this album was a train wreck. I struggled to get through the album. The house/electronica numbers were leaps and bounds better than anything else on the album. That is because at least those songs had a pulse. For fuck sakes, call this album dead in the water and move on. I won't be listening again, and I'm not looking forward to the other album Bjork has on this generator. Personally, I feel it a disservice that she gets 2 albums on this generator, and an absolute legend such as Harry Belafonte gets none. This generator is definately skewed towards bullshit European bands that no one cares about. Favourite songs: Play Dead... I guess?!? Least favourite songs: Like Someone In Love, Human Behaviour... And the rest of the album... What garbage 1/5

The three songs I knew by The Cars were the first three songs on this record! The Cars are a synth pop/new wave/pop rock band from Boston. Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, and Just What I Needed are three certified bangers! I was excited to listen to the rest of this album to see how their other stuff stacked up to these hits. Overall, this was a fantastic album. There really wasn't a dud in the bunch. The play with channels (left ear vs right ear), especially in Moving in Stereo was neat. I can see how this influenced a lot of new music. Glad I took the time to listen to more of their back catalog. I may even go and explore more of their albums. Favourite songs: Just What I Needed, Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, You're All I've Got Tonight, Don't Cha Stop, Moving in Stereo Least favourite songs: I'm In Touch With Your World 4/5

This is my second Radiohead album that I have gotten in this generator. This one is their second studio album. Upon first inspection, I didn't think I knew any of the songs on this album, but as soon as Just started playing I was hit with a wave of nostalgia that instantly transported me back to middle school. That song was included in a Much Music compilation album, Big Shiny Tunes. I loved those records, and I had completely forgotten about that song! Overall, better than the other Radiohead record I've reviewed (In Rainbows). This album was more firmly rooted in alternative rock, and just flowed better in my mind. Favourite songs: Just, Bones, High and Dry, The Bends, Black Star Least favourite songs: Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was, Fake Plastic Trees, (Nice Dream), Street Spirit (Fade Out) 3/5

Before today, I'd never heard of The Style Council. I came to learn that they were formed by prior The Jam frontman Paul Weller, and prior Dexy's Midnight Runners keyboardist Mick Talbot. I've reviewed a record by The Jam on here already (Sound Affects), and remember being kind of underwhelmed by it. Apparently, Paul tired of making post punk music, and wanted to take The Jam in another direction. The rest of the band didn't want to change, so Paul quit, and formed this band. This is actually their first full length album. You can really tell that Paul didn't really have a direction figured out yet, because this album is all over the genre map! The first 7 songs sound like a typical low quality jazz album, then all of a sudden on track 8 (A Gospel), you're hit with a typical shitty 80's rap number for some reason. After that, you get Dexy's Midnight Runners style of 80's pop for the last few songs. Overall, not a bad record. It kind of suffered sonically from not having a clear direction. It more kind of ambled about, trying many different genres and not really mastering any of them. It would have been better if they had settled on one genre, and really perfected their sound around that. Otherwise, this was a fairly average record. Not one I would actively seek out, but not the worst thing this generator has served to me either. Favourite songs: Strength of Your Nature, A Gospel, Blue Cafe, Mick's Blessings, Me Ship Came In!, Headstart for Happiness Least favourite songs: You're the Best Thing 4/5

One grest song does not a good album make. Song 2 is steeped in nostalgia of listening to Much Music's compilation album Big Shiny Tunes 2 in middle school. Other than that song, this whole album is a steaming pile of shit. I almost didn't get through it today. I had to listen in sections because it was just so truly awful. Overall, utter trash. No redeeming qualities. 1 star for Song 2. Favourite songs: Song 2 Least favourite songs: I'm Just a Killer for Your Love, Theme from Retro, Chinese Bombs, Strange News from Another Star, Movin' On, Essex Dogs 1/5

Another obscure indie rock band from the 90's, great... The Dandy Warhol's music is like shitty rock music that caters to artsy hipsters (hence the band name). Their music is either OK, or complete garbage. There is nothing in between. Pete International Airport, and The Creep Show are just noise... Why?!? Also, the album opener, Be-In has 1:40 of basically silence for some reason. Overall, some weird bullshit today. The highs were high, but there was quite a bit of complete trash on this record. Also, the album kind of overstays its welcome at over an hr in runtime. Favourite songs: Not If You Were the Last Junkie On Earth, Every Day Should Be a Holiday, Minnesoter, Boys Better Least favourite songs: Orange, Be-In, I Love You, Whipping Tree, Pete International Airport, The Creep Out 2/5

Favourite songs: Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind), Saint to a Sinner, The Shoe Goes On The Other Foot Tonight, There Goes My Everything, The Devil Gets His Due, Get What 'Cha Got and Go, I Got Caught Least favourite songs: I Can't Keep Away From You, I'm Living In Two Worlds 4/5

