737
Albums Rated
3.58
Average Rating
68%
Complete
352 albums remaining
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1970s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
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US
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
153
5-Star Albums
12
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Venus Volume 1 | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Grievous Angel | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
| A Northern Soul | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Paris 1919 | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| Sail Away | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| Groovin' | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| Microshift | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Teenage Head | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Behaviour | 5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
| Bandwagonesque | 5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulgar Display Of Power | 1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
| Basket of Light | 1 | 2.76 | -1.76 |
| Histoire De Melody Nelson | 1 | 2.75 | -1.75 |
| Dummy | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Dr. Octagonecologyst | 1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
| Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby | 1 | 2.65 | -1.65 |
| Timeless | 1 | 2.53 | -1.53 |
| Reggatta De Blanc | 2 | 3.45 | -1.45 |
| The Fat Of The Land | 2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
| Come Away With Me | 2 | 3.39 | -1.39 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 6 | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.6 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.75 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| U2 | 3 | 4.67 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 4.67 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4.17 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.25 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.25 |
| David Bowie | 7 | 4 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.33 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 4.33 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.33 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.33 |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.33 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| King Crimson | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (153)
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Popular Reviews
Joan Armatrading
5/5
What in the name of the 1970's Tracy Chapman is this album? I have never heard a single song by this artist but this album feels like the precursor to many 1990's female singer-songwriters. I can't understand how she is not spoken in the same breath as many other singer-songwriters in the 70's. It could be because she never had that huge hit song.
Armatrading has a unique voice (both figuratively and literally) and I'm ready to explore some of her back catalog to see if I can see what other artists she influenced. If you had told me this album came out in the late 80's or 90's then I would have believed you. Even if you don't love the music, this album is a must-hear.
25 likes
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Never listened to this band, but this is stupid glam metal and I am absolutely here for it. This was better than I thought and influenced Poison/Motley Crue and others. Great album as long as you are willing to have fun with it.
10 likes
Oasis
5/5
As revolutionary as this album sounded back when it was released, it sounds just as revolutionary today. With a lot of today's rock music overproduced and over-overdubbed, "Definitely Maybe" is still an outlier as a band that truly believes they are the greatest band in the world. This is a time portal back to the 90's when Blur and Oasis would fight over who could get the highest charting single.
I heard "Morning Glory" before I heard this album, and though I still prefer it to "Definitely Maybe," you can feel Oasis had an even better album in them. This album is like a shot of adrenaline.
6 likes
Hookworms
5/5
I had never heard of this band. They are what would happen if Joy Division and Muse had a baby and then put that baby up for adoption, only to be adopted by LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth.
I really enjoyed this album and was a bit surprised that I had never heard of it.
3 likes
Underworld
3/5
Great album name, first off. I can see a child saying this when asked about how school is going. One of the best songs isn't even on this album, that song being "Born Slippy," which did not please me. I have similar comments about this album as I do many techno/disco/house albums in that it needed someone to edit the songs down and shorten the album. I get it though.
Club + dancing + drugs = We don't want the song to end
When I am just casually listening, I do want the song to end if I feel it is not going anywhere. Now that I have complained, I liked Juanita, Confusion Waitress, Pearl's Girls and Stagger. There is fun stuff on here but I'm also not knowledgeable enough to know how this music differs from the other dance music on this list that it must be represented.
2 likes
1-Star Albums (12)
All Ratings
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Very relaxing album and technically proficient. I don't know if I had to hear this album though.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
This album deserves to be listened to simply because the scale of the projected and how the sound Billy Corgan was attempting to create differed from the grunge movement that had almost died at this point. This album showed growth in the Pumpkins sound, but my God, it's long. I can't help but think if it were a single album then it would get a higher rating. The scale is what differs it from other albums, yet also what causes this album to drag a bit in the middle from bloat.
Blur
4/5
I have listened to a lot of Blur, but never to this album all the way through. It's a very good album and I think it deserves a place in the book because it shows a change in their sound from the previous work. Especially notable for the change in lyrical style that is full fleshed out with "13."
The Killers
5/5
This album is an absolute must-listen for music fans. It has two songs from the "Murder Trilogy" and there is not a bad track on this album. "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" has a fantastic bass line and though 7 of the songs exceed 4 minutes, they never drag.
Neil Young
4/5
Really great album and a sort of emotional comedown from "Harvest." This record gets overshadowed a bit by Young's other work, but "See the Sky about to Rain" and "Walk On" are classics.
I think this is an album you must hear, as it is a partner album in some ways to "Harvest."
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Hard for me to rate this album in some ways. Is it a good album? Yes, it is a good album. Does it contain any classic songs that make this record a must-listen? I don't think so. So while I enjoyed listening to the album, I did wonder if it deserved placement as an album I "must" hear. It drags in the middle.
Most of what is done here is done better by the same members of the band (in different musical groups/solo). It's clear Neil Young is the most engaging songwriter (in my opinion), so I would not put this album on the list.
OutKast
3/5
These are two solo albums combined into one under the name "Outkast." As an Outkast fan, I don't think this is essential listen. What they are doing here was done much better on previous albums. Double albums are always hard to find essential and this one is no exception.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
I like Grizzly Bear. I don't know why this album would be considered on this list of albums that must be heard, as there are other bands with better albums in this genre.
Metallica
4/5
This is not my favorite Metallica album as that would be "...and Justice for All" but this is an essential album to listen to, as this is the album that helped continue to bring the thrash metal genre more in to the mainstream. This is the album that helped set up "hardcore" Metallica fans to be disappointed with every 90's release.
Even if you don't like thrash metal, this album helps set the precedent for other bands to come.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Not much else that can be said about this album. The production is great and the songs are all classics. The weakest song on the album is "Oh Daddy" but it's still a good song. Imagine if "Silver Springs" had replaced "Oh Daddy."
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Incredibly influential album. This absolutely deserves a spot on the list.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
This album resonated with a lot of people even though it sold poorly. I enjoy the album but it's so dreary and the songs sometimes can outlast my patience. Overall, I think it's an album that deserves to be on the list, though I would not come back to listen to it very often.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Not unlistenable as I anticipated it may be based on the name of the group, the name of the album and the cover art. The album was good background music and better than I anticipated, as it was all instrumentals. I probably would not re-visit this album and struggle a bit to see why it was added to this book as a "must" listen.
Tito Puente
2/5
It was not offensive music but well before my time and I simply don't understand the draw of this album. I wish I could enjoy it more.
5/5
I have never heard this album all the way through and I have been missing out. I've never totally gotten into Bowie but this feels like a gateway for me to listen to each of his albums. Not a bad song on the album.
Ice Cube
5/5
An absolute classic. "Say hi to the bad guy" is an excellent closing track and this is Ice Cube at the peak of his social observation genius. The Rodney King verdicts has influence all over this album and it is interesting he named the album after a movie about a monster that kills policemen, while the policemen make a knee jerk reaction about the monster's intentions. Maybe there is no symbolism intended there, but I think this album is a must-hear to get the temperate of 1992 Los Angeles.
Joan Armatrading
5/5
What in the name of the 1970's Tracy Chapman is this album? I have never heard a single song by this artist but this album feels like the precursor to many 1990's female singer-songwriters. I can't understand how she is not spoken in the same breath as many other singer-songwriters in the 70's. It could be because she never had that huge hit song.
Armatrading has a unique voice (both figuratively and literally) and I'm ready to explore some of her back catalog to see if I can see what other artists she influenced. If you had told me this album came out in the late 80's or 90's then I would have believed you. Even if you don't love the music, this album is a must-hear.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I am not a huge jazz fan but this was very entertaining as background music. I do not know how often I would re-visit this album, but the backstory of this album combined with the instrumental parts that go somewhere and progress through the song makes it a worthwhile listen.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
The expanded double version of this album is even better than just the original. This album is a must-listen because it shows what a talented and varied artist Dennis Wilson was. It gets a bit dreary towards the end but overall this is the diary of an artist who probably was never going to be able to pump out an album every other year. It's clear he put a lot into this record.
Elton John
5/5
I grew up listening to this album, as it was one of the records that my parents owned. Always has been one of my favorite albums and it is really long. No doubt about that but it is difficult to have a double album that doesn't have some sense of filler.
It's hard to differentiate between albums we "must" hear because they have some relevance or significant impact on music in the past or future, with albums that are just really good. It's bananas to me that Elton only has two albums on this list. So based on the limited number of Elton John albums on her, I would absolutely include this album. It perfectly encapsulates what Elton John was about and his music.
The Specials
2/5
I have never heard this album before. It got better as the album went on but it's not my type of music. I don't feel the significance of this album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
The backstory behind this album is sad and tragic. I don't know why this album is considered a "must listen" as I can't imagine at what point would I listen to this album again. I feel Nick Cave's emotions but this is an album that feels "important" so therefore it is considered important. I feel sad for his loss, but there isn't much here to draw me in.
Deep Purple
5/5
I had never listened to a full Deep Purple album prior to listening to this one. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this album was and how many songs that I knew. The bonus edition with "When a Blind Man Cries" makes me wonder why that song was left off the original album.
This album definitely deserves to be on the list, mostly because the song was ahead of its time and there are four classic Deep Purple tracks on here.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
As a person fluent in Spanglish I understood just a little bit what these songs were saying, but I had no difficulty understanding the feelings behind these songs. To describe an album as "pleasant" sounds like a criticism or condescending, yet this is a very listenable album and an excellent example of how music can transcend language differences.
I would recommend this album because it shows the British pop influence on music throughout the world.
The White Stripes
3/5
This album belongs on this list because Jack White helped bring back "real" rock. Saying that, I'm not a fan of White or his many bands. I find this album lacks cohesion, as it seems like a group of songs and for some reason I feel like they are a bit incomplete. Maybe it is the short run time of the songs.
Overall, not a bad album and worthy of being on the list. Just not my kind of rock, as it really lacks any sort of hook that interests me.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I think this album belongs on the list of albums you must hear before you die, because it is unique in the sound and the scope of what Arcade Fire was attempting to accomplish. Saying that, it is not my favorite Arcade Fire album because it is less concise than "Neon Bible" and "Funeral."
For me, what makes this album deserve to be on this list also makes it not my favorite AF album.
Public Enemy
5/5
Great album. I'm not going to be an old man but this is an album not from when rap had meaning but this is an excellent album that isn't just about partying or the celebration of self. Public Enemy was fighting for the respect on the behalf of rap artists (along with others) and this plus "A Nation of Millions..." are a mission statement that must be listened to.
Beyoncé
3/5
This album is not my thing. I think this album is on the list due to the way the album was marketed through visual arts. I don't think it is a "must-hear" for fans of music.
The Young Rascals
5/5
This album feels like a greatest hits album to me. There are a couple of weak tracks, but the Young Rascals put their stamp on blue-eyed soul here. Granted, it's like eating cotton candy and there isn't a ton of depth here, but I think that can be said for a lot of bands in the 1960's who were churning out pop hits.
Cheap Trick
5/5
I see quite a few negative reviews for this album and I disagree with them. The complete Budokan concert is even better because it (naturally) includes more songs and removes some of the overdubbing that was present on this version. Robin's voice was cleaned up a little in parts and a synthesizer was added to "Surrender." I recommend the complete concert version.
Otherwise, this is one of the best albums of all time. Hello There and Come On Come On are great concert openers and there isn't a bad song on this album. This album introduced me to how good live music can be and to Cheap Trick. Highly recommend.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Really great first album and the Stone Roses influenced so many bands that followed them. This isn't quite the perfect album, but deserves placement in this book because of the musicality and the influence.
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Never listened to this band, but this is stupid glam metal and I am absolutely here for it. This was better than I thought and influenced Poison/Motley Crue and others. Great album as long as you are willing to have fun with it.
King Crimson
2/5
I always thought I liked some forms of prog-rock. Based on listening to this album, perhaps I do not. This is music for people who make music so they can tell others how good this music is.
Bee Gees
2/5
I started off disliking this album and it got slightly better as the album went on. While not a BAD album, I don't see any reason this should make the list. It's just soft rock from the Bee Gees and I found nothing on here that justified the inclusion.
Elastica
4/5
This isn't Brit-Pop first off. This is post-punk in the vein of other post-punk bands at the time. I know two members of the band had ties to Brit-Pop through Suede, but this isn't Brit-Pop.
I was never a huge Elastica fan but you can hear some Bloc Party in here.
Röyksopp
3/5
A pretty good album, though it gets a bit slow towards the end. Not sure I would recommend this to others, though the music was inoffensive and enjoyable.
Portishead
2/5
I am in the vast minority on this one. Not a fan of trip-hop, so perhaps ignore me. It's droning and boring to me.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
It gets better as you listen to it more. It was a forebearer to the lo-fi movement that tended to grow more popular through the 2000's.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I have never listened to any Stevie Wonder album other than Songs in the Key of Life, but this was an incredible album and I regret not having heard it before. A very well-done album that absolutely deserves a place on this list. Almost every song could be a single.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
I knew these songs but did not know I knew these songs. The single version of these songs can tend to be the better song, but this is an excellent album overall.
I have never gotten into Isaac Hayes' catalogue so this is a great start to his version of soul.
The Smiths
4/5
This does contain most of the Smiths better known songs, but is a really good album. "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" is one of my favorite Smiths songs and you don't hear many songs that are about corporal punishment and vegetarianism that are this catchy.
I think this is an album that must be heard, because it does not contain many of the hits and gives a better idea of what Morrissey and gang were trying to do.
Norah Jones
2/5
This is an album full of pretty songs. I just do not know when I would listen to this album again, as the pace is slow and it can feel like one long song at times. Very talented artist but I do not think this is a must-listen album and I remain confused how it was showered with such adulation.
This feels like an album that became popular because rich people liked hearing it in the background of their dinner parties.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
I think you need to be informed and understand jazz music to fully appreciate this album. It sounds a lot like other jazz albums to me, so it doesn't necessarily stand out. So for me, it's not an album I would listen to again because it does not feel like a "must" album.
Q-Tip
4/5
I had not heard this album and it was really great. An incredibly engaging album that gets better with repeat listens.
Dolly Parton
5/5
I've never listened to a Dolly Parton album until now and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. I think this is an album that I believe must be heard, as it's a very good listen.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Probably an album that needs to be heard. I am not a Leonard Cohen fan, as I haven't gotten into it as many times as I have tried.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Never heard this album and enjoyed the changes in tempo and even the instrumentals. Not as good as their first three albums, but still really good.
Björk
2/5
Bjork isn't my type of music. So this is going to be a "pass" for me.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
This is a band that I had heard so much about but never explored their music. I will be going deeper into their discography because it's a great example of early post-punk. Good listen.
Beastie Boys
5/5
This is a landmark album based solely on the sound and it is three white guys rapping for Def Jam. "License to Ill" was something completely different in the world of rap and while I have outgrown some of this frat-rap style (as did they) the number of samples and seemingly creating songs based on those samples creates a place for this album in this book.
David Gray
3/5
This album isn't on the list because it's a fantastic album, though many do love it. It does not speak to me personally, but this album should be heard because it really came out in 1998. This sound and the whole British "emotional singer-songwriter" did not feel as played-out as it does now. "Babylon" is a great track and there are other really good tracks on this album.
For those who don't like the sound, this album is like nails on a chalkboard or something that helps lull them to sleep. It cannot be denied this album is the forebearer to many popular and top-selling artists' albums.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
I've heard many Marvin Gaye songs but have never delved into his albums and I regret it. Only 8 songs long and not a single one of them is a dud. As much as Gaye dove into social and political themes on his "What's Going on?" album, he made this a romantic, sexy-time album. It's amazing how he can transition so quickly between what each albums was focused on.
This is a must-listen.
Slipknot
2/5
This is not my type of music. I did pleasantly enjoy the more melodic tracks on the album, as I expected just nu-metal through the whole album. I'm probably not smart enough to understand the inclusion of this album as a "must listen." It feels like there is nothing new here that Slipknot has done other than slightly adjust their sound.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I am not a huge Joni Mitchell fan this album is an important listen as she expands her sound and it is her version of a "road album." I do think it's a must-hear.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
This album reminds me of Chicago's sound and I am not sure who came first. There is a variety of sounds on this album and it feels pretty unfocused.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
My college roommate played this album all the time and I feel this album belongs on the list because they helped to bring club culture to the forefront in the 90's. So this isn't my type of music or sound, as I do prefer more vocal-oriented club music.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I've liked some of The Jesus and Mary Chain's music, though it can sound like noise to me. Still, this is a seminal album due to the shoegaze and how they were one of the first bands to effectively mix pop and noise. This isn't a perfect album, as it may be a bit long, but it's an album I think a person would need to hear.
Robbie Williams
2/5
Would I characterize this album as "bad?" I would not. Does it sound like Robbie Williams doesn't have his own personality and essentially tries to do karaoke versions of songs that sound like Oasis but were not written by Oasis? Yes, it does.
Nothing bad here and there are 2-3 really great tracks that can be found on this album. I don't see anything different or a compelling reason to listen to this album, no matter whether you were a Take That fan or a fan of music. Comparing this album to Harry Styles debut album is like night and day, as Styles challenges himself and doesn't feel like he's creating hits that sound like other hits. Not a bad album, but in no way deserves a spot in this book.
Richard Hawley
3/5
"The Ocean" is a really great song. This is a much different sound than what I would expect from an album by a guy who was briefly in Pulp. I find the music to be fairly slow, but still engaging. While I did enjoy this album, I don't know how it belongs on this list.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
This was a really good album and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I would give it five stars but the final track is a bit of a downer and wasn't my favorite. Otherwise, I enjoyed this.
Stan Getz
4/5
Good music for doing work or just sitting around. Probably not an album I would revisit frequently, but this was very influential and is a good listen.
Donald Fagen
3/5
There are differences in this music and that of Steely Dan, but I can't imagine they are notable enough for a casual fan who hasn't heard this album and would need to hear it may notice. Like Steely Dan albums, this is not a bad album and is perfectly constructed with nary a missed note in the studio. The lyrics are slightly less obtuse than those on Steely Dan albums yet are wry enough to make legions of money managers chuckle silently as they are reminded of how smart this music makes them feel because they get the reference. Every bit of feeling has been wrung out of the music in an effort to ensure the perfect sound has been achieved.
I enjoyed the back half of this album more than the front half, as it seems like it is the less sterile side. While I do like Steely Dan, I can't seem to figure out why this album would need to be heard by music listeners. It's well done. It also doesn't feel like as much of a departure from Steely Dan's superior music as it claims to be.
Dr. Dre
5/5
An absolute classic rap album with a sound that is immediately recognizable. I know some people hate rap, but you can't have a book about "must listen" albums without including this one. It's a window into early 90's LA and the start of the West Coast sound.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
I listened to "The Chronic" just yesterday for this 1001 album project. This is another album that helped define the 90's West Coast sound and so-called "gangsta rap" as well. I've always enjoyed this album, though there are so many skits that it can break up the flow of the music.
Even if you don't like rap, I think this is an album that must be heard due to it being Snoop's debut and how it furthers the 90's West Coast sound.
The Lemonheads
5/5
This is a 90's slacker classic. The Lemonheads were so good at churning out sub-3 minute rock songs that were catchy as hell.
This album doesn't even have "Into Your Arms" on it either!
Kate Bush
3/5
This sounds like two different albums. I would recommend the first half of the album but the second half seems to steer into the parts of Kate Bush's discography that I don't enjoy as much. The first 4-5 albums are great, but the latter half is tougher. Almost great and I would put it on the list just to show what Kate Bush could sound like.
Coldplay
5/5
So many make fun of Coldplay now because they have become a bit of a parody of themselves at times. This is a great debut album though and it does tend to bring whiny piano rock to the forefront of radio. The first six songs on this album are classics and the album deserves to be on this list.
Garbage
5/5
I think this album was innovative in the sound and recording style, as it mixed a lot of styles together. Some really good rock songs on this album and I think this is an album that must be heard just for the sound and the fact there are some great songs.
Garbage is an underrated band in how many hits they had and the techno-rock/pop sound.
Simply Red
3/5
It's not a bad album, I just can't figure out what separates this album from other synth-pop/R&B albums in the 1980's. It's fine and there are good songs, yet it does not belong here.
Prince
4/5
I've struggled a bit to get into Prince's music and this album will not help. I'll give it a good rating, as I do think it's an important album, but I can't say I have gotten into the music.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This isn't my favorite album from the Rolling Stones peak late-60's/early 70's period. It's probably fourth out of the four "peak" albums. Being a big Rolling Stones fan, I still enjoy this album and love the 180 degree turn after their previous "acid-trip" album in 1967.
"Beggar's Banquet" is still a really good album and I think it's a great transitional album where the Stones spread their limits a little bit and tried to figure out what life after Brian Jones may look like.
Tortoise
2/5
I don't see the point of this album being on here. It's instrumentals, which is not bad, but it's not for me and the album is a bit dreary.
The Strokes
5/5
An absolute classic album that captures the early 2000's indie scene as well as any album could. "Is This It" was such a great album the Strokes following albums, even those that were actually good, seemed to pale in comparison. The Strokes last few albums have been interesting and well done as well, but rock music doesn't come as simple and catchy as this.
The worst part of the album is when "NY City Cops" was replaced by "When it Started," which would have been a great song on their follow up album. Of course, after 9/11 "NY City Cops" was not seen as appropriate. What's so great about this album is how the best tracks are hidden towards the end of the album. Pretty much a perfect album.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
I've never totally enjoyed this Sly and the Family Stone album. It's a little slower and lacks the enjoyable funk element to many of the tracks that I tend to like in their work.
Queen
4/5
I have never listened to an entire Queen album and have mostly paid attention to the singles or more popular songs. I am probably going to need to change that, as this is a good album.
Jeff Beck
2/5
This seems to showcase Rod Stewart's talents as a vocalist more than anything else. I've never been a huge Jeff Beck fan, so this goes right past me.
Duke Ellington
5/5
Jazz is a genre that works for me best as background music. This is really great and seminal jazz though. Definitely belongs in the book.
Bad Brains
3/5
This is two separate albums. Side 1 is a very hardcore sound with ska and punk influences (or a sound that influenced punk and ska, as the case may be). Side 2 feels more a traditional hard rock sound, which I enjoyed more.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Never heard this album and it's really good. Hard to pin down the genre, but it's so interesting to hear and I will be revisiting it.
Cat Stevens
5/5
This is the best album that Cat Stevens ever made. It's where he best combined his gift for a melody and hook with the downplaying of his orchestral (and I would call, overblown) sound. He's at his best when he does folk rock and telling a narrative through song.
Some of his earlier albums seemed to meander at times and feel like prog-folk rock, which was not a sound that Cat Stevens really wanted to pursue. This is a must-listen, not only for the hits, but for the album tracks.
Beatles
4/5
This is a really good album and but I tend to prefer the Beatles when they were out of their 2:30 minute semi-boy band phase when they lacked any sort of edge. This album deserves to be on the list.
Fishbone
2/5
It's not my type of music. Growing up in the 90's ska and punk-ska was always there, so perhaps this was a forebearer to that sound. The oddest song on the album is by far "Change," which plays like a power ballad without the power. It is an outlier on the album and feels like something Poison would try to do on an acoustic album they do.
Ministry
2/5
Nope, not a fan of it.
Pere Ubu
3/5
It's not "bad" in those certain terms, but I don't know if I see this as post-punk. It's not necessarily a required album, as it is kind of bizarre.
Public Enemy
5/5
Just a classic rap protest album. It's got explicit lyrics, of course, but the lyrics are well thought out and planned. This isn't lightweight rap about partying and squeezing a message in to the album, as this album is the message. Great one.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This is not my favorite Black Sabbath album, but only because of the standard set for the next three releases. It's good enough and was the gateway to metal.
Evil Woman and the title track are classics though.
Saint Etienne
2/5
This sounds like music that I would hear if I walked into Gap. I feel like I should be looking through piles of clothes and wondering how they find models that all look the exact same. It's not bad and is completely blase and unoffensive for me. I will say, these songs sound like they were made in the mid-to-late 90's, so this band seemed to be ahead of the curve a bit.
Perhaps that is why the album is in the book, because they created music for clothes shopping. Otherwise, it feels so inoffensive that it may as well not exist.
UB40
3/5
I've had a bad run so far with these albums. This is better than I imagined, but it plays like reggae elevator music. I was surprised at how passive and non-intrusional these songs were. Seemed like there were a fair amount of instrumentals, but it's reggae without the swag.
Perhaps the issue is I am not a fan of UB40's music, but one can see why they needed to file for unemployment benefits if this is their best effort.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It took me a bit of time to come around on this album. It's not that I didn't like the album, but I had heard "Blood on the Tracks" and a lot of his hits before I dove into "Blonde on Blonde."
Eventually, I got used to the longer songs and realized this is an all-time classic. Would I trim it by a few songs to make a more concise album? Probably, though I know that is sacrilege.
Mostly, this album deserves five stars for his hair on the cover that inspired every other rock star for the next 45 years who wanted "messy, but made up" hair.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
I probably wouldn't listen again. This is an album that probably best represents this era of music and is included so the 50's are represented.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Another Dylan classic. There are a few songs that tend to meander along with approximately 20 verses, which Dylan is of course known for, which always tends to drag his albums for me. I've always enjoyed Bob Dylan's music and songs like "Gates of Eden" are not bad, but I am not always in the mood for a song like it. Still, this album has classics all over the place.
The first four songs and three of the last four songs are classic Dylan tunes with "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" being one of my favorites.
The Fall
3/5
I can hear Bloc Party all over this album. The Fall was clearly one of their influences, and in fact, a lot of 2000's post-punk was inspired by this band (at least based on this album). So I think the album deserves to be in the book based on how influential it was, but I do wish it were less infotainment and more entertainment.
Nirvana
5/5
A classic. I know there is some distaste for Nirvana, but this album is what makes them special. Stripped down songs and they found it too boring to play their hits, instead opting to play covers and lesser-known Nirvana songs. Great songs can get translated acoustically and rather than play the game of "Here is one of the songs you know, except we are using acoustic instruments" they used it as a showcase for how versatile they could be. The stage banter was fun too!
I feel like this album is an example of what made Nirvana special, in that they could have simply shown up, played the hits and left. Instead they managed to bring a cello into their sound and play songs few would expect them to play.
Johnny Cash
5/5
I have never heard this album and I am glad I could rectify this. I enjoyed the first half of the album more than the second half of the album, with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" being a highlight for me.
"American IV" is a necessary album because it shows how well Johnny Cash can interpret and re-interpret songs to make them his own. "Hurt" is now his song and his voice adds gravitas to so many of these songs. Wonderful.
Queen
3/5
I like Queen's hits and some of the more popular album tracks. I find their albums to be overly bombastic and overproduced. I know, that is what a lot of people like about them, but it's what I struggle with when hearing an entire album.
This isn't bad and probably deserves to be on the list, despite the fact I didn't particularly love it.
Tears For Fears
5/5
I knew the three big hits on this album and never particularly cared for them. I could take them or leave them, wouldn't search them out to listen to, but also wouldn't necessarily turn the station if they were on. Hearing them in the context of this album though, for some reason it made me appreciate them more. The first four songs on this album are absolutely great, "I Believe" is a bit dreary to me. Just a slow moving ballad, while the album picks up on the next two songs. After that, I have no idea why "Listen" is on the album. It's another song that I think feeds the more prog side of the band that I don't appreciate as much.
So I really like 75% of the album and I was surprised I liked that much. This song very much belongs on the list and I will probably revisit more Tears for Fears in the future.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
Having never listened to an Isley Brothers album, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I really enjoyed it, especially the cover of "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," which gives the song a soul feeling that James Taylor is incapable of giving the song.
This is must-listen for me and I will be looking at their discography further.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Even growing up with Sonic Youth and grunge, they never really spoke to me. It's heresy, I know, but I would not recommend this album. It does need to be heard as the sound does mean something for music in the 90's.
Björk
3/5
This was an interesting album. No instruments (maybe a drum machine?) and just Bjork's voice. I can't say I enjoyed the album, but it is definitely one of a kind. I would perhaps listen again to it, but it's certainly original.
5/5
I've always preferred the Stones to the Beatles, but this is an absolute classic album. In fact, this album helped the Stones begin their four classic album run beginning in the late 1960's, as they tried (and failed) to do an album like "Sgt. Pepper's," then realized it is not their purview and pivoted back to their strengths.
For me, this album mixes what I like most about the Beatles together with the experimentation that I didn't like as much...and is successful in doing so. This album was impactful on so many other artists and two of the most successful cover songs ever were from songs on this album.
Beck
4/5
I've tried very hard to get into Beck over the years and I find that I like his singles. His quirky nature doesn't work for me over a full album, but there are good songs here. I find it hard to separate this sonically from Odelay, so I would probably leave this album off the list.
Overall, hearing this album makes me want to revisit Beck's work, which is a positive, but I'm still probably not a Beck album guy.
The Pogues
4/5
As someone who isn't a fan of the current Irish punk bands that are currently very popular (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy's, etc), I didn't expect to really like this album very much. I found it to be pleasant, though I don't know if I would revisit the album often.
This album was very clearly influential on bands today and so it deserves a spot on this list.
Hookworms
5/5
I had never heard of this band. They are what would happen if Joy Division and Muse had a baby and then put that baby up for adoption, only to be adopted by LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth.
I really enjoyed this album and was a bit surprised that I had never heard of it.
4/5
This album absolutely deserves a place on this list and the songs are pretty good as well. This is the forebearer of new wave and the 80's sound that other artists copied or tried to copy.
I will never be a Devo fan, mostly because I find the lyrics to be trite and trying too hard to be quirky. I don't connect with the music, but I have to admit it is good music.
The Smiths
5/5
Classic album and this is a must-listen because it is the Smiths last album before breaking up and shows how they expanded their sound a bit. You can feel the tension between Morrissey and Marr, but that makes it good.
Beatles
5/5
This is the album that proved (to me at least) that the Beatles could have survived if Paul had left the band. His contributions seem like the weakest and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is just not a good song. It is a song that indicative of McCartney's trite songwriting style that sometimes takes him over (even to this day). "Oh Darling" is a banger and it shows the kind of soul and power that makes me like the Stones so much.
This album is definitely worth a listen and is important because it shows how/why the Beatles ended up breaking up. It was the last written/recorded album and contains so many classic songs that are heard on the radio. Don't love the Beatles, but really like this album.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Maybe they just thought there needed to be more reggae or dub on this list. Otherwise, this is incredibly forgettable. Can't figure out why it is on this list. Sounds like a white guy trying to do reggae.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
So the album is long and Side 3 is the "weakest" part of the album, though that is obviously a subjective matter. This is an album that must be heard, just because of the diversity of musical styles and these songs really aren't as great without the context of this album.
I purchased the 4 CD box set when I was 18 years old and absolutely loved all four CD's of it. The songs from Physical Graffiti were among my least favorites, mostly because I thought they were long and didn't strike me as much as the songs from the other albums did. Several years later I listened to the entire Physical Graffiti album and these tracks struck me differently. They were songs that are best represented within an album to show this is the most aggressive and experimental that Zeppelin had been to that point. It's like they took offense at the idea they weren't the best band in the world and the first seven tracks are the band showing off and reinforcing how great they can be.
And yes, it is a long album. It's important to know this could not have been a single disc, and if it had, then we would never have gotten some of the excellent tracks that are on the album. The songs could not have fit into one album and so additional tracks and outtakes (like Houses of the Holy) were required to fill it out. I'll take more Zeppelin rather than less.
Black Sabbath
5/5
I am not a huge fan of hard rock and many of the themes in more prog-hard rock such as Black Sabbath displayed a bit here. This is a great album though and absolutely must be heard, even if you don't like heavy rock sounds.
Planet Caravan's placement has always bothered me though. Feels like the sequencing slows down a bit too much going into "Iron Man," though that could be intentional.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
She makes nearly every song (not written by her) her own. Wasn't sure how I would feel about her version of "Groovin'" but I found it to be really good. This is Aretha at her peak and it's hard to find better music than this. I would love to have this on vinyl.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I have never heard an entire Bob Marley and the Wailers album and this is about what I expected. Goes to show there were other songs not on "Legend" that are really good. Marley was very political overall, which is highlighted on this album and the Wailers are tight in their sound.
I haven't heard too many other reggae albums, but I would recommend this album.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
Was hopeful after the first song this would be a treasure that I didn't expect, and while it is still a good album, there is a lot of similar sounding songs and the background vocals (especially on Track 2) can be a bit unnerving. Not a bad album by any stretch, but also not an album I would recommend on this list.
Admittedly, I will probably explore more of his work even if I don't think this album should be on this list.
Femi Kuti
4/5
I enjoyed this album more than I anticipated I would. I would not purchase the album and would not necessarily revisit it frequently, but I think for the way he makes Afrobeat music (that's the name, I guess) so accessible then this album would be a must-listen.
Listening to this album while doing some work would be enjoyable and I do like how Femi makes the songs so original while also staying true to what he wants the sound to be.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Really fantastic album and I know Pink Floyd isn't for everyone. Though it is a short album (in terms of number of songs), it feels like the 26 minute long "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is many songs in one, which it is.
"Wish You Were Here" is where Pink Floyd works effectively to combine their ability to write a hit (which they very much have) with their need to prog-rock their way through a song.
The Smiths
4/5
Morrissey isn't for everyone, but this is another great album. The last half of the album is full of elite songs. It's simply not fair to other bands the Smiths put three of their biggest hits on one album, then hid those tracks on Side 2 of said album.
Morrissey is an ass, but he knows how to make great albums. On "The Queen is Dead" he sounds like someone kicked his dog down the stairs 25 times and rather than be angry about it, he has accepted it was probably the best thing to do because the dog annoyed him anyway.
Beck
4/5
I had heard about this album, but did not take a chance to actually listen to it until today. This is sad Beck and it's very good. It's a lot of sadness, so it gets a bit sound-same at the end, but overall just a really good album and a nice dichotomy from his usual quirky work.
I am going to investigate more Beck, as I have usually just dismissed him as a quirky guy who doesn't have much depth.
Circle Jerks
3/5
I am not a fan of this hardcore punk music, but I have to say, I didn't hate this album as much as I should have. The songs are really short, which works well for the message (or lack thereof) that is in each song. If you want to know how hardcore punk really started, then this is an excellent start.
I should find this abrasive, and while I probably won't listen to this album often, I would listen to their other music. It's shocking in the simplicity and energy.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
This album has quite the lineup that played on it. I think that is the reason the album is on the list. I don't dislike Eric Clapton and enjoy a lot of his music, but I do find his guitar playing to be dispassionate and very clinical. It doesn't speak "blues" to me. So because this album had young Clapton on it, it made the list.
Otherwise, I don't really see very much special about this album. It's not bad, but is just standard blues performed by a guitarist that is technically really good.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I had the Bluesbreakers yesterday, so it's been a week of white guys doing the blues. Depending on what you like most about the Yardbirds, this will be the album for you.
It's not for me and I do like Jeff Beck. Maybe it is because I prefer other variations of the Yardbirds and just heard the Bluesbreakers yesterday, but this isn't an album I feel like I need to hear. It's better than the Bluesbreakers and Eric Clapton though.
John Coltrane
4/5
Never listened to John Coltrane and jazz can get a bit monotonous to me. I appreciate the talent even if I don't think I would listen to the album again.
Muddy Waters
5/5
I'm a fan of the Rolling Stones, who were greatly influenced by Muddy Waters, so I am predisposed to like this album. A lot of these songs are blue standards and you can see why he was so influential. I think this is an album that needs to be heard in order to understand what other bands are copying and trying to live up to.
When I talk about other bands/artists trying to do white guy blues, that's not this. THIS is what they are trying to do.
George Harrison
5/5
The best solo album by the best Beatle. The first six songs are absolute classics and it's amazing how George Harrison brought together all of these stars in to play on his album. If the Beatles had sounded like this more often, I would probably like them a lot more.
I could have gone without the instrumentals at the end of the album though.
Green Day
5/5
In 1994, this album was like a punch to the gut after the grunge revolution of the last few years. This is not grunge and this is probably not punk either. Does this album have its roots in punk? Absolutely, but I'm not sure this can be qualified as punk music. Regardless, I'm not sure there is a bad song on this album and it caused me to explore Green Day's previous albums as well, which I also enjoyed.
This album is a gateway drug for what I'll call pop-punk and really opened me up to a lot of other "real" punk bands, as well as much of the music I listen to even now. This kind of music makes up a lot of my running music and so this album is a 5-star classic to me.
Also, I thought Green Day was from Europe before I heard them speak. The way Billie Joe sings and how he looked, I thought he looked English.
The Only Ones
4/5
I had never heard of this band and the lead singer's voice did not necessarily bother me as it seems to have others. This is a really interesting album and the first song feels very different from the rest of the album.
Not sure if I agree this is punk music, but it's like punk-power pop and I'm okay with that. I will be listening to more of this band's output.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
This is just not music that I can get into and enjoy. I had heard this album a few times since it came out and it's more of a vibe album than an album I would listen to enjoy on an artistic level (though it is very well done artistically).
I think the album belongs on the list but I probably would not listen to this again.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
This is a super folk group that was incredibly influential, so this album deserves to be on the list. The music is pretty inconsistent for me and I think Neil Young's inclusion on the next album filled in some of the gaps that were present on this album. This is such a chill album and there is a place for that, but it goes down almost too easy.
"You Don't Have to Cry," through "Helplessly Hoping" are pretty similar songs, though the harmonies are incredibly great, there still isn't a ton of variety. I am sure the drugs made them believe they were doing something incredibly special with "Song with No Words" but it mostly just sounds like a warm-up exercise and not an actual song. Overall, a very influential sound and not a bad album, but just an album they will manage to better in the next couple of years.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
This is a good album that I probably would not listen to again, but it's a great example of 1950's lounge jazz. I'm not sure why the cover of Ella Fitzgerald was kept on the album, especially when there is a deluxe edition with better songs, considering Sarah Vaughan did not know the words. As much as I enjoy a goof, not for three minutes.
2Pac
5/5
"Me Against the World" is 2Pac's best album. It best focuses all of the different sides of his personality on one album, with the social commentary, the pleas for kids to get off the streets, the mournful losses of his friends and, of course, songs about his potential immediate death.
If 2Pac had cut "All Eyez on Me" down to one album, then it would have been the superior album, simply due to how he expands his sound on the album and tries new things. The album is too bloated though and "Me Against the World" contains fewer guest appearances, less focus on beats and lyrics that focus more on his mental health struggles.
Even the "lesser" songs on the album tackle heavier issues, like "Lord Knows" where 2Pac talks about how he feels hopeless and the grief of seeing his friends die. He knew the life he led could lead to his death and he felt it was inevitable.
Funkadelic
4/5
I have never heard a Funkadelic album. It's a hole in my music knowledge. I wish this album was on Spotify, but alas, it is not. The standout tracks for me was the title track, "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Rock" and "Cholly."
I am a sucker for R&B/Funk/Soul music with real instrumentation, so this really should be down my alley. Really interesting and great. I am going to explore more of the back catalog, at least that which is on Spotify, to see what else I may like.
Alice In Chains
5/5
Alice in Chains is called "grunge," but I just don't believe they are grunge. I am probably in the minority on this opinion. I really like this album and I understand it's not widely accepted, as Layne Staley has a voice you need to get used to and the band as a whole takes some time to get in to.
Regardless, "Dirt" would be a greatest hits album for so many bands with all these songs on one album:
Them Bones
Dam the River
Rooster
Rain When I Die
Down in a Hole
Dirt
Angry Chair
Hate to Feel
Would
"Jar of Flies," which in my opinion is a better album was released just 15 months after "Dirt" even though it is technically an EP. Then in 1995 they released their self-titled album. Fantastic 3-4 year run of good hard rock. This is just a great rocking album.
The Cure
3/5
This isn't my favorite Cure album and I don't think it is the best Cure album either. It is notable for being the album that kind of solidifies the band's sound and having "A Forest" on it. There is some sameness to this album but it's not bad. Nearly every track has a somber beat and crawls along with that beat. Not a criticism, but it isn't as varied as the Cure would be in the future.
Essentially, this is the album before the album(s) that make the Cure a great band. This is the sound.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
I can't say this album is a "must hear" album for me. It's interesting to listen to and the background that he played all the instruments is...interesting. Out of that context though, it's an album of instrumental music that is good for me to hear once, but not sure I would listen to it again. I just don't know WHEN I would.
A person can be talented and make music that I think is background music, but it is not a reflection on the talent.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
My first issue is track #10 is billed as an instrumental, when Marvin Gaye clearly sings on the song. Small nitpick, of course. This album is what happens when an incredibly talented artist goes through a tough breakup/divorce and isn't able to churn out his feelings into a classic album. Because Marvin Gaye is one of the best R&B/funk/soul artists of all-time, there isn't a way for him to make a bad album and this is not a bad album.
I can understand why he was stung by the lack of success of this album, as he pours his heart into it. It's just...a lot. It's not that nearly every song is about his breakup, as "Blood on the Tracks" is the same way, it's just there is more of a focus on the lyrical nature of the songs and less on the musicality on "Hear, Dear." The lyrics are more straightforward, so there is a bit of a lack of depth and less universality to them. I can't decide if this album is a "must hear" album, as in the context of Gaye's career it's a milestone in terms of the reaction to it and his reaction to it.
Sometimes an album can be too personal, at least in terms of the lyrics. An artist has to be able to differentiate between an album "about divorce" and an album "about MY divorce." I am not sure he does that here. Maybe I hold Gaye to a higher standard than I should.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
For me, this is Neil Young's first real album. It combines his love for long jams and acoustic numbers. It feels like this is where Young really flexes his musical muscles and determines what he is capable of in a song. Can he keep the audience's attention for a 9-minute song? If so, how? Neil Young does not follow a template, but this album has 3-4 classic songs and he's worked a lot of his career off what he does so successfully on this album.
A must-hear album and given he wrote two of the best songs while having the flu, it makes the album that much better.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I really have no reason to like the bleep and boops that were all over this album, but I did. I have a weird fetish for electronica and synth-pop. Kraftwerk is a band I have never heard (other than a few songs) and I am going to need to investigate them more.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I have always had a difficult relationship with Peter Gabriel, just overall. His lyrics don't speak to me and his music doesn't always either. Sometimes the lyrics are great and I don't like the music or (more likely) the music is entertaining but the lyrics evade my interests.
I'm not sure if this is Peter Gabriel's best album or the album that must be heard over "So," though this mixes his artsy and pop instincts better than that record.
CHIC
4/5
Bernard Edwards on bass is one of the highlights of this album and I think that is part of what sets this album apart from other disco albums. If I had a complaint, I would mention the songs are a bit long. When it comes to disco, I think the chorus is probably the only thing that matters and once the cocaine started flying there was no difference in a 4 minute and 7 minute song.
This album gets more interesting on repeated listens, even though I am not a fan of disco. I think this album definitely needs to be heard and I may even explore more CHIC, as it is good background music for when I'm working.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Without comparing the first two albums to each other too much, Led Zeppelin II feels more original (as much as it can be original for a band that stole from other artists as much as Zeppelin did) and the songs are more concise and less (pardon the term) rambling. The first album is a lot of original covers and feels like a band trying to find exactly what they want to sound like.
This album is a steer in the direction of where the wanted to go with the acoustic "Ramble On" and the bizarrely pop "Living Loving Maid," proving they could write a pop song if needed. I think Led Zeppelin II is not the best Zeppelin, but is an album that may need to be heard more than the original because it's a sign of the band determining what kind of band they can be.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Simon & Garfunkel went out on top. In terms of mixing genres, evocative lyrics and memorable songs, this is their best album. While most people wanted more from them, it's hard to argue they didn't go out on top.
"The Boxer" is an absolute classic that I never get tired of hearing. The fact Garfunkel was away for a lot of the writing process empowered Paul Simon to think he could do a lot of this music thing himself without having to worry about someone else's opinion. He was obviously inspired and this album is the great result.
Eels
4/5
This is not my favorite Eels album, as one of their later works in the 2000's trilogy may be, but I see why this album was put on the list. It's an introduction to their sound and it would probably be a bit disconcerting to place the listener right in the 6th or 7th album by the band without there being any huge radio hits on it.
"Beautiful Freak" is a really good album and if you like this then you would probably like most of Eels output. Novocaine for the Soul is a great song and I think E does a great job of mixing a low-fi sound with great hooks. I would recommend this album to people, as I think it will surprise some people.
Dire Straits
5/5
I am a big Dire Straits fan and I am torn on this album being in this book. Not because I don't think it deserves it, but because "Making Movies" is the Dire Straits best album and I don't know how it got left out. So I would trade "Making Movies" for this one in a heartbeat. I get this album sold more, but "Making Movies" was a brilliant work that encompasses a lot of what the Dire Straits could do.
Regardless, this is a really good album, if not front-filled with the best songs. "Brothers in Arms" is one of the best songs Knopfler has ever written and even the non-hits are good songs. Considering how many albums this one sold, it has to be on the list, but there is nothing on here that gets elevated to a masterpiece song, of which "Making Movies" has two.
One last thing...Knopfler should obviously not use the word "f-g" in a song, but (a) it was 1985 and (b) the song is not sung from the perspective of him, but the perspective of two working class guys who are bemoaning how easy being a rockstar is. So yes, they probably would have referred to an artist like Boy George in that way. Not excusing the use of the word, but there is more context needed.
Paul Simon
3/5
I understand why this album is on this list. Paul Simon's solo music has rarely done much for me. I find it interesting to an extent, but I've always struggled to get into it too much. The solo album from an artist that Boomers like so much is bound to be on this list. So, an album arguably worthy of inclusion, but there are better albums that are left off of this list. I think if it didn't have "Paul Simon" on the cover then it wouldn't have made this list.
4/5
It seems this album has been removed from subsequent version of the book and I find that to be a bit surprising. I think Muse has a unique sound and this is probably their best album, so I would include it. They can be a bit bombastic and overwrought at times, but that's also what makes the songs so great.
Layers and layers of instrumentation over vocals. I think this is a great album and a must-hear, even if you do not end up enjoying it.
GZA
3/5
I have never listened to a GZA solo album. This was pretty good and is very much the type of rap that I have always enjoyed listening to. I put a few of these songs in my collection I keep, but am not sure I would revisit the album too often.
Elbow
3/5
I had never even heard of this band. At their best, they share the strengths of Coldplay, Radiohead and Keane. At their worst, they share the weaknesses of Coldplay, Radiohead and Keane.
I was pleasantly surprised by this album and I can imagine it would grow on me more and more as I listened to this album. I struggle a bit to find out what is going on here that is a must-listen.
Adele
4/5
Adele is not my kind of music but the quality of this album cannot be denied. I find it to be a bit dreary and which she had the chance to do the more up-tempo album she wanted to work on. Sad Adele is good Adele, and the music is really good, but I can't say I would listen to this album again.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I am not a jazz fan overall and so this is not down my alley. I think this is enjoyable as background music, but I am not the target audience. Jazz seems like something a person has to understand and I probably do not "get it" to opine intelligently.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
A stone cold classic album. To really understand the 90's, you would need to have listened to this album. Most people know the hits off the album, but there are lesser hits and album tracks like "The Power of Equality" that make this a good lesson.
Like with pretty much every Red Hot Chili Peppers album, it can go a bit long, but I don't think it takes away from the overall experience of the album.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
This album belongs on the list and I enjoyed listening to it. Having said that, the greatness of this album seems to be a bit of groupthink in that a number of people say it is a great album and then others listen and want to like the album, so they say the same thing. It's "cool" to like this album and it is a very good album.
What makes "To Pimp a Butterfly" great is the variety of sounds and instruments that Kendrick Lamar uses. The production is great, but it does drag for me at times during the interludes.
OutKast
4/5
This is Outkast's last real album, as it was more of a collaboration than Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which was basically two solo albums under the Outkast name. I wouldn't say this is their best album, but I find it to be my favorite album because of the diversity of sounds and even the skits were short and memorable.
This was definitely not a lean album and you can see how both Big Boi and Andre 3000 had big ideas they wanted to explore outside of the Outkast name. Regardless, this album is a must-listen for those who want to hear what Southern rap was like in the late 90's/early 2000's.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Never heard this album. I obviously know who the Sex Pistols are and know a couple of the songs but have not made a point to simply just sit down and listen to this. Didn't know this was really the only album they ever made. This is more power-pop-punk than I anticipated. It's punk but I don't know if I expected it to be as powerful guitar-wise as I had anticipated.
Having never heard this album, I can say this is an album that has to be heard. "Holidays in the Sun" starts the album off strong and may be my favorite song.
The Offspring
3/5
I grew up listening to this album and at no point would I have felt the need to tell another person "You have to hear the Offspring album with Self Esteem on it." I find it odd this album is on the list, because I am not sure the impact this album had. Maybe it had a bigger impact on the West Coast than for me on the East Coast. It's really a good album, but is not a "must-listen."
Plus, "Gotta Get Away" only reminds me of "Territorial Pissings" by Nirvana. I want to say they kind of ripped off the chorus of "Territorial Pissings," but that's probably not correct.
The Gun Club
4/5
They have a pretty original sound and I really enjoyed the first half of the album. It died off a bit by the second side. I don't know if I would listen to this album again, but I am glad I heard it at least once.
Minutemen
3/5
A lot of songs, a few instrumentals and it's not bad but is certainly not something I would enjoy. By all understanding, I should enjoy The Minutemen and Double Nickels on the Dime, but it's just "eh" for me. While I enjoy all of the songs being short, it also causes me to think these aren't fully fleshed out ideas, though obviously many others disagree.
