This was my second PJ Harvey album to listen to on this list, the first, being 'Rid of Me.' I enjoyed this album, albeit not as much as I enjoyed 'Rid of Me.' I thought the vocals here were fantastic, as were the guitars and drums. The songs featuring Thom Yorke were really great too. "Big Exit" and "You Said Something" were my favorite tracks here.

The Beatles were a staple of the music played in our house when I was growing up. My parents had quite a few of their albums on vinyl (my dad had an opportunity to purchase The White Album on white vinyl, but passed because the person selling it wanted like $20 for it. But yet he and my mom spent thousands on Thomas Kinkade paintings...), we would play "Birthday" on every birthday, and Beatles' lyrics were often quoted in conversation. I still listen to The Beatles every now and then, but I don't think I've ever listened to an entire album of theirs from start to finish (maybe I've listened to all of Revolver or The White Album). I definitely prefer their later works (everyone makes better music when they're on drugs, and I will not be swayed from this), but I really enjoyed sitting back and giving this album a thorough listen. John and Paul really did a great job of writing this album. The lyrics are incredibly catchy and fun to sing along too, and the instrumentation is great too. I love that you can hear so much going on instrumentally; at times it sounds like there's closer to eight people in the studio, rather than a quartet. It's easy to see how these guys started off making "typical pop music," but then evolved so much artistically over their career. Even though the instrumentation may seem rudimentary, every note is executed with perfection, and it all blends together seamlessly to make a sound that was often imitated, but never duplicated. Recently, it seems like The Beatles have been labeled as 'overrated' by a lot of people, but that's utter bullshit. No one has had the career that these guys had, and the sheer volume and quality of their catalog over less than a decade is a marvel and will never be duplicated.

I've never heard of Joe Ely before, but this was a decently fun album to listen to. It definitely oozes the feeling of Texas country from that time period, with sounds of rock and rockabilly mixed in. "Cornbread Moon," "Fingernails," and the title track are the standout songs here, but everything else feels a bit like filler. It's not bad filler, but it definitely pales in comparison to the rest of the album in my opinion. Even though I wasn't blown away by this, I'd still give Joe Ely another listen.

Great listen. Never listened to a Bob Marley album before, but really enjoyed this. It's a cold and dreary day, and the instrumentation definitely didn't match the weather.

'Fever' was far and away my favorite song on the album. I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but this was a really good album.

First Miles Davis album I listened to. Really enjoyed this, and in a weird way, it makes me ready for the Christmas season. Looking forward to more Miles Davis music.

I have never listened to a salsa album before, but this was really great. Shameful that a Texan hadn't listened to a salsa album before.

Loved this. I love electronic music, and I can't believe I've never listened to The Chemical Brothers before.

I probably haven't listened to this album since college, but it's still one of my favorites. I wouldn't list every track as one of my favorites, but I can appreciate how wonderful each song on here is. Going to California is probably still my favorite Led Zeppelin song. Listening to this makes me want to go back through their discography.

I think I've maybe listened to this from start to finish once before, but I'm definitely more familiar with the Go-Go's singles than their whole albums. They're all very talented musicians, and it's mind-blowing that they were breaking so many barriers as late as the 80's. You can really hear the punk influences, and they definitely have that Los Angeles sound to them too. Solid album.

Another artist where I'm more familiar with their singles than their albums. And other than listening to Blackstar once, I don't really have any experience with Bowie's more recent work. Really enjoyed this album, especially the beginning and ending tracks.

Never heard of this band or album before. Normally, I'm a fan of psychedelic music, but this wasn't really my jam. It was really weird, even for a psychedelic album. I didn't care for the vocals or lyrics, and the instrumentation wasn't exactly mind-blowing to me.

I've never heard of this band or album before, but I really liked the vocals a lot, because they reminded me of other artists I like: Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, etc. You can hear the early punk influences, and this album sounds very much ahead of its time.

This was right up my alley. I can't believe I've never heard of this album or Air before. I really liked the instrumentation and vocals of each song. It was really enjoyable to listen to.

This was my first Peter Gabriel fronted Genesis album that I've listened to. I love Abacab and Invisible Touch, and I really loved this album. The instrumentation is phenomenal, and I really like how everything is arranged. Peter Gabriel's vocals really shine on this album, and I look forward to more albums from this part of Genesis's history.

Outside of "Everybody's Talkin'", I'm not very familiar with Harry Nilsson's work, but I really enjoyed this album. They lyrics and instrumentation were both great, and the songs were really well arranged. This isn't the type of music I typically gravitate towards, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I love this album. It's easily one of my favorite things to re-listen to. The vocals are great, it's well produced, and the instrumentation is great too. Just a wonderful album from start to finish.

What a fun album! Wilco is very hit or miss for me (I think they're great, I just don't always enjoy their stuff), but this was fantastic. I'm not terribly familiar with Woody Guthrie's work, but judging from this, I'd say he's a great songwriter. I really loved the vocals and instrumentation on this album, and "Walt Whitman's Niece" was the perfect opening track.

What a great album! The lyrics were raw, but the vocals were polished and refined. I loved the instrumentation as well. Just a solid, beautiful album.

I wasn't terribly impressed by this album. I thought the rhythms were great, but there wasn't anything else that stood out to me from it. When I think of great works in alternative rock from this era, I think of Sonic Youth, Pixies, REM, and The Smiths, but this album just didn't hold a candle to the albums that those bands were putting out around the same time. Maybe I'm just missing something, but nothing on this album was very memorable to me.

Jazzy and snazzy! This was a really fun listen, and it really oozed Sophisti-pop. I've never listened to The Style Council before, and I enjoyed this album. There were definitely some odd tracks on here that felt like they didn't fit, but overall, this was a pretty solid album.

While this isn't exactly the type of music I really enjoy, I can appreciate the talent of the people that put it together. I really enjoyed learning about why the album was made, and it's truly a remarkable achievement and concept.

Another band that I've heard of, but never listened to. My experience with Britpop is pretty limited (when I was 13 or 14, I bought The Verve's 'Urban Hymns' solely for Bittersweet Symphony, and when I was fresh out of college, I bought Oasis's 'What's the Story Morning Glory', thanks to Rock Band), but I enjoyed this album. It's very unique from a lot of the stuff I listen to from the nineties, and I really liked the guitar parts on all of the songs. This isn't the sort of thing that I typically listen to, but I can definitely appreciate how good it is.

Wow! I really enjoyed this album. I'm slightly familiar with Garbage (When I Grow Up is one of my favorite jams), but this is my first time to listen to a whole album of theirs. Shirley Manson is a great vocalist, and the band did a wonderful job producing this album. The instrumentation is so wild and unique, that it almost transcends what I think of when I'm mentally trying to place an album in a particular decade. I think this album is going to go into my regular rotation of things I listen to.

I first heard of Pavement earlier this year (shout out to '60 Songs That Explain the 90's), so this was my first time listening to an album of theirs. It had some good songs on it, but nothing really stuck out to me as really memorable about it.

I got introduced to Rush by a coworker of mine in 2003. I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock, because my parents listened to a lot of it during my early childhood. But since my parents didn't listen to Rush, I was never exposed to them. After discovering them, I really liked them, and immediately bought a greatest hits album from them. Over the next couple of years, I even obtained vinyl copies of Moving Pictures and Hemispheres, and in 2007, I saw Rush live. I say all of this, because this was my first time listening to a Rush album from start to finish, and well, I was really underwhelmed buy this album. Don't get me wrong, Peart, Lifeson, and Lee are all insanely talented musicians, and I think this album is a good showcase of their mastery of their instruments, but that's kind of it for me with this album. I didn't find the lyrics really great, and for a concept album, it really didn't feel all that cohesive to me.

I'm pretty sure I've listened to this album in its entirety once before, and on the first listen, I wasn't terribly impressed. However, this time through, I have a newfound appreciation for it. I'm always a fan of David Byrne's vocals, but this time, I really noticed how similar this album is to the works of LCD Soundsystem (the longer songs, the looping beats, the complex layering of sounds, etc.). Talking Heads were just on a completely different level than most of their peers in the 80's, and this album shows that. Once in a Lifetime is one of the best songs of the decades, but I think that Houses in Motion really shines on this album too.

Baby boomers remember Phil Spector as one of the most influential people in the history of modern music. Me? I remember him as the wild-haired, wide-eyed guy whose murder trial lasted what felt like at least five years. I've heard a majority of the songs on this album before, and they're all exactly what I want in a Christmas song: bopp-y, fun, and featuring vocals that don't hold back. Darlene Love goes so damn hard on Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), and it's the best track on an album full of great performances. This is going to be part of my holiday tradition from here on out.

My favorite teacher of all time taught me World History and World Area Studies in high school. He loved U2, who I was very familiar with, but he also really loved Echo & The Bunnymen, who I'd never heard of (if my parents didn't listen to them, or if they didn't get any airplay on the local classic rock or modern rock station, my chances of hearing them was very slim). A couple of years ago, an Echo & The Bunnymen song came up on some random Spotify mix that I was listening to (I'm pretty sure it was 'The Killing Moon'), and I really liked it. I'm pretty sure I stopped right then and listened to all of Ocean Rain. I really loved Ian McCulloch's vocals, and I felt like Echo & The Bunnymen sounded like a better version of early U2, and I could see why my teacher loved both U2 and Echo & The Bunnymen. I love the ethereal quality of their instruments; it almost sounds like their songs were recorded in this cavern that's somehow massive and open. On this listen-through, I'd definitely say that 'The Killing Moon' is my favorite track, but 'Nocturnal Me' is fantastic as well. This is a great album, and I hate that I discovered it so late in my life.

I'm pretty familiar with Eric Clapton's music; my dad listened to his unplugged album quite a bit when I was a kid, and when I was in college, I listened to his solo stuff and Cream a fair amount. I even read his autobiography at some point in my twenties, and I really enjoyed. Now, in the year of our Lord 2022, Eric Clapton has shown his ass to the whole world, and everyone knows what a xenophobic jerk he is. It seems like no one wants to listen to his music anymore, with the exception of people who say things like "my pronouns are meat/eater." I'd always meant to listen to this album back when I classic rock was pretty much the only thing I ever listened to, but somehow I never did. Due to Clapton's current reputation, I really didn't have high hopes for this album, but I have to begrudgingly admit that I thought it was okay. I don't know much about blues music (are the Black Keys blues?), but I thought this album was pretty good lyrically and instrumentally. I've always had a liking for 'Layla,' and I still think it's a great song, but I thought that 'Keep on Growing' and 'Bell Bottom Blues' are really good too. But even with 'Layla' and a couple of 'really good' songs, I don't think this album as a whole is anything noteworthy. If I look at some of my favorite albums from the seventies (Wish You Were Here, Rumors, Who's Next), this album doesn't even come close to those. Other than some talented folks who worked on it, it really doesn't have a lot to show off. In closing, I'll leave my favorite anecdote about Eric Clapton. I used to listed to a sports podcast, and on a particular episode, they were talking about Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay taking his music memorabilia collection on the road to showcase it to the public. The hosts joked that Irsay thinks that a guitar previously owned by Clapton still contained his notes in it. One of the hosts asked if the guitar also had Clapton's hatred for immigrants in it, and the other host replied that it did, along with his parenting skills. Fuck Eric Clapton with a Fender Stratocaster.

I spent most of the 90's listening to classic rock, 80's rock and pop, and some current mainstream rock. Pop music at that time was pretty much completely off my radar, especially once artists like Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, and Britney Spears started gaining a lot of momentum. During the 2010's however, I started listening to more current pop music (Robyn, Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry, etc.), and that gave me a better appreciation for the pop music of the 90's. Over the last couple of years, I started to appreciate artists like Mariah Carey a lot more, especially the songs off of Daydream. This was my first time listening to Butterfly, and I was really excited when it came up in my feed today. But after listening to it, I was pretty underwhelmed. I didn't find any of the songs particularly catchy or well written, and nothing really showed off Mariah's vocal abilities as well as certain tracks on Daydream did. 'Breakdown' is the bright spot of this album in my opinion, as it shows Mariah's ability to record great duets and work well with other artists. Other than that, I can't say I as terribly impressed by anything else on this album.

It's technically music? On paper, this album is completely up my alley. I love music that has electronic elements to it, so despite the negative user reviews, I thought I would enjoy this. Each song started off with a lot of promise, but none of them really went anywhere beyond cycling the opening parts over and over again. No song really stood out to me, and I'll probably forget about this album by tomorrow. I'm really miffed as to how this made the 1001 albums list, but the show goes on.

