267
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3.5
Average Rating
25%
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822 albums remaining
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1950s
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73
5-Star Albums
15
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Light / White Heat | 5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
| The Gilded Palace Of Sin | 5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
| Step In The Arena | 5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
| 1989 | 5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
| A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
| Melodrama | 5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
| Live At Leeds | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
| Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
| Court And Spark | 5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Californication | 1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
| Disraeli Gears | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| Africa Brasil | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Here Are the Sonics | 1 | 3.16 | -2.16 |
| The Holy Bible | 1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
| Legalize It | 1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
| Hypnotised | 1 | 3.06 | -2.06 |
| Ingenue | 1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
| Cafe Bleu | 1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
| Second Toughest In The Infants | 1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 6 | 4.67 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4.75 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4.5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 4.67 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 2 | 5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 2 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 5 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 5 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 5 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4.25 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (73)
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Popular Reviews
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I love Joni’s voice in the same vein of Chris’s love for Adele. She has such total command over her voice as an instrument, not just in maintaining pitch, but in volume, delivery, especially cadence. I could listen to her sing the verses of Help Me a million times and never get tired of it.
On top of her second-to-none vocal talent, the music is interesting enough. This album, IIRC, is about when she begins a pretty full dive into more jazz. Extra star for real guitar, drums, and tasteful horns, but it won’t let me add a 6th star.
6 likes
Beyoncé
4/5
Undeniably catchy and killer crisp production. Not sure where the album ended since the platinum edition was all Spotify had for me. I was gonna complain about how every song is just unending sexual euphemisms but that would make me seem like “old man yells at cloud.”
2 likes
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Good performances by the aforementioned great rhythm section of Talking Heads. This album reveals they would have most likely been stuck in their TH77 days if the songwriting had been more democratic. As a frontman and penman for their material, Chris and Tina needed David Byrne to take the next leap. I enjoyed this though.
1 likes
Talking Heads
5/5
This is not my beautiful house.
This is not my beautiful wife.
This is just a really good album.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (15)
All Ratings
Beatles
3/5
Much stronger Side A
"All My Loving" one of their best pre-'65 songs
Has some of their best early pop stuff while also some of the worst in their catalog, a little uneven
Depeche Mode
5/5
Great production, consistent vibe, catchy music
Queen
3/5
Interesting music you wouldn’t expect from Queen if you only know the big hits.
Motörhead
3/5
It was good Friday music. On a Monday morning, maybe not so much
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This is a 5-star record until the last two tracks, and I realize I need to be pickier with my 5’s.
The highs on this record are the best in LZ’s whole discography, namely the guitar work on Whole Lotta Love, Plant’s vocals on What is and What Should Never Be, and Ramble On (the best bass line written by someone not named Paul McCartney).
Janelle Monáe
3/5
Album had great energy in the first 4-5 tracks where the songs were transitioning into one another. Liked the Afrobeat/world music theme throughout, but the album lost momentum on some of the more digital/techno songs where her voice was distorted. The high points were the songs where her incredible vocal talent was uninhibited, I liked Locked Inside, Cold War, Oh, Maker, and Say You’ll Go the best.
New Order
2/5
Good production, like the bass sound, but the songs overall didn’t do it for me and started to sound repetitive.
The Crusaders
3/5
Good stuff from a group I’d never heard of before. Well produced, catchy (I got a mix of R&B and Steel Dan type jazz), but I have a hunch there’s better stuff to discover in this genre.
Standouts we’re the title track (which didn’t feel like 11 min long at all) and Carnival of the Night, which I loved.
Louis Prima
2/5
Hard to review because I only listened back on Friday. I loved the first two tracks, thought it was pointing toward a promising direction and then The Lip sounded like Mike Filipowicz talk-singing. After that it was really hit or miss, I have a soft spot for standard 50’s pop but this left some to be desired.
Eagles
4/5
In 2016, I developed a crush on a gorgeous girl on the dorm floor above me who was a huge Eagles fan (despite not knowing who Don Henley was). Today, she is married, and I am writing a review of the Eagles debut album while procrastinating law school work.
Regarding the actual music, this is a great look behind the curtain at who the Eagles were starting out. I unabashedly will say I would listen to this album over Hotel California any day, despite it being objectively weaker music. This is early Eagles, and this is pure country rock, heavily influenced by lead guitarist Bernie Leadon, formerly of the Flying Burrito Brothers (check em out, please). If Hotel California is the Eagles on cocaine and stardom, their debut album is the Eagles on peyote and a cheap bologna sandwich trying to make it big when they aren't Linda Ronstadt's backing band. The banjo on Take It Easy is what elevates it from catchy tune to country rock classic, the harmonies and guitar solo on Peaceful Easy Feeling (maybe a top 3 Eagles tune?) are perfect. But this album pulls its weight with Nightingale, a rocker that wouldn't even be so outta place on something like Hotel California, and Train Leaves Here This Morning, a great laid-back Leadon track. No, he wasn't as good a guitarist (or drunk) as Joe Walsh, but he played a far more important role as the Eagles first guitar hero before Don Felder and Walsh join the Frey later in the decade.
Now, can we talk about the war crime that is Chug All Night into Most of Us Are Sad? Two terrible songs that when sequenced together become even worse. Tryin' and Earlybird were ok, but please respect this album the aforementioned deep cuts I defended in the previous paragraph. This is a light 4, not nearly on par with Led Zeppelin II.
P.S. Shoutout Randy Meisner, Scottsbluff Bearcat.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Amazing guitar sound, and I think all the orchestral arrangements were done in a good way to add something to the album without overdoing anything. My big hang-up here is the same with so many indie rock acts of the 21st century - why is the lead singer's voice so ... whiny. The "Neighborhood" saga is my least favorite grouping of tracks, the standouts here were Une Annee Sans Lumiere, Wake Up, Rebellion, and In the Backseat. I can easily see why this made the mark it did in 2004 and is considered a top album of the decade.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Everyone likes disco to some extent, you’re gonna be tapping your foot to the Four on the Floor beat at some point. However, I lose my appetite for disco pretty quickly. There’s typically little creativity, the songs don’t tell a story or lead you anywhere. He’s the Greatest Dancer, for example, takes almost 5 1/2 minutes and just repeats the same few musical motifs.
I will say, if you can forget just how overplayed “We Are Family” is, you have to acknowledge it’s likely a top 3-5 disco tune of all time. Props.
The Clash
3/5
Hard to review in a vacuum. 1) knowing that outside of the Ramones and Sex Pistols this is one of the first punk acts to breakthrough, so I’m sure it was very new and interesting. 2) I know the absolute genius they put on with London Calling.
The album didn’t wow me, but I found myself enjoying it and I love the snarl of Joe Strummer’s voice.
