Spinal Tap without the humor...

Cool overall sound but few memorable tracks…

This album exemplifies most of what I dislike about 80s pop rock. Affected vocal styles, cheesy synths and electronic drums, lifeless and uninspired performances. Dark, brooding, and brain-numbingly boring...

What a frustrating album - it could have been a great album as a single record but they decided to over-indulge and do away with the self-editing. Most of the not-ready-for-primetime tracks come from Lindsey Buckingham. I am a huge Lindsey fan but most of these tracks should have been farmed out to a solo album. I want to give it a higher score - but it's just too darn uneven and somewhat unlistenable.

I did not get these guys when I was younger but have grown to totally love their Prog Pop sound.

Very atmospheric - wonderful sonic quality - quite meditative.

Interesting production values but the music does not really grab me - just my personal tastes I suppose....

Fantastic songwriter, lovely voice and piano. Wonderful tunes that survive the test of time.

Infectious energy and grit with solid melodic songwriting - maybe gets a tad repetitive

Beautiful voice - but music sounds rather dated

Great soundtrack music with a heavy dark feel - love it but not sure what situation would prompt me to play this music as a backdrop....

Very dated - incredibly cheesy - not my cup of tea but YMMV

Such incredible energy - would love to have a time machine and catch his act at it's inception...

Get a bit of a Talking Heads vibe with a bit more edge to the sound - Loved Nature Boy but the rest of the album is just okay.

Great energy and some great hooks - but a little bit repetitive after a while. If Sam Kinison was a lead singer then this might be the way his band would sound...

Not unpleasant to listen to - some sort of vibes between Tom Petty and The Cars - but just okay

Led Zeppelin at their very best - one of my favorite albums

Wonderful vocal ensemble with beautiful harmonies - mesmerizing and hypnotic...

This album contains a couple of my favorite tracks from The Band - "The Weight" and "Chest Fever" - but overall the album is just okay

Very uplifting pop-rock with some hints of grunge. Lots of great hooks and great production. The first time I have listened to an album by Beck and I dug it!

A very solid effort with homage paid to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Based on the first three songs I would have rated this album higher, but subsequent tracks were not quite as solid.

A solid effort from the Stones - but fails to match the genius of "Sticky Fingers". A strong 3...

First disc was pretty enjoyable - good hooks and good energy - second disc is fairly awful...

I know it's Nirvana...but it's a bit of a snooze fest...

A collection of great songs with a few sub-par.

I love the funk but the other stuff is just ok...

Interesting experiments with rhythm and sound design - some infectious grooves here - but fails to rise above background music from some trendy restaurant

A somewhat uneven effort - but the album works best when it unleashes the soaring atmospheric melodic rock sound - a few of the numbers really carried me away. A strong 3...

Some great classic ZZ Top tunes on this disc, but far below the standard they set with Tres Hombres...

I really had high hopes for this album after the first two cuts with their high-energy melodic pop rock sound - after the fantastic opening the rest of the disc was rather disappointing and the vocals quite awful...

Brain numbing boring...

Sounds like a garage band's version of the Doors recorded in their garage - although there is definitely no Jim Morrison here... A couple of entertaining tracks on the disc - my favorite was "Pablo Picasso" - something about that track pulled me in to their vibe.

Awesome album!

An amazing collection of some of the very best from CCR - I would give it a 5 except I always got a bit bored with the extended version of "I Head It Through the Grapevine." That was my memory of the album and it was confirmed by a relisten. Still overall a good times good feelings collection of music. A very strong 4...

A mixture of some great classic Wings tunes plus some overly sugary tunes. Overall a great disc

I love "Smooth Operator". The rest of the album is okay - not overly inspiring but would be great background music for a candlelit dinner....

Didn’t get it then, don’t get it now. Amateur singing, amateur musicianship…. Okay whatever…

Giving it a higher mark because the album contains a few old classic tunes BUT too much low energy unfocused tracks. Barely listenable because of that…

I'll say it up front - Post Beatles John Lennon was the least favorite my solo Beatles artists. This album just confirms the way I felt - I don't get it.

