A surprising forgettable album from Simon & Garfunkel. The concept of side A sounded interesting but is rushed and underdeveloped. 15 minutes worth of music cover an entire life cycle, with only one stand out track ("America") and 2 full minutes of no music at all. It might have been better if they'd fleshed out a full album for this idea. Side B is much stronger. "Mrs Robinson" and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" are the best two songs on the album. Unfortunately, there's really nothing new here, aside from one leftover track from The Graduate. The rest of side B are previously released singles. There's nothing wrong with that, but we're supposed to be rating the best albums ever made. A short concept for side A and a singles collection for side B is too low effort for artists of this level. It's fine for what it is, but hardly their best release in my opinion.

It's a good album and the band probably would have been fun to see live. But is there really anything exceptional or groundbreaking about it? I've heard loads of bands doing very similar things and frankly, these guys seemed a little late the dance-punk party. I'd pick The Rapture's Echoes over this one personally. That doesn't mean it's a bad album. Not at all. I enjoyed it all the way through for what it is. I just don't know that it's interesting enough to be on this list.

It's an ambitious project. It really showcases Stephin Merritt's range and songwriting abilities. The modern, thoughtful and often humorous takes on the subject produces some great songs, focused on many different kinds of love. But it's a tall order to produce a triple album based on a simple concept, without ending up with a lot of filler. As enjoyable as it is at points, it's a slough to listen to the entire thing. It's a missed opportunity to be honest. If Merritt could have whittled this down to a single disc of the best 20 or so songs, it would have an amazing album. Save the rest for a special expanded edition, maybe. As it is, it's a good album, but it's just too bloated. The novelty of the length is too much of a gimmicky distraction and disservice to what could have been a great album.

Musgraves pushes the limits of the usual conservative genre of country by flirting with elements of pop and electronic music. It gives it a unique sound. Musically, country fans shouldn't be too distracted by the occasional synthesizer or vocoder but more conservative listeners might be put off by some of her progressive politics, something the genre isn't famous for.

I'm not a big fan of the whole pop-punk sub genre, but there's really nothing to criticize here (aside from the awful ablum title). Young kids with punk attitude, slick production, socially aware lyrics, and good songwriting. Lots of earworms on this album. It's not my style so I wouldn't return to it often but I can still appreciate it for being a solid album.

She has an absolutely beautiful voice and I appreciate the talent that went into this album, but the style of music isn't for me.

What a difference from their later work! This album was a major disappointment and it's hard to imagine that it was ever popular. It sounds like elevator music. By far, the highlight is Tracey Thorn's beautiful voice.

I love Jane Weaver but this does seem like an odd choice for albums to hear before you die. It's fairly niche and not even her best work, in my opinion. Flock is the superior album by a mile. Still, it was a nice surprise to get this suggestion as I hadn't previously heard this album.

I hate to give a 1 star review but this album just did nothing for me. It's not my genre, to be fair. I was a little intrigued by the description of "cosmic American music" but this honestly just sounds like a standard country album to me. I'm sure it has its fans but this one wasn't for me.

Shame that the second half of the album is missing on Spotify

Even on a list like this, this is a rare perfect album. The concept is admittedly gimmicky but the breathe and depth of the music and variety of styles makes up for it. Not a single bad track.

Better than expected. While the Sex Pistols were clearly more influential, this album is a lot more interesting. It's definitely not for everyone though.

I read that this album was Beyonce exercising total creative control, which usually means you can expect a weird and wonderful collection. Unfortunately, there's not much about this album that's very unique. I don't mind all of the collaborators, but there's not much here musically that I haven't heard many times before. I'm giving three stars only because the end of the album has a few good tracks, almost hidden from the rest of the poppier songs. The standout track for me is Superpower where she seems to finally start taking some risks.

Great danceable punk album. If you had to pick one main influence for LCD Soundsystem and the DFA label, this would be a strong candidate.

It's a good album and the band probably would have been fun to see live. But is there really anything exceptional or groundbreaking about it? I've heard loads of bands doing very similar things and frankly, these guys seemed a little late the dance-punk party. I'd pick The Rapture's Echoes over this one personally. That doesn't mean it's a bad album. Not at all. I enjoyed it all the way through for what it is. I just don't know that it's interesting enough to be on this list.

I wouldn't have sought this one out myself but it's definitely a solid album. It's nice to hear the lesser known tracks. I doubt I'd personally go back to this one often but I appreciate the artistry and skill here.

Well, it's not my genre. I don't know enough enough honky tonk to say whether this is a particularly good example of it. I guess it's kind of interesting for what it is, but not really for me.

The first album on this list that I already knew inside and out. One of my absolute favorites.

An easy review. One of the best from one of my favorite bands. It's likely not the best entry point for people interested in Radiohead, but it's undoubtedly the best album of the latter half of their years performing. Here they replace political and social commentary for personal introspection. Not a band song on the album.

I appreciate the role Elvis played in popularizing rock and roll, particularly to white audiences. He also clearly played an important part in establishing the public persona of many performers who came after him. Just in terms of the music itself though, I can't hear anything special about it. There are plenty of more interesting examples of early rock and roll out there in my opinion. Maybe if I'd lived through that era, I'd see more to it. The songs are decent but I wouldn't go out of my way for this personally.

This one was completely new to me. There are definitely some catchy moments on there, although some of the chamber pop sound was a bit over the top for my taste. Overall, not a bad album and possibly one that would grow on me over time.

A very strong debut album. You can definitely hear the influence this must have had on the indie rock scene of the 80s and 90s.

This one was a pleasant surprise. Based on the fact that it's a folk band I've never heard of and the cringe-worthy title "Basket of Light", I thought for sure that this was going to be "let's sit around the campfire and praise Jesus" kind of album. It was definitely a lot more interesting than that. From reading into the band, it sounds like they were considered fairly influential, which is all the more surprising that they're not more well known now.

An immaculate debut album from one of the world's best guitar players.

The playing and improvisation on this album are impressive and the genre-bending heavy use of the Hammond organ is interesting. I can imagine this music being nice to hear played live at a jazz club or wine bar. Outside of that, I wouldn't personally seek it out but I appreciate the skill that went into it.

A good album with powerful themes. The two singles, Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day, really stand out and do some heavy lifting for the rest of the album. Even ignoring those it's a solid album from start to finish.

I enjoyed this one more than I expected. Very 80s but also pretty infectious.

I knew of Yousou N'Dour mainly from the various collaborations with western artists and involvement with different charity causes but I'd never heard his own music before. Very impressive. It's really exposing some gaps in my musical knowledge and sending down a rabbit hole of his extensive discography, the mbalax style, and Senegalese history. I'd give 4.5 if I could.