The Who
5/5
The perfect live document of the best rock and roll band to do it.
1) there will never be another Keith Moon. He basically plays fills for entire songs and yet the songs still have a perfect rhythm.
2) there will never be another John Entwistle. I usually forget what Pete Townshend is playing because I’m too focused listening to how good the bass on these songs are.
3) related to the first two points, it’s hard to believe this music is only coming from 3 musicians and a singer. It’s louder and busier than the Allman Brothers, who were something like a 7 piece band.
4) The Who are a perfect blend of edgy like the Stones and hilariously innocent like the Beatles. Their banter in between songs and some of the tongue-in-cheek lyrics are great. It’s a shame their pre-Tommy stuff is the forgotten material of the British Invasion.
Definitely was wavering about giving it the elusive fifth star, but it definitely earns it.
The Temptations
3/5
The first three songs are ok. Soul mixed with a little psychedelia, I kept getting TV cop theme song vibes. However, I’ve heard half a dozen covers of Heard It Through the Grapevine better than this, they miss the emotion of the song that Marvin Gaye delivers. The rest of the album is fine, amazing voices (I’d listen to them sing the Yellow Pages), but no songs jump out as memorable.
Rush
2/5
A prog rock album is inevitably only as good as it’s side long song about some weird fantasy theme. This isn’t quite for me, but I can respect the hell out of the musicianship. Everyone knows Neil, but I think the guitar playing is what stuck with me from this record.
George Harrison
4/5
Let’s start with legitimate gripes about the album.
1) the opening track is meh and doesn’t give the album the opening punch it could’ve delivered. It’s a Bob Dylan co-write and George putting it first was basically the 1970 version of posting a hot new girlfriend on Instagram to make your ex jealous.
2) there is plenty of filler on this album. Apple Scruffs, I Dig Love, …why a second version of Isn’t It a Pity?
3) the “Apple Jam” of instrumentals and Johnny’s Birthday are fine, but don’t add anything of substance.
Now, onto the good.
1) some of these individual songs are not just among the best music a solo Beatle put out, but among some of the best music any of them wrote. What is Life, Wah-Wah, My Sweet Lord, and Isn’t It a Pity are up there with Lennon/McCartney songs.
2) Phil Spector is a much at producing music than trying to not kill his wife. Listening to Awaiting On You All sounds like you’re 100 ft down a tunnel listening on a maxed out PA system.
People often play the classic game of trying to cut the White Album down to a single album (don’t be friends with these people, they don’t understand the White Album). However, this record could properly be chopped into a single record and it would be considered a top 25 album in rock history? Here’s my go at it:
My Sweet Lord
Wah Wah
Isn’t It A Pity
What is Life
If Not For You
Behind That Locked Door
Let It Down
Run of the Mill
Beware of Darkness
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp
Awaiting On You All
Art of Dying
All Things Must Pass
Gorillaz
3/5
Good, unique mix of lofi, rap, and rock. Definitely good music to put on on a rainy day and just have playing in the background. I enjoyed the songs with lyrics best, namely Rock the House (with the Herb Alpert-esque brass), Clint Eastwood, and Tomorrow Comes Today. Nothing super profound jumped out at me, but definitely a good debut.
Cream
1/5
Sunshine of Your Love? - Great
Imagine walking into a record store and passing over The Beatles, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, or Bob Dylan for this. I’d be upset in retrospect.
Of course Clapton is a great technical guitarist, but there’s just nothing resembling any emotion in his playing. Outside of “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” I think EC has been riding rock’s coattails to stardom. At least he did a cool Michelob commercial back in the day. He cannot hold a candle to Hendrix or his contemporaries.
Gene Clark
2/5
A review on this album’s wiki said it “accomplished what Gram Parsons set out to do when he was breaking ground on ‘Cosmic American Music.’”
That is patently false. Parsons attempts at spacey country rock, with the Burrito Brothers, Byrds, and his solo work, all are essential and classic listening. This album was not. I did love Ben Keith’s pedal steel playing on track 7.
But shoutout to Gene Clark for being an original member of the Byrds, whom I love. And he also gets a star just for writing “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.”
Suede
2/5
Decent BritPop, again with the whiny voice from the lead singer though. The best songs were the ones where the guitar was allowed to rock out a little bit.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
Great guitar sound, good heavy rock. Definitely loses focus from time to time but overall definitely makes a good statement. I would say this is a less pretentious “Funeral.”
Extra star for real guitar and drums, as they say.
The Clash
5/5
I’m not sure I can name another album that starts off extremely strongly, and then proceeds to throw classics in your face for an hour. Songs 1-12 are absolutely essential, Brand New Cadillac is the only “A-“ song among an A+ stretch. The rest is just good, and then Train In Vain wraps it up in such a good way.
The success with which a simple punk band turned “3 chords and the truth” into a mix of rock, reggae, and ska for this album is nothing short of a miracle.
I really think Spanish Bombs is only of the best songs ever written, definitely top 50 no question. I could write a paragraph on most of these songs, but I think it goes without saying it earns each of its 5 stars.
Jorge Ben Jor
1/5
I like the world music thing more on stuff like Remain in Light. Tried to like it but couldn’t follow along. Extra star for real drums and instruments.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Good sounding alt rock/indie stuff. Admittedly was busy today so skipped around. Will definitely revisit this. Points for real guitar and drums as the kids say.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Meh, psychedelia mixed with church organs and a guy who can’t sing. Better than Clapton though!
Peter Tosh
1/5
First song: terrible. I quit there
Dolly Parton
3/5
Very easy to like Dolly’s voice. The arrangements and ensemble on older country music like this never seems to fail. Almost gave it a full extra star for the ever-tasteful pedal steel guitar throughout. Great vocals as always from her as well.
Air
2/5
Interesting music and production for the time but nothing really grabbed a hold of me
Underworld
1/5
Listened to 20 seconds of the first track…cmon
Bad Company
4/5
At first was a little unsure of getting this album because when I think Bad Company, I think overplayed FM rock radio. However, this album is just about everything you could ask for from 1970’s rock music: good energy, memorable riffs and melodies, killer lead vocals from Paul Rodgers, and a concise album that’s less than 40 min. Extra point for real drums and guitar, this one honestly flirted with 5 stars for me. Enjoyed the deep cuts just as much as the hits.
The Saints
3/5
Either this list or this algorithm loves punk music. I enjoyed it, horns and harmonica were a decent touch. Slightly better than The Clash’s self-titled, nowhere near London Calling. I need a break from punk.
The Band
5/5
I will try not to pontificate too much about my favorite album of all time. 12 songs, none of them sound alike, but the whole album is extremely cohesive, right down to the brown cover and sepia toned photo of them on the cover. As someone I once heard said, this is the most Americana album of all time… by 4 Canadians and an Arkansan.
