Journey Complete!
Finisher #594 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.3
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
Favorite Album
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
47
5-Star Albums
15
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shleep
Robert Wyatt
|
5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
|
Space Ritual
Hawkwind
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
|
5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
|
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
|
5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
|
Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
|
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
|
4 | 1.88 | +2.12 |
|
Very
Pet Shop Boys
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
|
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Elephant
The White Stripes
|
1 | 3.86 | -2.86 |
|
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
Blue
Joni Mitchell
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
Revolver
Beatles
|
2 | 4.25 | -2.25 |
|
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
|
2 | 4.21 | -2.21 |
|
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
|
1 | 3.19 | -2.19 |
|
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
|
1 | 2.96 | -1.96 |
|
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
|
1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
|
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
|
1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
|
In Rainbows
Radiohead
|
2 | 3.84 | -1.84 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 |
| King Crimson | 2 | 5 |
| Rush | 2 | 5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.25 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.25 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The White Stripes | 3 | 1.67 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Flaming Lips | 5, 2 |
| Joni Mitchell | 1, 4, 2, 4 |
| Tom Waits | 1, 3, 3, 5, 3 |
5-Star Albums (47)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
i mean it’s fine but i don’t know why it’s on this list
9 likes
The Zutons
3/5
with such a cool album title i was ready for some cool music. i did not get it. not bad by any means but very fine
7 likes
Nirvana
2/5
i went into this album thinking that i didn’t like nirvana. i came out of this album only liking one song, which was a david bowie cover. just not my thing
2 likes
1-Star Albums (15)
All Ratings
Nirvana
2/5
i went into this album thinking that i didn’t like nirvana. i came out of this album only liking one song, which was a david bowie cover. just not my thing
R.E.M.
4/5
i went into this album knowing absolutely nothing about REM but i enjoyed a lot of it!!
Cat Stevens
3/5
overall not my favorite style but Father and Son is an all time banger so that adds a star.
4/5
i am ashamed that it took me this long to listen to this album but it was very good. will need at least another listen
The Byrds
3/5
reminded me of the monkees just without that monkees spark
John Martyn
5/5
absolutely incredible. i had never heard of this man before last night but i liked almost every song on the album. the first album that i listened to here that made me search out more of the artist’s music
Sparks
3/5
kinda weird, i bet they love cabaret
Little Richard
3/5
i mean it was good but a lot of the songs from that era sound very similar and you can only listen for so long.
AC/DC
4/5
i don’t love the AC/DC vocals but i mean this album is one of the most sold albums all time for a reason
Underworld
3/5
it wasn’t bad, i just wouldn’t sit down and listen to techno
Deep Purple
3/5
after the first minute of the album i thought i was gonna hate it but i didn’t! i think the vocals are the weakest part of this album and sometimes take away from some super cool things happening musically.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
i mean it was okay, most songs would have been much better if it wasn’t cyndi lauper singing 😬
The La's
2/5
i mean this is one of 1001 albums to listen to before you die? really?
David Bowie
4/5
like it was good, it just wasn’t anything special in my opinion
Various Artists
3/5
fun album! sleigh ride lowkey was the easy best
Duran Duran
4/5
probably as close as an album can get to 5 stars before reaching it. will listen to more at some point
Bob Dylan
3/5
i expected him to have a MUCH worse voice. overall pretty good
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
it was ok. he’s done much better stuff. it sounds like he got more personal in this album and unfortunately that didn’t translate well to good music
Beastie Boys
3/5
i didn’t love any specific songs but i can 100% see myself putting this album on in the car
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
i always thought of myself as a fleetwood mac hater because i don’t love stevie nicks’ voice but this wasn’t bad!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
i think if bruce never sang in his raspy voice i would like his music much more
The Black Crowes
3/5
i mean i had fun with this album while i cleaned my room, it’s just not my favorite style.
Foo Fighters
2/5
i mean…. it was ok
Big Black
2/5
not my cup of tea, couple listenable songs but not very good overall
New Order
4/5
it took a couple songs for me to get into it but i actually really enjoyed most of this album
Machito
3/5
cool!
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
they like to do this thing where they get a tight, quick groove going and then immediately stop it and slow it down for a vocal line. overall i expected it to be worse!!
Frank Sinatra
5/5
outstanding. frank sinatra will always hit
The White Stripes
1/5
simply put, i did not enjoy listening to this album at all.
Queen
4/5
there wasn’t many songs that i’d listen to on their own, but the album as one long project is very good
Elvis Presley
3/5
a couple complete bangers but just as many, if not more, tough listens
Blue Cheer
3/5
weird album, pretty good though
Syd Barrett
2/5
weird album filled with weird, mostly bad songs. love you is a banger though, wish it had a vacuum solo.
Tina Turner
4/5
absolute banger tbh
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
actually a really fun album!! went in with low expectations but enjoyed a lot of the songs
Elliott Smith
4/5
i had never heard of elliot smith going into this which i thought was odd since this album came out in 2000. while listening i thought about how he gives off the vibe as an artist that died young and i was right. very good album though. some classic singer/songwriter type songs but then some that are almost pink floyd esque which was super cool!!
Depeche Mode
3/5
overall ok with a couple good songs. very listenable though!!
David Gray
4/5
listening to the first song i thought i was going to LOVE this album but i didn’t. still good though!
Crowded House
4/5
some really good songs and a nice listen overall
Sex Pistols
2/5
not my cup of tea but i understand how people could like it
Radiohead
2/5
this was really disappointing i thought i was going to love this album but i didn’t even like it. just very boring to me and nothing real special about it
The Stone Roses
5/5
i had never heard of this band before but this album was super good!! will definitely be listening to some of the songs a lot more
Beatles
4/5
i’ve never been the biggest beatles fan and this didn’t make me into one, but i was pleasantly surprised. not some of their best but some good songs on here
GZA
2/5
i mean it was fine, nothing really stood out though.
King Crimson
5/5
masterpiece
Love
3/5
kinda weird but overall good! there were a couple songs where i liked parts but didn’t like the whole thing. some really cool horn parts
Dire Straits
3/5
a little bit boring at times but overall really good
Muddy Waters
1/5
i went into this album thinking i didn’t like the blues and i came out of this album knowing i didn’t like the blues
Fleet Foxes
4/5
pretty good!! kinda a mumford and sons/avett brothers/lumineers vibe
Dennis Wilson
3/5
this album is so goddamn cool. unfortunately that doesn’t lead to all the songs being good but there are some good ones in there. very very cool overall though
Elliott Smith
4/5
i listened to an elliott smith album a little while ago in my 1001 album journey and loved it. i ended up listening to this album because i liked the other one so much so this was the first album here that i had already listened to!!! it’s highs aren’t as high as figure 8 but i think it’s better overall
Grizzly Bear
4/5
kinda weird and out there at times but i generally enjoyed it.
Mike Ladd
2/5
a very interesting album, half rap half kind of spoken word over music. i can’t say i really enjoyed it but it also wasn’t bad
Iron Maiden
4/5
what a metal album should be
The Clash
3/5
it’s not specifically bad but there’s just nothing really special about it. i actually liked a lot of the songs too but again it wasn’t anything special ig
Stevie Wonder
3/5
a couple good songs and you can’t help but respect the sheer scope of the whole record but most of it just isn’t my cup of tea
Air
5/5
wow. wow wow wow. i put on this album without knowing it was a film score and only realized it a couple songs in. it’s hauntingly beautiful. i can’t wait to watch the movie now. this album will stay with me.
Van Morrison
2/5
not good not bad
The Avalanches
3/5
pretty cool/out there techno album. i liked the orchestral stuff they threw in every once in a while
Neil Young
3/5
fine, nothing more nothing less
Mekons
3/5
pretty forgettable but i liked the last couple songs
Gary Numan
3/5
another just kinda bland cool album. good songs but nothing special about it. wouldn’t surprise me if this was revolutionary for it’s time though
The Byrds
4/5
very cool with the venturing into new and weird styles
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
i never would have even conceived that this was an album if not for this site which i think is really cool. it’s definitely not something i would listen to and i’m not even sure what it was. was it just a normal album or was it like a bollywood movie score? i wouldn’t be surprised if it was either.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
pretty interesting
Barry Adamson
5/5
with an name like Oedipus Shmoedipus this album had high standards to live up to and it did it so well. absolutely crazy from start to finish. from truly uncomfortable techno/spoken word to melancholic piano led orchestral arrangements. crazy. so good
The Young Gods
2/5
started off so strong with the weird long rock/orchestral song but then the rest of the album was just metal in french and I wasn't really a fan.
King Crimson
5/5
not shot these mf actually made this in 1973
Radiohead
3/5
better than the first radio head album i listened to!
Raekwon
3/5
generally speaking i don’t love old school rap but this wasn’t bad!!
Mariah Carey
3/5
after the first couple songs i thought i was gonna hate it but i didn’t, there were a couple good listens
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
catchy!
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
some of the music was cool but i didn’t love the voice and don’t speak the language so it didn’t do much for me
The Byrds
4/5
i didn’t love a lot of the songs on this album but it was so different from the other 2 byrds albums it makes it so much better
Pavement
3/5
this was kinda just a polished version of what i assume Car Seat Headrest sounds like
Nas
4/5
really fucking good
Cornershop
1/5
really weird album. like 1/3 english, 1/3, instrumental, and 1/3 hindi. not really my thing
The White Stripes
2/5
i mean it was better than elephant…
Joni Mitchell
1/5
holy fuck easily the worst album i’ve listened to yet
Wilco
3/5
overall very OK but 1 good song and i liked the spacey ending
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
i had no idea what type of music i was going into here but there were some absolute bangers
Blondie
4/5
not a bad song on the whole album with some absolute bangers sprinkled in.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
i was looking forward to this album but it just wasn’t really my thing. not bad though
The Pogues
3/5
this album shined when the lead singer wasn’t singing. and it was pretty damn good when he wasn’t
The Lemonheads
3/5
sounded like 1992
Led Zeppelin
4/5
i mean it’s classic led zeppelin of course it’s gonna be good. rush still clears though
Fela Kuti
3/5
it’s a 53 minute album with only 4 songs on it, it’s bound to be pretty cool.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
not totally my type of music but some good stuff
Liz Phair
3/5
good vibes, okay songs
Beatles
3/5
like it’s obviously not bad music in my personal opinion, it is just a little bit more dated than most other people seem to find it
Eagles
4/5
not too shabby
Femi Kuti
4/5
big and fun!!
Wire
2/5
a bit too british for me. not outwardly awful though
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
simply a great album all the way through. heard some gorillaz in there every now and then. will definitely seek out more stuff by Michael Kiwanuka
Goldie
2/5
i mean i’m sure it’s good for what it is but it’s a 2 hour long techno album. i’m not gonna enjoy just sitting down listening to it
Killing Joke
2/5
it was ok, some songs had a rush-y vibe which was cool
Tracy Chapman
3/5
no bad songs but no stand out good songs really either. i feel like this would be a good album to play at a dinner party
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
really good and cool with the mix of genres
Oasis
3/5
eh it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really especially good or anything.
Living Colour
4/5
good rock album through and through and a couple stand outs
Saint Etienne
3/5
something i’ve learned from listening to a bunch of new albums is that i don’t love techno. this album is no different but it’s a little better than the other ones i’ve heard so far
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
this album is a wonderfully fantastical journey of musical. it made me think of what an album written by kurt vonnegut would sound like. heavy recommend
Pavement
2/5
eh not really my thing
Sonic Youth
3/5
overall pretty enjoyable listen but there weren’t any great songs or anything really special
Frank Zappa
4/5
i don’t love Zappa’s stuff when he’s singing but this album is mostly instrumental so i liked it a lot!!
Lucinda Williams
3/5
i didn’t love her voice and that brought some pretty good songs down to okay songs which was unfortunate.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
i mean it was fine as kind of background music while doing my homework but a lot of it sounded very similar. probably due to my not knowing the language though
Tom Waits
1/5
it was kind of like primus with worse singing and worse music. very difficult listen.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Cinna funky as hell goddamn
Solomon Burke
3/5
pretty generic sounding for the 60s but that’s not a bad thing! very evident that it was made with a lot of heart too which was cool to listen to
Michael Jackson
4/5
I think disco MJ is my favorite MJ
Burning Spear
2/5
reggae isn’t bad at a very specific time and place, usually at the beach. it is not very good sitting in a college dorm doing linear algebra work
Tears For Fears
4/5
everybody wants to rule the world is an all-time banger but i wasn’t expecting the rest of this album to be so good
Bob Dylan
3/5
it was a fine album and a nice listen but nothing stood out as something that i would want to listen to again
The Who
3/5
took me a couple songs to get into it but i liked a good amount of the second half. the only thing i knew about The Who before this was baba oreilly and this definitely wasn’t that
Skunk Anansie
2/5
didn’t love it overall but some of the calmer ballads were good
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
bruce always hits can’t even lie
Duke Ellington
4/5
hot damn these cats were cooking!! my favorite part was when the audience started to riot
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
kinda gave me the vibes of a tone downed springsteen album. unfortunately i think a lot of the songs would have been much better with a different singer and different arrangements
Gang Starr
3/5
pretty good!
Rush
5/5
i truly believe that Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, and Limelight is one of, if not THE, best 4 song run in any album ever.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
i never gave much to say about these 90s rap albums. most of them have a couple good songs and overall good listens
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
i really have no thoughts about this album. it was pretty good but i have already forgotten it
Anthrax
2/5
eh not awful but i just don’t like heavy metal
The Smiths
3/5
very bri-ish
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
heads will roll is an all time banger and the rest of the album is pretty good too
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
a couple good songs, a couple bad songs, and a lot of okay songs. i didn’t like when everything was super distorted
Roxy Music
3/5
a lot of the songs sounded very Sparks-y but not in a bad way. definitely didn’t sound like it was made in 1974
The Monks
2/5
this album has NO business being on this list but there were a couple catchy songs
Randy Newman
3/5
extremely randy newman sounding, wasn’t expecting the slurs
Joan Armatrading
3/5
some cool, catchy songs. this is one of those albums i never would have listened to if not for this site
Ray Charles
4/5
thoroughly enjoyable listen. my favorite songs were the more classic big band jazz numbers but every song was pretty good
The Beach Boys
3/5
i listened to this album ≈ a year ago and truly didn’t like it at all but i mostly enjoyed it today. interesting how that happens, i wonder if it’s partly due to this website/project
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
overall fun dance album with some different, interesting electronic songs at the end. fun to run to
Lupe Fiasco
5/5
pretty confident in saying that this is my favorite rap album i’ve ever listened to
Gene Clark
3/5
cool folksy-psychedelic album
Fred Neil
2/5
a little bit boring if i’m being honest but that long instrumental at the end was kinda cool
the music was good the voice was just annoying at times, very scratchy
Eurythmics
4/5
they have a sound and they stick to it. it’s not a bad sound though so the album works. my favorite song (This Is The House) was the one that strayed from the sound a little bit though, very bass led and cool horns
John Grant
4/5
pretty damn close to a 5 star album. didn’t love the second half as much as the first which is why it’s a 4. through this website and this guy and elliott smith i’ve learned to appreciate the slower, male solo work more
FKA twigs
2/5
i am glad that music like this exists and people like it but i did not
Snoop Dogg
3/5
after the first track - bathtub - i was nervous but it was enjoyable overall
Napalm Death
1/5
each song starts with about ≈5 seconds of interesting instrumental and then immediately gets ruined by gollum screaming over it. easily one of the worst albums i’ve listened to
Madonna
4/5
solid pop album through and through with one REALLY good song (Till Death Do Us Part)
SAULT
4/5
enjoyable and important album
Michael Jackson
4/5
obviously very good but nothing stood out so a solid 4
Ray Charles
4/5
fucking love old big band music
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
kind of dull at times but much more interesting than i was expecting it to be
Jack White
2/5
not very good but easily better than any of the white stripes albums i’ve heard
The Go-Go's
4/5
we got the beat is pretty close to an all time banger. there were a couple songs that kind of gave Blondie vibes.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
i feel like the early Aquabats loved this shit
Peter Gabriel
4/5
this album answers the question: what if phil collins was good?
Van Halen
4/5
jump is obviously an all time banger and the rest of the album is pretty much as good
Pixies
3/5
fine! Where is my Mind got big on tik tok for good reason.
Rod Stewart
2/5
didn’t like his voice which made it not great overall. the vibe was there though
Violent Femmes
4/5
way better than i was expecting it to be given the name of the band
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
pretty good but nothing special
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
some not great songs but also some genuine bangers
Pixies
2/5
2 out of the best 1001 albums of all time are by the pixies??? ok sure
Nirvana
2/5
idk what i’m not hearing that everyone else is but i just can’t get on board with Nirvana.
Moby
4/5
when i saw that i was going to listen to a Moby album i assumed it was all going to be techno. it ended up being basically everything but straight up techno. some very very good songs
Missy Elliott
3/5
good but, as with most of the older rap i’ve gotten on here, nothing special
Johnny Cash
5/5
everything about it. the songs. the commentary. the story. amazing
Iggy Pop
3/5
pretty cool!