It's hard to decide how to rate this one. The intensity of Ice Cube's voice and the political commentary on institutional racism clearly give his album an important place in the history of rap music. The mysogyny however is uncomfortable. To his credit, "It's a Man's World" addresses sexism head on. However, it only highlights that sexism exists without any particular challenge to it. It also suggests a moral equivalence between sexism directed at both men and women. Even that limited response may have seemed revolutionary for a rap album released in 1990, but today it seems more like an empty gesture. Especially when the same album has a track called "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here". In that context, "It's a Man's World" feels more like an excuse than an apology. The message it sends is not "Let's challenge sexism" but "Sexism exists everywhere, so get over it." Overall, it's a great album, especially put into the context of the time it was released. Unfortunately, parts of it haven't aged well.

On first listen, I was put off by the adult contemporary smooth jazz saxophone. The stand out single "Money for Nothing" sounds nothing like the rest of the album and contains uncomfortable homophobic slurs (apparently the lyrics are all based on quotes from someone who was mocking MTV and rockstars. That explains the use of the slur but it's no less uncomfortable to listen to). The rest of the album felt all over the place. On listening again, it grew on me. There's a lot that's impressive about the album and how eclectic it is. I've enjoyed parts of it more than I expected to. I'd be tempted to give it 4 stars but I doubt it's one I'd return to often.

One of the rare examples of a supergroup that really worked. I don't love every track, but there's enough here to make this album memorable.

A surprising forgettable album from Simon & Garfunkel. The concept of side A sounded interesting but is rushed and underdeveloped. 15 minutes worth of music cover an entire life cycle, with only one stand out track ("America") and 2 full minutes of no music at all. It might have been better if they'd fleshed out a full album for this idea. Side B is much stronger. "Mrs Robinson" and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" are the best two songs on the album. Unfortunately, there's really nothing new here, aside from one leftover track from The Graduate. The rest of side B are previously released singles. There's nothing wrong with that, but we're supposed to be rating the best albums ever made. A short concept for side A and a singles collection for side B is too low effort for artists of this level. It's fine for what it is, but hardly their best release in my opinion.

This album was a pleasant surprise. I've never listened to a Willie Nelson album before but always thought he seemed like an interesting person. I'm not a country fan but was willing to give this a chance. Reading that this release was a more conservative album of old cover songs, I really didn't expect much. But I ended up really enjoying this one. Very relaxing with some great performances. I'll definitely revisit this one occasionally.

There's some great genre-bending on this album. It's firmly rooted into its era of late 60s rock, incorporating elements of country and jazz. It's not going to be my favorite album of all time but it's definitely worth a listen.

I can see why this was so popular at the time. At a time of psychodelic rock and experimental albums, CCR delivered straightforward and memorable rock, with elements of country influence. Personally, I love the exact music that they were rebelling against. Despite that, I can definitely see the appeal of a band like this. It feels only fair to give this 4 stars for the song writing and performances, even though it's not my personal favorite.

This album feels like a missing link between the Velvet Underground and the Smiths. One of the great early indie rock albums of the 80s. Equal parts post-punk and pop.

The first of many perfect albums by Bowie.

The term "rock opera" is slightly embarrassing these days but this one must have been exciting back in 1969. It's impressive and definitely one to be experienced as a whole (and ideally live). Most songs wouldn't work on their own though and you really need to be in the mood for a full length concept album to appreciate it. But it's definitely an important album in the history of rock.

Easily the worst album Ive had to listen to in this challenge. Aside from genre mixing, what is noteworthy about this one? Just unremarkable music and toxic masculinity.

I'm not normally a big fan of live albums but this is certainly an exception. It's definitely the best way to experience James Brown. What a performer. There's not a note (or scream from the audience) that's out of place here. The second half is surprisingly calm but still performed flawlessly.

It's obviously an important album in the history of rock and roll but it's not the best by The Rolling Stones. It's a great glimpse of what was to come though, especially when they started writing more of their own songs.

It seems kind of uncool to give this album a good review but it's hard to deny that it sounds unique and has some pretty catchy songs, particularly the singles. It really does seem like it's captures a time and place (California/America just before the turn of the century) perfectly. I might not seek this one out myself but definitely wouldn't mind listening to it again.

It could be easy to dismiss this as a Daft Punk rip off but Justice brings an intensity and unique production style to the French house scene. There's often a fine line between sampling as a lazy way to make music and being a genuinely interesting process. With over 400 samples and micro-samples, Justice are firmly justified in their approach, akin to artists like DJ Shadow or the Avalanches. The result is an album that's deeply rooted in the 70s, disco and funk traditions but is coated by an industrial sheen. Perfect for a good pair of headphones.

It's surprising to see a bootleg on this list. Back before the days of YouTube, bootlegs were the only way for the diehard fans to hear any unreleased content (especially live releases) and an entire hidden sub-industry sprang up to support it. The often sloppy nature of these releases is captured in the title: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert that wasn't recorded in the Royal Abert Hall. As far as the content of the release, the first half with the acoustic set is straightforward Bob Dylan. Impressive and classic songs, but not much that you won't get on the early studio albums. The second half with the full band is more interesting. Performed during Dylan's controversial transition period to electric guitars, the music is much fuller. What's missing is the audience reactions that were cut out for the official release of this album. In the original bootleg, you can hear the hecklers between each song. In that context you know that the band is loud and defiant, and feeding off the energy of the rest of the crowd who is along for the journey. The infamous "Judas" incident before "Like a Rolling Stone" was featured in Martin Scorsese's documentary and is worth looking for. It's a shame that the heckles were removed from the album as they only help to make Bob Dylan even more significant.

Undeniably cool. This albums gets better the more I listen to it.

Genre-mixing Brazilian artist hoovering on the edge of the Tropicalia movement.

A beautiful album, sung from the heart. It's not one that I'd revisit often myself, but I can see why it's a favorite for so many people.

I never really followed Arctic Monkeys. This side project from their lead singer is clearly having fun experimenting with the sounds of 60s cinema and French pop. The singles are catchy but there's definitely some filler on this album. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could.

If you had to pick the best Bowie album, Ziggy Stardust is probably the strongest contender. It's a perfect record from start to finish. While it's definitely not Bowie's only perfect album, or even the first one, it's the most accessible, driven by a great concept, strong lyrics, and represents the first (maybe best) of Bowie's many characters. This is an easy 5 out of 5.

I have such a soft spot for this album. There's something both vulnerable and bold about it. Thinking that this would be his last album and that few people would hear it, gave him a lot of freedom to make a very different album of the music he loved. The fact that it exploded in popularity was a shock to everyone, including me. I bought this album the day it came out and loved it but always assumed that it was going to be this secret album that I listened to in my bedroom but no one else had ever heard of. 12 million copies later and that secret was out. Maybe 5 stars is too generous but this one brings back good memories for me.