This band has 3 of the top 50 singers of all time, and Robbie Robertson could write a song that would perfectly fit one of them, or all 3 at once. All 5 of them are experts of their main instrument and could play each other’s instruments just as well.
Just like the Beatles, they’re such a tight band because they spent just as many years on the small-town bar circuit as they did as famous rockstars. A band deserving of the title “The Band.”
I’m a thief, and I dig it.
Adele
3/5
Probably the best voice of 21st century pop? She gets an extra star for writing her own material instead of having a 10 man songwriting team or algorithm do the work. Too many songs with a bare piano arrangement, I started to get bored as a result.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I'm sure most of the crowd noise is faked/overdubbed, but it's still a fun listen as a live album. Johnny Cash is probably one of the more captivating performers of his time. Pound for pound, I would say Folsom > San Quentin in terms of his live records, but this one does have the benefit of having Wanted Man, my favorite song of his (written by Bob Dylan). It's basically a better version of "I've Been Everywhere."
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Fantastic album that transports you to rural, heartland America circa the 1930s-1960s. I think like 3-4 of these songs use the exact same chords and picking style, but the storytelling is interesting enough to keep you engaged. Nebraska, Atlantic City, Johnny 99, and Open All Night stand out to me. I’m really glad Bruce was able to put a hold the rocker persona to give us this treasure, just a shame he had to sell out and make the painstakingly average “Born in the USA” album 2 years later.
Beatles
5/5
In 1963, the Beatles’ first album begins on a quick count of “One, Two, Three, Four…”
Barely three years later (the span of time it takes Lorde and Dua Lipa to release ONE album), and the Beatles have turned popular music on its head from the moment George starts off Taxman with the slow, chill 1-2-3-4 count.
Backwards guitar solos, a full on sitar-laden song, a pop song that’s just a string arrangement, horn arrangements, Ringo’s drumming on She Said She Said, the vocal harmonies on Here There and Everywhere. These are all examples of things that were nearly single-handedly invented or perfected by the Beatles, and they’re all on one album. Most days, this is maybe my 4th or 5th favorite Beatles album, but I think it definitely has one of the strongest cases for their most important album.
In terms of influence, this is probably a top 2-3 most influential album on this 1,001 list. Just a shame the biggest hit from it is a kid’s tune about a submarine…
Talking Heads
4/5
Really good new wave music. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth are great timekeepers, but I suppose it helps they’re married. Starts strong with Uh-Oh, ends really strongly with Psycho Killer and Pulled Up. Lost my focus in the middle of the album, keeps it from the elusive 5th star.
John Grant
3/5
Didn’t finish but I enjoyed the production, the songwriting, and his voice
Dr. Dre
3/5
5 star worthy beats with 1 star lyrical content. This is basically just the 90s version of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. It’s clear as day the influence this album has had on the genre, but safe to say it’s not for me!
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I love Joni’s voice in the same vein of Chris’s love for Adele. She has such total command over her voice as an instrument, not just in maintaining pitch, but in volume, delivery, especially cadence. I could listen to her sing the verses of Help Me a million times and never get tired of it.
On top of her second-to-none vocal talent, the music is interesting enough. This album, IIRC, is about when she begins a pretty full dive into more jazz. Extra star for real guitar, drums, and tasteful horns, but it won’t let me add a 6th star.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Good performances by the aforementioned great rhythm section of Talking Heads. This album reveals they would have most likely been stuck in their TH77 days if the songwriting had been more democratic. As a frontman and penman for their material, Chris and Tina needed David Byrne to take the next leap. I enjoyed this though.
The Jam
3/5
Great bass tone, good melodies for a punk album. After hearing London Calling it’s getting difficult to judge these punk projects. Bonus points for it being a concise 35 min long.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Catchy, melodic, well performed. Very accessible yet enjoyable music.
Beatles
5/5
Honestly when I think of an “album,” this is usually what comes to my mind. The biggest band in the world, fresh off a stretch of 3 classic, creative, and cohesive albums, find themselves without a manager and a direction. So they go to India, write a bunch of music, record it, and say f*** it and release it.
Every good album needs drama, every good album needs filler tracks to keep the pace. There are days where I get tired of hearing Sgt Pepper or Revolver, but listening to the White Album is always interesting. And yes, that means I even like “Wild Honey Pie,” “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road,” and “Revolution 9”
Santana
5/5
Probably up there with Depeche Mode for my favorite album we’ve heard that I didn’t previously know. Great grooves from the percussion, fantastic guitar work.
Fun fact, Fleetwood Mac (pre-Buckingham and Nicks) wrote Black Magic Woman.
The Pogues
4/5
Great music, interesting blend of rock, punk, and all the traditional Irish music. Good mix of tempo within the songs as well. The hang up with me is his voice, although it’s unique enough I can understand why some people find the charm in it.
Jurassic 5
2/5
Decent vocal performances, didn’t keep me interested throughout though
Steely Dan
5/5
One of only two chances to hear Steely Dan as an actual band and not just the brainchild of Becker/Fagen, and this one makes you wonder how they’d have carried on as a real unit. Not a big Do It Again fan but the rest of the album has amazing musicianship and vocal performances to back unique songwriting. Brooklyn was my top song on 2022’s Spotify Wrapped I think, and for good reason. I wish they’d have kept David Palmer to sing some of their later hits.
Steely Dan doesn’t have a bad album. Katy Lied is my favorite, but they have many worthy of a 5 star consideration.
Carpenters
3/5
Karen Carpenter really could sing this well *while playing the drums?!*
However, that raises the question of why they would let her brother sing on this when you have such a talent as KC. She’s up there with Joni and Adele for voices that have blown me away. Outside of the title track, though, I was unimpressed with the arrangements and instrumentation.
Bonus points for her voice and Close to You being Homer and Marge Simpson’s wedding song.
The Stooges
2/5
I listened to all of We Will Fall in the shower and thought my Spotify was messed up. I’ll never get that 10 minutes back. Hard rock doesn’t have to be this dumb, Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and company at least bring more interesting instrumentation to the genre.
Linkin Park
3/5
Powerful blend of rock and hiphop/rap. I can see why this would have a grip on angsty teens at the turn of the millennia, but it’s not the type of music I turn to when I’m pissed off. Still, objectively good music.
Paul Simon
5/5
One of the most famous left-turns in pop history. He’d been making music for 23 by this point? It takes a lot to make world music this accessible, this succeeds. I don’t always feel like listening to the whole thing, but it objectively earns the 5th star.
The a capella opening to Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is the standout moment
Radiohead
2/5
Radiohead is rock for music theory nerds. I think there’s 3-4 more well known and well regarded RH albums so not sure why this made the list. Thom Yorke’s voice is also too whiny.
