Some good stuff (We've Only Just Begun, Close to You), some bad stuff (Crescent Noon). Didn't really like the covers of Help or Baby It's You. The last song (Another Song) was pretty cool/experimental, which bumps it up to a 3/5.

Pretentious tripe that I will never understand the hype for. Dull, annoying, repetitive, and forgettable all at the same time. 1/5

Oh, boy, what a chore this was to get through. One depressing song after another. Off-key vocals don't help either. I was angry I had to endure this.

First time listening to any Kate Bush. I appreciate the uniqueness here, but it's a bit too weird for me to actually enjoy. She might be more of an acquired taste.

My second Radiohead album after Kid A (1/5). Boy, do I hate Radiohead. I'd rather listen to 57 minutes of complete silence. Or maybe just the music without the whiny ass singer. One of the songs is called "We Suck Young Blood." They should have just shortened it to "We Suck" and then given that title to all the songs and the album too. I know I'm in the minority in hating this band, but that's my opinion.

Pretty good for country. Happy & Sad best song.

OK for what it was, just not really my type of music. Favorite song - Criminal

A bunch of slow, short, sparsely produced acoustic songs. No "On the Road Again" sounding songs here. It's just very much not my thing. I'll still give it a 2 though.

Some good stuff (We've Only Just Begun, Close to You), some bad stuff (Crescent Noon). Didn't really like the covers of Help or Baby It's You. The last song (Another Song) was pretty cool/experimental, which bumps it up to a 3/5.

Very good Blues album; I just don't enjoy straight Blues that much. I find it gets repetitive over a full album. Favorite song: Tiger in Your Tank.

Great early rock & roll. Probably a 4.5/5. Favorite song: Oh Boy!

Decent sounding early 80's new wave stuff. Liked some of the bass lines. Didn't love or hate any songs in particular. Favorite track probably Poison Arrow.

5/5 album without a doubt. It has everything. A duet with Paul McCartney, an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, and a spoken word rap by Vincent Price! The only song I really didn't care for was Lady in My Life. Favorite song (and music video): Billie Jean

I've never heard of this album, nor of Ian Dury before listening. It's weird, and a hard one to rate. I'm not a fan of the monotone, heavily English accented "singing" voice he uses on some of the songs, for example, Clever Trevor. It reminds me of the Squeeze song, Cool for Cats. On the other hand, you've got three (I think) songs where he changes it up and sounds like the Sex Pistols. (I looked it up, and this album came out a month before the Sex Pistols album.) It's not something I'd listen to often, but I'll give it a 3/5 at least for originality. Favorite song: Sweet Gene Vincent (or maybe Blockheads?)

Fantastic album, could almost be a greatest hits. Favorite track: Travelin' Band

I have never heard anything by Joy Division, though I've heard of them. There were a couple of good tracks, but the rest was just kind of depressing to listen to, not really to my taste, mostly because of the vocals. Favorite track: Interzone

Did not know anything about X going in, so I wasn't expecting a female voice to come out, nor was I expecting to enjoy the album this much. Now I'm a fan.

I hadn't heard of this album or Massive Attack before this, so going in fresh. Unfortunately, this is the first 1/5 I've had to give here. The whole thing is just very dull to my ears, an electronic beat with some English blokes occasionally attempting to rap on top of. I listened to every second of it, but couldn't wait for it to be over a couple of tracks in.

Am I crazy or is this album kind of good? I didn't care for the random weirdness near the end (I was afraid the whole album would be this sort of stuff). The album was a bit too long in general, but I did enjoy a lot of it.

I was excited to hear this one, but I was a bit disappointed. Only a couple of songs I really liked (Immigrant Song and Out On the Tiles). Too much acoustic stuff and not enough drums for my taste.

So bad. Annoying singing, annoying rapping, childish lyrics about Mortal Kombat, Dragon Ball, and Captain Planet. I did like Them Changes with the 70's funk vibe and one other track that had no vocals, but not much else good here. How did Michael McDonald get roped into this?

I hope you like folk ballads sung in a high-pitch warbly voice, because that's pretty much all you are getting here. There are only two songs that sound even slightly different than the rest. Wildwood Flower has a sort of bluegrass feel to it, and El Preso Numero Nueve is sung in Spanish. I didn't enjoy this at all and can't give it more than one star.

I'll be honest. I'm not someone who can tell the difference between good jazz. At least not yet. I had listened to a Miles Davis album a couple of years ago, and this album was kind of like that album. Not terrible to listen to, but not great to listen to either. I usually like my music to eventually settle into a groove, and this doesn't do that. So, average rating I guess.

I first listened to this album back in 1988 when I was 14 years old. My step-brother had a copy. I already liked rap like the Fat Boys, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince. But N.W.A. was different, with content I knew my parents wouldn't want me listening to, but I listened anyway. Now, almost 35 years later, listening to it is much different. The lyrics are pretty juvenile and silly. In one breath, dropping F-bombs all over the place, then the next rapping "I kick so much butt" and "I don't give a hoot." Complaining about being harassed by cops after bragging about being criminals and shooting people. OK. Despite that, I have to admit it's still kind of fun to listen to. The beats are nice, the rapping is pretty good for the most part. Eazy-E's stood out the most, maybe because he had the most unique voice out of the group. The tracks I like the best are the ones where they trade off verses like in the title track.

Mostly dull, forgettable slow rock. I listened to this on a Friday and am reviewing it on a Monday, and can't recall much about it except I noted which track I liked the most, "N.Y." I remember liking the drums in it.

Falls a bit shy of a 5-star album for me. You'd think being only 29 minutes long, there wouldn't be room for a useless interview at the end. I found the songs I didn't already know (pretty much all of side two) to be somewhat boring, but the rest is great. I've never heard this version of Help Me, Ronda before. It's a bit rougher than the single version, but I dig it.

Not bad, not terrible, just average I'd say. Makes me wonder if there are actually 1,001 albums I really need to hear before I die. The use of croaking frogs in one of the songs was interesting. Not a big fan of the fake sounding drums and hand claps. Best track: Love Vigilantes

Didn't know a lot about Stephen Stills going in, just that he was in CS&N, who I only know a few songs from. I was pleasantly surprised. Great mix of a lot of genres (rock, country, blues, funk, etc.), nice harmonies and lyrics. I'm going to have to give this a 5/5 and listen to it again.

Not bad at all, not quite a 5/5. Drumming is great. I dig On Sir Francis Drake.

Scottish folk music. I just didn't enjoy this at all. Bored the whole way through. Did not listen to the Collectors Edition tracks. 1/5

Again, I don't know a lot about jazz, but this one I liked a lot. The drums and piano especially. Favorite track: Maseru

Overall, a great album. I love the passion in his singing. I thought the last track, Jungleland was a bit overwrought. I'm a bit tired of hearing Born to Run at this point, so my favorite track is probably Backstreets.

What a voice, and the man has a ton of energy throughout the live show. Great songs too, missing Another Saturday Night though. The only negative here for me is he changes the cadence of some of the songs from the studio versions, so it's hard to get in a groove to. When this album was over, I turned on Sam Cooke's greatest hits to hear the originals.

Critics loooooove this band. I had heard it once before and didn't get the hype at all. After listening a second time now, I think I'm coming around. But only a little. I think the Weight is a great song, and a couple of others are good, like Chest Fever and Caledonia, but then there are bad ones like Lonesome Suzie to bring it back down. The singer's voice can get really annoying when he sings high like that. So, over all an average rating for this one.

The beats and lyrical flow is good, but the lyrics are so abhorrent, I would never listen to this again.

I was already familiar with three of the songs here (title track, Jet, and Let Me Roll It). Those are good. The rest is...OK, pleasant McCartney stuff. Best track: Jet

OK ska music, gets a bit repetitive. "Concrete Jungle" was the highlight for me - it rocks.