Very engaging concept album about growing up and trying to get out of a rough place. The lyrics, music and production combine to tell a powerful and honest story.

Definitely notable for bringing grime and UK rap to the world's attention. It was a unique album when first released. The single 'Fix Up, Look Sharp' is by far the best track, but the rest is a bit repetitive in my opinion.

If you ignore the lyrics, the whole album sounds like it could the soundtrack to a Pixar movie. If you don't, be prepared for a very surprising number of racial slurs! It's an interesting album, for it's social commentary on class, race and the divide between North and South in America. We're meant to laugh at the "redneck" narrator, but also to admit that he has some good points (e.g.: racism still exists in the North). I'm never entirely comfortable with the idea that singing as a character gives you license to say whatever you like but that opening song, and its bigoted lyrics are undoubtedly the most memorable part of this album.

I can't help but wonder whether the Christian groups burning their records were aware of how much that probably helped their album sales. For the rest of us, the skill of these performers is obvious and it's easy to get sucked into the fantasy of this music. It's great escapism.

A noteworthy album for a few reasons. Partly for being such a successful break from Swift's previous country albums. Partly for arguing for pop music as a serious form of artistic expression. And partly for attempting (unsuccessfully) to challenge the rise of streaming music platforms. To me, this album ticks all of the right boxes for a good pop album, but it's unlikely to be one I'll revisit.

I need to be in the right mood to listen to an album like this but it's undoubtedly a masterpiece and was hugely influential.

It works well as a showcase for Carey's very impressive vocals performances. The hip hop influenced tracks are ok but the ballads, adult contemporary and smooth R&B that make up most of the album aren't for me.

By far the best album by The Arcade Fire. It perfectly reflects the feeling of being young in suburban America. It's both comfortable and uneasy, with a longing to get out.

A very fun hipster dance record. Probably not as significant as most of this list but a great album nonetheless.

The influence Buddy Holly had on rock music history is enormous. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, The Clash, among many others. However, the artists who learned from Holly dwarfed him and this album doesn't quite hold up against what came later. It's a little unfair considering he died so young and likely could have continued to innovate for many years to come. Thankfully, many others picked up from where he left off and gave us so much amazing music thanks to Buddy.

Those first three tracks really cement their status as rock stars. They're soaring and expensive and bring to mind vast landscapes and stadium concerts. The rest of the album has some high points but doesn't quite reach those same heights as the singles.

A noteworthy album in the Big Beats (or if you prefer, Electronica) subgenre of the late 90s. There are some great tracks here, from the cracks and distortion of Elektrobank to the oddly touching hangover anthem of Where Do I Begin. I've always thought that the original opening track, Not Another Drugstore (later released as a b-side), would have worked better. Overall, it may be a bit repetitive and grating at times, but for me, there's loads of nostaglia value in this album.

There's a few decent songs and some good production. The lyrics are largely raps about having a lot of money, dissing other people, and misogyny. It's obviously a very popular album but I really don't see the appeal.

This album is partly a fairwell to lost rock icons of the 60s (Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, etc). It also helped established punk rock while simultaneously moving it into a more avant garde space, with the help of producer John Cale. It's a great document of what was happening in the underground rock scene of the mid-70s in New York. Massively influential.

Bands rarely survive the death of their lead singer. Rarer still that they can continue to be hugely successful and create another rock n roll classic.

A "no instruments" album. The samples are arranged perfectly. You'd think the samples had been made to fit together.

Is there any other double album that gets as much universal acclaim as this one? It's a punk rock classic that goes well beyond the genre. You can dance to it, drink to it, protest to it. It's energetic and varied without a single dull track.

Never heard of the band before but it sounds like a gritty punk classic and an affectionate tribute to the less savory sides of London in the 70s. Lyrically, the sexist language is very outdated and unfortunate. Supposedly it's satire but nothing makes that obviously true. Maybe it's why this one isn't more well-known.

Maybe not the very best of the Kinks but an important evolution of their sound and an early example of a concept album. This is definitely an album that gets better the more I listen to it.

Note quite what I expected from The Doors. I don't love the blues tracks, but the combination with psychedelic rock is fun.

I guess it was noteworthy when it first came out. It has shock value and decent beats. But the lyrics are misogynistic, homophobic, egotistical, and incredibly childish. The songs sound like anthems for incels with misplaced anger and entitlement issues.

The best solo release from John Lennon and one of the best of any of the post-Beatles albums. This is Lennon at his best, at a high point of his career but totally free to make his own art. It's close to perfect but I think could have been improved by using some alternative takes of a few songs. But there's still a lot to love about this album.

It's impossible to talk about this album without talking about the companion album, Kid A. Originally planned as a double album, Radiohead decided to break the massive recording sessions into two releases. That decision allowed Kid A to shine on its own. Amnesiac is the less impressive of the two albums but helped solidify their status as one of the best bands of the 2000s and not limited to their electronic direction of the last album. When these two albums were reissued together, it was a joy to hear then side by side as orginally intended. But it needed to have been separated at the time to have worked.

The more I learn about Eric Clapton, the more I hate him as a person. But I have tried to look at this album objectively and it's a solid work from start to finish. I enjoyed the music more than I thought I would or wanted to. Too bad it comes from such an awful person.

This is music that's best listened to live in a jazz club where you're forced to pay attention and focus on the music. For me, this album evokes images of a rainy day in New York in the autumn.

A culture masterpiece. This group had so much potential to go further but were derailed by poor sales and in-fighting early on. The Odessey and the Oracle showcased what they were capable of. The Zombies had other great songs too but this was their own one perfect album.

Written following the death of Nick Cave's son, his voice pierces through my skin with grieve, introspection and a very cautious optimism. This album will stay with me for a long time.

It's a good concept. Travelling the world via drum and bass and the tablas. Singh also has some high profile collaborations both on and off this album so there was a lot of potential here. Unfortunately, the result is ok but most forgettable, aside from one or two songs.

A mess of psychedelic folk experiments, but it's oddly endearing. I can see why this would be a love it or hate it kind of record. I can't imagine being in the mood for it often, but it was interesting to listen to.

Depeche Mode's masterpiece. A perfect, stripped down synth-pop album. It's hard to pick a favorite song.

Such a beautiful and haunting voice. I'm not that familiar with Cohen's discography, aside from a handful of greatest hits. This album feels more like one complete piece than a collection of individual songs, to be taken in in one sitting, reflecting on love and hate.

Fun, high energy, classic hip hop. Musically, the beats are tight and the samples are perfectly placed. Lyrically though, this album is all over the place. One moment, they're not taking themselves seriously enough. The next, the group is introspective, politically aware, and vulnerable. The next, they're transphobic, womanizing, and glorifying violence. It might have been 5 stars for me if not for that.