Steely Dan
5/5
Incredible sound, inventive songwriting, catchy melodies. Perhaps the ultimate “real guitar and drums” album, the playing is just so good. Interesting how they continually had random session players lay these tracks and yet the whole album still feels rock solid as a unit. I Got The News is a B song surrounded by 6 A+ tunes.
Beastie Boys
4/5
They have such a recognizable sound, yet how do all their voices sound the exact same? Good rap music that doesn’t take itself all too seriously because Jewish white rappers from NYC can’t pass for Biggie Smalls. The sample list on the wiki page is nuts.
The Undertones
1/5
Didn’t wow me and I’m kind of over all the punk on this list. Good bass though.
ABBA
3/5
Catchy, yet a little forgettable. The dudes in abba should sing more.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Very inconsistent album but incredibly breathtaking songwriting from a 21 year old from Minnesota. This song has 5.5 classics and the rest are simple throwaways. Everyone knows Blowin in the Wind, but the real genius on this album is Hard Rain, Masters of War, and Don’t Think Twice.
Early 60s folk Bob is my least favorite era of his, and Jason poorly trying to mimic his voice from this era does not affect me.
Alice Cooper
2/5
When I hear Alice Cooper, I do not think “oh, I must listen to this album of his before I die.” This is good rock music and probably isn’t in the top 73 most essential albums of 1973.
Don’t get me wrong, No More Mr. Nice Guy is one of the best FM radio rock songs, holds up well on repeat listens
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Walmart brand version of Violator by Depeche Mode. Decent stuff, pretty catchy.
Lorde
5/5
This is the good stuff. First 5-6 songs are an all time way to start and album, and I wish Perfect Places had a 3x longer runtime. Such a well constructed album, from the production, to the moody lyrics, to the great cover art…even melodrama is such a good name for an album.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
About as good as real guitar and real drums gets. Hendrix rightly gets the spotlight as a pillar of guitar playing, but Mitch Mitchell is having an all-time moment on the drums this entire album. Very Keith Moon like in that it sounds sloppy but is filling every guitar break perfectly. Great songs front to back, 5 stars despite the pretentious 8-minute hippy track.
GZA
3/5
I like the idea of mixing in dialogue from a movie into a concept album. It’s a rap album, I really can’t say much about if I liked it or not. Pretty standard stuff.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
I love listening to debuts, usually a band at their most authentic yet most raw. Follows the Allman’s debut by about 3 years but still sounds like such a fresh and new take on southern rock. Free Bird is face melting, the way RVZ phrases some of the lines in Gimme Three Steps is legitimately funny and the song has a riff that’ll be in my head for a week. I loved every song here, then went to their second record and loved every song there.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Cool, funky, interesting instrumentation for 1971. Definitely lays some hip-hop groundwork
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Title track - sounds messy and muddy production wise, but the melody and interplay with the backing vocals gets stuck in my head once a week at least.
The gift - the instrumental jam is good, I dig the story line, and I like John Cale’s Welsh accent.
Lady Godiva - see above comment regarding John Cale’s accent. This is one of two VU albums to include him, so it’s a rarity I enjoy every time.
Here She Comes Now - the soft spot on the record yet still a little dark, brooding and messy.
I Heard Her Call My Name - I thought this would be the reason I gave it 4 stars, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected
Sister Ray - good groove, maybe doesn’t need 17 min but a great finishing track.
A very coarse album, impossible to digest on first listen, but I can’t turn it off once I start listening to it. Definitely a good one to try out after the Banana album.
The Police
3/5
Distinctive vocals from sting, really unique guitar tone from Somers, great drumming from Copeland. I can’t say I loved anything outside of Message in a Bottle, though. Very inventive and influential music, no doubt, but I’ve never gone through a Police kick.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Decent album…
It’s nuts how well rounded this album is after sounding absolutely nothing like his first two tries. Incredibly clear production, I can focus on each instrument clearly and it lets each song sound fresh every listen. The Professor is absolutely killing it here, it really should be Roy Bitten and the E Street Band. I always have a soft spot for She’s the One as a forgotten deep cut and great sax solo. Perfect album outside of the slight drab and pretentiousness of Meeting Across the River.
Kanye West
4/5
A great start to a strong musical career. Creative, leans heavily on a good sense of R&B which not enough hip hop or rap does today. Found myself singing along which is rare for a rap record. Runs a little long, no rap album needs to be an hour.
Dire Straits
4/5
Loved this on the first listen, on the second listen I realized how long it is. I tagged on rap albums for being too lengthy, this gets the same treatment. No rock album needs multiple 8 min songs and 4-5 tracks over the 6 min mark. Money for Nothing deserves the run time, however. Walk of Life is pop gold. The Man’s Too Strong is a great lesson on how volume control can turn a good song into a great song. I think the overall album length and slight filler prevent it from getting the fifth star. Love Mark Knopfler though.
Blur
3/5
Decent stuff, good instrumentation. Way too British for me.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Really good album. Probably is a low 4 but I don’t remember much from Friday.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
More great stuff but the album tracks on this one stifled the overall experience. Only giving this a 3 as relative to the 5 of AYE. A little more hippie and less guitar-rock focused than the debut.
Radiohead
4/5
One of those albums that still sounds a tiny bit futuristic despite being a couple decades old. Definitely a huge left turn in Radiohead’s career and rock as a whole. No 5th star due to Thom Yorke’s whiny vocals draining out the music.
5/5
The perfect amount of British. People can say they are just cut and pasting pastiches from the Beatles…but why aren’t more bands doing the same? Out of the three mega-classics on this, Wonderwall is by far the weakest. Don’t Look Back and Champagne Supernova are pop perfection, and I’m surprised I didn’t know Some Might Say before this. Loved it.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Album really picks up toward the second half. Definitely would’ve been a bolt of lightning back in 1977, but it’s just good punk to my 2023 ears.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Some good rock music. Going to California is tied with Ramble On for my favorite LZ song. Stairway honestly deserves every accolade it gets. Rock and Roll, Black Dog, When the Levee Breaks are all perfect rock. A must listen to album.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Side 1 he goes electric, side 2 reminds you he can still do it all acoustic. Subterranean and It’s Alright Ma are two songs that sound nothing like anything else in rock. The love songs on side A are perfect. This one has Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan’s 115th dream is hilarious, oh and it ends with Baby Blue, possibly his most heart wrenching song, if not his best.
I don’t listen to this one all that often, but if this is possibly his *worst* of the upcoming trilogy of 60’s rock albums of his…I’d say he’s doing alright.
