997
Albums Rated
3.35
Average Rating
92%
Complete
92 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Shoegaze
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
137
5-Star Albums
34
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
|
5 | 2.15 | +2.85 |
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 2.29 | +2.71 |
|
Third
Soft Machine
|
5 | 2.43 | +2.57 |
|
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
|
5 | 2.47 | +2.53 |
|
Devotional Songs
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
|
5 | 2.58 | +2.42 |
|
Basket of Light
Pentangle
|
5 | 2.76 | +2.24 |
|
Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Tago Mago
Can
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Da Capo
Love
|
5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
|
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
|
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
1989
Taylor Swift
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
|
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
|
1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
|
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
|
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
|
evermore
Taylor Swift
|
1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
|
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
|
1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
|
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
|
1 | 2.97 | -1.97 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 6 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.8 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.75 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 5 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 5 |
| The Who | 5 | 4.4 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.5 |
| Blur | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.67 |
| Genesis | 2 | 5 |
| Love | 2 | 5 |
| Fairport Convention | 2 | 5 |
| Joy Division | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.17 |
| David Bowie | 9 | 4 |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 4.33 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 1.6 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 1 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 1.8 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 2 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 1.5 |
| Common | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Fleetwood Mac | 2, 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 5, 2, 3 |
5-Star Albums (137)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Peter Gabriel
5/5
"Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list"
It is one of the top-rated comment of 'So' on this site. Well, I can guarantee that I was born a couple of years after 1982 and I not only put this album on my 1001 albums list but I also give it a 5.
The reason is that I appreciate great music. 'So' is one of the best albums of the 1980s - this album is a great example that pop music can be excellent if everything is of high quality: songwriting, lyrics, production, singing, etc. Gabriel also invited stellar guest musicians who contributed to the greatness of this album. Even the music video for Sledgehammer is iconic, innovative and the best of the decade.
Perhaps it helps that I've seen Gabriel live at a concert and when he played these songs from 'So', the quality was the same as on the album. Mindblowing experience.
If there is any pop album that deserves to get high rating, it is this album.
64 likes
CHIC
3/5
Classic disco record. Fun, catchy tunes, great production, killer bass and guitars here and there. Le Freak is great.
At the same time, there are repetitive, easily consumable songs that are often longer than they should be.
8 likes
Q-Tip
3/5
I don't know much about hip-hop but it was a good listen, I liked the flow and rhythms and it had a bit of 70s soul inspiration as well. It held my interest throughout. 3+ overall.
4 likes
Stan Getz
5/5
A beautiful, calming, relaxing and soothing album. I love her melancholic voice. If I ever organise a coctail party in a hot summer night close to a beach this album will be played for sure.
4 likes
Baaba Maal
5/5
One of the reasons I'm doing the 1001 albums challenge is to discover gems like this album. What a stunningly beautiful record it is. A few guitars, percussions and a touching voice and the end result is simply magic. I don't understand the lyrics - though I made some research and read about what they sing about - but it's a good proof how music can connect different cultures, backgrounds, and people together. This album touches my heart deeply. Just wonderful.
3 likes
4-Star Albums (314)
1-Star Albums (34)
All Ratings
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Great US alternative rock music from the first half of the 1990s. Some songs are raw and have grunge influences. Billy Corgan's singing is so distinctive and overall the album has quite a unique sound. However, it is too long, it would have better as a short album.
Def Leppard
3/5
A well produced but a rather stiff album - those were right who called it a pop metal record than anything metal/glam rock. It is fun listening to nevertheless even though it's not the genre I often listen to.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
I think this album needs more listen to get into it. It is a consistent and unique sounding indie/indie folk rock album.
Aphex Twin
5/5
A classic album of electronica. It still sounds as fresh and as futuristic as it was in 1992. Amazing.
The Beach Boys
5/5
'Pet Sounds' is one of the most influental albums of all time - the influence it had on the development of pop music is inmeasurable. It's genius, timeless, and it is such an incredibly beautiful record. It is also one of my favourite albums of all times, in my Top 3 definitely.
Pink Floyd
5/5
One of the best prog rock albums ever. Pink Floyd's second concept album which is about alienated feelings, criticism of the music industry and about their old bandmate, Syd Barett. Beautiful album.
Tim Buckley
3/5
'Greetings from L.A.' has a more blues-y sound than his early works which I'm more familiar with. It was a good listen.
Blur
5/5
One of the best British albums from this era. It is a stylistically very versatile record (synthpop, instrumental waltz, punk-rock and so on) with excellent songwriting and lyrics.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Fiona Apple's debut album is one of the best albums written and recorded by a teenager - she was only 16-17 when she wrote the songs and later recorded them. She is a great songwriter who has a distinctive voice and unique style.
The Cardigans
4/5
I haven't heard a full album by The Cardigans before although I knew a couple of songs from them. It is a good alt rock album which didn't seemed to be long when I listened to it. I guess it means it is a good thing.
Portishead
4/5
Portishead's third album has a different sound than their previous trip-hop albums in the 1990s, it's more electronica. It's an original album, but it's less cinematic, more colder and more distanced.
Traffic
4/5
Traffic's fourth album is more jam-rock oriented and stylistically it is more jazz fusion and blues influenced than their previous works. Winwood's singing stands out.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
A very good singer-songwriter album - the lyrics are great, the arrangement and production are also great, only the music is subpar sometimes. A remarkable debut by Leonard Cohen.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
One of the earliest concept albums and double albums in the history of rock. It's a wicked satire of American pop culture with some brilliant lyrics. Musically, the second part of the album is more experimental than the first half. A very strong debut from Zappa.
Deerhunter
4/5
Don't judge a book by its cover, this dream pop album isn't as dark as it seems to be. It started off a bit slow for me & it's definitely a grower. Beautifully atmospheric and there are many great song on it.
Incubus
3/5
A consistent album, I can't pick any song which was a lot worse than others.
DJ Shadow
5/5
The first album which was entirely created from samples, and it had so much influence on hip-hop/electronica. A relaxing, hypnotic and atmospheric record.
John Lennon
4/5
One of Lennon's best solo albums and some of my favorite songs are on it (Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth). The title track is his signature song. Great production too - the sound is lush and relaxed, especially compared to his first solo record which had a raw sound.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
A laid back and relaxing soul/funk album, it is fun to listen to.
John Coltrane
5/5
A monumental album, the finest in the world of jazz. I'm more into rock and other styles of music but this is unbelieveable. It draws you in like nothing else.
Fugazi
3/5
An angry and raw record that preceded the big grunge classics that followed later in the early 1990s.
The Who
5/5
Who's best album, it's excellent, powerful - it is pure hard rock. Their use of rock synthesizers was so innovative at that time. One of the best opening songs (Baba O'Riley) & closing songs (Won't Get Fooled Again) ever.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
It's a good world music album with very diverse influences. I liked the second half of it a bit more, it was more interesting.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
A catchy and fun punk rock record, it was really refreshing to listen to. There are some new wave influences and I loved the saxophone on it. Great album.
Alice Cooper
4/5
A decent classic rock album which has influences from hard rock, glam, jazz and blues. The second half of the album has particularly interesting songs.
Nick Drake
5/5
One of the most emotional, melancholic and intimate albums ever. Nick Drake created magic by using only his voice, guitars and piano on this record. I wish he would have lived long enough to see how many people love his music today.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Powerful hip-hop music with lyrics about societal issues that are still relevant today. It's a long album, some song are perhaps a bit too long.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
A good pyschedelic rock album with a classic song on it - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the 17-minute long acid rock classic.
Solomon Burke
4/5
A lovely soul/R&B album, Solomon Burke's voice is very good, very smooth. I liked this album.
Alice Cooper
3/5
by Alice Cooper (USA, 1973)
A consistent, good rock album, though none of the songs really stand out. I like the fresh sound of it - it's 50 years old but it sounds like as if it was something from the late 80s.
Morrissey
4/5
A rockabilly-influenced album with a lot of melodic songs on it. The production work on the album is great. Morrissey's best solo album perhaps.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash (USA, 1969)
A very nice, smooth folk rock debut of this supergroup. The vocal harmonies are incredibly beautiful.
Rush
3/5
Many call it a prog rock gem but I think that the album has more accessible rock songs than prog. Perhaps I still need a few listens of this album, because I'm not 100% sold on it - yet.
Blur
4/5
It is a more lo-fi oriented album than their previous two, more pop-rock records, they showed their versatility here. There are some great classics on it (Beetlebum, Song 2), but overall I prefer some of their other works.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Songs blend together in a lovely and smooth way. A very nice jazzy folk record.
Fats Domino
4/5
A great classic collection of rock and roll songs, it was a fun listen. 4 5/5.
Spiritualized
5/5
A mind-blowingly beautiful space rock album, I loved the wide array of instrumentation and the lush sound of it. One of my favourites albums from the 1990s for sure.
Simple Minds
4/5
80s synth pop and new wave are really not my cup of tea but I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would. A great collection of songs.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Hypnotic, trance-y record. It reminds me of a mix between Stereolab and Beach House but more electro pop. It was enjoyable but a lot of songs were quite directionless.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
I appreciate the cultural importance of this album but musically it was too repetitive and boring to me and all the swearing and bad lyrics were a no. Not my cup of tea overall.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
A very unique and interesting prog rock/psych rock album from the former Soft Machine drummer. I understand that the avantgarde weirdness isn't everyone's cup of tea but I love this. My fav is the last song.
Germs
1/5
Nasty, noisy, primite hardcore punk, it was difficult to get through those 38 minutes.
The Police
3/5
It was an overall quite good listen, this album has some nice and interesting songs, but some others aren't that good in songwriting. Overall enjoyable.
Elton John
3/5
Not a bad listening experience, Elton John's talent in songwriting shines through. There are dramatic, bombastic prog rock songs on it. My main issue with the album is that somehow the songs are still superficial. When this album was released in 1971, bands like Yes, Genesis, or Pink Floyd were also recording prog rock albums but those albums have a lot more depth than Elton's Madman Across the Water. But overall this album isn't bad, it is just that I can't connect with it completely.
Beastie Boys
4/5
A classic rap album, the first one that went to the top of Billboard charts. A lot of songs are cool and fun to listen to, but musically they are so repetitive that it is a bit too much by the end. The mysogynistic lyrics are also a no.
Ray Charles
4/5
Very enjoyable fun music to listen to. If there is a music I'd describe America with, it'd be Ray Charles.
My only complaint is that after around 7-8 songs it's getting a bit repetitive to me because of the style of music.
4.5/5 but I'm giving it a 4.
(p.s. my twitter account @AlbumsChallenge got hacked today and I won't be able to get back my account according to twitter support. I am sad to see my account go, I loved to write my little reviews there. I didn't even reach 50 albums yet...).
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I really liked listening to this album. Dancey with some slower/acoustic songs that blend together well, it is artsy, cool, electrifying, but not simple/superficial. I'd give it a 4.5 but will stick to 4 out of 5.
Pixies
4/5
A great alternative rock album that had so many influences on the developing of the grunge scene. Most songs on them are raw and deranged but are melodic that are enjoyable to listen to.
The Avalanches
5/5
I very much enjoyed listening to this record. If there was a disco album I'd put on when I invite my friends to a house party, this would be it. It's fun, rather complex yet accessible at the same time. Awesome. I don't give a 5 out of 5 often but this one deserves it.
Stan Getz
5/5
A beautiful, calming, relaxing and soothing album. I love her melancholic voice. If I ever organise a coctail party in a hot summer night close to a beach this album will be played for sure.
Dolly Parton
4/5
A soothing, calm album. Their voices are beautiful together. Country isn't my genre but this was a good listen.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
It has a great 70s funky vibe that I enjoyed, this albums is like a best of late 60s/early 70s album with bongos & percussion. It's one of those albums that I wouldn't have discovered if it wasn't for my 1001 Albums challenge.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Very commercialised pop music without any surface, it is simple music with simple lyrics. It isn't horrible in a way that it is completely unlistenable but this album is a good example why I can't stand commercial pop music from the past years.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
A 77 minute long album which is really long, and maybe it is the reason why I felt even more that musically the album is just directionless. The hit songs (Fighter, Beautiful) stand out and Christina's voice is great throughout the whole album. Overall it is an OK album.
The Temptations
4/5
A really enjoyable funk/soul record, but so short that I blinked twice and it was over (it's merely over 30 minutes long) - It'll probably be one of the shortest album in the 1001 albums challenge.
Jethro Tull
4/5
A classic prog rock album which is one of the finest in its era with lots of great, varied, musically well written songs. I love the flute so it's a plus that it's one of those prog rock albums on which this instrument is the main one. I'd give it a 4.5 of it, because it is not nearly as perfect as some other prog rock albums from around that time.
Aerosmith
3/5
A consistent rock album throughout but to me the songs were quite monotonous and sounded really similar to each other.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
The Yeah Yeah Yeah's debut was my second album from them in my challenge, the other one was The Blitz! which I liked better than 'Fever to Tell'. This album is garage rock, art punk but often a bit too deranged and chaotic. I prefer more artsy or far-out songs, like for example the closing song, 'Modern Romance'. Overall not a bad record but it isn't that record that I will often replay.
The The
4/5
When I listened to the first song on the album, I was afraid the sound of the whole album would be too synth pop, but I was wrong. It's a genuiely fresh sounding album considering it's from the early 1980s, an era its sound is so dated nowadays. Overall, it's a good post-punk, synth pop album.
Chicago
3/5
A great jazz-rock, prog-rock collections of song with some really great musical achievements here. My problem with this album however that the direction of the album doesn't go anywhere, and it is particularly evident when an album is as long as it is (76 minutes). I often felt like the songs drag on forever. So it is a 3.5 instead of 4.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
I admit blues rock/country rock isn't really my thing but I understand that Americans, especially those from the south love this kind of music. They can connect to it much better than me, somewhere in Europe.
That being sad, there were a lot of good songs on the album and the last two minutes or to, was bombastic. I loved how the album finished.
But overall it isn't a very enjoyable album for me. I'd give it a 3.5 but since there are no 'half points', I'll stick to 3.
Beatles
5/5
It's on the top of the very best albums ever made. What can I say about Abbey Road? The Beatles got together one last time to make an album and they created this masterpiece which is really one of the best written, best produced and greatest albums ever. The album was almost called 'Everest' and yes, it would have been a fitting name of it, too, since they reached the top with this album.
It has Harrison's finest songs he wrote (Something, Here Comes the Sun), Lennon's incredible opener with a fantastic bassline (Come Together) or the great I Want You, McCartney showing his singing abilities on Oh!Darling, Ringo's fine Octopus' Garden, and the fantastic medley on the B-side.
10/10, 5+ without a doubt.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
I like this hip-hop album, great rhythms, great writing, great production, all the songs flow so well together, from one song to another. It was a fun listen to. 4.25/4.5.
Garbage
3/5
It isn't garbage, but it is a record that is musically quite minimalistic and not really memorable. It sounds a bit like dreampop/alter rock but in fact it is just a pop record. As I said it isn't very bad but not really great either.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
An absolute classic, beautiful noise rock that paved the path for so many great bands the following years.
Sepultura
2/5
Metal, nu metal is really not my thing, I have headache while I listen to the aggressive music, and aggressive lyrics. The only tracks I enjoyed on this albums are the slower tracks, like Canyon Jam, for example, which stands out maybe too much on this album (and the Brazilian influence is definitely there). 1.5 but since I have never gave 1 on any album, I'll give it a 2.
Mariah Carey
2/5
For someone who was a teenager in the late 1990s this album should be enjoyable, but it isn't. All the songs sounds really samey to me, and musically very simplistic. Her voice is very nice, soothing and mellow but she often shows off her voice for the sake of showing it off - then she doesn't sing words just moans. So overall I've found this album quite dull. 2.5/10.
Motörhead
4/5
The raw power and energy on the album is insane. Heavy metal isn't usually my cup of tea but I really enjoyed listening to this record today. Perhaps I was in the mood for it today more than usually, but I liked it. It's a consistent album throughout, pure rock - great stuff!
Genesis
5/5
It's one of the best albums in the prog rock era and in the very successful catalogue of Genesis. It's a 90-minute long concept album which was the last one made with Peter Gabriel. It's a very exciting journed from start to finish with great music, lyrics, and production throughout the whole album. I get it if it is too long and too heavy for those who aren't familiar with this genre. But it isn't for me, I always enjoy the twists and turns of this magnificent album. My favorite songs are In The Cage, Counting Out Time, The Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber of 32 Doors, The Lamia, The Colony of Slippermen.
9.5/10
Taylor Swift
1/5
There are 15 songs on this album but all of them sound the same, I can't remember any of them even if I have just finished listening the whole album. It's a bland record without any originality of songwriting, very simple music, bad lyrics, and overproduction. Her voice is okay, not bad, but that is way too little to save this album.
And one thing I don't understand is that why this album is on the 1001 albums list - it is the second Taylor Swift album on my list even though I still haven't listened to 80 albums overall. I'm sure there are hundreds of other albums that could have made the list but it won't. I haven't given out a 1 out of 5 on any albums yet even if there were 3-4 albums that were really bad and I regretted not to give a 1 on some of them, but I'm giving this a 1. It just doesn't deserve more than that.
Le Tigre
2/5
Too simplistic, easy listening punk rock for my taste which isn't really memorable. It sounds quite lazy and bland overall, and they make feminism too much the centre of their identity. There are some songs that have a nicer sound/atmosphere though but overall it wasn't my cup of tea. Luckily it was a short album.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
A really nice, pleasant jazz pop/folk/experimental record.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Not shocking but surprising that this album is from the 1980s because the sound of it fresher than that. I am certain that this is the link between 1980s hair metal and 1990s alternative rock. The album sounds raw, well played, the musicians are obviously very talented. It was a bit monotonous after a while but I am giving it a generous 4 because of the cultural importance of it.
OutKast
3/5
A lot of songs are very good on this album, they have great rhythm, they are written so well and they blend together easily. My main issue with this album is that the lyrics are often so much and they sing so fast that it is difficult to understand what they sing about, and as someone from Europe, as a non native speaker it's a lot more difficult to get into it. The other thing is that because of the amount of lyrics, and packed songs the album feels really long with the 73 minutes. I had to pause it and take a little break while I was listening to it because otherwise I couldn't have processed everything. Anyway, it's a good record but I am sure I would need more listens to like it more.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
A very pleasant, smooth nice jazz album. The songs blend together but it's just a really great album to listen to.
Radiohead
3/5
The songwriting is great, but the whole album's atmosphere is distanced and rather cold so I haven't enjoyed it as much as I wanted to. This album is not as memorable to me as their previous works in their fantastic catalogue. The level of quality is always really high with Radiohead though. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.
Grateful Dead
1/5
I was never into the music of the Grateful Dead and now that I've listened to a full album by them I know why I dislike them so much. 'American Beauty' is a bland, boring country/folkish album with weak singing, weak songwriting when none of the songs stand out. It is not a completely unlistenable abum but it is just really bad album.
I really don't understand how the Grateful Dead got so famous in the US. There are many bands at that time who played roots rock, Americana or country-rock but they were much better than this band. It's a massive disappointment, and I seriously don't get why so many people love them in the US. Perhaps it really has to do with the fact that people who were at the first acid tests got into them, then the guru of LSD supported them so people have this nostalgia for them. They were in the right place at the right time.
I don't often give a 1 or 1.5 on any album but since I love the 1960s-early 1970s and there were so many fantastic albums from that period, this album and the whole band is so overrated that I can't help but give them one of the lowest rating I gave out.
Thundercat
2/5
I usually enjoy soul/funk albums but this album was so directionless and boring overall. It reminded me a bit of Earth Wind and Fire except that it was musically really bland (unlike EW&F which always made fun music). It wasn't my cup of tea.
Billy Joel
3/5
I appreciate his talent for songwriting, he is really good at what he is doing. However this album was too sugary pop-rock for my taste. It's not one of those albums I would relisten again soon.
Queen
4/5
A very theatrical and overblown prog rock record with some really great, fun and witty songs including one of the most well known songs in the history of rock, Bohemian Rhapsody. Mercury's voice is of course, incredible.
Baaba Maal
5/5
One of the reasons I'm doing the 1001 albums challenge is to discover gems like this album. What a stunningly beautiful record it is. A few guitars, percussions and a touching voice and the end result is simply magic. I don't understand the lyrics - though I made some research and read about what they sing about - but it's a good proof how music can connect different cultures, backgrounds, and people together. This album touches my heart deeply. Just wonderful.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
A nice soul/funk album by Stevie Wonder. If he is great then he is really a genius, though some of the songs are too sugary/cheesy for my taste. It's a 3.5 so I'll stick with 3.
Ramones
5/5
A hugely influental album in the history of rock. Tight, simple, fun, and catchy - it is awesome.
Roxy Music
4/5
A very strong debut album from Roxy Music, it sounds something from the late 1970s or 1980s but in fact it is an early 1970s album. A great mix of glam rock and art pop, it is really an enjoyable listen. The lats few songs falls flat a bit, so I'll give it a strong 4, but it is really a strong one.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
A great album from the Queen of Soul. What a voice she had!
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I have heard about the band before but never listened to an album before today. It's a great rock album with elements of pychedelic, pop and glam rock. There are many great melodic songs on it which are quite accessible, but not too accessible. I liked it!
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
There were some great songs on this albums and some weird ones as well. Sometimes so weird that I had the feeling they were trying too hard to be weird. Anyway, the good songs are interesting, and it's a genre that I haven't really heard before...noise rock, with blues?
2/5
I should like this album more since I'm into noise/experimental music, but this album wasn't really for me. It's a bit directionless and all over the place. The first half of the album was worse than the second half where there were some better and more interesting songs. 2.5/5
Dire Straits
3/5
A pleasant easy-listening album, I enjoyed it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Van Morrison
5/5
A very well written and produced soul-folk-jazzy album on which every songs are great. Van Morrison is such a great storyteller and I love his voice, too. A very soothing and calming album.
Soul II Soul
4/5
A pleasant, well produced funky, and groovy album. The songs blend together really well. It was fun!
George Michael
3/5
Commercial pop with catchy tunes and some controversial lyrics. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. It's that kind of well-made pop album that I usually listening to for 10-15 minutes and then musically it gets too simplistic to me and I get bored of it. This was the case with this album, too.
George Harrison
5/5
With this album George Harrison was finally able to let it all out what he had in him - after he was allowed only 1 or 2 songs on the Beatles albums as he worked in the shadows of the biggest geniuses of the 20th century, Lennon and McCartney. And the result was a triple album with 4 sides of so many great songs and 2 other sides of groovy guitar jamming. The fantastic production - which may be the finest work of Phil Spector - creates a big, lush, and very atmospheric sound throughout the whole record. This album is too great not to give it five stars as it deserves.
Robbie Williams
3/5
This is very commercialised pop-rock music - Robbie's voice is good and he has a charisma so it was more listenable. 'Angels' and 'Let Me Entertain You' stand out to me, otherwise it can get quickly boring musically. I'm giving it a 2.5/3 just because it was pretty enjoyable as a background music while I was cleaning windows lol.
The Soft Boys
4/5
A highly enjoyable neo psychedelia album. It sounds like something from the late 1960s with a fresher sound. It's also clear how this album influenced the later neo psychedelic albums, even many bands in the 1990s. The songwriting and production are excellent. There are clear influences of The Beatles, The Byrds, Pink Floyd-Syd Barrett, even the Velvet Underground. Very good record. I've listened to it many years ago but I didn't remember it was this good.
AC/DC
4/5
A raw rock 'n' roll album, very enjoyable from start to finish. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a 5 is that the songs are a bit similar and it tends to get a bit monotonous after a while. But overall it is a classy and really great album.
Soft Cell
3/5
It's really not my genre because I don't like the sound of the early 1980s synth pop but this is a good, consistent and well written album. The only song I didn't like was the opening one.
Small Faces
4/5
Very good pychedelic, early prog rock album from 1968. The opening song is stunning, and there are a lot of typical British pychedelia on it (Lazy Sunday Afternoon is one good example of it). Steve Marriott was such a great frontman. Overall it was a very enjoyable record. 4.25-4.50/5.0
Wilco
4/5
A very interesting, calming, relaxing, mystical art rock/indie rock/psychedelic record. It needs a few relistens probably but at first listen I liked what I heard.
Brian Eno
5/5
An excellent art pop, experimental album, which was way ahead of its time when it was released in the mid-1970s. It is between Eno's previously rock oriented music, and the ambient music he later made in the end of the 1970s, some of the songs already are very ambient-like. An excellent album. It's 4.5-4.75 for me but since it is so influental I'm giving it a 5.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
It is amazing that this album is from 1967. What a sound! The arrangements, the production, Jimi's skills, the songwriting are all so good. A truly psychedelic masterpiece.
Paul Simon
4/5
A good album with lots of interesting tunes and songs. Paul Simon's voice is so appealing, it is very pleasant to listen to. This album is easy listening but still interesting and more complex musically. It was a good listen overall.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The first half of the album was more folk rock, the second half more rock. It was a pleasant listen but I don't find this album particularly special. 3.25-3.5/5
Ute Lemper
2/5
This theatrical, often overdramatic and musical-like pop music is not my type of music even if she can sing really well. The last avant-pop song is probably the most interesting, it stands out and is something different from the rest. But otherwise it isn't my cup of tea.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Not an interesting record musically or lyrically, all songs blend together and sound the same, honestly. It's very middle-of-the-road pop music which isn't my cup of tea.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Beautiful, smooth stylish soul album, it was a very enjoyable listen.
Eurythmics
3/5
I was ready to dislike this album because synth pop is not my cup of tea at all. But it was quite an enjoyable and fun listen, it sounds fresh and old at the same time with some good tunes.
Steely Dan
3/5
Smooth jazzy pop record, perhaps a bit too accessible to me and without much intensity it is a big boring after a while. But I appreciate the clear production and talent the band has.
Holger Czukay
4/5
I know Can but I have never heard a solo album from Holger Czukay yet. This is the type of music I like to discover during my 1001 albums challenge so it was a nice surprise. It is something different, strange, interesting, experimental. It's not amongst the very best albums I've listened so far but it is definitely those albums that it deserves higher ratings. 7.0-7.5/10.
4/5
I can see why this album was so popular in the mid-1990s when it was released, it was the perfect sound of the mood and the atmosphere of the time and it spoke to a generation of young people. Though some songs are a bit too samey to me it is overall a very good record with many great hits on it (the biggest one, obviously, Wonderwall). Champagne Supernova is a great closing track.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Pop rock album with new wave and post-punk influences. Musically many of the songs are too poppy for my taste and for some reason Costello's voice doesn't fit with the songs. Lyrically it is heavier than the more commercial music. Overall it is a listenable record but it won't be an album that I'll relisten soon.
Roxy Music
4/5
It is Roxy Music's last album with Brian Eno on it. I really liked this experimental/art-rock album, especially the second half. There were some very interesting music on it. At first listen I liked their debut album a bit better but this is also a strong 4 for me.
The Who
4/5
The first ever rock opera is a great album. It was made during the best period in The Who's history, in the late 1969 and overall the end result was very good. The album is long since it is a double album, and this might explain why it has some songs that aren't that consistent. So I don't give it a 5, but it is a stronger 4 record.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
A very interesting mix of different styles, electronica, trip-hop, pop with Indian influences. It's different. Listening to it was like a religious experience, something I've never listened before. Strong 4+.
Prince
5/5
A masterpiece of an album by the unique and genius Prince. I adored it.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Generic grunge/alt-rock album from ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. It is nothing outstanding but it was an ok listen overall.
MGMT
3/5
Quite generic psychedelic pop/indie rock album. Nothing outstanding but not very bad either.
The Kinks
5/5
A quintessential English album of the 1960s. Just perfection!
Erykah Badu
3/5
A smooth, pleasant and enjoyable r'n'n, neo-soul album. My problem with it is just many songs are similar and nothing stands out after my listen. It is also a long album with over 70 minutes so it drags on a bit.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
A really fun and quality pop/new wave album from the 1980s. The first half was a bit stronger than the second half otherwise it's closer to the 5 than to a 4.
Johnny Cash
5/5
It's one of the best live albums ever. I love the story behind it, how Cash recorded it at a prison and how it sounds so 'live' - the reaction of prisoners after and between the songs, Cash's talking etc. Musically it is a really great country, rockabilly album. Lyrically Cash was tougher than metal bands later with his lyrics about killers and crimes. This album is closer to a perfect 5.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Chill, relaxing, fun album, one of the best of reggae.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
A really nice smooth country/Americana album. I generally dislike country because it has been commercialised so much but this is still original from the mid-1970s.
ZZ Top
3/5
Enjoyable southern rock/blues rock album, though nothing really stood out on it.
Hookworms
3/5
There are a lot of good space rock/psychedelic rock songs though it is not very coherent as an album. As a whole it is isn't as memorable as many similar albums from the past 10-15 years either. I like the genre and I like when songs flow together well, but for example the end of the song 'Boxing Day' was way too abrupt compared to other songs.
Overall a good album but I feel like it doesn't really deserve more than 3+.
Radiohead
5/5
After their incredibly successful album OK Computer, Radiohead didn't stick with their usual style but they had the courage to make a completely different album than their previous ones. It's an incredible listen and still sounds futuristic and fresh after 23 years, this is the kind of album that will sound new even in decades from today. It's a complete, very well rounded album. The production is amazing, too, it's a great experience to listen to it with headphones on.
Beatles
5/5
It's always a fantastic journey to listen to this album in its entirety. It's a very cohesive album despite it a double one and it being very diverse stylistically (rock, pop, proto-heavy metal, blues, avantgard etc). The White Album has the best songs of Lennon, a lot of great McCartney tunes, Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, among others, and Ringo's first song he wrote for the band. Even Revolution 9 is an interesting piece of music concréte, an atmospheric college of sounds. The Beatles once again showed what geniuses they were.
Frank Ocean
3/5
A pleasant and chill album with amazing quality of production. My issue is that it's too chill for me with songs having similar rhythms, tempo, no highs and lows. Nothing is too memorable on it (will I remember any of the songs? no) but overall the listening experience was fine.
King Crimson
4/5
Great prog rock album with some really unique tunes. I'd love to have more structure in it, though.
Supergrass
4/5
I loved the raw energy on the first half of the album and the second half had some songs with lovely melodies. Overall a fun and enjoyable debut album from the band.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
A groovy, smooth and very pleasant instrumental album which was ahead of its time when it was released in the early 60s. I love the sound of the Hammond organ. If you want to put up a record for an afternoon tea party or little garden party, this album would be a good choice.
The Beach Boys
4/5
I was more familiar with the 1960s albums from the Beach Boys' but this was a very pleasant surprise. Their signature "doo woop" style of singing isn't there on this album though their beautiful vocal harmonies are. Musically it has some more complex structures and lyrically they sing more about politics and social issues than before. I'll need a few relistens but it's definitely a strong 4 at my first listen.
The Sonics
4/5
Loved the raw and powerful energy on this album. It contains a few original songs and a lot of covers. The sound is way ahead of its time (1964), it is proto-punk. A fun listen.
The White Stripes
3/5
A decent garage rock album from the early 2000s. I don't really like Jack White's voice and the lack of bass guitar disturbed me a bit throughout the record. Otherwise it is a good album.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Average garage rock album with quite simple music and a singer whose voice distracts a lot from the music itself.
Elliott Smith
4/5
A hauntingly beautiful album by the late Elliott Smith.
Mike Ladd
2/5
There are some interesting rhythms and tunes but most of the songs aren't my cup of tea at all. It also doesn't feel like a coherent album, rather than different songs put together one after each other.
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay's debut 'Parachutes' is a post-brit pop/pop-rock album. There are some songs that I like as much as I did 23 years ago when they came out - Trouble and Yellow, for example. However, the songs on the album don't have too much variety, they are similar to each other and musically they are quite simplistic with low energy and melancholy. The production work on the album is great though.
Overall, it is a average/good debut but it isn't something that would deserve a very good rating (strong 4 or 5).
Black Sabbath
4/5
The blues influence is very strong on the debut album of Black Sabbath, but it's heavier rock than that - it's the birth of heavy metal. There are some very good riffs. The band recorded this album in late 1969, imagine how innovative this sound was at that time and how heavy it was for everything that was before. It was something completely different to what was before.
Ozzy's voice or the lyrics are less interesting.
For this reason, overall I give the album a rating of 4.
The National
3/5
Individually the songs aren't that bad but overall as an album it's monotonous with similar songs on it. The structure of the songs is that it builds until a point but then they don't have a highlight which is quite frustrating and it makes the album dreary. The singer's voice is also quite tired/bored.
It's not an unlistenable album but despite of its hype I wouldn't like to listen to it many times in the future.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Classic Cool Jazz album from the 1950s, very smooth and pleasant compositions with unusual time signatures. Take Five is obviously the most well known song on the album but the other songs are also great. It was a fun listen.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Beautifully atmospheric and dreamy noise pop/shoegaze album. It's all about those fuzzy and layered guitar sound - forget about the lyrics because it isn't important. They created something unique over 30 years ago and no album sounded quite like this ever since then. Every time I listen to 'Loveless' it blows my mind. It's easily one of my favourite albums from the past three decades.