The Verve
4/5
i’m a sucker for these nostalgia ridden albums. bittersweet symphony is close to an all time banger lowkey
Dolly Parton
3/5
it was fine. i feel like she uses a little vibrato literally all the time which is annoying. i bet molly tuttle is a big dolly parton fan
Björk
2/5
really cool instrumentals throughout but i didn’t love her voice
Nirvana
3/5
this was i think the third nirvana album i’ve listened to and it’s definitely the best. i didn’t really like the other two at all but this one had some redeeming qualities.
4/5
couldn’t follow the story but starman is an all time banger
Fela Kuti
3/5
pretty cool, not sure it deserved to be on this list. highlight was definitely the 16 minute drum solo
Janet Jackson
3/5
to be honest this was a really boring album. nothing really special about it and pretty dated sounding for only coming out in 1998
Daft Punk
4/5
as good as you would think
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
the entire album is just this guy jack elliot doing smothers brothers-esque songs until Dink’s Song which is a slow, big band jazz song with a female singer. i don’t know why
The Zombies
4/5
really good. i hope there’s more albums like this on here
Jethro Tull
4/5
pretty cool! kind of a range of genres
The Birthday Party
2/5
i can’t say that i liked it but i definitely liked it more than i thought i would. every once in a while a little primus would shine through, especially on 6” Gold Blade, which was cool
Amy Winehouse
4/5
as good as everyone says
Arcade Fire
4/5
I had listened to The Suburbs on a recommendation before listening to this and really liked it so i was hopeful. it’s definitely not as good but there are some really great moments, the best of which comes at the end of Crown of Love with the switch from 6/8 to disco 4/4
2Pac
3/5
i mean similar to the other old school rap albums i’ve heard on here, good but nothing super special. i guess i’d never actually heard 2Pac before but i wasn’t expecting his voice to be that low?
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
extremely good album. stand out bass and piano playing. really cool use of the flute as well. truly a shame it’s not on spotify because i would definitely revisit some tracks
Yes
4/5
Roundabout is an all time banger and the rest of the album is pretty good too. I wish i liked the vocals as much as Rush
The Adverts
3/5
can’t say i liked it but i liked it WAY more than i was expecting to following the first track
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Joni Mitchell WISHES she could be Dusty Springfield. very pleasant listen
Beatles
3/5
i understand that this is literally one of the most important albums of all time. and for that i am glad that i listened to it. but there are very few songs on here that i thought were good enough to listen to again. i just don’t get why it’s thought of as being so good. Here Comes the Sun is an all time banger though
Julian Cope
3/5
overstayed it’s welcome a bit but overall average to good songs!
Bert Jansch
3/5
pretty good. no standouts besides the first instrumental. cool for an album like this to even have instrumental tracks
Talking Heads
4/5
it’s a talking heads album of course it’s gonna be good
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
crazy how this is literally way better than Abbey Road
Sugar
3/5
not bad, thought it was gonna be more grungey and glad it wasn’t! the singer sounds like the guy from Blues Traveler
Kanye West
5/5
one of the view albums on this list that i had listened to before. i rated it a 9/10 last time and i’d probably go with a 9.5 this time. crazy consistency with some all time bangers
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
i love when they have film scores on this list. this one was exceptionally funky
Fever Ray
2/5
idek what type of music this was. maybe experimental techno? idk not my thing
Pink Floyd
5/5
the fact that this isn’t even thought of as their best album just shows how incredible Pink Floyd really is
Genesis
4/5
every other song on this album is 8+ minutes long and super cool. the other songs were fine, not bad by any means
Public Enemy
2/5
idk nothing special tbh
Rod Stewart
2/5
idk not great, a couple okay songs but really not my thing
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
pretty weird album to be honest. kind of a mix between prog rock and pop. prog pop if you will
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
the best songs were the ones with no effects on the vocals, unfortunately there were only like 2 of those.
T. Rex
3/5
maybe it’s just because the album cover kinda looks like that girl with her hat but this album feels like it could exist in the original 1982 Blade Runner world. obviously not in the story we see but i feel like it could exist in a lighter story set in the same universe. idk
Erykah Badu
4/5
an extremely cool album. sounds pretty timeless too
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
a thoroughly exhausting album to listen to. depressing song after depressing song and most of them not even very good. the reason i’m giving it a 3 star rating is because i have to appreciate making a 3 hour long album of 69 love songs. every once in a while there’s a really good song too which made it kinda seem like a needle in a haystack type thing. definitely interesting how the vast majority of songs are on the sad side. but that’s what love is. right? for every happy ending, there are 50 sad endings. idk i have complicated feelings on love as a whole which made this album even more interesting to listen to.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
better than i was expecting! overall what i imagined the smashing pumpkins to sound like but some good songs in there
The Beau Brummels
3/5
kind of sounds like if you combined The Monkees, Simon, Garfunkel, and Bob Dylan
The Streets
1/5
holy shit this entire album just sounded like a parody making fun of british rap. absolutely terrible. the only okay song was Dry Your Eyes because at least that one had a singing chorus. i’m not anti-rap by any means but apparently i’m anti british rap
The Police
4/5
no stand out songs but a good album through and through
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
I’m Not Your Stepping Stone always sounded a little out of place in the Monkees discography but i never thought about how it could be a cover. cool to hear the original
Hole
3/5
i bet Kat Stratford loved this album
Al Green
3/5
idk it’s fine. i think after playing 2 (3?) al green songs in jazz band this year i’m a little fatigued. it’s also just kinda bland
The Cars
4/5
first couple songs were okay but i got into it. kind of Charge! aquabats vibes
The Residents
4/5
when it comes to any sort of art there are two type of weird: good weird and bad weird. this album was a fat chunk of good weird with some bad thrown in for good measure. i bet les claypool likes this album
Can
4/5
we need more of this weird shit on here!!! mostly good, some got a little out there for me but overall a great listen.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
i mean yeah as good as everyone says it is
4/5
Good! didn’t know anything about U2 music wise but it was pleasantly good!
Cee Lo Green
3/5
idk fine i guess. i’ll never think about this album again
The Strokes
4/5
this was good! bass was probably the MVP of the album. probably won’t revisit any tracks though
Keith Jarrett
5/5
there are some bits where he settles into a melody for 2/3 minutes at a time and it’s some of the best music out there
Brian Eno
4/5
this was weird but not too weird. also it was the good weird
Television
3/5
some cool ideas music wise. nothing special overall though
David Bowie
3/5
i feel like this was a weird album to be on the list. it’s not bad my any means and i liked the baritone sax usage but who sees a list of 1000 important albums and thinks that the 2013 Bowie album deserves a spot?
Jane's Addiction
4/5
liked it more than i expected to!
Dr. Octagon
3/5
fine, a good car listen
Björk
2/5
i assumed that i didn’t like Björk and this album unfortunately confirmed my theory
Talking Heads
4/5
banger after banger
Iron Maiden
4/5
really fucking good debut album
Don McLean
4/5
this is such a weird album. one of the best songs of all time, a bunch of slow acoustic songs, a song from the POV of an incel, a song about a guy literally in a war, Babylon??
Van Halen
4/5
great listen. i didn’t know eruption like wasn’t an actual song though
Laura Nyro
4/5
this was really good. the beat changes and her ability to nail the vocal switches over them were SO good
Kanye West
4/5
this entire album was just me not liking the songs at the beginning but then coming around at the end. not his best but still very good
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
this might have been the first 90s rap album on here that i liked more than just it being good! a couple really good songs and overall enjoyable album
B.B. King
4/5
extremely good! can hear the energy the whole time
The Blue Nile
4/5
super cool. some songs gave the same vibe as a slow Springsteen song
Eminem
4/5
as a piece of art this album is definitely a 5/5. but as music it’s like a 2. i just don’t like his voice and it’s hard to get around that. so i’m gonna give it a 4 but i will basically never listen to any of these songs again
Beatles
4/5
crazy how much better this is than Abbey Road
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
whenever i think Earth, Wind & Fire i think disco. and they are pretty great at disco but they’re more than that too as this album shows. very good
Sebadoh
2/5
a times a chore to get through. just not my thing. Think (Let Tomorrow Be) was pretty good
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
not bad. a little boring but that’s to be expected with these guys
Queen
4/5
i don’t love queen but they are always a good time
2/5
extremely tiresome. picked up halfway through with the addition of the full band but man 90 minutes of Bob Dylan is just not the vibe
Ice Cube
3/5
idk what it is about 90s rap that just doesn’t do it for me. maybe the beats? it was a good listen but just good nothing special. gangsta’s fairy tale 2 was very funny
The Rolling Stones
3/5
there are some flashes of greatness, the middle of CYHNK and the end of Moonlight Mile. when they got kinda psychedelic and out there. wish they leaned more into it
William Orbit
3/5
i mean it’s an hour long techno album it’s gonna get a little boring. the last 2 songs were my favorites though so definitely worth the listen!
The Temptations
4/5
one thing that i wasn’t expecting from this album was a 9 minute song but i’m so glad it was here. a couple standouts and no bad songs
Maxwell
4/5
vibes absolutely off the chart. production made everything sound so smooth it was crazy
Justice
2/5
there were some bright spots but they were few and far between. a lot of songs that i really had to force myself to listen through
X-Ray Spex
2/5
music was good but vocals were just annoying
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
fine. not really anything special overall. My Mind Spray was the one stand out song
The Police
4/5
for their most famous song being on this album it’s pretty weird
The Flaming Lips
5/5
easily one of the best albums i’ve listened to from this website. makes you feel like the main character in 2000s coming of age movie. bits of Sufjan Stevens, Gorillaz, Arcade Fire, and The Aquabats all coming together wonderfully
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
really just a group of guys jamming for 35 minutes. goes hard
The Zutons
3/5
with such a cool album title i was ready for some cool music. i did not get it. not bad by any means but very fine
Beach House
4/5
Beach House is great at creating these atmospheric songs. i feel like the album is best listened to on a dark, rainy day. it is neither dark nor rainy today but it was still a great listen
50 Cent
3/5
i basically have the same sentiments for all 90s/early 2000s rap albums i get on here. they’re fine. not bad by any means but really never anything special. rather just listen to TPAB again
Christina Aguilera
3/5
idk why but i thought christina aguilera was a pop artist. it was good but nothing really special. a little long
U2
4/5
the only thing i know about U2 is that their album was preloaded on the first iphone or something like that. this was pretty good though!
Beyoncé
3/5
Beyoncé is obviously one of the biggest artists right now, maybe ever. i never completely understood why she was SO big though and this didn’t really clear anything up. obviously not bad at all but it really wasn’t anything special. i think i might have even liked the remixes at the end better than the original songs
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
really fun album. great energy all the way through
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
music that i didn’t really love and lyrics in a language i don’t really understand. not my thing
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
better than i was expecting having only heard 505!!
Arcade Fire
4/5
i feel like i never love all the songs on Arcade Fire albums but i always really like the album as a whole
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
this is a CRAZY entry to this list. an 80 minute instrumental album where the main focus is bongos. it goes so hard though
Beastie Boys
4/5
i actually liked this album way more than Licensed to Ill. the instrumental tracks were a surprise but i enjoyed them more than i would have expected to
Otis Redding
3/5
pretty much what you expect it to be. enjoyable listen though!
Cream
4/5
i mean it’s a classic for a reason. multiple great songs
Culture Club
3/5
Karma Chameleon is an all time banger and the rest of the songs held up pretty well too
Prince
3/5
thought i was gonna like it more than i did unfortunately. a couple good songs though, purple rain as a song is kinda overrated IMO
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
if the entire album was like the last 4 minutes of Black Screen it would have been a way better album.
Baaba Maal
3/5
not bad as background music but i bet i will never listen to think about this album ever again
Massive Attack
4/5
lowkey really good gym album. there weren’t any big stand out songs but just really solid all the way through
Depeche Mode
3/5
not bad by any means but i think violator was definitely better
Circle Jerks
4/5
really and truly liked this album. it was just on the verge of being too punk/grunge but they really delve deeper into rock than their name/lyrics would imply
The Velvet Underground
4/5
pretty cool as expected. thought i was gonna like it a little bit more but still very good
The Kinks
4/5
good overall and a couple stand outs
Eminem
2/5
if Eminem’s voice wasn’t so goddamn annoying i think i’d actually be a big fan
Grateful Dead
5/5
probably the best GD studio album. an absolute classic
The Jam
3/5
pretty good. sometimes has a less harsh primus vibe
Neneh Cherry
4/5
really good vibes throughout tbh. some fresh prince theme-esque rapping but not really a bad thing.
Deee-Lite
4/5
pretty cool dance album overall and obviously Groove is in the Heart is an all time banger
Weather Report
4/5
exceptional. probably as close as an album can get to 5 stars without reaching it
Radiohead
3/5
some iconic songs but radiohead is simply never the vibe.
Miles Davis
4/5
a 36 minute long jazz album consisting of 2 18 minute songs is bound to be good but the second song was really cool in it’s own right
Mudhoney
3/5
not my type of music but there were some pretty good songs. i liked the incorporation of the harmonica added a cool layer
The Isley Brothers
4/5
funky as hell. also gave us an absolute banger of a kendrick song so pretty good album overall
Pixies
3/5
some good songs and some truly awful songs. 3 stars
Steely Dan
4/5
really fucking good. i figured i’d like steely dan but i’d never got around to listening until now
Ananda Shankar
4/5
some pretty cool things in here!
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
wow who could’ve guessed: a bland 90s rap album! it was fine like most of the others but it was so long that i’m knocking it down a star
The Sugarcubes
3/5
better than i was expecting. i generally liked her voice
The Stooges
3/5
nothing to write home about but nothing outwardly terrible. more bands should throw in a 10+ minute song into a 35 minute album
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
these guys always bring the vibes
Nick Drake
3/5
big chill and rainy day vibes. kind of like the non-jazz side of john martyn. most songs were 4 stars but a couple were lesser so entire album gets 3
Slade
2/5
eh. not awful but will never revisit
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
idk fine. nothing stand out
Common
4/5
no stand out tracks (besides maybe Chi-City) but an outstanding full album. great instrumentals + super consistent Common + kanye in one of his peaks just made an amazing piece of art
Mj Cole
3/5
to be honest, pretty cool and interesting dance album
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
some boring, almost bad songs. but some interesting ideas too
DJ Shadow
4/5
really good. rainy day vibes a lot of the time but great songs through and through.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
obviously not bad songs but i just don’t think i love stevie wonder. i did like Blame it on the Sun though
Happy Mondays
3/5
interesting album, hard to describe but pretty consistent
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
unfortunately the first song on this album is so good that the rest almost pales in comparison. if you take out that first one though still a solid album. easy 4
Radiohead
3/5
i obviously just don’t like radiohead but i just don’t get it.
Elastica
3/5
this is really a tough album to rate because it’s mostly a 2 but there are some glimpses of 3 and even 4 in there. some blondie vibes every now and then get it to the 3 i think
Happy Mondays
3/5
pretty bland to be honest. never outwardly bad though
Beck
3/5
not great but it was cool every once in a while so a low three makes sense
Suede
4/5
truly incredible album. at the first track i thought it was just gonna be another average british kinda alt rock album but it was so much more. very cinematic at times in the best ways.
Radiohead
2/5
some more interesting instrumentals on this one but radiohead loves to put just awful songs on their albums
Paul Simon
3/5
paul simon albums are better than simon and garfunkel because he just sings about fucking whatever here. also more energy
The Who
4/5
the My Generation alone makes this album great. everything else just adds to it
TV On The Radio
4/5
i knew that i had heard the name TV On The Radio before but i couldn’t place where. turns out, as i found listening to this album, that this band is the original artist for Golden Age, one of the best covers Phish does. outside of that still a really cool album too. kinda a mix of arcade fire, flaming lips, and gorillaz
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
pretty damn close to a 5. objectively might be, just didn’t have that indescribable factor for me
Animal Collective
3/5
i was excited when i pulled this album up because i recognized the cover and knew it was supposed to be good. i was let down, it was fine but really nothing special at all
Sepultura
2/5
just not my type of music
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
it was fine but wholly uninteresting besides some out-there lyrics
Meat Loaf
4/5
i feel like Meat Loaf is kind of thought of as a joke-y artist but this was really good. big and cinematic and crazy. a lot of christmas vibes for some reason and some springsteen vibes
Faust
4/5
first half was fine but the second half was actually really cool. kind of zappa-esque at times
Red Snapper
4/5
lowkey a great album to do homework to
Kraftwerk
2/5
i can like and appreciate some techno but this just did not do anything for me
Judas Priest
3/5
not my favorite genre but generally enjoyable all the way through
Christine and the Queens
3/5
generally solid electronic pop album
The War On Drugs
5/5
i was on the verge of 4 and 5 for a while but the last song cemented the 5 star rating. great album for running and exploring in the woods. singer kinda has a bob dylan thing going on but it worked
Michael Jackson
5/5
i mean it’s thriller. genius through and through
Solange
3/5
pretty good, no standouts but super consistent throughout
Björk
2/5
i mean it’s interesting but it just doesn’t sound good
Neil Young
2/5
musically fine but my god was it boring.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
great vibes
Prince
3/5
unfortunately when it comes down to it i just don’t think i like prince very much. wish it leaned into his guitar abilities more. not ever bad though
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
damon albarn has a very distinct voice so obviously this was gonna sound a little gorillaz-y at points. i love gorillaz though so it’s great! very nice fall listen
3/5
better than Abbey Road not as good as Rubber Soul. at least it was generally interesting and A Day In The Life is a great song
Goldfrapp
4/5
scary, sad, horror movie vibes but that was lowkey exactly what i was looking for so it worked out
Beck
3/5
cool and cinematic at times but pretty bland at other times
R.E.M.