One of the two masterpieces from the Flaming Lips. Whereas Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots might bring you into space and off to other planets, this album keeps you within the upper stratosphere, still feeling the pull of earth's gravity and heaviness of the human condition. Yoshimi has better singles, but the Soft Bulletin is arguably the better album from start to finish.

Neil Young is one of the most frequent artists in this challenge with 9 appearances. He's undoubtedly a great song writer and has recorded some great early work. But I really don't see what's noteworthy about this album, aside from being a Neil Young album. It's not terrible, just some pretty standard garage rock songs. Hardly his best work.

A significant figure in South African jazz and a symbol of apartheid resistance. There's not much information available on this specific album. "Manenberg Revisited" is version of a song written in 1974 (when Ibrahim went by the stage name Dollar Brand) about the destruction of Cape Town neighborhood and the forced removal of communities of color there. Supposedly when a copy was smuggled into the prison where Nelson Mandela was held and played on the loudspeaker, Mandela said "Liberation is near." Given this background, the album undoubtedly has many layers of meaning that aren't obvious to a casual listener outside of South Africa.

This is such a palate cleanser of an album. If you're feeling down and just need to feel good about the world for a while, listen to Mr Blue Sky. The rest of the album almost as well.

Like a strange dream that you keep thinking about throughout the day. Kate Bush has clearly inspired many weird and wonderful artists who came after her. Nearly 40 years old, this album still sounds bold and unique.

A theme of romantizing the past and a blend of various styles, including folk, shoegaze and electronica. The result is an album that sounds like particularly raw, unpolished, and melancholy indie rock.

Raw and powerful, PJ Harvey channels Patti Smith for her debut album. This record fits perfectly among the early 90s indie and grunge scenes and still holds up well.

The dirtiest grunge polished into a pop record. Butch Vig's various experience gels together into something both angsty and danceable. How could a teenager in the 90s not have loved this album?

It's hard to get too excited about a 26 minute psychedelic jam band cover of a Bo Diddley song. This is an album that needs to be considered in the context that it was originally performed. It may have been significant at the time for helping to establish the genre, but doesn't hold up compared to some of their contemporaries like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Not a terrible album, but not one that I'd return to.

It's impossible for me to give an objective review of this album. It's the soundtrack of my childhood and was always on in my house. While I know many of Springsteen's songs, I have never actually listened to a full album. The whole album has a cinematic quality that really comes to life when listening closely to the lyrics. It's easily at least a 4 star album, but for sentimental reasons, it's a 5 star album for me.

Darlings of the indie scene. I enjoyed this more than I expected.

Absolutely no one will be surprised to see Little Richard on this list. Even if you're not familiar with all his songs, his legacy is well known and well deserved. This is rock and roll in its purest, classic form. Although it predates the concept of the album as a complete work, it's a great collection from start to finish.

While I'm not a huge Neil Young fan and generally think he's overrepresented on this list, this was a great album and really demonstrates more range than I expected. Bluebird is just a gorgeous song.

This album is just embarrassing. Buckley seems desperate for us to believe that he has a lot of sex. Any merit the music had is subverted by the very cringe lyrics. Wait, he was Jeff Buckley's father? Wikipedia says they only met once when Jeff was 8. Right, that tracks.

Such a beautiful, classic voice. This album also offers a bit of insight into the time, with the novelty of a live recording made evident by the introduction. You can imagine being in a small jazz club, knowing that this was going to be on a record.

It's an ambitious project. It really showcases Stephin Merritt's range and songwriting abilities. The modern, thoughtful and often humorous takes on the subject produces some great songs, focused on many different kinds of love. But it's a tall order to produce a triple album based on a simple concept, without ending up with a lot of filler. As enjoyable as it is at points, it's a slough to listen to the entire thing. It's a missed opportunity to be honest. If Merritt could have whittled this down to a single disc of the best 20 or so songs, it would have an amazing album. Save the rest for a special expanded edition, maybe. As it is, it's a good album, but it's just too bloated. The novelty of the length is too much of a gimmicky distraction and disservice to what could have been a great album.

An important figure in the early folk scene, connecting the dots between Woody Gutherie and Bob Dylan. Much of the music doesn't hold up as well against those heavyweight names but there's some impressive performances on here. It's certainly noteworthy as a document of that era.

I always expect to be blown away by Rolling Stones albums but (aside from the occasional great song) I just find them ok. This album is noteworthy for the band having broken with their album and gained artistic freedom. And of course for the innovative and risqué album cover by Andy Warhol. But for me, most of the music isn't that memorable.

Such a sensational performer and an amazing voice. What else needs to be said?

Hugely influential on a diverse range of genres, including punk, glam, and hair metal. This is rock at its least pretentious. It's just unpolished, screaming rock and roll to get you out of your seat.

Musgraves pushes the limits of the usual conservative genre of country by flirting with elements of pop and electronic music. It gives it a unique sound. Musically, country fans shouldn't be too distracted by the occasional synthesizer or vocoder but more conservative listeners might be put off by some of her progressive politics, something the genre isn't famous for.

If I had to pick one album to represent the 90s, this would be a strong contender. Its complex studio productions, courtesy of Butch Vig, combined heavy metal, grunge, and shoegaze, into something both melancholy and highly energetic. Even their look fit perfectly into the 90s indie scene, just slightly odd and rebelous but completely relatable to all the lonely kids. A classic album.

Nu metal was all the rage back in the day and this was probably the most popular example. It really does not hold up well though. A lot of growly music, adolescent lyrics, and the embarrassing memory that we once thought this was cool. I do like Jonathan Davis's scatting but it's still a cringey album overall.

Leading figures in the psychobilly subgenre. It sounds like if you mashed up The Sonics, The Ramones, 60s surf rock, and B horror films. They must have been intense live.

Part homage to the funk and soul singers of the 70s and part reaction to the state of hip hop and R&B in the 90s. Probably the smoothest album you'd have encountered in 1996. In some ways, it borders on self-parody but it's an impressive work when listened to as a whole. While I wouldn't seek it out often, I liked it more than I expected to.

An impressive album, a triumph of jazz, and surely one of the most incredible albums that had ever been released by anyone up to that point.

Against the backdrop of an industry that's always chasing music that's faster, louder, and harder, sometimes you need to go quiet instead. Here Eno coined the term 'ambient music' and effectively launched a genre that's (in his words) "as ignorable as it is interesting". By eschewing rhythm and predictable patterns, the sounds can surprise and intrigue the listener, just enough to shut out anxious thoughts, while remaining quiet and calm enough to prevent new ones. The music is perfect for study, self reflection, or sleep. It's also a welcome change of pace when other music starts to all sound the same. A calm-inducing, and secretly chaotic, palate cleanser. In the words of John Lysaker, "it holds together no better (and no worse) than a cloud."