Favourite songs: What Is Life, My Sweet Lord, If Not For You, Wah-Wah, Plug Me In Least favourite songs: Beware of Darkness, Apple Scruffs, It's Johnny's Birthday, I Remember Jeep, Out of the Blue 4/5

Favourite songs: Melha, El Aadyene, El Harba Wine, Imagine Least favourite songs: C'est La Nuit 3/5

Fuck, not another Radiohead album.... This is my third one (second one in a week). Thom has apparently decided for this album to just make spacey boop beep and zap noises with shit tons of reverb, and moan into a microphone (which he is so famous for doing), creating a terrible racket. I spent this whole record waiting for something to happen, waiting for any signs of life at all...nothing. Not a fucking thing happened in 47 minutes. The song Treefingers is literally just almost 4 minutes of reverb... Nothing else.... Overall, this album was complete garbage. Why the fuck does Radiohead get more than 1 fucking album on this list anyways? Just goes to show how skewed this generator is to British trash. Favourite songs: Optimistic... I guess... Least favourite songs: this whole shitty album 1/5

Favourite songs: Sail Away, Political Science, Memo to My Son, You Can Leave Your Hat On Least favourite songs: God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) 3/5

Favourite songs: Young Americans, Fame, Fascination, Somebody Up There Likes Me, "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" Least favourite songs: Across the Universe 4/5

Favourite songs: Total Mass Retain, Siberian Khatru Least favourite songs: Close to the Edge 2/5

Emmylou Harris' style of music is country folk. It sounds like a female John Denver. Her voice is beautiful. She does a fantastic job of covering Dolly Parton's song Coat of Many Colors. Overall, a fantastic album. Perfect for a lazy Sunday. Favourite songs: Queen of the Silver Dollar, Bluebird Wine, Bottle Let Me Down, Coat of Many Colors, Hank and Lefty, California Cotton Fields, Boulder to Birmingham, If I Could Only Win Your Love, Least favourite songs: Sleepless Nights, For No One 5/5

This is my second album by Run-D.M.C. on this generator, and this one is equally as fantastic as the first one!! These guys style of clean early hip hop is awesome and refreshing! Their collaboration with Aerosmith to remix Walk This Way is great!! This album is front loaded for sure, with Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas, and Walk This Way being the first four songs on the record! Overall, I loved today's album! Would definately listen again! Perfection on tape! Favourite songs: It's Tricky, Walk This Way, Raising Hell, My Adidas, Peter Piper, You Be Illin', Is It Live, Hit It Run, Proud to be Black Least favourite songs: Perfection, Dumb Girl 5/5

Oasis are a brit pop/rock band, started by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher. This is their debut album. Their second album, "What's the Story, Morning Glory" would propel them to worldwide fame. The stories about Noel and Liam's infighting are both legendary, and hilarious. For example, when in recording sessions for their second album, Liam takes a break and heads down to the pub for a few drinks. He comes back a few hours later drunk, and brings a bunch of random drunk people with him into the studio. Noel is furious, and starts berating Liam and beating his guitars. Liam grabs a cricket bat and hits Noel over the head with it! It is amazing that these two were ever able to make music, let alone the fantastic stuff found on this, and their other albums!! This album is fantastic. I didn't know what to expect, given I only knew their newer stuff, and was unfamiliar with anything off of this record. Overall, this album is amazing. Not a dud on it at all. A nice light rock feel to it. I usually tend to hate brit pop, but this is brit pop with a pulse. It has a more rockin' feel to it. Will 100% listen again!! Favourite songs: Up In The Sky, Rock 'n' Roll Star, Bring it on Down, Supersonic, Live Forever, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Slide Away Least favourite songs: Married with Children 5/5

The Everly Brothers are a 50's - 60's pop group, similar to Elvis Presley or Buddy Holly. A lot of their content deals with how lovely girls are, and being in love. It absolutely feels of its time in that respect, but it is fantastic music all the same. The Everly Brothers were one of the first "rock 'n' roll" groups, and were there at the formation of the genre. Their harmonies added something to an already popular style of music, and allowed their music to stand out from the rest. I'm sure younger kids are wondering why these two are huddled around a box with a phone in it on the cover of the album. Overall, a great record. Nothing I would rush out and buy or listen to, but this late 50's - early 60's rock 'n' roll isn't really in my wheelhouse of favourite genres. That being said, I'm not disappointed about having to listen to it today either. It is perfectly average. Favourite songs: Lucille, Made For Love, Love Hurts, So How Come (No One Loves Me), "Donna, Donna" Least favourite songs: That's Just Too Much, "Sigh, Cry, Almost Die" 3/5