He’s also 24 when he’s writing these lyrics…
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Energy is just oozing out of this album. It’s a shame raging against the machine just means “Republicans bad” in 2023, but back in 1992 this album’s message must’ve been infectious. Tom Morello underrate real guitarist.
Marty Robbins
5/5
The best country album I’ve ever heard to date. Sounds surprisingly crisp for 1959 too, apparently recorded in one 8-hour session.
In terms of pure songwriting, I’d have to venture to say El Paso is one of the 5 greatest songs ever written, and Big Iron definitely makes a top 25-50 spot. Such elegant storytelling in a way that I still hang on every word on the hundredth repeat listen. Every song in between is really good too.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Funky and catchy, good music
Miles Davis
3/5
Only thing that struck me was the amount of electric guitar and piano, turns out that’s why this album is notable in the progression of jazz fusion. I enjoyed it, but liked Take Five way more and I know I’d enjoy others by Miles far better.
Soft Cell
2/5
British synth pop and post punk are two genres I couldn’t get into no matter what. Never even liked Tainted Love. The 80s was an American dominated decade
R.E.M.
4/5
These guys just have a knack for catchy music and great melody. Good real guitar and drums, maybe a little mandolin too?
The White Stripes
5/5
Awesome production, I was worried every song would have the same flavor but this goes a lot of different ways. Fun to listen to. 7NA might be one of the weaker overall tracks honestly.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Good energy, fun music, killer voice.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Good overall, better as background music than something to really focus in on
Lou Reed
5/5
Not a perfect album, but the hits carry the water here. Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day, Vicious, Satellite of Love, just great glam and pop songwriting. Just like with Bob Dylan, I’ll fight anybody who doesn’t like Lou Reed’s voice. Fun fact: this album was produced by David Bowie.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Not terrible, probably worse than the other Yeah Ye…wait…why did we have 2 of their albums on this list?!
Spacemen 3
3/5
Psychedelic and spacey, not bad. Could’ve flirted with a 4 if it weren’t for the repetitive 11min instrumental.
Ice Cube
3/5
Can’t say whether or not it was better than the chronic, definitely edgier and angrier.
Also regular people just enjoy this album, psychos like me immediately recognize the Steely Dan Green Earrings sample on Dont Trust Em
Metallica
4/5
If all metal were to be like this, call me a metalhead. I have to shout out the album cover is a very cheeky wink to White Light/White Heat…
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Great melody writing, interesting blend of acoustic folk themes with electronic and big production ideas. Didn’t pay too much attention to the overarching concept but the musical ideas carried enough of a related strand to feel cohesive.
Judas Priest
4/5
Right up there with Metallica as far as good metal goes. I don’t know what it would take for a metal album to get the 5th star but this one came close at times. Living After Midnight sounds like a KISS track almost. I listened to “Breaking the Law” before taking my criminal law final…got an A-, I’ll take it
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Extra star for the good playing from the rhythm section. Kiedis’s voice is insufferable and Frusciante is a good guitarist but the riffs overall are so meh
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
Pretty good for 1962. Love the electric/Wurlitzer piano throughout. Outside of the first track, not much to latch onto.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Good blues tunes. Nothing extraordinary but the band is right and sounds good. Blues music is repetitive and doesn’t allow much room for creativity but if you can play, you can play - and these guys can.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
This was good. Not much else to comment on.
Prince
4/5
Hadn’t listened to this, very different than the Prince I do know. Since it’s Prince, you can assume it will be captivating. I liked it overall, but this might’ve been the beginning of a small decline.
The Killers
5/5
Good guitar and drums, and incredible energy throughout. With the hits on side A, I was worried it would lack side B but I enjoyed throughout. Let’s pretend the second to last track just doesn’t exist though.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Smack dab in the middle of an impeccable run, a lot going on but not a note out of place. Pretty sure he plays every instrument on these albums too. Insane amount of talent, plenty groovy. Easy “put it on and listen” 5 star record.
Sigur Rós
2/5
I was too distressed by Robbie Robertson dying to listen to this. Also, was not super excited to listen when I tried to pronounce it. Got through tracks 1-2
Iggy Pop
3/5
Much more melodic and listenable than the Stooges debut. Good improvement, Iggy. The Passenger and title track are legitimately strong pop.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This really does feel like Led Zeppelin’s “White Album.” Double album in which every idea was tossed onto the final track list - rock epics alongside joking-style filler. Interesting listen but doesn’t quite rise to their best work. I gave LZ2 a 4 (probably deserved a 5) and LZ4 a 5 so this has to be a 4.
Kashmir, Ten Years Gone, Houses of the Holy are all LZ canon, great stuff. Trampled Under Foot is an F- song.
Kings of Leon
4/5
The album tracks for the most part were as good as the smash hits. Enjoyable listen.
Tori Amos
3/5
Sounds like a 90s Kate Bush. Good stuff objectively but not my go-to kind of music.
Al Green
3/5
If I could sing like this, I’d probably never shut up. Voice like butter, the songs themselves are just ok. Good grooves.
Spiritualized
2/5
Not my thing but kept my attention enough to avoid 1 star treatment.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Ridiculous amounts of “choogle” from the boys who invented the thing. Swampy, catchy, overflowing with energy. Album dips in the middle from Graveyard Train to Penthouse Pauper but it’s still got the choogle. I will never shut up about how their “classic era” consisted of five 5-star albums in 24 months. Insane productivity.
I think arguments could be made for The Beach Boys and Velvet Underground, but my personal vote goes to the boys from the Bay Area as the greatest American rock band.
ZZ Top
3/5
Raw, bluesy, swampy in its own non-CCR way. ZZ Top had many more albums than I would have guessed.
Venom
1/5
I listened to 20 seconds of the first track, then 20 seconds of the second, and got the gist. C’mon…
Sinead O'Connor
3/5
Just fine all around, don’t think her voice suits some of the acapella and bare arrangement moments on this.
I’ve also noticed we get a lot of albums with an artist’s one smash hit on it - weird way to create a “1,001 albums you must hear list.”
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
4 stars for the music and I felt compelled to throw on the 5th for the influence Gram and company had on cosmic country and the country-rock blend. I’m a sucker for pedal steel and 3/4 time, and this album had it in bunches. If you like Gram Parsons, it’s also worth checking out:
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
GP
Grievous Angel
Talking Heads
5/5
This is not my beautiful house.
This is not my beautiful wife.
This is just a really good album.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Didn’t finish it, was fine.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Probably really good at face value, but it’s hard not to compare this to Revolver in 1966. The Brian Jones-era Stones were definitely talented, and this is a step forward, but their post-1968 put stuff like this to shame. Glad Paint It Black made the American version of the record.
Fun tidbit, when looking for a title to Revolver, Ringo suggested they tease the Stones by naming their new album “After-Geography.”