I remember being a teenager watching MTV in the middle of the night and seeing The Residents for the first time. They had played "The Act of Being Polite" and I genuinely felt deeply unsettled and mildly terrified. But I have always been morbidly curious about The Residents ever since. They're more Dadaist art project than rock band, touching the edge of commercial success while still making sure to make you firmly uncomfortable. Like all good art should, it definitely evokes a reaction. You'll either love it or hate it, or possibly both at once.

What happens when a 70s soul singer confronts the realities of war and addiction? When he stops singing love songs and starts singing protest songs? You get something that's both angry but remarkably calm. It's doubtless an important album. I really appreciate both the skill and meaning behind it but unfortunately I didn't love most of the music.

A perfectly executed feel-good disco album. Nile Rodgers is a sensation. Little wonder that he'd be recruited by both Bowie and Daft Punk.

Beck's masterpiece. With production from the Dust Brothers, they create a storm of folk and hip hop, grabbing chunks of any other genre (punk, grunge, Latin soul, etc) that gets in the way. A very nearly perfect album.

The album where The Prodigy (mostly) abandoned their early techno sound and invited the punk rock kids into the clubs. For album from angry ravers, this album holds up surprisingly well, nearly 30 years on.

And with this the transition from the blues to heavy metal is complete. This is definitely one to think about in the context of when it was released. Supposedly recorded in its entirety in 12 hours, it's rough, chunky and dark. And it effectively launched a genre.

Although clearly an accomplished musician and producer, it seems like Dennis Wilson must have lived in the shadow of his more famous brother and former bandage, Brian. This album puts aside most of the experimentation of the Beach Boys and shows that he could craft a mature, well produced album.

The hype around this album was genuinely cringeworthy. A shoegaze White Album by a Brian Wilson-level genius inspired by John Coltrane, etc, etc. Ignoring these pretensions and ridiculous comparisons, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's actually a really good album. No need to overhype it. Just enjoy the beautiful mess they've created.

By the end of 1994, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that Radiohead were a one hit wonder at the tail end of their 15 minutes of fame. Suddenly The Bends comes out to prove everyone wrong. Not only had they created more great singles, but they've crated them into a near perfect album. Quite a leap from their humble debut of Pablo Honey. It's hard not to compare it to their later, earth-shattering work. But the truth is that this album holds up very well, especially when you're seeking some 90s nostalgia. This was the album that proved Radiohead are a force to be reckoned with.

It's taken me far too long to really listen to Echo and the Bunnymen, a band that sit comfortably next to the likes of The Cure, New Order and other early 80s moody post-punk bands of that era. I only really knew The Killing Moon before, so I wasn't familiar with anything from this debut. I look forward to exploring their discography more.

When I saw this, I worried that it was going to be another dime-a-dozen punk band. I was instantly proven wrong. Trumpets in early 70s punk? It worked perfectly. Digging in a bit more, I found that The Saints were well ahead of the game. Contemporaries of The Ramones who brought punk to Australia before the Sex Pistols formed. Why are they not better known?

Pioneers of the fusion of punk and reggae. I don't want to belittle them by pointing out that they were an early example of a girl punk band because their influence and experimentation go well beyond that. But credit where it's due for helping to break the glass ceiling of punk. They may be lacking in talent but punk was never supposed to care about that anyway.

I don't mind a bit of prog rock and this was good enough to warrant a listen. Slightly interesting in that they changed musical directions slightly by poaching a electronic keyboardist from David Bowie. The musical interludes were a clever way to save a buck in the studio but are a bit boring. The rest is straightforward prog rock. Not very noteworthy but some great performances nonetheless.

I'm always happy to hear some Kinks but this album isn't their strongest. It feels somewhere in between Face to Face and Village Green, both of which are better albums. Apparently this is a cult favorite but I don't see it. Certainly not bad at all, but hardly their best work.

Coldplay get a lot of flak for being overly safe or a cheap knock off of Radiohead. But this is a solid album with great songwriting. It won't appeal to everyone but you can see why this album was so successful. A very comforting listen.

There's no denying the power of this album. A legend performing at the very end of his life. Full of pain and exhaustion from old age and back fractures. It's his final attempt to complete his legacy and his condition means that he has no other responsibilities or needs than to write, sing, and record from his living room. R.I.P. Leonard Cohen, a true great.

This album sounds like a drunken haze of personal introspection, empowerment, raw sexual desire, and the places where those areas clash. There's some great production on here. Standout tracks for me are 'Drew Barrymore' and 'Prom'.

Bob Mould influenced by Kurt Cobain is about what you'd expect. Very 90s, grungy with some poppier songs in there. Not a bad album at all for a good nostalgia trip. But it's a far cry from Nirvana.

There are some definite rock standards on this album, particularly Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion. It's hard to deny their significance. Unfortunately, this period is arguably the height of Steven Tyler's sleaziness. While it's tempting to try to separate the art from the artist, it's hard when you hear songs like Uncle Salty. In Tyler's words: "Salty worked in a home for lost children and had his way with this little girl." That's a little too close for comfort to the accusations against Tyler. Sadly, some of these songs hit a lot differently when you know the background.

An upbeat new wave album. A fun listen from start to finish. You can imagine the influence this must have had on young women in the early 80s.

I didn't have high expectations but this album was pretty impressive. The blend of hip hop, R&B and reggae all fits in the right places and keeps the content interesting. The empowering feminist lyrics are particularly striking for 80s. Appearances by De La Soul, KRS One and Prince Paul were added bonuses.

I appreciate the ambition of this album and my interest was definitely piqued a few times with some odd studio experiments. I was really tempted to try to like it more. But if I'm being honest this one just isn't for me. Too many 70s soft rock ballads for my taste.

Try as much as I might, I can't hate this music. It's just a classic album whose influence is obvious. It's a shame that Lynyrd Skynyrd helped so much to perpetuate the use of the Confederate battle flag and the myth that it wasn't connected to racism. The last surviving member of the original band did eventually denounce it in 2012 at least. This aside, the music is great.

The National's sound is beautiful, hypnotic and melancholy. There are some fantastic songs here but for me, it doesn't gel together very well as a complete album. In my opinion, their previous album, The Boxer, would have been a much better choice and an easy 5. But I certainly didn't mind listening to The National in any event.

I can understand how Ackles could have been both a major influence on artists like Elton John and Elvis Costello, and also be largely forgotten to history. I don't see myself revisiting this, but for certain people, this will be a treasure waiting to be discovered. For my taste, the theatrical pop sound would be better suited to Broadway than the recording studio, but I'm sure that many would disagree.