What moron put this garbage on this list? I don't give a fiddler's fuck about this "shoegaze space rock" trash. 6 minute songs in which nothing happens except echoy boops beeps and zaps, with the odd song having reverb heavy moaned lyrics laid overtop. Fuck this garbage. Try being enthusiastic about the music you're making. My God I hate shoegaze. There's an hour of my life I'll never get back. The only song that had a hope in hell of being in any way good was Run (cover of Lynyrd Skynard's song Call Me the Breeze) but it was even awful.... Just less awful. The first half of the album was "better" than the last half simply because the songs averaged only around 3:30 - 4 minutes each, whereas the last half, they average 6 minutes plus each. No one needs 6 minutes of this horseshit. The album definately overstays its welcome at just over an hour of runtime. Overall, this album is garbage. No redeeming qualities. Just utter trash. Favourite songs: Run...i guess?!? Least favourite songs: Symphony Space, Take Your Time, Shine a Light, Sway, 200 Bars, and the rest of this shitty album. 1/5

Favourite songs: Give It Away, Under the Bridge, Suck My Kiss, The Righteous & The Wicked, Mellowship Slinky in B Major, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Sir Psycho Sexy, Power of Equality, My Lovely Man, The Greeting Song Least favourite songs: If You Have To Ask 5/5

Favourite songs: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Workin' Day and Night, Get On The Floor, Burn This Disco Out Least favourite songs: She's Out Of My Life, I Can't Help It 3/5

The Triffids are an alternative rock band from Australia, similar in sound to bands such as The Smiths. Their sound features heavy use of jangly guitar parts which was so popular in the 80's, as well as lead singer David McComb's low register. His lower voice is by times complimented by female backing vocals, done by Jill Birt. I really enjoyed the Celtic influences heard in the song "Jerdacuttup Man". By times, this music has a tendency to sound like 80's cheesy pop rock (Love the Fever), but it has a unique quality about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, my initial knee jerk reaction was unfavorable, but after listening a second time, I enjoyed it more. I believe with more listens, I would grow to enjoy this record and band. An interesting listen today, as Australia hasn't been featured in this list much for me yet (only other Australian band listened to so far is the Avalanches). Favourite songs: Region Unknown, Holy Water, Kelly's Blues, Bury Me Deep in Love, Jerdacuttup Man, Love the Fever, A Trick of the Light Least favourite songs: Hometown Farewell Kiss, Unmade Love, Open For You, Save What You Can 3/5

Favourite songs: Nuthin' But A "G" Thang, Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin'), Lil' Ghetto Boy, The Day The Niggaz Took Over, Let Me Ride, Deeez Nuuuts Least favourite songs: The Chronic - Intro, The $20 Sack Pyramid, The Doctor's Office (who needs a 1 minute skit about two people fucking?) 3/5

Favourite songs: Greenville to Baton Rouge, Shut Up and Get on the Plane, The Southern Thing, Women Without Whiskey, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Road Cases, Let There Be Rock, Ronnie and Neil, Zip City, "Dead, Drunk and Naked", Guitar Man Upstairs, Life in the Factory, Angels and Fuselage Least favourite songs: Birmingham, Moved 4/5

Favourite songs: I Shot The Sheriff, Steady Rollin' Man, I Can't Hold Out, Motherless Children, Willie and the Hand Jive, Mainline Florida, Please Be With Me Least favourite songs: Get Ready 4/5

What the actual fuck is this garbage. The lead singer sounds like an Oompa Loompa who wanted to cut a record deal. That or a Tiny Tim (of Tip Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me fame) impersonator. That irritatingly high voice coupled with computer generated beats and musical backing that lacks substance, and you're left with this dumpster fire of a band. Add to that a stupid fucking band name, and an even shittier album cover, and you get the monumental disappointment of a listening day I had today. Why the fuck was this even created? And more than that, what brain trauma victim thought it belonged on a list of 1001 essential albums?!? 1001 steaming piles of garbage maybe. I couldn't maintain focus when attempting to listen to this forgettable trash heap, and it even sucked as background music. The album summary should tell you all you need to know about this record. 50,000 copies sold in the UK in the 14 years that it has been out. Could that be because this is horrible?!? Absolutely no redeeming qualities to any of this horseshit. Fuck this band. Favourite songs: All the King's Men... I guess Least favourite songs: When I'm Sleepy..., Hooting & Howling...and the rest of this garbage. I zoned out... 1/5

Favourite songs: Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, Good Times Bad Times, Least favourite songs: You Shook Me 4/5