I don't think I've ever heard of Badly Drawn Boy before. I thought this album was pretty good. I liked the vocals and lyrics; they reminded me of the things that I like about bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco. Even though I thought this album was pretty good, I'm not sure that I get why it was on the 1001 albums list. It was pleasant to listen to, but nothing was particularly memorable about it, and nothing about it really stood out to me.

When I was a kid, Turn! Turn! Turn! got quite a bit of play on the local oldies radio station (both in Dallas and later on when I moved to Houston). I loved the melody, and there was something in the guitars that I loved too. Over the course of my life, I've seen Turn! Turn! Turn! used in countless shows and movies, and it always brings back memories of being the backseat of our 1987 Honda Accord. This was the first Byrds record that I've ever listened to, and it was about what I expected: lots of jangly percusion, psychedelic guitar chords, and lyrics that reflected the turbulence of the '60's. I enjoyed listening to this album, but I didn't find it particularly remarkable. I folk rock bands like this in the 60's are fascinating, because as much as they wanted to be like The Beatles, no one else could come close to duplicating that success. Even though I wasn't blown away by this album, I hope there's more 60's folk rock on this list.

This is my second time listening to this album, and it's incredibly good. I'm not very well versed with a lot of hip hop, but before I listened to this album, I knew it had a reputation as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. I absolutely love the beats, and Nas raps with an incredible amount of force. His rhymes are outstanding too, and this album really shows just how great Nas is at his craft.

I grew up listening to fair amount of oldies on FM radio, so I know a couple of Everly Brothers songs: 'Wake Up Little Susie' and 'Bye Bye Love' (which is a really solid jam). This was my first time listening to this album, and I don't think I've ever heard any of the songs on it (unless you count Nazareth's version of 'Love Hurts'). I'd say this album is what I would expect for the time: songs about love with simple and catchy instrumentation, topped with a few sprinkles of casual misogyny. But for what it is, I think it's really good. The harmonies are great, and even though the instrumentation certainly isn't lighting the world on fire, it really works well with the lyrics. 'Love Hurts' is probably the best song on the album, and in a way, I'm glad that I had only heard the Nazareth version up until now. Alternative title for this album: Aw, Shucks: White People Problems

I listened to a lot of classic rock when up until I was in college, but Traffic was a band that I wanted to listen to, but never got around to checking out. I love Steve Winwood's solo stuff from the eighties, and it was nice to hear him on this album. However, overall, there's really nothing on this album that stuck out to me. The instrumentation was fine, the vocals and lyrics were fine, and it's not a bad album, it's just not going to be something that I'll probably ever think back on.

I listened to "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" back in 2021, and I enjoyed it, but that's been my only exposure to Little Simz. I thought this album was good too; her rhyming and rapping skills are really great, and the beats on each track are really catchy too. But when it comes down to it, I can't say that I'll remember much about this album after a week passes. Little Simz is clearly talented, but I just don't think this album is up my alley.

I've never heard of Nick Drake before, but I really enjoyed this album. The guitar is absolutely beautiful, and the simplicity really matches the rawness of the lyrics. I'm pretty sure that I've heard his music in movies or a television show at some point, because "Horn" sounded really familiar (and oddly enough that was my favorite track on this album). Listening to Pink Moon makes me want to check out some of Nick Drake's other albums.

I think I listened to this album back in 2021 when it came out, and if I remember correctly, I enjoyed it. Listening to it today, I really liked it. I thought it was well made, and lyrically, I don't think I've ever heard a female artist sing about things like that before. I found it subversive in the best way, and I would be open to listening to Jazmine Sullivan's next album.

We want the funk! I'm only vaguely familiar with the music of Parliament/Funkadelic/George Clinton, but I really loved this album. Lyrically, it definitely lived up to the name Mothership Connection. Instrumentally, this is definitely the type of music that I gravitate towards. I love synths and keyboards, and it's hard to imagine the synth pop of the eighties and 2010's existing without these folks paving the way. When George Clinton was The Masked Singer last year (and I correctly guessed it was him before the panel said anything), I was delighted, and wanted to listen to some of his music, but I completely forgot. Glad this was in my rotation today to remind me!

I've loved Fleetwood Mac since I was a kid, and I listen to Rumors and Tango in the Night regularly as an adult (TitN is incredible, and one of the best albums of the eighties in my opinion), but I've never listened to all of Tusk before. I thought Tusk was outstanding. It's very different from Rumors and TitN, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. I love that it has so many varied sounds on it, and that in branches out from the Fleetwood Mac albums that I'm most familiar with. It would have been foolish for Fleetwood Mac to try and duplicate Rumors, and it's clear that wasn't their aim here, but somehow, they managed to be even more ambitious here. I love that the songs are written and sung by a wide variety of members of the band, and I think that speaks to how divided they were after making Rumors. I didn't think I could love Fleetwood Mac any more than I already did, but now this album will be in my regular rotation as well.

I'm not familiar with Willie Nelson's music, other than "On the Road Again" and his version of "Always on My Mind." I thought this album was really good. Willie is a great singer, and I love how gentle his voice is. His simple melodies really pair well with his voice, and I thought all the songs on this album were catchy and nice to listen to. It's not the sort of thing that I typically listen to, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Also, shoutout to Willie for pissing off conservatives when he vocally supports liberal causes.

The Beatles were a staple of the music played in our house when I was growing up. My parents had quite a few of their albums on vinyl (my dad had an opportunity to purchase The White Album on white vinyl, but passed because the person selling it wanted like $20 for it. But yet he and my mom spent thousands on Thomas Kinkade paintings...), we would play "Birthday" on every birthday, and Beatles' lyrics were often quoted in conversation. I still listen to The Beatles every now and then, but I don't think I've ever listened to an entire album of theirs from start to finish (maybe I've listened to all of Revolver or The White Album). I definitely prefer their later works (everyone makes better music when they're on drugs, and I will not be swayed from this), but I really enjoyed sitting back and giving this album a thorough listen. John and Paul really did a great job of writing this album. The lyrics are incredibly catchy and fun to sing along too, and the instrumentation is great too. I love that you can hear so much going on instrumentally; at times it sounds like there's closer to eight people in the studio, rather than a quartet. It's easy to see how these guys started off making "typical pop music," but then evolved so much artistically over their career. Even though the instrumentation may seem rudimentary, every note is executed with perfection, and it all blends together seamlessly to make a sound that was often imitated, but never duplicated. Recently, it seems like The Beatles have been labeled as 'overrated' by a lot of people, but that's utter bullshit. No one has had the career that these guys had, and the sheer volume and quality of their catalog over less than a decade is a marvel and will never be duplicated.

I've listened to a lot of The Cure's singles throughout the years, but this was my first time listening to a whole album of theirs. I love what they did instrumentally; it reminds me a lot about what I like about Echo & The Bunnymen. The Cure do an exceptional job of establishing a mood, even without lyrics. I love how their bass lines make everything so big, yet so empty. Lyrically though, this album just wasn't doing it for me. I wish I could pinpoint why that is, but I can't. I guess that explains why "Three" was one of my favorite tracks on the album. By the way, if you like The Cure, Robert Smith recently appeared on the song "How Not to Drown" with Chvrches, and that song is great. Also, check out the first two albums from White Lies (does anyone even read my reviews, or am I just making recommendations into the void?)

I've never heard of Hookworms before, but this album reminded me in parts of some of my favorite music from the Indie Sleaze era of the 2010's. I thought the instrumentation was great, and all of the songs were really catchy and well written. I enjoyed the lyrics as well, especially on 'Negative Space.' Even though I enjoyed listening to it, I don't know if it's something that I'll necessarily seek out again, but I'm glad I can appreciate it for being a really well made album.

I've never heard of Lightning Bolt before, but I thought this album was pretty good. Apparently I'm not very familiar with noise rock as a whole; I did a quick google search for the best noise rock bands, and the only band I even recognized was Sonic Youth (who I happen to be fairly familiar with). I thought the music worked really well on this album, and even though it's 'just noise rock,' everything felt really complex and deep. Even though I enjoyed this album, I can't see myself seeking out any other Lightning Bolt albums any time soon.

The first time I ever heard a Soundgarden song was when Weird Al used a snippet of 'Black Hole Sun' in 'Alternative Polka' on his 1996 album Bad Hair Day. That would be my only exposure to them until probably later in the 90's when I would hear 'Black Hole Sun' on the local alternative rock radio station. I thought 'Black Hole Sun' was a great song, and I enjoyed how it was heavy but also slow and beautifully belted out by Chris Cornell. Fast forward to 2003. One morning, my parents found two CD cases (you know, the kind where you could stash a few dozen CD's and keep it in your car) in our yard. We had no idea where they came from, and we really didn't have a reasonable way to try to track down the owner. We figured a pissed off girlfriend had probably tossed her boyfriend's music collection out of the window as a means of revenge. Since we had no way of tracking down the owner, my parents let my brother and I keep whatever CD's we wanted, and one of the CD's I kept was Soundgarden's Superunknown. I can't remember the circumstances that led to my first listening of it, but I was blown away. I remember that this was the first time I had ever listened to an album and thought "I don't want to skip a single track on here. All of these songs are great." I remember being particularly blown away by 'Spoonman' and its insane drumming and use of spoons as percussion. Almost exactly 20 years after my first listen, I was delighted when this album came up for me today. I haven't intentionally listened to any songs on this album in several years, but it still holds up. Chris Cornell's ability to croon in a brooding manner still solidifies him as one of the best rock vocalists of all time, and his suicide makes the music on here about 10x heavier than when it was first released. Each song manages to have that heavy, grungy feel, but in its own unique way. The singles from this album still hold up, but 'Limo Wreck' and 'Let Me Drown' are gems too. This album is just expertly crafted in every way, and it's still wonderful to listen to.

About 14 years ago or so, I learned about the 1001 Albums book. I found a list of all the albums somewhere online, and decided to try and start branching out and listening to some of them. One of the first albums I decided to check out was Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. I was instantly hooked. I loved the broody sound, the drums, the keyboards, and Ian Curtis's deep vocals and dark lyrics. Shortly afterwards, I checked out Closer, and I loved it as well. This was my first time listening to this album in several years, and I'm so glad I had an excuse to re-listen to it. I still love everything about it: the dark mood, the way the instrumentals manage to sound massive yet lonely, Ian Curtis's vocals, and the dark lyrics. This was my first time to really spend some time looking into the lyrics, and I love all the imagery in them: religion, family strife, failed relationships. Knowing how Ian Curtis's life ended adds another deep layer of sadness to all of these songs, and it just makes me wonder if suicide had been something he had obsessed over for the greater part of his life. I think this album is fantastic, and without it, some of my favorite albums of the eighties and onward probably wouldn't exist. I hate that Joy Division was only around for a short time, but I do love that New Order came about from Joy Division's end, building on the sound that they had established.

Before listening to this album, I think the only PJ Harvey album I've listened to is "Let England Shake," but I really enjoyed "Rid of Me." I thought the sound was raw and energetic, and it sounded like nothing else that was being released at that time. I loved how well this album was produced; even though the sound was raw and full of chaos and emotion, it was clearly well arranged to create its unique sound. I really enjoyed the lyrics as well. I'm not sure if any of the things talked about were autobiographical, but the sexual energy contained in them is something that I don't think anyone else was doing at this point in time. I know PJ Harvey has said that she didn't write this album as a feminist manifesto, but the way she discusses sexuality is still edgy and brilliant, event 30 years after it was recorded. I can see this album becoming a part of my regular rotation.

This is the second Fiona Apple album that I've gotten on this list, and just like 'Tidal,' I really enjoyed this album as well. I had just gotten PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me' on the previous day, and I felt like it was a beautiful coincidence to get 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' immediately afterwards. I love that the lyrics had a theme of detachment to them, but each song still felt like it addressed that detachment in a different way. Fiona Apple's vocals are always so raw, yet she conveys so much emotion through her singing. I loved the instrumentation on this album was brilliant as well. I've heard "Criminal" so many times throughout my life, that I always think of Fiona Apple as a pianist, but she really breaks away from that here with all of the different percussion she was using. The three track run of "Newspaper," "Ladies," and "Heavy Balloon" might be one of my favorite trio of consecutive songs ever, and I really thought the last half of the album was incredibly strong.

