The World is a Ghetto
WarThis feels like what soul was meant to become.
This feels like what soul was meant to become.
Props to this website for using the ass cover
To completely counter the “peace and love” hippie movement of the 60s, Zappa created a chaotic sound collage to show us the darker underbelly of fame and society.
The hits on this carry pretty hard. A good MJ album but, in my opinion, this is where he started falling out of his great artistic era.
A sheer master class in songwriting from a lyrical stance, as well as one of beautiful instrumental work that keep you in tranced in Cohen’s world of love for each of its 10 memorable tracks.
While it’s pretty much Muse’s “Kid A” (to an abundantly similar degree), this album has enough to set itself apart to still make it an interesting, progressive release for rock music. Favorite Track: Solider’s Poem Rating: 6.5/10
A transition between 80s and 90s hip-hop, as well as just a fucking well produced and preformed album. Favorite Track: What’s Golden Rating: 7.5/10
Matt Beringer utilizes his unique vocal style to great success, giving the album a type of beauty that opens up the longer one listens. Favorite Track: Runaway Rating: 7/10
The Velvet Underground takes a massive sonic departure from their previous album, White Light/White Heat, by making a softer, more psychedelic project. This venture into different sonic territory makes for some of the band’s most creative and experimental work yet. Best Track: After Hours Rating: 7.5/10
Suzanne Vega’s debut album doesn’t stretch far past nice-sounding acoustic music, making this self-titled album less memorable than it could have been. Best Track: Cracking Rating: 5.5/10
The Cardigans really do sound like the first band on the moon with some of the out-there sounds they explore on here.
Lana Del Rey’s 2021 album didn’t provide much significant material to her discography, but it had a consistent sound that showed Lana trying something new, albeit the tracklist could’ve used more versatility. Best Track: Let Me Love You Like A Woman Rating: 5.5/10
An incredibly catchy, but meaningful listen
This is Prince’s first great album, and its length fully justifies itself. Best Track: Little Red Corvette Rating: 7.5/10
The world “Dr. John” wants to create fully realizes itself as it bends your ears in any way it pleases through his avant-garde New Orleans compositions. Rating: 8/10
Ive been to Guyville. It has some great songs but extremely forgettable, directionless ones as well. Rating: 6.5/10
Brill music peaked wit da gal Carole. Rating: 7/10
Yeah it’s a pretty good album Rating: 9.5/10
Disco bisco Rating: 7.5/10
I don’t need to hear Anthony Keidis rap/singing about sex for 75 mins
Solid contemporary R&B but I’d be lying if I said this was one of the core albums in the genre from the past decade (like many think it is) Rating: 6/10
The Stone Roses do a great job showing who they are on their debut album. And who they are is essentially The Byrds doing punk rock. Could be worse. Rating: 7.5/10
Kurt Cobain’s final artistic say in music encapsulated everything that made him who he was. The barebones of the struggling artist was put on display.
If I could do 4.5 I would. 4 is doing this album such a disservice. Some of the best hip-hop pre-2010s. Rating: 8.5/10
I get the appeal, but I honestly have no idea what he was trying to do on this album
Punk and soul very rarely cross paths, and it’s done exquisitely on here. Rating: 7.5/10
While Spirit appears to be doing what they intended to do on this album, a lot of the ideas fell ever so slightly too short to make it a great cohesive project. Sardonicus sounds like it’s in a strange spot in psychedelic music, being released between the late 60s and the progressive 70s.
A pretty country album from the ‘70s. Gram Parsons put his soul into the music and backed by the female singers he chooses to sing with, it comes out sounding very harmonious
Good punk
To completely counter the “peace and love” hippie movement of the 60s, Zappa created a chaotic sound collage to show us the darker underbelly of fame and society.
Never have I heard a French person so angry. Softer instrumental moments like the opening to the first song and the entirety of “Charlotte” sound like Tom Waits if he learned French, while the rest of the tracklist is closer to Captain Beefheart but going completely industrial. This shits cool
Neil’s voice is smooth as fuck. Some songs are beautiful and well-written, but several feel like they’re missing something to make them that much fuller. Regardless, this is still like a 7. Good album
This album showed the Beastie Boys expanding on the grittier sound they debuted on Check Ya Head, and while Ill Communication is, in a lot of ways, a better version of their previous effort, it still is absent of the charm that made their first two albums so special.
This was Dylan’s first great full-body of work. To put it simply, it was a sheer artistic breakthrough for him and it would lead him to create (somehow) FAR greater albums.
They sound nice but I can’t say there’s much material I come back to on this. It’s funny that it’s a self-titled album, because what Queen became is not really present on here.