Musically, this album is great. The production is slick, the beats are tight, and the respect for old school hip hop and funk shines through. Lyrically though, this does nothing to dispel the stereotypes of the genre, particularly from this era. With some exceptions, all songs are about glorified violence and constant misgony. I guess it's reflective of Biggie's reality as he saw it, but it doesn't age well. This is to say nothing about the painfully tedious and unlistenable skits of sex noises. What I wouldn't give for an instrumental version of this album (minus skits). It would definitely be a 5. Best track: "Things Done Changed".

It's been called the album that really started the 60s. It's hard to imagine higher praise than that. The recording sessions come straight off the back of Dylan's famously controversial electric performance at Newport. Yet the songs are seeped in blues tradition, pointing to both past and future simultaneously. It's not his strongest album, but it has a very significant place in music history.

What an amazing album from Brian Eno's label. The music is strange, varied and experimental but they manage to do it with a deep sense of calm and a lack of pretentiousness that's unusual in the avant garde. Very refreshing listen.

There seems to be a strong following for this album. The fans love it and it's included on many different lists of the best albums of all time. I'm sorry to say that I genuinely didn't see the appeal. It just sounded like a generic indie rock band shopping around for a record deal. The vocals were off, the music a bit dull. I'm clearly missing something here but I really don't know why it's so revered.

I'm not a big fan of the whole pop-punk sub genre, but there's really nothing to criticize here (aside from the awful ablum title). Young kids with punk attitude, slick production, socially aware lyrics, and good songwriting. Lots of earworms on this album. It's not my style so I wouldn't return to it often but I can still appreciate it for being a solid album.

An early example of ambient music and the potential of stereo recording. It's also a great homage to the pioneering early French avant garde electronic musicians like Pierre Henry. Ultimately it's great backroom music, as any ambient album should be.

The final recordings of The Beatles. I often forget how good this one is. The album gives a glimpse into what a Beatles of the 1970s might have sounded like. The song writing had, in many ways, matured but there's still a playfulness that comes through. The use of the Moog synthesizer stands out. The studio recording process is more transparent here than in previous albums, fitting for a band that had stopped performing live several years earlier. On the other hand, the schism between Lennon's and McCartney's styles seems to be growing here. The temporary truce helped them to make one last wonderful album but it's also clear that their short time together ran its course, much to the detriment of fans everywhere who didn't get to hear enough.

I knew some of this album already but never listened to the entire thing. It's really two solo albums from Big Boi and Andre 3000. I worried that it would feel bloated but the stylistic shift between the two halves is refreshing and there are loads of hits throughout. Speakerboxxx is the stronger album overall but The Love Below has so many great moments (including, obviously 'Hey Ya!'). My biggest criticism is that The Love Below is longer than it needs to be. It could definitely take out about 20 minutes or so and it help the entire project flow better. I'd skip the sophmoric and misogynistic song Roses, which was apparently a popular single at one point? Go figure. But overall, this is a great album with more hits than misses.

Legend has it that Television once walked into CBGBs and asked the owner what it stood for. "Country, bluegrass, blues," he said. Television replied, "That's what we play." The end result of that deception was the creation of punk rock's Mecca with Television as its first mascots. Their debut album lives up to the reputation as icons of the scene. The music still holds up against countless imitators that have come since.

Possibly the most famous of so-called Krautrock genre, though it sounds very unlike most of their contemporaries. Can were focused on abandoning the past. The older generations had brought Germany war, human rights violations, and made their country the ideological main battle ground of the Cold War. Can looked both to the West but also to the future for influences. They sought to abandon hierarchy but giving equal prominence to all members. This is their most celebrated album, super charging the German music scene and spreading its influence far beyond those borders. As brilliant as the album is, the second half is very experimental and rough to listen to. The first half works perfectly as a short album though.

Not the first punk album and arguably not the best. But it definitely set the standard for the genre, in terms of look, energy, and attitude. The Sex Pistols were the stereotype of punk rockers and influenced countless acts. The band itself is a little artificial though, created and led by their manager and surviving only long enough for this single album. While that is antithetical to the spirit of punk, I'll be damned if Malcolm McLaren didn't give the world something interesting though.

Not my favorite by the White Stripes but it's always fun to see what these two come up with. It definitely has some stand out tracks, particularly "Blue Orchid" and "My Doorbell".

Raunchy blues from Rod Stewart and his band. It's not going to change anyone's life but it's fun for what it is.

A beautiful voice, recalling the talent of Nina Simone, and a lyrical story rarely heard in popular music. ANOHNI is a very rare talent. It was a nice surprise to hear Lou Reed on this album. Fistful of Love is definitely a highlight.

I'm only a little familiar with some of Waits' later work. Evidently this was his last album before he reinvented his style and I definitely enjoy the more eclectic sound that he'd evolve later. The music has a few highlights but others are forgettable. Lyrically, I can see the significance of his songwriting. As a reviewer said, Tom Waits can see as much beauty in the gutter as others can see in the Garden of Eden.

I can't believe how much I enjoyed an album that has a song called "Space Truckin'". Genuinely great metal with psychedelic and funk influences.

A band from New Jersey that was clearly influenced by the British Invasion of the 60s. It's eclectic, moving between styles with ease, and it has some catchy songs. There's not much that you wouldn't find elsewhere though. It's a good example of the music of the 60s. It's just not the best.

What would the 90s music scene have been without Jane's Addiction? They coined the term 'alternative' to describe their particular style of indie rock, a term that would be regularly used to describe the scene that followed. Their members were closely intertwined with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And their festival, Lollapalooza, brought many 90s artists to early fame. Jane's Addiction is another staple of my youth though I'm less familiar with this album. I prefer Ritual de lo Habitual but there are some amazing songs here too, including Mountain Song and Jane Says.

My knowledge of reggae is very limited but I never quite clicked with the genre. A lot of it sounds the same to me, though I'm sure I'm missing things. Bob Marley is the one exception for me where the music really stands out among the rest. His music seems to me to be more dynamic and less predictable than his contemporaries and it does make me want to explore the genre further to try to see what I've been missing.

A prime example of what would have once been called Big Beat. The music alternates between catchy, silly, and acid-laced dance party. I loved this album when I was young. Now, I'd need to be in the mood for it. It has retained some of its charm over the years though.

A stunning debut album from Chrissie Hynde's Pretenders. Her experience in numerous other bands and connection to the Sex Pistols brought her all the experience she needed to explode onto the punk and new wave scenes.