Carole King
4/5
With an album like Tapestry, I pay special attention to the non-hits on the album to determine their quality. There are only 3-4 songs on here that weren't a hit in some form for King or another artist. The non-hits like "Home Again" and "Beautiful" are excellent and well-crafted songs.
This is definitely soft rock, but these songs are so flexible they can be covered and moved into another genre fairly easily. How often would I listen to this album? Probably not terribly often because though the songs are good, I've heard them so many times by so many artists. Wonderful album though.
The Go-Go's
3/5
This album deserves to be on this list but the album cover is absolutely awful. In fact, all three of their early albums have bad album covers. I have no idea what the intended message was to be. Both R.E.M. and the Go-Go's were on the I.R.S. label and I can hear some similarities in the music. This is not punk, as this is new wave music. I want to like this music so much, as it is an important album, yet it feels too poppy and there is some sameness to the album's sound overall.
The producer worked with Blondie, and later the Dum Dum Girls, so I don't think this is a case of the producer making the sound more palatable at the expense of a more edgy sound. It's a really good album, even though "We Got the Beat" can get bent. Just a dumb and inconsequential song.
My biggest issue is you can feel the musicianship in the sound, but the lyrics are pretty trite and improved on their second album (at least in my opinion). This is an essential album though.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
No. No. No. It's like a 90's time capsule, except one you don't want to ever open.
Pulp Fiction samples! John Gotti references! Rapping over a beat about drugs and petty crimes!
The musicianship is pretty good. But no. No need to revisit or remember this album.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
I have never been the world's biggest Guns N' Roses fan, but I grew up listening to this album. This is just real, hard rock and roll by a band that favored debauchery. There isn't a bad song on this album, though one minor complaint would be there isn't a huge change in tempo or a slowed down song.
Now, of itself, that's not a huge issue because every album doesn't have to have balladry on it to be essential. Knowing how the band could write and play an incredible slower song, it is just a bit of a shame.
Skunk Anansie
2/5
This was not as bad as the title of the album and the name of the band seemed to indicate. So, better than anticipated and still not something I believe deserves to be in this book.
Frank Ocean
4/5
I had heard all about this album but never taken the time to listen to it. I do think I like it, though I am not sure when/if I would revisit it or not. It's a different kind of R&B that feels fresh and not as stale.
New Order
4/5
I have always listened to New Order, but I have never listened to a New Order album. I knew a few songs on this album, but as someone who knows their later material better than earlier, I am surprised at how post-punk this sounds. I probably should not be.
Not a bad song on this album and I would venture a guess that it is not my favorite album by them (I will revisit each one now), but it's incredibly entertaining and fun.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
This album is the forebearer (as is Gram Parsons) for alt-country and is incredibly important for that reason. The Flying Burrito Brothers did it first, but they did not do it best. I prefer Gram Parsons's and his solo material to this, but there is a place in the book for it. Being first means something, but the songs aren't as good as I would like them to be.
Holger Czukay
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought I may. I was dreading going into this with what I assumed to be mostly instrumentals and they turned out to be my favorite part of the album. It's so weird with beeps and bloops and what seems like an entire sampling board being throw into a song.
If this book wants to include all kinds of music, this weird avant-garde shit has to be in there too. I don't necessarily connect with the music, but it's interesting to listen to.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I prefer the other Siouxsie and the Banshees album that was on this list to this one. This is a nice debut album and has significance in terms of the sound it helped to create. Overall though, I think they have stronger albums.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I am not a jazz aficionado and probably don't have good taste in what is good jazz and what is not good jazz. I found this to be very pleasant music, and though I may not listen to this album very often, Brubeck and his quartet are so tight in their playing.
King Crimson
5/5
Awful album cover. Just terrifying and would make me not buy this album. Otherwise, a really great album even with Track 4 being a bit tedious. This is the precursor to prog-rock that eventually becomes heavy-handed with references that seem to make up the basis for Dungeons and Dragons, which eventually led to Rush. So that's not great, but overall a really good album and I would recommend it.
4/5
Never heard a Loretta Lynn album and this one was really good. The album cover picture is deceptive as she looks very demure, but this is an angry album about cheating and I am very much enjoying it.
I think this is a must-listen, because it's a window into pre-70's country music.
Calexico
3/5
I have desperately tried to get into Calexico over the past few years and it has never happened. I am not sure if it is the prevalence of instrumentals or what it may be, but I have struggled to dive deep and enjoy their music. This is a good album and I think it has an original sound. It's just music that fades into the background for me and so I can't give it five stars, but understand why others like what Calexico does.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
This album is a microcosm of how I feel about Peter Gabriel's music overall. There are some really great tracks (Solsbury Hill, Modern Love, Here Comes the Flood) and other tracks I really have no idea what the hell is going on (Excuse Me, Waiting for the Big One). I can't advocate for this album, but I think it may be important to listen to it in order to determine if you like Peter Gabriel.
For me, this only reinforces my feelings. I don't get it all, but I appreciate certain tracks.
Miles Davis
4/5
I know nothing about jazz and this is supposed to be a fusion sound for Davis. I guess I can tell based on the background music, but I am not smart enough to figure out exactly what that means and recognize it without being told. Great background music and that's not a backhanded compliment.
Oasis
5/5
As revolutionary as this album sounded back when it was released, it sounds just as revolutionary today. With a lot of today's rock music overproduced and over-overdubbed, "Definitely Maybe" is still an outlier as a band that truly believes they are the greatest band in the world. This is a time portal back to the 90's when Blur and Oasis would fight over who could get the highest charting single.
I heard "Morning Glory" before I heard this album, and though I still prefer it to "Definitely Maybe," you can feel Oasis had an even better album in them. This album is like a shot of adrenaline.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
It's fine and unintrusive. I have no idea why this album is in this book, though it seems the result of fund memories being recalled while listening to this group and not necessarily based on the quality of music. It's a bunch of musicians who are competent with their instruments dropping acid and writing psychedelic rock. There were 800 bands doing this in 1967, so I can't imagine what makes this different from the others.
I would not listen to this album again, not because it is bad, but because there are better examples of this genre.
Lorde
3/5
Better album than I had expected it to be. I tend to struggle with these modern albums, at least in terms of determining whether they should be considered essential listening.
The Undertones
5/5
Never heard of this band before today and I regret it. This is a really fun album and I will be adding this to the list of albums I will listen to. What I love about this project is finding new bands such as this.
R.E.M.
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all-time. I bought this album on tape (a yellow transparent tape) and absolutely wore it out. There's nothing that I dislike about this album, even the instrumental. The first four songs and last three songs are classics and help make this album as great at it is.
I was one of the people who was waiting for the REM rock album, but through this life-changing album I got the REM I really needed. The ruminations on loss, death, Dr. Suess (haha) and one angry screed about politics that has many of my favorite lines in it. What I love most about this album is the ruminations on death & loss are not trite and even the fast songs are tinged with a sense of longing and the feel of aging.
I don't like dreary albums as a whole, but this album is an exception. It should drag, but it doesn't. I thought I would feel as exhausted as Stipe sounds on "Sweetness Follows," but I feel energized by each song (even Star Me Kitten). I saw on Wikipedia there is criticism from the band and the public regarding some of the recording and vocals, but for me the lack of perfection only serves to reinforce why I like it.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Not as great as the first album, though this one was sent out only 7 months after Hendrix's debut. I had never heard this one and I have to say, I may be a Hendrix fan now. I really like the Noel Redding song as well.
Hendrix is an excellent guitar player, but doesn't take the time on this album to show off or stretch any songs longer than they need to be.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
This was a comeback of sorts for Dusty and it's clear the intent was to focus her voice on already popular songs. I enjoyed this music, but it feels a bit like Dusty karaoke to take already popular songs and have her sing them. Nothing wrong with that, but does it elevate the source material? Not always, but still a good one and probably deserves on this list.
Janis Joplin
4/5
I had never heard this album. Don't know how long I will revisit it, but it was an excellent, and unfortunately the last, display of Joplin's incredible voice. Her voice is great, but it feels like it hurts her throat to sing. "Cry Baby" is a jam and there is a lot of other blues-rock here and feels like a must-listen album.
Sade
3/5
This album is a time capsule. It's like opening up a time capsule of early-to-mid-80's R&B/soul. You have the soft keyboards, the easy tempo and the excessive use of the saxophone. It makes me want to hop in the car with my parents and listen as they turn on the easy listening station as I play my Gameboy.
This isn't a bad album at all. It's good for the 1980's and has a specific sound that was not really heard prior to this album.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Michael Jackson has always been ubiquitous in my life. I have never gotten into his music because I always heard it anyway. I have a heard time connecting with his music beyond the surface level. This album has a much jazzier, soft-R&B feel to it than the albums after this. It's got a very late-70's feel to it and I think it's an important album. Most of his albums are important in order to document how pop music and his career changed over the years. Saying that, I would not listen to this album again, but I recognize its important.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
How have I never heard this album? I loved it and will get into more Flaming Lips. I generally don't like art rock or avant garde rock, but this album seems to strike the type of sound I like.
T. Rex
3/5
I expected this album to be more glam-rock and it wasn't as glam as I expected. T. Rex did more folk-ish music in the past, so this feels like a transitional album for them. It has the big hit (Bang a Gong) on it and there are 4-5 other really great songs on the album.
Overall, I would recommend this album and I enjoyed it. It's some really great rock and I know there are a few more T. Rex albums and can't wait to hear those as well.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
This album is...fine, I guess? I can't tell the difference in this album and every other psych-rock outfit from the mid-to-late 60's. The songwriting and songs aren't necessarily stronger, though they can obviously play their instruments. It's all over the place with the sound of the songs.
Would my life be incomplete if I didn't hear this album? Absolutely not. Will this offend me and cause me to write vitriol about the sound? Absolutely not. Is the album worth talking about any further? No.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
She has a beautiful voice and the music is good as well. I struggled to connect with the music and the song with the guy laughing all the way through just irritated me. I'm sure it was a fun take, but I tend not appreciate goofs that get in the way of the music.
I'm sure others appreciate it. Is this album essential? Eh, maybe, but not for me.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I enjoyed this album and the instrumentation makes you want to dance. I would probably never listen to this album again, but I'm glad that I heard this album, even if Ginger Baker is a renowned asshole.
The Jam
4/5
I have never gotten totally in to the Jam, but I really enjoyed this album. This is the first \"real\" album by them that I have listened to and am going to add this to my collection of albums I listen to.
Suicide
3/5
Every song seemingly has the same synthesizer and percussion in the background, so there isn't a ton of variety here. "Frankie Teardrop" is, of course, a ton listen and that's not including the screaming heard throughout the song.
I enjoyed this album more than I expected to and this is so bizarre I think it must be heard.
Erykah Badu
3/5
I enjoy R&B and I really like neo-soul. I also like it when neo-soul artists use live instrumentation in their music. This album misses me in some ways though. Erykah Badu has a great voice and the music is interesting, but the songs on the back half just go on and on. It's hard to dive in when the pool is so deep and time consuming.
The latter half of the album has 7 songs and only one of them is less than 5 minutes long. It made it difficult for me to listen repeatedly since each time through the album took over an hour. I think this album belongs in the book, if only for those who can appreciate this album more than I did. Because there are positives, even if it did not come together all the way for me.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Really seminal album, even if it is not Echo and the Bunnymen's best album. You can hate post-punk, but this is the template for other bands that would follow. The songwriting isn't the strongest it could be here, but an album that needs to be on this list.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Dammit. I want to make fun of this album because it is Taylor Swift attempting to be a full-blown popstar, but I like synth-pop/rock so I'm partial to this sound. Really good songs, even if the vocals are a little too Antonoff'd for my tastes and I prefer her folkier albums.
Still, this is a good album and one that deserves to be in this book.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
A classic album and the videos for "Today" and "Disarm" are burned into my memory. Like most Smashing Pumpkins albums, they need an editor to cut down on the number of songs, but it's still a wonderful album. Even the album tracks like "Soma" and "Mayonaise" are classic tracks that simply get overlooked because of the other great songs.
A must-listen.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This is less of an album and more of a mission statement in album form. A lot of these songs are covers and extended jams where Zeppelin is testing out what they can do in the studio and what works for them. It's a really good album, but I do feel the following albums are better. I think if I told someone to listen to Zeppelin then I would have them start with Zoso or with Zeppelin III.
Zeppelin I is a test to show they play their brand of blues and omits a lot of what makes the band great, even on Zeppelin II. These are not derivative blues but the band had not found their voice yet.
Brian Eno
3/5
It's so hard to judge music that has instrumentals all through it. Yeah, the music is great, but how often am I really going to listen to it? This album, especially the songs with lyrics, really grew on me as I continued to listen. Would I ever just put this album on? Probably not.
I'm interested in hearing more of Eno's work, though I would like to hear a similar sound with more vocals.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
We live in a world where Harry Belafonte is ignored completely in this book, where The Cars and Tom Petty have one album in this book and there are zero Chuck Berry albums represented. I mean, the man invented (waves hand around) the music presented by so many artists on this list. So that's our world and this album IS included on the 1001 Albums I Must Hear list. By no means is this a bad album, but it's not essential or nor does it need to be heard.
I have questions about an album's essential nature when the description is three or fewer sentences long. This album has a description that is two sentences long. The description states when the album was made and that one time it was nominated for a list of good albums. It didn't win the Mercury Prize but was nominated. Go to the Wikipedia page and it's just as sparse. Hey, maybe it is an underrated gem, so upon taking a listen and it turns out the music sounds like Paul Simon if he used Phil Collins' production on mid-80's Eric Clapton albums (remember, this album came out in 1991) and then decided he wanted to try some Grateful Dead type of jams.
What are we doing here, people? This is not a bad album, though no songs but the first one is going to be remembered by me. There are a lot of not-bad albums and there are a lot of artists who made better than not-bad albums and they were excluded from this listing. Even most of the reviews read like, "Hey, this album isn't as bad as other Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart albums." It's a low bar to clear.
Listening to this album may rise you above bedlam, but it sticks you with the lunacy of inclusion on this list. If Jah Wobble and his band are trying to invade my heart then perhaps a little artery blockage wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
I won't copy and paste my other reviews of Peter Gabriel albums here, but I feel the same. It's a more mainstream release for sure. I haven't ever loved "Sledgehammer," mostly because I remember seeing the video on VH1 and found it to be stupid. Probably not a popular opinion.
This is my favorite Peter Gabriel album and it is probably a must-hear album for me. Will I listen to it again? Quite possibly not, as I seem to be a greatest hits Peter Gabriel person. Some of the songs are just lengthy and tend to fade in the background.
Nas
5/5
What stands out (to me) about this album is how minimalistic it is. Just mostly Nas rapping with few actual big hooks intended to get radio play. And yet, it's still a classic. Nas has spent most of his career trying to do this type of album again with varied success, but this is the first and the best.
Arrested Development
2/5
I've tried. I just can't get into Arrested Development. I start to listen and want to really focus, then the music just fades into the background. There's just very little here that I can find to be exciting to listen to. I like the live instrumentation (I assume a lot of it is), but I don't know if they are the band that does live instrumentation best. There is positivity in the lyrics, but I think there are other artists that convey that message better.
This album got a lot of acclaim because it was released right before gangsta rap became big. But now, it feels like an album out of time and out of place in 1992. It's like hearing Bon Jovi in 1992, where the music wasn't bad but it wasn't of its time anymore. Still, this is not a bad album, but I don't know if I recommend it.
Animal Collective
3/5
I feel like this is a party I was invited to, but I don't know anyone. It's not BAD, but I don't get it. Pretty cool album cover and the harmonies/sound are really tight, but one of these songs will stick with me.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
I enjoyed the first couple of songs and was excited to hear the rest of the album. Then....I didn't enjoy it as much. I like Earth, Wind and Fire, but I could be a greatest hits person and not someone who can work his way through their discography.
Good jazz, but sometimes a little too smooth bordering on light. I wanted funk and exciting performances, so perhaps my expectations were not in line with what I should have expected.
Aerosmith
4/5
The sequencing of this album has always bothered me. Toys in the Attic is a nice start, but then Adam's Apple and Uncle Salty are next. I find these two songs to be the weakest on the record and there are much better songs on here that would have flowed better after Toys in the Attic.
The highs are high on this album but there are also a few lows, which for me, means the album does not get a five-star review. I guess you would need to hear this album just for the two big hits, but Aerosmith's catalog is so varied between the 70's, 80's and 90's output then really the exact album to recommend depends on the person you are recommending it to.
"You See Me Crying" is a very underrated song. Really good album, even if I find there to be some lows.
Nick Drake
3/5
There is, and I can't emphasize this enough, no reason to have all three of Nick Drake's albums in this book. Why in the world would I need to hear EVERY SINGLE ALBUM THAT NICK DRAKE PUT OUT? I do not dislike his music and recognize he can be seen as underrated, but this is the peak of Boomers picking music they think will make them sound cool for inclusion in this book.
Should you hear one of those Nick Drake albums? Sure, why not. Should you hear two Nick Drake albums? Maybe, but there isn't a reason to do so. Do you need to hear all three Nick Drake albums? Absolutely not. There are good songs on these albums, just like there are good songs on thousands of other albums that did not make this list. Good songs and a legacy of being underrated does not make a "must-listen" album.
This is by no means a bad album, but I'm going to dock it points because I only need one Nick Drake album in this book. It's the same thing with the three Tim Buckley albums in this book. It's not a negative at either artist's legacy if there is one album in this book. "Hey, here's an artist you should appreciate and here is his best album. If you want to explore more of his albums, then you should do that." That's all that needs to happen.
So yes, this isn't a bad album. Yes, there are good songs on "Bryter Layter" and there are also boring songs on this album. It's not his best album, so it should not be in the book. Nick Drake suffers a lot from the Very Important Artist Syndrome where he's an artist you should know and now you are going to be forced to literally every single thing this artist has done. This does not make him an Actual Important Artist. At some point, so many people will say an artist is underrated that he/she/it/they actually become properly rated...then eventually overrated.
Nick Drake's music isn't bad. It's boring at times and really good at times. Give this a listen or don't give it a listen. Pick one album and listen to that one. There's no need to listen to everything this guy has recorded.
ZZ Top
3/5
I'm on a bad run of albums that I have mixed feelings about. From a personal point of view, I would not listen to this album again, but I can't say this book does not deserve to be in the book. ZZ Top has never hit with me very deep. It's all surface-level sounds to me and the droning of the drum machine and steady sound of synthesizers doesn't help me.
The songs are not bad! There are hits here and decent album tracks. It's canned blues for me, and while this sound reached out to a wider audience, "Eliminator" is the Eric Claptonification of the ZZ Top sound for me. This needs to be in the book, but it does not need to be on my Spotify playlist.
k.d. lang
2/5
"Constant Craving" is the real highlight of this album, as it is one of the few songs that is upbeat and seems to really shine. Not sure why K.D. Lang put it last on the album. "Outside Myself" is another good song. So that's my positivity.
I am on a string of albums that I don't seem to appreciate sufficiently. So, why would this be an album I need to hear? What separates this from other country-rock tinged pop albums? I would argue nothing does, because this music isn't bad and is perfectly listenable. But Lang isn't doing anything necessarily that is different or better than others.
If someone said, "Do you know of any country-rock tinged pop albums by an artist that I should listen to?" then I would not list this album. Heck, if someone asked me, "Do you know of any country-rock tinged pop albums by a lesbian artist/duo/group that I should listen to" then I'm not sure I would name this album as one that should be heard. What separates this, outside of "Constant Craving," that has not been done before and/or been done better? I would argue, not a hell of a lot.
So this isn't a bad album, perhaps not noteworthy, which is the problem with it being on the list.
Talking Heads
5/5
It took me a while to enjoy this album. It took me a while to enjoy the Talking Heads as well. The expanded version of this album is better than the original version. The four songs (not including the acoustic "Psycho Killer") that are added in the expanded version are as good (and probably better) than the 11 original songs.
I am definitely more of a "hits" Talking Heads fan than I am an album fan. I think this is an important album to hear even if you don't "get it."
R.E.M.
5/5
You don't have to go far through my previous reviews to see I am a big R.E.M. fan. I consider this album to be one of my favorites by them, definitely more so than Green. This is one of the first albums where the actual political lyrics of R.E.M. can be understood and are less veiled. This album is a reaction to Reagan-ism in the 80's, but like most of their political music, it's more referenced rather than have the listener beaten over the head with it.
Fantastic album that incorporates horns into the R.E.M. sound and "King of Birds" is one of my favorite underrated songs. This album has two hits on it, both of which have been played incessantly, but those are far from the best songs on "Document."
Nirvana
5/5
After the massive success of "Nevermind," igniting the grunge movement, Nirvana decided to actually make an album that sounded like grunge. Kurt Cobain sounds exhausted and this isn't the entire album of radio friendly songs that I am sure the record company thought they would get. "In Utero" isn't a rejection of grunge, but a full embrace of it and features Cobain screaming as much as possible.
Even when this album came out, I remember thinking this album has the attitude of "You want grunge, here you go," as opposed to turning away from the sound that brought them fame, Nirvana essentially insisted "Nevermind" wasn't grunge and now this is what really is.
The album starts off with two songs that are not what is to be expected and then it just goes from there. I really wish I knew what Nirvana would have done after this.
Turbonegro
3/5
My first observation upon hearing the first song on this album is halfway through "The Age of Pamparius" the riff of "Clock Strikes Ten" by Cheap Trick is "borrowed." My second thought is the music isn't bad and this album probably deserves to be on the list.
The lyrics and the song titles are that which would make Blink-182 request the band act a little bit more mature, but otherwise the music is pretty good. Would I ever re-visit this album? I may want to, but "Rendezvous with Anus" is a song title and I am a respectable adult.
The Fall
3/5
There are a few (okay, more than a few) albums on this list that I believe you must be a musician to fully appreciate. There are also a few (okay, more than a few) albums on this list that I believe are on the list because they NEED to be on the list, while they are not bad albums, mostly people pretend to like them more than they do. After all, if a person doesn't appreciate X album then that is a personality deficiency.
I can't figure out if this album falls in either category. A lot of the reviews mention how it is "messy" and when you listen to it then you realize that music can also be abstract. Sure, this is true, but I also believe calling music "abstract" is a good excuse for explaining why an album isn't that great. I gave the previous Fall album three stars and I prefer this one to that one. There are better riffs and more focus to the songs. So I can't decide if this is an album snotty music heads pretend to like or is actually a great album that I don't fully get.
There are some really good tracks on here and a little over half of the album is good. The other tracks are the same continuous riff over nonsensical singing/speaking. Not bad, but I can admit it's not necessarily something I would listen to again.
The Bees
2/5
The Bees is an ironic band name since this music is so laid back it has almost no sting. Bad? Surely not. Unobtrusive? Surely. Interesting? In a way.
Zach Braff has certainly never heard of this band, as had he then they certainly would have been on the soundtrack of "Garden State." It's an incredibly pleasant album and I would listen to it on a sunny day, but there is a good chance I would fall asleep to the lo-fi indie lullaby it presents to the listener. Does not deserve a place on this list, though it is less of a criticism and more of an observation the music plays so well in the background you may not even know you have heard it before you die.
Elliott Smith
3/5
I've never gotten into Elliott Smith too much and what I do know is Either/Or. This is a pretty good album and my only complaint would be I prefer Either/Or and I am not sure this is totally different from that album, but Smith is an important artist so it's hard to complain too much.
Prince
4/5
I have encountered the same problem with "1999" that I find with most of Prince's music. It's just...a lot. Like very long songs that seem to go past their expiration date 2-3 minutes too late. I like this music! I really do! But I don't want to hear an outro that goes on and on. So I can't give this album 5 stars for that reason only.
Listening to Prince's music is like when you tell your mom that you like pumpkin pie. From that moment on, you will be eating pumpkin pie or anything else pumpkin related when you visit her house. Why? BECAUSE YOU LIKE IT. I like Prince's music, but I don't need (waves hand around) additional time for him to get his point across.
You like the song "Automatic?" Well, how about you get to hear the song for nine-and-a-half minutes? You think "Let's Pretend that We Are Married" is a great song, well then how about you pretend you are married to the song and make a lifetime commitment to the 7-minute run-time? An artist like Prince does not have to be brief, but a little editing can't hurt this album and would not have hurt this album.
Great album. I love so much of what is on here. I can't re-visit it too often without the radio edits though.
KISS
3/5
KISS has always been a band based more on marketing than a band based on musicianship...at least to me. I think this album needs to be heard and probably should be on this list, as the history of music can't be complete without a listen to a KISS album.
Saying that, I would give this album a 5-star review for inclusion reasons, but the music is "eh" for me. There is good stuff on here, but a song like "Great Expectations" is one gruff Gene Simmons voice from being a power ballad from the 80's. Points for foresight, I guess.
Detroit Rock City, Flaming Youth, Shout it Out Loud and Do You Love Me are really good tracks. So listen, see what you think and then go buy a KISS doll/t-shirt/lunch box since that's really what they want you to do.
Beatles
5/5
This is where my real interest in the Beatles begins. Rubber Soul is the first album where I feel the Beatles are trying to be serious musicians, even if the songs are mostly sub-3 minutes and very catchy.
As others have said, this is a very influential album based on the folk-rock sound and the background vocals that defined a lot of bands that arrived on the scene after this. Surprised "I'm Looking Through You" doesn't have as many plays on Spotify as the bigger hits on the album. It's a great song.
Aphex Twin
3/5
This album brings to mind a question I have thought about but never posed. Does every genre require representation in this book? Maybe there is just not an electronica or ambient album that must be heard before I die. It doesn't mean electronica is a sub-par genre, but there are just no albums you have to hear before you die.
Harry Belafonte isn't in this book and many of my favorite artists aren't in this book. Does that mean they stink? No, it just means there is not an album of material by that artist which should be heard. The same could go for a genre. Ambient electronica may just not have an album of material that must be heard. I miss shopping at American Eagle too, but that doesn't mean the music should be in this book.
I give it two stars because it's not bad, but not my thing.
David Bowie
5/5
Am I a David Bowie fan? I always knew his hits and always thought they were okay songs. This is the second album by Bowie I have had the opportunity to review and both of them are 5-star albums. I don't like David Bowie but this and "Ziggy" have been excellent listens.
I think I'm a David Bowie fan. Third time is the charm, so I'll know for sure when I get to a third album on this list.
David Bowie
4/5
I just listened to Station-to-Station and asked for more David Bowie music. I did not mean more of his music the very next day, but that's what I received. Reviewing this album by saying "It's not Station-to-Station or Ziggy Stardust" isn't entirely fair, because what is as good as those albums? Yet still, this is a list of albums I MUST hear and I probably would have left this one off.
It's not a bad David Bowie album, but I feel like it made this list since he died two days after it was released. It's a good album, but it's not one of his best. Still, really good and makes me want to hear more of his music...just not necessarily tomorrow.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I try to listen to each album at least twice in order to give it a fair shot, but can be a struggle at times. This album was one of those "at times." You can hear Trent Reznor's influence on a few of these songs, except this isn't Nine Inch Nails. There is intended to be a theme that runs through this album, which would mean these songs aren't just a desperate grab for attention through shocking a person's parents. See, this is high-art shock music.
Marilyn Manson rejects all things contemporary society stands for and desperately needs your attention so he can tell you this. To think this could all have been avoided if his dad told him "good job" more often when he was a child.
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Never really dove into the Afghan Whigs discography, so this is my first foray into really listening to their music. This album started off very strong and then the last 3-4 songs became a bit of a drone and were too lengthy for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this album and would listen to it again. It deserves a place on this list, if only because it's an album that serves as a midpoint between grunge and post-alternative music. It does have a timeless sound.
David Bowie
3/5
This is my third David Bowie album in five days. I am not complaining but it does give me a good perspective on each album's merits. "Blackstar" deserves to be in this album over "The Next Day." This is not by any means a bad album, yet this does not need to be in this book.
This is the most straightforward "rock" album I have heard from Bowie and is also an album that lacks his usual efforts to be inventive and to elevate what he is able to do in terms of songwriting. I still enjoy going through Bowie's album collection, though again, I wouldn't mind taking a bit of a break from his albums. We shall see.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
After owning Chronicle 1 & 2, I decided to start buying a few CCR albums. This is one of the two that I ended up purchasing. It's not only a classic album, but it's just so amazing how they put out three albums in one year. Besides the first six songs being absolutely fantastic, "Night Time is the Right Time" is an excellent cover.
I know the two guitars on "Tombstone Shadow" can irritate the ears of some and it turns them off to the song, I find it to be irritating too. Yet, I still like it. Great album and their second best one to "Cosmo's Factory."
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Fun post-punk music and it recalls a time in the early 2000's when this type of music was found everywhere. A good listen and I think this album deserves a place on the list.
Saying all that, I don't re-visit this album too often.
50 Cent
3/5
This album was highly anticipated and did not let anyone down. It's a really good album full of hits and funny disses of other rappers (Ja Rule, specifically). Gangsta rap isn't for everyone and 50 probably didn't put another album as good as this, but this one needs to be heard.
Saying that, much like many rap albums of this era, this album is overlong. A couple of the tracks with guest appearances could have been cut in the middle of the album. For that, I can't give it a five-star rating.
I have always had an issue with 50 asking on "21 Questions" if she would hug him if he smelled bad. Put some deodorant on, 50. That's an option you have chosen to smell like shit.
Hole
4/5
This album was a pleasant surprise to me. I had given up on Hole after Live Through This, which I found to be a really good album. I didn't know "Celebrity Skin" would be such a good listen. I would give the album 5-stars because I find it to be an important post-grunge listen, but towards the middle of the album the songs tend to drag a little bit.
Billy Corgan giveth and Billy Corgan taketh away. He can write a good song but also has a tendency to have bloat in some of his songs.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
It's fine. Not bad music, but there is no reason this album should be in the book. This is an excellent example of those who chose these albums having fond memories of the band and it influencing their decision on whether to include it. Dropping acid and making out with a girl at a Quicksilver Messenger Service concert, that has to make the band a must-listen? Right?
Awful name for a band, bad cover and just generally boring, inconsequential music. They are a jam band who covered blues very competently. Throw a rock and you may hit a similar band.
Blur
5/5
Great album and it's so hard to choose the best Blur album for me, because it comes down to album cuts. This or 13 are probably my favorite Blur albums. "Parklife" is one of the first salvos in the Blur-Oasis album war and I do prefer Oasis, but if I could combine 13 with Parklife then I think Blur would have the best overall album. Of course, that's cheating.
The first four songs on here are classic and "To the End" is an excellent reverse breakup song. The relationship is over and "they did it," which means they failed. Excellent. I could go without the instrumentals, but they are short.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I like Simon & Garfunkel, but this album contains a lot of the Level-B hits of theirs and it seems to feed to the pretentiousness that Paul Simon's music can often steer into. Not a bad album, but this is a lot of acoustic and mellow songs that can steer towards boring folk rock. The songs are good but Paul Simon has definitely done better.
But the pretentiousness on some of the songs is borderline unbearable. The last song is the news over "Silent Night," which is a move that "South Park" would not parody because it feels too on-the-nose. Track #9 is a parody of Bob Dylan's songwriting, but Simon parodies pop culture references that Dylan would use, then falls into that same trap on the last track. I had to look up if this was a parody or the call was coming from inside the house.
"Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall" is S&G's version of Coldplay's "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall," meaning they are two songs titles which an AI would write if forced to listen to 10,000 hours of either group. I would have left it with two S&G albums in this book.
Bob Dylan
4/5
So I understand why this album is in the book. It's the first time that Bob Dylan really shows he is Bob Dylan. This is how his original songs were first introduced to the public and there are about 7-8 good songs on here, especially the brutal "Masters of War." I can't deny this album belongs in the book, but this is not the Dylan I prefer because there are just a ton of words.
I could not just pick up this album and listen to it, because of the number of verses. Going from "Talkin' World War III Blues" to "Corinna, Corinna" leaves my head spinning. One song makes it seem like Dylan was bored and just amusing himself with lyrics and the other is a very well-done song with an actual rhythm to listen to. If this album was just 8-10 songs, I think I could listen to it more often, but it's an incredibly influential album and deserves a spot in this book.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
I guess the editors wanted to put an "alternative rap" album in the book. This album is not as interesting as Dr. Octagon may think it is. No clue why this album is in the book.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I like Brit-Pop and I had never heard an album by the Manic Street Preachers. Initially, I'm not sure what is so important about this album, as it sounds like the typical Brit-Pop that I tend to enjoy. So a pleasant listen and I will check out more of their albums.
Pretenders
4/5
I had only heard the Pretenders hits and so this is my first full album of theirs that I have investigated my enjoyment of. It's better than I had thought it would be and I am glad it was included on this list. I have read the REALLY high praise this album receives and it probably deserves much of it. I can't say I liked the album quite as much as others may have, but consider to be essential listening.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Bands that have stretched out long jams are not everyone's favorite and I understand that. I don't love stretched out songs and the fact I'm not totally in the mood for a 13 minute song is what prevents me from continuously listening to this album.
Overall, a great album that needs to be heard over the Allman Brothers studio work, even if the studio work contains so many of their "other" hits. This is not white man's blues. Listening to what the Allman Brothers are doing here is completely different from what Eric Clapton was doing. A must-listen for me.
Mike Ladd
2/5
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I was going to, but that's not saying a heck of a lot. This is better than the other futuristic-rap album that I have blocked out of my memory. I come back to whether this album is on the list just to make sure all genres are covered. Not sure why I need to hear this album, because this does not seem to break new ground or enhance the rap genre.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
This is another of what I would call a Boomer addition to this list. I tend to dislike Eric Clapton's version of the blues, though I will admit Bell Bottom Blues is one of my favorite songs ever. This album is not as bad as I was anticipating, specifically Side 1 and part of Side 2, but once the long guitar solos begin, it tends to annoy my ears a bit more.
I think this album is on the list because of "Layla" and it is a supergroup that is fondly remembered. Is this album so good it deserves inclusion? I would say it is not.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
I was a bit shocked that I liked this album a lot. I knew most of these songs from covers by other artists, but had never heard the Buddy Holly versions. The cover of the album looks super-white and nerdy, but the music is pretty dang good.
Van Halen
4/5
1984 deserves a spot on this list. I have complicated feelings about this album because the best songs (in my opinion) on this album are probably the songs that eventually would cause David Lee Roth to leave the band. "I'll Wait" is a song that could have been on "5150." You can feel Eddie Van Halen moving the band's sound away from the band's previous song with the use of the synthesizer. Roth's lyrics have also shown no progression and are still pretty juvenile. I guess you don't ask Roth to be mature and expect it to stick.
I will admit the "I don't feel tardy" line on "Hot for Teacher" still makes me chuckle for some reason. I have to be in a specific mood to hear this album, but it is the song of a band moving apart from their lead singer.
ABBA
4/5
Enjoyed this album more than I thought. Not my type of music, but influential and deserves a place on this list. This album was less disco and more pop-oriented than I had expected.
Incubus
2/5
Shockingly generic late 90's, early 2000's rock. Incubus is the type of band that wants to be nu-metal, but can't fully commit to it because they need to be less abrasive and through a few ballads in...because there are albums to sell, you know?
No reason this album should be in the book unless "generic rock" is a category the editors believed was underrepresented.
Stephen Stills
2/5
There's no reason this album is in this book. Just because CSN&Y were big, doesn't mean every first solo album by a member of the band should be heard too.
Sure, it's not a bad album and is very pleasant. But if I died without hearing this album, my life would be no different musically.
Sonic Youth
3/5
This has been my issue ever since the 90's when my friends all liked Sonic Youth and I did not. I just can't get into them and I'm probably the problem. It's not bad music, I just do not connect to it. I could go with one Sonic Youth album on this list and I've already heard the other. I preferred this one, honestly.
Sonic Youth is influential and they are one of the few bands of the grunge era I could not get into. Such is life.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Let's separate the art from the artist on this one. After hearing this album, my first thought is "Why the hell are they posing in a bathtub next to a dirty toilet." Then I realize it's a metaphor. This album has four good songs that wash over the listener, but the rest of the album is just shit.
I enjoy songs on this album, but the rest isn't revelatory or terribly interesting. I have always enjoyed "Monday, Monday" but I also feel like the song goes on 30 seconds too log and it can drag. This album probably belongs in the book, but it doesn't mean it's a good album. Sometimes an album can be of its time and serve as an example to others on how music can improve over time.
Various Artists
5/5
Welp, separating the art from the artist once again. Quite possibly the best Christmas album of all-time and it has what I would consider to be the best or close to the best version of several Christmas songs. Fantastic album and a must-listen for anyone, even if you are kind of neutral on Christmas music like I am.
Sparks
4/5
They are so quirky and when you like the music of Sparks it reinforces you are a VERY SERIOUS listener of music. You have a diverse taste and can't understand why this sound didn't catch on as much as it should have. Of course, not everyone has the expert sonic pallette that you have, so you have to be a VERY SERIOUS listener of music to enjoy this and not everyone is on your level. You are special, because you enjoy this.
Not as bad as I had expected and I knew some Sparks prior to hearing this album. I would have to be in a mood to listen to this music because the singing voice and quirk is a bit too much for this to be a regular listen. This album deserves a spot on the list, even though the lyrics are utter meaningless.
Coldplay
4/5
This album is the best balance Coldplay ever had between the sentimental bombast that characterized their later work and the folk-rock influences that was on their first album. I still prefer "Parachutes" to this album, as you can hear where Coldplay begins to steer in the wrong direction with this album. "Clocks" sounds like it was written specifically to be in a car commercial at Christmas time. The later 1/3 of the album can tend to drag and is the band at its most self-indulgent.
Overall, a really good album and it deserves a place on this list. It's bombastic enough to enjoy, but not so much you feel like you need to put headphones on and listen to it in a closet where no one can hear you.
DJ Shadow
3/5
Remarkably pleasant instrumental hip-hop. Not boring and not intrusive and great music for just hanging out or doing work. I don't generally enjoy instrumental music like this, but this does feel different. Would I turn it on again? Quite possibly not, but it deserves a place on this list and I am happy I heard it.
Beastie Boys
5/5
This is the first Beastie Boys album I was exposed to and it's still my favorite album by them. The shouting does bother some (I've noticed this in other reviews), but that's the style and so it's not for everyone. This still has my favorite Beastie Boys songs on it and the sampling is very innovative and it exhausts me just thinking about trying to get all of them together.
Classic and will always be in my collection.
Jack White
3/5
This book has an obsession with Jack White and whatever he does musically. This is one of three albums with Jack White on them that appear on this list and I had fairly low expectations for this one. I must admit, it was not too bad though. I had never heard Jack White's solo stuff and this is interesting, but probably not entirely notable in my opinion.
Like I feel about other artists, I'm not sure what he's doing here that is so different from what he does with the White Stripes or separates him from other artists.
Love
2/5
Any time you can feature a 19 minute song that takes up an entire side of your record and this particular song goes absolutely nowhere for the 19 minute duration, you just have to do it. The last song, "Revelation" was the opposite of a revelation. It had me wishing for the events in Revelations to occur so I could just die and never hear the entire song.
The first side is perfectly acceptable, if not unremarkable to me. I'm having a bit of a difficult time figuring out why two Love albums was necessary. Having not heard the second one on this list, I would guess that is the "more essential" one. This is psych-folk that doesn't do it for me.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
No. I tried, but no. I can't do this music after even 45 minutes, much less the expanded edition. It started out okay for me and then blurred into the background as just noise.
The The
4/5
This album was a pleasant surprise to me. I had heard of the ungoogleable band "The The" but had never heard anything by them. I went into this entirely blind and was happy to have enjoyed the music. The songs are long at times, which would be a lot of what prevents me from adding this album to my favorites, but I would revisit the album on occasion.
This is fun post-punk and there are some hits on here that are spread out among the other tracks like "The Sinking Feeling" which have choruses to sing along to.
Deep Purple
4/5
I have to get this out of the way. The cover of this album is not good. The font that reads "Deep Purple in Rock" looks like something from Windows 95 and putting them on Mount Rushmore, especially considering they are an English band, is a little bit weird. I know it was 1970 and font type was more limited, yet I will provide no quarter.
"Living Wreck" gave me "Smoke on the Water" vibes. I don't know what it was, but I got the vibe through the whole song. Ian Gillian does a lot of screaming on this album, which I don't recall him doing on "Machine Head," but perhaps I am misremembering.
I don't know if I consider Deep Purple to be a heavy metal band straightaway. They are really more of a hard rock jam band and these songs are mostly pretty good. I don't think this is their best album and a lot of the songs have lyrics and then long interludes or outros, which are fun to listen to but seem a bit formulaic after multiple listenings. The first half of the album is stronger than the last half of the album with "Flight of the Rat" and "Into the Fire" being a bit of a drag in the middle of the album.
Overall, this is an important album and if there are two Deep Purple albums in this book then I have no issue with this being one, because it rocks. This isn't as good as "Machine Head" though.
Pulp
4/5
I was looking forward to this album, as I had never heard any album by Pulp. After several listens, I can't say whether I was disappointed or loved the album. I think overall it must have met expectations, as I think it was exactly what I had expected.
Pulp has a bit more flash and variety than some of the other Brit-Pop acts and I will be glad to check out future albums by them.
Nick Drake
4/5
This is the best Nick Drake album and deserves placement in this book. Any other Nick Drake albums can be left out. I enjoy parts of this album but it's very sleepy and "sameness" tends to set in for me after a while. He's a very talented songwriter and his music has a lot of positive attributes, plus his voice has never bothered me.
Straight acoustic music and his lyricism is not my bag, but I appreciate this is a great album.
Genesis
3/5
This is such an interesting album, because as a child of the 80's it is a bit shocking to hear Genesis spread out their songs and do prog-rock. Though honestly, if anyone had purchased the full albums in the 1980's, it wouldn't be too shocking as the Genesis albums always had a prog-rock song or two. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" is prog-rock, just covered in a melty pop coating.
I am very hit or miss on the prog-rock Genesis. It's technically very well done and pretty interesting at first. Some of the songs are too naval gazing for me and are too much "Lord of the Rings" for me. Good album, though I would argue this isn't even the best album during the prog-rock era.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
I first heard Teenage Fanclub on the DCG Rarities Vol. 1 album with "Mad Dog 20/20" and came to discover this album through that collection. I am still bitter there wasn't a Vol 2. of this collection, but after 30 years I have finally begun to heal.
I liked this album and it has a place on this list. It's a revolutionary album in that it came out when grunge was big and this is not a grunge album. I love the jangle-rock sound and this is an antidote to the incredibly serious and intense sound of other bands in the early 90's.
Radiohead
3/5
This is not my favorite Radiohead album. It's tedious for me and tries so hard to be artsy and not musical. I can't get behind whatever Radiohead does being brilliant, as many people seem to be able to do.
I think sometimes Thom Yorke could fart into a microphone and it would get five stars from reviewers. It's not a bad album, but I truly believe it is contrarian groupthink which makes this album so popular. See, you have to be smart to understand what Radiohead is doing, so if you enjoy it then it says something about you.
If they got rid of the first three songs, I think I could give this album one more star.
Solomon Burke
4/5
There are some really good songs here. The most gospel rock-inflected R&B music by Solomon Burke isn't necessarily my favorite subgenre of R&B. I think this album deserves a place on the list and if every song was similar in sound to "He'll Have to Go," which I had never heard before and immediately added to my collection, then I could give this album 5 stars.
Still, a really good album and Burke's voice is incredible and has so much feeling to it. If this album is on, then I would listen to it and be happy. I am not sure I would search it out though.
The Crusaders
2/5
My biggest question here is...why? Why is this soft jazz something I would need to hear? There is a lot of other jazz in this book that is more interesting, has better sounds and was more influential. Brian Eno already has the "elevator music" genre covered, so that can't be the reason this album is in the book.
These guys are really good at playing instruments and this is completely non-invasive music. Would I ever just put this album on? Never. If I wanted to listen to jazz, would I put this album on? Never. Doesn't break new ground for me.
Roxy Music
4/5
Very original and exciting first album for Roxy Music. Not sure this is my favorite Roxy Music album, but it's very important and influential. The US version has Virginia Plain, which improves this album a lot. There is a lot of good songs on this album and I can't wait to hear more full albums.
The downside of this is Brian Eno became empowered to make his solo music, which I do not enjoy as much.
Minor Threat
4/5
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I have never heard a Minor Threat song and so this was all new to me. The songs are short and have so much power to them. As someone who inexplicably is getting into louder music as I get older, I think this album is going to be added to my collection.
It's a shame the band only put out one full LP.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I am a big Rolling Stones fan. I have all of their albums and can even find myself defending (in some ways) their most derided albums. It took me time to really enjoy "Exile." I would just never choose to throw it on. There aren't really any massive hits on the album and "Tumbling Dice" is not even one of my top-25 Stones songs. Unlike some of the Stones other albums, "Exile" had more nuance and requires a more careful listen. The first three songs are a good example of this nuance.
Rocks Off - Excellent album opener and initially feels like a fairly standard Stones rock song. Then the horns come in and it's just a different song.
Rip This Joint - This is basically a Chuck Berry-style riff sped up and so it comes off as a pre-cow punk type of song.
Shake Your Hips - It sounds like "Tush" at first. A blues song that is a really good album track and helps set the tone for what this album will sound like.
I don't have the energy to go through each song, but this album is one that grows on you. It requires repeat listening.
Joy Division
4/5
Joy Division is the type of band whose music did not make as big of an impact as the music they influenced. Bands are still copying Ian Curtis's goth baritone and the overall post-punk sound of the band. I personally prefer New Order to Joy Division, but that's just me. This is a good album and you can feel the influence all over the record.
I still find it odd "Love Will Tear Us Apart" isn't on this album, as that song is probably their most notable "hit" for those who aren't into a deep dive of Joy Division. This album deserves a place in this book, as a lot of the post-punk and rock over the next 45 years find their start here.
Kanye West
5/5
I recall when this album came out in 2004. It was just different from the other rap that was out at the time. The mix of Kanye's social observations, humor and samples made this album a joy to listen to. "Through the Wire" was the first song I heard and I kind of miss Kanye doing these more stripped-down and less bombastic songs.
"If my manager insults me again, I will be assaulting him" is still one of my favorite underrated lines on this album. I could relate to that feeling at the time. A must-listen.
Peter Tosh
5/5
A really great find and I did not expect to enjoy this album or be able to differentiate it from other reggae albums I have heard. This is an excellent album and I love hearing Tosh do reggae songs that are not all political. I have always enjoyed Bob Marley's music and I find this album to be on-par with Marley's best work.
Giant Sand
2/5
A few years ago, I listened to a few Giant Sand albums to see if I could get into the music. This album was not one of those that I listened to, but it may as well have been. The sound of Giant Sand on "Chore of Enchantment" was not terribly different on those albums as heard on this one. I could not get into their music and unfortunately this album does not change that.
As I have said frequently about other artists, this album is not "bad." It is simply unremarkable and I have no clear idea why it is in this book. The write up about this album is short, the Wikipedia page is short and there isn't much information about the greatness of this album. It's all mid-tempo "alt-country," though I would possibly argue with that description.
So no, I do not see where this album has a place in this book. It's unremarkable and I am not sure the gap in music this is intended to fill.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Really good album and I have fond memories of "Son of a Preacher Man" from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. I enjoyed the other Dusty Springfield album on the list as well and I believe I prefer this one to her debut. Would I go back and listen to this album? Probably not, but it was a good listen.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
An absolute manic album and once you accept it is not going to be "Rumours," then give yourself up to Lindsay Buckingham's vision then you can enjoy it more. He desperately wanted to make art-pop and have the new trends in music influence this album and he succeeded. "Think About Me" is as good as anything else that appears on "Rumours" and "That's All for Everyone" could have come right off a Lindsay Buckingham solo album.
The best answer on how to follow up a great, massive-selling album is to simply not follow it up. Steer away from the tide and try something totally different, which could only be aided by a lot a lot a lot of cocaine.
"Tusk" is too long, bloated at times and is not straight pop-rock like pretty much all of Fleetwood Mac's other albums. Give it some time and I think you can see it is not "Rumours" but that's also not a bad thing.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I had never heard a single note of Lana Del Ray's music. This is much more mellow than I had anticipated her music being. I almost feel like I can't appropriately judge this album, as it was released just a few years ago and I haven't heard any other Lana Del Ray albums. This is much better than I had imagined a Lana Del Ray album would be, though perhaps too mellow.
I'm not even sure this is the best LDR album, but it feels like this album was influenced by others more than it has influenced others...so far.
Depeche Mode
4/5
This is not the best Depeche Mode album, but it is certainly close. I think Violator is the best DM album to start off with, then if you like that one then purchase this album. I have come to really enjoy DM's music and it's hard to argue with the first 7 songs on this album. This album walked so Violator could run.
Joe Ely
3/5
I am not sure I would intentionally search this album out, as I am more of a Joe Ely's Greatest Hits person. Still, a very good Texas country album (which I separate from other subgenres of country) and also influential. I can hear some Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen in here.
I would recommend this album be heard, because it's a great example of true Texas country music. Also, I don't care for "Fingernails," but it is a clever lyric.
Pink Floyd
5/5
It took me a bit of time but there isn't much else to be said for this album other than it's great. Once you learn to accept the space Pink Floyd creates with this album and want to inhabit that space, then it's a wonderful listen. "Brain Damage" may have become my favorite song on the album, which is a bit odd since it's the 4th "hit" off the album.