Bauhaus is the band who started the genre of goth rock. Their music is weird, but in a good way. Super experimental. Goth rock isn't really my scene, but sometimes it is interesting to hear the starting point of a whole genre. Bauhaus' music is full of reverb, and haunting synth work, as well as deep, dark vocal delivery. Most of the time, the songs make no sense. An example of this would be the song "1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash". Almost 2 minutes into the song, the band starts singing about how to make fish cakes, and randomly shouts "FISH CAKES!!!" Near the end of this same song, they play the vocal track backwards, resulting in some weird noise. Props to the band for this album cover. It reminds me of the start of a bad joke: " A goth, an alien, and a panda walk into a bar..." Overall, not my favourite genre, but absolutely important to the creation of goth rock, emo, shoegaze, and more... It must be said that shoegaze, as a genre, can go fuck itself. Favourite songs: The Man With X-Ray Eyes, Harry, Hair of the Dog, The Passion of Lovers, Dancing, In Fear of Dub, Mask Least favourite songs: Hollow Hills, Ear Wax, "1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash" 3/5

Not these idiots again... It is completely fucked that Pere Ubu gets at least 2 albums on this list, while many more deserving bands didn't even get recognized. Whoever made this list needs to get their priorities straight. Is dude singing in English?!? The track "Laughing" sounds like noises coming from a Kindergarten music class. Fuck Pere Ubu. Absolute garbage. Came close to turning this record off. No redeeming qualities. This influences nothing. These tools should pay fines for every set of ears they make bleed with their shitty music. Favourite songs: Street Waves is the least annoying of the lot, but still sucks ass Least favourite songs: Sentimental Journey, Laughing, and the rest of this bullshit album. Why is breaking glass sounds, and recorders shoved up peoples arses considered music?? 1/5

Favourite songs: Proud Mary, Born on the Bayou, Good Golly Miss Molly, Bootleg, Keep on Chooglin', Penthouse Pauper Least favourite songs: Graveyard Train 5/5

This is one of the more boring offerings made by the album generator. You Know what becomes really annoying upon extended listen? A vibraphone, which is heavily featured (Gary Burton is apparently a renouned vibraphonist) on this record. Astor Piazzolla's bandoneon playing makes it feel like you are in a French/Italian cafe. This whole album is call center hold music or elevator music. It was so hard to stay focused on this one. I caught myself drifting off into a daydream several times throughout. 58 minutes is quite a long time to endure this "new tango/jazz hybrid". It wasn't necessarily bad, just really boring. I don't think I would listen again. On a dreary fall day, all this did was lull me into a trance, and almost put me to sleep. Favourite song: La Muerta Del Angel (one of the shorter songs on the record) Least favourite songs: I don't know, the whole album just ran together so bad, I couldn't really differentiate good from bad. 2/5

Why is there more than one Pavement album on this list? This one is at least better than their other album that I've reviewed, "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain". Favourite songs: Trigger Cut/Wounded Kite at :17, Summer Babe, In the Mouth a Desert, Zurich is Stained Least favourite songs: No Life Singed Her, Conduit For Sale!, Chelsey's Little Wrists, Loretta's Scars, Here, Two States, Fame Throwa, "Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era" 3/5

Koffi Olomide is a Congolese Soukus artist. Soukus is apparently Rumba music with a faster tempo, and more guitars. To me it sounds like Spanish music, sung in French, dripping with 80's cheese. Even the album cover screams 80's, with Koffi's blindingly white pants. I feel like I don't have the knowledge to accurately rate this album, because I know nothing about Congolese rumba music, so how it stacks (good or bad) is lost on me. I know that I enjoyed the danceable beats achieved by the band, but whether it makes it good or bad in the grand scheme of things, I have no idea. As I don't speak French, the bulk of this album ran together for me, so I can't really pick out where the songs started and stopped. Favouririte songs: Papa Bonheur Least favourite songs: Dit Jeannot 2/5

Favourite songs: "Paint it, Black", Under My Thumb, High and Dry, Mother's Little Helper, Stupid Girl, Doncha Bother Me, Think Least favourite songs: Lady Jane 4/5

My second Beatles album on this generator. Their music is just... so beige and boring. The whitest boy band, pop rock shit ever. Every one of their albums contains 1 or 2 really solid songs (Can't Buy Me Love & A Hard Day's Night in this case) with a bunch of filler spread in, and the filler all kind of sounds the same. The one good thing about 60's music is that the average song length is under 3 minutes each. This album definately didn't overstay its welcome, finishing up in just 30 minutes. Overall, not terrible, but nothing spectacular either. I've always felt that the Beatles were kind of overrated, and this album kind of proves it. Also, one of the dumbest album covers ever. Favourite songs: Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, Tell Me Why, I'll Cry Instead Least favourite songs: And I Love Her, I'll Be Back 3/5