3/5
i think i liked Murmur better overall but this was a generally good album
3/5
blondie vibes, nothing jumped out but enjoyable throughout!
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
some interesting bits here and there but on the whole just didn’t enjoy most of this
Moby Grape
4/5
enjoyed this way more than i thought i was going to. most songs weren’t able to be listened to on spotify so i had to listen on youtube and that’s never a great start. cool monkees-esque vibes throughout though.
David Bowie
4/5
a little bit weird and a lot bit good. maybe bowie at his peak here
The Who
3/5
if i was rating this as a piece of art it would be a 5/5. unfortunately i’m rating it as music so we only got 3/5. i know the who can be much better musically so the artistic weirdness unfortunately can’t overcome the lack of musicality
Kings of Leon
3/5
kind of coldplay vibes. nothing bad and sometimes good but nothing super special
Rush
5/5
obviously 2112 the song is a masterpiece and i remembered really liking Passage to Bangkok and The Twilight Zone but i was curious how the rest of the album was going to hold up. it held up amazingly. some great ballads and classic rock to end the album
Meat Puppets
3/5
some cool instrumentals but those were the best parts. never glaringly bad though so probably a low 3
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
a super cool, lowkey techno album that was great to do homework to
Joan Baez
1/5
very big Blue by Joni Mitchell vibes. i hate that album
The Band
3/5
i thought i was going to like it a little bit more than i did. i’ve heard about The Band in conversation with other musical interests of mine for a while but this wasn’t anything spectacular
Cypress Hill
4/5
super enjoyable! kind of beastie boys vibes at times which makes sense
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
super enjoyable listen throughout. some monkees vibes at times. loved the sudden vibe switch with Wooden Ships (probably the best song on the album)
Songhoy Blues
3/5
solid, quick album. i’ll probably never revisit but it’s albums like this that i’m so glad i’m doing this project. i NEVER would have heard this
Screaming Trees
4/5
i judged this book by it’s cover and thought it was gonna be another bad grunge/punk album. thankfully it wasn’t! it was a super solid rock album through and through
Spiritualized
4/5
it got dull for the last ≈ 20 minutes but still a solid album. no songs that i “liked” on spotify but i would say that i liked the album on the whole. a low 4
Sepultura
3/5
based on the album cover and first minute of the album i thought i was gonna HATE it. i didn’t enjoy most of it but the music was more prominent than the screaming and the last song was a 12 minute long percussion jam so it gets points there
Leonard Cohen
3/5
weird! started bad weird but once you got used to it it becomes good weird
Kanye West
4/5
i mean it’s not on the level of MBDTF but old Kanye was a force to be reckoned with
Devendra Banhart
3/5
eh. nothing great nothing bad. just dull, will never think about it again
Stan Getz
4/5
vibes off the chart. kinda a crazy album to listen to in the gym but it hit
Nico
2/5
it could have been way worse. i liked the more experimental route it took now and then. still can’t say i enjoyed much of it, just tolerated is. a high 2
Stevie Wonder
3/5
i said this last time but i just don’t really like Stevie Wonder. nothing bad at all just doesn’t hit me for whatever reason
Sam Cooke
4/5
vibes through the ROOF
Pink Floyd
5/5
its reputation speaks for itself
Britney Spears
4/5
i didn’t expect to dislike this album but i didn’t expect to like it as much as i did. a couple really good songs and very solid throughout. probably a low 4
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
short and sweet. nothing mind blowing but nothing bad. American Girl easy stand out. high 3
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
not a big blues guy but You Don’t Love Me, Elizabeth Reed, and Whipping Post easily make this a 4 star album
The Rolling Stones
3/5
fine, pretty bland in my opinion. nothing bad
Paul Weller
4/5
didn’t love it at first, was a fine album for homework but nothing special. the last 4 songs (really the 3 before the last one) were exceptional and easily make this a 4 star album. will revisit
Bob Dylan
3/5
the way that i listen to music doesn’t lend itself well to Dylan. his mastery comes in the lyrics and i just don’t really listen to lyrics in music. he has a catchy song every once in a while though
Yes
4/5
it’s no Close to the Edge but it’s still Yes at some of their best
Kelela
3/5
super cool, chill kind of pop album. worked great for background music during homework but no songs stood out to me
The Flaming Lips
2/5
nowhere near as good as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. this really wasn’t that good at all.
Pink Floyd
5/5
this was the 3rd of the 4 big Pink Floyd albums that i got from this site (including animals). it makes sense why some people consider them the best band of all time.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
id be comfortable saying this was my favorite Stevie Wonder album so far. a couple good songs and only a couple not great ones. super high 3
The Kinks
4/5
pretty incredible tbh. funny and catchy and silly and weird and everything you want The Kinks to be
Dr. John
4/5
really cool. never would have heard or listened if not for this site!
Jimmy Smith
4/5
just some classic, great jazz. simple as that
Pulp
4/5
i wasn’t even a thought in the 80s but i feel like this was super 80s. not take on me, cindy lauper, synth 80s though, a “cooler” 80s music. and yet this album came out in 1995 so who really knows. it was good though! not groundbreaking but interesting songs with some cool stories
The Soft Boys
4/5
super solid album. a couple really good songs and cool guitar lines throughout.
The Stooges
2/5
just super bland. it’s only a 36 minute album but i found myself just waiting for it to end. the rock songs were better than the blues but can’t say i loved any of it
David Bowie
4/5
crazy how this is like half normal good Bowie stuff and half super cool weird ambient music
Brian Eno
3/5
i mean it’s called Ambient 1 so you know what you’re in for. and it’s cool for a little while and then about 25 minutes in it becomes boring. nothing much you can do i don’t think
Sheryl Crow
3/5
the vibes were definitely there, they just aren’t the vibes for a cold december night. i’d enjoy the fuck out of this album at the beach in the summer though
Joy Division
3/5
i thought this was going to be something special. and i kept waiting for it to become that. and it never did. not bad by any means but i thought this was a classic and i didn’t get that sense while listening.
Radiohead
3/5
definitely not as bad i was anticipating. much more interesting instrumentals than normal. i think a big reason why i don’t like radiohead is the whiny singing and a heavily instrumental album fixes that! still nothing crazy special though
Super Furry Animals
5/5
had absolutely 0 expectations going into this album. had never heard of Super Furry Animals but it was a great listen. no bad songs and a lot of really good ones. the vibes were all over the place but in a good and purposeful way
Santana
4/5
i’ve known about Santana for a while, being on the outskirts of the jam band scene, but this is the first time i’ve sat down and actually listened to them. very cool
Ryan Adams
3/5
it was pretty good overall, the full band songs much better than the simpler stuff. just got boring about 30 minutes in and then had to kind of slog through the last 20 minutes
Richard Hawley
4/5
pretty good all the way through. the second to last song i didn’t like at all but that was the only one. good vibes and i love when an album is just a bunch of songs each telling its own story. i hope to make an album like that one day
Talking Heads
4/5
The Talking Heads love making generally fine albums with a couple absolute bangers on them forcing me to give it 4 stars every time
N.W.A.
4/5
definitely stands out against the other older rap albums on this list. never bad
The Fall
3/5
pretty fine overall, the alien techno song was definitely the best
U2
4/5
no songs stood out for me but it was a very good listen overall
Metallica
4/5
way cooler than i thought it would be
Lauryn Hill
4/5
it’s very good but i was a little disappointed because i expected it to be near perfect with its reputation. that’s my fault though and it’s still a great album
The Divine Comedy
4/5
crazy song to start the album with. after the first 2 i thought it was going to be a 5 star but the rest weren’t as good. except for the last one. still super good though
Paul McCartney
3/5
some cool stuff here and there but overall very okay. low 3
AC/DC
3/5
i liked Back in Black a lot so i was excited going into this but it just didn’t hit the same. not bad at all just nothing stood out. obviously Highway to Hell (the song) is a classic but i’ve never loved it either
Super Furry Animals
3/5
big and cinematic, generally cool
Supergrass
4/5
way cooler than i thought it would be. super catchy at times
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
it’s a good thing Reznor and Ross got into movie scoring because this shit SUCKED. 2 stars because at least it was cool at times
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
cool as fuck
Jane's Addiction
3/5
it’s obviously not musically empty but it felt a little bland at times. generally enjoyed my time with it. the stand out was Three Days
The Icarus Line
3/5
this was probably the smallest band on this list, less than 1500 monthly listeners, so an odd choice seemingly. they were fine, just not my favorite genre overall
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
eh just not my thing. some cool ideas musically but didn’t like the singing. i know this is an important band and album and can respect that, just don’t like this type of music
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
very cool, maybe the best 90s rap album from this list so far. unfortunately a couple songs were unable to be listened to on spotify which sucks
John Coltrane
4/5
banger
Johnny Cash
4/5
the fact that this was recorded just a couple years before he died is crazy. super great album through and through. extremely high 4
The Smiths
4/5
really torn between 3 and 4. i’d probably never turn on the smiths but i also wouldn’t turn them off. i think a low 4 makes the most sense because it is a very solid album. i just don’t like his voice
Tim Buckley
3/5
a tough album to rate. it falls into the Bob Dylan pit trap. super cool when it’s the full band but pretty boring when it’s just him and guitar. 4 if it was full electric the whole time
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
way cooler than i originally thought it would be. probably a high 3 but definitely flirting with 4
Hawkwind
5/5
now this is what i’m talking about. right up my alley. jammy and cool and weird. like king gizzard mixed with yes and king crimson. so good
Green Day
4/5
way better than i thought it was going to be!! i obviously recognized some of the big ones from this album but never sat down and listened to Green Day. definitely pleasantly surprised - junk enough pop in their grunge to be listenable
The B-52's
3/5
rock lobster is 7 minutes long???? idk sounded like a B-52s album
James Brown
4/5
banging all the way through
SZA
4/5
i mean it’s huge for a reason. no bad songs - just not the type of stuff i listen to normally.
Garbage
3/5
Garbage by Garbage. didn’t have high expectations, thought it was gonna be grunge or super heavy punk. but it was more in the vain of lighter riot grlll and was actually really good. not sure if it was a low 4 or a high 3 - think i’ll go 3 for safety
The Who
4/5
starting us off with an all time banger in Baba O’Reilly and then really good all the way through
Motörhead
3/5
good just not really the stuff i listen to
White Denim
5/5
incredible all the way through. hints of king gizzard, fun., the monkees - but still pretty distinct. never heard of them before this but already listening to another album of theirs
4/5
these guys always hit. loved the use of horns throughout this one
Merle Haggard
4/5
a mix of beautiful and fun
Dolly Parton
3/5
i had no idea this album existed. i didn’t love it but i didn’t expect to - just not the type of music i listen to. the fact that it’s even a thing gets it 3 stars though and you can’t deny the harmonies
Stan Getz
3/5
i really liked the first Getz album on this list so i was excited for this one but i was a little disappointed. not bad but certainly not as good - low 3
The Libertines
3/5
cool! generally good and a nice album for my run
Black Flag
2/5
i’m sure it’s good i just don’t like this type of music
Traffic
4/5
i was expecting a more classic 60s type album but this was way better. kind of like if King Crimson decided to be radio friendly for an album
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
some standout songs but generally just good
Funkadelic
4/5
fucking so good. unfortunately had to listen on youtube which had ads throughout and kinda messed up the listen. only not a 5 because of the live track at the end that weren’t up to the rest of the album’s standards
JAY Z
4/5
super good throughout. jay-z and kanye really helped rap after the 90s which i haven’t enjoyed during this listening project
Suede
2/5
like fine but pretty dull tbh
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
sitting through the whole album and then hearing the start of freebird and levitating
Fairport Convention
3/5
this is a hard album to rate because some songs were really cool. some songs had some cool parts and some bad parts. and some songs were bad. low 3 i guess
Shack
4/5
pleasantly surprised
Buck Owens
3/5
it was a enjoyable but not sure if i agree that it should be on this list
Nick Drake
4/5
couldn’t have asked for a better snow day album
Guns N' Roses
5/5
i was gonna give this a 4 but i really can’t think of any reason it shouldn’t be a 5. Guns N’ Roses at their peak absolutely firing on all cylinders. Sweet Child O Mine all time banger
The Cure
4/5
pretty solid but a lot of it sounded the same. it was good though so not bothersome. didn’t love the vocals but did love a lot of the instrumentals
Lana Del Rey
2/5
i have friends that love Lana Del Ray but i never listened because i thought i wouldn’t love it. this was even worse than i was expecting - so boring. im hoping her other albums are on this list and are better
2/5
didn’t really enjoy any of this but it was cool enough that it deserves 2 stars
John Prine
4/5
i had never heard of John Prine 2 weeks ago. then last week i was talking with my stats professor and Prine is one of his favorite artists so i listened to this exact album. and now i just listened to it again a week later. and it’s good! not amazing but never bad
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
been meaning to get into these guys for a long time now and they definitely came through. looking forward to listening more
Dire Straits
4/5
super solid and a couple really good songs
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
hit the spot for the long night drive back to school from Cambridge. no songs stood out and i’ll probably never revisit it but it was absolutely what i needed tonight
ABBA
4/5
first half of this album is an easy 5 stars but it loses steam a little bit after Money, Money, Money. still a very good album though! i’ve been an abba fan for years but never sat down and listened to this all the way through. very silly how Happy Hawaii is basically just Why Did It Have To Be Me with different words
2/5
not bad musically i just don’t like this type of music. obviously cool that they were playing this shit in 1968 though
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
eh fine. not on spotify so youtube kept interrupting songs with ads
Goldfrapp
3/5
pretty basic at times but also pretty cool at times. very 3 star album
The Jam
3/5
fine but really nothing special
Eric Clapton
4/5
enjoyable as expected
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
more Yes vibes than the last ELP album on here but still super good. definitely an album where you listen to the whole thing rather than single songs though
Steve Earle
4/5
this album is begging to be played outside on a warm summer day. i couldn’t do that today but hopefully i will soon
The Prodigy
2/5
some good stuff but generally didn’t like it. not the kind of techno i like
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
really enjoyable listen! i thought she was more straight country but definitely more pop influenced country. and then that disco song out of nowhere which hit
George Michael
4/5
a generally good listen, torn between high 3 and low 4. freedom definitely the standout but other good stuff too so i lean more towards 4
Simple Minds
3/5
i only knew Simple Minds from Don’t You but that’s a great song so i was hopeful for this album. really nothing special though unfortunately, kind of a watered down Tears for Fears
Klaxons
4/5
very cool overall!! kind of arcade fire-esque
Bill Callahan
5/5
definitely not your average gym album but it was a good enough album it didn’t even matter. very beautiful throughout. achieves exactly what it sets out to do
Orange Juice
3/5
fine! very new wave
Spiritualized
3/5
pretty cool throughout. maybe a low 4 but it felt long in the middle so high 3
KISS
3/5
slightly underwhelming after the first couple songs but still fun
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
most definitely the weirdest album i’ve listened to from this list but i loved most of it! not a single song that i’ll listen to again but really enjoyed the listen overall. every song sounded like an inside joke for the band
Peter Gabriel
3/5
not even close to as good as So but not really bad
Ghostface Killah
3/5
good running album but nothing stand out
Aphex Twin
3/5
not bad at all but really idk how ambient this was????? i was expecting some brian eno shit
Jungle Brothers
4/5
i feel bad whenever i get older rap albums on here because i generally feel the same way about them. not ever bad but never anything special. this one was really close to that but some cool instrumentals in the second half brought it higher for me
Adam & The Ants
2/5
this was gonna be a 3 star but the last couple songs just pissed me off so i’m giving it a 2. just music id never WANT to listen to
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
like i’m sure it’s good but this simply isn’t made for me. actually really liked Tides
The Everly Brothers
3/5
they set out to make a simple, catchy record and that’s exactly what they did. also cathy’s clown lowkey slaps
The Temptations
4/5
hadn’t heard this side of the temptations before. nothing super special but Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone elevates the album to a 4
Missy Elliott
3/5
same as most other 90s / 2000s rap albums. just fine
Slipknot
2/5
it’s fine when they aren’t screaming but that makes up a small amount of the album unfortunately
Germs
2/5
just don’t like this kind of music
R.E.M.