Several years ago, I bought Wilco's 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' on CD. I can't remember what led me to buy it (maybe hearing their name a lot?), but I remember really enjoying it on my first listen. Sadly, I never listened to it very often. I think I just wasn't ever in the mood for it once I got past "I am Trying to Break Your Heart." This is now the second Wilco album I've listened to from start to finish (unless you count 'Mermaid Avenue,' which I also loved). I was blown away by how much I liked this album. Jeff Tweedy is an incredibly talented vocalist, and this album really showcases that. I love the jagnly-er songs that are banjo-heavy, and the songs where the banjo takes a back seat, or isn't present at all too (I mean, I think it's not there on certain songs). Instrumentally, I don't think there's much more that I can say, other than I thought the flow of the album really worked, and it was fun to listen to. I did a shallow dive into the Wikipedia article for this album, and read that Tweedy had become a father between recording their first album and this album. As a new father myself, I really identified with the lyrical themes here: self doubt, wondering if you're good enough for your partner, hating yourself for thinking about running away (at least that's how I interpreted some of the songs). But the more you push on, the more some things get easier, while other things get harder. People always talk about how physically hard it is to have a new child, but the emotional and mental challenges are just as big, and I think Tweedy shows how those emotional challenges collide into the other areas of your life. I will definitely be listening to this album again, along with other Wilco albums. My favorite tracks on here were "Monday," "I Got You," and "Outtasite."

I'm familiar with a couple of Dusty Springfield songs (the use of "Son of a Preacher Man" in Pulp Fiction is perfection), but this was my first time listening to one of her albums from start to finish. In my mind, Dusty is one of the best singers of all time. Her vocals are smooth, yet powerful, and it almost seems to me like she sings like she's trying to restrain herself from unleashing the full power of her voice, and I feel like her vocals leave me wanting more, in a way that I'm hanging on to every note she sings. Today, I learned that she's the one singing with the Pet Shop Boys on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" As a Pet Shop Boys fan, I'm ashamed that I didn't notice this. Now to actually discuss 'A Girl Called Dusty.' While Dusty's vocals are amazing, this album just isn't that great in my opinion. Dusty didn't write any of the songs on here (and that doesn't detract from her skills as a vocalist), and I think that kind of robs the music of some depth. I think of these songs as soul-adjacent, but with them all being essentially covers, they're kind of robbed of some added depth. And with a collection of songwriters' works being performed here, the album just doesn't feel very cohesive in my opinion. There's just not much here setting this work apart from similar works that had been released prior to it nor during the time it was released. Dusty has amazing vocals, but that's kind of all this album has.

I've loved R.E.M. since I was kid, but sadly, this was my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish. I've always enjoyed their songs that got a lot of radio play in the early nineties ("Stand," "Losing My Religion," "The One I Love"), and I've owned 'Document' since my late teens. 'Murmur' sounded very different from the R.E.M. that I'm most familiar with, but I really enjoyed it. The instrumentation was great, with it's jangly guitars, great drum beats, and piano melodies. It's wild to listen to an album like this and being able to hear how its sound influenced alternative rock's development throughout the rest of the eighties, and how it still influences bands today (I'm looking at you, The National). I didn't pay too closely to the lyrics, sadly, and I didn't have time to go back and read them before writing this review, but I definitely want to give this album another listen, and when I do, I'll be a lot more attentive to the lyrics. All in all though, I thought this was a great album, and I can't wait to listen to more stuff from R.E.M.

Before listening to this album, the only song I'd ever heard by The Zombies was "Time of the Season," so I was pretty unfamiliar with their body of work. I really enjoyed this album. It was exactly what I'd expect for a late 60's psychedelic album: jangly guitars and great keyboard riffs. And as a bonus, their harmonies are incredible. All of the songs were terrific, but "Care of Cell 44" and "Time of the Season" were the standouts to me.

I've never heard of Suba before, and honestly, I'll probably never think of them again. This album was fine, and I thought the first thirty seconds or so of the first track showed some promise, but things didn't ever really take off for me. I didn't find this album bad, but there was nothing about it that stood out to me as an album of importance.

This is the second Beatles album I've been given from this list (the first being 'A Hard Day's Night,' and I didn't enjoy 'With The Beatles' nearly as much as I enjoyed the other one. The Beatles' pop prowess is still on display here, but it just doesn't resonate as deeply with me when they're not performing their own songs. The guitars, drums, and vocals are all still great, but this album just didn't have the complete feel to it that 'A Hard Day's Night' has.

Before today, the only John Prine album I'd listened to was 'Tree of Forgiveness,' which I'm pretty sure I listened to in the year of its release. I remember thinking it was really good, but it also wasn't exactly my cup of tea, so I never listened to any more of his work, even after his passing a few years ago. That was a mistake. This album is insanely good. I don't think I've ever heard lyrics like this before. I love that Prine doesn't sugarcoat anything, and there's no room to guess as to what message he's trying to convey. While his messages are straightforward, the imagery and language he uses are a little more "elevated," (that's the best way I could think to phrase it) and it completely works here. The instrumentation isn't anything extravagant, and it doesn't need to be. The main attraction here is the message, and the music is the conduit that Prine uses to convey his message. This is an amazing album, and I look forward to listening to more of Prine's work.

I've never listened to a full Yeah Yeah Yeahs album before, and I thought 'Fever To Tell' was okay. The instrumentation was really good, but I didn't think that most of the lyrics were all that great. I'm not really sure what sets this album apart from what The Strokes or Franz Ferdinand were putting out around the same time. "Black Tongue," "Maps," and "Y Control" were definitely the stand-outs on this album, but other than those, I don't think I'll give much of a thought to anything else that was on here.

I've listened to this album before, when I was making my way through Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 2010's. The first time I listened to it, I had no idea what had gone on in Nick Cave's life leading up to the recording of this album, but it's plain as day that this is the work of someone who's going through an immense amount of pain. Spiritually, it I've listened to this album before, when I was making my way through Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 2010's. The first time I listened to it, I had no idea what had gone on in Nick Cave's life leading up to the recording of this album, but it's plain as day that this is the work of someone who's going through an immense amount of pain. Spiritually, it reminds me a lot of the Nick Drake album I listened to several weeks ago (in fact, Spotify launched into a Nick Drake song immediately after this album's last song, as if to say "aww, here you go, you sad little fella"). The stripped down instrumentation and bare-bones production really help the lyrics shine through on this album. Even though the subject matter is crushingly sad, I found this album incredibly beautiful.

When I was a kid, our local amusement park had a massive Alice Cooper's "Welcome to my Nightmare" themed haunted house as part of their Halloween attractions one year. My parents went and had a blast. The only specific that I remember them talking about was a scene where 'Alice Cooper' was beheaded by a guillotine. Fast forward to high school, when my friend let me Dazed and Confused, and I had my first real exposure to Alice Cooper, when I heard "No More Mr. Nice Guy" during the infamous hazing scene (fun fact: a girl I went to high school with said that her mom was part of the freshman class at Huntsville High School the year after the movie took place, and hazing had basically been banned). I wound up purchasing both of the soundtrack discs for Dazed, and I always enjoyed "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "School's Out," but that was the extent of my exposure to Alice Cooper (I take that back, someone I went to church with said she used to babysit for him when their family lived in Arizona. Weird.) I was pretty excited to listen to this album, since I'd never listened to a full Alice Cooper album before. After listening to it though, I was pretty disappointed. Culturally, Alice Cooper were (that's the name of the band, so it's plural, right?) doing things that were pretty wild and novel. I know their live shows were supposed to be out of this world, with crazy theatrics, and I can't think of anyone else doing anything even remotely like this until White Zombie and Manson came on the scene. But musically, I just wasn't that impressed with what's going on here. Alice Cooper the man isn't a particularly talented vocalist in my opinion, and none of the instrumentation on this album was unique or memorable to me. Lyrically, there are a few songs here that I thought were opening some new doors ("No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Billion Dollar Babies," and "Generation Landslide"), but other than that, nothing here was that great. I can appreciate what this album and the band as a whole did for the music scene, but beyond that, this album didn't do much for me.

I've never listened to any Frank Zappa albums before (solo or otherwise), but I enjoyed this album. I thought the doo-wop songs were great, especially "Wowie Zowie," and I was cracking up at the lyrics to all of them. I also thought "Hungry Freaks" was great too, and had some really great social commentary. A lot of this album sounded way ahead of its time, but somehow it also felt like it felt right at home in the sixties. My biggest criticism of this album is that the songs that didn't land with me, really missed by a wide margin. Closing the album out with the twelve and half minutes "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" should be a war crime. But overall, I think I'd listen to this album again, as long as I bail before the last song.

Hoo boy. I'll never forget the first time I heard a song by Eminem. A friend of mine in my geometry class let me listen to "My Name Is" on his Discman, and my head practically exploded. I'd never heard anyone use language like that, and I was cracking up at the crass things Eminem was spitting out at lightning speed. This was my first time listening to this particular album, and it's amazing. Eminem's rhymes and flow are absolutely insane. I just can't fathom what it takes to be able to rap like he does. The subject matter on this album is insanely dark, but Eminem has so many different ways that he uses to convey these themes. The beats on this album are incredible as well, and it's insanely well produced. I don't listen to a lot of rap, but Eminem's beats are instantly recognizable to me, and I think that takes an immense talent. Since most of the other reviews mention it to some degree, I guess I can't talk about this album without mentioning the homophobic, misogynistic, and violent content of the lyrics. A lot of the lyrical content here is pretty uncomfortable to listen to. I think a lot of the more offensive content is spouted off by characters/personas that Eminem has invented, but that doesn't take any of the edge off of it. Is it okay to play the role of a character who says words and phrases like this? I don't know. When we have visual movies about cultural tumult (World War II, The Civil Rights movement in the U.S. etc.), people being represented on screen often spout hateful rhetoric, and we generally accept it, because it's historically accurate, and history is often a long road of terrible deeds that come from terrible thoughts and words. Is it okay in this sense too? Homophobia and misogyny were clearly alive and well at the time this album was recorded, and people who held these types of views were certainly thriving as well, and in my view, that gives these lyrics an unfortunate realism. But what does it mean when someone can create personas like this? Ultimately, I don't know how to feel about art like this. I think this album is incredible as a piece of music, but I don't enjoy listening to things as dark as this.

I've never listened to any De La Soul before, but this album was great. The rapping was awesome, some of the lyrics were humorous, and the sampling was out of this world. I was humming "Eye Know" to myself for several hours before I realized they sampled Steely Dan's "Peg" in it. To me, that shows that these guys are incredibly talented at making songs. To take a song that I know, and sample it in a way that makes it something entirely new is a remarkable skill. Also, Trugoy just died yesterday? What a wacky coincidence. I hope the man rests in peace, and I hope to get to listen to more De La Soul.

I had pretty low expectations going into this album, but it was really fun, and I enjoyed it. When it popped up for me today, my first thought was "hooray, another album by Great Value Oasis." I'm glad that I was wrong. I loved that that the songs here had such a wide variance in sounds, especially the blues-ier songs like "How High." I love good keyboard parts, and this album definitely delivered on that, especially with "Get On It" and "Only Teething," both of which reminded me of Primal Scream (after reading about the album on Wikipedia, I was blown away to learn that Primal Scream's keyboardist helped finish the album after the original keyboardist died in a car accident. Sometimes my ears surprise me with what they can pick up). I loved "With No Shoes" and "Tellin' Stories" as well. The instrumentation and vocals on this album were really great, and while the sound here definitely has the 90's BritPop feel, this album manages to remain unique. I will definitely listen to this album again.

I first heard of Sparks last year when Edgar Wright's documentary came out. The trailer claimed something along the lines of "your favorite band that you've never heard of!" I made a mental note to check them out, but life got in the way, and that mental note got tossed in the mental garbage can. After listening to this album, I can say that I'm glad I didn't go out of my way to listen to Sparks before now. Instrumentally, the album was great. It's crazy to me that this was recorded in the '70's, because it sounds like the new wave music that was coming out in the early '80's. But I just couldn't get past the vocals on this album. I didn't like the falsetto singing at all, and I wish I had something more concrete to say about why I didn't like it, but I just didn't. I understand why this album and Sparks as a whole are so important to music, but it just wasn't for me.

I've been listening to Pet Shop Boys' singles from the '80's for as long as I can remember. I love "West End Girls" and "Opportunities," but their rendition of "Always on my Mind" is my absolute favorite of theirs. I've never listened to a whole album of theirs, and I'm completely unfamiliar with their work from 1990 and on. That should suffice as an lead-in to the fact that this album was completely different from what I expected to hear. Gone are the synth pop dance tunes of their earlier discography, replaced with a smoother and more subdued sound that was becoming present as the eighties became the nineties. Gone are the dancey beats, replaced with silky synth-pop ballads. The vocals on this album are great, and Tennant still shines as one of the best singers of his synth-forward contemporaries. Musically, Pet Shop Boys do a great job of keeping the uniqueness of their sound, while changing with the times. This isn't the sort of album I would listen to again (their dance hits will still stay in heavy rotation for me), but I can appreciate this album as being a great work.