One of the defining albums of trip hop. There's so much going on here. The vintage/film noir sound, the unconventional instruments and recording process, the incorporation of hip hop techniques seemlessly throughout. On top of that, Beth Gibbons' voice is gorgeous. She sounds like someone whose been crushed by the weight of the world and come back slightly jaded but stronger than ever. This is an easy 5 and one of my favorite albums of all time.

If U2 tried to make a Radiohead album, you'd have something like Muse. That may sound cringe worthy to many people but the end result is varied, bigger than life, and worth a listen. For my money, Muse is not Radiohead and it's debatable whether they deserved a place on this list. A few songs really stood out though, like Map of the Problematique and Knights of Cydonia.

The beats have an infectious energy and the production has some great depth. Some of the lyrics are cringe (how many times can someone use sugary foods as a euphemism for genitals?), occasionally misogynistic and homophobic. But overall, the album holds up pretty well, particularly the title track.

Full disclosure, about 20 years ago, I spent a lot of time hanging around hardcore punk kids. I could kind of see the appeal at first, but I pretty quickly started to feel like there were several dozen cookie-cutter knock off bands all doing the same thing. Simple songs, played as loud, fast and angsty as possible. For me, this got boring very fast. How much of that same thing can you really listen to? How edgy can your music be if it's following the same formula for decades? Credit where credit is due, this is obviously a defining album of the genre. And the fact that it's been copied so often clearly means that set a certain standard for others to follow. At less than 16 minutes long, this is likely going to be the shortest album of the entire challenge. But that was about all the time I needed.

How heavy can you get before actually being heavy metal? It's easy to see why Led Zeppelin are so celebrated and influential. The music really does stand out among many of their contemporaries. My possibly controversial take is that this isn't their best album. But that's by no means an insult. I've got four more albums by this band to explore in this challenge, including some I don't know very well. I'm definitely looking forward to them.

Hot Shots II has always been a favorite of mine. It's like a perfectly smooth surface with small intereting kinks and imperfections that become obvious the more you zoom in. I can easily listen to this one on repeat. Does it deserve a place on the list? It's a tough call but I do think there's something unique here, even compared to their contemporaries, like Beck, Four Tet, or Caribou.

Arguably, Chic didn't need to have two albums on this list. In terms of style and performance, there's not much here that you can't find on their previous album, 'C'est Chic'. It's still nice to hear an occasional feel-good disco album though.

Some very chill music from a great band. But it's an odd choice for this list. The music is good but not as good as other albums by Air. As a rare example of a film score in this challenge, again, it's good but hardly the best one out there. I'm always happy to revisit an old Air album but I really can't find anything significant about this release. I'd replace it with 10,000 Hz Legend of Talkie Walkie.

The first of many true reinventions of Bowie's career. Having reached a peak of popularity during his glam rock/Ziggy Stardust period, he took a major risk by moving into plastic soul. By doing so, he proved that he could effortlessly move between genres and continue to be influential. Aside from soul artists, this album was also heavily influenced by Bowie's friendship with John Lennon, contributing to the very unique sound of the album.

Electro-clash before there was electro-clash. As a result, it sounds both ahead of its time and outdated at once. The best moments would fit in nicely on a Daft Punk playlist, but there's a lot of filler too.

I'm not a fan of Van Morrison and was dreading that it's a live double album. But I will say that this is an excellent live performance and that it does bring some new life to his songs that makes them a bit more interesting. It's not for me but I can see what makes it an impressive album.

It's impossible to talk about Pop's first two solo albums without mentioning David Bowie. Both 'The Idiot' and 'Lust for Life' were recorded with Bowie during the frantic year of 1977 when they were both living in Berlin, recording and touring relentlessly. 'The Idiot' was the perfect companion piece to Bowie's album 'Low'. Bowie had rescued Pop from drug addiction and the loss of his band, The Stooges, but he also took over the project. In response, 'Lust of Life' was Pop's desperate attempt to make the music his own before his mentor could exert too much influence. Despite most songs being written by Bowie, the album definitely sounds closer to a Stooges album than its predecessor. In turn, the change in direction would also later influence Bowie's next experimental album, 'Heroes'.

Possibly the best example of early electro music. While Kraftwerk took you on a journey across Europe, Bambaataa took it further by bringing them into the Bronx and merging them with rap and funk. The rapping style doesn't always compliment the music well and Bambaataa's legacy has been marred by scandal. But this album was definitely very unique and influential for its time.

This is arguably Joy Division's masterpiece, despite being less well known than 'Unknown Pleasures'. The music and lyrics are darker and more claustrophobic, reflecting the mental health challenges of Ian Curtis shortly before his death. But it's also much tighter and freer than their debut. 'Closer' is possibly the most important post-punk album ever released, as well as template for early goth bands.

My first exposure to Kraftwerk was the video for The Robots where they looked like mannequins and moved like very crudely designed machines. There was something kind of otherworldly about them. There was an uncanncy valley quality to them. This was in the late 90s and by then, countless artists that I loved had been inspired by them. Despite that, I felt like I had never really seen or heard anything quite like them. Later, I'd come to realize their place in krautrock and everything that came after them. 'The Man Machine' may be their best album. The music is at once more refined and more spacious, almost completely abstracting out anything human at all, aside from the content of the lyrics. Even today, the music feels strange, unique and hypnotic.

'Protection' was the album I put on on September 11th, when I needed to stop watching the news and find something comforting. Tracey Thorn's lyrics on the opening track felt like a warm blanket insulating me from the world. The whole album continues to feel like a safe space, escapist but with one eye still on reality. I know 'Blue Lines' is their celebrated album but I always found 'Protection' to be a huge leap forward for Massive Attack. It's not a perfect album but since I don't get review 'Mezzanine' (as it's not on the list), I can't not give 5 stars to at least one Massive Attack album.

I knew of this band but hadn't heard them before. It sounds like a missing link between punk and 90s rock/grunge. The screamy vocals have now been done to death and don't do much for me. But the music is refreshingly complex and tight.

Fun, unpretentious swing music. The combination of Prima's and Keely Smith's voices is magnificent. I can only imagine that this music might have once been considered scandalous.

There's a definite roughness to the vocals. The guitars are simple but heavy as hell. It all just kind of works though and it resonates pure rock and roll. This one seems like a big influence on heavy metal bands of the 80s and 90s. My only complaint is that much of it sounds the same.

I knew a couple of songs but I have never listened to a full Elton John album. What better place to start than his magnum opus? It's far more cinematic and experimental than I'd expected. It reminds me a lot of The Who's "Tommy". I can't say that every song is equally strong, but there are plenty of great tracks to keep returning to here.