Faithfull modernizes some older styles with an early new wave approach, and, combined with her fairly rough voice, she created a pretty unique sound.
Average punk. Maybe it was revolutionary at the time, but would you rather have an iPhone 3 or an iPhone 13?
Fantastic, forward-thinking new wave from the early ‘80s. Easily Talking Heads best.
This feels like what soul was meant to become.
Big band jazz with a new thing to love in every short burst of music.
Sheer pop perfection. Nothing else to say (too much to say tbh).
Average early country but still better than modern country by a mile
This blew me away. Anohni’s deeply soulful musings on her sexuality is insanely impactful to hear and I am grateful of this website for giving me the opportunity to hear it.
Unpopular to say, but Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” is a good folk record with some fantastic songs on it, but I’d be lying if I said it truly captivated me as an album experience.
Neigh (but this is a good album)
The band’s electronic-infused indie rock makes for a surprising 180 sonically from their previous album, to the point where it sounds like another band made it.
The hits on this carry pretty hard. A good MJ album but, in my opinion, this is where he started falling out of his great artistic era.
A good, angry punk album with some interesting electronic elements dominating a fair amount of the tracks.
Great production is easily the highlight of this ‘90s staple.
The Stones’ debut album showcases little original songwriting from the band, but they actually make it really entertaining.
Poor songwriting and a soulless frontman performance make this iconic ‘80s rock album just simply “rock music” to the barest of bones. The main selling point of Van Halen, being Eddie as the guitarist, displays him showing pure musicianship with little artistic merit, leaving me with a “nothing” taste in my mouth after this album ended.
While I very much prefer Roger Waters’ Pink Floyd, there’s some thing beautifully raw about Syd Barrett’s. The early days of psychedelic rock were shining throughout this album and we got some of the best sonic experiments of the era, as well as some lengthy duds too, however.
The eclectic sonic palate of Beck’s Odelay makes this a one-of-a-kind listen that anyone could find something they’d enjoy inside. A great album that symbolizes the diversity of sounds the ‘90s offered.
Pretty good classic country, nothing too special but Jack’s lyrics can be pretty funny sometimes
The high point of Happy Mondays’ music is their distinct charismatic lyrics, otherwise, a lot of the project would sound kinda like a sonic mess…but in some cases that actually does work.
The luscious arrangements and Björk’s heartbreakingly personal subject matter make this definitively her best record.
Good punk with some truly interesting experimentation with non-traditional instruments for the genre
Good ambient music with a very sparse vibe that allows you to soak in every despondent sound Eno plays.
A sheer master class in songwriting from a lyrical stance, as well as one of beautiful instrumental work that keep you in tranced in Cohen’s world of love for each of its 10 memorable tracks.
Massive Attack uses a wide array of genres and styles to compose a sound that is not only unique, but keeps you on the edge of your seat with every subsequent track in the tracklist
Sting and the rest of the band come through with some well written cuts (some of which being better than others) that revel in the album’s core ‘80s sound. While Sting furthers himself as a great singer, there are too many moments on this album that feel like they didn’t amount to as much as they could have.
Steely Dan’s third album is as funky as it is charismatic, and while some songs don’t hit their mark as much as others, there is a consistent charm that carries through the whole runtime.
Props to this website for using the ass cover
Incredibly creative and sonically diverse. Categorizing this thing into one genre would be impossible
Roger Waters’ opus suffers a tad from its great length, but with it, it creates a densely layered character you are able to sympathize with by the end of the story. A decent trade-off tbh
Janet’s fourth studio album may be her most well-rounded, even if some of the songs work better than others, on a technical as well as thematic stance. Regardless, the production across this thing is great and the funky songs are funky as shit
This is pretty difficult to rate for me, because on its surface, it’s just an average repetitive electronic record, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fucking boring. This teeters between the 1 and 2 star score but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that it can sometimes sound less boring.
This album sounds really nice, the only thing is that they’re all covers. I can see myself returning to this tho, it’s definitely well-made.
An impressive fusion of indie rock with other genres. Frontman E’s performance, while it is very charismatic, can come off as bitter in many instances, though, as the majority of the lyrics deal with a multitude of afterthoughts about a failed relationship, mainly of negative thoughts. However, the unique songwriting definitely makes up for those issues as a whole, as this thing is a joy to get through.
Queen doing queen stuff to the best of their abilities….pretty great result
Paul Simon uses a flawless ensemble of African musicians to geographically transport you to the scenery he recorded the album in. This thing is so damn memorable that it has to be the best thing he ever made.