Favourite songs: Only Shallow, Loomer, Come In Alone, Sometimes, Blown A Wish, Soon
The Strokes
5/5
An incredibly fun, catchy and infectious album, that had a big influence on the indie rock scene that came after the release of this record. Is this it? Yes, it is this!
Circle Jerks
1/5
Well, it was painful. Very loud, very fast, very primitive punk rock with awful musicality and lyrics. At least it was really short. Probably the shortest album on this challenge.
Funkadelic
4/5
Highly fun and enjoyable funk album to listen to. It's the perfect record for a late 1970s retro party. Musically it was a bit too samey for me, though, so it's 4 stars and not perfect 5.
Tina Turner
3/5
It's actually the first Tina Turner album I've listened to. It is a good album, though I felt the first part was stronger than the second one which fell a bit flat. Tina's voice was extremely powerful, the music here was just secondary. I enjoyed it quite a bit overall.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
A well produced rock-and-roll and new wave album. The talent is there, and some songs - particularly in the second half - are quite good. But for some reason I can't warm to Elvis Costello's music. Is it the singing, his voice, the not memorable songs, or a combination of all these? I don't know but overall I haven't found this album interesting or great and I haven't enjoyed it...
Black Sabbath
4/5
Tight and heavy but more varied in styles than I'd imagine this album would be. 'Changes' and 'Laguna Sunrise' are beautiful songs too. Overall a really enjoyable album.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The album is a bit too middle-of-the-road for my taste, musically not very interesting. His voice isn't great either. However, I like how the songs flow together well and the overall production is good, too.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
Very nice and listenable sophisticated jangle pop/new wave album from the mid-1980s.
The Pogues
2/5
I'd enjoy listening to these songs more somewhere in a pub in Ireland on a Saturday evening rather than at home on a sunny morning. Albums like these have a time and place for them. I couldn't really got into it.
Massive Attack
4/5
An amazing album, one of the best in trip hop genre, the sound of it is completely unique and the atmosphere it creates on the album is special. 'Unfinished Sympathy' is one of my favourite songs from the 1990s. Some songs are a tad bit repetitive though. Overall it's a strong 4+.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
I have heard about the band before but never listened any of their albums before this one. 'Happy Trails' is a good psychedelic-rock album, which is mostly instrumental. Because it is so jammy, this music is better to listen to live than on a record, though. But overall it was an enjoyable listen.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
"Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list"
It is one of the top-rated comment of 'So' on this site. Well, I can guarantee that I was born a couple of years after 1982 and I not only put this album on my 1001 albums list but I also give it a 5.
The reason is that I appreciate great music. 'So' is one of the best albums of the 1980s - this album is a great example that pop music can be excellent if everything is of high quality: songwriting, lyrics, production, singing, etc. Gabriel also invited stellar guest musicians who contributed to the greatness of this album. Even the music video for Sledgehammer is iconic, innovative and the best of the decade.
Perhaps it helps that I've seen Gabriel live at a concert and when he played these songs from 'So', the quality was the same as on the album. Mindblowing experience.
If there is any pop album that deserves to get high rating, it is this album.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Fantastic soul and funk album from the early 1970s. A classic for sure.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
A short but very effective, effortless and an overall enjoyable roots rock album. I loved it!
Big Black
1/5
Nasty and disgusting. Absolute waste of a record. Possibly one of the worst albums on the whole list.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Good, consistent funk rock album overall, though the songs don't really stand out. Mr. Cab Driver was the only song that was truly memorable.
Muddy Waters
4/5
A highly enjoyable live record by blues legend Muddy Waters. You can hear why is this so influental, it inspiried so many bands in the 60s an 70s after it was released in 1960. Great stuff.
Pretenders
3/5
Tight and energetic punk rock/new wave record with quite varied styles of songs. She is a great lead singer. My issue is that it drags on a bit and it feels quite a long album. Towards the end of the album I already forgot what I listened to in the beginning. Overall it was good though not sure I will listen to it again soon.
The Prodigy
3/5
A deranged, highly energetic and addictive rave/electro album from the late 1990s. The production of the album is top class. In small doses this record is entertaining, but as an almost 1-hour long album I've found it quite exhausting. Musically it is also quite repetitive.
5/5
Another fantastic album by The Kinks after their brilliant their Village Green...LP. They were at the peak of their careers at this time. This rock musical has great storytelling, music, production. It really has it all.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Jimi Hendrix showcased his incredible technical abilities for the first time on a LP. What a debut album it is - groovv, funky, an overall incredible experience to listen to still today (and I can't imagine how it sounded for those who listened to it for the first time back in 1967).
It is an absolute classic record for a reason - one of the very best of the 1960s.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
A very enjoyable, fun Tropicalia album from the last 1960s. This album is something different to what I've listened so far which makes it a bit more special. I like the various instruments and the rhythm of the songs even if I don't understand what he sings about. Good album overall.
CHVRCHES
3/5
Quite catchy synthpop/electronica album with very clean production (that reminds me of some 80s albums). My issue is with synth pop that I find few songs listenable, but a whole album with 12 songs is too much and the songs really drag by the end. Overall it's OK but it's not an album that I would relisten again soon.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Very good collection of songs, great songwriting and excellent vocal harmonies by Crosby, Still, Nash and Young.
Barry Adamson
2/5
A soundtrack album to a movie that doesn't exist - it doesn't sound like a consistent album but only a bunch of songs thrown together, and this is my main issue with it. Some songs are good, the more experimental ones aren't that interesting though. Overall a good background music but nothing more.
Merle Haggard
2/5
Good old country music. Overall it's quite boring musically, and most of the songs are too similar too so I don't think I'll come back to this album.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
A very good album with so many funky tunes on it. The songwriting and production are excellent. It's very long and it makes a bit difficult to listen to it in one sit, and I loved the second disc more.
CHIC
3/5
Classic disco record. Fun, catchy tunes, great production, killer bass and guitars here and there. Le Freak is great.
At the same time, there are repetitive, easily consumable songs that are often longer than they should be.
Little Simz
2/5
Talented rapping, interesting music and various rhythms. She's good at what he she does. But personally I find this kind of music overwhelming after a few songs. It's tiring to read the lyrics/rapping and focus on the music, too, perhaps because I'm not a native speaker.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
I enjoyed this alt-rock/Americana album from the first half of the 1990s. Nothing really stood out from it but overall it was pleasant, the production is good, the guitars and voices nice. I can see why Michael Stipe of REM thought this was the album of the year - its sound reminds me of REM quite a bit, though not as distinctive. 3.5/5
Jefferson Airplane
5/5
A landmark album of San Francisco psych rock and 1967 in general.
When Grace Slick joined Jefferson Airplane the band started to make great albums one after another, but Surrealistic Pillow is their strongest one they recorded together. It sums up the Summer of Love perfectly and in such a high quality - the songrwriting, the clear production, the singing, the lyrics are all there.
Slick brought two songs with her when she joined the band - Somebody to Love, which was originally a slower and more melancholic song, and White Rabbit that she wrote herself - both songs became big hits and are classics today. Slick's amazing voice adds a lot to the sound of the band.
All other songs are great as well. The album is a mix of psychedelic rock, blues and folk-rock by the band that had a really great line-up at the time with Slick, the main songwriter Balin, singer and rhythm guitarist Kantner, guitarist Kaukonen, bassist Casady and drummer Dryden. Besides the hits, my favourite songs are the opening 'She Has Funny Cars', Balin's hauntingly beautiful 'Today' and Kaukonen's fantastic 'Embryonic Journey'.
5/5
Common
1/5
Not my cup of tea. It's an incredible long album yet there was not a single song that stood out on it...the lyrics didn't age well either. It was challenging to get through this one.
Green Day
2/5
I understand why this was such an important album in the mid 1990s to many teens, mainly in the US. I wasn't a teen back then so I don't have nostalgic feelings about this album. When I got a copy of it from a friend of mine in the early 2000s I wasn't too impressed by it. Now that I listened to it again, my opinion hasn't changed that much. It's all just guitar based pop-rock, not a punk album - and all the songs sound really similar. My 11/12-year-old self probably would have liked it more, but it isn't my thing...
Portishead
5/5
Mysthical, dark, hypnotic, atmospheric and beautiful. Glory Box is the perfect ending of this magnificient trip hop album.
Santana
4/5
Exciting, fun, musically complex, mostly instrumental
latin rock album. I enjoyed it!
Bob Dylan
4/5
I enjoyed it quite a bit even if I don't understand all the lyrics. The only thing that disturbed me was Dylan's voice/singing style.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Very pleasant Cuban jazz album. Although I have known about the existence of this album because it got famous when it came out in the late 1990s, but I haven't listened to the full album before. It introduces me to a world that wasn't that well known to me and I really enjoyed it a lot. Great music.
Justice
2/5
I liked the clear production of the album but musically it was very repetitive overall. The sound of the whole album reminded me of Daft Punk here and there though in a less exciting way. It wasn't completely unlistenable, just a record that I couldn't get into it because it felt so samey.
The Cramps
3/5
A fun and enjoyable garage rock/rockabilly album from 1980. I can also hear some The B-52's influences on this record.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Very well written, produced and sung album. The whole album has that 1960s wall-of-sound feeling without being a copycat of that style - it's also modern, raw and very soulful. Amy had a beautiful voice. I enjoyed this album quite a lot.
Cream
5/5
A quintessential pyschedelic rock album with lot of blues guitar influences. It's among the best albums of the 1960s, in the decade that produced the finest albums in the history of pop-rock.
The Lemonheads
3/5
An enjoyable alt-rock album from the early 1990s but the first half had samey songs and nothing really stood out of the whole album - it also felt similar to other alt-rock albums from the same era.
Digital Underground
3/5
Fun, rhythmic concept hip-hop/rap album from the early 1990s about G.S.R.A - but it is too long and it sounds dated nowadays.
Public Enemy
2/5
Intense and aggressive rap album, and it's very long with over 60 minutes - in fact, it was the second 1990s hip-hop album in a row that was longer than an hour and it's just too much to listen to in one sitting. It also sounds quite dated...Not my cup of tea overall.
Nirvana
4/5
After the grunge albums, Nirvana presented a folk-rock, acoustic live concert and perhaps this could have been the next direction for the band had Cobain not died in 1994. The choice of songs is great, it contains not only Nirvana songs but has also many lesser known covers, by the Vaselines, the Meat Puppets or Bowie. 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night', which closes the album, is a perfect ending of this album. Cobain's voice was powerful and raw, and together with the music it created a special atmosphere on stage. Great album.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I have always liked Pet Shop Boys' radio hits, like 'Go West' from this album, but a whole arecord full of simple, commercialised, now dated sounding songs is too much for me. I thought I would like this album more but I was clearly wrong.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I don't really know why exactly but I couldn't enjoy this otherwise fun sounding album. Perhaps it's his slightly annoying, whiny voice? I have already known 'Come On Eileen' before, but I didn't know it was from this band. This album wasn't for me.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This album has more laid back, mellow songs than other Stevie Wonder albums that I've had on the 1001 challenge before. I preferred his more funkier songs and there weren't that many of them on this album. Overall good but it's not my favourite album by him.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
A very influental country-rock album that has lot of different styles mixing together so well: country and rock, of course, and psychedelia, folk, and soul too. This is Gram Parson's most important work after Sweetheart of the Rodeo with the Byrds. I'm usually not really into country but this is a good album.
Moby Grape
5/5
Excellent 1960s album that combines San Franscisco psychedelic rock music with blues, country and power pop so incredibly well. It was the first time I've listened them but I'll surely come back to this album many times in the future. Great discovery!
Brian Wilson
5/5
Had it been released in December 1966 as it was originally planned, it would have changed the course of popular music forever. It was ahead of its time by decades. I can be grateful this was released four decades later because it is a brilliant and genius work. The emotions throughout the record, the arrangements, the vocal harmonies, everything is top notch.
The Go-Go's
3/5
A surprisingly fun new wave/post-punk album, it reminds me a bit of Blondie though the Go-Go's were an all-female band. My issue is that it sounds quite samey throughout the whole record so nothing really stood out to me.
Donovan
4/5
A beautiful, mellow and dreamlike psychedelic and folk album from the mid 1960s. I love the arrangements on this album, particularly the sitar sound which was still wasn't really common in pop music at that time - Sunshine Superman was recorded at the same time as the Beatles' Revolver and before that, the first and only song in pop music which had sitar in it was Norwegian Wood by The Beatles. A great album overall that I really enjoyed listening to.
Arcade Fire
5/5
There aren't many albums from the past 15 years or so that I find brilliant but Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs' is one of them. It's a very well made, high quality album musically, lyrically with so many great songs on it. They created a magical sound on this album and it works so well - it is majestic, and grandiose.
Personally I can also relate to the album because I live in the suburbs of a big city and the theme of the songs speak to me so much.
My favourite songs are Empty Room, City With No Children and Sprawl II (this might be my favorite Arcade Fire song from any of their albums).
5/5 without a doubt.
David Bowie
5/5
Bowie was ahead of time by 10-15 years. When disco fever hit the world, he made this brilliant experimental/avantgard record. He was one of a kind.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
The peak of blues rock, with some psychedelia here and there. Janis' voice was incredibly powerful. It's a great album.
The Who
4/5
Strong debut album by The Who, it's powerful and energetic, Keith Moon's drumming stood out. My Generation is an iconic song, too.
Little Richard
4/5
I love old school rock 'n' roll, great, fun music that was very influental, and Little Richard had amazing voice!
Muddy Waters
4/5
The musicianship is extremely good on this album, the guitar playing is one of the best ever. I admit, though that blues is often too repetitive to me and it was the case with this album as well. Nevertheless, I could get into the mood and I enjoyed it quite a lot!
Talking Heads
5/5
An innovative, unique and exciting album - I like the mix of new wave, world, funk which result in a really strange but danceable and fun record. It's one of my favourite albums from the era for sure.
Sepultura
1/5
If there is one genre I really loathe it's trash/death metal. It's aggressive, musically repetitive and boring and emotionally it brings out the worse from me, too. I get irritated and angry just as I am now after I finished listening to it. Sorry, but it gets a 1 from me.
Daft Punk
3/5
I enjoyed Daft Punk's debut album quite a lot, especially the first part of the album, perhaps I was in for the mood tonight for this music. My main issue with the album was the repetitiveness of it which was even more a bit much because it a very long album with over 70 minutes. Still, the band's debut album was quite a good effort overall.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
This album sounded uninspired with very similar songs rhythm and melody-wise and tired/lazy singing. The production work was good and there were some more interesting bits, but otherwise I'd describe this album as boring.
Gene Clark
3/5
Pleasant country/soft rock/singer songwriter album from the ex-Byrds member, it has a lot of smooth songs on it.
John Prine
4/5
Country isn't my cup of tea but this album was a great listen, I enjoyed it both musically and lyrically it is also good.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Musically reggae is a bit too samey to me taste, but this album was a pleasant and enjoyable listen nevertheless.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
This was the third album by Joni on this list and this is the one I enjoyed the least. It's more jazzy than others I listened to - musically they aren't structured well because the songs lack choruses, therefore it always feels there is no middle or end of the songs and they just go nowhere. The songs are intricate, which I usually like a lot but for some reason I couldn't warm to this album.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Belle & Sebastian's debut is one of the first indie rock records. It was a great introducation of the band with a lot of lovely and sweet (but not too sweet) songs. I liked it!
Miles Davis
5/5
Admittedly I don't know much about jazz but it was an extremely satisfying listen. I loved it!
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Amy's voice was very good and lyrically it's a strong debut album considering she was barely an adult when she made it. But musically the album was much weaker compared to Back to Black and the whole album isn't as structured and well thought out as the following-up.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Elliott Smith was a very talented songwriter and I liked this indie rock/chamber pop/psychedelic inspired album a lot. In some parts it even felt a bit Beatleseque. The last song, the instrumental 'Bye' was harroving considering it was Smith's final album before he died three years later.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I don't know much about jazz music but their musicianship was excellent and I enjoyed listening to this record. I can't really say anything beyond this.
Bob Dylan
4/5
It's one of his best albums, there are a lot of songs I like it on it (Subterranean Homesick Blues, Outlaw Blues, Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates of Eden etc.). The songwriting and lyrics are superb, the only weakness is his singing.
Gillian Welch
1/5
I've found this album very monotonous, boring, slow and musically uninteresting. For some reason I can't relate to Americana/country in any way...The only positive about this album is that it's old style and not that over commercialised country music that was so popular in the past decades in the US.
Sabu
3/5
Enjoyable, fun rumba album - something refreshing and different from the usual American/British pop-rock music that is the vast majority on this list.
Though I think that this type of music is even more fun listening to it live in a bar somewhere in Cuba rather than listening to it alone at home far away from the country.
Shack
3/5
A catchy compilation of songs from the last days of britpop era. It's a lovely album but at first listen it's not something that is unique and outstanding. It was still a good listen though.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
The background story of making this live album is quite fascinating. I'm not really into improvisative piano music (coming from a family full of classical musicians incl. pianists) and while Jarrett's talent is amazing this albums feels a bit incoherent and directionless because of its free style. I enjoyed listening to it but admittedly I'll never be someone who understands and loves jazz music that much.
Fred Neil
3/5
Good folk-rock album. I like his voice though musically overall it isn't as interesting apart from the last few songs. I can hear how his music and singing style influenced Tim Buckley's.
The Streets
2/5
I've found the concept story interesting but I don't like how the band executed it. Musically it is way too boring, simplistic as an album and I didn't care for the rapping either.
Björk
4/5
A completely unique sounding album with a lot of different influences - house, electronica, (art) pop, avantgarde etc. and Björk's voice is very distinctive as well. This album must have sounded very new, fresh and different at that time (I was too young to remember). I find an album great if it can hold my interest throughout, it's diverse and it brings somewhere different from what I've heard before and this album ticks those boxes.
Beatles
5/5
The link between the more poppy Help! and the more experimental Revolver, Rubber Soul was a transitional album in the band's catalogue. It is amazing how much their sound changed in just a few months (Norwegian Wood, If I Needed Someone, Think For Yourself), in 1965 and how much better they become as songwriters (Michelle, In My Life, Girl, Drive My Car) - in this sense, this album was the turning point for The Beatles.
Rubber Soul may not be among their Top 3 or Top 4 albums - the more groundbreaking records came after this one, but it's still an excellent album and one of the most important ones in the 1960s which definitely deserves nothing less than a 5.
The Doors
4/5
Consistently good bluesy, jazzy album musically, and I love Manzarek's keyboards as always. It's one of their best albums I think. Strong 4+.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I listened to the original UK release (so Paint It Black was missing from this release, which I love). Overall I think while the Stones had some great songs but a lot of their songwriting were quite repetitive at that time. Comparing with the Beatles' Rubber Soul which was released right before the Stones went to the studio and record Aftermath, I have to say The Beatles were much more developed in songwriting and they had lot more complex songs.
Favourite song: Mother's Little Helper, Lady Jane (nice baroque pop).
Kanye West
3/5
I don't know much about hip-hop but from the records that were on my list from this genre, it was one of the most enjoyable ones so far. Musically there are some quite good songs here. What I dislike about the album the most is the length - with so much lyrics it is really overwhelming to listen to it in one sitting for someone like me who is a non native speaker.
Eric Clapton
4/5
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I liked Clapton's work in the Yardbirds and Cream but I thought I wouldn't like his more blues-y solo stuff - I was wrong and I really liked most of the songs and especially his 'slowhand' guitar style. Good album overall.
The Electric Prunes
4/5
I've already known their hit song 'I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)' but it was the first time I listened to a full album by this band. And it wasn't a disappointment at all. While it's not a pioneer album, it's overall great 60s psych garage rock with lots of fun songs and an enjoyable sound. The album as a whole has a similar echo-y sound/atmosphere as Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow which came out around the same time in 1967. I liked the nursery rhyme too, which was a surprise!
The Verve
5/5
A very well made britpop/neo psychedelia album from the 1990s with a massive hit and other hit songs. Production is top notch, and Ashcroft's voice is brilliant. They created a sound that was really great - perhaps you have to have live through that time to appreciate this album greatly.
'Bittersweet Symphony' remains one of my favoruite songs from the whole decade, it's iconic with a fantastic video clip, and its consequence was one of the most unfortunate and biggest plagium-related lawsuit in the pop-rock business. I once read a great analysis of the meaning of it that began so:
'This is a brilliant song. It is about the feeling of being trapped and powerless to change your behavior or your life due to circumstances beyond your control. It is about the sense of desperation you feel as your life passes before your eyes and you struggle unsuccessfully to control and shape it. It is about the perpetual conflict between the path you want to follow and the path you are compelled to follow.'
So true. I can relate to this song a lot. Another favourite of mine is 'Lucky Man'. Other hit songs, like the heartwreching 'The Drugs Don't Work' and the hymnical 'Sonnet' are also great and so are the rest of the album. The only criticism is of the album is that it's a bit too long (any album that is over an hour are long to me). It was a more commercial effort than their two previous, more psychedelic albums, but it was their biggest hit. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Madness
4/5
Musically interesting, rich, diverse, different album, I genuiely enjoyed this fun record. The whole atmosphere of it could be described as 'mad' a bit, which I guess fits the name of the band perfectly.
Björk
3/5
An adventurous and experimental album. It is a bit difficult to rate this one, because I didn't hate it but I didn't find it pleasant or enjoyable to listen to it either. I appreciate how much Björk showed the variety of different vocals on this album.. It's the second album by her on this challenge and I liked her debut album more than this one.
Goldfrapp
3/5
This album reminds me a lot of Portishead although I find it musically less interesting. This is a very atmospheric, lush and cinematic sounding album, it sounds like as if it was a soundtrack of an old film noir. These are characteristics that I usually love about music - but in this case, something was missing, as the music couldn't grab me that much.
Dire Straits
3/5
This is the type of music that I want to listen to in a pub when I'm with friends - then I checked what type of genre is this and it turned out it is really called 'pub rock'. It's mellow and bit of bland, musically, except for the guitar playing which is really outstanding. The clean production of the album is also really great, it sounds so fresh. Sultans of Swing stands out, it's very groovy, but the rest of the album is more forgettable for me. 3.5/5 but I stick with 3.
The Mars Volta
2/5
I'm usually into most of prog rock so I thought this album would be for me, but nope, I didn't like it. The songs didn't lead anywhere, the music was way too intense and busy throughout (except for a short time in the middle of the album), it's overproduced, and the singer's high falsetto voice annoyed me most of the time. Majority of the album is more post-hardcore than prog rock anyway. It was difficult to get through this one...
Nico
4/5
Good chamber folk/baroque pop album with hints of avantgarde. Nico's voice (and strong German accent) is very distinctive, instantly recognisable which may not be the cup of tea for many people but undoubtely it brings a lot of character to these songs. I like the arrangements on this album, though the production wasn't that great. Overall it must've been a fresh and different album when it came out in 1967. 3.5/5.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
This is the most generic and boring synth-pop that shows nothing new or unique compared to any other albums from this genre. It is very similar to any stuff that came out 35 years ago or so, perhaps it's more overproduced but that is all.
There are so many great albums that could be on this list which aren't, imo this album doesn't belong on the list.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
An absolutely magical, dream and atmospheric album by Cocteau Twins. The vocals are stunning and an instrument in itself (proof lyrics aren't always that important), the guitars are beautiful, too. Overall a gorgeous dream pop album that belongs high on any 1990s list.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Commercialised, bland, simplistic and forgettable country-flavoured rock music with a lot of very similar songs. But it is not he type of music that is completely unlistenable so I'm giving it a 2.
UB40
2/5
This was a rather boring reggae/dub album, it's just chill background music and none of the songs stood out. I guess it's on the list because of their political message (which I disagree with anyway).
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Previously I've only heard about him because of John Lennon and his lost weekend in 1974. Well this album was a pleasant surprise to me. It is well written, really well produced and arranged, it reminded me of some of the later Beatles songs (perhaps it's no surprise Nilsson is named the American Beatle). There are songs on it from varied styles - pop, rock, ballad etc - and Nilsson shows a wide range of emotions on this album. I've found the first side + Without You and Coconut stronger than the last few songs but overall it's a really solid album.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Good rhythms and samples on this album, it sounds 'cool', though I don't like much of the lyrics and that many times there are a lot of shouting-rapping (I don't know how to call this). Overall I appreciate the culture impact it had, but it isn't my cup of tea.
Marty Robbins
3/5
Good collection of western/country songs.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
This was a completely uninteresting new wave album. It wasn't outrageously bad, but why is it exactly on this list? Especially when I've jut realised that such utterly beautiful, one-in-a-kind albums like Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day is not on the list.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
I've found it a bland and uninteresting record, and overly long. A single album with max. 40 minutes would've been more than enough. I usually like pop-rock, and experimental rock from the 1970s but I can't hear the appeal of this album by Fleetwood Mac.
Otis Redding
4/5
Very good collections of soul songs. His voice was amazing.
The Bees
3/5
Nice, pleasant indie music from the early 2000s. I loved their Os Mutantes cover. Though I enjoyed listening to it, it's nothing extraordinary so I don't think it should go above 3 out of 5.
Pixies
4/5
It's more space-y than their previous albums and I love the sound of it. The songs don't stand out to me but the strength of this album is that it's overall very, very good. There's a bit of wildness, weirdness going on, too but that is what makes the album even more exiciting. Loved it!
SZA
1/5
Weak lyrics, even worse singing with lot of autotune, and boring music. Sorry, it is a 1 from me.
The Temptations
4/5
A very funky, enjoyable neo soul album. It sounds more 70s but it was still made in the 1960s, it must've sounded so fresh at the time. I loved it!
Louis Prima
4/5
A very fun album to listen to. Anyone who needs to lift up the mood, this is it.
The Offspring
2/5
Skate punk album for teenagers, which hasn't aged well in the past 30 years. It's not completely unlistenable but it deserves nothing more than a 2.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Good, very mid-1990s sounding acid house/electronic/psychedelic album, which aged quite well and doesn't sound dated in 2023. I liked the second half of the album more than the first one. Overall it's weaker than their next album. Strong 3+.
Arcade Fire
5/5
It is one of the best albums by one of the most influental bands from the past 20 years. Neon Bible is the one from their holy trinitiy (Funeral, Neon Bible, The Suburbs) that I've listened to the most in the past few years. I love the more grandiose, somewhat darker and heavier sound of this album compared to their other releases. None of the songs stand out that much here, but the strength of the album is that it's very well rounded from start to finish.
It close to a perfect album so I'll give it a 5.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Great songwriting and very beautiful voices. Mrs. Robinson is a classic. I didn't like the interludes that much, but overall a very nice album.
Stan Getz
4/5
Very enjoyable bossa nova - cool, relaxed, and pleasant collection of songs. It's difficult to rate jazz albums, because they are so different from the rest on this challenge - since it doesn't have the feel of the completeness of an 'album', it's more like great songs put together,, I'm giving it a 4, but otherwise, musically it is top-notch.
Kraftwerk
5/5
A compeletely groundbreaking album from Kraftwerk that still sounds futuristic even after 45 years. Amazing. I can't even imagine how it sounded back in 1978 when it was released. I have it on CD, the German version, so I've just listened to that one. The most famous song is "The Model/Das Model", but my favourite is "Neon Lights/Neonlicht". It had a huge impact on the music later so it's an album that deserves a 5 no doubt.
Meat Puppets
4/5
The album was surprisingly good, especially after the opening, hardcore track there were more acoustic and psychedelic rock songs on it, some of them I've known because Nirvana covered them later. I liked it!
Parliament
3/5
Very good, groovy and funky music, the extended voiceovers are a bit too much, though, and it's also a bit repetitive. Otherwise, 70s funk rocks!
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Musically quite varied which was nice but I didn't enjoy his voice, at some parts his singing was just annoying. Overall it's just not my type of glam rock but overall it is an average album.
The Black Keys
3/5
This album has started off quite well but then it quickly became repetitive and overall a bit boring - it was dragging too long since it is an almost one hour long album which is too long imo. Overall it is not a bad blues rock/garage album but there are so many better albums in this genre than this one.
Ray Charles
4/5
A collection of very smooth slow songs. Ray Charles' voice is just fantastic. Some of the songs are a bit too sweet to my taste, but overall it is excellent music.
The Slits
4/5
Short art pop/post-punk album, it's different and fun. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The Dictators
3/5
One of the earliest punk (proto-punk) albums in the mid-1970s. While other bands that came after them made better records but it is still quite a pioneer record and it must have sounded fresh and new back then. I quite enjoyed the fast, upbeat rock, even if the lyrics were mostly just silly. But at least they didn't take themselves seriously!
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Oldschool hip-hop album with quite a lot of varied styles, most of the hip-hop songs were fun, but I didn't like the more soul-y ones or the electro 'Scorpio' track which was so different from the rest. Overall an OK album.
Radiohead
3/5
It was the first time I listened to Iin Rainbows and I feel I should listen to this album more to rate it, because it takes more time to get into Radiohead's music. It is more chill and perhaps emotional than other albums I listened to by this band, but I preferred their other albums so far (The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A) except one (Hail To The Thief). Now I'm giving it a 3.5 out of 5.
1/5
I like jazz and many of free jazz in general but I was deeply disappointed in this album. It is actually a tribute but was way overdone. The first half is practically unlistenable and not accessible at all, it improves a bit in the second half but it is still messy, noisy without any direction or harmonies. I managed to listen to it but it was enough for once in my life, thank you very much.
3/5
Very smooth funk with elements of jazz and rock. I've heard another album by this band which I liked more I think. This album was good but not that memorable.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
A very good rock/country rock album with tons of hit singles on it (my favoruite is Who'll Stop The Rain). The second half of the album is especially strong. I love John Fogerty's vocal but the music is also great.
Gotan Project
4/5
Sophisticated, smooth and chill French electronica with tango influences. This is a very good background music also because for almost the whole album it is instrumental. It's a bit long and feels repetitive here and there, but otherwise it's a great album.
Slint
4/5
A very unique album, its sounds as if it was from the 2000s, not from 1990 - it was way ahead of its time. It's dark, haunting, something different than I have ever heard before. It's more than an album - it is an experience.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
A lot of rambing and yodling on this record. I can see the influence he had on a lot of artists that came later, but those musicians put out better albums than this one. I didn't enjoy this too much, it was average at best.
GZA
2/5
I liked the rhythm and general vibe of the album which is very 1990s. On the other hand I admit it's difficult to carefully listen to the lyrics of a long hip-hop album like this, and understand what it's about for those who aren't native speakers. So I feel like I'm missing half the fun here. But one thing is sure: I didn't like all the profanities...
Missy Elliott
2/5
Quite funky and it still sounds fresh after nearly 30 years, but to me it's too long, and musically is repetitive and not very interesting. 2.5/5.
KISS
2/5
This simplistic, commercialised, musically boring glam rock/hard rock isn't my cup of tea. It's listenable enough not to give it a 1 but it doesn't deserve anything more than a 3 out of 10.
Iron Maiden
2/5
Heavy metal is not my thing so I knew I wouldn't enjoy this one...to me it sounds just samey, with loud guitars and not understandable lyrics. Perhaps some of their later albums will be better, I guess this album is not the only one on this list so I'm giving it a 2.
The Byrds
4/5
The Byrds went from a folk and pyschedelic rock group to a country rock one with this album which was a very influental one. I usually don't enjoy country that much but I liked this album. It's short and very nice, with some really great songs written by Gram Parsons.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I like some of the weirdness of this album and I like some of the songs (White Light/White Heat and Here She Comes Now) but overall I don't see it as revolutionary. Yes, it was everything what the hippy movement wasn't, so it made it underground/different/cool but feedbacks, guitar distortions weren't new at that time. I get that it had influence on the next genres (proto punk/noise etc) but overall I find it a weaker effort than their other albums.
Hole
3/5
It was the first time I listened to a whole Courtney Love album. It's classic grunge and punk, angry and loud. The songwriting reminded me a lot of Kurt's/Nirvana. It wasn't my favorite overall but wasn't bad either.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Very nice, fun collection of songs, though they are a bit repetitive after a while. His singing was fantastic. The quality of the recordings isn't that good, in fact from this aspect it was probably the weakest album so far in my challenge.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Accessible, good indie rock/alternative rock from the late 1980s. Its sound is more 90s than 80s actually. It is a good album though none of the songs stand out or that special in my opinion.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
Surprisingly good rock/alternative rock album by this British band. Musically it's varied and shows a lot of different energy, so it never gets boring. I love Skin's voice too. Overall a good album.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
A good collection of folk rock songs by Tracy Chapman. Her voice is beautiful and storytelling is also good, the songs are really sad because she experienced a lot of hardships in her life but she presents them in an accessible way. Some songs are a bit too samey to me musically. Overall good though not sure I'd want to listen to it again soon (because of the heaviness of the lyrics). 3.5/5.