When I was 14, I bought this album when it came out, on the strength of "Cult of Personality", which I loved. It didn't turn out to be one of my favorites, so I didn't listen to it a lot. Listening to it now, only 2-3 of the songs even sounded familiar. But I liked it a lot. The singer has a really good voice, it's got some great guitar riffs and solos. I might go and check out their second album at some point. Favorite track: Middle Man

Fantastic album! Much better than I expected. Before this, I only knew 4-5 of their songs. Almost every song is great. I especially loved the drum work. "Some Mother's Son" brought the album down a bit with the gruesome subject matter, but the rest more than made up for it. 5/5 Hard to choose a favorite, maybe "Shangri-La"?

Good basic blues rock. If it was some other band, the album wouldn't be on this list, but I suppose it has historical significance since it is the first Stones album. My favorite track is probably I'm a King Bee (I'm just a fan of this song in general).

Second time hearing this album. It's nice music. The singer has a soulful voice (when he is singing, which is rare). For me, there is just too much repetition, noodling around, and some songs are just drawn out way too long. Or maybe I just don't like blues very much. Average 3/5 for me. Favorite track: Hot-lanta

1st listen. This could have been called "I'm Sad, But Listen to What I Can Do With My Voice." It gets boring. "Send My Love" and "Sweetest Devotion" save it from being a 1.

First listen. The music is pretty good. Shame the vocals are somewhat off-putting with the droning, echoey, wailing. Album ends on a real downer with the title track. Average rating 3/5. Favorite track: What She Said. That one rocks.

First listen. I knew the songs Wishing Well and Sign Your Name. Not bad at all, really (except that As Yet Untitled song, what a bore). The two singles are pretty good and I really liked the upbeat James Brown inspired "Dance Little Sister." But nothing really made me want to explore his music further either.

Some great stuff here like Homeward Bound, Bright Green Pleasure Machine, Simple Desultory Philippic (whatever that means!) and then a couple of lame pretentious songs. 4/5

Pretty good. Jazzy, with an African beat. Songs can get repetitive given how long they are, and they all followed the same formula, instrumental for 7 minutes or so, some singing/chanting for 3 minutes, then instrumental again the rest of the way. So, not something I would probably seek out, but fine to listen to for this list.

David Bowie has a unique singing voice, but I find it very dull to listen to. Sometimes his music is enjoyable despite this and sometimes not. This is what we have here, a bit below average album for me. Best track: The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

I don't understand French. Would this be more enjoyable if I did? I thought the guy singing/talking sounded really creepy most of the time, but the drummer knew what he was doing. I was really enjoying "En Melody" until the girl (Melody, I'm guessing) starting shrieking and laughing like the Nanny.

Wasn't familiar with Mott the Hoople beyond "All the Young Dudes" and "All the Way from Memphis." Pretty good rock album, nothing bad, nothing I *really* loved either, just solid.

Never in a thousand years would I think I would give this album a 5/5, but I liked it that much. Even listened through a second time. Every song is good.

Good old southern blues rock - no complaints here. I was familiar with four of the songs already, but there were some other great new-to-me songs like "Move Me On Down the Line" and "Precious and Grace." "Hot, Blue, and Righteous" sounded like it could have been from The Band.

Good thing this is only 15 minutes long or it would become extremely repetitive. I'm sure some people will still think it is. I like it though. It's high-energy, fun chord progressions, good drumming. Just need to be in the right mood for hardcore punk.

I like Rumours a lot, but Tusk is a big, dull dud. And to make matters worse, it's a double album. Why is it on this list? Some of the songs sounded like they might be going somewhere, but never did, and then some songs like "The Ledge" could have been good but the production was terrible. How could they release it sounding like that?

Good stuff. Mr. Isley has a beautifully smooth voice, the instrumentation is on point, covers are excellent. Nothing bad here.

Songs are repetitive, sound alike, the singer mumbles and slurs his words, silly lyrics, but I love it.

I feel I'm being generous giving this a 3/5 considering I really dislike Bowie's vocals. They just annoys me. I can take a song here and there, but a whole album is too much. The non-vocal parts of the album are good though. My favorite track is the Rolling Stones cover, "Let's Spend the Night Together."

Pretentious tripe that I will never understand the hype for. Dull, annoying, repetitive, and forgettable all at the same time. 1/5

Oh, boy, what a chore this was to get through. One depressing song after another. Off-key vocals don't help either. I was angry I had to endure this.

Nice, slow-tempo, funky stuff to chill to in the background.

If if wasn't for the bullcrap 10:18 long boring dirge called "We Will Fall," I'd probably give this a decent 3/5 rating, but it's on there, so I have to lower it by a full point. The rest is just OK, I didn't love or hate anything.

I had never heard of this band or album before. It's not bad, though the vocals are a little mellow and laid back for my taste. There were some decent tracks like Metal Baby. The last track "Is This Music?" was interesting, it had a different sound than the rest of the album. I kinda wish it had lyrics though. The album artwork is atrocious, which should go without saying.

I owned their previous album when I was a teen. Never heard this except for "By the Time I Get to Arizona" and "Bring tha Noize." I would have liked this more back then I think, but it's not bad. Chuck D is a good rapper. Flava Flav is good when he's the hype man or comic relief, but kinda sucks as a rapper, which thankfully he doesn't do a lot of here, just two tracks I think. Public Enemy was always good about spreading around the criticism, not only against the power they were fighting, but also rapping against people in their own community bringing them down (drug users/dealers, thieves and other criminals). Favorite track is probably "Bring tha Noize" since I'm a fan of that era of Anthrax, even though Scott Ian is not the best rapper.

On first listen, I thought it sounded like music from an action scene in the Matrix or a "doing science" montage in CSI (TV show). Turns out they did have a song on the Matrix soundtrack. It's not bad music at all, I'd just rather hear it in a movie rather than sitting down and listening to a full album of it. Favorite track: Breathe

I like a lot of what's here, but the limp, wimpy vocals bring it down. Favorite track: I Don't Love Anyone

I'm not a Pink Floyd fan. I just don't get it. I've also never done drugs. (This may be relevant.) These songs have the most random lyrics, I just have to roll my eyes at most of it. Watching buttercups and riding you-nee-corns? It's definitely not the worst album on this list. I did like Lucifer Sam, which is the most straight forward rock song on the album.

Great album! I was familiar with "Can't Get Enough," "Ready for Love," and the title track, but a couple of the others sounded slightly familiar as well. "Rock Steady" was a standout - reminded me of a 70's Whitesnake song. Good old rock 'n' roll!

I'm already not a fan of this genre, whatever it's called. Throw in the terrible and sometimes crass lyrics, the creepy whispering and attempts at "sexy" singing, and I'm out. I probably would have rated this higher if it had no lyrics at all. The music is sometimes OK, but gets repetitive. Black Steel was probably the best track, but again, the lyrics ruined it for me.

I'll give it a low 5. I'm not really a fan of "The End," but the rest is great.

I only knew of their song "Reptilia" going in. Some decent stuff here. The main issue for me is the vocal distortion used on every song. It just gets old after a while and becomes abrasive. Made me want to turn on some Marvin Gaye afterwards.

Amazing album, and I'm not even a big fan of Kashmir. The drum sounds (and actual drumming) are incredible here. I usually don't like long songs, but In My Time of Dying is 11 minutes long and is the best track on the album.

This album was nice, easy listening. She has a soulful, sincere voice. The sound doesn't deviate a whole lot throughout except for that one song with only vocals. Overall, it's not my taste, but also wasn't bad so I'll give it an average rating.

I've only heard the Monkees radio hits before (and maybe some songs from the TV show I watched as a kid) and love them all. I don't recall ever hearing any of the songs off this album before. I liked it for the most part, nothing amazing though. The first song, You Told Me sounds like very much like a Beatles song cut from Rubber Soul. Still, I wonder why this was the Monkees album chosen for the list.