If I had to nitpick, I don't love starting off with "Speak to Me" as it's just a slow start, but that is a nitpick.
The White Stripes
3/5
This book can keep putting White Stripes and Jack White albums on this list, insisting that I have to hear this album before I die. Hearing the White Stripes again isn't going to make me suddenly like them. It's not bad music, but it is just not interesting to me.
If someone put the White Stripes on at a party (that I don't attend because I'm old) then I would not be upset. I would probably mention I don't love the band, but would not find it offensive. At no point would I seek out this album or see out the White Stripes music.
White Denim
4/5
A very pleasant surprise. I was expecting music that was overly long and meandering, but it wasn't what I expected. Very talented group and their sound is pretty original with the addition of the flute and all. I don't know if I would include this album in my own personal list of favorite albums, but I am really glad I got to hear this.
I tend to go through the listing of albums I have heard from this list and listen to those bands again and this is a band I am going to dive further into.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
There seems to be a wide gap between "Quitting music altogether and help needy children" and "Put out one of the best double albums in music history" but Stevie Wonder seems to have managed to bridge this wide gap. It's not hard to say positive things about this album and I won't complain about having too much Stevie Wonder, but this could have been two really good single albums.
It's more of a personal issue, as I have difficulty listening to double albums that are truly a double album. Not like a band that puts a "double album" together that is only 75 minutes like, but an album that delves towards the 2 hour mark. It is why I didn't give "Melon Collie..." by Smashing Pumpkins five stars. It's my attention span. Overall, a wonderful album and if you can't sit through a 1 hour and 45 minute album, break this up in to two single albums. It is still fantastic.
Heaven 17
3/5
Not a good cover for this album. I saw the low cumulative score for this album and I get why many don't love it. I enjoyed the album fairly well the first time through, but the more I listened to it, the more repetitive it felt and I started to enjoy it less.
This is so weird. This is so danceable. The repeated choruses over and over really started to wear on me. I just don't know when I would listen to this one again, but I didn't hate it. I'm concerned the more I listen to it, the more I may end up hating it.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
good album, m.A.A.d. lyrics. I prefer this album to "To Pimp a Butterfly," which I am not sure is a minority opinion or not. As usual with some rap albums, the skits are a bit long and stuck at the start/end of a song instead of as a separate track, which is a bit annoying for skipping capabilities.
I have always liked "Compton" on this album and was surprised it has so few plays. "The Recipe" is a bonus track and not really "on" the album which I find to be interesting and I enjoyed the Beach House sample on "Money Trees."
Common
5/5
I have never heard a Common album before and I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I would have added this album to the collection of my favorite albums, but the last track is half-spoken word. I am very picky and don't have time to wade through all that.
Regardless, this album was very pleasant and I really liked much of it. I'm going to probably investigate more of Common's back catalog now.
Charles Mingus
2/5
I don't understand jazz. I can enjoy jazz but fail to get the emotion behind it, as I am more of a "words give emotion" person. This is all just fucking noise to me. Maybe it makes me stupid and unrefined, but there are other jazz albums I would put on instead of this.
The chances of me listening to this again are nil. This album may belong in the book as an example of jazz that isn't as good as the other jazz in the book.
System Of A Down
2/5
I am very sorry their parents got divorced, but I'm not sure why it has to be taken out on me. There are some interesting songs here and I guess if you want to know who is to blame for Limp Bizkit this is a crucial album.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Definitely better than I thought. It's a bit all over the place in terms of sound, but that's to be expected with all of the band members contributing to the songwriting and fighting to the death over whose songs get to be on the album.
I think this album deserves a place on the list.
Steely Dan
4/5
Steely Dan has always been a tough sell for me. I enjoy their music, but a lot of their output is overly produced and too perfect. They don't have a single imperfection in their sound, and that's great, but it can make some of the songs staid. It's very intellectual and that does not always speak to me.
This is a very good introduction to Steely Dan though. It serves as a warning to what direction their sound will go and leaves them room to grow. Now whether you like that growth or not, that's where I personally struggle. It's hard to argue against "Reelin' in the Years," "Dirty Work," "Do It Again," and "Only a Fool Would Say That" though.
Frank Zappa
3/5
This is the first Frank Zappa album I've ever heard. A lot more instrumentals than I had expected and the band is clearly talented. Without hearing any of the other Zappa albums, I can't say if this is essential.
Weird jazz fusion and good for background music.
The Prodigy
3/5
This is the second straight day I have listened to an album that is mostly instrumentals and I didn't hate this one. It's definitely not something I would listen to again, but I can see/hear what people like about them. So as a rating:
1 - For my enjoyment
3 - Deserves to be on the list
The KLF
2/5
It was difficult to find this album but I eventually did locate it on YouTube. Track #4 had strong Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch vibes about it. What time does "My So-Called Life" start tonight? It has those vibes to me.
This is the third day in a row that I have been given mostly instrumental or techno-ish music to listen to. So, I'm ready to move on to a different genre. This is peak "British guy whispers while a beat goes on in the background as a female sings a chorus as an interlude," and I'm here for it. Meaning, I'm here literally listening to it, because that's all I can say. Did I enjoy it? I can't say I did, but I also didn't hate it because I also spent much of my teen years in GAP and American Eagle shopping.
Soft Cell
4/5
Well, I complained yesterday I had three straight days of albums without words. This album does, in fact, have words. Granted, it sounds almost like a karaoke version of early 80's synth-pop, but there are words being sung. The trumpet solo on "Seedy Films" is top-notch and the theme of this album seems to be "music to walk down a secluded back alley to" or "here is a strip club where you could easily acquire herpes."
Not that either is a bad thing. I had never heard anything but "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell and have to say I don't totally hate what they are going for here. It's an interesting slice of early 80's music that pre-dates the synth-oriented music of the era. The album looks, feels and sounds trashy. This the sound of a band writing a song called "Sex Dwarf" and not giving a shit what others may think.
N.W.A.
5/5
I do love this album. I have listened to it so many times over my lifetime and it's a landmark album because of the content and the overall tone. "Straight Outta Compton" is a very uncomfortable album though. The threats of violence, the anger towards/dismissal of women and reality of the lives the group lived are all cringeworthy at the time and even now. The misogyny isn't forgiven or forgotten, of course.
I think this was an uncomfortable album because it made no excuses nor asked to be pardoned for the content. This is one of the first (if not the first) rap albums that threw the listener into West Coast gang culture and refused to sanitize reality so the listener doesn't have to think about what's being said too much. There is no redeeming social message provided and the best way to look at this album is view N.W.A. as anti-heroes.
The lyrics are awful and awkward, but they are also truthful and still relevant today.
Louis Prima
3/5
I will never listen to this album ever again, but only because this is not my kind of music. Having lived through the late-90's swing revival, this album gave me some PTSD. When "Jump, Jive & Wail" came on, I had to take a 30 minute break to settle down and face my persecutor.
Overall, this music is of its time and I don't mind that. It should be in the book and wasn't a bad listen. I did sit and rock in the corner for a bit at the memories of Gap swing commercials though.
Motörhead
4/5
Having not heard any song by Motorhead, other than Ace of Spades, I found it interesting to listen to the rest of their catalog. While this album does have a feel of "sameness" after a while, it is still a really great rock album. As weird as it may sound, Motorhead isn't as thrashy and loud as I thought they may have been. They have a song like Thin Lizzy, though they are less poppy and more metal than Thin Lizzy.
What I like about these songs is how compact they are. The songs are not long and get right to the point without leaving any excess space in the listener's ears. The first half of the album is stronger than the second half. I know we are getting the Live at Hammersmith album from Motorhead as well, which rumor has it may be their best album. I'm excited to hear that one, but for now, I think this is a crucial album to listen to. It's a sound not thoroughly explored in 1980 and paves the way for other hard rock acts of the 80's.
David Bowie
3/5
Eh, I have enjoyed the other David Bowie albums I have heard from this list. I found this one to be not as strong as previous efforts, but even for fear of comparing David Bowie to his other classic albums, "Young Americans" is relatively boring. There is a lot of saxophone and I do not find the music to be terribly compelling.
I probably would have left this album off the list, as there is a lot of Bowie and a lot stronger Bowie albums. I found this album to not be bad, but to be very tedious at times.
Beach House
5/5
It's like eating cotton candy in musical form. This is the 2010 versions of dream-pop and I think that is what makes it a must-hear. I understand how this music can just seem in the background and there is a "sameness" of sound, but these grow on you.
This is one of my favorite dream-pop albums and the first six songs are absolutely grand with "Take Care" ending the album off on a strong note. Come on, the synth on "Walk in the Park" is just a great sound. The whole album is like sleeping on a cloud while happy sounds cover up the sad lyrics behind the music.
I really like Beach House and this album is the reason why. Probably one of my favorite albums of the 2000's.
The Avalanches
2/5
This album is not for me. I haven't hit the clubs or have good memories of hitting the clubs. There's a lot going on here and I am indifferent to most of it. I like some forms of electronic music and perhaps this just isn't down my alley.
The Doors
4/5
Not necessarily a comeback album, but this is one of the better Doors albums. Does it need to be heard? I think so.
I find it interesting the song "Waiting on the Sun" is not on the album "Waiting on the Sun," but is on this album.
Little Simz
3/5
I had never heard of this artist and wasn't sure what to think. I probably wouldn't listen to this again, but I am glad I listened to it. I would be interested in hearing Little Simz's other albums, just to see the difference in the sound on this one and her other work.
A pleasant surprise and I like that it's concise, which is something most artists can struggle to do. It's understandable since each artist has a "vision" and want to execute every part of that vision. Good album and worth a listen.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
I'm very confused by this album. It's not very bad and I shook my butt at some of the songs. Would not listen again and I think it is bizarre this soundtrack is on the list.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Sam Cooke burns through his hits and it's a pleasure to hear. If you don't know Sam Cooke or haven't heard him live, this album is a must-hear. The tempo rarely slows and it's like a sprint to the end of the set.
This album has been in my personal collection for a while now and I love revisiting it.
Radiohead
3/5
This is basically Kid A - Part II, so other than the band being Radiohead I am a bit perplexed why this is in the book. If you hear Kid A, then you probably have heard this album as well. Anything Radiohead touches is gold, which I can understand, but among all of their great albums this one isn't the most revolutionary or notable.
There are good songs on here, but it's the sound of studio tinkering and I miss some of the brilliance.
Neil Young
5/5
I'm sorry this album isn't on Spotify. It's one of my favorites and Neil Young is also one of my favorite artists. Classic album and it is a must-hear.
There are some tracks on here that are probably a bit overblown (A Man Needs a Maid), but it's very hard to knock the album when 8 of the 10 tracks are fantastic and Neil Young loves trying new and different sounds every time he comes out with an album.
Happy Mondays
3/5
I've not heard this album described as Brit-pop and that surprises me a bit. The description on Wikipedia and on this site made me think I was going to hear acid-techno pop music, but this is basically a trebled-up James.
This was better than I had expected, yet it also felt like generic Brit-pop that was before its time. I'm not sure if this is a must-hear album, though if you accidentally hear it then your life isn't going to be changed for the better or worse.
Mekons
2/5
This album started off strong with "Chivalry" and I thought perhaps my preconceived notion that I may not enjoy this album was wrong. The second song had talking in the middle of it, which annoyed me. I think talking disrupts the flow of a song and it is (mostly) a cheap tactic to avoid writing lyrics.
I don't even know what Psycho Cupid is. A song, I guess, but it's just odd. I feel like I have been harsh of late and I don't mean to be. I'm convinced the only people who enjoy this album are those who do so ironically or want to be different.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
I have never heard an entire Nanci Griffith album and I really enjoyed this. I see some of the comments saying this is pop country music and others saying this is traditional country music. I take that as a compliment, because it shows how Griffith can cross genres.
I enjoyed this album a lot and would recommend it to others. I liked "More Than a Whisper" and "Last of the True Believers" the most and I do not think either song was a hit. Not sure what this says about me.
Neil Young
5/5
Two Neil Young albums in one week. I feel blessed. I may have said this a few days ago, but this is my favorite Neil Young album...at least until I hear the next one. "Southern Man" rocks and it's an even better song knowing it also led to the writing of "Sweet Home Alabama."
I can't wait for Neil Young's music to come back to Spotify, as I am too lazy to listen to it on another streaming platform. There is not a bad track here and "Til the Morning Comes" just ends with me wanting to hear more of the song. He is another artist that crosses genres and this album is an example of this. The front half is better than the back half, but that's a small complaint.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I have never been a huge Joni Mitchell fan, mostly because I have not been exposed to her music. I knew more of these songs than I thought that I had heard. I had some other Joni Mitchell in this project, so I am happy to have a chance to listen to another album.
I prefer this album to the other ones I have heard and would recommend this to others. This album leads me to want to at least hear Mitchell's greatest hits to see if there are other songs I know but didn't know I know. Of course, I can't do that on Spotify, which is a bit frustrating.
Ice T
3/5
I feel l have to start off by saying this album could have cut some of the shorter songs/skits and it would not have made the album any worse. Editorial discretion can be your friend.
"Body Count" is a great song though and it shows how versatile Ice-T is as an MC and artist. What I enjoyed about this album is how Ice-T doesn't screw up the songs by trying to include too many sonic tricks and just rap. It makes the songs stronger because it puts the focus on the lyrics. I think this is an album that is worthy of being on this list, because this is (another) great example of early 90's rap which became so focused on social issues, but the media just covered the violent and misogynist messages.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
As I often say with rap albums, if the skit does not serve a purpose for the next song or have some comedic effect that makes it listenable, then leave the skit off the album.
Another day, another rap album I had not heard before. So, this isn't a bad album at all. I just don't know why it is in the book, as it doesn't exactly redefine the rap genre and I can think of quite a few rap albums I prefer more. This was a better album than I had expected, yet I can't help but think there isn't much going on here that is revolutionary. Would I listen to this album again? Not sure why I would.
Beth Orton
4/5
Another artist I have heard of yet had never pursued listening to one of their albums. I thought Beth Orton was more electronica than this. This is incredibly pleasant music and I recall seeing this album cover all of the time. This music is not like Norah Jones' music, but if Norah Jones was an actually interesting artist and not merely an effective sleeping tool then this is what she would sound like.
Stolen Car and Central Reservation are the standouts for me. Not sure I would visit the album again, but I am glad it was on the list.
Yes
4/5
I have always liked "Roundabout" and even prefer the unedited longer version of it. It's just a great song. While the shorter instrumentals can seem like filler, this is a really good album. If you do not like prog-rock or haven't heard prog-rock, then this is an album for you.
The introduction of Rick Wakeman really seemed to help the group's sound, though I know it also meant more people were fighting to get their songs on each album. An album that is worth a listen and a seminal prog-rock album if that is your sort of thing.
Steely Dan
4/5
There is not a note out of place. If you like that, then this is the album for you. I'm neutral on it. I find "Pretzel Logic" to be the most accessible Steely Dan album, even if it doesn't have most of the major hits on it. It's a very good listen and I would probably suggest a person who has not heard Steely Day give it a shot.
If you hate how perfect Steely Dan is in the studio, then this won't change your mind. I do find this to be as non-grating as Steely Dan can be. They tone down their kitschy and overly-clever (at times) lyrical content and the songs are also shorter. Next is "Katy Lied," which is not a Steely Dan album I would recommend.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
I had never heard of Ms. Dynamite (-Tee) prior to listening to this album. This is some early 2000's neo-soul that now doesn't sound dated, but does have the sort of "been there" type of sound. Still, I don't know if I should knock her for other artists doing it better. If that were true, then most of the early rock albums I have heard on this project should not be in the book. I have no idea of the historical significance of this album, as I only know I am a sucker for some neo-soul and this sounds like a grungier version of Ashanti, which I can appreciate.
I would never have been exposed to this album had I not taken part in this project, though of course I probably won't listen to this album again. Tough to figure out how to review an album from an artist I had never heard of before, though while I enjoyed it, I would not listen to it again.
Maybe this is the album you should hear before you die, then you should die immediately after listening to it.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
I have heard of this band and remember the album cover but had never heard the actual album. I had no idea what my ears would be hearing but somehow the sound met my expectations. This is very experimental rock and there are so many ideas here that I think it could have used more focus. Of course, I guess that's the purpose of experimental rock. A bunch of ideas thrown together.
"The Bride" is a great example of this. It starts off with an acoustic guitar, followed by the female vocals, the song speeds up, slows down and then speeds up again at the end. The whole time, the acoustic guitar dominates my ears. I really find albums like this difficult to judge, because highs like "Stillness is a Mood" is countered by "Cannibal Resource" which blasted my ears with sounds I didn't love.
So, here I go again...I'll give this a middling grade because I think it belongs in the book due to the nature of the music, but this is also something I would not listen to it again.
The Vines
4/5
The Vines, The Hives, The Killers, The Bravery, The Libertines, The Kaiser Chiefs, The (fill in the blank) are all bands that I have heard and have varying degrees of enjoyment when listening to them. I had never heard The Vines and this album started off really strong and the back half seemed to taper off a bit more than I wanted.
I am pleased that I heard this album, yet I don't know if it got in the book based on the hype around the band or it brings something new to the table. I will listen to their other albums and I could be a greatest hits fan of theirs.
It's garage rock mixed with a little psychedelia, so it's interesting to hear even if I'm not sure it's as revolutionary as promised.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I have heard of the "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" but had not heard their music. I file this under the same category as the Vines, in that this music is of a certain early 2000's time where post-punk was the rage and bands were doing it well.
This album seems to cross several musical categories for me, but I can't seem to grasp on to any of the songs. They don't compel me in the way I wish they would. Fine album and I put it in the same category as the Vines. Glad I listened, though I may not again until the songs speak to me more.
The Police
2/5
This album has strong "we wrote a few hits but now we need to cobble together some outtakes to get an entire album together" vibes about it. The lyrics are not great and many feel like these are songs that would be b-sides or songs that may never see the light of day. Often the choruses are repeated over and over again, as if The Police are going to force you to submit to getting the songs stuck in your head. I'm disappointed because there are songs I like on here. "It's Alright for You," "On Any Other Day," "Contract" and "Does Everyone Stare" feel forced to me.
Putting an instrumental as the second song on the album (though I would argue, yet again, a song with any vocal styling is not an "instrumental") is certainly a choice as well. Reggatta de Blanc is by no means a bad album, but out of The Police's discography this feels like an album where the band is stretched thin to find good material...which they were.
The instrumentation and actual music is pretty good though.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I have always been an Elvis Costello Greatest Hits person, mostly because he has so many albums I have never taken the time to dive into all of them. Part of what I am looking forward to in this project is going through each of Elvis Costello's albums to see if I like them. Somehow, through 311 albums I have not gotten any of the 49 Costello albums in the book.
I don't know if this is considered one of his best albums, but I did like it a lot and am starting to see why he is so highly regarded. His music has never totally hit for me but repeated listenings of this album (and it's not even considered among his best) gets me excited for more Costello in the future.
4/5
First PJ Harvey listen for me. I did not expect her to sound like this with a few songs being very "grunge-like" and other songs even sounding a bit like well-produced rock. I even enjoyed the songs with Thom Yorke, as I was not totally put off by his random whining/singing. I had heard "This is Love" somewhere and cannot place exactly where.
For the longest time I thought PJ Harvey was a band, much like Lucius Jackson and Veruca Salt are bands. Clearly, I was wrong. We get three more albums from PJ Harvey, so I anticipate I may end up adding one of those albums to my personal list of favorite albums. If not, I will add her to a few playlists I have.
Joanna Newsom
4/5
Joanna Newsom answers the question of, "What if Kate Bush stripped her sound down, did only orchestral music, played a harp and sang like Bjork?"
There are just so many words on this album and I don't know how she can remember them all. Actually, my research shows she does struggle to remember all the words at times (at least in concert). I don't have a damn clue what she is talking about half the time, but this is very original music and I think it deserves a place in this book.
It seems Joanna Newsom fans are very passionate and love her music, making a personal connection to a lot of the lyrics. So even if I wouldn't listen to this everyday I think it's a really cool album.
Marty Robbins
5/5
This is awesome. I recognize there are no foul words on this album, but literally every song is about murdering and killing. I guess it's not as violent if you don't curse. I knew El Paso and somehow each song on here is catchy and tells a very interesting story.
This is the kind of country music that I can get behind. "They're Hanging Me Tonight" is about a guy whose girl gets with another man and the narrator goes in and just kills them both. Did not see that one coming. Marty Robbins has a really good voice and this is really a pretty irresistible album.
I'm not even sure this is country music but is more just western music.
Yes
3/5
I prefer "Fragile" to this Yes record, which does not mean this is not a good record. I'm a bit interested as to why "The Yes Album" is on this list. Perhaps because it is one of the earlier prog-rock albums, but I think three albums is possibly a bit much. Maybe I will think differently when I listen to "Closer to the Edge," but at this point I think I am leaving this album out.
Overall this is a strong album and I did already know "I've Seen All Good People" before. I probably wouldn't search out this specific album by Yes, but I am interested in hearing "Closer to the Edge."
Screaming Trees
5/5
I may need another listen to this album, just in case there is something I am missing. I had heard of Screaming Trees but not heard a single note by them. This is (another) case of a band's album being in this book and me not entirely understanding why that would be. This is like after-grunge pre-post-grunge rock. I like a lot of what I heard here even if this isn't music that will shock the world with its originality.
The album slows down a bit towards the end with Traveler, Dime Western and the slow fade-out of Gospel Plow. The sound is almost not grunge enough to be grunge and almost too grunge to really be listened to as a musical artifact from 1996. The sound does tickle the part of me that loves college rock from when I was in college, but I also feel like this music isn't relevant anymore.
So sure, "Dust" is on the list and I like it but can't tell you why.
Talk Talk
3/5
This album reminds me of the "Tears for Fears" album in the book, because it contains a small amount of really good songs that all seem to come close to the 5-minute mark. This is an observation and not a criticism.
Okay, maybe it is a criticism because the songs can become very repetitive towards the end. Good songs and I enjoyed the sound. This is my first experience with Talk Talk and it was a good experience. I cannot say I would listen to this album frequently, but I also would not turn it off it were on. This music is right down my alley in terms of the sound.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
I had never heard of this group and they feel very ahead of their time. This is some peak 1991-1993 pre-gangsta rap here. While there is disappointingly no references to murder and there is not a sufficient number of curse words on each track, this is still quality rap.
"Acknowledge Your Own History," Feeling Alright," and "Doin' Our Own Dang" are the standout tracks. I feel remiss in not having heard of this group before.
Beatles
4/5
This album reflects the Beatles during what I refer to as their "boy band era," which obviously goes over well in casual conversation. My point being, the band dressed similarly and wrote songs that were intended to be short and catchy. Nothing wrong with that, as someone who does enjoy the music, but doesn't think it is quite as revolutionary as is given credit for.
This album absolutely deserves a spot on this list, as this is very influential music, even if I do not like their version of "Roll Over Beethoven." The Beatles have better albums with better songs that are much more interesting. This era can't be ignored obviously.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
One thing I have never understood about this album is how/why the decision was made to start off an album with so many great songs with possibly the worst song on the entire album. "All I Really Want" is maximum Alanis and that's not always a good thing. It's a grating song.
There are five really big hits on "Jagged Little Pill" and inspired a generation of girls who liked to write songs with an edge. This is an important album and even some of the songs that are not hits are really good. "Right Through You" and "Mary Jane" are worth a listen as well. This album does feel very 90's and that's a good thing in some ways and bad in others.
If Sheryl Crow was the 90's female artist who insisted on being included in the discussion of 90's rock, then Alanis was the 90's female artist who was going to force her way into the discussion and point out it should have happened sooner.
Also, Olivia Rodrigo seems to have based a lot of her voice affectation and phrasing off "Ironic." Listening to the song now it is very obvious the influence that song had on her.
Mylo
3/5
What a weird title for an album that more celebrates (soft) rock & roll than attempts to destroy it. I didn't know what to think about this album and I probably still do not. Very pleasant listen, the sort of album that you put in the background when doing work. I could have used more vocals on some of the songs, but overall an interesting listen. I tend to gravitate towards this type of laid-back electronica, so this is a sound that I am prone to enjoying.
Do I wonder, yet again, why this album is in the book? Eh, probably. I am not complaining by any stretch of the imagination and though I think music like this works best on an EP. In fact, some of my favorite (what I call) beach electronica artists are best heard on EP. I don't know why that is, yet I prefer to hear the music in that format.
Overall, a good listen and this is probably going on my list of electronic synth-heavy instrumentation I listen to.
Lou Reed
4/5
It took me most of my life to fully appreciate and get into Lou Reed. Even now, I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of his music. His work is sometimes too aloof for me, which is probably why a lot of people like him so much.
"Transformer" not only has two of Reed's biggest hits but it also has "Vicious," "I'm So Free," "Satellite of Love" and "Wagon Wheel" which are some of his best tracks. This is an excellent album to start with in an effort to determine if Reed's version of glam rock is favorable to you and your ears.
Excellent album and "Perfect Day" is a perfect song.
N.E.R.D
3/5
The production is, of course, excellent. This is made for radio play, and it really is an original sound. Overall, this feels more evolutionary than revolutionary to me, mostly because the draw isn't the great songs or great production, but the change in sound from N.E.R.D.'s last album to this one. Strong enough album and there are catchy melodies. It doesn't feel essential, but more enjoyable.
Perhaps I am too hard on these albums but this is going to fade into the background fairly quickly for me. When I listened to this album on Spotify, it went from this album to "Dust" by Van Hunt and I couldn't help but think that would have been a better choice.
The Cars
5/5
This is a greatest hits album that also so happens to be the first album by The Cars. That's probably a lie, because "Heartbeat City" is also a great record and I think Candy-O is really good too. I'm a fan of The Cars, obviously. I love the rock, synth new-wave sound they have and the layered vocals are really great too.
There is not a bad song on this album and the first three songs are all classics. "You're All I've Got Tonight" should have been a big hit too. I could not recommend this album highly enough and the list is created so those who were not exposed to an album such as this would be.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Having never heard this album, I was interested to know if it would meet or even come close to the expectations set by "Axis" and "Are You Experienced" and I am happy to say a cut I made of this album does come close to those two albums. This is a five-star album if the track list is as follows:
1. Have You Ever Been
2. Crosstown Traffic
3. Voodoo Chile
4. Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)
5. Gypsy Eyes
6. Long Hot Summer Night
7. Little Miss Strange
8. All Along the Watchtower
9. Burning of the Midnight Lamp
Double albums are always interesting to hear, because by my estimation there is usually about 20% filler on the album. There are exceptions and unfortunately even the best artists are prone to having this happen. So when listening to a double album, I tend to lower my expectations a bit because I understand that's a lot of music to release at one time. This is especially true for Jimi Hendrix, as he released three albums between May 1967 and October 1968. Making one of them a double album almost seems destined for failure and this album is not a failure. It does have filler and that's expected.
If Hendrix had stuck to my playlist (and for some reason, he didn't ask me) then this would have been another 5-star album. Still, it's fun to hear and I would recommend it to fans of his first two albums.
Girls Against Boys
1/5
Band pitch idea: A less talented Alice in Chains
This band is like the Terminator. I can only assume this band by a major label from the future to kill indie rock so it never fully takes off and musical tastes do not divert away from the mainstream. Kill indie rock before it grows, but unfortunately this isn't indie rock and is like the lead singer of Collective Soul fronting a post-hardcore band.
I wanted to like this because so many others did not like the album and I thought it can't be all that bad. There is just nothing special about this album and I'm attempting to think about how its placement on this list is justified.
Gene Clark
4/5
I know of Gene Clark but had never heard his music until now. "No Other" is a great song and there is a lot to like here. This album is folk-alt country-prog rock or something similar to that. After listening a few times, I'm still not sure what to think about "Strength of Strings" as it feels like an excellent mix of prog-rock and folk music but I'm not sure I should like that.
I can't decide if I would ever listen to this album again. It's one of those albums where I believe I would listen to it again, but perhaps not actively seek it out. Still, a really good album and pleasant surprise at how much I enjoyed it. A great sounding record.
Pavement
5/5
Never listened to a Pavement album before and this one has "Range Life," which of course caused a beef that neither Billy Corgan or Stephen Malkmus would contend was an actual beef. I guess they didn't hear that is how you are supposed to sell records, but of course, that song is about the entire intent of music is not to sell records.
I really enjoyed this album and it feels like I had heard these songs before, as they were all familiar to me in some way. That's not a criticism, just an acknowledgement this fits in well with my current (and past musical tastes). It's R.E.M. for slackers and I enjoy it.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
I am a fan of ELO and they are one of the few bands whose overproduced sound that I enjoy. Like I say with most double albums, this record is a lot. There can be some cuts made here and there, but altogether a really good album.
If I am someone who wants to hear ELO, I would probably lean towards New World Record, because that's my favorite ELO album and it is concise enough to reduce filler. The first four songs are all classics and I must admit "Out of the Blue" is probably their second best album. "Summer and Lightning" and "Steppin' Out" are two album tracks I would recommend. I prefer "New World Record" for those who want to hear Beatles song with an orchestra behind them.
MGMT
5/5
"Oracular Spectacular" is a great album and "Time to Pretend" is just such a great song that kicks off the album with their tongue-in-cheek accounting of the rock star. I like how the song just outlines matter-of-factly they will become famous, get married to models, become hooked on drugs, have kids, meet more models and then die. What makes the song even better is the keyboard riff, which is so obviously good it makes me wonder how no other band had used it before.
MGMT never was able to meet these heights, though their later catalogue does have some really good individual tracks, nothing matches what's on this one. There is some criticism the latter half of the album is light on good songs, but "Pieces of What" and "The Handshake" are both really good songs.
I would recommend this album and it deserves a place in this book because it is pure synth-pop done very well.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
This album was simultaneously exactly what I expected while also being a bit of a surprise that I did enjoy it. Some of the production sounds a little 80's and probably doesn't hold up as well. The slower songs therefore can drag a bit but are also those that sound timelier. "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a good example of a song that has a bit of an 80's production, but is otherwise a good song.
Bookending the album with essentially acapella songs is the sign of a very confident artist and that's probably not a huge surprise given Sinead O'Connor's public image. This is a good album and I don't know why I expected it to be a little weirder and a little less accessible. Obviously, "Nothing Compares 2 U" is the draw but "Feels So Different," "I am Stretched on your Grave," and "Last Day of Our Acquaintance" are really good songs as well.
AC/DC
5/5
I listened to this album a couple of days ago while working in the yard. I was never a huge AC/DC fan yet bought this album many years ago since my collection was not complete without it. This is just basic rock 'n roll with juvenile lyrics and basic musicianship executed at an incredibly high level.
"What Do You Do for Money Honey" is one of my favorite songs on this album and it was not a huge hit. The first seven songs are all classics and even the last three songs are not as good but also not a huge drop in quality. Just because four of the ten songs are classics then I would have to recommend this album very highly.
Pantera
1/5
It's a "no" for me, guys. I'm sure someone appreciates this music and I'm just not big enough into thrash metal to enjoy this album. The best song on the album is "Fucking Hostile" because that's what making me listen to this album ever again would be described as.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
The backside of this album is lighter and not as good as the front half, but man, the first 8 songs are really great. I like that RHCP expanded their sound a bit on this album, including more harmony vocals and acoustic instrumentation.
This album gets a rap for being too compressed, which is probably true, but after One Hot Minute this is a welcome comeback. It was the start of the more mature RHCP and it was lucrative, as well as really a good album. I didn't take to this album when it was released but time has shown me how good it is.
Pixies
4/5
I feel like the tracking was a bit off for this album. The opening instrumental was a lot of fun and then it led to "Rock Star," which is not a bad song but I think "Velouria" would have been a better second track. The Spotify listening numbers disagree with me, but I feel the back half is stronger than the front half.
I have always been a Pixies greatest hits type of listener but really enjoyed (outside of the hits on the album) Alison, Is She Weird, All Over the World, The Happening and Stormy Weather. In fact, the only song I didn't particularly care for was Rock Music, hence why I didn't love the tracking. I have not gotten "Surfer Rosa," which I am told is actually better than this album.
Simple Minds
3/5
I found an instrumental on a 9-track album with 5 songs exceeding five minutes to be interesting. It feels a bit unnecessary, but this is still a really good album even though it does not have their biggest hit. I may not have listened to this enough (twice) but the breezy nature of these songs that I enjoyed also seemed to make them go forth without me remembering a lot of what I heard.
Muddy Waters
4/5
When it comes to listening to the blues, I prefer the Chicago blues to other types of the genre. I'm a big Rolling Stones fan and so Muddy Waters is not a far hop for me when it comes to listening/enjoying the blues. I like Eric Clapton's music, but I do think his type of blues is very sterile.
This album got my foot tapping and I enjoyed so much of it. How often would I put this album on in the background? That remains to be seen but it is classic and "Bus Driver" may have been my favorite track on the album. Supposedly he didn't play a lot of the guitar on this album but the backing band is so great I wouldn't even notice.
FKA twigs
2/5
I could not tell the difference in the songs after listening a few times. Not bad music but this feels like an attempt to put "modern" music in the book. Really chill sound, which is not intrusive, but hard to remember once I turned it off.
The Black Keys
5/5
This is the album that got me into the Black Keys. I've always understood this is a take-off of the blues, but I've never considered them to be a blues band. I think the Black Keys are a rock band with a southern blues influence. The Black Crowes if the Black Crowes were not from Georgia. I'll call this urban rock-blues.
Anyway, this is a great album and I can always trim 3 tracks off this album to make it 12 songs of great songs. The front half feels like the traditional urban blues sound they have, while the back half is just as strong with slower songs that I enjoyed the variety of.
This is the second album in the really good trilogy they put out from 2008 through 2011. You can feel them go from the more experimental Attack & Release, to the more urban blues and rock of Brothers and finally towards more mainstream rock with El Camino. This is a must-listen album in my opinion.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
You Haven't Done Nothing is Superstition Part 2 and I will hear no one argue differently. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but the similarities in the song structures/sound are very obvious to me.
So this is a pretty good album and Stevie Wonder has set such a high standard this would be the best album for a lot of artists. Sandwiched between Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life, it suffers from the malady of not being Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life. It's a really good album and it takes nothing away from Stevie this album probably should not have been in this book. Not because it's bad, but this album defines what I believe the difference in albums I must hear before I die and albums I must hear if I like other albums by an artist on the list of albums I must hear before I die.
Like Innervisions? Listen to this one. Haven't heard Innervisions? You don't have to hear this one.
Brian Eno
4/5
I wanted to hear more of Brian Eno's music after not enjoying his elevator music album and now I have the opportunity. This is really a great album and I am glad I heard an Eno album that had actual vocals. This was really good, though I did enjoy the first 6 songs more than the last four, which were reminiscent of where his music ended up going.
I would give this album five stars if the back half were stronger, but maybe there is something to be said for this Brian Eno guy. Really enjoyed this.
David Bowie
4/5
This is not a criticism, but when we wonder now how David Bowie could put out three albums in two years (the Berlin Trilogy) knowing this album contains 11 tracks and 6 of them are mostly instrumental can help to provide an answer of sorts. Also, drugs. The instrumentals are also not bad. "Speed of Life" is a jam even without words and the feel of the instrumentals does compliment the overall sound of the album.
I really like the shorter track times (not just because they are short) as it seems to pack a lot of good music in a small run time. Bowie was incredibly talented at pivoting his sound. I get the feeling Bowie wanted to make music but he was having difficulty expressing himself lyrically.
This is my 6th David Bowie album and I have found I enjoy his work much more than I thought I would.
Morrissey
4/5
I was pretty surprised to see this album was on the list. I've always enjoyed this album and think it is one of my favorite late-period Morrissey albums. Morrissey is more outwardly political on this album and doesn't work as hard to hide it. So the cover is very apt, as he is taking more of a machine gun to his targets rather than sniping them with the lyrics.
Yeah, he's a shit person. I have always liked this album and it is hard for me to grade it, as I do not know if it is essential to be on this list. This seems to be another case of if a person likes Morrissey's previous work, then I would definitely suggest this album. As a standalone album, I can't say it would be essential.
3/5
I knew Cisco Kid and that is the only song I had previously heard on this album. I do not know if I would go back and listen to this often, but it deserves a place in this book. The two long jams on this album go by quickly and never seem to drag. Fun album and if I ever make a War playlist then I would put several songs from here on that album.
Nick Drake
3/5
As I covered with the other two Nick Drake albums in this book, there is no reason every album Nick Drake put out needs to be represented here. There are only small differences in each album and if you liked one of the albums then you can search through his catalog for the others. Only Pink Moon needs to be in this book. Nick Drake is underappreciated, sure, but there is nothing here that can't be found on any of his other albums. Great songs, so go check out another of his albums.
You could place these songs on any of Drake's other albums and struggle to decipher which album the song came off of. It's good music and this is my last Nick Drake album and therefore my last time to rant about this. Nick Drake was gone too soon, but the silver lining is god knows how many albums would on this list if he had lived and made music until he was 80 years old. He would have 28 albums on this list.
Don't listen to this album even though it is good. Go listen to Pink Moon, decide if you want to hear any more of Nick Drake's music, and then listen to one of the many other good albums left off in favor of this one.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
The cover of this album shows the band and they could easily fit in with the 2020's indie rock scene. I can't decide if this album bleeds into the background because this is the type of sound I have heard a few times in my life (and in this project) or the music is good enough to where I just enjoy it. The horns set them apart, because you don't hear a lot of this Echo and Bunnymen post-punk sound with horns this prominent.
I found myself enjoying this album and I see it hasn't gotten great ratings from other listeners, which I do understand. This is the kind of music that is down my alley. Post-punk with keyboards and the Echo and the Bunnymen kind of sound.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
He certainly is one dizzy rascal, that's for sure. So, this is grime. I have never been fully exposed to grime and only heard a track here and there, though I had heard of Dizzee Rascal. I don't think this is my type of music, as it may be too busy for me. The sound and beats are original, so points for that.
If this book is going to cover all forms of music, then grime needs to be included and this album is a good example of that genre. I really do not have anything bad to say about this album. It's not my kind of music.
One of the turning points in my musical life was when it came to my attention that Ronnie Wood, a guitarist whose current band I really enjoyed, had a band with Rod Stewart, whose early solo work I really appreciated. This was the album I purchased to see if I loved all of The Faces work. And I did. The Faces are messier than the Rolling Stones and not saccharine like Stewart's 80's work. They were the most high profile bar band I had ever heard.
So yes, I like this album and it is one of my favorite albums. I am biased as I have nearly all of the Faces work and if you refuse to take a critical ear to the music then it is even more enjoyable. Ronnie Lane was a very talented songwriter on his own and more Ronnie Lane is never a bad thing. "Debris" is a classic song about a son/father dynamic. Even if you do not like the music in the end, I think this deserves a place on the list.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I have never been a fan of Leonard Cohen's music. I know why he is so popular and it may just be his voice that causes me to struggle to get into his music in-depth. This is a really good album, though I don't like the title track that much. I am interested to hear more of Leonard Cohen's material, especially if I am able to contact with it like I did this album.
Nina Simone
3/5
I had never heard a Nina Simone album and it starts off really strong with I Love Your Lovin' Ways and Four Women. Both songs have different tones and shows how versatile Nina Simone was. I really enjoyed this album, though I am not sure I would revisit the album at any point. In the long run, it is not my type of music, but very much deserves to be heard.
One thing I have learned about this project is there are albums that I am really glad that I heard, even if I was not going to listen to those albums very frequently. This music is timeless and I can hear these songs on the radio now. Nina Simone would also manage to make the songs less boring than Norah Jones, which is a low bar to clear of course.
The La's
4/5
This project has a very strong British-lean when it comes to selecting artists that must be heard. This album brings up the question of whether an album must be heard if the artist was one of the first to do it or the artist who did it best. The good news presented by this book is that if a band is British, then it doesn't matter as both artists will be represented.
I did enjoy this album and it is apparently the only album this band put out. This seems to be a forebearer to Brit-pop, which I can appreciate. I would have been interested to know where they went after this album, as there is a lot of good here. I think if you take "There She Goes" off the album then this isn't a particularly notable album. It's a case of a good band having a big hit and they also happen to be early adopters of a genre which will greatly impact the musical scene over the next 3-4 years...much like Iron Butterfly.
Overall, I enjoyed the album and thought Son of a Gun, Timeless Melody, Feelin' and Way Out were good tunes.
Van Morrison
5/5
I purchased "Moondance" when I was in high school. My youth pastor and I shared a love of classic albums and he made me a list of 50 albums that he believes I should purchase. This album was on that list. I found a tape of "Moondance" in one of those old bargain bins where tapes used to go to die but you could find some gems. I paid $3.99 for it and never regretted the purchase for a second.
Into the Mystic became one of my favorite songs and I am not 100% sure why that is. I also have always loved how it sounds like Van Morrison is singing "the night's magic seems to whisper Anne Heche." The sound of this album is cohesive, yet all over the place in some ways too. If you like this album, then you will probably like other Van Morrison albums as well.
This album absolutely deserves a spot on this list.
Billy Bragg
5/5
I used to discuss music with a co-worker of mine and one day he gave me a flash drive full of albums so I could listen and choose which ones I wanted to keep. One of the albums I chose was this one. This is a really great album and I didn't even know they were Woody Guthrie songs until I had listened to the album a few times. There are two (ish) other versions of Billy Bragg and Wilco collaborating on Woody Guthrie music, but this is the best one.
At My Window Sad and Lonely, California Stars, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key and Christ for President are all great songs. I knew very little about Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg prior to this album, but this is a fun collab album that doesn't feel as old as the lyrics really are.
Eminem
4/5
"The Slim Shady LP" is the opening salvo of Eminem's rap career. He has a lot to say and because of that the album tends to go a bit long, but it is also a credit with his sharp lyrical content. There are many really cringy moments on the album where the violence and lyrics are a bit too much. This album is somewhat timeless and still of its time.
"My Name Is" is not quite a novelty song but seems to have been clearly written to get attention. Nothing wrong with that because Eminem had a lot to say here. The Marshall Mathers LP is a much stronger album because it is more focused and is a reaction to the Slim Shady LP. Really good album and I think it deserves a place in this book just because it was so original when it came out and is how Eminem burst on the scene.
The Prodigy
2/5
Initially, I could not figure out why this album was in the book. A quick visit to Wikipedia revealed to me the reason. They are an English group. This book leans hard towards English groups and this is not exception. I still can't figure out why "Smack my Bishop" was such a controversial song, but it probably had to do with violence against a member of the clergy.
There is some "sameness" to these songs, though "Narayen" has a pretty nice synth riff that differentiates itself from the other songs prior. I won't ever listen to this album again, unless I am being held hostage and my captors are blaring The Prodigy in an effort to cause me sleep deprivation in the hopes I will confess what they want me to know. Unfortunately, my only conclusion would probably still be that I don't think this is excellent music. Not my thing, but also not quite as abrasive as some of the other music here I didn't like.
Hawkwind
3/5
I am not 100% sure I enjoyed this album or would recommend it to a friend/enemy. If someone asks me to recommend a space rock album then I probably would mention this one. If a person likes drugs and likes weird sound effects and sax solos over lyrics about space, this is their jam. The bassist (Lemmy!) is killing it on so many of these tracks. The rhythm section is very tight and I could see how a person would take drugs and enjoy the shit out of this album.
I find it odd this is a live album and the band went to great lengths to take out the crowd noise or indicate in any way this is a live album. There were some overdubs, though there is a version without the overdubs and edited songs. It's like the band wanted to show what an album of these songs would sound like and could only do it through a live show, yet they didn't want it to sound live.
Space Ritual is another album I would not choose to listen to but if it just started playing then I would absolutely just keep it on because the jams are fun to listen to. Any time there is an excessive use of saxophone, I am going to be somewhat excited.
CHIC
4/5
If I were lazy, then I would just copy and paste my view of Risque in this space. That's not a bad thing. Bernard Edwards is still a highlight on bass and this is one of the few times in my life that I really pay attention to nearly everything the bassist is playing. It's like a lead guitar in some ways and the rhythm guitar in other ways. I have no idea why I enjoy his bass playing so much, but dammit, I do.
I don't like disco and the songs are still too long. Again cocaine makes time go by faster and so no one wants to dance to Le Freak for only four minutes. I also knew I Want Your Love and it's also a jam. Even the instrumentals are interesting.
The one nitpick I may have is C'est Chic is so similar to Risque that I am not sure both albums should be in the book. I would have preferred maybe the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever being in. Sure, I know soundtracks (and compilations) are not supposed to be in the book, but this rule has been broken a few times already.
Radiohead
3/5
Radiohead isn't even satisfied with this album, so it feels a bit of overkill to have Hail to the Thief in the book. This is not a bad album by any means, though I think if you have heard one album of Radiohead's post-Ok Computer work then you would get the picture. I agree with Radiohead this album could have been trimmed down a bit for maximum effectiveness.
A lot of this album is Thom Yorke (yet again) moaning over weird rhythms and background music. There is a place for that, but I still feel like Radiohead sometimes does performative weird music. Just to see how odd they can be and how fans will say how brilliant it is.
This is an album I have listened to in the past and I will probably end up listening to again in the future. Not sure I seek it out intentionally though.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Given the hype around them, it's difficult to see how the Arctic Monkeys ended up living up to this hype. But they did. They have shown themselves to have some more depth with Suck It and See and their last two album releases which play like lounge tunes.
But this album is like a punch to the gut. It's frantic mayhem at times and Alex Turner's lyrics are clever as well. This is the sound of hitting up clubs in your early 20's with no idea what you are doing or what you want to be doing. The lyrics don't read as immature though, which is a strength of the album. What I think separates this album from others is the way the songs are constructed. Clearly, they can just thrash and play a 2:30 minute rock song, but they have songs where they change tempos.
That's what makes this album so good is they could have taken the easy way out and just played loud rock songs but chose to write Mardy Bum and A Certain Romance, which changes tempo about 3-4 times. I prefer the back half of the album because I find the structure/sound of the songs to be very interesting. It's a confident album from a confident band.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
This is basically a greatest hits album by four songwriters who were at the top of their game when working together...which they rarely did because they were four songwriters who were at the top of their game and didn't need anyone else.
"Almost Cut My Hair" is an absolute jam and gets stuck in my way too often. I'm not a fan of the solo music by any of these artists, outside of Neil Young, but this is a masterpiece. It's not the boring folk rock the first CSN album was and this is a must-listen. On other CSNY albums it seemed like some songs were written just so they could harmonize, but that's not the case on this one. Great album and highly recommend giving it a listen.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
I enjoyed "Straight Lines," which is the 8th most popular song on this album. I'm not sure if that tells you whether I am the target audience for this album or not but it could be a hint. This is not the Suzanne Vega that I have heard prior, as it is more folk-y and acoustic, but I did enjoy it. I can't decide if I would come back to this record at some point, as I tend to prefer albums with a little more instrumentation and the songs don't all sound similar.
I think this album is remarkable because it is one of the more "modern" albums that has an artist which writes/performs mostly acoustic songs. If a person enjoys acoustic music then I would recommend the album. It's not too bad.
Underworld
3/5
Great album name, first off. I can see a child saying this when asked about how school is going. One of the best songs isn't even on this album, that song being "Born Slippy," which did not please me. I have similar comments about this album as I do many techno/disco/house albums in that it needed someone to edit the songs down and shorten the album. I get it though.
Club + dancing + drugs = We don't want the song to end
When I am just casually listening, I do want the song to end if I feel it is not going anywhere. Now that I have complained, I liked Juanita, Confusion Waitress, Pearl's Girls and Stagger. There is fun stuff on here but I'm also not knowledgeable enough to know how this music differs from the other dance music on this list that it must be represented.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I had heard nothing else by this band, other than "Come on Eileen" and I did not expect their debut album to sound like this. There were many horns on this album that I did not expect to hear and this was a very pleasant sounding album. I'm a little surprised the album with Eileen on it is not in this book (or maybe it is?) but I enjoyed hearing it.
The Who
4/5
This was a good introduction to The Who, though I would wonder if the album has a place in the book due to the quality of the album or because this is the first album by a band that will be important in the history of music. I've always liked The Who but have struggled to get into their music like I have the Stones and the other Mod-ish groups.
What separated out The Who is they were more garage than the Stones but still had an R&B edge, while the Stones were more blues. If someone wanted to be introduced to The Who, I can't say I would recommend this album to them. There are other albums I would start with, though I think it makes sense to listen to this album at some point. I can't figure out if this should be in the book or not. I enjoyed the album though and feel its importance to music history.
U2
4/5
Sunday Bloody Sunday was written to be played live, so it's not a surprise this song really took off after it was played live at Red Rocks. This isn't the "motivational speaker talking about what a great day it is and we can all get through it if we try hard enough" U2 that is seen two decades from this album. There is nothing wrong with that version of U2, but this is the more political voice of the band. Both sides of this album are pretty well balanced. There are three songs on each side that are really great.
I do like the drums at the start of Like a Song... as well. This is the most consistent U2 album of the 1980's, if you ask me, but I still think The Joshua Tree is the better album. I have to be in a different mood to listen to this album, just because it is so political, and it is a bit too heavy for me at times. Great album though and certainly worth a listen for those who have not heard 1980's U2 prior to The Joshua Tree. This is the album to own if you want to understand U2 in the early 80's.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
I did not know that Jerry Lewis performed "Money," which is a song so many people know. I'm skeptical about the "Live" being in parenthesis but this was still a really great album. The playing is frantic, and his band is as on fire as Lewis is. This is not punk music and it's not really music with an edge but there is something very punk about Lewis's performance. It's unrelenting and a lot of what we hear as listeners can be seen as just a noisy performance.