The Smiths
3/5
I like the Smiths and Meat is Murder is a decent record. It's cohesive and has a very typical 1980s English rock sound. There aren't as many memorable songs on it as on "The Queen is Dead", though. Overall a strong 3+.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Good collection of rhythm & blues songs although almost all of them are covers and nothing is really outstanding. I think if it wasn't a Rolling Stones album, it wouldn't be on the list. Since it is the band's debut, it's part of the rock history, of course.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
It's my first time I've listened an album by Hüsker Dü. I liked the overall mood of the album and the songs were nice but this album was a bit too long, almost 70 minutes. If there's a double LP then usually it should be more varied or the material must be strong so that's enough for a double album. In that sense this album wasn't varied at all because the songs sounded quite samey and while the songs weren't bad I am not sure all 20 songs should've been released. But overall I didn't mind this album, so it gets an average 3 rating from me.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
It's one of the best debut albums ever. All songs are great musically as a whole as all the instruments on their own, too. Superb band. Alex Turner is also one of the greatest lyricist of his generation, this album is also great lyrically, not just musically.
The whole album perfectly captures the British youth in the mid 2000s. I haven't lived there but I am the same age as these guys are, and I listened to this album a lot when I was younger.
Excellent debut in the very strong catalogue of Arctic Monkeys. It deserves the 5 stars.
Mike Oldfield
5/5
It was the first time I've listened to 'Tubular Bells', even if I heard about it before and wanted to listen to it years ago. So glad I finally listened the whole album. What a cool concept and a beautiful record it is. I immediately loved it at first listen and I'll for sure come back and listen to is many more times.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Good mix of r'n'b, rap, hip-hop and soul. Her voice is beautiful, and the production of the album is smooth - really great quality. My main issue with the album is its length - it was the late 1990s when CDs were the thing which made it possible to make 70-80 minutes albums, and many artists took advantage of this new technology. But I find such albums too long. 45-50 minutes are always enough.
Queen
3/5
Good album, more cohesive and harder than other Queen albums. Songs don't stand out to me individually, I've only known Seven Seas of Rhye, which is a good closing track. Overall an enjoyable album, 3.5 but I'll give it a 3 since a couple of other Queen albums are stronger than this one.
Aerosmith
2/5
I don't really like glam rock especially if it is such overproduced music with outdated lyrics. Some songs were fun to listen to for a few minutes if I didn't carefully listen to the lyrics, but in general it's too commercialised 80s glam for me.
The Beta Band
4/5
I like to discover albums by bands I have never heard of before. I really liked this trippy electronic and rockish album, very different and fresh. I will definitely come back to this later.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I know this album is very popular but to me it was a bit too free flowing musically and her distinctive, yet often very high voice was a bit annoying. It was a good listen as a background music but I wouldn't give it anything near a 5.
Steely Dan
4/5
I enjoyed this album a lot, it was accessible enough not to be a very experimental jazzy pop-rock record but still interesting, varied and energetic enough, unlike many pop records that aren't exciting enough. The length was also perfect, not too short, not too long.
The Undertones
4/5
Fun British punk album with short, sweet songs. I enjoyed this one!
Nick Drake
5/5
Nick Drake made only three albums in his short lifetime, but all three of them are real gems. The atmosphere he created on his second album 'Bryter Layter' is magical - it was his most optimistic release which contained lush, beautiful production (which overshadowed his masterful guitar playing here and there, though). Songs like 'Northern Sky', 'Hazey Jane I', 'At the Chime Of A City Clock' or 'Fly' are just absolutely gorgeous and among the most beautiful songs ever written on this planet.
I read the book 'The Life' about Nick Drake which was released not long ago and the last chapter about his life described how severely depressed he was in the last years of his life, which was extremely saddening to read. I wish he had known how much his music would mean to so many people these days.
Aged 24, he told his father that he had finished his life's work and had done more than many in a lifetime - and one day, people would realise it.
We know it now.
Thank you Nick.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
I loved this album when I was around 18 years old and listened to it a lot. It's a great debut album with so many hit songs. The hits are the best here. Probably I wouldn't like this album that much if I lived in the US and listened to these songs every day on the radio...Sweet Child'O Mine is played in Europe a lot, but that's one song that I will never get tired of.
I am not a fan of late 80s hair metal but this is more hard rock. It's a 4 from me overall.
Klaxons
3/5
I expected not to like it but I actually quite enjoyed this one. I haven't heard the band before so they were new to me. Quite good mid-2000s UK indie/electronic album, perhaps I'll listen to it again some time in the future.
Duke Ellington
4/5
I don't know much about jazz but this was very enjoyable and fun, and probably very high quality jazz. Since I don't often give a 5 for an album and I don't really like giving 5 for a live album I'll stick with 4.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Nice, smooth bossa nova music though I'm not quite sure why this album is so important that it needs to be on this list, there are others in the genre that are better than this album. Perhaps it's because Bebel is the daughter of Joao Gilberto?
The Doors
5/5
A masterpiece of an album, among the very best psychedelic rock records ever and in general, very high on every "best ever album" list. 'Break On Through' is one of the best opening songs on any album. 'Light My Fire' is a classic and so is the closing 'The End'. I love Jim's singing and especially Ray Manzarek's playing. A 5 no doubt.
David Bowie
4/5
Bowie went to a different direction stylistically compared to the first half of the decade. This album is a grower and needs more listens. I like it a lot but I prefer some of his other albums to this one (Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Low).
Miles Davis
5/5
Jazz-rock at its finest. Also, if there was a list of best late night albums, this one would be one of the top albums on it.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
A varied and good hip-hop album, I especially liked the jazz influences. I didn't like sometimes excessive profanity in the lyrics, otherwise I should probably listen to the lyrics carefully to try to fully understand what this album is about. But the music was quite good.
Ray Price
2/5
Some songs are nice and his voice is really good but after around 1/4 of the album it gets really repetitive and after a while it is just boring. I'd give it a 3 if it was just an EP with half of the songs but since it's too samey it's a 2 from me.
4/5
A really great singer-songwriter indie rock album. Top notch quality, and I love the general mood of the album. No hits, but it doesn't matter because the album is very cohesive.
Tori Amos
3/5
Good debut album, she is a talented singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music reminded me a lot of Kate Bush, especially Kate's debut album, which she made almost 15 years earlier than this one, but I find Kate's music a lot more exciting than Tori's. Nevertheless, Tori paved the way for such singer-songwriters in the US like Fiona Apple a few years later. A strong 3+ album.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
All songs sound the same, slow tunes that dragging along for too long and his voice doesn't help either. Forgettable, dull, boring. I don't often give a 1 for an album but this is nothing more than a 2.5/3 out of 10.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
I don't know anything about tango but of course I've already heard Astor Piazzolla's name. It's a tight, virtuoso live tango album, which sounded really good quality to me. I enjoyed this album; too bad the album I've found on youtube had some muted minutes which disturbed my experience of listening the album. Perhaps I'll listen to it again later.
808 State
4/5
Excellent and fun acid house album from the late 1980s rave scene of Britain, I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Metallica
2/5
I'm not into trash metal, because it is way too repetitive to me, and too energetic to endure it for a longer time. I get that why it hypes up many people but I don't like this genre. Hetfield's voice is recognisable and good, though, I think that's what I liked the most about this album. But otherwise sorry, not my cup of tea.
Michael Jackson
4/5
It's a very good album to dance to. So many great disco songs on it. A tad too overproduced imo, but still a great listen.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
5/5
Excellent British blues rock album from the mid-1960s, and I'm not even into blues that much. I greatly enjoyed listening to it. Clapton shows his very best on this album.
Green Day
3/5
I remember when this album came out and it was huge back then. I wasn't really into Green Day even if I was in my (late) teens, because I was more into 70s and 80s rock at that time. I liked this album more than Dookie, some songs sound still very good. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is my favorite. The album album is a bit too long, if it was 10-15 minutes shorter I'd give it a 4. It gets a bit repetitive for this length. Otherwise it is a good album.
T. Rex
3/5
Good glam rock album, 'Get In On' is a big hit, though the others don't stand out that much. None of the songs are have the 'wow' effect but as an album it's consistent and interesting. Somewhere between 3 and 4 but I'm giving it a 3 now.
Björk
3/5
It was my first time listening to Vulnicura and obviously, it would need a lot more listens to understand this album better and rate it. It's heavy and different, and unique at the same time, but I wouldn't say I really enjoyed it at my first listen, though I find it interesting. I should definitely listen to this more times, but for now I'm giving it a 3.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Decent reggae music though not quite understand why this album is on the list.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
It was the first time I listened to an album by LCD Soundsystem, and I loved this album already at my first listen. Very enjoyable, good quality electro/dance/punk record. It's a perfect balance between accessible but not quite unique and fun without boring/too commercial. I'll come back to this album in the future.
Morrissey
3/5
I liked it alright, perhaps I'd need a few more listens to get more into it because I am more familiar with his work in The Smiths. He is always cool but hopeless and sad at the same time.
AC/DC
3/5
Good hard rock album, compact, tight, and easy to get into it. I'd give it a 4 if the songs weren't so samey and it wouldn't drag a bit towards the end. It's a 3.5 from me.
Duran Duran
2/5
A quite OK album from a genre that I generally dislike (new wave/early 1980s synth pop). I still don't like the overall sound most of the time and also how simple the album is musically. I can't really give it more than 2.5 for this album.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
It's such a beautiful, gentle, unique and well written indie album. Absolutely love it.
R.E.M.
5/5
'Murmur' by REM is a bit forgotten in their 25+ years long career. It was the band's debut album in the early 1980s and they already had a very characterestic, recognisable and unique sound. They were the first indie rock band, too, because no one had a sound similar to theirs before them and it's just so easy to hear the influence they had on many bands later. Excellent debut and a really influential album.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
It's almost 70 years old music and the songs still rock so much. I can see why they Buddy Holly was so influential. Though it is hard to rate because it's still not from the later 'album' era of popular music, but it's such a great collection of songs.
The Specials
3/5
It's fun and different, and I appreciate their uniqueness, though I wouldn't say I really enjoyed listening to this record. Also none of the songs are memorable in the sense that I would remember the tune or lyrics. It's a solid 3 I think.
Television
4/5
A very good, unique, stylish post-punk album. Actually there are a lot of progressive elements musically. You can hear they got the influence from band like the Velvet Undeground, and you can also hear how much they influenced later bands like the Strokes, for example.
Perhaps I'd need a bit more time to get into the album more, so far it is a strong 4 from me.
Lorde
2/5
Electropop is not my thing - this album isn't horrible but overall because of the style it's just not my jam.
The Clash
4/5
A quintessential punk album from the late 1970s. I like this album though there are some others from this genre that I like even more. It's a 4 from me.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
A great debut album from Peter Gabriel. Obviously he was trying to find his own style at the beginning of his solo career but I like the varied styles this album offers. My fav tracks: Solsbury Hill, Modern Love, Here Comes the Flood.
Various Artists
2/5
The sound was good considering it was the early 1960s and Phil Spector produced it but these songs were wayyy too kitsch for me, even if I usually love listening to Christmas songs. As a European I can't stand this sort of kitsch.
Eels
3/5
I've never heard of this band before but I expected something more harder/heavier rock and to my surprise I was wrong. This is a good, consistent and moody alt rock album from the mid 1990s which I quite enjoyed.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Good new wave/neo psychedelia album from the UK. Not too complex and far out, but not too commercial either.
Elvis Presley
4/5
The singing, the backing band and the production of the album are top notch. Some songs are really great though some of them are quite weak, too kitschy/schmalzy and don't have the energy that the Elvis songs had in the 50s. Still it is a great record overall.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
I don't know much about big band jazz but I enjoyed listening to this one.
The The
2/5
Post-punk British album from the mid 1980s, which has a very 80s sound which I don't really like. It's not a very bad album but the songs aren't too memorable to me either.
Orange Juice
2/5
The second early 1980s British new wave album in a row. 1980s sounding which I don't like much but some songs are mellow which are good. Still, the songs sound very generic to me. Nothing terrible but not exciting either or something I'd want to revisit soon.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I never got the hype about Bruce Springsteen and I didn't particularly liked this album either. It's better than some others I've already listened to, there's a good energy on this album, but it's still too overblown and not interesting music to me.
Gary Numan
5/5
A completely groundbreaking album in synth/new wave, and a very influential record. It gets a bit too samey towards the end, but it's still a very unique sound, after almost 45 years.
The La's
5/5
1990s English indie/jangle pop at its very best. The songs are varied and each of them are good but they also work so well as an album. 'There She Goes' is one of the most famous songs from the decade and 'Looking Glass' is an epic closer, though all songs are good on this one.
Lee Mavers was extremely perfecionist and he was so dissatisfied with the final product after years of working on it, saying it didn't have the right sound and mood that he turned his back on the music industry and 'The La's' remained the one and only album the band made. Wish we knew what sound he wanted to hear; but nevertheless, this is one of my favorites from the 1990s - an excellent album.
Sade
2/5
It's a bland, and forgetful soul pop/soft pop record.
Beck
3/5
Very melancholic, chill, in some parts sad and a slow album. It drags on a bit here and there, but overall it is a good album, though not his best.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
00s freak folk with some Venezuelan/Spanish influences - musically it was good here and there but I didn't really like his voice/singing style. And honestly, I'm not quite sure why this album must be listened before I die.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I like the versatility of the album but exactly the versatility makes it a bit all over the place here and there. It's an interesting record and quite liked it at first listen but so far I feel like it's a solid 3 or a bit higher than that.
Prince
3/5
I appreciate his talent and this is a strong album, especially the second half is interesting. I didn't really like the early 1980s production style though - it is a sound that I don't usually like. Overall I've found this a good album but I liked 'Purple Rain' much more than this one.
The Fall
4/5
I loved this post-punk record. It sounds so refreshing and new that it is hard to believe that it was made in 1985. Then I saw that the great John Leckie produced this album - it's not a wonder that this album sounds so great.
The United States Of America
4/5
A very good balance of rock, electronic experimentation, and psychedelia. I haven't listened to this band before but I really loved this album at my first listen. This is the stuff that I find interesting, unique and different from so many other albums and genres I listen to. I'll definitely come back to this album later.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Good storytelling and authentic country music. It's just I find country so repetitive and boring musically.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
The production of the album is top notch considering it was made in 1956. Sinatra was talented as was the band playing behind him, but I really dislike this superficial swing music and also that it's so repetitive musically.
David Bowie
4/5
Great early 70s glam rock, Bowie was unique and one-of-a-kind. I liked some of his other albums more, for example Ziggy, so after listening to this twice I'll give it a 4.
Michael Jackson
5/5
It's the greatest pop album ever produced and one of the most successful and popular albums ever made. It's exceptionally well made and has tons of hits. It deserves a 5.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I liked this album a bit more than the previous Elvis Costello album on this list. The first half was more samey but the second half was more varied and fun. Pub rock isn't really my thing, but if it mixes with some rock 'n ' roll and reggae rhythms, then it's more bearable.
Beatles
5/5
'A Hard Day's Night' is the best Beatles album in the pre-Rubber Soul era and the only album until Revolver thad only had Lennon-McCartney songs and no covers. It is 60 years old this year but it still sounds fresh and it's so energetic it is always fun to listen to. The hits are great but I also love the B-side, especially the opening 'Any Time At All' which is one of my favorite songs from their early era.
Personally, I love this album also because I got into the Beatles (and later to all other bands in the 60s & 70s) when I turned on the TV at age 10 and 'A Hard Day's Night' film was about to begin. All these songs from the film are so memorable to me for this reason and who knows how and when I would've got into the band if I hadn't seen the film back then.
Motörhead
2/5
The whole album was very samey. Maybe I would've liked the songs a bit better if I had listened to the studio versions before but on this live albums all songs sounded the same. This kind if hard rock/heavy metal gets tiring after around 10 minutes...so it's not my jam.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
One of the all time great albums. The production quality and the vocal harmonies are top notch and it's a very consistent album which makes it close to perfect as a whole.
Kings of Leon
3/5
It's a really inoffensive indie rock album. Nothing really special, a bit commercial rock, but nice enough to listen to it through, though it is not very memorable either.
Miles Davis
5/5
This is an extremely smooth and enjoyable jazz album, and it is especially pleasant after a stressful and long day. It is a groundbreaking album in jazz since it is truly the 'birth of cool', as the fitting title says.
The Cure
2/5
This gothic, dark sound must've been really new back in the early 1980s. Still, I found this album pretty boring, and I didn't like some of the production, songwriting and singing on this album...
M.I.A.
4/5
Complex, different and really creative electro-hip-hop-world album. It's not something I would listen to daily but I appreciate her talent.
Korn
1/5
The real challenge of listening through 1001 albums when I get a nu metal album like this that is around 70 minutes long. It's angry, repetitive, musically boring, and lyrically it is nothing that grabs me or what I'd call interesting or even positive. I've never liked nu metal in the early 00s and my opinion hasn't changed in time. It was especially difficult to listen this album from an era where CDs where a thing and artists came out with 60-80 minute longs albums like this one which was over an hour long (these albums would have been double albums back in the 60s, 70s, 80s...). I listened through the whole thing and I still find it just really bad...I rarely give out a 1 but this one just deserves it.
Nas
4/5
A really great debut album by Nas and one of the best hip-hop albums ever. It has great flow, great rhythms, good samples and shows a very real picture of Queensbridge. It was an enjoyable listen.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Very groovy and smooth album from the late disco are. Though it was a bit repetitive, the production of the album is such great quality that it was a great experience to listen to. I can't give it any lower than a 4.
The Byrds
3/5
The twelve string Rickenbacker makes this album sound special and I love it. 'Mr Tambourine Man' is a great cover. But many other songs just don't have the same quality in songwriting. It's the sound that makes this album good, and not really anything else.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
A very groovy, funk-psychedelic album. There is an incredible creativity, originality on this album, though I preferred the first half of of it more. Sex Machine was a bit of a let down after all those fantastic songs. 4.5/5.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Very nice drums and vocal on this album. I can't really use anything else but I enjoyed it even if I don't often listen to world music.
Gram Parsons
4/5
I'm not into country rock usually but this is an exceptionally great album. His and Emmy Lou's voices were so beautiful together.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
It's the 365th album on my challenge which I started just over a year ago (I paused the project for a few days due to busy days). I like that this album came up today, it is really great rock/psychedelic album from 1967 which interesting variety and overall sound and production. It deserves a 4.
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie went to a different stylistic direction with this album than his previous, glam rock ones. This is not a bad album but the fact is that there are many way better soul albums than this one. Soul wasn't really Bowie's style, especially not in singing. 'Fame' (co-written by Lennon) is great and funky though. He left behind this era, too and went on to create the Berlin Trilogy which was a much better period in his creative career than the era of Young Americans.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
I'm usually into indie rock/experimental rock from the 00s, but this album wasn't chosive at all and it sounded all over the place, I didn't like the songwriting or the singing either...
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Funky and dance-y hip-hop album from the golden age of hip-hop. Quite enjoyed it, though it was a bit too long.
Deep Purple
3/5
Live concerts are just better in person, rather than on albums. A lot of great studio albums are missing on this list but we get this Deep Purple album basically twice because most of these songs are also released on a studio album which is included on this list. They are very good musicians but they showed off a lot which resulted in very long solos and overall a long double album.
Gene Clark
4/5
I haven't heard any solo albums by Gene Clark, who was the main songwriter of The Byrds in the mid-1960s. This was a very pleasant listen, with lots of different styles mixed on this album. I'll definitely come back to this because I feel I need more relistens, but at first listen it impressed me quite a lot. Sad how he was treated by his record label after this was released, even if critics loved the album.
p.s. the album cover is surprisingly chaotic, but in a positive way. I love it.
James Brown
3/5
The music itself is great and has incredible energy througout. But the quality of the recording (even if it's early 60s) and the constant screaming of the crowd and other background noises distract me a lot from the music itself. 5 for the music, 3 for the album itself.
a-ha
2/5
I like the singles, particularly Take On Me which has an iconic video clip, too, but the rest of the album is pretty forgetful and way too synth pop-y to my taste. I like his voice, and I actually like some of their other albums from the 90s but this album wasn't really for me to be honest.
Nirvana
5/5
'Nevermind' changed the way rock music developed in the 1990s so alone for this it deserves a lot of recognition. I find the album really great, I love the rawness, the excellent production and in many ways great songwriting. It is far from perfect though. The first half of the album is excellent, the second half isn't that great, especially Territorial Pissings, Lounge Act, Stay Away are weaker songs compared to the rest (and let's pretend the hidden track Endless, Nameless doesn't exist because that one is the worst song and I don't know what made them to put the song on the album). Overall, I was torn between a 4 and a 5 because I find it no more than a 4.5 album, but the impact this had on the music industry makes it a 5.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Classic oldschool hip-hop, it must have sounded so fresh at that time it was released. But it's just one of those albums that sounds so dated nowadays.
Yes
4/5
I love progressive rock and this album should theoretically be among my favorite albums ever, still, I could never really got into their music somehow. 'The Yes Album' has really great musicianship, and it's a good album, it's just perhaps not as catchy or memorable that some others I love more in this genre (for example, Genesis albums).
1/5
It makes me so angry that countless fantastic albums aren't on this list but a truly awful, horrible album like this is on it. So shameful. It is musically worthless, and just bad, and what makes it even worse is the constant swearing which makes this album insufferable (perhaps Hold On is the only song that stands out in that regard). And on top of that it is 75 minutes long, aaaand it also has one of the worst album covers on this list so far. It deserves nothing but a 1.
Steve Earle
2/5
Not really a fan of overproduced country rock which sounds quite mainstream. It just isn't my thing.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Very nice, spacey ambient album from the early 1970s, it must've been revolutionary at that time. I enjoyed it quite a lot and I'd like to listen to other albums by this band.
The Cure
4/5
Very moody, atmospheric goth rock/new wave with some dream pop. It's one of those albums that has a distinctive late 80s sound but despite of it it doesn't sound dated at all. It's a great album, though I find it a bit too long (anything that are over 55-minutes/1 hour are too long).
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I think this is the first full album I've listened to by Lana Del Rey even if I was a fan of some of her hit songs from her first album over 10 years ago. This is an inoffensive album, a good late night listen, and I quite enjoyed her voice. My main problem with this album is that it is overproduced and that it all sounds a tad too samey. But it is still more interesting music than other manufactured stars like Taylor Swift, for instance. I was considering a 2 but I'm round this up to 3.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
The album goes around one theme, murder and has a lot of weird lyrics. The music is really not my cup of tea and I can't stand his voice and singing style. The 14-minute song, O' Malley's Bar would be far better as a poem, not a song which was just pretty unbearable. 2 stars - only because of Where The Wild Roses Grow, and Crow Jane.
Prince
4/5
This is a really great, groovy album with so much complexity and layers. There are many hit songs on it, 'Let's Go Crazy' is my favorite which is a fantastic opener of this album. This was my first listen, and perhaps I need a few relistens to fully appreciate this album. I liked Sign o' Times at my first listen slightly better, so I'll give Purple Rain a 4 but it might change in the future.
The Stranglers
3/5
Good, enjoyable British punk from the 1970s, with a bit of dark comedy-horror energy to it. I can't say it'll be among my favorite punk albums but it is a good one.
Tom Waits
2/5
An extremely rough sounding album. I usually like experimental/avant rock stuff but this album is not my jam. The music makes me want to sleep and his voice is just weak. No, thanks.
Michael Jackson
3/5
The quality of production is outstanding but overall I didn't like this album half as much as Thriller or Off the Wall. Bad, Smooth Criminal and Dirty Diana are great hits, but the rest of them are just average.
Soft Machine
5/5
It's one of my favorite albums from the early 1970s. Such a great mix of jazz, rock and electronic music. I got into their first two albums because I was a big fan of psychedelic rock and 'Soft Machine' and 'Volume Two' were two great records from that era. 'Third' made me got interested in jazz fusion and electronic and opened new doors in my world of music. It was unusual for me, a then 22-year-old girl to listen to such music but I'll always be grateful that I discovered this band.
Apart from the first few minutes of 'Facelift', this album is such an inspiring listen to me every time I listen to it. The reason is that it never gets boring and I always find some nuances that I discover while I listen to it.
I fully understand if it not everyone's cup of tea, but this gets a 5 from me no doubt.
Joan Baez
4/5
This was a surprisingly pleasant album to listen to. Her voice is beautiful, very clear and calming. Overall a really nice folk album from the early 1960s.
Eminem
3/5
It is a difficult album to rate. Eminem is a very talented rapper and songwriter, and when I was in my teens, I loved "Stan' and 'The Real Slim Shady' (plus the videoclips). This is a very thought provoking album, with ups and downs...it's like a satire mixed with reality. Though a lot of the lyrics, the excess profanity is just way too much for me. Most of the songs also lack interesting music, too. I'll give it a 3 so it is somewhere in between bad and great.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
She has a good voice but I can't say much positive about this album because I've found it just not interesting enough, it's just boring and bland.
Eagles
3/5
Hotel California is a great song obviously, and the album starts off quite strong but then it gets just more boring, overproduced middle-of-the-road rock. I'm a bit disappointed considering how famous this album it. The Last Resort is a good ending, though so I'll give it a 3.
Sigur Rós
5/5
A marvelous musical experience throughout, it's a beautiful, ethereal and very special album.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Dolly is such an infectious singer and person that it's really hard not to love her, even if you are not a country fan. She is iconic and not without a reason! Very nice album and it was a great listen.
Tito Puente
4/5
Refreshingly different style than most of the pop-rock-electro-jazzy albums we have on this list. I don't know much about mambo but it was a very fun album to listen to, and the musicians on it are absolutely fantastic. Great album.
Tricky
4/5
Really great, rather dark and very atmospheric British trip-hop album from the mid 1990s. I wasn't familiar with this album or artist, though I'd known other trip-hop bands like Portishead before, but this album is almost as great as Portishead's finest album 'Dummy', it's a bit more weird perhaps.. The first half if excellent, the second half lacks a bit of the same quality, but overall a solid album.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
If there is one album from the 1990s that has the most 90s sound it is probably 'Jagged Little Pill' by Alanis Morissette. For those who grew up in the decade it brings back many memories, but this album isn't just great because of nostalgia - Morissette is a talented songwriter and musician and this album had a lot of impact on the rock scene later on. 'You Oughta Know' and 'Ironic' are two iconic songs but the rest of the album is also strong. It's a great album overall.
The Roots
2/5
The first couple of songs were very challenging to get through, the angry rap isn't my thing at all and all the profanity and mysognistic lyrics were made it even worse. Then it got more diverse stylistically. Still, it was far away from something I'd enjoy and the album itself was also way too long, more than 70 minutes. Not my jam overall.
SAULT
3/5
Quite good album, the production was great. Overall it was a tad too long.
Deep Purple
4/5
Very influential hard rock/proto metal album, imagine how new it must have sounded back in 1970! It almost sounds like proto trash metal. Though, to me some solos were a bit too long, and the singing wasn't my fav either. Still, a very good album overall.
Funkadelic
3/5
Great funk album and musically they were really good at what they were doing, though I expected to like it more. It was perhaps a bit monotonous or perhaps a bit spontaneous? I don't know.
Jurassic 5
4/5
I am not really interested in hip-hop but this was great, the beats & rhythms and the overall flow of the album was superb. It is an hour long album but I didn't feel like it was too long or monotonous.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Enjoyable indie rock album with great production, though overall not as memorable as some other albums from this genre.
Rush
3/5
It's one of those albums that I appreciate a lot musically because it's a really great album, but for some reason it doesn't resonate with me at all, and it's not something I'd listen to again soon. It's really hard to rate such albums, I guess it's something like a 3.5.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
I'm sure she has a lot more better albums than this from the 70s or 80s. It's too mellow and overproduced for my taste.
Fugees
5/5
This is an excellent hip-hop/r'n'b album, that I enjoyed very much even if usually I'm not into this genre. The songs flow together so well, I didn't even realise this album was an hour long. Lauryn Hill has an amazing voice and she elevates this album for a close perfect one. This album has a very 90s urban street feel that I like. Shame that this trio split up after this album, what could have been had they stay togeter for a few more albums.
Deep Purple
4/5
A classic album with one of the most recognisable riffs from the history of rock music. Smoke on the Water is such a great song. The overall album has very good versatility, and the musicianship is excellent. Despite of this, I admit I don't listen to their music that much because to me personally it doesn't really stand out from that era (I prefer the more exciting prog rock, for instance). Obejctively it's a close 5 album but I'm giving it a 4.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
A very versatile r'n'b, soul, psychedelic album by Janelle Monáe. I appreciate the different styles on the album but it is also the weakness of it because all these songs don't flow together that well. It is more like a compilaction of songs rather than a complete album (perhaps it doesn't help that it's very long, almost 70 minutes). It's difficult to rate something like this. Individually many of the songs would be a 4, but as a whole, the album is more like a 3.5/3 for me.
Napalm Death
1/5
The whole album is an absolute waste of trash. My rule is to get through all albums in this challenge from start to finish, but this was one of the worst albums I've had on this list so far (I've listened over 400 albums already). I kept the volume down as much as I could. I wish I could give this album a -5, instead of 1 which is way too high for this digusting noise.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
A stylistically really varied album, it's hip-hop with a flavour of rock, jazz and many other genres. I also like the mid-1990s vibe to it which doesn't sound dated. The songwriting drags a bit towards the end and overall nothing stands out, but nevertheless this was a pleasant album to listen to - 3.5 out of 5.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I had great expectations because I knew Depeche Mode was so big around that era, but this album didn't grab me as much as I thought it would. There were some classic, famous songs like 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy the Silence', but other than that it was just an okay listen. I've never really been into synth pop so maybe I should know the context of that era better to understand the importance of this album.
The Police
3/5
I like the extremely tight playing on the album, the musicianship is excellent on it. It's a good and fun album but the songs aren't that memorable and it doesn't feel like a complete album, just a dozen of songs put together. I still enjoyed it quite much but I think it's no more than a 3.5 out of 5 record.
Air
5/5
An original and completely unique electronica/downtempo/chillout album, highly enjoyable to listen to. I've always liked moody and atmospheric albums like this and it deserves no less than a 5 from me.
Killing Joke
3/5
Good post-punk debut album by Killing Joke. I like the bass and production on this album quite much. I can't say that much about it, but it's a solid 3 from me.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Very good garage rock/psychedelic rock album from late 1966, I consider this more garage rock than pychedelic, despite of the title of the album.The electric jug is something different, I've never heard of this by any other band. 'You're Gonna Miss Me' and 'Splash 1' are my favorites from this album, the whole side A is I think stronger than side B. The album cover is a 5 for sure, the music is a solid 4.
Beth Orton
3/5
The first half was nice coffee house type of music, then it got darker and more captivating by the second half of the album. Overall a pleasant listen, though perhaps not quite good enough to get a strong 4 from me.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Post punk album which sounds quite original and surprisingly, not dated at all (I had to double check if this was really released in the 1970s). Still, musically it was too bizarre to enjoy it, even if I often like far out, experimental music. It reminded me a lot of Talking Heads, especially the singing, but a worse version of them. I can't really give this more than a 2.
JAY Z
3/5
The production of this album is excellent and there were lot of things quite enjoyable musically, perhaps because there was a lot of 70s soul vibe. I didn't listen to the lyrics carefully - thankfully, probably - but the music was quite good.
Britney Spears
2/5
I was a young teenage girl in the late 1990s when this album came out, so I remember well how huge the singles 'Baby One More Time' and then later 'Sometimes' and 'You Drive Me Crazy' were.
Although I liked the singles at that time, I have never bought the full album or listened to it in its full length. After all these years, this album sounds a tad too dated. The hit songs are the best, but the slow ballads and other fillers on the album just drag too long (except for the 60-s inspired The Beat Goes On, which is a good ending of the album). It's also not genuine when 17-year-old Britney sings about broken hearts etc. Objectively looking at it, this album doesn't really deserve anything above 2.
P.S. In hindsight I can only feel sorry for this girl - she was built up, she was used by both her parents and the whole entertainment industry and when troubles came she was thrown away. She seemed to be a naive but good-hearted girl when this album came out. She paid a big price for the success and millions of dollars.
Metallica
3/5
I don't really like metal, so can't rate this too high. The Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters are classic songs that I love very much, but I don't really like the rest. His voice is good though, but musically it's nothing great.
Orbital
4/5
Imagine how innovative this must have sounded back in 1993, it's really a pioneer album. I don't care much about the intro and outro (though it sounds good with headphones on) but the rest are really good. Halcyon On And On is one of my favorite songs from that era.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Very interesting prog rock/psychedelic rock with a hint of glam rock, too. It was a bit too varied, too much, too weird at my first listen but I can see if I listened to it a couple of times more I'd give it a 4, because musically he is great.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
When I read the reviews that it's one of the best rock albums of all time I expected something exciting, a grandiose album with lots of hooks and recognisable hits songs. It's very consistent rock album (even the rhythms are so samey), and I haven't heard any of the songs before.I thought it would excite me more, but instead, it was a fairly boring album. Not bad, but nothing really great either. I guess when it comes to the Rolling Stones, I'll just stick to their hits from the second half of the 1960s.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Very good prog soul album from the late 1960s with incredible production which doesn't sound dated even after 55 years. The spoken word poetry was a bit long but otherwise a really good album in this genre.
Ministry
1/5
The whole album sounded as a single 44-minute long song, because all songs had the same rhythm and barely any melody. Industrial metal is not my thing...