Love catchy pop rock! Wish there was more of it on this list. I already knew Hanging on the Telephone, One Way or Another, and Heart of Glass. The new standouts to me were Sunday Girl, which sounds like a throwback to the 60s, and I'm Gonna Love You Too, which is just silly fun.

The music here is OK, good actually. Some of it actually rocks pretty hard - Geek U.S.A. being a good example of this. However, I don't like the vocals very much - they are "creepy" sounding, for lack of a better word. I always had fun drumming to Cherub Rock on the game Rock Band.

Not familiar with anything on this album, but I liked it more than I thought I would. The vocals can get irritating. I liked parts of the 20 minute song, not the entire thing though. Passage to Bangkok is good, and Something for Nothing has been stuck in my head.

How could you not be entertained by lyrics like these? Now, you see this one-eyed midget shouting the word "Now" And you say, "For what reason?" and he says, "How" And you say, "What does this mean?" and he screams back, "You're a cow! Give me some milk or else go home" I can totally understand people hating this album and writing it off as nonsense garbage with horrible, nasally vocals, but I can't help but enjoy it.

The songs are decent for a disco album, good even. Some of them felt long though and didn't change much. Everyone knows "Le Freak," but "I Want Your Love" and "At Last I Am Free" were also good ones.

I had never heard of The Sabres of Paradise before. Apple Music has this listed as Alternative, so I didn't expect to hear what I heard. I just don't know what I'm supposed to feel while listening to it. I'm not much into soundscapes, which is how I'd describe this. Many of the songs are long and repeat the same beat throughout and don't change much, and the novelty of hearing some unique sounds wears off quickly, but a couple of them weren't bad. "Duke of Earlsfield" was probably the best of the bunch.

Why? Why would this album need to be on the list? I had listened to the Velvet Underground and Nico album a few years ago, and I remember liking it *despite* Nico's vocals. Now I have to listen to a album with *only* her vocals? Anything that the music has going for it, which isn't that much, is ruined by the flat, lifeless, emotionless vocals with a speech impediment (yes, I know it's just a German accent, but still). It reminded me a bit of the vocals from The Shaggs. Oh, and that song with all the annoying feedback, horrible. The Beatles she is not, but you can tell they influenced some of what is here, like the song that sounds like an Eleanor Rigby ripoff. I will say one good things about the album - the lyrics weren't too bad.

I was told if I don't like this album, then I just don't like jazz. Well, it was nice, relaxing music for my drive home. I just wasn't blown away by it. I prefer more upbeat jazz like the Hugh Masekela I had earlier in the list.

I wasn't expecting much going in, but I was impressed. Good rapping, good beats, not as explicit lyrically as I was assuming it would be. I might listen to this again some time.

This was a bit better than I expected. I heard one or two EC albums in the past and thought they were so-so. This one had some decent stuff. On first listen, "Accidents Will Happen" and "Goon Squad" were standouts. I really liked the basslines. However, this is not an album to throw on at a party, with some questionable lyrics if taken out of context. "white n*gger," "darkies," "final solution," and "Two Little Hitlers."

Another rap album (sigh). Oh, but this one has harmonica. The vocals on this one seem to be pretty low effort for the most part, and there were a couple of really awful tracks ("We Have All the Time in the World" and "Methadonia." Yuck. The first song "Fun Lovin' Criminal" was OK, but the highlight of the album was the killer guitar solo on "I Can't Get With That." All in all, it wasn't terrible, but I never want to hear "La di da di, free John Gotti" ever again.

I think I had heard of Kraftwerk before, but I didn't know they were German electronic music. I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it, and...I was right. At its best, it sounded like an early 80's cheesy sci-fi soundtrack, and at its worst, a boring soundscape to listen to to help me fall asleep. Maybe they were innovative for their time, but I'm listening to this in 2023 and it doesn't hold up at all. I hope this is their only album on the list.

Listened to this on Friday afternoon, reviewing on a Monday morning. I've mostly forgotten about it except I remember enjoying the female lead vocal songs more than the others. Didn't love or hate it, so just giving it an average 3/5.

Finally a metal album! I'm not a big fan of Changes, and FX is a nothing track, but everything else rocks. After first listen, I think Supernaut is my favorite track.

Better than I expected. The first and last tracks were annoying and repetitive, but some of the stuff in between was pretty good and varied.

Ugh, this was awful, and disappointing considering I liked the only Sonic Youth song I previously knew (Kool Thing). Off-key vocals, out of tune instruments, a lot of just droning, trying to be artsy(?) It was just a bore. The one decent song, "Bubblegum" doesn't save it from a 1/5. I'm afraid there will be more of this band on the list.

French alt circus rock? The instrumentation here isn't bad, but having the singer belch his vocals really brings down the entire album. I'm going to be generous with a 2/5 here.

This sounded to me like a really boring Dire Straits album. Nothing really to hate (except the Haunting Idle, ugh), just kind of dull.

I listened to a different Roxy Music album a couple of years ago and didn't think much of it. This one I actually liked, even though the last couple of tracks were downers. The first track, Re-make/Re-model was my favorite.

First listen. I prefer thrash Metallica to this. Beyond bored with the five singles I've heard ad nauseum the past 30 years. Still, I can't deny this is a good album. "Through the Never" was great - I'll be adding it to a playlist for sure.

I have listened to a couple of Neil Young albums in the past (and I'm guessing there will be more in this challenge,) and I didn't care for them. I liked this one OK, at least when he wasn't using the worst singing voice I've ever heard. Seriously, what is up with his singing on Mellow My Mind? That was god-awful. I guess for some people, that's part of his charm, but Neil's singing sounds best when covered up...I mean harmonizing with someone else. Anyway, the music is pretty good, with a couple of clunkers in there. I think my favorite track was Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown.

Everything I hate about modern music. Ethereal background noise, breathy vocals, other random electronic noises, filthy lyrics ("Two Weeks"), and it never gets into a groove. Ugh, how many more British electronic albums am I going to have to endure for this challenge?

I have heard of Blue Cheer before. I had always read they were "proto" heavy metal. And yeah, that's exactly what this is, similar to Deep Purple. And I love it. It's raw and low production, but that's cool with me. There's quite a bit of jammin' too. I love it.

Not a huge Nirvana fan. This album had some good and some bad stuff, so 3/5.

Not the kind of music I would normally listen to, and I didn't understand any of the lyrics, but it was fun, upbeat, and I enjoyed it.

I'm not the target audience for this kind of music, but I found it very entertaining nonetheless.

I don't think I knew any songs by The Jam going in. It reminds me most of the Clash and Elvis Costello. Not amazing, but a solid album with catchy songs, none of them bad, really. Favorite track: David Watts

Unrelatable, boring hip hop that I'm wondering why it's on this list. The songs all have a sample that repeats on loop throughout. The beats are fine I guess, but the rappers are mediocre and the braindead banter in between songs is laughable, nomsayin? Lots of N-words and some gay slurs too.

I had never heard of Magazine before. I thought it was above average, has a unique sound, though there were hints of other bands sprinkled throughout, like Queen and Bowie. "Shot By Both Sides" was my favorite track. I wish Apple Music labeled the album as the extended version, as I prefer to listen to just the original for these ratings, and that version had four bonus tracks.

How to rate this? It's a very long and drawn out affair. Some of the songs feel like they go on and on and are never going to end. The monologues are silly and pretentious at the same time. But when it rocks, it rocks. As far as live double albums go, I'd rather listen to KISS Alive! (I hope that one is on the list.)

Another Neil Young album. Still don't like his vocals. The rest is decent. It has "Southern Man," so that's something.