Ray Charles
4/5
A good spin on these songs. Getting big band and R&B vibes infused with the country skeleton. Almost feels like an African-American twist on Sinatra.
Van Halen
5/5
Not often a debut has such a legitimate claim to being the top album of the decade, let alone the year. VH has many good songs, but the consistency of the run of classics gathered here is hard to grasp. Definitely an album that changed music forever.
Yes
3/5
Good prog. Love Seen All Good People.
5/5
Imagine review: 5 stars, John had a crazy good start to his solo career with Plastic Ono Band followed by this. Has hits, has sentimentality, he knew how to write an honest song that could tug at the heart strings.
Sgt. Pepper: maybe not a true concept album, but helped lay the foundation for the album as an art form. No longer did records have to be 14 three-minute songs. With a Little Help from My Friends is second only to Hey Jude in the Beatles’ singalong catalog. And Day in the Life…? Nuff said. Stands the test of time.
Black Sabbath
4/5
If my favorite song on a Sabbath record is a ballad, something is up. A good softer shift away from the first few albums, despite those being great. Good guitar work.
Fred Neil
3/5
Love a good “forgotten artist with a classic album.” Cool guitar tone for a 1966 folk album. A quick wiki search tells me this guy REALLY loved dolphins. Much credit to him for giving us “Everybody’s Talkin’,” an absolute classic from Harry Nilsson.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Great voice. Interesting at times with a good flow between tracks. Jason tells me it gets better with Blonde.
OutKast
3/5
I saw it was over an hour and already feel like I have to dismiss it for that fact. Despite that it was great pop infused RB and rap. I skipped around a bit but the hits are unimpeachable
Beyoncé
4/5
Undeniably catchy and killer crisp production. Not sure where the album ended since the platinum edition was all Spotify had for me. I was gonna complain about how every song is just unending sexual euphemisms but that would make me seem like “old man yells at cloud.”
Suzanne Vega
2/5
It’s fine. Voice is definitely the predecessor to Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries.
The Style Council
1/5
I’ve listened to each of these albums with as much of an open mind as possible. This was bad. What genre are we focusing on? What’s the theme? Very weird.
The Go-Go's
3/5
Not quite an album act, but the singles here are a perfect sample of female-driven 80’s pop. The drumming is very propulsive. Our Lips are Sealed is so good.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
CSN is the soundtrack of camping in Kearney and car rides with my dad, very nostalgic music and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes has a special place with me for that. I even know all the Spanish.
Objectively, this should be a “Stills & Company” album. They formed a supergroup out of a LA jam session once they recognized how special their 3 part harmonies were. However, a lot of the talent begins and ends there. Graham Nash is just a smooth British voice and Crosby was like the 3rd or 4th most talented Byrd. Stills, fresh off his split with Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young, could both write and play a guitar. You get a sense of that on Judy Blue Eyes and Long Time Gone.
Deja Vu and the inclusion of Neil is a 5 star record, this one suffers from some “mashed baby food”-esque filler.
Pretenders
4/5
Hit me while listening that this is just the yang to Blondie’s yin: female led punk-adjacent new wave group where the male backing band has incredible groove. Great drumming, awesome guitar tone. I know Learning to Crawl a little better. If my memory serves me right this band faced a lot of tragedy and possibly left a lot of great work on the table.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
First song was 5 star worthy. The hour long runtime mixed with me not understanding a single lyric makes it a brutal trek otherwise. I’ll assume it was fine
Anthrax
1/5
Of the so-called “Big Four” of thrash metal, I’d say these guys rank 5th.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
No reason this should be loved any less then LZ 1/2/4. Love how it begins with maybe their most well-known hard rocker and then just dumps it for an acoustic driven album. Where most albums put the hits up front, this album hits its stride at the end. Gallows Pole through to BronYAur Stomp is as good as a four song stretch gets.
The xx
2/5
Fine elevator music, not super captivating
Sonic Youth
3/5
Pretty good noise rock. I know Daydream Nation is supposed to be their opus but am not familiar with much of their work. Good stuff but nothing reached out and grabbed me.
The Mars Volta
3/5
Started hot, really enjoyed the beginning. Almost like a hybrid of pop punk vocals with a heavy metal backing band. They lost me around the 12 minute tune down the stretch.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
One of the very best. Brian Jones was mostly absent from this album but Mick Taylor had not really entered the fray completely. This is a Jagger/Richards masterpiece through and through. Bookended by 2 of rock’s greatest songs, with perfect country rock and rock n’ roll in the middle. Takes a lot to execute a cover of a song from the 1930s too. The run of Midnight Rambler to the end of the album is too good.
I’d rather listen to Exile, but this is their best album.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Wanted so badly to give it a 4. Love the music, don’t need the 8 min spoken word intro before Phoenix. Glen Campbell’s version is a perfect rendition and this is good too. Walk on By was a good cover and I liked the rest. This is good music to have on in a chill, background music type of way.
David Ackles
3/5
The bones of a great album are back there somewhere. These are well-written, mature songs. He doesn’t have the voice to transform them and the arrangement choices are puzzling. Some odd almost word stuff, odd horns and sounds pop up randomly. This is an album I’d want to hear early 70s pop acts cover, as I see Elton John’s lyricist produced it - it was obviously available to them.
Just a good rock album. 9 songs, over in 36 minutes. Good mix of Rod’s iconic voice mixed with Ronnie Lane’s softer touch. A good rock band making a fun album to listen to.
Happy Mondays
3/5
About as a good as a “Brit pop that didn’t make it big in the US” album will get if I had to guess. Pretty catchy.
Prince
4/5
Starts with three really strong tracks. Obviously Prince is a great singer, songwriter, guitar player and arranger. This probably earns double album status, but not sure it’s consistent enough to earn the 5th star. Other Prince records have better deep cuts.
Television
5/5
Melodic and great sounding guitar work. The NYC punk scene in the late 70s was crazy good if this is one of the acts flying under the radar. Wasn’t going to give it the 5th star but it’s unique and catchy enough, it’s equivalent to a good, almost-great Talking Heads record.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Great clear production on the vocals, love the minimalism and heavy emphasis on acoustic instruments. A lot of the songs feel like simple guitar, an almost DIY drum set, and some bass for good measure. Sounds like something from 1998, 2008, definitely not 1983. Super unique.
The Sonics
1/5
It’s not the Sonics’ fault, but this is extremely dated music. The loud, fuzzy punk sounds are reminiscent of the Kinks, but a year earlier they were putting out stone cold classics. This is a covers album. Apparently this influenced early punk acts like the Stooges. Good for them. I liked the 2 originals.