High School Confidential is ironic given Lewis's propensity for young girls and "Your Cheatin' Heart" could pretty well describe his personal life. Regardless, really great album.
Soul II Soul
2/5
One key to having an album included in this book is to be British. That's the first barrier to entry, and then if you are British, then your album may be considered one of the best in that genre. I mean, this is fine music. I don't know why I would ever come back to it or what is so important, other than it had two popular singles.
Does anyone say, "Oh yeah, the first Soul II Soul album changed my life." I am guessing not, unless there is a practical joke being played. Whitney Houston should have been British and maybe she could be considered as great as this band who had an album with similar beats, a song called "Feel Free," and a song called "Feeling Free" (did they forget to include "Free Feeling?) and two hits on it. This is late 80's club music and I don't see anything special here.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
If you ever wanted to know what the Bee Gees would sound like covering "Comfortably Numb," then you now have that answer. I can't decide if they were intentionally trying to reference Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Bee Gees but it feels to me like they had to know what they were doing. I guess this is Glam Rock, though it may be the more modern version of Glam Rock which tends to edge more towards electronica.
Like most humans, I knew Take Your Mama but I also must confess I did not know this was the Scissor Sisters and also did not know this band contained mostly men (at least at the time of this recording). Return to Oz is a really great closing track and I sort of wish they had done another song or two like that. Take Your Mama could have come off a mid-70's Elton John album.
There is some filler here (I'm looking at you Lovers in the Backseat) but overall this is a really fun and really good album. I am glad this ended up on the list of albums I must hear, as it grooved a lot harder than I had expected.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Springsteen was prevented from recording due to a lawsuit, so this album is a result of him writing hundreds of songs and then deciding on a theme. The theme he chose out of the songs he had written is the desperation he felt coming into maturity, so this is an album full of songs about the people with dreams from "Born to Run" seeing those dreams fall apart. Racing in the Street is a perfect example of this, as is Something in the Night.
I bought this album as the second Springsteen album I would own after his greatest hits. I was going away to college soon after I bought it and I didn't receive a very good picture of life after chasing your dreams based on these lyrics. Regardless, not everyone likes Springsteen and I understand that because his voice is not for everyone. For me, his voice combined well with the desperation and sense of looming failures the characters in these songs felt. This is my favorite era of Springsteen from 1978-1982.
I don't know if I would recommend this album to someone who hasn't heard other Springsteen albums and enjoyed them. He goes Full Springsteen here and if you haven't already enjoyed his other work then you may not enjoy this. I do though.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I was kind of surprised this album is in the book. Not because it is a bad album but because I think their self-titled is more influential (and this book seems to favor influential/initial albums) and This is Happening is a better album. Overall, this book needed some LCD Soundsystem in it. I probably would not have chosen this album as representative of them.
Someone Great, New York..., North American Scum. All great songs and it is odd to me the middle of this album is the strongest part.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Second straight day there is an album that I have heard and like but is not my favorite album by that group. The difference is this is Chvrches debut album and the one that sets up their sound for the listener. This is not their pop album, which is Love is Dead and it is not their best album, which is Screen Violence (perhaps an unpopular opinion).
"Mother We Share," "We Sink," "Lies," and "Recover" are all great songs. The 10 year anniversary edition is even better because the outtakes like Manhattan are worthy of being on the album. Lauren Mayberry has such a unique and interesting voice, which only makes the songs that much more fun. Great album that's worth a listen and then go listen to their other albums, as there is something for everyone.
The Residents
1/5
Nope.
I look at the albums that are the lowest rated and want to be very open minded about these. I listened a few times and this album is just not good. The Residents are not even English, which came as a shock to me since that's an easy way to get in this book.
This is avant garde music but it is not like Frank Zappa or anything of the like. It's just not enjoyable.
Magazine
5/5
Never heard a single note by this band. I have been remiss in not listening to them. My daughter told me she liked the background music on the songs but not the words and she is wrong. Both the background music and the words are great. Really cool album and for every Duck Stab by the Residents there is a Real Life by Magazine and it makes this list worth it.
Now I want to make a post-punk playlist so I can put Magazine in with the other bands like the Banshees and The Gun Club.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
I couldn't understand what they were singing, so my enjoyment of this album was all vibes. I do enjoy knowing the lyrics to a song, as I'm dumb in that it takes words to get me totally into an album/song.
Overall, this was an enjoyable album and I did not expect it to sound the way it did. The music belongs in the book, even if I would not necessarily buy the album.
Air
3/5
Really chill album and I can't say I did not enjoy it. I also can't say I would revisit it again or there is anything in here that I would find compelling enough to include in this book. Air feels like the forbearer to music from bands like Daft Punk and even some of the tropical house music that has been released. So perhaps that merits inclusion.
If given the choice, I do prefer this more low-key electronic music and All I Need, Kelly Watch the Stars, You Make it Easy and Le Femme D'argent are all really good songs. If a person is in to electronic music then this album would be worth a listen, though I'm not sure I would recommend it to the average music fan.
The music does grow on you a bit after a while, but I would most likely not seek this album out.
Red Snapper
2/5
It's never a good sign when there is barely a Wikipedia page for an album. Usually it means the album is hard to find or the fans of the band aren't passionate enough to spend time on one.
In a shocking twist of events, this is a group from London, England. I know, I know, try to contain your shock that an English group is given deference in this book. I have gotten a lot of these electronica, instrumental groups of late. It's not that I think it is bad music but it is not down my alley and a lot of it sounds very similar to me. I can't figure out what this group is doing differently from all the other instrumental electronica groups in the book.
The Sugarcubes
3/5
This album answers the question of what would it sound like if Fred Schneider was Icelandic. I'm not a huge of Bjork's music, at least that which I have heard, because it wants to be so serious I find it hard to enjoy. This album is (totally unexpectedly) the complete opposite of the music from her solo career.
I state this a lot but while I enjoyed this album I don't know if I would listen to it again. While Bjork's music is so serious and weird, this is so light and fluffy I don't know which mood it best fits. Should I find someone who really likes Bjork's music then I would very much recommend this album to that person.
Motorcrash, Birthday (on which Bjork really shines vocally), Delicious Demon (where the male vocalist goes full Fred Schneider) and Deus are pretty good songs. Though, I'm a bit weirded out by the talk of being put in a bathtub and getting squeaky clean in Deus.
The Pharcyde
3/5
This album has to hit the sweet spot between too silly to listen to repeatedly and not heavy enough to take seriously and I think it hits that spot. I didn't love it on first listen and the third verse on "4 Better or 4 Worse" is certainly interesting. I think that's the test case for whether you would appreciate this album or not. I have written this very frequently of late...would I listen again? Probably not.
I think I would recommend the album to others though, just because it is so bizarre enough for someone who likes 80's or 90's rap would want to hear it. These guys (and girl) are talented, so there is no doubt about that, though the beats do run together after a while. As always, editing is key.
Green Day
4/5
I did not get into this album when it originally came out. I was past my love for Green Day that had bloomed in the 90's. I think it was because of the uninspired albums since Dookie. So I got into this album more towards 2010 and it's really a great one. You can tell there was a lot of thought and motivation put into these songs with more regard for song structure and breaking out of the Green Day framework they had made for themselves over the previous decade.
It is interesting Green Day chose to put songs together (like Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams) that would be considered individual singles. I think it's important to include this album on a listing of albums during the 2000's. Green Day hasn't hit these heights again, though I think they may have tried with the trilogy of albums they put out in the early 2010's.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
This is my second Elvis Costello album and I like this one even more than Imperial Ballroom. This is a really great album and I'm excited to see what other Elvis Costello albums will sound like. I have always listened to Costello's greatest hits but the songs are felt somewhat disconnected for me, though I did enjoy some of the tracks.
It's better to hear Costello's albums, because it feels more cohesive to me and this album is no exception. Really great album with songs that clock in between 3 and 3.5 minutes. The organ and keyboards really stand out on this album, which I did not expect. Great surprise to me that I enjoy this album so much.
The xx
3/5
Just needing to get this out of the way...but you will not believe this band whose album YOU MUST HEAR are English. Shocking, I know. No band had done lo-fi, boy-girl harmony slowcore like this before, unless you count Low, but they are not English so they don't count. This is music designed specifically to be featured on "Grey's Anatomy," so it was surprising to me only Islands had been on the show. Perhaps the producers of Grey's Anatomy did not know this group was English.
There is nothing offensive here and there is nothing to get terribly excited about either. I struggle to determine why this album is in the book, as I just don't see anything special here. It's well-produced chill music with very little instrumentation and depressing lyrics. Coming off This Year's Model, the XX just don't demand my attention like that album did.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Well, now I know where the opening of "Without Me" by Eminem came from. This brings forth the question of whether an artist who is influential in bringing a genre more to the public light, but the album isn't that great, needs to be heard. Duck Rock brought Caribbean music to a wider audience, yet I don't think I would listen to this album if I wanted to hear that sound.
Buffalo Girls, Double Dutch aren't bad songs but I felt like I was listening to the theme from an 80's kid show at times. Perhaps I have failed to sufficiently embrace the craziness.
Foo Fighters
4/5
I will never complain about a Foo Fighters album being on this list. I will complain this is the album that gets put on the list. Foo Fighters self-titled record is basically Dave Grohl playing around and creating an album of demos he did. It's not a "band" album and it is not the Foo Fighters best album. I recognize this book leans towards putting the first album by an artist recognition as a "must hear," yet Foo Fighters were not reinventing the wheel and they deserve recognition, but this is not the album that best represents why they should be recognized. That's a lot of words to say, love them, but this isn't the album for this book.
It's hard to beat the first 5 songs on this album though. It's a great start to the album and it does fall off a bit on the second half of the album, though X-Static and For the Cows are great songs. I would recommend someone listen to this album but would probably recommend the Colour and the Shape or Wasting Light first. Dave Grohl is not the greatest lyricist but he has a strong sense of melody and his performance has always set him apart.
Lou Reed
3/5
Berlin gets better as it goes along, though unfortunately, it also gets darker as the album goes along as well. I can see after Transformer how Berlin would get more negative reviews. It never fails to make me laugh how certain publications will pan an album when it comes out, then after it ends up being highly regarded the publication will give the album a much better grade. Not that they are affected by public opinion or anything.
The Kids, The Bed and Sad Song is just a trilogy of darkness to end this album. There's not a hope to be found. My struggle is that I can't seem to determine when I would recommend this album to someone or whether it is a must-hear album. If a person has gotten into Lou Reed, then I would probably eventually recommend this album. I like how Lou Reed just did something different coming off Transformer, so listening to him extend himself is a fun listen.
Sister Sledge
3/5
If I have learned anything through this project, I have learned that I really like the way Bernard Edwards play bass guitar. I, of course, knew "We are Family" and knew the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates adopted that song and cocaine on their way to winning the World Series. I have a feeling that combination also pushed this album all the way to the top of the charts.
I knew three songs on this album, which is two more than I thought I would know. This is a first cousin to the two Chic albums on this list. I enjoyed those two albums and I enjoyed this one in the same way. Perhaps I should not lump all three in together but it is easy to do considering the writing/production thread. I am not sure I would even consider some of these songs to be disco, especially the slower songs.
I did learn that "He's the World's Greatest Dancer" is the sample used in "Getting Jiggy wit It," which was new, fun knowledge. Would I listen to this album again, I am not sure I would, but I also would potentially recommend it to someone if the occasion arose.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
This album absolutely deserves a place in this book. As part of helping to bring the industrial rock sound more to the mainstream, the Downward Spiral has a claim based simply on that. I have always been more of a casual Greatest Hits type of NIN fan, though I have heard this album (along with Pretty Hate Machine) quite a few times. I also like this version of "Hurt" almost as much as I like Johnny Cash's version.
There is more I like on this album than I do not like. Piggy, Heresay, Big Man with a Gun, Hurt and Reptile are all great songs.
Of course, there is also March of the Pigs with the pretty piano part followed by more industrial rock which felt so original in 1994. Closer had a music video that scared me as a kid, as well as a pretty funny polka re-write by Weird Al, and enough curse words to satiate me as a 13 year old.
Mudhoney
4/5
When listing the best grunge bands I tend to hear sighs of annoyance that Mudhoney is left off the list that includes Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. The reason Mudhoney is left off is they just aren't as good as those four bands. There is nothing really wrong with this and Mudhoney comes from the same Green River tree of Seattle rock. The distorted punk-rock sound was something that Nirvana completely ripped off on Bleach and Soundgarden was also making similar music at the same time as Mudhoney. Mark Arm was not as good of a songwriter as Kurt Cobain and did not have the voice (of course, who does) of Chris Cornell. Mudhoney didn't wallow as much in the angst the other bands did.
Regardless, this is a really good album. I have enjoyed Mudhoney more as an adult than I did as a child. It's probably bad news I've become more angry as I got older, yet here we are. I did not love the cover of "The Rose" that much, yet that's a small complaint. If you want to know what grunge sounded like before it was called grunge, this is the album for you.
Santana
5/5
I have never listened to an entire Santana album before listening to Abraxas. It had as many instrumentals as I expected, which isn't such a bad thing. "Hope You're Feeling Better" is a jam. How it was not a hit on the radio does not make sense to me, as it is right down the middle of what was playing on early 70's radio. The problem for Santana is people confuse them with their output from the late 90's with "Smooth." The band is more than just a few pop songs.
None of the songs stick around too long as an effort to show off just how great Santana is at playing guitar. Carlos Santana is not aggressive in his playing to where the listener just "gets it" and wants to stop listening to the album. The hits are still great and the album tracks are a nice find.
This album absolutely deserves to be on this list and I would recommend it to others.
Common
3/5
Gotta cut the song lengths down. 8 of the 16 songs clock in at more than 5 minutes, which can make repeated listens a bit of a tough haul. It's hard to judge an album that is quality, yet just has too much material in one song. This is classic early 2000's rap and there are good songs here that remind me of hanging out with friends in college.
I preferred "Be" to this album and it is almost half the length of this record. The music just fades into the background at times. Just because you have a lot to say doesn't mean you have to say everything you want to say. Cut the album by 25 minutes and I could enjoy it more.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Like others have said, try to skip over the deluxe edition of this album with the extra tracks. It plays much better without those additional songs. What I like about Jefferson Airplane is if I ever have any issues with knowing what a song is about, I can just assume it is about drugs.
"She Has Funny Cars" leads off with a proto-typical (though not bad) 60's sounding song that I am sure is about drugs. I wonder if you had told the six members on the album cover that less than 20 years from now only one of them would still be in a band called "Starship" if they would believe you? Probably not, especially if you said that band would be singing about how they built this city and posing for album pictures where they appear to be dancing by themselves with "Saved by the Bell" looking squiggles all around them.
I have never heard a Jefferson Airplane album, though I have heard a Starship album, both of which serve as a point of shame for me. The first five songs are a strong way to start the album but I am surprised the record company let them bury White Rabbit on the latter half of the album.
Surrealistic Pillow deserves a spot in this book and I am surprised the book didn't hit us with 2-3 Jefferson Airplane albums, but of course, the band is not British so that explains that.
Nirvana
5/5
I am not the only one who loves this album based on the 4.3+ ranking. It's hard to overstate the influence this album had on me. I do remember the first time I heard Lithium, which was the first song I heard from this album, and the influence it had on a pre-teen me. I was fortunate to have friends with older siblings, so I was able to dive into the grunge era head-first with "guidance" on what the best bands were.
In Bloom may be my favorite on the album and the start of "Territorial Pissings" caused me to later explore some of the later 60's music that I enjoyed as the 90's went along. Nirvana quickly became my favorite band and I collected almost everything they did. Kurt Cobain ended up not loving this album since it seems like he felt it was too commercial and well-produced. The cover of the album seems like a statement of Cobain's feelings on the music here. I always wondered what would have happened if Nirvana did not break up.
Most likely, they would not have lasted much longer and if they did go on then there would be a rotating case of drummers as Dave Grohl probably would have ended up taking extended breaks to do his own music. Nevermind was a gateway drug for me into the Seattle 90's music scene and this is Nirvana's second best album behind "Unplugged." In Utero wasn't really even an album but more of a set of songs that were a reaction to everything Nevermind brought. Hard to beat Nevermind.
2/5
I have gone from a seminal album to an entire generation to a Bob Dylan bootleg album. This is the most Boomer thing ever to include a bootleg album that includes songs already included on albums in this book by Bob Dylan. There are already six other albums by Bob Dylan in this book, so it's not like this album has to be heard because it is by an artist who isn't sufficiently represented in this book.
I like Bob Dylan! I like these songs! Many are already available on this list already and there is not anything here totally different from what is presented on Dylan's albums. It's really good and it's Dylan live. I can't figure out what is represented here that isn't already represented in this book, other than "Dylan live."
If we are going to include official bootleg albums by artists then this needs to be a much longer list. Just can't get behind this one.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I had never heard an Amy Winehouse album before. For some reason, her albums just blew right past my knowledge. Mostly because it was not necessarily my kind of music and failed to hit the sweet spot in what I like to listen to. I can't say this has changed dramatically after hearing "Frank." I did enjoy the Lily Allen-like sass on Fuck Me Pumps and.................pretty much every other song.
I was taken back when I heard the same sample used on a Nas song (Made You Look) used by Amy Winehouse on In my Bed. I did not see that one coming and had to check Spotify to make sure the album wasn't over or somehow I was listening to Nas. I can't say the music is not at least interesting and somewhat compelling, though I also can't say we needed both Frank and Black to Blue in the book. Amy Winehouse herself didn't love this album and so I'm going to give Back to Black a listen and see if it was better representative of her.
I can't really bash this album. She is a clearly talented singer and though the material isn't the strongest, I think at least one Amy Winehouse album needs to be in this book.
Megadeth
3/5
Considering the other groups on this list who are classified as "thrash metal," I'm not sure I would consider this thrash metal. Some songs are thrash. Really liked Peace Sells, Devil's Island, Wake up Dead and My Last Words. Not sure I would ever listen to this album again, but definitely liked Megadeth more than I thought I would.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Many Springsteen albums are a reaction to the album before it. Quite a few songs on this album were a part of the Nebraska sessions that ended up being ditched for those solo sessions and were brought out as a full band song/album. Springsteen notoriously writes albums that have themes and will kick songs off an album if they don't fit his theme. "My Love Will Not Let You Down" is a good example of a song kicked off this album.
Nearly song was/could have been a hit. It's just a very good album that showed what a genius Roy Bittan is as a keyboardist. The way he wove the synthesizers into this album to complement the sound rather than having it overwhelm the sound. Synthesizers sound like the anti-thesis to what Springsteen music is supposed to be about but they fit in really well here.
I would have kicked "I'm Going Down" off the album for another song that didn't make the album but it's a nitpick. Really good album that brought Springsteen from a rockstar to an arena rockstar.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
There is the Stevie Wonder I like and the Stevie Wonder I do not enjoy as much. You are the Sunshine of my Life, I Just Called to Say I Love You, etc are songs I don't enjoy as much. This album is more of the good Stevie than the bad but there is definitely bad here. You are the Sunshine of My Life, Maybe Your Baby (too damn repetitive at the end),
The good is Superstition, You've Got it Bad Girl and I Believe. I have discovered through this project that I like Stevie Wonder and that some of his albums are not as good as others may think they are (at least to me). This is not a bad album by any stretch but it's not up to Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life.
Liz Phair
3/5
I feel like I write this a lot but this is another album I feel like I should have heard but had not. I can hear Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls and other artists like that all over this album. It's amazing the influence is so clear. Phair's voice can annoy some people but it is the female version of the 90's slacker singing voice made popular by...pretty much every early grunge artist/band.
Exile in Guyville was a little more chill than I had expected from a song-by-song response to Exile on Mainstreet. It's a very aspirational album with 18 tracks on a debut album being very aggressive. As such, it feels like it rain out of steam a bit at times. Otherwise, this album deserves to be in the book because it's good enough of an album and was very influential.
Tori Amos
4/5
Until I listened to this album what I had heard from Tori Amos is her mid-90's albums because my college roommate really liked her music. This was a surprisingly great album and much less "weird" than I had anticipated that it would be.
The first five songs are absolutely great and I think I enjoyed this album more than I enjoyed albums by Kate Bush (who she is compared to...and rightfully so). Definite recommend, even for people who don't like Tori Amos but have not heard this album.
Iggy Pop
3/5
It is certainly obvious that David Bowie had a great impact on the sound and creation of this album. I didn't enjoy Nightclubbing (the most listened-to song on Spotify) as much as I enjoyed tracks like Sister Midnight, Funtime and China Girl. I love the Dum Dum Girls got their name from the track Dum Dum Boys, mostly because the song is a banger and has a nice guitar part.
I don't think I would listen to this album again, though I do like the inspiration from David Bowie that is very clear. I don't know much of Iggy Pop's other solo music and I've heard this album is not indicative of his other output. Hard to say if the book should be in here if it is an outlier in his catalogue.
I cannot say I did not enjoy this album though.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
What I have always found remarkable about this album is there are 6-7 songs on this album that were either "hits" or can be heard on the radio frequently today, yet 3 of the first 4 songs are a 7-minute psychedelic re-write of "Commotion," an old blues song and song that was a hit back in the 1950's. They didn't even bother to start the album off with the strongest songs.
Great album. This is CCR's best album and the non-hits are very strong as well. Even the covers which tend to make me feel "meh" on other CCR albums are really strong here. I hope this isn't controversial, but this version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is very good.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
It feels like The Doors stole the riff on Run, Run, Run from the Velvet Underground to use in Roadhouse Blues. Certainly not the first or last time a band would steal some sound from this album. I can't really argue this book should have left this album out, as it was incredibly influential, even if this isn't my favorite album of all-time.
I enjoy this album but I would never intentionally put it on to listen. There are really good songs here, followed by the album ending with two songs (The Black Death Angel's Song and European Son) that I just don't care for that much. European Son is absolutely just noise. Lou Reed had solo material that I cared for more.
The Adverts
4/5
I was excited to hear this album, as I had heard positive things about the Adverts and thought this was an album I would want to hear. It didn't let me down even though I am not sure I would keep this record in my collection. I think a third or fourth listen may change my mind. Really good strong punk rock and it's not really that far below the more mainstream and accepted punk bands who arrived in the mid-to-late 70's.
Gary Gilmore's Eyes is a pretty clever track and also a little disturbing to think about. I'm glad I found this album overall.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I am not the purveyor and judge of all great music but I do know quite a few individual songs. The fact I knew of just one Dexys Midnight Runners song and they have three albums on this list is just incredible to me. I don't know what could have moti---
Ah yes, they an English band. That explains it. This list has 1001 albums you must hear before you die but also contains 40-50 albums by English artists who the panel of selectors decided we all had to hear even though they are not really an album you must hear before you die. It's like when your friend has a band he/she really likes and forces you to listen to their material on repeat. No, I don't need to hear every album by Dexys Midnight Runners. They aren't that important. I am open to hearing new bands and albums, but please do not make me suffer through a mediocre album because an insufferable music critic likes hearing the music in his local pub.
Every single song goes on too long, as you can tell they were VERY impressed with themselves and their ability to make "meaningful" music. They even rip off Warren Zevon and that doesn't work. The only reason this album gets retrospective accolades is for the same reason past Presidents are seen in a better light. Time and space make it seem not as bad as it was. But have no worries, this album is as bad as it seemed. A lot of talking on "One of Those Things" and I don't even know what "This is What She's Like" is about, as it changes sound 3-4 times along the way.
"Listen to This" is the only song that is worthy of being hard. Stop putting mediocre albums by English artists on this list. Maybe the album isn't that bad but the mere inclusion annoys me to the point I can't give it a high star rating.
Also, the irony of the lead singer bitching music "all sounded the same" while ripping off a riff from a popular song on the radio is just (chef's kiss).
Björk
4/5
I knew of Bjork and due to this project had listened to two of her other albums (Medulla and Vespertine). I can't say I would listen to either again as I did not care for one of them and the other was so weird that I found it interesting. I am familiar with a few of these songs though and I found this to be a pretty good album. Venus as a Boy and Human Behavior are the two songs I am most acquainted with but the first half of this album has zero skips.
To my 2024 ears some of this music sounds "been there done that" in terms of the quirky sound and the different instrumentation on each track. For 1993 though, this was pretty revolutionary as there is house music and just an overall feel she had no preference to stick with more conventional sounds.
I enjoyed this album and think of all the Bjork albums I have heard, this is the one to listen to.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Two 90's female singer-songwriters in a row. I prefer the Bjork album to this one. Having heard two other Fiona Apple albums, this one is a bit like the other two in terms of sound. She's authentic for sure.
Not my kind of music and I know there is a perceived need to include more modern albums on this list but this feels like a bit of a cop-out to me. Seems to me like the authors knew they needed modern music and just chose an album by an artist already on the list.
Deep Purple
4/5
I really enjoyed this album because I like Deep Purple and they do tend to shine live...or did at this point. 5 of these 7 songs are already in the book in the studio version. I have the same issues with this album that I had with the Bob Dylan live album, though admittedly less so. The sound is great and the songs are great. In the genre of live albums this is a very well known and highly respected one. That's my only hesitation in giving Made in Japan a five-star review.
There isn't a bad song on here and I know the jamming turns some people off. I rarely have an issue with jamming as long as the song is going somewhere. Live albums are hard because usually a person has to like a band's studio music before they will enjoy the album. Tough not to recommend Made in Japan because it is so tight and well-played. I think we could have left off a studio album if we include this one.
But hey, Deep Purple is English so I guess I should understand based entirely on that.
Massive Attack
4/5
I've heard Massive Attack but know very little about them other than I somehow manage to get them confused with the Massive Genius character from the Season 1 Sopranos episode. I had no idea Tricky was in this group and had no idea what their sound was like.
Safe from Harm, One Love, Be Thankful and Unfinished Sympathy are all excellent tracks. I was very pleasantly surprised and would recommend this album over many of the other albums that are trip-hop on this list. It has the easy, laid-back sound that I like to hear and is focused on making good songs and avoiding overproduction. If I also like the next Massive Attack album then I may have to add their music to my personal playlists.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
I have stated this before, but it never seems like a good sign when both the description on the 1001 Albums Generator and the album's Wikipedia page have one sentence about that album. It's hard for me to find an album essential if the world as a whole doesn't have much to say about it.
I have something to say about this. It does not need to be 65 minutes long. Cee Lo rapping is not something that was aware he did. This isn't a special album and there is no need to hear this.
Brian Eno
2/5
This album is basically music porn. It's innovation and sound "real" music critics and musicians can point to as being very special and that's why only they can understand it. So of course, this one is going to be in this book, because music critics chose the albums, and this is one purely for them. This work is very innovative and it's an incredibly high concept record.
It's necessary to understand this is an indulgent album, which does not mean it is a bad album. I don't know if I would ever listen to this album for any reason other than to show others what an indulgent album it is. I enjoyed the last Brian Eno album I heard and I like the Talking Heads. This one isn't for me.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Y'all, it's been a rough past three days. This is my second straight day of hearing songs that are just instrumentals and my third straight day of an album I am not familiar with nor do I want to be even more familiar with. This album does not have a wikipedia page, which should not mean much, yet there are millions of people on the Internet who love things so much they want to build a wikipedia page for that thing. No one loves this album enough to create a page.
I believe this is the first album "I must hear before I die" that sounds like it could actually be played at my funeral. Little Italy sounds like a chase scene from a 1920's silent movie. Feels like these guys would have made a killing scoring early 20th century movies, so it sucks to be born so far after your time like that. Imagine missing the opportunity to rub elbows with Charlie Chaplin and instead having to perform in front of wealthy middle-aged white people who think hearing a Brazilian guy play the vibraphone gives them a deep sense of culture.
These two could have been the old tango to Carmen Miranda's samba, perhaps even teaming up for a film which Astor Piazzolla and Gary Burton would of course score. Along with what would Earth be like if the meteor leading to the extinction of dinosaurs had just missed landing on this planet, this potential team-up is another "what if" that will haunt the minds of those prone to pondering such scenarios. Most likely, we could have had Carmen Miranda samba-ing her way across the stage while Astor Piazzolla plays the hell out of the accordion to 50,000 adoring velociraptors.
Yet, who needs a Big Bang when the light tapping of Gary Burton's four-mallet technique during the 12 minutes of Laura's Dream can serve to satiate one's appetite for a good night at the theater?
Michael Jackson
3/5
When I see the album cover for Bad, I always think of the album cover for Weird Al's "Even Worse." Gives me a chuckle. For years I thought "Liberian Girl" was "Librarian Girl," which probably makes very little sense to me now. There were quite a few hits on this album, which is to be expected since Michael Jackson did nothing but write/sing hit songs. I have always been a Michael Jackson casual more than anything else, so the less ubiquitous tracks like Liberian Girl and Just Good Friends aren't necessarily my cup of tea.
In fact, (hot take here) the album is very backloaded with tracks 7-11 all being really good songs...or at least tolerable songs. Take Michael Jackson's name off the album and tracks 3-6 are all fairly mediocre pop songs. Speed Demon is a stupid song. There is no way around that. Just Good Friends is notable because Stevie Wonder is on the track. Even on the good songs on the album suffer from Jackson's need to make the vocal grunts that make it sound like he is choking. It's pretty overused.
I have always appreciated Jackson's work but never totally enjoyed it because it always felt hollow in some ways to me. Thriller was an album by Michael Jackson and this just seems like a Michael Jackson album where he is playing the role. This album deserves a place on the list because The Way You Make Me Feel, Dirty Diana, Leave Me Alone and Smooth Criminal are really great songs.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I am not sure Elvis's team ever had an original thought in their lives. They steal from black music, Elvis stole his dancing moves from Forrest Gump and now he saw how great Dusty in Memphis did and so he creates his own album in Memphis. Doesn't it feel like every artist who needs to revive their career turns to country music songs? It may just be me.
Not to extend my streak of hot takes because it's my fault that I wasn't born in the right time. Saying that, I have never thought of Elvis as an artist in his own right. I see him as a mechanism that people around him controlled to sell records. He did movie soundtracks for "meh" movies that he starred in and then ended his life as a bloated lounge act. Maybe earlier in his career I would consider him more of an artist, but again, refer to his theft of black music. It's probably an incorrect perception, yet this is how it feels to me. The term "Elvis impersonator" can feel redundant because it seems like Elvis himself impersonated other artists.
Okay, so on to the music. The two songs I know best are versions not by Elvis. These two songs are "Suspicious Minds" by Dwight Yoakam and "In the Ghetto" by Cartman. Long Black Limo, Power of My Love and Gentle on my Mind are also good songs. I can take this album or leave it. It's not bad and it's not something I would continue to listen to.
Skepta
4/5
Oh, the skits on this one. Has there ever been someone who listened to an album and was like, "I enjoyed it, but I really could have used more skits"? Like most skits, those that are on this album and not even separated out as a separate track remove the flow.
I did not expect to like this album, mostly because I had heard Dizzee Rascal's version of Grime and dumbly assumed it would be similar to what Skepta's style is. I also don't love the name of the album. Overall, there are a lot of good songs here. I like angry rap and there are several diss tracks on here and none of the songs go too long (minus the skits at the end).
I would recommend this album to those who have not ever heard Grime as a genre. Standout tracks are Lyrics, Numbers, Man, Shutdown, That's not Me and Text Me Back.
Al Green
4/5
I first heard Let's Stay Together in 1994 when I was given the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. I loved the song then and I love it just as much now. It's got such a great groove and I had never heard an entire Al Green album prior to today. It's simultaneously exactly what I expected and also a nice surprise because it's not too laid back but still a pretty chill album.
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart may be a bit long but it's a nice cover of the Bee Gees tune. So You're Leaving, It Ain't No Fun to Me and What is This Feeling are also great tracks. I love the horns, love the production and think this is a definite must-listen album.
Van Morrison
4/5
I had always heard a lot of positive comments about this album and I can't say they were wrong. I don't know if I would consider it one of the best live albums of all-time, mostly because it's hard to do a 2-CD live album and not have areas drag at points. Side 2 can drag a bit for me in the middle with the longer songs, but overall this is really good.
I have had issues with live albums being in this book because I felt most of the material was already present and the live album did not add much more than duplicate really good versions of the songs. That's not necessarily the case here, as many of these songs are covers and/or are in different versions than the studio version.
I enjoyed this album, even if I can't give it 5 stars.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
I tried to get into the Cowboy Junkies a few years ago, so I already knew how I felt about them. It's pleasant, inoffensive and well-done. I think the major draw of this album is how it was recorded, around one microphone with no overdubs. Most of all, this album is quiet. Very fucking quiet to the point I had to pump the volume up just to hear the music. It's a headphones-only album for me.
What really surprised me is how quiet the album is and then BOOM here comes a harmonica at the highest decibel level possible. A bit disconcerting the first time you hear it. Not a bad album and I had it recommended to me, so I imagine I could see myself recommending it to others.
It's just too chill and too torch-songy for me to listen to often. I mean, they are all torch songs and they aren't exactly short torch songs either. Appreciate it, don't love it.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
I understand the need to get more world music in this book and this is certainly different from the other music I have been listening to on here. I am a music and lyrics type of person, so not knowing exactly what Ali Farka Toure is singing does inhibit my connection to the music. Nice album and I am trying to determine when exactly I would listen to this.
The songs, especially Amandrai had a very interesting bluesey feel to them. Probably not something I expected coming into hearing the album. As background music, this isn't a bad listen. I'm not sure if that is a compliment but it is intended to be.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Heard of Lupe Fiasco but not heard any of his music, at least not consciously listened to any of his music. A very pleasant surprise and it turns out I may like the Chicago mid-2000's rap sound, as I like this and a lot of what Kanye West was putting out at the time. I'm definitely adding some of these songs to my favorites list and will check out his other work.
There are times I'm disappointed in these albums I get but I really enjoyed this one and did not expect to. Very chill but also exciting album and I could also understand what he was wrapping about. Haha, my old ears can't always say that.
The Byrds
5/5
I have always found it hard to pinpoint a specific Byrds album that must be heard, as there is filler on some of their releases and it just never feels like there is just one album to listen to. Saying that, this could be the album I would point to. I would recommend the deluxe edition because Old John Robertson and Lady Friend should have been on the original album. My Back Pages is an excellent cover of the Dylan song and probably my favorite Byrds song (for some reason).
The first five songs are really good, though there is no reason to have the weird ending to CTA-102. The country influence they would later explore when Gram Parsons took temporary control of the band can be heard on Old John Robertson, Time Between and pretty much anything else Chris Hillman is involved with on this album. If I could give this album a 4.5 then I would.
I greatly dislike Mind Gardens though. It's just faux-hippie bullshit. I don't mind if you do drugs but please don't ask me to listen to the shitty results of your doing those drugs. It's not much to ask. The only redeeming part of that song is (a) it actually does end and (b) at some point I will die and never have to recall that I did once hear the song. The deluxe edition has two versions of the song and then David Crosby forces us to listen to an instrumental version at the end of Old John Robertson. I don't need an alternate version of this song, unless that alternate version is just dead air or an album without the song on it.
Guided By Voices
3/5
First time listener of Guided by Voices. I know this is their thing but some of these songs sound like demos that have not been fleshed out as of yet. That's probably the purpose. It gives me a bit of whiplash to get settled into hearing a song and then another song comes on a minute later.
As someone who has complained about song length, I probably shouldn't complain about short songs. They move so fast it takes quite a few listens to catch everything going on in each song. This is lo-fi by its very definition with an intentionally fuzzy sounding production technique. Enjoyed it but the catalog is just so massive I don't know if I could ever catch up with them.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Not a terribly thrilling album and I am not sure why it has to be in the book. There are some fun songs on here (maybe not "fun" but quality songs) and I really like "Bonny," When Love Breaks Down" and "When the Angels."
I feel like I should not have enjoyed this album because of the dour sound and 80's production, plus the album cover would have been awesome if it was tongue-in-cheek...yet I liked it all.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
This album deserves a place in this book because no one would believe how awful this music is without actually hearing it. It's a German guy screaming while the other band members play random objects. This is not the forebearer to industrial music just because they use random instruments and refuse to put together a melody.
This is a very bad album and it's okay to stop pretending this is good. We all know it is not. The only way I would listen to this album again is if after I die I go to Hell and some of these tracks are on Satan's Spotify playlist. From what I've heard over the last two hours, this is entirely a possible scenario.
William Orbit
2/5
Second straight day of listening to an album that contains mostly instrumentals. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to differentiate between these songs, I would first attempt to call the police, but then admit I can't tell many of the songs apart. Deus Ex Machina appears to be nothing but low noise with some dialogue from a movie thrown in there. I enjoyed the first three tracks but this fell off after that.
I have heard a few other 90's albums like this, which sound like they would be played in Gap or another outlet store as background music. I know William Orbit mostly because he was the producer for Madonna's "Ray of Light" album, which I think was a superior album to this one. This is a fine album with a well-crafted sound but nothing else really stuck out to me.
Kacey Musgraves
5/5
I had never heard Kacey Musgraves's music before and really had very little expectations on what it would sound like. I really enjoyed Golden Hour. This isn't really country music but I also don't think it is trying to be country music. It's country pop with different inflections mixed in. I despise country artists who try to fit into the country genre but they are clearing using drum machines and they are auto-tuned to hell (Hi, Morgan Wallen and Florida-Georgia Line!). It's like they want to be rappers but also really wish rap wasn't a genre with so many black people in it.
I may be getting off track here...This isn't truck/cowboy/beer country music and I appreciated that. Slow Burn, Space Cowboy, Butterflies, Rainbow, Wonder Woman and High Horse are all really great songs. This is one of the few modern albums I have listened to that deserve a place on this list.
Violent Femmes
3/5
Everybody in the world knows "Blister in the Sun" and apparently it is about drugs. Kiss Off, Please Do Not Go, Prove My Love, I liked the prominent bass on To the Kill and Good Feeling are all really good songs.
The lead singer's voice can get a bit grating at times, which did in some way hamper my ability to enjoy the songs. This album was pretty much what I expected and could have come straight from the 90's. It's really ahead of its time and for that reason I think it has a place in the book. Not sure I would revisit.
Rush
5/5
I'm not a big Rush fan. I think of Rush as a band whose lyrics have little meaning to me because I have never played Dungeons and Dragons nor do I understand much about the Lord of the Rings movies. I appreciate their great playing, Geddy Lee's voice does not bother me and they do have some good songs. I am very Rush Neutral. I can appreciate them in the same breath I make fun of them.
For me, this is their best album because it removes a lot of the long masturbatory solos and excess that I feel plagues some of their other albums. I'm glad you can play your instruments well, but no, I am not interested in hearing a song about medieval times. In fact, this album is on my personal list of albums that must be heard before I die. I think the first four songs are so strong and though Vital Signs does include the word "shape shifter" which should turn me off, I think this is really great. Recommend for those who don't hate Rush. Even if you do hate Rush, I get it, but gives this album a try anyway.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I think the opening track, Europe Endless, has a synth sound that reminds me of the opening synth riff to the Killers song Flesh and Bone. Others disagree but I am happy to have the burden of being correct in the fact of others who are so certain while being wrong.
Much like the other two albums on this list (!), there are a lot of beeps and boops. The synthesizers sound great and I can hear the influence that other bands took from them. I fail to connect with this album and I usually require some sense of connection in order to really enjoy it. Kraftwerk feels a bit aloof to me.
Supertramp
4/5
The fact Breakfast in America is not in this box is an absolute travesty. It is one of the best prog rock albums of all-time and Supertramp's best work. What a shame. Breakfast in America is a brilliant album.
Now that's out of the way, I am going to try to rate this album without the bias of this being AT BEST Supertramp's 2nd best album. School, Bloody Well Right, Hide in Your Shell, Asylum and Dreamer are all great songs. It's a really good album but I find it wanders a bit too much for me on the back half, as prog-rock can tend to do. It's not their fault but a nature of the prog-rock beast. Sometimes it can eat even the best bands.
If someone wanted to listen to Supertramp, I would absolutely recommend Breakfast in America first. In fact, I recommend that album to anyone who doesn't want to listen to Supertramp as well. So good band, deserves to be on the list, but not with this album as a representation of their sound.
a-ha
4/5
Like most people, I thought of A-ha as one hit wonders. I am talking about Love is Reason, of course. Take on Me is still a great song and I was surprised there are still plenty of other good songs on her as well. They are definitely not one-hit wonders and the first three songs and last three songs are really great. This fits in with the 80's synth-pop that this book has included during the mid-80's and while this may not revolutionize the world, this is an album which gives insight into what that sound was.
Also, people need to hear this album just to know they were not one-hit wonders.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
This does not sound modern. There is no doubt about that, but it is to be expected in the same way Buddy Holly didn't sound modern when I heard his album. I knew only some of Run-DMC's hit songs and only It's Like That off this album. I really like the synths on Hard Times and It's Like That, plus the guitar on Rock Box is pretty revolutionary. Wake Up is still relevant, of course.
Like the broken record I am, some of the songs could have used some editing. 30 days is about one minute too long. Very influential album and I did enjoy listening to it even I may not revisit it frequently. Absolutely should be in this book, because without this album I don't know if there is a lot of 80's rap like LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys.
Eagles
5/5
(Insert The Big Lebowski line about hating the Eagles here)
I know every note, every word and probably ever instrumentation on this album. I have been to three Eagles concerts and I am not a Boomer. I understand why people do not like them and I think this book does a good job of putting the two essential Eagles album in here. This album is just hit after hit though. A great encapsulation of the band's songwriting and production prowess. This has everything you need in an Eagles album on it.
Hotel California: A strong, original guitar-led song with lyrics by Don Henley that are super-serious and have some allegory that have the audience could give a shit about.
New Kid in Town: Probably one of my favorite Eagles songs. The harmonies and the way they are arranged is just perfect. This is Glenn Frey wanting to do country music but realizing Don Henley will get mad at him if he goes too far country.
Life in the Fast Lane: Riffs that Don Felder and Joe Walsh tear up, along with a lecture about the life the Eagles led. Do as I say, not as I do.
Wasted Time: A perfect (yes, perfect) soul song that may be my very favorite on this album. It's a journey and a real highlight for me.
Wasted Time (reprise): A needless instrumental to justify paying for the orchestra on the previous song.
Victim of Love: Another rocker that is very simple and has slightly misogynistic lyrics because Don Henley is above it all.
Pretty Maids All in a Row: Joe Walsh's vocal introduction to the Eagles. I like the wistfulness of this one, which is something Joe Walsh is pretty good at when he sets his mind to it.
Try and Love Again: Randy Meisner's only vocal on this album as Don Henley firmly grasped vocal control of the songs and choked the very life out of other vocalists' ideas they can sing a song, simply because Henley had an excellent voice. Fair, but unfair.
The Last Resort: I mean, the lyrics are true! This is the true beginning of the Don Henley lectures about the environment and how capitalism can ruin everything that was good. This song is a slippery slope that brought us a variety of lecture-songs by Henley.
So many of these songs are cheesy/played out, yet I still find myself connecting with them. I love this album and it absolutely deserves a spot in this book and it is okay if you hate the Eagles, man.
Goldie
1/5
Ah yes, another electronic album that reinvented the genre from the 90's. You may not believe this but Goldie is British. Yes, the book with the hard British lean includes an artist from Britain that was groundbreaking. What's most groundbreaking is this album starts off with a 21 minute song. Most artists want to capture your attention immediately, but Goldie prefers to lure his audience to sleep as that may be the only way to get a person to listen to the whole thing. Plus, if the listener is asleep then perhaps another Goldie album will come on and receive more plays as well.
The drum and bass genre is clearly not for me. Either that or songs with excessive run-time and repeated beats over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over doesn't speak to me if I am not on drugs that would help blunt the true experience.
Talking Heads
4/5
This album very much feels like a semi-copy of the Talking Heads first album. While I can find David Byrne's voice to be grating after repeated listens, this is a really good album. It reminds me of the Cars second album (Candy-O) in that it has just one or two hits on it, but there are a bunch of really good album tracks.
Even if it is condescending, "The Big Country" is still a good sound. It's probably my favorite song on the album. Great follow-up album, though a lot of it feels the same as the first. I would include the first Talking Heads album but probably leave this one out.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
I only speak Spanglish, so I have no idea what Jorge Ben Jor is saying in these songs. I am not sure it matters much either. I found myself singing along with no idea what I was saying or moving along to. Panta De Lanca Africano could mean "The Land of Africa should wear pants" and it doesn't matter because it's just a vibe and catchy as hell.
I spent time trying to figure out why I liked this album while listening to "O Filosofo" and decided there was a Stones-y "Waiting on a Friend" vibe to the song. I often don't know what the hell the Stones are talking about, especially with some of the 70's output, but the riffs and feel of the song causes me to enjoy it. There is a reason Rod Stewart stole the riff to "Taj Mahal," for his disco song. That reason is there's a lot to enjoy on here.
I haven't heard any of his other work but the guitar driven songs with the background vocals...this is a really pleasant surprise and I'm putting this album on my personal list...just as long as the songs aren't offensive when translated to English.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
As I have mentioned in my other two reviews of the Leonard Cohen albums, I am not the biggest Leonard Cohen fan. I enjoyed "You Want it Darker" and "Songs from a Room" was acceptable, but this album tends to really focus on the parts of Cohen's music I don't love. Very little instrumentation and the songs are all really long. Even the shortest song, "Diamonds in the Mine" features Cohen seemingly screeching into the microphone, so while I liked everything else around the song I did not enjoy that part.
Maybe I haven't heard the right Leonard Cohen album, though I am three albums in his discography and these are supposed to be his best, but he is still very hit or miss for me. It's like Tom Waits in that I just can't enjoy the music as much as I am told I should.
Pulp
4/5
I feel very much the same about this record as I did Pulp's "Different Class" in that it's very competent Brit-pop, though I appreciate the attempted scale of this one versus the more radio-friendly sounds on Different Class. This is a very aspirational album, sort of Pulp's "Be Here Now" just without all the cocaine and not every song is attempting to be the Greatest Song Ever Written for a Stadium Tour.
Dishes
Help the Aged
This is Hardcore
A Little Soul
Sylvia
The Day after the Revolution
All of these are great songs and if you put a gun to my head where I had to choose between This is Hardcore or Different Class then I am not sure which album I would choose. I like the more aspirational and epic sound of this one, but am not sure I could listen to it as regularly as Different Class. I criticize this book for being very British-centric and I think an argument can be made that only one Pulp album needs to be in the book. Saying that, after hearing Different Class I wanted to hear another Pulp album. Was it essential? Eh, not sure.
The Verve
5/5
I have always loved this album and listened to it often. As I get older, I do struggle to listen to it too frequently as the backend is very good but a bit mellow. I like pretty much every song, yet find myself having difficulty adding it to my collection.
Still, there isn't a misfire on this album even if some of the songs go too long. This is the kind of music that requires repeat listenings and eventually it creeps into your soul and you find yourself singing "Stormy Clouds" randomly. The instrumentals are probably not necessary but all the songs with words are great. Highly recommend this listen as this is the more interesting and prog-rock version (not really) of brit-pop.
"History" foreshadows where the group would go next and is just a great song.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
I had never heard of this artist nor had I heard of this album. I'm a little surprised, though I was never a huge fan of early East Coast rap. I don't find this album as compelling as Illmatic, though few albums are that compelling.
I enjoyed a lot of the songs including Ain't the Devil Happy, Mindspray and Da Bichez. A lot of this is very early 90's rap and that is not a criticism. This isn't Illmatic but it's a good example of what good East Coast rap albums sounded like in the early 90's.
The Blue Nile
4/5
When I think of sophista-pop, this is exactly what I think about. I did enjoy this album, quite possibly more than I should have considering it's not "cool" and I am very awesome. There is no upbeat music to be found here but all 7 seven songs are pretty good. What I find most interesting are the instrumental sounds behind the music, as you can tell the band worked hard to make this sound good.
Would I hear them in concert? Probably not. Would I put this album on when it's a rainy day out and I'm doing some work around the house or my actual job? Quite possibly I would. Worth a listen.
3/5
I have heard of Spirit but never explored their music. I desperately need to know how many drugs they took prior to making the album cover/the entire album. I experienced an acid trip just listening to this music. This album is exactly what I expected from the band's name and from what little I knew about this band.
I would not turn this music off and could very well choose to listen to it on a sunny day.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I am a little surprised this album is on the list. It's probably not Springsteen's best late-era record and putting this in over The River is certainly a choice. I really enjoyed this album when it came out and I still do enjoy it. Not sure it needs to be heard before I die, though I have heard this one a lot.
Having not put an album out for 7 years I can see why Springsteen wanted to put 15 tracks on, but there is an 11-12 track album that is much stronger. The Fuse, Paradise, Let's Be Friends and Mary's Place could probably have been left off. Since Springsteen likes his albums to have themes, all of the songs except for Paradise, wouldn't be missed. They aren't really about 9/11 nor could they be tangentially related to 9/11.