Cat Stevens
4/5
Very nice folk pop record with excellent songwriting and storytelling by Cat Stevens. My favorite songs are Sad Lisa, Into White and But I Might Die Tonight (which was the opening theme of the great movie 'Deep End' for which a more psychedelic rock version of the song was recorded).
The Coral
3/5
Good British neo-psychedelia album from the early 2000s, even the album cover reminds me of albums from the late 60s. It was those times in the 2000s when indie rock bands started to emerge after the grunge and nu metal era of the 1990s. This album is quite varied and interesting, though in my opinion, not that special to give it a 4 or higher.
FKA twigs
3/5
One of the few new albums on this list that I listened to it twice. At my first listen I had some things to do and I listened to it in the background. Since I didn't remember anything I listened to it once again. It's not a bad thing that I didn't remember it - it didn't distract me and it wasn't annoying either. In fact at my second listen I thought it's quite an intereseting avantgarde/pop/electro album. The production is really good. I don't think I loved it enough for a 4 but it's close to it; overall it was a good surprise.
Weather Report
3/5
Good musicianship and an overall not bad album, though it's dinner jazz music - the question is, there are hundred albums that are better in jazz than this one, so why was this chosen for the list?
Boston
4/5
Very energetic hard rock album which has a lot of bangers, starting with the opening classic, 'More Than A Feeling'. It even had some prog rock songs on it. It was like the peak of dad rock in the mid-1970s, it's a good album overall.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I think it's the first album from Mali I've ever listened to (and it's the second African album from this list even if I'm nearing 500 albums in this challenge). It is very nice world music that I enjoyed listening to. The reason I started this challenge to get to know more genres and albums like this album and this was a good one to discover.
The Libertines
3/5
British garage rock revival from the mid 2000s. It was quite fun while listening to it but to be honest, it wasn't memorable music; I can't remember any of the songs I listened. This album made way to other British rock bands later, like the Arctic Monkeys for instance, which is imo a way better band than The Libertines were.
David Bowie
4/5
One of the rare albums of which I find the second half stronger than the first half. I love the more experimental and ambient songs (The Secret Life of Arabia, Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden, Neuköln) than most of the first half, except Heroes which is a brilliant song. Overall I think 'Heroes' is a great album which was really forward thinking at the time it was released, but it is only the second best Bowie album in his Berlin trilogy because 'Low' is better than this one. A strong 4.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
My Bloody Valentine debuted in the late 1980s with an album which had a totally revolutionary sound and style. This is a fabulous shoegaze album, though it is not as perfect as 'Loveless' which is one of the most brilliant albums - ever. I wish I could give it half a mark, 4.5 instead of just 4...
Morrissey
2/5
I love The Smiths and some of Morrissey's work is fine too, but I can't get into many of his solo stuff. The production of this album is good, and it's not an offending sounding album, but it is boring musically. Overall there is not much joy to listen to it.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
A stylistically very varied album with a lot of different influences (britpop, shoegaze, pychedelic etc.). I listened to this band before but they sounded different, a lot more rock'n'rollish than this album. It is a good album, the highs are really good though it is a bit too long & because of the varied styled it doesn't sound a very cohesive album. Still enjoyed it quite a bit, was considering a 3 but I'd rather give it a 4.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Popular alternative rock/grunge album from the mid-1990s. There are some really great songs on it (Tonight, Tonight, Cupid de Locke, We Only Come Out At Night, just to name a few) which could make this album an easy 4 if it wasn't 2-hour long. It's longer than any other album I've had so far, even longer the afaik the sole triple album on this list. It's just way too much, and too long. It's a shame that they couldn't put put out an album with the best 13-14 songs and instead they also released songs that are well below the level of other songs.
I love the video clip for Tonight, Tonight and also the album cover for nostalgic reasons, but I feel the album as a whole doesn't deserve more than 3 (3.5) out of 5.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Surprisingly I haven't known any of the songs on this album though I do know some other songs by Tom Petty. It's a good rock'n'roll album, nothing too outstanding but I enjoyed the sound of the album. The second half was a bit better, more consistent than the first one. Overall good, 3.5 out of 5.
The Young Gods
3/5
I haven't known this band before and it is the first industrial/dark cabaret album I've listened to it. I liked the angsty feel throughout the album, though the singing was distracting at most points. Overall it is quite a weird album but also interesting. Not sure if I could listen to it again but it was good to listen to something different.
Madonna
5/5
Madonna's seventh album, "Ray of Light" is the magnum opus of her long career. After several moderately successful albums in the 1990s and the film Evita, it was questionable whether she would be able to reinvent herself or whether her career would hit a deep pit. Well, she reinvented herself and came back with a fantastic album. She took voice lessons for Evita, and on this album her singing was never better than it had been before. Also, "Ray of Light" was produced by William Orbit, who created stunning sounds that still feel fresh after 25 years. This album brought electronica into the mainstream, but also drew inspiration from many different styles (trip-hop, psychedelia, pop, trance, eastern influences). The hits are outstanding, especially Ray of Light, and the music videos for them were also ahead of their time (Frozen, Nothing Really Matters) - but there are plenty of great songs even besides the hits (Swim, Candy Perfume Girl, Shanti Ashtangi, etc.). Meditative, atmospheric, pulsating, captivating - and it's probably her most honest album since the birth of her daughter seemed to have matured her a lot.
Although I'm not a big fan of pop, my childhood was this album and I remember that I was captivated by the hit songs, especially the video of Ray of Light. I hope it's not just nostalgia talking when I say it's still an outstanding pop album today. Maybe a little too long at 66 minutes, but still a very coherent and balanced album. Overall it deserves a 4.5 rating, which is 5 rounded up.
Van Halen
2/5
I detest 1980s hair metal and Van Halen is not an exception. It's superficial rock music, which don't have any greatness about it musically or lyrically. It's just way too commercial but at least it's not completely unlistenable as some other albums on this list. I got through it but it is not something I want to listen to again.
Mudhoney
4/5
It was a refreshing listen after a 1980s hair metal album. Proto-grunge, which reminds me so much of Nirvana. I love the raw energy of this album. I think it's the first EP on this list. Good listen!
Sonic Youth
3/5
Noise rock from the mid 1980s, with quite a lot of melodic tunes, though nothing is really very memorable or outstanding on this album. All in all good, but wouldn't want to listen to it again soon.
3/5
There were some good and interesting moments on this album but overall it was nowhere near to the level of some of their earlier albums. It's wasn't bad in any way but it didn't capture me either, it was a pleasant listen, this is all, nothing more.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Good and chill folk/country/psychedelic rock from the late 1960s but nothing particularly stands out, none of the songs are very memorable. Not sure if I'll ever remember any of the songs on this album even though overall it was a pleasant listen.
The Beta Band
4/5
I surprisingly liked this early 2000s rock/indie album by this Scottish band I haven't heard about before. This album is atmospheric, moody, interesting enough and overall it was a pleasant listen. Maybe it'd be a 3.5 but I round it up to 4.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Really great post punk/gothic/art rock album, which doesn't sound dated even if it was released in the early 1980s. The songs are melodic and haunting, exactly what I love. I have heard of this band before but not this album so this is a nice discovery.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Fun, energetic, dynamic late 1970s punk album from the British band Buzzcocks. I enjoyed it quite a bit!
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
I wanted to get around this album already and finally I listened to it for the first time. I didn't find it too challenging to listen to, perhaps because I like all kinds of experimental music. In fact, it is a highly interesting album. Definitely the most unconventional and one of the strangest (in a good sense) albums on this list so far. It's chaotic but if someone listens to it carefully every note is well thought out. The story how this album was made is also fascinating. Many say it takes 7-8 times to get into this album, so I'm still far away from it but I've already liked it a lot. I can't wait to discover all those layers more and more if I listen to it a couple of more times. It already deserves a 5.
Radiohead
4/5
Beautiful and atmospheric, interesting yet accessible album by Radiohead. I preferred Kid A on my first listen, but it might grow on me even more.
Talk Talk
3/5
It's a chill, well produced mid-80s new wave/pop album, enjoyable enough to listen to it once, but I didn't find it memorable or particularly interesting.
Wire
4/5
Very good, energetic, tight punk rock from the 1970s that sounds still fresh, and ahead of their time - if someone said it was released in the early 2000s I'd believe them! Great stuff.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Overproduced 00s pop/R'n'B album, the 30s, 40s and 50s vibe goes boring pretty quickly. Her talent is undeniable and this style suits her quite well after the teen years and Stripped era, but this alone isn't enough to call this a great album. It is way too long and bloated and it doesn't have coherency in it, it is just a bunch of songs thrown together on a double album. The lyrics are also just bad on many songs.
I wanted to like this album a bit more and perhaps I'd give it a 3 if it was half as long as it is but all things considering it doesn't deserve more than 2.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I think of Leonard Cohen more of a poet or novelist and not a singer, musician. He turned to the music industry when he was disappointed in his career as a writer in the mid-1960s. His lyrics are very good, poetic, and dark, but musically I can't say anything good about this album, it's very samey and his voice is not enjoyable for me. I want to enjoy his art more but I can't get really into his songs (except when I read his lyrics if they were poems).
Fishbone
3/5
Varied in style late 1980s album that has hard rock, funk-rock, ska, and other influences. Perhaps because of this, this album isn't that cohesive and I wasn't particularly drawn into it. I was ready to give it a 2 when I listened to the closing track, Changes, which is a really nice ending so I'll round it up to 3 overall.
5/5
Without Blur maybe I wouldn’t even be doing this 1001 albums challenge - I’m very grateful for this band. I’d known some of their songs from the late 1990s from my teenager years but then later I was into only 60s and 70s music. Until one day, I found a video with a song from their debut album, ’Leisure’, and that was the moment I started listening to all of their albums and got into them. I opened my ears and my mind, and I discovered many other bands from the 1990s, and I also started listening to a lot of stuff from the 1980s and 00s, as well. For these reasons I’m not unbiased when it comes to Blur.
’Modern Life is Rubbish’ is the second album by them – after their pretty average, baggy debut album they went touring the US, which made Damon Albarn homesick and tired of American culture and the music scene. They returned to the UK and made this quintessential English album which was *the* original britpop album that started it all. Albarn has great sense for storytelling and melancholia, the 60s influences (particularly The Kinks) are felt strongly. They made an album full of accessible, well written rock, with strong hit songs (For Tomorrow, Sunday Sunday, Chemical World), and no less great other songs (Blue Jeans, Oily Water, and my personal favorite, Resigned, just to name a few). 'Parklife' may be the most commercially successful album of the trifecta, but ’Modern Life is Rubbish’ is more genuine, it shows the zeitgeist of the era perfectly, and it's the most original britpop album in their catalogue.
Objectively, this album would be a bit less than 5, but I’m rounding it up to the perfect 5, since here are no half stars.
American Music Club
3/5
I haven't heard about this band before - it was a pretty nice indie, slowcore album from the late 1980s that sounds more like early/mid 1990s, it was ahead of time by a few years. A pleasant album overall.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I loved this old school rap, the rhythms and the energy. It's a very influental album that started everything. But it sounds a bit dated here and there.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Noisy, tight, precise, punk-y alternative rock/early shoegaze from the late 1980s. It was quite an experience to listen to. I needed a bit time to get into it, it took a couple of songs but I loved it overall. I felt the songs were a bit directionless, and the album is a bit long but at my first listen, this is why it gets a 4 from me.
The Undertones
3/5
Early 1980s British pop-punk rock album, it was good, and quite fun but nothing outstanding.
The Triffids
2/5
It started it off very pop oriented mainstream then it got darker as it went on - at least the lyrics, because musically it remained kind of bland late 80s pop rock which isn't my cup of tea. I wanted to enjoy it more but I couldn't really.
Queen
4/5
To my surprise it was my first time I listened to this album. I love the more hard rock and glam rock direction the band took on this album, but it is a stylistically varied set of songs which makes it more fun. The musicianship is great, there is not only Mercury as lead singer but the other members, too. I liked this album more than the more theatrical and overblown Bohemian Rhapsody that was released after this album. It should be a 4.5.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
One of the finest soul albums ever made - wonderfully written, performed, sung by the late great Marvin Gaye. I especially loved the production of the album, so smooth, it was wonderful to listen to.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
I like late 90s electronic music but this was just faux French electro imitation, with a lot of repetition in my opinion. It didn't grab me that much, at times it was even slightly annoying.
R.E.M.
4/5
I've always liked the distinctive sound of REM and the singing style of Michael Stipe. I haven't listened to this album before, only Orange Crush was familiar to me but I've enjoyed this album a lot, good songwriting, singing, production, even if it's the late 80s it doesn't sound dated.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
I like quite a lot of oldschool rap and hip-hop but this was almost unbearable to listen to, especially the first half. Perhaps the lyrics are great, I don't know, I don't listen to such fast rapping carefully as a non native speaker, but musically this album was repetititve, boring and annoying at times. Once I would someone to sit down with me and explain why this album has such great critical acclaim and why was it so successful....I don't get it now.
Bad Brains
2/5
Just an average mid 80s metal/funk album, it didn't get excite me in any way. It was a bit all over the place and wasn't that consistent though at least it is a short album. One positivity I can say is that it sounds fresher than most albums from this era of rock music.
The Damned
3/5
Fun British punk, the songs aren't as repetitive as many others in this genre, the structures of the songs are kind of interesting. I also like their humourous lyrics. However, it gets a bit tiring towards the end, I think I enjoyed the middle of the album the most. I'd give it a 3.5 overall.
Billie Holiday
2/5
It's always a bit difficult to rate albums pre-1960s because at those times albums were mostly about throwing songs together and they still didn't have concept of albums that came later. Billie Holiday's album a year before her death shows her really great singing once again. It's a melodic and slow album, however the songs blend together too much, and they sound quite the same. The music accompanies the singing just well but it's all too sugary for my taste. I think I'd love this smooth jazz music in a small dose but to listen to the album in its entirety is a bit too much. I'd give for the singing a high mark but as a whole, it's just average. 2.5/5.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
So far on my list, it's one of the rare European albums that are not from the UK or Ireland - it's from a Finnish band. It's 1980s glam rock, quite fun, listenable, not very 80s sounding, but still not a very interesting album overall. Just average glam rock, and my question is - why this was included in this list? I couldn't find any informations if it was an influential album, or what's the reason it is different from the thousands of other glam rock albums.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Jazz album from the mid 1980s by South African jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim (who lived in exile in the US while this album was released). I don't know much about jazz but this is a nice album, very smooth sounding, definitely a good choice for a Sunday afternoon. However not sure I'll listen to it again, as there wasn't anything that stood out here.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Outstanding album that combines Western and Indian traditional music very well. It begins with raga rock then it goes more traditional, pure raga music which then ends again with a more Westernized song at the end. I enjoyed this album very much, it was exciting, different, and fun at the same time.
The Birthday Party
1/5
It was really difficult to listen to even if I'm into all sorts of things, including avantgarde/noise/goth/post punk etc among others. Nick Cave's howling, yelling and the disturbing music that lacked any kind of melody was extremely challenging to listen to, especially the first half was unlistenable (the second half was a bit better, since it reminded me a bit more of 'regular' post punk.). I don't often give a 1 in this challenge but I'm afraid this album deserves it.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Smooth, chill blues-y soul/jazz album from the mid-1970s with messages that are still relevant after 50 years. It was a pleasant listen overall and the production of the album is really great. I liked the spoken word elements less so, so I'll give it a 3 instead of a 4.
Steely Dan
3/5
Jazz rock/white soul album from the late 1970s. It's the kind of music I'd like to listen to in a bar in the background, while I sip my coctail. And this is also the disadvantage of this music: it's good, smooth and really well produced, but not interesting enough to listen to it voluntarily, because it's mostly background music.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
I haven't heard about this artist before but I thought a Brazilian samba-funk album can't go wrong, and I was right. It was very groovy and enjoyable, I loved it a lot!
Metallica
3/5
I was never into trash metal, it is too heavy and intensive music for me. I'm aware how big this album was in the mid 1980s, and I was a bit surprised that I enjoyed this album a bit more than I tought I would, it's very tight and precise music. The more intense and faster songs were more difficult to listen to, but overall it's an OK album.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I remember the huge anticipation before this album was released in 2013. It was their first album since the masterpiece Loveless from 1991, so it was understandable. I love this album though it is not as great as the masterpiece Loveless, and Isn't Anything is also a bit better. However they have a totally unique sound which hasn't changed over the decades, and this album is also quality music that was enjoyable to listen to - I'll give it a 4.
Turbonegro
3/5
Energetic punk rock from the late 1990s by the Norwegian band Turbonegro, I liked the rawness of this album, musically, but the silly lyrics was really too much. As if it was written by 12-year old teenagers who want to provoke their parents with those swear words. Should be a 2 but I round it up to 3 because some of the songs were really catchy and fun.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Early 2000s hip-hop album with some good tunes, but it couldn't really grab my attention. I'm not really into hip-hop so I don't know how important this album is from that period, I mostly liked classic/old hip-hop from what I've listened so far.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Good alternative rock from the early 1990s. It's raw and honest, I like her voice, too. But I preferred Stories from the city, stories from the sea by PJ Harvey, and I'm not familiar with her other albums yet, so I'm giving it a 3, but it's a stronger 3/3.5 overall.
Calexico
3/5
Good band, interesting album with lot of Mexican influences. I liked the second half better, which was more experimental, the first half was less memorable. A strong 3 from me.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
I like the variety of the album, the world influences and that hip-hop was used so early in the decade. It is a superficial album, though and knowing Malcom McLaren he probably sampled a lot of stuff without crediting the original artists as he was known for taking things from others and sold it in his name.
The Cult
3/5
Quite fun British hard rock from the 1980s, though it is samey throughout and nothing stood out or was very memorable.
Bob Dylan
4/5
One of my favorite albums by Bob Dylan. He is an amazing songwriter and storyteller. This is the most electronic/rock album by him...it's a bit long and I am not a fan of his voice but it is still a great album that I enjoyed again to listen to.
Dr. Dre
2/5
The language they used for this album is absolutely disgusting and it should deserve a 1 no doubt. It also aged really badly over the past 30+ years. But musically there were some good tunes which rounds it up to a 2 overall.
ABBA
4/5
Cleverly written pop music and excellenty produced album that sounds great even after almost 50 years. I love the hits ('Dancing Queen' is one of my fav ABBA songs), and 'Arrival' is a beautiful ending of this album. Others mentioned 'Fernando' being such a great song - but it was not included on the original album, it was released as a single in 1976 and was released only on the Australia and New Zealand versions. This album is great even without such a great song as 'Fernando'.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Funky, groovy album with so many original sounds on it. It reminds me of Talking Heads here and there, though with more experimental and African beats. When I saw it was released on Island record in the UK I thought it can't be a bad album, and I wasn't wrong.
Def Leppard
2/5
I'm not really a fan of glam metal of the 1980s, to me it is too superficious, shallow, simplistic rock music which isn't really interesting musically. This album wasn't unbearable to listen to but it was kind of boring overall, just like most glam metal from that era.
Burning Spear
4/5
Groovy reggae album, with good lyrics and really great production work. Another very good Island records album.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Great folk rock/chamber folk debut album by Fleet Floxes. The vocal harmonies are beautiful and remind me very much of Crosby Still & Nash and The Beach Boys. It's an excellently produced album, too, and the overall atmosphere of the album is calm, and mythical. I used to listen to this album a lot in the past - I still love it and find it very pleasant. It may not be a 10/10 album but it's definitely one of the gems of the 2000s folk rock/indie music.
Talking Heads
3/5
Very good new wave album by Talking Heads, the first produced by Brian Eno. I like the tight playing, great bass lines. However, it is not as great as other albums by them, not that memorable. Maybe I'm too strict here that I compare it those albums, so I'm giving it a 3.5/5, rounded to 3 overall.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Good noise rock/alternative rock by Sonic Youth from the early 1990s. Not always an easy listen but they have talent and it is a compact and consistent album.
Jamiroquai
4/5
Strong acid jazz debut album by Jamiroquai from the first half of the 1990s. They made a record that still doesn't sound dated after 30 years. It's groovy though it lacks more memorable songs compared to their later albums. I loved their hits from the late 1990s and preferred some of their other albums to this one, but I realised it is their only album on this list, so I'll give it a 4 instead of 3.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Nice lyricism and instrumentalisation. The harp complements her voice very well, though I don't really like her voice which is, I think the weakness of this otherwise unique album.
The Blue Nile
3/5
Sophisticated and smooth pop music by Scottish band The Blue Nile, I liked this album even though synth/80s pop music is usually not my taste. It was a pleasant Sunday evening listen.
The Stooges
4/5
Very influential proto-punk/garage/hard rock album from 1970. It is 54-year old yet it doesn't sound dated. It influenced a lot of genres later, particularly punk. It's a raw, energetic record, not always an easy listen (especially the last two songs) but overall a very good album.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Musically it's a pretty groovy record, and despite of the early 1990s release, it doesn't sound dated at all. These are the positives about the record. Well, the negatives outweigh the positives, since the lyrics are awful (lot of swearing, mysognistic lyrics) and overall it's a bit repetitive and same-y. I'd round it up at least for a 3 if not for the lyrics, but it's just a 2.
Radiohead
5/5
I wasn't around in the mid 1990s when 'The Bends' came out but ever since I first listened to it I absolutely loved this album and it is still among my favorites. It's alternative rock at its very best and one of the best albums ever made. It's extremely well written, played and produced (thanks to the great John Leckie). It begins with the spacey Planet Telex, continues with amazing songs like the title track, Fake Plastic Trees, Black Star and many others, and it ends perfectly in the gorgeous Street Spirit. This album is liquid gold from start to finish.
Madonna
4/5
With this album Madonna proved that she was more than just a pop superstar, and that she can be artistic and has songs with depth lyrically. The title track, 'Like a Prayer' is one of her best songs in her career, and the other hits are really great, too ('Express Yourself' - especially the Immaculate Collection version, and 'Cherish'). 'Promise to Try' and 'Oh Father' are beautiful songs. 'Love Song' cowritten and sung by Prince adds a lot of the quality of the album. Bonus is 'Dear Jessie' which I'd known before because of a cover, but had no idea before that it was originally a Madonna song. The album closes with the most experimental song on it. Overall, it's a very well produced and made late 1980s pop album. Credit where credit is due even if you're not a fan of pop from that decade - it's a great album.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Frank Sinatra's smooth singing and the good production of this album are the positives that can be said about this album. Lyrically it is one of the first concepts albums made. But the schmaltzy, corny, and now very dated sound of the mid-50s American pop music where all songs sound the are are really not my cup of tea at all.
Kanye West
2/5
The first few songs were hard to listen to, then it got more experimental and thus interesting and more listenable. I don't like the excessive profanity and that it is such a vulgar album, though. Overall it's not something I would listen to again but I appreciate his talent and that he experimented a lot.
Fun fact: In New Slaves's conclusion/outro, Kanye used a sample from one of the most iconic songs behind the Iron Curtain/in Eastern Europe, 'Pearl haired girl' (Gyöngyhajú lány) from 1969 by Hungarian band Omega. It is the highlight in New Slaves.
Kanye didn't get the permission to use the simple so he got sued by the songwriter and they settled the case outside the court later. This is probably the closest we'll get to a Hungarian band on this list (my home country), it's a shame because this list hasn't contained any Eastern European bands so far even if there are tons of great albums from there.
Steely Dan
3/5
Decent 70s rock, nothing too exciting as the songs don't have highs/climax - it was a bit bland overall, but it was at least an easy listen.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
A surprisingly fun and good new wave album with lots of influences from other bands and styles. However there are no songs that stand out, but the overall listening experience was good. 3.5 out of 5.
Brian Eno
4/5
More accessible than other albums by Brian Eno that I've known so far, but still experimental. Very good and different. I would probably need a few more listens to get into it more, at my first listen, it's a solid 4 now.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Very influential post-punk album from the 70s which inspired many bands later. It's punchy and tight, the singing is often good, at another times it is a bit much. I preferred JuJu over this album, but I'm giving it a 4 because of its influence it had on so many others.
The White Stripes
3/5
There are some catchy and good rock songs on this album with good songwriting and musicianship. However, my problem - I already had this with another White Stripes album too - that it doesn't sound like an album, rather than a bunch of songs thrown together. Perhaps because it tries out many different styles and doesn't feel coherent enough. The singing wasn't my favorite at times, and it was a bit too bluesy here and there.
Overall, a good albums with some flaws.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Kraftwerk's 'Trans Europa Express' is probably their finest in their stellar catalogue. They perfected the art of minimalism, hypnotic rhythms and catchy melodies with this album. It's nearly 50 years old but still sounds futuristic and stunning.
The album centers around the Trans Europe Express, which was a railway service in Western and Central Europe from the mid 1950s to the 1990s. The monotonous, harrowing and alienated music is directly inspired by long train journeys, among others. When I visited Düsseldorf a couple of years ago, and saw the industrial heart of Europe with the huge, modern factories it all made sense to me why Kraftwerk - which was from Düsseldorf - made such futuristic music. They inspired countless artists and genres with this album, I can hear how they influenced post-punk, new wave and later 80s and 90s electronica. I listened to this album in German because the language fits much better to their music than English.
In my opinion, this groundbreaking album deserves no less than 5 stars.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I have a varied taste in music and I often like noise, experimental or avantgarde albums but this was something that was almost completely unlistenable to me. The last song was surprisingly good compared to the rest. But still, overall it's a 1 star album...
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Very interesting album by Robert Wyatt, not a surprise given he made similarly interesting, strange (in a positive way) albums in the 70s as a solo artist and before with Soft Machine (a band I love very much). 'Shleep' has a great bland of folk, jazz-rock, experimental and Canterbury scene psychedelia. I've always liked his slightly off key, jazzy but comforting voice as well. Overall a really great album.
William Orbit
3/5
Nice downtempo/electronica album from the first half of the 1990s, though it's not as memorable overall than his later work in the decade. Background music, but a pleasant one.
James Taylor
4/5
I'm not usually into sugary soft rock/folk music but this album is excellently made and it was a very pleasant listen. Not every song was memorable but the album as a whole is just great.
Neil Young
3/5
Pleasant folk-rock album, not overly complicated with a voice that isn't particularly nice, but somehow it still sounds good as an album.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Very dark and intense album with heavy lyrics. I liked the tight and punctual playing. It's not the kind of album I would listen to often, because of its heaviness, and it is also a bit too long. But credit where credit is due, it is a good album even if it is not quite my taste. 'Yes' is my favorite song from it.
Mekons
4/5
It was a fun listen. New wave, post-punk and folk mixed together, in a way that it somehow worked together.
Joe Ely
2/5
If I was in a pub in Tennessee I'm sure I would want to listen to this music. But I couldn't be any further away from there, so it is just basic background music which is nice, but not something I would revisit again.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
I have never heard music from Congo before. Good, upbeat rhythms, enjoyable fun music. Not sure I can say anything more about it, but I liked it.
U2
4/5
Very good album by U2 from the early 1980s post-punk era. At that time this album sounded something different and unique, the messages are good and musically they have matured a lot since their earlier sound. They were probably the most creative during this time, though overall I prefer the more polished sound of their lat 1980s/1990s albums. The first three songs are killer and I slightly prefer the first half of the album but overall it is strong. 4.5 stars from me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Very haunting and sad album, which is -as it is known - about the Cave's son who died aged 15 after he took LSD for the first time and jumped off a cliff. At my first listen it is a 3 star album, because while lyrically it is beautiful and incredibly sad, the music is solemn and ambient, but is not very varied and therefore those nearly 70 minutes are way too long.
Some songs were gorgeous but it was a bit tiring to listen to at one go. 3.5/5.
Röyksopp
4/5
Very nice chill downtempo album. The first two songs were bangers, the middle lacked the bit, but the end was again superb. It's definitely an album I'll come back to.
Donald Fagen
2/5
This music is nothing offensive and it is good background music. But it's way too overproduced, middle-of-the-road and superficial for my taste. I like the cover and the name of the album at least.
John Grant
4/5
Beautiful and smooth musically, very clever and insightful lyrically. A new discovery and I already love it very much at my first listen.
Air
3/5
I had high expectations after Moon Safari, which is among my top 3 on the list of my favorite discoveries of this challenge. 'The Virgin Suicides' is a soundtrack album and thus it works completely differently than an usual studio album. I liked the overall atmosphere of it, but still it doesn't play that well as a whole, especially the songs that have no lyrics. I haven't watched the film, yet, so probably it works very well for the film, but alone as an album it doesn't stand out that much. 3.5 out of 5.
3/5
Nice country album, though it is not a genre I particularly care for. Her vocal performance stands out which is stellar.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
I liked it quite a bit, because it's different. I haven't really heard cabaret and avantgarde mixed together before. It reminded me a bit of 1920s Weimar Germany's music and culture, and even Nico a tiny bit. Albums on Island records never really disappoint me. 3.5 out of 5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
One of the most accessible Nick Cave albums I've listened to on this challenge. The atmosphere of the album is good, with good songwriting and some very good songs. But it is very long album which is usually a big minus to me.
The Pretty Things
4/5
Very good British psychedelic rock from 1968. It's the first rock opera-rock concept album since The Who's Tommy was made a year later in 1969. Lot of Beatles and early Pink Floyd influences. I have always liked this album and I think it is up there among the great British rock albums from the late 1960s.
Fever Ray
3/5
Good artpop album with a mellow mood. It was an enjoyable listen most of the time.
Raekwon
2/5
1990s hip-hop, with some good beats but overall it was too boring and mysognistic for me. And it's a too long album.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
It was a struggle to get through it, because musically it's mediocre/boring, lyrically it's abusive and nothing I can get into it and his voice is also annoying. It gets a 1 also because it is a 72-minute long album that seemed even longer than it actually was.
Patti Smith
4/5
I liked it quite much, especially her raspy voice. It must have sounded so bold and different in the mid-1970s.
Skepta
2/5
I'm not a fan of modern rap/hip-hop, but actually it wasn't that bad at all. It was at least listenable and not too long. I can't give it more than 2 stars, though.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
ELP were one of the rare bands that were heavily keyboard-oriented - Keith Emerson was a fantastic keyboardist. And this made them unique. On top of that they got their influences from so many genres, including classical music. I'm into prog rock so this album is for me but I understand if many people can't get into such music that demands a lot of attention because of its complexity.
Anyway, this is a good album, one of the best in their catalogue. Shame about the last song which was unncesssary though.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Very smooth and pleasant vocal jazz, which was a good listen at late night. It's always hard to rate live albums, though, especially a jazz album compared to all the other studio albums on this list. The occassional clappings, talkings, laughs are a bit too distracting, and if I have to say something more criticism, it's also a bit too long overall.
Gang Starr
4/5
I'm not even into hip-hop that much but there are some classic hip-hop albums which are so good and this is one of them - I like the beats, the rhythms, it's fun.
XTC
5/5
This is a great example of an 'album's album' - every song flows together so incredibly well which makes it the whole a complete, perfectly rounded album. The production, the sound of the album is top notch, it was ahead of the time which doesn't sound too mid 1980s but rather later from the decade/early 90s. The songs are very British with lot of Beatles/early Genesis influences which I also like a lot. The album's length is pefection (not too long, not too short).
I'd give it a 4.5 overall but the production is too mindblowing not to give it a 5.
Pavement
3/5
A good US alternative rock/indie rock album from the first half of the 1990s, I liked the general vibe of it, though nothing really stands out, I think I prefered Slanted and Enchanted over this album.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
5/5
Mesmerising, meditative and hypnotic music. The more I listened to it the more I got into it and thought I could listen to it for a few more hours. It may sound repetitive, but the song structures and singing are complex. I enjoyed it very much and I'm glad and album from Asia - Pakistan is included on this heavily American/UK-centric list.
To any of those who hated this album: the world is extremely diverse musically and if someone does this challenge their ears and mind should be open to new sounds, even if it's not familiar to them and it's world music, which is very different from pop/rock/hip-hop/electronica. If it's quality - whatever the music comes from - it should be appreciated.
Animal Collective
3/5
Psychedelic pop/indie/neo-psychedelia from the late 00s. The songs flow together well, though they loose themselves in all the production...I think it is a too overproduced album. The song structures are interesting, but the songs themselves not very memorable or fun. It's a good album but perhaps I would need more listens to enjoy it more. Now it's a strong 3 out of 5.
George Jones
3/5
Old country is so much better and more authentic than country from more recent times. I like George Jones' voice and the soothing music was pleasant. Though country is not a genre I like very much or I listen to on a regular basis, it was a good listen overall.
Laibach
3/5
It's my 539th album on my challenge and it's the first album from a communist country/behind the Iron Curtain which makes it more interesting to me since I'm also from this region. Slovenia is heavily influenced by German language as part of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and later as a neighbouring country to Austria they were very close to Nazism. Laibach (the German name of their capital, Ljubljana) started their career in communist Yugoslavia, so their music is influenced by all these cultures and politics.
Laibach's music is dark, astounding, and different, though not something I enjoy listen to (to me they remind me too much of communist dictatorship under which I was born). Quite many of the songs on this album is a cover, some of which are almost unrecognisable compared to the original. What also bothers me is the late 1980s production which sounds too dated nowadays.