4/5
REM is always good, just never great
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
hard to say whether this is funky pop or poppy funk. either way wish it was better. definitely some michael jackson influences it’s just pretty boring overall
Suzanne Vega
4/5
some great vibes throughout
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
these guys are always a fun listen
Nick Drake
4/5
quick and easy listening. always a good vibe
Grateful Dead
5/5
is this the best album on this list? no
is this the best grateful dead album? not even close
still 5 stars though
Emmylou Harris
4/5
wish it had a couple more upbeat songs but a really good album nonetheless
Cocteau Twins
4/5
no songs really stood out but just a really good vibe and solid album throughout
Genesis
4/5
some high highs. some eh lows. not their best album but pretty good overall
Roxy Music
4/5
actually had a really good time with this one. first half is definitely better than the second. kind of a mix between talking heads and sparks
The National
4/5
The National do a cool version of Terrapin and collaborated with taylor swift but that’s all i knew from them. this was a super cool album though. no standout songs that i loved but really good time throughout. will definitely listen to more
John Lennon
3/5
some fine stuff but some not great stuff too. don’t know if it’d be on this list if it wasn’t Lennon
Venom
3/5
generally not my favorite genre but this was a fine listen
Madonna
3/5
nowhere near as good as Like a Prayer. don’t love the more “modern” vibe she went for here. not bad though just not good
The Beach Boys
3/5
pretty standard beach boys. middle of the road
Turbonegro
3/5
just on the line of a little bit too heavy metal for me but a generally good listen
Björk
3/5
my favorite of the bjork albums i’ve had to listen to! unfortunately that’s not a super high bar
The Beta Band
3/5
i was skeptical at first with the album cover but this was actually pretty good. kind of flaming lips - esque at times with less electronic elements
Isaac Hayes
5/5
soul at its best. really no point in giving this less than a 5
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
it was good for the first 15 minutes but then every song sounding exactly the same was near unbearable
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
pretty good. took me a little while to get into it but nothing bad
Deerhunter
3/5
pretty cool. kinda elliot smithy and arcade fire-y at times
Linkin Park
2/5
this shit SUCKS
The Only Ones
3/5
i was skeptical at first but enjoyed it more and more as time went on. high 3
The Auteurs
3/5
idk it was fine
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
fast and loud. super fun. my first grade teacher did the call and response “goodness gracious” and we’d say “great balls of fire” fun to hear where that came from
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
just not really my thing. maybe deserves a low 3 but i’m sticking with a high 2
Elvis Presley
3/5
relatively bland. like it’s fine but i expected more from “the king”
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
didn’t think i was gonna like it at all after the first song but it grew on me
PJ Harvey
3/5
pretty cool. not totally my thing but not a bad listen
The Hives
2/5
eh
Caetano Veloso
3/5
some cool stuff in there but mostly just fine
CHVRCHES
4/5
had kinda low expectations for some reason but this was actually super good. kind of like if KNOWER went more synth pop instead of jazz.
Prince
4/5
pretty damn good
Randy Newman
4/5
some genuinely beautiful stuff in here
Ice Cube
3/5
it was good and i’m sure it was amazing when it came out but i just don’t love the 90s style of rap
Roxy Music
3/5
these guys are always pretty cool
Kid Rock
2/5
this this sucks
i thought kid rock was a Billy Ray Cyrus type so i was looking forward to some corny but catchy country
Leonard Cohen
4/5
this guy is always nothing but hauntingly beautiful
Tom Waits
3/5
i was dreading listening to another Tom Waits album. but i shouldn’t have been this time!! this one was very Robots sounding in a way i’m guessing his other one i listened to wasn’t? i don’t remember why i gave it a one but this is apparently a big improvement
Queen
4/5
it’s the Queen album with Bohemian Rhapsody on it. that alone gives it a couple stars but it’s also a pretty solid album through and through
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
some great vibes for last saturday morning of sophomore year
Elton John
4/5
the titular song is definitely the standout and one of the best songs out there. every else holds up pretty well too
MGMT
3/5
i understand the appeal, it’s just not totally my thing
Pretenders
3/5
was very forgettable at the beginning but got more enjoyable over time
Paul Simon
3/5
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard goes hard but the rest are fine or kinda boring
Mylo
4/5
i’m not a huge techno guy but this was pretty cool. loved that last song
CHIC
5/5
a ROCK SOLID classic disco album. couldn’t ask for anything more
Fats Domino
3/5
idk it was fine
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
i like how they knew they had a hit with Layla so they decided to really push it with the album title
The Clash
3/5
never bad but nothing stood out at all
Steely Dan
3/5
to be honest i was disappointed. i liked Aja a good bit but this album felt lackluster
Kraftwerk
2/5
it sounds like it was super revolutionary in 1972 but it’s kind of a slog to listen to today
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
it’s 2 hours of absolute LEGENDS playing together. impossible to not give this a 5
Justin Timberlake
2/5
not offensively bad but i feel like it could have been way better?
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
some cool stuff some super boring stuff
Anita Baker
4/5
goes hard tbh, too bad it’s not streaming anywhere
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
these guys are always a good listen. i know teach your children from somewhere but i can’t place where and it will bother me for the next couple days
Calexico
4/5
was skeptical when i started this album but it ended up pretty cool! jazzier than i was expecting which was nice
Baaba Maal
4/5
pretty cool
ZZ Top
4/5
i feel like ZZ Top is one of those bands that cool people like, thankfully this album hit
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
funky as hell, love it when an album really sounds like it should be on this list
The Coral
3/5
teetering on 3 and 4 but i think i’ll leave it with a high 3. grew on me as the album went on
3/5
some cool stuff, some pretty eh stuff. classic 3 star album right here
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
the music is pretty cool throughout. unfortunately, the lead singer uses this awful, distracting vibrato the entire time and makes it virtually unlistenable. the only songs not BAD are the one fast one that doesn’t give the opportunity to vibrato and the one that is sung by a different person
Aimee Mann
4/5
i had only known Aimee Mann from Rush before this but this was a great album!!
Jane Weaver
4/5
really cool, loses a little bit of steam in the second half
Todd Rundgren
4/5
like a mixture of the beatles, elton john, and frank zappa. if i rated it purely as a piece of art i’d probably give it a 5. unfortunately this is still a music review and the music didn’t ALWAYS hit so i’ll have to go with a high 4
Ute Lemper
4/5
one of those haunting and cinematic albums. kind of like if leonard cohen was a woman. pretty cool though
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
i mean it’s fine but i don’t know why it’s on this list
The Pharcyde
3/5
fun but instantly forgettable. albums need to bring back skits though
Billy Bragg
3/5
kind of a weird album, simultaneously all over the place and sticking to the same vibe. didn’t love it didn’t hate it
Dion
3/5
it never really occurred to me that the doo wop guys would continue making music and evolving. this was nothing special but it was kinda cool
Sonic Youth
2/5
tbh wasn’t in the best headspace while listening but i don’t think it was great either way
Leonard Cohen
4/5
this album was a different vibe from the other Cohen stuff i’ve listened to. it was still good though, he seems to be super consistent. you can just get lost in the music
ABBA
4/5
abba always hits. they’re a weird band though because they have some MASSIVE MASSIVE hits and they go hard. but the rest of their discography is kind of weird. whether it be really electronic or have a full marching orchestra break. not always great weird too but sometimes
The Incredible String Band
2/5
there was some cool stuff but generally i didn’t love this. it gave me some Selling England by the Pound vibes but never as good
Tom Waits
3/5
Tom Waits is another one of those artists that i feel cool people like. unfortunately this time i don’t really love him, just can’t get over the voice. this album wasn’t bad though, had that cool instrumental and Underground from Robots!!!
New Order
3/5
second half of the album was 4 stars but first half was 3 so i’ll stick with 3. liked when they leaned into the electronic stuff more
Lorde
5/5
this is a really tough album to rate, which probably means it’s a 5. i didn’t love every song but there was only one song that i didn’t really like (Writer in the Dark). i think as an album and cohesive work it’s easily one of the best pop(?) albums of all time. especially with green light on there - all time banger
Orbital
3/5
this was a 75 minute long techno album so it wasn’t really meant to be listened to alone with earbuds in. it was cool at times though which made it less tiring than it could have been
Everything But The Girl
2/5
never bad but pretty dull throughout. if it was 40 minutes i’d give it a 3 but the extra 10 minutes just drags it out too far
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
honestly i loved this album. kind of a wierd mix between bob dylan, leonard bernstein, over the garden wall, and herbert huncke. but it works well, that last song easily the best
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
apple music putting this as the only kendrick album in the top 100 list is CRAZY!!! it’s good because it’s kendrick but it’s not even in the same realm as TPAB. this might be my least favorite album of his tbh, speaks to his greatness though
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
pretty damn good throughout. wish the long one was cooler but still good
Sigur Rós
4/5
this album really shines when it’s just the music - would maybe have been a 5 if it was just a long cinematic, orchestral album. still really good though
Guided By Voices
2/5
just not the kind of music i like
4/5
pretty cool throughout. sometimes a little boring so it’s a low 4. standout was definitely City, Country, City
Donovan
4/5
i’m a sucker for this stuff sometimes tbh
Kate Bush
3/5
it was pretty good throughout but i was really expecting a little bit more unfortunately
Pink Floyd
3/5
more beatles and king crimson than the pink floyd you think of but cool to hear their start
Marilyn Manson
2/5
Marilyn Manson sucks and so does this album
Girls Against Boys
2/5
on the second song i was like “oh this just isn’t the kind of music i like” and then the album played for another 40 minutes. kinda nirvana vibes
The Mars Volta
4/5
actually really cool! kind of prog with more of a punk lean rather than rock
k.d. lang
3/5
good vibes throughout - high 3 since i don’t really have any urge to relisten to any of it
M.I.A.
2/5
this sounds like it was maybe some groundbreaking stuff when it first came out but now it just sounds like shit
3/5
not bad but i thought i’d like it a little more
3/5
some cool stuff but way too radiohead-y a lot of the time
Billie Holiday
4/5
undeniably beautiful, like a classic hollywood movie
The Shamen
4/5
cool!
The Style Council
3/5
weird album! all over the place musically
Kate Bush
4/5
max mayfield knows her SHIT
Sister Sledge
4/5
nice solid disco album
Coldcut
2/5
it was cool for 20 minutes. then it played for another 30. would definitely be a good record for some background music at a function
Nanci Griffith
4/5
great vibes. kinda made me think of the album equivalent of little women
The Stranglers
4/5
pretty cool, got slightly zappa-y at times
Giant Sand
2/5
SO BORING. never bad or anything but my god not sure it could’ve been more dull
R.E.M.
4/5
these guys are always a good listen
Tangerine Dream
4/5
music tech II definitely lets me appreciate this album more than i would have but it’s amazing. absolute behemoth of a first song and never bad all the way through
The Electric Prunes
3/5
nothing special but it was a fine listen. quick and easy
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
solid electronica record with a couple parts that veered towards greatness but i felt never really got there
Kings of Leon
4/5
kind of a tough album to rate because his voice kinda sucks but it also really works with most of the songs so we’ll go 4. good album but no songs stood out
Mike Oldfield
3/5
i feel like this has all the capabilities to be super good it but it just doesn’t put the parts together correctly. some parts were really cool but others were really bad
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
i struggle to give this album a 1 because there were bits and pieces that i enjoyed or were cool. unfortunately it was about 3 minutes of that in a 70 minute album. the rest was just uninspired, boring slop. such a shame that the album title is the best thing about this
fIREHOSE
4/5
just a quick, fun listen
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
fine! enjoyable enough just not the type of stuff i listen to
Arcade Fire
4/5
first listened to this song because it was my tattoo artist’s favorite album. and it’s a great album. doesn’t bridge the gap to amazing imo but still very good
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
bruce is always a good listen - this album was a little on the boring side though
The Pretty Things
4/5
pretty cool historically as (probably) the first rock opera. musically it’s nothing super special except for Baron Saturday which gets it over the hump to 4
The Rolling Stones
3/5
enjoyable enough listen but nothing special and started to get old like 40 minutes in
Parliament
4/5
funky as hell - nothing much else to be said
Elvis Presley
4/5
a really good and surprisingly emotional album!! i feel like springsteen might have really liked this one growing up
Slayer
2/5
thankfully short, just can’t get into this kind of music
David Bowie
3/5
bowie’s always good but this was nothing special tbh
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
i feel like i said this about the last nick cave album but it’s very leonard cohen and over the garden wall and house of leaves. always pretty cool with 1 stand out song
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
actually really cool. like if dispatch was british and liked big theatrical compositions
Miles Davis
4/5
some great jazz played by some jazz greats
Butthole Surfers
3/5
i don’t really like punk that much but this was more artistically non-punk than some of the other albums from this list which made it more enjoyable
Joni Mitchell
4/5
i’m starting to change my mind on Joni Mitchell. my introduction with her was Blue and i maintain that i hate that album. she sings in falsetto the whole time and it’s slow and boring and terrible. but since then i have listened to Mingus and was pleasantly surprised and now i am listening to Court and Spark and it’s undeniably hitting. also Both Sides Now is a genuinely amazing song that i really liked even when i was anti-mitchell
Carole King
4/5
just a great batch of meticulously crafted songs. i wish all the songs got the full band and orchestrations because those were definitely my favorites
The Specials
2/5
a truly exhausting listen. Rudy is a good song and when they lean into the more ska vibes it’s fun but overall just a slog
Pentangle
4/5
kind of like if joni mitchell collaborated with early john martyn
Tom Waits
5/5
this album was billed as a 73 minute long Tom Waits album. while TECHNICALLY that’s what it is, it’s not a good descriptor of the actual album. it’s a beautiful mix of storytelling, comedy, and jazz over a couple nights in a controlled faux jazz club. and it captures that vibe perfectly. it’s funny and easy to listen to and just really great. it got a little tiring but i think that’s just because i didnt do it justice with my listening. it should be listened to over speakers in a dimly lit, kinda dingy room filled with people talking quietly underneath it. one of the easiest 5s i’ve given
Big Star
3/5
kinda gives early Bowie vibes but with a more folky base. enjoyable listen but nothing crazy good
Peter Tosh
4/5
i honestly wasn’t expecting to like this as much as i did! i don’t love reggae but there was just something a little extra musically that made it better to listen to. i didn’t like any songs on spotify but i would listen to this again
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
eh. honestly just bland and boring
The Sonics
3/5
enjoyable enough but the recording sounds surprisingly bad and all the songs are expectantly similar
Megadeth
4/5
i actually liked this more than i thought i would. close between 3 and 4 but i think ill go with a low 4. definitely shined when it was just music but was more technically crazy than i was expecting. and all the instruments SOUND great - not too heavy at all which is what i was expecting
Stereolab
4/5
cool and weird. very colorful music
Ravi Shankar
3/5
lowkey crazy move to explain what’s going on in each song to the idiots listening but it was a cool touch!! im not sure i got what Shankur hoped i’d get out of it but not a bad listen, just not gonna get me hooked on indian music
Primal Scream
4/5
a genuinely cool and interesting album mixing electronic and acoustic elements
Stephen Stills
3/5
bigger arrangements than i was expecting with that album art but not bad, just not great either
Scissor Sisters
4/5
i’ve been a scissor sisters fan for a long time but never got around to listening to any albums all the way through. some just okay songs but also some great ones (take your mama, return to oz). plus one of the coolest/weirdest pink floyd covers of all time
Coldplay
3/5
i was really excited for this album because i hadn’t listened to it before. i know it’s thought of as a super great album of the 2000s and was hoping to agree but i just don’t. like it’s fine but literally nothing standout
Fairport Convention
4/5
honestly super cool!! like if genesis made an album in the 60s with joni mitchell as a vocalist
The Rolling Stones
4/5
a classic
The Saints
4/5
i generally don’t love punk but this just came at a good time (otw to mondegreen) at they had an aquabats vibe a little bit
Dead Kennedys
3/5
sounded like the punk band in Everybody Wants Some! which i suppose makes sense
Stephen Stills
4/5
great vibe for post-mondegreen
Suicide
1/5
at first i was gonna give this a 3 because it was just whatever. then it dropped down to a 2 because it wasn’t great. and then girl and frankie teardrop played and it was unsalvageable. just absolute shit from a butt
The Rolling Stones
3/5
sounds like what you’d expect the rolling stones debut to sound like. makes sense that it’s on this list but i doubt i’ll ever listen to any of it again
Big Star
4/5
honestly really cool - almost moulin rouge-y at times
Doves
3/5
not great but not bad. like a slightly more interesting coldplay at times
The Offspring
3/5
pretty good listen, more ska than punk which makes it more fun
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
i NEVER would have found or listened to this album without this site which is what it’s all about. a pretty good listen too, never tiring and some genuinely fun music
The Triffids
4/5
kind of tears for fears-y with hints of elvis in there. overall a very nice listen
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
i’m not a big reggae guy at all but it’s so obvious how this is the best of the best
Tito Puente
2/5
i mean it was fine but it was just a bunch of non-offensive samba jazz music. if it did anything interesting melodically i’d be inclined to rate it higher but almost every song sounded the same so it gets 2 stars
Buzzcocks
3/5
just that standard, british, light punk-esque music. fine
The Damned
2/5
kinda shit. another britishy punk-esque band but this one was harder to get through
Funkadelic
3/5
honestly a little disappointed overall. aside from Wars Of Armageddon it fell a little flat for me with less substance than some of the other stuff i heard from them. i feel bad giving it a 3 but i don’t think it cracks 4 with only having one song with relisten ability
American Music Club
4/5
this band has 11 thousand monthly listeners on spotify. this album isn’t even on spotify - had to listen on youtube. and it ended up being REALLY GOOD and it’s a shame i’ll probably never go back to it since it isn’t streaming anywhere. maybe i’ll check out their other stuff
Method Man
4/5
honestly really enjoyed this! didn’t fall into the traps of a lot of 90s rap and was enjoyable throughout. more chill overall
Joni Mitchell
2/5
the best part of this album was Jaco. 51 minutes is too much joni mitchell for a single sitting
Public Enemy
4/5
a good listen, nice walking around music
Bon Jovi
4/5
turns out i did NOT know who Bob Jovi was. the amount of hits on this one record is astounding for a band i didn’t attribute any of them too. for that alone 3 stars and it was also a good listen so up to 4
Van Morrison
4/5
if you played this album for me and then told me it was Van Morrison i wouldn’t believe you. brown eyed girl van morrison???? he’s cool?!?!? never woulda guessed
Morrissey
3/5
i think morrissey’s a pretty shit guy right?? idk he has that distinctive voice and it’s fine but it’s nothing special to me. very ‘background music’ album
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
love a good classic big band album
Amy Winehouse
4/5
everyone knows Valerie and Back to Black but i hadn’t heard any of these before. still a super solid album
Kate Bush
3/5
this (and lowkey most of) kate bush album was a lot of bad-to-okay songs with a couple good ones sprinkled in. obviously pushing the boundary of pop music in cool ways though
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
absolute garbage all the way through
The Human League
3/5
Don’t You Want Me is a classic but the rest of this is just ok. extremely 80s pop in sometimes not the best ways
Paul Simon
4/5
the album started REALLY good and i really should have listened to it earlier but the last couple songs really dampened the whole thing. would have been way better without all the features but i think his voice and the top 75% of the album are good enough to keep it at a low 4 stars
Röyksopp
4/5
really cool techno. this is the kind of stuff i like, hinting at experimental but always nice to listen to
Green Day
3/5
some catchy and genuinely good songs but they just have that late 90s/early 2000s sound that i just don’t love
Ozomatli
4/5
i usually can’t get into albums that aren’t in english but this was a great listen throughout. cool mix of songs and styles and was never bored with anything going on
Herbie Hancock
5/5
it should not have taken me this long to listen to this album. incredibly good, incredibly important - classic 5 star material
Taylor Swift
3/5
it’s a tragedy that evermore is on this list but folklore isn’t. this album is VERY okay. folklore is actually great and i think will age better than most of her other stuff. this album isn’t even bad but it’s in the bottom half of her discography and there’s a companion piece that is LEAGUES above this one so there’s no reason for it to be above 3 stars
Primal Scream
3/5
some of the chillest, most atmospheric instrumentals you’ve ever heard broken up by some of the blandest songs ever. maybe 5 stars if it was all instrumentals
Koffi Olomide
3/5
it was fine, it was just a lot of a style of music i’d never choose listen to
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
kind of sounds like pre-ska in a world without reggae
MC Solaar
4/5
honestly really cool. this is the type of stuff that i love finding from this project because i never would have heard it otherwise
Public Enemy
4/5
great time for a long ride
The xx
3/5
some cool stuff but really nothing special
Scott Walker
4/5
Sinatra meets Meatloaf? if that makes any sense. kind of the big sinatra-esque vocals but with super maximalist, cinematic instrumentals. maybe shouldn’t work but it does
Emmylou Harris
2/5
honestly pretty dull. it was a lot of the same thing and that wasn’t good enough to keep happening
Brian Eno
3/5
shines brightest in the second half when he leans into the ambient stuff - which makes sense being Brian Eno. i think a full album of that would be a 4 but i was indifferent for most of the first half so we’ll go high 3
Frank Sinatra
3/5
fine but boring. i would probably appreciate it more if i wasn’t sitting in a dorm room playing clash royale
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
a very cozy album. would hit on a warm, rainy night. feel iffy about giving it a 4 but it’s just a little too good for 3
Scritti Politti
2/5
kinda like prince but worse
The Associates
2/5
uninteresting british pop instrumentals and a bad singer.