Before listening to this album, the only Bjork song I'd ever heard was "Hyperballad," thanks to 60 Songs That Explain the 90's. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to be in for, but I really enjoyed this album. The first half didn't really blow me away that much, but the second half more than made up for it. Even though I didn't enjoy the first half as much, I still thought that the album as a whole was incredibly pleasant to listen to. Bjork's vocals are outstanding, and her ability to arrange beautiful music is on full display here. I can't imagine what it must have been like for people to listen to this album when it came out. Personally, my head would have probably exploded. I imagine that Bjork's work probably influenced some other artists that I really liked: MGMT, Sigur Ros, and Miike Snow. And if she didn't influence them, don't tell me, and just let me believe the lie I invented.

Before listening to this album, I'd only ever heard The Lemonheads' cover of "Mrs. Robinson," which is a really great cover. With only that to go off of, I wasn't sure what to expect out of this album. If I had to summarize my experience in one word, it would be 'underwhelming.' Nothing here really stood out to me. I wouldn't say this was an unpleasant album to listen to, but I definitely don't understand why this album made the list. I'll admit that the lyrics to the title track were really great, and their version of "Mrs. Robinson" really holds up, but that's it.

As a kid, I absolutely hated it when "Lovefool" came on the radio. There was just something about that song that I absolutely hated. Thankfully, I can fully appreciate it now. I wasn't wowed by this album, but it was a fun listen. The vocals were really great, and the instrumentation was really unique. It's not something I'd probably rush to listen to again, but overall a decent experience.

For transparency's sake, I'll admit that I'm heavily biased against Aerosmith. I listened to a lot of classic rock up until I was in my mid-twenties, and I listened to Aerosmith quite a bit (I think I still have their double disc greatest hits). But as time has gone on, I've really soured on them. I personally think they're the most overrated classic rock band of all time, and their catalog only has a couple of songs I still enjoy. Worst of all, it seems like Steven Tyler might be a dirtbag. I groaned when I was given this album today, and this started off as my first hate-listen of this list. However, much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this album. "F.I.N.E." was really catchy, and after that, I stopped my hate-listen. I don't like Steven Tyler's vocals at all, but musically, I really liked what the band did here. There's something about their drumming that I really liked on this album. I loved the little instrumental interludes leading into the songs, which is something that was left off of these songs when I've heard them previously. Even when I liked listening to Aerosmith, I hated "Janie's Got a Gun," but I even though I still don't like it, I think it's lyrically the band's best song. "What it Takes" is another standout to me on this album. I'm not sure what to make of the overt sexual tones of some of the songs on here. I can't tell if Aerosmith is pulling a Spinal Tap, and embracing the stereotype of the groupie-banging rockstar with a bit of a wink, or if they really think they're God's gift to their throngs of female fans. These recent allegations against Steven Tyler make me lean towards the latter, which makes me feel like these songs are kinda gross, even if they're a bit tongue in cheek. Overall though, I enjoyed this album, and I can see why it brought Aerosmith back into the spotlight.

I've listened to The Doors quite a bit, but this was my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish. I love Jim Morrison's voice; it always has a haunting quality to it, even on songs with less haunting titles, like "Waiting for the Sun." I love the keyboards and how the band seamlessly fuses blues and psychedelic rock. The only strike against these guys for me is that some of their lyrics are a tad too far 'out there' for me (I'm looking at you, "Peace Frog"). Overall though, this is a wonderful album, and a great showcase for the music coming out of California in the 1960's.

I've actively avoided Amy Winehouse's music for nearly twenty years (I think I just hate "Rehab"? Or maybe she reminds me of someone that I don't like? I'm not entirely sure to be honest), so this was my first experience with one of her albums. I really enjoyed listening to this. Amy's vocals are great, and while the songwriting might be 'juvenile' in a topical sense, I thought that the tracks felt really cohesive. "Fuck Me Pumps" might be the first jazz diss track that I've ever heard, and it absolutely ruled. I'm really looking forward to when I get assigned 'Back to Black.'

I've never heard of Teenage Fanclub before, so this was a new experience for me. This was an enjoyable album to listen to, but I'm not sure I would have included it on this list. I really enjoyed the guitars and the drums, but lyrically and vocally, there wasn't a lot going on for me. "Satan," "Star Sign," "Metal Baby," "Guiding Star," and "Is This Music?" were the best tracks of the album in my opinion, but nothing else was really that noteworthy for me. I was hoping that this album would impress me, like The Charlatans did, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Time to admit another bias: I've been given a lot of Britpop albums so far, and each time I get another Britpop album, I've just longed for this one. Today was finally my day (the day after my birthday, oddly enough). I absolutely love this album. Every track is just brilliant. This is the perfect album to pop on some headphones for, so that you can hear every little guitar strum and every drum hit. The instrumentation on this album is just so rich, that it's almost beyond words for me to describe. This is exactly what I want in a Britpop album: it sounds like The Beatles in a sense, but it also sounds like something completely removed from them as well (that might be the lamest thing I've ever written, but it was the best I could come up with). Liam's vocals are great, and Noel's vocals on "Don't Look Back in Anger" are superb as well. I wonder what could have been if those two could have managed to not be complete dickbags. I don't think I could pick a favorite track off of this album. It's genuinely a 'no skips' record, and one of my favorite albums from the 90's.

I don't think I've heard of Gang Of Four before, and that's a shame, because I really loved this album. I'm a big fan of post-punk, and this is everything I could have wanted in a post-punk album. I loved the instrumentation and how Gang of Four managed to differentiate themselves from the rest of the post-punk field of the time. I really loved the anger they sang with when discussing social issues of the time (also, is it just me, or were the English way ahead of their time when talking about the plight of the working class?). "Not Great Men," "Damaged Goods," and "Guns Before Butter" were my favorite tracks on here, and I will definitely be listening to this album again in the future.

I've heard of Eels before, and I could have sworn that I'd never heard their music before, but after listening to this album today, I think maybe I've heard some of their songs? I dunno, and I guess it isn't important. I really enjoyed this album. I thought all of the songs were really good and well made. Each song had its own feel, but felt very much rooted in the post grunge era of the 90's. Every song really pulled me in with its unique instrumentation. I can't say that the lyrics did much for me, but this was still very enjoyable to listen to, and I would listen to it again.

I don't think I've ever heard of Screaming Trees before, which is a shame, because I think I would have really enjoyed a lot of the songs on here when if I had listened to it when it came out. I listened to a lot of classic rock as a kid, with psychedelic rock being some of my favorite stuff, and I really love how this album incorporates that sound. The vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation are all really great. 'Halo of Ashes,' 'All I Know,' and 'Sworn and Broken' were my favorite tracks. I think this a standout for the grunge or post-grunge genre, and I would definitely listen to it again.

I don't think I've ever listened to a jazz album before, so I really have no frame of reference for what's considered a good jazz album. I did enjoy listening to this though, and it seemed like everyone involved with making it was a master of their instrument.

I went in to this with really low expectations, but I came away with a mild appreciation for this album. I don't think 50 Cent is a particularly great rapper, but I thought a lot of the songs on here were catchy and decent to listen to. I think of gangsta rap as being a bit on the niche side of things, so I find it impressive that 50 Cent was able to have some songs like "In Da Club" and "P.I.M.P." that are really well known across popular culture. I thought "Heat" and "If I Can't" were really good and catchy as well. My biggest complaint, other than the fact that 50 Cent just isn't that great of a rapper, is that the songs were really self-aggrandizing. Granted, that might just be a facet of gangsta rap that comes with the territory. Overall, this was a pretty good album, and I think it's a good representation of what gangsta rap was like in the aughts, but it's not something I'm keen to listen to again.

Wow! What an album. I've been familiar with Sinead's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" for most of my life, but this was my first time hearing any of her other music, and I was blown away. Her unique and powerful vocals punctuate every word of her emotional lyrics. The instrumentation on these songs is varied, but each song is gorgeous and beautifully arranged. I figured this would be a good album, but I did not count on it being incredible. I will definitely be listening to this again some day soon.

Heading into this album, the only Earth, Wind & Fire songs that I was familiar with were "Shining Star" and "September" (shoutout 'Superbad' and Demi Adejuyigbe). Funk and soul music are genres that I don't gravitate towards very often, but I thought this was a great album. The songs were all fun to listen to, and I think this album is a standout of funk and soul. As the late seventies were approaching, it feels like a lot of bands that were trying to embrace funk, soul, and eventually disco, didn't have a lot that set them apart from the crowd. However, Earth, Wind & Fire really were in a class of their own, and I think a lot of that is due to Philip Bailey's vocals (for what it's worth, it's become a huge pet peeve of mine that "Easy Lover" is often touted as a Phil Collins song, when it appeared on Philip Bailey's album. I love Phil, but that's a Philip Bailey song that happens to feature Phil Collins). Even though Philip Bailey's vocals are great, the band still finds a way to let the instruments pack a punch when they need to. I love that this album had some longer songs, especially the synth-heavy outro of "All About Love." This is a great album, and a master class on soul and funk.

I've never listened to a true blues album before, but I enjoyed listening to this album. Muddy Waters's voice is fantastic, and I love how simple the instrumentation is, and how it complements the rich and emotional lyrics. When I heard the guitar riff kick in on "Mannish Boy," I knew that I was going enjoy my experience. I hope I get more blues like this as I keep working through this list.

Jazz is not a genre that I know a lot about, and I've never listened to a Miles Davis album before, but this was very enjoyable. I'm hoping there's more Miles Davis coming up on this list!

I'm pretty sure that all boomer-dads were issued a copy of Steely Dan's greatest hits during the 90's, so I'm pretty familiar with some of their catalogue. Growing up, I found their songs like "Reelin' In The Years" and "Do It Again" to be pretty inoffensive, but they weren't my favorite. Several months ago, I listened to Aja from start to finish on a whim, and I really enjoyed it. I found this album very enjoyable as well. I think the jazz-adjacent sound works here, and I liked the longer songs. The only song on this album that I had listened to prior to today was "Bodhisattva," which used to kick my ass on some iteration of Rock Band or Guitar Hero (I was mediocre at those games at best). I've never heard any of the guys in Steely Dan mentioned as being the best at their instruments, but I think that's a mistake. Everyone here seems to be a master of their instrument, hitting each note with precision. Sure, there aren't any Bonham's or Van Halen's here, but that's fine, because these guys know how to craft great songs. I thought the lyrics and vocals were great too, with "My Old School" being a standout song. Overall, this was a great album, and I think Steely Dan's work deserves more recognition as some of the best music of the 70's.

I listened to a lot of top 40 radio in the 90's, so I'm pretty familiar with Sheryl Crow's singles, but this is my first time listening to a whole album of hers. I've always found her music pretty inoffensive, but it's never been something I've gravitated towards. I was underwhelmed to be assigned this album today, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. All of these songs are really well written, from the more reflective "Leaving Las Vegas," to the lighthearted "All I Wanna Do." The instrumentation on this album is great too, and I never noticed until today that there's a great use of a vibraslap (at least I think that's what I heard) on "All I Wanna Do." I really enjoyed the funky hook on "Solidify" and the rap-like flow of "The Na-Na Song." I often think of Sheryl Crow as primarily acoustic music, but this album proves that she can do it all. This album was completely under the radar for me, but I thought it was great. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to fire up a doobie, attend a political rally, and blast "Soak Up the Sun."

Before listening to this album, I'd only ever listened to "Movin' On Up" (which I absolutely love), and "Loaded," so I had pretty high hopes for this album. I enjoyed the longer songs, and I thought that the longer song structure really gives Primal Scream more space to really lean into the dance and psychedelic elements that are present here, especially on "Slip Inside This House" and "Don't Fight It, Feel It," the latter of which reminded me of some of my favorite elements of LCD Soundsystem's music. The psychedelic piano and keyboard playing on "Come Together," combined with the horns, was my favorite track outside of "Movin' On Up." I didn't really listen to a lot of music from the UK during the 90's, and I'm always so bummed that I'm discovering a lot of these bands later in life. I think I would have loved some of the tracks here as a kid. I didn't love this album as much as I thought I would, but I still think it's great, and I think the unique sounds that Primal Scream put together here really showcase their talent.