It was fine background music. Did nothing else for me. When the album started over, I didn't realize, so it didn't make a huge impression.

Pretty unique theme. I got bored of the tracks without a female singer on them. Didn't really like the sometimes crass lyrics.

Pretty average punk in my opinion. I'm not a fan of the singer's whiny, nasally vocals. There were a couple of good tracks though, I just wish they had a less annoying singer. Favorite track: Basket Case.

Sounded to me like Neil Diamond doing boring showtunes. Maybe I'm way off, but this wasn't for me at all.

Another hip-hop album that is not relatable at all for me. Some of the samples are nice. Don't like listening to all the N-words, sorry.

Another solid Bob Dylan album. "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Idiot Wind" are great tracks.

Having "Sunshine of Your Love" on it almost makes it a 5/5 album by itself. Luckily, most of the other songs are pretty good too. Good that they put the novelty song at the very end so it doesn't throw off the tone of the album.

Better than average hip-hop/rap. No glorifying gang violence, drugs, sexism, etc. Flavor Flav is kind of annoying with his yeahhhh boyyyy and cold medina (whatever than means).

I appreciate the list expanded outside of the US and UK, but not like this. Outside of the off-putting belchy vocals, the first half or so of the album was acceptable as something a little different. The track "Trans-National" was not bad. It sounded sort of like a spy movie soundtrack. But the remainder of the album was just atrocious, a boring repetitive slog. I really hated it. Disliked the album cover art as well. Edit: Just looked at the wikipedia page and it seems the last four tracks (probably the four worst on the album) were bonus CD tracks. With those excluded, that might put my rating closer to 1.5, but I'm leaving it 1/5.

First time hearing an entire Kanye West song, let alone full album, and another hip-hop album ruined by crass and sexist lyrics. There were some interesting things going on musically, but also a lot of annoying bits, mostly with the vocals, like the awful auto-tune. Chris Rock deserved to be slapped for his contribution in the song "Blame Game." I'll bet it wasn't fun trying to edit the clean version of that one. Best track: "Power". I'm guessing there will be more Kanye on this list. Sigh.

Background music. A bit boring, honestly. Doesn't belong on the list in my opinion. Nothing really bad here, though. The title, Club Classics Vol. One is a strange choice. It sounds like a various artist compilation. By the way, where is the version of "Back to Life" everyone knows from the radio? Best track: Fairplay

It’s the kind of music you kind of forget is playing. I’ll put this in when I’m laying on the beach on vacation, which is unfortunately never. And no, I don’t remember the days of slavery. Please stop asking!

Irish folk punk, is that what this is? It was decent, better than the previous Irish one that came up, The Waterboys. I probably won't listen to it again, though.

Out of the 112 albums I've rated so far, this is by far the one I'm most familiar with. It was the perfect album 12-13 year old me could relate to. An immature, silly, rap mixed with hard rock was right up my alley at the time. Now, some of the lyrics probably haven't aged well for some people. "The girlies I like are under age" and "Girls, to do the dishes and clean up my room" come to mind. With that, all the White Castle references (I think I counted four), and all the other silliness in this thing, I still love it. My favorite rap is when the members of the group trade off verses, and the Beastie Boys do that on every track. The only song I even slightly dislike it "Slow and Low," and even that one isn't bad. Best track: Paul Revere

Looking at the album cover, I was worried this was going to be death metal or something. Thankfully it was just OK 80s pop. Not a lot to say about it. Nothing really stood out as great or bad. This list loves its UK artists.

I've listened to this album a few times before. It's a near perfect heavy metal album. No bad songs. My tiny complaint is that they use the lyric "some crazy dream" twice (in title track and Hallowed By Thy Name). Wouldn't mind seeing more Maiden in this list. Favorite track: Probably still Run to the Hills.

I only knew Song 2 from this band, but I've heard they were the 90's Beatles. So I had my hopes up a little too much. Only the first track sounded Beatle-like to me, and the sort of throwaway Song 2 was the best track. The rest was either kind of boring or heavily distorted. All in all, it was average.

It's nice to hear a good singer once in a while in this list. The two slow songs I didn't care much for, especially "For Crying Out Loud." It just went on too long. But the rest was great. Five out of seven ain't bad. Favorite track: Paradise By the Dashboard Light.

For some reason, I thought this was going to be metal. After listening, I kinda wish it was. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. I listened to the whole album in my car and honestly could not understand a single word of the vocals. They were so...limp, lifeless, and quiet. No thank you. The instrumentation was OK I suppose. What is special here?

Better than the other My Bloody Valentine album (which coincidentally came up just yesterday!) I could actually understand some of the lyrics on this one, and the music seemed to be a bit punchier. Still not a big fan though.

Liked it OK, didn't love it. It actually made me want to listen to the Cars. The best song is probably the title track, though it's a bit to long. The last track, Torn Curtain went a bit long too. I liked the stripped down production, but the album as a whole didn't do a lot for me.

I have not consciously listened to the Black Keys before, but I feel like I've heard them. Maybe in TV commercials? I was pleasantly surprised. The drum sounds are amazing. The singing is good, just wished there was a bit more variety. I'll listen to this one again.

Lots of classic hits on this one. Doesn't get boring despite being 76 minutes.

First five songs were just average, then we get the two hits (End of the World and The One I Love), which are great. Then the rest was pretty good with the exception of the last song, which was kind of a dud. A low 4/5.

My second Kanye album, and I'm rating it the same as the first. Seems like the guy has always been a dumbass, just a musically talented dumbass. Lyrics are just embarrassing. "The drug game bulimic, it's hard to get weight So nigga's money is homo, it's hard to get straight" "Ooh girl your breath is harsh! Cover your mouth up like you got SARS" Glorifying drug dealing, discouraging kids from going to college, and many, many other things I just can't relate to in this. The album closes with a super long story about how he got a record contract with a beat underneath. I'm sure this won't be the last Kanye West album I'll be forced to endure, unfortunately.

I listened to the tracks of the original release, not the bonus tracks. I'd like to give this a 3, but I can't say I enjoyed a complete song, just elements of many of them. For example, I liked the drums on the last track (Grey/Afro), but it was too long and I didn't like the vocals. Any song where he used his old man voice just sounded weird.

Album #126 and finally a Beatles album! I love the Beatles, but in my opinion this is one that didn't really need to be on the list. All My Loving is the only important song. There are six covers of other artists' songs. However, the album cover itself is pretty iconic. If I was comparing it to other Beatles albums, it would rate lower, but overall it's still a 5/5 for me. I've heard it many times before. Like most Beatles albums, all four members get a chance to sing lead. In fact, my favorite track may be Ringo's only song, I Wanna Be Your Man. I don't dislike any song here, but "It Won't Be Long" and "Not a Second Time" are not favorites. The covers are all good, even when Paul sings "I never sar them winging."

I like the hits on this (Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy) and the rest are OK. I just get really bored hearing Eddie Vedder's voice by the end.

Not really familiar with the White Stripes, but I liked this a lot. Good variety. Loved the drums and piano.

Another good Kinks album. Not quite as good as Arthur. Party Line, Dandy, Sunny Afternoon are favorites.

Some pretty songs, some dull songs. Better than the previous Willie album I rated.

I only knew OutKast from that mashup of Hey Ya and a Charlie Brown Christmas video, but I liked that song and had high hopes for this. Nope, just another n-word, m-f laden, moronic skit having, sexually explicit rap album. Giving this a 2/5 like most of the others because of the decent beats and music. And no, I don't want to know about some gangsta sh*t, so please stop asking.

I like some Steely Dan. This sounded like some of their smooth, easy listening stuff, which I don't care as much for. Upon first listen, the only song that stood out much was Ruby, and that's only because it's a cover of a song I know well. It's fine for what it is, but I must be missing something considering it's on this list.