James Taylor
3/5
some good writing and some cool songs. will probably never think about it again but not a bad listen
The Waterboys
2/5
unfortunately i don’t live in a farming video game and im not an english fisherman so this really didn’t do anything for me. probably the worst an album can be without being a 1 star
N.E.R.D
3/5
all over the place. the rap songs were very bad but the funk/soul stuff was pretty good. sounded childish gambino ish at times
Gram Parsons
4/5
pretty cool. i had listened to The Silver Tongued Devil and I right before this and they worked well together
PJ Harvey
2/5
it seems like the type of album that would get carried by great vocals. unfortunately the vocals were okay at best and it didn’t work
Charles Mingus
4/5
some of these old jazz albums are better than others but none of them are ever not good
Billy Bragg
2/5
kinda shit
808 State
3/5
definitely some cool stuff sprinkled in but overall nothing crazy
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
not bad but wouldn’t call it good. too many bland albums like this on this list tbh
Wilco
4/5
i didn’t love the last Wilco album on this list but i really liked this one!! i think it shined brightest with the calmer,
downtempo songs but there was more of those so the whole album worked really well
i wasn’t looking forward to this listen because U2 just seems like a band that exists. just kinda there. and this listen didn’t disprove that but i did make me realize i’d probably never turn OFF U2. i just probably wouldn’t ever turn them on. honestly a tough rate but i never was really bored so we’ll go with a low 4
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
boring and shitty basically the whole time
John Lennon
3/5
honestly pretty dull. imagine is overplayed but good and everything else was just kinda boring. was done with the album with like 12 minutes to go
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
when i was typing Franz Ferdinand into spotify Frank Zappa came up first and i was curious the difference in monthly listeners. Zappa has 950k and Franz has 9.8 million. i was kinda hoping this album was gonna suck and i was gonna shit on how many more listeners they have but this was actually a pretty cool record!! i liked it best when it got a little disco-y and when it didn’t sound too british. overall nowhere near zappa but still good
Madonna
3/5
this album flows from pretty damn cool, to good bad, to lowkey bad bad in such a seamless way that you can’t help but respect it. i want to give it a low 4 but there were more bad bad songs than cool ones so we’ll go high 3
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
spotify has playlists that they think are similar to whatever album you’re looking at. one of the ones for this album was “Dive Bar Anthems” and tbh i see it. this is a generally good, inoffensive but unserious album that touches upon a bunch of genres in pretty cool ways. i’ve never actually been to a dive bar but i’d be happy if this was all that was playing
Jeff Buckley
4/5
cool to hear hallelujah in its rightful place. not that many songs stood out but obviously a great work as a whole
Aretha Franklin
4/5
obviously very good
Marvin Gaye
4/5
great vibes throughout
Portishead
3/5
some really cool stuff in here! unfortunately also some tough bits to listen to
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
really cool throughout - as these guys tend to be. might even put this a notch above Low End Theory but idk
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
not my favorite type of music but i never felt myself wishing for it to be over!!
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Come On Eileen and a bunch of songs that kind of sound like Come On Eileen! not a terrible thing though
David Ackles
4/5
this list LOVES albums like this. male singer/songwriters with big voices and a touch cinematic arrangements. and they’re always pretty damn good - if not similar. this guy has 5133 monthly listeners. his most listened to song has <350k plays. idk this should be here but im happy enough that it was
The Cure
3/5
fine
Neu!
4/5
this was a surprisingly cool listen!! never heard of these guys before but this album was kind of a mix of jazz, jam, psychedelia, and british. the best parts of the album were the non-british parts when they didn’t bother with lyrics and cared more for cultivating the atmosphere
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
just some solid, solid psychedelic rock
Miriam Makeba
1/5
i’m glad i listened to it, the point of this project is to hear music i never would have otherwise, but this wasn’t very good. house of the rising sun cover was unexpected but not also very good. i feel bad giving it a 1 but it was a 34 minute long album that i was sick of after 15 minutes
Arrested Development
4/5
a really good, fun listen!! but where was jason bateman??
Def Leppard
4/5
it’s exactly what you expect a def leppard album to sound like. works well for this fine halloween day
Ray Price
4/5
the concept of this album itself is enough to get a couple stars from me. i’ve been pretty interested in the classic beat generation recently and THEY lived in the night life. it’s a cool idea overall that there are people that live in the night whether by choice or my circumstance. the songs made sense for 1967 and were pretty similar but they were never bad. music would be 3 stars but idea gets it up to 4
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
i rarely ‘like’ (on spotify) nick cave songs. but i always really enjoy the albums as a whole. this one was an unexpectedly good running album - it has a slow but heavy intensity that really makes you get going. always surprised that he shows up in this list so much but it’s always a good listen
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
the best songs were the last 2 - the wierd, ambient, instrumental, electronic stuff is where these guys stood out. the rest of it was fine
Talking Heads
5/5
one of those albums that obviously deserves a spot on this list. incredibly consistent and great the whole time
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
sinéad o’connor is an important and powerful figure in music history - unfortunately her music doesn’t do that much for me
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
it’s a 2 hour smashing pumpkins album. a few songs are admittedly cool - especially when they don’t sound like themselves. unfortunately it’s still a 2 hour smashing pumpkins album and it’s tough for that to be good
Beastie Boys
4/5
Beastie Boys are one of the most FUN groups to ever exist. fun, exciting, funny songs in every album. never boring - you can just feel how much fun they have recording all this stuff. also basically musical geniuses with the samples and stuff
The Pogues
2/5
i don’t know why The Pogues are on this list multiple times. they have a very specific sound, and this time around i didn’t like it as much as i think i did last time. it was never BAD but there was nothing that good in this album either
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
pretty cool, nothing special
David Bowie
3/5
i’m definitely a bowie fan - and it’s great that he was able to make music up until the end. but this was obviously a step down from his earlier stuff. it had some cool instrumental stuff going on a lot but his voice was obviously tired. it’s good this exists but not sure what warrants it getting on this list
The Doors
4/5
this was really cool. musically sounding pretty modern at times but still with the older recording sounds you get from these earlier albums
Steely Dan
3/5
steely dan falls into that category where i would never turn it OFF. but i would rarely turn it on either. fun and enjoyable but never something im looking for. plus Aja was better than this so well go high 3
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
this was a pretty neutral, sometimes catchy album up until the song Don’t. then for that one song it turned into the album i assumed it would be based on the album art and band photo. that single song almost knocked this down from a 3 to a 2 star album but luckily there were more times where i was pleasantly surprised then when they were screaming in my ears so we’ll stick with a low 3
Throwing Muses
2/5
a mix of cool, kinda pre-riot grrrl songs and okay, annoying vocal songs. very eh overall. i wonder why it’s not on Spotify??
Laibach
4/5
THIS is why i have embarked on this project!!!! i would have never heard of this band or album or even style of music but this was super cool. i know it was Slovenian but it sounded like it could’ve been from an alien planet in the best way possible
Sonic Youth
2/5
a lot of shit from a butt. i hate grunge
4/5
UBER cool. has that 1960s rock sound while leaning into psychedelia without fully committing to it. a great blend that i hadn’t really heard before
The Modern Lovers
2/5
shoutout massachusetts!!! i had heard Roadrunner before because my cryptography professor in college had the URL encrypted as an answer for a homework assignment. overall the album isn’t great, boring/bad instrumentals with an annoying voice. Hospital was a nice outlier - lower key than the rest of the album and more emotional.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
hints of the greatness that is to come. and still pretty damn good on its own
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
some good, classic psych rock. nothing super special unfortunately but this was the first time i’ve really heard Joplin’s chops and damn they hold up
The Velvet Underground
4/5
it’s a good album overall. and then there’s The Murder Mystery. i have no idea what it’s about but my god it’s amazing. does the heavy lifting but it does it well and easily
Aerosmith
4/5
really solid album. aerosmith is kinda in that category of ‘won’t turn off, but won’t turn on’ but i can see myself revisiting this at some point
Travis
4/5
it kinda reminded me of a radiohead album but with bearable vocals. actually had a nice time with it
Bad Company
4/5
super solid rock album. had some eagles vibes now and then
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
this is an incredibly difficult album to rate. i don’t know that’s it’s really a 5 but anything else feels wrong. this album just did so much stuff that i’ve never really heard before in this specific way. the jumps from almost atonal stuff to some of the sweetest melodies out there was just magical. will be talking about this for a while and that is what brings it to a 5
Louis Prima
3/5
it’s cool how these old popular albums are just like big bang jazz with some lyrics here and there. and it was fun but nothing special musically and he’s a great King Louie but i don’t love prima’s voice so 3 feels right
The Smiths
4/5
one of those albums that you expect to find on this list. i don’t LOVE his voice but i tolerate it. these guys know their sound and their ability to morph genres while maintaining it is very impressive
Janelle Monáe
4/5
absolute MONSTER of an album. she pulls you in with the first half being a stellar pop/funk/electronic/disco album. then slowly we get deeper and deeper musically and stylistically until we reach the final 8 minute orchestral track to bring everything to a climactic end. simply brilliant
The Band
4/5
very earthy and americana but with more depth. comes out swinging from the first second and never lets the energy fade
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
it was pretty cool but didn’t sound much different from any of the other albums with this vibe
2/5
undeniably cool, but also tough to listen to so i can’t give it more than a 2. some quick snippets of relistenability but other than that doesn’t work in the context of straight up listening. i’m sure it’s perfect for the show
Marvin Gaye
4/5
super cool all the way through
Mott The Hoople
4/5
a nice listen!! very bowie-esque at times (one song just sounds like they wrote a bowie song and sang with a bowie impression) but overall cool
Boston
4/5
just an incredibly solid rock album the whole way through
Hugh Masekela
4/5
super cool
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
very bad. some fine tracks in the garbage over overall very few redeeming qualities
The United States Of America
3/5
pretty cool - some experimental aspects worked better than others
Sonic Youth
2/5
the majority of this album was fine songs and the rest was just bad noise
Jacques Brel
3/5
interesting enough but just not something i really care to listen to
John Cale
4/5
great vibes all around and some really cool instrumentals for an album like this
Kraftwerk
4/5
super cool, absolute MONSTER of an opening track
Tim Buckley
3/5
fine but definitely not the best album of this style and time
TLC
4/5
super cool, very solid
Elbow
4/5
incredibly interesting album!! almost every song took a little time to get used to but then they were almost all good. kind of a christmas-music vibe throughout with hints of arcade fire and gorillaz. very good
Blur
3/5
blur is a weird band. i really like Damon Albarn but i don’t love blur. a lot of the vocals and instrumentals are just a touch too harsh overall for my liking. the second half of this record really starts to understand itself better i think with some more psychedelic leanings than the first. overall okay
Johnny Cash
4/5
Cash is so effortlessly charming and funny. you just never want it to end
The Vines
2/5
maybe deserves a 3 because there was some good stuff hidden in here but overall not a fan so we’ll go high 2
Roni Size
4/5
it’s long as hell but it’s also really cool so it’s okay. not sure it’s much different than any of the other techno stuff i’ve heard from here but that doesn’t mean it’s bad
Dirty Projectors
2/5
i don’t even know what genre this would be called but i know i don’t like it
Joy Division
2/5
if you’re gonna make your songs this repetitive they have to at least be interesting. The Eternal was cool but the rest was very dull
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
what happened to rap GROUPS like these guys, beasties, even sugar hill gang??? there’s just such obvious charm going from voice to voice. maybe just the style of rap today doesn’t lend itself to it as much
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
pleasantly surprised by this album! the wikipedia said it was grunge so i was dreading this. and while there are some grunge elements (the worst parts) i feel like it was more than that. the melodies, vocal and guitar, were what stood out most to me
Led Zeppelin
4/5
i always go into zeppelin albums thinking/hoping that i’m gonna LOVE it. and i just don’t really. i do like it and immigrant song is one of the best album openers maybe ever - but overall there’s just something missing for me to truly love them
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
3 great players in constant communication with each other. jazz trios are so fun because there’s just so much space and it opens up so many possibilities. and the quiet clinking and talking underneath?? love that
The Verve
4/5
i checked out my other review for this band on this site and it talked about nostalgia. that’s honestly the best descriptor of this band for whatever reason. it’s not REAL nostalgia because i’ve only heard of them from this site but it’s just baked into their music. it’s very cool every time
Fugees
4/5
wasn’t immediately on board but then Ready or Not started and the rest of the album was great
Bad Brains
3/5
i’m generally not a punk fan but these guys do some cool stuff here
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
some cool stuff here and there but man that was a lot of RHCP to listen to
3/5
pretty cool! just kind of standard techno with some brazilian elements in there but never a tiring listen
The Go-Betweens
2/5
extremely british (derogatory) even though the group is from Brisbane. every song sounds the same and not a single one is interesting
Spacemen 3
3/5
some cool stuff and some not cool stuff. i liked it most when it was the almost ambient synth songs and liked it least when it was the harsh guitar songs. but the juxtaposition worked well and i think there was a good amount of both
Iron Butterfly
4/5
pretty cool!! it was kind of like if Mike was the main guy in the Monkees and they were a little more psychedelic. and i love the mike songs and i like classic psychedelia so this worked well
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
i feel like i love the concept of this album and these songs but i just don’t love their sound. and it’s hard to have such a big hit as Come On Eileen with such a distinctive voice and then have other songs. just sounds weird sometimes
The Undertones
3/5
not a punk guy but this had its charm
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
holy cow!! loud and bright and exciting and in-your-face and cinematic and fun. and then i would estimate that 75% of the songs were about love in various ways. they did this thing a lot here where they build up and then release on a sweet chord with a note being sung that works so so well over the top. i’ve liked the other Pet Shop Boys stuff on this list but this album absolutely blew away expectations
Ryan Adams
3/5
very Springsteen which, judging by the cover, is completely intentional. nothing much to say, a long but not bad listen. unlikely to revisit ever though
Bee Gees
4/5
if you gave me a million guesses to try and name what band this album was by i don’t think i’d ever say The Bee Gees. in the best way possible though! kind of early floyd, beatlesque, abba, king crimson at times. very cool
The Young Rascals
3/5
basically what you expect from an album with this title, group name, album cover, and release year. some fun songs but nothing crazy
The Undertones
2/5
bleh. probably a 3 star album but it got so boring after 15 minutes i can’t give it anything above 2. one good thing about finishing this project is that i’ll stop having to listen to punk
Frank Black
2/5
aggressively mediocre and unfortunately 62 minutes
Neil Young
3/5
eh not a bad listen but i just don’t love this type of stuff i guess
Marty Robbins
3/5
achieved exactly what it set out to do. very repetitive but not a bad listen. nice to hear the original (?) recording of El Paso but weird that it’s on the album twice
Portishead
4/5
SUPER cool. kinda dingy but also very smooth
Led Zeppelin
4/5
i think i said something similar in my last Zeppelin review on here so i’m not gonna go super deep but there’s obviously just something not there for me. i “should” love them with the other bands that i love but each album (aside from physical graffiti) just seems to fall a little short. it’s all good but very little is GREAT and that’s what i go into these listens expecting. Stairway is obviously one of the best songs of all time and i really liked When the Levee Breaks too but overall it was just good.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
pretty cool listen
Jurassic 5
4/5
this was super good. didn’t fall into any of those 90s/2000s pitfalls that rappers seem to. hard to choose between 4 and 5 but since i only “like” on song on spotify we’ll go with 4. not a bad minute of listening though
Richard Thompson
4/5
a good album with a bad last song. very melancholic and cool throughout but the last track, at 5 minutes also the longest i think, was an absolute slog. it ALMOST brings the rating down a full star but we’ll go with a low 4
Sleater-Kinney
2/5
that voice is horrific
Lambchop
3/5
the first song was super cool but then the rest of the album didn’t live up to it. a lot of the meandering sameness and he sometimes sung in this terrible falsetto for whole songs which was a very bad choice.