Purple Rain is the perfect representation of eighties culture: ambitious, over-the top, and filled to the brim with just about everything imaginable. The drum beats are thundering, the guitar solos are screeching and long, and there's enough moaning and falsetto to make Barry Gibb jealous. "Let's Go Crazy" kicks off with a spoken word intro that any other artist would have sounded silly reciting, but Prince's serious commitment to the fun pays off. The remainder of the album is filled with other raw emotions as well: the lusty "When Doves Cry" pushes the envelope with its sexual imagery, while "Darling Nikki" pushes it with raw lyrics of nymphomania. The album has great instrumentation too: "I Would Die 4 U" has some of my favorite use of synthesizer in all of music, and the keyboards on "Computer Blue" and "Baby I'm a Star" are perfection as well. And to top it all off, the album ends with its nearly nine minute long, self-titled masterpiece. Every time I hear "Purple Rain," I always picture Prince stroking his guitar like a phallus during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLI, ending what is arguably the best halftime show since Michael Jackson rocked the Rose Bowl. In the end, everything on this album is massive, but anything less than that would have been a misfire. This is easily one of the best albums of the eighties, if not all time.

I asked for the Stones' compilation Forty Licks for Christmas and my birthday for two years, and never got it. Then, one Christmas, I received their Four Flicks concert DVD (I did watch some of it, and my 19 year-old jaw about hit the floor when I saw them play "Honky Tonk Woman" while an animation of topless woman riding the tongue logo was blasting across the screen). I had to wait another two months for my birthday, before I was finally able to get what I wanted (ironically, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was the main reason I wanted this compilation, as it wasn't on the "Through the Past Darkly" compilation that we had when I was growing up). My parents were big Rolling Stones fans when I was a kid (they took my older cousin to go see a concert film of theirs that was playing on an IMAX screen), so I'm very familiar with the popular songs in their catalog. However, this is my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish. The album's lead track, "Gimme Shelter" is one of rock's best songs. Its simple, yet precise drumming is the perfect backing for the slowburn guitar intro, poignant lyrics, and Merry Clayton's superb backing vocals. The album then launches into the Stones' bluesiest songs, which they execute well, without coming across as cheesy or disingenuous (the same can't be said for Derek and The Dominos). "Country Honk" and "Midnight Rambler" show how well the Stones can perform outside of generic rock music. As if the album couldn't get any better, they close it out with the magnificent "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The choir's falsetto sets the perfect tone, as the song gets off to a bluesy start, before the jangly piano and upbeat percussion carry the album off into the sunset. For my first full Stones album, I couldn't have asked for anything better. I can't wait to be assigned more of their catalog later on.

Finally, someone who admits they made their album while under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Thank you, Todd Rundgren. My only exposure to Todd Rundgren before now was his song "Bang the Drum All Day." Our local adult contemporary station used to play it every Friday at 5:00, and I would tune in religiously every week to listen to it. This album was... different than that. I liked a lot of the instrumentation on this album, and I enjoyed that each song flowed right into the next. The first four songs were really great, and had me hooked, but after that, the album pretty much lost me until "Is It My Name?", which was my favorite track. I appreciate what Todd Rundgren was trying to do here, but the album just didn't feel cohesive. Even with songs transitioning one right into the other, it felt kind of all over the place, without anything holding the album together as a whole. Overall, this was a good album, but not a great album, but I'd be willing to listen to more of Todd Rundgren's catalog.

Other than hearing the opening theme song for "House" for 3 seasons, I've never listened to Massive Attack before today, but I enjoyed this album. It's hard to believe that this was released in 1991, because it sounds like it could have easily come out in the 2010's. I loved the instrumentation, and I was surprised by how much I liked the vocals too. I would definitely listen to more Massive Attack in the future.

I've never heard of Joe Ely before, but this was a decently fun album to listen to. It definitely oozes the feeling of Texas country from that time period, with sounds of rock and rockabilly mixed in. "Cornbread Moon," "Fingernails," and the title track are the standout songs here, but everything else feels a bit like filler. It's not bad filler, but it definitely pales in comparison to the rest of the album in my opinion. Even though I wasn't blown away by this, I'd still give Joe Ely another listen.

In the summer of 2001, I was working my first job at the last vestige of American culture: a store that was both a Dunkin Donuts and a Baskin Robbins. On Saturday's, the radio was always tuned to the local top 40 station, and as I spent 8+ hours of my day serving ice cream, the best part of my day was hearing "South Side" by Moby and Gwen Stefani come over the radio in the kitchen. Twenty-two years later, I still think "South Side" is a really fun jam, but I can't say that I reflect on my time at DD/BR with the same nostalgia. "South Side" is my only experience with Moby up to now (unless you count the Eminem lyric where he disses him), and I had no clue what to expect when I listened to this album, but from the first track, I was hooked. Every song was different, but each one was a joy to listen to. I wish I had more to offer about what I heard on this album, but I don't; I just found every song to be very pleasurable and pleasant. If I had to summarize it, I guess I just think it worked really well melodically for me. I like electronic music, but I was shocked at how much I liked this album. "Porcelain" was probably my favorite track, and it's such a bummer that the album version of "South Side" doesn't feature Gwen Stefani.

I'm 95% sure I listened to this album before seeing Fleet Foxes perform at Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2011. I don't remember a lot about my first listen to this album, or their set at ACL (I went through a good amount of weed that weekend). This time around, I think that this was a beautiful and pleasant album to listen to. The vocals take center stage here, and I think that's to be expected for a folk album. There wasn't anything spectacular going on with the instrumentation, but it still complimented the vocals quite nicely. However, listening to this album again, I'd say that one word remains true: unmemorable. As nice as this album was, I didn't think there was a lot here to remark about. I can't recall any particular song sticking out to me as being my favorite one, and nothing lyrically stood out to me either. Honestly, I'll probably forget about this experience entirely in about ten days. It's a nice album, but I guess it's just not my jam.

I've never heard of The Gun Club before, but based on the fact that they're early 80's post-punk, I expected that I would enjoy this album. Sadly though, that was not the case. As I was listening to this album, I thought about other post-punk works from that period that I enjoy: Gang of Four's "Entertainment!", Talking Heads, Joy Division, and Echo & The Bunnymen. This album just didn't come close to any of that. All of the songs sounded mostly the same, and instrumentally, the only interesting thing happening here is that I could hear a smidge of blues influence on a couple of songs. Lyrically, there were a couple of songs that I thought were interesting: "Promise Me" and "Jack on Fire," but that was it. As much as I was underwhelmed by this album though, I'd be willing to give it another shot someday down the road.

Dear reader, when I saw that my album today was "Rain Dogs" by Mystery Men star Tom Waits, I was less than enthused. I tried to listen to a Tom Waits song a few years ago ("Chelsea Hotel?" Is that a Tom Waits song? An album? Was it on some sort of Christmas song list? Hmm, I should Google that), and I hated it. His gravelly voice was an immediate turnoff for me. But I listened to this album anyway, and I gotta say, I was a fan. I really love what Waits was doing with this album: a concept album about the "urban dispossessed" of New York City. From my adolescence on, New York City has been a major tourist destination, a major city that even the most suburban family can enjoy and feel safe in. But before it became that city, it was dirty, grimy, and dangerous. I remember seeing New York City in movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Big, and Home Alone 2, and the place looked depressing and grim. And that's exactly what Waits captures here. The music is raw and the lyrics are weird, but everything is incredibly well executed. The natural sounds that Waits uses really transport you to the New York that he knew and experienced. If anything, this feels like a New York City version of a folk album. "Hang Down Your Head," "Time," "Midtown", and "Rain Dogs" were all outstanding. I grew up listening to Rod Stewart's version of "Downtown Train," and I was ecstatic to see that Tom Waits's original version was on this album, and his gravelly voice really gave a desperate feel to the song, a complete shift in tone from Stewart's cover (fun fact: my grandfather always said that Rod Stewart sounded like he got his voice from a bottle of Drano). It's safe to say that I loved this album, and my opinion on Tom Waits has completely shifted (okay, so "Chelsea Hotel" is Leonard Cohen. What the hell Tom Waits song did I listen to?).

I was incredibly excited to see this as my album for today. My parents went through a country phase in the nineties. Much to my disappointment, the classic rock and eighties music that they used to listen to didn't get anymore time on the stereo system in our living room, and they were replaced by Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Trisha Yearwood. I hated it. Thankfully, I have an appreciation for those artists now, but at the time that my parents listened to them, I hated it. Post 9/11, most country music has been filled with faux patriotism, but thankfully this album is a stark contrast to that. Filled with vulnerable lyrics, excellent instrumentation, and experimentation with other genres, Kacey Musgraves shows that country music can still showcase all the things I like about older country music: emotional vulnerability, empowerment of women, and the complicated feelings of love. Every song on this album is distinct in sound and in tone, and it's one of those rare albums that I love to listen to all the way through. From the disco-infused "High Horse" to the witty word play of "Space Cowboy," Kacey Musgraves shows that she can do it all. Songs like "Wonder Woman," manage to show a certain vulnerability that I think female country artists abandoned for a time, when those thoughts of introspection were replaced with ballads of keying the cars of unfaithful lovers. While she may not be Wonder Woman, this album shows that Kacey Musgraves can do a lot, and she can do it really well.

I've never listened to an Ice Cube album before, but having listened to NWA, and the fact that Ice Cube seems to permeate every corner of pop culture, I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. It's crazy and also sad that several of the social and political topics on this album are still hot topics today: police violence, the brutality and far reaching scope of the American prison system, segregation, and so on. When it comes to rapping about political and social issues, Ice Cube can channel raw anger in a way that few others can; his lyrics have the candor of a man-on-the-street interview, but delivered with the fierceness of someone hosting a rally. The beats behind the lyrics are really well done too; "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self" are some of the catchiest, and therefore most recognizable songs in hip hop. The spoken interludes fit really well here too, and "The First Day of School" really unnerved me, which served as a great way to prepare for this album. Ice Cube really executes his vision well on this album, and his work is cornerstone for rap and hip hop.

Whenever I think of Grandmaster Flash, I think of the episode of The Leftovers, where Meg and Tommy are driving down the road late at night blasting "White Lines" (well what about Shaun of the Dead? I think that was supposed to be a reference to the Duran Duran version, and also, when I first saw Shaun of the Dead, I had no idea what that joke was referencing, hence my association with The Leftovers). This album is a technical masterpiece. The funk bass lines, the sampling, the scratching... it's incredibly impressive and very fun to listen to. The use of Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" on "It's Nasty" is absolute perfection; it's an incredible backbeat for the band to rap to. The way that "The Message" has permeated our culture speaks to how much influence Grandmaster Flash has had on music throughout his life (coincidentally, I had Ice Cube's 'The Predator' the day before, and I love the "Check Yo Self" remix). My only beef with this album is that the lyrics were kinda cheesy at times. For a song called "It's Nasty," the lyrics were pretty tame (maybe there's an irony in that since this song was addressing criticisms against the band?), and the Stevie Wonder tribute was pretty odd too. I have no beef with paying tribute to Stevie, but the structure of the lyrics is almost like an ode, and it just felt off to me. Still, this is a fantastic album, and I think that Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were very deserving to be the first rap/hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also, it was a huge treat to see Grandmaster Flash on The Masked Singer this season, and apologies if that was a spoiler.

Several years ago, I asked for 'This Year's Model' for Christmas, which I mostly wanted for "Pump It Up." I did wind up receiving it, but I can't remember if I ever listened to the whole album, so this was probably my first time listening to an entire Elvis Costello album. I enjoy a lot of late seventies and early eighties new wave, and this album was no exception to that. I really enjoyed the groovy bass lines and the energetic keyboard riffs, and I like Elvis Costello's vocals too (my wife hates his voice, and when I told her I listened to this album today, she immediately launched into her Elvis Costello impersonation/mockery). I wasn't super into the lyrics here, but I'd say that "Green Shirt," "Good Squad," and "Sunday's Best" (despite its... interesting word choice) were my favorite songs here. I enjoyed this album, but I think I'd rather listen to The Cars' debut instead.