First time listening to any Kate Bush. I appreciate the uniqueness here, but it's a bit too weird for me to actually enjoy. She might be more of an acquired taste.

I only knew of one song of theirs, Maps, which I like. This album was a tad pop and overproduced for my taste. The vocals have kind of a generic Gwen Stefani type voice. I liked the song "Dull Life."

I was just thinking this list needed more straight up pop music, and here we go. I knew the hits, and some are better than others. I liked Faith and Monkey. Father Figure was OK. Didn't care for I Want Your Sex or One More Try (never knew the title of that one - it could have been called Teacher for all I knew. The non-hits were somewhat forgettable. In general, when George Michael uses his breathy vocals, it kind of creeps me out. I'd rather listen to Wham, actually.

Didn't care for the creepy songs. The rest were not bad. Favorite track: Miles.

From this album, I had only heard "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," which happens to be my favorite Steely Dan song. As for the rest of the album, I think I liked "With A Gun" best. "Barrytown" reminded me a lot of the Beatles' "Tell Me What You See." All in all, pretty good album.

Third Neil Young album for this challenge. The other two I rated a 3/5. This one was quite a drudge to get through. Even the couple of relatively upbeat numbers felt weighed down. There were a couple of weirdly overproduced tracks, "A Man Needs a Maid" and can't remember the other one, that felt out of place. I'll take "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" and you can keep the rest.

Seeing how this is a live Grateful Dead album, I expected quite a bit of jam band shenanigans. I didn't expect the album to begin with a 22 minute noodling around session (Dark Star), and end with 8 minutes of just noise (Feedback). But what's in between is really good, so just take tracks 2, 3, 4, and 5, make it a single length live album and you are good to go.

First time hearing Slipknot other than "Before I Forget" on Guitar Hero III. I was never much into angry, expletive screaming music like this. Much less so now that I’m almost 49. On the very rare occasion the singer tried singing clean, it didn't sound bad. As it is, it's just difficult to relate to this kind of music. Favorite song: "No Life" maybe?

I know nothing of the Verve. <Starts album> OK, I know one song. I like the strings on that song. It goes downhill after that. The songs are just...so...dull. And too long. And the album itself is 30 minutes too long. The singer sounds like he's putting in the least amount of effort possible. Oh, and the hidden song at the end after several minutes of dead air sucks too. Was that a dying cat I heard?

Rod Stewart has a distinctive and kind of a comforting voice to listen to. This album is nothing fancy, but a solid listen. The only negative I had was the song where he was singing harmony with another guy. It just sounded off.

It's OK for a country album. The outro of Boxcars rocks.

My second Radiohead album after Kid A (1/5). Boy, do I hate Radiohead. I'd rather listen to 57 minutes of complete silence. Or maybe just the music without the whiny ass singer. One of the songs is called "We Suck Young Blood." They should have just shortened it to "We Suck" and then given that title to all the songs and the album too. I know I'm in the minority in hating this band, but that's my opinion.

Waffled between a 3 and 4 for this. I did listen twice, but the hippie sounding songs like Wild Mountain Thyme bring it down a bit for me, and the others aren't quite up to the level of Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn! A couple of songs sounded a little too similar to those though. I liked Mr. Spaceman.

Harvest 2/5 After the Gold Rush 3/5 Tonight's the Night 3/5 --------------------------------- This one is better than all the above for my taste. I liked the hard rock sound more, and Neil's voice wasn't as annoying. I didn't love it though. The songs were too long, and there were ten of them, making the album itself too long. It's almost as if he didn't realize non-fans would be listening to it 30 years later but still wanting to get through it as quickly as possible. Also didn't care for the hippie-dippie final track, Mother Earth. Favorites: F!#in' Up and Farmer John.

A very average album. His biggest hits aren't on this album. Some of the lyrics are kind of lame. There's a Jesus song. Kravitz is obviously doing his best to be Prince here. I thought I even heard a little Elvis Costello in one of the songs too.

Only knew Hallelujah before this. OK, so this guy could sing. Based on his screaming on Grace, he could have fronted a metal band. Then he turns around and sounds like Chris Isaak, then Joan Baez on Corpus Christi Carol (did NOT like this song, btw), then Lou Gramm on the last song, Forget Her (not sure if this one is officially part of the album as far as this list is concerned, but I liked it).

Not bad I guess, just sounded a bit dated. I just don't think the list needed more British hip-hop. By the end, the accent really started annoying me.

This man will get emotional over anything and everything, but it translates into some pretty good music. One complaint, he changes around the lyrics a bit too much. So much "loving," the bees envy me? Favorite track: Respect.

I tip my hat to the Who here. Great stuff. Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again all classics. The others aren't bad either. Drums and bass guitar are highlights for me. 5/5 even though they stole a couple of songs from that CSI show.

The sitar, over the course of an entire album, can get very irritating to listen to. I really only enjoyed a part of one song. I think it was Metamorphosis when the drums kicked in. The covers (Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire) sounded kind of cheesy. This album seems like more of a curiosity than anything.

I only knew of Killing Moon from Rock Band 3. Was curious about their music, but not enough to go seek it out. The album is just OK. Nothing was very memorable. I did like the clean sound, but sometimes there was just too little going on. I think I prefer the Cure, who are similar but the songs are catchier.

Great, high energy punk rock. I knew three of the songs already. Only negative I can think of is the vocals are done in the same way throughout. I'm sure that will lead some reviewers to say all the songs sound the same.

Better than I expected. Very funky stuff. Not sure how many times I'd want to sit through the entire story of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" many more times, but on the first listen, it was pretty gripping. The Hyperbolic song was probably my favorite track.

I had heard Breakout and American Girl previously. Pretty solid album especially for a debut, no bad songs. I listened twice in a row.

Ugh, more electronic music. I gave it a chance, but no. Mostly repetitive, and whiny vocals.

I like Once in a Lifetime. The rest was kind of meh to me. Comes off as pretentious at times. I was going to give this a 3/5, but the last two tracks, especially the Overload, were dull and brought it down to 2/5.

Was listenable, the singer had a decent voice, but beyond that it didn’t do a lot for me.

I knew Main Offender and Die! All Right already. I thought listening to those abrasive vocals would be a problem over the course of an entire album. Fortunately, the album is only 28 minutes. (I actually listened to it twice, back to back.) The songs are short and fun for the most part. Not my new favourite band, but I liked it quite a bit.

One of the most schizophrenic albums I’ve ever heard. Starts out normal, then all of a sudden gets weird, and then very weird, and then back to normal again, followed by more weirdness. I kind of liked it!

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 5/5 ------------------------------------- Besides the two hits (Tiny Dancer and Levon), I was kind of disappointed how mediocre the other tracks were.

Not my style of music, really. Sounds a lot like Hank Williams. Production is bad, even for 1958. But it was OK. I'll be generous and give it a 3/5.

Like a less fun, more creepy Bob Dylan.

Aladdin Sane - 3/5 The Next Day - 3/5 ---------------------- Third Bowie album for this list. This one is more funk/pop/disco sounding, and I think I liked it better than the other two, but still not something I'd normally choose to listen to.

Some smooth R&B soul to use for mood music for certain activities. But for just listening to on my way home from work, it doesn't do a whole lot for me. However the lyric about his father needing love hits hard considering he was shot and killed by his father a few years later.

Only knew a couple of Adam Ant songs previously. Just listened to the original 12 song release, and it was better than expected. Pretty original sounding stuff, good variety of songs. Nothing super amazing here, but just barely squeaks in at 4/5. I'd listen again.

Never heard of this band before. For punk, this was just a bit on the boring side. Also for punk, what are they doing with 5 and 6+ minute songs? I liked some of it though - Preaching the Blues may have been my favorite.

I've heard of Gorillaz, but didn't know any of their songs. It was OK. Maybe back then it was revolutionary? Some of the songs can be quite repetitive and sound synthetic.