Though, they are pioneers of martial industrial music and made big impact on later band like the German group Rammstein. Even if it's something I wouldn't listen to again, it's definitely worth a listen and it's good that it is on this list, because of its uniqueness and overall influence.
Method Man
3/5
I'm not really into hip-hop but I was quite okay with this one. I liked the overall dark mood of the album. I even liked it a bit more than Wu Tang Clan's debut for some reason.
King Crimson
5/5
One of the biggest masterpieces from the late 1960s in the sea of so many great albums from that era. It had profound influence on many bands that came after them. The production is top notch, it sounds so good even after 55 years...This albums deserves 5 stars no doubt.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Pleasant indie pop from the late 1980s, it was like a more poppy and less interesting version of The Smiths. It was a good enough listen.
Roxy Music
5/5
Exceptionally great album, with an unique and interesting sound that is still listenable and accessible. The band showed how much ahead they were in time and they made really great music even after Eno's departure from the band.
I love music with many twists and turns where I don't know where the next notes will lead but it still comes together so well as an album. The production is fantastic, too.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Very English music, which sounded quite ska-influenced with its rhythms. The musicianship is good but it's not really my thing with all the saxophone and I didn't like the singing either. 3 stars at best.
ZZ Top
2/5
It's very one-noted music, all songs are so similar and musically not interesting. It was not an unlistenable album but I for sure won't listen to it again in the future.
Bert Jansch
5/5
Bert Jansch was the Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar. Superb debut album with incredible guitar playing that influenced countless musicians later.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
It has a certain mood which is fine, and I understand how important this album was back in the mid-1990s when drum and bass developed in the UK. But it's very monotonous, samey, and too fast-paced, and it goes on for more than 2 hours. It's just too much. Also, it's a compilation album, and even if it sounds coherent, it's still not an album by one single artist/band just like any other album on this list. Overall it was not for me.
Pixies
4/5
Classic and iconic album that influenced so many bands later on. It must have sounded very new and fresh in the late 1980s. The songs are catchy, tight and fun - the first songs aren't the greatest but after a few it's a perfect album with so many great songs. I can see why so many people like this album. Personally I liked it, though it's not entirely my favorite genre.
Haircut 100
4/5
I have never heard of this new wave band before, so it was surprising to me how much I have enjoyed this album. It's funky and very danceable, and it never gets boring or too simplistic (even if it's poppy here and there). A really good album.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Another great album by Stevie Wonder, on the same niveau as Songs in the Key of Life. Great balance of soft songs and funky ones. It's a very well produced and performed album.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Two of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs are on this album: Scarborough Fair/Canticle and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her are both gorgeous, haunting songs. I prefer the live versions of other two songs I love (The 59th Street Bridge Song and Homeward Bound). The Bob Dylan parody is genius. The rest of the album is nice, too.
It's a great album by the duo, in their Top 3 overall.
4/5
British 80s pop/new wave at its finest. I'm not really into these genres, but this is a very well made and produced album and a lot more nuanced than most pop albums from that era. I liked it a lot by the time I've finished it.
The War On Drugs
2/5
It's indie and atmospheric and melancholic so I should like it, but it didn't grab me at all. Perhaps it's because the album started off well then all the songs sounded the same - no memorable melodies, the basics of songs e.g the drumming was the same, so it became just a dull, boring and too long album after around fifteen minutes.
Pink Floyd
5/5
'The Dark Side of the Moon' is definitely one of the albums that everyone who loves must listen to at least once. It's iconic, and deserves all the praise it gets. I love Pink Floyd and progressive/art/space rock, and it's one of my favourite albums, as well.
It's a brilliantly written, performed and produced concept album about society, mortality and madness. The synthetizers, and sound effects (in songs like Time) make this an otherworldy, atmospheric album. I love the instrumental songs a lot (On the Run, Any Colour You Like), the hits (Money, Us and Them) or the closing songs (Brain damage, Eclipse). When I listen to this album I always get shivers down my spine.
The album's cover (and its design) is one of the most recognisable ever, too, probably second behind Abbey Road.
It's the pinnacle of 1970s rock and one of the great masterpieces created in the history of music in general.
Public Enemy
3/5
I liked the rhythms and flow of the album quite a bit, even if it was sometimes a tad too much.
Big Star
4/5
A bittersweet, melancholic, rather complex and beautiful power pop album. I haven't heard any albums by this band before (I've known 'The Letter' by the lead singer and songwriter Alex Chilton) - I'll definitely revisit the album later.
Steve Winwood
2/5
I liked his work in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic, but this solo album is very different from the music he made earlier. It is a quite unmemorable pop album - it sounds like he wanted to cater to the more pop-oriented/middle-of--the-road audiences with this type of music. The production is very 1980s which is not my favorite either. I wanted to like this album, but I couldn't get into it.
It was a massively popular album when I was growing up in the early 2000s. It's an overall okay album but it's not on the same level as some of their earlier works (Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree, War, to name a few). U2 went back to their roots after their more experimental era in the mid-1990s, and the result was not bad, it's just not as innovative or interesting as other albums. The hits are good but towards the end of the album it gets a bit too bland overall.
Crowded House
2/5
Quite generic and pretty bland pop-rock music. I liked Weather with you and this is the only song I recognise from this album but the rest are samey and not too exciting.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Very 1980s sounding goth/new wave album, first I thought I wouldn't like this at all but then I quite liked their originality and their some good musicianship. I wouldn't listen to it again but it was an okay listen.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
I like Astrud Gilberto and this album is lovely, with breezy, feel-good bossa nova songs, that is a lovely listen. However around half of the songs were in English and I prefer her singing in Brazilian Portuguese because her singing style suits her mother tongue more. Anyway, it's pleasant music, for more Portuguese songs I'd give it a 4 easily.
Miles Davis
5/5
I don't pretend I know much about jazz music, but recently I've listened to quite lot of them (around 350 albums). This album wasn't one of them, so it was my first listen. It's very pleasant, chill, with mix of psychedelia from the early 1970s. It must have sounded extremely new, fresh and something different back 50+ years ago when jazz music was different in the late 1960s. Great album.
Cypress Hill
4/5
Funky and very good West coast hip-hop, a quality debut album by Cypress Hill. I enjoyed it quite a lot!
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
'There's A Riot Goin' On' is darker and deeper than their previous, more psychedelic and funky albums. It's more experimental/avantgarde funk, as well. I liked it overall, it's a strong album.
The B-52's
5/5
Understated quirkiness, it's the perfect combination of weird and very high qualify of musicianship. They were completely unique and different at that time and even 45 years later it still sounds great and interesting.
John Lennon also loved them, he listened to him shortly before he died - according to his personal assistant when he heard Rock Lobster for the first time he ran out of the restaurant telling loudly to everyone that finally someone got it and were inspired by Yoko! He appreciated their music a lot.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
It's one of the few soundtrack albums of this challenge - it's good music but very much felt that it's accompanying music to a movie, therefore it is not like other, studio albums that can be comparable to this. It's hard to rate this one, I'll give it a 3 because it is good musically but it's not on the same level as studio albums.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I don't listen to much new wave or synth pop, but this was a strong album, with interesting song structures and Gahan's distinctive singing. I liked it!
Queen Latifah
3/5
First, it's one of those albums that didn't age very well - it is stuck in late 1980s and does sound really dated, second, it started off really well until I realised that most of the songs sound very much the same (same beats and rapping), which makes it a way too long album overall. It's ok, but it's a generous 3 because of the reasons I mentioned.
Pearl Jam
5/5
I was too young to remember grunge from the early 1990s so it isn't nostalgia when it comes to this genre - but I have always liked this album very much which is so warm sounding and strong. It's a real album's album where the songs go together very well. Now that I've listened to it again, I can't really give it lower than a 5.
Bee Gees
3/5
It's far from their later disco era songs, but also different from their earliest albums. Their voices are very nice, and it's a good soft rock album, though at times a bit bland.
Underworld
3/5
90s electronica from the UK, it's a very long album with two songs in the beginning that are over 15 minutes long. The more I listened to it the more I got into this album, though because of the length it didn't feel like a very cohesive 'album's album', rather than different songs thrown together. I think I prefer other 90s electronica over this album but it may grow on me more if I listened to it a few more times.
Lou Reed
4/5
Great glam rock album by former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed with strong songwriting and excellent production by Bowie and Ronson - Reed influenced Bowie a lot in the 60s, and then, at the height of glam rock, Bowie helped out Reed and influenced his album with his production work. I love Perfect Day, and Walk On the Wild Side the most. His voice and singing is not my favourite, though.
Primal Scream
4/5
Great electronic/ambient/trip-hop and pyschedelic album from the 1990s UK music scene. Primal Scream is a great band, and it is a cool album. The band said it was inspired by a 70s movie and the album is really like some sort of road movie soundtrack. It is very enjoyable, and is recommended to anyone who like electronica and a bit trippy and chill music.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Beautiful, heartful, uplifting and warm album - I love the different genres (60s rock, a bit jazz, funk, and soul) that goes together so well. It's a real album's album where the whole experience makes it so great, unlike picking a few songs as standouts. It's one of the greatest albums I've heard in the past years or decade, and definitely one of my favorite discoveries on this challenge.
Pulp
4/5
Very good album from UK britpop band Pulp, which was released in the late 90s after their massive success 'Different Class' in the middle of the decade. It has a lot of great artpop, britpop songs, it's my kind of music. The outro of the last song is such a great ending of the album. However, with almost 70 minutes even this album is a bit too long. Not quite close to 5 but it's a 4 from me overall.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Nothing new can be said about the best hard rock album ever and one of the best albums ever overall. I haven't listened to it for a long time and once again I enjoyed this iconic album very much. What a masterpiece.
New Order
3/5
I should love this album because it's late 1980s and acid house, but I was a bit disappointed in it. Perhaps it sounds too dated, or some songs are too lazy, I don't know. It got better by the end but it isn't entirely my thing, even if it wasn't that bad either.
David Bowie
4/5
Bowie's last album before he died of cancer - it was released only two days before he died. I still remember both days vividly - the day on which the album came out (the anticipation was huge) and the shock just two days later when the news came out that he passed away. It was his last gift to his fans - it centers around mortality, which makes it very heavy and haunting but it's uplifting in some way, because he came to terms with the fact that his life on this planet would end soon.
Great farewell from one of the most unique musicians from the past 70 years.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
It's a pleasant indie rock album with nice singing and chill songs, but the songwriting isn't that very exciting. It's one of those albums that I can't remember any songs from it after I've finished listening to it.
Jacques Brel
4/5
It's refreshing to listen to a non-English album - French chanson is always lovely, especially Jacques Brel who was a modern chanson singer in the mid 1960s, not more old-fashioned than before his era. It's a short and lovely album, a live album which sounds remarkably fresh, as fresh as a studio album. Great stuff.
Barry Adamson
3/5
Quite interesting concept album, a soundtrack album for a fictional crime film. It's something different than other albums - though there were some interesting bit, but overall it isn't something I would listen to again because it's a bit too directionless. It was an okay listen.
Goldfrapp
3/5
A nice dream pop album by Goldfrapp - it's one of those albums where I find the second half more engaging and overall better than the first half. It works quite well as an album though individually the songs aren't too memorable.
Paul Simon
4/5
Very well crafted, nuanced and smooth folk-rock album with a lot of different influences. My favorite was Duncan, which was heavily influenced by South American music (it reminded me a lot of El Condor Pasa). Great album!
Faith No More
3/5
I'm not a fan of metal so the funk and rap metal songs weren't my thing, but the album is diverse stylisically and I quite liked the rest of the album. It sounds like this band influenced the 90s nu metal bands a lot. Overall an ok listen.
Paul Simon
4/5
Just two days ago I got Paul Simon's self titled solo album. Graceland is more adventurous, and there are more worldbeat influences, especially African music. The songwriting is excellent and it is very good album production wise as well. It sounds a tad too 80s for my taste but nevertheless it was very enjoyable.
Sparks
4/5
Weird, unique, different, fun - I haven't heard about this band before but this is an excellent glam rock album. Island records released so many great albums in the late 60s and 70s, anything they released at that time simply can't be wrong.
The Cure
4/5
The first few minutes I thought it would be a too early 80s sounding album for my taste, which I don't like. But the more I listened the more I loved it. It's dark, haunging and depressive, just like this November day and my mood tonight.
The Modern Lovers
5/5
The whole album was extremely fun to listen to. The link between the Velvet Underground and 90s/00s indie.
Oasis
3/5
This is a pretty average album, not bad but nothing outstanding either and it's because it has nothing extraordinary, or new. It's a mix of Beatlesque and Stones-like songs. I can see why it got so famous in 1994 in the UK, though. Still, Morning Glory is the better album and the rest of their catalogue is just forgettable.
The Darkness
3/5
Pretty fun album overall which doesn't take itself seriously, but hard rock/glam from the 00s are not really my cup of tea, and his voice wasn't very good either.
The Replacements
4/5
Fun, punchy and punky, though a bit one toned here and there. It was good but not sure it is one of the best rock albums of the 1980s? It means the decade didn't produce the best ever rock albums, that's for sure.
Jeff Beck
5/5
Jeff Beck's first solo album after the Yardbird years. This album has a lot of covers, a backing band with Rod Stewart singing before he was famous and many brilliant musicians from the era, including John Paul Jones, Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins or Keith Moon. This sounds a bit like a proto-Led Zeppelin album to no surprise. 'Beck's Bolero's is one of the best rock instrumentals ever. I enjoyed it a lot. 4.5/5.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
I haven't heard about these guys before. Musically very good, tight, bluesy proto-punk rock, a mix between the Rolling Stones and Credence Clearwater Revival. No songs stood out from it, though, but it flows rather well together. A strong 3.5 from me, and I might round it up to 4 later.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
This album was the perfect choice on this foggy November day, it put me in the right mood for the coming Christmas time soon. Perfectly written, produced, sang and performed songs, and this saying while I am not particularly into American jazz music. Ella Fitzgerald was amazing and this was such a great listen. I usually don't rate compilation albums high but this is an exception. I could listen to this for three more hours!
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Folkish sunshine pop from the mid-60s but behind some of the easy sounding songs, there is some looming melancholy which I like. The music is just ok, but the vocal harmonies are amazing and so pleasing to listen to. The two megahits are outstanding, 'California Dreamin' is still one of the signature songs of the decade. It's a fun and good listen and a very good debut album by the band. Other songs I enjoyed a lot: Straight shooter, I call your name (a Beatles cover), Go where you wanna go, Somebody groovy.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Blues my not be my thing entirely but Janis Joplin's posthumus album is a great one. Her vocal range was simply fantastic and her raw emotion and passion on these songs was one of a kind. The album is well produced and the backing band did a really good job, the music is great and they never overshadowed Janis. It doesn't have some of the my favorite songs (Piece of my heart, for instance), but it is still a very strong collection of songs, which overall deserve a close 5 (4.5 rounded up to 5).
Living Colour
3/5
It's a band and an album that I haven't known before this challenge. Musically it's quite good, not as heavy as I thought it would be. The songs are not too memorable but not bad either. The late 1980s production sounds dated. It is a 3.5 rounded down to 3.
Iron Maiden
3/5
I know this is a classic album and it is said to be one of the best metal albums ever, but I was never into metal - it was too repetitive, too samey, it was just the same rhythms with very energetic singing and riffs (the riffs were good though). Overall it is consistent album no doubt, and it wasn't unlistenable but personally it is not something I would listen to again soon.
Aerosmith
3/5
A short, ok hard rock album from the mid 1970s, there are some hit songs but the rest are fillers, but it flows together quite well. Pretty enjoyable but overall it is probably not something I would revisit again.
The Jam
4/5
Great power pop/mod reviwal album by The Jam. The riffs are punchy, the bass is more prominent than all the other 599 albums I've listened already in this challenge - 'Start!' bass line directly comes from Taxman by The Beatles. It is a fun listen, though perhaps lacks the 'wow' factor to give it a 5 overall.
Megadeth
2/5
They are very skilled as musicians - That's the only reason I'm giving it a 2 instead pf 1 because this kind of metal music is a genre that I dislike so much. It's really not my thing.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
This early 2000s R'n'B/hip-hop album started off quite well but then it got boring rather quickly. It is better than many R'n'B albums from that era, and it is not a bad debut but overall it isn't for me - a tad too overproduced and not that interesting after listening a few songs.
Supertramp
4/5
Grea prog rock/art rock album with some pop influences. The production of the album is top notch. The ending song, the self-titled Crime Of The Century is a really great way to finish the album. Other song I loved a lot was Dreamer. Overall a very good album.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Pretty interesting avat pop/experimental album at first though it gets a bit boring towards the end. The singing isn't my favorite and the songs are not that memorable either. But it was for sure something different than most albums here.
4/5
I haven't heard this album before and it was a good suprise - a great mix of psychedelic and progressive rock, with amazing production work. The songs are unique and they kept me interested throughout the whole record. I'll come back to this album later, it might grow on me if I listen to it a couple of more times - at my first listen it is a solid 4.
Pink Floyd
5/5
A brilliant concept album that flows together so well from start to finish, despite of its length. The storytelling is great, the music, especially Gilmour's guitar is fantastic, the hits are so strong (Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2, Comfortably Numb) and I like the softer songs too (Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky).
I come from a former Eastern Block country, "behind the wall" so the cultural importance of this album was even bigger than in it was in the West. I wasn't yet born when this album was released but I still feel its importance in my country.
As a Floyd fan and despite of its greatness, The Wall is not in my top 5 or 6 favorite albums of the band, but I still give it a 5 because of its greatness as a concept album and for its cultural importance. It says a lot about how great Pink Floyd's catalogue is. It was their last great album of the band.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
I didn't pay attention to the lyrics, but the beats are good and it is a groovy album, I quite liked it.
Kanye West
4/5
I am not into hip-hop and the ones I liked the most are oldschool rap from the 90s. Despite of this I tried to listen to this with an open mind and ears also because I read how important this album was when it came out.
This album is extremely well produced and for this reason it was a joy to listen to. I didn't care for the lyrics or the songs individually but the songs flew together very well and it works well as a hip-hop opera. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's between 3 and 4 personally but I will round it up to 4 because the production is really top notch.
Jack White
3/5
Jack White is certainly a talented songwriter. This is a good debut solo album from him, a compact record from start to finish. To me personally, it is a bit overwhelming overall as there are several styles within one songs, and his voice tires me a bit, especially by the end. It reminds me of White Stripes a lot though something (or rather someone? :)) is missing. Overall enjoyable and good, though not outstanding.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
At first listen a n enjoyable alt rock/power pop album from the late 1990s, though nothing is really too memorable on it and not sure that at repeat listen it would hold up that well. The album is around 20 minutes or 3-4 songs too long. Also, not sure why this album is included when 'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia' was a better album which also had a big hit on it. 3 out of 5.
The Human League
4/5
It's perfect pop from the 1980s and a genre defining album. I'm not into the 80s sound but I have to give credit where credit is due - it's a great album even if it isn't really my taste. And, it was clever to put the big hit at the end of the album. 4/5.
Love
5/5
It's one of the best albums of the 1960s (that wasn't made by The Beatles) and also a personal favorite of mine. A psychedelic masterpiece which stood the test of time and it still sounds interesting and unique today.
The lyrics, the beautiful music (particularly the string arrangements), the vocal delivery by Arthur Lee are all perfection. At the height of flower power this album anticipates the downfall of the counterculture.
'They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?' are my favorite lines of the album which closes the A side.
A 5* album without a doubt.
Frank Black
3/5
Solo album by former Pixies member Frank Black - it's very 90s alternative rock, with some good tunes and interesting sounds, but it isn't really memorable overall and it is too long - perhaps because the songs are fast and energetic is seems ever longer. Does it really belong on this list?
Bill Callahan
3/5
Bill Callahan is an artist I haven't heard about before. It's a relaxing folk/country/indie album, and his baritone voice is smooth (it is almost like spoken word). I liked the chill atmosphere of the album, though not sure I would listen to it again soon.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
The three megahits (The Rockafeller Skank, Praise You, Right Here, Right Now) are good and bring back a lot of nostalgia (though I prefer their radio edit versions), but listening the whole album at one go is too much, because it is really very repetitive and exhausting overall. Some songs were really dumb (the Heaven song), too. I was leaning towards 2 but because of the hits I give it a 3.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Quite consistent and good, precise sounding post-punk, new wave album from the early 1980s - I was expecting a more synth-oriented 1980s sound but I was surprised that it had a more pleasant sound overall. I enjoyed it though it was a tad too samey throughout the whole album. I was considering it a 4 but I will rather round it down to a strong 3.
Johnny Cash
2/5
His voice is very good, as always but it doesn't sound as cohesive album, just a bunch of covers thrown together.
Milton Nascimento
5/5
It's the only album so far on this challenge (600+ albums) that I listened to three times. What a captivating, beautiful and smooth album. It's brilliant that is was made over 50 years ago, it sounds as fresh as it was released a few years ago. I don't understand the language but I read it's one of the best and most influential Brazilian albums of all time. I am happy I discovered this gem thanks to this challenge.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
It's better than the other Costello albums I've listened to so far. The production work is really stellar on this one. The songs start off quite dull and soulless but then they get better by the middle. I don't like his whiny singing that much, though. I understand he is very good at lyrics and he is very cynical, but I pay more attention to the music. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 overall.
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
Beautiful traditional/classical Indian music, which was introduced to the Western audiences and became the most well known and most successful Indian album in the West. It has innovative guitar and the flute made it more acceptable than more traditional albums. It creates a calm and peaceful atmosphere which is very relaxing to listen to. Alone for its importance it deserves a lot of stars but personally I enjoyed it very much so it's a 5 from me.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
This seemed to be a really long album because the songs were too repetitive and slow, and too mellow for my taste. There was nothing interesting going on. Country folk is really not my cup of tea.
The Who
4/5
Cool concept album with great harmonies, and sound effects that still sound interesting, the album doesn't sound dated at all. I can see why this album is a cult classic. I like Who's Next the best from their catalogue, but this album is also a high 4 one, pretty close to a 5.
Love
5/5
The best album that came out from Los Angeles in 1966. It's a groundbreaking and forward thinking album, which influenced many bands and artist afterwards . It was released a year before The Doors' debut on the same label (Elektra) and the similarities are there. The songwriting is excellent not by only Arthur Lee but also Bryan MacLean, the instruments are varied and interesting. I also love the jam on the B-side, not many albums end with a drum solo! It's as great as Forever Changes from 1967, which means it is among the best albums in the 60s.
k.d. lang
3/5
Relaxing, chill, well produced country-pop. It isn't memorable music but it's a pleasant enought listen on a rather boring Saturday. Though, it's not something I'll actively listen again.
Anthrax
1/5
The listen was another proof to me that I really dislike trash metal - it's one of the few genres I'll never get into. I listened to it from start to finish but I can't say much nice about it, it's very repetitive and boring. It sounds a bit like Metallica but a weaker version. 1 star, sorry.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Very influential cosmic/spacey electronic music from France that still sounds quite futuristic 48 years after its release. Let's just stop for a second and imagine how different it must have sound back in the mid 1970s. A very good listen which I enjoyed a lot.
Simply Red
3/5
This 80s soul/adult oriented pop is not my cup of tea but I have to appreciate its smoothness, the production and the singer's voice, so I'll give it 3 stars even if I won't listen to it again.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Ok, this was a truly awful album. There are barely any melodies on it, no singing, nothing, just noise. It's one of the worst albums I had so far (#628 album in this challenge).
Leftfield
3/5
English prog house/electronica from the mid-1990s. I can imagine what a hit it was in the height of the rave scene and it must have sounded very fresh and new at that time. Not too repetitive, still good considering it was made almost 30 years ago and has that very 90s sound. I am sure it sounds even better under the influence of ecstasy or other drugs but I enjoyed it without them...3 stars.
Big Star
4/5
Nice consistent proto power pop album from the mid 1970s. I haven't heard much about this band before, they are underrated even after all these decades. The songwriting is strong and it's a well crafted album throughout. I liked it quite a lot.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Enjoyable folk album from Mali, Africa - admittedly I don't know much about music from this country but I found this pleasant and it is always good to listen to something different from the rest of the (mostly very) England/North American-oriented albums.
Grateful Dead
2/5
It was slightly better than their studio album on this list but it is still just a bad album. It has no structure, they were just jamming but it sounded like they barely knew what they were playing. It was ok listening it in the background.
I think this band was at the right time at the right place, I have always found them overrated and this album proved it again.
50 Cent
2/5
Very early 00 rap album. The beats are decent, though often simplistic and repetitive, but I just don't like the profanity and vulgar lyrics. The cover picture and the title of the album are so over the top. Eminem saved this album. Overall not my jam, and I won't listen again.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Country/psychedelic pop from 1967 by a band I haven't really heard about before. I like the fantasy-like songs and the atmosphere of the album but the individual songs don't grab me much. The nasal singing reminds me too much of Dylan. Overall there are a lot more better albums from 1967 than this one in my opinion.
The Adverts
3/5
Good UK punk rock album from the late 1970s. It isn't angry punk like most in the genre but a more fun album. The production (thanks to John Leckie as the producer) is better than an most punk albums. I'm not very into the genre so I will give it 3 but overall it is a good albm.
3/5
I admire their energy, and how much punk it sounds, especially considering it was recorded no later than 1968. But the music itself isn't great or any way interesting. So extra point for doing something that was ahead of its time but otherwise it is not something I would want to listen to again.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
It's my 5th Elvis Costello album on this list and while he is not among my favorite artists, 'This Year's Model' is certainly the best album so far. The songwriting is good, the production also stands out and he is a great lyricist. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 for me, but since this is better than his 3 star albums, I'm round it up to 4.
Talvin Singh
4/5
A good fusion of late 1990s electronica and Indian music. It's always great to listen to something different and unique on this challenge. Not surprising that I liked this record as it was released on the Island label, which always releases quality albums that are likeable and unique.
Beatles
5/5
It's great to start the new year with one of the greatest albums ever and one of my favorites as well. 'Revolver' is one of the most innovative and infuential records, as it revolutionised studio techniques and it had influenced the development of multiple different styles (psychedelic rock, electronica, world music). I loved the varied styles of the songs - classical-influenced, Indian, psychedelic etc and how compact the whole album sounds despite the different styles. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' still sounds futuristic and mindblowing and it's one of the best closing tracks on any album. Bonus is the album's brilliant cover by their old friend Klaus Voormann.
Suede
3/5
Suede's debut is one of the first britpop albums, and it is a lush, smooth, and well produced record, though to me the songs aren't too memorable or interesting and overall I prefer other britpop albums to this. 3.5 out of 5.
Boards of Canada
3/5
Atmospheric and innovative electronic/ambient album from the late 1990s. I liked quite a lot of songs, especially as the album moved forward, though there were a few songs that weren't that great, particularly in the beginning. It's a 70 minutes album meaning it's too long for me - a 50 minutes album would have been more compact and better perhaps...I would give it a 4 but because of its length, it's rounded down to 3.
The Shamen
3/5
Experimental electronic album from the early 1990s. It starts off well then it gets a bit too tiring and long and while it's quite complex here and there, it feels too simplistic after a while. I liked the random Sgt. Pepper's and Kraftwerk samples thrown in for a few seconds. The production is very good for the time, overall this sound is dated nowadays. The whole album was okay and quite enjoyable overall, but something is missing plus, as I said it's also too long (anything over an hour are too long).
Rod Stewart
3/5
Good folk/roots rock album from the early 70s by Rod Stewart. I like the energy and drive, it's the kind of music I would listen to with friends at a festival concert. Maybe that's also the hindrance of this album - some songs are really fun, but others are just weaker and the production isn't stellar either. It would work better as a live album, I think. Maggie May stands out for me. Overall a solid 3 from me.
Screaming Trees
4/5
A new discovery from me, it's a great late 90s grunge mixed with psychedelic rock. There are no hits but it doesn't matter if the album flows together well and it's well written. The first part was more grunge-y, the second part more psych rock which I liked a lot, the albums was closed with a nice traditional spiritual song as a closing track.
Pentangle
5/5
A masterpiece from the late 60s British folk rock scene - what a spellbinding album! It's a hauntingly beautiful and creative collection of folk rock songs with jazz, blues, medieval and eastern influences. Incredible musical talents (Bernt Jansch, John Renbourn and Jacqui McShee with her angelic voice) accompanied with taste and judgement. A timeless classic.
Fairport Convention
5/5
British folk rock was at its peak in 1968-1969 and Liege And Lief is one of the finest albums in the genre. The layers and depth of the music is just incredible. Sandy Denny had the best female British folk rock voice ever. I'm fortunate enough to have a copy of an early UK pressing and it sounds just amazing - produced by Joe Boyd on the Island label (it seems everything Boyd touched those years turned to gold). Perfection.
Billy Bragg
2/5
Late 1990s alternative country/US folk rock album by Billy Bragg with previously unheard lyrics by Woodie Guthrie. It was a nice listen but nothing remarkable or memorable, probably I won't listen to it again.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel's last album, released in early 1970s. I love the hit songs especially (my favorite is El Condor Pasa), and the angelic voice of Art Garfunkel always touches me. The rest of the album is also good. It's a tad overproduced, I feel but it still overall a very nice album.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Good mid-60s rock and roll/garage rock album with a few hits, though it's not something revolutionary or outstanding, there are a lot better albums from the era that could be included on this list.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
This album is another proof that Bruce Springsteen is one of the most overrated American musicians. This album is boring, badly written, very badly produced and his nasal voice is anything but good. They wanted to make him the new Dylan with this sound but it's a failure. His music never felt genuine to me anyway - he sings about problems he never faced as someone who came from New Jersey from a rather privileged background. He is too elitist for these songs.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I wanted to like them more, but I couldn't. Noise rock isn't my thing it seems - the songs have no directions and lack melodies, it's just quite an annoying and pretentious album. The production work is good, though, it doesn't sound dated at all. 2 stars.
3/5
Quirky and weird new wave/punk rock album from the late 1970s - it's an important milestone in the history of American new wave scene. I appreciate how different this album is, and I usually like quirky songs. This time it got quite tiring by the end, and I was also somewhat irritated, annoyed by it. This was my first listen, so perhaps I will enjoyed it more the second time around.
Frank Zappa
4/5
Zappa's second solo album is one of his best ones in his catalogue. The musicianship is so great on it - it's jazz fusion at its best, a big jam, accessible enough to enjoy it, detailed and layered, jolly in some ways and also unsettling in others. It would make a great movie soundtrack too. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The Saints
3/5
Punchy and tight punk from the late 1970s that doesn't sound dated even today. Still, I felt like this album was 3-4 songs too long, I'd personally enjoyed it more if it had been a shorter. I wasn't really in the mood for such music today, perhaps on other days I'd give it a 4 but it is no more than 3 from me.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
I usually like 70s rock but this album wasn't really my taste and it is also too long. It is also from different live shows, and many songs are also overdubbed, so not quite sure which songs are really live and which are more studio work. Since it's the only album by this band on this challenge, I assume they don't have a strong studio album that could be on this list. I appreciate the musicianship because they are good musicians, but this album isn't for me overall.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Noise/post-hardcore/emo album from the mid 1990s - this genre is really not my thing in general. This album didn't have much melodies, it is just too aggressive music, but it was somewhat cohesive and more bearable than many other albums in the genre. After the first 10 minutes I thought it would be a 1 but overall it was a bit better than that, so it's a 2 from me.
The Byrds
4/5
It's a great folk-rock and psychedelic rock album with hints of what was coming in 1968 when the line up changed and they started playing more country oriented music. The hits are great, and I think the cover of the Dylan song is the best on the album. I liked this more than Mr. Tambourine Man and it's on par with Sweetheart of the Rodeo, so I'm giving it a 4.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
This is an exceptionally good indie rock/garage rock revival album from the early 00s with tight, punchy, funky, very punctual and danceable rock songs and with a huge hit which was an anthem of those years. There are many albums from the era that sound so dated nowadays - not this album, which sounds fresh even today. It's a 4.5 album now, but I might round it up to 5 later.
The Crusaders
3/5
Pretty commercial jazz music from the late 1970s but it was good to listen to in the background, smooth and pleasant.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Beautifully written and performed indie rock/chamber folk album, it is a unique and different piece of work. The album is long, but it is compact and consistent throughout. It was my first listen, so it might be a grower, but as of now it is a strong 4, I might round it up to 5 later.
The Verve
4/5
The Verve's second album is more psychedelic than their debut and less commercial than their third one. I love the intensity and the hypnotic sound of 'A Northern Soul', it's also quite dark and mellow. 'History' is one of, if not *the* finest moment in the band's career. I love their music, it's my kind of thing an I think they were one of the best in the mid-90s UK alter rock/psychedelic rock scene (I don't consider them britpop, because they were vastly different from Blur/Oasis).