My first experience listening to Cocteau Twins was in the past year or so. I can't remember if I sought them out intentionally, or if one of their songs came up randomly for me on Spotify, but I've listened to all of 'Heaven or Las Vegas,' and I really love it. I enjoyed this album too, albeit a little less than 'Heaven or Las Vegas.' I'm a huge fan of dream pop, so this was right up my alley. I love the icy, ethereal feel of the instrumentation, and that they achieve this not just with keyboards, but with percussive sounds too. I also love that Elizabeth Fraser's voice acts as an instrument on these songs as well. The band really created a beautiful piece of music from start to finish on this album, and I really want to listen to even more of their work. I hesitate to give this album five stars, and it's only because I feel like 'Heaven or Las Vegas' is a showcase of what they can really do, and that the band was still crafting some of their sound on 'Treasure.' I know that sounds kind of shitty of me, but it's just the way I feel. This is still a wonderful album, but it's just not a five star one to me.

This is the second Bob Marley & The Wailers album I've gotten on this list (the first being Natty Dread, which was actually my first album here), and I enjoyed Catch A Fire more. The instrumentation was great throughout the album; the bass lines really stood out to me, and I always like the clavinet use in reggae too. I've heard "Stir It Up" before, but I didn't realize how great the guitar solo in it is until now. The real star on this album is they lyrics; I love how the words express so much pain and anger, but the vocals and instrumentation are soft and peaceful. I'm not sure what message Bob Marley was trying to convey with that contrast in tone between the two, but to me, I felt like it made me more empathetic with the issues that were being sung about. I'm not a very big reggae fan, but I thought this album was great, and it's a stark contrast to the typical music from the seventies that I tend to gravitate towards. bu

My parents were big Simon & Garfunkel fans when I was a kid, owning copies of their greatest hits and The Concert In Central Park on vinyl. They loved The Graduate as well, which I made the mistake of watching with them when I was in high school, an experience that was made even more awkward by the fact that my dad had an affair with one of his married high school teachers when he was in his early twenties, but before he met my mom (there's so much more about that story that I wish I could share, but it's sadly irrelevant to the topic at hand). This was my first time listening to an entire album of theirs, and I absolutely loved it. The title track is wonderful, and stands as a sad analogy for the duo's tense relationship, and eventual dissolution after the release of this album. 'The Boxer' is fantastic too, with its sad lyrics of self reflection and haunting chorus of 'lie-la-lie's.' I had completely forgotten about 'Cecilia,' and I was delighted to see it on this record; it's one of those songs that you can't help but smile to as you sing along and sway in time with the beat. The inclusion of their live cover of "Bye Bye Love" is fantastic as well, and Simon & Garfunkel really put their own unique spin on it with their fantastic harmonies and folksy guitar sounds. "Keep the Customer Satisfied" with its great bass line, and the addition of some powerful brass instruments. This whole album is just fantastic from start to finish: the highs are high, the lows are low, the vocals are amazing, every note of every instrument is perfectly placed, and the production is immaculate. I had completely forgotten just how big Simon & Garfunkel were at the height of their career. I mean, good grief, a half a million people showed up for their concert in Central Park. A half a million people went to see two guys who hadn't put out any music in over a decade. I hate that I hadn't listened to this album sooner. This album will be firmly in my regular rotation. I can't wait to get assigned Graceland, and if that's not on this list, I will riot.

"Mister I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man." If I could summarize this album with one line, that would be it. Bruce Springsteen's follow up to 'Born to Run' expands on his themes of disillusionment and unfulfilled promises with added maturity. Bruce Springsteen is one of my favorite artists, but this was my first time listening to this album in its entirety. Where 'Born to Run' has a title track that speaks of an optimistic love, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' has "Prove It All Night," where the narrator and his love have to make things work between them, just to survive. Springsteen sings with the emotions of a man who had optimism, but now just has himself to rely on, in a world where the down-on-their-luck are left behind, unable to reap the benefits of a society whose collective wealth grows. The lyrics on this album are great, and the instrumentation and stripped down production gives it a much more raw feel than its predecessor.

This is my second time listening to this album (I think my first time listening to it was last year, before I started this project), and the second Eminem album I've listened to on this list (the first being The Marshall Mathers LP). "My Name Is" happens to be the first Eminem song I ever heard, and at 15 years old, I thought it was hilarious and brilliant, but it also blew my mind that someone would make music as profane as that. Listening to this in my late thirties is a different ballgame. While the lyrics are still brilliant, clever, and profane, this album is about as dark as they come. I'm married, and my wife and I have a young daughter of our own, and listening to "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" just about made me want to throw up. I can't even imagine what experiences in Eminem's life could lead him to create a story like that. I suppose I could say the same thing about every song on this album, whether the topic is drugs, parental abandonment, or violent bullying. Even though the lyrics are dark, I appreciate their ability to make me feel horror, and disgust so intensely, but at the same time, I feel an such empathy to anyone who grew up under the same circumstances that Eminem did. The beats on this album are great too; you can tell that so much work went into the production and studio work. All the elements of the music blends together to tell vivid stories, and there's nothing here that feels like it doesn't belong. This album and its successor are still incredibly controversial, so I've copied my thoughts from my review of the MM LP: Since most of the other reviews mention it to some degree, I guess I can't talk about this album without mentioning the homophobic, misogynistic, and violent content of the lyrics. A lot of the lyrical content here is pretty uncomfortable to listen to. I think a lot of the more offensive content is spouted off by characters/personas that Eminem has invented, but that doesn't take any of the edge off of it. Is it okay to play the role of a character who says words and phrases like this? I don't know. When we have visual movies about cultural tumult (World War II, The Civil Rights movement in the U.S. etc.), people being represented on screen often spout hateful rhetoric, and we generally accept it, because it's historically accurate, and history is often a long road of terrible deeds that come from terrible thoughts and words. Is it okay in this sense too? Homophobia and misogyny were clearly alive and well at the time this album was recorded, and people who held these types of views were certainly thriving as well, and in my view, that gives these lyrics an unfortunate realism. But what does it mean when someone can create personas like this? Ultimately, I don't know how to feel about art like this. I think this album is incredible as a piece of music, but I don't enjoy listening to things as dark as this.

I've never heard of Gil Scott-Heron before, but I really enjoyed this album. Musically, it was really fun to listen to; the flute usage throughout, and the piano arrangements really meshed to create a sound that was rooted in soul and blues, but still its own. For an album about such heavy subject matter, it really had some fun grooves, and I caught myself bobbing my head along throughout most of the album. As great as the music was here, the lyrics are the real standout to me. I really enjoyed when spoken word was used in some of the songs, and it felt very apt, since a lot of civil rights leaders used spoken word and poetry when they would orate. "The Bottle" and "H20 Gate Blues" were my two favorite tracks, and their lyrics are still incredibly relevant in today's political discourse (I had never heard of Frank Rizzo before, but wow, that guy sounds like a real piece of shit). Overall, I think this album set out to deliver a message about America in the seventies, and with its great music, it achieves that goal.

Growing up in Houston, I've probably heard Butthole Surfers' "Pepper" at least a few hundred times (I'd bet a large sum of money that The Buzz still plays it at least daily), but this was my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish. I'm really glad to see some Texas rockers land an album on this list and... well yeah, that's about as glad as I got during this album. Butthole Surfers are great musicians, and their guitar riffs and drum fills are fantastic, but the lyrics on this album were just a little too out there for me. "Human Cannonball" was the highlight here for me, and I enjoyed the second half of the album more than the first. Even though this album wasn't really my taste, it's not without its merits. Butthole Surfers set out to make an album that showcased their unique psychedelic and noise-rock sound, and they succeed. They're talented musicians and songwriters, but they are a tad niche. I'm giving this album four stars, but I wish I could give it 3.5.

Whenever it was someone's birthday in our household, my parents would throw side 3 of the Beatles' 1968 self-titled album on to the turntable, and blast "Birthday." It was a fun tradition, albeit a strange one for a household that was normally full of anger and abuse most days of the year. Even though we had this album on vinyl (my dad would always lament that he had passed up the opportunity to purchase a copy of it on white vinyl for $20), "Birthday" and the first five seconds or so of "Yer Blues" were the only songs I had ever heard off of it until I was an adult. I can't remember when it was, but at some point, my brother was looking at the track listing on this album and pointed out some of the more eclectic titles of "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for me and my Monkey" to me, and we were both incredibly confused as to what was going on on this album, but I don't remember our curiosity ever taking us further than that. This is my third Beatles album that I've gotten on this list, and I had really high expectations going into it. This album has some of my favorite Beatles songs on it ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Dear Prudence," "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da," and "Birthday") but I'm pretty sure this was my first time listening to it from start to finish. Just like the other Beatles albums I've listened to on this list (A Hard Day's Night and With The Beatles), this album is a masterpiece when it comes to the instrumentation. Every note is perfectly placed, and there's all sorts of wonderful things going on in the background that elevate the overall sound of the album. Each member of the band really seems to be at the height of their craft here, with George Harrison's guitar playing on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as the shining example of this. But as a whole, I don't think my expectations of this album were met. I can appreciate the ambition that went into crafting a record with so many different sounds and genres, but it just feels overblown and and self-indulgent. Hell, the whole band only performed on just over half the songs here, and it kind of shows. And at a total running time just over an hour and a half, it was a lot to get through this album in one sitting. I did enjoy the folk-inspired songs quite a bit though; it was really interesting to hear The Beatles put their own spin on the genre, and I thought they executed those songs really well, both in musical style and in lyrical content. I appreciate how ambitious this album was, how great some of the songs are, and how influential it was on music, but as a whole work it just fell a little bit short for me.

Well, that was certainly an experience. I've never heard of The Residents before, but I don't think I'll be forgetting about this album for a long time. This album really wasn't my taste, but I did enjoy "The Booker Tease" and "Hello Skinny," and "Laughing Song" really made me think of Les Claypool's vocals on "My Name is Mud." Overall though, I didn't care too much for the odd song structure or lyrics. The instrumentation was good though, I can definitely see why this is an important album in the scope of popular music. I would be willing to bet that Ween and Primus were heavily influenced by The Residents, and I'd be that other bands like Devo and Talking Heads were influenced by them to a degree as well. Even though this album wasn't my jam, I think it's worthy of four stars. It sets out to be avant garde, and it hits the mark square on.

Well, that was certainly an experience. I've never heard of John Zorn or Ornette Coleman before, and I'm not a big jazz listener, so this album was pretty much lost on me. I did enjoy a few of the songs though: "Good Old Days," "Feet Music," and "Broad Way Blues" were the standouts to me, and everything else pretty much sounded the same. This album was different from the few other jazz albums I've encountered on this list, but it just wasn't for me.

I've never heard of Happy Mondays before, but based on my reading about them before listening to the album, I figured I'd enjoy it. Unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed by this album. It was inoffensive, and I enjoyed the instrumentation, but lyrically and vocally, this album wasn't really doing it for me. I thought the second half of the album was definitely better than the first, but it still wasn't enough to hook me in.

Do I often understand what Eddie Vedder is singing? No. Do I care? Also no. I bought Pearl Jam's Rearview Mirror back in 2004 when it came out, but this was my first time listening to a whole Pearl Jam album. It's wild to me to take a look at the Billboard Hot 100 Singles from 1988-1992 and see the music that's on there. Pop music had pretty much taken over by 1992, with R&B, Hip Hop, and a few other smaller genres filling out the rest of the charts. Despite that, some of the best rock music of all time was being made in the early nineties as hair metal faded away and grunge music started to take over. As great as Nirvana was (Dave Grohl is one of my favorite musicians of all time), I'd prefer to listen to Pearl Jam any day. This album is stuffed to the brim with great songs: "Even Flow," "Jeremy," "Once," "Black," and my personal favorite, "Alive" are the standouts here, but "Garden" and "Deep" are just as good as well. The wailing guitars on "Alive" start off with a bang, building to one of the best guitar solos of all time. The drums crash at all the right moments, and Eddie Vedder's voice warbles and bellows in the most beautiful way possible. The lyrics here are a wild journey themselves too, telling the Oedipus-adjacent story of a man who learns the truth of his parentage. "Even Flow" has amazing guitar riffs as well, pouding your eardrums right out the gates. "Jeremy" is fantastic too, with Vedder's haunting vocals bringing a physical chill to the story of a young man who kills himself in front of his class. This album is absolutely fantastic from start to finish, and it's definitely going to be a part of my regular listening rotation. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to "Better Man" and sob into my pillow.

This was my second PJ Harvey album to listen to on this list, the first, being 'Rid of Me.' I enjoyed this album, albeit not as much as I enjoyed 'Rid of Me.' I thought the vocals here were fantastic, as were the guitars and drums. The songs featuring Thom Yorke were really great too. "Big Exit" and "You Said Something" were my favorite tracks here.