Many of the songs on here are very emotional, such as "You're Missing," "Into the Fire," "The Rising" and "Empty Sky" are directly tied to 9/11 and are brilliant depictions of the devastation (emotional and physical). To put this album in over The River, Tunnel of Love or even Magic isn't something I would necessarily do.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Ah yes, Fatboy Slim. The man who inspired dozens of Brooklyn hipsters to drop out of art school and use their parents' money as a front to become a DJ. You can smell the sweat coming from now 40-something men with once-ironic mustaches as they dance with one arm in the air and the other arm DJ'ing while several 20-something girls surround him, aided by the drugs in their system and enamored at the genius of this person who is making the same phrase come out of the speakers at an intolerable decibel level. You know what? Another tattoo isn't a bad idea and we can post the whole thing on Flickr for the world to see. Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven, but right now she is in fucking heaven. The attention her parents never gave her is now forgotten as she dances beside the mustached man on stage. Life is good.
My college roommate loved this album and would play it quite often. I grew to not dislike this album and eventually the same phrase being repeated 983 times does get caught in your head. I always wondered why Fatboy Slim hates verses and/or hates using different words for a chorus just to throw a bit of a changeup. Nonetheless, when I think of electronica in the late 1990's I think of Fatboy Slim. I think of the same chorus repeated over and over. I think of pretty good beats and an overall interesting album that I would never put on unless there was a specific reason to or I wanted to go to American Eagle.
I think this one has to be in the book because this is more mainstream techno. So, it is.
The Fall
3/5
This is the third (and last) album by The Fall that was on this list. I didn't know I needed three albums by The Fall and I probably did not. Regardless, I feel the same about this one as I felt about the two other albums. There are good songs followed by what I would describe as "not good" music. Sometimes, like Crap Rap 2 the "crap" is written in the title.
Frightened
Rebellious Jukebox
Two Steps Back
Futures and Pasts
All of these are good songs but followed by songs I care less for. My opinion on the Fall has not really changed. Very hit or miss for me.
JAY Z
5/5
Takeover is the better song and Ether is the better diss track. If Blueprint did anything, it woke Nas up out of his rap slumber and created Stillmatic. I am not a big Jay-Z fan but you cannot have a list of important albums without The Blueprint. It's essential to rap, whether you like Jay-Z or not.
What's interesting about Jay-Z is he doesn't really have an album that is a classic or one album you should start off with. If he did, this would be it. This is the closest Jay-Z comes to putting together a perfect album. The track order on this album is what sets it apart, as many times a rapper will have a 16 song album and it falls off at some point. Jay-Z does a good job mixing the lesser songs with the great songs.
Did I need Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)? I did not but I also didn't need a Blueprint 2, Blueprint 2.0 and Blueprint 3, yet we got all of those. A worthwhile listen, even if Jay-Z isn't the best rapper and does not really have a signature song that appears on here.
Prince
5/5
I have given the other two Prince albums I've heard four stars each, while admitting I am not the biggest Prince fan. I thought "1999" was a bit long and also thought "Sign O' the Times" was also a bit long. "Purple Rain" is much more like it. I already knew half of the songs on this one, which does not hurt at all when it comes to my enjoyment.
Even the songs I didn't know like Take Me with U and Baby I'm a Star are really good tunes. Darling Nikki is appropriately raunchy, which is to be expected. All-in-all, my favorite Prince album that I have listened to.
Roxy Music
3/5
Really interesting album cover and quite possibly iconic. I feel like Roxy's best albums are not the ones that have all of their biggest hits on them. This album is no exception, as there are only 1-2 songs that could be considered hits on here. I have already listened to their debut album and wanted to hear more of their material. No matter what, I feel like all of Roxy Music's...music is tongue in cheek and intended to be somewhat ironic. Again, this album is not an exception.
If you are looking for a song about a blowup doll then Roxy Music are the band for you. They are a very influential band and I usually try to limit the amount of saxophone I hear on albums but this album could be the exception.
Mariah Carey
2/5
There is no Whitney Houston in this book, which is absolutely unforgiveable, as her debut album should be on the list. So, that's strike 1 against Butterfly. So if they insist on including an album by Mariah Carey in this book (which I am not opposed to) then I think maybe Daydream or Music Box would be the choice. That's strike 2. This album may best represent Mariah Carey but I disagree this is the peak of her career and a lot of it is very slow-paced. A lot of ballads and nothing on here is interesting enough to justify inclusion. That's strike 3.
I would add another Mariah Carey album to the list over this one. The most upbeat songs on this album are essentially the same song, with one being a reprise of "Butterfly." It's not bad but there is a 7 minute song with Dru Hill. I have my limits.
Keith Jarrett
2/5
This is a dude playing a piano for an hour. He's very good at playing the piano and I am sure when I have house parties my friends would be impressed at how cultured I am for enjoying this type of music. Unfortunately, I am a caveman and this is the sound of a dude playing a piano for an hour.
Sure, put this in the book because it is important in a way that I can't enjoy. I've heard it, I am not cultured enough to pretend to like this, and now we can all move on to the next album.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I certainly didn't think we would get two by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Yeah, yeah, yet here we are. I feel similar about this album as I did the previous Yeah Yeah Yeahs album I listened to. Very pleasant and this album seems to have received rave reviews when it came out. I liked the upbeat songs a bit more than the quieter songs.
Heads Will Roll is a great song and the entire first half is really good as well. Not sure we needed two albums by this band, mostly because I don't know if I think what they are doing here is much better than what other groups were doing at the time.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Frank Sinatra albums are always Frank Sinatra albums. You won't feel too many musical changes or adjustments to his sound. This is an album where the context around the album is almost as important as the music, as this is Frank Sinatra's attempt to have an even jazzier sound.
I admittedly am not sure I like this jazzier sound as much as I like some of Frank's other music. I guess I like saddish Frank more than I like the happy swingin' Frank. Good background music, even if I am not at Olive Garden.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I am not a huge fan of "theme" albums, which is why I can't totally get into bands like The Who. Pete Townsend is obsessed with making rock operas and it doesn't always work for me. Red Headed Stranger is different though. There's enough variety here to warrant repeated listenings. These songs can be heard as a theme or just heard individually (like Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain always has been) as great music.
I am more of a "greatest hits" Willie Nelson fan still, as there just is not a time when I want to put a Willie Nelson album on. I think if I just kept listening to this album, then my mind could change. This is an essential album in my opinion, because there isn't a "bad" track on here and Willie delivers the songs in his laid back manner to where I was compelled to pay attention to the lyrics.
Two of the best songs are among the last three tracks on the album, which isn't something most artists could say when it comes to a "thematic" album, because usually it runs out of steam at the end. Not on this one though.
Madonna
2/5
The bad cover of American Pie is on "Music." This is one of quite a few terrible covers of 60's/70's songs that were pushed on the public in the late 90's and early 2000's (looking at you, Sheryl Crow). If we need three Madonna albums then this would not have been my choice for the third. It doesn't really break ground, as she seemed to tell her producers "Cher Me" and then they did. Not to say it's bad, as Madonna does a great job of altering her voice and sound to fit what she wants to be.
Madonna has always been a sort of chameleon, being able to fit her sound into the latest trends and "Music" is no exception. The song Music is really great and one can see how these tracks would fit well in the early-2000's club atmosphere. The middle is the best part of the album, which isn't something you would traditionally expect, especially on an album with only 10 tracks. Not sure this one belongs in the book, as I do not know what it brings by the 2000 that hasn't already been presented.
Travis
4/5
The Invisible Band is my favorite album by Travis but The Man Who is the album that has more of my favorite songs on it. I don't find The Man Who to be as consistent as The Invisible Band. Really great songs on here:
Writing to Reach You
Driftwood
Turn
Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
I find The Fear and As You Are to ruin some of the momentum that Writing to Reach You may have built up. Travis is very much not a loud band but it feels like once they play a good song, the next one brings it down a bit. Not necessarily in sound but it's just not as good of a song that follows.
I rate this highly, despite the fact it seems I am negative on the album. It's an excellent intro to Travis, just not the best intro to Travis. Listen to The Man Who and then try the other albums.
Throwing Muses
3/5
This is the mid-80's version of Siouxsie and the Banshees, though I prefer that band more. For some reason, the lead singer of Throwing Muses has a voice that can tend to grate after repeated listenings. The rawness of Throwing Muses's sound is a good thing and can be a bad thing as well. I think I would like to listen to the rest of their catalog to get a better read on them as a band.
I do believe Throwing Muses has a place in this book. Some of the tracks I enjoyed the most were:
Call Me
Green
Hate My Way
Rabbits Dying
Delicate Cutters
Not a bad album, though it is hard to find.
The Saints
5/5
Never heard of this band and you would have to work hard in convincing me that isn't Joe Elliott on the cover. After sifting through records I don't enjoy, records I think are fine but should not be in here and all of the British bands that merit inclusion because they are British bands that merit inclusion...it's nice to have a new band that I really like.
I had no idea what to expect prior to listening but the horns and sound of Know Your Product put me right in the headspace to enjoy this album. Supposedly, the band doesn't love this album so I may have to check out more of their back catalog. I know "Just Like Fire Would" because Bruce Springsteen has covered the song, but I have never gotten a punk feeling from the song. Perhaps it is just how Springsteen sang the song.
I have found through this project that I enjoy mid-to-late 70's punk rock. Highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoyed The Clash, Sex Pistols or The Only Ones.
The Byrds
3/5
There are some good songs on here but I don't know if this album has a place in this book. I think the argument is the sound the Byrds are making here and not the music you hear the sound through. I say this because there are 3-4 iconic songs on here with some filler. I could hear them working out their sound on songs like Here Without You and It's No Use.
The Byrds definitely piggybacked on Dylan's popularity with the large amount of covers they did of his songs. I don't know if it is a bad thing, yet I do know Younger Than Yesterday is a better representation of the band (in my opinion). If you enjoy their big hits I don't know if this album is going to bring you anything different that you need to hear.
Primal Scream
3/5
This is not at all what I thought a band called "Primal Scream" would sound like. I even read the Wikipedia page and the description on this site and I still would not have guessed how much Brit-pop and less electronica was found on this album. There were also more instrumentals than I had expected.
Medication sounds like something the Rolling Stones would have written in the 90's. Depending on your view, that can be good or could be bad. Vanishing Point starts off strong and does get a bit monotonous in the middle prior to Medication but then picks up again. I enjoyed this album more than I had anticipated that I would, mostly because it was not what I thought it was going to be.
I expected an album of electronica and super-repetitive beats that made me grind my teeth and it was not entirely that. There are hints of rock, brit-pop and even glam rock on here. Better than expected.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
We got two Super Furry Animals albums in this book. I thought they were the Barenaked Ladies of Wales and that's not entirely accurate. Still, TWO ALBUMS? Is that necessary? I realize they are from Wales, so naturally that makes their albums more important than an album from a group in any other part of the world, but I wish the editors of this book had shown a bit more restraint.
I got strong ELO vibes from a few of the songs, especially on "Rings Around the World" and I am not sure Jeff Lynne didn't really write that song. Same thing for "It's not the End of the World." This is the second straight day of some surprising brit-pop influences in the album I am listening to.
No Sympathy is an interesting song and gets more interesting at the end of it. Not sure why the band chose to add all those sounds, but it did make the song more interesting. Juxtaposed with U has some strong Barry White vibes at the beginning of the song. It's probably the best song on the album and I really liked it.
Overall, a pretty good album and I enjoyed it. I'm interested to see if the other album by Super Fuzzy Animals is better than this one, just so I can complain with opinionated fact that only one of their albums should have been in this book.
Traffic
3/5
I probably would have left this Traffic album out of the book since John Barleycorn Must Die is in the book. I have always felt the sum of Traffic's parts were greater than the band. They really don't have any great string of songs I enjoy and their big hits I mostly know as being covered by other bands. I know Feeling Alright by Joe Cocker and Grand Funk Railroad more than I know the song as a Traffic song.
This band is British. I know that may sound like a shock to you that a British band may be overrepresented in this book but it is true. The better songs are those that were b-sides, like Medicated Goo and Shanghai Noodle Factory, so I question their ability to even choose the best songs they have written.
The sum of the parts don't add up as much for me on this album, as a lot of it sounds like generic 60's jam rock, especially towards the middle of the album. You Can All Join In sounds like a song that is from a different album and it leads this one off. A bit odd to me. I am also not sure I want to know what Vagabond Virgin was about, as the main character in the song appears to be 13 years old.
Supergrass
4/5
Supergrass is another band who I have heard of and only knew one of their songs "Alright." So I was a bit excited to hear this album and see if I enjoyed their music. It turns out, I do. I enjoyed almost every song on this album. Richard III, Late for the Day, Sun Hits the Sky, Going Out, It's Not Me...all really good tunes. I am excited to hear the other album in this book, whenever that may be.
I tend to gravitate towards Brit-pop and this has been a very Brit-poppy week for me. I'm glad I was able to hear this album and I think it provides a different perspective of Brit-pop, plus the music is good.
Patti Smith
3/5
Classic album and it influenced a lot of artists that came after her. A lot like Velvet Underground it hits fairly empty for me. I enjoyed quite a few songs on here but I don't know if I would listen to this one again. Some of the songs are just too long and may have felt more revolutionary at the time. I would give it five stars based just on influence, but I'm not sure I can do that since it was mostly just "good" for me.
This is another album I think those who were directly influenced by it are going to say they liked just because they are supposed to like it.
Love
3/5
I panned Da Capo because I felt the songs were too rambling, especially the 19-minute song on the back half of the album. I surmised the second Love album was the more essential one and I don't think I was entirely wrong. This is a much better album than Da Capo and there was no need for Love to have two albums on this list.
Love could not resist and had to throw a 7-minute song as the closing track, though this was much more manageable than the 19-minute one from Da Capo. I did like the addition of the orchestration to many of the tracks, as it helped the (somewhat typical) 60's psych-folk stand out among a crowded list of psych-rock bands that are on this list. We did not need two Love albums, as this is the album I would have included. Knowing the background on Love and how the orchestration changed their sound isn't very essential for me to enjoy this band.
3/5
This is the first Kinks album I have ever heard all the way through. It looks like I will have three other albums that I need to listen to during this project. I have always been a Kinks Greatest Hits-type of person with an interest in the more popular album tracks. This is a concept album, which I generally don't really enjoy. There have been exceptions I have found through this project.
I always find the Kinks to be one of the more interesting British invasion bands and feel they work hard to not write typical 60's rock songs. I have also found their music to be a bit more elusive for me. It's difficult to put into words but the some of all the music I enjoy (and there is quite a bit) never has added up to a band I tend to enjoy. I think part of this is their social commentary that feels very British niche (at least to me).
Victoria, Drivin', Shangri-La and Australia are all really great songs. I loved the end of Australia with the guitar solo outro, horns and drums. It was a fun song to listen to. The music is good but I am not sure this is the album that would convince me to do more than listen to the Kinks greatest hits. Great (and underrated in some ways) band, perhaps not an album-oriented band for me.
Three more chances and my mind could get changed. This is three "3-star" albums in a row for me.
Van Morrison
4/5
Dammit. Someone give me a really great or really crappy album. I'm tired of giving these albums a score of "3." This is the third Van Morrison album that I have gotten in this project and it seems like the last one. I have enjoyed all three albums. This is the lowest rated of the albums because it tends to focus more on the rambling Van Morrison songs that I did not enjoy as much on "Too Late to Stop Now." I do believe Astral Weeks has a spot on this list.
Sweet Thing
Astral Weeks
The Way Young Lovers Do
Ballerina
Those are my favorite songs and I enjoy the chill vibe of this one. I have to admit, I am probably just as likely to listen to this one again as I am to listen to "Too Late to Stop Now."
Van Morrison is a warm cup of coffee on a slightly chilly Autumn morning. I may not remember exactly what the flavor of coffee was but I do remember I enjoyed it and would like to do it again.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
I always thought Stevie Nicks had a raspy voice but Marianne Faithful takes that prize by a landslide (no pun intended). Broken English had a more New Wave sound than I was expecting. I'm not sure if I thought Marianne Faithful had a Joan Baez sound, mostly because I have heard her version of "As Tears Go By," but also because it was just an assumption on my part.
There is some really good music on here. I liked Brain Drain, Broken English, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, What's the Hurry and Why'd Ya Do It. Why'd Ya Do it feels like a pretty dirty song for these times. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is probably the standout track for me.
I like the cover of this album a lot. Faithfull is holding a cigarette and just looking absolutely exhausted with the world. Really cool image.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I like all of these artists individually. Separately, they are great. Together, they are...just okay? I am sure I will be in the minority on my opinion but this album feels uninspired and pretty standard country music. Take away the fact three Hall of Fame country/alt-country artists are performing the songs, then I am not sure this one would make it in the book.
There are good songs on here, even if some of them are pretty slow, but I'm not sure there are enough good songs for me to listen to the album again. To Know Him is to Love Him, Farther Along and Wildflowers are all enjoyable but the rest fades into the background for me. The sum of the parts don't equal a great whole.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Other than having fond flashbacks to Woodstock, I don't know why this album should be in the book. I reserve the "1" grade for music I don't like and is just bad music, so I can't quite go that far. I want to go that far to prove the point that this is irrelevant and not needing to be heard. It's 60's acid rock and there are better albums to hear that sound.
The musicianship is good and the lyrics are typically acid-created. It's all just so groovy sounding. The cover of the album, the name of the band, the album name, the lyrics and the sound of the album are all so cliched that it would fit in perfectly with a parody of 60's hippie groups. If someone told me this was a Frank Zappa-like project then I would probably accept this conclusion.
I have dreaded listening to albums like this because I know the music is not bad but I need to be open-minded about it all before I judge. I accomplished that here but still came to the conclusion it's not for me and shouldn't be required listening.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
My second straight day of hearing 60's hippie music that feels very thin in substance to me. It's fine to make music when you are tripping on acid. It doesn't mean everyone has to hear it and it certainly doesn't mean the music has to be in this book. I had some difficulty differentiating each song as well. Based on the other reviews in this book, it feels a bit cliched to make fun of this album. Just because it feels cliched doesn't mean it is not true. The song titles could be part of a parody album and I'm not sure anyone would know. Mentions of Minotaurs, witches, three songs that end in "song," and 13 minutes of the band just dicking around on their instruments.
The band can't even say why they named the album "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter," as it didn't mean anything. The quote from Mike Heron on the wikipedia page was a word salad that basically amounted to "I was on acid and I knew my idiotic fans would delve into the title to find deeper meaning that isn't there."
I can see how the Incredible (false advertising) String Band would influence other artists like Bob Dylan and Robert Plant. I can only assume it influenced them to create music that sounded nothing like the Incredible String Band. There is just so much sitar on here and rambling lyrics. I can't explain why this album must be heard, as I never wanted to hear it again.
Swift as the Wind is the most unbearable song for me. There is nothing redeeming about the grating, annoying lead vocal and obnoxious background vocals. The good news it is difficult to focus on the thin instrumentation when focusing so much on the vocals. Swift as the Wind is a misnomer because the song felt like it was 28 minutes long.
The (Not) Incredible String Band have a song called "The Hedgehog's Song" and I am just thankful this song was not on this album.
Hot Chip
5/5
This was a really nice surprise. I had heard of Hot Chip, though based on the description of their sound and this album I didn't think I would like their music. I was very wrong and it was a nice break from the bullshit hippie music I had over the last two days.
They remind me a little bit of Tame Impala and strike a chord for me as danceable (though, I don't dance) indie-pop music. The first four songs are incredibly catchy and I don't even mind the length of the last two songs, Let Me Be Him and Always Been Your Love. It is nice to get surprises on this project and this was a very pleasant surprise.
This isn't necessarily very deep music, but it is fun music and something I enjoy listening to.
Joan Baez
3/5
It's been a hard week and Hot Chip was really the only reprieve that I was able to get. A lot of folk and 60's hippie rock for me. Today, I get Joan Baez. I did find this to be a more pleasant album even though it kind of comes and goes for me. It's incredibly mellow and probably has historical significance since Joan Baez is the female Bob Dylan.
This album deserves a spot in this book and her cover of the House of the Rising Sun is different from the Animals version. It's a good different though, because her version lacks the eerie musical sound of the Animals version but her voice does provide ominous vibes.
Pixies
4/5
I am a bit of a Pixies fan, at least in terms of their greatest hits. I mentioned this when I reviewed Bossanova and wondered if Surfer Rosa would change my mind. It did not. There are more songs I know on this one, but man, there is also some really bad songs that are "experimentation" which I conclude means "It's a bunch of sounds that don't make sense." Looking at you Vamos. Vamos was a bad song full of noise that isn't good and I think even a diehard Pixies fan could search themselves to find this is true.
Bone Machine
Gigantic
Where is My Mind?
Break My Body
Broken Face
Cactus
These are all great songs. I found the back half of Bossanova to be the best part of the album, while I find the back half of this album to be the more "experimental" side of the album. Meaning, it wasn't good.
The Byrds
4/5
Welp, back to the late 1960's with music that may or may not deserve to be in this book. This is a definite change of direction for the Byrds due to Gram Parsons essentially taking over the band. I can't decide if this one deserves to be in the book or not. It's a change of direction for the Byrds but is it a change that deserves placement as one of the albums we must hear? If you like the Byrds, then yes, you have to hear this album. This list isn't intended (I would not think) to include albums a person has to hear if he/she likes a certain band. I think what the Byrds do here is much more notable on Gram Parsons' solo records. I lean toward leaving this one out and covering early country-rock with Grievous Angel. There are too many Byrds albums in this book anyway.
On to the music...it's pretty damn good. Hickory Wind, You Ain't Going Nowhere, The Christian Life, You Don't Miss Your Water and Nothing was Delivered are all great songs. One Hundred Years From Now is an old school Byrds song with just enough jangle to remind you this is the band that wrote the book on jangle pop as well.
While I don't think this album should be in the book and isn't a must-listen, as there are more important representations of country-rock in this book, this is still a pretty good album.
James Brown
3/5
I was a bit disappointed in this one. I had high hopes for a live album from James Brown and this just felt short and disjointed to me. It wasn't "bad" by any means but there are really only seven songs here.
James Brown should absolutely be in here and this is the only representation I am aware of, so I can't give it a "2," but I don't know if this is the best representation of his influence and career. I'm not asking for "Living in America" or anything but it would be good to have some of his more influential hits on here.
Big Star
5/5
As a renowned fan of jangle pop and power-pop, it still took me into my late 20's to discover Big Star. I bought the double album with #1 Record & Radio City on it and it was a great discovery for me. I do understand what some of the reviews are saying about something being missing with them and whatever that something is I don't think it affects my enjoyment of the music but certainly affected their ability to make it big.
I love every song on this album and they are an incredibly influential band. Many 90's bands like Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Cheap Trick and others identify Big Star as a huge influence. In the Street was the theme to "That 70's Show" as well. The influence runs deep.
One bit of trivia that always gets me is Alex Chilton, the lead singer, was the vocalist for the Box Tops and he sang "The Letter." He was a teen at that time and the song sounds like it was sung by a 45 year old man who has spent a lifetime in bars. How that vocalist is the same guy who sings here amazes me.
Thirteen is a fantastic song, though I don't like the shade thrown at Paint It Black. That's a great song and I will hear nothing different.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I enjoyed Daydream Nation more than I had enjoyed the other Sonic Youth albums I have heard. Saying that, I still see no reason why there are approximately 198 Sonic Youth albums in this book. They aren't even an English band!
This was a long album. It is so hard to make a double album that doesn't suck or experience some lethargy at the end. Enjoyed this more than other Sonic Youth albums but it was still too long and not my thing.
Manu Chao
4/5
I could have gone without the spoken word parts and I didn't really understand what the heck he was singing about because I'm not cultured enough to know Spanish.
This slacks off towards the end, which can be expected on an album with 16 songs, but this is really good. I have absolutely zero idea what he is saying but I do know what he's singing is catchy and I like it. I literally have no idea what the genre for this music should be and I hope the words aren't offensive as I sing them in my car. Lacking context of other music like this, I feel like this was a great listen and should be in the book.
Scott Walker
3/5
It probably should not but Scott 4 reminds me of some of the Leonard Cohen albums I have heard. I enjoyed this one more than I enjoyed most of the other Leonard Cohen albums though. Maybe it is Scott Walker's voice that sounds like late period Cohen.
Good album and I am interested in hearing Scott 2 that we get on this list as well. That one apparently has a lot of covers and so I'm a little more skeptical that I will enjoy it as much. We shall see.
Eminem
5/5
Oh man, I remember when this album came out and I undoubtedly played it quite a lot. Most of this album is a reaction to the reaction to his first album, as well as Eminem saying all sorts of ridiculous things now that he had a very public forum to do so. Yeah, tons of misogyny on here and it is hard to celebrate too much when so much of the album plays out like a horror movie in musical form.
I always found it interesting that he put "Stan" as the second real song on the album since it is so down-tempo and very different from all the other things that Eminem had to say and couldn't wait to say. In part, this is a time capsule album and I really don't like ICP so a lot of the misogyny directed towards them is not acceptable but was a part of the beef at the time.
This album is a "separate the music from the person and the person from the things he says in the music" type of album. Eminem had a forum for his most angry and somewhat introspective thoughts and he was in no way going to waste it.
Pixies
4/5
This is my third, and last, Pixies album from this project. I have ended up similarly to where I started, which is I think I do like the Pixies and still may be a "greatest hits" type of person. Doolittle is my favorite album of all the ones I have heard and is the album I would choose if I had to hear one album by the Pixies. There isn't really any filler on here.
Debaser
Wave of Mutilation
Here Comes Your Man
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Mr. Grieves
No 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Gouge Away
These are my favorite songs from this one. I didn't like Hey all that much for some reason. It didn't grab me really. Really wonderful album.
Os Mutantes
2/5
The name of this band translates to "The Mutants," which feels like a very typical 60's band name. If you like 60's psychedelic music in Spanish then boy do I have an album for you. It may have helped if I knew what they were saying, but much of Baby was in English and it didn't necessarily make it more enjoyable for me.
This an international version of experimental psych-music and I'm afraid alot of this missed me. It sounds good and Os Mutantes are doing something that sounds different but I'm not sure it is different from the other psychedelic music this book has forced us to listen to. There is less acoustic guitar and more fuzzy electric guitar forward in the mix, which is a nice change.
Ute Lemper
2/5
If Ute Lemper thinks that kiss was punishing, then she should take a listen to her own album. She may wish for the kiss of death at that point.
I am sure there are individuals much more cultured than I am who will see these songs by such great artists like Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Scott Walker as beautifully interpreted. This is cabaret music apparently, but is it cabaret music? Does singing slow cover songs in a jazzy voice make this cabaret? The duets brighten the album up a bit, so hearing Split caused me to think there was some hope. Then Punishing Kiss dashed all hopes with the circus music sound. This is followed by Purple Avenue, which poses the question, "What if we did a Tom Waits song, except make it worse?"
This is the kind of music white guys wearing turtlenecks would own and/or you would hear at a hotel lounge in the background while guests drink overpriced alcohol and wonder where the hell they had heard this song before.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
There are two Christina Aguilera albums in this book. I probably would not have included this one, though I know there is a need to update the book with "new" albums. It's not bad. There is a significant amount of yelling and singing but not too many of the songs grabbed me. Like most double albums this was probably a better single album.
Makes Me Wanna
Ain't No Other Man
Slow Down Baby
Oh Mother
On Our Way
Still Dirrrrty
Candyman
Nasty Naughty Boy
Hurt
Mercy on Me
Save Me from Myself
This would be a strong album and could even still be on the list, though I am still not sure it SHOULD be on the list. Credit to Xtina for trying to have a different sound and she succeeded on that front. This isn't for me though.
Destiny's Child
2/5
Well, a second day of 2000's female R&B. It is the second day of an album which is more modern (for this list) that feels just "fine" to me. The first song has a lot of Charlie's Angels references which does place me directly back in the early 2000's. I can feel the constraints being in this group put on Beyonce and it feels like the "I can live without you" songs are not just directed at men. Survivor does have a great keyboard riff on it, though I could have gone without the last 8 seconds of the song which are not played on radio, mostly because it is cheesy and needless.
I find it interesting that Beyonce's first solo album was named after a song on this album that she also put on her first solo album (Dangerously in Love). Nasty Girl is a pretty misogynistic song if you ask me. Had a man performed it then I would imagine a great deal of controversy would have erupted.
I can see why Back to Basics is on the list, as Christina Aguilera made a change to her sound and expanded her horizons creatively. I am a bit more confused as to why this album made the list. It's not even critically considered Destiny's Child's best album and critics just seemed to be "meh, it sold a lot of records" about it. It feels like the justification for inclusion is the number of records it sold but I don't think this album is in the same league as other R&B albums released during this time. This book struggles more with the inclusion of modern music.
I don't know why Happy Face is on this album. It's very basic and should have been on the cutting room floor. When I thought the song was petering out, I looked and it had 2 more minutes. That's one minutes of moaning/screaming and the chorus being repeated over and over and over and over and over and over...followed by "I'm flying!" for another minute. It's a disqualifying song just on its own.
I don't know what the purpose of the Gospel Medley is and the Outro is just the group thanking each other. There is, yet again, no reason to include this song. I can't imagine any person who listened to this album more than a few times ever listened to these last two songs. This isn't their best album and shouldn't be in the book.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
Another day and another more modern (comparatively) album. This is also the second day this week I have listened to a double album. I really like the Drive-By Truckers and I am not surprised this is the album that was chosen for this book. It is their opus. It is also not my favorite Drive-By Truckers album. I am not sure if this one is in my top 5 DBT albums, though this is their first actually really good album.
I'm from the American South, so many of DBT's songs speak to me in some way but for some reason this one has not quite as much. I listen to the next three albums, Decoration Day, The Dirty South and A Blessing and a Curse more than I do this one. Perhaps it is the inclusion of Jason Isbell's writing that I enjoy most. I like my own personal version of Brighter Than Creation's Dark (cutting five songs) better than this one as well. Depending on my mood, I may even take their later political albums more than this one.
Saying all that, this is a good album and it has a very clear vision of what is trying to be accomplished since it is a concept record. There is a high bar to reach with this band and their music, as much of it is very good. I would have put The Dirty South in this book over Southern Rock Opera and probably even put A Blessing and a Curse in over this one as well.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
It's been all modern albums this week and it is the third time this week I wonder why an album deserves to be in this book. In fact, why would this book do this to us? What have I done to deserve this album in my ears? I realize there are more musically enlightened people who will "get this" sound and I'm convinced they are trying to be contrarian.
The musicianship is fine. It's just not enjoyable music for me and I don't see why it should be in the book. I can make fart noises into a microphone and call it "Fart Rock," but that doesn't mean my album should be represented.
Admittedly, this music did help a lot as I was a bit annoyed during my second listen to the album and the noise probably helped fuel my annoyance. That felt good but accomplished nothing...
Elis Regina
3/5
This does not appear to be an actual album, but from what I can tell, is a compilation of songs. I thought that was against the rules of this project but I guess the rules change depending on whether the author wanted to include an artist or not. I don't want to get too stuck on "the rules" but it does irritate me a bit a compilation can just be thrown in here.
Because I am uncultured I can't understand very much of what is being sung here but I do like the sound of the music and it is pleasant. I can't think of a time when I would go back and listen to this album, though it's better than the noise rock I got yesterday.
Jethro Tull
4/5
First time I have listened to Jethro Tull. I know songs on "Thick as a Brick" better than I know some of these songs, which feels odd since this is considered their best album. They are a more upbeat band than I expected, though not enough to be considered "metal," which may shock Grammy voters. This is not a concept album but it certainly feels like one. I like concept albums okay if they don't get too crazy and the songs can be listened to independent from the record.
Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary, Cheap Day Return, Hymn 43, and Locomotive Breath are all really great songs. I don't know if I would be exploring any more Jethro Tull but it was interesting enough that I may listen to "Thick as a Brick" after this project is over.
Slint
3/5
I had no idea what to think about this album after my first listen. The songs all sounded similar and the sing/spoken thing that Cake does can be found here. I personally haven't enjoyed that method of singing. A lot of these songs sounded similar after my first listen.
On second listen, it didn't change too much. "Washer" gave me Death Cab for Cutie vibes but "For Dinner..." and "Good Morning, Captain" had what sounded like similar guitar sounds. I am a bit surprised this is called Post-Punk because I don't know if I would characterize the music this way. There are loud post-punk parts but the majority of this album is quieter and more thoughtful.
I don't know if I would ever listen to this again. Not bad but also not sure where it fits in. I found myself checking my watch as my attention would give this nothing but a feel of background music.
John Prine
5/5
First time I have ever heard a John Prine album. This has a lot of the makings of Steve Goodman and early Buffett, which shouldn't be a surprise, I guess. Quite a few songs on here are about war and how it sucks, which also shouldn't be a surprise given the time period.
"There's a whole in daddy's arm where the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose."
That's a great line from "Sam Stone." I'm very glad that I got a chance to hear this album and I think I'm going to need to do a deep dive into his work. I've neglected listening for so long, partly because everyone tells me how brilliant he is, which makes the contrarian in me want to not like his music. Unfortunately for my contrarian leanings, I do like it.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Steve Winwood really likes that synthesizer sound that he had on "While You See a Chance," doesn't he? It is very impressive that Winwood played all of these instruments himself. He's got talent, that's not ever been the question.
While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver, Slowdown-Sundown, Spanish Dancer and Night Train are all pretty good songs. Like many of Winwood's songs, and I include the big hits like Roll With It and Back in the High Life Again, they are just really too long. I'm not asking him to do a 2:30 second version of Night Train, but did it have to be almost 8 minutes long?
I have no issues with longer songs but they need to justify their existence, and frankly, these songs are good but not good enough for extended jams. I understand with their being only 7 songs on the album then it would be at a 28 minute run time if some of the fat was cut...but is that a reason to extend them out? I say, "No."
I am more prone to enjoying yacht rock than most people but I don't even know if I consider this to be yacht rock. Not too many yacht rock songs have Eric Clapton doing an extended guitar solo. I'm glad I listened to the album and I wish I could give it a 3.5.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Brian Eno is involved with this album, so I already know there is going to be a lot of "smelling my own farts" going on with this music. Boy, was I correct. This is music for people who really understand music and if you don't "get it," well then you just don't understand music like they do.
I think Robert Wyatt is trolling by naming this album "shleep" because he knows it sucks and wants to know if the listeners will be like sheep in just agreeing this is good music. Again, it's not bad but it barely qualifies as coherent music for me.
Randy Newman
5/5
I have never heard a Randy Newman album. This is sort of a mix between "smell your own farts" and "is he being snarky or racist" type of music. This is actually a good album though. I'm not sure what all the songs are about (except Sail Away) but they are short and catchy. He can definitely write a song but I also see why he isn't everyone's cup of tea.
The songs, despite being about heavy subjects, can sometimes come off as light and a bit tossed-off. I knew a few of these songs from covers by other artists. I enjoyed this one and can't decide if I want to put it in my personal collection or not.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I have tried to get into My Bloody Valentine through their greatest hits and just not been able to do it. Saying that, I had never tried to listen to one of their three albums. There are certainly really good moments on this album and I thought kicking the album off with Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) was a really strong start. The rest of the album is also very good and probably should be heard.
This is the first "real" shoegaze or what I call fuzzy-foggy rock album and certainly was incredibly influential. I'm excited to hear Loveless as I did enjoy the sound of this one. I would not say it is a revelation since I had heard songs on it before but it certainly was good to hear it.
Michael Jackson
5/5
An iconic album. I am not a huge fan of Michael Jackson, as his music is just so ubiquitous I have only managed to enjoy it on a surface level. Still, this has 9 songs on it and they are all great. I don't know if any album can match tracks 3-8 on here. Just iconic song after iconic song. I don't need to be a huge Michael Jackson fan to know that's an unparalleled run of songs on an album.
Not much else to say about this one.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
One of my more off-kilter takeaways from this project has been the realization that I really needed to learn more Spanish in high school and college. I can't understand much of what is being said here but I really, really want to be able to connect to the music through the lyrics.
Quite a fun album that gets my butt shaking. If you have not heard salsa music before, I would recommend this as a starting point.
Willie Nelson
5/5
I've looked forward to this album because I have enjoyed every song I had heard prior. This is not an "exciting" Willie Nelson and I can see why his record company did not want their outlaw country artist to start singing Moonlight in Vermont and Unchained Melody. It works though.
This is a wonderful album and Nelson's voice perfectly fits these songs. He's like other country artists who have not gotten their due as a crooner. Just because they don't try doesn't mean they can't do. I think if you don't like country music then you will still like this album.
Some standard albums feel like they are aiming for the heart of the old timers just to sell albums, Stardust does not feel that way. Wonderful record.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Per usual, I can always go without the skits and dialogue at the end of songs. It felt good in the 90's and early 2000's but not quite as much now. I don't care to have to hit "skip" on a CD or even on streaming at this point. Every song has a discussion between students and a teacher about love and I'm not hear for it. This was a known issue for me since I heard this album a lot in the late 90's when it came out and was a sensation.
Lost Ones
Ex-Factor
Doo Wop
When It Hurts So Bad
Nothing Even Matters
Everything is Everything
All of these are great songs. It's still a very good album but not quite the classic that I seem to remember.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This was my entry point to Led Zeppelin. Then I bought the 4-CD box set and it was over for me. I loved Led Zeppelin and nearly everything they did. I think this is their best-known album just because it has Stairway to Heaven and Going to California on it. Every song is great, even Four Sticks, and I love this whole thing. It has pretty much everything you get from Zeppelin. Acoustic songs, bluesy rockers, epic rockers and John Bonham going bananas on the drums.
I would suggest if someone wants to get into Zeppelin, then I would start here.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Having reviewed Frank by Amy Winehouse, I can say there only needed to be one Amy Winehouse album in this book. Back to Black needs to be that album. I take exception to the idea Winehouse brought forth the British soul revival (and then comparisons to Adele, Duffy, etc), mostly because there is only one Amy Winehouse and the others do their own thing that isn't what Amy Winehouse did.
I really enjoyed this album and the soul vibe. She was clearly influenced by the 60's girl groups. I am adding this to the list of albums I listen to more frequently.
Eagles
4/5
I'm not going to snark about the Big Lebowski quote but it's really overplayed. Otherwise, so many people do hate the Eagles. I have been to three Eagles concerts and understand why people don't like them. This is probably pretty low on my totem pole of favorite Eagles albums (4th, maybe?) but it is a very important album for country rock and how the Eagles developed that sound (and then removed themselves from it).
Does it deserve a spot in the book? Probably, just because it is country rock going mainstream and there are three big hits on here.
AC/DC
4/5
This is not as good as Back in Black, though there aren't many hard rock albums that are as good as Back in Black. I always thought the association of Night Prowler with Richard Ramirez, as if AC/DC had anything to do with his crimes by inspiring him, was tenuous. Not sure if psychopaths need inspiration and attributing music that is otherwise normal to a serial killer's intentions seems like a foolhardy task.
Highway to Hell
Girls Got Rhythm
Touch Too Much
Shot Down in Flames
If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
Night Prowler
6 great songs on this album and it's the peak of the Bon Scott era with the band. I recognize this is presumptuous, but I would bet this album would have been the peak of the Bon Scott era no matter whether he lived to make more albums or not. There is a certain bluesy feel to this album that is welcome but the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC felt like an invigoration for a band whose music all can sound similar.
Not a perfect album but a great listen for those who want to know what pre-Brian Johnson AC/DC sounded like.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Elvis is more of a caricature for me rather than an actual artist. This is only because he had died by the time I was born and my only reference point are impersonators, Fat Elvis jokes and Turner Classic Movies that I have never watched. I reviewed Elvis in Memphis earlier in this project and gave it a "3," as it was not bad but also not something I would revisit. I think I feel the same way about this album.
Compared to Tutti Frutti make me appreciate Little Richard's version more. It's like every song is, "A great song, but if a white dude sang it?" I don't know if I would ever listen to this album again, though I recognize the importance of Elvis and his music. Not my thing.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
I am not totally on board with the number of instrumentals here. Tracks 7-9 are all instrumental and aren't unpleasant, yet they are the last 3 songs on the original album. Fortunately, I listened to the expanded edition so I heard four songs after those three. How was Strawberry Letter 23 not on this album? It's a great song. Shuggie Otis is a very talented artist, that much is obvious.
It bothers me out of the last four "bonus" tracks, I think all Freedom Flight should have been on the original album. Freedom Flight is nice to listen to once but it's a 12-minute instrumental and it gave me bad flashbacks to when I heard the The Crusaders "Street Life" album.
Overall, a good listen and I would revisit individual tracks but not the entire album.
Carpenters
2/5
I have always consciously avoided the Carpenters, not because I didn't think they were a good band, but because their songs are so mellow. I really don't mind mellow songs but an entire album full of them can be difficult to get through. Well, I was wrong that would be my problem with the album. It turns out the songs aren't as mellow as I thought. There are covers and a more upbeat feel to the songs.
My problem is the Carpenters are the 1970's version of Pentatonix in that they manage to suck any soul out of any songs they cover. They are just so...white. They rip any of the grit Rod Stewart put into Reason to Believe and replace it with a sing-along version your kids can be entertained by if they listen hard enough. Help loses some of the desperation the Beatles showed and replaces it with a plea to assist in getting a can of beans from the top grocery shelf. The originals (well, songs they aren't specifically covering) are the pleasant soft rock I would come to expect from the Carpenters.
Help has the 10th most streams from this album. You have to work really hard to make a Beatles cover so mediocre that even reminiscing Boomers can't connect to it. Does this need to be in the book? I don't know, as I'm not sure what it adds.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I've seen other complaints about this and wanted to get it out of the way. Yes, the songs go on a bit too long. If there is anything we know about Fiona Apple is that she doesn't do anything just halfway. I was surprised about the jazzy feel of this album at times. I didn't think Fiona Apple would sound like a lounge singer, but she does, especially on Slow Like Honey.
This is probably on me for assuming but Fiona Apple isn't as angry on here as I thought she might have been. There are good songs on here and I like this better than Fetch the Boltcutters. I didn't listen to this album back when it came out and I appreciate the sound but probably isn't an album I would re-visit.
Bobby Womack
4/5
I knew of Bobby Womack prior to today but had never heard of anything by him except the Rolling Stones cover of Harlem Shuffle. This is a rare album in this project that I enjoyed but I'm not sure where it fits in the book. It's not really a comeback album and Womack doesn't have another album in the book, so this isn't a companion album either.
The songs were (yet again) a bit long a times but I enjoyed the songs, especially So Many Sides of You, Just my Imagination, If You Think You're Lonely Now and Lay Your Lovin' On Me. There is a definite trend towards the "smooth 80's crooner" soul sound that was famous during the era, but Womack has more soul and grit in his voice.
Baaba Maal
2/5
I was not able to understand much of what Baaba Maal was singing about, but it is obvious that he is very passionate about the topic(s). I was tapping my foot along to these songs, yet as it is with a lot of music in a language I am not fluent in, my engagement/enjoyment can only go so far.
I'm not smart enough to know whether this album deserves a place in the book, as this type of music is so foreign to me I don't think I would have a good reference for comparison.
ABBA
4/5
Do I like ABBA? This is a fair question since I enjoyed "Arrival" and I liked this album too. I thought the keyboards were nice and I enjoyed the more darker version of the band, especially on "One of Us" and "The Visitors." I listened to the deluxe edition and even the added songs were worthy of a place on this album.
Standout tracks for me were:
The Visitors
Head over Heels
When All is Said and Done
One of Us
Slipping Through my Fingers
The Day Before You Came
Cassandra
I enjoy ABBA albums and never would have expected that.
Radiohead
3/5
There are six Radiohead albums in this book and I have gotten four of them. Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and Kid A. I have given Amnesiac, Kid A and Hail to the Thief a "3" rating because it really feels like they aren't that good, but they are artsy, so these albums are considered good. The final 3 Radiohead albums are the ones I prefer the most. Finally, I'm getting there.
I would like to give In Rainbows a 3.5 because I do like it more than I like the other three Radiohead albums I have heard. I can't do that, obviously, but there are two Radiohead albums I would revisit and this is not one of them. Yet, I do like several of the songs on here and it's a good album. The experimentation and artsy crap works better for me.
I would say half of the album works for me. I can't wait for the other two Radiohead albums but for now it's going to be the same grade for this one like the other three.
Flamin' Groovies
5/5
So I can't agree with Mick Jagger this album is what the Stones were trying to do with Sticky Fingers. The Stones did the blues-rock better. Saying that, I can hear Mick Jagger singing "Yesterday's Numbers" and "City Lights." It's uncanny to me.
I had never heard of Flamin' Groovies, mostly because I think the name of the band and the name of this album are so dumb it creates embarrassment others may think you are either a pedophile or a hippie. Flamin' Groovies is right down my alley, as this sort of blues-rock done with a bit of an edge is what I like to hear. Anything that sounds like the Stones and a blues-y Faces is welcome to my ears.
I am really glad I got to hear this album.
Slade
4/5
I have an affinity for glam rock, so I may be predisposed to enjoying Slade. As usual, I have never heard this album before and probably only knew a few Slade songs. This is AC/DC without the harder rock edge and T. Rex without going totally glam. It partially but not in total.
At times, the singer's voice was a bit grating like he was trying to scream the words rather than use his natural singing voice. But there is a lot of good stuff here otherwise. Even if the songs are hard to type since the titles are intentionally misspelled, these are my favorite tracks:
How D'You Ride
Look at Last Nite
I Won't Let it 'Appen Agen
Move Over
Gudbuy T'Jane
My Life is Natural
Wonderin' Y
I can hear modern bands trying to replicate the sound Slade has and their influence can be felt. I may be more of a Slade greatest hits person, but I enjoyed this album.
Pentangle
1/5
For some reason, I can handle the mysticism and Lord of the Rings-type songs when it comes to Led Zeppelin. That could be because they are a good band. One of the lyrics to "This Party Sucks" by the Wonder Years popped up in my head as I listened to this album:
"I can't believe I ended up here again
Watching this terrible band play songs I hate in the basement
I can't believe that I got stuck here again
While the kid with the dreads tells me he's smarter on acid"
This is a "supergroup" of sorts. I have heard of only one of the members in this supergroup and that would be Bert Jansch. I listened to the deluxe edition and could not help but laugh when I saw there are three versions of Sally Go Round the Roses. I feel like it is a microcosm of this album and how this band seems very proud of themselves for doing nothing different of note. There is the regular version that is track 7, a re-recording in 2001 (most likely taking advantage of all the new technology 32 years later that will allow the band to add nothing new to the song) and a version that is a re-recording BUT...it's a longer version! "How much longer," is the question I asked myself.
2 seconds. It is 2 seconds longer than the re-recorded version. If the production engineer sneezed at the end of the song and forgot to stop recording, that could qualify a song as a longer track.
The cover of the album is a picture of the band on a stage that looks like it could be lowered into lights that look a bit like the stereotypical view of what Hell would look like. It's a quality metaphor. Listening to this album makes a person wonder if simply lowering oneself into Hell would not be a less painful experience.
Perhaps I'm being hard on this album but it is essentially everything I hate about the folk-rock era of the 60's. Trite band name, songs about like wizards and warlocks and shit and a feeling like I'm being forced to listen to someone's acid trip.
LL Cool J
4/5
I had never heard an LL Cool J album, though I knew about three songs on this album. It's hard to listen to music and not be familiar with Mama Said Knock You Out and Around the Way Girl. Some of these lyrics were fairly cheesy, especially Milky Cereal, which should have been locked away never to be heard again.
This is not the most gracefully aged album of rap, especially when compared to Public Enemy and other albums in this book. LL Cool J was never the most talented lyricist and his lyrics can be cringy on this one as well. Overall, there are more songs that I liked on here than those I did not enjoy.
James Taylor
4/5
JT should be the album in this book over Sweet Baby James. Sweet Baby James is James Taylor at his worst/best, while JT is the album which has more highs than lows and shows a better variety of Taylor's songwriting skills. Steamroller is bad, but it is supposed to be bad because it's a parody of bad blues songs. That's the thing though...Taylor doesn't necessarily sing the song as a parody or as tongue in cheek.
Everyone knows the three big hits (Sweet Baby James, Country Road, Fire and Rain) and there are other good songs on here. Overall, it's a very top-loaded album with the hits and Oh Susannah isn't a necessary tune. Apparently, Taylor just needed more songs and that's probably why he did Oh Susannah. Personally, I prefer JT as this is too mellow and exhibits the worst among Taylor's tendencies.
Paul Simon
4/5
James Taylor yesterday and Paul Simon today. It's 70's singer-songwriter week but I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. We know Jim Croce won't be on any lists any time soon. Personally, I would put at the very least You Don't Mess Around with Jim in the book but it was not my decision. In my opinion, Croce is superior to both James Taylor and Paul Simon.
Paul Simon tickles the fancy of music critics because he incorporates African sounds into his music and that makes them feel like the music Simon writes is more important and open-minded. "Look at all the African artists Simon is bringing to the forefront!" Unfortunately, your average music listener could not tell you which African artists are featured on Graceland but they do know Chevy Chase was in the music video for You Can Call Me Al. Enough about my slight distaste for Paul Simon being the musical version of white guilt that only serves to inhabit and profit from those he is "helping," rather than highlighting their talent.
I would think this is Paul Simon's best album and I say that having only listened to his debut album. I know he has another album in this book (which is insanity), so perhaps I'll change my mine once I hear that one. I think this album deserves a place in the book, despite my feelings about all of the other things around it outside of the music.
There is not a bad song on here, though You Can Call Me Al feels like a pop song written to sell records. Of course, Paul Simon would never do that. Would I listen to this album again? I very well may, because it's a good album and if I am listening to Paul Simon then it contains much of his less haughty and annoying song writing.