I have mixed feelings about this album. I'm adding a point because it's a different Cockney perspective on popular music and song writing. From the sounds of it, Dury had a rough life. There was clearly a huge influence on Damon Albarn here. Dury even manages to sound like Blur occasionally (e.g.: 'Clever Trevor'). To start, this album sounded like a drunk guy at the pub playing a cheap keyboard and doing mediocre early rock and roll tributes. Side 2 goes much more punk, which suits him better. Odd that they omitted the single 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll'. It's much better than the other single, 'Sweet Gene Vincent'. Overall, sort of interesting with a few decent songs, but not good enough to save it from obscurity nearly 5 decades later.

The Smiths took the sound of New Order away from dance/pop and brought it back into the post punk realm. Morrissey always was fairly pompous but it was easy to ignore that when he was just singing about militant vegetarianism. It's Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke who really carry these songs. Some of the best tracks these guys ever made are on this album.

Noteworthy for its slow, deep style of heavy metal. I'm very familiar with all of the singles on this album and liked them alright when I was younger, although I never owned anything by Metallica or listened to a full album. They feel a bit overplayed now but they definitely stood out back in the 90s.

That first side sounds triumphant. Seemless blend of soul, funk, psychedelic rock and cinematic landscapes. The song lengths look intimidating at first but once the songs start, they're so comfortable and detailed that there's really no rush to move on. The second side slows down quite a bit but with isn't without its soul and style.

An interesting art rock album from before Brian Eno's solo work. 'Editions of You' is the clear highlight here. The rest is varied and often unexpected. I feel like I'm listening to something halfway between Bowie and The Residents ('The Bogus Man'), which is a confusing place to rest, but at all a bad one.

This is a peak blues album. It's not a genre I listen to often, but when I do, I'll now reach for Muddy Waters. From start to finish, this album is great. It's impossible not to be affected by these sounds.

One of the greatest glam rock albums. Marc Bolan always gets compared with Bowie, but T. Rex beat him to the glam scene. As late as 1972 (before 'Aladdin Sane'), it was still fair to ask which was of two was better, in no small part to the strength of 'Electric Warrior'. Bowie was always going to win that battle in the long run, even if Bolan hadn't died tragically young. But T. Rex still stands as an important contemporary that holds up today.

Of all the nu metal albums, this was easily the best one. Mainly because they don't just sound like self-centered frat boys. That's not a high bar. I haven't listened to it in a long time and wasn't sure how it would hold up. And it does a little. It's not my favorite album or even within my top 100 albums, but it still has some nostalgia value. It's still infinitely better than their contemporaries from the time.

After being briefly banned from touring the US, The Kinks started looking inward to their own homeland for inspiration. The result is a concept combining the traditionalist British culture with the loose, unrefined and experimental youth culture. An early concept album, a cult classic and some of their best music.

I'm not really a Metallica fan, but "One" is an absolutely amazing song. The rest is a mix of thrash metal and prog rock. It's an impressive work, if a bit repetitive at times.

I knew some of Stevie Wonders' albums already but knew nothing about this one. His classic era is great and this album fits in nicely. It doesn't impress quite as much as 'Innervisions' or 'Songs in the Key of Life'. But it's still great to hear more from this period.

The blurred line between post-punk and new wave.

Elvis is obviously an important figure in the history of modern popular music and this album marks a return to form after nearly a decade of mediocre film soundtracks. It is also heavily influenced by the Memphis scene. As important as Elvis was in the 50s, by 1969, rock and roll had left him far behind. For Elvis fans, it's undoubtedly a noteworthy album. But I am just not an Elvis fan.

The beginning of Bob Dylan as a songwriter. It's hard go overstate his significance as a lyricist. This album is such a statement of the early 60s and would have been unparalleled at the time of its release. Musically it's generally sparse, which doesn't make for great background music. But it's not supposed to be. The music is a vehicle for the lyrics that deserve attention.

Classic new wave that's catchy as hell.

Apparently one of Raitt's biggest supporters was Prince? That's unexpected. Slightly intereting background story. The music is fine but it's not my style.

A sometimes overlooked gem in Bowie's discography. On one level, this album is almost forgettable (including by Bowie himself who claims to have no memory of recording it due to intense drug use) in comparison with his many noteworthy and more easily defined albums. On the surface, it is a transition album between the "plastic soul" of "Young Americans" and the post-modern Krautrock-influenced "Low". Multiple listens to this album reveals that it's one of his most complex albums. It's completely free and beyond simple categorization. It also has some of Bowie's most beautiful vocal performances. This one is a must have for any fan who really wants to explore his work in depth.

There's certainly a lot of drama behind this album. But unlike some other bands who can turn drama and internal tension into great music, this is just ok. I can see how they might have seemed exciting at the time though, touring with legendary acts and also performing underground gigs in their flats. The excitement doesn't really hold up unfortunately and it mostly sounds like just another punk band.

Melancholy folk and bluegrass. I've never heard of this one before but it was incredibly absorbing. Music to close your eyes and daydream to.

Heavy, danceable rock that sounds like a modern take on Can. It's hardly controversial to say that this isn't their best album though. QOTSA were still establishing their sound at this point. Later albums including Like Clockwork or Era Vulgaris would have been easy 5s.

Mixed feelings on this one. To start with, I only know Scott Walker from the excellent song '30th Century Man' and was hoping for an album more like that. I've also heard that Walker went avant garde later in life and there are some early flashes of that here. Overall, it's more interesting than I initially gave it credit for but there are only a couple of songs that I would want to return to. There are definitely some unfortunate and outdated lyrics here and there too.

This one doesn't deserve the hate it gets but it also doesn't deserve a spot on the list. The music is pretty solid to be honest but the vocals are so comical that it's just a distraction. If you're going to go falsetto, you need to either do it really well or commit to being a bit silly. This album achieves neither, which is a shame because the compositions would have been great without that.

I was very late to the party when it came to The Strokes. I dismissed them as overhyped rich kids making standard rock music. Probably not bad but I didn't have the time to bother. When I finally got around to listening to this, I could see what I had been missing. The album is so much better than I'd expected. It's not often that a band manages to balance on the fine line between mainstream radio-friendly rock and unpolished underground indie. But the Strokes managed and the album still holds up well. Easy 5 stars.

'Low' may be the most striking of all of Bowie's transformations. He'd already managed to move effortlessly from glam rock to plastic soul, which was a commercial success but drove him into a coccaine-fueled frenzy. To escape both addiction and fame, he took Iggy Pop and Brian Eno to Berlin. Bowie and Eno were heavily influenced by Krautrock artists, as well as Eno's own ambient style for the start of this incredible era. Combined with the paranoia of a divided Berlin, there was really nothing quite like this album before. His record label refused to release it for 3 months for fear of failure. 'Low' has gone on to be massively influential for post-punk, industrial and synth pop artists in particular. It's not everyone's taste but for many, this is will always be Bowie's masterpiece.