It's one of those times I wished we could give half stars as well, because this album is better than most of my 4 star albums, but a bit worse than my 5 star albums. I rounded up Bittersweet Symphony, so I round down this one, but it's a strong 4.5 star album.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
This album meant to me a lot in my teenage years. While all other girls were listening to BsB or the Spice Girls, I was a cooler girl with my Californication CD. I loved the singles, especially Scar Tissue and Otherside, and the clips were creative as well. Fast forward a quarter of a century, I don't really love this music anymore. The singles still make this album quite ok, but from the second half, the quality drops. I like Frusciante's or Flea's work on it, but Kiedis' singing style is a bit too much as the album goes on. The ending, Road Trippin' is nice, so I give it a 3, but more wouldn't be deserved.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Neo-psychedelic/dream pop album from the late 1990s. I was quite neutral about it while listening the first half of the album, then it suddenly started to click. It's a very well produced and compact album. A lot of these albums from the genre sounds dated nowadays, but not this one. The singing is a bit too much, but overall it's a lovely album.
The Smiths
4/5
Great farewell album by The Smiths. They were such a hugely influental band in the 80s. I have always liked the musicianship, the lyricism and the melancholy. I'm saving my 5 for 'The Queen is Dead' but it's a strong 4 from me.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
It's my first listen since a decade..and it still sounds unique and a very good album. A homage to mid-1960s music, the lush arrangements, the soundtrack/spaghetti western vibes, the songwriting are all great. No album has sounded quite like this since it was released. Alex Turner was the most creative in these years, and together with Miles Kane they made one of the best indie albums in the 00s.
The Byrds
4/5
It's my 4th Byrds album so far and I liked all of them. This is the most experimental and imaginative of the four, it's a great mix of psychedelia, folk, electronica, jazz and even country. Considering the changes in the band during the making of this album, it's surprising how consistent it is. There are no standout tracks, but it's quality from start to finish. The vocal harmonies are especially lovely, and I like the experimentation too (it was one of the first albums which used Moog synthesizer on it). It's also an influential album a lot, so overall I would give it a 4 and a half stars if I could, but since there's no half stars I'll stick to just 4.
Norah Jones
3/5
Very pleasant, smooth blues-pop album from the early 00s (which was quite a big hit back then). It's the perfect coffee house background music. It's not something I would actively search for to listen, but still it is a consistent and well made album that I enjoyed.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Quite an interesting record, because it's a mix of beatlesque rock and orchestral pop with a bit of broadway here and there. There are unique layers and the production is lovely. I can even heard the later Traveling Wilburys in this sound. However, it's a tad too long and a bit too theatrical for my taste. I liked it, but I liked my 4-star albums bit more. So it's somewhere in between.
5/5
It's one of the most influential and greatest rock albums of all time. It's also Bowie at his best, and my personal favourite of his albums. Favourite tracks: Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Suffragette City and the closing Rock'n'Roll Suicide.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Bigbeat/electronica/psychedelic trance from the late 1990s. It's the kind of music that doesn't really work in any setting, as background music or at a concert because it's very fast pacing and kind of repetitive. It only works in a club when someone uses drugs, it's very trippy music. Still, it sounds quite fresh, and well produced. A few minues of it would work very well as a soundtrack of a far-out movie. I wanted to give it a 3, but the last two track, especially the closing is too good. So it's a 4 at best.
Carole King
2/5
It's one of those albums that I haven't got around for many years, so it was my first listen. She is a talented singer-songwriter, and it is a nicely done album, no doubt. But I've found the album just boring, probably because it is too easy listening/middle-of-the-road for my taste and the songs just blend together. I've read raving reviews of this album so overall it was quite a big disappointment as I've expected something that I would like, but it just isn't my thing.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This experimental/proto-punk/psychedelic rock album from early 1967 is one of the most influential albums ever. Imagine how this underground album must have sounded at that time with Reed's lyrics - completely new and different compared to anything else. It's no surprise most people didn't understand it at that time, but those who did were so inspired by it that it had major influence on many genres that came after. I love the atmosphere of the record, the varied sounds - Sunday Morning is among my favourite album openings ever, I also love Venus in Furs, and the three songs sung by Nico - Femme Fatale, inspired by Edie Sedgwick, I'll Be Your Mirror and my personal favourite All Tomorrow's Parties. Heroin and the more experimental last songs are as superb as well, just like the rest of the songs. 5 stars, without a question.
John Lennon
4/5
A very raw, personal and honest 'real' debut album by John Lennon, shortly after the break-up of the Beatles and him finishing the primal scream therapy. The highs are very high (Mother, Love, Working Class Hero, God), and I also love some other songs a lot (Isolation, Look at Me which sounds very much like a White Album era Beatles song), and the haunting My Mummy's Dead. I only give it a 4 for some of the songs that are not on the same quality as the above mentioned ones (particularly Well Well Well), otherwise it is a great album, and his best in his catalogue.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Forgettable late 80s synthpop, and Cohen's voice is hilarously bad. It is not completely unlistenable as some other albums, but I don't want to give it a 2 which is only 2 stars away from albums that are great and many times are almost 5 star albums. So yeah, I'm giving this 1 star.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Usually I like baroque pop and singer-songwriter albums but somehow it wasn't for me, I've found it quite boring and not really interesting and his voice isn't nice either. Good album cover though.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
It's a very joyous, and fun glam/disco album and it gets a 4 from me because of it. I recognised some of the hits songs from it. The early 2000s wasn't a great period in music, so albums like this stand out from the others.
Dead Kennedys
2/5
I appreciate their influence they made with their punk/hardcore punk music - their playing is tight and very precise. The songs on this album are short and well made. But I don't like the singing and this kind of hardcore music is not my cup of tea at all, so I rate this album based on this.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Beautifully written, sung and arranged album by Jeff Buckley - his voice was special, and it was a stellar debut album with nuanced songs, lot of emotions and varied styles. Hallelujah is my favourite cover of the song. Overall it sounds quite haunting and sad, especially knowing that it was his only solo album before he tragically died a few years later.
I think Tim and Jeff Buckley are the only parent-child duo on this challenge, both were supremely talented musicians.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I genuiely enjoyed this early 80s post-punk album by Echo and the Bunnymen, with some Eastern influences and hints of what was coming by later in the decade (shoegaze, noise pop).
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
This is an excellently recorded and made live album, it almost sounds like it was made in a studio. And technically they are very good musicians. If I rated only on these aspects, it would be a 5 easily. But as I was listening to it, I questioned myself - what's really the point of this virtuosity? Is there any? I also felt like that the album is about 30 minutes longer than it should be. Near 80 minute albums are just too long. So all things considered it is a 3 from me.
Randy Newman
2/5
I find this kind of music just boring and dull. I give 1 star for albums that are insufferable and I can barely get through it - this album is slightly better than that, but it deserves no more than 2 stars.
The Thrills
2/5
Nice little early 2000s indie pop music - in general I like indie but on this album, after a few songs all the others sounded the same, the last few ones even more boring than the first ones. I'm certain this album was only included in the first edition of the 1001 Albums book in the mid-2000s, and then it was dropped afterwards. 5/10, or 2.5 stars.
Charles Mingus
4/5
I don't know much about jazz, but it was a very good listen - an album full of changes in tempo, styles and mood, overall it has quite a dark atmosphere on it and it kept my interest going throughout the whole album.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I don't know much about hip-hop but I liked the flow of the rapping, and of course, Walk This Way is an iconic hip-hop song. Overall it was a lot of fun to listen to.
T. Rex
3/5
Groovy glam album, it doesn't sound dated even after 50+ years. Personally, I like a few songs, but the whole album drags a bit too long to me. I prefer Roxy Music or Bowie at their best to T.Rex.
Supergrass
4/5
I loved the other Supergrass album on this list and this one was also great. Well composed album, and it's pretty unique britpop, it's different from the others in the genre. No standout songs, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay's second album, 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' is meticulously produced and clean with some instantly recognisable and cleverly made hit songs. 'The Scientist' or 'Clocks' are among the most played rock songs from the early 2000s and the whole decade. The problem is that I find the album instrumentally not really creative and interesting, and all the songs follow the same formula stylistically which makes it a bit dull and boring after about half of the album. They elevated their sound and progressed from their debut album - they weren't too commercial with this album either, and this album is definitely their best in their catalogue but overall it is not to my liking. I realised this band will remain a singles band to me as I don't enjoy very much their studio albums as a whole. 6/10.
Ice Cube
3/5
Great rhythms, punchy, aggressive music, overall very good flow - it didn't sound almost one hour long. Very important lyrics about societal issues that are still relevant today. The profanity and calling women b*tches and h*es are a bit too much (to me as a girl...) though. But overall I liked it.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Stylistically versatile double album from the early 1970s, which combines rock, pop, psychedelic rock, experimental/avant-pop, and R'n'B. I liked the more experimental middle part of the album, the least favorite was the first couple of tracks, which sounded too clinical, almost AI-like. He's talented, and production wise it is an excellent album. It's too long to me, though I appreciate the quality didn't drop throughout the album.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Timberlake's debut contains a couple of huge hits (mainly Cry Me a River and Rock My Body), the rest are less interesting r'n'b/pop songs, and it's quite a long album with over 60 minutes. My 3 stars go to the excellent production that was put into this album by Pharrell Williams and Timbaland. It makes the album fresh even more than 20 years after its release. Overall it is not something I'd revisit but I have to admit that it is 2000s r'n'b/pop at its best.
Kate Bush
4/5
Kate Bush is such an unique and authentic artist. She wrote and recorded this album when she was 22-23 years old and this was the first album that was produced by herself. This led her to experience more in the studio and it is still her least accessible albums she's made - as she has pointed out later, it is her "she's gone mad" album. It really sounds like a fever dream or a nightmare, confusing, interesting, abstract and extremely layered with a lot of different styles in music and vocal layers. I like it very much and I'm glad it was included in this list (I love her debut, the Kick Inside, too, which is, I think not on this list).
Johnny Cash
3/5
He and his musicians had great energy at this concert, and the music is great as always. The talking parts were a bit too excessive, though, and the mixing wasn't the greatest either - I preferred At Folsom Prison to this.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
This is probably the slowest album on this entire list - it's very soothing, chill, ethereal with a beautiful voice. The album is consistent throughout and it creates a certain mood. It's almost like the atmosphere is more important than the songs themselves. Overall, though I would enjoy such music only on certain days, but I like a concept and consistency of an album so I'm giving it a 3.
David Gray
3/5
I surprisingly read that this is the best selling album of all time in Ireland, and it also sold more than 3 million copies in the UK which makes it a Top 30 selling album in this century, yet I have never heard any of these songs before (though I don't live in those countries). It was a pleasant listen - this album contains well crafted and nicely recorded (in a home studio) collection of folktronica songs. This kind of music paved the way later to such artists as Ed Sheeran or James Blunt. It's not usually he music I listen to but this is a good album albeit a bit generic.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Good late 1990s punk-rock album, though the vocals weren't my favorite.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelin is one of the very few bands that released 5-star albums in a row, they were basically untouchable from 1969 until at least 1973. Their third album may not be as appreciated as their debut or IV, but it's still on the list of their best works. I love traditional folk and this album has a lot of songs in that are folk rock-ish, but it is a stylistically really varied album. Also, Immigrant Song is one of the best opening songs ever. So yeah, it gets a 5 from me overall.
R.E.M.
4/5
I haven't heard this album before and I like it a lot after my first listen. It has the distinctive REM sound, it is more alternative rock/jangle pop than their later, more commercial albums, and it is fantastically produced given that it was recorded in mid-80s. Stipe's vocals are front and center. It works very well as an album, it is cohesive, though none of the songs were familiar from radio etc. Lyrics are great as well. It's a 4.5 album.
Q-Tip
3/5
I don't know much about hip-hop but it was a good listen, I liked the flow and rhythms and it had a bit of 70s soul inspiration as well. It held my interest throughout. 3+ overall.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I just had 'Want Two' a few weeks ago and after listening to this album, I don't like his music that much better. It's not offensive music in any way (though his voice is a bit too whiny for me...), but after a few songs I lost interest and I didn't really like it overall. Oh well, one album from this artist would have been more than enough.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Hip-hop album from the mid 1990s - it has good flow and rhythms and it sounds quite fresh considering it was made more than 30 years ago. Perhaps it was overshadowed by other releases around that time (Nas - Illmatic is one example). I enjoyed it overall.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
I apprecite the good songwriting, and I like folk/indie, though overall it wasn't very memorable at my first listen or just I wasn't into the mood for it today. 3 stars now.
Peter Tosh
4/5
It's not the best music for a rainy afternoon here in Eastern Europe, but I enjoyed it nevertheless even if I'm not really into smoking marijuana either. But it's chill, calm music which I would definitely enjoy very much if I were lying in a beach somewhere in Jamaica now. Usually I find reggae a bit samey and one-toned but I sometimes enjoy it quite a bit, like today.
Death In Vegas
4/5
Highly enjoyable neo-pychedelic, electronic, shoegaze album, it was my first listen and I already love this album a lot.
John Martyn
5/5
A beautifully made, well crafted and delivered experimental folk-rock album which flows perfectly from start to finish - Martyn was a superb singer-songwriter and this album showcases his talent very much. I enjoy Nick Drake's music more but this is also a 5 star album.
Bon Jovi
3/5
I was ready to hate this album since 80s hair metal is one of my least favorite genres - but I have to admit, that this album is fun, well made and produced, and actually if this was played at a festival I'd enjoy listening to it. Wanted Dead or Alive is my favorite from this album. I don't think I'd listen to it regularly but it was a nice enough listen for today.
Richard Hawley
4/5
I haven't heard about this artist before so I was curious to hear what album it is, because I like chamber pop/soft pop if it's well done. I wasn't disappointed, this album has a completely unique atmosphere and vibe which I like a lot. And his voice is really lovely. Overall the songs may not be very memorable but it works well as an album throughout.
Genesis
5/5
This is exactly my kind of music - experimental yet still accessible enough prog rock, layered, written, played, sang and produced very well. Hardcore early Genesis fans consider Trespass/Nursery Cryme/Foxtrot as the Holy Trinity in the band's catalogue, but I love this album and The Lamb...just equally. Selling England by the Pound is even better produced than anything they recorded previously. I love the opening track, I know what I like, the epic prog rock songs The Battle of the Epping Forest and Firth of Fifth, the medieval beauty Aisle of Plenty and most of all, Cinema Show which is one of my favourite songs from this era by any band. The changes of timing and tempo, the drumming, the beauty of the singing and lyrics are just perfect. My least favourite song is More Fool Me, sung by Collins. It's still a 5 star album in my book and one of my favourites in their catalogue.
The Smiths
5/5
The Smiths at their best, and it's one of the best albums of the decade, a quintessential British classic. It's such a cleverly written, well sung and played album. There are a lot of catchy songs on it that I sing to myself days after I listen to is. It's also a fun album throughout for sad and melancholic people just like Morrissey is (who is a talented musician which can't be denied).
The Gun Club
4/5
A very good blend of punk, blues and country/rockabilly, a really enjoyable and consistent album from start to finish even without a standout track.
Neil Young
4/5
Probably Neil Young's most famous solo album - just good folk rock/country rock, the songwriting really stands out. I'm not very fond of his voice, though (but the backing vocals are great). I love Don't Let It Bring You Down, so I'll round it up to 4 but it's a 7/10 album for me.
Can
5/5
It's one of the most influential albums ever, and the most famous Krautrock album. It is a bit crazy to think that it was released almost 55 years ago, it must have been mindblowing back in 1971. It's a fusion of experimental, psych rock, music concréte, jazz, funk - it's cool, funky, sometimes confusing, but it keeps my interest throughout which I love (and this is why I love experimental music so much). I can also hear the Eastern influences (by Suzuki) and how it influenced later artists and bands. For its influence and importance alone it deserves a 5.
M.I.A.
4/5
It's a great debut album mixed of hip-hop, world music, and dance. It's cool, exciting, sometimes weird, and enjoyable throughout. Now I can't remember if it is my first album by MIA or not, but I look forward to others if there are more on the list!
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
The first Manics album after Richey Edwards disappeared in 1995, it is a good britpop/rock album, their music was tight and well constructed, though personally I think that nothing stood out much and it wasn't that memorable throughout - the rougher, darker and wilder sound when Richey was still in the band was missing from this album.
Scritti Politti
2/5
I wasn't familiar with this band or any of these songs. It's classic mid-80s British pop - pop at its most commercial. It's well produced, considering it was made 40 years ago, but the songs are all just dull and too simplistic pop music. The first one or two songs sounded more interesting (because of the reggae influence) then I lost my interest rather quickly. It is nothing offensive, just way too minimalistic 80s pop music for my taste.
David Bowie
4/5
Aladdin Sane is a strong follow-up to Ziggy. It's compact, consistent and it's Bowie so it never gets boring, there are always interesting songs. Personally, I prefer some other albums to this (Ziggy, Low, Heroes, Hunky Dory and perhaps some others) but this is also high in the stellar and long catalogue of Bowie. The album cover is iconic, one of the best of the 70s. Favourite songs: the title track, The Jean Genie, Lady Grinning Soul.
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
An artist I haven't heard about before - surprisingly it is a very nice chill-out / downtempo album, the perfect background music for a Sunday evening. I wasn't very sold on it after the first 10-15 minutes but I got into it more and more. A really enjoyable listen.
System Of A Down
1/5
Too aggressive, loud, in-your-face, and tiresome music for my taste. I have never really liked nu metal / alternative metal from the 90s/00s. The production is good and perhaps it isn't sound as dated as many other albums from this era, but I still really didn't like this album at all. 1.5 at best.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Well produced early 00s hip-hop album by Missy, it was an ok listen, but I didn't really like the more r'n'b influences (e.g. the song with Beyonce). I'm not too much into hip-hop and I prefer the 90s hip-hop more than this, so I'll stick with a 2 star.
Metallica
2/5
It was a very long album to listen to with more than 2 hours. This kind of symphonic metal music is not my cup of tea, it's just too bloated, too much. It wasn't completely unlistenable, but I didn't like it either and I won't listen to it again.
The Jam
4/5
The Jam made several consistently great albums in the late 70s, All Mod Cons is one of those albums from that period - it is a very good mod reviwal/power pop album, with great short, punchy songs, but similarly to Sound Affects, it doesn't have an outstanding or wow factor to earn a 5.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
A short and sweet, very well produced album, with one of the greatest voices ever. What is here not to love? It absolutely deserves a 5.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Sinatra's singing is extremely smooth, and music isn't overdone or too much (thanks to Jobim). It was a pleasant listen on a rather gloomy Friday. But as much as I love bossa nova, I think this style doesn't really suit Sinatra, and the Brazilian musicians, also with their Portuguese singing is superior to Sinatra.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
Quite interesting pop record from the mid-1980s. My main problem with the album is that it doesn't flow well, it sounds as if the songs are thrown together. The self titled track is almost 14 minutes long and it doesn't fit into the formula of the album. And the album is just way too long. I like double albums if they flow well but this wasn't it. There are some individual songs that are good pop song but as an album it doesn't work well.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Very nice album, a lot softer and slower than some other VU albums, but its atmosphere is mellow, melodic and even mysterious. Though not quite the same without John Cale. I still enjoyed it quite a bit..fav song is The Murder Mystery.
Ice T
2/5
The beats are ok but there is too much swearing going on and it is a way too long album. I like some rap albums (not too many, I admit) but this wasn't one I would go back to and listen again.
Talking Heads
4/5
Very strong new wave/post-punk debut album from Talking Heads, the rhythms and beats are excellent and so is the production of the album. Psycho Killer is a classic. I prefer their later albums but this one is also a strong 4+ or even 4.5 stars.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Some songs were okayish but it didn't grab me as a whole and I really didn't like his singing. It was too dark without the songs memorable enough...
Suzanne Vega
3/5
A pleasant enough, airy folk-rock album from the mid-80s. It wasn't anything special but a nice listen after a stressful work day.
The Vines
2/5
It's one of those albums that listening to it itself wasn't that bad but it's just a boring, forgettable early 00s alternative rock album without any innovation and it doesn't belong on this list imho.
Elastica
2/5
I heard good things about this album before so I was disappointed after I finished listening to it - it is just too generic, samey, and I don't really like the singer's voice either. I recognised some hits but otherwise it is not really my thing.
Faust
4/5
This was a really good listen, I like creative music with a bit of weirdness going on. I don't think I have ever listened to his krautrock band before, but I'm looking forward to discover some other albums by them.
Spiritualized
4/5
This is such a fantastic late night, space-y ambient dream pop album. Perfect to listen to for a chill out evening or even when one needs to concentrate on work and a calm music is needed in the background. I loved it (though overall I preferred Ladies and Gentleman... to this).
5/5
I used to love this album in the 90s (when I got into U2) but I haven't listened to it in over a decade so it was great to revisit it again. As much as I don't like Bono anymore, this album still sounds amazing and I can see why it was hugely popular in the 80s and catapulted U2 to superstardom. The first three songs are probably among the best ever album openers on any albums, and the rest is also very strong, even if they weren't released as singles. The album has an unique sound, and the production work is also stellar (by Brian Eno), and the songwriting and playing are equally great. Even if at first I was reluctant to give it a 5 but by the end I realised it just doesn't deserve any less than 5 because it's a very well rounded, consistent, super album throughout.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Beautiful and ethereal dream pop album from the mid-80s. Not as great in songswriting as Heaven or Las Vegas a few years later, though a very enjoyable listen from start to finish nonetheless. 4.5 downgraded to 4 stars.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I quite liked this alternative rock album from the early 1999s. A bit grungy, but catchier and more varied. It became a bit directionless toward the end but overall it was a good listening experience. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
R.E.M.
5/5
REM has released a row of 5-star albums in the 80s and early 90s and Automatic for the People is probably the most well known gems in their catalogue. It is a fantastically arranged and produced album, the music is grand and lush, accompanied by Stipe's distinctive voice. It may not be the most classic sounding REM album but songs like Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon and the closing Nightswimming it is certainly one of the best albums they made - and one of the best albums in the 90s.
The Zutons
3/5
I liked this album quite a bit, especially how varied it is in styles. It's a good early 00s folk/garage rock album, one of the more interesting ones from the early years of the decade. It works good as an album, though no songs really stands out and it is not particularly great album either. It is close to 4 stars but I will stick to 3.
Kate Bush
3/5
So far it is the most challenging Kate Bush album for me - Hounds of Love and The Kick Inside (which isn't on this list) are my favorites and I also loved her most avantgarde work, The Dreaming, but at first listen The Sensual World is even more mysterious and ambiguous than her other albums - the songs often don't have a clear direction, and none of the songs were familiar to me before either. She is original and etheral as always but I will definitely need more listen to get into this album, so now I can't give it really a higher rate than 3 stars.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
I'm all for avantgarde and experimental music but this was a really terrible listen, like a background music for a factory or something similar. I guess there is a reason the genre is called industrial. The only thing I liked about the album is that its sound was ahead of its time - it was recorded in the 70s but it could have been something from the 90s or even 00s. But anyway, it was almost unbearable as there was absolutely no melodies, not anything that could be a called a 'song' so I have to give it 1 star.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Nicely produced, well arranged, smooth and calm blue-eyed soul/r'n'b-pop by Dusty Springfield. It's a short album that went by quickly and only Son of a Preacher Man was familiar to me. Sometimes I like to listen to such music, sometimes it's too inoffensive and calm. I'll just stick to 3 (it's closer to 4).
Ravi Shankar
5/5
Beautiful classical Indian music. It's hard not to give it 5 stars considering Ravi Shanker introduced the Western world to Indian classical music and thus it's one of the most influential albums ever. He may had other better albums but this album's importance beats all the others. Imagine how shocking it must've sounded in 1957 when almost no one in the West heard such music before. On a personal note I love this music because it's relaxing and totally unique.
Tom Waits
2/5
I can't get into Tom Waits, even if I generally like experimental rock. It's one of those generally loved 5-star albums that I am going to rate low. I think I appreciate his originality but I don't like his voice and the songs don't do much for me. The instrumental closing track is nice, at least.
Sonic Youth
2/5
A too atonal and difficult album to get into. The songs start off then they end in some hardly understandable chaos. So it is just not for me. I still appreciate that it sounds good for a late 80s album; it is pretty timeless - if it had been released a few years ago I wouldn't have doubts about it.
Happy Mondays
4/5
A really fun album throughout and one of the gems of Madchester from the early 1990s. The production is great and the whole album is consistent and cohesive. The songwriting is not as great as The Stone Roses' debut, for instance but it is a really great album that I enjoy listen. Step On is one if those songs that I will never get tired of. 4.5 stars.
The Residents
3/5
When I saw it is one of the lowest rated albums on this list I was a bit disappointed cause I think albums like this push the boundaries of what we consider music and thus they are more important than many other albums that stay in the comfort zone and are just boring copy paste music of pop rock. This album is certainly interesting, strange, surreal and moody, even hypnotic at times. I wouldn't consider it unlistenable or horrible music, more like interesting which held my interest throughout. It was my first album by this band - not sure I would like all their other stuff but this was a good listen and it is definitely not a bad thing it is included on this list.
The Stooges
4/5
Great frontrunner of punk rock, though the band's third album is more heavily hard rock influenced than their previous ones. The original production wasn't good because they had to it hastily in a day. Still it is one of the most important rock albums of the 70s.
Slipknot
1/5
Nu metal and this kind of angry and annoyingly aggressive music with lyrics that I don't even understand is not my thing at all. Truly awful, 1 star.
Good standard British rock from the early 70s. It is not something very exciting but a pleasant enough listen. I prefer the Small Faces to Faces, though.
Neil Young
4/5
Nicely written and produced folk/country rock album - at first the country-influence was a bit too much but it got a lot better as the album went on. It is my 6th (!) Neil Young album on the list and I liked this the most along with After the Gold Rush. The others were a bit too middle-of-the-road to me and I didn't particularly like his voice. But this album is Young's best, or one of the best.
Iggy Pop
4/5
A fantastic collaboration between Iggy and David Bowie. This album still sounds innovative and pretty strange even after all these decades. I like that Iggy took a different path after his Stooges years and started to make something so different. The influence on later bands, for instance Joy Division is clear.
Radiohead
5/5
Arguably one of the greatest albums ever made. There are albums that are fantastic and they are an imprint of the times they were made in and they were relevant at the time - and there are albums that are even more relevant decades later than when they were made. OK Computer is one of these albums.
Elton John
3/5
I have never been a big fan of Elton John - I appreciate his talent, but most of the time his music is too much entertainment/show music without much essence. This album is well produced with some songs that I liked (Candle in the Wind, though I prefer the 1997 verson after Princess Diana died; or the self titled song). However, the album is too long with quite many songs that were not that great. Overall it's 3 stars at best.
Minor Threat
1/5
Hardcore punk is not my kind of music. It is too repetitive and simple musically and the lyrics are just dumb. At least is an EP, so one of the shortest albums on this challenge. It is not as unlistenable as many 1 star albums but I don't think this deserves 2 stars either.
Suicide
4/5
Judging by the name and cover I thought it would be a hardcore punk album, I was wrong, thankfully. I liked this unusual sounding electronic/minimalist album which must've been groundbreaking back in the 70s. It reminds me a bit of 60s psychedelia and late 90s electronic music. No surprise it wasn't a success in the US as this album sounds a lot more European where it was a more success.
Pere Ubu
3/5
Art rock/post-punk from the late 1970s. It started off really strong but then the more avantgarde and experimental songs were harder to digest. I appreciate the unique sound, though, but perhaps I would need more listens to enjoy it more.
Kraftwerk
5/5
One of the most influential electronic albums ever made. The title track is magnificient, hypnotic, and melodic - it's something I will never get tired of. Forget the 3-minute radio edit, just relax and enjoy the album version.
The rest of the album are instrumental electronic tracks, and the album closing Morgenspaziergang is a nice electroacoustic song.
Kraftwerk was decades ahead of their time and while this album may not be their best in their stellar catalogue, it is certainly their most influential and thus automatically deserves 5 stars.
Happy Mondays
4/5
I'm a sucker for psychedelic rock and danceable electronic music and I like the short-lived madchester music scene of the late 80s and early 90s. 'Bummed' is one of the most well known albums from that era. It's fun and doesn't take itself seriously, all the songs has something interesting in it. It's just pure chaos from start to end, and the ecstasy influence is clear (it makes the singing a bit tiring towards the end of the album). Wrote For Luck is definitely the song that stands out the most. Overall I prefer 'Pills and Thrills...' from the early 90s but this is also a good album.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
I have heard a few songs before by Public Image Ltd. and I liked them to my surprise, so when I started to listen to their debut album today I was disappointed after the the first two or three songs which were really difficult to get through. It was just ugly noise or some anti-religious talking (I don't like anti-religious things, be it any religion, not just Catholicism). From the fourth song it started to sound like a proper album then, and I liked most of the songs. It's influential because it is one of the first post-punk albums ever, and the sound of many songs (for instance the closing track) sounds fresh for late 70s. For its influence and 70% of the songs I liked, I'm giving it a 3 overall.
Moby
4/5
I liked Moby in my early teen years back in the late 90s where Why Does My Heart..., Porcelain and Natural Blues had fun video clips and catchy melodies. I haven't actually listened the whole album before so it was my first listen and I liked it. It's a well made, consistent electronica album with many good, atmospheric songs. I enjoyed the album and I will definitely come back to it later.
Sex Pistols
5/5
'Never mind the bollocks..." is of the most influential rock albums of all time. The boys could barely play their instruments but it's a genius album, with full of raw energy, catchy songs that are the most uncompromising rock songs ever recorded. It's a very well made record, so what is here not to like, really? They were giving the middle fingers to everything and everyone (marketed so cleverly by Malcom McLaren). There are other punk bands who were more talented and could play better, but none of them made a more influential and important rock album that this one. 5 stars no doubt.
The Band
3/5
Americana/roots rock with some country, and soul influence by The Band, which was their debut in 1968. They were a very talented group of musicians and this album is well made, but maybe my expectations were too high after I've read some stellar reviews of this album. I've found this a bit too boring for my taste, the songs aren't too memorable even if the album flows together well and it's consistent album. 3.5 overall rounded down to 3.
N.E.R.D
2/5
This album is a mix of rock, hip-hop, art-pop among others, and it's very well produced (by The Neptunes/Pharrell Williams) which is a plus. It has an unique sound yet I couldn't really get into it and none of the songs stood out. It was an OK listen, but nothing more.
3/5
Short and good album, pretty unique punk rock with rockabilly and other influences. My issue with the album was that the production sounded too stripped down and basic to me, I read that it was produced by Ray Manzarek, which was a surprise.
PJ Harvey
5/5
I wasn't too familiar with PJ Harvey's music before this challenge and I liked all of her albums that came up here. 'Let England Shake' was the best one so far - I only listened to it twice, but I'm giving this 5 stars in advance. I have to read the lyrics more carefully as I read she put a lot of years and effort to write this album. The music is stunning and completely unique, it isn't comparable to anything I have heard before. The singing, the arrangements, the production and the songwriting are all top. What a special and beautiful album it is.
The Associates
2/5
A pretty generic 80s British new wave album, nothing too bad but not that interesting either. I am not a particularly big fan of the genre or the early production in general so I think it is a 2/2.5 at best.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Chill soul/funk album from the 70s. No songs stood out but it was a good listen, though I preferred his other album more which was included on this list so far (it was the Super Fly soundtrack album).
David Bowie
3/5
It says a lot about David Bowie that he managed to come back successfully in the sixth decade in his career with an album that is creative, experimental and interesting enough. It is a good album, with good songwriting, lyrics, production etc. but it is a bit difficult to rate when he's made a handful of brilliant, influential albums earlier in his career. Comparing this album to those, it might not be as good as them but this still deserves a strong 3 star/3.5 overall.
Elvis Costello
2/5
This is my 6th Elvis Costello album on this list...it's a bit too many, isn't it? This album was okayish at the beginning, but it is around 4-5 songs too long, in my opinion. Some of the songs don't go anywhere. Some albums I liked better and gave them a 3 star, and one 4 star, but since it's too many albums by him on this list, I'll give this a 2.
The Doors
5/5
The Doors' last album (while Jim was alive) is one of their best - they went back to their blues roots and and with Morrison's more mature and raw singing, Manzarek's usual brilliant playing it became one of their classic albums. The self titled track and the more jazzy Riders on the Storm are especially brilliant. It is great throughout, from the more experimental, psychedelic tracks to even the most bluesy tracks. If Morrison Hotel got downgraded to 4, LA Woman is upgraded to 5 stars.
Beck
3/5
Good alternative rock/hip-hop/sampledelia album by Beck, it's consistent and interesting throughout. But none of the songs really stand out, as it was the case with 'Loser' from his famous Odelay album. Somehow all the songs flow from one to another. Perhaps that's the reason it's a bit difficult to get into the album at first listen. 3.5, pretty close to 4 but I'll stick with 3 stars first.
2/5
I was never really a fan of Muse - theoretically I should like them, it's space rock with a bit of prog rock, they are from the UK...yet, they play too loud, too bombastic, too much, and overall just too superficial music to me.
Bauhaus
4/5
I'm not too familiar with early 80s goth rock but it was a fun listen. It is pretty haunting, alienated music, the drums were tight and precise, the singing quite nervy and sad, and the production reminded me a lot of of Joy Divison (though the music was nowhere near as depressing as them). I like compact and short albums which has consistently good songs on it and this album was like that.
Baaba Maal
4/5
I always like albums that are not from the usual European/Northern American/Australian - Western - world, as I like world music and getting to know different artists from other cultures, countries.