Black Sabbath
5/5
If hard rock/metal music is a spectrum, stuff like Anthrax is on the far left and this is about as far right as you can get. Izzy’s voice fits well, Iommi is a great riff writer. Lot of good and unique stuff on this. Album cover is hilariously ill-fitting of the tunes contained within.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
We just released the BEST pop album of all-time. Let’s follow it up with…
1) Lofi ballads sung by the ladies
2) Buckingham’s obsession with making Fleetwood play weirdly militaristic drums?
3) other minimalistic little diddies.
Don’t get me wrong, tracks like Over & Over, Sara, Angel blew me away. But this is one of the most infamous left turns in pop music history, they get credit for the bravery it took to halt the Rumours momentum. RIP Christine McVie, the far superior female talent in the band.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Things I love about this album:
- the first 6 seconds of Brown Sugar
- Jagger and Richards telling me “it’s just that mean old life that’s got you in its Sway”
- everything about the poignancy of Wild Horses
- the way Charlie hits the snare “duh-DUH” after Mick says “knocking”
- the way You Gotta Move sounds like it’s being sung by someone with 4 teeth from 1940s Louisiana
- the drum fill at the end of the verses in Bitch
- the simple D-A-G chord progression on Dead Flowers coupled with Mick Taylor’s tasty country licks
- the triumphant sadness of Moonlight Mile
Billy Bragg
3/5
Very political, very British. Pretty solid overall. I like how he transformed Dylan’s Chimes of Freedom into Ideology.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Always wanted to listen to this one. Comes between Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life, but I didn’t recognize anything from it. The singles, Boogie on Reggae Woman and You Haven’t Done Nothin’…amazing. Stevie really couldn’t put a note out of place in the 1970s. Ballads, boogie woogie piano, catchy pop tracks - all of it.
Green Day
5/5
An album that will always likely remain frozen in time, but may never “sound old.” That churning guitar and BJA’s voice are about as 2004 as it gets. Very nostalgic for myself, especially a poignant tune like Wake Me Up When September Ends. Really enjoyed finding the album tracks as good as the hits.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Very easy to see the appeal of this music in the 1956 music landscape. Elvis is energetic, charismatic, charming. Definitely what was needed to have black music broadly introduced to the masses. Good stuff. Great band too.
Morrissey
2/5
Morrissey needed Johnny Marr. The only song that gave me a strong Smith’s vibe was Suedehead and it seems like it’s his most played track by far as a result.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Beck
3/5
I don’t remember all that much from Friday. I remember enjoying it. Kinda takes an almost rap influence, but with some catchy guitar and slide work. Good casual listening
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
I didn’t know what to expect with Voices of Old People, and yet it still surprised me. What’s going on here? I’m hoping this 1,001 album redeems itself with Bridge Over Troubled Water, their magnum opus and an album that doesn’t involve non-interesting theme music and …well, old people talking.
Added star for Mrs. Robinson.
Orbital
1/5
A load of crap
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Really good beyond the hits. Not your standard 2000s alternative rock album, does a good job of changing the pace and almost including more ballad type songs. 3.5 stars
The Slits
2/5
A little off beat, off pitch, but that is probably kinda the point. They at least get some props for paving the way for some other female groups.
Parliament
3/5
Definitely good, definitely funky. Really doesn’t go far enough to stun or impress me, just really easy listening that’s fun at times.
The Cars
5/5
This album cover should be next to the word “synth” in the dictionary. Great pop cuts, catchy as they come. I think Bye Bye Love is the forgotten sleeper on this. 1976-78 was a great time for debuts with this, Boston, and Van Halen. Kinda strange their three biggest songs are you introduction to the band.
Gang Starr
5/5
One of the better rap albums I’ve heard. Something I’d actually revisit as a non-rap fan. Great beats, smooth vocal delivery and lyrical content many cuts above what you get today. Once they sampled the guitar line in “Up On Cripple Creek” by The Band, this went from 4 to 5 stars for me.
Mariah Carey
2/5
A great voice and talent, easy on the eyes. But musically this is like mushed carrots. 90’s female pop has some misses
Van Morrison
5/5
Flirts with being a perfect album. Takes the best of the pop-iness of Brown Eyed Girk with the introspection of Astral Weeks. Just good sign alongs. Glad tidings from New York!
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Really picked up in the second half. I enjoyed some songs so much I gave them a second and third listen
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I suppose I get why LC is heralded among Dylan, Paul Simon, and Townes Van Zandt as the great lyricists. He leaves a little to be desired on the vocal delivery. Still an enjoyable listen.
Coldplay
3/5
Pretty good, very well produced. I think his voice bugs me for some unknown reason but I still enjoyed it overall.
The Waterboys
3/5
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
Felt like I was sitting at a little table in the venue. Soothing, charismatic, short and sweet. Incredible voice
Jimmy Smith
3/5
The cover art gave me Peter Tosh Legalize It vibes at first and I got worried. This turned out to be pretty good jazz all around.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Kind of like Pink Floyd’s debut (also from 1967) but without the promise. Just an echo/reverb filled psychedelic album lost to time from the summer of love. Too short to offend me though!
Eagles
5/5
There’s some self-righteous filler (both Wasted Times and The Last Resort) on this but you can’t go around acting like the first three songs aren’t perfect. The title track really is universal. Great stretch of hidden deep cuts from Victim of Love to Try and Love Again.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Same good songwriting as his debut with less impressive vocals. Understandable given his age.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Only had the chance to skip around. I like the combo of upbeat pop they used in the debut with the ominous and darker mood that creeps in and shows up later on Violator.
Bob Dylan
5/5
9 up, 9 down. The songs that aren’t earth shattering are great rockers in their own right. His only truly perfect album.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Feels more modern than 1998. Enjoyable for the most part. Did not expect Fatboy slim to be a middle aged white guy.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Hits are exceptional. Breath synth work. I actually find myself liking Head Over Heels more than Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
Stan Getz
3/5
Made me feel like I was in a cocktail lounge. Very good. Love girl from Ipanema
Buzzcocks
4/5
Excellent punk
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
It was ok. I don’t know why he thought he could make 50 albums like this…but I’d be excited to hear a Nebraska one
The Specials
2/5
This sounded how I was guessing based off the album cover. Punk but infusing pop and reggae a la the clash or Blondie. Doesn’t reach their heights
Queen
4/5
You’re My Best Friend is their best song.
David Bowie
5/5
Fantastic and inventive
Elvis Presley
4/5
Lacks some of the 50’s rockabilly energy from Elvis but it’s still the King.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Willie’s best. Outlaw country is where it’s at.