The Hives
3/5
This is a compilation of the Hives first two albums. I thought compilations weren't allowed in this book. Everyone knows I Hate to Say I Told You So, though it does not like the Hives really do hate to say they told us so. It turns out the Hives are not my new favo(u)rite new band. I appreciate what they brought to the early 2000's in the form of a post-punk sound. My issue is the sound is not varied on this album.
Compilations shouldn't be in this book, though I can see why The Vines would be.
New Order
4/5
I am disappointed to know this is the last New Order album that I will be listening to in this book. I tapped my foot pretty much the whole time this album was on and I was surprised to know I like the remixed version of Round and Round better than the album version. I still really like the album version, of course.
I enjoyed every song on here and was surprised of the amount of jangly guitar that was present. I am used to dance-y New Order and even some of the post-punk sound from Low-Life. Highlights for me were:
Love Less
All the Way
Round and Round
Guilty Partner
Run
Vanishing Point
Dream Attack
I pretty much liked every song. Great album.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
1. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is such a stereotypical 60's band name that it would be rejected if a screenplay was being written.
2. I have been dreading Trout Mask Replica and so I completely overlooked there was another Captain Beefheart album in this book. Again, there is a lot of 60's rock that I don't really believe belongs but the sound brings back good memories so we are stuck with it.
I'm a sucker for Chicago blues, so Captain Beefheart should be in my wheelhouse. The first song, "Sho' Nuff..." didn't really start the album off very strong in my opinion and I didn't love Electricity either. Both were a few of my least favorite songs. Zig Zag Wanderer was a great song though and you can tell the band really liked having Ry Cooder around. Yellow Brick Road is another great song.
A lot of "Safe as Milk" is the typical 60's hippie rock I have railed against on other albums. This is pretty non-offensive rock and it's fine to listen to but I have no idea why I would revisit it. Probably didn't need two Captain Beefheart albums in this book, but average 60's bands getting overrepresented has been par for the course thus far.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Definitely not a high energy album. Having gone to college in the mountains of NC when this album came out, I had heard a lot about how good Time (The Revelator) was and never had sought the album out. In general, I tend to dread songs that are 14 minutes long but I Dream a Highway was very slow yet went by very quickly for me.
This is bluegrass for the new age (well, now the old age since it came out 24 years ago) and it was enjoyable. I can't say it caught my attention to where I would listen to it again but it has a place in this book.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Seventh Tree starts off with slower-paced songs and then moves towards the faster songs towards the middle. Interesting sequencing choice. I found this to be a pleasant album, though I think it suffers from the need to put more post-2000's albums in revised versions of this book.
I will be interested to hear the other Goldfrapp album in this book. This was a lot less dance-y and club atmosphere-like than I expected. I enjoyed Little Bird and Happiness sounds like something that would have come from a late 60's or early 70's group. It had that vibe to it and was probably my favorite song on here.
There is a Scottish band called Texas that have a similar sound to a few of the tracks on Seventh Tree. Goldfrapp is a bit more mellow but Road to Somewhere had a very strong vibe of Texas. These songs here fade in and out of my memory, which isn't a criticism other than to say this isn't necessarily a memorable album.
The War On Drugs
5/5
I have always liked The War on Drugs but I have never, and I mean never, understood the comparisons to Heartland rock, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp. It doesn't sound like them at all. Even reading the reviews of other listeners I see a couple of Don Henley and Bryan Adams references. I don't hear it at all! I often feel like they could be one of my favorite bands, yet they are just missing something and I can't put my finger on it.
I really like them and feel like I could love them. Sometimes the music is too long and sleepy for me. I really need someone to explain the Bruce Springsteen and Heartland rock thing to me though. I can't hear it no matter how hard I try.
Otherwise, I like the album and there are quite a few jams. Can the songs sound similar? Yeah, probably. Under the Pressure is a good way to start the album (even if it is 3 minutes too long, potentially), Red Eyes is just an absolute jam, Suffering is the closest to Bryan Adams/Don Henley I hear, Ocean Between the Waves is another great track, Eyes to the Wind is the closest I hear to Springsteen or Heartland rock, Burning and Lost in the Dream are all really good songs.
I wish I understood the comparison of The War on Drugs to other bands but this is a very worthwhile listen.
2/5
So many thoughts...
Yes, I did listen to Limp Bizkit when I was in college. I don't know if I ever "liked" them but when playing PlayStation games with my roommates there was only a few things we could all agree on. Plus, we probably liked the anger of it all.
If Limp Bizkit were the Talking Heads then they would have called this album "Songs about Grievances and Choruses that Contain Threats."
If meth had a soundtrack, this would be it.
I can't believe I lumped Limp Bizkit in with Linkin Park and some of the other rap-rock albums of the time. Limp Bizkit is very different.
I would have put Significant Other in this album over this one. Also, it's not a shock this album was removed from future releases of the book. There are other bands that better capture what Limp Bizkit was trying to do.
Some of the song titles (My Generation & My Way) are famous songs by other bands just sort of re-written for by Limp Bizkit. The intro and the outro are totally unnecessary and the first four songs are basically just Fred Durst threatening people and saying he does not care...which is why he wrote 7-8 songs about not caring. The red backwards hat man doth protest too much.
There isn't a ton of depth here, obviously, and most of the choruses are just Durst yelling angrily, almost like he knew he had to sell albums so he needed a hook somewhere to achieve that goal. The ridiculousness is catchy at times though.
Fred Durst says it well on The One. "Understanding everything has never been my deal." It's not a bad song but is another song where Fred Durst doesn't care if he finds someone to love him. He cares so little he wrote a song about it with a false ending where he wants this woman to stay.
This one runs out of steam at the end with a lot of the rage gone, which is why we get two versions of "Rollin'." Like a car crash, I don't know if I would avoid recommending this album to others, just so they can hate/love as they see fit. I think it's best left out of this book but I still can play PlayStation and listen to it in the background.
Billy Joel
5/5
Having heard Billy Joel's greatest hits thousands of times, I bought this album on cassette when Target used to sell cassettes for $3.99-$6.99. Great album and a stone cold classic. I have mixed feelings about Billy Joel due to his relentless touring schedule without daring to make any new music for the last 30 years. He's making bank, which is good, but I do think making new music is something a working musician should at least aspire to.
There's not a bad song on here and it could easily play like a greatest hits album (though one with only 9 tracks). I have always found it slightly odd the album is titled "The Stranger" and the last track has a reprisal of The Stranger (song) at the very end, yet The Stranger is not the first track of the album. Most artists will bookend a theme of their album on the first and last tracks. It obviously worked here.
High recommend, even if you hate Billy Joel.
Björk
3/5
Oh, it's another Bjork album. I've heard three solo records and a Sugarcubes album but it turns out that I get more Bjork. This appears to be the final Bjork album, but quite possibly not, because you can't ever really appreciate Bjork until you have been subjected to every single one of her albums.
There are good songs on here and they are all fairly weird, which is a given for Bjork at this point. I would recommend:
Stonemilker
A History of Touches
Family (the right kind of weird for me)
Atom Dance felt interminable to me.
Still, I don't know if I could recommend this album to anyone. It's Bjork, so if you like her music then you will possibly like this. I just find it hard to connect with the music since the intent appears to be weird.
Aimee Mann
4/5
This album was more rocking than I had anticipated. I didn't think it would be quite as loud as it ended up being. I also enjoyed this more than I thought I would, especially since the Magnolia soundtrack was my only real exposure to Aimee Mann.
The first four songs are a really strong start to the album. As far as early 90's rock goes, this is an excellent album. I would probably put this in the book as a lighter version of Liz Phair. Happily surprised how much I liked this one.
Django Django
4/5
I had never heard of this band. I am always scared when I see "art rock" as the description of the band, but this is a less New York-y version of Vampire Weekend (in some ways). I really enjoyed this album and many of these more modern albums feel like they were included just so modern albums could be included. That is not the case here. Really interesting sound and the standout tracks were:
Hail Bop
Default
Waveforms
Zumm Zumm
Wor
Life's a Beach
For every Bjork album that gets shoved down my throat (not that she has bad music overall), it is nice to get albums in here that I am not familiar with where I enjoyed the sounds my ears were hearing.
John Grant
5/5
This is a pleasant surprise to have a John Grant album on this list. I knew a few John Grant songs (especially G.M.F.) and always wanted to know what an entire album sounds like. Now I know and I loved it. John Grant is like Father John Misty, just with less playful pop-culture references and more pop-culture references that make you wonder if he is okay.
The songwriting is very original and "Where Dreams Go to Die" deserves the most plays on this album. Really enjoyed this one and added it to my collection for the theatrical feel of it all.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
On a Rope is a catchy song. The first half of the album is good and I enjoyed it. On a Rope, Young Livers, Drop Out and Used are good tracks. My biggest issue with this album is the songs just aren't that good as a whole. I like the inclusion of sax and strings on many of the songs, as that separates them from other punk bands without steering too far into ska territory. It's about the songs though. I felt like half of the album or so failed to engage me with the music and they just simply aren't that strong, no matter how different the sound may be at times. The overall sound was different but the songs did run together for me towards the end.
This is a typical "3" album for me. Good but not good enough for me to listen to it again.
The Replacements
4/5
Tim and Pleased to Meet Me are my two favorite albums by the Replacements. I have been exposed to Let It Be less than those other two albums. This is my third favorite Replacements album and there is a lot of really great songs on here. My personal favorites are.
I Will Dare
Unsatisfied
Favorite Thing
Androgynous
Black Diamond (I like it better than the KISS version)
Answering Machine
Gary's Got a Boner isn't even as bad of a song as one would think that it could be. I would not recommend starting off a review of Replacements albums with this one, but I do think this is an album that should be heard in concert with Tim and Pleased to Meet Me.
Addendum: I just found out that neither Tim nor Pleased to Meet Me are in this book. What the hell? Both are classics and easily the Replacements two best albums. I guess the 75 Bjork and 32 White Stripes/Jack White albums didn't leave room for 1-2 albums by one of the best early indie-punkish bands ever.
Linkin Park
5/5
Because they came on the scene around the same time, I often lumped Linkin Park in with other groups like Limp Bizkit. I mentioned in my review of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water that I lumped them in together and I regret this. After hearing Hybrid Theory, I have the same regrets. I was never a Linkin Park fan and only heard their music on the radio.
I tend to move away from too much of the rap-rock songs on here like By Myself and Forgotten. Not necessarily my cup of tea. Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. I do not know if I would ever become a Linkin Park-album type of person but there is a lot here to like. This, at least to me, is more important than any Limp Bizkit album as this was more musical and a better integration of rap and rock together.
The only songs I would not recommend on here are By Myself, Forgotten and Cure for the Itch.
American Music Club
4/5
It may have been the point to have a generic sounding band name, but it certainly does not help this band stand apart. Bad Liquor is a bad song. Not sure why it was included on the album, as 11 tracks would have been fine and there's no reason an outtake (any outtake) could not have been included if 11 tracks were deemed insufficient.
I am not 100% sure how this album ended up in the book. Not because I did not enjoy it, rather was this a hugely influential album? I had not ever heard of this band and this feels like some of the college radio station music I listened to when I was in college. The songwriting is fairly strong and the lead singer's voice could be an acquired taste. I enjoyed:
Firefly
Somewhere
Lonely
Blue and Grey Shirt (best song on the album)
Now You're Defeated
Jenny
Western Sky
Last Harbor
This is not on Spotify, so it makes it more difficult (for me, at least) to listen to regularly but I enjoyed the album.
Bob Dylan
5/5
One of the best breakup albums of all-time. Dylan denies these songs are autobiographical, but you can't write some of these tunes if there isn't something on your mind that is a part of the song. There's not a bad song on here and Idiot Wind is an excellent diss track.
"You're an idiot, babe
It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe"
Great line. I am surprised at how few plays some of these songs have on Spotify. Stone cold classic album and I came on to this album when I was looking for good breakup albums and it fit the bill. It's angry, wistful, resigned and bitter. Most of all, the songs are well-written.
T. Rex
4/5
Every song on this album has two words in it except for one. Each song also seems to have an adjective that describes the word following it. I don't know if this is intentional, but these are the things I notice. I enjoyed this album more than Electric Warrior and I enjoyed that one.
I have a playlist of glam rock songs and I added Metal Guru, Mystic Lady and a few other songs from this album to the list. What surprised me the most was how accessible this was, not that T. Rex's other work is not accessible, but these are well-written songs. I would suggest this one over Electric Warrior, even if Electric Warrior has the big hit on it.
Daft Punk
3/5
Daft Punk is playing at my house (my house) but it is most likely not going to be this album. This book seems to give preference to influential artists' early work given that is the first the general public hears of that sound. This is not Daft Punk's best album by any stretch of the imagination. If I HAD to hear a Daft Punk before I died, it would not be this one.
I tapped my foot a lot with this album and the reviews I see where the repetitive nature of the songs are discussed are not lying. I like Da Funk and High Fidelity the most on here. Otherwise, it plays like an album of songs that weren't intended to be an entire album...which is what this is.
Orbital
2/5
I feel like there have been too many electronic/rave/dance albums on this list. Perhaps I don't like that genre enough but I don't see where there is enough variety to justify the inclusion. What's worse is we get ANOTHER album by Orbital in this book. There is no reason for this.
I didn't dislike the songs on here but it did not take me 65 minutes to get the point. Maybe I am not smart enough to know the difference in this and the 20 (!) other electronica albums I have gotten the opportunity to listen to. Not unpleasant, yet I would not revisit this album. Some notable tracks are:
Lush 3.1
Impact (The Earth is Burning)
Remind
Halycon and On and On
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
This is what I would call "clever rock." It's created simply for the purpose of the artist showing how clever he/she is. It does not mean it is bad music but I am sure the parody of 60's rock played a lot better in the 1960's. I don't know what The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny is, other than just noise.
I don't have a ton of feedback on this one, other than I have no idea why I had to hear this album and would be shocked if I ever subjected myself to this again.
fIREHOSE
3/5
This obviously reminded me a bit of the Minutemen album Double Nickels On the Dime. Two members of that group are in fIREHOSE. This is another album that I find myself a bit confused as to why it is in this book.
The songs I would recommend are:
Riddle of the Eighties
In My Mind
Liberty for Our Friend
Time with You
Understanding
I do feel similarly about this album as I did Double Nickels on the Dime. It's not bad and there are good spots but the music sort of just cruises in and out of my mind. I could see myself adding a few songs to a playlist but the music isn't consistently good enough for me to recommend the whole album.
The Kinks
5/5
All I know is ELO stole the opening riff of Mr. Blue Sky from Do You Remember Walter? and that's my initial reaction.
This one did remind me of Sgt. Pepper quite a bit. Not sure why but this felt like an especially Beatle-esque album. I really enjoyed this album and I only knew two of the songs, which were Picture Book and Starstruck, but there were a lot of other really catchy and well-written songs on here. When I reviewed the last Kinks album I said I was looking forward to hearing more the Kinks albums. That still applies, as I would like to see if there is an album that I find to be not as great.
The songs on here that are good are too numerous to list, so I would suggest all of the tracks are worthy of a listen.
Orbital
2/5
I got the other Orbital album last week and was in disbelief there would be another song by this artist. Well, five days later I got the other Orbital album. I am not sure if I am thankful to get it out of the way or can't believe I will have to endure another album by them.
There is no need to have two of these albums in the book. The album ends with two songs that encompass 28 minutes. It's just a lot. Even if the music isn't offensive, I got the point when the first album was a part of this book. The good songs on here are:
-Forever (the 15 minute song should be called 'forever' because that's how long it went on)
-Sad but True (not the really good one)
-Philosophy by Numbers
Otherwise, I'm pretty well electronic-music'd out.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Always with the hippie music on this list. Side 2 is stronger than Side 1 and the faster songs are much better than the slower songs. I had slight contempt for this album after hearing Side 1 but really came around on Side 2. My disgust then became just a slight annoyance.
Then I listened to the album a few more times and my slight annoyance became a sort of enjoyment. It turns out, this is a good album and really grows on you. A Sailor's Life may be 11 minutes long but the long outro of the song really played well in my ears, so I did enjoy it. This is a very backloaded the album and even the first three songs are still quality, yet not up to par with the other five songs at the end of the album.
I am getting one more Fairport Convention album, so I'm interested to hear it as well. After a few listens, I may end up adding this one to my collection. In general, I hate hippie folk music like this though.
What I like most about Richard Thompson is his son, Teddy, makes good music as well.
Brian Eno
3/5
(Rubs the temple) Oh good, another Brian Eno album. If this is music for airports then the volume better be turned up on the airport speakers because the songs tend to be softer. This is better listened to through headphones, so perhaps that's the key. Listen to this in an airport while wearing headphones. It is not driving music.
This should really be called "Ambient 1/Music for Spas." It's just so sparse in its sound. This is fine and a bit sleepy. There's no need for it to be in this book, as there are already 3-4 other albums that attest to the genius of Brian Eno.
Germs
3/5
The Germs and their music are probably more influential than their music is accomplished. I enjoyed the first part of this album more than the second part (or second half). I was excited to hear the Germs, as this album project has turned me on to some of the late 70's punk that I only knew as an ancillary thing. I think I would consider the Germs to be like Velvet Underground in that I enjoy what their influence brought to music more than I enjoy the music made by the artist that was influential.
This is hardcore punk and I definitely enjoyed listening to this when I was in a bit of a foul mood. Not sure it's an everyday listen for me but I appreciate the sound.
Jacques Brel
2/5
I imagine 98% of the audience for this concert were smoking cigarettes while sipping drinks at a round table with two chairs. I bet Jacques Brel was even smoking between songs and the room was hazy with the air of smoke. I can almost smell it.
I don't know what he's saying but I could have gone without the bizarre laughing on Track 3. I know this book needed to put older music in because there were notable artists prior to the Beatles.
Gorillaz
3/5
I heard Re-hash and Clint Eastwood quite a few times (okay, a few thousand times for Clint Eastwood) but had never heard this whole album. Honestly, the whole "future band" with the cartoon characters just never really worked for me. Maybe it was too artsy or just a blatant attempt to be cute and cheeky. I am not sure but it felt like an attempt to be "different," and it just never had an effect on me.
The impact still comes up short but this is a band that was influential and is a fun sounding side project for Damon Albarn, even if I don't particularly enjoy it overall. Impactful group, not my thing, because all the cartoon-ish shit makes me think the target audience is 20-year-olds who draw by themselves in their room.
Not sure this feels as creative now as it did at the time.
Brian Eno
4/5
(Rubs temple again) Well, another Brian Eno album less than a week after the last one I was able to hear. I was hoping to space these albums out just a little bit more because Eno's genius can sometimes be a bit exhausting when you are "blah" on it (especially the instrumentals).
I really liked this album. Had this been my first exposure to Brian Eno then I may not be as "blah" about some of his work. I'm not sure there is a bad track on this album and I like that it actually has vocals. The best songs on here are:
Needles in the Camel's Eye
Baby's on Fire
On Some Faraway Beach (really liked this one)
Here Comes the Warm Jets
Really pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this album. It had a lot of weirdness that was present on the Roxy Music albums, while also had some of the pop sensibilities that I know are hiding somewhere in Eno's soul.
5/5
Instead of an album by Brian Eno, today's album was (co) produced by Brian Eno. It's Eno's world and we just live in it. Very Eno-centric.
The deluxe version has additional great songs on it with Spanish Eyes, The Sweetest Thing, Luminous Times and Walk to the Water. This is a nearly perfect album and it is easy to neglect how good it is due to the Bono-ness of U2 and the way the band seems to be pompous and engage in extravagance in all things. No one wanted that album downloaded to their iTunes.
Perfect album and there isn't a bad track.
Raekwon
3/5
There is no need to have 18 tracks on this album. I know Raekwon has a lot to say but I'm never 100% sure it should all be said at one time. I also wonder (since this album came out when tapes were still a thing) if artists who feature a track with just dialogue thinks the people listening want to hear this dialogue just as often as the songs. Seems to me like if I wanted someone to listen to my music, I would ensure these same people don't need to sit through tracks that are not music.
I don't dislike Wu-Tang and I have always been fairly neutral on their music. So perhaps, even as a rap fan, this music isn't for me.
Everything about this album is 90's and that's not a bad thing necessarily. There are sufficient tracks with a female singing background as the chorus repeats at the end of a track, which is a 90's rap trademark. It's a lot of music and the beats can feel repeated at a certain point, but beats are not necessarily what Raekwon is worried about here. This is no-frills 90's rap that I tend to enjoy, mostly because I grew up with it. Nas's verse on Verbal Intercouse is a strong point but there is nothing else that just sticks out about this album. It's a workman-like effort with nothing that feels like a really high point and no bad, bad tracks.
I wouldn't turn this off but I also would not search this album out. It's going to fade into the background of my mind.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Even his record company didn't want to really keep this album around and record companies will sell pretty much anything as long as it makes them money. This is one of those albums that has no redeeming quality other than to be considered a "lost masterpiece" by a troubled artist who really was trying to say something, but all of the troubles just prevented him from getting his message across. In reality, it's just a shit album by a troubled person who made a shit album because he had mental health issues.
As I tend to say, this is not an offensive album but I have no idea why it is in this book. I wouldn't really recommend a song on here.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Other than the fact Shaka Zulu can't be found on Spotify, I have no complaints. I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Paul Simon's Graceland (which is where Ladysmith Black Mambazo came into the public eye) and it was a very pleasant sounding album.
I tend to not like vocals-only music, mostly because Pentatonix has ruined it for me by sucking all the soul out of songs. I don't always know what they are saying but the songs are good and the vocals are impeccable. The tracks I enjoyed the most are:
Unomathemba
Hello my Baby
Lomhlaba Kawunoni
How Long
Yibo Labo
Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain
Wawusho Kubani
I am glad I was exposed to this one.
5/5
I am getting a lot of Beatles vibes from this record. Frivolous Tonight has to be an outtake from "13" by Blur. It may be hard to convince me otherwise. Same thing for "I Can't Own Her." There are some Kinks sounds in here too. It's like XTC took all of their influences and just melded (is that a word?) them together to create these songs. It's very well done and the songs are very strong and catchy.
Had never heard an album by XTC and I'm annoyed that I was missing out. This checked a lot of the boxes I look for in an album and I am excited for Skylarking to see if I like that one as much.
The only negative is this album isn't on Spotify, which is the only music app that I really use.
The Beta Band
2/5
We get two albums by this group and I have never even heard of them before. It's fine. It didn't blow my socks off and sort of faded into the background of my mind. I would need to hear the other album but it doesn't seem like this book needed one album by this band, much less two.
Orange Juice
4/5
I was surprised that I knew two of these songs, though not surprisingly these two songs are the most listened to songs on this album. That's Rip It Up and I Can't Help Myself. This does not feel like post-punk to me. Maybe it is post-punk but there are also a lot of soul sounds on here as well. The Temptations are even referenced on I Can't Help Myself.
Breakfast Time is a bit of a silly song but the band is called "Orange Juice," so perhaps that should be expected. Enjoyed this one and will have to revisit.
Janet Jackson
4/5
I prefer this album, at least in terms of albums I would listen to often, to the albums by Michael Jackson. Obviously, Rhythm Nation is not as iconic as Bad or Thriller, but this is a really good album of new jack swing. I'm surprised the song with the most plays "only" has 41 million. I would think at least one of these tracks would top 100 million. Perhaps that is just the 80's baby in me coming out with unrealistic expectations.
Rhythm Nation (the song) has Sly and the Family Stone written all over it but not too much to wear they are copping an entire song. There are 8 interludes on the album and I normally don't like these because they tend to break up the song momentum. What's odd to me is there are fewer interludes on the back half of the album when the songs are a bit slower. I would think there would be fewer interludes when the music is slower.
I tend to get many of these songs stuck in my head and while the backhalf is a bit slow, I think anyone who likes Michael Jackson or new jack swing should listen to this one. It's a great album.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
I will get the perfunctory, "It's a double album so we know it will feel too long" comment out of the way now. It is a bit too long and can drag at times. This would be an incredible single album of 10-15 songs. For a Rundgren being such a great producer, I am a little surprised he let a few live songs on this album sound as bootleg as they do. I am talking mostly about Overture and the few false starts on takes. I guess if they were recorded live then that would explain it.
I knew several songs that I did not know that I knew. I, of course, knew Hello It's Me. There were other tracks that sounded very familiar, like It Wouldn't Have Made any Difference, Wolfman Jack and Sweeter Memories.
Overall, 75% of this album is really great and enjoyable. I have never sought out Todd Rundgren's music and this was a really nice primer for what his sound is like. I still wish it were shorter and then I would feel good about adding it to my collection of favorite albums.
A nice surprise that I enjoyed it.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Absolutely wonderful album. I have come to love the Pet Shop Boys through the years, though admittedly I don't have too much knowledge of individual albums.
I really enjoyed this one and it was more mellow than I had anticipated. I have a Pet Shop Boys collection but many of these songs had not made any of my lists. Their brand of synth-pop is my sort of thing.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Well, this is kind of a dark album. Especially since a lot of the songs have religious overtones, yet my man over here is bashing his girlfriend's head in. I do not know if I would ever listen to this album again but I did enjoy this rendition of "dark folk" and I know there was a need to have older albums in this book.
The songs I liked best are:
I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
Let Her Go and God Bless Her
A Tiny Broken Heart
In the Pines
Katie Dear (again, very dark)
My Brother's Will
Knoxville Girl
Satan Lied to Me
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is the second album in the Rolling Stones wonderful six album (yes, I wrote "six") run in the late 60's and early 70's. The first half of this album is better than the second half of the album but it's still wonderful all around. There is so much variety on Let it Bleed. This includes war protest songs, country-ish music, folk, straight blues rock, and of course, children singing over a grandiose sounding closing song.
I am not sure Let It Bleed was a response to Let It Be but it probably makes a great story if it were true. It's one of my inexplicably favorite Stones songs and I love Charlie Watts's drums on it. This has a lot of the things I like most about the Stones, even if the second half of the album isn't my favorite representation of them as a band.
Wild Beasts
2/5
At times, Wild Beasts feels like the Temu version of Tame Impala. This feels like "We need to put a modern album in this book." This album felt pretty inconsequential to me, other than the fact it won a prize (Mercury Prize). Not bad, not good.
Genesis
3/5
I generally don't like the idea of a concept album, because it feels overly high-minded and pretentious. Pete Townsend is most famous for his concept albums that he promises to fans of The Who and I would just prefer he write good songs that aren't necessarily connected to a larger story about a boy who (insert action he takes) but is not prepared for (insert event) and he must navigate his way around (insert location) to achieve his dream.
I also prefer Genesis when they mix together the prog-rock and 80's rock together on an album. Peter Gabriel's weird dressing up act isn't necessarily my thing either and I've always thought he was a sufficiently good lead singer but his music has always been a "3" on a scale of 1-5.
BUT, this double album that is also a concept album is worthy of a listen. It's still probably too long and bombastic for me to listen to frequently but there are some good songs on here and the not-as-good songs tend to be briefer.
Out of 23 songs, I would say half of them are worthy of a listen. The first five songs are a strong way to start the album and I do wish it kept the energy up through the entire album. Side 2 fades in terms of song quality. It feels like Genesis was working to get a double album out of these tracks. Either that or...drugs.
I am, once again, asking that artists consider not making their album a double album. Yes, you have a lot of songs written, and yes, they are SO GOOD in your opinion. Maybe they are wonderful but leave a little bit for the next concept album you do.
John Cale
5/5
I was surprised to hear this album was recorded in Los Angeles. It feels very French, and not just because of the title of the album (though that doesn't hurt), but because the songs contain more European-centric references. It doesn't feel recorded in Los Angeles, like Bowie's "Berlin Era" albums don't feel recorded in America. Yet, this was recorded in Los Angeles.
I really enjoyed this album, which was a bit of a surprise to me. I like Lou Reed's solo material as well, so maybe I'm just "meh" on the Velvet Underground overall and more into the components of the band and their music. The symphonic sound of this album felt very original and the music was more accessible than I had anticipated. Some of the standout tracks are:
Child's Christmas in Wales
Hanky Panky Nohow
Andalucia
Paris 1919
Half Past France
Spiritualized
3/5
Their sound reminds me of the Verve in some ways. Actually, they remind me of the Verve in many ways. Very spac-y sounding music that gives itself time to roam. Shoegazing everywhere with no regard for others.
I was pretty pumped up reading the description of this album in the comments and on the Wikipedia page. Then, the album ended up sounding almost like I had expected prior to reading the comments and Wikipedia page. It's not a bad thing but this is space/shoegaze rock that needs to be heard in headphones, not heard on speakers where the external world can hear it.
The shoegaze gets a bit out of hand towards the end of the album with what feels like more instrumental tracks. Never once was I bored or didn't like what I heard. I also wasn't jumping out of my seat. There is a time when I would listen to this again, as it does make for good music while working.
Steely Dan
3/5
I gave the other two Steely Dan albums on this list a "4," not just because I thought they were pretty good albums, but because I felt they were important albums to understand 70's dad rock. For this one, I'm still in the same boat. It's impossible to give it a bad grade because the music is created to be perfect and not a note out of place. The songs are not bad and some are catchy. But...did we need this album? Is there something covered here that isn't covered with Can't Buy a Thrill and Katy Lied? Not really. Is this a better album than those two? Not really.
THEN, imagine my surprise when I remember there is actually a fourth Steely Dan album in this book. Aja is here too. What are we doing here, people? This is not a bad album! It's not! Is anyone, even diehard Steely Dan fans, saying "You heard Can't Buy a Thrill and Aja?" Oh man, you should listen to "Countdown to Ecstasy!"
I am guessing not. It's dad rock and non-controversial. The curators of this book were so concerned whether they could put another Steely Dan album in here, they didn't stop to think if they should put another Steely Dan album in the book.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
This album is all over the place. There's not a consistent sound through most of it. There is 60's folk, Brit-pop and some other stuff that I can't really name.
I think some of these ideas were more interesting in theory than in reality. I am sure smarter people than I will listen to this and think it is brilliant. I see no reason to have it in the book other than to show just how much the editors know about music that misses the feeble knowledge of the general public.
Laibach
3/5
This is one of the lowest rated albums in this whole project. The lead singer's voice is something a person must get used to AND the songs are in German for the most part. The last three tracks (on the bonus edition) are all pretty "meh" and instrumentals at that.
All together though, I didn't really hate this album. His voice is something to get used to but the use of orchestration, keyboards and just general bombast was at least interesting to me. It feels to me like this is the kind of album that should be in this book, as opposed to what I heard yesterday which seemed to be a take-off of multiple genres without actually doing anything to elevate or bring something new to the genre.
Songs I would recommend are:
Leben Heisst Leben
Geburt Einer Nation
Opus Dei (I will say, he does sing like Cookie Monster on this one)
Leben-Tod
This is industrial music that doesn't just feature screaming over incoherent instrumentation, with the band seemingly performing in front of a steel mill. I would not recommend listening to the version of this album with bonus tracks though.
Beastie Boys
4/5
I bought this album the day it came out. I knew I was going to buy this album when I saw the Beastie Boys perform on the 1994 VMA Awards. They came out and performed "Sabotage" and did so in coordinating outfits while playing live instruments. I was obviously going to buy the album at that point. I don't think everything on this album works perfectly, but man, the Beastie Boys just went for it.
At the time, I am not sure I "got" this album as much as I do now. I wasn't educated enough about music to see what they were trying to do, which was to basically sample every genre they could think of. Sabotage is a sort of 70's grunge, Sabrosa is 70's black-ploitation funk, Get it Together is just straight early 90's sparse rap, Sure Shot is classic Beastie Boys and there is even some punk rock thrown in here as well.
Really great album, though not my favorite by them, but this is probably the most aspirational they ever were in terms of experimenting with new sounds.
Korn
2/5
I probably should not but I put Korn in with Limp Bizkit and all that nu-metal stuff that we should all be ashamed of. Maybe I should not lump Korn in with the others but there is a "duet" with Fred Durst, so you know...
If we include Korn, then I think we don't need Korn or pretty much any other nu-metal band. Save my ears. Korn jaywalked so that Limp Bizkit could run us over with a car. Reclaim My Place would certainly have a place on a Limp Bizkit album.
I think what disappoints me the most is not that I do not enjoy this music but the fact the songs are long. I can handle an album I don't love, yet when I have to listen for 70 minutes I tend to become a bit more hostile towards the music.
The Who
5/5
It took me a while to listen to this album because it did not have a lot of songs, much less hit songs, by the Who on it. Regretfully, it took too long because this is a really great live album. I can see where there is an issue with a live album being in the book, except this album does not replicate other songs that are already represented. In fact, there is a bizarre lack of The Who in here. Who's Next isn't even in this book, instead their first album and The Who Sellout are in here.
I listened to the expanded edition of this album because Spotify only has that available and do not regret it. Live albums do not necessarily deserve to be in this book and it's hard to justify a live album that does not have many hits on it. This one is worth the listen though.
Mj Cole
1/5
Again, I must ask...why are the albums that I like the least the longest albums? I regret saying previous albums on this list sound like what I would hear when shopping at American Eagle or Gap, because this album sounds exactly like what music coming from those stores' speakers would sound like.
I want to feel bad giving this album a bad score but what I am listening to here isn't different from anything that is currently on any House and/or Electronica mix I have. It's background music at best.
Miles Davis
4/5
I am a jazz idiot. I don't understand the difference in free form, module and standard jazz. I do understand that I like this music though, as it is very soothing and this book would not be complete without an album from Miles Davis.
I feel like I am on the set of "Bosch" or reading a James Ellroy book (minus all the racism, sexism and all the other crap that fills his books) while hearing this music. Perhaps I am a private eye roaming around town to the background music of Freddie Freeloader. How often would I revisit this album? Well, that would remain to be seen. I did enjoy the Herbie Hancock this book gave us and added it to my collection of albums.
"Blue in Green" is a great song. Just sets a wonderfully moody scene. What's so cool is John Coltrane is featured on this album as well. I probably should have known he would be on another jazz album and not just on his own (A Love Supreme). I liked "In a Silent Way" but probably liked this one more.
Excited to hear "Bitches Brew."
Gang Of Four
5/5
I had heard about Gang of Four and thought this album was going to be right down my alley. It was. There was more funk and what felt like pre-Red Hot Chili Peppers in many ways.
Damaged Goods, Return the Gift and Guns Before Butter are all songs I feel like RHCP would have written. This is a really good album and I am putting this in my list of albums to give another listen to. Really fun post-punk and it's much less rock-y and more funk-oriented than any other post-punk albums that have been on this list.
Recommend.
Gene Clark
3/5
I did not enjoy White Light as much as I did enjoy No One. The songwriting isn't as strong on this one and the songs can feel a bit sleepy and same-y at times.
The Virgin leads off the album and it feels like an intentional attempt to write lyrics that would fit in on a mid-60's Bob Dylan album. It even has a harmonica. Tears of Rage sounds almost exactly like the song that is after it, 1975. I barely could tell when one song began and the other ended. I listened to the deluxe version, which had his cover of Stand by Me on it. I have no strong feelings on that one. Perhaps it was unnecessary but that's also why it was on the deluxe edition, I guess.
The Kinks
4/5
This is another Kinks album that I really liked. Party Line starts it off with what I would term to be a "Beatle-esque" sound and the album gets even better from there. I knew quite a few songs on the deluxe edition:
Party Line
Dandy
Sunny Afternoon
I'm Not Like Anybody Else
Dead End Street
Mr. Pleasant
This is the second straight Kinks album I have quite enjoyed and I have come to believe their albums should be considered as important as the albums from other 60's British bands who shall not be named but could shit popcorn out their ass and it would get five stars.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
The word "overblown" was created to describe the sound of The Divine Comedy. It's like if Morrissey got horny and more predatory, then someone offered him a free two-week session with an orchestra. "Everyone knows that 'no' means 'yes,'" is a line that I choose to take as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Alfie and the singer's need to be a lothario.
I got strong "The Continental" vibes from the spoken introduction to a few of these songs. There is a lot of potentially questionable talk on this album but I think it's clearly intended as parody. Hopefully. I had never heard this album or any song by the Divine Comedy before.
Fully bombastic singing that could be tongue-in-cheek is right down my alley though. The songs I enjoyed were:
Something for the Weekend
Becoming More Like Alfie
Charge
Songs of Love
The Frog Princess
A Woman of the World
The Dogs & the Horses
Really enjoyed this one, as I can enjoy kitsch.
Rush
4/5
I very much enjoyed tracks 2-6 on 2112. I have never been a fan of Rush, even though I did like the other album in this book from them. I do enjoy prog-rock, even though some of it is too "Dungeons and Dragons" for me. I generally don't like songs about fairies, mystical animals, etc so that may be why I preferred the songs outside of the suite on this one.
This is a different album from Moving Pictures, so I can see why two Rush albums needed to be in here. What can annoy me about prog-rock is when it doesn't seem to go anywhere. I can't describe 2112 that way. Not sure I can give this one a "5" but I may have to stop telling people I don't like Rush.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
This is an incredibly cohesive album. The songs are not the same and do not sound the same, but each one flows into the other one so well. A very impressive example of a concept album that does not feel disjointed. I knew 3-4 of these songs but had never sat down and listened to the whole thing. It's hard to pick out the highlights but I will say that God is Love and Wholy Holy are the only two songs that I would not consider to be worthy of the rest of this album.
What I find to be so exemplary is how Marvin Gaye is writing protest music but it is just so laid back and within the flow of the orchestration. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) has always been my favorite track on here and that has not changed. Good statement album.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
This started off interesting with the mixing of the sitar with more popular rock songs of the 60's. The second half of the album became a little meandering and less interesting to me. Outside of the combination of keys, new(er) rock music and the sitar, a lot of this album are instrumentals that don't necessarily catch my ear.
Probably an album that deserves a spot in the book but not an album that I would revisit.
Sepultura
2/5
Sepultura seemed to be greatly influenced by Master of Puppets, except Metallica and Master of Puppets write better songs. I found Desperate Cry and Orgasmatron to be the two most interesting songs on here and one of those songs wasn't written by the band.
This can all sound very similar after a while and the songs can blend together. It definitely "rocks" but I don't know if I am able to notice the diversity of the sound this album is supposed to display.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
I have tried to get into Husker Du a few times and really the only songs/album I could get into was Candy Apple Grey. This one always felt a bit disjointed and overly long to me. One of the reviews mentioned this is like REM and I am not sure I could disagree with that more. There are certain songs where early REM could be hard in sections, but overall, the sound here is not even as diverse as early REM.
The problem here is there is just too much music. Trim 6-8 of these songs off the album and it would be leaner and not feel like each track has similar characteristics. I did like some of the tracks on here:
Standing in the Rain
Ice Cold Ice
You're a Soldier
Could You be the One?
She Floated Away
Bed of Nails
Tell You Why Tomorrow
She's a Woman
I think Husker Du belongs here but not sure this is the best album to be on the list.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Coconut is a pretty silly song. I'm not a huge fan of novelty songs, but I am also a Jimmy Buffett fan, so I am probably a fan of certain novelty songs and I just don't love the song. Without You is a fantastic ballad, of course. I have tried to get into Harry Nilsson in the past, though I have not worked hard enough to hear all of his work.
I enjoyed this album for sure. He's not quite Jim Croce for me and I don't know if I am going to go out and buy a Nilsson Schmilsson shirt or anything, but there is a lot to like here.
Gotta Get Up
Driving Along
The Moonbeam Song
Without You
Jump Into the Fire
I'll Never Leave You
I would prefer Croce be in the book over Nilsson but this is still a good representation of 70's singer-songwriting.
MC Solaar
3/5
As expected, I have no idea what he is rapping about because I don't speak French. Ragga Jam was maybe not a highlight of the album but I have no idea how a human being can rap that fast. It's just all a blur of words.
I can tell this is early 90's rap, because the beats and general feel of the tracks has an early 90's feel to it. That's not an insult. Seems like rap during this time had similarities no matter which country the artist originated from.
It's hard for me to write the titles down but I really liked the horns on L'histoire de l'art and enjoyed Caroline as well. I do wish I knew what he rapping about and enjoyed this album as much as one could without understanding the messaging.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Probably my favorite early Stones album. Mother's Little Helper is still a relevant song, though it can now be Father's Little Helper as well. Going Home always seemed to be a weird diversion but it's still a good song overall. There is some misogyny on here but I have never found it offensive because a song like Stupid Girl is intended to be a pre-punk putdown of the women Mick Jagger dated. It's a sneering example of the narrator just blaming his partner(s) for his own failings, as it is clear through the lyrics he's just pissed off and the insults are so base. This is just a bitter album (and Paint it Black isn't even on this version) and I am here for it. I like the edge the Stones have.
I'm a Stones guy over a Beatles guy, so take my comments for what they are worth, but I believe the diversity the Stones show on here is worthy of the praise the Beatles would receive at the time. Doncha Bother Me is classic blues and taps into the band's roots. Brian Jones is really starting to show his brilliance on Aftermath. The difference in the UK and US version is striking, as Paint it Black and Mother's Little Helper deserve to be on the same album together.
Mother's Little Helper
Lady Jane
Under My Thumb
Stupid Girl
Out of Time
It's hard to beat an album with just those hits on it. Very much recommend, even with Going Home (which really was a test run for their future longer songs) stuck in the middle of the album.
Metallica
3/5
It feels unnecessary to include this live album. Metallica wasn't the first band to combine metal with an orchestra and S&M wasn't even released during a time when many consider the "classic" period for the group. Not that this is a bad album, but it is the same thing as putting peanut butter on a graham cracker. Separately, they are both delicious and so it's not necessary to combine the two, as it is not necessary to include this album on this list as the other Metallica albums should suffice. I feel much the same way about this album as I did the Bob Dylan live album.
Some of these songs, especially One, sounds great with an orchestration behind it. It's well done and I enjoyed it overall. If I'm going to want someone to hear Metallica, then this is not the album I would go for.
Talking Heads
4/5
The Talking Heads are very difficult to pin down, so pretty much all of their early albums are must-listens to me. They are a band that seems to intentionally throw 1-2 songs on each album that can be singles and sell a few albums, while the rest of the tracks are representative of the band doing what they want to do when they want to do it. Generally, I find it difficult to connect with much of the Talking Heads music, mostly because it feels very CBGB and David Byrne intentionally does not really write any "personal" songs.
There are quite a few Talking Heads albums in this book and given that I am only a moderate fan of the group you would think that I am generally against including four of their albums in here. Alas, I think one could be left out but it would be difficult for me to choose which one. Each one is different in their own way. Maybe removing one of their first four albums and putting a later period album in could have been useful.
Regardless, there is a lot to like here and there are six songs I think I could recommend as my favorite:
I Zimbra
Memories Can Wait
Life During Wartime
Cities
Heaven
Paper
D'Angelo
4/5
I'm a fairly big fan of Neo-Soul. I haven't ever really connected too much with D'Angelo's music. Sometimes I find his songs to be a bit too long, which triggers my short attention span. The songs are slow and just incredibly soulful, so it's hard to deny this is a pretty damn good album. Plus, it brought the Neo-Soul movement to the forefront (helped create it?) and led to other artists in the genre becoming relevant.
I like his version of "Cruisin'," as it sounds less kitschy than some of the other versions of the song. I don't know if I would visit this album again but I think it has a place in the book. Shit, Damn, Motherfucker is a great song about cheating, though the slow tempo of these songs makes Brown Sugar requiring some repeated listens.
There are a lot of highlights here:
Brown Sugar
Shit, Damn, Motherfucker
Jonz in My Bonz
Cruisin'
Smooth
Lady
Boston
5/5
I know every note of this album by heart, as I grew up hearing this album all the time. It's classic 70's dad rock and I have always enjoyed it. There's not an average track on here. If you have access to a radio, then you should know at least four of these songs.
What surprises me the most is Boston's second album is not in the book. It's not as highly regarded but this book seems to throw a band's second album in here if the first album was a smash. Don't Look Back is a step down but not so much of a step down that it's different from this one. Boston always moved slowly when it came to making an album, so two years after this to have Don't Look Back is basically them sprinting back to the studio. What I am saying is, unpopular opinion, Don't Look Back should be in this book as well. It's not so different and had hits on it as well. Perhaps I'm still bitter we got every Nick Drake and Tim Buckley album.
Hate this one all you want but leaving it out of this book would be ignoring a large part of popular music from the 70's.
The B-52's
5/5
Not sure how but I had never heard "Rock Lobster" before today. It seems like I just missed it. In fact, I have never paid attention to the B-52's because "Love Shack" was so ubiquitous that I didn't care to hear any other songs by the band. Imagine my surprise listening to this album and there is a lot of new wave and rock sounds that I did not expect.
Fred Schneider's talk-singing didn't annoy me too much and the lack of depth to the music wasn't as bad as I was afraid that it may be. Party songs about almost nothing are not my favorite genre and I generally do not want to listen to an entire album of novelty/kitschy songs.
Planet Claire is a great way to start off the album and the long introduction causes it to stand out among the other tracks. I thought I would hate Dance This Mess Around, yet I seemed to enjoy it. The guitars on this album really surprised me as well. I didn't know The B-52's came out of the gate swinging like this.
My favorite tracks were:
Planet Claire
52 Girls
Dance This Mess Around
Rock Lobster
There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
6060-842 (which is kind of a punk song)
Fun surprise that I enjoyed this one.
The Slits
2/5
This is much more reggae influenced than I had been expecting. Their take on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was an interesting take on the classic CCR/Marvin Gaye song. This was a bonus track on the extended edition of the album and the interestingness of this song was offset by the last track which appears to be banging on instruments for almost five minutes.
I don't know much about musicality but it certainly does not sound like they knew how to play their instruments well, but then again, neither did the Ramones. So that's not disqualifying. I can feel the bands they influenced on this album and I would argue some of those bands did what The Slits did and did it better.
I did like So Tough and a few others on here like Instant Hit, Newtown, I Heard It Through the Grapevine and Typical Girls.
I am not sure I would listen to this again. I find albums that are influential, but I do not enjoy to be very difficult to award a grade to. I understand the importance of the music but I also didn't really like the music. I have to go with what I think about the music.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
This is rap but it's also loosely termed as "rap," mostly because there is a lot of singing on this one as well. You Are is essentially a piano ballad. Dreamin' is also a track that basically R&B and not rap. There isn't anything wrong with that, but this album essentially in the book due to The Message.
If you are going to want to put early rap in the book there may be better artists that have a more representative footprint. I would probably have put one Eric B & Rakim album in this book over this one.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
As always, I have no idea what he is singing about. The second track, Desepoir, sounds initially like an 80's ballad. I expected to hear Peabo Bryson start singing. This is the kind of music I could hear while hanging out at the pool or in the elevator while visiting a tropic environment.
This music definitely gets my butt shaking, and though I would probably not intentionally turn the album on, I did enjoy the music...even if some of the songs were a bit long. I am not smart enough about world music to know how this differs from other world/dance music, but I do know I enjoyed what I heard.
David Bowie
4/5
This may be the last David Bowie album that I get on this project. I am too lazy to look it up. If so, my takeaway is that I like David Bowie's music and I haven't been turned on to it until now.
The piano on Aladdin Sane (the song) is insanely good. I'm wondering if cocaine has anything to do with the effort being put into it. In fact, the piano on this entire album, especially on Lady Grinning Soul, is really great to listen to. I haven't heard Bowie do a song like Lady Grinning Soul before, as it has a flamenco feel to it.
I am not, and never have been, a fan of his version of Let's Spend the Night Together. I prefer his attempts to mimic the Stones, like on Watch that Man. Really liked this one.
Digital Underground
3/5
I knew The Humpty Dance (of course) and was also familiar with a few of the Digital Underground's other songs. I tended to find them to be very long songs and this album hasn't changed that. Editing is needed. The funny part is Digital Underground knows the songs are long and even mention when DJ's need to cut the song for time requirements.
I guess this music has a place in the book since it's "seriously comedic" rap and is enjoyable to listen to. This is intended to be a concept album about sex packets, yet I may not be smart enough to understand how this thread/concept runs through the whole album. I'm also not sure I would consider this to be a "must-listen" album but there are quite a few standout tracks.
Humpty Dance
The Way We Swing
Rhymin' on the Funk
Freaks of the Industry
Danger Zone
Doowutchyalike
Sex Packets
Black Flag
3/5
An incredibly influential album, so much so that Black Flag stickers are now on Cadillacs. I found this to be much more engaging than I had originally imagined, though there is some "sameness" to the album as it goes along. It's interesting hearing a young Henry Rollins belt out anthems and the song about just wanting to drink beer and watch television was a bit goofier detour than I had imagined the band would take.
There is not a bad song on here and I can see how an entire generation of artists were influenced by songs like Rise Above and any of the many songs with "Damaged" in the title.
Beatles
4/5
George Harrison isn't wrong on "Taxman." I have to get that out of the way initially. I have never loved Revolver (or the Beatles) as much as many others seem to. It's a good album and loaded new experimentation from the band, which is fun. The songs just aren't as strong as I enjoy on some of the other Beatles albums. Saying that, it's a strong album and there isn't really a bad song on here. Dr. Robert comes really, really close though.
The highs are not as high and the lows are not as lows. Maybe I am grading them more on a curve. Good tracks include:
Taxman
Eleanor Rigby
Here, There and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
She Said She Said
Good Day Sunshine
For No One
Got to Get You into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
Neil Young
3/5
Having heard this album as many times as I have, I am always shocked at how shot Neil Young's voice sounds. It's scratchy and like he's straining in so many ways. Interestingly, when he does that then I can hear some of the vocal tics that Kurt Cobain would also have in his voice. Probably not a coincidence. Mellow My Mind is a great example of this.