I liked Baaba Maal's other album which was already on this list. This album is a good mix of African rhythms and singing with Western arrangements, funk and electronica elements. It was a bit long and the 90s production is a bit dated but overall it was a nice listen.
P.s. some of the comments below mine was saddening to read, as if some people who do this challenge don't want to open their ears and minds and automatically rejects anything that is not from the Western world. Try to be a bit more open, please.
Common
2/5
I like the warm and soulful production of the album, it's excellently made. I lack the cultural and language knowledge to understand what this album is really about, though the rapping itself flows well and it's fine. Although a lot of the songs sound samey to me and nothing stands out much. The production itself stands out. 2.5 stars.
Doves
3/5
An okay indie pop/shoegazing album from the turn of the century. The first half was more exciting, ambiguous space rock, the second half (especially songs like Catch the sun) more alternative rock. The songwriting is fine but not stellar. It was an enjoyable listen, though I think the right setting is necessary to enjoy it more.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
90s white hip-hop nonsense which is almost an hour long. The talk-singing was rather annoying and after the second or third song, all songs sounded the same. I'm not quite sure why this album is included on the list when so many great albums didn't make it.
The Style Council
2/5
Mid-80s soft-pop mixed with jazz and even rap. Stylistically it is too all over the place for me, especially when rapping came right after the jazz song. It's well made and produced and some songs were good, even fun but I wouldn't come back to it again, it's not my cup of tea.
The Kinks
5/5
This is probably the most stylistically diverse album by The Kinks, released in 1967, at the height of the psychedelic era, in which they came up with something different than other top bands. It's whimsical and quirky and one of the most quintessential English albums ever. The lyrics are fantastic, the rhythm section and guitar work is really great, and it has one of the most beloved and well known English rock songs ever, 'Waterloo Sunset'. I may prefer The Village Green...or Arthur...a bit more but this albums deserves no less than another 5 star.
Travis
3/5
I listened to Travis a lot in my early teenage years and I liked them. They had a couple of good songs, and very well made video clips (Why does it always rain on me, Turn, Driftwood) that were frequently on the music channels in the late 1990s, early 2000s. They have a distinctive melancholic sound. But the rest of the songs on this albums aren't on the same quality as the singles, they are a typically singles band. Also, I think their next album, The Invisible Band is the stronger one out of the two, as they had a more mature sound on it, so if they have only one album on this list, they should've included that album instead of The Man Who.
My sense for nostalgia for these songs are strong but it deserves no more than a 3, I think.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Very well produced hip-hop album (produced by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams etc.), perhaps it is a bit too busy even. The music is enjoyable enough while I listen to it, but after a few songs, I already forget what I've heard a few minutes earlier. Also, the album is way too long, with over 70+ minutes. Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, downgraded to 2 overall.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I thought I would like this album more, because I like Pearl Jam, but I was wrong. The one-noted, unvaried instrumentation, the depressing vocals, the same sounding songs made it a difficult listen. And a long one, where the one hour album seemed like a two hour long album...Not really my cup of tea overall.
Spacemen 3
3/5
Interesting far-out psychedelic rock/space rock/shoegzae album from the late 1980s. I like these genres though this album was a bit more challenging to listen to, as most of the songs were very spacey, with no clear direction. I enjoyed it but I think I need more listens to understand this album better. 3/3.5 out of 5.
Megadeth
2/5
Tight playing, precise drums, they are obviously talented musicians. Metal is not my thing, though, because all the songs sound the same, and it seems it's all about hate, which I don't like, because it brings nothing positive. 2 stars.
Guided By Voices
3/5
28 short snippets of songs in 41 minutes. I haven't really heard lo-fi albums before so this was my first listen. It's a bit too underproduced and it sounds more a like a demo, but it wasn't a bad listen, though not sure I'll listen to it again.
Kid Rock
2/5
Combination of rap, rock and metal from the late 1990s. The lyrics are offensive, the production is quite good, though. It's not an album I like but it isn't completely unbearable as many other 1 star albums. It's close but I'll give it a 3 out of 10 or 2 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelin made a row of 5 star albums in their career, II is no exception, and is a fantastic follow up to their debut (which was released in the same year, it's mindblowing how they made two sch great albums within a year). It's an incredibly great hard rock album mixed with blues rock and early heavy metal. Whole Lotta Love is one of their greatest songs and I also love the softer, more folk-oriented songs, like Thank You.
Fairport Convention
5/5
Fairport Convention released two albums in 1969 and both of them are outstanding, stellar works. 'Unhalfbricking' was the earlier album, which was a transitional work from their earlier, more American folk sound (they were called the "English Jefferson Airplane") and they reached their peak with their more English folk-rock album, 'Liege & Lief" (an album I already gave 5 stars for). Unhalfbricking was shadowed by the band's van accident shortly before the album was released, in which their drummer tragically lost his life. It's a fantastic album with hugely talented musicians, an the best English folk rock female voice ever - Sandy Denny, and produced by the great Joe Boyd. It deserves no less than 5 stars.
Eminem
3/5
Comedy hip-hop and horrorcore album by Eminem, with one big hit, "My Name is" (the other singles weren't too familiar to me). I like his rhyming and overall it's a fun album, though not always consisently great or interesting.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Late 1990s house album from the UK - the first songs were very repetitive, and so were the last few songs, I liked the middle part the best because it was more interesting and varied. I like different electronic music but this was overall not to my liking. There are other electronic albums even from the 90s that I love a lot more than them.
The Only Ones
3/5
Good power pop debut album from the late 70s, mixed with a bit of punk and psychedelia.
Venom
1/5
Influential album, but I don't like metal at all and I don't like this album. It's satanic, the drumming is bad, the production is just weak. There is nothing to like here.
p.s. about the bad lyrics: in "Countess Bathory" the charges against her have been described by historians as a witch-hunt, and its purpose was to destroy her family's influence in the region. She was a powerful noblewoman and her family was a big threat to big empires, like the Habsburgs. The lyrics are just silly and often satanic.
Yes
4/5
One of the best albums of Yes and they were at their peak after Rick Wakeman joined the best. I like prog rock but I found myself not easily get into the music of Yes, perhaps it is because their songs aren't that melodic as other bands from that era. Their musicianships is amazing, though and I liked this album more than their previous ones. 4 stars overall.
Django Django
4/5
I've heard about this band before but never listened to any albums of them before this challenge. This is an intriguing, unique and great album with stellar production. I liked the mix of psychedelia, art rock, electronic and experimentalism. With a few more melodic tunes it would be close to a 5, now it is rounded down to 4.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Pink Floyd's debut is a masterpiece of psychedelia and the product of Syd Barrett's genius creative mind - the only full album he recorded with the band before he stopped working with them because of his mental issues. 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' was recorded at EMI studios at Abbey Road, at the same time as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, in early 1967. It's a perfect mix of Barrett's short, poppy whimsical psychedelic songs and intrumental improvisations. This completely unique sounding psychedelic gem was one of my favourite albums in my teenage years and it still remains one of my favourite albums ever.
Kelela
2/5
Well produced R'n'B/Soul album, though all the songs sounded the same without exception. Not sure why it is on the list when there are so many other artists in this genre. It was smooth and listenable as a background music, so it gets a 2 instead of only one star.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Her great comeback after she lost custody of her son, struggled with heroin addiction and anorexia and lived on the streets as a homeless. Her past is all in her voice on this album. It's a very nicely made new wave and bluesy folk collection of songs with unique textures and great production that stands out. I like that it is a short album that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
I agree with the user who wrote the top comment to this album - the acapella harmonies are both beautiful and lively, and even hypnotic at times. This challenge is worth doing exactly because of albums like this. I've known Paul Simon's Graceland but I wouldn't have listened to an album by Ladysmith Black Mambazo if it wasn't on this challenge. My attention was also wandering a bit so it doesn't get a full 5-star, but nonetheless it was a great listen and a beautiful album. I'm nearing 800 albums and I think this was the first one - and it may be the only one on this challenge - which had no instrument at all, only singing. Great experience which I enjoyed a lot.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
It's my 5th Nick Cave album on this list, which is too much, and I wonder why this album is included on this list. It has its moments, but as a whole it's just poetry with monotonous music, so musically it isn't interesting and I don't like his singing style either. I'm certain he is charismatic live but it doesn't capture well on records.
The Beach Boys
4/5
The Beach Boys departed from their previous albums with Today!, released in 1965, it has more orchestral sound and the subject of the songs and arrangements made it to be one of the first concept albums. The first side consists of uptempo songs while the second side consists of ballads which remind me quite a bit of Pet Sounds. The vocal harmonies and the production are top notch. It's not quite there as some of their later albums but it's a great listen.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Beautiful subtle melancholic folk-jazz album by the great late Tim Buckley. It's one of his best albums, though I prefer Goodbye Hello to this (which is more psychedelic). Buzzin' Fly is my favorite song from the album, it's so calm and makes me feel good.
Cheap Trick
3/5
Energetic, lively hard rock live album by Cheap Trick from the late 70s. There are better live albums which are not included on this list, though. It's probably not something I will listen to again.
The xx
3/5
This is a very nicely produced, chill, atmospheric indie pop record -a late night album because of the calmness and simplicity. Perhaps it is a bit too soft for my taste, and not as melodic as I thought it would be. Not sure I'd listen to it again, 3 stars overall.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Good and short soul album from 1967, but the thing is that there are at least a dozen better albums from that year alone which didn't make the list.
Stereo MC's
4/5
I was in the mood today for this alternative hip-hop/trip-hop album from the early 90s. The good vibes were there from start to finish. I enjoyed this!
The Kinks
4/5
The Kinks were one of the most important and influential British Invasion groups who made consistently great albums in the second half of the 60s. Face to Face is no exception from it, it's a really great collection of songs with one big hit, Sunny Afternoon (though overall The Village Green...or Arthur are better albums).. Ray Davies is a very good songwriter who deserves a lot of credit for these great albums.
k.d. lang
2/5
She has a good voice but the music itself is perfectly bland and forgettable.
The Monkees
3/5
The one time The Monkees had enough of their controlling managers and restrictive contracts and wanted to make an album of their own, and the end result wasn't bad at all - it's a nice little pop album albeit with no big hits. The problem is that this was released in 1967 where dozens of brilliant albums were made which shaped the future of pop-rock music and this album is far away from those records. Props to them for making an album of their own, though. Not many hit makers would've done that after two albums that were written for them and made them famous and rich. I actually enjoyed it, so overall I think it deserves 3 stars.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Quite a fun listen with cool beats and rhythms, but it's one of those albums that didn't stand the test of time, and it has that very dated late 80s production. I love her later songs especially the megahit 7 seconds from the mid-1990s.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I liked it, for its chill vibe and sound, though reggae is not the music I actively seek out to listen to, perhaps because it's very simple music. This album sounds a lot better with headphones than without it. No Woman, No Cry is a classic. Good sound overall.
Brian Eno
3/5
This was an interesting listen. It sounds fresh and unique even if it was released in 1981 and I can see why it was a pioneer album at that time because of all the sampling and experimentalism. The songs themselves aren't that memorable or enjoyable, though. They are ambient, while some of them sound very much like Talking Heads songs. 3.5 stars at my first listen.
Laura Nyro
2/5
She had a very nice voice and the album is well produced. The album started off strong but then it went downhill quickly. It felt without direction, and just too broadway-i and corny in a way. The album cover didn't suggest this as it looks a lot more introspective than the music on it. I appreciate her talent but the music isn't really my thing.
Destiny's Child
2/5
I was a teen when this album came out and the hits were playing non-sop on TV music channels. At that time I liked 'Independent woman pt1', but I was bored by 'Survivor' and other hits. After a quarter of century this album sounds too dated. And I don't understand the contradiction of the lyrics, as the first songs are feministic which promote the independence of women, while 'Nasty Girl' is the opposite, it's criticism towards women who dress too freely. Overall the album doesn't have a clear theme and it's too commercialised. With almost 60 minutes it is also a too long album. Not a fan, 2 stars overall.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
This is my kind of music. Not as great as Psychocandy, but still a very good alternative rock/shoegaze album from the second half of the 1980s.
Elis Regina
3/5
Fun Brazilian jazz/samba/pop music, her voice was really great, though there are other samba albums I preferred more to this one.
The Hives
2/5
It's not an LP but a collection of songs from previous albums and EPs. It soundes too commercial post punk/garage, and it turned out they made this compilation to get commercial success in the UK and other countries. The album's name shows there is too much ego there...not a fan of the music and the band.
Kate Bush
5/5
This is Kate Bush at her best, this art pop/progressive pop album is brilliantly written, produced and performed all by Kate herself. I absolutely love her quirkiness and the blend of hits (Running Up that Hill, The Big Sky, Cloudbusting) and the more experimental songs. This is actually one of my favorite albums from the 80s. She set the bar very high and she inspired so many female artists with this album. Without a doubt a 5 star album.
The Killers
2/5
I didn't like this album because I've found it really boring and predictable. I listen to some post-punk revival albums from the early 00s but this was disappointing. It was not annoying or that bad, just simply boring and not interesting.
Khaled
3/5
It's refreshing to hear an album from the non-Anglo world. I think it is the first Arabic album on this challenge and I liked the sound and the mix of Algerian and French singing. It is interesting to know what pop music sounds like in the other part of the world. The album is too long, however, which is almost 80 minutes long (it was typical in the late 90s/early 00s CD era).
The Mothers Of Invention
5/5
Zappa at his best in the 1960s - it's a hilarious comedy and parody of the hippy movement and the music scene. I haven't listened to it for years and I forgot how great this album is. But it's not just the comedy, it's also the pioneer editing and production that makes it a great album. A close 5 star album.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
I like distortion and guitars and I can hear the influences they made on later bands, and there were moments which were good, though I didn't particularly enjoy this album. I was leaning towards 3 stars but then came the last, very noisy song which rounds it down to a 2 overall.
Paul McCartney
4/5
Paul McCartney's debut is a lovely collection of songs he wrote and recorded mainly at his home during the break-up of The Beatles which was a very difficult period in his career. I like the intimite feel and simplicity of the album, it really feels a bit like the first indie/lo-fi album, decades before those terms even existed. Some songs he wrote during The Beatles (Junk, Teddy Boy), some are beautiful songs that are among the best in his solo career (Maybe I'm Amazed). It's a good album that showcases how great he is as a songwriter even if he wasn't at his best in this period of his life.
The Pharcyde
3/5
I don't know much about hip-hop, but I enjoyed the flow and the beats, it's a fun album, though a bit long overall.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Bluesy, country rock/swamp rock/American roots music from the late 60s. Proud Mary is great, the other songs are good musically though not really my kind of music. They had a distinctive sound and I like Fogerty's singing. But from this band I would rather listen to a best of album than any of the studio albums.
Al Green
3/5
Smooth and calm, soulful music from the early 70s. I liked the sound overall, though no songs really stood out and soul isn't a genre I listen to very often. 3+ stars.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Another album by Leonard Cohen which has great songwriting, poetic lyrics and a melancholic mood but the music itself is too simplistic, the guitar playing week and the singing is just horrendous. He was one of those songwriters whose songs should have been performed by actual musicians who could perform and sing. It's a shame because I couldn't enjoy this album and it was difficult to get though it.
Joy Division
5/5
It's one of the albums that captivates me the most whenever I listen to it. Its mood is extremely dark, haunting, intense and exciting at the same time. It's certainly among the strongest debut albums ever, the lyrics are top, and the production is completely otherwordly, which made it a pioneer album of the post-punk scene. This album still sounds fresh and new even more than 45 years later. A timeless classic.
Lambchop
3/5
I was in the right mood tonight for this album. It is a very nicely arranged and neatly produced chamber pop album with a touch of country. I enjoyed it, though it felt a bit directionless and inconsistent at times. 3+ stars at my first listen.
Anita Baker
2/5
An enjoyable enough late night album, she has good soft voice, and the music is inoffensive and calm though really not memorable. The production is over the top for my taste, very mid-80s. Overall a fine listen but not good enough for a stronger 3 stars.
The Clash
5/5
It's one of the best, if not the best punk albums ever - upon relistening it to again after a few years I didn't remember it had so many other influences, for example ska and rockabilly. It's an excellently written and played album, I like the tightness and how punchy it is - but playful at the same time. His voice is not my favorite and it's the only criticism of the otherwise stellar album.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Metal is not really my genre overall but I love classic early 1970s metal. This album is one of the most influential albums ever made, the first half are one incredible bangers after bangers and the whole album is compact and feels so short because it's just great music. The darkness, the rawness and energy are just fantastic. I've had other Black Sabbath albums on this challenge before but this is the best by far. RIP Ozzy (who died yesterday).
Tom Waits
2/5
For sure he has a disctinctive, unique style, but I can't stand his raspy voice and the bluesy songs just don't do anything for me.
Bee Gees
3/5
I like the late 60s albums by the Bee Gees - their singing suited the late 70s disco style more but musically they've done great stuff a decade earlier. Their singing is a bit melodramatic but overall it is a good concept album even if no songs really stand out. 3.5/5 stars.
Carpenters
3/5
Very well crafted songs, sung beautifully by the late great Karen Carpenter. Maybe these songs are not for everyone but they were really a top notch pop act of the 70s - two highly talented musician and singer. Overall I prefer a greatest hits compilation from this band because they had some amazing hits on different albums, and their studio albums are not as strong.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
90s alternative rock/grunge, there was nothing really memorable about this album, it was ok, not unlistenable but not particularly good either.
Solange
2/5
Well produced neo soul/R'n'B album by Beyonce's sister who can sing nicely (her voice is similar to her sister's), though no songs stand out/nothing is really memorable on it. It's one of those albums I wonder why they are on the list.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
A joyous and really fun traditional country/bluegrass album with extremely good musicianship. It's an important album in the genre which brought together different generations. As an album, thoughy it doesn't really work that well - there are 42 songs which last almost two hours which makes it an extremely long album. Some parts are disjointed and not that consistent. So while I enjoyed this album musically, as an album it doesn't work too well. 3+ stars.
David Crosby
4/5
It's a great album with unique harmonies, song structures and a relaxed, atmoshperic mood. Crosby invited a lot of his friends from the West coast psychedelic/folk scene and they made this album special together. I haven't listened to his solo albums before but this was a pleasant surprise.
John Cale
5/5
John Cale's most accessible and well known album is a beautiful orchestral-inspired record with great instrumentation, extremely lush and smooth production and an overall so comforting sound. It's a rock solid pop-rock album that I highly enjoyed.
Randy Newman
2/5
This is a nicely made album but nothing was memorable for me and it kinda bored me from start to finish.
Bad Company
3/5
Good hard rock debut album by Bad Company which doesn't overstay its welcome. Musically it's great, lyrically less so but overall an enjoyable album.
The Byrds
4/5
Another great album by The Byrds although five albums on this list is a bit much probably. 1966 was the era when they went more psychedelic and they got an important role in the counterculture at that time. I like the jangle pop sound of the album - Mr. Spaceman, and Hey Joe cover are great, and my personal favourite is Eight Miles High. It's a strong album by them and one of their best.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The album has two bangers on it, the opening Gimme Shelter and the closing You Can't Always Get What You Want. The rest of them is also fun but there are quite a lot of fillers, and country-blues by them isn't really my thing. I have always preferred a Best of/Greatest Hits by the Rolling Stones, instead of studio albums...
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
I liked this traditional folk/bluegrass album with the tragic and dark stories and the equally scary looking album cover (remember it's mid-50s where all album covers looked happy). The harmonies are very nice though the music itself is a bit too one-note, there isn't much variety in it. A strong 3.5 star album.
Fela Kuti
4/5
It's a really great afrobeat album, the rhythms and beats are highly enjoyable - very good blend of Western African music and funk/jazz. It just draws me in from the first moment. It's a short album with only 2 tracks and 25 minutes - a lot of albums are often too long, but in this case I wish this album was a bit longer.
The Zombies
5/5
Odessey and Oracle is one of the best psychedelic pop-rock albums ever. Fantastic songwriting, vocal harmonies and organ playing and overall it has a very British sound. It's really unbelieveable that this gem was overlooked upon release and the consequence was that the band split up - and while later Time of the Season became a major hit in the US, some agency made two other fake Zombies band and send them touring to make money. Crazy story which would be impossible to do today.
I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this album today and it deserves no doubt 5 stars.
The Band
3/5
There are some albums that are universally praised by critics and music lovers but I still can't get into it. The Band's self-titled album is one of those. They are great musicians and this is a compact album where the sum is better than the songs individually but I barely remember what I listened to two or five spngs earlier. Sometimes I don't enjoy Americana/country/blues that much and this is the case. It is a good album but not I would revisit.
Adele
2/5
I haven't listened other Adele albums, so I have no comparison. Her voice is powerful and commands attention which is good. The songs are too overproduced, samey and kind of boring. I was surprised I didn't recognise any hit songs from this album. Overall not my cup of tea but listenable enough because of her voice.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
I'm not very familiar with hip-hop but I always listen through albums from this genre to check how many songs I like. This album had some really good beats and rhythms, and it is very well produced and had some songs that flow together really well. I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics. It was too long which is usually my problem with hip hop albums. Overall it's a good album in the genre which I liked.
ABBA
3/5
Abba's final album in their 70s/80s career had a more mature sound than on their earlier albums. Their sound is instantly recognisable but there are no well known hits from it which is interesting. It's a consistent and good album, very precisely produced. The fatigure and tiredness can be felt throughout and it's often quite dark. It's a shame we didn't get to know what music they would have made in the 80s. But by the point this album was released, they were divorced and didn't want to continue working together.
Perhaps it needs more relistens, for know it's a solid 3 stars.
Peter Frampton
4/5
I am usually not the biggest fan of live albums (especially long live albums) so I was expecting a listenable but not very good live album by Peter Frampton. I was quite wrong, as I liked this album, it's fun, energetic, well played good hard rock. A bit long with 72 minutes but it was a good listen.
The xx
2/5
I usually like dream pop/indie but this was rather uninspiring and boring. Good production shadows the lack of good songwriting.
The Auteurs
3/5
Good britpop album, maybe the first in the genre. It also doesn't sound as dates as many other albums from that era.
Beyoncé
2/5
I don't want to repeat what many others have already written here but to put it shortly: Beyonce is overrated, overhyped and this album is just a pop record written by dozens songwriters, produced well to make it a huge commercial success. I don't really find it real art, because it's not genuine. Beyonce's voice is good and the album is not entirely unlistenable, so it's a generous 2 stars from me.
U2
4/5
For a post-punk 80s band like U2 and after the huge commercial success of The Joshua Tree, it was a difficult job to make an unique and succesful album again, but they did it with Achtung Baby. It's a great album, which cemented the greatness of the band (actually this was their last truly great album). My personal favourite from this album is the incredibly catchy Mysterious Ways.
Joy Division
5/5
A masterpiece of the post punk era, it sounds still such an unique album 45 years after. The percussions, the synth, the bass and guitar are all great. Lyrics and the haunting singing of Ian Curtis are brilliant. It's harder, more challenging and more complex than Unknown Pleasures. Both are stellar records worthyy of five stars.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Slow ambient/techno album from the mid 90's. Nice textures and good atmosphere, production is really great. It probably works better as a DJ set instead of an album, though. It was an interesting listen. 3.5 stars.
Joan Armatrading
2/5
Jazzy folk-pop album from the mid-70s. Musically inoffensive and even inmemorable, lyrically more provoking, but the songs blend together too much. She is talented but this album isn't really my thing.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Country pop/rock/ crossover album from the mid 90s. Not really my cup of tea overall but it isn't a bad album, just a bit too generic for my taste - but it was a pleasant enough listen overall. The big hit of the album is quite fun. Rounded up to 3 stars.
The Stone Roses
5/5
The Stone Roses' debut album is one of the most original sounding debut albums, one of the best British albums and overall one of the greatest albums ever made.
The band took the best aspects of post-punk, psychedelia and dance and made an album that was completely unique in sound and changed the generation what was to come in the 1990s. They were the bridge between 1980s post-punk and 1990s britpop and indie and their influence on alternative music was immerse.
The songs themselves are all incredibly catchy, hooky, melodic and jangly. But it's not just the songs themselves - they were masters of track sequencing on this album, as the songs are placed so perfectly. The track sequencing guides the listener through a musical journey, creating a fantastically cohesive experience by building emotion all the way through the album. 'I Wanna Be Adored' is one of the greatest openers on any album, and 'I Am The Resurrection' is one of the best closing songs ever. John Leckie as a producer did an amazing work on this album. In 1989, this album sounded something extremely fresh and new.
On a personal level, I remember when I discovered this album on besteveralbums.com website, while I was studying day and night for my final exams in the 6th year of my law studies. I was so desperately tired and wanted to get over my exams so much that I wanted to discover music that could help me get through those rigorous months. I found this album and the easygoing sound saved me from insanity back then. I lived and breathed the album and often listened to it 4-5 times in a row. Later that summer they came to my city to play at a festival and I'll never forget those memories.
Obviously 5 stars and no doubt it's one of the best albums on this challenge.
Ride
5/5
Shoegaze at its best (along with MBV and next to them, Slowdive). This album is heavy, noisy, layered and beautiful and melodic at the same time - I love the dreamy singing, the droning guitars and the drums especially, which create a fantastic wall of sound. It needs to be listened with headphones and at a quite loud volume. Favourite songs are Seagull, Polar Bear, Dream Burn Down and the beautiful closing track Vapour Trail which are classics of the genre.
5/5
There is nothing really new I can say about this iconic album but here is my summary and personal opinion:
It's obviously one of the greatest albums ever made, and the most well known Beatles album along with Abbey Road among the general public. The idea of creating an alterego band whose songs are played by The Beatles was a brilliant idea. This is one of the first concept albums ever and I've always found amazing how the songs flow into each other despite of the variety of sounds (psychedelic rock, baroque pop, classical Indian music etc.) the album has a very compact sound. It's a real album's album. The sound engineering is absolutely pioneering in rock music. With this album the band has completely changed the view about how an album means in rock music, they raised the bar incredibly high with this one. And last, there are many great closing on albums but A Day in the Life is no doubt the most iconic album closing songs ever.
On a more personal level, I loved this album from age 10 when I found this on an old vinyl at home in the mid 90s. I didn't understand any English but liked the variety of the sounds of the album and the colourful album cover. My focus has shifted on other Beatles albums more later (White Album, Revolver, Abbey Road etc.) and many fans think Sgt. Pepper's is not even in the Top 3 greatest Beatles albums, let alone their best, but whenever I listen to this album it makes me remember how brilliant it is and how much I love it.
Arcade Fire
5/5
It's one of the best debut albums ever and one of the best albums in the 21st century. The songwriting is exquisite and so are the lyrics and overall production of the album. My favourite songs are the gorgeous, uplifting Wake Up and Rebellion (Lies). The album has a perfecty slow and calm ending which makes the whole experience as round as it needs to be.
Maxwell
3/5
Very smooth neo soul which sounds quite like a 70s album but with better production. A good listen for a chill late night, though a bit too background music as the songs sound very similar. It's also around 15 minutes too long.
Nirvana
4/5
Very strong follow up after Nevermind by Nirvana. I like the rawness and the beauty at the same time. Favourite songs are Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Industrial is not my style of music and it was a struggle to get though this album. It's too aggressive and violent for me. But after the first half there were a few songs that were more interesting, even abstract and I admit this must've been pretty forwars thinking in 1994. Still, I can't give more than two stars for this album.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I appreciate Marvin Gaye's talent and his smooth soul music. However to write a whole double album about his divorce is a bit too much. It's a long album where the songs are all quite same and the theme is the same. Overall okay, but not something I would revisit.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
After a few okayish solo albums (at his level) McCartney launched his post-Beatles career with this fantastic album in 1973. It's compact and incredibly cohesive, and I absolutely love how the songs seamlessly flow from one into other - not just the songs actually, but Band on the run, the title itself is a song put together from shorter songs. The ending of the album is truly epic.
I'm more a Lennon fan in general (McCartney's lightheartedness is not always my style), but this album beats the 70s Lennon solo stuff (not All Things Must Pass, though, which is on par with this album). Credit where credit is due and this is a brilliantly written, produced and performed album. Plus, I love the back story of it all - two members of Wings left the band before recording this album, plus it was recorded in Nigera under difficult circumstances, where the band was held even at knifepoint and the demos of the album were stolen.
The Fall
3/5
The Fall's post-punk debut album from the late 1970s, it's not something I love but altogether it wasn't bad either.
Dion
3/5
Pop album from the mid-1970s. Phil Spector's production is the best thing about it, the music itself is nice, smooth, but not too memorable.
Van Morrison
3/5
I like his music and rated his late 60s solo albums five stars, but I am not a big fan of live albums on this list especially those which are double albums and are so long. This music is great, though, and excellently produced (it barely sounds like a live album), I enjoyed it here and there but I wasn't in the mood for it for 1.5 hours.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Punk/hardcore punk from the mid-1990s. I was expecting something a lot more faster, aggressive music but this was different and quite ok, even enjoyable at times. Still, it is not the kind of music I like to listen to. 2 stars, but it's close to 3.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
A good transitional album between Manchester post-punk and later neo/psychedelia/indie rock and thus it's an important record in the history of music. They were one of the most influential bands from Liverpool in the last decades of the previous century. Great arrangements, haunting vibe, I liked this album.
Stereolab
3/5
I listened the opening track many times when I was younger. I like the cool 90s vibe, the exotic French singing, the quite experimental post-rock/electronica sound, but after listening to this for almost an hour, it does feel a but too repetitive and overall, it's just without much substance.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
It was my first listen and I liked it quite a lot. It's a very good blend of pre-britpop, US alternative rock with a hint of 60s vibe. This came out in 1991 before Oasis and in the same year Blur released their debut so this band was influential on the British rock music scene of the 90s. It also has a Scottish sound which can be heard in a couple of songs. A strong 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Goldie
2/5
An almost two hour long drum'n'bass album from the mid-90s. I can see why it was influential, but to me it was too repetititve and long without many interesting melodies and songs, only a couple of them were more memorable and enjoyable.
Public Enemy
3/5
For its influence and importance this album should get automatically five stars, but I have found it too dated, very much of its time from the late 80s, and while I appreciate their talent, there are other rap albums I've enjoyed more on this challenge. Sorry, but only 3 stars.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Good roots rock/Southern rock album from the early 90s. It doesn't sound really dated which is nice though overall it didn't grab me very much. It's the kind of music I would enjoy in a pub or live concert though.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
I like that Lydon turned his back on the previous Sex Pistols style punk music and chose to do something different. The album sounds pretty amazing considering it is almost 50 years old. The bass lines are simply fantastic on many tracks. The problem is, however, that the songs have no melodies and Lydon's vocal performance is pretty terrible. I would have enjoyed this more as an instrumental album.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I loved this album very much. It's laid back, easygoing and contains among the finest guitar playing ever on any record. All Along the Watchtower and Voodoo Child are among the best psychedelic rock songs ever. The album itself is a bit disjointed as it's a double album with over 70 minutes, and overall I liked his first two albums a bit more because of the coherency. It's a 4.5 album rounded down to 4.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
I have never listened to this album so I was curious about it since it's a famous one. I liked it overall, the guitar playing and also the drumming is excellent on this one. It contains one of the most well known rock songs ever, Layla, which was famously written about the then-wife of George Harrison, Pattie Boyd and Clapton's muse, lover who later married him. But, as many blues rock music, many of the songs are a tad too long, and the guitar playing is sometimes a bit self indulgent. It's still damn good playing but after more than an hour it was a bit too much. Overall I like Clapton's earlier music in the 60s, with Yardbirds, Cream and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers a bit more (many of those albums I rated five stars).
Machito
4/5
I inherited some fantastic jazz vinyls from the 50s and there were some Machito albums as well so his name wasn't unfamiliar. This Afro-Cuban jazz with the frentic energy and the incredible skills of the musicians is such a great listen. I am not always in a mood for such music but when I have then it is such a joy. It reminds me a bit of oldies films from the 50s or 60s spy films. It's difficult to rate this as an album (in the 50s there was no real albums, more like songs thrown together and released on a record). The music itself is five stars.
The Monks
5/5
This is a lost gem. I haven't listened to it for years and I almost forget how great this album was. It's completely wild, raw, innovative and unique. The American GIs stationed in Germany decided to do some music after they get bored with the usual rock and roll scene. They had full artistic freedom which resulted in this highly enjoyable, heavily rhythm based proto punk, garage rock album. I can ever hear the influences on krautrock. Amazing. The album was illegally listened to on radios in Eastern Germany and they appreciated this music even more. I think if people are oppressed they can appreciate indivduality and uniqueness even more.
This is a really influential album which is close to perfect, and I loved to revisit it again, so it deserves the five stars.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Probably the first full proto heavy metal album - it was recorded in 1967 and released early 1968, it's really mindblowing how new this sound must have been at that time. It's also a mix with psychedelia thanks to the amount of LSD they were using while recording this album. However, there was still a lot of refinement to do and it's distorted and heavy without much directions - the album lacks in good songwriting. As much as I wanted I didn't really enjoy it. It gets one extra star because of its influence.
Culture Club
2/5
Objectively a good, fun new wave/pop album with one megahit, subjectively I don't like the early 80s production and sound and it's not my kind of music.