A perfectly fine Latin music album.

First the Cure album for me. I was kind of looking forward to it, but sadly it was a dreadful letdown. Just echo-heavy, depressing sounding muck. Why am I even giving it a 2/5?

Armed Forces 3/5 ******************* Either Elvis Costello is growing on me or it's just this album in particular that I like more than his other stuff I've heard. I liked the 1950's vibe; it's just fun in general. I liked the drums. No real complaints on this one.

In Utero - 3/5 **************** Pretty decent stuff here. It would have been nice to throw in one or two more upbeat songs into the mix. It's nice to have the banter in between songs. I felt that Cobain hit the off key, voice cracking gimmick a little too hard. Favorite track: Come As You Are

First time listening to Arctic Monkeys. The music was pretty decent. Not a fan of the vocals though. The combination of the English accent, the speak-sing, and distortion annoyed me at times.

Couldn't find this on Apple Music. There is one there with the same title and artwork, but the artist and track names are different. I found what I think is the original version on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zzVqrCEeU) and that's what I listened to. As an American, I have no connection to this type of music, so I can't really appreciate it as much as many others can. For what it is, it's fine, peaceful, exotic sounding background music. No annoying buzzing sitar of an earlier one from this list (Ananda Shankar).

Nice voice and an overall pleasant listening experience. Favorite track: Help Me.

I liked a couple of the songs, particularly Rise Above and TV Party. If I listened to this when I was younger and angrier, the album would have probably resonated more.

I thought I knew one Kings of Leon song, but I guess not. So, first time hearing this band, and I liked the music well enough. I had a hard time enjoying the vocals though. Sounded like the singer was trying way too hard to be unique, but ended up sounding like an annoying Bon Scott/Chris Robinson hybrid. Nothing stood out to me as great, but Trani was clearly the worst track.

I was looking forward to listening to who I heard is one of the greatest rapper of all time. I only knew the radio edit of "My Name Is" when it first came out. And I thought it was kind of different and funny. Hearing the entire album now, it's much less so. A lot of the lyrics are big time YIKES! I can't relate to this much at all. Glorifying drug use, violence (especially against women), STDs, robbery, and so on, just doesn't do it for me at my age. And I'm glad I didn't grow up listening to this kind of stuff. How messed up would I be now? Holding my nose and giving it a 2/5 just for some clever lyrics and unique rapping style. Otherwise, it's rather abhorrent. So is the album cover.

I knew exactly one Screaming Trees song before this, "I Nearly Lost You," which I liked well enough. This album was not amazing, but pretty darn good. I might listen again.

One of the best albums ever, let alone debut albums. Amazing guitar work obviously, and the drumming is insane. The vocals could be seen as the weakest part, but he sings so effortlessly and cool, it's not weak at all. Fire is probably my favorite track. Manic Depression if you want a deeper cut.

Never heard of Throwing Muses before. This wasn't on Apple Music, so I had to listen on YouTube on my laptop speakers. I don't know if that affected the review one way or the other. When I started it up, I thought hmmm, this might be decent. Then she started singing. No, I don't like this very much. Then she started doing that weird quivering with her voice, and I really did not like that. Some of the lyrics sounded pretty questionable too, not that I understood the meaning of any of it. Overall, it wasn't a very pleasant listening experience. I'd much rather listen to pop girl groups like the Bangles, the Go-Gos, Bananarama, or even 'Til Tuesday.

Take Me Out was the only song I knew of theirs, and it's great. The rest of the album is OK.

I had never heard of this band or album going in. Nothing really notable or terrible about the music. Sounded as if they wanted to sound like the Beatles, but only the John Lennon led songs. I got tired of hearing that voice by the end.

I knew only of Constant Craving before listening. It wasn't bad, just not my type of music. I liked Miss Chatelaine.

I had never heard of this album or artist. It's nice, easy to listen to jazz. It kind of reminded me of Henry Mancini, and sounded similar to Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs. I'll have to look into why this was included on the list. Even though I enjoyed it, it didn't seem to be groundbreaking or all that special.

As far as thrash metal goes, I always preferred Anthrax over Metallica, but it’s hard to deny this as a masterpiece. I’m sure I heard all of these songs when I was a teenager, but only the first two track were familiar. Favorite track: Battery (or as I like to sing it, Batt-er-rang).

Previously listened to: Autobahn (1/5) I don't remember much about the previous album of theirs, but I think I liked this one better. It must have sounded pretty futuristic for 1978, but listening today, it sounds very dated. Again, some of it sounds like a cheesy sci-fi movie soundtrack. One track, I think Metropolis reminded me of the intro of an early 1980s pro wrestling TV show. Songs are repetitive though. Repeating "We are the robots" 30+ times? Yeah, we get it.

Knew nothing about N.E.R.D going in. By the album cover, I assumed it was going to be rap. Apple Music even has Hip-Hop/Rap as the genre. It didn't sound like it to me. Funk rock maybe? Either way, I wasn't really feeling it. Cringe lyrics didn't help. I thought the drums sounded good on a couple of the tracks. Best track: Maybe (maybe?)

I liked one track, Da Funk. In general, the songs are super repetitive (Around the World) and sometimes super annoying (Rock’n Roll). Too long too. Won’t be revisiting. Afraid there may be Daft Punk more on this list.

Different, not what I was expecting. Does that mean I liked it? No, not really. I thought it was pretty boring overall. Favorite track: I'd Like That

Good old authentic country music. I don't love the genre, but this is 100x better than today's popular country. Favorite track: We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll.

This was not bad. Sounds like someone Tracy Chapman may have been influenced by. Good variety here - listed as Pop on Apple Music, but there's blues, funk, folk, country. Favorite track: Water with the Wine, but also liked Tall In the Saddle.

I didn't know anything about Cee-Lo-Green going in except I heard he has a popular song called F*** You, so going in I was expecting to hate this. I didn't. It was too fun and catchy to hate, at least the first half. He has a weird voice that I was tired of hearing by the end. Some of the guest vocals I didn't like. Album was too long. Didn't like hearing the N-word over and over in some songs.

After listening to this, I immediately started it again. The three long tracks (Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, and Heart of the Sunrise) are all pretty epic. I'm not usually big on instrumentals, and there are three here. I didn't dislike them, but thankfully they are shorter tracks. I wouldn't mind seeing more Yes on this list.

I'm not big into Brazilian music, so it was pretty forgettable. I did kind of like the last track (Eles) with the Indian instruments. I felt the singer needed to back away from the microphone a bit. You could hear his mouth opening and his breathing too much.

Previously listened to: Cosmo's Factory (5/5) ************************ This album is what I'd call comfort music. It's familiar, relaxing, goes down easy. Not as good as Cosmo's Factory. There are no extended jam sessions as they have an other albums. Every track is under five minutes. Still, I could put this on any time and enjoy it. Best track: Bad Moon Rising

Perhaps this kind of album requires multiple listens before one can properly rate it. As it is, it's a bit too challenging to enjoy, and I probably won't come back to it. But I assume that other, more popular KC album will come up eventually, so I'll give the band another chance then.

I listened to this once, years ago. I remember liking it more. It's energetic, it's noisy, it's got dumb lyrics about anarchy.

Have I heard of this band before? None of these songs sounded familiar. It was pretty average to me on first listen. Best track: Probably Sun Hits the Sky.

I listened to this once years ago and remember liking it a lot. I still do. They do better country music than most country artists. And then there's Sympathy for the Devil which is an iconic song.

Wasn't this a really big deal when it came out? I remember seeing this album cover everywhere. It's really boring! I didn't like anything about it. N-word this and N-word that, gnomesayin, guns, drugs, the usual, but the rapping itself was just blah. Once again, an album not meant for me.