I think this is the first album with Nils Lofgren as Young's permanent guitarist and I always find it remarkable how fully formed Lofgren was at such a young age.
Overall, this is a depressing album and it's a result of all the turmoil that was going on with Neil Young and his friends during this time in his life. He had friends dying, etc. This is a difficult album to grade, because there is no way I would recommend this album to someone who hasn't heard any of Young's other music. It's not accessible and does not reflect a good picture of who he is as an artist. Saying that, there are still a lot of good songs on here.
Tonight's the Night
World on a String
Borrowed Tune
Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown
Roll Another Number
Albuquerque
Lookout Joe
Tired Eyes
SZA
3/5
This is another case of a modern album being included in the book and I'm just not convinced it should receive inclusion. So many of the albums in this book are a result of positive feelings the editor(s) had about these albums during a formative period of their life. I think it explains why I struggle to enjoy albums that have been released in the last 10 years that have received inclusion.
It is pretty cool SZA starts the album off with comments from her mom about "control" and how she attempts to gain control in her life. I am admittedly not a big fan of today's neo-soul and the over-Autotuned nature of a lot of R&B music.
Supermodel
Doves in the Wind
Drew Barrymore
Prom
The Weekend (probably my favorite track)
Go Gina
Broken Clocks
Normal Girl
20 Something
This is a good debut album overall. I probably would not revisit it too often.
PJ Harvey
3/5
There is a lot of PJ Harvey in this book. I did enjoy the album I had listened to prior to this one. I think I enjoyed that one more than this, as Dry is very raw and I'm not sure I enjoy her sound as less refined. I could be in the minority on that.
I enjoyed the album but I can't say I would revisit the album. I'm intrigued to see if I enjoy PJ Harvey's other two albums on this list.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I've grown to enjoy Elvis Costello's music during this project and this album does not change that. Saying that, this isn't up to the level of This Year's Model and Imperial Bedroom. The songs here are just not as strong as the tracks on those albums. I enjoyed this album but Costello can do better and has done better. Some of the songs dragged, even the good ones.
Songs I could recommend are:
I Want You
Uncomplicated
I Hope You're Happy Now
Honey Are You Straight or Are you Blind
Blue Chair
Crimes of Paris
Living Colour
4/5
Cult of Personality is a jam. I had not heard any of the other songs on this album. It's hard rock that is fine, even if sometimes I cringe a bit at the lyrical content and the cover of the album essentially looking as early 90's as possible. I don't know how they pulled off Open Letter (To a Landlord) because based just on the title the song should not have been very good. The good news is this album is not from the 90's, so Living Colour were ahead of their time in that aspect.
This is a pretty good album and I understand why it is in the book. The musicianship is strong and the sound is a fun listen. The songs aren't as strong as I would like to give this one 5-stars.
My favorite tracks were:
Cult of Personality
I Want to Know
Open Letter (To a Landlord)
Memories Can't Wait
Glamour Boys
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
I did not expect to hear a cover of Born to Run from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I also did not expect the cover to be pretty good. I like this album and wanted to add this to the list of albums I listen to frequently. There are opening and closing instrumental tracks and "War" is a good song, but it has a spoken word part that tends to grate on me a bit. Overall though, I knew "Relax" and didn't know anything else on here. I always thought Frankie Say Relax was a one-hit wonder. Turns out they put at least one entire album of good music.
It was interesting to follow "War" with Born to Run, considering Bruce Springsteen would cover "War" on his 1975-1985 live collection a year after this album was released. Even the 13 minute song was very listenable. Good album and even more varied than I would have thought.
Rod Stewart
5/5
This is Rod Stewart during my favorite part of his career, when he was with the Faces and the Faces were with him. The band is all over this album and the sound isn't so different from a normal Faces album. Rod Stewart's most famous song is one of the few on here that he wrote himself. There's not a bad song on here and some of the lyrics to the title track do not hold up too well. Shocking from an album in the early 1970's, so it probably would go without saying.
If I had to choose one Rod Stewart album that must be listened to, then this would probably be the one.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Most people who are really into music and the Beach Boys have heard about Smile, but I personally have never heard the album. This one feels a lot like some songs from Pet Sounds where they feel like snippets of songs parsed together into one track. I am sure this will be defined as "brilliant" but smarter people than I, but there are a lot of ideas here and nothing that I find to be terribly compelling.
I tend to agree with the other members of the Beach Boys in that if I wanted to hear a better version of this music then I would listen to one of the band's albums in the late 1960's. It seems to me the story behind this album is more interesting than the music on the album is.
Missy Elliott
4/5
The elephant sounds on "Work It" always makes me chuckle. I have never had an interest in hearing a Missy Elliott album, even though there are individual songs I have enjoyed. All and all, I really liked this one and I'm very surprised. The material and writing here is strong, as is the production work. There are guest stars on the album (of course) and I think Missy can stand on her own without the stars as the songs are that good.
The original independent woman who doesn't need a man to pay her bills but she is going to marry one of the richest entertainers in the world anyway just to be sure, Beyonce, makes a guest appearance to over-sing and moan on one track. Tracks 2-5 are a really strong way to start the album and the guest appearances don't detract from the songs.
I don't know if I would seek other Missy Elliott albums again but I did enjoy this one.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
There are a lot of sounds on this one. Boops, bleeps and other noises that seem to go almost nowhere. The good news is the album is 76 minutes long. Wait, that's not good news at all. Is this bad? No, it's not bad but it never rose above the level of background music for me.
Bubble and Silde starts it off with what could conceivably sound like water going down a drain, which also happened to be where my hopes for a fun listen went upon hearing the song. The sequel is almost three times as long but 1/3 as enjoyable.
I probably should like this but it's all pretty dull to me. I did like "Tow Truck" for some reason.
The Monks
3/5
I had never heard of this group and the album started off with the lead singer talk-singing, which is an immediate put-off for me. The album did improve after that though. I do understand how this was considered pre-punk punk but a lot of the sounds on this album are somewhat similar to other bands were doing in 1966. It's not a totally foreign group of songs to my ears and it's sort of art-punk music.
Despite the rough start, I did enjoy this album and there are a lot of ideas seemingly thrown against the wall that stick or will stick in the next decade. I listened to the 16 track version of the album and my favorite songs were:
Shut Up
I Hate You
Oh, How to Do Now
Complication (the first 5 seconds sound like a Hendrix song)
Love Came Tumblin' Down (which feels like a typical 60's song)
I Can't Get Over You
Love Can Take a While
Le Tigre
4/5
I had heard of Kathleen Hanna and Bikini Kill but am much less familiar with LeTigre. The album had more call-and-response than I had expected. Fall Out Boy owes a debt to LeTigre for the spelling of "Yr" on song titles. Would I listen to this again? Probably not intentionally, so this album falls in with some of the albums on this list. I enjoy them, liked hearing them but have no idea when I would listen to them again. So, does the album get 4-5 stars even though there isn't a great chance I listen again?
This seems like a really influential album and the VERY overt politicalness of the lyrics has been seen often in punk/rock, but not as often performed by women and in this form. I will have to give this album four stars even if I am not necessarily going to listen to it frequently. Songs I liked most were:
Deceptacon
Phanta
Eau d'Bedroom Dancing
My My Metrocard
Slideshow at Free University
Les and Ray
Culture Club
3/5
I had no interest in hearing anything by Culture Club except for the few hits that I knew. Seeing Boy George on the cover looking like Sansa Stark changed my mind though. I'm kidding, I still wasn't exactly pumped for listening to this one. It was pretty much what I expected with Boy George's ear for melody, the 80's production and the new-wave/reggae mix that populated the few songs I already knew.
But really, Boy George looks exactly like Sophie Turner on this album cover. It's uncanny. I didn't hate this album overall. It was what I expected, nothing more and nothing less. There isn't too much here that I think deserves inclusion in this book. It's not bad enough to greatly dislike but also not great enough to be lauded. And as always, I love the random saxophone in the background of so many of these songs.
Karma Chameleon
It's a Miracle
That's the Way
Church of the Poison Mind
Miss Me Blind
Mister Man
Victims
The Shamen
2/5
Deep sigh.
Have I done something to offend this book? What cause could there be to subject me to the 194 versions of rave/techno/dance music that exists and I MUST hear? At some point this all ran together for me. It's not egregiously bad, but clearly the editors of this book took drugs and went to a rave (probably in a European country), made out with a guy/girl while this music was playing and has such fond memories that we must re-live the wonderful memory through this music.
Move Any Mountain is a good song and The Shamen are aware of this, as 2-3 songs on this album reference the song. I did enjoy this album a bit more on second listen, especially Make it Mine, which had a really cool switch from the rave-ish music to guitar rock.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Another sigh...
I feel that God must be testing me. My trial shall be fair but also be filled with an effort of grueling endurance through the lowest rated and overly-long electronica/dance albums in this book. Today is another test and I shall pass it. As God as my witness, I will listen through this album and come out the other side...hopefully alive.
I don't know if every variation on electronica needs to be in this book. Adding a sitar or random instrument on a few songs doesn't make it an album I need to hear. These songs ran together for me and I am probably just a bit tired of hearing this 90's electronic/dance music at this point. This album is from 1998, so it feels like it's all been done with the tiniest variation the editors apparently very much respect. The worst part is every song is so long, with the majority being 5 minutes or longer.
The selling point on this album seems to be, "If you like techno/electronic music then you should hear what Talvin Singh does on his album." The issue is you need to hear it if you like this kind of music already, as Singh adds on to what is already been done. Outside of an interest in the music, another variation feels pointless. I don't think I'm being reductive either.
I look forward to the next electronica album in this book, where an artist will add a tambourine to a beat and that obviously will deserve inclusion in the book.
Motörhead
4/5
At least it's not electronica. I am a bit skeptical about a band having an album and a live album in this book, as I feel there may be overlap that isn't necessary. That is especially true when the album from this book came out one year prior to the live album, as is the case for No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith.
There are only 3 of 12 songs that come from Ace of Spades though, so my concerns are a bit abated here. There's no sleeping for the listener on this album either. It starts off with Ace of Spades and Stay Clean, then does not let up for the entire 40 minutes. I had not heard most of the songs on here but really liked:
Iron Horse
No Class
Ace of Spades
Stay Clean
Overkill
The Hammer
Motorhead
Even if you have heard Ace of Spades, I recommend this one too.
Metallica
4/5
Metallica's Black Album received a lot of flak when it was released because it featured a more "watered-down" Metallica sound that went away from the thrash roots they once had. I can see that argument. The Black Album was also a gateway drug for others to get into Metallica's back catalog and that holds true for me. Without the Black Album, I probably would not be as familiar with ...And Justice for All and Master of Puppets.
I call this Jam Thrash Metal because it often feels like they are just jamming at times and the song lengths reflect that. One and Eye of the Beholder are two of my favorite songs on here and One may be my favorite Metallica song overall.
...And Justice for All does get a bit lengthy towards the end which is why I probably can't give it five stars but it's been on my personal playlist for a while now and will continue to be there.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Brian Wilson died yesterday and today I get a Beach Boys album. It's a lot like when I got Phil Spector's Christmas album on Christmas Day. Seems a bit too coincidental.
Speaking of Phil Spector...you can hire his influence on many of these songs with the "Wall of Sound" behind the Beach Boys. The instrumentation is a song of its own. The hits most people know are here: Do You Wanna Dance, When I Grow Up, Help Me Rhonda and Dance Dance Dance. There was a lot of concern here about the ability to dance, apparently. The album tracks are also really strong here.
It's difficult to pinpoint one Beach Boys album that must be heard from early in their career. There needs to be a Beach Boys album and this one feels like a good representation of where the Beach Boys were and where they were going before Pet Sounds. Really great album.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
I do not know if we needed two Divine Comedy albums in this book. I did enjoy Casanova and I am sure the crooning is only for certain individuals. I tend to enjoy it mostly, especially on Especially on Everybody Knows That I Love You, which is a great track. Still, Casanova was a great example of what this band does and the inclusion of the orchestra on this one doesn't necessarily merit the inclusion of both albums.
No one can claim the Divine Comedy is guilty of false advertising. This is a Short Album about Love and it is definitely a short album that is about love. I liked pretty much every song here, which surprised me. Still, not sure if both albums should be in this book.
Fun crooning though!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
A pretty much perfect reggae album. Along with every dorm room having a Bob Marley poster, nearly every male between the ages of 18-25 also owned Legend. A lot of those songs come from this album, though Exodus has great album tracks as well. Everyone knows the hits:
Exodus
Jammin'
Waiting in Vain
Three Little Birds
One Love
Essentially, the second half of this album are Marley's greatest hits. Natural Mystic, So Much Things to Say and Turn Your Lights Down Low could have a place on the greatest hits album as well.
Classic reggae album and proof that Bob Marley was more than just a "greatest hits" artist. In fact, his next album (Kaya) is full of hits as well and there is an argument it could be on this list.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
I was doing so well with these albums. I had avoided overly-long dance/electronica albums for several days now. Now, these albums have come back to haunt me again. I don't hate electronica or dance music, but there is just so damn much of this stuff in this book. I just get tired.
Rendez-Vu
Red Alert
Same Old Show
Bingo Bango
Those are the songs I recommend and this isn't awful, but I just can't do too many more of these electronica albums.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
This is much better. I really like Belle and Sebastian, as their music is like a sweet candy of indie-pop that you can savor for 40 minutes at a time. I don't always know what their songs are about, but I do know I enjoy the songs. As described in other reviews, the music is very cloying and I can see how it would not be someone's favorite kind of music.
Still, I really enjoy it and if I have to listen to 45 different versions of the same electronica music then I should also get a Belle and Sebastian album as well. My favorite tracks are pretty much every single one. I often hear a song start out and am not sure I will like it, then it turns out the chorus is catchy and the music gets my foot tapping.
A mid-90's gem of indie music.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Freaking Boomers. Always with the Stephen Stills music on this list. We get Stills debut album, a couple CSNY records and this album by Manassas, which is the best band Stills ever played in. Were that true, I'm not sure why we need two CSNY albums in here, as why would two albums from an inferior band to this one deserve placement in the book? Maybe I am underthinking it and should just submit to the greatness of Stills.
This is a long album. Did it need to be a double album? Of course, not but when an artist has a ton of ideas what's the point of spreading those ideas over several albums when you can just toss them on one album so some of your good ideas get buried?
Not surprisingly, plenty of these songs sound like CSNY and Stills other first solo album. There are a lot of genres represented here and there are 11 good songs. This should be the album:
Song of Love
Jet Set (Sigh)
Anyway
Both of Us (Bound to Lose)
Colorado
So Begins the Task
It Doesn't Matter
How Far
Move Around
What To Do
The Treasure
Talking Heads
3/5
Sadly, I do not feel this is Talking Heads magnum opus. It's a good album overall but I don't know if I would include it in the book. I find the rhythms to be overly repetitive and the songs are longer as well. The other three Talking Heads albums have received 4 or 5 stars from me, because they are important and/or good albums.
I've never gotten into this album and it's just not a sound I enjoy for this band. Interesting but not an album I return to. I wish I could give this one a 3.5, because the first half or so of the album is very good and it sort of dies off a bit for me after that.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I'm more of a Pink Floyd fan beginning with Meddle and listened to the European version of the album that didn't have Arnold Layne or See Emily Play on it. I know those two songs already and the US version could feel totally different from this one, as they are not similar albums.
I thought Pink Floyd was going to bust into the Batman theme song on Lucifer Sam, as the guitar part felt similar. I am not a huge fan of psychedelia overall, though Pink Floyd's version of psychedelia is more interesting to me than other bands of this time period. I found Interstellar Overdrive to be the type of meandering noise that I mostly associate with bad psychedelia. It was pretty cool how the sound went from one headphone to the other on the song though.
It feels a bit like the band was a bit confused as to whether they were going to do 3 minute songs or more prog-psych songs. I mean, Syd Barrett was close to losing his mind at this point, so maybe any sort of output should be celebrated.
I am trying hard not to grade this album based on Pink Floyd's other work and whether I would ever put this one on over several other Pink Floyd albums.
The songs I enjoyed were:
Astronomy Domine
Lucifer Sam
Chapter 24
Scarecrow
Bike
Fats Domino
4/5
This entire album was hard to find but I eventually did find the entire thing on YouTube. This belongs in the book and I had not heard any of these songs before but I still enjoyed it.
For some reason I expected more background vocals on these songs. I do not know why I expected this. This is great old school not-rock and roll (Fats Domino did consider his music rock and roll) that influenced so many other artists.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
I really don't like this album cover and I can't determine why. It seems like both of the members of Everything But the Girl are smirking at me, knowing this album should not be in the book yet it is anyway. Maybe it is the Michael Stipe-meets-Morrissey look of the guy or maybe it is just the smirk. Probably just the self-congratulatory smirk.
The only song I knew by Everything But the Girl was "Missing," that massive hit that was impossible to miss on the radio and on MTV. These songs do not sound like that song. The cover of "I Don't Want to Talk about It" is pretty good and measures up to the original in many ways. This was softer and melancholier than I had expected it to be, mostly because I had heard the "Missing" remix.
My final conclusion is I tend to agree with the other listeners that I'm not sure why this one is in the book. It's hard for me to give it a "1" because it's inoffensive. It's also hard for me to recommend it since there doesn't seem to be anything new or revolutionary presented here. Not sure why I need to hear this one. It does not feel notable. I did like:
I Don't Want to Talk About It
These Early Days
Oxford Street
Goodbye Sunday
Gram Parsons
5/5
Absolute classic. Without Gram Parsons there isn't alt-country (though some may see that as a good thing) and Ryan Adams essentially made his first album sound very close to the sound here. I mentioned in my review for the Flying Burrito Brothers and Sweetheart of the Rodeo that I preferred Gram Parsons solo material to those albums and that stands true.
Parsons and Emmylou Harris sound great together and it's hard to replicate what is on this album, as still feels very original.
The Monkees
3/5
I liked this music more than I had imagined I would. It's still very lightweight and if the Monkees were trying to prove they could make decent 60's pop music than I think they succeeded. The best songs were:
You Told Me
Forget that Girl
You May Just be the One
Shades of Gray
For Pete's Sake
Early Morning Blues and Greens
Gang Starr
4/5
I had never heard an entire Gang Starr album, so this is a first for me. I really enjoyed this one and it came out just before I really started to listen to rap, plus as a teen I was less into intellectual rap and more into the gangsta rap part of the genre.
There is a lot to like here and the presence of DJ Premier really helps that case. He is all in this book with songs from Christina Aguilera, Nas and Jay-Z. He's pretty good at producing. I'm adding this one to my collection, because there isn't anything complicated here, but it's all quality to my ears.
Songs I enjoyed most are:
Step in the Arena
Execution of a Chump
Form of Intellect
Lovesick
Check the Technique
Who's Gonna Take the Weight
Just to Get a Rep
What You Want This Time
Say Your Prayers
Tom Waits
4/5
This is my first Tom Waits album out of the 17,020 (okay, it is 5) albums by him that are in this book. I have always tried to get into Waits and his music, with varying degrees of success. I tend to enjoy his 70's output a bit more than his later output, at least from what I know of that music.
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this album and his album didn't absolutely grate the heck out of my nerves, as I thought it may. I do not know if I will ever be a Tom Waits fan, but perhaps listening to him in headphones is the way to go. I feel like it was a better experience for me, even if the name of the album and the cover photo is an immediate turnoff.
I knew two of these tracks already but I enjoyed nearly all of the songs, especially A Little Rain and Dirt in the Ground.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I whine about a lot of bad albums in a row, but I have been on a bit of a lucky streak of late.
Like 98% of the population, I came to know the Meat Puppets based on Nirvana's Unplugged album. I bought Too High to Die and then worked my way through their back catalog as I got a bit older. The three songs from Unplugged are here but there are a lot of other really good songs. I'm not even sure what genre (cowpunk?) is represented by the Meat Puppets but I feel they were very ahead of their time. It's grunge that's not grunge and covers a lot of genres.
The vocalist's voice doesn't bother me too much, as I grew up listening to vocalists that weren't incredibly great at actually singing. Plus, this is a pretty lo-fi effort, so I would not necessarily expect exemplary production. Great songs all around though.
Split Myself In Two
Plateau
Lost
Oh Me
Aurora Borealis
I'm a Mindless Idiot
Lake of Fire
The Whistling Song
The Velvet Underground
3/5
No one can deny the influence. The Velvet Underground's first album received 4 stars from me, as I never really connected with their music as much as I really wanted to. White Light/White Heat feels like the kind of album where the band was like, "We sound great live and we have to put out an album, so this is what we came up with."
I generally dislike spoken word songs and The Gift isn't terribly different for me. The song is actually much better for me if I leave the left headphone out and the instrumentation is all that I hear. I did this one time and found it to be a pleasant instrumental track. The "guitar solo" on I Heard Her Call My Name doesn't seem like it is anything but a bit of random noise with no real plan. I would say that I'm surprised anyone liked the song but it doesn't seem like too many people bought this album.
The Velvet Underground seem to have a lot of falling out with key individuals over the few months since their debut album came out. I'm starting to think this group was made up of strong-willed individuals.
As improvisations and jams, White Light/White Heat works really well. The music is good. Sister Ray and White Light/White Heat are my two favorite songs on the album. Would I recommend this album to someone who wants to get into the Velvet Underground? Probably not, as I think the first album works really well as an introduction. The music is good and I think I understand what makes the music so influential, yet I still don't know if I would go back and listen to this album specifically.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Been Caught Stealing is a jam and was one of my first introductions to grunge-adjacent music. I remember the music video and I was never 100% sure why there was a dog barking on the track. Regardless, an excellent song. I listened to this album when I was younger and getting into bands that my parents would turn their nose up at.
The first half consists of hard-er rock songs and the second half of the album are jams that go longer than I assumed Jane's Addiction songs would normally go.
Stop
No One's Leaving
Been Caught Stealing
Three Days
Then She Did...
Classic Girl
Great songs all around and an album that I think deserves to be listened to.
Dr. John
2/5
I have never heard a Dr. John record and this is about what I expected it to be. It's a Louisiana acid trip, basically. This is just not for me. If I were to make a list of cliched song titles from a 60's artist who is making "Bayou rock" then many of these titles would possibly make the list.
Danse Fambeaux
Mama Roux
I Walk on Guided Splinters
These are the three songs I enjoyed and I had to work to justify my like for them. Nothing against Dr. John but I in no way connect with this music.
The Verve
4/5
I didn't get into the Verve until later in my life. Out of their four albums, I liked the second and third ones the best. This is the third album, and though it is admittedly a bit long. A Northern Soul is a better album in my opinion and since it is not represented in this book then Urban Hymns should be in here.
Even knowing that I like this band and album, I can also see the annoyance at ANOTHER British 90's band is represented in the book. I have complained about British artists being over-represented (which is true), but I think the Verve have a different sound that separates them from the other Brit-pop bands. The sound is represented in part by other artists in this book, but I think they do it better.
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Sonnet
Drugs Don't Work
Catching the Butterfly
Lucky Man
Space and Time
Velvet Morning
I always enjoy this album.
Kate Bush
3/5
It feels like this book went one album too many with Kate Bush. If I am not wrong, the latter editions of the book do not have this album and it was replaced by one of the more modern albums. Kate Bush's other two albums deserved a spot in the book, and this is not a criticism, but The Sensual World is more of the same. It's not "the same," but it is the same principle of music that a listener can hear on Hounds of Love and The Dreaming.
There is nothing offensive here but if you liked the first two albums then you may like this one. If you didn't like the first two albums there aren't really any big hits/songs you can hear that would change your mind.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
This is a collection of singles, not an album. It really shouldn't bother me but these are the rules set out and there are other outstanding albums that aren't "albums," so I'm not sure why the rules just get randomly broken. I like rules and this project is a lot of fun but we can't just break the rules in order to get a certain genre or artist on the list.
I loved the sound on here and based on the album cover it feels like space-rap with cool synthesizers and totally 80's beats. Planet Rock was clearly an influential album and an influential sound that other rappers copied.
Going through the music, this is really good party music. I enjoyed the songs with fewer plays as much as, if not more than, the songs with millions of plays. Who You Funkin' With and Go Go Pop were my two favorite songs for some reason.
I do not know when/if I would return to this album and listen to it again. It's slightly odd but I would recommend all 7 of the songs on here but I can't give this "album" a 4 or 5 star review, because this is a compilation and the music is fun but also not totally compelling.
Lambchop
3/5
This is much more mellow than I had anticipated the album being. Not sure what I expected. It was pleasant music, though the songs were a bit long for my tastes. I am not sure I have ever heard a mixture of alt-country, chamber-pop and soul mixed in to one band. So, I give credit for that mixture of sounds.
It was very sleepy and the length of the songs caused my attention to divert at times. It was never bad and I would possibly suggest this one to an individual who may be prone to enjoying this kind of music. For me, it just didn't grab me, even when the lead singer went totally falsetto (on What Else Could It Be).
The songs I enjoyed the most were:
The Old Gold Shoe
Grumpus
Up with People
What Else Could It Be
The Book I Haven't Read
Nico
2/5
It's depressing to me that Jackson Browne is only represented in this book through songs he had written and performed by another artist. I realize in 1967 Jackson Browne wasn't really "a thing" and it was nice to have his songs recorded by other artists. It's a bit of a bummer this is his only good representation in this book.
Nico was also my least favorite part of the Velvet Underground's debut album. I simply don't find her as interesting as I am supposed to. She doesn't even have that good of a voice and she only co-writes one song on here. So, what's the draw?
I spent most of The Fairest of the Seasons wishing I could hear Jackson Browne's version of the song. Nico didn't love the instrumentation that was added, but I have to believe upon hearing the song the producer(s) realized they needed to add more to this because there isn't much else to go on here. For me, this is another example of the curators of this list putting an album they have great nostalgia for on this list at the expense of the music actually being good.
At best, I guess this album influenced other artists to play music. This seems to be the same reasoning for putting everything the Velvet Underground laid to tape in the book as well. Both artists were very influential in their own way, but at what point do we acknowledge the influence while leaving out the inferior music? The point is right here.
I just don't love this one and take away the flute and strings, what the hell else is going on to enjoy?
Fugazi
4/5
I probably write this a lot but this is the first time I have ever heard a Fugazi album. I obviously know the name of the band but didn't know what their music sounded like at all. Their sound is a lot less hardcore rock and more post-punk and I did not expect this. I guess I should have expected some of it since this band contains members of Minor Threat.
I may explore more of Fugazi's discography here in the future, as I enjoyed this sufficiently to do more. Pleasant surprise.
Turnover
Merchandise
Blueprint
Two Beats Off
Reprovisional
Song 1
The Human League
4/5
I knew Don't You Want Me. Other than that, I had no idea what other songs that Human League did and I thought they were a one-hit wonder. I was wrong. This album sounded exactly like I expected while also not sounding very much like I thought additional Human League songs would sound.
Dare! is a really great group of synth-pop songs and I wish I were less lazy and would go to their first and second albums to see how their sound had evolved on their third album. This absolutely deserves a spot in this book.
Some of my favorite tracks were:
The Things That Dreams are Made Of
Open Your Heart
Do or Die
Seconds
Love Action (I Believe in Love)
Don't You Want Me
Since I'm a sucker for good synth-pop I will probably add this one to my collection.
John Martyn
3/5
I don't understand why John Martyn's voice sounds like he has emphysema, or he is straining to sing. Maybe it's both? This is very jazzy and I think another listener referred to it as Yacht Jazz and that's probably a really good description. Apparently, John Martyn was going through a divorce at this time in his life and it affected the music. I don't have any context since this is the only album by him I have heard.
I actually don't hate this sound but it does feel like it is missing some energy. Overall, I am glad I heard this album, even if I don't know that I am compelled to listen to more of his music. I would not term it as "exciting" by any stretch but I can see listening to this album while taking part in activities that involve water and a boat.
Songs I enjoyed:
Dealer
Smiling Stranger
Couldn't Love You More
Certain Surprise
Dancing
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
If You're Feeling Sinister is not my favorite Belle & Sebastian album, though it is a good album. I think I prefer Tigermilk and a few of their later albums to this one. I think Dear Catastrophe Waitress may be my overall favorite. If You're Feeling Sinister is still a really good album and if you know Belle & Sebastian's work then I think you will like this one.
I know the music can feel very "twee" and that's not really an accusation the band can avoid, mostly because it is true. For me, this album has some really big highs and then other songs I just think are decent Belle & Sebastian songs. If you liked Tigermilk then I think you would like this one as well.
The best songs are:
Stars of Track & Field
Seeing Other People (great song)
Like Dylan in the Movies
The Fox in the Snow
Get Me Away from Here, I'm dying (great song)
If You're Feeling Sinister
Soundgarden
5/5
I recall purchasing this album when I was 14 years old and absolutely loving it. I did think the album was a bit long and a few songs could have been trimmed. I still feel this way. As anyone who reads album reviews knows, I tend to prefer albums that cut out fat and don't overstay their welcome, even if the songs are all pretty good. Just because you are a good shot doesn't mean you need to shoot all of your bullets.
It's hard to complain too much about having too much material to listen to on an album, yet it does make it very difficult for me to sit down and listen to this entire album in one sitting. There are just so many great songs on here though, so this is an absolute must-listen album in my opinion. Even if you don't like Black Hole Sun (which everyone has heard 1001 times), there are plenty of other songs that you can enjoy.
A loaded album that could potentially be more impactful if 3-4 of the tracks were trimmed. Still, that's why God made CDs in the Year of Our Lord 1994 when this album was released. So many bands have tried to ape this sound and Chris Cornell's voice. Only the original can do though, no matter how many times The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go" is played on the radio.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
I really like Queens of the Stone Age but have never explored their first album, mostly because I don't know but 1-2 songs on here and it felt like it was an album made before Josh Homme and the band really knew what they wanted to sound like. I still feel like my take is accurate. This is by no means a "bad" album but I think Rated R or Songs for the Deaf are better representations of their sound.
This book tends to lean hard into a band's first album, unless you are the Talking Heads/Nick Drake/Elvis Costello/David Bowie in which case every note ever laid down is a "must-listen" album, so it's not surprising QOTSA have their debut self-titled in the book. I can't argue with the band needing to be in the book but I think if you are going to die then this may not be the QOTSA album you would want to hear before you do shake off this mortal coil.
Regardless, more than half of this one is really good. It loses a point for not being the best QOTSA album though.
Regular John
Avon
If Only
You Would Know
How to Handle a Rope
Give the Mule What He Wants
4/5
Yes, has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I thought perhaps three albums in this book were too much, as Yes (self-titled) wasn't as strong of an album as Fragile was. Close to the Edge only has three songs on it, but this is much closer to Fragile than the self-titled album.
I am not sure why but I do not find Yes's version of prog-rock to be terribly pretentious like some (Rush) tend to come off for me. The drummer apparently left for King Crimson after this album, which checks out as it pertains to the "prog-rock band to prog-rock band" pipeline that I assumed existed.
All three songs here are strong and at no point do they drag. I Get Up I Get Down has a very funeral-sounding organ on it and it creates a different mood than I am used to hearing on prog-rock. Recommend this one, though I think I like Fragile more.
Kings of Leon
3/5
As a fan of Kings of Leon's earlier work prior to the release of this album, I have to admit this was a bit of a change in direction...at least in my opinion. I like Aha Shake Heartbreak the most and even their latest albums are pretty good. This is the album where they refine (okay, probably make their sound more pop-y) their sound to get played on the radio. I can see future editions of this book leaving Only by the Night out.
Mid-review I was just notified this is the 3rd Kings of Leon album in this book. Guys, that's just way too many. Who do Kings of Leon think they are, the White Stripes? I do like Kings of Leon, yet three albums in this book seem a bit much to me. Even if this one is different from the other two albums in this book, I am not sure there are three KoL albums that I am like, "MY GOD, you have to hear this!"
It's possible to really enjoy an album and still mark it down a star or two because I'm not sure it should be in here.
The Icarus Line
3/5
I got some Jet vibes from a few songs on this album. Given the fact so many music critics do not like Jet, I think that would not be seen as a good thing. The vibes are very, very strong though. From the opening track on to about half of the other tracks on the album. I find it to be very odd this album was included in the book. The music does rock and is a band I had never heard of, but how the hell did they end up in here? Was there money exchanged because the record company didn't support the album?
As I feel I do so many times, I am working it out as to how The Icarus Line are different from other bands in the early-to-mid-2000's? Sea Sick gave me some strong Alice in Chains vibes, which I also did not expect. This is fine, though I'm not sure what this represents that hasn't already been in this book.
Supergrass
4/5
I really enjoyed the previous Supergrass album, In it for the Money (maybe the title? I'm too lazy to look it up) and I liked this one better. The cover of the album is almost as abhorrent as the cover for the King Crimson album that I loved (but hated the cover), yet isn't quite on that level. Whoever approved this album cover should be, and I don't want to be too dramatic, drawn and quartered.
As a fan of the Kooks, I hear a lot of Supergrass influence on the Kooks first two albums here. I mean, it's uncanny how much their sound was influenced by this album. They may as well have called themselves "Superkooks." The vocals on We're Not Supposed To are a little off-putting as it sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks. I really enjoyed this album outside of the 1-2 songs I already knew.
I can't really suggest individual songs because I enjoyed most of them. Recommended.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
I'm renowned for believing the Beatles are a really good band. That, of course, is not good enough. They must be worshipped and nothing less than accepting everything they did was genius. I do not worship them. I also don't enjoy a lot of the solo music members of the band put out, as I think there are great individual songs but not too many albums where the individual artist's brilliance is on display.
Band on the Run is a really good album, even if I do not necessarily love the two biggest hits on the album. There are various other great songs on here outside of Jet and Band on the Run. A lot of this music sounds like it could have come from a Beatles album and that's actually not a bad thing. Not to be worshipped but also not bad. My favorite songs:
Band on the Run
Jet
Bluebird
Let Me Roll It
Mamunia
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
I will say that the random reprises of "Jet" on the back half of the album were a bit odd to me. They just came out of nowhere.
The Associates
3/5
Starting an album off with an instrumental shows a certain level of confidence, that's for sure. After 1001+ albums, I am bound to repeat myself but I am not sure how the Associates (not The Association) got an album in this book. Sulk ping-pongs between me saying, "I need more of that" followed by saying, "This song is too long and goes nowhere." So, it's a mixed bag.
I have many questions about the album cover as well. The band has more than two members, at least that is my understanding. Why is the title of the album in light gray print on the side of the cover, as if it is watermarked? The sheets over the furniture may not be necessary if you didn't put your furniture under plants. Move the furniture, then take off the sheets and find out the furniture will stay a lot cleaner. Because I cannot see the artist and album title very well, it looks like an advertisement for a sultry greenhouse/coffee house. Drink coffee, look at the plants and have the Adam Lambert look-alike stare at you while sitting on furniture perfect for quickly cleaning up a murder.
There is music here and it sounds like synth-pop you would hear in the 80's. Synth-pop that is by no means "bad," but can also be heard and done better without staring at two potential psychopaths who will murder you on their couch, put your remains in the soil for the plants and then launder the sheets.
Tracks 8-12 are some of the strongest on this album, so I am not sure why they were put at the very end of the album rather than upfront like most bands would do.
Television
5/5
I cannot recall how I first heard Marquee Moon. I may have stumbled on a list of albums that I need to hear if I like a different band. Either way, this is such a great album and I am not sure how it took me so many years to get into it. I hear R.E.M. in here, especially on See No Evil, and the band Public Access T.V. essentially takes a lot of their sound from this very album. Heck, even their name sounds like a first cousin to Television.
(Public Access T.V. is a really great band and if enjoy Television and the Cars then you should listen to them.)
A lot of what we hear in new wave and post-punk was done here first by Television. In fact, there are times it sounds like I am listening to a modern album. The first five songs are classic tunes from this era and the three behind it are not bad themselves. Highly recommend and this album is the purpose of this project.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I will never argue with any Rolling Stones album on this list. You can already hear the edge in these blues songs that separate them (favorably in my opinion) from the Beatles. They do right by the cover songs here, including Honest I Do, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Little by Little and Carol. Even the original, Tell Me, is a good representation of young songwriting where Jagger/Richards are clearly feeling their way around how to write a song.
This is not the Stones best work (obviously) and this isn't really an album that best shows how they combine Chicago blues with their own sound from songs they have written. I think that would be Aftermath, which is an album that is in this book as well. This album is in the book based primarily on the fact it was the Stones first album and this book also included the first album by the Beatles. It's sort of a "thing" this book does.
I enjoyed the album and I love the Stones. I cannot give the album five stars, simply because I do not think this is the best representation of the Stones. Not sure it should be in the book, other than for the reason this was their first album and the world's first exposure to the Stones.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Fatboy Slim loves to name his albums after advertising campaign slogans. The first half of this album is much stronger than the second half of the album. I think "You've Come a Long Way Baby" is the most consistently album but this is the better album. The highs are higher, even if the lowers are lower. The first 4-5 songs are really good and I didn't even know how much I knew Going out of my Head.
This album still reeks of Brooklyn hipster (see my review for You've Come a Long Way Baby) but there is more on here that I like compared to the album after this one.
My favorite tracks are:
Santa Cruz
The Weekend Starts Here (I really liked this one and don't know why)
Going Out of My Head
Everybody Needs a 303
First Down
Punk to Funk (mostly the horns)
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
This is an album and it came out during the year 2006, which means it can be included in later editions of this book. That seems to be the criteria and reasoning for including Savane. I preferred the other album by Toure in this book and honestly don't see a need for this one. It's his last album (because he passed away), so that's sad.
This was very tedious for me. On my second listen, I found myself checking to see if we were towards the end and somehow the album was only halfway over every single time I looked. The musicianship is fine but if you want to listen to Toure, then choose his prior album in this book.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I enjoyed the instrumentation on Tunic (Song for Karen) but it is 6 minutes of spoken words over the instrumentation. If anyone reads my reviews religiously, which I assume would be all of you, then you may be aware spoken words over instrumentation is not my favorite song type.
You can give me every Sonic Youth album that has ever been released (this the fourth one I received) and I am probably not changing my mind about them. The album started off really strong and I thought maybe THIS is the album that I change my mind about them. This is the album where I see the genius and don't view them as a good band whose music I can either take or leave.
Then the back half of the album devolved into random guitar noises and songs I didn't enjoy as much. I don't know if there is another Sonic Youth album in this book, but at this point, I'm not sure what can change my mind about the band.
My favorite songs are:
Dirty Boots
Tunic (instrumentation-only)
Kool Thing
Disappearer
Mildred Pierce
2/5
It's been a week thus far with these albums. I miss Television. I may never make it through the 90's listing of instrumental music in this book. There are times I think the entire intent of this book is so the editors can show how much they know about music and artists most people have not heard of.
"Look at these international artists that I knew about way before you did and now, I am doing you the favor of sharing them with you."
This was pleasant music and I missed hearing the lyrics to the songs. It's just been an instrumental-heavy week. I'm not American enough to think we don't need more international music, so I guess this has a place but I'm not sure where or why I would listen to it again.
Gotan Project
2/5
Another day, another album of mostly instrumentals in a language I am too ignorant to understand. I still wonder why it is the electronica/techno/instrumental albums have to be so dang long? I am not saying these artists have to be the Ramones and sing 2-minute songs, but does every track have to be 5+minutes?
I am trying to determine why La Revancha Del Tango needs to be in this book. What am I listening to that is so notable that I shall not pass from this mortal coil prior to listening to all 10 tracks and 58 minutes(!) of this album? After two listens, I'm afraid I still not sufficiently answer that question.
Leftfield
2/5
At this point, I assume every album I am going to get will be electronica/house/dance. This is the 4th instrumental/dance album out of the last 6 days. Everything I said about the previous album(s), the inability of to determine why this album should be in the book and the songs are mostly 5+ minutes, goes for this one as well.
How is this different from the 125 other records from the 90's where there is dance/electronica? I don't see it. Please make this stop.
Doves
4/5
I'm just happy this is not an album of electronica or dance music. I probably shouldn't read the brief description of the album because when I hear "best debut since Definitely Maybe" then definitely definitely have some high hopes. And this album was pretty good. I wouldn't say as good as Definitely Maybe.
It's like a more emo-sounding Coldplay but also a more interesting (musically) Coldplay. I enjoyed pretty much every song on this album and the fact it was a low-key affair. There is a variety of different sounds within the actual sound of the band and I would recommend this, as repeated listens would reward the listener.
My favorite tracks are:
Here it Comes
Break Me Gently
Rise
Melody Calls
Catch the Sun
The Man Who Told Everything
The Cedar Room
A House
Ian Dury
3/5
This is an incredibly British album. This is another album from this book where the artist was English and the album did not sell terribly well, but there is just so much genius present the songs must be heard. I don't know, just not sure I see what is being done here that other artists didn't seem to do a bit better.
Warren Zevon seemed to have a similar quirky writing style and I thought I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra sounded like Werewolves of London initially. Warren Zevon could not be in this book though, because he's not British. There are good songs on here but there also isn't a ton of music that sounds revolutionary to my ears or anything that happens to stand out if I heard it on the radio. I don't believe Dury is as clever as he presents himself to be (Billericay Dickie is a great example).
I can't pan this album, because it's not awful and there are a variety of sounds present which did interest me. I would have left it off the list though. Sometimes an album isn't a work of misunderstood genius and the fact there were no hit songs on the album does not mean these songs were worthy of being hits. Ian Dury is another artist thrust upon us because the editors of the book wanted to show how they are willing to crown an album as important because they want to feel like it is important. Surely it is the kids that are wrong!
My favorite songs were:
Sweet Gene Vincent
I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra
My Old Man
Blockheads
Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n Roll
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Holy crap the first song, Albatross, is basically an Interpol song. There's no way they were not influenced by Public Image Ltd. This is an excellent example of music that influenced many other bands in the post-punk area of music, but on their own, I don't know if this is actually a "good" album.
John Lydon's voice never really bothered me with the Sex Pistols but it's a bit grating for me on this one. It could be because the songs are so much longer than the Sex Pistols songs. The first half of the album is pretty good or at least very bearable. The back half is not as bearable for me.
This may be influential and yet I don't think it's actually very good.
Tim Buckley
3/5
It's been 100 years since I have received an album that is cumulatively ranked above a 3.00. Today is no exception. This book has three Tim Buckley albums in it, so the editors want us to know how important he is to musical history, despite the fact he's never actually been terribly popular enough to sell albums. I do believe one of Buckley's albums should be in this book and having not heard all of his albums in a while, I think this is the one that should be in here.
The back part of this album is stronger than the front half and more interesting to me as well. I do not enjoy the folk-renaissance music on here as much as I enjoyed the more rock-oriented songs. His political songs feel more shoe-horned in than the songs about personal relationships.
Some of my favorite songs were:
Pleasant Street
Hallucinations
Once I Was (an absolutely brilliant song)
Phantasmorgia in Two (another great song)
Hello and Goodbye
Pavement
3/5
I really, really enjoyed Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I did not think I would like a Pavement album as much as I did. Slanted and Enchanted is "rawer" and doesn't have quite the polish in the vocals and instrumentation of their second album. It's a different sound on this one and I did not enjoy it quite as much.
Conduit for Sale! is a song I feel like I should enjoy but it has speak-singing on the verses, which is a turn-off for me. This isn't an album I think should be in the book, just because Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is a much better representation of the band. The inclusion of this album feels like the book trying to put an artist's first album in the book, just as an introduction.
Not bad but I will not revisit it.
Public Enemy
3/5
I think one too many Public Enemy albums were put in this book. I don't know, maybe it's just the other two albums were so good that this one seems to not meet that high standard. By no means is this a bad album and Chuck D's lyrics still bite and can tell a great story. This isn't an effort on par with the two other albums and based on the information on the backstory of the album I think Public Enemy would agree.
Some of my favorite tracks are:
Lost at Birth
Nighttrain
Can't Truss It
By the Time I Get to Arizona
Move
Shut 'Em Down
Bring Tha Noize
Miles Davis
3/5
Some of "the sound" of this album sounds like the interlude on The Doors "Riders on the Storm" and I wonder if The Doors did that intentionally or not, as Bitch's Brew came out before LA Woman. I admittedly had a hard time differentiating between each of the songs since they were all instrumentals. My ears are novices when it comes to jazz.
I was excited for Bitch's Brew and was not let down by any stretch of the imagination but I did enjoy the prior two Miles Davis albums more. It does not help this album was longer than the other two Davis albums on this list. When I'm too stupid to understand the difference in the sound of jazz songs, then longer albums tend to be a bit tedious for me.
The tracks I enjoyed were:
Bitches Brew
Spanish Key
Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (my favorite)
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I prefer Bridge Over Troubled Winter to Bookends and I really don't know how it can be considered that close. The first half of this album, absent America is experimentation and some bizarre attempt to have a concept album. There was clearly some drug use during the making of this album, as some of the songs are the trippiest that Paul Simon ever wrote. The last six songs are incredibly strong, and though they don't have a "theme" they are just better than the first six songs.
It makes it difficult to rate this album, as I would give it five stars if there were 8 songs on the album. Unfortunately, there are 12 songs and one of the songs is just old people talking (for some reason). There are quite a few great songs on here and I think there is a place for the album in the book, as this is the album where they shed some of their folk-duo persona and stretched out their sound a bit.
My favorite tracks:
Bookends (combined into one)
Save the Life of My Child (I think I like it)
America
Fakin' It
A Hazy Shade of Winter
Mrs. Robinson
At the Zoo
Big Star
3/5
Big Black Car is basically a different version of Back of my Car, right? I'm a broken record but I am surprised this album is in the book. It's not traditionally considered one of Big Star's better albums, especially since Chris Bell had left the band at this point.
For someone who hasn't heard Big Star's first two records, this person will wonder what the great thing about the band was. Hang in there, as #1 Record will be on your list at some point.
Third/Sister Lovers is dramatically more mellow than the previous work from Big Star. They always had slower songs, but it seems like this album takes it to a different extreme. It's a fine album, if not really noteworthy, but the biggest impact it has is it causes me to want to listen to #1 Record and Radio City.
Mercury Rev
4/5
I am befuddled at the Wikipedia page for this band describing their sound as "Americana." I am not familiar enough with the shoegaze genre in other countries but maybe Mercury Rev are South Americana? This is certainly not the Americana that I am familiar with. Mercury Rev is what would happen if The Flaming Lips and The Verve had a baby. I enjoy both of those bands, so that's not really a bad thing. It turns out the lead singer of this band used to be a member of The Flaming Lips, which absolutely makes sense.
I probably could have gone without the instrumentals but this is a really good album. Since every version of electronica is in this book (sometimes with 2-3 albums by the same artist with the same sound on all of the 8 minute long songs), then there should be room for a moody album that flirts with being like The Flaming Lips. If you like the Verve or the Flaming Lips, then you will most likely enjoy this one as well.
I bitch about other artists but discovering a band like Mercury Rev, even if I only know I like this one album is worth the trip through the 1001+ albums.
My favorite songs are:
Holes
Tonite It Shows
Opus 40
Goddess on a Hiway
The Funny Bird
Morrissey
4/5
I sometimes think about the best album for someone to listen to if he/she is looking to hear Morrissey's solo music. I still think a greatest hits album seems like the best avenue but between this one or Bona Drag. Both are fantastic in my opinion, but I think I lean towards Bona Drag. I think Morrissey's lyrics cut deeper on that one.
This isn't a "light rock" version of Morrissey's albums but the songs here do tend to be some of his less rocking. Starting off with Now My Heart is Full allows listeners to know this is a different kind of Morrissey record and even though I won't write home about the brilliance of Spring-Heeled Jim and this album does not contain a diss track about his hairdresser, it's a worthy addition to this book.
Now My Heart is Full
Hold on to Your Friends
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself
I Am Hated for Loving
Used to be a Sweet Boy
Speedway
The Undertones
4/5
I really enjoyed the Undertones first album and it was a nice surprise to find out about the band. I did not enjoy this one quite as much as their debut album, yet I still really enjoyed it. I am not sure about the album cover though.
It's a lot of the same from their first album and definitely not in the bad way. I am not sure if More Songs about Chocolate and Girls is a reference to the Talking Heads second album or not, but if so, it's fairly clever. I do not think the album is as strong all the way through and that's probably a part of the "put an album out every year" business plan in the music industry back in 1980. I may have mentioned this in my prior review but I can see modern bands (again, especially Public Access TV) reflected in this music.
More Songs about Chocolate and Girls
Hypnotised
See That Girl
Under the Boardwalk
The Way Girls Talk
My Perfect Cousin
Tearproof
Wednesday Week
Nine Times out of Ten
Buzzcocks
5/5
I complain about bad weeks where I get 2-3 instrumental albums, but man, this has been a really good week for discovering music. Mercury Dev, Vauxhall and I, the Undertones second album and now the Buzzcocks. I am excited now but I know there are more instrumental and electronica dance records around the corner.
I had never been exposed to the Buzzcocks and their music, but I have heard Another Music in a Different Kitchen is not their best album. This book tends to lean towards putting an influential band's first album in the book, so I probably should not be shocked. I got some Cheap Trick vibes from their sound, which I am not sure I expected. I really enjoyed the mix of punk and power-pop that is part of their sound.