A perfect punk record, due to the fact that it uses its multi-dimensional genre-bending to advance the classic “punk themes”
Fantastic jazz instrumentals and top notch lyrics from Stevie makes this one of the best soul albums ever.
Plastic Ono Band showcased Lennon going through a production change, and even though there are ups and downs throughout the tracklist, the overall songwriting feels personal.
I believe this to be Lennon’s best solo album, and even if there are some moments of bad production, it overall captures the heart of a cynical legend.
One of the best sounding albums. Period. It’s insane to me that a few mortal human beings made this.
Fun, energetic fusions of traditional rock and hard punk make this a refreshing and easy listen.
An exploration about what makes life meaningful after being at your lowest point
Janis has a deeply soulful voice that sends her life and career out with a beautiful spirit, one filled with freedom.
Monk had several moments of impressive craftsmanship, but as a whole, this album rarely reached the heights that many of his groundbreaking contemporaries were able to.
Who’s Next has some great tracks but stays just consistently good all the way through. Definitely could be worse for sure, because it’s still good
Just a fantastic rock opera. Such a fucking great, energetic album with some of Green Day’s best cuts
Decent sounding arena rock but does little to shake up what I feel like has always been a fairly boring genre
This thing has luscious vocals and instrumentation but as a whole it just doesn’t do that much for me compared to R&B records like it
Good Radiohead but nothing special compared to their best stuff
This is Tom’s biggest contrast between his hellish and beautiful songs. The duality of his artistic nature is on full display here
Pleasant sounding country
An exploration of the ‘70s soul genre from all angles
The culmination of Kurt’s short career. If Nevermind was a critique on society, In Utero was Kurt digging deeper in himself. A tragic final studio album that evoked everything that made Kurt Cobain who he was.
Good punk. Not a huge amount to take away tho
A grim look on despair and emptiness, while trying your hardest not to lose your sanity in the process. In the face of the darkest possible situation, Robert Wyatt tries to find a light
I can see the potential with what she was doing, but a lot of what is on here sounded pretty standard to me.
It’s a good debut but absolutely pales into comparison to what she was able to do later
An amazing atmosphere, with juxtaposing sides that compliment each other in the strangest, perfect way possible. Different from the band’s other works but a welcome change
Morrison’s follow up to his magnum opus was a unique record as well, even if it didn’t reach the songwriting heights of its predecessor
The noisiest blob of beauty in music
A culmination of everything that made them great
It was a surprise to hear Björk on an album I had never heard of, which was definitely the biggest thing I liked about us. Otherwise, it was cool, and sometimes inventive punk music. You can’t go wrong with this tbh. It’s good
An album with a great vibe and fantastic vocals, I would rate this thing higher if it didn’t use pretty much all covers (which I know Sinatra often does but still)
Nearly top tier Beach House. The things they accomplish with sound on here is unreal
Nick Cave reflects on the dichotomies of man with this double album, and while it has some duds in the tracklist, he very much gets his ideas across
A melting pot of genres go into this classic trip-hop album
Alanis’s presence is powerful and notable, but some tracks are just weaker than others and sometimes feel repetitive
It’s difficult to separate this album from the original tapes of the Smile from 1967, which I think is one of the greatest artworks of all time. For that reason, I will give this a 5, even if I think the original version is much better. Either way, the compostions remain almost intact so this thing still omits surges of intense beauty even in Brian’s elderly voice.
Poignant lyricism backed by an inviting, yet occasionally-anxious, indie-country sound
The Smiths have such a distinct sound and this is definitely their best display of that.
A perfectly assembled collection of vocalists to create a really engaging psych-soul album
Fragmented moments of expression from an artist locked outside of time. An album almost couldn’t be more expressive of an artist’s mind-state P.S. I have been addicted to this album recently, I have no idea how this website gave me this
Billy Joel’s best album and I don’t understand how anyone can disagree
This is one of Led Zeppelin’s best releases but it just goes to show how overrated they are in the best band conversation
A dark take on the classic country sound, with all of the songs (covers and originals) having a distinctly dreary vibe. The session has a lot of mystique around it, and that is certainly evident in the music. My only critique is that it sticks to pretty much one sound, which can make the listen drag a little by the end, but the sound itself is very well done
Aside from “Violet” and “She Walks From Me,” two songs wholly emblematic of what made grunge a successful genre, “Live Through Me” does not live up to what her contemporaries were doing, let alone her grunge-icon husband.
Beautiful soul album
What would be a boring Elton John album, carried and led by the actually good “Tiny Dancer” single, was relatively saved by the last three tracks.