Some really great classic tracks from Cream here - but also some horrible tracks that should never made it on to this album. I have always been a bit bored with Cream and this album did nothing to dispel that opinion...

Some nice jingly jangly guitar and some tracks with some rhythm and drive - but sounds so painfully 1980s. I could have gotten by with the music but the vocals ruin it for me - too affected, out of tune and overly reverted. Not my jam...

I read other's negative reviews about this album, but dang it, I find myself really enjoying this one. Creative, cool grooves. and I didn't even mind the oddball vocal style.

Not bad but not my jam...

Wow - I was never much of a Talking Heads fan...but this album fell way short of my already low expectations. A fair number of the cuts are simply unlistenable. Pass...

Infectious energy, rollicking good fun, interesting arrangements, and killer vocals.

One of those groups I had not really listened to a lot in my youth and, wow, what an amazing album! So happy to discover this gem…

Wonderwall is a great song and saves the rest of the album. I get a vibe of INXS power pop here, but without the great hooks that were sprinkled throughout INXS's songs. Not a whole lot of memorable music here and even the production seems a bit washed out.

Ugh - if there were was an option for zero stars I would have used that....

I love California Dreamin and Monday Monday. A couple of other tracks on the album are fairly good as well but others, well, not so good. The vocal harmonies are amazing throughout however. The overall sound is quite dated. A mixed bag for me and my score reflects that.

What a frustrating album - it could have been a great album as a single record but they decided to over-indulge and do away with the self-editing. Most of the not-ready-for-primetime tracks come from Lindsey Buckingham. I am a huge Lindsey fan but most of these tracks should have been farmed out to a solo album. I want to give it a higher score - but it's just too darn uneven and somewhat unlistenable.

The band is pretty tight but the vocals drove me up a wall after the first few songs. I kept thinking about Spinal Tap as I listened to it - music for pre-pubescent young lads...

This album is just so much FUN! Infectious energy with a massive feel-good vibe. This would be the perfect record to spin for my end-of-summer pool party!

This album is as comforting as a campfire or a visit to an old friend. I love it - Neil is an ace songwriter and he delivers on this one (he was on a streak of 3 incredible albums in a row with this one).

This is Deep Purple at their very best - I have loved this album since I first heard it back in the early 70s. It still sounds great today!

Great production, great vocals, solid band. Not unpleasant to listen to m, but a bit too much pop for my tastes. However, I listened to a Taylor Swifft album all the way through and it wasn’t bad…

I felt the urge to upchuck -I cannot resist the temptation to go out and buy this album and defeate on it…

The voice of an angel…

Angelic voice and captivating songwriting - my kids love this one and I see why after a listen.

I grew up not really being that much into Steely Dan. What the hell was wrong with me?!? This album is solid from start to finish and the music is just so cool. I am out to the store to add this CD to my collection!

I have always loved Karen Carpenter's voice - she has one of the sexiest alto voices of all time. And her brother Richard is a master arranger of music and this collection of songs shows his master's touch. Probably not going out to buy this...but did I say how much I absolutely love Karen's voice!

If it’s poetry put it in a book so I can read and follow it. It’s not really music beyond a rhythmic beat and, sorry, it’s definitely not my jam…

My first time listening to Rufus Wainwright and I think he has an amazing voice coupled with some beautiful and, at times, quite quirky music. I generally liked his vibe but not totally sure it is my cup of tea.

I used to own this on vinyl and forgot what an absolute gem this album is. Great songwriting and great vocals. Gave me the feeling you get when you reconnect with an old friend...

Brain-numbing boredom gave way to irritation as I realized this was a 2-disc set and that 2 hours 18 minutes of my life I'd never get back...

This is a rather subjective review since I was never in 80s pop and this album just confirms my bias. There is some good production work here and some catchy hooks and beats. Still, I have no desire to ever give this a re-listen.

This album exemplifies most of what I dislike about 80s pop rock. Affected vocal styles, cheesy synths and electronic drums, lifeless and uninspired performances. Dark, brooding, and brain-numbingly boring...

Rated this a weak 4 mostly on the basis of "Love in an Elevator" which in IMHO is one of the greatest Aerosmith songs ever. The rest of the album rocks pretty hard in sections but overall they are not breaking any new musical ground here...