The Buzzcocks sound like the Sex Pistols fronting Television. I found both of those bands through this project. I'll have to remember this as I listen to a 2-hour trance album next week.
Beck
3/5
I enjoyed Sea Change and Guero by Beck but always found his earlier output to be a bit too overly-clever and light for me. I think I prefer him when he isn't trying to be the rock version of the Beastie Boys. Some of the elements I don't love about Beck are present on this album, especially when he tries to get cutesy with his lyrics. For some reason, I do not appreciate that.
There is a variety of sounds on Odelay and it does speak to Beck's ability to cross genres and he can adapt to whatever sound he is attempting. I don't know if I have ever not been impressed by Beck's overall musicality and songwriting.
The songs I enjoyed the most were:
Devil's Haircut
Lord Only Knows
The New Pollution
Where It's At
Sissyneck
Readymade
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
There are not many albums that sound like this one. I can say that much at the start. I greatly dislike the cover of the album because it creeps me out. I feel like there are a lot of songs about animals on here. I did not enjoy the jokes that were apparently inside studio jokes, which I can only assume were included because the drugs did in fact work.
I won't judge anyone who pretends to like this album. I know you don't really like, because it's not good. Okay, I'm sure someone likes this album but can also admit it's not very good. As I have said a few times before, just because the sound on this album is different doesn't mean it needs to be in the book. There are worse albums in this book, though I have to admit this is one of the worst overall, but it's very clear the experimentation was the point and that doesn't mean it's good or worthy of inclusion.
Drugs can sometimes help an artist make good music, but drugs can also cause an artist to make...this.
Mr. Beefheart, what you've just recorded is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in this rambling, incoherent double albums were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational, put-together song. Everyone who listened Trout Mask Replica is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Country is very underrepresented in this book. It is perhaps the most popular form of music in the world and there are dozens of influential albums that guided the 90’s country revival into what it became. Other genres get 4-5 albums from a subgenre in the book, whole country gets “Here’s one outlaw country album.”
Willie Nelson has two albums in the book and one of them are standards. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, from George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and the only Taylor Swift album is “1989,” which isn’t country at all. Jimmy Buffett is the man behind hundred million dollar lifestyle brand and yet he deserves nary a mention.
This book was created by British critics and country music, especially country music after 1980, is below them. It’s an abomination that one single George Strait album isn’t in here. To ignore AN ENTIRE FUCKING DECADE of popular music (the 90’s country) because there wasn’t enough thump-thump in the songs that are 9 minutes long is ridiculous.
I’m not a huge Waylon Jennings fan and there is other work I like by him as much or if not more than this. Regardless, this was a great album and I wish this wasn’t one of the only outlaw country albums in this book. Alas, it is. Listen to this and please enjoy it. This is really good work by a very influential artist and is why this book exists. To turn people on to music they haven’t been exposed to. I just wish the editors of the book knew that.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
I still struggle to determine if this is "good jazz" or "bad jazz," as I am still an idiot when it comes to jazz music and whether I should enjoy it or not. I was able to tell the difference in this jazz sound and some of the other more blues-based jazz I have heard from John Coltrane and Duke Ellington.
It seems this album is in the book because it's more of an international jazz type of flavor. I enjoyed the sounds on here, though I don't think I would revisit it again. There are only 8 tracks but I enjoyed:
Mandela
Manenberg Revisited
The Wedding
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I don't know if I enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed This Year's Model. I don't feel like the songwriting was as crisp, though that is a high bar to clear for Costello. There are six Elvis Costello albums in this book and I think 4-5 would have sufficed. Hard to say whether I would have cut this one or not. This is the fourth Costello album I have gotten and I liked it better than Blood and Chocolate.
Armed Forces is a record where Costello leaned into the "pop" sound a little bit more than he had in the past. Overall, I am still happy that I get to hear these Elvis Costello albums and continue to be exposed to his music. My favorite tracks were:
Accidents Will Happen
Oliver's Army
Big Boys
Green Shirt
Party Girl
Busy Bodies
Two Little Hitlers
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding
Happy Mondays
4/5
I gave Bummed three stars and compared it to a different version of James. The comparison to James is still apt, as so much of what Happy Mondays does sounds like James, especially on the first half of this one. I enjoyed Pills 'n Thrills and Bellyaches more than Bummed. It starts off really strong and then does taper off a bit towards the back half (except for Step On). I can tell they were working with Paul Oakenfold because there is a more "dancey" sound to this one.
The feeling here is very, very Brit-pop. Proving that Oasis helped to make it popular but there were other bands doing Brit-pop before it was even considered a genre by most. I would recommend this one over Bummed, as this has better songwriting and just is an overall better album. Step On started off with such a 90's R&B keyboard lick that I thought C&C Music Factory had taken over my Spotify.
Kinky Afro
God's Cop
Donovan
Loose Fit
Dennis and Lois
Step On
U2
5/5
U2 has become the poster child for haughty and overly aspirational bands/musicians that take their music incredibly seriously and believe it's necessary everyone hears it. I'm not sure that reputation was assisted in any way from pushing one of their albums on to the iTunes playlist of every living human being that dares to use the Apple product. Yet, they are capable of making good music (which is, of course, a subjective opinion) when they really want to. Achtung Baby is an excellent example of the band working to make good, interesting music.
There are days you could convince me Achtung Baby is as good of an album as the Joshua Tree. There are also days I feel like listening to The Joshua Tree for no particular reason and I'm not sure I can say the same for Achtung Baby.
There isn't one certain song I can recommend here, as I think this entire album deserves to be heard. Would I download it into everyone's iTunes library so they MUST take action not to hear it? Absolutely not. U2 is full of themselves and often come off as a bit douche-like. Achtung Baby is full of great songs and they somehow managed to recover from whatever they were trying to do with Rattle & Hum to make another classic collection of songs.
R.E.M.
5/5
I love R.E.M., though I am not shy about admitting what's their good and bad work. Green is a good album, though I don't know if I think it's one of my favorite albums by R.E.M. This is not a reflection on the quality of the album more than a reflection on how I like their work. I would have put one of the earlier albums (along with Murmur) in the book instead of Green.
Saying that, this is an important album for the band as it was their major label debut. They move their jangle-rock sound to a larger budget and combine it with a more arena-ready set of songs. They were accused of "selling out," which I always found to be an unfair criticism. The band specifically went with Warner Bros because they had full artistic control over their music and the music they want to make. Doing what they want with the money from a major label doesn't feel like selling out to me. And doing what they want is exactly what R.E.M. did.
This album is a set of demos in some way. What they experiment with here is a sample of the directions they may go in the future. Sort of trying out what these different sounds would be like.
Pop Song '89, Get Up, Stand are all "Out of Time." World Leader Pretend, the Wrong Child and You Are Everything are "Automatic for the People," while I Remember California and Turn You Inside-Out are "Monster." It's a testament to the band they manage to experiment and still put out a quality album.
Paul Weller
3/5
I have come to enjoy The Jam through this project. Paul Weller, of course, was the lead singer of The Jam. You would not know that based on the sound of Wild Wood. I am more of a greatest hits type of person when it comes to Paul Weller's music but I do not recall a lot of the songs I have being as mellow as this one is.
I was reminded of Eric Clapton's music from the 90's on quite a few of these songs. That's not necessarily a compliment. I'm not sure why this album is in the book, other than Paul Weller is British, because the songs aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination but this feels like a very competent solo album by a musician who fronted an influential band. Maybe "Competent Album by the ex-lead singer of an Influential Band" is a genre of music this project's editors think this is missing.
I would have thought albums from:
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Syd Barrett, Manassas, Paul Simon, Gene Clark, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Donald Fagen, Frank Black, Robbie Williams, Bjork and Jack White
would have completed the need for this genre to be represented by Paul Weller, but what do I know? I only listen to the music.
The songs I enjoyed the most were:
Sunflower
Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)
Wild Wood
Has My Fire Really Gone Out?
The Weaver
Shadow of the Sun
Hung Up
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Damon Albarn farts into a microphone and it ends up in this book. I had never heard of The Good, the Bad & the Queen prior to today. It's a bit of a surprise that I had not since I have enjoyed Gorillaz, Blur and his feud with Oasis. I probably haven't heard of this group because this isn't a very notable or great album. It's pretty mellow and outside of it being a "supergroup" there isn't much here that I believe stands out.
There are some definite Radiohead-sounding songs on here, so maybe that is why this is in the book. If you sound like Radiohead, you get to me in the book.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
I got whiplash from all the different genres of music on here. One minute there is soul, then R&B, even some rap-ish tendencies, then what sounds like some folk music and even a rock song that the Stray Cats would have made back in the 80's. They have a guitar, synthesizer, as well as a drum machine, and they are not afraid to use it.
I knew Janelle Monae from their acting more than I knew them from the music they made. I am glad I got to listen to this one, as I probably would have never, ever heard it. I probably won't listen to this every day but it is really a fun listen and deserves the recognition from being in the book.
My favorite songs were:
Faster
Locked Inside
Cold War
Tightrope
Come Alive (War of the Roses)
Oh, Maker
Make the Bus
Wondaland
Say You'll Go
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Wu-Tang came on the scene when I was in high school. Weirdly, I have more memories of listening to Wu-Tang Forever than I do listening to this one. I knew quite a few songs off 36 Chambers, as most people do. I never loved Wu-Tang as much as many others seemed to and it wasn't because their music was bad, it just did not speak to me as a bigger fan of West Coast rap. It's nearly impossible to overstate the impact 36 Chambers had on East Coast rap and on music in general. 36 Chambers also led to some spinoffs for Wu-Tang, such as Wu-Tang Financial and the yard signs that indicates Wu-Tang will in fact be forever.
No argument can be made here. This album absolutely deserves to be in the book. Great songs, even if they are not my favorite rap group from the 90's.
Dire Straits
5/5
One of the best debut albums of all-time. Dire Straits were fully formed as a band when they released their self-titled debut and if Making Movies didn't exist then this could be the band's best album. I'm a known Dire Straits fan, as I think their first four albums are all fantastic with Making Movies one of the best albums of all-time.
There is not a bad song on here and I understand the band has detractors, but pub rock does not get much better than this. Four guys playing very simple rock music and the songwriting is excellent.
I like all of the songs but my favorite tracks on here, in order, are:
Sultans of Swing
Down to the Waterline (the intro is perfect as a concert opener)
Wild West End
Water of Love
Six Blade Knife (I've gotten "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac vibes on this one)
Setting Me Up
Lions
Southbound Again
In the Gallery
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I think this is a better album than Crocodiles. It has an orchestration and just a better feel that the band was certain of what they wanted to sound like and the songs they wanted to write.
I don't know if we get another Echo and Bunnymen in this book but this is a really great album that gets to the heart of what the band sounds like and was about.
I liked these songs the best:
Silver
Nocturnal Me
Crystal Days
The Killing Moon (possibly their best song in my opinion)
Seven Seas
Ocean Rain
Bill Callahan
3/5
Back in the Stone Ages, co-workers and I used to exchange new music we had heard. We did it every Friday and one time a co-worker gave me this album to listen to. I feel pretty much the same now as I did back then. It's pretty good and the musicality is really pretty. The songs as a whole are too low key and the speak-singing thing is just not something I can get through on an entire album. Maybe it's me. I'm the problem.
One of the reviews from someone on this site said in his/her review none of the songs "overstay their welcome." There's an almost 10 minute song on here that pretty much only has the lyrics,
It's time to put God away,
I put God away.
I don't know if it overstayed its welcome but that is a long song with not a lot of meat on the lyrical bone. Bill Callahan has a sort of droning voice but it never becomes annoying. The question I have, that I always seem to pose, is why this album is in the book? I guess I am missing the genre not in this book this album represents and creates the need for it to be heard. A case of music that I didn't dislike but not something I would come back to.
Jim Cain
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
This is definitely big band music, make no mistake about that. I do not know how often I would revisit this album, though I did not find it offensive or have any sort of issues with the sound. It was soothing at times and I tapped my foot. I sort of want to watch movies about gangsters now but that's probably to be expected since I so closely associate this type of music with movies about the mob.
Pretty cool album cover and the music was entertaining. It belongs in the book, if not my personal playlists.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
I enjoyed the prior Aretha Franklin album on the list. I knew of her and some of her music but had never taken a full dive into an actual album until I heard the other one on this list. She is not the Queen of Soul for no reason and displays it yet again here.
Obviously, Respect is the big song off I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, but there are other great songs on here outside of just that one. In fact, there isn't a bad song here. Highly recommend.
The Youngbloods
3/5
It turns out the only Youngbloods song that I know is not on this album. Fairly interesting the album with their biggest hit isn't here. I had not heard that album ever, so I don't have any context on whether their debut album sucks or not. I get the feeling this was a bit of a transitional album, because one of the founding members left the band.
I am perhaps ignorant because this sounds like many of the other late 60's bands that are in this book. It does feel like a bridge between the late 60's and the early 70's and I guess that means something. I'm bored of asking why albums are in this book, because there is always a good reason even if I don't see it. Out of the 11 songs, 4 of them are instrumentals, which I guess makes sense back when bands put out 3-4 albums every two years. No time to think of lyrics, so the listener just gets a backing track.
Some of my favorite tracks are:
Darkness, Darkness
Smug
Sunlight
Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down
Quicksand
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I think this is Joni Mitchell's best album and that isn't really a controversial take I would guess. It's very mellow, which does not make it bad, but it does limit the different moods I need to be in to listen to it. This is a classic 70's folk album with great songs all over.
The real question now remains...Is River a Christmas song? I argue that it is not, as snow and winter are nothing but a background to the theme of the song, which is loneliness. Seminal album, even if veterans of the 90's Lilith Fair tour don't like the substance. Joni did it first and don't hold the Lilith Fair of it all against her.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I am feeling like this album should be named "Scott LaFaro Plays Bass featuring the Bill Evans Trio." LaFaro really goes off playing bass on this one. He's just all over this recording and his bass is so prevalent on each track. This is fine jazz. It makes me feel like I am at a fancy restaurant staring at a 6 oz steak that cost $59.99 and I had to pay $11 extra for some mashed potatoes to go with it. So if that's the vibe Bill Evans is going for her then he definitely hit the mark.
This is good background music. As I have been saying a few times on here, I am bad with jazz and don't understand what is and isn't very good when it comes to jazz. I have preferred other jazz albums on this album listing.
Adele
3/5
Someone has to send Adele an up-tempo song or two that she can sing. Adele can sing, that's never in doubt, but we gotta work harder to get her some torch songs worthy of her talent. I listen to these songs and pretend there is another artist singing the lyrics to the music. It shows just how much Adele is able to elevate the material.
When she is able to find music that matches her talent level (Hello, Send My Love, etc.) then she can produce an album like 21. A great artist can take good/decent material and make it work, which is what Adele does here. When great songwriting and a great artist collide, you get greatness, but when a mediocre artist gets great material or a great artist gets mediocre material then if you look closely it shows.
It's easy to get lazy and write good songs for an excellent artist, knowing the material will get elevated. 25 is a good album but is more of an Adele good album than an actually really good album. Do better for her.
The tracks I enjoyed were:
Hello
Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
When We Were Young
Love in the Dark
Sweetest Devotion
Laura Nyro
2/5
One sentence to describe this album. That's all that we get.
I can see how influential this album was on a lot of future female singer-songwriters and it is nice to know these future female singer-songwriters performed the songs they wrote better than Lauren Nyro does. I knew a few of these songs, as they were popularized by other artists. Many artists that I like were influenced by Nyro's music. It just so happens I don't like Nyro's music. This became the Neverending Album at a certain point for me.
Based on the influential nature of this album, I guess it should be in this book, but it doesn't mean I have to pretend to like it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Most people as they get older become more cranky but also tend to be more sentimental towards people they ran into in the past. John Fogerty becomes crankier and seems to hate people from his past even more, while giving himself more and more credit for accomplishments an entire group of people achieved. John Fogerty now basically says the rest of the band could just go fuck off and let him make all this wonderful music by himself. He does need the other three people in the band, including his brother, to play their instruments the exact way he wants them to play in a live setting. He wrote the songs and could do everything without them, absent the parts that he could not do without them. It's why Fogerty had such a successful solo career with many hits that sounded completely different from CCR's big hits.
He's an egomaniac who writes good music. They are a dime a dozen in the music industry, except most lose part of the ego and try to reconcile with people from their past, rather than create more accomplishments in their mind as they become senior citizens. Not John Fogerty. For making the music better or making the ego worse as the music got better (then worse), this is the album where he took over CCR.
I own this album, yet I am still not sure if I would place this in with some of the best work that CCR did. Perhaps the reason Bayou Country is in the book is because it really introduces CCR as a grungy bluesy rock band that mixes the blues, country and other genres into hit songs. Born on the Bayou is one of CCR's best songs and probably deserved to be on Chronicle I if that album had not been so dedicated to making sure only the big radio hits were on there.
There are only seven songs on this album and four of them are absolutely great tracks. Born on the Bayou, Good Golly Miss Molly, Keep on Chooglin' and Produd Mary. There is only one album (Cosmo's Factory) where CCR managed to put all of their original song ideas and cover songs together into one cohesive "great" album. Green River is probably the closest after that. CCR was by nature a singles band, simply because they had so many great songs, it is easy to ignore the other good songs they had.
Anita Baker
2/5
Because I have been shopping in a department store, I have heard Sweet Love many, many times in my lifetime. To have this album on the list and not Whitney Houston is an absolute abomination. This is 80's light soul that I heard in my mom's station wagon on the way to run errands.
This is by no means bad music but there are much more qualified and interesting artists making music at this exact period of time. Nothing against Anita Baker, but I feel like I didn't a-need-a her represented in this book. Bring Whitney Houston in the book and lose this one.
Meat Loaf
5/5
This album has all the makings of something I would not enjoy. It's bombastic and silly, while also having long songs that are more theatrical than musical. Yet, I have always loved this album.
I came to know Meatloaf from "Bat Out of Hell II" and I'll Do Anything for Love, which probably isn't the best introduction if you are looking for 70's rock operatic music featuring members of the E-Street Band. This feels like the E-Street Band, no matter what Jim Steinman says. I didn't even know members of the E-Street Band performed on this album until I had already purchased the album.
The songs are long, yet somehow, they never overstay their welcome. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth is pure Phil Spector, which means it is pure Born to Run. What impresses me the most about this album is just how it was written by grown men and it seems to speak to themes that teens and adolescents can relate to. I think that is what makes the album so fun is there is a certain sense of nostalgia and longing for something better/romantic/fulfilling out of life.
Perhaps I read too much into it and no other Meatloaf albums are worth hearing as much as this one is. It's of a place and time yet is also timeless.
The Charlatans
3/5
Are we sure the singer isn't Liam Gallagher? There were times I thought perhaps he was. I was excited to listen to this album because I had heard the name "Charlatans" but did not know what any of their music sounded like. I was a bit underwhelmed. It sounded like Oasis doing a less "dirty" version of Brit-pop. Nowhere near bad or anything such as that, but also not necessarily the more revelatory find that I had hoped The Charlatans would be.
They fit nicely between Oasis and Pulp in my opinion. The songs didn't just grab me and force me to listen more and more. The sound and songs weren't terribly challenging but they were interesting enough to keep my attention. Time will tell if I come back to them or not.
My favorite songs were:
North Country Boy
One to Another
You're a Big Girl Now
How Can You Leave Us
Only Teethin'
Pearl Jam
5/5
Listening to Ten today, it's not "grunge" as the term would often be used today. Pearl Jam was from Seattle and they wore plaid, so they were lumped in with other grunge bands. Considering the work they did with Neil Young, it is clear in hindsight that a more classic rock sound is what they were going for. They succeeded.
Not much else can be said for this album that hasn't already been said. The first six songs are all classic songs that pretty much define the early 90's era and the last five songs are pretty good as well. Fantastic album and it absolutely deserves a place on this list. Not a bad song to be found.
The Doors
4/5
This was the last proper Doors album, simply because it featured all four original members. Albums by The Doors tend to be somewhat inconsistent at times and L.A. Woman is not different in that case. There are some relatively generic blues-rock tracks on this album, though they are not necessarily bad songs.
I probably would have left Morrison Hotel off this list, but L.A. Woman does deserve a spot since the Doors have a more "organic" sound on the album. Plus, Riders on the Storm is a great song. Being aggressively morbid, it's maybe not the worst thing this was The Doors last album with Jim Morrison. This feels like a bit of a death rattle for the band, just that it does feel like this is the best album of songs they would put together with Morrison. Some of the songs show there wasn't a whole lot left in the tank and I think the producer that left the sessions knew that as well.
My favorite tracks were:
The Changling
Love Her Madly
Been Down So Long
L.A. Woman
Hyacinth House
Riders on the Storm
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
I understand this book needed to include older albums and Ramblin' Jack Elliott is the precursor to Bob Dylan and carried on Woody Guthrie's folk tradition. So, I get why logically this album would be in this book. The talking before/after the songs is not my thing. The talking/singing is also not really my thing either.
I knew Cocaine because it was on Running on Empty by Jackson Browne, which is an album that perhaps deserves a spot on this list. Ramblin' Jack doesn't even sing on Dink's Song, so I'm not sure why it is on here. The first song, San Francisco Baby Blues, has 1:15 of Jack Elliott talking about the song he will be singing and then 1:45 of him actually singing the song.
I don't have interest in this music. There is a song about bed bugs, one about boll weevils, an ear piercing howl on one song and a mention of borax. No wonder Bob Dylan's music sounded absolutely revolutionary, as he wasn't singing a song about shampoo or worms in his driveway. Three of the songs end with "Blues," though I am not sure why it matters but it felt important to type.
Older albums are needed in this book and this is an older album. Ramblin' Jack is still alive and on his 2009 album containing 10 songs, 6 of the songs end with the word "Blues," so he is still very, very, very dedicated to letting you know the songs he is singing are blues. I feel like I should write a song called "Jack Takes the Floor Blues."
Otis Redding
5/5
There's not much to be said for Otis Redding. These are all songs I had heard before, whether it was Otis singing them or another artist whose song Otis Redding covers. Otis may be blue but this album is absolute gold. Otis Redding is one of my favorite artists and one of the few who I can tolerate to cover a song like Satisfaction.
There isn't a bad song on here, and if you only know Otis Redding from Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay, then you are in for a treat here. I admittedly do not know many Otis Redding albums other than this one, so from everything I have read this is the first album where he puts it all together into one great cohesive record.
Highly recommend and this one has been in my collection for a while.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I went into this album fully expecting that I would dislike it. A silly band name, a psychedelic sound literally in the album title, an electric jug and it just seemed like the annoying hippie shit that Boomers would put in the book because they had fond memories of hearing the songs while they smoked pot in the high school bathroom.
I enjoyed this album. It was good enough to keep my attention and I was not too distracted by the electric jug. Also, I do not know what the electric jug looks like. The lead singer gave me strong Mick Jagger vibes at times and the music can also sound a bit like early Rolling Stones. I am not sure I would listen again but this was a pleasant surprise from the low expectations that I had.
You're Gonna Miss Me
Splash One (Now I'm Home)
Don't Fall Down
You Don't Know
Kingdom of Heaven
The Temptations
4/5
This is a different version of the Temptations, that's for sure. I did not love their version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, as I think it pales in comparison to Marvin Gaye's version (though, whose version does not?) and the CCR version. I find it a bit odd there are two Temptations albums in this book and neither of them feature the approximate 354 hits from the 60's they had, other than Cloud 9 of course.
I see the move towards a more psychedelic soul in the sound of the album and overall the results are really strong. I admit that Runaway Child, Run Wild is a bit of an outlier due to it being almost 10 minutes long and there is a child screaming for his mother in the middle of it. It's difficult because this album is not a great representation of the Temptations sound, as it is more of an outlier. It is probably one of their better complete albums and the back half of the album trends more towards the "traditional" sound they are famous for. I like this one though, as it has a nice edge and different instrumentation from their other music.
Cloud Nine
Hey Girl
Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)
I Need Your Lovin'
I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back)
Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love
The Pogues
4/5
I feel the same way about this album as I did the Pogues other album on this list. It's better than I thought it would be but I still have no idea if I would just sit down and listen to it. Perhaps if I were in an Irish pub. The sound is still better than the current Irish punk-rock stuff that seems to permeate a lot of the American Irish sound these days.
Whether there needs to be another Pogues album in the book or one album would have sufficed can be argued, as the sound here is very similar to the sound on their other albums. If you hear one, you haven't heard them all, but you certainly would have gotten the point.
Really fun album and I had heard "Waltzing Matilda" many times in my life but I think this may be my favorite version.
Kelela
2/5
As discussed before, the editors of this list feel compelled to include newer albums as a way of updating the book. I had never heard of Kelela before, which felt odd to me since I have generally heard of nearly all of the artists on this list. I genuinely have no idea what is happening on this album that absolutely must be heard.
There is a difference in a good album and an album that should be in this book. The intent of the book is to provide the listener with albums he/she may not have heard before or an album that provided something important to the overall music "scene." I think there is success on the former but do not think there is success on the latter.
Unfortunately, this went in one ear and right out the other.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Ah yes, another Velvet Underground album. I keep getting told how important this band was, and this is the third album from the band in this book. I do enjoy the solo records by members of this band, especially 1919 from John Cale, but I can't help but believe there isn't much on here that justifies its inclusion. I am starting to believe Velvet Underground is considered one of the most important bands ever simply because so many people say they are one of the most important bands ever.
For me, including three albums by one band is saying, "This was a great band that consistently put out great albums," and I don't believe that is true for the Velvet Underground. They were influential and deservedly so. There are good songs on the album but if this were by a band not named "Velvet Underground" then I don't know if it would be in the book.
My favorite songs were:
Candy Says
What Goes On
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning to See the Light
That's the Story of My Life
George Michael
4/5
This is more downbeat than I expected from George Michael, especially knowing that Faith was more of an upbeat album. Praying for Time is a melancholy way of starting the album off but it is a really great song. Freedom '90 is the perfect name for the song because it takes me back to 1990 and seeing the video on MTV at least 20 times per day. Soul Free is another very 90's-sounding song.
I've never been a huge George Michael fan, though this album could turn a person around with so many of the well-written songs. I wish it were a bit more up tempo at times and some of the song lengths can drag. There was no need for a reprise of Waiting. Overall, it's a good listen and worthy of an inclusion in this book. I prefer Faith to this one though.
My favorite tracks:
Praying for Time
Freedom '90
Cowboys and Angels
Waiting for that Day
Heal the Pain
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
I call Rufus Wainwright "dramatic pop" because his sound is so orchestral, elaborate and it feels very overdramatic, yet accessible. His sister, Martha, makes music that is just as dramatic, but she hides a lot of her drama behind biting lyrics. Martha wants attention and will work to get it, while Rufus seems like he doesn't care for the attention, but he is going to certainly give a show if you are going to notice him.
Rufus Wainwright can be an acquired taste and I am sure he's too theatrical for some people to enjoy. I don't know if this is my favorite Rufus Wainwright album, as I enjoy Release the Stars more. Overall, this is a good introduction to Rufus Wainwright and the first album I would consider him to have found his voice on.
My favorite tracks:
Oh What a World
I Don't Know What It Is
Movies of Myself
Go or Go Ahead
Beautiful Child
Dinner at Eight
Scott Walker
3/5
I kept singing "The Love Boat" theme in my head while I was listening to this album. When reviewing Scott Walker's 4, I mentioned I wasn't sure I would enjoy this album as much because it contained a lot of cover songs. Fortunately, this was not an issue because I didn't know many of the cover songs so they were mostly new to me.
I enjoyed this album slightly more than Scott Walker 4, though I do not know if I would add this to my collection or not. This sounds like if Leonard Cohen had an orchestra behind him and tried to sing Bond theme songs.
My favorite songs were:
Jackie
Best of Both Worlds
Next
Plastic Palace People
Come Next Spring
Kings of Leon
4/5
In my review of Only By Night by Kings of Leon I stated that I liked Aha Shake Heartbreak more than Only By Night. That has not changed, though I do recall enjoying Aha Shake Heartbreak slightly more than this. Still, this is what I think of when I think of Kings of Leon. The lead singer has a similar cadence on many of the songs and there is a more garage-rock version of the Strokes type of sound coming out of the speakers. This is what would happen if the Strokes were from the South and I do enjoy this less mainstream version of the band.
This may be my favorite Kings of Leon album, which makes it sound like I am a huge fan of the band, which I do not consider myself to be. Regardless, I think this should be the Kings of Leon record that should be heard to get a feel for what the southern version of early 2000's garage rock sounded like.
Radiohead
5/5
This is my favorite Radiohead album (close to OK Computer) because it perfectly combines the weirdness of Radiohead with actual music that isn't just navel gazing. This is a perfect album in nearly every way and I wish Radiohead would revisit the sound they had here at least once in the next decade or so.
Great album and this is a band before they discovered beeps and bloops could be created and fans would still think it's pure brilliance. Love this one and it is a must-hear for people who were bored with Brit-pop.
The Modern Lovers
5/5
I have been looking forward to this album, simply because this album seems to check a lot of boxes for music that I tend to enjoy. I didn't enjoy the album as much as I enjoyed other power-pop records on this list, but it was fairly close. This album has a light-hearted Elvis Costello vibe to it and I enjoyed many of the songs on here. I didn't expect the keyboards (by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads!) to be so prominent.
Could I argue against the inclusion of this one because the 70's rise of power-pop had been covered fairly well in this book? Possibly. Could I also argue a band that seems like they are one step away from being the Doors and one step away from being Elvis Costello, while also putting good songs together on an album deserves inclusion regardless. Possibly.
Anyway, I liked this one and thought it was fun to listen to. I was going to list the songs I liked but then realized that I was going to list most of the songs. Even the songs on the deluxe version were pretty good songs.
Baaba Maal
2/5
I have no idea what Djam is saying on this album. The music is fine and the songs are a bit monotonous, especially since they go on and on. It's hard for me to recommend this album, as the length of the songs and the fact I can't connect with the lyrics I don't understand.
The Black Crowes
5/5
The haters are in fact going to hate about this album. Derivative and boring are the accusations. I don't know if The Black Crowes would contest the "derivative" part too much, but they make an already good Otis Redding song even better in its own way and there is not a bad song on here. At the worst, they are writing Rolling Stones outtakes, but outtakes from the Rolling Stones are better than a lot of other music.
Think of the Black Crowes as the American Oasis. Feuding brothers, influenced by their forebearers to the extreme and an excellent first few albums followed by drugs and inertia ripping the band apart. I love the Faces, I love the Stones and so this combines a lot of what I like.
The chorus on Seeing Things is the chorus on With a Little Help From My Friends and it's hard to deny that accusation. Sometimes a bar band does well at being a cover band with original songs. The original songs have to be really good and these are. That's the Black Crowes and this is a great album.
Kate Bush
3/5
After hearing two other Kate Bush albums, I am a bit nervous to hear her "less commercial" album on the list. I didn't consider her music to be commercial in the first place.
The Dreaming is not commercial, so that part is correct. It is a fairly beautifully produced album with so many sounds that the listener would have to listen multiple times to take in all the music. It reminds me a bit of some of Lindsay Buckingham's solo music, which straddles the line between artsy and pop-music. Kate Bush is more comfortable jumping over the line into artsy rock and not making music that is easy to listen to. This album is challenging, no doubt. The background vocals are often more a high-pitched screech at times than I am used to.
I'm pretty sure there are donkey noises at the end of Get Out of My House. Houdini was easily my least favorite song. My favorite songs were:
Sat In Your Lap
The Tenner
Pull Out the Pin (though it is too long and the "I love life(?)" scream in the background could get annoying)
The Dreaming
All the Love
The Cardigans
4/5
I was alive in 1996, so I knew Lovefool by heart. I knew zero other songs by the Cardigans prior to today. This was a really good album and as a fan of Alvvays and other dreamy-pop bands like Belle and Sebastian as well. I am surprised I had never heard this entire album, and if I have, then I don't know why I can't remember hearing the album.
First Band on the Moon was everywhere, but I chalked the Cardigans up to being a one-hit band. Not so much. I think the 3.28 cumulative grade for the album means I am not the only one who enjoyed it. Female-led dream-pop bands are a bit of a musical fetish for me and so this one was right down my alley. I thought the songs would be a bit dour and there wouldn't be much weight to them (based on Lovefool) but that was incorrect as well.
My favorite songs were:
Your New Cuckoo
Been It
Happy Meal II
Never Recover
Step on Me
Lovefool
Great Divide
Iggy Pop
4/5
I thought The Idiot was a good album. Not something I would necessarily get excited about revisiting, but it was a worthy addition to this book. I really enjoyed Lust for Life. More than I enjoyed The Idiot and even up there with some of the 78 Bowie albums I have reviewed from this book.
Everyone knows The Passenger but I didn't know that I knew Lust for Life as well. It's easy to hear David Bowie on background vocals as well. His voice is very distinct. It's obvious Tonight was written by Bowie, as the song is a David Bowie song that Iggy Pop performed. Fun album and I am adding this one to my collection. I always thought Iggy Pop was more of a metalhead-type of artist and didn't know he did glam or post-punk like this.
My favorite tracks were:
Lust for Life
Sixteen
The Passenger
Tonight
Success
Neighborhood Threat
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
An entire album about pedophilia and the rape of a minor? How did I get so lucky to hear this? I know it was a different time and it is unfair to hold people to today's standard of, you know, not committing statutory rape. Still, this is an entire album dedicated to sleeping with a minor. I can only imagine how this would fly in today's musical world.
I'll judge this album on its merits. I am not prone to enjoying artists who speak instead of sing. Serge Gainsbourg does just that. I did not find the album to be that interesting and that doesn't even include the fact I couldn't understand what he was saying because I do not speak French. I'm sure he's super-important to the French but I did not enjoy this one at all. I can't fathom a time when I would put this on.
Big Black
3/5
I would be absolutely shocked if Big Black was not an influence on Trent Reznor, because this sounds like the type of industrial metal that Reznor explores with Nine Inch Nails. This band even had Steve Albini in it and I didn't even know that Albini was ever in a band.
This is a tough album to listen to, because it's fairly abrasive, and it's very much a NIMBY album for me. I like this album existing due to the fact it is so far ahead of what is to come when it comes to industrial rock and the sound that will be explored by bands in that genre over the next two decades. Not in my backyard though, as I probably won't listen to this album again.
Slayer
3/5
The lead singer's voice reminds me of James Hetfield's voice. That's my initial impression. I do prefer Metallica, Megadeath and some of the other thrash metal albums that we have heard on this list to this one. Still, compared to some of the shit I have had to listen to from the 90's, this is much better.
I like that the songs don't overstay their welcome and I could actually tell the difference in the tunes as well. I probably won't add this to my collection but it's a deserved album to be on this list. It's hard to define the thrash metal category of music without a mention of Slayer. Not knowing the rest of their discography, I would assume this is the best of their albums.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
How many times have I heard Gil Scott-Heron's name and never listened to a note of his music? Many, many times. This was almost exactly what I expected while also not being quite exactly what I expected. That doesn't make sense but I thought this is what his music sounded like but did not know this is how we got there. Brian Jackson lends a lot more electric piano than I would have anticipated hearing.
I use Spotify, so it's a bit annoying this is not on Spotify and I had to listen on YouTube. The songs are well-written and some of them are a bit more sleepy than I had imagined. Maybe the sleepiness is just the fault of the electronic piano. I don't know if I would give this album five stars but it deserves a place in this book.
Some of my favorite tracks were:
Peace Go With You, Brother
A Very Precious Time
Back Home
The Bottle
Your Daddy Loves You
Sebadoh
3/5
Bizarrely, this album gave off some Foo Fighters (debut album) vibes to me. I don't know if it was the slight similarity in one lead singer's voice to Dave Grohl's voice or the fact both feel somewhat lo-fi at times. Soul and Fire deservedly leads off the album, as it is the strongest track.
This one is on the list as it provides a look into early 90's indie rock. I thought it was an okay album and I'm not sure I would care to do a further review of this band's output. Bouquet for a Siren sounds like Fire of Lake by the Meat Puppets, at least to me.
My favorite songs were:
Soul and Fire
Two Years Two Days
Sister
Sacred Attention
Forced Love
Bouquet for a Siren
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Like a blast of noise to my ears and I really enjoyed it. I had heard of the Dead Kennedys before, but like the loser that I am, had never heard any of their music. This is another album that I was excited to listen to. Of course, I could have listened to the Dead Kennedys at any point as opposed to waiting for it, but where is the fun in that?
This is great punk music and I'm fairly certain they are not deeply conservative individuals and that they do not like Nazis. It's nice to have things in common with others. I like the song titles as well.
I want to hear the other three albums by them and I'm a bit disappointed there isn't another of their albums on this list. Perhaps It's better that way so punk doesn't get overrepresented.
I would recommend nearly every track on here.
Joy Division
3/5
I have tended to enjoy New Order more than Joy Division. This album deserves a spot on the list though. I feel like I prefer their debut album though.
It's crazy to me that Love Will Tear Us Apart is not on here, as it would be the best song on the album. Unknown Pleasures is the better album in my opinion.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
The cover of this album gives off many "Civil War" vibes. Also, this is A LOT of bluegrass music at one time. Maybe an instrumental or seven could have been cut? This has a place in this book, as it is an excellent example of very quality bluegrass music. It's an embarrassment of riches how many artists are represented on Will the Circle Be Unbroken. I rarely know exactly who is singing (unless I look at the liner notes/Wikipedia) but that does not necessarily matter.
I do not know how often I would sit down and listen to this album, but I will add it to my 1001 album playlist that I have created. Possibly going to leave out some of the instrumentals. I enjoyed this album though. It's hard to say what my favorite tracks were, so I'll just say I would recommend nearly all of them.
David Crosby
2/5
There are times I believe this list should be called "1001 Albums Featuring Members of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young that You Must Hear Before You Die." I'm a fan of CSNY and their music. I really like Neil Young's solo work. If I Could Only Remember My Name reminds me a lot of CSN's first album as a group. It has a group of songs that are not bad but are very sleepy, especially on the back half of this record. The last three songs are basically instrumentals with vocals in the background.
I enjoyed the first 3-4 songs, though I feel like David Crosby really focused more on the harmonies on some of these songs more than he focused on writing really good songs that support the harmonies. There was no need for a David Crosby solo album in here, just like there was no need for a Stephen Stills solo album, much like there was no need for an album from Stephen Stills with a whole other band. I don't think anyone can doubt the impact CSNY had on music, but much of the inclusion of their music on this list seems purely for nostalgic reasons and not because the albums are good.
I do not consider this album to be vital and as I type this sentence I can't decide if I am going to give it a "2" because the music isn't good and there's no need for the album to be in the book. I am tired of living under the thumb of Boomers who think any artist with an acoustic guitar and brings back fond memories of a time that probably never existed is worthy of being considered very important. We have lived under your thumb long enough and you aren't a rebel anymore. You ran a hedge fund and could afford to retire early because the generation before you didn't screw the world up like you did.
Or should I give it a "3" because it's not THAT bad and is unobtrusive.
The Coral
4/5
I had never heard of this band. Had I, most likely I would have lumped them in with all the other "The" bands from the early 2000's. I enjoyed this album a lot and it had more of a ska and reggae feeling than I had expected. This music isn't going to change the world and I am not even sure if I would consider this an "essential" record.
It's a rarity for me to enjoy one of the albums on this list, yet I also am not sure if the album is worthy of inclusion. It's essentially the reverse of what I usually find. My favorite songs were:
I Remember When
Dreaming of You
Goodbye
Waiting for the Heartaches
Wildfire
Calendars and Clocks
Frank Black
3/5
I listened to this album the first time through on shuffle, so I feel like I did not get a good feel for what the album sounds like. I do not find this album to be as interesting as I find The Pixies albums, but overall it was still a good one. It feels a bit random to me that we have a Frank Black album on the list. It's not like the album did wonderful on the charts or had some other impact on culture/music. I also probably could have done without a double album. It seems like there is a really strong single album in here somewhere.
I enjoyed this album. It's probably not revolutionary compared to other albums in the book.
Some of my favorite tracks were:
(I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
Calistan
Speedy Marie
Headache
Sir Rockaby
Fiddle Riddle
Ole Muholland
I Could Stay Here Forever
Big Red
Pie in the Sky
Elvis Presley
4/5
Somehow, Elvis has returned. The songs seemingly are sequenced from fast, slow, fast, slow so that everyone is pleased with what Elvis is singing. Girls don’t have to wait long for a slow one and boys don’t have to wait long for a fast one.
I don’t know if too many people have considered Elvis to be an album-oriented artist, yet I think this is the 3rd album from him in this book. He still feels a bit like a caricature to me than an actual musician/artist, a sort of avatar for what people wanted and see. I gave the other two albums three stars but I do enjoy this one a bit more. Not sure we needed three Elvis albums in the book but this may be my favorite of the three.
My favorite tracks were:
Make Me Know It
The Girl of My Best Friend
I’ll Be Home Again
Thrill of Your Love
Such a Night
It Feels so Right
Reconsider Baby
Tom Waits
3/5
This is my second Tom Waits album this book is going to force down my throat until I submit to adoring everything about him and his music. Okay, it isn't that bad, but five albums is still a lot of albums for a guy who is more of a niche type of artist. The songs on Rain Dogs are shorter than the ones on Bone Machine (the other album I heard) and I have been looking forward to hearing this one.
I'm still not exactly sure how he comes up with his songs or how Waits gets such a loyal following, but alas, I've only tried to get into him a few hundred times. No one can accuse him of being boring. As always, I could have done without the instrumentals, though they were short and non-invasive.
I did enjoy Bone Machine more than Rain Dogs, though if someone is looking to get into Tom Waits then I would probably recommend this album over Bone Machine. There are good songs here.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Beginning your band's name with the word "Sensational" doesn't necessarily make it true. The band should have been called "The Glam Alex Harvey Band" because this is T. Rex combined with some weird blues hybrid of saxophone and harmonica. Bon Scott described Alex Harvey as an influence and I absolutely can see that. This is especially true on Swampsnake. There is some similarity to their singing style. There are also a lot more background vocals than I was expecting to hear. The rest of the Glam Alex Harvey Band all seem to chip in with vocals that at times sound like they are directly from the late 50's.
All of the talk on here about Alex Harvey's penis is not from the late 50's music scene though. The Beatles didn't eventually sing "I Want You to Hold My Cock" or "Screw Me Do," so there is a bit more of an edge to this last of the teenage idols. There is a song called Gang Bang, so obviously the Glam Alex Harvey Band had no issue with being on the AC/DC side of teen idols.
This is a funny album, because I don't know if I would ever listen to it again but I would possibly put this album on a playlist if I'm looking to hear a bit of T. Rex and Mott the Hoople with Buddy Holly backgrounds mixed in. The album quality drifts off a bit in the end but overall this was a fun one.
My favorite songs were:
Swampsnake
Gang Bang (it's a catchy song and the horns are cool)
Giddy Up a Ding Dong
Vambo Marble Eye
Last of the Teenage Idols
Joni Mitchell
3/5
More Joni Mitchell. I have given the other three albums on the list a two "4's" and one "5," all of which were deserved. I'm not here to be loyal to legends just because they are legends. Am I totally into Joni Mitchell? I am not. Do I respect her albums and understand her impact on female singer-songwriters? Absolutely. Her music is good enough for me to enjoy but not good enough for me to seek out.
I find the best songs on The Hissing of Summer Lawns to be the more up-tempo tunes, which isn't something I can say for most of the Joni Mitchell albums I have listened to. The slower songs, which are most of the back half of the album are slow and kind of boring to me. This is my least favorite of the four Joni Mitchell albums I have listened to.
These were my favorite songs:
In France They Kiss on Main Street
The Jungle Love
Don't Interrupt the Sorrow
The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Massive Attack
2/5
I enjoyed the first album by Massive Attack from this list. This one seemed to drag more for me. It felt tedious at times and I would recommend their first album more.
Not that this was a bad album, but man, it's much slower and sleepier.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I recall thinking that Bob Dylan was very old when this album came out. That was 28 years ago and he seems like he was young when Time Out of Mind came out. I can usually go without Dylan's 10+ minute compositions. It's not that I think they are bad but my attention span isn't long enough to consistently hear one of the longer songs.
Overall, this isn't an album on par with Dylan's 60's and 70's output (though what is on par with that?) but it's a great "comeback" album and the songs are really strong. I normally disapprove of too many albums by a single artist being in this book, but Time Out of Mind is an important album because it is the beginning of Dylan's late period, and the music doesn't replicate a sound already represented from Dylan in this book.
Some of my favorite songs were:
Love Sick
Standing in the Doorway
Tryin' to Get to Heaven
'Til I Fell in Love with You
Not Dark Yet
To Make You Feel My Love
Can't Wait
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
I have tried to get into Sufjan Stevens. There are individual songs that I do enjoy, even a few on this album. His music has always been more ambitious than quality in my mind. Chicago is a good song. It's all very twee and I can't say I hate the music here, because it's obvious a lot of thought has been put into every single note that is played. I don't think it's for me.
I know Stevens said it was a joke that he wasn't going to write an album about every state, but it is a little odd he did two states and then just quit. Did he feel compelled to write albums about Michigan and Illinois and then thought the joke was over?
Not bad and worth a listen. It's a little too cutesy for me to listen to for almost 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The Clash
5/5
I have been waiting for this album for a while now. I didn't get into the Clash until I started listening to this project. I heard bands that were like the Clash and it caused me to listen to some of their music and I just loved it. This was the band's opening salvo and it was a great one.
There is not a bad track on this album. They do punk and even mix some genres like reggae into their sound. I've come to really enjoy their music.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
The cover of this album promises 12 great songs for listening or dancing. I feel like I should be at the malt shop playing tunes on the jukebox and keeping an eye on the waitress who is a year ahead of me in school. After all, girls are made to love. That's literally their purpose.
After listening to their album, I can absolutely see how the Beatles took over America. They are the Everly Brothers, except slightly more dangerous because they did not wear V-neck sweaters and wanted the girls to love them. America was primed for them. I can also see how The Rolling Stones and the hippie movement started as well, because there is going to be a natural reaction to this album. The music is rock-ish and there are blues present in the sound. The harmonies are perfect and there are drugs to be done.
This album is a cliche. It's what the Beav and his friends would listen to and it's non-threatening enough for anyone to enjoy, while also being a rock enough sound that it's okay to like the Everly Brothers. It worked on me as well. I enjoyed this album and the songs are really strong.
Is there a bad version of Love Hurts? I'm sure there is and I'm sure Sheryl Crow or Guns 'N Roses did a bad version. I won't look it up, because I'm in my malt shop dream and have no time for it to be ruined. It's schmaltzy and influenced a lifetime's worth of really shitty acoustic duos who want to harmonize. It also influenced Anthony Keidis to name his child after the duo.
It's outdated. It's also very good and very influential.
Killing Joke
3/5
I spent a lot of time listening to Killing Joke wondering if I should be enjoying the album more than I did. It's not that I did not enjoy the album, but this is right down my lane. It is post-punk that mixes genres, has keyboards and seems moderately angry. It's difficult to accurately judge this one for me. It is influential but I just don't know if I liked it as much as I thought I was going to.
Perhaps it is wrong-sized expectations or I just did not like it that much. There is some good stuff on here but I can't say I would add it to my burgeoning collection of music. It's very industrial, post-punk and garage rock-y at times. I wish I could give it a 3.5.
My favorite tracks were:
Requiem
Tomorrow's World
Complications
Change
Traffic
3/5
Did we need two Traffic albums and a Steve Winwood album in this book? Absolutely not. I am not a Steve Winwood hater and I moderately enjoy his music and the music of Traffic. There just is not something "essential" about having two Traffic albums on here.
This is excellent music to clean the house to. It's difficult to object to it, unless you have a propensity for disgust against the flute or other wind instruments. Did we need this? Probably not. Given the choice between this one and their self-titled album, then I would put John Barleycorn Must Die in the book. It's the better album.
There are only six songs on here, with one of them being an instrumental. It's hard to pick favorites based solely on that fact. I have a collection of Traffic songs but I cannot recommend an entire album over a choice selection of their good songs.
Metallica
5/5
Oh boy, here is this divisive album. Before I ramble too much further, I want it to be known that I enjoy Metallica's self-titled, as well as "...And Justice for All," as well as their earlier albums too. I know, it's heresy. Maybe they "sold out," whatever that means. It's not like they pulled a complete Maroon 5, stopped writing their own songs and became essentially a karaoke band for other people's material so they can make money.
I look at the Black Album this way. Would I ever have heard any of Metallica's music in-depth should I have never purchased this album? Probably. Would I ever have listened to Metallica's other albums if I had not purchased this album? Probably not. This album was a gateway drug into harder music. So rather than be angry Metallica "sold out," I'm happy they produced something that was still hard rock but still digestible for 12 or 13-year-old me. It opened my eyes to another type of music that wasn't the music I was listening to at the time.
If I had to nitpick, I would say 1-2 songs could be cut, just to reduce the run time. Yet, there is not a bad song on this album and so I don't hear too much fat that needs to be cut. The closest would be one of the last 3 songs. It's not they are even bad songs but the cut would only be for run time purposes.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Immigres certainly did get my butt shaking, even if yet again, I had no idea what he was saying. I also don't know how this differs from the other World music I have listened to. I'm shockingly ignorant. Like most music I am ignorant to, I have no idea when I would listen to this one again.
Fun listen. Can't argue against it and it was fun to work while listening to the album. The problem is I don't like doing work and won't listen to this at any other time.