A decent return to form for Dylan, but with not enough memorable material to make it too far above average
Classic Elvis shenanigans
One of the best soul albums of all time. Nothing short of that feat. It’s a brief album but remarkably consist and it’s tragic that this was her last.
I respect the vision of the album and it has some good tracks, but this is nowhere near the best in Mayfield’s discography for sure.
If Kid A was the apocalypse that Ok Computer predicted, then Amnesiac is the barren wasteland of what came after
Crappy radio “hard-rock”
Kinda like British Beach Boys
One of the most overrated albums of all time. Not bad tho, one of Zeppelin’s better albums but I prefer 1 and 2
Pleasant classic country
A muddied, distinct sound of garage rock that is as dysfunctional as it is original
An enjoyable debut new-wave album. Don’t have too much to say. There’s hits and misses
At first it seemed like Simon’s songs were lacking without the addition of his former partner backing him, but as I listened more, the songs on here seem to draw from many aspects of Simon’s creativity, making this just as, if not more enjoyable all the way through than many of Simon & Garfunkel’s albums.
Fantastic rap metal. Pretty much the pinnacle of that genre
The first time the band truly went full prog rock
On the verge of a 4, Fugazi’s debut album showcased a very new kind of punk, one with extremely tight instrument relationships and passionate energy
Good Smiths but likely their least consistent
Ultra fun rap music from a time where creativity in hip-hop was just beginning to flourish
One of Bowie’s best. One of the most enjoyable albums ever made
This is an album of truly epic proportions. While there are times, namely toward the beginning of the record, where Steinman’s writing influences are more prominent, this thing really builds its identity brilliantly, and by the final track, through Meat Loaf’s powerful voice and Steinman’s larger-than-life arrangements, its clear that you will never have another experience like this with an album.
This is a fine bossa nova album (it rides between 2 and 3) but its just very uninteresting, aside from 2-3 tracks
Average Elvis shenanigans, some great songs, some unmemorable ones, but always pleasant to listen to
Daft Punk’s first album sets the tone for what was to come, through infectious loops, layered production, and the hypnotic, distinct robot vocals
This is The Beatles making standard music. It’s ridiculously uninteresting.
Arguably the most artistic and revealing post punk has gotten
A psychedelic Beatles (near) masterpiece
A soulful and personal album from Björk with her most unique batch of songs yet
Nice lyrics with great energy, but an inconsistent tracklist with few ACTUAL highs. Many good songs tho
Fun glam rock with some great songs mixed in with more average ones. This thing is VERY frontloaded tho
Not one of Nick’s greatest conceptual releases, but there’s a consistent introspection that connects all the songs. However, it doesn’t dig nearly as deep as many of his hardest-hitting stuff
A classic production sound with some even more classic songs. I will say though, being that this is Brian Wilson’s favorite album, it’s obvious it was more groundbreaking at the time it came out
It pains me to give Tom Waits a 2, but this album is a slog to get through. There are some great songs and funny moments sprinkled in, with hypnotic jazz instrumentation backing it all, but the majority of this is just a spoken word thing leading up to something else that doesn’t really pay off.
A distinct and iconic indie rock album
As spiritual as jazz gets. Not as astounding as people say it is but it’s one of the most important jazz records
One of the earliest progressors of hip-hop
As perfect and as eclectic as soul music can get. Stevie’s ear for melody and arrangements are just flawless
A unique style of electro-pop, but it’s a difficult album to return to. Again, though, a very interesting style with no negative moments present
Possibly the greatest narrative rap album ever made. The pinnacle of the hip-hop genre (yet still Kendrick’s third best)
Simon & Garfunkel’s only concept album has some of their best songs, but I wish I enjoyed the overall experience more
Bob Marley very much knows how to make poignant cultural statements with simply pleasant music backing it
this thing is filled with short but great songs. The first run of six is unreal, as is the closer
Best Elton john
Classic easy listening stuff. Steely Dan’s melodies sound so nice that it’s almost artificial
Fun and expressive rock
One of the band’s most accessible releases happens to be one of their most well-rounded. A fantastic gateway into what was to come
A foreword-thinking debut from a sheer musical legend. 7.5-8/10
different than the rest of the band’s stuff and very charming as well
Björk’s debut is so easily one her best. This shit is so sick
Inventive and progressive sounding art punk. 7.5/10
Oasis has some great songs, as well as some less interesting ones. Liam’s voice rides the line between grating and pleasant, but it’s always expressive
I’m not the biggest country fan, but Lucinda injects the sensibilities of other genres into the music her, so while it’s definitively country, it can be enjoyed by fans of many other fields.