Three iconic songs, some other cool grooves, but a couple of cringe-worthy bring down the score. A weak 4 for me...

For an album that inspired so many English guitarists, it is surprising that there is little guitar or it is mixed way down in the recording. I have never been a big fan of the simple I-IV-V blues and this album does not venture far from that blues format. Just a meh for me...

Catchy and fun at first - but then the repetition takes over...

Some sultry and smokey cool jazz grooves that would make perfect background music for an intimate dinner party of two...

Very cool trippy vibe. Not what I usually listen to but it really hooked me and drew me in.

Very tight band who can lay down some funky grooves...but on a deeper level this music does not speak to me at all. It quickly became very tedious. Sorry, not my jam...

Love the 12-string guitar and the vocal harmonies. Solid songwriting and a few iconic songs of the era. Never had listened to this album before but it still sounds fresh some 55+ years later. Great stuff!

Every single musical element that makes me hate (most) every album from the 1980s. What the hell happened??

Probably would have enjoyed this more if I was sitting in a nightclub where this was being performed live - but I know it is Miles Davis the jazz genius but it all just starts to blur together and I can't recall what I just listened to...

I wore grooves into my vinyl pressing of this album. Simply awesome ensemble playing. Sorry for the folks who simply diss prog bands - but goodness gracious, these guys were amazing technically proficient musicians. This music continues to amaze me after all these years.

I loved every track on this album. Big powerful sound very reminiscent of Queen in their heyday. Great stuff - must go out and buy this CD for my collection.

Probably would have been better if I had died before listening to this drivel....

The music is pretty cool (although I am not really a fan of hip hop)...BUT...I am giving this a 1 rating based on finding out he had taken music from South African musicians and failing to credit them for their work. NOT COOL, NOT COOL AT ALL!

Not my favorite period of the Beatles, BUT their sound totally changed the landscape of rock music and this album is a testimonial to that.

Peter Gabriel captures magic in a bottle here - pure sonic bliss!

This album should have been listed under "1001 Albums you would have wished you had died before listening to this dreck"... 40 minutes and 35 seconds I'll never get back...

I am not a fan of this genre and all this album did was to reinforce that dislike. Give me props, I listened to to the whole recording, excruciating as that was. Ugh!

Surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did - excellent singing and great production for the timeframe. A strong 3 for me...

Not really what I usually listen to, but she does have a very compelling voice and vocal style. Kept me interested through most of the disk. A strong 3...

Tedious and seriously overrated

This album got a lot of airplay at my apartment years ago. Sounds great - captures a lot of their energy from their live shows. And they kept getting better!

Liked this a lot more than I expected - great production and lots of energy - but the repetitivity starts to lose interest. Still, not bad

Fantastic voice and just a very cool vibe

A bit rambling - can imagine a midnight jam session with a lot of joints being passed about - but some great vocals and cool vibes. A strong 3...

Not my jam - but give it an extra point for being more musical than what I hear from this genre

First of all, not my jam. But did have some energy and interesting hooks that rose this effort above others that I've heard in this genre. Gives it a bonus point...

This was great! Totally rocking grooves with fantastic vocals. Must add this CD to my collection!

Started off with some good energy and catchy engaging riffs but quickly descended into boring tedium. A weak 2 in my book....

Pretty much pure crud all the way from start to finish...

There were some very cool atmospheric vibes from this album after a time started to meld together so that one track became difficult to discern from another. Still, a good candidate for musical wallpaper you might want to play in the background as you chill out at the end of the day...

Not unpleasant to listen to, but for me no memorable song or riff. Not a bad choice for some background music on a lazy weekend day...

I loved this album when I first heard it in the early 70s and it still sounds fresh today. Probably the best album Sabbath ever recorded IMHO. Pure heavy metal bliss!

Not something I would normally listen to, but, you have to tip your hat to the impeccable musicianship and skilled arrangements here.

So many iconic songs sprinkled throughout this album plus the impact this had on the evolution of rock music lift this effort to five stars for me.

No standout tracks (for me) but the overall vibe of this effort is very cool and perfect for a lazy afternoon sitting under the sun by the pool.