The Stooges
3/5
some cool stuff, some boring stuff, mostly just alright
The Gun Club
3/5
some interesting stuff here and there - good use of dynamics and the steel guitar implementation was cool. but WHY is there so much goddamn punk on this list?!?! it’s a mediocre listen at best every time yet it feels like every 5th album is punk or post punk. i think that’s this list’s biggest flaw
Elton John
4/5
it’s risky starting your album with Tiny Dancer because then the rest of the album has to live up to it. i think for the most part it does though!! prime elton john was pretty damn good
LL Cool J
3/5
a nice enough listen but nothing special
Simply Red
3/5
an overall fine listen. sounded a little bit dated throughout but never enough to pinpoint why or where
Traffic
4/5
pretty cool!! starting an album that has lyrics with an instrumental is always a risk but i think it worked really well here
Blur
3/5
why are there so many blur albums on here?? they’re fine but not great by any means
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
pretty cool overall. i never have much to say with techno albums but these guys are always a good listen
Magazine
3/5
fine but forgettable
Eels
3/5
the songs are obviously and unapologetically personal. which makes them pretty universal. you have to appreciate that and i do. the music just didn’t always do it for me and i didn’t love the voice. not a bad listen by any means though
4/5
pretty fun overall!! definitely shows its age but not in a terrible way
Talvin Singh
4/5
way cooler than i expected it to be. the ‘world’ music on here is sometimes hit or miss but this was a very nice listen. the heavy techno core with the various world elements, especially the percussion, throughout worked really well
Pearl Jam
3/5
it took a little while for me to warm up to their sound. i really didn’t care for it at all at the beginning but it got better with time. never loved it though
The The
3/5
if i had to give a description of this album im truly not sure what i would say. it was kinda mediocre at times but also pretty cool and interesting at others. not sure if i would even recommend it but worth checking out just because i cant think of anything else that really sounds like it. tough to rate but i think ill go high 3 over a low 4
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
a pretty cool listen!! seemed more funk influenced than i originally assumed it was going to be which i think definitely made it better. tough between low 4 and high 3
Led Zeppelin
4/5
an undoubtedly good listen but nothing really stood out (save for Bonham in Moby Dick)
Norah Jones
2/5
honestly pretty boring. some cool jazzy stuff happening here and there but nothing super special overall
Dusty Springfield
3/5
has that classic female vocalist charm that just doesn’t really exist anymore
Air
4/5
these guys are so fucking cool
Gillian Welch
2/5
i get the appeal and appreciate the artistry but i just don’t love this kinda stuff. just a little bit too slow and boring for me
Massive Attack
4/5
really cool at times and pretty good throughout. good for some HW
The Boo Radleys
3/5
some very, very cool stuff. some very bad, noisy grunge stuff. and a lot of very mediocre stuff
Black Sabbath
4/5
does exactly what you want/expect from a black sabbath record plus a little bit more
PJ Harvey
3/5
some cool stuff here and there but overall nothing special
Morrissey
3/5
it was fine but nothing special at all. and this guy sucks right??
Fishbone
3/5
really covered the whole range from reggae to punk with ska sprinkled in between
Frank Ocean
4/5
very good, as expected. this was my first time sitting down and listening to frank ocean and i was not let down. excited to check out Blonde
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
some classic hendrix psych. it’s probably not better than ladyland but i think it’s an easier album to just chill and listen to
The Cure
3/5
i liked this! i didn’t love it but i liked it more than i thought i would. you can hear the subtle influences that the aquabats heard and morphed into their own stuff
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
some genuinely fun songs and some iffy stuff. i didn’t LOVE the vocals overall
Soft Machine
4/5
the first songs were a little sloggy but i really liked the last 2! definitely more jazzy than straight prog rock but it worked well
Korn
2/5
there is a time and a place for music like this and i think i can appreciate that. but this type of music is simply not for me
Elvis Costello
3/5
never bad but i also will never think about it ever again
Manu Chao
3/5
started to get tiresome by the end but some cool stuff in here
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
these guys are great for an outdoor speaker on a sunny day. today i was listening on headphones inside on a cold winter day. and it was still pretty damn good
Ramones
3/5
in and out in 30 minutes. a couple big classics. can’t do anything but respect it
The Byrds
4/5
these guys are always a good listen. on that early edge of country/rock/psych and i think they do it well
Chicago
4/5
the first half of this album is simply outstanding. 5 songs in and i thought it was going to be an easy 5 stars. but Free Form Guitar and onward loses a little bit of steam and direction unfortunately. it’s not even a bad second half - but it almost sounds like a completely different album which is unfortunate when the first half was SO good. so the first half is an easy 5 but the second half is probably a high 3 so we’ll land on a solid 4
Bee Gees
3/5
surprisingly boring. the bee gees are obviously known for their disco mega hits but we’ve had an earlier album of there’s in this list before. that one was big and sprawling and cool. this one just wasn’t. kind of watered down late beatles and pink floyd. never bad but never that good either
Metallica
3/5
i just don’t love heavy metal. it’s obviously good and a legendary album, but it’s not really for me
Slint
2/5
WAY too boring to be as repetitive as it is. i like the idea and mostly like the vibes but the actual music part wasn’t doing it for me
Skepta
1/5
absolutely terrible. we got like 10 minutes in and was already sick of it. i will never understand how this type of UK rap has shooters
Mercury Rev
3/5
an interesting combination of kinda classic alternative and super experimental. overall i think it worked pretty well though!
k.d. lang
3/5
fine enough
The Youngbloods
4/5
this was super cool! definitely pretty psychedelic at times but never overboard and pretty good range of vibes throughout
ZZ Top
4/5
always it’s just a cool, solid listen with these guys
Metallica
3/5
2 metallica albums in less than 10 days from this website should not be allowed.
Patti Smith
3/5
i didn’t really like it but it was undeniably cool so you gotta give it credit
Drive-By Truckers
5/5
I read the name of this album and was intrigued. then i looked at the length and was less excited. but once it started going i was totally invested. i can’t say i paid much attention to the story but the songs worked for themselves. the more spoken word parts were super cool and the classic southern rock songs ranged from pretty good to genuinely great! not sure i would put every song as 5 stars but the work as a whole definitely is
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
this was a rough listen. im a pretty big psychedelia fan but this just wasn’t good
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
not my thing
The xx
2/5
there was some cool stuff here and there but overall this album has aged terribly. sounds so dated for something that came out only 8 years ago. not a good inclusion for this list
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
this was fun! nothing more and nothing less
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
i didn’t like this very much at all. just not what i enjoy listening to really
Bob Dylan
3/5
nothing super crazy musically, some cool stuff here and there. and obviously some great lyrics as to be expected. probably important in Dylan’s career but wasn’t anything special to me
Aerosmith
4/5
a nice listen overall. a little bit cooler than i expected too which was fun
Thundercat
5/5
this was truly great. i don’t think i can let myself give it below 5. truly incredible as a full work, and was able to get some hits out of it. the instrumentals are obviously the stand out here and are so damn good. i feel like it feels like a modern day combo of Zappa and Wonder. and it’s so fun too
Minor Threat
2/5
not bad but still just kinda whatever punk
Supergrass
3/5
at its core it’s british punk which is not my thing at all. but strip away some fuzzy guitar and some screamy vocals and you find some damn good songs. it’s obvious that they’re having a lot of fun and tend to make the cool choices rather than the simple ones
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
after a (little) while reggae just blends into itself. these guys are the best of the best so it doesn’t get TOO tiresome at least
Adele
4/5
a super solid, impressive album. obviously outstanding vocals but without giving up a very unique voice and way of singing which i hadn’t really noticed with Adele before
Joanna Newsom
3/5
this was a very unique album. it was obviously singing but it almost feels more like poetry set to music. and it works well some of the time!! i think it’s kinda disjointed at some points though too but that’s mainly because i didn’t love her voice or singing style
Mudhoney
2/5
another forgettable grungy punk album
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
there is an EXTREME authenticity that all Springsteen albums are based upon and i love it so very much. he is not writing songs for anyone else he’s writing songs for himself and letting them relate to everyone else because that’s how life works. i honestly don’t think this is one of this best efforts but it was still good
Faith No More
2/5
a bunch of forgettable modern rock with a cover of War Pigs thrown in at the end
Dr. Dre
3/5
i don’t love 90s rap but this was pretty solid
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
this was NOT the psychedelic album i was hoping for. had some good moments though
Miles Davis
4/5
can’t go wrong with some great jazz on a sunny morning
Ash
3/5
i don’t love this type of music but i was pleasantly surprised throughout!!!
The White Stripes
2/5
jack white and the white stripes make shitty music that’s unpleasant to listen to. probably my biggest qualm about this list is how much i’ve had to listen to these people
The Doors
4/5
these guys are always cool. absolute monster of a last song
Destiny's Child
3/5
i don’t even know what genre of music this is. maybe just a heavy mix of pop and R&B? some good stuff here and there but overall nothing special and a little too god-heavy for my liking
Basement Jaxx
2/5
eh. some cool stuff now and then but mostly just annoying sounds and uninteresting beats
Miles Davis
5/5
nothing short of revolutionary
The Doors
2/5
this was the second Doors album in 5 days from this site. this one was leaps and bounds worse than the other. in the 4 years between them they traded away psychedelia for the blues and it just makes every song far less interesting
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
the mothers are such an interesting band because basically every song has a couple seconds of the coolest music ever immediately followed by the most unlistenable shit. zappa reigns supreme though so 4 stars
Soul II Soul
2/5
honestly just kinda bland forgettable funk/R&B. nothing stuck out at all
Gang Of Four
3/5
generally inoffensive punk with some cool stuff here and there
Metallica
4/5
this was super cool can’t even lie. would it have been better as an 80 minute album as opposed to a 135 minute? most definitely. but they’re some good players overall and anything like this with full orchestra is just amazing
Ride
3/5
fine - sounded kinda stone roses-y at times but i think that might’ve just be the guy’s voice
Minutemen
3/5
way longer than it needs to be but nothing outrageously bad or anything
David Bowie
4/5
David Bowie is one of those artists that i just didn’t really listen to before this project but i’m super glad that i’ve gone and listened to all his stuff.
Lou Reed
2/5
my rating might be more heavily weighted on the last song in this album but i feel like the vocals didn’t match the instrumentals very well. i was left wanting more a lot
The Rolling Stones
3/5
i don’t think i understand the massive appeal these guys had but never bad
Steely Dan
4/5
these guys really do encapsulate the ‘wouldn’t turn them on, wouldn’t turn them off’ vibe. it’s always good music and i have a good time but i tend to find myself hearing other bands in them that i wish i was listening to instead. this album was Allman Brothers, David Bowie, and Zappa if that makes any sense at all
The Beach Boys
3/5
pretty cool but nothing crazy standout
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
no stand out tracks but just a great environment created and upheld throughout
Tim Buckley
2/5
joni mitchell-esque (derogatory)
super boring
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
this was disappointing. i generally like Nick Cave’s stuff but i feel like there was TOO much energy in this record. his voice is unique and works best for the slower, somber songs (Loom Of The Land was my favorite from this one) and i think his yell/singing doesn’t work that well.
Tom Waits
3/5
Tom Waits is such an interesting act to have so many inclusions on this list. I really like his slower stuff and his more conversational stuff rather than his SUPER screamy stuff. and unfortunately there’s a lot of heavier screamy stuff in this one so i didn’t love it. but i didn’t hate it. he’s got a little springsteen in him (or vice versa)
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
pretty cool
The Charlatans
2/5
teetering between a 2 and a 3. the best songs were the instrumentals so i’ll got with 2 overall
The Slits
3/5
in one ear out the other
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
this was super cool. not what i was expecting but pretty good music just to sit with and lightly enjoy
Megadeth
3/5
not bad, just not really my thing
Waylon Jennings
3/5
quick, classic country. can’t complain
Hole
3/5
another kat stratford album. not completely though!
Incubus
2/5
i just don’t get the appeal of this type of music. annoying gym bro pump up music. the instrumental record scratching track was cool though
Fugazi
2/5
background music rock
Throbbing Gristle
4/5
this was a super weird album but i have to respect it. filled with a bunch of essentially musique concrete songs with a couple cool techno tracks thrown in for good measure. torn between 3 and 4 but im gonna go with 4 based of off getting an album like this even on this list
Def Leppard
4/5
it knows what it wants to do and honestly knocks it out of the park
Sade
3/5
i call a lot of albums on here ‘cool’ but i feel like this one fits into that category even more
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
i am a sucker for some flute in jazz. just an amazing little group and album here! very glad to have found it from this
Le Tigre
3/5
deceptacon is a classic and the rest of the songs sounds vaguely like it
Joe Ely
3/5
exactly what the name suggests!
Brian Eno
3/5
Eno’s a weird artist to think about. he has all the super influential, important ambient stuff but then he has this more ‘normal’ kinda poppy music too. and a lot of it is kinda boring - with an absolutely beautiful song or two thrown in with a deeply human sound and subject.