Awesome and diverse hip-hop that epitomizes everything great about the genre before it absolutely flourished in the coming decades.
A consistently entertaining and sonically unpredictable art rock album that, in short, defined the era of indie music that this was born from
Beautiful conceptually, vocally, and musically. Pop music nearly at its finest
As atmospherically beautiful as it is iconic. doesn’t mean it it’s one of the best albums of all time. It is great, but most certainly not their best
While not as consistently entertaining as his previous prison live album, the legendary country singer knows how to create an engaging live scene, while appearing just as laid back as he is talented.
This album defined pop in the ‘80s, albeit not being quite as big through time as some of her contemporaries
Aside from a couple finer moments to pull out of this mixed bag of tracks, this REM album ends up falling in the same vein as the group’s other safe and often boring “dad rock“ albums.
I’m between a 3 and 4 on this, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and score it the latter for its uniqueness and sheer influence on many hip-hop artists today. While it may lose a bit of its steam by the end, it’s undeniable that the group had some amazing song ideas and coupled them with purely singular styles
Up there for the best Smiths album. The range of songwriting on here is fantastic and more expansive than anything the band had done previously. A fitting last album
A landmark record for both R&B and hip-hop and successfully becomes one of the best in both genres
One of the most calming albums ever. Simply put. Bossa-nova at its finest and most iconic
A largely uninteresting first half is (relatively) saved by a banger-filled second. Regardless, I’d still give this like a 2.5, meaning a 2 is what this has gotta be. This website gotta get those halves man they mean something
Energetic and raw punk. Not particularly inventive but a quintessential spawn of the wave
It consistently may sound nice but this is just very standard ‘60s spiritual folk
Marvin Gaye’s glorious magnum opus is as life-affirming as it is soulful. It’s a testament to moving forward in the face of adversity, and while I think the album is actually a little overrated, I very much have to respect what it is and what it did for soul music.
Possibly the most classic pop punk there is
This album is very much top heavy, as, by the time you get to the last song, the writing begins to get more monotonous and the vocal presence becomes fairly uninteresting
I understand the musical talent involved in this but when the songwriting isn’t very catchy and there’s no clear messages to latch onto, it removes you from the technically impressiveness of it all
A highlight Stevie Wonder album. Some of his best tracks are on this thing, and in contrast to the extravagant SITKOL, these ten tracks create a concise, spiritual experience
Possibly the best song the band made was the self-titled opening track, but overall, this album gradually loses steam as the tracklist progresses
The Avalanches prove how sampling can be just as impressive as any other form of creating in music
The Mothers and The Fathers epitomized everything the ‘60s was shifting to sonically. Not saying that every song here was successful in that sound (there are some definite better ones than others), but everything on here is essentially a template that combined what was done before and what was to flourish as the psychedelic age progressed
This is something anyone would enjoy if you put it on. Classics on classics
Nick Cave’s acceptance of grief leading him to a path to rebirth is as beautiful of a concept as The Bad Seeds’ instrumentation and Nick’s songwriting itself.
Muddy Waters consistently evokes the true, raw spirit of the blues, but by the end of the record, the sound begins to get a little monotonous, even though there are some genuinely fantastic songs within this brief collection.
The production on this is stellar, notably with the second half instrumental tracks, but when it comes to the more traditional Bowie-led vocal tracks, they’re oftentimes pretty forgettable. However, “Beauty and the Beast” is awesome and “Heroes” is one of the greatest songs ever. It’s the stuff like “Joe the Lion” or the final track that leave some individuality to be desired.
The Doors’ take the bluesy sound they were working with on “Morrison Hotel” and made it that much more raw and mysterious.
While CAN’s sophomore album is long, the instrumental and stylistic variation throughout the 7 song tracklist is awe-inspiring.
Through its fusions of jazz and art pop, Talk Talk create a work that feels simultaneously sensual and mysterious
One of the most raw and honest portrayals of loneliness and depression. Every note Nick sings accompanied solely by his guitar is just as painful as it is beautiful. This album is eye opening by the end
Don McLean’s sweet voice, paired with enamoring songwriting makes this concise, 10 song tracklist hit as hard as it has to.
Mr. Prime assembled a pretty great collection of Prog. Country tracks, and while the direction of the album can feel kinda stale, there are some stellar country tunes in the mix.
This feels like the Stones’ transition into their psychedelic period. It’s incredibly uneven but there’s some great forward thinking material here
This shit is just so good
I respect the musicality of Minor Threat’s one and only album, but there’s just not a lot I am able to take out of it.
Slint’s masterful portrayal of the fears alongside a transition to adulthood is not only entrancing, but flawlessly composed as well.