White Denim
3/5
I haven't heard about this band before - this album is good, psychedelic jam/rock, I like the general vibe and that it doesn't overstay its welcome. But it lacks in songwriting a bit, most songs don't go anywhere.
Julian Cope
4/5
I like psychedelic/art rock and this is a very good album in this genre from the 90s by Julian Cope. It has various styles and instrumentations which keeps me getting interested throughout. It's a long album, too long for my usual liking (which is somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes) but anyway it was an enjoyable listen.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Not sure why this album must be listened and is on this list. It's probably because it is Springsteen's 9/11 album and the author thought it was important to include it. It's standard 00s rock, with no highlights, it's overproduced and it's too long. I heard worse stuff from Springsteen but I won't revisit this album either.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
A disappointing album after what I expected looking at the haunting album cover (of Candy Darling dying) and reading that it's chamber pop which I usually like. The voice is really whiny and annoying, the music itself is nothing very special. It's intimate and personal but it lacks in songwriting...
The Who
5/5
One of the best live albums ever. I listened to the original album with 37 minutes, not a single second is wasted on it. It's The Who at their best in the best era of rock.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Very nice, relaxing, chill South African traditional music with Makeba's beautiful singing.
Neil Young
2/5
I liked Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young but I can't really warm to Young's solo stuff. His voice is not the one I like, and the music is too country/blues folk for my taste, which isn't too interesting. Probably I'm missing something because I usually enjoy 70s folk even country at points, but I just don't really like his music.
Mj Cole
2/5
Pleasant background British club music from the turn of the century, but irrelevant and not sure why it's on this list.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Musically very minimalist, it's focused on the lyrics just too much for my taste. There were some nicer songs and overall it's relaxed but just not my cup of tea. Those 52 minutes felt like 1 hour 52 minutes.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
When I saw it's a chamber pop album I thought I would like it but I was wrong. It's overblown and doesn't sound like a genuine album, just a collection of corny theatrical songs. At least it's short.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
I already heard about Skip Spence and this album but I haven't got around to listen to it in full until today - and I wasn't disappointed, as it is a truly fascinating album.
Skip Spence was one of the most talented musicians in the San Francisco music scene in the mid-1960s, who played the drums on Jefferson Airplane's debut album and was the founding member of Moby Grape, before having a nervous breakdown in 1968 due to mental illness (probably caused by excess drug abuse, mainly LSD). After he attacked the members of Moby Grape with a fire axe, he was sent to a mental institution, where he wrote his only solo album - after his release he went to Nashville and recorded the songs alone, which he also himself produced. So the back story itself if fascinating enough...And the result was a fantastic album, with deeply personal, raw songs and an interesting musical world that seamlessly blends folk and psychedelic folk. It's a little chaotic and messy in places, but all the more personal for it—we get a glimpse into the mind of a man who has gone through the worst. This album has influenced many musicians and its unique sound is not comparable to anything since then. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the also relaxed, almost cathatonic solo songs of Syd Barrett, who struggled with serious mental health issues just like Spence and whose first solo album was also released in 1969.
Favourite songs: Diana, Weighted Down and Grey/Afro.
4 stars, close to 5.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Good early 90s alternative rock by PJ Harvey, although I preferred Stories from the city....and Let England Shake to this album. 3+ stars.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
I love the funky tunes, the ballads are also nice but they're more typical 70s mainstream. This album doesn't contain the hits I've previously heard before by this band. Good album, close to 4 stars.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great, especially the first half, but as many double albums, it falls a bit flat in the second half.
3/5
Late 90s samba-inspired electronica with chill atmosphere and soundscapes by Serbian born Suba who went on to live in Brazil. It drags a bit by the end but otherwise it was a good listen. I was sad to read Suba died days after the release of this album when he tried to save the recordings he made from a fire which happened in the studio. It's a strong 3 star album, quite close to 4. (6 out of 10).
Syd Barrett
4/5
Great psychedelic folk album from the late 60s, released on the 2nd January 1970. Syd was the creative genius of Pink Floyd, before he left the band in 1968 due to mental breakdown. His first solo album is quirky, whimsical and very British, and influenced many artists after him. This album needs to be listened in full as Syd also wanted it to be heard, he said : " I liked what came out, only it was released far too long after it was done. I wanted it to be a whole thing that people would listen to all the way through with everything related and balanced, the tempos and moods offsetting each other, and I hope that's what it sounds like.".
Favourite songs: Octopus, Terrapin, Golden Hair, Late Night.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
It's one of those albums that the longer they are, the better they get. It started off quite slow and boring but got more fun by the end. His other album was even more repetitive and annoying at some points, though I loved the hits very much. Here there weren't any hit songs but overall it's a good big beat / electronica album.
Gang Of Four
4/5
I don't know why I thought they were a 70s US soul band, but I noticed someone before me commented the same, so I am not alone in this.
Anyway, it means I haven't heard about this hugely influential post-punk album before, which was a mistake on my part - it's a really great album, tight, punchy, funky with interesting lyrics as well. The album went by really fast which means it's a compact, consistent and entertaining album. 4 stars upon first listen.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
A short outlaw country from the mid 1970s, the singing is nice and the closing song is quite different from the rest. I don't know much about country, and I don't see myself coming back to this album but this was an OK listen.
Ash
3/5
Good, energetic power pop/alternative rock album from the mid-90s. One of the few albums from Northern Ireland on this list.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
It's the longest studio album on this challenge (Ella's The Gershwin Songbook is longer but that's a compilation album), and as a busy worker I needed two days to listen the full album. The fact is that writing 69 songs for one album that are pretty consistently good and make a consistent album is not a small feet. I liked many of the songs on the album, and thankfully indie folk/rock is a genre that I like. I could easily compile a short version of this album with my 15 favorite songs from it. The thing is, however that it is simply too long - 3 hours is a lot and I don't enjoy long albums very much. So I will give it 3 stars - 4 stars for the songs I particularly enjoyed, 2 stars for the length and 3 for the overall experience.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
The songwriting is okay, but I don't like his voice...and it's really his 8th or 9th album on this list so far. Do we really need to listen to it before we die?
Beach House
4/5
Beach House is one of the bands from the past fifteen years that I really like, as dream pop is one of my favorite genres. Teen Dream is considered their magnum opus and it's a beautifully written, dreamy pop music. I still love their next album (Bloom) even more which is grander and has even more gorgeous soundscapes and melodies. I also love their 7 album very much. Teen Dream is great too so it's deserves a good rating, though not a perfect 5.
John Martyn
3/5
A more experimental, dub, folk-rock album by John Martyn. It's smooth and clean, though the production is a bit dated. The closing song was very interesting. It's a good album but I enjoy his more folk oriented work more.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Mellow, laid back early 00s neo psychedelia, acid pop by US band The Flaming Lips - I liked it but I think I expected a bit more interesting album with more recognisable melodies. The production is great, it sounds it could be released today. It's an oky but I liked The Soft Bulletin more.
The KLF
3/5
Early 90s British electronic music, it's one of those albums that are very much the product of their times. I haven't heard about this band before or knew any of the songs. It was a good listen, though the first half was more interesting than the second half, the last songs were less electronic/rave and more poppier.
Gorillaz
3/5
When I was in my teens and this album came out, I loved the concept and the hit singles Clint Easteood and 19-2000 (the remix version). The videoclips were refreshing, new and cool. I loved Blur so I was happy to hear more of Damon Albarn who is the founder of this project - this time he made more of a trip hop and alternative hip hop album than their previous rock oriented music with Blur.
The debut album of Gorillaz is good, but not quite there yet - it starts off well then it gets a bit dragging as all songs are quite slow and have the same tempo. I think Demon Days is their best and this is their weaker album out of the three along with Plastic Beach, but it's still worth a listen.
Van Halen
2/5
I don't really like Van Halen, but their debut is still better than what they did later in the 80s - commercialised hair metal with all the posing. This is still a 70s album but I can already hear what was to come later in the 80s. Sure, they are technically good but at the same time it's not the kind of pure heavy metal I enjoy.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Early love 70s prog rock album, a cover of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition classical piece. It's fun, eccentric, bold and ambitious, the organ played brilliantly by Emerson (who was a big admirer of classical music). It's really like at an exhibition - some songs are energetic and chaotic, some are quiet and slow. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I have always liked early 70s ELP (and late 60s stuff by Emerson).
Tortoise
3/5
Good, atmospheric instrumental album with interesting layers, perfect for background music.
New Order
4/5
Synth pop is usually not my thing, but this is such an awesome album that I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Great musicianships, playing overall sound. It's a 4.5, pretty close to 5.
Nick Drake
5/5
I waited for hundreds and hundreds of albums to finally get Five Leaves Left. Today, after more than 900 albums, that day has finally come. My wish was to get this album on a sunny autumn day, when the leaves were resplendent in shades of gold and burgundy. Today was just such a day.
Nick Drake's debut album, written and recorded when he was barely 20 years old, is a gem of English melancholy. It is a collection of incredibly beautifully written, played, and arranged songs. The wonderful Riverman, the mystical Three Hours, the exciting Cello Song, the prophetic Fruit Tree, which gives me chills... each and every one of them is a masterpiece. I'm sorry that Nick wasn't the recognized artist in his lifetime that he should have been. But so much gratitude to him for the three albums he left behind for us. Rest in peace, Nick.
Brian Eno
5/5
I have heard this album many times before today, so this isn't new for me. It is indeed as ignorable music as it is interesting, as Eno said. He invented ambient music with this album and deserves all the praise for it. Usually I am against music that is background music but this is such a soothing, calm experience that I absolutely love it. It still sounds fresh and new almost 50 years after its release, which is really mindblowing. And it should totally be played at airports instead of all the nervy pop music they have nowadays.
Cornershop
4/5
Back in 1998 when I was 12 I already loved Brimful of Asha, it was a huge hit and a very catchy, fun tune. At that time I've only heard the Fatboy Slim remix. Too bad other songs by this band weren't hits, so I wasn't familiar with them more. I was a bit afraid this album would be a bit disappointing but thankfully, I was wrong. The mix of britpop and indie tunes with Indian influences is really great. It's an exciting album that is consistent throughout, albeit a bit long. Even the original, slower and more laidback version of Brimful of Asha fits in perfectly. I'll check more of their albums cause I think I'd like them. The cover os Norwegian Wood, the first pop song that mixed Western and Indian music is a nice closing track of the album. Strong 4 stars overall.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
A really great, inventive snd creative debut album by Captain Beefheart. It's bluesy with hints of psychedelia and experimentalism, and weird and fun at the same time. It made a big impact on the UK rock scene while San Francisco albums were barely accessible there (legendary DJ John Peel played the album on his pirate radio station).
Captain Beefheart is one of the most brilliant musicians the US have ever seen. It's not as groundbreaking as Trout Mask Replica is, but nonetheless a great album. 4.5 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Obviously it's one of the best debut albums ever, and it's from 1969 which is probably the best year in the history of rock music. I haven't listened to this album for quite some time and actually as I've listened to a lot of Yardbirds lately I can hear the direct origins/influences. I like the balance of the slower, more blues oriented songs and the heavier and faster songs. It's just a brilliant album from start to finish.
The Stooges
4/5
Imagine how new it must have sounded back in 1969. It's truly a link between late 60s psychedelic rock and 70s punk - it's one of the most important albums in proto punk, if not the most important. I love I Wanna Be Your Dog the most, the rest are also very good songs. On importance it should get a 5, for my personal taste it gets a 4.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
My first time listening a full album by Sinead O'Connor and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Her voice was beautiful, soulful with lot of emotion, melancholy and gravitas to it. The songs are quite simple but well written and nicely produced. It's usually not my kind of music this is rounded up to 4 stars.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
It's a pretty unique art rock album at my first listen. It's Damon Albarn's side project so it must be good...The ending song was a banger. I don't really remember the melodies of the rest. Perhaps I need more listens.
3/5
I like prog rock but I could never really warm to the Yes for some reasons. Their musicianship is amazing and it is also a well produced album. Perhaps the songs themselves aren't that memorable and melodic, and it's very much 'head' music instead of 'heart' which makes it less interesting to me. I haven't got this problem with most other prog rock band (for instance, Genesis is one of my favourite bands).
Well anyway it was a good listen and appreciate their talent but it'e only 3 stars.
Massive Attack
3/5
I like the general atmosphere of the album, though I preferred their Blue Lines album more (and I read there is no Mezzanine on the list, which is surprising and I don't know why this album is on the list instead). I didn't like the cover of Light my fire, though.
Lou Reed
3/5
It was my first listen of this album (though not the first album by Reed on this challenge), and after the first few minutes I wasn't impressed but as the album went on it got better and better. It kept my interest musically throughout. The ending (Sad Song) is really great. I am still not a fan of his voice but there is no denying that his songs are captivating. 3 stars after my first listen but it needs more listens and might round it up later.
Ice Cube
1/5
As a woman I am against anything mysognistic, and unfortunately in a lot of gangsta rap there is excessive mysogny like in this album. The beats were okay, though not as good as many other hip hop albums I listened before. It's a very angry album, and I get the importance of the political messages but I can't rate this album higher than 1 star.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
This is a very good sounding 80s album, it doesn't sound dated at all, so alone for that I understand why this album is an acclaimed one from that decade. However, I find the songs forgettable and not something I would listen to again - this kind of pop/nee wave is not my thing.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Classic Stones, bluesy and country/roots rock music. It's very well produced and at least it doesn't overstay its welcome. But it has only one really big hit on it, and the rest are pretty forgettable. Esquire magazine wrote in 1969 that Beggars Banquet is unflawed and lacking something while the Beatles' White Album (also released in late 1968) is flawed and great anyway. That's the difference between Stones and The Beatles. 3 stars but it mainly for the hit, their skills and the production itself, not the songs themselves.
David Holmes
2/5
Late 1990s British electronica/alternative dance. It started off really badly and I thought I'd give it 1 star, then it got significantly better as the album progressed. Though the songs are either hit or miss and the album itself overstayed its welcome by around 15 minutes, I like the cinematic sound of many songs and it's quite quirky and interesting here and there. It's good background music. I was considering to give it 3 stars overall but I'll round it down to 2 stars as overall it's too long, and after all not very memorable/there are better electronica albums that aren't included. It's a strong 2 stars, though.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Nicely performed and produced debut album by Stills. It sounds fresh and something ahead of its time. The songwriting is not that memorable, though - I like Crosby, Stills and Nash more than the solo stuff.
Hole
3/5
Good alternative rock/power pop album by the Hole, a lot less grungy and more radio friendly but nevertheless a fun album from a time where alternative rock wasn't really 'in' in the late 90s. 3.5 stars.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
He is obviously a talented singer and songwriter but the layers and layers of dated 1980s production make this album almost unlistenable. All I could think of how bad it sounds instead of the songs, the music themselves. This is a really generous 2 stars because otherwise I would rather give it 1 star.
Tom Waits
2/5
Oh dear. It's one of the few albums that it got stellar reviews and five stars by critics and fans alike, and I really didn't like it despite of the fact that I like many experimental, weird and dark music. The production is great and it doesn't really sound a mid-80s album and he is an obviously talented songwriter...but I don't like his singing style and voice, and most of the songs sounded like drunk circus songs. I probably need more listens and read the lyrics carefully, but as of now it's only two stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
It's a link between British post-punk and early neo psychedelia, great album. Happy Death Man is a fantastic song to finish the album.
Giant Sand
2/5
A not completely unpleasant album but a totally unremarkable one. It's one of those albums I forget minutes after I finished listening. I haven't even heard about the band before even if I listened to a lot of music at the turn of the century? I wonder why is it on the list when many great albums are missing?
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
The beats and flow are really good and album's production is also great. The lyrics, however is very dated and revolves around violence, misogyny, drugs, it's horrible to listen to it especially as a woman. I give this two stars for the music itself, but if I consider the lyrics this really should get only one star.
The Pogues
3/5
Irish punk rock is not the genre I listen to, but it's a fun album that doesn't sound a late 80s album and I think it stood the test of time. It would be much better to listen to this album in az Irish pub or at a live concert though. 3 stars rounded up for the fun and great production.
The White Stripes
4/5
Out of the three White Stripes albums I've listened to, this was the one I loved the most. It's punchy, tight very good garage rock/blues rock, not simple and mainstream but not too far our either. Seven Nation Army is one of the greatest album openers in this century so far, and an iconic song, but the rest of the album is also great. Strong 4 stars.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
It's always difficult to rate jazz albums because they are so different to other genres on this challenge. This is a highly enjoyable virtuoso jazz album, and it's a live album which makes it anneven more fantastic one because it sounds like a studio album, it's that perfect sounding. 4.5 stars.
Soundgarden
3/5
Mid 1990s American alternative rock/grunge album, it's good, nothing too remarkable, and not bad either. I've listened to it as a background music and it was perfect for it. It goes a bit too long, though.
Wild Beasts
2/5
I like 00s indie but this were pretty forgettable 43 minutes and I think there are so many better albums that could've been included on this list - it's one of those albums I simply don't understand why should I or others listen to before we die.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I liked Pet Shop Boys as a kid in the 1990s because of his voice, catchy tunes and great production. This late 80s album is not entirely to my liking, though especially some of the production and a few songs - I prefer their hit singles more.
Tom Waits
1/5
The jazz music in the background was quite good but the spoken word mumbling and some of the lyrics make this album an unlistenable one thus it deserves one star.
David Ackles
3/5
This project is to discover obscure, forgotten albums like American Gothic - an album usually I would have never discovered on my own. And I am glad I listened to this album. It's different, odd, a but overblown which is not often my taste but it kept my interest throughout and it was a pleasant listen. Robert Kirby conducted the album, he worked with Nick Drake around that time and a bit earlier and I can hear his influence on the album. At first listen a strong 3 star album.
Red Snapper
2/5
Acid jazz electronica from 2000 - it's an ok background music as it is instrumental and quite atmospheric for a late night listen. Still, it's not something I would revisit and I wonder again why it is on the list.
Primal Scream
5/5
The definition of early 90s British music. Really outstanding psychedelic/electronica/indie album. The production still sounds fresh even it's made nearly 35 years ago. It's a bit long album, and has a slower pace than what I remembered. It's a 4.5 stars rounded up because of its legacy and the fact that I love this genre a lot. And for songs like Loaded, or I'm Coming Down it deserves the highest rate.
The Incredible String Band
5/5
It's one of the lowest rated albums on this list but I absolutely love this album. First, I love late 60s psychedelia and British folk, so it's my genre. This album was highly successful in 1968 and was praised by the critics at that time (it's one of the favourite akbums of Robert Plant, too and it influenced Led Zeppelin's debut album). The album is quirky and weird, with plenty of interesting Eastern instruments, and some really beautiful melodies. Sure, the lyrics are hazey and crazy, but it's perfect for this music. These guys were very talented songwriters so it's not a surprise this - and their 1000 Spirits... - album was such a success.
For a personal note, I live next to a forest, and I spent some gorgeous time on the island of Capri, Italy, wandering aroung alone on the island, in the forests some 15 years ago when I listened to this album a lot.
The last few songs fall a bit flat but it is still a five star album from me.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
I love psychedelic/acid rock from the late 1960s and this is another great San Francisco Bay Area album from 1967. I like the electric organ heavy songs which lean to more jazzy-psychedelic than acid rock. I still love Jefferson Airplane the most from the scene but this is also a very good album.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I don't know much about salsa (and Latin American) music in general, but this was very enjoyable - especially in a rainy, grey and cold November day, where my mood was lifted immediately. It's complex, the musicianship is excellent, and it's just a really fun album. The disco-y vibe at the beginning and the last song was a bit surprising. Overall a really cool album!
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I had 'Actually' by the Pet Shop Boys a few days ago and overall I liked this album more. It's from 1990 and doesn't have that distinctive 80s sound anymore, and while it doesn't have any big hits on it it works quite well as an album. It's calm and understated album. I don't think I will come back to it but it was a good listen.
B.B. King
3/5
The talent of B.B. King was immense, the album itself is good blues playing and an enjoyable listen, though my recording of it wasn't of great quality due to bad mixing/not enough volume, and it bothered my experience.
The Specials
4/5
The debut album of The Specials is great, a very good 2 tone, ska revival album from the late 70s. The music is mostly fun and upbeat while the lyrics have important societal topics. I can see why it's a cult band in the UK. I liked this more than theie second album.
Iggy Pop
3/5
I thought I'd enjoy this album a bit more, so perhaps my expectations were a bit higher. It's not a bad album, but apart from Lust For Life and The Passanger, the other songs were just okay, and they had a bit like Stones/bluesy rather than experimental or anything more captivating. Perhaps I need more relistens. 3 stars now.
Pantera
1/5
Metal is one of the genres I really don't like and this album wasn't an exception. It's aggresssive, angry, hateful, and tedious. Sure, they are technical and can play their instruments but that's not enough for me to like an album.
TLC
4/5
TLC were *the* hip girl band in the 1990s - this album is the perfect balance of R'n'B, hip-hop, New Jack swing, pop and soul, with very nice production that doesn't sound dated at all (unlike so many other albums from that era). This album is smooth, and sexy but not overdone. They paved the path for so many other groups who followed. Waterfalls stands out and it's so catchy it often stucks in my head.
I was into them in the late 90s and that time (especially No Scrubs) was as great as their mid 90-s stuff. Lisa Left eye's talent was special, may she rest in peace.
Ozomatli
3/5
I haven't heard about this band before, it's Latin pop mixed with rap, alternative rock and other genres. Quite an entertaining album, although sometimes I think less is more. I couldn't find a few songs on Youtube, which is rare cause so far (950+ albums) I've found all albums in full. 3stars.
The Fall
2/5
I didn't like this album, while the musicians are excellent, the singing is too one tone and overall there was not one song that was stuck in my head. It's post punk with a flavor of early 90s sound which isn't great.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Second lowest rated album on this challenge after the Throbbing Ghistle album. This one is very avantgarde, and industrial with unbearable shouting and custom built instruments like some metal things hitting to each other. It's a very German album in a sense that it's not fun, it's noisy and kind of scary.
I understand German so it was at least a bit interesting to listen to what he was shouting. I was listening to it while there was a construction going on in the neighbour's so it felt like I was listening to this horrible noise in stereo. As a consequence I have headaches now which isn't a surprise. At least it is a tiny bit more interesting than the Throbbing Ghistle album so it deserves to be the second worst album here. Still unbearable of course.
Minutemen
2/5
A long double album with a mixture of punk rock, jazz and alternative. This kind of punk music is good and clever. Some songs are fresh sounding, and I appreciate the musicianship. But there are 45 songs on it and many of them aren't that great, which make the album disjointed and not compact, it just flows from one song to another. A short compact album with 10-15 songs would have been perfect. Strong 2 stars.
Mercury Rev
3/5
I haven't heard about this band, I was surprised to read this was voted as the best album in the UK in 1998.
The album, especially the first half sounds like a soundtrack to a fairy tale from the 19th century. It's pleasant and nice at first listen. It works well as an album overall. Though none of the songs stood out, maybe I need more listens and I might round it up to 4 stars.
Beck
4/5
The word unique about this album has been said many times already, but this is really an unique album - great mix of many genres in the mid 90s that works so well. I like the sixties sound overall too. The ending falls a bit flat but it's such a great album overall.
Traffic
4/5
This is a superb band which made unique and very well crafted music in the late 1960s. Stevie Winwood was still a teen when he made this album which is crazy. His voice was so mature for his age. Great album, 4.5 stars.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Some very slow, hauting music, released just week before Leonard Cohen's death in 2016. I always thought he was a poet who told his poems with some background music and he had a great PR starting from the 60s. Some songs were atmospheric, but I have never really liked his music.
George Michael
2/5
Smooth album, he had a great voice and was a good songwriter. But it doesn't work that well as an album, he's always been stronger at singles I think. Freedom '90 is great.
Adele
2/5
Take an incredible voice, write very samey songs for that voice, overproduce every song to the max, and sell the album to the masses. Her voice is truly powerful and beautiful but I didn't like this album very much. The hits songs are way too overplayed and the rest of them are slow ballads that sound the same. It's crazy this is the best selling album in the US ever and one of the best selling albums of all times. I could name hundreds of albums that should have reached this popularity but it didn't happen.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Elvis returned from the German military service amd within a month he recorded and released this comeback album. His voice was so smooth and easily recognisable. Fever is a great hit. The other songs aren't that famous, they are still good thoughnI feel like I prefer a greatest hits album by Elvis rather than a studio album.
Saint Etienne
4/5
I almost never listen an album twice on this challenge, but I did so today with Foxbase Alpha. It was a good idea because the more I listen to this album the more I like it, it's early 90s dance music with 60s pop vibes and a lo-fi production. It is different than most dance albums from that era. I was convinced that this band is French given Saint Etienne is a French city and the album opens with a French intro. But after 2-3 songs I remembered they were an English band. They are really pretty unique and I will come back to this album more. Initially a strong 3 star, rounded up to 4 stars.
Os Mutantes
5/5
Brilliant album, right there among the greatest psychedelic rock albums from that era. It's mixed with traditional Brazilian music, psychedelic rock and even avantgarde/music concréte. It's fantastically progressive. The Brazilian Portuguese and French singing make this more dreamy and even more interesting. I recommend it to anyone to listen it more than once as the nuances and layers can't really be heard at first listen. I am not from UK/US so maybe I am more open to other languages and cultures on this challenge but this album is a good reminder that there are gems from other countries too so one should listen to everything with an open ear and mind.
Suede
3/5
Glamorous, even pompous, britpop with glam elements. It works well as an album and I like how smooth it is, but none of the songs stood out. I prefer Blur and other britpop albums from the era. Perhaps I need more listens?
Scott Walker
4/5
At first I wasn't sure if I like the album but it started to grow on me quickly. I love the melancholy and sadness of it all and it's excellently produced. Perhaps it isn't as melodic as some other albums in the genre but it works so well as an album, and it doesn't overstay its welcome with barely 30 minutes. Great album.
3/5
I don't listen to much Bob Dylan but I like his songwriting and I know how hugely influential he was in the US. 1966 was probably my favourite Dylan era. He went more electric which I liked. However I am not a fan of his nasal voice, and it's distracting a bit. Overall it's good and an important piece of history.
Slade
2/5
Early 70s UK glam rock/hard rock. It reminded me a lot of AC/DC but with worse vocals, and they sounded like they were the predecessors of 80s hair metal. It was an okayish listen, even fun here and there but then I realised it's not an album I should listen to before I die, and I didn't enjoy it.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Fun, great 70s psychedelic funk, groovy and smooth stuff. There's enough variety, though no songs stood out. Perhaps I need more listens. 3+ stars.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Stoner rock album from the late 1990s. It's pretty generic, typical alternative rock from the end of that decade, quite boring overall, but it's well played nonetheless. I can't give this 3 stars because there are better 3 star albums than this and many 4 star albums are brilliant compared to this! So it gets a 2.
Madonna
3/5
Madonna wanted something new again after her best album in her career, Ray of Light. She first started to work again with William Orbit but soon ditched him and worked with Ahmadzaï on this album (two songs were written by Orbit). The end product isn't bad, but it's far from the quality of Ray of Light. The hit singles are all great (Music, Don't Tell Me, What it Feels Like For a Girl). I especially like the remix version of What it Feels like...to which one of the best video clip from that era was made. The early 2000s autotune on some songs are not my cup of tea, though, while some other songs remind me more of the songs from Ray of Light, but with not the same quality (the song Amazing reminds me of Beautiful Stranger). The album is stylish, and groovy but style is more important here than substance.
Björk
3/5
It's a beautifully produced album. I like the calmness of of it all. But I want to like her music more than I do. I like experimental albums but Björk's albums are not easy to get into. The songs have no melodies and kind of flow from one to another. I gave a 4 for one of her albums so I will stick to 3 stars.
Silver Jews
2/5
Early 00s indie rock, it's slow and laid back, but I've found it just boring. His voice is sleepy and the songs are just uninspiring. At least it's not a long album and I listened it in one go. I don't think I should listen to this before I die...2 stars.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
Who doesn't like this album, really? It has melody and really close, beautiful harmonies, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. The Everly Brothers had a major influence on The Beatles which is clear. Sure, they had a clean cut image, singing about girls, but that was the way back in the early 60s. It's a great album, which I enjoyed very much.
Blondie
5/5
Catchy power pop and punk rock with many hit songs on it, especially Heart of Glass which is one of my favourite songs from the 70s and since I was a kid I loved that song. This album works very well from start to finish, that's why I round it up from a 4.5 stars to 5.
Don McLean
3/5
Lovely folk music from the turn of the 60s and 70s. American Pie is obviously a classic song, and Vincent is also famous. The rest of them are also good, though not on the same quality. I like his voice, it's beautiful and he is a great composer. Strong 3 stars.
Nina Simone
3/5
It's not a genre I listen to often but this is very good music. Her singing is powerful and energetic. The album's production is top notch. But you can hear it is a compilation album and some songs feel a bit unfinished.
Wilco
3/5
Quite pleasant alt-country/folk album, but probably not something I would relisten again. It's also very long, with 25-30 minutes less it would have been a much more complete album.
Morrissey
3/5
I haven't listened to many solo albums by Morrissey, so this one was also new to me. I quite liked it at first listen, I think it's a good album. The start and last few songs were the best, probably, some songs in the middle fell a bit flat. Perhaps I need more listens, at first it's a strong 3 star album.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Ryan Adams is famous in Western countries but where I live (Eastern Europe) he is not a well known name. So while I've already heard his name, his debut album was new to me. It was an okay listen, his songs held my interest throughout (not sure the album is 38 minutes, this is how it is on Youtube music, or 51 minutes, as it is on wikipedia - I listened the shorter version which is enough). Maybe I won't listen to it again it's good music.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I was never a big fan of the Rolling Stones, but this was their album I liked the most. It's just great rock 'n' roll, blues-rock, played and produced so well. None of the songs were really familiar but it holds well together as an album, the album itself doesn't overstay its welcome either. I like the druggy/psychedelic atmosphere to it too. The original album cover with the zip is creative. No perfect five stars as I didn't enjoy it as much as other 5-star albums but it must be listened to it once as it's a great and influential album.
Hot Chip
2/5
It wasn't a bad album, but I can't say much about it, as I have no opinion about this synth pop album. It was kind of background music, simplistic and forgettable. The album cover is really nice.
Mylo
3/5
It's one of those artists I have never heard of before - it turns out this is his only album he released. It's early 00s electronica, and good background music for studying/working. Some songs were quite repetitiven or annoying (Rikki), but most of them were OK. It reminded me of Air and Avalanches as others also mentioned before, two bands I really like. It's not the same quality but still quite good.
Femi Kuti
4/5
I always love to discover albums from other countries and continents other than Europe & America on this challenge. Fela Kuti is obviously very famous, but I didn't know his son also had an album here. He is also a fantastic musician and this upbeat, energetic Afrobeat album was tons of fun and went by really quickly despite is being more than 70 minutes long. It was a bit busy here and there but overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
It's a joyous, highly energetic live album - it's great music, with tons of famous songs, and Lewis was a very charismatic live performer. It's a tad busy here and there but nevertheless it's a great live album, close to 5 stars.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
I haven't heard about this group before so I was curious about this album. It's an instrumental, interesting and rather chill minimalist, avantfolk, chamber album from the mid 70s, produced by Brian Eno. It was a nice way to finish the year 2025 as the #991 album on my challenge, I liked this album quite a lot and will probably relisten again.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Some albums must be stayed in the era they were made, and Rhythm Nation is one of them. It's an extremely dated sounding 80s new jack swing/pop album, very overproduced. Janet sings about societal issues but the sound overpowers everything, including the message of the album. Some songs are ok, but the album is quite long and overstays its welcome by a couple of songs. I understand this was a cool album in the late 1980s but it isn't one in 2026.
Tim Buckley
5/5
Album #993
I have always liked Tim Buckley and I think this was his best album in his short but very versatile career. This kind if psyhedelic folk can't be compared to anything, especially not what in the US around that time. The songwriting is great, his vocal range is absolutely crazy, and it's a very well made album. He uniqueness can be compared only to his son. Favourite songs: Pleasant street, I never asked to be your mountain, Morning glory. Strong 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
Ian Dury
4/5
A new album and artist for me, I found this pub rock/music hall album very good at my first listen (surprisingly so, as I am usually not into pub rock). The music is tight and punctual, the production is stellar. I read that this album is the missing link between The Kinks and Blur and it's truly so. I need more relisten to understand the lyrics more. For now it's 4 stars.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
Rap metal/rap rock is not my thing usually but this albums works even it borders on corny (as the previous user who reviewed it wrote). The lyrics are teenage level dumb, but this is a good album to let out anger and frustration. The sound stood the test of time, it doesn't sound dated. However, it's about 10-15 minutes too long. Overall an average 3 star.
The Yardbirds
5/5
Hawkwind
4/5
I didn't know what to expect from this album, I thought this was a regular psychedelic rock live album from the early 70s but I was wrong. It genuiely surprised me, it's a great space rock (one of the best in the genre) and proto-punk album, and I can hear how influential it was on future bands. It's a really good album, very spacey and far out. A bit too long, but nevertheless a fantastic journey.