The Cardigans
3/5
can’t complain. some catchy stuff here and there
Tortoise
5/5
this was exceptional. almost ambient at times, almost industrial at times. very musical without sounding very instrumental if that makes sense. i had no expectations going in but they were blown out of the water
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
i didn’t love this album overall but the last song was super good
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
nice! kinda that dirtier indie-ish rocky type
Harry Nilsson
3/5
odd little album! but a fine enough time
New York Dolls
2/5
didn’t really care for this
Os Mutantes
2/5
i feel like the ideas were interesting but the execution just wasn’t there for me. everything was just a step too chaotic without ever returning to a more solid form i think
The Monkees
3/5
i am a monkees lover until the day i die. this album isn’t their best effort but according to wikipedia this was more creatively theirs than the first two albums and it shows. their albums after Headquarters are definitely better but we likely couldn’t have gotten there without this and the silly songs like Zilch
George Harrison
3/5
so very long. the ending got pretty damn cool but i was sick of it by that point so didn’t appreciate it much. it was good but not good enough to constitute almost 2 hours
T. Rex
4/5
this was super cool!! multiple songs sounded like the start of Brokedown Palace
Taylor Swift
5/5
this is honestly a pretty tough album to rate. i think it’s one of the best pop albums of all time both musically and culturally. but the original release doesn’t have New Romantics on it, only being included on the deluxe. which is absolute insanity. still great though and probably my 3rd favorite taylor album
Love
4/5
these guys are always a good listen. super high energy and interesting stuff. also gotta respect having a 36 minute album with the last song being 18 minutes long
10cc
3/5
i was not in the right headspace to listen to this album. i was pretty down while listening and it’s a generally super happy album. so perhaps i should revisit on a sunny day.
The Fall
2/5
i just really don’t like this type of music
Beatles
2/5
bleh this is just the beatles at their worst. nothing amazing in the whole thing and even the more interesting songs like eleanor rigby only last for 2:30
Holger Czukay
4/5
this was super weird but in a great way!! just really all over the place. kinda zappa-y at times, not musically but stylistically. with the spoken word and the long songs with many different sections. definitely worth checking out
Ice T
3/5
i don’t really like 90s rap overall. i’m not sure i can pinpoint why but it just doesn’t really do much for me. this was pretty damn good at times though!! it was also very long and i think overstayed its welcome. but Ice T also had some interesting and good things to say. if it was less than an hour i’d be comfortable giving it a 4 but i just got tired at around 45 minutes and still had 27 to go so we’re gonna go with a high 3. i think this album works better played over speakers and conversations rather than alone in airpods
Beatles
4/5
finally the beatles i’ve been hearing about for years!! this was actually good, weird, cool, and interesting in the ways that everyone claims the beatles to be. i didn’t ‘like’ a single song but it all worked pretty well as a big work, while definitely being on the longer end. i still don’t understand the overwhelming love for these guys but this was much better than abbey road and revolver
George Michael
3/5
for some reason spotify decided to have shuffle on for this album and i didn’t realize it until the last song. but the fact that i didn’t notice means that it probably doesn’t matter that much so im not gonna relisten. it’s a solid pop album but nothing incredibly special. and it’s a little on the long side which locks us into a pretty solid high 3
Van Morrison
2/5
this was not very good. you can tell it exists in the context of all the cool psychedelic rock of the late 60s but it doesn’t do anything good with it. just boring songs that are 3 minutes too long with Van talking/singing/screaming over the top
Deep Purple
4/5
super cool
Adele
4/5
Adele really is quietly one of the best artists of the twenty-first century. just extremely solid with some absolutely MASSIVE hits sprinkled in
Morrissey
3/5
idk whatever
Silver Jews
4/5
this was good!! fits right into that mellow, deepish male singer-songwriter vibe that i’ve only really come to know from this list
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
i didn’t love this. i do really like psychedelic rock and a lot of the stuff seemingly in the same realm as these guys but this didn’t really do anything for me. i think it might be because of the heavier blues base that they had going on
Prefab Sprout
4/5
what a nice find!! the first half of this album is maybe a 5 but the second half falls off a little bit so i’ll stick with a 4. little bit crowded house-y
Robert Wyatt
5/5
i really loved this!! it was kind of a precursor to Illinois by Stevens with more progressive, jazzy, and even little bits of experimental aspects thrown in there. i didn’t ‘like’ many of the songs but i truly enjoyed the entire listen and i think anything below a 5 would be disingenuous
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
reggae is just the ultimate background music for me i think. i would never ever sit down and choose to listen to this alone. but im sure it would be exquisite pumping along at the beach or a cookout or just chilling and talking in a dorm room. and it wasn’t even bad! but it’s just not a genre that i really can get into on its own
Brian Wilson
3/5
this sounds like a very personal album and it also sounds very beach boys. unfortunately i don’t really care about brian wilson and i don’t love the beach boys. essentially this album wouldn’t be anywhere near the list if he wasn’t in the beach boys so idk if it should be here now. low 3 because there was at least some interesting stuff there but we’re very close to a 2
Common
4/5
Common might be too 5 rappers tbh. this was a 77 minute album and it never felt too long. always interesting stuff going on. i’ve gotta listen to him more
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
nick cave is one of those artists that i’m so happy to have found from this project. just a great album throughout and absolutely stuck the landing. this is my first time hearing O Children all the way through and i just have to tip my hat to David Yates. absolutely incredible decision there
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
just some solid, patient funk. never gonna complain about albums like this on the list
Motörhead
3/5
solid, quick, and heavy. went out and achieved exactly what they were looking for. if i could give half stars it’d be a 3.5 so we’ll settle for a high 3
XTC
3/5
this is a great example of an album that i don’t think deserves to be on this list. not because it’s bad, but because it’s just so middle-of-the-road uninteresting. admittedly the last two songs are at a higher level than the rest of it and that’s why it gets 3 stars instead of 2
2/5
this lays to rest any question about whether or not this list was actually randomized because this was the second day in a row i got an XTC album. the first one i talked about how boringly mediocre it was and i can’t say the same about this one! unfortunately that’s because this one is outwardly bad. it’s at least interesting which the other one wasn’t but aside from some cool, big cinematic moments i didn’t like very much of it at all. just not enjoyable to listen to most of the time.
Donald Fagen
4/5
i was lightly listening to the first few song and enjoying myself but finding it all rather familiar. so i stopped putting my clothes away and listened closer finally realizing i thought the vocals sounded super similar to Steely Dan. and as it turns out this guy is a founding member and i assume lead vocalist for Steely Dan! i honesty think i liked this album more than some of the SD stuff ive listened to from this list, felt mainly slightly LESS polished? pretty good overall
Finley Quaye
1/5
oh man this was truly awful. bad reggae instrumentals with bad reggae vocals on top. wanted to turn it off within 10 minutes and then it went on for another 40
Everything But The Girl
3/5
extremely bland. nothing bad but nothing really interesting. some cool saxophone here and there
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
wasn’t really my thing. leaned too heavy on the spoken word parts and i didn’t really like them when they were happening. would be fine for background music so i want to say 3 but i know it’s really a high 2
Death In Vegas
3/5
this was a pleasant surprise! the worst parts were when any singing was happening and those were pretty easily the worst tracks as well. but the instrumental tracks outnumbered them so it wasn’t bad overall! and those instrumental track were very cool, kinda dingy cinematic techno. felt like they could be right at home in a reznor & ross score. would be a 4 if it was all instrumental but the singing locks us in to a 3
Soundgarden
2/5
omg this was 100000000 hours long. what’s with the voice that comes with this type of music??? it’s horrible to listen to on top of already shitty instrumentals. gym music for boring people
Q-Tip
4/5
super solid. albums like this really emphasize how much less i think of 90s rap because i’d but this (generally unremarkable) album above maybe any of them from the decade prior. a little gambino-y at times
Aerosmith
3/5
solid enough but did we really need multiple Aerosmith albums on this list?? idk probably not
Willie Nelson
4/5
just so simply wonderful
Pere Ubu
1/5
borders on unlistenable for far too long to give this anything but a 1. i feel like this is what Zappa haters hear when they listen to him
Django Django
3/5
pretty weird. musically all over the place and it only worked some of the time
a-ha
3/5
Take On Me probably squeaks into all-time banger status. the rest of the album is a solid encapsulation of 80s pop. kind of reminded me of a watered down Tears for Fears now and then
Talk Talk
4/5
i was a day behind so this was the second album i listened to today from this list. the first one was Hunting High And Low by a-ha. it was fine but pretty commercial and boring 80s. this was 80s in the complete opposite direction. still obviously a product of its time but so much cooler throughout. stuff that actually grabs your attention and makes you listen in rather than drone along in the background of a 1980s mall. and you gotta respect when a band ends an album with a song 3+ minutes longer than every other track!!!! i love that so much and really love how (relatively) common it was back then
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
a fun little album!! i feel like i could heard some Stone Roses influences throughout but never a bad thing
Muddy Waters
3/5
i really don’t like the blues but i really do like live music so they kinda cancelled each other out here
Japan
3/5
a pretty cool, but likely forgettable, kinda electronic pop album
Robert Wyatt
3/5
this was the second Wyatt album on this list in a relatively short period. i definitely liked the other one more but this one wasn’t bad. it was probably more experimental which makes sense coming 2 decades before the other one. but i think it got a little TOO out there for me at times here. i’m struggling between 3 and 4 but i dont think he stuck the landing here so ill be satisfied with high 3
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
she just creates a great vibe and you can’t help but enjoy yourself through this whole listen. never got tired of it
Pantera
2/5
oh my goddd YAWNNNNN!!! i hate this type of music so fucking much bro.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
pretty good. based off the album art and the artist name i thought it was gonna be a cool techno album but this was alright too. if i listened to this before knowing what year it came out i would have guessed early 2000s. some of the melodies here just scream that 2000s alternate rock. also the singer sounds like the guy from Blues Traveler
Fatboy Slim
3/5
this was fine. i think this type of music is a product of its time. not because it’s bad, but because it’s not impressive anymore. like this was weird almost unheard of stuff when it came out but now it’s just kinda old, run-of-the-mill sample electronica. i somehow have another album of his to listen to next so maybe it’ll stand out more
Fatboy Slim
3/5
a little bit cooler than the last You’ve Come A Long Way Baby but still nothing crazy crazy. like if this album came out today i don’t think anyone would care
Aretha Franklin
4/5
an absolute classic. an album that not only passes the test of time but laughs at it.
Lou Reed
3/5
this was pretty good!! took a couple songs to find its footing but we got there. was kinda getting hints of Elton John now and then. maybe low 4 but i’ll be happy with a high 3
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
i like looking at the overall stats on this site so i know that this album is in the top 10 highest rated. and i don’t get it at all. there are a couple good songs. Dreams and The Chain stand out. but the rest of them are pretty forgettable in my opinion. Go Your Own Way obviously isn’t forgettable but i just don’t particularly care for it. i’m not a huge Fleetwood Mac hater but i certainly don’t understand what most people feel when they hear this stuff. just very bland overall.
Morrissey
3/5
this was enjoyable! it started over and i didn’t even realize i was already on the second song again so definitely sounding very similar throughout. nothing standout but just averagely good
Bob Dylan
4/5
now THIS is bob dylan. shitty vocals with great or silly lyrics and mediocre harmonica
Pulp
4/5
i wasn’t super excited when i saw the almost 70 minutes runtime for this but it did not feel long at all. these guys do such a great job of creating a really nice atmosphere. super solid in all aspects
Willie Nelson
4/5
i didn’t know willie had this side to him!! super good
Bob Dylan
3/5
not my favorite from Dylan. felt like it might be an album that’s carried by its lyrics and i don’t really care about lyrics
Todd Rundgren
4/5
this was outstanding. super weird and poppy and proggy and experimental and fun. different parts made me think of king crimson and then the scissor sisters. very good listen
Jamiroquai
4/5
i thought Jamiroquai was a guy (not a band) until today. this was super cool though!! seems like an easy album to have running in the background
David Holmes
3/5
there was some cool stuff here and there but overall didn’t connect with this. epitome of a low 3
Janis Joplin
4/5
i was introduced to joplin through the grateful dead’s cover of bobby mcgee. and i really liked that and her original version of it! my band even plays it but i hadn’t delved deeper into her discography at all so this was nice. super solid overall - this type of music just isn’t made anymore. having a solid acapella track on your album is SUCH a cool move
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
so good. and what a beautiful finale! love finding these 60s albums from this site
Gorillaz
4/5
Clint Eastwood gets this album 4 stars by itself but the rest is good too. crazy how much better Gorillaz are then Blur. and this isn’t even the best Gorillaz album!
Doves
5/5
this was really good. i think the instrumental tracks stood out the most but even the singing ones were able to stand up on their own. i enjoyed this whole thing and can’t think of any reason to give it anything less than a 5. will be SO good to listen to past midnight sometime in the future
The Black Keys
3/5
this was fine. i wouldn’t wish for it to be turned off at a party or anything. but it sounds like it was made for commercials and nothing else.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
this was a good listen!! very Stone Roses esque throughout but definitely not a bad thing
CHIC
4/5
these guys are always great. just so tight in every aspect
Gotan Project
2/5
wow this felt long. obviously super cool to have a zappa cover in your album but man i was sick of this like 15 minutes in. just nothing that cool going on ever
Joni Mitchell
4/5
it’s actually crazy how much better this full band joni mitchell stuff is from her solo acoustic stuff. pretty great throughout
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
fine background music but nothing outstanding
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
this was pretty terrible. annoying lyrics (absolutely atrocious pronunciation of the word “girl” that was said too much), terrible beats, way too long. one of the lowest 2s i’ll ever give and that’s only because it’s better than that other UK rap album i’ve heard from here
The Beta Band
3/5
i wasn’t on board with this from the beginning. well that’s not really true because the first song was great but the first half (minus song 1) was underwhelming. the second half i think found its footing more and really made the album for me. high 3
Digital Underground
4/5
super good listen. i really appreciate how these older rap groups have a deeper understanding and love of music as an institution than some of the modern artists today do
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
i really only knew Raitt from angel from montegomery so i didn’t even know she released more full band electric stuff like this. i don’t think it’s very good unfortunately
Black Sabbath
4/5
love that this website gave us this album for today. RIP Ozzy
The Kinks
3/5
solid
Peter Frampton
4/5
i’ve known of this album for many years so i’m glad this site prompted me to finally listen. obviously super good. great finale
The KLF
4/5
i’ve never been a big enough techno guy to be able to sit down with headphones and truly love any album. but if this was playing at a party i would have a great time so it feels fair to get 4 stars
Neil Young
3/5
can’t complain but nothing was totally outstanding. solid good 3
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
i liked this!! pretty british but in some cool ways
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
not bad! kinda stone roses vibes throughout but with a grunge or even morphine filter underneath
UB40
2/5
wow this was really bad. the only thing i knew about these guys was from the phish song David Bowie. just boring bad reggae for over an hour. bowie is light years better
Khaled
4/5
it took a little while but this really grew on me throughout my listen. pretty interesting all the way through which is tough for a non-english album that’s 80 minutes long. was thinking it was a 3 for most of the time but i think the last quarter brought it up to a low 4! funny to have the imagine cover in there
Fiona Apple
2/5
this is the type of music where you need to care about lyrics. because the music side kinda sucks. it’s more experimental and ‘art’ rather than enjoyable to listen to music imo. and i don’t care about lyrics. so i didn’t like this very much. some cool stuff here and there
The The
3/5
this was pretty cool!! most of the songs were fine but a couple stood out, especially when it leaned into that darker, specifically halloweeny sound. hints of primus, nick cave, and tom waits somehow pervaded this album too which is cool
Fiona Apple
4/5
this was leaps and bounds better than the other Fiona Apple album i listened to from this list. this album came out 24 years earlier than the other one and it makes sense i liked this one more. i think the “songwriter” cares more and more about the lyrics and less about the music over time (see the tortured poets department) and im just so heavily a music-first listener. and the music here was so much better than the other album imo. dark and deep and haunting and just worked so well throughout
The Cult
2/5
nothing terrible but just overall fine rock music. high 2
Scott Walker
3/5
this was interesting. feels like a definite precursor to the Nick Cave archetype. the big booming voice telling stories to music. i didn’t find myself loving it though, it wasn’t bad but it didn’t hook me. 2 feels too low though because it does get there sometimes so we’ll go low 3
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
i don’t even know what genre this would be called but it’s not very good. i guess it’s kinda sublime-y and like early dispatch. but every song sounds like a failed attempt to make What I Got. pretty rough to get through
Slipknot
2/5
i don’t like this kind of music
The Dictators
2/5
whatever. forgot to review this until the day after listening and i can not remember a single thing about it so can’t say it left any sort of impression
Frank Sinatra
4/5
the absolute master. impossible not to listen and fall into the stories and believe every word he sings
David Bowie
4/5
this was cool!! definitely not what i expected from a Bowie album but good nonetheless. it was basically instrumental which makes me wonder if it came from using tracks that didn’t make it onto other albums and worked better without any vocals.