I had never heard of this group before but found this album to be a pure delight, so much so that I had to listen to it again as I was swept up into the infectious grooves. Who would have thought of "Comfortably Numb" performed in the spirit of "Staying Alive". Awesome...

Not at all my jam - but more musicality than I've heard of others in this genre...

Quite a quirky little album with some gems lurking about in some otherwise barely tolerable tracks. Sometimes Floydish, sometimes a bit of Supertramp, and a whole lot of Broadway musical. Strange...

Cigarette smoke and the taste of dry martinis. Quite a cool time traveling trip to the early 60s. Cool!

This album was a real bright spot in the changing landscape of early 80s music. Still a family favorite for long road trips - the best of Dire Straits!

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would - a sad farewell to a significant talent who fell into the abyss of too much LSD.

Music full of sound and fury signifying nothings..except a total lack of talent

This album turned my brain inside out when I first heard it as an 8th grader in the late 60s. Some of it sounds a bit dated now - BUT - the entire album gets a boost to the top rating simply based on the fantastic track "Spanish Castle Magic" - it sounded amazing all those years ago and still sounds as fresh and energetic today.

I grew up despising disco - but let's face it, this album really grooves. Impeccable vocals and overall musicianship, plus solid production really lifts this album above others. Really surprised myself I got into this album so much.

Lifeless songs spiced with cheezy synths and affected vocals makes up a hearty shit stew...dig deep and eat your fill...

Not bebop, but beep boop beep. At times sonically interesting and at others pure tedium

A bit too much of the garage band sound here - the vocals made me cringe at times - but the bass player is phenomenal

I got a bit of an 80s era Peter Gabriel from some of the tracks - although without his vocal chops and lacking the solid musicianship from his work. Not unpleasant to listen to but scratching my head how to rate. Probably a weak 3 from me…

This album was just some good straightforward alt rock with solid production. A lot of fun, had my head bobbing and my feet tapping as I drove down the freeway with this music cranked up!

There were some of my favorite Doors tracks on this album, but it is still an uneven effort with the usual dreck one encounters with the Doors catalog. Probably better than other Doors albums I’ve sat through but still difficult to rate higher than mid range…

I did not get these guys when I was younger but have grown to totally love their Prog Pop sound.

It’s albums like this that make me glad I’ve taken on this listening challenge. I picked up on some early Who and Alice Cooper band vibes. The album rocks and is elevated by its humorous approach. Just a lot of fun and great grooving music!

My first exposure to Sonic Youth - it was so much fun I had to give it two spins. The distortion and discordant notes really work in the framework of this music. I love the experimental feel of this album and will seek out more of their work.

As I am not really into hip-hop and Kanye West is a certified whacko, I did not expect to be entertained by this album. However I find it quite listenable and quite musical.

The voice of an angel

Easy breezy sitting out on the patio on a Saturday afternoon kind of music. Dig it...

A master class in old school country music - amazing musicianship that will bring a smile to your face

This album contains two of my favorite Tears For Fears songs, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The rest of the album does not seem to achieve those same heights but there is some very cool atmospherics and the musical arranging and production is spot on - adds up to a strong 4 for me.

Spinal Tap without the humor...

Great voice - arrangements sort of remind me of Hall & Oates - pretty cool laid back sound. Works for me...

Had never listened to this album straight through before and what a treat! Classic Stones at their peak before they started going sideways in the 70s.

A voice as smooth as silk - a bit dated but still sounds great.

Feels (and sounds) like an inside joke that I didn't get - sounds like an electric guitar wired to a garbage disposal. As I said, I don't get it...

I never could really get into Metallica - largely because of the grating vocals - but also because the music is boring and repetitive. A listen through to this album confirms my views... A weak 2 because there are some cool riffs here and there...

This album rocks pretty hard and the arrangements are quirky but quite catchy. Language is quite offensive so that knocks it down a point for me.

Overall production of this album seems a bit trebly which accents the flinty grating nature of the vocals. Musicianship and arrangements are very good , but overall the tracks are not very memorable. I did highly enjoy “Eli’s Coming”.