I heard Ladies First back in the day, but not familiar with anything else of hers. It wasn't bad. Yeah, the rapping delivery sounds outdated, and the lyrics were a bit corny, but that's just how rap was back then, so I can't fault it too much for that. There was a lot of saying her name, spelling her name, spelling other words, complaining about other rappers copying her, etc. Pretty fun stuff until it fizzled a bit in the end. I can see why she stood out among female rappers of the time.

Never heard of this album or artist before. I'll be blunt. I hated every track. The creepy, breathy, wimpy vocals were the worst part. The rest of the music had nothing exciting or memorable. One song that said Lincoln is known as the great emancipator sounded like something a kid would write for extra credit in his high school history class. I'd be embarrassed to listen to this in front of anyone. Did not listen to the bonus CD tracks. I can guess what they sound like.

Pretty good pop album. Didn’t dislike anything. Had some nice hooks. Favorite track: All the Way.

I always thought Foo Fighters a generic rock band, like Nickelback. I still kind of think that. I had higher hopes after the first track which I liked, but nothing else was as good. Average rock album.

I'm almost 50 years old. I don't like to be annoyed when listening to music - I like to enjoy it. Therefore, this isn't an album for me, with all the beeps, boops, buzzing, music cutting in and out, and drilling(!?) This is music that should only be played in a TV show/movie while a group of edgy computer hackers are taking out some evil corporation. However, I did enjoy D.A.N.C.E a bit, but it was an anomaly. Also, dumb album cover and doesn't match the music contained within.

Never heard of Holger Czukay before this. The first track, Cool in the Pool, was pure cringe. Second track, Oh Lord, Give Us More Money (at least the first part), must have inspired Ross Geller to write Interplanetary Courtship Ritual, with the random cat meow, dog bark, explosion, etc. sound effects thrown in. Maybe that was revolutionary back in 1979? Persian Love was the only decent track for me. Hollywood Symphony was just a long, dull track that never goes anywhere, with more random sound effects and movie dialog(?)

I had heard this once before. Great album. Best: Too High, Living for the City, Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing.

At first I thought hmm, this is kind of nice, but I quickly got tired of it. The rap song Pilgrim was pretty bad. The Conference is something I'd never want to hear again. The rest is somewhat forgettable.

Very grungey with not a lot of variety. I did like Them Bones (which is a bit too short) and Rooster (which is a bit long), and Would? but overall the album was on the depressing side, especially knowing what happened to the singer later in life.

I previously only knew one song by the Zutons, Valerie, which I love. In this album, even though no song really stood out, I thought it was great all the way through.

First time hearing Sepultura. I'm generally not a fan of growling vocals, so that is going to bring my rating down automatically. Otherwise, this album has its moments. The lead guitar riff in the first track, Arise, was great. As were some of the solos. I didn't understand many of the lyrics, but I'm pretty sure they would be depressing if I looked them up so I won't.

Previously listened to for this list: With the Beatles (5/5) ************************************ I have listened to Rubber Soul many, many times, so I don't need to hear it again to rate it. (I still did, though.) It's one of the Beatles' best albums. I enjoy every song on it, even Ringo's country song, What Goes On. Yes, even John's lyrically disturbing Run For Your Life. George stepped up his game here from his relatively weak songs on Help! with Think for Yourself and If I Needed Someone. The Word and Wait may be filler-ish tracks, but there are way too many amazing songs (Norweigian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, In My Life, I'm Looking Through You) to not give a 5/5.

Previously listened to for this list: Innervisions (4/5) ************************************ Just listened to Innvervisions last week. Songs in the Key of Life is a very low 4/5. Rated highly for some amazing songs, Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely, Pastime Paradise, I Wish. Some other songs, and the album as a whole, especially sides 3 and 4, go on way too long. A couple are pretty cringeworthy and I'd definitely skip them if I listened to this again.

I knew a couple of songs from Todd Rundgren going in, Hello It's Me and the Bang on the Drum song. I didn't expect how quirky and weird this album would be, at least the first half of it. I wasn't sure if I was liking the music or the production, but I started getting into it and rather enjoyed it by the end. So much I started it over from the beginning. Whenever that happens, I give the album at least a 4/5.

Not just annoying, it's aggressively annoying! There is nothing musical about this to my ears. My poor ears. Why would anyone think this needs to be listened to before they die? Note: It wasn't on Apple Music, so I had to listen on YouTube, which isn't ideal.

Previously rated: Meat Is Murder (3/5) *********************** I listened to this yesterday and don't remember a lot about it beside the lyrics to Unhappy Birthday. I laughed and then was disturbed at them. The song titles are all interesting at least. Best track: Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This Before.

Perfectly fine background music. Listened to this a few days before Halloween, so I enjoyed the sort of spooky sounding stuff.

Good dance album, positive, fun, and upbeat. Groove Is In The Heart is the standout.

First Oasis album for me. It was a much harder rock album than I was expecting (other than the last track). I liked it a lot. Take one star off for the wahhhhhh vocals. Favorite track: Rock and Roll Star

Not really my style of music, and I don't know much Spanish or French, but there was a good variety and it wasn't boring. What was with that video game sound effect that was in several songs? Sounded like Galaga.

Starts really well with Motherless Children, then I started losing interest until I Shot the Sheriff, then it falls off again until the last couple of tracks which were good, Steady Rollin' Man and Mainline Florida. I'll give it a low 4/5. I'd definitely listen again and maybe those other tracks would grow on me more. A very specific thing to mention, I really liked the thud of the bass drum on this album.

Previously rated: Nico - Chelsea Girl (1/5) ************************** I had heard this album once before. I remember kind of liking it, but not enjoying the Nico songs. I can get into the low production, garage rock sound on tracks like "I'm Waiting for the Man," "Run Run Run," and "Heroin," though the latter song does too long as does the final track "European Son," which is just noise for the last several minutes and leaves a bad taste. This may be an iconic album, but it's not a brilliant one. Nico sucks. Low 3/5 rating.

Previously rated: The Beach Boys Today! (4/5) ******************************* I listened to this once before and didn't think it deserved it's "best albums of all time" status, and I still think that though I enjoyed it more this time. I forgot Sloop John B was on this album. That song is amazing, well-crafted, I love it. Bumps the whole thing over the hump from 3 to 4.

Ah, the Don’t You Forget About Me Guys! We Americans didn’t know they existed before 1985. Strange title for an album. The songs were nothing special. Overall pretty average. Best track: Promised You a Miracle.

There's a part with crazy saxophone, a part that sounds like Peanuts music, a part with some nice drumming. The rest just washed over me. It's fine jazz, a genre I don't really "get" like some people do. Favorite track: I like drums, so Pt. 3: Pursuance.

I've never heard of the Avalanches before this. The first track (and the fact Apple Music lists this as just "Pop") tricked me into thinking this was a Jackson 5-esque thing. The second track was just a continuation of the first one and it became obvious is wasn't. Some of the tracks were super repetitive, some seemed to just have random sounds thrown in as a quantity over quality thing. However, I will say this is the type of album that belongs on this list. Even though I didn't enjoy everything, there were certainly sections where I was getting into it, and overall, it's a very unique sounding album. Favorite track: Two Hearts in 3/4 Time. Also Frontier Psychiatrist.

Previously rated: MTV Unplugged In New York (3/5) In Utero (3/5) ************************************* A very good album with some classic songs. It probably deserves a 5/5, but I'm honestly I'm tired of hearing many of them. Best track: Come As You Are

African music is way out of my wheelhouse, but I started getting into this a bit as it went on, especially when it had more western sounds incorporated into it. Not bad, glad I heard it, but not something I'll likely choose to listen to again.