Dagmar Krause
4/5
this was cool!! exactly what this project is for: finding weird albums that i never would have heard of/listened to without it. i’m playing drums in the upcoming production of Urinetown at my college and a lot of this was very reminiscent of the score. wouldn’t be surprised if this inspired the composers a good bit
OutKast
4/5
i went into this hoping to LOVE it because it’s obviously a classic but unfortunately that did not come to be. i did like it and there were some great tracks but overall i wouldn’t put it anything above ‘very good’. solid 4 but nothing more
Christina Aguilera
2/5
this album made me realize i don’t really care for the early 2000s R&B. half the songs sounded like variants of Cry Me A River (not a good song) and the other half sounded like variants of those variants. beautiful was good but the only standout and not even good enough for me to save on spotify. high 2 because there wasn’t anything TERRIBLE going on just nothing interesting at all
Supertramp
3/5
i’m not totally sure how i feel about this. there are some cool moments but overall i didn’t find myself enjoying it that much. seems like one that will be forgotten very quickly after listening
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
this was good. not great but very good. it felt kinda safe compared to other classic jazz albums we’ve gotten on here. but i mean there’s a reason Dave Brubeck isn’t talked about in the same way as a Davis or Coltrane!
Jeff Beck
4/5
sometimes an album is just deeply cool. a bunch of instrumentals, morning dew and ol man river covers. just inarguably cool
The Bees
3/5
this album goes all over the place. some of it’s super cool and some of it is just fine. tempted to go low 4 but i think high 3 is a better representation of it
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
impressively amazing. produced by Zappa so not that surprising but it pushes all the boundaries of what should be enjoyable while still being a great listen!
Madness
4/5
Our House is the obvious standout here but the whole album is actually super good. creates a very unique vibe that is obviously born from their growing up. low 4, i think i would be pleasantly surprised if this was the soundtrack to a party
D'Angelo
3/5
i never listen to this type of music but this was cool!! obvious jazz influences throughout kept me listening happily
4/5
it’s absolutely insane that this album came out in the 70s. so incredibly ahead of its time it’s hard to even conceptualize. mark mothersbaugh is so cool
Marvin Gaye
5/5
nothing short of outstanding. every song was great
The Cramps
2/5
i did not need to listen to this before i died
Barry Adamson
3/5
so i LOVE oedipus schmoedipus. and this was unfortunately a big let down. it has its moments but overall feels very disconnected and thrown together in a way that OS doesn’t. still pretty interesting and cool but overall nothing in here that i want to listen to again which was disappointing
Cocteau Twins
3/5
i didn’t really know what to expect going into this i think but it wasn’t this. didn’t love it but it wasn’t bad or anything
Elis Regina
4/5
this was amazing!!! super funky and super fun throughout. didn’t love the blues tracks as much
The Fall
3/5
pretty good, pretty standard british rock
The Darkness
3/5
not my favorite sound, especially the vocals, but was pretty catchy at times!
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
slightly less weird than i was expecting based on the band and album name but pretty cool old psych nonetheless
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
not my favorite type of music but this had its moments! a little long but the best song was the last so it’s okay
Haircut 100
4/5
this was super fun!! sounded pretty talking heads-inspired which is always a good sign
Tori Amos
2/5
it had moments here and there but overall very dull. just not my kind of singer-song writer vibes
Robbie Williams
3/5
as impressive as it is that a chimpanzee could record an album it’s unfortunately a pretty unexciting listen
Gene Clark
4/5
this was cool! took a sec to get into it but just a solid singer-songwriter+ album. low 4
Ian Dury
3/5
the disco parts were cool. the rest was fine. low 3
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
if there’s one thing i’ve learned from this project is that 80s rap > 90s rap
Pere Ubu
2/5
i respect it and there are some cool experimental things here and there. but it doesn’t really do it for me overall. absolutely wild that this is my 1000th album!!!
Beck
2/5
in theory it feels like this should be interesting but it just isn’t. like the combo of electronic and acoustic music going on should be pretty cool but i was never excited for a second. just incredibly bland throughout
3/5
people LOVE these guys. and i don’t really get it! this was fine. champagne supernova is good. but i really don’t get anything special from these guys
The Byrds
4/5
these guys are always a nice listen
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
i’d never heard of Sarah Vaughan before this but this was great!! super solid band with obviously great jazz vocals
Hot Chip
4/5
what a pleasant surprise!! i was doubtful simply because the name Hot Chip is stupid and cringy but this was super cool. hints of Scissor Sisters while dipping slightly more towards the electronic
Orbital
3/5
this was cool. it was a lot of pure techno just to sit here and listen to on headphones but it was pretty good at least
Alanis Morissette
3/5
not bad but all kinda sounded the same. and i didn’t LOVE the sound so didn’t really resonate
Queen Latifah
4/5
this was fun!! pretty cool beats and interesting melodies throughout. low 4
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
these guys are always cool enough. weird enough that they don’t get trapped in that bad punk bubble that i think some groups find themselves in
Elvis Costello
4/5
Elvis Costello is an interesting artist to come out of this project for me. obviously has an edge to him but also has a very soft, almost sweet side. not unlike Bruce. and i think when he leans into that softer side he shines brightest. but this was a very nice listen throughout either way
Nina Simone
4/5
so very good!! didn’t realize nina simone sounded like that
Isaac Hayes
4/5
an interesting inclusion to this list because a lot of it is OBVIOUSLY the score of a show. and those songs are kinda cool but also purposefully background music. the other songs were a step up and funky as hellll. still super cool even in parts of it seemed to stall
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
pretty good listen. high energy and interesting music throughout. high 3
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
ALL over the place!! mostly pretty cool
Sonic Youth
3/5
this was pretty cool!! obviously grunge-y but not in a terrible way. i think the female vocals and lack of fear to get weird helps it a lot. high 3
The Specials
3/5
‘More Specials’ is an exceptional name for this album because that’s all it is. not sure we needed more than one entry from these guys in the list. they’re pretty fun but seems weird to be here
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
5/5
AAAAAAAAAAAA i am such a sucker for these kinds of albums!!! the drive-by truckers one…..the meat loaf one…..2112 to an extent….. just so good. i love these highly theatrical full stories of differing styles of music. no songs specifically stood out during this one but i had a great time throughout. anything less than 5 would be disingenuous i think
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
i respect it and i’m glad i listened to it but this type of music just isn’t really for me
Deep Purple
4/5
these guys rock
Leonard Cohen
3/5
i don’t think this was necessarily his best work but he always creates a nice atmosphere
System Of A Down
2/5
i’m sorry but this type of music is just NOT my thing. please stop screaming at me
John Lee Hooker
4/5
what a treat!! i don’t really like the blues overall but all the collaboration songs really helped this album for me. and even the straight blues ones at the end i enjoyed because i was into that world at that point. and he played with such an honesty as these guys tend to do. one of those albums from this list that i never would’ve heard of otherwise
Steve Winwood
4/5
this was super fun throughout!! super great use of that specific old synth sound
The Prodigy
3/5
pretty cool. good for background music while doing work
David Crosby
3/5
pretty cool but honestly nothing special. was hoping for a little bit more because crosby’s really cool
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
pretty cool, very british. not much to say
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
psychedelic titans and an absolute staple of that time for a reason. very very good album
Beth Orton
3/5
this was pretty cool for the first 15 minutes. then it never really changed and got a little tiresome. tough distinction between a low 3 and a high 2 but i think it deserves more than 2 so we’ll go low 3
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
this was an undertaking. the second 3+ hour album on this list. and absolute insanity that an album this old could even be this long. but somehow it never got tiring!! it was never mind-blowing but it was always good. even the last disc of all instrumentals i really liked. very impressive
TV On The Radio
2/5
not really my thing. i really don’t like that post punk-white stripes vocal effect thing they do. some cool music here and there but overall not my favorite
Small Faces
3/5
cool and weird and silly at times. then generally tame and almost boring at others. one of the top 1000 albums??? i’m not so sure
Alice Cooper
4/5
WAY cooler than i was expecting!! i was expecting an older kinda hard rock album. but this went all over the place. straight jazz, big band funk instrumentals, all within that rock guideline. very glad i listened
Sabu
3/5
it’s a lot of the same but it’s pretty good
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
some cool things here and there but honestly didn’t care about much of this. hints of radiohead shined through (derogatory)
Tricky
4/5
this was a nice surprise! has tastes of that 90s alt but is much cooler than most of it. i think it shined most with the slower stuff and just let us sit with the instrumentals while the vocals could glide slightly underneath. low 4
Carpenters
3/5
i read a book about Karen Carpenter like a month ago but hadn’t actually spent any time listening to the Carpenters music. it was pretty cool. i got hints of abba in a lot of places. their whole thing was wholesomeness and perfection, which i think this album is a great representation of. but it also makes for music that is just ever slightly dull. it’s good, but it’s not always interesting - which can sometimes be even better than good. high 3
The Velvet Underground
3/5
undeniably cool but i honestly didn’t connect too much with the music. feel like i might’ve enjoyed it more if i listened when it came out
Can
4/5
this was pretty cool throughout but that last song made it great. super trippy and experimental but never getting hard to listen to. a 20 minute behemoth to close out the album. right up my alley
Bobby Womack
4/5
funky and fun. not much else to say
Tom Tom Club
3/5
this was fine but i didn’t love it. just didn’t really care for the vibe the put out there
Kings of Leon
3/5
i just don’t love these guys’ sound. i just can’t do the voice. i can kinda see the appeal it just doesn’t do it for me.
The Crusaders
4/5
funky and cool!! exactly what the album cover promises
LTJ Bukem
4/5
this was a LOT of drum and bass. but honestly it was super good the whole time. it got tiring only due to length
M.I.A.
3/5
paper planes is the obvious standout and i don’t even really like that song too much. it was cool enough but it never really went anywhere for me. low 3
Leftfield
3/5
pretty cool electronica. think it shined when it didn’t have any vocals
Alice In Chains
2/5
i don’t like this kind of music at all!! i actually like a good number of the melodies but the overall vibe, the guitar sounds and especially the voice, is just so horrendous that it doesn’t matter
The Roots
4/5
what a pleasant surprise!!! i love that The Roots got a nod on this list. it’s 100% deserved but they tend to fly under the radar so this was a treat. and i actually hadn’t listened to this album in full before so it was great motivation to get around to it. i think these guys are some of the coolest mfs in early hip-hop and this album does nothing to question my position
Little Simz
4/5
i love Little Simz!!! so great that she got a shout from this project! and i hadn’t listened to this album yet so a nice little treat. her and Kiwanuka are an absolute powerhouse of a duo. i don’t think this is her best album but Flowers is definitely one of her best songs
George Jones
4/5
this was great. exactly what you’re hoping and expecting it to be
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
it was fine but i’ve already forgotten it
Soft Cell
3/5
the epitome of a one-hit-wonder. but honestly some pretty cool stuff throughout. also La La Land reference!!!!
OutKast
4/5
it’s a double album that stretches to 2 hours 14 minutes. you definitely feel it once you reach the last quarter. i think that’s partly due to the first album being tighter and honestly better overall. they do some cool things in the second one but they get more experimental and sometimes it doesn’t last as much as the first album that had great song after great song. still a very, very good listen though. it was funny to have Hey Ya! thrown in there just because it’s so well known and i didn’t recognize most of the other stuff. my favorite things was a crazy shout. overall will definitely listen to Speakerboxxx again but maybe not The Love Below
Eagles
4/5
these guys rule
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
i’m sorry but this album does not need to be here. it’s completely fine musically but there’s not a single thing it does that another group does better and more interestingly already on this list. just a waste of a spot imo
The Divine Comedy
4/5
i’m a sucker for this big voice, huge production, overly theatrical, pretty weird shit. i always have a great time listening
Brian Eno
3/5
super weird. obviously expected from these two but still worth noting. cool stuff here and there but mostly good as background noise
Bauhaus
3/5
honestly better than i was expecting it to be after judging the album art and hearing the first 30 seconds of the album. it wasn’t exceptional or anything but it was fine enough
Wild Beasts
3/5
this was interesting. not great. kind of felt like they were trying to walk a tightrope between harder rocking indie and easy listening background tunes. and i’m not sure it worked super well. it wasn’t blasphemous but it wasn’t for me
The Who
4/5
i’m glad this site finally forced me to listen to this!!! been a blind spot that i should’ve covered years ago. and it’s pretty damn cool. the music actually doesn’t do crazy much for me but the work as a whole is undeniable. and it has pinball wizard
Cheap Trick
4/5
this was fun. the energy was felt throughout
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
i have a cold right now. so i’m kinda floating through the world. and i decided to take a walk in the woods and listen to this. and it was definitely one of the best listening environments for it. these guys are pretty damn cool. also if time travel existed i think michelle phillips would have made a good pair
Shuggie Otis
4/5
pretty cool overall. funky with more jazz tied in here and there. i think the shorter jazzier instrumental songs were pretty easily my favorites
Peter Gabriel
3/5
this was good but i honestly didn’t love it. i liked So much more from him. not sure exactly why
Boards of Canada
3/5
pretty cool but gets a little tiring… good for driving at night through the city though!!
Black Sabbath
4/5
obviously very good overall but that opener of War Pigs and Paranoid is absolutely crazy
Lightning Bolt
3/5
the headspace i was in while listening to this matched the music shockingly well. not a great thing unfortunately! i don’t know why it’s on this list, the band has less than 30k monthly spotify listeners and it’s not like this album shaped the course of music history. but honestly i didn’t hate it. i didn’t like it, it’s very noisy. but i didn’t hate it. a classic 3
Milton Nascimento
3/5
pretty interesting throughout
Iggy Pop
3/5
I feel like Iggy Pop really encapsulates a certain vibe stylistically that doesn’t exist in the world today. so it’s cool to be able to step back and live in that world for a little while
Heaven 17
4/5
these guys were cool enough that i got halfway through the album a second time and didn’t even notice. i supposed that means that no songs were super memorable either but i like to look on the brighter side. i would’ve listened for much longer. pretty damn cool
De La Soul
4/5
just so fun the whole time. this is the typa stuff that makes the 80s better than the 90s for rap
Ministry
3/5
generally speaking i don’t like this kind of music. but these guys did some cool stuff arrangement wise that kept me on board more than other groups that sound like this
Alice Cooper
3/5
when i think of Alice Cooper i think pretty hardcore - mostly just because of his presentation. i don’t know much of his stuff. but this wasn’t super hard. it probably was for 1973 though which makes it very cool. because this is the hardest they could even conceive of back then (generalization but whatever). and it works really well to this day because we don’t have music that sounds like this anymore. because it doesn’t have to!
The Killers
4/5
this really is an album that will continue to stand the test of time i think. Smile Like You Mean it still my favorite
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Neil Young is good but i don’t think he’s as great as this list thinks he is. never a bad listen but feel like we could’ve given up a couple of his albums for other artists
Thelonious Monk
4/5
stuff like this makes the list because it’s proved it’s worth over the last 70 years. and will never stop being worth listening to
Thin Lizzy
4/5
honestly fun and intense the whole time. very good live album
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
i was not on board off the bat but i got there. could verge on a low 4 but i think i’ll stick with a high 3 since it kind of fell to background noise for good bits of it
3/5
sounds like you’d expect it to but that’s not a bad thing!!
Stereo MC's
3/5
much more “hip-hop” than rap in the classic sense. lots of singing and even some almost instrumental tracks. pretty cool!!
The Replacements
3/5
fine enough but pretty bland. already heard a ton of british post-punk from this list and idk why we need so much
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
the back half of this album really does some heavy lifting. the front half is unfortunately pretty dull, something that these guys fall into a lot. back half is probably a 4 but front half is a 2 so we'll split the difference and call it a 3
Hookworms
3/5
this was an interesting album. techno and cool a lot of the time. but never anything mindblowing. also i think this is the smallest band to be on this list - less than 5000 monthly listeners?? seems like an odd inclusion but overall not mad about it
The Thrills
4/5
i eat this stuff up. they have that The Verve quality of making music that sounds nostalgic even though i don’t have any history with the group. it just feels warm and easy and like it’d be great to listen to underneath some quiet chatter with people you care about.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
i didn’t love this. i was expecting some cool, classic psychedelia but what i got was some kinda boring old country. just didn’t do anything special
Coldplay
3/5
it wasn’t great but it was leaps and bounds better than Parachutes. don’t get these guys’ massive popularity. high 3
John Martyn
4/5
John Martyn’s Solid Air was the first album i gave 5 stars to on this list so i’m glad to get another one of his in my last couple albums. super cool as expected, lower energy than Solid Air but not necessarily a bad thing. some cool almost ambient stuff going on, especially in that last track
The Yardbirds
3/5
some cool stuff but nothing super special. i can see these guys getting some success back when they were making music but not sure there’s any reason to keep their legacy strong
Billy Joel
4/5
this was very good. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant was in a league of itself even with the other greats on this album. only one album left!!
2/5
almost 3 years later i have come to the final album on this site. what a horrible horrible note to end it on. a 75 minute shitry Limp Bizkit album. so very poetic to represent all the terrible music i put myself through on this journey. but i also listened to the best of the best and found some of my now favorite artists. i really do think this project came into my life at the perfect time, late fall semester of my freshman year of college. and now i’m sitting in my dorm late fall semester of my senior year of college thinking about this project that has been with me throughout my career here. i have grown so so much and i can’t help but think this site has a little part in contributing to that growth. music is so so special and im so glad i was able to spend so much time over the past 3 years listening to such a wide range of it. heavily recommend trying out this site and actually sticking to it. it’s 100% worth it.