Morrissey
3/5
We’ve gotten two Morrissey albums and zero Smiths albums thus far. Not a 1,001 album I needed to hear but fine nonetheless
Mj Cole
1/5
Looked up the wiki after one song. House music is not a serious genre of music. Grab an instrument, not a MacBook. 0 stars
John Martyn
2/5
Kinda funky but not great
Garbage
3/5
Various Artists
5/5
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Elvis Costello
4/5
Didn’t listen to the whole thing but a good debut, I think he gets better too. An artist I need a deep dive for
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
The Who
4/5
This is like The Wall if The Wall was actually a good concept album. Not every song is perfect but interesting concept and lots of good tunes to boot.
Manu Chao
2/5
I made it three songs. Didn’t hate it but meeehhhhhh
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Would be a decent album in a vacuum but repetitive and near the bottom of what 1967 would have to offer
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
If I know most of the lyrics and songs off a rap album, it has a lasting cultural impact. Idk if it could get better. So catchy and memorable
Van Halen
5/5
It’s not their debut but it’s a good farewell for DLR. Jump is overhyped but stuff like I’ll Wait and the other hits are great
The Doors
4/5
Night and Day from their psychedelic debut. Pure rock and blues. An old guy who frequents Emmet’s Tavern and Alderman’s always karaokes “Been Down so Long” very poorly. Title track, Riders, Love Her Madly, Hyacinth House all rock.
Beatles
5/5
The best album ever recorded and nothing short of a miracle. If anyone wants to hear my manifesto on this album, you know where to find me.
I think I know every single note by heart.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Only could make it through the first marathon song. Folk needs something to pair with it. Folk country, folk rock…plain folk sounds like music from a Hobbit movie
Janis Joplin
2/5
I think her legacy is greatly over-exaggerated by her death. These all sound like similar blues tunes and I’m not even a big fan of the voice. Bobby McGee is the standout and I might even like Kristofferson’s version better these days
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Didn’t make it the whole way through, but good jazz is good jazz. Gets the standard 3 stara
Michael Jackson
5/5
Cat Stevens
2/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
The Auteurs
3/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
One of those albums that is “overplayed”-proof. Wish Us and Them and Brain Damage were as ubiquitous as Money and Time
Dire Straits
5/5
The Avalanches
2/5
Madness
4/5
Grateful Dead
2/5
Put the Dead in the company of TSwift and Zach Bryan - perfectly good music often ruined by the outcry of their hive mind fan base. I would get my kicks telling a Deadhead to get a job, hippie!
As for the music, Jerry is great at guitar but the whole noodling around for 23 min thing gets so old so fast
Supergrass
3/5
Alright was fantastic, enjoyed the rest. Should be more well known
Eminem
4/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
The Black Keys
3/5
Good arena rock. So much bass and low end. Catchy enough
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Only listened to a few tracks. Sad we didn’t get Trout Mask Replica
k.d. lang
1/5
The Temptations
3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Perfect mix of chooglin’ and ramble tamblin’
Bob Dylan
5/5
First double album in rock history — earns the runtime. Poetic, capturing, and I even love how much my ears hurt from the harmonica
Taylor Swift
5/5
Good production. This is her best no matter how esoteric the swifties try to get
The Beach Boys
5/5
Brian Wilson is second only to Paul McCartney for the gift of melody in songwriting. A genius
Frank Zappa
3/5
I can all around appreciate the musical talent and innovation, but Zappa exists in the same realm as the Dead -- I get why people dig it, but it doesn't tend to align with my tastes.
5/5
Great production, great songs. Love when they lean into the long droning guitar picking of the first two tracks. U2 was making good rock in the era where rock was basically dead. My only gripe is that U2 is not good enough for ~two~ of their members to go by single-name monikers
Kate Bush
3/5
Her voice is very unique. Toes a like between beautiful and annoying but all in all good
Norah Jones
4/5
Perfect Sunday morning type of singer — wish I would’ve saved it for then instead of Friday
Beatles
5/5
This came out right in the heart of Beatlemania and I’m sure it felt like a bomb went off. Energy oozes off this record, hands down their best pre-drugs album and John’s overall best work (10/13 are his writing). Paul’s songs are no slouches either. Whole lotta fun.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Creative and well executed, less catchy than good kid maad city. Better than most if not all rap out there so gets the 5
Otis Redding
5/5
Carole King
5/5
Fun and touching, incredible voice. The world needs more singer songwriters these days
5/5
Nina Simone
4/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Manic Street Preachers
1/5
Brian Wilson
3/5
Hard to judge this album — it’s the most notorious lost album of all time, but based off the sessions we have it seems really inconsistent. Great beautiful stuff like Our Prayer/Gee, Heroes and Villians, cabinessence, and Surf’s Up. You can hear most of that on other albums. But then you have a song about eating vegetables. Also, good vibrations doesn’t fit on here (it would’ve also been out of place on Pet Sounds). Still, Brian is an all-time genius and melody writer
John Coltrane
5/5
David Bowie
3/5
I don’t know if the world needs Philly Soul David Bowie, but the title track and Fame are killer. Bad cover of across the universe. Fun fact, Bowie gave Lennon songwriting credit and backup vocals on Fame because JL told him he should sing the word “fame” in that weird way
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Only a handful of really good songs but the voice carries all the water necessary. Mount Rushmore of singers.
Wilco
4/5
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Germs
2/5
CHIC
4/5
3/5
Funkadelic
4/5
Only listened to the title track, why isn’t this on Spotify?
Miles Davis
5/5
Radiohead
4/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
I’d rather listen to Venus and Mars or RAM but it’s hard to argue against this being his magnum opus. Chock full of memorable melodies you memorize after one listen. The title track should get all the pop culture obsession that bohemian rhapsody does. Jet and Let Me Roll It are my other favorites, but the album clears without a bad number.
The Zombies
5/5
Roxy Music
3/5
Duran Duran
4/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
Prince
4/5
The Mamas & The Papas
5/5
Couple filler tracks but this thing is killer. Classics notwithstanding, Straight Shooter and Go Where You Wanna Go are my favorites. Even a good Beatles cover to boot. Essential pre-summer of love pop
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Grateful Dead
4/5
Talking Heads
3/5
Two great songs and the rest are ok. For as great as TH are at their peak and in a live format, they do make some generic B grade songs
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Awesome, perfect, reflects the hard times and lifestyle they were experiencing at the time living as tax exiles in France. Not a bad song on it, impossible for a double album. I can’t understand the words mick says half the time but that’s not important to enjoy the music
Chicago
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I’d usually rather listen to upbeat Joni but this is a powerhouse when it comes to songwriting. Odd tunings, funny phrasing with her vocal range going so high and low on a whim. The dulcimer rocks too. All songs good. Taylor Swift couldn’t write a single line as good as what’s on here if she tried. Full marks
The Yardbirds
3/5
The music talent is there but not the songwriting. The yardbirds were better once they became Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, etc
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Adele
3/5