They're trolling, right? Only 1,001 albums and we have time for this crap? I listened to the whole thing in disbelief and ended up several IQ points dumber. The lyrics are idiotic; N-words abound. The dude had a fight over voice chat in a game of Call of Duty, and he decides it would be a good idea to throw it on the album. I was disgusted with the whole album *except* the last 30 seconds. That was actually good, and not so coincidentally had no vocals.

I've heard Black Hole Sun and Spoonman many times playing the game Rock Band. I don't remember if I liked them right away or they just grew on me, but I like them. The rest was new to me. Starts strong with Let Me Down, then just OK stuff that got a bit samey grunge after a while the tuned down guitar sound. The song Half was different and kind of cool. A low 4/5.

There are various sounds and sometimes a pleasant sounding woman sings in a foreign language (I will guess Portuguese), sometimes in reverse. Also, a guy with a deep voice talks in one of the songs. I wish it would have ended a bit sooner.

I knew only one song of his coming in, that being “Copperhead Road.” This album was more of a generic country sound than I was expecting. Kind of mediocre considering it’s on this list. Nothing really bad here though. Compared to country music today, it’s amazing.

Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Going to California, and of course Stairway to Heaven are all staples on the local classic rock station. Those are all great. I also liked Misty Mountain Hop (Kiss' Ugh! All Night borrows the riff from it) and When the Levee Breaks (Beatie Boys' Rhymin' and Stealin' borrows the drums from it). The only one I didn't really care for was the Battle of Evermore.

Very disappointed in this one. I thought it was going to be a "smarter" rap album, but the lyrics are pretty crap and amateur. I think he rapped about poo-poo in his pocket and another song had poo-poo in his hand. Screaming about soda flavors (COCA-COLAAAAAAA, SPRIIIIIIIIITE). It was all a slightly edgier Young MC or Fresh Prince. Some of the music is good, but is any of the good stuff original? I heard Schoolhouse Rock, Steely Dan, Otis Redding, Ben E. King, Funkadelic, and those are just the ones I recognized.

I had heard this album once before. I like the first and last tracks (Care of Cell 44 and Time of the Season). The stuff in between, though, it's a tad too psychedelic hippie-dippie for me. A Rose for Emily is OK; it's trying to be a new Eleanor Rigby. The whole album is obviously inspired by Sgt. Pepper (for better or worse). Butchers Tale straight up sounds like the guy is doing a John Lennon impression. I think I prefer their earlier stuff like Tell Her No and She's Not There.

I had never heard of Ash before this. I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't know non-grunge heavy rock, complete with guitar solos, was still being made in the mid-90s. At least it didn't sound like grunge to me. I definitely heard a stolen riff from Black Sabbath's N.I.B. in the song I'd Give You Anything. Hope I'm not the only one who noticed it. Still enjoyed it. Favorite track: Probably Kung Fu - it's so catchy. Less fond of the lighter stuff on this album, but still 4/5 - might listen again.

Previously rated: The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (2/5) **************************************** I will reiterate that I've never been stoned in my life, and that I don't get Pink Floyd. This is a well thought out, well put together, cohesive album. Money is a good song that I've heard a hundred times. The rest is fine, if not a little boring. I just don't get much enjoyment out of it. I'm glad everyone else in the world loves it.

I like this album a lot. Favorite tracks: Breaking the Law, Living after Midnight.

I was 12 years old in 1986. I never heard of Afrika Bambaataa, but I probably would have liked this. Now, it sounds pretty dated. Still, it's fun and energetic stuff. Favorite track: Renegades of Funk

Previously rated: Thriller (5/5) ****************** I think I heard this album once in its entirety when it was new. Of course, many of the songs here were singles, so it left about four songs I was unfamiliar with, although listening to the song "Bad," I realized I was much, much more familiar with Weird Al's "Fat" and didn't remember these lyrics. It may be an iconic song, but man the lyrics are pretty cringeworthy if you take them for Jackson singing about himself. (Apparently he wrote it about a kid in a newspaper story he read.) He was going for an overall edgier approach with the album. At the time, it didn't fool anyone. We all knew he was a skinny little twerp who talked like a meek little girl and hung around with children. Anyway, back to the music. It's fantastic, what can I say? Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal, all huge songs! The weakest song is probably Liberian Girl, and even that's not terrible. Stevie Wonder is featured in one song, which surprised me. The album ends on a very solid three track, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal, and Leave Me Alone (forgot how much I liked this one). I let the album play a second time. Not quite Thriller or Off the Wall, but it's close. Still 5/5.

Going in, I was only familiar with Go With the Flow and 3's & 7's, neither of which are on this album, so this was all new to me. Maybe this band is one you have to listen to more than once to really enjoy it. The songs were interesting, sometimes experimental, but nothing really grabbed me on first listen. I wish the singer put a little more effort in, or maybe lazy, laid back vocals is what he's going for? On the plus side, it wasn't boring, had cool guitar and drum parts. Just average or slightly above to me.

Nice album. I think I had heard it once before. Seems to be a little front heavy with So Far Away, Money for Nothing, and Walk of Life. Back half was a bit slow, but not bad. A little Springsteen, a little Bob Dylan, and a little...something else I can't remember now. The production is a bit dated for sure.

Some really good songs here. Let’s Go Crazy, Take Me With U, I Would Die 4 U, When Doves Cry. I always thought Purple Rain (single version) was kind of a boring song. This version is even more so at 8+ minutes long. I suppose it’s an appropriate album ended though. Didn’t like the fake sounding drums.

Previously rated: Aladdin Sane (3/5) The Next Day (3/5) Young Americans (3/5) ************************* Not the biggest Bowie fan as you can see, but this one has some good rockin' tunes. Suffragette City and Ziggy Stardust being my favorites.

Previously rated: A Wizard, A True Star (4/5) ***************************** Like the previous album, it's an eclectic collection with good variety. He's got a great singing voice. This album even has a couple of hit songs. Didn't feel too long for a double album either. My appreciation for his music is growing. Some of it sounds a bit 70s AM easy listening, but I liked that too. Liked the humor too - I caught some of the recording problems he mentioned in Intro :)

Listened on YouTube. Good old late '60s psychedelic rock.

Previously rated: Purple Rain (4/5) ******************* I did not know this was a double album. The first three songs here (1999, Little Red Corvette, and Delirious) are great, and I have a lot of nostalgia for them as they were popular when I first started listening to music. Then we get to the sexually explicit Let's Pretend We're Married, and this is where I started to be put off. If it was just that track, I could overlook it, but the horniness and sex noises are sprinkled throughout the rest of the album. I was glad when it was over. I wanted to take a shower, but then I just let the first three tracks play again, and they are what brings the album up to a 3/5.

If someone played this and said it was Taylor Swift, I would have believed it. Granted I know very little of her music, but I think it’s similar type of synth pop right? Anyway it’s not my genre, but it wasn’t bad. I preferred the female lead songs to the couple with the dude.

Whatever genre mix this is (ethereal + ?), I don't like it. That last track can go straight into the trash. It's also all pretty forgettable. I think there was one decent sounding song, but looking over the track listing, I can't for the life of me know which one it would have been.

Previously rated: The Number Of The Beast (5/5) ********************************** First time listening to a pre-Bruce Dickenson Iron Maiden album, and I liked it a lot more than I thought it would. This singer's voice isn't as unique, but it's not bad. A couple of songs gave me Deep Purple vibes. I liked everything here, no duds. I will listen to this again. It rocks!

Ugh, such a low energy affair, especially after yesterday’s Iron Maiden album. This is what I expect an Art Garfunkel solo album sounds like, with a few random F-bombs thrown for a cheap bit of excitement. No thank you. I’m putting Maiden back on.

Previously rated: Remain In Light (2/5) ************************ Much better than the previous Talking Heads album. This one had more energy, the songs were catchier. I liked the lyrics better too. Enjoyed hearing the different instruments, steel drum, xylophone, etc.