I'm familiar with a few of The Kinks' songs, but this was my first time listening to an album of theirs from start to finish. I thought this album was fine; it didn't wow me in any sense, but it wasn't terrible to listen to. Instrumentally, it wasn't too far off from the songs of theirs that I enjoy ("Lola," "All Day and All of the Night," and "You Really Got Me"). I liked the use of the harpsichord, and the drumming was tight and precise, which I think fits their overall musical style nicely. "Sunny Afternoon" was definitely my favorite track; I liked how the title stood in stark contrast to the dark melodies and cynical lyrics. "Fancy" and "You're Looking Fine" were really good too. I think I'd prefer to belt out "Lola" though.

I grew up hearing a lot of the Beach Boys' "surf music," which I enjoyed. At some point in my late twenties, I asked for 'Pet Sounds' for Christmas, and I was blown away that the same guys who sang "Surfin' Safari" and "409" could make an album like that. I've never listened to any of Brian Wilson's solo work, but I consider him to be the one that led The Beach Boys into their post "surf music" era, so I had high expectations for this album. I was not let down. This album is incredible. Wilson's ability to create beautiful harmonies is showcased throughout this album. The experimental and varied instrumentation is showcased here too; there's plenty of strings, keyboards, guitars, whistles, and Christ-knows-what-else to go around on this album. But even with all of the different instrumental sounds, the album never feels bloated or busy; everything is in its rightful place to create an incredible experience. I don't know much about the history of how this project evolved from its foundations in the sixties to what Wilson put together over 35 years later, but this album reminded me of what I loved about my first time listening to 'Pet Sounds.' I wish that I would have had time to listen to this album a second time today, so that I could put together some thoughts on individual songs, but it just wasn't meant to be. However, I'll definitely be revisiting this album soon.

I'm not very familiar with Hole's music, so this was my first time listening to an album of theirs. This was a good album, with a few solid songs on it. I enjoyed the slower and more melodic songs the most, with "Doll Parts," "Miss World," and "Asking for It" being my favorites. Lyrically, "Asking for It" is probably the best track here, and it's pretty sad that a topic like victim blaming in sexual assault is still so prevalent almost thirty years later. Courtney Love has been such an interesting public figure these last thirty plus years, but she and the rest of the band really paved the way for other female musicians with their work. Even though this album wasn't my favorite, Hole is a talented band who really made their own way in the grunge scene. I wish I could give this album 3.5 stars instead of just 3.

I've never heard of Antony and the Johnsons before, but this was a really beautiful album. The vocals and instrumentation went together beautifully, and the lyrics were incredibly deep and poignant. This isn't the sort of thing that I'd seek out again, but I still think that it was beautiful music.

I happen to have a vinyl copy of The Yes Album, but I probably haven't listened to it in about twenty years, if I've ever even listened to it in its entirety at all. And that's a shame, because I think that Yes is one of the most underrated bands in prog rock and classic rock as a whole. Granted, I think their music tends to work better as whole albums than as singles, which might make them a little less accessible (oh, and song length too). I this is a really good album, and I was happy to see it on this list since it has my favorite Yes song, "I've Seen All Good People" on it (for the record, I would have preferred to see Fragile on this list, but whatever). This was their first album to feature Steve Howe on guitar, but in my opinion their lineup was at their best with Rick Wakeman on keyboard and synth. Despite not having Wakeman in the lineup, Bill Bruford does a superb job of creating drum fills that blend perfectly with the keyboard-heavy music of this album. Musically, this album ticks all the boxes for me: each member of the band feels like an expert of their instrument, creating a sound that's incredibly unique. The lyrics are definitely kind of 'out there,' but that's on brand for these guys and prog rock in general. Still, "I've Seen All Good People" is incredibly fun to sing along with. Overall, this is a great album, even though it's not Yes's best work in my opinion. Still, anything beats "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Woof.

I just had The Yes Album on Friday, and after I submitted my review this morning, I thought the same album popped up, but it was just Close to the Edge (it still baffles me that both The Yes Album and Close to the Edge are on here but not Fragile). What the heck are the odds that I would get these back to back? No, that's not rhetorical, someone please tell me the odds, I'm not a big statistics guy. I enjoyed this album a lot more than The Yes album. Even though the longer songs may make it less accessible, I think Yes really utilized their best lineup to create a great album here. I love that each song starts off with more guitar, allowing both the lead and bass guitars to set the tone before the keyboard and synth drive the tone of the songs. This album is a much better showcase of John Anderson's vocals, especially on "And You And I," and the backing vocals on "Siberian Khatru" were really great as well. I mentioned in my review for The Yes Album that I thought that Yes is one of the most underrated bands in classic rock, and this album only made me more sure of my opinion on the matter. I love that their three best albums (The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge) all manage to highlight their talents in different ways. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to fire up Fragile while burning a cassingle of "Owner of a Lonely Heart."

Oh man, I hadn't listened to this album in probably ten years or so, and I forgot how much I loved it. My first exposure to KoL was probably when "Sex is on Fire" was getting played non-stop on the local alternative rock station. I hated that song so much, but my cousin persuaded me to check out some of KoL's older catalog, so I bought Aha Shake Heartbreak, and absolutely fell in love. The first three tracks are just absolute perfection, closing out their incredible run with "Taper Jean Girl," which has my favorite drumming of the whole album. The guitar on "Taper Jean Girl" is perfect too, and I can't help but bob my head along each time I listen. As much as I love the first three tracks, "The Bucket" is my favorite track on the album; the drum fills during the chorus, combined with the high-pitched guitars provide the perfect contrast to their counterparts during the verses. I feel like KoL set the perfect blueprint for other established Indie rock artists like The Black Keys and Portugal. The Man to break into the mainstream. I know that Caleb Followill's vocals aren't for everyone, but I really love his singing on this album, especially on "Day Old Blues;" there's just such a unique timbre to his voice that I really enjoy. For me, this album is the picture perfect example of Indie Rock from the aughts, right up there with "Is This It" and "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning."

Yesterday, I got one of my all-time favorite albums. Today, the law of averages caught back up with me. I don't have many positive things to say about this album. The only track that I thought wasn't completely cheesy was "Rosemary," with "I Build This Garden For Us" in a close second. Musically, this album wasn't terrible. It was pretty inoffensive, but also completely forgettable. Lyrically, it felt forced and hacky. I think it's awesome that Lenny Kravitz wanted to record some socially aware music, but he just really misses the mark here, and nothing feels very genuine. It's still impressive that Lenny Kravitz pretty much created and recorded this whole album by himself, but it's a shame that there's not a whole lot here to write home about.

In college, I really liked Eric Clapton. I read his memoir, I listened to a fair amount of his solo work, and I really wanted to get into the music that he had made as a part of different groups (Cream, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, etc.). The furthest I made it was purchasing that 20th Century Masters greatest hits for Cream, of which I listened to "White Room," "Crossroads," and "Sunshine of Your Love." I always wanted to listen to some of their whole albums, but never got around to it. Now, I finally have no excuse not to listen to an entire Cream album. I really enjoyed listening to this, and I hate that it took me this long (this was infinitely better than Derek and The Dominoes, which I still don't think I've ever recovered from). Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and even England's best xenophobic guitarist, Eric Clapton really show off their talents here. I love that there's a good mix of vocals from both Bruce and Clapton. When he's not spewing racist garbage, Clapton really does have a voice that's enjoyable to listen to. I really enjoyed the psychedelic sounds here; "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew," and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" were my favorite tracks here. Overall, this was a great album, and I'll probably listen to it again soon.

I don't think I've ever listened to any of Missy Elliott's albums before (maybe Supa Dupa Fly if I have), but I thought this album was fantastic. The beats were catchy, the rapping was great, and the lyrical content was outstanding. "Gossip Folks" and "Work It" are both so much fun, but they still feel like they belong on an album with a bit more serious of a tone. Is it gimmicky that she raps backwards in "Work It?" If that's what you think, keep it to yourself, because I think it's genius. I loved that Missy Elliott talked about loss (both personal grief and collective grief in a post 9/11 world), how her vision of hip hop shapes how she makes music, and criticisms of women in music. The duets were really great, especially "Nothing Out There for Me" with Beyonce. Missy Elliott raps with a personal brand of swagger that I don't think I've ever heard before; if I had to summarize it, I'd say it's a 'powerful confidence with a the perfect sprinkle of realistic humility.' I've been trying to stay away from albums on this list that I haven't listened to before, but I'm really tempted to listen to Supa Dupa Fly tonight, because this album has been rattling around my brain all weekend.

With the exception of "All I Really Want," I've heard all of the singles off of this album countless times, but I've never gone through it from start to finish. For my money, this is one of the best albums of the nineties, and in an era full of incredible albums from female solo artists, that's really saying something. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the tone of the guitar parts and percussion on this album are really distinct to the nineties (the best example is on "You Oughtta Know," and the best way I can think to describe it is almost like a shimmering quality), but you could still pick out any part of these songs and easily identify them as Alanis Morissette songs, and I think that's part of what makes them so great. Alanis's vocals are fantastic on this album, and I love how her backing vocals wrap around the main vocals on tracks like "All I Really Want" and "You Learn." Even though every song on this album is great in its own way, from the feminine confidence of "Right Through You," to the soft power of "Mary Jane," the singles are the star of the show here. From the vividly shocking "You Oughtta Know" to the harmonica heavy "Head Over Feet," these songs are incredibly fun to sing along to, and they still haven't lost their power over 25 years later. I know "Ironic" has become kind of a punching bag over the last decade or so, but I'll be damned if there isn't something about that it still makes me feel a sense of shared anxiety with 'Mister-play-it-safe.' "Hand In My Pocket" might be my least favorite of the singles on this album, but I love that it elicits a mental image of Alanis hanging out in Haight Ashbury in the late sixties from me. My favorite track is "You Learn," and I could listen to that backing vocal of 'what a jagged little pill' every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. This is such a fantastic album, and I'm glad I got to start my week with it!

I know Syd Barrett's name from Pink Floyd, but I've never listened to any of his music before (not even Piper at the Gates of Dawn). I know the man was going through some pretty heavy stuff when he made this album, and I feel a tad guilty being critical of it, but woof, this was not my cup of tea. All of the songs just kind of blended together. Nothing really stood out to me, and there was nothing about this album that even separates it from other psychedelic music of the era. It honestly sounds like someone was making a movie about England in the late sixties, and just as they were wrapping production, they realized they forgot to have a soundtrack, but they only had $400 left in the budget to put towards the music, and this was the result. I listened to about 30 minutes of this on my drive to work, and when I got out of the car, I went to check how many more songs were left, and when I saw that I was only about halfway done with the album, I fell to my knees and cried out to God, demanding to know why he would make me suffer more than Job. I'm going to listen to Spoon's Hot Thoughts to cleanse my palette.

This is my second Bjork album that I've gotten on this list, but I didn't care for this one too much. It was pleasant to listen to, but no particular track stood out to me. Bjork's vocals and arrangements are generally really great, but something on this album just didn't click for me.

I've never heard of Cornershop before, but this was a nice surprise. I think it's cool that two guys of Indian descent made a Brit Pop album, because they clearly had something really unique to add to the genre. There was a great mix of funk and traditional Indian influence here, making for a very enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the dance elements featured here too, and Cornershop did a fantastic job taking those dance elements and spinning them into something new.

I've listened to this album before, but for some reason, during my first listen, it didn't really stick out to me. However, this time, this album really stuck the landing with me. The music is beautiful, Frank Ocean's vocals are fantastic, and the lyrical content is deep and meaningful. This is a great album from start to finish, and I really enjoyed listening to it. "Sweet Life" and "Pyramids" were my favorite tracks, and I'm looking forward to listening to this again soon.

This is the third album by Bob Marley & The Wailers that I've gotten on this list, and it was my least favorite of the bunch. Before I listened to it, I read the other user reviews, and I assumed it would wind up being my favorite, but I just wasn't as into it as I was Natty Dread and Catch a Fire. The lyrics were really good, and I enjoyed the horn arrangements that were used. "Three Little Birds" and "One Love/People Get Ready" were my favorite tracks, and they're the only tracks that I was familiar before listening to this album. Again, it's a good album, but I prefer Natty Dread and Catch a Fire.