Cool overall sound but few memorable tracks…

There's a lot of flash here, but not much substance. It reeks of 80's hair bands which I never really could get behind. A lot of radio friendly material but nothing that really satisfies - although I always sort of dug "Animal". The rest of it, when it comes on the radio I immediately tune to another station. Three stars for all their commercial success - even if I don't get it...

Not my jam...

You've got to give this groundbreaking album a lot of respect - even if it sounds a bit dated. They were really pushing the envelope on this album and paved the way for a lot of others. Not my favorite Beatles album but it got a lot of spins in my youth...

A tough one to rate. It contains three of the all-time S&G tracks - (America, Mrs. Robinson, and Hazy Shade of Winter). Some of the material is OK - some is just plain awful. Pretty adventurous for the time so I am going to bump it to a 4. But, BTW, the Bangles follow-on version of Hazy Shade beats the original hands down....

Hard for me to be objective as this is definitely not my jam....

Light and lilting with a bit of a Celtic twist. The vocals are awesomely beautiful.

Enjoyed this more than I anticipated - the raw energy is great - awesome rhythm section drives the music hard - but the album did seem to get a bit tedious and repetitive towards the end. Would be willing to give it another listen so that works out to a weak 4 for me...

I absolutely love the opening track "Darkness , Darkness" and I kept listening and waiting for something else on this disc to rise to this level but was largely disappointed. Such a shame...

The only context I could listen to this album again would be at my local pub working on getting blackout drunk on pints of Guiness and shots of whiskey.

Light, sweet and fluffy like cotton candy. One step removed from bubble gum music of the 60s and 70s.

I'm sorry, but this is gawdawful crap to my ears...

Some interesting beats and textures but hard to be objective when this isn't your jam...

With an infusion of electric funk. a tight rhythm section, and searing musicianship, this album solidly rocks!

Power pop with a hint of grunge - rocks hard at times. Not unpleasant to listen too but gets a bit monotonous and breaks no new ground musically

Not my favorite Yes album but, WOW, do they take you on a magical music journey on this album! Amazing creativity and musicianship - I had a number of goose pimple moments listening to this - the towering church organ, the glissando guitar accents - it is all so awesome. Bravo!

Rikki is a great song - but the rest of the disc never seems to rise to that level again. I dig Steely Dan but this is far from their best. Still going to give it a strong rating based on body of work...

Hard to get past the overly nasal affected vibrato of the vocals...plus the solidly amateur musicianship...this works out to a loud clunk for me...

Some really great symphonic pop here but probably could have been edited to a single disk. A strong 3 for me

This album was recorded while Frank still had his voice, and it is smooth as silk. Not at all the kind of music that would make its way onto my turntable, but it does capture an important artist near his peak.

There were some nice moments and compelling musical textures - but after a while boring and so incredibly low energy. I am trying to imagine a scenario where I would put this disc on the player and imagine it would be while planning for a suicide...

Put on your smoking jacket, pour yourself an ice-cold martini, and then put this record on your turntable. Classic crooner music..

This one is lost on me. To my ears it is rather sterile and lifeless. Definitely not my jam…

Great background music for a mid-summer beach party - however that is part of the issue in that it never really raises itself above being just background music...

Decent rhythm section but hard to get past the astoundingly horrible vocals

There are about two songs from Judas Priest that I really like, but neither are present on this disc. Strangely this is one of those cases where the whole is LESS than the sum of the parts. It's likely due to the songwriting where most of the songs seem like a parody of metal music, bordering on the silly or stupid. I give it a weak 2.

Not my jam

I am not a fan of hip hop at all…BUT this disc had some really fun funky grooves, great creativity, and some solid vocals with an overall positive fun feel to it. I am surprised to give a hip hop album such a high rating but it was a pretty solid effort.

80s power pop for the masses. Fluffy, not stuffy. Not unpleasant but lacking any kind of substance….

Beautiful in a bittersweet, sad and haunting way. The sparse arrangements work well with the sonorous vocals.

This was my first listen to a Kate Bush album...and WOW! Beautiful lush and atmospheric sounds and the voice of an angel. It sounded to me like she was channeling Peter Gabriel...a lot of similarities to his "So" album. Really enjoyed this one!

Crappy garage band of the year…