I've never listened to a Megadeth album before, but I'm slightly familiar with the band's founding. I don't listen to a lot of thrash metal, but I do enjoy it from time to time. I enjoyed this album, and it was a very interesting slice of rock history to listen to something that has influenced hard rock for nearly forty years. The guitar riffs are absolutely incredible, and it's evident just how talented these guys are as musicians. I can't imagine how physically demanding it must be to make music like this, much less play it in a live show. I imagine you'd have to have the power of a sprinter with the stamina of a distance runner. But I digress. The songs on here that land really land ("Wake Up Dead," "Peace Sells," the "I Ain't Superstitious" cover, and "My Last Words), but for me, everything else just kind of blended together. This is still a great album, but based on what I've heard, I'm looking forward to Rust in Peace more.

I've never heard of The Sonics, so I was relying on user reviews to give me an expectation of what I was in for. The reviews are pretty polarizing, so I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this a lot, or think that it was overrated. To my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed this album. You can definitely hear the punk influences that are present here: the fast and sometimes chaotic drum fills, cymbal crashes, buzzing guitars, and raw vocals. I'm usually not a big fan of albums that have a lot of covers (I'm looking at you, A Girl Called Dusty), but this really landed with me. A lot of it reminded me of Iggy and The Stooges' Raw Power, and I really love that album. I think this album has solidly earned its place on this list!

I'm pretty familiar with a lot of Metallica's singles, but this was my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish. I'm not very big into live albums, but this album was great. I knew a little less than half the tracks on here, and it was great to be able to listen to those songs in a new light. I don't know what all went into the process of converting these songs into being playable with a symphony orchestra, but the end result works really well. The band still sounds great, and Hetfield's growling vocals sound as powerfully brooding as ever. The only drawback here is that I didn't really get a lot from the songs that I didn't already know. They sounded fine, but as someone who's not a huge Metallica fan, I didn't have anything to compare them to. My favorite tracks here were "Nothing Else Matters" and "One." A few random thoughts about Metallica in general: I find it funny in a sad way that a lot of people my age hate James Hetfield for getting Napster shut down. He came off like a villain in that story while the real villains are the asshole record company executives. On my review for Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying earlier this week, I said that thrash metal musicians are athletes first and musicians second, because of the physicality of their music, and Metallica is living proof of this. These guys just put out a new record this year, and they look fit as hell. The guys from Motley Crue, however, look like they spent the night in the gutter, and they sound like these days too. It's incredibly impressive to me that Metallica has had so much mainstream success as a thrash metal band, and they've managed to survive the rise and fall of hair metal, grunge, and mainstream alternative rock.

I own this album, but this is my first time listening to it from start to finish (I'm pretty sure I bought it just for their cover of "Comfortably Numb," but I eventually also fell in love with "Take Your Mama"). I'm so mad at myself for not having listened to all of this album sooner, because I really enjoyed it. Every song has so much going on lyrically, but every song is also really fun instrumentally. I'm a big fan of keyboards and synthesizers, and the keyboards here are fantastic, giving each song a familiarity of disco, while still managing to create a very unique sound. "Take Your Mama" is my favorite track on this album, and lyrically, it's just absolutely brilliant; the band does a great job of taking such a serious topic as coming out to a family member, but stripping away all of the anxiety, and just jumping in with both feet. Pure mastery as far as I'm concerned. "Filthy/Gorgeous," "Comfortably Numb," "Laura," and "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" are also fantastic tracks.

I've never heard of Fela Kuti before, and I'm not terribly familiar with this type of music (is William Onyeabor considered similar? I've listened to one of his albums), but I enjoyed this album. The music was very different than what I typically listen to, but I thought the instrumentation was fantastic, and it was cool to hear Ginger Baker working outside of Cream. I wish I had something profound to mention here, but all I can say is that I enjoyed listening to this.

Back in 2017, before we knew that Ryan Adams was a nasty man, I listened to his album Prisoner, and I loved it. Thankfully though, I never listened to anything else of his, and I think that I only listened to Prisoner that one time. I debated even pulling up this album in my Spotify, and once I had it pulled up, I really wrestled with if I wanted to listen to it or not. Knowing what I know about Ryan's behavior, how could I look the women in my life in the eye and tell them that I listened to this? I eventually settled on listening to it, because I started this project with a desire to experience every album on this list, and I wanted to keep this journey going all the way. Besides, I've already listened to both Eminem albums on this list, and while they were both great, they were both unpleasant experiences. Also, there are other creeps on this list (Steven Tyler, Phil Spector), likely creeps (David Bowie, Prince), and creeps we don't or may never know about. The worst thing about this album is that Ryan Adams was a manipulative monster to several women in his life, and he got away with it for a really long time. The second worst thing about this album is that I thought it was really good. Even though I thought it was good, I hated myself the entire time I was listening to it, and I'll probably hate myself for the next week or two for having listened to it. Usually in my reviews, I'll mention what I liked about the music, but I'm not going to do that on this review, because now that my listening experience is over, I don't want to go back through it. I hate that we live in a world where people in positions of power do things like Ryan did, and I hate that we as consumers of art are stuck in sticky positions, trying to navigate how we feel about art we loved at one time, when we learn that the artist did disgusting and cruel things. This is a five star album, but it's sad that it was made by a one-star human being, who's so small, that he felt the need to wreak havoc on the lives of others.

I love eighties music, but until recently, I really hadn't heard much Sophisti-pop, minus a few singles here and there (Spandau Ballet, Level 42, and ABC). But a year or so ago, a friend of mine who knows my love for eighties music and synths made me a Sophisti-pop playlist on Spotify, and I really enjoyed it. I've never heard of The Blue Nile before, but this album was absolutely fantastic. Every song was great, and the album as a whole had a really unique feel and vibe to it. I have a few notes on my favorite tracks: "Tinseltown in the Rain" has such great piano and guitar riffs. I think there was a part where a synth was playing stringed instrument sounds, and I loved that too; in my opinion, something like that is what Sophisti-pop is all about. The looping synthesizers in the background on "From Rags to Riches" were really great. The saxophone on "Heatwave" was fantastic; that's another Sophisti-pop element that I enjoy. The vocals really reminded me of Peter Gabriel, and I was shocked to learn that he really promoted the band, and even recorded a song with them later. However, when I played this album for my wife, she was getting Bowie vibes from the vocals, and I can hear that too. Either way, this album was great, and I can't wait to get more music like it.

I love The Beach Boys, but I've never heard of this album, or any of the songs on it. With a name like Surf's Up, I had certain expectations, but those expectations were quickly dashed. It was really different to hear The Beach Boys sing about social and political issues, but I feel like it worked really well. As with a lot of Beach Boys work, the harmonies here were great, and the production work of layering so many elements together to create beautiful sounds. While I think that this was a really good album, I don't think it's the band's best work. While the political and social commentary worked, and it was musically great, it just kind of lacked a total cohesiveness in my opinion. The best way I can describe it is that it just didn't feel quite as full as something like Pet Sounds. I wish I could rate it 3.5 stars, but I always find myself rounding up.

This is the second Talking Heads album that I've gotten on this list (the first being Remain in Light), and I absolutely loved this album. I loved the rhythm-heavy sound of this album, both for the bass and lead guitar parts. The rhythm focused sound worked well regardless of whether the song was a faster tempo, like the lead track "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel," or a slower tempo, like the cover of "Take Me to the River." And speaking of the title track, "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" was the perfect way to start this album off. There were some wonderful piano, organ, and synthesizer parts on this album as well, especially on "Artists Only," "Stay Hungry," and the "Take Me to the River." This album had the perfect amount of funk influence, and even a little rockabilly in my opinion. Every track on here was fantastic, with "I'm Not in Love" being my favorite of the bunch. I don't know if the sound of this album was due completely to Brian Eno's production, or if it was just the direction the band decided to take, but either way, this is a masterpiece of late 70's post punk music.

I'm not terribly familiar with a lot of The Temptations' work (I know "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"), so this was my first time listening to an album of theirs from start to finish. I wasn't really sure what to expect, since their only songs that I knew going into this were a couple of pop hits from the 60's. I thought this was a great funk and soul album, and it was fun to listen to. "Run Charlie Run" was my favorite track on here, and I was completely caught off guard by how serious its tone and message about white flight were (it blows my mind that a lot of these albums from the 60's and 70's were discussing social and political issues that are still incredibly relevant today). "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" was fantastic too. I grew up hearing white people criticize 'absentee black fathers,' but I don't think I've ever heard black people talk about/respond to the things that white people say about the subject (I don't even know if it's a real issue, or if it's just something evangelical white people love to say when they talk about food stamps or other 'welfare programs.' I'm not quite sure what The Temptations' message was with this song, but it definitely made me reflect on how often I heard suburban white people make generalizations and create stereotypes about the black community when I was growing up. Overall, the musical arrangements on each song were great, and the vocals were spectacular as well.

Sometime during the spring semester of my senior year in high school, my parents found two CD cases tossed into our yard (long story). One of the CDs in the cas was Metallica's Master of Puppets, which I happily kept. I used to listen to the title track pretty regularly, even trying to make it from my house to my job before the track ended (I can't remember if I was ever successful, but at least there were never any negative outcomes from this stunt). However, I don't think I've ever listened to this album in its entirety until today. This album is thrash metal perfection. The lyrics are sharp and poignant, from the criticisms of American militarism on "Disposable Heroes," to the criticisms of the false prophets of evangelicals on "Leper Messiah," this album doesn't pull any punches. Musically, it's exactly what I want from Metallica as well: fast when it needs to be, loud when it needs to be, and yet melodic enough that you realize just how talented these guys are as songwriters. Hetfield's vocals are outstanding here as well, even though he only gets better on later albums. This is a fantastic album, and I'm ashamed that I've owned it for nearly two decades, but never listened to all of it until today.

Rap music was pretty much forbidden in my house growing up, so my first exposure to Public Enemy was hearing "Bring Tha Noize" with Anthrax while playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and I thought it was a great song. A few years ago, I wanted to seek out the best rap music of the nineties, so I listened to Fear Of A Black Planet, and I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed this album too, but not as much as Fear Of A Black Planet. Chuck D is probably my favorite rapper. His voice just has a certain authority and rich tone to it that sets it apart from his contemporaries. I love Public Enemy's political messages too; "Nighttrain," "By The Time I Get To Arizona," and "1 Million Bottlebags" containing my favorite lyrics on this album. Musically, I was probably only a fan of half the tracks on this album. Some of the beats and sampling here just weren't my style, especially on "Loss At Birth" and "Rebirth." However, "Bring Tha Noize" with Anthrax more than makes up for those two tracks. Anthrax's instrumentation takes a great song and makes it even more powerful; I love that the scratching and other original elements are still present though. Overall, this is a great album, and the rapping and lyrics are the stars of the show here. Favorite lyric: "'Cause now the KKK wears three-piece suits." I wonder if they knew how relevant that line would be almost three decades later.

I was incredibly excited to get this album today. I enjoy a lot of soft rock, but somehow, I've never listened to this album. I've heard "We've Only Just Begun" and "Close To You," but I've never really kicked back and actually listened to them. I've heard that Karen Carpenter has one of the best voices of all time, and after listening to this album, I would strongly agree with that statement. Her vocals were absolutely perfection on every track, and each song here was a joy to listen to. Richard Carpenter's vocals, when they seldom appear, are also really nice, but he definitely can't compete with his sister. The instrumentation here may not be much, but that's exactly what this album needed, so that Karen's vocals could shine. I usually like it better when people write their own music, but that didn't bother me here. This isn't the type of album that I'm likely to listen to frequently, but when I'm in the mood for something gentle and pleasant, I'll have no problem firing this up. I had a wonderful time listening to this.

Before today, the only Pulp song I'd heard was "Common People," courtesy of 60 Songs That Explain the 90's. I held off on listening to Different Class because I knew it was on this list, but I was probably only going to hold off until 200 albums into this project, at the latest. Thankfully, it was well the worth the wait to listen to this album, because I absolutely loved it. From the opening words and guitar riff of "Mis-Shapes," to the slower "Bar Italia," I loved every track on this album. I loved that the theme of class struggle managed to permeate the whole album; even the songs where Jarvis Cocker was lusting after some married woman were oozing with disdain for the social hierarchy. The instrumentation on this album was great too; the faster tracks are insanely fun and catchy, and the slower tracks add a tone that prevents the album from feeling tongue-in-cheek. Jarvis's vocals are great too, and he sings his best on "Feeling Called Love." I was thankfully able to listen to this album twice, and the second listen just solidified that I found a new album to add to my regular rotation. "Common People" is my favorite track, but "Disco 2000" is a close second. I may not wait to be assigned another Pulp album before checking out the rest of their discography.